#but i'm in that ''it gets worse before it gets better'' place

[anonymous-existences]

Chapter 3: New Faces, New Job, New Everything.

Continuation to the Prolouge, Chapter 1 and 2.

Danny stares at Dante in absolute shock, Red Hood? RED HOOD?? OF ALL PEOPLE. Dante had to meet the rumored and probably the most violent of the Vigilantes. And Red Hood being a literal Crime Lord makes this worse.

"He had a fat ass to be hone-" Dante Blurted with a smirk but Danny cuts him off, "No, No. Shut up. I don't wanna hear your- or my- wait no. YOU'RE gay shenanigans." Danny pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to process the whole story.

"Let me get this.. straight-... You ... Ugh.... Ancients save me. YOU. MET. RED HOOD. AFTER. Beating up... Someone in his HAUNT?? And what do you mean he's a revenant? I thought frostbite said those were the "rare cases" of semi-halfas" Danny tries to clear up all the information in his head through just yelling it out.

"Yep." Dante popping the "P" and does not elaborate on anything else but a simple 'yep'.

"Kill me fully- wait... No. Jazz wouldn't want that." Danny reminded himself and took a deep breathe.

"I am so telling Clockwork." Danny spoke out.

"Oh come on! I'm in physical probation! I defended someone from getting bad things happen to them—" Danny cut him off.

"You can say "Fucked up shit" you know stop physically censoring yourself." Danny just stared at Dante with a judgemental face. Dante gasped dramatically like he's offended by that statement.

"OH WOW. It's not like I'm trying to 'Censor' myself because you're a traumatized 13 year old kid and I'm an adult given the responsibility of YOU cuz I love you like my brother." Dante states emphasizing every word.

"You sound like a drag queen." Danny blurts out

"I look better in pink anyways." Dante smirked smugly and Danny just frowned and sighed as Dante Ruffled his hair Mischievously.

"Don't you have a job interview today?" Danny grabbed his hand and gently places it away from his poor hair.

"I already got hired. They said I fit the job." Dante sounded very proud of himself before Danny blurts out "I think they hired you on the spot because you're Eye Candy."

Dante was stunned and thought about it for a moment.

Hmm.

"Yeah I suppose but that doesn't matter now, I have a normal job and people doesn't seem to be bothered by me at all so it's very good." Danny imagined that if Dante had a tail he'd be wagging it and Danny didn't like that mental image of a fucking CATBOY DAN- "UUUUUGHH! I hate that." He drags his palm on his face dramatically.

"And you Danny. Is coming with me to work. I am not leaving you in the apartment because. I will list it.

1. Someone might break in and you're not safe.

2. You might kill that someone either through ghost or through your tendencies to grab that goddamn creep stick and hit without hesitation.

3. I am not letting you play DOOMED for 7 hours straight, But I will let you play Minecraft.

4. You or well, We. Tend to roam away from home when we are bored, in this case you do. And ding ding ding we're in Gotham.

5. If you ever got into any danger. I would not worry if you're okay. I would worry if you killed someone first.

That's your list."

Dante started Loud and Clear.

"Fine but I get to bring both my phone and headphones with my switch." Danny Complied with a deal making Dante smile triumphantly, "Fine with me Twerp, and you better behave at the cafe." He chuckles and Pats Danny's Head Gently but still mischievously.

Danny also giggled, Danny's chest felt warm. And his core buzzed in familiar happiness as Dante and Danny Pressed their foreheads into each other before Dante pats Danny's shoulder and stands back up with a groan.

"Let's go kid, get ready now." Dante stretched his body and cracks some of his "old bones" as Danny heads to his bedroom and takes his sling bag and puts his 'neccesities' inside with a smile.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Tim heard about a new Cafe opening nearby Gotham U, although at first he was suspicious of how so many people are already visiting it and even the lines reach outside. He soon found out why. One of their workers was rumored to be apparently "eye candy" or whatever they called people who are very attractive.

This worker was the main Barista and he apparently makes the drinks Infront of the people and he was good at it.

That got Tim even more curious, How attractive does someone have to be that people of all genders are lining up on a new store as if a celebrity is inside. And so he decided to wait in line like any other student as to not direct any attention to himself because that would be utterly humiliating for him.

He waited.....

And waited....

And kept Waiting and Waiting....

Until finally, what felt like an eternity he finally got to order His Coffee.

It seems the rumors are true, the bartender is indeed attractive. Tim got even more curious about how the big man seemed to have canine sharp teeth, oddly pale complexion that almost looks... Purple? And Lazarus Green Water with Red Rims.

"An Americano with two shots please.." He states to the Cashier, "And name please?" The Cashier asks again.

"Timothy." He calmly tells her as she writes it down to a receipt and hands it to the orders That the "Eye Candy" Man and Another Worker was Making.

Tim sat on a nearby table. It was the only table that happened to be empty. Except a 13 years old kid just sitting there playing... Minecraft? Okay-.

The kid stared at Tim, Tim stares back. 'He looks like adoption Bait.' Tim thinks to himself then suddenly he slowly feels weird, as if he's being judged intensely, Unfortunately and possibly even worse than how Damian judges him.

"You look like an overworked 9-5 office worker that has no paid vacations or time off for a student." the kid suddenly speaks out and it felt as though Tim had just been shot with a non-existent arrow of truth.

"Wha-" Tim tries to ask but the kid interrupts him before he could even start, "you should really get some sleep and maybe lessen your intake of Coffee... Ah right. Name's Danny by the way. Sorry. You just started staring at me so I couldn't help but state my opinion." The kid, or well... Danny said as he went back to playing Minecraft on his switch.

"I- it's... It's fine. I know I need sleep... All college students do- it's normal." Timothy just sighs and nods subtly, knowing full well this random kid is right.

Goddamit, the kid acts like Damian a bit too- and he has the typical black hair blue eyes appearance, possibly an orphan attitude. Tim continues to have a subtle Life Crisis in his head.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

'Such a weird person.' Danny thought to himself and chuckled softly.

He continues to play Minecraft with Tucker and Sam to Pass his time and so he doesn't go all deppreso mid-daylight. The amount of people entering the cafe was still... Concerning at the very least, now that the customers have heard Dante's voice... They started to call him the "Everything in one Package." Which was way worse than "Eye Candy" to be honest.

'Vlad would be confused and shocked.... I wonder how Ellie is doing.. hopefully not too bad....' Danny hums to himself as he made a gravesite ingame for Jazz to remember her by.

It has become tradition for these teens to make jazz a gravesite whenever they start a new world and they always made sure it's beautiful and colorful in a way Jazz would have liked it.

Danny smiled as he finished up the ingame Gravesite.

Although it hurts to see and do this every time, he still loves it because then he has something to remind him of her existence.

Her precious Existence as he likes to call it.

"I miss her so much..." He mutters to himself.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"I'm so... Tired." Dante was plopped onto the couch lazily.

"I am scared to be an adult like you..." Danny just stared at Dante as he Begrudgingly sat back up from the couch to stretch his body and head to the kitchen to cook.

"I met a random older student today, we kinda talked. He called me adoption bait which was funny because technically I am considering V l a d." Danny laughed.

"Adoption Bait my ass, who would want to adopt a little messy homeless looking goblin." Dante just chuckled smugly and Danny Pouts. " I am not a homeless looking kid" he tries to defend himself "that's the thing you're most concerned about in my sentence?" Dante tucked his hair back into a tight Ponytail and let's it flow naturally like fire.

"I know I'm a goblin, it's just how I am." Danny proudly says and pats his chest and puffs it out with pride.

"Ofcourse you do... Ah right. Kiddo I have a surprise for you tomorrow. So make sure to get enough sleep today alright?" Dante kneels down to Danny's Height to speak to him properly.

Danny thinks for a second, "Sure! I like surprises!" Danny giggled nodded profusely in excitement.

"Good." Dante smiled softly, he loves it when Danny is happy. His core loves when Danny is also happy. A happy Danny is a happy Dante.

He wishes this could go on forever. Just Danny smiling and not screaming for his life in his nightmares.

My Arm is cold from writing this <33

Enjoy though.

[aurumalatus]

𝗖𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦

pairing. kinich x fem!reader

word count. 2.5k

genre/warnings. pixelprincess!au (princess!reader x knight!kinich), one bed trope, princess is nervous to sleep alone with a man (who isn't)

summary.

after a long journey, kinich and the princess finally turn in for the night at an unfamiliar inn. the only problem? there's only one bed.

author's note. i'm finishing this at like 5am so if there's any errors i'll look over it/fix it when i wake up LOL. for now, please scream and cry about knight!kinich with me. reblogs/interaction highly appreciated!!

𝐩𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬!𝐚𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

It’s too warm.

As a princess born and raised in the land of Pyro, you’re accustomed to heat—thrive in it, even. It’s one of the reasons you dread trips like these so much. Foreign nations, even those with the mildest of temperatures, tend to feel a bit too chilly for your taste. Your father often jokes that you could withstand the heat of the Sacred Flame itself.

At the moment, though, you wouldn’t mind cracking open a window or two, even in the dead of winter.

The journey here had been difficult enough, boring as it was. Kinich had threatened to leave you alone in the woods a few times if you kept poking at him, but it was all you could do to not fall asleep. Attending foreign dinners always resulted in long journeys like these, though you know how important it is to maintain close relations with allied countries.

A few bumps in the road made this trek especially long, however—a number of bandits and blocked off paths added an irritating amount of time to your travel, until you and Kinich decided to rest for the night before heading home tomorrow. It had been difficult to even find a place—most inns had been full by this time, but you’d been fortunate to find one with a single open room.

A single, open room containing a single, solitary bed.

That aside, it’s a nice enough room, really. The dark mahogany furniture is carved with intricate nature-like patterns, flowers and leaves that crawl up the legs of the chairs and the foot of the bed. The whole place smells pleasantly of teakwood—a scent that, for better or worse, you tend to attribute to Kinich.

Your knight sits in front of the darkened fireplace, fiddling with a flint until it strikes with a small flame, then enkindles the rest of the wood. A flushing warmth instantly permeates the room. Usually, you would thank him for his efforts—he knows how cold you get—but now, you feel a thin sweat forming at your brow.

Kinich stands, brushing off his hands and admiring the firelight. The lighter strands of his hair glow in its radiance. “That should last us for a bit.”

He tugs at the clasp of his cloak, pulling the garment off and tossing it onto the chair in the corner of the room. It’s a thick fur with ornate green and gold trim; you’d given it to him as a gift during the Winter Festival a year ago. You let your eyes follow the motion, watching the dark cloth drape over the furniture—somehow, you feel too awkward to look at your companion right now. He glances at you, as if wondering what you’re doing just standing there, but doesn’t comment on it.

“Actually, I’m a bit warm,” you say, thumbing at the edges of your sleeves. Kinich raises a brow, genuinely concerned.

“...It’s wintertime,” he says, an obvious statement that seems to ask what the hell is wrong with you.

“Yeah, and I’m warm,” you retort, arms crossed. He looks at you, then looks at the fire, then looks at you again.

“Alright, but if you get cold later, don’t come crying to me,” he says, kneeling down again. Then, under his breath, he mutters, “though I have a feeling you will anyway.”

He toys with the kindling for a bit longer, until the raging flames die into smaller embers and the room cools down. As much as he gives you a hard time, he prioritizes your comfort as much as he possibly can. 

With the temperature now taken care of, there is still one other source of discomfort in the room, you think, glancing back toward the bed. It looks temptingly comfortable, with thick sheets and fluffy pillows, but you can’t fathom sleeping in it at the moment. 

“You realize that we can’t sleep here, right?” you say, staring down at your feet.

The dark-haired knight is busy rummaging through his rucksack, only half paying attention to what you’re saying.

“I don’t see why not. The bed is big enough.”

He’s right; it’s a king-size, and the two of you would have no problem fitting. Still, the thought of sleeping in a bed with him makes your face warm in a way that can’t be blamed on the fire.

“...There’s only one,” you manage.

Kinich looks up at you, deadpan. “An astute observation. Maybe you’ll be able to count to three by next year.”

“You little—”

The nervousness turns to irritation at his nonchalance—honestly, the thought of sharing a bed with a man you aren’t married to seems a bit inappropriate. And though you won’t admit it, you’re a bit offended that he doesn’t seem even slightly nervous to sleep with you. Kinich isn’t a nervous person by nature, that’s true; it takes quite a bit to get him to show any sort of strong emotion. But a small part of you is disappointed that he doesn’t seem to care about the situation at all.

“You realize it’s just us, right?” you say, urging him toward the root of the issue. Even just stating that fact makes an anxious lump form in your throat.

Kinich considers your words for a moment, pausing his ministrations, before meeting your gaze directly.

“I’m not going to do anything to you,” he says, raising a brow. 

The implication makes your face heat up, and you find it almost worse that he had addressed the elephant in the room.

“It’s not that!” you argue hastily. Kinich seems unbothered by your protests, fiddling with the intricate straps of his armor and the laces of his boots. He works about removing them in a fashion that’s so robotic that you’re sure he must’ve done this millions of times. 

“What is it then?” he retorts, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. “Do you snore?”

“I do not—”

“Sleep talk?”

“No, it’s just—”

“Sleepwalk?”

“No! But—”

“Great,” Kinich decides, clapping his hands together as if to end the discussion. Rising to his feet, he gestures to the bed, even going so far as to pull the blankets back invitingly. “Then sleep.”

It’s hard for you to win against him, especially at times like these—truth be told, you actually are quite tired. With a huff, you begrudgingly climb into bed, nearly hanging off the edge with the ample space you leave.

Kinich doesn’t join you yet; he’s still fixing his clothes and tidying his other belongings. He takes good care of his things, you’ve noticed, almost neat to a fault. There’s a strict routine he follows during the night; before bed, he always takes special care to maintain his weapon.

You watch as he oils and sharpens his blade, brow furrowed in concentration. He’s always been very particular about the thing, as if it was an extension of himself, as long as you've known him. His movements are notably precise and intricate, and overwhelmingly gentle. Lost in watching him, you just about jump out of your skin when his eyes suddenly flicker to you. 

“You know, most people rest with their eyes closed,” he hums, amused at having caught you in the act.

“You’re annoying,” you mumble, sinking deeper into the pillows to hide your embarrassment.

He shakes his head. “And you’re supposed to be sleeping. So I guess no one’s happy.”

You pull the blanket up until it brushes your chin. You don’t need it; your skin feels like it’s on fire, but somehow it feels too vulnerable to be uncovered right now. 

“You’re telling me you don’t feel weird about this? At all?”

He sets the sword aside and finally removes the last of his armor, simply left in his training tunic and loose pants. The shirt is tighter than you remember, you think briefly. You force yourself to look away.

“Should I?” he asks, brushing off his clothes. “Are you going to do something to me?”

The corner of his lip twitches, and you nearly roll your eyes—he amuses himself way too much.

“No!”

“Then we’ll make a deal. I won’t do anything to you if you don’t do anything to me. Then, we’ll both peacefully sleep so that I don’t have to deal with your crankiness in the morning.”

Irritatingly, he’s right about that too. The two of you will have to head out early if you want to make it home for your lessons, as well as Kinich’s other guard duties. And, truthfully, you don’t tend to be a morning person—it’s all Kinich can do to even wake you up on time.

You huff, shutting your eyes. “Fine.”

“Oh?” You can hear the mirth in his voice, and it only makes your irritation grow. “So you were planning on doing somethin—”

“I wasn’t!”

Kinich doesn’t say anything more, likely sensing that you’re on the precipice of genuine frustration—he always knows your exact limits, even when you don’t say so. 

For a few minutes, you really do try to sleep. But your heart is still pounding, and as much as you try to ignore it, it threatens to burst out of your chest. You reason that you would feel this way no matter who you were sharing a bed with—it’s just not a feeling that you’re used to. It’s certainly not because it’s Kinich.

You imagine him sleeping beside you, and your fists tighten until your nails form crescent-shaped imprints in your palms.

Definitely not because it’s Kinich.

Your stomach turns as you listen to your companion move around the room, organizing his things. Everything about him is so calm and quiet, including his footsteps—they’re barely a whisper across the floor. The anticipation nearly swallows you whole, and you wait for something to happen—the blankets to pull back, or even a dip in the mattress.

For several long, torturous minutes, nothing happens at all. In fact, you can’t even hear Kinich anymore, not even a single breath.

Did he leave the room? 

Gathering your courage, you silently will yourself to open your eyes, afraid of what you’ll see. It takes you a bit, too absorbed in the awkwardness, and three silent mental countdowns later, your eyes finally snap open. Instantly, you discover two things:

Kinich is not in bed with you.

Kinich is nowhere near you at all.

Instead, the knight is sitting across the room, back against the door, head leaned back and both eyes shut. His greatsword lays across his lap, fingers already curled around the grip—he’s always ready, as usual. 

“What the hell?”

You don’t mean for it to come out so loud or so aggressive, but your hand is too late to clamp over your mouth.

Kinich cracks one eye open, fixing you with a lazy stare.

“I thought you said you don’t sleep talk,” he murmurs, voice thick with exhaustion.

“I don’t—forget it, what are you doing over there?”

He sighs, pulling a knee to his chest and resting his chin on top. He looks much softer like this, in training clothes and lacking his headband—the curtain of his hair parts a bit as he leans over, and you catch a glimpse of the scar there. It’s thin and silver, barely peeking from his forehead.

“Unless I was mistaken, you seemed uncomfortable with the prospect of sharing a bed with me. I may not have been raised a prince, but even I wouldn’t force something like that on a lady.”

Your teeth sink into your lip. The explanation makes you feel stupid and guilty at the same time. Stupid, because you’re really not sure what you’re even afraid of if Kinich climbs into bed with you. Guilty, because you’d been so argumentative with him, even when he was trying to respect your wishes.

There’s three beats of silence.

“I changed my mind,” you manage to squeak out.

“You don’t have to,” he says, tracing the blade of his sword. An expected answer. “I’m fine sleeping here, really.”

And you know he really would be—he’s certainly slept in worse places. But something about him sleeping there while you warm up under thick blankets leaves a rotten taste in your mouth.

“Well, I’m cold now,” you say, shifting under the covers, “so can you come sleep?”

He looks unconvinced by your plea, head tilted. “Weren’t you the one who said it was too warm?”

You pout in reply. “I changed my mi—”

“—changed your mind, yeah, yeah, I get it.”

Kinich rises to his feet, slow and steady. He seems more tired than he lets on, likely the result of the events from earlier—he had been the one to deal with the bandits, after all. You merely watch as he strides toward you.

“Just remember, you’re the one who offered,” he warns, crossing to the other side of the bed. “So don’t kick me in your sleep.”

You don’t say anything at all, firmly fixated on staring at the wall—you don’t think you could stand to look at him right now. When the sheets get pulled back, you suck in a breath.

To your embarrassment, something warm draws up from your quick-beating heart as Kinich lies down behind you. You chalk it up to natural human reaction—you’ve never shared a bed with someone like this, after all. He’s gentle as he lays down, the mattress barely reacting to his movement. You squeeze your eyes shut as he adjusts, shifting the blankets and pillows, hoping he won’t sense your overwhelming nervousness.

“This okay?”

You chance a look in his direction. His eyes are half-lidded, heavy with sleep, but they seem to pierce right through you. He’s being very particular about the distance between you—close enough that you can feel a bit of his warmth, but far enough that none of your limbs are touching.

This is fine, you think to yourself, drawing in a long, slow breath. This is totally fine.

You nod meekly, and Kinich sighs, shuffling into a more comfortable position as you turn away.

“Good,” he murmurs, warm breath pooling at the back of your neck. It makes you shiver, somehow both relaxed and on-edge, even as he curls slightly closer to you. “Go to sleep then, Princess.”

He’ll be awake for a while, you know. He never goes to sleep before you do—even once you do, it’ll probably be another half an hour before he follows suit. The thought leaves you hyper-aware of his every breath.

So, for the next fifteen minutes, you lie awake, hopelessly thinking of the man laying next to you. And, for the next fifteen minutes, he lies awake too. Your mind grows foggy, begging for rest, but you still feel something tugging at your chest. You wonder if Kinich feels the same way.

“Kinich?” you finally whisper.

There’s a pause, like he’s deciding whether to reply seriously or to scold you for not sleeping. His voice comes out hoarse, a deep rumble from his chest.

“Yes, Princess?”

A yawn crawls out of your throat.

“...are you warm enough too…?”

Your voice trails off as you finally succumb to the clutches of sleep. Kinich listens as your breathing turns to an even rhythm, calm and serene. For once, he’s glad that you’re not looking at him—if you did, you would see the way his skin is flushed a deep red, from his ears to his neck.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, letting his eyes flutter shut. “I am.”

[kurokawaia]

❛ NEEDY WOMAN ❜

Hatake Kakashi X Fem!Reader

WC; 3.3k+ | !MDNI! | TW/CW :: x fem!reader, husband!kakashi, wife!reader, pregnant!reader, reader is 3 months pregnant, pregnancy, shy!reader (you get flustered easy, and timid) smut, nsfw, piv, oral -> female receiving, missionary, praise, handjob, slight? begging, pet names 'baby' 'dear' 'love' , fluffy at the end+ more

⋆·˚ ༘ * 𝑅𝐸𝒬𝒰𝐸𝒮𝒯 :: (filled request) Please write more about kakashi😭 I love him so much I need him inside me😭 will you write for him pretty please? maybe something like, hes back from mission and his pregnant wife (third month of pregnancy maybe!) is so needy for him, but shes shy, all red and blushing mess around him - ANON

m.list | naruto m.list

Kakashi was back from a mission, and if his students were anything, they were definitely tiring. Sasuke and Naruto's banters were not for the weak. He hoped that he was blessed with a kind kid, preferably one that was a perfect mix of himself and you. 

He had been gone for a week or so, off in a faraway village. So tired from the fight with Zabuza and Haku. The only thing he was looking forward to was sleep and his pretty, pregnant wife. 

As he entered the house, it was unexpectedly quiet. He was expecting your humming voice or your excited squeal as you ran over to him. But, he was met with nothing. Although, it was quite late, just past nine o'clock, he knew that being pregnant had taken a toll on you, being away for a week without him probably didn't make it any better.

Kakashi slid open the door to their bedroom, the sight before him immediately softening his heart and a soft smile rising beneath his mask. You were curled up on the bed, propped against pillows with a book in hand, though your eyes kept drifting shut every few moments. 

Beneath the blanket, he could he the soft curve of your stomach, the baby bump getting near the fourth month, getting bigger, slowly. His smile was so gentle as he gazed at you, ever since you got pregnant, he has just been falling more and more in love with you. 

Your head jerked up as you noticed him, startled but quickly breaking into a wide smile. "Kakashi!" you breathed, setting the book aside.

"Hey, love," he greeted in a low tone, the one that always made your heart skip a beat. He walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed, placing his hand on your small bump. "Miss me?" he asked you while rubbing his hand over the bump.

You felt your cheeks burn, already flustered just from his presence. Being pregnant had made your emotions run wild, but more than that, you found yourself craving Kakashi's touch more than ever. The way his hand rested gently on your belly made something flutter inside you, and it wasn't just the baby.

"I—of course I did," you replied, a bit breathless, your voice smaller than usual.

Kakashi tilted his head slightly, eyes scanning your flushed face. "You sure? You look a little... warm."

Your blush deepened. "I'm just... glad you're back," you mumbled, avoiding his gaze. 

The truth was, you'd been waiting for him anxiously, needing his presence, his touch. But you were too shy to outright say how much you wanted him.

Kakashi's thumb rubbed slow circles over your belly, his dark eyes softening as he took you in. "I missed you, too," he murmured, leaning closer until you could feel his breath on your cheek. "And...?"

You squirmed slightly, biting your lower lip. His proximity was driving you crazy. You'd always been a bit shy around Kakashi, even after being married for a while, but now, with the pregnancy and your hormones out of control, it was even worse.

He moved closer still, one hand slipping behind your back, pulling you toward him as his lips ghosted over your ear. "Tell me what you need, love," he whispered, voice low, he knew just how to tease you. 

You practically melted, hiding your face against his chest. "I... I just missed you. So much," you admitted, your voice smal, voice muffled against his chest.

Kakashi chuckled softly, stroking your back. "Is that all?"

You whimpered softly, shaking your head. "No... I—I just... I need you," you finally whispered, your voice barely audible as you clutched his black shirt tightly, embarrassed by how needy you sounded.

Kakashi's Adams apple bobbed. Fuck. He just got back. You make him crazy, that's for sure. 

He'd sensed your shyness, your hesitancy (It was obvious though), but now that you'd said it, he couldn't hold back. He pulled back slightly to look at you, lifting your chin with a gentle finger so your eyes met his. The way your face was flushed and your eyes were hazy with desire... he wants to take you there and now.

"You're so cute when you're shy," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear before pressing his lips softly against yours. The kiss was tender at first, but as you sighed into him, it grew deeper, more intense.

You whimpered into the kiss, hands gripping his shoulders tightly, needing more, needing him. Kakashi's hands trailed down your back, hands gripping at your hips and the nape of your neck, angling your head, while his lips moved against yours, slowly, letting you set the pace.

When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against yours, his breath slightly ragged. "I'm here now," he said softly, his thumb tracing the curve of your cheek. "Whatever you need, I'm not going anywhere."

You buried your face in his chest again, feeling the warmth of his body against yours, and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he murmured, holding you close, letting you take all the time you needed. "Though, love, I need to take a shower first, wouldn't wanna cause any problems."

You pull your head from his chest, lips par5ted, a devastated expression plastered on your face.  "What?" you say, a pout forming on your lips. "I have to wait."

Kakashi places kisses all over your face before speaking up, "I'm sorry, dear. I won't be long." 

His head moved down, breath tickling the skin below your ear, then the skin between, your neck and collar bone, trailing kisses down, slowly, as heavy breaths fell past your lips. 

"Don't do that," you breathe, your sentence interrupted by the stutters in your breath.

"Do what, dear?" 

"Tease me," you whimpered quietly. "Then go have a shower and leave me here waiting for you, that's torture, baby."

God, Kakashi can't get enough of you.

"I'll be back," Kakashi abruptly said, and you saw the smirk on his lips as he quickly up and left for the bathroom. 

"He's so mean to me sometimes," you huff, knowing that you're going to have to wait.

And so you waited, a long and agonizing five minutes, and you did nothing to quench the heat growing between your thighs. You knew that if you would try to sort out the throbbing, you wouldn't be able to finish. Your fingers have been rendered useless ever since Kakashi and you first had sex, and it pissed you off. 

The door slid open and you eagerly sat up and were met with the most heavenly sight you've seen after being deprived for a week. Kakashi is in a towel with beads of water over the top of his chest, his defined abs, and his white happy trail. You came to a singular conclusion, which was that you needed him so badly, you need him. 

Your cheeks burned red when Kakashi swiftly approached you, cupping your face immediately and kissing your lips. His hands move to cup the nape of your neck, the other slipping on your waist. You whimper into his mouth as his tongue pries your lips open, your hands trembling as they grab onto his shoulders.

Kakashi was unbelievably hard, the bulge was so prominent under the towel, and the friction wasn't doing him any better as he moaned into your mouth. He missed you so much, the way you tase, how you feel, how you depended on him so much for such trivial things. He wants to make you feel so good. 

"You needed me so bad, didn't you, love?" he moans agasint your lips and all you can do is moan, whimper in reply as you nod your head. "I'm here now, baby."

The towel slipped off Kakashi's waist, hitting the wood floors. He slowly moved to lean over you, the two of you now laying on the bed, Kakashi being on top of you, pinning your hands by the sides of your head, fingers intertwined while you arched your back slightly. 

Tingles were getting sent all throughout your body from the kiss, he was being so gentle yet deep. The breath was stolen from your lungs every time he moaned into your moan, and you had the same effect on him, he was restraining himself from pouncing on to you.

The heartbeat in your pussy was so heavy, so prominent as Kakashi deepens the kiss per second, you were afraid that if his t high were to take place against your cunt, he would feel how needy you are, how much you need him to pleasure you. 

And he did exactly what you were hoping for him to not do, and that was to shift his legs, which now, one of them was placed in between your own, pressed against your throbbing heat. A hopeless moan falls past your lips and Kakashi smirks into the kiss. 

"I can feel you, baby," he groans agasint your mouth.

In response, you drag one of your hands down his chest, slowly, feeling every ridge of his chest and abs, of course, Kakashi moans heavily into your mouth. He loved how you touched his body despite the scars that were littered over his pale skin. 

"N-Need you so bad, love," you stutter, your hand dragging across his happy trail, and you could feel his abs flexing agasint your arm before you teased the tip of his erect cock, a moan emitting loudly from him. 

"I know, I know, baby," he replies, pulling his lips from yours before diving into your neck, kissing and sucking your flesh while you slowly pumped his cock, smearing the precum around his tip before moving your hand down his length once more. 

His kisses moved lower, and lower until he was no longer in reach of your hand to his dick and you huffed in disappointment. However, your disappointment vanished when your eyes widened in pleasure when he pried your thighs open wider and gave sucks to your inner thighs before kissing closer to your cunt. 

A kiss to your clit was all that was needed for your hands to entangle with Kakashi's hair. "Kakashi!" you moan, thighs immediately tightening around his head, your legs over his shoulders.

A moan vibrates from Kakashi's mouth, straight into your clit and a whine emits from your lips. "P-Please," you beg quietly. "M-More."

"Mmmmm," he hums against your clit as he moved his mouth from your entrance, the vibrations causing you to gasp out in pleasure.

Arching your back, your cunt only pressed further into Kakashi's face, you just wanted to have your release, you body was aching, aching so much. You could see stars every time he curls his fingers into your sweet spot.

"Kakashi," you whine subtly, you want him inside you so badly.

"I know, baby," Kakashi speaks against your folds, nose bumping against your clit, "Gotta make sure you're all prepped for me, you haven't had me in a while."

"M'know... but please, wanna...." you quietly trail off, embarrassed to say any more.

Kakashi licks a long strip up your cunt, fingers slowly pumping in and out your silky walls. "What, baby? what do you want?" he hums, teasing you, knowing how shy you are and how embarrassed you get.

Every stripe of his tongue on your clit made your body shudder, so much so that you felt as if you were doing to pass out. "Cum, I wanna so bad," you whimper, tears filling your lash line. "Need you... i-in me."

"Alright," Kakashi replies. "Got to give my wife what she needs."

"Please," you say, your whimpers getting louder when he speeds up the pace of his fingers and tongue. 

"Kakashi," you moan out. "Feels so good."

Once more, Kakashi's nose brushes up against your delicate clit, and your grip on his hair tightened. A satisfied sigh seeps through him into your folds as a mewl from your full lips. As he sucked your clit between his lips and flicked your sensitive bud with his tongue, Kakashi was eagerly moving his head in motion to get a full dive into your cunt.

His tongue climbs up from your wet hole to your clit while you let out a moan. Your thighs tighten around his head as a result of his advances, and as you grind down on his face, a moan echoes through your clit.

Your lips were filled with chants of his name, and he relished every moment of it. Kakashi's two fingers inside your cunt began to move once more, you eyes widened, your back further arched into his face, thighs clenching tighter around your head.

"Kakashi, f-feels s' good," you moan, tears spilling past your lash line, he was making you feel so good.

His finger pressed up against that soft spot inside your walls.

"Taking it so well, you're so good f'me," Kakashi moans against you, refusing to rut his hips into the futon, this was your pleasure, not his own, for now. 

A moan arouses from you and your hips grind themselves onto his face. He let you for once have some sort of control over the situation, and he decided that if you came quicker he'll let you do it more often. "That's it," he praised.

You cry his name through broken letters, and he moves more quickly and needily, and the one hold he had on your leg tightens. Your fingers encircled his locks to prevent him from moving and force him to breathe more deeply into your folds as your tummy coil tightened.

The grunts just served to tip you over the brink, and when he pressed his tongue firmly against your clit, you let out a low-pitched scream. Your stomach coil parted, drenching his face in your cum.

With your soaked pussy flowing out from your swollen folds, he carefully withdrew his fingers. You softly mewl in overstimulation and plant a kiss on your clit before lifting his head from your thighs. 

Embarrassed, you cover your face with your hand. "Baby, why are you hiding?" Kakashi hums, pulling your hand from your face and you immediately close your eyes tightly shut, he chuckles. "You're acting like we haven't been together for years."

"C'mon, open your eyes for me," Kakashi asks gently and you do so, his clean hand moving to cradle your face. "There's my pretty wife."

There goes your somewhat composed exterior, now your cheeks flushed an even deeper red. "Hello," you whispered.

A soft laugh leaves his mouth. "You're cute, love. Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?"

Kakashi moves off the bed, thinking that you would be too tired to engage in more, he has a hand, he can deal with his own pleasure for now. Just as he was about to pick you up from the bed, you stoped him from doing so, holding his shoulders so he wouldn't move any closer. He frowns in confusion, his mind racing to wonder if you are okay or not. 

"W-Wait," you murmur.

"Yes, dear? What's wrong?" he asks, worried, of course. 

"I want... more," you continue and his eyes widen.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi replies, he was borderline shocked, you were almost never this forward.

You nod your head, lifting your head to meet his dark eyes, "Please," you beg.

"What type of husband would I be to deny you," he says into your ear, pushing your back down to the bed, making sure to be careful with your body, not wanting to cause you discomfort, you and the baby. "I'll be gentle, love."

And just like that, he holds the base of his cock, angling his tip towards your entrance. He continues to push further into you making your eyebrows furrow together in pain but the pleasure is still overwhelming your senses making tears prick at your eyes.

"Oh, you feel so good," Kakashi moan into your neck. "You're so perfect."

"You feel so good," you moan. The feeling of pure ecstasy of him fully entered you.

you feel his dick scraping across your plush walls in all the right places as he slowly exited your cunt, but not fully. Our moans and whimpers get swallowed by each other. you feel his thrusts speed up and you moan in response, your walls clenching around him causing the grip Kakashi held on your thigh and waist to tighten.

The coil in your stomach getting tighter and your moans slightly became higher. Kakashi continued to groan into your neck after he pulled away from the heated kiss.

"You make- me feel so goo- d," you say moaning throughout your sentence, "Feels so good-"

"I'm close-," He groans.

"Me too," you choke out.

you felt the coil in your stomach snap as your back arched painfully into Kakashi's bare chest causing Kakashi to groan and his arms to wrap tightly around you. After a few more pumps Kakashi came, filling your cunt with cum, letting a few more rolls of his hips into you to help ride out both our highs before he pulled out slowly, making sure not to hurt you.

He walked over to the bathroom with a warm, damp wash cloth to clean you up and after he did so, you did the same. "You're quiet," he murmured.

The sound of his voice on its own made you blush deeply causing your cheeks to burn even further. You bit the bottom lip and pushed your face deeper into his chest and hoped he didn't get to see just how much you were embarrassed as you said, “I-I'm fine.” His hand moved to your chin, softly holding it in place and lifting your face, none of you had a choice but to gaze at each other. "You sure?" He asked. "You sound incredibly..shy." You swallowed, finding it hard to speak as you had a dry throat. "I-" A pause was needed. "I’m just trying to find the words.". Kakashi chuckled softly, the pads of his thumb caressing your red cheek. "You're so adorable when you behave this way," He murmured playfully. “Don't say that,” you uttered, peering at him just to redirect your gaze back to near the wall. He moved closer to you, his lips brushed against the side of your forehead gently. "Why do you act like this, hm?” he questioned. “Tell me everything.” It kept running faster and faster in your chest which made your skin to start to tingle under his fingers. "I just… I don’t know," your voice barely audible. "I can't even. Engage in communication. I just. I get ... It is always hard to Me. To hide my face even in this stupid situation. I don’t get it." "Even now?" He raised his voice, one of them moving aside a lock of your hair away from your face. "After all these years?" You were too eager in answering, "I really couldn't help it," pressed your face into his chest, trying to get at least some distance. "You never have to conceal from me," he told, planting another gentle kiss on the top of your head, "Actually, I don't think you should. There is nothing wrong with that." His head raises your chin up for another kiss down your lips. He hesitates for a second, looking into your eyes with a gentle smile. "It’s just that… I love you so much," you finally find the courage to reply. "And your really handsome, so of course, you make me nervous."

Kakashi's grin softened into a gentle smile as he pulled you closer to his chest, leaning his forehead against yours. "I love you too," he whispered. "And thank you, baby. You're beautiful."

Kakashi’s hand slowly began tracing your belly, thumb travelling across a small area repeatedly. He was so gentle that it amazed you once more, your heart racing a little. Taking a small break, he whispered softly – as he always did, sweet. “I still can’t believe that there is a little something inside,” he said so softly, glaring down at your torso.

“It feels... surreal sometimes,” you whispered.

“I know it’s a little overwhelming,” he said, “but I want you to know that I’ll be here. Every step of the way.”

You nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat as you tried to find your voice. “It’s just... a lot to think about,” you whispered. “But I’m happy. So happy.”

Kakashi smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to your forehead. “I know,” he whispered against your skin. “I feel the same way.”

Do not copy, steal, modify, etc. Relogs and like are appreciated.

m.list | naruto m.list

if this flops and gets no notes im actually gonna neck

[sass-ruby]

Gosh- THIS EPISODE

For me, it felt like there needed to be something more.. I dunno, it just felt empty? And by empty, I mean what nexus said. Like his insults and actions.. it's kinda weird to me. You're telling me this is the SAME person who hijacked moon's head and tortured him, making him relieve his worst memories? He sounds so pathetic, and cringe at the moment, ESPECIALLY with his "I AM GOD!" complex.

Though, the "I'm sorry" from sun was HEARTBREAKING. In my opinion, it isn't sun's fault. He went through so much, and had no time to grieve because the new moon already showed up. Just imagine being in sun's place, a close family member you've known more than 10+ years dies and you get no time to grieve? It'd be fricking difficult. Also, I believe nexus is still a moon. He may claim that he's different but, he's almost the same stubborn, hateful moon. (Not talking about sun's moon, most moons in general). That's why sun said, "you're not worse than moon- hell you're not even better!"

Another thing I noticed, he seemed way more vulnerable with sun. Yelled at him for dealing with him wrongly (him being a replacement) and such. He is definitely hurt. To me, he seemed like a hurt, angry teenager yelling at his parents for doing him wrong and making him hateful, vengeful, a monster. It genuinely felt like a cry for help of some sorts

It's interesting to me that moon was scared of Nexus, and of death. Before his death, he didn't care. But now, he's scared which his reason was that he didn't want to put his family through the same thing. I think it's because of the qna episode.. Sun confirmed that when moon died, he just cried. It probably made him feel guilt of some sorts.

Oh, a thing to mention, I LOVE HOW RUIN TRIED TO KEEP SUN SAFE. In my eyes, ruin being scared is all an act. He has been through SO much worse, as well as destroying 5000+ dimensions so why would this scare him? I think he's trying to help sun and moon, because if he acts scared, no one would suspect him, right? He did leave a hint, which helped sun and moon find sun's² dimension. And he even told them "I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for you."

Ruin is a clever character, who has many tricks up his sleeve. He's great at tricking people, he is the world's greatest actor after all! (Get the reference?)

He surely has some sort of plan, or at least an outline of it.

EEEEEE I LOVE HIM SM, I CAN'T WAIT FOR WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE

5 more days until october

[mlmxreader]

Sweet On You | Arthur Morgan x m!reader

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ "Maybe I'm just an idiot and thought you cared'' with Arthur Morgan please? ( good ending if possible) ❞

: ̗̀➛ You and Arthur have to spend a lot of time together, but he isn't sure how you feel about it.

: ̗̀➛ swearing, smoking, guns

↳ if you can, please consider giving to Fadi's family; they're currently in Gaza, and need to raise funds in order to escape the genocide. So far, they've raised $39,380 of their $62,500 goal!

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

Arthur sat by the campfire, twiddling his thumbs as he looked around nervously; it wasn't like he was jumpy on hunting trips, but when he was near you it was a different story. You made his heart pound and his hands go all sweaty and sticky, his throat would get dry and he would struggle to speak a single word, let alone a whole sentence.

Yet he loved being near you; hearing you speak about all the different animals and plants and what they did in the world. Listening to you hum softly as you brushed your horse; that animal didn't like Arthur a single bit.

A loyal and faithful companion, it seemed strong enough to carry at least thirty men without breaking a single sweat; it looked dignified and noble, but was certainly also a strong and powerful animal.

Whether it was cougars, wolves or bears, the horse did not ever shy away or spook when it came to battle.

In the right lighting, the horse looked red in colour, with a dark, almost black, mane and tail; its dark eyes were keen and focused. With its bright green and white saddle, it looked every bit the noble steed it truly was.

"Manawydan," the horse's name was. Arthur liked to draw him, though; he had an almost medieval artistry about him when he grazed and he interacted with Arthur's horse - like he belonged in some mythic tale about kings and wizards, not in the outskirts of Lemoyne hunting cougar and boar.

Slowly, Arthur looked up from the campfire when you moved, curiosity etched into his features as the dull light flickered in his eyes; he looked away the second you turned slightly towards him, awkwardly returning back to the orange and yellow before him and the soft warmth.

He swallowed thickly.

"Y'know," you started, "wouldn't kill you to look at me."

Arthur spared you an all too quick glance. "Hmm?"

"Said," you pulled your rifle from Manawydan's saddle, and sat opposite Arthur. "It wouldn't kill you to look at me. You do this every time we go out together - do you hate me that much? I'm not worse than Micah, am I?"

He smiled for a split second as he shook his head. "Nah, nah, you're much better than him."

You shrugged, examining your rifle; the way that you yielded it and how you always used it for everything and anything, it was akin to how knights used to wield swords in the stories that Arthur had heard and read growing up.

A fantastical weapon used loyally; the wood finish was a beautiful dull red and dark brown colour, and looked like it was wrapped leather thanks to the brilliant craftsmanship. The metal was a fine, almost sparkling, silver colour, with a distinct rune on either side of the barrel in black.

"Gorau tarian, cyfiawnder" on one side, and "Golud gwlad rhyddid" on the other - at least, that was what you had told Arthur they had meant.

Yet your skilled hands worked the metal and the wood so acutely and carefully that it wasn't difficult for him to see that you had skill; you were precise and methodical, getting rid of every scrap of dirt and every bite of dust.

Arthur could only watch, his head tilted slightly to the side as he focused as best as he could. But then he heard you hum, and he perked up slightly.

He knew that song.

You sang it a lot when you were fishing, and whistled it even moreso when you were meandering through towns with him; he knew that it meant you were in a good mood. Hopeful, Arthur cleared his throat, and slowly removed his hat so he could place it on his knee.

"It ain't you," he started quietly, "it really ain't you... I just... I feel things when I'm around you, and it ain't like I deserve you..."

You stopped, quirking a brow as you looked over at him through the fire. You shook your head. "Arthur. C'mon. When you met me, I was a fuckin' assistant to Trelawny - it ain't like I've been holed up in a fuckin' mansion, eating fucking geese and shit all my life."

"I know, I just..." he shrugged, struggling to talk so much and struggling to find the right words even more. He sucked in a harsh breath. "I ain't a good man. And you deserve a good man, to get outta this life and-"

"Fuck's sake, Morgan," you growled, shaking your head. "I'm not being funny here, but you need to quit that shit. You are a good man, you've just done shitty things - I ain't getting out of this life any time soon, so it's entirely down to you - I mean, shit, I used to think that maybe I'm just an idiot and thought you cared... and now you're saying you do, but you're shitting all over it. I wanna love you, Arthur, I do. I enjoy being around you."

He frowned, clearing his throat awkwardly. "You do?"

"Of course I do, you silly bugger!" You all but howled, a whisper of jovial playfulness to your voice. "I like being near you, and spending time with you... my horse might not, but I do."

He laughed softly at that, moving a little closer so he could sit next to you. "You sure you wanna do this?"

You sighed heavily, putting your hand on his knee. "Yes. I very much fucking am... now, let me finish polishing me rifle, and afterwards, I'm gonna get you to lie down, and I'm gonna cuddle into you to see if you're as warm as you seem. Alright?"

Arthur nodded. "Alright... that, erm, that does sound good."

"Light up a cigarette a second," you hummed, fumbling in your pockets and tossing him the packet. "Help yourself if you want one."

He didn't hesitate, lighting two of them and gently passing one over. "Thanks."

"Hey," you whistled softly to grab his attention. "I'm sweet on you, Arthur. You remember that, yeah?"

[dreamerwitches]

Rating labyrinths: Gertrud!

Okay! Let's go with the labyrinth ratings wheeee!!!

What I'm going to do is rank separate parts of labyrinths (eg. anthony's labyrinth from ep 1 is separate to gertrud's from ep 2) but I'll also give an average at the end.

I will (most likely) only be doing labyrinths that are in colour (so maybe not manga witches)

Anthony's labyrinth from episode 1

I think this is a really good one, especially as the first shown (not including walpy's). It really shows of the cut-out style of the labyrinths and the deep blue-hued colours are perfectly moody. The use of runes in the background is also really fun for secret messages. I feel the only downside is that it doesn't really scream Gertrud to me. Like, if you didn't know the series well and was shown this, I doubt you'd think it belonged to her. HOWEVER... I think this does work for Gertrud since all her precious roses are in her room with her. It makes sense that she'd keep them close.

You could say that it's weird that this labyrinth doesn't share colours with the main one but I think it works because it's a familiar's labyrinth. The photorealistic buildings also match the main labyrinth. I wonder if the butterfly and anthony traffic signs are meant to be a subtle warning to madoka and sayaka hmmm

I really like this one. A 5/5 for me

Gertrud's labyrinth from episode 2

There's a lot to it so it's kinda hard to summarise in images lol. But it's another great one. Great imagery, lovely colours and has themes brought over from Anthony's labyrinth. I think the orange tones, although relaxing, also give off this sepia feel that makes it a little unnerving too. Like looking through a tinted view makes things seem unreal.

One of my favourite parts are the doorways that lead to black nothingness. Really helps with the labyrinthine feel. Small touches like the portraits with slight things changed in them to make them scary. It's the kind of thing you don't notice unless you pause. I also like how it seems the labyrinth becomes more luscious as you get deeper. The trees start bare, then with black leaves, then Gertrud's room is fully in bloom.

I wasn't sure whether to rank the boss room separately, maybe I will... I think the ceiling that doesn't quite make sense works well to make it feel disorientating and it's a fun contrast to the kinda pretty garden around Gertrud. It's messy but in a good way. I also think having the boss room have a different theme to the rest works. Just as before I mentioned that roses are only in her boss room, I think it would make sense that her special place may be better taken care of or just look overall nicer. It's very good but I'd say, not my favourite segment. Maybe just because it's only one room?? That makes it a little unfair to compare to the rest...

I'll give the labyrinth a 5/5. Boss room is a 4.5/5

Gertrud's labyrinth from Magireco episode 11

Yeah... this one isn't it, chief... like, it has the things of her labyrinth but it's just not... uhhh I dunno it feels more like a set piece than a proper area...

Let's start with what I like: of course, I love the Gertrud motifs. The butterflies, the cut out images and the hidden text (although it's no different than the original anime iirc). I really like the halo above Gertrud's area. And the hanging loops. It's weird but pretty. Suits Gertrud!

Sadly that's where my positives end. The stark white is NOT Gertrud it's so weird... I guess the stone rose works better but not the rest. I kinda hate in the zoom out where... it just looks like a video game level, like I'm looking at mario 64 or something ToT that is not a labyrinth..! Just the overall layout is meh. I dislike the random fluff pile below it too. Just felt like they didnt know what to fill it with...

It's a dud but has some good things... I'm giving it a 1.5/5. I know there's worse which is why it's not a 1.

So overall Gertrud get's a.... 4/5 wow!!!

[karlachismylife]

Standing For Something

This one was requested by @rerejunebug and it was a fun challenge, cuz I kinda understand Hesh better through his family bonds, so romantic partnership with him was a little bit of a riddle to me. Hope I did him justice, definitely had a good good time simply watching through his cutscenes and dialogues. A very special man indeed hehe.

CW: gn!military!reader, mentions of injury, kinda hurt/comfort I guess. Also cursing. Riley is there and he's alright!!!

(Title from Eminem's "Survival")

You were honestly more surprised than hurt, when in the middle of your retreat from a mission, compromsied by a whole Federation squad stumbling into you four (counting Riley), the ground suddenly jumped from under your feet and changed its place with the skies several times. Took you a second to realize that you simply fell and rolled downhill, another - to feel the hot sting in your leg, refusing to support your weight when you tried to get up and getting suspiciously colder despite feeling like it was burning.

A clean shot, in and out, cutting through some important shit deep in the tissue since it rendered you currently down one very crucial limb.

The next shot would've landed somewhere in your skull if Logan didn't provide cover.

"Shit," was your first word after you somewhat regained understanding of your situation. There wasn't much time to lounge on the ground under the constant gunshots chatter, so you grunted, turning over, and tried to get up at least on your hands and knees. There came baby's second word: "Fuck!"

Your leg was giving in under your weight, you slipped and prepared to hit the ground painfully again, when a solid arm wrapped around your torso, yanking you upright. The sheer force you were lifted up with caused your already whoozy from the bloodloss head to snap back. Blood ran cold in your body for a second, the whole world darkening before your eyes rolled back.

Then a familiar voice cut through the cotton (or was that Riley's fur?) stuffed in your ears, calling your name.

"...how copy? I repeat, how copy? Can you walk? Ah, shit, just hold on. I'm not leaving anyone behind."

Hearing David's solid promise made you want to try and find your footing again, but the best you could do was stumble, dragging your hurt leg as he hauled you along, your arm thrown over his broad shoulders.

Fucking guardian angel, your Lieutenant, coming through even under heavy fire.

Your head was spinning so much. What did that bloody bullet hit to fuck you up so badly?

"Riley, down! Take cover!" Nearly blew your ear off, suddenly ducking with you in that same steel grasp, rolling out of the way of something worse than bullets, judging by the noise and rubble flying everywhere from the spot you literally stood (well, Hesh stood, you were more like... located) seconds ago.

Saved your hide again. For the small price of your leg feeling like it got dipped into molten metal as you felt David's weight press down on you generously while he shielded you with his own body. Would've been so much nicer to feel all those kilograms and pounds of discipline and training paying off in some other circumstances.

"Still with me? Good. You're good. We're getting out of here." He could've told you that you'll die in five seconds and you would've still been enamoured with him all the same. Bloodloss didn't make you any sharper, and you already had been feeling the stupidfying effect of Hesh's presence for some time.

Damn, his eyes were greener than the grass in this burnt and torn world.

"Fuck, wanna kiss you," somehow slipped your tongue. You were pretty sure you were saying something else - assessing your condition, maybe? Giving directions? Anything else?

"What, now?! Here?!" Hesh didn't even seem fazed - did anything ever faze this always-prepared, never-taken by surprise man? He did have a point though.

"Yeah... sorry." How did he even understand your slurred speech? You wanted to add a proper "sir" too, show him you weren't completely out of your mind. Just a little out of blood and inhibitions, probably.

You blacked out in his arms the moment he hauled you up again. A limp bleeding body, sporting two wounds instead of the one you noticed.

Good men are defined by the choices they make.

David made a choice to leave no one behind.

[rtfics]

Seeing BJ2 the 3rd time.

LONG & FILLED WITH SPOILERS

SO much to think about, and my memory is shit.

I rapidly scribbled notes during the film. But when I got home and tried to read them:

So here's an overview. I'll post other details if I ever translate my notes.

First, the casting was perfection. I'd never seen Jenny Ortega, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci before, so for me they were the characters.

It was interesting that the film opens with the Warner Brothers Studio lot in black & white. Why B&W? It sort of sets the tone.

Donna Summer singing lines from "MacArthur's Park" was a foreshadowing. This film was made by a guy who was a teen in the 70s, and it's for others his age (he's only 2 years older than me). BJ2 is packed with 70s nostalgia that only those who were alive then would get.

This sequel was also made for die-hard fans of the original Beetlejuice. Burton took special care to give us the Winter River we love, but updated it to show the story and its characters aren't stuck in the past. The covered bridge is there, the church, cemetery, Miss Shannon's, and fire station are there, and so is the Maitland's building, but it's a coffee shop now.

Seeing Lydia as shell-shocked and pill-popping threw me, but the plot gave it sense (I'll go into detail in a separate post).

Rory, OMFG, I've known Rory. Anyone who's had anything to do with the entertainment/media biz, even peripherally, knows Rory. His "enabler" bullshit was so spot-on; faking that he's going to get Lydia off her dependency on drugs while keeping her hooked by making it seem that he's doing it because she's begging him. Classic user methodology. You just know he's the one who got her on "coping" pills in the first place; all the better to manipulate her. I loathed him immediately.

I adore what they did with Delia. It completely fucking made sense, and followed what's happened in the modern NYC Arts scene. I love how she and Lydia now get along, I mean, shit, Lydia's in her 50s and Delia's in her 70s, they're both middle-aged women, and, bless their hearts, the screenwriters and Burton made them act like grown women.

Astrid seemed older than 16 to me, but hey, I'm not around teenagers these days. I appreciated that she wasn't a brat. Her resentment and having her back up were appropriate for her family situation; a beloved father whose body was never found (I think); a mom always working or promoting because of Rory, doped on pills and famous for being a ghost-seeing nutjob, who can't see Astrid's father. That's a lot to deal with.

The way they handled Charles was perfect, especially his claymation demise. His afterlife body was comically gross, and an ingenious way of including Charles in the film without having to recast another actor, except for his voice. Charles being in the Netherworld provides a great thread to Delia's later death. His headstone being the shape of a shark's fin was a humorously grim touch.

The Sylvia Young Theatre School Choir sang at Charles' funeral, and their voices were beautiful.

Arthur Conti was fantastic as Jeremy (70s teens remember his grandfather, Scottish actor Tom Conti). His American accent was flawless. He was the perfect balance of cute and mature, and his niceness made his being evil all the worse; while Astrid says the incantation you can see him slightly out of focus behind her, smiling in a chilling way. I love that there isn't the slightest hint that he's a multiple murderer, and of his own parents! When he's about to get his passport stamped he shows absolutely no remorse toward Astrid, which makes his damnation all the sweeter.

Beetlejuice . . . . What can I say? Michael Keaton created Beetlejuice as we know him, and he fit right back in character as easily as drawing breath. His body language, his weird way of walking, his expressions, everything is just as you'd expect Beej to be. But then we get to see more! I can't express how happy I was to see Beej's origin story, which turned the throw-away line about having a pretty good time during the Black Death into something more substantial. Seeing Keaton as human Beej was a delight.

An important detail was that, even though Beej says his heart had long since withered, he fell for Delores. He says he was "bewitched." Perhaps not love, but lust certainly. It's quite clear that Delores was much higher in social station than Beetlejuice, so he must have thought he'd won the lottery with her choosing him. My god, his ego had no problem with his drunken ass being hauled to bed by his new wife, and his enthusiasm was huge. I love that they gave him the gut in his human form (Keaton doesn't have one).

Richard was the nice guy I hoped he would be. But it was telling that, when he says goodbye to Lydia at the ladder in the mausoleum, they don't hug. They don't even shake hands. It shows the truth of Lydia's previous statement to Astrid that she and Richard's relationship had ended long before his death.

Wolf is every 70s crime drama/movie distilled. Hammy, over the top, constantly spouting his Catch Phrase.

Why are there so many shrunken head guys? And why did Beej hire people who can't talk to answer his phones? It's loony and fits the Netherworld random login. They're Beej's Minions.

I've seen a lot of people on tumblr, as well as professional movie critics, say there were "too many villains" and that the plot was "too hard to follow."

For those who agree with this, I recommend you never attempt to read anything by Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe's detective stories, or Agatha Christie. Because your brains would fry.

Look, there are two villains. Just two.

Delores poisoned Beetlejuice, he killed her with an axe in revenge, in the Afterlife she reassembles and hunts him down, killing others in her wake, which sets Wolf Jackson and the Ghoul Squad after her, until she's defeated with a sandworm.

Rory has been manipulating Lydia, keeping her doped, gas-lighting her, until under the Truth Serum injected by Beej he spills the beans and Lydia rejects him, until he's eaten at the same time as Delores by the sandworm.

As for "Delores and Rory weren't given enough story," what more do you want? How Delores joined a soul-sucking cult? How Rory became a user, seeking out vulnerable, grieving women to exploit? We learn as much as we need to. Anything more would have stuffed the film with unnecessary crap.

The only shit I didn't care for was the baby.

The whole Counseling scene was a big gross-out, and I'm sure Tim Burton intended it that way. The original couldn't have been more gross than it was or it would have earned an R Rating, keeping out everyone under the age of 18 (21 in some states; this was the 80s). But now, Burton could be a lot more graphic. I was stunned that he had Lydia go through the "pregnancy," but it obviously didn't hurt her. For me Babyjuice has no point. It doesn't advance the plot, and its reappearance only drives home the weirdness of the ending.

What the ever fuck was the ending??

Especially Astrid giving birth to the Beetlebaby. It would suggest Beetlejuice is its father, which means he and Astrid had sex. Which we can be pretty sure they didn't . . ? In the counseling scene Beej refers to the baby as his "inner child." So its not his literal child? Even so, why would Astrid give birth to it the same way her mother did?

I've read all the theories about the ending, and at this point one's as good as the other. Perhaps that's the point: To keep us all guessing. Because I'm sure, all along, there's been a plan for Beetlejuice 3, IF this movie was a hit. If it wasn't, if it bombed (since 2010 all of Burton's films have bombed), the ending would lead to speculation forever, to people writing fucking dissertations about its symbology and metaphors, etc.

But if it was a hit, which it is, the seeds are there for a third and final film. But so fucking murky no one can guess what it'll be like.

The only part of the ending I liked was Beej shaking awake and saying, as he glances at Lydia, "I just had the weirdest dream." And Lydia looking over. Not terrified. Not screaming or leaping out of bed. Not seeing the indentation in the pillow and yelling in protest. Just staring.

Do I want a third film?

I love Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. I love it more every time I watch it. I accept everything in it as canon, even the baby, resentfully.

But Burton might fuck up the last one. He might do things I never wanted to be canon. When a sequel is made of a hit film, the creators sometimes become self-conscious. BJ2 wasn't, because it'd been 36 years since the original. They had no idea whether this version would fly. Since it has, massively, I'm afraid the screenwriters and Burton may become too aware of the audience and try to cater to it. OR they'll go the opposite direction and try to come up with a plot they think fans would never imagine.

So I'm pretty much stuck in the same place I was before I saw Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

[lacefuneral]

decided 2 cure my mental illness by buying a calendar, some stickers, and some pastel brush pens <3

[xcziel]

literally the only thing really stopping me from planning a flight is that if i go, i'll want to be there a while and i can't fit enough into only one suitcase

from experience, traveling with two suitcases is a pain, but also i need more space than one suitcase it is a dilemma

[astriiformes]

Talked about this with the counselor I've been seeing at school earlier today but my intense, desperate need to leave a mark on the world (not even in a fame way, in like a "I need to leave this place better than I found it in a big, tangible way" one) and the fact that I only value myself when I feel like I'm adding good to it paired with the fact that I've been an insane perfectionist since I was a very young child and tear myself to shreds and lose all my confidence over tiny mistakes is literally going to kill me some day

[thegreatempty]

.

[krysmcscience]

Did somebody say Bill shouldn't be allowed to swear? I think somebody said Bill shouldn't be allowed to swear. Thanks to that, have these retooled The Good Place jokes:

The "powers that be" can refer to either the Theraprism staff, the Axolotl, or just. Ya know. Disney in general. Or all three! Whichever you think is funniest. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The "party" Bill's referring to is Weirdmageddon, of course. He was quite the ashhole to everyone back then.

Ford has probably gotten pretty good at the 'tune out your psychopathic ex with dank memes' challenge.

It must be very cathartic to be able to make Bill shut up whenever you want with just the press of a button. I'm sure Ford doesn't abuse this ability at all.

Oh, sure, 'Not now,' he says, before he immediately backs out of the newly-made hole in the Theraprism wall. 🙄

Don't worry, Bill doesn't get far.

also yeah i know this one doesn't have an attempted swear - i just wanted to use the joke because of the massive stink-eye involved in it because it makes me laugh

⬇️ More goofs beneath the brief ramble if you wanna skip it lmao⬇️

Why is Ford even there, you might ask? Well, he either decided he preferred to watch Bill suffer in person over being distantly and repeatedly harassed with the same evil desperation book for the rest of his life, or he got roped into some kind of contrived community service for 1.) all his many counts of interdimensional thievery, and 2.) his ignoring all the very clear warnings to NOT summon Bill in the first place (which I like to imagine is also illegal). Theraprism staff were just like, 'Wait, this guy matters to Bill? Ooh, we can USE that! It might be the only thing that can help him want to get better!' It is not considered that throwing Ford at Bill so soon after Weirdmageddon could instead make them both WORSE - in new and altogether special ways! :D

Anyway, I'm calling it the Community Service AU, and I am most likely not going to do anything else with it beyond appropriating these silly Good Place jokes. So, feel free to adopt the concept if y'all wanna??? Just make sure that Bill is still not allowed to swear, no matter what, full stop. It's gotta be a real linguistic corkblork of a situation for him, is all I'm sayin'.

Finally, have these bonus Good Place jokes, but with Handyman!Bill this time:

'Opposite tortures' doesn't sound so bad...at least until it's an all-powerful chaos entity known for torture saying it.

you may think i forgot mabel's cute pink cheeks but the truth is that i did in fact forget but then immediately stopped caring which makes it okay, SHHHHHHH

And, finally:

lmao this is shit

True facts, if you cram Season 1 Eleanor Shellstrop and Michael into a singular triangle shape, they turn into Bill Cipher. This is science, look it up. Or don't, and just trust the source that is me, bro.

Anyway, I should be in bed, y'all have fun with these, I guess. Tune in after like a week or so and maybe I'll have an addendum to my comic about how Bill was drawn naked for karaoke night. Because him actually being naked was not the only thing I considered as a plausible explanation. XD

Also if you see any inconsistencies or errors in any of these comics, No You Do Not :D

Also also, reblogs are rad as hell and I appreciate every single one, just don't repost, please and thanks. Every time a repost is made, an artist somewhere cries. :,)

[vitunhienokivi]

.

[tatoasting]

Party success, had lots of fun. Made plans with a couple of people for this weekend too! Now I'm recovering by smoking & playing Fallout 3 & I feel so content <3

[kira-akira]

What I Want You To Know About Long COVID

Well lads, I've been suffering from Long COVID for over a year now. My life is at a complete standstill. I'm 25 years old and I'm too sick to go back to school, I can't work, I had to move back in with my parents and I'm still stuck here.

Here are just a few things I wish people knew about Long COVID, including things I didn't know myself until I got it.

COVID destroys your immune system. Yes, even if you don't have Long COVID. Are you getting sick more often now? When you get sick, does it last longer? There are many studies showing that COVID causes t cell depletion, even in mild COVID cases! T cells are how your body remembers how to fight off infections you've had before so losing those cells? Bad news.

Your initial infection can be mild and you can still get Long COVID. Right from Yale Medicine, "Most people with Long COVID had mild acute COVID." (This is also a good link for a basic Long COVID overview).

There can be a gap of time between when you "get better" from the initial COVID infection to the onset of Long COVID symptoms. Some people get sick with an initial COVID infection and never get better. Some get better and then weeks or months later start developing Long COVID symptoms. Long COVID symptoms can even fluctuate over time, can go away for months and then suddenly come back.

So many people have Long COVID and don't realize it. Do you feel more tired lately but no matter how much you sleep, nothing helps? Is it harder to concentrate at work or school? Can you just not think like you used to? You could have Long COVID and not even know it. Even mild post-COVID symptoms are still Long COVID.

COVID can do anything to your body. Long COVID has over 200 recognized symptoms and can affect basically any part or system of your body. There is no one mechanism or cause of Long COVID which unfortunately also means there's no one cure either.

The effects of COVID are cumulative. Each COVID reinfection increases your chances of developing Long COVID. COVID is also affecting your body in other ways, yes, even if you're otherwise young and healthy! "Repeat COVID-19 infections increase risk of organ failure, death".

Once you have Long COVID, repeat COVID infections will make your symptoms worse. "80% [of Long COVID patients] saw their symptoms worsen [from reinfection]. In 60% of people who were in recovery or remission from Long COVID, reinfection caused a recurrence of Long COVID."

There is a lot more I want to say about Long COVID but I want to keep this post at least somewhat manageable to read. Like how when COVID is contracted during pregnancy, those COVID-exposed fetuses have a 6.3-fold increased risk of motor developmental delays, or that another study found 50% of babies exposed to COVID in utero had developmental delays.

You need to keep caring about COVID, for others around you and also for yourself even if you're "healthy". Everyone is at risk. And don't forget 40-60% of COVID infections are asymptomatic, which is why masking even if you feel fine is crucial. The only way right now to not get Long COVID is to not get COVID in the first place. It's not too late, if you've stopped masking it's never too late to start again! I know it's easy to get distracted by things in your life that seem more real than the possibility of getting sick some time in the future, and the peer pressure to not mask can be intense. But it only feels less real or less important until your entire life is having Long COVID. Trust me.

I know this is a complicated issue, many people can't afford to stay home when sick even if they want to because of their jobs, there are disgusting policies trying to ban wearing masks, but please if you can. Keep masking. Masking works, masking saves lives.

This post got a bit longer than I wanted so below the cut is a non-exhaustive list of my Long COVID symptoms and some of my experiences as one of the "healthy young people" who got "unlucky". cw brief mention of suicidal ideation.

Welcome to the Thunderdome that is my body with Long COVID. Keep in mind these are just my experiences and symptoms, Long COVID can cause any range of symptoms at varying severities.

Dysautonomia: Exercise intolerance, Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), fatigue, and heat intolerance. What do those things mean? Here's some specific examples. Absolutely terrible circulation I am so cold all the time but also, if I get a little too warm I will pass out. Eating hot food makes my heart rate spike, I sweat, my body feels heavy. Blood pooling and pins and needles in my feet when I walk. Don't even think about exercising past walking, it's impossible. I used to work out an hour a day 4 times a week and now walking up one flight of stairs makes my heart pound and I can't breathe. Can't take even just warm showers anymore or I will pass out. Heat rashes from being in the sun for 10 minutes.

Digestive issues: Honestly too many to name but: constant bloating, extreme nausea, constipation, slow motility, lack of appetite, just so much cramping and pain. I lost 18 pounds from Long COVID, as someone who was already considered underweight their entire life, and almost had to get a shunt put into my chest to deliver nutrients because I was nearly completely unable to eat. For the first 6 months of Long COVID, if I could manage 600 calories a day, that was a good day.

Histamine intolerance: Oh boy. My worst symptoms, I don't even know where to start with it. If you know Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) it's very similar. I can only eat 19 foods. If i eat a single bite of something not on that list, it's 48 hours of absolute hell. Coughing, migraines, itchy eyes, such extreme nausea I cannot even describe it, panic/feeling of doom, racing heart rate, derealization, rash, uncontrollable muscle tremors. I only learned about histamine intolerance 5 months into having Long COVID so before that, I was experiencing these symptoms nearly every single day. Terrifying isn't even a strong enough word to describe how it felt to experience all this and have no idea what it was, how to stop it, or if it would ever stop. Really dark times.

Neurological issues: More of that derealization. Inability to concentrate. Anxiety. OCD-like symptoms such as thoughts getting "stuck" in my head, repeating 24/7 completely unable to stop them, genuinely felt like my brain had cracked open and I had lost my mind. Constant dizziness like I'm on a boat.

Sleep issues: I sleep like garbage. I have insomnia, I wake up dozens of times every night and every single time I sleep I have intensely vivid dreams. I can't sleep longer than 7 hours total no matter how exhausted I am. It is exhausting. I'm exhausted, I'm so so tired.

And finally. Just. Really intense suicidal ideation. My body, my health, my entire life has been stolen from me because someone else decided my life was worth less to them than wearing a mask or staying home if they feel sick. Before I got Long COVID, I was preparing to go to South Korea to teach English, then on to a PhD in neurolinguistics, I was supposed to meet my long distance partner and had already booked plane tickets when I got sick. All of that has been destroyed.

Most of us with Long COVID are stuck in a cycle of being extremely sick, then if you're lucky you'll slowly get better over months, just to get reinfected and go right back where you started or worse. Honestly, I'm not scared of dying from COVID. I'm scared of living for a long time, suffering from Long COVID the entire time. This isn't living.

I don't know how to end this now. I'm still fighting, I'm trying experimental treatments, I'm not giving up yet. I hope everyone reading this stays healthy and well.