#but they are too important not to read them. sadly. and there's plenty to read into anyway

[boyfridged]

Hello, sorry to bother you. I saw your post about 80s Batman comics compared to today's and i wanted to ask you if you know if there's a good starting point to begin reading Batman and Detective Comics from that era. My mind inmediately goes to post crisis but I felt i needed to ask, thanks and sorry if im bothering.

you're not a bother, no worries!

i don't think there's one good answer to it. post-crisis is a good starting point if you want to get background on the contemporary lore as a whole, but my commentary regarding it was not limited to it. there's at least a couple of pre-crisis stories that are very much worth checking out, for example:

detective comics #457 which is the first appearance of leslie (i'm cheating here because it's a story from 1978 but leslie becomes relevant again only in the 80s),

detective comics 501 - 502 which is an intro of julia remarque,

batman special #1 (1984): a storyline about wrath which was specifically mentioned by me in the post you're talking about.

i am also tempted to be a bit cheeky and to say to just read through the silver age, because while not my favourite, there is plenty that conway has to offer. and i definitely do recommend moench's run who has written both dc and batman since 1983 to 1986, wherein the first incarnation of jason appears. and don't listen to anyone who says that he's just a copy of dick – it's a fantastic and ironic story wherein all similarities are purposeful. moench's writing might lack the political and social depth that for instance that of barr does, but i think this is the era that really gets into the meaning of legacy and family in batman, and if you want to get an idea of what bruce realistically could be like as a father also to post-crisis jason (given we don't actually get to see that much), this is perfect background to post-crisis. and speaking of pre-crisis, batman and the outsiders (1983) is also quite good!

when reading post-crisis, keep in mind the office politics of the time, but first of all do not forget to read the absolutely riveting barr's detective comics run starting with dc #569. detective comics #574 (this story actually starts with #573) is a reference to dc #457 and batman special #1, both mentioned above. it's also probably my favourite batman story ever. and while for whatever reason a lot of people don't like it, batman year 2 is phenomenal too. since we're already covering barr, batman: son of the demon is one of the best batman books as well.

don't forget about annuals during that read-through either (starting with #11 for post-crisis). there are also some other series (and mini-series) that you might want to read, like legends or the cult. (<- although neither of these two are my top picks. but they do exist) oh, and the batgirl special from 1988.

in case you don't know, dick does not belong to the batman office at the time, so he sparsely appears in these comics. but the titans titles of the era are pretty straightforward so i don't think you need guidance in this matter (also, jason for example actually does get borrowed by them too.)

catwoman (1989) is another must-read and a scene from it was mentioned in the post of mine as well.

i'm probably forgetting about something...? i'm not big on strict reading guides (i think the fun of it is to just dive into it by yourself), but these are a couple of my recs. i'd say you can just start with post-crisis batman (#401!)/dc (#569, already mentioned) and later 'read around' with these titles as further points of reference.

[dcxdpdabbles]

Idea: same premise as Jazz being in Gotham with a deaged Danny and ending up dating Jason, but make it so Jazz is deaged and Danny ends up dating Cass

The first time Cass meets Danny is when he drops off his niece at the dance studio. She is filling in for a friend who typically volunteers as a ballerina instructor but has sprained her ankle in the last show together.

Since the program is meant to offer free classes for the children of low-income families, Cass feels it's important not to cancel classes as often as possible.

She doesn't even greet Danny as she's inside the studio with a group of five-year-olds, and he is out in the lobby.

He signs in Jazz at the front reception, talking to the employee there.

Danny hugs and kisses her cheek before the little girl runs inside to start her warm-up, leaving her father at the doorway of the dance room. Cass will admit she only notices him because he stares after the five-year-old with a smile and deep, wistful sadness in his body language.

Cass has seen enough in her night job to know that Jazz reminds Danny of someone he lost. He loves and adores the child but is constantly reminded of those long past. She has always been able to see someone in mourning, even when they hide it behind words.

The man stared for only a few seconds before he turned around and disappeared to the parking lot. Everyone else would have figured he was only making sure she had safely found a spot for her bag, but Cass could read him better than that.

The other had been traveling through memories as he watched the little girl laugh with her class friends.

Later, after the class is done and the children have all been picked up, she learns from the receptionist that Jazz is actually his sister's kid, who has died in childbirth. Danny had been appointed as her guardian, seeing as their parents had passed two years before, and no one knew who the father was. He had named the baby after the brave woman who had died only after making sure the baby had been born.

The man had moved to Gotham not too long ago, struggling to find work due to his meta-abilities. Lola, the gym receptionist, shook her head sadly. "Rumor has it the state is constantly trying to take Jazz from him. They claim it's to protect her, but we all know it's anti-meta bigotry."

Something about that struck a core with Cass. She, more than anyone, could tell when a father was a danger to his children. Danny's body language does not hint at anything but the love and protection of his niece. She had gone home to ask Babs and Tim to look into Danny's case.

It was worse than they thought, and Danny's continued guardship of Jazz was likely due to Gotham's corrupted system. Tim, head of the Gotham Knights Youth Program, was incredibly outraged that Danny and Jazz had likely not been separated because people in charge were purposely delaying the final outcome by trying to squeeze Danny for bribe money.

They could trace Danny forking over plenty of bribe money to have Jazz, along with several other families, for another month. This meant that he was always shot on his other bills, which did not do him any favors when trying to prove he could provide for Jazz, and the cycle started all over again.

Cass, Tim, and Babs all got to work on cracking down on this horrific shakedown. It would take them months to ensure everyone taking advantage of the system was taken out, and she had figured that other than running by their house as an Orphan, that was all the interaction she would have with the Fentons.

Tim had quickly offered Danny a position within Wayne Enterprises as a janitor and allowed Jazz to be placed in the company-provided childcare program. (Danny struggled to find work because he had no one to watch Jazz outside of school hours.). His new increase and guaranteed paycheck allowed Danny to keep making the br

Yet she found herself running into Danny when visiting Tim and Bruce at work and at Jazz dance practice. They would make the usual small talk—or the average amount for her, which was even less than other people politely—and often separate enough that she started associating Danny and little Jazz with her daily routine.

In the same way, she would consider seeing the same mailman making his rounds and the same beard buns being sold on the corner of Third Street every Tuesday. Nothing stuck with her besides Danny's deep loneliness and sadness hidden within his body language.

It wasn't an odd thing to see in a place like Gotham. Cass often could see more than anyone how everyone felt well walking about. She had learned long ago that while she felt sad, she could do nothing for everyone she encountered. Trying to save everyone from their own sadness wasn't possible, especially if it was due to grief.

But there was just something about Danny. She could not pinpoint what made Cass want to try, regardless of knowing it was helpless. So she found herself and started to reach out.

At first, she would pass along fun, free kid-friend event ideas, like asking him if he thought about bringing Jazz to the children's museum on their movie night? Or was he aware the library was hosting storytime by Jason Wayne? Has he tried the free chess and treat day provided by the frozen yogurt place on Mondays near the petting zoo?

Then she started messaging him. They traded numbers so she could tutor Jazz on some dance moves—free of charge—about anything and everything. Tim took notice and casually requested that she stick close by to see if anyone was off the books bothering Danny or any other meta like him.

Cass found that whatever free time she had, she was slowly filling it with Danny and little Jazz.

What a delight the girl was—smart, mature, and cheerful. Jazz has an obsession with teddy bears—especially her mother's old one that was a play on Albert Einstein—and the two would often find themselves having tea parties with her collection.

Danny would join as the royal king of the tea, and Cass would be the visiting princess. It was so fun that, for a moment, she forgot about the corruption plot she was trying to protect them from.

Danny and Jazz felt so part of her world that one day, while Bruce was trying to set up a Father-Daughter day, she opened her calendar app only to pause at the sight of it being practically filled up with plans.

There were plans involving Danny and Jazz. There were reminders to take Jazz to her appointments, school events for Jazz, Fenton Fudge night, and plans to take Danny out and have her siblings babysit Jazz.

She thinks back to all the times she's over at their house. The cooking, the movies on the couches, the texts between her and Danny. But what she thinks of the most is the warm butterfly feeling Danny causes in her, the genuine adoration for a man inside and out, and it hits her.

"I'm in love with him."

Bruce looks up from his calendar app with confusion. "You're in love with nail tech at Gotham Spa? Well, I can still book us the pedicures, but to request him might be hard-"

"No, Bruce, Danny Fenton."

"Oh"

[galedekarios]

Hello, big fan of your Gale content um I just saw this post on X that really annoyed me that was a graphic saying Gale would use 3 in 1 shampoo implying he is lazy with his hygiene and that another character was more like that and it had like 6k likes and I just wonder why everyone mischaracterizes our best wizard so much? Generic male expectations? Justice for Gale. He deserved that lavender bath.

thank you for your message and kind words! 🖤

i haven't seen the post you're referring to so i can't say too much about it, but if we talk about the general concept of hygiene and personal care, in my heart i know the following truth:

gale loves his little indulgences and that includes the finer things in life, like taking long baths, perfumes, massages, and the like.

once he feels better again and has the spoons to fully appreciate it, he would have a ridiculously elaborate 13 step self-care routine, beard oils and all of that.

(we know his year of isolation likely led to him neglecting himself, given tara's repeated lines about not eating enough, as well as gale letting his beard growing out.)

in early access, he had this dialogue with the protag, about dreaming of a nice lavender scented bath:

Gale: Time is a precious gift. With time, we may even reach Baldur's Gate, a city rife with magic, wizards, scholars, and perhaps: solutions.  Player: In that case I share your optimism. Here's to the journey ahead.  Gale: And here's to your company.  Gale: Oh, I can picture it now: academies, libraries, laboratories – the assembled knowledge of centuries that may just set us free. Better yet: soft beds, home cooked meals, and all the other little luxuries this wilderness so brashly denies us. Gods, I'd pay a king's ransom for a hot, lavender-scented bath – minstrels serenading as I close my eyes and let the water's warmth dissolve all woes. Plenty to look forward to.

this was sadly cut.

i also seem to recall another line of dialogue in early access where a companion commented on gale using a waterdhavian scent/perfume, which had woody undertones. if i can find it, i'll be sure to post about it.

but still, he still has similar lines in the full release version, like in this banter with shadowheart:

Gale: I must tell you, Shadowheart, the bathing waters here leave much to be desired. devnote: A bit know it all Gale: The ablutions offered at the Temple of Beauty in Waterdeep are far superior. And they have the most excellent soaps. devnote: A bit know it all Shadowheart: Hmm. I was wondering why you always smelled like a wealthy dowager. devnote: Teasing

bathing waters, excellent soaps and ablutions at the temple of beauty in waterdeep. the temple of beauty is a temple to the goddess sune, the goddess of beauty and passion.

"Her temples usually held social salons and displayed mirrors for use by lay parishioners. Some of them even had public baths for the local populace. Her shrines often stood on the corner of busy city streets. They would have a small ornate overhanging roof with a mirror underneath. They were used to check one's appearance while honoring Sune with prayer. Some shrines even held perfume and cosmetic items for those who could not afford such luxuries themselves." [x]

volo's waterdeep enchiridion says this in particular about the temple of beauty in waterdeep:

"If you need to refresh yourself during your travels, or perhaps to primp before an important meeting or a night out, visit Sune’s faithful at the Temple of Beauty. Its marbled public baths and mirrored salons are open from before dawn to after dusk. There’s no fee for these services, or for the advice and aid of the temple’s many pleasant attendants, but donations are encouraged."

there are some other banters & lines of dialogue in the same vein:

Player: I want to be with Gale. I'm sorry. Shadowheart: Don't be. He's charming enough, well-read and well-groomed.

there are more banters and comments like this from other companions as well (including minthara, for example), so yes, i think it's safe to say that gale is not a 3-in-1 shampoo type.

[coraniaid]

Fuffy + keepsake + tension + quiet

Okay, this ended up being long enough that I should probably put a read-more somewhere...

Faith knows that none of this is real, right from the start.  

That’s something, anyway.  A small kindness on behalf of whatever higher power it is that runs all this.  It means that waking up, when it’s over, won’t hurt quite so much.

In real life, she knows that she’s about a year into a minimum twenty five year sentence.  That right now she must be sleeping fitfully on a hard bed in a gray cell somewhere in Stockton.  In real life she’s exactly where she deserves to be: locked up in a cage, in the dark, somewhere not quite in the ordinary world.  Somewhere she can’t do any more damage.  

Because she did it, all of it, everything they thought to charge her with and more.  She killed a couple of people, hurt plenty more, and she’d have kept going if somebody hadn’t stopped her, one way or another.  She’d enjoyed it – at least at first – and she’d been good at it.  Better than she’d ever been at playing at being some kind of hero. 

For a while, she’d managed to persuade herself that it was what she was born to do.  That she was becoming what she’d always been meant to be.  And then, later, when she’d sunk too deep, it didn’t matter anymore whether she enjoyed it or not.  There was no way out by then except to plunge head down and drown.

In the dream though, she’s back in school and none of that has happened yet.  

This isn’t a school she’d ever been to as a student.  Not one of the several different high schools back in Boston that had passed her back and forth like a particularly unappetizing hot potato before she’d done them all a favor and dropped out.  Not the school her mom had only sometimes remembered she went to, the school where she’d learned that other kids could smell weakness on you like a sickness and if you weren’t rich and smart and popular you were either strong or you were nothing.

This is the school.  Her school.  Sunnydale High.  Not ruined yet, not rubble and debris, but whole and unbroken.

She’s in the library.  Both of them are.  It’s just the two of them, alone in all the world.  Sparring, the way they’d used to back then.  Wondering if the other girl felt the same tension in the air whenever one of them – usually not her, at least the way Faith remembers it – would end up on top of the other at the end of a fight, trying to wrestle the other girl into submission.  Trying to pretend she didn’t notice the way the other Slayer’s tank top would ride up her stomach when she worked out, or the way her skin shone like gold when she started to break a sweat.  Back to working up the courage to ask if, now that Blueberry Muffin Scott was out of the picture, the newly single Buffy Summers could be persuaded to let Faith tag along with her to that Homecoming thing she was so crazy about.

In real life, a part of her remembers, this isn’t exactly how this had played out.  It had been a school day for one thing, at least for everyone but her.  The middle of the afternoon, not hours after midnight.  There had been crowds of kids noisily swarming in the halls outside, talking and laughing and totally oblivious to how important this moment was.  This is different.  Quieter.  Better.  Just her and Buffy.  The Chosen Two.  The way it should have been.

It hurts, reliving this.  Hurts more than she thought it would. But maybe this is also what she deserves.  Maybe she deserves to be punished.

“We never did get to go to that stupid party together, did we?” she says sadly.  “Not really.”

She’d always meant to.ask Buffy, afterwards, when it was too late, if things might have been different if they had.  If Trick’s stupid scheme hadn’t spoiled things.  If Buffy had seen that Faith could get dressed up and sit quietly in a limo like a normal girl; that she could follow the rules and make smalltalk while she waited to be asked to dance.  If she’d seen her standing up for her and putting that asshole Scott in his place.  If Angel hadn’t been back from hell already, already Buffy’s little undead secret, her hidden rival for Buffy’s attention and affection somehow winning without ever realizing he was in a fight.

But she hadn’t really ever been good, had she?  Hadn’t followed the rules.  That’s why she’s rotting in the dark in North California tonight and dreaming empty dreams about the past, not wherever Buffy really is.  Why she’s not where Buffy needs her to be.  That’s why she doesn’t get to ask that kind of question.

And maybe it’s why this dream memory of Buffy doesn’t even deign to answer the question she did ask.  Just smiles at her, politely, slightly puzzled, like what she said didn’t make any sense but it’d be rude to spell that out.

Maybe it didn’t.  Maybe this is one of those nightmares where she can’t even speak.  Where she keeps begging for forgiveness but can’t even get through that that’s what she wants.

Her stomach hurts most of all: an old, familiar ache.  Just nerves, she thinks at first, until she touches the place the pain is worse and feels something wet and hot and sticky.  Sees the dark stain spreading over the library floor where she's been standing.

“Damn,” she says wonderingly, looking down at the blood.  “I thought it had stopped doing that.”

At least the bleeding gets Buffy’s attention.

“Can I…?”

Buffy crouches down in front of her while Faith takes a seat.  Pulls her shirt away from her skin, gingerly.   Runs a finger slowly across her scar.  Gently, thoughtfully, almost fondly.  She doesn’t seem to notice the blood, or the way it stains her.  The way it sticks to her, red and vital and indelible.  Maybe she just doesn’t care anymore.  She looks up at Faith, green eyes wide and trusting.

“Does it hurt?” she asks.

Faith hesitates, but not for long. The bleeding seems to be stopping again anyway.

“Yeah,” she admits, because this is only a dream,  “Sometimes.  A little.”

“That’s good,” Buffy says, voice still gentle.  Expression still calm and innocent.  “You deserved this.”

She says it simply, like it’s just a fact.  Without any malice or anger at all.  And it is a fact, isn’t it?  Faith nods.  She did.  She does.

“Besides,” Buffy says, fingers still resting on Faith’s stomach.  On the place she’d slid the knife in two years ago.  “I think the scar suits you.  Something to remember me by once I’ve moved on.”

There's an echo there, of something Faith had said once herself, a long time ago.  When she was lost and flailing and drowning.  When she thought she was going to … but no, she thinks.  She won’t let herself finish that thought.

“Yeah, well, as keepsakes go I’ve gotta say it’s pretty crappy,” she grumbles.  “You couldn’t leave me one of your old stakes or something?”

Buffy shakes her head, absently wiping her hands clean on one of the books spread out casually on the table her friends all used to pile around for their secret little meetings.  Faith glances around, nervously, half sure that Giles is going to loom out of the shadows and throw a fit when he sees what they’re up to.

“I don’t exactly think they’d let you keep something like that where you are, Faith,” the other Slayer says, a little reprovingly.  Just like she used to do whenever Faith said anything wrong. 

Why can’t you be different? that voice says, even if this Buffy doesn’t.  Why can’t you try harder?  Buffy isn’t like Faith.  Half the time she doesn’t even want to be a Slayer.  She likes listening to her Watcher and worrying about tests and doing what she’s told and she’s never, ever going to joke about giving Faith a weapon again.

“Right,” Faith says, properly abashed.  “I guess I forgot.”

She hadn’t, not really, but it’s easier to pretend.  Not that Buffy seems to care.  She frowns, glances at her stake, suddenly in her hand.  Faith’s sure it wasn’t there a moment ago.

“Besides,” she says, “This one isn’t really mine to give you.”

Faith nods.  It was hers, wasn’t it?  The other one.  The girl who died.  The Slayer who she never met; the one who was supposed to exist between them.  Something had passed from Buffy to her, and then been passed back from her to Buffy.  Leaving Faith cut off, isolated.  A neglected offshoot.  A mistake.

“You never told me about her,” she says.

It’s not quite an accusation.  Not quite a simple statement of fact either.  She only remembers hearing her name said out loud once, in all the time she’d spent in Sunnydale.  Kendra.  Kendra the Vampire Slayer, who’d died less than a year after being Called.  

“You never asked,” Buffy answers quietly, a little uncertainly.  “And it was too …”

“... painful,” Faith finishes for her.  “Yeah.  I get that, now.”

Put like that, she supposes she and Buffy have both had a pretty good run.  Almost a decade, between the two of them.  More than most Slayers get.  More than a lot of ordinary people who don’t even get to enjoy the whole superpowers side of things ever get.  But nothing lasts forever, does it?  All they can do is delay the inevitable.

She has another memory, suddenly.  A moment she’d almost forgotten.  Her first night at Buffy’s place.  Having dinner; the first home cooked meal she’d eaten in God knows how long.  Pretending she couldn’t hear Buffy and her Mom quietly arguing in the kitchen.  That her Slayer senses didn’t let her hear Joyce tell Buffy that she didn’t want her daughter to die, or Buffy’s unwitting admission that she already had.  Remembers locking eyes with Buffy’s kid sister – who hadn’t stopped staring at her with a kind of quiet awe all night – and hoping her ears weren’t so sharp.  Helping herself to some of Buffy’s spare fries and winking at the kid while she did it.  Like they were partners in crime now.  Co-conspirators.

She’s never going to talk to Joyce or Dawn again either, she supposes.  Can’t exactly blame them for that.  Not after what she did.  She hopes they’re both doing okay though, back in Sunnydale.  Hopes that the world’s been kinder to them than she was.  But she guesses that that’s another sort of question she doesn’t have the right to ask Buffy.  Still, she–

A sudden noise surprises her.  A bell ringing, somewhere outside.  Shrill, demanding.  A summoning.  Not for her, of course – hell, Faith doesn’t even go to this school – but for the real Slayer.  For Buffy.

“I have to go,” Buffy tells her, almost like an apology.

Faith has a feeling she’s missing something important.

“To class?” she asks.

It’s the wrong question.  She knows that, even before the other girl shakes her head.  They’re both a little too old for high school, aren’t they?  Neither of them are kids anymore.  And somehow, without Faith noticing, Buffy’s changed out of the clothes she was wearing while they sparred.  Now she’s dressed in white; in an outfit that changes every time Faith looks at it.  First a dress, the sort Faith can imagine her wearing to Prom or to some other kind of high school dance, then a soft white cardigan over comfortable light gray pants like her Mom might have worn once, then a long white jacket stained with dust and ash and soot.  

“If …” Buffy starts, frowns, corrects herself.  “When you meet the new girl,  tell her …” 

The older Slayer shrugs.  Smiles ruefully, a little bit embarrassed.

“I dunno.  I haven’t figured it all out yet.  Just make up something cool.  You were always good at that, right?”

Her tone is more playful than pointed, but Faith can’t help but flinch a little.  Yeah, she’d told all kinds of dumb, bullshit stories when they’d first met, hadn’t she?  Desperate to make everyone think she was fun and exciting and interesting; to make the infamous Buffy Summers think that maybe she was going to have a little competition now.  To make her think she was worthy.  That she deserved to be alive when her Watcher and everyone she’d ever been supposed to protect was dead.  To convince her – convince herself – that they could even begin to be equals.  Of course Buffy had seen through that.  Of course she’d known they weren’t.

“You know me, B,” she says weakly.

She does.  She always has.  That was at least half the problem, wasn’t it?  No matter how cunning she thought she was being, she could never fool Buffy for long.

Now Buffy looks at her, and she sees her – every aspect of her, even the broken and ugly parts, the rotting and wrong parts she’d always thought she was able to hide – and Faith thinks that, in the way she only ever will do in dreams, she accepts her.  The real Buffy would have judged her, again.  Found her wanting. Asked her why she couldn’t just be perfect like Sunndale’s own Little Miss Sunshine.  

But this Buffy is different.  She looks at her, considers. Decides.  Leans forward, slowly, and kisses her gently on the forehead, the way that the real Buffy never did and never would have done.  It’s not forgiveness, exactly.  Faith knows that she doesn’t deserve that; knows that she never will.  Not even from a memory.  Not even in a dream. 

It’s something close though.  Call it acknowledgment, maybe.  Call it recognition.  Understanding.  An admission, finally, that Faith wasn’t crazy to think that they could be the same.  That they could have been the same, if only Faith had–

The bell rings again.  Louder, this time.  More insistent.  Buffy touches Faith’s shoulder, gently, just once.  A parting gesture.  Takes a step back, eyes never leaving hers.

“Be brave, Faith,” she tells her.  “Be better.”

Then she’s gone.  Slipping through the twin library doors like a pale ghost before Faith can respond.  They swing shut behind her, somehow locking closed again as they do.  The sound they make echoes throughout the library, hard and heavy and forever.

When Faith manages to force the doors open and stagger outside – before she even has time to wonder if the library doors always led right to the front of the school like this – she can tell at once that Buffy is gone.  No matter how hard she looks, there’s no sign of the other Slayer.  No flash of blonde hair or white clothing in the distance.  No sign of anybody else at all.  Just clear sidewalks and abandoned cars as far as the eye can see.  Deserted houses and abandoned playgrounds and other quiet, empty places. For the first time in nearly three whole years – for the first time since she was Called – she’s completely and totally alone.  But the sun is creeping over the horizon and the sky is full of birds.

[pinkberrytea]

✨Writing Interview Tag Game✨

Eeee tysm for the tag @nyx-knox and @honeybee-bard! 🥹🙌❣️

When did you start writing?

I used to write fanfiction when I was 13 years old, but as an adult, this is actually my first time dabbling in creative writing! I released my first work back in April, crazy to think it’s been barely four months since I started!

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

Horror and mystery are actually my favorite genres, though I'm not sure I'd be able to pull either off? I should give it a go one day, maybe!

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

To be honest any comparisons at all would make me plenty happy since I barely consider myself a writer 😅 There are some people in the fandom who are endless sources of inspiration for me though, all authors in my recs list and ao3 bookmarks, for starters.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

No BG3 merch sadly, yet!

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Just daydreaming honestly. Also listening to music helps plenty! Researching lore and brainstorming ideas with friends too. But mostly just daydreaming!

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Hurt and comfort, and also angst. Lots of it, for some reason. It does surprise me how angsty all my writing ends up coming across, but I try to balance it out with some melodramatic fluff, I guess? I do want to try my hand at some less serious/more lighthearted themes eventually though, branch out a little!

What is your reason for writing?

Coping, mostly. Also as a sort of therapy, to sort out my feelings about themes that are important to me and that I’ve been processing through media. And no less relevant, simply as a self-indulgent outlet! I write what I myself would like to read.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Every single comment is incredibly motivating for me, but of course, I do twirl my hair and kick my feet whenever someone tells me about which passages they liked the best and how they specifically felt about a certain scene. Also, whenever people pick up on a detail I was sure would go by unnoticed!

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I want my readers to think of me as a friend, as someone who is always accessible and up for talking about writing, be it mine or just in general!

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Oh, this is a toughie. I have a very flowery and verbose style, though I’m not sure that’s a strength? I guess it could be, depending on your preferences. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, really.

How do you feel about your own writing?

I don’t think highly of it from a technical standpoint, but I do pour my heart and soul into every single piece, and that makes them all special to me.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

I can sincerely say I write mostly for myself, otherwise I wouldn’t even be able to write anything at all because I don’t think I could live up to anyone’s expectations. Though of course, the feedback I receive on a piece may in fact influence whether I feel inspired to expand on it or just move on to something new. Even if I’m typically my own main target audience, comments are always greatly appreciated!

No pressure tags ✨ @locallegume, @judasiskariot, @inkymoonbunny, @starryjuicebox and @kalmiaphlox!

[doahaesunshine]

Chapter 10

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Is there anything more tempting Than secrets? Knowledge is Power. And some will do anything to obtain it. Seems like a Fool’s Errand to me.

These past few months were busy with learning history, spellwork, and language, each had taken up an abundance of your time but it was worth it. The tome Archivist Jeon had given you, Historia Arcanorum – or History of Arcana in English – has shown to be very helpful now that you could read a decent bit of Lungue Magica. Deep diving into the book was enough to have you learn more about Arcanist Society and the vaste individual schools of magic. Sadly, none of them included Empathy. 

As it turns out, Empathy was what Arcanists call a Personalis Ars – a personal talent – which is the reason there was no formal school of magic for Empathy. All Arcanists and their families had personal talents that were unique to their bloodlines. The information had filled you with even more questions. Why would someone like you – a human – have a personal talent? But then you remembered Vernon also had one which left you with even more questions. 

There was still a lot to learn despite the lengths you have taken. A few of the passages in the tome were still unintelligible and you were hellbent on needing to understand every single word. Thankfully Jeonghan had agreed to continue teaching you, really you didn’t know where you would be without his help. 

The spring season had bloomed with warmer weather and longer days. Even though you were making plenty of progress, you felt like you could be doing more. Magic was still a mystery to you, it was overwhelming more than anything, and you didn’t know what school to begin studying. 

Soonyoung desperately tried to convince you to learn Evocation, something about you being in their house anyways, but when you asked him if he would teach you, he said that Jihoon would be a better teacher. While the idea of Jihoon, an Arcanist who specializes in Pyromancy and has experimented on spells way too often in your presence, was tempting, he was ultimately a no-go at the idea. 

Seungkwan mentioned that if you were interested in practical magic, Archivist Jeon could mentor you in Transmutation. The thought of the icey, unreadable Archivist teaching you was inconceivable though. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust his abilities, you just weren’t too keen on the idea of both him and Cosmo staring you down, probably a little judgemental, as you learned. 

Several nights were filled with wonder, trying to figure out if there was a school of magic for you, yet nothing seemed to click. After a while, you stopped worrying about such a big step and threw your focus into Lingua Magic. It became more important to read what you were going to learn, rather than casting cool magic with words you didn’t fully understand.  

The balcony became your favorite place to study, finding it easier to focus on the words in the presence of fresh air and natural light. As you sat on the floor, back pressed against the fencing and time resting in your lap, you studied in peace. Your notebook was open on the ground beside you for easy access when scribbling down a definition, a new word, or a question you would ask Jeonghan at your next lesson.

Just above you on the stop of the railing sat a small yellow warbler, it was a seemingly constant presence each time you were out here studying. Something about the small song bird was so familiar yet you couldn’t place your finger on it. It chirped a quick but pleasant melody that made you smile in response. It hopped further down the railing, easier to look at without craning your neck. You stared at the vibrant bird, appreciating its simple yet charming beauty, but it startled when the door to the balcony opened a little too quickly. 

At your eye level, you first were met with the soft, fluffy face of Ruby, but as you looked up you saw Jihoon’s stern expression. 

“You’re still studying up here?” He asked as he walked to the railing. “Aren’t you hungry?”

The question caught you off guard. “No- or- I don’t know. What time is it?”

“Half past two.”

“Shit-” You grabbed your books and stood to leave.

“You’ve learned the Lingua Magica pretty fast.”

You paused and turned your attention to Jihoon who was now leaning with his back against the railing. He raised his brow as if he were waiting for a response.

“Um- yeah. I want to learn it so that I can translate the tome Archivist Jeon gave me. Also the language isn’t super far from English so…” You trailed off.

“So?” Jihoon appeared puzzled. “Out of all the humans who have come here from Realm Nihl, you are the first to dedicate yourself to learning the language- well, besides Joshua- By the way, who’s teaching you?”

“Seungkwan’s Mentor? He’s from Earth -Earth? Like me?”

“Don’t dodge the question.” Jihoon sighed as he leaned his head to the side.

“Fine. If you’re so curious about me learning a language then ask about it, but I want to ask some questions too.”

Another deep exhale escaped Jihoon as he nodded his head, agreeing to your proposition.

“Okay-” You took a deep breath. “An Arcanist I met the same day Dino was freaking out about me going into the forest, that’s who’s teaching me.”

Jihoon tilted his head to the side as he furrowed his brow. “Does this Arcanist have a name?”

“My question first!” You said with a smug grin. “You said Joshua is from Realm Nihl? I’m curious about that.”

“Fine.” Jihoon groaned. “Joshua comes from a family of Arcanists, the Hongs. Very good reputation, the best Wards you will ever find, but Joshua and his parents broke away from the family. Something about not agreeing with how their talent was being used- whatever - basically Joshua’s parents had a target on their head for turning against the family. Mr. and Mrs. Hong begged Archivist Jeon to take their son back so that he could grow up in a safe environment…”

Surprised by the amount of information Jihoon offered, you listened intently.

“So overall Joshua Hong is a very powerful Ward Mage that is essentially Archivist Jeon’s responsibility. It’s complicated as hell.”

“I can see that.” You chuckled.

“My question now. The Arcanist who is teaching you, what’s their name?”

As Jihoon asked his question, you checked your pocket watch, a cute trinket Dino gifted you so that you could manage your time better.The two of you had been chatting longer than you thought.

“Hold that question- I have to attend my lesson.” You said as you rushed toward the exit.

With a scoff, Jihoon tried to follow inside but you were already down the hall. “Hey! I’m not going to let you evade me like you evade Archivist Jeon!”

“What’s that?!” You yelled. “I can’t hear you from over here!”

Rolling his eyes, Jihoon returned to the balcony as you continued to sprint out of the building. 

Memorizing the route to the glade was easy, especially when Jeonghan had been teaching you the Lingua Magica daily. During the winter you had wondered why he never offered to teach you at his home or traveled to your dorm. You assumed the glade was a middle ground and left it at that. 

As you were running down the path Eris materialized next to you, matching your pace.

“Going to meet the charmer once again are we?”

It still amazed you that familiars could be with their Arcanist one moment and then decide to escape into the ether the next. You remember the first time it happened – it scared the shit out of you – but it also put you at ease knowing that the leopard could hide herself. Eris still intentionally jumpscared you for her own entertainment, needless to say the dynamic you two shared hadn’t changed much.

“Yes, I am. Does it really surprise you that I have a genuine interest in the language?”

Eris’s chuckle resonated in your mind. “It surprises me that your only intention is to learn.”

“What?” You said out loud without realizing.

“I’m just stating the obvious. He’s very kind to you and very handsome too. I wouldn't be surprised if he fancies you-”

“Woah!” You exclaimed. “What the hell are you on about? Are you my mom or something? Trying to get me to date my friend?”

Eris rolled her eyes. “Oh! So you two are friends now?”

You scoffed and dropped the subject leaving the rest of the hike in peaceful silence.

Entering the glade, the familiar sight of the pink blossomed tree welcomed you. A calm breeze blew through the branches causing loose petals to scatter in the wind and the chimes to sing out their notes. Jeonghan was nowhere to be seen which was odd because he was almost always here before you. Carefully, you walked up the steps and found your company lounging on the old stone bench.

An open tome rested on his chest as he napped in the shade of the tree.

Secreta Sanguis et Mors. Secrets of blood and death.

“You’re later than usual.” 

Jeonghan’s voice startled you as he spoke with his eyes closed. Slowly he rose to address you, a smug smile across his face.

“Did you get lost after all this time?”

“No, of course not.” You sighed. “My roommate was bombarding me with questions.”

“What kinds of questions?”

“Unimportant ones.” The words sounded more peeved than you meant them to be.

“Sage…” Jeonghan sang your name out, beckoning you. “What kinds of questions?”

There was a slight tug in your chest, Jeonghan always said your name with such an inviting quality. 

“Um-” You stuttered. “Like I said, they weren’t important. He just wanted to know why I was so interested in learning Lingua Magica. Speaking of- I’m ready to start my lessons!”

“About that…” Jeonghan thought for a moment and then shook his head. “I had something else in mind. Something I wanted to show you…”

A twinge of ambivalence filled you as Jeonghan spoke.Was he nervous about something? 

You disregarded the feeling. “Oh- Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“You’ll just have to find out- and don’t worry, I’ll still teach you today. I just wanted a change of scenery.” Jeonghan stood from the bench and offered you his hand.

The promise of learning was all you needed in order to agree to a small journey. Gently, you placed your hand in Jeonghan’s, his skin was cold to the touch, nearly matching the weather outside. Almost  instinctively, you held his hand tighter and rubbed your thumb into the skin of it, hoping the gesture would warm him.

A soft snicker emanated from Jeonghan. “Thank you, but I naturally just run a bit cooler than most people.”

Learning that fact made heat begin to rise to your face but you quickly pushed away the embarrassment. 

The two of you ventured out of the glade and in the direction that Jeonghan usually left in. Tall evergreen trees hugged the stone path you walked, the trees were imposing and made you feel slightly claustrophobic with how close they were. You squeezed Jeonghan’s hand to provide some sort of comfort, his skin was still cool to the touch but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Here we are.” Jeonghan said as he picked up the pace, nearly dragging you along.

The tree line grew sparse and an opening appeared, the subtle scent of salt carried in the breeze that blew past you. Jeonghan halted, causing you to bump into his back, you were going to complain but the scene before you was a good distraction.

A vast, deep blue lake centered itself in the forest. It spread so far that you could barely see the other side. Floating in the lake were white winged birds, gray patterns decorating their feathers, you recognized them as albatrosses, a rare yet beautiful bird. They were so eye catching you nearly forgot that you aren’t meant to be here, that it could harm you to linger.

“Jeonghan-”

“It’s okay, Sage.” He stopped your warning and slowly brought you toward the edge of the lake. “This isn’t the same area.”

You raised your brow at his comment. “How do you know?”

Jeonghan looked at you with kind, gentle eyes. “I spoke with the person who saved you.”

He released his grasp on your hand and sat on one of the many rocks along the lake’s shore. Still you were nervous, even if it wasn’t the lake, it was still a lake and you didn’t know exactly what would trigger an episode and you didn’t want to find out.

“Come sit with me, Sage.” Jeonghan said as he lightly patted the rock next to him. “Enjoy the lake air with me.”

You sighed in defeat and joined Jeonghan on the shore, placing your books in your lap as you sat next to him. 

“Did you just want to show me the lake?”

He laughed softly. “I wanted you to see the birds…”

You turned your attention back to the albatrosses in the lake. The two birds floated side by side, grooming each other, obviously a mated pair. As you focused on your surroundings, you could hear birdsong coming from the woods behind you. You closed your eyes and listened, allowing yourself to enjoy the sound.

“Really.” You kept your eyes shut as you spoke. “You wanted me to see some birds.”

“Yes. I saw that you sometimes draw birds in your notebook.”

The idea of Jeonghan bringing you to a lake just because you like to doodle them every so often made you snicker.

“How thoughtful of you.” Sarcasm laced your words.

“I was also getting tired of that glade.” Jeonghan said as he chuckled.

“There it is~”  You rolled your eyes dramatically. “I knew this was for your own personal gain.”

A small smile formed on Jeonghan’s lips. “Yup, I’m so selfish~ Now give me your tome. I’ll make some notes for you.”

Swiftly, you handed him your tome along with your notebook and watched as he translated more passages. 

You had to admit, the change in scenery definitely helped with the lesson. The atmosphere was different, calming even though you were nervous in the beginning. As Jeonghan continued to scribble in your notebook, you looked out into the lake. The albatrosses were long gone, leaving the lake empty and lonely. 

Another brackish breeze blew by and this time it lingered. It didn’t smell bad, but it wasn’t a scent you would want around you all day. There was something familiar about the aroma as well as the way the lake’s current lapped at the side of the rocks. For a moment your vision unfocused as you lost yourself in your thoughts.

“Sage?” Jeonghan called out.

You blinked back to focus and looked over at your company.

“Did you hear what I said?” He stared at you with round eyes, a slight furrow to his brow.

“Hm? Oh- no?”

Jeonghan pointed to your notebook. “ Incantatio . It means Enchantment, like the school.”

You read the note Jeonghan made. As usual he provided the Arcane sigil and the translation in both Lingua Magica and English. 

“I could teach you.”

The statement piqued your interest.

“Enchantment is all about words- incantations. You learned the Lingua Magica so fast, I’m sure you would absorb the school of Enchantment easily.”

You took a moment to think. From what Seungkwan told you, Enchantment was all about charms and enchanting items. It was apparently a more tame school, scholars and artists enjoyed the subject. Less flashy than Evocation but flashier than Transmutation.

A grin formed on your face. “Now try and really sell it to me. Like you work at a car dealership.”

Jeonghan squinted as he tried to figure out what you were saying.

“Haggle with me.” You said in a flat tone. “You really want me to learn Enchantment? Convince me.”

Jeonghan smirked, accepting the challenge. “Enchantment is a school that embraces creativity and cunning. You’ll be able to learn a person’s deepest desires and use it to your advantage. Fighting with intellect is just as powerful as fighting with brawn.” His eyes locked with yours. “Isn’t there someone you’re curious about? Someone that intrigues you or maybe even pisses you off? Wouldn’t it be nice to know what makes them tick?”

The more Jeonghan spoke the harder it was to tear your gaze away, it was enrapturing. As you continued to stare, a subtle blue glow emanated from his irises and you couldn’t help but train your focus on his eyes.

“But that would be ridiculous.” Jeonghan snapped his attention away from you. “The school of Enchantment has a lot of potential, but Arcanist’s mainly use it to create magical objects.”

“Even if it’s just that, I’m interested.” You finally replied.

Jeonghan smiled as he looked out into the lake. “Good. I’d be more than happy to teach you Enchantment.” He returned his attention to you. “I’ll teach you something simple right now.”

Soon the space between you two shrunk as Jeonghan leaned in eye locking onto yours once again.

“ Dominare Mentem .” He whispered close, the same blue tint appearing in his eyes.

A dull throb pounded in your head but it didn’t last long. The pain subsided and you were left with a cloudy feeling akin to the sensation of waking up in the middle of the night not knowing where you are.

“Domi- I understand Mentem . It means mind, correct?”

A pleased expression consumed Jeonghan’s face as he grinned. “Yes. See you learn quickly!”

“Did you just cast a spell on my mind?”

Jeonghan scoffed. “Oh please. If I wanted to cast a spell on you I would have done it the first day we met.”

“Thank you, Jeonghan. That is very reassuring.” You stated monotonously.

He didn’t say anything other than laugh in your face. Enchantment may have been his school of choice, but the raven haired man had the eloquence of a toothpick. 

“Well-” Jeonghan gathered your books and stood, holding out his free hand for you to grab. “It’s getting late, Sage. You should head home.”

You held onto his hand and pulled yourself up. “You’re right, the sun is starting to set.” A quick peek at your pocket watch showed that it was already six in the evening. “Shit, Mingyu is going to kill me if I’m late for dinner.”

“Mingyu lives with you as well?”

“Huh? No. He just makes us dinner.”

Jeonghan nodded. “Let me take you back to the glade, we can part there.”

Agreeing, you followed Jeonghan down the path from which you came without holding his hand this time. You clutched onto your books and shuffled next to Jeonghan, something about the trees here unsettled you. Without even noticing, you held onto his elbow for support, the proximity immediately calming you.

A low chuckle resonated from Jeonghan, but he bent his arm to create space for you to link arms with him. The two of you continued down the path, arm in arm.

By the time you were back at the glade, the sun had set beyond the treeline, causing the area to be shrouded in dim light. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you back to your dorm?” Jeonghan asked before you could leave.

“I’m sure!” You called out as you passed the threshold and exited the glade. “Goodnight, Jeonghan.”

You received a two finger salute in response from Jeonghan before he turned around and disappeared into the woods. 

As you were traveling down the stone path, Eris materialized beside you.

“You forgot to ask him what the spell did.”

Stopping in your tracks, you turned to Eris, mouth agape in disbelief of your own foolishness.

“This is exciting! What if you turn into a toad in the middle of the night?”

By the time you reached the dorm, all worries had washed away.If Jeonghan had really casted a spell on you it probably would have had an effect by now. Upon entering the building, you were met with Yucca sitting in the center of the entrance, big ears twitching curiously. The small fennec fox stood and turned his butt to you, walking down the hallway. You followed the little familiar to the dining room and were met with Mingyu cleaning the table of plates.

“You’re late.” 

“I’ve heard that a lot today…” You responded with a sigh.

“You’re usually only gone for an hour and a half.” Mingyu pouted as he complained.

“I know, it’s been-”

“Four hours!”

With a deep breath you calmed your nerves. “Okay. How about I clean up? To make up for being late.”

“No-” Mingyu continued to sulk. “I fixed you a plate. It’s on the counter, eat.”

When you turned your gaze to the counter, a full plate of eggs, pancakes, and sausage was left untouched. Breakfast for dinner, for some reason the idea of it was nostalgic. You grabbed the plate and took a seat at one of the stools by the center island. As you enjoyed your food, Mingyu carried on, scrubbing the plates clean and wiping down the counters. Yucca stationed himself at the archway leading to the dining room, guarding the entrance.

Drying his hands on a clean towel, he wandered over to the center island, throwing the towel over his shoulder. 

“So…” Mingyu exhaled.

You looked up to him with the fork still in your mouth. “So…” 

“Where were you? These past few weeks you’ve been… vacant.”

Puzzled, you grimaced. “Vacant?”

Mingyu groaned. “Why do I have to be the one to do this? Vernon said you’ve been a little- I don’t want to say unapproachable but …” He muttered for a moment as he searched for the words. “Distant, maybe even a bit guarded? I don’t know, he just said the two of you haven’t been hanging out as much lately.”

You swallowed another bite of your food. “Oh my- Is this an intervention?”

“Sage! Be serious for once, please.” Mingyu frowned. “Is it really so weird that the people you live with are worried about you?”

A prominent crease formed on your brow as you digested Mingyu’s words. “I don’t know why they’re so worried. I’ve just been receiving lessons on the Lingua Magica. I want to fully translate this tome Archivist Jeon gave me…” 

“Jihoon told me about that, he said you avoided his questions.” 

“I answered some of them!” You interjected.

Mingyu’s expression was shrouded with doubt. “You never told him who was teaching these lessons. Will you tell me?”

You tried to avoid his eyes but Mingyu was adamant, smiling like a puppy with sparkly eyes to try and persuade you. 

“Fine, I surrender- I’ll tell you whatever you want!” You sighed deeply. “It’s-” The name was on the tip of your tongue but it faded immediately. “It’s uh…” A familiar dull ache thrummed in your head. “Sorry- The person who’s teaching me- right- um…”

Mingyu rounded the counter to stand in front of you. “Are you alright, Sage?” He gently placed his hand on your forehead, checking for a fever. “You’re a little warm. Were you outside the entire time? It’s still cold out, you should be wearing warmer clothing.”

There was worry in Mingyu’s tone and you felt concern radiate from him. His heart was like an overflowing well, you were nervous he might start tearing up.

“Um- yeah… I was outside all day-” Your words trailed off as you sunk into the warmth of Mingyu’s hand, lethargy setting in.

Taking deep, calming breaths, you felt yourself drifting closer into unconsciousness. Your limbs tingled and if you weren’t careful, your knees would give out. 

“Sage? Are you sure you are okay?” The concern in Mingyu’s voice felt distant, nearly distorted. 

As you tried to speak next, no words came out and it was the final push to unconsciousness. You heard another shout of your name and a firm grip on your body before it all faded to black. 

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[sequinsmile-x]

Promises

They've been called away on a case just before Halloween, and Emily just hopes they get back home in time so she can see the costume her daughter has kept secret from her for weeks.

-x-

Hi friends,

Happy Halloween!

As promised here is your final Halloween themed fic from me this year. It is soft and sweet and will rot your teeth just like Halloween candy!!

I really hope you like this, please let me know what you think <3

-x-

Warnings: Pregnancy

Words: 2.6k

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily groans as she settles down on the seat next to her husband, her head thudding dully on the headrest. They were the first to the jet and were waiting for the others to arrive so Penelope could brief them all at once, a case in Montana pulling them all from their comfortable beds too early on a cold October morning. 

“You ok, sweetheart?” Aaron asks, looking up at her from his paperwork.

“Yeah,” she huffs out, sounding anything but as she crosses her arms over her chest, “It’s just if we don’t get this case solved in the next couple of days we’ll miss Halloween,” she says, smiling sadly as she looks up at him and shrugs, “It’s the first year Violet really understands it all. It sucks.” 

The four-year-old had been talking about Halloween for weeks. Excited about her costume that she refused to tell Emily anything about, claiming it was a surprise that she’d only let Aaron and Jessica in on. For once her husband stood strong in keeping this from her, something he’d not achieved when he proposed or in the lead-up to her ‘surprise’ birthday party just a few weeks ago. Whenever she tried to get it out of him, only half serious herself because she knew how important it was to her little girl that she was surprised on the day, he’d simply smile and kiss her cheek, whispering against her skin that she’d find out soon. 

He sighs sympathetically and wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer, “I know, baby,” he says, turning his head to kiss her temple, “Hopefully we’ll make it back in time and keep our promise, but Jess said she’d take plenty of photos if we don’t.”

Jessica was as much of an aunt to Violet as she was to Jack from the very start. She was totally bowled over by the little girl just as everyone who had ever met her was, and Violet loved her Aunt Jessie, a wide smile on her face whenever she found out she’d be spending time with her. It made Emily feel better, any guilt she felt about leaving her daughter when she went to work was slightly eased by the fact she was with someone who loved her and someone she loved in return. 

Emily hums as she leans into his side, “I know, it just…” she drifts off and blows out a breath.

“It sucks,” he finishes for her, repeating her earlier words, mirroring her smile when it breaks across her face. He leans in to kiss her, stamping his lips against hers before he pulls back to look at her and places his palm on her still flat belly, “How are you feeling?” 

She was only 10 weeks along, and the joy she’d felt when the pregnancy test came back positive hadn’t faded at all. They’d struggled to get pregnant this time around, something that had happened quickly with Violet taking time Emily was worried they didn’t have, the sound of her biological clock getting louder with every month that passed. When it finally happened, two bright pink lines staring up at her, she didn’t quite believe it and she’d cried so loudly Aaron had heard her through the closed bathroom door. 

No one else knew apart from the kids who they had only just told. At first, they’d wanted to keep it just between the two of them, but the morning sickness had come on quickly. Unrelenting as just about everything upset her stomach, forcing them to tell Jack and Violet they were going to have a sibling so they were no longer worried about her mother being sick all the time. Violet didn’t understand much beyond the fact she was having a brother or sister, something she was excited about, but Emily expected a lot of her excitement came from being part of the secret just between the four of them. 

She groans, “I feel like shit,” she grumbles, “I don’t remember it being this bad with Vi.” 

He hums, “Well, you are a few years-”

He’s cut off as she covers his mouth with her hand, her eyebrow raised as she looks at him, “If you call me old in any way you’re never having sex again.” 

Aaron clears his throat, stopping himself from saying that she’d never stick to that threat, that she always wanted him as much as he wanted her because he knows it’s not a good idea. Instead, he kisses her palm and then removes her hand from his face. 

“Would you like me to go make you some peppermint tea?” He asks, hiding a small smile as he kisses her knuckles, “I put the teabags you like in my go-bag.”

She smiles and hums, “You’re lucky you’re cute.” 

He kisses her before he stands up, shuffling past her as she puts her legs out in the aisle to give him room, not sure her stomach could handle standing up.

“Don’t call me cute,” he says as he disappears behind the curtain separating the main section of the jet from the kitchenette. 

Her retort is interrupted as Derek steps onto the jet, his face screwed up in mock disgust as he replies, “Please don’t call him cute,” he says, slumping into the seat opposite Emily, “Especially before I’ve had my coffee.” 

Emily chuckles, “I’d apologise, but we both know I wouldn’t mean it.” 

He shakes his head at her, “What did I interrupt anyway?” 

She presses her lips together to stop her smile from spreading, her hand on her stomach obscured by the table between them. She was excited to tell her friends, the people she considered her family, but she also still wanted to keep it a secret for a couple more weeks. She raises her eyebrow at him, and her eyes sparkle with mischief. 

“Are you sure you want to know?” She asks suggestively, laughing when he shivers and stands up, shaking his head at her.

“I don’t know why I asked,” he grumbles as he disappears behind the curtain too, leaving Emily alone for a moment.

She laughs to herself and rubs her belly again before letting her hand fall to her lap. Her phone vibrates in her pocket and she pulls it out, smiling when she sees she has a text message from Jessica. She opens it and feels a surge of love rush through her, chased by guilt that snaps at her heels. 

The message is a picture of Jack and Violet, their arms wrapped around each other, still wearing the fall-themed pjyamas she’d sent them to bed in the night before. Jessica had captioned the picture, making it the first of what Emily knew would be countless updates over the next couple of days until they made it home. 

Missing you already, Mommy! 

She blows out a breath as she types out a response and puts her phone down, desperate for the others to arrive, for the jet to leave. The sooner they left the sooner they’d get home, and the more likely they would be home in time for Halloween. 

___

They make it. 

It feels like nothing short of a miracle, a feeling more well-placed for Christmas than Halloween, when they walk through their front door just before when they are due to go trick-or-treating. Jack runs straight at them the moment they step into the house, the large pumpkin costume he’d insisted on not impeding him at all. 

“Mom, Dad, you’re home!” He says, running and attempting to throw his arms around Aaron, but is stopped by his inflatable costume. 

“Look at you, buddy,” Aaron says, ruffling his son’s hair, “You look amazing.”

“I want to wear it all the time!” He says enthusiastically, his eyes wide with excitement and Emily chuckles, cupping his chin and wiping some chocolate from his face. 

“We’ll see if you feel the same way when it comes to going to the bathroom, sweetie,” she says, smiling when she looks down to see his feet are still bare, “Or putting your shoes on, why don’t you go give it a go so we can head out soon?” 

Jack nods, already turning and running back towards the stairs, his arms balancing on his costume as he goes. 

“Call for us if you need any help,” Aaron yells after him, shaking his head lovingly when the only response he gets is a wave of Jack’s hand. He crosses Jessica on the stairs who smiles at them when she makes it to the ground floor. 

“I am so pleased you made it back in time,” she says, walking over and pulling them both into quick hugs, “Vi is almost ready,” she says as she pulls back, “She was insistent on putting the finishing touches together herself.”

Aaron wraps his arm around his wife and squeezes her hip, “She’s been stubborn since the day she was born,” he says, tugging Emily closer, a wry smile on his face as he does so, “Not sure where she gets it from.

“You.”

“You.”

Emily and Jessica reply in unison, both of them laughing as their eyes meet and Aaron sighs, trying to suppress his smile as he shakes his head. 

“I wonder if there’s a book on what to do when your ex-wife's sister and your wife become friends.”

Emily makes a fake sympathetic nose and reaches up to pat his cheek, “I doubt it, honey, maybe you could write it?” 

“I’m ready!” Violet calls from the top of the stairs, cutting off the conversation, and Emily can just about see her shoes from where she’s standing, a plain black pair of sneakers she usually only wore to pre-school. She steps forward, excited to see her daughter after a couple of days away.

“Hi sweet girl, I missed-”

“No Mommy you have to close your eyes,” she demands, not moving, her voice surprisingly stern for a four-year-old. Emily turns to look at her husband who shrugs, a knowing smile on her face that makes her want to kiss him and hit him in equal measure. She rolls her eyes before closing them, turning her body back to face the stairs. 

“Okay, my eyes are closed.” 

There’s a moment of silence before Violet responds, “Daddy?” 

Emily feels Aaron’s hand at her waist as he steps next to her, his hand once against squeezing her hip, “Her eyes are closed, princess.” 

“Only a kid that is half you would be such a stickler for the rules,” Emily mumbles just loud enough for him and Jessica to hear her, the other woman’s laughter drowned out by Violet’s loud footsteps on the hardwood stairs. 

Emily always wondered how someone so small could make so much noise. How such tiny feet, feet she’d once only felt from the inside, kicks that had once kept her up at night, could thunder against the ground like she was five times her size. It makes her stomach flip as she thinks about going through it all again, how much she already loved the baby she hadn’t met yet. Violet’s steps come to an end when she reaches the ground floor and the house briefly falls into silence. 

“Can I open my eyes yet?” She asks, and she feels Aaron hold her slightly tighter as their daughter replies.

“Open your eyes, Mommy!” 

The moment she does she understands why this has been kept secret from her for so long. Violet’s costume is made up of a pair of her own dark jeans, a red shirt and one of Emily’s blazers, so big it’s almost drowning her, the sleeves going way past her hands even though they are rolled up. Her usually unruly hair was straightened and styled with a middle part and tucked behind her ears to keep it out of her face. She has a small amount of make-up on, including slightly uneven lipstick, the part she assumes Violet insisted on doing herself. 

To top it all off, she’s wearing a homemade FBI badge with her picture on it, pinned to the lapel of Emily’s blazer. 

“I’m you, Mommy!” Violet says proudly, her smile wide, and Emily has to blow out a breath in a failed attempt to stop herself from crying. She tells herself it’s her pregnancy hormones but she knows it’s not true, that this would have reduced her to tears no matter what. 

She crouches down and opens up her arms, wrapping them tightly around her little girl as she throws herself at her, “You look so pretty, sweetheart,” she says as she pulls back to look at her, wiping her thumb under her lip to even out the lipstick. Violet frowns at her, an expression that is all Aaron.

“Of course I do, I’m you,” she replies, her voice so serious that Emily has to press her lips together to stop herself from laughing. 

“Mom, I need help with my shoes,” Jack calls from upstairs, making all three adults in the room exchange a knowing look. 

“I’m coming, honey,” Emily replies, picking up Violet and settling her on her hip as she goes, “Come on Agent Hotchner, let’s go help your brother put on his shoes.” 

Aaron smiles as he watches his girls go up the stairs and he makes a mental note to take as many photos of them together as he can, well aware that this is a memory Emily will love to look back on with fondness, no matter how embarrassed Violet might be by the time she’s a teenager. He looks over at Jessica and his smile fades when he sees how she is looking at him, a glint to her smile that had only meant trouble for him since back when she was just his girlfriend’s annoying 12-year-old sister. 

“What?” He asks, narrowing his eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest. 

“We had some…interesting moments when it came to Vi’s costume.” 

He frowns, his hands on his hips as he tries to read her, “What do you mean interesting?” 

“Well,” she says, stepping closer, her smile only getting wider, “I had to talk her down from shoving a cushion from the couch up her shirt.” 

Aaron’s eyes go wide, and he sees the excitement and joy peeking out from beneath Jessica’s teasing, her smile only getting bigger as he realises what’s happened. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” she says, nodding, “Apparently her Mommy has a baby in her belly and Vi knows that means she’s going to get fat just like her friend from school’s mom did when she had her little brother,” she shrugs nonchalantly, “She wanted her costume to be accurate.”

He shakes his head and chuckles, “She kept the Emily costume secret for weeks, but this she spills in a matter of days.” 

Jessica finally breaks and she laughs as she pulls him into a hug, “She’s excited to be a big sister,” she says as he hugs her back, squeezing him once more before she steps back, “Congratulations, Aaron. I’m happy for you. Haley would be too.” 

He smiles, the mention of his ex-wife now something that only brought up good memories, not the traumatic ones it had done for years, “Thank you.” 

Jessica smiles at him, “You kept your promise.” 

He looks up the stairs as he hears Jack’s bedroom door open and smiles as his family start to walk down the stairs, the kids in their costumes and Emily still in her work clothes, listening intently as Jack talks to her about his day. He clears his throat as he looks back at Jessica, unsurprised to see the same tears he was failing to push back shining in her eyes too.

“Yeah,” he replies, nodding as he looks at his family, “I did.” 

-x-

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[anonymouschishiyaimaginesandmore]

[Scrubs_MD]

Minors, do not read! Contains mentions of smutty behavior!

MASTERLIST (up-to-date)

This is Part 2 !!HERE!! is Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Borderland/Imawa no Kuni no Alice characters or original stories, only the plot of this fanfic. Alice in Borderland/Imawa no Kuni no Alice characters and original storyline belong to Haro Aso, who made the Manga the Series is based on.

Trigger Warning: Explicit Smut Summery: Chishiya x female OC that I gave a Name for this Story

It surprised him how aroused he has gotten at this point. His cock no longer limp, was pressing uncomfortably against his legwear and Chishiya, who hated to miss a second of the screens displayed performance, set it aside just for a moment, hurrying to pull his pants down low enough to free his cramped member.

A relieved sigh escaped him as both his pants and his boxers were pulled down to his ankles and his cock jumped up, hitting his covered abdomen, and instantly staining the light blue fabric with droplets of pre-cum. He didn’t care. It was just a shirt. He had plenty more and unlike this inviting sight, he could buy another one if he wanted.

His butt set down on the cushioned seat, getting comfortable again and licking his lips as his hands grabbed the tablet excited. Lorelay was still playing with her toy buried deep between her legs and Chishiya? He relaxed at the realization that he hasn’t missed something important as the reveal of a nipple or behold, the now surely soaking cunt.

The girl moaned constantly like a dog in heat, only interrupted, when the purple toy left her most sacred place to draw circles around her navel again, whining to the self-inducted loss of pleasure and Chishiya became aware of how ragged his breathing has gotten. He tried to stable it, to force his heart into a healthy normal rhythm, slightly angered that this girl could get him so riled up, without even giving him what he asked for, but his mind was forced away from its tries every time another angelic moan fueled his want.

As a doctor in making, naked people were nothing new to Chishiya and fazed him in no way. All just skin and bones on a stick and they all came and went daily thru the welcoming doors of the hospital, while he stayed there and waited for the next one to undress. So of course, examining a female patient gave him no more dirty thoughts than changing a tire. Still.

When he watched girls undressing, just for him, wiggling their assess and excepting money he didn’t work for, with open hands and greedy mouths, he couldn’t help but get turned on. Having the power to give them what he had in a bunch, while they followed every one of his requests like the good little puppets they are, was something he enjoyed way too much for a vigorous man his age.

Nevertheless, his sadistic side was running in loops every time he discovered someone new to toy with. Sadly, as soon as he pushed them to the limit, where they audibly would do anything for him, he lost all interest in whatever they could give.

Chishiya knew he acted like a little boy, only wanting to play with toys he doesn’t possess and not with the ones that threw themselves eagerly every day at his existence, but that was just how he was. Getting bored as soon as he had what he craved, throwing away said toy and looking bright-eyed for the next and newest one. That’s what all man did, adult or teenager. Man, all over the world wanted to have what they couldn’t reach with their grabby hands, only to bare it no thought nor eyes as soon as it was theirs. Wanting what others had and jealous of all the things woman deprived them off. So human. So needy.

So him.

The same way Lorelay deprived him, by starving his need to see what she wouldn’t show fast enough. It awakened his desire to have her. To bend her until she broke in his hands, giving him everything he asked for and more. It was so carnal. So definitely animalistic, that Chishiya, who usually had his body in good control, grabbed his leaking length, stroking it up and down, while panting to the sound of her moans losing himself slowly but steady to this girl that had no intention to become his.

Long fingers wrapped slightly too tight around his cock, vigorously provoking grunts from his chest. He wasn’t close, yet, but if this damn girl wouldn’t pick up her pace, Chishiya, the normally so patient man, would fail himself to her and cum long before her panties even left her body’s secure state.

Only having one hand to type, Chishiya made quick work to send another offer, 4 times as high as the first one and Asa, turning on her stomach, looked at the screen and smiled as the notification chimed up, batting her long eyebrows dashingly.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Not yet big boy, but I could show you something else if you want.”

The straps of her bra fell to the side, leaving behind the smooth line from her throat to her shoulder blade for everyone to admire and tracing said place with almost no touch at all.

Thirsty Lorelay: “What do you say?”

Chishiya suspected to know what she asked for and for a moment he scoffed less amused, knowing damn well her breasts were nowhere near worth the among he offered before on her disappearing panties, but right now he would do anything to get a glance, even if it wasn’t the slid between her legs, that he wished to see. Fuck it, she got him hooked and if she wouldn’t be a cam girl somewhere in this city, that he will probably never meet, like ever, he would deny her what she asked of him, for the simple view of bare chest, that he has seen alike at least a thousand times at work.

But here he was, in the safety of his home, with no one who could see and witness him losing his cool, like some idiot panting creepy over two simple tits, google could show him for free.

Amused at her boldness, Chishiya typed another offer and Asa accepted it with delight, biting her lower lip and flashing him one hell of a daring smile. The edges of her lips twitched pleased with herself, as she caged the working vibrator with her thighs, set up again on her knees and down fell the unwanted piece of annoying lingerie to reveal the two faintly heavy pieces of fat tissue.

Chishiya gasped unwanted. His thumb had creeped up to the tip of his cock, caressing it and slightly dipped into the breach, just as the first nipple made its debut. Beads of white milky pre-cum ran down his fist and then landed on the leather fabric of his seat, staining it forever, but Chishiya still didn’t care about anything else, then show he was getting and so his hand kept stroking and forcing more impatient sticky liquid to appear.

His eyes focused and unfocused rapidly, while starring at the vision he bought with his father’s money. Young and firm breasts literally caught his eye and told him never to close again, out of fear he might miss even a millisecond of what they so willingly promised him to feel like. In his head, the fantasy of running his long surgical fingers over the soft skin, played on repeat. How plum the curves would feel. How strong they would stand against his palm’s pressure on them. How they would bend and mold into his touch as he kneaded them. Fucking heavenly, but so far away.

His appetite was rising instead of lowering down, driven up by the new sight. Mouth watered so much he had to constantly swallow, or his pride would take a great damper, if he started to drool like some low-life weirdo. He felt so gluttoned and on the edge but shit, it was a wonderful feeling so he kept up his pace, hoping the girl would soon drop her tormenting antics and show him what he craved.

Thirsty Lorelay: “What is it, Scrubs? Did the cat steal your tongue?”

Chishiya instead bit said tongue, to stop himself from unnecessarily barking at his screen, making a fool of himself. He didn’t answer her. Wrote no message, that could let her know how much he yearned for her. No, he wasn’t ready to drop more of his coolness and smothering his pride with his own behavior.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Don’t tell me I have no effect on you?”

The purple working toy left her aching pussy, vibrating all over the place and Asa traced it back up to her mouth, making a show, to swallow the whole thing down to its base, like the most tasteful meal of her life, moaning muffled sounds, before pulling it out again with a small pop at the end. The sight reminded him heavily of his young teens, where his teacher showed how to place a condom on a penis, by demonstration it on some random banana and encouraging his pupils to do the same.

Chishiya remembered how he imagined, just for a mindless moment, how his own dick would feel like, caged by the small piece of lubricated latex and all that by the hands of one of his female classmates, licking her lips at the sight of his heavy cock between her fingers. For a moment he lost his cool. For a moment he wasn’t his father’s son anymore. For a moment he was nothing beside a horny teenager, just like everyone else. But this moment passed, like every other did, only to now make a strong comeback at the promising view of how much Thirsty Lorelay could swallow, if she wanted to.

While Chishiya was captured by his own keen mind, the chat went wild, busting with comments to her actions, telling her to please do it again and asking if she could also take in bigger ones. Their bigger ones. Pfft, as if they even had one. That started a whole new race, of horny guys writing down their size, to impress a girl that probably very much knew, all of those numbers were nothing but nasty lies.

Chishiya chuckled entertained. He was in no way like those greedy monkeys, that probably got off on the sweet girls face alone. However, it did make him feel better, to know that he wasn’t the only one struggling to keep himself uphold, when he wanted nothing more, then his aching dick to disappear in her weeping hole.

His hips bucked more and more against his hand and his chair had never felt so unpleasant and caging. Chishiya got up and hurried his bed, with only one thought in his mind. His knees dug deep into the mattress and the slatted frame slightly creek, as he leaned forward, grabbing one of his pillows and beginning to hump it furiously like a mad man.

His cock further stained material he didn’t paid for, nor cared about in the slightest way. After today, Chishiya would probably throw the whole thing out, but for right now, he could do nothing else, then keeping his body up with one hand on the bed, so he wouldn’t fall over, impaling himself, while his hips rapidly fucked the bolster, and his left hand gripped the tabled with no intentions to ever let it go.

His grunts became louder, and his face dripped with sweat as he watched Lorelay fumble with her chest. Kneading the soft flesh and rubbing the small bud in the middle between two fingers, while pinching it from time to time, giving herself some extra euphoric moments.

Her own desire to cum was raising too, but Asa had learned how to keep herself in check, so her viewers could and would enjoy her to their fullest, even if she overstimulated some parts with her vivid tries. Her folds long soaked the fabric that separated her privet area from the stimulating machine in her hand and as Asa’s hand went down anew, pressing excessively hard against her own clit, her body jolted upwards, yelping from the sudden pressure and panting hard, with widened eyes, as if she hasn’t done this all to herself.

“So good” she whispered as sultry as human possible, winking at the camera, tired and panting and watching the chat go crazy again, thanking and asking for more and there she was, having all the power and trashing around on her own bad, while those guys probably fucked their own hands, wishing for nothing more than them to be hers. Or her mouth. Or…

Thirsty Lorelay: “Are you ready boys?”

It was enough teasing, Asa though, deciding to show the typing mass what they all hoped so much to see. She laid down on her back again, with her pelvis facing the camera. Her legs, angled left and right and opposite of everyone’s attention, giving her fans no view of what she denied them all the time, due to crossed legs right in front of the electronic device.

Thirsty Lorelay: “You have been so good to me, let me show you what you all have been waiting for.”

Then, she opened said legs slowly, giving the chat the needed time to adjust, before raising her both limbs upwards in the air, hooking her thumbs into the hem of her underwear and pulling the clothing off of herself.

At first, she freed her hips from the unwanted hug of the panties, then came the alluring fat of her butt cheeks, exposing themselves excruciating and deliberately lazy. A gasp escaped her lips, as the damp part of her panties carefully raised off and chill air hit her puffy folds, sending shivers down her spine and making her hole clench around nothing.

Thirsty Lorelay: “What do you say? Am I giving you a good view for your money?”

As the overflowing part of her came in sight, Chishiya hips stilled for a moment. That’s how much in awe he was for finally seeing what he waited for. It was all there. Glistening lips, the pinkish abused bud, right above the gap he would love to fill up right now. He imagined how tight she would feel. How her walls would clench around him, hugging him tightly and unwilling to ever let go and shit he wouldn’t want to either.

Instead, Chishiya would love to stay in there and have his way with this starved pussy. She would love it too, he told himself, picking his rutting behavior against the pillow back up. She would love him inside of her and would surely beg him to never pull out again.

But he would. He would do it just to tease her the way she teased him. To see her fruitless tries of getting him back inside. Her wiggling spine, that trashed around just like her body did before and hearing her thirsty whines, asking him again and again why he was so mean.

She would love it and he would love it more and that was all he could think about, as she pressed the vibrators tip against her clit, jerking up with his trusts consistently.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Mhmmm...s’much…so good. Been waiting to show you guys how good you make me.”

[BabyMaker53]: And you make us feel good too baby

[ProneBoner]: Such a nice pussy

[RideMyFace]: Been waiting all day to see this

[NaughtyBoy_123]: Fuck I wish I was there

[Masturbator666]: I could make you come in seconds

[BigBratThatLovesItHard]: I’m so fucking horny right now

[SelflessLover69]: Shit my dick wants this pussy so much right now

[AnnonymousGuest]: Notice me princess I will give you dick all day long

But Asa didn’t notice anyone. Her screen was too far away, and her mind clouded with the approaching high.

Thirsty Lorelay: “M’feel like I’m gonna cum soon boys” she said moaning and tensing her butt cheeks while her small cunt clenched angrily “Wanna cum with me? Wanna make me real happy boys?”

The chat did want to make her happy. Writing novels of how close they also were and Chishiya would too, if he wasn’t too prideful to confess how good she made him feel, while literally being somewhere else. She could be in another galaxy and not in the same district. Thats how far away he felt from her, craving hungry for the smallest part of her flesh and to pound her as feverishly as he did his pillow.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Make me proud”

Asa’s hips raised high exposing her whole ass to the camera as she came hard with strangers watching her every twitch. Her hips didn’t stop jerking up, jumping up and down in front of everyone, until she felt her orgasm fading.

Surprisingly, at least for Chishiya, he did come with her. His own body fluid left his scrunching balls, squirting in more and more rounds, until his guts pumped themselves empty with nothing more to give. His eyes starred intensely over her exposed pussy until he saw her own liquid run down those already drunk folds and fuck, he loved the view.

His fingers moved fast to make a screenshot of what was shown to him, even tho he still panted hard with a half empty brain and a dying erection smooched into his once comfy pillow. His mind told him to let go, but his body was still writhing and so he stayed there and watched how Lorelay set up slowly then pressed her lower body against the lying length of the vibrator on her sheets, rocking back and forth and likely overstimulating herself.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Did everyone cum?”

She asked with a husky voice, vocal cords have turned rough after all her moans and cries, but that didn’t stop her from speaking to her loyal fans that all so craved her attention, like she craved their money.

Thirsty Lorelay: “You know my number one rule”

A long whine escaped, as her swollen clit grazed the vibrating toy.

Thirsty Lorelay: “No one is left behind”

Hips guttered back and forth, making two delicious tits jump up and down with joy. The increasing vulgar comments took no end at piling up in the chat, but Asa was too busy to register that, her mind set to not rise off the vibrating mass between her legs, bouncing harder on it as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Fan after fan thanked her for cumming, but mostly for not stopping. It made Chishiya realize why this girl was so beloved by each and every single one of her followers. No matter how hard she just came, or how long it took her to get there. Lorelay had no intention to stop the show until even the last of her loyal watchers has beaten his meat into euphoria.

The alarming rate at which her chest rose and fell, pressing out one pornographic moan after the other, was sign enough to let Chishiya know, the girl on the screen was approaching her second relief in a short time. Lorelay was ruthless to her own body when it came to satisfying her dear fans and Chishiya watched with lustful eyes how she humiliated that juicy cunt, while running her hands up and down her body.

The last ‘Wait for me’ turned into a sweet ‘Thank you’ and Asa allowed herself to succumb into pleasure and let herself go anew. As her body finally stopped, unable to hold itself upwards, the girl collapsed to the side, giving another wonderful view of her body bathed in her own saucy sweat.

Her lungs were heavily expanding against ribs, all while Asa tried her best to come down from the last high of the day. Her heart finally calmed, and she turned to face the camara lens smiling tired and spend.

Thirsty Lorelay: “I hope” she started, stopping to take a few more breaths before going on “You guys had a good time. I feel fantastic and for that I have to thank each one of you. You were so nice to me, I’m so spoiled thanks to you” she winked, a drained smile on her face making kiss sounds and waving everyone goodbye.

One after the other left the Chat and Chishiya also fell down on his bed. His back laid on decadently soft sheets, hugging him from each side while the tablet fell somewhere slightly out of reach but still on the bed.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Scrubs, you still there?”

Chishiya heard a voice calling out to his username. His face turned to the side and looked over at the tablet, scrunching and unwanted to move.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Don’t tell me you still don’t have enough?” a soft chuckle escaped the girl’s mouth and Asa shook slightly her head, not knowing who the guy on the other screen was “Once greedy, forever greedy I guess”

Chishiya tapped on the screen. The Chat had emptied completely, and he was the only one left. He thought about ending the stream and go for a shower, but before his finger reached the tiny red X in the right corner, his new favorite performer reached out to him again.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Hey Scrubs, I hope you enjoyed my little show today. I have seen that you are a new watcher and so I decided to personally say thank you for coming. Hopefully in both ways.”

Chishiya raised an eyebrow at the terrible joke, but he listened on, letting her end her little speech and see what would come out of it.

Thirsty Lorelay: “I hope you had a good time and liked what you saw. A lot. If that’s the case, you are whole heartly invited to come back when the next one starts.”

Oh, he will come back for sure. The blond man decided this as soon as his pants dropped to his ankles in lightning speed.

Thirsty Lorelay: “I usually make shows on the weekend but you if you are interested into some private ones, you can always hit me up during the week and ask for one. My prices are in the description with my available schedule and I’m sure we will have a good time if you decide to come and say hi yourself.”

A private chat? Chishiya stroked his non-existent beard. That sounded promising and the blond couldn’t wait to book a day just for himself. His dick was already twitching at the thought of having the streamer all to himself.

Thirsty Lorelay: “If you do, please think about sending me some uplifting advice on what you prefer I wear. After all, I want to make sure I greet you the right way.”

Some piquant ideas instantly came to his mind. Some however would need preparation beforehand and probably one or two thingsshe didn't have. He would need to look up her profile and find out if she was willing to buy the stuff herself, or if he had to find a way to deliver it to her. After all, for a good time, Chishiya was willing to spend a lot of money, if the cam girl he watched was gifted enough and fucking shit, Thirsty Lorelay was gifted in so many ways, he would buy himself a lifetime of her attention, just to feel as good as he felt moments ago.

Thirsty Lorelay: “In case you feel extra needy, you can hit me up and ask for new stuff. I am always eager to try out new things, maybe even situations. I am sure we will come to some agreement no matter what.”

Just a question of price. Chishiya knew the requirements girls like her tend to ask, but he didn’t feel averse. Rather the opposite. His desire to find out how far she would go for some of his cash was right back and his voyeuristic side already couldn’t wait for the next show.

Thirsty Lorelay: “Anyway. Thank you for joining and hopefully we will see eachother again. Maybe even outside the chat? Who knows. See ya, Scrubs. Have a wonderful spend night. Mwahh.”

The girl threw him another kiss smiling and then ending the chat.

A small dialog window opened up immediately and asked him to rate how much he enjoyed the skilled girls show and Chishiya grinned, content with himself as he pressed the 5-star button and the site thank him for his time.

No, he thought, setting the tablet aside, thank you.

[windwheeler-aster]

office party

summary: even though it’s been a year since the break up, you’re still tense around your boss and former lover, yae miko. however, after a recent break up and attending the office’s yearly holiday party, you realize that yae’s feelings for you haven’t changed.

masterlist | advent calendar

pairing: yae miko x reader

reader info: uses gender neutral pronouns (they/them), yae miko and reader used to date, reader just got out of a relationship, and reader is not traveler

word count: 430 words (1 min and 30 seconds~)

genre: romance, hurt/comfort, exes to more

format: headcanons and blurbs

warnings: CEO!yae miko x employee!reader and exes getting back together

a/n: i feel awful that this is so shitty😭 but i hope that everyone had a wonderful time with this genshin advent calendar and found a piece in it that you really enjoyed 💖stay safe and hope you enjoy this 💖

You stumbled through the bustling crowd of people, all merry and full of holiday spirit. Although, the office space is clearly not enough for the amount of people invited. Did everyone bring a plus one? You thought to yourself as you slipped into a small conference room, which had been exempt from the holiday decorating.

You looked back at all the people and sighed, leaning on the table for support. “Why did I even come to this stupid party?”

“Oh, it’s not that stupid, sweetheart,” a familiar, sultry voice called from the dark.

You jumped as you saw the C.E.O. of the company emerge, her pink hair flowing behind her. The smell of her perfume— lavender and something else, if you recalled— overwhelmed your nose immediately. And her beautiful purple eyes would not stop boring into your soul, even as you turned your attention to the floor.

“Aw. What’s the matter?” Her hand slipped under your chin, lifting your gaze to hers. “Cat got your tongue? Or, rather, fox—”

You swatted her hands away, the sound of the slap echoing slightly in the empty conference room. “Don’t, Yae.”

“Oh, I’m just teasing, darling,” Yae reached out, but hesitated. “Sorry. Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

You furrowed your brow. “We broke up a year ago. That is plenty of time to—”

“Has it really been a year?” she rubbed her forehead. “It feels just like yesterday, to me.”

“Has CEO life really been keeping you that busy?”

Yae nodded. “With you by my side, my work felt more important.”

“Well, all good things must come to an end,” you murmured, watching as one of your coworkers helped Jared to the washrooms, too drunk to find his way on his own.

“Is that why you broke up with me at the party last year?”

You nearly snapped your neck when you looked back at her. “Yae, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” she said, sadly. “A relationship between an employee and their boss wouldn’t have worked out in the end, anyway.”

“Well,” you began, gently sliding your hand over to Yae’s, “Maybe not. We had managed to keep it under wraps for a year… not even Stacy heard about it.”

Yae perked up, now curious. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that… maybe we could try again at ‘us’?” you tentatively put out, the heat rising in your cheeks. “If you’d like to, that—”

Yae’s hand came on top of yours and she smiled cheekily, the apples of her cheeks almost wrinkling her eyes. “I’d like another try at ‘us’, too.”

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[butterflydm]

wot reread: the gathering storm (chapters 17-25)

spoilers for the gathering storm

1. I continue not to care about the Semirhage interrogation. Anyway, physical force, bullying, and shaming ‘breaks’ Semirhage enough for questioning. Or at least Cadsuane believes that enough that she walks away at this point and leaves the actual questioning to other people. Sadly, no Merise-Narishma update.

2. lol, Perrin thinks about how he needs to overcome his single-mindedness. NOW. AFTER he has already abandoned everything, including his morals, to spend weeks chasing after Faile. Closing the barn door after the cow is already dead, essentially. Also, he doesn’t think about Masema a single time. He doesn’t spare a thought to the women he condemned to slavery either.

3. I do like Grady. He spent time with the damane during CoT/KoD, trying to talk to them about freedom. It didn’t work (he didn’t have any support) but I appreciate him trying.

4. The Aes Sedai in Salidar find out that Elaida’s Aes Sedai now have Traveling, and their tactical advantage is gone. Siuan hopes that Egwene will let them rescue her soon, because they need her.

5. *resigned sigh*. Oh, a PoV from little miss slaver. Points of interest:

still refuses to use Mat’s preferred name, even in her thoughts

constantly surrounded by slaves at every point in this chapter

spends much of the chapter mentally masturbating over how wonderful she is and how important she is to her slaves and the world

honestly, best of luck to the person who becomes Empress/Emperor Over The Sea in Seanchan proper. Rooting for you!

lol she made her Voice and personal slave/bodyguard since childhood her Truthspeaker. yeah, no conflict of interest there, lol.

is on the verge of agreeing to a slave raid on the White Tower when she gets the message that the Dragon Reborn wants to meet with her

The main difference, at least so far, between Jordan’s Tuon and Sanderson’s Tuon, is that Sanderon’s Tuon does at least seem mildly affectionate when thinking about Mat, like you might be towards a stray cat that you see every couple of months and leave food out for, maybe; and the other difference is that Sanderon’s Tuon isn’t particularly bratty, the way that CoT/KoD Tuon is (but Tuon wasn’t bratty in WH, so the difference here may be Sanderson showing that Tuon’s ~public face~ is on, so she can’t throw pottery and otherwise be childish, because she’s actually around people who matter now -- others of the Blood -- and not just around slaves and outsiders, where she cares less about looking like a child -- obsessing over how much she looked like a child was a big thing for Tuon in WH).

The thing with Tuon just in general, though is... I find her so deeply unpleasant to read about and, even worse, she makes characters that I previously liked a lot unpleasant too. Her being an invader and a slaver is an in-world reason why the other characters should dislike her, but the out-of-world reason why I dislike spending time with her is that I find her the opposite of enjoyable. She is incredibly unfun for me, and made Mat unfun too. Plenty of evil characters are fun and engaging to read but... Tuon is not one of those for me.

6. Tuon chapter followed by a Mat chapter. Will this be another chapter of resigned sighs? I do have a New Alternate Seanchan Theory: okay, my heart is definitely in the “Jordan radically changed his mind about how to handle the Seanchan between Winter’s Heart and Crossroads of Twilight because he’d thought up the outriggers” theory, but I have a new one based on Origins of the Wheel of Time!

Here’s the new theory -- the pod!Mat that was forced upon me in CoT/KoD has characterization that was based on the (edited out of the final draft) Fourth Friend Dannil Aybara, who would be “important around book 5″. This was originally going to be the second-to-last book of a six-book series and thus likely would have been when the Seanchan took a more central-ish role like they did in Winter’s Heart. Mat’s character changes so much in Crossroads of Twilight that it really does feel like Jordan just pasted another character on top of him, so I wonder if Dannil was originally going to be the “Prince of Ravens” (or potentially the “Prince of Hawks”, which would make more sense as a Seanchan symbol of royalty) and Jordan ended up merging him into Mat’s character (who was potentially originally going to get his battle knowledge from his Old Blood memories of Aemon & Manetheren rather than from the snakes & foxes). This would explain why Mat literally has Too Much Plot for a single character, leaving large Mat-shaped holes in various plotlines. Dannil was apparently a character who didn’t speak much and was generally very passive in the test manuscript for EotW (which was the whole reason that Harriet said he needed to be edited out), which really fits with how Mat behaves around Tuon in CoT & KoD. Anyway, that’s my new theory!

7. So, Ebou Dar sometimes turns men into raging sexists who despise women. The first “on page” character that Nynaeve noted in shock was actually a “man who hates women” (rather than just Jordan’s own “Men and Women are Two Separate Species Who Cannot Understand Each Other” thing) is noted as being from Ebou Dar (TFoH, I believe). Mat spends several books in Ebou Dar and turns into a raging sexist himself, and spends three pages here on what is essentially a misogynist screed about how all women are in a conspiracy against him (I have the paperback version, so it’s three pages). Ebou Dar is a place where it is culturally acceptable for men to be harassed and abused, so this is... maybe is actually something that seems like it could be a trauma response from having lived there and suffered through the culturally acceptable abuse, yes? That being said, still very unpleasant to read! So far, Mat continues to be as much of a miserable PoV as he was in CoT & KoD.

I do want to talk for a moment about how sad I am that Jordan took Mat from a man who seemed to genuinely enjoy the company of women, even if he was exasperated with individual women at times, to a man who viewed the idea of being friends with a woman as a strange and foreign concept, and then to a man who genuinely seems to dislike women and resent that he's attracted to them. And even though this speech was likely written by Sanderson, it still feels like the culmination of the build-up that JORDAN gave us in the previous books, where Mat was getting progressively more and more sexist with each book. And it's just... really sad.

I will... keep an eye on how things progress from here.

8. Mat wants to leave Altara. I ALSO wish he would leave Altara and never come back. Mat and Tuon’s sham of a relationship still makes my eyes roll real hard, so we’ve, uh, got that going for us.

9. I absolutely think less of Talmanes and everyone else in the Band for not caring that Tuon is a slaver, by the way. Reassuring Mat that his marriage won’t make him ~soft~ but not caring at all that Mat married someone who tortures people to relax is certainly A Choice. One of the things I’m going to keep an eye out for is if literally ANYONE points out to Mat “Hey, you married a SLAVER” instead of just going “lol Mat is married now” and treating Tuon being a slaver as if it were of neutral moral value (which was the thing that I hated so much about Mat’s behavior around her in Knife of Dreams, especially). And there's no way that they DON'T know that she's a slaver, given that she was picked up by a Seanchan 'rescue party' that included sul'dam and damane.

10. At least Olver seems to care about things other than women’s breasts in this book. He’s interested in the problem of sneaking into the Tower of Ghenjei now.

11. Mat is annoyed that Joline, Edesina, and Tesyln aren’t still grateful to him for saving their lives back in Ebou Dar. Dude, you’ve been a complete asshole to them for two straight books, including protecting and marrying the woman who attempted to (re)enslave them. They don’t owe you SHIT at this point. You’re lucky Joline’s Warders haven’t killed you.

12. It is... sad to me how emotionally disconnected I am from Mat at this point (after having gone through rereading CoT & KoD Mat). I just... don’t care about this version of him at all. Mat was SUCH a favorite character for me for BOOKS. And now I basically roll my eyes at his PoV chapters and feel similiarly towards him as I do Perrin. It’s a shame. On the plus side, he DID care about slavery very strongly back in Winter’s Heart, so I don’t think this apathy will affect my feelings about earlier versions of Mat. It’s just pod!Mat that I don’t care for.

...Mat does seem to have some pangs of conscience here over being such an asshole to the Aes Sedai but then he keeps, you know, doing it. So. *shrugs* We'll see where it goes.

13. Okay, Mat’s current plan is to head for Caemlyn, and then after that to go help Thom save Moiraine. But first, we have Hinderstap. I feel vaguely like this is not actually a side quest but wow it gives me such strong side quest vibes.

14. Perrin is finally actually doing Wolf stuff again (the wolf dream). He’s so out of practice that he barely even knows what he’s doing anymore. Hopper is aware that the Last Battle (the Last Hunt) is coming and wants Perrin to be prepared. He’s gonna need a LOT of prep. You have your work cut out for you, Hopper. In fact, Perrin is being so bull-headed and stubborn that Hopper just yeets him out of the dream in frustration. lol, good for you, Hopper.

15. “She had spent less than two months captive, but it had seemed like years.” Cheers to that, Faile. It felt like a fucking eternity. The plotline that refused to end. Faile thinking of Rand as “Rand” here feels fake, lol. She always liked to keep an emotional distance from him. But Faile really did ‘grow up’ over the course of the series (she was so rash way back in TDR/TSR era), while it felt like Perrin regressed. Hopper is treating him like an unruly pup for a reason!

16. lol, they’re a week out of Malden (10 days in a week in WoT) and Perrin finally thinks to wonder where Masema might have disappeared to. Anyway, Faile does not admit to killing him, instead just saying, “oh yeah probs wandered off idk”. 

17. I have to admit, I feel kinda sad that Faile believes that being ‘loyal but free of oaths' is “a contradiction that only Aiel can pull off”. Lots of people are loyal without oaths being involved, Faile. It’s called friendship.

18. Perrin finally comes to terms with knowing: a. the Last Battle is coming and it’s his responsibility to actually present and b. Faile WILL BE in danger and he has to actually accept that because the entire world is in danger. Anyway, this is Sanderson basically taking Perrin and hitting a reset to before he wandered off on his Shaido side quest, because before Perrin lost all his perspective, he actually DID understand how important the Last Battle and being there with Rand was (he was the one lecturing Mat about it in TSR). And then he went on a five-book side quest where he forgot all that.

19. Shaidar Haran frees Semirhage to give her “one last chance” to prove herself to the Dark One. Elza is waiting for her, telling her that there is Compulsion in her mind (which we know was placed by Verin) that needs to be removed, and Elza also has the Dominion Bands/black a’dam for Semirhage to use on Rand. So Cadsuane, who was in charge of both Semirhage’s interrogation and keeping the a’dam secure, failed on both counts. Elza is also one of the people that Min told Rand would “serve him in her own way”, so that’s two separate viewings of Min’s that have brought harm to Rand in this one scene, because he trusted Min and followed her advice -- keeping Cadsuane as her advisor on her advice, and trusting Elza in his presence on her advice.

Min’s Actively Harmful Viewings/Interpretations count:

her viewing that “Aes Sedai will hurt you” leads to Rand fleeing Caemlyn (away from Aes Sedai who had zero malicious intent towards him) and going to Cairhien (straight into the arms of the Aes Sedai who hurt him)

telling him that he needs to keep Cadsuane around leads to Semirhage being able to use the Bands of Dominion on him, as well as allowing her general bullying behavior

telling him that Elza will serve him leads to Elza being able to help Semirhage use the Bands of Dominion on him

she tells him that Logain has an ‘aura of glory’ and attempts to poison his view of Logain by saying that she worries it means Logain will try to usurp Rand as the Dragon Reborn (Rand dismisses this when she brings it up -- good for him! but it may have contributed to him treating Logain with more suspicion than he would have otherwise).

Min would have been SO much better if she was only in the role of Rand’s Seer Who (Accidentally) Leads Him Astray rather than double-dipping as his girlfriend imo.

20. Rand gets Ituralde and Bashere settled along the border of the Blight with their soldiers (which is advancing relatively quickly). Narishma is here with him, but it doesn’t sound like Merise came along. Rand thinks here “there were no games with Min” and I genuinely laughed out loud. She spent an entire half a book playing “friends who kiss” with him in order to manipulate him into a relationship (she admits this in her OWN THOUGHTS). It is... fascinating, I guess, that it seems like a lot of readers (maybe including Sanderson?) believe Rand’s guesses about Min as non-manipulative over Min actually admitting in her own narration that she deliberately manipulated Rand into a relationship.

23. Lews Therin tells Rand that ~Min is right~ about breaking the seals. It was YOUR IDEA, Lews Therin! You had this idea books ago!

24. lol, the contradiction of Min’s existence in Rand’s life continues. “he needed to be alone. Relying on anyone would risk being weak when he reached Shayol Ghul”. You are literally snuggling your girlfriend EVERY NIGHT. Does she not count as a person?

Would spending the night with Aviendha make you feel ‘not alone’ in a way that spending the night with Min doesn’t? This is one of the big thing that I mean when I say that Min feels more like a plot device than a character. Because Rand says he needs to ‘be alone’ to be strong and then models this behavior with EVERYONE that he cares about (he thinks about how he needs to avoid his father to avoid emotional weakness in this section) except for Min, who doesn’t count as someone who makes him feel ‘not alone’, like she’s a figment of his imagination rather than another character in the world.

Everything about this would make so much more sense if Rand and Min were "Prophecy Child and his Seer egging him on" instead lovers. If Rand were in a lonely bed every night, then him thinking about how important it is that he's alone would make... some modicum of sense. If Min were Rand's Seer but not his lover, then it would be heartbreaking that Rand and Aviendha are so close but staying apart because they both believe for their own personal reasons that they Need To Be Alone. But because Rand is snuggling his personal human plushie every night, it just comes across as vaguely ridiculous when he talks about how him being alone is what makes him hard enough to make it to Shayol Ghul. Like... that's a hard comedy crosscut -- imagine Rand saying out loud, all brooding, "I must be alone. Relying on anyone risks me being weak when I go to my death," and then we SMASH CUT to him cuddling his girlfriend in bed that night. That's laugh track territory!

25. I feel like we’re supposed to feel like Rand is being ~paranoid~ about Min’s closeness to Cadsuane (especially because he immediately chastises himself for it, reminding himself that Min ~doesn’t play games~ lol) but... he’s right. She actually HAS gone behind his back and told his secrets to Cadsuane -- she spilled about both his Aes Sedai-related trauma and also told Cadsuane about being bonded to Rand. His paranoia is absolutely on point here, though he talks himself out of it. She HAS shown more trust in Cadsuane than she has in Rand. This is the same sort of issue that I ran into in Winter’s Heart, where Jordan seemed like he was clearly trying to frame Rand’s worries about Nynaeve as keeping secrets from him as “saidin-induced paranoia”... but she WAS keeping secrets from him! His best friend got left behind in enemy territory! That’s a huge secret that she was actively keeping from him! Like, idk, if Rand’s paranoia keeps being absolutely spot-on correct, it’s kinda hard for me to feel that it’s as dangerous as it feels like the author(s) want me to believe that it is.

26. Before the conversation can continue, a disguised Semirhage collars Rand, having been hidden as an elderly servant. Genuinely so ridiculous that Aviendha doesn’t get involved in this Event at all. She should feel the acute stress in Rand’s mind! The idea that she just ignores it is just... silly, and an excuse to focus only on Min. But, yes, parts of this scene are somewhat affecting to me, but I have to admit Min being very Damsel here honestly makes me roll my eyes and Aviendha not showing up makes it harder to take the scene seriously. At least Min does attempt to attack Semirhage, I guess, before she inevitably spends the rest of the scene in ~beautiful agony~ (remember, you gotta look Hot For Your Man even when you are writhing in pain! /s).

27. Semirhage talking about how satisfying wearing the Dominion Bands are, how it reminds her of the power using the a’dam gave her. Just baffling to me that we apparently aren’t supposed to view Tuon -- who finds torturing and breaking women to be a relaxing hobby -- with as much horror/disgust as we’re meant to view Semirhage. This tool of torture and subjugation that Semirhage gets off on using is the same kind of thing that Tuon enjoys so much. What Semirhage is doing to Rand here is what was done to Egwene in The Great Hunt and what Tuon and her people want to do to all women who can channel. We are given a visceral reminder here (and in Egwene’s flashbacks) of exactly how awful the world that Tuon wants to create is (she literally thinks in her own PoV section how she wants EVERY ‘marath’damane’ in the world to be in an a’dam -- though she also, of course, completely blocks out from her mind that this should include herself as well).

But in Mat’s PoV sections, we’re clearly not meant to recoil in sickened disgust that he’s willing to kiss a woman who would choose to do something like this to his friends and his sister. The line between the type of person that Semirhage is and the type of person that being a High Blood of the Seanchan Empire forges you into... it just does not seem that different to me. I feel like Tuon & the Seanchan Empire (as an institution) are the exact same kind of “Corrosive Evil but not of the Dark One” situation that happened with Aridhol/Shadar Logoth. There’s a reason that Fain felt so at home and comfortable in the atmosphere that the Seanchan created in Falme.

28. Anyway, Rand uses the True Power to break the bracelets and balefires Semirhage and Elza. It sounds like what he did was use his connection with Moridin to use MORIDIN’S connection to the Dark One in order to use the True Power (much like how Semirhage was able to use the Dominion Bands to use Rand’s saidin).

29. It’s genuinely not believable that the torrent of emotion that Rand was feeling in this scene didn’t bring Aviendha here. Rand doesn’t even note any kind of emotional response that Aviendha might be having to his emotions; it’s literally like they’re still in different countries.

30. Good news: neither Corele nor Merise were among the Sisters killed by Shaidar Haran and Elza when they went to free Semirhage! My ladies still live! Poor Daigan died, though.

31. Why wouldn’t Min ask Nynaeve to heal her bruises in this scene? This plus her “thank the Light I’m not Aes Sedai” moment that she had earlier in the book is giving me... weird vibes. (it’s kinda weird that Nynaeve doesn’t appear to have offered either)

32. Rand teaches Narishma balefire to use on the Forsaken, and Cadsuane jumps in to tell him that that she forbids its use. “I have decided that it is not [forbidden],” Rand says. I like pushed-past-his-limits Rand here, the narrative weight of it. He was forced beyond the morality line that he’d set up for himself (Don’t Kill Women, No Matter What) and now is essentially in moral freefall, but he’s still RAND and he still wants the same things (re: saving the world) that he wanted before and he still hates the same things that hated before too (he doesn’t like the Seanchan any better now). He's just been untethered from some of the limitations that he was previously holding himself to, which puts him on a dangerous balancing beam. THIS Rand actually could accidentally destroy the world while trying to save it, as the prophecies warn.

33. Cadsuane’s utter and complete failure at keeping the Bands secure snaps Rand far enough that he finally banishes her from his sight, despite Min’s viewing.

“Cadsuane,” he said softly. “Do you believe I could kill you? Right here, right now, without using a sword or the Power? Do you believe that if I willed it, the Pattern would bend around me and stop your heart? By... coincidence?”

Honestly, this moment literally had me fanning myself, both now and back when I first read it, lol. Rand has never been hotter. Something about a good person in complete moral freefall really does it for me. Some things we must just accept about ourselves, lol.

I think it’s partly... the embrace/weaponizing of the power inside him (not the Power, but his twisting luck as a ta’veren) that I like? It’s about finally unleashing the monstrous part of yourself and trying to use it for good. Dangerous! But hot! I think it’s also a bit about walking that balancing beam itself, knowing that they could fall off. But this vibe is also part of what draws me to characters like Anakin Skywalker or the various Atreides (Paul, Alia, etc) -- or why I like vampires & werewolves in that sort of fantasy setting.

34. Cadsuane has a somewhat vaguely hilarious moment of regret here -- now that she’s seen THIS version of Rand, she realizes how good she had it with the previous version of Rand. Previous Rand was willing to give her an infinite number of chances (because of Min asking him to) but this Rand is just done with her and out of patience.

35. There’s kind of a funny progression with “Egwene is Amrylin” basically every time someone (who knew her before) learns the information - “Um wtf she’s just an Accepted”; “Oh no she’s a pawn”; “Oh actually she seems to have things in hand”. And that makes... a lot of sense? Of course people who actually knew her are usually startled when they first find out, because their most recent previous knowledge is that she was in the ‘student’ category. People don’t instantly process information from zero to sixty. Egwene herself assumed when she was summoned by the Salidar Aes Sedai that she was being summoned as an Accepted being punished. I feel like a lot of characters end up getting flack for being startled by Egwene being Amyrlin (and not being a puppet Amrylin) but those assumptions make a lot of sense on first blush, given what they know about Egwene (student) and what they know about Aes Sedai (big on tradition). Anyway, Gawyn has pushed past Stage One and is into Stage Two of “Egwene is Amrylin”.

36. Gareth and Gawyn have a big clash of conflicting information when they talk (and most of Gareth’s information is much more recent and more accurate than Gawyn’s, though still clouded by his own perspective) -- Gawyn finds out that Elayne holds the Lion Throne, is told that Rand held Andor together (chooses not to believe it), is told Morgase exiled Gareth on pain of death (chooses to believe she must have had a reason). Gawyn has been sheltered from a LOT of information of current events during all this tbh. They both accuse the other one of not being in Caemlyn when they should be, lol. They ARE the pointing Spider-man meme.

37. Sheriam gets orders from one of the Forsaken that Egwene must be deposed as Amrylin, not having proven to be as pliable as hoped. She feels pretty bitter/regretful about her life choices -- she became a Darkfriend so that she could enact petty revenge on her rivals and work her way up the Tower ladder faster! Not to actually have to be in the Last Battle! Haha, sorry bb.

38. Egwene is now in a teeny-tiny cell in the dungeons, though she is still allowed visitors at times. She’s told that Elaida will face a trial for her abuse of Power against a Tower initiate but the consequences wouldn’t remove her from the Amyrlin Seat. Egwene braces herself to fight as best as she can from inside her cell (tbh, at this point, I actually DO kinda feel like she should tell her Aes Sedai followers that it’s time to rescue her so she can continue her work outside the walls? She’s planted a ton of seeds inside the Tower and now her options have been SEVERELY restricted; leaving the Tower would give her more choices in how to maneuver).

[shiinayumi]

An imagine for my sweet precious Gyomei's birthday~ (just a simple Fluff! Set in the Kimetsu Gakuen/Academy verse, for this imagine Gyomei can see simply because he seems to really see in the Academy version?) Also may come off more as headcanons your girl hasn't written shit in years 😂😂 not edited or proof read, also I'm so tired pls go easy on me💀

It's your beloved Gyomei's birthday and you have a fun day planned for him! Thankfully his birthday fell during summer break so you had ALL DAY to spoil him. His apartment sadly doesn't allow for cats, so he often spends the night at your apartment because yours is pet friendly and you happen to have some cats that Mei just can't get enough of and they just ADORE being so spoiled by the man. You woke up early to see both of your cats curled up on your fiancées chest softly purring, as you headed to the kitchen to make him a cute breakfast. Cat shaped toast, with sunny side up eggs for eyes with bacon cut into thin strips for whiskers. You made him a few of them since being that large and muscular had food needs that you were frankly jealous of. Cute cat mashmallow in dark steong tea instead of coffee for him, looking like it clinged to the edge of the cuo smiling.

Gyomei walks out of the room groggy but smiling, holding the two cats slightly wiggling to be let go to for their own breakfast already prepared.

"Hello my beautiful~" he says gently voice still sleepy giving you a kiss by the temple, only to look at you a little silly when you giggle.

"Did you forget?"

Oh no. Was it something important with the house you're having built together? Is your family here early? Or on time and he forgot? Seeing his poor mind swirl you wrap arms around him as best you can and motion for him to bend down a little for you, you whisper.

"Happy birthday my love~!" You get out through soft laughs and returning the kiss on his head.

He freezes for a moment, holding you close, eyes zoning out a little.

"Oh! So it is. Thank you my sweet." Smiling softly, giving you another soft kiss on your head as his brain winds back down.

You guide him to the kitchen where his breakfast of cat themed goodies awaits, his face immediately lighting up, tears pricking his eyes and falling down in happiness. You sat with him eating your breakfast together, chatting and telling him to dress cozy for the next event today.

~~

After breakfast, you both hopped around the morning, meeting friends receiving gifts and birthday wishes for Gyomei. You talked about maybe having a small party for him later once the house was complete since it's hard to fit everyone into an apartment, and having all the attention on him makes him shy as is let alone in public at a bar or restaurant. So for today, just a relaxing series of events planned by yours truly. You had plenty of gifts for him at home for later, but you just couldn't help getting him some cute little things he would spy, tears of appreciation every time, after trepidation and phrases of "you don't have too" and "you don't need to spend the money on me", too late love the cat phone charm and cat themed student grade stamps are purchased and put into his hands.

While walking around your (insert family member) called wishing Gyomei a happy birthday and that they will see him soon and have gifts for him as well. You both found a decent area of land to build a nice size house to accommodate Gyomei's size and for the potential for a family be it pets and or kids. You asked for an extra space for your family member to live with you and Gyomeinwas actually pleased, being an orphan he didn't have much in the way of family other than the other kids and monks that ran the orphanage, so he was family starved one could say. You were his whole world, though, and if it was just the two of you, well he has a whole world to himself.

Once lunch came around, you took him to your next surprise for him, a reservation at a super popular cat café! They were so popular with citizens and tourists you had to get tickets weeks in advance to get in. It was thanks to Mitsuri actually for love of food and also cats she helped you in the lottery to get the tickets. You made sure Gyomei knew about her hard work and also picked out a cute souvenir for her as thanks. Gyomei had tears on his face as he was covered in cats. If you didn't force him to eat the cute café treats, he would have missed lunch, between the oh so cute actual cats, and the almost too cute to eat food served.

Once you got ready to leave the man was so covered in hair he almost looked like a cat himself. Thankfully the staff insisted on helping remove all of it before leaving. You're pretty sure many of the people there, workers and patrons alike, were enamored in one way or another with your fiancée, such a giant fearsome looking man absolutely in tears and smiling over cuteness overload from such small fuzzy animals. You couldn't blame them, you also where enamored with Gyomei.

~~

You gently held onto Gyomei's pinky qith yours as you took him to the next surprise and perhaps the biggest. He looked utterly confused going into the back of a building, clean and sterile looking, with all kinds of noises. Once walking in he seen so many animals, realizing it was a shelter. Leaning down he whispers in confusion,

"My love, you're not adopting another pet are you? We should be careful to not spook any new ones so close to being able to move."

You grab his face gently and kiss his nose,

"Not exactly adopting so don't worry, but..well just come look."

You greet one of the staff and give then your name, recognition and smile gracing their gentle features,

"Excellent right on time! Thank you so much for doing this, it can be so hard to find people for this!" She says as she leads you as you hold Gyomei's hand, to what looks like a baby incubator and it really sort of is. You let go of his hand and move closer as the worker opens the door,

"Gyomei's please close your eyes and hold out your hands."

The poor man looks so confused, what could you be handing him from an incubator looking device in a pet shelter of all places especially if not getting a pet? But he, ever patient and trusting you, he does as asked, and is rewarded with hearing feet shuffling, small little noises, and you're sweet gentle shushes you save for your pets or admittedly him when he was so sick once before. And than he feels the brushing of your fingers as you out something small so small and fuzzy in his hands, well it fit in one hand really, wiggling around when he heard you say he could look.

He opens his eyes, and oh by any gods or maybe even Buddha, there is a teeny tiny thing in his hands. So small, eyes sealed shut wiggling around to crawl his massive hand.

"I got asked to foster some neonate kittens, well newborn baby kittens, while their momma receives some attention. She was on the streets, but someone caught her and all the babies and brought them in, but they needed someone to care for the babies until the mom is better."

You explain but you see Gyomei just absolutely stare at the already tiny, looks even more tiny in his hand, newborn kitten, not even sure he heard you as tears stream down his face. The worker almost looks concerned for the man's well-being before you assure her he's just a very sensitive empathetic man (which earns him praise from the worker with you and those onlooking).

After a moment, once you give Gyomei a chair to sit on, with the kitten absorbing the warmth from his hands, he finally speaks,

"These will be at home?" Reffering to your apartment, seemingly forgetting he had his own. Fun fact he didn't really forget his apartment perse, just that wherever you are is where home is. And as it stands, the kittens have to stay with you, and since you're home well, yea, they'll be at home.

You take the other four kittens, and walk over placing them all on his hand. All five fit one hand, but he holds both out for safety and so they can move.

"Yes Gyomei, these little fuzzy beans will be at home. Our cats at home are pretty well behaved with babies, so it should be fine." You say smiling, just watching him absolutely ENRAPTURED by tiny kittens. One of whom was trying to suckle his fingertip. His cheeks puffed into his smile over cute things he can't handle, as you and the worker giggle.

~~

After getting back home, you have Gyomei sit in the living room to make his dinner as a surprise, his favorite, takikomi gohan. You managed to find dried matsutake to add to the rice for cooking, since it wasn't quiet in season yet but really wanted to treat Gyomei. He does so much for everyone around him, and often holds himself back from what he wants to be a good role model and help others, you want him to feel the same love in return. You may have heard from Uzui's wives, that the students where planning a nice surprise for him when school started again in a few days. Those kids may seem a little goofy at times but all of his students at least respected him enough to not do anything bad. And you came by the school enough that the students knew that where maybe they could sneak things aways with Gyomei due to his forgiving nature, that could NOT with you and not when it involved your soon to be husband.

Speaking of, you peaked up from fileting the fish to see Gyomei still just watching over the kittens. He loves cats but has never really seen newborns, at least not in person. His gentle smile as he pet the two adult cats who were so far behaving with the babies warmed your heart. Gyomei was honestly meant to be a dad, and no one could convince you otherwise. Aside from how he is with kids and always has been with them, to how invested he is in doing the best for the kittens it was just obvious. He immediately wanted to know how to care for them, and absolutely took notes on how you explained to take notes on their feeding weights, how to measure their formula and make it and test the temperature, and how to help them go to the bathroom and brush them with a toothbrush to feel like their mothers tongue. None of it did he shy away from, and one of your cats also decided to take notes with him.

He sniffed the air as the rice cooked noticing the familiar smell of mushrooms and other vegetables cooking with the rice. He finally turned around,

"Takikomi? For dinner?" He said absolutely smiling.

"It's your favorite isn't it? So of course for your birthday!" You say smiling flipping the fish.

He comes to you and wraps his arms around your waist, a dangerous game to play while you cook, normally territorial in the kitchen while cooking. And he pushes further, placing his head on yours. Tonight, you let him and smile and sink back a little into his arms, while warning him of possible fish splatter on his arms. He has a full laugh,

"Have you seen the scars on me? A little splatter won't hurt me" he says in a rare cheeky moment. Well, at least a cheeky moment he intended anyway!

You giggle, working around your fiancée being goofy in a rare show, as he refuses to let you go and just shuffles behind you, arms still around your waist, as you move around the kitchen trying to finish dinner. You can't be mad, though, and just keep laughing every time you have to move. He is helpful, though grabbing things his massive frame blocks from your access. As you attempt to put the dishes of food together, Gyomei happily sniffing over everything by your ear, he tells you to stop trying to lift the dishes.

"Gyomei I'm trying to take them to the table by the TV! I want to do dinner with a movie." You say between peals of laughter as everything you try to grab something, he grabs it and puts it down, before finally just picking you up and depositing you on the couch, leaving to grab your meals, but not before hitting a ticklish spot to prevent you from trying to get up. Your cats look at you as if you've lost it finally.

"Gyomei it's your birthday let me get the food while you get cozy!" You fake pout, resulting in him poking your cheek gently while he sets the food down.

"You've already done so much for me today, I can at least bring the food. Besides, you want the day to be about me and what I would want, and what if I want to spoil you back?"

"You can spoil me another day!"

"I could, but what if I don't want to wait?"

Between soft laughs all you can say is that he's goofy and sweet, but that you adore that about him. Gyomei hid this side a lot, largley out of shyness, and getting to see him goofy though always sincere and knowing he means what he says, hits you in the heart like it always has.

You settle close to him and grab a blanket to out on your laps as you sit on the floor, backs to the couch, legs and blanket under the table as you get ready to eat. You pull up a movie, an older animated one, jittery with excitement to show it to Gyomei.

"Cats don't dance?"

You smile as he reads the title.

"Yea its a little older but it's cute and I thought you'd like it!" You say so excited to show him the movie. You where so happy to find one with subtitles! Originally in English and while Gyomei can understand and use English just fine you felt subtitles would be a little more comfortable.

You sit together laughing and eating and watching his reaction to the movie, of course so many tears from him and so much joy. At the end, finally putting the dishes away after washing them, taking care of the kittens next feeding, together of course, you made Gyomei a bath to relax. Once you both took turns (sadly your bath was barely able to hold Gyomei let alone the both of you to even just relax, something the new house would fix~) you drag your feet towards the bedroom before Gyomei just picks you up again to carry you to bed, though placing you more gently than how he plopped you onto the couch earlier. He caresses your face before a cat walks between you two, both now laughing petting the fuzzy attention demander. Over purrs you hear Gyomei thank you.

"Thank you my beloved, today was wonderful. I'm so happy I get to be with such an attentive and caring person. I love all of the cat themed activities today. Though I must ask why so much cat?"

You giggle and than swat away a cat butt in your face,

"Because you try so hard to be subtle and adult in how you present yourself, I wanted you to just have fun and fully enjoy what you love. Because I love you~."

Gyomei hums, as he smiles and puts the cat om the ground which was rare. He turns off the lights, sliding in close to you snuggling close,

"I love you too, more than I could ever hope to express. Though maybe I can try."

You both giggle through smiles as you kiss, the rest that happens only will you, Gyomei, and maybe the cats will know~.

たんじょうび おめでとう 悲鳴嶼 行冥 さま💖💖💖 愛している

[boyfridged]

i agree with you on the pride & prejudice thing. do you have any headcanons about the literature jason enjoys? personally, i think hamlet did something irreversible to his brain chemistry, but i respect your phd in jason todd.

i can't give you an unbiased opinion because hamlet did something irreversible to my brain chemistry too (still planning that essay on utrh as a revenge tragedy with shakespeare as the main point of reference...)

but my main headcanon is just that jason reads quite literally everything. i don't like when he is portrayed as an elitist reader who preaches about the importance of classics. he reads them of course and i believe he engages with them meaningfully, but meaningful engagement with the canon means criticizing it too, and admitting when something is not to your taste.

and he is definitely able to find something for himself in every genre, century, culture, and on any "shelf." i think when he was a kid, especially with catherine becoming more absent (and i don't imagine her to be a huge reader anyway) he had little guidance from anyone so he was just read pretty much whatever he got on his hand. and i think this habit of his preserved, even into the lost days when i doubt he had much interest in anything besides his training and plans in gotham; i think the act of reading itself still was something that at times helped him clear his mind, no matter what book it was.

the shorter answer is frankenstein (because of annual 25.) sadly, i also reckon he would like the brothers karamazov. what else– i think he'd find contemporary french authors such as ernaux, louis or eribon interesting (for their class consciousness)- greek tragedies, or is it too obvious and would make him feel uncomfortable? baldwin, definitely. poetry of all kinds, though for some reason i imagine he likes the traditional verse most. and plenty of others that come to my mind but that i won't share because there's little logic behind them other than my personal idea of jason's sensitivity.

i also sometimes use the example of sparks' novels to really make the point. (i have no particular feelings about sparks whatsoever and i only skimmed through some of his works before when i wanted to check how bad they were. and i don't think that jason thinks they are good. i do think he would read them and maybe even feel something about them)

[improvised-finish]

Lehon’a and Y’shtola! :D

"Y'shtola? She's one of the loves of my life, I quite literally wouldn't be the woman I am without her. I… struggle to think of what my life would've looked like had she not come in search of me during a darker time for me on the First. Her ability to listen, to be calm and approach things unknown with curiosity and even compassion is what led me to feel like I could tell her about how I really felt. About me and my gender, I mean. She helped me uh… 'break the news' to the rest of the Scions, so to speak," Lehon'a says, growing slightly quieter. "She was also the one who suggested I mention my desire for a phial of fantasia to Tataru on one of my trips back to the Source."

"From that point on I confided in her often; about all sorts of things, both trivial and important. Hair styles, magic skills, life philosophy, it didn't matter. She really made the First feel like a home when physically it couldn't have been further away. It never felt like we had any time to really say how we felt exactly, but I like to think it showed in the little things in between the world-ending calamities we averted. The late nights talking, the banter while traveling, the cups of tea and shared meals, when we could manage them. She even managed to teach me juuuuust enough black magic that I can pass for a red mage, if you're not paying too much attention!" Lehon'a let out a hearty laugh.

"After all the world-ending was dealt with, we had a particular encounter with a mechanical guardian in Alzadaal's treasure vault in which I had to use a bit of healing magic on her that involved… a partnered dance, and…" she trails off, growing slightly embarrassed. "Let's just say that one thing led to another, and after a few drinks in the Meyhane, her and Raha and I decided we'd be a trio, if you catch my meaning. I truly love her and Raha both quite dearly. If Raha is my sun, then Shtola is my moon, and I thank Menphina for both of them."

"Sadly, I'll have to talk about Raha another time 'cause he's… too much to get into here, and I've already said plenty."

((Lehon'a admittedly didn't connect with very many of the Scions until later on in the story; with Y'shtola, her bluntness and snarky replies kept Lehon'a at a distance until that specific one-on-one on the First, when Lehon'a got to see behind that mask, so to speak. Also, if you want to read about some of these moments (the confession on the First, or the Alzadaal's Legacy stuff), it's tagged as #my writing, or you can find it on my AO3!))

[the-al-chemist]

Artemis Hexley: The Wilderness Years

Chapter 3: Raising The Stakes

A/N: Artemis uses her connections to her advantage as she takes matters into her own hands. Warnings: A whole lot of awkwardness.

Badeea was talking Artemis through her final design for the Triwizard Maze when the two of them were interrupted by the unwanted presence of Thomasina Thistlethwaite.

“What do you want?” Artemis asked Thomasina, who did not flinch at her impolite tone.

“Mr Bagman would like to speak to you about something in his office,” she replied. “Artemis, that is.”

Artemis shrugged at Badeea and looked straight past Thomasina as she got out of her seat and left the room in search of Ludo, who had his own private office. She made her way straight there and found him sitting at his desk, a cabinet full of trophies on the wall behind him.

“Ah, Hexley! There you are,” he boomed, and held out both his fists to her. “Guess which one the Galleon is in.”

Artemis looked from his hands to his face before answering: “Left.”

“Bingo! Every time. By Jove, you may well have me bankrupt by the end of the year.”

“Is that the only reason you wanted me to come in?” Artemis asked him, taking the Galleon from his hand.

“What? Oh, no. No, I actually have a job for you,” said Ludo. He rifled through a pile of paperwork on his desk and held up a file with the word ‘confidential’ stamped on it in large red letters. “Here. You’re used to dealing with import and export procedures. And, from what I remember from your interview, you’re a dab hand with creatures, too.”

“I guess. Sort of.”

“Excellent. Now, in here is a list of all the creatures we need for the tournament. I’d like you to sort out importing and transporting them.”

He handed the file to Artemis, who opened it and scanned down the list, feeling a small sting of anger as she read each of the creatures listed, more than half of them the ones that Thomasina had suggested after talking to her. Still, she pushed her annoyance aside. Tonks had been right the previous weekend; if she wanted to best Thomasina, she would just have to work harder and do better.

“I reckon I can do the Sphinx, easy. I still have a couple of friends back at Gringotts’ headquarters in Egypt,” she said, making a mental note to write to Bill Weasley later that day. “The rest we don’t even need to transport. There are plenty of Boggarts at Hogwarts, because they keep them for Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons, and there are already Red Caps and Acromantula in the forest, it’s just a case of capturing them. I can talk to Hagrid, the gameskeeper. He’d be able to help, I bet.”

“Top job, Hexley. Say, you wouldn’t be able to speak Mermish at all, would you?”

“I only know one word. Sorry.”

“Shame. I need someone to negotiate with the merpeople for the second challenge. I’ll ask old Barty, they say he was into the old lingual activities in his day, so to speak.” Bagman winked, and Artemis tried her hardest not to pull a face.

“What about the dragons? Or is that sorted already?”

“We’ve scrapped the idea of the dragons. Can’t get any.”

“I have a friend who’s a dragonologist. He might be able to get us some, they’ve got loads on the reserve where he works.”

“It’s not that there aren’t enough,” Bagman told her, shaking his head. “There are plenty of dragons in the world, it’s just that the laws surrounding anything to do with them are so strict. Even with contacts in the field, we can’t bypass that amount of red tape.” He sighed deeply. “It is a shame, though. Imagine, dragons. Now, that would be a real challenge, wouldn’t it?”

“Maybe it still could be.”

“Sadly, Barty says there’s no way, and he would know, what with all the work he did for the Council of Magical Law. Ah, well. C’est la vie, as the French would say. Now, heads or tails?”

He flicked a second Galleon into the air, caught it and placed it on the back of his other hand. He snuck a look and raised his eyebrows at her.

“Fifty-fifty chance, Hexley. What is it?”

“Heads,” said Artemis, and Bagman handed her the gold coin. She took it and frowned. “Say, Ludo. How about we go double or nothing on these Galleons?”

“Raising the stakes, are we? I always knew you were a girl after my own heart. Oh, go on, then. What are we betting on?”

“I bet I can get you your dragons.”

Bagman laughed out loud.

“You might as well give me your money now, doll,” he said. “Didn’t you hear what I said? That’s a bet with almost impossible odds.”

Artemis shrugged and raised her eyebrows.

“Maybe. But then, I’ve always been good at beating the odds.”

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was all the way up on the second level of the Ministry Headquarters. Having left Bagman’s office, Artemis hurried straight up the stairs, the file and two Galleons he had given her still clutched in her hands. She had a vague idea of where she was going, having spent a two-week-long work experience placement in the department the summer she turned seventeen, but three and a half years had passed since then, and she had not needed to go to every single office in the Department. Still, there was a good chance that either Tonks or her friend Kingsley, who both worked in the Auror office, would know where to find the room she was looking for.

Unfortunately, when she poked her head around the Auror office door, every single one of the Aurors were deep in a very serious looking discussion. Even without the several large ‘wanted’ posters Artemis had walked past on her way there, she could have guessed what - or, more to the point, who - they were talking about. Sirius Black, a Dark Wizard and first ever person to have escaped from Azkaban prison, was still at large and as dangerous as ever.

It was probably better that she left the Aurors to it, so instead, she knocked on a smaller door further along the corridor, on which a plaque read: Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office.

“Come in,” said a voice from behind the door, and Artemis did as it instructed.

On the other side of the door was a room that, judging from its tiny size and dingy atmosphere, may have previously been a cupboard of some description. Now, however, it had been converted into the smallest office she had ever seen, with two desks and several filing cabinets crammed so tightly inside that there was barely room for her to stand among them. A tall wizard with glasses and thinning red hair was sitting there, a collection of assorted Muggle items and photos of children, all at various ages and all red-headed, lining the desk in front of him.

“Artemis!” he said, turning in his chair and smiling at her. “Splendid to see you. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Arthur. I’m just on an errand for Ludo, and I’m not sure exactly where I need to go, so I thought you might be able to help me.”

“Of course. Where is it you need to be?”

“I’m looking for the Council of Magical Law,” she told him. “I need to speak to someone who works for them.”

“Right you are. Turn right out of this office, go all the way along the corridor until it bends to the left, and it’s the last door on the left before the bend.”

“Brilliant. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. And you’re also welcome to come around for tea any time. I’m sure that Molly will send you an invitation as soon as I mention that I saw you today, so I may as well give you a prior warning.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Artemis grinned, and she turned to leave Mr Weasley’s office. Before she shut the door behind her, his voice called out to her once more.

“Oh, and Artemis,” he said. “If you see Ludo this afternoon, can you let him know that I am interested in the raffle he’s doing for tickets to the World Cup Final? I just need to get some money together to take part. Should have it by the end of next week, if he’s happy to wait that long. Got to wait until payday, you know?”

Artemis made a sympathetic noise and nodded her head in agreement, and Mr Weasley returned to his work. Certain that he wouldn’t see her, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the two Galleons Ludo had given her. Wordlessly, she levitated them into the air and directed the coins so that they floated through the air and came to rest inside the pocket of the cloak resting on the back of Arthur’s chair.

A small but satisfied smile played on her face as she closed the door of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office and turned to her right, made her way down the corridor and stopped as it bent around a corner. To her left, a wooden door - far better polished than Mr Weasley’s - was propped slightly open. Beyond it, a large and open room housed several desks, at each of which a witch or wizard was hard at work. Artemis narrowed her eyes and scanned the room until she found the wizard she was looking for.

“Hi,” she said as she approached the desk of Chester Davies, who raised his tired looking eyes from the parchment he was writing on and blinked twice.

“Hello,” he replied. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon, if ever. I was under the impression that you didn’t want to see me again.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Still, this is a surprise. Is there a particular reason you’re here, or…”

Chester’s voice tailed off, and he raised his eyebrows at her. Artemis shrugged and sat on his desk beside him.

“Your law books. I might need to borrow them,” she told him.

“All of them?”

“Not all, just some. Any that will tell me what I can legally do to import a Hungarian Horntail into the country for a sporting event.”

“I’m sorry… A Hungarian Horntail?”

“Yeah. Or three, actually, that would be even better.”

“I’m not certain that there will be anything you can do to legally import a Hungarian Horntail - let alone three Hungarian Horntails - into the country for a sporting event. Laws surrounding anything dragonological tend to be extremely rigid.”

“But surely there would be a way. A loophole you can squabble over, maybe?” Artemis smiled at Chester expectantly, and he began to chuckle.

“Why do you want to know about this?” he asked her. “What sporting event could possibly involve a Hungarian Horntail? Or three, for that matter.”

“Top secret. Classified. If I told you, I would probably have to kill you.”

Chester laughed again, but he nodded his head. “Very well. I expect I’ll have something that’ll be of use to you. I’ll take a look later.”

“Brilliant, thanks,” said Artemis. “I’ll swing by tomorrow lunchtime to get the books.”

“Don’t do that. I have a better idea.”

“What?”

“I’ll look through the books, see what relevant information I can find, and I’ll talk it through with you over dinner.”

Artemis wrinkled her nose. “Dinner?”

“Yes, dinner. Do you not eat dinner?”

“Yeah, I like dinner, I just… Yeah, fine. We can do that.”

“I’ll meet you by the Fountain of Magical Brethren on Friday evening. Say six thirty?”

“Sure.”

Chester smiled. “Excellent. It’s a date.”

Artemis had half-expected Chester to take her to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner; it was where the majority of her co-workers met after work, and given the fact that he played piano for them on Saturday evenings, he was bound to get some sort of discount. However, after the two left the atrium of the Ministry on Friday evening, he walked her not to Diagon Alley, but to a Muggle restaurant in Covent Garden. Their table was upstairs, next to a window through which the sounds of three women playing string instruments in the market below could be heard. Looking around, Artemis quickly realised that she was underdressed for the occasion.

“May I take your coat?” asked the waiter who had shown them to their seats. Artemis recoiled from him slightly, her grip on her jacket tightening.

“Where?”

The waiter chuckled, as did Chester, who handed his own coat and scarf to him. Somewhat reluctantly, Artemis followed suit.

“Okay,” she said, once the waiter had left with their coats. “So, what did you find out?”

“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Chester laughed. “Well, it’s not particularly great news, I’m afraid.”

“It’s not?”

“No. Dragon keeping has been regulated for hundreds of years, but ever since they passed the Ilfracombe Amendment in 1933, there’ve been even tighter controls. As it stands, only specialised dragon reserves can authorise the movement of dragons, and there are now only nine such reserves in the world, and only in the United Kingdom.”

“That’s the one with the Hebridean Blacks, isn’t it? I don’t think they have Hungarian Horntails.”

“Well then, if you have your heart set on a Hungarian Horntail, you’ll need to import one. Unfortunately, international movement is even more difficult, because you have the International Federation of Wizards’ regulations and the local laws of the two countries you’re moving the dragons to and from,” said Chester. “Generally speaking, movement only occurs between reserves, and even then, it can only be done for one of three purposes, none of which involve sporting events.”

“So what purposes can they be moved for?”

“Conservation, welfare, and education.”

“Education,” Artemis repeated, an idea forming in her head. “That’s it! That’s our loophole! You know, that actually might work.”

“Glad to hear it, but it still won’t be easy. You’ll need official authorisation and everything you do will need to be overseen and signed off by a qualified dragonologist. I might be able to put you in touch with someone who was in the year above me, if you like. Chap by the name of Rosier, Felix Rosier.”

Artemis shook her head, her smile widening as she did so.

“No need,” she told Chester. “I have my own dragonologist. Thanks, though. And thanks for helping me with this.”

“You’re welcome, though I do prefer knowing the reason why I’m being asked to do a favour before I do it,” Chester said wryly. Artemis remained tight lipped. “Very well, then. Why don’t you tell me how you ended up working on this classified and clandestine project?”

“I won the job in a card game.”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I. I played poker against Ludo and won a job in his office. That and some tickets for the Quidditch World Cup Final.”

“And are you a seasoned poker player?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” said Artemis, not entirely sure what Chester meant by seasoned. “But it got me the job.”

“I see,” Chester frowned. “Last I heard you were working for Gringotts with Bill.”

“I was.”

“So, was your decision to leave and take a job you won in a card game a spontaneous one, or…”

“I wanted a change,” Artemis said shortly. Chester inclined his head and opened his mouth as if to say something, but she interrupted him before he had the chance to do so. “Have you always wanted to be in the Council of Magical Law?”

“Yes. I started in the Department for Misuse of Magic, worked my way up from there.”

“And the piano playing?”

“It’s extra money, and I enjoy it. It’s good to have a creative outlet,” said Chester. “What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?”

“I dunno. Just stuff, I guess.” In response to her answer, Chester began to laugh again. Artemis frowned. “What?”

“You aren’t particularly forthcoming with information, are you?” he asked her, shaking his head. “You know, I am actually trying to get to know you.”

“Why?”

“Because I think you’re interesting.”

Artemis was not expecting Chester to say that, nor was she expecting the look in his eyes to be as sincere as it was. She shuffled slightly in her seat.

“I don’t think I’m that interesting,” she told him. Chester smiled as if he were amused. “Now what?”

“Well, I dread to think how immeasurably dull I must be if the girl who got her current job by winning a card game and spent her schooldays breaking ancient curses is ‘not that interesting’.” The expression on Chester’s face made Artemis grin, too. “You should smile more. It suits you,” he told her. “Humour me. Tell me more.”

A month previously, Artemis would have done just that; she would have told him about her time at Gringotts, about the time she helped to illegally smuggle a baby dragon across the continent to the dragon reserve in Romania where her friend Charlie lived, or a story about her eventually successful attempts to open the Cursed Vaults when she was at school. But now, she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to tell him, or anyone, about any of that. It might lead to harder questions, ones about Rowan’s death and her relationships with her immediate family members. And besides, that was how she had ended up needing Chester’s help in the first place, wasn’t it? She had opened her mouth and answered all of Thomasina Thistlethwaite’s questions, and it had backfired horribly, and now here she was.

So instead, she told Chester a less personal but also less interesting story about playing Quidditch, and turned the topic to the one thing she knew they had in common: music. This turned out to be a very strategic move on her part, for they were able to talk about that freely until the meal was over and Muggles outside had stopped playing their string instruments.

Chester paid for the meal and the two of them walked through the covered market together until they reached the square outside. The night air was bitterly cold, and Artemis shivered in her jacket, which had been returned safely from the waiter. Chester frowned at her.

“Here,” he said, removing the scarf from his neck and draping it over her shoulders. “Take this.”

“Thanks,” replied Artemis. “For dinner, too. And the legal advice, obviously. That was really good of you to look all that up for me.”

“You’re more than welcome. I’ll never complain about being given an excuse for more reading and research.”

Chester’s words caused something to stir in the recesses of Artemis’ mind, but she wasn’t sure what. Somehow, she got the sense of distant familiarity. It was uncanny and not entirely comfortable, and she shook her head to push it away.

“Still,” she said, “I know you’re busy enough as it is without me asking you for favours.”

“It was only a couple of late evenings, Artemis. That’s what coffee is for,” Chester smiled wryly. “And anyway, I’ve always been a bit of a night owl.”

That feeling of niggling nostalgia came over Artemis again, and this time she found herself unable to ignore it. Perhaps, she did not want to. And, for some reason, that strange sensation was what spurred her not just to allow Chester to lean in and kiss her on the cheek, but to kiss him on the lips in return.

That feeling of niggling nostalgia came over Artemis again, and this time she found herself unable to ignore it. Perhaps, she did not want to. And, for some reason, that strange sensation was what spurred her not just to allow Chester to lean in and kiss her on the cheek, but to kiss him on the lips in return.

[mysticalibra1994]

Sonic Prime Multi-Sonic AU (No Place: Emerald Eye)

So, I'm not really sure if anyone remembers my theory/headcanon on "What if there was a 'Sonic' in each Shatterverse that took place before the shattering?", but here's one that I kept in my folder after rewatching Sonic Prime (when Dread makes his first appearance) and noticing how "buddy-buddy" Dread was with Sonic; almost as if they've met a long time ago...

TW: Contains character death, gruesome detail(s), Pirate speak, yaoi kiss (if you have a problem with that, then don't read). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Setting: No Place. Dread, Emerald Eye, and the crew follow a red-mark trail. Emerald Eye overhears the crew speaking ill of Dread.]

Emerald Eye: Um, no offense, me bucko. But, be ye sure ye be knowin' whar we're headed? Dread: Of course, I do. Th' ground be marked like th' map! Emerald Eye: Alright, if ye say so…

[Suddenly, Emerald Eye noticed something below Dread's footing snapped. It's a trap! Before Dread could even react, Emerald Eye pushed him out of the way as a bolt of blue lightning struck the blue pirate through the chest. The rest of the crew was blown back. As the smoke slowly settles, Dread witnessed a horrid scene… Emerald Eye's chest is now harboring a medium-sized burnt crater that's all black and smokey. Smaller scars are going through his charred body. His one good eye is now bulging a bit with veins that pulsated. His signature "emerald-green" eye is now a lifeless dull shade of burnt moss… Dread couldn't believe it, his one and only is dead. His one and only took the shot that was meant for him. All he could do was to shakely embrace his beloved, one last time…]

Dread: *thinking* His chest be warm, but his body's cold… Crew member 1: Dread… Ye keel-hauled that scurvy dog?! But, he were bein' yer beloved! Crew member 2: How could ye do this? Bunny Bones: Traditionally, when a Cap'n dies, their second-in-command becomes Cap'n. But, who will e'er trust ye?

[Dread is now too devastated to answer. But, suddenly, an idea comes across his mind! The Devil's Lighthouse… According to legend, the power of the Devil's Lighthouse can bring a person back from the dead with only scars to tell the tale of their survival.]

Dread: What has happened can't be ignored. But, I've got an idea! All we need be t' get th' Glowin' Gemstone a- Jack: Be ye serious?! Our Cap'n visited Davy Jones' Locker savin' ye, but all ye care about be some giant rock?! How selfish can one Corsair get?

[Taken aback by this, Dread understood the traditions and this unfortunate circumstance. So, as he took off, he quickly grabbed Emerald Eye, his Captain hat, and continued his way to the other side of the island.]

Dread: *looks behind him* It appears to be that we lost them, I'll warrant ye. *looks down to Emerald Eye's body* Oh, me beloved… *cradles it gently* Ye knew th' blast were bein' meant fer me, why would ye take it instead? *tearing up a bit* Now, our crew thinks that I should've been poxed! *looks down, sadly nuzzles Emerald Eye's face* Ah, I can't stay mad at ye. Because o' ye, I've ne'er felt lonely out in open waters. Due t' yer inability t' not swim, I've always been by yer side. *gently placed Emerald Eye down as he gently kissed his forehead* I'm not really good at sayin' "goodbyes", but ye've made me life an adventure. *sadly part ways with their last lip-kiss*

[After saying a small, yet important, prayer, Dread digs a hole deep enough for Emerald Eye to forever rest in and keep his hat as a tragic keepsake. As he got up, he noticed a rowboat that both looked and felt sturdy enough for him to set sail. For what seemed like forever, Dread was growing concerned about losing his rations. He was about to give up hope, until…]

Sails: *offscreen* Avast there, scurvy dog! Dread: *looks up to see a ship* Black Rose: Be ye alright? Batten Rouge: We have more than enough grub and plenty o' juice and water from coconuts! Dread: *taken aback by this kindness* Uh, yeah! Thanks, to be sure! Can ye help me up onto yer ship? Black Rose: Of course, we want ye t' join us! Sails: Th' more, th' merrier! Batten Rouge: Plus, we've always wanted a Cap'n! Dread: Wait, me? A Cap'n? What makes ye think that I'm a Cap'n? Black Rose: Well, ye have a hat like a Cap'n. Sails: Nobody on our boat has one. Batten Rouge: I believe that's it.

[Dread was afraid to tell them the truth. But, he's also afraid to be a captain. After taking a deep breath to calm the nerves…]

Dread: Well, ye're correct, me buckos! I be Cap'n! But, not just any Cap'n… Yer Cap'n! Sails: This calls fer a celebration! Black Rose: Three cheers fer our new Cap'n! Dread's new crew: Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray!

[As Dread's new crew parties until the sun goes down, the Echidna sadly looks up at the premature stars, forlornly thinking about his one true beloved. Wondering what Emerald Eye would say or even think of him now...] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah, I'm not that good at "Pirate lingo", so I had to use various websites to translate as correctly as it appeared.

For the next one(s), it'll either be Boscage or New Yoke.

Fun fact: During the era of pirates, women weren't allowed to be on the same ship with them. So, it was common practice for men to sleep together. This means that they can explore other things than treasure...

[khalixascorner]

In The Depths Pt 2

Summary: Meroctopus Tony just wants to have his own fry one day, but wants to ensure he has the proper mate to have them with. One day, merguppy Peter catches his attention and Tony decides that the merguppy is going to be his mate. Whether he wants to or not.

Tags: MerOctopusTony, Merguppy Peter, underwater au, Stalking Octopus Tony, Non-con/dub-conned into love, monster fucking,Tentacle Rape, Tentacle Sex, naive peter, Oviposition, The author spent way too much time researching sea creature reproduction and it shows, the author has also never written said stuff before and it shows, hermaphrodite Peter, Mpreg, Pregnant Peter,Squid Beck in Ch. 2, The Author Regrets Nothing, happy ending guaranteed, Dark Tony, sorry if i forget a tag

Read on AO3 Here Pt 1 here

Art by the absolutely fantastic @sausageg

Peter settled in as Tony’s mate easier than the octomer expected. He doted on the little guppy, bringing him anything he asked for even if Tony had to swim far out to find it. He also made sure to give Peter plenty of attention, wrapping him in tentacles each night to help him sleep. 

Tony couldn’t wait for their fry to be born so his guppy wouldn’t be so lonely. Guppies were schooling fish after all, and he hadn’t realized how crucial that social interaction was for his sweet mate until he was clinging to Tony nightly. In the meantime though, he decided something needed to be done.

As Peter was sleeping one day, he slipped out, heading for one of the two foot places. He had watched them before, making moving things from nothing but hard pieces and shiny rock. After watching them for some time, he learned to manipulate their tools but a it took more work to make things work underneath the water. Unfortunately, most sea creatures feared them, so Tony kept his workshop hidden and all of his tech tucked away safely.

Now, though, he set to work creating plans for something guppy friendly. Something that wouldn’t appear so different while still keeping his mate safe and happy.

It took more cycles than he liked, but soon, Tony had two of his creations ready to go in their new bodies. Dum-e and U had originally been coded as helpers for his creating but nothing was more important than caring for his mate, and it had only taken a few updates for them to become nanny and guard fish. Tony was particularly fond of the monster lure fish so he modeled their bodies after them only on a smaller scale. They had sharp teeth and fast fins, like the ones two legs used on their floating rocks, and best of all he had been able to make the glowing bits on their heads work too.

Their den was dim and the area around it often grew dark earlier than nearby places, which forced his poor guppy to hide away. Tony’s specialized eyes and receptors in his tentacles made strong light a moot point, so the bioluminescent plankton and plants he cultivated were enough for him to be active whenever he wanted but Peter wasn’t so lucky. His eyes weren’t adapted to the dark at all, and there had been times Tony had to even feed him directly when he couldn’t see well enough to manage it himself.

Dum-e and U would fix that though, giving Peter portable light along with their company. They weren’t the smartest creatures but they’d do just fine for his curious guppy.

Peter was tired and sore as he always was these days. Being a carrier for their young was harder than he had ever thought. Other guppies in his school had carried their young without slowing down but Peter struggled and he wasn’t sure if it was because Tony’s eggs were developing differently or if he just wasn’t suited to parenthood. It was a depressing thought, and one that was hard to shake when he was so isolated.

He trilled sadly and curled up tighter into the nest. Tony had been gone more often lately to hunt for them and Peter missed him.

With a sigh, Peter forced himself out of the nest. He was hungry and there were bound to be some algae he could snack on until Tony returned with something more substantial.

Peter idly drifted outside their den, enjoying the filtered light and decorative shells Tony had added for him.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here little guppy,” a sly voice said from above him. “Are you lost?”

Peter startled, looking up to see a squid mer floating above.

“No, not lost,” Peter said cautiously. Squids were predators, and had been known to even steal mer fry if they had the opportunity.

“You look like you’re carrying quite a big load there,” the squid said, swimming closer. “Do you need help getting home?”

“No, I’m fine,” Peter replied tersely. He flicked his tail and pushed himself away, mentally cursing his clumsy fins as he did. “Please leave. I don’t want any trouble.”

“I’m hurt,” the squid said dramatically, clutching at a shell necklace he wore. “I haven’t done a thing and yet you’re treating me like a dangerous predator.”

“You are a dangerous predator,” Peter retorted, still trying to move back towards the safety of Tony’s den.

“Don’t be so scared, little guppy,” the squid soothed.

Peter’s stomach turned at the smooth voice, his instincts going haywire as he tried to retreat. The squid swam closer, moving faster than Peter could out-swim. He trilled in fear, sand filling the water as his tail flailed uselessly in the water. His heavy belly dragged him down and panic stole away what strength he had.

“Come on, little guppy, you’ll hurt yourself,” the squid called. “I’m not going to hurt you. You have my word. I just want to spend some time with you.”

“I think it’s pretty obvious the guppy is taken, so how about you back the fuck off before I rip your knock off tentacles right off,” Tony’s voice said suddenly.

“And here I thought I’d finally gotten rid of you,” the squid said haughtily. “You should be careful, little guppy, Octopi are notorious for being dead beat dads. Oh wait, it’s just dead dads. They off themselves so they never have to deal with the fry.”

“Better than eating them like you,” Tony called back. “And at least I have brains between these arms instead just an ink sac to think with.”

Peter jumped as something grabbed him, then relaxed as he recognized the feel of Tony’s tentacles.

“I’ve got you,” Tony murmured, arms and tentacles wrapping tightly around him. Then the octomer called out. “Dum-e, U, deal with this intruder.”

Peter shook as two large silver fish burst past them towards the squid. There was a yelp, and the squid fled even as Tony called the other fish back.

“These are Dum-E and U,” Tony said as the silver fish came up. Only as they got closer, Peter grew confused. They looked like monster fish but there was an odd color to them and they didn’t move right.

“What are they?” he asked, reaching a hand out tentatively as they came closer.

“They’re nanny fish,” Tony said proudly. “I made them to take care of you and our fry. They’ll give you more light too with their little head lights.”

“And they’re safe?” Peter asked. One finally got close enough to touch, and he jerked his hand back as he felt the hardness of stone instead of the living flesh of a fish. “What? What is this?”

“I told you, I made them, like a two legger makes things,” Tony said as he gave one of the fish a pat. “They’re made of the strongest stuff I could find, though they’re kind of stupid. Smart enough to follow orders and be good for you though.”

“And they won’t try to eat me?” Peter asked as he noticed the rows of sharp teeth in their mouths.

“Nope, I put you into their main personality as the primary person to protect,” Tony said smugly. “They know you come first no matter what. Oh and watch this. Dum-E, light the way.”

One of the monster fish lit the bulb hanging off its head and Peter gasped.

“Tony, it’s so bright! How is that possible?”

“Just a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” Tony said, skirting the question. “If you’re really interested, I’ll take you to my workshop sometime.”

“That would be amazing,” Peter said, his voice full of awe as he touched the brightly glowing bulb. “I- Did you really do this just for me?”

“Of course,” Tony said firmly. “You’re my mate and you were lonely and I’ve noticed how much you get scared in the dark. So now you don’t have to be lonely or scared. I love you, Peter, and I know it was rough at the start but all I want is your happiness.”

Peter couldn’t help the melancholic trill that slipped free as Tony gathered him up tightly.

“I-I was so scared, when you first dragged me into your nest, but you’ve been so gentle and kind since,” Peter said softly. “I’m not afraid of you anymore, not really. I don’t know if I love you. You took me away from everything and I miss my school. That was my home, and my friends. But I, I think I could come to love you, with time.”

“That’s good enough for me, little guppy,” Tony said, drawing Peter in for a gentle kiss. “I’ll court you and woo you properly until you’re as in love with me as I am with you. And until then I can wait patiently.”

Peter curled into Tony’s arms and tentacles, relaxing into the octomer’s hold. It wasn’t going home, but he meant what he said. He truly believed he could come to love Tony.

“Come on, guppy, let's get you back home so I can take care of you properly,” Tony said, drawing his gravid mate close to him. “After all that excitement, you should rest a bit. I can help you unwind.”

“No toxin,” Peter said quickly and Tony agreed.

“Of course not, we don’t want to harm the fry, but I’m sure I can put these tentacles to good use in other ways,” Tony all but purred.

His little guppy flared his fins in interest and didn’t fight as Tony swam them back to their home.

Tony set the guppy down on their nest carefully, ordering the two bots to stand guard as he let his tentacles run slowly over his mate’s skin. His caresses were soft, suckers only latching on gently before letting go again, yet it was enough to get his guppy squirming.

“Tony, please,” Peter trilled, and Tony took great pleasure in letting a sucker tug particularly firmly against the guppy’s nipple. Tony slid down Peter’s body, taking the nipple into his mouth instead. As he suckled on it, he slid a tentacle up to Peter’s mouth, running it around the edges before pushing just the tip in.

His mate instantly started sucking on it, trills and whimpers slipping out around it. With a grin, Tony used his hand to feel his way down to Peter’s slit. He ran a finger along the edge, teasing the flap and rim as he lapped at his mate’s chest. Then he pushed in, reveling in how Peter gasped and arched into his hold.

“Oh little guppy, so tight down here,” Tony moaned. “I want to taste it and then I’m going to make you squirm on my tentacles again.”

Peter whined in response but didn’t fight as Tony continued kissing a path down Peter’s body towards his slit. He wasted no time in repositioning his mate in their nest, Peter’s heavy belly cushioned by seaweed and dorsal fins high in the air with his slit exposed.

“Such a feast for me,” Tony murmured, licking at the slit carefully. He held Peter’s hips firmly as he stopped delaying and thrust his tongue in. Peter tensed around him, moaning at the intrusion. Tony couldn’t help slipping his tentacle back into the guppy’s open mouth.

Peter moaned again, sucking the tentacle feverishly as the heat and pleasure built to a peak just from the thrusting of Tony’s tongue. The firm warmth rubbed all of the right places and Peter shook as his senses went on the fritz from pleasure. His head fell forward, pushing the tentacle down his throat and dragging another moan from him.

Since their first time together, he had kept stuffing Peter until the guppy didn’t feel truly satisfied without it. Even now, fresh from orgasm, he wanted more in his slit, so that it felt as full as his mouth.

Tony seemed to read his mind, pulling his tongue out and replacing it with a tentacle instead. The tip pressed in, and Peter sagged in the octopus’ hold, waiting on the relief his thick tentacles always brought.

Only instead of relief, Peter just felt frustration when the tentacle bottomed out only inches in. He whined, wiggling and trying to push himself back further only for Tony to pin him firmly.

“Easy there, little guppy,” Tony soothed. “I’ll take care of you but you have to be careful.”

Tony tutted as Peter trilled and tried to push back again. He grabbed his guppy more firmly in his tentacles and then reached down to rub at the younger mer’s slit.

Once he was sure the edges were softened enough, he slid a finger in alongside his tentacle. Peter whined and moaned at the intrusion. The vibration around his tentacle felt good, and Tony couldn’t help but push that in deeper, spearing Peter on it and filling his mouth and throat.

“Look at you, taking me so well,” Tony said, reaching his hand up to feel Peter’s stuffed throat. “I bet if I squeezed I’d be able to feel it. Should I stick my breeding arm here instead? Fill your throat with my seed?”

Peter’s slit clenched around his fingers and tentacle and he moaned loudly. Tony smirked, quickly switching the tentacles so that he could stuff his guppy properly. He also used the tip of three tentacles to fill Peter’s slit, freeing both hands for him to play with.

“That’s it baby,” Tony said as he fed his tentacle further into Peter’s throat. When it was far enough down, he grabbed the guppy’s throat and started massaging it, moaning at the warm pressure from the younger mer’s body. “Fuck, baby, it’s like I’m playing with myself.”

Tony continued to massage his tentacle through Peter’s throat even as he added another tentacle tip to Peter’s slit. Heat and pleasure burst through him as his seed released into his mate. Peter moaned around him, sucking it down even as his gills flared in pleasure, fins fanning and closing as his body tightened around Tony’s other tentacles.

“That’s it, little guppy, fuck– such a good mate taking me like that,” Tony groaned. “Can’t wait to put another clutch of eggs in this hole. Gonna keep you bred up until we have a whole school just for you.”

Peter whimpered, shuddering as Tony slowly pumped the tentacles in his slit until the oversensitivity became too much. Then his mate withdrew them. Peter trilled unhappily, feeling empty even if he knew more would be too much.

“It’s ok, little guppy,” Tony soothed, arranging them both in their nest so that Peter was cradled in his many tentacles. “I won’t leave you empty.”

Peter sighed as a tentacle slid back into his slit, just far enough to give him something to tighten around. Another tentacle rubbed at his lips, and Peter caught a slightly salty taste before it pushed into his mouth. He suckled it instinctively, relaxing as Tony’s hands cupped his gravid pouch.

“So perfect,” Tony murmured into his ears. “My perfect wonderful mate.”

Peter drifted off to more soft murmurs and the secure embrace of his mate.