#but yeah i really don't know if i should take them with me or not...

[cookiecakecookie-cake]

Hi I really like your writing. I have a request. For cookies of your choice, let's say they had someone close to them (romantic or platonic) that pulled an Odysseus were the reader set out to the licorice sea, was presumed deceased, and came back years later all scarred up. Cookies and Epic have invades my brain. Thanks for reading.

No way.... odysseus..... like my blorbo outis limbus company that im soooso normalll abouttt... (i didnt make this video but god i wish i did) anyways, i hope you don't mind the fact that i took this and RAN with it. mwehehehe -cookie cake

No More Going Back

(Pre-corruption!Mystic Flour Cookie/Burning Spice Cookie/Shadow Milk Cookie x Reader)

Inspired in part by I'll Take You by @/brittle-doughie

cws: angst, lots of talk about death & war, shouting/arguments and brief descriptions of dead bodies.

War was on the edge of the horizon. Your gazed out at sea. Far off in the distance, there was a nation that intended to take all you sought dear. Then and there, you decided that there was no other choice. You were going to protect the ones you loved or die trying.

-----

"-And when I'm gone, I want you to take care of yourself, alright? I won't be around to get rid of overtly greedy cookies and I know everyone will be wanting a lot during these trying times. If you ever need help, know you can rely on-"

"My love, I am not a child."

You sigh, "I know but I worry." Wheat Flour Cookie was a cookie who often gave herself to others in surplus, leaving little left for herself. You didn't want anybody to use her because of that and she was more than aware of that fact.

"I'll ask the people of the temple for help if I need anything and I will keep in mind of my limits as to who I can and cannot help." She held your face in her hands as she spoke, making sure you caught every one of her words loud and clear.

"You promise?"

"I promise... That is, if you promise, in return, to come back safely." You smile, gently resting your forehead on hers. "I promise, my grace."

-----

CLANG!

Your spear clashed against the Red Spice Cookie's own parashu, sending sparks across the area. You hold that for a moment, before deflecting his attack, making the great force of his weapon crash uselessly against the ground. He tries to charge you again, but you manage to easily parry, sending his weapon hurtling across the room. You angle your spear at his throat.

"You loose." You state, very matter-of-factly.

"You really don't take any hostages, do you, dear?" He brushes the spear away with the back of his hand. You pull the spear away from him, walking to put it away.

"The only hostage I'd take is you, my ember."

You can't see him, but you can sense the fond eye roll from across the room.

You dock your weapon back in the rack you got it from. "... You were distracted. I can tell."

"You don't miss a single detail, either." He gets up, stretching his back. You can hear a couple bones pop. "... There's been a lot on my mind lately."

"You have a lot on your plate, I could only imagine." You walk back over to him, trying to assess if there were any injuries you should attend to. "Just... come back to me in one piece, alright? I'm going to be incredibly bored without my hearth." He grumbled, heating up at your careful observation.

"Of course. I can't keep you waiting for too long, can I?" You leave a sweet peck on his cheek.

-----

"... So, that's it then? You're just... going off without me?" Blueberry Milk Cookie stared, completely baffled. You tried to avoid his eyes as much as you could.

"You make it sound like I'm ending our relationship."

"Well, you might as well be!!"

The Fount of Knowledge was seen by all as a figure of intellectualism. Rationality. Yet, here he stood, clinging to your uniform with a look that you know you can't meet.

"This is important to me. To us. If I don't do something, we might loose everything."

"Have you considered loosing you may be even worse?!"

"... I have."

"Oh yeah! Sure! Uh-huh! Talk like you have eeeeverything under control, why don't you! Like everything's going to go well! Sure! Go off and play hero and DIE and leave me here with NOTHING!"

"Blueberry, I-"

"Oh no, nonono NO! You don't get to 'Blueberry' me, right now! Have you considered what this is going to be like for me?! I'll have to manage everything by myself and you KNOW those cookies are as blind as bats if they don't like the reality of what they're seeing! If you go off and DIE out there, what am I going to do, then, huh?! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!?" He held onto your shoulders with a desperation that you have never seen on his face before.

"I..."

"'I' WHAT?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" You finally looked him in the eyes. They were angry, yes, but they were also full of fear. His worry streamed down his perfect face. "I don't... know. And it's impossible for me to know, just as it's impossible for one cookie to know everything. But what I do know is that the lives of the cookies around us are at stake if this isn't handled with care."

"... And there's nobody else that can take your place? No one?" He tried one last time to stop you, to keep you safe, with him.

"Do you know anyone as smart as me when it comes to the battlefield?"

"I'm not in the mood for jokes." It was time for him to try and dodge your gaze, looking away from you.

"I'm sorry, my love. I don't want this either. I'm left with no choice." You try to reach out to him, gently holding his face to look back at you. "But if I am to die out there, let me have one last request. Let's spend our remaining time together in happiness, so that you don't regret the fading hours."

He tried to stop himself from crying for a second, but it was a futile effort. He crumpled into your arms, chest heaving with his emotion.

"... Please come back soon."

"I will."

-----

You didn't die, no, but you might as well be. Lost at sea and prevented from seeing those you love for years on end, you'd almost gone mad. All you wanted was to see the ones you loved once again, but it seemed every force of nature planned against you and maybe they were.

When you finally return, broken and bettered, it was obvious that something was wrong. You knew that it'd been years since you'd last seen your home, but it didn't look like.... this.

You walked down the roads and alleyways of the once bustling city, without a single hint of any life. The houses and buildings were intact, but the only thing for miles was pure white flour.

A temple of gold and splendor was reduced to nothing but crumbs and rubble on the ground. The cookies weren't just dead, but ground to a fine powder that made the air taste overwhelmingly like spice.

Cookies hung from string that stretched far into the sky, presumably connected to some unseen controller. They talked of nonsense, if they even spoke at all. Some just looked at you with hollow eyes, were they dead or tired of all the lies? You couldn't tell anymore.

And when you found them, in the middle of it all? You wished you had died out there, so you didn't have to see the one who you once loved reduced to... this.

A monster.

[hurtspideyparker]

Avengers High School AU

based on this post of mine

At a Party:

Clint: Here's a drink Pete

Tony: *takes solo cup from Peter* You idiot, he's underage!

Clint: So are we dipshit

Tony: *Chugs Peter's drink*

Clint: Whatever, I'll get him a lemonade

Tony: *Chugs his own drink*

—

Natasha: Steve I saw Tony heading for the janitor's closet

Steve: Okay?

Natasha: With Clint

Steve, sprinting down the hall: NOT THE TOILET PAPER BARTON

—

Bucky: Would you like to go out sometime?

Natasha: No

Bucky: I respect that. *Turns to Sam* would you like to go out sometime

Sam: Wait—but you just. What the hell man

Bucky: I'll take that as a no. *Turns to Clint* would you like to—

Clint: Fuck yeah

—

Tony: Did you hear about the fire in the chem lab?

Steve: Tony, what did you do

Tony: It wasn't me this time!

Steve: Oh. That's new

Tony: I mean I did text Bruce the calculations, it's not my fault he didn't see the decimal

Steve: Tony!

—

Natasha: And that's why I transferred in the middle of last year

Sam: Isn't that like...a crime

Natasha: Nobody will believe you.

Sam: What? What do you mean by that

Natasha, disappearing into the crowd:

Sam: What do you mean by that?!

—

Peter: Hi Captain!

Steve: You know only the football team calls me that Peter. I'm not your Captain

Peter: Yes sir

Steve: I'm only 2 years older than you, you don't need to call me sir either

Peter: Okay Captain!

Steve: No just...whatever

—

Tony: Hey Bruce whatcha reading

Bruce: AH! Oh hey dude

Tony: Wow you're jumpy. You need to relax

Bruce: I don't think I've relaxed once since I met you but thanks for the advice

—

Clint: Do you think Thor was held back?

Sam: Naw man, he's pretty smart

Clint: But he looks like he has a 401k and a mortgage

Bucky: Talks like it too

Sam: Maybe it's a Europe thing, school is different there

Clint: Maybe. Hey Thor! What's up buddy, how's the wife and kids?

Thor: Ay? Um...well? And yours my friend?

Clint: Fantastic! Well it was good seeing you

Thor: Alright then, farewell

Sam: What an odd guy

Bucky: Nice though

Clint: Real nice dude

—

Pepper: Tony, stop flirting with me to make Steve jealous

Tony: Whaaaaat, I would never

Pepper: You very loudly told your table, which is right next to mine, "I'm going to go flirt with Pepper to make Steve jealous"

Tony: Well do you think it's working?

Steve, at Tony's table: No

—

Peter: The decathlon supervisor is already one of my references, and I tutor for Mrs. Warren's freshman class a lot so I have her too. I also volunteered at a special needs camp over the summer, plus I applied for this competitive course where you write a research paper under a university professor for junior year, and if I get it that will look really good on my MIT application. I just hope it doesn't interfere with my internship at Oscorp. What about you, what are you doing to prepare for graduation? Aren't college apps due, like, next month for you?

Bucky: Well my boss at Dunkin Donuts said he'd give me a reference. Chicks in the drive through always tip me well

—

Sam: Why'd you punch Rumlow!

Steve: Cause he was saying creepy stuff about Natasha!

Bucky: You shouldn't have done that man

Steve: What do you mean, he was being a total asshole, I don't care if I get detention

Sam: It's not him you should be worried about

Natasha: Rogers, that was MY punch to throw

Steve: Oh no

Natasha: You think I'm some damsel in distress? Come here and I'll show you a damsel in distress

Steve: I, uh, gotta go *runs out the door*

Natasha: Which way did he go.

Sam: I didn't see nothin'

Bucky: Out those doors and to the left

Sam: Bruh

Bucky: A true friend understands when the consequences are necessary *kicks Rumlow who's still lying on the ground as he walks away*

—

Bruce: What did the racing hot dog say when he passed the finish line?

Tony: What

Bruce: I'm a wiener!

Everyone:

Bruce: Get it? Like winner?

Tony: It's okay man, just stick to academics

Thor: I have one! A priest, a pastor, and a rabbi walk into a bar

Everyone:

Thor: HAHAHA, what a coincidence for them all to arrive in the establishment simultaneously!

*Everyone bursts out laughing*

Bruce: Oh come on, that wasn't even a joke!

Tony: See he has charisma. It's all about the delivery Brucie Bear

—

Sam: Wait, you're saying that the elephant toothpaste all over the second floor right before midterms was you?

Rhodey: Hell yeah it was

Sam: But everyone blamed Tony. Even Tony's parents and the principal. The only reason he wasn't suspended was because the cameras were wiped of evidence, which was also blamed on Tony

Rhodey: Yeah you'd be surprised about how much stuff I do that Tony gets blamed for. Public image does wonders to create bias

Sam: What the hell? I thought you were the responsible one and Tony was your monkey on a leash. Why does he let you blame him?

Rhodey: Cuz he's a good bro. He gets to piss his parents off, I don't get kicked out of ROTC, and then we laugh about it afterwards

Sam: You evil geniuses...

—

Wanda: I want to get married

Natasha: Are you pregnant?

Wanda: What? No

Natasha: Oh thank goodness. Wait, then why do you want to get married

Wanda: Because it's romantic!

Natasha: And the tax benefits?

Wanda: No! Well, yes that would be nice, but no! I want to be a stay at home mom and have a nice family

Natasha: Girl you failed home economics and your type is men who think calling you their "situationship" is making it official, why don't we focus on finding the vertex for now

—

If u like this vibe I have a domestic Avengers "in a timeline where Civil War didn't end in divorce" series as well:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 :P

[kenyummy]

✰ 04. the ballad of a bygone blight.

✰ ꒰ ⍣'ˎ˗ platonic yandere batfam / spider! reader ꒱

✰ 04. fantastic four.

SYNOPSIS : being spidey isn't easy. being transported into an alternate universe where you're nothing but a shadow in your house, makes sneaking around a little easier... until you find yourself the apple of their eye... kind of.

note: had to wrack my brain to remember what math i was learning in seventh grade LMAO . sometimes i forget damian is just a little guy in like seventh to eighth grade. crazy. and please let me know if there's any mistakes with pronouns/gender!!! i want to keep this open to everybody so im always trying my best ❤️

also ive realised how chopped harry is in the comics after taking my rose coloured lenses off. basically he and mj have their look in the ultimate spiderman TV show (in my eyes anyway, i kind of just described their appearance based off tgat lmaooo)

prev. ✰ masterlist ✰ next.

School has never felt so bland for you. Sure, it was never your favourite thing in the world—except for maybe biology—but you'd think that discovering a whole new world in your last year would make it a little more interesting.

It didn't.

It's been three weeks since you crash landed here in Gotham. The most you'd gotten from your family was an awkward "how are you" occasionally, and a lot of staring.

You'd only shown yourself as Spidey a few times to the public, but never stayed for those pesky news reporters shoving their microphones into your face. You'd never liked interviews, anyway.

The only highlight of your long days were MJ and Harry. You'd gotten over the initial shock of Harry being in love with you—convincing yourself that it really wasn't you he liked; it was this world's original you. (Though—that fact still lingers in the back of your mind whenever you talk).

Apart from that, school truly was uneventful. Your kooky art teacher was the only one of whom you actually liked, and it seemed the education here was rather lax. Uncaring. Not good for your future, surely—but you wouldn't have a future here, and you're sure this [name] Wayne will be just fine.

Speaking of schooling—the people here really seemed to hate the Gotham Prep kids. More than what a petty rivalry should be—it was pure malice.

Harry was especially adamant about this.

"They're all dumb, entitled rich kids who use daddy's money to get whatever they want, you know." He stabs his fork into a dry cut of chicken violently. Then points, accusatory, at MJ—who already presents a sneer to him. "And don't you start lumping me in with them—you know I'm not like that."

Her face twists, but soon she grins cheekily. "Okay, fine. Yeah, you're totally not, otherwise nobody here would like you one bit. And who doesn't love Harry, huh?"

"Oh, be quiet," But still, he smiles—damn his head is big. He glances over at you. You're picking around at your soggy broccoli with a frown. "Hey, [name]. Don't two of your brothers go to Gotham Prep?"

You look up at your ginger friend, head tilted to the side before it clicked. Oh, right. Tim and that young boy—Damian, if you remember correctly. Tim barely ever went to school if your diary was still accurate, and Damian had little choice but to.

(Doesn't seem like he'd be the social butterfly type, though.)

"Yeah, they do." You nod, still fiddling around with that vegetable.

"Not that I'm not glad that you're here—but why don't you go to school with them?" MJ leans forward in her seat. "I mean, isn't it easier for siblings to go to the same school?"

Your eyes widen for a second.

There's a few ways you can go about this.

One—you tell them everything you know about your other self. About how you never felt included enough to ask. How you never spent time with them. How it always felt like everything and everyone else was more important than you. How you suffered silently—begging for their attention for years like a house pet becoming a stray.

Two—you could tell them you have absolutely no idea because you have none of your memories of anything from the past years of this life—how you don't even remember all your siblings names half the time.

Or three, and your personal favourite—you can just lie.

It doesn't take a serial genius to figure out which one you chose.

"I guess I just didn't like the rich private school vibe they had going on." A smile falls over your lips. "Plus—you guys were coming here, so it gave me even more of a reason to attend, you know?"

You're not entirely sure that's true. But—if these two were anything like the Harry and MJ you know—then this would probably be right.

Judging from their smiles, your detective skills haven't failed you yet.

"Man!" MJ lolls her head back, groaning. "Can't believe I'm friends with two rich kids who get to choose which school they want—the beat down public or sleek rich private."

"Don't go dissing this school just because you're jealous of their uniforms," Harry snickers, pressing his index finger into MJ's cheek. She huffs and slaps him away.

"Silence, nepo baby. Your dad is basically Lex Luthor if he wasn't bald."

Harry looks more confused than offended at her comment, "Okay, but my dad isn't an evil mastermind plotting against a red and blue suited superhero."

You press your lips together thinly and look to the side, eyes focused on anything but him. Oh, Harry—if only you knew.

Damian Wayne had never truly seen the point of highschool.

Raised by assassains all his life—he had little room, time, and desire to learn about all this nonsense. While he enjoyed arts and fine literature—he couldn't find it within himself to care about the American Revolution, or whatever other ridiculous thing happened in history.

His maths teacher was absolutely, indubitably pathetic. Always on his phone as he assigns mountains of homework (because he never bothers to explain the complex materials they're given) on the latest subject—whether it be those blasted simultaneous equations, or to factorise useless monic trinomials. Even calculating tax and interest on the stupidest of cases.

Damian found himself sitting in the corner of his class in silence, staring down, bored, at the book in front of him. He truly hated math. There's so much real work to be done—crime to fight, plotting organisations to take down.

But his father, as always, is unmoving in his conviction that school is important. For Damian especially, anyway; Drake can skip as often as he likes because he's a senior already. Truly, ridiculous.

For Damian, and—oh.

You.

Bruce always seemed especially insistent on you two going to school. Even when everyone but him knew you skipped every few days and simply come home to wait.

Wait for what? For them?

His brows furrow. Suddenly, the black and white equations on the sheet blur and he zones out. Thinking.

You always did. From the day he'd walked into the manor, you were always there. Unconsciously, he'd notice it. A trait of a good assassin is that they can spot everyone in the room.

A trait of a great assassin is that they can spot everyone inside and watching.

Always, you were watching. Those pitiful stares. Desperate like a unloved pet. If he cared a little more (if any at all), he would've felt sorrow for your state.

Always wanting, but never asking. Never taking. Simply waiting for it all to come to you. He would never understand it. He would never understand you.

He would never understand how somebody could allow themselves to be so weak.

Like everybody else—when he first entered the manor, he proposed to fight you. Assuming—being the child of his father, like he was—you were worthy. That you were strong.

He doesn't know how he could've been so wrong. You immediantly reacted, gasping and clutching your face. He'd nicked it with the edge of his blade after he unsheathed it. You looked at the blood dotting your fingertips, then back at him, eyes wide.

Immediantly, Bruce rushed to his side and pushed him behind his larger, imposing figure—telling you to not interact with him because he's different to regular people. Different to you.

He watched you storm off from behind his father's legs; anger practically blaring off your figure.

Later—he happened to overhear you and Grayson talking quietly. Telling you to not be too hard on Damian, because he's troubled. That he's had a difficult life. At first—he was a tad offended—but that offence could not compare to the absolute fury burning in your eyes.

Though, it all melted away when Grayson's hand ruffled your hair. Like a little kid, you stared up at him, soft and starry-eyed as you unconsciously murmured you'd forgive your new little brother.

Damian dry-heaved. You were so goddamn weak.

So weak, and so normal. Everything you did was completely regular. You were on the same wavelength as the civilians he saved from burning rubble. The same as people who walked down the street, talking about their favourite Justice League member. Who cowered in fear in front of villains—to be saved by those heroes. By him.

You were nothing, and yet everything he could never have been.

(What child does not long for normalcy?)

Damian always thought you were rather helpless, regardless of how regular you were—and seeing you with that bullet lodged in your shoulder—he was right. Not being able to dodge something like a bullet—there was no wonder you never become a vigilante. There was no wonder you needed to be protected.

... Though—he began to think back.

Who did? Protect you; that is.

Whoever it was, they did a pretty awful job at it.

Damian strums his fingers against the hardwood table rhythmically. Face blank but mind running rapidly.

It couldn't have been Todd. No—he seemed to be in a frazzled state of mania when carrying your bleeding body in your arms. Perhaps he too, believed you were safe with the rest of his family.

(Oh how wrong Todd was—he looked livid.)

... Grayson?

No. When he's not in Blüdhaven, he is almost always with the other vigilantes within the family. Not here nor there, and certainly not close enough to protect you.

Not Drake. He never cared enough, despite everything. Not Cain, either. Though the silent protector type—she had too much on her plate to worry about you as well.

Gordon and Brown had their own families to worry about.

And his—your father? The Batman? There was no time for a regular child like you in the Batman's life of vigilantism. Whom he sworn to protect in his crusade now lay bleeding out in his great failure's arms.

...

Did you truly have nobody?

...

Damian couldn't really imagine it. He'd always assumed you had many friends to fill the void that yoir family left with their civilian clothes. ... Perhaps you did. He wouldn't know.

You are his only half sibling. In this world, only he is truly your brother, and you are his only older sibling. Does that not give him the slightest of responsibility?

He'd always been taught to keep everybody at arms length—even his own family. The whole world is out to get the Demon's grandson, then he must fight it. But his father taught him differently.

To protect those who cannot protect themselves—to keep those he cares about safe at any cost.

What of you? He does not care for you in the way an ordinary sibling should. Seeing you so weak, defenceless against him—must mean you trust him in some way.

(It's hard for him to fathom being able to feel so unprotected in a world he was taught was trying to extinguish him at every turn).

Regardless of how you don't belong—or how frosty you act toward your youngest brother—he has a duty.

No matter how hard you try—you can never sever the blood you two share. The others do not have this duty—but he does, because in the end, you are his. None of the others bothered, so Damian must.

You are everything he could never be, he has realised. But in the end, you are blood. It runs thicker in the veins than any water, and that is one of the most important things to Damian.

Seeing that same blood—his blood—spill out of you carelessly—that is a sight he will never bear witness to again.

Damian was the first one out the door as soon as the bell chimed in his ear. His bag slung tightly around his shoulders and textbook under his arm; he rushed into the familiar sight of a sleek, large car.

He shuts the door as he climbs into the backseat (Bruce said he was still too short to sit in the front, much to his son's displeasure). "Hello, Pennyworth."

Alfred glances back at him through the rear view mirror. "Good afternoon, Master Damian. How was school?"

"Same as usual. A waste of time." He clicks his seatbelt shut as the car begins to move. Alfred only hums, keeping his eyes trained on the road.

"I'm unsurprised to hear you say so. I do hope you understand why exactly, you are enrolled in school, however. And why Master Bruce is so adamant about your attendance."

Damian knows. He's always known, because it has been drilled into his head like a mantra. Talia and Ra's Al Ghul weren't math teachers—and most of his time really was spent training and sparring to be the best he could be.

He was not illiterate, nor stupid. Rather smart, actually. However, he didn't exactly learn algebra and chemistry with the League of Assassins.

He grumbles. "I know, Pennyworth. Father cannot seem to stop reminding me that all these things are far more important than stopping the endless wave of crime in Gotham."

If he weren't on the road—Alfred surely would've given him a nasty look. "Master Damian, please—your sincerity is positively slaughtering me."

Damian rolls his eyes, opting to stop this fruitless conversation and look outside the windows instead. At the outside world—the sky already paling to deep auburn shades as they drive through the endless roads.

He watched all the cars moving past; hurrying to get to their destination. Each with their own story and reason for being there. Every single one with their own thoughts and worries. Some with children, others with pets, and some with piles of groceries.

All with their own, individual lives. Including him.

A bus, too. It stops for a moment at a sheltered space, then drives away, leaving a few people standing under the shade.

An elderly lady with a man, presumably her son, walking away with her. A woman with frizzy red hair and freckles dotted over her nose. A few schoolkids—some his age, some older. Clearly from the public school on the other side of Gotham, if only to judge from the scantily clad clothes some of the older students wore—

Wait, is that you?

He sits up—the car slowly coming to a stop at a red light. His eyes don't leave your figure as he presses his nose against the window; observing.

You look around at the people that pass by you—gripping your bag close to your side and rushing into the nearest alleyway.

He waits for a few moments. This red light feels rather long—but what feels longer is watching and waiting for you to come out of that alleyway.

You never do.

Even as the car begins to move once more, driving past the intersection, he crawls as far back as possible to even get a glimpse—but you never show.

Just today, he had decided to be the one to take up the mantle and protect you. Just today, during a boring math class, he has decided that since you are his blood, he must keep a helpless civilian like you safe.

And now you're gone. Are you dead, or something?

(Deep down, his stomach twists at the thought.)

"Pennyworth, pull over." Hid voice is more taut than he had imagined. "Now."

Alfred looks back, glancing at the streets around. He doesn't question the young boy, simply doing as he is asked and pulling over to a deserted parking area.

When he has parked the car, he turns around and sees Damian slipping his Robin mask on—somehow already fully suited up.

His eyes widen, "Master Damian, what—"

"I have something to do. Let Father know I will be back home late."

Opening the door, Damian rushes out and pulls out his grappling hook, swinging onto the nearest building's roof and looking around.

He spots the alleyway you'd run into. It is still. Absolutely no movement nor any looks from passer-bys. He rushes across the roves towards where the dark side seeped into the crack of the buildings.

Maybe you'd taken another way out?

But looking at the alleyway now, it's more like a dip between the buildings to stand in more than anything. It was blocked off on the other side.

So where...???

He drops down, landing on his soles and squinting as he stares around into the dark. There's nothing.

No people, nor bodies, and certainly not anything to indicate anybody was ever here.

Except...

He glances at the wall. Theres a white cocoon-esque oval webbed to the wall. Those same webs he'd seen all that time ago—from that spider. That would show up then leave immediantly. Never staying for longer than they had to.

Dodging all of his and Batman's attempts at asking who you were, and what you were doing in Gotham. Always swinging away into the distance before they could be subdued.

Now, he stares at their ball of webbing and wonders if it truly is an arachnid he's dealing with.

He pokes it, looking it up and down. Then, he sees it. Through the small holes in the webs and the translucent, silk-like material—he finally sees it.

Your bag.

He tears off the webbing faster than he can think, getting the sticky substance stuck to his gloves and clothes; he barely even notices it. He grabs your bag and stares it, swallowing hard.

His mind buzzes with an unfamiliar staticky feeling and he suddenly feels sick to his stomach. Despite all the noise in his ear—his brain is able to comprehend one singular question.

... What did that arachnid do to you?

Clothed fingers digging deep into the leather fabric of the bag—clearly worn down and fading. Old. He would get Father to purchase you another. ... When he sees you next. Because he will.

His jaw clenches hard.

Damian throws the bag over his shoulder and grapples up—swinging onto a building roof and running across.

Running for what, he isn't sure. But what he is sure of, is that once he gets his hands on that arachnid, it will not be kind.

To find out what happened to you—that is his duty as your blood sibling.

He decides that in this life, he will be your protector. In the next, if he is ever given a chance to be normal like you—he will become a doctor. Or perhaps a painter. Or a poet. Maybe he will ask you to help him decide when he finds you and that arachnid.

... Yes, that sounds good.

You cut through the cool wind as you swing through the city. Grinning widely underneath your mask—you don't think you've ever been so happy since you landed here.

You're sure nobody will take your stuff. Even if they do, you could always just get whatever else you needed again. You were far too excited to dwell on the small stuff right about now.

Landing on a rooftop, crouched—you walk down the wall of the apartment complex, and look around for civilians. As he told you—the streets around the back of the building were practically deserted.

You count the amount of rooms from the side, up and down.

"Row 5, Apartment block... 2..." You hum, and nod to yourself.

You tap your necklace and the nanobots all crawl off your body, leaving you in your regular clothes. You land safely on the balcony of the room you were given.

You smooth out your flared jeans and take in a deep breath. Then, you bring up your knuckles, and knock.

The glass screen door opens before you can say fantastic.

A small pair of arms wrap around your torso and knock you backwards—you fall on your ass and let out a loud laugh.

"Spidey!!! [name]!!!"

"Is that who I think it is?!" You tease, eyes squinted upwards and the young kid buries into your stomach. His giggles are muffled by the fabric and he squeezes you so tight you'd be inclined to choke—if it wasn't you. "Frankie!! How's my favourite Richard?"

"I can't believe you'd say that, [name]. That hurts." A familiarly sweet voice speaks.

"Sue!" You grin, taking in the sight of the blonde and her husband by her side. You get up—Franklin stumbles behind you—and crash into her arms.

She chuckles, patting your back and smiling down at you, "I missed you too, [name]. You always manage to find yourself in the strangest situations, don't you?"

Reed cradles his chin, "Well, we were technically the cause of this distortion in reality, Susan—"

But seeing the expression on both your and his wife's face; he stops himself. Only smiling sheepishly. "My apologies. It's great to see you again, [name]. I didn't think we'd find another familiar face in a different universe."

"You're getting better at this, Reed." You lift yourself from Sue's comforting cradle and grin brightly up at him. "I didn't think I'd see all of you guys again, either. When you all disappeared for so long—I was wondering if something bad happened."

"Hah! Ta us? You kiddin'? Ya more bug-brained 'den that spider that bit ya!"

"Ben!!!" You go flying toward the rock-encased man and wrap your arms around his comfortingly tough neck. He spins you around and lets you down with a loud laugh.

"'Ey kid, how're ya? Heard ya tackled ol' matchstick 'ere outta the sky!" He slaps his rocky chest laughing—in the corner of your eye, Johnny stands behind him, unimpressed.

He walks up beside you, swinging an arm around your neck and snarks, "Yeah—well, Spidey's always been known for catching people off guard, huh? Creepin' up when you least expect it."

"You're making [name] sound like a villain, Unc!" Frankin, who had found himself attached to the side of your shirt, sticks out his tongue.

Johnny recoils, face falling in pure horror as he dramatically points at the young boy, "UNC??!! I... I'm an Unc now...??? I'm not even 19! I can't be an Unc!!!"

You burst out into laughter at the genuineness of Johnny's expression, watching as he freaks out about being "old". Sue and Reed roll their eyes—while Ben is there with you, laughing his ass off like he'd just gotten a home run on Yancy Street.

Franklin looks at your laughing expression and starts giggling along—jumping up and down beside you with sparkling eyes.

"Stop laughing, [name]! We're the same age!" Johnny points, accusatory. "If I'm an Unc, you're a...!"

"Doesn't matter. I'm cooler than Uncle Johnny anyways, right Frankie?" You grin, picking up Franklin as he cuddles into your neck.

"Mhm!" He nods eagerly.

Johnny sends you a blazing glare, lips pouted out. "You and me. We're—" He gestures to the two of you. "—gonna have some issues, here. Okay. Everyone knows I'm the cool Uncle."

"No, that's Benny!" Franklin points to Ben.

The look on Johnny's face shifts into utter disbelief—Ben falls out of his chair laughing wildly.

"Gosh, I missed you so much, kid." You pull at one of Franklin's cheeks and chuckle. He stares at you in awe for a few seconds, before hugging the side of your head and giggling.

"I missed you too!"

That same warmth fills each crevice and pore of your body, as you huddle close to your dear friends and let yourself feel at home for this small moment.

Meanwhile, in the dark of night, a pair of azure eyes watches, sharp and unnerving in the back of your skull.

You notice it. Of course you do. Your mind is tingling with that buzz—but you want to enjoy this night of nothing but home, even if only once.

taglist: @hello-bina @cosmosluckycharms @1abi @yhin-gg @insideoutjulie @bluepanda08 @omnivirgo @vanessa-boo @dind1n @welpthisisboring @lunaetiicsaystuff @marsmabe @atanukileaf @findingjaxx @4mrplumi @bunniotomia @lostsomewhereinthegarden @bat1212 @gaychaosgremlin @bongwaterflavoredgatorade @randomlyappearingartist @cxcilla @spidermanluvr444 @cruzerforce4256 @mybones537 @xjesterxjacksx @nirvanaxx1942 @djpuppy-kittens @br33zy-blizzardz @moon0goddess @0sunnyside01 @mei-simp @redsakura101 @the-dumber-scaramouche @wizzerreblogs @lovemiss-vale @deathbynarcisstick @allycat4458 @wonmyheart @luckyangelballoon @one-piecelover @hartwyrm @horror-lover-69 @maria-trisha @4rachn3 @galaxypurplerose @duskeras @coffeeaddictxd @lithiumval @kaz-playz

tsglist is closed, sorry! but do try and keep up with updates thank you!!!

[ahgasegotarmy116]

The Art of Etiquette Part 11 | Jeon Jungkook

Summary: The days leading up to the ball become fewer but a harsh reality hits you leaving you more conflicted than you already were. Pairing: f!reader x Etiquette instructor Jungkook Word Count: 2k~ Warnings: No real warnings a/n: So yeah...it's been a while. Sorry it took me so long to update this story and sorry it's so short but I wanted to bring this one back into the light. I know I keep on saying the ball is in the next chapter but it really will be in part 12 I promise. I wanted to make this chapter longer but I figured I made you guys wait long enough...plus I needed to reintroduce something I spoke about in the first chapter. Start from the beginning

The next couple of days go by in a blur. 

Extra long lessons with Jungkook after my seemingly never ending lectures have my head pounding. 

"Miss y/n?" my professor calls me over to his desk, finishing up my last lecture before I have to go see Jungkook. "Yes?" I ask and wait patiently for him to hopefully get to thee point sooner rather than later. 

"The submission deadline for the writing contest is this weekend. Have you submitted your piece?" he asks, looking up at me through his glasses from his seated position.

I curse at myself internally, having completely spaced about it.

"I haven't but I plan on doing so as soon as I can! The deadline is Sunday night right?" I pray, hoping that I'm correct. "It's Saturday night at 11:59 pm. Do you think you'll be able to complete it in time?" he questions, adjusting his glasses. 

"Yes, of course. They won't be holding the awards ceremony until next month though correct?" I ask and he hums, confirming my suspicions. "Should be around two or three weeks after depending on how many submissions they get" 

I nod and thank him once more for the opportunity and luckily the reminder as well and quickly rush out. I choose to text Jungkook this time the reason why I'll be a few minutes late again, hoping that'll keep him from nagging me about it too much

~~~~~

"You seem...distracted today" Jungkook points out, watching as I wondered off in thought for the fifth time today. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. What were you saying?" I ask, feeling guilty since he's gone out of his way to go through the guest list of the rsvp'd attendees of the ball this weekend. Making sure to tell me a little about each family to hopefully prepare me for the kinds of people that'll be there and how to compose myself around them.

"Let's take a break, otherwise you'll start mixing everyone up" he chuckles and sits down in a chair that's more or less facing me. 

"Are you alright?" he asks, tilting his head and taking note of the wrinkles between my brows as I'm clearly fighting some sort of internal battle that doesn't involve him today. 

"I have this writing contest that I had completely forgotten about and the due date is this Saturday" I sigh, slumping in my chair but this time he luckily doesn't scold me for it. 

"The same day as the charity ball..." he trails off and I nod, covering my face with my hands.

"He told me about it over a month ago" I grumble and Jungkook chuckles warmly at my inner turmoil. I groan as a response and he decides to not tease me about it anymore. 

After a while of sitting in silence he pulls my hands away from my face, making me glare at him as a response.

"Today is Tuesday correct?" he asks and I respond with a sigh of a small 'yes'. "I have an idea then" he says, peaking my interest. "Why don't we spend part of our time on our lessons and the rest of the time on your paper" he offers making my brows furrow.

"You'd do that for me?" I say, sitting up straight in my chair, trying to figure out if this is a joke or not but he simply nod.

"I don't see why not. You've been doing well in all of your lessons with me and I think you're more than prepared for the ball so there's no need to beat a dead horse. We'll just spend a little bit of our time getting to know the attendees and do a dance or two to keep you sharp and then I'll help you with your paper" he says and get's up to clear a space on his desk. 

"You'll help me?" I question, his willingness to sacrifice our lesson time for my extracurriculars surprising.

"I know it's important to you and if there's any way I could be of any sort of help to you then just let me know. You can work at my desk if you'd like" he says, picking up my bag that he knows has my laptop in it and bringing it over to said desk. 

It's times like these where he's sending me mixed signals of going from an etiquette teacher to someone who seems to truly care about me that makes me almost want to ask him questions like 'What are we?' or 'What are your intentions with me?' but even that last one is too open ended. 

"Are you alright?" he asks, when I haven't moved a muscle to walk over to his desk yet leaving me shaking my head in a way to get me out of my train of thought. 

"Yes. Sorry, yes I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out what sort of topic I'd like to write about" I explain, owning up to what my partial train of thought might've been earlier. 

"Well what sort of contest is it? Is it for an article? A study?" he asks, going at it with a more academic approach, which makes sense in this case it's anything but that.

"It's creative writing. Basically anything from stories of love to poems of heartbreak to even the most suspenseful horror thrillers you could come across!" I say, getting more excited as time goes by, thinking about all the possibilities and topics I could write about. 

Picking one though is going to be difficult.

"Have you chosen your genre yet?" he asks and I plop myself down on his desk chair, sighing and opening up the blank document that I've been staring at off and on for weeks. 

"You haven't even started it?" he sighs and I shake my head, disheartened at the thought of waisting so much of my precious free time with nothing to show for it.

"What do you usually write about?" he asks, helping me work through the creative process. "Mostly love stories" I sigh and when I look up at him I see him smiling down at me, "Don't laugh" I glare and he holds his hands up in surrender. 

"I wasn't laughing, I was smiling. There's a difference" he smirks and brings a chair over to sit near me. "Yeah well don't do that. It makes me feel like you're mocking me for being a lovesick schoolgirl" I grumble and he chuckles. 

"Aren't you?" he says, resting his elbow on the desk and propping his chin on his fist, giving me that infuriatingly attractive grin he knows does wonders on a girl's nervous system. "No, I'm not. Now would you please be quiet if you're not going to be helpful" I huff, pulling the flyer out of my bag and giving it a once over. 

"Okay enough with the teasing I'll help" he says and looks over my shoulder to check it out as well before I hand it to him and go looking through my Pinterest board to see if I can find some inspiration.

"Have you ever written a love story set in the eighteen hundreds? Something to do with kings and queens? Princes and Princesses?" he suggests and I know for a fact that I haven't. "Isn't that a little too cheesy with the whole fairytale kind of route?" I say, pointing out how cliché it would be.

"Not if I help you" he offers and I look at him suspiciously. "What sorts of people do you think I would have to study in order to be a proper etiquette teacher?" he says, his words answering the question I had telepathically asked. 

"I guess you'd be the perfect collaborator in that respect" I admit and he nods and moves his chair closer making me lean away from him as a response. 

"You know I don't bite pretty now come on, we've got some work to do" he taunts, slipping in that pet name he knows messes with my head, leaving me scoffing in response before turning back to the blank document staring me in the face on my computer screen. 

~~~~~

The next two days we do just as he had said, spending an hour or two on my lessons and the rest on my story. However rushed it is I feel like it's my best story yet. 

The research on the time period has been simple since Jungkook's had all the answers and if not he finds them out for me, making this whole piece seem even more authentic.

When I take breaks Jungkook pours over the text, doing edits here and there and talking me through the scenes to help formulate some parts a little more artistically, making the regal setting come to life. 

Friday has been a different story, as both deadlines approach us the time we have left is in conflict of where our priorities should lie.

"We can skip our lesson today" Jungkook finally says after I've put my heels on. "But tomor-" "You're ready" he say, cutting me off mid sentence. "Spend the rest of your time on your story" he smiles softly and places a hand on my shoulder before leaving the room, no doubt to get us some sustenance to keep us going.

Something about the interaction made my heart flutter. His confidence in me as well as his want for me to spend time on something I'm truly passionate about makes a sort of funny feeling settle in my stomach. 

Am I-?

"Black or green tea this time?" he asks, coming back into the room with a little tray of food and tea pot ready to envelop the tea leaves of choice. "Black please, I need all the energy I can get" he chuckles and does just that, adding a few scoops to the pot before closing the lid and letting it steep. 

"Were you able to work on it again once you went home?" he asks, bringing my bag over to his desk and pulling my laptop out for me. "I did but it's hard to work on it without yo- without being here" I say, not wanting to admit that I in some way needed him, my cheeks heating up at the slip up.

"Right" he smiles, not sparing me a glance as he plugs in my charger and pulls the chair out for me. 

"Is everything alright?" he asks once he sees my hesitance in coming closer but I shake my head and as a result shake myself out of the headspace I had allowed myself to trail into.

"There's nothing to be nervous about" he says, reading me perfectly like he always does. "What if it's not good enough?" I sigh, my hands resting in my lap, not making moves to reach for the keys. 

"It's a beautiful story told from the heart about a love so true one could only dream to experience something so heartbreaking" he says and his compliment however sincere seems unable to reach me now.

Once he's seen my head droop further he turns my chair around and crouches in front of me, tilting my chin up the slightest bit. "Your writing is beautiful. Anyone who's eyes get to land on a single word of yours should thank their lucky stars" he says making me smile just the slightest bit.

"There she is" he says with a warm tone, one I had never heard before making my heart flutter once again. 

"Now come on" he says spinning me back around to face the screen. "We've got a deadline to meet do we not?" he says and places his hands on my shoulders as a way to show some confidence and solidarity, believing in me until his last breath.

"We do indeed" I chuckle softly and finally rest my fingers upon those familiar keys.

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[drtyelvisfantasy]

SAVE YOUR LOVE

LINEMAN!RAFE X STRIPPER!READER AU

note: thank you to all who voted in my poll and i hope you all enjoy this<3 please send in any questions you have abt this au, I'll be very excited to answer them all and I am also trying to find a nickname for out reader so if you have any ideas please send them. please like and reblog🎀

summary: rafe takes the reader on a week long trip to florida

warnings: fluff, angst, infidelity, I don't think theres any more warnigs but let me know if I'm missing any :)

Rafe decided that we should go on a small vacation. He said it would be best if we took a break from the hectic lifestyles we were living, and he was right. The drive to Florida was long. I kept trying to convince Rafe to book us a plane ticket, but he kept telling me no. Every time I asked him why, he responded with complete silence.

I had never been to Florida before, so I was excited for the week-long trip.

As Rafe and I entered the small beach house, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of normalcy. It almost felt like a home. Rafe said it would be better if we rented a small beach house for the week instead of staying in a hotel—he said we needed a change of scenery. Rafe carried our bags inside as he looked around, his eyes taking in the small, cozy space.

“You did a good job picking this house out,” I said to Rafe.

He smiled, setting down the bags in a small corner. “Yeah, it’s nice. Better than those cramped hotel rooms, right?”

“Yeah… that’s why you should stay at my place more often.”

Rafe glanced at me, a sly smirk on his face. He took a step closer, his voice low. “You always make excuses an—”

Rafe interrupted himself, his voice firm. “No arguments. No fighting. This is supposed to be a relaxing trip, sweetheart. I don’t want any of that bullshit.”

“Sorry.” I was quick to apologize—I couldn’t ruin the trip on the first day. I didn’t want him to hate me for the rest of the week.

“No apologies, baby. I just want us to have a good time, alright? I just want to spend time with you.”

Rafe leaned down and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to my cheek, his hand coming up to cup my face tenderly. He pulled away with a small grin.

-

Since we were staying in a house instead of a hotel, we had to go grocery shopping instead of relying on room service and takeout. Rafe grabbed a grocery cart and pushed it through the aisles, eyeing different foods and snacks. We made sure not to buy too much since we were only staying at the rental property for a week.

“What should we make for dinner tonight?”

Rafe looked at me, shrugging as he scanned the frozen meat section. “I’m not sure. What do you feel like having? Something light or something heavy?”

I shrugged my shoulders, not really knowing what I wanted to eat. At the end of the day, it was all up to Rafe—I just wanted to see him happy. He looked at me for a moment before returning his gaze to the freezer. He reached for a pack of steaks, tossing them into the cart.

“Steak? Feeling fancy, huh?”

“Yeah, I figured we could treat ourselves. Besides, you know I love red meat,” Rafe teased.

-

We finally arrived back at the house. Rafe and I collapsed onto the shared bed, both of us drained from the long trip to Florida. Rafe pulled me into his arms, burying his face in my neck as he yawned. I never had to worry about feeling cold or scared at night when Rafe was with me—he gave me a sense of clarity and safety. Every time I had a nightmare, he was there—holding me, whispering that I had nothing to fear because he was right beside me. His presence was my safety, my comfort. I couldn’t imagine a life without him.

Once Rafe and I woke up, we made our way to the kitchen to start cooking. Rafe took charge of the stove, preparing the steaks while I set the table. I could get used to this life. I wanted it to be like this forever.

Rafe glanced at me, his attention still on the steaks sizzling on the stove, making sure he didn’t burn them. “How do you like your steak, baby? Rare or well done?”

“Medium rare,” I replied.

Rafe nodded, his tone firm. “Medium rare it is. That’s the only right way to eat steak.”

After finishing our meal, we took a moment to relax and continue our conversation at the dinner table. Rafe leaned back in his chair, a content smile on his face as he looked at me.

“So… how’s life back home?”

His expression quickly changed, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.

“Home? Home is just… home. There’s not much to say.”

“You sure?” I asked eagerly. I wanted to know what it was like back home for him, but more than anything, I wanted to know about his wife. Does she treat him well? Does she know about this trip? Does she know about us?

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s just… not that interesting, ya know?”

“Sorry to hear that.” The words felt hollow, but I didn’t know what else to say. Apologizing was all I ever seemed to do.

Rafe shook his head, waving off my apology. “It’s fine. It doesn’t matter. I’d rather not think about home right now. I’m just here to spend time with you.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Rafe reached over and stroked my head gently, his expression softening. “Exactly. We’re here to enjoy our time together, not talk about boring stuff.”

There was a moment of quiet between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Rafe’s attention was focused on me, his gaze fixed on my face. He studied me for a second.

“What are we gonna do tomorrow?” I asked.

“Well, I was thinking of going to the beach. Spend the day on the sand. Just us.”

“Sounds fun. Been a while since I got a nice tan. You need a tan too—you live on an island and still look pale,” I teased.

Rafe rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “Hey, not all of us can be constantly tan, sweetheart. Some of us burn too easily.”

I gave Rafe a small smile in response. He reached out to brush a strand of hair out of my face, his touch gentle and affectionate.

-

The next day, Rafe took me to the beach as promised. The warmth of the sun on my skin and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore made everything feel so peaceful. In that moment, all my worries faded, and it was just us—playing in the water, laughing, and losing ourselves in the simplicity of being together. Rafe took every opportunity to touch me, his hands always finding an excuse to be on my body.

“Rafe, put me down! You’re gonna make me all wet!” I giggled, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

Rafe laughed along with me, his gaze heated as he looked down at me. “You’ll get even wetter when we get back to the house. But for now…” He tossed me back into the water playfully.

As time passed, we found ourselves back at the house, lying in the shared bed, talking in hushed tones. The conversation was easy, a sign of the growing comfort between us.

“I like it here,” I said.

A warm smile spread across Rafe’s face at my words, his expression softening. “Yeah… me too. I like having you all to myself.”

“We should move here, you know? Just me and you.”

Rafe stayed silent, his expression shifting at the suggestion. He didn’t answer right away, his eyes searching my face as he considered the implications of what I was saying.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Rafe shook his head, taking in my words. The idea of living in this peaceful place with me seemed to resonate with him, pulling him in. He shifted closer, his arm wrapping around my waist, his presence grounding me in a way that felt both comforting and intense.

His tone was soft but firm as he gently pulled me closer. “You need to rest, baby. Today was a long day. Come on, close those pretty eyes and get some sleep.”

“Okay,” I responded obediently. He pulled me into his arms, holding me close to his chest. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head, his hand rubbing up and down my back soothingly.

We made the most of the rest of our trip, enjoying each other’s company, living a simple life, playing house. He seemed happier than ever, his usual tension and anger melting away in my presence. But I couldn’t help but feel a little sad, realizing this was just a temporary escape from reality—and the life I so desperately wanted was still out of reach.

[bucktommyyendgame]

here's a silly little louliver ficlet to go with the ones my gals @champagnetommy and @firewasabeast did today. It's actually longer than I intended because of course it is, but what can you do.

This is very loosely inspired by spec of 814/815, but really we don't know anything, other than Tommy's going to be there, so this is just a fun little thing. Hope you like it!

louliver (rpf) - words: 800ish - rating: teen - complete

Lou rolls his head around his neck and stands up from his chair to stretch. He’s not especially used to these long night shoots and he’s hoping if he stands and moves his body a little, he’ll feel a little less like he’s going to fall asleep where he sits. His insomnia usually keeps him up at night, but now that he has to be awake, it’s hard as hell.

He’s just pulling his phone out of his pocket to check a notification when he feels a heavy body collapse against his back.

He snorts a laugh. “Hi, Oli.”

“Tired,” Oliver mumbles against the back of his neck.

He reaches around awkwardly and grabs what he’s sure is Oliver’s arm and tugs him around so he’s hugging him from the front. Like it’s automatic, he wraps his arms around Lou’s waist, under the jacket he’s left unzipped because he’s cold when they’re not actively shooting anything.

“Quit manhandling me,” Oliver grumbles but he settles in against him, chin on his shoulder as Lou rubs his hands up and down his back.

“Where’s your jacket?” he wonders. “It’s cold.”

“Forgot it,” Oliver answers. “Don’t need it though, I have you.”

Lou chuckles again. “All I’m good for, huh? Gonna change my roll around here from Tommy Kinard to Oliver Stark’s personal blanket and pillow.”

“Not like you’ve been doing anything else today,” Oliver says wryly, both knowing he’s spent most of the day running around and fake flying a fake helicopter, not to mention the whole ‘Tommy is a hostage’ thing they have going.

Lou kisses the top of his head. “How are you comfortable like this?”

Oliver shrugs. “I can get comfortable anywhere. Plus it’s nice to be with someone who’s as tall as me, so it kind of works out.”

Before Lou can respond, he hears two familiar voices behind them.

“Awwww,” Aisha says as she and Kenny come around to be in his sight.

“Aren’t you guys adorable,” Kenny says with a grin.

“Yeah yeah,” Oliver says. “You guys interrupted the mini-nap I was just trying to take. Might as well go get some caffeine. Anyone want anything?”

“I’m good,” Aisha says and Kenny echoes it.

Oliver turns blue eyes to Lou. “You?”

“Get me one of those shitty energy drinks you like,” Lou says. “I need a quick jolt.”

“Kay,” he says, and without thinking or being at all self conscious about their small audience, he leans in for a sweet kiss.

They’d talked about this, being more open, but Lou honestly hadn’t expected him to act on it. It feels really good that he is.

“Be right back,” Oliver hollers as he moves away. He watches him go and then turns back to see Aisha and Kenny giving him matching appraising looks. It’s really uncanny actually.

“What?” he wonders.

They look at each other.

“Nothing,” Aisha answers. “But you guys are really cute.”

“We’re going to name you Chief Oliver Wrangler, actually,” Kenny cracks, but Lou doesn’t think he’s joking.

He shrugs. “I’m okay with that. We’ve already decided that I’m also his personal pillow and blanket so, you know, we can add one more.”

“Oh well, incoming,” Aisha says as Oliver barrels into him again, pressing the cold energy drink into the back of his neck.

“You’re ridiculous,” Lou mutters, snatching it out of his hand. Oliver comes back around, already taking deep gulps from his drink and settling against Lou like he belongs there.

“What’re you guys talking about?” Oliver asks.

“My true roll on set,” Lou teases. “Being at your beck and call, apparently.”

“As you should be,” Oliver says with a bratty little scoff. “But also,” he reaches into the bag at his side, pulls out a sandwich and a bag of Sour Patch Kids. ���Got this for you too. It’s been a long day and I don’t remember seeing you eat anything.”

“Thank you,” he says, taking them from him. He did eat something a few hours ago, but hadn’t realized he was hungry now.

“No problem,” Oliver says, settling into him again. “I think we’re all set to start up again soon. You guys ready?”

They chat for a little while longer before Aisha and Kenny wander off to get ready.

Lou finishes off the energy drink and grimaces, Oliver laughing at him.

“How do you drink these things regularly?”

“Used to it, I guess,” he says with a shrug. “I can get you some actual coffee if you want.”

“Nah, it’s fine. This will work for now.” He does feel slightly more energized, the adrenaline of what’s coming will do the rest. He finishes the sandwich, decides to save the candy for later. “Thanks.”

“Hmm,” Oliver says and the kiss this time is a little less sweet, the energy drink tasting better on Oliver’s mouth than it did from the can. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Lou kisses his forehead, hears the hollers from everyone that they’re ready to go back. “Me too.”

[arcane-ish]

I think every relationship, whether shippy or platonic, kind of has this problem of most people favoring (even if just slightly) one character over the other and seeing the relationship more through their eyes. There's nothing bad about it, it's just a normal process of how people engage with media.

And what people get out of seeing Silco and Jinx from Silco's POV and from Jinx's POV is pretty different. When my take is that I see it more from Jinx's POV and to me it's still a very cool and interesting relationship. I just get something very different out of it.

Like even though I ship Zaundads, I feel like I definitely read all of Arcane more through the child perspective than the dad perspective. And I think the show actually supports that reading pretty well, that it's more about children finding their own path and rebelling against family and parents and that being a good thing. I don't know but my guess would be that none of the "big 3" (ie Christian, Alex and Amanda) have children? Or if they have any they likely didn't have them for long while working on the show? Because to me Arcane definitely reads as being written more from the point of view of the children and not of the fathers, even if it has a lot of sympathy for the fathers. Hence it validates the need of the children for freedom more than the need of the fathers for legacy.

Anyway: because I read the relationship more from Jinx's POV, I kind of don't get the obsession over the "Jinx is perfect versus you are perfect". Like it feels like people are still fighting with the CaitVis over whether Silco just manipulated her, when to me that was never that big of a topic. Like from a Jinx point of view, I never thought Silco was just manipulating her. From Jinx point of view, the more interesting question is "how much did he project himself and his own trauma into her versus how much did he really understand and accept and see the real her?"

The way I read that last scene of Silco is that he is signalling that he is open to loving her unconditionally, but I just don't think that he was at that point yet where he understood the real her. I do think he was in genuine in wanting that and if he had lived maybe he would have gotten there. But imo at that particular point he wasn't fully ready yet (especially since he basically just realized himself how much she means to him).

IMO a big of part of understanding Jinx is understanding how much Vi means to Jinx and navigating that sensibly. And Silco clearly didn't understand that yet when he was encouraging her to to fight/hurt Vi like right before. Again if he had lived and had been willing to turn over a new leaf of listening to Jinx more, maybe they could have gotten there (and maybe they have a healthier bond in the AU).

But yeah, there's definitely some undercurrent of "I love you just the way you are" versus "Well, I don't love the way I am and just loving myself anyway doesn't seem a great solution to me, you should isntead support me into helping me change gradually". Loving yourself the way you are makes sense for things that are unchangeable, but Jinx is certainly capable of growth and change. And it makes sense to love the parts you don't love if it's about things that are dumb to care about (ie unhealthy society beauty standards). And that's the point where Jinx in the end does have a different moral system than Silco and doesn't buy into his "everything for the cause" nor his "we are the only two who matter".

And it's the to me interesting aspect of their relationship that I do think Jinx considers it, that she does feel the pull. Which is why he seems tentatively curious during the "let Powder die" scene. So it's not like his way of life has no appeal to her. But in the end, she tried it and it didn't work for her (the famous "Silco's coping mechanism didn't work for her and Jinx is probably smart enough to tell they barely work for him/he likely doesn't look like he's living a happy life to her and the AU fully validates her read on him"). It didn't cure her of her, of Powder's attachment to Vi. Even after Silco's death, she still cares for Vi when Vi is in her downward spiral. Now her caring for Vi changes, but imo it has little to do with Silco, but more with "Jinx starts to see herself as the grown up/older sister who suddenly feels a responsibility towards Vi and thinking about Vi needs from her rather than what she wants from Vi".

Anyway, it all circles back to "Silco is team Jinx, versus Vi is team Powder and for Jinx it's not a clean choice, she blends both aspects". And that's why it's cool that Ekko sees good in both Powder and Jinx. Why he talks up Jinx to Powder (telling her what genius Jinx is) and Powder to Jinx (likely telling her off screen about how there's a version of her that is good).

Silco told her “Don’t cry. You’re perfect.”

That was toxic positivity. That was locking her in place as this static ideal that could never grow. But she wasn’t perfect. She was a fucked up mess, and she knew she was a fucked up mess. But by saying that she’s already perfect Silco basically told her there’s no way to get better. How can you improve, be better, if you’re already perfect?

Vi told her “Maybe we can rewrite your story.”

Oh Vi. She tries so hard to connect with her sister and say the right thing but she just doesn’t quite get it. That’s essentially saying “you were evil before, I need you to be good now. I need you to be what I want.” Vi really tried her best and she wasn’t really conscious of it but she was always trying to mold Powder/Jinx into her vision, opposite but equal of Silco.

Ekko told her “No matter what happened in the past, it’s never too late to build something new.”

Jackpot. That was it. That was what she needed to hear. Because that doesn’t sit in judgement of what she’s done, that doesn’t condemn her mistakes or try to push her to conform to a particular vision, and it doesn’t lock her into some static ideal. It doesn’t even say that she has to change. It simply says that she doesn’t have to be completely, ontologically defined by her past. New growth is possible.

[cherryblossompink303]

Patience S2:06:~Join the Black Magic club!~

➼ pairing: Kyoya Ootori x Reader ➼ summary: honey senpai has a secret admirer ➼ what to expect: "Kyoya are you insecure over honey-senpai of all people?" ➼ warnings: n/a ➼S2:05 / S2:07

In the basement of the north wing, deep in the farthest reaches of the hall, behind the door you will find the black magic club.

"Hey Kanazuki, you're not gonna change? What have you been so preoccupied with lately?"

"A curse" Kanazuki mutters, not looking over at her fellow club members. "Woot! Kanazuki's specialty!"

"Who's the lucky victim this time?"

She hands them a photo "Oh? Isn't he in the host club? What's your grudge against him?" Nekozawa-senpai questions. "Well Mr president, to be honest....he stole my soul"

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Join the black magic club!

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"Achoo!"

"Oh Honey! Do you have a cold? It's easy to get sick when the seasons are changing"

"No i'm fine" Hoeney waves it off, smiling back at the guests "Take care of yourself. Actually I feel slightly feverish myself"

"I'm sorry to hear that princess, warm yourself with this ginger tea and we'll use it to divine whether that fever is from a cold or from your feelings for me" Tamaki leans over.

"Tamaki are you also a fortune teller?"

"Yes princess, did you know that since ancient times, people have read their fortunes in flora and the stars? But today the common folk use everyday items such as electrical appliances and stationary. At first I was impressed by their skill in entertaining themselves without spending money but them I realised it was a symptom of the emptiness in the busy lives! They'll use anything to feel better in an attempt to confirm the significance of their existance!"

You raise an eyebrow "Yeah senpai i'm pretty sure Haruhi would tell you that is not it"

"The boss is especially fervent in summer. He's been in perfect form since recovering from that cold"

"Oh haruhi!" Tamaki waves her over from across the room "Let father tell your animal fortune! Are you a bunny? or maybe a bridie?"

"I don't really care about that...make it quick"

Nekozawa senpai appears over Tamaki's shoulder "Ah! I didn't know you liked fortune telling Suoh" Tamaki jumps out of his skin "N-Nekozawa!"

"You should join the black magic club! We're currently holding our summer fortune telling campaign I'll give you a special reading....That reminds me, I have great news for Honey"

"Hm?" Honey turns to face them, halfway through eating a slice of cake.

"Congratulations! Our very own mistress of maledictions has chosen you to be her sacrificial victim!" Everyones faces fall at the statement.

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Miss Reiko Kanazuki, first year class D, the girl who has cast her evil eye upon Honey. At first glance, with her beautiful long black hair, she appears to be meek and prim. As her hobby is casting curses she doesn't fit in with the other students.

"Oh" the host club all huddle around the door of the classroom for 1-D, not so subtly spying on Kanazuki.

"She's the one cursing Honey? Do you know why?"

"I've seen her somewhere before, but I don't remember exactly!" Honey hides on the back of Mori. "She doesn't always wear a black cloak like Nekozawa does"

"Why me? Why am I cursed? Is she going to kill me?" Honey starts to cry. "I'll go have a talk with her" Mori storms off "No violence mori!" Tamaki yells after him.

"That's right. Interrupting the curse would only invite more calamity" Nekozawa pops up once more, and yet again frightening Tamaki. "Honey? You really don't remember? Kanazuki says you stole her soul. She intends to take yours as revenge"

You raise an eyebrow at the statement, head falling to the side as you watched the scene "Here's proof. It's Kanazuki's eraser, she wrote your name on it. once she uses it up, your soul will be hers"

Nekozawa holds up an eraser which has 'Mitskuni Haninozuka  ♡' etched into it.

You laugh a little "Oh my god" You mutter under your breath, suddenly realising what this is actually about.

"She did the same to her mirror with nail polish"

"Um...I hate to break it to you Nekozawa but those aren't curses" You point out.

"It is! Here I have the book she used" He pulls out a charm book. "Nekozawa that's a book on elementary school love charms, Kanazuki doesn't want revenge on Honey, she has a crush on him!"

"No" Kanazuki appears by you "They're curses"

"It's nice to see you, haninozuka"

"huh?" Honey looks up at her in mild shock "One hair, if you please" She plucks one from his head, tying it with one of her own "This should bind your soul"

"Um...are you...in love with honey?" Tamaki asks

"Technially speaking, he stole my soul"

"I think you mean he stold your heart"

"Well, I don't know what it's commonly called, but to be specific...Honey occupies 90 percent of my thoughts and causes my heart to paliptate. His external appearance satisfies my fetishist tenedencies. I have a weakness for pixies. He took my soul so now I must take his, thus, until honey's soul is mine, I will continue to curse him"

She walks off, leaving the rest of you stunned "Okay I could have done without the explanation" you mutter, Kyoya turns to you "So you're saying you don't feel like that about me?" He jokes, you roll your eyes, lightly wacking him in the arm "shut up"

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And so with each new day, Miss Kanazuki's love attack intensifies.

She wrote his name on the chopsticks she uses at lunch, she wrote his name a hundred times in her notebook, among other things.

"Honey looks exhausted, is there anything we can do?"

"Hmm...we know they're only love charms...and I can never ignore the feelings of a girl in love" Tamaki wonders. "If you think about it, it's rare for someone to fall seriously in love with honey" Hikaru chimes in

"Yeah, most girls just feel maternal affection for him"

"You two should take into account Honey's feelings!"

Kyoya approaches him "What should we do, honey? This may interfere with the clubs business, if there's anything I can-"

"No...but...I've been watching her and she doesn't have any friends outside of the black magic club. I don't think she can talk to other people easily, the only way she knows how to communicate is through curses and charms."

"Excuse me, Haninozuka" She appears once again "May I borrow your bunny?" She picks it up "I'll give it back tomorrow"

"No! No! Not usa-chan!"

Mori snatches Usa-chan out of her hands "If you want his heart, shouldn't you do something else?"

"Hand over the stuffed animal, i'll curse you"

"Being cursed by someone who doesn't consider other people's feelings will have no effect on me at all. You'll never win someone's heart that way, no matter how many charms you use."

"But there's no point in thinking about the feelings of others, no one tries to understand me and certainly no one will grow to like me. Talking is a waste of time, so now I use curses right from the start."

"You're wrong reiko!" Honey exclaims "You've gotta share your feelings to be understood. If you want me to like you back, let's talk more. I don't want my feelings to be controlled by curses, I want to know about the things you like, the things you're not good at, what makes you happy. I'd like to hear all about those things...Reiko...i...I like girls who fight to overcome their weaknesses"

The rest of you look on impressed "Wow"

"Honey's actually got some good lines" you watch the situation with wide eyes, leant back against the wall with your arms crossed "Hm" Kyoya hums from next to you.

"So, reiko...would you like to eat some cake together?"

"Yes!"

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And so miss Kanazuki started visiting the host club, and the possible start of the perfect relationship sparked.

"Honey, I'll try to overcome my weaknesses...but I want to keep studying curses"

"Hmm...well, I guess I would never give up eating cake, I don't mind, but please keep it a hobby"

"Really? i'll do that then"

You watch on from your table with a smile. "You know I didn't expect Honey to be that smooth" you laugh a little, taking a sip of coffee. "Yes you do seem to be rather impressed with him" Kyoya mutters, scribbling away as usual.

"Hm? where did that come from?"

Kyoya sighs, taking off his glasses to clean them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be snappy...do you...want something like that? Someone who is...smoother, with relationships?"

"Kyoya are you insecure over honey-senpai of all people?"

He rolls his eyes "I just mean...our relationship isn't exactly conventional, nor is the way we show affection...I guess i never really asked you..."

"Asked me...if I want a conventional relationship?"

"I suppose"

You sigh, looking down to your cup to realise its empty, you stand to go get a refill, pausing by his seat. "We haven't been properly together for long...and its both of our first relationships, we'll figureout stuff like that eventually. Conventional is boring, the only ones who understand it is us, why would I want to change that?" you place a hand on the table, inching closer to his hand. "That being said...I would be lying if I said i hadn't been holding back being more foreward with you for that reason" You trace your fingers up and down his forearm, noticing that he was also out of coffee, you take his cup.

"I'll get us refills" You smile, in contrast to the previous words, walking off to find some coffee. Leaving Kyoya to watch you walk away, jaw hanging slightly open.

Next time on patience....'Operation: misuzu's reconciliation!'

'Misuzu begs haruhi for help and we meet her daughter? can the host club help reunite them? find out next time on Patience!'

We'll see you then!'

Tag list (reply to be added): @skottch @cgmajor @rebirthbunbun @bbybubbles @blueberry19000 @katgirl05 @smellslikelovinglies @veras-fanfic-reblogs @sadprimrose @mirtalikesdr @sleeplesssskeleton @ritzes28 @crackpeole @rory-cakes @renjunniex @II-kita-san-II @angelicwillows @missbrebre1012 @sleep-7372 @strawberrbitch @reticent-writer @eternal-dokja @meme848 @mistyhydrangeagarden @nanaloverz @hyuninslutbbgirl @rebel-author-chick @voyager1fan @bubbabobabubbles @haowonbins @justtryingtosurvive02 @darlingxym

[painted-bees]

sad ace hours over here. Maybe Raf can relate: has he ever felt like garbage for not finding his partner hot or sexy or whatever? Has he ever felt like he was robbing them of an important part of their relationship?

Oh no, anon Q nQ I am reaching through the computer screen with a hot, comforting beverage of your choice and much love.

Raf takes...a while to come to terms with the idea that a may...probably be ace, as he'd need to see a lot more people talking about it before he's even convinced that it's a thing. So, with that context, he--yeah, actually, haha. Less so with Margie because she's extremely communicative. But in his past relationships, his lack of sexual attraction was typically obscured to him by other forms of attraction that, in certain contexts, he would misinterpret as the bog standard sexual attraction that everyone feels. Confusingly, his attraction in romantic relationships rarely served any sexual motivations when he actually needed it to--and this had led him to assume that he was just... really fickle; some days, he was "in love" with his partner and other days, he really wasn't--and that's just the way he was. It always feels bad when a partner is trying to make moves and be sexy, and he has to mask his disinterest. He's a born and raised performer, so he can play a fair gig, but it felt dishonest to him, and he'd have definitely served time in his own mind wondering if he should keep "pretending" that he loves them when he clearly isn't feeling that fabled "spark" abt them.

But then, later, they do or say something smart/clever/funny typical of themselves and he'll think "no, I definately do love them, I'm just being weird abt it idk". Again, attributing it to being "fickle."

In his relationship with Alex, they were basically still kids [college kids are kids don't fite me on this] and Alex wasn't really observant enough to notice when Raf was kinda checked out and playing a script haha.

But Lacey sure fuckin' did. Lacey could tell the difference between a genuine Raf smile and a performed smile. And she haaated being on the receiving end of Raf's cordial performances. If he wasn't going to love her "for real" then she needed him to just not fuckin' bother. And this resulted in fights [a lot of things between them resulted in fights kfkd]. In some ways, it felt a lot worse that she wouldn't let him act out the part when she was able to clock it as a performance. But that's kinda because the performance itself is a guesture of love in its own right. Not an act of conciet [and he doesn't really figure that out himself until his relationship with Margie tbf].

His relationship with Lace was bad for a lot of reasons [they were both just...awful to one another in equal measures], but she really did make him feel like there was something deeply, distressingly, fundamentally wrong about his capacity to love sometimes. Like he'd never be able to fully love someone the way they deserved [and he blamed his upbringing for this, not his sexuality, rip].

His relationship with Margie is the first relationship he's had where he feels like...an emotionally mature adult lmao and the things about himself that he still needs to figure out, they're able to figure it out together. Again, Margie's compulsion towards transparency and her need to communicate all things has benefitted him hugely, even if he is naturally more of a "keep things close to the chest" sort of person himself. It leads them to little moments like this one that allows Raf the chance to be honest with her about what he is and isn't feeling, and for her to affirm that she understand where he's coming from and just wants to meet him where he's at [knowing well that the same is true vice versa].

[rubbercondumb]

a little Nikogutz update

a small update/continuation of last post found here ☆☆

https://www.tumblr.com/rubbercondumb/778496436308475904/talking-about-nikogutz?source=share

This is about the creator Nikogutz aka nikokoro

Please caution youself as topic like these are touchy even if they don't come across as such

Again please tell me if there's any other tags I should use!

And tag me in anything of this topic!

SPREAD THE WORD

⚠️Trigger warning under the cut!⚠️

Contains Video and comment proof

Nothing in depth just brief mentions

(Îñ3śţ,P3doph1l1a,Pr0sh1pp1ng)

BIG NoNos btw

Unfortunately things aren't looking to good about the whole situation.

For who don't know Nikogutz has continued to post about the club members in a very inappropriate style

Their post, specifically the one on their tiktok account.

in the comment section they say that they're at least 20 in the epilogue (which no if you read it takes place 10 years later) and yeah but why use their TEEN! Designs?

not only that (not naming any names here) but 98% of the comment section is really positive like them saying how much of a fan they are of the artist.

Like... did we forget?? (I don't blame you if you didn't know before hand)

We really gotta stop liking creator's content because they have a good art style.

I know the internet often has a weird obsession with trying to make content creator look and seem the worst just because you just don't like their content or they're 'cringe' but this is very serious considering what they have done and the LARGE amount of minors in this fandom.

There's no shame posting in that nature if you are using their epilogue designs because they're adults and clearly are designed as adults or maybe you have your own designs that resemble closely to their TEEN! Designs but still drawn clearly as an adult and not a minor

This is a no tolerancezone.(Îñ3śţ,P3doph1l1a,Pr0sh1pp1ng)

Thank you for your time!💋💋

[cryomancers-orb]

I don't know this person and I'm not even too into mw anymore, but wow dude you are being way too harsh.

I mean, yeah the concept is very in-your-face and kind of stale, and messily executed besides. Can't say I'm a fan. But I get what they're going for and as you can see there's a lot of people who really liked it. And of course they did: this is obviously made by a teenager or at least someone young, and the same goes for their audience.

Perfect human übermensch Curly and comically distraught Jimmy is a very simple concept and most of your qualms come from the person taking the easiest steps tı make them foils to each other. Of course there are some traits that are generally undesirable. Contrasting them with generally desirable traits in a non-nuanced way doesn't make the writer a bigot. It just makes them a novice writer who's more focused on the shipping aspect of the thing anyways, which is completely understandable for a fan project.

Also, real life: mentally ill people can be draining to the people around them. This can be partially their fault or not their fault at all, depending on the case. Addicts also harm their loved ones, even if just by harming themselves. You can't flowers and rainbows will that away. Yes, all addicts should seek to recover as soon as they possibly can.

Nobody has said a word about not deserving love. Having things about you you need to change doesn't mean you're unworthy of love, but you still must work to change those things regardless. We don't do better to deserve love, we do it to make the lives of ourselves and the people we love better.

And how exactly is this person putting down bottoms? I think this is your own projection. Let me tell you something, fandom spaces (esp Tumblr) are a place where women are generally the majority and subconsciously or not we tend to make our favorites the bottom because they kind of serve as a self insert. You may reject this idea, but I think you'l find merit to it once you do some observation. And considering people like to make their faves suffer, I can tell Jimmy is the bottom simply because the artist likes him more. There's no conspiracy here.

Lastly: my GOODNESS. Whitewashing? In which universe is the guy below not white? Who's white then, Casper the friendly ghost?

So yeah. Let's not bully a (likely) teenager just trying to make some art. C'mon now. Don't like it, scroll.

(Also lmao like obv artist doesn't hate hyperpop. If you can't tell that they mean Jimmy isn't good at it with the quotation marks, you gotta take some comprehension classes man it can't be good for you to get so mad so frequently)

Jimmedicated timeline AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

FINALLY I CAN POST THINGD OMG

[redisthenewblue]

𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍—𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐎 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

Synopsis: After a slight verbal altercation with Mikage Reo over the last cucumber, everything began to go wrong for you. From dropping your AirPods in the gutter to being thrown off a treadmill, it was a series of unfortunate events. However, everything changed when you unexpectedly ran into him again on your second trip to the grocery store. It seems that your luck has returned.

Warnings: Reader is kinda loco, slight swearing, might be ooc, was based of a dream I had and is very short.

——

——

This was the fifth time you had checked your fridge for any food rations. You should have realized after the first time that nothing would appear in the fridge.

"I need to go to the store," you glared at your wallet sitting on the counter, as if it were judging you. "But I'm broke… What can I buy with a dollar and fifty-nine cents?" You grabbed the car keys from the counter and shoved them into your pocket along with the keys.

——

"Why is everything here so damn expensive?" you wonder as your gaze sweeps over the vegetable and fruit aisle. "Cucumbers on sale? You know what, hell yeah." Just as you reach for the cucumber, someone snatches it from your view. "Are you shitting me?!" You turn sharply towards the person responsible. "I know you saw me reaching for that cucumber!"

"I saw you looking at it, not reaching for it," the boy replies, meeting your gaze with his sharp purple as he tosses the cucumber into his basket.

"No, you didn’t…" Your eyes narrow, but you manage to force a strained smile. "I'm going to act like the mature adult for once." With your head held high, you walk past the boy, but not before grabbing the cucumber from his basket and dashing to the nearest register. His smirk was wiped from his face as he ran an exhausted hand through his purple hair.

"Are you serious right now?!" the boy shouts after you, but he isn't quick enough to stop you from leaving with the cucumber in your hands.

——

"He genuinely believed he could steal this gorgeous cucumber and escape unscathed." You smiled with pride as you brushed the caterpillar off your hands.

Wait, what? You let out a high-pitched squeal, throwing your hands in the air as if you’d lost your mind. The cucumber slipped from your grasp and landed smack in the street. Before your eyes, it was crushed beyond recognition. "No!" you exclaimed, clutching your chest tightly. "My precious dollar cucumber! Curse you!" You brushed off the bewildered looks from the passersby who happened to witness the scene. Little did you know, this was just the beginning of your streak of bad luck.

——

Day 1:

As you approach your workplace, you're gripping your bag tightly. Last night was a sleepless one, and your legs feel like jelly. Suddenly, something squishy lands on your foot—could it be a French fry? You shake it off and keep walking, only to be halted by a flock of birds staring at you as if you just turned their cousin into Thanksgiving dinner. "Hey?" you call out cautiously, taking a few steps back. The leader chirps and then charges at you, followed by the rest of the flock. "Wait, we can talk—eek!"

Now you've been attacked by birds, and your hair resembles a chaotic bird's nest. You wouldn't be surprised if one of them laid an egg on your head.

"[Name], what in the world happened to you?!" your coworker exclaims in shock.

"I really don't want to talk about it."

Day 2:

You were out for your daily walk, trying to shake off the weight of your misfortunes, when you stumbled over a strangely placed rock. Your AirPod flew out of your purse, landing perilously close to the gutter. In disbelief, you reached out to grab it, but then, out of nowhere, a foot came down and sent your precious pods tumbling into the gutter. "No!" you exclaimed, mourning the loss of your AirPods while mentally cursing the person who kicked them into that grimy sewer. "Can my life get any worse?!" And just like that, it started to rain.

Day 3:

Since going outside seemed like a recipe for disaster, you opted to stay in the gym and get your workout in. "Nothing bad is going to happen while I'm at the gym," you assured yourself as you set the treadmill to a low speed. You carefully stepped onto the treadmill, taking it slow. "See? Nothing bad is going to happen." But then, things took a turn. Before you knew it, the machine started to speed up beyond your control, and you were suddenly flung to the ground, landing hard on your back. "Ouch!" The gym owner rushed over to check on you.

"Are you okay?!" they asked, clearly worried.

"Not really!" you exclaimed, feeling the sting of the bruises.

Day 4:

It's official: you've been snakebitten. There you were, hesitant to step back into the grocery store, a back brace sticking to your skin with sweat. "Just one foot in, [Name]," you whispered to yourself, glancing around for any signs of birds, sewers, or treadmills.

Suddenly, a loud laugh erupted from behind you. "What happened to you? You look like you were attacked by a bear!" The laughter only got louder. You turned slowly to see those familiar purple eyes. It was the guy who tried to steal the cucumber from you!

"Hey… I think you brought me bad luck, whatever your name is," you said firmly, and his laughter began to fade.

"It's Reo, and what now?" he replied, clearly amused.

"You gave me bad luck, you know? All because of a cucumber!" you pouted, pointing an accusing finger in Reo's direction.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I’m not the one who took off with it," Reo said, raising his hands in defense. You lowered your finger and sighed, "Ugh, never mind. I sound ridiculous." Just as you were about to step out the door, he stopped you. "You mentioned I brought you bad luck, right? Let me make it up to you by treating you to a coffee."

"You don’t even know my name?" you shot back.

"Of course I do! You're going viral for flying off a treadmill," he chuckled at your shocked expression.

"Are you serious?!"

Maybe you weren’t as unlucky as you thought after all.

[nonbinarylocalcryptid]

Haikaveh incorrect quotes 'cause I'm back on my bs

Alhaitham: This is Kaveh, not my assistant. He's a... Some other word.

Kaveh: I'm his carer.

Alhaitham: Yeah, my carer. He cares so I don't have to.

---

Kaveh, trying to flirt: So, you come around here often?

Alhaitham , confused: I mean, this is my house, so yeah.

---

Kaveh: Being gay is a constant battle between "I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds" and "Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists" and I think that's very sexy of us.

Alhaitham, without looking up from his book: If the window's open and you time it right, you can do both.

---

Kaveh: Are you ready to commit?

Alhaitham : Like, a crime or a relationship?

---

Alhaitham: Cause your pretty and your smart, and your ignoring me so your obviously my type.

Kaveh, who was distracted: I'm sorry- what were you saying?

Alhaitham: Perfect.

---

Alhaitham : I’ve been dropping them the most insanely obvious hints for like a year now. No response.

Kaveh: Wow. They sound stupid.

Alhaitham : But they’re not. They’re really smart actually. Just dense.

Kaveh: Maybe you need to be more obvious? Like, I don’t know… “Hey! I love you!”

Alhaitham : I guess you’re right. Hey Kaveh, I love you.

Kaveh: See! Just say that!

Alhaitham : Holy fucking shit.

Kaveh: If that flies over their head then, sorry Alhaitham , but they're too dumb for you.

Alhaitham : Kaveh.

---

Alhaitham : Did it hurt when you fell-

Kaveh: From Celestia? Wow, I didn’t think you were such a flirt-

Alhaitham : No, I meant when you fell down the stairs.

Kaveh: ...

Alhaitham : You just laid there for 15 minutes.

---

Kaveh: I can't take this anymore, someone needs to take me out!

Alhaitham : In a dating type of way, or an assassination type of way?

Kaveh: I don't know, surprise me!

---

Alhaitham : We should be partners.

Kaveh: You mean like, partners in crime?

Alhaitham : Yeah... that’s precisely what I meant, because I have another revolution in mind.

Kaveh: I'm in.

Alhaitham: ...

Alhaitham: Kaveh, no.

---

Kaveh: This date is boring!

Alhaitham : This isn't a date. I said I was going to the store.

Kaveh: Then why did you invite me?

Alhaitham : I didnt, I specifically said "don't come with me," then you said, "fuck you Alhaitham I'll do whatever I want!

---

Alhaitham : My future partner must be brave, strong, intelligent, successful and organized.

Kaveh: *steps on a caterpillar and proceeds to drop to their knees and sob while apologizing profusely*

Alhaitham : That one. I want that one.

---

Kaveh: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy.

Alhaitham : I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep.

Kaveh: I said within reason, Alhaitham . How about I murder that guy?

Alhaitham : So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't?

Kaveh: Well, duh. What kind of question is that?

---

Kaveh: Alhaitham , you love me, right?

Alhaitham : Normally I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere I won’t like.

---

Kaveh: We’re getting married, bitches!

Alhaitham: And we're about to make it everybody else's problem.

---

Alhaitham, talking to Cyno about Kaveh: WHAT THE FUCK I WAS ARGUING WITH HIM AND I SAID “OOH YOU WANNA KISS ME SO BAD” AND GUESS WHAT? HE DID. HE KISSED ME. WHAT THE FUCK WHAT DO I DO.

Cyno: First, it's 3am, fuck you.

Cyno: And second, you could have waited another month.

Alhaitham: What, why for?

Cyno: Because now I owe Tighnari money

---

Alhaitham : Kaveh and I are no longer friends.

Kaveh: ALHAITHAM THAT IS THE WORST WAY TO TELL PEOPLE THAT WE’RE DATING!

Tighnari: Cyno owes me so much money...

---

Alhaitham : I love you.

Kaveh, not paying attention: What was that?

Alhaitham : I said I’m selling you to the zOo-

---

Alhaitham : I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives.

Kaveh: I wake up at 4:30 AM every day to work on my commissions.

Alhaitham : I want to see you at some point every day for the rest of our lives.

---

Kaveh: *Laughs* Babe, you had a crush on me? That’s embarrassing—

Alhaitham : We’re married.

---

Kaveh: Smart is attractive. Educate me on something I don't know!

Alhaitham : The mouth of a jellyfish is also an anus.

Kaveh: Stop.

---

Alhaitham : If I'm extra sarcastic with you it probably means I'm flirting with you or you really annoy me and I can't handle your crap... have fun figuring out which one.

---

Alhaitham : Are we fighting or flirting?

Kaveh: I'm pinning you against a wall with my hand around your neck-

Alhaitham : Your point?

---

Kaveh: Crushes are the worst. Whenever I’m near mine, I start acting stupid.

Alhaitham : You always act stupid.

Alhaitham :

Alhaitham : Wait...

---

Kaveh: Alhaitham and I are no longer dating.

Alhaitham : Kaveh, that’s a horrible way of telling people we’re married.

---

Alhaitham : Are you trying to seduce me?

Kaveh: Why, are you seducible?

Cynari bonus

Tighnari: Okay, I’m going to get the wedding cake.

Cyno: Perfect, while you do that I’ll check on the ring bear.

Tighnari : ...

Tighnari: You mean ring bearER, right?

Cyno: ...

Tighnari : Look me in the eyes and tell me you are not going to bring a dangerous wild animal to our wedding.

[samsayswhatever]

On Saxloch and Consent

A continued response to this anon inbox message.

The Threesome has made a lot of viewers question Saxon's consent.

But there isn't ANY explicit verbal consent from ANY of them, and they are ALL drunk and high. So due to the inebriation, I think none of them could technically consent, but that doesn't mean there is a perpetrator.

However, I think Chloe is slightly more responsible since she bought the drugs and discussed wanting a foursome many scenes earlier. She was the one who wouldn't take no for an answer when Saxon denied the drugs, and she is the one who started the "do it!" chant until he took the drugs. But Saxon wasn't very drunk at that point, and Chloe doesn't have much power over him. He could have said no to the drugs.

Despite not knowing if there was initial consent, I actually think there are a lot of signs of possible continued consent between them throughout the night: The high five, the third kiss, locking eyes with Loch as he cums etc. I agree that Saxon's initial enthusiastic consent isn't shown, so there is no way to know for sure what happened off screen, as you said anon.

However, Saxon also previously discussed wanting Loch to fuck Chloe, and his position of power as an older brother is still in play. I agree with you anon that Lochlan has the least power in the situation as a new adult and an underage drinker. But again, as I mentioned in the post linked above, the "happy = villian" theme pops up again because he's so smiley as he jacks him off, and that messes with peoples initial interpretations of Loch's innocence.

Anon, the way I see it is the show isn't completely disinterested in the concept of consent. The conversation about consent between Belinda and Pornchai was wonderfully refreshing. She was talking openly about consent at stages far removed from the act of sex, like it should be in real life!

However, for this threesome, I think the writers purposely left out the explicit consent. If there was a moment in their memories where they both said, "I really want to fuck you," I think it would have been unrealistic because they aren't at the point where they can verbalize their desires. This isn't to say that they DIDN'T say exactly that, but to say that it wasn't a part their memories focused on. All of the scenes shown were the ones that ran through their heads when they were remembering the night for the first time. And since both of them are freaking out about whether they actually sexually desire their brother, I think they are still in denial about their consent, and therefore actively blocking out and ignoring memories that would reveal the true level of their desire.

The "You guys forced me" is an interesting line that relates to this. I don't think Saxon blames Loch at all, but I can see why he blames Chloe and Chelsea in that convo. He starts to blame the threesome on Chelsea for not sleeping with him, which is stupid, but he's lashing out at everyone to avoid the blame himself. He's freaking out because he knows what he did was wrong, and want's it to be someone else's fault so he doesn't have to confront his true desires. But, as Chloe said, she didn't make Loch do anything. Yeah, she may have pushed the drugs on Saxon, but as Chelsea said, "there's no drug in the world that would make me get with my brother."

The "you guys forced me" is another example of how Saxon avoids "i" statements when he's lying. Like when he says, "We both blacked out" instead of "I blacked out." He wants it to be true so bad, but even he doesn't believe it enough to identify with the lie. So after Chloe and Chelsea gave such strong statements, he has no one else but to blame but himself.

--

I think the show is interested in exploring this more, but I'm also afraid that it won't be enough to change the "Lochlan is evil" mindset some people have adopted. I think the next episode will focus on both of them confronting that they did did something wrong.

Lochlan will likely blame himself because Saxon ignored him, and he'll spiral in the monastery about messing up his relationship with his brother, but I don't think he's going to admit it to piper. He might think telling her means he will lose her too.

Saxon will likely progress in the stages of grief, and dance between anger, bargaining, and depression. He'll possibly do something stupid or reckless to distract himself from his thoughts because he has been taught that even saying the word "genitals" is bad. So the weight of what he's done is going to be so much worse.

[twinroomies]

i really like the bits of your personal style that show in the twin runes style issue! ^^

Thanks! It's, interesting adapting the art style, I should talk about that a bit! So, yeah, this isn't verbatim Twin Runes, I'm not following the model sheets 1 to 1... but I used to ALL the time. For those of you who don't know, I started the journey which is currently at this point with a dub of Twin Runes itself! In that dub, I needed to add a few elements, remove a few things to have them appear at different times, etc, etc. Then, I started getting more creative. Then I started adding new expressions, then I drew my thumbnail for the compilation of the first 50 dubs... and then I just kept drawing them. A lot. I ended up drawing them so much I can draw a lot of Twin Runes characters completely from memory, and most of them partially (characters like Susie , while I love them, I don't draw often enough). Now we're here! And, somewhere along that line, when you draw characters a lot and commit things to memory or when you learn a style... some stuff changes eventually because you're doing it from the hip so to speak. All you people that want to work in animation, take notes: you're rarely going to be drawing in your own style. In fact, I don't HAVE my own style, if you sat me down and said "draw something in your own unique style" I'd probably just come up with something on the spot, and a week later if you asked me the same thing it could be completely different! I have things I like, but I don't have a style, because I'm NOT an illustrator, I'm an animator... BUT that doesn't mean I don't end up with variations:

On the left are sketches of me following more closely how Akane draws the goobers at current, and on the right is me drawing the goobers from the ol' dome noggin. Akane's versions of the Roomies are a lot more refined, in a sense. The features are smaller, the shapes are a lot less cluttered, and they ooze design choice, they remind me of Sanrio or something by "Bob Holt" (that's the Hoops and Yoyo guy for those of you old enough to remember them)! My versions of the doofuses, however, are very scrappy. My Chara uses a lot less angular shapes, taking on the appearance of something closer to Kris from around issue 30 of Twin Runes (where I started drawing for my dub, actually). They have wider bangs, a more squished face, and their jaw is gone. If Akane's Chara is the Cheshire Cat, mine is Garfield. Speaking of cartoon characters, my Asriel is actually closer to how he was drawn in the very first comic to STAR both of those characters, though even in that regard I'd say my Asriel is still even more "cartoon-y". I built his face, in a sense, to be funny. He's got a lot of that "Joseph Holt" (Mickey Mouse Shorts Circa 2013) energy, he's gotta do a lot of the facial expression work for the comic since Chara's not one to really emote that much, now are they? While some of these are VERY DELIBERATE CHANGES, to be honest, some of these are just... how I draw compared to Akane! I grew up doodling Sonic, Spongebob, and OG Dragon Ball, and I feel like it really shows in what I gravitate towards. But, regardless of what I change, the goal always is, and will continue to remain, being true to Twin Runes itself! That was a long ramble, wasn't it? I'm really sorry, I'm still getting used to running one of these, I'm sure most of you had your eyes glaze over by paragraph 2! I hope someone finds it interesting, however, and thank you for your question!

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

ok literally all of these sound AMAZING and i want to hear about all of them, but i'm just going to limit myself to three:

🚂⌛🧑‍🧒

Ahhh thank you!

🚂 snippet that actually best explains the concept

It's after they've both worked two shifts and started their ninety-six that Tommy sits down at the kitchen island and slides a piece of paper over to Buck. He wipes his hands on the dish towel over his shoulder to get any lingering egg wash off and picks up the paper. It's a bullet-pointed list.

Terms and Conditions

We both hold veto power, before and during

Condoms

No drugs (us or them)

Not at home

No pictures, no video, no phones out period (ours are okay)

No uninvited guests

No kissing, no touching my neck or wrists, no restraining, no pulling my hair, no striking

No name-calling except by you

No reentry after they leave the space

Fucking only

Have to be able to see, touch, hear you

Buck’s lips twitch into a smile, and he nods. “Okay. I think we should also put some of this on a sign or something. Just in case.”

Tommy snorts and takes the list back when Buck holds it out. “‘Don't make me tap the sign’?”

“If it keeps you safe and happy, yeah,” Buck says, coming around the island to scratch his nails through Tommy's hair and kiss him. “Yeah, I'll make a sign. I'll bring one of those collapsible pointers. I'll do anything and everything to make sure no one makes you uncomfortable or hurts you.”

His boyfriend hugs him around his middle, his face going into Buck’s neck. “I love you.”

Buck smiles and kisses Tommy's hair. “I love you. And I'm really looking forward to seeing you strung out on dick. I opened my locker on my forehead yesterday because I got this flash of you all happy and hazy while some enormous guy is behind you just going to town.”

Tommy burrows closer to Buck and laughs. “Shut up.”

“I'm not joking. I'm really not joking,” Buck says, rubbing his back.

⌛ snippet that does not reflect my feelings on what happened in 8x11, but I think Buck might blame himself more than he should

He'd fucked up. He'd fucked up again and said the wrong things again without telling Tommy how he really felt again. It's like his brain is broken, and he hates himself for it.

Buck wraps his arms around himself and bends forward, knees bending almost in a crouch, and he sobs. He wants Tommy, wants to hear his voice and see his smile and feel his hands and his arms. He wants to go back and fix this, he wants it more than anything. He wishes that just once, he could fix something he'd broken.

When he collapses in bed, he pulls the other pillow to his chest and breathes in the phantom smell of Tommy's shampoo and cologne and deodorant and sweat until he falls asleep.

–

He wakes up, realizes it's too bright, that he's overslept, and he shoots to his feet. Except his foot catches on something and he almost slips and falls on his ass. Bending down, he frowns when he picks up his jeans. Except he'd thrown his jeans in the corner since he didn't know what happened to his laundry hamper.

“What the hell?” he mutters, tossing them away.

When he steps through the bedroom doorway, he smells bacon. And when he keeps walking toward his kitchen, worrying he's in another coma dream or having a neurological episode, he hears the sound of the freezer closing and sees Tommy step back.

“Hi,” Tommy says, smiling at him. Smiling like nothing’s wrong, like Buck hadn't dropped a grenade on their chances of getting back together, like the entire previous day hadn't happened. Smiling in the same clothes he'd been wearing.

“I-I thought you had a shift,” Buck says, and Tommy looks at him funny.

“Not until tomorrow,” he says. “Didn't want to leave without feeding you.”

And Tommy gently taps his stomach with the back of his hand before turning away, and Buck’s entire world shifts on its axis when he gets hit with an intense wave of deja vu. It's so bad that he worries, once again, that he's having a neurological episode. It intensifies when he sees the spread of food—the same spread of food.

🧑‍🧒

Okay so late in high school Bobby slept with a girl he was friends with and then her family moved her out to California to live with her aunt a few months later. His mom either meets Tommy's dad and passes the baby off as his or he agrees to be the father. In this, I have his father as more of a homophobic hardass than outright physically abusive or anything. In early 2002 when Tommy would be about 18, his mom dies (likely of cancer) and he's going through her stuff and he finds something that makes him argue with his dad, his dad reveals he isn't Tommy's real father. Tommy asks his aunt who his real dad is and she gives him Bobby's name. He tracks him down to Minnesota but it's really awkward and Bobby shows him a letter his mom wrote the year before when she got sick and says he was going to come look for him. Tommy's already enlisted in post 9/11 fervor and waiting to go to basic and then ship out, they promise to keep in touch.

The timeline of the show simply does not make sense, so we're embracing this being my AU. Tommy is in the Army for six years to learn to be a pilot and kind of keeps in touch with Bobby during that time. He still goes back to LA to join the academy and goes to the 118, but he came out during the immediate DADT days thanks to his relationship with Bobby. After the fire, he goes back to Minnesota to get Bobby into rehab. Bobby gets out and asks to transfer to LA to be near his only surviving kid, they find out about the opening at the 118 when the latest captain is leaving. Tommy's transfer to Harbor goes through. Hen and Chimney maybe have a weird feeling about Tommy and Bobby after they see how they interact at first and then they see them hug for like...a long time. And they'll think they need to make sure Tommy isn't being taken advantage of by the new captain and he just goes GOD NO that's my dad. Not long after, Buck joins. They would meet when Bobby relapses, they become friends, they start dating in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. There's more in there but this is the CORE CONCEPT and setup.