#crumbles like wet tissue paper

[punisheye]

Wolfwood and his shadow mirror each other's wounds— bullet to the gut, bullet to the shoulder, a slice on the cheek, but lacking the broken, bruised ribs. And the Shadow still handles it much better. If Wolfwood were at his full strength, unhindered, he'd still be standing tall and fighting without flinching.

But now he feels more human than ever, with blood in his mouth, an arm around his ribs, his breathing hard and uneven, pain shooting through him with each movement. Even when he died in the face of the younger Stampede, he wasn't in as rough of shape as this. It'd be so easy to reach into his jacket for the thing that would heal him in an instant, wouldn't it?

Especially now, with Vash pinning it to the sand, gun to its head. It gives him time. His heart jackrabbits.

The acrid stench of that blue liquid is thick in his nose; it's drying in his hair, on the skin of his neck. It burns there, too. Always burned worse than alcohol going down. Wolfwood, with one arm braced on the Punisher, dips his fingers beneath his jacket. They brush over the pouch there, five vials tucked away neatly just beneath his gun holster. Temptation.

But what Vash is saying makes him pause, and clearly rattles the Shadow, too, because it's gawking at him, eyes wide. It's the same as Wolfwood's own.

"I—"

Both the Shadow and Wolfwood speak at the same time, which makes them both shut up. The monster's eyes cut to him, then back to Vash, and its teeth bare in an ugly snarl as it twists under Vash, using its full weight to flip them over. The opposing cross is held over its shoulder, angled down so Vash has to stare up the length of it. Fingers twitch, prepared to turn the dial—

And another bullet tears into the Shadow's firing arm, then another. Adrenaline has Wolfwood stumbling forward, his own Punisher forgotten in the sand, only his Grader held close, and he full-body tackles his twisted doppelganger, sending them both sprawling into the sand. The other Punisher skids to a stop a few feet away. Wolfwood shoves the Grader under the Shadow's chin.

It looks up at him, stunned. The gun nuzzles into its chin, pushing its head back. Its eyes blaze with rage, and Wolfwood's finger is on the trigger when he sees it, something flash there, just beneath the anger.

Fear.

He pulls his finger from the trigger before he can even think about it. The gun is pulled back. The Shadow trembles with fury and something else and its breath is coming out in short gasps. It isn't trying to fling him off.

Wolfwood hunches over it, his hand pressed to the sand. Their eyes meet and he says, voice hoarse, "I see you."

"You coulda shot me then, ended all this—" It rasps out in response. "I'll kill ya, both of ya, as many times as I have to, y'know that?"

"Well, I'm still sittin' here, alive. You haven't tossed me off even though we both know you can."

It swallows. Its fingers twitch as its hands raise, coming up to hold Wolfwood's face. Its hands are cold. Its nails dig in.

"I killed our friends," it mumbles.

"...I know."

"They still trusted me."

They believed in him. In Wolfwood. Despite all these awful, ugly things bared to the world. They saw him— not a monster, but him, and it makes Wolfwood dizzy.

"I know."

"I don't know why," its voice is weaker now. Those nails don't dig any deeper. "Why they'd still love me. Look."

"I'm lookin'. I see you. Are you scared?"

Silence, save for the wind that blows over them. Wolfwood swallows hard. The Shadow is still looking at him, red eyes wide. And so, so afraid.

It— he doesn't respond. It's enough of an answer.

"You don't gotta be scared," Wolfwood says, and he feels a little like he's back at the orphanage, consoling one of the younger children. "No one's gonna hurt you anymore."

The hands on his face are warm, now. The Shadow makes a choked sound. His arms fall to the ground again. Wolfwood slumps down, his cheek pressed to dark hair, his hand coming to the back of his skull. He closes his eyes.

"Yer safe, Nico."

In the freezing desert night he holds the manifestation of his self-loathing and he doesn't let go. No other words are exchanged. There is nothing else to say.

He doesn't know how long the three of them are there before a stronger gust of wind passes through, where the shadows melt away and Wolfwood is left holding nothing, his forehead pressed to the sand.

★ --;; Dual crosses swing up to aim and fire and Vash is out from behind Wolfwood again in a flash; it won't do much good to stay at his back when there's only one target, right there in front of him. Especially not with a rain of gunfire crossing the gap between them as though it were a terrible bridge between them both. It at least gives Vash enough of an opening to duck and weave himself through one of the crumbling sections of the wall that blocks off the city. To take aim and fire once then twice and again all in rapid succession, though it does worryingly little to the shadow's grip as bullets ricochet against his Punisher's side, as one more embeds itself in his shoulder. It doesn't even flinch.

Wolfwood's rushing him before Vash has the chance to move again. Instinct dictates him to take up the rear, to take moving cover for what it was, just like the countless times before metal shield had left the path open for his own precision. Despite whatever handicaps the Stars may have put on him though Wolfwood' still fast, all trained muscle and honed reflexes, and even as Vash is hauling himself back up and over with his own regained speed the clang of metal against metal still reaches his ears before he makes it.

On fleet feet Vash circles, gun raised and trying to get a clear shot between flailing weaponry and limbs alike so as not to catch Wolfwood in the crossfire-- but it's too late, and the sickening crunch of barrel against rib send that nauseous feeling in his gut back into overdrive as Wolfwood skids across the sand.

"Nick!"

How quickly nearly every emotion in Vash's chest is replaced with protective rage. One foot goes flying in front of the other only to be cut off by another round of machine gun fire warding him off, sending him dancing sideways and perpendicular away from where they so desperately want to carry him. A hiss punches through bared teeth as pain blossoms in his thigh, dark leather painted even darker with bloodstain. The ease with which the doppelganger strides over to where Wolfwood is pushing himself up sends another flare of anger up his throat.

Vash isn't stupid enough to think that the shadow is completely distracted by bared teeth and blood spit up against the sand; the Punisher's too far away, in too close of a position to them for him to run and grab hold of it. The scent of the vial feels as though it singes his nose, even as far away as he is, and it sends him reeling. Makes every nerve in his body light up, because he'd sworn if he'd ever seen one of those cursed things again he'd shoot it right out from between the holder's fingers.

His body moves and everything's a blur. White noise had begun blaring in his ears as soon as the chemical scent had scorched his nostrils, and before he's even entirely aware of where he is there's the distinct bang of the Grader radiating in his ears. The shadow staggers backwards on unsteady feet just as he's on top of the both of them, just in time for Vash to ram his shoulder into his back.

It's stupid. It's so, so, stupid, but he knows how poor the cross does in close quarters, and in a rare flex of his own strength Vash has one knee dug into firing wrist, pinned at what's got to be a painful angle as it attempts to keep its hold on the dial, regardless of whatever angle the Punisher is left with, the other knee dug tightly into punctured gut. The barrel of the Colt sits square between his eyes.

His finger sits long against the barrel.

The sand settles quickly from the brief altercations, having been kicked up so violently. Harsh pants push their way past his lips as the angry buzzing in the back of his head dies. Even with his own strength Vash knows for a fact it would be nothing for the shadow to throw him off again, just as he had sent him sprawling in the dirt, but he's at least got to try.

"Stop this," he manages, voice a low growl and eyebrows furrowed. "You loved those kids before I ever even showed up. Are you deaf? I said you're bad at playing. You were never a monster. This isn't ever what your heart would be. I couldn't change something if it wasn't already there. So let it go."

[linkedin-offficial]

collars of the colony

members of the colony werent always naked and bare in their prides regard. most of them used to wear reminders of their housekeepers and people, like the common housecat. it was normal to wear these reminders, like a tag, so others knew where you belonged.

not everyone agreed with these reminders, however. cats like jax and zooble felt annoyed by these restraints. jax wore none at all, as even the thought of being confined to such a small place made him seeth with rage. he loved his people, sure, but the idea of a grounding tag like this was too much. zooble on the other hand, tolerated such restraining reminders in the guise of their people, tossing it away when they werent. they knew they were smart. their housekeepers were the type to allow their presence to be outside the boundaries of their home. zooble knew they were lucky for this opportunity, and used it sparingly.

other cats on the other hand held onto their reminders longer than the average cat. cats like kaufmo and queenie felt that without such a reminder, the memory of their people would fade away into nothing. and how could such a cat let this happen? without housekeepers like theirs, theyd truly be nothing but more feed for speeding cars upon the darkpaths. theyd been given food, a home, and love. to throw away such a reminder was like throwing away a piece of themself.

of course, when it due time, queenie was the only one who couldnt seem to bare the burden of finally letting go. kaufmo eventually finally gave in, but he vowed to never let his memories of his people fade away. his vow and queenie's denial however, was not enough to save them from the dangers that demanded change, and dangers that soon lie ahead.

[yorkmas]

A compilation of unused Deadly Premonition voice clips associated with a scrapped mechanic where the player used to be able to kill major NPCs, including York's heartbroken response

Sorting through these files was only possible thanks to the data extraction made available by evonymus

[ariaste]

i want to see Daniel make Lestat ugly-cry like in the teaser. Daniel says all the same kind of snarky things he said to Louis, but where Louis got mad and grabbed him by the throat (and Armand gazed at him with either affectionate amusement or Absolute Hurt And Betrayal), Lestat crumbles immediately into a pathetic wet meltdown.

daniel's like "jesus christ he is made of tissue paper, what the fuck is this???" Where are the guys who at least roasted him back about his divorces??? Lestat has not brought up his divorces even once. Lestat does not seem to know one thing about him except that he wrote a book. Lestat does not seem to have even peeked inside Daniel's surface thoughts. Lestat has not even asked Daniel who his maker is bc he assumes it is not relevant and it's not anyone he'd know anyway.

IF Lestat asked at all, it would only be like "Louis didn't turn you, right????? [shaking with jealousy]" and Daniel would manage to get out "What? No, it was--" before Lestat interrupts like "THANK GOD" and immediately changes the subject back to other things he cares about, ie: the beauty of Louis' entire being, the glory of Louis' thighs specifically, the top 10 times Louis let him smash, the top 50 times Louis let Lestat hold his hand, all the very sad and tragic things that have happened to Lestat in his life, the ways Armand is a conniving bitch and Lestat is glad Armand never made a fledgling because it would be a garbage bitch of a fledgling probably, etc

[chrisbesitos]

Chris helping when young reader is stressing over university, pretty please?????

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀this is me trying.

( warnings: fluff, cursing, stress (?).

( synopsis: y/n has being struggling with stress because of the university and chris helps her.

Books, papers, pencil and pens. All over Y/N's desk, a pretty mess of study material because of a very important exam. She has three weeks to study, but for some reason, her mind can't relax, not until she gets ready for the exam. This is consuming her mind, she can't eat, she can't sleep, she can't live. She can't even cry, because with tears in her eyes, she can't read her papers.

This is unhealthy, yes, but she can't stop. She doesn't know how, if she knows she's getting crazy, she just doesn't know how to take a break and breathe.

She's been in the room for the whole day, it's 6 pm and Chris doesn't even know if she ate something. He has been out for a meeting earlier, he warns Y/N, he told her to take a break and eat. But her breakfast was still untouched on the table, not even a crumble was gone.

Chris hates her exams weeks, because he feels like she's losing her mind and he's slowly losing his girlfriend. Chris gets out to record car videos and she's still in the same place, he gets ready to sleep and she's there, talking alone about numbers and math. Y/N is smart, the smartest girl Chris ever know, but her insecure mind fuck with her all the time. Lately, Chris just can sleep when he realizes she's passed out on the desk, so he puts her on the bed, but after a couple hours she's awake again.

He moves towards his room, Y/N is there with her nose on her books. He walks carefully, Chris touches her shoulders and she jumps.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, doll." He whispered, Y/N nodded, she gave to him a small grin and turned back to her study. Chris sighed, he frowned his eyebrows, he was really worried about her. "Doll, how long have you been here?"

"I'm studying, Chris." She said, impatient. Chris opened his mouth, but nothing came out, because he's not accustomed to this behavior from her. Y/N took a breath, Chris noticed how fail was her breathing. "I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to. But you're really disturbing me right now."

"What's the last time you ate something? Did you have at least water today?" Chris held Y/N's pen in her hand, he spined the computer chair, now Y/N is facing Chris.

Black bags underneath her tired eyes, any one could see how tired she was, not only Chris. He wishes she could see what she's doing with her. Chris caresses her cheek, giving her an upset look, Y/N makes a pout on her lips, she hates to see his boyfriend sad.

"I can't stop." She whispered, he could barely hear her crying voice.

"You have to. Doll, this is not healthy." Chris kneeled on the ground, he held her hands hard and put it on his chest. "You're not eating properly, not sleeping right, all you do is fucking math. You have to give a break to your little head, or else you're gonna break."

Her underlip trembled and tears began to get formed on her eyes, fat tears started to roll down her cheek and she started to sob uncontrollably. Her shoulders shake as she body too, she couldn't handle it anymore. Chris lifted and hugged her weak body, she shrank herself into his arms as she sobs loudly. He carried her on his arms until the bed, where he sits with Y/N on his lap, caressing her back and letting her put all her pain and tiredness out.

"Jus' let it out, I'm right here." Chris whispered in her ear, his voice in a low and calm tone. "I'm gonna hold you, doll. I'm not going anywhere."

Y/N took almost a hour to stop crying, she's still sobbing lightly when she's lifted her head and looked at Chris. Her face was wet by her tears and her nose was running, Chris' lips leaned upward in a small smile as he grabbed the tissue box on the nightstand from when Y/N was sick and Chris bought for her nose.

He helped her with her nose, after this, he pressed her lips on her forehead on a gentle kiss. Chris rocked her in his arms, caressing her back.

"I didn't know how to stop, I feel like if I stop, I'll fail my exam." Her voice cracked again, Chris massaged her scalp to calm her down. "I'm so tired, my head hurts and so do my stomach. I wanted help, but I don't know how to ask."

"I know how college can be stressful and your mind tricks you, makes you think you're gonna fail, but you're so smart. You work so hard, I can see your effort." Chris said, he offered a gentle smile. "You just need to learn how to study in a healthier way, no more be without eating and sleeping, you get it? We can work it together, I'm here to help you, I'm always here."

"I love you, baby." Y/N said, embracing her arms on his waist. Chris kissed her hair. "Thank you for being here for me."

"I'll always be here with you, I'm never gonna leave, 'kay?"

After this, Chris carried Y/N towards the kitchen, he prepared a quickly meal for her. While she eats, Chris cleans the mess from the desk, then he returns and carries her back to the room. He put on Y/N's favorite show, laying in the bed with her laying on his body, like she usually do. She didn't take too much to fast asleep, she was really tired. By the end of the night, Chris was happy that now she'll try to get a better study routine and Y/N was happy knowing her boyfriend will always be by her side.

please chris, help me with my college stress

tags ; @lizzymacdonald06 @deliciousluminaryanchor @lushjunkie @sweetreliever @watercolorskyy @ivysturnss @brianna-grace12 @blahbel668 @gabri3la-sturns @strnlxlqve @stvrnzcherries @unknvhx @pvssychicken @all4l0vee @i4longhairchris @sluttybitchformattsturniolo

taglist | masterlist

[wooahaes]

cake crumbles

pairing: non-idol!woozi x fem!reader

genre: fluff. established relationship au. some slight comfort.

warnings: anxious jihoon who just wants everything to go well. proposal mentions. food.

word count: 1.3k~

daisy's notes: he :( <3

“Okay. We can fix this. It’s not too late.” 

The only things holding Jihoon together right now was both Soonyoung and Vernon’s presence right now. But he hadn’t stopped staring at where your birthday cake had been dropped onto the floor, smashed into a mess of blue and white icing. Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to clean up the mess in Soonyoung’s apartment. Soonyoung was on his knees now, tossing it into a bag to be disposed of properly once it was all done. It had all happened too quickly. One minute he’d been moving it to a different space on the counter, and the next he’d been lying on the floor, body aching from his slip, and the cake was destroyed. The little party he’d planned was hours away, and he’d ordered this cake specifically for you…

“I think grocery stores do plain buttercream cakes,” Vernon said, fingers covered in blue as he dropped another chunk of cake into the trash. “It’s not as special, but we can get them to write her name on it.”

“She likes those cakes,” Soonyoung nodded. “That’s what we did for my birthday last year.” 

Right, but those weren’t made for you. Jihoon had gone out of his way to slowly figure out what you’d love the most. He sighed, and moved to get paper towels to wet and clean up the remaining icing. “I don’t know. I wanted to get her something special…”

Vernon looked up. “It’s just her birthday. I know she’s special, but—”

Immediately, Soonyoung started to smack his arm. He shook his head, and Vernon slowly connected the dots.

“Oh.” Then his eyes widened. “Oh! Dude—Today?”

Jihoon quietly nodded, then stopped. “I mean—Not technically?” He sighed, leaning back. “I was going to ask her when we went home. It’ll be after midnight, so it’d be tomorrow, and—”

Vernon nodded. “Alright. Look,” he pushed himself off the floor. “I know some people. Maybe one of ‘em could help do us a favor.” 

Something inside of him seemed to crumple like tissue paper at how easily Vernon seemed to take charge right now.  That should be what he was doing. You were his girlfriend, his love, and yet he couldn’t seem to drag himself out of the spiralling thoughts that he’d fucked this all up. He knew what you would say now, though: that it was fine. That you didn’t need a birthday cake to be happy. But today needed to be perfect for you. You treated him with so much kindness, always so gentle but clear with how much you loved him. Jihoon wasn’t always the loudest with how much he loved the people in his life, but he hoped that his love was clear, too. This was supposed to be part of his big gesture, the thing that screamed to the skyline that he loved you wholeheartedly. The other part was the box still tucked away in his pants pocket, even now. He carried it with him most days, just in case he ever felt the inclination to forego his plans…

Maybe he should have. Then he wouldn’t be so stressed right now making sure everything went right. 

Vernon had already stepped away, calling someone to see what they could do on such short notice. Soonyoung, on the other hand, had helped him wipe up the remaining icing. The floor needed to be mopped soon anyway, and then the scene of the crime would be entirely taken care of. By the time it was all taken care of, Vernon already had a name and a place to go—which led to Soonyoung pushing Jihoon toward him, saying he could handle setting up the rest. 

He’d described as basic a cake as he could: vanilla, decorated with buttercream in blue and white, with maybe some flowers on it if the baker could swing it. All it needed to say was ‘Happy birthday’ and your name. The easiest thing that they could make, he would accept as long as it tasted good. With the order placed and a time given to pick it up, Jihoon stepped back out onto the street with Vernon at his heels.

“So…” He’d soon fallen into step beside him. “It’s not just about the cake, is it?”

Jihoon slowly nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. Anything to look more casual instead of the nervous storm he was inside. “If I don’t make it right… Then I’m going to feel like I failed her.”

“You could literally show up with just a thing of Oreos and she’ll love you.” Vernon looked over. “It’s fine to be nervous, but I don’t think there’s anything you could do that could upset her.” 

“I know, but…”

Vernon bumped into him, just to get his attention back on him. “You two love each other a lot, dude. It’s gonna be alright.” 

Jihoon could only hope that it would be.

Hours passed quicker than Jihoon expected them to. He and Vernon had returned to Soonyoung’s apartment and helped him set up for your little birthday party. Seungcheol had thankfully agreed to drive the cake over, careful as he could be, while Jihoon had to return home to you. He’d fed you this plan to go out for a movie and then dinner, hand hovering over his pocket. The box was right there. Maybe it’d be better for him to leave it somewhere safe here, but he felt better carrying it on him. 

“Jihoony?” You had turned from where you were putting on an earring—one of the ones he bought you last year for Christmas. There’s a playful lift to your voice, smiling at him. “Everything okay?”

He nodded, making his way over to you. “Everything’s perfect,” he said. Yet the pit in his stomach didn’t seem to shrink at all. He had hoped that saying it aloud would do something, and yet…

You fastened the earring into place, and then reached forward to cup his face. “Jihoony.” You let out a long sigh. “I know.”

“You… know?”

“One,” you said, “Cheol accidentally let the party secret slip when I asked him if he wanted to join us for dinner. And two…” You shut your eyes for a moment. “Remember the other week when you came home exhausted from work? You changed, ate dinner, and then went straight to bed…”

Oh no. Oh no. He swore he had tucked the ring box into his bag after he drove home. “So, you…”

With a soft kiss against his lips, you leaned back. Your chapstick tasted like birthday cake, all too fitting for today. “Whenever you ask, I’m going to say yes.” 

Jihoon met your eyes. “Even if it’s tonight?”

“Maybe wait until we’re alone,” you said, as if he hadn’t always planned for that. “But yes,” you giggled. “Tonight included.”

Jihoon reached for your hands, taking them into his own. The words already started to pour out of him before he could even think twice, “I dropped your birthday cake earlier. We got a replacement, but it isn’t the one I ordered for you. I hope that’s okay.” 

Instead of saying anything else, all you did was step back as you laughed. He’d fallen in love with your laugh long ago, but hearing it now he swore he was falling in love with the sound all over again. When you faced him again, you were smiling harder than before, even more radiant this time.

“As long as I get to enjoy it with you,” you said, “I’m going to be happy.” 

All at once, his anxieties disappeared. He leaned in, lips brushing against yours for just a few seconds. He knew he would kiss you properly once the two of you were home again. But for now, he’d leave you with something fleeting, just to leave both of you wanting more. “Happy birthday,” he said for the second time today, hands resting at your waist. “I love you so much.”

taglist: @twancingyunhao @wonuziex @synthetickitsune @staranghae @porridgesblog @weird-bookworm @bangchansbae @laylasbunbunny @bewoyewo

[twig-gy]

i don’t care if you hate jashippers i don’t care if you’re the worst person alive if you hate ademiere.. GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!!

okay we’re done with adeposting for now i just need to put some posts out there because he’s so cool and he has helped me many times :3 and i am very thankful for his work and his videos are so cool and no one else is making respect ademiere posts so like……. someone has to. THANK YOU ADEMIERE!!!!!!!

[colibrie]

Uncharted Territory, part one.

All love and credit to @trilobitepunch, for the amazing art work,the listening ear, and the endless encouragement. You are amazing Trilo!

“I’ve got snacks!”

Mikeys cheery voice cut through the racetrack of his thoughts, shepherding Leo’s attention back to the bustle and hum of the fuel depot. His younger brother was skipping towards him, boxes of ration bars and a few brightly colored bags filling his arms to near bursting. 

“The selections not that great,” Mikey continued, cheeks puffing in annoyance as he reached Leo, hopping comically on one leg as he fought to open the cargo hatch with his toes. “But I did manage to finagle two boxes of the better rations out of the shop keep, aaaaaand she even threw in some of those sweet sticks I like!”

“The ones dad banned you from having because of that time you were literally bouncing off the walls?” Leo teased, leaning casually against the ship’s hull as he flashed a smirk at his baby brother. “Force help us all.”

“Leeeeo!” Mikey whined, beak wrinkling in embarrassment as he scowled affronted at big brother. “I was six! Don’t be a jerk!”

“Hey, as the only other person stuck in an incredibly small ship with you for the foreseeable future, I think I have a right to be concerned!” Leo goaded, reaching out to casually flip the fuel valve off as the warning chime sounded. 

“Just for that, I’m gonna hide the good rations from you,” Mikey shot back as the hatch finally opened with a soft hiss. “You get the spinach and spiva protein flavors, while I get the strawberry and chocolate.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you got strawberry?!” Leo squawked, arms flailing as he spun around, feet briefly slipping on the steel grating. “Hand em over!”

“No!” Mikey jeered, sticking out his tongue as he shoved the boxes and bags into the hold.

“Miiiikey.”

“Who’s the funny one now Leon?!”

“Your face,” Leo muttered lamely, pursing his lips into an exaggerated pout as he disconnected the hose. He projected a cloak of sulky energy, shaking his head with covert fondness as Mikey crowed in triumph and bit into one of his sweet sticks. He could let his little brother think he’d won this round. At least one of them deserved to laugh through this.

He blinked, and the world fell away once more.

Crimson blades reflecting off obsidian armor. The wall crumbling under his shell, like wet tissue paper. Screams of anger and fear as the darkness closed in, air cut off as something heavy twisted his lungs…

“So!” Mikey’s voice snapped Leo back once more to the fluorescently lit present. The smaller turtle had ducked under the shuttle’s wing and now stood at his side, oblivious to Leo’s lapse in attention as he worked with way through his treat. “What do we do now?”

Leo quickly turned away, scowling at the fuel hose as he wound in back into the holder.

“What do you mean?” he asked, proud of how even his voice stayed as he worked to get his face back into a casual smile.

“I mean, we’ve covered step one, right? We’re far enough away from home that no one will recognize us. We’ve got a full tank of fuel and enough rations to last two weeks if we play things right. What’s step two? How are we going to get Raph and Donnie back?”

“First off, we are going not talking about things where anyone passing by could hear us,” Leo chided under his breath, turning back to Mikey with a roll of his eyes.

“There’s hardly anyone around!” Mikey protested.

“And there are even less people around in hyperspace,” Leo retorted, flicking his fingers in a dismissive shooing motion, “so go start the pre-flight checks so we can get out of here.”

“Ugh! Fine! Be that way,” Mikey groaned, stomping away towards the cockpit with an energy only the youngest member of a family could muster.

Leo watched him go, sucking in a subtle breath through his teeth once his sibling was safely ensconced within the metal walls of the ship. He let his body sag for a second, leaning his temple against the riveted metal. Exhaustion seemed to press in from every angle, cheerfully reminding him of how large his sleep debt had grown in the week since they’d left their home and their father behind. How many nights his insomnia kept him awake, listening to Mikey’s squeaky snores while his thoughts raced at double time. Hours spent staring out the view screen as stars blurred past, fighting to keep his gritty eyes open as incomprehensible nightmares hounded the darkness behind his eyelids. What little sleep he had found was haunted by his twins’ parting words, repeated over and over like a tattoo beaten into his brain.

Find me. I need you. Find me. I need you. Find me. I need you. Find me, find me, find me…

I’m coming. I swear.

“Cmon Leon,” he muttered, pushing himself upright, shaking out his sluggish limbs and angling body towards the hatch as the engines hummed to life. “You got this.”

“Good job on the pre-flight munchkin,” Leo called, plastering a bright grin as he sauntered through the door. “Now outa my chair.”

“Doesn’t have your name on it,” Mikey supplied the rote reply, fingers tapping a happy beat on the consul. “I can launch us.”

“Not on your life brat,” Leo answered as he shoved his brother out of the pilot’s seat, snickering at the indignant squawk that followed.

The controls were comforting weight in his palms as he smoothly guided the ship up and out of station, the restless need to move in his soul settling slightly as velvety folds of the cosmos greeted them once more.

“Can we talk about things now?!” Mikey asked peevishly, flopping into the copilot seat.

“Sure. We can talk. We can talk about the stars, or the latest holo’s. Or where you put those strawberry ration bars. Or-”

“Leeeeeeeo,” Mikey cut in, drawing his brother’s name out in a sing-song tone that barely covered the hard edge reflected in his smile. “What’s the plan? I know you have one, you always do.”

“Of course I have a plan,” Leo hedged, careful to keep his eyes forward and smile easy as Mikey eagerly leaned in towards him.

Perhaps “plan” was a generous way to describe the looped track of findthemfindthemfindthem that had dominated his mind from the moment he’d stormed away from their father, drowning in a hurricane of disbelief and fury. He could not remember where he’d gone to wait out the remainder of that day, or what he might have done. He could barely remember sneaking back into the house to fill a bag with clothes, food, and a few meaningful trinkets. The need to move, to do, to fix things had simply been to great for rational thought to penetrate.

Finding Mikey waiting by the shuttle that night had been like a bucket of ice water to the face, the tempest of his emotions spluttering under his baby brother’s boundless spirit and unyielding will. Every smile, laugh, and hug soothed the embers further, calming the storm enough for clearer thoughts to fill his sleepless nights. Thoughts that wasted little time in confirming just how supremely stupid he’d been acting. Donnie and Raph out matched them in both strength and training, and if their last meeting was any indication, neither was likely to be open to simply talking things through. Mikey’s force abilities were fledgling, and Leo’s were inconsistent and unstable at the best of times. Following his feelings would have led him straight into an early grave. and now it wasn’t just Leo’s shell on the line.

Leo could admit, if only to himself, that he was still flying utterly blind through this. He did not have a plan. No clear course to retrieving those they had lost. But Mikey didn’t need to know that. Leo was nothing if not a proficient performer. Short a plan, he reached for his next best skill, improvisation.

“We are never going to match the people who have Raph and Donnie as we are now. They've proven they can wipe the floor with us,” Leo started as he sat back in the pilot’s chair, idly scooping up a spare gasket to roll through his fingers as he stared hard out the view screen.  

“What’s this “with us”? I seem to recall only one of us getting their shell beat,” Mikey answered with a proud smirk, only to let out another squawk as the gasket nailed him between the eyes.

“As I was saying,” Leo grumbled, “If we want to stand a chance of saving our brothers, we need to get stronger. And to do that we'll need a proper teacher.”

“But who could do that?” Mikey questioned, absently chewing on his lower lip as he cocked his head in thought. “All the Jedi are dead.”

“Splinter survived with two kids in tow,” Leo countered, smiling his most confident smile as he piloted them away from the fuel station. “If he could do it, I am sure there had to have been others who got out and went to ground.”

“Yeah, but… finding a random Jedi hiding in the galaxy… isn’t that is like finding a needle hidden in an ocean of needles?”

“You’re right,” Leo acknowledged, thinking hard. “But we aren’t looking for any random Jedi. We… are… going to find Master Karai. She was Da-Splinters Master. If anyone survived the purge, it would be her, I know it. We just need to find her somehow.”

“Oh!” Mikey perked up, sparks dancing in his smile as he reached out and unsteadily called the holocron to him with a wave of his palm. “We can use dads holocron and the force to find her!”

“Huh?!”

“If she was dad’s master, then he must have gone a lot of places with her. Places she might have gone to hide when the temple was destroyed. If we use the force to look through the maps, maybe it will tell us which one.” Mikey reasoned, tongue poking out between his lips as he tossed the glowing cube between his palms.

“A nice thought, but that's not how the force works Mikey,” Leo declined with a shake of his head.

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”

“How come?”

“It just…doesn’t?”

“That doesn’t sound like a good reason to not try. The recordings of Master Plo Koon said that the force is in everything.”

“It is, but it is not like my magic tricks Angelo. It can’t just make things appear,” Leo tried to explain, struggling to dig back into hazy memories of temple classrooms and supreme boredom. “They told us Jedi masters could use it to pick out individual force signatures in a crowd, but only if they were familiar with the person or knew what to look for. I mean, not even Grandmaster Yoda could find someone all the way across the galaxy!”

“Master Plo also said the force has a will of its own. What if the force wants us to find her?” Mikey countered, staring hard at the holocron before looking up at Leo with hope burning strong and bright. “It led Raph and Donnie to us, I know it. And, I don’t think it would have done that if it didn’t want us to help them. If finding Master Karai is what we need to do that, then I just…I have a feeling the force will steer us in the right direction.”

“Mike…”

“What do we lose by trying?” Mikey coaxed, holding out the holocron.

“It’s…yeah, okay. Sure. Knock yourself out,” Leo sighed, looking away with half shrug.

“We. We can knock ourselves out. Because we are going to do it together.”

“Uh, no we are not! Do I need to remind you of all the reasons why it would be really bad for me to try to use the force? Particularly in a tiny ship in the middle of outer space?!”

“I don’t remember her. Not like you do. And you were the one who just said that a Jedi needed to know the person they were looking for. You don’t have to do anything big, just try to focus on your memories of her. What did she look and sound like? How did she feel in the force? Tell me about it, and I’ll handle the razzmatazz side!”  

Maybe it was the sleepless nights, or the lack of better options no matter how hard he scoured his brain for one. Maybe it was that he had never developed a full proof defense against Mikey’s “please” face. Either way…

“Fiiiine,” he groaned, engaging the autopilot with a flick of his wrist before flopping back in his seat. “I want it on the record that I am humoring you, because there is no way that is going to work. And I am calling the right to rubbing it in when it doesn’t work.”

“And I will be happy to make you eat an “I told you so” sandwich when it totally does.” Mikey replied, beaming. “Now let’s do this!”

Leo reluctantly swiveled the pilot’s chair to face his brother, knocking their knees together. Mikey released the cube, the device opening as it rose to float between them.

“Man, this is stupid,” Leo muttered, begrudgingly holding his hands out, palms turned towards the cube as though warming them on the world’s worst campfire.

“You’re being stupid,” Mikey replied absently, copying Leo from the other side. “Stop complaining and tell me about Master Karai.”

“What’s there to say? She was a dedicated Jedi. She was awesome with lightsaber combat and could be strict when it came to training.”

“How did you meet her?” Mikey coaxed.

“She volunteered to take shifts in the creche whenever she rotated back to the temple,” Leo replied, taking a deep breath to steady himself before reaching back into cobweb covered memories. “She could be a bit awkward sometimes, but she…she cared.”

Leo smiled faintly, eyes slowly losing focus as his attention turned inward, mind wandering further down the paths of remembrance.

“She was loyal to the council, but she never really followed their stances on not forming attachments. Even though she wasn’t in the creche often, she was one of the few people who took the time to understand the four of us. Our personalities and what we needed as individuals. You used to spend time between her visits drawing her all kinds of pictures, then you’d make her sit down and go through each and everyone of them. She’d give you her full attention, every time.”

“She sounds nice,” Mikey murmured, eyes falling to half-mast as he tried to reach for that fickle feeling of the force inside of him.

“She was one of the few that had the patience to understand Donnie, to see him for the genius he was. She never scolded him for things he couldn’t control. She tried to learn what set him off, and tried to get things that would help him cope when I wasn’t there, even though it was against the rules. And she was always there as a listening ear for Raphie. He always looked out for us, but Karai was the one he went to most with his problems. She could always tell when he was getting upset, and she’d take him somewhere to let him blow off steam.”

“And what about you?” Mikey mumbled, closing his eyes fully as something warm bloomed in his chest. Something that crackled like the brightest bonfire, filled him from head to toe with warmth. It swirled in his veins, happy to dance, happy to be, yet unhappy to be so alone. It stretched instinctively towards a distant, cloudy aura, a weak glimmer of deep blue lightning flavored with ozone and storm winds. Seeking, searching.

“She got me,” Leo trailed off.

Lightning blue flinched, shying away as the golden fire prodded it.

“What did she look like? What did she feel like? Do you remember?” Mikey mumbled, fire following some unspoken instinct to keep going. Between them the holocron began to rapidly cycle through maps.  

“She was about my current height. Long black hair. She liked to wear two strands down by her face with the rest pulled back. Light skin, black eyes. She liked to wear long green robes while at the temple, and we used to love to pretend to hide in them. She was…she felt like your favorite blanket after a day in the cold, or my favorite cup of tea. Soft and reliable, and safe…”

Fire hummed. Lightning sparked, finding that tiny, barely mended gap.  

“She made us feel safe.”

For a moment, lightning touched fire. Something snagged, a loop of thread pulling tight. Mikey snapped his hands closed, holding onto it with everything he had. The holocron went still, washing the cockpit with a triumphant glow as it presented the chosen map.

“Omigosh it worked!” Mikey cheered, eyes snapping open to eagerly take in their new destination. They had done it! He had done it!

“Take that Le…Leo?”

His older brother was pale, beak scrunched and shoulders faintly trembling with pain as they curled inward. One hand covered his eyes, fingers digging deep into the sockets as the other hand clutched his chest. Sharp breaths whistled between clenched teeth as a slick of dark red rolled steadily from his nose. The impression of wind and ozone quickly fading away as Mikey scrambled out of his seat.

“Shell Lee, I’m so sorry! What can I do?!”

“It’s fine,” Leo mumbled, leaning away from Mikey as he pulled himself upright. Enthusiasm for their accomplishment fizzled out like a dying sparkler as Mikey watched, chewing anxiously on his cheek as he frantically ran through a check list of this brother’s symptoms.

“Are you dizzy? Nauseous? Is anything numb? What’s your full name? Where are we? Who is the-“

“Whoa Angelo! Slow down. Kinda to the first, meh on the second, no on the third, and I don’t need a concussion check. It’s the usual stuff. Mainly just a headache.”

“You sure? The way you’re holding your chest-”

“Yes, I’m sure. Relax Angie, or you’ll start getting wrinkles to rival Splinter.”

The balm of relief coated his nerves as Leo relaxed back into his seat, expression shifting from a pained grimace to an indolent grin as he casually wiped his face with the back of one hand.

“Plus, I didn’t blow anything up this time, so score me some bonus points!”

Mikey huffed, gently shoving at his older brothers’ shoulder before pushing himself back to his feet. Headaches weren’t new. Headaches they could handle.

“Do you want a stim shot?” he asked, glancing at the ship’s small med kit.

“Nah,” Leo denied with a dismissive wave. “We’re better off saving supplies, just in case. I’ll just nap it off once we set coordinates for… the Yakai system?”

“Yeah, that’s what the holocron landed on! Do you know it?” Mikey inquired, leaning in to admire the holomap that still floated between their seats.

“No but look at it Mikey. There’s nothing there. Just an asteroid belt and some low-grade planets.”

“Sounds like the perfect place for a Jedi to hide out!”

“Low-grade means no organic life dumb dumb. Nothing lives there.”

“But there isn’t any harm in going to look!” Mikey rejoined, straining to lean across his brother towards the autopilot.

“Ack! Mik-sto-getoff! We aren’t wasting the fuel.”

“Sorry, can’t hear you!” Mikey chirped, beaming as consul chirped to indicate the successful input of the coordinates.”

“Ohmi-”

“Lets just go and have a quick look! If we don’t find anything we’ll do things your way from there. Unless you’re scared to admit I could be right…”

“…Fine. But not only do I get to rub your face in it for eternity, you’ll owe me. Whatever I want, whenever I want it.”

“I can’t wait. Now go lay down. Autopilot says six hours till we reach Yakai.”

Leo whined and grumbled as he was prodded out of the pilot’s chair, dragging his feet as Mikey herded him to one of the benches.

“You nap, I’ll fly.” He insisted, pretending to ignore the dark bags gathered beneath his brothers’ eyes when he pulled off the blue mask.

“It’s not flying if the autopilot’s engaged,” Leo sniped petulantly, laying back reluctantly when Mikey pushed on his plastron.

“Whatever you say. Nighty night bro!”

[xiulric]

On SV fics and jin lan city AU fanfics

Jin lan city is one of my fave arcs in SV bc we have all this wonderful tension coming to a head. Sqq's devotion to binghe turned over its head, into fear and animosity

meanwhile binghe laboriously built himself up, meticulously planned and manipulated his way into a favorable political position both in the demon realm and as a huan hua disciple

despite his anger and resentment. he thinks this will prove to shizun that hes still valuable. bc xin mo digs its claws into binghes insecurity: sqq either rejected him bc of his demon heritage, or worse. sqq found him unlovable, the person who knew him best, saw the core of who he is, found him insufficient

hell. maybe this was a long con years in the making, sqq hated him since they met, and then only pretended to be nice to binghe so that sqqs betrayal would hurt more

and all this planning bites him in the ass!!!! it makes shizun resent him more!!!

some fics make the mistake of dissolving this tension too early. for the sake of speeding up the bingqiu cuddles

and like i think thats a waste bc those same misunderstandings, when resolved with good storytelling, lead to a satisfying conclusion that makes bingqiu feel deeper, with a stronger connection ! 

so anyway theres so many ways the jin lan meeting post abyss couldve gone. RIPE with potential for a variety of fun fanfic scenarios!!!

ive seen truth serum jin lan city aus, or obedience spell aus. even ones where sqq forces a soul connection so binghe. cant kill him without hurting himself

point is!! SO MANY OPTIONS

but my absolute favourite jin lan city aus, the most ironic, juicy, and hardest to execute imo :

aus where Binghe realizes something baffling about his shizun. the key to successfully manipulating SQQ and resolving this post-abyss misunderstanding.

its not through demonic power, prestige, manners or huan hua palace.

it's by binghe showing the most unlovable, weak side of himself. that makes sqq crumble like wet tissue paper IN AN INSTANT

if binghe in jin lan city cries, if hes hurt or sick, sqq will be there to help him immediately despite sqqs fear of binghe

sqq is so so weak to white lotus binghe that he would risk getting mauled by the demon emperor. bc he cant hold back his own need to coddle binghe

a sub point to this same weakness sqq has; jin lan aus where binghe pushes the limit of "how far will shizun go to pamper me?"

that one is tricky bc. it can sound OOC if written without believable buildup

disciple white lotus binghe is aware that sqq favours him; sqq vastly prefers binghes cooking over any other food. sqq got without-a-cure for binghes sake. binghe is head disciple.

but its not always that binghe realizes how FAR sqq would go to coddle binghe, and worse, sqq justifies it and lies to himself about it. "its only what binghe is owed! hes the protagonist! this world was built for him!"

so in some delicious jin lan aus, binghe goes; ok ok. shizun hates me now. but when i hug him.. he doesnt push me away? when i kill all the sowers, and jin lan proclaims me a hero, and i ask for shizuns hand in marriage... he doesnt DENY it to me??

shizun doesnt look happy. but he goes along willingly!?!?!?  WHAT IS GOING ON

basically it leads to more misunderstandings before a resolution BUT ITS SO JUICY!? SQQ's love for binghe vs his lying to himself about loving binghe! a truth he can hardly admit in the privacy of his mind !

and binghes confusion blending with his delight and the stinging betrayal of 3 years ago!!! CHEFS KISS

example below of this dynamic; from Sadie Hawkins fic by X_los

[munsonsreputation]

Hi Kai🤗 I was wondering if I can request something with Eddie? I had this idea in my mind where Eddie finds the reader (the usual quiet and shy student) crying in school alone, he approach her nicely and offer her his bandana to dry the tears, since he has no tissues with him, and they end up talking a bit to. The next day she goes to hellfire club to give him the washed bandana, thank him and maybe Eddie asks her to stay and watch them play? From that day they became closer and closer and the feelings for each others get stronger?

I'm very sorry if this is too much. You can change whatever you want about this or just don't write it if you don't like. But thanks anyway ❤️ hope you have a great day

hi francy!!!! im so so so sorry that i took so long to finish your request. i've been so busy but i hope i was able to do your request justice <3

thank you so much for your sweet comments and support...i hope you like this! i piggybacked off your ideas and inserted a bit of mine and what im going through at the moment so i hope this is alright!! 💫💘🧸

Existing shouldn’t feel this hard…but for you it was starting to become that way. 

It had all caught up to you. The different personas you had built up in order to fit in whatever crowd you were floating around were slowly crumbling right before everyone’s eyes. 

You started to feel this heaviness in your chest, the one that makes you feel like you’re suffocating about to die at any given moment, yet you’re just here…suffering. 

High school was cruel and so were the students who didn’t care how much you tried to fit in or how you were kind to everyone, despite their own attitudes. 

It wasn’t your fault, yet it always felt like that. 

But you didn’t want the whole school population seeing you like this, crying because you didn’t feel like you belonged. There were bigger and more important problems in the world and here you were crying in the empty drama classroom because you felt like nobody liked you. 

boo fucking hoo. 

“C’mon get it t-together.” You said through straggled breaths, fanning yourself in order to dry your wet cheeks despite the constant drip from your eyes. 

You should’ve opted to cry in the bathroom but anyone could walk in and see you there, so the drama room seemed to be the perfect place 

“I’m on the highwaaaayyy to — oh! sorry! I didn’t know you were in here!” 

Fuck. 

Quickly you turned away from the door, shaking your head and letting out a string of words, “Nonono, you’re fine…sorry, I didn’t think anyone was coming in here. Just give me a sec and I’ll leave.” 

“No, I’ll leave!” He attempted to defuse the situation, backing away towards the door until you turned around and shook your head with your hands wiping away at your tear stained cheeks. 

“It’s fine, E-Eddie, I know you use this room for your club.” You spoke faintly, attempting to shallow out your sniffles that still broke into your words. 

You reached down, going to pick up your backpack that you had dropped down, “You can stay…i’m just coming in here to skip chemistry.” 

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you stood up straight, eyeing him through your blurry vision and nodding, going over to the desk and sitting down. You didn’t bother trying to stop your crying. If anything, you let the dam of salty tears continue to flow down your cheeks as if Eddie wasn’t here watching you, unsure of what to do. 

He slowly approached you, placing down his binder on the table and then rustling around the small room in search of some tissues. 

“There’s gotta be some tissues in here somewhere…c’mon.” He muttered to himself, opening cabinets and drawers, sorting through a bunch of junk as you continued to cry, paying him no mind at all. 

Eddie cursed to him, finding no successes to locate any tissues, not even paper towesl. And to run down to the bathroom to grab some for you would only risk him getting caught by some janitor or teacher, leaving him with another referral that would result in some type of graduation punishment. 

“Uh…” Eddie said half unsurely, as he stood on the side of you. 

You removed your hands from your eyes, visibly confused as to why he was standing so close to you, before you saw his fingers reach behind him and begin undoing the knot that secured the fabric to his belt loop. 

“You can use this…it’s clean, by the way!” The black bandana was fitted between his two fingers, lightly blowing from the a/c unit a couple of feet away. 

You smiled weakly, nodding your head as you took it, immediately patting it across your cheeks and under your eyes, “T-thanks.” 

He waved it off like no big deal and gestured towards the chair next to you, silently asking if he could take a seat. When you nodded, he said nothing, just pulling out the chair and shooting you an apologetic look as the metal feet scraped against the floors, making a loud squeak. 

“Do you…wanna talk about it?” Eddie proposed, immediately regretting it the second it came out of his mouth because, really, who in their right mind would want to talk about to a stranger about their problems that had them crying in the drama room of all places. 

“People are so mean.” You sniffled, looking at him through your damp lashes, the tear drops clinging to the delicate hairs as it dotted your vision of him. 

He sighed, nodding his head slowly and drumming his fingers against the wood, “Yeah…I get it, people are fucked up.” 

“I get so tired of trying to fit in, and making real friends is so hard.” 

“I could be your friend.” He shrugged nonchalantly as you turned your head, a hopeful glimmer in your eyes and your mouth moved, but not formulating any of the words you were trying to find. 

“R-really?” 

Eddie chuckled, nodding his head and gesturing to himself, “That is, if you want to be friends with a freak.” 

You managed to crack a smile and shake your head, patting your cheeks with the thin fabric once more, “You’re not a freak, Eddie.” 

“No?” Eddie raised his brows at you, and you nodded assuringly, reaching out to pat his hand that was now resting on the table. 

“I would like to be your friend….would like to get to know you.” You proposed with a soft voice and he nodded, leaning over with a giddy smile upon his face. 

“You’re in for a ride, cupcake.” You smiled at his inflection, nodding your head. 

Now here you were, standing right outside the same drama room you were crying in just yesterday afternoon. You could hear the clamoring voices and the squeaks from the moving chairs coming from the inside. 

Eddie had mentioned his club and how they would meet every day after school to play their little fantasy game…something he told you about, and even show you his binder full of ideas for campaigns. It was a bit confusing, but interesting nevertheless. 

So while you and Eddie did share a few short conversations in the hallways during passing, you wanted to get to know him some more, desperate for a conversation…one that was filled with true intentions of a friend. 

Your fist knocked on the door, the voices inside coming to a stop and now becoming whispers while you waited. 

“Mr. Jones, I told you before we have permission to—Oh! Hey!” 

Eddie immediately went into happy mode seeing your figure standing on the other side of the door. His friends slowly crowding around, whispering among themselves in order to find out why you were here. 

“Hi.” You grinned, fingers twiddling with a little wave and a smile on your face. 

He turned his headed back, sensing the whispers become a bit too loud. Shooting his friends a warning glare, they all turned back around, going back to setting up for today’s campaign while you stood there anxiously tapping your foot on the ground and looking around, trying not to catch their eyes. 

“Sorry about them.” Eddie apologized, a small chuckle leaving his lips as you waved him off with a shake of your head. 

“Don’t…I just wanted to come by and give this back to you.” You held out the black bandana, now neatly folded, as he looked down at it, “I washed it so you don’t have to worry about my tears.” 

He shook his head with a grin, taking it from you and instantly unfolding it to tie it back around the belt loop of his jeans, “Thanks…do you, umm, wanna stay and watch?” 

Eddie gestured back behind him, watching as the table was nearly almost set up with chairs around and his throne smack dab at the head of it. 

You peeked it on your tiptoes, offering a sweet smile to his friends who watched on, “Are you sure they won’t mind?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes jokingly and shook his head, “They’ll be fine…plus you’re my friend and friends introduce each other to their other friends right?” 

“Right.” You smiled, nodding your head and stepping forward as he made way for you to enter the room. 

He closed the door softly, clearing his throat as he stood next to you, “Guys, meet my new girlfriend…wait! I meant girl and in female….she’s my new female friend!” 

You stifled your laughter while biting your tongue as Eddie cursed to himself, and even flipped off his friends, who didn’t care too much, letting out their hollering laughs. 

“Nice to meet you all.” You said waving at each of them as Eddie recovered from embarrassment and his friends calmed down from their laughter. 

“You too, Eddie’s girl. friend.” A curly-headed boy quipped, following suit by Eddie groaning. 

“Henderson, shut up and get her a chair.” 

The young boy stood up, reaching over and pulling out an extra one and place it right beside Eddie’s grand throne. Dramatically holding his arms out, he spoke, “For the King and his Queen.” 

You giggled, shaking your head as Eddie turned to you and mouthed a “sorry,” while they laughed again. He rested a gentle hand on the small of your back, guiding you to your chair where you took a seat and grinned. 

“I could so get used to this.” 

That was the first time you had ever sat in on one of Eddie’s DnD campaigns, and certainly not the last. In fact, nowadays you were definitely his queen, which meant you that while you were only searching for a true friend, you got something way better…a lover who was your best friend 

[itwasthereaminuteago]

Fratt thot: they're sitting on the couch, having the hottest makeout sesh ever when one of them playfully suggests a game to see which one of them can last longer without taking things further. Who do you think would win a small bet like this? cause on one hand I'm thinking Matt can easily feel when Frank starts to loose his control and he just has to be patient (and maybe a lil bratty to turn him on more) but also I feel like Frank would love to take advantage of how well he knows Matt know and he knows exactly how sensitive his body is and which buttons to push 👀

“How long do you think you can keep kissing me like this?” Matt would gently push the question at Frank with stolen breath between the already heated clash and caress of each other's lips and tongues.

Frank's lips curl into a warm smile as he rubs his day-old stubble against Matt's cheek and says real low in his ear, “I think I can just keep goin’ and goin’...”

Matt smirks and chuckles, leaning his head back as Frank moves his assault to his bared neck. “and what if that's all you're allowed to do, how long until you give in, Frank?”

Matt allows himself a soft moan as Frank's teeth scrape his skin, almost like a warning. It only makes Matt more determined to rile him up more, to make him wait.

“just how patient can you be?”

Frank hums against Matt's throat, and then Matt feels the wetness of his tongue along the line of his jaw, more gentle bites placed there that has Matt almost regretting setting his little challenge, his chest rising and falling just that bit faster.

He swings his leg over Frank's lap as he pushes him back on the couch, getting some height on him as he presses his hands on Frank's shoulders, fingers starting to knead into the muscle there as Matt surges forward to taste him again. Frank's hands rest on Matt's hips and he can hear the speeding of Frank's heartbeat and a barely audible groan as Matt slowly moves his fingers up to stroke at the shortly cropped hair at Frank's nape.

“Mm, ain't that cheatin’?” He grumbles and spreads his thighs wider, making Matt have to shift even closer to him to maintain his position.

He knows he's already rock hard beneath him but Matt wants to win.

“No, I'm a good boy, remember?” Matt purrs.

Frank licks deeper into his mouth at that, turned on by his own praise from times before being thrown right back at him.

When he pulls away Matt grins but it's strained. They’re both playing off each other's weaknesses and it makes for a heady mix of tension.

“What about this?” Frank asks as he slides a hand up beneath Matt's soft t-shirt, rough pad of his thumb just lightly circling his nipple.

Matt tenses above him and it's Frank's turn to feel smug, his devil dancing on the fringes of submission as he takes advantage of his extreme sensitivity there.

“Yeah, thought so. Attaboy.”

Matt's breath leaves him in a gasp, his hands dropping down as Frank keeps on touching him, not changing his pace but just keeping on steadily as their mouths meet again in hot, wet, passionate kisses.

Soon it's Frank's turn to let slip a keening moan as Matt reaches behind to dig his fingers into the meat of his thigh.

“Fuck…”

“Mm,” Matt mumbles through the thick haze of lust for the man underneath him, all of his senses filled with the addictive essence of him. Rough, strong, and raw, but paired with a quiet tenderness that has Matt's resolve crumbling much quicker than he'd want to admit.

“Can almost hear ya thinkin’” Frank probes, his own patience wearing as thin as wet tissue paper with the way Matt is already yielding to him.

“I was thinking, maybe I'm not much of a betting man after all…”

Matt closes his eyes and lets Frank peel off his shirt to expose his naked chest, shivering with pleasure as Frank's nails run over his pecs and down to his abdomen.

“Yeah," Frank snorts before manhandling Matt onto his back on the seat of the couch, hot breath drawing Matt's nipples to deliciously hard peaks as his hands pop the button of his pants. "Me neither.”

[sketchbookpages]

12 watercolor techniques in one page

Explore 12 Essential Watercolor Techniques in One Page

Exercise to explore different expressions and see what watercolor can do. It's an opportunity to test new paper and watercolor paint, creating a valuable go-to glossary for future illustrations.

Remember, this is an exercise, a practice - embrace the process, without focusing on final artwork results.

Tips:

Note down the paper and watercolor type for reference. Different paper textures provide different results. Understanding the materials is key.

Use an easy-to-peel washi tape to create a 4x3 grid. Use a hairdryer to remove the tape glue for easy peeling when done.

Enjoy.

1. Solid colour

Apply a generous amount of solid watercolor paint, keeping the surface wet.

Use for: Creating solid backgrounds

2. Layers

Begin with a light, watered-down paint. Allow it to dry completely. The first layer is always lighter, in the background, far away.

Apply the second layer darker, adding depth and perspective. Let it dry fully.

Add a third layer.

Use for: Mountains and enhancing landscape perspective.

3. Spots on colour

Create a shape with watered-down paint. Let it dry.

With a different color, add spots (small, concentrated areas of paint). Depending on the amount of water and drying time, these spots will create a smooth overlapping effect.

Use for: Mimicking animal skins

4. Wet color spots

Create a shape with very wet watered-down paint, with sharp details.

With a different color, add spots, and let it freely blend. Watch the paints blend and create a feathery effect. The first layer will define the space where the second paint can go.

Be mindful of water quantity, as it can crumble the paper.

Use for: Silhouettes.

5. Soft blend of two solid colors

Apply two different watercolor paints, each one starting on the opposite side. Let them touch.

Blend with an empty dry brush (no water, no paint).

Use for: Foggy or smooth sky transition effects.

6. Wiping away

Apply very wet watercolor paint.

Use dry paper tissue to soak areas, revealing the paper underneath and creating create fantastic random shapes.

Use for: Clouds.

7. Texture

Apply very wet watercolor paint and allow it to partially dry. Soak areas with newspaper to create a sharp crack effect.

Use for: Clothes and movement.

8. Spots with brush

Cut a piece of paper to mask the area that will not receive paint.

Splash paint with a brush. Use your finger horizontally to tap your brush.

Use for: Creating textured spotted backgrounds.

9. Dry paint brush

Use paint on a dry brush. Do not use too much water, use solid paint.

Dry the brush slightly on a separate napkin, then open the brush fibers before applying.

Use for: Grass and fur

10. Wet paper

Wet the paper with clear water. Let it dry, but not 100%. (It will take some time to dry.)

With a different color add spots to create blurry non detailed shapes. Do not use too much water with the new color. It will blend very smoothly.

Use for: Background elements like distant trees.

11. Water on paint

Watercolor solid wet paint (prefer a dark shade). Wait a few seconds… when the paint is still wet, drop clean water drops.

Tip: For a more dramatic effect, add grains of salt to the water drops that will absorb and distort the cleared-up areas.

For: Underwater effect.

12. Wet colours meet

Two different very wet watercolor paints, each one starting on the opposite side.

Allow them to blend naturally.

---

Enjoy the unpredictable and be surprised by the effects. This exercise is a learning opportunity

An exercise in letting go.

[mtreebeardiles]

4, 13, 21 for the Shep ask 😏

Answering for Everett, my main boy!

4. He’s good at poker in the sense that he’s pretty damn good at bluffing. Unless it’s Kaidan. All Kaidan has to do is squint at him a little and he crumbles like wet tissue paper 😂

13. He likes teasing/ribbing! Bonus points if it’s punny. He can kinda come off as standoffish and aloof to people who don’t know him but for the people that do they know he’s an absolute goof. Dramatic, over-the-top fake outrage is his favorite (even if he can’t help cracking and laughing as he does it)

21. AUs? For MY Shepard? It’s more likely than you think!

lol yes, I have a mass effect/stardew valley crossover AU what have you 😂 because why the fuck not amirite

[katierosefun]

Im halfway through beyond evil and all I can say is can stop bringing ji-hun to crime scenes already?? this boy cannot handle finding bodies and yet we keep bringing him places he finds bodies. how many times can we traumatize this child before he crumbles like wet tissue paper

JEJDJSJDS honestly yeah i know, anon, poor dear ji hoon has definitely been having the WorstTM time

[quickdeaths]

@more-than-a-princess

A blindfold over her face, relying entirely on her hearing, Shinobu listened for the sound of the metal disc with the rubbered edge bouncing off her specially-prepared wall mounts. Four meters to her left, and behind her, then three meters almost dead right, then perhaps two meters ahead and to the left, then... The muscles of her shoulders and back burned as she drew her bowstring taut, having pinpointed where next the disk was headed, and also that it had begun to slow down. There was only one one more bounce before it would lose speed and become unpredictable. Wait...

At the last moment, Shinobu sliced her shot, sending the arrow crashing not into the disk, but rather against the wall, leaving a crater upon impact and sending brick and plaster crumbling to the ground. They ripped the blindfold off their face and snatched at their nearby glasses, a foul and disdainful expression having made its home on their lips, all directed towards the new figure in the room. Standing in the doorway, mere centimeters away from where the disk had fallen, harmlessly, was a girl in a red beret, eyes wide behind her glasses.

Whatever brief moment of fear seemed to dissipate almost immediately, as the girl grinned. "Hey, Shinobu-cha-" Her words were cut off as Shinobu palmed her face and painlessly pressed her head against the wall. "Anzu," came the archer's hissing voice, "you knock when you come to my lab. It says so right on the door. You are lucky that I heard your footsteps, or I would have killed you." It was easy to imagine. With that kind of weight and draw strength, the arrow would have ripped through her skull like wet tissue paper. Anzu's death would have been instantaneous.

Lightly swatting away her friend's hand, Anzu seemed dismissive of the possibility. "Yeah, okay Shinobu-chan, anyway." After retrieving her phone from her purse, she held it up for Shinobu to see. "Remember this girl?" On display was a widely-circulated photo from the weekend's celebrations, the masked pair of Sonia and Shinobu walking, hand-in-hand, away from the broken wineglass. "Guess what!? She goes here!" Even behind her glasses, Anzu's eyes were wide and sparkling, as though she'd discovered some secret lore that would blow everything wide open.

"I'm aware," Shinobu answered. Anzu's jaw dropped, the girl dramatically, and wordlessly, gesturing towards Shinobu, then herself, then the hallway outside the lab. Finally, "Oh. Oh! Okay, you just chose not to tell your best friend that your new girlfriend goes to our school, sure, very sensible!" Her antics were unwelcome at the best of times, and Shinobu frowned. "Miss Nevermind and I are not romantically involved, and you should control yourself. You're more annoying than usual."

Forcing a deep breath, Anzu waved her hand over her face to return to a more reserved, neutral expression. "Fine, fine." She sighed, rubbing lightly at her cheeks. "Well, we're going to see her." Anzu's voice had taken on a deeper, more mature quality, as she pulled things out from her bag. "And I won't hear any objections, Shinobu-chan. Even such a dedicated woman as you must take time for leisure, mustn't she?" Without warning or protest, she pushed up Shinobu's glasses, and began to touch up Shinobu's eyeliner and pad some of the sweat off of her face.

And so, some minutes later, the pair were out on the school's greenery, with Anzu nodding in the direction of a small gathering some distance away. "There. I was surprised to see her, but that girl and her friends are right there, just talking." Shinobu looked to the group as well. Picking Sonia out was not difficult, being in that she was the obvious foreigner among them, and also in that she was by far the most striking. Not that Shinobu found that fact especially interesting, having met no shortage of beautiful girls with little else to offer.

Careful not to try and catch any of the words being said, lest they be accused of eavesdropping, Shinobu paid attention only to the sounds, until there was an appropriate lull in the conversation. "Good afternoon, Miss Nevermind," she said as she approached, careful not to speak over anyone or otherwise disrupt the gathering. "It seems we've met at Hope's Peak Academy after all." For Shinobu, this was an uncommon experience. Rarely did she find herself initiating these kinds of conversations. More often than not, they were the one being accosted by fawning girls clinging to them and asking for things.

"I'm glad to see you made it home from the fundraiser without any misfortune." As soon as their conversation had concluded, Shinobu had left, not staying even for Sonia's unmasking and speech. She had intended, if possible, to forget the events quickly, as she did with all other boring ceremonies. Yet, there was something about the evening that had stuck in her mind enough for the memories to remain sharp even days after. "And furthermore, given the foolish frenzy on social media that ensued, I once again would like to express my regret that any of my actions were taken as particularly worthy of photographing."

The school was likely a much safer place when it came to that, but one couldn't be too cautious. Shinobu gestured to Anzu some distance away, prompting from the actress a polite smile and a small wave. Someone was trying to seem presentable and normal. "That is my classmate that we spoke about the other night. I believe she'd like to meet you." For a multitude of reasons, they imagined. "We were about to take a walk to the convenience store to purchase lunch and then find a quiet place to eat." She offered her hand to help Sonia up, if the other girl wished to take it. "If we would not be interrupting, and you have any interest, you're welcome to accompany us."

[hiperacid2]

i havent felt the touch of another human in 4 years + im deeply constipated emotionally when it comes to my own emotions

if someone tries to be soft w me i will crumble and dissolve like wet thin tissue paper, it happens everytime my therapist highlights my progress or reassures me that i dont have to keep putting up walls