#does not sound fun but that’s my limited experience of it

[compacflt]

Speaking of book recommendations, I just finished reading "Annapolis Autumn: Life, Death, And Literature At The U.S. Naval Academy" by Bruce E. Fleming (he was/is a teacher at the Acedemy) and I thought it was interesting. It gives a glimpse at some workings of the academy but also what is like to be a civilian in a military environment specially when one doesn't exactly drink from the same kool aid (hope that's how the expression works, I'm not American)

i will look into it!! But now i get nervous reading about the usna because i don’t wanna know how inaccurate my portrayal of it is. Lmfao. Posting for the rec

[skunkes]

I'm v curious abt Talon's mesoamerican origins and evolution in general how does his accent sound when written out? after such a long life what is the strongest vestige of those times he has (aside from physical features and so on). I can't believe some rando bloodsucker colonized my boy

I have no idea what his accent wld sound like as the few videos i cld find of people speaking his original language, are, of course, mainly spanish speakers! And I can sometimes hear the difference in spanish as they switch between the 2 while being interviewed but i struggle to mentally transplant that as to how it'd sound in English ykwim 😭 there's also the fact that its the modern language spoken by them so it has evolved alongside and borrows from spanish anyway, by those who still speak it and speak both Today

Im actually still zeroing in on fleshing out more of that lore, since I can't find too much info on the specific culture i envision for him, it may really just have to be "fantasy culture INSPIRED by the people" instead, so i dont completely botch actual historical info 😮‍💨 either that or go very vague off of the info available

[kunaigirl]

Happy Disability Pride and awareness month! Let's talk about Epilepsy!

Hi there! I got tired of seeing my condition (that impacts my literal every day life) being left out or forgotten about during discussions about disabilities, so I made my own post about it! Let's go!

First Off! What the heck is epilepsy? Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the world, and it's a chronic medical condition. Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes recurring, frequent, triggered, and unprovoked seizures to occur.

The official Epilepsy Foundation describes seizures as follows: "Seizures are sudden surges of abnormal and excessive electrical activity in your brain, and can affect how you appear or act. Where and how the seizure presents itself can have profound effects...Seizures involve sudden, temporary, bursts of electrical activity in the brain that change or disrupt the way messages are sent between brain cells. These electrical bursts can cause involuntary changes in body movement or function, sensation, behavior or awareness." (Source link)

Sounds like a lot of fun right? This is our life. Even with medication, we can be VERY limited to what can be safe for us. Seizure medications are NOT a cure, they only exist (at least as of now) as a tool to help have your seizures less often, or be triggered less intensely. Even on medication, seizures can still happen.

If you have epilepsy as a child like I did, it impacts your entire growing and developing experience. I spent MANY times as a child in and out of hospitals, neurologist and specialist offices, an getting so many EEG tests done. The pain of scrubbing the glue out of your hair for DAYS is horrible.

At a young age my seizures were so frequent and serious, it impacted my brain's ability to retain information. I had to re-learn the names of things at age 8 and 9. I had to re-learn HOW TO READ at age 10. I had to be home schooled because the public school system of my state at the time refused to work with me. I have VERY distinct and vivid memories of crying over my little baby ABC's book that I needed as a 4th and 5th grader. I knew I should've known this by this age. I knew that at one point I already did, and it was TAKEN FROM ME.

As an adult, I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE A CAR. And I can NEVER go to see a movie in theaters or go to see concerts or live music. There are entire TV shows I don't get to see. I can't go to clubs, arcades, dances, or raves. I miss out on A LOT of fun things. I always do, and I'm WELL AWARE of the fun I'm missing out on. The social, casual, and fun life experiences I'll never get to have. That WE'LL never get to have. And oh yeah! Seizures can KILL SOME OF US. Yep.

And the list goes on, and every person with epilepsy experiences it differently. There are multiple different types of seizures you can have, they're NOT always convulsing on the floor. For example, I have complex-partial-myoclonic-seizures. Meaning my muscles DO twitch when I have seizures, but I'm not always completely unconscious and sometimes I'm even able to stay sitting up. However, I'm still very "off" and can't focus or remember much for a good while after the fact. I can't talk or communicate during one, even with my slight bit of consciousness.

My experiences are not universal, I just wanted to talk about it and bring it up. It helps to talk about it even a little bit. Here's more about different kinds of seizures. Here's more about common seizure triggers. Here's more about CORRECT seizure first aid. And here's more general information/resources.

Please stop leaving us out of disability awareness. Please stop ignoring us or saying we're "not really disabled" or anything else like that. Please. Why does it always feel like the only people who care about epilepsy, are people WITH epilepsy? We're so tired of being ignored by others who don't have our condition.

If you're an epileptic person reading this, I see you. I love you. You're so strong, we all are. I believe in you, I believe in us. We're so much stronger than we get credit for, and it's going to be ok. Your anger and frustration are valid. Your emotions and struggles are real. You're valid, and I see you. Hang in there, we got this.

[23victoria]

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸𝚗 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚌𝚘

𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚘𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒 𝚡 𝚏𝚎𝚖!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 𝟷.𝟸𝚔

✾ 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: 𝚢/𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚊 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛!

❁ 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚎! 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚏𝚏!

✿ 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎: 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛! 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢! 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐!! ꨄ

The sun glistens over the Mediterranean, casting a warm golden hue over the streets of Monaco. The narrow, winding roads are alive with excitement, the air thick with the hum of engines and the palpable thrill of anticipation. You are here for your first Formula 1 race, invited by your friend Layla. The energy of the crowd, the beauty of the yachts docked in the harbor, and the historic charm of the city-state enchant you.

As you make your way through the bustling paddock, you notice a tall, striking brown haired man in a McLaren suit. Oscar Piastri, his name tag reads. His eyes catch yours for a brief moment, and you see a flicker of something—curiosity, perhaps—before you continue on your way. Little do you know, he’s been completely captivated by you.

Oscar watches you disappear into the crowd, his heart racing faster than it does on the track. He’s smitten, enthralled by your beauty and the way you seem to light up the space around you. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he refocuses on the race ahead. But throughout the preparations, your face lingers in his mind, a sweet distraction.

The race begins with the usual roar of engines and the eager cheers of the crowd. The winding streets of Monaco prove as challenging as ever, each corner and straight demanding the utmost precision. Oscar finds his rhythm, pushing his McLaren to its limits. Every now and then, thoughts of you slip in, urging him to perform at his best.

Lap after lap, the race unfolds with gripping intensity. Leclerc leads the race, closely followed by Verstappen, while Oscar holds his own in third. The streets blur into a high-speed ballet of color and sound. Oscar’s focus never wavers, and as the final laps approach, he knows he’s got a shot at the podium.

The checkered flag waves, signaling the end of a grueling but exhilarating race. Charles takes first place, Max in second, and Oscar crosses the line in third. The podium finish is a triumph, but as he climbs the steps and looks out over the crowd, all he can think about is finding you.

The podium ceremony is a whirlwind of the crowd cheering, trophies, and champagne. Oscar accepts his third-place trophy with a smile, but his eyes scan the crowd, searching for you. As the national anthems play and the crowd cheers, he wonders if you’re still here, somewhere among the thousands of fans.

Once the ceremony concludes, Oscar makes his way through the paddock, his heart set on finding you. Luck seems to be on his side, as he spots you near one of the hospitality suites, talking to a Mercedes engineer named Layla. Taking a deep breath, he approaches just as Layla leaves, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Hi there,” he says, his voice more confident than he feels. “I’m Oscar.”

You turn, surprised but pleased to see him. “Hello, Oscar. I’m Y/N.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N,” he says, a smile breaking across his face. “I noticed you before the race started earlier, but I didn’t have a chance to talk to you, now that it ended, I just wanted to say hi.”

You smile back, feeling a flutter of excitement. “It’s nice to meet you too, Oscar. This is my first race. Layla invited me, and it’s been quite an experience.”

Oscar’s eyes light up with genuine interest. “Your first race? What did you think about it? Did you have fun?”

“It was incredible,” you reply. “The atmosphere, the speed, the sound of the engines—it’s all so fascinating. Though, I have to admit, I don’t know much about Formula 1.”

He chuckles, his nervousness easing. “That’s okay. There’s a lot to learn, but it sounds like you’re enjoying it. And I have to say, you picked a great race to attend. Monaco is something special.”

You nod, glancing around at the glamorous surroundings. “It really is. I’m glad I got to experience it.”

Oscar hesitates for a moment, then gathers his courage. “Are you busy later? I’d love to show you more of Monaco, if you’re interested.”

Your heart skips a beat, and you can’t help but smile. “I’d love that.”

“Great,” he says, relief evident in his voice. “Can I get your number? I’ll text you the details of where we’re going.”

You exchange numbers, and Oscar promises to text you in a few. As he walks away, he feels a surge of happiness, the promise of the evening ahead leaving a warm feeling throughout his body.

Later, as the sun begins to set, you receive a message from Oscar: “Be ready by 6. I’ll pick you up from your hotel.”

Excitement buzzes through you as you get ready, choosing a casual yet stylish outfit. When 6 o’clock rolls around, you’re waiting in the lobby, a mix of nerves and anticipation coursing through you. Oscar arrives right on time, looking relaxed and happy to see you.

“Ready to go?” he asks, his smile infectious.

“Absolutely,” you reply, matching his grin.

He takes you to a charming seaside restaurant, the perfect spot for a relaxed dinner. The view is breathtaking, the sky painted in hues of orange and pink as the sun sets over the water. As you sit down, you can’t help but feel that this evening is going to be something special.

Over dinner, the conversation flows easily. Oscar asks about your hobbies, and you tell him about your love for baking, painting, and your other hobbies. He listens intently, genuinely interested in everything you have to say.

“I love to surf,” he shares when it’s his turn. “Growing up in Australia, it was something I did all the time. And, of course, racing is a huge part of my life.”

You smile apologetically. “I have to admit, I didn’t know much about you before today. I’m still learning about Formula 1.”

Oscar laughs, shaking his head. “That’s okay. It gave me a great excuse to talk to you.”

You laugh with him, the tension of the day melting away. The conversation continues, light and easy, as you both share stories and experiences. The food is delicious, but it’s the company that makes the evening truly memorable.

After dinner, Oscar suggests a walk along the beach. The air is cool, the sound of the waves soothing as you stroll along the shoreline. The sky has darkened, stars beginning to twinkle overhead.

“This place is beautiful,” you say, gazing out at the water.

“It really is,” Oscar agrees. “I’m glad we came here.”

As you walk, the conversation turns more personal. You talk about your families, your dreams, your fears. Oscar’s openness and warmth make you feel comfortable, and you find yourself sharing more than you usually would.

Eventually, you find a spot on the sand, sitting down with your feet in the water. The waves lap gently at your toes, the night sky stretching endlessly above.

“I really enjoyed tonight,” you say, looking over at Oscar. “It was...unexpected, but in the best way.”

“I feel the same,” he replies, his gaze meeting yours. “This was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time.”

You sit in comfortable silence for a while, the sound of the ocean a soothing backdrop. There’s a sense of something beginning, a connection that feels both new and familiar.

“I’d love to do this again sometime,” Oscar says quietly, breaking the silence.

You smile, feeling a warmth spread through you. “I’d like that too.”

© 23victoria 2024 I all rights reserved. do not republish, steal repost, modify, translate, or claim my work as your own.

[gravitycavity]

Sunshine (Pomni x Ragatha) Chapter 7 - Only Human

[Click here to read from the beginning on AO3!]

Cover art by @blukiar

A thin ribbon of carpet, stretching just as far into infinity as the narrow corridor itself, explored distant depths soaked in darkness. A never-ending chain of chandeliers spanned the ceiling, cracked bulbs flickering in and out as they pleased. The experience was disorienting, to say the least — cruel and unusual torture, to say a little bit more. 

There was but a single source of reliable light in the entire hallway: the unassuming windows staged on the eastern wall in neat little quintets. Each glass-paned portal hosted a pair of tattered curtains that fluttered carelessly with the rhythm of the wind. 

Assorted furniture was scattered along the periphery, breaking up the tiring monotony of it all. An odd, uncanny energy surrounded their existence. Nothing besides the occasional lamp was mounted upon the dust-caked tables, and only a handful of random knick-knacks found home on the bookshelves. Nothing seemed to be placed with any thought or purpose in mind, as if something non-human were desperately attempting to construct a convincing facsimile of a sprawling Edwardian mansion, but couldn’t quite get it right. It understood what to place, and where — but the why it couldn’t fully grasp. 

The subtle horror made Ragatha’s insides quiver — but, all told, it could have been worse. At the very least, she was here in Pomni’s arms, where the chilling bite of the unknown was soothed by the warm glow of her touch, where the steady rhythm of Pomni’s footfalls wrapped her up in a blanket of sameness and security. 

Step, step, step. 

Ragatha snuggled Pomni’s chest, her head positioned perfectly to hear the rhythm of the young woman’s heartbeat. It was racing. Pomni must have been so tired, so exhausted, so ready to collapse in a heap and call it quits. But instead, she persisted, pushing her body and mind to the absolute limit. All for Ragatha’s sake. 

The plain little ragdoll closed her eyes. She pulled deep, contented breaths from her core, pressing her forehead firmly against the jester’s chest. If only this adventure could go on forever. If only she and Pomni could remain just like this — a helpless princess and her dashing savior — until the day they finally escaped into the outside world, hand-in-hand.

Step, step, step.

Pomni passed by another quintet of windows. Ragatha shivered as a chilly draft snuck through a crack in the glass pane. Its whistling entrance, performing in duet with the tittering of bats, chipped the unbroken facade of silence. 

“Hey. Pomni…?” 

The jester kept on moving, but her stride was a touch closer to walking than it had been before. Her gaze flicked towards her chest — or rather, the big bundle of red yarn resting snugly against it. “Yeah? What’s up?” 

“I’ve just been thinking,” Ragatha’s finger teased little circles around Pomni’s back, “what are we going to get up to when this is all over?”

Pomni hesitated. “When we escape the Circus?”

“When this adventure is over.”

“Oh. W-Well, uh…” Pomni cleared her throat, “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Well, I happen to have a few ideas up my sleeve…” Ragatha smirked. It was difficult not to swoon, or snicker, or let out one of those satisfied sighs that relieved the pressure built up by a love-swollen heart. “Since we’re so…close now, why don’t I show you around my bedroom? We could have a sleepover, just you and me. Does that sound fun?”

“Um…!” Pomni’s whole body turned five degrees warmer. “S-Sure! Uh. Yeah! Okay! That could be, uh, f-f-fun…”

“You have those big letter blocks in your room, don’t you?”

“Uh. Yes…?”

“Do you use them for anything?”

“Huh? Well, no. Not really.” 

“Are they heavy?”

“Pretty heavy,” Pomni replied, squinting. She glanced down, meeting Ragatha’s flirtatious gaze, “Why are you asking me this?”

“Well, I was just thinking. Maybe you could lend me some?”

“For what?”

“Well, we’re going to need something to block the door, won’t we?”

Pomni squeaked, pale face flushing red. “Huh!? U-Um…!”

“In fact…” Ragatha grabbed Pomni’s tunic and leaned in closer. A distinct hunger roared within her, begging to be sated. “I never got to finish my lesson, did I? What if you got in a little more practice before that?”

“More…practice?”

“Mhm…”

“A-Are you serious…?”

Ragatha practically purred. “Deadly.” 

“Well, uh…” Pomni subtly leaned away, “...now doesn’t really seem like a good time, does it? We’re going to fail the mission if we don’t keep moving — and besides, we’ve got to keep our guard up for whatever it is that’s hiding in this hallway. Remember what that weird ghost lady told us?

“Hmm?” Ragatha pouted. “Oh, come on. Just one quick kiss?”

Pomni sighed. “No, Ragatha.”

Ragatha’s steady breathing lagged; the unflinching seriousness of Pomni’s tone slammed into her like a runaway train. Her plush heart shriveled, and her stitched-on eyebrows crinkled in confusion. Uh-oh. Oh, god. She didn’t mean to…!

“I’m so sorry, Sweetheart,” Ragatha cocked her head, “I thought we were just playing around — I didn’t mean to pressure you. We’re not moving too fast, are we?”  

Pomni’s steady stride slowed to a halt. Her eyes brooded pensively at the floor, watching the hard sole of her boot rap softly against the carpet below. 

“No. It’s…fine,” Pomni eventually replied, “We can kiss if you want.”

“If I want to!? Do you want to?”

“I…” Pomni swallowed. “...Well, duh! You’re literally the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. What kind of idiot wouldn’t want to kiss you?”

“Pomni.” Ragatha deadpanned. The flattery tactic wasn’t going to work. “Be honest.”

“I am being honest!”

“Please. I can tell something’s bothering you—”

Out of nowhere, Pomni shoved her lips against Ragatha’s, decisively shutting the dolly up. She tore away the very next moment.

“There’s your kiss. Happy?” Pomni grit her teeth, glaring down the hallway. She sulked into the dark depths with aplomb.

“Pomni! What’s gotten into you?!”

“What’s gotten into me? We have less than an hour before this whole adventure falls apart with us stuck inside it! That’s what’s gotten into me!”  

Ragatha narrowed her eyes. She was the farthest thing from naive — not when it came to matters of the heart. Pomni had started acting noticeably off ever since they’d shared their first kiss, and Ragatha wasn’t going to just stand by without at least trying to get to the bottom of it, time limits be damned. 

“Pomni,” said Ragatha, “put me down.”

“What? You’re not serious, are you?!”

“We’re not in high school, Pomni — something’s going on, and we’re going to talk about it. Like adults.”

Pomni grumbled under her breath. Rolling her eyes, she started toward one of the many overzealous couches placed periodically along the walls — the tacky type with legs carved into the shape of animal paws. 

Gently, Pomni did as Ragatha asked, setting the ragdoll down on the silky cushions. Despite her less-than-peachy mood, she still took extra care to make sure Ragatha’s weight was well-centered, and that her shoulders were propped up nicely against the backrest — lest Ragatha end up sliding off and flopping helplessly to the ground. 

“That’s perfect, Sweetheart. Thank you.” Ragatha shifted around, settling into her seat. She looked Pomni in the eyes and patted the empty spot beside her. 

Pomni plopped down with a huff. Like a troublemaking kid stuck in the principal’s office, she crossed her arms tightly, flashing her boots a dirty look. 

“Now, if it’s alright with you…” Ragatha exhaled, hands politely nestled in the lap of her royal dress, “Tell me what’s bothering you. I’m here to listen.”

Pomni’s tightly-wound posture compressed even further. “I just…” she squirmed, making an indecisive sound that drifted back and forth between a guttural groan and a high-pitched whine. “You and me…!”

She shook her head. She flexed her soles against the carpet. She squeezed the century-old, crumbling stuffing out of the century-old, crumbling couch cushions, until…

“I just don’t get it!” Pomni snapped, “Why would someone like you want anything to do with someone like me?”

Ragatha sat up. “H-Huh!?” 

Pomni’s wilting eyes wandered about Ragatha’s body, settling on the freshest injury slashed across the ragdoll’s torso. “You’ve shown me so much kindness. You’ve protected me, you’ve made me smile, you’ve been a friend when I needed one,” Pomni sighed. Her glowering gaze retreated to the floor.  “Meanwhile, I can’t even keep a simple promise to keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe? What—” Ragatha swatted her hand over the winding tear, “—you’re talking about this? Oh, Pomni! So I tore myself up a little! It isn’t—”

“Isn’t my fault? Give me a break — I’m not stupid!” Pomni fanned her fingers across her chest, “You hurting yourself would never have happened if I hadn’t flipped my lid earlier! I don’t get it, Ragatha — why are you so afraid to stand up for yourself?”

“Pomni!” 

“Why would you forgive me after everything I’ve put you through? Why would you kiss me?” Pomni bared her teeth, eyes jumping from bad, to worse, to awful as she regarded the clumps of cotton bulging out of the broken ragdoll. “How do you not despise me?”

Stunned into silence, Ragatha placed her hand over her throat. She could feel it tightening, strangling her from the inside. 

All was quiet. 

For the longest time, Pomni just sat there, rocking back and forth, stewing in the dreadful silence. And when she finally did open her mouth to reply, she flinched as if the reedy sound of her own voice had caught her off-guard:

“Ragatha…?” she croaked, “Do you remember yesterday? When we stopped in that clearing, and that horrible tree monster attacked us?”

Ragatha’s face hardened. She nodded.

“When that…thing had me in its clutches, you didn’t run away. You fought for me. And you saved me.”

Ragatha stared at the shivering woman seated beside her. Now, it was her turn to bask in uncomfortable silence, racking her brain to think of something, anything she could possibly say. The uncertain silence stretched father, farther, farther, until she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because. All this time,” Pomni wilted. “I’ve been wondering. Wondering why.”

“...Why I saved you?”

Pomni just barely eked out a nod. 

“I mean…do I really need a reason?” Ragatha couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “You didn’t expect me to just leave you behind, did you?”

White-hot shame simmered behind Pomni’s eyes. Head in her hands, she slumped closer to the floor, trembling voice peaking just above a whisper: “Did you expect me to…?” 

Ragatha snapped to attention, hand flattened against her chest. Pins and needles numbed the tips of her fingers.

So. This was it. 

Finally, they were talking about it.

Ragatha bastioned herself. She took a deep breath, and—

“You don’t have to make excuses for me,” Pomni croaked. She held her musketeer cap over her face, crumpling the wide brim beneath her fingers. “What I did to you…” her pupils retreated, “...it was awful. Just awful.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Ragatha shook her head. “For all of that crazy stuff to happen on your first day? Before you’d even had time to adjust? You were in shock. You were terrified.  It wouldn’t be fair to judge your actions based on—”

“How did you convince yourself that your feelings don’t matter?”

Ragatha’s face fell flat. “...Pardon?”

“I know you’re just trying to be kind. Because that’s the type of person you are,” Pomni said. “But…you need to stop.”

“St-Stop?”

“I hurt you. How do you expect to heal if all we do is dance around it?”

“I…” Ragatha’s mouth slowly shut. She felt utterly transparent — and in the span of a single second, the mental house of cards that she had so carefully constructed for years came crashing down in a big, fluttering heap. 

‘How did you convince yourself that your feelings don’t matter?’ Pomni’s blunt words ricocheted off the walls of her mind. ‘How do you expect to heal if all we do is dance around it?‘

Ragatha wilted. She didn’t know the answer.

She was so accustomed to being the first one to offer a supportive ear, the first one to provide a firm shoulder to cry on, that her own feelings had long ago been exiled to a dusty, long-forgotten corner of her mind. 

Like everyone else, she wanted nothing more than to escape the digital insanity ward she found herself trapped in — but she wasn’t naive enough to believe that desire was anything more than a pipe dream. For now, and maybe forever, her weird little found family of co-prisoners was all she had. And she knew it.

So she had to keep the peace. She had to be the neutral voice of reason, the rock solid foundation that kept everyone bound together — and that balancing act alone was taxing enough. Why in the world would she want to foil that precarious peace with her own petty problems?

But it was…fine. It was. Ragatha had always been good at regulating her own emotions. All she had to do was bury any bothersome thoughts beneath a heap of questionable excuses, paper-thin rationales, and half-baked half-truths until the pesky voices didn’t pester her so much anymore. And just look at her! She was fine. 

Totally fine. No problems here. Nope. 

Shakily, Ragatha swallowed. Her head slumped. Who was she kidding, lying to herself like this…? Why was it so difficult to just be honest about the burden she carried — the pain, the loneliness, the emotional isolation that weighed her down further each day? And why, after all these years, was she just now questioning all of this?

Her heart beat just a little bit faster. Her breathing picked up to match. Her eyes brimmed with tears as, out of nowhere, the obvious answer whisked through her mind:

No one had ever cared to ask. No one besides Pomni.

A cozy sense of safety embraced Ragatha’s heart. She didn’t care to turn away, or hide her face beneath her hands, or wipe away her rolling tears. It was okay to cry here. 

Her wandering, watery eyes heeded the disheveled nest of hat hair that adorned Pomni’s head. They admired the unrelenting dorkiness of the jester’s forced-on musketeer costume. They beheld, as if in a trance, a lovely pair of pinwheels bursting with one-thousand-and-one emotions at once. 

She smiled, warmly and earnestly. So this was what it felt like. To be cared for. 

“Okay then,” Ragatha spoke softly, forcing her mouth to take the shape of the words. She couldn’t help but squirm, tearing open the door on feelings that she’d already worked so hard to lock away. “I’m going to be very frank with you — because I trust you. And I know you trust me.”

Pomni cowered behind her crinkled cap, fingers carving crude lines across the rawhide brim. Her pupils retreated meekly toward the floor. 

Ragatha bit her lip. “Back on your first day, when you left me alone with Kaufmo? Yeah. That hurt. I was confused, and scared, and angry, and…” Ragatha swallowed, “...a-and…”

“And what…?

“And I came closer to losing myself than I ever had before.”

Pomni’s cap wrinkled beneath the jester’s tightened grip. “Wh-what!? You mean…?”

Every jumbled line of code that comprised Ragatha’s digital body shrieked at her to stop, to be a good girl, to shut her big mouth and stop causing drama. Nevertheless, she made her story heard. “I’m not that strong, Pomni,” she said, “I’m just good at hiding my weakness. Probably too good, to be honest…”

“But…but that doesn’t make sense! When I came back to you, your body was all glitchy and flickery — but you weren’t abstracting!”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Think about it. All of us have vastly different digital forms, — so, naturally, they abstract in vastly different ways, too. Whenever I feel myself slipping…” Another tear raced down Ragatha’s face at the thought. She crossed her bulky, dollish hands over her chest, “...it starts on the inside.”

Pomni lowered her cap to her chin, exposing her drooping face. “In your heart?”

Glancing away, Ragatha nodded. She stroked the back of her hand in a self-soothing gesture. “I could feel the threads fraying as soon as we opened Kaufmo’s door. The seams of my heart began to tear open, and this awful coldness spread throughout my body.”

“And…” Pomni hesitated, “...then I left you. All alone. And y-you almost…”

“Yeah. But, you know…” Ragatha met Pomni’s crinkled, shame-stricken gaze, and a smile — a real, genuine smile — put an end to her tears. “...I’m still here. Do you know why?”

“Well, I…” Pomni glanced here and there. Her hat sank further down to cover her chest. “Um…”

“You said it yourself, Sunshine,” Ragatha’s smile made itself comfortable, stretching wider and shining brighter. “You came back.”

 Pomni’s eyes were wide, “I...what?”

“You came back for me, Pomni.” Ragatha pressed her hands against her mouth; her grin grew and grew until it almost looked like she was laughing. “When I heard you plodding down the hall, worried sick, calling after me with that nasally little voice of yours—

“Nasally!?”

“Gosh, you sounded worried sick…” Ragatha giggled, taking Pomni’s hands into hers. “Pomni, just in the handful of days I’ve known you, you’ve proven yourself to be one of the most caring, most courageous, most selfless people I’ve ever met,” Ragatha said. Her thumb glided lovingly against the back of Pomni’s hand, “One mistake doesn’t change that.”

Pomni wasn’t looking back. Her chin quivered slightly, and her hands wriggled stubbornly in Ragatha’s grip.

“Didn’t anybody tell you what happened after that? After I went to find Caine?” Pomni sniffed. “I found a door. I tried to leave. I wasn’t thinking about anyone else except myself, and—” 

“And I forgive you.” Ragatha said. She felt the jester’s shuddering grip tighten around her hands. 

“I’m trying to forgive myself, too.” Pomni glowered at the winding constellations of slices, holes, and cuts wrapped all around Ragatha’s body. She studied their shape closely, her face warping further with every newly-discovered fray. “I’m trying as hard as I can to make up for the way I treated you, but no matter how hard I try, you keep getting hurt. And I just…” she sighed. “...I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could have saved you.”

Ragatha sighed, looking over Pomni’s hands. The poor girl was being so hard on herself — it hurt just to listen to.

Letting go, Ragatha reached into her pocket and produced a round, palm sized box. The transparent lid revealed its contents: A needle, several spools of thread, and a worn-out, heart-shaped pincushion. 

“I…what…?” Pomni blanched. She fastened her cap back on her head. “What is this…?”

Ragatha pressed the container into Pomni’s hands. “You tell me,” she said.

“A…sewing kit?” Pomni held the box up to her ear and gave it a light shake. The contents rattled around inside. “Wait a minute — you just had this on you the whole time?!”

“Uh, well…” Ragatha forced out an awkward laugh, “...kind of?”

“So I did all that work for nothing?!”

“Trust me. It wasn’t for nothing.” Ragatha winked. It was cruel — all she wanted to do was reach over and smother Pomni in a great big hug, but she knew that doing so would only strain her stitches. Confined to her half of the couch, Ragatha gazed pleadingly into Pomni’s eyes, tugging the woman’s arms toward herself with a look that said ‘please, come closer.’

In no time at all, Pomni acquiesced, letting herself be swept into Ragatha’s embrace. Ragatha draped her arms over Pomni’s rigid backside, and rested her forehead against hers. 

“Pomni,” she said, “if you really want to give this a shot, you have to know that one of us is going to screw something up sooner or later. We’re only human, after all, and if there’s one thing every human is good at, it’s #%@$ing up.”

Pomni flinched at the rare curse word out of Ragatha’s mouth — and, for the slightest moment, she even cracked a wary smile. “Yeah,” she snickered, rolling her forehead against the dolly’s. “that’s true…”

Ragatha smiled brighter. “But I know we’ll be okay. We’ll learn from our mistakes, and come out stronger on the other side. Because I love you, and if there’s one thing adventuring with you has taught me…” Ragatha closed Pomni’s fingers around the sewing kit, “...it’s that no matter what happens, we’ll always be there to put each other back together again.”

The kit’s plastic casing whined in Pomni’s ever-tightening grip. Pomni sat in stunned silence — but her tepid breath pounded against Ragatha’s neck just as before. Butterflies swooped and swirled in Ragatha’s stomach as Pomni’s hand combed through the dolly’s cherry-red curls — pinching, petting, rolling frayed twists between her fingers. 

“Ragatha…?”

“Hm?”

Pomni swallowed. “D-Did you just say…” Pomni’s fingers traced a jagged line across the stitched surface of Ragatha's cheek, “...you love me…?”

Ragatha shrugged, casual as could be, “I did, didn’t I?”

A big, stupid smile brightened Pomni’s face. “I—” she stammered, resting her weary head upon the ragdoll’s soft shoulder. “I—” she stuttered still, her weak, wavering voice crumbling to pieces. “I love you, too...”

Ragatha’s heart sang with pure joy. 

She let out a mirthful laugh, squeezing her darling as hard as she could. Pomni squeezed back, and all at once, a wonderful feeling of belonging — of finally returning home after having been away for so long — warmed the ragdoll from her very core.  

“My beautiful little ray of sunshine…” Ragatha spoke through a shuddering smile, running her hands through Pomni’s chestnut hair, breathing in her breathtaking essence. “...I love you with all of my—”

Regrettably — or perhaps not, depending on who you asked — there wasn’t much room for that kind of sentiment between the lines of the Circus’s cold, uncompromising code. Whether or not its players were soulmates, shared the same star sign, or called each other cute little pet names hardly mattered. This heart-pounding adventure was falling apart, and fast. 

Another savage quake shook the mansion’s decrepit foundation. Bricks, metal fittings, and chunks of rotten wood fell like rain. Noxious plumes of who-knows-what poured down from the ceiling. 

Ragatha and Pomni yelped in tandem. And it only got worse from there. 

Instinctively, Ragatha pointed her triangular nose toward the rumbling ceiling — but she did so just in time for a sizeable chunk of falling drywall to clonk her directly on the snout. She cried out, suddenly and sharply, from the dizzying pain. 

The abrupt noise caused Pomni, who still clung to Ragatha, to flinch and lose her balance. She tumbled off the sofa and onto the dirty floor, dragging a wincing Ragatha down with her. They landed in a heap — Ragatha on top, and Pomni squished below. 

All around, rattling chandeliers swung to and fro like crystal pendulums. Antique bookshelves teetered and tottered, vomiting their dusty contents onto the floor. A cavernous fissure split the ceiling with a bloodcurdling crack, spraying forth needles of splintered wood like lethal confetti. 

“R-R-Ragatha!” Pomni ground her teeth, hugging her girlfriend tightly. The back of her head paddled violently against the vibrating floor. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” she cringed in pain…

…but then, just as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling ceased. 

Pomni groaned, opening her eyes again. She blinked in the newfound peace, gawking at the woman laying precariously on top of her. Assorted debris coated the floor around the pair like a blanket of dirtied snow. 

“Oh my gosh! A-Are you—” Pomni hacked up a cloud of grimy dust, “— are you okay?”

“Aww. Look at you, all concerned for little old me,” Ragatha pecked Pomni’s cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m made of cotton. I’ve walked away from way nastier falls than that.” 

“Oh! Yeah. Right,” Pomni blushed. “I keep forgetting we aren’t exactly human anymore...”

“You’re cute.” Ragatha said with a freehearted giggle. She admired her partner’s dorky little hat, the brim of which was entirely covered in grimy mansion-dust. To be fair, though, her own hair likely didn’t fare any better — a fact which Pomni would confirm a moment later:

“Uh…by the way,” Pomni pointed to the left side of her head. “You’ve got a little something here.” 

“Oh, really? A little something?”

“Yeah. And also…” Pomni’s finger jumped around her head, “...here. And here, and here…”

 “Gosh, that’s an awful lot of ‘little somethings’...” Ragatha giggled. “To tell you the truth, you’ve also got something here,” she pointed to one side of her head, “and here. And…”

Ragatha’s voice trailed off. Deliberately, she lowered her head, eyes narrowing. 

The bank of dust atop Pomni’s musketeer cap was…moving. Spinning. All on its own.  Around and around, the miniscule particles ran an endless circuit around the cured leather brim, slowly drifting upward with each completed lap. Before long, the spinning particles had formed an upside-down cone shape — a tiny tornado of dust. Atop Pomni’s head. 

What in the world…? 

Ragatha could only stare, her mouth ajar. She watched through squinting eyes as the vortex grew tighter and taller, bending with purpose the way a blooming flower reached for the sun. She knew she ought to be used to this sort of nonsense by now, but miraculously, the deranged parade of oddities she encountered every day still managed to confound her, even after all these years. At least Jax wasn’t around to chide her for the stupid look on her face. 

“Uh, hellooo? Are you even listening!?” Pomni waved her hand in front of Ragatha’s face, derailing the redhead’s racing train of thought. “What are you staring at?”

Snapped back into the real world — or, at least, a convincing facsimile thereof — Ragatha’s gaze settled on Pomni. Words failed her, and so, she simply pointed.  

With a bewildered blink, Pomni’s eyes followed the slight downward curve of Ragatha’s finger. The jester’s shuddering gaze inched down the corridor, following the length of the swirling vortex until, at last, the anomaly disappeared into the distant darkness. 

Pomni balked, rubbing her eyes. “The #@$% is that…?”

And it only got weirder from there. 

A second whirlwind — sourced from a pile of debris on a nearby bookshelf — formed in the same way. It stretched down the corridor, fading into the pitch black just like its predecessor. A third, made from the dust coating a palisade of pulverized paintings, came next. A fourth followed suit, then a fifth, a seventh, a tenth, a twentieth — until the vast network of swirling arteries was far too numerous to count. 

Though difficult to make out in the dark, the endpoint of each vortex intersected at a single, unified point. There, an amorphous, filthy cloud began to form. It swelled larger — and larger, and larger — inhaling each and every speck of filth that had accumulated in the hallway. Then, like a mound of clay molded by supernatural hands, the cloud’s shapeless form gradually began to define itself:

A snaking, trunk-like body, made up of dozens of interlocking segments. A pair of gaunt, twitching appendages flanked each of these sections, sprouting one after the next like an infestation of wriggling weeds. A final segment, sporting two nasty spikes, capped off the end. A set of peering eyes, gnashing pincers, and twitching antennae distinguished the head. 

Ragatha whimpered, shrinking away from her worst nightmares made manifest.

It was a centipede. Filth and disease incarnate. A grotesque, fetid creature from hell, standing one foot taller than her and extending longer than her eyes could even perceive. 

The dolly’s patchwork heart seized within her chest. Jittering, black spots infested her blurring vision, dancing without a care as the narrow walls of the haunted corridor closed in. 

The hall was spotless now; every last speck of dust and debris had been funneled into the beast’s frightening form. And so, with its formation complete, the creature came to life.

“P-Pomni…!” Ragatha gasped, roughly clutching her chest. Something had snapped. Something inside of her. No. No, no, no, no, no. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening. 

The centipede turned. Snap. 

The centipede cocked its head. Snap. 

The centipede creeped closer, and closer, and closer still, its long, slender legs chattering loudly against the floor. Snap. Snap. Snap.

“Pomni! P-Please…!”

The fragile seams of Ragatha’s heart popped one-by one, stretched out to their absolute limit. A cold, barren sensation slithered out of the organ with every stuttering pump, numbing all that dared to touch its toxic essence.

///

[First Chapter] [Next Chapter - Coming soon!]

*dies of exhaustion on top of keyboard*

[ezlo-x]

“Wow I hope BotW gets a sequel someday…” - my TotK summary <3

It’s been a year, and honestly. I did not complete that game at all. I watched lets plays and cutscenes in youtube and a few playthroughs of my friends. And every time, my regret of buying this game grows ever so slightly. I know I sound mean and harsh but I prommy I got nothing against ppl who actually enjoyed TotK. This is more of my personal experience of how my excitement playing this game completely burned me out less than halfway through the game.

Gameplay

I’ll start with gameplay first, as I have issues with it. Let’s start with the physics of the game itself. Ngl, there was a small worry in the back of my mind when I realized there would be in-game physics and that you have to rely on those said physics. I personally don’t have a good experience with game physics and they usually tend to frustrate me. Which somewhat happened when playing the game. It didn’t happen too often, thankfully, maybe because the zonai parts didn’t tend to last long. Speaking of Zonai parts and builds

I wish building Zonai stuff was a bit more fun. Or at least give us more time to experience our builds. We already have a disadvantage by having a limited amount of batteries that you have to slowly upgrade throughout the game. So, seeing that one of your Zonai pieces starts to flash and disappear is annoying. I understand we can obtain more zonai parts throughout Hyrule, but I wish it lasted long enough. Also, the fact that you can’t really travel a lot in many of the builds, oh how disappointing it was to build a cool Zonai truck with big ass wheels but get frustrated that it couldn’t pass through a few bumps on the road. I feel like the Hoverbike is the best Zonai build of the game.

The Ultrahand is fun when trying to solve puzzles or merge random items. Fusing weapons, on the other hand, is my favorite thing in the game. There’s something really satisfying about fusing a really powerful weapon together. I really don’t mind that the weapons are breakable if that means I have a spot to make a strong weapon. Weapon durability never really bothered me. Both games push you to explore around to look for weapons. I think it would be boring if they weren’t breakable.

The shrines are a big improvement from BotW's shrines. I wished there were more challenging Shrines over the many King Rauru blessings. I can't really say much about the dungeons as I only completed two out of the five. But I think there was a bit to be desired; it's almost a Zelda dungeon.

Sage abilities. I want to speak to the game designer who thought it was a great idea to activate the sage abilities with the same button you click to pick up items on the floor. A total downgrade to the way you’d activate the Champion abilities in BotW.

Rupees. I would like to speak to the game designer who thought it was a great idea that you now have to manually press A to pick up rupees from the floor rather than casually walking in front of it to automatically pick it up. From my previous point, do you know how many times I’ve tried to pick up rupees only for Tulin’s ability to fly them away from me?

The sky islands, ohh boyyy, finding out that they had to reduce the amount of sky islands is disappointing, but I understand in a game design aspect. BUT it is disappointing that the game was advertising itself for the sky islands, only for there to be very few in the final. Like remember back in 2021 when they were advertising SkSw HD, and then i think a year later a totk teaser dropped and Link was falling from the skies? Good times ❤️

The Depths: I enjoyed the Depths a bit more than the Sky Islands. But it does get boring after a while if you’re not there to fight monsters or look for treasure, which is also disappointing. I love the OST descending down a chasm and entering the depths. Also, don’t get me started on how frustrating it is to use Zonai builds there compared to the surface or sky islands.

I think those are all my thoughts on the gameplay. I still have a few more issues with it but I feel like it mixes with the story so lets get that over with

Limitation vs Freedom

My biggest issue with this game is that it gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. However, there is still a story attached, and the story still wants to play out linearly. So, we have a game that grants you total freedom on how you want to play this game, but the story is still linear. But even if you decide to experience the story while doing dungeons and shrines. The game doesn't update with the piece of information that you discover.

The Dragon Tears are a really flawed way to experience the story. Zelda's memories are scattered across Hyrule; the number of times I've seen ppl say they accidentally got the tears out of order cause they thought it was similar to BotW's way of getting the memories. Basically, if you happen to be near one memory, you might as well get it cause it'll get annoying to go back and forth. Only to the person's shock, they got a cutscene meeting the Queen and King and then going up the Hebra region as that's the closest memory from the previous one. Just to see Queen Sonia dead on the floor.

What also bothers me is that the game doesn't update when you make a discovery in these memories. For example, I found out that Phantom Ganon can transform into Zelda in the memories and walk up to the NPCs in hopes of a change of dialogue. But getting nothing, walking up to Purah, Tulin, then Yunobo, and seeing no change of dialogue got really tiresome. It's as if the game doesn't believe you're smart enough to connect the dots.

Also, for people who decided to explore and get the Dragon Tear memories before entering any dungeon. There is very little change of dialogue, suddenly the game strangely punishes you by not letting the npcs acknowledge what you just discovered. While it's not an actual in-game punishment, you're stuck with characters asking a million questions that you already know of. Suddenly, the game's freedom to do whatever you want gets put to a halt because you decide to have the freedom to experience the story however you'd like.

NOW I get to move the part that I’ve been waiting (dreading) for!!

Lore

Sheikah Tech…I don’t care how simple the explanation is on why they are gone. It is probably the dumbest explanation I’ve seen. The fact that it wasn’t even questioned in-game and by the developers baffles my mind. How does it vanish in thin air? Their explanation is that the Calamity no longer exists doesn’t make sense to me either. The Sheikah tech has been there for more than 10k years but only in a dormant state. I don’t want to ask any more questions, or I’ll be here all day, but it drives me up a wall how the lore of the Sheikah got shafted to the side for the new stone technology aesthetic. Speaking of which-

Zonai in general. The fact that WE DONT EVEN GET LORE from the Zonais aside from being viewed as gods is sooooo ughhhhh I wish there was more. Why are there two remaining Zonais? (This probably got answered tbh but idc to look) Who’s the ancient hero and how come he looks like a Zonai or just in fact a different race we’ve never seen before?

Draconification…god. I have many thoughts and also many thoughts about the secret stones. It is an idea that I find interesting and could’ve worked for me. If it didn’t contradict itself in many aspects, as in how becoming a dragon, you will lose your sense of self. I think it would be a nice foreshadowing of the fate Zelda could’ve had. I think making the other dragons take a role in that and expand on it would’ve worked. Idk I think instead of implying it, it could’ve been expanded and shown a lot more severity of the situation.

Apparently I don’t got much on lore, but you know what I got much of????

STORY

This one is going to be a FAT one so bear with me. God where do I even begin here, I'm going completely omit the part where the game feels like it’s gaslighting you through the npcs cause I feel like everyone knows that.

My biggest frustration with this game is that it has such interesting story concepts and cinematic moments. But I can’t but feel like these moments were there first, and everything else was built around it. However, whatever suspicion I feel about how they created this story, only to my shock and horror that there isn’t a credited group of people in the credits, only an outside team (company?). Before I continue, I think it’s dumb when people say TLoZ didn’t have much of a story when previous Zelda games had a storyline to follow (OoT, MM, WW, TP, fucking…even Link’s Awakening, and more). So yes, TLoZ does have stories. It’s not just about the dungeons if I'm being honest.

What I find so odd is that Monolith Soft has games such as the Xenoblade games, where the latest game of that series does have a credited team of writers. Hell, BotW had two credited writers. But I won't go far speculating why they decided to hire a company outside the team to write TotK; it is only interesting to me why they did that. Since there really isn't a solid team of writers, I will focus my issues on Fujibayashi as a story writer; after all, he is the director of this game. And I've seen multiple interviews after the game's release where he explains a lot of the game's "lore" and story that should've been easily explained in the game in the first place. I think this will be me sharing my opinions rather than critiques... boy where do I even begin...

Sages—the ancient sages, not counting Mineru, are pointless. I felt no connection seeing the Ancient Sages meet their predecessors. Can't believe Age of Calamity made me feel more strongly about the Champions meeting their predecessors than the ancient sages did. - I also think they really don't share anything important. Maybe the first time, yes, but you could easily remove their cutscenes and just have Mineru explain how everything went down, and nothing will change. - Now, to the present Sages, I can't really say much, sadly. Tulin and Yunobo were the only characters for whom I completed their quests, and I enjoyed their character arcs, especially Yunobo's. If I could pick up TotK again, I would try to do Riju's arc, as it seemed really fun to play from the playthroughs I've seen my friends do. I don't really care for Sidon. Before I dropped the game, I was going through his quest and got really irritated fast for many reasons that I have mentioned here previously.

King Rauru and Queen Sonia – There has never been a character that I've enjoyed where I think they deserved much better than what they were there for. I get it; Sonia was only there as the character to be killed off to move the plot forward, but oh my god...I could've saved her. I wished we could've seen her more involved in the story than just standing by Raruru's side. - King Rauru, my brain turns foggy when I think of this man, and sometimes there are too many words to explain my issues. But to water it down, I feel we centered ourselves too much on these characters who don't even affect the main protagonist to some degree. Sure, King Rauru first appears at the beginning to show you his magic hand abilities. But I guess I was hoping something like how the previous TLoZ games had your companion help you throughout your journey and are the key fact of many things in the story (Midna and KotRL appear in my head when I mention this).

Zelda—sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I think this game would've been 10x better if she had been the protagonist. I know it probably wouldn't make sense because she turns into a dragon by the end but Idc. What frustrates me about Zelda is that she's given very few options. It's a war or nothing. It's becoming a dragon or being stuck in the past forever. I guess that's the tragedy of her story, but instead of me feeling sad, it frustrates me.

Link—Oh god, here we go. Link has a very small role in this, and you can disagree with me. But how is it possible that this is one of the few Links that has little involvement in the story? Link just happened to stumble into a bigger mystery than it already was. Link didn't even prove himself to Ganondorf why he's a threat to him aside from the first cutscene and Rauru.

Ganondorf - .........I hope this is the last time we see Ganondorf in the series. I know that sounds shocking, but if Fujibayashi is going to take the lead in storytelling for future games, I don't want him to make another iteration of Ganondorf. To me, Fujibayashi works better by making completely new Zelda villains. Ghirahim and Kohga are perfect examples. Ganondorf in this game was so underwhelming and disappointing. He never directly confronted himself with either Link or Zelda. Gameplay wise, he's great, but the story? What is he doing here? Literally, it feels like they only brought Ganondorf back because people questioned about Ganondorf back in BotW.

Conclusion

There are many aspects of the game that I enjoy; however, in my case, the bad outweighs the good. That's why this game frustrates me: There was a lot of potential to be seen. There is probably more for me to say that I'm either intentionally leaving out or just forgetting cause there are many things. Happy one year TotK 🎉🎉🎉

[clericofgale]

I was planning on writing something serious about Gale...but this came out instead. I have no idea why I'm posting something so unhinged. It's only Gale that make me this way. I sincerely believe Gale is a switch at heart, but since I've seen many wonderful treatises on bottom Gale I think I'll do the other side.

In this post I shall prove why Gale would make a great Dom/top and what I think he'd enjoy. NSFW.

This man is compassionate, open-minded, empathetic, and interested in your pleasure. He is a consent god. All traits of a S-tier dom. He'd be the supportive yet firm type. It's not only Halsin that exudes that energy, I think Gale does too! In my experience types like Gale are usually very good at it. Being a good top requires a good base of knowledge of the human psyche and anatomy. You're basically a sex nerd hacking brain chemicals while doing elaborate roleplay, and Gale is no stranger to research, and taking notes. You need good empathy to gain insight on your partner and feel what they might be feeling. It's very important for knowing when to stop. Being interested in your pleasure means he won't be purely taking. Good play to me is all about swapping and blending each other's energy and being a two-way street.

You always liked the idea of being worshipped. Adored. Obeyed...

This is a line from origin Gale that the player can choose. This man wants to be a god. He wants to be worshipped, and if he can't get that in the form of godhood I don't see why that can't be indulged elsewhere...

Speaking of indulging, when you tell Gale you prefer him naked at the party, he'll reply "I'll be sure to indulge you when you get home." with a smirk. And the teasing kiss where you are denied until Gale reciprocates is prime control material. He would enjoy teasing and denial.

He's a giver because he wants you to come undone and into a puddle of mess. He wishes to find your limits, what makes you tick and what doesn't. He will study every reaction, every weakness...and use it against you. He is an artist and your sounds of pleasure his notes in his newest piece. Gale would enjoy using his oratory talents to overstimulate you to tears, hands gripping your legs tight so you can't escape. You'll be teetering on the edge of wanting him to stop, but he never crests over the limit.

Look at the astral scene! He didn't lose concentration the whole time. Gale would love long elaborate scenes involving illusions. He enjoys showing you the wonders and limits of magic, things you've never seen before. The reassuring way he tells you to not be afraid because he's here with you during the boat scene is the exact tone he'd use while blowing your mind. Imagine the tools he will have at his disposal. Evrad's black tentacles? Mage hand? Simalcrum?

He's a teacher at heart, and have you heard the way he says "very good" during the weave teaching scene?? This man will be using praise and encouragements when you're most vulnerable. Gale enjoys positive reinforcement to get you to submit. Why use harsh words and punishments to get things done, when he can make you kneel all on your own? His buffing lines includes things like "Go on, excel" and "make me proud", and you do so very want to make him proud.

You just know he's great at aftercare. He's the only one to even think of bedding while bedding you, after all. He will always have reassuring words, or a fun joke to break the tension, and plenty of fluffy blankets on a warm bed.

In conclusion, Gale (especially postgame mortal Gale) would be great as a dom and thank you for coming to my unhinged Ted talk. *Bows*

[lizzyk137]

Y/n and Gibbs are best friend's with benefits which nobody knows about. Y/n isn't the type to keep a relationship at least as long as they have known her, she would say she's married to the job. Tony asks why he can't get a woman to stay y/n tells him remembering there names the next morning is a good start to which he asks when the last time she saw any action. Gibbs who over hears this knows the answer but also realizes you won't ask him to get involved just kind of smacks Tony's head. Tony spends the entire week making jabs about y/n non exist love life causing her to be irritated in turn distant from Gibbs. Gibbs Warnes him to back off as she is gonna snap By the end of the week Gibbs can tell she is gonna lose it he is intent on making sure she does so with only him around so he can defuse the it without and broken bones. as the team waits for the elevator Tony says one last thing she hits her limit, makes to punch him causing Gibbs to grab her by the waist and push her into the elevator telling the rest to take the stairs as the doors close.

Annoyance- Agent Gibbs (Gibbs X Reader)

Warnings: teasing/slight bullying, a head slap, burst of anger, and some nice fluff

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"Tomorrow night?" Gibbs asks, just before the elevator doors open.

"Yep." You answer and walk out towards the bullpen while Gibbs passes you and heads up to the Director's office.

"I just don't know if none of them want to be in a committed relationship." Tony was spinning in his chair, chatting with McGee.

"Tony, I don't think I'm one to be getting advice on this." McGee shook his head.

"Ahhh, yes, lonely McGee." Tony swiveled his chair till his eyes landed on you. "But you. You can help."

You rolled your eyes as you sat your bag down. Not because Tony annoyed you, but rather, his questions annoyed you. "And what can I help you with, Tony?"

"Why don't women want to stay?"

"Stay where?"

"Stay more than just the night. I've met some wonderful women recently, and none of them want to stay more than the night. Women just don't want to stay in a committed relationship anymore!"

You chuckled at his question and answered back teasingly. "Well, remembering their names could be a start."

McGee laughed as Tony stood up and leaned against your desk. "And when was the last time you got any?"

"I don't think I need to disclose that information." You said, thinking about what had happened this morning with Gibbs.

You both had been friends-with-benefits ever since a near death experience in which Gibbs took you to his place, and then one thing led to another, and now, a year later, you've been having fun no strings attached. Well, at least for Gibbs. You both were married to your job. Anyone could see that, but the feelings you had for each other were protective and caring.

"I think you don't want to disclose it cause you haven't been getting it." Tony laughed.

You rolled your eyes as Tony whipped his body around teasingly, singing how you didn't get any action, stopping when he turned to face Gibbs, who had been standing right behind him. "Uh... Boss, hey, I was just talking with- ow!" Tony rubbed the back of his head after Gibbs gave him a big slap on the back of his head. The sound of the slap causes you to smirk at the satisfying sound.

"We got a dead body in Glenns. Gear up."

You sent a thankful look to Gibbs as you collected your stuff. Gibbs knew you wouldn't say anything about your relationship with him. Even though he gave you the okay, he knew you still wouldn't. You both had never talked about keeping it a secret. You both just did with respect to each other. Plus, the number of questions the team would have and the constant teasing from DiNozzo would be the death of you.

The rest of the week would consist of two cases and constant teasing from Tony. "Got another date with Taylor this afternoon. What are you doing later night, Y/N?"

"Tony, don't push me. I'm not in the mood." You got up from your desk and walked out of the bullpen.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs called out, reading glass on as he looked down at a document, his pointer finger motioning him closer.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Leave her alone. She's got enough to handle on this case."

"Boss, I'm just teasing her." Tony chuckled.

"Yeah? I'm telling you to stop it."

Tony sighed and walked away, Gibbs watching him annoyed. In the past week, you had pulled away from him, not wanting to get together after work and barely saying anything at work. He knew you were upset with Tony. You loved your job and were committed to it, but he knew you gave up any chance at a relationship because of it.

You just hit your thirties, and while everyone around you was starting families or getting married, all you had was work and some amazing nights with your boss that you couldn't talk about. He knew you secretly wanted a relationship even if you never said anything. He also knew you'd bottle up your emotions and annoyance until it became too heavy to carry, and you'd snap.

He wanted to defuse anything privately and quickly before you went after DiNozzo for saying something stupid. He was hoping that today he would get the chance before you snapped.

"Y/N." Gibbs called out as he caught a glimpse of you heading down towards the interrogation rooms. He jogged down the hall to you and entered the viewing room right behind you.

"What did you need, Gibbs?" You asked sighing as you collected some loose papers on the sound station.

"Just checking on you. Making sure you're okay." He said, your straight face not changing. "Ya looked stressed."

"I'm not. Just annoyed and tired. These two cases back to back have been kicking my ass." You sat on the edge of the table and looked at Gibbs. He could see the exhaustion in your face. He came over and wrapped his arms around you, but you pushed him away. "I gotta go bring these to booking."

He nodded and stepped away as you walked out of the room.

"So I was telling her, Taylor, we got to try this new restaurant this weekend, and she said, well, what she said was not something I can mention at work. But the bottom line is that we got a romantic getaway in a snowy cottage that we won't be leaving this weekend." Tony rambled as you waited for the elevator.

You sighed, mentally preparing yourself for a teasing comment. Gibbs next to you watching your reaction, hoping he'd still have part of his senior field agent if you snapped.

"So, Y/N," Tony drawled out your name. "What are you up to this weekend? Another lonely night reading with a bottle of rosé?"

Gibbs saw your eye twitch then your whole body turned to face DiNozzo, a growl coming out of your mouth, as he grabbed your body in his arms pulling you into the now opened elevator as you tried to get away to yell at Tony.

"Take the stairs!" Gibbs yelled to a stunned Tony and McGee while pushing the close door button on the elevator as he tried to detain you.

Once the doors closed, he pulled the emergency switch and let you go. He watched as you breathed deeply, then rested your head against the side of the elevator, letting out an annoyed grunt.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't have snapped and tried to go after him."

"I didn't say anything."

"Ugh, you don't have to. I can feel your gaze on the back of my head." You turned around, leaning up against the wall looking at Gibbs. "I guess it was just weighing on me."

"What? Tony or you annoyance with not having a relationship."

You rolled your eyes. "Gibbs, I don't have any problem not being in a relationship. My job is my relationship."

"If it wasn't a problem then why get so upset? And your job shouldn't be your relationship."

"The pot calling the kettle black there, Gibbs. You're married to the job, so what's the difference."

Gibbs took a step towards you. "You're young. You'll find someone. I've lived my life, and I sure as hell had my fair share of relationships."

"Gibbs, I've tried, but no one gets what I do for my job. The canceling, the long nights, the never being able to talk about work until the case is over. God, I have to fuck my boss in order to get some." You cried frustrated. You weren't a crier but this was getting to you for some reason and you didn't know why.

"Why not me?"

You looked up, confused. "What do you say?"

"I said, why not me? We're already doing it. We both know how this job gets. Half our nights are spent together anyway. It has been a year, so why not give it a shot?"

You stared at Gibbs in disbelief. You blinked a few times to make sure you weren't imagining things, but you weren't. Gibbs was looking at you with a small smirk on his face, watching the gears turn in your head as you tried to figure out.

"Are you seriously suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Gibbs' smirk just got bigger as he came closer to you, his body brushing up against yours. His hands on either side of your head as he leaned in and brought his lips to yours. He pulled away and winked at you.

"Why don't we give DiNozzo something to talk about?"

[ellaenchanting]

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS VS HYPNOSIS ACCORDING TO ELLA ENCHANTING (haver of opinions)

One misconception that I often hear amongst hypnosis geeks is that "mindfulness" is basically a normie-safe word for "hypnosis"- that hypnosis and mindfulness practices are essentially the same thing.

This is a hard misconception to disprove- in fact, "hypnosis" and "mindfulness" are often defined really vaguely and in different ways by different people so- they could often very well be refering to the same thing!* I know when I first learned about mindfulness practices, I dismissed them as "just" repackaged hypnotherapy- something I already knew a lot about. However, in doing so, I was neglecting ideas that turned out to be a really useful self-improvement tools.

If you're of a similar mindset, drawing a distinction between the two may also be really helpful for you.

MINDFULNESS:

So, the end goal of mindfulness is learning a kind of grounded way to self reflect. It's a potentially really helpful skill for people who get caught in thought spirals** or overwhelming emotions. A big goal for people learning the skill is to be able to observe thoughts and emotions without entirely buying into them OR dismissing them. Let's say I have a train of thought that keeps looping in my head- I'm worried about something stupid I said yesterday at work, for example. Imagine that train of thought is an ACTUAL train- maybe a toy train running on a looped track. Normally, when you're having the work worries it's like you're on that thought train- riding it around and around in circles while you're getting increasingly anxious and kind of limiting yourself from doing other things. With mindfulness practice, the goal is to get you OFF the train- it's not gone, but you're kinda watching it from the sidelines instead of ON it. It's still happening but with a bit of distance you can see the thoughts more clearly and better take care of yourself while that thought track is running.

Another example- let's say I have a big feeling. I'm going to pick overwhelming shame***. In mindfulness practices, the goal is usually not to ignore the shame or entirely give into it but to be able to sit with it and understand it without DROWNING in it. So, in that state of mind, I might sit with the shame and kind of question why it's there and what it wants from me. I might find some kindness for myself as someone who is experiencing shame (which is harder to do when I'm more inside it). I might work to conceptualize the shame differently- what does it look like, what sounds does it make, etc. In that way, I'm paying attention to an emotion that might be helpful- but not overly giving into it.

If I were teaching someone mindfulness techniques, the goal there is for them to be able to use the techniques entirely on their own whenever they need to. I'm not really trying to overly influence or control what's happening for them- I'm keeping my language as permissive as possible and encouraging them to accept whatever comes up. "Notice what's there without feeling like you need to change it" is a common mindfulness instruction. The practice encourages curiosity and bravery in the face of the overwhelming STUFF of life.

HYPNOSIS:

There are lot of different ways people do and experience hypnosis- and I'm definitely not going to be able to address all of them here. But, at least in kink, my goal in hypnotizing someone is to directly influence their thoughts. In fact, when I'm hypnotizing someone, a lot of my "induction" is convincing someone that I'm already in their head- that they're responding automatically to my suggestions. There's the kinky control fun of that and also the mutual shared feeling of intimacy- we're so close we could be one. (Or, in more D/s-ey terms, we're so close that now you are an extension of me!) In 101 classes you'll learn about the pacing and leading technique- basically matching your subject's experience and then taking them a step further. (Ex. You're reading my words and focusing on the screen and that reminds you to take a deep breath NOW.)

Explaining it by cold control hypnosis theory****, during an induction I'm helping someone kind of flip OFF their awareness of their agency- creating the illusion that things are happening internally because I'm MAKING them happen (and disguising the part where they're in complete control of their actions).

Especially in kink, what we're doing in hypnosis play is often a really conscious power exchange. You're giving me power over your thoughts because you want me to have it. I direct them where I want them to go and away from where I don't want them to be (ex. the actual reason why you're relaxing is, in part, because that's a natural thing that happens for most people when they close their eyes for more than a few seconds). (That's an excellent babysitting/parenting pro tip from me to you btw.) It's not that subjects aren't actively contributing their own images/ideas/metaphors/desires to the suggestions and play (really often they are!) but usually their whole goal is to be directed.

Even in hypnotherapy, that directedness and control is implied. You're not coming on (nearly) as strong as you would in kink, but your goal there is usually more in direction (with teaching self hypnosis techniques as an added bonus).

Sometimes the hypnosis and mindfulness methodologies can be incredibly similar with really subtle differences! For example, I might start a mindfulness-teaching body scan in the same way that I might start a progressive muscle relaxation induction- "Go ahead and get into a comfortable position and close your eyes". But continuing with the hypnosis induction, I'll usually be more directive ("Notice your feet. As you're noticing them, imagine sending a wave of relaxation down to your toes.") whereas with the body scan I'll be more exploratory. ("Notice your feet. What do they feel like? Are they hot or cold? Do they want to move or stay still? Whatever is happening for them right now is fine- just notice them") The pmr induction is intended to move someone into a suggestible state, the body scan is intended to teach someone a particular mindset and focusing skill they can use later. *****

Like I stated before, things that I consider "hypnosis" ideas and techniques and "mindfulness" ideas and techniques get mixed up all the time- with both lay folks and the actual professionals who teach them. There's a lot of surface similarities. "Mindfulness" has become such a therapy and corporate buzzword that it often DOES become synonymous with things like guided relaxation. Both concepts are vague enough that there's a lot of things that can easily be either/or- I'm thinking self hypnosis specifically here******. But- I hope if you're curious about mindfulness at all, you'll find this explanation useful and will maybe go out and explore some helpful resources for yourself.

Good mindfulness 101 books:

Full Catastrophe Living- Jon Kabat Zinn

The Mindful Way Through Depression- J. Mark G Williams et all

Just an FYI here at the bottom- like all self-help techniques, mindfulness stuff can be extremely helpful to some and not at all helpful to others. If it hasn't been personally helpful to you that's fine! I hope you've found some other things that are. Also, you can feel free to take my self help advice just as seriously as you would of any other kinky fetish blogger. :p I'm not your therapist, feel free to check in with them about things that might help you.

*I think people expanding the definition and ideas around both of these can be really helpful, in fact!

**Of the not-fun kind

***You know, like I normally do

****One of many hypnosis theories! And often not the best one for kink! If hypnosis doesn't feel like this for you, that's perfectly ok!

*****OK, in actuality both probably do both things! But the emphasis is different.

******A big difference in my mind- if you discover pain or discomfort, hypnosis-style techniques are usually directing you away from that while mindfulness-style techniques are usually directing you towards curiousity about those things.

[cerastes]

What are some of the greatest/most impressive feats of strength in Arknights’s story?

Taking the overall narrative and worldbuilding into account, I believe the most effective aspect of Arknights' narrative is that they managed to make Terra feel like a breathing, living world and setting instead of a vehicle for the point-of-view character to exist in and act upon. This is specially remarkable for a mobile gacha game, as settings in these tend to be exactly that sort of vehicle instead of world that give any hints of existing when outside the player's immediately vision. The way I like to think about it is, "if a tree fell somewhere in this setting while my intended point-of-view or self-insert character isn't there to see it, did it make a sound?”. In Arknights, Girls' Frontline and SIGH Epic Seven (credit where it's due), the answer feels like a yes to me, whereas in every other game of this kind, it feels like a no, if you know what I mean.

This is intrinsically tied to the cast of characters: It is an inevitability that games where a guiding principle is to release an immense number of characters throughout its lifetime will have characters that will never have any relevance whatsoever besides existing as a minor piece in the world, and Arknights is not immune to this. Even other works of a different base nature and with a much smaller casts will be victims to this: In Trails of Cold Steel, for example, you have a pretty big cast of playable characters, some of which are very well developed and have a lot of screentime and development, and others who are Gaius Worzel. However, this leads to two aspects of Arknights as a narrative and as a game telling a story and fleshing out a world that I appreciate:

The first is that those characters that do get used, are for the overwhelming majority fun and interesting to see and accompany throughout their narrative, and rarely for me, I include the usual point-of-view character in this, Doctor. I tend to have a pretty big dislike, if not disdain, for characters you're meant to self-insert into, I sincerely cannot stand them. Doctor definitely has a big of a self-insert nature to them, but there's also a lot of the Doctor that is actually pre-established, such as them being a weirdo, tending to be very effective but also causing troublesome aftermaths that others then have to clean up, and being particularly good at bonding with assassins and underworld types, among other things. More importantly, Doctor is not present in most side-stories. This is fantastic and leads to the second aspect I appreciate.

This second aspect is that the cast has legs to stand on without needing the protagonist or POV character. You'd think this is a problem mostly limited to gacha games due to their usually flimsy narratives and structures, right? Except, this is actually a huge problem in pretty much every corner of narrative art! I can think of countless comics, manga, cartoons, anime, light novels, novels, and much more, eastern and western, that just tend to have worlds and casts that center entirely around the protagonist, for the protagonist. Whether it be a US author writing out their post-apocalyptic hoarder fantasy or a Japanese author detailing the trials and tribulations of a relatable nobody that a myriad of girls want to have sex with, and even some other pieces of art perhaps not so comically easy to make fun of, it's a consistent aspect of them that the protagonist is the center of the universe, both in terms of events and what the rest of cast thinks about, talks about, and takes action upon. Obviously, this results, in my opinion, in weak worlds and weak casts that have no legs to stand on. I appreciate that even without Doctor around, Arknights does a good job of having protagonists of their own little stories in the side stories: Olivia Silence is a joy to follow when she takes the lead in a Rhine Lab story, Kroos has been one of my favorite characters to be able to experience events through with the Sui stories, Skadi and the Abyssal Hunters are exciting to watch in Abyssal Hunter stories, and the latest event as of the writing of this post filled me inspiration, seeing Reed star in a character piece that tells us more about someone so immensely reticent to open up. It's by having interesting world events occurring throughout Terra that don't have the input of Doctor, and thus lets us see more and more of this huge cast of characters taking the lead that I think is a fascinating experience for me as a reader that keeps things fresh. It's even allowed me to come to appreciate characters I initially didn't care about, such as Bagpipe and Magallan, and see, in most games of this nature, if I don't care about a character frame one, it's probably going to stay that way because, well, if I didn't care about what their limited assortment of pre-cooked lines had to sell me on, then I'm likely not going to care about that character likely not showing me a new aspect of themselves impactful enough to change my mind in an event they'll likely just be an accessory to.

It's upon this base that I think Arknights stays interesting and fresh: A solid foundation that I can agree with and that keeps things dynamic and interesting. Specific events and story beats that I think are interesting are a natural result of these baseline aspects, but it all traces back to the cradle, to these baseline aspects that facilitate those cool narratives in the first place.

[possibilistfanfiction]

for surgeons AU could we get some early days, maybe first date or something? obsessed with your work as always

[s/o to everyone who asked for their first date, love u, crossposting this au to ao3 now too i guess lol!]

//

‘don’t laugh.’

‘i’m not.’ 

you glare. 

‘i swear, i’m not,’ she lies.

‘cam, you’re actively laughing. physically. audibly. at me.’

camila takes a deep breath and forces herself to frown. ‘okay. sorry. continue.’

‘bea is just — hot.’

you can tell that camila fights a grimace, which is fair, maybe, because she’s known beatrice for years through medical school. ‘she’s also very kind and understanding, if you wanted to, like, do something that would actually be fun for the both of you.’

‘hiking sounds fun.’

‘ava.’

it’s not all that often you feel the tightness in your chest that you remember from childhood: things are far less limited to you now. you have care you need, and your physical therapy and surgeries and medications are usually effective at letting you do whatever you want day-to-day. ‘just — don’t.’

camila sighs. ‘okay. but i promise bea wouldn’t think any less of you.’

you flop back on her sofa. ‘i know that, i really do. but it’s just so not sexy. and you know what is sexy? beatrice without a shirt on hiking ten miles, all sweaty and —‘

‘— it’s november, i’m pretty sure she’ll be wearing a shirt and a jacket —‘

‘— that’s not the point.’

camila loses her battle and does outright laugh at you now. ‘okay. well, to answer your question, you can borrow whatever of my gear you need, and i won’t tell bea.’

‘you’re a saint.’

/

to be fair, beatrice picks you up in her extremely clean subaru — you refrain from saying anything; it’s way too easy for it to actually be fun anyway — and offers you a breakfast sandwich and a coffee from, apparently, her favorite place near her house. it’s a cool, cloudy morning, typical november fair, and it’s still dark out, but you’re used to being up early or really at any time of day or night at this point. you’d done every spine decompression stretch you’ve ever learned in physical therapy, taken some ibuprofen, and truly have no plan other than hoping camila’s trekking poles — a very serious name for very fancy walking sticks — are enough to see you through.

beatrice, for her part, is clearly nervous, and it’s charming: she spends at least twenty minutes talking to you about all of the features of the hike and why it’s an ideal one for the two of you — ‘it’s moderate elevation gain up to the crest, about 2.5 miles, and, since it has southern exposure, we won’t get too much wind today.’ and, ‘if you want to keep going, it’s beautiful along the ridge, and there’s two mild peaks we could summit.’ and, ‘i’ve packed enough food and water for essentially however long we want to go; you can carry some if you’d like, if you didn’t pack much yourself.’ and, ‘anyway, the entire thing is wonderful and, in my experience, fairly empty, especially as it grows colder. but, just our luck: not much rain forecast for today.’ — and then asks, almost painfully awkward, about your last shift.

‘it was fine,’ you say, finishing your sandwich and making sure your trash is neatly packed up in the bag, with hers too. ‘but enough shop talk. i want to know about you.’

she blushes and you see, not for the first time but maybe in a way that’s more obvious than you have before, that beatrice is just a person after all, even if she’s unflappable at work. 

‘it’s okay,’ you say, so she doesn’t shut down or feel embarrassed. ‘i don’t mind shop talk, but i’m just — i’m glad to spend the time with you, away from work. plus you’re like a total enigma. very mysterious. it’s kind of hot.’

you haven’t said explicitly this is a first date, but you’ve been on lots of first dates and you’re fairly certain this is one. you’re definitely certain when she laughs, her shoulders loosening down her spine, away from her ears, and says, ‘only kind of?’

‘well, i wasn’t sure if we were just colleagues or just friends or whatever.’ 

‘or whatever?’

you groan. ‘you’re extremely hot, are you kidding? i think it’s affecting my residency, actually. i get distracted by your hands and then i lose the plot.’

she takes that in, maybe more than you had meant to say but who cares at this point; you’d gotten up at 5 am for her on your day off, so it’s fairly clear how you feel. ‘you’re quite distracting yourself, dr. silva.’

‘in a good or bad way? like, sexy or annoying?’

she rolls her eyes; you can tell, even if she’s still watching the road. ‘it depends. often both.’

you grin, lean back in the seat. ‘i contain multitudes, what can i say. triple threat.’

‘sexy, annoying, and… ?’

‘brilliant, obviously.’

‘oh yes, obviously.’ you pull into a deserted parking lot amidst a lush green forest and a heavy early morning fog; it’s beautiful, and you don’t ever regret that you ended up here, but you feel particularly grateful for it now. ‘you are brilliant, ava.’ it’s serious, the way she says it and the way she squeezes your hand, just once, before she gets out of the car with a soft smile. 

you watch her as subtly as you can as she puts on her gear, following suit as closely as you can without being too obvious about it. you know this is, objectively, really stupid and unnecessary, and jillian is probably spidey-senses yelling at you from somewhere in the world, but you have never wanted to impress someone so badly in your entire life. once beatrice is all ready to go, in her warm fleece quarterzip underneath a waterproof shell, a similar setup for her pants, her boots tied securely and her pack neatly zipped, poles ready at the correct height — so your elbows are at 90 degrees, camila had explained yesterday — and a beanie pulled down securely over her buzzed hair and ears.

‘the most important part for me,’ she says.

it takes you a second, but then you laugh. ‘you’re being funny.’

she makes sure her car is locked, zips the keys in a pocket inside her jacket, and then takes off down the trail. ‘i’ve been known to have a sense of humor from time to time.’

she’s not even walking that fast but it’s cold and jillian is mad at you all the time for how much you have to stand just for work, definitely without the however-many-long mile hike you’re about to go on. ‘the other interns are terrified of you, you know.’

beatrice turns toward you with a smirk. ‘and you’re not?’

‘well, i’ve seen you cry, once not even about a patient but about the fact that the coffee cart was out of earl grey tea.’

‘i hadn’t slept in thirty hours.’

you shrug — that’s probably true, but still — and bump her in the shoulder. ‘i like you,’ you tell her, honest, finally, amongst the moss and the ferns, the sun barely up, no one around to hear you. there’s a different kind of fear you feel when it comes to beatrice: not as dr. choi, indomitably talented and ruthlessly efficient resident, but as someone whose cologne you recognize, as someone who you want to make your grandma’s vatapáfor. ‘you’re kind to me.’

beatrice slows down for a moment — thank fucking god — and takes you in. you feel out of place often, and especially here, but the best thing about her is that, even if she senses it, she never faults you. ’that’s what you deserve.’ and then, ‘i hope i am. i want to be.’

you don’t know much about her, really: you know that she went to boarding school at 14 and had been at the top of her class at the best schools and programs in the world ever since; that she loves to be in nature and has known lilith for forever; that her accent loosens, just slightly, when she’s especially excited or especially exhausted. she likes otters, you’ve gathered, from a little pin on her coat, and she wants to go into cardio because it’s endlessly fascinating to her, and impossible, and miraculous. she runs so much admin for the free gender affirming surgery clinic even though it’s not her speciality and she certainly doesn’t have to; she learned asl last year, in addition to a host of other languages she speaks, to better communicate with patients and colleagues. you think, of anyone in your program, maybe of anyone at the hospital entirely, she’s chief superion’s favorite.

there are so many things you want to learn about her: what makes her scared and who she let take care of her after she had top surgery and what her favorite song is and what book made her cry as a child and if she likes comedies or is more of a drama kind of girl. you want, you can admit to yourself, to know everything about her in a way you’ve never quite wanted anything before.

‘you’re the best person i know.’ you’re worried it’s too much before she smiles — not at you, too shy, but you catch it anyway before she looks away.

‘that’s generous.’ 

‘still, true.’

she worries her lip before saying, ‘i am, technically, your boss.’

‘barely.’

‘ava.’

‘hmm. not dr. silva? doesn’t sound very position of power to me.’

‘i — i like you too.’ you watch her push her poles into the soft ground a little harder, like her whole body is fighting — to say what she means, or to not say it, you’re not sure. 

you’ve had crossroads in your life before, most of them really fucking horrible — until they weren’t, until the world stretched out before you and opened up before you. you’ve talked over and over about this with jillian and the therapist she made sure you went to before you consented to any truly dangerous and experimental procedures or injections: disability was limiting, sure, but the real harm was done by the lack of care afforded you, not your lack of movement. you work so, so hard to believe it on good days; it’s nearly impossible on the worst.

but this is the best day, you decide. camila is right: beatrice is kind and caring and brave in ways you know; in ways you have yet to find out. 

you’ve made it maybe half a mile into the hike but your back is aching, left foot going numb already, your right hand clenched too tight around the handle of the pole, so much so that even the soft cork of it hurts. so, instead of moving and moving and moving like you always do, like you have since the moment you could close your hands into fists so tight you swore you’d never let the world go: you stop.

bea takes a few more steps and then notices; she turns around and looks at you curiously.

‘sorry,’ you say, impulse and fear and habit, then shake your head. ‘actually, uh. i’m not? yeah, i’m not.’

she stands steady, unfazed by that. ‘okay.’

‘uh, well. i like you too. i already said that, but i really like you. i don’t — god, this sounds so stupid. but i don’t want to be your intern.’

the small, amused smile on beatrice’s face makes you feel better. ‘am i not a good teacher?’

‘i think there are lots of other things i would enjoy you teaching me.’ you close your eyes for a moment as she laughs, trying to regroup. ‘okay, i am sorry for that one.’

‘don’t be. i quite enjoyed it.’

‘before — before we tell chief superion anything, if you wanted to try, just — you should know that i shouldn’t have said yes to going on this hike.’

beatrice’s brow knits together, so immediately concerned you reach for her hand. 

‘not because — it’s beautiful,’ you say. ‘you’re beautiful, and i’m so happy you asked me.’

she doesn’t look any less worried, which is fair.

‘i have a spinal cord injury,’ you say, and her face softens into something you’re terrified of for a moment, until you realize it’s only patience, only an opening for understanding — not pity, and certainly not anything close to contempt.

‘okay,’ she says, calmly and as kind as ever.

stupid, annoying tears burn at your eyes. ‘i just — you love hiking, and you asked and planned so nicely, and you wanted to share this special thing with me, and —‘

‘ava,’ she says, then brings her thumbs to wipe your cheeks with a gentle smile. ‘i just wanted to spend time with you. you’re right, i enjoy hiking, but i also enjoy lots of other things. things that i would also want to share with you.’

‘i should be using a cane at work,’ you admit, in the middle of this beautiful forest where no one but her can hear you. ‘i haven’t been because i didn’t, i don’t —‘

‘— while i think it’s wise you’re moved off my service,’ she says, ‘i will burn down that entire hospital if anyone looks down on you for that.’

‘that seems counterintuitive to do no harm.’ the way you say it is wobbly and your nose is full of snot and it’s kind of all so terrible, but then you catch up: ‘you don’t want me on your service?’

beatrice steadies herself. ‘i want to kiss you.’

‘even after —‘

‘ava, listen. i want to kiss you.’

‘yeah,’ you say, and lean forward.

it feels like your entire body lights up, even though it aches in the damp cold — golden light everywhere. 

/

you laugh a little afterward, then beatrice smiles and takes off back toward her car without any complaints. 

‘it’s still rather early,’ she says as you go on your way, ‘and we’re only about twenty minutes from the car.’

you grimace. ‘yeah, sorry.’

she shakes her head. ‘there are undoubtedly so many things you need to apologize for daily, ava —‘

‘— hey —‘

‘— but this is not one of them.’

‘fine,’ you huff.

she’s unfazed. ‘i was going to ask if perhaps you wanted to come over to my place. among other things i like in addition to hiking, i do like to catch up on rest as well. and then perhaps lunch? there’s a spot near me that has wonderful oysters.’

‘a nap? in your sexy house? lunch? with your sexy face?’

she ignores most of it: ‘it’s a rather normal house.’

‘i bet it’s sexy. lilith told me you were rich.’

beatrice grimaces.

‘it’s okay. like, really. i just bet you’re, like, the kind of person who has bespoke everything, aren’t you?’

‘no,’ she says, but she’s blushing and looking away from you.

‘you know, you’ve got a terrible poker face.’

‘only when it comes to you, i’m afraid.’

‘ah, what a terrible fate.’

‘the worst,’ she agrees, shaking her head with a smile. ‘it’s got a good view, i will say.’

‘well, lead the way then.’

‘ava, we’re just walking back to the car.’

you roll your eyes. ‘you know what i mean.’

/

beatrice’s house is beautiful, perched on a hill with giant windows overlooking the sound and the olympics. she laughs — not unkindly — when you admit that all of your hiking gear is actually camila’s, says, ‘i thought that pack looked familiar,’ and then lends you a hoodie and some comfortable running shorts to change into. you don’t ask her so many things brimming inside of you; she doesn’t ask you either, although you’re sure she — as bea and as dr. choi — has a billion questions. you’ll ask and answer everything in due time. 

for today, you bully her — with far too little bullying involved to make her argument of i’ve never seen it before and i don’t waste my time on shows like this — to start binging season 4 of real housewives of salt lake city; even less convincing when she knows all about jen’s escapades last season and then clamps her mouth shut when you laugh into her shoulder.

‘it’s compelling, fine,’ she says with a very dramatic pout, and you’re kissing it off her face before you can think twice.

she smiles into it, your nerves dissipating, and it’s good, and right, and safe. you eventually kiss her cheek and run a hand over the soft bristles of her hair — which you’ve been dying to do — while she smiles and then settle into her side. 

‘thank you.’

she lets out a big breath, peaceful under the blanket, thick socks on your feet, cold rain outside but only warmth in this house with you in it. ‘no, ava. thank you.’

[baby-alien11]

Needles and Stitches

Chad Meeks-Martin x Fem reader

A/N: I had appendicitis two years ago, and I can't forget that experience so I'm putting it in some of my fics (wattpad and here)

warnings: hospital and all things related, fluff, reader being under the effects of anesthesia and meds

After everything that happened months ago in Woodsboro, Chad didn't want to step into a hospital ever again

But here he is, by your side while they were prepparing you for appendicitis surgery

It all started three days ago when in the middle of a study session in the library when you started to get strong headaches which made Chad worried, but you minimized the situation saying it was because of stress

The next day, while you and Chad were in the middle of a make out ssession in his dorm, you stopped the kiss the moment you felt a pain in your right side of the abdomen

"What's wrong baby?", Chad asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"I think I ate something in bad state", you responded with your face hidden in Chad's bare shoulder holding your right side

"Hey, what if we just lay down and I bring you some medicine?", Chad suggested circling your waist with his arms, "Does it sounds good?"

"Yeah", you answered in a low voice

Carefully, Chad lift you from his lap to left you in the bed covering you with the bedsheets before standing and searching for the medicine

The next symptomes were the lack of hunger and fever, along with the pain in the abdomen that didn't stop with meds

So, tricking you into thinking that you were going on a breakfast date, Chad took you to the infirmary campus were after several tests they took you to the hospital to get appendicitis surgery

"I still want my breakfast date", you said getting out of the bathroom with the hospital gown on

"First we need to get your appendix out", Chad responded helping you get to the hospital bed, "I already told the group, Sam said she is coming right now and the others are coming after classes"

"I can't believe I'm having appendicitis at 19 years old"

"Well, the doctor said this was the limit age, and if you think about it, this organ doesn't have an utility at this point"

"Since when do you know all about this stuff?", you joked

"I read everything about the appendix on the way here", he answered making you laugh, "Hey, everything is going to be fine, okay?"

"I know, it's just that I don't like needles"

"Hey, if I survived being stabbed last year, you can survive an appendix about to explode"

"I can't belive you actually compare both situations", you laughed in disbelief

In that moment, the nurse returned with the things to prepare you for the surgery; during the IV placement, Chad held your other hand and covered your eyes so you don't see the needle in your hand

During the whole way to the surgery room, Chad didn't let go your hand giving you assurasing words, leaving kisses in your forehead and lips before getting separated

Openning your eyes after what felt like the longest nap you've ever taken, you noticed that you were back in your hospital room, and the whole friend group was there too

"I'm back", you said in low and raspy voice

That phrase made everyone get closer to you bed with concern

"I'll call the doctor", Sam said pressing the button next to the bed

"How you feeling?", Chad asked sitting in the bord of the bed

"Sleepy and empty", you answered

"Yeah, they took a whole organ out of you", Quinn joked, "Actually is in here"

"What?", you asked in confussion

In response, Tara showed you a small plastic cup with you appendix floating in liquid making you frown with disgust

"Who would think that this small organ could kill anyone", Tara commented

"It looks like a cheeto", Ethan pointed

"I would say a shrimp", Anika continued

"Looks more like the parasite of REC", Mindy followed, "Like the one in the original movies, not the remakes"

"I can't believe you are making fun of my appendix", you scoffed

"Well, it's out so is no longer part of you", Chad said, "But you are going to feel well from now on"

Interrupting the conversation, the doctor and a nurse entered to the room, which made the whole group get apart from the bed except for Chad who stayed by your side holding your needleless hand

"Hi, Y/N, how are you feeling?", the doctor asked while the nurse checked your vitals, "Any pain?"

"From the inside no, but my stitches hurt a bit"

"That's normal, but we still going to give you some medication for the pain, you are going to stay for the night and tomorrow you can leave, liquid diet for the next week, complete rest for three weeks or a month until the scar is completely cured, I will remove the stitches in a week from now", the doctor instructed

"What do you mean by liquid diet?", Chad asked with a notebook and pen in hand

"Juice, water, tea, fruit, soup, jelly, things like that", the doctor answered, "Nothing to strong for her stomach, and be careful while taking showers because of the stitches, if someone could help you, the better"

"We would take care of her", Sam spoke

After a few moments, the doctor and the nurse left, leaving the friend group alone

"I really wanted a burger", you comented making everyone laugh

[bodiedbyteecosplays]

Modern! Hantengu Brothers in: What car would they have.

Heyyyy!!! So I’ve had this sitting in my drafts for quite a while so I just decided to just go on ahead and complete it! Hope y’all like it!

Sekido: Car #1: BMW M8/ Car#2: Kia Stinger

• Okay so hear me out. Mans has TWO cars.

• He regularly drives his Kia around to and from work & when he feels like it, he’ll bust out the Beemer (probably to race his brothers if they rile him up enough or some shit)

• He makes his own maintenance to both his cars. (Such as upgrades on the sound system, designs, window tint, oil changes, tire replacements, all that jazz) He takes pride in making sure his rides are well taken care of.

• He is definitely one of the more responsible drivers out of the four. (Unless Karaku & Urogi get on his nerves enough to make him race)

• Has red and black interior in BOTH of his cars. (I mean because what is Sekido without the color RED)

• Has a Black Ice scented freshener in his cars.

Karaku: Dodge Charger Hellcat SRT

• Come on y’all.. this is Karaku we’re talking about. Of course he has a fast muscle car & YES it’s loud green!

• Like Sekido, Karaku takes pride in keeping his car in great condition with everything it needs when it needs it.

• He gets MANY compliments on his car from literally EVERYONE. One time a kid caught him walking back to his car and he literally talked Karaku’s ear off about how cool his car was and how he wanted one just like it when he got older.

• Yes, He’s one of those guys that will see someone in the next lane at a stop light and starts wanting to race them. Again, this is Karaku we’re talking about here. 😂

• Will be the ringleader in challenging Sekido’s BMW to a race. One time, he made Sekido so annoyed he took him up on the offer only for Karaku to lose. He was still wanting to race again afterwards. (He’s a persistent one)

• His interior is matte black inside and his steering wheel cover is lime green like his car.

• Karaku definitely likes a fruity smell in his car so I’d see him with a pineapple or strawberry scent in his car.

Aizetsu: Honda Civic Sport (Two door)

• Definitely has a Honda because they are very reliable, long lasting cars. (Wise choice man, wise choice)

• Takes great care of his car & it’s always in perfect condition. He pretty much has to upkeep his cars condition because his part time job requires him to travel.

• Has amazing driving skills and is one of the better/ responsible drivers out of the four brothers. (Mans can literally parallel park in his sleep 😂😂)

• Has blacked out rims on his car gifted to him by Karaku for his birthday.

• Urogi and Karaku try to get Aizetsu to race but he declines everytime.

• His interior is solid black and he has a blue and black steering wheel cover. He has a ocean scent freshener in his car and has both a Nigerian and Japanese flag hanging on his rear view mirror.

Urogi: Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

• *sigh* There are responsible drivers, and there are irresponsible drivers, then there’s UROGI. 🥲

• Seriously, he doesn’t know what a speed limit is & the fact that he has one of the fastest cars doesn’t make it better 🤦🏾‍♀️.

• He’s another one of those guys that won’t hesitate to race someone at a stop light (because of course he does) He leaves them in the dust every time though.

• Despite being a moderately reckless driver, Urogi does keep his car in very good condition and is on time with any maintenance.

• Him and Karaku loveeeee teasing their brothers to get them to race with them on the weekends. They see it as a “bonding experience” and Urogi especially gets a thrill out of it. He has the most fun with teasing Sekido because he knows it gets on his nerves.

• Mans has definitely gotten stopped by the police once or twice but that still hasn’t stopped him. 😂😂😂

• His interior is gold and black and he has a gold steering wheel cover. He has a pine scented freshener in his car because it makes him think of being in the nature (He loves nature/ outdoors) so that’s natural for him.

I Hope ya enjoyed my silly lil car headcanons! I will be uploading my main headcanons soon! I had to make some revisions but it’s still coming but this is to hold you over!

I Tag: @i-karaku-swear-i-dont-smoke-weed @ch3rriiii-bunn @doesfairieshavetails @doumaverse

[hollowtones]

I've been thinking of getting into oldschool runescape, but I don't have any friends who play it. I like watching videos of it on youtube, but that doesn't give the best idea of what it's actually like to play. So I wanted to ask, what is it that you enjoy about the game and why?

Graphical and sound limitations are played with in fun ways. Quest design is largely very fun. It feels like an old 90s point and click adventure game but also you can go online people-watching at the same time. I can play it as a largely-solo experience, which... kind of makes it feel not very much like an MMORPG, in a few regards? But sometimes you get to have a chat with strangers while you fish or butcher weird tongue guys, and sometimes that's nice.

There's a very large amount of somewhat esoteric mechanics that all kind of intermingle with each other in mostly interesting ways, and I like when games do that if the mechanics are fun to engage with. (It's part of why I enjoy stuff like "Warframe" for the same reasons others find it intimidating or overwhelming! I like having a big box of toys to play with and going "okay I will play with my trucks today & tomorrow I might play with my dolls"!) It's an itch a lot of games don't scratch because deciding "we're going to make something old and rough and clanking and massive and complex & then we're throwing you in to figure it out amongst yourselves" is daunting and difficult to design and largely a product of Many Many Years Of Being A Video Game. But it works well here in my experience. I think it helps that all the individual pieces of how content works, & how you control the video game (it's all point and click babyyyyy) are all relatively simple to grasp.

You can go wherever the fuck you want and engage with whatever contents of the game you want in any particular order. It's a sandbox! There is no real concrete end of the game! There is no overarching goal unless you want there to be one! The game is either done when you want it to be or it's done when you have done literally everything there is to do in it. (It feels like the antithesis of "Final Fantasy XIV" in a way? That one's designed to be a traditional JRPG linear structure that's built around multiplayer / social mechanics. It's interesting contrast IMO.) And that's cool! And doing any individual bit can feed into unlocking other things, or providing resources for other tasks or challenges or goals, but you can also just decide "I just want to fish and that's it" and there's a lot the game does to support that and make that as compelling and engaging as you want it to be! Some of that's going to be a grind, but the grind (improvement over time, the celebration of labour and hard work for its own sake, learning a trade or a skill or a hobby) is kind of the point. The grind isn't going to be for everyone and that's fine. It's for me. I respect it being so unflinching in being the sort of video game that it is.

This is a sidebar (and a low bar at that) but I also appreciate it not being crammed full of microtransactions and advertisements. LOL

[tallulah477]

❀ About Me | Blog & Request Rules | My AO3 ❀

Hello! Welcome to my blog!

My name is Talie, but you can call me Tal. This blog contains works that are NSFW / 18+ and are meant for adult viewing only. Please do not interact if you are a minor. My works nearly always contain sexual elements or explicit smut, and might also explore darker themes (non-con, dub-con, stepcest, etc.) so please make sure to read ALL warnings listed at the beginning of each work.

This is a no judgement zone! Bullying will not be tolerated. Let's all remember that fiction is fiction, including all the events that happen to the characters and the characters themselves. Reading and writing is a way to dive into your fantasies and experience them in a safe and contained way. You are the only one who knows your limitations, so consume dark or inappropriate content at your own risk - but do not judge or hate on others for enjoying things that you don't and remember: okay in fiction does not equal okay in real life.

If you are under the age of 18 or smut / darker content might not be your thing, this is not the space for you. However, if all of this sounds exciting to you, then welcome! I hope you find something you enjoy!

Have fun! <3

✩ Requests are currently Closed

✩ Comment here to be added to my main taglist :)

Collections

Luna's Kinktober 2023

Kinkmas 2023

Colors of Pandora 2024

Works

Too Much

Neteyam licks your pussy while you lick his kuru

Prove To You

It was only ever supposed to be a hookup, something fun to pass the time. But to Neteyam, it was so much more than that. He's in love with you, obsessed with you - his perfect little mate. But he doesn't know why you keep running away.

Drabbles:

Spider Headcanons

Reader reuniting with her mate after he is rescued from the RDA

Reader likes to fuck Spider in her head

Royalty AU (credit 🤍 Anon)

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Extras: One | Two

Drabbles:

Na’vi gets affected by the Blood Moon

©tallulah477 2024 | Do not copy, translate, or repost any of my works to another site without my consent.

Last Updated: 23 June 2024

[songforeddiemunson]

Three of a Kind

"Hear me out. Inexperienced! Eddie (not a virgin but his experiences are sort of few and vanilla) and an impromptu perhaps tipsy threesome w reader (they're not together but he does think she's hot, maybe they'll end up together who knows) and another chick? Making his wildest dreams come true. Maybe at a party? A gathering of some sort. Just spit balling at this point. It sounds hot. And I want it (Joseph Quinn voice.)" --@etherealglimmer

Inspired by the above headcanon. I'm sorry this took me SO long to finish. I did take a few liberties with the idea (Eddie has had non-vanilla sex but nothing like THIS, and no real relationships). I hope you enjoy!!

Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader x Fem!Roomate

Summary: Eddie makes a weed delivery to his crush at her college party. He gets waaaaay more than payment in response.

Warnings: 18+ [foul language, threesome sex, oral sex (m and f receiving), fingering, strap-on sex, p in v sex, a little light choking, minors LOOK AWAY, this might be the filthiest thing I have ever written.] Sex is NOT payment for weed. Some fluff if you look closely. Reader's description is vague to remain inclusive.

Word Count: 4K

MASTERLIST

THREE OF A KIND

I can't wait to rev you up

Faster than you can say Ferrari

Tearin' up the gravel, watch you unravel

Now it's a party, hey!

October 1986

Eddie normally wouldn’t make a weed run to a college party over twenty miles from home. Spending nearly an hour on the road on a Friday night was not exactly his idea of a good time, and the gas his van guzzled cut into his profits. 

But he would make an exception for you.

You weren’t exactly friends, but you had gotten along. You were cool; not one of the popular brats but not a social pariah either. You drifted somewhere in between, just marching to the beat of your own drum. Eddie respected that. You ran into each other outside school on occasion, and would share a smoke or a joint and have a little chat about the latest music releases or the whatever horror flick you had just seen. 

While nothing had ever gone beyond a mild flirtation, Eddie allowed himself to wonder if there were possibilities there. Would you ever want to spend some time with him?  Should he ask you out on an actual date? How did people even do this? He had never really had a proper girlfriend before, and the idea would ultimately leave him feeling flustered and he would push the thoughts away. 

While he was far from a virgin, his experiences were limited to occasional post-gig hookups with the chicks who hung around the hideout looking for a guitarist to nail. It was fun, and the mutual understanding of having no strings attached kept things from getting complicated, but, during those moments when he was feeling particularly lonely, he always found himself looking for that deeper connection that nobody took the time to afford him. And sometimes his thoughts would wander to you.

When you told him that you were going to go off to the community college a couple of towns over, he was surprised.

“I was thinking of going into mortuary sciences,” you said, as you checked your eyeliner with your compact.

“Seriously?” Eddie huffed a laugh.

“Nah,” you said, snapping the compact shut. “Just fucking with you. But I do kinda want to be a writer, maybe tour around and write for Rolling Stone or some shit. So I’m gonna take some English comp courses.”

Eddie grinned. “That sounds awesome, good for you.”

“What are you going to do with your life?” you asked him, arching one eyebrow.

Eddie shrugged.  “Jeff and I talked about getting a shithole apartment in Indy or maybe Detroit. I’ve been learning mechanics in my free time. Fix some cars, play some tunes. Just get the hell out of Hawkins.”

“Right on,” you said, smiling amicably as Eddie struggled to mask the disappointment he felt at the prospect of your moving away.

So when you called him six months later looking for a weed hookup, Eddie was practically out the door before you could hang up the phone.

He chuckled to himself as he pulled up to the address he had hastily scribbled on a scrap of paper. Where the hell did you bring me?

It was certainly no sorority house, not that he would have pegged you as the type to join a sorority anyway. It was on the outskirts of town bordered by dense woods, and looked more like an old church than a proper house. This struck Eddie as hilariously fitting (if bordering on sacrilege) and he laughed out loud as he stepped out of the van and sauntered up the walkway.

He observed a few other cars parked about as he approached the house, and he could hear the music thumping as he raised his hand to knock on the door. He knocked three times before spotting the doorbell and giving it a quick buzz.

After a pause of about fifteen seconds, the door swung open, allowing the heady scents of weed and incense to spill out the door, along with the dark and rhythmic tones of Souxie and the Banshees’ Cities in Dust.  It was an assault on Eddie’s senses, and the woman who answered the door was no exception.

She was tall, maybe more than 5’7”, with a too-orange to be natural pixie cut and plump, heavily glossed lips. She was a punk goddess in doc martens, fishnets and a plaid miniskirt, simultaneously a cliché and a delight, and for a moment Eddie forgot to speak, his tongue plastered uselessly to the roof of his mouth.

“Yeah?” she said, making no effort to hide her assessment of him as her eyes raked up and down the length of Eddie’s body before stopping at his face, her green eyes penetrating into his. One luscious lip curled up into the ghost of a smirk.

After his brain finally caught up to his mouth he blurted out your first name– a bit too loudly– and quickly followed up with, “uh sorry yeah, she’s expecting me.”

The goddess turned and shouted your name into the dwelling, which was dark and moody; light bulbs had been swapped out for colored ones, smoke hung heavy in the air, lending a hazy and otherworldly vibe to the interior.

You appeared quickly, and Eddie’s heart nearly fell out of his chest. Thoughts of the goddess who answered the door were obliterated when you stepped into view. College looked great on you. Not that you needed the help.

“How’s it going, Munson? Did you find the place alright?” you asked him. You noticed that he was out of breath.  “Did you run here, or something?” you added with a laugh.

“Uh, no, I’m fine,” Eddie said, his expression breaking out into a grin. “It’s good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“You too, Eddie,” you said, and stepped away from the door to allow him room to enter. “Come on in. Welcome to my humble abode.”

“You actually live here?” Eddie asked as he followed you inside, weaving around people and through the living room, where he glimpsed more people– mostly women– lounging about and chatting. There were men present as well, but they seemed to be the minority.

Your laugh sounded like bells under the loud music. “Well not alone, but yeah, I live here with four other girls. We’re not a sorority or anything, not anything official, anyway. But split five-ways this place is actually affordable, and it creeps people out, so we’re left alone.”

“Was this a church?” Eddie asked as he looked around the place.

You nodded. “Once upon a time. I guess it was an old chapel but was deconsecrated after the pastor murdered someone. Drink?”

Eddie paused, laughing, holding his hands up. “Whoa whoa wait. You can’t just casually drop that you live in an old murder chapel and just expect me to move on from that.”

You shrugged. “That’s honestly all I know!” You giggled at his expression of incredulity. “Do you want a drink or not?”

Eddie sighed and dropped his hands in resignation. “Sure, I guess I’ll have a murder beer from the murder chapel.”

You laughed heartily as you opened the fridge and pulled out a can of PBR, popping the tab as you handed it over. Eddie took it from you, and downed a considerable amount before setting it aside on the counter and reaching into his leather jacket’s inner pocket.  He pulled out a baggie of weed and handed it to you.

“Your green, milady.”

“Thanks, Eddie,” you said, pulling three neatly folded ten-dollar bills from your bra and handing them over. Eddie tried not to stare.

“Pleasure doing business,” he said as he stuffed the bills into the pocket of his jeans without ceremony. He picked the beer up again, unsure of what to do next and feeling slightly awkward. “Sorry your regular hookup went out of town,” he said before taking another pull of beer.

“Oh that?” you replied. “Nah, they’re around. I just needed an excuse to get you over here.”

Eddie sputtered his sip, needing to wipe his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket.  “I’m sorry, what?”

“I wanted to see you,” you shrugged. “I was listening to the new Iron Maiden album the other day and it got me thinking, what would Eddie think of this?”

Eddie stood up straight, his eyes brightening. “Too fucking synth-heavy! What were they thinking?!” he exclaimed, making you laugh.

“Exactly. Except for Wasted Years. That song was solid.”

“Yes!” Eddie cried. “It was the only song on the album that didn’t make me want to throw myself out of a moving car,” he said, and the two of you simply grinned at each other for a moment before he continued.  “But yeah, Bruce’s vocals were solid though.”

“Of course,” you nodded, smiling. “Bruce is always solid.”

“You know,” Eddie said, leaning forward dramatically while holding onto the counter with one hand, “you could have just called me, you didn’t need to buy weed you didn’t need.”

“I suppose I could have,” you said, stepping toward him. “But where is the fun in that?”

Eddie didn’t have time to fully react; only a quick widening of the eyes showed he registered your actions before you grabbed a fistful of the front of his jacket and pulled him in for a kiss. His lips were soft and pillowy, and you pulled away for a moment to look up into the big brown eyes that frequently haunted your dreams. “I should have done this ages ago,” you murmured, causing Eddie’s heart to triple its pace.

“I wish you had,” he said, before diving back in for another kiss. He brought his hands up to cup your face, tilting your head to deepen the kiss. You allowed him to do it, you would probably let him do anything. You wanted this, you had fantasized about this, and now his tongue was sliding along yours, teasing and exploring. You tasted the sweetness of the pilsner and the ghost of the cigarette he smoked on the drive, and a tiny moan escaped you as you tangled your fingers into the locks of hair you had so longed to touch.  You pressed your body taught against his and you could feel the stiffness of his arousal. Fighting the urge to tear at the fly of his jeans, you pulled away. 

“Let's go upstairs,” you whispered. Eddie could only nod.

You led him by the hand out of the kitchen and toward the stairs, around the languidly dancing bodies, feeling giddy, the song now Shake the Disease by Depeche Mode, the music thrumming and thrilling, making you feel like you were floating outside of yourself.

The moment you had him upstairs and into your room you were on him again, kissing and nibbling at those perfect lips and pushing his jacket off his shoulders. You quickly started to kneel but Eddie stopped you with a finger under your chin, gently urging you back up. 

“Not that I’m complaining,” Eddie chuckled softly at your puzzled expression. “But where is this coming from all of a sudden?”

“I told you,” you said, “I missed you.”

“But why didn’t you do this before? You had plenty of opportunities and I would have been happy to oblige.”

“I don’t know,” you began, unsure of how to phrase what you felt. “Before, I didn’t know what I wanted. But I have a better sense of who I am now. And like I said…” your hand trailed down Eddie’s jeans as you spoke, and you slowly pulled the zipper of his fly down, “I’ve been thinking of you.”

Without another word, you pushed him backward onto the bed, and his surprised laugh was cut short when you pulled his length from his jeans and slipped your lips around the tip. “Oh fuck,” he gasped. “You aren’t messing around are you, oh my go–”  the rest of the sounds Eddie made no longer contained words.

You took him in as far as you could and then pulled back up, circling your tongue around the tip. You pumped him slowly as you worshiped the head of his dick for a while; sucking, licking, kissing. Eddie leaned back and braced himself on his hands, his little gasps and moans fueling you onward and enhancing your own arousal. You took his full length in again, and alternated in this manner for a while, going between head worship and deep throating, pulling him closer to the edge. 

Eddie was trying not to come while pondering the possibility that he had died en route to your house and was now in heaven, when the bedroom door abruptly opened. Eddie sat up, feeling alarmed and strangely bashful, but you simply pulled away with an annoyed, “what?” 

You still had his cock in your hand.

“Oh there you are,” Chloe said, sounding annoyed. She seemed completely unbothered by what she had interrupted, but one eyebrow ticked upward when she saw the impressive appendage encircled by your fingers.

Eddie, unsure of what to do and feeling exposed, grabbed a random piece of cloth– which turned out to be a tank top– and draped it over his exposed erection.

“Do you mind? We’re kind of in the middle of something here…” Eddie blurted, at a vocal register a bit higher than normal.

“No,” Chloe responded, before turning her attention to you. “Where is the blue curacao?”

“How should I know?” you laughed. “Did you check on top of the fridge?”  

“Yes, it’s not there.”

You shrugged. “It’s probably gone then.”

“Disappointing,” Chloe replied. “I wanted a blue Hawaiian.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” you said.

Eddie watched this exchange with wide, incredulous eyes, ping-ponging back and forth between you as if he was watching a tennis match.

“So is this one yours then?” Chloe asked, nodding her head in Eddie’s direction.

“I really like him,” you said simply with a smile. Despite his absurd situation, Eddie felt something warm bloom in his heart.

“So…” Chloe began. “Not up for sharing this one then?”

Eddie nearly choked on nothing.

You looked at him, considering. Your initial reaction was to say no, because you wanted Eddie all to yourself. But Chloe was sexy, and a lot of fun. You shrugged. “Are you up for that?” you asked him matter-of-factly.

“Am I– am I up for what exactly?” Eddie stammered.

“A threesome. With me and Chloe.”

“I uh– oh my god. Uh, I guess? If that’s okay with you two, but sure? Yeah.” Eddie tried and failed to sound nonchalant about it, as if a threesome with two beautiful women was something that just happened.

“Excellent,” Chloe said, stepping forward and kicking the door closed as she pulled her top off over her head in one fluid motion. She knelt beside you, and tossed aside the flimsy fabric that covered Eddie's slightly softened member. “Aw, does someone have some nerves? Don’t worry, we’ll fix that,” she said, and pulled you in for a messy kiss, her sticky lip gloss painting your lips as she lapped into your mouth with her tongue. You moaned softly. Chloe was the perfect sort of filthy, and this was going to be a lot of fun.

You made out sloppily for a moment as Chloe pumped Eddie back up to his full hardness, then she pivoted over to slip her lips around his cock. Eddie tossed his head back and moaned. Chloe’s technique was different from yours; she was more rough and forceful, never afraid to take what pleasure she could while leaving men and women completely spent in her wake. You admired her boldness, and watching her slurp down the object of your affection was absolutely thrilling. Chloe sucked Eddie down so thoroughly, that she would bury her nose in the thatch of his pubic hair before pulling up, gasping, with ribbons of saliva trailing away from her lips. It was filthy.

You climbed up onto the bed as this went on and kissed Eddie, softly at first, then hungrily, and you alternated between nipping his bottom lip with your teeth and licking into his mouth with your tongue. He moaned into your mouth as Chloe slipped one of his balls into her mouth, and she sucked him there as she pumped his cock with her fist. Eddie’s breathing was erratic and quick, and he began to wonder how long he could last. Just when he thought he couldn’t hold on any longer, Chloe stood up, leaving Eddie exposed again, the cooler air from the room chasing Eddie’s climax away.

“Everyone get naked. Now,” Chloe commanded, as she stepped out of the room.  

“Where is she going?” Eddie asked as he began to undress.

“Not sure, probably to get some toy,” you said, and you kissed and undressed each other while you waited for her to return. Eddie kissed you deeply and stroked your breasts as you pumped his dick, and shortly Chloe returned. She was naked except for a large strap-on secured around her hips.

“Don’t worry loverboy. You’re hers, so I’m not going to fuck you. Her though,” she nodded toward you, “her I’m going to fuck.”

“Uh, ok,” was all Eddie could manage. He sat back on his heels on the bed as you positioned yourself in front of him on your knees. You slipped your mouth back over Eddie’s cock as Chloe positioned herself behind you. She had already lubed up her appendage, and she slid into you with ease. You gasped around Eddie’s cock as she began to pump into you. Eddie watched as Chloe fucked into you from behind, and then they leaned forward and kissed as you were being spit-roasted. Your moans were choked and drowned out by being so thoroughly filled, but you were never in any danger, and you loved every second of it. You squealed as Chloe hit deep inside, sliding her silicone dick along your inner g-spot and making you see stars as she and Eddie sucked face above you.

It felt so good, so damn good, that your first orgasm arrived quickly, making your legs quiver and you sobbed unintelligible nonsense onto Eddie’s cock as you rode out the waves of pleasure.

“His turn,” Chloe cooed as she slipped out of you, and she unbuckled the straps of her toy and set it aside. You sat up on your knees. “Are you doing alright?” you murmured into Eddie’s mouth as you kissed him.

“Mmmhmm. Oh yes. You?” he replied between kisses.

You nodded. “Oh hell yeah.”

You felt him smile against your mouth, and then you pulled away to lay down in front of him. Chloe laid your head in her lap. “Okay,” she said. “Now fuck her.”

She cradled your head, stroking your forehead and brushing stray whisps of hair away from your face with surprising gentleness as Eddie lifted your leg and placed it on his shoulder. He grasped himself at his base and positioned himself at your entrance. He leaned down to suckle one of your nipples, making you groan, as he slid inside. 

“Ah fuck,” you cried out.

Eddie started to thrust steadily in and out.  Chloe moved her right hand down to your throat and squeezed gently. Not enough to actually choke you, but enough to make little stars appear at the corner of your vision, setting all of your senses alight. The groan that emanated from your lips was enough to make Eddie nearly lose it right then and there.

Your second orgasm slammed into you so quickly that it caught you by surprise, and you squealed and mewled and babbled. Eddie didn’t slow down, however, only picked up his pace, his hips slapping into yours rhythmically.

Chloe gently slid out from under your head and repositioned herself closer to the point at which Eddie and yourself were joined, and she trailed her fingers down your glistening tummy to play with your clit. You arched your back and keened at the dual sensation of your highly sensitive nub being manually stimulated while Eddie fucked you roughly. She gently encircled the sensitive bud with a manicured finger, and Eddie watched, leaning back slightly to grant her better access.

She leaned down and licked across the nub, and with the other hand she reached up to play with Eddie’s balls, sending both of you into paroxysms of delight. Eddie was hitting you so deep, and Chloe’s tongue was sending you reeling straight toward your third orgasm. Chloe grasped the ankle that wasn’t resting on Eddie’s shoulder and held it aloft and she sat up, holding your ankle and gazing down at you as she watched you come apart, rubbing your clit with her fingers.  

As you came down from your third orgasm, she got up off the bed, slipped on a robe, and sat in your little desk chair to light a cigarette.  “The rest is just for you two lovebirds,” she said as she exhaled a plume of fragrant smoke.

Eddie looked at her briefly before returning his gaze to your face, and his beautiful browns looked directly into yours. He let your ankle slide down to the crook of his arm as he leaned forward, and he cupped your face in his hands before diving in for a sweet kiss. His thrusting had slowed, and he seemed to be reveling in just being with you for a moment before his pace grew more erratic. He stopped kissing you and fucked you to his own completion with his forehead pressed against yours. It was intimate and close, and though Chloe was still watching from her chair, her gaze was no longer predatory, it was something you couldn’t quite describe. It was soft.

Eddie pulled out of you, pumping pearls of his seed onto your soft belly. You panted and sighed happily as you returned to the real world, the cloud you had been residing upon slowly sinking back to the earth. Eddie cleaned you with the same discarded tank top that had acted as his temporary (and futile) modesty barrier, and he planted a kiss against the smooth skin of your hip before he turned to pull his jeans back on.

You sat up and began pulling on your own clothes, Chloe stood up and made her way toward the exit. “Not bad for a last hurrah,” she said, smiling, before she slipped out of the room.

“And then there were two,” you said in an attempt to dispel some of the awkwardness that had settled in the wake of Chloe’s departure. Eddie chuckled.

“Listen,” he said, his smile faltering. “I want you to know that I didn’t come here looking for…that. Or anything like that. I was just stoked you called.”

You smiled. “Oh I know. And even though I did have some ulterior motives for calling you, I think the most I was planning to do was ask you out.” You chuckled. “Not that I mind the outcome.”

Eddie grinned. “No, I certainly don’t mind either.”

“But that will never happen again. I don’t like to share.”

“Understood. But…BUT,” Eddie held up a finger, as if to emphasize a caveat was coming.

“Yeah?” you said, suddenly feeling anxious.

“Before we talk about what’s gonna happen next, don’t you think you should ask me out?”

You laughed. “Eddie Munson, would you like to go on a date with me?”

Eddie nodded. “Hell yes. I hear this new movie Witchboard is pretty good. Wanna go see it with me?”

You could barely contain your grin. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Thanks for reading! As always, likes, comments, reblogs are so appreciated.

Special thanks to @misskittysmagicportal for the song inspo and your continuing encouragement ❤️

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