#first option is so funny and i always kinda assumed that was it but. surely he's learned how to take someone on a date by that time

[gratuiciel]

curious about what's the general consensus for this scene because i have no idea what to think about it, considering the guy

did kisaki just randomly show up in a parking lot and take out that wedding ring, or did he invite hinata on a date beforehand and then proposed to her?

feel free to comment on what u think happened. no character hate please

[foone]

So if Threshold happens to different Trek crews, who gets who pregnant? Voyager is one of the few shows where it makes heterosexual sense, (for lack of a better word, "sense" not being the word anyone would use to describe threshold)

So for Voyager, it being Paris (pilot) and Janeway (captain) makes sense through that lens. Paris, sure, because he is a pilot. We could pick a Science Guy to do it, but then it might be B'Elanna who does the flying fast, and then who is she going to kidnap for Lizard Sex? Harry? ... Yeah it'd be Harry. Anyway once you've picked Paris, you've got to figure out which woman is funniest to have him abduct into Lizardry. B'Elanna? No, not funny enough. She'd be a Klingon lizard and beat him up instead of mating, even if they did get married later. Besides, what if she evolves into a super-advanced Klingon, not a lizard? *claps* PUT TUVOK ON THE SHUTTLE. Kes? No, they already did a Tom v Neelix episode. Seven of Nine isn't on the show yet, so Janeway it is.

Ok so for other shows, we gotta pick a pilot or science guy (who might be screwing around with transwarp, and thus get Lizarded) and someone they could turn into a lizard to have babies with. The show is assuming heterosexual pairings here, but we know about things so we are not so limited.

The original series: as much as I'd love to say Sulu and Uhura ("I'll save you, fair maiden!" "sorry, neither"), I think TOS was much less of an ensemble than later Treks, so it'd need to be Spock. Spock is doing some science stuff, he gets hyper-evolved, and he picks someone else to hyper-evolve and turn into his lizard bride. As much as I want to say "Kirk", I think it's more likely that he runs off with Uhura and then Kirk has to rescue them. Kirk was always about being the one who rescues people, having the Enterprise come rescue Lizard!Spock (is that antisemitic?) and Lizard!Kirk and it's called commanded by McCoy? Nah.

TNG: the direct analogy to VOY would mean we have Wesley and... Picard? No, no, and no. Sorry. Frankly, we already had this plot on TNG (Genesis), and canonically the answer is Worf and Troi. The problem with it being a pilot thing is that Wesley is a child and Data (the official science guy) is an android, so he can't really be hyper-evolving. We could go with Geordi, the other Science Guy, but then we've got the image of a black man kidnapping a white woman. Uhhhh no. We already did that episode and it is an example of Deep Shame for the show. So Worf and Troi it is.

DS9: so this is what inspired me to make this post. We all agree Sisko would be a damn good father to his lizard babies, but would it be him? If so, with who? You could have it be Dax, and she lizards first and kidnaps him, which makes some sense given that she's a Science Guy. But you also have to consider Weird Guys. Every Trek series needs a Weird Guy so that whenever an ancient alien artifact turns the whole crew into Muppets or whatever, they can be the one who isn't affected and can thus solve it. This is all to say, Odo/Kira could be done. We've had a few episodes where he's been shown to do very extreme things out of his pining for her, so it makes some sense. Odo/Quark would be funnier but given how the DS9 writers handled Profit and Lace, I really don't want to see them do a gay mpreg episode.

ENT: the series with canon mpreg! Direct translation of would be Mayweather/Archer. Mmm. Probably not. I think it's gonna be a rarepair: Trip/Hoshi. Trip/T'Pol is too canon to be funny. The next best option is Archer/T'Pol and that's just kinda bleh. It makes sense but it's just the kind of thing they'd do and it'd be bland. We can do better. Honorary mention: Trip and Reed.

I've not watched enough of the New Treks to have an opinion there. Maybe SNW: Ortegas and La'an. Don't ask why.

[ohmotherwhereartthou-if]

How would the ros react to mc wanting to break things off in the relationship stage?

So very sorry I took forever to answer this!

Oh how you hurt me, I like a pinch of angst but break ups always wreak me. Kinda funny since I have actually never been through one myself yet.

Their specific reactions I gotta keep saved for when I present this option in game but for now I will summarize.

Cassandra: Hurt but much too prideful to show it. She is calm and collected as she calmly asks why and if there is anything that can be done to avoid this. If there is no saving the relationship she thanks you for the time/memories you have given her, she then bids you farewell and wishes you the best. She will be a crying mess in private and her dad will take her out hunting to comfort her, he may or not tell her to visualize that she is shooting you instead. It will take time but she will eventually move on, however MC will sadly always be her first love.

Valeria: Tries to reason with you and begs you not to go. Cries a whole lot and yells for you just to leave then, before she calls her brothers. MC better not come around her village anymore, Valeria is the town's ray of sunshine and nobody will tolerate you breaking her heart. Her brother's least of all, it's on sight if they see you. The breakups hurt lingers for majority of the following year, Valeria is young and like young people do; she does eventually grows up. She moves on in time and finds someone else, her time with MC was a learning experience. One she does grow from because the next time MC sees her she will be tougher, less naive and trusting.

Tomas: For the love of God, please do not break my son's heart. I honestly don't even want to think about this but if he let you in and you decide to leave? Congrats, you are an asshole and just cemented the fact that he will never be vulnerable or let anybody else in for the rest of his life. Assuming you did not cheat on him; he will hate you but still long for you. He keeps everything he has of you and curses your name as he holds the last remaining bits of your memory for dear life. He would take you back in a heartbeat, curses God while silently praying you would change your mind and come back home to him. If you did cheat?... You are absolutely dead to him. He loathes you and curses the day he ever met you, prays daily for your demise.

-

Ludovica: My poor brain child. Begs you not to go and promises to do absolutely anything you could ever ask of her, if it means you will stay. MC was the last light in her life, the one she prayed for. The knight in shining armor who was supposed to save her and love her truly. She always knew deep down that those sort of fairy tales were mere fantasy but she really saw you as something right out of a storybook. If MC leaves her after she lets them in, she would probably have a really bad mental break as you just shattered her hopes and dreams. Her servants would become her caretakers as she would likely become completely catatonic as a result.

Aurelio: Doesn't seem too bothered, looks somewhat disappointed but honestly understands. He wishes you well and lets you go, the local news for the next couple of months will be filled with his scandalous escapades as he tries to take his mind off of you the only way he knows how. Him and relationships never last so he can't say he is exactly surprised but he is hurting because he had really hoped this time would be different. He really did like you.

Elio: Um, you taught him how to feel emotions and truly love another person besides himself; and now you wanna leave? That's cute, you might think your relationship is over but he sure as hell doesn't. He will follow you around like a lost puppy and act as if you never wanted to end things, flat out ignores you when you mention breaking up. In time, he might let some physical distance grow between you; he might even let you think you 'fell in love' with someone else. But he knows you're still his, and soon you will too.

[foressfaction]

:Ticci Toby:{A Rewrite}

CHAPTER 1

WARNING:: This story contains EXTREMELY triggering topics such as Domestic/Child/Substance abuse, Death, harsh language, GORE and dissociation triggers. This story mentions mental illnesses and disorders such as Depression, PTSD, ADHD, and Tourette's Syndrome. !!TICS MAY BE TRIGGERING!!

Chapter one

It was a couple of days full of constant debate between the two adults in the home. Toby had been up all night. The only thing that let him know was the sun that just peered from the horizon; it was his alarm clock piercing through the quiet morning air. Toby turned from what he was doing to shut it off. He was sitting at his desk scribbling in all of his school note books. The odd doodles ranged from stick men to just plain scribbles and German words he was trying to learn. He was half German after all, he really wanted to learn it. A pop screeched from his neck, closing his eyes tight and widely opening them a few times before blinking off the tic. Was it the first day of school?

Toby's mind wandered back to the hallway of flickering lights and sudden thick atmosphere. He kind of felt that way just then as well. It was probably the anxiety he just got. "Wait really?" muttered Toby to himself. He reached his hand up and pulled one of the blinds down, squinting his eyes to the red and orange bright light of the rising sun. "hmmm….black hole sun." He mumbled in reference to a song he liked. Toby never listened to music all too much but on occasion he would.

Toby pulled his backpack next to his leg and shoved all of the journals into it, some pencils too. He was surprised no one else decided to come in and try to wake him, despite him never going to sleep in the first place. The boy always struggled with sleep, it had been especially hard these last few days. He just felt like his mind was blurry. Toby knocked on his sister's door, assuming she actually might still be asleep, but was wrong. The bathroom door just across the hallway opened and there she stood. She looked exceptionally tired, hair in a messy bun and all stringy. That was kind of a family thing, stringy frizzy hair no matter how much you wash and brush it. "Aw never mind." Toby sighed out, earning a confused look from the blonde girl. "Never mind what?"

"You're tired, I was going to ask if you could drive me to school—" He was caught off guard by her sudden fast speaking. "Right, I didn't get much sleep last night. If at all, work was tiring and my co-workers thought it would be funny to complain about me to my boss..i might get fired." She sounded very stressed, almost as if she was going to cry while speaking.

"Complaining about what? You're such a-a goo-good worker?"

She shrugged at his concern. "It's probably because how late I usually am, by the time I'm done with all of my chores and school, work is just something that's piled onto that. I honestly think getting fired might be the best option, but what would dad think?" Her voice cracked a little at the end of her sentence. Toby didn't really know how to respond. "That won't happen, right? Things won't go downhill anymore right?"

The girl kinda just frowned, taking her brother by the shoulder and into a hug. "I hope not, if so…I can drive, i can just take us someplace quiet, get away for a while huh? Sound good?"

Toby smiled just a little, a weak one but the idea was there. "Jawohl." He replied. "Picking up German?" Lyra asked in remark to his unexpected reply, to which he nodded with a stupid grin. She patted his back in a gesture to tell him to head downstairs. "I'll drive you just let me get my shoes."

At that moment Toby descended down the stairs and towards the door. Neither his mom or dad were in sight. He wasn't sure if they slept in the same room or not. Toby looked outside to see that his mom's car was gone. His only assumption was that his dad took it somewhere, or they were both out, which wasn't completely unbelievable but still a little odd.

It wasn't long before Lyra had taken her brother up to his new school. Well it wouldn't really be considered new, just a different campus that went up with his grade, same people, same idiots. Toby grabbed his bag and sat there for a moment, staring down then to Lyra who also met his eyes at the same time he met hers. "I can tell you're nervous. I mean the first days are always nerve wracking." She started. "You got this though okay? You're unique..not different."

He listened to her with a small nod, yet half of him still doubted that. "Okay, Lyra, just this once.."

Lyra smiled warmly before speaking out rather loudly as he got out. "Love ya!"

He turned suddenly with an immediate response. "Love you more!"

As then she spat back "Love you most!" Toby huffed, visibly distraught but in a joking way. "you never let me win!" with that said he sorta literally ran into the building. The place wasn't as big as it seemed the day he came up here with his mom. It was probably because the halls were empty, now they were crowded with lost kids trying to find their classes. Toby had his schedule in hand and surprisingly knew where most of his classes were already due to his little mini journey he got a few days ago. Toby trotted straight to his main home room class, an English class with a teacher that looked about 80 years old. The desks were lines in rows of three. The boy chose the seat closest to the back and rested his stuff onto the ground. No one really was batting an eye.

The battle of holding his tics in was the hardest part. The teachers knew, the kids didn't. He didn't want to become the center of attention the second he blurts out a curse word.

Toby shook his head to that thought and opened up his journal he was doodling in last night. The first 8 pages were full of stupid little comic doodles. He even drew Mr. Cowbells. He thought it looked nice. Sooner or later class started, and the room was filled with kids of all diversity. Back when he was with the 'different' kids, they were almost all the same, when he tried talking to them, they would just give vague replies. He didn't understand them and they didn't understand him. But he ended up forcing himself into friendships with them only to be ripped away and thrown into a class of kids who were considered normal. Was this a way of considering him…normal?

He didn't feel normal, he was unique, Lyra says. He liked her choice of wording. 'unique' just rolls off the tongue so well.

"Alright everyone! As we know it is the first day of 6th grade, before you know it, you'll be in highschool, yippee right?" The sweet tone of the teacher silenced the once talking room of kids with her words. "To start the day off, why don't we all stand up and introduce ourselves with our names, age and a fun fact hm?"

Oh, this was weird. Toby watched as each student started to stand up and sputter random facts and an introduction to themselves. Some were longer than others, and some were as simple as could be. He didn't quite realize that he had to go as well, glancing over to meet eyes with the teacher as it was finally his turn, last to go.

Toby took a few glances around to see almost everyone was staring at him. He felt this feeling of dread take over him, like he was going to throw up, actually…..he might.

Toby, after taking a small breath, stood to his feet, holding his journal and looking down at it. "My name is Toby, uhm, I'm 13," he had to pause, feeling an itchy feeling in his throat. A sharp pressure building up to something he knew he couldn't control.

"Mh, mh! look at a spider!~ woo! spider, woo!-"

He could feel the embarrassment prick at his skin, his neck jerking forward as his hand jerked up and twisted a few times, as if he was waving royally. Toby heard a few giggles within the room of kids, looking back to the eyes of his teacher who didn't seem to mind much. He knew she was informed but he still felt bad. "um, I like to draw?"

He said as if anyone really gave a crap. They were all kinda just staring. He could feel them silently judging.

He felt another sensation at his throat, stomping his foot three times in a row while repeating a phrase. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" he shook his head, the embarrassment growing even more before he took a seat again, head hanging low.

"That's great to know, Toby, I bet you're a wonderful artist. Now does anyone have any questions?" Just then a kid raised his hand, a snarky grin on his face. "Yeah, I do." He pointed to Toby. "Why is he so ticci?"

The teacher didn't really understand at first, but it took a moment to hit. "Ah, let's not ask rude questions, this classroom is a safe space for all." She glanced at the brunette boy, who just sat there, like a sad dog. He knew what the kid was trying to hint at. "They're tics." Toby spoke out, eyeing the kid. "They're unique."

"No, they're annoying," The kid started up. "Can't you just hold them in?-"

"If we're going to have a problem already, I can tell you now I will not tolerate any bullying in my classroom, or on this campus young man, Toby is minding his own business, if you don't like what he can't help then leave." The older woman slightly snapped. "This is the first day of school guys, please don't make this hard on me."

Toby felt a little better knowing his teacher would be nice, his old one was very, let's just say, strict.

"You okay?" She looked towards Toby who met her eyes shortly after. He nodded, accidentally locking eyes with the kid who was making remarks a minute ago. If he remembered, the boy's name was Cameron, Cameron Winston. Toby didn't say anything, just glanced away quickly and opened his journal to start doodling again. This was his attempt to calm down.

Eventually the class was over, but as Toby was leaving he noticed the lights above. They were flickering again. The teacher was standing in the doorway farewelling her students. As she waved to Toby he stopped. "You guys should r-r-really fix your lights." He spoke out.

She looked up, tilting her head a little. "What do you mean?"

"They're working fine."

Toby shook his head, "No, they flicker all the time, how can you not see it?"

"It's lunch time, Toby, want me to escort you?" She changed the subject. Which Toby wasn't very happy about, but shrugged it off. "I mean yeah sure." With that, the nice woman started to lead Toby to the giant room where all the kids sat and ate, the cafeteria.

•••••

[its-no-biggie]

thinking about. yoohankim body swap......

mild novel spoilers ahead but no big story moments or anything just. brief mentions of skills they get later and such

okay so weve got 2 options here, right (well technically theres 6 ways to arrange 3 objects but. if we assume each of them swaps into someone else. theres 2). first one. kdj -> yjh, yjh -> hsy, hsy -> kdj. right off the bat - extremely funny. kdj in yjhs body having the time of his life (i am the protagonist!!), but also adjusts fairly quickly bc like. hes done this before. hsy in kdjs body is a menace. immediately rummaging through his pockets. everyone is unsettled by unreadable normalguy kdj making hsys evil little gremlin expressions. and yjh in hsys body is like. immediately getting bullied because his menacing aura does not work at all in hsys 5 foot frame. kdj-as-yjh is picking him up by the scruff of the neck and all he can do is glare murderously

second arrangement. kdj -> hsy, hsy -> yjh, yjh -> kdj. i think i like this one less but lets see. yjh as kdj is pretty good, i think yjh would be disgruntled no matter who he swaps bodies with but since the 2 of them are on such even footing in the narrative, i think actually spending time in kdjs weak pathetic body would make him lose some respect for him lmfao. like "what have you been doing all this time that your body is in such poor shape. pathetic." hsy as yjh is extremely salty about how op he is. muttering about cliches under her breath. definitely uses her new power to relentlessly bully kdj (omg wait that means hsys body is getting harassed by yjhs body in both scenarios..... what can i say. shes the perfect size to be bothered. the only reason she isnt bothered more in canon is because of her sharp teeth - i stand by this). kdj as hsy is. unremarkable i think. loudly complains about how much shorter he is now just to piss her off. finds an unholy amount of candy in her pockets and publicly shames her about it until she points yjhs sword at him and he shuts up real quick.

honestly i think both of these scenarios have great potential for physical comedy though. they all have such different mannerisms and such different appearances that reshuffling them is always gonna be striking. i need to draw it.....

okay lets talk logistics. do they keep all their skills or do the skills stay with the body? they probably keep them, although it might be more interesting to have like. physical skills like swordfighting and whatnot stay with the body. so if they get stuck like that for a while and end up fighting in each others bodies they kinda have to adapt to the bodies skills and fighting style. could be fun! hmmm that kinda leaves whoevers in kdjs body in the lurch though, since all his skills are mental..... and then kdj has a massive advantage, because surely the bookmark skill gets a boost if hes literally in the body of the person hes copying. so perhaps they keep all their skills - hsys avatar skill in yjhs protagonist body would be pretty op. and yjh has so many skills that he could make anything work - he might end up ripping kdjs body to shreds though lmfao. also im not sure if we get much of kdj using hsy as a bookmark in the novel? i actually dont remember an instance of it, although i can see him wanting to steal predictive plagiarism so it may have happened and i just forgot. but anyway kdj as hsy using bookmark + avatar, and then hsy as yjh also using avatar is an INSANE combo. two man army. and then theres kdjs body there like *struggling to hold up a sword* "i am yoo joonghyuk......" *passes out* LMAO sorry kdj i know youre not that pathetic its just so funny to imagine the protagonists sheer power literally destroying your fragile salaryman body from the inside out.

omg also. if the swap lasts more than a few minutes theyre DEFINITELY getting their weapons and coats back from their bodies. black coat hsy...... wait omg. okay i know kdjs coat is like a high grade magic item that changes size with him. not sure if yjhs is the same but allow me for a moment - yjh-as-hsy trying to look menacing (already failing) but his coat is way too big. its dragging on the floor. the sleeves cover his hands. 😭😭😭😭 its so ridiculous...... other notable combos - white coat hsy (head in hands). hsy-as-yjh gets yjhs coat stolen from her which means the protagonist physique is on full display - she makes a comment about how WoS should have made more use of this kind of fanservice and now she and kdj are arguing. black coat kdj..... i am yoo joonghyuk......

okay i think thats all i got for now. i hope its in character because i really havent read orv in a while..... anyway i think this has a lot of potential so i wanna try drawing it - maybe ill have more thoughts on specific character interactions once i can like,, put personalities to faces lmao

[phosphorescentspaceman]

what if,,, it was a college au (yogs)

ha now i have all of the americans' attention - its actually a university au because i DO NOT UNDERSTAND your system. at all. (this isn't even really relevant)

SO xephos is a biomedical translation PHD student who did his undergraduate's degree and honours year at another, more prestigious university at his parents were Mega donors at - he's kinda taken this chance to run off and escape the choke-hold they have over his options. he's staying at the postgraduate student housing because the university is paying for it - he has 30 dollars to his name on a good day and is Not Used To That, but he's loving having options!

honeydew is a mature aged student (literally just means he enrolled over 21, but here specifically hes like 35 to xeph's 25) doing his masters (research) in sustainable mining practices and they somehow become very good friends after he finds xephos staring blankly at the washer/dryer because xeph's never used one more than 5 years old and that thing is from the 70s

lalna is doing his doctorate of medicine and he's been lumped into the postgrad dorms because he got into medicine by completing a degree of biomedical science first!

the three of them share a kitchen. its a ride.

lalna keeps forgetting he has online quizes and has to take them minutes before the deadline because someone (xeph) double checks to make sure hes done them.

xeph's phd advisor is related to the guy advising honeydew's masters (its fumblemore and swampy) they do not like each other and the rivalry via the achievements of their students is legendary. the rest of the staff assume honeydew and xeph must hate each other.

sometimes xeph can't be bothered making food but he has Texture Issues so he'll regularly be seen eating one whole raw carrot, or salad bowl full of diced water melon. the nurses are like 'you aren't gonna get scurvy, which is new a different for us, but you might die of a b12 deficiency so.'

lalna keeps eating his food other the sink because he doesn't want to do dishes. honeydew just eats straight from the pot for the same reason. xeph doesn't even cook. everyone is amazed at how clean their kitchen is and assume they must be so on top of their lives.

all 3 of them have random medications to take and always forget their own, but not the other's. there is always a 5 minute kitchen huddle each morning where they rattle off the other's random crap. xeph keeps trying to dodge the b12 tablets because they taste and smell terrible in a way that is difficult to describe. honeydew has threatened to wrap it in cheese and cram it down his throat more than once.

lalna thinks its funny to slide ominous notes under their doors - it is, in fact, funny, but the RN saw him do it and he had to take a 3hr long sensitivity training activity run by the university.

honeydew forgets his key all the time, so he just leaves his window open. he's very short though, so getting in via the window requires a pretty significant feat. of athleticism every time.

there is a possum that breaks into their kitchen at 1am via the broken screen door none of them have reported over fears they'd have to pay for it. they keep finding little hand prints on their bread. they are numb to this.

[livums]

Find the Word {😱❌🙂😰}

Hello! I was tagged by @vollzz! See her post here!

I sometimes forget how much of The Marking Blood I've written... so I'm always like 😱 whenever I can find all the words lol. Anyways! The other good news is... I think these snippets are actually kinda good!! Maybe a little sexy!!!! Just a little maybe.

Well enjoy!

there are a bunch of these tags I'm sitting on.... the way i'm slowly and erratically chipping away at my ask box.... el em ay oh

scarce

[Sonea] felt his hand cup her cheek, cold and strong and gentle. “You are scared,” he observed. “I’m not.” She did not pull away. “You are, and you are right to be.” His thumb brushed over her speckled cheek before his hand retreated entirely. “You know I wish that I could keep you safe.” He spoke hesitantly, as if against his better judgment. With stuttering step, Sonea closed the scarce distance between them. One hand reached for his arm—beneath the sleeve, he felt like stone. “Then help me talk to her, Nic. I can’t do it by myself.” She heard the shameless pleading in her voice, and it disgusted her. He shook his head. “I came with her to your mountain in the hope that I might find you first. To warn you of her presence. That is all I can do.”

This one was funny bc at first I misread the word as 'scare' and then was disappointed bc i thought I would have to get rid of this snippet. but holy shit the word scarce is actually in the very same one! easy.

fail

[Sylah] is barely fourteen years old. It is their fourth—or maybe their fifth—hunt as a trio, without Father’s help, and they have failed again. They are in some city (she could no longer recall which), and their vampire (she could no longer recall what it looked like) flees right out from under their noses and into the night. The following morning, Father takes them all in a wagon down some cramped stretch of cobblestone. And they hear the wailing. A lady bent and howling with sorrow over a bloodless body. The sound stabs into her heart and turned her blood to ice. Father keeps them moving. They must pass by at least five more scenes just like it before he finally gives them reprieve. “It’s as if you’ve gone out and slaughtered them yourself,” he says. This is the meaning of failure. She will not shake the soul-chilling sound of the woman’s weeping for many nights thereafter. Their next hunt is an unmitigated success.

gentle

When [Sylah] opened her eyes and lifted her head, Nieve was watching her. Dappled eyes wandered the contours of her face. She could feel it as if it were fingertips, not eyes, that touched her. The trail Nieve’s gaze left behind felt as cool on Sylah’s skin as water droplets. In the quiet, there was nowhere for the wickedness of her intentions to hide. She pressed a kiss into the palm of Nieve’s gentle hand. When she spoke, the tatters of her conscience came out. “Tell me to leave, and I will leave.” Her voice was low. “If you do not, I will take you into the chapter room, and you will break your vows.”

anxious

Sonea leaned her elbows on the chilly metal railing and bade her shoulders relax. Sylah wouldn’t be happy with her. Water was wet. Attending the funeral itself had never been an option for her. Commiserating with her sisters after the fact had always been her plan. Assuming they would have her—she wasn’t entirely sure. So, she had been stalling. The fine establishment known as The Mount served the town and its gutters in the same manner that lungs served a living body. Though patronage was always slower while the sun was up, this day had been particularly sluggish. But come nightfall, it would be plenty abuzz. The far travelers would be wanting company after paying their sacred respects to their dead protector. If the girls’ gossip was true—and if water remained wet—the people were anxious. And anxiety needed soothing.

Very gently tagging @flowerprose @writinglittlebeasts @ink-flavored @lorenfinch @jasperygrace! Your words are hum, don't, star, and strong!

[terrainofheartfelt]

ooh, so i have a question: in a hypothetical au of your out of breath au where the car crash hadn’t have happened and blair made it to the consulate to break up with louis, what do you think would have happened next? i’ve always wondered what blair’s plan was vis-a-vis parenting in actual 5x10 if she had left louis given that her kid would have still been monegasque royalty (i think? i actually don’t know how their succession works if the parents are unmarried, but i would assume louis would have the option to recognize the child if he wanted regardless?), but especially so in light of her deciding to go it on her own and single parent! (even if dan is 100% stepping in to help her raise that kid whether they start dating or not lol)

OH well, funny you should ask, because I have an abandoned wip from late last summer, which was basically this premise. sort of.

but first, to actually answer your question: I don't know! I think, catholically speaking, a prince having a baby out of wedlock would be considered a "bastard," but in the 21st century idk if those exist anymore. theoretically, louis could/would acknowledge his child and do his best to give them rights and recognition within the royal family, but his catholic family might resist that. I kinda think -- given what we were shown -- that louis and his mother would try to exert a large amount of control over the kid whether blair was married into the family or not. remember the child rearing contract they tried to get blair to sign? i think the grimaldis would come down on her even harder if they perceived that louis was at risk of losing agency over his child's life.

and given how blair's sick & twisted mind works, she would probably anticipate the grimaldis moving to take her kid away, and she would scheme drastically to keep louis from exerting a claim over the baby. and by extension her. which brings me to the abandoned wip!

okay so, there was this abandoned fic on livejournal that was like, "what if blair and dan told everyone the baby was his so her abusive exes would leave blair the fuck alone?" and that premise is sooooo delicious I went "what if?????" and then I did not follow through.

so I tinkered with the idea that, at the crossroads of 5x10, Blair realizes that she wants out of her engagement to Louis, and her weird cosmic tie to Chuck, and her devious mind comes up with the idea the the surefire best way to make both of them so angry that they'll let her go, and make sure that louis doesn't try to take custody of the child, is to tell them that she and dan's friendship included them sleeping together at least once - enough to get her pregnant. the whole gang fell for a faked paternity test before (also including dan) why not again?

dan at first is like, blair what the fuck. but we all know he's too far gone in love with her to not help out. so they lie. they lie to everyone and it's a big mess but it does get blair free of both louis and chuck. and she tells dan he's not obligated to do or be anything but he's in on this now too, and he points out that if he were to back away (uncharacteristically) then everyone who knows them would be suspicious and boom, cover blown.

she moves into the loft and she's hormonal and the tension Builds and then they For Real sleep together and it's awesome but before they can talk about it the birth happens

anyways they are roommates and they raise this baby together and some Plot that I haven't come up with happens and then Blair realizes that she's been in love with Dan the entire goddamned time!

and Dan keeps these letters to their daughter on his computer -- he tells blair for months that he's working on his second book but nope he is just writing letters to Katharine (named for hepburn, dan calls her katie) Beach Read style. blair reads them and they make out.

For funsies, under the cut I'll paste the one scene I actually half-wrote, an exchange between Alison and Blair. The precursor is that Blair passes out in bed while Dan takes a shift with the baby, and then she wakes up and realizes that she and Dan are spooning (she's the big one) and then she stumbles into the living room looking for her kid, and boom: Alison:

“Best thing I never planned.”

Blair doesn’t say it, but she thinks Alison must hear it anyway, or feel it, the memory of that lost boy sitting in the hall. 

“But thankfully,” Alison continues, “Dan has the benefit of much more good sense.”

“Must have skipped a generation.”

Alison looks up in shock, her bouncing halting, and Katharine starts to grizzle in protest. 

“Sorry,” Blair says immediately, grimacing, “I’m really tired.”

Alison’s eyes flick up and down, looking her over, and she softens, resuming her swaying. Blair can kind of see Dan in the amusement clouding her expression. “No, you’re right,” she agrees. “Some things Dan definitely gets from me, like his taste in movies and thinking with his heart over his head.” She smiles slightly, and Katharine makes a restless noise, her tiny fist flailing in the air by Alison’s arm. “But he’s like Rufus in a lot of ways. They’re stayers. Always bloom where they’re planted.”

Blair bobs her head listlessly in agreement. Dan stays. He always has, ever since he sat down in that hallway. 

Katharine’s noises grow in frequency and volume, and Alison steps towards Blair, making to hand her over. 

“Oh,” Blair unwittingly takes a step back, hands going up, “I don’t know – but you’re doing so…”

“It’s you she wants,” Alison says gently. “You’ve got her.”

Blair takes a deep breath, and extends her arms.

“Yeah,” Alison whispers brightly, her voice turning up in that way everyone’s does when they’re talking to a baby. “There’s mama!” she says as she helps settle Katharine onto Blair’s chest. 

Blair’s breath catches in fear for a moment, but then Katharine’s grizzle of discontent softens into a coo, her fists waving lazily as she gapes up at Blair in open, honest trust.

And then, Blair finally realizes she’s been rocking from foot to foot, shifting her weight just like Alison had been. 

“You’re a natural, honey,” Alison says quietly, patting Blair lightly on the shoulder before letting go. “I can work through these,” she waves a hand at the various messes currently taking over the kitchen, “but if you need a break soon, just let me know. Whatever you need.” 

Blair pulls her eyes up from the baby in her arms, looking Alison square in the eye. “Thank you.”

Alison smiles, her dark eyes turning a familiar shade of warm and wistful, almost sad. “No thanks necessary.”

[dragonofthestone]

plots please!!

throws default verse kain at you

also throws 1 professional cello enjoyer (any verse) at you

Kain (forgotten-teamates) :

First thing that came to mind for some reason was sometime after their first meeting during some Ishval reconstruction and then going of separate ways

Some one is after Tim, I mean look the government/military is a mess that ain't getting solved lickity split for one, Tim's technically by all accounts in many ways illegal in Amestris

Chimera, has 0 documentation (say for maybe if Greed got any forged but?) Is Cretan/from Creta so enough for some.

Maybe they're X-military, maybe a handful have taken to working with Creta's secret police simply to try and track down any illegal immigrants (look things may be getting repaired in Ishval but gonna have a long road when it comes to their other conflicts/ really nothing to say those are getting put to an end anytime soon)

Who knows something happened while around leading him to get into a spot of trouble so remembering that hey wait that one guy said he lived around here manages to track Kain down and just kinda shows up on his door step (perhaps how Kain ends learning the truth of Tim)

Whatever it is I feel like it'd somehow involve him being a Chimera/ lab escapee technically and just needs to lay low until he can get back to Dublith

Sure Jerso,Zapano Heinkle and Darius seem to manage okay but they've already got decent reputations (plus most of the time look a lot more uh normal/human then Tim)

--

On a lighter note Kain in Dublith and discovers Tim working at the Devil's Nest

--

Sielu (Aquaticsoul) :

Modern: Mom's out of town visiting some relatives and Dad was called out by friend/colleague for help with a patient in another town- Niko just happening to know a little more about a particular area and said person can't make it out to him or something.

While they don't distrust Tim on his own for what probably wouldn't be more then a few days obviously they'd still rather not leave him on his own (responsible he may be but still also a kid you know), so with Tim flat refusing to stay with his grandfather/ some how any other options apparently just not available for one reason or another leaves him to stay at Sielu's for like a weekend

Wonderland/ At the Comodeen;

Egg shenanigans let Tim and Sielu both care for weird mystery egg / and baby creature. I keep thinking maybe it looks and is assumed to be a rock until someone/how it gets figured out it's uh not a rock.

Just general let them be comfortable and get up to shenanigans together, and have some fun. Help each other just get to be their own and not the tools others have convinced them they are. Be so relaxed and at ease they just fall asleep in a heap on each other.

Chimera always learning new things from everyone so eventually gotta be Sielu's turn, what who knows but he gonna learn stuff ( and in their own funny way Tim may teach them things)

[fuckao3sformatting]

Death of piece of mind

“I'm sorry to disturb sir, but there's a young lady down in the lobby asking for you.” 

“Oh yeah? What she look like?”

“Um.. Red hair, weird eyes, nice tits.. hehe.”

I nodded and headed down towards the lobby, humans always took notes of the strangest things, but i still knew who he was talking about. It had been some time so I wondered what she wanted, she asked for me specifically so is it something to do with the case they had to scry on?

“You were looking for me?” 

As she spun around her huge eyes met mine. “Gods above, you started me!” She put a hand to her chest. 

“Sorry, I tend to do that. What's this about?”

“Is my heart allowed to start again first?” she panted. 

I chuckled, I always found that expression funny because whenever people said that their heart was beating faster than usual. 

“Sure come along, I have a pretty good idea what this is about so let's go somewhere more private.” 

We entered my suite at the hotel, it was the most private place I could think of. Vex looked around fidgeting a little, was she nervous? Might as well get the formalities out of the way.

“Welcome to my living quarters, I'm not entirely wrong in thinking this is about the investigation right?” 

I walked over to sit on the edge of my bed motioning for her to join me.She jumped a little again as she turned to face me, is this information so vital that she has to be on guard or is she thinking about something else. Despite her obvious reservations she sat down, that she sat down a respectable space away from me made me realize why she was so fidgety.  

“Right, yes you're right. Sorry to show up unannounced but I didn't know who else to ask about this.” 

I placed a hand on her shoulder in the hopes that it would calm her. “Don’t worry about it, tell me what you found out and I’ll see if I can help.”

She stopped fidiging, but it didn’t seem to calm her down much.

“Okay, long story short: we found the guy who tampered with the spell and who we assumed he worked for but it turned out he was under someone’s control. So we followed another lead to find the one who controlled him which appeared to be a lady at first” her eyebrows furrowed “and I still have a hard time believing this myself, but the lady turned out to be a skin stealer of some kind.” 

I looked at her incredulously, a skin stealer? 

“What makes you think it was a skin stealer?”

“I saw them peel their skin off like you’d peel a tomato when I used forensic magic on what we believed was a coat the lady had worn, turned out to be human skin. And get this, it had every blood type in it.” She did the ‘mind blown’ gesture and I had to keep in a chuckle.

“I see, but what does that have to do with me? Why exactly did you want my help?” 

“Oh” she said, almost surprised as she padded on her short pockets “because I also caught a glimpse of what we think is his actual form, and he had this symbol, among others carved into his forehead.” and handed me the piece of paper.

“Now that’s something I haven’t seen in a long time, I’m guessing you know who Cain is then since you went to me with this?” 

She nodded. “The mythical first vampire right?”

“Yeah, the first murderer, the first predator according to some. Why would this guy have his symbol.. you said carved right?” she nodded again “into his forehead.. Were there signs of him being a vampire?”

“At first, when he wore the lady’s skin he wasn’t showing up on security footage, but then he walked outside during the day so the ‘he’s a vampire’ theory kinda went down the drain.. So I was hoping you’d maybe know a little more than I do because the only two options I have left are skin walker and Cain cultist of some variety, other than that I’m stumped.”

“I’ll ask around if there'spopped up anything like that recently, though Cain isn’t exactly a liked topic around here so I’d appreciate it if I didn’t go stick my neck out for nothing.”

I guess I really was the best person for her to ask. The circle has a good few Cain Truthers. But what would be adequate compensation for having to listen to the religious fanaticism I’d have to endure before if I got anything useful out of them? I thought for a few seconds about my option's, she was looking at me expectantly, and I looked her over a little until my eyes landed on the dancing pulse point on her neck. She hadn’t really calmed down since we entered  my room, so her heart was still beating a steady rhythm. Yes, that would be my price.

“I want to drink from you, a few drops of vitae to seal our agreement.” 

Her cheeks immediately turned the most delightful shade of pink, cute. “Um, are you sure? I don’t mind but I’ve just never done something like this before..” 

She's been so nervous around me since she got here. But, I had absolutely nothing against popping this particular cherry. It would be my first time tasting mage blood, so this was something to be savored I’m sure.

“Don’t worry”

I moved closer to her. Good thing we were already on the bed “just let me lead and make yourself comfortable.”

She nodded and closed her large, oddly colored eyes. I moved her long hair away from her neck with one hand and cradled her face with the other, tilting her head for better access. As I kissed along the line of her jaw to find the best entry point, I relished how long and slender her neck was, how smooth and soft her skin felt on my lips. As my fangs pierced Vex's skin, she whimpered slightly, and my beast was enjoying this as much as the little human i had left. It was like she was made to be bitten by me. Her warm blood filled my mouth, and I did indeed savour it like a man deprived of water, I had never tasted anything better. But something else possibly more powerful than the familiar hunger took me over. Without letting go of my prey I pinned her to my bed under me, the little surprised squeak that came from her only spurred me on further, I found both her hands with ease and pinned them above her head with one hand in a swift motion and the other that previously held her face started to explore further down her body. I situated myself between her legs with ease, and her heart started to beat faster, quickening the flow of blood accompanied by heat radiating from her lower body. Yes, she wanted this just as much as I, what perfect little prey. 

“Loki, please…" 

I needed no convincing. I was already exploring her smooth curves and I was determined to map them out in their entirety, I might not get another chance. Her breasts were particularly sensitive even with the barrier of her bra, I pulled her shirt up exposing her stomach and she made the most delicious adorable noises. As my hand finally reached the hem of her shorts she wrestled her hands free from my grip and tried to push me away from her.. Why?

“Stop. That's enough Loki. Please stop, not like this...” 

She. She didn't want this?

 I pulled out my fangs with reluctance and licked the wound to close it. The small moan she made had me wonder why she asked me to stop. When I came back to my senses a horrid realization hit me. She was deadly pale and she could barely keep her eyes open, shit. Fuck what have I done, I checked her pulse and it was very weak, I padded her lightly on the cheek and her eyes fluttered weakly. Vex I'm so sorry, please be alright.

She finally managed to open her eyes but they were.. different? The white and pupils had completely disappeared leaving the right completely green and the left completely black, she also had a glow of silver surrounding her.. What was happening? Her complexion which I had assumed was due to severe blood loss was way too white to be natural as well, she. She looked like an angel. 

“I'm alright I think, I.. just… I don't.” She paused for a moment. “Why did you do that?” 

I just blinked at her. 

“Because we had a deal?” 

I couldn't follow her train of thought before she pulled down her shirt and tried to cover herself up, ah that. The guilt I had while I thought I'd drained her was replaced by the guild of letting my senses run away from me and taking things further than need be, hadn't she stopped me I might've done both. Seeing Vex shielding herself by putting space between us again made her look so incredibly fragile, all I could do was let the shame comsoon me for almost ruining something so innocent. 

“I.. Everything just - the moment I bit you I was practically running on autopilot, it doesn't excuse it I know.” 

She just nodded.

“But, would you have stopped me if I had asked beforehand?” 

What the fuck is wrong with me. I've just finished violating her and I now want to know if it would have been better if I'd asked first? Am I fucking stupid or what..

“Yes, I believe I would.” 

I don't know why the answer hit my ego that hard but it did, then again can I really blame her? I am quite literally the greatest predator she’ll ever meet.

“It's because of the” I flicked my tongue over one of my fangs as emphasis “yeah?” 

She shook her head. 

“I just don't know you at all. It's nothing against you but I'd ideally want my first time to be with someone I actually know.” 

First time? She said it was her first time being bitten sure, but she can't be referring to that can she?

“Ok, now you're just fucking with me. Right?” 

Vex frowned, after everything I'd done this was what she got angry about? 

“Is it really that hard to believe I'm a virgin?” 

“I mean… Yeah a little bit.”

“Enlighten me?”

Ok Loki, you have to choose your words very carefully now. Express yourself without making it more awkward and weird than it already is.

“Look at you.”

Fuck. No. What is wrong with me? 

“I mean, you just seem like a girl who'd have a lot of options.”

The glow was fading away slowly and that's when I realized it hadn't bothered me, quite the opposite  actually, it was comforting.

“You're just so.. radiant. I've never seen anything like it.”

Her face softened, a slight tint of the pink form before returning to her cheeks but not quite as strong.

“Just because I have options doesn’t mean I have to take them” then she giggled, she actually giggled after this whole situation “but I guess I appreciate the compliment, as weirdly phrased as it was.” 

I rolled off the bed to give her more space, she nodded at me like she appreciated the gesture.

“I’ll see what I can figure out, I’ll put my findings with your guy in the serpent's kiss. And again, sorry.” 

She shrugged. “What’s done is done, but I would appreciate it if what happened didn’t leave this room..” 

“My lips are sealed, you have my word.” 

And she left. And I realized that I’d probably never be able to forget the way her skin felt, how my name sounded on her voice, how her blooded tasted so sweet on my tongue, how we felt so complete laying together. For the first time since being turned i realized what true hunger was and that I'd never be this satisfied again. And that is why I could never be this close to her again, both for her and my sake.

[hopeymchope]

UPDATE #1: I just finished with Cloud's big flashback and explored every nook in the town of Kalm. I've basically been turned loose with no real direction other than "We gotta find Sephiroth," so I'm going to take this time to offer up some initial thoughts/impressions on the game so far.

Regarding the gameplay, I bumble and fumble around the pre-rendered backgrounds a lot. A LOT. I regularly cannot tell what is a walkable surface, a climbable surface, what's over/under other things, etc. My little Cloud model looks like he's constantly ramming into things face-first. I assume this has always been true for players, though, until they memorize the landscape or something. There's just no way to tell what surfaces are interactable. Sometimes I wind up just running around in circles, pushing against walls in the hopes I'll reveal some kind of passage to another screen.

Barret is... a stereotype. The musclebound angry black man. SIGH. Between that and the moment when Tifa casually drops the R-slur, it's occasionally VERY clear that this thing is over 25 years old.

It's funny how much Barret curses and gets the "@#%!" treatment. I was curious whether this was adapted into the Remake/Rebirth games as him just getting BLEEPed all the time, but apparently not—he's just less profane. :)

I've always known that Sephiroth to be the supposed Big Bad of this game, but even now, it seems like the real source of the problem is still Shinra. They're the ones responsible for so much fucked-up shit in the name of profits and control, ultimately birthing Sephiroth AND causing most of his angst in the process. Late-stage capitalism: Gaia Edition! I dig it. This remains an area where the game has aged very well.

I'm soft for the childhood friend romance trope, so I'm kinda inherently pulling for Cloud/Tifa to become a thing. Although right now, it's not 100% clear if Tifa actually has those kind of feelings for Cloud, and as for Cloud's part? Seems like he's only attracted to giant swords. At least I have the option to choose some dialogue options that make him a bit more playful/flirty, but I'm not sure these kids are gonna make it.

Aerith is much more overtly thirsty for Cloud, but it's to the point where she obviously just thinks he's hot. It's not like she needed to or cared to get to know him before she started coming on VERY STRONG. She's flirting with him overtly after they exchange three sentences! Glowing-eyed SOLDIER boys are clearly just her type. :P

The moment where the crew introduces themselves to Rufus while atop the Shinra building is currently my favorite thing in the game. DELIGHTFUL.

The elevator battle that came shortly thereafter? ANNOYING. But I liked how the elevator suddenly expanded in area to accommodate the battle. It's a silly little detail that I just thought was cute.

I also liked it when Tifa kept interrupting Cloud's story to question our moves in the flashback. "Oh, you did X? Really?" It's fun, and it's nice to have some running commentary as I try to explore Cloud's hometown in the past. I suspect it's also going to play into the story later... based on some vague spoilers I recall seeing over the years.

Red XIII says that he'll stick with us only until we reach his "hometown." But like... I thought you were a lab experiment? Isn't your hometown "the lab"? Are you telling me you were once a wild creature that was Shinra-napped and THEN experimented on??? Is your "hometown" actually just an animal den?? I wanna see where you're going with this.

Guess what video game I just started playing for the first time?

Yeah, this is some long-overdue Gamer Homework(TM). Definitely one of those titles that it feels like you have to be familiar with if you're gonna claim you're big into the hobby.

So my Gamer ID Card has been in danger of revocation for many years now. :P

[ptergwen]

hi val can you maybe write something about the reader being dared to kiss peter/tom/arvin (you choose) since her friends knew that she has a big crush on him, but once she did he seems disinterested after which makes her sad, but what she doesn't know was after she kissed him, he practically runs to his friends freaking out that the girl he's had his eyes on this whole time just kissed him??

kiss and tell

w/c: 1.8k

warnings: like one swear and awkwardness

a/n: yeeee i went with peter! this is adorable :,)

“i can’t!” you scold betty and her annoying smirk. you’re bored at lunch, so liz suggested the three of you play truth or dare. you’d made the mistake of choosing dare. in your defense, betty is the nosiest person in all of midtown, so you thought you were dodging the bullet and guarding your deep dark secrets. how could you have known she’d make you do... this?

“that’s so, like, forward. he’s gonna freak out.” you glance over at peter’s table to see what he’s up to before you possibly scar him. he’s laughing along at a heated conversation ned and mj are having. the way his face lights up, and his eyes crinkle as a smile crosses his features, it gives you butterflies throughout your whole body.

“in a good way,” liz grins her most charming grin at you. it’s not working this time. you roll your eyes up to the ceiling. “i thought you liked him,” betty huffs, gesturing over to peter and keeping her eyes on you. “all you do is talk about how he’s so cute and smart, and his lips look so soft-“ “i never said that!” you look at her with wild eyes. liz bites her lip to hold in a laugh. “the last part, i mean,” you clarify in a murmur.

liz puts a hand on you and pats your shoulder knowingly. “you’ve probably thought it, though. i’ve seen you checking them out.” there have been quite a few times your gaze has landed on peter’s lips, watching them curve while he talks to you about some new science theory he’s excited to share. you end up zoning out and pretending you retained any of what he said. betty puckers her own lips at you.

“you wanna kiss him,” she insists in a sing song voice, resting her chin on your other shoulder. “i’m doing you a favor.” “you’re really not gonna change the dare?” you sigh, your friends leaning on you in support. liz taps your cheek. “so, you don’t wanna kiss him?” “there’s no way,” betty comments from your side. “no, i...” you start, focusing in on peter again.

he meets your eyes across the cafeteria. his smile fades slightly, then a shy one is replacing it, ned dragging him into his and mj’s debate. you turn back to liz and betty.

“i do, but do you think he wants me to?” you ask them both, and they share a you have to be kidding look. “only one way to find out.” liz gives your shoulder a nudge. betty beams at you. “i triple dog dare you now, so you have to.” considering your options, you bounce your leg up and down. you’ll either get the nicest rejection ever from peter or a kiss back. you can handle this.

“ok, i’ll do it,” you decide, betty clapping her hands and squealing. liz throws an arm around your neck. “yay! i love love.” “let’s calm down,” you giggle so she doesn’t get too carried away. you and peter haven’t even established that you like each other. “i’m calm, i’m calm. do you need to borrow chapstick?” she offers, betty simultaneously pulling a tube out of her purse. “or lip gloss?”

you’re appreciating their over involvement now.

“both,” you breathe out, letting them get you ready for your big kiss.

liz and betty send you good luck wishes in a hushed tone while you make your way to peter’s table. mj went to get a snapple, and ned went with her so they could continue whatever argument they’re in. that left peter by himself. it’s almost like this is meant to happen.

“hi,” you greet peter, making him look up at you with raised eyebrows. he notices right away that your lips are shiny, more so than usual. a color that you always seem to bring to his face takes over his cheeks. “hey. you wanna sit?” he gives you a small smile. you return it. “yeah, sure. thanks.” instead of taking the bench across from him like he assumed you would, you find your place next to him.

he doesn’t mind.

“how’s your day been?” you wonder, body turned towards him while he answers. peter scrunches his nose. “kinda busy. i got so much homework in spanish tonight, and i’ve been putting off this essay about...” you do the thing you do every time he goes off on a sort of tangent, watch his lips. lucky for you, that’s the whole point today. “i don’t know. all i have so far is the intro-“

you cut peter off with a kiss. liz and betty cheer to each other the second it happens. peter doesn’t move, only freezes up as you press your glossy lips to his and grab his shoulders. it takes a few seconds for you to realize he’s not kissing back. his arms are stiff at his sides, eyes wide in shock. absolutely humiliated, you pull back, moving as far away as you can.

“fuck, i’m sorry. i should’ve asked you first,” you apologize, voice shaking. you’re already getting to your feet. peter blinks a few times, grounding himself back in the moment. “no, no. it’s okay. i-“ “that was weird, i know. you don’t have to lie or make me feel better.” he furrows his eyebrows, in a way that seems regretful even though you’re the one who messed up. “i’m trying to tell you, y/n. it’s fine. we-“

ned’s voice fills the room, making you snap your head in his direction. him and mj are coming back. you need to get out of here before you embarrass yourself even more.

“i’m gonna go. i’m sorry,” you mumble out, running back to your table, where liz and betty are instantly asking what’s wrong and if you’re alright. peter licks his lips that are now coated in your gloss and clenches his jaw. he’s pissed. not at you, at himself. it’s clear because mj brings attention to it when she sits down.

“what’s up with your face?” she narrows her eyes at him, popping the cap on her snapple. ned elbows peter in his spot next to him. you were just there less than a minute ago. “you okay, dude?” he checks. “no.” peter closes his eyes in frustration. “what’s wrong?” ned kicks mj’s foot under the table so she’ll stop making out with her drink and help him.

“i... y/n kissed me,” peter admits, sounding oddly upset about something everyone knows he’s been hoping would happen. “she what?” ned gawks. “isn’t that a good thing?” mj points out. “you love her.” “like her,” peter corrects and chews the inside of his cheek. “whatever. shouldn’t you want her to kiss you?” she takes another sip of snapple, passing this off to ned.

“yeah...” is all ned says. he awkwardly rubs peter’s back while mj tries not to snort. “that’s not the problem. i didn’t kiss her back, and she took it as me not being into it,” peter shakes his head as he recounts your weird moment. “which i was,” he tells them for the record. ned makes a funny face at him. “so why didn’t you kiss back?” “no shit she ran away,” mj mutters to him. she saw that part.

“because i wasn’t expecting it!” peter frowns at his friends’ reactions and at what he did. “you guys know how much i like y/n. i can’t believe i screwed this up so bad.” mj squints in mock confusion. “i can.” she quickly drops her sarcasm for encouragement after that. “ok, seriously. just go find her and apologize.” “maybe kiss her this time,” ned chimes in.

“if she really likes you, she’ll get it.” mj smiles genuinely, nodding back at your table. ned gives him a push forward. “you got this, dude. come tell us all about it after.” a rush of confidence enters peter from their advice. he’ll fix this. “thanks, guys. here i go.” he shoots up from the table, ned and mj getting back into their debate once he’s out of sight.

betty is hugging you way too tightly when peter gets over there. she goes on about how much peter sucks, overcompensating because she’s the reason you kissed him. you only hum in response. you don’t have the heart to tell her you blame yourself. only liz notices peter come over, so she talks on your behalf. “oh, hey,” she says drily. “hey. can i talk to y/n?” peter gets out, twiddling with his thumbs nervously.

she has to decide if she’d rather go into protective friend mode or let him. from your unenthusiastic responses to betty’s hate rant, she figures you’d like to hear him out.

“come on, betty,” liz takes her arm suddenly, betty trying to pull it back. “what? why?” “i’m gonna buy you ice cream. let’s go.” that’s her cover. peter shoots her a look that says thank you, liz pressing her lips into a line and dragging betty along. betty sees peter standing in front of your table and glares at him, liz walking faster. you don’t get the chance to ask them where they’re going because they leave so fast.

the bench dips down on one side of you, making someone’s prescense known. you’re surprised to find it’s peter. you talk first.

“if you’re gonna apologize, don’t. it was my fault-“ “you never let me finish earlier,” peter interrupts, the hint of a smile on his face. his clammy hand links with one of yours. “what were you gonna say?” you ask quietly, peter threading your fingers together. your heart is racing at the simple touch. “that i like you,” he replies at the same low volume. “and, that i wanted to try again.”

he’s sitting a lot closer to you than you realized. you welcome it, your hands in between you two on the bench. “i like you too... try what again?” you question, although you hope and pray it’s what you think. “kissing,” peter says what you were hoping and praying for. “wasn’t ready the first time.” you’re about to go into cardiac arrest as he rests his forehead on yours, curls brushing your face. a few broken up breaths escape him.

“can i?” he nearly whispers, warm hand still gripping at yours. “yeah,” you agree before your eyes flutter shut. he wastes no time, parting his lips and brushing them against yours gently, you reciprocating. he kisses as sweetly as he is, his free hand on your cheek and fingers careessing your skin. your other hand ends up on the back of his neck. you grin against him, lips detaching momentarily so you can engage him in another kiss.

peter doesn’t hesitate to kiss back this time, nose nudging yours as he moves in more. you tug on some hair at the nape of his neck and laugh into the kiss, reminding him you’re in school. he pulls back with a chuckle, but keeps his forehead on yours and your hands in each other.

“sorry. got too excited,” he laughs out, you leaning into his open palm. “i told you don’t apologize.”

liz and betty joined ned and mj at some point. the four of them are whistling at you and yelling out suggestive jokes. they’re too much. but, to be fair, you owe this all to them.

[hugespace]

Therapy helps rhett realize that all of those "I'm dead" UFC moves were actually just a way to fulfill his need for physical intimacy at a time in his life where he didn't feel it was acceptable to ask for it, especially from another man. Now that they're both adults and completely different people than they were in college, rhett decides it's time to explain it all to link and let him know that he actually misses that physical contact with him.

It took me a really long while, but I finally finished this one! I really loved that prompt, so thank you so much for giving it to me, lovely Anon. I was initially going to write it as a platonic/romantic friendship kinda story, but it seems I'm determined to write a hundred different first kiss + feelings realisation scenarios, I simply enjoy those way too much.

*** 2,5K ***

Let me hold you

He’s done it again.

Not so long ago, Rhett promised himself not to bring it up in front of cameras or a microphone unless he talks it out with Link, privately.

Especially not as a joke.

And he’s failed already, he scolds himself short after the Ear Biscuits episode is recorded and they’re both out of the room, heading back towards their office.

He thinks he could have just omitted it, shouldn’t have mentioned anything. It simply wasn’t necessary to mull over it again, even with the topic of the episode revolving around their college experience. It wasn’t a big deal, he said it himself, countless times. Every time they talked about it on the show.

So, every time.

There’s never been a conversation in private about that incident or anything that preluded it, never in the absence of people to entertain, never not around at least one recording device. Because why would there be? It wasn’t a big deal. A funny story, s’all.

He’s also never been able to just let things go, though, and thanks to that inability, the lore of wrestling and the “I’m dead” move had to live on. It was an innocent story, a funny albeit embarrassing one – their unofficial brand after all, an easy misunderstanding and a fun little anecdote, not his carefully curated version of what happened, nor a watered-down one, not just a part of the entire story devoid of any feelings associated with it, not a big deal-! And most of all, not… true. Not true.

Rhett isn’t sure if Link has been consciously going along with that wordlessly agreed upon version of what their UFC phase looked like, repressing the truth behind it, or… simply never realised what it meant for Rhett and genuinely thought of it as a humorous yet insignificant part of their friendship in the past.

Most likely the third option, he has to assume. After all, why would Link attach any meaning to it? It’s not like anything actually ever happened, not outside of Rhett’s mind at least. Frankly, he himself went decades without understanding his own motivations, more than once confused by why the memories of wrestling with his friend and laying on top of him felt both shameful and deeply comforting. Why even long after they grew up, stopped being kids, and as a result retired all their UFC moves, the only way he could describe what he felt thinking about that time was longing.

Until therapy happened.

Just like with many different things in his life:

There was something in the darkness, and then therapy shone a light on it.

It was like there were countless situations he navigated solely on instinct, without paying much thought to the reasons behind why he acted a certain way, and once therapy equipped him with the ability to do so, he unearthed an entire deep layer of feelings and emotions that were always there. Just hidden, even from himself.

The wrestling being one of those things.

So, he thinks Link doesn’t know.

And he’s finally determined to change that.

Why now, when he’s had so many chances to talk to Link over the years ever since he started being more in touch with himself? He doesn’t really have an answer; it’s just that after talking about it with such levity again, after repeatedly making a joke out of it, it feels like he might explode if he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t confess to Link what it was really like. And most of all, it feels like the yearning has become stronger lately, and the conversation yet again playing it all off as them being young and silly only ignited it, made the flame inside of Rhett burn brighter, threatening to make his heart combust.

“I need to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind.” Rhett says easily once they’re in the office. It’s not an unsure statement or a nervous plea with words tumbling out of his mouth before he can lose his cool and change his mind. It would have been all that and more a couple of years ago, sure.

But he’s a different man now. He’s not afraid to tell the person who’s been with him for almost the entirety of his life what he feels.

Link, however. He does look unsure, a bit alarmed even, when he looks at Rhett and responds.

“Sure-? What is it? Do you wanna talk now?”

It’s just like him to worry. Run a hundred different scenarios in his head, most of them negative, trying to prepare himself for every possible outcome of a serious conversation before it even began. It’s an anxious survival instinct that makes Link resilient to even the worst that life has to offer and able to face it all head on. But right now, it’s nothing scary. Rhett doesn’t want his friend to be worried, so he quickly says as much.

“Don’t worry, s’not bad. Just something we talked about on the podcast today.” The blonde sits down on the couch and pats the cushion next to him, hoping he appears to be as calm as he truly feels inside and that it might dissolve some of Link’s concern, still written all over his face.

The other man takes his place on the sofa and looks at him expectingly.

“Right. So-“ Rhett’s calmness doesn’t completely evaporate once Link gives him his full attention, but it’s suddenly laced with some nerves. “About the wrestling. You know, in college. And before that. And- Especially about my ‘I’m dead’ move. I’ve been thinking about it, and-“

“Rhett, I swear, if you made me sit down for a talk only to tell me you’d like to make it a part of our conflict resolution again, then ha-ha. Very funny. I’d like to go get myself some coffee now.” Link cuts him off with an unamused look in his eyes and almost makes a move to stand up.

Rhett is quicker though and grabs the brunette’s arm before he can really move, effectively making him stay in place.

“What? No. That’s not what I’m saying. Like, at all. I-“ He realises he’s still holding onto Link’s arm and instinctively wants to retract his hand, but that same feeling that led him to initiating this conversation in the first place makes him reconsider. “I’ve been thinking about what it all meant and why I did that, especially when we fought or you were angry with me, and-“

“Because we were young.” Link quickly answers what wasn’t even a question. “We had too much energy and neither of us really wanted to hurt the other by punching him or- or fighting in earnest. What else would it mean.”

“Link can you let me talk? I’m trying to say something important.” Rhett squeezes Link’s forearm. “So, as I was saying. I mostly did it when you were angry or I was feeling unsure, and I didn’t realise it back then, but- But I know now, that I just… needed reassurance. You know, physical contact.” He explains, looking straight into Link’s eyes and trying to interpret his reaction before it comes.

When nothing happens, and the brunette just stares back at him with a furrowed brow, he feels compelled to continue and elaborate.

“Like when people… hug after an argument-?” His brain almost challenges him to make a different comparison, presenting a parallel between laying half-naked on top of your best friend and another activity people often partake in to make up after a fight. But that’s not- It’s not what he’s trying to say. It’s not like that.

The face in front of him frowns in confusion, blue eyes squinting and mouth opening and closing again, only letting out a puff of air and no sound at first.

When Link finally responds, his voice is unsure, like he suspects that he’s not understanding something right. “Are you trying to tell me you wanted to hug me when we bickered, so you pushed me to the floor and laid on me till I was even angrier, instead…?”

That’s not fully what Rhett meant, but it’s close enough, so he nods.

“What the crap, Rhett-? You're not making any sense.”

“Okay, listen…” He decides to go for a different approach. “We still don’t hug after arguments. We never hug hello. I think I could count on my fingers how many times we’ve actually hugged each other as adults, outside of the show!”

“Yeah! That’s just not what we do! We’ve never done those things, it’s just not a part of our relationship- I still don’t know what you wanna tell me here Rhett.” Link throws his hands in the air in a gesture of resignation.

“I want it to be a thing we do, okay?! I always did, but I was afraid to ask for it so I just took what you could give me without talking about it. Can’t have actual intimacy? Make up a UFC thing so I can be close to you! Can’t hold you when I’ve made you mad? Better lay on top of you till you give up and have no choice but stop!” Rhett pauses to finally take a breath.

“That time that guy saw us- I’m sure you remember I stormed off right after-? I panicked, it was like him seeing us and thinking there was something else happening almost made feel like it was something else, and since I started it, it also felt like I wanted it to be something else. I got so angry at myself for even trying and I never did it again. I’m sure you remember that, too!” Words flow out of Rhett in a hurried and increasingly loud cascade, while Link’s eyes grow bigger and comprehension dawns on his face.

“I know how stupid it sounds. But you know how I was. We were well into our thirties when I still refused to get close to you. And it’s not that I didn’t want to, it was the opposite – I wanted it a lot, man.”

„But I thought...?” Link seems to be turning a thought over in his head. “I thought you just never liked it. That the wrestling thing was about you… asserting dominance. That’s what it felt like at least. Like you trying to act like an older brother or somethin’.”

“No- It was me wanting to be close to you and not knowing how to ask for it. My very convoluted way of expressing love, you could call it. And I’m sorry it took me-“

“What changed-? I mean, what made you wanna talk about it?” There’s urgency in Link’s voice when he cuts Rhett off.

“I… I realised I miss it. I told you, we still don’t really hug or get intimate, however that sounds, and I’m not gonna just topple you and pin you to the ground again. We’re too old for that. For once, I don’t think either my back or your shoulders would survive if we started wrestling every time I wanted to be affectionate. But also- We’re over forty, Link. What does it say about me if I can’t just ask a person I love and have loved for almost four decades to hold me when I need it and would resort to, well, aggression-? That’s not how it should work.”

Link ponders Rhett’s words for a few beats before opening his mouth again, only to let three breathy words escape. “You love me-?”

It seems like the wrong thing to focus on, Rhett just opened up to say he not only craves physical intimacy now, but also struggled with that same need when they were younger so badly, he had to invent an entire intricate system allowing him to be closer, and Link questions the one thing he knows already. Because of course he knows, Rhett’s said as much dozens of times, of course he loves him. But it appears he has to say it anyway, judging from the weird look in Link’s eyes.

“I do, of course I lo-“ The blonde begins, yet he doesn’t get a chance to finish and ask whether Link heard the other part of his confession at all, because at once, his mouth isn’t free to keep talking and there’s no air left in his lungs as the man who was just sitting right next to him plunges forward and collides with him, lips first.

Oh. Rhett manages to form one more coherent thought despite being startled and entirely taken aback. Link misunderstood. That’s why he got hung up on the love confession. That’s not what Rhett meant, that’s not what he was trying to say, it’s not like that-

He feels like he should clear things up as quickly as possible. Logically, he should be panicking, racking his brain for a way to straighten things up, to explain to Link that it wasn’t what he was trying to say without making things worse, without ruining everything and making his best friend feel miserable and embarrassed, until…

Until Rhett realises his body went rogue and started responding without his conscious decision, his lips are moving against the other man’s, one of his hands is cupping Link’s face, while the other strayed away and is caressing his back. And it feels like his heart is trying to break out of the ribcage with how hard it’s pounding in his chest, along with his stomach doing wild summersaults. And he’s not panicking, not at all. And it’s not a misunderstanding, how could it, when he loves Link with his entire soul, with his whole being- And exactly like that, it hits him. Starting this conversation, he thought he already understood everything, but he didn’t– there was still that last puzzle piece missing.

They come up for air, panting from the intensity of that first kiss, foreheads flush with each other. Rhett finishes the sentence he began before Link’s move changed everything. “Of course I love you.” He means it now, he means it exactly like Link took it and can’t comprehend how he didn’t think of it before, but it’s perfectly obvious now.

So he hugs Link. He encircles the man’s body with his long arms, squeezes, and holds him, feels his friend snuggle into him, nuzzle his face into the crook of his neck and breathe deeply, holding Rhett's larger body in return.

All he needed was ask for the closeness.

He asked, and he got it.

He got all he wanted and so much more.

So, so much.

[royalty-subway]

Headcanons for Shieldbert and Sordward being cousins/related to Ingo and Emmet?

(It's an idea that always intrigued me, esp since they share a lot of similarities!)

I can see that being a possibility, like the SwSh twins being somehow related to Emmet and Ingo (I feel like cousins is more likely). They do indeed share a lot of similarities.

They both have at least one steel type Pokemon in their team. Sordward: Doublade, Bisharp. Shielbert: Bronzong, Klingklang. Emmet: Durant. Ingo: Excadrill, Klingklang (The fact both Shielbert and Ingo have a Kilngklang on their team is a bruh moment-).

They all tend to use the color blue and red for clothing options (maybe even the color black and white as well).

The SwSh twins are royalty and claim in every single sentence that they’re descendants of the first kings. Correct me if I’m wrong but in the Pokemon Black and White lore, wasn’t there like these twin heroes with the dragons or some shit? Emmet and Ingo are twins in Unova so yeah-that’s kinda sus fam.

They kinda have weird hairstyles, I don’t need to explain Sordward and Shielbert. But Emmet and Ingo have those gray things on the side of their face (looks like knives, you can barely miss it) and I’ve never seen people having that lifestyle.

They’re not really what you consider “normal”, since Emmet and Ingo have this muppet-ass looking face (they even act a bit robotic in the manga, but they’re still cool ;w;) when Sordward and Shielbert are just assholes and they have this need to mention that they’re royalty every time they talk with those dumb hair (definitely not cool, be nice).

The way they talk is also something that’s kinda oof, Ingo screams “BRAVO” any chance he gets, Emmet says things like “I am Emmet” or says words like “verrrrrrrrrrry”. Sordward and Shielbert talking all pompous like; hey, did we tell you that we’re royalty?

This one is something no one expected and has ever thought before, you won’t believe number 6 of this life hack I’m about to tell you; they’re twins.

(I’m sure there’s more points I’m missing, but you get it, hopefully)

I don’t think Ingo would be overly happy to come to the realization that he is related to those two. Like how can you tell everyone “listen, I’m related to these things, please don’t think less of me-”, now he has like three trouble makers to supervise, like looking away for a second could cause disaster. Wouldn’t be surprising that they test his patience at least every hour. But at least he finds Shielbert a bit tolerable. That’s a plus.

For Emmet, it would probably be a joy ride but also a bit of a nightmare realization (similar to Ingo, “why, I didn’t choose this path-”), but at least he has an excuse to terrorize the two everyday. And he would probably point and laugh whenever Sordward does something funny and gets in trouble (“haha dumb dumb idiot”). And throw Joltiks at Shielbert for the funny just to see him screech like hell and run.

I think the only thing that changes for Sordward is that he now respects the Subway Bosses more (or Subway Masters, never really knew the actual name) since they’re relatives to him. And whenever he fucks shit up now, he can use the excuse (like Emmet does) of “in my defense, Ingo left me unsupervised so-”, he can now flood all of the bathrooms with “barely” any consequences. Perhaps even going to jail afterwards, Ingo always has to bail him out-

I feel like for Shielbert it would be a waking nightmare, like he has a cousin that’s obsessed with bugs (and throws them at him) and harasses him non-stop. But he would also worry about their reputations, like just because he and his older brother fuck shit up, he doesn’t want others to assume Emmet and Ingo will also fuck shit up (or to have the same reputation just because they’re related). But nonetheless, he would be nice towards them (like a good boi).

I know this sounds like every single family gathering, but it’s true-

[pies-writes-and-more]

Hungover Love

word count: 2,688

pairing: UniversityStudent!Akaashi Keiji x Fem!Reader

warnings: characters getting drunk and hungover - all assumed to be of legal age

a/n: I don’t know where this came from but I started writing it so here it is haha. Got the idea from @moanlightlust‘s list (can find it here!) so thank you! I’ll bold the prompt down below (I kinda changed it for the sake of the story but still got the idea from their prompt list :)) Thank you to @satan-ruler-of-hells​ and @thisnoodlewritesao3​ for reading over this for me! Love you both :)

haikyuu masterlist

“Akaashi?” You repeated the name for the second time as you strained your ears to hear something besides bar music and Bokuto’s loud voice in the background.

“Hm?” The small grunt made you smile, knowing he was probably slumped over on a chair, holding his face in one hand and leaning on a table in front of him, with his other hand pressing his phone a little too hard on his ear.

You let out a small laugh, pausing the show you had on your TV so you could hear him better, “Akaashi, you called me. Did you need something?”

There was another grunt on the other end of the line, and you chuckled as you heard Konoha teasing Bokuto about something in the distance, “What is it, Akaashi?” You inquired some more, listening to him hum quietly to the song playing.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” he mumbled and you just shook your head with a smile. God he must’ve had far too many drinks to be this out of it. “I fucking love Y/N Y/L/N. It almost feels like she can hear me right now,” he was saying and you just laughed. “Like I can... I can hear her laughing.”

“Akaashi, you idiot,” your face felt hot but you tried to ignore it. He was drunk. Very clearly drunk. He didn’t mean anything by it - the last time he was drunk, he told you he was going to leave his college volleyball team and join some new sport because Bokuto was getting on his nerves. 

It didn’t mean anything. It didn’t. It didn’t matter that those were the words you had been waiting to hear from him. It didn’t matter that you’d spent the last two years pining after him. He was drunk.

“Didya know... the other day.... Y/N smiled at me cause I said something funny- what did I say... I can’t remember what I said but I said something funny and she smiled and I just.. God it’s that smile ya know?” Akaashi’s voice seemed so much lighter than it did usually. You could tell that he was smiling and just imagining that goofy drunk smile on his face made your heart skip a beat or two.

“That’s nice,” you tried to keep things casual, avoid getting your hopes up too much. You didn’t want to ruin what you had with him - the nice fun friendship that was definitely just a friendship.

“Y/N?” Akaashi suddenly seemed a lot more present, as if just realizing you were on the line. 

“Yea?”

“Y/N!” The smile on his face was probably a lot bigger from the sounds of it, a chuckle slipping from his lips, “I love you, Y/N! I’ve loved you ever since I met you when you picked up my runaway ball for me back in high school. You were so pretty then and you’re super pretty now. Like you get prettier every day I see you-” his speech was quick and slurred, you could almost feel him getting drunker by the second.

“Akaashi-”

“Bokuto keeps telling me that I need to tell you but I dunno if I can because I’m pretty sure you like that dude that lives across from you and-”

“Akaashi-”

“But I guess I wouldn’t know until I told you right? So I’m telling you because I like you. I really like you. I wanted to bring you to that new ice cream place down the road from your place but you always seemed so busy and I don’t want to bug you, plus volleyball takes up so much time, and then there’s school, and I don’t even know how to balance volleyball, school, and a girlfriend-”

“Akaashi!” Your voice was louder this time, biting down on your inner cheek as his name left your lips. You needed him to stop - it had to stop. Your heart was fluttering too much and you couldn’t even tell how much of this was true. You wanted to tell yourself that alcohol could bring out people’s true feelings, but it also made you do dumb shit. And wouldn’t confessing to someone you didn’t actually like be considered dumb shit?

“Ya that’s me,” Akaashi mumbled, clearly a lot more tired than he seemed five seconds ago.

You tried not to laugh, tried to swallow your fears and your feelings, your heart feeling like it was beating a thousand times a minute. “I need you to go sober up, get some rest and drink lots of water okay?”

“But-”

“No but’s! You obviously drank way too much and honestly, I’ve never heard you talk like this before and I can’t even tell if it’s you anymore,” you acted like you were scolding him, putting up that wall again like you had so many other times before. He couldn’t really like you, could he? There was no way.

“Y/N Y/L/N, I fucking love you!” Akaashi yelled into the phone, making you cringe a bit at the volume.

Your chest was tightening, you couldn’t tell if it was fear or hope but whatever it was, it was scaring the shit out of you, “Shut the hell up! If you love me so much tell me when you’re sober, dammit!” You yelled back, immediately hanging up the phone. Your eyes widened as you watched the call screen disappear, your mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

The next few hours were radio silent from both Bokuto and Akaashi. You refused to text either of them in fear that you might accidentally say more than you wanted to.

It’s fine, he was really drunk from the sounds of it so he probably won’t even remember it right? I mean, the last time he got super drunk, he didn’t remember challenging the bartender to a pushup fight so... so he won’t remember.... right?

You paced in your room for a bit, glancing at your phone every five seconds to see if there was any sort of notification from either of your friends. But nothing. 

You barely slept a wink that night, tossing and turning while facing dreams of Akaashi laughing in your face the next time you saw him.

You thought I meant that? It was just a joke, Y/N.

I only see you as a friend, sorry.

Don’t you think you’re reading into our friendship a little too much? That’s all there is. Friendship. 

The idea of Akaashi awkwardly laughing in your face, giving you that half smile while dismissing your feelings haunted you for hours. By the time the sun came up, you gave up on the idea of sleeping and threw your blanket off of you. It was time to figure out how to survive your day without thinking about Akaashi Keiji at all. 

It wasn’t easy. Everything reminded you of him. Half of your Netflix was shows you were watching with him, or movies you’d already seen with him next to you. Your homework wasn’t any help either (though you definitely needed to get it done). Akaashi would normally come over and study with you, his adorable glasses making him look like some young professor, twirling his pencil around in his fingers while nodding along to some song stuck in his head. You couldn’t get used to studying on your own.

Radio silence finally broke when you texted Bokuto, asking if they all made it home safe last night and he responded with a very badly spelled text message saying, “himw safe so tirwd need adcil heaf hurtinh” (aka. home safe so tired need advil head hurting) 

Your lips curled into a small smile - at least Bokuto was alive. And the fact that he wasn’t all up in your face about Akaashi meant that the setter probably hadn’t said anything last night, or at least, it meant that Bokuto was too busy tending to a hangover to think about it.

A knock on your door made you jump, watching it for a moment before slowly approaching.

“Oi, open up, I know you’re in there.”

You calculated the odds and realistically there were only 3 reasons why Akaashi would be at your door right now, while he was still probably very hungover.

A. He was tired of listening to Bokuto complain about being hungover while also hungover and wanted you to help take care of him.

B. He wasn’t actually hungover and wanted to hang out.

C. He remembered your phone call from last night and wanted to confront you about it.

...

There was no way it was B or C so... it had to be A right?

You opened the door with a smile on your face, trying to pretend like this was the first time you spoke to him since you saw him earlier yesterday.

“Hey, what’re you doing here?” You asked, welcoming him in and watching his movements as he shuffled inside. He was wearing his sunglasses and wincing a little so... it definitely wasn’t B. He was definitely still hungover.

“Good morning to you too,” Akaashi chuckled slightly, groaning as he made his way over to your couch and flopped onto it. “God, my head is killing me,” he grumbled.

You felt almost a bit of relief - he wasn’t bringing it up so... it must mean that C wasn’t an option right? “I’ll make you some tea. Want something to eat?”

He made a noise that you assumed was a yes, grabbing some ramen packages that you liked to have whenever you were hungover.

“How’re the boys?” You asked as soon as the tea was finished, handing it to him as he sat up with a huff.

“Fine... I told them I didn’t want to get drunk,” he rolled his eyes. “But Bokuto kept pouring shots and being a little bitch when I didn’t want to have them... something about how he didn’t want to lose his best friend or something.”

You laughed, shaking your head slowly as you moved back to your little kitchen, “You’re always so busy studying. Bokuto probably just misses having you around.”

“We live together.”

“Ya well you’re always either on campus or here with me so I can see why he’d miss you,” you smirked, humming softly to yourself as you let the noodles cook. Things were okay. Things were normal. Things were going to be fine - all your worries were slipping away-

“So are we not going to talk about it?” 

Akaashi’s voice made you jump, turning around to find him standing right behind you and slowly sipping on the tea.

“Fuck, Akaashi, don’t do that,” you glared at him, hitting his arm, “Could’ve made me burn myself.” 

“Sorry,” he gave you a small smile, leaning against the nearby counter. “But we are going to talk about it, aren’t we?”

The ramen so clearly needed stirring and stirring was a full focus kind of job and this was obviously why you were looking into the pot and not looking at Akaashi, even though you could feel his eyes watching you, “Talk about what? Bokuto missing you?”

Akaashi chuckled and lifted his finger to under your chin, tilting your face to look at him, “I drank a lot. But I don’t think any amount of alcohol could make me forget how embarrassing I was.”

“Embarrassing?”

He watched your eyes for a moment before pulling his hand away from you and looking down at his tea, his smile slowly stiffening, “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I don’t want to make you more uncomfortable. I just thought I should apologize and let you know that you don’t have to reject me or anything. I like being friends with you and that’s enough for me, even if there’s a part of me that wants more.”

You almost dropped your spoon on the floor, staring at him with wide eyes, “S-Sorry what? Apologize? For... for what?”

“For confessing to you while drunk,” Akaashi’s smile was turning more sad now, taking a slow sip from his tea. “I’d been considering telling you how I feel for a while now and I guess I should’ve stopped myself from drinking sooner to save you the embarrassment.”

“Embarrassment? Akaashi, don’t be an idiot,” you ignored the soup still dripping from the spoon and whacked his arm with it.

“Hey!”

“You’re telling me you were drunk enough to confess to me and to remember what you said but not remember what I said at the end?” You huffed, hands on your hips now. 

Akaashi’s eyes lifted to the ceiling in thought, his lips pursing slowly like he did when he was concentrating on getting an answer right on his homework, “I know you seemed mad,” he finally responded, shrugging a bit. “I figured it was cause I put you on the spot like that.”

“No you absolute meathead, it’s because after months and months of pining after you, weeks of Bokuto almost spilling my secret on multiple different occasions to you, him almost screaming to you once about how much I love you, you end up telling me you love me over a drunk phone call and I can’t tell if you’re being serious or just a drunk dummy!” You scold him, hitting his arm again with your hand and shaking your head. God, for a boy with as high of an average as he had, how is it possible that there were no brain cells running around in that head of his?

Akaashi smirked a little, watching your eyes as you ranted, a playful smile on his lips, “So... you love me huh?”

“You better get out of my sight before I dump this ramen on your head,” you glare at him, trying your best not to smile because his smile was just so contagious but ugh that evil little smirk of his-

His lips were suddenly on your cheek, pressing a soft kiss to your skin and letting you feel the smirk still toying on his expression, “Drunk or not. I do love you, Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Y-Yeah yeah whatever,” you avoid his eyes some more, your whole face feeling hot and your cheek tingling where he had kissed you. “Go sit, it’s almost done.”

“Not until you say it back,” he teased, hugging you from behind and peppering your cheeks with some more kisses. “You said you love me, you can’t take it back now. Say it again.”

“Why?” you laughed, trying to pull away from his tight hug.

“Because it’s the best news I’ve ever gotten and I want to hear you say it again and again and again,” he insisted, turning you around to face him and smiling down at you. “Pretty please?”

You sighed with a smile on your face because as annoying as he could be, you really did mean it when you tell him, “I love you too, Akaashi.”

Alone time with Akaashi lasted long enough for him to properly ask you to go on a date with him to that ice cream shop, and was then interrupted by Bokuto showing up at your door and inviting himself in with a grin.

Apparently, the cure to Bokuto’s hangover was just knowing his two best friends had finally confessed to each other.

“God, I thought he’d never get drunk enough,” Bokuto grinned proudly to himself after you had happily explained the details to him. “I thought I’d have to just keep ordering him drinks.”

“What?” Akaashi glared at him, putting the pieces together.

Bokuto just smirked mischievously, “You can’t get mad cause it worked. I figured it would take a miracle to get you two to confess. And getting you drunk is basically a miracle.”

The fact that you were laughing made Akaashi want to kill Bokuto a little less, and even though he glared some more at his best friend, he would secretly thank him later for helping him get the courage to get the girl of his dreams. As much as Bokuto could get on his nerves sometimes, it really would be thanks to him that Akaashi got to take you out on that cute date and tell you just how much he loves you every day.

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[redwinterroses]

I’m doing my very best not to format this as a literary analysis paper but that’s basically what this is so forgive me if I slip back into those old habits at all. And I'm going to tag @betweenlands and @fluffy-papaya in this because guys look what your fic made me brainrot. XD

(This is a long one, y'all. We're talking 2k words. Sorry.)

That said:

Hey, let’s talk about the bead curtain in Dog at the Door.

That dang bead curtain, and why I’m currently fixating on it, and how I think it has symbolism that may or may not be intentional.

(At this point, I’m assuming it’s intentional. Everything about this fic is intentional. Including the pain. Heh. “The only difference between a running gag and a recurring theme is how seriously you take it,” says Solar. Cool. I’m taking it seriously.)

The curtain first shows up in chapter one. It’s one of the first things we see in the van, and the first thing we know about it is that Doc finds it obnoxious. Ugly. Revolting. Renbob loves it, obviously, but Renbob has odd tastes. Doc, on the other hand, literally uses his hatred of the curtain to motivate him to get out of bed in the morning.

The Red King, when he shows up, also has similar dislike of the thing, but his reaction is a little more measured, a little less extreme. More distaste, less disgust. He finds it “distasteful” and compares it to wearing a labcoat without a shirt (lol). But he doesn’t loath it like Doc does, and when Doc suggests (in chapter 13) that they take it down and use it for friendship bracelets, he’s as displeased with that idea as Renbob is. He has an ambivalent opinion, overall.

And then Ren. Ren actually reacts the least to the curtain—but ends up with the most dramatic interaction with it, which we’ll come back to in a second. He simply says (chapter 24) that normally he’d find the beads hideous, but that the light of Doc’s eye reflecting off it into the shadows makes it oddly peaceful.

There’s exactly one other use of the word “curtain” in this fic, and it’s this line right here:

“I haven’t done anything but possess him and lead his soul back to the controls.” RK throws his hands up in the air. “He’s put himself behind the curtain because he thinks I’m out to get him. My only crime is the original contract I made with him, doctor.”

In this instance, RK is talking about their “imperfect metaphor” of Ren being behind the curtain that separates the “driver’s seat” from the rest of the van that is Ren’s mind/soul. He’s saying that Ren has deliberately put himself in a position of defeat and surrender because he (Ren) doesn’t think there are any other options.

M’kay. Right about now, any sane person is going, “Red. Why are you so fixated on this bead curtain. It’s a running joke at best.”

And... I mean, sure. Kinda. But also definitely not.

This is the part where I really step out on a potentially-shaky limb with all the confidence in the world, because here’s what I'm seeing: the dividing line between life and death is often portrayed in literature as a curtain.

(And it’s interesting to note that the curtain is a barrier, a separation, but it’s only a curtain, and this one is made of beads at that. It’s a flimsy and fluid barrier, easy to pass through. Back and forth. Surrender and control, life and death.)

In fact, even in this fic it’s used that way: RK may be referring to the metaphorical bead curtain in their van of an explanation for how his and Ren’s relationship works, but in the story at that point Ren is convinced that he’s dead. Or is supposed to be dead. And by putting himself “behind the curtain,” he’s surrendering to that. Almost insisting on it, because that’s the truth of how he sees the world right then and he can’t process any other possibilities. He’s basically saying “I’m supposed to be dead, and this side of the curtain is death, so that’s where I’ll stay.”

So if the curtain in the metaphor represents the two sides of that, it’s really interesting to look at the various characters’ reactions to the literal bead curtain and see how it reflects their attitudes toward death—and specifically Ren’s death.

Renbob is... chill. He has an entirely comfortable relationship with the bead curtain, with life and death, with his own emotions—even with dealing with the emotions of the others he’s chauffeuring across the universe. While he isn’t immune to the grief of losing (or thinking he’s lost) Ren, he deals with it in a relatively healthy way—at least as much as we see. I think there was a possibly-canon ask at some point that said he was journaling and meditating so... yeah. Renbob’s got this. And 50 other bead curtains in storage. He’s the only character in the fic who passes in and out of the curtain regularly and without it being a big deal.

To put it simply: Renbob is on good terms with whatever happens in life, up to and including the end of it. (Renbob is arguably the equal and opposite of Grimdog. Two sides of the same coin in more ways than one.)

Contrast that now with Doc. Doc is... not a fan of the bead curtain. It represents a loss of control to him, (“freakin’ hippies”) and a separation from what he loves. In the past, he and Ren were on opposite sides of that conflict, and the beads still somewhat represent that tension (though in a mostly nostalgic, and not actively-antagonistic way.) But the language Doc’s narration uses to describe the beads is strong. “Obnoxious.” “Accursed.” “Horrendously evil.”

Nearly as scary as his best friend trying to kill him.

It’s played for laughs, obviously, and it is funny. But if we project the symbolism of “the curtain represents death” onto Doc’s reactions, it gets a bit less amusing. And it really fits with Doc’s attitude toward Ren’s death in the whole fic. It’s the worst thing he’s ever faced—to the extent that until RK’s seemingly-permanent presence forces him to, Doc doesn’t even try to process it. He goes right to work on the prosthetics, growls at anyone who tries to make him do anything he doesn't want to do, accepts RK as “New Ren,” and pretends that he’s going on with life.

He refuses to look at how weird the whole situation is, because if he does that he has to deal with Ren being gone forever. He ignores the thing that’s right under his nose and pretends it’s not there until a moment of quiet or actually having to interact with it brings it back to his attention, and then his reaction is vitriolic.

Doc hates that curtain, and he hates the concept of death, the concept of losing control. Even in his nightmares, he holds tight to what little control he can take, even if it’s just taking the initiative to sit in the snow and let it kill him faster. Hold onto that thought, because I’ve got more to it, but we have to talk about RK and Ren first.

RK holds both distaste and acceptance of the curtain. He doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t want it destroyed either. The distaste, notably, is when he’s with Doc, and the acceptance comes from being around Renbob. The Red King, as a blood god, is not exactly unfamiliar with death. It’s literally in his job description, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. A necessary evil, if you will.

It doesn’t hurt either that, at least up until Ren, RK has always been the one on the other side of the curtain, completely in control of the situation. He goes back and forth on his attitudes, but in the past he has been the one in control and the bringer of death. His reaction is negative, but not emphatic—the way someone who has plenty of indoor plans might react to a rainstorm.

Ren... now, Ren. Ren has, like I said, the least recorded reaction to the actual, physical bead curtain. But. But. While he normally would call it hideous, “there’s something oddly peaceful about watching light fractals spin off the walls, cutting off into the shadows.” The shadows, it’s worth noticing, are specifically implied to be RK/hiding RK in this moment. Doc’s light and RK’s shadows interacting with the curtain bring peace to Ren. He passes through it easily to find Renbob.

Ren has already accepted his death—he accepted it long before the fic even started—to an extent that he’s actively insisting on it for a large portion of the story. It’s only when he realizes that Doc is in potential danger that he starts fighting RK for control of the situation again. (“Stay away from Doc, you bastard. He wasn’t part of our bargain. Leave him alone.”)

He dislikes the bead curtain, but he doesn’t hate it, and when seen in the (literal) light of Doc’s protective, watching eye—even if he is asleep at the moment, bless—even the shadows of RK’s presence are suddenly beautiful and peaceful to him in a way that, without the “reflecting fractals” of the beads, wouldn’t be possible. Again: this is the chapter where Renbob’s influence is felt, and his peace with life and death directly affects Ren and his reactions. (“It’ll all sort itself out, eventually, and I’ll be here for you while it does.”)

And then...

And then Ren rips down the curtain altogether.

The separation is gone. For better or for worse, that divide between control and surrender, between RK and Ren, between life and death... it’s gone. It’s scattered across the floor of the van, glittering in Ren’s hair, and in the carpet. Ren has broken through that barrier, and now we just have to wait to see what the consequences of that are for him.

But... we can already see at least one consequence for Doc. Because now there is no more illusion of control and surrender for him to maintain. That division is no longer there, and we see Doc’s first real surrender in the whole story. Even in his nightmares, he was still in control: he knew it was a nightmare, and he fought against it until he “gave up”—in a way that still put him in control. He chooses to sit in the snow so it’ll kill dream-him faster.

He acts like he doesn’t care, but it’s still not that: he takes control in the only way he knows, aware that everything is only a dream and no matter what how it treats him, he’ll still wake up in the end. He looks at the nightmare and says basically “Do your worst, I dare you, but you won’t get what you want from me.”

But now—now he surrenders to Ren. He gives up. His core truth (“I’ll do anything to protect those I love,” which I talked about in this post) looks like it’s not going to be enough to save them. He can’t save Ren—from RK or from Ren himself—and that means he’s lost in the worst way possible. In this moment, it looks like Ren doesn’t even trust that Doc’s core truth—that he will do anything to save his friends—is true.

This is Doc’s lowest point: that Ren seems to think Doc’s loyalty and love have failed. And to Doc... that’s a fate worse than death.

So he gives up. He tells Ren to kill him, and he fully expects him to do so. Doc doesn’t want to die, but at this point he has completely let go of any control of his own fate. Even when facing down Ren with the Skizz blade, he held tightly to his control of the situation. He literally takes the sword in his own hand and removes it as a threat. But now—now the curtain is gone. The illusion of control is gone.

Ren is the one in control of the situation—for possibly the first time in the fic—and he chooses to remember that Doc is his friend, that he’s missed him. But Doc leaves it all to him. Even when Ren backs off, Doc stays in that surrendered state (“I can’t do anything right, unlike [Martyn.]”). He realizes that he's been in the passenger seat the whole time, and he’s now where Ren was before: no longer even trying to take back the driver’s seat.

The curtain is gone. Now we just have to wait and see who ends up on which side of it at the end.