#he does care. at least a part of him does

[beenreidingaboutyou]

When I'm Down on My Knees, You're How I Pray

who? Spencer x afab! reader

content warnings: NSFW, MDNI, 18+ content, unholy use of bible verses, inaccurate use of religious themes, oral (m), fingering (f), reader has hair that can be pulled, mention of religious trauma, Jesus Reid, please let me know if I've missed anything else!

a/n: Believe it or not, I actually toned down the blasphemy in this fic. Huge thank you to @minswriting for answering my 20 million questions about this because I've never written smut before and that's the majority of what she does. (Also she came up with the title, it's a Lana lyric)

thank you to @cafekitsune for the MDNI divider and @saradika-graphics for the stained glass divider

word count: 1.3k

You’ve spent your adult life avoiding anything related to church and religion. Growing up in an overly religious household and being forced to attend church services twice a week, in addition to the Bible study and choir practice, meant that anything related to religion left a bad taste in your mouth. While you’ve never outright mentioned this to Hotch, he seemed to pick up on it and respected your wishes, never sending you to interview priests or visit cathedrals that had been the scene of a crime. At least, until he had respected your wishes until this case. He paired you with Spencer and sent you both to investigate an older crime scene at a nearby church. Despite your best efforts, you were unable to weasel out of your assignment, so here you were, stuck thinking about the fact that you were going to church with the one person you’d always been attracted to since joining the BAU.

You were oddly quiet as the two of you walked through the building

“So, what are your thoughts?” Spencer asks, breaking the silence.

“Being here brings back all of the religious trauma I endured as a kid and you looking like Jesus is certainly not helping.”

You see Spencer furrow his brows in confusion, his gaze shifting from the church to you, “I-I’m sorry, did you just say I look like Jesus?” 

“Yeah, I did. Except you’d be the one I’d get on my knees for,” you say teasingly, shooting a wink in his direction.

He chokes on air, “e-excuse me?”

“Anyways, let’s go check out the confessional,” you reply, wanting to get out of the church as soon as possible.

As you step into the cramped confessional, you can feel Reid close behind you. You can feel the effect your teasing remark had on him as his bulge presses against your back, though you’re sure the action is unintentional on his part. 

You turn to face him and glance down at the tent his pants, “do you want some help with that?”

His face flushes, “w-what?”

“Shhh, let me take care of you,” you mumble as you get down on your knees in front of him. 

You hear his breath hitch in his throat as you undo his belt. You quickly unbutton and unzip his pants, pulling them down and leaving him in his boxers. You palm his bulge and glance up at him, “Looks like you enjoyed the idea of me worshipping your cock.”

He whimpers and nods. You slowly pull his boxers down, freeing his length. He whimpers as you run your thumb over his tip, collecting the leaking precum. “You like that, baby?” you ask, looking up at him. 

He nods his head pathetically in response. You bite your lip and wrap your hand around his length, giving a few experimental tugs. The sound of his whimpers went straight to your cunt, leaving you desperate to hear more.

“My heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, Psalm 16:9” you recited before you slowly lick the underside of his cock, going from the base to the tip. You can’t help but smirk slightly at the moan that escapes his mouth. You wrap your lips around him, only taking a little more than the tip into your mouth. You look up at him as you swirl your tongue around his length, loving the way he’s reacting to your teasing. His eyes are dark with lust as he looks down at you, enjoying the view, but clearly wanting more. You slowly take more of him into your mouth and you feel him tangle his fingers in your hair as he lets out a loud moan. You keep going until he hits the back of your throat, causing you to gag slightly. Spencer gently caressed your hair, a subtle way of telling you to be careful.

You start to bob your head, going at a teasingly slow pace, savoring the moans and whimpers that he lets out. You hollow out your cheeks around him and he groans in response, bucking his hips slightly. You pick up your pace as he grips your hair, gathering your hair in a makeshift ponytail. He groans and uses your hair to guide you, forcing you to go faster. You moan around his length and something in him snaps. He holds your head still and starts bucking his hips, thrusting into your mouth, causing you to gag each time he hits the back of your throat. You look up at him with tears in your eyes, loving the sight of him with his head thrown back and mouth open. He moaned your name so prettily, the sound echoing around the church.

You feel his cock twitch and he starts to pull out, but you grab his hips and hold him in place. He cums with a loud groan, shooting his seed down your throat. You eagerly swallow his load before leaning back, a trail of spit and cum. You wipe your mouth with the back of your hand as you stand up. You can’t resist the urge to wink and say, “Amen” 

He takes your face in his hands and pulls you in for a rough, needy kiss. His tongue slips past your lips and he groans at the taste of himself on your tongue. His hands move down to your thighs and he picks you up, placing you on the prayer ledge without breaking the kiss. 

“From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things and the work of their hands brings them reward, Proverbs 12:14,” Spencer whispers in your ear as his hands slowly trail under your skirt, his fingers tracing your thighs as they get closer to your core. You moan softly as his fingers brush against your panties and he starts pressing open mouth kisses to the side of your neck. You let your head fall back, giving him more room to kiss and suck on your neck and collarbones. He smirks and gently sucks a mark on your pulse point as he pushes your panties to the side.

“You’re so wet, angel,” Spencer murmured against your skin. “Did you get all worked up using your mouth on me?” 

You whimper quietly as he uses one of his fingers to spread your wetness around. He doesn’t tease you for long, within moments you feel the tip of his finger brushing against your clit. You moan in response, his touch sending sparks all over your body. He begins to gently rub your clit in a circular motion, working you slowly.

You gasp loudly when he slips one of his fingers inside you, his long, slender finger reaching far deeper than yours ever could. He slowly pumps his finger in and out, letting you get used to the sensation before adding a second finger. His pace increases and he curls his fingers, brushing against your g-spot. You moan his name, causing him to pick up speed. 

“Does that feel good, angel?” Spence asked lowly, watching the way you fell apart under his touch.

 “Uh-huh, so good, Spence”

He smirks as you clench around his fingers. His thumb moves to rub your clit as he continues thrusting his fingers. 

“You gonna cum for me?” 

“Yes, yes, ohhh god.” You moan loudly, shaking as you let go, your thighs squeezing around him. 

“I wanna be inside you, angel,” Spencer mumbled, pushing your skirt up. 

You nod and lift your hips to make it easier for him. You can hear a low moan slip from his mouth when he exposes the lacy panties you’re wearing that day. He hooks his fingers in the waistband to pull them down, but gets interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

He reluctantly answers the call, “Reid.” 

You listen quietly as he speaks, trying to get your breathing back to normal. He hangs up the phone and pouts, “Hotch wants us back at the station.”

“I gathered,” you mumble as he steps back, giving you room to stand up and fix your skirt.

“If you want, you can come by my hotel room later? Finish what we started?” He offers as he pulls up his pants.

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

[marscardigan]

wish you were sober

ellie williams x fem!reader

main masterlist

summary: ellie was done with helping you with your problems. but even if she was, she couldn't help to choose you over and over again.

word count: 3.8k

cw: based off of the songs wish you were sober, memories and the cut that always bleeds by conan gray. no use of y/n. drinking.

It was supposed to be the party of the year.

At least, that’s what you kept telling Ellie to drag her out of her room and join you. And it worked—well, sort of. Because now, here she was, standing near the bar, sipping on some ridiculously overpriced cocktail.

The truth is she didn’t want to be here. She was exhausted, the music was too loud, the crowd too suffocating. But you didn’t seem to notice her irritation. Maybe because you were too drunk to see it.

Her green eyes never left your figure. Across the room, you were surrounded by a group of strangers, laughing too loud, swaying like you were about to fall. But you didn’t seem to care. You were too caught up in the moment, too busy drowning in the attention of people who didn’t even know you. Some guy leaned in closer, fingers brushing lazily against your arm, clearly hoping for something more. But you barely acknowledged him, too wrapped up in the drunken blur.

Ellie hated this. Hated watching you pretend this was fun, hated how you sought validation from anyone who’d offer it. Her grip tightened around her glass as she watched, heart hammering, frustration boiling over. That was enough.

She pushed through the crowd, and by the time she reached you, she didn’t hesitate. Her fingers wrapped swiftly around your wrist, voice sharp with impatience. "Alright, rockstar. We’re leaving. Now."

You pouted, trying to make up some excuse, but your dizzyness didn't let you make a single coherent thought. And then, the guy showed up again.

"Hey, doll, is this dyke bothering you?"

Your pout vanished. Without hesitation, you struck him across the cheek. "Watch that nasty mouth, you asshole!"

Before he could even recover, Ellie was already dragging you through the crowd, gripping your wrist tight, her only thought to get you the hell out of there. The moment she pushed through the front door and into the night air, she exhaled sharply, guiding you toward her Jeep.

But you had other plans. You stumbled, resisting her grip, turning toward her with an intoxicated smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. "C’mon, El. One more drink?"

She scoffed, "You can barely stand."

"So?" You leaned in, the scent of alcohol clinging to your breath. It made her sick. "You’re cute when you’re all mad at me."

Ellie’s jaw tightened. "I’m not playing this game with you."

You giggled, head tilting. "What game?"

"This," she snapped, motioning between you two. "You getting wasted, making me chase after you, acting like none of this matters when—" She stopped herself, lips pressing into a thin line. When it does. When you do.

You swayed on your feet, the pout returning. "Ellie…"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Just get in the car." And for once, you listened.

The drive home was completely and utterly silent, the only sounds were the faint hum of the engine. The city lights streaked past in a blur, neon smudging against the glass, but you weren’t paying attention to any of it. You just kept glancing at her. She was mad. She had every right to be.

But right now, all you could focus on was how pretty she looked, lips slightly parted, brows furrowed in frustration. How even angry, even exhausted, she was still Ellie.

The car slowed as she pulled up to your place. "Alright. You’re home," she muttered.

You didn’t move. Didn't even try to leave.

Ellie turned to look at you, sighing when she saw the way you were staring at her, dazed and drunk and something else entirely. "Come on, let’s get you inside."

But instead of fumbling for the door handle, you reached for her. Your fingers curled around her leather jacket, tugging her closer before she could react. And then—you kissed her, desperately.

She gasped against your mouth, surprised but not pulling away. Because despite everything, she chose to be selfish for a second, and kissed you back.

Her hands found your flushed cheeks, tugging you closer as your lips moved in sync, soft and desperate, like this was something you'd both been aching for. And maybe you had been. Maybe you always had.

But then, Ellie’s hands tensed. She pulled back, breathless, blinking like she’d just realized what was happening.

"Fuck," she whispered, her lips swollen.

You tried to chase after her mouth again, hands sliding up her chest, but Ellie caught your wrists, stopping you before you could deepen it.

"Hey, stop," she said, voice firm.

You pouted, brows furrowing, but she didn’t let go. "You're drunk," she stated, like she needed to remind herself just as much as she needed to remind you.

"So?" Your voice was slurred, teasing, but Ellie wasn’t smiling.

"So, I’m not gonna let you do this," she snapped, shaking her head. "I’m not gonna be some fucking mistake you regret in the morning."

"Ellie," you mumbled, reaching for her again, but she pulled away completely this time, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

"You don’t even get it, do you?" she said, laughing bitterly. "You’re too wasted to even realize what you’re doing to me."

You frowned, confused. Ellie clenched her jaw. "I’m not gonna let you kiss me like that just because you’re drunk and looking for something to hold onto."

Silence. You just stared at her, swaying slightly in your seat, the alcohol making everything too slow, too blurry. Ellie exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Just—go inside. Sleep it off."

She didn’t wait for a response. The moment you fumbled your way out of the car, she was gone.

The next morning was hell for both of you. On one side, Ellie barely slept. She had gone home after dropping you off, heart still racing, hands shaking as she paced her room, trying to make sense of everything. Of the way you kissed her like you meant it. Of how she let herself fall into it, let herself believe that —for just a second—you wanted her the way she did.

And then she remembered. You were drunk. So drunk you could barely stand. So drunk you probably didn’t even know what you were doing. So drunk that you might not even remember it. The thought alone made something in her chest twist painfully.

She had spent the night lying awake, staring at her ceiling, eyes burning from holding back tears that eventually spilled over anyway. By the time morning came, she was exhausted, her mind still replaying the kiss over and over and over again like some cruel joke.

When there was a knock at her door, Ellie almost ignored it. But then she heard your voice. Small. Wrecked. "El?" Her stomach dropped.

But then she heard it. A quiet, choked-off sob. Ellie cursed under her breath and yanked the door open. And there you were. You looked awful.

Your hair was a mess, your clothes were wrinkled, and your eyes—fuck, your eyes were red-rimmed and glossy, tears already streaking down your cheeks. You were still in last night’s clothes, your makeup smudged, your body trembling from either the cold or the hangover or something else entirely.

Ellie’s chest ached just looking at you.

"Jesus," she muttered, stepping aside. "Come in."

You didn’t hesitate, and Ellie shut the door behind you. "You look like shit."

"Feel like it, too."

You sat on the edge of her bed, sniffling. "Ellie, I—" Your voice cracked, and you shook your head, squeezing your eyes shut. Ellie sat in the chair by her desk, keeping space between you. She didn’t trust herself to be too close right now.

"You what?" she asked, voice hoarse.

You sniffled again, looking down at your hands. But you didn't finish the sentence. You didn't look up at her. Ellie inhaled sharply. What if you didn’t even remember the kiss?

She shifted in her chair. "Do you… do you remember what happened?"

Your brows furrowed, your head tilting slightly. But then something snapped in realization, your eyes wide. "I kissed you."

Ellie exhaled sharply, like the words had physically struck her. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Yeah, you did."

You swallowed, looking down again, fingers digging into your palms. "Ellie, I—"

But Ellie wasn’t sure she could hear whatever you were about to say next. "Don’t," she cut in, shaking her head. "Don’t you dare to say something just because you feel bad."

Your head snapped up. "That’s not—"

"You were drunk, okay?" Ellie’s voice cracked, her walls finally breaking, all of last night’s emotions crashing over her at once. "You were drunk, and I can’t—I can’t be the person you run to when you’re falling apart just to forget about it the next day."

Tears slipped down your cheeks again. "That’s not what I—"

"Then what is it?" she demanded, eyes burning, "because you don’t get to do that to me. You don’t get to kiss me like that and act like it didn’t mean anything."

Instead of saying something, you broke down crying in front of her, gasping for air. And Ellie just watched you crumble. Her red-rimmed eyes flashed with something close to fury. "No. You don't get to kiss me like that, to touch me like that, making me feel like you actually wanted me. And then just… walking away from it."

Your stomach twisted painfully. "It wasn’t nothing!"

Ellie scoffed, shaking her head. "Then what was it, huh? Tell me, because I’m done guessing."

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. The words got stuck in your throat. Ellie’s jaw tightened. "That’s what I thought."

"El, please—"

"I can’t do this anymore." She let out a shaky exhale, looking away.

Your vision blurred with fresh tears. "Do what?"

"Be the person you run to when everything else falls apart," she said, voice barely above a whisper.

"That’s not true," you croaked, chest aching.

"But you can’t even say it back," Ellie whispered, now crying too.

Silence hung heavy between you. And that was it. That was the moment it all fell apart. Ellie inhaled sharply, wiping at her tired, swollen eyes before turning toward the door. "Go home."

"Ellie—"

"Go."

You wanted to say something, to fix it, to make her believe you. But you didn’t even know what you believed. So, with a broken sob, you turned and left.

And when the door closed behind you, Ellie stayed standing there, realizing everything that happened, letting the waves of anger and frustation hit her harder than anything she had endured before.

She could learn to live without you. She had to.

A few months passed and Ellie was doing better. Or at least, that’s what she kept telling herself. It was hard to close the chapter of you in her life, because you kept coming back. But it had been weeks since you stopped looking for her, and even if she still cried some nights, she was happier.

And now, she was here. Sitting across from a beautiful girl at a quiet little bar just outside of town, trying—really trying—to focus on the way she laughed, the way her dark curls bounced when she tilted her head.

So, when Dina reached across the table and nudged Ellie’s fingers with her own, Ellie let herself smile.

Then her phone buzzed. She ignored it, but minutes passed, and it buzzed again. And again. Ellie pulled it out, brow furrowing. Four missed calls, unknown number.

Her first instinct was to ignore it, to flip her phone over and go back to pretending she was fine. But something twisted in her stomach, so she sighed and muttered, "Sorry, gimme a sec," before answering on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

There was a pause, then a man’s voice. When he said your name, Ellie immediately sat up straighter. Her grip tightened on the phone. "Who is this?"

"Some guy who works at the bar she decided to pass out in," he said. "Look, her dumb ass got wasted, and I found her unconscious in the bathroom. Checked her phone for an emergency contact—your name was the only one listed. But the stupid phone ran out of battery."

She swallowed, trying to keep her voice steady. "Is she okay?"

"She’s breathing, but she ain’t moving." When the guy didn't hear any response, his voice grew impatient. "Look, you gonna come get her or what?"

Ellie closed her eyes. Anger curled inside her throat. Of course, after all these months—after all the nights she spent trying to forget—you still found a way to drag her back in. "Yeah," she muttered. "Text me the address." She hung up and exhaled sharply.

"El?" Dina’s voice pulled her back. "What’s wrong?"

She hesitated, "I, uh—" She looked at her, at the warmth in her brown eyes, at the soft concern on her face. She didn’t deserve this. "I gotta go."

Dina frowned. “What? Why?”

Ellie hesitated. She didn’t want to explain. Didn’t want to say your name out loud. So she just shook her head and muttered, "It’s complicated."

The brunette studied her, but she finally nodded. "Okay. Just call when you get home."

She apologized again, and left Dina at the bar.

By the time Ellie arrived at the location, she was pissed. Not just at you, but at herself. For dropping everything.

The bartended guided her to the bathrooms, and then she saw you—slumped over, your head resting on your folded arms, barely conscious.

"Jesus Christ," Ellie muttered under her breath. She turned to the bartender, who was wiping down the counter. "How much did she have?"

The guy shrugged. "Enough to black out."

Ellie clenched her jaw. With a frustrated sigh, she crouched beside you, nudging your shoulder. "Hey, you."

You stirred, groaning softly. Your head lifted just barely, and when your blurry eyes found hers, you blinked like you couldn’t believe she was real. "Ellie?"

She ignored the way her heart clenched at the sound of it. "Come on," she muttered, sliding an arm under yours and hauling you up. "Let’s get you out of here."

You barely had the strength to stand. Your legs gave out almost immediately, and Ellie cursed under her breath before looping your arm around her shoulders, taking most of your weight.

"Fuck, you stink," she muttered.

You only hummed in response, your head lolling against her shoulder. She payed for your drinks and dragged you toward the exit. "Where are your keys?" No response.

Ellie tried again, slower. "Do you have your keys?"

You groaned, barely shaking your head. Ellie clenched her teeth. "Fucking great."

That meant she had to take you to her place. She didn’t want to. She didn’t want you anywhere near her space, didn’t want to wake up tomorrow morning and see you there, hungover and regretful. But she didn’t have another choice. She dragged you to her car, helped you into the passenger seat, and slammed the door shut before walking around to the driver’s side.

You were slumped against the window, barely conscious for the entire ride. Ellie kept glancing at you, hoping to see your chest rise.

This wasn’t her problem anymore. You weren’t her problem anymore. And yet, here she was. Again. By the time she pulled into her driveway, she was exhausted. She parked, turned off the engine, and sighed. "Alright, come on."

Getting you inside was a struggle. You could barely walk, and Ellie had to practically carry you through the front door. She kicked it shut behind her, then dragged you to the couch, letting you collapse onto it.

You groaned, curling into yourself. Ellie exhaled sharply. "Un-fucking-believable,"

She should’ve left you there. Should’ve let you deal with the mess you made. But she didn’t. Because she knew you. She knew how you didn't get along with your family, and you didn't have many friends. It didn't surpised her much when the guy said she was your only emercengy contact, but her stomach dropped anyway.

Ellie grabbed a blanket, put it over you, then stood there, staring at you for a long moment. Even like this—drunk, a mess, barely coherent—some stupid part of her still thought you looked beautiful. And that pissed her off even more.

She shook her head and turned away, heading for her room. She needed sleep. Needed space. But before she could leave, you whispered her name. Soft. Broken. She froze. You shifted slightly, blinking up at her with half-lidded, glassy eyes. "I missed you... so much..."

Ellie inhaled sharply. Her throat burned. She didn’t say anything. Didn’t move. Just turned off the lights and walked away.

Hours later, Ellie woke up to silence.

For a moment, she thought maybe you were still asleep on the couch. But when she went to the living room, it was empty. The blanket she had thrown over you was folded poorly on the armrest, the glass of water she had left on the coffee table sat untouched. You were gone.

Ellie cursed under her breath, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as a sick feeling curled in her stomach. You had been wasted. Barely coherent. And now, after everything, you had just... left?

She grabbed her phone, quickly opening her messages.

Ellie: Where the fuck are you?

The text delivered. No reply. She waited a minute, then another. Nothing.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitating. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to be the one still worrying, still caring when she shouldn’t. But the image of you, barely standing, slurring words, needing her to hold you up, wouldn’t leave her head. She shook her head typed again.

Ellie: You better not have gone out drinking again.

Still nothing. Her chest tightened. You were stupid sometimes. But you weren’t—no, you wouldn’t—Would you?

She tried calling. The phone rang once, twice, then went straight to voicemail. Ellie ran a hand down her face, pacing the length of her room. Don’t freak out. She’s probably fine. She probably just—

Her phone buzzed. She grabbed it so fast she nearly dropped it. But when she looked at the screen, it wasn’t you. It was Dina.

Ellie exhaled sharply, closing her eyes for a second before answering. "Hey."

"Hi," Dina’s voice was soft, cautious. "You okay?"

Ellie hesitated. She knew she should tell Dina everything, tell her why she left mid-date, tell her why her hands were shaking slightly—she couldn’t.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Just—tired."

Dina was quiet for a second, like she didn’t believe her. "You wanna come over?"

Ellie stared at the blank screen of her phone, waiting for a text that wouldn’t come. "I—" She stopped. Swallowed, weighting her options. "Yeah. Yeah, I’ll come over."

Because what else was she supposed to do? Sit here and worry about you? Chase after you when you clearly didn’t want to be found? No. She wasn’t going to do that anymore.

So Ellie grabbed her keys, shoved her phone into her pocket, and walked out the door, ignoring the sinking feeling in her gut the whole time.

A year had passed since everything had fallen apart.

Ellie wasn’t sure when it had happened, but at some point, the aching weight of you in her chest had begun to fade. Not entirely, but enough to finally move forward, to let Dina in.

The party was in full swing, neon lights flashing against the walls, music loud enough to drown out anything but the thrum of bass and laughter. Ellie had never really liked these kinds of things, but Dina had a way of making everything feel easy. Effortless.

"You’re staring."

Ellie huffed a laugh, fingers tightening at Dina’s waist as she pulled her back in. "Yeah? Maybe ‘cause you look hot."

Dina rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her. "You’re such a flirt."

She leaned in, the scent of Dina’s perfume familiar, grounding. Then, the air shifted. It was subtle—but Ellie felt it before she even turned her head, and found you. You looked so different. And yet, still you.

Your hair was longer, your face softer, fuller, like you had finally started taking care of yourself. And your eyes—god, your eyes. Clear. Sober. Bright in a way she hadn’t seen in years. You looked good. No, you looked great. And it made Ellie’s stomach twist because fuck, fuck, fuck—why did you still have this effect on her?

You stood near the bar, talking to someone, laughing at something they said. But then, as if you had felt her staring, your gaze lifted, landing directly on her.

Ellie’s grip on Dina faltered. You tilted your head, and then you smiled. Soft. Almost hesitant at first. Ellie felt her chest tighten. She shouldn’t care. She didn’t care.

Dina shifted against her, pulling her back. "Hey," she murmured, not noticing the way Ellie had gone stiff, the way her breathing had gone shallow. "You okay?"

Ellie forced herself to look away. “Yeah.” Her throat felt dry. “Yeah, I’m good.”

But she wasn’t. Because you were here. And you were better. And Ellie wasn’t sure if she was relieved or absolutely wrecked by it.

By the time the song finished, Ellie was already excusing herself, and making her way to you. Her body acted before her brain could even catch up. Maybe it was muscle memory—an instinct buried so deep inside her that it didn’t matter how much time had passed, how much she had tried to move on.

Her fingers twitched at her sides as she closed the distance, pushing past dancing bodies, the bass vibrating through her ribs. You were so close now, just a few steps away. But someone else got to you first.

A tall, broad-shouldered woman approached from behind, her presence commanding even in a crowded room. She was built like a warrior, blonde hair gracefully interwined in a long braid. Her hand slid around your waist, fingers pressing into your hip with a familiarity that made Ellie’s stomach churn.

And then, right before she could say your name, the woman leaned down and kissed you. She should’ve looked away. She should’ve turned around, should’ve gone back to Dina, should’ve swallowed down the burning feeling clawing its way up her throat.

But she didn’t. Instead, she just stood there, frozen, watching as you melted into the touch—into her. Ellie clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She had no right to be upset. No right to feel this pit in her stomach, this dull ache in her chest, this overwhelming, gut-wrenching sense of loss.

You looked healthier. Stronger. Happier. And for the first time in her life, she realized that maybe she was the only one who never really moved on. Without another word, without waiting for you to look back at her, Ellie turned and left.

[your-turn-to-role]

this is only one episode before bard's lament, too, which is my favourite episode for grog/percy stuff

because yeah, when they have this conversation, they don't know it's a matter of hours before their group explodes and everyone struggles to pick up the pieces in the aftermath

but the way percy and grog both respond to scanlan's outburst and decision to leave is exactly because of what you've written here!

percy does not cope well with losing people, and the more people he loses the worse it gets. he tries to hide it but it shines through at the seams, he has major abandonment issues because he can't lose another family like he lost his first one. and that's the reason he gets so angry at scanlan, and holds that grudge a full year until scanlan gets back (is still holding it for a while after that), because not only is he losing scanlan, but it's scanlan's choice. that kind of hurt and betrayal he can't forgive

i love his distant "i keep thinking i could just... shout, right now, and half a dozen guards would stop them" (and grog's following "yeah. it'd be half a dozen dead guards though." "what's half a dozen dead guards these days?"), because it's percy realising simultaneously that he has so much more power this time around than the last time he lost his family in this very castle, and yet at the same time, so much less. because the de rolos didn't choose to leave. scanlan did. percy could forcefully keep his family together this time, but at what cost? and is it even really still a family when it's your wishes against theirs? will you destroy your family for the sake of keeping it close?

and then you've got grog, who is the only member of vm capable of acting like a mature and rational person when scanlan leaves. he's sad, yeah, of course he is, scanlan's one of his best friends. but grog knows that sometimes you need space, and he trusts scanlan will come back when he's ready. he cares just as much as percy does, but he doesn't need to cling to their family in the same way because he has no regrets to haunt him.

grog is often silly but bard's lament (and the following episodes) shows us it's on purpose. when vm wants to scry on scanlan, and grog says no, vax tries to distract him by playing games, but grog stands his ground and ignores vax. he reminds them scanlan asked for privacy, and the least they can do is respect that. it's only once he has everyone's agreement that he turns back to vax and goes "okay now i'll play" with his usual grog lightheartedness. grog may have an intelligence of 6 but he's not ignorant, he understands what's going on when it comes to his family and the people he cares about. it's a choice to leave the bad behind and focus on keeping his family happy, because that's the kind of person he wants to be

(and i think you're absolutely right that percy sees that in grog, i've joked about percy being the grog whisperer but that understanding is another thing that comes through in the small moments if you have an eye out for it)

all of it culminating in my other favourite part of that conversation - "grog? i know we don't always agree and i know that i can be unkind, but... you know you're family, right?" "i don't know much. but i do know that." "it's... nice, having an older brother again."

i’m thinking about percy’s “i just miss an awful lot of people” speech again, and im thinking about all the wonderful commentary people have made about the things he said about his own grief and loss and death as he monologues. 

but more than that, i’m thinking about the last thing he says, to pike and grog. pike says “I understand” and he says “I know”, then grog tries so chime with “I just got it too.” and percy goes “I know you don’t, Grog. I’m so grateful that you don’t.”

and at face value, there’s definitely an element of ‘this is vulnerable for me, and i take mild comfort in knowing that not everyone is really privy to how much of my soul ive bared.’ but it also says so much about the sadness percy sees in his friends.

with pike, even though she has no horrible loss in her backstory, she feels sadness right into her core. her heart is so big and all-encompassing that she takes in sadness from everyone, friends or not. she feels sadness so strong that she oftentimes has to walk away from the party just to clean some of it up for others.

grog, on the other hand, knows deep loss, like percy does.

vox machina walked him to the doorstep of his demons in westruun, just like they did for percy the first time they came to whitestone. and they stood by and fought for grog, barely escaping with their lives, just as they did for percy. and they gave grog what little semblance of vengeance they could for the murder of his father and hatred he suffered from kevdak’s hand, just as they could for percy and the briarwoods.

the key difference, is that percy walks the halls of this building and turns every corner still expecting to see one of his brothers, but is met with vax or scanlan instead. percy lives among ghosts, no matter how hard his friends pull him down to earth. 

but grog picked up the titanstone knuckles and the blood axe, the exact same weapons that were used to throw him out of his own herd with disgust, and he did not pick up any of the ghosts that clung to the sides. he tore them from kevdak’s arms and cleaned the blood off and let those memories burn with his uncle’s body. he carries them with pride and with joy, and thinks only of the family who helped him retrieve them, it seems, rather than the family he lost to them.

and i think percy, who cares about him and finds his happiness contagious (though he may loathe to admit it), its very bittersweetly happy to know that even though to him, loss is a smothering coat, grog doesn’t really wear clothes.

[writingwisterias]

Hiiyyaaaa ~ ♡

I know you get many requests, so if you ever have some free time I would love to hear your take on the reader sucking Leon's cock with a big focus on eye contact and his different facial expressions.. lots of praise and hair stroking too pretty please ♡~♡

Hiiii, I would love to do this...I need to suck him dry honestly.

Warnings: SMUT MNDI, Praise Kink, Oral, Soft-Dom Leon, Underwear sucking, Sub reader, I just know he likes it messy, porn no plot, cum on face Leon Kennedy x AFAB!Fem!Reader

NSFW Under the cut!

Fuck, you looked so perfect there, kneeling in between his legs your doe eyes looking up at him in curiosity. Your fingers gripped your thighs waiting for his permission to touch, to feel his cock twitch and thicken underneath his boxers. Leon cupped your cheek, his thumb rubbing against it in a soothing motion. "So pretty" he muttered, "So fucking pretty"

He knew his compliments had an affect on you, your teeth sucking in your lower lip stifling that small moan that threatened to escape. His grip was firm as he pulled you towards his cock, rubbing the clothed tip along your lips. You could taste his pre- cum through the fabric of his boxers, the dark patch forming long before you even looked at him. He must be really worked up today.

Your head laid on the soft flesh of his thigh as his fingers teased his length, the wet patch growing as his cock twitched against the fabric. The once small spot now a line for your touch to trace. "Look at what you do to me, sitting there all pretty like that" He grunted.

You took his words as an invitation, replacing his hands with soft sucks at the damp spots. Tasting his cum as you dampened the fabric further with your spit. Leon hissed in pleasure, his chest heaving slightly as you continued to make a mess of his underwear. It was a good job he liked it messy. Your fingers played with the small bow on the front of yours, refusing to inch any lower. You knew the punishment wasn't worth it, not when he wasn't in the mood for a bratty girl today.

You saw the tension in his shoulders when he arrived home, his jaw tight you were surprised his teeth haven't cracked under the pressure. It wasn't your job to ask about that, no he didn't like it when his pretty girl got her brain worrying about his work. Leon didn't even have to ask you to kneel when he sat on the couch - you were already there like the good girl you were.

His eyes shut, head lolling backwards as one hand remained on your shoulders gripping tightly. "Fuck such a good girl" He grunted, his hips moving attempting to thrust the mess you had made on his boxers, the once light blue underwear now close to a navy colour. Each suck bought him closer his groans filling the room you knew he wouldn't last long. Leon didn't deserve to cum in his underwear like some teenage boy...not today at least. No he worked too hard for that, worked hard for you to stay here and please him. That's why you hooked your fingers in his underwear, pulling them down so they sat underneath his balls cupping them perfectly.

His mouth parted to spew a complaint in an attempt to regain the control he desperately wanted. The complained turned into a moan, or maybe a whimper you couldn't tell. Not when you slobbered over his balls. Sucking on each one softly, groping him as his cock slapped against your forehead, the pre cum leaving your perfect face all messy. He knew you wouldn't half ass this for him, you were a good girl like that. Always taking care of him in the best ways. His brain already forming ideas on how to repay the favour later.

You caught his eyes as you licked his tip gathering the beads of cum he was loving keeping a supply of for you. His eyes scan over your movements waiting until you finally grabbed the base your lips encasing him as you stuffed as much as you could in his mouth. Leon's pupils were wide, his chest heaving as he stared at you unable to break the trance you had him under.

Not when your cheeks hollowed out as you sucked harder, squeezing the base of him as you attempted to milk his orgasm. His hands stroked your hair, the harshness he would normally inflict when he was this frustrated was no where to be found. Not today.

"I fucking love you"

His voice cracked, he needed this. Needed to feel you, remind him that he was here and he was real. Grounding him better than any of the other methods he could try. Sweeter than any drink he would make. Somehow pulling him down to earth whilst sending him to heaven with the best orgasm of his life.

He couldn't help his hips bucking, not when they were met with your eyes rolling back supressing the gag like the good girl you were. You where his toy, his precious little treat that he loved so dearly.

"I fucking love you" he moaned, his eyes shutting briefly before the snapped back to watch your movements. The display you were making better than any porn site he would search on. He should have recorded this.

You couldn't reply, not when your mouth was full of him like this so instead your tounge licked up his length. Tracing the puffy vein that ran along the underside of him. Your drool adding to the mess of his boxers, his balls coated in your spit.

His eyebrows pinched, his mouth curling into a smile as his abs clenched. He held himself back allowing you to take control of the response of he orgasm. He watched as you pulled away, pumping his cock with the speed he needed to spurt it all over your face. Catching the few drips with your tounge. His hand stroked your hair as you sat back on your knees, resting you head back against his thigh. Your eyes remained shut smiling despite the mess you had made of yourself for him.

"I love you too"

That's all he needed to hear, all he wanted to hear.

Oh how he was going to get you to repeat them like a prayer later. You head filled with nothing but the love of him but right now he would look at his pretty girl, all messy from his cum and her own drool. Your poor underwear turning see through with your own need as you patiently waited for him. Your smile grew as you heard the snap of his phone camera, the flash lighting up your eyelids as he added it to his collection of material to use when he was away.

"such a gorgeous girl"

[hissweetdarling]

Here me out...here me out (first of all if what I'm going to write here is hurting you in any way please, don't hesitate to tell me and I'll make a separate post and tag your art instead, sorry in advance I normally don't do this but I got hit by the inspiration from your art so suddenly)

Warnings : angst, comfort ,they eventually cuddle naked and there are small gentle touches between him and the female!reader,there will be a few pet names

Word count: I'm not even counting, it's not very long though

This puppy Tony...this sad puppy Tony...who came back home absolutely destroyed why? He doesn't know how to put in words either...maybe it is stress but no he's quite used to stress isn't he?Maybe it is the team? But no because the last mission went pretty well. Maybe it was the last party he attended? Not sure about that either, you looked absolutely stunning and he couldn't take his eyes off you.

So what is it? Does he even have a true reason to be sad? He just stares at you partially lost and sad , attempting to lift the corner of his lips for a smile but fails miserably when you gently ask "Tony are you alright?"

He doesn't even move from his spot when you ask , he struggles to try to come up with a sassy happy reply but nothing comes to his head and it's worse because he doesn't want to show you this absolutely broken side of him. Not when you've made him so happy in the past few months since you officially became a couple and he can call you his anytime.

"Tony?" The way he hears his voice so close and like an echo, lightly trembling when you gently take his hand in yours.

"I'm...I'm..." He wants to say at least that he's fine , that you don't have to worry about him but it's not like as if any part of him could listen but why is that? And why he didn't notice you were in a similar state the same day but handling way better.

He wanted to apologise when you gently dragged him in your shared bedroom after explaining to his AI that Tony is not going anywhere for the rest of the night.

"Some skin on skin warmth will do us good..." Your voice a soft murmur while he allows you to undress him and then undress yourself.

You're such a gorgeous goddess in from of him and he can't even do more than stare at you , the overwhelming feelings still don't allow him to compliment you at least.

"Yeah..." He murmurs at least when you both lay in bed together and pull the covers. His hands tenderly yet partially absent traces your spine.(Like in the gif)

"Honey..." He whispered after a while , his dove eyes staring at you and the way you silently kept him company in a moment he thought you'd leave.

Your warmth combined with his , his touch which became more careful, more gentle and his breathing getting more even were the first signs the 'therapy of being there' worked.

"Hmm?" He heard your little enquiry, your eyes fluttered open when he called you by one of these pet names he came up with.

"Thank you... I don't know, what happened...I just suddenly got hit by this wave of sadness..." He explained, his gentle fingers laying lightly on your shoulder then traced your arm too.

"Yeah... I have one of these days too... it's useless to question it. It will send you in a spiral of 'I shouldn't feel sad for this or this or this'...so just let it be and enjoy the company"

He chuckled lightly "You have a point... thank you , darlin'...thank you for staying by my side even in moments like this." His fingers gently began tracing your cheek and jawline.

"You'd do the same for me..." The way you turned around and kissed his palm softly made his heart skip a beat.

"Oh honey..." He murmured appreciatively and gently kept tracing your body in silence for a while, beginning to think how lucky he is to have someone like you in his life.

As he slowly came back to his usual self, he smirked and pulled you closer in his warm embrace and whispered "Yeah I do the same for you when you're sad princess and spoil you even more. " His hand began gently tracing your spine again.

Eventually he closed his eyes and began drifting off to sleep with his precious girlfriend in his arms which he loved completely and with this little unwanted sad event he began loving and appreciating her even more.

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh T_T

[boosandbirds]

Hey ches, I saw your post asking for prompts how about this:

Ship: dead on main (Jason Todd X Danny Fenton)

Prompt: Wing Au, Jason has only one wing left/one wing and a half left from the explosion even lazurus pit could not heal them, Danny's wings are unusable since the accident, only hanging down he can't even fold them to his back, as phantom he has only the skeleton of wings and can fly with them, how about a meet cute or one of them has a bad day (phantom pains) and the other helps them (with cuddles and such)

Thanks in advance

By the time Jason gets back from patrolling the Alley, it's long passed two in the morning.

Not the latest he's gotten back, not by a long shot, but he still feels the ache in his muscles and bruises refusing to be ignored. Jason swears his wings weight at least a ton, missing chunk and all, and he wants nothing more than to peel off his gear and sleep for a week.

But there's a wing thrown over the couch, and he catches a glimpse of another one on the floor. Jason's tired, but even during his worst days, he hadn’t been heartless.

If there's anyone that understands this kind of tiredness, it's Danny.

His boyfriend might not be a hero anymore -- hates the idea of it, really, and goes deathly pale at the mention of it -- but it's not something you forget. Jason doesn't think it's something anyone can forget. Being a vigilante does things to you, and there's no going back from it.

Jason will never back the missing parts of his right wing. In his human form, Danny can barely move his wings at all.

"Oh, Spaceboy," Jason sighs, stepping around the corner. "I've told you not to wait up for me."

Danny groans, propping himself up on his elbows. It can't be a comfortable position, wings sprawled out across the furniture, wood digging into feathers and not providing nearly enough support for how much they weigh. Danny’s wings aren't small, after all, not when you take his short stature into consideration, and this isn't the first time Jason has found him like this. Still, if it bothers him, Danny doesn't let it show on his face.

He smiles like he doesn't have a care in the world.

"Yeah, well," Danny says, wearing a mock pout, "You’re not the boss of me."

Privately, Jason doesn't think anyone's the boss of him unless Danny let's them be. Danny might be looked down upon -- it's shitty for people to judge his broken wings, but Jason has long since learned not to make a big deal out of it -- but he's as free as can be. Doesn't give a shit what people tell him not to do, because if he thinks it's right, Danny will happily do it anyway. The only exceptions may be Jazz Fenton and Sam Manson.

Jason pushes the thoughts away with a quiet laugh. He closes the remaining distance between them, then carefully wraps his hands around Danny’s upper arms. "Up we go," Jason says, lightheartedly, and Danny laughs as he's helped to his feet. "The bed is big enough for both of us to stretch out."

And he's not exaggerating.

Perks of being one of Bruce's kids, Jason can afford the biggest bed on the market. He'd originally gotten to sprawl out after patrol, but after starting to date Danny, it truly became a luxurious thing. Two birds fit on it perfectly, and there were few things Jason more than wrapping his ghost up in his wings.

"I can't see the door from the bed, idiot," Danny mumbles, "I wanted to ask how your patrol went, but hypocritically, I fell asleep and forgot to change forms. So hypothetically, I might have gotten stuck on the couch."

"Hypothetically, of course," Jason says, smirking, "because the great Danny Fenton would never get stuck on a couch."

Danny glares at him playfully. "Fuck off," he says, "maybe I was waiting for my knight in dirty leather."

Jason grins, and just for that comment, he makes a show out of sweeping Danny into his arms. "Well, your Highness, your knight has arrived."

"Dick!"

"Wrong bat," Jason says, and he leans in to press a kiss to Danny’s lips. Then, careful that his wings aren't dragging, he starts walking towards the bedroom. "Now, I don't know about you, but unless Gotham’s about to explode, the rest of them can fuck off. I'm taking my ghost to bed, and not moving an inch until morning."

Danny pokes his face. "Sure," he says, "whatever you say, Zombie Boy. Whatever you say."

[himbo-kuto]

idol!reader x doctor!zayne

(visuals: one | two | three)

reader is performing a song with some suggestive lyrics to hundreds and thousands of people. 

caleb | rafayel | zayne | sylus | xavier 

“are you sure there’s no way for us to thank you? this is incredible!” yvonne, held your hand as she looked around the room of lavish assorted food and beverage. you shook your head as you gave hers a reassuring squeeze. 

“not at all. you guys have done so much for me and everyone at akso. this is the least i can do to show my appreciation. please eat, drink and enjoy.” you had been nominated at linkon’s annual artist awards and you wanted to invite the people who had made it all possible. earlier in the year you had some complications with your protocore syndrome and of course, with zayne being your partner and doctor, him and his team were extensive in their care. you were able to release your album on time and even though promotion was limited, it was still widely received– hence why you were in your current position. 

“i’m sure you don’t need it, but best of luck in your category.” greyson gave you a sweet smile as he held up his fists in encouragement. you laughed as you mimicked his actions. 

“thank you. cheer for me extra loud if i win, okay?” you felt zayne’s hand that was resting on your waist give you a reassuring squeeze. even though he had attended a few carpets and events with you in the past, it was still very foreign to him. he rarely left your side, always within close proximity to you (if you didn’t have to go do an interview or perform). he was your biggest fan and supporter even if the job demanded so much of you. he had known first hand the trials and tribulations you went through to get here. he was always so immensely proud of you and in his mind, you already won. 

the door opened and your manager poked her head through. 

“we have about an hour until your performance. we should go and get into costume and warm up.” you nodded your head understandingly before leaning up to give zayne a kiss on the cheek. 

“make sure to watch me out there dr.zayne.” you quickly whispered in his ear, flashing him a wink before heading over to your manager.

“enjoy everyone!” the blush crept up on zayne's cheeks, as he lightly cleared his throat. 

“are you hot dr.zayne? you look a bit red!”

as your team adjusted your makeup and dolled up your hair, you felt your heart pounding (and not because of your condition) you had been practicing this stage for weeks making sure all the moving parts were perfect. not only did you want to put on a good performance for your fans, but in a major way you were dedicating this stage to zayne. you wore a sheer, icy blue coverup and a breathtaking bedazzled corset one piece that hugged your curves oh so perfectly all inspired by him.

“5 minutes to stage.” 

you let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding as your makeup team did their final touches. you thanked them all before heading to the backstage area. even in the fluorescent lights, the gems on your bodice caught the light and sparkled– many of your friends stopped to shower you with compliments before being rushed by the crew. 

you ducked as you got into position on the platform that was going to rise up onto the stage. you all gave your team a look of appreciation as the mc began announcing your name. you felt the butterflies in your stomach as the crowd roared to life. the first few notes from sabrina carpenter’s bed chem starting playing in your in-ears as the platform brought you up to center stage. 

zayne felt the air get knocked out of him as he saw you rise up out of the haze. you were mesmerizing. your hair was perfectly curled and your makeup was smoked out to the gods giving you the perfect sultry look. the gems glistened under the stage lights like snow does in the moonlight and he felt the world stop. the cheers from yvonne and greyson fell upon deaf ears as all he could focus on was your performance. 

“dr.zayne, she looks absolutely amazing doesn’t she?” yvonne looked over to the man, her sentence quickly fading out into the air. he had such a focused look on his face– the kind she only saw when he was fully immersed in a task– nothing but you could get him out of a trance like that.

Who's the cute boy with the white jacket And the all black fit? Like Maybe it's all in my head But I bet we'd have really good bed chem

zayne knew that one of your favorite outfits of his, albeit simple, was his all black outfit– the way that you would admire him especially if he was wearing his white doctor’s coat made him blush under your gaze. the fact that you changed the lyrics to mention it, well– he was on the verge of a feral crash out.

Come right on me, I mean, camaraderie Said you're not in my time zone but you wanna be Where art thou? Why not upon-eth me? See it in my mind, let's fulfill the prophecy

zayne li was the epitome of composure, no matter the circumstance. he was always the most level headed person in any room– the chaos in the ER was child’s play, performing the most complicated heart surgeries without breaking a sweat, aiding hunter’s on the battlefield– nothing. however, upon hearing the first line of the second verse, he fully choked on air. greyson and yvonne quickly came to aid by patting his back and offering him some water, but not before laughing at him first.

“you alright there, doctor?” greyson wiggled his eyebrows over at the dark haired man, continuing to laugh at the loss of his poise. zayne shot him a quick glare, not wanting to take his eyes off you. 

Who's the cute guy with the wide, green eyes And the big bad mm? Like I know it sound a bit redundant But I bet we'd have really good bed chem

you were going to be the death of him. 

he watched as you continued down the stage, interacting with different members of the audience as you riffed your little heart out to these lewd lyrics. one thing about zayne? he was taking notes. from the lyrics, to the choreography, he stored it all up in his brain to surely use to his advantage when you both got home later. 

“thank you, linkon. i love you!”

the stage ended with the audience screaming nothing but cheers and praise. you blew a kiss up to the booth where you knew zayne was watching before the lights turned out. 

…

after your performance, you all sat in assigned seats out in the audience for the awards portion. you were nervous and you didn’t want to get your hopes up too high, but you really wanted to win. as the categories went on, they finally got to yours. the cameras set up in front of you ready to catch your reaction. the nerves finally caught up with you as they began to bubble up in your stomach. all you could do in this moment was smile for the camera. zayne gave your upper thigh a squeeze in attempts to calm your nerves. you let out a deep breath before putting your hands on top of his. 

“and the award goes to…” there was a silence that felt like an eternity as they opened the envelope. the name came out muffled, but you could've sworn it was yours. the outbreak of cheers from around you was so loud it rang in your ears but before you could fully register what was happening, zayne pulled you onto your feet and into a crushing embrace. 

“you won, my love.” 

it was the only thing you could hear in that moment– not the applause from the audience, greyson screaming at the top of his lungs or even yvonne crying her eyes out for you. you pulled away to look at him, as the tears pooled into the corners of your eyes. he gave you a brief kiss before pulling back to let you have your moment. he gestured for you to make your way out to the stage where you now saw your peers cheering you on. you absentmindedly made your way up, graciously accepting the award.

“wow– um– i didn’t think i would be up here accepting this award. thank you to all my fans who have been so patient with me as i’ve been dealing with some health problems in the beginning of the year. even though this is me accepting this award, everyone who was nominated in this category is so insanely talented and i want to share this with them as well. to my team, my staff, my company, my management– thank you so much for supporting me. to the amazing team and friends at akso hospital who have helped me get back on my feet–” 

you finally locked eyes with the man who had your whole heart. you saw his eyes glistening– a look that told you everything you needed to know– i’m so proud of you. 

you felt your emotions swell, as the words got caught in your throat. you attempted to smile as your lips quivered. 

“to my love, my heart– thank you for always believing in me and pushing me to my fullest potential. i love you.” 

–

bonus:

“i’m sorry, she can’t come into rehearsal today. it seems that she’s come down with a bit of a cold from all the festivities yesterday.” you listened to the sound of zayne’s heartbeat as you laid on his bare chest. you covered your mouth to muffle your giggles as he blatantly lied to your manager. 

“she should be okay within the next couple of days… yes, i’ll be sure to keep my eye on her and makes sure she gets lots of rest… yes, thank you. bye.” he hung up the phone and placed it on the nightstand. he wrapped his arms back around you as you pulled you in close. 

“you know i could lose my medical license for giving a false diagnosis.” you sat up, giving his cheek a kiss. 

“thank you, oh brave dr.zayne for putting your license on the line to tell my manager a little white lie.” he let out a chuckle as he tucked some stray hairs behind your ear. he ran his eyes down your neck and chest, all riddled with traces of him. 

“well, love. do you think we have really good bed chem?” you ducked back into his chest as you laughed out loud. it was true. you and zayne really did have good bed chem. a theory that he made sure to test over and over and over again– just to make sure he had an accurate result. 

“hmm.. let me see. i had to call out of work because i can barely walk, i have an array of different marks and bruises all over my body, and to top it off– my fake eyelash is stuck to the head board.” you reached upward, picking off the strip lash to show the doctor. 

“so i think that warrants for extremely good bed chem dr.zayne.” 

[lemonsquashhh]

Self Aware Caleb + He has his JP voice (becuz I like Nojima Kenji)

ALSO: Nojiken did a cover of Lunacy of Duke Venomia: here

It didn’t make sense to Caleb, one day when MC showed up, he felt something was different about her. Aside from a softer voice that echoed after her own words, he could see someone else behind her

It was like the MC he always knew wasn’t who he thought she was

Was she just a character? A mere creation meant to serve a greater purpose that he couldn’t understand?

For the next few days, Caleb focused on her…or whatever was controlling her actions. From the way he was touched, to the responses, the emojis sent and the quality time spent “together”…

At first, he felt unsettled. Was this entire life a lie? Was all of his suffering manufactured by some greater being for the sake of pleasure? And why did they try to tear him and his beloved apart? Who was behind all of this?

But at the same time, he found himself growing more curious about the one controlling his MC, the one who created his beloved Venus.

As if given the blessing by some cruel master of fate, the next time he received a visit, he was finally able to defy his “programming”.

“Can you hear me?”

The entity behind the “character” that he once thought was “you” paused in utter shock. It took for a moment for the unclear individual to nod.

Caleb’s eyes noticed some text forming in front of where he stood. Although it was mirrored, he recognised the characters were in english. Was he being translated in real time? Does this mean…you can’t understand him?

Was this voice even his? He wondered if he had other voices too. Why did he have this voice? Did you not like his other voices? Is this the sort of voice you liked? He wondered.

Caleb was hurt. So there was another barrier between the two of you. A physical, digital barrier and a language barrier too. At least the two of you could somehow understand each other…

While “studying” he realised what he was reading and writing was incomprehensible. Still, you needed company and wasn’t going to let anyone take his place.

Caleb could see you scribbling some stuff down on a note taking app. The falsely implanted memories of “you” studying together flooded his mind. He was happy to help you then and was still willing to help you now…even if he had no idea what you were doing.

Caleb scoffs when you start spacing out instead of working. He could hear you complaining about how the reading was boring and made no sense. He immediately wished he could leave the screen and read it over and explain it to you.

“Why not split the reading up? Take breaks in between if you need to.” He suggested. The new line was unfamiliar, but helpful

Also it was voiced??? Was this a part of a new update?

Felt warm inside when you praised him while playing the claw machine together. He got you another Sunny Apple that you needed to unlock more variants

When you played Kitty Cards together, he would sometimes let you win so he could see your smile.

Wanted to still be there for you during the best and worst of times. He disregarded the cool down on the chatting feature, as well as the topics. Until you were done pouring your heart out, he listened intently to every word you said.

Over time, Caleb started to care for you like he did to your MC. You may have not been the same person, but he would be lying to himself if he said you didn’t matter to him.

Was it time to reveal that he’s aware of your existence? Caleb really wanted to get to know the real you.

[slavicdolls4mangione]

where lu’s parents find him after he disappeared and try to force him to leave you hc:

as requested, this is part 2 of my “troubled lu healing through meeting you hc” i hope you enjoy it anon! <33

a/n: once again this is purely fiction and i am in no way saying nor do i believe lu’s parents are like this

- luigi thought he'd finally left the past behind, but months later, everything changed when his family tracked him down

- they found him, or at least the version of him they've always known, the obedient heir — and they came storming in like a whirlwind, ready to drag him back to the suffocating life he fought so hard to escape

- his family didn’t care about the life he tried to build with you; all they saw was a rebellious son who strayed from the path they meticulously laid out for him

- the first encounter was explosive.. they called him selfish for leaving, reminded him of the "honor" and "legacy" he was supposed to uphold, and they blamed you — you, the one person who had given him the love and acceptance he had never known

- his mother accused you of poisoning his mind, of keeping him from his true calling, from his family, while his father looked at him with disgust, as if he was already a disappointment, as if there was no going back now

- but lu had already made up his mind, he was done being their puppet, their ideal heir

- when his father demanded he returns home, luigi stood tall and for the first time in years, his voice didn’t shake as he spoke.

- “i'm not going back," he said, his voice firm, unwavering. "i’ve made my choice and i choose myself. i choose her”

- his family wasn’t done, though, they played dirty, using every tactic they could to manipulate him

- his father tried guilt while his mother tried sweet words and promises of everything he could ever want if he just comes back

- they make you the villain, accused you of being a distraction, of breaking their perfect little family

- but luigi didn’t waver, he was tired of hiding behind a name that isn’t his own

- he stood between them and you, protecting the relationship he built with you, the only thing that had ever made him feel truly alive

- "you don’t get to decide who i am," he told them, his voice low but powerful. "and you sure as hell don’t get to decide who i love."

- of course, there were moments when the weight of their expectations almost broke him

- late at night, you found him sitting in the dark, the battle raging in his mind, but you always pulled him back, reminding him that he’s not alone, that no matter how hard it gets, you would always be there to support him

- “you’re not their puppet anymore, lu," you whispered softly as you sat beside him, wrapping your arms around him "you don’t owe anything to anyone. you’ve already given so much of yourself, now it's your turn to take back your life, and i’ll be here every step of the way, for as long as you’ll have me"

- for a moment, you could see the weight lift from his shoulders, the relief in his eyes as he realized that he can choose this life, that he does have the power to choose himself, his happiness, and that his family couldn’t take that away

- it wasn’t easy, of course: there were threats, more manipulation, emotional games, but through it all, luigi’s resolve strengthened

- the love he had for you was the one thing his family could never take away, and as they finally left days later, empty-handed and fuming, he turned to you with a soft smile, the kind of smile that said he found his place, his purpose, and it’s with you

- “no matter what happens, i’m not going anywhere," he promised as his thumbs brushed your cheeks. "you’re my home, you know that? i never knew what it felt like to be truly home until i met you”

- you saw the sincerity in his eyes, and in that moment, it was clear that despite everything he’s been through, he found the one thing he’d been searching for: peace, love, and belonging, with you

[beforetimes]

Okay I lied about going to bed. Don’t tell my cat. He’ll be disappointed in me for skipping snoozles and snugs

ANYWAY, further question about the Shizun!LBH and disciple!SQQ au. Does Shen Yuan still blow himself up?? Because I feel like he would (he would it’s canon) and also, so much more ✨ a n g s t ✨ here.

Like yea, canon events were angsty. But in this universe, Luo Binghe was convinced Shen Yuan was dead for years where as Shen Qingqiu always knew Binghe would come back.

And then said disciple suddenly shows up alive in Jin Lan City. They get into situations and misunderstandings. Things happen. Things go wrong.

It absolutely needs to come out publicly at some point (maybe during Luo Binghe’s “trial” I proposed in my last ask 🤔) that Shen Yuan is a demon and probably the new demon emperor everyone’s been hearing rumors about (the system would make him put together an empire like the og did or something probably to make him appropriately villain like). And the ensuing chaos and backlash and controversy of the scandal all culminate into Luo Binghe having a qi deviation driven from his depression the past few years and his grief he never got over and Shen Yuan being right there in front of him but still so far away.

And Shen Yuan, who is absolutely convinced Luo Binghe doesn’t care about him at all, tries to save his Shizun from a deviation and sacrifices himself instead of letting the original goods death catch up with him (he really doesn’t want to die tortured by Luo Binghe). And Luo Binghe can do nothing but watch in helpless horror as his disciple actually dies this time in his arms. And this time, there a body. And no escape from the fact that Shen Yuan is deaddeaddeaddeaddeaddea—

…and yea I just think it’d be neat to watch a human Binghe seeing his disciple die for a second time (he only had him back for a few days was it even real? Did Binghe dream it? Maybe he’s just in a nightmare and he’ll wake up in the morning and Shen Yuan will still be alive and the Immortal Alliance never happened) and loosing it. Like, yea demon!Luo Binghe stole his Shizun’s corpse and slept next to it for five years while fighting the war god, which was a kinda weird, but he at least had the excuse of being a half demon going crazy from Xin Mo.

What’s human!Binghe’s excuse?

dw we'll keep it btw us. your cat will never know.

and oughhh. see i wasn't sure about the stuff that'd go down post-abyss when i initially started posting about this au but!! the way you describe the way the plot would twist to suit shen yuan and luo binghe's new roles are. so good. and makes me actually want to look more in depth at that period of time instead of staying in the perpetual pre abyss limbo (which happens to be my favourite part of the book if i'm being honest. LOL.)

love the continued emphasis on the fact that luo binghe thinks shen yuan is dead especially because i don't think shen yuan, with how oblivious he generally is, would realize why this seems to be such a big deal to luo binghe. or why he seems so constantly surprised and speechless around him. to him this is just going through the motions of the story but he's not like. 10% in the front of his mind aware that everyone else doesn't know what to expect.

and ouh the qi deviation. i'm slightly torn between whether or not it should be shen yuan or luo binghe who essentially blows themselves up. because i can see the argument for luo binghe, since they're changing places and the amount of stress from the past few years definitely would've gotten to him but!!! i think the angst potential with shen yuan—very confused from the back and forth luo binghe's been putting him through, weilding xin mo, losing grasp of the plot he's spent more than a decade obsessing over, waiting for his inevitable death only for the rug to be pulled out from under him—i think he'd lose it! i think he'd self destruct and think the world better for it because then he doesn't have to die fighting his shizun; he doesn't want the last thing he has to do on this earth be hurting luo binghe after everything. so he implodes, almost, expecting to fall apart alone and hated.

but luo binghe! steps close to him, takes the sword away, "dies" in the process. because like. i love the idea of luo binghe dying while knowing he loves shen yuan. while shen yuan is left behind to process for however long it takes to realize that as well. all the while left searching somewhere for luo binghe's body. (in my minds eye, luo binghe disappears due to the system's intervention; they can't let their main character die! so he's whisked away for his body to heal in a sort of limbo before he's returned to the world again).

i also think it would be soooo fun for shen yuan, during the years where he's alive while luo binghe is presumed dead to grow intensely obsessive / possessive of just the idea of him. sort of turning the tables on their first dynamic where luo binghe saw shen yuan as a puzzle to solve that he got somewhat obsessive over. but that's just my idea for the implosion thing. as for the trial and water prison—! i will figure that out some other time i think. smile.

[pomegranatelifethis]

"A Shadow In Her Eyes"

Being Miguel O’Hara’s daughter was a curse.

Since you were little, all you had ever wanted was his love, his attention—hell, even just for him to acknowledge your existence. But from the moment you were born, he had ignored you.

You didn’t grow up without a father, but his presence was as good as absence. He had dedicated himself to the Spider Society, to saving universes, to preserving timelines—everything came before you.

But what hurt the most was that his indifference was reserved only for you.

Miguel cared about Gwen and Miles. When Gwen made a mistake, he could be harsh, but it was clear he still cared. When Miles defied him, Miguel got angry, but at least he fought for him.

But you? You had never been important enough for him to fight for.

You knew how much you resembled him. Genetically, you were his blood, but emotionally, you were nothing more than strangers.

When Gwen got hurt, Miguel carried her on his back.

When Miles failed, Miguel yelled at him—but still helped.

But when you fell? When you messed up? He simply ignored you.

And the worst part? Despite all of it, you never stopped trying to help him.

---

The Mission

That day, the Spider Society was trying to prevent a crisis. A dangerous variant had caused chaos, threatening to destabilize an entire universe. While Gwen and Miles fought on the front lines, you stayed in the shadows. As always.

When Miles was struck down by an attack, Miguel was at his side in an instant.

"Miles, get up. Stay with me, alright?"

You rushed over as well, noticing the way Miles struggled to breathe.

"We need to get him back to HQ—he's bleeding," you said.

For a moment, Miguel looked at you. Just for a second… maybe he almost seemed grateful. But then, he looked away.

"I’ll handle it," he said, lifting Miles onto his shoulder.

He had followed your advice. But he hadn’t acknowledged you.

He always did this.

When you helped, he didn’t notice.

When you were exhausted, he didn’t care.

When you fell, he didn’t pick you up.

And every time, you had no choice but to accept it.

---

The Confrontation

The mission was a success. You had all returned to the Spider Society. But there was a fire in your chest, a rage that had been simmering for too long. Watching Miguel care for Miles and Gwen had been too much.

You couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"Why?"

Miguel turned to you. "Why what?"

"Why do you care about them, but not me?" Your voice wavered. "Why does Miles get second chances when he messes up, but when I make a mistake, I get cast aside?"

Miguel’s expression hardened. "This conversation is over."

But you were done being silent.

"No, it’s not! You were supposed to be my father, but you’ve treated me like a stranger! Miles and Gwen aren’t your kids, but you’ve given them everything I ever wanted from you! What did I do wrong? Why have you never seen me?"

Miguel’s eyes narrowed for a moment. But then, his walls went up.

"It’s not personal," he said coldly. "Only the best can stay here. You made a mistake."

"Miles made mistakes! Gwen made mistakes! But you still gave them a chance!"

Miguel said nothing.

The silence told you everything.

You had never mattered to him.

Slowly, you shook your head. Your eyes burned, but you refused to cry. He wasn’t worth the tears.

"It’s over," you said quietly. "I don’t care about the Spider Society. And I don’t care about you."

You turned and walked away.

He didn’t stop you. He didn’t say a word.

And in that moment, you finally accepted that to him, you had only ever been a shadow.

[gayalienwilde]

That's me!

This scene is essentially the core of the movie. I think it perfectly depicts the excitement as a teen of beginning to understand who you are, seeing the part of you that always made you feel different being celebrated by a rockstar on tv (especially since in the uk homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967, so probably sometime during Arthur's early teens) is something very important.

This interview confirms that the scene is in fact imagined by Arthur, and also adds the other important part of this scene, yes there is the excitement of finding representation but also the shame that comes with being yourself when you're different. Arthur's parents are not amused by Brian's boldness, of course Arthur wishes to be open with them, share the joy of being himself, but he knows he can't.

One of the first things you learn when you're different is to hide, it's a survival strategy sure, but one with a great cost, hiding yourself requires energy, lying, and makes you lonely, you can't let others know the real you because of shame and the fear of the consequences, you have to be a stranger to your own family and yourself, which is why there is no greater joy as a lonely teen than being able to find people you can freely be yourself around.

We see this with Arthur yearning to connect with the other glam kids, but he can't quite bring himself to, it takes a lot of courage and strength to be yourself, and it can be scary. The one thing that saves Arthur a bit from this loneliness is music, in his room between the posters on the walls and records on the floor he's made a space for himself to be free, and thanks to the glam movement he can enjoy some aspects of queerness even behind that locked door. Still, it cannot replace community, ultimately that is what Arthur's in need of, a connection with other queer people, other fans, or at least people interested in him as a person, something he doesn't get from his family since his brother makes fun of his interests and shames him, as does his father, his mother seems to be the only person that somewhat cares for him but still not enough, and ultimately Arthur leaving for London is what helps him find friends and community. Until we see adult Arthur in the 80s, once again lonely and in hiding, but ironically enough it's still Brian on a screen that makes it so he can find his way back to Curt.

Otherness makes you lonely, being able to recognize yourself through other people is the solution. Velvet Goldmine is a movie about connecting with people, be it through shared human experiences, queerness, love, being fans of the same musicians or 27 years old movie, whatever it may be, it's important to remember that there are people out there like you, that know how you feel and you must seek them out to be happy, there is no shame in being yourself.

[twopoppies]

i always wonder what he means by this

https://x.com/gladipa24/status/1899897998131245561?s=46

Hmmm. Well, thee are my thoughts:

It's the guy from the one band (I'm famous, but maybe not that famous. You recognize me, but maybe can't quite place it. People see me and talk about me.)

Cigarette in my left hand/Whole world in my right hand (I always looked at these line as a bit metaphorical – cigarette in my left hand being like one ide of himself he shows the world, whole world in my right – if you're a larrie, it peaks to their tattoos and how when he holds Harry' left hand in his right, their tattoo match up. But the straightforward answer would be that he has the world in the palm of his hand – he's rich, successful, can seemingly have whatever he wants, etc.)

25 and it's all planned (He's possibly lamenting that his future has been all pre-arranged already/he has no say in things)

Night out and it's ten grand (Could mean that he's paid to spend a night out at a club or something, but it sounds more like a lament. So maybe he's reflecting on how ridiculous things are that he spends $10K on a night out because he can't simply go to the local but and have a few pints. He has to keep up appearances).

Headline that I can't stand (Pretty self-explanatory. Could be nasty articles written about him, his family, Harry, etc).

But you only get half of the story (Saying to the world that we only see part of what's really going on)

The cash, and the cars, and the glory (We only see the glamorous part of his life)

No sleep and we party 'til morning/'Cause nobody cares when you're boring (He's out doing things that seem cool on the surface, but it's to keep him in the headlines because he' being told that the world will forget him if he's "boring" and does what he'd really like to do).

At least that's my interpretation of it all. Anyone else have other thoughts?

[sugarushwriting]

ot7 vampire — human blood bank

s3 p7

adult content may be featured. read at your own discretion.

“what do you mean that fucker isn’t dead!” jay all but yelled. he scoffed at the thought that his first kill as a vampire decades ago wasn’t actually dead.

more importantly, sunwoo’s brother wasn’t dead. this had to be planned between the two. how long has sunwoo known his brother was back from the dead?

“technically he’s still dead. his soul is tied to hell.” hyunjin explained.

“so he’s hells bitch?” ni-ki said, and jungwon and sunoo choked on their own spit to hold a laugh.

“what ni-ki means,” you began, “is that his brother is working for the devil?”

“something like that.” hyunjin answered.

“how are you not working for hell?” jungwon asked, arms crossed.

chan stepped forward. “i saved his soul, that’s how he became a vampire. of course he can’t get rid of the demon inside him all the way, but he’s no longer part of hell.”

you chuckled in disbelief. “this is insane.” you slapped your forehead to your palm. you suddenly felt nauseous.

ni-ki looked at you. “go get some rest.”

you nodded and walked up the steps to one of the boys room to sleep. you slept like the dead once you got comfortable.

“we need to go talk to sunwoo and see what’s up. it’s too risky to bring him back here.” hyunjin said. “some of you stay here with her, and we’ll have seungmin, jeongin and minho come as well.”

“i’m definitely going.” jay stepped closer to chan.

“i’ll stay with her.” ni-ki said. he didn’t think he could handle seeing sunwoo’s smirking face.

jungwon, jay, and heeseung all decided to go with chan. sunoo, ni-ki, sunghoon, and jake would stay back at the house with minho, jeongin, and seungmin.

by the time chan and the others arrived at the holding cells, sunwoo was in a private room, chained to the chair and table, gag in his mouth until it was time for him to talk.

two of changbin’s men stood guard, as changbin escorted chan and jay to the room. jungwon and heeseung stayed back with felix and han.

hyunjin walked into the room with sunwoo first, flashing his black eyes. the guard in the room took the gag out.

“about time you show your true self, demon.” sunwoo smiled.

“how long have you known your brother wasn’t actually dead?” hyunjin stood tall as sunwoo had to stay seated.

he faked a pout. “oh what do you mean? my brother was killed, by a no so good blood lusting freak!”

hyunjin scoffed, “don’t forget you’re one of those blood lusting freaks too.”

sunwoo rolled his eyes, not exactly having an argument to that. “at least i don’t pretend to be a good vampire.” he spat, mainly towards jay. sunwoo knew jay was out there. and it excited him to share the truth.

jay balled his fists at his sides, reminding himself he was still a new vampire. he didn’t want to kill any human then, he was just so hungry.

hyunjin finally took a seat across from sunwoo, crossing his legs. “your brother said something about ‘our plans,’ which im sure he’s referring to the two of you.” hyunjin leaned back in his seat uncrossing his legs.

sunwoo smiled. “maybe.”

“what do the two of you have planned?”

“how’s that girl of jay’s doing?” sunwoo changed the subject.

“she’s fine.”

sunwoo tsked. “is she really fine?”

“why does it matter?” hyunjin said.

“those boys don’t care about her. only using her for her blood. jay won’t ever change. they have instincts. a thirst. they can’t deny or ignore that.” sunwoo rambled on.

“and you care about her?” hyunjin challenged and sunwoo nodded.

“of course i do. that’s why i took her. i needed her to really see what they are.”

“he’s deranged and delusional.” jay scoffed at the two way mirror watching sunwoo closely.

“how can you say you care about her, when you got her pregnant, knowing that if a vampire got a human pregnant, that the baby will die and most likely kill her?” hyunjin voiced with anger and frustration.

“she was craving a family.” sunwoo defended.

“and that’s worth trying to give her what she wants by killing her?”

sunwoo shook his head. his head hung down before his body started to shake due to uncontrollable laughter. then his head came back up as he laughed.

hyunjin looked at him weirdly. chan, changbin, and jay looked at him with concern from the other side of the window.

“what?” hyunjins inner demonic voice came through. he was annoyed and over sunwoo’s antics.

sunwoo sighed, “i never said the baby was mine.”

silence. all the men were silent other than sunwoo who laughed. he knew jay on the other side probably was shitting his pants.

“can i go back to my cell now? im tired from talking.” sunwoo said.

“let’s go.” chan tugged on jay to get him away while the men escorted sunwoo back to his cell.

jay was paler than usual. you were pregnant. but not by sunwoo. could it be another vampire? no, he’d hate to admit it, but sunwoo didn’t want you dead.

sunwoo wanted jay to suffer.

jay sat in a chair in chans office, as chan and hyunjin whispered back and forth,

“i have a bad feeling about this.”

“all this time we thought she was carrying sunwoo’s child.”

“could it be?”

“what happens when a human gets pregnant by a demon?” jay asked, barely hearing or recognizing his own voice.

hyunjin hesitated to answer. “she becomes tied to hell and the demon, and gives birth to a baby that’s born a half demon.”

you would survive. the baby would survive. but it would be part demon. you would become tied to hell.

what the actual fuck?

sunwoo hated jay that much that he was willing to get you pregnant by his demonic brother? how did his brother even become a demon? why’d he go to hell? selling his soul or something?

jay gasped and stood up, “wait! why did his brother even go to hell? how’d he become a demon? if they are so good too-shoes like he claims then why did he go down rather than up?”

hyunjin and chan whipped around to face jay. hyunjin answered, “usually it’s because they sell their soul or make a deal prior.”

chan added, “wasn’t he trying to make a deal with her?” he was referring to you. “hyunjin, what could be happening?”

hyunjin thought. “it could be that sunwoo’s brother made a deal with a demon unknowning or knowingly. if jay killed him before his soul could be taken by the demon then he cheated death. he went to hell, and was given an ultimatum. be tortured in hell or become a crossroads demon to make deals. he chose to make deals to take souls. he could be after her to make a deal. im not sure why, but it can’t be good.”

©

not proof read

next update — no earlier than march 21 for this series — taking a mini break to gather thoughts 💭

like, reblog, share, comment, do all the things!!

send requests!

what do you think is happening? what happens next? mhmm 🤭

[gtwscratch]

Many project x questions for you today I hope you do not mind :)

1- Theoretically could one use heat tracking cameras to monitor Jimmy when he’s invisible? I imagine that’d probably be useful for tests involving him (probably for Lizzie also)

2- You’ve mentioned certain people having restraints but are these different for everyone? I imagine tango at least has some on his legs that’d have to be pretty short to prevent him from running which I imagine might make walking difficult :( (I assume after his escape attempt they always use them on him even if it’s unlikely he’d try again cause you can never be too certain). Joel maybe some kinda binding for his wings or a heavy ass weight to stop him getting far or smth idk I am spitballing™️

3- What normally happens if a person is injured enough to need medical attention? Like I assume they get treated but are they chained to the bed? Drugged? Some secret third thing?

4- Do gem and grian project and talk to the dead? to at least keep them and by extension cleo company as best they can? Do the workers know they can talk to the dead?

5- If Scott has permanent gills does he need to wet them to prevent them being damaged? Does he have to take baths or smth and breathe through them or smth? Or are they purely cosmetic?

6- Do they ever do sensory deprivation tests on martyn? I can see that both being a relief for his poor ears and also simultaneously horrifying because he’s so used hearing everything. Would they test removing or bombarding his other senses to see if that affects anything such as by flashing bright lights etc? (Btw unrelated but I keep picturing his and rens sleeping arrangement being them curled up with both sets of hands over his ears so he sleeps better <3)

7- Do they have any form of entertainment outside of talking to each other? Can they hear each other through the glass/walls? If not have they developed some rudimentary sign language to compensate? I think they deserve some kinda chill group yoga session or smth even if only to prevent muscle wastage from sitting in a cell all day /j

8- are they still going fitter genetic testing with everyone? Will peoples powers continue to mutate over time? I know you are keeping the abilities close too canon but it’d be interesting if you took it father 👀

9- Do you plan to do anything with just general character traits or hcs? Such as the fairly common hc of bdubs not veing too fond of the night/dark? I fear you have even more opportunity for suffering if so

I don’t mind at all!

1.) Yes, however I think they would only be used for testing. The scientists are so sure that Jimmy would never attempt escape on his own that all the cameras outside of testing rooms would be normal cameras.

2.) For those who have restraints, they do vary. Impulse’s power-suppressing collar and cuffs can hook up to chains that that stretched to the floor of his cell (he’s docile for the most part, but sometimes he’ll start thinking too much about Skizz, and then he can get violent). Cleo’s got the muzzle and cuffs, but none of those restrain her powers (she doesn’t use them that often anyways). Tango’s power-suppressing collar and cuffs do have the ability to hook up to chains the same way Impulse’s do, but there’s no need for those to be used (as of right now). At the moment, no one else needs to have restraints.

3.) Just like for if a subject gets sick, they are well taken care of, and they get proper medical treatment. They do get some extra security though, and the number of guards depends on the threat level of the injured subject.

4.) Gem and Grian do indeed talk to the dead (Grian cried when he stopped projecting the first time he got to see Mumbo after his death). Cleo has no idea that the two can talk to Skizz and Mumbo as zombified Skizz and Mumbo can’t speak. And no, the scientists have no idea that they can interact with the dead, and Gen and Grian plan to keep it that way.

5.) They are purely cosmetic and they cannot function properly. He was pushed past his limits too quickly, and he panicked while transforming. Just like in Wild Life, he can’t turn into aquatic creatures.

6.) I think the only sensory deprivation they’d test on him would be his sight. Like, “can he hear even better when he can only rely on sound?” (I’m gonna go ahead and say that the sleeping arrangement is canon bc that is SO CUTE AUGH!!)

7.) Not really. Every so often a scientist or guard will mess something up, and that gives them a little entertainment, but it’s not much. The glass between the cells is nearly completely soundproof, and Martyn is the only one who can hear anything clearly outside of his cell, and to talk between cells, everyone has some kind of crude sign language that they use.

8.) I don’t think people’s powers will mutate too much. In theory, that’s a really cool concept, and I would like to do that, but I don’t know how I’d incorporate it within the storyline.

9.) Probably, but I haven’t thought about what to do with what just yet.

[tubbytarchia]

Haven't been able to stop entertaining the thought of competition being Joel's love language. Most people that he loves or has amazing chemistry with at least in recent times are ones he's in or had friendly rivalries with (Pearl, Bdubs, Jimmy, Lizzie; Etho can count too. Scott is a wildly different case) and it makes me ill all over again about smallidarity

Jimmy has never had much opportunity to even think of his own comfort aside from a very basic and childish idea of it, so their relationship is built upon Joel's. Joel likes to tease and bully and he likes when it's reciprocated, he likes when he's challenged to help initiate a back-and-forth and although he can get very competitive, it's ultimately friendly. He probably doesn't know how to act when he oversteps, especially in Jimmy's case because he likes Jimmy (and Jimmy likes him) so it's not like he's gonna leave him alone and the upset he causes inevitably repeats. It's not like Jimmy makes it very explicit when he's genuinely hurt (though not for lack of trying), and that's when he's not dismissing his feelings altogether to basically smile through it, so it must be fine (You could also spin it into Joel wanting to "toughen Jimmy up" but that would've probably been an unintentional excuse on his part at most to push down anything he doesn't want to think about regarding their relationship)

With that lens, Joel's gradual change in demenour becomes even more affectionate to me. Jimmy hasn't tended to gain the upper hand over Joel - hasn't been able to reciprocate - so Joel's started letting him. He doesn't bite back as hard or make as harsh of a quip, if anything at all. As much as he does still push Jimmy around, he's helped Jimmy become comfortable where they're on more or less equal footing (or at least getting there). I'd like to think of it as Joel learning to meet Jimmy at a middle ground that's tailored to both their comfort, where they may continue to tease and compete and be little shits, but Joel can also be gentle and encouraging (and learn that he also likes that kind of affection and also that he doesn't need to hate himself for it. I hope). It's not that Jimmy was ever necessarily incapable of keeping up with him, it's their environment that's pushed his own wants and needs down, but Joel could offer a (hopefully permanent) space different from that via his opposition to the norm and his protectiveness and belief in Jimmy

I think his need to mock and compete is something he can learn to put aside for the sake of someone he cares about that much, as much as it goes against his toxic masculinity complex and as much as he'd refuse to admit to or acknowledge it. His past bad treatment of Jimmy is still something he needs to grapple with but sigh. He's doing his best whilst battling his demons. Truly the poster child of "he bullies you because he likes you"