#he's mentioned at least xD

[the-crimson]

I was just listening to some sad music while thinking about q!bbh and… the eggs changed him. They saved him in a sense. All of them.

When Bad first arrived at the island he was aimless and much like Foolish, looking for the next subject of entertainment. He was only out for himself and couldn’t be bothered to lend a helping hand to anyone.

Then he was given a little egg with a top hat and everything changed. He had someone vulnerable to look out for, to provide for, and suddenly he was given purpose. All of these little eggs were precious beyond words and everything was perfect until it wasn’t.

Charlie tried to murder Dapper right in front of Bad. That was the first time Bad felt fear in a long long time then a deep sadness settled in when he learned Juanaflippa had died and that’s what sent Slime on his rampage and everything suddenly felt so much more real. The illusion of perfection broke and Bad realized, truly realized, just what Dapper meant to him.

Juanaflippa was brought back but then a hat trick of tragedy strikes and Bad is forever changed. Bad has a chance to walk Tilin home but she chooses to go with Slime who accidentally kills her. Juanaflippa chooses to stay with Mariana and he accidentally kills her - again. And Trump dies of neglect alone in an empty house. (Cc!Bad mentioned on stream a while back that the admins had asked him if he could do Trump’s tasks but Bad didn’t realize how dire the situation was- he blames himself)

Within the span of 24 hours, three eggs died and Bad could have saved each of them. This is when everything changes for Bad’s character. This is where Bad vows that no egg was ever going to die of neglect again. This is when Bad started grinding to become the richest person on the server and ensured that all the eggs had maxed out armor at all times. These eggs dying the way they did is what created the Badboyhalo we knew.

Bad created the warp plate system in the sky so he’d be able to reach just about anywhere near spawn to save an egg if they went down. He is the one who discovered the true utility of warp stones and spread that information across the server. He is the one who informed everyone of the autoeat and XP pump functions of the backpack and set up all the eggs with infinite XP so their armor would never break.

He was so incredibly damaged by these eggs dying that he turned all his hyper vigilance towards protecting the remaining eggs even if he barely knew the parents or the eggs themselves. He would never say no to someone asking for help ever again.

Bad went from selfish and out for himself to the most selfless person on the server. He was a demon seeking entertainment in the wake of eternity and transformed into a servant of the people who gave his life again and again for others without question.

Getting Dapper primed Bad for change. Dapper was the crack in the stone that allowed the walls within him to shatter when Juanaflippa, Tilin, and Trump died. Ever since that tragic day, all of the eggs became part of Bad’s family.… and now they are gone.

Dapper and their siblings brought out the best of Bad. They saved him from a cycle of chaotic indifference. And now he’s alone again. Everything he’s done to protect them has been for nothing. Everything he’s changed, the steps he took towards healing millennia old traumas… all of that was for not.

Some wounds cut too deep to heal. Even with all the progress Bad made, he still valued his entire self worth on how useful he was to others, on protecting the eggs. Every time something happened to the kids, he took it as a personal failure. When Bobby died, he blamed himself for not going with them on the adventure. Now they are gone gone. They fled. They are somewhere Bad can’t follow. He failed them. He had one job and he failed.

It doesn’t matter what happens to him now. Getting them back is all that matters. Bad’s world has lost all vibrancy and he’s physically fading away. He doesn’t notice because he can’t let himself. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting them back. But even if he does… it’s already too late. He failed. He couldn’t protect them. He failed.

When the eggs come back changed (hatched?) all he will see is his failure. If he lives long enough to see his babies return, will they give him the strength to come back from this? Or will their presence give him the reassurance that… it’s okay. He doesn’t need to fight anymore. They are safe now. He can let go. One last goodbye.

Fuck man. I’ve been here since the beginning. Since the second day Bad had Dapper. I’ve watched almost every single stream since. I’ve watched Bad change in real time. I’ve watched Dapper and the other eggs change him. I stayed up until 3 am watching Bad bargain with god to save his son from an unfair death. I’ve watched Bad chase desperately across the map only to arrive moments too late to find Ramon’s corpse. I’ve watched him sit silently weeping while waiting for Jaiden and Roier to say their last goodbyes. I still remember his screams for Dapper when they were killed by pillagers. I remember them stranded in the snow tens of thousands of blocks from safety with no items no food Dapper couldn’t even speak. Terrified that it could end then and there.

The fact that this whole journey has lead us here. Bad is literally dying because he failed them. He failed them in a hundred different ways but this was the big one. This failure broke him. If Bad does end up dying dying at the end of this arc… that would both be the most narratively satisfying yet heart breaking thing that could possibly happen. The eggs saved him in a million different ways. It makes sense that they would also be the death of him.

Bad’s a demon and a grim reaper so I doubt he’d stay dead but I could see Dapper and friends going on a quest to bring him back from where ever demons/grim reapers go when they die. Maybe he’ll finally get some closure from the tragedies he’s left in his wake all throughout history. Maybe he’ll get a chance to truly start over with a clean slate.

Fuck now I’m thinking about Dapper having ti live through their dad sacrificing himself for them and their siblings. We know Dapper was borderline suicidal before being taken so just… Dapper seeing themself in Bad too late and not being able to save him. Killing himself for the greater good. Dapper refusing to accept that Bad is gone and spending every waking minute researching how to bring him back by any means necessary but knowing Bad would want them to move on, to live, to live, to live.

I have no idea where Bad’s character is going. I have no idea if he’s gonna go full villain and burn the server to destroy the federation. I have no idea if he’s gonna sacrifice himself and die trying to get the eggs back. I have no idea if his grief is literally killing him and he’s acting so desperate with the knowledge that he’s on borrowed time. All I know is cc!Bad is gonna take us on one hell of a ride and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[faytelumos]

Jason Todd

Give Me a Character

How I feel about Jason? I love him. He's my boy. He's a martyr. He's a cautionary tale. He's always been doomed since the day he was born. The very universe itself conspires against him because readers wanted him to die. So he dies. Again and again, in every universe, he dies, and he fights, and he tries to make the world a better place, and he wants to be kind, but he is doomed, always, every time, even when he comes back. It's tragic, and I hate what they've done to him, but without it, he wouldn't be the same person. He wouldn't be my blorbo.

JoyFire (Jason Todd x Roy Harper x Koriand'r) is my OTP for this guy. And I will say it out loud, I also enjoy JayTim and JayDick. I like JoyFire because it's like… the family you choose. Each of them has trauma about getting left behind in some sense. So they'll never leave each other. Even if Jason's a jerk sometimes, he will never, ever leave either of them hanging when it matters even a little. And they're the same for him. I like JayTim because Tim thinks Jason is so annoying, and Jason thinks Tim is so smart and capable, and so there's a little bit of pining in there? Especially in the opposite way one would expect by looking at them. But Tim knows that Jason's smart, and I kind of ignore a bunch of the ugliness that happened right around Under the Red Hood with them, to be honest. Not completely, but some of it. I think that Tim can admire Jason's ingenuity and persistence even when he's rolling his eyes at him, and I think that Jason thinks so highly of Tim, even when he refuses to ever say it out loud. And as for JayDick, maybe some of it is just me smashing my favorite dolls together. I freaking love Dick Grayson. Who doesn't? And I freaking love Jason, and they have a complicated relationship, but they love each other, whether you want it to be brotherly, friendly, or romantic. They love each other, and I'll take that in any flavor I can get it.

Non-romantic OTP is also Jason and Dick. You cannot tell me these two don't share the braincell when they're in a room together. But also, they can be hyper competent together. If they're both motivated and working together, they can do anything. Including building a heated roof pool out of cardboard, a carbon metallic alloy, and a "borrowed" shop vacuum.

(Also gotta mention that I adore father-son pair Bruce and Jason. The two of them are just so wonderful together, how Jason brings such joy into Bruce's life and Bruce just wants Jason to heal and realize his dreams, ah!)

Unpopular opinion about him? Willis was a good dad. [lifts a megaphone] Willis Todd was a good dad! He was a victim of a broken system and turned to crime because it was the only means he had to provide for his family! Any time he laid a hand on Jason or Catherine was still unjustified, but it was because Willis was a deeply frustrated and scared man who had no system or room to handle his negative emotions or feel accomplishment in his life! [puts down the megaphone] Domestic abuse is never okay, and that goes the same if a woman is the abuser. But Willis was not an asshole, he was a poverty-stricken petty criminal with the most minimal support system. He loved Jason, and he loved Catherine, and he tore himself up to do his best to provide for them all the way to the end. His story is a sad one, he was not the villain, and I hate it when people say Jason is better off without him and didn't mourn him or feel bad about his death.

There's a lot of things I wished hadn't happened to him in canon, but most of all, I hate what Zur En Arrh did to him.* It was absolutely terrible, and then the fact that nobody was left to give Jason any support at all after the fact because they were all chasing Zur really gets to me. The way that one panel just showed him trembling, so small, alone, asking anybody at all for help…. It breaks my heart. Because it's always like that for him. He ends up alone, on his own, because he's the black sheep and he's mad about it, and he defends people who others leave behind. And it breaks my heart in a way that actually very truly makes me sad. Because there are people who think he deserves it. Including the writers.

[softgrungeprophet]

Peter Parker swearing:

"Holy @$#%%" - ("Holy shit") (Amazing Spider-Man #597)

—

"@☆xxx%#@ bureaucrats!" - ("Goddamn/Fucking bureaucrats!") (Amazing Spider-Man #244)

—

"#$%& me" - ("Fuck me.") (Amazing Spider-Man #798)

—

"#^&$!&!! Johnny Storm and then %#^@$#$&@! his %@#$^!!" - (your guess is as good as mine) (FF vol 1 #17)

—

"Insulate the hell out of it." (bonus dirty talking his own suit, with his tits out) (Sensational Spider-Man vol 2 #27)

—

"Aw, #$%&." ("Aw, shit," knowing Slott's Whedon-esque dialogue patterns, but I'm choosing to read it as "Aw, fuck" instead) (Spider-Man vol 4 #10)

—

Will add more as I come across them.

I'm trying to amass a collection... literally no reason other than "for funsies" lol — so on the off chance anyone wants to send me any other scenes of Peter swearing or saying questionably inappropriate things, feel free! i just ask you to keep it to 616 comics peter/spidey only, preferably, and please include the issue number 🙏

(also don't send me the panel of Ben cussing out a news reporter (iirc), or panels of Kaine. I'm not putting them in this post cause that doesn't count as Peter; they're different people.)

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

Saw you're comment on a different post about Warsaw Demeter being canon Griz's daughter in that production. Was that in the book you got, or somewhere else, because I very much love that.

Hi! Yes, it is mentioned twice in the Warsaw book, in both Griz's and Demeter's character descriptions, both mention that other cats stand in the way of them meeting and that Demeter "cannot come to terms with the fact that other cats do not want to accept her mother into the clan"

I do accept it as canon, partially cuz the book and partially cuz in the boot you can see that they do have some sort of a relationship (Deme and Griz reach out to each other in the beginning, Deme seems to be really invested in the whole Griz thing and is really anxious and worried around her, Deme is first one to greet Griz after Vic touches her)

The book has its issues, but as long as it doesn't contradict what can be seen on stage I guess it's as close to a written canon as you can get

And I believe these character descriptions were written based on interviews with the actors/crew and probably the author seeing the show, so there's that

As a bonus, this Deme is Griz's daughter seems to be a Polish prod thing, as someone told me that in the other Polish production, Cats Chorzów, they seem to have kept this idea, but there Deme is Griz's biggest hater and thus is the one to touch her at the end

[princess-ibri]

Disney Rumpelstiltskin Part 3

(Thanks for your patience! Sorry it took so darn long, I got stuck on the ending, and didn't want to give up until I had figured it out. Its still a bit rough, it started to get rather complex with my larger DisneyVerse creeping in, but I hope it satisfies! )

So the Imp has come back to make good on Corinne’s last, unsettled payment she owns him, and of course he drops the bomb that he wants her baby daughter, which Corinne of course is not in anyway cool about.

It’s at this point that he reveals that all the other things he had her give up where tests to see just how far she was willing to go, giving up her mother’s treasured necklace, Henri’s ring, symbols of Love being more important then power and prestige. He’d had an eye on her for a while, and these tests were to see if she has the potential in her for for Dark Sorceress material and surprise —She totally does!

And she can’t really get on in moving up the Dark Sorceress ladder if she has a baby holding her back, so if she’ll just dump the kid for him to dispose of then she can come with him and get on with growing her dark magical powers, maybe even eventually elevating herself to the throne—

At which point Corinne cuts him off and declares she doesn’t want that at all! She just wants to live peacefully with Henri and their baby, she’s happy with the luck she’s had and doesn’t want more power, doesn’t want to be like the people she’s seen in Dior’s court, constantly scheming and backstabbing and never being actually happy.

The Imp’s face falls, golden eyes flashing with disappointment—and anger. Fine, if that’s how she feels, then she doesn’t have to join him in creating magical chaos. He’ll just keep to the original deal and take the baby, and she can stay and be happy with her boring human husband. They can always have another brat anyway right? If Henri still wants her after finding out she tradded their child to get where she is. She really should have read the fine print on that first bargin the made. But the Imp considers himself a merciful being, he’ll give her three days to think it over and change her mind

Left alone and horrified at the realization of all she has to lose, her family, her humanity, Corinne comes to a decision—to tell her Henri the truth and hope he can forgive her and help her save their child, for the baby’s sake if not for hers if he finds he can’t love her anymore.

But of course he can, he’s always been the best of the people in the court, and he’s not about to lose his beloved wife and child without a fight. The Imp said she had magic, powerful magic of her own. Couldn’t they use that magic to find a way to stop him?

And Corinne starts to feel hope. There's something in that. She might not be powerful enough to go toe to toe with the Imp, but if she could find a way to go around him? Find a weakness of his? She clutches a handful of star, the thing that had started this all off, and summons the magic to her, focusing on what the Imp had taught her into bringing it to the surface. A ball of gold begins to form, a string coming loose and shooting out the door, slithering off into the darkness. Hesitanting only as long as it takes to grab a weapon, the couple join hands and race after it, two Theseus's pursuing the Minator into the labyrinth...

They find their way to strange tumbled down structure in the middle of the forest. It looks abandoned enough, but both know looks can be decieving. They cautiously enter the ruin-- but not cautiously enough it seems. A dizzing burst of light explodes around them, and when they can see again, the Imp sits before them, chuckling darkly.

"What, did you expect to sneak up and find me dancing around the fire singing my True Name? "

Instantly the two find themselves bound by the very thread they'd followed, as the Imp continues to gloat and heckle them. Rage builds up inside Corinne, the same anger she's felt from feeling the neglect of her father, the contempt of the village and Dior and his court. And with the rage comes an idea. What had the Imp said about dancing about and...

"I want to make a new Deal" Corinne says sharply, cutting off the Imp mid taunt.

"Oh? And what is it you could possibly offer me now Dearie? Ready to join me and leave the little people and their little minds behind after all are you?"

"No, I still want to stay with Henri and my baby"

"Then I'm afraid you've nothing I want"

"I think I do..." Corinne whispers, taking hold of the thread of gold that binds her, the thread she herself had conjoured, meant to lead her to find a way to undo this creatures hold on her.

"I'm offering you my Magic"

The Imp's eyes blaze, despite his effort to appear as calm and unruffled as usual, and Corinne can see she's struck gold. "You said I've the potential for great power. I'm offering you that in exchange for leaving me and my husband and child in peace together, free from any harm or machinations you or yours might try. If you promise to leave us be, you may take my magic for yourself"

She twists the cord in her hand, and it shifts into a shining contract and quill, ready to be signed.

"Sign here, and all that potential, all that power is yours"

The Imp hesitates only a moment, greed winning out over caution, seeming not to notice the golden tendrils that flicker along the edges of the quill and contract and loop back into the coil still holding Henri trapped. With a grin of wicked glee he signs the contract with a flourish--

There's a crackle like lightning in the air, and now it's Corinne's turn to smile as the tendrils linking the quill and contract she'd conjured shine with power, looping around herself and the Imp and Henri--and the iron dagger Henri holds in his hand, the dagger that now bears the True Name of the Imp, "Rumplestiltskin"

"A little something for insurance" Corinne says, smirking at the wide eyed Rumplestiltskin. "Iron cannot be touched by the Fay, and so this name can never be erased. If you ever try to break this contract, or if you ever try to touch me, my husband or child again, this dagger will be your undoing. You really should have read the fine print"

For a moment there's an unbearable tension, and then Rumplestiltskin laughs, darkly, wildly. "Oh well played Dearie, well played. Well far be it from me to break the bounds of a contract. I'll be on my way then, but remember--all magic comes with a price. You've paid for our original contract with yours, but you've made a powerful enemy as well. I may not be able to harm you three, but I hope you don't plan on having any other children anytime soon. Enjoy your Happily Ever After while it lasts..."

And then with another flash, he's gone.

And they do enjoy it. They raise their daughter and begin to grow old together, and while there is some sadness that they can not risk having another child, they find that their daughter Regine is enough for them. And for several years all is well.

What happens after that is another story...

Background Bonus Stuff:

Why does Rumplestiltskin deal in babies in the DisneyVerse? Well, long ago a prophecy was made that a Child born of Common Blood raised Royal would be the undoing of the Demon Queen and all her ilk, from whom Rumplestiltskin was of the lineage. He and his family took this to mean a child born from a commoner and a royal. So anytime there's such a child one of them pops up to try and prevent the child from reaching their full potential, influencing events either directly or from the shadows.

Rumplestiltskin prefers corruption over destruction, and turns the children he takes into people unfit to combat the forces of evil, if he cannot turn them fully. All information our couple could have learned if they'd bothered to ask the young woman he'd delivered to be Dior's wife...

(A certain magic mirror that holds the soul of Rumplestiltskin's father tried to help a vain queen destroy a beautiful dark haired princess several centuries ago, and will pop up again to give two sisters in a frozen kingdom some trouble in a few centuries to come. )

Part 1 Part 2

[avirael]

FFxivWrite 2024

Day 16 - Third-rate

Nhagi’ra had tried to reason with them all the way to Gridania. Well, first he had tried to reason, then he had gotten angry, then once they had reached the city he had loudly started to protest against his mistreatment. But neither had his captors been swayed, nor had his screaming caused much more than curious looks and murmurs among the townsfolk.

In the end they unceremoniously threw him into a cell, as if he was a petty criminal, and told him that their superior would speak to him once he had time for that - whenever that would be.

As they slammed the iron bars shut in front of his face someone in the cell to his left was stirred from their sleep. Twocolored eyes observed him through the half-dark for a moment before the other person stood up and stepped closer to the bars. It was another Miqo’te, who mustered him with what looked like a mixture of boredom and annoyance.

“Now, what crime brings me the joy of your company?”, the Miqo’te said casually but with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Defensively Nhagi’ra raised his arms. “I swear, I did nothing wrong! All I wanted was to get something to eat when these guys decided to arrest me for no reason!”

The other Miqo’te rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I believe you. I mean, look at you. These idiots prolly just didn’t like your face. Not that it’s an ugly one…”

Nhagi’ra didn’t really know what to answer to that. Of course he knew that most Keeper tribes of the Black Shroud and the authorities of Gridania weren’t on the best terms but he had not yet experienced their prejudices firsthand. So instead he decided to return the same question.

“And what have you done to be here?”

The scowl on the Miqo’te’s face twitched into a smirk.

”Punched one of the tree-huggers in the face.”

“Oh!…”, Nhagi’ra raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Yeah, I‘m sure that works too…”

“Believe me, he had it coming…”, the other guy added. “Was bullying some poor Keeper at the market just because he could…”

Nhagi’ra sighed. “That sounds just as nice as the ones who nicked me…”

“The guy who threw you in here?”, the Miqo’te asked and grinned. “Once I get out of here I could beat him up for you, if you want…”

“Would that not send you right back here?”

The guy in the next cell laughed, a short laugh that sounded more like bark. “Would be worth it though! Now, come a little closer. I won’t bite… prolly.”

Nhagi’ra furrowed his brows but did as he was told. “They will let me out soon, will they? They have to see I did nothing wrong…”

“Good luck with that!”, the Miqo’te said and reached through the bars to clap him on the back. “I’m rotting in here since three days…”

“Well…”, Nhagi’ra grimaced and tried to choose his next words carefully. “Not to be pedantic, but I don’t think that’s comparable. I did nothing wrong, while you attacked one of them…”

The expression on the other Miqo’te’s face darkened. “Oh! Fine, Mr. I-did-nothing-wrong! How about you talk to the cobwebs in your cell then? Have fun on your own, thinking about how naive it is to think they will make a difference between you and me…”

With a slight growl he turned to leave. Hurriedly Nhagi’ra reached through the bars and tried to get a hold of his arm. “No! No, please don’t leave! I am sorry! I didn’t mean to insult you…”

“Alright, Mr. I-did-nothing-wrong, then tell me exactly what happened before you got here. After a while it gets horribly boring in here. I could use someone to chat...”

And so they talked for a while. Nhagi’ra explained the situation in his tribe, how getting food had gotten more and more difficult and what exactly had happened this particular day as he left to hunt. The other Miqo’te listened with a nod or a sharp-tongued remark here and there and when Nhagi’ra asked about him, the other guy offered some sparse information about himself.

Apparently he was an adventurer that had already traveled around Eorzea and beyond a fair bit. His visit to Gridania had only been for pragmatic reasons but he preferred to spent as little time here as possible. Going wherever he wanted and getting gil for jobs along the way sounded enviable to Nhagi’ra. For a while the Miqo’te talked about their travels and Nhagi’ra listened with great interest but even these stories were all told at some point.

After a few hours they simply sat on the floor beside each other, next to the iron bars and stared into the distance with bored expressions on their faces, waiting for something to happen.

“What will you do, once you get out of here?”, Nhagi’ra finally asked, while wondering if anyone of his tribe was already missing him.

“You mean if we get out here alive at all?”, the other one asked.

An alarmed expression appeared on Nhagi’ra’s face. “What do you mean by that?”

“Dalamud?”, the Miqo’te asked and pointed to one of the windows through which the red glow of the lesser moon was visible. “Haven’t you heard? The Garleans want to throw a moon on us. Shouldn’t be long anymore… Not that I would be sad about seeing Gridania go…”

That in fact was news to Nhagi’ra. Puzzled he whispered, “The wise women of my tribe said this was Menphina’s way of punishing us…”

“Oh, that’s cute…”, the other Miqo’te chuckled and shook his head. “But if I really get out of here before the moon falls from the sky, I’ll leave this fucking town as fast as I can… maybe go to Limsa. Get drunk and see what happens… I would really recommend you to do the same. Don’t waste your time in Gridania. They will always just treat you like some third-rate outcast here. Something they can kick around for amusement or to feel important. In Limsa no one cares what shape your ears or tail have or what color your eyes or skin are… I know a few people there, who could get you some jobs to get started…”

“Really?”, Nhagi’ra asked excited and the Miqo’te shrugged. “Why not? You seem like a nice guy. You in Limsa, that should be fun…”

But just as Nhagi’ra was about to ask why he thought so, two Gridanian soldiers entered the room and walked over to their cells.

The two men stopped in front of the other Miqo’te’s cell and unlocked the door.

“Oh, are you bringing me coffee for breakfast? How kind of you, that wouldn’t have been necessary…”, the Miqo’te asked sarcastically.

The men glowered at him.

“Shut up and follow us! Bowlord Lewin wants to see you!”

“Doesn’t that sound like fun?…”, the Miqo’te joked but turned to Nhagi’ra one last time. “If you really go to Limsa, look for a man called Baderon. Tell him, Nyx sends their regards!”

“Thank you!”, Nhagi’ra replied and then added, “Good luck! And try not to punch any more of them.”

Before he left the Miqo’te looked over his shoulder one last time and smirked.

“I can’t promise that…”

[motherforthefamicom]

I feel like I should listen to zebrahead I have no idea what goes on there but I've heard so many mixed things I feel like I need to know now

oh my god okay so like. i would say no cuz theyre honestly really mid. but also i have this playlist with their whole discography if ur interested… :3

[dailyoyo]

i need to think more abouyt roboy. i need to think more anout roboy. i keep forgetting him i dont want to forget him i like him.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

billions could only have a gay man, who was married, and died by the end of that season; only deal with taylor's upending of presumed cishettery by having everyone who's not terrible be automatically down without putting some crisis about it on them, as the better approach to trying to have people talk about it (true, certainly in this case); extent of its room for rian's latent nonbinariness being "never wearing skirts/dresses, always wearing makeup though"....all that is to say, even with neither of them allowed to be "truly" cishet, b/c that's the rewarded realm for superior people, billions could never do winstuk. but they could be kissing right now

[coockie8]

I love when people claim some of my OCs are overpowered, because while that is 100% true, people never claim that about the characters that actually deserve that claim.

Like claiming Messiah, whose power literally kills him, is overpowered while literally any of the Voidlings (Eldritch Beings and Cosmic Entities) are things that exist in my lore is laughable XD Eleanor, who is not a Voidling, is immortal, and has like limitless power reserves.

But yeah, no, the guy whose ridiculously powerful psychic abilities literally kill him is the "Mary Sue" of the cast. lol. lmao even.

[mundanemiseries]

....hades....premtty....

[simantopia]

i saw one (1) person on an RP help / search blog that said they wanted to RP sims & they're strugglin 'cos nobody else writes sims and then they said they they want to write NERVOUS. and it's like fuck. if i'm here and they're here then who tf's flyin the plane??? 😭

[ducknotinarow]

03 RaphYvonne  🍷💖

| Send a "🍷💖" and My Muse will drunkenly flirt with Your Muse

Raphael didn’t have a drinking problem it was far more he became a problem when he did drink well everyone else’s problem not so much to himself. In truth he should count himself lucky people put up with him when he did go just a tad to far on a drinking binge. And right now? He as the problem of his Twin brother and basically sister Yvonne. They might not be married but Raph had already saw her as part of the family heck if those two broke up? He would still see Yvoone as his sister. Which was good for him on both counts, his poor twin brother who made worrying a special skill and his ever kind heart sister being willing to find him when no one was sure where he landed up. Raphael recalled asking Casey to crash with him, Casey offered to get him bu he assured them he was fine to get there on his own. Raphael wasn’t all that far from their place anyway. Something he planned ahead of time just in case he did drink more than he maybe should, which often he did. Traveling the roof tops was a bit well risky, sure it meant it take the turtle longer to get to his boyfriend, but he didn’t need to add to Casey’s worries showing up a mess too. It was dark enough so if he stuck to the alleyways and such going by the streets would be fine too he’d just give Case a call when was outside so he could help him from there.

Only problem was Raph had no sense of direction when he got drunk, as he stumbled around holding a hand to the closet building for support. Working like a maze was it Don or Leo who told him that trick about doing that? He decided it was Donnie because he was pissed off with Leo at that moment. What should had only taken him ten minutes, twenty at the latest. Went on for hours streets got so mangled and twisted he got turned around so many times. Heard voices a time or two and needed to duck and hide which just made him go in the wrong direction. Honestly Raphael had no idea where he as anymore he stopped and tried to catch his bearings when he heard a familiar voice call his name suddenly turning to see Yvonne.

“Heeeeey!” He loudly calls out waving his arm in the air in truth glad to see someone he knew not fully aware what she was saying when he let himself wobble over towards her arm thrown over a shoulder in need of the support he nods as if he heard what she was saying. When he lifted his head to speak he paused and looked across the way. Eyes narrowing as he tried to focus “I think ‘hat Crees checkin’ ya out Von.”

That was sort of the last thing he recalls before being at Vons place now with her and Don. Soon as they got him inside he just fall on to the floor. Uninjuried as he laid like so trying to get his head to stop spinning. Confused because he swore he was heading to Casey's? He slowly rolled to rest on his shell man he felt like time was skipping on him was he blacking out?

The world felt like it was spinning, or maybe Raphael was spinning? Nah that don’t make sense he sure of that because he’s laying flat on the floor of Von’s place so he can’t be spinning clearly. Right? Brow slowly furrowed as he tried to make sense of his line of thought in that moment, this was nothing new Raphael drunk to a point he couldn’t use his brain. Not much loss there he didn’t use it all that much in the first place after all Raph moved to lift himself up to try and sit best he could but that wasn’t proving to be a good choice as he felt his head go light suddenly, leaning over to grab on to the couch where Von was sitting still seeming to be talking to someone? Jeez his vision was nothing but a blur he might have drank more than he should have. Raph was in for a harsh morning that’s for sure.

Heading turning a little when eyeing his brother Donnie who didn’t seem all to amused right now, not mad either more annoyed. Raphael only catching every maybe fifth rod coming out from his brothers beak as they turned to look towards Raph now. A remark about him being awake being made that Raph just shrugs off.

“Hard to believe when all ya crap bores me to death” he snickers very maturely after to himself mostly “blah blah don’ drink so much and blah blah somethin’ ‘bout not runnin’ round tryin’ ya start stuff with the guy making weird looks at Von here.” That wasn’t exactly what happened it was just some mascot cardboard cut out that sat outside the drive through of some burger place not to far from the docks. But to a drunk turtle? It was a guy trying to pick up on his sister, Don’s girlfriend. Cause quite a scene when the night shift team working the place found a mutant turtle fighting with the cut out. “Don’ see why ya mad Don, fine next time ‘lol jus’ lets the guy eyein ya girl get her number too.” He huffs a bit annoyed at Donatello with not justified reasoning in the least.

Well he grumbles something incoherently against the fabric of the couch. Mostly along the lines of how ungrateful Donnie was for Raph having his back clearly. And, that he liked Von better than Donatello in this moment because at least she wasn’t being a jerk to him like Donatello was. Yes very mature of the red banded turtle. H’es should count himself lucky Von and Don were near by when he was off and about drunken wandering around the city as he had been. Raph just needed to blow off some steam after another one and his and Leo’s famous arguments broke out but, sometimes Leo’s word stung and well alcohol numbed those stings in him. But one drink was always quick to turn into far more that Raph soon lost count, he meant to go to Casey even called to ask if that be fine but guess he miss judge the trip before winding up found by Von and Don. He was compliant in going with them till he saw that stupid looking chef eyeing up Yvonne and right in front of Donnie? Pfft what he was just meant to let it go? Well clearly seeing how it was just a cardboard cut out. Raph ignored that bit even after he realized it after ripping it’s head off. Still didn’t stop the drunk idiot from mumbling that he liked Von better.

“gonna call her Vonnie now,” Raph speaks up with suddenly as he lifts up his head and yells at Don “ Ya ‘hat’s ‘ight you lose your nickname now Donatello cause ya wanna be a big dumb jerk!” Raph managed to make his legs work to get himself to climb up on the couch so he could sit next to Von. Throwing an arm over her shoulders as he casually pulls her over his way and away from Donatello extra measures even given as he scoots to the other end of the couch with her.

“Actually ya don’ get Von at all either, cause ya let anyone flirt with her, and then act ‘ike a big ol’ jerk when I try and have ya back ‘bout it. So no more Vonnie for you lost ya rights.” As if Raphael had like any power to make these claims sticking his tongue out as his brother though because yes clearly Raphael did have the power to make these claims. Yvonne didn’t seem all to bothered by his antics which he took as a good sign. “Side’s I found her first anyway.”

Okay no where was Raphael going with this? Sure that as true Raph was the one spying on Bishop that night when he saw them with Yvonne that night they met and was in a sense the one to introduce them. Though actually Mikey did that bit when she came to the lair but eh that was splitting hairs at that point. But that aside clearly the drunk has some thought going through his skull right now. Leaning back a bit to shift attention towards Yvonne over his twin more putting him on full ignore in this moment. Didn’t care for the looks they aimed his way or whatever he was saying easily brushing them off without a single care.

“Ya know Vonnie if I had a nickel every time I saw someone as pretty as you, ‘d have five cents.” He casually remarks on, hey Raphael wasn’t gay he was in fact attracted to both guys and gals. Honestly, he never understood why was it girls an guys were both so hot to him? Yeah sure he leaned more towards men cause well they were more his speed he just got along with guys a tad more seeing how he was a tough guy and all he liked the excuse of picking fights with good looking gays. But that didn’t mean he was unaware or blind to a women’s good looks. And yeah that meant Yvonne. Who was objectively pretty not his type but hey he knew a pretty face when he saw one.

“I ain’t good at holding conversation like big mouth” He says gesturing over to Donatello “an’ sure he has talked ya ears ‘ight off ya more ‘Han once been there I get it. But would it be okay if I held ya hand instead? Mean got four of ‘em even.”

Thankfully even drunk Raph can’t keep his face straight as he starts to laugh letting his face fall into the couch as his shoulder shake, it was Von after all even drunk he knows that much at least. Beside he had Casey all he was doing was trying to piss Don off.

“Sorry Von I ain’t serious” he laughs even more to himself as he lifts up his face and moves to sit on the other side of Yvonne “But Don still can’ have ya cause he’s a big dumb jerk, so shoo go back to lair. Von’s my friend so ya can’ hang out with her anymore.”

[krysmcscience]

It’s finally done, guys – five whole pages of Narilamb AU comic AND MORE be upon you! (If you have trouble reading any of the text, view the full-size! These pages are huge!)

Yeesh, this took forever. <:)

There’s probably a ton of inconsistencies and anatomy/perspective wonkeries, but this was mostly just comic practice, so Oh Hekkin Well, Lol <:D

(Yes, I am aware the Gateway’s door isn’t present in the Afterlife, and the actual way in is just a pentagram portal. Yes, I put the door in there anyway because Artistic License, i.e. it felt more impactful for there to be a prison door of sorts to walk through to freedom, rather than just a bland boring portal on the ground. 😠)

anyway, i hate backgrounds so much lmao

Alternate ending and a buttload of bonus art under the cut, followed by goofy AU rambles and headcanon stuff:

I’m calling it the Revival AU. It’s not all that creative a title, and someone else has probably used it already, but I am too lazy to really care, LOL

Alternate ending page, which you will Definitely need to view the full-size for, Whoopsie Daisy:

The alternate ending was actually the first ending I finished things off with, because I had a brief badbrain moment where I forgot the emotional beat I initially wanted the comic to end on, and I tend to write comedy, anyway. I later remembered and drew out the proper ending, but I preserved and finished this one, too, because it still makes me giggle.

They had to go back for the followers off-screen in the AU’s real ending. And by ‘they’ I mean just the Lamb, because they weren’t about to ask three newly freed cats to go back into what used to be their prison. The Lamb DID spend some time watching Narinder and the bois enjoying the outdoors first, though:

In other news, here’s the Lamb and me making fun of my anatomy-drawing ‘skills’:

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering why the Lamb is just a-okay with how things went down vis a vis Their Murder, this bonus comic should answer at least some of your questions:

Ah, yes, also this is how they get engaged outside of the alternate ending. Forgot to mention that bit. XD (I already refuse to believe that Narinder is capable of flirting normally, so why would his initial marriage proposal be any better???)

Oh, and before any of them get a chance to actually head back to the cult grounds, there is one potential problem:

And by ‘problem’ I mean something Narinder intends to ignore for At Minimum a thousand years. Cuz he’s a petty bitch like that. :D

what do you mean i drew the lamb too tall compared to the background? clearly they’re standing on top of baal and aym lmao, why else would you think those two aren’t in this one??? (aym and baal got way too excited about finally being outside, you see, and their silly modes are nothing to sneeze at)

And, speaking of heading back to the cult grounds, I’m sure y’all would love to know how the Lamb’s followers felt about the brand new change in management:

It all went better than expected. <:D Tiny ramble now, feel free to skip down to the next comic.

Before you ask, no, the Lamb does not have any actual powers anymore, other than the immortality Narinder definitely grants them. The Red Crown just thinks it’s funny to suggest otherwise, and Narinder does nothing to discourage this. Also, the Lamb and Narinder aren’t actually married here yet, but, uh. Pretty safe to say that particular ritual directly follows the events of this comic. XD

Given how quickly he mellows out in canon, Narinder probably chills out a lot in this AU once he’s in charge of the cult, too, if only because 1.) He’s finally free, and 2.) He’s equally smitten with and distracted by the Lamb. He’s definitely in charge at least 95% of the time, though, because the Lamb never actually wanted to be a cult leader and, now that their time as a vessel is done, they just want to be a normal(ish) sheep who’s wholly devoted to their hot new divine husband.

Some followers do still have some valid concerns about these two being together, though, which I’m sure at least a few of you might share…

Unfortunately for any such concerns, the Lamb is a bonafide masochist in this AU. :D

They’re also 100% a sub, obviously

Anyone at all: Your relationship is problematic and potentially toxic

The Lamb: fuck yeah it is, it’s so hot~ OuO

Here’s just the last panel, made transparent for whatever nefarious purposes y’all might have for it:

Additional exchange Narinder and the Lamb have at some point, probably after the Lamb does a fatal whoopsie while out on a mission trip or in response to things getting a little too sadistic in the bedroom, ahaha:

Look, there is a very important distinction between life and death, and if you don’t understand that, then you’re probably not worthy of being the God of Death, anyway. (At least, according to Narinder, and ONLY Narinder.)

Last but not least, have these shittens:

~Such creative naming conventions I have utilized, lololol~ :D Anyway, there's a few deets on them in the rambles down below.

The rest is all ramble, so before I get to that, I’ll just say – likes and especially reblogs are very much appreciated!!! :D If you happen to really really REALLY like my stuff, meanwhile, I do have a link in my bio to my ko-fi page, where I’m accepting commissions and donations if you’re especially generous… ÓuÒ

Now, BE FREE IF YOU AIN’T DOWN FOR READING MY GOOFY RAMBLES

First ramble is re: Baal’s question of ‘Did it really work?’, since I didn’t feel like expanding on it in the comic proper, and it’s arguably pretty vague? He doesn’t ask because he doubts Narinder or his capabilities, exactly, but because neither Baal nor Aym have ever actually seen their god at full power before (he’s still technically not at full power here, either). It’s not expressly stated how soon the brothers were brought to Narinder after his imprisonment, but whether it was early on or after a length of time for Shamura to (somewhat) recover from his attack, he must have already been weakened, since I have no doubts that there was a huge battle that accompanied the Bishops working together to trap him. So, between that fight with all four of his siblings, sharing his power with a variety of vessels over time, and being chained immobile for a thousand years, he must have been severely weakened by the time he lent the Red Crown out to the Lamb, which would have only weakened him further.

I like to think this is how the Lamb is able to defeat him if they refuse to be sacrificed, despite how it took all four Bishops working together to subdue and chain Narinder in the first place.

All that aside, the three cats have been trapped in the Afterlife for so long that Baal also wanted verbal reassurance that they are all, indeed, actually able to leave it now – something that I headcanon isn’t possible without a significant amount of power (i.e. the Red Crown’s cooperation with its bearer/vessel).

(On a semi-related note, I don’t headcanon Aym and Baal as twins. I like sweetheart big bro Baal and snarky little goth bro Aym too much to have them be that close in age.)

Ah, teeny thing: If you noticed I switched up the art style for Narinder on the second page, that was intentional. It's sort of a visual indicator that there has been a Big Change for him - that being, how much power he has after sacrificing the Lamb. As for why I changed up his arms in the grass rollin' pic, I don't really subscribe to the notion that his arms are spooky bones because they're horrifically injured (beyond chain-chafing scars, that is), but rather just because he's the Bishop of Death, so he can change how normal-to-spooky they look at will. At some point I might doodle out how I imagine his appearance to range between least to most eldritch... 🤔

Next ramble, regarding Narinder’s feelings towards the Lamb...he was initially too focused on being freed from his imprisonment to form any real attachment to them. They were a tool for his use, first and foremost, but he did notice their intense devotion towards him. It was impossible not to notice, because the Lamb was always very happy to see him, even if it was because they died during a crusade (yet again). He wasn’t originally planning to revive them once he was freed, either, because he saw no real point to it – after all, they were already dead when they first met him, just as any other mortal would be when meeting him in the Afterlife, so death has very little real consequence in his eyes. But, once the chains were off, and it really sank in that he stood to lose the most devoted follower he’s ever had, he decided…why put their soul to rest for good or leave them stuck in the Afterlife when he could just as easily revive them again? And why not reward them for their hard work, anyway? Not only would it cost him nothing by comparison, but the future devotion that could come of it would surely make up for his (bare minimum) effort in reviving them.

He wasn’t expecting to get a full dose of that devotion and a smiling face so soon after killing them, though~ :3c (because the Lamb is a bonafide freak, and not-so-secretly into the fucked up power dynamics going on here, lol)

I should mention here that I am firmly of the belief that any non-god/vessel who crosses through the Gateway and into the Afterlife just straight up dies. So, Aym and Baal? Also straight up dead, from the second Shamura brought them through. Their souls were just never put to rest so that Narinder could have some company – if only according to Shamura. Narinder kept the two around mostly out of bewilderment, because honestly, who are these kittens, and what is Shamura’s game here, anyway??? They never even explained anything, they just tossed these kittens into the Afterlife and LEFT!!! At any rate, Aym and Baal being dead is how I explain why their souls apparently become lost in the void if they’re killed, along with the added complications required to revive the two because of it.

So, with those deets in mind, and given a bit of time, if Narinder hadn’t chosen to revive the Lamb, and also hadn’t chosen to put their soul to rest, they still would have woken up at some point, despite being as straight up dead as Aym and Baal. Who, don’t worry, were also properly revived while Narinder was waiting for the Lamb to wake up. Because I am also firmly of the belief that, first, the dead cannot leave the Afterlife without the use of a ritual/relic (and can't stay in the living world for long regardless), and second, dead followers’ devotion isn’t anywhere near as potent as that of the living, given how much more the living stand to lose.

Final ramble, regarding the Lamb’s feelings towards Narinder, and why they’re so devoted to him…

Well, you don’t spend most of your life on the run with your steadily-dwindling herd, trying to evade the ongoing genocide of your species, without becoming a little fucked up in the head. Maybe a lot fucked up in the head. Life is suffering, so might as well have fun with it, right? Maybe start finding death and pain to be kind of hilarious, even a little bit hot, once everyone you know and love is dead and gone, leaving you all alone? And maybe after that, there’s something comforting in how, despite the cold, cruel uncertainties of life, at least you can always count on the inevitability of death, patiently waiting for you until your very last breath? Who knows. Either way, as soon as the Lamb was killed, and they learned that the literal God of Death was offering them a second chance at life and vengeance via effective immortality, they were 100% ride-or-die-devoted all at once. Turns out death is kinder than life – go figure. (Of course, it helps that Narinder is 100% their type.)

They weren’t put off by Narinder’s thinly-veiled sadism or manipulations, either – they’re not too different in those regards, albeit opting for vastly different methods. It’s a very ‘two sides of the same coin’ sort of deal. In order to stay alive once they were made the last of their kind, the Lamb had no qualms with using others to their advantage, and that did not change once they were revived and expected to run a cult. They didn’t care for the position of authority, though – being a sheep and all, they’re much more of a follower than a leader, and thus greatly appreciated Narinder’s need for control. With how they had to keep on their toes for so long, the Lamb was also pretty good at reading people by the time they died, so they could recognize that a lot of Narinder’s posturing was just that – posturing. Dude’s 95% bluster and only 5% bite. He could obviously be vicious when he wanted or needed to (the Bishops' injuries were clear proof of that), but underneath his outer layer of cruelty was a generous layer of tsundere, and underneath all THAT was a soft squishy middle sibling velcro cat in desperate need of attention and affection.

(Which, for the record, he Did Not feel comfortable getting from Aym and Baal – Narinder still has no idea why the fuck Shamura sent them to him, beyond acting as keepers at best or trying to sabotage his attempts to escape at worst. Which, he thought HE sabotaged in turn, by guiding the kittens into being his devoted disciples instead. He thought he was very clever for it. ‘I outsmarted Shamura!’ he thought, despite that there was never anything there to outsmart. ‘What do you mean, Shamura sent your kittens to me for company?’ he demands of Forneus later. It may or may not lead him to pull Shamura out of Purgatory just so he can shake them and scream about how they should have Fucking Explained that!!!)

But, getting back on track as to why the Lamb was so willing to be sacrificed, I cannot stress this enough – if you pay even a minimal amount of attention to what he’s saying, Narinder is REALLY NOT SUBTLE about his intentions. ‘Death is of little consequence.’ ‘Followers are for you to use to your advantage.’ ‘Sacrifice a follower to absorb more power.’ So, yeah, the Lamb knew exactly what would be expected of them once the other Bishops were dead. They knew Narinder would expect them to die for him one last time. But, after all, death is of little consequence (not to mention hot), so when the time came, they wanted to see him freed, even if it meant oblivion for them in the end.

He’d given them a second life, and the ability to avenge their kin, and they felt indebted to him for that – so, while they were still pretty glum about the possibility that they might not get to see him free of his chains, nothing beyond their devotion and debt to him mattered. They never wanted all the drama and expectations that came with the Red Crown’s power, anyway, so, better for Narinder to have it back so that he could deal with it. What he did with the Lamb afterward would be up to him, and seeing as he was their god, they’d accept his decision gladly.

Were they in love with him by that point? Oh, obsessively so, but only in the devotional sense – romance was nowhere on their mind nor radar. That is, until he unexpectedly revived them again, told them he still needed them, and then offered down his hand to help them up.

The Lamb fell HARD for him in that moment. :3c

And now, a tiny shitten ramble. Lu and Li are twins, because sheep tend to have those a lot, and are conceived not long after the Lamb and Narinder’s marriage ceremony. Lu is the minutes older one, but Li is much more mature. I have put no further thought into these two, other than that they are utter menaces, birthed by the Lamb, cling hard to both their parents but especially Narinder (who spoils them rotten), and they are both genderfluid, using whichever pronouns/names they feel like at any given time. They are also both intersex, same as the Lamb, who was initially infertile up until Something Something Vague Magic, which I have also put no further thought into ¯\_(シ)_/¯

oh, and before anyone tries to suggest i headcanon this AU’s lamb as trending more female due to them giving birth or whatever, no, no, a thousand times no, they might have a vag, but they've also got a dick, and even if it's not as big as they'd like, they still know how to use it

Finally, the very tentative name for the Lamb in this AU is Yazdi, which is really just another name for the Baluchi breed of sheep XD (Not that the Lamb is this specific breed, I just didn’t like any of the other sheep-related names I found, ahaha...)

THAT’S ALL FOR NOW (collapses into an exhausted pile of goopy limbs)

[batri-jopa]

Me previously: A-ha! Levan Akin says he made the first georgian movie with a gay theme - while there has already been "I'm Beso"!

Me now: A-ha! So Levan Akin did made the first georgian movie with gay theme that is worth mentioning and coming back to!

[tongue-like-a-razor]

Brother's Best Friend - Part 10

Jake Seresin x F!Reader

A/N: I'm baaaack! Oh how I've missed these two idiots XD Thanks to everyone who sent in ideas for what should happen AFTER THE KISS!

Summary: The trials and tribulations of falling for your brother's best friend.

CW: swearing, shirtless Jake, SHIRTLESS JAKE, fluff, Jake's arms, did I mention shirtless Jake?

WC: ~2800

Part 1 | Masterlist

There are a lot of things you regret in life, but bombing your psych midterm because you were too busy making out with Jake Seresin to study is not one of them. Sure, you might not have remembered the ins and outs of Jungian archetypes, but you sure as hell can recite from memory every single word that had fallen out of Jake’s mouth following the inaugural kiss. You might have been a bit hazy on the details surrounding the birth of behaviorism, but you could certainly attest to the effectiveness of positive reinforcement in the form of Jake’s lips rewarding every correctly answered flash card. Thus, despite leaving the exam room with the sinking feeling that your GPA just took a nosedive, you couldn’t be happier.

Your excitement is short-lived, however, because you walk into the house to the unsettling sounds of grunting. You end up dropping your book bag loudly on the floor in an effort to alert any unsuspecting individuals of your arrival before you happen upon a scene you have no interest in witnessing.

But the groaning doesn’t subside, and you find yourself inching cautiously toward the living room, gripped by a nauseating curiosity. Slowly, you creep through the kitchen and peek around the wall into the living room. But what you see, albeit somewhat strange, is not exactly out of the ordinary. What you see is two grown men doing push-ups on your living room floor.

“Uhh,” you utter, stepping into the room to get a better look at the two of them positioned between the armchair and the coffee table.

Neither one looks up at you. They continue grunting into the carpeted floor against every thrust and then breathing heavily into the silence on their way back down. In unison. Shirtless.

“Okay, I’ll just…” you pause, waiting to see if your presence might be acknowledged before you continue speaking. Several seconds go by without any sort of greeting, as if they haven’t even noticed you enter, so you resume, “I’ll just go wait in the kitchen.”

No response.

“I’ll make myself a sandwich,” you add, your eyes inadvertently landing on the rippling muscles of Jake’s back as his shoulder blades contract.

Before you’re completely entranced by the hypnotic movement of Jake Seresin’s body, you shake your head and head back to the kitchen. But, just as you make your way out, you hear Jake’s strained voice, “We’re counting.”

You glance over your shoulder, but he isn’t looking at you; his mouth is taut and his nostrils are flaring and he winces slightly as he straightens his arms again. You decide not to interrupt them further and retreat into the kitchen to fix yourself some lunch.

You wander back in several minutes later, a jam sandwich in hand, and raise your eyebrows as your brother and your, well, Jake, finally finish with a host of groans and obscenities, and laboriously get to their feet.

You glance between the two of them as they pant and take a bite of your sandwich. Until this very moment, you had no idea how you would navigate your situation with Jake in Bradley’s presence. It wasn’t something that you and Jake had a chance to discuss over the course of the previous evening and you had been hoping to postpone the encounter for at least another day.

However, now that you’re all in the same room, you realize that nothing much has changed; Bradley and Jake are still up to their usual antics, and you are still critically observing them from the sidelines.

“Three sets,” Jake breathes heavily as he rolls his shoulders and meets your gaze. “Of a hundred.”

You stare at him mutely, wondering what kind of reaction he’s expecting you to have whilst your brother stands three feet away. You pull your lips into a tight smile and nod approvingly. “If only you put this much effort into keeping track of your socks,” you respond wryly, noticing the pair that’s tucked into the corner of the armchair; the third that you’ve located in the living room this week.

Jake bows his head and Bradley lets out a snort. “I have hot feet,” Jake mutters to the floor.

You eye the veins along his forearms – more pronounced than usual after his workout – and decide conclusively that his feet are not the exception.

Bradley, who’s just finished guzzling half a bottle of water, hums at you to get your attention. Immediately, you tear your gaze from Jake’s veiny hands and blink up at your brother in alarm, certain that he’s already caught on to you since you can’t seem to stop gawking at his best friend. Bradley grins, his eyes bright with excitement. “So,” he says, “how was your study date?” His smile widens slyly.

You stare at him awkwardly, not daring to look at Jake, even when the latter chokes on his water. Clearly, he has not said a word to Bradley about the events of the previous evening.

Bradley watches you expectantly, ignoring Jake’s coughing fit. “Uh,” you start, your voice sounding unusually fuzzy. “It was, um,” you clear your throat, still not looking at Jake as he finally straightens his back and takes another enormous gulp of water.

Bradley lifts his eyebrows. “That good, huh?” he asks with a chuckle.

You feel your palms start to sweat and it takes a great deal of willpower to keep them steady at your sides rather than rubbing them together and wiping them on your thighs. “Pretty good,” you say weakly, avoiding direct eye contact with your brother.

“Get much studying done?” Bradley asks, picking his shirt up off the couch and pulling it over his head.

You briefly lock eyes with Jake. “Some,” you croak, in response to which Bradley shakes his head knowingly.

“How’d you do on your midterm?” Jake asks, finally setting his water bottle down.

You hold his gaze timidly, not sure how long you can get away with looking right at him. “I probably could have done better,” you confess.

Jake winces slightly. “Shit, really?” he asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

“We warned you,” Bradley calls in a singsong voice as he heads out of the living room. “That dude wasn’t looking to study, and you fell for it.”

Jake tilts his head to the side and rubs the back of his neck guiltily. “Maybe he tried,” he says, still grimacing.

Bradley stops short of the entrance to the kitchen and looks back at him. “Yeah, right,” he says. “Is that what you would do?” he asks him.

Jake’s face visibly pales and he stammers out, “M-me? What kind of question is that?” He clears his throat and adds, “Even.”

“You definitely would not have tried,” Bradley says. Then, he looks at you pointedly. “Next time, just study at home. Trust me.”

You nod, trying not to think too hard about how ineffective studying at home has proved, in fact, to be.

“Want a protein shake, bro?” Bradley asks before disappearing into the kitchen.

“Yeah, man,” Jake calls back. “Thanks.”

The two of you stand very still for a moment, not looking at one another. Then, Jake bends down to grab his muscle shirt off the floor.

“Sucks about your test,” he says, his head hanging so low that his chin nearly rests on his clavicle.

“Yeah,” you agree quietly, suddenly uneasy now that it’s just the two of you in the room.

Jake draws the shirt over his head and then wearily drags a hand over his face. “I’m sorry,” he says, looking at you guiltily.

You shrug nonchalantly and give him a small smile. “It wasn’t your fault.”

He pulls his shirt down over his torso casually, but it’s probably the single most sexy thing you’ve ever witnessed. He sighs and says, “I feel responsible,” but all you could really pay any attention to is the sliver of stomach that he’s so carelessly left exposed. If anything, it’s entirely irresponsible.

You purse your lips and eye him humorously. “Well, that’s very self-centered of you.”

Jake laughs at your comment and you breathe a sigh of relief as the tension between you slowly dissipates.

“Dude, you coming?” Bradley calls, popping his head back in to check on Jake. “First fifteen minutes are crucial!”

“Be right there,” Jake responds and, grabbing his two stray socks off the armchair, starts for the kitchen.

You wander in after him to put your plate in the sink and Jake all but leaps out of your way when you get too close.

Bradley leans into the counter and speaks again, “So, apparently Jake had a wild night.”

The plate starts to slip out of your hand before you make it all the way to the sink, and you sort of toss it the rest of the way. It clatters against the basin but thankfully remains intact. “Oh yeah?” you ask in a high-pitched voice while Bradley watches you curiously.

“I didn’t say wild,” Jake clarifies, shifting his weight uncomfortably as he tries to find a less awkward way to rest his entire frame against the slightly protruding door of the refrigerator.

Bradley makes a face at him. “I paraphrased.”

You try not to smile as you ask, “What happened?” You glance at Jake mischievously as he digs himself further into the corner. The fact that he’s disclosed any details to Bradley is shocking, to say the least.

“Oh, just that he finally made a move on a chick he’s been obsessing over for weeks,” Bradley says with a proud grin.

While you try to process the words ‘for weeks’, Jake counters moodily, “I was not obsessing, dude. Come on.”

You lift your eyes slowly to meet his gaze and he glances at you reluctantly.

“Please, you never shut up about her!” Bradley cries.

Jake exhales sharply and glares over at Bradley, but he doesn’t deny his assertion.

“Who is she?” you ask hesitantly, ignoring the pointed stare you get from Jake as you direct your question at Bradley.

Bradley shrugs. “I don’t know her.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

Jake scoffs in the background while Bradley grimaces. “No, but he won’t tell me, so I’ve stopped asking.”

You withhold a smile and say quietly, “Wonder what she’s like.”

Jake rolls his eyes. “For the love of god –”

But his complaint is interrupted by Bradley when he says, “Apparently, she’s insanely hot –”

“Rooster,” Jake cuts him off sternly, pushing himself off the refrigerator to square his shoulders intimidatingly.

“What?” Bradley chuckles as you bite into your cheek to suppress a grin. “Those were your exact words!”

“Enough,” Jake says, glaring at him threateningly.

“Relax, it’s just my sister,” Bradley says, attempting to diffuse the situation gracefully. “She won’t tell a soul.”

You bat your eyelashes at Jake innocently. “Promise,” you assure him.

Jake narrows his eyes at you subtly. “Tell us more about your date,” he says, cleverly taking the heat off himself.

You lower your gaze and respond with, “It wasn’t a date.”

“But will there be one in the future?” Bradley asks.

You glance back at Jake instinctively before addressing your brother, “Not that I know of.”

Jake chugs the remainder of his shake and walks over to the sink to rinse the glass. He rests his hip on the counter right next to you and asks, “Would you go?”

You look up at him hesitantly, apprehensive about his proximity, even though he still stands a good two feet away. “Where?”

“On a date,” Jake clarifies. “If he asks.”

You gulp nervously, looking back at your equally curious-looking brother. The truth is, you’re afraid of showing all your cards so early in the game. Jake Seresin isn’t a dater, he doesn’t go out with the same girl multiple times. And if he’s only with you because you’re ‘insanely hot’ – his words – he might be spooked by an overzealous response. “I don’t know.” You shrug. “Haven’t thought about it.”

“Bullshit,” Bradley interjects obnoxiously.

“I agree,” Jake adds.

You clamp your jaw tightly, mildly annoyed at Jake for making you the target of conversation yet again. “Are you planning on asking insanely hot girl out?” you enquire aggressively, fixing Jake with an accusing glower.

“How do you know I haven’t already?” Jake asks in a patronizing tone.

You glare at him through squinted eyes. “Wild guess.”

“Of course, he’s gonna ask her out,” Bradley chimes in. “As soon as he stops wigging out about it.”

Jake gives him a peeved look before glancing back at you. “I’m considering it,” he says vaguely.

“Please,” Bradley scoffs and Jake shoots him another ominous glare. “There’s nothing he would want more.”

“That’s not true,” Jake mutters monotonously while you scrutinize the evasive movements of his eyes.

“You literally told me that –”

“Bradley!” Jake shouts. “Shut up!”

Bradley grimaces. “Since when do we keep secrets around here?”

“Since I fucking said so,” Jake retorts.

You glance between the two of them awkwardly and then look down at your feet, stretching out the already uncomfortable silence. You try not to dwell on what your brother has said but Jake wanting nothing more than to take you on a date has you feeling all kinds of giddy. Hesitantly, you say, “I’d probably say yes.” You bite your lip and add, “To study group guy – if he asks.”

Bradley nods, unsurprised. And you don’t dare check on Jake’s reaction. But before you could second guess your confession, Jake says, “He’ll ask.” You steal a glance at him and he catches your gaze. “He’d be an idiot not to.”

You give him a small, half-smile – the half that’s not visible from your brother’s vantage point. But Bradley seems to have lost interest in the topic now that he’s been censored because he starts to shuffle out of the kitchen.

“Hey Bradley!” you call after him. “How was your date?”

Bradley stops and spins to face you. “Finally!” he exclaims.

You smirk at him. “Did she like your shirt?”

Bradley grins. “She loved my shirt.”

“She loved it so much, she kept it,” Jake adds.

Your jaw drops in shock when Bradley yells, “Hey! So, it’s alright to air my dirty laundry?”

“Technically, now she’s got your dirty laundry,” you point out and Jake high fives you.

Bradley shakes his head, but he’s still smiling. “Real mature,” he says. “At least I had the balls to ask her out.” With that, he finally exits the kitchen.

You start after him when your feel Jake’s hand brush gently across the small of your back. You turn to face him and he rests it confidently on your hip. You wonder what he’s going to say but, just when you’re about to articulate your curiosity, he leans down and kisses you square on the mouth. His fingers slide into the hair at the nape of your neck as he takes a hold of your face and, as his thumb sweeps languidly back and forth across your cheekbone, you absently speculate on just how big his hand must be to support your head in such a way. You’re so engrossed in this calculation, in fact, that you nearly miss the moment his tongue enters the equation.

Of course, all of this happens so quickly that, before you can really even kiss him in return, he’s already taking a step back and glancing at the doorway to make sure that Bradley isn’t there.

You graze your teeth over your bottom lip, trying to contain your widening smile as you meet his gaze. It’s nice to know that Jake still wants to kiss you today just as badly as he did yesterday. So much so that he’s willing to risk Bradley walking in on you. You let yourself ogle him overtly for a moment, admiring his tanned arms and the little bit of chest that you could see above the low neckline of his muscle shirt. Then, you say, “I want to hear more about this insanely hot girl you won’t shut up about.”

Jake cringes, busying himself with the dishes sitting in the dishrack. “I’m not sure you’d get along. She’s very confrontational.” He puts away a couple of bowls into a cupboard.

You let out a shocked gasp as if you're offended. “Seriously?”

“Oh yeah,” Jake turns back to face you, grinning as he throws a dishtowel over his shoulder. “Super intense. A little scary.”

“I don’t know, she sounds like a catch,” you say, taking a small step toward him. “I mean, according to Bradley, you’ve been obsessing over her for weeks!”

Jake shakes his head with a chuckle and, pulling you in to give you a quick peck on the side of your head, he mutters into your hair, “I’m gonna kill your brother.”

Read Part 11

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