#hopefully the shorter story is ok

[theprincessandthepie]

good god. I am finally done i think.

[snakesnifter]

im unsure how i feel about toa as a series so far but by god does riordans writing amuse me

[soelstress]

Silent In the Library

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female!reader

Summary: While on a mission with Bucky, both of you get creative to avoid detection.

Word count: 3.3k

Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI , nsfw , explicit sex/smut, fingering , p in v sex , unprotected sex , sex in a library , some language

A/N 1 - This is my second submission for @mercurial-chuckles Smutty September Fest. Thank you for doing this challenge, it's been fun playing around with the prompts.

A/N 2 - Prompts - Asked a friend to pick up to five prompts for me... of course I was given five so two stories it is 🙈 7) finding a somewhat private area at a fancy party to fuck (coat closet, empty office, secluded corner on the big balcony, hedge maze if we wanna get dramatic, etc) 14) Library sex for those dark academia vibes

A/N 3 - Do not Steal, Copy or Plagiarize any part of my work - I think the photo was from the 'Fresh' Flaunt photoshoot but I saved it from Google

A/N 4 - Please let me know if I've missed a warning, knowing me it's more than likely. Hope you all enjoy ☺️

Your limited sight in the dark night only heightened your other senses. Branches of the hedge dug into the skin of your back, scraping the exposed flesh. Warm pants tickled your ear. The smell of fresh greenery swirled with cologne, but the hand around your throat prevented you from inhaling. Your heart pounded and breaths became shorter, you couldn’t take much more.

“Come with me”.

You froze when he suddenly crumpled to the ground without a noise. Not daring to even breathe, your eyes darted around. A shift in the shadows caught your attention, moonlight softly reflecting off black and gold Vibranium to reveal the presence of your saviour. You took a deep breath in relief, the sudden rush of air triggering a coughing fit. “What took you so long?” 

A scoff reached you long before the outline of your mission partner, barely visible in his dark attire. “Despite what Sam believes, I do not have ‘cyborg x-ray vision’. Took me awhile to dodge security AND find you. In a maze. That’s out of bounds. Couldn’t have made it any easier for me, could you?” He stopped near you, pausing as your coughing fit didn’t seem to be easing. “You ok?”

You raised your arms in an attempt to ease your spluttering. After a few moments, it slowed. “Unfortunately for you, yes”. You took a few slow breaths before turning to him. “Sorry for any extra paperwork, I’m sure you’d prefer that to having to deal with me”.

“I can handle paperwork. What I can’t handle is Sam complaining if something happens to you. I wanted to throw him off the plane because he grilled me for a bruise that you got. After our last mission. Tripping over thin air”. Though you couldn’t see his face, you could feel the weight of his trademark scowl. Hopefully he couldn’t see the blush on your cheeks from his words which unfortunately were true. “So can we please try to keep you in one piece to complete the mission and the journey home?”

Right. The mission. The one requiring you to break into the mansion of a former Hydra informant to retrieve a drive that contained information on old Hydra bases and activities. The one that Sam swore would be best to infiltrate on the night of a big party to avoid rousing suspicion. The one he insisted on pairing you and Bucky together. James Bucky Barnes - tonight’s savour, the reason you had previously tripped over thin air, and ultimately your unrequited crush. Part of you wanted to kill Sam who teased you mercilessly for your crush but the other part relished the chance to work closely with the sinfully sexy Super Soldier.

The pair of you had decided to attend the party separately, providing two opportunities to grab the drive, but also separate alibis if required. On arrival, you had started by trying to sneak upstairs to the library. But one lone security guard had thwarted your effort and then proceeded to follow you. In a desperate attempt you tried to escape him in the maze but he had cornered you. He had toyed with you, threatening to take you to the host when Bucky had stepped in. 

A soft grunt interrupted your musings. Bucky had picked up the security guard and removed his phone. Walking a few strides to where two hedges met to form a corner, Bucky carefully launched the guard to land on top of the eight foot hedges so he was out of sight from anyone walking by. You couldn’t help chuckling at the sight. Together you both started to follow the path of the maze in a companionable silence. A few turns had been made and in the distance you could see pinpricks of light from the mansion. Bucky’s warm hand grabbed your wrist. “Someone’s coming” he murmured. You knew he’d be thinking about how to fight his way out as quietly as possible. But with one guard down already, you couldn’t risk attracting further attention.  And only one of you had Super Soldier speed. An idea burst into your mind as you glanced around, seeing a small path in the hedge that led to a dead end after a few paces. 

 You turned and yanked him toward you. “What -“ his question was cut off when you pulled him into a fierce kiss. Bucky froze. You were certain he’d shorted circuited and that you would end up having to fight your way through. Pulling away, you made to turn and face the approaching threat but Bucky guided you backwards towards the small path. His left arm cushioned your back from the hedge, hand cupping the back of your head. His nose and lips drifted along your neck and collarbone, growling when your hands gripped the lapels of his jacket in an effort to pull him closer. Lost in a fog of desire, you felt your body trying to meld to his. His right hand gripped your waist, your leg starting to lift up to his waist in response when he froze again. “They’re gone”. Reality washed over you like a cold tidal wave, the heat of embarrassment soon fighting with the chill you’d felt a moment ago. Though you craved so badly to stay pressed to him, you knew that he didn’t feel the same as you. Besides which and most importantly, you had a job to do. Unclenching your fingers from his jacket, you tried to lower your leg discreetly and checked your appearance as a cover. Bucky unwound his arms from around you but didn’t step back. “What was that?”

Face burning, you sidestepped him with a shrug. “All your training and you don’t know how hard it is to run in heels, let alone fight”. As you walked, you could feel heat in your belly and slick pooling in your panties. Unbelievable. You’d acted like a horny teenager - sharing one kiss and then pressing against him as he held you. How the hell had you lost control like that? There were a few moments of your footsteps before you heard Bucky’s tread catch up. Tension was thick as you silently headed towards the mansion. Leaving the maze, you saw people making their way indoors. 

You avoided looking at Bucky. “I’ll mingle”.

“I’ll hit the bar”. 

Both of you separated at the bottom of the stairs, joining the crowds to drift inside. You began to work your way around the room, spending a few minutes in various conversations and contributing noises of agreement or amusement. It would be enough for the fellow guests to notice you in the moment but difficult to remember later while also giving you a good cover in case security was watching. After thirty minutes, you walked down the hallway that led to the ladies room on the next floor but also the main stairs that led to the library on the top floor. 

“Sam’s gonna kill me, your back looks like you got in a fight with an alley cat”. The rough timbre rumbled in your ear. 

Shrugging, you cautiously began to climb the stairs. “Some guys these days can’t manhandle a woman properly. It’s not the first time I’ve been roughed up”. Bucky fell silent as you moved towards the landing of the next floor. You hadn’t noticed the scratches on your back, Bucky must have effectively shielded your back when he pushed you into the hedge. You bit your lip to hold in a soft moan at the thought. From the way the way he’d handled you and the security guard in the maze, you knew that his version of roughing up would be very different.

“Hold up, doll. Security’s sweeping the stairs. Just lean over and wave like you’ve seen someone”. Doing as instructed, you leaned against the railing. Somehow your gaze landed on Bucky at the bar. A choked gasp escaped your mouth at the first clear sight of him. You knew he wore black from his camouflage trick in the maze. But this was something else. Dressed in a form fitting black suit with tousled hair and stubble dusting his cheeks, he had your heart and mind racing. “See something you like, toots?” Caught in a blue gaze, you blinked before waving. Bucky raised a crystal glass of amber liquid, the black jacket looking snug against his beefy arms and broad chest. 

Taking that as a signal to start moving again, you quietly hurried back along the corridor. “Almost didn’t recognise you without that scowl Barnes. You actually look decent”. 

A soft chuckle sounded through the comm, sounds of movement following. You figured Bucky had left the bar. “Well you clean up nicely too. Almost mistook you for a dame in that dress” he teased. As you crept up the final stairway, a mirror was placed opposite the steps and you took a moment to admire the dress you wore. A black velvet maxi dress that was strapless and had a slit up the left side hugged your body. Blushing slightly, you couldn’t help feeling pleased that he had noticed. Reaching the top of the stairs, you moved towards the correct door. 

You glanced behind you before carefully opening the door to the library, slipping inside before you closed it and looked around. Two walls were lined with books, every floor to ceiling shelf filled carefully and pristinely kept. The door you had just walked through was also framed with shelves of books. A giant rustic stone fireplace dominated the fourth wall to your left, a roaring fire illuminating an abstract painting mounted above it. Chesterfield seats were scattered through out the room. A pleasant smell of old books and leather soothed your nerves and you found yourself relaxing. Approaching the fireplace to examine the painting closely, you were suddenly yanked backwards into the left corner of the room near the door. As you wriggled, you managed to elbow your assailant before being restrained. “Calm down toots! It’s me” Bucky grunted in your ear before letting you go. 

“I thought men from the forties were gentlemen?” Grumbling, you turned and straightened your dress before looking at him to see him rubbing where you’d jabbed him. “Gotta say Barnes, grabbing a lady like that tarnishes your reputation as a charmer”. 

Bucky smirked, his face half hidden in darkness. “Depends on your definition of lady, doll. Besides you’re the one who said about being poorly handled in the maze”. You flushed, earlier thoughts of him handling you resurfacing. “Anyway, come look at this”. He pointed towards the left side of the fireplace. On closer inspection you noticed that the fireplace was not built flush into the wall but instead the stone sides jutted a few feet into the room. Before you could ask if the old man needed his eyes checked, he gently took your elbow and led to you the right side of the fireplace. A little corner nook was formed where the fireplace wall met the bookshelf of the adjoining wall. Near the corner a bookshelf slightly wider than Bucky was built in. “There’s an electronic book safe a few shelves up”.

Glancing around, you saw a rolling ladder on a track. You made to move when Bucky beat you to wheeling it as close as possible, but there was a small gap between the shelf and the ladder. Frowning, you glanced at Bucky who nodded and moved to hold the ladder on one side. As you climbed carefully up the rungs, you heard him move to hold both sides to stop the ladder from rolling. Carefully opening the safe cover, you saw the electronic key pad with the spaces for a five digit number flashing. Looking at the buttons, you could see five buttons had been pressed more frequently than others. As the possibilities for the code ran through your head and you eliminated any as a birthday or memorable date, you thought about how the owner of this mansion had become involved, anything you could remember about his background - of course. You scoffed softly and entered the code. 4-9-3-7-2. The lock clicking open echoed in the quiet room. Shaking your head, you reached into the safe and pulled out a small drive the size of a quarter before sealing the safe and replacing the book cover. You began to descend the ladder, carefully feeling for each step before moving. 

Reaching the last rung, you felt Bucky behind you. Inhaling deeply you slowly turned, using the rungs for support until you found yourself eye to eye with him. Without a word he took the drive from you and slipped it in his breast pocket. His flesh hand cupped your cheek. Blazing blue eyes searched your soul before his lips brushed over yours. Warmth rushed through every fibre of your body. As he pulled back slightly, you ached with want, with need. Lifting your right hand from the rung you caught his stubbled chin and pressed a kissed to the dimple before ghosting a kiss at each corner of his mouth. With a sharp inhale Bucky kissed you softly, almost reverently. He deliberately took his time, a sharp contrast to the fierce kiss in the maze. This was so much better than you had ever imagined, his lips firm and soft though roughened by the stubble peppering his face. You gasped when his tongue traced the seam of your lips, seeking access to your mouth. Once granted his tongue carefully tasted and teased, licking along your teeth and sending shivers down your spine. His tongue brushed yours and you could taste the whiskey he had been nursing earlier. Your thighs pressed together at his luscious licks, imagining that wicked tongue somewhere else. The hand holding his chin moved to drift through his hair while the other arm wrapped around his thick frame. Chests pressed together your leg slowly slid up and wrapped around his waist, grinding against him as you captured and sensually suckled his tongue. With a groan Bucky lifted you off the ladder and held you close. Your other leg wrapped around him as you continue to rub against him. 

Bucky’s lips moved to leave  a wet trail on your face, neck and chest. His right hand moved down your dress and snuck in along the slit. Cerulean eyes widened when he found how wet you were for him.

“The maze” you whisper, answering his unasked question.  

Nuzzling your neck, his fingers slid under the material and glided through your soaking folds. You bit back a moan when he brushed over your clit. One thick finger pushed  inside you, causing you to arch into him. “Fuck… so tight, baby”. As he moaned in your ear, another finger entered you. His thumb brushed your clit as his fingers curled upward. “Squeezing me so tight… God you feel so good”. The only sound that you could hear was your panting and the sound of his fingers fucking you. A burning pressure began to build.

“Barnes” you whimpered, humping his hand frantically. 

“That’s it sweet girl, cum for me”. Bucky’s smile widened as you clamped down on his fingers, his mouth swooping down over yours to catch any noise. 

Using his Vibranium arm to lift you higher, Bucky’s flesh hand fumbled to undo the waistband of his trousers. The sound of a zipper opening reached your ears. Searching blindly your fingers grasped his hot velvet flesh and gently squeezed the tip.

“Been hard since I first saw you in this dress earlier today”. Your eyes widened at the understanding Bucky had wanted you before leaving for the mission. “I wanted to break the fingers of that asshole who dared to touch you”. 

Longing flooded you at the dark threat. “Want you so much. Bucky… Please” you whimpered.

As he rubbed the head of his cock through your folds and over your clit his gaze burned into you, marking you. Lowering you slowly onto his cock, both of you groaned as the thick flesh stretched you deliciously. Once his groin met yours, you let out a small whine at being filled so deeply. 

Before he could move the door to the room opened, chatter and light filling the quiet space. Bucky quietly pushed the ladder back toward its original position before pressing you against the fireplace wall, only the length of the fireplace wall and shadows caused by the fire hiding your presence from the newcomers. Bucky’s eyes never left yours but you could tell his attention was elsewhere. Annoyance swept through you at the second interruption of the night chased by desire. Right now, you didn’t care that your mission was to infiltrate the home of a Hydra agent to steal essential intelligence. Right now, all that mattered was that Bucky - the man who you’d wanted for so long -  was here with you, inside you. These people could notice you at any moment, could catch Bucky balls deep inside you… 

At the thought, your core clenched around him which caused Bucky to let out a muffled curse. His dark brow raised in silent query. You’d never felt so exposed, so reckless and you wanted him in it with you. Rocking your hips, you tried to start moving against him. Bucky’s hold on you tightened as he shifted. A whimper escaped you as he nudged your clit with his movements. His flesh hand covered your mouth, both of you straining to hear any hints that you had been detected. But the chatter carried on, ignorant to the raw exhibition only a few feet away. 

Bucky placed a single finger against your lips in warning. You gently licked his finger before nipping the tip and sucking it into your mouth. Jaw dropping, he inhaled slowly before he began to move. Tongue swirling around the digit, your sucking matched the pace of his slow and steady thrusts. As his body temperature began to rise you were caught in a delightful concoction of senses - Bucky’s scent of sandalwood mixed with the smell of the library, drowning in the depths of his loving and lustful gaze, tasting the slight tang of your arousal on his finger and the feel of his body caging you as you clung tightly to Bucky, trying to pull him even closer. Cautiously he positioned you against the shelf, leaving you immobilised and unable to do anything except continue to take his measured movements. He began to roll his hips and pulled back before repeating the motion. As a wave of heat began to build, you could swear you felt his cock harden further. “Cum” he breathed in your ear. The dam broke and the tidal wave of pleasure overwhelmed you. Feeling a cry rise in your throat you kissed Bucky desperately. With a gasp he twitched inside you, filling you as he rolled his hips to prolong the pleasure as long as possible.

Distantly, you heard the door open and close. Only the gentle crackling of the fire and soft panting filled the room now. Bucky lowered you till you stood on slightly wobbly legs and slowly pulled out of you. Removing a handkerchief from his pocket, he carefully wiped between your legs before doing the same to himself. Eyes locked with yours, he tugged your underwear and dress back into place before tucking himself back into his pants, placing the folded handkerchief into his pants pocket. Leaning forward he caught your mouth in a soft tender kiss. “That should’ve been our first kiss” he murmured. 

“So what happens now?” You hated to think that this had only happened because of the mission, that nothing had changed. When his fingers entwined with yours, you were surprised to see him smiling softly.

“Long term? I want to court you baby, for you to be my girl and me to be your guy. But now? We leave, head home and handover the drive”. A twinkle danced in his eye as his smile changed to a smirk. “And then I want to hear you all night. No interruptions. No being quiet.” His brow puckered in confusion when you giggled. “What?”

“Looks like we’ll both be giving Sam something to complain about”.

[octospace]

Caitvi will always be very special in my heart because what do you mean some company gave a green light to a lesbian love story about more than unconditional love, a lesbian love story about unconditional acceptance and affection.

We never see none of them say sorry (except when Vi ask Caitlyn to not change) but they are accepting each other over and over no questions asked, like when they leave Stillwater and Caitlyn have the tickets so they can go to Zaun using conventional means but Vi just jump head first into the craziest parkour deep down the buildings and Caitlyn just follows her even she had no idea where she was or even if Vi would be waiting for her down there. She gets mad but she just accept the stolen clothes and let it go.

Vi left her at the brothel to go head first into a fight with Sevika, almost got herself killed, was saved last minute by Caitlyn and they just start a banter (?). Vi calls her cupcake and tells her she’s an alright shot and that’s her way to say “oh my bad I fucked things up” to which Caitlyn just FLIRTS BACK with that playful “I’m an excellent shoot” and also this is the moment Caitlyn share her name with Vi, this is Caitlyn saying “I’m mad but I accept your clumsy apology”.

Then Caitlyn finds out Vi knew since their meeting with Sevika that her sister was Jinx (the terrorist), they got captured by Ekko and the firelights but without knowing that Vi its actually ok and Ekko it’s her family she was ready to give herself to save Vi, again accepting that even though Vi got them kidnapped she does not care because she’s actually more worried than mad.

After that Vi decide to go back after Jinx, everything it’s blown up by Jinx yet again and Caitlyn conforms Vi in her bed by being the first person in the whole series to tell her “what happened to your sister it’s not your fault”. Council meet goes wrong Vi left and go head first into danger yet again and Caitlyn it’s not actually mad at her when season 2 starts, she falls into Vi arms without thinking expecting Vi will catch her.

And to make this post short season 2 they break up because even though Caitlyn got her back all the time Vi deny her the only thing Caitlyn ask her because it’s too much, Caitlyn goes on her soft evil arc because she’s trapped by Ambessa and after their first meeting what Caitlyn does? She got Vi’s back again! She started a war, left Vi choose Jinx and release her, she betrayed and army because she accept and love Vi unconditionally.

I really hope we will see some amazing lesbian stories like this soon rather than later, took me almost 30 years to see one, hopefully it will take shorter for the next one.

[altraviolet]

Hello hello! I hope you’re doing well! I’m in the midst of writing my own fic now and I was wondering if you had any tips on writing slow burns? I have a lot of spaced out key moments in my head for their relationship but I’m trying to figure out what goes in between and how to make it meaningful.

Hi nikkimna!

Yes! I do have some advice for filling in the spaces between the key points:

side plots!

Side characters with their own problems and character arcs. The key is making them relevant to the overarching story and/or the characters involved in the slow burn. The way I usually do this is have at least one of the slow burn characters touch the lives of the side characters (in TEG, for example, Soundwave's presence on the ship positively impacted all the members of the Most Recents Club).

Knowing what to put in is a little easier than making it meaningful.

The easiest way to make a side character feel important - and thus the reader will care about them, and thus when they change it feels meaningful - is for them to have clear wants and for the reader to spend time with them.

Heck I'll just use TEG ok ok so in like, Chapter 2, we see Mirage being a sad boy and interacting in a very strong way with Rodimus. We don't know exactly what he wants at that point, but we know something is important to him in his own dimension, and he wants to go back for it. This scene generates some mystery/interest (why would Mirage want to go back??), it gives the reader a lil intro to Mirage (kind of a snooty boy), and it also showcases Rodimus's attitude towards the crew, specifically the newest members (he wants to make them happy). The scene fulfills the 2 guidelines above: the side character Mirage has a clear want (well, a mystery, but we know he wants something for sure) and we spend the whole scene with him and one of the main slow burn characters, Rodimus.

The Irradion arc is a good example of this as well: Soundwave spends a LOT of time with Mirage and Aquafend. Since the scenes are told from Aquafend's point of view, the reader grows to care about him (hopefully).

The way you construct your story is going to dictate how many side characters it can handle, how complex and intertwined all the characters' wants are, how the reader spends time with each side character, etc etc. If you're planning a shorter story, have fewer side characters. If you're planning a huge long one, you can put in as many as you can handle.

Let's say you don't want to have a lot of side characters, or your story doesn't really allow for them. In this case, you can make side plots happen by way of the slow burn characters going on lots of mini side quests together. As long as each side quest feeds into the larger story arc, they won't feel extraneous to the reader. Quiet moments are definitely allowed here! But bonus if they serve several purposes, like "this is a scene where the characters play video games and get a bit of time together" and also "this scene ends in such a way that it elides into the next scene." In this case, the reader gets a breather, but also a natural segue into the next scene.

(as a side note: I heavily recommend each scene accomplishing more than one thing. this makes each scene more important and helps with flow, and also keeps the writing a bit tighter)

If you're having trouble thinking of side quests, or what the side characters' wants could be, think about these things:

Theme

do you have a theme in mind? every side character could be a different interpretation of the theme.

example: theme is War.

Character 1 loves the war. Character 2 hates the war. Character 3 thrives on the war and worries what will happen to their business when it ends. Character 4 grew up outside the war and is peering in like Huh??

What happens when you put all these characters in the same, war-related situation? I'm sure they will all act differently.

Setting

do you know what environments your story takes place in? are there any interesting politics or cultural aspects to these environments you can capitalize on?

example: Iacon, post war

Is Iacon in a terrible state and needs to be rebuilt? What do the characters have to say about that?

Is Iacon reborn in a reformatting of Cybertron and ready to be ruled and lived in? Who wants to do the ruling? Who wants to live there, or not live there?

Internal conflicts

These would most likely be the internal conflicts that your slow burn characters have. Do they have issues with themselves currently? Their pasts? Are they trying to plan for a certain future, or are they too deep in darkness to think they have one?

A natural follow-up to this is: do they help each other with their internal conflicts? Do their strengths and weaknesses compliment each other? [this is a very compelling and popular dynamic xD]

The ending

Do you already know what the ending will be, other than "the slow burn characters get together"? Will the characters be in a new place? Will they have thrown some kind of revolution? Will they have started a bakery together?

Sometimes you can work backwards from the ending to find what your themes and settings and conflicts are. From there you can populate the narrative with side characters that, by their very nature, build towards the ending.

General advice for the slow burn characters in between the big moments

Interactions! Lotsssssss of interactions. Togther, yes, but also in small groups with your important side characters, if you have them.

But how? Some ideas on generating more interaction scenes:

Pick your 3 or 4 favorite genres and make scenes exploring these characters together with those tones and moods. Romance is the overarching tone (probably), so what about some horror? Mystery? Action adventure? Western??¿¿ Going back in time??

Is there a villain? Does the villain throw bad guys at your slow burners every once in a while?

Are there feelings of jealousy and/or anger to explore?

Does anyone have a weird hobby to share? An unusual job? Or a totally normal job? Are they extremely good at it, or really bad at it on purpose, or just learning?

What are your favorite things about these slow burn characters? Thinking about them might spark some ideas.

You can also draw from common tropes to build togetherness scenes. It's not my favorite thing to do, but, hey, people like 'em and if you do, go for it:

Just One Bed

...uh...

I can't think of any others right now xD But you know what I mean.

Summary for how to add scenes to a slow burn:

Side plots with side characters. Make them relevant to the overarching story and/or the characters involved in the slow burn.

To make a side character feel important (aka meaningful) to the reader, make sure they have clear wants and the reader spends time with them.

Things to think about to generate side quests/side characters: theme, setting, internal conflict, the ending

Things to think about to generate more interactions: genre, villains, jealousy/anger, hobbies/jobs, fav things about characters, tropes

There are probably a zillion more things you could do, but this is what my brain has supplied for now =) I hope it's helpful! If you have any specific questions about any of the above, feel free to ask. Happy writing!

[violetmina]

Chokehold - Ch. 2

Chokehold Masterlist

Taglist: @roundroald, @i-wished-upon-a-star-one-night

Pairing: Billy Butcher x Fem!Reader

Word count: 5,419

Warning: Swearing, minor injuries. Slight sexual tension? Butcher being...Butcher? So an ass. He’s defintely an ass.

A/N: Buckle up, y'all. It's a long one. I tried not to let this get away from me but it's hard writing these moves and techniques without getting wordy. Please keep in mind that Brazilian jiu jitsu is a complicated system with many variations of many techniques. Even common names can also vary from gym to gym, instructor to instructor, ect. What I describe here is fairly universal and written as what has been taught to me. BUT it is not the end all, be all.

I also hope describing the reader as shorter than Butcher, or other similar minor details, are not outstanding enough to take away from the story. I have done my best to be as vague as possible. Enjoy.

"Wait…why don't you want me to tell them?"

"Cuz I said so," Butcher grumbled, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the light to turn green.

"OK, fine," you shrugged in the passenger seat. You turned from him long enough to sift through the bag of fast food sitting warmly in your lap. The two of you had volunteered for this evening's food run, a moderate size order since Frenchie and Kimiko were the only other ones still there for the night. You passed over Frenchie's order, the lone shake Kimiko had requested and finally finding your individual prizes, you moved the bag aside to replace it with your fries. You waved Butcher his burger in offering. "But a little explanation would be nice."

He waved away the burger and you slid it back in the bag. Then promptly squawked when he snatched a clump of your fries. You hid them by your hip closest to the door, hopefully out of his greedy reach. "Look," he explained around two of them in his teeth like a poised cigarette, "You came to me. It's not they're business. You can surprise Hughie and the congresswoman when you're well and ready. In the meantime, let's not have the temptation of too many cooks in the kitchen, eh?"

The light changed and he eased onto the gas, snapping the fries into his mouth. "For whatever reason, the boys like you. They'd be happy to help. But bless they're bleeding little hearts, I don't need them fluttering about with pointers or how they do shit. Next thing you know it'll be Ryan or Hughie bugging me to teach them, too. I'm not running a fucking daycare."

You paused in chewing, stuffing his fries out of the bag and into the console on his side. You slid his drink in as well before he could eye yours. "Did you just call me a child, or are you saying you're old?"

The streetlights caught the glitter of annoyance in his dark eyes as he pinned you with a look. "Old enough to spank ya, ya mouthy shit."

If he had any inkling of the internal conflict that caused you, he showed no indication as he turned his attention back to traffic. You popped another fry in your mouth to chew on instead of your lip. For two and a half weeks now you'd been training under Butcher's firm instruction. If you could call two hours of mobility drills, three times a week "training". You had expected this whole experience to be rough, grueling, militant even. What you had not expected was your growing awareness of Butcher. The kind of awareness that noted how large his palms and how long his fingers were when he corrected your form. The kind that locked onto the flex of his thighs under dark denim when he demonstrated a move in the drill. The one that often traced and retraced the distinct outline of his shoulders when he shrugged on or off his coat. Going through the motions was easy in comparison to the growing war you had with the intrusive, pulsing thoughts that came during each lesson.

What's worse was that it was now seeping and lingering long after the lessons. During random things he'd say or do. Like just now.

A tight exhale through his nose pulled you out of your thoughts as he pulled up to another red light. You'd been around Butcher long enough at this point to know that he was a little off. Grumpy seemed to be his default, but lately he'd been more snippish than usual. His brow sat a little lower, a little heavier, his eyes a bit tighter at the corners. It had been a disappointing day, a supe had gotten a plea bargain and lowered the five years in prison to an insulting six months parole. By the way his fingers gripped the steering wheel and the other strangled his soda, you had a feeling he was craving something much stronger and blatantly denying himself. You admired his self-discipline almost as much as his physical attributes. But god was his mood getting harder to tolerate with each passing day.

With that in mind, you shifted - or shoved, rather - away from his response and doubled back. "I didn't come to you for lessons. You caught me in my bluff and took over. You or nothing, remember? But I get your point. We've all got our hands full and I don't want to distract everybody from our cases. Kinda feel bad already."

"Oh?," he mutters, still glaring at the road.

You sip on your drink before nodding as the light hits green again. "Yeah. Actually…" For a second you hesitate but push forward anyway. "Butcher, I wanted to say thank you."

That snaps his head to you with a look you don't see on him often - genuine, mild surprise. "Thank me?"

"Yes, Butcher," you laugh. "Thank you. I mean it. I still don't really get why you insist on being my coach. With everything you got going on - Ryan, putting up with Hughie and the bureau, Homelander still even existing - I don't know how you find time to breathe. But you're still finding time to help me, personally and I honestly wasn't expecting that from you. So…thank you."

The corners of his mouth twitched up for a brief second, the first you'd seen in days, before gliding the car to the curb. "Yeah, well," he mumbled as he killed the engine, "You're welcome. Can't risk having you being turned into a red smear under our boots out there, now can we?"

You smile and the both of you gather your food before stepping out of the car. In a brief moment you've entered the building and crossed the lobby. "That actually might not be a bad idea, though," you mused, sipping again on your drink in contemplation as you enter the elevator.

"What? Being smeared across the concrete?"

"No," you reply, nearly choking on your soda as he presses the button for the right floor. "I mean about you teaching Ryan. Maybe it'd do you both some good."

Butcher barked a laugh. "Mallory would just love me for that, wouldn't she? First, I drop a supe kid in her lap outta the blue, then I show him how to dislocate a knee or elbow. Only he can do it with a little flick of his pinky. A bit of gym class on those poor guards when he's not doing his homework." He shakes his head. "Nah. He don't need that."

You shrugged. "I don't know. You said he's been having nightmares, right?" Butcher nods. "For all the power he has, he's still a kid. He probably feels lost. His life is out of control. Maybe learning how to defend himself will give him that - some sense of control."

"You really think that?"

"I don't know for sure. But that's what it does for me. Not that you care but it's helped me more than -"

"How could I not care?"

You're startled by it and by the look he's whirled on you. His brows furrowed and his eyes lock on you like he's searching for as much a nonverbal answer as a verbal one. It's not angry per se, but you feel like it could peel you back in layers. It dawns on you that you're staring at him, and how dumb you must look with the straw still perched on your lip. You don't know how to respond.

He shifts on his feet and blinks as if remembering something. "Look, I might not always be what this team needs. I'm a bit of a bastard. But this bastard cares just a little bit about this lot." Here he held up his fingers in almost a pinch. "And whether you like it or not, you're in it."

"Oh. Okay. I…I didn't mean to…"

The elevator jolts to a stop and you both watch the doors open. "C'mon." He presses a hand between your shoulder blades to steer you towards the office. "Let's finish this grub before it gets cold and that stupid shake melts over everything."

Your brain finally kicks back into gear and into the present when you step across the threshold of the office space. You find Kimiko and Frenchie curled up on the couch watching the TV, both looking a bit perturbed. Her sour expression is the first to change when she spots you, a smile unfolding as she bounds off the couch towards you. You hand her the shake, recognizing her sign for "thank you" before she clasps it with both hands. You often still need Frenchie to translate for you but you've been making steady progress in your interactions with her. "Enjoy," you tell her, momentarily wrapping her in a hug.

"Can you believe this bullshit?," Frenchie interrupts the moment, eyes still glued on the TV. Your ears recognize the news coverage of the supe that had slithered out your fingers earlier in the day. "Two months. Two fucking months of intel, following that asshole around. Just for some attorney to buy him a slap on the wrist. Merde!"

"Shut it off, Frenchie," Butcher snaps, shedding his coat to deposit on a chair. "Ain't listening to you bitch all night. Can't do nothing about it now."

Frenchie grumbles but turns it off anyway. Kimiko curls back into her spot next to him, happily working on her treat. You sort through the bag and set the rest of the food on the coffee table before settling in between her and Butcher.

"Thank you, Y/N, for bringing the food," Frenchie smiles at you as he encourages Kimiko to steal whatever she wants from his order. "And putting up with this pissy bastard to get it." Billy chucks a condiment packet at his face and flips him the finger in response, but Frenchie swats it away with a teasing grin.

"He ain't so bad," you shrugged, finally wrapping your hands around your burger. "We're all kinda pissy after today. Besides, he only bit me twice on the ride over. Didn't even break skin this time!"

Butcher flashes a conspiratorial smirk at you around a mouthful of food. "I'll fucking remember that." At which you remember what waits for you when the food is gone, and the other two retire for the night. Oops.

Kimiko glances at you and signs. Frenchie nods and swallows before saying, "She wants to know if he bit your knees and elbows. They're an awful pretty shade of maroon."

"Huh? Oh." You look yourself over and realize the jeans you wore had a hole in one knee, where, just as he had said, a solid red-tinged bruise peeked out. In an attempt to spare your shirt of stains you had also rolled up your sleeves, flashing the same shade on your elbows. You'd been pretty diligent at keeping them out of view up to this point. No need for them to start having the same train of thought Butcher had when he'd found out about them.

"You've been pretty beat up the last month or so and you're not even out with us in the trenches. You doing ok, mon amie?"

"I'm ok, Frenchie. I've been trying a new workout at home lately. And rearranging my apartment a bit." Part of you feels bad at how easy you lie to them. But when he and Kimiko just look at each other and shrug in acceptance, you practically feel Butcher's keen attention pull away, although he never moved his eyes from his dinner. There wasn't a sign that he'd even been paying attention to any of you but instinct said he was satisfied with your answer.

You try to focus on your food and its flavors. You try to focus on the conversation as it shifts topics. You try to focus on the jokes and banter that Frenchie initiates with Butcher. You just try to focus on anything other than how aware you are of him, and don't know how to feel about it.

Eventually the time comes and the two shuffle out the door, buying the excuse of you and Butcher staying late to follow up a lead. It's a go-to at this point and they seem to eat it up like the food they just ate, so neither of you elaborate any further. You waved goodbye as they step into the elevator, and only once they were out of sight did you close the door. When you turn around, Butcher is already standing, tilting his head to the furniture. "Let's not waste any time and move this shit. We gotta lot of work tonight."

It's become routine. You pair up together and shift the desks so as to prevent further scuffing of the floor. Then one of you moves the coffee table and the other follows behind with the rug. You had tried to get him to leave it in the first week, hoping for some kind of relief on your contact points. But he'd only gave you a smirk, yanked it further away, sat a chair just on its edge, and planted himself firmly in it. You hadn't bothered asking for even the slightest accommodation since.

Once the floor is clear you immediately sink down into the space. "Combat hip drill?"

"That's right," he says, leaning against one of the columns closest to you. "But slightly different. When you're up off the floor, you'll hold. Gonna give you a pop quiz. When you answer right, you'll go back to the drill unless I say different. Rinse and repeat."

"And if I get it wrong?"

"You'll find out, won't ya?"

"Ok…" You're curious at the change of pace but say nothing. You start, arms close to your chest, hips doing the work as you sit up. Then hold.

"What's your breakfall?"

"It's how you fall back to break your fall to minimize damage. Like if somebody pushed you to the ground."

"Show me."

You tuck your chin as close to your chest as you can, holding the slight curve in your back as you fall backwards. You stretch your arms out and slap your palms down as you make contact with the floor. 

Butcher nods. "Good. Drill." You shift up and start again, switching legs. You get through three more cycles before he tells you to hold the top again. "What's shrimping?"

"It's a hip escape. The movement helps you escape out of positions when you're on the ground."

"Breakfall and show me till I tell you to stop."

You almost cast him a look but follow through, falling back to the floor again. Once there you shift onto your side, place your bottom foot and hands on the floor and shift your hips back as far as you can, now resembling the shape of a shrimp. Then you switch sides and repeat, sliding across the floor. You reach several feet before Butcher calls out for you to turn round and do it back to where you started. Even though you know how crucial this move actually is, you still feel a little ridiculous as you move across the floor.

You barely reach your original spot before he tells you to drill again. Up, back, switch legs. Up, back, switch legs. "Alright. Shift gears. Do your gators, to the door and back. I know how much you love these," he drawls.

You suppress a groan, knowing it would only encourage him, and roll onto all fours. You shift to a push-up stance then place your left arm slightly in front of you. You keep your right hand where it is and slide your right knee up as close to it as you can, left leg straight. Then do a push-up, or at least your attempt of one that doesn't have you firmly kiss the floor. At the top you alternate sides, moving you slightly forward and do it again. Gator crawls, gator push-ups, whatever they were called, Butcher wasn't wrong - you hated them. They made your shoulders and arms and…Well pretty much everything burns.

You're mentally cursing at the tremble in your muscles and how loud your huffing quickly becomes when you hear movement next to you. You turn your head and almost fall over when you find Butcher moving alongside you. Only he makes it look far easier than you do. He dips low, arms and muscles supporting him with ease, one leg stretching long and lean behind him before switching with the other. But even in your position it's his back that catches your wandering eye. The hem of his shirt rides up each time he trades arms and the skin above his belt peeks out. Not even the loud print on the fabric could hide the deep line centered over his back, or the thick, flexing cords of muscle that go up his spine and flare broadly out from his shoulder blades.

"Wha…?," you croak. The second it leaves your drying mouth, you're glad that you can blame it on the exercise. He pauses at the top of the pushup to look at your confused face, just a half pace behind.

"Oi!" He scowls, and a ripple of envy at his fitness hits you as he balances enough to give a quick swat to your shaky bicep with the back of his hand. "Gonna be in trouble if I beat you back here! Move your ass!"

You want to ask him what the hell he's doing but you don't dare risk what happens if he outpaces you. Part of you wishes you were faster as you both reach and turn back at the door. But you take a little comfort in hearing the faint grunts even he makes in the effort of executing the exercise. You manage to push yourself to finish the gator crawls just a pace before him and roll onto the floor with a sigh.

"Don't get cozy there, yet. On your feet."

"Yes, sir." He casts a glare down at your sarcasm but lets you rise up off the floor and onto your feet without comment. "Alright. What's next?"

Butcher begins to remove his watch. "No more drills tonight. Now we start the nitty gritty. The advantage of a grappling art like jiu jitsu is it focuses on the ground being the playing field. The worst place to be for most, cuz most don't know fuck all to do when they get there. The disadvantage…" He places his watch on the nearest desk. "...is it's on the ground. Which means you gotta get you and your attacker there to use a lot of what I'm gonna teach you. And an old fashioned hip throw is a good place to start."

"Oh. Well that's great," you grimace. "Is this because I joked about your age earlier? I'm your ragdoll for you to throw around tonight then? Look, if you want an apology-."

"Actually, you're gonna throw me."

You blink. Then smile. Which quickly fades when he smirks back. "Um, Butcher, if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly setting weightlifting records. And 'small' is not a word I would use to describe you."

"Ain't even got me drawers down and you're already praising me, love?"

You close your eyes and tilt your head back. "I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that."

"You don't need to be setting records," he continued, ignoring your exasperation. "You could throw MM if you fucking wanted to. That's the point of this. It's about technique. And this!" He steps forward and taps sharply between your eyes. "This right here is gonna be your biggest asset or your biggest problem. And you have to train it as much as the rest of you."

"OK, that's great Mr. Miyagi but -"

"If you're starting this early with that mouth of yours, you're gonna have a long night," he growls. "Cut the shit. And focus."

A smarmy part of you wants to sass back. Another part of you is hanging on to how the words rumbled out of his chest. You go with the part that knows better than to push buttons on an already edgy Billy Butcher, and tell the other parts of you to politely fuck off.  "Alright, sorry. I'm focused. How do I do a hip throw?"

He shifts a step back out of your space. "We start with you blocking a punch. Bring your hands up. Put one hand back like you're covering your ear. Most people throw first with their right, so use your left. Your elbow should be pointing at me and not the ground. That's good. Now when I throw that punch you want to step into me like you're driving that elbow in me."

"Step into you?"

"You can't throw me if you run from me," he teases. "Don't look at me daft, I ain't gonna throw it for real. We'll get there eventually." He imitates the punch and you take a step forward, your elbow just brushing his shirt. "Hold that. You see where my arm is at?"

"Yeah."

"How well am I gonna land that punch after you stepped into me?"

You peek at what you can see of his arm on the other side of your block.  "You…can't? Your hand is past me."

"Lookie there. She does catch on." He ignores your eyeroll and continues, "Sure, if I react quick enough I could change tactics and grab you instead. But you're not gonna give me the chance to do that. Take that hand by your ear and clamp it on my tricep."

"Like this?," you ask, putting your left hand on his upper arm.

"I mean clamp it. Grab me tight. Now step forward, slide that other arm under my left and grab the back of my belt. If you can reach my right hip, even better. You wanna be perpendicular to me."

You fumble a little but finally shuffle into the position. Your right hand has a firm grip on his belt, your hips perpendicular to his with just a breath of space between. The open v of his shirt is right at your eye level and a hint of dark hair and a dash of freckles peek out at you. Focus, focus, focus…

"Pin my right arm as close as you can with your elbow. You want it tucked against you so I can't pull it out. Good. Now hold. This right here," he taps his foot for emphasis, "is your T-position. If I tell you to start with T-position, this is it. You lost yet?"

"No," you shake your head. "T-position. I'll remember."

"You need to tuck your head in though. Even better if you put it against my shoulder. Bad to have your head straight up."

"Why?"

You see a flicker in Butcher's eyes for only an instant. And before you can blink, his left fingers are tangled at the back of your skull, tight against your scalp. You hiss at the sting from his grip alone. He doesn't yank. Instead he slowly pulls back, just far enough for you to start to see the ceiling. Your grip on his belt tightens as you become uncertain of your balance. Oh fuck, bad, oh fuck, bad, your brain repeats it like a mantra.

"That's why." He's grinning and you blink rapidly, trying to collect your thoughts. "If I get control of your head, well…" He tilts his chin and hums from his chest as if he were musing. "...I could pretty much do whatever I want with you from here."

"G-g-got it. Got it!," you swallow thickly, after finding half your brain. He let's go, dropping his hand back down to drape his arm across your back and you can't help but sigh in relief. You quickly tuck your chin, pressing your head into his shoulder. The scent of him is not helping what little brain you've retained.

"Now pay attention." And like that, it's as if it had never happened, except for the lasting tingle in your scalp and the mental whiplash. You're not sure just what had happened. But drill sergeant Butcher is back. "Keep a hold of my belt and my arm, and step your right foot in front. You need your hips in front of mine."

It feels a bit unnatural but you manage, your back now to Butcher as he leans over you at an angle. "We're not fucking up my back by staying here long," he grunts. "So do this next bit quick. Shift your tailbone about where my right hip is with bent knees to load me up. Then lean a bit, straighten your legs and you'll throw me."

"Butcher, I'm not sure -"

"I am. Now do it."

"I don't-"

"For fucks sake, woman, shove your ass back and throw me!"

You don't dare find out if he has some unexpected counter to this - like another grip in your hair - so you grit your teeth and quickly shift your hips. In a split second you feel the bend in your knees, the shift of his weight onto your hip, the lean -! 

Butcher lands solid on the floor but he continues into a roll away from you. You're still slightly leaned over when he reaches his feet with a huff. "See? Now was that so bloody hard?"

"That was…That was actually easy." It comes out a breath. And a smile creeps onto your face before you can stop it. Then you giggle with glee, "I actually threw you!"

"What did I tell ya? Eh?" Your grin must be infectious because his annoyance slips into a brief chuckle. "You actually have the advantage with that throw. You're shorter, gravity is on your side. It's basic fucking physics."

He sidles up to you and taps between your eyes again. "I told you this right here will make you or break you. You don't need to be some muscle bound bloke to throw people around. Or to keep them from doing it to you. Do you understand me now, love?"

You nod, still smiling, trying to keep the little victory from going to your head. Your ego got you caught in that mishap months ago. You would not let it happen again. Besides, there was more than enough of that to go around with Butcher, nevermind the other guys in the crew.

He places a hand on your shoulder, squeezes. Then slides his palm to the side of your neck. He locks eyes with you. His tone is serious but soft when he speaks again. "Stick with me. This shit don't always come easy. And you very well might even hate me for how hard on you I'm gonna have to be. But put up with me for a bit and I promise, any bastard that tries to lay hands on you again? They'll wish they never saw your pretty face."

"Even Homelander?," you half-joke.

You feel a subtle twitch in his fingers. His face darkens. "Especially that cunt."

"You think we could modify the throw? Maybe I can throw him over with his cape. Or maybe you can show me how to use it in a choke?"

He blinks and his scowl turns into a smirk. "Now you're speaking my language." He pulls back. "But don't get ahead of yourself. You did one little throw. Gonna take alot more than that to convince Hughie. And you gotta convince me before you even think of talking to him. Let's go again."

A thought rolls into your head. You shift on your feet and he stares at you when you hesitate to start up the lesson. "Butcher, about that. Will you vouch for me?"

"What?"

"You're not wrong. Hughie's a sweetheart. But he can be stupidly stubborn when he cares about someone. Even if I train for years, he might not listen to me. But if…if I have somebody to vouch for me, somebody that Hughie respects…?"

Butcher nods. "Suppose you're right. Hateful little shit, innit he?" You say nothing and he sighs. "Alright. After a while, you show me you know what you're doing, and that you know how to use it when shit gets real messy, then I'll vouch for ya. Sound good?"

"Good."

"C'mon then. From the top."

It takes a couple more times going through the motions but you start getting into the groove of the sequence. You alternate sides, start tripping less on your feet or Butcher's, and start finding your grips with less effort. It's especially easier without a tense moment of hair pulling, or heady thoughts. 

Of course, Butcher can't let you have all the fun. You do your due diligence, taking turns throwing slow punches at him and applying your breakfall techniques to soften your landing on the unforgiving floor. Which isn't much. You might have the advantage in gravity but he has experience. He throws you not with too much force but certainly enough speed to just make you nervous.

After a few minutes, he gives you a hand up off the floor and rolls his shoulders. "One more for you, then we're done for the night. Gonna do this one a little different though. Go through the sequence but hold when I tell you."

You give a thumbs up and assume the stance in front of him. He swings just a bit faster this time, right handed, and you move fairly easy. Block, catch the arm, grab the belt. You expect his command to hold when you get to T-position but it never comes. Assuming he must have forgotten, you follow through. You step in front, shift, bend the knees, load him up, ready to -

He grabs the top of your jeans.

"Hold!"

"What?!" 

You totter for a split second, start to lean back to set him -.

"I said hold," he growls in your ear, shifting his weight to force you forward again. Your feet automatically reposition to accommodate the sudden change to prevent a faceplant. "Put me down, you won't like my counter. And if you fucking drop me…"

A tiny part of your brain briefly registers how comical this must look. Oh, if the others were here now to see it. But it's a fleeting thought as your legs and back protest, getting louder by the second. Your muscles quickly start to shiver. "Cant!," you pant. "Butcher!"

"Can, Y/N. Hold."

You manage to turn your head to look him in the eye. He merely smirks like the devil. "You asshole," you grind through your teeth.

The seconds tick by long and slow. Your knees burn and quickly threaten to buckle. The shivers progress to shakes. You groan as the effort saps your low energy levels. Your grip on his belt grows sweaty. "Butcher!"

"Alright, thro-"

You don't let him finish, leaning forward and using your grips to compensate for the loss of force from your legs. It's sloppy but it gets the job done. You slip to the floor a second or two after he does and roll onto your back next to him, panting at the ceiling. You close your eyes as your equilibrium recalibrates. After a moment you open them again, finding Butcher sitting on his heels beside you.

"See?" He leans over and pats your cheek. "Told you, you could do it."

You stare at his stupid face and stupid hazel eyes. And that stupid fucking smirk. "You know when I said thank you? Earlier?"

"Yeah."

"I take it back."

Hours later, after the office is put back in its place, after Butcher lets you hobble home, you lay in your bed, half-dozing. Only half because when you begin to sink into slumber, behind your eyelids are images that leave an afterburn when they snap open again. Whispered playback in your ears to jolt you alert.

…firm hands pulling your hips back flush against his…

…do you understand me now, love?...

…your sheets sliding down a long, thick-muscled back as it flexes…

…I could pretty much do whatever I want with you from here…

Between the slow ache setting in your limbs to match your new bruises, and catching a lingering hint of Butcher's scent even though you had long since showered before bed, you had to wonder. Wondered how long could you really maintain like this? Would it be long enough?

…put up with me for a bit…

You turned a little more into your pillow with a groan. Then sighed, "You asshole."

[ratstuckinamarble]

Ok so the new Twyla music video??? Is so good??? I've watched it like seven times already, because it's stop motion! Not only my favourite type of animation, it's my favourite story telling medium.

And they did such a great job! I could just gush about everything, but one thing at a time.

The backgrounds are awesome. It's a really nice mixture between official products and stuff that was made specifically for this (and some digital backdrops). It honestly looks like this would have been super fun to work on. Did you see Twylas bed? That's clearly a playset, which is exiting. Also they just used a Coffin Bean chair for her desk XD

This gramophone is my favourite set piece. It has teeth, and the needle is a hand with long nails. How cool is that? Parts of it look factory made, but not the teeth, unfortunately. I'm not sure about the hand. It's a shame, I wish this would get included in a playset someday. Whoever made that did a great job though.

Look at the trees. The way they're stylised is really appealing, and so is the pink lighting. And you can see the Coffin Bean! So cute.

But more importantly, the school. It looks so good! My best bet is that it's made out of paper, and weirdly, the roof shingles especially stand out to me. I also really like the teeth right underneath them and the wonky towers. Really makes it seem alive, and I'm a sucker for living buildings.

Honorable mentions: Twylas door sign. It's really cute. The font is cool, the wispy smoke in the l fits nicely, and I like how her name was underlined.

But the best part is the animation. It's so smooth, and their movement feels so natural. It also shows how versatile the articulation is for posing. Here are some of my favourite parts:

This walking animation. It's just adorable.

Draculaura putting her hands together here. Looks like she's plotting something.

Twyla playing with her wristband to calm down. It's just a really nice detail. She was also shown to be really sensitive to noise. Careful there girl, you're getting too relatable.

Her shoulder swivel here. Love how they utilised the chest joint, it allows for so much more personality in the movements.

The dancing in this scene specifically. She's twirling to everyone, meeting their hand with hers, and then they do do a short curtsey. Its surprisingly elegant, and I think it fits well with the song. I also quite like how Twyla and Clawdeen blink in unison right when they separate.

Speaking of the song, it's surprisingly nice. I'm happy that they went with a more unique sound, it suits Twyla well. Also, from what we can gather here, I think I'm going to like her g3 version a lot.

I was surprised to see another music video, I was afraid they wouldn't make more. Hopefully, they make all of them stop motion, because it turned out so, so nice. I don't even mind that the video is shorter if it means we get stuff that's this great.

[arcsparkasriel]

Thanks to Gerdew on Twitter for making this commission for me! I dub this The Premise as this is the general premise of my AU Lofitale!

It truly was a bit of a shock when I gained my soul back and properly met my brother for the first time. It wasn't sprung on me quite like this but meeting Ralsei was still quite a shock. I never had any siblings except for Chara and I guess Frisk and Suzy now, but Ralsei is the one that I can say is related to me by blood. It's different.

When Frisk took my hand and escorted me through the Underground from that patch of flowers, I could feel myself come back. All of my memories and emotions came flooding back. That Flower no longer had a hold on me. He would always be there, but hopefully, with my family's help, Flowey will never resurface again.

As Frisk guided me towards the barrier, I could feel every piece of all seven souls fusing together to form my new one. It had a strange effect on my body. Quickly in a moment, as I reached the Judgement Hall, the years caught up with me. Gone was the scared, timid eight-year-old. Standing before Frisk was the lean, lanky teenager you see in the image above.

I was a little scared but, my new best friend Frisk assured me that everything would be ok. Down the dank hallways, up the narrow staircases, and across the brightly lit throne room we moved through. The place I once called home.

The courtyard where Frisk and I began our final battle was still there as if nothing happened. I gazed down upon the golden bed of flowers where I collapsed into dust on that fateful day. Wondering how different everyone's life might have been if I had refused to indulge in Chara's plan. All I could do now was step forward with my new family and brace for whatever the future would bring.

The sunset lit up the final passageway where the Barrier once had been. It was blinding. When my vision adjusted...there they all were. Standing just outside the mountain. Finally breathing the free air of the Surface. Mom, Dad, those Skeletons, Alphys, and Undyne standing there in a line. And next to Mom was...him.

His tiny white form made me choke up tears of joy for the first time in centuries. But my legs wouldn't move. A million voices in my head were screaming that I still didn't deserve this. Satisfaction, Happiness, Love. Everything that good people deserved. Things I felt like I shouldn't have. I was feeling lightheaded from how many emotions were overwhelming me.

Frisk, that wonderful, strange, impossible, determined kid just sighed and took my hand. Leading the way like he always did. It was a surreal feeling, having something or someone shorter than me, dragging me along. As we stepped into the light, however, I was focused on only one thing. All of those eyes suddenly turned to look at us.

It took them a few seconds to process what and who they were looking at, and an eternity longer to accept that it was real.

The reunion was tearful and joyous to say the least. Perhaps I will go into further detail in a future commission. They had no questions and needed none. Sans and I knew we would have to set aside time to talk later, but he was ok with what was happening.

That little boy, my brother, born in the darkness of the Ruins approached me. I knelt down to let him touch my face as we met properly for the first time.

"Howdy...Ralsei. I know this all may be strange for you. But I wanted to meet you. I'm Asriel. Your big brother."

Ralsei was silent for a moment but then beamed brighter than the sunset.

"I was wondering when you were gonna come back! It's wonderful to meet you, big brother!"

After that well, perhaps I'll get into another time. As the story of how Frisk reintroduced Monsterkind and met Clover's own Monster family are two big stories in of themselves.

[wrongcaitlyn]

Ok so you’ve mentioned that you think about this tyt universe a lot, and I know as writer that once you fall in love with a world you created, you see it a lot in like your everyday life😭. So feel free to use this little ask as like an opportunity to dump any extra info that you’ve thought of but is too insignificant too put in the story :) Love your work💟

i've had this sitting in my inbox for a few days now but i want you to know that when i first received this ask i literally sent it to my friend and said "i think i just received the sweetest ask ever" because😭😭 THIS IS SO SWEET AND IM SO SO GRATEFUL BECAUSE LITERALLY YES. YOU'RE SO RIGHT. I SEE TYT EVERYWHERE😭😭

unfortunately when i then went to frantically type a response, it became like that case where you're asked to share a fun fact about yourself, but then promptly forget every interesting detail about yourself. and so i couldn't figure out what to say - so i decided to just create a draft and hopefully let the ideas come to me naturally, so that's why this is such a late response!!

i'm not sure if i've shared this already but i used to be heavily obsessed with the idea of nico performing at the reputation tour as a surprise guest

also just generally his friendships with any irl celebrities

kayla always "invites" nico to concerts (which nico goes to because he will literally go to any concert if asked), but it's really just because there's a possible chance of being pulled backstage and meeting the artist with a famous singer next to her (nico is fully aware of this) but also bc nico's a rlly fun concert buddy

kayla out of the apollo household is the most up to date with any sort of pop culture, which is a bit ironic seeing as she's one of the two who have absolutely nothing to do with the music industry

nico braiding hair is one of my absolute favvvv hc's, and i was able to fit it in with kayla during one of the greatest of luxuries chapters, but he 100% also braids the hair of the girls in his crew (if they want it), and kayla ofc, and piper sometimes - he used to braid bianca's hair and bianca used to braid his (until she died, at which nico started to braid his own hair because he liked it out of his face and it became like second nature to quickly put it in a braid - at least until he cut it off lmao)

^^ and this is very cute bc i imagine that darren did lots of braids for kayla (girl dad darren my heart) when she was like practicing archery and stuff (and this was when she had longer hair, i imagine she cut a good chunk of it off in middle school and continued to cut it a bit shorter every year since then), and so when kayla moved in with apollo, he watched so many youtube tutorials to try and get it right until nico walked in on an attempt at making two french braids and was like "uh, want some help with that?" and cue a braiding lesson for apollo. apollo knows how to braid hair now (even though kayla doesn't need it as much seeing as her hair is so short), but she still has nico do it a lot of the time (brother sister bonding my heart THEY'RE SIBLINGS YOUR HONOR)

there is a picture somewhere of little will leo and nico at the T party (backstage meet and greet) of the speak now world tour with speak now era taylor. will never did realize until like college that apollo had reached out ahead of time to make sure he was chosen for a meet and greet (fun fact, sn world tour had an la date on aug 23) on his birthday, and thought that andrea had just chosen him randomly

bryce lawrence is out there somewhere fuming at nico's success and will attempt to make hate pages to discredit him but will never succeed

octavian is also fuming but he has no idea why this nico guy seems to hate him sm

related to hate comments, i was just texting @wronghuntress about this the other day (no but srsly she knows literally everything about this au i send her at least five rants a day in relation to itKSDJF) but nico 100% responds to hate comments as if he's also a hater. his self-hatred is the biggest joke in the fandom.

some hater: "he can't sing"

nico: "ikr"

but somehow the hate makes him realize how stupid his past self-criticism has been and actually helps him... become more confident in himself?? what???

will is incredibly confused bc that's what he's been trying to convince nico of for years and you're telling him HATE COMMENTS DID IT???

okay i feel like i still have so much to add so you know what, i'm gonna keep this as an open door to ramble abt anything whenever i like just by reblogging this post. so i will probably add a lot more as time goes on and i can remember more little tidbits of lore that i want to add on!! but thank you SO much for the ask you have no idea how much this made my day <33

[joonggphilia]

💛❤️Goldwing-Xmas 1❤️💛

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pairing: Hongjoong X Male reader genre: angst, fluff CW: alcohol, blood, mentions of being lonely, mentions of clubbing. a/n: I’m starting Christmas fics early! Please listen to gold wing by Billie Eilish while reading this bc that is what it’s based on!!! Not proof read

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M/n yelped as he was thrown from out from the bar by a bouncer. He was wasted and refusing to pay in a private bar, it was bound to happen. He still couldn’t believe it, him, a beloved idol (THE GOLDEN BOY) thrown out!? On Christmas too!? He crawled from the ground, his head bleeding from impact with the concrete. M/n didn’t notice a thing, he was more focused on remembering the way to his dorms without being seen. As he got further from the bar he heard the sound of laughing, familiar at that. He looked up through the tears and blood that pooled beneath and in his eyes to see three men coming his way. They seemed to be having a good Christmas. That thought tugged at m/n’s heart strings. They. Together. “Hah! Hongjoong, you’re the third wheel, don’t complain about what we do. Me and San had plans, you just hopped on the train.” The shorter male chirped, his voice was ear-splitting. “Hongjoong…..” m/n thought quietly, his legs begging to wobble beneath him. At this point the alcohol was wearing off and the pain was kicking in. How much did he fall and hit he head? Who is hongj….Oh! Ateez. Another 4th gen group. M/n quickly tried to wipe his face and straighten his posture as he walked past the group. “Wooyoung be quiet for five seconds….Hey! Are you ok?” Hongjoong called to m/n, concern dripped with concern. “I-I’m fine.” M/n croaked, his eyes brimming with tears. “I’m uninviting myself on your date, you two keep going.” Hongjoong spoke to San and Wooyoung, rushing toward your side. He placed his shoulder under m/ns arms to keep him stable. “Sir where are you goi- m/n!?” Hongjoong burst out in surprise, was this really happening? M/n L/n, bloody and reeking of alcohol, in his arms. He’s gonna be in so much trouble. “Let’s get you to the nearest hotel. Put this on.” Hongjoong hushed, placing a mask in m/n’s hands. Once the pair made it to the hotel, m/n was conscious, but not enjoying himself. His clothes were suffocating and his skin was dry. “Can I get you anything?” Hongjoong asked hesitantly. “I’m alright. You’re older than me, don’t care for me.” M/n sighed, processing his situation. “It’s ok to ask for help, just cause you’re “the golden child” doesn’t mean you have to be that way with me. Let’s be casual, cut the idol image bs.” Hongjoongs tone raised a bit, the thought of idol image working him up. This made m/n laugh as a comfortable warmth washed over him. He was finally spending Christmas with someone. As the night went on, the two got close, sharing secrets and trainee stories. They also ordered food, a Christmas feast if you will. Hongjoong was enjoying himself and enjoying you, it was as if you were an angel, luring him in with your beauty. “I’m going to use the shower if that’s alright with you Joong.” M/n stated getting up from the chair he sat in. Hongjoong had left his phone in the bathroom as he quickly tried to run in and grab it before you could start, but as he opened the door he was met with a face full of….feathers? Golden feathers filled the small ring. “M/n!?” A gust of wind blew Hongjoong back as m/n turned to look at him. “Ah! Joong. Sorry for the surprise.” M/n laughed, his golden wings shaking as he did. “Y-you’re a gold-wing angel? Like the kind I’d put on my Christmas tree!?” Hongjoong was in shock. No wonder you were so beautiful. “Yes that’s the one. Hongjoong I swear on your life, you cannot tell anyone.” You spoke sternly, the mood shifted. “I understand! But m/n. Can we please get to know each other!? You’re really beautiful.” Hongjoong spoke, his eyes gleaming. You liked at his eagerness, hopefully you two would become as close as possible.

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[dovelyanon]

Ok so I’m incredibly curious about some what if’s in TMHTS. A big turning point was when Adrien got his miraculous back and basically launched us into the final battle. But what if Adrien didn’t get his ring back? What if plagg took way longer to come back? Adrien was on the verge of being assaulted yet again and being stuck in his old life, and Gabriel already gave him the command to not try to harm himself again. So what do you think would become of Adrien if he got trapped back home with Gabriel with no way out? I’m just trying to squeeze every last drop of angst out of this story as I can

Sorry it took me so long to get to this! I've been relocating for the past month and finally got things settled.

Very early on I considered alternate storylines where Adrien either doesn't successfully escape on the first attempt or later on at the point you mentioned. This resulted in a super dark storyline where Gabriel's abuse and his trauma manifests as hatred against, not just himself, but Ladybug/Marinette as well. So when he does finally get the black cat miraculous back, he is a problem and essentially another villain for her to fight.

Adrien would have been a lot more "problematic" in that version. He would come to depend on his father emotionally and act out a lot more. He would learn to seek control wherever he could find it. The Paolo in the last chapter is a rendition of another character that I first thought up when brainstorming along this darker storyline. He would have been a slightly more prominent character but would not have fared as well with Gabriel around and Adrien being unpredictable.

A lot more Marinette torture with Gabriel essentially dangling Adrien over her head and Adrien avoiding her at all costs.

Adrien also had more of a battle of manipulation with Beatrice where he ultimately is able to put her in her place by manipulating his father through the only means he has and lying about her.

So basically he would have become pretty twisted. It would still have a happy ending (as happy as that storyline would allow anyway) and I thought it was an interesting road but a VERY draining road and would have made the story a lot longer. Also I wasn't sure if I had THAT much angst in me.

The shorter story that I've been taking forever to finish is more along those lines and a lot harder to swallow than TMHTS imo. But with all the recent life changes, I've been having trouble getting around to finishing anything so... stay posted for angst and hopefully things calm down soon! :D

[strawberryfairi]

You talk about forgetting your stories as if it is possible to forget any of them!!!!🫠🫠

Your stories are the death of me.🥹❤️

Synopsis✨: The story of how you catch heavy feelings for the hot photography student, Shuji Hanma…even though you already have the perfect (fake) boyfriend.

Pairings: Photography Student! Shuji Hanma X Dance Major! Black Fem 🤎 Reader (ANYONE CAN READ🧚🏾‍♀️)  Content: Drama, lots of denial, angst, sneaky link, lots of cheating, mutual pining, unserious Shuji, controlling parents, forced relationships, romance, fighting, porn with a good plot vibes, intense sexual tension, etc (just find out the rest lol)

w.c: 4k💠 Released: April 29, 2024

Previous | Next... | Chapters Masterlist

NOTE🧚🏾‍♀️: ( For sweet anon: LITERALLY STAWP! MY HEART🥹❤️) Y'all...my fault y'all, dang I'm late with this chapter update😭 but that's ok! This chapter is a bit on the shorter side (4k instead of the usual 5k) but chapter 11 will hopefully be much longer!

C.W:  TRIGGER WARNING! Angst (not as much as last chapter though), mentions of date rape/sexual assault, reader has a seizure, "Rape Kit" (Sexual Assault Forensic Exam) mentioned, Best Friend Keisuke Baji is supportive!!!

10; Allegations 指控

Shuji feels a heavy weight partially lift off of his shoulders when he sees you finally awake, but it also pained him the way you looked so tired and devastated, sitting there with red, puffy eyes.

"Hey pretty girl." He says softly, reaching over and wiping a few stray tears with the back of his hand. It felt so strange to him, being so soft and gentle with someone, and caring so much. He never realized how powerful tears could be until right now. You had his heart clenching and didn't even know it.

"I don't feel pretty. I feel terrible." You mutter blandly with a light sniffle, looking down with a deep frown on your lips.

"Trust me you're still a ten even in a hospital bed." He grins, attempting to lighten the mood, but honestly...it was just truly how he felt.

"Stop..." You purse your lips together, trying not to smile at that.

"I mean it." He says softly, leaning down and giving you a quick, uncharacteristically gentle kiss.

Finally you give him a smile, that cute, shy smile that gets him every time. But as fast as the smile appeared, it faded right back into that same deep frown from before. "I-...I don't want you to go away." You murmur sadly, looking up at him with nearly desperate looking eyes.

Shuji furrows his brows. "What're you talkin' about? I'm right here. I'm not goin' anywhere."

"No." You shake your head, "I mean...I-I don't want you to leave me. I don't want this to go away." Your tone is so quiet he almost doesn't hear you, or really, he almost doesn't believe you actually just said that.

"Angel...-

"I don't want you to be like this with another girl; doing to her what you do to me. I want you to just be this way with me, 'cause I-...I li-

Abruptly, Shuji cuts you off with a soft kiss. He wasn't fully sure why he went and did it but, it was just the first thing that came to his mind. Slowly he pulls away, his eyes closed as he struggles to manage the awkward and unnecessarily aggressive pounding in his chest.

"Don't say it." He whispers desperately.

"But-

"I'm serious, you don't know what you're talkin' about. I don't think you really mean all this." He says rather uneasily.

"No, I do! I mean it, I like you!" You assert in a bit of a whiny tone, looking up at him with the most sincerest expression you could muster.

"No", He shakes his head, "No, you don't. You're just...probably feelin' emotional right now 'cause of everything goin' on." He concludes. Truly he wasn't sure he could handle hearing this from you.

You frown, but press on anyways, determined to get your feelings across. "I like you, Shuji. I wanna be more-

"Stop." He says wearily. The more you say it the more it forces him to have to actually acknowledge it, actually do something about it, and he had no idea what to do about this.

"Don't you?! Don't you like me too?! You really don't feel anything for me; not-..not at all?!" Your eyes instantly blur for the thousandth time, small tears starting to make their way down your cheeks just as you had finally stopped crying a second ago.

Shuji sighs exasperatedly, feeling like an asshole for making you cry, even though he was ninety eight percent sure this was purely just heat of the moment, high emotions talk. "Come on, don't cry angel; where's this even comin' from? You have a boyfriend, remember? You know that. You can't ask me somethin' like this." He coos, wiping away your tears with his thumb. He feels so hypocritical saying that. Since when has he ever given a shit about you having a boyfriend?

"So, you don't then? This whole time you-...you don't really like me?" You sniffle, casting your gaze downwards in a mixture of hurt and embarrassment. Shuji feels stuck, at a complete loss as he tries to rack his brain for something to say that could possibly diffuse this. For the first time ever he feels completely overwhelmed by a situation; by another person. This was way too far out of his usual territory, and it's throwing him off.

"I-...look, I really don't think this is the right time to talk about-

"Do you or not?!" You press, becoming annoyed at the way he keeps fumbling around and deflecting. For a moment there's nothing but silence between you two. Both eyes locked onto one another stubbornly, inaudibly waiting for the other to crack and accept their loss.

Then finally, Shuji looks to the side with a grunt, jaw clenching tightly while facepalming in defeat. "...I do." He admits in a hushed, low tone.

"What?" You mutter in surprise, blinking a few times.

"I got feelings for you. I've had feelings for you for a while now." He clarifies, his tone still soft yet there's a clear discomfort. "But...you know I don't know anything about that boyfriend stuff; I'm not good at that kind'a thing. I can't give you what you need." He adds apologetically. Instantly you feel a small sharp sting in your heart, completely taken aback by his excuse.

"What does that mean? You-..so you don't wanna be with me?" You mutter.

Shuji feels genuinely terrible, the way your voice is shaking with that hurt expression, it's killing him. "It's not about if I wanna be with you. Even if I wanted to you're already with somebody else. We can't be more than this anyways." He shakes his head, brushing your tear stained cheek with the back of his fingers.

You use a little bit of strength to place your small hand over his. "If I wasn't with him would you be with me?" You ask, looking him right in the eyes, not at all believing his words. He's never been the type to not go after something he wanted, no matter if it was his or not.

Shuji huffs tiredly, once again feeling cornered by your difficult questions. "I mean, I don't know, I-

"Would you?" You cut him off, your tone soft yet you were clearly getting impatient.

You and that look in your eyes is gonna be the death of him for sure. "If you weren't with him you'd probably already be my girl by now." He admits straight away. Inwardly he was cringing so hard at himself, second guessing his own response.

That sounded sappy as fuck...

You seemed to think otherwise though, with the way your lips instantly curve into a small, warm smile. "I wanna be your girl, Shuji." You hum longingly. Softly you brush your pretty lips against the back of his tattooed hand, looking him in the eyes with a passion-filled gaze all the while.

"What the hell are you doin', angel?" Shuji whispers breathlessly. The audacity to say something like that and do something like that, all while looking at him like that...

In any other normal situation you pulling off something like this would damn sure have him bending you over the nearest surface and making you his girl. Shit, you could be whatever you wanted talking to him like that.

"I'm just telling you what I want." You murmur honestly against his hand.

"I think...the drugs are talkin' right now." He chokes out hesitantly, using every bit of his strength to block out all the loud, sexual thoughts trying to force its way to the forefront of his mind. "I don't care, it's still how I feel. I wanna be with you." You answer without even a second of hesitation, shaking your head.

Shuji wonders if this must be how you feel when he sort of acts this way towards you, a wild mixture of feeling both so tempted yet so damn conflicted. You really have him fully seduced and wrapped around your little ass finger, ready to do whatever you ask without a second of hesitation.

"Only you would have me genuinely turned on while literally laying in a hospital bed." He facepalms, resting his head down on your shoulder.

"I hope..." You start rather arbitrarily, turning your head towards him as you let go of his hand, "The next time I'm in a hospital bed will be because you finally put a baby in me." You murmur innocently.

"What?!" Shuji instantly whips his head up, blinking a few times while looking at you with his jaw on the floor. For the first time in his life something someone else has said to him has him literally dumbfounded. The audacity...the randomness, it was so....hot. His brain was completely malfunctioning, both trying to process and replay your words at the same time to make sure he actually heard you right.

Meanwhile you're just sitting there, sheepishly pursing your lips together to hide the little cutesy smile on your face, and it's making him mad. More like a concerning level of sexually frustrated, but that's besides the point. It's heinous the way you have him fully bricked up and ready in this stupid ass hospital, yet he can't do anything about it, and you're literally proud about that! It should be illegal to say something like that so innocently. You knew exactly what you were doing, and you knew it was working too.

"You don't know what you're sayin'. You-...you're talkin' crazy, baby." He says softly, shaking his head while running a hand through his dark hair.

"No I'm not." You deny in such an innocent, sweet tone.

"Yeah, ok. We'll see if that's still how you feel when you're fully sober." He chuckles dryly, deeply inhaling and exhaling to keep that tiny little shred of composure he had left.

Then with absolutely perfect timing, Dr. Chen walks back in with a clipboard full of documents. Thank God, if he had stayed any longer he was a undoubtedly sure he was gonna end up risking it all in this hospital and doing some shit he really shouldn't.

"I have the documents here for you to sign and give consent for the forensic exam process." She states politely, walking over to the other side of the hospital bed and placing the clipboard on your lap.

"Feel free to stay if you'd like. We can't start until all the documents are signed, so you have some time." She adds, turning her attention to him.

"Nah nah, I should go." He shakes his head. "I'll come back later." He adds softly, giving you one last look before making his way to the door.

Just as Shuji leaves your room, a familiar face makes him stop dead in his tracks. It's your late ass "boyfriend", and he looks pissed, storming over to him with his eyes blazing with animosity.

Perfect timing....how ironic.

"I fuckin' knew it. I knew it would be you!" He grits out, stepping right up to him.

On the bright side, this is the perfect opportunity for Shuji to let off some of his frustration. Definitely not in the way he'd like to, but...it'll have to do for now.

Meanwhile, Keisuke and Kazutora are just down the hall, coming back from one of the nearest vending machines with their hands full of snacks. "Wait wait wait, you hear that?" Kazutora murmurs, slowing to a stop as he listens intently to the semi-faded yelling.

"Is that Ryuguji?! How the hell does he know about this?!" Kei rambles in bewilderment.

"Oh, I texted him a while ago. I figured he'd wanna know since it's his girlfriend." Kazutora shrugs plainly.

"You idiot..." Kei narrows his eyes.

"What?! What'd I do?!"

"Bro, they're not on good terms right now!" Kei scolds.

"Who?! Hanma and Ryuguji?" Kazutora's brows furrow.

"Nooooo! Ryuguji and Y/N aren't cool right now! But I mean, I guess him and Hanma aren't cool either."

Kazutora's mouth falls into an "O" shape, the both of them going silent as they listen in to whatever was going on.

"Don't fuckin' play these stupid ass games with me! I know for a fact you're the one fuckin' my girl! Don't even try to act like it's not true, Hanma!" Ryuguji accuses.

Both Kei and Kazutora's eyes go wide, mouths dropping as they look at each other utterly shook.

"Whaaaaaat?!" Kazutora mouths quietly.

"What is goin' on?!" Kei murmurs.

"Did you know that?!" Kazutora whispers.

"Hell no! I didn't even know he knew Y/N!" Kei shakes his head frantically.

"Woooooow." Kazutora whispers.

"Your girl?! You're really bitchin' to me about games when you're the one playing pretend with her every single day. She's literally never been your girl." Hanma claps back nonchalantly.

"Wait what?!" Kazutora gasps once again.

"Ok, well see, that I did know." Kei murmurs.

"What does he mean pretend?!" Kazutora whispers.

"So like, Y/N and Ryuguji are actually a fake couple, bro. They're not really together; never have been." Kei explains briefly.

At this point Kazutora has to take a short lap, his brain failing to comprehend the whole situation. "Wait hold up, hold up. Y/N and Ryuguji...aren't actually together. Then on top of that, she's in a whole separate thing with Hanma at the same time?!"

"I-..I guess so, yeah. She didn't tell me the part with Hanma though; I have no idea where or when he came in." Keisuke shrugs, feeling just as lost as his friend.

"It's like a fake love triangle. No, a...love diagonal? I don't even know, college is crazy bro." Kazutora shakes his head. "Should we like...break this up though?"

"Not even gonna lie, I'm kinda trynna hear this." Kei admits with a guilty laugh. "No facts, this is dramatic as fuck." Kazutora nods, joining in with the laughter, then tuning back into the argument.

"That doesn't matter! You probably didn't even know it was fake until she told you at some point! That means before that, you knew we were together, yet you still went after her anyways!" Ken rants.

Shuji pauses for a second, looking to the side in thought before forming a response. "Ok...sure. You're still not actually together though, so being mad at me is crazy. You should actually be her real boyfriend in the first place before being this pissed that she's fuckin' someone else." Hanma shrugs plainly.

Kazutora leans over towards Keisuke, whispering quietly "They're really deadass fighting over her..."

"No like, in the middle of a hospital too. When has Hanma ever argued over a girl, bro?" Keisuke says in a dazed tone.

"Never...never." Kazutora responds.

"If this were the other way around-

"If this were the other way around she'd actually be mine. I would never be caught in a fake ass relationship then have the audacity to be mad when I find out she's fuckin' someone else! That's just straight idiot behavior." Shuji cuts off Ken annoyedly, his tone fully condescending.

"You're going out of your way to miss the point, Hanma! You're a fuckin' snake!" Ken rants.

"I'm a snake 'cause your "girlfriend" wants to be with me instead?!"

"Because you stole her from me! On purpose!"

"She's not yours to steal! You're relationship is faaake! That shit ain't real!" Shuji stresses.

Ken clenches his jaw angrily. "Unlike you, I actually give a damn about her! And honestly, wether our relationship's real or not, I'm the one she's with at the end of the day, not you!" Ken points out with angry finality. And with that, Shuji was completely over this argument. Using being a fake boyfriend as a flex was the dumbest shit he's ever heard possibly in his whole life.

"Right, sure. She might be your "girlfriend" or whatever, but that doesn't really mean shit when I'm all she thinks about every time she's with you." He countered with a level of pride that made Ken's blood boiling hot.

"Ooooo..." Both Kazutora and Keisuke murmur lowly. "That was excellent. He won with that one." Kazutora says, hovering a hand over his mouth. "To be honest, Ryuguji was never gonna win this. They've been "together" for like two years and he's still never bothered to make it official?! No, he's trash. Completely fumbled the bag."

"Y/N's pretty too, he really-

Kazutora cuts himself off, watching with wide eyes as Ryuguji suddenly goes for a punch right for Hanma's face. "OOOOHHHH!" The two guys gasp loudly. "I knew that was comin'." Keisuke shakes his head. Ken went and set things off to a whole other level. Both of them start full out fighting right in the middle of the waiting area...in the middle of a hospital.

"Shit, alright, we gotta jump in! You get Hanma, I'll handle Ryuguji!" Keisuke says hurriedly. The two of them sort of scramble around for a second, trying to figure out where to put their snacks before just leaving it all on the floor and racing over to the fight.

"Ryuguji, chill the fuck out! You're in a hospital! This is crazy!" Keisuke scolds, grabbing him by the forearm. It was like Kei wasn't even there with the way Ken just kept swinging and shit talking. It didn't take too much for Kazutora to get Hanma to back off, seeing as he wasn't nearly as pissed.

"Just admit you're jealous, Hanma!" Ryuguji shouts.

"You're so delusional it's actually sad. The only one jealous is you 'cause you know Y/N doesn't feel the same way about you!" Shuji retaliates.

"Don't even bother, don't even bother." Kazutora says, shaking his head as he tries to drag Hanma along towards the hallway him and Keisuke had just came from.

"Do you even actually give a shit about her-

"Ryuguji shut the fuck up!" Keisuke outbursts loudly. That last bit Ken had said just hit him all kinds of wrong. Finally he shuts up, no longer struggling against Keisuke's grasp as he looks at him with wide eyes, completely caught off guard that he'd went and yelled at him like that.

"You're really over here talkin' about if he gives a shit about Y/N?! Do you even realize that as soon as you got here the very first thing you decided to do was start a stupid ass argument with Hanma when your supposed girlfriend is literally laying in a hospital bed right there?!" Keisuke rants, pointing over at your room just a few feet away.

Ken freezes, the awareness of what he did, or rather didn't do, finally starting to sink in. There were so many people staring at him, looks of distaste being thrown his way from the nurses, families, and patients alike.

"Exactly. I swear Ryuguji I don't know what the hell's goin' on with you lately, but you need to get it together real fuckin' quick. There's no way you really believe you love Y/N when not at any point did you go and check on her, or even just look at her to see if she's fine! She got drugged, bro; she had a seizure! When I went in there she was scared as fuck, she could barely even move! You'd actually know all that had you gone in there to see her!"

The more Keisuke spoke the more utterly embarrassed Ken felt. Once again he goes and screws everything up by running his mouth. It wasn't like he wasn't worried about you or didn't wanna check on you, it's just...when he saw Hanma come out of your room his mind went somewhere else.

It's the fact that he was here before him, already having checked on you and supporting you; probably holding you close and making sure you felt safe. It made him feel like a failure. What good was he when already three other guys were here for you?

It's what he's always been afraid of, that you're just fine and completely unfazed without him. For the longest time that's been his worst nightmare, and somehow he never thought it could get worse than how bad it already was.

Now Hanma's just his nightmare in physical form. The personification of all his fears when it comes to you, and during his entire argument with him all Ken could hear in his mind was:

He's everything I'm not...

Horrific images of the two of you together haunted him every second he looked at Hanma. He could see your arms around him, exchanging kisses and smiles; running your little fingers through his hair. Any thought of your desperate boyfriend completely gone out of your mind.

Honestly Ken just wants you to need him like he needs you. To feel like you have nothing if you don't have him. He wants you to fall apart without him so he can come and piece you back together, like how you'd always do with him. But today just made it obvious.

That's probably never gonna happen...

Then right on cue, he spots someone at the end of one of the hallways that led from the main lobby of the hospital.

Your mother.

Everybody's hearts seemed to drop to their feet at the sight of her. It didn't take rocket science for Shuji and Kazutora to realize you were related. You were this woman's spitting image. "Ms. L/N..." Keisuke whispers under his breath, taking a step away from Ken. With a strained exhale she makes her way over to where Ken and Keisuke are in the center of the waiting area. Kazutora and Hanma are completely frozen, just watching as she approaches the other two.

"Ms. L/N, I-I'm so sorr-

She doesn't even look at Ken, just raises her hand without a word, immediately silencing him. She definitely heard and saw everything, or at least a good portion. That much was obvious.

"Keisuke?" She says lowly, actually looking at him.

"Yes ma'am?" He responds instantly, tone dripping with politeness and respect.

"Take me to my daughter's room. Right now." Ms. L/N demands, her voice making it clear she was not trynna hear anything other than yes.

"Ok. She's in here." He nods, quickly making his way to her side.

"Thank you." She breathes out tiredly.

Ken stands there, eyes wide in a mixture of embarrassment and shock. Your mom really chose Keisuke over him...right in front of him. She'd rather a friend go in there with her than her own daughter's boyfriend?! At this point he couldn't tell which thing hurt more, the fact that you're slipping away from him, or the fact that your mom didn't even trust him anymore. 

Later That Evening

Your eyes could barely stay open from how tired you are at this point. You needed your bed immediately, and nothing else. The examination process was finally over, and you were almost cleared to leave the hospital, but your mom's constant rambling and nagging was just getting started. 

"-You hear me? Not another second with that boy!" 

"Who? Keisuke?" You murmur tiredly, brows slightly furrowed in genuine confusion. 

"No! I mean that boy you've been messing around with! He's caused nothing but trouble for you, and I've had enough! I'm over it; this is too much!" She stresses, gesturing towards all of you with a hand. 

"He's not the one that did this." You shake your head. It hadn't even fully registered to you that she's somehow well aware about you and Shuji. 

"That's not the point, Y/N. I don't want you around him anymore; I mean that." 

You didn't have the energy to put up much of a fight and protest, honestly you were sure you'd probably go home and forget this conversation too just like everything else from today.

Once the doctors clear you, your mom decides to be the one to take you back to your dorm, leaving Keisuke, Ken, and everyone else to head off by themselves. 

Your mom came with you all the way up to your dorm room, making sure you were in there safe and sound before finally heading out. Of course not without making it clear for the thousandth time that she doesn't want you anywhere near Shuji.

 Immediately you practically rip your clothes off then plop face first right onto your plush bed. "What kind of day was this?" You whisper to yourself, that weighty, dark feeling making its way back onto your shoulders with full force. It was shocking yet really not that no more tears were left, your body too exhausted to do anything else but lay. Weakly you get yourself under the blankets, snuggling and curling into a little ball to comfort yourself and bring some warmth. 

A/N🧚🏾‍♀️: I'm literally at the point where Ken is giving me the craziest ick with the way I'm writing him omg. I can't with him in this story...💀

[a-land-lacking-sleep]

Surprise Electric Trains Status Update!

No, this is not me saying the next chapter is coming out this week, nor am I ending the story. This chapter is taking awhile - I know that, and I am honestly annoyed about it too. The cause boils down to I have less and less free time compared to when I started the fic!

Since I last posted in April, my work time (40 hours a week) and stream time (8-14 hours a week) have stayed roughly the same, but I have picked up additional projects. Back in April, I was accepted into In Pursuit of Victory, and while I am soooo glad I was in that, I wrote two chapters worth of fic for it, which put Chapter 20 on hold (Together, those were just shy of 8000 words, which is about 90% of what I expect Chapter 20 to be). And after I finished work on it, I was pretty burnt out with writing. I also took 2 vacations since then (a family vacation in July, which was when I finished my second zine piece, and one in September to visit my girlfriend), where very little work got done. I've also been posting my stream VODs to Youtube for the first time, so I spend a lot of time after work or on days off editing and rendering videos, making thumbnails, and recording outros. I also have several D&D games going on, so there are several nights where I just... Can't do anything else. I have also started about 6 WIPs in that time, some ranging from a single paragraph, and others being several pages long.

I plan to get Chapter 20 out by Thanksgiving (Nov. 28th), and will endeavor to have Chapter 21 (hopefully shorter) out by the 2 year anniversary for the fic (Dec. 23rd). I also have a few companion posts to put up for the fic, mostly Elio's Team and I believe Akari's Team. This fic isn't dead, I promise you! I'm just very worn out and taking it slower than I'd like.

And, as a peace offering, have a sneak peek at Chapter 20! (ft. a cameo from Zisu and Wenton)

The twins were both out at the same time, and no time was wasted as they threw out their next set of Pokémon. Gliscor and Elektross hit the field, while Staraptor and Decidueye flared out their wings in preparation to attack. Then, in what some would confuse for a lapse of attention as the four trains threw their hands out in commands, the Pokémon were all in different positions. Gliscor, bruised and breathing heavily, hovered over a defeated Decidueye, while Staraptor was blown back into the dirt in front of Akari, her feathers slightly charred. 

As Eelektross trills and swirls in place, Wenton steps to the edge of the arena with a hand up to stop the trainers. “Ok, I know most of you probably got that,” he says, looking to the pair of trainers, then back to Zisu and Cynthia, “but what just happened?”

“Oh, thats easy!” Akari says, recalling Staraptor back into her Pokeball. “Zisu, do you wanna come help show him?”

“Oh, I see where you’re going with this,” Cynthia says as she laughs into her hand, while Zisu follows Akari’s direction to stand in front of Ingo.

Akari, Zisu, Elio, and Emmet step into the field, in the relative places their Pokémon had stood. “So, Gliscor moved first,” Zisu starts, stretching her back out. “He went for an Aerial Ace against Elio’s Decidueye.” 

“And Decidueye was going to hit Eelektross with a Spirit Shackle, since he’s a physical attacker!” Elio cuts in, taking the chance to adopt an archer’s pose and pull back the imaginary arrow. “If we could confine him, even just a little, we could get an advantage.”

“But Gliscor moved faster!” Ingo says from his spot at the edge of the field. “Specifically with an Agile Style.” On cue, Zisu jogs over towards Elio, hand raised to prepare a mimed slash. 

“But Staraptor was even faster, with an Agile Close Combat!” Akari swoops in and tackles Zisu, causing the woman to stumble and laugh out loud as the teenager pummels her midsection. “It wasn’t ever going to be enough to take out Gliscor, it was mostly to soften him up.”

“Good call, yup!” Emmet comes over to pry Akari from Zisu, and the woman continues her path to Elio, ‘striking’ them down. The Alolan Champion puts their hand over their heart and dramatically spins before falling down next to their Decidueye. “Of course, that left a perfect opportunity for Eelektross.”

Stepping over to his Pokémon, Emmet takes off Eelektross’ magnet, and drapes it around his neck. “I am Eelektross!” Turning on his heel, he leans back and points a finger gun at Akari with a deadly smirk. “I saw that the Staraptor was open. Using my trusty Magnet, I shot out a Thunderbolt and landed a critical hit!” Akari lets out a squawk and collapses into the dirt where her Staraptor had lain. 

With everything now settled, Ingo turns his chair to face Wenton. “As so energetically shown, that is what you missed. Do you have any further questions?”

[cnwolf-brainrot]

🍬, ❤️, or 💥 for the fic ask game?

🍬 Do you write for multiple fandoms? If yes, what is your favorite fic of yours for each fandom?

Yes, I have written for multiple fandoms, but that also depends on what you define as a "fandom" because almost all of my stuff is Marvel adjacent lol X'D If you count Avengers, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc as separate fandoms than I've written for a lot, but otherwise it's literally just been Marvel and a dash of TMNT. For the sake of a more fun answer I'm going to count those as separate!

Avengers/MCU: That's got to be the "Hurts to Heal, Helps to Hide" series!! I love the concept of the Healer!Clint AU and I like a lot of the ideas that are still to-be-written, it's been a fun AU to mess with! Guardians of the Galaxy: As much as I love "In The Walls", I think my favorite Guardians fic is "Like an Echo". It's a lot shorter, but I love the parallels in that story and I feel like it gave me a bit of catharsis in the face of the movies never showing us a post-Blip reunion for the Guardians. X-Men: As a surprise to no one, it's "Weapon by Name". I honestly think Weapon by Name is some of the best writing I've ever done, and it's length has allowed me to build up some super fun plot points that feel so gratifying to be tying together as we start coming closer to the end!! On top of that, the community that has sprouted up around this story is insane to me, one of the best experiences I've ever had online!! Daredevil: This is super specific but it's the "Ghosts" prompt from AU-gust 2022. This particular AU (Matt as a ghost that haunted Foggy's dorm room) has stuck in my head for some reason, and I'd really love to write a full-length story with it some day! TMNT: I've only posted two TMNT one shots, however I do have a few drafts lying around that I'd like to finish eventually! My favorite of those is one called "Splintered Sons", which is a TMNT 2003 foster care AU. It features human versions of the turtles, all of whom were put into the foster care system on the same night, though they all grew up in separate homes. Now they're all attending the same after-school dojo (all for their own reasons) and they slowly begin to realize that they were meant to be together all along... Ninjago: Same sort of thing here; I don't have any public Ninjago fics, but I have one in my drafts called "Deniable Darkness" that I would LOVE to finish up some day! It's a superhero/supervillain/vigilante AU focused around the brotherly relationship between Lloyd and Kai, with Kai being an ex-vigilante that is now working with the ninja/hero team while Lloyd is a young vigilante that is trying to take down his father, Garmadon. It's a super fun story, but one I haven't had the chance to sit down and finish.

A close follow-up to all of these of course is "Far too Young to be This Old", but I'm disqualifying that because it's a crossover fic (and because I'm not sure I can pick between that and Weapon by Name lol) <3

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

Ok, this is HARD. I honestly have a lot of lines that I'm pretty proud of, especially in the bigger fics. Off of the top of my head, I'm thinking of two:

"Without his visor every single thing that he looked at was preserved in bright, clean, shocking clarity. And every single thing he looked at was utterly destroyed." (Far too Young to be This Old)

"There you are, Kurt." (Weapon by Name)

I really liked that bit of description from Far too Young, and as for the Weapon by Name line I think it's been one of the most memorable lines from the fic so far and has so much emotional depth to it (and, hopefully soon, it will have even more...)

💥 What is one canon thing that you wish you could change?

Give. Scott Summers. A decent character arc. In anything. '97 did right by him, but I'd love for the movies to give him an actual character arc. It would honestly fix a lot of the problems I had with the X-Men movies.

Or, for something more specific, I'd change Sean Cassidy's death. That was stupid, there was no emotional impact because the characters never reacted, holy cow I'm still furious at Marvel for that.

And of course I would expand on the whole "Nightcrawler was part of Weapon X" plotline from X2, but that's what Weapon by Name is for!! :D

[mysteryloversbookshelf]

The Afterparty: Danner’s Fire

Spoilers Ahead

I have been super tired this week and could only give half my energy to this week’s episode, but I still really enjoyed it. I don’t think this episode gave much away and tbh Danner’s story wasn’t needed, but it did help drive the plot so there’s that. This recap will be a bit shorter but I’m sure next week will make up for it when we finally get to hear what Funcle Ulysses has to say. As always, I’m starting off with the “Not ___” Clue

“Not A Team”

I’d just like to say the writers are not only brilliant but very intuitive. Just last week a lot of fans were theorizing that there were one or two teams working to kill Edgar and then this week the writers were like:

At this point in the season I still don’t quite know what to believe about Edgar’s death. There have been many compelling theories but I haven’t found one that really resonated yet. I will say though that I think whoever came up with the theory that Zoë is protecting who she suspects killed Edgar may very well be right. She’s been trying to clear Grace’s name but the way that her demeanor changed about the tea and her hiding it in the bathroom makes me think it may be someone else. Maybe the theory about Vivian being the killer is right. Suppose she made the tea and asked Zoë to take it to Edgar’s bedroom and then when Travis brought up the hot water it clicked for her. A few people have been saying that we don’t even know what exactly killed Edgar which is a good point. All this attention has been put on the devil’s trumpet and until the coroner examines the body it’s all just theories. Hannah being jealous of Travis was interesting and tbh it doesn’t help her case but I still don’t feel like it’s her. And with all these new added stories I don’t think it was Grace either even if I do find her shady for withholding secrets that could clear her name.

While Danner’s episode wasn’t a total bore for me, I was shook when I realized that Michael Ealy was playing the psychiatrist. If you’re not familiar with his work, just know you can expect two things when he’s featured in a tv show: a sexual affair with the female lead and him being a criminal of some sort. This man is a VILLAIN. So when he popped up, I already knew exactly why Danner messed the case up and that he was going to be evil somehow. Sorry to see her down bad, but that’s the rules when Michael’s characters are involved.

I’m sorry but Travis experimenting with the devil’s trumpet tea was hilarious 😭 Like not only did he just blindly try a recipe he found on Reddit but he didn’t even know how much he drank? I was living for the chaos. The fact that he ended up being ok leads me to believe that Edgar may not have ingested as much as we thought and maybe something else killed him.

Ulysses and Zoë’s brief interactions were cute and imo still point to my theory that he’s the father of one or both of the sisters. I still think he’s over exaggerating his travels but I think he may be telling the truth here and there like when he tried guiding Travis out of his psychosis before getting bitten.

Walt getting onstage and singing karaoke is my last takeaway. I love seeing all these mini cameos here and there. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brett and Maggie showed up at some point in a flashback in either Feng or Vivian’s interviews.

So yeah, I’m out of theories this week. I’m excited to see if I got it right about Ulysses next week and hopefully one of the past clues (snorer, skater, etc) will be explained. I’d love to hear what you guys thought about the episode and if you thought it was helpful or not. Peace out until next week! ✌🏽

[foggyfanfic]

Bruno's Dating Life After the Movie

Ok, so obviously this is eventually (hopefully) going to be disproven if/when we get more canon, but then it just becomes an AU. This one is a bit shorter than my usual lists of headcanons, mostly because I like to think Bruno's life starts mellowing out after the movie. The worst of his life is all behind him and now things are steadily improving for him.

Mountains open up and new people arrive in Encanto

One of them is a youngish woman who quickly becomes fascinated by Bruno's gift.

She starts visiting him regularly to conduct experiments, asking him to look a minute into the future, or find specific events. She is very scientific about it, and will occasionally get frustrated when there is no hard and fast rule to be derived from these experiments.

Bruno enjoys giving her visions because he's also fairly curious about how all this magic stuff actually works, and it's always nice when people come to him for something other than "Will I have wrinkles when I'm 80?"

They get along well, bond over similar likes and dislikes, and ultimately develop feelings.

She asks him on a date, and he agrees. It goes really well, they both have a great time, but ultimately there's something nagging in the back of Bruno's head.

It clicks when he sees her interact with his family, she has nothing in common with them. She isn't rude to them per say, but she's too old to really bond with any of his nieces, and just isn't vibing with his sisters or brother in laws. She likes kids, but he figures you can't invite a ten year old out for drinks when you need advice about your neurotic husband. If they were to get married and she moved in, he would be the only person in the house whose company she really enjoyed.

After another two dates he brings this up with her, asks if she could see herself feeling at home with his family. For her credit she is honest with herself and realizes, no, Bruno is the only Madrigal she really clicks with.

They part ways amicably. It's the most peaceful break-up Bruno has ever had, and he comes away from it feeling a bit more confident in his dating abilities.

Their feelings settle into friendship and it eventually occurs to Bruno that she would probably get along well with his favorite baker, so he introduces them and ends up giving a stuttered speech at their wedding. This furthers his impression that dating him isn't a horrid curse.

When he's in his sixties a man comes to town with his two grandchildren and sets up a bookstore.

The younger grandchild starts attending Bruno's weekly story time and reports it back to her Abuelo. He decides to invite Bruno to the bookstore to read to kids once a week.

They bond over literature and a love of kids.

It takes two years for the guy to figure out Bruno leans his way, and once he does, he immediately asks Bruno out. Bruno spend a few seconds in shock, he hadn't realized his friend was a part of the queer community.

They date, it turns into a very sweet relationship.

They discuss becoming something serious, but at this point in their lives, neither of them really wants to spend the time to build the relationship into a lifelong partnership. They are both content being the unwed tio or widowed abuelo respectively.

The fact that neither of them needs more than the other can give works in their favor, and although the relationship never becomes a full partnership, they fall in love and stay committed to each other for the rest of the abuelo's life.

I headcanon that the Madrigals live a bit longer than most due to all the magic healing food they eat, so Bruno out lives his boyfriend by a few decades. He debates putting himself back out there, but he never really stops being in love with his boyfriend. In his last few years he contemplates if he regrets not exchanging vows, or at least moving in together, but ultimately decides that although the romance was a bit nontraditional, it was what he needed. They were happy, that was enough.