#huh .. whatever it may be; i'll check on it later

[ughscara]

???

[tainted-liquor]

'You love me'✧˖°

Arachkids x Reader! TWs: I don't think there are any Ingredients: Sugar, kisses, and a lil bit of smiles ! W/C: 1080 A/N: Sorry if Gwen is a lil ooc, I really don't write for her that much lol. FIRST REQUESTTTT EUUUGHH!! /pos

Miles Morales

You watched as your boyfriend paced around his room, occasionally walking up the wall as he ranted about some sort of 'Villain-of-the-week", laying flat on your stomach on top of his bed as he hung upside down from his roof. You chuckled to yourself as an Idea manifested in your head, raising yourself up slightly. "Hey, Miles."

"Huh-...Yeah? You need something, love?" He snapped out of his trance and turned to face you as he dangled from the ceiling. You inched closer to him, analyzing his confused expression as you cupped the sides of his face within your hands, pressing a gentle and loving kiss to his lips at a slightly awkward angle. He may have been there physically in front of you, but as soon as he felt your soft lips on his he was gone. He quickly returned the kiss, gently cupping your face in the same manner that you had cupped his.

When you pulled back, Miles gave a small frown before quickly fixing his expression. He already felt himself missing your touch, quickly pulling you back in before you could even think.

"What was that for?"

"Cuz I love you, Miles."

Hobie Brown

Now Hobie was a slightly different case. He more than likely preferred having two feet firmly planted on the ground, and was more than likely not home. Being Spider-Man and an infamous music artist took up most of his time, so there were some days when he really just...not home. So here you were in the middle of the night, bundled up in his bedsheets half asleep and missing your beloved boyfriend. You heard the front door to his canal boat open as you heard his familiar East London dialect muffle itself at the front door

"I'll see you guys later. Gonna check on the missus."

You heard him shut the door as quietly as the door would allow him, his heavy boots thudding against the hardwood floors. The bedroom door creaked open as I slowly rose up from my comfortable position on my side. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw that I was partially asleep, wasting absolutely 0 time in apologizing for waking me up. "Sorry, lovey. Didn't mean to wake ya." He beamed as he looked down at me from the side of his bed.

"You didn't bee...don't worry" you sighed while simultaneously leaning upwards towards the punk. "Can you do me a favor though? Pleaaaase~?"

"Yeah love whatever you-...No." Hobie immediately knew what you were talking about as soon as he saw your eyes gravitate toward the ceiling. Despite being the Spider-Man of his world, he was very afraid of hanging upside down for longer periods. He said it felt 'suffocating and made him dizzy.'

"C'mon, I haven't seen you in two days I wanna kiss my man." You pouted, turning away from him and crossing your arms against your chest. Hobie let out a long sigh before walking up the wall and standing perfectly still on his ceiling. "There. Happy?" He grinned as he placed both hands over his hips.

"Very." you smiled as you eagerly smashed his lips into yours, attempting to hold the kiss as long as possible due to the possibility of it never happening again.

Pavitr Prabhakar

Your boyfriend, Pavitr is Spider-Man. Now of course he didn't tell you just yet, but everyone in Mumbattan knew. The hair, the clothes, the horrible faux deep voice, it was completely obvious to everyone but him. Not that you minded though, if anything you found his cluelessness cute. So when you sat on the ledge of a rather tall building fidgeting with your phone, In came your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man from above.

"Hey Mer-" He cleared his throat quickly, forcing his voice down an octave before carefully selecting his next few words. "Hey, you really shouldn't be sitting this close to the ledge! I think you might want to move back juuuust a smidge!" he reasoned, the white-painted eyes in his mask narrowing shut, indicating that loving smile you'd see every time he was out of his mask. You scooted back on the ledge slightly, looking up at the slowly spinning spider as he dangled from an even higher ledge. You fought back giggles at his slight hypocrisy, before answering with a small

"Why thank you, Spider-Man! What would I do without you here to protect me!" You joked with a barely concealed chuckle. You reached out towards him, gently taking his upside-down face into your hands. Pav didn't mean to lean into your touch so easily, it was just so hard to keep up the façade of not knowing you. It became clear at that moment that you knew who resided under the mask when you pulled the soft fabric up over his nose, pressing a small kiss to his lips before pulling back with your usual smile. His face grew slightly pink as he watched you walk back into your building, giving him a small wave and mouthing "Bye Pav!"

Gwen Stacy

It was a relatively warm morning as you went for your daily walk on the streets of Brooklyn. Around this time your girlfriend would normally be on patrol, on the lookout for any crime or anomalies. So instead of dwelling on her abscence, you made your way to the nearby abandoned bridge. You made the space as comfortable as possible, kicking away any debris or stones before sitting on the ground and scrolling through social media on your phone. You heard a small thwip noise above you, looking up to see your girlfriend standing en pointe with her arms crossed on the side of the bridge above.

"Hey Gwennie!" You called as she walked down the pillar of the bridge, bringing herself closer to you so you didn't have to shout. "Hey!" She said as she pulled off her mask to reveal that beautiful smile of hers. "What are you doing all the way over here? Shouldn't you be on your walk?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yeah, normally. Just wanted a change in scenery" you shrugged as you stood up, craning your neck to look up at the sideways spider. You beckoned her closer, giving a short and simple kiss as she looked at you with blown pupils and the most furious blush you've ever seen. You watched as she slung her mask back on, covering her face with her hands and webbed away. She was so adorable

[sprout-writes-stuff]

Inspired by @henderdads fic. A little thing that entered my brain fully formed and had to come out. (if I did anything wrong here let me know and I'll take it down)

It's not exactly what Steve thought he'd be doing on a friday night, he and Robin have their laptops open doing a personality quiz that the school heavily encouraged them to take.

He highly doubts a few questions (okay so there's at least 50, whatever) will tell him anything about himself that he didn't already know but Robin insisted they do it together. The part that actually interests Steve is they'll get a list of the ten people they're most compatible with, it'll even say whether that's in a romantic way or not. The last question asks about their preference (Men/Women/Any/None).

Early sunday morning Steve is lying in bed scrolling his emails and it's there! The results. He skims over all the stuff about him (he'll make a great parent someday, blah blah blah, maybe he'll read it properly later) until he finds the list. Unsurprisingly, Robin is at the top with 98.2% but the second... What? No way?

He video calls Robin immediately, it actually takes three tries to wake her up.

"Steve? It's," she looks up to the time on her phone, "7:18. Why? It's sunday."

"The email, Robin, it's here." He watches her face as she tries to understand what's happening, barely containing his amusement at that, and then waits as she checks hers.

"Aww we're compatible Stevie," she says with a silly, overly sweet smile, "like we didn't know that already. Who'd you get first with a heart?"

Steve now has his open on his laptop, staring at the little pink heart next the name second on his list.

"Steve?"

"It's... I mean, it can't be right."

"Why not? It got us didn't it?"

"It's Eddie Munson. 97.6%." The rest are all mid 80s or lower and might as well be zero for all Steve cares about them right now. Robin's jaw drops.

"He doesn't exactly seem the type to even take the quiz," she says, "you have to talk to him tomorrow."

"I don't know anything about him."

"Well you've got all the time in the world to find out."

He doesn't stop thinking about it for the rest of the day.

He sees Eddie's van pull into the parking lot and Robin pushes him towards it before the engine is even off.

"Can I talk to you?" he asks as soon as the door is open. "Privately?"

"Alright," Eddie says, confusion on his face as he follows Steve away from everyone else. "What's this about Harrington?"

"The quiz? The other night?" Did Eddie think Steve was just going to leave it?

"Oh, that's in already?" He digs his phone out of his pocket. He doesn't know.

Steve watches him read, getting more and more nervous as he gets closer to the end. Eddie looks up at him in shock. All Steve can do is nod.

"And the... heart? That's not a mistake?" He's kind of breathless.

"Huh?"

"Like, you could have accidentally checked men instead of women and that's what you came to tell me."

"Oh," Steve says with a giggle, "no, I'm bi."

The nervous energy from a few minutes ago is turning into bubbling excitement as they stare at each other, both with tentative, hopeful smiles.

"I don't know about you but I really wanna kiss you." Steve says, stepping closer. Eddie bridges the gap and their lips meet. Before they can get too into it, the school bell rings and they have to start heading to class.

"Can't believe we got each other at the top of our lists," Eddie says knocking his shoulder into Steve's.

"Hate to break it to you but you're number two on mine," Steve replies with a grin. Eddie stops walking for a few seconds and has to jog to catch up.

"Oh, of course, Buckley right?"

Steve nods, still grinning. "See you after class?" he asks when they get to his room.

"Definitely." Eddie kisses him again, a peck this time. Steve watches him leave and marvels at the fact a stupid piece of homework may have just changed his life forever.

[fishyishy]

A3! Event Translation - The Twelve Heavenly Generals of the Dawn (2/11)

━━━━━━━━━

Director: Welcome home, Homare-san.

Homare: I'm home. My apologies, it seems I'm the last to arrive.

Tsumugi: Everyone just got here, so there's no need to worry.

Director: As you can see, today we have gathered Itaru-san, Tenma-kun, Muku-kun, Sakyo-san, Tsumugi-san, and Homare-san to be here.

Director: I have a request to ask these members.

-------------------------------

Tenma: I see, so it was a request from a game company.

Director: Yup, and the members we've gathered here right now are the members we would like to have on stage at the game show.

Itaru: The stage is planned to be based on a game that has a Twelve Heavenly Generals motif. I decided on which members to cast first based on the game characters.

Itaru: However there may be scheduling conflicts, so it's not mandatory. If it seems too difficult to manage, I can reconsider the roles.

Sakyo: As I stated in our meeting before, I have no problem with appearing.

Homare: I was just wishing for some new inspiration, so i am OK to appear.

Tsumugi: I have no problem with appearing either.

Muku: I'm also fine with it. Thank you for letting me be a part of this!

Tenma: I'll need to check my schedule with Igawa first, so I'll let you know in a moment.

Itaru: Thank you. It'll be okay as long as you don't overdo it.

Tenma: That's right. But I'll try to ask if I can appear. I'm also curious to whatever role Itaru-san thought would suit me.

Director: We also have to coordinate with the other party regarding the roles.

Director: I can share more information later once everything, including Tenma's appearance has officially been confirmed.

Muku: Yes, I understand.

Tsumugi: For now, we should all start by learning more about the game and the Twelve Heavenly Generals.

Director: As for the games, the other party sent me a few games for reference, so please give them a try.

Itaru: If you guys don't understand something, just ask me.

Homare: I understand. I will look into many things myself as well.

-----------------------

Itaru: (My work day is over. I can just go home now.)

Itaru: (While everyone was talking yesterday, we talked about deepening our understanding of the Twelve Heavenly Generals.....)

Itaru: (Maybe I should try to think of things I can do outside of games)

Man: Um....excuse me...... but, could this possibly be Chigasaki Itaru?

Itaru: (This vibe makes it feel like this guy is a fan of MANKAI Company.)

Itaru: Yes, that's right.

Man: Of course.....! I loved the KniRoun performances!

Man: The visuals of Chigasaki-san's Lancelot looked like he jumped right out of the game, and the acting and script were the best!

Man: Aah, I'm really sorry to suddenly appear in front of you....! This is just the kind of person I am......

Itaru: Thank you very much.

Itaru: (A business card...."Eternal Games," huh......)

Itaru: ......Eh?

-----------------------

previous I next

*the twelve heavenly generals are protective deities in east asian buddhism

*i think if you read out the kanji it would be "Yukya Games" but the kanji translates into "Eternity" or "Eternal" so for the sake of the translation I will call it "Eternal Games"

[zoroara]

Drawing too much bel has made me notice something was up with his hands. See while you may occasionally see it in other characters it's not as common with other characters(I went and checked to make sure, not the whole manga of course but you know) Bel's hands are hyperflexible, most prominently in his thumbs that essentially are drawn looking similar to hitchhicker's thumb. Whether on accident or not it's a lot more common with him. The reason I noticed this, is because I myself have this. Meaning I can actually show you some pictures to compare here since unfortunately most shown images of it when you search it up are at their most pushed state so it looks extremely odd. (not that it doesn't look like i broke my thumb in some so be warned on the below, this is just how it naturally bends)

Rest fold here, though it should be noted bel's thumb points a little more down.(for the sake of both of us, ignore the mess on my desk.)

What it should look like when holding things. ignore that i pushed my wrist at a weird angle I'll explain that additional note later.

forgot to bend the other two fingers but you can see my upper two fingers also naturally bend backwards some[like if i hold them flat they can actually go about 45 degrees backwards without pushing. if i push them with my other hand they can go a whole 90] (Yes I have a shark collection. There is more than pictured.)

just some general closed hand here.

Now there's two I didn't get pictures of but know I could. One is this

and that's because i don't want to show my face, but you can definitely see the bend once you know what to look for.

The other is this:

hard to see, but the thumb is at the bottom, as you'll notice there's almost a perfect circle to the arm which doesn't normally happen.

Also some panels seem like he's purposely trying to hide this, like when he raises his hands to show he's not going to attack in varia arc his hand looks like it's pressed together, I copied it to the best of my ability while struggling to take a picture

even like this his thumb still comes out a bit as you can see.

I don't actually see many characters portrayed with this, but what I find really interesting is that while yes, there's people with this without them, it is tied to a few disorders. The most common of these 4, which I have is Hyper mobility syndrome. it means your joints for, whatever reason(there's a few potential underlying causes) are hypermobile to extreme flexibility(though your body to counteract this can end up making your joints and muscles extremely stiff.)

which uh, based on how bel in general fucking moves, yeah he sure god damn is huh.

While hypermobility like this can lead to chronic pain(I am unlucky enough to experience this with no exact fix) potential clumsiness(Not something I experience I'm actually the least likely to stumble and fall out of everyone) and common sprains and breaks(I only broke my ankle 1 time in my whole life and never had a sprain). As you can see not all symptoms are shared.

But also, a majority of these issues can be softened quite a bit through physical therapy(didn't work for me in particular but my body just wouldn't build more muscle). As the muscle built will actually reinforce the extremely flexible joints so that they don't injure themselves as much. Given Bel probably doesn't have much of a choice but to have a training routine in the varia he likely experiences very minimal problems due to actually having the muscle and physical activity that helps.

It should be noted it often causes fatigue, and outside of physical therapy there are some things you can do. You know, orthopedics, good-ish posture(it's honestly super hard because your body wants to actively fight this to find what's comfortable), don't go extreme ranges of motion(Bel is pretty good at this except when he goes into his blood driven mode where he doesn't have self preservation but like. I fuck up all the time when i want to go do something quick and he sure does too outside of this) and so on. What drives me most insane that while I was doing this. What I found out, was standing like this:

where your knees are slightly bent forward is actually a potential recommendation to combat the fact your legs kinda are fucky. and then i went and did this and it helped some. Also while re-looking at panels Bel also has the clear stance that when he stands straight his legs go back some, which is also part of hyper mobility. there's a notable angle.

and generally his legs bend in ways that no normal person would be able to manage even when he's not being chaos

like the calf there on his right is much closer to a straight line down that it should be.

anyway, while all of this could be accidental, I just thought it'd be interesting to share. Plus you get a bit more information about this stuff regardless! (It may even end up being useful to you because some people don't actually know much about it and assume this stuff is normal if they have it. <- also me)

[draw-ren-draw]

Avantris Comic Scripts #3 Often when I get ideas for comics, I break my panels into scripts first. These are less prose-y than fics but still contain dialogue and basic interactions. This is a jokey followup from the concept of my last one, be sure you're up to ep:56 to avoid spoilers!

Shaky Origins (spoilers up to ep: 56!) [A snippet exploring how Torbek may have met Carnival Lecroux based on my favorite theory: that The Duke/Gorebek is the original inhabitant of their shared body and it is Torbek who came second. A lot can happen to an cursed amnesiac. Especially around Carnival LeCroux.] * * * * *

It's a pleasant sunny day near Carnival LeCroux where a Bugbear stumbles out of the brush, blood on his hands, matted fur, drink on his lips and not a single thought in his head. In his claws he tightly grips a piece of torn parchment with chunks of it missing. He squints at it, willing the foreign characters to make sense. He can't remember a thing! Where is he? How did he get here? Who... is he?? He feels like he should be able to read this but the letters don't quite look right. They dance in front of his eyes as he desperately tries to pick out any of them. He points at each in turn, sounding them out. They almost seem to say something like… "Torr... Bek?" He murmurs it again and stares deeply at the writing. Parchment taking up all of his focus, he wanders forward into the carnival proper.

???" You there? You one of mine?"

The bugbear holds the paper, paralyzed as he tries to form one coherent thought, but all that comes out is the last thing he read. "T-T-orbek…?"

Kremy grimaces, smelling the boozy breathe on the bugbear, almost regretting his choice to interact with them at all. Kremy: "Ooh, you reek. You must be one of mine. Listen, what did you say, 'Torbek?' That your name? Whatever, look Turkbek just go use those long arms of yours and get those patrons down." With a wave of his staff, he gestures to the oval-shaped legally distinct 'herris' wheel that has clearly broken down full of riders. Kremy: "Drink break is over." Utterly stunned and still unable to get a grip on reality, the bugbear can do nothing but follow the alligator ushering him toward the broken down ride.

It doesn't take the bugbear long to fulfill the order and he tries again to collect himself as he stands amid the bustling carnival, confused once more. A Tabaxi comes jogging up Frost: "You, you're.. Torbek, was it?" The Tabaxi squints at something he has written on papers.

"Torbek.." the bugbear shakes, wide eyed, trying to cling to the one rational thought he can. So much is happening--!! Frost: "..Right, listen, Kremy just needs you to fill out these forms, I don't care if you don't have a resume, but all the new hires need to." Frost shoves the papers into his hands, continuing to hurry to the next pressing task in his clearly full day. He points one last time before he departs. Frost "Come turn them in later-!"

Hand now full of employment pages, 'Torbek' stumbles, starting to wander again. Who are all these people?? This paper says his name is Torbek, so is that his-- He walks past a goblin, who is manning a small stall. Gricko: "Oh hey! Kremy Finally hired another goblinoid! That's nice, always been waiting for that. Anyway it's me lunch break, gotta get a goblin surf n' turf if you know what I mean, ohhh I'll catch ya later!" He laughs, clapping Torbek on the back and shooting finger guns Gricko: "Thanks buddy!" Left alone at the stall, the bugbear sits down, ignoring everything but the papers in front of him. Undeterred his customers just help themselves to his game. He checks the paper again. It has Torbek on it. Is that his name? It must be, everyone else seems convinced of it! He takes a deep breathe, confirming it for himself with a nod. "…Torbek i-is. Torbek." ???: "Torbek huh? I've heard of weirder" He looks across his stall to see a tent of clowns, Chuckles shoots the bugbear a knowing look and gestures at the state of him. Chuckles: "More like 'Torn-bek', in more ways than one! Ah-hoho-hah! HEHhhheh... workshop it…" The Clown mumbles, stopping to write something down. Gideon enters from the right, we hear him before we even see him "Man, I hate walking past the clowns." Gideon: "Hey turkey or whatever!" The Bugbear jerks in place. "Come on, Kremy needs ya." With a groan, 'Torbek' follows obediently. It seems his day is not going to get any easier... * * The camera pans out * * From afar, a figure watches the once proud and ruthless Duke of Iron and Glass meandering around some shitty carnival like an absolute fool. Something had gone very wrong, or very, very right.

Bonus joke panel of Gid and Krem 'ironically' shacked up, chilling after hours: Kremy: I don't know how you pick em gid but at least you got a new hire this time. Gideon: [Internally] Huh did he? He must have, he was just that awesome.

[smilingangel582]

And the next day... gah! Am I too early but I'm so impatient! I wanna write somefink sow bwadly... aqua deserves this... I need to I HAVE TO !!!!

*Gasp... *cough! Ahem, so... I'm writing a fanfic on Oshi no ko. Teeeheee too early ik but I'll be the first tk writer to write this!

This is awfully cute, and spoilers are alert, so read, at least, the damn manga or the anime, hehehe

Everyone has their happy moments

Strawberry productions have officially had the new B komachi gang settled. Hence, Aquamarine Hoshino settled himself on the couch, now looking at the reviews of the date reality show lovenow.

Honestly, he didn't expect people to even like him back. Some even mentioned he was 'handsome' and whatnot. He rolled his eyes, but silently.

"Ah, Senpai! What do you mean my face needs more expression!"

Ruby's complaining tone disturbed his mind and he looked up from where Mem-cho, Arima and Ruby came out with flustered faces.

Kana, on the other hand, sternly lectures the younger "You need to shine more! You're cute enough, but you gotta say 'look at me' with those eyes!"

Ruby sighed now, her starry eye blinking in irritation. "Fine!" She turned to him and tilted her head now unbothered by hus presence ."Oni-chan? What's up?"

He shook his head. "Nothing just found it amusing how irritated you've become"

Ruby puffed her bright cheeks and looked away. "Easy for you to say!"

Memcho who was peacefully by the corner was now keen on what Aqua was doing.

"Ohhohh, what are you doing, kiddo?" She teased now."Dating that A-ka-neh chan?" She leaned inched closer as she said the name.

"Not yet... I've checked the reviews of the show... that's it, " he calmly stated as he placed his phone down now, stretching a little.

"Not yet, huh?" Arima frowned, but her jealousy was clean to Mem-cho.

Deciding to change subjects to avoid an upcoming storm, she pointed out, "Hey Ruby-chan... haven't your brother ever had a goofy moment?"

Ruby seated on the ground crossed legged and just thought for a moment "Well I can't say he's been in the gloomy cloud forever, but... him being a goofball sounds so wrong"

Kana just hummed in thought, "Even as a child by that time, he's so calm and mature unlike a certain someone," she eyed Ruby, who returned the same look at her with offense but indirectly agreeing.

Aqua seeing how he was the center of attention waved it off casually but also wanting to avoid being noticed "It's a useless topic, not like I'm some old geezer or anything (though he is) I haven't had the intention to be so dumb like my bratty sister"

"Wha-" It was like a stab to Ruby, and meanwhile, Miyako Saito, the talent manager, chuckled.

Aqua warily turned to her "What's so funny?"

She shakes her head now fully turning to them from her computer "It's just that Aqua is more of an adult than me even at that time, goofing around seems exaggerating and unimaginable"

"Aww..." Memcho sighed "I really wanna see Aqua go BAAAM!"

"I'm not a bomb"

Ruby became thoughtful now, but then tilted her head as she replied "Aqua may have been mature and acts like someone hundred years older-"

"Stop exaggerating"

"-than us..." she trialed off peaking everyone's interest, but disappoints them by sighing "Well nope... he's been such a downer even as a baby"

Kana agreed miserably. "Even if he was cute as a child"

"You make it sound like a bad thing." This tjme Aqua sighed and then began leaning back on the couch, checking his phone. He didn't even pay attention to what Miyako said later on "Oh but there's this one time..."

"Ohhh?"

Curious, the girls glanced up. Aqua, hearing half of what she said, also looked up ultimately. "I remember how he laughed one time as a baby"

"When did that happen?" Ruby frowned, but curious as her starry eye blinked, Aqua became more uneasy seeing how he was seeing some sort of catch. His own starry eye wavered. Whatever it was, he was in for something bad.

"He was ticklish and its adorable" she concluded with a smile and then silence broke. Kana broke it in minutes "W-wait... seriously? Him? Ticklish???"

Ruby clapped in realisation "Ah so that's what I forgot! I knew i forgot something important"

Aqua groaned. "Ruby, it's not important... I was a child, and of course, I...well had my childish days, but now their over..."

It was a wrong move. Aqua should've kept his mouth shut.

Memcho was the closest as she snuck by his side of the couch. "So, are you saying you're not ticklish anymore?"

Aqua swallowed, not that he knew the answer, but he had a feeling whatever answer he gave they'd somehow...

"As a matter of fact, yes," he replied with an almost convincing face, though it's neither the truth nor a lie. He recalled the memory of Ai embarrassingly tickled him because he was too serious as a child.

It was indeed happiness, but as his mentality was somewhat twice as Ai's, he was conflicted about how it felt so nice. No one has ever been this playful even in his previous life.

However, now, his hormones as a teenager sort of kicked in and felt like he was actually sixteen, and he doesn't like how these girls are planning what he feared they were planning.

"You can find out for yourself" Miyako shrugged now back to her work as if she didn't ruin his reputation.

Gee thanks, Miyako. He thought sarcastically.

Memcho was faster than him. She poked him on the side, and that sent his phone flying up but back on his lap. He blushed now. "Oi!"

"Oni-chan, you big liar!" Ruby lunged forward, and Kana wiggled her fingers from a distance with sudden malice for revenge."Oh~ did I hear that right? Ladies... shall we?"

Aqua didn't expect things to turn out like this. He felt himself trapped immediately by three girls with keen eyes to wreck him and the couch.

It started as soon as he began to digest the incident at hand, and did he not pray that he felt nothing? Sadly, no luck appeared on his side when he felt the shock of electricity, the familairty in the touch. He felt himself squirm and recoil back on the couch, hands embracing his own midriff.

"Uh oh! Someone's in trouble!" Memcho snickered and dug deeper into his ribs, almost earning a startled gasp. His lips twisting to something rare called a smile for the first time.

"I haven't seen him this flustered..." Ruby was awestruck that she was still clinging to his sides very delicately. "He blushed so seriously in that one moment when he was in that show Lovenow. But I like this face more~!"

"W-wait... wait..." he managed to slip away from them now behind the couch where they stared at him concentratedly. They were like prowling wolves after a prey, this was not good.

"Don't your dare...! R-Ruby, Arima !Memcho! I swear-!" He couldn't say anything more when he was at last tackled by all three of them again.

Minako laughed though her eyes are glued to the screen and half back at them. "Go easy on him, the poor lad's got to be exhausted from showbiz work today"

Nobody gave a shit. that's what Aqua knew. Kana now cracked her knuckles suddenlt her eyes glinting red as Ruby's eyes. "Just one punishment is all I want to give him... let's see how the stoic faced Aquamarine breaks from... this!" With that, her small fingers dug to his ribs, which he didn't expect. He suddenly lets out a giggle and then closes his mouth in horror, shocking himself.

"You... giggled? Honest to god, that was creepily adoarable, " Kana said, but continued her attack, drawing more sounds like that.

"Ahaharima! Stop thahat!" He struggled as he was pinned by three girls, and if there were one, he could've overpowered her. Unfortunately, this wasn't a lucky situation. He curled to many sides. He never felt the heat rise in his cheeks so frequently until now, and mostly because he recalled Ai's wiggly fingers following wherever he crawled. He needs to keep his mouth shut, though now it seemed pretty impossible.

Ruby was surprisingly the non ticklish twin, but she already bonded well with Ai (especially toermenting Aqua together on his weakness). Aqua was cursed by this sensitivity, taking in both hers and his probably ticklishness, and he expected it to go away by adolescence at least.

Unfortunately, no... God is merciless.

"GAahaha! Wahahait, wait, wahait!" He tried negotiating as felt himself be weakened immediately and instantly "Ihihi I'm sohohorry Ahaharima!"

Still enjoying torturing him, She smiled now. "For what...? This is just my fun, not your punishment for something you didn't do wrong"

"Ohoho, so nohow, I didn't doho wrong??? Maahhahake uhuhup yohohour mihihind!"

She paused now, but the others continued clawing at every part they could get on his stomach. "Maybe I'll reconsider this... I won't stop now for sure!" She sneaked her fingers to his armpits, making him yelp in shock, but giggles stumbled regardless of where she went.

"Gohohod pleehehaase!!" He groaned, now feeling his blush deepen."Ehehenough!"

"What about me, bro? I need an apology for real?" Ruby snarkily laughed like a witch.

"YOHOHOU DOHONT GEHEHT OHOHONE! EHEHEHVIL TWIHIHIN!"

Upon this, Ruby feigned shock from that, then her sinister ruby eyes glinted with ulterior motives. "That's too bad because I was thinking of avoiding your worst spot... well, I changed my mind too!"

Aqua lowered his head with desperate pleading to stop. He never felt this chaotic, not even in his previous life. He wished he could have gotten over such a childish weakness. Yet... it was not horrible, but it was certainly embarrassing.

"Riiight here! It makes him beg nonstop!" She giggled delightedly when her fingers aimed for his hips through the jeans. He collapsed in shock "OK OK! EHEHENOUGH ENOUGH! MIIYAKOO PLEHEHEHASE!"

Miyako smiled at the sight. "Alright, girls, enough... he might pass out. " her own memory jolted back at how Aqua would laugh like this, but more than the sensation, he genuinely wad equally attached to Ai as Ruby. She wished she was there to see them again.

Memcho snickered "So Mr. Gloomcloud can laugh"

He gasped now, closing his eyes in pure fluster. "Gosh..." Hearing that, he glared but with some residual giggles."Of course I cahahan, I ahaham human too"

Kana blushed now in enthusiasm. "It's... surprisingly cute, your voice going high pitch and-!"

He grumbled "Yeah don't get used to it... I might be getting you back tenfolds..."

Memcho snickered. "Good luck with that," she poked his side, making him jump away with an irritated whine "But it's three against one so... better not make it worse for yourself"

Indeed, they have the upper hand, especially with Ruby being dead insensitive. He should be careful with how he extracts his revenge next time.

He smiles softly as he left the room, hearing them tease his high-pitched giggles sounding girly, maybe... he could tolerate this. Just maybe Ai won't be the first.

[banannabethchase]

ClaudioNick pre-match smut. What do they do get in the mood?

Don't Be Too Easy (When I Want It Hard) - also on on AO3

~

Nick and Claudio fuck before their three way match for the title shot. That's it. That's the fic.

~

Sarah what the hell this became an actual fic.

~

He’s too antsy to wait much longer. Nick hasn’t had a singles match in ages, and the last one didn’t go so well for him.

“You got this,” Adam says. “Nick, breathe. You’re going to do great.”

Nick nods. “Yeah,” he exhales. “I’ll be fine.” Nick bumps Matt's shoulder. "I gotta go get ready for gorilla. I'll see you later."

Adam smiles at him. "Good luck, man. Go win a title shot."

"No!" Matt says, pouting. "I mean yeah, whatever, proud of you. But no singles belts." He looks over at Nick with those annoying giant eyes that seem to work on everyone but him. "You can't leave me."

"Oh, grow up, Matt. I can be a singles champ and your tag partner." But Nick leans in and hugs Matt as tightly as I can. "I'm not going to leave you, Matty. I promise."

Matt relaxes. "Okay."

Nick's halfway to gorilla when a giant shadow looms over him. “Oh, god. What do you want?”

“I’m here to prepare for the match, like you.” But Nick’s learned to read Claudio’s expressions over the past few weeks.

“Prepare, huh?” Nick says, leaning against the wall. He tilts his head. “What’s your routine?” He licks his lips, watching Claudio’s eyes flicker to them.

“Cardio,” Claudio says, stepping toward him after a glance down the hallway. Empty. “Some pumping.”

“Pumping, huh?” Nick asks. “Need a spotter?”

Claudio plays with something in his pocket. “You could say that.”

Nick pulls open the door of a locker room, one Tony had decided not to use. “Alright then. Need some privacy to pump?”

Claudio lines his body up behind Nick’s. “Of course.”

Nick’s bent over a bench within five minutes, with Claudio three fingers deep into him. “Jesus Christ,” he laughs. “You weren’t kidding about pumping.”

“I can’t have you injured for our match, Nicholas,” Claudio says, twisting his fingers. Nick almost loses his legs out from under him. “We must be fair as we battle.” He twists again and Nick keens when Claudio pulls his fingers out. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Nick says, pushing his ass back. “Yeah, come on.” He checks his watch. “We got ten minutes before we’re late.”

“Oh, darling,” Claudio chuckles, and Nick can hear the sound of him slicking up his cock. “I can get you off in half that time.”

Claudio slides into him smoothly, like it’s nothing, and Nick slumps down on his elbows. “God, finally,” Nick sighs. “It’s been too long, man.”

“Agreed,” Claudio says, pulling back so slowly it feels like a tease. “This may be the best method I’ve discovered in my years for how to decompress prior to a match.”

“Yeah, sure. If you keep dragging this out, we’re going to be so late.”

“Are you asking for it faster, Nicholas?” Claudio asks, grabbing a handful Nick’s ass. He pulls back and swats at it.

“Of course I am,” Nick says, looking over his shoulder. Claudio’s got the smarmiest grin on his face. “God, you suck. Just eff me already.”

“As you request.” Claudio winks, and he picks up the pace to a degree Nick can hardly handle. It’s on the edge of too much, the speed of it, the way Claudio gently wraps a hand around his cock, and all Nick can do is hold on.

“Don’t – don’t stop,” Nick gasps, knuckles turning white as he braces against the bench. He pushes back against all of Claudio’s thrusts, trying to get all of him in every time.

“I was in no way planning on it.” Claudio’s grip around his cock tightens. “For the sake of time, are you close?”

“Yeah, I can get there,” Nick gasps. He’s torn between pushing back on Claudio’s cock and forward into the tight ring of his hand. “C’mon, don’t tease, Claudio.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

It happens before Nick can really think it through – Claudio comes deep within him without warning, like always, nothing more than a gasp and the warmth as an indicator. “Jesus,” Nick gasps. “God, I’m gonna be so gross throughout the whole match.” He whines as Claudio pulls out, jacking Nick’s cock so quickly Nick feels his orgasm sprint toward him.

“Yes, Nicholas,” Claudio says, lips by Nick’s ear. “That way you can feel me inside you the entire time we wrestle our match.”

That does it. Nick comes so hard his vision blurs, head dropping back on Claudio’s chest. “Oh, my god. That was unfair. You know saying stuff like that gets me off.”

Claudio presses a kiss to Nick’s temple. “That’s the point, angel.”

Nick laughs as he comes back to earth, blinking his eyes open. “Same time next week?”

“Prior to that,” Claudio says. “We should both be at WrestleDream, yes?” He turns Nick, kissing him quickly, like they don’t always do. “I will fuck you without abandon Sunday, too.”

“Cool,” Nick says, like that isn’t the hottest thing he’s ever heard. “It’s a date.”

Claudio was right – Nick can feel him through the entire match. But it’s the most obvious when he gets the pin.

“You’re insufferable,” Claudio says, glaring as they pass backstage after the match. “Stealing my win. I had Cage dead to rights.”

“Hey, not my fault you weren’t in the right place at the right time.” Nick grins at him. “Next time do a better job of expecting the unexpected.”

Claudio licks his teeth. “I won’t be so easy on you on Sunday, then.”

“You two don’t have a match on Sunday,” Matt says, popping out of the Elite locker room. “What are you even talking about?”

“Nothing of your worry, Matthew,” Claudio says, and his smile is predatory. “Your brother and I will handle our discontent in our own way at a later date.” He walks away, and Nick watches him leave until Matt yanks his sleeve.

“He’s so weird,” Matt says. “Also, I got you some water.”

Nick throws him a grateful smile. “Thanks, dude.” He raises the water bottle and chugs it.

“Come on,” Matt says, grabbing Nick’s arm. “I gotta get ready. Will you help me get my pump on?”

Nick chokes on his water.

~

Mini Playlist: Ain't My Fault - Zara Larsson Hit it from the Back - Kim Petras Cum - Brooke Candy feat. Iggy Azalea PLEASE - Omido, Ex Habit

[arcplaysgames]

Seen here: Me IRL jumping because I was so concerned about Morgana that I fucking didn't notice Akechi was here until the little card icon appeared. BEIGE ALERT.

Akechi bro this is like not a good time but also i'm worried about missing flags for the extra content so I guess we can hang. (Morgana, I know you are going through a crisis rn but pls forgive me okay.)

man i haven't taken a bath in probably about 15 years, are they that good? my friend sent bath salts from japan, i should just try them. people are super into baths in this game.

oh because apparently they are some key to heart-to-hearts I guess???

wow that is a Lot

I was joking to cardiganism that something about Akechi makes me want to study him under a microscope. They said probably because out of the whole cast, he's the most opaque. Which, yep, honestly.

If the seed of Akechi's justice is wanting revenge for the mistreatment of his mother by his absentee father, that's... potentially high-minded?

Honestly a later moment from Akechi is way more interesting so I'll hold until then.

jfc are you my Vriska, what is this? what's the term? The pathologically competitive?

Is that true?

You know what's weirdly rare in video games? Liars. I feel like when it comes to quests for truth and understanding in games, the usual force pushing back is unrevealed information, not someone giving you false information. And in the games where outright lies are used, they tend to be used sparingly, as a second act twist that sets up the rest of the plot.

I think it's less common to have to deal with a character that just lies to you continuously without any real indication that you are being told a lie. Akechi itches at me because he's not, like, the Citadel Council keeping big secrets from the galactic community. He's a guy who is lying and I don't have any context for what the truth is.

Anyway, I guess it's time for the class trip.

... Mishima, I'm not going to nonconsensually change the heart of someone who cheats at video games.

WHY DOES NO ONE IN THIS GAME TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING A PHANTOM THIEF SERIOUSLY? This is why I have always hated the Phansite and I especially hate the "rankings."

Also, I know this is shocking news, but I love Futaba. The realism of this is great.

Also hey I'm up to 9 for Yoshida, and is that the big reveal for every Confidant? That they totally knew you were a Thief the whole time? That'd be super funny. Bc I think Yoshida knows too.

DO NOT PULL A FUCKING NAOTO SHIROGANE, AKECHI, I SWEAR TO GOD. I WILL LEAVE YOUR ASS TO GET EATEN BY FOG.

I wanna reach through the screen and shake Reverie. Morgana is seriously on the verge of a breakdown, isn't comfortable reaching out for help, and you're LEAVING HIM FOR A TRIP TO HAWAII.

WHICH: SPOILER. SUPER SUCKS EXCEPT FOR YUSUKE ONCE AGAIN, SHOCKER

/puts head on desk and yells

they really did work to make joker the MOST pretty huh

god i thought the beach trip was boring but the hawaii trip actively sucks

it's just Ryuji wanting to get laid so bad he does splash damage of suck to everyone around him...

(what the fuck ryuji, chill the fuck out, this shit made me fucking uncomfortable)

Mishima literally refusing to talk about anything except the Phansite's Alexa Traffic ranking

And Yusuke being the fucking load-bearing column of this entire game I swear to god. He is the only reason I did not just press fast-forward and skip this ENTIRE section. It was miserable.

Atlus. Atlus. Atlus. Stop fucking punishing me for not having a romance locked in these games. This whole segment was more excruciating than Yosuke Hanamura's Joker Mode. I'm dead serious. It was less homophobic but something felt more homophobic to me specifically. I think because my was of reacting were much more locked down. Whatever.

God, send me back to Japan so I can check on the people I care about. (Ann, Yusuke, not you, I'll never be mad at you, I love you both. If I got to spend this trip having mai-tais with you, it would have been a blast.)

OH SIDEBAR:

motherfucker where have you been, I have been trying to talk to you since school started and you just blow me off! rude!

I don't think Maruki is a good therapist but I think he's decent with people. He notices Futaba and Morgana talking and uses it as a springboard for conversation. Or, tries anyway. Futaba is still working on being observed by other humans. We know how that is.

Then, Futaba sees that Maruki..... has a book on cognitive psience. And Sojiro immediately tries to throw him out but Futaba is like "chillax" and actually talks to him.

Maruki notices the past-tense and tells Futaba that her mother sounds cool and would be proud of her.

He's a nice guy.

However. He's working with Reverie to talk through basically the necessity of pain and trauma in people's lives, has mentioned wishing that pain was curable through more easily actionable means, and is toting a book on cognitive psience.

there is not enough side-eye in the world.

Hey Maruki, can I see your phone real quick, do you have a weird malware app on there?

Out of images, whup.

[mamamittens]

Well, didn't get as much done today but I'm on track to finish the first comm this week at least. Would have helped if we didn't have a +1 today but tomorrow is looking to be the same so idk how much progress I'll make after a shower and dinner.

Not going to lie, I fell into a bit of a slump the past two weeks which was... Interesting. Stress, burnout, anxiety, or whatever really said "make time or it'll make you" huh? Mostly with inexplicable exhaustion. Anyone in my DMS probably noticed I was spacy as fuck and honestly, it was a bit embarrassing. Is embarrassing.

Got a discord group I've basically not interacted with (sorry Franky bro) cause I've been so spacey and tired. Hopefully I'll clear my plate enough to chime in soon without losing the plot.

I'm still tired. But it's not quite soul deep this week so far. Still not quite Tuesday though so we'll have to wait and see on that front. Helped I slept 14 hours and then spent the day with my brother and his friend who treated us to dinner and a movie (The First Omen, I liked it but kept forgetting it was a prequel. Did NOT expect to see full pussy in a nightmare/hallucination scene so warning to the dam that was wanting to watch it.) and saw the biggest fucking parmesan chicken in my life.

They brought that bitch out on a pizza stone and I legit thought he changed his mind and ordered pizza. A pound of chicken the size of a personal pizza COVERED IN SAUCE AND CHEESE ENOUGH TO PASS AS A LITTLE CEASERS.

Mad lads.

And I also started thinking about Nikia in Wano again! Shockingly, it's been a minute. Seems like pouring out my hyperfixation has helped me focus on other things instead of being consumed by pokemon while in the middle of One Piece shit lol

This is about the end of the useful updates btw, the rest will just be me rambling about Wano thoughts

So, I suddenly had the thought about what little dramatic plot would go nicely in the middle of this for the bois to do while the Straw Hats are fucking shit up.

And clearly, Izou is gathering Intel while keeping Thatch from blowing their cover. Nikia taking advantage of her anonymity to do some sight seeing and maybe take some eyes off of them cause who wouldn't investigate this new woman with giant ass wings?!?

(she's not a fan of the nosy bitches but we tolerate things for the people we love. They'll make it up to her later lol)

Had the hilarious mental image of Thatch disguising himself, specifically his hair. Very upset to part from the pompadour and gets a topknot that has a suspiciously shaped bundle up top. Izou hates it but picks his damn battles at this point.

So! The cheap trope drama I figured I'd give a little spin was!!!

Amnesia!

Manufacture to be specific. As maybe a follow up once King clarifies that Nikia is absolutely NOT Lunarian. Maybe to keep her in check so she doesn't run off before they do DNA tests to see wtf she is. No idea she can fly, so they (I feel like Kaido is the one suggesting it first cause he's a bitch with Big Mom seeing no issue and King just going along with it cause Nikia may not be like him but she's close enough he doesn't feel alone so whatever works, right?) go with a bit of a caged bird thing.

She's a 'guest' while she 'recovers' with King 'looking after her'.

And even with no memory of who she is, she doesn't trust this set up at all. Like, more in an awkward way cause it's clear she's meant to be displayed in a way so she can't 'repay' her 'hosts' like she'd traditionally want to via chores or cooking. She doesn't know what she's supposed to do at all and hates it. Her aloof expression just barely masking the 'someone give me a social clue about wtf is going on already'.

Gets on well enough with King, especially once he stops wearing the damn mask cause it really freaked her out. Pretends to be amicable with the others, can't erase the 'hostess' mask that easily. So it's a legit surprise when she finally admits she doesn't like or trust anyone there at all and has smelled the bullshit from the start and just didn't say anything.

Runs into Yamamoto at some point and likes his spunk even if he's a little weird. Has a hard time keeping up the act under his insistent investigation about why she's there cause honestly, same fam. Why am I here? WTF is going on?!?

I feel like Big Mom tries to touch her wings at some point out of curiosity and King stops her cause I can't imagine that's not a pretty intimate gesture for even Lunarians. Wins brownie points. Thanks for being a bro and all that.

On the night of the throw down the Bois finally manage to get into the palace and shit and Nikia immediately recognizes Thatch from his silhouette despite still not remembering shit.

A hilariously awkward "oh, hey, what are u doing here? Trying to steal shit? I heard it was bad out there but this is pretty risky don't you think?" And Thatch is staring at her in full Wano gear, makeup and all like

(⁠｡⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)

"I'm looking for my lover"

"OUR lover"

"ye that. Uhm. U seen her?"

Nikia just stares at them.

"... Ya gonna describe her or am I supposed to vibe check everyone I've seen here?"

They do recognize her btw, it's just painfully clear she doesn't so they're wondering if she's the real deal or something.

Cue Thatch trying to come up with a noteworthy detail she'd realize is her own feature but her hair has been changed up and he doesn't even think about her wings. Trying to be smooth and razz her up a little to knock some memories loose.

Notices the lipstick.

"Oh! She has a freckle on her lip! Right here!" He's so proud of himself, Izou ready to smack him as he continues "It's my s--one of my favorite places to kiss!"

It takes a moment before she blushes, realizing the obvious implications.

"ah... Why do I get the feeling you were about to say something else? Are u sure your lover would like you talking about that with a stranger?" She's flustered horribly as Izou smacks him.

"Ignore him. He's being an idiot. May we have your name?"

Honestly didn't have an alt name planned, thought it would be funny briefly if it was Nika but idk. Not committed to that but yet.

Anyway! She does remember on her own as she considers how compelled she feels to trust the two and how familiar they are. Comforting, dare she say. And, without remembering she can fly either deliberately does her 'clearing exercise' or is tossed up in a fight.

The clearing exercise is a rather dangerous, borderline suicidal act she does every so often when she feels conflicted or uncertain.

Usually, she'd go to the practice cliffs with updrafts. And then she'd fall down. The idea is that the threat of death would help clear her mind and what really matters to her. Is it really that important if it's not the first thing she thinks of when faced with the threat of death? And then she uses her wings to glide out of danger. She never does this injured, but the awareness that inaction will kill her is part of the process. She tends to overthink so this really streamlines the process in a way that can't be argued with.

She did NOT mention this habit to anyone before so the bois bout shit themselves when it looks like she's free falling to her death. Maybe Marco is there and goes to help only to end up banking with her as she recovers instinctively at the last moment, memories flooding back.

She's a little too good at faking an uncontrolled fall as part of her 'fighting style' to throw people off and it's steadily giving the bois gray hairs. Mostly because she's lost control while flying a lot due to the chaotic up/down drafts on the mountain.

Anyway, thats about all I thought of while spiritually ascending from this plane of existence for this scenario. Who knows if I'll use it or scrap the whole damn thing.

[dam-peace]

Ya Boi Got Anotha One This One Is By Far A Little Freaky. How Would The Team React If They Had The Same Dream. Let Me Elaborate They Wake Up In Some Sort Of Apocalyptic Scenario They See People,Buildings,Etc Being Pulled Up In To A Giant Black Hole And They See The Detective But They Have Beautiful Red Butterfly Wings. A Crown Made Of Some Sort Of Mirror Shards Covering Only There Eyes.

And Faint Binding Marks On There Arms,Legs And Neck. And They Say

I Finally Decided To Break Free And End It All. And Then They Wake Up And Check The Detective And See Them Asleep On There Desk. And A Butterfly Flies From There Hand And Out The Window Probably Freaking Them Out. Like They End Worrying More About Them Especially If They Revealed To Them Their History With Lars.

#ViceAndVirtue #VV

Tobias

"Hey!" Tobias yells out, slamming his hand down hard, right next to the Detective's head.

*BAM!*

"Huh?!" Jolting them out of their sleep, the Detective jumps up in a fright. Frantically looking around the room for any danger. Their eyes narrowing in displeasure, as Tobias slowly comes into view. The Detective quickly starts to piece things together.

"What the f*ck was that for?!"

"You suicidal or something?" Tobias askes with narrowed eyes, completely ignoring the Detective's initial question.

"W-what?" The Detective splutters out in confusion. "Why on Earth would you think I'm suicidal?"

Tobias turns away, letting out a tired breath of exasperation. "Whatever, doesn't matter, you don't seem to be anyway. Which is great, because I really don't have time for that sh*t. But if you ever start thinking about kicking the bucket, go talk to Nick. He specializes in all that human psychology sh*t."

Tobias answers back with a tired sigh, running a hand through his dark brown locks. "He's actually a certified Therapist, so you can actually talk to him. There's plenty of f*cking help out there, so don't even think about trying to 'break free.' Cause I'll f*cking know, and if you think for one second that I won't tell Lars. And throw your ass in a mental health institution, you're wrong, so tread the f*ck lightly."

Nicholas

Nicholas quietly makes his way over to the Detective, peering down at them. Still consumed in what he hopes is a peaceful slumber. His eyes filled with an emotion too raw and entirely too deep, for words to ever try to express. Reaching a hand out, he gently strokes the Detective's hair. A sad whisper of solidarity escapes him....

"I know the feeling."

About an hour later, the Detective slowly rises from their slumber. Pulling their arms up above their head, yawning the sleep away. As the room slowly starts to come into focus.

"Hm?" The Detective hums out in surprise, taking notice of Team 1's leader sat comfortably in the seat across from them. Staring at the Detective with a blank expression. "Nick? Were you here the whole time?"

He nods, "Yes, I didn't want to wake you. So, I finished the rest of the work on my own." He answers back with a flourish of his hand, highlighting the three files stacked neatly to the side of the Detective's desk. "I hope you don't mind."

The Detective balks, "Of course not! If anything I'm sorry you had to do it all on your own. All because I decided to sleep the day away, like a little princess."

Nick only chuckles, "I don't mind, I'd much rather you rest when needed. Than to overwork yourself needlessly."

"Yeah, but-"

"Detective." Nick cuts them off sternly, causing the Detective to straighten at Nick's unusually strict tone.

I wonder what's gotten into him...?

Nick uncrosses his legs, then crosses them again the other way. Whilst his hands rest comfortablely in his lap. Watching the Detective in silence, causing them to squirm uncomfortablely.

"We are a team, Detective." Nick starts suddenly, peering deep into the Detective's eyes. "You're no longer alone, and as a team. We support eachother, be it work related or not. Through whatever may come or, whatever has already come to pass...." He pauses, leaning closer towards the Detective. "And, if you weren't already aware of that, I hope I've made myself entirely clear now."

Elias

Elias would just sit there silently in the seat across from the Detective's desk, waiting for them to wake up. About an hour later, the Detective slowly rises from their slumber. Pulling their arms up above their head, yawning the sleep away. As the room slowly starts to come into focus.

"Hm?" The Detective hums out in surprise, taking notice of the quiet giant of Team 1. Sat comfortably in the seat across from them. Staring at the Detective with his usual bored expression. "Elias? Were you here the whole time?"

Elias only nods, peering intently into the Detective's eyes. Causing the Detective to freeze, involuntarily caught up in his golden gaze once more.

How does he keep doing that?

"You okay?" Elias askes with a nod of his head in the Detective's direction.

Causing the Detective to blink in confusion, shaking themselves out of their thoughts. "Huh? me? Yeah I'm fine....why?"

Elias doesn't answer, instead he stares at the Detective for a moment longer. Then, with a shake of his head, rises from his seat, "No reason." He answers back nonchalantly, making his way towards the door.

He doesn't bring this up again, though Elias would use his powers to keep an eye on the Detective for awhile just to be sure. And, if anything does happen, he'll tell Nick immediately.

Kacey

"NO!" Kacey would scream aloud, practically jumping on top of the Detective to suffocate them in an almost bone crushing hug.

"W-what the-?!" The Detective jolts awake at the sudden motion, confused beyond belief. "Kacey?! What are you doing?!"

"You can't go anywhere! We love you! We all love you! I love you! You're awesome! You're incredible! And you're a hundred percent needed! You can't go anywhere! You just can't! you hear me?!" Kacey cries out in desperation, gripping the Detective's shoulders for dear life. Almost on the brink of tears, at the prospect of losing yet another dear friend.....

Kacey would be so distraught that the Detective would have to calm her down. And after that day, Kacey would keep a close eye on the Detective, spending more time with them. And becoming friendlier than usual, all in an effort to show the Detective how much they truly matter. Even going as far, as to try and bring the Detective and Lars a little closer. Though that plan went out the window pretty quickly.....

[softtransbf]

started thinking about how i met garthy, this started writing itself. i might write us actually getting together as well at some point, but like. this is already 1200 words lol

-

"Get out. I don't care where you go, just leave, and don't come back. If you set foot in Solace again, I'll know, and nothing will be able to stop me or help you."

Those words, full of pure disgust and hatred, ran through Quint's head on repeat as he ran to the port and booked a ticket on whatever ship was leaving next. He didn't care where it was going; he'd figure it out when he got there.

He checked his ticket; he'd bought a one-way trip to Leviathan. Huh. Well, I did want to be a pirate as a kid, and no one there is gonna ask any questions. Anchors aweigh, I guess.

-

He was far from the only person on the ship, but he passed the three day voyage in complete silence. Instead of socializing, he was thinking about everything that had led him here, reading all the information on Leviathan he'd been able to download before losing signal to his crystal, and considering what his next steps might be.

The days passed fairly quickly, and soon it was time to disembark. Sticking with his plan, he kept his head down and headed towards the Gold Gardens.

He walked into the bar and took a seat at the empty counter. It was pretty busy, but a few moments later, the bartender, a friendly looking, stout, middle-aged woman, came up to him.

"Good afternoon, I'm Suzie McGraw. What can I getcha?"

"Hey, there. Can I get a mead, and, uh, who do I talk to about a room?"

"That'd be me as well. We've got three options- basic room for 2 gold a night, moderate accommodations are 10, and there's luxury suites for 50. All come with a free tattoo, which you can get at your leisure."

He took a deep drink and considered the options. "Mmm, this mead is delicious. Yeah, can I get a basic room?"

Suzie nodded. "'Course you can. May I ask how long you'll be stayin'?"

"You can ask," he sighed, "but I don't have an answer. Not yet, at least. Is that an issue?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Not at all. Everyone's welcome here as long as they'd like. Not like the books are in any sort of order even if that weren't the case. I'll be right back with that room key for ya." Before he could respond, she turned and walked away.

A couple minutes later, she came back, gave him the key and room number, and poured him another drink.

"Thanks, Suzie."

"My pleasure. Enjoy your stay here, yeah?" He nodded, and she moved on to the next patron.

He took his drink and found an empty table in a far corner of the room. He sat there for... he wasn't sure how long he sat there, nursing his drink. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the person walking up to him until they spoke with the most beautiful voice he'd ever heard.

"Well, well, well, I heard a little Solesian bird flew in today. Welcome to the Gold Gardens, the name's Garthy."

From his research, Quint knew who Garthy was, but nothing he'd read had prepared him for how beautiful they were. Tall and muscular, with delicate gold tattoos across their entire (shirtless) torso and down their arms. They had a mass of gold bracelets and rings that were just on the elegant side of gaudy.

They were clearly half-orc, but their eyes, entirely black except for gold irises, belied aasimar heritage as well. He noticed two scars on their chest, and he quickly pushed down the pang of envy in his gut and looked down at his drink.

"Garthy O'Brien, right? Impresariex of the Gold Garden, home to every kind of pleasure under the sun and stars. Purveyor of fine goods, especially magic items, and one of the best curse-breakers you can find." Great. Totally normal first thing to say to someone. Absolutely killing it socially, as always.

To his relief, they smiled and sat down across from him. "Seems you've got me at a disadvantage, darling- you know all that about me, and I don't have as much as your name."

He ran a hand through his hair and looked back up. "Sorry, I don't know why I said all that. I'm Quint. And, uh, yeah, I just got here this morning."

"Quite alright, lovey, I appreciate a man who does his research." They winked, and Quint felt his face flush. His prayers that that would go unnoticed were clearly ignored, as they chuckled. "Adorable. Now, I heard you seemed a bit distressed about not knowing how long you'd be here.

Obviously, everyone has their stories, and you don't have to answer if you don't want, but I do hate the thought of anyone here being distressed at all. What brings you through my doors, so far from home?"

He slammed back the rest of his drink. "Solace was never home. It just took me a while to figure that out, and the first ticket out was Leviathan-bound." As he talked, Garthy gestured to a waiter, who immediately appeared with two drinks. He took a sip; it was a hard liquor he didn't recognize. He downed that drink as well and kept talking. "And by all accounts, if you're looking to forget, there's no better place than the Gold Gardens."

A knowing look crossed their face. "Glad to hear the Gardens' reputation is still as it should be. If you don't mind my asking, had you left Solace before?" He laughed, a little too hard.

"Nope! 25 years old, and I'd never even left Bastion City. Didn't intend to, either. Was gonna get a nice little office job, keep my head down, live a quiet, human, non-magical life. But, hey, that's life, right? Nothing ever goes as planned."

"I'll drink to that, love." They finished their drink as well. "Well, if you decide you'd like to stick around for a bit, there aren't exactly offices on Leviathan, but our books are in dire need of keeping. Pay's fair and moderate lodging is free. Think about it and let me know, yeah?"

"You- you're offering me a job? We just met; you don't know me."

They scooted closer, put a hand on his, and looked deep into his eyes; he prayed no one had Detect Thoughts active. "Lovey, I run, amongst other things, a brothel on an island full of pirates. I'd be no good at my job if I wasn't an excellent judge of character. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel some amount of protective responsibility towards you. Job's yours if you want it."

Quint took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I'll take the job. Thank you so much, Garthy." He lightly squeezed their hand, and they looked down at their joined hands. Admittedly, he was very tipsy, but Quint could have sworn they were smiling just a little bit before they looked back up at him.

"Wonderful to hear, darling. Now, since you're going to be sticking around, let's introduce you to some of my friends, yeah?" They stood up, still holding his hand, and took him over to their usual table, where they were both met with a loud cheer and hearty welcome.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna like it here.

[botheringlevi]

*gently knocks on his office door before entering* hi levi. *smiles as they walk up to him*

how are you? i was a little busy earlier so i didn't have the time to check in with you.

uhm if you aren't too occupied at the moment it would be great if you could take this quiz. *holds up hands defensively* another one i know... hange actually asked everyone to take it but they were worried you would say no if they asked you so they sent me instead.

most of us took it already and some results were quite surprising. *chuckles awkwardly* i got sadness for uh... whatever reason i guess. anyway it would be really nice if you could give it a go as well.

*seems very flustered all of a sudden* also uh if you would like to hang out- or uhm spend some time together i have this saturday off... so if you happen to be free as well we could maybe do something together? only if you want to of course. no pressure at all. *laughs nervously*

- 🥛

Luna happened to catch him in a busy moment. Every book from the tall shelf is stacked in a neat row beside it.

When he notices who entered without knocking, he places his fine dustcloth—since previously cleaning imaginary dust—down and turns. His full attention is theirs.

He pulls his kerchief down. It sags below his neckline.

What do you need? I'm cleaning.

He may or may not have noticed Luna failing to check in with him, and may or may not have then used cleaning as a method to pass the time in case it was on his mind for no reason.

*Shrugs* Didn't even notice... But you're here now. So don't mention it.

*Eyes the packet sourly. They explain Hange's technique of indirectly assigning this quiz to him*

Hange thought I'd say yes just because you delivered it? *Blushing* Tch.

Avoids looking at Luna directly as he takes the packet from their outstretched hand. They share their results.

*Frowns* 'For whatever reason', huh?

Why... Is Hange going to use these against us or something? Exposing you as sad doesn't sound much like official military business. It's personal. *Rifles through packet* Like I don't give a shit if the quiz says you're any of these in the first place. You're just you at the end of the day.

But fine.

They grow flustered, asking if he'd like to spend time together this weekend. They're free on Saturday.

He does some quick math. He could be free that day if he simply got some things done sooner than planned.

*Grunts, crossing his arms* I'll make it happen... Sure. Fine.

He's still blushing.

Later, having finished cleaning, he shoots the packet a small glare before sitting down to take it. These things are always so exposing.

...Part of him wonders if he'll share Luna's result. He'd tell them. But definitely not Hange of all people.

Flips packet over with a scoff, and leans back in his seat, debating whether to keep it to himself. Regardless of how stupid these things are, it seems to matter to Luna.

[mariaurore]

(OOC) You may recall from yesterday, Hitsu & Mari were having some stalking issues... (yes, past tense 😇)

I, the Sims 4 User-Overlord in this case, solved the issue 😈 - "Where there's a will, there's a way", amirite?

If you go to Manage Worlds and look at your bar on the Top Right corner, you'll see a button next to your Library that looks like 2 People Figures with a Pencil. When you click on that a new Window pops up.

I was surprised to see not many households were placed down in "My Households" and I had to find her under "Other Households". That wasn't the only thing that caught my attention but I'll come back to this thought later.

So~ she is located in San Myshuno, huh? I had already gone through the trouble of searching every world before this, and didn't see her. But clearly I had missed her and travelled back to San Myshuno to check again.

Sure enough, she was in an apartment building. That explains alot.

Well, not knowing how to "Delete" or "Remove" her from here, and realizing that was a bit pointless of me to do 😓. I went back to the previous Manage Households window, lol.

This again 👇🏻

From here 👆🏻 all you need to do is simply click that X button on the top right of the Sim's household window.

"Am I sure?" ... "Am I sure?!" YES. Go the heck away!!! asdkjaskd 😑

Consider this your official restraining order. From the city. From all of Sims COUNTRY!? ... wait 🤔 ... UNIVERSE! It's probably universe. I don't flippen know. You have been formally removed. EXILED. Never return! <Insert Scar Meme from Disney's Lion King here>

Okay. To the other thing I wanted to discuss.

I noticed Hitsu's best friend wasn't placed in the world. But how could that be?

He has a job at the Local Spa we visit quite often. He visits our house all the time. We see him at other local events all the time. Unfortunately it seems like he consistently has the sad moodlet (and I'm wondering if this is why tbh - he has nothing fun at home to keep his spirits up, because he has no home!).

My point is- he's one of the most active sims in the game, and he's not even placed. How?! What?!

I was like no. No no no. We're fixing this. Hitsu's best friend is gonna have a hoppin place.

I go into the library and start browsing through like 250+ houses. I have no idea how many it was but I probably spent over an hour at least. I downloaded about 10 to my library.

I try to stay within very strict parameters when I look up and download houses;

Obviously I need to own the DLCs.

Number of rooms need to fit the sims I'm buying for- in this case 1

Colors: He's a bachelor, I'm not looking for pastels (1 or 2 rooms would be okay but not the entire house - and yes I did find entire pastel houses. Arguably I could go in and manually change the colors but ehhhh. I just want to drop the house and move on.)

Functionality: Do they have the things my sim will need? This is a lot so bear with me. Mailbox, Bed, Kitchen, Dining Area, PC, Shower/Bath, Mirror, Fireplace (optional), Speakers (optional), Pool (optional), TV (optional), Bar (optional), Chess Table (optional), Exercise Equipment- for me this is a need cause pieces are large and most housing builds you can't adjust the house to make room for them. It has to be included in the build already.

Aside from that, I just go for whatever catches my eye, cause it's hard enough finding any with even just those few parameters. The DLC limitations is very restricting and I have 32 DLCs! That's insane! This is why I try to limit my builds to use as few DLCs as possible.

But anyways. I'm running off on a tangent.

At first I was going to put him on a 30x20 plot, until I found this wonderful build here:

And thought this was perfect.

To match it, I even found this plot:

Look at the names 😄 Mid-Nowhere Modern + Mid-Nowhere. They're meant to be 😊

This is the house after placing it. I got a side angle to show that there is indeed a piece of exercise equipment there 😄

This plot is even next to Hitsu's other good friend Mori. So this works out great, haha.

I'm just happy to see he's in the world. EA did him dirty making him a teleport in/out character? I don't even know what you'd call him. Clement is the same way but I mean... he's technically Santa and Magic & Mystery surrounds him- I kinda want to give him a pass.

After doing all this, I felt like I could do more. I mean, I did just download several housing builds. So I went to Newcrest and plopped down several of the other builds I got onto some plots.

If I decide I want to demo them later, I can. But chances are- I wont. I still have so many open plots in many other worlds and I really like the ones I just downloaded. It doesn't feel like I wasted any time this way, either.

The only reason I can see that'd I'd want, or need, to demo them- would be for creating my own builds. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But for now this is great 👍🏻 and my Newcrest was completely barren. It needed some buildings.

Did you know you can go into your Library while on the world map (Newcrest in this case), pick a build, select a plot, and it'll construct?

vs. Going to the plot, going to the library, and building.

Yeah... I didn't know that. The second one is faster, but if you have tons of builds of different plot sizes, the first option is nifty- and let's you see the whole picture. Like painting a canvas.

I'm learning new things about this game, everyday.

[just-absolutely-super]

OP au crack

Glyde: I must, for being so young you two know how to steer a ship. Did you have any training before becoming pirates?

Mega: uuuuuuuh

Lan: kinda?

Lan and. Hub thinks back to when they were kids and how they somehow crashed every sail and rowboat they got their hands on

Lan: let's just say we know what to not to do

Flashback (twins age 9)

The twins: Mama we want to learn how to sail!

Haruka: Oh, okay! I don't know how to sail so I can't teach you, and I doubt any of the sailers in town will lend you their boat... Oh, but Masa and Shark have come back to town to sell their fish, why don't you see if they'll teach you?

The twins: Okay!

Later

Masa: So the Monster Twins of ACDC Island want to know how to sail huh? Alright, you two buy some fish full of rich calcium and I'll teach you, deal?

Hub: Deal!

Lan: Only if you don't call us "Monster Twins" though...

On the boat

Shark, in the water: Not bad so far, you two might have a knack for sea life

Lan, at the helm: Of course! I'm going to be the Pirate King one day!

Masa: Kids these days with their dreams of being Pirate King. Whatever happened to wanting to live on the sea for the sake of the sea? When I was your kids' age...

Hub: Lan, be careful, you're getting too close to the rocks

Lan: I can see them. We won't hit them, it'll be fine

Hub: No you need to turn more to the right! You're going to mess up the boat!

Lan: Don't tell me what to do!

Shark: Hey, hey kids! The waves are getting a little rough, go off the starboard bow, at 0200!

The twins: What did you say?

Shark: MASA QUIT REMINISCING AND TAKE THE HELM BEFORE THEY--

They crash into a rock

Flashfoward

Lan: And Masa still gave us lessons after that...

Mega: It's a good thing and he and Shark were competent carpenters too, otherwise they wouldn't have a boat anymore...

Glyde: I'm...not going to ask further questions...

Some Lore Notes:

Masa and Shark(man) are traveling fish merchants (who may or may not be undercover for the Revolutionary Army I haven't thought that too deeply about it), and often go to islands to sell fish

They like going to ACDC Island because it's a nice calm island (and if I go with my Revolutionary Army concepts, they go to check up on Haruka and the boys for Yuichiro)

Masa is human, but Sharkman is of the fish-man race

Sharkman in the AU has an actual real name, but to hide his identity he goes by the nickname "Shark"

The "Monster Twins" is a rude name a lot of townsfolk call Lan and Hub because of Hub's devil fruit abilities and Lan's tendency to get violent when defending his brother from haters

[mxstball]

Lati was perched on his mother's head later that night. He was tired of playing, but he liked this resting spot to sit and watch.

"You can't stay like that forever, you know. You're growing so fast. Bet in a few more months, you'll be fully sized!" Heidi chuckled. "Definitely will be bigger than mama at least."

"[♪]"

Heidi reached up and scratched his back when a sudden voice announced itself at the entrance of her room.

"Oh, is that your son? I see he has his father's eyes, hm?"

Heidi jumped before quickly turning to see who it was.

"Touch my baby and you'll live to regret it, Nergal." Heidi grabbed Lati off of her head and held him tight. "He's shy and innocent. Don't need you fucking that up."

"Oh, I would never." Nergal giggled as she approached and sat on the opposite side of the bed. "He's far too young to know any better. Messing with him in that way wouldn't be any fun~"

"Oh, so you're telling me that you have standards, all of a sudden?" She scoffed. "Wish your standards were higher so I don't have to have Shuku question me." Heidi continued petting Lati...

...but then he wiggled out of her hands and flew over to Nergal. Lati sniffed the air around her.

"Oh, hello there. You seem quite friendly for being shy~" Nergal gave him another look. "Actually, he may have Rayquaza's eyes, but his energy reminds me so much of you~"

"..." Heidi turned to Lati. "Lati... come to mama, please. I know your'e curious about everyone here, but--"

Lati flew and laid on Nergal's lap.

"Oh! Soft like his mama, too~" She petted him a little. "Do you not trust me with him, dear~?"

"Would you blame me if I didn't, given your track record?"

"Touché." Nergal chuckled.

"...Besides, I didn't know you were good with kids."

Nergal giggled. "It's definitely the mommy energy~"

"..." Heidi facepalmed. "...Forget I fucking said that."

Nergal patted the child and picked him up. She then walked over to the door. "Now, now, Lati. Your mama and I need to have a little adult time for the night, okay? Here, why don't you spend some time with Tor? I'm sure she'll appreciate the company."

Lati nodded before flying out of her arms and, when she opened the door, leaving to find Tor.

"Tor has been too nervous to knock and spend some time with Lati, and Leah is in her room, too. They both can look after him."

"Well, aren't you sweet." Heidi sighed and laid on the bed. "...Feel free to join me, I guess."

"As you wish~" Nergal walked over and laid on the bed as well. The two grew close and snuggled each other. "I'll make sure to wake you to spend the day and night with him tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah." Heidi turned around to face Nergal.

"You're a thorn in my damn side, but you may be the bigger softie of the two of us, Nergal. Guess I need to check my assumptions, huh?"

Nergal smiled. "Whatever you'd like to think~. Now, get some rest."