#i hope the chiefs kick their ass

[jonathantaylorthomas]

Vikings hope to spoil 'cool' Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift saga

EAGAN, Minn. -- Global superstar Taylor Swift has attended the Kansas City Chiefs' past two games. Will she make it a third?

That question came up Monday in the locker room of the Minnesota Vikings, who will host the Chiefs -- and Swift's friend, tight end Travis Kelce -- on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. That would be "cool," Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. said -- but maybe not for Kelce.

"Oh man, the social media is going crazy," Murphy said when asked about the league's embrace of the Swift-Kelce storyline. "And I'm not hating against it. That's the world we're living in. Is she going to come to this game? We're locked in, but that would be something. I've been watching her since I was a kid. That would be cool for sure.

"Not for him, because we're going to try to get our hands on him in front of her."

[multimilfs]

Agnes O'Connor x Fem!Reader: Beginning & End

Summary: Taking a late drive to get your mind off a few things, you get more than you bargained for from a not-so-routine traffic stop.

AO3

A/N: Wasn't sure how to tag this since Agnes is technically an Agatha... variant? persona? Also I didn't tag the Agatha taglist since this isn't technically Agatha? tricky tricky... This is basically just pure smut with a sprinkle of plot.. enjoy xoxo (also let me know if you want more of Agnes?)

Words: 6.2k

Included: Established relationship, Jealousy, Smut; choking, spitting, bdsm, possession, semi-public sex, car sex, fingering, cunnilingus, daddy kink, roleplaying, power dynamics, dom/sub, teasing, begging

Tag List: @escapetodreamworld @ghostsunderstoodmysoul @multifandomfix

You sigh as you lean into the leather seat. The music is loud enough to hurt, but you don’t turn the volume down, glad of the noise even if you don’t feel like singing along. Trees fly by outside the window as you drive. 

A sign passes in a flash but you catch the number; 45. Your speedometer reads 55. 

Making sure you’re alone on the road, you push it to 57 just for kicks. Even as the dark scenes on either side pass in a blur, the road ahead is clear. The moon hangs low and bright above, reflecting off the filled-in parts of the pavement. 

The song changes and you sigh again upon hearing the familiar tune. It only reminds you of your wife; who should be home and in bed with you, but ended up on night-shift instead after hassling a suspect a bit too hard, canceling your planned evening. 

Which leads you to driving the backroads between Westview and Eastview, hoping the journey will tire you out enough that you can sleep. Instead it lands you in the position of blowing past a hidden cop. 

Just your luck. 

You groan as you turn the music down and pull off the road into a flat area of grass. With the lights, you can’t tell if it's a Westview or Eastview officer at first. You have pretty good chances of getting off with a warning if it's one of Agnes’ coworkers. 

But it’s not one of the regular officers. It’s the Chief’s car. You hit your head against the steering wheel. He’s been riding Agnes’ ass for months and will likely give you a hefty ticket just to spite her. 

While you’re hitting your head against the wheel, there’s a knock on your window. You roll it down without looking, “Look, Chief, I know the deal. You can just write me a ticket and I’ll pay it tomorrow.” 

“Oh, will you now?” 

You pause. 

Looking up in disbelief, “Agnes?” 

“That’s Detective O’Connor to you.” Her face doesn’t change from the stern facade, “You were driving pretty recklessly back there. Have you been drinking tonight, ma’am?” 

Subtly as you can manage, you check your side mirror to see if anyone else sits in the police cruiser. It wouldn’t be unlike the Chief to put Agnes through some insane test. No shadows lurk in the other car. 

You drag your eyes back to Agnes. She’s waiting, still just as stoic, but you see the mischief in her eyes. Well, if she wants to play, why not up the stakes?

Tilting your head and smiling, “Of course not, detective. I’ve been a good girl.” 

A split-second pause tells you she wasn’t expecting that. She licks her lips before the act slips back into place. She scoffs. 

“That’s what they all say. Wait here.” Her hand pats the open window before she’s heading back toward the cruiser. 

You watch her walk away in the side mirror with a grin. Her confident gait stirs something in you, always has. 

For a split second you consider throwing the car in drive and peeling out of here. You’re curious to see what Agnes would do. You hope she’d chase you all the way home; that way when you get there you could finally have a taste of what tonight was meant to be. 

You want Agnes painfully. Between work deadlines on your end and long hours on hers, you’ve been too tired to do more than cuddle, or some heavy kissing on a better day. You miss the connection that comes from baring yourselves to one another. And the orgasms, too, of course. 

Agnes is back at your window, breathalyzer in hand. You make a split second decision. 

“Please, detective, I can’t afford another ticket, and my wife will be so mad.” You plead, using that innocent, wide-eyed expression you know turns her on, “Is there anything I can do to… pay it off, per se?” 

To her credit, she doesn’t crack this time, “Are you soliciting an officer of the law, ma’am?” 

“No, of course not! Unless that’s what you want.” 

“Step out of the car.” 

The commanding note in her voice goes straight between your thighs. You open the door and step out, watching her brows raise at only the long nightgown you’re wearing. There’s a chill in the air that makes you shiver. Her eyes are drawn to your chest before she shakes away whatever is going through her mind. 

While you’re enjoying the game, you do hope she’ll let you get back in the car soon. The cold is unmanageable without more substantial clothing. 

Agnes holds up the breathalyzer, “Open your mouth.” 

You do so without thinking. A blush races up your face. Agnes can’t help but smirk. 

It’s not the breathalyzer that finds itself between your lips, but two fingers that settle on your tongue and press. You jolt at the pressure. Tears come to your eyes as you gag, but the weight of her fingers doesn’t ebb. You fight against your gag reflex to curl your tongue around the digits. 

Closing your lips around them, you swirl your tongue like one would around a piece of candy. Even through blurred vision you can see how Agnes’ eyes darken. She leans forward, staring at your lips. 

Her fingers move deeper, pressing harder, fucking your throat. You swallow around them. 

You find your mouth and throat empty as Agnes pulls out. Her hand grabs your face before you can close your mouth and holds it open, fingers wet against your cheek. She grins meanly. 

“Stick out your tongue.” 

The second you do, Agnes spits in your mouth. You whimper. It’s humiliating and you feel yourself clench around nothing. You leave your tongue in the position she demanded, obedient as ever. 

Agnes laughs, “Swallow.” 

Humiliation, in combination with your startling need for her touch, forces the tears to spill over and down your cheeks. The sight of them seems to please her. She’s always loved seeing you thoroughly debased; loves knowing only she can break you down like this. 

Partners in the past did try. Yet they would hesitate, hold back, believing they knew the limits of your desire instead of trusting you. A few would panic when they saw tears in your eyes and pull out of the scene completely. You often found yourself pretending; toning down your desires to ‘acceptable’ levels and leaving yourself unsatisfied to avoid that worried look in your partner’s eyes. 

But you’ve never had to pretend with Agnes. From that first time, she went as far as she wanted, knowing that you were an adult capable of safe-wording if it was too much; it wasn’t. You had been dripping and needy the entire time. You had cried while she sat back and watched you polish her boots with your tongue, and had nearly come undone from the act alone. It was everything you craved—Agnes was everything you craved; trusting, dominating, cruel when it suited, and the most loving partner you’ve ever known. 

You had vowed then and there that you weren’t letting her get away. And how lucky for you that she put a ring on your finger; the ring that is so much more than a symbol of love; but a brand, too, just as you desire. 

“I wonder what your wife would think of you offering yourself up to me,” Agnes muses, “but you’re so eager for it, I can’t help but wonder if she’s not satisfying you properly.” 

“Only you can satisfy me, detective.” You flutter your lashes. 

That draws a real laugh from her. Something inside you preens. You lean forward into Agnes’ space, angling your head for a kiss, but she pulls back. 

“Be that as it may, soliciting an officer is a crime, as is reckless driving.” Her hands reach for her belt, where her handcuffs rest in one of the holsters, “I’m going to have to take you in.” 

Though the idea of being cuffed and fucked however she pleases excites you, you’re not entirely pleased with how your original plan was ruined. Agnes knew where the line was during interrogations and she crossed it. Knowingly. It’s safe to say you’re a little pissed she acted out. 

A mean-spirited voice in your head considers pushing Agnes away entirely, leaving her wet and turned on for the rest of the night shift while you go home and find solace in your favorite toy. The rational part of you knows that no toy can replace your wife, and it’s her you want. You’re just not going to make it easy for her. 

You fall to your knees before she can work the cuffs off her belt. She jolts at the unexpected change. You slam against the ground pretty hard and wince, but don’t dare stop. 

Your hands find her belt buckle. Deftly, you start to undo it, “Please, I can make you feel good. I’ll do anything.” 

Agnes raises her brows. She doesn’t stop you from undoing her belt or slowly lowering the zipper of her pants. There’s a tenseness in her jaw as she thinks over the request. Intent on sealing the deal, you move your hands from the front of her pants; instead leaning forward to place a kiss where they’d just been. 

Looking up through your lashes, you beg, “Please.” 

“Well, since you’re so eager for it.” 

Ignoring the screaming in your knees, you shoot to your feet, capturing Agnes’ lips in a hard kiss. You attack with lips and teeth and tongue. At the same time, you slip your hand inside her pants and past the waistband of her panties. 

She groans against your lips when your fingers play in her wetness. Your fingers ghost over her clit and you grin into the kiss. Two hands settle on your hips and shove, your back hitting the side of your car; it hurts for a moment before you’re once again lost in the feel of your wife, how she’s using her position to grind against your hand, the obscene noises leaving her throat.

Your clit throbs with every roll of her hips. It’s intoxicating that she’s just taking what she wants, using you as a toy to achieve her own pleasure. But the desire between your own legs reminds you of the end goal. 

Agnes’ hips pick up speed, her usual low groans evolving into panting, high-pitched whimpers. She’s so close. You consider letting her have what she wants. 

Moments before she can fall over the edge you pull your hand from her pants. Hands settling on her chest, you shove her back. She jolts and stumbles. Her fucked-out expression from seconds earlier shifts to confusion, then anger. 

“What the fuck?” Agnes snarls. 

“You’ve been bad, detective.” Still leaning against the car, you cross your arms over your chest, “Or should I say Daddy.” 

Agnes stands straighter. There’s steel in her spine now, jaw taught as darkness comes over her expression. Amusement alights inside your chest. 

Her hands begin to unravel the belt from the loops of her pants, “I’m going to paint your backside blue.” 

“I don’t think so.” Your voice is hard. “You see, I had a lovely evening planned for us. Dinner, a movie, clean sheets for us to spend all night ruining. And we didn’t get to enjoy any of it because someone couldn’t control her temper. So you, daddy, are going to fuck me until I decide I’m ready to forgive you.” 

“It’s cute that you think you’re in control, baby.” 

Agnes steps into your space, belt in her hands. You stop her with a hand on her chest before she can get close enough to do anything. 

“I am in control.” 

“Those with the upper hand don’t usually have to state the fact.” 

You tilt your head, “If you don’t give me what I want, you’re not going to touch me for weeks. I’ll fuck myself and all you’ll be able to do is watch. And I’ll stuff all the pairs of panties I ruin into your bag, your pockets… everywhere you go, you’ll be reminded of just what you’re missing.” 

The smug expression slowly slips from her face. She tries to push forward again, but you’re unyielding; clenching your fist in the fabric of her shirt until she feels the subtle bite of your nails. There’s fury and a small trace of fear in her eyes. 

It’s rare that you have the upper hand. Usually Agnes is twelve steps ahead of everyone—you included. But this time she miscalculated, and she’s going to pay for it. 

“Your choice, daddy.”

She scoffs. Shaking her head, a few pieces of her hair free themselves from her low ponytail. They lay in and over her face before she blows them out of the way carelessly. She hasn’t been taking care of it, you can tell; and briefly, you consider if you can get away with commandeering her into taking better care of herself. 

You likely shouldn’t push your luck. Agnes is going to punish you enough for this stunt, you’re sure. 

The belt is tossed onto the ground a few feet away in a silent show of surrender. Her eyes are dark, churning with a mixture of fury and arousal. A brief moment passes where you wonder if you’re taking this a bit too far, but you shove it down; Agnes is an adult just as you are and will tell you if you cross any hard lines. 

“Is the heat on in the cruiser?” You ask. 

She pauses, taken-aback, “Yeah, of course.” 

“Good. You’re going to fuck me in it later. But first—” 

You open the back door of your own car as wide as it can go, just so you can perch on the seat with your feet still outside. With a smile, you open your legs wide. You hadn’t considered this outcome when you left the house for your drive, so your panties are relatively plain, but it doesn’t matter since they’re soaked through. 

Agnes takes a step forward and you hold up a finger. She pauses. You point at the ground. 

Her face goes red, “Not fucking likely.” 

And then she’s on you. She’s holding herself up with one hand on the seat, the other dragging your face to hers. Her body rests perfectly between your legs. With a low moan, you roll your hips against her front. 

Her grip on your face is painful. Thank god her nails are clipped short. 

Agnes pulls away from your mouth to bite and suck at your throat. You throw your head back, still grinding up against her, moaning with abandon. The friction is nice but it isn’t what you wanted. 

“I want you to eat me out.” You force out. 

“I don’t care what you want.” Agnes growls. 

“Oh? Well, I guess I should be prepared to handle my own orgasms for a while, then.” 

As you say that, you stop grinding, and lay fully against the seat, one of your arms snaking its way down your front and between your thighs. You’ve only circled a finger around your clit twice before her hand catches your wrist in a punishing grip. 

“Try it and I’ll tie you to the bed everyday when I go to work.” 

“I made my terms abundantly clear.” 

“You know what you forgot though, brat?” Agnes taunts, lips right next to your ear, “You’re too greedy to settle for your hand or your little toys. It’s only a matter of time before you get bored and come crawling back to me.” 

“Maybe I’ll just crawl to someone else. Agent Vidal has been hanging around.” 

A hand closes around your throat and you whine. She squeezes, your vision going fuzzy around the edges. You roll your hips. 

“I’ll lock you in the house if you even think about it.” Her voice is hard, promising, “You’re mine, baby.” 

“Prove it.” 

That’s the wrong thing to say. 

Agnes pulls back completely. Her hands leave you, the pressure of her body is gone. You look up and she’s standing just far enough away that you can’t touch her. You growl. 

The look on her face is one you’ve seen a dozen times; the very same one she wears when you’re about to endure something you don’t like. But you vow not to let her have the upper hand. Not this time. This time, you’re going to make her bend. 

“I’ll see you in the morning.” She says. 

The words are like a bucket of cold water over your head. You don’t spend long dwelling on the threat, there’s no time. 

Agnes is halfway back to the police cruiser when you worm your hand into your panties and bury two fingers inside without preamble. Despite being the source of your own pleasure, you jolt, back bowing off the seat. The moan that leaves your lips is exaggerated; pornographic. 

“Oh, yes!” 

You hear her footsteps come to a stop. You don’t dare open your eyes, not yet. The pleasure you’re experiencing is real, even if it is half of what it could be with Agnes’ help, but you have to keep up the act—have to make her jealous of your own fingers. 

Though she hates to admit it, Agnes is jealous in all aspects of life. There’s a bit of healthy competitiveness worked in there that you can admire. Yet some days… some days she comes home fighting mad, hair a mess and muscles clenched tight as she recounts the events that made her that way. And lately they’ve all had the same person involved—

Agent Rio Vidal. 

A loaner agent from the FBI, here to figure out some of the more poignant details of a murder on the Westview-Eastview county line. She’s confident and cutting and painfully attractive. Somehow, she knows how to push every single one of Agnes’ buttons, in work and play. 

You’ve only met her twice and each time Agnes was an animal afterward. The appreciative glances and suggestive words made you blush—and though you won’t admit it, turned you on a good bit—while Agnes could barely hold herself back from attacking the woman. So possessive. So jealous. 

You can use that. 

The door on the other car hasn’t opened and you know she’s watching with rapt attention. You put on a good show, rolling your hips into your one hand while pinching at your chest with the other. You could get off on her watching. 

Another exaggerated, high-pitched moan, “Oh, Agent Vidal!” 

Though the woman is attractive, you can’t imagine anyone but your wife. Agnes doesn’t need to know that. 

Strong hands grab your calves and pull you half-way out of the car. You squeak, eyes snapping open. Agnes looms above you and oh fuck you’re in trouble. 

“You little bitch.” She snarls, hand coming to wrap around your throat.

You try to moan but she doesn’t give you that much air. Another deft hand rips your own from your panties, even going so far as to rip the fabric off completely. There’s the ghost of her fingers above your center. You roll your hips. 

The sensation of loss and blurry edges is usually a huge turn-on; maybe it’s the intense change from oxygen to no oxygen, but you’re struggling more than normal. You tap her wrist three times. 

Agnes pulls away completely. Her hand is off your neck, the other gone from between your thighs. You take in large lungfuls of air and feel your heart-rate slow just a little. A little whine works its way from your throat, though it’s mainly a result of the throbbing between your legs that’s still driving you crazy. 

Your wife’s hands hover over you, eyes concerned, “Honey?” 

“I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me.” You assure, sitting up and kissing one of her palms, “The quick change just… startled me. I’m okay.” 

“Should I… Do you need me to take you home?” 

“Oh no, Agnes O’Connor, you’re going to finish what you started.” Spreading your legs offers an obscene picture of just how soaked you are, made even more tantalizing by the ripped panties clinging to your thigh, “Unless you want me to find someone else who can finish the job.” 

It’s like flipping a switch. 

Overwhelming is a word that could be used to describe Agnes in bed—smothering, even. She has a way of overtaking every single one of your senses at once. Your skin is on fire with her touch, with the faint strands of hair tickling your face. The scent of burnt break-room coffee clings to her jacket. You even taste it when her tongue invades your mouth, moaning obscenely against your lips. 

You like being smothered, though. You crave it; aching for anything that will let you turn your mind off and just feel. 

Agnes pulls back. Her breath is hot against your lips, “You’re such a brat.” 

“Only for you, daddy.” You murmur. 

A shudder passes through her at the name. Her grip tightens on you, near bruising. You moan. 

“Where do you want me?” 

“With your mouth between my legs.” 

“Fingers?” 

“Yes, please.” 

Agnes chuckles, “So you do remember your manners. Interesting.” 

You roll your eyes. To your luck, Agnes doesn’t see—if she had, you would have been punished accordingly. Though you realize things are a bit off-balance with your threat hanging in the air; any other time, Agnes would have you bent anyway she pleased, taking all she wanted until you couldn’t handle any more. 

Being in control is… odd. Not unwanted, but odd. You have to be more aware of yourself, confident in every command that leaves your lips. You’re glad that this is Agnes’ preferred role even if you’re enjoying the change. 

Lips kiss the inside of your thighs and you shudder. When she sinks her teeth in, you squeal, jolting at the change. Your hand falls to the top of her head. 

“Not what I meant!” 

“Oh, then what did you mean?” She taunts. 

“If you don’t make me come right now so help me—” 

The heat of her mouth on you is enough to shut you up. Her tongue drags up your slit with agonizing slowness. She teases at your clit for only a moment before repeating the slow drag, making you whine, pressing her head closer. 

You feel the rumble of her laughter and god help you the vibrations feel amazing. Yet when you try to move your hips for more, her hands keep them pressed firmly to the leather seat. 

Another threat sits on your lips that never comes to pass. With the last slow lick, she fastens her lips around your clit and sucks, hard. It’s painful and wonderful and your back bows off the seat, hands scrambling for anything to clench into. The weeks have been long and you know you’re not going to last. 

“I’m going to come.” You force out. 

She laughs again. That, in combination with her attention focused solely on your clit, sends you straight over the edge. You feel wild, unhinged as your hips move without any guidance from your mind, chasing the waves of pleasure that make your every muscle go taut. 

But when the pleasure subsides, Agnes doesn’t stop. She pushes two fingers inside and curls them in that way you like so much. You clench around them, though you ache, not ready for more so soon. 

“I can’t—Please, I can’t.” You beg. 

“One more, baby. You can give me that, can’t you?” 

“I can’t.” 

“You can.” 

And you do. Her fingers know every inch of you well, her mind cataloging every spot that makes you whine, every move she performs that sends you over the edge. She calls on that knowledge as the pads of her fingers rub against that spot inside you with abandon until you can’t breathe, shrieking and moaning loud enough that you worry someone will hear you miles away. 

The pleasure tenses your body so tight that you worry the muscles will never relax again. It hurts in that delicious way only Agnes can bring out. 

When you do relax, she’s licking gently at you, collecting the flavor on her tongue and savoring it like a fine wine. You twitch. The hand you have in her hair pushes as you attempt to slide further onto the seat, away from her mouth. 

“No more,” you beg, “please.” 

“Am I forgiven?” 

You laugh, breathless, “Not quite.” 

You tug her up wordlessly until the weight of her is draped over you. It’s nice, comforting to feel her close. Her warmth helps fight against the cold biting at your lower half. Sighing, you bury your face in her neck, your hand coming up to lazily play with her hair. 

Agnes accepts the touch. She traces little patterns on your hip over the nightgown, soft and quiet. You can still see the red and blue lights from your hiding place in her neck. 

“Why do you have the Chief’s car?” You ask. 

She scoffs, “Mine broke down three hours into the shift. Had to call the Chief and walk all the way to his house to get the cruiser.” 

“What? Agnes, why didn’t you call me?” 

“I wanted you to enjoy your night in, honey.” 

You think about arguing, but you recognize the exhaustion in her voice, and decide not to push it—for now. It’s an argument you can save for later. 

“So what was it, the battery? I thought we just replaced it.” 

“I think the old girl might just be done for. We’ve had her for a while.” Agnes shrugs. 

“But that’s… we brought Nicky home in that car.” You whisper, chest aching. 

Another piece of your life—connected to your baby—that you won’t get to keep. Agnes tenses, her breathing growing ragged, and you feel terrible; she’s likely already thought about this the whole shift, spent all these hours remembering it alone. That’s why she didn’t call you—she didn’t want to drag you bag into the deep end of the pain, too. 

You press a gentle kiss to the side of her neck. No wonder she took the first opportunity to play with you, she needed the distraction. 

“I’m sorry, my love.” You murmur.

“Not your fault, honey. These things happen.” 

She sounds less and less like herself with every moment. You don’t want to shove the grief aside—the grief counselor said that only made things worse—but this isn’t how you want to handle it; Agnes draped over your freshly-debauched form in the backseat of your car. 

This is a conversation, a breakdown for home, where the two of you can take all the time you need to soak in the new loss. You need to distract her away from this. 

“Will the force offer you one of their vehicles?” 

“Yeah. They should.” 

“Where did you break down?” 

“By the bridge on Old Forest.” 

Perfect. 

“Let’s give her a proper sendoff, then.” 

Agnes pauses. The look she gives you is questioning, as if not quite believing your suggestion, but she knows better—knows you’re serious about this. 

“Alright.” 

Which is how you find yourself halfway across town, on a back road with no streetlights, pulling off perilously close to a ditch. Agnes' car is unmistakable even in the dark—from the extra mirror on the hood reflecting the moonlight to the dent in the back bumper she never got fixed. You feel suddenly overwhelmed as you trace your fingers over the body. 

So many memories, good and bad. Your late-night trysts in the back seat. Bringing Nicky home. The back seat full of his stinky sports gear. Agnes’ old case files winding up on the floor. 

Agnes comes up and drapes her jacket over your shoulders. The warmth of her body has seeped into the cloth, now blocking out the chill in the air, “This might not be the best idea.” 

You raise a brow, “Cold feet, detective?” 

“Mine are nice and warm. Yours, however...” 

She looks up and down your scantily-clad form with a worried furrow of her brow. It’s sweet, but not needed. 

“I don’t think our plans will keep me anything but warm.” You smile, leaning back against the car while pulling Agnes close, until every inch of her is pressed against your front. Her hands settle on your hips as she kisses you with a softness belaying the vulnerability she still feels, “Unlock the car.” 

“Honey—” 

“Agnes, would you rather I went home?” You murmur. 

“Of course not.” 

“Then what do you want?”

“Beats me.”

“You know what I want?” 

Using your leverage against the vehicle, you draw one of your feet up the inside of Agnes’ leg, careful to press every part of yourself against her. Her warmth radiates through her flannel and jeans and you smile. 

She raises a brow, “I’m sure I can guess.” 

“I want you to bend me over in the backseat of this car like you did that first time. You remember, don’t you? How pissed you were that I’d been teasing you for five dates.” You laugh at the memory, “You couldn’t even make it out of the restaurant parking lot.” 

“You were so loud we almost got caught.” She recalls, voice low, gravelly. 

“There’s no one around to catch us now.” 

Agnes wraps one of her arms around your waist and uses it to tug you sideways, making quick work of unlocking the car. With the hand not on your waist, she opens the back door, and eases her jacket from your shoulders. She lays it out on the cold seats with the warm side up. 

Not for the first time, you’re moved by her consideration of your comfort. It would be so easy for a partner to disregard the little things if it meant getting to the end goal faster; but not Agnes. You reward her with a long, slow kiss. 

When she pulls away, there’s a fond little smile on her lips. She pats your hip, “On your hands and knees.” 

You obey without question. Crawling onto the backseat, you’re reminded of just how confined the space of a car is. You have to keep your head bowed so as not to hit your head on the roof. It’ll be worth your while, but you know the two of you will be feeling the adverse effects of this choice for days. 

Agnes follows and shuts the door behind her. She works her way into the backseat until not a bit of space exists between the two of you. Every inch of her front is pressed against you, draped over you like a warm blanket. You push your backside back into her crotch, teasing. 

“I should’ve sent you home to get your purple.” You say. 

“Be good and you can have my cock later.” 

Warm fingertips trail up the back of your thigh until they snake under the hem of your nightgown. The soothing heat of her touch is lovely compared to the bite of the cold air. You lean into it. 

“Yes, daddy.” You sigh. 

Her body pulls away from yours and you turn, confused. A sharp slap to your backside makes your breath stutter, your core clenching around nothing. Your toes curl. 

“Interesting that you want to be good now, when you’ve been testing me all night.” 

“What can I say? I’m motivated by rewards.” 

You’re satisfied that Agnes seems to be in the moment, rather than locked up in the memories in her head. Intent on keeping it that way, you lean back into her, arching so you can match her entirely. Her muscles go taut and relax and being able to feel it makes you ravenous. 

Two fingers push your ripped panties aside and begin to drag up your slit, teasing. It should be noted that you are trying to be good for her, offering the control she takes to so well. You like to think she can tell, too. 

When she slips her fingers inside you without torturing you further, you’re sure she knows. 

You push back, desperate. You want more of her and bad. It’s as if the orgasms she gave you less than an hour ago never happened. Every muscle in your body quakes with the knowledge of what only Agnes can give you. And you want it so deeply that it threatens to bring tears to your eyes. 

“Please.” You beg without prompting, “Please, more.” 

A split-second hesitation belays her surprise, but she does slip another finger inside, stretching you even wider. You can’t stop how you move, nor the noises that come out of your mouth. You feel cursed with hunger only she can sate. 

It’s this car, this backseat, and the memories here that are driving you so mad. It’s the life attached to it that you never thought you would get; a family, a future, a wife who loves you despite all the ugly parts others had run from. It’s the years you haven’t had to live out alone, the pain you’ve shared. It’s the fact that this act was once a beginning and now it’s an end. 

Her lips press against the back of your neck, impossibly gentle, so unlike the role she’s meant to be playing. Something inside you breaks. 

“Agnes—“ You choke out. 

“It’s okay, honey.” 

You let go. 

You let go from holding yourself back—fucking yourself on her fingers until you shriek with pleasure. You let go of the ball of emotions in your chest, of hunger and pleasure and guilt. You let go of the pain and let tears spill over onto your cheeks. 

It’s not the best orgasm you’ve ever had, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a goodbye to this piece of your life. It’s an end. And it hurts just the same as it feels good to embrace the potential of something new. 

Agnes holds you, steady as ever. You feel the dampness of her own tears on your neck. 

You turn and lay on your back, welcoming the weight of her. You use your thumbs to wipe away the tears coming from her beautiful blue eyes. 

“Am I forgiven, or do we have to go another round?” She asks.

You grin, not taking your hands from her face, “You’re forgiven, my love.” 

“Thank god.” 

Agnes drops her head until it rests on your chest. You laugh, extracting the hair tie so you can run your fingers through the length of it. Her arms wrap around you as much as they can. 

She presses a kiss to your chest, over where your heart is. You gently work through a knot in between your fingers. The windows are clouded with perspiration. Beads of water reflect what little moonlight peeks through the trees. Moonlight or no, you know every dip and curve of your wife’s form, and could identify every part of her without sight. 

The stale coffee smell has worn off, replaced by the faint undertones of the cologne she wears each morning. It’s deep and musky and comforting. 

Maybe it’s the weight of her head on your chest in combination with the memories that makes you speak, “Have you ever thought about us trying again?” 

She tilts her head so she can look up into your eyes without lifting from her resting place. Her brows are furrowed.

“Trying again?”  

The weight of her beautiful eyes on you almost makes you change the subject. These conversations are so much easier without that layer of intimacy. But you’ve started something and you’ll be damned if you don’t finish it. 

“To be parents.” You whisper. 

“I’m a little past due on that, baby.” Her smile is self-deprecating. 

“I’m not.” 

“You never wanted to carry. I remember that much.” 

“That was then.” You continue smoothing through her hair, “Now… If you want to try again, I’ll do it. I want to do it.” 

You can’t decipher the look in her eyes. She doesn’t pull away, but she’s tense. 

“We don’t need to decide right now. We have time.” 

She nods, “Alright.” 

“You’ll still be daddy, even if you aren’t my baby-daddy.” 

“That was terrible.” 

It doesn’t stop her from grinning, nor does it stop you from laughing. Something in the tension eases. You can’t lean down and kiss her like this, so you press a kiss to the pads of your fingers, and press them to her lips. She nips at them playfully. 

The quiet is nice, but you can feel the cold settling into your bones. You need to be back in a heated car before you get sick. 

“When is your shift over?” 

“In a few hours.” 

You nod, figuring out what time she’ll come home and how it fits into your schedule, “I have nothing after work if you want me to make good on those orgasms I owe you.” 

“I look forward to it.” 

It takes some time, but you and Agnes manage to untangle yourselves and worm your way out of the back seat. She sits, keeping you wrapped in her coat, until the inside of your own car is nice and warm. That earns her a few lingering kisses. 

She trails you on the drive home before speeding off to do god knows what during the last few hours of her shift. And when you fall asleep—already feeling sore—an eagerness sets in your chest of what awaits. With an end, a new beginning. 

[sevcasejay1chicago]

Im with you- Matt Casey

Summary: When an ovarian cyst ruptures on the job, Matt and Firehouse 51 take care of you.

Warnings: vomiting, cursing, probably inaccurate medical stuff even though I do have PCOS and get ovarian cysts.

Authors note: You asked and I’m delivering. Here’s a fic I wrote a while back. I hope you enjoy!

——————————

You and Matt have been together for a couple years. You have been best friends since you both joined 51, straight from academy. You and Matt shared everything. Your feelings, thoughts, personal issues, a bed. Everything was out in the open. Though Matt was your lieutenant, you never let it effect your job or your relationship. You said it was one of the perks of starting off in the house together. He saw you and your strength. He knew you could take his spot any day, but you were content with just being part of the company.

You started feeling some major discomfort on a call. You were doing a sweep with Severide when you kicked open a door, causing the fire to blow back, sending you and Kelly flying through the air.

“Y/N!” You were sure you heard Kelly scream your name, but your ears rung as you laid against the wall. Kelly quickly shut the door and made his way toward you. “Look at me! Say something!” He yelled, grabbing you by your jacket and making you face him.

You were a little further toward the middle of the door than Kelly, which kept him from flying far. You just went through the air hitting the wall HARD. You were disoriented and had some major ringing in your ears.

When you couldn’t focus on him, Kelly called a mayday of sorts through the radio. “Emergency! Emergency! Fire fighter down. I need a medic to meet me out front.” Kelly yelled, not wasting another second before he pulled me up and into his arms. “I’ve gotcha. Your okay.”

“Who?” Chief Boden asked.

“Y/L/N.” Kelly said just before he broke into a sprint when he saw the exit.

Outside, Dawson and Brett were waiting with a stretcher. As soon as Kelly put you down, Dawson was ripping the mask off your face. The light assaulted your eyes, but the fresh air was like a kick in the butt, which was exactly what you needed.

“I’m fine.” You murmured, attempting to push yourself up.

“Y/N.” Dawson said, pushing you back down with a shake of her head. “You were unresponsive for almost two minutes. I need to check you out.”

I shook my head, regretting it as soon as I did it. I laid back, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I said I’m fine Dawson.” I growled out. Finding the strength to sit up, I swung my legs over the edge of the gurney and tried to stand. My legs failed me as I collapsed into Kelly with a pained gasp.

“Fine my ass Y/L/N.” Kelly said, picking you up and putting you back on the stretcher.

“What hurts hunny?” Brett hummed, allowing Kelly to rip your jacket off as Dawson ran to help a civilian.

“My right side. Like all of a sudden.” You gritted out, swatting Kelly’s hand away as he palpitated the area. “Ow Sev.”

“Sorry.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “It’s not too hard like internal bleeding.” He informed Brett. “I’m going to go update Casey. He looks ready to abandon the company to come check on you. You ladies talk.” Kelly said, leaning over to place a kiss on your forehead. “I’ll be back.”

Once Kelly walked off, you snuck a glance in Casey’s direction. He was talking to the crew, giving orders, but his eyes stayed trained on you.

“When did this start? I don’t see any bruising or signs of a contusion.” Brett murmured, moving back to let the sunlight hit that area.

“I mean, it’s been a dull pain for a while now, but this is the first time it’s been bad enough to effect me.” I said, leaning my head back and breathing deeply. “I have an appointment set with my gyno tomorrow. I’m fine, really. Just extra sore.” I tried to reason, but I was fighting to keep back a sudden wave of nausea. “It’s uh.” I swallowed thickly before continuing. “It’s a normal woman thing I think. Matt knows. Just give me an anti-inflammatory and zofran and I’m good.”

“Zofran?” Brett asked, stopping as she was pushing me to the ambo, which I suddenly realized meant that Kelly was back and helping.

“Yeah. Kinda nauseous.” I said, shaking my head. Kelly hummed and placed a hand on my thigh.

Brett did a thorough head trauma exam before giving me the all clear once she was sure that I didn’t have a concussion. Kelly spent the entire time texting while I was being treated. He was listening and keeping Matt up to date as I waiting to be discharged from the rig.

“Casey said to ride back with Ambo and go straight to his office when we return.” Kelly said, leaning up to place another kiss on my forehead, jumping out of the rig before I could protest. He hit the doors and Dawson, whom I never noticed jumped back into the rig, drove back to the house.

“Well, looks like I’m off the rest of this shift.” I sighed, leaning back and trying to relax as Brett dimmed the lights to the rig.

“Might not be such a bad thing. He’s just looking out for you.” Brett said, sitting on the bench and buckling me around the waist to the stretcher before buckling herself in and propping her feet up to use as a makeshift desk. “Get some rest. We got 20 minutes till we get back.”

I gave her a confused look. “We shouldn’t be that far out.” I mumbled.

“Dawson has to pick up lunch.” Brett replied. “Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

——————————TimeSkip————————-

I woke up to someone softly pushing the hair away from my face.

“Hey Hunny. Come rest in my office.” Matt whispered, trying his best to coax me awake.

“I don’t feel good.” I whispered, leaning my head forward and into his hand.

“I know.” Matt soothed. “I’ll carry you.”

Matt unlocked my seatbelt and gently lifted me into his arms. Doors were opened for us as we made our way through the house. The common area went quiet as we passed through, shuffling could be heard as doors were opened until Matt got to his office.

“Hey Matt.” Kelly whispered, stepping in and closing the door. “Brett gave me these. How’s she doing?”

Kelly shook a sick bag out and put it on the side table and then stashed the rest on the desk. Matt laid me down slowly, pulling the covers over me gently and turning me onto my side into the recovery position. I kept my eyes closed, wondering why Brett never gave me the Zofran, making me focus on not throwing up.

“Doesn’t feel well.” Matt said, sitting next to me and pushing my hair back again. “Baby. Kelly has a sick bag here if you need it. I gotta talk to Boden and fill him in. I’ll be right back.” He said, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “Can you stay with her a minute?” Matt asked Kelly.

“Anything for you guys. You know that.” Kelly said, standing and switching spots with Matt. The door closed softly as Kelly sat next to me. He placed a hand on my back and rubbed soothingly. “Let’s be real. Need to go to med?” Kelly asked, knowing I wouldn’t fess up to Matt unless it was dire.

“No.” I gritted out, frustrated by the whole situation. The pain was subsiding, but the nausea was ramping. “It’s a girl thing.” I simplified.

“Your sure?” Kelly asked, leaning forward and grabbing the sick bag as he saw me pale.

“Mhmm.” I said, not daring to move.

We sat there in silence. I was trying to steady my breathing as Kelly continued to rub my back. He was at a loss. He knew I hated being sick, as he has dealt with a sick me before, but he knew it was gonna happen.

“Sit up. I know it’s gonna happen.” Kelly said, moving to stand and help gently guide me into a sitting position. “Hold this. I’m gonna call Matt.” He instructed, placing the bag in my hand. Kelly went to the door and opened it, yelling for Matt. He knew not to leave me.

The nausea was winning and I began to freak out as Kelly called out again. “Kel- hurlk” I tried to warn him, but got cut off with an unproductive heave.

The door slammed shut as Kelly raced toward me. “Fuck.” He muttered, helping me hold the bag under my chin. With his other hand, he used his radio to call for Matt. “Case. You’re needed in your office. Now.” He said into the radio. A quick “copy” from Matt was all that was heard before I started retching harshly. “Shhhhhhh. Breathe.” Kelly murmured. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

“What’s going on?” Matt exclaimed, running and sliding to a stop in front of me. “Baby? It’s okay. I’m here.” He soothed , taking my hand and pushing my hair back. “Dawson’s gonna check your vitals, okay?”

I nodded as I finally started throwing up all the breakfast that I forced down. Kelly kept holding the bag and rubbing my back, Matt held my hand and kept my hair out of the splash zone, and Dawson went about checking my vitals.

“Pulse is fast. Oxygen is mid 90s. Pressure is slightly low, but not worrisome.” She said. “Any other symptoms?” Gabbi asked Matt.

“Ovarian cysts. Think one ruptured on that call.” Matt muttered. “Never seen her this bad before.”

“Does it hurt, Y/N?” Gabbi asked. “Just squeeze once for no and twice for yes.” Gabbi took my hand and felt me squeeze once. “Good. No pain.”

“What does that mean?” Kelly asked, noting how much I was vomiting and the sweat building up on the back of my neck.

“So, sometimes a cyst can rupture and be infected. This is her body getting rid of it, which is probably why Brett didn’t give her anything for the nausea.” Gabbi explained, writing some stuff down. “If she starts running a fever, tell us and we will take her straight to Med. I’d suggest camping out here for a few hours to make sure she doesn’t spike one. Then you can go home and get her rested.” Gabbi said, patting Matt on the shoulder and walking out.

“Breathe sweetheart. Your gonna need to switch bags in a second if you need to.” Matt said, trying to see my face better. He reached over and grabbed a new one, making a quick switch with Kelly and holding the new bag under my chin as Kelly disposed of the old one.

Talking could be heard as he opened the door. Gabbi and Boden’s voices floating in.

Suddenly, a cool cloth was placed on the back of my neck. “Herrmann got you a rag Y/N.” Kelly said, resuming his post of rubbing my back. “Chief has Herrmann taking lead on truck for the remainder of shift and offered to let me hang around to help unless Squad is needed.”

“Thanks Kel.” Matt said, patting his friend on the knee. “You done baby?” Matt asked, noticing the few coughs I was letting out, but also the lack of vomit.

“Yeah.” I breathed, leaning forward and resting my head on Matt’s shoulder. “It’s awful.” I moaned, resting my forehead into the crook of his neck.

“I know.” Matt whispered, reaching up and wiping my face with the rag from my neck. “Wanna brush your teeth and shower before taking a nap?”

I nodded and tried to stand when Matt helped me up, but swayed dangerously as I suddenly became lightheaded.

“Woah.” Kelly said, bracing me from behind. “You okay?” He asked, keeping me steady with hands around my waist.

“Yeah.” I breathed. “Just lightheaded s’all.” I closed my eyes and leaned my head onto Matt’s shoulder again.

“I gotcha.” Matt said, picking me up and taking me toward the bathroom. “Can you grab her go bag Sev?” Matt called over his shoulder.

“On it.” Kelly replied, jogging toward the locker room.

Matt wasted no time in getting me to the bathroom. He sat me down on the counter and pulled my head back into his neck.

Herrmann came into the bathroom with a sprite in his hand. “Cindy used to have this problem. This outta help.” He said, placing the can on the other side of the sink. “I’ve got Mills running to get some popsicles too.”

“Thanks Chris.” Matt said. “You’re a good man.”

“Anything for her.” He said, rubbing my arm. “It’s gonna be okay. You just get to feeling better.” He then patted Matt on the shoulder. “Take care of my girl.”

“Always.” Matt said, turning and placing a kiss to my head as Herrmann walked out and Kelly walked in.

“Got your CFD hoodie.” Kelly said to Matt, “I got everything else out of her locker though. Toiletries and her clothes. Also grabbed your stuff too Case.” He said, putting everything on the counter. “Need anything else?”

“Nah.” Matt said, shaking his head as he looked around. “Just set some towels in here. I’m gonna shower with her. I don’t trust her balance.” He said, rubbing my back.

“Good man.” Kelly said, patting Matt on the back. “Holler if you need anything else.”

“Thanks Sev.” Matt said, watching the Squad lieutenant leave. Finally, he turned to face me. “Ready to get cleaned up?” He asked gently, pulling away to see my face.

“Then nap?” I murmured, pouting at my boyfriend.

“Nap and cuddles.” Matt confirmed, nodding his head.

With that confirmation, I was satisfied and found the strength to get cleaned up. After brushing my teeth and gargling twice, Matt helped me off the counter and to the showers. He sat me on the bench before striping and going in to turn on the water. With quick persuasion, Matt was able to talk me into the shower. He made promises to keep me steady and to sit me down if I needed it, seeing as Mills just finished scrubbing the showers.

Once under the water, which was a little cooler than I usually liked it, Matt kept a secure hold on my waist, leaned down and kissed my head, then adjusted me so that my back was getting the brunt of the shower.

“Mmmm.” I moaned, practically melting in Matt’s hold. “S’ nice.” I mumbled into Matt’s chest, pressing my forehead into it.

“I know baby.” Matt said. “We can stand here for a moment, but we need to get cleaned up and get you resting.” He said, reaching around me and engulfing me in a hug. “You just relax.” He whispered.

“Mkay.” I sighed, losing any fight I could have left.

When Matt noticed me getting heavier, he made quick work of washing my hair and body before calling Kelly.

Matt only trusted you with very few men, one of which was Kelly Severide. You all had made a quick bond when in the academy and Kelly picked you up off the floor more times than you could count, but that was before Matt. Matt didn’t like overstepping, but Kelly had no problems helping you out in a bind and was there for you in more ways at the beginning than Matt, but you knew it had to do with Haily and not because Matt didn’t like you, so you never let it affect your relationship now. Kelly knew his boundaries, even now, and was the one person you trust other than Matt.

Kelly walked into the bathroom and scooped you up in a towel. Once Kelly had the towel firmly secure, he took your microfiber head wrap towel and wrapped your hair up in it. Then, he helped guide you into Matt’s CFD hoodie and stayed with you leaning into his shoulder until Matt came out of the showers.

“Thanks Kelly.” Matt said. “One more favor.” Matt said, cringing slightly into himself. He hated asking for help, but you were pretty out of it at this point. “Mind getting more bags from Brett and Y/N’s fan from her bunk and taking it to my office?” He asked, pulling on his underwear and pants before trading with Kelly.

“Hey man.” Kelly said, taking Matt by the shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. You guys are family. I’ve already got it all taken care of.” He smirked.

“You’re a life saver.” Matt said, turning and hugging Kelly once he was sure you wouldn’t fall over.

“I get that a lot.” Kelly laughed, the sound echoing behind the man as he walked to the door and exited the bathroom.

Matt helped me into some pants and left our stuff, claiming he’d get it all later, but knowing that someone else was probably waiting to come in behind you both and get everything situated. Once in his office, Matt laid me down near the edge of the bed, closed the blinds, and turned off the lights. He left the blinds connected to Kelly’s office window cracked enough to give him some light to see you, but also give Kelly a way to see if you and Matt needed help.

Once the fan was turned on and he was sure the radio was turned off and I didn’t need anything else, Matt crawled into the bed behind me, spooning me with an arm around my waist. He carefully rubbed my stomach and placed little kisses on the back of my neck.

“Get some rest baby.” Matt whispered, peppering my shoulder with kisses before leaning up and kissing my cheek. “I’m with you. We will get through this.”

Tag list:

@treehouse-mouse

@shadowmeadowsworld

@sorry-i-spaced

@zephyrmonkey

@allisonargent144

@amie134

@lane-rodgers-barnes

@pensfan5871

@dumb-fawkin-bitch

@marvel-and-chicago-fan

@daggersquadphantom

@mattangel11

@stellakiddsblog

@100yroldteenagers

@senjoritanana

[things-arent-what-they-seem66]

(Aladdin AU)

*Alastor the chief advisor of Queen Sera waited for a pimp named Valentino to meet him, standing by Alastor was his assistant Vox, a man who had the ability to hypnotize people which Alastor used to hypnotize the Queen, thankfully Valentino arrived*

Alastor: You are late.

Valentino: A thousand apologies Lord Alastor.

*Valentino bowed and Vox glared at the slimy pimp in disgust*

Valentino: Is this the cave?

*the men men stood in front of a cave that was shaped like a tiger’s head, it made Alastor think of Prince Adam’s beloved pet tiger Lute who would bite anyone who made the young man uncomfortable*

Vox: This is the Cave of Wonders.

Cave of Wonders: Who disturbs my slumber.

Valentino: It is, Valentino.

Cave of Wonders: Only one may enter here, the Diamond in the Rough.

Alastor: What are you waiting for? Go on.

*Valentino slowly approached the cave and when he stepped in the mouth closed crushing Valentino leaving blood and guts everywhere*

Vox: Great, another failure.

Cave of Wonders: Seek me out the Diamond in the Rough.

*the royal guards chased a short blonde young man clutching a loaf of bread with a slightly younger woman running alongside him, they were Lucifer and Charlie, a brother and sister who had to steal to survive*

Lucifer: All this for a loaf of bread.

Captain of the Guards: I will have your hands for a trophy.

*Lucifer ran until he found Rosie, a woman who was friends with their mother, who pulled them into her home until the guards went away, when they Lucifer and Charlie left they sat down while Lucifer tore the bread in half so he could share it with Charlie, but they saw a pair of homeless children who needed food more than either of them did*

Lucifer: You can have this.

*Lucifer handed his half of the bread to the older child*

Charlie: You can have mine too.

*Charlie handed her half of the bread to the younger child, it was another night without food, but the children being fed was more important, Lucifer saw a crowd gathering, it was a princess named Lilith riding into the city seeking the hand of Sera’s beloved son and Prince Adam in marriage*

Guy #1: Another Princess for Prince Adam to reject.

Guy #2: Why doesn't he just pick someone?

Lucifer sighed, Adam was the Prince Heaven, Queen Sera's only child after her husband the King passed away when Adam was still in diapers.

The children from before ran out into the street.

Lilith: Ugh! You little brats!

She went to whip them and Lucifer ran out and took the whip to his arm.

Lucifer: If I were as rich as you, I would be able to afford some manners.

Lilith: Out of my way!

She kicked him into the mud.

Lucifer: Look Charlie! It's not every day you see a horse with two asses!

Everyone laughed.

Lilith glared: You're nothing but a filthy street rat. You'll die a street rat and only your flees will mourn you!

The palace gates closed as Lucifer charged them.

Lucifer: I don't have flees..... Bitch. I hope Prince Adam rejects you.

-

A few hours later and Princess Lilith was storming out of the room.

Lilith: GOOD LUCK MARRYING HIM OFF!!

Sera: Leaving so ...... Soon?

Lilith had some of her dress missing as she stormed out.

Sera: Adam.....

Adam was sitting by the pond with his pet tiger Lute.

Sera: Adam! Adam! Oh confound it Lute!

Adam: Oh Lute was only playing with that spoiled princess Lilith. Weren't you girl? Hehehe.

Sera did not look impressed.

Sera: Adam my dear, you know the law, you have to get married-

Adam: To someone of royal statues I know. But mom if I do get married one day I want it to be for love.

[sailingfireshipz]

13x07 download.

1. Carver waking up in somebody else bed, hungover, once again & almost late for shift AGAIN.... this man is slipping. For the life of me, I don't understand why they made Jake a series regular just to go in and deconstruct his character growth. I don't see the plot.

2. The way Stella kicked that man bed in 😂😂😂

3. Stella looking at Kelly when he says he'll take overhaul. She knows her hubby. She could see his wheels spinning.

4. I'm so happy Ritter actually witnessed the bird attacking Mouch. Mouch needed that validation 😭

5. Pascal questioning Stella about truck again is just so.... Not because I don't think he should be asking those questions but more so the tone & manner in which he does it is just so triggering for me. The difference in how he talks to Kidd vs. how he engages in a conversation with Kelly later in the episode is night & day.

5a. I feel bad for Stella. It's clear something is going on with Carver, but it seems like if she tells Pascal, he'll just flip it on her again like he did with Damon. Rock meet hard place. Stella's storyline this entire first half has been navigating mens bullshit instead of dealing with her backstory 😒 😑

6. Carvers "there will be no more screw ups" gave me whiplash because that sounds like something S11 Carver said MANY times

7. Tony has been crushing it! Keep giving the man more screen time.

8. Pascal conversation with Kelly... do we see how the tone & overall demeanor is different, relaxed, and not accusatory in nature 🙂 this continues to be problematic for me

9. I can't tell if Flynn is a good or bad guy... he sort of weirds me out

10. STELLARIDE has PARENTS written all over them in that Med scene. Like they finally got a babysitter to enjoy a night out & Kelly's dragging Stella to Med for a case 😆

11. Does anyone know what it was that Tori brought Carver & why would Kidd care? It looked like a knife?

11a. Tori's manipulation is insane. She has this man withdrawing & icing people out that have had his back in so many situations. Hope he doesn't burn all those bridges

12. Stella & Violet 👩‍🍳 💋 i want to hear more about that great dinner. Ugh!

13. "Severide, I'm starting to get the feeling you have a problem with authority." lmao, oh, you don't know much about our Severide, do you, chief?

14. Kelly immediately going to Stella. My ❤️

15. What i love about the Go home Carver scene is that Stella is not wavering when it comes to doing right by her rig & ultimately 51. She could have easily folded with the scrutiny coming from the chief, but NOPE! She's not dealing with the foolishness just to not be on his hit list! My Fearless Queen

16. Follow me here... What does Flynn do for a living? He said he got assigned a new case... the state trooper in the ghost gun case said the DA needed the evidence... hmmm idk

17. Kelllllly "My firehouse" Severide aaaahhhh I'm screaming. The way he had Pascal gagged

17a. Selfishly wishing Kelly would have defended Stella the way he just laid Pascal out about the case when Pascal called her a pain in the ass.....

18. Pascal telling Kelly that Bishop is prone to violence & doesn't make empty threats & the first words out of Kellys mouth was I'm in... Kelly, have we LEARNED nothing from S10-12 😭🥹🥹🥹

18a. Like damn at least talk to Stella (YOUR WIFE) first before readily offering yourself up as a target. What happened to we're a team!?

Loved this episode & excited for next week! Any thoughts, theories, or ramblings out there? Let me know i love it when we all discuss our different perspectives!

[simarcana]

First || Prev || Next

┊┊ .Divination Department. ┊┊

2. Ebe: Good evening young spellcasters. I’m truly sorry to interrupt your studies, But I have nevertheless to ask you all to leave the room.

3. Ebe: Except for you, Hazel. There are some urgent matters we need to discuss. Alone. Spellcaster1: Ugh, I should've been a disciple. Spellcaster2: Oh shut up- let's take our stuff elsewhere Spellcaster3: They look dead-serious.. Spellcaster1: Hazel won't tell us anything.

4. Hazel: What do you want now, old man?

5. Hazel: A Faustian bargain?! Are you out of your mind? Shouldn’t you ask the Department chief to deal with such a hazardous task? Ebe: We don’t want to alert the Witan, not until we know for sure. Hazel: Spare me the horseshit, you just don’t want to get them involved.

6. Hazel: Using retrocognition in this situation could be incredibly dangerous FOR ME. And you know it. What would happen if I ended up influenced by the memory? Ebe: So you won't help us? I could say the boy will die if you don’t but I already know it’s useless to hope on your compassion.

7. Hazel: I’m not saying I won’t. Witnessing a demonic pact is opportunity more unique than rare in a spellcaster's lifetime. I’m just- Ebe: Complaining as usual, my dearest descendant.

8. Hazel: I’m just pointing out how selfish you are. Ebe: I knew I could count on you, let’s hurry back then.

9. Hazel: I really hope the Witan will kick your ass for this. Ebe: Oh c’mon. You may be the first individual to witness a demonic bargain in more than a century. Stop complaining so much and walk faster.

[lixenn]

OCtober 2024 day 13: meme

Super duper late but I finally managed to redraw this meme, I wanted to do that for ages! Unfortunately I kinda suck at side profiles so I put it off until that prompt kicked my ass into gear. I used to original as reference because I would have been fucked otherwise and I still think it looks a bit wonky lmao. I kept the colours and rendering more simple, kinda did a speed run of this hope it still turned out alright 🫡

Disclaimer: Chief is exaggerating. The library is mostly fine otherwise Cilmi would have gone on a rampage and Dave would be very very dead.

Original

[the-guilty-writer]

Sleepless Seattle

Request from anon: hotch x reader who has insomnia? maybe with;  “Look me in the eyes and tell me what time you went to bed last night.  Or if you went to bed, for that matter.”

Aaron Hotchner x platonic!reader

Summary: When you can't sleep, you work, and a certain Unit Chief notices you've been working a little too much.

A/N: cheesy title, I know, but it works and it makes sense so we're going with it.

CW: reader has mild depression, talks about medication, medication changes, medication side effects

---

There were certain things in life that could be deemed necessary evils- taxes, politicians, and medication changes just to name a few. Currently the latter was kicking you in the ass.

Your depression was mild enough that it didn’t disturb your daily life until it did- you’d be okay for a while and then spend weeks on end just going through the motions, alive but not truly living. Medication helped significantly, to the point that you could go a few years without falling into the darkness, but sometimes they would slowly stop working. It would start with feeling more fatigued than normal and escalate to feelings of emptiness.

And then you’d have to go through a dreaded medication change.

You’d once heard that psychiatric medications were a crap shoot- the doctor would prescribe something and hope it would work, and when it didn’t they would try something else. That cycle would repeat until they found a drug that did it's job. You were lucky enough that you’d been able to take the same medication for nearly three years before it started to lose its effect, but now that it had stopped working, you were thrown into the chaos of trial and error in an attempt to find some new drug that would help stabilize your mood.

You’d been on this new one for about two months, and so far it was better than the last one you had tried, but it still wasn’t ideal. When you first started it, the dizziness hit you like a truck for a few days. After it subsided it hadn’t come back. Now the only side effects you were experiencing were a mild change in appetite and some pretty terrible insomnia.

You could fall asleep, but after about two hours you’d wake up and be unable to get any more shut-eye for a few hours. It seemed pointless to waste waking hours staring at the ceiling trying to fall asleep when you knew you weren’t going to- so you worked. The hotel you were staying at was right across the street from the Seattle field office, so you packed up your files and walked the short distance in the dark. It was the third night you had done this, so the night security guard just gave you a smile and a nod as you entered the building.

The evidence board was nearly full. You studied it carefully, picking apart every detail of every scene, jotting things down on a blank white board, but you still couldn’t get anywhere. As much as you hated to admit it, the team would probably have to wait for another victim to turn up in order to complete the profile. Still, you kept working. Rain pounded on the roof and clouds blocked out the sun, which is how you ended up losing track of time. Before you knew it, you were on your fourth cup of coffee and the rest of the team was arriving at the office.

“Watch out, Reid,” Morgan joked as he entered the room. “(Y/L/N) is trying to outdo you on the amount of coffee they can drink during this case.” He threw away your several empty styrofoam cups for you.

“How long have you been here?” Hotch asked you as he sat down at the table, ready to review the same evidence again and hoping he would notice something new.

“A couple hours,” you downplayed. “I’m going to get more coffee. Anyone need a refill?”

The murmur of “No thank you” and “I’m good, thanks” answered you as the team got to work and you left to go to the coffee station. You hadn’t even noticed your boss had followed you until you had set up the machine to brew.

“(Y/L/N),” Hotch started. “Is everything alright?”

You replied casually. “Yeah, this case is just making me antsy. That’s all.” It was a lie, and Hotch had been a profiler long enough and knew you well enough to catch it. The coffee finished brewing and you poured yourself a cup, adding in some creamer before turning to go back to the room where the rest of the team was.

But Hotch was standing in your way. The frown on his face was more pronounced than it usually was; the look in his never-blinking eyes less serious and more concerned than normal.

“(Y/N).” The sound of your boss using your first name made you stop. “Look me in the eyes and tell me what time you went to bed last night.  Or if you went to bed, for that matter.”

You felt your face blanch. “I went to bed when the team got to the hotel last night.” That was the truth.

Hotch’s expression took on a level of seriousness again. “How long did you sleep for?”

“Two hours. Maybe three?” You looked down, unable to meet his stare. “It’s just a side effect of my new medication. I’m fine, really. My doctor said it should go away in a few weeks.”

Hotch sighed quietly and held out his hand. Reluctantly, you gave him your fresh coffee. He emptied it in the sink and tossed the cup into the trash can. “No more coffee. You can work on the case until you feel tired, but once you do, you need to get some sleep.”

There was no point in arguing. The two of you walked back to the evidence room and began working. The combination of the gray sky through the window and the quiet of the room began to make you feel sleepy. You yawned, your eyes beginning to feel heavy and your limbs feeling fatigued.

Hotch looked at you from across the table. He nodded his head toward the couch in the room- an unspoken “go lay down.”

You closed your work and walked lazily to the couch, flopping down on it and closing your eyes. Within minutes you were sleeping peacefully on the old sofa, your soft breathing and the shuffling of papers were the only sounds in the room.

[jade-of-mourning]

listen the idea of lin & mako having history pre-canon is the funniest shit to me ever idk why it's just funny especially seeing how their relationship casually evolves throughout the series

edit: i wrote this before getting around to rewatch and i drastically failed in my characterization of lin please forgive me

There's a ratty kid running messages in the middle of a busted underground drug transaction. He gets arrested with the rest of the participants who didn’t scram fast enough and is taken to the station — where he promptly escapes his juvenile cell before he can get pulled in for interrogation. Lin knows his type, thin-faced with eyes older than their body, and she hopes that this is the last she sees of him, because she hates having to deal with kids involved in crime.

Two months later, she's on the night patrol when she runs onto the scene of a Triad raid. There's a small firebender wielding flame and settling the building ablaze, stark against the black sky; she makes eye contact with him and realizes that it's that ratty, slippery kid who had been running messages. As more officers arrive on the scene and quell the flames, she snatches him before he can flee with the rest. He's snarling sparks and biting at air with his teeth, kicking his feet viciously in an attempt to escape the metal cables wrapped around his body, and she hauls him into the station and sits his ass down in the interrogation room, where he gets his first mugshot taken and she fills out the paperwork to send him back to an orphanage. A few days later, she reads an offhand report that a kid’s run away.

She doesn't see him again until a year later in the aftermath of a violent robbery, this time hauled in the back of a getaway car that their pursuers don't catch. There's a woman lying in water with smoke coming off her body, and Lin can see the lichtenberg figures crawling over her skin.

They're on a stakeout on a warehouse when he fires lightning through the window, shattering glass. Lin's yelling orders and fighting off a triad of gangsters, and as whips her cables around the last man, she turns around to see the now-teenager whipping lightning through her officers' metal suits and kicking flames through the air. He spits in her face when she captures him in earth and breaks away the back to cuff his hands and calls her the worst of 'em all, the mighty fuckin' Chief of Police herself. He's sitting in the interrogation room with his hands bound to the table and infinitely subdued, dead silent under the weight of her gaze, meeting her eyes with a hard dirty gold edge. His face is still thin and young the way it'd been years ago, bones still jutting out of his cheeks, hair chopped unevenly and falling across his brow. You must be close to Zolt, to have learned lightning to any level of proficiency, let alone been taught, she says to him, and he scowls and hisses like a feral pygmy-puma and doesn't speak a word. His second mugshot gets stored in his growing file. She learns from other subjects of interrogation that he's Zolt's project and intended successor should he survive long enough, learns of their general resentment towards him. Someone still busts him out of jail by the next night.

He's way too involved in the underground for anyone's liking. He's Zolt's protege and he's constantly involved in raids and exchanges and assaults. He's often the last one fighting off several officers until he's captured by Lin, the warehouse scenario playing out over and over again: he's shooting lightning and spitting fire and fighting viciously until his blood is in his eyes, absolutely wild without reservation. He vomits insults at the police out of his mouth while driven to the station, curses them for the lack of care the world's ever shown towards him and his brother. Every time he ends up in a jail cell and the guards look away for a minute, he's managed to slip away, a slippery bastard eel-shark. He quits his silence, tears into her and her job over interrogation rooms in handcuffs and still escapes despite it all. (He even manages to snatch the blasted red scarf out of her office while on the way out. What the fuck.) He's got nearly half a dozen mugshots accumulated in his folder at the station, each one documenting his eyes darkening to a harder gold, the growth of bruises around his neck, evidence of his increasing inability to fill out his skin.

And then he vanishes. At first she doesn't notice, but his absence becomes more evident as Zolt's work begins showing up with increasing frequency rather than his favorite errand-runner. She doesn't really give a shit about the little asshole fire-spitting punk who'd only caused trouble while running with the triads, a notable accomplice in harassing the city for the past four years — but she also can't help but wonder what happened to him. No body ever turns up and she eventually forgets about him; crime never stops.

Imagine her fucking surprise when three years later, he's suddenly best friends with an even more asshole fire-spitting punk: the Avatar. She sees him in the City Hall when she comes to assert her support for the pro-bending arena, doesn't register who he is until he turns in surprise and narrows his eyes at her, familiar in the cold fire behind them. She realizes that he’s the Mako she’s been hearing on the radio, the rapidly rising star of the sport. She also doesn’t get the chance to address any of this madness before Tenzin drags her aside, and then the world moves too fast for her to figure out how the fuck he’s involved in this mess. She sees him fight now and she knows that he knows she knows, but they don't acknowledge it at all because there's too much more at stake. His voice is still low and scratchy, but it's now carefully articulate, no sign of vicious vitriol and derision that had once spilled from his lips, just reservation and consideration.

Their non-interaction lasts until after the entire Amon ordeal is (somewhat) resolved and her bending is restored. She confronts him, grudgingly acknowledges his role in saving the city, then flatly declares that she doesn't trust him for shit. He glares her down for a moment before the familiar fire fades from his eyes and his shoulders slump ever so slightly. He says that he’s trying to be a better man now, that he cares deeply for the people around him now, that he doesn’t ever want to turn back to who he was forced to have been because it was never who he wanted to be. She tells him that she can’t let him go unanswered for his crimes from when he was younger; he begs her to not ruin everything that he’s worked so hard to make for himself. It’s unexpected for all that she thought she knew of him, the desperation open on a face no longer carved by starvation.

And Lin knows in her heart that he’s trying. She can see it in the way he looks at Korra like she cradles the sun in her palms, the way he puts his hand on his brother’s shoulder and opens his arm to embrace, the way he talks to the Sato girl with softened edges and keeps his eyes on her face, not her pockets. But she can’t trust that trying of itself is enough. It comes to her: she needs to keep an eye on him, and he needs a stable job (— kids like him who’ve managed to crawl out of the gutter are always on the hunt for one after all, despite how rarely they find it).

So she offers him an application for the force, tells him that she’ll turn a blind eye to his past if performs this service under her watch. She admits he’s got a good head on his shoulders, that he’s a good fighter — she would know —, and states that if he’s truly so determined to do right, then he should be extending that to the city as well. He looks at her and asks, Do I really have a choice? 

She looks at him wryly, raises an eyebrow. I don’t have much of a choice myself, now do I? she tells him.

other random mako-related tumblr writings i did: x / x

this is also kind of the only way i can picture mako joining the rpcd initially, because it actually makes no sense to me lmfao. how he got involved, that is. like i can definitely see him being super passionate about it and ultimately coming to enjoy working for this fictional police force, probably finding some kind of self-appointed redemption for himself as a kid, but also how did this get started in the first place. consider me baffled.

… i kinda wanna write a oneshot on this now. oops. goddamnit </3

spat this out in maybe two hours cuz i thought it was funny. i'm still writing That Fic, it's almost 10k long somehow and i think i need to delete about half of it, but we'll see lmfaooo

also here's a wip on him i started that i may or may not ever finish

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Reactions to Exclusive Chapter sneak peek of Reckoning of Roku

Boi, don't diss servants, Kyoshi was one. She'll kick your ass. No really this feels like such a slight jfsalkfj TT0TT You did this on purpose didn't you? I hope they fight. I want drama.

Hmmmmm I could've sworn, that even tho other nations did have issues with Szeto, he was treated with a lot more regard during Yangchen's time. Maybe I glazed that part a bit in Yangchen's book (I need to re-listen to it tbf).

So either I misremembered....OR ...wait I can just look...:

Ok cool, I didn't misremember keafjslf I thought at least one or two people from a diff nation that wasn't Yangchen or Fire Nation spoke highly of him akfjslkd Like he was still criticized for favoring the Fire Nation (iirc the WT chief calls him out on it when talking with Yangchen), but even HE still uses him as a reference/template. Hell! The other 4 nations liked his shit so much, they even used some of his procedures!

But I dunno, Roku makes it sounds like NO ONE outside the FN likes him now.

So now it's either......the author forgot/didn't know....Or more interestingly...... People's opinions are changing over time? I mean policies change over time, maybe Kyoshi influenced a lot more policy changes (girl was a live for like 7 generations she had to have done something kfdjlsakfj) and made people re-think Szeto.

That being said, I'm happy to see Roku might join the Szeto survivor squad~! <3 fjkklassjdfsaf

[vintagerpg]

Maybe doing Role Aids was a mistake. This is Shipwrecker (1983), a module with a great name and a pretty evocative cover painting by Teanna Byerts. The name refers to a local deity, Shipwrecker, that personifies the violence of the sea and the macguffin for the adventure is a treasure stolen by pirates called the Chalice of Storms. This is a recipe for some seaside excellence, maybe with a Scarecrow of Romney Marsh angle. There is potential here, is what I am saying. And it is all squandered.

The primary dungeon location is a multi-level goblin cave. The goblins used to live in the valley, but then humans came along, tried to commit genocide and set up a logging business. The seaside town is the import/export hub for the region. So, like, explicit colonizers doing typical colonization. It gets worse! The pirates, obviously, have the chalice, but they lay real low because they recently got their asses kicked (by the goblins, who they live directly next to) and their town burned down. Subsequent attempts to locate the pirates have failed. But the goblins? They’re still a pain in the ass, so the guard captain sends the players against the goblins in hope the players will finish them off, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE THEFT. There isn’t a hint of nuance here, the adventure is just about killing everything and taking the treasure. A couple of spots mention the possibility of parlay, but the writer seems to have no idea how to account for how that might work, so they just…stop mentioning it.

I do like that the pirate chief is an illusionist. I hate that his name is Dred, though.

[bloodlinesceo]

Abandoned 🩸

Gif from BLasmanis on Tenor

A/N: Something I had written for Wattpad, but I thought I'd post it on here first. This is actually my first fic on here & it is horror & Halloween based. This will be multiple parts. Kinda wish there was something written about Tama on that day, but I'm gonna do him justice! If you're a gamer & a fan of Resident Evil, you might like what's in the end 👀

Pairing: Tama Tonga x Fem! Reader

Characters: Tama Tonga, Solo Sikoa, Tonga Loa & Jacob Fatu.

📸: Gifs & pics aren't mine credit to WWE , BLasmanis on Tenor & Resident Evil.

Word Count: Almost 3k (apologies if it's kinda cringy).

Warnings 🔞⚠️: 18+, Swearing, mentions of sm*t, dirty talk, suggestive, car problems, almost car crash (everyone is ok), paranormal shit, being stranded. Minors DNI! Not properly proofread!

Hope y'all like it!

⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚⋆.˚ ☾

It was Halloween night, you & The Bloodline were returning from a house show & heading back to the hotel. Unfortunately, there weren't any hotels nearby so you had to take the long way back. You were in the SUV with Jacob driving, Solo in shotgun, Loa in the middle & you & Tama in the backseat. Just like Paul Heyman was the Special Counsel, you were the same to the new Bloodline & you also happen to be dating Tama 2 weeks after Heyman was kicked out. They replaced him with you & you've been inseparable from them since.

"God, I'm freezing" you said. "Jacob could you turn the heat up a bit, please?" "I gotchu" he said turning the car heat up a few notches. "Thank you" you said, he nodded. "Babe, what do you need a heater for when I'm right here? Cuddle up to me" your boyfriend said. "Okay, Gremlin who needs a fwiend" you smirked earning a groan from him. You cuddled up to his chest as he wrapped his muscular arms around you, you felt the heat radiate from his body making you sigh in content & rest your head on his chest.

You heard someone fake gag from the seat in front of the both of you. "Looks like someone is infamously jealous of us, baby" smirked Tama making you giggle. "Me? Jealous? Never" defended his brother Tonga Loa "I'm cringing at Y/N's sense of dressing, I mean really? A sweater dress? & boots? We're in the single digits of this weather for God's sake. Are you trying to freeze yourself to death?" "Well sorry, I had to grab whatever I could so our Highness Chief doesn't make it late to a show where people don't even wanna acknowledge his ass & I gotta hype it up" making your boyfriend giggle next to you. "I heard thaaat" sang out Solo "I don't caaare" you sang back. You & Solo were like siblings & had your banters & jokes, but when it came to life & work you had each other's back no matter what.

"Tama my right hand man, please punish that woman & make her come to her senses-"God no!" interrupted Loa "please don't encourage them, I already dealt with enough the night before, they were going at it like animals in the room next to me & I couldn't sleep" he rambled, making you & Tama burst out in laughter. "I don't think I needed to hear that information" said Jacob "neither do I" concurred Solo. "I'm just saying, how much longer until we get there? I'm starting to freeze too" said Loa while looking out the window, they were driving up the road through a dark forest, it was pitch black everywhere, no lights. "This area is kinda spooky" he mumbled, but audible enough for you & Tama to hear.

"Aww, little bro, why don't you come back here & cuddle with us? We could really use the heat too. The more people the better" requested Tama. Loa scrunched his face up in response "no thank you, I don't want it to look like Y/N's dating both of us. Plus Shaylee would find me weird for cuddling with my older brother & his girl" he said. "Ah Shaylee, the girl you've been seeing. How are things with her?" asked Solo. "We're good, I had a video call with her before the show. When I get back, I'm gonna take her to the new Mexican restaurant in downtown that opened earlier this month & then take her to an art gallery nearby" smiled Loa. Tama fake yawned "art gallery, boring" he said making you playfully slap his chest "let your brother be happily in love" you said.

"And what are you going to do during your time off?" questioned Loa. "My days off don't include staying stuck at home, fooling around on a podcast & making love to my girl all day" said Loa. "My house is big, maybe you are jealous, we can go anywhere there, and it's not my fault my girl is so beautiful. Ain't that right ma chérie?" Tama asked you. "Stop calling me that, you know how I feel when you speak French" you blushed. "I need to do it more often then if that gets you excited" he smirked tickling you, making you giggle. Loa whined "Are we there yet?" "Not even halfway" said Jacob. "Shit, we better not be lost" he said.

He turned to you both "so what are your plans when you get home, lovebirds?" he asked. Tama scratched his beard, "well, it's gonna be a long day we're gonna get out of bed, depending on how long we can't get enough of each other-"get to the point!" interrupted Loa, causing you to jump & Tama to roll his eyes. "we're going to watch a movie at the theater" he said making you perk up "Smile 2???" you beamed. "The one & only, I know how much you love horror" smiled Tama. You squealed "I love you!" you said hugging him tightly he hugged you back tight "love you more" he said.

"But yeah, after that we're gonna go on a long drive somewhere, dine there, walk around, come home, freshen up & then have our alone time" he whispered burying his face into your neck, "your beard is tickling me" you giggled. "I know other places where my beard can tickle you" he whispered, you gasped quickly covering his mouth hoping Solo & Jacob didn't hear that, obviously his younger brother did which he cringed at. Tama started making his work famous signature noises while nipping your neck, "stop!" you squealed attempting to move away, and he had a tight grip on you holding you in place, preventing you from leaving. "I can't take it anymore!" Loa whined loudly. "Jacob, please stop on the side of the road. Solo! Switch seats with me! Please!" he pleaded.

"Just try to distract yourself from them. Talk to Shaylee" suggested Solo. "I don't know if she's still awake, but I'll text her" said Loa whipping his phone out & checking it. "Huh, it's funny how you say that Solo while we're in the middle of a forest, cause there's no signal!" he snapped. "What?!" he said taking out his phone "I don't have signal either, the hell?" " What the f-ck?! My GPS just shut off!" stressed Jacob. You & Tama both whipped out your phones as well, checking it. You showed him your phone screen indicating that you don't have signal either, he checked his, same thing. "Yeah, no luck on our side either" he said.

"There's no end to this road either" said Jacob, "it feels like I've been driving through this forest forever. I don't know how we're going to reach the next town & get signal" he said shaking his head. "Okay, let's not panic. Just do your best. Let me know when you want to rest & I'll take over the wheel" assured Solo, patting his back calming him down. He said his famous "I love you Solo" "I love you too Uce" he responded. Jacob took a deep breath & drove. There was silence, only the sounds of the car engine running, the faint music on the radio & everyone's breathing were heard.

The song on the radio finished & an intro to a familiar song started playing, Dancing In The Flames by The Weeknd (if you don't like it you can think of another song). Tama smiled looking at you & breaking the silence, "hear that? That's our song" you smiled back & nodded "love this song so much. Our romantic love song" you said running your fingers through his hair & kissing his lips. "You mean, your grinding on each other in the club song?" corrected Loa. Tama pulled away & scoffed in response to what Loa said. "Stealing all your shaving supplies & treats when we get home." said Tama "you can meet Shaylee looking like a bitter ass Chewbacca"

"Y'all nasties grinded on each other to that beautiful song?" cringed Solo. "It was one time! We were drunk!" you confessed. The radio shut off all of a sudden. "Hey!" you yelled. "Solo, what the f-ck?! A good song comes on & you shut it off? Turn it back on!" commanded Tama. "I didn't do that!" Solo said raising his arms up in defense. " I didn't even touch it!" he said attempting to turn it back on, but it didn't work. "It's not working " he said in disbelief. "Great, now we're doomed. No phone signal, no music, we're driving through a long dark ass forest & I got the couple of cringe sitting behind me" ranted Loa, making Tama flick the back of his head.

After a minute, the headlights of the SUV started to flicker on & off getting Jacob's attention; he shifted his head forward to check it out. "What's going on with the headlights?" asked Solo "That's what I'm trying to figure out" answered Jacob. "Is everything full? Gas? Oil? Headlights are new right? Battery?" asked Loa. "It's a new SUV we rented. Everything is nearly full. Filled gas before we hit this road. I don't know what's the problem" said Jacob. The vehicle all of a sudden braked, rear wheels being lifted off the road, shifting it & all of you forward, hitting the seats in front of you & Jacob & Solo hitting the dashboard. The wheels on the end of the vehicle went back on the ground & everything shut off. "F-CK!" screamed Jacob holding his chest. "UGH!" groaned Loa getting up from under the seats. "WHAT THE F-CK IS HAPPENING?" yelled Solo. "OW!" you yelled in pain.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Solo. "We're alive" responded Tama. "You okay baby?" he asked turning his attention to you. "I hit my neck on the headrest" you said rubbing your neck, he carefully rubbed your neck. "HELLO?! Can I get a neck rub too?" asked Loa. Tama waved him over & rubbed his neck, after taking care of you. "Took a hard fall there didn't you?" he asked his little brother, Loa nodded in response. "Alright let's get out" said Solo "it's freezing out there!" you protested. "You can stay, but we need to find out what the problem is with this vehicle" said Jacob. Opening his door & stepping out.

"Tama, we need you" said Solo. "what?" you whined. "You know I was in the Air Force, baby. I was kind of an expert in all this mechanical engineering & reparation. They need me, I'll be back shortly" he said kissing your forehead. "Okay babe" you nodded in understanding, making room for him to head out. He went outside to lift the hood of the SUV & check what the problem is. Solo turned the flashlight of his phone on so he can get a better view. Only you & Loa were left sitting inside.

"Some trip huh?" he asked. "I knew we should've went to the airport after & went home from there. I hate this stupid company for controlling our schedules" you sighed. "Realized it's Halloween, we could've been either out getting all the free candy, going to some party or a haunted house" said Loa. "I didn't realize that" you said "I know Tama wanted to take your nieces & nephews out trick or treating too. Feel bad for them" you sympathized. "Our sis & parents are there, they're in good hands for Halloween til we get back. They're probably trick or treating with their cousins" assured Loa. You nodded "thank you" you said. "Don't mention it."

The boys came back inside, Tama sat beside Loa. "Tried to get a signal outside so we can call someone, but nothing" sighed Solo. "Did you find out what the problem was?" asked Loa. "Nothing, I checked everything & it seems to be in order" answered Tama rubbing his head in confusion. Since the car shut down, it was starting to get cold inside & you all didn't have signal on your phones either to call anybody. There were 5 of you & if you had to spend the night in the SUV there wouldn't be much room to sleep in. "Maybe we should see if any other cars are coming down this road & if they are, ask for help?" suggested Loa. "That sounds like a good idea, let's check" said Solo.

°。°。°。°。°。After 30 minutes °。°。°。°。°。

"ARE YOU F-CKING KIDDING ME??? NOT A SINGLE VEHICLE PASSED BY?!" yelled Jacob. "Maybe everyone's asleep?" guessed Loa. "Still got no signal" said Solo after checking his phone. Snoring was heard, all 3 men turned their heads towards the backseat where you were sitting. You awkwardly smiled at them. They saw Tama laying on your lap, sleeping. "How the f-ck can he sleep through a crisis like this?" asked Solo in disbelief. "Man's snoring like a f-cking hyena as if there's nothing to worry about" said Jacob agitated. "I've grown up with that & I can tell you it has happened many times" said Loa looking over at his older brother, jealousy forming within him watching him sleep peacefully.

"Hey, y'all see that?" asked Solo, looking into the forest. "What do you see?" asked Jacob. Solo squinted his eyes "I see a lit up pathway, it looks like it leads to somewhere" he said. "And why should we believe that?" asked Loa. Solo narrowed his eyes at Loa, "those lights didn't grow on grass, they were obviously man made which leads to somewhere. People have probably walked down that path & if we follow it, it could get us somewhere & maybe we could get some help" said Solo. "So we're all going to get out of car & walk out in the cold?" asked Loa. "We don't know if don't try & it could be better than us freezing our asses here all night" said Solo. "I mean, he's right if anything else goes wrong we could always come back here" said Jacob.

"Alright, let's try it out" said Loa. "Hey, Y/N, wake sleeping beauty up & let him know we're leaving" said Solo. You nodded & shook the man on your lap attempting to wake him up "babe?" you said, he groaned but it didn't faze him, you spoke louder shaking him "Tama?" still nothing. "Y/N, I got this" said Loa stopping you. He went close to Tama "YEYEYEYEYE!!" startling Tama awake & him falling onto the bottom."What the f-ck man???" said Tama. "See? You just gotta try that or just say our dad's here, that'll set him straight" said Loa smiling. "Thank you" you smiled.

"We're still here?!" Tama asked in shock. "What, you dreamt the car magically grew wings & flew us out of here?! Bundle up, we're taking a walk" said Loa. Tama sighed & put his coat on. All of you stepped out of the vehicle. Jacob locked the car, left a red light in the front from his key chain just in case you all got lost & can detect the car on the way back. "What happens if someone tries to steal the car?" you asked. "If we're lucky to even get signal, I'll get notified & if anyone goes near it, hopefully the car will start working & the alarm will blast on which we'll hopefully hear if we're not too far." assured Jacob. You nodded in understanding.

"Okay, stay close everyone" said Solo "we don't want anyone getting lost," everyone nodded. You all walked towards the pathway of lights, Tama held your hand throughout the entire time as you all walked up the lit up pathway. The five of you continued to follow that pathway, there were some strange noises heard on the way which made you hold onto Tama as you walked deeper into the forest & over a small bridge.

After 20 minutes of walking. Solo stopped, making you all stop behind him. You all looked up & were amazed at the view in front of you. It was a large home on a hill, lit up with a waterfall behind it. "Wow" said Solo in amazement, Jacob & Loa looked at each other, same with you & Tama. The place had a gate in front of it. "Are we really going to go in?" asked Jacob. "Well, we have no choice, can't turn back now" said Solo. "I don't know…a house in the middle of the forest, and that being gated too. Do you think these people would be happy to see us on their property?" doubted Loa. "It's a house surrounded by a forest, obviously animals are roaming around that's probably why they kept it gated so they don't get in" answered Solo.

Due to the cold & your outfit, you started shivering & your teeth stated chattering getting everyone's attention. You held onto yourself. "Baby, you okay?" asked Tama. "Yeah, just freezing" you said. "Wear some pants or at least warm leggings next time" said Loa, earning a death glare from his brother. "Here, I gotchu" said Tama zipping open his coat & letting you into it so it could cover you both. You cuddled up to him "better?" he said covering you "much" you sighed in content. He zipped his coat up. "Well, I don't want us & Y/N to freeze to death here, it's cold as balls we should try knocking & see if they're nice enough to let us in" said Tama. "Alright, let's go" said Solo.

"I still don't think it's a good-hey! Don't leave me!" yelled Loa as everyone walked away from him. He sprinted after them. "Watch your step, we don't want anyone to fall into the water there. The current on that waterfall is pretty strong" said Solo, everyone walked carefully to the front of the gate. Solo inspected it, and tried to open it. "Uce, could you help me open this please?" he requested to Jacob. Jacob nodded, & they both grabbed the heavy iron made gates & pulled it hard, and just like that it opened.

Feedback is appreciated!

[nonbunary-does-arts]

OUTDATED DESIGNS!

My anthro Scugs!! + Enot/Inv/???

I'll leave design and personality notesnotes under the read more!! :D Hope ya'll like my takes on the scuggies hehe.

MONK - (He/They)

Monk is known for being kind and willing to jump after their loved ones, so I decided to sort of make it look like they're the last scug that would do that. He's very family-oriented.

His more closed-off appearance is purposeful, I view Monk as a scug that takes a bit to come out of his shell.

He's very cute and gets very flustered pretty easily when someone compliments him.

His clothes were made by Gourmand.

SURVIVOR - (They/Them)

The glaringly obvious prosthetic leg is also on purpose. Survivor's fall was very bad, and it resulted in their leg becoming infected to the point it needed to be amputated, from the ankle down.

They're actually dating a scavenger, and that scavenger is the one who was there for them through the procedure, and even had a hand in crafting the new leg. It's modeled after a scavenger leg.

Their folded ear is due to a bite from a lizard that tore off a good chunk, leaving it floppy.

HUNTER - (It/They/She)

The scar on their throat has left them a selective mute. It doesn't mind all that much.

Its clothes were made by No Significant Harassment, for ease of letting other Iterator Messengers, if they were to ever happen upon her, to know who she was created by.

It's very no-nonsense, and takes its job very seriously. When not assigned a task, they're often seen pacing back and forth, or hunting.

GOURMAND - (He/They/She)

I knew from the get go I wanted him to be BIG.

The pearls around his neck were gifts from scavengers. They wear them with pride and have in fact made pearl necklaces and bracelets for the scavengers as well.

She's the motherly matriarch of the scug population in the outer expanse, and teaches them all what she knows.

ARTIFICER - (She/It)

YEEEEEEEHAW

She's SO fucking pissed off it's not even funny.

She refuses to leave the metropolis, even after chasing out the scavengers. She was unlucky in her attempt to kill the scavenger chief, as he ran off as soon as she started trying to kill him.

It's been so long she doesn't even recognize her own species anymore, killing with no remorse.

SPEARMASTER - (They/It)

No bottom jaw, and only their upper canines developed.

Often seen exploring around, often with Hunter when it's time to hunt.

RIVULET - (Anything)

This scug wears nothing but a swimming suit and not even he knows why. It just likes it.

It's actually almost as tall as spearmaster, lanky legs are good for running after all.

They talk FAST, often needing to be reminded to slow down a bit so the others can hear her.

Somehow always wet regardless of the environment.

SAINT - (He/Him)

GRANDPA.

I knew I wanted him to look extremely fuzzy.

His coat was crafted using a raindeer's wool, and it's helped keep him warm in the event of a blizzard.

I also wanted to make it look like he has many old man secrets under that coat. Tell us your secrets old man.

The beard was a must. I needed to give him a beard.

ENOT/INV/??? - (He/Him)

Yeah this dude it just a being that the gods want dead.

No matter what way anyone faces, his snout will never be front-facing.

He speaks in 2000's scene, and can somehow say emojis as well.

LOVESICK. AS. FUCK.

Will often attempt to match the hobby of a scug of the day he's crushing on.

Kind of a dick to Monk tbh. Surv has kicked his ass about it.

[somanyratsinthewalls]

FHey! If requests are still open, could you do fudge brownie + daisy please 👉🏻👈🏻

Hi! OMG welcome to my first ever Sabo fic I'm so excited, I hope it's good!

Pairing: Sabo x Revolutionary Afab!Reader

WC: 2300 I got carried away lmao

Prompt: “I can’t even speak when I’m with you, all the words I’ve known are lost inside your body.” 

— — 

You and Sabo had known each other for a decade at this point. He was your superior, being the Chief of Staff, but you weren’t too far behind. You trained in the Revolutionary Army together when you were younger. He was your close friend, but you had no idea that he felt differently about you this whole time. 

— —

*Y/N & Sabo, age 12* 

“Stop smacking me with that stupid pipe, ugly rat!” You whine and cover your head with your arms. “We’re supposed to be training, anyway!” You kick your leg out at the obnoxious blonde boy who was nearly a foot shorter than you. 

“Rat? You’re the little rat, rat!” Sabo continued his barrage with his metal pipe. He had the urge to engage you in combat after he saw you practicing fighting with another trainee. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt the need to shift your focus to him, but he knew he had to get your attention somehow. 

“Get away from me, weirdo!” You push him on the ground and go back to your place on the training ground. 

Sabo snarled at you as you walked away. He would get you to fight him eventually. 

— —

*Y/n and Sabo, age 17* 

“You! Won’t! Ever! Win!” Your weapon hit Sabo’s repeatedly as you were caught in the heat of your daily sparring session. After wearing you down years ago, you agreed to train combat with him every morning.

“Hah!” Sabo huffs out with a smile. “That’s what you think, y/n. I’ve been getting special training from the boss and I’m going to learn powers you’ll never have!”

“Oh yeah?” You snort. “Well, until then, your ass is mine!” With those final words you land a blow and hear Sabo’s pipe clatter to the ground. You use your last strike to knock his top hat off his head. You smirk. Once again, he is defeated. Sabo pants heavily, chest close to yours and looking down at you now that he’s grown to almost his full height. You feel his hot breath on your nose. Sabo looks into your eyes, his own round eyes filled with the vigor of battle but also a little extra… sparkle. 

*bddpp bddpp bddpp* 

Sabo is knocked out of his trance by the sound of his mini den den mushi ringing in his coat pocket. He reaches in to his jacket, pulls it out and answers it. 

“Yes?”

*muffled voices on the other line*

“We’ll be right there.” Sabo hangs up the snail. 

“Boss wants us. Special mission again.” Sabo meets your eyes again as he slips the snail back into his coat. 

“Fine, maybe you’ll learn something from me this time.” You playfully wink at Sabo and turn tail to jog up the road towards the base. Sabo felt something stir inside him when he saw you wink and smile at him. You had become so beautiful and it was hard for him to ignore his feelings any longer…

“I’m so fucked…” Sabo laughs to himself before he hurries after you. 

— —

*Y/n and Sabo, age 23* 

You speed-walk through the halls of the base towards the Chief of Staff’s office. You reach the office door and rip it open without knocking. 

“Oh almighty, all powerful, all knowing, Chief of Staff, I finished the absolute FUCK ton of paperwork you requested.” You dramatically flail the passive stack of papers you spent all day working on around in the air as you strode angrily towards the blonde man at his desk. 

“Incredible to hear, y/n.” Sabo flashed you a smile as you slammed the papers down in front of him on his desk and rolled your eyes. 

“Still can’t believe you got this promotion. Would’ve been mine if I had a penis…” You grumble as you fold your arms as you walk towards the door to leave. 

“Come on, y/n. You know I have a year on you in rank. Not sure how much it has to do with my, um…” Sabo organizes the papers in front of him instead of finishing his sentence. 

“Whatever.” You move to leave. You hear Sabo let out a big sigh behind you. You had to admit you missed your sparring sessions and occasional lunches together since he got his promotion. He didn’t have as much time to train and hang out as he used to. As annoying as he was, you did miss his company. You grab the door in your left hand and pause. You turn back towards Sabo who was sitting at his desk with his head hung low. 

“Hey… me and some of the guys having beers tonight. You should join us.” You give Sabo a small smile as he looks up at you from across the room. 

“Yeah? You think?” Sabo cocks his head.

“Yeah. Wouldn’t kill you to get out of this sad-ass office for once.” You chuckle warmly and head back to your room, shutting the office door behind you. 

— —

*5 hours later*

You sat in the dimly lit mess hall with several of your Revolutionary Army counterparts imbibing the last of the alcohol stores before you restocked tomorrow. 

“I was up to my fucking ass in paperwork all day, can we do shots instead?” You finish your beer and slam the empty bottle down on the wooden table. 

“Girl, you read my mind!” Koala grabs shot glasses out of the cabinet and brings them to the table and starts to fill them with clear liquor. 

Suddenly, the swinging door to the mess hall opens and the Chief of Staff strolls in. The merriment pauses and everyone turns to look towards Sabo standing in the middle of the room. 

“Speaking of paperwork. Come take a shot, Chief…” You grab another shot glass and add it to the line of shots Koala was pouring. Once full, you raise one for yourself and another shot for Sabo, which he gingerly steps towards you and grabs to raise against your shot glass. The rest of the party including Koala raise their shots to the center to meet yours. You meet Sabo’s eyes across the circle from you. You make a toast. 

“To us, to the revolution, and to no regrets.” You smile and clink your shots together. Your friends hoot and holler. After a messy clank, you all down your liquor. Sabo coughs and sputters along with a few other army members. You and Koala laugh. 

“Chief of Staff can’t handle his white rum? What kinda man of the seas is that?” You slur out at Sabo and giggle. 

You all pour more drinks and sink in your seats to continue the celebration. As the night went on, you felt Sabo creep closer and slower to you, eventually ending up at your side as you played cards with a few others. Clearly the alcohol was affecting him as he sidled up close to your body. You heard Sabo giggle to himself and he leaned into your neck and slipped his hand onto your thigh. He began to whisper. 

“How about I show you what kind of man of the sea I am y/n, huh?…” 

You pull back and look at him with wide eyes. He had never shown affection to you in this way, you were shocked. You took far too long to formulate a response. 

“Y/n… I-I’m sorry! I-I’ll see you tomorrow!” Sabo stutters out at you, clearly embarrassed. 

Sabo was already out the door of the mess hall before you could respond. 

“Sabo, wait!” He was gone. You rise out of your seat and go to follow him to his quarters. 

Not bothering to knock (again), you ripped the door of Sabo’s room open. He was stripped of his hat and jacket sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. 

“Sabo…” You lower your voice and move towards him. He doesn’t lift his head. 

“I apologized, y/n. Can we just forget about that. That’d be great.” Sabo still remains motionless. 

You walk slowly to right in front of where he has his head hung. You quietly drop to your knees, one at a time, and hold his head in your hands. You bring his face up gently to meet your eyes. 

“Hey… you didn’t give me a chance to answer your question…” You smile and look into his welling, shameful eyes. 

“W-what?” 

“Show me what kind of man of the seas you are, Sabo.” You whisper to him as you hold his face in your palms. 

Wordlessly, Sabo pushes his lips into yours and grabs your neck to pull you into him further. You tangle your tongues and lips together and take fistfuls of each others hair as you engaged in a kiss years in the making. 

It was messy, it was needy, but neither of you progressed beyond kissing for several minutes. The two of you were just relishing in the feeling of years of pent up emotions coming to a head. Sabo removes himself from your lips and moves down your neck. He bites at the junction of your neck and shoulder before he whispers to you. 

“How long… how long have you felt this way…? How long have I waited?” Sabo breaths out into your hot skin. 

“I.. I don’t know…” You grasped at his broad shoulders as he nips and sucks at your sensitive neck.  “I just know I need you now…” 

“I’ve loved you since I saw you, y/n…” Sabo moves lower on your body and lifts your shirt and bra over your head swiftly. He kisses your exposed chest and grips your breast and lifts it so he can take your nipple in his mouth. You head lolls back and you sigh as he moves his lips to the other nipple while squeezing the abandoned one with his fingers. He continues his confession to you. 

“Years ago… I remember it was my birthday… 20 maybe?” Sabo says as he kisses from your breast down to the waistline of your pants. “You wore a pink dress… just barely covered your ass… that was when I knew…” He continues to kiss your abdomen and begins to unbutton your pants and shimmies them down your legs with your panties. You were now naked in front of your childhood friend. Sabo pushes you back on the bed and spreads your legs as he kneels in front of you. He silently gasps as he lays eyes on your dripping sex, mere inches in front of him. 

“That was when I knew I had to have you like this. Spread out, open for me.” Sabo leans in and takes a tentative slurp from the bottom of your hole to the top of your mound. You gasp at the sensation on your cunt. 

“Sabo! Please! More!” You writhe in his grip on your thighs. Sabo obliges and licks you up and down again, slowly. 

“You don’t need to beg, y/n, not from me. I’d give you the sea if you asked me for it… I just want to please you…” And with this declaration, Sabo dives into your pussy fully and attaches his lips to your aching clit. He swirls his tongue and suctions his mouth in ways that have you screaming and arching your back towards the ceiling of Sabo’s private quarters. You feel yourself being brought towards the precipice of pleasure when Sabo sticks two fingers in your hole and you whine and clench around his digits. 

“Sabo! C-close!” You moan out. 

“Do it, sweet girl, cum for me…” Sabo mumbles into your cunt and continues sucking and flicking his tongue on your clit. You cum hard into Sabo’s waiting mouth and flop back onto the bed with heaving breaths. Sabo rubbed soothing circles onto your pussy with his palm as he pulled back. You twitched at the gentle stimulation. 

“Shit, Sabo, I didn’t… I didn’t know…” You tried to catch your breath. He brought his body over your own on the bed and kissed you deeply. You pulled back and stared into his eyes. His blonde hair was disheveled, and you had so rarely seen him without his stupid hat, you felt like you were seeing him even more intimately than just naked. 

“Shh… I know that now… Let me show you how much I want you….” Sabo sheds his pants and hops up on top of you. He positions his cock at your entrance and pushes himself in slowly. The both of you moan out loud at the feeling. 

With Sabo’s huge cock spearing you, you grab the back of his head and push it into your neck. 

“Fuck! Sabo!” You cry out as he sucks on your neck again, pulling himself out and thrusting back into you. 

“Y/n… You have no idea how hard it’s been… having to work like this...” Sabo whispers into your ear as he fucks you slowly yet deeply. “I can’t even speak when I’m with you, all the words I’ve known are lost inside your body.” Sabo speeds up his thrusts and pulls your lower back upwards to hit your most precious spot. Sabo fucks you hard and passionately, nothing but soft praises and moans filling the room. 

“You’re everything I need, y/n… tell me you’re mine…” Sabo leans in over you as he pushes your knees back to your ears. 

In your lust filled haze you look him in his round, sparkling eyes and confess to him. 

“I-I’m yours, Sabo…” You grip the hair at the back of his neck tighter. 

“Y/n… yes…” Sabo pushes harder into your sweet spot with his rigid cock as he pushes you over the edge of climax and watches you keen and whine with pleasure. As Sabo feels you clench and cream all over his dick he finds himself uncontrollably releasing all over your insides. He comes to after a powerful orgasm and leans back to watch all his pent-up load drip out of your hole around the edges of his cock. He tried not to get hard again as he pulled out and flopped down onto the bed beside you. 

After a few quiet moments with only your breathing and the lapping of waves at the rocks on the edge of the base, Sabo turns over and pulls you into his grasp. 

“So… I finally win?” The Chief of Staff smirks as he caresses your lower back. 

“For now….” You smirk and nuzzle into his chest to fall asleep. 

xx Mo

[scientia-rex]

Reasons my life is better this year than last year:

-Umbrella reason: new job

-Work next to doc who consistently laughs at my jokes

-My boss doesn't get passive-aggressive and also doesn't mind profanity

-My boss, despite being straight, fully supports me providing gender care and likes to send me CME opportunities for conferences I can't go to because I can't take time off without a lot of notice but it's still a nice thought that he saw "LGBTQIA+ healthcare" and went "oh I know a doc who does that! she should go!"

-On my other side is an MA I get along with fabulously bc despite having different native languages we both appreciate the importance of snacks, naps, caffeine, and being a little bit snarky

-She always brings me a donut if somebody leaves a box in the break room and she knows I might not see them until they're gone

-My MA sits behind me and is possibly my long-lost twin? Except that she's a foot taller than me, GOD, I wish I was tall, but we're on the same wavelength at all times and we have very similar interests and senses of humor and I love it and I hope she works here until we both retire

-The other people who sit in our room with us vary between a delightful nerd who I only haven't befriended harder bc she has kids and is always making a point of going home to them on time, an older doc who works per diem for us now and taught me how to do greater occipital nerve blocks on a whim and is actually a decent person despite being an old white privileged man, and our dermatology provider who once told a patient I was, and I quote, "cool as fuck," which is funny because I think SHE'S cool as fuck

-Our nurses are the best. Just the literal best. They go all out, on a daily basis, to not only make sure I do the minimal amount of bullshit busy work, but also to make sure patients are getting high-quality care and that they have positive interactions with our clinic, and they never kick a request back to me with "we can't do that," they will always at least ask around to see if someone else knows. I love them. I love them so much I literally sometimes cry about it.

-Our chief referral coordinator is so much fucking fun AND so good at her job. I ask her for things and they just... happen??? She's relentlessly competent and also loves animals and also when I mentioned I need more plants gave me seeds from her double-ruffled hot pink poppies, which I WILL be planting next year.

-Seriously, I love everybody at my new work. It's been 10 months and I feel like a rescue animal, finally starting to creep out of my shell and have a personality, after working at my prior clinic for 4 years (2 in residency) of absolute chronically understaffed passive aggressive toxic workplace hell. Like, I love the providers at my former clinic, I love the support staff, I loved my patients and I loved what I got to do, but there simply weren't enough people and everyone was always being told to do more and more and more with no additional time or resources or compensation, and that was a big part of why I quit--I could see, very transparently, that the administrators didn't give a hot shit about how hard I was working and how I was busting my ass, any time they saw a chance to shaft me out of any benefit, no matter how small, that might save them money.

Life is better this year. I think it's going to be even better next year. I had no idea working in medicine could be this much better. Working in medicine is going to be draining, no matter what you do--but a good, solid, competent administration makes the difference between draining and soul-crushing.

[silviakundera]

Underrated aspect of A Journey to Love is how the ensemble's perspective is being widened & complicated by their experiences. Intro talks about a war that just ended between An and Wu. An are assholes, going around kicking everyone's ass for $$

First the spy squad from Wu country just want to complete 1 stupid doomed mission, in order to clear their sworn brothers' names who fell in the final battle. No real agenda or deep thoughts besides this personal obligation and Employee Following Orders. Avengers assemble! Our FL Ren Ruyi is on the run and was a Scarlet Guard spy member from enemy country An who are holding the Wu emperor hostage... but the Wu spy chief ML does only a spot of mild torture and basically tolerates this secret because (a) he's determined to retire and (b) she is retired (c) her identity doesn't match any know big enemy of his spy org and the state. But he doesn't want her around.

... record scratch: He compromises. Ok. I do want her around. I won't get attached but ok, she's helpful. I'll even trust her to mentor the princess as we travel to rescue the Wu emperor.

She is only a tutor, though! Won't get her involved in his country's buisness.

Yet then she joins a battle and risks her life to save a bunch of theirs. Ok, ML widens his POV again. She can be their partner!

Everyone loves the mysterious friendly & feral assassin.

Then the squad finds out her identity and tries to kill her. His defense of her inclusion in the group has expanded: (a) her identity doesn't match any known enemy of his spy org and the Wu state, (b) she saved our lives, and crucially (c) she Isn't Born in An Country [isn't truly An] + (d) she was working at the command of her superiors just like we do, a cog in the war machine, and also only killed shitty members of our spy org we don't like

Ok. Now she's on the team. ML & FL are dating now and all the kids ship it. There is 1 (one) Scarlet Guard enemy county spy they accept and support.

But at the same time, she's begun to care about them in return. And we're really IN IT now.

Let's mentor the princess and throw shade on the Wu emperor, considering how our actions matter & how powerful people affect the average person. Caring for the citizens of Wu. They deserve better than their ruling class.

Being generally supportive & respectful of Ren Ruyi's love for the fallen An empress and RR's quest to avenge her.

The Wu delegation willing to (tentatively) ally with RR's former disciple, a marquis of An.

An marquis revealed to have gone against orders to respectfully bury the bodies of their Wu soldier friends, because in his view all loyal soliders deserve it.

The Wu delegation digging up the bodies of their dead friends, to give them a final send off, and mastering their grief to wrench it back from turning into hatred of the An people - focusing their rage and hate on selish & war hungry leaders, not the soliders and generals ordered to fight.

The focus of their resentment now turned to the right direction, expands their thinking & their plotting to have a consideratiom for all the residents of An and Wu, a care for humankind. An citizens are no longer the automatic enemy. ML tells the emperor of Wu to go fuck himself, directly to his face.

Caring about injustice done to some Scarlet Guards and wanting to save active !! "innocent" Scarlet Guard lives. (So far from the starting point! No background check to validate that X, Y, Z don't apply to these people. No rejection of the ML by the delegation or threats for daring to care about a random Scarlet Guard's life or death.) I sure hope the An emperor pays big for being bad at his job, but we gotta be careful about how we deal with him and not mess up An for the nice jewelry makers & brothel workers who live there.

"Having compassion doesn't mean irresolute."