#i already have enough for at least 2 polls

[bg3daydream]

Not like the tales (Davrin x Rook Fanfiction) Chapter 3

Davrin x female Rook Thorne

Summary: Canon divergence, Rook is already a grey warden when Davrin joins, and she's put in charge of his joining and his first weeks as a recruit and junior warden. Their relationship developes into more than just partner wardens, despite Rook's best efforts, since she knows that the life of a warden is a life of loss. Rook is a Dalish mage (I made a poll and that's the option that won).

Tags: Romance, friends to lovers, hiden feelings, slow burn, fluff, angst, hurt/emotional hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence and blood, eventual smut, canon divergence, eventual happy ending.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Masterlist of my fics / AO3

I feel like there's only 3 people reading this but here, a new chapter: Davrin's joining.

“Davrin wants to join.”

Rook announced as she walked into Ser Arthur’s office, feeling somber and defeated.

“Yes, that much was obvious.” Ser Arthur nodded. “What took you so long?”

Rook shrugged. “I showed him the outpost, then introduced him to Ser Blasco, he saw him fight and thinks he’s good, I agree,” Rook recited, trying to remain emotionless, while Ser Arthur nodded, pleased. “Then I left him to eat something.”

Ser Arthur lifted an eyebrow at that. “Not sure that was your smartest idea…let’s see if he keeps it in during the joining.”

“Or perhaps he’ll die during it and at least he’ll have had a last meal.” Of tasteless, bland porridge.

“Rook…” Ser Arthur sighed.

After Darvin snapped, Rook had told herself she should remain emotionless, and stop meddling in Davrin’s joining and his decision, but she couldn’t. She never could.

“Ser…this is wrong, keeping the joining secret from people, they don’t know what can happen to them! We’re feeding them blighted darkspawn blood! If they don’t die in the joining we’re condemning them to eventual madness and death. It’s wrong.”

“Rook.” Ser Arthur’s eyes were kind. “Everyone knows warden’s lives are dangerous and lead to death. Davrin knows it, and he wants to join.”

“But he’s so young, and he doesn’t know what a warden's life is like, not really,” she insisted. “He doesn’t know what can happen to him in the joining, and even if he doesn’t die, we’re tainting him, it’ll drive him mad, it’ll kill him before he’s even fifty…”

“Just like it’ll happen to yourself,” Ser Arthur said calmly, as if it were nothing, as if it had never kept her awake at night. “And to everyone in this place, to every warden who’s not killed by darkspawn, such is the life and the sacrifice of a grey warden.”

“And it doesn’t seem wrong to you that we do this to people blindly, among other things.”

Ser Arthur looked at her, his expression unreadable, for a moment before he spoke again, his voice firm now, back to his veteran warden role.  “Our chalice is not the official, but it’ll do. We have some blood stored but after this time is…questionable. It could do, though.”

“No.” It was bad enough that Davrin had to drink it, at least it should be fresh. “He’ll get his own, I’ll find him some darkspawn.”

“Alright. Best get going then, the sun will set soon.”

*

Rook found Davrin outside, sitting on the ground against the wall of the training grounds, which were empty now. He’d gotten a knife and a piece of wood that he seemed to be carving, and he got up when he heard Rook approaching.

“Recruit,” Rook greeted, trying to sound formal like Ser Arthur, trying to separate her thoughts and emotions from her duty, even though she was never quite good at that. 

She looked at the carving in his hands, which seemed to be some kind of animal.

“It’s a halla…or it’ll be when it’s finished,” Davrin explained. “It’s, uh…it’s for you.”

“For me?”

Davrin nodded, for once he didn’t seem cocky or confident, but bashful. “An apology,” he explained. “I shouldn’t have said something like that to you, before.”

Rook looked down, fidgety. “There’s no need. You didn’t say anything untrue.”

“It was still wrong to tell you that,” Davrin insisted, his voice genuine. “So I want to give you this… if it’s okay.”

“Thank you, Davrin, really.”  His gesture made her feel shy, at the same time that warmth seemed to spread across her chest. Her lips curled up into a smile that she couldn't stop. 

When was the last time someone had gifted her something? Something handmade no less…

“I’ll finish it after the joining,” Davrin said and Rook’s smile faltered…would he finish it? Or would he be dead? “Did you talk to Ser Arthur? Do I join now?”

Rook nodded, trying to ignore her feelings. “Yes. Get your weapons, we’re going to find darkspawn, we need their blood for the ritual.” Rook wondered if she was saying too much, but she didn’t care, and she hadn’t vowed to keep that detail secret.

For all his excitement about his joining, Davrin seemed wary at her words. “Their blood?”

“Yes.” Rook nodded. “But I can’t tell you more about the ritual, I’m sorry, I would if I could but I’m sworn to keep it a secret.” And she hated it.

“It’s okay, I understand,” Davrin assured her. It didn't make her feel better, if anything, she felt worse.

“Okay…then get your gear and let’s go,” Rook tried to sound firm, confident. She tried to harden her heart. 

She didn’t feel like she was succeeding.

They got ready quickly and left the outpost, making their way through the woods. Soon enough, they’d reached the old entry to the deep roads. Rook couldn’t feel darkspawn, but still, she hoped that if she made enough fuss, some of them would come out.

“See that?” She pointed at the small sinking hole and Davrin nodded. “It is a deep roads entry. These are the kind of places from which darkspawn come out, as wardens we have to spot them and close them, I’ve sent word to Weisshaupt already,” she explained.

“Alright.” Davrin nodded, frowning at the entrance and studying it, though he didn’t get close, as if waiting for her command.

“This one is almost closed and abandoned but I’ll try to attract some darkspawn out of it,” she said as she got close to the sinking. “Be ready.”

Rook summoned her magic, striking the ground around the entrance with lightning, doing her best to aim so some of it would get inside, and soon the ground and air around it were crackling with her lighting magic. 

Soon enough, she began to feel a faint tingle inside her skin, as unpleasant as ever. It wasn’t strong enough for discomfort, though. There might not be many darkspawn coming out, but it’d be enough.

“They’re coming,” she announced, stepping back to stand next to Davrin. 

As always there, the few darkspawn that crawled out of the hole were nothing out of the ordinary, and she didn’t think Davrin would have trouble with them. “Attack,” she ordered.

Davrin didn’t wait to be told twice, charging against the darkspawn. Rook didn’t rush to attack, instead, she watched Davrin fight, but she made sure that no darkspawn could catch him unaware and that they wouldn’t swarm him. 

She didn’t think Davrin had fought darkspawn before, but he wasn’t bad at it. He was a quick thinker and adapted fast, cutting through darkspawn and seemingly noting his patterns and way of fighting. He was smart and a good fighter, and Rook hoped it’d keep him alive during his life as a warden.

She gave instructions and warnings here and there, putting down the darkspawn that threatened to get too close to Davrin, and if he noticed that she was watching him more than she was fighting, he didn’t say anything about it.

Soon, all the darkspawn were dead.

Rook took a jar from her bag and handed it to Davrin. “Collect the blood,” she instructed.

Davrin frowned at the jar, as if wary, but he nodded and carefully did as told, his face stoic. Once the jar was full, he gave it back to Rook. “Ready.”

Rook nodded, feeling more and more defeated and somber at the thought of what came next, certain that Davrin wasn't going to back down and change his mind. 

“Let’s go back.”

*

Rook knew it was useless, hopeless, but as she and Davrin stood outside the door of the room where she knew Ser Arthur was waiting for them, she couldn’t help but stop before walking in.

She had to try again, one last time. She stood between Davrin and the door, and looked at him.

“Davrin…please, listen. I know you’re struggling now but you’re a good monster hunter, you’ll make a life out of it, you’ll be renowned,” she began, and Davrin seemed surprised, but he stood silent, letting her speak, his face solemn as he listened to her. 

“Collecting that darkspawn blighted blood wasn’t the worst part of the joining, not by far. Life as a warden is blood, blight, darkness and death. Once you walk in there, there’s no going back, you can’t change your mind, you must join no matter what. But you can still leave. Just…please, think about it again.”

Davrin did seem to think it, and for once, he seemed unsure and torn, even for the briefest of moments, which allowed Rook to have a tiny sliver of hope, but soon it was gone as he shook his head.

“Thank you, Rook.” He gave her a small, tense smile. “But I’m doing this. I want to join.”

Rook didn’t say anything else, feeling so defeated that she could cry. She nodded and walked with Davrin silently into the room. 

Ser Arthur was waiting for them, chalice in hands. He looked at Rook and she took out the jar with darkspawn blood, that he poured into the chalice. He handed the empty jar back to Rook and then walked to stand in front of Davrin.

It was clear that Davrin was nervous, but he stood firm in front of the veteran warden, holding his gaze.

“The grey wardens were founded during the first blight,” Ser Arthur began the speech Rook had heard in another couple of joinings. “In the fight against annihilation, those first grey wardens drank darkspawn blood, and mastered their taint.” Ser Arthur paused for a moment, letting Davrin, who was looking at the chalice, process his words. “You must drink too, Davrin.”

“You want me to drink that? Blighted darkspawn blood?”

“Yes, as we all did before. ” Ser Arthur nodded. “This blood is the source of our power, it makes us immune to the taint, allows us to sense darkspawn, to slay archdemons. This ritual can kill us, but it's what gives us our power and our strength.” Davrin looked down, swallowing hard as he took in Ser Arthur’s words. “You must drink now,” the warden said, soft but firm, as he handed the chalice to Davrin.

Davrin looked at the chalice and the blood in it. He seemed nervous, so different from how confident he’d appeared early that day. 

After a quick glance at her direction, almost as if looking for support, which Rook wasn’t very sure she could offer, Davrin took a deep breath and brought the chalice to his lips, quick and decisive, grimacing as he drank.

As the first waves of pain hit Davrin, Ser Arthur took the chalice from his hands and stepped back. Davrin groaned, turning around to give Rook a look of confusion and fear that felt like a stab to her heart, before he cried out and fell to his knees.

Rook couldn’t help herself, running to his side and kneeling next to him as he cried out in pain again, but she didn’t know what to do. She doubted there was anything else she could do now. 

She hated this. Davrin was in pain and he was scared, looking at her with watery eyes, almost as if he was trusting her to help him, but she couldn’t, and it killed her. She should have shot lightning at him until she made him run away. Now he was in agony and he might die. 

Between grunts and cries of pain, soon Davrin passed out, which was a small mercy, but he was still groaning and writhing in pain.

“Do something!” Rook demanded Ser Arthur, no matter if she knew there was nothing to be done.

“It’ll be over soon enough,” Ser Arthur said calmly. “He’ll live, Rook. He’d have died already otherwise.”

Rook guessed she’d have to believe him. She’d always liked Ser Arthur, but now she couldn’t help resenting him. How could he be so calm while Davrin lay there agonizing in pain. 

Rook reached to wipe the sweat from Davrin’s forehead, pushing away his wet curls, hoping that Ser Arthur was right and this’d be over soon, with Davrin alive. Eventually, he stopped writhing, but he was still groaning and muttering, Rook wasn’t sure if in pain or due to the nightmares he sure was having, or both.

Rook was about to call out for Ser Arthur again, when Davrin woke up with a start. He sat up, looking around with confused and still scared eyes, gasping for air and coughing.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” she told him softly, relieved.

Unsure of what to do, she reached out to him and as she did, Davrin took her hand, holding onto it as if for dear life. He was still panting, and pain seemed to still hit him from time to time, making him groan and curl onto himself, but he wasn’t saying anything.

“You are now a grey warden,” Ser Arthur formally announced. “Take time to recover and come to see me when you’re ready, we must talk,” he instructed him and Davrin nodded, or tried to. His eyes were unfocused and he seemed a bit out of himself.  “Congratulations.”

Ser Arthur looked at Rook as if he were going to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead, he just gave her a nod and walked away, leaving them alone.

Once the veteran warden was gone, Davrin curled up onto himself with his legs bent close to his chest while he kept holding her hand, and he rested his head on his knees as he groaned in pain again.

“You'll be okay,” Rook said quietly, trying to soothe him and hating that she couldn’t do anything else. “You made it.”

“I think I’m going to throw up all that blood,” Davrin muttered.

“It’s okay, it’s done its job already, you can throw up if you need to,” Rook told him, but Davrin shook his head as he kept taking deep breaths.

Eventually, he lifted his head to look at Rook. His face was clammy and covered in sweat, but his breath was even and his eyes were focused, as if he were recovering.

“Better?” She asked him softly and Davrin nodded. “Then let’s get out of here, okay? I’ll get you some water and show you to the bedrooms so you can rest.”

Davrin nodded again, took a deep breath, and got up on shaky legs, groaning.

“Okay?” Rook asked, worried. Davrin took in another breath, squared his shoulders, and planted his feet more firmly on the ground, nodding again.

“Alright…” She let go of his hand to go pour some water from a jar, that Ser Arthur had thoughtfully left there, into an empty cup that she handed to Davrin. “Don’t worry, no more odd drinks, just plain water.”

Davrin took a sip and gagged, but he managed not to get sick, and he kept drinking until he finished the water. “Thank you.”

Rook said nothing and nodded at him to follow her out of the room. “You’ll be sharing a bedroom with Marcus and Alan,” she explained as they walked to the chambers.

The outpost was so empty that most wardens had been allowed to get a bed in empty rooms, a luxury Rook wasn’t used to, but it was decided that the junior wardens should share a bedroom so they could bond and not get too pampered, since they’d be sharing in Weisshaupt and pretty much any other outpost where they were sent.

Davrin walked in silence next to her, and Rook noticed him shuddering from time to time as if the pain were not totally gone, but she decided not to say anything about it.

“Here,” Rook said as she pointed at a closed door, “is where you can wash, we collect water every morning from the river and melting snow, for drinking and washing,” she explained.

The water was cold and the place was colder, especially for the new junior wardens who came from noble families and were used to hot baths, but Rook guessed Davrin wouldn’t be one to complain much and he was probably used to cold water.

“I’m disgusting right now,” Davrin snorted weakly but Rook waved him off. He’d just gone through the joining, he should not have to freeze in cold water first thing after that.

“Don’t worry about that now,” she said as she kept walking to the bedrooms area. “Here we are,” she said, walking into a small room with four single beds pushed against the walls.

Alan and Marcus’ beds were hastily made and covered with several blankets. There were a couple of chests on the ground at the feet of the beds for them to leave their things too. 

The other two beds were bare but someone had placed a set of sheets and blankets on one of the mattresses, as if for Davrin, and also an open chest by the feet of the bed. Inside it, there was a warden uniform, the one they used on their downtime around the outpost, and Davrin’s weapons were there too.

“It seems you got a bed assigned already,” Rook commented and Davrin let out an appreciative yet tired murmur.

He flopped down on the bare mattress with a quiet groan, leaning against the wall and tilting his head back, closing his eyes as he sighed.

“That bad, uh?” Rook half-teased.

Davrin chuckled, opening his eyes to look at her. “Could be worse.” He shrugged. “But…yeah, I feel like shit.”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing to be done but wait it out,” Rook sighed, giving Davrin an apologetic look. “I’m sorry…the joining…I couldn’t tell you, I wanted to, but we’re sworn secrecy, I’m sorry.”

“Rook, hey.” Davrin stopped her apology. “I know. It’s okay.”

Rook sighed, shaking her head…it didn’t feel like it was okay. “If you need something or if you have questions…”

“Too many but I don’t even know where to start.” Davrin chuckled and then grimaced as if it made him hurt again. “Are all joinings like this? Yours?”

“I haven’t seen many joinings but yes, it’s always like this, I think,” Rook answered, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “Mine…I don’t know. I doubt there was any ceremony, I was dying and probably blighted, it was when my clan was killed, so they did the ritual joining to save me.”

“Shit…”

“I was too far gone to feel the pain so…” Rook said, looking away when Davrin gave her a sad look, she didn’t like how it made her feel.

“I had these weird dreams while I was unconscious…” Davrin began, and Rook was glad he was not asking about her and her joining anymore. “About darkspawn I think…it was because of the joining, right?”

“Yeah…” Rook nodded, grimacing. “Welcome to your new life, you can sense darkspawn, they can sense you, and you’ll be having nightmares and seeing them when you sleep pretty much every night. Didn’t I tell you it’d get even better after the joining?” She joked humorlessly.

“Great,” Davrin snorted.

“It hasn’t happened to me, but apparently, grey wardens can hear the archdemon talking and that’s how we know there’s going to be a blight,” Rook kept explaining.

“Well, that’s useful…” Davrin mused. “Why can we do that? Just because we drank their blood?”

“Honestly? No idea.” Rook shrugged. “I assume that, yes, it’s because the blood, I think we’re tainted and connected to the archdemon somehow, I guess that’s why we are the only ones who can kill archdemons.”

“Useful too.” Davrin nodded.

“Yes, and the warden who kills the archdemon dies,” Rook just blurted it out, there was no need or way to sugarcoat it.

“What, how?” Davrin frowned at her. “Why?”

“We don’t know, we only know that it happens.” Rook shrugged. “The archdemon dies but so does the warden who killed it.”

Davrin seemed to think for a moment but then he nodded. “It’s worthy, though, dying, if it means you killed the archdemon and stopped the blight,” he said firmly. “Come on, don’t say it’s not worthy.”

“I…” Rook sighed. “I guess it’s worth it, ending the blight and killing the archdemon…Don’t be so eager to die, though, it’s the job of a veteran, usually.”

“I’m not eager to die, I’m just saying it’d be worthy to stop a blight.” Davrin shrugged.

“Yeah, well…do you want to know more fun things about the warden’s life?” Rook asked. It might be too soon to give him the full, grim talk, while he was still shuddering from the aftershocks of the joining, but he had to know.

Davrin nodded. “I want to know it all.”

“Well, as I told you, we’re tainted somehow and connected to the darkspawn,” Rook began, fidgeting. “So, if we don’t die in service, eventually, we start having more and more nightmares, it’s like the taint ends up driving us mad, we hear more voices…it’s called The Calling.” She tried not to think much about that yet she thought about it every night. “We have a life expectancy of thirty years or so, then the taint gets to us."

“Shit…” Davrin muttered a curse, looking down in thought, and Rook wondered if he might finally regret joining, but then he shook his head and shrugged. “It’ll be a life worth living, though, spent fighting the darkspawn and helping people. Don’t tell me you don’t think so.”

Rook rolled her eyes. “I can think that it is worth to help people and kill darkspawn while at the same time thinking that is bullshit we have to die like that, just like I think that keeping the joining and everything it involves a secret, is bullshit,” she snapped.

Davrin gave her half a smile. “I’m not disagreeing with you. You’re right. I’m just saying that helping people and fighting darkspawn will be a life worth living even if short…besides, I rather keep telling you that, than start shitting myself because apparently, I’m going to hear darkspawn and archdemons in my dreams, and if I haven’t died in thirty years then I’m going insane.”

Davrin sounded confident but his smile faltered for a second, while the look in his eyes said that he was not as unbothered by all Rook was saying as he appeared to be.

“I’m sorry, Davrin…” Rook sighed. She’d let him join and condemned him to that life and that death, but what else could have she done.

“Hey.” Davrin nudged her leg with his foot gently. “You tried to warn me, you really did. This is not on you,” he told her. “Besides, I don’t regret it, I’m not sorry. I do think that this is a life worth living.”

Before Rook could say what she thought about that, although she wasn’t even very sure of what she thought, the door opened and Alan and Marcus walked in.

“Congratulations on not dying,” Alan said, making Davrin snort and Rook glare at him.

“See, I told you he’d make it,” Marcus said as he nudged Alan with his shoulder. "They told us you survived the joining, and so Laura told us to get your things ready here but to not bother you for a while.”

“Yet here you are,” Rook said sternly. Davrin nudged her leg with his foot again, rolling his eyes at her with an amused smirk.

“That was really nice of you, thank you,” Davrin told the junior wardens, smiling.

“Did you puke?” Marcus asked as he sat down at the end of the bed while Alan went to stand next to Rook. “Alan puked,” Marcus said and Alain glared at him, seeming mortified.

“No, I’m proud to say I kept in all the darkspawn blood,” Davrin joked darkly and the other junior wardens grimaced. They seemed to have welcomed Davrin nicely enough, and Rook was glad of it.

“Okay…I’ll leave you junior wardens to speak.” Davrin should make friends and probably those three had things to talk about as new wardens, she didn’t want to get in the middle of it. “Davrin, remember you have to go speak with Ser Arthur before it gets too late.” The sun was setting already.

“Alright.” Davrin frowned at her as if wondering if something was wrong since she was leaving, but she smiled at him in what she hoped was a reassuring way.

“See you later, Rook.”

*

Rook was in her favorite tower of the outpost, sat down on the windowsill, looking at the stars, trying not to think of joinings or callings. 

The door of the tower opened and Rook frowned at it. Everyone knew she could usually be found there, but nobody had ever come to bother her…was there something wrong?

It was Davrin who walked through the door. He looked better, as if he wasn’t feeling sick and in pain anymore. He’d washed and changed clothes, now wearing the downtime wardens uniform, with the collar of the shirt opened and the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and he hadn’t bothered with the belt.

“You look good,” Rook said aloud without thinking, looking away at Davrin’s raised eyebrow and barely concealed smirk. “Better, I mean.”

“I feel better,” Davrin said, approaching her. “You disappeared. They told me you’d be here.”

“You need something?” She asked, looking at him again.

Davrin shrugged, sitting down on the other end of the windowsill. “Not really.”

“Then you should be sleeping,” Rook told him. “Tomorrow is your first day of training.”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping too?” Davrin retorted and Rook shrugged, looking at the stars again.

“I don’t sleep much.”

“The nightmares?” Davrin asked softly.

Rook let out a noncommittal hum. The nightmares, and memories, and every other thought… She sighed and looked at Davrin. She should probably check on him instead of getting lost in thought. 

“Everything okay?” She asked and he nodded. “How did it go with Alan and Marcus?”

“Good, we had fun.” Davrin grinned at her and Rook nodded, pleased.

“It’s good if you three are friends, joining almost at the same time and training here together, probably you three will be sent on missions together,” Rook explained.

“Good.” Davrin nodded. “Will you be sent with us?”

“I don’t know…maybe? But I doubt it.” Rook sighed. “I don’t know when I’ll be sent on a mission next or for how long they will keep me here.”

Davrin scoffed. “It’s unfair that they punish you for disagreeing with the First Warden.”

“For being disrespectful to a superior,” Rook added but Davrin just shrugged.

“Still…I’ve fought you, I’ve seen you fight darkspawn, it’s wasteful to have you here instead of out on missions,” he insisted.

“We just met, there’s plenty of time for you to realize too that I’m a shit warden,” she half-joked and Davrin huffed and rolled his eyes at her, exaggerating the gesture to make her smile.

“Nobody here thinks you’re a shit warden,” he told her. “Everyone I’ve heard talking about you today was saying good things.”

Rook made a sound, unsure of what to say, feeling rather bashful, and she went back to looking out of the window and to the stars. After a moment of silence, she looked at Davrin again, who seemed to be in thought.

“Junior warden, off to bed,” she told him. “Or you’ll regret it tomorrow on the training ground.” Davrin opened his mouth but Rook didn’t let him speak. “It’s an order.”

“Alright, alright…” Davrin chuckled, getting up. “But you should listen to your own advice.”

“In a moment…” Rook answered vaguely.

Davrin nodded, giving her a soft smile. “See you tomorrow, yeah?”

Rook nodded. “Goodnight, Davrin.”

***

I wrote and rewrote and edited this chapter a million times and I'm still unhappy about it but I'm just going to post it...it's not like I have that big of a public to be worrying so much about how it reads 😅 But I don't know, I'm not content with this chapter, but I can't keep editing it.

I'd like to tag @the-bear-and-his-sunbird @mythals-whore @sugar-peanut-cat @cute-ellyna and @thedissonantverses since you seemed interested the last time I talked about this, apolgies if this is inconvenient.

Thanks for reading, if you liked this, please let me know in a comment, and as always, reblogs are more than welcome.

Excuse my English, it’s not my first language.

[best-magnus-archives-character]

ooohh ship bracket ?? 👁️ as a big martim fan and #1 sasharosie truther i have to submit them

just to clarify, this is more for the bonus polls ill be releasing (hopefully once a day) while the main brackets happen! the bonus polls will only last 1 day each! the more ships i get the more ship themed bonus polls i can make tho >:) so those are both going in!!!

[getvalentined]

An open letter to @staff

I already submitted this to Support under "Feedback," but I'm sharing it here too as I don't expect it to get a response, and I feel like putting in out in public may be more effective than sending it off into the void.

The recent post on the Staff blog about changing tumblr to an algorithmic feed features a large amount of misinformation that I feel staff needs to address, openly and honestly, with information on where this data was sourced at the very least.

Claim 1: Algorithms help small creators.

This is false, as algorithms are designed to push content that gets engagement in order to get it more engagement, thereby assuring that the popular remain popular and the small remain small except in instances of extreme luck.

This can already be seen on the tumblr radar, which is a combination of staff picks (usually the same half-dozen fandoms or niche special interests like Lego photography) which already have a ton of engagement, or posts that are getting enough engagement to hit the radar organically. Tumblr has an algorithm that runs like every other socmed algorithm on the planet, and it will decimate the reach of small creators just like every other platform before it.

Claim 2: Only a small portion of users utilize the chronological feed.

You can find a poll by user @darkwood-sleddog here that at the time of writing this, sits at over 40 THOUSAND responses showing that over 96 percent of them use the chronological feed*. Claiming otherwise isn't just a misstatement, it's a lie. You are lying to your core userbase and expecting them to accept it as fact. It's not just unethical, it's insulting to people who have been supporting your platform for over a decade.

Claim 3: Tumblr is not easy to use.

This is also 100% false and you ABSOLUTELY know it. Tumblr is EXTREMELY easy to use, the issue is that the documentation, the explanations of features, and often even the stability of the service is subpar. All of this would be very easy for staff to fix, if they would invest in the creation of walkthroughs and clear explanations of how various site features work, as well as finally fixing the search function. Your inability to explain how your service works should not result in completely ignoring the needs and wants of your core long-term userbase. The fact that you're more willing to invest in the very systems that have made every other form of social media so horrifically toxic than in trying to make it easier for people to use the service AS IT WORKS NOW and fixing the parts that don't work as well speaks volumes toward what tumblr staff actually cares about.

You will not get a paycheck if your platform becomes defunct, and the thing that makes it special right now is that it is the ONLY large-scale socmed platform on THE ENTIRE INTERNET with a true chronological feed and no aggressive algorithmic content serving. The recent post from staff indicates that you are going to kill that, and are insisting that it's what we want. It is not. I'd hazard to guess that most of the dev team knows it isn't what we want, but I assume the money people don't care. The user base isn't relevant, just how much money they can bring in.

The CEO stated he wanted this to remain as sort of the last bastion of the Old Internet, and yet here we are, watching you declare you intend to burn it to the ground.

You can do so much better than this.

Response to the Update

Under the cut for readability, because everything said above still applies.

I already said this in a reblog on the post itself, but I'm adding it to this one for easy access: people read it that way because that's what you said.

Staff considers the main feed as it exists to be "outdated," to the point that you literally used that word to describe it, and the main goals expressed in this announcement is to figure out what makes "high-quality content" and serve that to users moving forward.

People read it that way because that is what you said.

*The final results of the poll, after 24 hours:

136,635 votes breaks down thusly:

An algorithm based feed where I get "the best of tumblr." @ 1.3% (roughly 1,776 votes)

Chronological feed that only features blogs I follow. @ 95.2% (roughly 130,077 votes)

This doesn't affect me personally. @ 3.5% (roughly 4,782 votes)

[gb-patch]

Our Life: N&F Release Structure Poll

Hello!

Today it’s me, GB, writing a post for socials. I’ve been doing some thinking and have an important poll for all of you. I’ve gone on record to say there was something I didn’t ever plan on, but I’m reconsidering it. I want to know what players think of Our Life: Now & Forever releasing Step by Step instead of waiting for Steps 1, 2, and 3 to be completed before launch.

Google Form Poll Link

Honestly, things have been extremely upsetting with the state of the world. I’ve been stressed about it, wanting to do something that could comfort or reassure anyone, just lift people’s spirits a little. Having to accept that OL: N&F is not gonna be out any time this year has felt worse and worse every day. Though, players aren’t being unkind about it. Everyone’s been understanding; it’s my own internal anxiety troubling me. But that’s why I’m considering changing the release structure of the game. If getting to experience all of Step 1 in five or six months and Step 2 at the end of 2025 would be a positive development, then we’re gonna do that.

I’m a little self-conscious and think people need the whole growing up experience to be sold on the OL games. That’s a major reason I’ve not considered an episodic launch. But I think our player base knows the series well enough to decide for themselves if they’d rather play just a single Step or hold off on the game until more is done.

But the early access versions of Steps 1 and 2 would have some bells and whistles missing. Not all the MC Doll customization options would be included, a more advanced MC Detail system that listed things like if you’re good in school and if you have a bad relationship with your mom likely wouldn’t be there either, etc.

And another reason I tend to avoid early access is because it’s helpful for developers to gain income to finish the game. OL: N&F doesn’t need that. It’s already fully funded. I wouldn’t want players to buy DLCs at a bad time thinking they’ve gotta support this early access build.

So, there’s things to consider. I did think it was at least worth floating, whether it ends up happening or not. Please feel free to vote in the poll and comment any thoughts/opinions you have. The poll will close on Saturday, February 15th.

The episodic launch will have to be the clear winner for us to switch to that. If people are split on it or don’t care either way, we’ll stick with the original plan of launching Steps 1-3 together. 

Take care, everybody 💖

[sanjisleggy]

imagine being loved by me (black leg sanji x reader) [pt2]

a/n: here’s part 2 to ‘welcome to cupid island’ :D yippee! lowkey i wanna turn this into a larger series but i have no idea what i'd wanna add lmao but if people are interested in more of this reader x sanji dynamic i’d be happy to consider :3c imma add a poll at the end of this post to see what’s the reception like. anyway pls enjoy! 

contents: some suggestive themes but nothing explicit (16+ only ty!), jealous sanji, very insecure sanji, angst to fluff, hurt/reverse comfort

wc. 2.25k

wanna be on my taglist?

PART 1

i. 

he imagines you would have an amazing life.

he imagines after you accept the proposal, you would be transformed into a beautiful queen, both regaled by your countless servants and beloved by your people. he can practically see right in front of him how King Aphr would worship the very ground you walked on, kiss the soles of your feet and the palms of your soft hands every night before ravishing you under the sheets until your eyes fill with tears of pleasure–things a mere pirate cook could never provide. 

he imagines in a few years you would have two beautiful children: a girl and a boy, of course. they would be spitting images of you–or maybe one of them would have their father’s fluffy brown hair or gorgeous eyes. whatever the genetic combination, Sanji doesn’t doubt they would be absolutely beautiful solely because they came from you. 

he imagines you living the life you deserve above everyone else on this godforsaken planet: happy, loved and safe from the dangers that come with life on the sea. you’d live a long life and be left wanting for nothing.

it’s a life Sanji cannot give you.

“oh. no, thanks.” your response to the kneeling crown prince is curt with your mouth hidden behind your hand to obscure the fact that you’re mid-chew. “i’m not interested.”

the matter-of-factness of your tone rips Sanji straight out of his self-deprecating nightmare as his head snaps in your direction. still holding his hand, you give it a soft squeeze as you maintain eye contact with your latest suitor. the entire restaurant is dead silent and even the wait staff are frozen in place, trays of freshly prepared gourmet food left to slowly cool before they can even be touched.

the Prince doesn’t hide his disappointment but he takes it better than any of the Straw Hats anticipated. if anything, they were all prepared for a fight but instead, the man simply apologises for disrupting your dinner and takes his leave. once he’s gone, you swallow your food before turning to meet Sanji’s eyes with your own. you can’t help but feel a pang in your chest when you see how teary he looks; you give his hand another squeeze before bringing the back of it to your lips and give him a soft kiss.

“we can talk about this later,” is the message your eyes convey to him and he nods in response.

although business gradually goes back to normal and the usual dining room chatter resumes, you and your group finish the rest of your meal with an odd sense of awkwardness encompassing the establishment. much to your–and Sanji’s–pleasure, however, it seems that your rejection of the Prince’s proposal is enough to ward off any other suitors, at least for the rest of dinner.

ii.

whilst some of your crewmates opt to sleep in early or explore the night market, you and your usual group of drinking buddies head to the hotel’s bar. out of habit, you find a table with four seats for Nami, Robin, Zoro and yourself, though you soon realise your mistake when you notice Sanji’s still holding onto your hand.

“what? not gonna chase skirts tonight, shitty cook?” Zoro speaks your mind. the blond chef’s grip on your hand tightens slightly.

“no, of course not, you stupid mosshead.” Sanji doesn’t elaborate any further but everyone knows the reason why: news of your rejection of the Prince hasn’t spread far enough yet, it seems, and already new faces are peering your way, presents in hand.

less than an hour passes and you’re not the only person who’s been approached by suitors: every one of your Straw Hat companions has been accosted at least three times. you try to keep count but eventually lose track when you reach double digits.

“it seems like they’re more desperate as the week comes to an end,” Robin observes, mumbling into her glass after turning down her fifteenth admirer. 

“desperate’s putting it lightly,” Zoro replies, growing more visibly annoyed as the minutes pass and he can’t seem to enjoy one drink without a man or woman shyly sneaking up on him with more homemade cookies. “they’re even going after the shitty cook, they must be more than desperate,” he adds with a snort, clearly happy to take up any opportunity possible to rile up your boyfriend.

though you can tell Zoro’s ‘joke’ bugs him, Sanji remains quiet, opting to just shoot the swordsman a sharp glare from across the round table.

“here comes another one,” Nami groans, praying she’s not the target.

unfortunately for you, her wish comes true.

Zoro’s guard dog comparison from earlier in the day rings true yet again when the man taps your shoulder to get your attention. before you can even turn to look at what they look like, Sanji’s head snaps around first. although there’s an unmistakable look of pure rage in his eyes as he scowls at the man that makes the suitor almost instantly break out into a cold sweat, the cook’s grip on your hand remains the same gentleness as always.

“fuck off!” Sanji barks, subtlety be damned. your companions each react in a similar manner, choking on their respective drinks to some degree. you even catch Zoro murmuring to himself, “goddamn.” valuing his life, the stranger turns tail and disappears in a matter of seconds.

half a minute passes and the same bitter expression is stuck to your beloved’s face. your free hand reaches up to his head before you run your fingers through his soft hair. the gesture alone seems enough to snap him back to reality as his scowl melts away to be replaced by a small smile. Sanji closes his eyes and lets out a breath, tensed shoulders relaxing as you continue to caress his head. your hand slowly trails down his face before stopping to rest on his shoulder, your palm wrapped around the base of his neck, thumb rubbing along the edge of his sharp jawline. 

your gentle ministrations send his heart into overdrive, the fragile organ threatening to beat so fast and so hard that it shatters his ribcage into nothingness. despite having known you for so long, he can’t ever seem to get used to your love.

“what a coincidence seeing you here, miss (Y/N),” a familiar voice speaks from behind you. from the looks on your crewmates’ faces, you can already tell you’re not the only one sick and tired of this island’s tradition. before anyone–even Sanji–can react to the blatant interruption, you stand up abruptly and turn around to face Prince Aphr. donning a smile, he’s dressed differently than when you first met him at dinner but his expensive clothes only serve to annoy you even further.

“i’ll only say this one more time, your highness,” you say through gritted teeth, days’ worth of built up irritation finally spilling over the edge and the unlucky target of your wrath just has to be the son of the ruler of the island–but you find it hard to care. “i’m not interested and i’ll never be interested. now, please leave me and my friends alone.”

Sanji stares up at you from his seat with his eyes wide and lips slightly parted. the last time you looked this angry was when an enemy pirate kicked Chopper like a soccer ball–and you’d gone on an absolute rampage back then. however, it seems that due to Prince Aphr’s lack of experience witnessing such devastation, he chooses to press on. as much as Sanji would love to diable jambe his royal ass, both him and the rest of the Straw Hats present at the table know you’re fully capable of handling this yourself.

“may i at least ask what it might take for you to even consider my proposal?” the prince asks. he’s either an extremely convincing actor or he’s genuinely so dense he doesn’t actually realise you’re in a relationship with the man right beside you.

“nothing.” your response seems to take him aback. “you could offer me the entire world on a silver platter and my answer would still be the same. my family is my crew and i’ve already met the love of my life.”

Sanji realises at that moment that a small part of him expected you to give an answer the prince could fulfill. when the finality of your words hits him, he can’t help the tears welling up in his eyes as his heart sinks to impossibly low depths. 

you said it all with such ease, so little effort. have i ever done the same for you? what kind of man have i been?

iii. 

Sanji twiddles his thumbs as he sits on the king sized bed, listening intently to the sound of the shower running. when it stops and he hears the slight creak of the shower door opening, he’s overcome with a great sense of anxiety, knowing that time will not stop just because he needs more time to gather his thoughts.

a few minutes later, you exit from the bathroom in a fluffy white robe, the smell of your shampoo washing over the entire hotel room. with a satisfied hum, you crawl across the bed to sit beside him.

“so,” you say gently as you grab one of his hands to play with his long fingers, “you wanna talk about anything?” the moment his eyes meet yours, all the words he painstakingly prepared to say slip right through his fingers. 

you’re so beautiful.

Sanji opens his mouth but is unable to speak, he can only breathe and stare as you patiently wait for him to let everything out. 

i don’t deserve you.

you tilt your head slightly and hum, as though trying to remind him that you’re still there. you look at him with such pure adoration, he wonders if you’re even looking at him. 

but i want you and i want your love more than anything. so please–

“don’t leave me,” Sanji finally manages to choke out, hot tears now streaming down his face. days’ worth of anger and worry finally catches up to him and he can’t do anything but slump forward to bury his face in your midsection. his lanky arms curl around your waist in a desperate attempt to hold you there, just in case you decide you don’t want him anymore.

“hey, who said anything about leaving you, my sweet boy?” you say with a light chuckle but it does nothing to hide the heaviness in your voice. you wrap your arms around his head, hugging him closer to your stomach as he sobs into your bathrobe. running your fingers of one hand through his hair just the way he likes, you continue, “what makes you think that?”

“Prince Aphr can give you everything.” Sanji pulls his head away just enough to speak clearly but not far enough to break away from your warm embrace. “and i can’t. up until we arrived here–ever since we started dating–i couldn’t even stop flirting with women right in front of you and for what?!”

you shush him when he starts to raise his voice and you feel his fingers tighten their grip on the back of your bathrobe. “it’s okay–”

“no, it’s not,” he cuts you off. “how am i supposed to call myself yours if i can’t even treat you with the respect you deserve? i’m sorry, (Y/N), i’m so sorry i took for granted how open you are with the way i am around other women. just seeing the way so many people wanted to steal you away these past few days, and how you turned them all down, made me realise i’ve been a shitty boyfriend–”

deciding that you’ve heard enough, you lean back to separate his face from your body and use your hands to gently tilt his head up so that your eyes meet. Sanji stares almost pitifully up at you, his own hands still holding on for dear life onto your robe as his long legs splay out behind him across the large bed.

“you’re far from a shitty boyfriend, my love,” you sniffle, feeling tears of your own forming in your eyes, “you take such good care of me. you feed me anything i want, fuss over me when i’m sick, protect me in battle. you always let me shower first aboard the Sunny so i get all the hot water.” cupping his face in between your palms, you rub the pads of your thumbs across his cheeks, wiping away his tears. “you look at me like i hung the stars and the moon in the sky,” you say with a choked laugh, unable to help feeling a bit embarrassed admitting such a thing aloud, “sometimes i don’t even know how to live up to that.”

Sanji takes in a shaky breath as he nuzzles his face into your right hand so you lightly scratch his scalp with your left. the sensation pleases him so much he swears he nearly starts purring. 

“how did i get so lucky?” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your palm.

“how did i get so lucky?” you reply with a laugh before leaning down to brush your lips against his forehead. 

already Sanji feels the aching in his heart slowly fade away, leaving behind a soreness that’s sure to persist but he’s certain that it, too, will disappear over time as long as you’re by his side. 

–

tags: @mlpandr63 @wifeofladyqu @strawberrysanzu @qui-sap @secretlife028 @the-avengers-not-the-nazis @peachycat17 @xiaothedgyemo @chaseyui @certain-tragedies @amei-draws-stuff @carmen-skullz @cobainlover @lara-christensen-me @shondlenoodle @teewon @makingmammonmoves @carmendanny2

[veltana]

Stranded - 2

✦ Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Fem!Reader

✦ Word count: ~2,3 k

✦ Rating: Mature

✦ Warnings/tags: Grumpy mountain man!Bucky, don't ask me about US geography just go with it, eventual relationship/romance/smut.

✦ Summary: You leave the cabin to escape Bucky's attitude, braving the cold, but it ends up being more than you bargained for.

✦ Note: For chapter 2, you guys voted for protective!Bucky! Next poll will be up tomorrow!

Stranded is an interactive story were you the reader gets to vote on what happens in the next chapter. You're also welcome to send in suggestions on what you want to happen in future parts! Everything is tagged with #stranded series. Please take a moment to reblog this fic if you liked it! Comments and asks are always welcome ❤️

Series Masterlist

Masterlist | AO3

The gentle crackling of the wood stove should be soothing. How many times had you dreamed of escaping to a place just like this? And yet, it feels more like the relentless ticking of a clock, counting down. Never in your life have you felt so unwelcome in a place you'd been invited into.

You can hear Bucky in his room not far away, the floor creaking as he walks around, then the springs from his mattress whining as he lays down.

If your clothes dry quickly maybe you can just leave. It would probably be better to sleep in your car and freeze to death than endure spending any more time with Bucky.

The isolation feels understandable to you now. He clearly hates people. But the thing you can't wrap your head around is why he would invite you in and then be disgusted by your company. It's confusing, to say the least.

You busy yourself by making the bed. After you're done you check your clothes but they're still wet. With a sigh, you lay down and pull the covers over you. You can rest your eyes for a few minutes and then maybe the clothes will be dry enough for you to leave.

You wake abruptly to the sound of howling wind and sit up. It's dark outside the windows and quiet from the wood stove. Checking your phone, you see that a couple of hours have passed. Your clothes are probably okay now, but before you can muster the energy to leave the bed, sleep pulls you under once more.

The next time you wake it's from the sound of a door opening. You lay still, listening to Bucky move around the small room, put more logs into the stove, and then go to the kitchen. "Want some coffee?" he asks, his voice cutting through the quiet. You have no idea how he knew you were awake. "Sure," you reply, doing your best to ignore the warmth that blooms in your chest at the sound of his still-sleepy tone. Despite being an asshole, Bucky is very handsome.

As the old machine starts to gurgle and sputter, you get up and look out the window. It's still windy but no more snow than what was already on the ground yesterday, which is a relief. You wouldn't want to be snowed in with the world's biggest grump. On the other hand, people always say hate sex is good. Then you mentally slap yourself for even going there. Bucky would probably agree to touch you if you were dying. Maybe.

As you turn back around you're greeted with the sight of Bucky in the middle of the room with a big block of a phone pressed to his ear. His jeans are tight over his thighs and his henley snug over his shoulders. The scowl seems to be a permanent fixture on his face.

“It's Bucky,” he says into the phone. “Yeah, no I'm fine, do you have a truck available to pick up a stranded car down by the big road?”

The person on the other end chats away and Bucky starts pacing the room.

“No it's not for me, I said I'm fine.” The sigh that comes out of him feels like it comes from his soul. “It's for a… a friend, you could say.” He glances over at you and you shrug. Better to be called a friend than an intruder.

“Hal, I don't have time for this. Do you have a truck available or not?” You watch as his shoulders sag in defeat and you know the answer without him needing to state it. He says a short goodbye before looking over at you.

“Let me guess, no one is available to get my car?” “Not for a few days, it's a small mechanic shop and they're backed up at the moment.”

You don't dare to joke about Bucky being stuck with you for a few more days. Instead, you quickly gather your now-dry clothes and head to the bathroom to change. Hesitantly, you get rid of the warm, oversized hoodie. You fold them and put them on the counter. He's probably gonna burn them once you've left but you don't need to know that.

The cabin smells like coffee and you make yourself a cup that you sip on while tidying up the bed. Bucky hasn't offered any breakfast and you're not gonna ask. The coffee will last you to the car and you have snacks there. He sits by the table with a book and his cup, not acknowledging you.

After you've folded all the linen, you drain your cup, use the bathroom one more time since you're not sure when you'll be able to again, and then start putting on your jacket.

“Where are you going?” Bucky asks, and you look over at him. His scowl is more concerned this time, but it's not enough to change your decision. “To my car.” Bucky glances out the window. “The wind is strong.” You shrug. “I need to get out of here,” you simply say. No need to point out that he’s a terrible host. He answers with a hum.

You're about to thank him for taking you in and giving you food and clothes, but he's absorbed in his book again. So you pull your hood up and head out.

***

Yesterday, you hoped to reach your destination before dark. Now you would rather walk anywhere in the pitch black if the wind would just calm down. Despite your thick jacket and winter boots, you're freezing, but at least you made it to your car.

It looks intact and you get in to get away from the wind. Despite knowing nothing will happen you try the ignition again but the car is still dead. All the way there you fantasized about it magically turning on and you driving out of there, warm and towards a place you'd be welcome.

With numb fingers, you unlock your phone but there is still no signal. Yesterday you decided that walking towards town wasn’t an option, but now it’s the only one you have. And if the opportunity presents itself you’ll be brave and stick out your thumb.

As you stuff more things into your backpack you wonder if this is one of the times where your stubbornness is getting the better of you. Then again, you are socially intelligent enough to know when you're not wanted. You're not sure why your thoughts keep returning to Bucky since you’ve known him for less than 24 hours. And known is to word it strongly. Barely interacted with is more like it.

You close the trunk of your car with a bang and start walking. Maybe the annoyance at yourself will keep you warm because the wind has not gotten any warmer. The road is as deserted as when you first got stranded. You try to keep a lookout for cars but you constantly have to put your head down as you walk forward.

Time passes but you're not sure how long you've walked or how far you've gotten. If you turn around and you can still see your car, you're gonna lay down and just die, because it feels like you've been walking for hours. The snacks you had in the car weren't nearly enough and you're starting to get hungry. What you wouldn't give for a taste of Bucky’s hot soup.

You feel like you're in a cartoon, thought bubbles with his name and face popping up above your head constantly and you want to wave them away. But you're so cold, tired, and hungry. The ground at the side of the road sure is looking inviting for a nap.

Despite better judgment, you stop. Your legs ache and feel like jelly. Tears burn your eyes because you're mad at yourself for being so stubborn. And mad at Bucky for being an asshole.

You have to keep walking. It's the only way. But you don't want to. You want to sit down.

The ground is cold and hard, but also somehow soft. Soft enough to want to lie down. You can just rest your eyes for a few minutes then you'll get back up and walk again.

A deep sigh escapes you as your body relaxes into the hard surface and suddenly you start to feel warm again.

***

It isn’t like Bucky cares where you are. At least that's what he tells himself. You said you were going to your car, he thought to get something. He could have driven you but he just wanted to start his day slow and have his coffee before running out.

Since you aren't back, he assumes you got the car going.

The sat phone goes off and startles him as he sits deep in thought.

“Hey, it's Hal! I managed to get a tow for your friend's car, I have it by the shop but it's gonna be a few days until we can get to it, is that alright?”

“She isn't with you?” Bucky asks and deep lines form between his eyebrows.

“Eh, no, the car was empty. Wait, did you have a—”

Whatever Hal is about to say gets cut off as Bucky hangs up. You weren't by the car, but you're still not back. So where are you?

A tinge of panic rises in Bucky's chest, a feeling he refuses to analyze more at this moment. He heads for the door, unsure what he's gonna do, but he needs to go out and look for you.

“I’m so fucking stupid,” he tells himself as he starts his car. “She's found someone to catch a ride with. She doesn't want you to look for her. She doesn't care about you, so why should you care about her?”

But still, he drives slowly so as not to miss anything.

***

The sound of a car door slamming shut starts you awake. Fuck, you missed an opportunity to hitch a ride, is all you can think, and you try to sit up, open your eyes, and speak but your body is slow and sluggish. Then you hear a familiar voice. “What the fuck are you doing?”

In the next moment, you feel yourself being lifted. With great effort you manage to open your eyes and see the one man you'd hoped never to run into again. He places you in his truck, buckling you into the seat, before rounding it and getting in, not saying a word before turning on the empty road and heading back the way you came.

“No,” you press out hoarsely. “What were you doing?! Trying to walk to the nearest town?!” “Mmhm,” you answer and lean your head back. You're still tired and hungry, but the car is pleasantly warm. “How can you be so stupid? It's a two-hour drive!” You want to answer that you couldn't stay but all the energy has left your body so you just shrug.

It feels like you're back at the cabin in no time, as if you didn't make any headway on your walk at all.

Bucky reaches over to unbuckle you and carries you up to the cabin, putting you on the floor in front of the wood stove.

As he's putting more logs into the stove your head starts to spin, and a second later you’re lying on your side, having tipped over from the vertigo. “For fuck's sake!” Bucky growls. “Dizzy,” you manage to croak. “Just lay there until I've warmed up some soup,” he says and walks away. The heat from the fire makes sweat form on your brow, still bundled as you are in your thick jacket. You fumble to take it off, but your fingers won't cooperate. In record time, Bucky has a bowl of yesterday's soup on the floor next to you, and you've managed to get the zipper down a few inches.

With surprising care, far more than you expect, he gently helps you sit up and unzips your jacket, then assists with your boots as well. As he grabs your hand you can feel the stark difference between your cold fingers and his warm skin. No wonder you couldn't move the zipper.

After, he scooches in behind you so that his legs bracket your body, keeping you upright, before picking up the bowl and holding it in front of you. “I'm not feeding you, just be careful,” his grumpy voice says.

The spoon shakes as you pick it up, you lean forward at the same time to not spill anything. It's slow but it works. Feeling returns to your fingers, making them tingle and hurt. The food tastes amazing, but that's maybe because you're famished. It takes some time to finish the bowl, but once you do, you feel pleasantly full. There's a light, almost drunken sensation from how good you feel—warm, cared for, and nestled between the legs of a handsome man. All you have to do is overlook the minor detail that he happens to despise you. Why would he come and get you? You don't understand. Maybe he was headed somewhere else and happened to see you. But then again, why stop? You don’t mean anything to him.

“Why'd you stop?” you find yourself asking. The flames dance in front of you and you resist the urge to lean back into Bucky. There is no answer, just like you expect, and maybe that’s for the better.

Despite it still being early evening, you sigh and say, "I'm tired," as you push yourself up. Heading toward the couch, you sway on your feet, but Bucky is right behind you. It isn't until you're halfway there that you realize he's gently steering you toward his bedroom instead.

Too tired to question or analyze the situation, you head straight to bed. Your last thought is that you aren’t dying, but Bucky still touched you willingly.

[3d-wifey]

I've read that Johnny NSFW alphabet like 30 times, it was so gooddddd, there's been no good Johnny Cage smut or writing in general honestly. Your Johnny just feels so in character and you're feeding me crumbs, I need moreeee 🥺🥺🥺🥺 (that sneak peek made me levitate)

Show 'em Who I Belong To

Pairing: Johnny Cage x Reader Synopsis: Johnny has seriously pissed you off this time, like, royally. The "begging on his knees" kind of pissed off. But luckily, he knows just the thing to do to prove he’s sorry. Word Count: 2.58k Playlist: Here's a Johnny Cage playlist to read his smut or just get inspo from, I made it myself TW: Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex, Cunnilingus, dom!reader, sub!johnny cage, switch!Reader, switch!johnny cage, dom!johnny cage, sub!Reader, Forgiveness, Making Up, Apology Sex, Vaginal Penetration, Recording, Sex Tapes, Exhibitionism, Begging, Hand Jobs, Grinding, Crying During Sex, johnny cage loves you, johnny cage is just really really dumb, celebrity!reader, No Spoilers, Making Out, "straight" couple, johnny's slutty little slacks, Johnny cage is a little shit, Pussy drunk, cock drunk, Praise Kink, simp johnny cage, no other canon characters show up in this, Smut, Shameless Smut, Gratuitous Smut A/N: Since the poll I put on Tumblr voted for switch!Johnny, that's what I'm doing! This chapter will mostly be sub!johnny and dom!reader with a switch at the end. It's a bit of a mixed pov, but it's mainly from the reader's pov. Nothing but Dom!Johnny in the next chapter and sorry if the quality was lacking, I've slept a total of 10 hours in a span of 72 hours. CHECK OUT THAT JOHNNY NSFW ALPHABET I WROTE, IT'S CONSIDERED CANON TO THIS! Part 2 (tbm) Ao3

Your acrylics tap a beat onto the arm of the plush white couch as you read the tweet on your phone.

" Johnny Cage spotted cozying up on set with Co-Star. Has the star finally met his match? " Your nails stop and you glance at where Johnny kneels fidgeting on the floor in front of you before looking back to the screen.

He spreads his hands. "Okay, I know this looks bad." His voice floats in the otherwise quiet mansion. "But will you please stop ignoring me?"

You look down your nose at him. "Is this enough attention for you?" You sneer and he grimaces.

"My PR team cooked this up a while ago and they've been hounding me about it for ages. It was so unimportant to me that it sorta...slipped my mind." He shrugs and your glare hardens him. " C'mon , babe, it's just a little publicity stunt our agents had us do for the movie. It doesn't mean anything." He laughs and his nonchalance about the situation is pissing you off more than you already are.

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" You fume and his brows furrow. "This isn't funny, Jonathan."

" Oof, " he winces, "government name."

You're both celebrities, you know what you signed up for when you agreed to date him after years and years of his begging and truly horrible pickup lines.

You're not mad about the situation itself, not really. You've gotten into drama before loads of times to drum up hype around a new project, but nothing like this. At least, not while you were dating Johnny. 

You're mad that you had to find out about it from the trending page on Twitter along with a slew of concerned messages from your friends, family, and manager.

You scroll down and read messages concerned fans have posted, worried that you and Johnny have broken up or, worse, that he cheated on you. But you know that he knows that you know he wouldn’t dare.

"Look at this shit." You shove your phone in his face. The screen reflects off the sunglasses that sit low on the bridge of his nose and he squints as the brightness nearly blinds him. "'I hope this isn't how she finds out.' 'I'd be so embarrassed if I was her.' 'I knew Johnny wouldn't stay faithful for long.'"

He looks from you to the screen and then back to you. "...You're mad."

You stare down at him.

"You are un- fucking -believable.” You move to stand up, but he grabs ahold of your hips.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry ! I didn't mean to upset you. Next time, I'll give you a heads up— I mean I'll run it by you.” Johnny corrects, pulling you closer when you try to pull away again. "What can I do to make it up to you, huh?" The muscles in his biceps flex against you as he wraps his arms around your waist. You try to stay firm, but it's pretty hard when he's pressing reverent kisses to your stomach.

You shiver from the coldness of his rings as he runs a big hand up your calf, traveling up your outer thigh to hook the hem of your dress at your hip before repeating the process up your other leg.

You want to stay mad—you are mad. This is incredibly careless and he didn't consider your feelings at all and...and you don't want him to think he can get out of trouble by kissing up to you. But, begrudgingly, you card your fingers through the short hair at the nape of his neck.

"I'm still really upset about this, Johnny." You frown.

"I know, sweetheart. And I really am sorry. But, hey! I know something that'll make us both feel better." He grins up at you and you let him lead you back to the couch with a huff, dropping down once the back of your calves brush the white upholstery. 

“I’m sure you do.” You roll your eyes, spreading your legs to make room for him without thinking. “How would you —ahh !” You yelp at the sudden pinprick of pain on the skin of your inner thigh and it morphs into a moan when the pinch is quickly followed by a warm heat. You look down in time to see the pink of Johnny’s tongue as he licks over the tender spot—tender because he bit you like a damn dog!

“I’m sorry, what were you saying? I couldn’t really hear you over all those cute little noises.” You can feel the shit-eating grin against your skin as he talks. “You’re so sensitive. Definitely not a complaint—it does amazing things to my ego.” He laughs, hooking his hands under the back of your knees and pushing your legs up until the heels of your feet are balancing precariously on the edge of the seat.

He grips your hips, pulling you further down the couch and closer to his face. He moves your legs so your feet rest on his shoulders, the white polish of your toenails reflecting the light.

He leans in and you hold your breath in anticipation. You don’t want him to think he can just distract you and you’ll forget about being mad at him but—he leans in close to where the skirt of your sundress rucks up around your stomach, warm breath making you clench around nothing with each pant—but you like getting ate out almost as much as Johnny likes to do it.

You sigh as the warm, wet heat of his tongue drags across the damp seat of your panties. 

" Johnny. " You whine in frustration, fingers tightening in his sandy hair, as he pulls away as quickly as he came.

"Hold on, sweetheart. I think you're gonna like this." He grins, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. You pause as he unlocks it and presents it to you, camera on and recording you.

"What the hell are you doing?" You try to push as much disapproval into your voice as you can as you flip it from the front-facing camera to the rear one, but that’s an almost impossible task since he’s rubbing his nose up and down the crease of where your thigh meets your pussy. You end up sounding far more breathy than intended.

"What?” He grins into the camera. “You can watch this whenever you need a reminder of who I belong to." He says and if you weren't wet before, you definitely are now.

For as long as you’ve known him, Johnny has never been one to half-ass anything . It’s whole ass or nothing with him putting 110% into everything he’s faced with. However, when you first started dating, you hadn’t thought that would hold up when he had his head between your legs—yet another thing Johnny went out of his way to prove you wrong about.

The camera captures it the moment he pushes your panties to the side; he’s in his element.

There’s no preamble, no warning. Johnny dives in giving you no time to prepare for the shock of pleasure. You jerk away, but he holds onto your hips, hands becoming heavy weights you can’t lift. 

“You always taste so good for me, it’s insane.” He groans as your thighs try to squeeze his head, but he keeps them open easily. You sigh shakily at the casual show of strength. “I’d stay down here forever if you’d let me.” You bite your lip to muffle your soft moans, reminding yourself to steady the phone every few seconds, but forgetting to do so almost as soon as you do. But you can’t be blamed when Johnny gives head like he’s training for the Olympics; trying to break his previous record each attempt. You’ve been eaten out by people other than Johnny—of course, you have. It’s a requirement—but none of your past lovers come anywhere close to this. Johnny blows them out of the water every time.

That would be fine if you didn’t factor in his ego. Which would also be fine…any other day. But today, after the shit he pulled, you aren’t in the mood. This is supposed to be his way of apologizing, after all. So before he can get any ideas, you blink past the haze he’s put you in and grab the back of his neck. His back stiffens. He glances up at you and the shift is so swift that you doubt the camera even picked it up. His shoulders relax, almost limp against you, wide eyes going lidded as his grip on you softens.

“I know you can be louder than that, Johnny. I, hah , wanna hear how sorry you are. You are sorry, right?” You narrow your eyes.

His words are muffled since he refuses to take his mouth off of you, but you’re able to make out ‘yes’ and ‘princess’ which is good enough for you. Through the camera, you manage to get his pleading eyes and his hand unabashedly palming his bulge in the same frame and you smile around a moan.

"Are you hard, Johnny?" He doesn't hesitate to nod enthusiastically, and you feel yourself throb in his mouth. You're sure if your feet were on the ground he'd be grinding against your leg shamelessly. His body knows this too since his hips keep making aborted little thrusts, itching for relief from his tight gray slacks. "Heh, of course, you are. You can't help yourself, c–can you? Go on, then.”

He pauses, assessing you for a second to see if you’ll follow it up with anything else. You’re being surprisingly benevolent. He always has to work to earn your approval when you get like this, any pleasure he gets is dictated by you—not that he’s complaining—and that’s on the days when he hasn’t pissed you off. He honestly didn’t think he’d be cumming tonight, but he won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 

He buries his tongue in you, licking from your pulsing hole to your throbbing clit as his hands work to unbuckle his belt and pull his dick out. He groans in relief once he’s free, squeezing the base of his dick so he doesn’t cum too quickly. You’re certainly not helping, shivering against him like a house in a storm and he moans in synch with you when you yank on his hair.

He freezes at the press of sharp nails at the nape of his neck. He shivers at the slight pinch of pain before leaning into it and you reward him with smoothing down the hair there. He stops the movement of his hands, but not his mouth.

“If you’re touching yourself, you’ll do it slowly or not at all. You wanna make it up to me, don’t you? Yeah ?” You hiss as he nods against you, mouth a tight suction on your clit. “Then you don’t cum until I do.” Normally he’s more bratty than this, making you fuck the submission out of him, but he must really be sorry because he does just as you say. He slows down as you instruct, his sharp brows furrowing as one of his hands grip the fat of your thigh. His other hand jerks him off haltingly like he actively has to remind himself to obey you. 

“You’re being so good for me, baby.” You gush, squirming in his hold. “ Mmh, s’fucking good.” You have to adjust your grip on his phone when he grunts at your praise, uncertain if you should jerk away or towards the vibrations. You run your nails over his scalp before yanking on his blond hair and he moans like a pornstar, hips thrusting into his hand. To the untrained eye—or ear—it seems like he’s playing it up for the camera, performing, but he’s always this loud. Especially when he’s got your pussy in his mouth.

It's almost embarrassing, the wet sounds of Johnny sloppily eating you out. Your moans mix with his and bounce around the mansion's walls with a filthy echo the longer this goes on. 

He stiffens his tongue and you know what he wants. You move your hand to the back of his head, gripping the soft strands to pull him forward. You thrust your hips with helpless, heady moans as you fuck his face. His heavy gaze burns through the camera to stare up at you with his tongue out. The corner of his mouth quirks up into a smirk and he winks. You throw your head back, eyes closed with an obscene moan and he moves forward to press his nose against your clit, tongue flat as you move his head side to side.

“Johnny , mmh, ‘m gonna, f– fuck, ‘m gonna cum!” You cry and he moans into you in response. You glance down to see his foggy glasses riding low on his nose and he stares right back, brown eyes half open but full of lust. The apples of his flushed cheeks become accentuated, sharpening with his grin. The barest hint of teeth brush your clit before pressing against it and you jerk back with the strength of your orgasm. Your mouth falls open with a repeated whine of his name, legs shaking as you hold his head still.

“Damn.” He curses, pulling away when your muscles untense. He doesn't bother wiping his mouth, wearing your slick like a trophy as he smiles into the camera. “Should’ve got that on camera. It was a money shot.” You scoff, smiling despite yourself. You pull his glasses off and sit them on your head before you press stop on the camera and toss the phone on the couch beside you, pulling him to you by the open collar of his button-up. You kiss him deep, tasting yourself on his tongue with a groan. His hands go to your hips and you wrap your legs around his waist, licking into his mouth. 

“You played dirty.” You slide your hand down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as you go. You grab his dick, still hard and leaking against his stomach. He laughs before whimpering into your mouth at your touch, rutting up into it. You swipe a thumb across his tip where precum drips down the underside of the head. "You're so wet, baby. This all for me?" You pull away to lick yourself off him, tongue dragging across the skin of his chin as you twist your wrist with every upward stroke. 

"Are you joking? O–of course. Can, shit , can you blame me?” He puffs into your neck, hot air warming your neck as you alternate between licking and kissing his jaw. His fingers spasm around your hips, and your hands fly to his shoulders when he pulls you forward until your ass is barely on the edge of the couch. Now he’s in the perfect position to—

You gasp as he ruts against you, still sensitive as his dick slides between your pussy lips. There’s no friction with how wet you both are and with every upwards thrust he bumps your twitching clit. 

“Wait, I’m— mmnh —Johnny, I’m sensitive.” 

“Ah, ah, sweetheart. You said I can cum when you do,” you jump when he nips at your neck, strong arms wrapping around your back holding you tight to him. “Besides, I’m not done apologizing.” You rock against him despite your complaining. The overwhelming feeling only increases when he bends over you to reach something, and it’s enough to distract you from the sound a phone makes when you press record.

[haveyoureadthismcytfic]

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[whatsk-poppinhomies]

Pairing : Dad!Hwang Hyunjin x F!Reader TW : the child is already born, she's around a year and a half ; reader is extremely stressed ; angsty ; Word Count : 2.8k Request : I actually do think I have a request for angsty dad Hyunjin, plus it won the poll so... YES! A/N : I know that the other angsty dad ones kind of started with reader being pregnant, but I wanted to switch things up because I don't want to keep repeating the same storyline over and over again... Hope that's okay! Also, this was left on a verrrry open cliffhanger. And yes, there will definitely be a part 2!

It was hard being a mother. The pains of pregnancy, labor, and the healing process afterwards, it was just hard. You had signed up for it though, and it had been rewarding once you had been able to hold your little girl in your arms for the first time. Watching her grow into the adorable little infant that she was now, it made all the pain and hardships worth it. She was the greatest gift. 

It was a struggle though to be the mother to the daughter of a k-pop idol, especially when that idol had so proudly posted about her from the moment she was born. It wouldn’t have been a problem if he stuck around more, but with him having to work and never really being at home, it was a hassle even getting out of the house some days. You felt stuck, you felt trapped, and he just got to continue living his famous life as if nothing were going on at all. 

It was a slap in the face to see him get to live a life of luxury, going out to parties and being able to go out to eat with the guys. His life didn’t get put on hold, he got to continue living as if he didn’t have a daughter at home, as if you weren’t at home trying to hold everything together. You’d see him walk down red carpets with camera lights flashing in his face as he smiled and waved, all while you stayed home with your daughter on your hip as you tried to cook dinner for yourself and feed your daughter and make sure that the laundry was done. 

Maybe it wouldn’t bother you so much if he even took the time to call you when he had a break, but he didn’t even do that. It’s like you and your daughter didn’t exist when he was out, it truly felt that way, and it was heartbreaking. Hyunjin was the love of your life, he was the father of your child. When he and you first got together, you couldn’t imagine spending the rest of your life with anyone but him. He’d call you constantly, he’d send you pictures, he’d video call you, he’d do anything to make you feel like you were a part of his little world even though you couldn’t be there. When your daughter came along he kept up the act, at least for the first 5 months. It didn’t even gradually stop either, it was like you had hit a brick wall, he just stopped completely. You’d bring it up to him and he’d make excuses of being busy and not having the time to really call or text you. It was always the same thing over and over and over again. You dealt with it for 13 months now, almost an entire year of being ignored and being treated like nothing more than his baby’s mother, not the mother of his child. 

How long were you expected to put up with it? How long did he expect you to put up with it? When he came home it felt more like he was just doing a routine visitation for his daughter, it’s like you weren’t even together at this point. He’d wrap one arm around you, giving you a little side hug and kissing the top of your head before focusing maybe an hour of attention on your daughter (if she was lucky), before saying that he had to leave again. 

He was too famous for this life, and while most women would say that they were going to do their man a favor and leave, you knew that you had done enough favors for him. You were raising his daughter with no help. You kept his house clean, you were there for him if and when he needed you, you were everything that he could have ever wanted you to be… But he was nothing for you. He had simply become your daughter's father, and that was all. You were tired of doing it by yourself and thinking that maybe one day he’d come around. It was obvious that day would never come. It was time for you to do yourself a favor. If you were going to live the life of a single mother, you might as well be one. 

“Are you excited to go home and see Y/N and the baby?” Felix asked as he and Hyunjin made their way off the plane, dodging the grabbing hands of fans with the help of the security team that ushered them through the airport. Flashing lights blinded their peripheral vision, and they both stayed focused on the light of day on the other side of the exit door in front of them. 

“Of course I am!” Hyunjin exclaimed, his smile growing wider as he thought about finally being able to see you and his daughter again. “I miss them so much… I just feel like every time I do get to see them I have to leave immediately. I know it’s not fair… She’s doing it all by herself. She’s like… She’s like a super mom, you know?” He rambled adoringly about you, his eyes practically shooting hearts whenever he spoke about you or even thought about you. “Whenever I get time off from the group I have to do a promotion for something else and… I just feel like I’m missing everything. I feel like the worst dad… The worst boyfriend…” 

“I’m sure Y/N understands. I mean… You’ve been keeping in touch with her, right?” Felix asked, looking up at Hyunjin who looked far more shameful now as his head dropped. “You… You have been talking to her, haven’t you? I mean… We’ve been gone for almost a whole month… It’s not like you haven’t talked to her for a whole month… Right?!” Felixs voice raised an octave with each repetition of the question. 

“I’ve been busy and… I know that she gets busy too… And time zones are confusing so I don’t know when she gets the baby to sleep for naps or when she’s sleeping… I just… And I lose track of time and I’m just so busy…” Hyunjin tried to explain, but Felix was left slack jawed and shocked at the seeming lack of both responsibility and empathy for the fact that he hadn’t been in contact with you for an entire month. “Don’t look at me like that… I’m sure she’ll understand!” Hyunjin whined, climbing into the back seat of the car that was waiting for him and Felix. 

“Do you… Do you do this every time you’re gone? I mean… I’m not trying to get in the middle but… I just know that if I had a girlfriend and a child back at home when I’m out… I’d be on the phone constantly with her… Like… I don’t understand how you could just go an entire month without talking to your girlfriend or even checking up on her and your kid…” Felix ranted, not even trying to come down on Hyunjin, but that’s the way it felt. 

“Y/N is different… She doesn’t need constant attention. She understands that I’m busy, that I can’t be on the phone all the time, that I can’t always be home…” Hyunjin mumbled, running his hand through his hair as he let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I don’t want to be stressed out before I see her and the baby. Let’s just not talk about this, okay?” 

Felix rolled his eyes, but kept his mouth shut. Felix was more realistic, that, and the fact that he had met you multiple times. He knew how you were, and while it was obvious that you loved Hyunjin and you weren’t exactly clingy, he knew that you weren’t the type of person to just sit idly by waiting for Hyunjin to realize that he had more priorities than just being an idol and a spokesperson. Sadly, Hyunjin didn’t see that, and Felix feared that at some point it’ll be too late for his hyung… He just didn’t know how soon that time was. 

“Baby, I’m home!” Hyunjin called out as he walked through the front door. It was nice, it felt good to finally be home. There was a stillness in the air, and while it felt strange, there were still toys in the home that belonged to his daughter and nothing seemed out of place… At least not in the living area. You must have just gone out to the store or went to visit your friends or something. 

The kitchen was empty, there were no dishes in the sink, and while that wasn’t out of the norm in any way, the thin layer of dust that lined the counter tops was weird. It was like the kitchen hadn’t been used in a week or two, and now Hyunjin was beginning to panic as he set down his bag on the dusty countertop and made his way into the nursery. 

“Honey?” Hyunjin called out again, almost desperately now as he walked further into the room. The furniture was all still there, but much like the kitchen counter, it too had begun to form dust on the flat surfaces. Did something happen while he was away? It didn’t look that way, at least not in the apartment. Some things were missing though… The picture of the day that his daughter was born had been taken off the little dresser, and now that he was really focusing on everything, he could see that certain spaces in the closet were empty where clothes had once been hanging. 

He didn’t want to believe the thoughts that were going through his mind right now. He wanted to believe that there was another reason for the missing items, maybe they were just hanging in the shared closet in your bedroom. Maybe that’s where everything was. In the back of his mind he knew that he was wrong, but he just didn’t want to let go of that little thread of hope that he might be right, so he went to the bedroom and pushed open the door. 

The bed had been neatly made, and in the center of it sat a little note, one that he refused to read right now. Instead, he went straight to the closet, throwing it open to see that it had been emptied almost completely and the suitcases that had been stored off to the side were now gone. It was obvious what was going on, and while he didn’t want to read the note because he was sure that it would only validate what he knew to be true, he felt like he had to read it. 

With wobbly legs and tear filled eyes, he made his way over to the bed and shakily picked up the note. He could barely even make out the words through his tears, but he tried to, his voice raspy as he whispered out the words that were neatly written on the paper. 

“Hyunjin, 

I love you, I truly do.. Or, I did. I don’t know how I feel now. Well, I know how I FEEL in general… Empty, stressed, lonely, depressed… I just don’t know how I feel about YOU. I used to think about you and I’d get butterflies and I felt fuzzy and warm and I KNEW that that meant I loved you… Now when I think about you, I can only feel anger… And the only reason that I THINK I even feel a LITTLE bit of love towards you is because you ARE the father of my child and she is beginning to look like you, and maybe it’s because of that and because I love HER so much that I feel even an inkling of love for you. 

Either way, I can’t keep living like this. I’m alone in this house, YOUR house that was supposed to be OUR home for OUR family… But everything has fallen on me. While you get to go out and have fun with all your famous friends and go to all your famous people parties, I’m stuck at home being a mother to OUR child, and being a maid in YOUR house. I have been doing EVERYTHING on my own, I have become a single mother while still dealing with the inconvenience of having YOUR child because I can’t even take her out into the world without being bombarded by YOUR fans and you’re not even here to help. 

I have supported you, I have loved you, I gave you a child… And all I wanted was just a little bit of support from you, I wanted to feel loved by you… But after 13 MONTHS of being left alone with only short visits from you when you find the time to come see us… I’ve come to realize that you’re unable to love anyone BUT yourself. I’d say that I’m tired of fighting for myself and our daughter to be a priority to you, but you’re not even around long enough for me to try to fight for that spot. 

Your life is far too busy, and while I understand your line of work, I’ll never understand why you’d give me this false sense of hope that I and our daughter would ever be important to you. I don’t know why you’d even take the risk of getting me pregnant, and while I love our daughter with my entire heart and every ounce of my being, I cannot for the life of me understand why you’d want to have a child and pretend to be excited when you KNEW you’d never be around for her OR me. 

So, I’m done… I’ve gone home to be with my family and I’ve taken the baby with me. Of course, I won’t keep her from you, although you’ve kept yourself from her for a majority of her life. I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference that I’m in America now considering you only really come to visit us once a month for an hour, so it really won’t be much different from how it was before. I guess you’ll be able to visit her when you’re doing one of your many tours that kept you away from us in general. 

There is a time difference, so, when you do get this note, keep in mind that myself and the baby and the rest of my family might be sleeping if you decide to text or call me… Which in itself would be ironic considering you didn’t even do that when we were together. 

Anyway, that’s all. Thank you for giving me a beautiful baby girl, and thank you for the two and a half years of happiness that you did give me… But, I can’t keep living like this. Goodbye.”

Just like that, you were gone… Not just you, but his daughter as well. You both were gone, and it wasn’t as easy as going down the street or something to talk to you… You had gone all the way to America to be with your family… And it would be almost impossible for him to get cleared by management to just hop on the next plane to go see you and talk to you. He wanted to call you, he wanted to beg you to come back home, to bring the baby back home… But even if the time difference wasn’t a factor in him not calling you right now, your emotions and everything that you were feeling had been written out for him in black and white. 

He didn’t know the first thing that he’d say to you when he called you, and he knew that he couldn’t just beg… And while he understood what you had said in the note, he never thought that you’d feel that way. He had assumed that he was doing the right thing… But he wasn’t… And now you and his daughter, his family, you were both gone, on the opposite side of the world, in a different time zone… He could do nothing… 

And now that he had the time and the unbearable silence to really think, to let his thoughts go wild… Not being able to do anything right now is no different than what was done before. He had gone entire months without talking to or seeing you and his daughter when he was on the other side of the world… He had no problem with it before. Now it was you who was gone, and you weren’t messaging him… The only difference is that he didn’t know if you were coming back, and right now… It felt like you never were. 

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[doyoulikethis-videogame-song]

Ask Masterpost 2/1/2025

Fourth edition! I changed some formatting things for better readability.

Summary:

Permissibility of creator-leaked/teased soundtracks (Not allowed)

Proposal of demographics poll

Permissibility of Simlish covers (Allowed)

What franchise has the most polls?

Permissibility of remixes of licensed music (Allowed)

Inquiry about duplicate submissions

Permissibility of pinball soundtracks (Not Allowed) and Inquiry about ports of older games

Permissibility of unused tracks in the game files (Allowed)

Permissibility of roblox game tracks (Allowed)

Highest "I like & I know it" song?

Inquiry about revealing the composer before the reveal

Proposal of demographics poll

"Can we submit 'leaked' soundtracks from games if the creator leaked/teased them?"

I'm going to say no, because there's a broad spectrum of scenarios that could happen in between the 'leak' and the official launch of the song that would technically make the 'leak' not indicative of the final product and of course you don't know that until the final product is released :').

----------

@pomrania asked:

Is there any chance we could get a poll on what people mean when they vote for that they like a song, or that it sounds familiar? For me, "I like this song" means "I'd want to listen to it again once it's revealed", and "it sounds familiar" generally means "I'm not sure whether I've heard it before but I might have" also sometimes it's "I know I haven't heard this SPECIFIC song before, but I recognize the motifs in it".

Or if that's not something you'd want to make a poll for, then I'd still be interested in seeing what people say for how they vote on things, like in the comments.

I think this would be super interesting to do for a special event or something like that! I've been curious about demographics and other general statistics for a while now. I'm actually starting to have quite a good rhythm with managing the blog now so I may begin implementing the fun side ideas I've had sometime soon (or at least, I hope so, this semester is looking rough LOL)

----------

Can we submit simlish versions of popular songs, like simlish Katy Perry?

They're remixes for a game so absolutely! I think we already have some in the submissions queue.

----------

Which franchise/game has the most polls?

It's probably destiny (forlorn, distant stare).

----------

@haellen-o asked:

Is licensed music created/remixed for video games allowed?

(examples being the version of rob zombies dragula in the original jet set radio. And ludens by bring my the horizon)

It's an official remix for the game's soundtrack, so absolutely :).

----------

Out of curiosity, how often do you get duplicate requests from different people (or maybe the same person, worried you never got their first response, lol)? I think you've said you have around 7,000 requests, is that after removing duplicates or before?

We honestly have a lot of duplicate requests for popular games, and we've been shaving down the duplicates as we go along and queue new submissions. I think we've cut down AROUND ~1000 duplicates so far (we're not done!) and these are mostly very popular (at least on tumblr) games such as disco elysium, sonic series games, in stars and time, final fantasy, pokemon, tf2, mass effect, hollow knight, legend of zelda, just off the top of my head. The 7000 number was from before removing duplicates.

----------

for older games where the music is ported to different consoles, would the soundtracks be considered separate if the soundfonts impact them enough, or do they have to be very, VERY different? Like if a game was released on pc vs a 32x port.

Also, if a pinball cabinet includes a soundtrack, is that considered a video game soundtrack?

I would honestly just submit your PREFERRED version (if the soundfonts did differ), and I would put BOTH versions into the reveal, since I don't think this is a common enough occurrence to be significantly obnoxious/unfair for whatever reason. As for the pinball question, last masterpost answered overwhelmingly 'no', so I'm going to say no as well :').

----------

Are unused vgms allowed for submission? So in the files but never added to the game itself.

If you can credit the creator of the tracks then yes! (provided they're in the files in the final publicly released version and not from a demo/waiting for a future update to be implemented in a live service game/etc)

----------

are roblox games allowed?

Yes, if you can credit the creator of the tracks and they were made for that roblox game :).

----------

what song had the highest "I like it and I've definitely heard it before" percent?

I think it is still #100, which was Megalovania from Undertale (85.20%) Correction: It's Death By Glamour, #460, at 87% :)

----------

@enderlordisadumbusername asked:

are we allowed to mention song composers before the song has been revealed?

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And please do!!!!!! (This will literally only give away the game if you were already familiar enough to know the composer, so it's actually very perfect)

----------

Would you or have you ever run a poll to gauge how much of a song your followers listen to before voting?

Definitely considering it after learning a lot of people don't listen to the full song or even at least the first minute...

[sister-lucifer]

Taken To Another World 

⊹₊⟡⋆A Multifandom Fantasy AU Themed 5K Celebration Writing Challenge⊹₊⟡⋆

Special thanks to @ghostboneswrites2 for inspiring this! 

Interested? Keep reading! 

There will be two prompts for each genre; a pair for fluff, a pair for smut, a pair for angst, and a pair for horror. Each prompt comes with its own criteria, so read carefully! 

How To Participate: 

Reblog this post (for reach! thanks!) 

Pick a prompt (or multiple) 

Write your fic 

Post it and tag me (feel free to send it to me directly if I don’t see it!) 

Use the tag #lucifer’s 5k fantasy challenge 

The fandoms this challenge is open to are as follows: 

Obey Me!, Creepypasta, Marble Hornets, Batman (and all related media), Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (all parts), and any original characters/universes.

Don’t see your fandom? You’re still free to use these prompts (and please tag me if you do so I can see it,) but it unfortunately will not count as an entry for this challenge!

Rules: 

Feel free to pick multiple prompts, but you cannot enter more than one fic per prompt! 

The fics can be part of your own ongoing series, but they must be able to stand alone as their own piece without the additional context of the series 

Please state which prompt you chose somewhere on your post 

Feel free to cross post your work to another site such as Ao3, but please, do mention that it was part of my challenge 

Anyone can participate in this challenge, however I ask that minors stay away from the NSFW prompts 

You are free to bend the prompts as you wish, there is no mandatory time period or setting 

My inbox and messages are always open if you need to ask questions, consult me, or just want to discuss ideas!

The fics can be Character x Reader, Character x OC, or Character x Character; relationships can be platonic or romantic as you wish

Some prompts are written with pairs in mind; feel free to modify this to fit in as many characters as you’d like. Poly relationships included!

Absolutely NO incest OR pedophilia under any circumstances 

NO AI, NO using other people’s writing, and NO using a piece you’ve already written

Pay attention to the criteria! Prompt 1 will have a required quote, and Prompt 2 will have a required plot point/action

The Deadline is currently undecided. This will be updated soon 

Winners: 

I will choose up to 3 finalists for each prompt.  The finalists will be presented in a poll, and the readers will choose the winner. 

The winner of each prompt will get their own shoutout/promo post including an analysis of what I liked about their fic, & at least 3 fics I recommend from them and why. 

Does all that sound like fun? Good! Here’s your prompts:

Over The River, Through The Woods…

Fluff + Faeries

Prompt 1:  In a fit of rebellion, a naive royal flees from the castle and into the woods. They stumble upon a faerie who, against all they’ve ever been taught, seems rather…kind. 

Necessary Criteria: “Anyone can do a good thing if they try.” / “Well…how often do you try?”

Prompt 2: Fae don’t often leave their villages, except to gather. Unfortunately, one foolish faerie has found themself entangled in a trap left behind by a human hunter. Even worse, the human has returned to see what they’ve caught; although, they seem far more curious than hostile. 

Necessary Criteria: One of the characters teaches the other a new word in their native tongue. 

Magic Begins In Superstition, And Ends In Science…

Angst + Alchemy 

Prompt 1: The job of an alchemist’s apprentice is rarely an easy one. Magic is a fickle mistress, after all. When the apprentice’s companion tries to pull them away from their work, the argument gets heated, until the pressure becomes too much and causes an intense explosion…literally. 

Necessary Criteria: “You’re not even smart enough to understand what I do, and you think you get to tell me when to stop working?!”

Prompt 2: The alchemist’s work is starting to consume them. Blinded by their pursuit of knowledge, they recklessly decide to slip a bit of their newest experimental concoction into their companion’s meal without their knowledge. The alchemist convinces themselves this is all for the greater good, and surely nothing all that bad could happen, but soon comes to regret it. 

Necessary Criteria: A horrible transformation. 

The Tongue May Be Twice As Sharp And Thrice As Lethal As The Blade…

Smut + Swords 

Prompt 1: A rivalry between two swordsman gets a bit out of hand when the pair decide to make a salacious bet over a duel: whoever loses must play submissive to the other, starting from the moment they drop their sword. 

Necessary Criteria: “Don’t think I’ll surrender that easily.” / “Mm, I didn’t think you would…I like it so much more when you’re fiery.”

Prompt 2: A courageous knight rescues a royal from the clutches of peril, and their majesty simply can’t let their hero leave without thoroughly rewarding them for such bravery. 

Necessary Criteria: The pair narrowly avoid being caught in the act. 

Cursed Is The Man Who Dies, But The Evil Done By Him Survives…

Horror + Hexes

Prompt 1: Foolish explorers accidentally wander into a witch’s garden. One of them can’t resist plucking a berry from a bush, not giving it a second thought as they swallow it down, only for the horrific consequences of a curse to start taking form the next day. 

Necessary Criteria: “Please…you have to tell me you know how to make this stop.” 

Prompt 2: While treasure hoarding is generally frowned upon among honorable bounty hunters, some simply can’t kick the habit. This quickly proves to be a terrible mistake, though, as a cursed trinket starts to warp its owner’s mind and plunge them into a darkness that turns them on the one they love most. 

Necessary Criteria: Creative use of an everyday object as a weapon. 

Final Reminders:

Most importantly: Have Fun! 

Make sure to read the rules carefully! 

You’re always free to ask questions! 

Tag me in your entry + use the tag #lucifer’s 5k fantasy challenge! 

Happy Writing, everyone!

(even if you don’t plan to participate, please reblog and share this post so others will see it!)

[worldly-fluster]

Oki this is Part 2 of the "Someone else says I love you/asks you out before him"

I know at least some of you are excited for this, I hope it turns out good cause I have no plan, we ball lol

Sylus, Xavier, Zayne, Rafayel

I'm gonna base what happens on the random poll I didn't mean to make and make this into mostly fluff-hopefully. @lemurianmaster Hope this met expectations ❤️

ALSO- I'm feeling a little unsatisfied with Xavier's so I might make a stand alone post for his, I mean, I'll finish this one but imma make another cause it just doesn't sit right with me how his went. I is unsatisfied lol

Sylus-

Recap: Sylus saw you being friendly with a 'rando' at a coffee shop, the last thing he heard before the guy left was 'bye babes, Love you!'

•...Uh Oh. Oh no.

•He was nothing if not pissed.

•Before he could get up and get between you two, you both went separate ways and you came back to your seat next to him.

•He already has Mephisto following the guy though.

•He would do it himself but he wants to spend as much time with you as he can.

•He gives you a smirk, with a raised eyebrow. If you squint you could see a little bit of a furrow between.

•You barely notice, still too happy off of seeing 'that rando' as you start prattling off.

•He's in the middle of imagining ways to...play with this guy, not really paying attention to what you're saying and nodding along, when he hears it.

•Something that makes him freeze up.

•"-I haven't seen my cousin in so long-"

•He doesn't even realize he stopped breathing for a moment until you ask if he's okay.

•His shoulders relaxed, as if the weight of the world left his shoulders as he smiles.

•"I'm alright now Sweetie, just figured something out that has bothered me is all...what do you say we go to my place for some one on one time? I think Mephisto needs attention."

Xavier-

Recap: Tara was bored and Nero was wanting to start shit lol. Nero tried asking you on a date, as a friend of course, and Xavier didn't take it well...

•Xavier didn't know what to do.

•He wants you to stay by his side at all times, but if being with someone that isn't...him... is what will make you happy then, what else can he do?

•He feels that pulling away from you would help but every time he even thinks about you with someone else, well, his evol acts up...

•One time his evol caused a black out and you kinda freaked out in your apartment alone, you booked it to Xavier's apartment for 'safety'.

•Needless to say after that there were multiple power outages.

•Just knowing that you would choose to go to him instead of anyone else-any man- it made him feel better.

•He can live like this...for maybe a bit more.

•He'll tell you sooner or later but right now he just wants- needs you.

Zayne-

Recap: Zayne overheard you and Grayson trying to figure out how he(Grayson) can confess to a girl he likes but Zayne misunderstood it thinking Grayson was confessing to you, he gets overwhelmed from work and the stress from this 'confession' and passes out. Next thing he knows he's waking up to your note telling him to rest...

•Zayne refuses to talk to Grayson in the week that follows.

•He just can't get it out of his head, hearing him 'confess' to you really hit a nerve.

•It doesn't help that he hasn't been able to see you or hear from you in that time because you got swamped in work, he knows you procrastinated but it came back to bite you. He just hates that it bit him too. Huff.

•In his mind you and Grayson may as well be dating, especially since he heard that Grayson got a girlfriend the day after he heard the 'confession'.

•He stressing.

•Yvonne went into his office one day and when she saw him working non stop, she convinced him to take a short break. His hands were shaking from too much Caffeine and not enough food, so he agreed easily.

•He could not have been more grateful for this break.

•He saw Grayson eating lunch with this girl, holding her hand, staring lovingly into her eyes. They kissed.

•At first he thought Grayson was cheating on you, but then the pieces started to come together.

•You weren't dating Grayson.

•He felt like his heart was flying.

•The feeling of relief made his head spin slightly, or that could have been the lack of eating, who knows.

•He immediately pulled out his phone, with a soft smile on his face and called you.

•"Hello?"

•"It's been a while. If you aren't busy, would you like to go to the new bakery that opened not far from the hospital? We can catch up, my treat."

Rafayel-

Recap: He was wanting attention and tried calling you but you didn't answer. He got excited when you 'called back' only to be disappointed when he heard you talk about being in love with this Mystery guy, he got sad and hung up. We ended with him cuddling with your plushies and blankets you left at his place. Now we continue...

•He is ignoring you...for all but 10 minutes.

•He sent an S.O.S text to both you and Thomas.

•then put his phone on silent to wait.

•Ended up falling asleep in the blankets and plushies.

•Woke up not long after to someone banging on his door.

•He wonders who it is.

•When he opens the door, he doesn't even get the chance to get a full 'Welp hello miss bodyguard' before you're all in his business. Checking for injuries and making sure he's okay.

•His heart feels like it's dying. He swears.

•"Why did you text S.O.S??? Thomas is freaking out thinking your dying!"

•You notice he isn't responding and just staring at you.

•You take his face in your hands and rub your thumbs on his cheeks while searching his face.

•You can hear him breathe in sharply as his hands loosely grip onto your wrists to keep them there.

•This.

•This is where he belongs. In your hands.

•Even if you 'love someone else', as long as you stay by his side he doesn't mind facing the world anymore.

[devildom-moss]

November poll story - pt. 2

Denial - Mephistopheles

(Mephistopheles x gn!MC)

(NSFW) (sub!Mephistopheles / dom!MC) (NSFW tags: denial; edging; ruined orgasm; no penetration; no orgasm; handjob; public why have I developed such an intense exhibitionist/risk of getting caught headcanon for him?; partially clothed Mephi, fully clothed reader; "good boy" for Mephisto he's such a good boy and I'll die on that hill)

(other tags: slight jealousy, slight angst, insecurity)

Word Count: +2,900

“Can I borrow you in the newspaper room, MC?” Mephisto nudged his way into your conversation with Satan about that mystery novel he had lent you last month.

“Not right now,” you dismissed him.

“I only need a few minutes of your time,” Mephisto insisted.

“But –”

“Go ahead,” Satan sighed, assuming you were declining on his behalf. “We can continue this later.”

“Excellent.” Mephisto placed a firm hand on your back and quickly pushed you towards the newspaper room as if he had been waiting for Satan’s approval to steal you away. Of course, that was because Mephisto assumed you wanted to go with him – and usually you did.

The second Mephisto stepped foot into the empty newspaper room, he shut the door and pushed your back against it. His lips pressed to yours in hungry, ravenous kisses. Those warm, gloved hands took hold of you by the back of your neck as he pushed his tongue into your mouth. A low growl left him, vibrating through you. The need was tangible. You could taste how much he craved you.

Yet, you pushed the starved demon back. Mephisto stared at you, breath ragged and eyes bewildered. “Again?”

You could hardly keep track of the number of times you had given Mephisto the slip over the last few weeks. If you had to take a guess, perhaps eight. Every time Mephisto tried to pull you into an empty classroom or the newspaper room when he knew no one would be there, you either refused to go with him or you pushed him away as quickly as he had gotten his hands and lips on you. It had grown frustrating. Just last month, you had five different secret rendezvouses throughout the campus – with no complaints, Mephisto would add. Not all of them ending in sex, but it was at least enough to satisfy his growing desire for you. Now, you scarcely let him kiss you before you provided a half-baked excuse as to why you needed to leave.

“I need to meet Solomon for –” you started with another excuse, trying to maneuver out of his grasp.

“No.” Mephisto boxed you in against the door, his arms planted firmly on either side of your body.

“Isn’t this a bit cliché: trapping me against the door?” You rolled your eyes at him.

“What’s up with you?” Mephisto huffed and inched closer to your face, searching your eyes for anything that would explain your sudden withdrawal.

~

The answer he was searching for was that this was, for the most part, a punishment of his own making. Three weeks ago, you overheard a conversation between Lucifer, Diavolo, Barbatos, and Mephisto. You didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you had a report to drop off, and they were all chatting in the student council room when you heard your name leave Diavolo’s mouth.

“Are you friends with MC already, Mephistopheles?” Diavolo asked.

“I beg your pardon, My Lord?” Mephisto sounded like he had been caught off guard. You knew you shouldn’t have been listening from the hallway, but you were equal parts anxious, curious, and hoping not to embarrass anyone by showing up right as they were talking about you.

“You seem to have taken a liking to them, am I wrong?”

“I have to agree, Young Master,” Barbatos concurred. “I’ve spotted you two together on multiple occasions, Mephistopheles. Certainly, you must be on friendly terms by now.”

“Is that so?” Diavolo mused. “Have you noticed anything, Lucifer?”

“MC has not mentioned Mephisto once in my presence, although I have seen them together. Perhaps it’s one-sided, then.”

“I have absolutely no interest in that human!” Mephisto interjected – loud and adamant.

Your heart sank when those words left his mouth. Although you couldn’t fault him for trying to keep the details of your relationship a secret, there was something harsh and cruel about his denial. It was so extreme. He wouldn’t even say your name. He had reduced you down to “that human.”

“Oh?” Diavolo questioned him. “That’s a shame. I was hoping you would get along.”

“We aren’t enemies, My Lord!” Mephisto tried to course-correct. “We just aren’t that friendly, is all.”

You took a deep breath before entering the council room.

“Ah, MC! What brings you in?” Diavolo greeted you. At that, Mephisto turned to stare, his face flushed with shame and guilt.

~

“Are you suddenly worried about doing this in public? I’ve been careful to lock the doors. Or,” Mephisto paused self-consciously, “do you not want me anymore? Is that why you won’t touch me?”

“Is that really what you think?” You sighed and crossed your arms. You might as well be honest. “How would you react if someone asked how I felt about you, and I told them I had no interest in ‘that demon?’ That wouldn’t hurt you?”

Mephisto’s eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about that incident – after a few days of embarrassment that kept him up at night, of course. He was mortified by your sudden arrival at the time, as if your name alone could summon you, but he never imagined you had heard what he said – although seeing you had filled him with instant regret. Unfortunately, when that guilt and regret came rushing back, Mephisto became defensive. “What am I supposed to say? ‘Hey, Lucifer. That human you’re all so fond of, well, I like them too now. Hope you enjoy more competition for their affection.’”

“That sounds exactly like something you would say.”

“And when has competing with Lucifer ever worked out for me, hm?” Mephisto ran his hand through his hair. “So, what, I tell him I want you, so he sinks his fucking claws in and takes you away from me? He hates to lose.”

“Fuck you.” His explanation irritated you. You understood that he was insecure, especially when Lucifer was involved, but Mephisto owed you more trust than that. By now, you thought you had proved that your feelings were not as fickle as he assumed them to be.

“Excuse me?” Mephisto furrowed his brows, surprised at your annoyance.

“Fuck. You,” you repeated.

Mephisto scoffed. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been trying to get you to do for weeks.”

“Then get undressed.” You looked him up and down. “Now.”

“Really?” Enthusiasm bubbled up to the surface, and a grin bloomed on Mephisto’s face.

Mephisto yanked his jacket off and threw it over a nearby desk. His gloves, tie, and shirt quickly followed. Even your irritation with him couldn’t diminish the excitement you felt when watching him strip. Your resolution to avoid him had left you frustrated and wanting, too. Still, your lust didn’t nullify your anger, either.

When Mephisto put his hand on the side of your neck and tried to pull you in for a kiss, you pushed back on his bare chest to stop him. He was about to question your continued rejection of his advances when you leaned in to bite his neck. A soft whimper escaped him. With one hand still on your neck, Mephisto used the other to try to remove your jacket. His already clumsy efforts came to a halt when you traced over the newly-formed mark with your tongue and squeezed his upper thigh in your hand, massaging small circles into his leg with your thumb. Mephisto let out a soft, pleased moan and tightened his grip on your clothes.

You chuckled, tickling his neck with your breath. Your hand slid further up until you were palming him through his pants. Mephisto gasped and let go of your neck only to bury his face into your shoulder.

“Mm, fuck. I forgot how good your touch feels,” Mephisto whispered shakily against your skin. His stomach flexed as pleasure rose in him.

You kissed from his neck, along his collarbone, and down his chest, leaving Mephisto’s flushed face exposed to the empty room. The hand that clung to your shirt let go to hold the back of your head as you peppered his chest with kisses and soft licks. When you finally focused your attention on one of his nipples, biting it gently before sucking and swirling your tongue around it, the combined pleasure and anticipation left Mephisto whining. His free hand shot up over his mouth to muffle the sound.

Mephisto had always made a decent attempt to keep the noise down when you fooled around in public, despite being so noisy in bed. He enjoyed the risk, but he was usually so careful. You gave him one more soft lick before you pulled back slightly to look up at him. The back of his hand was pressed firmly against his lips, and his eyes were half lidded – with his long lashes further obscuring his eyes as he stared at you in a lust-filled daze. A deep blush stained his cheeks and ears.

“Are you more sensitive than usual?” you teased, feeling a twitch beneath your palm.

“It’s been a while. I’m pent up.” Mephisto admitted sheepishly. He pulled his hand away from his face, revealing a slick spot of drool on his skin.

Straightening your back, you leaned close to whisper in his ear: “good.”

You rubbed over his bulge a few more times before finally undoing his pants, dropping them around his thighs, and taking his cock out. He was so hard and had already started leaking precum into his underwear. Mephisto shivered and gasped when you used his precum to lube up your hand and tease his tip. Within a few strokes, Mephisto had made enough of a mess that you could forgo alternate forms of lube.

Watching his face twist in pleasure while he bit his lip, trying to hold his moans back, you pumped Mephisto’s cock and coated his entire length with his own slick fluids. His breath grew shallow, and the moans began to escape in short, muffled whines like the initial cracks in a dam. Mephisto’s legs trembled under him, threatening to give out. You used your free hand to support his back, but it wasn’t quite enough.

“Sit on the desk behind you,” you demanded, letting go of his dick to place your hand firmly above his pelvis and push him back towards the edge of the desk.

“But it’s not mine,” he protested weakly. When had that ever stopped him before? Although, now that you thought about it, whenever you fucked in the newspaper room, it was usually up against a wall when his body could handle it, or at his own desk. It was almost cute that he respected other members of the newspaper club enough to try not to make a mess on their desks.

“Do it anyway,” you whispered in his ear. “Or would you rather hold onto your cane instead of me?”

You could have supported him more, or dragged him over to his desk, but you wanted to push him – test his desperation. You removed your hand from his back just long enough to carefully sweep any papers and obstructions to the side so Mephisto could sit comfortably. He shook his head and sat up on the desk with a soft thud.

“Good boy,” you cooed and continued to stroke him. Mephisto moaned and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you even closer. He unraveled just as quickly as before. Restrained whimpers echoed in your ear.

“I’m so close,” he panted. You slid your hand off him, earning an immediate whine. “W-wait. Why did you stop?”

“Why did you assume Lucifer could just take me away from you?” you questioned him. Your hand slid along his length, in slow, teasing movements. Mephisto throbbed at your touch.

“I, ah –!” You cut him off by sinking your teeth into his neck, causing him to writhe and arch his back. His yelp gave way to a guttural growl. “Fuck.”

“Well?” You licked over the bite mark.

“He’s just – he does that.”

“Mephisto,” you purred into his ear and gently scratched your nails down his chest. “Don’t I have any say in what happens?”

Once again, you started to tease Mephisto, stroking him at an achingly slow pace. Mephisto begged, “Faster. . . please?”

“Answer me.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” Mephisto rolled his head back and groaned with no regard for anyone who could be walking nearby.

“Didn’t mean what?” You milked him for a proper answer.

“That your feelings don’t matter,” he admitted. You rewarded his acknowledgement by rubbing him faster. “Mm, yes. Please. Like that, don’t stop.”

“Then why’d you say it?” You slowed your pace down again, earning a whimper. Mephisto bucked his hips up to meet your hand, desperate for more.

“I –” he whined, still humping against your hand. “I’m afraid.”

The confession took you by surprise. When you pulled away, you noticed frustrated tears running down Mephisto’s cheek. His panting was labored and shaky. He was distraught. Using both of your hands, you firmly pressed his thighs into the desk.

“Of what?” you asked, watching the residual pleasure on his face give way to shame.

“I can’t. . .”

“Tell me.” You let go of one of his thighs to slowly rub his tip again. A sharp inhale preceded another muffled moan. He wasn’t trying to hold back his moan this time, though; Mephisto was trying to keep the answer bottled up in his chest. The glint of concern in your eyes and the continued stimulation was forcing him open.

“I don’t know why you want me. I don’t understand you. If I just – ahh, I’m gonna –” Mephisto interrupted his confession to warn you, lolling his head back and moaning. You stopped touching him again. Although he had expected it, Mephisto still groaned at yet another ruined orgasm.

“Finish what you were saying first.”

“If I – if I convince myself that it’s out of your control, then I won’t feel so bad when you decide to leave me – or stop having sex with me or don’t want to be around me anymore.”

You felt bad for him – not because it was stupid or pathetic to be worried about, but because it made sense. It was one thing to lose your partner because some bastard had the power and charm to steal people away. It was decidedly worse to know they left you because they just didn’t want you enough anymore. For the first time in weeks, you brought your lips to Mephisto’s and kissed him deeply until he was breathless. All the while, you thumbed his tip, teasing him just enough to keep him at the edge. Suddenly, you pulled away from him.

“Finish yourself off.” You kissed his cheek. “Or don’t.”

“Why?” Mephisto protested. “I told you the truth.”

“You told me that you think I’ll stop wanting you. So let me tell you something, too.” You leaned in, nearly pressing your lips to the side of his neck. “I want you so much. I can barely contain myself. I want you right now. I’ll want you tomorrow. I’ll want you for the foreseeable future. Can you trust in that much for now?”

“If you want me, then why won’t you finish me off?” It was humiliating for Mephisto, being so afraid to lose you, desperate, and hard all at once.

“I can want you without touching you. Actually, I changed my mind.” You walked over to Mephisto’s desk and pulled out the pack of wet wipes that you knew he kept in his bottom drawer. You wiped your hands off – still sticky with precum – and grabbed a few more wipes for Mephisto before returning to his side and handing them to him. “Don’t touch yourself. Stay like that – all hard and needy and desperate – for the rest of the day. I’ll walk you home later.”

A smile snuck up on Mephisto’s face, understanding your proposition. He agreed, “Okay, I’ll wait. But could you stay with me while I calm down?”

Confused, you studied his face. He was flustered and his eyes were damp with tears. Even his hair was a mess. “Why? I’m not going to change my mind and help you finish.”

“I know,” Mephisto chuckled. “I just want you to stay by my side for a little while. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is.” You kissed his cheek, wiping away the salt residue from his tears, leaving an interrupted fossil of a stream. You took one of the spare wipes from his hand and brushed it over his cheek. “And Mephisto? I’m really sorry that I made you think I didn’t want you. I avoided you because I was upset, and I wasn’t ready to talk about it – I didn’t know how the conversation would go, and I was worried it would only hurt. I should have said something, even if it was just that I was hurt and not ready to talk to you. I’ll try to do better next time. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. You know, you play therapist too much for those brothers.” Mephisto laughed and nuzzled into your neck. He made no moves to get cleaned up and dressed yet, but he found the energy to tease you. “Please tell me orgasm denial and edging aren’t a part of your regular conflict resolution process.”

“You’re so cute,” you teased back, only exacerbating his blush and making his cock twitch. Dammit. He was so tempting, and he wasn’t even trying. You sighed, recommitting to wait until you got him home. With a gentle touch, you fixed his hair for him.

“Thank you, MC.” Mephisto grinned shyly. He still hadn’t calmed down completely, though.

As if you intended to test your resolve, you gave him another sweet, tender kiss. “You can thank me later.”

(November poll story pt. 1 - Lucifer version)

A/N: To be honest, I don't really know how I feel about this one. Hmm, but at least I can get back to requests after this, woo~ Don't forget that December's post poll is up and active for the first week of the month. While I do have opinions and preference, whatever happens is up to y'all. I never vote or look at the results until it's over, so I just wait around, hoping to be pleasantly surprised. As I've mentioned, this blog turns one later this month, so I'll do a post about that in a few days, so please look forward to it.

[bestanimal]

I can’t believe it. We’re finally here. Round 3 starts tomorrow (2/1), with our first poll dropping at 8 am EST.

Some notes:

Round 3 will be our biggest round yet, and I have 227 polls scheduled. That’s almost a year’s worth of polls. It should be obvious that not every Order is going to make it to Round 4. So you’re going to need to be more choosy this round. Be honest. Come here with a plan. Do a bit of research. Know your favs. This next round is covering Animal Orders. If your favorite animal is a Great White Shark you need to know that it’s a Lamniform. So you should make sure you’re only voting fav in the Lamniformes poll and not fav in the other shark polls. You can still vote love or like in those polls; that’s what those options are there for. But this round is going to require a bit more focus if we want a diverse roundup next year! If you’re someone who votes favorite in every poll, try to pick just one or two favorites from each class we’re covering. I would actually love if we could have at least one representative from each class moving forward. (That being said, don’t be afraid to reflect it in your vote if the descriptions and propaganda have you discovering new favorites! I’m kinda hoping for that here too!)

I can not state enough that this tournament relies on numbers. If you want your fav to move forward you have to make sure people see it. Reblog, post propaganda, etc. If you don’t have a large following, reblog the poll anyway, add some GOOD propaganda onto it, and then chances are I’ll reblog it which increases the chances of it getting seen again. Get your friends involved. If you know someone that only blogs about squids, tag them! This tournament is all about PASSION.

I had some complaints last round about missing some polls. These polls are all pre-scheduled. They post once a day, at 8am EST, and they’re open for 7 days. If you click on the tag #/Animal Polls while within my blog, you can see every poll in one place. I recommend doing that every so often so you don’t miss any of them! You can also turn on notifications or follow the blog via rss (but that also means your gonna be seeing asks, extra propaganda, and poll results as well.) On top of that, I will post a schedule of every single poll at the bottom of this post, under the read more. If there are polls you absolutely do not want to miss, put them in your calendar!

That being said, there is ONE BIG CHANGE this round. I am removing the hate option. I put the dislike and hate options there as a fun little mechanic to strategize and steal points from other people but uh… I’m ngl, it’s starting to Hurt My Feelings. Whoopsie. The dislike option will remain but I feel like hate is a bit too strong of an option to include. The fact that dislike, neutral, and simply not voting already detract points from the total seems like enough. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Still, as always, this is just a silly Tumblr tournament that doesn’t really matter in the long run. Nothing’s going to happen to the animals that make it to the next round and nothing’s going to happen to the animals that don’t, we’re just trying to figure out the most popular animal on Tumblr. If your favorite doesn’t make it, that’s okay! If anything, that just makes it, and you, all the more unique! And if it does? Welcome! You’ve found your people!

Poll Schedule under the read more

(Warning: It Big)

Polls will post once a day at 8am US EST.

Chondrichthyes:

Carcharhiniformes - Feb 1

Lamniformes - Feb 2

Orectolobiformes - Feb 3

Heterodontiformes - Feb 4

Squaliformes - Feb 5

Squatiniformes - Feb 6

Pristiophoriformes - Feb 7

Hexanchiformes - Feb 8

Myliobatiformes - Feb 9

Rajiformes - Feb 10

Rhinopristiformes - Feb 11

Torpediniformes - Feb 12

Chimaeriformes - Feb 13

Chondrichthyes Round-up and Mini Stat Post - Feb 20

Mammalia:

Monotremata - Feb 21

Didelphimorphia - Feb 22

Paucituberculata - Feb 23

Microbiotheria - Feb 24

Dasyuromorphia - Feb 25

Peramelemorphia - Feb 26

Notoryctemorphia - Feb 27

Diprotodontia - Feb 28

Macroscelidea - Mar 1

Afrosoricida - Mar 2

Tubulidentata - Mar 3

Proboscidea - Mar 4

Hyracoidea - Mar 5

Sirenia - Mar 6

Cingulata - Mar 7

Pilosa - Mar 8

Scandentia - Mar 9

Dermoptera - Mar 10

Primates - Mar 11

Lagomorpha - Mar 12

Rodentia - Mar 13

Eulipotyphla - Mar 14

Chiroptera - Mar 15

Pholidota - Mar 16

Carnivora - Mar 17

Perissodactyla - Mar 18

Artiodactyla - Mar 19

Mammalia Round-up and Mini Stat Post - Mar 26

Reptilia:

(I just want to give a heads up that there’s going to be an explosion of birds within the reptile polls and that’s not my fault; birds are just a lot more diverse than the other reptiles and you can blame how they’re classified)

Rhynchocephalia - Mar 27

Squamata - Mar 28

Testudines - Mar 29

Crocodylia - Mar 30

Struthioniformes - Mar 31

Tinamiformes - Apr 1

Rheiformes - Apr 2

Apterygiformes - Apr 3

Casuariiformes - Apr 4

Galliformes - Apr 5

Anseriformes - Apr 6

Phoenicopteriformes - Apr 7

Podicipediformes - Apr 8

Columbiformes - Apr 9

Mesitornithiformes - Apr 10

Pterocliformes - Apr 11

Cuculiformes - Apr 12

Otidiformes - Apr 13

Musophagiformes - Apr 14

Opisthocomiformes - Apr 15

Gruiformes - Apr 16

Charadriiformes - Apr 17

Caprimulgiformes - Apr 18

Nyctibiiformes - Apr 19

Steatornithiformes - Apr 20

Podargiformes - Apr 21

Aegotheliformes - Apr 22

Apodiformes - Apr 23

Phaethontiformes - Apr 24

Eurypygiformes - Apr 25

Gaviiformes - Apr 26

Procellariiformes - Apr 27

Sphenisciformes - Apr 28

Ciconiiformes - Apr 29

Suliformes - Apr 30

Pelecaniformes - May 1

Strigiformes - May 2

Accipitriformes - May 3

Coliiformes - May 4

Leptosomiformes - May 5

Trogoniformes - May 6

Bucerotiformes - May 7

Coraciiformes - May 8

Piciformes - May 9

Cariamiformes - May 10

Falconiformes - May 11

Psittaciformes - May 12

Passeriformes - May 13

Reptilia Round-up and Mini Stat Post - May 20

Cephalopoda:

Nautilida - May 21

Bathyteuthida - May 22

Idiosepida - May 23

Myopsida - May 24

Oegopsida - May 25

Sepiida - May 26

Spirulida - May 27

Vampyromorphida - May 28

Octopoda - May 29

Lissamphibia:

Anura - May 30

Urodela - May 31

Gymnophiona - Jun 1

Cephalopoda and Lissamphibia Round-up and Mini Stat Post - Jun 8

Actinopterygii:

Polypteriformes - Jun 9

Acipenseriformes - Jun 10

Amiiformes - Jun 11

Lepisosteiformes - Jun 12

Elopiformes - Jun 13

Albuliformes - Jun 14

Notacanthiformes - Jun 15

Anguilliformes - Jun 16

Hiodontiformes - Jun 17

Osteoglossiformes - Jun 18

Clupeiformes - Jun 19

Alepocephaliformes - Jun 20

Gonorynchiformes - Jun 21

Cypriniformes - Jun 22

Gymnotiformes - Jun 23

Siluriformes - Jun 24

Characiformes - Jun 25

Lepidogalaxiiformes - Jun 26

Argentiniformes - Jun 27

Esociformes - Jun 28

Salmoniformes - Jun 29

Osmeriformes - Jun 30

Stomiiformes - Jul 1

Galaxiiformes - Jul 2

Ateleopodiformes - Jul 3

Aulopiformes - Jul 4

Myctophiformes - Jul 5

Lampriformes - Jul 6

Percopsiformes - Jul 7

Polymixiiformes - Jul 8

Zeiformes - Jul 9

Gadiformes - Jul 10

Stylephoriformes - Jul 11

Trachichthyiformes - Jul 12

Stephanoberyciformes - Jul 13

Beryciformes - Jul 14

Cetomimiformes - Jul 15

Ophidiiformes - Jul 16

Batrachoidiformes - Jul 17

Gobiiformes - Jul 18

Kurtiformes - Jul 19

Scombriformes - Jul 20

Syngnathiformes - Jul 21

Ovalentaria (note: includes Cichliformes, Blenniiformes, Gobiesociformes, Cyprinodontiformes, and many others. If you don’t see your fav on the list it’s probably in this clade. I had to use Ovalentaria as it includes some families with uncertain order) - Jul 22

Anabantiformes - Jul 23

Carangiformes - Jul 24

Synbranchiformes - Jul 25

Scorpaeniformes - Jul 26

Perciformes - Jul 27

Priacanthiformes - Jul 28

Pleuronectiformes - Jul 29

Centrarchiformes - Jul 30

Labriformes - Jul 31

Acropomatiformes - Aug 1

Acanthuriformes - Aug 2

Lophiiformes - Aug 3

Tetraodontiformes - Aug 4

Actinopterygii Round-up and “Mini” Stat Post - Aug 11

Malacostraca:

Anaspidacea - Aug 12

Bathynellacea - Aug 13

Amphipoda - Aug 14

Mictacea - Aug 15

Cumacea - Aug 16

Isopoda - Aug 17

Lophogastrida - Aug 18

Mysida - Aug 19

Spelaeogriphacea - Aug 20

Stygiomysida - Aug 21

Tanaidacea - Aug 22

Thermosbaenacea - Aug 23

Decapoda - Aug 24

Euphausiacea - Aug 25

Stomatopoda - Aug 26

Leptostraca - Aug 27

Malacostraca Round-up and Mini Stat Post - Sep 3

Arachnida:

Ricinulei - Sep 4

Xiphosura - Sep 5

Opiliones - Sep 6

Solifugae - Sep 7

Sarcoptiformes - Sep 8

Oribatida - Sep 9

Trombidiformes - Sep 10

Eriophyoidea - Sep 11

Endeostigmata - Sep 12

Ixodida - Sep 13

Holothyrida - Sep 14

Opilioacarida - Sep 15

Mesostigmata - Sep 16

Palpigradi - Sep 17

Scorpiones - Sep 18

Pseudoscorpiones - Sep 19

Amblypygi - Sep 20

Schizomida - Sep 21

Uropygi - Sep 22

Araneae - Sep 23

Arachnida Round-up and Mini Stat Post - Sep 30

Insecta:

Archaeognatha - Oct 1

Zygentoma - Oct 2

Ephemeroptera - Oct 3

Odonata - Oct 4

Zoraptera - Oct 5

Dermaptera - Oct 6

Plecoptera - Oct 7

Orthoptera - Oct 8

Grylloblattodea - Oct 9

Mantophasmatodea - Oct 10

Phasmatodea - Oct 11

Embioptera - Oct 12

Mantodea - Oct 13

Blattodea - Oct 14

Psocodea - Oct 15

Hemiptera - Oct 16

Thysanoptera - Oct 17

Hymenoptera - Oct 18

Strepsiptera - Oct 19

Coleoptera - Oct 20

Raphidioptera - Oct 21

Neuroptera - Oct 22

Megaloptera - Oct 23

Lepidoptera - Oct 24

Trichoptera - Oct 25

Diptera - Oct 26

Mecoptera - Oct 27

Siphonaptera - Oct 28

Insecta Round-up and Mini Stat Post - Nov 4

Actinistia:

Coelacanthiformes - Nov 5

Scyphozoa:

Coronatae - Nov 6

Rhizostomeae - Nov 7

Semaeostomeae - Nov 8

Eutardigrada:

Apochela - Nov 9

Parachela - Nov 10

Final Stat Post - Nov 18(ish)

[saiintvalentiine]

Guys I have a confession to make. Do you remember the parfies kiss poll? I rigged it. Kissing was winning so I dispatched a super secret operative (my bestie) to make it tie. It actually won by 3 votes. Unfortunately I call the bit my wife the way I'm committed to it and also I had already written in the forehead kiss scene by the time the poll was finishing (which was my compromise for if it tied) so I kinda wanted it to tie really badly.

As penance, here is the parfies kiss scene as it would've been in the original fic. Everything before this would stay the same. Enjoy and please forgive me for usurping a democratic vote like my name is the United States government.

Part 1 and Part 2 for the uninitiated.

Wordcount: 904

Wifies breathes in. It shakes something horrible. Parrot will crawl his way back into being trusted until he has no more body to move with.

“All of those thoughts had to do with how you've always been with me. Funny, kind, snarky, quick, the only person in this world I've ever been able to close my eyes next to knowing that I've got everything I need right there. That the only way I'll ever be apart from you is by being torn. And none of that, none of it, has changed. I still think all that about you. All that's been added is that I'm an asshole who definitely doesn't deserve your loyalty, but I'm too greedy to let it go so easily.”

That makes Wifies giggle, the sound wet and cracking. Parrot presses the pads of his thumbs under Wifies's eyes. If he's going to make Wifies cry, the least he can do is clean it up too.

“The only thing I ever need you to do is believe in me,” Parrot says, pressing his lips to Wifies’s forehead. It's easier somehow to speak like this, wetness pooling against Parrot’s fingers. “Believe that I love you so much. Believe that I'm going to make this right between us. Believe that learning this has done nothing to change how I feel about you. And if you can't, please believe in me anyway.”

Wifies tilts his head up, not away from Parrot’s hands like he feared, but towards Parrot’s face. Parrot feels his breath catch like a distant ring at the peacefulness of Wifies’s expression, his slow blinking, the soft set of his mouth as it presses to the corner of Parrot’s own in a fleeting kiss.

“Of course I believe in you,” Wifies whispers. His breath buffets Parrot’s skin and Parrot’s heart starts to sync to it. “Sorry, I shouldn't have done that.”

He sounds so sure yet resigned. Resigned to what? Parrot will give him this and more with pleasure.

“Do it again,” Parrot says, shifting his fingers so he's cupping Wifies’s jaw. “Please.”

Wifies kisses him again, a little longer this time, and Parrot turns towards him helplessly. Wifies makes a little noise, shocked and sweet, pressing up into Parrot’s space, and Parrot kisses him in earnest now, feeling the rush of blood warming Wifies’s face with satisfaction. Wifies’s clever mouth is reduced to a soft, pliant mess under Parrot, and it sends electricity right through him to know that Wifies is letting him do this, wants Parrot to kiss him to a rhythm only they can hear. When Parrot pulls back (just a bit just enough to breathe just close enough to lean back in when the red of his mouth becomes too enticing to ignore) Wifies giggles, eyes fluttering open and face rosy.

“Hi,” Parrot says, awkward and breathless, and it makes Wifies giggle again. Parrot is helpless, helpless, he presses another chaste kiss to Wifies's top lip. “Hi, I've been wanting to kiss you forever.”

“Hi. I've wanted to kiss you forever too,” Wifies says, cupping his hands over Parrot's. “And I'd like to kiss you again.”

“You never have to ask.”

Parrot kisses him again and again and again, over and over to make up for the time they've lost, the forevers they won't get back. He imagines Wifies in their little snug house back on Unstable, pulling Parrot over and kissing him before moving to do— whatever, away from Parrot, and he can't imagine not following him, stopping Wifies in his tracks to press him into the wall until Parrot's satisfied with how many kisses they've exchanged. There isn't a world where Parrot would be satisfied with just one, not after all the time they've spent apart.

“What are you thinking of?” Wifies gasps out, head lolling back a bit as he breathes. “Jeez.”

“Sorry,” Parrot says, unrepentant as he kisses the sliver of neck Wifies just revealed. Wifies’s pulse feels like a jackrabbit under Parrot’s mouth.

“Your wings,” but the thought is lost to Wifies’s pleased sigh, the arch of his shoulders as he offers more skin for Parrot.

Parrot knows though. He's hoisted both of his wings around them, hiding and puffing his feathers out to maximum size. There's nobody else here to see, but Parrot’s instincts don't care— all he knows is that Wifies is baring his throat and that Parrot needs to keep him close, keep him safe. Parrot slides his hands down, rubbing one over Wifies’s aching shoulder gently while the other drops to his waist, holding him closer. Wifies wraps his arms around Parrot’s shoulders in turn, hands pressing warmly into Parrot’s hair.

To think Parrot could've lost this because he was scared. Nothing terrifies him more than losing Wifies.

“You'll stay?” Parrot murmurs into Wifies’s jaw.

“You'll have me?”

“Always, always, always. Never leave again.”

“Then I'll stay. Always.”

Wifies turns his head down and smiles at Parrot, tinted red and pink as he drops a playful kiss on the tip of Parrot's nose.

“I'm allowed to call you my boyfriend now right?” Parrot asks. He sounds stupid to his own ears.

“I'd like that.”

“Oh good. Now let me kiss my boyfriend please.”

Wifies laughs. He's so beautiful when Parrot is making him laugh instead of cry. Parrot kisses the laughter out of his mouth, and it tastes like everything he's ever needed even when he never knew it.

[one-piece-aus]

Unbottle Your Emotions

Eustass Kid x Reader (Part 5)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Taglist: @lingxio @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @lil-skelly-bones (ask or comment if you want to be added)

Ahoy! Part 5 is here! I took inspiration from ask-bolthead-crew for the crew's names (aside from Killer, Heat, and Wire). You should check their blog out because the art style is metal(/pos). Also shout out to the people who voted in Killer poll, it was helpful :3

Without further ado, enjoy the story ^-^

Okay, calm down. You'll be fine. Hawkins said the cards said you'll be fine so you'll be fine, right? You just need to stand here, where Kid told you to meet him at lunch. Is this the right one? Well, he did say to be by the glass-stained window by the south entrance, and you're staring at a glass-stained window as you lean next to the doors.

...

Surely it's been a few minutes, and it'd be understandable if you left, right? You did wait and he hasn't shown up so-

"Is that her?"

'Oh great, they're here.' You internally groaned.

You glance over to see Kid and his gang approaching, internally thanking there's a security camera monitoring the hallway. Bouncing off the wall, you wave.

"Hey."

"And I thought you would've been late." Kid smirked at you.

You roll your eyes. "I was only late to class this one day."

Truthfully, you had shown up late to English class (when Makino started attendance) because you didn't want to go knowing Kid's your work partner. You only showed up because you feared what Kid would do if you didn't. You've been early to class otherwise.

"Enough chit-chat, let's go. I'm hungry." A guy with sunglasses and a tall mohawk took the lead, and you all followed outside.

You felt assured that they were heading in the same direction you went yesterday, when you had lunch with Hawkins and Apoo, at least you'd know your way back in case you needed to run. Still, you were dragging your feet, lagging at the back of the group. The blond with long hair took notice, slowing his pace to walk next to you.

"Kid forgot introductions, didn't he?" He guessed.

You nodded, pushing away the urge to question why he wore a face mask. "Yeah, uh I'm [L/n] [Y/n]."

"I go by Killer."

You try to keep a straight face. That doesn't stop the thousand questions erupting in your brain. Main one being: Is that part of the teenage edge phase or has he genuinely killed people?

Killer begins pointing out the others to you, starting with sunglasses. "That's Haikei, Oscar, Noe, Wire, and-"

"Heat?"

"You already know him?" Killer raised an inquiring brow.

"Yeah, he uh- he was in one of my classes last year. He probably wouldn't remember though."

Normally would've forgotten your classmate's name, but the few times Kid came to your classroom after the lunch bell rang because Heat was there, not only made you aware of who the loud redhead was, but you also took note to avoid him in order to not encounter Kid.

"I see," Killer said. A moment of silence passed, well at least between the two of you, Kid and Haikei were loudly arguing about something in front of the pack, before Killer spoke to you again. "So you're Kid's partner in English?"

"Yup." A nonchalant answer.

"You must be smart."

"What makes you say that?"

"Kid normally complains about group projects. He hasn't said a word about you."

You're taken aback. Letting Killer's words sink in, your mind does its best to keep the shock invisible. Does that mean Kid enjoys working with you? No. It means he tolerates you, that's the reasonable conclusion. He's only interacting with you because you have a project, as you are with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Find us a booth." Kid grinned as he walked up to the counter.

You were about to follow when the guy with the beanie called you, Noe you think it was. "Woah, where ya headin' off to, dollface? Kid's already ordering for us."

"I'm gonna make my order," you simply stated.

Last time someone ordered for you, you got a salad. You were pissed to say the least.

Killer face palmed. "Kid didn't tell you, did he [L/n]?"

"Tell me what?"

"The whole point of Kid inviting you was to help us finish this challenge," Haikei said.

"What challenge?" You didn't have to wait for your answer when Kid approached your table with a giant platter full of chicken wings.

"Alright boys, you know the drill!" Kid set down the platter and took his seat. He glanced at you, looking at you with a gaze that questioned why you were standing. Rolling your eyes, you sit down across from him.

A waiter came by a set a timer down. "600 chicken wing challenge, finish in one hour or less and your meal is free. Your time begins now." He hit the clock and the others dived in.

You blinked a few seconds, confused as hell. 'An hour? We didn't have an hour, lunch is only 45 minutes, and we'd have to leave in 30 minutes if we didn't want to be late for class. Are they stupid or do they not care?' You glanced at Kid, a frown present on your face. Though one of them spoke up before you got a word in.

"Whatcha waiting for? Dig in," Noe told you, his mouth full. 

"The three who eat the least gotta pay the bill," Heat informed beside you. "But I'm sure you won't have to since it's your first go."

"We only have half the time the restaurant gave us, shut your yaps and get to eating!" Kid ordered putting four chicken wings in his mouth.

"Guess we have to, princess over here must not like chicken," Haikei remarked.

Oh hell naw. You got up and walked to the counter. Kid briefly glanced at you before looking back at the platter. Maybe he should've let you order something while he got the chicken wings-

"Let's do this!" You slammed a large glass of milk down and took a handful of chicken wings. Kid's gang stared at you wide-eyed and jaws dropped as you began wolfing down food. You glared at them during your milk break. "Come on, I don't wanna be late to class."

Kid snapped out of it and continued eating, as did the rest. Killer took notice of his friend's demeanour shifting. The blond glanced at the rest who were now glancing at you with interest, however, a quick stern shake from Killer made them drop it. Humming, Killer ate another chicken wing under his mask.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, we finally beat that stupid challenge!"

The gang cheered as they exited the restaurant. You simply smiled, satisfied with your lunch. Maybe you'll have that burger tomorrow. You felt someone pat you on the back.

"All thanks to [L/n]! Here here!" Noe exclaimed. "No wonder Kid brought her."

"Kid knew you weren't going to be any help," the one with the short blond mohawk remarked.

"Fuck you, Oscar." Noe flipped him off.

You laughed along with the others, though you felt that irritation from earlier begin eating at your mind again. Did Kid invite you because you were extra help? What would he have done if you didn't help like the others expected? A sour taste sat in your mouth, at least you tuned into the conversation.

"Is she not part of the gang, already?" Heat's the one that asked.

"What?" You blink confused.

"This was [L/n] initiation, wasn't it?" Oscar asked, looking at Kid.

The redhead didn't say anything, making brief eye contact with you. Tossing the sourness out the window, a mixed puzzle settles in your mind instead.

"Hey, Kid just invited me for lunch since I'm working with him in English. I accepted since wasn't working on anything else, though I'll likely be busy studying tomorrow."

Sweet, you corrected the situation and made an excuse so you don't have to go tomorrow. He can't get mad if you're studying, right?

"I'll invite you again when we get the A on our project," Kid said.

"Alright," you say nonchalantly, internally dreading the idea of coming back. You barely survived today. The only reason you didn't struggle to hold yourself together is because you did more than they were expecting so Kid's barks were directed at the others. You can't go through that again now that you've raised his expectations.

"How 'bout we get something else for lunch," Killer suggested. "Since we completed their challenge, I'm sure it'll be a while before they let us take it again."

Well, that was a relief. At least, you know you won't have to deal with that. You half-tune out of the conversation now that they're chatting about other food joints. Slowly the school building came into sight, your eyes passively precepting your surroundings, until you heard an annoying voice. Not just any annoying voice.

Trying to stay cool and invisible, you glance in the direction you heard the voice. Sure enough, it's Helmeppo who is talking to Koby. Shit. You're dead meat if Koby spots you.

You slowed down by some plants and stepped into nature, walking for a few moments before hiding in the green. Silently, you counted up to a minute and stepped out. Glancing around, you sighed, relieved before heading to a different entrance than the south, blending in amongst the crowd.

For a moment, the thought of Kid getting mad because you disappeared without saying anything crossed your mind. A drop of fear swirled in your mind, not knowing how he'd react when you'd see him again. However, when comparing it to the latter, an angry Kid is far less worse, he's only in one class and you know how to hide in the crowded halls. He's easy to escape from, unlike the alternative.

You stand by your choice.