#i don't have a train of thought i have a whole-ass station

[liliewrites]

Here's another brainrot for you. Your an adventurer (famous or not is up to you) stationed in Fontaine & you just got an mission to you know...stop some Fatui agents from disrupting the peace or something. So since you became an adventurer in the 1st place for the thrill, the mission was accepted by you. You go blazing into the fatui camp and like take them out (lets assume like theres at least 15 people there). Arle was just watching everything from a cover (which you obviously don't notice) & knocks you out after the whole fight. So arle was really impressed by you cus like you took out the entire camp & she wants that strength for herself. You were really stubborn about not betraying the guild & joining the fatui so arle decided to rail you into submission cus like torturing you is not gonna help in the long run.

NSFW transfem! Arle please.

Also, can I be 💫anon? So that you know its me next time XD. I am too shy to NOT ask as anonymous.

okkk HIIIII 💫 ANON!!:3 here's ur rqst hope u eat it up good, it has a small little sprinkle of jealous arlecchino to spice it up a little..

-warning/s : NSFW, transfem! arlecchino x fem! reader, lightly dark content, dubious consent, blowjob.

(men and minors dni utc!)

"take care out there, ranger!"

you waved your guildmates goodbye, heading off to the north to disband a nearby fatui camp as the agents there have been causing chaos within the area recently. you were scouting the area, when you saw the said camp.

it was fairly small, but with around a dozen to fifteen agents present.

you let out a sigh, hoping they would cooperate lest this would end up a mess like last time you've done similar missions to these.

you slowly approached the camp, a nervous and awkward smile on your face. "hello there, fellows!" you exclaimed, hands near your weapon, but not on it, in hopes that no aggression would occur.

"oh? what's a pretty little lady like you doing out here in the wild?" one of them snickered, and you instantly knew this wouldn't end up peacefully like you hoped. still, you tried. "uhm, well, this pretty little lady is respectfully asking you to please go away." you told them, oh, but they persisted. one of them even grabbing your wrist with a perverted grin. "well, i'm afraid we'll have to decline. especially when we've caught prey as good as you."

needless to say, you immediately grabbed your weapon and started kicking their ass. they were all caught off guard, but had immediately started coming after you one after another. "damn it, what in the hells are you all doing!? that's just one girl!" one of them exclaimed, frustrated at the fact that you were able to knock half of the camp out alone.

little did you know, a certain harbinger was supervising your little fight with the fatuus. she was also surprised at the fact at how easily you were taking down trained fatui, and she wanted you.

after taking down the last of those annoying perverts, you dusted off your hands and double checked yourself for injuries and your items.

the harbinger however, had come out of your hiding spot, silent steps approached your oblivious ass.

and the next thing you knew, all you saw was black.

"what the.. what the hell?"

you opened your eyes, barely aware of what had just happened before you passed out, but upon realizing that your hands were tied and you were stuck to a chair. you realized you were knocked out.

"oh, finally awake?"

a voice that belonged to a woman echoed behind you, along with loud clacking of heels, and lo and behold.

before your eyes stood the 4th of the fatui harbingers, arlecchino the knave.

you'd be a liar if you said your knees weren't shaking. that was the arlecchino, standing before you, right in front of you, just a few meters away! you were no match for the harbinger, and you feared for your life. scared that you might've angered her for wrecking a whole camp of fatui, shit, what if those were her soldiers? you thought.

"tsk. calm down. i did not bring you all this way to kill you. if that was my intention then i would have done that right then and there."

she told you, probably noticing how nervous you were from your silence. usually, people would've been screaming for help, but you weren't.

".. then, why am i here?"

you asked, calmly, trying not to look too scared. "i've witnessed your fighting prowess, how you took down those agents in mere minutes. those agents were trained for years under the regime of fatui military, with strict discipline and harsh conditioning." she walked towards you, a curious gaze settled upon you, besides that though, her expression was hard to read. you couldn't tell if she was angry? upset? sad?

"- and you made those solders look incompetent, stupid and weak. i commend you."

her answer wasn't one of your expected reactions from her. her expression was still deadpan and you couldn't tell if she was pleased or happy, but judging from her words alone you could at least say that.. she was satisfied with your performance? "thank you, uhm.. miss harbinger?" was all you could say, unable to really make out what her intentions were.

"perhaps you wonder why i took you here, little lady."

she walked closer to you, rough, dark blackened hands approached your face and gently caressed your skin. you noticed how cold the knave's hands were, and your curiosity was piqued as you started to wonder why her hands were like.. that.

it could've been considered an honor to be praised by a harbinger, but to be asked to join their side was completely something else. "no offense and with all due respect, miss arlecchino, but i will not leave the guild." you told her, all of the fear you felt was gone and you wanted to make it clear to her that you didn't want to join. "tsk, you are held captive and yet you still have the will to say no?" she grumbled, finally showing at least one expression on her face- annoyance.

"- it is because i want you to join us, join me, under the house of the hearth."

"EXCUSE ME WHAT?"

"i do not care where i am, but i will not leave the guild."

you stood your ground, nor longer were you afraid for your life, but for your friends and loved ones at the guild. "fine. it is your choice, but do make sure that you wrap your pretty little head around my words-- you will not leave this place safe, not until you agree with my offer. make your choice, or you'll regret making me impatient." she told you, tightening the ropes around your wrists and ankles, making your skin slowly start to burn but you stuck to your resolve. arlecchino left the room, and this was only the beginning of her trying to convince you to give in.

at first, you were starved for 2 days, with each time that you reject her offer she ends up slapping you on the face. today was the third day, you were hungry and light-headed. you swear you could feel like you were slowly slipping away from sanity as from spending so much time in solitude. your body was sore from being tied to a chair for 2 whole days without food nor water and you swear there were rope burns on your wrist and ankle.

arlecchino however, realized that starvation wouldn't make you crumble, much to her annoyance. this was not her usual preferred method of torture, thinking it was a waste of her time, she didn't like to wait and would prefer to end things swiftly. oh, but you, much to her annoyance, she didn't want to waste the talent that you had. she couldn't resolve to physical pain or she might accidentally inflict injuries that might hold you back from improving so she had to resort to slowly destroying your will, but she didn't expect you to be this stubborn. so she had to resort to the last method she could think of- fuck, she cursed under her breath. she may not admit it, but besides wanting to have you as a useful little helper, you may have caused her to have desires she never thought she'd have. it was a nuisance to her, but she couldn't get it off her mind-- she couldn't get the thought of using you like a slut out of her mind.

arlecchino walked back into the room, untying you and you were puzzled, "w-what are you going to do to me?" you asked, alarmed from her sudden behavior. you tried to struggle and squirm as she got you off the chair, but you could barely even stand on your own. "pathetic. so much for being a feisty little mouse." she mumbled, placing a collar on you and tying the leash on the wall. your ankles were freed but her hands were tied. "you've wasted plenty of my time with your reluctance to obey, little lady. don't you think it's about time that i finally teach you some manners, hm?" she placed her hand on your head, forcefully pushing you down on your knees. she unbuckled her pants. your heartbeat started to accelerate. no, no, she wouldn't do what you thought she would, right?

"open that pretty little mouth of yours."

she commanded, but you kept your mouth close as she pulled down her pants. "tsk, stubborn little mouse." she harshly squeezed your face, pulling you forward. "not going to follow? too stupid to understand instructions? fine then." she untied the leash, instead wrapping it around her hand before walking to the chair where you were tied to.

"i'll give you options, little mouse. either you learn to obey and i will reward you, or you will be forced to obey and i will continue to isolate you in this room."

you sat there, weighing your choices. should you comply? should you disobey? but you really wanted to get out of this dark, isolated room. arlecchino clicked her tongue, tugging on the leash.

"hurry up, little mouse, before i lose my patience and decide for you."

she huffed, and you know you've really got no choice here than to follow. with tears in your eyes, you slowly crawl forward, making her tug on the leash. "faster, you're too slow." she grumbled, making you approach her faster.

as soon as you were on your knees, right in front of her, you put your hand on her lap and stared at the intimidating bulge in her pants. you slowly pulled down her pants, along with her underwear.

your eyes widened at the mere sight of her dick, she was at least 7 inches-- and you were going to take that in your mouth? "very good, you're finally putting some sense in you." she praised you, her other hand now making it's way to your head, lightly pressing some weight downwards. "now suck." she commanded, and you didn't want to, you took some time before you leaned down- and it ticked her off.

she pushed down on your head, making you forcefully sink down onto her dick. "i said do not make me wait, obey if you want me to be nice." she warned you as you choked on her, and then she released her grip on your head. "go on, please me. show me that you if you cannot be of help in the battlefield, at least be good at something."

throwing away all your dignity and pride, you lifted your head up, your tongue running along her dick as you did so, before going back down all the way to the base. your actions made arlecchino shiver and she looked down at you with a dark stare, but said nothing.

you repeated this, bobbing your head up and down, and you could hear small little grunts from her. as you went up this time, your tongue ran over the tip, making her groan. you went down, angling yourself so it hit the back of your throat this time. oh, you felt arlecchino shiver. ".. hm, what a slut. you're surprisingly good at this." she told you, now gently grabbing your head and setting the pace. she bobbed your head a bit more faster, but you kept up with your tongue movement earlier. her grunts were becoming louder, but she was becoming more rougher too.

she pushed your head down and pulled on you with no remorse, like you were a toy for her pleasure only. you almost choked, the pace was becoming too fast for you, but she was already thrusting her hips into you. loud groans could be heard from her along with your whimpers and moans at the way she tugged on your hair and used you. she was trembling, her hips stuttering, and before you knew it-

she pulled you off, your lips creating a pop sound. "strip, dear." she commanded, staring down at you with half lidded eyes as she panted. oh, oh no. you didn't want to, but you were determined to see this through and not anger her. you slowly took off your clothes, leaving you only in your underwear. she now, gently took you in her hands, pulling you down on her lap to sit with your back facing her. "darling, open your legs." she purred in your ear. compared to earlier, she was much more gentler and affectionate. you closed your eyes in pure embarrassment, her hand cupping your breast as she spread soft kisses on your neck.

"tsk, those fatui soldiers.. must you know, that even after you've beat them up- they continue to speak about you. incessant chatter about your body, it makes my blood boil."

she whispered against your skin with a tone of possessiveness dripping from her words. her hands gently massaging the mounds of your breast, making you let out soft moans. "they do not know that beneath the orphanage, i hold you captive and that i am the one holding you, not them." as she let go of her words, she started to suck and bite on your skin, her other hand trailing down your tummy as she spoke. "i am not better than them, i am aware.. but i will certainly give you more what they can, my dear. join me, and i will make all of your dreams come true." her gentle words were accompanied with her hand ghosting against your clit, breath grazing against the sensitive marks on your skin, and her other hand squeezing your chest. your mind was hazy, you felt overstimulated, and all you could do was nod. you may not be aware, but arlecchino was overjoyed with your answer. "so wet, little mouse.."

she slowly pulled your underwear off, lifting your hips with only her strength, then kissing your back. she slammed you back down, her dick forcing it's way inside of you. the sheer pain was enough to bring you back to your senses and you gripped onto her lap as you let out a whine. your reaction made arlecchino feel guilty, she immediately wrapped her arms around you. "shh, shh.. i'm sorry, my dear but.. bear with me." she wiped away the tears from your eyes.

"i promise, now that you are mine darling, i will give you all the pleasures in the world.."

[chosokamolvr]

pathetic little curse user

nanami kento x male reader

- nsfw under the cut

[name] was running for his life. he was running down the empty streets around the shibuya train station to save his life. but alas, his efforts were in vain.

a tall, blonde, yellow and black speckled tie wearing sorcerer was chasing after [name]. mahito had mentioned a sorcerer of a similar, or even the same description, but [name] never thought he'd see the day where he'd finally get caught by a sorcerer.

[name]'s legs kept dragging him along, going through different corners and short cuts along the way. then, [name] was trapped. he ran into a desolate alleyway with no way out. oh how he was fucked now. he didn't want to die this way, not to a stupid sorcerer he didn't even get to see the face of.

the sorcerer finally reached the alleyway, panting slightly as he looked straight into [name]'s eyes with a glare. [name] was panicking, he was shaking and his heart was thumping out of his chest. he hadn't lived long enough to die now! he didn't want to die by the hands of a handsome, tall, muscular sorcerer now did he?

"you." the sorcerer stated, walking closer to [name] before he held the poor man up by his hair. [name] was already squirming whilst the sorcerer hadn't even finished what he was going to say. "what did you do with gojo satoru?" the sorcerer continues, still holding [name] up by the hair.

[name] whimpered and he tossed his body around, wanting to be let down. yet, this sorcerer was too strong, far stronger than [name] or any other puny sorcerer the curse user had faced. "i.. i don't know! i wasn't in on it! i was just hired to distract other sorcerers! let me go, please!" [name] whined, not meeting the sorcerer's eyes.

the blonde man scoffed and he threw [name] against one of the walls of the alleyway. "maybe this will make you talk, or it won't." he said before unbuckling his belt and pulling his trousers down. the sorcerer creeped closer, as he pulled his boxers down revealing his hardening dick.

[name] looked at the sorcerer with a gulp. he couldn't believe this was happening to him right now. [name] was getting hard, and to a sorcerer at that. how pathetic. "what.. what are you going to do to me?" the curse user asked, but he already knew what this sorcerer was going to do.

"you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" he chuckled before he pushed [name] fully against the wall. [name]'s face was now pressed up against the brick, feeling weird and rough on his cheeks. "the name's nanami, by the way. nanami kento. i guess you'll want to know the name of who's gonna fuck you, don't you?" nanami says before pulling [name]'s trousers and boxers down, pressing his hard-on against [name]'s ass.

all [name] can do is gulp and stand back to recieve what nanami is about to give him. he closes his eyes and he takes a deep breath in. [name] knows nanami is probably not going to prep him or anything. why would you prep the enemy's ass for your dick anyway?

then, nanami pushes into [name]. first it's the tip, then he immediately slams in his whole length causing [name] to hiss out in pain. it burnt, but [name] knew nanami wasn't going to care.

nanami then kept a grip on [name]'s hair as he started thrusting slowly, trying to aggravate the curse user he was inside of. "shit. you're so tight, i feel like i can barely move my dick." the blonde chuckles, but in reality he loved how tight [name] was. "you're as tight as a virgin. have you never had sex? or have you just never been fucked by a man before?" [name] whines at nanami's questions, his body pressed against the wall as nanami thrusted. he didn't know how to respond, the dick inside of him was making his brain switch off.

as nanami thrusted, [name]'s dick was pressing and rubbing against the harsh texture of the wall infront of him. as painful as it was, [name] was in a state of pleasure. all of the pain he felt dissipated and turned into pleasure.

"ah- faster.. please nanami.." [name] blabbered and slobbered out onto the wall. nanami huffed and he took [name]'s arms, tying them up behind his back before thrusting faster, as per the curse user's request. "it's sir to you." nanami scoffs.

[name] didn't realise what had just happened. he was too late in the pleasure. once nanami slammed into him faster and deeper, [name] yelped out, coming back to his senses again. he tried to move his arms only for them to be bounded by nanami's yellow and black speckled tie.. the tie mahito had described before.

"mm.. sir.. please.." [name] whined, although he didn't know what he was whining for himself. nanami just chuckled and he continued thrusting at a decently fast pace that was also rough on [name]'s behind.

"you're pathetic, you know that?" nanami grunts inbetween thrusts, hand still firmly gripped in [name]'s hair. "you're letting a sorcerer, your enemy, fuck you and you're enjoying this too." the blonde chuckles, but he truly had a soft spot for pathetic idiots like [name]. "can you imagine what the people who hired you would say if they saw you like this? what's his name.. mahito, right? how do you think he'd react." nanami huffs.

[name] just mewls. he can't say anything as he's lost in the pleasure and ecstasy, he's practically drowning in lust. his back arches and his eyes roll back as he feels nanami go deeper. it just feels so good, too good to be the enemy's dick.

nanami smirks as he sees [name]'s reaction. the fact that [name] is too pathetic to respond and too built up due to a few minutes of sex is so thrilling to nanami. "answer my question from before." nanami states, gripping [name]'s hair harder to get him to speak. "what have you and your little friends done with gojo satoru?" nanami repeats his question from earlier. [name] responds by drooling on the wall even more. he's probably forgotten why gojo is, and truth be told he didn't have to do with gojo's sealing in the first place. nanami's dick was so good it made [name] forget about everything.

then, [name]'s vision went went and he cummed all over the wall. white painted and stained the brick, leaving nanami disgusted. "who said you could cum, you pathetic curse user? i certainly didn't." nanami grunted, clearly annoyed by [name]'s actions. "guess we'll keep going until i think we're finished. you wouldn't mind that, right?"

[name] shook his head, or, he tried to. his head was still against the wall, leaving a few scratches and marks and his hair was still in nanami's hand. "no sir.. we can keep going.." [name] squeaked out, his thighs trembling slightly as he had just came and by the fact that nanami was still thrusting into him.

"good." is all nanami responded with. he went far more deeper and rougher than before, the tip of his dick reaching [name]'s prostate again and again leading [name] to cum several more times over the wall.

once nanami was finished, he cleaned himself up and left [name] panting heavily on the floor of the alleyway. [name] was covered in his own cum, his hair all over the place and his wrists almost forming bruises. he did like the experience nanami gave him, but he never thought he'd be fucking with the enemy.

"pathetic little curse user you are." nanami said before he left. "you should be glad i didn't kill you and that i spared you because you're so cute." he smirked.

and that was the last [name] ever saw of the blonde sorcerer.

[renatogpadilla]

Bright Ideas

To say she was surprised that Lux actually came back would be an understatement.

Jinx was beginning to think she'd put up that little target range outside her hut for nothing when the neigh of a very nervous horse reached her ears.

The glowy girl strode up to her with an air of... Scholarly whimsy. Like when you go to class and find out the fun teacher took the place of your most hated class. Like she was excited to learn.

Jinx had to wonder if she'd ever looked like that when she watched her sister shadow-box with the rest of the kids back in Zaun... She probably had. It wasn't often she wondered what she would look like today if she had learned to throw a proper punch back then, but there were moments.

And now, here came this little blond meerkat of a girl, with an absolute stallion at her back. White as a sheet and with two beady black eyes that seemed to go on endlessly into the void of the creature's soul... Or maybe that was just Jinx's imagination. Every time she tried to hold eye contact, Starfire neighed and turned its head away nervously.

"Once, I was the greatest criminal in two whole cities and brought upon Marshall Law by virtue of just existing nearby..." She thought, missing a little bit of those days... And the company they brought. Just a little. "Now, I freak horses out. What an upgrade."

"Hello, Isha." Lux said. "You look in good spirits."

Gods, it's barely bright, how is she THIS SUNNY this early?

"Flashlight! You didn't chicken out!" There was genuine surprise there. Most girls that ran into Jinx felt the imperious need to bolt in the other direction...

Most girls... Some didn't. Some got close. And when you're a walking jinx, whatever gets close has a tendency to explode eventually...

Focus. Don't think about that. Why would you even think about her at a time like this?

"It wouldn't have been very ladylike of me to refuse such a rare offer." Lux said. She... Didn't quite know where that came from. There was a buzzing in her today. She threw in a curtly bow, just because.

Isha answered in kind, albeit more mockingly.

"Consider me surprised AND excited!" Isha said. "Alright, Your Sparklyness! Let's see what you've got! Feast your eyes!"

She made the most showgirl presentation hand motion she could muster towards the makeshift firing range. A bunch of metal targets and dummies, cobbled together for the express purpose of being lit up by a girl Jinx had met only last night. What an honor.

Lux put a hand on her heart. "Oh, Isha, it looks lovely!" There were even little faces painted on some of them to make them look more menacing.

That was NOT the reaction Jinx had been expecting. Usually people felt like her little art exhibitions were scary or uncanny... This girl was either secretly a freak or in desperate need of getting out of the house. Did she live in a house? Maybe she lived in a castle like some fairytale princess made to give her author some semblance of excitement... Or Vi a wet dream every once in a while. She'd caught her looking at those story books in ways nobody should look at anything in public as kids... She just wished that princess kink (if that's what it was) hadn't led her to- Wait, she had been going somewhere with this train of thought. What station was this again? This was not her stop.

"Isha?" Meerkat eyes. Say something.

"Wuzzat?" Smooth, Jinx. Professional.

"Target practice? Isn't that why I'm here today?"

"Oh, yeah! It is!" Jinx got excited now. She'd get to see how dangerous this girl really was! "Here's what I've got: You knocked me on my ass while panicking, right? Well, that ain't easy, so I got curious to see what that glow of yours could do when you're actually trying. This is all you!"

Lux didn't know how excited she was about this precise moment until it was here.

To Lux, it saw an opportunity to let go... To let herself shine for once without regret or care of what others thought... A chance to be free and discover what that was like for once. But it was also kinda terrifying. What if she glowed too much? What if she hurt her new... Friend? Teacher? Experimenter? Huh. She hadn't thought of that. She'd go with "friend" for now. That felt the most appropriate.

She just hoped Isha didn't mind a little premature sunning.

She took a few steps forward, to the rim of the range, took aim at a dummy with a little metal top hat and what looked like a cupcake painted on its chest and attempted to shoot it.

Full disclosure here: Lux had never attempted to actively hurt anything before. Every time her magic had manifested, it had ALWAYS been in self defense.

Which might explain why, when she actually took aim and "fired", all that came out was a little stream of dancing sparkles. Not enough to hurt nothing, but they looked pretty! They splatted harmlessly against the training dummy and with a soft glow, silently disappeared.

Isha let out a chuckle. "Not bad! Maybe with A bit more practice you'll manage some sunburn!"

"It's not as easy as it looks." Lux retorted. "Every time I've done it I've felt something incredibly strong. Survival instinct, or anger or just... Something raw. I guess that's the best way to put it... It's harder when I push it."

Isha's face didn't get any softer, but she did seem to be turning some gears in her head.

"Okay, that's a start." Isha told her. And she let a huge grin grow on her face. "So we start raw!"

"Excusez-moi?" Lux HAD to have heard that wrong. Whoah. Accent slip... Reign it in, Luxanna.

"Bless you." Isha responded. "How did your powers first manifest? What made you light up the first time?"

Oh, that was an ask... Probably the scariest moment of her life at the time.

"I was..." Deep breaths, Lux. "I was out riding when it got late. I lost track of time, so I took Starfire here through a shortcut through the woods. I wasn't supposed to, but I wanted a thrill. Young and impressionable, you know?"

Yeah, she knew. She nodded and let her continue.

"I learned the hard way that some rules are there for a reason. Star and I were set upon by a pack of wolves." She was not exactly happy re-living that particular memory. "They chased us deeper into the forest and eventually knocked me off the saddle. I remember their breath, their fangs... One pounced on me and next thing I knew, the pack was gone and there was light coming out of my hands."

That had been the day Lux discovered she was a Mage. The day she started hiding.

Isha took a little while, looking pensive, or trying to, at least, until she finally spoke up.

"Well, I have an idea. But you're probably not gonna like it."

Don't be 'think about the fangs'. Don't be 'think about the fangs'! Lux thought.

"Think about the fangs."

Fuck!

"Isha..." She didn't notice how much she was trembling.

A supporting hand reached her shoulder.

"I know what it's like to come face-to-face with something traumatic." Especially when that something has fangs and claws and acts on survival instinct, she thought, but she wasn't going to bring up her dad now. Or ever, if given the choice. "But the thing about fear is that the moment always looks brighter in hindsight. And you, Lux, actually have the power to make things brighter! The fangs can't hurt you now. You're in control." She was REALLY glad nobody from Zaun could see her now. She had a psychopathic reputation to uphold!

Seemed to do the trick, though.

"Can't hurt me." Lux said, more to herself than to Isha. And then she sent her mind back. Back to that horrible moment of adrenaline-fueled fight-or-flight state from back when she had no fight in her yet...

Her breathing got faster. Shallower. Jinx thought she might be having a panic attack. Lord knows she knew the signs! "Um, Lux? Listen, you don't have to go that hard, maybe this was a bad-"

Then she hit the deck as fast as her Shimmer-enhanced reflexes allowed her. It happened instantly! Lux turned around, the palms of her hands starting to glow and then...

Well, funny thing about light: It doesn't usually make noise! Jinx had no frame of reference for when to get up... Until Lux's voice got to her.

"Isha? Are you okay?" She sounded guilty... Like her letting loose wasn't the whole point of being here today! "I'm so sorry, I hope... Gods, I really hope you didn't spend too much time on that."

Jinx got up, turned around, and faced the firing range. Or rather, the sunburnt, steaming, borderline-calcinated ash-splatter that used to be the firing range...

It was like a nuke went off. Whatever wasn't dust, or a black mark on the floor of the forest, was melted and twisted in ways Jinx couldn't replicate without a forge and a good few hours' work.

It was at this exact moment that she realized that she was NOT letting this girl go without learning to focus that. No way in Hell. There had been a LOT of facets of her life that blew up in her face (in fact, most of them did. It was honestly a miracle when one didn't), but if Lux decided to go nuclear one day... Jinx was powerful enough to tank several hits from the Atlas Gloves, her sister's "overdesigned bitch-mittens" that gave her super strength. She could move at speeds the eye couldn't track for short bursts of time. Hell, she could be put through a brick wall and walk it off like it was nothing... But an angry Lux?

She would NOT walk away from that.

"Well... She said, suddenly feeling like Fishbones was about to need an upgrade... "We can work with that."

[night-dazai]

I read the alphabet for Levi and was wondering how aftercare would be if he did ended up making you use your safe word. I love comfort

Yes dear, I just love this request (or mostly I am a sucker for aftercare fluff myself 😅)

Tags: smut to fluff, use of safe word, Levi being rough, doggy style, female reader, ending with lovely kisses from the world's strongest captain.

Hips ramming into your slipper cunt, balls slapping your over-sensitive clit red. Red marks adored your ass kin and hips from his hand's grips and smack. For the past few hours, you have been like this, same position with Levi ramming into your cunt no stop. Not talking he pushed your head down the moment he saw you on the bed after coming home. “Works tough love,” he said in a low voice pushing you. 

He did not ask why you were on the bed instead of the couch and why you did not welcome him when he came home. He did not bother to ask why your things were a mess in your room but just what was happening right now. No kiss or foreplay, he slipped right in and patted your head when you whimpered “It's alright be a good girl for me .” 

You wanted to be, you wanted to please him even if your work was shit, and you were not treated fairly at work or the train station. You had to get down cause some random man had more important work than a woman who was just going home at 8 pm. You wanted to complain but yeah you still wanted to please him. 

Maybe he would kiss me that might help me you thought for a while but after hours your position has not changed, he has cum thrice and you have lost count of yours and yet not a single change in position. Hands having a firm grip on your neck one on your hips and ramming into you.

Your tears and drool not just made the pillows wet but stained at this point, air circulation was low and slowly pleasure faded or maybe your mind was having too many thoughts and Levi’s actions were not helping. Slowly you tried to tap at his thigh to slow down (one of your safe signals ). But nothing, you tapped again and again for a while still not wanting to disappoint him but soon it was overwhelming, not stopping he kept going “ CINNAMON “you shouted. 

It took Levi a few seconds to process the word that reached his ear and it was not your moan or whimpers “What?” he asked actions halting instantly. Teras were uncountable now, pulling your body forward you hugged your legs and rocked yourself in the fetal position crying on your knees “Sorry… I am sorry “ you kept saying while crying. 

This is not right, he should have done this to see you crying hugging your knees and saying sorry for what? Confused and worried he extended a hand to see if you wanted to first touch him and you answered by extending your hand. 

He immediately scooped you and placed you on his lap and rocked you gently, touch so soft like a feather which was a huge contract to how he was fucking you seconds ago “ I am sorry love, what happened and p….noo…no pleas….please don't be sorry …tell me what happed “ he said. 

Worrying more when you did not respond for a while and kept crying “Did I… hurt you ?” voice soft and wobbling he asked trying to touch your thighs. But you flinched, his hands retreated to your head and stoked your hair “ I am sorry love I am so sorry I was selfish “ he said. 

Feeling bad hearing him say so many sorry you shook your head but feeling too exhausted you tapped his chest to make him look at you. Dark eyes looking at you worried and guilty “Noo…bad day…” you said and coughed as he patted your back gently “You…did not kiss… me “ you said feeling embarrassed by these stupid reasons. You thought he would laugh but no, his face became serious “Ye..yeah...I am extremely sorry, this will not happen again “ he said pressing his lips on your lips. 

It was soft gentle and sweet, he pulled away in a second “Let's clean you up and hear about your day shall we “ he said lifting you like you were a glass doll and cleaning you while being quiet the whole time.

Massaging all your sore spots and your legs once you let him touch your thighs which felt really sore. Kiss your head and hands while gently relating some knots in it.

Making you wear one of his shirts he pulled the covers over your chest and tucked your sides.

“What happened ?” he asked resting his head on one hand lying on his side but frowned seeing the way your way face went “Maybe tomorrow we can talk ? “ he asked and you just nodded and snuggled yoruslef into his arms hugging him “ sorry ..” you said again. “Why are you sorry love “ he asked hands stroking your hair “ I did not let you finish …” you said and refused to look at him when he tugged at your shoulder. 

A little chuckle escaped his lips “You scared me there … do you think that matters when my queen is troubled ?” he said. Eyes filled with sincerity, love and a little guilt as to what he did to you “Of course not love now sleep “ he said hugging you back pressing a kiss on your head and patting your back. 

Tried from the exhausting day and all the thoughts that you had took over immediately as you closed your eyes you saw your lover's face smiling yet different “Sorry love .. will never happen again “ he said pressing a kiss on your forehead again You smiled “ I love you “ you mumble before drifting to sleep. “ Me to my queen “.

It is also very accurate to say he treated you like a queen (he always treats you like a queen but a bit more ) for the next whole week.

[poetrythathurtsmysoul]

Mickey Milkovich might be a damn good cop. He might be thorough, determined, and ruthless. But he was also the most annoying, rude, and cocky bastard that Jim had ever met. On the Milkovich's first day, he'd snapped at Jim (shouting "shut it or I'll stuff your own dick down your throat" when Jim had only been trying to be nice), and been cautioned by the captain for his lazy attitude towards the paperwork.

The point, Jim muses while watching Milkovich aggressively slam a door, was that he had managed to gain a reputation. Jim was also partial to a bit of gossip by the water cooler, so he knew that wasn't the reason Milkovich had become the talk of the station recently. According to Paula, Mickey Milkovich had mentioned a 'partner' casually in conversation with one of the mentally ill prisoners. Probably bipolar. Another strange habit of Milkovich's that they had picked up on was his gravitation to the bipolar cases if they ever brought them in.

Anyway, no one had ever before dreamt of uttering the words 'Mickey Milkovich' and 'girlfriend' in the same sentence before. The idea of him loving someone – him being gentle or dropping the hard act to (god-forbid) be vulnerable – well, it's laughable. Besides, in the four years the gruff guy had worked here, he had never mentioned this elusive 'partner'. In fact, he had never said anything about his homelife if he could help it.

Paula had stopped by his desk to further discuss the matter.

"D'you reckon he met her recently? Or have they been together this whole time, and he's only just mentioning her now? I thought it must be long-term cause he said 'partner' and not just girlfriend but—" she paused to shrug, "who knows?"

Jim only raised his eyebrows.

"Oh! And we've got a couple of EMTs on the way with some psycho that stabbed a guy. Apparently, she did it cause there were demons or something... but I don't know. The cap wants you and Milkovich to handle it."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Great. Just what I always wanted. To be all buddy-buddy with Milkovich while a couple of failed doctors hang around."

"Whose a failed doctor?" A dangerous voice growled.

Jim was saved from answering by the loud arrival of the aforementioned psycho and EMTs. He was not so secretly thankful as their arrival may have just saved his life.

There were two EMTs holding the arms of a lady who was screaming and crying. Seemingly, the only reason she was thrashing about also, was the guy on her right side. The soothing words emanating from the man would be enough to make any loon swoon. He was tall and calm, and even though he was ginger, if Jim had to pick a guy, it would be this guy. Zero hesitation.

As he got closer, leading the woman to the chair Jim had only just vacated, Jim noticed his eyes. A vibrant green that seemed to sparkle. Milkovich laid a hand on the gingers back – Ian, his name tag read – as if guiding him to the seat. For some reason, Jim's eyes tracked the movement.

It wasn't particularly out of the ordinary for Milkovich. He knew how to turn on the charm when he had to. But perhaps the tension in his shoulders had eased. Perhaps Milkovich's scowl wasn't so permanently etched.

Or perhaps Jim was reading too much into it. They had a job to do.

But Milkovich and Ian seemed to make a rather good team. With a united front presented, they had a confession and a much calmer assailant within ten minutes. And all Jim and the other EMT had really done was sit there.

Still, nothing unusual occurred. And yet, floating around persistently in Jim's mind, the image of Milkovich's hand on Ian's back. Perhaps lower than it would be if the men were strangers... but no, Jim was not going to follow that train of thought.

When the EMTs had left, Milkovich supposedly yet to return from walking them out, the chatter broke out.

"Did you see the ass on the ginger guy!" Paula giggled excitedly, another woman nodding along.

A rather unpleasant, stout man snorted. "Please. Twink's totally gay."

"Some twink, huh? That all you think he is?"

Ah. Milkovich hath returned. And so, it seems, has his wrath.

The stout man looked uneasy now, and he wasn't the only one. The captain came out of his office, eyeing Milkovich warily.

"Well?" Prompted Milkovich.

"Hey, er... I forgot my... bag." Ian's voice trailed off as he rushed back in, green eyes taking in the scene before him.

Paula let out a sound as if she'd uncovered the world's worst kept secret. Milkovich did not move.

"Call him a twink again." Milkovich's voice was low now. Quiet. Demanding. Jim preferred the threats.

"What's—" began Ian but cut himself off as the stout man began to rise. He walked right up to the ginger so that his eyes were only inches away from the others nose, and he looked up at him to spit:

"Twink!"

For a split second, there was no movement aside from a look of annoyed realisation crossing Ian's face. Then Milkovich was flying.

He punched the stout guy, yelling as he did so. Jim, Paula, the Captain, everyone just stood by and watched while Milkovich began to pummel the shit out of him.

Except Ian.

"Mick! Mickey. Mickey, stop, please!" He cried as he tugged on Milkovich's arms – desperately trying to pull him back enough to be able to restrain him.

"Leave it, gallagher!" Milkovich growled, eyes trained on the other man's slumping form.

"No! No. Look at me. Look at me, Mickey! You've made your point, okay? Okay? It's not that big of a deal."

"It is that big of a deal, Firecrotch." But he relaxed in Ian's grip nonetheless.

With Ian successfully deescalating the situation, the Captain quickly made everyone give them space. In their own world, they didn't seem to notice. Ian was still muttering things to Mickey (green eyes boring into blue) when Paula sauntered up, looking smug.

"So," she started, looking back and forth between them both. Milkovich still looked ready to snap at any moment.

"When did you two start dating?"

Many heads swivelled in their direction. Milkovich, of course, glared at them all.

Ian rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "A little over four years. We were teenagers when we... met."

Jim and Paula shared a glance before he dared to ask, "Why the hesitation?"

'Firecrotch' smiled uneasily.

"We'd sorta been aware of each other before that. We grew up near each other."

He looked at his boyfriend for help.

He just shrugged. "Couple weeks before that, I wanted to kill him cause my baby sister lied about summat he did after he rejected her."

And then, as if this whole situation hadn't brought about more questions than it had answered, he called out "aight boss, I'm leaving early."

Then he slung Ian's EMT bag over his shoulder and walked out.

Jim's dull eyes caught sight of vibrant green before the ginger shrugged and trailed after his boyfriend like the puppy he probably was in some other universe. No guesses what the gossip at the water cooler would all be about the next day. Damn.

[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

i know i sent an ask the other day but i wanna throw another on the table: ed with a goofball avatar s/o? someone who tries to enjoy the time they have in the here and now, ESPECIALLY after what happened in the suval'hal tournament? (this may or may not be related to my avatar but i feel like this could easily apply to a lot of avatars as a whole)

silly avatar getting cranked to the max :) and im slowly loving ed as much as i lobe bosch. oh no. also it's actually really hard to write a goofball avatar for some reason, so hopefully i did my fellow clowns some justice.

Ed could always hear you before he actually sees you.

He's just not used to people with an overly loud personality like yours.

Not to say it was a bad thing, but he's definitely dropped his phone a couple of times because you decided to shout his name across the station for everyone to hear.

Hey, pipe it down. Are you trying to attract attention to him?

You would also attempt to get him to do the most random activities he's ever heard.

Oh, you know a place with a nice view overlooking the city? Cool.

Wait, the place is crawling with security roombas and fighting refrigerators?

What the hell does that even mean?

When Ed's with you, he allows himself to get dragged to wherever you felt like going that day.

A Burger joint? The Scrapyard? Haggar Stadium? It didn't matter where you two were, you always knew a place.

And other times you would say something so outlandish, that he would have to tune you out.

You once stopped mid-training because you had to flip your Crocs into 'sports mode'. Whatever the hell that meant.

So he knocked your ass on the floor for not taking him seriously.

Or when you called early in the morning to ask him meaningless questions at ungodly hours.

Who the hell was calling him this time? Ed thought.

He begrudgingly picked up his phone without checking the caller ID.

"What?"

"Would you love me if I was a worm?"

And Ed hung up on you.

He'll deal with you later.

When you're both out and about, you try to get him to do things he normally wouldn't consider, albeit with some pushback from him.

Like when you wanted to dance with him in Beat Square because a jazz band was playing.

Ed watched them with mild interest before you grabbed him.

"Come on. Let's Dance!" You said, pulling him towards the open space where other people were mingling.

"I don't dance." He narrowed his eyes at you.

And you rolled yours playfully, not letting go of his hands. "Aw, don't be like that, It'll be fun."

Ed tried to relax and mirror your movements.

He was stiff and awkward for the most part, but he was there with you on the dance floor. And that was a win in your books.

He would've never done this if you were some rando asking for his hand, so count yourself lucky.

As the music came to an end, you pulled Ed close, wrapping your arms around him. "See? I told you it would be fun." You said, forehead resting against his.

"Yeah. You were right, I guess." he hummed. "It wasn't that bad."

"I'm always right." You grinned, leaning in to give him a quick peck.

He scoffed, "Let's not go that far."

Because of your outgoing/goofy nature, his friends found you endearing and a joy to be around.

He's actually somewhat relieved they did because that meant the members of his group who were still hesitant around other people were gradually opening up.

But of course, you did have some run-ins with them from time to time that were...less than ideal.

"Aw, Look Ed. I think Kiki likes me," you cooed, gently stroking the lion tamarin who was leaning into your touch. Her tiny face and fluffy body had you completely smitten.

"Uh-huh." He said, glancing down at the little thing. He knew you were too focused on how cute Kiki was to notice that she was slowly inching closer to your food.

It wasn't until she nabbed the bread off your burger that you realized what she was up to.

"That rat. She stole my buns!" You shouted, jumping out of your chair to chase her.

Ed leaned against one of the walls, watching the whole thing unfold, as the nimble thief jumped from one piece of furniture to the next, with you following suit.

'This might take a while,' he thought, popping one of the pickles he took from your burger into his mouth.

After a few minutes, you returned, huffing and puffing with the half-eaten bun in your hands. Tiny scratches ran up your arm from the brief struggle.

"Have fun?" he said with a hint of amusement.

"Not at all, my food's probably cold by now," you groan, dropping the bun back on the table. "Who knew something so small could be so mischievous."

"Don't take it personally. But consider yourself lucky you even got a portion of it back." He said as the tamarin in question hopped on his shoulder, cheeks still puffy from munching down on the stolen bread. "She's got one hell of a jaw for being this size."

You huffed sadly, flopping the bun back on your sandwich as you slumped down on your chair. "Well, at least I could finally eat."

"Wait," You picked the bun back up. "Where the hell are my pickles!?"

Although he doesn't admit it often, he's glad you see the positives in unfortunate situations.

Because there are times when he just has shitty days and nothing could make him feel better.

So he could probably learn a thing or two from you.

But if there are moments when you're not feeling the best, he'll know.

Even if you try to hide it.

Hey, are you really not gonna say anything and make him do all the talking?

He's used to you being the one to fill in the void with your voice.

So it feels a bit empty to not hear it after a while.

In those instances, Ed would find ways to make you feel better.

Albeit your humor may be different from his.

Hey, didn't you think it was funny when that guy spit his tooth out after you punched him?

Or how about when that thug fell to his knees saying how sorry he was for getting the jump on you?

No, you actually didn't find either of those moments funny.

But, seeing him go to this length did genuinely make you smile, so you appreciated every second of it.

However, if you were having a rough day, there's no shame in admitting it, especially to Ed.

He gets it, so you don't need to put on a facade in front of him.

You can enjoy the rest of the day in silence with him if that's what you want.

Speaking about you, you also enjoyed giving him gifts that range from 'useful' to 'What the hell did you just give me?'.

"Isn't it cute?"

"It's something." Ed examined the green plushie that had a dopey smile.

But you could sense his indifference to it.

"I mean, if you don't like it, I can always take it back." You replied, reaching over to grab it.

But before you could, Ed pulled it closer to him. "Hey, back off. It's mine." he said in an oddly possessive tone, which made you laugh.

"Alright, tough guy. It's all yours. I'm just glad you like it."

To an extent, you do ease his nerves and make him forget about the horrors he's seen.

Yeah, he gets on your case for having such a carefree attitude all the time. But that's because you're the ideal embodiment of what his life could've been like if he wasn't connected to any of this Shadaloo biz.

Ed also never got why you always insisted on doing things in the moment rather than putting it off for later.

You don't need to drop everything you're doing just because you had a moment of clarity.

If you have time later, just do it later.

But he can understand to an extent where you were coming from.

Because as much as he hates to admit it, sometimes there’s no such thing as later in this line of work.

[sorrygotthesesacks]

Just watched Apology Tour and I have some thoughts. Not very well formed as I'm fresh from having watched it, and I will need to rewatch as well, so this is more my initial impression and whether it lived up to what I'd hoped for.

Spoiler: yes and no

But for real, spoilers under the cut.

I'd seen a lot of that in the trailer for the rest of S2, but in context, the whole thing with Blitz saying he didn't want to be this way anymore? Did not see that as being said to Verosika.

It was obvious that she was the dumpee because otherwise why have the party? Stolas was right on the mark with that, telling Blitz right, you're so difficult to love that there's a whole ass party of broken hearted exes and it's held EVERY YEAR.

I was glad to see Blitz's eyes opened. I legit had tears in my eyes when his eyes got all shiny during Stolas' song. I'm glad Stolas finally laid it out for Blitz. I'm glad he used his fucking WORDS and left nothing to the imagination.

I'm glad Blitz slipped up and mentioned the first time Striker tried to kill him. I'm glad Stolas reacted as he did.

The way that Blitz started to reach out to touch Stolas, only to pull his hand back - yeah, I see the similarities with that episode of Ozzie's, even if Stolas' reaction wasn't to deliberately pull away, I think he would have. I am so happy he told Blitz what he wanted, after laying out the big grand rom com moment he wanted.*

Which I mean. That's what he was hoping for in Full Moon. We all know that.

I'm glad he was asked to dance. I'm glad he had someone show interest in him just because they enjoyed Stolas' song, and understood Stolas' heartbreak. I'm glad he got to dance with someone, no strings attached.

I'm glad Blitz was jealous. So so glad.

And Verosika is right, the best thing is to say "good for him; hope he gets laid" because as much as it kills me, Stolas has only been with Stella and Blitz ever in his life. Blitz has been fucking around all over the place while in this Thing with Stolas.

But I also kind of hoped for a grand gesture, even though I knew it would be the wrong thing to do, in the wrong time, where he jumped down there to announce his feelings for Stolas, in front of everyone.

I know it was better that he didn't, because he is too emotionally fragile in this moment, and Stolas deserves his time to see what life is like without Blitz.

*But I do hope Stolas gets his declaration in the rain. It doesn't have to be at the train station, but it has to be in the rain, damn it!

Blitz realizing what he lost is important.

That all said.

I hope when he does come back to Stolas, expressing that he wants there to be a THEM, that Stolas recognizes that maybe he was a little bit hasty in not giving Blitz a chance to talk. Whether at Stolas' place or at Verosika's party or whatever, just that he tells Blitz that he's had time to realize that maybe he was expecting a little too much.

I'm saying this all poorly. I'd love for Stolas to realize / recognize that he was being unrealistic with his expectations - and giving Blitz the perfect opening to give him exactly that.

Maybe a beautiful declaration at the train station, where he says his feelings and whatever, and then some ridiculous thing goes wrong. But he said the words Stolas needed to hear, and while Blitz is fucking pissed it didn't work out, it was perfect to Stolas, because it wasn't about the rain or the train station (again, Stolas still deserves that) - it was about Blitz trying to give Stolas what he wanted.

I would also like to see Stolas enjoying being a bachelor and all - (and of course we know there's still that whole thing with Octavia from the trailer about not loving Stella and loving Blitz instead) - but I do want him to see that the casual sex life is still not what he wants.

Should he date someone else? I think where he is, he shouldn't. Or at least, dating is fine, but not a relationship. He's not in a place where one would work, and I don't want this whole "what doesn't break us makes us stronger" bullshit for them.

Blitz sees that someone else finds Stolas hot, someone else can make Stolas blush.

Once again, Stolas is controlling the narrative and not giving Blitz a real chance to respond in a meaningful way.

Yeah yeah, when Blitz came back to talk to Stolas the next day, but ... it's still ... everything is still very fresh for both of them.

The party was amazing, and I am loving seeing Blitz's emotional journey, even if the ride is bumpy and those bumps hurt like a bitch.

(Side note: yay for the crystal working and for Blitz using it. You know that every time he touches that thing, he can't not think of Stolas. Wants to feel like he earned it... uh huh. I see you, Blitz, and that wounded heart you keep buried in your chest.)

[yzeltia]

FFXIVwrite2024 30. Two Heads Are Better Than One

Featuring: @driftward 's Fredrick the Poroggo Characters: Koana, V'tenpe Tia, Gulool Ja, Jullus pyr Norbanus, Alphinuad Leveilluer, Wuk Lamat, Bakool Ja Ja, U'rahn Nuhn, Violet Fisher, Jannie Eyradoux Fortemps, G'khenna Summers, Khloe Alipoh, T'kebbe Morh Rating: T Summary: Closing Vignettes about family, love, and friendship. Notes: Taken from by Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Thanks @autumnslance

-Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor-

“I cannot thank you enough, son.”

Koana’s ears perked at V’tenpe’s praise. “Son?” he thought to himself before having his back patted firmly by V’anille's father. He supposed it was true, his mentor now bound to him by marriage. “Son”. Praise. It warmed him in a way he thought would nigh’ be possible again.

“Guncle Tenpe! I got the wrenches you asked for Gulool Ja’s voice rang out, holding a set high above his head as he wandered over to their work station. 

“Sorry kiddo, those are A’rahn wrenches. I need the Ratchet kind today. Go ask your Auntie Mauhli for those, okay?” V’tenpe instructed, parting Gulool Ja on the head as he took the wrenches from him.

“Okay! Uh…is Koana okay?” Gulool Ja whispered.

Koana blinked as the two stared at him. He touched his face finding a stray tear, then wiped his face off with his ascot. “Some dust in my eye is all.”

“Okay then,” Gulool Ja said, hesitating a moment before running off to get the right tools.

V'tenpe raked his hand through his hair, smiling as the boy ran off. He turned to Koana, shaking his head before squatting down to deadlift the large gear. “Y'know. With your friends gone back to Eorzea or wherever, I bet it's a hard adjustment. You had brothers to get stuff off your chest. Now it's just you and your sister and Anille, and you've got in your mind to keep yerself stoic and level headed. Probably moreso with your fancy title being the Vow of Reason.

“But life's going to be like fixing up this train. Sure I could do this by myself, but it'd be harder on my own. I'm fortunate to have a good hearted son to tag along and my little helper visiting too. Makes the whole thing easier to get through and I don't accidentally wear myself out. The mind is a lot like that too. You keep it all in your noggin’ and you'll burn out. You understand me?”

Koana nodded, swallowing a little before coming over to help V’tenpe fix the gear upon a spoke. “I am, admittedly, finding myself missing my father at times. You are right, I think I might be letting my title prevent me from grieving,” he explained before lowering his ears. “Thank you…dad.”

-If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. 

But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up-

Alphinaud punched his fist into the snow, ass sore from being knocked back while his entourage of Garlean pears laughed at his expense. Two years and a handful of ilms had done little to better his chances with swordplay and he’d regretted his pride, preventing him from asking his sister or Estinien to train him in the art.

“Stick to books Eorzean,” one of the guys laughed before going quiet as Jullus stepped in to reach down and help Alphinaud back to his feet before picking up the training sword the other had been given.

After examining it, he threw it to the other’s feet. “You gave him a damn weighted sword. Is this how the new Garlemald is going to win their fights? Cheap tricks? Sod off you lot and run some laps,” Jullus ordered, watching his company men groan, one slugging the instigator in the shoulder.

Alphinaud bitterly clenched his fists and hung his head. “It is just as embarrassing to lose as it is to have you jump in for me every time I lose a challenge. Though I suppose I should take comfort in knowing they’d set me up for failure.”

Jullus shook his head. “Honestly, you have no business holding a sword. Even if you hadn’t been given a disadvantage your stance and movements are too…noodley for lack of a better word.”

“I’m not seeing how that is to make me feel any better,” Alphinaud said before finding his chin pulled in by Jullus. He flushed as he was kissed, letting it do its job and calm his.

When Jullus parted he smiled then laughed. “That’s not going to work for me much longer is it? I fear each time we part you’ll return a head taller,” he said before hearing his troop scream in the distance. “As for making you feel better. I hosed down a section of our run.”

Alphinaud looked around Jullus, seeing the group trying to pick themselves up on the iced over path. He sighed, unsure if he wished to thank the other for preemptively coming to his defense or scolding him for creating an unsafe environment for his friends. He supposed as long as no injury came from it, he could enjoy a moment of watching them stumble about one another with Jullus’s arm around him. He smiled to himself then turned to attempt to steal another kiss, surprising himself that he no longer needed to lift up on his toes and could meet him at his level.

-Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. 

But how can one keep warm alone?-

“I HATE ALPACAS!!!!!”

Bakool Ja Ja jumped and put a claw over Wuk Lamat’s mouth, silencing her frustrated scream as it echoed through the peaks of Urqopacha. “Careful my Vow, you could cause an avalanche,” Mystic warned before letting her go.

“Sorry. I am just so frustrated. Tobli should build higher fences if he doesn’t want these fiends escaping. I should have had Koana handle this as soon as I knew the petition involved the furry little fiends. I’m sorry that I ever tried to like them,” Wuk Lamat ranted before holding herself as a wind blew by them. “Though I wish one was around. I could really use something fluffy and warm. Hopefully the wind will pass soon,” she continued before the wind howled and picked up. “Okay, maybe we stop for a moment until it calms down.”

Bakool Ja Ja nodded, following Wuk Lamat’s lead to take shelter under an overhang of rocks. He swallowed, watching her shiver and peak out toward the snowy roads. Swallowing, he cleared Might’s throat then rubbed the back of his head. “Vow, if you are cold I could help.”

“Cold? I’m not cold. I’m fine…Really fine,” Wuk Lamat said as she chattered. “I’ll shake it off soon and we’ll be on our way to find that alpaca in no time. You’ll see.”

Bakool Ja Ja frowned with both heads, watching her stubbornly buckle forward as she held herself. Inhaling, he worked up his courage. It was duty as a Landsguard to keep the Vow safe, despite her stubbornness…but, to embrace her. He felt heat rise in his faces at the mere thought. Working himself up, he stepped forward then hesitantly hugged her from behind. “I apologize, but I cannot watch you freeze to death,” Mystic said, feeling her straighten up in his arms.

Wuk Lamat stood stiffly for a moment, not saying anything as she was held. After a few breaths, she leaned back into the warmth of the blessed siblings, ears slumping. “Thank you, Bakool Ja Ja. This is not…unpleasant,” she said carefully.

Being thanked was still new to him. More heat flooded his faces as she relaxed against him. As the snow blustered about outside their small shelter, he stood and held her for as long as she’d let him.

-Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. 

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.-

Rrahn rushed forward, dodging Black Cat’s swipes with a flip to the side before releasing a flurry of blows into her stomach before going for an uppercut before being repelled by a biscuit maker. Violet watched as he flew over her. Blowing her hair from her face, she launched herself forward and began to swing wildly with her gunblade before discharging a bullet, only to have Black Cat relocate herself across the field making her tumble forward past Jannie. Jannie raised her blade defensively, capturing Black Cat’s attention and letting her start to punch and kick at her blade.

On the other side of the ring, G’khenna did her best to maintain a healing aura around the field as the Warriors of Light got knocked around while ahead of her Khloe went all out with her blades, fighting Black Cat’s deflecting tail as she tried to land a blow before catching a flick of the appendage. Khloe let out a cry as she was sent flying backward into G’khenna, knocking her out of her concentration. Black Cat’s attention on them, they held each other and let their eyes grow wide as the fighter appeared before them and raise both fists high, ready to bring them down on them.

“What’s this? A new challenger approaches,” Metem’s voice called out in surprise.

As the girls braced for impact, a pink carbuncle jumped in front of them then created a barrier about them both. On impact, Black Cat recoiled then jumped backward only to be ambushed by the Warriors of Light once more. Standing up, they found a pink-haired girl next to them tossing her hair as she held an open grimoire.

“KEBBE!” Khloe and G’khenna called out, both hurrying to hug her tight.

“Sorry I’m late! It was really hard getting over here,” she laughed, ears fluttering as she hugged her best friends back.

“Khloe, I mean, I missed you so much! We had a huge adventure!”

“We participated in the Rite of Succession and found the City of Gold,” G’khenna added before yelping as a powerful beam hit the panel that they were on once, then twice.

“MY RING!” Metem’s voice cried out in despair.

The trio yelled as the panel shattered beneath them, all three falling into the field below before finding themselves levitated and placed safely back on an unblemished part of the ring. 

“Catch up later! Let’s help the others take this lady down,” T’kebbe said, raising her book in the air then casting a broil toward Black Cat.

“Ahem! Please bear with us while we repair the ring,” Metem’s voice sounded out before it dropped into an angry muffled hiss. “Someone! Get that weird frog out of here.”

The girls blinked then returned to battle. Behind them Fredrick hopped as fast as he could around the stadium, robotic sentries chased him. All these years later and Miqo’te girls continued to be nothing but trouble.

[gunpowder-gemini]

I love liminal spaces but I think we're all using that term wrong

Like ok, hear me out. I ADORE liminal space vibes and playlists and photos etc. I think the backrooms are great! I love the unsettling-yet-oddly-comforting vibes of all this stuff. But I don't think we're using the term right. Or rather, we're using it too broadly I think. Putting the rest under a cut because writing down my thoughts turned into a whole ass essay.

So the definition of liminal according to Merriam-Webster is:

of, relating to, or situated at a sensory threshold : barely perceptible or capable of eliciting a response

of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : in-between, transitional.

When talking about spaces and locations we're generally meaning the 2nd one. (Though the first one sounds like shit you can barely see and I do love the idea of exploring that in terms of like, houses that you aren't sure are there or a place that you can only sort of see out of the corner of your eye but I'm getting sidetracked).

So these are places that are transitional and are unsettling because they are places that we are familiar with but we don't think about when we aren't actively there. Seeing them outside that context is odd and feels kinda wrong (also because they're generally portrayed as always empty and lit strangely, but we'll come back to that). Good examples are like stairwells, hallways, train stations, airports, bus stops, gas stations, etc.

So we agree on that, yeah? Great. Now where I'm saying we're wrong is in OTHER kinds of creepy spaces that give the same sort of vibe, but AREN'T inherently transitional spaces.

For example, I don't think offices are liminal. Office spaces are horrifying and endless office rooms DO sound like my personal hell, but that's because you spend a LOT of time in them. Like, office spaces full of cubicles and computers and shit is a JOB, a DESTINATION. It isn't somewhere you're just passing through or waiting in while you move to another location. Now the office hallways or stairwells I WOULD say are liminal, but the rooms themselves? Unsettling but not liminal, and I think are unsettling BECAUSE they aren't liminal.

I would apply this same logic to a lot of other popular "liminal space" places that get thrown around, such as shopping malls, playplaces, hotels (this one could go either way tbh), classrooms, houses (come on, you literally live in those), etc. Some examples of what I mean:

These aren't liminal imo, they're just empty and/or poorly lit. Empty places that feel like they should have people, especially places that feel familiar, can evoke that same sort of uncanny uneasiness that liminal spaces do.

There is, of course, overlap and gray areas and nuance. Places that do not normally exist as liminal spaces CAN be liminal spaces if the place itself is in a state of transition.

For example, the backrooms. Office spaces are not inherently liminal but EMPTY office spaces I would say are. Without the cubicles and desks and computers and whatnot, the space ceases to be a destination. No one is working in the completely empty backrooms. So the space is in a period of transition either into a usable workspace or going from a workspace into something else. I would say this applies to things like empty houses before you move in/after you move out. Waffle House at 3 am is liminal because it's not a destination you just end up there somehow. There's more but you get the gist, here's some examples.

The last category of liminal spaces are ones I'm not sure where to put, because they aren't real. These are things like the poolrooms and bathrooms that don't make sense and stuff like that. I see these labeled "dreamcore" more than anything which is a good label, but since they do get brought up as liminal spaces I figured I'd mention them here too. Idk, I don't think they're liminal if only because they aren't real.

SO all of that explained, I'd like to bring back that thing about emptiness and strange lighting. Because all of these images I found by searching for liminal spaces (and specifying like, bathroom or whatever) and I DON'T think they're all liminal but I DO think they are all unsettling and weirdly familiar in the same way. We're using liminal to describe this vibe, but I think what we all ACTUALLY mean is uncanny.

Like, all of these places are places that look familiar even though we may never have been there, but they look WRONG. They're all too empty, the lights are either too bright or too dim and many of them look abandoned. They're such a strange marriage of nostalgically familiar (for those of us that grew up in the us in the 90s/00s anyway, ymmv) and horrifyingly unsettling. They're like the uncanny valley, but for locations. Thus, I think this aesthetic should be called something like uncanny spaces and that liminal spaces would be a subset of this.

Obviously I'm just some guy on the internet and I can't make anyone stop using liminal to mean uncanny, it's just something I've kinda thought a lot about and wanted to yell those thoughts into the void that is the internet lol.

[redwidow616]

Okay here goes, I finally have time to write my eras tour essay:

Just a little psa this got a lot longer than I expected, especially the pre-show part, so just be aware of that and ofc you don't have to read it @prisongang

Pre-show:

As some of you might know the stupid ass european football cup was in germany this year, which meant I had to go to a different city for eras, that was kinda annoying because I had to spent even more money on train tickets and a hostel, but I made it and everything was fine so it's good, also props to the Deutsche Bahn for neither of my trains being delayed l. Okay so I arrived at the train station and there were soooooooo many swifties there, it was crazy, looking back I probably should have started trading bracelets then but I'm still kinda shy so I didn't. In Hamburg I arrived at my hostel, checked in, got ready and then immediately left to go to the stadium. In the station from where i took a train there, there were also so so so many swifties and I even got some compliments on my outfit 🤗. When we all got off the train we still had to walk for like half an hour until there was really anything there, but it was okay, I also saw a lot of parents there which I thought was also really cool. Now comes a kind of confession because I still feel weird about saying this, but I had a VIP ticket (pls do NOT ask me how much it was or I'll just disappear into the earth from shame) and the VIP entry started at 3 pm and for me that was when the line I was in started moving, admittedly pretty fast. I was there around 2:30 maybe a little later but the line was already really long, I couldn't even really see the stadium. As it started moving I could also see other people sitting and waiting in the regular line (it was by far not as crazy as in München, but they were still there probably hours before they could get in), there was also a merch stand somewhere but I didn't go there and I actually didn't get merch at all, the opportunity just didn't really arise but don't worry I'm bot sad about it. As the line was moving and we could finally see the stadium it started raining a little, but since the line was moving so fast it wasn't really that bad. Then I was finally in the stadium around 4 pm so I still had two hours to go till paramore and I used those for doing nothing and just sitting on the floor so I could jeep my spot. Even for being in the VIP section I think I was very close to the stage, I was like 4th or 5th row at first and later it shifted a bit so I was pretty much 3rd row by the end. In front of me were some girls who all seemed to have just net there and were talking a little and I even talked to one of them who was from my city and my age which was really nice. While we were waiting it rained multiple times, and after like one and a half hours I couldn't sit anymore and I stood up so the whole floor was wet and I just stood but it was fine cus paramore came on not long after. Also while we were waiting the screen played some of taylors music videos and behind the scenes clips to those videos.

Paramore:

I'm not really a fan of them, I know some of their more famous songs but it was still really fun screaming along to the songs I knew or even the choruses of songs i didn't really know, after they were done we still had to wait like half an hour for taylor and it started raining again and honestly at that point I was not that excited about it, even though I know that people say rain shows are the best but at that moment I didn't really feel that way, but that would change soon..

Lover:

So the clock appeared a few minutes before and of course everyone was screaming and stuff and when it was done the dancers with the seashells? (idk what to call them u know what I mean) came out and I was soooooo close to them it was crazy, I also took a video of that whole part until right after taylor came up on stage and then I was just gone, I screamed the lyrics and danced and just didn't care about the rain anymore, even though it got worse and worse but the people are right it is so much fun to dance in the rain with taylor, really as soon as the show actually started I forgot that I didn't want it to rain because it really is that amazing of an experience. I loved this ehole act so much, I was really close to the door where the dancers came out and where they go at the end and so I was also very close to the Lover house and really close to taylor dring the man and yntcd which was so amazing and so fun, during Lover she wasn't that close anymore but I still took a video of the lover bridge cus I love that song and that album in general so much, I did miss the archer a little bit but I wouldn't say it missing diminished the experience it just would have been nice to have

Fearless:

First of all the transition was crazy, because NO ONE FUCKING TOLD ME THERE WOULD BE REAL SPARKS COMING DOWN FROM TOP OF THE SCREEN THINGY??? I took a video of this too cus I was so surprised and it looked really pretty, during fearless the song i was so so lucky because taylor and the band were practically standing right in front of me, i was so close to here i still can't believe i got that lucky for one of the songs i love so much, and i also have a video of the intro and I had so much fun and danced and screamed my lungs out sm during love story and ybwm, and ofc I got the outfit i hoped for which i was really happy about but during this era the rain got really really bad and while it was still so much fun i was a little scared for my phone so i didn't take any more videos or photos than the ones in the beginning

Red:

During the beginning of this i was also so lucky because the dancer who did the thing with the chest was on the base of the stage so still really close to me and I could see her so clearly. This was probably one of the most fun parts because i didn't really have anything i wanted to take a video of except a short one during atw so i was really in the moment and had so much fun just dancing care free and singing. When taylor gave the hat to that girl it was so so cute because she was so excited and i could also see that really well on the big screen and she gave taylor a friendship bracelet, which she wore for the rest of the set and it wa just so adorable and relatable how she was freaking out, i don't think I've seen any other child be this emotional over getting the 22 hat. There was also confetti flying around during this set but everything was wet so you couldn't really pick it up

Speak Now:

The Intro to this was also so beautiful, i saw it the first night of the european leg on a life stream which was cutting out so i didn't see everything but I knew I had to take a video of it and I did. The dress taylor wore was also so beautiful and again like during fearless she walked right past me and was so so close I couldn't believe it, i have my best pictures of the evening probably from this era and at least one where it looks like she is looking directly at me if you zoom in, which I am so excited about and ofc Enchanted was so beautiful to experience life, i loved it so much, it was breath taking

Reputation:

Again taylor was so close to me at some points during this set and during lwymmd were the dancers are in glass boxes i had such a great view and during the transition from dbm to lwymmd I think Paul was standing pretty close to where I was and was throwing guitar picks into the crowd which was also so exciting even though i didn't catch any. And of course 123 lgb was a religious experience

FolkMore:

I did miss the seven poem intro, because i saw it once on a lifestream and thought it's inclusion in that way was so beautiful, but of course the snake transition makes a lot of sense. Like with the lover house, the folklore cabin was also really close to me but what was a bit of a fail was that when taylor layed down on the roof during cardigan i couldn't see her anymore from where i was standing but i could see her on the screen so it was okay. Betty was also really special to me, idek why but i was so happy seeing it live, btw the rain had already long stopped at this point so i could film and take photos again without worrying. Champagne problems was also so close to me even though taylor was kinda hidden behind her piano but being that close to her during such an emotional song was still amazing and afterwards we were so loud for so long. I am also so happy about having seen my tears ricochet live, cus it was one of the first taylor songs i loved, it means so much to me and i love it's performance on this tour. Marjorie was also very emotional for me, vecause it reminds me of my own grandma who died a little over to years ago when i was just starting to become a swiftie and all the lyrics really resonate with me, I also took a video of the bridge and i think i can hear myself choking up a little during it and i always cry when i rewatch this video. I did miss tolerate it too a bit, mainly because I also would have a had an amazing view of it from where i was, but also because i love the lyrics and i love evermore. Willow was really beautiful too, i love that performance so much especially the little instrumental part in between the verses

1989:

Like with red i probably had the most careless fun during this era, because i didn't take any fotos or videos and just danced and had fun and it was incredible, i loved it, it really was the most fun I've probably ever had, all the chants were a lot of fun too and there was also the surprise that THERE WAS FIRE ON STAGE AGAIN!! during bad blood fire comes up from the stage multiple times in columns and the first time i had my back to it so i could only feel the warmth but after that i saw it and it was sooo crazy, but also added a lot to the performance i think

TTPD:

This is probably the era I've seen most often, especially icdiwabh cus it's right before surprise songs, but it was still amazing, because it was also finally properly dark during this set, which made taking fotos a luttle harder cus everything was white, but i still have a very good one from fortnite. So high school was so much idc if people don't like it, i love it (sorry poppy, maybe it's cus i still was in high school until recently), but it's fine, like i said i had so much fun during it and during waolom, because that performance is also just crazy. During tsmwel taylor was really close to me again and that set in general is just amazing with all it's theatrical aspects

Surprise Songs:

Of course I have some favourites, which i would've been absolutely ecstatic about, but the songs I got are still better than anything I could've imagined. First ofc teardrops on my guitar and i am so happy i got a debut song, no matter which one, I love debut and since it has no set I'm so happy about getting a surprise songs from it. It being mashed up with the last time made me lose my mind, because i love that song so much and I still can't believe i heard it live, it was one of my first favourites from red, and I was singing along to it so loud, i am so happy about getting this. And we were happy x happiness. Idek what to say these are two songs she's never played live before, how lucky am i?? I got fearless vault, no matter which one i am so happy about this!! And mashed up with happiness that makes it even more unbelievable , i was staring at the huge screen the whole time, absolutely mesmerised (cus i couldn't see taylor because if the slope of the stage) i kinda wish i would've taken a video, but I'm also really happy i was just present and really watched and listened to it (in general i think my favourite videos from that evening are the shaky one cus when i watch them i know that i wasn't looking at my phone while taking them, i was looking at the real thing), so yeah that was crazy

Midnights:

Especially during anti hero i could see taylor so well again cus she was directly in front of the screen, practically walking along bext to me and i have some really amazing pictures of this. Also during lavender haze she was right in front of me sometimes. Midnight rain was also so incredible, i love this song so much, have done so forever, it's so relatable to me and I'm so happy to have a video of it. I loved all the outfits for this et too so much, and at the end of karma everything looked so amzing with the confetti and all the colourfull jackets and just everything (sadly the floor was still wet so i couldn't take any confetti :()

Afterwards:

After the show i finally got to trading bracelets, i gave the girl from my city, from the beginning two and traded more with other people, but we were ushered out of the stadium pretty quickly and sadly I lost that girl without knowing hef name or having her number, as we got out it was just a sea of swifties out there in the dark, but it was so chill considering how many people there were and the police was also taking care, cus there was a tunnel which could've probably been a risk (#loveparade) and they made sure there wouldn't be too many people in there so everyone was safe and i actually made it to my hostel in probably under two hours which was a lot better than i expected and at some point while we were waiting someone ofc played taylor music.

So it was probably the most incredible experience of my life, everyone ther was just amazing and still can't believe it really happened, cus it seems like a dream. I miss it so much and i just want to go again and again. I would love to just go one time to take videos and fotos of everything and one time to just enjoy it and jot worry about that stuff, but I am still so happy that i got to be there and got to experience it.

tagging the prison gang so u guys know i finally write my essay @anixknowsnothin @noproof-youjustknow @pardonmydelays @mymuses-acquiredlikebruises @measuredmotion

[asskickedbygirl]

Hey there!

First of all: I love your work, you're doing a great job and I really love your writing style!

I'd like to request something (if you don't want to write that it's cool). I had some kind of a down time for the past few weeks and need something funny/comforting. I thought of maybe reader being a medic on the set of jackass and she and bam and Ryan had a troubled past. So when she sees them she's like "oh please don't get hurt" and the other boys are teasing her like "oh, are you worried about them?" And she's like "god no I don't want to see their faces more than I need to."

And bam or Ryan kinda start to like her and is jealous when the other guys try to flirt with her.

Can end in smut, even though I'm ace and not a smut fan, but the stuff you write is so good, I can totally live with that.

Thanks for your fics and happy new year!

Tell Me

[Ryan Dunn x F!Reader]

A/n: ASSKICKEDBYGIRL WRITING FLUFF FOR ONCE?!?!?!? 😱😱yeah there's a shock. thank you for the req sorry it took me a while to get around to it but thank you for saying that too!!! I've missed writing I wish I didn't have a life.

warnings: mentions of sex, alcohol, cursing

2.9k words

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"You might be busy today, looks like Bam and Ryan are gonna fuck something up." Jeff tutted, glancing over to where the crew were setting up.

"God I hope they don't get hurt."

Johnny overheard what you said, a smirk appearing on his face as he wandered over to where you and Jeff were stood.

"And why's that? You got a crush? Worrying your pretty little head over em?" He laughed, ruffling up your hair as you tried pushing him off.

"God no. I don't wanna see their faces more than I have to."

Johnny's brows narrowed, unsure of why you had some sort of vendetta against the two buffoons from West Chester.

"They went to high school together." Jeff answered Johnny's confusion for you before leaving the two of you be.

"Ah I see. One of them an ex or something?"

You shook your head, scoffing.

"Definitely not. They were just idiots that's all."

Johnny could tell you were leaving some detail out as you continued setting up your station, the job you were supposed to be doing instead of chatting with the star of the movie.

"Did they pick on you? Cause' if that's the case I can kick their asses for you. We'll call it reparations."

Johnny's sweet talking pulled a little smile from you though you kept your eyes trained on the ground, afraid you might fall into Johnny's sunken ones as crushing on coworkers was totally a no-go in the professional sense.

"No it's okay. They were kind of assholes to a lot of people so it's not really considered picking on me. Just boys being dumb."

Johnny nodded, biting his lip.

"Well hell maybe they've changed, they're only jackasses professionally now!"

You laughed, glancing up to meet Johnny's eyes.

"Yeah, maybe they just keep the assholery for when they're getting paid."

Before you could launch into any further discussion with the heart throb, the two cast members you'd least like to speak to darted over, calling your name.

"Did you miss us?" Ryan laughed, wrapping an arm around you like you were the best of buds.

"Can't say I did Dunn." You awkwardly shoved his arm off of you, trying your best to continue unpacking though Bam sitting on top of your workplace made that rather difficult.

"Oh come on, you had to have missed me after I dropped out!" Bam chuckled, leaning back, Johnny simply observing the mini high school reunion.

"I will say Bam, Raab shitting on those lockers was the best thing he ever did, got rid of the two of you!"

That's when Johnny finally interjected, laughing whole-heartedly and clutching his chest.

"Raab did what?!"

"You don't know this? Raab got expelled for smearing shit on a bunch of lockers so Bam dropped out." Ryan smiled, relishing in relaying the story despite the fact he wasn't actually there to experience it.

"Chris committed a string of shit related crimes but that one was truly the last straw." You nodded, smiling at Johnny's joy.

"Well hey, they were pretty funny, you have to admit." Bam extended his arm, attempting to grasp some humour from you.

"Funny isn't the word I'd use... disgusting seems more fitting. Plus you guys were dickheads back then."

Bam and Ryan matched faces of confusion.

"What are you talking about? We were dumb kids everyone just ignored." Bam said, Ryan nodding along.

"Seriously? You don't remember?"

There was an awkward silence then, Bam and Ryan racking their brains trying to understand what the hell you were on about.

"Remember what?" Ryan asked.

You bit the inside of your cheek, glancing between the two boys and remembering Johnny was right there too, witnessing this strange sort of confrontation. You weren't sure if you really wanted to unload the words that swirled in your head through in your teen years in front of the guy you kinda liked, the idea was not exactly appealing.

"Whatever, forget it." You bit your tongue, grabbing something and pretending you had something else to attend to when you were just desperate to make an escape.

***

After that awkward little encounter Bam and Ryan seemed to be making an array of unnecessary visits to your station, pestering you for band aids and asking if random bruises 'looked okay'.

"Bam you've had thousands of bruises in your lifetime, I'm sure you know that looks perfectly normal."

"Alright yeah, I just wanted to come talk to you before Dunn or Knoxville had a chance." Bam pulled down the leg of his pants as your brows narrowed.

"What are you talking about?"

Bam grinned at you, like he knew something you didn't.

"No it's nothing, I just like talking to you."

Bam's glimmering eyes were seeping into you but it wasn't really working, in fact he was becoming more of a nuisance than anything else.

"Well I appreciate the fact you enjoy my company but I'm kinda trying to work here."

Bam rolled his eyes, not giving up.

"Oh come on. No one's hurt you don't have any work to do, just tell me why I was an ass and I'll leave."

As soon as the words left Bam's lips a yell was heard where Johnny was performing a stunt followed by a 'Medic!" shout.

"Fuck." You muttered, grabbing your kit and running over to where Johnny lay clutching his ankle.

"I think I broke it." He spoke through gritted teeth, eyes shut tightly.

You removed Johnny's hand to see the area was already swelling.

"Help me get him to the tent, I have an ice pack there." You called out to someone, Ryan jumping into play as he swung Johnny's arm around his shoulder while you did the same with his other arm, helping him up and steadying him.

A gaggle of people tried to follow you along but you shooed them off.

"He'll be fine, Jeff can you tell everyone to fuck off please?" You called out, Jeff simply shooting you a thumbs up and waving away any stragglers.

As you, Ryan and Johnny eventually made it to the med tent to sit Johnny down, you noticed a stray had followed you along.

"I don't need both of you here." You called out to Ryan and Bam who both pretended to look mightily concerned as Johnny winced and you fetched the ice pack.

"I'll stay." They both said in unison, earning a glare from you.

"I think I can handle a sprained ankle guys, goodbye." You pushed Ryan and Bam out of your tent and closed the curtains, turning to face Johnny.

"Sorry about those idiots, they won't fucking leave me alone." You muttered, removing Johnny's shoe and sock and placing the ice pack on his swollen ankle, causing him to suck sharply through his teeth.

"You think I fucked it up badly?"

"Nah, probably just a sprain even though it might seem a lot worse, you'll have to use crutches for a bit though."

Johnny sighed, looking pissed off.

"Well there goes two weeks where I can't do shit."

There was an awkward silence in the tent then as you kneeled below him, lifting his foot with your hand to elevate it.

"You know they probably like you right?"

"What?" For being so irritated and in pain, Johnny was really gonna bring up Bam and Ryan?

"The idiots. They have massive crushes on you, I know it."

You laughed, shaking your head.

"You're delusional."

Johnny smiled, staring at you below him, rooting through your bag for bandages.

"I think I'm very lusional actually."

"Oh god, lusional? He's losing it nurse this must be something far more serious!" You laughed, wrapping the bandage tightly around Johnny as he laughed too, wincing through the pain.

Bam and Ryan stood outside the tent waiting for you, their ears only being filled with joyous laughter, their teeth now grinding together.

"Think they need help?" Bam folded his arms, beginning to grow impatient.

"She likes him. Of course she fucking does, what girl doesn't like Knoxville." Ryan spat under his breath, kicking the ground beneath his shoe.

"You know, maybe if we weren't such dicks in high school she might give us the time of the day." He added, turning away from the tent to fuck off somewhere, pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

"Come on dude, we weren't that bad." Bam called out but Ryan shook his head.

"Well clearly we were if she can't stand talking to us for more than two fucking seconds." He went off in a huff, regret coursing through his veins at the unknown actions of his teenage self.

Who knew being a bit of a dick in high school would come back to bite you in the ass?

***

It was a Friday night and the crew were off drinking at a local bar after a week of filming. Knoxville had been sentenced to two weeks on crutches and so was hobbling around the bar with them while Bam and Ryan were still falling over each other trying to talk to you. You sat in a booth next to Chris, sipping on your vodka soda and trying to ignore the pestering Bam who was getting more and more drunk by the minute when suddenly he spoke your name all serious.

"Just tell me how Ryan and I were such dicks to you in high school and I promise I'll fuck off."

You were pulled away from your lively conversation to be met with yet another awkward confrontation.

"Bam I don't wanna get into this, seriously." Bam threw his arm over your shoulder and pressed his finger against your lips.

"Just tell me! I'm sorry I was an asshole cause' now I really wanna bang you."

"Alright Bam! That's enough of that!" Like a deus ex machina, Ryan graciously came to your rescue, dragging his drunk friend away from you and pushing him towards another group of Jackass people.

Your eyes were wide, mouth slightly agape.

"Sorry about him, whiskey is like his truth serum."

You just shook your head laughing, still in a state of disbelief.

"Well I wasn't expecting a love confession to go like that."

"He has a way with words." Ryan laughed, shrugging.

"I'm going to the bar and am not ordering whiskey." Chris murmured, sliding out from the booth and leaving you and Ryan alone.

"So you and Bam really wanna know why I didn't like you when we were younger huh?"

Ryan took a sip from his drink, trying to act as if he didn't care as much as his inebriated best friend.

"I mean, kinda but- yeah. Yeah we do wanna know."

You laughed, shaking your head.

"Fine, I'll tell you."

Ryan's eyes widened.

"You will?"

"I will. but! only if you tell me one thing."

"Anything, what is it?" Ryan nodded enthusiastically.

"Do you have a crush on me too?" Your smile widened, eyes burrowing into his own.

Ryan laughed awkwardly, eyes spinning around the room trying to avoid your gaze.

"Oh come on, what are we 16?"

"Well you wanna know why I thought you guys were assholes at 16 so?"

Ryan bit his lip, considering his options when he just settled on biting the bullet.

"Fine. Yeah I do have a crush on you. That's why I wanna know why you're not giving me any chances so bad."

You smiled smugly, picking up Ryan's glass of whiskey.

"God this stuff really is truth serum!"

You both shared a moment of laughter before settling down.

"Alright I'll tell you. Sophomore year you were a Senior. I kinda liked your hair and I thought you were cute."

Ryan bit back a smile.

"I was at my locker and you and Bam were talking and I kinda overheard your conversation."

Ryan winced at that.

"Well that's never good."

You scratched the back of your head, smile faltering slightly when you remembered what you were about to spill, the alcohol in your system making your lips a little looser.

"Well you know I was pretty quiet in high school. Didn't really talk to anyone except my close friends."

Ryan nodded, straying away from any jokes as he noticed your change in demeanour.

"Since I was so quiet I could kinda fly under the radar, overhear things nobody thought I would hear, I was kind of invisible like that. Anyways, one day you and Bam were talking about girls."

Your eyes were stuck on the table, not wanting to look up and back out of what Ryan had lured you into saying.

"I noticed Bam kinda nodded his head towards me and asked you 'What about her?' I didn't hear the first part but knew it had something to do with sex or dating or whatever."

Out of the corner of your eye you could see Ryan was turning red, already embarrassed before he was even told what he had to be embarrassed about.

"And you said something like 'Fuck no she's a prude. Just an uptight bitch.'"

Ryan swallowed thickly, eyes flicking down to his shoes.

"Then Bam was like 'Yeah she's a cunt. Wouldn't fuck me if I was dying.' and then you just laughed and walked off."

There was quiet then, Ryan shaking his head and sighing.

"Look I don't hold it against you. You were just asshole teenagers and I'm sorry for acting like a bitch late-"

"No stop." Ryan stuck his hand out, interrupting your apologetic spiel.

"I was a fucking dickhead, I'm sorry for saying that shit, it wasn't even true."

You smirked, biting your lip.

"It was kinda true. Still is."

Ryan met your eyes then, his expression hiding a smile

"I just said that bullshit cause' I thought you were cute and I didn't want Bam to get his grubby hands on you."

You rolled your eyes, properly laughing then.

"Oh fuck off Dunn. Don't pull that 'He's only mean because he likes you!' shit on me now!"

Ryan shook his head, smile growing.

"I'm serious! Why do you think Bam and I are falling over our feet trying to talk to you now?!"

You narrowed your eyes and crossed your arms, smirk pulling at your lips.

"Are you telling me this whole time the older kid I thought was cute also thought I was cute?"

Ryan smiled before wetting his lips, arm moving himself closer to you.

"And what if I am?"

You laughed heartily, pushing Ryan's chest.

"Don't put your moves on me Dunn. Did you forget I'm a prude?"

He rolled his eyes again, chuckling.

"Come on let me walk you home before Knoxville breaks something else that you need to look at."

Ryan reached his hand out to pull you out of the booth.

"Jealous already Dunn? Guess you really are the type."

You allowed yourself to get dragged up, Ryan slipping his arm around your shoulder to usher you out of the bar.

"Hey where the fuck are you two going?!" Bam slurred out, bringing everyone's attention to you and Ryan.

You half smiled, unsure of what to say. That's when your eyes met with Johnny's as you witnessed him compute in real time what was happening. When he realised who you were going home with that night he simply smiled and winked at you. How was he always right?

"Taking her home asshole." Ryan called out, wasting no time in pulling you away, the urgency making you laugh.

As you walked down the streets of West Chester, Ryan's hand moved down to hold you by your waist, whispering crude comments about passer-bys in your ear to make you laugh when eventually you reached your apartment building.

"Thanks for walking me home." You smiled, holding your hand over where Ryan was holding your waist and turning to face him.

You looked into each others eyes for a moment, both of you smirking uncontrollably.

"I'd invite you in but, you know I'm a prude so."

Ryan rolled his eyes as you cackled, slapping his chest.

"I deserve that."

You smiled sweetly as Ryan did too, his eyes flicking down to your lips for a millisecond as your faces got closer.

"I don't think we should do anything tonight but..." You brought your hand up to rest on Ryan's cheek, rubbing his face with your thumb.

"I could give you something else." You whispered, leaning in and kissing him.

Ryan kept his hold on your waist but moved his other hand to touch your own face, deepening the kiss. He pushed your body to be closer to his own, moving his lips against yours roughly, beard grazing your chin. Before things could escalate any further you pulled away, allowing yourselves to catch your breath.

"You foiled my plan." Ryan laughed, brushing your hair off of your face.

"What?"

"My plan this whole time was to get the prude to sleep with me ten years later, it was strategy all along."

You both laughed.

"I see, you really plan ahead. I guess I'll just have to sleep with you now."

Ryan quirked an eyebrow at your obviously sarcastic response, resulting in a punch to the arm. You laughed pulling away from his hold on you.

"Goodnight Ryan." You turned your back to him and began unlocking the door as he still stood behind you. As the door opened you turned around, smirking before kissing him one last time for the night.

"Call me."

"I'd be an idiot not to."

"What's new?"

End.

@gnarkillknoxville @jackussy420 @lovexjoe @steve-osahottie @stratossphere @izzaaaaaa @jackassvivalabam03 @nonbinarypontius

[bunabi]

srry if this is intrusive or weird, but i saw in a reblog recently that ur from chicago: can i ask, whats it generally like living there? like, cost of living/ housing, public transport, disability access, healthcare. its one of the main places i was thinking abt moving to after college, but i dont know anyone frm there yet & always like to talk to locals for info rather than random articles online. thank u for ur consideration, whether u answer or not, hope u & sabine have a great day! 💖

(chicago anon again) OH & also srry if it seems like a lot to ask!!! after sending the mssg i relize it might come across like im asking for some whole ass essay abt the area or smthn. to clarify i jst meant i was curious if u have a few short general thoughts or insider "things ppl who move here should know" or i guess mostly just if you personally enjoy it there & whatever. but i def dont wanna be a burden. i know its kind of vague open ended question. ahh!! OmO;

Uh sure let me think:

The trains and buses are pretty consistent. It's $2.50 per swipe but transfers are free. When I was in college they gave us student discount passes. There are applications for free/reduced-fare passes.

Not every station has elevator access, so you might want to look into that ahead of time if you need any accommodations. Between the three stations near me only one is wheelchair friendly.

It's expensive everywhere now. Try to find a place with the best deal per square footage. I have a way more affordable large studio that's the same size as my prev small 1BR apartment. Speaking from experience: a lot of 'remodeled' places just have new appliances and the same ancient walls with insane bug colonies, so be careful. 😭

Neighborhoods with a nearby campus (DePaul in Lincoln Park, Loyola in Edgewater, U of I in West Loop) are typically really safe & have guides available. If you can afford it and don't mind being around students nonstop, I recommend those areas for first apartment hunting.

Our main subway lines are the Red Line & Blue Line. They have completely different energies. Idk how else to describe it. If you visit, please ride both to get an idea of which you prefer to deal with on a regular basis.

Good luck!

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

Criminal Justice (2007)- Episodes 1-5. Watching Con O'Neill's old stuff cause it's fun. Day #? RALPH STONE!

Warnings: Murder. Blood. Drug Use. Needle Use/Injection is shown on the scene. Drunk driving. Accused/discussed sexual assault. Abusive parents, grief, and general bullshit in the justice system.

Should you watch this if you haven't: YES! Five episodes, each being an hour, but if you don't have any issues with the warning, it should be a fun time. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this show and Con is a very important character! He is on screen more than most of his other tv parts and is having a great time. It's a story about one defendant and the shit that goes down as he's tried for the crime.

Special thanks to:

@dianetastesmetal who I chatted with around midway through about the show! (For me it was ~2 in the morning, so it was a whole lot of fun!)

The Usual Suspects! I would love to hear your thoughts about this show down alone! I want to thank all of you for following me and giving me love. Y'all are enabling my current fixation, and I thank you all! If you haven't seen it, just ignore me <3

@sphealybojeely @thedowneyheart @kimpreg @gydima @ivegotnonameidea @treesofgreen @tummy-stab-wounds @mossiestpiglet @sidewalk-scrawls @crybabyclover @

Criminal Justice- EP 1 (Guest starring my brother)

Why does that kid look like Benedict Cumberbatch?

He just needs a haircut. That hair looks awful.

This takes place in 2008 right? 

Why didn't the dad knock?

He's going to go have sex, huh, he's not going to his friend's house. 

Is he going to abuse his position here? Pretend he's a cab driver?

I feel like cab drivers are trained to drop a rando with no destination to a hospital or a police station. 

Also, a situation that's only playful because it's a young woman. If this were a homeless person? This shit isn't flying. 

DON'T SHARE YOUR FUCKING DRINKS WITH A STRANGER??!?!?!

I got to inform my brother that in England they call soft-served ice cream 'whippies' after the popular brand 'Mr. Whippy', to which he just said 'it's a clown land'

DRUGS! Here we go!

This is suspicious as fuck. Don't take her booze! She's a chick you just met! 

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

NOOOO! NO. NO. NO. KNIFE GAME IS TAPPING, NOT FUCKING STABBING! WTF! 

Society would be a lot further on if we just stopped caring about peer pressure.

WHAT? HE STABBED HER!?!?!?!?!? WHY ARE THEY FUCKING? 

We have seen so much of this man's ass, why? 

We are 12 minutes in?

Oh. She's dead. She's so dead. 

OH SHIT. Yep thats a stabbing

Brother guesses it was the parent, I say ex lover.

God, he's just bad at this

BRO WENT BACK AND NOW HAS A WITNESS?????

This is an actual ACE ATTORNEY CASE WTF

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. HE THEN CRASHES THE CAR? ACE ATTORNEY LEVELS OF DUMB!

Bro, is this your first break in?

Ohhh he's fucked. 

Ohhhhh, this is the cops best day of his life

Oh, good luck defense attorney Con. You better get Phoenix Wright levels of bullshit. 

Oh my god, don't fucking fight the cops. 

Bro, take a nap. It's been a long night. 

OH MY GOD IT'S HIM. 

Hello Con! Lovely to see you. Love the rat man fit. I know it's on purpose, but damn. He looks wet.

This is where my brother bullies the shit out of Con. 

OH I LOVE HIM-He's actually giving good legal advice! The cops are going to do whatever they can to get a false conviction.

'No comment man'- Hard nose solicitor I FUCKING LOVE IT

RALPH STONE! TROLLIN'. I love it. GOD I LOVE IT.

It's so much easier to be quiet when you're nervous. 

Lessons to be learned from this tv show: Don't random desperate women, don't fall to peer pressure, don't say shit to the police. 

They wouldn't have left her body there. They would have taken photos then taken the body out of the house asap. It's weird they've waited so long to investigate. 

Solicitation of evidence. It's illegal to receive testimony from a private source without giving the evidence to opposing council. 

Nice that she packed him a sandwich. 

Why is the shitty cops boss so much taller? That's funny. 

Whelp. RIP Ralph, you did all you could. Having the guy almost assault a police officer isn't fun.

OHHHHH!!!!!! RALPH I LOVE IT- GOOD GOD IS HE FUN

Oh this whole detective thing feels illegal. Without his attorney to represent him.

Yeah. Sure. Don't get buddy-buddy with the guy who wants to put you away for years.  

IS THIS DETECTIVE A VILLAIN? Oh, he likes you? FUN.

They're in a public spot, there is no expectation for privacy and this can be recorded, HAHAHAHAHHAHA. GOOD, HE DIDN'T SAY SHIT. 

It's 2007, a bit of weird transphobia was to expected. 

UHHHHH….. I SWEAR TO GOD. DON'T SWAP ATTORNIES!

CLASSIST BRITISH PEOPLE AHHHHH-

OH I'D BE PISSED!!!!!! RALPH IS SO GOOD!!!!!

Oh good, Ralph corrected himself about his client's name and pronouns, nice. 

Ralph at the end of ep 1-'I looked into his eyes, and we vibed. He can't be innocent'

AWWW RALPH STILL WANTS TO HELP HIM EVEN AFTER HE GOT SCREWED OVER BY HIS POSH LAWYERS! God, I love him. 

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

EPISODE 2: This is where my brother dipped out, but I summarized as much as I could for him. 

I'm going to be honest I skipped through this ep a ton. I generally got the gyst. I'm here for my guy, you know. 

I watched a bit, but this just establishes our protagonist's life in jail. 

I skipped Ralph's scene/ the trial. Seriously the preview in ep 1 gives you the gist. Read a summary. Etc. His roomie is great.  

AHHH RALPHS SMILE. "I don't care what you'd do as a lawyer, just as a human being" AHHH. 

GOD HIS CELLMATE IS SO GOOD.

HAHHHAHHAHAHAHHAH! WTF?!?!?!??! Oh, poor ralph. You guy just blowing up in court.

At this point, if I was Ralph Stone, I wouldn't really believe him, but that's what that whole grin was for. He just knew our guy was innocent!

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

Episode 3

Oh good. Protag was able to deep throat the drugs. 

Ralph! AHHH!! God, he has great outfits in this show. 

WHY DOES RALPH HAVE A FOOT THING? I noticed it earlier, but why are we drawing attention to it. 

Oh good, Ralph doesn't want to senselessly tarnish a dead girl's name. Nice. 

THAT FACE! Uh, the reluctant face! Chewing on the lip! 

Ralph! AHHH!! God, he has great outfits in this show. 

WHY DOES RALPH HAVE A FOOT THING? I noticed it earlier, but why are we drawing attention to it. 

Oh good, Ralph doesn't want to senselessly tarnish a dead girl's name. Nice. 

THAT FACE! Uh, the reluctant face! Chewing on the lip! Love it.

Ohhh, god. Ralph's a good actor. That's cute. 

OHH THE DETECTIVE ALSO BEING THERE! SHIT. RALPH RUN!

GOD HIM BEING VAGUE AS SHIT TO A WITNESS! I love it. 

'With alpha brain?' What the fuck?

AHHH! I LOVE RALPH. 

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA. I got to see his chest :)

Oh, Ralph doesn't like this at all. But shit. Not much he can do. 

Oh no. It's really not ethical. And this yonger lady is going to mess it up. 

AHAHHAHAAAHAHAAA. THE WIGS! 

Is this inadvertently informing the audience of how fucked the courts can be. Which is both good and bad. People deserve to know exactly what our lawyers know.   

RALPH BEING THE FUCKING SAD DOG MIDDLEMAN THAT NEEDS TO RUN BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM IS SO FUNNY. 

Ralph with glasses gives me life. 

OH SHIT THE FRIEND SHOWED UP?

Okay, this is fun. But maybe let's not make jokes in a murder trial?

I love the one juror struggling to stay awake. Showing that even with all these verbal chess, they still need to convince the jury. 

Hey, babe. If you really fucking hate prison, maybe don't give a shit about how your mom reacts here!

Good on Ralph. Trying to speak up for her. 

(Seeing Ralphs…ex? For the first time) Oh I love them. WHAT ARE THEY ON?

OH SHE MOVED ON, GOD HIS ACTING. A SECOND TO SEE THAT FULL FUCKING FACE JOURNEY! 

Oh good. We can really hate the cops now. I mean, I already did. BUT. 

OHHH DO THEY HAVE FOOTAGE. 

OH, HE COMPLIMENTS RALPH WHEN IT LOOKS GOOD IN FRONT OF THE JURY. 

God I hate her(lead defense lady), but this scene is fun. 

RALPH IS HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME. He's watching the divorced parents fight and he loves it. He should be allowed to smile.

Ha, she's sowing seeds of guilt but that's really not how the law works. 

Ralph-'I told you not to talk two episodes ago, and you do it fucking now?!?!??!?!'

Is Ralph being kinda shitty? Yes. Is there any other option right now? Nope. 

Them showing how mentally I'll people in prison are severely punished without being able to seek help is cool. 

Back to court- OHHHH! SHIT. Yeah, digging at how the medical examiner is only going on prosecution for the state is suspicious as fuck. 

FUCK. ASSHOLE DON'T SAY SHIT! DONT CONTRADICT THE DEFENSE!!!!!

SHIT

Ralph, mentally deciding if now is a good place to just call it a day when his client is just begging to go to jail.

OH ANOTHER FUCKING CON CHARACTER WHO FELL IN LOVE THE WRONG WAY!!?!?!?!??!?!!? Well, that fills out my bingo card. This makes maybe 20 characters. I swear to god, if he ends up sad and alone I will make a Con O'Neill drinking game. 

"Are you calling me a hypocrite?" *Slight head tilt* -ME rolling on the floor laughing

Good on Ralph for staying with him though. 

AWWW. Ralph's an asshole but this is one of the few cases that's gotten to him! I love it. :)

Aww, they are sweet as a couple, but he needs to reorient himself. Find his own center and work on not 'always looking for doubt' before moving on. 

OH GOD! Don't fucking smile Con. It's mean. To me. Personally. 

AHHH! HIS TICKS WHEN HE'S LYING! Okay, that's funny as shit. I love him.

It's good that the main defense younger lady and the defendant trust each other. AND CON'S GRIN!

Say what you will, this man loves his job

OH SO YOU'LL LET THE SENIOR DEFENSE CHAT AND BE EXTRA BUT NOT THE JUNIOR! RUDE!

OHHHH SHIT THEY GAVE HIM BACK (the inhaler) EVIDENCE

AHHHHHHH!H!H!H!H!HH!H!HH HE TOOK EVIDENCE BITCH! It proves that he stayed in her bed

RALPH SMILING AHHHH!H!H!H!H!H!HH!

Oh they're getting him addicted to drugs to keep him loyal. Whelp. That's going to ruin him.

EPISODE 4:

Why is Ralph going into his clients home? 

Ralph(I'm paraphrasing)- Look, I'm a hard ass. I'm a dick who usually has guilty clients and does what he can to abuse loopholes and police mistakes to get them free. If I have a gut feeling, that really fucking matters. So I'm going to do what I can. 

Yeah, the neighbor did it

OHHHH! SHE PULLED RANK ON RALPH AHAHAHAHAHHAHA

Stone is pissed, and doesn't want to freak out in court. OR HE'S GOING TO EXAMINE A WITNESS?

What act is he playing here? I love it. He's being a clever cheeky bastard. Knowing how people want to treat court like they're the important heros that can save the day! AHAHHAH! I love it. 

"Are you the kind of person-"- SHUT THE FUCK UP-He's just trying to establish his character before crushing it.

OHHH THEY ARE ABUSING THE SHIT OUT OF HIS COYNESS AND NERVOUSNESS WHEN TALKING ABOUT SEX. 

AND HE'S HIDING EVIDENCE

Ralph, I love you. Babe. This is the kind of trust in the justice system I need. 

Another court scene goes by without note. But Ralph shows up? Oh boy, I'm typing. 

OOOOHHHH RALPH GETS TO BE A DETECTIVE!

SCENE SKIP

WHY ARE THE CLIENT AND YONGER LADY DEFENSE ATTORNEY SMOOCHIN? EXCUSE ME? ISN'T THAT AGE GAP WEIRD??!?!?!??!?

Oh good. Ralph. 

OH MY GOD HIM FUCKING SITTING ON THE TABLE? Me Moment. Queer? Coded. I'm assigning it to him. I'm giving him an honorary badge even though this is probably one of his straightest roles. 

Ralph- "I like getting my clients off." YEAH so does she! *Ba Dumb Tisk*. See, Ralph is smart. Get entangled with others in the arm of the law, not your fucking client. 

Scene passes without note. But a few prison scenes go by. 

GLASSES!!!!!! Look at them! THE EXAMINER GENUINELY HELPED. I'd also be smiling at him like that. 

Aww, Ralph's trying to ask without asking to hang out with a friend. 

Skipped a bit. Back in court. 

AWW Ralph and the yonger female defense attorney leaning together to chat. 

BRO HE IS SO WHIPPED FOR THE EXAMINER! I LOVE THIS!!!!!

THAT FUCKING SMILE. GOOD FOR HIM! GOOD FOR HELLEN! I love that they're immediately like, yeah, this might be a conflict of witness BUT. She still has a point.

I WOULD BE SWAYED BY HIS CHARM! I HAVE BEEN SWAYED BY HIS CHARM.

DAMN. Good on the friend/witness. 

Oh wow, the cellmate is just as shitty and corrupt as everyone else? I'm shocked. 

I love Ralph trying his best here. 

"You're 46 years old, what do you know about justice?" :0. WOW.

OH SHIT THIS MIGHT FUCK THIS ALL UP. CALLING IN THE DAD IF HE HAS AN ALIBI

OHHHH FUCK. RALPH IS A SECOND FROM STEPPING IN. 

OHHHH FUCK. GOOD ON HER. CALL THE DAD OUT FOR BEING ABUSIVE. 

FUCK if they pull her in the case is fucked. 

YEP RALPH SEES IT! SHIT!!!!!! 

EP 5: 

JURY CONSIDERING VERDICT! 

HI RALPH! LOVE YOU BABE!

Hour and a half deliberation is good! 

Yeah, I should have seen that coming. 

WHELP. SHIT. 

He's going to kill himself within a year. Calling it now. 

That moment when you work the same job as our prisoner protagonist 😐. Hey, don't dis a dishwashing job, protag. It's nice and easy.

HI CON! 

"'Self-deprecating jokes get you out of hard questions'- avoids the question by shoving toast in his mouth"-me. God, I was messaging @dianetastesmetal during this bit. Who pointed out how loving these characters is a form of self-love, and I will partially embrace it. Maybe I just want to see a man with a nice chest and a nice smile huh! ;)

Oh good, the protagonist is doing more drugs. Love that

GLASSES! I AM BACK ON MY WHORE SHIT. 

The hugging of the book! THE GRINNING! AHH!

This is why Ralph is emotionally distant, 'cause he's lost good cases before. HAHAHAHHA HE CAN'T LET IT GO. 

AHHHHH!H!H!H!HH!!H  THE TUFTED-UP HAIR ENTERING THE PRISON!

OH SHIT! RALPH INVESTIGATING THEIR RELATIONSHIP! He's asking the protagonist to sell out his legal advisor! 

No, RALPH IS SO RIGHT! She abused her station and got too close. 

Oh good. Another arm of the law is weird around police reports and evidence. Great.  

AHHH! Her sewing that little tidbit in the cop's head! She's onto him! 

Yeah, good on our protag to stand up for himself. 

Cellmate is going to get killed cause he knew too much, huh. 

Hey, good on the cop for looking into it a bit more. Still a jackass. But you know. 

Skipped a few scenes without note.

OHHH SHIT HE FILED THE SUIT!!!!!!! GOOD ON RALPH! We love a man who cares about giving justice to his client. 

'Frances- out for blood after Ralph is about to ruin her career'

 'Ralph-Half passed out on a couch with a rag over his eyes, already done with this conversation. Ready to throw every insult she directed to him back into his face.'

Ralph knew to get romantically entangled with a medical examiner and not a fucking witness.

GET IT RALPH! God, good for him. SHE ABUSED HER POSITION! She took everything they worked for and threw it all away. She didn't let their client find justice. 

Yeah, cellmate's about to die, huh. 

OHHHH SHIT! GET IT!!!!!! Good on him! Yeah, he's going to get murdered, but good on him. MURDER THAT BASTARD! 

OHHH SHIT. THE ASSHOLE COP HELPED THE MOB! 

GOOD ON THE CHIEF FOR CALLING HIM OUT! DAMN! 

Oh, wow. Ben's life is ruined. He's hooked on drugs, and he thinks he has no prospects in life. 

Now he can't fall asleep without listening to the radio.

Hi Ralph. Why are we talking about your feet? 

Frances is fucked essentially. 

Yeah, going in for a mistrial was the right option. 

Yeah, no. Nothing would have changed if Ben told Ralph the truth the moment they met. Good on Ralph! Giving our protag a bit of closure on this whole thing. Telling that none of this was really his fault.  

Yep. He had his last few free years of youth ripped from him. 

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

Final thoughts:

I think the fact that this was a mob member being the real murder and that it was covered up was the real thing here. The entire point and moral the audience was meant to learn. It didn't matter if Ben had the best case, the entire Crown was against him. Ralph and his team could have been the best defense lawyers in the world and it still would have gotten buried. I'm happy the final evidence came out, obviously, but Ben was fucked over in so many ways. Now what life does he have? He lost his friends, his trust in his family, and is now destined to fall back into the system he knows. It's a shame. 

Con: 11+/10. Long hair AND glasses AND he's Exhausted! Perfect role. I want him. I want to be him. He's divorced, and sad, and I love it.

Ralph saved this series for me personally. He was so much fun. I will be updating the Con list here soon to include bit TV roles. Ralph is going to be high on my ranking. We are given a Con character who has REAL impact on the story, introduces the audience to the rules of this world, AND GETS A HAPPY ENDING! It's brilliant. Obviously, there are moral issues to him being such a good defense attorney to allow criminals to get away, but this whole story was about giving Ralph a different perspective. He's a slime-ball but he's not totally against change. Willing to look at other perspectives. He started to genuinely care about his client, and didn't treat it as some weird game of chess. Him genuinely helping the younger defense attorney was nice, especially because he rarely blew up at her for her choices. He did his best to help where he could and didn't take things personally when shit blew up. 

Con's acting here is so fun and fluid! I hate being a person that ties OFMD into everything, but this is kind of what I want Izzy to become. Con's allowed to be fun! He's allowed to be mad, suspicious, have doubt etc. There are a few scenes that got me chuckling just by his face! He feels really confident and comfortable in this role. He talks with his hands! He's a dick, a total slime-ball, but he really cares about getting things done right! I love it. 

Everyone else: 8/10. Nothing really stood out besides our protagonist, and after a quick google, he won an award for this role. Which is deserved. He does great. I liked the characters the show wanted me to like, and vice versa. 

Story 7/10: Intriguing. I had fun, but this show sits more in the turn off your brain and gets swept along by the bullshit, vs trying to solve it yourself. 

Overall. 9/10: I highly recommend it if the tags don't worry you. Con is in this enough to justify a Con watch. I have a thing for Professor esk Con. I will not be ashamed about that. His whole speech about how he was perceived was nice. Now, this is about five hours of commitment, but If you need something longer I'd recommend it.

[cherry-pyon]

The four seasons of Mankai Company

Synopsis: Tachibana (Y/n) and her older sister Tachibana Izumi received a letter that came all the way from a theater company called Mankai company. One day, you both decided to go to the designated destination written at the letter and to meet the mysterious sender, in hopes of finding answers about your father's whereabouts after 8 years of disappearance, only to find the said theater to be in debt from someone!

⚠️Reminders⚠️:

May contain incorrect grammars (English is not my first language)

Will follow the manga, but there will be a lot of changes.

Different flow of story due to two protagonists (you and Izumi)

Reader is 16 while Izumi is 24 (not canon but is considered)

Fem!reader

Long ass series so I won't blame you if you get bored the first time you look at it.

P.s: A3! Characters are legally and respectfully owned by Liber Entertainment Inc. and I do not claim them. I only own the changes in the plot of the story.

Chapter 1:

Theater Town

"Wake up (y/n), we're here" you were awoken by a soft pat on your head, you soon realized you were leaning on your big sister's shoulder and fell asleep. You raised your head, stealing a few more seconds to doze off as you yawned and told Izumi just about how good your sleep was as she chuckled at you. A voice can be heard from a large speaker as it announces the train's destination, finally reaching your stop—Veludo station.

Izumi got up first, signalling for you to follow her behind so both of you won't get separated from each other. You began looking around as your sister took out the letter together with the company's exact location.

"So this town really is full of theaters!" You exclaimed in excitement, admiring the colorful triangle banners surrounding the town, together with different theater companies on sight.

"Now that you said it, it really is. The map says the Mankai company is in the corner of Veludo street, I wonder if this is really alright.."

Your sister mumbled the last words, clear enough so that you're the only one hearing it. It seems like she's taking your mother's words seriously about the letter. I mean it's suspicious to find that after all these years, your father's company would still be searching for him.

"I don't even know where that man went! We've already cut ties and it's been 8 years since he left" you can still hear the words your mom said, sounds like she still holds a grudge against your father.

Lost in your own thoughts, you were snapped back into reality when someone accidentally bumped into you, the impact left you both sitting on the floor, hissing at the pain in unison. He was quick to process anything and immediately apologized, offering a hand as soon as he got up—which you thankfully accepted, earning a relieved sigh from the poor boy. He was a cute boy, you guessed he was a little bit older than you or maybe younger than you but who are you to judge, he was very lively-looking, you kinda envy him for it, and not to mention how he looked similar to a ball of sunshine.

He looked like he ran away from someone, or rather finished a whole marathon, some of the strands of his dark-pink hair are sticking to his forehead which concerns you more.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't looking at my way!" He bowed at exactly 90° making you flinch. He stayed like that for almost a minute.

You're going to have to thank him for his politeness (even though he looks way younger than you) but this is too much!

"Ahhhhhhhh! Please raise your head now, it's okay it's okay! You don't have to apologize"

you panicked, continuously looking around as people are starting to stare at the two of you. He raised his head, showing his apologetic expression. He's thankful that you accepted his apology—lips forming into a charming smile as he giggled.

You swear you can see cherry blossoms blooming just around his face, and it made your cheeks surprisingly burn.

Everything went well after that, not until you heard him meek and saw how his eyes widened looking at his wristwatch, it seems like he was late for something and it must've been super important based on his facial expressions. You feel more guilty than you were before.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were going some-"

"Ah no! It was my fault! Sorry, I have to go!" He cut you off as he ran away hurriedly—leaving you processing all the things that happened just a while ago, 'Ah...I forgot to ask for his name' you smacked yourself.

'I forgot to ask for her name!' he thought as he starts to blame himself for not asking such an important thing, 'I just hope we can meet again' he looked through his watch again as he starts to run faster.

You start to look around your surroundings. You didn't even realize your older sister was gone, and she probably didn't even realize you weren't with her anymore.

'what a perfect sibling dynamic' you jokingly thought.

But as soon as you walk through a corner, there she is! Talking to a guy who's crouching on the floor, together with another guy who looks just as concerned as your sister does. I mean who wouldn't be concerned about a guy crouching down on the side of the streets that looks like he's in pain?

You're curious to know what happened, who knows? Maybe it might be best if you judge the situation first based on your understanding and let it live up to your imaginations—maybe it's two guys falling head over heels to your big sister and are fighting for her love the first time they met her exactly on the streets of Veludo way. Yeah, that's probably it!

'I mean I'm not going to blame nee-san if boys fight over for her' you thought, trying to sneak in behind your sister.

"What's happening? Is he okay?" You said, clinging onto your sister's arm, making her see the Gods from above for a second but sooner thank the Gods upon realizing it was just you.

"(Y/n)!" She glared at you, apologizing to her by clinging more tightly. She does nothing but to let it slide for now since she can't do anything about your behaviour sometimes.

"Do adults really like to argue outside the streets?" You asked in curiosity, eyes glued to the scene infront of you—the crouching man before was standing now together with another man. It looks like they were having a complicated conversation.

"That's not it, (y/n)-"

"Hey look, a street act!" The three of you stole a quick glance from the source of voice behind, and realized there were a lot of people watching.

"I saw that guy on the stage before!" A passerby said. "They're so handsome!" Schoolgirls began squealing from the side. Yup, they're definitely popular.

It seems like everyone enjoyed the performance, you won't even deny that both of them are very good at portraying their characters' actions and emotions. Not too long after, both of them bowed in unison, as they thanked all of the people watching them, a full-round of applause was heard as people began tossing lots of coins on a box infront of them, both you and your sister decided to toss coins too to show appreciation as they continuously thanked everyone who showed generosity.

"I didn't even realize that was an act just now" Izumi clapped her hand once as she chuckled to herself, making the guy beside her ask in shock.

"Eh? That was a play?" The light brown-haired guy must've been way more surprised than your sister does.

"Mhm! Actors from theaters usually do these street acts in order to advertise or serve as a fundraising project for their upcoming plays, the scripts are most likely coming only from their ad-libs so it's really impressive once you knew about it" Izumi babbled. Both you and the guy were happy to know about this new discovery. Your nee-san is knowledgeable about things such as this which left you very impressed as she acted not only as an older sister, but also as your second guardian and your teacher.

"As expected from a theater town...I think I need to study more" the guy mumbled something under his breath that you cannot hear quite clearly, but you just shrugged it off even though you are curious to know what it is.

The crouching guy from before apologized to both of them, then the latter began scolding his friend that he came out so slow earlier when they performed.

"Excuse me! Are you now recruiting members for God?" The light brown-haired guy suddenly asked out to the two actors, which both you and your older sister curiously watched from behind.

'Maybe he wants to be an actor too!' you assumed.

You examined the conversation they exchanged—upon discovering, he was looking for a dorm to stay on. You were sad for the guy after hearing that the God troupe doesn't have a dorm. He thanked both of them and parted ways, leaving both of you proceeding to your main objective.

"Now i'm really looking forward to this play after seeing a street act" your sister's eyes beamed in excitement, and you nod to yourself as your eyes beamed as well.

"Romeo Gakuen Heaven.." you mumbled, remembering the play's title when you saw it on the company's map as Izumi—who cannot wait any longer, led the way.

"Mankai theater is supposed to be here, right?"

That was the first thing your older sister questioned, looking up to see a theater infront of you with a huge signboard that says 'Mankai Theater'.

"I mean it's in the signboard up there, so this must be it. We can't be seeing lots of Mankai theaters here when I'm sure father only owns a single one"

"But this one is...honestly crumbling" although you're hesitant whether it's right to comment about the appearance, she's got a point. It looks like it holds a LOT of history.

"There's no sign of people even though there is a play today, is this really fine?" Izumi added, slowly pacing back and forth while lost in her own thoughts, unable to comprehend the things happening today. Was it a prank? Or probably the wrong map? But it can't be, the signboard literally says the theater and the company both of you are looking for.

Because of this, your conversation with your mom suddenly came into mind, again.

"The letter said it's from the Mankai company" you said, handing it out for your older sister to see.

"Mom! Mankai company is dad's theater, right? The sender might know something about where dad is!" Izumi said as she called out for your mom, waving the letter for her to see.

"Maybe if we meet, we'll definitely know something!" She added, insisting to know your mother's response.

"Then do it by yourself because mom doesn't know and-"

"Can I go with you, nee-san?"

"You're not allowed to go with your big sister, (Y/n). You still have classes to attend tomorrow!" Your mother stated, too busy to look behind her to see your disappointed expression—arms crossed, pouted lips, and furrowed eyebrows.

"Can't she just transfer to another school? One that's near enough to the company? In that way we won't have to go back here and go back there" Izumi suggested, even though it sounds too much trouble to handle all of it, your mother only replied with an annoyed sigh, one that secretly makes you celebrate early.

"I'll take care of her, trust me on this mom" she added, smiling at your mother as she looked over through her shoulder to look at both of you, rethinking whether she will choose the right decision on this.

"I hope you won't give too much trouble to your nee-san, (Y/n). I'll let this slide but if I ever receive a letter that you skip classes without my watch, I'll be forcing you to go back home here, got it?" Mother warned you, glancing at the two of you back-to-back as you both nod in unison. You thanked your mother—hugging her as Izumi joined too.

You were back to the Earth as you looked down at the letter in your hand and turned it around to examine it.

"I didn't notice the sender's name was here. Nee-san, do you know who's Matsukawa Isuke?" You questioned, to which she replied back instantly.

"I don't know who that person is but I'm curious to know what kind of relationship they have with dad"

You were about to reply back to your sister when a voice suddenly spoke out, it made you flinch, while Izumi looked behind in a flash.

"Hey, do the two of you need something from this theater?" Now it's your turn to looked behind. It's an adult man with blonde hair and glasses, and if you tend to look closely and carefully, he has an attractive mole under his right eye. 'He's good looking yet he's intimidating' you thought.

"Matsukawa-san?" Izumi said in a low and hesitant tone. Wait! He must be the sender of the letter, and with that you stand next to your sister which made the blonde-haired man slightly raise his one eyebrow.

"You must be that person we're looking for, right mr.?" You asked, patiently waiting for his reply as you felt a ray of hope was there and you can almost reach it, but unexpectedly, it made him react the opposite of what you imagined.

"HAHH?!" He reacted. You can clearly tell by the looks of his face that it's the wrong person, you squeaked and your body felt frozen because of fear.

But his face suddenly changed when he glanced over at your sister's face and looks like he found something, which weirded you out.

"Wait aren't you.."

"Okay wrong person, nee-san! I repeat, wrong person!" You carefully but hurriedly grab both your sister's shoulders to back her up from the mysterious person who kept looking at her like he's going to devour her, your big sister only stood there as she nervously laughs, sweat slowly forming on her forehead.

"Sorry, we got the wrong person. It's not like we received any letter! We're just passersby letter A-B!"

You began panicking, not having any choice but to agree with your sister's choice of words. It was obvious but there's no backing away now. Whoever this man really is, you know he's got something to do with this theater!

"If you don't want to encounter a dangerous sight, it's best for the two of you to leave quickly. People who don't have any businesses here are not needed".

It was the last thing you heard before the ground began shaking, and a loud noise could be heard going nearer as you felt scared and decided to cling onto your sister. The latter gripped your hand tighter in a way that will assure you that everything's fine. And there goes a huge excavator that was coming towards the theater! Where did that even come from?! And why is it going forward?! And who is this man trying to destroy the theater?!

Your eyes widened, both you and your sister are surprised that this would take an unexpected turn of events.

"Wait wait wait!! Please stop!! STOP!!!" A pleading-crying voice can be heard as another mysteriously looking guy with a rather ragged outfit came running very fast in an attempt to stop the excavator, but the scary blonde guy ignored the other as he instructed something to the one driving the excavator, the latter even called him 'Aniki!' so they were accomplices after all!

"Do it, Sakoda. Make sure you completely destroy the signboard, this will be fully demolished after and reconstructed into a bar-"

"H-hey! What are you doing!?" Izumi suddenly blurted out, there's no other way but to talk it out and that's the only help she can think of.

"I just told you it'd be dangerous, didn't I?" He replied back, looking behind to steal a glance at the two of you, you can't do anything as your feet felt numb, almost as if you're stuck and unable to speak, but your hand kept a firm grip on your big sister's arms as she argued with the blonde man.

"I beg you Furuichi-san! Please stop it!!!" The poor guy wasted no time and bowed, he stayed like that for minutes and completely began to sink lower and lower until his forehead became in contact with the floor, 'the theater must be super important to this guy' you looked down on him in pity, surely there must be some way we can help him, he might be the person we are looking for.

"You're the one who said that if you can't pay all of your debts by the end of the show, I'll have to use force here!"

"Today is our main show!" He cried out, looking up at the blonde guy, who looks down on him in dissapointment.

"I could pay at least the interest if I can get money from this performance! Just please think this over and let's talk!" He continuously cried out, being really vulnerable infront of him. It looks like there's no way of getting into him until he sighs in annoyance and gives another instruction from his accomplice.

"Sakoda, stop"

"Yessir!"

As soon as the blonde haired guy named Furuichi-san stopped talking, the pitiful guy sighed in relief and stood up but soon got tense again when Furuichi wrapped his arms around his shoulder, making the pitiful guy petrified.

"How many tickets have been sold?"

"Zero!"

"How about the full-house tickets?"

"Also zero!"

"What time is the performance?"

"3 minutes by now!"

The pitiful guy ended his sentence in a nervous laugh as Furuichi doesn't look a little bit amused by his answers.

"Sakoda, do it"

"Yessir!!"

"WAIT!! WAIT! THE AUDIENCE ARE ABOUT TO COME!!" He said as he begged again, lots of crying noises can be heard as he purposely tried his best to leave the theater untouched for any damage, although it looks like it's gonna break by itself.

'This is too much to handle!! God please help this poor guy!' you cried out in your mind, the cries of the pleading guy and the cruelty of a guy who doesn't look like he'll show mercy at any time is too much for your heart to handle, this is pure torture!

"Where are they?"

"Errr...uhmm..ahhh"

"Why do I feel like we're being stared at..." Your older sister muttered, her body stood still like a mannequin as her face made a weird expression.

Your hand made its way to fidget on the hem of your skirt, looking down as you slowly backed away, hiding behind your sister.

Izumi might have seen your movements as a sign of telling her to help him, you might look tough at first but sometimes you're at a loss of words. That's why she took up all the courage and decided to speak up.

"The audiences are right here" She defended, pressing her hand on her chest in a way she can present herself, while you remained hiding.

"SEE?! T-THEY'RE HERE!!" The ragged-looking guy's face switched into pure excitement, too loud in your opinion but you understand his situation if you were in his shoes, you'd definitely be too hype.

"Didn't you just say that you're just a passersby A and B?" He clicked his tongue.

"We have the flyer as proof!" You showed him the flyer. It was the theater's exact performance for today which you're really looking forward to.

It seems like it's enough proof to present, he sighed in defeat. "A few more audiences might still be on their way here, it'd be a total waste if we didn't get to watch the performance" you added, hoping it could warm this cold-hearted man.

"Did you even watch this theater's recent performance?" He asked, his purple eyes piercing a hole through you. It's truly agonizing to feel little sometimes.

"No..I don't?"

"That's what I thought"

"But this place. It feels familiar.." Izumi joined in the conversation, clutching her hands in her sling bag. She looked at the large banner right above the signboard—Deja vu coming through her, "It's like I've been here when I was little" She added.

"I see.." he pondered as his eyes landed on your older sister. You're really really sure for yourself that he LOVES to pierce a hole through anyone with how sharp his gazes are. It's scary.

"PLEASE WATCH OUR SHOW! WE HAVE A NEW MEMBER AND IT'S GOING TO BE HIS FIRST PERFORMANCE!" The ragged-looking man begged, desperately crying out as you swore you felt you ear ring just now.

"So you got a new recruit?"

"THAT'S RIGHT!!" he yelled, obediently answering to Furuichi's questions.

"HAVING THE THEATER DEMOLISHED RIGHT BEFORE HIS FIRST PERFORMANCE IS TOO CRUEL" His hands clasped as he still wouldn't stop crying.

It's a huge relief that people rarely walk by here and witness a chaotic scene infront of the theater, where a large excavator is going to demolish a crumbling theater and the ragged-looking guy who you don't know the name of starts sacrificing his sanity just to keep the building untouched, and two audience who just wanted to know their father's whereabouts are now being forced to witness everything that's happening.

"Sakoda, stay here"

"Yessir!"

Furuichi stood still infront of the theater, his back facing the three of you. You felt shivers down your spine, making the air feel colder than it was before.

"Start the show now" the three of you suddenly feel like you've been free from the suffocating silence, especially the ragged-looking guy, who happily obliged and replied back with a "YES!" Quickly assisting the three of you inside the theater.

You looked around the interior—eyes wandering at every corner. You followed your older sister as she sat on the front row, sitting beside her as your lips can't stop itself from smiling. You're excited and I'm sure you and your big sister are in the same boat.

Furuichi sat right beside you, and now you're in between, you feel the awkward air flowing inside the room. 'This is not good' you sighed to yourself.

"Don't regret that you stopped us earlier"

"Eh?" You looked at him, only to witness his eyes closed and face in a much more relaxed expression. His index finger softly taps on the sleeves of his coat several times, it's probably the best not to bother him at this time or you'll regret it, the thought of it already makes your anxiety rose up.

When the buzz stopped, the curtain lifts up, the lights from the stage started to warm up the atmosphere in the pitch black room. Your (e/c) eyes lit up as its only focus is on the stage, and to the familiar dark-pink haired boy.

'W-what? Isn't that-'

[moleshow]

Genuine question, is there anything about your city’s infrastructure/architecture that you particularly like (aside from it being where you live)?

here i assume you're referring to chicago. i will go to bat for this city. my complaints are largely a lot of inside baseball. i use sweeping complaints as shorthand--when i say something is ass it's because i want that thing to improve. if i really thought it was a lost cause i wouldn't talk about it. this is why i do not complain about schaumburg

continued below the cut

architecturally i think you could hardly do much better. there's a great blend of landmark-tier buildings from a range of eras. this is the thompson center, a really phenomenal train station/govt services building combo

but also some amazing residential buildings, like the commodore:

and i mean this is a stock photo from around the bryn mawr stop but i can confirm that it is this dope.

in terms of infrastructure, the thing is: it's good relative to the rest of the US. if we're talking about planning, about doing it RIGHT though we've got our priorities jumbled. see look

we put 8 lanes of high speed traffic between the city and the lakefront for most of its length. this is an idiotic choice to have made and it's frankly a huge waste of what could be really good land use.

urban highways

transit access west of western ave and south of 33rd is poor

the illinois dept. of transportation's standards mean that every road they control is a nightmare. this is slowly turning around though and legislation is moving ahead to allow cdot to have control over its own roads (in part i think because the IL courts are currently working through some cases regarding whether or not the city/state can be sued for fatalities resulting from poor road design)

good lird

but we DO have trains. now, because we've had poor leadership at the CTA reliability has suffered in a manner i can only describe as "bigly", particularly along the blue line. but we've had service cuts basically through the whole network

we also have lots of buses but we only just started to come around to the photo-enforced bus lanes idea. this is to say the problem is we let buses get stuck in traffic. generally the city's leadership has been keen to make it easier and cheaper to drive through the city. this is stupid for a variety of reasons that i won't get into here

i'm losing steam on this train of thought because it's fairly complex stuff and the north/south/west sides all have unique land use concerns. so without further questions i'll stop there.

one last thought

i don't like logan square because i think the people who live there are annoying podcaster instagram upcycled secondhand clothing types, the housing is expensive because it's trendy, and land use sucks ass west of the kennedy expressway

this is a train station and transfer point for a few major bus routes

[spindrifters]

😡👀💋 for the ask xxxx

😡which fic did the characters control the most (like you wrote a whole ass plan AND THEY DECIDED TO FUCK IT UP)?

Is this not... what writing is...? Idk man, I'm a total pantser (as in, flying by the seat of my pants) when it comes to writing. I start off with a General Concept and the characters tell me what to do. I will say, I had no idea that marginalia was going to be as Sirius-centric as it is. I thought this was the Remus show, and I started out thinking in my little writer brain that I had to show Sirius' POV as well because otherwise it was going to come off as Stockholm Syndrome, but it took all of writing that one first chapter to realize like. Oh. This is a story about cycles of abuse and navigating your ethics under forced complicity on both ends.

👀what’s a fic written by someone else that you REALLY wish you wrote yourself?

Don't Panic by redspottywellies. I adore this fic so much. Sirius stuns Hagrid and takes Harry on Halloween '81, enlists Remus, and the three of them go on the run. The whole Order proceeds to chase after them across the UK, through hostels and train stations and moors, all while they're trying to deal with grief and some seriously broken trust. Also they're both women now because fuck you.

💋do you have any guilty pleasure ships that you really want to write for but are scared to?

Not really? Prongsfoot might be the closest, though it's less because I'm scared and more that I've never hit on a fic idea I've actually felt compelled to write.

fic writer ask game!