#i finally squeezed out some dumb art

[cobaltfluff]

happy pride month to them!!

[kooqitas]

#pairing: brothers-friend!yoongi x reader.

#genre: smut MINORS DNI | #w.c: ~1500

#synopsis: your brother ended up forcing his friend to come to your house and give you tutoring… but the class wasn't exactly what he wants

#warnings: vaginal sex, unprotected sex, fingering, praise kink, humiliation, nipple play, overstimulation.

#notes: not proofread, english isn’t my first language! 

★ m.list | inbox :D ;; taglist

you wanted to kill jungkook when you heard that he had asked yoongi to help you with your art history class, you knew that he had finished his college course last year and you were just starting, of course min yoongi was the best person to help you.

but, he is min yoongi.

you hated min yoongi, the (now) history teacher was your brother's friend since the beginning of college, at that time you had just started high school, now, a few years later, yoongi was a teacher at a children's school while you did some extracurricular courses beyond college.

min yoongi was always insufferable, he always treated you like his 'best friend's little sister' in the worst sense of the word, and it didn't help one bit when he started getting absurdly… hot. you would never admit it out loud, but damn, min yoongi was fucking hot the last few years. now that you sometimes went out together (because of your brother) you always hoped that when yoongi took you home, since jungkook always ends up with some random girl, he would finally see you as a woman...

you rolled your eyes when you heard the door open, min yoongi had the password so he didn't even bother to knock.

“good night, princess! your brother is going to the party and left me with the punishment of helping you."

"you can leave if you want, min yoongi! i’m not keeping you here" you answered.

he rolled his own eyes, placing some books on the table and sitting on the couch to help you.

a few hours passed, and the truth is that it was unbearable to be next to yoongi, he was unbearably intelligent... and hot, fucking hot. the tension of being in the same environment as yoongi was driving you crazy, he was smug and it irritated you, especially when he asked arrogantly how you didn't know about something.

you knew yoongi was watching you, at the end of the day he was still a man and your thin shirt and shorts weren't the most decent outfit to wear at the moment, but it's not like you minded having his eyes on you.

but, to be honest, you like it… a lot…

at a certain point, yoongi stood behind your body, his chest touching your back, and that's when you realized that he wasn't just staring at you... yoongi was excited, whatever shit was going through his head.

“so dumb...” he chuckled in his ear, making you shiver a little from the warm air that hit you. "i think you need another way to understand things..."

"what are you-" you tried to question when yoongi slid the thin strap of your shirt down your shoulder, but before you could finish, his hand was on your nipple, his index finger gently passing there, which made you sigh. "what the fu-"

"your brother said i should teach you... but he didn't say what..." he chuckled, still pressing your nipple. "i'm gonna teach you how to cum on my cock."

your body shook, enough for him to notice and smile.

“yoongi stop it!” you scolded him, trying to pull the strap of your blouse up, but yoongi just stopped you, using his strength to continue squeezing the nipple of your breast that was already swollen in his hand while you moaned softly.

"stop? but you won't stop moaning, doll! i'm dying to touch that little body, you know? you've grown up and become so hot..."

yoongi lowered your shirt completely, exposing your two nipples, he took his fingers to the one that hadn't yet been touched, and added his thumb to the one he already had the touch of his index finger, squeezing and massaging there while laughing at every sly moan you made while tried to get away from him.

you wanted that like hell, just like him, but damn, jungkook would kill yoongi if he dreamed that he touched you like that, your brother hated your one-night stands because he knew someone was 'taking advantage' of his sister, now imagine him discovering that at that moment the person taking advantage of you was his best friend.

"stop trying to resist, i'll deal with your brother later..."

yoongi continued squeezing your nipples, while it was delicious it was torture, your panties got more and more wet and all you had was the simple touch of his fingerprints on you.

yoongi turned you around, and at that moment everything was lost, you had never seen his eyes so dark. but your exchange of glances didn't last long, seconds later he had his mouth on your nipple, wetting your entire pout with his saliva while you moved on his body.

"all of this because of a nipple suck? i think it's better if you don't cum just from that, it would be pathetic!" he laughs, leaving a bite that makes you grab his hair.

you couldn't respond, his touches being too much for you, and everything got worse when one of his hands went down to his shorts, taking advantage of the fact that they were thin just to pull them aside, along with his wet panties.

"of course a slut like you would be wet from just that, right?" he ran his finger all over your cunt, making every inch of you feel his fingers and shiver while he still sucked your nipple. "what would your brother think of that, hm? what would he say if he knew i am gonna finger that pussy now? do you think he would complain? would he get mad at me?" yoongi laughed, thrusting two fingers at once into you, deep inside, making you moan, clinging onto his shoulder. "he would probably say that i'm taking away his little sister's innocence, but what innocence?"

he inserted another finger, the rhythm becoming a little more violent as you also rubbed yourself against him, feeling his fingers go deep into you, the sound of your liquid being more audible than the loud moans you made.

"and i hope him forgive me, but from now on i'll do this all the time, and when i can't bring you in my car, i'll fuck you in the bathroom at the party, or in the dark corner, anywhere."

you saw him remove his fingers from you and then pull down your shorts and underwear, his fat cock jumping out making you salivate.fuck, the wet swollen glans made you desire yoongi even more, being full of him was the only thing that mattered now.

"the slut is happy that she's going to receive cock, isn't she?"

yoongi rubbed the head of his cock at your entrance, but he didn't enter you, he just stood there, rubbing, looking at your face while you moaned completely desperately asking him to enter you.

"that, beg me! show me how much that pussy needs my cock!"

“yoongi, fuck, please!” you moaned, body shaking as he rubbed his cock against you.

"does my whore need cock?”

"please!"

"your brother has no idea what a slut he has at home, right? thinking you're a saint, but you're nothing more than a little whore desperate to be filled."

"please..."

"please what?"

"fuck me, please yoongi"

he laughed, thrusting his dick into you, which made you choke at first, yoongi was big, nothing abnormal, but still big enough to fill you up. he went slow but deep, making you shiver every time the big dick hit your uterus.

“greedy little bitch” yoongi said as he increased his speed, his body rocking against the couch and your tits bouncing, yoongi laughed sadistically seeing the scene, seeing you squirm beneath him.

he sucked your nipple again, making you literally scream with pleasure, you had never felt anything like that.

"shut the fuck up, or all the neighbors will know you're get fucking by me!"

but you couldn't do it, the orgasm approaching in your belly, the fat cock opening you up and hitting the right spot, the hot tongue on your nipple, it was all too much, and yoongi realized.

yoongi removed his mouth from your nipple, only to slap them a few times, what was already red became even more so, and you could only scream in pleasure. yoongi clenched your jaw, making you open your mouth and then spitting there before finally kissing you.

"i should record this and show it to his brother, let him know that the little sister he cares for so much is a cumslut"

the wet, sloppy kiss, while he still hit you deep and fast, was enough to make you come, but yoongi didn't stop, even with your body shaking.

"a good slutty takes everything they give her." he kept thrusting, the overstimulation making your body react on its own and try to pull away as he fucked you harder and harder... you were going crazy and then yoongi finally came

you thought he was gonna stop, but what yoongi did was continue, watching his cum drip all over your leg and couch. and when his dick finally stopped leaking, he rubbed it against your clit, making you whimper softly as you came again...

���shit, jungkook is gonna kill you!”

"he might even kill me, but first i’m gonna fuck you a lot!" he said laughing, lowering his head to your pussy starting to eat you.

[novantinuum]

Fandom: Steven Universe Rating: Gen Words: 2.8K~ Summary: Not too long after making peace with Homeworld and sparking the start of Era 3, Steven wakes up one morning to discover some... notable changes about himself.

AKA: The one where Steven finally hits his growth-spurt. All at once. Because of course the half-Gem kid could never experience such a human thing like puberty in a "normal" way.

[Part 1 of 2]

Just a few seconds later, knuckles rap against the door in answer to his perturbed cry. 

“Yo Steve-o, that you in there?” Amethyst calls. 

“Y-yeah?” he stammers. His brows threading inwards, he delicately runs his fingers over the ridge upon his throat, very much thrown off by the distinctly lower tenor of the sound coming from his own mouth. He swallows hard, pushing himself to speak again. Come on Steven, he berates himself, think of something lighthearted. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. No need to completely freak out over this yet. “Who else would I be? It’s not like the whole town uses this bathroom…”

“I mean, I do sometimes. For fun.”

“Okay, fair point, but—”

“Dude, what’s wrong with your voice? Are you like, sick or somethin’?“

“No, it’s just—” 

He squeezes his eyes shut, blocking out all the nebulous, spinning distractions of his mind and the world beyond. Deep breath. It’s okay. Tons of things about his form may be entirely different right now, but like… he seems fine. Right?? Nothing about his body feels tangibly wrong like it did when he willfully stretched himself out on his 14th birthday, or when he changed all his fingers into cats, or when he lost all control of his aging and morphed into an anciently old man and almost died, it’s just… 

New.

New and wholly unfamiliar.

So what now? How can he bravely move forward with all this? What does he need to know? 

“Have, uh… have you ever shapeshifted by accident in your sleep?”

“Not that I‘m aware of,” she says, and he can practically hear the shrug in her tone. ���Shapeshifting is a conscious thing you do. It’s a choice, y’know? It doesn’t just happen.”

A good long moment passes as he drinks this information in. He runs his hand through the short curls at the back of his neck as he stands there in the pair of too-small banana yellow pajamas he fit in just fine last night, musing.

“Huh… I guess that makes things pretty simple, then.”

“What d’ya’—”

“Amethyst, I think I’m finally older,” he says, still absolutely mystified by this prospect as he gawks at himself in the mirror. 

She gives a fond laugh. “Ch’a, right? You get older everyday, bud. Wild.”

“No, I mean I’m actually, physically older! Look!”

Steven whirls around and swings the bathroom door wide open to show her. Amethyst’s jaw drops.

“Whoa—! Dude!”

Chuckling nervously, he steps a few feet out, wriggling his bare toes against the wood floor. “I know, right?”

“What the heck, you weren’t kidding!” Before he can even move to say anything else, she spins on her heels and cups her mouth with her hands, hollering towards the temple door. “HEY, PEARL! GARNET! You gotta get out here and see this!”

His brows shoot towards his hairline, his heart hammering in his chest all the while at the thought of all the dumb show-and-tell he’s gonna have to deal with now. “Aww, come on, did you really have to—”

“Amethyst!” Pearl cries, scrambling through the still opening gap in the doorway with Garnet striding mere steps behind. She summons her spear from her gem and swings it to fighting stance with an artful flourish. “What happened? Where’s the threat? What do you need us for??”

Steven darts towards them, hands held up in a placating plea.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! There’s no danger! We’re fine. I just—”

“Oh, my stars—!” she gasps, allowing her spear to dissipate in a glittery flicker of light. “You’ve grown!”

“Nice look, Steven,” Garnet nods, a supportive smile gracing her lips.

“And you’re sure this is real this time? You’re not—?”

“No, no, I’m not stretching myself out, I promise. I just woke up like this.”

“B-but—” Pearl taps her fingers against her chin, appearing thoroughly puzzled— “I thought humans were supposed to age gradually, not all at once.”

Steven’s shoulders slump. “Well… that’s what I assumed too, but—”

“Come, sit with me,” Garnet says, walking around the warp pad to enter the living room. She sets herself down on the couch, patting the cushion in open invitation.

With a heavy, far too weary for his age sigh, Steven shoves his hands in the pockets of his too-small banana pajamas and plods his way over. The rest of the Gems follow suit. He settles himself right next to Garnet, with Pearl perched opposite to her and Amethyst happily lounging on the floor, leaning on the coffee table with her elbows. 

“Steven’s aging hasn’t aligned with the norms of humanity for a very long time,” she observes, a glint of morning sun that’s beaming through the window catching on the edge on the edge of her star shaped visor. Then, turning to him: “I’m curious why you think this is.”

He hums, considering all the chaotic happenings of the past few years. Despite the rare query she poses, he gets the sense that… in her vast wisdom… she already knows the answer. Or at least, a small sum of it. It should be noted that her future vision— as far-reaching as it otherwise is with the vast possibilities of existence— can’t ever touch any knowledge that she won’t be conscious for or present to receive, let alone retroactively scry into the past.

(And honestly? Thank goodness for that.)

“I’m not sure,” he says, a half-lie.

He can think of one reason he might’ve started aging again. Though, it’s not something he’s ready to talk to the Gems about yet. It’s… far too delicate a topic to risk bringing up so soon after the start of peaceful Era 3. But after spending a whole childhood being constantly compared to and mistaken as various versions of his mom… let’s just say, having his gem torn from his body and getting to see it reform into a version of himself (and not her) was simultaneously the worst and the best thing that could’ve ever happened to him. While undeniably traumatic, this experience served as the ultimate proof that he doesn’t have to waste another second of his existence chewing away at some burgeoning identity crisis, that he can live his life however he wants. As Steven. Not as Rose, or Pink Diamond, just… Steven.

He’s not exactly sure how all this mental weirdness translates into him staying stuck looking like a little kid for like… six or so years, but after he returned home from his latest escapade on Homeworld, he could sense that— despite all the messed up stuff he and Connie went through— his spirit was lighter, somehow.

So maybe, he thinks, he simply had to peel away at all the damaged layers of his identity to ready himself to move on to the next stage of his life. Maybe he had to stare death in the eye and pass through the heart of the storm in spite of all these hardships before he could piece the foundational truths of his story back together and learn to finally live again.

To start shifting his hopeful gaze towards the dawn of their bright, sunny future…

“I mean, I always kinda thought he stopped aging because we never did,” Amethyst says then, laying her cheek on the table. “Like, it happened around the time you moved in with us, yeah?”

He purses his lips, scanning his memory. “Uh… I think so? It might have been a year before. Two, even. But I was definitely hanging out with y’all a lot by then.”

She leans over and playfully slugs him in the arm.

“See, there you go! You always wanted to be just like us when you were a kid, so much that you even wore that same ol’ star shirt every day to match ours, ha! You must’ve wanted to be a Gem so badly that you subconsciously stopped becoming older at all.”

“That’s actually a pretty solid theory, Amethyst,” Pearl chimes in. “Good thinking!”

“We have seen you shift your form in response to your perception of others around you,” Garnet says with a nod. “This has caused you to temporarily age and shapeshift in the past, but for you to age in a stable way now, your perception of self must have stabilized, too. I’m very happy for you, Steven.”

She tousles his mess of curls with her gold ringed hand, a welcome little offering of affection that he eagerly leans into.

And then, out of nowhere, Amethyst starts cackling.

“Dude,” she blurts out between her peels of laughter, nudging his foot with her elbow, “I just realized— Greg’s gonna totally lose his shit when he sees this…”

Pearl’s expression scrunches inwards with prickly displeasure. “Language!” 

“What, it’s true!”

He waves Amethyst’s comment off. “Pshhh, my dad’s seen way weirder,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Like, did I ever tell y’guys how the cat fingers incident ended?”

“No!” the quartz exclaims with intensive fervor, and leans forward in anticipation. “Gimme the juicy deets, m’man!”

Garnet adjusts her visor then, her features falling into a dutiful line. “Speaking of Greg… story time can wait until later. Steven— if you want to see your father this morning, you need to head over there now… or there’s a good chance he’ll fall back asleep until one and you’ll miss your window.”

Amethyst’s lips fall into a pout as she slumps back against the foot of the couch, her arms crossed. “Awww, phooey. Spoil sport.”

He swallows a grimace as he internalizes Garnet’s prediction. Yeah, that sounds about right. That’s become a bad habit for his old man lately, staying up super late and then sleeping in almost half the day on weekends. Ever since he received that ten million dollar residues check it’s nothing that can hinder his financials anymore, thank goodness, but then again…

“Yeah… I should probably go make sure he wakes up,” he mutters, pushing his tired body off his seat. “I’ll need his help finding new clothes, anyways.”

The second he’s up and moving again, Amethyst darts around him and snatches his spot with such swift and viscous drive that one might believe this ploy were her sole quest and purpose in life. She stretches out against the seat back with a big, dramatic yawn, crossing her arms behind her head as she speaks. 

“It’s too bad you can’t just… I dunno… summon whatever clothes you want out of light, like us. That’s like the biggest bummer of humanity, if you ask me.”

“And when do you ever experiment with your outfit enough to have a strong opinion about this?” Pearl prods, crossing her arms. “It took you almost a decade to fix that asymmetrical shoulder strap.”

“Well, P… I like to think of myself as a Gem who would experiment with my outfit. One day. If I’m ever really, really bored. Consider it an Era 3 aspiration.”

Steven rocks back and forth on his heels, absentmindedly fiddling with the fraying bottom hem of his pajama top.

“Okay, uh… well, I’m gonna dress to leave now, so—”

“Yeah, see ‘ya.”

“Send a text if you need anything!” Pearl says with a casual wave.

“And don’t forget…” Garnet begins, the ellipses in her tone practically visible with the naked eye.

He pauses in his dutiful march to the stairs— (a somewhat unsteady march… as it turns out, shooting up about a foot and a half in height overnight tends to impact one’s sense of balance for the worst, go figure)— turning back to intercept whatever life advice or future vision she’s prepared for him this time. 

She grins, flashing him a quick heart with her hands instead. “We love you!”

~~

Steven trudges across the hot sands to his dad’s car wash sans his favorite flip flops, trying his very darnedest to wipe away the developing grimace on his face all the while. 

A small segment of him felt overjoyed when he first saw his reflection this morning, eager to look his age and finally grow up alongside his human friends. But after struggling to find anything that fits him even halfway right in his wardrobe, his good mood has rapidly spoiled. There’s a decent few reasons for this.

Reason number one: his old sandals are at least two sizes too small. His heels stick out over the end now, and the plastic thong digs into his toes something terrible. He literally can’t wear them without giving himself blisters. Ergo, his bare feet right now. 

Reason number two: none of his jeans sit right around the waist anymore, plus they make him look like he’s waiting for a flood. (Though thankfully, he found a stretchy blue skirt buried in one of his drawers that will do the trick for now.) 

And perhaps worst of all… reason number three: with his newly increased height, every single one of his treasured star shirts have been turned into ill-fitting crop tops, putting his gem on full display. He’s not against the concept of a crop top, but it sure ain’t a look he’s passionate about for everyday wear. It just feels… too exposing. Like, what about winter?? He can’t bear his whole midriff in winter, he’d freeze, and like… get hypothermia, or something. And not only that, but the longer he’s awake this morning the more an inescapable, thrumming ache starts to settle within the deepest core of his body, like even his bones themselves— the stubborn things— dare to object to this abrupt growth spurt.

Just… ugh. What an annoying hassle all these changes bring.  

“Stupid shirt,” he grouses, tugging at the too-tight collar, “stupid sandals, stupid Gem puberty! Why, oh why can’t I ever go through human stuff normally?”

His bare foot catches upon a sizable stone hidden amongst the beach. On any other day he would’ve successfully broken his fall, stumbling forwards a few awkward steps before regaining his balance and continuing on his way. But with his body now so different, and his center of gravity entirely off from what he’s used to, he head plants straight into the ground.

Wow, he thinks, spitting sand out of his mouth and pushing himself back to his feet. How elegant. Truly the shining paragon of coordination and grace.

Thank goodness no one was watching. Next time he’ll just have to remember to float.

He arrives at his dad’s van with no further incident. The rear doors are— following Garnet’s prediction- cracked open. Dad’s awake, at least for now.

“Daaaaaaaad,” he hollers, cupping his hands around his mouth to project. “A really, really weird thing happened, and I kinda need your help!”

A few spare seconds pass, seconds filled with the rustles of shifting blankets, the sound of a book being shut closed, and his dad’s low murmurs. The doors swing wide, though not as wide as Dad’s eyes when they wander around their bright, sunny surroundings and eventually land square on him and his new look.

“Wh— Steven, holy smokes! Look at you!”

With an awkward chuckle, he scratches away at an itch at the nape of his neck. “Heh heh, I know, right?”

“You’re almost as tall as your old man! When did this happen? How did this happen?”

“Some point last night, I guess,” he shrugs. “I just woke up like this. But Dad—” he clings onto his arm with mounting desperation— “I need your help to find some new shirts. Don’t you have like… whole boxes of your old tour merch stashed away somewhere? I don’t wanna have to get rid of my star, I just— I just need a bigger size, or something.”

“Hmmm…” Dad muses, scratching at the scruff of his beard. “Well, maybe, but…”

“But what?”

“But if any of it’s still around, then it’s probably in Amethyst’s room. All of the stuff from the storage unit ended up with her, remember?”

“Oh…” he says, brows furrowed, not quite able to parse this fact within his memory yet. And then… 

Ugh. That’s right.

Two New Years’ ago. The huge mess of crates and mattresses and long forgotten belongings. All that ridiculous Little Butler nonsense. Amethyst’s fight with Dad.

“Oh,” he mumbles, crossing his arms. “Right. Well, then let’s go find it!”

“R- right now?”

“Yeah, why not? I need new clothes, and you could see if there’s any old junk in there you might want to keep!”

With that, he grabs his dad’s hand and yanks him along, spirit filled with renewed purpose and vigor.

“And you’re sure you need my help for this?” Dad asks, lagging a step or two behind him as they march back across the beach together. “The Gems, they… well, they don’t usually want me going into the temple—”

“Oh, Amethyst will be fine,” he says with a wave of his palm. “She never cares when I go in there to check out her trash piles. ‘Sides, I need your help to find the right box! I have no idea what your old band stuff was stashed in.”

His dad flashes a tight smile, the sort he always serves up when he’s nervous, but also too timid to tell him that he’s nervous.

“Well… if you think she’ll allow it…” he relents, and picks up his pace to match his.

~~

[End Part 1... more to be shared later.]

[xetlynn]

an artists muse- a viktor fic

three.

[two] [three] [four]

compare thee to a summer’s day.

The bell tones as you enter the cafe, you glance around the store. Hoping to see someone. Your eyes land on him. The unnamed boy from class. “Yes.” You mutter excitedly as you head to the front counter to put in your order. 

Last night was a rough night as you had some time to think due to Powder leaving your shared dorm to hang out with her boyfriend. She offered to stay, repeatedly but you told her some solitude would be good for you. It was and it wasn’t.

Maddie reentering your life only brought up the sour memories of the friendship that she caused to end. You didn’t even know the guy's name but he meant so much to you. You called him by his gamertag. 

Machine Herald. Something you made fun of because his friend had made it for him. You called him 'Ma' as a joke and then it stuck. He always told you how stupid it was. It was like you were calling him mom. After a while his complaints slowed and that lived to be his new name. 

“[Name]!” The barista cuts through your thoughts, you snatch the pastries along with your coffee on the hard surface. Thanking the worker curtly before heading over to who you were determined to be your new friend. You slide into the booth across from him.

“Hiii!” You sang, sliding over the coconut lilikoi puff to him. Taking a sip out of your straw as you do so. 

His face contorts with confusion, staring down at the pastry. “What’s this?” He asks, suspicious of the food. “A desert.” You smile, opening your own little baggy that held a cherry danish. “I know- I meant why?” His gaze finally meets with yours after you had taken a bite of the sustenance.

You hold up your index finger to give you a second. 

Swallowing it down, taking a drink to clear your throat out. “I want to be friends.” You declare with a straight face, not able to hold it long because you begin to grin right away. “Friends? You sure this isn’t some sort of decoy so that you can copy off of me later in the semester?” He accuses you of such an abominable thing, your hand squeezes at your chest. 

“Oh my gosh! You think I’m dumb!?” Your eyes were wide and his face heats up. “No, no. I- I just- this seems like a bribe.” He explains his thinking process and you giggle. “It’s okay, I know I’m not dumb. I genuinely just want to be your friend!” You take another bite of your sweet. 

He purses out his lips, observing the pastry before him. How did you know his favorite was this? What a lucky guess. He doesn’t respond to you, only taking a bite of the puff. You beam at this, you were begging that you were right about what he would enjoy. And you were. 

The relief washes over your face. “I’m [Name] by the way.” You wipe your dirtied hand on your pants before thrusting it over the table towards him. His hand smacked against yours as he grabbed it. Awarding you a microscopic shake before taking it back to his side. 

“Viktor.” He voices, proceeding to another bite of his food. “And thank you, this is lovely.” He acknowledges his gratitude. “Of course! You seemed like a coconut lover.” You tell him with a close-eyed grin. He didn’t know how to respond to that. 

“So, chemistry. We have that today. How fun!” You announce something he clearly already knows but amongst this he hums out a ‘yes’ to it anyway. “Do you like science?” You ask him, eyes locked on him. He averts your stare by focusing on his pastry or his phone that was face down. “Yeah, do you?” 

“Mm, it’s alright. I’m more into like English. Or art. I’m a Fine Arts Major. Sculpting, painting, all the fun stuff.” You ramble. Viktor didn’t understand how you had this much energy at 8 o'clock in the morning. “That’s cool.”

It’s sincere though. He wasn’t just saying that. 

“What’s your major?” You finish your danish, crumpling the paper baggy. “Biochemistry.” He answers, you gasp. “Chemistry makes sense for you then, huh?” You snicker, standing up from your spot after you see the time. 

He grabs his cane, slowly gliding himself out of the booth. You grab his trash, skipping over to the bin and throwing it away. Viktor figures you’re leaving now but instead you are opening the door, standing there patiently as he makes his way towards it.

 “Let’s walk together, yeah?” You let him walk through the door before following after him. “If you want to.” He curtly nods his head, surprisingly he didn’t mind your presence. Or your rambles as you would ask him a question, listen to him and wait for him to return the query to you so you could chatter once more. 

“It’s nice to see the doors open when I’m coming to class.” You sweat, recalling how you were late to a few of your classes already. Viktor chuckles lowly. Your heart pings at the sound, this was the first time he laughed the entire conversation. You stood up straighter, proud. 

For the next two hours of the lecture you tried to focus on the professor but your mind kept going back to Viktor’s laugh you had suppressed out of him. You needed to make it happen again. 

“Alright, choose your partners. This project will need to be done by October 14th. That gives you a month from now.” The professor speaks, writing the date down on the chalkboard. You immediately look to Viktor.

“Partners?” Your legs were practically jumping up and down. His lips twitch upwards. “Partners.” He agrees and you let out a small squeal.

“We’re so getting first place.” 

“It’s not a contest?” He breathily snickers, another laugh.

Another win for you. 

“Everything’s a contest if you make it one.” You shrug your shoulders, standing up from your seat. “Will you be at the cafe tomorrow?” You tilt your head to the side. 

“I’ll be there.” He says. “See you then, Vikkie!” You wave goodbye, walking out of the classroom. 

————————————————

love.[name]3 12 337 127 ↗️ …

Posts followers following

[name] [last name] she/her

☾˙❀‿❀˙☽

Piltover uni!!! 2028🎓

@ whowhathuh

@ [name]artsie

————————————————

Viktor scrolls on your account, seeing that you mainly have photos of you with your friends up. The occasional selfie. Your highlights separated and organized.

He goes through each one, observing every picture in perfect detail. Curious about the type of persona you put out on the internet. It was pretty much identical to who you actually were. Your energy was bright, shining on others. 

He looks at your bio, seeing that you have your art and spam linked in it.

Your spam was private but your art account was luckily public like your main. It had 5,607 followers. 

——————————————

[name]artsie 27 5607 27 ↗️ …

posts followers following

bozo she/her

doing this to be as famous as those turtles…

<3

Followed by: caitlynnnk, violentvi, melmedarda, and m.herald2077

——————————————————

He gawked at the first three posts, you did say you were a fine arts major but he didn’t think you were going to be this amazing! You recreated smaller versions of sculptures you’re incredibly fond of.

Your paintings were of crowds of people. Different places each time though. 

He then sees that Violet, Mel and Caitlyn followed the account. Along with another that he hadn’t seen in a long time. He clicked on the name. M.Herald2077. 

——————————————

Vik.tor_e 0 137 120 ↗️ …

posts followers following

Viktor E. he/him

2027🎓

followed by: caitlynnnk, and violentvi

——————————————

He had a following of 137, no posts except for highlights. You bite the inside of your mouth before clicking on the first highlight, labeled: “friends.”

He was never in the pictures, just blurry photos of his friends having a fun time. A lot of them were at a park at night time. A few others of the group drinking on someone’s porch.

You click to the next highlight, this one just having a moon emoji as its label. It was pictures of random views but again, only at nighttime.

It was beautiful nonetheless. 

And the last highlight was labeled ‘ma.’ Your heart ached at the familiar name.

It was pictures of himself, his face covered. They were either mirror pictures with his phone covering his features, or someone taking his photo and he was looking the other way. 

Ma… What a coincidence. 

You then boldly press the follow button, swiping away from his account.

You listen to the song playing in your airpod as you go to your spam account, wanting to vent on your private story. Humming the music.

Before you even get to click on the button you see a notification pop up on the top of your screen. 

[Message request from: maddieee_lol] 

Your face drops, ignoring it with a quick swipe. You press the little plus button on your profile picture. 

—————————————

UGHHHH HE’S SO COOLLLLLLL

I need to be his bestest friend

trust it will happen🤞 :P

You post it on your close friends, triple checking that Maddie couldn’t see it even though you never accepted her request.

Placing your phone on the charger you walk out of your dorm room. “Omg, hey Gert!” You jog over to the girl who you used to have a class with last year. “Hey, [Name]!” She politely says in return, unlocking her dorm, about to enter it. 

“How have you been!? I can’t believe we're neighbors!” You point out, extremely giddy about seeing another good-natured person this semester. “I’m good, I know how exciting! Wanna come in?” She holds the door open and you enter after her offer. “So pretty!” You compliment. 

“Thank you, it’s nice seeing you [Name]. I was worried we wouldn’t have bumped into one another this year.” Gert pouts, you internally laugh at her words. Mylo would’ve made it happen, he found Gert to be gorgeous. Stalking her frequently since he was too much of a pussy to speak to her. 

You were going to see her one way or another this year.

“Ah, well fate said otherwise!!” You eagerly thrilled, clasping your hands together. “Hah, I’m glad. I actually entered art this year because of you.” She mentions and you perk your head up towards her. “No way! Maybe we have the same professor or same class!!” You jump over to her as she pulls out her schedule, handing it to you. You fervently snatch the paper from her, scanning it over.

“We do! We have the same class on Friday!” Your eyes were sparkling, giving the paper back. Gert wondered if you ever felt a bad emotion, always being so… electric and bright. 

You begin to ramble about how excited you were. “I need to show you this painting I’m working on! I’m painting one of my sculptures. I haven’t been very motivated or… mused? Did I use that right?” You jut out your bottom lip as you thought about it for a moment. You roll your eyes, deeming that you didn’t care. “Whatever, I’m painting this sculpture. Atropos. Goddess of fate and destiny. My favorite work done by Carstens.” You inform her, you went to grab your phone, forgetting you left it in your room on the charger. “Shoot! I’ll be right back.” 

Gert only smiles, waiting for you to get back. You rush into your dorm, plucking the device off of the mattress. Speeding back to your friend’s dorm. Slightly out of breath. “I am- hah- so out of shape.” You stuck a hand out as you hunched over pleading with yourself to breathe. 

Gert laughs at your figure, shaking her head. “Sorry, sorry. One second.” You cough, you felt slight embarrassment by the fact that you were so out of breath by just running down the hall and back. 

You fix your posture, opening your phone. You see a new notification, someone followed your main account. You click on it, forgetting all about showing Gert your painting.

[vik.tor_e is now following you].

You smile at your phone screen before snapping yourself out of it. Clearing off Instagram and going to your gallery. You had over 7000 pictures on your phone. Capturing almost every single memory you’ve ever had. You go to your art album. 

“See! It still needs more shading and I was thinking of adding vines to it!” You reveal to the girl who has almost gotten bored sitting there waiting. Her pupils dilate at the masterpiece on the screen. “[Name], you’re so talented.” She whines out. 

“Awe, so sweet!” You place your phone in your back pocket. You think back to Mylo and his weirdly obsessive crush over this girl. You understand why, she’s such a sweetheart. You then remember the karaoke night that’s in two days. “Do you like to sing?” You suddenly ask. 

“Huh?” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Do you like to sing?” You repeat. “I mean, I guess.” She shrugs her shoulders.

“Want to come to this karaoke night with my friends and I?” You propose to Gert who thinks for a moment. Pressing her lips together like this was a tough decision to make. 

“Sure.” She shortly answers in a simple manner. 

“Great! I’ll pick you up, be sure to dress pretty!!” You leave the room, twiddling your fingers before shutting the door.

You calmly walk back to your dorm, you forgot your whole reason for going out of your dorm to begin with. Until you sat down on your bed. 

“Shit, I have pee!” You cry out under your breath, standing back up. 

[libraryofgage]

Harlequin Prince

Part of: Steve Deserves Good Parents, Actually Debbie and Fester Addams One | Two Rick and Evelyn O'Connell One Harley Quinn One (you're here!) 10th Doctor and Rose (on the way! might take a little, I have plans for this one) Scooby Gang (there are also plans for this one lmao, so plz be patient with me orz)

I'm a simple woman who believes Steve deserves to be a little unhinged sometimes, and having Harley Quinn as a mother is the perfect excuse to make that happen lol

Anyway, I know I haven't updated some of my other series in a hot minute; I've just been busy with work and a little sick ngl

If you'd like to be tagged for any new parts in this series, let me know!

And, as always, if you see any typos, no you didn't ;)

-------

Steve's earliest memory is of being tucked into bed with a Batman night light plugged into the wall and his mother squeezed in next to him. She's wearing her softest pajamas, and Steve idly rubs the fabric under his thumb. In her lap is a huge book that she flips through, humming "Pop Goes the Weasel" under her breath before finally stopping on a page. "Okay, Dumplin', let's read about Narcissistic Personality Disorder," she finally says, wiggling some to get comfortable before clearing her throat.

Her voice is soft and a little nasally, and Steve obediently closes his eyes when she starts reading. After a few minutes, she gently cards her fingers through his hair, her palm warm as it slides over his scalp. Eventually, he drifts off, his dream so vivid that he still remembers the oversized hammers with their white doctor coats and floating clipboards.

The first time Steve's mother is sent (back) to Arkham, he doesn't realize anything is wrong until Uncle Bruce picks him up from school. Steve had been waiting long after the other kids were picked up by their parents, a misshapen pink-and-blue coaster for his mother that he made in art class in his hands, when one of Uncle Bruce's fancy cars pulled up to the school.

The passenger window rolled down, and Bruce looked almost pained as he met Steve's eyes. "Hop in," he said, leaning over to open the door from the inside.

Steve walked up to the door but didn't get in. "Mom said I should only go home with her," he said, "unless you know our secret code."

"Cognitive Behavioral Therapy."

Steve stood for a moment longer before nodding and climbing into the passenger seat. He closed the door, pulled on his seat belt, and carefully held the coaster in his lap. "Where's Mom?" he asked, watching as Bruce turned down the radio and slowly pulled away from the school.

"Your mother is....going to be away for a while," Bruce said, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "She did something bad, and now she's going to stay in time out because of it."

"Mom says you shouldn't dumb things down just because I'm young. She says it's not good for my development."

Bruce got a slight smile at that, his lips twitching up as he glanced at Steve. "Is that so," he said, his grip on the wheel loosening some. He seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Your mother blew up a warehouse. She was apprehended by Batman and has been sent to Arkham for a few months. Since I'm listed as your godfather, you'll stay with me until she's released."

Steve didn't reply. He just looked down at his coaster and wondered if he'd be able to convince his Uncle Bruce to visit Arkham so he could give it to her.

He did not, in fact, get to visit her at Arkham during that stint. But Steve did get to visit on her next one, which was almost three years later to the day. Steve's first visit to Arkham was on his 8th birthday, and he was chaperoned by Uncle Bruce and Nightwing (he wasn't allowed to call Dick by his real name when he was in costume, so Steve just didn't call him anything at all).

That was also the first time Steve truly experienced Arkham's lax security. Through no fault of his own (and he would continue to argue this point; how did two superheroes let an 8 year old wander off?), Steve had somehow ended up in another part of Arkham altogether.

This hallway had large cells with reinforced glass walls that allowed Steve to look inside. He could name most of the people he passed, recognizing Killer Croc and Riddler and the Penguin by his mother's descriptions of their defining features. Most of them tried talking to Steve, but he pushed ahead, eager to see if his mother was at the end of the hall.

She wasn't. Instead, Steve found another woman. She had green skin and bright red hair and Steve hadn't been able to contain himself. He'd practically squished his face against the glass and asked, "Are you Poison Ivy?"

"Oh, her he talks to," the Penguin said, his tone mean and his voice carrying.

Poison Ivy ignored him, choosing to instead open one eye from where she lay on the bed. She stared at Steve before sitting up. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Nope! But my mom knows you. She talks about you all the time. She said you're the baddest badass to ever badass," Steve said.

"Oh. You're Harley's kid," Poison Ivy replied, walking over to the glass and crouching down to meet his gaze. "What are you doing all the way over here?"

"It's my birthday, so Uncle Bruce said I could see Mom."

"Well, happy birthday. Now, what are you doing here?"

Steve blinked, looked around the hall again, and realized for the first time that he was, in fact, a bit lost. "Uh, I'm not sure. I was with Uncle Bruce before."

A moment passed between the two of them in which Poison Ivy said nothing while Steve tried to remember how, exactly, he'd ended up here. When he came up blank, he simply shrugged and looked back at her. "Hey, you like plants, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, kid, I like plants," she said, her tone taking on the same inflection his mother's did when he asked something she thinks is obvious.

Steve didn't linger on the tone. Instead, he dug around in his coat pocket for a few seconds, pushing past candy wrappers and erasers until his hand closed around an acorn he'd picked up off the ground a few days ago. He pulled it out and presented it to Poison Ivy on his palm. "Is it still a plant if it fell off the tree?" he asked.

"Yeah," Poison Ivy said, her voice soft like she was staring at something unbelievable. Steve watched as a huge grin spread across her face, her eyes lit up, and she pressed her hands to the glass. "Can you do me a favor, Steve?" she asked.

"Sure! Mom said you're a person I should listen to," he said, starting to close his fingers around the acorn. Now that he was thinking about it, he didn't actually know how to give the acorn to her with the glass between them.

"Your mom is right. You should always listen to me. And her. But mostly me right now," Poison Ivy said, her gaze a bit softer as she looked at Steve. "So, go ahead and put the acorn on the ground and stand as far away as possible."

Steve didn't question her. Whatever Poison Ivy wanted to do would probably be fine. After all, Uncle Bruce didn't warn him about talking to her like he had about the Joker. So, Steve put the acorn down and hurried to the other end of the hall. "Now what?" he shouted.

The only response he got was the acorn shuddering, spinning across the floor, and then bursting open. In the blink of an eye, a tree grew, its roots breaking through the ground and its branches shattering the glass of Poison Ivy's cell. Steve was just thinking that was probably why Poison Ivy told him to stand back when she walked out, rolling her shoulders and breathing like the air is fresh.

She looked at Steve and walked over, standing in front of him for a moment before sweeping him into her arms. "Thanks, kid," she said, opening her hand and letting a tiny purple flower grow from her palm. She tucked it behind Steve's ear. "Now, let's go find your mom."

Of course, Poison Ivy's escape had set off numerous alarms, and Uncle Bruce just about fainted when he saw her carrying Steve while Nightwing looked two seconds from laughing. But Steve's mom had smiled so wide that her cheeks must have hurt after only two seconds when she saw them.

It was, by far, the best birthday Steve had ever had.

‐-----------------------------

Hawkins, Indiana, is...boring. Steve has only been in the town for a few weeks, and he's bored out of his mind. He could have been sent to Metropolis or Central City. Hell, he would have preferred Bludhaven to the absolute snoozefest that is Hawkins. But, no, Uncle Bruce insisted on somewhere safe, which means somewhere boring, which means...Steve will just have to make his own fun.

That's why he's found himself in a dive bar on the edge of town, sitting at the bar as the owner (a woman named Bev who definitely killed her husband; Steve would know, he's met plenty of women who definitely killed their husbands) refuses to give him anything alcoholic. "Listen, kid," she says, her tone hard and unyielding, "I can give you water, a Shirley Temple, or a permanent ban. Which do you prefer."

After a few seconds, Steve sighs, slaps way more money than is necessary on the bar, and says, "Gimme a Shirley Temple."

Bev nods, swipes up the cash, and starts making his drink. He watches her with a slight frown before looking away, noticing another boy his age wiping down a table. He looks, and Steve cannot say this affectionately enough, like a wannabe goon for a motorcycle gang. Between the bandana stuffed into his back pocket, his slightly frizzy hair falling to his shoulders, and the leather jacket/vest combo, the guy is the first reminder of home Steve has seen since arriving in this sleepy town.

When he notices the guy's shoulders tense, Steve looks away to keep from being caught staring. A Shirley Temple is placed in front of him, and Steve represses a sigh, missing the sounds of fights happening behind him as he drinks with Jason.

"Aren't you a little young to be hanging around here?"

Steve slowly takes a sip of his drink, the saccharine cherry flavor washing over his tastebuds, and glances at an older man a few seats down from him. He looks the man over, lingering on the half-tucked shirt, muddy loafers, and circles under his eyes. Without permission, his mother's DSM-V rushes through his mind, a blur of his mother's voice accompanying the page flips. They finally settle on "Adjustment Disorder," accompanied by his mom saying, "Sometimes, that's just a fancy term for a mid-life crisis, Dumplin'."

Without thinking, Steve asks in return, "Aren't you a little old to still be going through a mid-life crisis?"

In Gotham, that might get him a laugh, an eye roll, and possibly an elbow to the ribs from whichever friend accompanied him. Here, it gets him a tense silence that he only thought happened in bad movies gearing up for a fight sequence. Seriously, what is wrong with Hawkins?

"I'll give you one chance to apologize," the guy says, clearly thinking he's being sufficiently threatening.

It takes every ounce of Steve's self-control to keep from laughing at the guy. Does that usually work? Do people usually find this guy threatening? He's got nothing on Alfred, so Steve just can't bring himself to even fake intimidation.

"Yeah, don't hold your breath, man," Steve says, rolling his eyes as he takes another sip. The Shirley Temple isn't bad, but it's not what he was expecting, and it feels like just another disappointment atop a pile of them.

They're building in his chest, now that he thinks about it. Steve is slowly suffocating under the weight of them. They buzz in his lungs, surging through him until the energy is so overwhelming that he has to bounce his leg and tap his finger against his glass to expel some of it. He shouldn't have agreed to leave Gotham, or at the very least, he shouldn't have left the location entirely up to Bruce. Holy shit, that was a dumb decision. He ought to know better.

A sudden, annoyingly harsh drag of chair legs against the floor rings in Steve's ears, making his shoulders tense and his fingers twitch. He looks over to see the guy standing over him, glaring down at Steve like that's supposed to scare him when nothing else has.

Steve sighs, drinking the last of his Shirley Temple before standing. Over the guy's shoulder, he can see the boy his age watching them, and...well, Steve kind of wants to make a good impression on the first person to remind him of home. Plus, a fight sounds great. He'd love a chance to expel some of this disappointment-fueled energy.

The guy suddenly snorts, pulling Steve's attention back. "You're young, kid, so I'll let you off the hook this time around, but learn some respect."

What? Seriously? All of that, and the guy doesn't even start a fight? Does he know how rude that is? He'd get killed in Gotham. "Oh," Steve says, his voice flat, "you're scared of getting your ass kicked."

Somehow, that's what the guy considers the final straw. It wasn't even that good. Like, that's just fucking small talk in Gotham, and Steve can't bring himself to understand what about it was so infuriating that the guy swings his fist.

Either way, Steve happily embraces the fight. His eyes light up, and adrenaline rushes through his veins as he ducks and kicks the guy's left knee. The familiar sound of a bone snapping rings out. Steve's ready for more, hands curled into fists and held up to protect his face, when the guy drops.

After one kick, he drops. Steve blinks, staring down at the guy cursing and holding his knee. He slowly lowers his hands when he realizes this isn't some kind of fake-out diversion and looks at Bev behind the counter. She's frowning at him, hands on her hips, and Steve comes to the conclusion that bar fights are not, in fact, a thing in Hawkins. "Do they usually go down so easy around here?" he asks.

"They usually don't fight at all."

Oh. Holy shit, this place is boring.

Steve sighs and pushes some hair out of his face, frowning slightly. "Well, uh, sorry about the disturbance, then. I'll just...get going," he says, awkwardly pushing his chair in and doing the same for the guy whose kneecap he kicked. Nobody says anything as he leaves, and Steve shoves his hands into his jacket pockets, frustration and disappointment and homesickness building in him.

He's halfway to his car when somebody shouts, "Hey! Wait!"

With a huff, Steve stops and turns, his mood only lightening when he sees the boy that was wiping down tables. He waits patiently, watching as the boy runs up to him and holds out a wad of cash. "Bev said to give this to you," he says.

"What, is my money not good enough?" Steve asks, raising an eyebrow at the cash before looking up and meeting brown eyes.

"No, no," the boy says, "Bev only gives change to people she likes. She said you're welcome to come by and kick Phillip's ass whenever you want."

Steve blinks, studying the boy for any signs of lies. When he doesn't find one, he takes the cash and nods. "Good to know," he says.

"Yeah. Right. Um, I'm going back inside now."

"Hold on," Steve says, grinning when the boy listens and stands still. He takes a step closer, holds out his hand, and says, "My name's Steve. I'm new around here, if you couldn't tell."

The boy stares at his hand for a few seconds before taking it, the rings on his fingers pressing against Steve's skin. "Eddie. I could tell," he says, his shoulders relaxing some. "Where you from?"

"Gotham."

"Holy shit, no wonder you looked so ready for a fight," Eddie says, staring at Steve like he's incomprehensible. Steve tries not to preen under his gaze. "Hawkins must be dead compared to Gotham."

"Yeah," Steve agrees, glancing down at his and Eddie's hands still clasped together despite the handshake being over. "But I think I'll have some fun anyway."

[commanderyes]

The Commander Says Goodbye

I’m not going to lie, I’m extremely anxious as i’m writing this, out of what these news could mean to a lot of people, and my heart feels heavy enough it could drop down my ribcage any minute from now and squish all my other organs. But I’ve been dancing around this topic for a long time now, and I think i’ve finally reached a point where i can’t ignore it anymore, for my own sake.

I hereby announce Commander Yes has come to an end.

As I’ve mentioned plenty of times before, here and to many other people, when I began this comic all the way back in 2018 I was in a really bad, really low place in my life in every sense of the word, and it was a spur-of-the moment decision to cheer myself up, because Path of Fire had just released and my enjoyment of the game had reached fever pitch and I had been playing Guild Wars 2 alone since as far as launch, and none of my other friends had ever really gotten into it. I guess I just, dunno, cried out into the big maelstrom of the community, one voice amidst millions, because i wanted SOMEBODY to look at what i did and revel in the nerdery with me.

And somehow the snowball began to roll and people wanted more and more of what I could do, and I was being actively reached out to, and, well, some time after that I landed my first ever job, I discovered a lot of things about myself, and I found myself in communities that welcomed me with open arms, and many of the people in there have since become among the best friends I could’ve possibly encountered, kindred souls who i’ve shared joys and sorrows for many years and who I can’t imagine living without anymore.

And all the while I kept making the comics, and with every entry posted every week I’d keep having people stopping to comment on them, and whether they were dumb jokes or personal takes on the story, they’d all share how much what I do kept hitting them in the kokoro, and to this day whenever I play anywhere in the game I still get people who recognize me and thank me for doing what I do. It was wonderful, it IS wonderful, and seeing that response motivated me to keep going, because what did still mattered to people, out there.

But I did always say I planned to keep doing these comics until I ran out of energy for them, and I think i’ve finally reached that point.

Because ever since I actually landed that job I’m exhausted and sleep-deprived every other day, so much so that I only have time to work on the comic on saturdays and sundays, and it gets harder and harder to just sit and draw, and at that point it was just more work, and while I still enjoy and play Guild Wars 2 a lot, it no longer consumes my time and attention like I’ve used to and i’ve been having fun with more personal projects, and honestly the direction the story is taking these days does not sit right with me and it’s hard to find inspiration in that, and this might be borderline selfish but every year I find people care less and less about the comics and it really takes a hit to you motivation when hardly anybody responds after you’ve spent a whole weekend trying to squeeze a five-page comic out.

And, well, I have been doing these for six years straight, and I think that’s a good run. I’m tired, and ready to move on, at long last. Let it be someone else’s turn.

But that’s the beautiful thing about this community, isn’t it? Even if I’m hanging up the hat, there are a whole lot of fantastic artists out there, as we speak, still cranking out works of art, deserving of all the attention they can get. And think of all the artists yet to come! For every story that ends, another story is just about to begin!

The world keeps on spinning, one way or another.

I’ll be closing my patreon shortly after this, but the reddit archives and tumblr blog shall remain for people to browse whenever they feel like (or until they both go in flames, i guess, what social media isn’t about to these days)

I still don’t think I ever was that much of a big deal, but all the same, to everyone who’s ever supported me and helped me be the person I am right now, to everyone who’s been there from the beginning, to all the devs of this game that has captured us for nearly a decade now, to all my fellow players and artists out there

Thank you.

See you out there, fellow commanders. Still the stars find their way.

[moonlightazriel]

Chapter 16: When a friend is in need /// Azriel X F!Reader

Summary: Lucien goes after his family for help, stepping in the Autmun Court for the first time in centuries.

Word Count: 3K

Warnings: The usual angst.

Notes: I thought about not posting this today, since everything that's been happening but I decided to post to bring some joy in between the terrible things that are happening, I hope you guys understand my position. Love u.

Main Masterlist

Worlds Apart Masterlist

Lucien held Elain’s hand and she noticed how his palms were sweaty, with a slight shake. She knew he was nervous, coming home after so long, she didn't even know how long it was. But here they were, strolling through the hallways of the Forest House. 

The wooden walls are adorned with centuries of Autumn Court art, orange curtains and the smell of oak. The decorations were picked to complement each other, everything ornate to create a magical atmosphere, but something felt wrong. 

She didn't know if it was the way the servants avoided looking at them, quickly bowing their heads at the sight of the youngest autumn prince or how they immediately ran away from their path. The atmosphere felt tense, like they were afraid of doing the wrong thing and being punished for it. 

But her mate had asked her to join him, he wanted her there, she even dared to think that he needed her there, to ground him and remind him that he had gotten out of that, he wasn't stuck under his father's grip anymore, he was a free male. 

The guards at the double door bowed their heads to him, pushing the doors open to reveal the throne room, Beron sat with a sneer, crown atop his head as he eyed Lucien and Elain up and down. By his side, silently, his mother sat, her eyes litting up with love and longing, her fingers twitched to touch her beautiful son. 

His eyes lingered on his mother for a little while longer, before he turned to his brothers standing by the sides, Eris first as always, being the first born and the heir. Arathorn by his side as the second oldest, Inialos as the middle born and then finally Elissar, the second youngest. Lucien could almost see himself by his side, serious expression and impeccable posture, like they did now. 

“I couldn't believe you would actually have the audacity to show up after that letter “demanding” a meeting!” Beron said and Elain flinched with the look directed to her. “Especially with someone like her, not even a real fae.” 

“I'm not here to talk to you.” Lucien said, ignoring the disgusting tone in his father's voice. “I came here to talk to you, brothers.” He turned to his siblings, they all looked at him with interest. 

“I'm here to ask for your help, we have an enemy in common, Koschei.” He started but Beron scoffed. 

“Koschei is not an enemy, he's here to save us all from someone like Rhysand and his whore of a mate.” Lucien felt Elain squeezing his hand harder. 

“Is that the lie he feeds you, father?” Lucien's stern gaze focused on the male at the throne, how he hated him. 

“It's the truth, and he'll make us powerful again.” Beron said with his chest puffed, confidence filled him. 

“More like kill you all.” Elain replied. 

“What do you know about it?” He barely looked at her.

“Koschei is from a world of demons, they kill and conquer, and do you know what can kill the likes of him?” Her voice didn't falter, she was ready to get them to work together no matter what. 

“What does kill him, dear sister?” Eris spoke, earning a growl from his father, Lucien needed him and he wouldn't fail him, not anymore. 

“Fire.” All of their eyes were on her now.

“Our fire.” Lucien added. “The fire of Celeste Vanserra, the only one who was close enough to kill Koschei.”

“There's no Celeste Vanserra. They are lying and you're too dumb to believe it, Eris. But I shouldn't be surprised.” If looks could kill, Eris would be dead by now. 

“She was my ancestor.” His mother spoke and he basked in the warmth of her voice, he missed her. “They tried to erase her from history, but her name was passed through the females in my family, no one forgot her, Celeste was the fire born, we carry her blood and her power.” 

“Lies!” Beron yelled, rising from his spot. Elain felt her head hurt, her vision getting blurry and her head was filled with visions, from a nearby future, where no autumn court remained, destroyed by Koschei. 

“It will be the end of your lineage, Beron Vanserra, and your own end. Koschei won't stop until he kills every single fae with fire abilities.” She warned, she could see his dead corpse in her head, his sons laying by his side. 

“And what do you want us to do, brother?” Arathorn intervened, stepping forward.

“You need to fight, we need to end Koschei, or else he'll end us.” Lucien begged and his brothers nodded. 

“We'll come with you.” Elissar promised, but Beron laughed, so loud that made Elain's ear hurt. 

“You won't do such a thing, no one will leave this court as Koschei isn't a threat.” He commanded, fear clouded his sons' gazes, they never respected him, but fear has a way to control people, make their bend to their will, but not anymore. 

“Your children will help us if they choose to do so, you won't stop them, or else your end won't come by Koschei’s hand. You will learn why they call me the King slayer.” Elain promised, her irises still white from the vision she had, Beron trembled with the simple promise her words carried, either he got out of the way or he would die. 

“If you go, don't dare coming back.” He threatened but for the first time, this felt more like a blessing than a curse. So one by one, his sons followed to their brother's side. 

“I will fight too.” His mother got up from the throne, walking to stand among her children, Beron was fuming but he wouldn't dare to try anything when his sons could do much worse to him. So he watched in silence as she cupped Lucien's cheek, pulling him in for a long, tight hug, whispered something in his ear and turned to Elain, repeating the motion. “Welcome to the family darling, I promise we are better than this.”

“I know. And I'm glad to be a part of this.” She gestured to the males surrounding her, and Beron sulked into his seat as he watched his wife and kids leave the throne room, leaving him alone and feeling disrespected for the first time in centuries. 

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

The Vanserras gathered around the dining table, the spectre twins serving them plates filled with food. Feyre talked happily with Wendy, lady of the autumn court. Azriel occasionally squeezed Y/N’s thigh under the table, feeling a bit uncomfortable in their presence, after all, centuries old feud between the two courts weren’t easily forgotten over a good meal, but he was happy they decided to help. 

“So…” Eris said, clearing his throat, all the attention drifted to him, the chatter dying down. “What’s the plan we have?” 

“Well, we will free Koschei.” The autumn heirs gasped.

“Do you  think this is the best way of handling this?” Inialos inquired, trying to be as polite as he was taught, not wanting to disrespect a High Lord in his own home. 

“Unfortunately it’s the only way of doing it, that’s where you will shine.” Y/N replied, giving the males an encouraging thumbs up. 

“We need you all to create a fire dome. Once Lucien, Azriel, Y/N and I are inside, nothing can come out. It’s your job to prevent Koschei from getting free and conquering the rest of Prythian.” Nesta said with a smile gracing her beautiful harsh face. 

“And you think we can do it?” Arathorn raised his eyebrow in disbelief. 

“We are the only ones that can do it, we carry the blood and the name of Celeste, we will finish what she started.” Wendy Vanserra guaranteed and her sons looked at their mother, the confidence that they hadn't seen shining in her eyes for centuries was finally back. She was free now and she would never go back to being a slave. 

“Then it’s settled. Let’s kill that bastard.” Eris raised his glass in a sarcastic toast, he was sure they were fucked but if Koschei was half as dangerous as he suspected, using his powers to its fullest was the least of their problems. 

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

“Are you okay?” Azriel asked, watching as Y/N sat by the large window in her room. Her eyes distant, her eyebrows scrunched like she was in pain.

“I miss him.” Azriel smiled at that.

“It’s only been two days.” He sat by her side, his thumb tracing the side of her face, along the bumpy patch of skin that formed her scar. 

“We’ve never been apart for so long.” She took a deep breath. “After Asterin, he was my anchor for so long. He had lost his friends just like me, so I couldn't force more suffering upon him. Whenever I was nearing the edge..” An iron nail slided across the skin of her neck and Azriel swallowed harshly at the thought. “He kept me alive.” 

“He is fine, I know that.” He kissed her hand, the one he pulled away from her neck. “Soon you two will be together.” She rested her head against his chest, letting the beatings of his heart soothe her distressed mind. “Let’s go to sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow.” 

Y/N nodded, getting up and following the Shadowsinger towards the bed, allowing him to pull her closer and wrap his arms around her waist, his scent filling her mind. His fingers tracing invisible random patterns on the skin of her hips. 

“Do you think you will ever forget me?” She blurted, not allowing him to answer before she continued. “Cuz no matter the distance between us, how many worlds I travel to, you’re engraved in my heart forever, you saw me, truly saw me when I was afraid of looking at myself, you mended the broken pieces of my soul and made me someone again.” 

“Is this your way of saying goodbye?” He inquired and truly? She didn’t know.

She kept quiet for a while, her mind in a violent battle with her heart. She had to go back, Manon needed her, she had her duties to fulfil, Asterin would be so disappointed if she left it all behind. She couldn’t let Manon down cuz letting Manon down meant letting Asterin’s efforts all go to waste. 

“I don’t know.” Her heart bleeded with that answer, that stupid thing ready to throw it all out for him, her soul claimed for him. If the time ever came, she didn’t know how she would be able to choose. 

“In that case, I'm glad I had this time with you, it's more than i could’ve asked for, thank you for allowing me in your heart.” He kissed her lips with a delicacy that broke her heart just a bit further. 

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

The next day came, Y/N shuffled in bed, feeling more tired than the day before, her body rested but her mind kept awake, frantic thoughts preventing her from actually resting properly, she kept quiet, not wanting to wake Azriel up, she didn’t wanted to face the sadness that clouded his eyes after their conversation last night, too damn coward to face him, to tell him that she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone. Why would she say it, just to break both of their hearts when she eventually went home? She wouldn’t be that cruel.

So she sucked it up, taking a long scalding shower that usually helped her through the day, getting in the Illyrian leathers that were like a second skin to her now, attaching both her sword and cloak behind her back before she stepped out of the bathroom. Azriel is long gone. 

The house was empty, just Nesta sat there, silently sipping tea from a mug, her icy blue eyes moving upwards, following the movements of Y/N sitting down with a sigh. She took in the prominent dark circles and the sadness darkening her gaze.

“Hard night?” The oldest Archeron inquired, getting a shrug as a reply.

“How am I supposed to leave you all behind?” She said, looking far away from the female in front of her, her fork poking a fluff piece of scrambled eggs. 

“You know you don’t need to, you can stay here with us.” Nesta offered and her eyes filled with tears, so heavy that she lowered her head.

“I can’t.” She took a deep breath. “They need me!”

“Do they? Or is that what you tell yourself?” Y/N turned her cold gaze towards Nesta, the female almost flinched with the pain reflected in them.

“I don’t even know at this point. I don’t belong anywhere.” She hiccuped, tears falling down the sides of her cheeks. “I am no one, I’m not important anymore, I keep telling myself that they need me but you’re right, do they? Are they even looking for me?”

“That’s not true, you know?” Nesta slides her hand over the table, opening her fingers, letting her know that she was there for her. “You matter and you are important to us.” 

“I’m sorry I didn't mean to burden you with all of this, it’s just so lonely and suffocating sometimes. I’m sorry.” Nesta felt her placing her hand on top of hers, she grasped it, squeezing it hard.

“Never apologise for your feelings. I’m your friend, I'm here to carry this weight with you.” She smiled at the Archeron, sniffling and looking at her with bright blue eyes.

“I don’t deserve a friend like you, thank you for everything Nesta.” The female smiled back at her.

“You don’t have to thank me, it’s my pleasure to call you my friend.” Nesta gave two light squeezes in her hand. “Let’s go?” Y/N nodded, getting up, her barely eaten breakfast disappearing. 

“Alright.” The two females walked towards the training balcony, everyone was there apart from Cassian, he was with the Illyrian troops, gathering them and transporting them towards the Manor, Jurian was already waiting for them with all they needed to feed an army that big. But if everything went according to the plan, it wouldn’t be longer until they were back to their camps. 

“Good morning ladies.” Elain greeted, waving from Lucien’s side. She was more certain of her abilities of Seer now, she thought that she could help if she was around, Lucien wasn’t very fond of the idea but he would never tell her no. 

“Good morning.” Y/N replied, her eyes landing on the distant figure of Azriel, on the farest corner of the balcony, his shadows darted towards her, wrapping themselves around her ankles and wrists, brushing over her face and making her smile. He watched the exchange in silence.

“Since we’re all here, it’s time to go.” Rhysand warned. They all started to get in small groups, the ones able to winnow carrying those who couldn’t.

She felt the breeze on her face, opening her eyes, Morrigan had winnowed them to the front yard of the Manor, where people walked around, getting settled. Winged warriors in battle gears and sharp swords here and there. 

His loud roar sounded when Meraxes felt her closer, startling everyone around. He had been in a sour mood since she left, she knew that. So she ran, looking for him, finding him near Azriel in the backyard. The shadowsinger petted his nose, pointing towards her with a smile. Y/N threw herself against her wyvern, arms engulfing him in a hug. 

“I missed you.” She said and he growled in agreement, like he was telling her to never be apart from him again. She stood like that for what felt like an eternity, just feeling him, their hearts beating as one. “I need to ask you a favour.” His big eyes opened and he stood still. “You won’t be able to protect me once I’m inside, so please protect Lucien’s brothers, they will be vulnerable and we need them.” Meraxes nodded. “I love you.” He puffed some steam around her body, his way of saying that he loved her too.

“I’ll take care of her, I promise that to you.” Azriel said from behind her, he had stayed silent until now. He was hurt from the idea of losing her, but he understood whatever decision she made, he would accept it and he would still love her with every fibre of his being. Meraxes nodded towards him and pushed Y/N away, making her stumble towards Azriel, collapsing against his chest.

“He respects you.” She said as the two walked inside. 

“Just because we both love you.” She stilled, turning to him, cupping his cheeks and pulling him down for a kiss. It was getting harder to think about leaving him. 

“We need to meet them, get everything planned for tomorrow.” She pulled him towards the dining room. 

“Why are we always the ones saving the world?” Cassian groaned, eyeing the map that displayed the lake and the cabin.

“Because we’re fucking awesome.” Morrigan replied, earning a chuckle from the table. 

“Then this should be easy.” Y/N spoke, getting closer to the table.

“Yeah, let’s get everything sorted.” Rhys silenced the table. “The illyrian troops will hide around in the forest along with the Vanserras.” Devlon and the red haired males nodded in agreement. “Azriel will disguise him and Lucien as Y/N and Nesta’s shadow.” Azriel nodded. “Y/N will pretend to take Nesta to him, and as soon as they’re inside, the dome needs to be up.” 

“It will be.” Eris spoke, earning an approving glare from Rhysand. 

“The monsters will attack as soon as he feels that something is wrong, so pay close attention, cut their heads out, and they will 100% die.” Y/N advised. 

“You already know the words Nesta?” The female nodded, she had been studying the freeing spell from the diary, they hoped it worked. “Then I think we are ready.” They all nodded. 

“You all should rest. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.” Elain kindly advised.

“Just a regular day for us folks.” Azriel said, the inner circle started to laugh. “You should rest.” He said, guiding her upstairs to the room they shared in their stay there. 

“If anything happens tomorrow, I'm glad we had this time.” She said, feeling dread setting in her gut. She couldn’t wait for this nightmare to be over.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

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@acourtofdreamsandshadows

[femmmie]

Dan panics when Phil isn't at home.

I wrote this for @caff3inated-art for the @phandomgiftexchange. I hope you liked this!! It got a bit angstier than I intended but there is also lots of fluff <3

Dan squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. It was way too bright, but he'd switched the damn light on himself. He groaned. Or was it more like a whine, uttered by a grown man but not sounding like it. The fifteen hours of Rebirth had done a number on his neck, back, "my pussy and my crack" he started to mumblesing a bit, squinting now. Slowly, Dan came back to life, "back to reality, back to the here and now". He made some more old man, or old twink noises and stretched.

"Phil?"

He didn't hear a reply. A sudden ball of stress formed in his chest.

"PHIL?"

He opened the door of the gaming room. More, unwelcome light flooded in. Dan waded through the sea of aggressive colors and sharpness and the illumination of it all. Where was his Phil...

He checked every room in the Phouse, he checked around the outside. He went to grab his phone, but his pockets were empty.

"Just my luck..."

He headed back to the gaming room, upended all cushions on the couch, found a couple of controllers but not his phone. He was breaking out in cold sweat.

"Where the FUCK is-", he put his hand on a side pocket of his baggy pants and felt the contours of his little doomscrolling device. He heaved a sigh and unlocked the wicked thing.

Dan: where are you?

Phil: getting Indian for after your sesh

Dan let out an enormous sigh. Still he felt winded. And weak in the knees, so he sat down where he'd been creasing the last majority of the day.

Dan: I was having a heart attack

Phil: did you defeat the heart

Dan: no I lost

Phil: Lost

Dan: Sawyer

Phil: sawyer looking at dat ass

Dan: bass

Dan put down his phone. He started to cry. He would never get used to these nervous breakdowns. He'd always had them, but now that his life was giving him so much grace and things were looking up, a deep fear had taken hold of poor old Dan.

"What if..." He would never allow himself to finish the sentence, but his body felt the dread nonetheless. As long as Phil was near, things were mostly okay. But still not quite. Falling off the stage on tour, almost bleeding to death in front of Dan at the hospital and Phil's mysterious vertigo didn't help, though.

Phil was SO dear to Dan. He knew it was too much, and yet, he couldn't help it at all. It physically hurts to love someone that much, especially if you are full of worry about them or are away from them even for a little bit.

Dan tried to distract himself by thinking about how hot Cloud looked on the PS5 but the highly poly face morphed into that Cumberbatchian beauty, deathly pale and real in all its glory, Phil's face. Phil's face.

Dan thought about wiping his tears but he couldn't move just yet. He closed his eyes, gently now.

"Phil is fine."

A deep breath.

"I am fine."

Another breath.

"We're so, fine..."

Dan heard the door. Finally, his body relaxed, and he opened his eyes. He felt exhausted and lay down, the lamp no longer bothering him. He stared right at it.

"Hey," Phil peaked around the corner. He recognized the situation immediately. "Can I sit?"

"Yeah." Dan beckoned him.

Phil gracefully strode across the room in seemingly one step and sat down. His phlonde hair immaculate, his cheeks rosy from the cold outside. His dumb lopsided smile stirring a primal need inside Dan to lock lips with this angelic creature that he loved and hated and loved.

"You okay?"

"Am now."

Phil's smile intensified. "That's good. Sorry I left without telling you, I presumed you were still at it."

"You presumed right, but all of a sudden I could just feel that you weren't there and..." Dan stared into the distance. He sighed.

Phil grabbed Dan's calf and squeezed in reassuringly. But Dan was incredibly ticklish so he reflexively and accidentally kicked Phil in his side.

"OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY" Dan sat up, horrified.

"It's okay," Phil croaked, visibly in pain.

"No, it's not okay, damn, why am I such an idiot?! Like you don't get hurt enough already?"

"What are you talking about?" Phil grinned a bit, still wincing.

"Phil, I... Jesus, come here, I'll rub the spot for you..." Dan put his large hands around Phil's small waist, examining the damage. Phil blushed a bit.

"Phil, I can't- it's like... I don't like seeing you get hurt. In any way. I hate it, even. And here I am, kicking you like some bloodthirsty maniac..."

Phil laughed but winced again.

"Bloodthirsty eh? I don't mind vampire role-play, you know that." Phil winked his stupid perfect dorky wink. It filled Dan with rage and adoration.

"Oh my god, Phil. I'm trying to be serious here..."

"Sorry." Phil put his arm around Dan. "I thought I'd distract you. You were in your mood."

"You did, and I was very much distracted," Dan snorted and leaned against Phil, burrowing his face in those icy colored locks. "Thank you."

Phil wiped Dan's adorable snout. "There. Wanna help me cook?"

"I mean," Dan was back on his bullshit, "I can't not help you because you're a very intelligent man but you have the motor skills of a toddler, and you'd set the kitchen on fire again."

"It wasn't on fire on fire," Phil protested, starting to laugh.

Dan got up but he had to sit back down.

"Ugh, I'm still feeling faint. Let's try that again. Could you- could you assist me?"

Phil gently helped Dan up and guided him to the kitchen, where he sat him down on a stool. He got him a cup of coffee for good measure, because caffeine strangely always seemed to calm Dan down.

Phil hated seeing Dan like this, though. He tried to remind himself that they'd come so far already. It had been so much worse in the past. All the nights he'd talked Dan back from wherever his panicking, tortured mind was driving him.

And the times when Dan shut down. Those were the worst. The emptiness in his stare had been incredibly scary for Phil. Because that wasn't how he knew his Dan.

"Want a cookie with that?"

"Yois."

"Hurr."

"Phunx. You're the best, Phil."

Phil's infatuation with the extremely pretty boy had made place for true love when he learned about Dan's deep, fiery emotions. There was so much more to him than his soft skin and sharp tongue. Dan cared about the world, about people and most of all, and wondrously, about Phil. And he cared fiercely and forcefully and uncontrollably. It was such a magnificent feeling to be on the receiving end of that love, Phil had never known anything like it. Dan didn’t only always have his back, he was his loudest cheerleader with anything Phil ever did. What had Phil done to deserve a love like this? The least he could do in return was to support Dan when he had an episode.

At least, now, they could talk about it.

"How do you feel?"

Dan attempted a brave smirk. "Hmpf, still faint but better. I don't think I'll be much help with cooking, though."

Phil put his hand on Dan's. "You can keep me company then."

Dan smiled weakly but sincerely.

Dan was so beautiful. Maybe more beautiful than before. His laugh lines were Phil's proudest achievements. His eternal bedroom eyes stoking a fire within Phil.

Phil was cooking, Dan doomscrolling and they listened to the FF soundtrack.

"This is nice."

Dan looked up. His posture was terrible but his smile was wide again.

"I'm back."

"Oh Dan!" Phil walked around the counter and gave Dan a big hug. Dan kissed him.

"I love you so much," he whispered in between kisses. "How are you this fucking beautiful, Dan? It's almost unfair." Dan knew he wasn't just talking about his looks. They both blushed.

"Phil, you're everything. The sun, the moon, my angel, my vampire. I am holding you, yet I want you closer. Closer, Phil.

And Phil held his Dan closer.

"Phil?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me something?"

"Of course, anything."

"Would you humor me... and never, ever die?"

Phil loosened the hug so he could look Dan in the eye.

"What's this about?"

"I always worry about you, Phil. And, if you'd promise me... maybe, I'd be less stressed?"

Tears formed in Phil's eyes.

"Dan, of course I promise. I have no plans of dying any time soon."

"You should never die." Dan said defiantly with just enough humor to reassure Phil this was in good fun, but the serious undertone was noted.

Phil recollected himself. "We could add cushions around the tour stage so when I fall off again it won't hurt."

"I love how you just admitted it will definitely happen again," Dan chuckled. He nuzzled Phil and they looked in each other's eyes. The kissed some more.

"Or I can wear a mech suit?"

"Is it bad that I really like your suggestions?"

"It isn't. You caring this much about me makes me want to be the most careful I can be."

"That means a lot."

Dan got up, his legs supporting him again. He took Phil's hand and walked them towards the bedroom.

"I'm going to show you just how much I care, Phil."

[tired-teacher-blog]

Characters : Tattoo artist Aizawa/ Florist fem reader

Featuring : Eri/ Hizashi Yamada/ Nemuri Kayama/ Oboro Shirakumo/ Emi Fukukado

Warnings and Genre : Fluff/ Romance/ Smut and Angst in future chapters/ Multi Chaptered Story

Summary : In a desperate attempt to get closer to the tattoo artist dominating every speck of your brain, you decide to pay him a visit one evening as a client seeking his service. This encounter will prove to be the beginning of something much bigger between you two, but will this new found passion be enough to stand against the difficulties your future holds?

Notes : Loosely inspired by this/ Art below is by the wonderful @/ael-draw who gifted me this gorgeous piece.

Masterlist|Second Masterlist|Third Masterlist

Chapter Count : Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 • Part 6 • Part 7 • Part 8 • Part 9 • Part 10 • Part 11

Mature content ahead so please be warned : 18+

_ "You seem.. distracted," he breathlessly utters while peering up at you from between your thighs, "aren't you enjoying this?" and the smirk following suit is an indication of his teasing, and confidence in his skilled tongue.

_ "Wha.. no, no that's not it!" truth be told, his wondrous mouth has always been enough to fog up your brain and renders you a moaning mess, and this time is no different as he has you sitting comfortably in the same chair you sat on months ago when you came for your tattoo, only this time, your skirt is hiked up around your waist and your legs are resting on his shoulders while your panties are discarded somewhere. 

How scandalous.

Here you thought you'd have dinner together between his scheduled appointments, but he had something else entirely in mind.

You aren't worried about someone walking in though, since everyone else is diligently working at the moment, you are however still not over what happened a few weeks ago when he came to visit you at night, all troubled and distraught.

_ "Look at you, swallowing my fingers eagerly." his teasing words are flustering, and his long thick digits are pushing you closer to insanity. He's aware of what he's doing to you, moving them slowly in and out of your fluttering heat, and curling them right at that sweet spot he knows all too well.

His lips are peppering your shaky thighs with soft kisses as his fingers keep spreading you deliciously, and you know that you will certainly not hold out for much longer.

_ "Shouta.. yes, keep going, please." you squeeze your eyes shut and arch off the leather chair while threading your own fingers through his beautiful hair, further messing his already messy bun. 

You are grateful for the blasting music outside of the booth, because everyone would hear your sinful moans otherwise.

His fingers quicken and his mouth envelops your reddened clit, sucking it hungrily and coaxing your release.

Your legs tighten around his neck and your eyes shoot open while shockwaves of pleasure rock you to the core and leave you pulsing in the aftermath of your orgasmic release.

Your throat is dry and your whole body is tingling as you strive to regain your composure, it was wonderful as usual, and for a moment there, you were actually able to forget about what's been bothering you for weeks.

_ "That was.. so good." a dumb smile is splayed across your face as your body is finally relaxed.

_ "I'm glad gorgeous," he replies with a chuckle while lowering your legs carefully, "so, did this help you relax?"

_ "What do you mean?" you're still on cloud nine and your mind is too fuzy to comprehend the meaning behind his words.

_ "No, never mind," he runs a hand through the loose strands framing his handsome face, "I just worry sometimes when you overwhelm yourself with work or other things." and for some reason, it feels as if he regrets his original statement and is trying to make light of the situation, perhaps because he's the one who's been troubled lately, and deep down he knows that it's affecting you in the worst of ways.

He means well though, obviously he does, and you know he's truly worried about you, but somehow you find his words irritating.

How can he act oblivious when he's the reason why you've been a mess lately? If anything, he actually owes you some answers.

Your smile is suddenly replaced with a frown, and you sigh out frustratedly as you carefully stand up on shaky legs and push your way past him in order to fetch your panties, "I should be the one telling you this."

He doesn't reply, and instead keeps his attention on you as he awaits an explanation.

_ "Shouta, isn't there anything you want to tell me?" you ask him calmly, eyes full of longing and a tinge of pain. 

You didn't have to say anything more for him to understand your request, and you just stand there patiently waiting to hear his answer.

He walks up to you, hands shoved in his pockets and eyes looking everywhere but you, and it reminds you of the day he visited your shop for the first time, because that day too, he was shy and a bit awkward, just like he is right now.

_ "It's not a big deal I promise." he feigns a smile as he answers, but you can see right through him, whatever happened that day -a couple of weeks ago- must have been a huge deal and it is clearly still affecting him.

He can deny it all he wants, but he's been distressed lately and it tortures you to witness, and what hurts you even more is that despite it all, he is still the same loving and caring man you've always known, and that night he visited you -a few weeks ago- was the first and only time he allowed himself to be vulnerable around you.

 

He heaves in defeat and you watch with frightened eyes as his head hangs low and his voice comes out, but nothing could ever have prepared you for what he has to say.

_ "Eri, she's.."

Your heart sinks as you're expecting the worst, this is about Eri, but what can it be? Is she ill? Did something bad happen at school? It can't be, you see her all the time and talk to her on the phone almost daily, and she is as bright and cheerful as she's always been, so what is it then?

_ "What about Eri? Shouta tell me quick, please." you grip onto his arms tightly and shake him as your patience was wearing thin already.

_ "Her mom is back, and she wants her."

No really, nothing could ever have prepared you for what he had to say..

_ "How could she.. after all these years." you know all too well that it isn't your place to comment on the subject, this thing in particular does not concern you at all, it is a family matter that has existed way before you even came along, but for God's sake you're unable to contain your anguish.

You know what these two mean to each other, to him, Eri isn't just his daughter, she's his whole life and everything in his existence revolves around her, and to her, he's the only family she has ever known and loved. Nothing's fair about this.

_ "It will be okay, I'm sure it will be fine, yeah." and it's a weird smile he's showing, one you're not used to seeing from him.

who is he even trying to convince? 

_ "But Shouta what about this is fine?"

_ "I have to believe that it is! Or else I'll go insane!" his hands are shaking and his voice is cracking now, as he's barely standing on his own two feet.

He has never been this way in front of you before and it kills you to witness.

You feel useless and hate yourself for triggering him this way, this isn't what he needs..

Oh right.. this isn't what he needs right now, not a reminder of this catastrophe but rather a reassurance, a sliver of hope, a moment to forget. It's precisely why he hasn't told you about it until you've brought it up a bit earlier.

_ "The man who took care of her all by himself for years, who raised her well and gave her all his love, who was both parents, is the same man standing right in front of me," it's all clear now and you know precisely what needs be done as you gently grasp on to his trembling hands, "you know what? It will be fine, Eri belongs with you and no power can change it, and I truly believe that."

He's speechless listening to you speak, lips parted and expression finally relaxing, this is indeed what he's been looking for, just a little peace of mind.

He pulls you to his chest and engulfs you tightly, so tightly in fact that you're left breathless in his strong arms.

His shoulders shake and a stream of hot liquid falls from his face to wet your own as he finally bares his all, and you stand there like a pillar for him to lean on,  listening as he breaks down in your embrace.

To be continued..

[fandomwe1rd0]

Wrote a fanfic based off of a headcanon I have that Rick can't say no to Morty when Morty calls him "Grandpa"

Rick was taking Morty to an alien grocery store, not sure why he needed to drag Morty out of school for something so small, but Morty basically gave up on trying to understand Rick, he probably just needed his human camouflage, someone, to do the shit Rick didn't want to do. Morty scoffed and rolled his eyes. Of course, that's all he was to Rick. Just someone to be his butler, his slave, his human shield, his human cloaking device. How could he forget? Rick was such an amazing grandpa. Morty thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Then he caught sight of something, and he ran towards it, awkwardly squeezing past slimy aliens while saying "Excuse me!" He heard Rick saying "Morty! Stay cl-*burp*-ose by me, you little shit!" Morty ignored Rick and kept running when he finally got to see it clearly then he gasped "Holy crap! A new space hyper-realistic gaming console!" Rick went over to Morty and rolled his eyes "We're in space, you can just say gaming console." Morty ran up to it eagerly checking the pricetag, fuck yes! It was the newest version! Morty was wondering when this would come out! He's been waiting so long! But it was really expensive...

Morty bit his lip then quickly glanced over to Rick and put on his best, most innocent-sounding voice "Rickkk uhm..." He fidgeted and gulped, rubbing the back of his neck "Say you wouldn't mind...buying that for me, would you?" Morty asked, pointing over to the gaming console." Rick let out a sigh "How mu-*burp*-ch is it?" Morty mumbled the price "3....ahem...3000 glorpglams..." Rick said "What? Spit it o-*burp*-ut kid, Rick got your tongue?" Morty said it a litte louder now "3000 glorpglams..." Rick blinked "Seriousl-*burp*-y Morty? That's stupi-*burp*-dly expensive. Do you think Grandpa is made of money? You already have o-*burp*-ne of these." Morty whined "B-b-but this is the newest version! It comes with all kinds of new games! A-and they added better graphics, smoother gameplay, and everything! C'mon Rick please?" Rick shook his head "Nope. Morty if I b-*burp*-uy that for your dumb little ass, I'll have to remove some thi-*burp*-ngs from my shopping list. Do you know how much that's going to impede my work?" Morty kept whining "Pleaseeee?" Rick sighed "Morty. I said n-*burp*-o. End of discussion."

Morty sighed, he was thinking for a minute, then had a quick smirk as he got an idea. He lightly tugged on Rick's labcoat, looked up at him with the biggest puppy eyes he could muster and put on his cutest voice, put on his best pout then begged "Please, Grandpa?" He saw Rick visibly twitch at the familial term, his posture suddenly straightening, his eyes widen and his grip on the cart tightening. Rick quickly took a glance at Morty, big mistake, he saw Morty's pout and puppy eyes. Morty then clasped his hands together in a classic begging gesture. Rick let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. Mumbling something insulting himself for being weak and calling Morty something along the lines of "Manipulative little shit." then he gestured over, and Morty blinked "Wh-" Then Rick interrupted "Just put it in the c-*burp*-art. Hurry up before I change my mind." Morty held back a smirk, got him! He let out a small "Yes!" and then ran over to the gaming console and put it in the cart. "Thanks, Rick!" Rick rolled his eyes "Yeah, what-*burp*-ever."

[vibratingskull]

"hi there, i love your work!! i always re read them and giggle to myself lmao. you’re really out here carrying the thrawn fandom on ur back ily!! can i request thrawn x chiss!wife reader who is pregnant? just some soft fluffy stuff?? i feel like thrawn would either be really chill about the pregnancy, or really dumb and just start freaking out about the smallest things hahaha tysm!!!" - anon

For you my dear, fluffy fluff with Thrawn a bit on the spectrum

You're slowly cradling yourself in the rocking chair, making a good work of your needles in the fabric. You decided to do a snowy rabbit this time. Since you took your maternity leave you spend all your time informing yourself on the pregnancy or sewing different plushies and little clothes for your future baby. You have a whole collection now. 

You hear the shuffling of a door, it’s surely Thrawn who came back from his work day. What did he bring back this time?

“Ch’acah, I am here.” He says loud enough to be heard in the whole apartment.

“I’m in the bedroom.” You respond, doing your last stitches.

He appears in his military uniform, a package under the arm as you predicted. You grin, shaking your head. You wait for him to explain. He walks up to you and leaves a chaste kiss on your lips.

“I came across some interesting things.”

“I see that, like every evening for the past two months…”.

You don’t hold that against him, this is how he cares. He reaches for the bag and proudly takes out a rectangular box, you squint to read what is written on it.

“My first… canvas.” You snort, this is so on brand.

“I thought it would be great to help them express themselves through art.”

“You realize they won’t be using it for several years, you’re a bit early for that...”

“Nonsense, infants play with paint of bright colors as soon as they can sit up.” He preaches.

You shake your head with a broad smile. God you love this man. But you’re not dupe: if he buys so much art furniture it’s because he wants to be able to communicate with his child. He already has some difficulties with adults, children as young appear to terrify him. You already saw him hold the baby of a friend and it was not his most glorious moment. He had a freeze moment when you announced to him the news of your pregnancy, before exploding with joyce but you did notice. And then he spent his nights reading and reading about children's communication and psychology like it was an impermeable enigma to him. The elated smile he wore when he announced to you about babies' early interest in artful activities was heartwarming, finally something he could understand. Since then he bought as many artsy toys and activities he could starting by colorful cubes and modeling clay.

You take his hand, and look him in the eyes with tenderness.

“Thrawn, I know you’re scared. I am too. But everything will be alright because we will be together.”

He squeezes it and lowers his head, his thin smile dying.

“I am terrified… What if they don't love me because I can’t meet their needs in some way?” He murmurs.

You shake your head gently, and try to rise up, a bit destabilized by your round stomach. He immediately reaches for you. You pull him in a hug.

“I understand you. But you will surpass it, because you’re the most competent man I know.” 

You take his head in your hands, forcing him to look into your crimson eyes full of confidence.

“I know for a fact that they will love you and be proud of you as a father! You know why? Because nobody loves like you do.”

He puts one hand on yours and and rubs his cheek against it.

“May you be right, ch’acah.”

“I am! I alway am, remember?”

It forces a chuckle out of him.

“Yes.”

You spin on yourself to retrieve the bunny and show him. You smile like a child handing it to him.

“What do you think?” You ask.

He carefully observes the plushie.

“Another one?”

“You have nerve for a man who buys toys each evening. The nursery is full to the brim!”

He smiles.

“It is perfect. I would have loved having it in my youth.”

“I can sew you one now! You would be adorable sleeping with a bunny in your arms!”

He puts down the plushie and wraps his arm around your waist to the best of his abilities.

“Why would I need a plushie when I already have you in my arms?”

He kisses your forehead.

“Vile flatterer.” You grin

“Skillful admirer.” He correct.

You snuggles against him, appreciating his warmth you sigh contentedly. Suddenly you feel pain in your stomach, you lean forward holding your belly.

“Ha!”

“What is wrong ch’acah? Are you in pain?” He asks worriedly

“No, I think…” You pause a second to analyze what just happened “I think they kicked me.”

You take his hand and place it on your belly, sure enough a second kick was given against his palm. You laugh, elated and surprised : it’s their first kick. You look at him with wonders in your eyes. 

He’s shocked.

The eyes wide and at loss for words, he kneels and places his head on your stomach, awaiting, trembling. Another powerful kick. An incredulous laugh escapes him.

“They are strong!”

“They are like you.” You caress his hair.

He kisses your stomach.

“My child.” He hugs your form “I will always be there for you…”

@bluechiss @thrawnalani @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar

@thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @elise2174 @debonaire-princess @twilekchiss

[wannabe-cartoonist-blog]

finally drawing everybody's animal form after like 4 years into this au. randomly, I started with Touou. (plus bonus hanamiya bc i don't feel like coming up with the rest of kirisaki)

See more art from the AU | read the series (kagakuro main pairing)

Explanation on selections under the cut! plus some fun animal facts!!

Aomine: black jaguar/panther. this is was an easy one, considering its a canon comparison (it's his Animal Instinct). that being said, it really does fit him! a rather lethargic creature, he's often napping in the sun or found lounging around on any free surface, but you sure don't want to get on his bad side.

Momoi: I have an agenda which is to include Momoi as a GoM any chance I get, so I very well couldn't have her as the only non-shifter in the Teiko pack now could I? That being said, it was super hard to place her, but after a little research, I decided to pick a species that highlighted her intelligence (a parrot) and then picked a subspecies that matched her aesthetically. therefore, we have the galah (aka a pink cockatoo). she's a friendly and vocal little bird and can often be seen perching on Kuroko and/or Aomine when shifted.

Sakurai: a more recent epiphany, originally I thought he was going to remain a non-shifter. but after getting a really dumb idea, I decided to double-check to see if there were any creatures that both matched my idea and fit sakurai aesthetically/characteristically. the idea? to check to see what animals consume mushrooms as part of their diet. lo and behold, one such species is the hedgehog, which I happen to think aesthetically matches sakurai pretty perfectly. it was like a little epiphany. sakurai and hedgehogs are both small and round but a little prickly. perfection.

Imayoshi: another character who remained status-less for a long time. however, upon re-watching the series I concluded that Imyaoshi is very snake-like in his expressions. after i decided that, I simply googled black breeds of snakes. eastern rat snakes are non-venomous and are therefor constrictors, who wrap around and squeeze their prey. a slow, drawn out sort of style of killing, which I think matches his conniving, slightly sadistic nature quite well. they are cute little things though and rather non-aggressive towards humans.

Hanamiya: a canon comparison (the spider's web), so he was a character who always had a second-skin when I came up with the au. however, it would be damn right goofy to just have a normal spider try to be threatening in my mind, so I tried to come up with other variants than a simple black widow/whatever the animators drew for the Spider's Web sequence. in the fic, I wrote him to be a goliath birdeater tarantula, the biggest species of arachnid, but upon reflection, I decided that it was quite important to me to keep him as a spider, that way webs would still come into play. so, I sacrificed size and looked into other, more threatening-looking and acting spiders that also spun webs and then I learned about the funnel web spider, a species native to Australia (of course). technically, they more so build spider web nests, as opposed to traditional, airborne webs, but they're fascinating little creatures. look at a close up of them too, quite frightening! they also have some of the biggest fangs relative to their body size amongst their species. they also do threatening little dances where they fan out their limbs and also have venom. their venom is extremely toxic, and can cause severe drops in blood pressure, comas, or in extreme cases, organ failure and death; so if you ever encounter one, be extremely cautious, as they are very aggressive/territorial (I personally hope to never encounter one in my life-time; though they are funnily sassy-seeming in the videos I've seen). males are typically smaller than the females, but I decided to make Hanamiya an exception and have him be on the larger side (the whole species ranges from 1cm-5cm typically) but the largest male on record was 7.9cm (a little over 3 inches)!!

[sugarlesswriting]

While I sat outside with my sister to pass out candy to children I came up with a small little AU. There’s not a lot for an actual story but enough for some headcanons.

            Paranormal Investigator AU

Duncan burned some bridges while in Toronto and can’t seem to find a decent job. Gwen can’t seem to find a job with her art history degree.

One day while channel surfing they get to the Travel Channel and there’s a show about paranormal investigation. Gwen jokes that it would be easy to scam home owners and pretended to feel an ‘evil presence’ in a corner.

That’s where Nocturne Paranormal Investigations began.

They’ve been scamming from Mississauga all the way to Montreal. That is until one day they get a call from a man who calls himself Mr. Madden and he’s from Vancouver.

Gwen doesn’t want to make the trip because going cross country means spending money but the man promises to pay them triple.

She almost hangs up because it ticks off to many boxes on the start of a horror movie. Strang man not from their area calling them to go a long way from home. Check. Not doubling but tripling it when she turns it down. Check.

That is until he’s pleading on the phone and that he only called because his niece spoke highly of them.

Gwen decides to play along because now that she thinks about business has been slow and she has time to kill.

After a few minutes Mr. Madden wears her down and now that she thinks about it she they could use a change of pace, but also they can’t be picky when it comes to business. Even if it screams Dumb Horror Movie Decision™.

Gwen takes the case without consulting Duncan which made him think that his life was a living hell while they drove to Vancouver. Which made her life a living hell for 22 hours.

DJ their new hire, and old friend, was a good buffer, but there was only so much he could do from Duncan being an ass. Which made Gwen act like an ass. Which just makes DJ wish that maybe he took his uncles offer as working at a temp agency.

 The moment Duncan drives his car up the long driveway, with tree’s and  random pieces of stoned carvings he makes a comment about if they die he’ll kill Gwen.

The mansion is huge and Duncan now thinks that Gwen should have squeezed a couple extra thousand.

Gwen finds it annoying that Duncan has not only been bitching for the whole time, but now he’s bitching at her for not negotiating better.

Gwen was going to kill him if the owner of the house didn’t.

Duncan sees another car in the large driveway and is back to being grump, but also on edge to the point that Gwen thinks he finally lost it.

He starts to light up while they wait for Mr. Madden to answer the door. Gwen can basically feel the stress off him. She wonders if he’s really scared of this big mansion. It is screaming murder mystery house

Mr. Madden finally answers the door. He has familiar features with blond hair and green eyes. Gwen feels her stomach drop because if his niece is the person she’s thinking about that means Duncan’s ex-girlfriend isn’t far behind.

Gwen hopes that maybe they aren’t there. That it would just be her team and Mr. Madden during their investigation.

She’s proven wrong when he takes them to the drawing room because it’s the place that had the least activity from spirits.

There are four other people in there. Two she knew were going to be there, the other’s didn’t even come to her minds radar when she sees them in there.

Two she knew Bridgette and Courtney. Courtney is Duncan’s ex, and Gwen could basically feel Duncan stiffen. Like he’s some cat that just came into contact with a very large dog that’s a threat.

The other two is Geoff, Duncan’s childhood friend who moved during 7th grade. The other is Trent, the guy Gwen’s been seeing for the past couple of months.

Geoff is Bridgette’s boyfriend and Trent is now Bridgette’s cousin through marriage. (Trent’s dad married Bridgette’s aunt).

DJ is confused as to why Duncan is glaring at Courtney, and Courtney in turn is glaring right back at him.

DJ decides to lead the conversation because now Gwen and Duncan are distracted.

He can’t get to it because Trent asks Gwen what she was doing there, she says it’s for work. She asks what Trent’s doing there and he tells her that he’s family.

DJ tries it again but is once again interrupted when Courtney scoffs and rolls her eyes which just sets off Duncan because why not? They weren’t there for a job or anything!

After, like, 30 seconds of them yelling at each other Bridgette intervenes and says that their bad vibes is feeding the spirit.

Courtney reveals that she’s there to prove that their a scam, not because she knows but because she thinks all paranormal investigators are scammers.

Duncan, who always thoughts ghost were fake and people who actually hired them were idiots is now putting 110% effort into the job.

DJ is able to redirect the conversation back to Mr. Madden and his ghosts.

It’s been happening for years now, but it wasn’t until recently that it seems to have been amped up.

Gwen talks about energies.

Courtney scoffs again.

Duncan says they should kill Courtney and offer her up to appease the spirit.

Mr. Madden eventually has to leave because he got a call to go into town because of business or whatever.

So now it’s a full night of investigation with Courtney constantly interfering by being right about them being fakes.

Luckily no one is taking her seriously but it’s started to make Gwen nervous that Duncan might go too far and eventually the truth of the scam will come out.

Obviously the more the night goes on the more romance happens between Courtney and Duncan.

Oh no they get locked in a room. Duncan makes a comment about how she’s so desperate to get back together with him that she locked them in.

She says that Duncan is the one that’s not over her, so that’s why he suggested to investigate that room.

Ghost makes a sound

Courtney mocks Duncan “Oh so scary! Come on Duncan, I know you can do better than that.”

Duncan takes the compliment but tells her that it wasn’t him.

The entire night is filled with ghost activity as it soon becomes apparent that the ghost is very much real and Nocturne Paranormal Investigation has to come to terms that they are now in over their head because this spirit is starting to become down right violent.  

Duncan and Courtney makeout at one point during the night. They would go further but the ghost is a cock block.

[dreamingdarklyblog]

Picking it Apart

So... Continuing my attempt to talk about what happened yesterday here. Picking up the thread from here. Trying to keep the threads from getting too long by breaking them up like this.

I started talking about how things "Feel" or how it feels like they "Work" in a response to a question, but I thought like it should get it's own post. To sort of repeat the start of that answer, to get us back into the topic...

Yeah there's some... Hangover. If that's what you want to call it. First there's a moment of realization. At least, the way he has it "wear off", is pretty sudden. Or was yesterday. And so there's a moment when suddenly I'm thinking "clearly". I use quotes because I'm not really, yet. But the strain of maintaining the suggestion is gone and I feel like a weight is lifted. Then in this specific case of course, the suggestions are About not thinking clearly... Being super suggestible, and... You know. Dumb.

I'm not sure how that "works" exactly? I guess I think of it like every thought or action I take is going through a filter. Looking back on it Now, after the fact, I can sort of see it, or remember it... At the time it's all kind of background processing. I'm not really aware of it. But thinking about it now I picture it like a flow chart, or an assembly line or something. Throughput gets fed into the little "Suggestion" box, and comes out the other end altered. Very different meaning of suggestion box huh? There's definitely a story idea in there...

A thing happens, a stimulus, something that provokes a response. My natural response fires, whatever it is, but then goes into a filter that checks against whatever suggestion is running through my head, and it gets tweaked. Then it goes into the next one, and the next one, and keeps getting altered. Until finally it hits my conscious mind and goes out into the world as the response to the stimulus.

That's just how I'm thinking of it of course. The actual experience, now that I feel more aware of it, is more like just a hanging moment. Like this brief "Uhhh" moment, where my thoughts kind of hang, like the beach ball on a laggy computer, before I catch up and react.

I suppose in some ways a "Dumb" suggestion is one of the easiest to hold onto. Because most suggestions tend to slow down my thinking anyway, it's sort of a natural result. If I'm labouring under the weight of a pile of complicated things, I get pretty slow even if that's not the intention. Not so much the "bimbo" persona, of course, but just the difficulty understanding, slow to react, sluggish sort of dumb =/

That's just if there's a LOT going on though. Usually the hanging thought is very brief. Not even noticeable really, from outside anyway. At least not that I know of. The more there is going on though, the longer it gets, until it's very noticeable.

Ooof... Anyway

In the moment yesterday I wasn't really noticing any of that. I just felt... Slow. Thick. Dumb. Everything was kind of confusing. Hard to process. Difficult to understand. Everything felt like an art film with an obscure theme, or a trying to wrap my head around the mechanics of the squeeze theorem.

My writing partner would offer up other thoughts, and I would latch onto them like I was drowning and they were a life preserver. Like it was difficult to come up with any on my own, and starved for input my mind would just accept anything it came across. Anything he said...

It's honestly really hot thinking about it. Also rather conflicting and embarrassing >_<

Anyway... Thats's where a lot of my thoughts at the time were coming from. Wanting Bigger Tits... Wanting to post here... To tell you all about how much I'd been rubbbing all day... How excited I was to turn everyone on and tell them about it...

Aaand now I'm not sure where to go with this post. Or how to end it.

Liriel out?

[alex-rusell]

Heartstrings

Ryan stared out the rainy car window as buildings passed in boring grey blurs. Mom had picked them up from school early for a "special day." Ryan's excitement vanished quick when she said they were meeting her new friend Emily. Ryan scowled, knowing how this went…

Ever since Dad moved away last year, Mom kept having lady friends over with big smiles, talking to Ryan in sticky sweet voices. They asked dumb things while Ryan just wanted read comics alone. The whole day always felt awkward till the lady finally left. Then Ryan and Mom could have their best times snuggling under blankets, just the two of them. The visitors were ruining their favorite stuff.

But Ryan noticed Mom smiling less without Dad. So they put up with the annoying ladies, even if it made their tummy hurt. Mom said this Emily person was really nice. But Ryan stayed grumpy anyway hearing that promise again.

After the long drive, they finally stopped by a tall brick building squeezed on the ugly street. Mom bounced out fast towards the rusty callbox while Ryan kicked dirty snow on the curb, in no rush inside. The intercom buzzed loudly making them jump. Ryan looked up to see a pretty woman with wavy black hair walking down metal steps from a open doorway.

The grey sky shining behind her made the lady look like an angel statue. Ryan stared while she hugged Mom excitedly. Emily smiled at Ryan waiting by the curb. Her soft eyes seemed to see all Ryan's worried feelings but still stayed kind. Ryan's tummy did nervous flips as she crouched down gently.

"Hi Ryan…I want today to be comfortable however you need. And you can ask me anything, okay?" Emily's soothing voice reminded Ryan of hot cocoa. They nodded shyly before following the adults curiously inside…

The bright, fancy apartment surprised Ryan. They hovered by the door staring at beautiful art and flowers, way nicer than Grandma's cluttered old house. The white cushy couches and colorful pillows looked so clean. Meanwhile Ryan still wore their favorite jacket covered in cool race cars, feeling out of place touching anything.

Luckily Emily saw Ryan's nervousness. "Let's have some hot cocoa, alright?" She led them to the squishy fancy sofas and brought over fun mugs with cats on them. Sitting super straight so nothing spilled, Ryan sipped the sweet chocolate drink while sneaking peeks at glittering decorations everywhere. Maybe Mom was right that Emily seemed nice…

The day became fun fast looking through Emily's giant box of old comic books. Ryan forgot feeling nervous laughing about favorite superheroes. Hours flew by cozy on the living room floor sharing stories. When Ryan's tummy rumbled, Emily asked what pizza toppings they loved. Ryan grinned feeling happy and safe now with both Mom and Emily there, no longer missing Dad quite as much.

Soon Ryan fell asleep snuggled on the couch while a cartoon played, so warm and full from pepperoni pizza. Gentle fingers stroking their hair woke Ryan a little bit to see Emily above them on the couch arm, face glowing in TV light while she watched the movie. Ryan wiggled closer to her comfy cotton shirt smelling pretty like flowers. Safe under a shared blanket with Emily's arms around them and Mom, Ryan's worries floated away with the forgotten movie characters singing…

The next weeks were really fun playing imaginary games with Emily on weekends or reading more books together. Ryan taught her made up songs on their toy piano, or showed her favorite things in their room when she came over for yummy dinners. Mom laughed more when Emily was there hugging her on the couch. Ryan felt happy too seeing Mom's special smile come back thanks to Emily.

One night Ryan ran inside shouting about a school talent show. Could they use the piano all weekend to get ready? Mom said practicing sounded great and maybe asking if Emily wanted come watch too. Ryan hesitated, shy about messing up their song in front of their cool new friend. But they trusted Emily would still be nice about it.

On Friday Ryan played the whole song for Emily nervous in the quiet living room. But she clapped giant smiles at the end, saying how special Ryan's talent was. Ryan beamed proudly, then slowly showed Emily secret drawings kept hidden away too, waiting for her kind words shared just between them.

The night before the big show on stage, Emily took Ryan out for fun playground ice cream dates to forget worries for awhile. She made Ryan glow by saying spending time with them felt magical for her too. At home brushing teeth before bed, Ryan hoped tomorrow went great…but no matter what, Emily made them feel like the most special kid in the world.

In the busy school hallway the next night before the talent show, Ryan searched for Mom's face in the crowds. But a gentle hug from behind surprised them - it was Emily's sweet perfume. "You're going to be amazing, I just know it," she whispered. And wrapped in Emily's arms, Ryan believed they really could be a star up under the lights.

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

Hi guys, this is first rodeo with writing fanfiction, do let me know if u have any feedbacks.

[ludonarrativediss]

Games of the Year 2024

Didn't we just do one of these? Personally, 2024 will go down as a liminal year for me. I spent it all very unemployed, days mostly blurring together into other days as I applied for jobs I wouldn't get and generally hid in my apartment watching the world get worse. Months were spent dreading the election—just wishing it would hurry up and happen, and then at the end there wishing it hadn't. Luckily, there were some very good video games to play. The broader state of gaming in 2024 is pretty much the same as the state of everything else: giant corporations are squeezing every last bit of money they can out of workers, and that meant layoffs, layoffs, and layoffs. But art and creativity somehow persisted through that, and so we have an especially strong list of games this year. Okay, let's get into it.

Adam Dorsey's 2024 Games of the Year

10. Palworld

It's Kirkland brand Pokemon! And a survival game that I could kind of stomach for a minute! I had an amazing month of Palworld co-op. Exploring and building and catching them all with a good friend. It was a weird buggy mess, but that was also part of the charm. At some point we stopped playing, and I expect I will never open it up again. Above is a photo from BeReal of when I was having a really great time, I guess.

9. Unicorn Overlord

Unicorn Overlord is beautiful, charming, and chill. It presents so many interesting strategy mechanics on top of its auto-battle system that my mind boggles at the millions of unit/move/party combos I can put together. My only complaint is that on the default difficulty it took about 10 hours to put up any sort of challenge that I couldn't just steamroll with my strongest units. That said, it feels like the sort of game that would be great to play through a second time on a harder difficulty when I'm more familiar with the possibilities.

8. Stellar Blade

Stellar Blade is like most bands I like: I like the music, but I could do without the other fans of the band. Stellar Blade fans online this year were the worst. Just weird, scummy, misogynist gross guys, all using their paid-for-verified former-twitter accounts to give a sequel to the thing that definitely didn’t need a sequel: Joker 2—I mean, Gamergate.

That said, Stellar Blade is just the kind of B-grade game that doesn’t get made that often anymore. It feels like a PS2 game only a lot shinier, with all the good and bad that comes with that. The story was enough to keep me interested, but also pretty vapid if I thought about it at all and a clear ripoff of Nier Automata. The main character is so empty and boring that the countless sexy outfits I unlocked for her were not sexy, but instead like putting a toy dress on one of those blank wood figures that artists use for figure drawing.

But the combat was fun! And the story was dumb but fun! And the sexy weird outfits were all dumb but also fun!? I don't know, it’s a bad game that I had a lot of fun with and that’s fine.

The cool thing about the games industry right now is that we can have a wide range of stories and characters and perspectives: we can have the family fun of an Astrobot, the horny dress up action of a Stellar Blade, and the highly specific and intimate story of 1000x Resist. That’s great! I don’t personally know anyone who has a problem with that. But the weird gamergate dudes that think every game needs to be a Stellar Blade are weird and wrong misogynists and also white supremacists usually? In conclusion, please enjoy your horny robot girl game and stop complaining that there’s a girl in a Star Wars or a black guy in Assassin’s Creed, you grimy losers.

7. Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth

It was such a joy to return to the world of Final Fantasy 7 and spend more time with my good friends Cloud and Barrett and Tifa. In this sequel, they built a huge open-world game filled to the brim with minigames and side quests. And that was fun for a while, but quickly became too much for me—its open-world bloat ultimately ruining the good time I was having with my old friends.

The whole thing feels like a project where no decisions were made, where no editing occurred. For the first twenty hours or so, that felt great for me, but as the hours piled on, and barely anything of significance happened in the story, it became clear that the only reason I was still playing was to fill little circles on my progress bars and see what they did with the big death scene from the original game. But when I saw that scene and rolled credits, I found myself unsure of what had even happened. Again, it felt like a lack of decision-making or editorial control from the creators meant that nothing happened? Or everything happened? I’m still not sure. And after the existential changes in FF7 Remake, I was so excited for the narrative possibilities of these original creators remaking their work.

All-in-all a real disappointment, that still makes my top 10 because I like hanging out with Tifa.

6. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

An immediately impressive Metroidvania. The unique art-style and quality of writing initially pulled me in, but the tight platforming and non-linear exploration kept me playing. It feels like it takes inspiration from every great game in this style, while adding its own magic.

I will be forever bitter that Ubisoft tore this team apart after releasing this game. I am so interested in what a follow up would be like, but instead the devilish machinations of capitalism hides that from us forever. That said, if somehow you missed this one, please right that error in 2025.

5. Deep Rock Galactic Survivor

This game stole the Vampire Survivors crown for me this year. The personality of the dwarfs, the variety in builds, the perfect difficulty curve, and multiple game modes where each run raises your strength for your next run—these elements all came together to make this the perfect Steamdeck game. I am naturally wary of early access games, but there is already so much content in this one, it feels very complete, and they still keep adding new things.

4. Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth

Booting up Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth for the first time was such a joyous experience. After spending 80 hours with Ichiban and his friends in Yakuza Like a Dragon, seeing those friends again felt like an instant reunion. Like all Yakuza games, there’s so much game in this game—so much story—I’m 50 hours in now and I have no idea how much more I have, but it will be great to spend a chunk of 2025 hanging with these friends.

There’s a whole Animal Crossing game in here! There’s a whole Pokémon collecting and battling style game, except you're collecting and battling weird grown men! There’s a strangely charming dating game! There’s the entire new area of Hawaii and the traditional Japan areas from the last game. It’s an RPG with two full parties of characters! So many friendship bars and xp bars and jobs to level up!

Beyond that, Ichiban remains just about my favorite character in video games. He is such a strong hero—not usually that great at doing the thing, but always trying to be the best friend and best person he can be. I hope we get so many more games starring this guy. He makes me feel better about humanity and what we can all be.

3. 1000x Resist

1000x Resist is an outstanding sci-fi narrative game. You won't be shooting or platforming, you'll mostly be pressing the A Button to advance dialogue.  What it lacks in actual mechanics, it makes up for with a sweeping narrative, incredible dialogue, fantastically specific stories that anyone can identify with, striking and varied visuals, and FEELINGS—oh so many feelings. The way it juxtaposes real Hong Kong protests with the futuristic scenes later in its narrative? Wow. Every part of this thing is art, and it's gonna stick with me for so long. Find the time for this one. Hekki Allmo.

2. Metaphor Refantazio

The quick and dirty description of Metaphor Refantazio is that it's fantasy Persona, and that works fine to start, but the deeper you dig into the game—as the hours peel back and the characters and mechanics begin to reveal themselves—it unveils itself to be not just a refined fantasy Persona, it's a game inspired by but not held back by the expectations of its inspiration. Without getting into spoilers, it is a fantasy game for a reason, not just a style-refresh on a rehashed Persona game.

The way Metaphor Refantazio builds out its story over 100 hours should really be studied by everyone making long games. Seated in its center is the basic idea that "The world is bad and it should be better," and every single story point revolves around this idea. It means that side quests, follower quests, conversations with NPCs in town, whatever weird twists and turns the main narrative takes—it all circles around that original premise. And it's never overly optimistic or overly bleak. It always balances itself out. There will be the cheesiest lines about hope and dreams, and then those will be followed up with quests about the real-world work it takes to make positive change. It's an incredibly refreshing take, and was a great game to play in the aftermath of the 2024 election.

Time marches on and the age of new king draws nearer (derogatory).

1. Balatro

Balatro is perfect. I'm 80 hours in, and each run is still unique, each one filled with different strategies and challenges. It takes the basic game of poker, a game most people have some understanding of, and transforms it into an always unique puzzle box of making the number go bigger. One round I can feel so overpowered, points multiplying beyond comprehension, but two rounds later if I haven’t been improving my numbers, that snarky Joker is telling me to start another run.

Balatro is $15 on console and pc, $10 on mobile, and it's free with Apple Arcade if that's a thing you pay for and never use like a lot of people do. It's a bit hard to explain, and looks really simple in a screenshot, but all the audio and visuals blend with the game mechanics to make an incredibly rewarding game. It is complicated to explain, but extremely simple to pick up. Let it take over your life. You'll be happier for it.

Other 2024 games I played worth mentioning

Halls of Torment

This is a fun Vampire Survivors-like with the look and feel of Diablo II. It’s got a great sense of progression and runs build well. A lot of this is due to their inventory system, where you outfit your character with a full set of gear before a run, and then pick up new gear as you play. Each run you can find a well to send one new piece of gear back up to your base, unlocking that gear for future runs. It adds a whole other level of strategy and progression. Ultimately, I had more fun with Deep Rock Galactic Survivor this year, but I still think every Steamdeck should keep Halls of Torment installed too.

Helldivers 2

Similar to Palworld, but on an even tighter schedule, I had a really fun two weeks with Helldivers 2. The game had a great balance of being overwhelmed by swarms of bugs, while still squeezing out a victory just in time. I enjoyed reading about all the updates, narrative progression, and drama that the game’s community experienced throughout the year, but I never felt the need to hop back in myself.

Dragon's Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s exploration and emergent storytelling through its many gameplay systems scratched that Elden Ring itch for me this year, although never quite reaching the heights I felt originally playing that game. Similar to Elden Ring, though, at some point I found that just dealing with all of those systems was overwhelming me, I took a small break, and that small break turned into never returning to it.

Astro Bot

Astro Bot is adorable, charming, and surprising, with some of the crispiest visuals I've ever seen. I am filled with joy every time I play a level. I agree with critics that compare this to the quality of a Mario game, and I honestly think because it's not actually a Mario game it can do things that surprise and delight in completely different ways.

Star Wars Outlaws

Oh hey this game is good! It’s not perfect, but being a little space crime lady, sneaking and blasting aliens, turning one faction against the other—this was all fun. It’s basically Star Wars Grand Theft Auto, and the only reason I didn’t get more into it is because at this point I’ve played so many open world games that getting my fill doesn’t usually mean hitting credits. I think the only reason this thing bombed is because both Ubisoft open world games and Star Wars itself has been milked a bit too hard in the last ten years, and we all only have so much appetite for both things. That said, I bet I’ll return to Star Wars Outlaws and do some more chill smuggling in 2025.

UFO 50

I gotta go back to this. I only played like 7 of the 50 games, loved every one, but found its breadth to be intimidating. I should get over that.

Zenless Zone Zero

I dip into all the Hoyoverse games a bit, but still the only one that has really locked me in is Honkai Star Rail. That said, I do return to ZZZ maybe once a week or so for a mission or two. I really enjoy the style and tone of the cute urban cyberpunk, and it's fun to button mash the action scenes. Not much in the characters or story has connected with me, though, so it always feels like such a slog to make progress. I expect it'll stay installed for those weekly twenty minutes of button mashing, though.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

This game seems great! I did the first 3 dungeons or so, and then fell off. Not sure when I'll go back, but I think the item creation mechanics are very fun, it's great to give the spotlight to Zelda herself, and the art style is adorable. It does make me feel the age of that ancient Nintendo Switch and I can't wait until a Switch 2 maybe makes all these games run just a little bit snappier.

Tekken 8

The fighting games in the last couple of years have really disappointed me. I could not seem to connect with any of the character designs in Street Fighter 6. Mortal Kombat 1’s cameo characters added an unnecessary system for me, their Invasions mode added too much grinding that didn’t improve my actual skills in the game, and their character pass added too many authoritarian superheroes that did white power for the LOLs (allegedly).

Tekken 8 on the other hand is the first fighting game in the last couple years that I’ve actually connected with. I think the art-style is top notch, I love the character and move-set of my main Reina, and the single-player modes in the game really do feel like they are helping me learn and get better. That said, this is the first Tekken game I’ve ever invested time in and I am still incredibly bad at it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not having a good time.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Can you believe this game came out this year? That's wild. Yes, it's true, it's a live-service game and all that stuff messes it up real bad. There's pointless loot, and ridiculous grinding, but I picked it up for $15—and for the fun, silly cutscenes and good combat it's worth $15 for sure.

Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3 is great! I've started it like four times over the years across PS3, Vita, Steamdeck, and now this remake on Xbox. The remake is good! It updates it well while keeping most of the charm of the original. Once Metaphor Refantazio came out I had to take a break, but I fully intend to return in 2025 and finally see this one to its ending.

2024 games I haven't played

I think I'd probably like these! But even when you don't have a job, you only have so much time (and money, especially money) for playing video games. Next year to you five games!

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Animal Well

Pacific Drive

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2

Games that didn't come out this year, but you know I've gotta talk about

Octopath Traveler 2

This was my comfy RPG I returned to on the Steamdeck quite a bit this year. It remains great. I will relax to more of it in 2025.

Need for Speed Unbound

This is my favorite Need for Speed game, and it's been great to see them continue to support it this year. I have it on both Xbox and PC for no other reason than it's been really cheap on sale and it's nice to be able to play it in whatever room I'm in.

Fortnite

This is the year where I finally fell off Fortnite and skipped a few seasons. I still go back to it every couple months, though, and it still scratches a specific itch, but I expect I'll drop off even more in 2025. But if a shiny Spider-Gwen or a Mariah Carey in a Santa Claus outfit kills you? That's probably me, bud, back to the battle bus for you.

No Man's Sky

This was somehow my third most played Steam game this year. I've jumped into every expedition and update to dig around a bit, even if I never make that much progress. They added fishing this year! What a game, can't wait for their follow-up, Light No Fire.

Diablo 4

Diablo 4 really hit its stride in 2024. The promise of the launch game finally reached those late-era Diablo 3 highs after the major updates. The expansion didn't do as much for me, but I expect when the new season launches in January I will again find time to make a new character and kill a few thousand more demons.

Honkai Star Rail

This was the year I accepted that Honkai Star Rail might be my perfect game. I love the big dumb anime story, the ridiculous characters, and the hokey dad joke writing. I like going through the story on my PS5, but I also like just having my iPad autoplay battles for upgrade mats while I do something else. Numbers go up, and every once in a while I get the weird anime girl in the awful gacha system that I was hoping for.

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And so that was 2024. Looking ahead to 2025, I hope that the Switch 2 drops with some solid upgrades and some surprise bangers. I hope more game developers unionize and push back against the dystopian conditions of big-budget gaming. I hope you and I both find some good things to distract us briefly from the bad things, and I hope things generally get better for everyone.

And if somehow you're still reading this, just in case, you should check my resume out on LinkedIn. I write a good Game of the Year list, but I'm even cooler as a co-worker, I'm incredibly good at just about everything, and I am very available—except for that week that that Nintendo Switch 2 is coming out, I happen to have completely unrelated plans during that week.