#i hope this is helpful and i'm more than happy to give a more comprehensive answer anytime!

[norikuna]

your theme is so precious!!!!! i simply have to know how you do these gifs and come up with themes because i am obsessed!

omg thanku 🤭 😚 tbh i get a lot of theme inspo from pinterest like esp kpop, taylor swift and sabrina carpenter prints (abs. obsessed with the vintage/retro prints going around for sabrina) and i often follow a lot of designers on behance who throw out freebies for photoshop esp for text and textures!! i've absolutely loved this style lately (but tbh i swing a lot between header/theme ideas a lot) 🫡

also i love colour palette generators for theme ideas! esp to inspire a general vibe for the story (like what emotion invoked by the story is linked to what colour if that makes sense?)

as for gifs! i was lucky to get an in depth tutorial from the incredible @sugurugetos (honestly one of my fave gifmakers on this site and soo sweet 💓) and she taught me how to get 4k footage from jjk files and make it 60fps <3 i use mpv to screencap, and photoshop to make my gifs as hd as possible and in that: i use camera raw to colour and tweak them, as well as filter gallery grain to add some sharpness in them and cover up some noise/dither! (i'm happy to explain this more!)

i also get a lot of design inspo from deviantart! there are incredible mockups and widget type of designs on there that i like to recreate/add to my gifs <3

[panda-writes-kpop]

Dreamcatcher - Reaction to Reader Having A Sinus Infection/ Cold (Requested!)

a/n: two posts in less than a week???? who is this more motivated panda??? jk i'm trolling myself but i really wanted to have the two requests done in the same week. also happy jiu day!!! here's to the hope that her fic won't come out three weeks late! :] ❤️

tw: gruesome descriptions of a cold, food mentions, my brain went brrr when it got to Dami's section so hers is longer

related fic: le sserafim's version

♡ Masterlist ♡

Prompt: You swear you didn’t feel this terrible yesterday. All you had was a bit of congestion and a scratch in your throat. Today, when you woke up, you could barely lift your head off of the pillow due to the congestion in your head. You were sure that you had enough snot to fill a trash can within your two nostrils. All you wanted to do was lay down and rest, but the ding of your phone causes you to lift your head again.

My Love: Do you mind if I come over? I miss you :(

You text her back with what you think is a comprehensible answer, and you rest your head against the pillow.

The next moment you’re awake, your girlfriend is sitting right next to you. So much for self-isolation.

“Darling, I’m here for you.”

JiU’s voice and gentle touch pulls you out of your slumber. You sniffle for a bit as she starts to rub your arm in a comforting manner.

“I can tell you’re sick,” She frowns for a moment before softly smiling to herself, “and I’m going to try to help you. What do you need from me?”

You cough into your elbow before sitting up in bed.

“You could cuddle with me, if you don’t mind getting sick?” You joke to yourself before seeing JiU move to your side. “I’m joking, please don’t make yourself sick-"

“If it’ll help you feel better, it’s worth the risk.” She wraps her arms around you as you gently pull her into the bed.

“I always feel better when you’re with me, Minji.”

A stuffed animal to the head isn’t an ideal way to wake up, but it sucks more when you’re sick and your sinus headache flares up immediately.

“You’ve been sick for days, and you didn’t text me earlier?” SuA scoffs as you toss the stuffed animal to the side.

“I would’ve, but I was afraid of that sort of reaction.”

“C’mon, I’m your girlfriend! I can take care of you when you need me. You do the same for me when I need you most.” SuA looks disappointed, and you sigh to yourself.

“Alright, Nurse Bora, you can take care of me. But don’t take it as an excuse to rearrange my whole apartment-” You state as she laughs happily.

“I won’t, I promise! You won’t regret this.” SuA gives you a big hug, which tackles you further into the bed.

“Is this supposed to be healing?” You joke.

“Is it working?”

“Oddly enough, it is.”

“Babe, wake up.”

You rub your eyes before looking over at Siyeon.

“Siyeon-ah?” You croak out before she shushes you.

“I saw the tissues and the medicine on the counter. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s wrong,” She looks around in her bag for a moment, “but it does take a genius for me to remember my gift for you.”

Siyeon continues to dig in her bag as you grab your water.

“Siyeon, it’s okay, I’m just happy that you’re here with me,” You try to reach out to her with your hand, but she’s preoccupied, “Siyeon?”

Siyeon pauses for a moment, blinks twice, before gently placing her hand on her forehead.

“I forgot your care package at the dorms, I’m so sorry-”

You go to grab Siyeon’s hand, and you successfully do so before tumbling out of bed.

Siyeon laughs as she lays on top of you, apparently you pulled her down with you, and you find yourself doing the same.

“Feel better?” She smiles at you.

“I do.”

You wake up, alone, and you attempt to reach for your phone, but it’s not there anymore. You fumble in the dark for a few moments before a soft light appears next to you. Handong (who looks absolutely beautiful in the light) sits next to you.

“Sorry, love, your phone was almost dead and I wanted to make sure it was charged for you.” Handong adjusts the light as you cough and sit up in bed. “I wasn’t sure you were in the mood for company.”

“I’d rather have you here.” You weakly say. “Thanks for coming.”

“Good, because if you asked me to leave, I would’ve stayed in your living room until you passed out from exhaustion or fell asleep.”

“Geez, Handong, it’s like you’re obsessed with me or something. What a perv~” You chuckle as she scoffs before lightly smacking you. “Wow, hurt the ill. Way to prove a point.”

“Glad you’re feeling better.” She smiles before rubbing your shoulder. “You deserved that, by the way.”

“I disagree, you’re so mean to me.” You whine before laughing alongside her.

"Hey Siri!”

You raise your head, checking for Yooh’s phone, before burying your head back into a pillow.

“She’s not here.” You mumble to yourself.

Yoohyeon calls out to her phone, again, before opening the door to your room.

“Have you seen my phone?” She asks as you rise from your bed.

“No, I don’t think you’ve been in here. I would've woken up earlier if you had been.”

“Oh, you’re totally right!” She closes the door for a moment before opening it again. “I bought a few things from the store, and I’m going to order food when I can find my phone. Just stay in bed until you feel better, and I’ll bring you everything, alright?”

“Yooh, it’s okay, I can get out of bed.” You try to pull off the covers, but Yoohyeon’s disapproving glare causes you to stay in bed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you… once I find my phone.” She sighs to herself before facing away from the door. “Hey Siri!”

You’re happy to have Yoohyeon as a caretaker since you know she’ll take good care of you once her affairs are in order, of course.

Before you rise out of bed, you pull the mysterious, foreign (wet?) object from your face. When you realize that it’s a washcloth, you put it back onto your face. Laying down with that thing on your head feels like the best thing possible, since it helps relieve your headache.

Unfortunately, the drainage from your nose prevents you from completely lying down. You suffice for a half-up, half-down method of lounging before reaching for your phone.

Your hand meets a glass of water before your phone, and you happily drink from it as you are provided with some temporary relief from your sore throat. You wonder who did all of this… you didn’t text anyone, did you?

When you get to your phone, you notice multiple missed calls and messages from Dami.

My Love: I’ll be over in a few minutes, I need to grab a few things from the dorm.

Are you alright? You haven’t answered me yet.

One of your work friends texted me that you called out sick, so I’m guessing that you’re resting. If you see this, I’ll be there when you wake up.

“Dami, honey, where are you?” You call out to her before coughing.

“I’m in the living room, darling. Do you want me to come in?” Dami asks from the other side of the door. “I came in earlier to put a washcloth on your face since you were running a fever, and then I grabbed water in case you wanted it.”

“You can come in, if you want.” You set the water down as Dami opens the door. “Thanks for the water and the washcloth.”

“I don’t mind helping you out since it looked like you needed it.” She says before a light smile breaks out onto her face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Thanks, Dami,” You sit up fully and readjust the washcloth, “I appreciate the sentiment. Hopefully, you weren’t busy before you came over.”

“I wanted to see you, anyway. How are you feeling?”

“Not great, but I’m managing. I get these sinus infections every year.” You shrug to yourself. “They’re terrible, but after a day or two off of work, I’ll be back to myself… mostly.”

She smiles to herself before looking you over again.

“If there’s anything you need, at all, I can get it for you.”

“Thanks, love, I appreciate it.” You say before Dami closes the door and leaves you to get more rest.

“Why did you text me? I'm right here next to you.” Gahyeon grumbles for a moment before turning to face you. “Listen, I know you're upset with me for getting you sick, but I'll make it up to you-”

“-with hugs and kisses and lots of affection?” You force your cutest expression as she tries to hold back her laughter.

“I was going to offer to pay for dinner, but I can go for the free option if you would like.” She wraps her arms around you after you pull her closer. “I'm really sorry, babe, I didn't mean to get you sick after you took care of me.”

“It was worth it, seeing you so happy. I'd do it all over again for you.” You say before covering your mouth for an incoming cough.

“You're so sweet,” She blushes as she mumbles into your chest, “and I love you so much.”

You hear her sniffle as you chuckle to yourself.

“I love you too, every bit of you. And you don't need to apologize for getting me sick, I was probably infected before I came over to your place.”

You both laugh as your ailment drifts toward the back of your mind, at least until you feel the urge to sneeze.

[ticklishshenanigansau]

Happy Tickletober! This year, Mod Secret has been working hard to write a comprehensive story using our list of prompts and we used a wheel to randomly assign the three of us which prompts to draw accompanying chapter art. We hope you enjoy! =3

LaughterLand - Chapter 1: Hypnosis

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Yosh)

"Tra la la, beware the man who speaks in hands," the River Person quietly muttered to the two skeletons from beneath their robes.

"The man who speaks in hands?" the taller skeleton began to fret. "Why is there a need to be wary? Does he not use his hands for just purposes?"

Sans sighed heavily, facing his brother with his head still cradled in his right hand leaning off the side of the riverboat.

"Bro, they’re talking about our Dad … and unfortunately there's no way to ‘beware’ of him, ‘cuz that's where we're going." He rolled his eyes before gazing back into the water.

"Oh!" Papyrus laughed. "There's no need for us to ‘beware’ of him anyways, friend." He enthusiastically tapped the River Person's shoulder with his gloved hand, making the boat driver slightly jump. "He merely wants to see us for the further pursuit of scientific discovery!"

"More like he wants to use his only family as semi-living guinea pigs." Sans couldn't help but scoff. He was getting rather tired of his practically estranged father only calling upon him and his younger brother for this kind of thing.

"Aw, cheer up Sans," Papyrus sat down next to him on the river boat, optimistic smile still beaming. "I'm sure it's not going to be as bad as the last time when he—"

"Practically switched my insides with a Snowdrake?" Sans abruptly cut him off. "Or the time he made you think you were a fish-monster who could actually breathe water? Or the time he tried to spray down our bones with a ‘heat resistance gel’? I'm just saying it's a good thing we booked it BEFORE he got out the flame thrower!"

"Alright, alright. I understand." Papyrus gently held up his hands to calm his brother down. "So his ideas of ‘quality-time’ are a little … unconventional … at best?" Papyrus's tone of voice made Sans start to question whether he was trying to convince him or himself. Papyrus shook his head decisively. "But at least he still wants to see us, and we do excellent work in helping him to better Monster-Kind."

Sans sighed deeply, pinching the space above his nasal cavity. "Pap, the only reason G wants to see us, is because he practically blew up half of his lab assistants, and the other half were smart enough to bail before he did the same to them … or worse. And it's not like we can say no, because he'll pull the whole ‘After everything I've done for you’ crap." He did his best imitation of his creator. "‘After feeding you, clothing you, and giving you the gift of life itself’." Papyrus couldn't help but snicker at Sans' nearly perfect recreation of Gaster's tone and movements.

"Call me crazy Pap, but somehow I always feel way worse coming out of the old man's place than I do going in. So this isn't exactly how I wanna spend a perfectly good Saturday when there's a bottle of ketchup back home with my name on it."

Papyrus shrugged, still trying to remain in good spirits. "You never know Sans, this time could be fun."

Sans rolled his eyes yet again, head shaking dismissively. "Yeah … we'll see."

"Welcome to Hotland," the River Person quietly spoke up after pulling their strange-looking riverboat up to the shallow port. Papyrus excitedly hopped off, and Sans begrudgingly lumbered onto the sand before flipping the River Person a coin.

"Thanks," Sans muttered, although his inside voice finished off with, "...for nothing."

"Come again sometime. Tra la la." The River Person's boat grew cat legs and scampered off down the river in the direction of Waterfall, leaving Sans truly wishing that he had stayed on the boat.

The skeletons made their way down the route they were all too familiar with, down the path towards the huge metal laboratory in the distance. Sans couldn't help but air out his collar, sweat already starting to trickle down his neck.

"It's like this place just keeps getting hotter," he sighed.

"Well it is Hotland, Brother," Papyrus replied, his grin never faltering. "Why do you wear such a heavy sweater anyways?"

"I … just feel more protected," Sans answered honestly, though saying it out loud made him feel a bit more self-conscious.

"Protected?" Papyrus repeated, seemingly surprised by the answer. "But you have me for protection, Brother! I can protect you far more than that smelly old thing!"

Sans chuckled, Papyrus's confidence really was endearing. "I appreciate it, Bro," Sans replied. "But when it comes to HIM, I feel like I can use all the protection I can get.”

They arrived at the front door, somehow Sans was never able to get used to just how much bigger it was than the two of them, as always, it made him feel so much smaller.

Well, if the door was going to make him feel this insignificant, he wasn't going to treat it with a proper knock. He raised his fist and as gently as he could, and tapped on the door with his knuckles. Papyrus was standing right there, and even he didn't hear a thing.

"Oh well, nobody's home." Sans shrugged with a half-grin making an attempt to walk away. "Can't say we didn't try, right?"

"Sans!" Papyrus responded, hands on his hips and with a tone of annoyance.

It didn't matter anyways, the brothers heard the loud creaking noise of the gigantic door beginning to open. Sans gritted his teeth. "That never works," he grumbled to himself.

They turned to see the aged skeleton standing in the doorway, his stern orange and blue eyes looking them up and down.

"Greetings, boys," Gaster spoke in his usual low tone.

"Hey, G." Sans shoved his hands into his pockets, his voice also low and unamused, not even giving him the courtesy of a glance.

"Greetings, fatherly figure!" Papyrus, on the other hand, bounced with delight and friendliness, aggressively grabbing Gaster's hand to shake it. "How nice of you to invite us into your home once again!"

No matter how many times Gaster invited them over, Papyrus always managed to surprise him with his upbeat attitude and willingness to come back. As Papyrus released his hand after giving it a thorough shake, he and Sans made their way through the door and into the lab. Papyrus's greeting leaving the scientist quite dumbfounded for what to say next.

"Right … er … come on then … uh … son—uh! Sons, I mean?" he stammered.

"Alright, let's just get this over with." Sans’s cold tone almost immediately snapped Gaster back into his usual demeanor.

"Right!" Gaster shut the door and led the brothers downstairs to the True Lab. The place where all of the tools and past experiments were kept.

Papyrus excitedly hopped into Gaster's office chair to take it for a quick spin-around, while Sans wasted no time making his way to the coffee maker. Somehow he could already tell that this was going to be a long day.

"P-2, please do try to calm down." Gaster abruptly stopped Papyrus from spinning around in the chair, allowing the dizzy skeleton to stumble away. "I'm going to need steady attitudes for this line of testing."

"We talked about this, G," Sans replied, pouring a fresh cup of hot coffee into the styrofoam mug. "We both have names, remember?"

"Right, of course," Gaster acknowledged, turning his large blackboard towards the two of them.

"Oh, and S-1—er! I mean … Sans," he corrected himself. "No coffee for today please, this test must require zero stimulants of any kind."

"Oh great." Sans bitterly placed the untouched cup next to the  coffee pot. "So what's involved for this one? The effects of sleep-deprivation?"

"Quite the opposite actually," Gaster replied, facing the scribblings on his blackboard. "For this test, I'll be putting you both into a deep trance."

"Say … what now?" Sans blinked, surely his scientific father didn't mean what he thought he meant.

Gaster moved to show off his notes and scribbled doodles on the subject of hypnosis on the blackboard. As usual, the blending of all of his ideas and hypotheses together on one cramped space made for some confusing visuals.

"I wish to know the true strength of the power of suggestion upon the monster's mind," Gaster explained. "How far can suggestion go, and just how deep a trance can one be put in before the impossible becomes reality?"

"Hypnosis … really?" Sans replied, both expression and tone deadpanned. "I give up a coffee break just so you can play with the metaphysical? This is weird even for you old man."

"Oh come now, Sans!" Papyrus approached his brother, still wearing a grin. "I think it'll be fun! Just think of the possibilities the two of our brains can come up with!" he suddenly gasped, eyes full of childlike wonder. "We could become convinced that we're flying! Or can shoot laserbeams out of our eyesockets! Or —"

"Bro!" Sans cut him off, not wanting Papyrus to get too excited as he figured whatever Gaster had in mind for them wasn't going to be nearly as adventurous as he had hoped. "You're wasting your time anyways, G. I can't be hypnotized," he said adamantly.

Gaster knew that this was going to be a tough sell, Sans wasn't one to be convinced to be put in vulnerable situations easily. But thankfully, Gaster did have the perfect idea for just how to convince him.

"Think of it this way … Sans," he paused momentarily to remember his name. "This will be the only time where the only thing that's required of you is to lay back and do nothing but sleep."

That did it. Gaster knew there was no way that Sans would miss an opportunity to be lazy. With a loud groan, Sans followed Gaster and his brother into the operating room. Gaster laid Sans and Papyrus next to each other on two large metal tables. Above them hung a large, oversized pendulum that began swinging back and forth once Gaster hit a button on the wall. The pendulum made a gentle ‘whoosh’ sound as it passed back and forth above them.

"What, are we in a giant grandfather clock?" Sans joked, albeit still in a sarcastic tone.

"This will give you something to focus on while I slip you both into a trance."

"Oooooh!" Papyrus's gaze followed the pendulum, seemingly enchanted by it. "Isn't it exciting, Sans?" He beamed. "We're about to unravel the deep mysteries of the metaphysical mindset!"

"Right…," Sans mumbled. "Let's just hope Dear Old Dad doesn't unravel our minds."

Gaster pulled out an old-fashioned handheld tape recorder and began an audio log.

"Subjects S-1 and P-2 are ready for testing," he recorded quietly. Both are resting comfortably on the operating tables, mere inches apart from one another. The pendulum has begun swinging, and I will now proceed with the restraints." Although it was difficult to catch all of what the old skeleton was muttering, Sans could have sworn that he had caught that last word.

"Whoa whoa whoa … ‘restraints’? You didn't say anything about…," Sans trailed off as he watched Gaster approach him without acknowledging what it was he had just said.

Gaster reached under the table to pull out what looked like two oversized belts. One that would cross along his upper torso, right where his elbow bent, and the other down lower across his knees. Sans despised whenever Gaster brought out these restraints, and did his best to avoid them at all cost. Gaster fastened his eldest son to the table before Sans even had a chance to protest.

"Hey!" Sans began before being strapped to the table and unable to break free. "G, I thought you were just hypnotizing us, what the hell is this for?"

"This is purely for your own safety, Sans," Gaster replied as he pulled out the straps for Papyrus. The younger skeleton never put up much of a fight, so Gaster was able to properly take his time in securing him. "Should your body obey the suggestions to move, or should anything go wrong during the experiment, you'll be safely secured to the table where you won't be able to fall off or injure yourself.

"Right … ‘safety’ … sure," Sans grumbled, not entirely convinced.

"Yes! Very thoughtful of you, sir!" Papyrus chimed in, although Sans could tell that being tied up wasn't exactly Papyrus's favorite thing to do either.

Gaster sat himself down behind a metal podium that contained buttons of different shapes and sizes, all of which had been used on the brothers before with different results. Gaster, once again, pulled out his tape recorder.

"Subjects have been restrained, now proceeding with the 'Nerve-Processing Scan'." Gaster leaned into a small microphone attached to the podium that amplified his low voice so that Sans and Papyrus could hear him clearly. "Boys, you're going to see a small flash of light, just tell me how it makes you feel."

Before either of them had a chance to question, there was a sudden brightness that filled the room nearly blinding the two of them. It disappeared as quickly as it came, but all at once, the brothers felt an overwhelming tingling sensation consuming their bones.

"What?! W-What the—?!" Sans began to grin in spite of himself. The tingles especially affected his cheeks and moved rapidly down his ribs. He felt an overwhelming urge to laugh, but he held it back as best as he could, not wanting Gaster to hear anything. But even with all his efforts, a small snicker still escaped his teeth.

Papyrus, however, wasn't as resilient. Within moments, the younger skeleton began giggling. Light snickers at first, but as the tingles spread downwards he began kicking his legs — as best he could through the restraints — and squirmed on the table.

"Nyeh-hee-hee-hee-hee!! It-It tihihickles!" Papyrus scrunched up his neck in an effort to distract from the sensations.

"Hmm, good," Gaster replied through the microphone before returning back to collecting his thoughts into the tape recorder. "Let the record show that S-1 and P-2 have still retained their sense of 'sensitivity' since the last experiment."

As the tingles began to wear off, Sans looked over at Gaster worriedly. He couldn't hear what the old man was mumbling into that old-fashioned box, but he knew that light show had to be for something.

"Pap, I've got a bad feeling about this," he whispered to Papyrus, who was still trying to shake the tingles off of his toes as he seemed not to hear him.

Gaster leaned back into the microphone, his soft and low voice lightly reverberating off of the walls.

"Alright boys, I want you both to take a deep breath and relax. Please focus your eyes on the pendulum and do not remove your gaze from it."

The brothers obeyed, Sans still muttering under his breath. "You're wasting your time old man, this is beyond pointless."

Gaster continued, "I'm going to start counting backwards from ten. And with every passing number I want you to notice a deep and pleasant drowsiness start to come over you."

"Deep and pleasant drowsiness, huh?" Sans silently scoffed. "You don't need to strap me to a table to get that outta me."

"Slowly building up from your feet…," Gaster continued. "Up through your legs and over your hips … over your spines and ribcages … spreading a deep drowsiness through your arms … up over your shoulders … across your faces … feeling your eyelids start to get heavier and heavier."

"From the way you're droning on you won't need this crap to put me to sleep," Sans quietly complained.

Although, despite the absurdity of it all, a part of him couldn't help but want to feel that 'pleasant drowsiness' that Gaster kept going on about. Despite his current situation, a nap with that kind of intensity did feel like it would be a welcomed change of pace. It had been a while since he had a peaceful rest without the constant interruption of nightmares.

"Ten.… Nine.… Eight…," Gaster slowly began. "Feeling your bodies start to drift off into sleepiness...."

Sans didn't want to believe it, and part of him surely thought that it was nothing but a trick of the mind, but he did start to feel it. A sensation, almost similar to that of a warm numbness, starting to take hold of his feet and slowly climbing up his legs and towards his waist. It was … strangely pleasant.

"Seven.… Six.… Five…," Gaster went on, his voice overtaking the room. "Slowly drifting off into a pleasant drowsiness, slipping deeper and deeper into sleep."

"This is … so … so … stupid…." But the more Sans tried to convince himself, the more he was starting to lose track of his words and drift off, doing exactly as Gaster was commanding him to do.

"Four.… Three.... Two…. You feel it start to take over your body, slipping deeper and deeper into relaxation," Gaster continued. "One…. Now your eyelids feel so unbelievably heavy, it's nearly impossible to keep them open now."

And it was. Sans couldn't keep from blinking, but every time he opened his eyes, it was harder and harder to keep them open. What was happening? He knew that if there was anywhere that he didn't feel 100% safe, it was here in his father's laboratory. And yet, it was like his body was trying too hard to convince his brain that this was the place to let it all go and sleep.

The pendulum wasn't helping much either. With every light little ‘whooshing’ sound that it made while going back and forth, it was almost forcing Sans to keep blinking, making it harder and harder for him to open his eyes back up. For a split second he glanced back over at Papyrus, but the younger skeleton was already long gone, Sans could tell by the drool starting to collect in the corner of his open mouth.

"And...."

*SNAP!*

"Sleep!"

Sans’s eyes shut all on their own. Within a singular moment … within a singular snap … he had completely surrendered full control of his body and his mind. His thoughts floated on warm fuzzy clouds of nothingness, and the deep numbness that had begun at his soles had now consumed his entire body. It was like he could feel nothing and everything all at once. But the most bizarre thing about it was that there wasn't a single drop of anxiousness, not one lingering fear, not one seed of doubt or concern. Everything was just open and free. Sans wasn't entirely sure what plane of existence he had landed on, but it was oddly relaxing.

"Take a deep breath in…." As Gaster continued, he heard the deep inhale and exhale come willingly from his sons as he spoke.

"And…."

*SNAP!*

"Sleep!"

Upon hearing the command, the brothers felt themselves drifting more and more into a trance-like sleep. The world around them began to fade away piece by piece as their minds floated through space.

"As you hear the word…," Gaster snapped very sharply into the microphone again, "Sleep … everytime you hear the word…," he snapped again, "Sleep. You feel yourselves drifting deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. Feeling 100% more relaxed and comfortable … sleep." He snapped. "Feeling nothing but the deepest relaxation imaginable. Totally still and silent … only able to hear and understand the words that I am speaking … and … sleep"

Snapping a final time, Gaster could tell that Sans and Papyrus had now fallen into a deep trance, only able to hear him, and totally susceptible to everything.

"Alright, let's begin," he spoke softly into the microphone. "I'm going to begin counting to ten, and as the numbers start to increase, you're going to start becoming fully aware of your bodies. Aware of your nerve endings … so hyper aware and fixated on all that you can feel that you won't be able to focus on anything else."

Gaster counted upwards, using his words to point out the sensitivity of their toes, their knees, their legs, hips, ribcages, underarms, necks, and everywhere in between. He was able to barely catch the brothers start to lightly twitch in their trance. The experiment was working.

"And now that you are fully alert and aware of your nerve endings and the capabilities they hold, I want to ask you a question … can you start to feel the soft caress of a little white feather gliding across your soles?"

Sans and Papyrus stiffened, it was so subtle that anyone who wasn't paying attention to them would have missed it entirely. But Gaster noticed immediately, and had no intention of letting it alone.

"Do you feel it start to dance back and forth? Gliding up towards your toes and back down to your heels?"

Sans’s toes began to curl, his face twitched like he was trying to hold back a grin. Papyrus's left foot gave a small but sudden jerk, his breathing starting to hitch and shudder.

"Does it bother you?" Gaster baited. "Is it … ticklish?"

Sans gasped sharply while Papyrus let out a little whine through his teeth. That was it, Gaster was getting through to them with the pure power of suggestion. He went on.

"Perhaps you now feel it stopping at the bottom of your toes…."

Papyrus let out a brief sigh, but Sans still seemed to be holding his breath. Gaster smiled, this was going way better than he had expected.

"No … I don't think it's stopping, it seems to be brushing and bristling along the inside of your toes."

"Nyeh-hee-hee-hee-hee!"

Papyrus finally started to lightly giggle. Sans gritted his teeth hard, his body movements turning to brief little twitches that seemed to get sharper and more panicked. Like he was trying so desperately hard to hold back. Gaster smiled, he knew it was only a matter of time before he got through to his eldest son.

"And now you can feel the feather start to slowly weave in between your toes … starting in between the spaces of your big and second toe, and oh-so-easily slipping and gliding down the rest of your toes as well."

"Eeeeeeeeeeheeheeheehee!!" Papyrus let out a shrill squeal of giggles, his toes curling in and out trying — and failing — to protect himself from the invisible feather.

"Hrrkkkk!!"

Sans's teeth pressed together so hard that it almost looked painful. Opening only to take in sharp gasps of air and try his best to steady his panicked breathing. His toes rapidly wiggled and curled inward, but no matter how hard he tried, it was more than obvious to Gaster that he was feeling the effects.

Gaster couldn't help but grin, he knew for certain that there was an undeniable way for him to finally get Sans to laugh.

"Breathing in … as best as you can through the laughter…," he continued. "You feel the feather moving faster and faster … effortlessly gliding in between your toes. And as you feel the sensation growing stronger … you find yourself falling 100 times more deeper into trance, and feeling yourself growing 100 times more sensitive everytime…."

"Grrrnnnnnnkkkkk...!" Sans groaned loudly, struggling harder than ever to resist Gaster's suggestion.

"I say…."

"Hnnnh...!!"

"The word…."

"Unnnghhh!!"

"...tickle."

Before Gaster had even finished pronouncing the word, the dam finally broke. Sans started laughing and convulsing his feet even harder. Just as Gaster had suggested, the sensitivity of his feet had more than doubled, and the imaginary feather's power had consumed him.

Gaster let out a small chuckle, satisfied with his progress … yet still wanting to see just how far he could push it.

"Feeling so deeply relaxed … and so very … very … ticklish."

"GAAH!! Hahahahahaha!!" Sans erupted in deep laughter, struggling harder than ever against the binds on his legs.

Papyrus wasn't far behind him, squealing and jerking his body around as if that would somehow distract him from the agonizing sensation on his toes.

"Feel the feather starting to glide up from the tops of your toes, all the way up towards your knees….” Gaster grinned through his words.

Gasping in panic, the brothers tried to kick and scrunch up their knees, almost unaware of the restraints holding them back and causing them even more panic.

"And as the feather swirls about your knees…," Gaster went on. "You start to feel 100% more … ticklish."

"AAH! Hahahaha! N-N-Nahahaha!! Hahaha!!"

Sans's head began to rock back and forth. He strained even harder trying to contain his laughter, seeming to struggle to get out the word "No."

Papyrus, on the other hand, seemed nearly paralyzed upon hearing the dreaded ‘T’ word. Gaster could see his legs sticking straight out as his body shook with near-silent giggling.

"Tell me…," Gaster mused. "Is this all feeling particularly … ticklish?" He dragged out the word, sounding out every letter and syllable. Making sure his test subjects heard him clearly.

Papyrus threw his head back, while Sans let out a small shriek. Both of them wracked with laughter and convulsions. While in the trance, they seemed to be completely unaware as to why their bodies weren't moving to protect themselves. Why they couldn't control or completely stop this unusual tickle attack.

Gaster observed his subjects laughing almost to tears, both fascinated and amused. He wasn't entirely sure what came over him, but something about watching the two of them being tickled just by words alone brought out a playful side to him. He grinned as he approached the microphone again.

"You now feel the feather fluttering up towards your rib cage…," he teased. "Getting all of the spaces in between, and feeling oh so very, very ticklish."

Both brothers let out two hysterical shrieks. Sans desperately pulled on the restraints holding down his arms. Panic filled his every movement as he succumbed to his frenzied laughter.

Papyrus's movements were not as dramatic — for a change. As he seemed to have given up on trying to force his body to move and just accepted the sensations, offering only spazzing twitches and jerks. His body rocked back and forth as he embraced the laughter, though it was difficult for Gaster to tell if he was actually starting to enjoy it or not.

Gaster found that he rather enjoyed the sound of his sons' laughter filling his laboratory. Usually his experiments were met with screams or protests from his boys. This noise brought out a subtle, yet joyful demeanor within him, despite the fact that he was drawing it out of them by force. Feeling cheeky, he decided to try just one more thing.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle…," he briefly teased.

Sans's head fell backwards as a silent squeal escaped his teeth, leaving Papyrus to fill the room with insane screams of laughter. Papyrus bucked and jerked, this time making a real effort to pull at his restraints. Gaster figured that this kind of increased sensitivity had finally been too much for him.

By the time Sans finally found the strength to inhale again, his sharp breathing had caused a loud snort to fall out of his nasal cavity. Gaster put a hand to his mouth in shock, he wasn't even aware that Sans was the type of monster who snorted. It was honestly adorable.

But after a few moments, both brothers really started gasping for air, Sans let out even more snorts as his inhales were getting faster. With a sigh, Gaster at last accepted that it was time to end the experiment. He raised his pinched fingers high into the air.

"And…," he paused, taking in the sound of his sons' laughter one more time.

"Stop."

He snapped his fingers, Sans and Papyrus's bodies at last began to relax and settle down. Both of them continued to take in deep inhalations until their breath was finally caught and they laid still on the metal tables breathing normally.

"Good," Gaster said to himself before approaching the microphone again. "Take one more deep breath…," he instructed, and the brothers obeyed. Once again Gaster raised his pinched fingers upwards, preparing to wake them from their trance.

"Now when I snap my fingers, you will wake and return to consciousness … fully awake … and fully aware of what you have just been through…."

Gaster snapped, preparing immediately to catch flack from Sans … but it was quiet. Sans and Papyrus's eyes remained closed. Gaster looked over at them with a confused expression. Perhaps they had not heard him?

"Awake!" he called, snapping his fingers again, but still there was no response.

He held his fingers to the microphone and snapped his fingers again. The sound echoed along the walls of the lab, there was no way anybody who was in the room could have missed it, and yet the brothers did not stir from their trance.

Gaster worriedly approached his test subjects. Putting a palm to both of their nasal cavities, he determined that the both of them were still breathing. He tried snapping his fingers exceptionally close to their ear canals, no response. He shook both of the metal tables, jerking their bodies from side to side, no response. Finally he unlocked the two of them from their upper restraints. Sitting them both up one by one he proceeded to shake them around and call their names. Even calling them by their test subject names just to gauge an angry response from Sans … nothing.

"Oh no…," Gaster breathed out. "Oh, what have I done?" He hurriedly ran to his medical tools on a separate table, speaking out loud as to try and make sense of what had just happened.

"I must have let them slip too deep into trance for too long," he reasoned. "I must find a way to wake them before this gets too out of hand."

Gaster knew that just about anything he said or did to his sons in this condition could leave their mental state quite vulnerable. He knew he had to be careful, but also knew that he just had to find a way to wake them up, and soon!

***

"Pap...?" Sans's eyes blinked several times, he rubbed his sockets wearily. "Papyrus?" he called again. His voice seemed to echo off into a far distance. He was in some sort of strange space where nothing seemed to exist … nothing but white.

Once his eyes adjusted to the strange lighting, he looked around, hopeful to find something or someone that was familiar.

"Papyrus!" he called out, once again hearing the faint echo of his own voice. "Papyrus! Can you hear me?" Nothing but white … white sky, white ground, white space. This world was strange, he just knew he needed to find answers, just as fast as he needed to find his brother.

"S-Sans?"

Sans's soul jumped in his ribcage. He looked around frantically until he spotted Papyrus stumbling towards him from a few yards away.

"Bro!"

Sans sighed with relief, meeting his brother halfway. Papyrus quickly embraced his older brother by picking him up and hugging him tightly. Normally, Sans wasn't a big fan of being picked up, but he was grateful to have some form of normalcy return to him.

"Sans … uhm … where are we?" Papyrus asked after putting him down. "What is this place?"

"I … have no idea." Sans once again resumed looking around, his gaze met with nothing but white. "I don't even remember how we got here … do you?"

Papyrus shook his head.

"I … think I remember Gaster … and...." Papyrus thought hard. "Something about a … feather … maybe?"

"Crazy old man and his experiments," Sans groaned. "Did he send us to another dimension again?"

"Oh, nonsense brother!" Papyrus insisted. "After the mess that happened last time, I don't think he'd chance that again."

"Okay, so then where are we?" Sans put his hands in his pockets, grateful at least to have his brother here, but still feeling wary.

A small breeze started to flow into the space, making the brothers freeze from the sudden movement change. But what really began to set their fears in motion was when that breeze suddenly brought in the sound of high pitched giggling.

The brothers gasped, moving closer towards each other. The giggling was gone just as fast as it came, leaving the two of them feeling anxious.

"S-Sans?" Papyrus nervously broke the silence. "Did you hear that?"

"I … think so?" Sans wasn't quite sure what to think. When it came to taking part in Gaster's experiments, he knew that anything could happen.

The breeze suddenly brought in even more giggling, making the two skeletons jump.

"Sans … was that you making that sound?" Papyrus asked hopefully,

"Bro, do I sound like my voice can go that high?"

True, these giggles didn't sound like they came from any monster the two of them had encountered. These voices were high and squeaky, they were the sound of young children's giggling. The brothers jumped with surprise as the giggling became words.

"Oooh! Lookit what we have here!"

"Two skeletons! They sure do look strange!"

It was a young boy and a young girl's voice. Sans and Papyrus fearfully looked around, but again, there was nothing but white.

"Who's there?" Sans boldly called. "Who are you?"

"I bet they're really fun to play with!" answered the young boy.

"Are they going to be our new friends?" the young girl asked enthusiastically.

"One way to find out!" the boy replied.

"Friends?" Sans asked suspiciously.

"They sound friendly enough, I think." Papyrus whispered back to his brother.

But then the girl replied with a statement that sent a shiver down their spines....

"Hmm … I wonder if they're ticklish."

[blindmagdalena]

homie and s/o playing the no touching game and obvs homelander loses 🥹🥹💕💕

Homelander's eyes are narrowed. "So... what would I win?" You can't help but laugh at his suspicion over such an innocuous little game. "You win the game," you say again, though it's not helping his comprehension any, so you elaborate. "It's just a game! You play it for the sake of playing it, and whoever wins, wins."

"Why would I want to win the game of not touching you?" He asks, clearly unimpressed by the thought. You sigh, though it's out of amusement more than exasperation. "You don't have to play. Go ahead," you say, holding your hand out to him. "I'm happy to win." Homelander recoils from you. "No."

You grin, dropping your hand. "Okay. Game on."

For the rest of the day, the two of you dance around one another like the other is radioactive, while also trying to trick contact. You try to ambush him a couple of times, try to fool him into bumping into you from around the corner, but between his super hearing and ability to literally see through walls, you're quickly humbled.

Similarly, Homelander does his best to beat you at your own game. He pads silently behind you, waits for you to back into him. He very nearly gets you when he utters a grave, "Oh, fuck." at his phone.

"What's wrong?" You ask, leaning over to look. You only just stop yourself from putting an assuring hand on his arm. You yank your hand back, and realize he has a video ready to play on his phone. "Rick Astley? Really?" You say, rolling your eyes with a smile as you turn away. "I regret teaching you internet culture."

"Almost had you."

"Keep dreaming!"

As the day progresses, however, you notice less and less humor in his attempts. In fact, on the last one, you see a tightness in his jaw that makes you realize he may actually be getting sincerely upset.

Time to end things. The next time he makes his move, you decide you'll fall for it. It'll have to be convincing, of course, but you're confident you can make enough of a show to-

You're mid thought when two powerful arms wrap around your middle, pulling you back with enough force to make you yelp. You feel him nuzzle in at the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply. His grip flexes on you, makes you feel like one of those stress relief balls. You put your hands on his arms, rubbing gently as you give a breathless little laugh. "You okay?"

"Stupid game," he grumbles, nudging your ear with his nose.

"That's a shame, I was about to let you win. I missed you."

"You did?" He asks, voice still low, still a touch grouchy, but with an unmistakable note of earnest hope.

"Yes," you assure him, biting back another small laugh. You twist around in his grip when he allows for it, and slip your arms around his neck. "Did you miss me?"

He kisses you, swift and firm. You make a noise against him that only encourages him deeper, has him clutching the back of your neck in one hand while the other snakes around your waist, holding you close.

"Stupid question, too," he murmurs, words warm against your lips. You grin, kissing him again.

"I'll take that as a yes."

[wheelie-sick]

Hi Corvid

I want to include an intersex character in my writing and I want to do it well. Do you know of any guides or suggestions? Or do you yourself have any?

No pressure to answer I appreciate you being on the internet

@status-quo-hater posts a lot about intersex issues and IIRC occasionally posts about intersex representation

My personal recommendations though:

Learn the difference between bigenitalia and intersex. bigenitalia is not intersex. if you make your character bigenital that character is not intersex. (ambiguous genitalia ≠ bigenitalia)

Find a real, existing intersex variation or use knowledge of real, existing intersex variations to create one. interACT has a [non-exhaustive] list of variations to give you some ideas. there are hundreds of intersex variations and there's variation within those variations.

Make your character's intersex variation more than cosmetic. you need to actually engage with it. engage with the physical, emotional, and social effects. being intersex does not exist in isolation.

Make your character take pride in being intersex. not a requirement just a pet peeve. every single story I've read with an intersex character has had the character hate being intersex and want to hide it. I'm so sick of it. I want to see intersex joy, intersex people deserve characters that are happy.

Don't make your character's story about being intersex. some stories are not yours to tell. you can write a character in a story that is intersex and has a strong intersex identity but the point of the story should not be to explore what it's like to be intersex. you will get it wrong.

I'm coming out of being very sleep deprived so this isn't a super comprehensive list, sorry. I hope it still helps

[edgeray]

Hello Again, Ray! 🐴 Anon here once more. If you're OK with writing it, could I please request a sequel to "How to (Horse)Ride Into Your Heart".

This time, the plot involves Reader helping Arlecchino & Nyx (her Friesian mare) practice Dressage. Arlecchino is already getting good at performing Dressage techniques thanks to Reader's teaching skills. Arle cuddles with Nyx and gives the Friesian sugar cubes as treats for doing so well. Arle also taught the Friesian Nyx to rear up on her hind legs, much to Reader's surprise and delight. Nyx is rather irritated at being made to rear up on her hind legs, but Arlecchino soothes the Friesian down by giving her a cuddly hug.

A little while later, Arlecchino decides to enter a dressage competition with Reader's support. Soon enough, Reader happily helps her Friesian Nyx & her girlfriend Arle train & practice for the Dressage competition. Nyx gets her mane braided by Arle too.

Naturally, Arlecchino & Nyx easily win the dressage competition, especially thanks to Nyx being taught by Arle to rear up. Reader congrats both Nyx & Arlecchino for winning. Arlecchino wants to enter more dressage competitions and she asks Nyx if she is alright with that. Nyx happily nickers in agreement as Arlecchino laughs & cuddles with the Friesian horse.

I am more than happy to provide any assistance if you need any help with writing this. Thank you again, Ray!

How to (Horse)Ride Into Your Heart Part 2

(Arlecchino x Fem! Reader)

A/N - Part 1 link here Hi 🐴 Anon! Nice to see you again. Whoo… part 2, alright. I had to consult my horse-girl friend again for help ^^. She provided me with a lot of stuff that I probably won't be using for my own comprehension sake but it's the thought that counts <3. I tried my best to write this! Thanks for spelling out the whole plot! It makes it a lot easier. Otherwise, I would not know how to write this haha. 🫶 hope you enjoy thisI am so sorry this took so long to post out… forgive me if I get any terminology wrong or this is inaccurate.  Content warnings / info - author pretends to know what dressage is or how to write horses, arle is ooc, reader is fem!, 1.1k words

“That was a nice job!” You applaud as you clap, a bright smile on your face as your Friesian horse, Nyx, trots towards you, with your girlfriend riding her. “Really nice. I told you that you're a genius.” 

Your girlfriend slightly grins, and as she approaches closer you can see a faint flush on her cheeks. She slides off of Nyx, before petting her mane. Nyx nuzzles against her in response. 

“I'm nothing of that sort,” she dismisses the comment with a wave of her hand. “You're just a good teacher and Nyx is well… Nyx.” 

Nyx knickers, and sometimes you swear that she can understand the two of you. You wouldn't be surprised, Nyx is a magical beast of her own, you suspect. You nod your head in response, understanding completely with Arlecchino's sentiment. The Friesian struts towards you, nudging you with her muzzle. 

“You want treats, Nyx?” Arlecchino offers and the horse lets out an affirmative neigh. You let out an amused huff and reach into the pouch that's attached to your belt, opening it to reach for the sugar cubes–Nyx's favorite. You offer a few to Arlecchino. 

Your girlfriend gently strokes the horse's withers with one hand as she holds out her other hand for the horse to eat from. 

“How were my techniques?” Arlecchino asks as the horse chews away. 

“It’s getting pretty good. A few more hours of practice and you'll have them nailed down like I do. I'm honestly surprised you were able to get her to rear her legs.”

She bobs her head as a gesture of acknowledgement. “Good surprise?”

“Yeah. It's impressive. Nyx doesn't like doing it a whole lot.”

“Consider the sugar cubes as a bribe,” Arlecchino states with a playful glint in her eyes. She turns to the black horse again. “All done, Nyx?” 

The horse exhales through her nostrils as a sign of ‘yes.’ Arlecchino slowly wraps her arms around the Friesian's neck gently, embracing her. 

“You did great today. Good job,” Arlecchino softly praises Nyx, to which your heart melts at the sight and you wordlessly coo at the adorable scene. Nyx and Arlecchino have gotten along so well in the almost-year that they knew each other. Contentment fills you with the knowledge that your girlfriend adores your horse so much, giving her the attention that Nyx deserves.

You join the embrace with the other two, and the three of you remain like that before you eventually pull away, and you glance at the skyline. Seems like it was approaching dawn. Best call it a day. Arlecchino notices as well as she says “Should we lead Nyx back to her stable?”

“Yeah.” Grasping Nyx’s reins, you guide Nyx back with Arlecchino by your side. Once Nyx is secured and comfy in her stable, the two of you give her your final cuddles for the day (and Arlecchino sneaks in one more sugar cube) before the two of you head to your house, a quaint yet snug establishment connected to the horse pasture. Arlecchino moved in a month or two ago, so now the two of you share the space.

“Feel like making dinner?” Arlecchino asks you as she clasps your hand in hers while you two walk.

You shake your head. “Not up to it. You okay with yesterday's leftovers?” 

“Mhm. I'm glad we didn't burn down the kitchen making pasta.” 

“We didn't burn down the kitchen…” you giggle sheepishly. “We… just lit some stuff on fire.” 

Arlecchino hums and pecks you on the cheek. “Sure. Let's go with that story, dear.” 

Even with the hundreds, if not thousands of kisses you've shared with her, you still can't help but flush. You two finally enter the house; you prepare the silverware and utensils while Arlecchino takes out the leftovers from the fridge and reheats them in the microwave. 

“Say, I was thinking about something,” Arlecchino starts as she waits for the microwave. 

“Yeah?”

“You know when you first took me to your Dressage tournament?”

“Mhm. What's up with it?”

“Well… I asked you to teach me how to dressage because I thought I'd want to enter those tournaments myself.”

You cock your head but a grin spreads across your face. “Really? That's great Arlecchino. I'm sure Nyx would love it.”

“You wouldn't mind that I'll be doing it with Nyx?”

“Of course not. Nyx loves you as much as she loves me. We practically share custody over her,” you joke but the message is stated clearly. “I'd love to help you guys train for it.” 

“I think it's more me that needs training,” Arlecchino comments with a light chuckle. “Do you know when the next nearby Dressage competition starts?” 

“I think in a few months. Guess we better start training as much as possible.” 

“Nyx won't enjoy that too much,” your girlfriend jests. 

“She gets her sugar cubes, she'll be fine.” 

— 

Competition day comes rather quickly. Arlecchino polished up her technique with Nyx where the Friesian horse rears up on her own hind legs, along with some other techniques that you taught Arlecchino how to do; Nyx already knows how to do these ones considering these were the ones you taught Nyx when you previously competed. 

It felt bizarre and out of place to be the spectator this time. You've always been used to being down here, leading Nyx and showing her off, but you aren’t competing this time. Though with this strange feeling, there’s this undeniable pride inside of you, for your girlfriend. You’ve personally trained the two of them, you know that they're both going to do well regardless of where she places. 

Seeing Arlecchino step out with Nyx down here, you couldn't help but cheer, even over the sports commentator. Arlecchino turns her head towards the direction of your voice and gives you a handsome smile, one that makes you want to scream that she's your girlfriend to the whole world. Seeing her down there, you couldn't believe that this was her first time from the sheer confidence she exudes–unlike your first time when you competed. That's just like her. Able to overcome anything, just like how you know she'll win this competition easily.

And she does. Each technique is flawless and the audience's cheers are deafening when she performs the one she personally taught Nyx– the rearing. That's why it comes to no surprise to you when Arlecchino wins. 

“I can't believe you won your first competition ever,” you laugh as you launch yourself at the competition winner, squeezing her in a tight hug, before gently wrapping your arms around Nyx’s neck, stroking her mane. “Still hungry for the taste of victory?” 

“Hm… I was considering doing another competition. What do you say, Nyx?” Arlecchino smiles as she turns to the Friesian, stroking her withers. Nyx nickers happily, nuzzling in between the two of you's faces. You and Arlecchino laugh, enjoying one another's company and glory. 

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

After a brief hiatus from fic recs, we are BACK!

To make up for what we've missed, this week we are going to be focusing on fic recs from the first SIX EPISODES of season 3:

3x01 The Big Chill, 3x02 Thin Ice, 3x03 Shock and Thaw, 3x04 Push, 3x05 Child Care, 3x06 The ATX Files.

Here are this week's prompts:

Ice storm arc!

The 126 separated

Marjan being a badass

PUSH--the coma, the wakeup, the "hey baby, breathe," the aftermath that the show didn't have time to give us so our wonderful fic writers had to craft it for themselves, etc.

Detective Carlos Reyes

Tommy coping with her husband's death

Judd becoming a father to Charlie/Judd becoming a father to Wyatt

Rules:

Every week there will be a different prompt, and everyone is encouraged to share a fic (or a few!) recommendation that meets the prompt and tag a few fic-reading friends. The game can be played all week, so no pressure to post right away. Please feel free to use the banner above, to make your own, or to not use one at all!

Finally, please use the tag ‘Rewatch Read-Along Week 17’ and at the end of the week @911lonestarrewatch will post the link to the tag for the comprehensive list of fic recs!

Thanks to @guardian-angle22 for the banner!

Here are my recs:

Chapter 2 of The Center of the Maze by @carlos-in-glasses

Obviously I highly recommend the entire fic, but Chapter 2 is the part that deals specifically with what we're focused on this week. A heartbroken Carlos sobbing on the side of the road...is there a sadder image?? 😭

Seven Ways (Back to You) by @welcometololaland

An amazing series made up of 7 fics that deal with TK and Carlos finding their way back together in far more depth than the show could have ever given us!

Half agony, half hope and Coming and going by @goodways

The first is a wonderful Push coda filled with yearning and love and sweetness and making up and MAKING UP 😏, while the second is a truly delightful fic occurring in the aftermath of TK's coma where, as Shannon so aptly puts it in the summary "TK and Carlos boink so hard that TK passes out." I couldn't choose between the two, so I'm reccing both!

all my blood for the sweetness of his laugh by @alrightbuckaroo

Carlos reflecting on what he missed about TK while they were apart and how much he likes TK's laugh. Carlos' joy at making TK laugh is always one of my favorite things!

My Family, More or Less by @lightningboltreader

Carlos coming home to TK and telling him about his eventful night helping Katie get reunited with her parents...with a little help from his father-in-law more or less!

Learning, relearning by @fallout-mars

A really beautiful little fic a few weeks post-coma, with TK and Carlos so in love and so happy to be back together.

Tagging some fic readers who might have recs to share:

@lemonlyman-dotcom @paperstorm @carlos-in-glasses @reyesstrand @strandnreyes

@vineofroses @bonheur-cafe @alrightbuckaroo @herefortarlos @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad

@heartstringsduet @liminalmemories21 @lightningboltreader @fangirl-paba @reyestrandd

@chicgeekgirl89 @firstprince-history-huh @noxsoulmate @ladytessa74 @sznofthesticks

@literateowl @nancygillianmvp @bonheur-cafe and OPEN TAG for anyone else who wants to share some fic recs!

[fall0utmind]

Ch 9

So funny story, I definitely didn't forget to send the ask about this ch when it first went up 😅

This has been sitting in my notes for however long it's been

Gen wondering how the fuck I forgot about it 😒

So back to the usual

Had a lot of fun with this ch😁

Finally he won😭😭😭

Yessss

It was destined obviously

he can’t hear any boos, Marc wonders what that means.

I also wonder what that means🤔 have the Italians learnt to think finally?

Instead, he stares directly into the cameras as he confirms the truth of the articles

God I love that entire paragraph, I imagine he'll be someone to look up to for younger riders struggling with their mental health

I have been slandered by the press, stalked, and harassed.

Give me a list, I just wanna talk😁🔪

I will always be more than the comments and the press, but I am a real person, with real feelings, and a family who love me

Girl just how true that is when it comes to irl people don't treat celebrities like real people

Valentino compliments Marc’s race and his win, even suggesting that races like this were what made him one of the greats.

Claiming that he was sorry his actions had caused such turmoil in Marc’s life and asking the media to respect his privacy and be kind

Hope that's just the beginning of his apologies

As always loving dovquez

No, Rossi. Leave him alone for once in your life”

Protective, I like it😏

Marc cannot help the sense of contentment he feels, alongside the slither of sadness that he has been missing out on this

Sad, glad he has more people in his corner

Bez’s monologue is prematurely cut off by Pecco slapping a hand over his mouth, preventing him from saying much else.

No, we want to hear more😏

I was blinded by my jealousy and inadequacy.

Now if only he'd say that irl

Gonna answer this now!!

@cassndra93 my friend, I am so sorry. I read this, thought about replying, and then promptly forgot. It did make me so very happy to read though as per usual.

Very very glad you all liked the win!!!

Lmao the Italians finally gaining some comprehension skills??? Shocking (sorry if anyone's Italian guys, I fucking love Italy and Italians but for the sake of this fic , some vale fans are silly (irl too))

Ah I'm so glad you mentioned the interview paragraph with marc telling everyone how it is. I added that quite late on as I was writing as I thought it was fitting so I'm happy that you feel it added to the fic!

Actually hate how the media/fans treat celebs. People forget that they are real people and it drives me insane. So I defo wanted to have that as a theme of this fic.

Dw so much more Valentino moping and guily to come. Even after ch10 where he finally apologises properly. And the academy boys are fighting for him. Alex and dovi are also completely done with Valentino so yknow. Lots of people fighting for Marc now which makes me 🫶🏼😊😊

Soooo happy to hear your thoughts as always!!

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien’s Sacred Mountain date + calls + moments translation

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

'I know that there must be things in the world that are unknowable.'

'I never set my heart on those illusory protections and blessings, only hoping for those silent bystanders to witness our smooth and winding journey through life.'

'But if there truly is something that can hear the sound of prayers, I hope they can give her a miracle.'

[Pre-Evolve phone call- All path is fortunate]

(T/N: IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO HEAR THIS CALL FIRST so the date will make more sense)

[Date – Video ver]

(T/N: As always, I always recommend watching the video for a more comprehensive experience. Personally, I really like how tender and affectionate he sounds in this one and the bgm choice is good to set the mood~ Don’t forget to turn on CC!

If the direct video doesn't work - [Use this link]

(Besides, tumblr doesn't allow us to use an old text editor anymore so I can't add up more than 30 pics in this post. Tumblr post alone won't capture the change in background and sprite as usual(for reference I always have like 60+ pic in one post LOL))

[Date – Transcript ver]

[Part 1]

Lucien: MC, how are you?

The whole world is incredibly dizzy; waves of nausea and headaches erode my will, making breathing a little uncomfortable.

I lie in bed in a daze, trying to lift the corners of my mouth under his worried gaze, and I accept the medicine he hands me.

MC: It's just a little bit uncomfortable, but resting for a while should make it better.

MC: As expected, I shouldn't take flights directly next time. A train would be a better option even if it's slower…

After swallowing the medicine, I comfortingly tilt my head against him, feeling his warm fingertips brush against my cheeks and spine, guiding me as I slowly lay back down.

Lucien: (with a trace of guilt in his tone)…I'm very sorry.

MC: What are you sorry for?

MC: This was a decision and journey we both made together. I won't accept you shouldering all the responsibility on your own.

=Flashback Start=

MC: Hehe, this little pig looks even cuter than in the picture!

A month ago, I enthusiastically helped Lucien replace the phone case with a new one I bought for him.

After putting it on, I happily picked up my own phone, leaning against the side of the cabinet, and showed it off to Lucien who was washing dishes.

The two pink and chubby PUPU piglets are symmetrically posed, looking adorable and charming.

Lucien: (chuckle) Your taste has always been quite good.

MC: But if your colleagues see Professor Lucien using such a cute phone case, won't they think you're childish?

MC: Will I ruin your image?

Lucien: Whether it's childish or not, I don't think it can be reflected in a small phone case.

Lucien: Besides, their judgment doesn't hold much significance to me either.

Lucien: Forming the same scenery with another 'little piglet' appears to bring more happiness.

MC: Then let our brilliant Professor Lucien accompany me to be a 'happy little piglet' for a few months~

I couldn't help but laugh and noticed that Lucien's phone suddenly vibrated. A work approval notification popped up on the screen.

MC: It says that your colleague has arrived... take a look.

Lucien: Just go ahead and take a look for me.

He spoke casually, skillfully squeezing some dishwashing detergent onto a dishcloth, and then picking up a plate next to it to continue washing.

Receiving the "instructions," I naturally tapped open the message on the screen.

MC: It seems like a researcher named... Luo Ke wants to apply for a two-day vacation, saying he wants to travel to Tibet…

Lucien: Please approve it for me.

Seeing his familiar attitude, I didn't ask further questions. I simply pressed the "approve request" button silently.

Meanwhile, Lucien blinked slightly, his hand movements slowing down as he seemed to be contemplating something as well.

MC: You're not going to ask a few more questions about such a distant trip?

Lucien: This isn't his first time going there; he must have been there at least... more than ten times.

Lucien: Every time he's waiting for particularly important experimental results or article review feedback, he runs over there.

The last plate was placed in the dish rack, and Lucien wiped his hands. He took the phone and opened someone's social media feed for me.

Over the past few years, there were only a few posts, but almost all of them were various types of snowy mountain landscapes.

Lucien: It's evident that the place must have quite an appealing charm.

Lucien: It's probably indeed a miraculous place…

He paused, his tone tinged with a curiosity born from long-term observation.

MC: So, after he goes there, does he always have positive outcomes?

Lucien: Not necessarily.

Lucien: Moreover, I believe those favorable outcomes within the expected range reflect his dedicated and meticulous work ethic, which significantly reduces errors.

Lucien: However... (chuckle) Many times, science does indeed encounter unforeseeable things.

Hearing him say that, I also became curious.

Our gazes met, and we captured remarkably similar emotions in each other's eyes.

MC: How about we go there too—!

=Flashback End=

MC: But I've been exercising so diligently, taking the oral solution as prescribed, and yet I still got altitude sickness. It's frustrating.

MC: I saved time by taking a plane, only to spend it all on the bed…

Lucien: (chuckle) It's alright, we're not in a hurry to leave. Let's rest a bit more.

He adjusts the pillow, making me lie more comfortably, then leans down to gently kiss the corner of my mouth.

Lucien: Don't worry, I can always be your "oxygen" whenever you need it.

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

[Part 2]

MC: I'm revived—!

After a night of rest, I feel much more refreshed the next day.

Lucien: Don't push yourself too hard. If you're feeling uncomfortable anywhere, make sure to let me know promptly.

MC: Got it. Once I get in the car, I'll cling to the oxygen tank.

I smile and sit in the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle that Lucien had rented in advance. Holding a small oxygen concentrator, I playfully shake my head at him.

Lucien also smiles, and we officially embark on our impromptu journey of curiosity.

Because of our unique random drawing system, we aren't heading to various popular attractions.

One of the destinations is Namtso Lake, where Luo Ke often goes, and the other is a snowy mountain selected by me through a random number selection.

The straight highway stretches forward, piercing through the distant expanse of blue sky.

The vast wilderness extends, and large masses of cumulus clouds join the surging herd of cattle, painting an exceptionally magnificent "Running Bulls".

The distant snow-covered mountains gradually impress upon the retina, resembling a distant and graceful maiden. The staggered peaks have been carved with fine craftsmanship, creating soft and graceful diagonal lines.

The deep and light sapphire blue blends from beneath the mountain peaks to above the sky, mingling in the middle and accentuating the pure white with a sense of sanctity.

I can't help but take a breath, letting this indescribable beauty fill my entire field of vision.

MC: When I was watching the video, I could probably guess why someone would choose to come here so many times.

MC: But now I completely feel it.

MC: The scenery on the way to Namtso Lake is also incredibly beautiful!

Lucien: Perhaps I should remind this classmate that our journey has only just begun.

He lightly presses the accelerator, and the vast land in the uninhabited area gradually sheds all its splendor, revealing its simple exterior.

And a vast expanse of blue quickly appears before my eyes.

MC: Are we almost there?

The vast world brings everything close as if it was always this near.

Lucien: Don't rush, there's still some distance to go.

Lucien: The place Luo Ke visited before is now closed, so we need to find another convenient place to stay.

The winding road leads us along the snow-capped mountains, revealing their magnificence even more. We drive alongside them, receiving a sense of being overlooked quietly.

After going through a somewhat bumpy road, Lucien temporarily parks the car on the side of the road and opens the carried drone.

And I carefully step out of the car, the cool and thin air making me slightly breathless, but it doesn't diminish my enthusiasm in the slightest.

While adjusting the frequency of my breaths, I take a few steps toward the vast bay of the lake.

Layer upon layer of mountains stands above the sea of blue, towering into the clouds.

The world seems to have turned into a sacred palette, where the Creator has reserved the purest colors for this place, bringing serenity to all things.

It's an exceptionally wonderful feeling, everything in front of me seems so distant and immense.

And my small self becomes like a grain of sand on a tidal flat, a drop of water in the lake, gazing up and silently embraced within it.

I unconsciously slowed down my breath. I turn my head and notice that Lucien had appeared by my side at some point.

His gaze is distant, reaching toward the far horizon. The subtle snowy backdrop frames him as if it's also blending him into this pure scenery.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Lucien turns his face and looks into my eyes.

For a moment, neither of us speaks, as if words are the least significant part of our gaze.

His fingertips gently stroke up, like delicately traced kisses.

I don't know if it's because of this ethereal world, but I feel a certain piousness in his touch.

MC: Being able to come here with you and see these landscapes, there's nothing better than this.

Lucien: I should say, it's you who brought this unparalleled beauty to me.

MC: So your sleeping bag is for sleeping directly in the car?

MC: I thought you were only going to use it for a quick nap in the car.

As the sky darkens, after Lucien finds a place to park the car, I watch in surprise as he takes out a spare coat and sleeping bag, then folds down the back seats of the off-road vehicle.

Lucien: (chuckle) That was the original plan. I just changed my mind suddenly.

Lucien: Don't worry, its thickness is enough to keep both of us warm.

MC: I'm not worried about that at all. I was just wondering why Professor Lucien suddenly wanted to change the plan.

He simply smiles and hugs me, both of us slipping into the sleeping bag together.

Lucien: Although we came here out of curiosity, this journey belongs to us.

Lucien: I also want to be with you, to see more of the extraordinary beauty together.

MC: But it's not easy to see the scenery.

The air is chilly, and in the pitch-black darkness, I can't help but snuggle closer into Lucien's embrace.

Lucien: (chuckles) I suppose all beautiful things require sufficient time and effort to gradually form.

Lucien: Regardless, it's a pity that you didn't get to see the sunset at Namtso Lake, and even the stars have hidden themselves.

There's a rare touch of regret in his tone. Thick clouds obscure most of the sky, hastening the arrival of the night.

Outside the car window, there's an absolute silence. The heavy darkness fills the entire scene, not even a single starlight is visible.

It's as if everything has been gathered within this car, with the only exception being the gentle, faint interplay of light and shadows emanating from the car's display screen. The world outside has shut itself off, closing its windows to our view.

MC: But I did get to see such a unique night.

I lift my head from his shoulder with a smile, gazing into the hidden depths of his eyes.

MC: Spending the night like this in the wilderness is quite special too.

Lucien: I'm also glad to share such a miraculous experience with you.

Lucien: Although I've seen many landscapes, this kind of darkness appears especially beautiful.

MC: You're exaggerating. Professor Lucien can come here on his own too, right?

Lucien: (chuckles then speaks in a coquettish tone) It won't be the same.

He hugs me even tighter as if we too have melded together like the night.

Lucien: You have given them real significance, making them a sort of destiny.

Lucien: (softly) I think, there's nothing better than experiencing all of this together with you.

Even though everything is incredibly dark, I seem to see him more clearly, and he seems to see right through me as well.

MC: So many good things have happened around us. Maybe we've been blessed all along.

MC: Do you believe that?

Lucien: There's a possibility for the existence of everything that can't be proven, just as there's a possibility for their nonexistence.

MC: As expected of the rigorous Professor Lucien.

I smile and bury myself deeper into his embrace, feeling his familiar body temperature warming me amid this boundless cold.

MC: Then I hope I can see the miraculous "Golden Mountain" with you tomorrow morning.

MC: I hope that while we whisper our wishes, the snowy mountains can hear them and allow us to witness even more beauty together.

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

But the snowy mountains seem to only want to listen to our whispers.

The thick clouds densely conceal the endless expanse of snowy white behind them, and the morning air is bone-chillingly cold.

The thin air forces me to hold onto the small portable oxygen device, shivering while stubbornly keeping my eyes wide open.

The scene in my field of vision is gradually brightening, but it's still a vast expanse of emptiness.

Amidst that magnificent landscape, we haven't witnessed a more wondrous scene.

Many times, the world is simply unreasonable.

MC: What a pity. If we had witnessed the "Golden Mountain" by the shores of Lake Namtso, it would have surely made us feel incredibly lucky.

MC: However, even though Professor Luo Ke has come so many times, he only caught a glimpse of it. And his experimental results still seem to be quite good.

MC: (smiles) So it's no problem, it's not that we have bad luck, we just don't have luck that's good enough.

On the road back, symptoms of altitude sickness paid me another visit.

After taking pain relievers, I lie a little bit dizzily in the passenger seat, my mouth couldn't help but mutter.

Lucien: This kind of randomness is quite interesting too, isn't it?

Lucien: We don't know when or in what circumstances we will encounter the most beautiful scenery.

Lucien smiled and there was no regret in his tone.

In the receding scenery, he looks so serene.

Lucien: The world would seem to be a much less interesting place if human beings could achieve their goals every time they beat their brains out.

MC: But even if not everything goes as planned, wouldn't you feel regret if most of your expectations couldn't be met?

Lucien: For me what's intriguing is the unknown.

Lucien: The outcome is merely a stepping stone toward the next unknown.

Lucien: Moreover... if most expectations aren't met, I believe there are more important things to consider than just feeling regret.

MC: Um?

He turns his head seemingly seriously, there’s a faint teasing glint in his eyes.

Lucien: Perhaps I should consider whether I need to change my job.

Lucien: Because unexpectedly, most of the outcomes have been failures.

I can't help but laugh, and all the unseen regrets are diluted at this moment.

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

We chat and laugh all the way, the endless road carrying boundless conversations, accompanied by the clouds floating in the sky.

And I gradually relaxed, enjoying this journey with Lucien more peacefully.

Back at the hotel, we had a good night's sleep. The next day, we woke up early, full of energy, and drove to the next destination.

The number of cars on the road decreases as we go, and the journey becomes bumpier. We are like solitary yet content explorers, walking on a path that belongs only to us.

MC: …Strange, according to the map, the sacred mountain should be nearby, right? Did we take a wrong turn?

After navigating numerous twists and turns, I still haven't spotted our destination outside the window.

Lucien: MC, look up.

MC: Um?

I instinctively lift my head, and a blanket of pure white emerges in grandeur after a turn, suddenly filling the entire horizon.

Snow and clouds shroud the mysterious pyramid-like structure, while the clear sky-blue reflects on the mountain's contours, rendering it incredibly serene and sacred.

But that was just a blink of an eye in our journey.

When the car finally comes to a stop at the base of the outer lake, the world suddenly changes its complexion. Fine snowflakes are whisked into the air between the mountains, swiftly guiding us into a nearby guesthouse.

The room is relatively simple, but it's enough to shelter us from the wind and snow.

There aren't many other guests besides us, and the owner warmly welcomes us, bringing us warm milk.

I lean against the window, and the snow-capped mountains outside are already submerged in clouds and the feather-like flurry, making it impossible to see any features.

Lucien: (chuckle) This classmate might turn into a little snowman.

A gentle touch of fingertips brushes against my brow, smoothing out the creases there.

Afterward, a piece of clothing wraps around me, creating a barrier against the lingering cold air in the room.

MC: If I turn into a little snowman, can I reason with the snowy mountains then?

Lucien: The snowy mountains might not have control over the weather either.

He smiles, wearing a similar ethnic attire that he just gave to me, and nestles beside me.

MC: What is this?

Lucien: The weather grew colder. Although our clothes were warm enough, I borrowed two more pieces of clothing from the owner.

Lucien: Because I hope to be more than just a "guest" here with you.

He brushes aside my hair and helps me fasten the robe and belt.

Lucien: (chuckle) Let me accompany you in becoming a little snowman here.

Lucien: Blizzard or sunshine, it doesn't matter.

Lucien: They are all just a part of our life.

His voice is gentle, falling softly like the snow.

I understand what Lucien means, so I gaze at him for a moment and then immediately raise the corners of my mouth, affectionately tidying his clothes.

Suddenly, I remembered something and took out a ribbon from my backpack.

MC: Then we should try to blend in more with the local customs!

Lucien: When did you secretly buy this?

Lucien: (chuckle) I thought you were resting well the whole time, except when you were with me.

MC: Hehe, since you can take care of renting the car and various matters, it's okay for me to buy a little gift, right?

I smile and ask him to turn around. I gently stroke the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

Strands of silky hair twine around my fingertips, gleaming with a beautiful luster against the snowy backdrop.

MC: Your hair has grown quite long.

Lucien: I hope this little travel preparation will also make you happy.

MC: (laughs) So Professor Lucien even planned for this.

MC: But my preparation is on point too. I specifically learned braiding techniques for this region online.

The ribbon is woven through the small braids at the ends of his hair, and the end of each braid is adorned with a neat little knot tied with beads.

I place the headband on his forehead and hold his cheeks, looking at him repeatedly with a little smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

Lucien: (chuckles and smiles with curved eyes) Are you satisfied?

MC: Couldn't be more satisfied!

It's as if my smile has infected him too. He then takes out a particularly unique headpiece and ribbons from his own backpack.

MC: How did you…?

Lucien: I can only say that our tacit understanding has always been like this.

He turns my body around, lifting my hair and slipping his fingers through it.

In the distance, the sacred mountain stands serenely, while snowflakes continue to drift down.

Lucien quietly holds and touches my hair.

At this moment, I can't see his face, but there's an incomparably sincere feeling of being touched tenderly and devoutly.

MC: I hope tomorrow will be good weather.

MC: And I can see the special "Golden Mountain" with you.

Lucien: This classmate seems to be more persistent than I imagined.

MC: Because... I want to see all the miraculous things in this world with you.

I lower my head, playing with the crimson bead strings, and surprisingly, I don't feel any urgency. Instead, a sense of tranquility fills me.

MC: Because this is something that only requires luck, just like the Northern Lights we witnessed together back then.

MC: A koi fish, a wonder... it's as if encountering these brings a bit of good luck.

MC: I hope the koi fish always jumps into your arms, and all the good luck can favor you.

MC: Even things that cannot be proven, may they stand by your side.

A pair of arms encircle my waist, gently pulling me back and drawing me into his embrace.

Lucien: (chuckles tenderly) Silly girl.

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

The snow and wind continue unabated.

The next day the sky is still filled with snow, and the possibility of seeing a sunrise is unlikely.

My heart is filled with regret, but I still muster my energy and get up. As I consider today's plans, I search for Lucien's figure.

MC: Lucien?

As I push open the door, in this world of pure white, everything comes rushing towards me—

Falling snowflakes, fluttering prayer flags, and the tinkling bells hanging from the yak's neck fill all of my senses all at once.

I stand there in a daze, gazing at those eyes that are as silent as this world, coming towards me from within the snow.

The incessant heavy snow falls onto his Tibetan robe, and he, like a figure from a painting, pulls the reins as the wind blows.

The swaying bells ring melodiously and echo in the mountains as if they are the melody of wind and snow.

Thin golden light bathes the mountain peaks, outlining the continuous undulating contours of the landscape in varying shades.

Like a divine oracle, pointing toward the end of the world.

Lucien: I seem to have heard you calling me.

At that moment, I felt a sense of relief, as if it didn't matter whether I saw the "Golden Mountain" or not.

Because I have already seen the God that came upon my call.

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

[Part 4]

So it turns out Lucien went to explore the path ahead while the snow was lighter.

Lucien: I went to the side of the outer lake to take a look, but I still couldn't see much.

MC: It's okay, I think this is fine too.

Watching the swirling snow, I know that there probably won't be much of a chance today, but my mood is particularly relaxed.

MC: Isn't it nice to walk under the snow-capped mountains like this, accompanied by the light snowfall?

MC: And today is also the Qixi Festival. It feels like we're doing something particularly dreamy.

Lucien: I think what's really dreamy is something else.

He smiles and takes my hand, stepping on the light snow, and slowly walking in the mountains.

The world is covered by a layer of white dust, flying, quietly settling, gathering, and extending far into the pure white depths.

Between heaven and earth, there is no constraint in looking up or down.

Round and round, we finally return to the foot of the sacred mountain by the outer lake.

The lake is profound and unfathomable, holding sediments for countless years.

The wind stirs layers of ripples as we gaze across the lake, looking at the mountain hidden in clouds and mist as if looking at the gods hidden behind.

Countless ineffable emotions surge within my heart, leaving me only able to silently experience this brilliance and grandeur.

MC: Indeed, a lot of scenery is best experienced firsthand.

Lucien: I suppose this is probably the essence of traveling.

MC: We'll definitely come back here again in the future, right?

Lucien: Definitely.

Upon hearing his resolute response, I laughed softly.

I reverently place my hands together, raising them to my chest.

At this moment, my heart is tranquil. As I subconsciously pray, Lucien's name naturally appears in my heart.

I hope everything goes smoothly for him, his health remains strong, and he is safe and worry-free.

I hope he will never lose his curiosity about this world.

I hope he will knock on the doors to truth and reach even farther places.

I silently express in my heart; if there are truly unspeakable things in the world, I hope they can hear my wishes in this closest place to them.

Until suddenly, I feel a pair of warm palms covering the back of my hand.

I don't open my eyes, but for some reason, I know he is doing the same thing with me.

Even though I know he doesn't believe in anything, he has also made wishes with me countless times.

But now, will you still pray with me?

What will you pray to them for?

At this moment, everything seems to be quiet, as if wishing to carry the sounds of the world to even more distant realms.

But Lucien doesn't consider himself a believer in prayer.

The world is full of countless mysteries waiting to be explored and answered, and until accurate answers are found, he cares not the names humans bestow upon them.

Gods, heavens, destiny…

Even so, he's not sure of the reason, but there's always an incredibly real feeling of being touched gently and reverently by the girl.

As if cradled within the softness of her heart, embraced in her current prayer.

He feels that he is being blessed and protected.

An immensely heavy emotion burgeons within him at this moment, spreading to every part of his body, making him feel warm all over.

He can't help but close his eyes and press his forehead against the top of her head.

'I know that there must be things in the world that are unknowable.'

'I never set my heart on those illusory protections and blessings, only hoping for those silent bystanders to witness our smooth and winding journey through life.'

'But if there truly is something that can hear the sound of prayers, I hope they can give her a miracle.'

At that moment, he couldn't help but pray.

I slowly open my eyes, meeting Lucien's gaze, and we both break into laughter together.

MC: Lucien, just now the gods have already promised me that they will bless and protect you well.

Lucien: But I feel like I'm already being well blessed and protected by you.

MC: Then you just keep moving forward, you will definitely reach the place you hope for.

A tender kiss lands on my lips, devout and affectionate.

A fleeting moment can be engraved as if it were a thousand years, frozen in the gaze of the snow mountains.

At some point, the wind and snow stopped, and a subtle red tinted the area behind Lucien.

MC: How come the snow has turned red because of you…

As soon as my words fall, both Lucien and I suddenly freeze in place.

As Lucien turns around to reveal a vast expanse of vision, we witness a miracle.

Threads of golden light spill down, burning into the clouds and landing on the finally unveiled mountaintop.

As rows of clouds surge, that magnificent glow spreads across the mountain peak, turning red and then bright, casting a solemn aura over the sacred summit.

That touch of favor from the sun and the divine now fully rests before us.

The golden mountain is so vast, so bright, and even the floating clouds seem to bow their heads in reverence, offering all their respect, leaving only its radiance in the expanse of the sky.

I lost all words, only able to stare blankly at everything before me.

My gaze unintentionally becomes blurred, watching that intense deep red gradually transform into soft red, then quietly fade away.

Until that red light disappears, and the world falls silent once again.

The moment just now felt like a miracle.

MC: Lucien…

I excitedly throw myself onto him. Even though that scene was fleeting, it was enough to make me feel happy.

MC: We've seen it! We've seen the golden mountain!

MC: Something good is definitely going to happen!

He looks towards the mountain peak that has once again disappeared from sight, then looks at me.

He uses his fingertip to gently wipe away the tears in my eyes, then bends down to kiss my cheek, again and again.

In those deep eyes, I see the same emotions.

Sudden travel, random choices, silent scenery... Countless coincidences link together to become some kind of destiny.

Lucien: Probably since a long time ago…

Lucien: You've become my miracle itself.

-

[Post-Evolve phone call- Lab Koi]

-

[Karma Bonus Moments- Boundless]

Lucien's post: The magic of the world lies in the fact that amidst doubt and disappointment, anything is possible.

MC's reply: So, is it really possible that there's a "god" who can hear all our prayers?

Lucien: Perhaps there is some kind of "rule" that if two people love each other enough, all their wishes can come true.

-

Lucien's post: The magic of the world lies in the fact that amidst doubt and disappointment, anything is possible.

MC's reply: But what if nothing happens at all?

Lucien: Then it's just one of the many faces it's showing us.

-

Lucien's post: The magic of the world lies in the fact that amidst doubt and disappointment, anything is possible.

MC's reply: I hope that the direction it happens to be in is just the way you expect.

Lucien: I think that even if the world doesn't always align with our wishes, I'll remember your words and calmly navigate through every failure.

-

[Lux’s Rambling Corner]

What a very touching date🥺 I literally cried the first time I read them lmao. Both the art and writing of this date are truly exceptional, exceeding all my expectations. Perhaps it’s true that love has the power to create miracles and shape destinies.

I think the date tackle some heavy themes and questions. Are things like Gods or Heavens exist? and whether it's meaningful to pray for them without concrete proof. It also delves into the concept of human insignificance in the vast universe and the limits of our understanding. I believe this date provides satisfying and respectful approach to these questions. Although we can't know the absolute truth about such mysteries, it's perfectly fine to explore various possibilities. Praying or believing in such thing is okay because there's nothing wrong with taking more possibilities with your hand. While our time in this world is short and we might feel insignificant in the universe, it's comforting to follow your heart and make the most of every fleeting moment. Even a fleeting moment can be engraved as if it were a thousand years.

Regarding their interactions and dynamic in this date, the aspect that really struck me was how they view each other as something beyond humans, yet also manage to protect and care for one another in a very human way by praying. MC’s prayer is really touching, because you just can feel how much she just wishes to protect him and make him happy, his prayer even includes her wish for him to continue his curiosity; to find what he’s searching for; and, it’s just- very special you know? Because it shows how much she understands him and loves everything that makes him ‘Lucien’. And against rationality and logic, Lucien prays for her simply because he believes that she deserves all the good things in the world. What she wishes for, if there truly is god in the world, he hopes that god will realize her wish.

Still, the object of his devotion isn't the divine but his beloved. Because in his eyes, it’s her love that’s been blessing and protecting him all this time. This devotion is mutual, and it can be said that they’re each other's 'God' and believer. For her, Lucien is a 'God' that came upon her call, came from the snow and led her to see the golden mountain through wind and snow. While for Lucien, she is his cherished 'God', blessing him and letting him see color, allowing him to appreciate the beauty of the world in its fullest, and his ‘connection’ to the world.

This mutual devotion also shows through the repeated use of the term虔诚 (which translates to 'devout' or 'reverent' or ‘pious’) to describe their touches and I just- *died* everytime PG uses it. In other instances they also humanize the other, grounding them in the reality that they’re also humans that might experience failures and setbacks from time to time, but it’s totally okay of course, after all those are perhaps what makes life interesting. Anyway, this dynamic of humanizing and divinizing each other is a truly special aspect of their relationship and I can’t help but love them more for it.

Besides the aspect that I mentioned above, Lucien taking care of sick MC and their constant setbacks also add more bittersweet touch to this date. Lucien taking care of MC in particular, kind of gives me flashbacks of Distant Similarity UR. Lucien initially takes all of the responsibilities himself and MC reminds him again that he shouldn’t shoulder everything himself never fails to hurt me :”. And their constant setbacks… albeit a bit cliche, it’s also their brand to have angst with a happy ending right- That part when they accept that perhaps it’s simply not their luck to see the golden mountain is really melancholic yet also hopeful. Things might not go as planned, but it’s okay. Because as long as they have each other everything is good and there will always be the chance to try it again next time.

Other than those scenes, their interactions in this date are definitely brimming with sweetness and tenderness, from Lucien being certified love brain™ by letting her to change his phone case into something cute and childish while not caring what his colleagues think, ‘oxygen tank’ lucien (heh-), being two little snowmen together and my little fav scene when they have tacit understanding, it's as if they have this soul-deep connection and are able to communicate heart to heart, when Lucien somehow knows that she will do that and deliberately grow mullet for her to braid. Their mutual gift of headpieces and ribbon... when they braid each other hair, there's this magical feeling when they do that. It's as if they have this soul-deep connection and be able to communicate through heart 🥹.

Truly 10/10 date. I would put it on S tier with no second thought. If you read until this far- thank you so much for reading ahah. Hopefully y'all enjoy this date as much as I do~

[theteablogger]

i’m somewhat new to the andy lore and i’m sorry if this is question is an overstep but like… do we know why he’s like this? like parental issues? trauma??? why is he the way that he is?

It's not an overstep, Anon, but unfortunately, I don't really have an answer for you. Pretty much everything I've read about Andy's early history came from Andy himself, so it's hard to know how much of it to trust, other than very basic, verifiable information. Even if I had a more reliable source, I'm in no way qualified for that kind of analysis.

I'm going to quote from a post that I wrote several years ago about my own abuser, whom I refer to as X:

...sometimes, there is no reason that would be comprehensible to anyone else. There is no external logic. At some point, for one’s own mental health, it’s best to let go of the need to make sense of their actions and focus instead on recovery and on preventing them from doing more damage. For people like X, all they need to be happy is to know that they’ve hurt someone. They’ve made someone believe something patently untrue and/or ridiculous. They’ve gotten someone to concede to them in some way, however great or small. They’ve made someone feel terrible, or guilty, or stupid. All of this makes them feel powerful. It’s like a sexual thrill. And there’s a flip-side. Sometimes, they want to make someone feel good. They want to teach someone something. They want to give something to somebody. All of this makes them feel that the other person is indebted to them, and that makes them feel powerful, too.

X isn't exactly like Andy, but I think this fits well enough. I hope it helps somewhat.

[evolvingchaoswitch]

Comprehensive Guide to your Traumatized Partner

Summary:

Reader and Rocket have agreed that their both shit at taking care of themselves and have decided to take care of one another. Follow them on the difficult journey of putting those words into action and figuring out what it really means to care for one another. And whatever intergalactic bullshit that the universe throws at them to make things harder than it needs to be.

Notes:

This is the same Reader from my previous Rocket x Reader fanfics, so if you need context I'd suggest giving those a read. To my Readers that have been following this chain of stories I hope you enjoy the ride, sidenote this is my first time writing since I've been medicated for my ADHD for the first time in my life, and I would love to hear in the comments if you notice a difference in quality levels. I was able to write this in two days rather than it taking a whole week to get half this chapter done and I'm really happy. Enjoy :D Just realized I forgot to put my fics up on Tumblr for my non Ao3 friends

Chapter 1: Jealously

Chapter Text

It had been a few days since your injury and for the most part your fellow Guardians were pretty chill over the fact that you weren’t ready to explain why you had wanted to leave. Today you finally bit the bullet and explained what had been going on in your head before that point with mixed reactions; you didn’t tell them about the hardcore fucking with Rocket or the deal the two of you had made. As per usual it was uncomfortable to try to be vulnerable in any way given your past history, you fought yourself against the urge to pinch or scratch yourself as a way of introducing pain to help you self regulate. You didn’t notice that Rocket was taking stock of your body language as if he was trying to build an internal database of some of your more subtle distress signals to look out for later.

You gave the cliff notes version of your personal history opting out of the gritter sections of your childhood, with Peter having such a close relationship to his Mother you couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t encourage you to reconnect with yours; though you didn’t use that word for her. You could tell that Mantis knew a bit more about what was going on about your general energy in the moment but seemed to understand the look you gave a moment ago. The clear look that any further interference with your emotional state would be taken as some major boundary stomping and to say you’d react poorly was a gross understatement. Drax placed a firm hand on your shoulder to give a comforting squeeze, it was usually the people that were good parents that picked up on some of your tone and language surrounding your biological ties.

Rocket stayed off to the side observing you before speaking “Ar’ight leave them alone that’s enough chit chat bout their personal stuff”

Could Rocket tell you were getting overwhelmed with the conversation or was he just sick of the conversation? Rocket wasn’t the best person at fully processing through his own trauma, maybe he thought it was better to shove the incident into the back of everyone’s minds rather than go through the uncomfortable emotions. You needed to have them understand one clear boundary before this conversation ended. You took a deep breath before letting your mask slide down a bit to deliver the most honest version of yourself for this sentence.

“I’m going to be writing in my journal again, and if any one on this ship even Groot reads through my personal thoughts and feelings without my consent there will be issues”

The calm coldness of your voice made a few of your shipmates very unused to that tone step back slightly.

“Issues?” Peter echoed the phrase back to you voice tinged with a nervousness that wasn’t there before.

You continued in the same frigid saccharine tone that you had used before “I’m a nice person till I’m not and when I’m not”

You stepped forward delighting in the fact that he instinctively stepped back trying to edge away from the energy you were putting off. He was frightened. Good. Afterall he was one of the ones that started the trend of thieving the journal from you before you had abandoned it.

“And when I’m not I tend to get spiteful” The slow foxlike smirk slowly painted itself over your lips.

“What happens when you get spiteful?” You could see the lesson was sinking into Peter's head rapidly but you needed to make sure they all had a good idea of what you actually were capable of.

“I get creative” You let the dangerous connotations of the phrase hang in the air before continuing.

“Couple that with the fact I have a particular skill at gathering personal information about the people around me due to being one of those quiet observers types I tend to get a lot of material to work with and you all know my thoughts about wasted resources”

You might not be top tier with your ability to outshine any of them physically but psychological warfare was your bread and butter. Being raised in such a toxic homelife had sharpened your senses and your ability to hurt people by exploiting their subtle vulnerabilities, you didn’t like to use the skill but no matter how much time passes between your use of it you could still wield it as masterfully as a maestro at their instrument.

“You do understand what I mean don’t you all” You slowly turned in place so that you made eye contact with each and every one of them with the same bite that you were giving Peter so they fully understood; even Rocket. You didn’t even speak that loudly but you knew that every one of them heard what you said and it was written all over their faces.

You tilted your head to the side, scrunching your face up in the same cute passive aggressive smile that you had perfected over the years “Fantastic” before letting the energy return to your usual chill state.

You decided to head back to your room to let the message fully sink in and to let the racing of your heart settle down. It wasn’t easy to let your mask down to show the uglier sides of your personality but it needed to be done. You needed something soft to cuddle and for a moment you thought about how snuggling with Rocket would be amazing. Either curling him into your body as he took the position of the little spoon, letting your energies soak into one another and drawing comfort from each other's presence. Maybe he’d try to be the big spoon letting you feel as small as you felt inside but from a point of safety for once, perhaps he’d even stroke behind your ear in the way that you loved; though that seemed impossible he didn’t even know about that spot.

Both scenarios felt unlikely after all it was clear to anyone that had eyes that Rocket’s experience in being touch starved led him to being touch adverse outside of sexual touches which wasn’t the headspace you needed to be in. You both needed to sit down to talk about what taking care of one another meant in practice, what the boundaries that needed to be respected and a bunch of other phrases that you had learned during your time in therapy but that could wait till after your nap. Reaching into a bag that you had hidden under the bed ages ago you pulled out Judy, your rainbow fox squishmellow to cuddle as you slept. You kept her out of sight to avoid her being messed with like your former journal was, and you really didn’t need to hear anyone raz on you for your comfort item. As your eyes drifted shut you made a note to journal when you woke up next to get a better idea of what to do with Rocket next.

Rocket had watched on the sidelines as you gave the gist around why you had wanted to leave earlier this week. He glared at each one of his crew mates as you spoke to ensure they kept their traps shut till you were done talking, judging by the way your hands were fidgeting Rocket figured this was hard for you. He was fucking awful at reaching out for help, being honest with his feelings and all that other mushy stuff for himself so he got how hard it was. Honestly he admired your bravery but he could also see how the conversation took its toll on you before you shifted topics.

Then the energy in the room altered as your voice had suddenly shifted to a tone he had never heard from you before which was both unnerving and sexy as flark. Somehow his Kit had managed to terrify every single one in that room for a moment and they didn’t even raise their voice. Every syllable that left your lips had this perplexing blend of syrupy sweetness and bitter cold that had managed to raise his hackles up; as well as his cock which twitched with excitement. Rocket knew that there was some type of edge to your personality that he was attracted to, and he was enjoying witnessing it. It was good for you to start acting like who you really were rather than faking it. He had been more than ready to start ribbing on Quill when your eyes turned on him as they did everyone else in the room individually and he swallowed whatever comment he was going to say.

Your eyes were practically slitted alight with a predatory glint that Rocket had only seen twice before and both had been while he was buried deep within those warm tight walls of yours. He was somewhat glad that you had left the room quickly before he ended up stripping you of your pants and pounding you rotten in front of everyone. You two were still figuring shit out and you didn’t need those morons making it any harder for the both of you. Rocket wasn’t quite sure where to start in that talking thing you both planned to do about your new situation but he did have an idea of how to keep everyone's mitts of your journal; even his.

Rifling through his tools he got to work on putting a lock on your journal that only your biometrics could open, and would record the last person who handled the book if it wasn’t you. You had explained to him earlier that keeping all your thoughts swirling in your head made you feel anxious and put you in a bad way. He was hoping this would help and show you that he was sorry for messing with your journal without having to say it out loud; he still wasn’t great with giving apologies.

Rocket got up off of his work station after he had finished the lock to go track down where you had made your way off to. Rocket wasn’t a fan of how much you holed yourself up in your room but he couldn’t say anything. Something told him that being hypocritical would do him no favors, and he was really hoping to get back into bed with you again. A delightful shiver trickled down his spine as memories of the last encounter flooded his cerebellum, his mouth watered remembering how good you tasted quivering under his tongue.

Rocket entered your room after knocking only to be greeted with the sight of you sleeping back to the door. He watched as you rolled over in your sleep clutching some fat rainbow animal thing that you were squeezing tightly to yourself, burying your face in what looked like soft material. Intellectually Rocket understood that this had to be one of those Terran comfort items that both you and Quill had tried to explain to him when you first joined the crew. What Rocket couldn’t understand was why he felt so annoyed at the mere existence of the thing. Made no flarkin sense since there was no contest between him and it as to who was better after all he was real.

Rocket heard you made out a little whimper in your sleep, most likely from a nightmare judging by the microexpressions that spread across your face signaling your distress. Rocket didn’t like what he saw, it made something in his chest clench uncomfortably that had nothing to do with his forced enhancements, the feeling only got stronger when he could smell the scent of tears. He instinctively raised his paw to wipe the few tears that had escaped, as soon as you felt the warmth he watched as you moved your head towards his touch and your face started to relax a little.

It was taking Rocket a moment to catch up to the fact that his touch soothed you in some way, and he wondered what would happen if he gave you some more access to his touch. Edging the rainbow thing out of your arms slowly so as not to disturb you, he slipped into the space that it had previously occupied settling into the crook of your neck. Rocket figured that he owed you some cuddling to make up for not doing any the first time you two had sex and sending you on that downward spiral that almost had you; Rocket couldn’t finish the sentence.

He felt as your arms adjusted around him pulling him closer as you breathed in his scent before a calm smile slowly spread across your face replacing the frown that had been there seconds ago. Rocket usually didn’t like cuddling, it made him feel claustrophobic being forced into such close proximity to others like he was in one of those prison sleep piles but something about this was nice. At first he was sure you were confusing him for that squishy thing that you were holding earlier then he felt you nuzzle the top of his head and mumbled “Rocket snuggles” in a contented murmur.

Rocket couldn’t tell you at what point he had drifted off to better sleep than he had gotten in the last while but if he had to hazard a guess it had to be shortly after that.

You had thought you had woken up from your rest but there was no way that Rocket was cuddling you in every way you wished he had before and have it not be a dream. You took a moment to adjust to your waking state before confirming that yes it was Rocket curled into your side, gently purring up a storm in his sleep as your hand had unconsciously started stroking his head at some point. You bent your head down to place a soft kiss on the top of his head, giving a little bit of extra love to where he needed it most. You could feel him start to stir as he slowly woke up. Your eyes drifted over to where Judy had been unceremoniously tossed across the room further away from you than if you had dropped her in your sleep.

You found yourself looking down at his beautiful maroon colored eyes before you made the connection that he was awake.

“Hey” You said as gently as you could, taking into consideration how close your mouth was to his ear. You watched as he gave out a long yawn before he spoke “Hey” . You noticed that he didn’t do anything to remove himself from your arms immediately which made your heart skip with joy.

“Don’t remember falling asleep embracing you but I’m not unhappy with the update, though why does it look like Judy was thrown across the room?”

“Is tat what it’s name is?” You could see Rocket narrow his eyes at your squishmellow like she had wronged him somehow, then an insane concept crossed your mind.

“Rocket, did you yeet Judy across the room to take her place?” You watched as his ears twitched in slight annoyance at the mention of her again.

“Don’t know whatcha talkin about” You could feel him blushing through his fur as he tried to deny it, you couldn’t help but pull him in for a hug without saying anything further, you didn’t want to mess up the moment.

“What brought you to my room for a visit? Usually you’re tinkering on something by now” You pressed into him further hoping to convey that you enjoyed his presence in your arms.

Rocket gestured over to your table where some new invention of his laid “Made you that, it’ll keep your journal locked up an safe from prying eyes once you equip it” he snickered “It’ll even take a recording of who dicked with it so you can shame em later for it” Of course Rocket would build in a punishment that was so on brand for him.

You smiled down at him “Well thank you, I love it” You placed a gentle kiss on the tip of his maw enjoying the smile that spread on his face. Gifts were most definitely his love language. You opened your arms to let him escape from your grip, you didn’t want to push any of his boundaries by holding onto him too tightly. You felt as he corrected your arms to wrap around him again much to your delight “I ain’t movin unless you want me to” The second part of the sentence was said surprisingly softly compared to his usual brash tone.

You looked down at him sheepishly “I just know you don’t like being touched that much for non sexy things, so I didn’t want to push for more but I love this so much” You were trying to fight your blush down but were failing spectacularly.

“I like your touch, it’s calming” He said so softly that you almost missed it “And both of us touch starved schmucks need it more than that thing does” He gestured over at Judy who was smiling from her position on the floor.

You dismissed the idea of giving him some good natured teasing and opted instead to remove his top then yours. He looked confused till you brought him back in the snuggling position you had been before, now nestled skin to fur, and you were certain he didn’t hear the contented trilling noise he had made but you were going to keep that in your mind forever.

Nothing more needed to be said at the moment, not aloud at the very least, it could all wait till later. For now nothing in the galaxy existed but you and him; and that was all that mattered.

Chapter Management

Edit Chapter

Chapter 2: University Major

Summary:

Rocket has new tech that has an effect on his relationship with the Reader, and Reader has some feelings about this new piece of tech. Throw in a trip to one of the hottest dance clubs in the galaxy? Well you're in for a good time or are you?

Notes:

Note: References to pro-Cannabis use and call out to an OC of a friend of mine Mr.Cosmic intergalactic DJ and weed connoisseur, whose tokes are literally out of this world. I hope you enjoy looking forward to see any comments left and till next time :)

Chapter Text

Something was going to change about your current situation before the end of the night or you were going to SNAP, CRACKLE and POP! At the beginning of last week you had finally thought that Rocket was finally in a good enough place for the two of you to finally define what taking care of one another meant, neither one of you was fantastic with trying to explain what you needed from another person, so the conversation was going to be a doozy. Then on the last mission Rocket managed to get his delightfully devious paws around a new piece of technology that he had become completely obsessive over. Trying to get his attention was impossible. He was completely bewitched by his new toy and you were completely pissed that he went from being jealous of your Squishmellow cuddling you to falling asleep at his work bench instead of spending the night with you.

You were also beginning to feel that twisting ball of nerves that clenched painfully in your stomach every time Rocket brushed you off, maybe the two of you weren’t right for each other. Afterall Rocket got what he really wanted out of you during the interaction that started it all, he hadn’t approached you for any more sex; was this his way of ghosting you? You shoved your Bluetooth earphones in and started blasting a song into your cerebellum to distract from your thoughts. You ended up listening to Fixer Upper by Chandler Leighton on repeat in a delightful bout of echolalia before finally feeling good enough to join the others in one of the many hangout spots on the Milano.

You stepped into the edges of the conversation that was already in progress to get an idea of what everyone was talking about so excitedly. Apparently the Milano was headed to the hottest club in the galaxy run by the man that brought the chill to every event, Mr.Cosmic. The club was called The Blazing Place which housed one of the biggest dance floors on that side of the galaxy, including designated places on the dance floor that left space for people to add floor work to their dancing. There was also a gambling floor for people to enjoy their hands at lady luck, you could hear Rocket boasting about how many suckers he planned to target at the poker tables. You swallowed down a bitter lump of disappointment. He wasn't even going to ask if you might want to do something with him, so fuck him then.

You were smart enough to read the writing on the wall when it came to determining if someone was actually into you and whatever that moment you both had was now over. So now to get over him, maybe try to get a one night stand for the evening. It had never been your usual style but maybe it was time to try to venture out of your comfort zone. Some booze, some Terran dance music ; the club's specialty; and the decent chance that at least one being might find you attractive enough to invest some time into. You were not going to let another persons problems with commitment roped you into staying in a situation longer than was healthy to; fuck that!

You had taken a little longer to get ready than the rest of the group but you knew where they were going so you had told them to go on ahead. You pulled on your favorite black crop top with a deep v-cut in the front that clung to you like a second skin preventing your chest from going anywhere when you dance but still providing some delightfully saucy levels of cleavage. A pair of black leather like pants that gave your tiny tush the type of lift that made your legs look like they went on forever, thick heeled metal accented boots served two purposes of fulfilling your aesthetic needs and being safe to dance in without breaking your ankle.

You clipped in a few extensions into your hair to give it a bit more length to flip around on the dance floor, you did love some good hairography to go along with whatever string of moves you put together. You went sultry with your makeup extending your eyeliner into sharper points in both corners of your eyes, and it would be blasphemy to not pair the look with your favorite shade of red lipstick aptly named I am Fierce. What other shade of color could be more perfect. Pulling on your favorite spiked choker that proudly read CHAOS and slid your litany of mismatching earrings into your many piercings you headed into the club.

The club was filled with splotches of green and blue on its walls that really reminded you of fruit gushers for some reason that escaped you. It was a pleasing array of shades to look at coupled with the different levels of flashing lights towards the dance floor that beckoned to you but something ended up stopping you from immediately heading over to the dance floor, someone was calling your name. You turned to see who it was because it didn’t sound like any of your crewmates and to your astonishment it was your old roommate from university Stacy.

In the standard way of two neurodivergent friends that hadn’t seen each other in a few years the two of you circled around each other like excited dogs and asked rapid fire questions to catch up. Like what the fuck she was doing in space; tourism apparently; and what the fuck you were doing in space ; helping your crew. You two linked arms heading to the bar to get something to drink before heading to one of the floor work safe areas both agreeing to split the cost of the floorspace for the next three hours. You had donated many hours to dancing with her at clubs to help her pick up some one night stands so it was time for Stacy to return the favor and if you weren’t able to get anyone that you felt safe with you’d go bang it out with her. Just like the old days.

To your delight the both of you danced just as well as you did  back when you were on the same dance team, this club wasn’t ready for this pair of dance majors that was for damn sure.

Rocket was grinning behind his glass of Delorian whiskey as he watched some other poor sucker lose money to his superior gambling skills at the table he was playing at. Quill had been right, the trip to the club was what the crew needed. Each one of them wandered their way to the part of the club that suited their entertainment needs and each one seemed to be having a good time. Rocket briefly wondered what the newest member of the crew was up to, he wasn’t expecting the wave of guilt that accompanied the thought, he hadn’t paid a lot of attention to them in the last week. Too wrapped up in that sexy piece of tech he managed to get his hands on, he didn’t even realize it had been a week since he went to see them and he was really hoping the outing he planned for the two of you with all the money he just won would make up for it.

Rocket decided to go sit down with Quill to see whatever the twat was so obsessed with watching on the multiple screens littered in different lounge set ups in the club.

“Whatcha watching Quill?” He figured just asking outright would be the best course of action.

Peter took another swallow of his own drink before turning to Rocket “ It’s footage from the dance floor, you can vote for your favorite section of the floor  if you really like someone dancing or if it’s so bad you want to enjoy watching the person fuck up”

Rocket was about to ask Pete if he saw anything from the dance floor concerning their newest crew member when a voice rang through the comm system of the club.

“THIS IS MR.COSMIC SHOUTING OUT FROM THE DANCE FLOOR, WHERE TWO DANCE MAJORS ARE PUTTING ON ONE HELL OF A SHOW ! TUNE INTO SCREEN 6 TO WATCH AND ENJOY THE VIBES PARTY PEOPLE!!!”

Rocket got his answer as to where you went as he watched the screen switch to footage from the dance floor to where the object of his affection was enjoying themselves, looking sexier than he had ever seen them. The blonde dancing with them wasn’t hard on the eyes by any measure but he wasn’t comfortable with the amount of familiarity each showed when touching each other's bodies, though he couldn’t bring himself to move from his seat staring at the screen.

Tell me what you want, what you like, it's okay

I'm a little curious too

Each dancer walked towards the other slowly before meeting in the middle tentatively cupping each other's face in a shy but gently teasing manner.

Tell me if it's wrong, if it's right, I don't care

I can keep a secret, can you?

Both dragged a finger over their lips before slowly pointing at each other with a playful flirtation behind the flourishes of the hand movement.

Got my mind on your body and your body on my mind

Got a taste for the cherry, I just need to take a bite

 Their respective hands dragged their way from the head tapping it gently before sliding sensually down the torso before reversing the action back up the body. Licking the lower lip as if to get the traces of cherry off the lip before nipping at the air in front of them.

Don't tell your mother

Kiss one another

Die for each other

We're cool for the summer

Each leaned in close ghosting lips over one another before clawing down the column of each other's throats, leaving angry red marks trailing down the opposite side of each throat. Suddenly both broke apart to strut to opposite sides of the rented space.

Rocket’s breath caught in his throat when the two almost kissed, and then had to push down the feelings of possessiveness when he saw the welt on the side of your neck. Who was that blonde bitch that thought she had the right to leave marks on his Kit and before he could ruminate on the thought further his jaw dropped at the energy behind the strut. The look in their eyes when they strutted clearly spelt out the message bitches bow down; they were taking what they wanted with  full unabashed  confidence; Rocket hoped he got to be bitches in this situation.

Take me down into your paradise

Don't be scared, 'cause I'm your body type

Just something that we wanna try

'Cause you and I, we're cool for the summer

Sliding hands down over the crotch to give clear indication to what paradise was , rolling the bodies down slowly before snapping their heads up into a well timed hair flip with the music. Rapid small movements showing the control each dancer had over their abdominal muscles, coupled with rolling hips and arm movements that flowed in time with the beat occasionally slowing down for emphasis. 

The lyrics faded out to Rocket for a moment as he focused on the way Kits body responded to the mystery blonde, was she an old lover or someone looking to become a new lover? He watched as the blonde splayed themselves down on the floor, arms above her head ,legs open wide as Kit slid over their body grinding before rolling their body against  the woman then guiding her back up onto her feet and into the next set of moves for their dance.

Rocket had always been impressed by the way his Kit had moved even before he tied them to the bed. He had loved watching them scale buildings and whatever was in the way really during missions, the level of trust they had in themselves to make each jump astounded him. The dark corners of Rockets mind reached out to coax him into remembering why you had taken up the hobby you had at that level, it was his Kits version of an indirect suicide attempt each time they jumped or climbed something before he forcibly put some safety tech in their gear. For once the darkness in his mind was unable to take root this evening because Rocket was too entranced by the swinging hips of his darling Kit.

We're cool for the summer

We're cool for the summer

The next strut across the dance floor had both dancers give their breasts a quick grab in an aggressive but suggestive way, licking their lips as they did so, before dropping their hips down and rocking them side to side.

Shh, don't tell your mother

Got my mind on your body and your body on my mind

Got a taste for the cherry, I just need to take a bite

(Take me down)

Rocket watched as you slid in front of the mystery blonde only to have hands heavy over your body directing where your body needed to move to make it look like you were seeking the blondes touch. Rocket couldn’t help but let out a small growl as he watched as the two nearly kissed again before losing the sound to the echoing of his own dropped jaw. Kit had gone from standing on two feet to moving into a perfectly timed body roll right against the floor, before just as quickly moving into the next series of moves.

“Goddamn they are good at floorwork” 

Rocket for the first time since the dancing started remembered Quill was sitting right next to him and he did not appreciate that leering look he was giving them. Peter looked at the glare Rocket gave him before quirking his head to the side in confusion.

“What I can enjoy the view, it’s not like they’re with anyone and they are clearly looking for some fun tonight. If not with the smoking hot blonde then with someone else” 

Peter turned to look at his clearly aggravated friend with more attention than he had previously been giving to ask the question that had been stuck on his mind for the last while and it would clear up whether or not he should go join you on the dancefloor. One thing was certain at the end of the night was that the newest crewmate was going to officially be the one they ended any dance battles with; you were a goddamn assassin on the dance floor.

“What’s going on with you two? Thought you both were a thing, especially seeing all the marks you left on them but in the last week especially you’ve been ignoring them and every attempt they made to get your attention in favor of playing with the new tech you got your hands on instead. You ghosting them or something because I know I’ve been guilty of it in the past but dude not cool if you are”

Rocket’s ears flattened to his head, he’d known he had failed to pay attention to his Kit in the last week but he didn’t realize how many times they had tried to initiate during that week. He thought they were just really happy he had something to play with, and didn’t even think to look closer into the situation to see if his assumption was based in fact. Flark he was an asshole.

“What the flark is ghosting?”  Rocket tried to pull some of the self loathing into aggression in his voice instead, after all Pete was contemplating shooting his shot and he needed to shut that shit down asap.

Even he recognized when he spoke that his voice failed to have the level of bite he wanted from it.

“It’s when you start shutting down communication with a person somewhat abruptly, I mean it’s not entirely the same since it’s pretty obvious what your time is going to, but it is kinda similar”

Peter took another gulp of his drink “Look whatever issues you two got going on, you both need to figure that shit out, before”  He started to trail off not knowing how to finish the sentence off without potentially pissing Rocket off.

“Before?”  Rocket didn’t like the mixture of emotions on Peter’s face.

“Before our darling crewmate decides that the lack of clarification from your end means that you’re no longer interested in pursuing anything further with them”

Rocket watched as Peter’s eyes trailed back to the screen again before pointing at it “Afterall an outfit with dance moves like that? That’s someone putting the clear vibe out that they want to be seen as attractive and would like some attention”

Rocket looked up at the screen himself to see what the dance moves that Peter was trying to call attention to.

Gotta be compatible

Takes me to my limits

Girl, when I break you off

I promise that you won't want to get off

If you're horny, let's do it

Ride it, my pony

My saddle's waitin'

Come and jump on it

The variety of different moves that you were able to pull off while having your knees on the dancefloor both impressed and aroused him. Rocket downed his drink quickly before heading down to the dance floor, as he had some misunderstandings to clear up before he had to shove his blaster up the nostrils of some misinformed dumbass that tried to touch you. He waved Quill off as he told him good luck, he didn’t need it after all he was damn good at getting the results he wanted when he put his mind to it.

You were having a blast dancing with Stacy, spinning around each other just like old times, and judging by the amount of eyes on you during your dancing it was safe to say it wouldn’t be hard to find a partner to lick your wounds with. You headed over to the bathrooms opting to wait outside for her to finish when you felt someone grab your hand, in a grip that you were very familiar with.

“Can we talk?” You looked down to lock eyes with Rocket's dark whiskey colored eyes, you could see the jealousy he was trying to squash down and the gruffness of his voice did nothing to disguise that the question was more of a demand than request.

You snatched your hand back “I don’t know Rocket you seem to be far happier when I’m not talking to you” You glowered at him not bothering to hide the hostility in your eyes, you were sick of feeling like you were just an afterthought, it just re-enforced to you the belief that you were too much for anyone in a relationship to handle.

“I just wanna talk to yeah, Kit” He shouted over the music more aggressively than he had meant to, he wasn’t used to you being so pissed at him and he wasn’t responding well to it at all.

Rocket watched as your face glowed with rage, a  vicious scowl cutting across your lips, eyes filled with a fury he wasn’t used to being directed at him and he could see your hands clench having the nails bite into the skin.

“YOU DON’T GET TO USE PET NAMES WHEN YOU’VE BEEN IGNORING ME FOR A WEEK! IF I’M NOT WORTH INVESTING ATTENTION IN JUST TELL ME AND I CAN MOVE ON YOU FUCKING COWARD!!”

Your face was flushed a deep red, your breathing coming into your lungs in quick frenzied breaths, and your entire body trembling with rage. How fucking dare he! You were going to tear him a new orifice but then suddenly you heard a voice interrupt the blossoming fight.

“Hello Friends, I get that you’re trying to sort some shit out but we don’t need you killing everyone's vibes. So here is a private room for you to hash it out in. Peace Bitches!!”

All you remember was seeing the swirl of the galaxy before finding yourself with Rocket in a very comfy pale blue room accented with an array of lush plants and plush looking furniture in shades of dark oak brown.

“Did I just see the entirety of the galaxy or did the entirety of the galaxy see me?”  You plopped down on the couch taking note of how comfortable it felt as you reoriented yourself with reality.

“I have no idea” Rocket inhaled for the joint that was already lit in his mouth “When the flark did I get a joint?”

You shook your head and rolled your eyes “Mr.Cosmic, duh”  You took a drag from your  joint that you forgot you were smoking. Where did I?  You already answered your own question.

Rocket took another draw of the joint exhaling it through his muzzle “I didn’t realize that I was ignoring you right away and I didn’t want to approach you till I had planned some grand event to make it up to you. Guess I screwed the pooch with that huh?”

Your shoulder slumps as you leaned forward “Always the engineer eh Rocket? Can’t show someone a solution till it’s finished. I would have just preferred if you went to bed with me yesterday” You took a harsh inhale of the joint “I even made a big production of dragging Judy around near you announcing like a git that it was bedtime and I was going to enjoy a nice cuddle that night and no reaction from you at all”

Rocket wanted to smack himself on the forehead,  thinking back that must have been why Gamora suggested that he go to bed last night instead of falling asleep at his work bench again. 

“Why didn’t you just snatch the ting out of my hands if you wanted my attention?” Rocket’s voice was low, he couldn’t understand why you didn’t just snatch the item out of his paws if you wanted attention. Others have done it before so why didn’t you?

A hollow chuckle escaped your lips “Like that wouldn’t have gotten me bitten”

“I wouldn’t have bitten you” Rocket could feel his hackles start to raise as he snapped out the phrase harsher than he meant to.

Irritation slipped into your voice with every syllable “You bit Mantis twice a month ago for doing the same thing you’re suggesting and it clearly bothers you when people do that Rocket. I’d never disrespect such a clear and obvious boundary that you were presenting!” 

Rocket didn’t know what to say he wasn’t that great at the emotional talkin stuff, getting people over their rock bottom moments he could flarkin do that no damn problem but trying to do the same about current issues, that was hard for him.

“I wouldn’t have bitten you” He placed a paw on your shoulder only to have you shrug it off and turn away from him, slowly curling into yourself as the last wisps of the joint slipped out of your mouth.

“Of course you wouldn’t have” The bitterness in your voice surprised Rocket “You haven’t approached me for sex at all” You turned to look at Rocket hating that there was no way that he couldn’t see the tears threatening to escape from the edges of your eyes “If I was some curiosity you sated and decided it wasn’t good enough fucking tell me!!”  You turned your head away “Don’t fucking lead me on and hope that finally someone might want to deal with my damage enough to actually put the effort in” 

You were fully crying though not facing Rocket.

Rocket couldn’t believe what he was hearing! Did you not remember how he responded to you the first time you both slept together? How completely enthralled he was with every reaction he was able to pull from your incredibly responsive body?  He didn’t want to scare you with his libido, with how he wanted to feel your skin on his fur, how much he wanted to sleep with you still buried deep into that delightful pussy of yours just so he could go to bed feeling as connected to a person as closely as physically possible.

“I can’t deal with another person saying that they want to put in the effort to know my damage, to want to help with it and then silently reneging on the offer without giving me the update. Leaving me to keep hoping that maybe this time I’m enough, that this time someone is going to say something and mean it. That I’m not going to be abandoned just like the stray I am once the novelty of me has worn off to then”

Your body shook with sobs.

“I just can’t” The sentence was broken up through shaky inhales of breath and tears.

Rocket was floored to hear what had just come out of your mouth, it would seem that his Kit had just as shitty an inner voice as he did. He also wanted to hunt down every asshat that had made you feel that way but right now you needed assurance and he was going to give it to you but he knew he needed to show through actions as talk was cheap to you.

Rocket leaned over your hunched form, nuzzling at your tear streaked face and started to lick away at the tears which caused you to turn your head confused. He took the opportunity offered to get his head under your chin to start purring underneath it hoping the vibrations would soothe you. You weren’t shoving him away so that had to be a good sign right? He gently pushed you down on the plush couch while pushing himself further into your torso, trying to get as much skin to fur as he could get. He removed his top before continuing with what he had started.

He hoped that this would work.

He heard the quick inhale of breath when one of his fangs nipped under your chin as he was giving it soft reassuring licks and he couldn’t help himself but he nibbled again. He continued to kiss the column of your throat, leaving small occasional nips just to keep hearing the delightful sound you made every time he did. He was elated in how you moved your body so responsively to his touch, arcing your torso towards him making it easy to start slowly dragging his paw over the tops of your breasts. He kissed the small bit of skin behind your ear that he had unintentionally ignored during your last physical tryst, and instantly regretted not capitalizing on the bundle of nerves sooner because the noises you made were downright criminal in all the best ways.

Taking both hands off of your breasts for a moment, Rocket cupped your face drawing you into a long sensual kiss. You felt as he left several small kisses on your lips as if to leave his mark on every section before sliding his tongue into your mouth.

Rocket felt so relieved when you kissed back, the feeling of your arms wrapping his torso gave him the confidence to keep going as he reached down to unclip your top. He smiled into the kiss as he felt the warmth of each exposed breast against his torso, feeling as each nipple started to harden in response to the sensation of his fur against them. He could already smell evidence of your arousal currently pooling within your underwear as you both kissed, and he didn’t think he could get harder but there you were making him surprise himself.

He broke the kiss to continue nipping at your neck with added pressure, addicted to getting to hear those sounds come out of your mouth again, and they only got better when he got his deft fingers around those pert nipples of yours. Enjoying every second of listening to you lose control over your vocal capabilities as he lightly tortured each nipple, gently scraping his claw over each. Kissing down your torso he could feel your hands stroke the top of his head as he kissed over the tops of each freed breast, enjoying the combination of scents that was currently soaking your body, the lingering smells of the dance floor, the smoke from the joint you just smoked and all the enticing smells that peaked out from your lower half.

“R…ock…et” 

Was all that was able to slip out of your mouth once Rocket got his jaw around one of your tasty mounds, tongue spoiling the delicate areola with tender sensation. 

Rocket grinned at the eager response as his other paw busied itself kneading the other breast so that it didn’t feel neglected, before switching breasts lavishing the right with just as much enthusiasm as he did the left.

Your head felt dizzy with sensation as your body was painfully sensitive to his touch and some small part of your brain reminded you that solving communication issues with sex is what started this all but you were unable to focus once he slid off your pants.

Rocket’s mouth watered in anticipation as he was staring at your sopping wet mewling quim, flushed with arousal, your clitoris peaking out erect begging for attention. He took a second to let his hot breath wash over the delicate flesh watching in delight as it trembled in response before getting his tongue around his new favorite snack. Rocket quickly went to work reacquainting himself with every contour of your labia, sucking on each gently relishing in each moan that you let out before securing his maw against your clit. Rocket made sure he had good suction around the delectable nub that he was about to torture, as he lazily stroked the clit in small circles before alternating to bigger ones. He loved how your thighs trembled on either side of his head as he sucked the clit directly keeping it lightly trapped between two of his fangs. He switched to a rapid flicking of his tongue vertically as he switched tempo between soft and hard sucking, you came seconds later.

Rocket didn’t stop there fully intent to flood your body with so much dopamine and serotonin that you wouldn’t be able to entertain such stupid thoughts when you two finally got to the talking aspects of the issues you were having but for now this time was for your pleasure.

Rocket’s tongue stroked each inner wall of your cunt like he was trying to make his own 3-D model of it in his head. It didn't take long for him to find the location of the small ridged section of your velvety walls that marked the sensitive bundle of nerves that was your g-spot nor did it take him long to start manipulating said bundle of nerves to the point that your knees turned to jelly. Rocket continued to thrust his tongue at a pistons speed not content with the few orgasms that he had already coaxed from your willing body already, no he wanted to make sure you were thoroughly lubricated when he finally slid in. Though the pre-cum leaking from his fully erect cock was sure to help ease himself into you.

Rocket pulled away once he felt that he was satisfied with his work and judging by the lustful glaze that clouded your pretty irises he had a right to be proud. He smirked at the whimper you made as he rubbed the head of his cock up and down the soaked labia that he had just had his tongue around before slowly sinking into his favorite type of warmth. He rolled his hips into yours slowly enjoying the gasp you made as he did, he was even more enthused to watch the hips that had tormented him on the dance floor, roll to meet his with a degree of urgency that made him feel real good about himself.

Rocket kept his pace slow, deliberate so that you could feel every point of contact from each other whenever he thrust in, all you could do was chant his name like a prayer or a curse before wrapping your legs around him to bring him closer. You needed him closer.

Rocket busied himself groping your breasts as he continued to thrust, he would have preferred to take things slower but he just couldn’t. He needed to feel this closeness with you if the communication problem was ever going to be fixed. Rocket bit into the side of your neck as he came, lightly panting from the exertion and you could hear a few quiet contented trills as Rocket enjoyed the aftermath of his orgasm.

You were expecting him to slide out, and put distance between the both of you like the last time but to your surprise Rocket made no moves to get up.

“I wanna be close with you like this all the time, but it’s not something we could pull off living and working on a ship. And I didn’t want to scare you off with how much I like touchin yah”

You looked down at Rocket sighing lightly to yourself, you were both a pair of idiots that liked to assume what the other was thinking and the meaning behind each action.

“We need to have that actual talk, Rocket, we can’t keep doing this back and forth dance of assuming what the other is up to then getting it wrong. I can’t handle the emotional whiplash”

Your eyes were begging him to agree.

Rocket looked up at you “You’re right” he paused before an idea crossed his mind “Maybe we can go on a trip just the two of us to hash this all out without our idiot crewmates making commentary?”

He was trying so hard, and it did sound like a good idea for you both “Alright Rocket, that sounds great”

The smile that he gave you in response was infectious and you couldn’t help but smile back as well.

Though neither of you meant to, the both of you fell asleep in the private room of The Blazing Place but woke up in your room on the Milano with a few pre-rolled joints on your bedside table and a note that read: Glad you two were able to work things out. Enjoy these joints to help you both keep up with the new better vibes!Come back anytime!

Mr.Cosmic

You decided to fall back asleep in Rocket's arms dreaming of quality time spent on the vacation you had yet to plan but things were looking up. @raccoonfallsharder @watchersclaws-blog

[airi-p4]

Guarded and protected - Chapter 6

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

Chapter 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Epilogue

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

Summary:

Marinette forces Luka to become the new Guardian of the Miraculous after confessing her mutual feelings to him. Seeing her healthier with her memories erased, Luka decides to keep his distance so she doesn't get involved with the Miraculous again.

Tw: Amnesia, Angst with a happy Ending

AO3

_____________________________

Chapter 6: Back to you

Luka's bicycle crashed at the bakery's door, and with an unbelievable excuse, he ran up to Marinette's room, not before calling for her to make his intrusion noticed.

He found her weeping. Immediately after the sight, her eyes opened wide when he hurried up, crossing the trapdoor of her room to hug her tightly.

"I love you," he finally confessed, between muffled sobs. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. I've never stopped loving you—I don't think I ever will. Please, don't go away from me. Not again…"

"L-Luka…" her crying silenced her voice. The way her arms were tightening around him was grounding. He had missed her…  so much. And now he's back to her room and—

Her room…? 

He didn't remember her room having such a massive amount of blue around. Or so many photos of him on the walls. Or Kitty Section merchandise all over the place. Or even… was that a doll of his new superhero alter ego?

His attention shifted to a notebook on her table.

Could it be…?

"Marinette, you…"

"What took you so long? You were supposed to come to my side earlier… according to—" she protested, with a mix of joy and frustration. She eyed said notebook on her table for a better comprehension—as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Her diary.

And everything clicked in Luka's mind.

"You planned it," he realized. "Of course you had a plan! You never act without a plan! You're so clever and beautiful and amazing and I—I've been so—So stupid!" His hands moved to cup her cheeks with a soft smile that made her melt. "You didn't need to remember to know. You had your diary."

Her hands moved to cup his face, mirroring him. "The diary did mention I loved your beautiful smile the most, but words don't do it justice at all for what it—you—make me feel." She smiled, still reddish. "I love you, Luka. I didn't need to read the diary or see the photos on the wall to know I do. My heart never forgot. It always finds its way back to you."

He was so delighted he almost forgot to ask for permission to kiss her, but she nodded before leaning in, too. 

"Our first kiss…" she whispered with a shy but dazzling smile on her face.

"Second," he corrected, to her surprise. "The first one is most likely not written in your diary. It probably wasn't in your plans either."

"Oh." Her eyes opened wide for a moment. "Well… there was a foot note… but it was more wishful thinking than anything and—uhm…" 

"You really thought of everything, didn't you?" He noticed the happy curve of her lips when he kissed her again. "You're amazing."

"I have more plans for us…" He gulped in anticipation at her puffy lips closeness. "And for Hawk Moth."

"What?" Luka blinked, pulling apart to see her grin. 

"I've been studying and investigating and I have many ideas to put an end to him. It turns out that perspective helps!"

"I'm not giving you a Miraculous, Marinette. You've had enough of battling akumas," he protested. 

"You too, Luka," she argued. He couldn't deny it. Hawk Moth's persistence and cruelty was no joke. "Besides, it's my fault. I gave you the Snake Miraculous and then… When we dated… I should have told you the truth when you asked…” She saddened.

"I've never blamed you for that, you know it."

"I know, but still… I was hoping for you to come to me earlier so we could face the evil together. But you would avoid me and it made me think that maybe…” She paused to take a deep breath. “Why did it take you so long!?" She pouted, her tiny fist lightly kicking his chest. He chuckled at her cute reaction.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I thought I was protecting you." Luka showed her a bittersweet smile, his hand sliding over hers first and bringing it up to kiss the palm of her hand tenderly.

"I know… I did the same after all…" she said, shyly. They were on the same page; protecting the one they loved the best they could. "I think it's time we put an end to evil, now. The sooner the better. Together."

"Together… " He softened at the idea. "And then I'll take you to those dates we had to cancel. If you want?"

"Of course I want." She beamed. "Will you play for me again, then?"

"Of course. My heart already is. It always is."

They sealed the deal with a long, loving kiss and joined their foreheads together with a smile, before a second one—and a few more—and finally moving on to listen to her master plan to defeat Paris' biggest villain and bring peace to their city at last.

[whoselabelisitanyway]

Hello i couldn't help but notice that u offered urself up as a resource for info abt N24 (sorry if i got that wrong, feel free to ignore this.) So as someone who very recently found out abt it and also probably has it, do u have any resources? Links or articles or anything for me to look at? Anything you could/want to share abt it??

Hey! Yes, I'm happy to write about my experience with N24. (It's not fun, but it's reality for many people.) The sad thing is that I don't actually have many online resources as far as articles and such. A quick internet search showed me Non-24-Hour Sleep Wake Disorder: Definition and Causes | Sleep Foundation which seemed to be a good overview (more articles linked at the bottom of the page). It's very clear that there hasn't been enough research done in a practical sense, though. Treatment options are few, and there aren't any that are at all flexible. Which, I'll just say it, sucks.

For me personally, my N24 is pretty severe, with my days lasting about 30 hours or such, so that I'm awake for something like 20 hours at a time. None of the treatment options presented to me (melatonin and/or light therapy) were effective (I have unusual environmental factors against me, though). That doesn't mean you shouldn't try them, IMHO - but I would caution you against accepting whatever sedatives doctors are handing out these days. If that's their initial reaction/treatment advise, ask them if that medication is approved and tested effective for long term usage. (It won't be - if I'm wrong, lmk, because I'd like to be wrong.)

Lastly, I'll tell you a bit about how I got my diagnosis. The biggest factor was a comprehensive sleep diary. Sometimes they'll ask you to do a sleep study as well, to rule out other sleep disorders. A sleep diary is crucial in helping the specialist evaluate the progressive time changes in your sleep patterns. I recommend getting a low-cost sports watch (with a small profile so it's comfortable to sleep in) if you don't already have one. That was a huge help to me when I was documenting my sleep patterns.

I hope that helps! I wish I could give you better news, but I do believe it's preferable to know what you're dealing with than to not - even if it's not something with an easy fix. Let me know if you have any other questions - I am not a sleep doctor or physician, but I can speak to the realities of living with N24. If I can help others at all, I like to. Good luck!

[partywithponies]

🥺👀

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

I'm a sap so I love characters crying at each other. The other character seeing that first character cry for the first time. I'm also a sap for characters thinking the other is dead and being so relieved to see them alive. Also just casual physical affection and casual moments of grounding and reassurance. Catch me slipping hugs and hand holds and just gentle hands on the arm into about every fic possible.

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

GLADLY

So I'm currently working on an Ashes to Ashes fic that I'm very excited about and very eager to get done, even though progress is slow because I keep getting distracted. It's called Fallen Angel, and the title is a lot less metaphorical than one might assume lol. It's about Alex Drake rejecting/rebelling against Heaven and forcefully breaking out, knowing she may never be allowed to return, only to get lost in a void that no mortal soul is supposed to be in, exposed to horrors and torment beyond human comprehension, but refusing to give up and die (again). It's a lot more fun than it sounds, it has light hearted funny moments. And she'll get her happy ending eventually. And she has support from The World's Worst Divine Intervention (it's Ray, Chris, Shaz, and Alex, communicating with her in the void from Heaven via their dreams and starting a mini-revolution of their own in Heaven). (Alex is lost in the void, Gene is off in his own world, and Sam is consumed with against after gazing into the void and letting it gaze back when he tried to stop Alex leaving, so now Ray is in charge. Nothing could possibly go wrong.)

Anyway I'm very excited about this fic and I hope someone enjoys reading it as much as I'm enjoying working on it.

Here's a sneak peak from chapter two of it (even though chapter one isn't up yet but don't worry about it:

Annie sighed. “I dunno then. Maybe you should try to speak to her, Ray." Ray blinked. “Me? What for?” He took a dismissive sip of his pint. “Don’t see how that would help ‘er.” “Oh please, Ray,” Annie said, cajolingly. “Alex might listen to you.” Ray stared at her incredulously for a good few moments. “...Y'what??” he spoke, at last. Annie sighed again, deeply. It was fast becoming her signature move. “She doesn’t even know me,” she said, patiently, as though explaining something to a particularly slow six year old. “She's lost, and scared. You’re familiar. She knows you.” “Yeah, that’s why she won’t listen to ‘im,” Shaz muttered into her own pint, while Chris made a noise somewhere between a snort and giggle. “Alright, and you two can shut up an’ all,” Ray snapped, wheeling on them. “I didn’t even say anything!” Chris protested, eyes wide like a wounded puppy. Annie sighed for a third time in under a minute, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Give me strength,” she grumbled.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

https://www.tumblr.com/serendipitous-sky/729813625990152192/he-is-not-quite-there-yet-that-was-obvious-with?source=share

Wasn't BTS Vegas 2022 concerts just few months after jimin had covid and appendicitis surgery? That could answer the lack of energy there. But after that except busan expo they didn't really have any performances no?

Anyway genuine question tho, don't pre vegas 2022 jimin performances (both solo or goup) don't hold any value for you to consider his potential?

(I won't get back to you after this ask I promise , thanks for answering and being pantient)

I've been on the fence about answering asks about this topic because people got really intense since I didn't include Jimin in my list of artists in that post. I only mentioned 3 people and said etc (because my list is not limited to kpop -_-) but people made it about Jimin and then some started saying I was hating and shading Jimin.

This is not directed at you but it's directed to all the people who are immature, and because of that we can't have a proper conversation being objective about a certain topic.

It's also not the first time I see my blog in other people's blogs. A few people have sent me links to these posts where a blogger will give their opinion on what I'm saying as if they know my mind. It should be blogger etiquette to not do this.

You can't debunk an opinion. That's not how opinions work.

For the people who don't believe in my posts and like to discredit me, please write your own posts with your own research or at least a proper debunking post because, up to now, my posts are facts. There is nothing fabricated. But saying stuff like "it doesn't sound real" means absolutely nothing because you don't have facts to disprove what I'm saying.

If you as a reader are sending a post so someone else can give you their opinion on a post that is not theirs, you have serious insecurity issues. You need to develop reading comprehension skills and come to conclusions yourself instead of wanting validation from others.

Now, this is directed to you, anon:

I never said Jimin didn't have potential. I said the exact opposite.

I compare Jimin's solo project to his older solo stages, and even PTD. There is a stark difference in the way he handled himself onstage. Like I said, pre-pandemic Jimin had a different confidence level. His stage presence was different. Then along came PTD and Jimin came back but not entirely. You can see this in the Busan concert too. For me, it does seem like whatever he went through in his life affected his onstage persona (which he says is basically the same as his offstage persona).

I said Jimin wasn't at MY list yet but he would get there. This means that I believe he has potential and it doesn't even matter what I believe because he does. I'm not his fan because he is on top of a random made up list, I'm his fan because I admire and love his work.

Maybe he is on your list of whatever and that's fine. But if I give my point of view as a fan and as a musician (I've been a musician longer than some people have been alive here), I think Jimin can still give more. It was his first solo project. You can't possibly expect someone to be at the top since day 1. He doesn't have years as a soloist.

And he spoke about it in his live too.

I don't know why people were trying to convince me to place Jimin on my list and trying to make me feel bad for not having him there.

Um...ok? Make your own list and place him there and be happy.

Hope this helps.

[loemius]

1, 13, 24, 30 (hi k i miss u)

hi quartz!!! miss you too, feel free to dm me literally any time <333 thank you for the ask!!! hope youre doing good my friend, sending you blessings and love <333 1: What are your opinions on AI in Witchcraft? i'm not really huge on AI in the first place tbh. i think it can be a helpful tool for gathering resources or summarizing complex texts into digestible bits to help your comprehension, but i don't really think it's a replacement for doing the work yourself. i think a large part of any spiritual practice, whether that be religion or witchcraft, is hands on experience, and AI simply cannot give you that. you gotta do it yourself. i draw from historical texts and sources, so i personally don't vibe with the idea of like. asking AI to come up with a spell for me. it doesn't have the same connection to me. you do what you wanna do, if that's your jam don't let me sour it, but it's not for me personally. 13: Do you think you can hex/curse/jinx a deity? Do you think you should? i would never suggest it. to me, the gods are the most powerful things -- that's part of why we worship them. they're larger and grander than us, more powerful than us. to think that you can put a curse on them is like... it doesn't compute in my brain. i don't want to be too harsh but like. to me it's pretty blasphemous and hubristic to attempt such a thing. hard pass for me. i don't even really think it would do anything honestly. any kind of magic i do is theurgic in nature, so i'm calling upon the gods for that, and to basically turn that around on them and use their own power to try to harm them or their family members kinda feels like a spit in the face to me. it's kind of like a minnow trying to take down a shark. like buddy you can try but the most youre going to be is mildly annoying and you will reap the consequences of what you sow for that action. 24: Outside of the online space, where do you get your resources from? i mean pdfs are online but i read a lot of pdfs. i go the library and explore when i have down time, which is always fun for me. i also try to talk to my professors at university about things when i can, or my very educated friends and loved ones. basically i ask a lot of questions to people more informed than me and go to the library LMAO. this is your local polisci nerd reminding you to support your local library and get a library card 30: What do you think is a scam in witchcraft? honestly i am not a fan of those deity confirmation readings on etsy or whatever. if they work for you then im glad they do, but i honestly am a big believer in just praying and making the relationship. if you feel called to a particular deity, that's your sign. there you go. make a water offering and a prayer. i also just think its really hard to interpret sometimes because so many deities have overlapping signs. i've done some of those readings myself early in my own practice and in retrospect like... looking at that original reading i could draw multiple deities from the cards i pulled. i also think overconsumption in witchcraft is a huge issue. a lot of people, more informed than me, have talked about this before, but it still like.. grinds my gears a little. like you dont need to go out and buy x specific thing. witchcraft by and large was about people using what they had on hand and using things that are local to them. i think sometimes this idea of 'you need x specific thing' can lead people into just learning lists of correspondences and associations and not really understanding WHY things are associated the way they are or making their own connections, which only hinders their own practice. thank you again for the ask my friend!! so good to hear from you, please feel free to reach out any time <33 gods bless you always with happiness and health