#i just feel a little looser and less worried and a little more able to say what i want to say which is very pleasant. i love people

[haloiisms]

spoke to many beautiful women tonight. yes we were all drunk but that does not diminish how lovely it was. it was a saltburn themed party which is a movie i don’t even like but it did mean all the weirdo gay freaks were there and that’s exactly who i want to be around. got so many people’s numbers because i am charismatic and charming and sincerely interested in other people’s passions and also incredibly attractive. it was so much fun YAY 💛 peace and love on earth

[sunnie-angel]

Sweetheart

inspired by @sanguineterrain’s hc about virgin! jason which truly has not left my mind since i read it.

rated explicit (mdni) | wc: 2.6k

tags: kissing, masturbation, loss of virginity, vaginal sex, creampie, overstimulation

Jason Todd’s just so goddamn sensitive, nerves set on a hair trigger, all the time. Call it a side effect of death or a fun little bonus from resurrection. Wherever it came from, it’s just part of his life now. And, see, normally it’s not a problem. In fact, it probably makes him better at this whole crime lord business. The slightest change in the airflow of a room tipping him off to an unseen assailant, the tremors traveling up the balls of his feet signalling an approaching vehicle, palm wrapped around a throat able to read a lie from a racing pulse. He’s adaptable like that, turning something that might have overwhelmed him into a weapon. It’s really not a problem.

Just like it’s not a problem that he’s never really been in love before. Between dying, then not dying, and an abrupt and burgeoning career in crime, well, dating hasn’t been very high on his list of priorities. It’s fine! So maybe he fucks his fist after a long night of patrol and wishes it were someone he was coming home to. He’s got more pressing things to worry about, important things. Red Hood things. His half-hidden fantasies and dog-eared classic romances can stay hidden under his bed forever, for all he cares.

He cares. Did he say he didn’t care? Well obviously that was a big fat lie. Jason nearly mows you down running across the park and the minute his hands close around your arms to steady you, he’s a goner. Heart eyes and tweety birds, the whole nine yards. Being in love with you’s the easiest thing Jason’s ever done. Maybe his hands shake a little more than they should the first time you ask him to dinner. Maybe he blurs the line between creepy and sweet by showing up at your doorstep with flowers less than 12 hours after your first date. He’s just new at this, that’s all. First time jitters.

There’s a lot of firsts, when it comes to you. The first time you hold his hand, he feels the the tips of his ears go hot. You kiss him on the cheek and he could swear NASA can see the colour of his cheeks from space. The very first time he kisses you – goodnight at your doorstep, meant to be chaste and brief – he’s half-hard in his pants the second he feels your breath on his skin. It’s a miracle, a sheer testament to all his will and training, that he doesn’t come in his pants on your doorstep at the taste of you.

Okay, so there’s some kinks he has to work out. He’s told you that he’s inexperienced. Well, more than inexperienced. A virgin, if you want to get all technical about it. You had smiled and told him the two of you could take it slow if he wanted. Which he didn’t. Want it slow, that is. That leads him to a new and persistent obsession with making it good for you, despite his current track record. Before you, the goal of getting off was efficiency. Hand slick and a few harsh tugs enough to have him spilling into a tissue. But that was before. He’s got a goal and a plan and Jason’s always been good with an objective.

He settles in and makes a mental note to get more lube. Gets his hand firm around his shaft because he knows, just knows, that the minute he starts teasing the head of his cock it’ll be over. Gives himself a few looser strokes just to get used to the sensation, gun callous catching on his foreskin and sending a frisson of pleasure up his spine. He watches his stomach muscles ripple and clench in retaliation. Begins to work his hand a little faster, adding a rough twist to each stroke that has him panting for breath. Pre starts beading at the tip of his cock and he swipes an errant thumb at it. He bucks and nearly moans at the sensation, the rough heated pad of his thumb setting his nerves on fire. Throws his head back eyes closed as his he increases the pace, lost to the burning heat building in his belly. He pictures your face smiling up at him on a particularly tight swipe over the head of his cock and comes harder than he ever has before, hot spurts decorating his stomach. His stopwatch reads 0:1:37. With a grunt, he reaches for his cock again.

By the time morning comes, far too soon and far too bright, Jason’s managed to increase his time. Not by much, but hey, that’s still progress in his book. He’s also discovered two new things about himself: 1) with just the right pressure he can stay hard between orgasms (hooray for illegal and mystical stimulant baths!), and 2) the image of you is more than enough to shove him over the edge, every single time. Fact number two may be a problem. ‘Cause if just the thought of you has him creaming in his pants like a pimply teen in a stiff breeze, having you under him in the flesh might actually kill him. It’s okay though, he’ll have more time to practice before you two get anywhere close to that. Or not.

The two of you are lying on your bed kissing, the kind of slow, lazy make-out that wouldn’t really be going anywhere only Jason’s got your thigh rubbing up in between his legs and that same hair trigger sensitivity. He swears he can almost feel the soft heat of your skin through the rough drag of denim. Your plush lips open wider and he surges forward, eager to notch himself closer. He’s clumsy like this, limbs too big and uncoordinated with you under him. His hips start undulating of their own accord at the extra friction, and you slip a hand into the back pocket of his jeans to urge him on. It’s good, so good, God why did he never realize it could be this good? The sensation of you below him, warm and solid, and the rough-pressure-heat on his cock is all it takes. You swallow his moan as he comes in his pants, wet splotch blooming darkly. His hands tighten around you. Jason pants and moans into your throat, hips weakly grinding his cock against you through it. Red-faced, it takes him longer than it should to realize that you’re cooing at him.

“–good, sweetheart? You were so good for me, taking what you needed.”

Shame and embarrassment light him up, battling with the litany of sweetheart, sweetheart, she called me sweetheart currently striking him dumb. He buries his face into your neck, can feel the temperature difference between his flaming cheeks and your skin.

“’M sorry,” he says meekly, “I didn’t mean to come so fast. Swear it. I’ll do better next time.” Worry curls in his stomach, faint echoes of embarrassment about leaving you unsatisfied. Can’t bear to look you in the eye, feeling stripped back and vulnerable as he is. His hips are still working against yours, grinding the sensitive head of his cock into his damp boxers. You laugh.

“What’re you talking about, Jay? You were perfect, so perfect for me sweetheart.” And Jason wants to crawl out of his skin because ‘perfect’ is not a word that gets applied to him often. Not one that he thought applied now, coming in his pants so quickly, before he’s even made you feel good. Ignoring the stubborn prickling at the backs of his eyes and the warmth quickly spreading down his chest, he kisses the sweet column of your throat.

“Wanna return the favour,” he whines, licking up the salt of your skin. Your grip tightens in his hair.

“Yeah? You gonna be good for me again?” you tease, breathless. One of your hands grips his own, glides it down to the elasticized waistband of your underwear.

Jason’s pretty sure he’s been electrified when he feels just how wet you are. He’s also pretty sure this is the closest he’s ever gotten to a pretty girl’s underwear too. Thick fingers glide easily between your folds. You’re hotter than he expected, slick collecting in his palm. His index finger catches on your entrance, thumb hunting for your clit. He knows he’s found it when you sigh into his ear, and he grins. Maybe he’s not so bad at this whole sex thing after all. Slowly, he starts to spear you open on one thick finger and chokes. Jason’s never felt anything so fucking tight. He groans into your collarbone. Your walls tighten up around him at the vibration and it goes straight to his cock. If he hadn’t just come, he’d be making a mess in his pants right now. Again. The thought of how good your slick, wet, heat would feel squeezing around his cock vice-like has him lightheaded.

“Can I– please can I?” he begs, delirious with how badly he wants this.

“Gotta use your words, sweetheart,” you say breathlessly, voice hitching as he fucks his finger back into you. “Need to ask for what you want.”

“Please, please, can I fuck you? Want it. Want it so bad,” Jason whines. He can taste the want, sparks dancing on his tongue, blood rushing in his ears. His whole body aches with it.

“S’all you had to say, sweetheart.” A hand grips him through his damp jeans and he bucks into the touch, a writhing mass of nerves and need. “You gonna take care of me? Huh?” The zipper inches down and he almost sobs. “Gonna be good to me, sweetheart?” All the air rips out of his lungs at the burning brand of a palm finally touching his spent cock. 

Jason doesn’t recognize his own voice, high and reedy, babbling “I promise, I promise, I promise.” He’s gasping, greedy, mouth open and searching blindly for yours. 

He whimpers – the Red Hood honest to god whimpers – when you pull away. His brain starts to come back online when you start tugging at the hem of his shirt and he almost face plants into the mattress in his eagerness to get his pants and shirt off at the same time. You laugh as your bra hits the floor somewhere to the side of the bed and pull him down for another kiss, a soft nip at the swell of his bottom lip that has him trailing after you. Your legs open to cradle his hips and Jason figures this must be the next best thing to paradise. He shudders at the pressure of his cock trapped between your bellies.

“Now you’re gonna give me all–” you give a slow roll of your hips that has Jason’s vision going blurry at the feeling of every inch of him trapped between you, “– of that. You’re gonna be this–” another slow, filthy roll that has him cotton-mouthed, “–deep in me, sweetheart, and you’re gonna keep fucking me until I tell you to stop.” Your hand at the nape of his neck pulls his hair back until he’s looking right in the eye. It’s a hungry, dark stare that greets him and Jason thinks that if this is what it’s like to be eaten alive, he’ll die a happy man (if you’ll let him).

He gets so distracted by the wicked grin on your face that he barely notices the hand guiding his cock to your entrance until the head is pushing into your burning heat. His mouth snaps shut and his jaw clenches, desperate to keep it together. Your legs lock around him, urging him forward. Inch by inch he slowly thrusts his way into you, sanity hanging on by a thread as he fights the urge to just fuck into your tight cunt. Finally, finally, his hips meet yours, cock fully sheathed inside of another person for the first time. He pants open mouthed into the side of your neck, trying so hard to be good for you. 

“Not a virgin now, are you sweetheart?” you whisper, hand stroking through his sweaty curls. “Now move.”

Like a shot from one of his beloved .45s, Jason starts pistoning into you, pulling his cock out until it’s almost slipping out and hammering right back in to the hilt. You’re tight, so fucking tight that he doesn’t know how he’s ever gonna go back to his fist after this. His rhythm’s sloppy, cunt drunk and chasing his next high but he can’t make himself stop. Sweat beads on his chest and tears dot his lashes. He howls as you cant your hips up and drag a hand across his chest, nails catching on a nipple. The slippery clutch of your cunt burns away all his good intentions, just a mewling, writhing creature desperate to feel good. The burning heat in his gut is building, his arms trembling from exertion. Its too soon, too soon for him to be ready to come again but the high in his veins and the tenseness in his belly are screaming otherwise.

It’s not fair, he’s– he’s trying so hard and it’s not fair because you haven’t even come once and here he is being greedy and about to come again. It’s not fair. There’s real tears of frustration beading up in his eyes now, face and body flushed red, sticky sweet.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’msorryI’msorryM’sorry,” he keens, high and hysterical as he comes, hot pulsing spurts deep inside you. He’s not– it’s not stopping God why is it not stopping? He’s never come for this long but it just won’t stop and he can’t move, not with your ankles locked so tight around his hips. Jason’s face burns with the shame, eyes screwed up tight and trying not to tear the sheets fisted in his hands. A hand cups his face, runs a thumb lovingly over a cheekbone until he screws up the courage to crack open his eyes a smidge.

“There’s my sweetheart. Doing so well for me.” A finger brushes away the tear threatening to fall from the corner of his eye. “Felt so good you just couldn’t stop yourself from coming again, hmm?” you clench down on his cock and the punched out sound that leaves him has Jason shying away in embarrassment. “None of that now. Not when you’re being so good.” You bite down on the tendon in his neck, grinning around your teeth as his whole body shudders, before laving a broad tongue over it. “You’ve still gotta job to do, don’t you? Gotta fuck all of your cum into me, gotta keep it where it belongs.”

Jelly limbed, its easy to push Jason onto his back. His cock never even leaves your cunt. Gravity does all the work as you spear yourself open on him. He moans, high punched out little things, cock bullying even deeper into you. Jason’s so sensitive now, riding the edge of pleasure-pain like a knife. He feels flayed open, nerves raw, as you grind and clench yourself up and down his shaft. You pull one of his palms to your breast, teach him how to squeeze it, the way you like having your nipples pinched and rolled. You ride him and every time you pull off of him Jason holds his breath until you’re fucked back down onto him. He’s so overstimulated it hurts, teeth grinding as you continue to fuck him for your pleasure, like he’s just the guy that happens to be attached to a fat dick.

“I didn’t say to stop, did I?”

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

I don't know if you've done this or one terribly similar, but what about a full hc or drabble for julian with an MC who gets wrist tendonitis? they draw and/or write frequently, but they're unable to do either of their hobbies for at least a week while they wait for their arm to heal, and they keep being woken up early due to severe pain.

Yes, I recently had to deal with this 😭 and it made me think of a certain doctor

The Arcana Drabbles: Julian when MC gets tendonitis

Waking up before the sun has made its way into the sky when you didn't plan to is not very fun. Waking up because you're in pain is considerably worse, and not being able to fall back asleep is downright miserable.

Julian, for once, is fast asleep and completely oblivious to the cares and worries of the world. The constant throbbing radiating along your arm seems to subside for a split second as you take him in, rumpled curls spilling across his pillow, expressive brows relaxed and smooth, auburn stubble decorating his sharp jaw as the occasional satisfying snore reverberates through his hooked nose. You stare a little too long.

"Nguh - huh? Wha? Ah - Hello, m'dear." And there are those bleary grey eyes, gazing lovingly at you through the fog of a rare deep sleep.

"Hello," you tell him, and then, "You should go back to sleep."

It's too late. He's already shuffling up onto one elbow, sleep shirt slipping further open as he looks down at you with a little more awareness. Even his red eye looks soft like this.

"And what's keeping you from sleep?" His forehead crinkles as he takes in your grimace, gaze zeroing in on the awkward positioning of your arm. "Oh dear. You're in a great deal of pain, aren't you?"

You're getting ready to protest, but he's already jostling the mattress as he fumbles out of bed and rounding the bottom of it to stand at your side. "Allow your personal physician to see to your worries, will you? I can promise you the - ah - the most excellent care this side of the Strait."

You nod, already feeling relief from the ever-cool, gentle pressure of his fingers on your wrist. "Tell me if this pains you."

He's methodical, somehow able to scrutinize every detail of your arm and expression despite being half-awake as takes your hand in his. He bends the joints of your elbow and fingers first, lightly pressing at the tissue around them to test their tenderness, before making his way to your wrist and hissing sympathetically when a slight nudge makes your face crinkle up. "Ah - I'm so sorry, my dear, I didn't mean to hurt you."

He leans forward to press a stubbly, scratchy kiss to your forehead and straightens to leave the room. "I'll be right back."

Less than five minutes later, a much more alert Julian is perched on the bed and carefully wrapping your wrist where it lies in his lap. "Do want it tighter? Looser?"

"It's just right." He shoots you another small smile as he ties it off, the compression doing wonders for your angry tendons. The cooling salve underneath tingles deliciously on your overheated skin.

"Better?"

"Much." You answer, the receding pain giving way to a mighty yawn. You really didn't mean to wake up this early. Your partner brings his bare hand to his face to stifle his own responding yawn.

Moments later, he lurches back with a startled yelp.

"Julian?"

"Ah - the cooling salve, it got on my face - one moment while I -"

He goes to wipe his fingers off on his trouser leg, but being in only his sleep shirt, it winds up on his bare thigh instead. It's a little hard not to laugh when your beloved, intelligent doctor is dancing around your bedroom in woolen socks and a sleep shirt to the sound of his own hissed curses.

"Hells, that's powerful stuff!"

"Are you coming back to bed, Julian?"

"Do you want this all over you?"

His incredulous exclamation is the last thing you get as he whisks out of the room to wash off. You know he'll be back in five minutes, damp and sheepish and ready to lie back down even if he won't be able to sleep. Maybe waking up several hours before you meant to isn't as miserable as you you thought it would be.

[minty-tea-soup]

Doors and Stargazing

First Post for AU-gust Ringduo things.

This is part of the DnD!AU. Not my best writing but still fun.

“Why don’t you use your Soup Shrine ever? Sometimes there will be a little note forming at the Library, the start of the stay but its never long or cohesive. We can make it better for you? What isn’t good-” Tea cut off Minty’s rambling chitters with their own concern, “I didn’t realize that it meant that much that I wasn’t staying the night in them. I cleaned it and kept it nice just don’t want to get trapped in there overnight.” “Trapped? It doesn’t trap you. It gives you a break from the world so that you don’t burn out. Allows time to not worry, to consider and have to rest. Being able to add to the Library is a bonus,” Minty was now actively looking around the Shrine as if it was broken. Pulling the well maintained door back and forth, checking how it sat in the frame. Then moving on to check all the windows as well. “The door locks at night. Can’t get out.” Minty stopped looking at the different points that lead to the outdoors and turned back towards Tea. A look of confusion and his ears flattened in displeasure before going inside and checking the hearth where the yellow and green fire burned away happily. After poking at the hearth a couple times Minty let out a little distressed call. Tea followed hesitantly into the Shrine worry poking at their brain, what was so wrong about wanting to sleep under the stars? Or wanting to experience the dark and quiet that came with the night? “You never stayed long enough for gifts?” Minty’s reflective eyes showed Tea their own confusion reflected back across the different angles contorting like a fun house mirror. “I didn’t want to owe anything.” “But you cleaned! You have helped resupply food. Oh this won’t do. I am going to sleep here tonight and try to talk to Sun God about what to do.”

And that’s what he did as Tea made a small camp outside to watch the stars. The door locking the two from each other. But at the first light of dawn Minty came out with a hammer and a couple other tools that he definitely did not have the night before. Without waking Tea who was sleeping peacefully he started to break the door off the hinges. Not a quiet task. BANG! Tea shot up ready to fight a threat to see the desecration of the Soup Shrine from Minty. Minty who had told them once about how Sun God only ever held malicious for those destroyed its creations: Shrines, people, the Library, it’s woods. And here it’s favored Cleric, someone who would eventually be enveloped and stitched into the fabric of what made Sun God itself was destroying one. Was this because Tea didn’t like the door? Was Minty really throwing away their entire future, one they loved so much, for a fucking door?! BANG! “Oof sorry didn’t mean to wake you up but these last couple bolts didn’t want to come out,” Minty apologized as they picked up the door and moved it off to the side, “Spoke with Sun God last night and we agreed that while a Shrine without a door gives more fuzzy vague stories it is more important that the Shrine is somewhere you feel safe. It sadly means it can’t give anymore boons or gifts but that’s fine. It will still hold the protective charms, just a bit looser. It shouldn’t hold you in at night now. That was the problem right?” Tea just nodded and watched as the door that was now being broken down, hardware stripped off before the heavy ash was being broken into chunks. Then feed into the fire inside. “There we go,” Minty smiled, this weird bare of teeth that would have been more malicious looking if her tail wasn’t bopping back and forth. “Why? Won’t Sun God be mad?” Tea was trying to hide the worry but couldn’t help drawing their cloak tighter as if the sun itself might look down and burn them both like the bugs they were.

“No of course not. I got full blessing. Sun God is the god of Creation. Sometimes Creation is change. While Sun God tends to be the Constant Creation so less regressive change and more building and growing change sometimes erosion is still change. A lot of people misunderstand. They hear ‘God of Creation’ and think that Sun God made the world. No. Some other god or gods made the world. Breathed it into being. But then they made a fire to help it thrive. They called that fire the Sun and it looked upon this wonderful place they were born to protect and help guide growth to. And they grew from that. They aren’t always in the Sun anymore. Sometimes but often they are in the Library now. They want people to make art, to feel safe, to invent new machines, to protect, to build wonders and places to grow. And then they want the stories, to hear about your day and all that inspired you. To slowly take that story from you and sew it into itself so that it may have a little bit of you in it always. That’s what I will be eventually. Another patch in the wondrous quilt that is all.” Minty’s gestures were wide and excited as she opened one of the chests and pulled out some food tucked away for travelers. Other things Tea didn’t often touch, even if they did help replenish. “But why if you want to experience the world would you stay inside at night? Why not explore that wonder?” Tea questioned, imagining a world in which they would have never pondered or stared in the Void. “What can I see at night that I cannot see under the Sun?” “The Stars. The quiet. The Void, though that is less seen and more of an existence.” “Will you stay with me to experience it? I would like to take the story back for Sun God.” “Of course.”

And so they waited. Tending to the plants around the Soup Shrine, cleaning the windows and sanding over the area that would make someone believe that there ever was a door. Because now this Soup Shrine never had a door. After all if it had a door it couldn’t fulfill it’s purpose of being a Soup Shrine for Tea. And then Dusk arrived. Minty’s fur was puffing up a little in fear trying to smooth it back down with thin hands. Their antennae upright and terrified. Then the stars started to show. No moon tonight, Tea noted but that was fine because there was so many stars. Filling the sky and telling stories that no one could hear, unless they knew the language and where to listen. But there was another light a soft glow coming just from Tea’s right. Turning they saw Minty looking up at the stars in the wonder, experiencing the night sky for the first time in her entire life. And that tail that always looked so strange and hallow in it’s white exoskeleton was glowing a soft green. Just a little before fading and starting again. Minty hadn’t even noticed this change but Tea was delighted to learn this new fact about their friend. Nudging them gently they gestured to the tail. Minty’s eye stared at their own tail as if they had never seen this before. A new wonder to add to the Library.

[rinnay]

*⁠♡ my first post!!| This is a little fanfic I wrote between my own OC and canon (Deadpool!)| please feel free to give me some pointers!

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

-------TW: HEAVILY IMPLIED DEATH|ANGST.-------

OC X CANON| NON-IMMORTAL!DEADPOOL.

Thursday, 12:05AM.| Wade should have been home by now. He said he would be, right? Its been hours since that fuckin' mission. Koa is anxious, practically popping springs in worry-- that is until the door opens. There he is, all bloodied and bruised but alive. Sure he'd regenerate after a while and he always did. It never failed to amaze her when he did. "Im home, claws." He called out weakly, as if he was loosing his life essence, infact-- he was. He wouldn't tell Koa that would he? No...why burden her with that? She'd be using all that wakandan tech to try and fix it. What ever that villian had done was really taking a toll on him though. Not that it was a problem- right? Never has been.

Koa rushed to his side, obviously worried by the turmoil that shook through her voice. "Are you ok? Ypu were gone for so long, you should have been back hours ago, wade!" She punched his arm harshly, but rubbed as a silent apology.

Wade was silent for a moment, simply admiring her for a second before he spoke. "Koa, i maye be dying." Koa? Not claws. Not kitty- koa. Hes never called her that, not unless he's pissed off or serious about something.

She laughed at first, the only 2 people capable of dying were her and logan but Logan wasn't here. So hes not relevant. Watching his eyes, she realizes just how serious he is.

He stumbled to the couch, the multiple gashes and deep cuts staining their couch but who cares? Wade was dying right in front of her and he was so casual about it.

"Wade, you're... you're joking right? Haha-- funny?" She was met with silence. Then, his hand met hers in a firm, yet gentle grip. "Wade...this isnt funny. Not at all, i dont like this."

Wade just let out a strained chuckle, pulling off his mask to reveal his scarred and mutilated face. A small smile on his bleeding lips. "you know, i thought I'd live forever. Its so much fun being able to spend time with you and Logan. Hell- its better than kicking ass all day. I mean- when we first met, you were a real pain in my ass. Not fun, not silly. More serious than Logan if I could say." He placed his hand on his stomach, his occupied hand running its thumb over her knuckles.

She teared up slightly, blinking them back of course. Who was she to cry infront of him? Or anyone? "Wade, stop fucking around damn it. You're not dying- you'll just regenerate as usual." She said loudly, as if trying to convince him..- or herself rather. It was to no avial, as she felt his grip loosening.

"You know i love ya, right claws?" *He looked down at her hands, before his eyes met hers. She hesitated, but nodded slowly. "Good. Good..cuz' if i didnt, i wouldn't be sitting here, dying in your hands."

She sniffles slightly, opening her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She was physically incapable of saying anything without breaking down and she knew that. So she silently slid next to him, burying herself into his side, wrapping her arms around him without a word. They didn't need words right now. They needed the comfort in these final moments- something that would end in less than a few minutes.

He tightened his grip around her, eyes filled with tears as small sobs racked his own slender body. He didnt have the heart to leave her, it would kill him. Not that he wasn't already dying at the moment...

She let out a choked sob, burying her face in his side as an attempt to hide it. As the minutes ticked by, his grip grew looser and looser. The life slowly draining from his face in little bits. It was uncanny to see him so quiet. The once loud mouthed, snarky, and silly mercenary now on his deathbed next to the woman of his dreams.

She knew no amount of science would save him. no matter how much she loved him, there was nothing that would change his fate. That would change this course of events. It was bound to happen, the universe planned this. Everything has a reason to happen right? But for Koa, it wasn't the right time. He didnt deserve to die- not now, but all she could do was sit with him. Comfort him through it, and let him know she was there and she wasnt leaving.

In the final moments, she felt his once labored and wheezy breathing falter to a halt. She blinked, jerking her head up to the now, pale skinned man. "...Wade?" She said softly. No answer. "Wade, get up, you're not dead yet." She sat up quickly, her hands cupping his face almost in a heartbeat. "Wade. Get up, this isnt funny." Tears began streaming down her dark-skinned face.

He was gone. And there was nothing she could do but cry. She begged, she pleaded, wept, and cried into him. Holding his lifeless body against her own. He was so...cold. it was a stark contrast to the warmth he always emmited both physically and emotionally. And now she was alone in a room with the man she couldn't even confess to. The man she longed for, the man she wanted to kiss and hold and..love.

That moment was over now. Her fear of rejection held her back and all she could do was sit in the dark living space with the shrill cold of someone she failed to protect. What a pity.

[throughalleternity]

Hi I love your genderfluid!Lucy fics. What are your headcanons about Leon? Like what are some differences how he acts/what he likes as opposed to Lucy?

Hi anon, thanks! I had a lot of fun writing them, and I'm so glad you enjoy them! Rambly thoughts under the cut:

(I'm like a lot of people, where I've got a bunch of different versions of each character in my head. So not all headcanons are from the same version/verse.)

Leon tends to go the extra mile to be chivalrous. At first he wanted to be as cuddly as she can be as Lucy (and sometimes he could be!), but some of it is just… a lot. And Alex and Maggie start to notice when he's there but not present and they're finally like, "what's wrong? Because you forcing yourself to do something you assume we want actually doesn't make us feel good." So they actually talk and figure out what works for everyone (for Leon, it's the full contact cuddling that makes him uncomfortably aware; touch that's less overwhelming is still good and he still wants that). So aside from physical affection, he really likes being able to show affection through chivalry, with the bonus being that he likes being able to express his masculinity that way too. (And as far as director sanvers goes, the way it ends up going is that they all take turns doing things for each other and making each other feel special.)

That said, Leon does get a lot more comfortable with physical intimacy after top surgery. There are still times when the most he wants is to be shoulder to shoulder on the couch, of course. But he likes how he can wrap his arms around Alex and Maggie without feeling dysphoric, how having someone rest their head on his chest feels euphoric and more intimate than it ever has. The flip side is that cuddling with breast forms feels different when she wears them, but it's not that big a deal because it's mostly an aesthetic thing for her - she has some tops and dresses that just work best with some boob.

Sort of an addendum to the chivalry point above: when it comes to rowdy or confrontational strangers, Lucy can be more likely to engage and push back, especially early on. The calculation of how safe that is (even though he's just as capable of defending himself) is a little different for Leon: him being read (correctly) as a man might mean someone is quicker to violence, and someone might read him as relatively more gender nonconforming and take that as an invitation as well. Of course Lucy isn't exempt from targeted harassment, and verbal harassment can be more common, but Lucy has had more practice dealing with that type. Leon would rather prioritize safety since it can be harder to read the situation. (That said, I sometimes envision Lucy on low dose T and more masc presenting, and in those cases, this distinction doesn't exist quite like that, and can even flip.)

@endersbegin and I have talked about Lucy using pressure for comfort, and then @nerdsbianhokie happened to write a super sweet fic with ace!Lucy and a weighted blanket, so that's been folded into my headcanon for genderfluid!Lucy too. It's one of their go-tos when the dysphoria etc makes touch off putting.

There's a different energy Lucy brings when she dances compared to Leon. It's always energetic, always liberating, always themself—but he likes how even with the same choreo, he can change just a few things about how he moves his body—more precision in his torso in one place, looser with his arms in another—it fits how he wants to express himself.

And just in terms of like, day to day how Leon acts, I don't really see him being distinctly different (especially since I don't headcanon Lucy as conforming to female gender norms all that much, even though she does in some aspects). There are differences I've mentioned here and written about, obviously, like different boundaries with touch and differences in gender presentation. But like. I think Lucy struggles at first and worries about over/under performing gender and what that all means and whether they should be doing things differently, but eventually they're just like. "No matter what I think, there are genders I feel intrinsically and they change over time. And there are things I can do to feel more at peace with myself as they change. So I should just do those things, regardless of how stereotypically masculine or feminine those things are." So sure, Leon does usually get euphoria from stereotypically masculine things, and vice versa, but also, at the end of the day, they just want to be happy as themself, and that's easier when they feel free to fuck with gender norms. They want their gender acknowledged, definitely, that's so important for them—they just don't want expectations for how that should look. And as it turns out, the way they behave isn't strongly tied to their gender. (And Alex and Maggie will be like, yeah you're equally ridiculous regardless of gender (affectionate) lol)

[frengles]

rewatching older seasons of rupaul drag race it is interesting that the show is no less rigged but it feels like they were able to produce better narratives back then. I think part of it is that contestants weren't as worried about getting flamed online so they were more comfortable being insane on television and also production was less concerned with keeping the reality television savvy viewer on their toes so they could actually focus on producing a narrative that made sense. these are the two reasons i have observed but somehow there is also just like some extra zest and spice to the older seasons that don't seem to be encompassed by just that. mayhaps that production was a little looser / rougher in all respects so you could see people having actual fun sometimes instead of being on an insane stress tour for however many weeks they film that thing

[wonderfuldeath]

.o| Seasonal Calendar |o.

Vintage

• July 9 •

Warnings : Fluff, love

Please, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi ! ♥

The stifling heat of mid-July made him a little bitter, as he gazed out over the property's large, well-kept gardens.

Truth be told, any season can bore you deeply, but at least in summer, he could be bored outside, far from the cold interior of the Jeon family's vacation mansion, the youngest of the family, Jungkook, was the second of the family generation, the one who wouldn't be entitled to much, some large piece of land, left by his generous older brother, to help him in the wine business, the most prized in South Korea, exporting grapes even from France. But if he was to be left alone on his estate, for the family's annual vacation, he had to keep his ethics and prestige intact, but also keep his hands in his pockets, and Jeon didn't know how to do that very well himself. On the large estate lost in the countryside, he could do whatever he liked, and what he liked was being stable master. Kim Taehyung was two years older, and had been the Jeon's servant for nearly ten years. He had entered the Jeon household as a servant when he was barely seventeen, but he and Jungkook didn't get along, at least until the day of the storm, when Mr. Jeon found it more amusing to listen to the older man's gentle voice shouting his name in pleasure, rather than frustration. As time went by, through sexual contact, Jungkook had discovered this little problem, the impossible feelings between him and Taehyung, but he was a stubborn rich man, a little obsessed, and had made the unthinkable decision to have only one person in his life: Kim Taehyung, whether the world liked it or not. But if the rest of the year he could enjoy loving her without shame, for the two summer months the torture was there, having to see that pair of buttocks, stuck in his riding pants, without being able to bite into them, drove him crazy, but also very, very bitter.

“- Mr Jeon, would you like your refreshments outside, or inside?

- Outside, please.

- Chocolate macaroons, or blackberry jam?

- Chocolate.”

His gaze can't take his eyes off Taehyung, as he nods gently, falsely taking note, his smile a delight, as he swaps his cavalier outfit for the surely less comfortable footman's, his pants looser, his shirt badly buttoned, most certainly because of the scorching sun. He couldn't help worrying, Taehyung must have been too hot, he deserved something more comfortable, or to have the refreshment with him. Jungkook seemed to be sulking, while Taehyung dropped his attention to turn to his brother, asking him the same questions before returning to the mansion with a light step.

“- He's kind.

- Taehyung's a good boy, good at just about everything. I'm delighted he's working for me.

- I'm jealous, my miss is a real tornado, I had to get someone else to deal with her problems.

Jungkook smiles slightly at his brother, before wrinkling his nose.

- I wish I had someone as talented as Taehyung in my mansion.”

Jungkook remained silent, knowing that the older man was teasing him, but he couldn't help feeling jealous at his words. After all, his brother was known as a hothead, undressing everyone he met, male or female. Their parents didn't say much, since he wasn't married yet, although they clearly didn't agree with his frivolous lifestyle. After the refreshments, Jungkook could only watch his lover leave, helpless to do anything about it. But the desire to touch him, to dominate him, makes him depressed, and the more time passes, the more he feels a void being created. So when he sees the older man playing with another valet, he can't help but see red.

“- What are you doing, gentlemen? Don't you have work to do?

- Please excuse us, Mr Jeon.

- Please hurry back. Mr Kim, get KimKone and Flavia ready for a ride.

- Well, Mr Jeon, who are you going to take for a ride?

- You are. We'll go to the waterfall and see if we can hunt a hare.

- Good.”

Taehyung and the other man got smaller as Taehyung prepared the two horses without delay. Kimkone was a black stallion from Europe, his coat groomed only by Taehyung, Jungkook refused to let anyone take care of his horse, which he took everywhere with a certain pride. Flavia was the complete opposite, a flamboyant white horse with a blond mane that Taehyung loved to plait. Few people know this, but Jungkook had given her to him on his birthday, when he had fallen in love with the beast at the fair, then still a foal. Two years had passed, and he let the older one take care of it as he pleased. Once the two animals were brushed and ready for the outing, Taehyung brought them back to the large main stone courtyard, waiting for the youngest member of the family, who had also changed into a more comfortable, lighter outfit. Jugnkook joined him in his riding outfit too, squinting at his buttocks before mounting his horse first, then they both set off, joining the main dirt road, riding for well over an hour, before reaching the lake Jungkook mentioned, now the two of them alone, for a hunting party where Jungkook hadn't even taken his rifle.

“- Mister Jeon.

- You can call me Jungkook, it's just the two of us.

- Jungkook… Is something bothering you? You're… Bitter today.”

Taehyung came to fetch Kimone's reindeer, but Jungkook didn't let him, instead grabbing his arm and pulling him to him, kissing him full on the lips, and with a deep sigh of satisfaction, letting go of the reindeer. Horses were obedient, well-trained, they wouldn't get very far, so Taehyung responded with less ardor, trying to calm him down, to make him understand that he was here, no matter what. Jungkook broke off only to breathe, before caressing his face and neck.

“- How do you expect me to be gentle, calm and thoughtful when I can't even touch you as I please?

- It's just the two of us, isn't it? So… You can touch me.

- Don't try to seduce me.

- But if you don't want to, that's okay, you can wait here then.”

Jungkook looks at him curiously, as Taehyung opens his shirt with execrable slowness, when his lover's naked body is in front of him, he can only moan softly. Slowly, Taehyung stepped into the cool lake water, helping him to cope better with the heatwave outside, and it didn't take long for Jungkook to undress without any grace, before joining him, sticking their two boiling bodies together. It was far from gentle, far from tender, and Jungkook took Taehyung there, right on the burning rock, their voices echoing in a burning, tearing echo. When the craving subsides, after several long minutes of lovemaking, they remain together, half in the water, the horses grazing not far away.

“- What are you going to tell your family?

- About what?

- About hunting without a gun.”

Jungkook pauses for a moment as he straightens up, searching in vain for the trace of anything resembling a firearm, and lets out a deep swear, before dropping back against the rock again.

“- Fuck it.”

[bloomboxygo]

And here I am again! This chapter is set AFTER CHAPTER 49 of A Blossoming Legato. Just making it clear now.

So yeah, this one's a bit shorter than most of my chapters, admittedly. I'll play looser with these side chapters and stories, and that includes the lengths. I hope you won't mind.

Comments and Criticisms are appreciated, as always!

Characters in this chapter: Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir, Yuzu Hiiragi, Yuya Sakaki, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - Now including Performapals! - Spoilery new Monsters as well (from Chapter 49)

“Every time I look at this Card… I struggle to believe it even exists. Yet somehow, many trusted friends, Monsters, and others believe I deserve this. I just can’t help but feel it’s too grand for me, but… Here I am.

I’ve become Etoile, and I now stand fully with my Melodious, as their Ace Monster.

It still feels unreal… Don’t you think so, Yuya?”

The sun had set down, leading Maiami City to an end of yet another serene day, and You Show School past a joyous school session. As the tales of Yuya and Yuzu and the ideals of Entertainment Dueling spread across the city and its surroundings, more and more children gathered to a new age of Duelists bonding with their Monsters. It proved to be a fun yet tiring day for Yuya and Yuzu, as well as their aces, and they would share a moment of respite and thoughts before returning to their homes. Bloom Diva and Odd-Eyes would observe them, and while the pinkette was still a bit unsure of her newfound role and being, she would be reassured by Yuya’s proud smile and sentiment… Which the Choir also shared.

“In a way… It was destined to become like this. I could ask no less for my Maestra. I could not be any more gratified by her presence.”

“It sure is fantastic that Yuzu joined your ranks like this! I really think she’ll do great!” Odd-Eyes would communicate with the Choir as their Duelists had their moment. “That also means she can be with you in the Spirit World?”

“Well yes, yet it is unwise to do so carelessly.” Bloom Diva then explained. “She falls unconscious in this world to enter in ours. As such, she was hardly able to meet us during the day thus far.”

“Huh… So you’re worried that something might happen to her in the real world while she’s with you?”

“Precisely, however unlikely that might be. However, just like us Monsters, she feels a sensation whenever either her body or her Card is touched. At least it gives her a warning…”

“Well, that’s good at least! If you find out new stuff, don’t hesitate to tell me! Or anything at all that involves her! We gotta prepare so our boy can get the welcome he deserves!”

“Naturally!” Bloom Diva reassured the Dragon with a tender smile. “I may only imagine your meeting will be as joyous as ours! I truly want all of you to enjoy it at your fullest!”

“OH, you're SO right! Every single one of us wants to thank him for all that he’s done! We even tried to OH-” Odd-Eyes stopped when he noticed Yuya was about to pull a Card out of his hand, and managed to instantly identify as the Choir asked:

“Uh, what is the matter? Yuya seems to be…”

“Tell Yuzu about what I meant to say! Oh, strap in and listen to the conversation, this is gonna be good!”

While the Aces were having their talk, Yuya was also proudly reassuring Yuzu after she expressed her thoughts on being Etoile.

“No, I don’t think that’s crazy, Yuzu! Z-ARC and Ray had become Monsters too, didn’t they? So it’s not impossible that you could become one too. You were doing your best out there, and you deserved it.

Also, this outfit really suits you!”

“Aw, stop it!” Yuzu laughed at that last part. “I don’t think I would have ever imagined looking like this! Look at me, it’s like Mikiyo decided to go for a floral theme!

But…” She looked once more at Etoile’s card art, noticing little familiar details that are reminiscent of her own life and adventure, as well as one of Yuya’s… And tenderly concluded with: “You’re not wrong. It even felt natural back as I was like this in the Spirit World. It’s not as clunky as it seems.”

“I wonder what I’ll look like when I join Odd-Eyes and the others!” Yuya then wondered: “The Odd-Eyes, the Magicians and the Performapals should be all there together, right? What do you think I’d become?”

“That’s really a good question…” Yuzu then speculated. “Probably Odd-Eyes, since Bloom Diva told me that our thoughts resonated as she called me to the Spirit World and dueled Z-ARC. Maybe that’s how you’ll get to them all in the first place. Maybe you and your Monsters could work together for it somehow?”

“You know, I don’t think you can just do that. You see… Odd-Eyes and the others kind of tried already, unknowingly.”

“Oh? They tried already… Unknowingly? What did they do?”

“Well… I need to show you this first!” Yuya then reached for his own Deck and swiftly pulled a Pendulum Card and showed it to Yuzu. It showed a fully shadowed figure standing proudly on top of a wired platform from which a dazzling light show background projected, and that figure became immediately familiar to the Pinkette, taking her completely aback.

“Y-Yuya? Is that… Actually you?”

“Not really! But this was made by Odd-Eyes and the others, kinda like Bloom Diva and you made Etoile… With a little help! I’ll explain!”

To a confused Yuzu and bewildered Bloom Diva, Yuya would then recite the short little tale of a little, yet grand gift.

DUEL SPIRITS’ WORLD - ???

“All right, the hay did the hair just perfectly! The arms are in position and… This should be good!”

At the top of a metal platform, a purple-haired, twin-tailed, crowned young girl with a purple and black attire with a cape and a small book tied to a necklace was fixing, with a giant glove on a stick with surprisingly stunning dexterity, a humanoid dummy figure made out of stage props, with green and red colored hay made to be styled like Yuya’s hair. She made sure it was all sticking together with collants she grabbed out of thin air with her glove on a stick. She tested them out and blew on them, and they didn’t budge an inch, resulting in the girl clapping gladly for a job well done. Odd-Eyes had been there for a bit to assess her progress.

“Fantastic work, Helpprincess! Looks like the body’s all done! My only question is… From the angle we’re taking, would Yuya’s goggles stand out?”

“Hmm… I don’t know, because they’re mostly stuck in his hair anyway! But I have a proposal!” Helpprincess then summoned her trusty pink phone horn and stuck it right in the middle of the figure’s head, surprising the Dragon with a mix of bafflement and awe.

“I don’t know what you were on about… But if this works… You rock!”

“Tee-hee! All it took was imagining it as a purely black figure! I’m 100% sure it’ll work! Now, I just need the final touc-”

As the Helper was talking, she was interrupted by a howl from another trusty companion of Yuya, Silverclaw, who announced Hip Hippo’s grand entrance, complete with a jacket in his mouth that he was quick to bring to the Dragon.

“Excellent timing, Hip Hippo!” Odd-Eyes lent his horn to catch the jacket as Hip Hippo ran by, and he kept swinging it until he produced enough momentum to be able to fling it into the air so that the Princess could catch it with her stick. It would only take a moment for her to put the jacket in its proper position as Hip Hippo ran up Odd-Eyes’ tail, torso, then head to have a better look, and made a cry of approval in which Odd-Eyes joined!

“FANTASTIC! Since the wind’s also set up, I guess we’re ready to try this out! You can come down!”

“I can’t wait to see how it looks! WEEEE!” Helpprincess jumped off the platform and Odd-Eyes prepared his torso to be a slide and lowered his head so Hip Hippo could jump off of it. It made for a really fun ride for the girl, but she inadvertently struck Odd-Eyes to the back of his head with her stick afterwards, but he shook it off harmlessly and all had a laugh afterwards, but Helpprincess’ was a nervous one.

“Sorry! I was caught up in it all… This is going to be our message to Yuya, and I’m so excited for how it will turn out!”

“Hehe… If anything, I love that you’re so excited about this! I bet Yuya can feel it from here!” Odd-Eyes responded, with a confused look from Hip Hippo as a reply, to which the Dragon continued: “Well, if not now, definitely when the show’s starting! My eyes will be 100% focused on this! I gotta make sure our boy will have it clear!”

Just then, three more figures have come from the inside of the tower: a purple tapir balloon like creature, a tiger with a march drummer’s outfit, and a dark blue firefly with a bow-tie. The tiger first saluted the Dragon, who responded with:

“Ah, Salutiger! I assume everything’s all in check! Fireflux, you must have charged up the lighting, right?” At that point, the insect saluted and nodded in response, and the Dragon nodded back. “And Inflater Tapir, are the windboxes ready to go?” The balloon did a backflip in the air as a response, which Odd-Eyes took as a yes.

“All right! It looks like we’re ready and raring to- uh?” Just then, he turned around to see a very familiar face, a white and green haired friend of his with Magician’s robes, who was distracted by the setup that the Performapals had put out.

“Um… Am I interrupting something there, what is the-”

“Z-AAAAARC!” Odd-Eyes rushed towards his friend, inadvertently tackling Helpprincess and making her spin around, rendering her woozy for a second. That face was unfamiliar to her, but the name surely wasn’t.

“Wait… That Z-ARC?!” She exclaimed in worry, and Hip Hippo joined in, but they were quickly tranquilized by the sight of Odd-Eyes nuzzling up to his original master, who repaid in kind by hugging his head and petting it.

“Hey, Odd-Eyes…! It’s been a while, I know!” Z-ARC then calmed down alongside his Dragon and explained. “You see, Ray and I have been traveling around this world after we separated and I made you meet Yuya. We discovered A LOT of cool locations, even completely new ones… Born by the power of Pendulum!”

“Pendulum?! You mean, the thing that changed me and gave me all these orbs!?” Odd-Eyes swiftly asked. “It’s so cool that it can do even that! But wait… You two have been traveling together? Where is Ray?”

“Ray’s caught wind of a… Certain festival that her descendants’ Ace Monsters are holding.”

“Wait, THAT festival?!” Helpprincess barged into the conversation. “I really wanted to meet all these ladies myself after hearing about them from Odd-Eyes, maybe get some tips for our shows! But as far as we know, it’s far away…”

“Moreover, aren’t you with her?” The Dragon asked, to which his Master replied:

“She insisted on joining them first, and on calling me when it’s time… So while she’s doing that, I took the opportunity to give you a visit, knowing you’re here. Ray can’t come, she’s all about a certain experiment she’s trying to pull right now. That girl really hasn’t lost the knack for these. 

Speaking of…” Now his attention was directed to the Yuya dummy, which he now recognized and was interested in: “You did all of that to put a Yuya figurine on that platform? What are you trying to pull?”

“We’re giving Yuya a show just for him!” The Helper exclaimed. “We wanted to let him know just how much he means to us! By making Odd-Eyes see that show clearly, he can show it to Yuya in the other world, and POOF!”

“I instructed them a bit on how to make it because of how I can communicate it to Yuya! He’ll have that glorious image of himself burned in his memory! Because that’s how he is to us!”

“Very interesting… Very interesting indeed!” Z-ARC then had a lightbulb in his mind. “You wouldn’t mind if I also saw that show, would you?”

“You don’t even need to ask! We do the opposite of minding when it comes to our friends!”

With Odd-Eyes’ response, everything was set for the show to start. The whole of the Performapal tribe, as well as the Odd-Eyes, gathered in front of the platform to prepare to witness the marvel that Odd-Eyes and his trusted helpers put forth.

And so it was that the dazzling spectacle was for everyone to see. The placement of the Yuya dummy worked to perfection, with the wind bellowing from below making that figure look like he was an alive silhouette, all obscured and contrasting the dazzling light show during which various members of the Performapal crew were created in colorful drawings of light, imbuing the sky, as well as the walls that were made to look like the buildings of Maiami City that Yusho himself swung in between as he performed his shows. Overall, it was a light show imprinted into everyone’s memory, with everyone cheering for Yuya, except Odd-Eyes, who despite trying to concentrate, remained starstruck by it all, with this image burned into his memory…

And Z-ARC remaining silent, focusing on a mysterious sensation he felt… A mysterious, swinging sensation which told him the power of Pendulum was at work.

And so… He felt something new was created.

“Hey, it worked!”

“What worked?” Odd-Eyes got distracted by Z-ARC, but the latter reassured him.

“Don’t worry… Once you’ll join Yuya again, you’ll find out! Let’s say you’ve left a present that he’ll never forg-

AH!” Z-ARC suddenly stopped in his tracks, and shortly after it really looked like he was in a hurry. “Ahm, gotta go! Ray’s calling me!”

“Ray’s calling you NOW?!” Odd-Eyes couldn’t help being shocked. “We’re almost done here, I-”

“Nope, sorry, gotta duel! I’ll have you hear why later bye-!” And Z-ARC suddenly rushed towards a portal, confusing the Monsters nearby, especially the Dragon…

“...did he just say duel?”

STANDARD DIMENSION - YOU SHOW DUEL SCHOOL

“So that’s how it all happened?” Yuzu asked, struck by the story, then recalled: “And Z-ARC mentioned that Ray wanted to conduct an experiment… Which is exactly what she did with Bloom Diva!

And the connections between us and our Monsters…

How much we want to meet one another…

How grateful we are to one another…

As it was for me and Etoile, that message as Duelist Extraordinaire is what happens when we reach out to each other hard enough…”

“That’s more or less like it, as we understood.” Yuya responded gladly. “Because you and Bloom Diva wanted to prove that you hadn’t lost hope yet, you thought both of that and you came out as Etoile! Maybe there’s also some other thing… But really, not even Z-ARC and Ray know. We don’t need to think too hard about it!”

Bloom Diva, instead of thinking about what that Card implied, was more so moved by the sincere and kind message Odd-Eyes and the Performapals wanted to tell, and the lengths they went through in order to convey it. She couldn’t help tearing up a little bit.

“What a wonderful message… Your adoration and dedication is worthy of the highest, most sincere praise!”

WHOMP!

“Ain’t it mad sweet?!” Odd-Eyes exclaimed so as he unexpectedly smacked Bloom Diva’s back with his tail, meaning it to be a good natured pat. “Even Z-ARC came to give that message with this! I can’t help but feel real good about it. It was a job very well done by all!”

“Well, eh… No doubt, such an outcome would fill you with pure joy… All deserved after such hard work!” The Choir shrugged it off after a tiny bit, understanding the message, although she felt a bit of a sting from it… “Pardon me, could you not find another way to do that gesture?”

“Can’t do much with these tiny arms! A dragon’s gotta improvise!” Odd-Eyes shrugged, and the Fairy gently patted him on the back as a sign of understanding.

With all these explanations, these recollections, and the Monsters’ antics, Yuzu returned to observe the Card and couldn’t help being a bit worried.

“Still, with all of that, you haven’t managed to join your Monsters like I did…”

“Eh, it’s no biggie!” Yuya responded without a hint of worry, attracting the pinkette’s attention. “I know that my Monsters are my friends, and I’ll be their friend forever and always! Also, I have Odd-Eyes with me! I’m no longer fearful, Yuzu… I’m no longer alone and I know I’ll never be.”

This pleasantly surprised Yuzu, who asked a bit of a backhanded question:

“That’s a bit funny coming from you, huh?”

“Eh?!” While the guy wondered if he said something wrong, she clarified:

“You’ve changed, haven’t you? Back then when all this began, you were… Ah, I’ll just say it. You didn’t take it well when something didn’t go your way regarding your Monsters, or Pendulum, such as when Reiji created Pendulums of his own, or you couldn’t reunite with Odd-Eyes while I could with Bloom Diva. No matter the situation, whenever something was wrong, or taken from you… It hurt you. It made you feel like you weren’t worthy of it somehow.

But here you are just not worrying about this at all! It’s like the news of me being with my Monsters now only made you happier and more hopeful!”

“I’ll admit, you’re right, but that was the Yuya of the past!” Yuya reassured her happily. “You getting to that point first means I just need to try harder! No use cowering, I know Odd-Eyes and I can do this!

After all, the goal remains to make people happy with my Entertainment Dueling, and that doesn’t really change with that. That only means I can go even higher! Or a different direction entirely, who knows! I’ll just have to take it in stride and press forward!”

“Yuya… I’m really proud of you.” Yuzu told him these simple yet impactful words, only showing a sincere smile for what Yuya demonstrated, and Bloom Diva and Odd-Eyes too were drawn by Yuya’s words with nothing but glad pride in their faces. The pinkette then flared up a little.

“Well, that means our rivalry’s renewed!”

“Uh… Oh, of course it is!” Yuya took a second to recollect himself. “You’re ready to go more than ever as well!”

“Yeah, it was I who was in a bit of a block lately…” Yuzu admitted. “And it didn’t feel great. I tried hard to not let it bother me, but it did. It’s a bit hard to keep up with your Entertainment Dueling if you’re growing stale.

But deep down, I had full belief that we wouldn’t. In the end, our efforts paid off, and we’ll keep going higher. Right, Bloom Diva?”

“Undeniably, Yuzu!” What was the Choir’s response to Yuzu was accompanied by a strong nod that Yuya and Odd-Eyes could understand easily.

“Count me in then!” The boy forwarded his hands so that the Pinkette and he would shake it firmly, and with grit. “Let’s grow our Entertainment Dueling to new heights!”

“Let’s, Yuya! This is a promise I made to the Melodious, my friends, your father, and you. I intend to keep it!”

At that last lovely exchange, Bloom Diva swiftly got to the point and held her hand forward to meet Odd-Eyes’. “Our Masters’ words also apply to us. Even as we may contest each other, let our lives and shows be a crescendo of inspiration, talent, and joy!”

“Y’all couldn’t have said it any better! We’re SO IN!” Odd-Eyes, with some effort, shook hands with the Choir for this promise. It was almost mirrored to Yuya and Yuzu’s handshake, albeit the latter had started to form more tender via both hands being held to one another…

“Bravo! Bravo!”

That was interrupted by Yusho stepping in and applauding the two, and it did shake them a bit, albeit with not much embarrassment. The Monsters would get into position behind their Masters as Yusho approached them all.

“I can easily see and hear that your passion has been reignited! And after the great lengths and ordeals you went through, it’s fantastic to see you this bright!”

“Mr. Sakaki… I know I’ve had some bumps lately, but now… I’ll work harder than ever from now on!” Yuzu reassured with a bow, and the Choir followed.

“No need to stress yourselves!” Yusho replied. “Progress won’t come in a day, after all. Well, your case was a bit sudden… You have truly gone even further beyond in terms of being one with your Monsters…”

“Now she’s a superstar amidst the Melodious too!” Shuzo came in shortly after Yusho, and declared: “But superstars need super rest for their hard work. Today was a fantastic school day, and more people are coming than ever! I finished receiving them just now!”

“Principal… I wonder if I can get used to it all.” Yuya remarked. “Back when all of this started, when Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya first came here… It felt like a close family! But it was slowly and slowly extending… And it’s now getting faster than ever!

Oh well, the more people who smile, the better!”

“That’s the spirit! But… We need to close off for the day.” The principal remarked, to which everyone nodded and said their goodbyes, though not before the boy added one last time…

“I’m really happy for you, Yuzu! And you too, Bloom Diva! I’m sure your Pendulum Monsters will make you proud!”

“Well, they made you all teary, so I definitely think so!” The pinkette half-jokingly responded, before adding more tenderly… “Good luck, Yuya. I know you can do it.” Bloom Diva nodded in approval to all of that, and then it was time for the goodbyes…

YUZU’S ROOM (A BIT LATER)

After the school day, a rather tranquil dinner came not too long after, frugal and relaxing. But Yuzu and Shuzo had one other thing in mind before the Pinkette would finally call it a day. 

“Well… Let’s try this out for real this time.” Shuzo started as his daughter sat on her bed. “Say hi to the other Melodious for me, Yuzu!”

“I will, for sure!” Yuzu replied. “It’s nice that I can afford it now, since we don’t have school tomorrow! This’ll be ideal to find out more about this whole thing. I’ll admit, I don’t even know if I’ve actually turned into Etoile.”

“Hmm, why so?”

“I… Feel somewhat different when I see through Etoile’s eyes. I’m much calmer and graceful than I usually am, but at the same time I’m firing up… Just like you usually do, even though I don’t really show it. At least, that’s what I felt like the first time.”

“Well, but the first time you dueled, so of course you wanted to give it your all! That was your big moment!”

“Hmm… You may be right. I’ll tell you more as I find out, and… I’ll be careful. I promise.”

“I know you’ll be alright! Good night, Yuzu!”

“Good night, Dad!”

As they said their goodnights, Yuzu’s thoughts were focused on Etoile herself and her bracelet arm was raised. This led to Yuzu passing out as expected and soundly sleeping. All her dad did was return her arm to its proper position to make her sleep as comfortable as possible. Then… It would be just her, and the Melodious.

DUEL SPIRITS’ WORLD - CONSERVATORY (A BIT EARLIER)

Parallel to the day at You Show School, the day at the Conservatory had also been one of hard, but joyous work. Many Duels to be had, and many songs to be sung, all ending neatly in a relatively quiet evening, shortly after the practice sessions.

Refrain and Couplet were sitting outside, at a part of the garden that was closer to the woods around them, so that they could share a moment together.

“Ahh… Wasn’t this day a ton of fun?” Couplet started, bubbly as ever. “We just met so many people on the other world! The new students at You Show were all so eager!”

“And good too!” Refrain replied, still a bit shocked. “Dang kids were more powerful than I expected.”

“Well, don’t be too surprised! Yuzu’s teacher was a kid, after all!”

“UUUGH!” Refrain grasped her own head in frustration upon hearing that. “Did he really have to come in the middle of the day, duel us, and stop my song with that white-robed nuisance?”

“Refrain, please-” But Couplet’s words were somewhat in vain, as her red-haired companion slumped forward for a bit before trying to recollect herself and breathe in. Upon seeing her recover, the pink-haired continued: “Refrain… I know stuff like that hurts your pride, but it was just a friendly Duel!”

“Friendly Duel or not, one should always give it their all! It’s disrespectful otherwise to the opponent and the audience!”

“OK…” Couplet approached Refrain much more softly now. “You’re right in this, but this shouldn’t mean you should let an obstacle get to you. In these Duels, anything can happen, and we need to press on regardless.”

“I can’t help it…” The redhead calmed down, but still didn’t feel completely at ease. “I know I can do a lot here, so if I end up doing nothing at all…”

“Well… You and I wield the power of Pendulum, after all. It’s a great power, but also a great responsibility because we can support in place of our scripts. 

But I’m sure the Melodious here have gone through many obstacles themselves. It’s all a matter of never giving up, never letting it set in. Simple as that, but… It’s not instant. I know you can do it, Refrain. You’re strong.”

“Yeah… I am strong. Probably it’s because of this… That I feel so weak if something goes wrong.

You’re strong too, Couplet… Don’t you feel the same when your song gets interrupted?”

“Well… I feel a bit bummed for sure, but it’s no biggie! You can get back in the flow the next turn, after all! The flow… You’re fully in it, and nothing can really stop you!”

“The flow… What do you mean-?”As Refrain finally looked up, it seemed as if Couplet got into the flow and started humming to herself while swinging her head side to side gracefully.

“Uh, Couplet?” The redhead tried to call her, but seemingly to no avail.

“Hello?” A Refrain was had, but Couplet kept bobbing peacefully.

“Are you here?!” She was starting to get angry, so she instinctively pinched Couplet’s cheek, making her stop right there.

“Aah! Uh… Sorry… And owie.” The pink-haired finally snapped out of it. “I reminded myself of the Duels we had today… They were just so stimulating!”

“Uh, sorry to have done that.” Refrain humbly apologized to her companion. “But I got… Actually worried for a sec. I know sometimes you act like you’re by yourself, but at least a call would have woken you up.”

“Oh…” Couplet turned quieter as well. “It’s a bit of a tic of mine, but with all these Duels… I lost my train of thought entirely! There was just so much good to process!”

“Don’t worry… I’ll be there to help you.” Refrain finally started smiling. “It’s the least I can do for you, girl. Our Yuzu wants to climb higher to the top and to entertain more people… And I know we’ll be shining together. So… I’m here for you, as you’ve been here for me. Thank you.”

Now that the redhead’s gaze became more tender and relaxed, couplet repaid in kind and held hands with her. “Yes, we’ll do this together! We won’t let anything get to us! With your fire, I know we can all do it!”

“And I know we can, because of your… Bubbliness!” Refrain briefly pinched Couplet’s nose and both had a quick laugh at this before they touched each other’s foreheads in joint gladness. However…

“Refrain, Couplet… My apologies, but we have to receive Yuzu now.”

“Mozarta!” Both Songstresses instantly rose up, and Couplet spoke, a bit flustered. “Sorry that we were a bit away, we just-”

“Needed your moment together? My dears, I know of such a need, and it would be rude for me to stop it. Yet…”

“We’ve got a job to do. Right away!”

With Refrain’s last words, the Songstresses followed the Maestra while holding their respective bracelet hands and nodding. As all felt revitalized after such a day, they were more than ready to enjoy this evening to the fullest.

[egophiliac]

Can you give like, a "style guideline" for how you do the unique magic posters? It can be as rough or developed as you want, I'm just curious about your thought process

I'm not sure if I can explain it very well, but I'll try! there's definitely a skill to being able to explain The Process in a way that makes sense to other people, so apologies in advance if this just ends up a confusing mess of words!

since these are about each character's unique magic -- though some of them are. looser. than others -- that's a pretty obvious starting point. I try to stay away from a literal "here's a picture of them using their magic" and go for more of the tone and feeling of it. like...the ones I did for the twins don't really have anything to do their magic at all, because I decided it was more interesting to make it about their twinny-ness and their eyes, and having them bookend Azul. so...their magic got relegated to the background as the teeth/tails from the kanji, rather than anything relevant. :') but they look nice and creepy, which was more important to me!

I always start by doing a bunch of thumbnails to get the idea down and figure out what exactly I want to do. for these I go to colors straight off the final thumb instead of doing a tighter sketch; things tend to change a lot and get moved around and shapes and silhouettes get refined as I go, so I just try to get the idea and the important shapes down and worry about fixing my wonky anatomy later. the style is so flat and minimal that it's fun to lean into that, use a lot of symmetry and lack of depth to push the shapes a lot further than with lines! my only rules for it are that 1) the character should be prominent, and 2) facial features are in limited supply and only to be handed out when necessary (both eyes? don't be greedy). other than that it's anything goes!

here are the final thumbs I went with for each if you're interested! some of them stayed pretty close, and some of them still ended up changing a lot during painting:

once I feel good about that, I come up with two or three main colors + an accent color + a "black" and a "white". (I don't use pure black or white for these, I use dark and light shades of other colors. like for the poms, the "white" is a super pale green and the "black" is a super dark blue. it looks richer and blends better with the rest of the palette that way!) I try to use the same colors within the dorm groups (except for the scaras) to keep some internal consistency, but they don't have to be exact or anything.

color is something I tend to really struggle with so I like to have a palette to start with, even if I end up getting away from it. :x I don't restrict myself from adding more shades and colors as necessary, but I try to be mindful about it -- pops of contrasting color immediately become a focal point, so I don't want to overuse those and make it distracting. the little rimlighting highlights are in the "white" color, and just there for fun and to make things a little less 100% symmetrical for some of them! they're easy to overdo though so I try to use them sparingly.

the actual process of painting is mostly thinking about shapes and silhouettes. because there's no lines and no real depth, clarity is really important; a lot of it is making sure the shapes all look satisfying and there aren't any weird little messy areas or anything. and pretty much all of the fonts I go over to add bits too or change slightly, to make it less stock-looking and integrate it more! there's just a lot of trying different stuff and havin' fun, seeing what happy accidents happen. (like...the heart shape in the milk on Trey's was not planned, it came out kind of heart-shaped by accident and I went YESSSS PERFECT and cleaned it up to make it look more intentional. stuff like that!)

uhhh what else. I do everything with one brush (except for some of the little grungy font touchups on the twins), constantly check my values with an adjustment layer on top at 0% saturation, and horizontally flop the canvas to make sure it isn't looking weird or skewed. the paper textures are a final thing, they're a couple of paper layers on top set to soft light and are mostly the same across the board (just slightly adjusting for each) so they don't take a lot of thinking about. the nice thing about doing a series like this is I only have to figure out sizing/borders/etc once. >:)

so...yeah! I don't know if that all made sense or was satisfying, but that's the way I can think to express it! and if nothing else you can enjoy my stupid doodle of Rook making a weird clown face. 👍

[phantomrose96]

Why Won't You Go Home

Disclaimer: I still don't go here.

...

It is exceptionally kind of Chat Noir to help with the search.

Maybe kind isn’t the right way for Marinette to think of it. Maybe it’s expected. Maybe it’s mundane. Maybe it’s rote, ordinary fanfare for a superhero of the city to lend his hand in a crisis. This search is just a normal superhero job for him. It isn’t personal to him like it is to her. She can feel it in the slow and stiff and disconnected way he picks through the rubble of the Agreste family mansion.

He looks up, and he catches her staring at him.

“M’lady?” he asks.

Marinette blinks. She’s short of breath. She shakes her head, and smooths her fingers over her black-dotted mask, and turns, and crouches to continue sifting through the scattered remains at her feet. “Nothing.”

“M’lady…”

She sweeps away a layer of ash—the pulverized remains of brick and stone and wood. Shards of dinner plates breathe in the open, blue-pattered rims chipped away. She lifts a piece, and it crumbles to ash in her numb and nicked hands, her fingers covered in bandaids from all the wanton cuts from glass she’d dug through so earnestly in the first three days after the collapse.

A hand falls heavy on her shoulders. She flinches. “M’lady…”

“It’s nothing, Chat.” She bats his hand off. “You take the eastern wing. I’ve got the kitchen.”

His presence remains beside her, heavy. “I went through the eastern wing this afternoon.” He crouches, attempting to force eye contact. “…And you’ve done the kitchen already.”

“I didn’t search hard enough.”

“You’ve searched enough.”

Marinette twists away from him. She dips her hands back into the rubble, silkenly demolished, grated down like fine beach sand so near the epicenter of the destruction.

Chat Noir’s hand grips hers, and he stills it.

“He’s not here,” Chat Noir says.

The jolt seizes Marinette by the throat. Tears she thought had long dried up well up unbidden. She blinks to clear her vision. She cannot speak through the knot in her throat, so she shakes her head, and pulls her hand away.

“His bedroom,” she answers, as the only words that can bubble out.

Chat shifts, until he is right in front of her, crouched to her level. “Carapace searched his bedroom already. Rena did. You did.” He grips her shoulder. “I did… He’s not there.”

“I’ll search again.”

“You need to go home.”

“There were 12 bedrooms in the mansion. Four floors. Dining and recreation rooms on every floor. A home theater. …Hawkmoth’s basement. We haven’t searched everything.”

“We have.”

“We haven’t.”

“You need to sleep.”

“I don’t.”

“Ladybug.” He takes her chin. “Look at me. Please just look at me.”

She has little choice. She’s staring into his green eyes, his tinged sclera. Chat’s brow is creased with worry, his eyes lined with exhaustion.

“I know you have a family, Ladybug. I know they have to be worried. Don’t do this to them. Don’t do this to yourself. You’ve done everything you can. There’s nothing more you can do.”

She pulls away from him.

“My family’s fine. I’m fine. What about you? Why don’t you just go back to your own family if you think they’re more important than Adrien?”

Chat’s tired eyes hold hers. His expression remains firm, blank, unwavering.

“Adrien’s gone, Ladybug.”

And it would have hurt less had he slapped her firmly across the face.

Marinette bounces to her feet, teetering unsteady, face flushed and eyes wet. She’s still blinking through tears, fists tight at her side, and it takes restraint to not try to deliver that pain back to Chat Noir. “Easy for you to say. You didn’t know him! You never met him! He was just some kid to you. You don’t care, do you? Maybe this was all some victory to you, huh? Hawkmoth is dead and his base is demolished and you just don’t care that Adrien was—”

“Clearly I do care. I’m still here. I’ve been here. I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t care.”

“You DON’T care. You search like you’re barely even trying to find him. You’ve given up! Everyone else has given up except me! You don’t get it!” Ladybug slams a hand to her chest, palm open, feet spread, and the words erupt from her throat. “I LOVED him. And I never told him! Don’t tell me he’s dead, Chat! Don’t tell me I couldn’t save him in time. Don’t tell me I couldn’t tell him in time, and I couldn’t—I couldn’t…” Marinette’s resolve wavers. Her body is fizzling with static, light and numb. She tilts, and slowly lowers herself back to a crouch before her balance can fail her fully. “…You can’t tell me he’s gone. He can’t be gone…”

There’s an agony that rips across Chat Noir’s face, one which he holds, and then stifles, and then buries, to the point that Marinette may have only imagined it in the first place. His stance goes looser. His eyes dip, until he’s staring down into the sand-fine rubble of the Agreste manor whose ash has coated him nearly fully gray.

“…I’m sorry, Ladybug…” he says, and he means it. “I shouldn’t have said it like that.”

Silence lingers on the wind between them. Every which way it blows, it smells of demolition.

“No I’m… I’m sorry for yelling,” Marinette mutters, face buried in her drawn-up knees. “I shouldn’t be yelling at you. You’re helping. …You’re the only one still helping. I’m so tired, and I’m so scared, and there’s no one else left helping.”

“You shouldn't blame the others for leaving. The search was called off a full day ago.”

“I don’t blame them.” Marinette lifts her head. “…But I just can’t leave.”

Chat pushes himself up from the ground, rising to full height from his crouch. He extends a hand for Marinette to take. “If you’ll go home, Ladybug, I’ll stay. He won’t be left alone if I’m staying here.”

Marinette blinks as Chat’s hand swims in and out of focus. She processes his words. “…Then what about you? If I leave, and you stay, then you’ll be alone…”

“Worry not, M’lady.”

“…And what about your family then?” She extends a shaky hand. Chat clasps it, and carefully, gently, he lifts her up. She’s eye to eye with him again, her vision darting from his one pupil to the other. He is the only pillar across acres of leveled land, decimated to nothing. “You haven’t left yet either, have you? You’ve been here just as long as me. You haven’t left. They must be worried about you.”

“No one in my family is worried about me, it’s fine.” His grip on her hand tightens. “My friends… are worried. But that’s because they’re good friends. They’ll be fine.”

“Chat…”

“I’m right, aren’t I? You haven’t been able to go home because you can’t leave him alone here… I’ll stay then. I’ll keep searching, I promise, as long as you promise me you’ll go home to your family for tonight, and shower, and eat, and sleep.”

"And you?"

"Hmm?"

"Why haven’t you left yet…?”

Chat lets out a simple chuckle, and he offers her a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Just worried about you, M’lady. It’s that simple.”

Marinette blinks, and rubs her eyes through the mask. The sensation of grit digs into her knuckles. It’s coated her entirely. She blinks again, and her vision, her balance, is still hazy. She’s just now feeling the weight pulling so heavily on her chest, and protests die in her throat. “…Okay. Okay then, Chat. …Thank you. Thank you, I’ll—I’ll go home, okay Chat.” She looks up. “But I need you to promise me something too.”

“Anything.”

“When I get back, then you’ll go home and rest.”

Chat’s smile lingers, the dead and plastic one. His worn eyes hold hers, and Marinette realizes for the first time since the search began that there’s something uncomfortable nested deep in them, something staring at her like she’s the last thing holding him together.

“…Chat?” Marinette asks again.

“Hmm?”

“When I’m back, you’ll go home.”

He reaches a hand out, and he ruffles her hair. “You’re very tired. M’lady has been awake for far too long. The sun’s setting now. You should get going.”

“Chat.”

“I’ll only need a quick cat nap, M’lady, once you get back. I needn’t go anywhere.”

“That’s… no, Chat.” Marinette shakes her head. She pushes his hand away. “You also need to shower, and eat, and sleep, and see your family and friends, Chat. Promise me you’ll do that. Promise me that’ll happen once I’m back tomorrow.”

She’s staring deep into his eyes, watching that restrained and uncomfortable something bloom closer to the surface. She’s staring into glassy pools that are slipping harder to recognize, and Chat’s plastic smile remains on a face so absent. His eyes refuse to see her no matter how directly she stares into them.

“We’ll talk tomorrow, Bugaboo.”

“Chat.”

“Please.”

“Chat.”

“Tomorrow, I promise.”

“Chat—” She grabs his shoulder, and pulls him a fraction closer, in hopes that his glassy eyes might finally see her back.

“Yes, M’lady?”

“Why won’t you go home?”

He is covered in ash and soot. His face is uniformly streaked with dust, and it mangles into his hair, soaked four days deep. And his four days sleepless eyes stare through her. He hitches his plastic smile higher until the corners of his mouth waver. He opens his mouth to say something, to say something, to say something.

“Sure then. Tomorrow. As soon as you’re back. I’ll go home. I promise to give my pillows a good few extra fluffs for you.”

And his face is unrecognizable by the time the words leave his mouth.

Marinette tugs him closer, until he is pressed against her. She wraps her arms around him and squeezes. Hesitantly, he returns the hug, with a force that presses the air from Marinette’s lungs, until he clings to her like she were the last thread holding him up above a chasm.

Then all at once, he releases her.

“Go. Go, Ladybug. Go home.”

She breathes deep, and her ribcage stutters. She nods.

“Tomorrow. Early. I’ll be back. Then it’s your turn.”

“Naturally. In the meantime, I’ll check the bedroom again, alright? I promise to leave nothing unturned.”

She backs away, and turns, and lingers. And somehow, even with the way her body stutters and stalls, she’s still gone faster than Chat realizes. He’s left alone with the setting sun tinging all the leveled debris orange. He exhales, shudders, and wills himself to not breakdown on spot. Not until he’s sure Ladybug is far away.

He moves, as promised, to the bedroom, taking the phantom trace of demolished hallways and doors out of habit. He stands at the center, and shifts ash with his toe, and silence falls around him like a blanket.

He sets his hands to the air, clasped around a pocket of nothing. He bounces his palms closer, once, twice, fluffing the air, and fluffing it again, so as not to break his promise.

[alloftheimaginesblog]

Worth More {Obi-Wan Kenobi}

Plot: You're insecure about your weight and body and it's Obi-Wan who steps into reassure you.

Character: Obi-Wan Kenobi x Plus Size Reader

Requested by @agent-catfish-kenobi

Your hands furiously tug at the clothes desperately trying to stretch it out to make it a little bit looser. Frustration bubbles up inside you as you release the fabric and stare at your reflection in the mirror. With an audible groan, you throw your hands up. You've managed to stretch the top but unsuccessfully, it's still clinging too much around your stomach and your sides. You want them better hidden, you want those 'unappealing' lumps and bumps to be smoothed out but your clothes apparently didn't get the memo. You're fat, it's not a secret everyone can see it but you just don't want to showcase those parts of you; you don't want to give people a reason to stare or ridicule you.

Tears burn at your eyes and you so desperately want to dissolve into tears for the more you stare at yourself in the mirror, the more flaws you notice. Your hands begin to grab and touch at your face, squishing your double chin between your fingers, then your cheeks, then your arms-

"Is everything alright?"

You were so busy you didn't even hear him come into the room. It's Obi-Wan, your doting partner, who now stands in the doorway wearing a concerned frown, "I came to check on you as we need to leave soon." Part of you knows that you're being silly, that really you look fine but the insecurities stamp that part out and before you know it you're sobbing.

Obi-Wan moves to you quickly, bundling you up in his arms, whispering words of comfort to you. He doesn't know what's wrong yet but he'll let you calm down before he asks you. It takes a minute for you to calm down, "I'm not going," you grumble into his chest, "Go without me."

He pulls you to an arm's length away, "Tell me what's wrong, love."

Your hands fidget as your words fumble. You almost feel stupid telling him why you're so upset, you don't know why you feel ashamed but the shame burns strongly in your stomach, boiling upwards to the point you can feel it rising in your throat.

"I-I wanted to wear this," you gesture to the outfit you're wearing, "but it looks hideous on me."

"Come now, love," he soothes, his hand juts out to rub your arm and you instinctively pull away, "(y/n)?"

"I just- I hate the way I look." The shame burns so strongly that you cannot bear to look at him in the eyes, instead you stare at your fidgeting hands, "I hate my body."

He releases a soft breath, "Oh, love, come here." Once more, he's pulling you into your arms, "If you feel comfortable, would you mind telling me what you do not like?"

"Everything," you laugh bitterly, "I hate my stomach and the way it sticks out. I hate my waist and the rolls on my sides. I hate my arms, they make me look even bigger. My face- My face is just all fat and-"

He cuts you off, "Why do you worry about such matters?" He's doing what Obi-Wan does best; he's assessing the situation, learning as much as he can before he can accurately help. He needs to know what you're feeling and why you're feeling it before he can comfort you properly.

It takes a lot of mental strength for you to be able to tell him, "I worry about what people might think of me if they see my stomach or my thighs. I-I know I'm not thin and slender, everyone knows, but I worry about what they could potentially do or say if they saw me like that. Even though my body is covered, it wouldn't be hidden." You pull away from him, "I worry that maybe you would think me unlovable or ugly-"

He's not usually one to interrupt, usually he hangs onto your every word but he needs to cut you off, "No." His voice is strong as he pulls you back again to place a gentle hand on your cheek, "Your body is beautiful as are you. Despite that, your beauty is not based upon what you look like on the outside; what's on the inside counts too." You need more so he continues, "You are not worth any less just because you have a stomach and wobbly thighs. You are worth so much, (y/n), and I mean that with absolutely every ounce of myself."

"But I feel so hideous-"

"I know that's how you feel right now, love, but I assure you that's your insecurities taking over; that's the worries taking over the sane part of your brain," you manage a small smile, "I promise you that no one will judge you or say anything about your stomach and if they do then they'll meet my wrath. I will never let anyone treat you any different because of how you look."

"You promise?"

"I swear to you, (y/n). You are worth so much more than what you think you are. You are kind, caring; you are so selfless, you do so much for other people and expect nothing in return... The goodness pours out of you. You have the most gorgeous eyes, pretty smile, beautiful stomach, delightful arms, splendid thighs, stunning sides; you are beautiful and I will spend every single day of our lives telling you this until you believe it." He presses a kiss to your hand, so gentle and sweet, "You are my everything. Your weight does not define your worth or your beauty. I assure you that you look perfect in that outfit and I would love to see you wear it however I know that you might still have those worries even despite what I say so if you wish to change outfit, I will support you either way."

You have tears in your eyes but not because you're sad but because of how sweet Obi's words were. You throw your arms around him, "Oh, Obi." You weren't sure if you'd wear the outfit tonight, you didn't know if you were quite ready yet but Obi's words took such pressure off of your mind, clearing up lots of space as he banished those worries.

"I hate that your worries plague you so," he whispers into the crook of your neck, "I promise that I will do more to make you realise how perfect you are."

"You're doing it," you say, voice muffled by the fabric of his robes, "you're doing more than enough right now. Thank you, Obi."

[bokutoslittlebird]

Our Wedding

Osamu x sister!reader x Atsumu

Warnings: incest, dubcon, alcohol, face sitting, collar and silk ties, bondage, f. oral receiving, squirting, overstimulation, praise kink, hint of degradation, breeding, fingering, Atsumu bias

A year after coming to an agreement, you can say you’re at one of the happiest points in your life.

An agreement that led you to doing no more than feeling satisfied at every moment. It was bliss to live in comfort, no problem in your life that couldn’t be resolved. Atsumu made enough money and has a decent flexible schedule to keep you company, while Osamu did what he loved and always made sure to bring you scrumptious foods or making some fresh. Together, they never left you unsatisfied for too long.

With a bit of champagne in your system, you were still mobile and conscious, your lips just a bit looser than they would have been. But this was perfect for Osamu. While his mouth was occupied, your mouth was free to let everyone know just how good you big brother was at giving you pleasure. Even if he didn’t continue his volleyball career, he still had enough strength to hold you up, indulging in his favorite past time with you.

His tongue would flatten itself against your clit, only to then flick the little bud and wrap his lips around it, sucking harshly to have your hips jerking. He’d keep his arms securely around your legs, so you couldn’t leave him and you’d struggle less. Hands rubbed against your sides, fingers ghosting over your stomach as lidded eyes glanced at you. With your head thrown back, he could only see your breasts, hidden by your silk nightgown, and your arms. Hands were tangled in his hair, grasping onto it so tightly he’d probably find loosened strands when he was done.

Osamu couldn’t see you, but he could hear you. It’s all he really needed, honestly. The way you had sudden gasps when he’d swipe his tongue over the sensitive area, slipping into your cunt when you’re least expecting it. A long sigh of pleasure as he sucked on your clit, then a yelp when he’d give it a quick nip. Mewls as he moaned into you, hands tightening as he sucked harder on your clit. It was all so intense, he didn’t even realize you were so close to finishing until he felt the dampness on his face, his eyes widening at the syrupy liquid. He continued to suck and lick, however, cleaning up any excess.

It was Atsumu who ruined the moment. Osamu would happily die if it meant you’d never leave his face. “Hey, your time’s up, ‘Samu!” Osamu only groaned in response, his hold loosening as you slid off. Licking his lips in satisfaction, Osamu nodded at his brother.

“Did you get our princess her present?”

“Of course I did! What, you think I’d forget about such a thing? Just ‘cause I’m materialistic doesn’t mean I’d forget,” Atsumu huffs, holding up a pink bag with a ribbon. He ends up opening it for you, laying out the items on the bed beside you. It’s the garter from your wedding day, kept in pristine condition, and a white collar with a silver bell, the chime so sweet and gentle as he lays it next to the strip of fabric. The untainted white colors clash with the truth of how tainted you truly are, letting your brothers have their way with you for so long and now them giving you wedding gifts after an agreement from a year ago.

A long strip of silk fabric is pulled out next, long enough that you’re able to definitely tell what it’s for. Atsumu gives you a look, one that immediately you obey. Settling in your back and putting your hands above your head, he smirks as you present yourself to him. After all, this is his big day just as it is yours and Osamu’s. “‘Samu, why don’t you get our baby girl some wine? I’m sure she’s absolutely parched after you drained her,”

“Wouldn’t water be better?” He huffs. “I’d have to get the wine from the cellar,”

“Oh come on, it’s her big day. She deserves some wine. Don’t you think so, darling?” Atsumu directs the last bit towards you, where you nod, sending Osamu off.

With him gone, Atsumu is more than happy to tie you up as vulnerable as you are. The bindings don’t rub against your skin harshly or even dig into the skin, keeping your skin unblemished. He secures the collar properly, tapping the bell with his finger as he smirks down at you, eyes lidded while they trail from the bell down your body. Your nightgown stayed on, but he didn’t need to take it off. It was loose enough to pull down the neckline and your cunt was dripping and bare for him underneath the material, so he didn’t worry about it. Taking the garter in his hands, he slowly begins to slide it onto your leg. He’ll take you as he did a year ago, with the garter on and your body almost completely hidden from him, yet he knows it better than Osamu does. He’s had practice to learn every spot that drives you wild, every single expanse of skin he can mark and you can’t hide, every noise you can make and how to make it happen. He knows it all and he doesn’t want Osamu to know his tricks.

Garter securely on, he can tell you’re anticipating something. But, he won’t do too much. A press of his fingers to your clit already has you squirming, overly sensitive from Osamu’s tongue. That won’t bother him, though; he’ll just stick with his fingers. Pressing two fingers to your clit, he slides them down until he’s right outside your entrance. Licking his lips at how desperate you look, he pushes them inside of you to hear a sweet mewl, your body jerking as the bell jingles. He’ll go slow and steady, rubbing your walls and making sure your thoughts are full of nothing but him.

While one hand is inside you, his other hand runs under your nightgown, pushing it up as he rubs his hand over your stomach. The heat in the room has your brain going fuzzy, but you can’t tell if it’s because of the room, the alcohol, or the sensitivity you’re suffering under. Only when Atsumu’s warm hand runs over your stomach do you look down at him, blinking away the tears. “You’ll be full of us, won’t you? You’ll give me and ‘Samu some babies, won’t you?” He moves his hand a bit faster, picking up the pace as the squelches get louder and you curl into the bedsheets even more. “You’d be such a good mommy, y’know?” He tells you, but you’ve stopped listening. With eyes clenched shut and your teeth gritting against each other, you’re creaming in his fingers as heavy pants leave your mouth. “Now, now, you know I like hearing you cry like a little lamb, princess. Let’s try that again, shall we?”

This time, he lines himself up properly with you. There’s no reason to be so gentle, him sliding in easily from all the fluid around your opening. “Fuck, seems like you’ve been doing nothing but screwing Osamu while I’ve been away, huh?” He grunts, putting one leg over his shoulder as he leans down to look at you. “Guess I’ll have to remind you who’s the better big brother,”

Atsumu holds nothing back, hips meeting yours as you find your eyes rolling and another orgasm quickly coming on. He’s relentless, forcing you to ride it with no breaks, even as your legs twitch and your breath hitches with each brush of his cock against your sweet spot. Sweet calls of his name fall from your lips, mingled with gibberish he couldn’t understand but he didn’t need to. All he needed was to hear you tell him he was the best. Grabbing your cheeks, forcing you to face him, he asked precisely that.

“You- nii-chan has the best cock! Much better than ‘Samu-nii!” You cry out, feeling another world rocking orgasm as he lifts your other leg, keeping you spread open nicely for him with your head is thrown back and your neck muscles tense.

“I’m gonna give you a baby, princess. We’ll be so happy, together,” Atsumu moans, hips stuttering until he’s shooting thick ropes of cum inside you, making your legs twitch and fluids spray against his abdomen, a gurgled moan from you. He continues to rut against you, making sure you take every drop he gives you.

By the time Osamu comes back, you’ll be blissfully asleep and satisfyingly full.

[delimeful]

(don’t) take this the wrong way (7) (END)

final chapter of dtttww :) i had a lot of fun with this verse so i may take requests set in it in the future, and this might receive some more copy editing later, but for now this is the epilogue!

warnings: mild injury, mild hypnosis, for once no miscommunication :)

-

[Several months later…]

Sunlight trickled down through the water in wavy bands, illuminating the shallows and growing fainter and fainter as the distance from the surface increased.

Virgil didn’t spend much time in the shallows, too wary of being without escape, being made vulnerable to human vessels or poachers. Despite his dark and gloomy aesthetic, he couldn’t go too far into the depths either, simply because his fragile fish bones weren't built for it. His eyes weren’t built for it either, and down there where anything could be lurking, he would need more than speed to avoid danger.

So, on an average, sunny day like this, he could be found miles offshore, in waters that were easily too deep for unsuited humans to reach, but still well-illuminated by the light above.

There were a few old wrecks scattered about the ocean floor here, and though they’d probably been stripped by a pod in the past, he figured he’d go through them and check for anything that was left behind. Things that weren’t useful to a pod could certainly be things that were useful to him, after all.

He’d been poking through the undercarriage of one of the larger ships for an hour or two, relaxed as he ever got. He could take his time. The only creatures around to judge him were the shoals of fish and layers of barnacles built up amidst the metal, wood, and rust.

Actually… Virgil paused in his inspection of an old cutlery set to glance around.

What had happened to the fish?

Through a hole in the ship’s hull, he watched as a broad shadow passed over the ground and ships alike, large enough to belong to a whale.

There hadn’t been a single shred of whalesong above.

Virgil edged further back from the hole, eyeing the outside warily as the shadow receded, leaving behind only wavering sunlight on sand as though it had never been there at all.

There was nothing here that was worth sticking around.

He carefully made his way back to one of the other exits, in the opposite direction of where he’d seen the shadow head, the strokes of his fin cutting through the water with barely a whisper. The porthole was easily wide enough for him, and the ocean stretched out blue and vast before him, a promise of safety if he just moved fast enough.

A moment’s pause, to make sure he didn’t hear or see anything out of place, and then he was out, flitting from rock outcropping to bone reef and scanning the seas above. Not for the first time, he wished his scales were a little less distinctive in the day.

Behind him, an ominous creak.

He froze, and watched with mounting apprehension as a shadow spilled over him, looming closer and darker than before. The silhouette of an arm stretched out, heading towards him…

“Virgil, you must help,” a huge voice pleaded, “I’ve been had.”

He twisted around just in time to see a huge arm flop down onto the floor next to him, kicking up a cloud of sand and panicked burrower fish in the process.

It was wrapped in heavy wire netting from fingertips to forearm, and behind it, a giant mer was pouting at him with the best seal pup eyes he could manage, which, considering who his best friend was, were fairly potent.

Roman was huge, and he was a shark, with teeth and claws designed to shred and tear, and hands that could enclose him entirely-- but his elbows were braced against the ground with delicate balance so he wouldn’t crush anything, and he’d never grabbed for Virgil past that first disastrous encounter, and even now, his brow was furrowing with worry.

“Pufferfish status?” he asked, voice lowered from the dramatic plea of before.

Virgil’s mouth pulled up at the corners without his permission.

Roman was huge, yes, but he was also theatrical and eager and witty, full of sharp return quips for every barb Virgil had to offer.

He could hurt him, but he wouldn’t. Virgil believed that much.

“Prickly for a second, but I’m smooth now,” he answered, shrugging away the last of the tension. “Try not to sneak up on me without a warning click?”

“You have my word,” Roman replied, and if someone had told him months ago that he’d dare to ask anything of a giant mer, he’d have laughed in their faces. Now, Virgil knew that just like all the other requests, Roman would do his best to heed it.

“But really, my fingers are starting to feel numb. Help?” he entreated with a tilt of his head, shifting his net-wrapped hand a little closer.

Virgil rolled his eyes, but his smile didn’t go away, though it tilted more towards amused now. He darted forward, twisting in a spiral around Roman’s hand to try and see the extent of the damage.

“How’d you even manage this? At least I had the excuse of being caught up in a storm,” he snarked, picking at a loose section with his claws. Roman’s fingers twitched a little, and he shot him an apologetic glance.

“I was… perhaps… trying to get a glimpse of those sailors that Logan mentioned patrolled the coast?” Roman offered, more than a little sheepish.

Virgil’s gaze turned sharp in a heartbeat. “Did they spot you?”

Logan had warned both Patton and Roman several times that not many humans would take as kindly to their long-term existence near human settlements as Logan himself had.

“No!” Roman assured, “I was very stealthy, truly, I was just… so focused on being stealthy that I missed the other vessel and the nets it had dragging along behind it. It could have happened to anyone!”

“I seriously doubt that,” Virgil replied dryly. He’d snapped a few of the looser wires with his teeth, but already his jaw was beginning to ache with the strain. “Well, you get to explain this to Specs, ‘cause we’re going to need his expertise in detangling for this one.”

Roman groaned in answer, dropping his head to plonk against the ground.

---

Logan carefully set one foot in front of the other, all of his focus on the thin strip of rock below him.

If he switched his gaze to even a few inches to either side, he’d be faced with the sight of a vertigo-inducing drop to the waves below, one that would have all but the most experienced tightrope walkers dizzy with panic.

His gaze didn’t move, though, unerringly focused on the ground beneath him, and on his own body. There was no need to look at anything but the ledge, a soft presence confirmed in the back of his mind, because he wasn’t going to fall.

Another part of him was skeptical, seeing as he wasn’t known for a lack of clumsiness by most. There was just so much to get distracted by, and it was so easy to look away and miss a curb or accidentally trip over his own feet--

But not now. Now, he was focused on just this one task, a gentle voice dragging his attention back whenever it began to stray. He was hyper aware of where each of his limbs were and where he needed to put them to continue forward, step by careful step.

Only a little farther…

“Logan!”

The harsh call snapped him right out of the trance, and he was abruptly made very aware of both the distance he could fall and the effects that sudden instinctual terror had on his sense of balance.

“Newton’s fucking Cradle,” he swore, and then wobbled again, precariously close to falling over.

There was the sound of water crashing against rock, and in the next moment, two giant hands had curled up on either side of him like the shells of an oyster. They provided him some much needed stability to lean his weight against, and he struggled to steady his breathing as relief swept through him.

“It’s okay, Virgil, I won’t let him fall! No cliffs, ands, or buts about it,” Patton’s voice was muffled, but not enough to miss the pun.

Logan sighed loudly, but he also shifted to let his full weight rest against the curl of Patton’s left palm, tapping twice to let him know it was alright for him to move.

His stomach still swooped slightly as Patton slowly shifted his hands away from the thin rock ledge, but there were some things that one had to adapt to when living with two very affectionate, grabby sea giants, and being toted around was one of those things.

Before long, he was level with the flattest segment of rock that made up their meeting place, which could be called an island if one was feeling gracious, but was really more of a collection of rocky spires and bridges that stuck out of the ocean.

Logan was barely able to sit up before Virgil pulled himself up at the edge of Patton’s palm, expression thunderous but his hands gentle as he carefully checked him over for scrapes or injuries.

“Nearly gave me a heart attack,” he grumbled, a phrase that he used much more frequently around Logan for some reason. Logan had already been reassured that it was an exaggeration and Virgil had no heart problems he knew of, so instead of worrying, he bore his friend’s fussing with good grace. “Did we or did we not agree that you need a spotter if you want to play around with bullshit sirensong magic?”

The mer paused. “No offense, Pat.”

“None taken!” Patton replied from where he had sunk further into the water to put himself closer to eye-level.

“I figured you would be along shortly,” Logan defended, and then perked up at the reminder of his most recent experiment. “Besides, one of the things tested in this trial was if the siren song could overshadow significant fear or even terror, and I wouldn’t have been nearly as afraid if you’d been there with me.”

“Aw,” Roman cooed, curling his tail up and leaning against one of the larger rock outcroppings, his posture slightly off.

Virgil dragged a hand over his face with a sigh, and then flapped a ‘go on’ gesture at Logan, distracting him. “So, what’d you figure out this time?”

Logan needed no further encouragement.

“Even the lightest application of a siren’s song can overwhelm other emotions,” he started, recalling the utter honed focus he had experienced. “While in the past I’ve felt distant or removed from my body while under its effects, this time I had Patton focus on requesting a very specific task, and due to the intense concentration it took, I was very present in the moment while fulfilling that task.”

“You didn’t snap out of it until I called for you,” Virgil interjected, more curious than wary. “Was it harder than normal to use the grounding tactics?”

One of the first things Logan had investigated was what it took for him to resist and even break free from Patton’s song, a task that Virgil had demanded in order to let him run any experiments with the siren’s magic. Back then, Virgil hadn’t expected Patton to agree, and he’d outright sulked for weeks to cover up the nerves he felt whenever the siren thralled Logan.

“It was,” Logan said, his excitement growing as he considered the new information. “Without significant outside stimulus, all of my attention was focused on the task, and so I couldn’t pull away mentally to do my normal grounding techniques!”

“I’ve never heard someone so excited about being hypnotized better,” Roman commented wryly.

“He should get a hypnoprize,” Patton added, and Virgil grinned, because he was a traitor who enabled Patton’s wordplay habits.

“Is there an award for smart people doing dumb things?” Virgil mused teasingly. “Logan could be voted ‘most likely to throw himself into danger in the pursuit of knowledge.’”

“That’s why he has us, Finding Emo,” Roman countered, gesturing extravagantly with one hand. “We would never abandon him to the cruel clutches of his own nerdiness.”

Logan couldn’t help but feel a thrill of pride at the casual way that Virgil ducked beneath one of Roman’s sweeping gestures, no trace of the blatant fear or suspicion that had been present as recently as a month ago.

They’d really come a long way from the misunderstandings of that first encounter, all of them.

A glint of light at the edge of the shark mer’s submerged forearm caught Logan’s eye, and he frowned. “Roman, what’s happened to your arm?”

Roman’s prideful grin dropped into sheepishness immediately. “Well, about that…”

“Princey here was abandoned to the cruel clutches of his own reckless dumbassery,” Virgil informed him, ignoring Roman’s trill of offense to drift back and shove at the hand in question until Roman finally lifted it, displaying the impressive collection of netting that he’d managed to get tangled in.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Patton clucked sympathetically, and Roman soaked in the attention like a very dramatic sponge. Virgil rolled his eyes even as he sawed at a few of the looser wires, and Logan sighed in fond exasperation as he reached for his pocket knife.

Perhaps some things would never change.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Resident Evil Science: Temperature

In which I look into the biology factors of the Dimitrescu daughters being made out of insects and create headcanons for them that are so deep and in-depth that they couldn't be any farther from canon.

This episode: the girls and temperature!

Overall

They are quite literally cold-blooded and unable to generate their own body heat. Because of this, they would be ectotherms.

We all know they are weak to temperatures under 50°F, but they are also vulnerable to temperatures over 100°F, similar to how flies are.

Because they can't thermoregulate, their normal body temperature tends to fluctuate with their environment, but the usual for them is around 70°F. So their skin is very cold to the touch.

Their ideal temperature is 85°F.

Cold

They sleep more in winter. Alcina calls this "diapause" and she has dubbed it as a form of hibernation in her notes on her girls, though they don't actually do a long-term hibernation--not normally, at least.

During diapause, their metabolic activity decreases. Because of this, their appetite goes down as well, as they don't really have the energy to digest their food.

Because, despite being inside, I imagine it's still quite cold for them while in the middle of a Romania winter. Again: they can't regulate their body temperature. It won't be the same for them as it is for us. I don't think being in a house, out of the wind and snow, will instantly make them have a comfortable temperature.

But they usually eat very little at this time. Sometimes they go a full day without eating anything, though they'll still drink blood, which they get most of their energy from.

Winter is also where they use their acid vomit the most because sometimes they're just too tired to chew. They rather regurgitate, drink, then go back to sleep.

They can sometimes sleep for eighteen hours a day.

Winter can be very lonely for Alcina at times. It's also eerily quiet.

Cassandra once slept for four days in a row without waking up and Alcina thought she fucking died.

It's really hard to wake them up during diapause. They go into this state of deep sleep in a way. Like, during the Comatose Cassandra incident, Alcina was full-on shaking Cassandra and screaming in her face in a panic, but Cassandra just snoozed on.

Moderately low temperatures make them sleepy.

Very low temperatures cause physical pain, as we see in the game.

Being in extreme cold can make them shiver, but it's not the same way we shiver.

Instead of their muscles contracting to generate thermal energy, it's their fly bodies violently gyrating and buzzing in a vain attempt to get warm, thus causing tremors throughout the body. Unlike normal shivering, however, they get nothing out of this and are unable to produce proper heat.

Heat

Whereas in the winter they slow down and eat less, during the summer they speed up and eat more.

Sleeping hours reduce down to the normal amount, but they can sometimes become fidgety and sleep even less due to a build-up of energy.

In the mornings, they often have a period of sunbathing at their windows to reach a desired thermal optimum, which will give them energy for the rest of the day.

The first few days after winter ends are usually characterized by constant zoomies around the castle because their metabolism suddenly shoots back up and they're full of all this vigor.

They also eat. A lot.

The girls gorge themselves on literally anything they can find to make up for all that time spent without eating.

The maids call this the "feeding frenzy" and it is a very scary time for them because at any moment they could be grabbed and devoured while still alive.

Even when this "feeding frenzy" eventually goes down, they still eat a lot more during the summer months.

Unfortunately, the heat isn't always their safe place.

Similar to the cold, too much heat can be damaging to their bodies, as it won't be able to regulate itself when comfortable becomes uncomfortable.

And even more similar to the cold, they become sluggish when they get too hot.

Fatigue sets in at around 90°F, which is when their metabolism will begin to lower. They will start to eat less and become slower and lethargic rather than just sleepy like in the cold. Moving becomes like a chore and their body gets heavy.

95°F is when discomfort really comes into play. Their breathing shallows and their muscles begin to ache with the exertion of moving. Their body is heavy and slow to respond to movements. Dizziness starts, usually accompanied by ear ringing and double vision.

Anything over 100°F is painful, like how the cold hurts them. Their skin will begin to dry out and flake off, as though they were shedding their exoskeleton. They feel like they're burning from the inside.

They will also begin to "sweat," which doesn't actually cool them down like it would for a human. It just makes them dehydrated and sticky.

Fevers

Obviously because they can't produce excessive body heat, the girls are unable to get fevers on normal occasions. They can, however, get them in two different ways.

One: Behavioral fever.

Despite the actual symptom, they still feel the effects it causes, like dizziness, weakness, fatigue, body aches, trembling, and chills.

Chills usually come up when whatever sickness they have is Really Bad because something like that isn't usual for them. Chills is the feeling of being cold even when it isn't necessarily cold--but they shouldn't be able to make their bodies feel something like that without an actual external source. So it's pretty worrying.

But without the actual heat from a fever, the bacteria inside of them is free to run rampant.

Additionally, their immune system won't do anything, as it isn't stimulated by the fever.

So when they get this feeling, they know something is most likely wrong with them, so they have to do a behavioral fever, which is what cold-blooded creatures do when unwell.

They crawl into a scalding hot bath to wake up their immune system to actually start fighting the infection.

The heat from the water will essentially mimic the effects of a fever and then induce one inside of them, heating up their core.

The second way is through their flies.

Basically, their flies will realize something is wrong and essentially be like "don't worry, Boss, we gotchu."

They will then begin to furiously generate heat through excessive flying and buzzing, as flight does create thermal energy. This is actually the response used in the cold, which causes the “shivering,” but in a moderate climate, it actually works, heating up the body.

This then filters into their human bodies in the form of a fever, warming them up like coals in a furnace. They can even slightly feel the flies doing their work, usually from tingling in their fingers, toes, and orifices.

This process can only be done in certain climates, which is why it doesn’t work in the cold.

And because it is supposed to be a response for something different, the “shivering” symptom of a fever will occur.

However, if either created fever becomes to high, then the girls will start to hurt, especially if it goes over the 100°F mark.

So it's honestly a double-edged sword.

Temperature Regulation

They have to rely on their environment to warm up or cool down since their bodies cannot do so themselves.

For both the cold and the heat, the best go-to solution is a bath. It's the quickest, easiest, and most effective way to help. It's relaxing, too!

However, there are other options, of course.

For the cold, one of their favorite options is to snuggle with their mother. Unlike them, Alcina still produces body heat, so curling up in her side or lap will warm them right up. Plus, sharing body heat is the most effective solution to defrosting.

They will also spend a lot of time by the fireplaces or wrapped in blankets. It isn't uncommon for them to have dozens of covers on their beds and still be chilly.

They wear more layers (i see you, Capcom, stupidly making them wear a dress with their tits hanging out just to get in some more fan service even though it was fucking winter time and they should be more covered up)

They will huddle together for warmth.

They may try to fly more often to get their muscles working, as insects can create a tiny amount of thermal energy while in flight.

And for the heat, there isn't too much they can do, really. It isn't the same. The best thing to do is stay adequately moisturized.

They wear looser clothes. It helps some.

Alcina makes sure they're hydrated. It's very easy for them to become thirsty because their version of hot is literally a human's regular body temperature--even below it.

They like to stay in the cooler areas of the castle, so the basement.

They will sometimes become nocturnal, sleeping through the hotter hours of the day and staying awake during the cooler ones.

Just being in moisture, like lukewarm baths, will usually be enough for them--unless their temperature raises too high.

TLDR: no weather is suitable for these poor girls

[binniesthighs]

he lives in my lap | reader x changbin

➛ Pairing: self insert, gender neutral reader x seo changbin 

➛ Recommended listening: she lives in my lap, outkast

➛ Genre: pwp (smut), fluffy tones, 18+ 

➛ Word count: 3.9k 

✨ Summary/Request Here ✨

Anon: sub!changbin nipple play drabble👁👁

i’m such a sucker for sub bin smh

a/n: thank you for requesting sweet anon! any day, any time i will write sub!changbin! this was such a pleasure to write n’ i hope that ya like it! <3

{see below for nsfw tags!} 

NSFW: dom!reader, sub!changbin, tsundere!bin, slightlybratty!bin, established relationship, use of petnames, body worship (calm tf down ro, we know you love binnies’ bod), *plz pretend to be surprised here too* thigh kink, power dynamics, LOADS of nipple play (m receiving), praising & mild degradation, handjob, lil pet of petplay (bunny), v soft aftercare 

♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥

you caught him sulking, bundled up in his chair with his legs crossed and his eyes dried. its the times like this when you don’t need him to tell you what’s going through his mind. he huffs and spins around just to get a moment to break his stare at the screen. he rubs at his temples where his headache surges, but he’ll never stop to ask for help or to express how tired he really is. 

“what are you working on?” you simply ask as you cross the way behind him and squeeze his shoulders. 

he sighs, and answers, “work.” 

it’s barely an answer, but knowing him, prodding wouldn’t do much else. 

“its getting late,” you pause, contemplating to next part of your phrase, “could you come to bed? i’d....love to have you with me...if you can.” 

his fingers stop their typing, and he pulls off a single padded headphone to listen to you. 

“you know that i’ve got a deadline. can’t.” 

“wouldn’t you like to--” 

“--can’t you just live one night without it?” he barks, swiveling in his seat to face you. 

his eyes, the whites of them pink and his under-eyes bagged, tell you that you can’t take exactly what he means to heart, but still, it doesn’t hurt much less. 

“bin--i just want you to take care of yourself and not overwork. you know that you need your rest to make everything work out right. right?” 

your boyfriend sighs and composes himself, then puts his headphones back on. 

“deadlines are deadlines.” changbin simply replies. “in a couple days it’ll be over.” 

the sound of his clicking at his mouse fills the room back up, and this close you can hear the faint buzz of his music on the other side of his headphones. its as if he wants to create some kind of shell between you and him; he pulls his hood up and balls himself up in his big black hoodie. 

with him, your patience overcomes anything. 

“bin--” you reach for his arm to rub in calming little circles with your thumb, “you’re worrying me.” 

the exhaustion in his voice causes it to crack, “i’m fine.” 

it doesn’t take him much to go up in arms when you pull off his headphones to hold his puffy face in your hands. earnestly you hold his eyes with yours. 

“you’ve worked so much already today. please, come to bed, i know you won’t admit it to yourself, but it’ll be okay if you sleep for just a little while....or, relax at least...” 

changbin huffs out again in his same little annoyed nature. you knew the ins and outs of him well: your words might have gone in one ear and left out the other, but they still would jumble him up on their way out.

“i said that i’m fine,” your boyfriend repeats, “you’re worrying over nothing.” 

it isn’t easy to admit defeat in the moment, but that’s all it is: a moment. he allows you the pause to plant a tiny kiss on his forehead before focusing back on his work. the truth is, you really did want him to join. the bed was always warmer with two anyway. these days, it was even a little hard to fall asleep with him. 

“well,” you throw your hands on your hips, “i’ll just be back here...if you need anything. i can warm up your side for you, kay?” 

for a moment, his fingers stop their clicking, wavering. “okay.” 

he likes it when you wear his shirts and other little things like that. he even thinks that its cute when you steal his socks and they bunch up a little. after living together your clothes have started to all smell the same, but knowing that it’s his has always been enough for you. 

at first, you promise yourself that you’ll stay up as long as he does, but not even you can stay up that late. he turns the lights off for you, leaving only his desk lamp and the blue screen of his desktop. silently you promise him that you’ll stay up as long as you can manage...

“--oh. sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up...” 

your blurry eyesight makes out the time that’s ticked past two hours since you last remember checking. 

“its okay,” your sleepy self returns. you’ve fallen asleep on his side of the bed which you promised to warm up, but he won’t ask you to give it up when you’re half awake. 

“i’ve decided to sleep in late tomorrow.” he hums while reaching for his phone light to turn it off. “you’re right.” 

“i know that i’m right.” 

even in the dark you can feel his little joking smirk. the mattress makes springy sounds under the weight of your two bodies, and somehow your hands find their way into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie. there’s nothing like feeling his presence beside you--its a kind of irreplaceable reassurance that you’ve only ever felt in him. 

he’s close enough to feel his tiny breaths in the space between you, and how it tickles your upper lip. sleepy kisses float from your lips to his which he happy returns by pressing into you closer and melding your body with his. you make a point to kiss him slowly and with every ounce of intent that you are able to pour from yourself to him. 

your love unties himself for you just as he does whenever he feels your thumb trace under his jaw slowly or as you hold his face in your hands, tilting him to deepen your exploration of his mouth. you can feel him get looser and looser after being so tightly bound. your hands work at his knots with swift fingers that interweave with his hair, then find their way to traipse up the hem of his clothes. 

he mutters a little sound that could be translated into many pleasurable things, but you don’t need to think too hard to interpret it. 

“binnie...” you coo, gently rolling him to his back to lean over him with your upper body, “you’re doing so well. i can tell how hard that you’re working...there’s no need to hide.” 

he nods, allowing you to paint his cheeks with more little kisses that fall down to his neck, then travel back up to his ear where you nibble softly. in your own mind, its your favorite place to show him your love: he shivers feeling your breath quiver in his ear, then exhales out after feeling the small pull at his skin. 

higher under his shirt your hands tip-toe, then trance the curves of his sides and finally reach the spot where he is most sensitive...your boyfriend gifts you the gorgeous sound of his uncontrollable little whimpers once he feels the pads of your fingers graze over one of his hardened nipples. 

“oh?” you taunt, “already so sensitive?” 

changbin attempts a scoff that comes out airy on his lips, “i mean, yeah...when you do that.” 

your index circles his bud, causing and even more delightful symphony of shaking breaths to exit. 

“...but its so late...” you remind him. its halfway between a genuine reminder and somewhat of a challenge. there’s nothing more that you would want, but the clock tells you otherwise. 

your room is nearly devoid of light save for the way that the crescent moon peeks through the slits of the shades. the silver light illuminates his face in stripes, one of them directly over his eyes which makes them sparkle with the same iridescent shine of stars. 

“do you think that i care?” changbin shies a bit into the puffy pillow that cradles his head. 

from your position above him you can see the way that he pleads wordlessly, and how he just knows that he’s irresistible to you. his gaze softens to shift in that cute little pout. he too knows how to untie you, how to make you fall into him so deeply that you can’t see anything but him. he knows exactly what to say, how to wet his his cushy lip so it glistens just a little when he parts his mouth for you to crave even more than you already do. 

“do you want me to say please?” he adds. 

fuck, he really does know you well. 

your knuckles rub along the fuzzy underside of his sweater, scribbling more circles around his nipples that hardens them painfully even though you’re barely touching him. 

“that is my favorite word,” 

his tone is airy, barely audible when he asks as politely as he can, “please, can you use me how you want?” 

you tut, bowing low over his lips to only let them hover over his own. your lie of a kiss just barely makes contact with him. he whines from the promise of your taste, even wiggling his hips in his agony knowing that he won’t get what he wants quickly. 

“hm, i didn’t really hear you that time...” slowly your hands begin to pull the fabric of is shirt over his head. “say it again for me?” 

“please...?” your boyfriend desperately repeats. 

“and you’ll be a good boy for me? you’ll do what i say?” 

“yes...yes. everything that you say.” 

his hoodie ruffles up his cute dark locks that sprawl all over his face and even cover his eyes. for a moment you think of how his hair had gotten longer than you had noticed. you sweep it aside, holding his eyes while your hand swipes up and down his chest just between his pectorals. 

“and you’ll tell me when you want me to stop?” 

finally you grant him the kiss he’s been waiting for which he drinks up greedily, moaning carefully over your lips. 

“mmhm.” 

you nearly startle him after forgetting to move slowly, finding your own eagerness taking hold of you. changbin’s eyes gleam seeing you on top of him and both of your legs straddling his sides. you slither farther down his body to align yourself correctly, then pause finding your place. 

after, he then startles you by letting out a sudden cry in response to his beloved sensation. both of your hands are busied pinching and tweaking directly at his pink nipples that turn redder from your touch. you toy with the hardened buds while his eyelids flutter--he can’t figure out if he wants to close his eyes to feel it all, or watch you. he decides upon the latter and tries his best focus on your hands spread on his chest. 

its a wondrous indulgence of yours as you watch the way that his muscles fill up your hands and even how his skin pops between your fingers when you squeeze. “my bun,” you sigh in admiration, “i just can’t handle you...” 

your head spins when he echoes, “neither can i...”

it seems fair for you to take off your top too, so you do. your hands survey farther up his chest, then course down his arms which you tuck to rest on each side of his head. 

“you know how it goes.”

he doesn’t even need the reminder. 

“fuck, you’re gonna take all the time you want now, aren’t you?” 

your boyfriend regains a bit of his composure to snark with that little unfair smirk of his. 

“would you rather me not do this for you at all...bun?” 

he rolls his eyes, impatient and annoyed for barely a second. he’s quieted the moment that he feels your lips float over his skin. you can feel the way that his breaths are thrown out from his lungs once you press even harder. his hips squirm and he turns into a puddle of half-choked winces that turn high pitched and needy the closer that you get to the sensitive areas of his chest. your tongue twists around it, only teasing at first and never allowing him to feel the full heat of your mouth. your left hand swipes up his side and settles right over his other bud which you toy with between your index and middle finger. you pull, then delight in the way that you can even feel his moans start deep from his core then come ripping out carelessly. 

at last you grant him the wet of your mouth when you tense your lips to pull too. you know that he likes it when you use your teeth too, but you never start with the most exciting part. 

his arms twitch like they usually do where they lay on both sides of his head. your boyfriend interlocks his fingers behind his head to pull and hold them there until his knuckles turn white. he would touch you, but you don’t like getting that distracted. you don’t need it anyway to heighten the way that unraveling him already pools heat between your legs and sends you grinding over his midsection. 

you use a combination of gentle kisses contrasted with the pull of your fingers and eventually the bite of your teeth to get him properly gasping out as if he cannot breathe. your name finds its way twisted into some of his moans too; it sounds so perfect, so right said that way: airy, wavering, shaking after he bites it into his lip too. 

you stop to admire him, now using your thumbs to tease at the way his reddened nipples now look painfully aroused and even glimmer with the sheen of your saliva upon them. changbin is flushed out all across his cheeks and even over his nose bridge. the rouge spreads down to his neck where the veins there quiver with each of his senseless gasps for air. he jerks from the careful feeling of the pad of your thumb compared to how viciously you had tugged at him before. you grind down your hips into his hard-on between your legs and into your own heat which craves him just as much. 

“good?” 

he nods, and chuckles out after reveling under your view. 

you free his hands from their place behind his head, then you immediately find yourself wrapped up so tightly in his arms that you let out a tiny squeak. his thick arms that stretch with the strings of muscles always remind you that the power you have over him, he holds over you just the same. he brings your lips back to his to kiss thanks into your mouth that’s become raw from your musings. 

“i’m not done yet.” you sneer directly into him. 

“i had a feeling.” 

your love knows how to sit and look pretty for you. how to keep his hands to himself and wait just enough for you to make a proper mess of him. even though you don’t see it, he’s infatuated watching you twist over him to the bed table and pick up the cup of water that holds partially melted ice. the sound of the cubes chime against the glass and burns your hand with the cold once you choose the largest of the lot. 

changbin looks at you fearful at first still consumed by your heat which lingers all over his body. you test out the sensation by spreading out your opposite hand first which is wet from the condensation from the glass. 

“ah!” he winces out. 

“too cold?” 

“n-no...” somethings shift in the way that he holds your gaze and the ice quickly melting in your hand. “i-i want it...” 

“you sure?” 

“please don’t make me wait again...” 

the cold from the cube starts to make your fingertips turn numb, but its of no conscious to you when he holds every bit of your attention while you wait for his visceral response. 

he yelps, nearly almost screaming from the mixture of cold and hot that swirls around his body. he grinds his teeth into a groan next to steady himself feeling the tenderness of his nipples next to the freezing cold. you can’t help but stifle a greedy laugh at how downright confused he seems at the two sensations of arousal and biting pain that made him feel even more lightheaded. 

you love the sight of the whites of his eyes when he reaches a kind of euphoria that only you can give him. 

“oooooh god.” he laughs along with you at how preposterously unreal it feels. the little smile that anchors on his mouth is unbelievably cute, and you can’t help but want to feel it on your own. 

you trace circles around and around his buds until they harden just as they had done under your tongue. he shivers too; either from the cold, or from the overload of his senses--it travels from the tip of his head, through his hips and down to his toes. 

“aw, my bun likes this...doesn’t he?” 

“mmm.” 

the ice only lasts a few moments on his chest and between your fingers. after, his chest is left shimmering from the new substance that looks like liquid crystal all over him and where it drips down to the comforter in droplets. 

you shift your attention lower down his stomach where you stop right above his bellybutton to let both of your hands hook under his sweats. you look up for approval, which he eagerly gives with the hastily phrase repeated, “do it, do it.” 

his clothes it the floor in a puddle, and your boyfriend is left bare for you to take in. you indulge in every single part of him that you’ve explored time and time again, but each time it feels renewed. your hands eat up his thighs with covetous squeezes until the crescent-moon shape of your nails decorates him nearly everywhere. they slide up higher, finding the place where his curved and rosy cock bobs waiting for your touch. 

“poor bunny....does it ache when i don’t touch your cute little cock?” you trace a finger up his shaft which causes his body to violently jerk in response. the truth of the matter is, he’s anything but little. 

even when your words turn venomous back on him, he still drinks it up as if it is nectar. 

a wicked chuckle passes by your lips remembering what he had said to you a couple hours before. “can’t you just live one night without it?” 

“n-no--” he stammers, “i-i’m sorry that i said--” 

you silence him with a finger to his lips. “sit up.” 

he does so, trying to gauge what you’re planning to do next. the mystery of it all enthralls him to the point of working his cock up with pearly pre-cum that drips down his length. changbin waits as you reposition yourself behind him, just so he sits flush against your torso and between your legs. 

at first, you trial you hands up and down his thighs to create a show for him. your fingertips tickle him gently where his leg hair grows thin and soft. you then move to massage into his inner thighs and the more intimate erogenous areas there that you claw at. 

“hm. maybe i’ll let you get what you want if you say--” 

your boyfriend’s hands bury themselves into the sheets to grab at anything to provide balance. “--please! please...i’ll say it however many times it takes...” 

you tsk, then nibble into the peachy cartilage of his earlobe. “mm, that’s enough. i’m feeling generous...” 

you wet a stripe of your saliva up your palm and guide it to his length where you give him one good squeeze that is more than enough to send his toes curling. he whimpers out feeling the lack of contact afterward, realizing that one squeeze was all that you were planning. instead, shift your motions toward his tip and his seeping slit. the tip of your index draws rings around it which elicits agonizingly gruff growls from his throat that you’ve only ever heard a couple times before. 

“please, please, please....” he chants. 

you do love the way it sounds. 

his moans become even louder once he feels the tension from your grasp where it returns to his shaft and pumps. in a way, the whole image is just perfect for the both of you: as you peer over his shoulder you can’t even but help feel turned on by the sight of your own hand and how it twists around the throbbing veins that imprint his cock. with your non-dominant hand you continue traversing the squishy and fleshy bits of his thigh. 

your boyfriend laughs out his growing self-indulgence while you work your hand up and down, then experiment with testing him with the ways that you can squeeze harder then softer. changbin throws his head back into your shoulder lazily once he starts to feel his senses slow and intensify the closer that he gets to his release. he shudders against you too, and tightens his body too as he edges himself even closer.

after the distraction that you’ve crafted tugging him up and down and how the twist of your wrist feels like heaven, he jumps still feeling your free hand find its way back up his chest one last time roll his nipple between your fingers. the combination of the two sends him spilling right over the edge and overflowing with a rambling of curses and half-attempted moans coupled with the release of his seed cascading down the back of your hand. 

nearly all of your boyfriend’s weight falls upon you and you giggle trying to deal with your previously cold and stubborn lover reduced to nearly nothing but a limp and euphoric mess in your arms. 

“you okay?” you ask him, peppering tiny kisses into his neck. 

“give me...a minute.” he laughs out too. “i’m just...really...exhausted. but--in a really, really good way.” 

“time to get some rest then?” 

changbin nods, and gives you back as many kisses he can with his neck titled at this somewhat awkward angle. 

“stay right here, hm?” 

you cradle him back to slide out from behind him and work at cleaning yourself off, and them him--he loves obliging if it means that he gets to be pampered with clean clothes and your little massage to his shoulders to get his tensed body relax even more. the blankets get exchanged for new ones and you find him telling you not to put your shirt back on. 

changbin flushes, explaining, “i just like being close like this with you. everyday. any day. i can’t live without it either.” 

you can’t exactly tell who is “holding” who, but it all just feels so peaceful and intimate you almost forgot that you were supposed to be sleeping until the day breaks behind your boyfriend’s shoulder. 

“thank you,” changbin sighs, “thank you for taking care of me.” 

“now start taking care of yourself.” you tease, “don’t overwork yourself, got it?” 

your boyfriend sleepily hums, and tows you right back into his chest. “don’t worry, i have a feeling that i’ll be sleeping in pretty late.” 

~🌹~ 

Bunch of (Ro)ses! 

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