#i love learning new things about this game

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Outside the Lines 6

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, obsessive compulsive behaviour, kidnapping, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Reader has her routine and her fellow patient gets in the way of those.

Character: Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, (lumberjack AU)

Note: I am tryn rotate through fics and such. Thanks for all your patience.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you all. Take care. 💖

You put away the last of the dishes. The smell of bacon hangs in the air as your stomach mulches the few bites you managed to swallow. You're trying but it's very hard to get used to it all. Dr. Makira always says change is difficult. 

Everything is just new and strange and confusing to you. Not just the walls you don't know but the men within them. You know that Steve is a hero and Bucky too, but you really don't know them. 

"Hey, sweetheart," Steve startles you as he enters behind you. "Looks good in here. Good job cleaning up." 

"Yes, sir, er, Captain," you correct yourself as you face him, looking down to keep between the borders. 

"Bucky just went to go get that label maker so it'll be just me and you for a bit," he nears the island and leans his elbows on it. Even as he curls his shoulders forward, he seems inconquerably large. "Do you want to do something fun?" 

"Fun? Oh, do you have books... Captain?" You tug on your ear three times and mouth the last word again. 

"Um, maybe later I'll dig some out. I was thinking we could play a game." 

"Play a game? Like, er, go fish?" You ask. 

"Yeah, how about... battleship?" 

"Battleship? I've never played that." 

"No? I thought it was really popular," he says. "Guess we can learn together." 

"Okay, I can do that, but uh... Captain? Don't I have other chores? Laundry?" You wonder. 

"Later," he assures you as he comes around the counter. He offers his hand. "You earned some fun." 

"Yes, Captain. I'm trying real hard, don't you know?" 

"I know it, sweetheart. I see it." He takes your hand and tugs you across the tile. You teeter and squeal as you arch your feet and walk on your toes to keep from crossing the lines. 

He brings you into the front room and points to the couch. You dutifully go ahead and sit in the middle. He goes to the standing cabinet at the wall and opens the doors. He takes out a box and nears. He sits beside you, close enough to touch you. 

He lifts the lid off and reveals a cluster of small pegs; red and white. They're all mixed up. It makes you feel itchy. You reach and take a handful and start dividing them by colour. He doesn't stop you. 

Instead, he takes out the boards and opens them like cases. There are grids marked with numbers and letters. 

"Alright, so, we can't look at each others' boards," he grabs the instruction booklet and scatters the pegs. You continue to sort through them. "Sweetheart, are you listening?" 

"Oh, yes, uh..." you keep your handful of pegs and pluck up a cushion, "I'll sit on the floor." 

"You don't have to, we can move the chair." 

"It's okay," you hurried circle the table and drop the cushion. You sit on your legs and keep sorting the pegs. You don't like that there mixed up. 

"So, you put your ships on the board wherever you want. I do the same thing. And then we guess where the other put theirs," he explains. "The red, you use to mark hits on your ships and the white, you mark up on this," he points to the verticle board, "your hits and misses too. The white are misses." 

"Hm, okay," you say as you keep the red and white pegs from rolling into each other. 

"Here are your ships," he takes out a handful of the little plastic boats. 

"Thank you, Captain." 

"Good girl," he praises again and you look up at him over your board. 

"Am I good?" 

"Of course," he smiles. 

You take the boats and line them up by size; smallest to biggest across the top row. That's nice and tidy. Steve takes longer to finish his. 

He looks up with a pinch between his brows, "you ready?" 

You nod. 

"You first," he says. 

"Me? What do I do?" 

"Guess. So you can look at your board and guess where you think I put my ships. So like... E4, and if you hit, I'll tell you. You can put red if you do. If you hit every spot on a ship, then you sunk my battleship." 

"Oh, right, right," you say. "Um, er..." you look on the board. "G2?" 

He glances down, "miss." 

You take a white peg and mark the space. He hums before he makes a guess. 

"I9," he says. 

"Miss," you chime then check the board, "hmmm, C4." 

"Nope," he puts a peg in where he missed. The board looks tiny in his large hands. "B2?" 

You shift and check the board, "hit." You pout and takes a red peg. "A8?" 

"Miss," he replies. You mark it. 

"B3?" He says. 

"Hit. Erm, D2?" 

"Miss. What about... B1?" 

You blink. All your ships are together. Oops. 

"Hit." 

Your next guess is a miss too. Then he hits. He sinks the smallest ship with A1. 

"Oh, I lost a boat," you say. 

"It's not over until you lose them all," he says. "How about we add some extra fun?" 

"Um, what?" You ask. 

"We could make it more interested. How about, each time we sink a ship, we... give the other person a kiss." 

You squeak, "what?" 

"Yeah, it'll be nice," he goads. 

"But... but..." you chew your lip as he stares at your mouth. 

"Just a peck, sweetheart," he purrs. 

"Mmm, but, mmm, I don't know." 

"Come on," he pleads. "It's just a kiss." 

"I... I..." you stare at him. It must be a part of the plan. You're not very good at being close to others. Touching is tough but you've been working to move past those things. "Okay." 

"So... I sunk your ship," he taunts with a playful tilt of his head. 

"Um, right," you push yourself up with the table. You reluctantly traipse around and wring your hands together.  

He offers his cheek and taps it. You bend and hover just before it. You quickly peck, his beard tickling you, then retreat, ducking to hide behind the board. 

"Oh, your lips are soft," he says. 

"Thank you, Captain," your voice comes out in a whisper. 

"Your go," he prompts. 

"Oh, uh... E9." 

"Hit," he says. 

"Oh!" you grab a red peg. 

"Good job," he returns and gives a thoughtful hum. "Mmmm, C3?" 

You mutter, "hit." 

"Alright," he comments with a hint of surprise. He probably didn't expect so many together. Did he figure it out? 

"E10?" 

"Miss. B3?" 

You groan. He knows! You could move it. No, you wouldn't be able to do it without moving the whole board. 

"You sunk another," you utter. 

"Ooh, other cheek?" He wonders hopefully. 

Your face is on fire. You stand up and go around the other side of the table. You stare at his flannel shirt. You can't bare to look him in the eye. You bend and plant another kiss, one he leans into until your lips smush on his cheek. 

You recoil and once more resume your place on the cushion. He purrs again. 

"You're go," he urges. 

You guess randomly. You forget to check where you hit. It's another miss. You don't even want to sink his ships. The kissing is too much. 

Several back and forths and a third ship goes down. You feel like crying. You didn't really think about the rules before you put the ships on the board. You're so stupid. 

"Come here," Steve cooes. 

You get up, slouching shyly as you approach. You bend to kiss his cheek but he surprises you as he turns and you meet his lips instead. His hand catches the back of your head before you can react. 

He smothers you, locking you in place, and you push on his chest. You whine as his tongue slides over your lips. You don't like that. 

He lets you go and you stumble back, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. 

"What's wrong?" He asks. 

"Captain, I... I'm not used to it. I never... I'm sorry," you stop and sway on the other side of the table. 

"Ah, sweetheart, of course, it's alright. The more you do it, the better it'll be." He coaxes. 

"Oh, okay," you get back to your knees. "F9?" 

"Shoot! You hit. Sink." 

"Huh?" You flinch at the last word, "really?" 

"Got the small one," he says as he gets up. "My turn to pay my dues." 

"Oh, that's... that's-- You don't have to." 

"Fair is fair," he reaches for you, latching onto your upper arm to force you up.  

You stand knowing that resistance is not an option. Not only is he stronger, but you want to be good. You want to get better. That's all you've ever wanted.  

He guides you to face him and you tremble. It's much more intimidating like this. He cups your chin as he gazes down at you. You gulp. 

He bends and your body goes rigid. He tilts your head and presses his mouth to yours. The tip of his tongue flicks along the crease of your lips but he doesn't persist. He parts with a pleased drone. 

"See, we both win," he says. 

You pull away and sit. Your scalp is on fire. You don't know how much more you can handle. Dr. Makira always said change shouldn't come all at once. 

He clears his throat and sits again. He grins over his board before he refocuses. He rubs his chin as his thinks. His blue irises glimmer. 

"D1." 

Yep. You figured. 

"Hit." 

It isn't difficult for him to go down the ship. Hit. Hit. Hit. 

He wins again. 

"Steve-- Captain," you say as fidget. "I don't think-- I can't." 

"Aw, sweetheart, you already did it. You're so good." 

"But... er, I'm... I don't know." 

"Here," he waves you up and shifts over on the couch.  

You flick your lashes and stand. You go to him as he extends his arms. He puts his hands on your hips and draws you between his knees. 

"I just think you need to slow down. You're not taking your time," he says.  "So, just go at your own pace," he brings his hands up to frame your face, pushing your hair back, rubbing your cheekbones with his thumbs. "Alright, I'm yours, sweetheart." 

He closes his eyes and puckers expectantly. You stare back. He's being nice, you think. He's not angry. He hasn't hurt you. You'd like to keep it that way. 

You gather your courage and lean in. You put your hands on his shoulders and close your eyes just before your lips meet. His beard tickles you again as his hands stretch around your head. 

He holds his lips to yours and gently opens his mouth. He pokes with his tongue and you twitch. He keeps you in place. You surrender to his diligent effort and let him in. 

He tilts his head as he invades your mouth. You garble around him and clutch the seam of his shirt. You feel his muscles beneath. He's stronger than you, remember that. 

When he finally pulls away, you're woozy. He lets his hand fall down your neck and he feels along the top of your dress. As his speaks, his voice scrapes in his throat. 

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asks. 

[melodyanqel]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐌𝐄 ── ★ h.jh. (003. not-so-ordinary encounter)

love at first sight happens between the police officer and a bright, innocent woman. they shared a deep connection that meant they needed each other more than anything, even when they experienced the same nightmare.

⤷ pairing: hwang jun-ho x fem!oc

⤷ genre/tags: fluff, angst, thriller, psychological drama, established relationship, team bonding, financial issues, games, action, betrayal, foreigner!soft!oc, protective!junho

⤷ warnings: slapping

⤷ wc: 3.1k words

⤷ note: even tho i'm always having fun writing these chapters, this one was exciting and i'm glad that i finally reached the canon events. i hope you all enjoy!

⤷ melodyanqel taglist: @hwallazia @rubyredish @analysisiinternet @ilovebtsomgie @aylinbsx

It’s bittersweet to leave each other because Jun-ho has to deal with reckless drivers and motorcyclists but anything to put food in the fridge and have more time to do sailing. Thanks to Captain Park for rescuing and helping him, Jun-ho has someone to trust. 

Again, he not once told his mother and Lily about it. 

Jun-ho feels guilt has weighed more on his shoulders as he keeps lying. But he has no other choice because he wants to protect them. Preventing the secret from slipping out has been torturing Jun-ho for a long time. However, Captain Park is willing to look for the island and he can’t thank him enough. 

The first thing Jun-ho does when arriving at the station is politely greet his chief, and coworkers, and put on his vest and hat in the locker room—like a typical day at work. He is also training a new officer about road safety. They got along very well from the first day. Of course, the rookie, Min Han-gyul, was nervous because Jun-ho has so many years of experience as a cop. But Jun-ho is a considerate and patient man who will have Han-gyul upgrade his position as an officer. 

Soon enough, he shuts the locker and leaves the changing room. Jun-ho goes to the front desk to spot Han-gyul standing by the door and ready for business. The young man in his early twenties sees his superior and greets him. “Oh, hyung, good morning!” He gives a respectful bow. Jun-ho didn’t mind Han-gyul calling him hyung because he is younger than him and they’ve grown a friendship. It also feels nice not being the youngest for once. 

Jun-ho draws a small smile. “Good morning. Ready to go?” He asked the rookie. Like any optimistic youngster, Han-gyul responds pridefully, “Yes, I’ll be learning as you train.” 

He receives a chuckle from Jun-ho. The older one says, “Great because we don’t want the chief to yell at us.” As if he hadn’t before. The chief does want him in the Criminal Division again. However, he insisted being a traffic officer is flexible for his search and less trouble. Jun-ho has his ways and he hopes to succeed. 

Meanwhile, Lily arrives in the streets of Gangnam District. The area is known for the best shops, entertainment, and filming movies and dramas. Lily isn’t sure what So-eun is planning, but she is excited. She does love it whenever her friends show her new places because she is still new to South Korea. Lily has mainly spent more time in Seoul and hasn’t gone to other cities like Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and many more she wants to visit. Maybe when Jun-ho and her get married, they’ll travel together, which she hopes to do. 

In front of the Coex Mall, Lily looks for So-eun, but it’s a bit difficult because so many people are passing by. After trying to get through, she notices a tall, stunning Korean woman standing outside in an emerald green dress. Lily calls out So-eun. Surprisingly, her soft voice is loud enough for So-eun to hear. 

The woman beams when she sees Lily and starts dashing. “Wow! You look cute today! Well, you’re always cute.” So-eun compliments the latter’s appearance. Lily plays a merry smile, “You look great too!” She wraps her arms around So-eun’s waist. The taller woman hugs back, “Appreciated. Let’s go somewhere less busy because I can’t stand it.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. Lily giggles and looks up, “I agree.” She detached herself from her friend. 

Abruptly, So-eun’s eyes widened. “Oh! I bought your favorite.” She starts digging through her purse to take out two brown-colored candies with two different shapes—a star and a heart. Then a gasp escaped from Lily’s lips. “Dalgona! Thank you! I’ll take the heart one.” She happily grabs the candy. So-eun responds with a big smile. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s go before I lose my shit.” Her smile drops and she takes Lily’s free hand to drag her out of the crowded place. 

Once walking into a much quieter atmosphere, the two can talk freely while eating their Dalgona. They reached a park with a green landscape and fewer people around. So-eun tells Lily about a memory. “My appa once told me that he used to play a game with his friends where they tried taking the shapes out of the Dalgonas.” She gets a silent and baffled reaction from the American. 

So-eun chuckles because Lily’s facial expressions are enough to understand without words. “Is that even possible?” Lily is intrigued to know. So-eun shrugs, “I guess. Maybe by licking the candy.” She assumed. Dalgona is sugar and can break easily like glass. 

Lily hums, “I never knew it was a game. Speaking of it, Jun-ho and his omma showed me games they’d played during childhood. Do you know how to play Gonggi?” She asked So-eun a very popular Korean game. The other woman nodded. “Yes, I do. My omma taught me and I suck at it.” She lets out a hearty laugh. “It’s geared towards a female demographic and many girls and women would play it to win something. Have you played it?” She wonders. Lily is a foreigner who is still getting introduced to Korean activities. 

“One time and gave up because Jun-ho’s omma is a master at it,” Lily answered bluntly. So-eun giggles in delight because both elderly women are good at classic games and have an inner child. “Never underestimate the pros or your ass will lose.” So-eun gives a definite statement. Lily delivers a playful response, “I’m always going to be a loser.” She says it with humor and honesty. 

With a shake of the head, So-eun disagrees with her answer. “No, you’re not. I’m sure you’re good at some games. It’s just that Korean games make you think so damn hard that you’ll go insane. And I’m not kidding. My siblings are so competitive that it does get violent.” She expresses her opinions and Lily is enjoying it. The petite beauty knows what it’s like to lose and sometimes win against a family with ambition. But at the end of the day, it’s for fun and bonding with your loved ones. 

Lily says, “My little nephew is close to the age where he’ll get too greedy and think it’s alright.” Her sister sends messages about times when the little one wouldn’t want to share anything. 

So-eun’s heart melts. “Aw, how cute! He’ll learn because he has to go through all the stages.” She has been an elementary teacher for five years and has to make children learn about selflessness. 

Promptly, Lily looks at her left hand and can’t believe So-eun hasn’t noticed it yet. She does something to get her to see the shiny item. She licks on her Dalgona. 

“Oh! It works!” Lily yells. So-eun turns her head to her friend and sees the sugar melting. “Huh. I guess that’s how my appa wins.” She stands corrected by her assumption. But she starts to notice something. So-eun thought her eyes were playing tricks when she spotted the ring. It took her a second to process in her brain.

So-eun screams so loud that even the dead can hear her. Lily stops licking the Dalgona and her left hands get snatched. So-eun eyes the ring. “When did this happen?!” She questions in total shock. It’s a good thing no one is around them, but So-eun wouldn’t care.

Lily simply says, “Last night during Jun-ho’s birthday.” As soon as she announced her engagement, So-eun burst into tears. “Oh my god! Congratulations!” Bringing Lily into a humongous hug without breaking the Dalgona in their hands. The smaller woman is smiling with so much joy and gives a promise to So-eun. “Thank you so much. I’ll let you know when the wedding will happen.” 

ִ ࣪𖤐.ᐟ

The two friends have their arms linked and are having a lovely time in Gangnam District. 

As a kind friend, So-eun allowed Lily to take her wherever she wanted. Usually, she would plan their dates, but instead, So-eun let Lily find places that sparked her interests. There’s a cute stationery shop in a secluded area that has her excited. So-eun too because she loves stickers and journaling. 

“Oh, I forgot to mention. I had a strange encounter at the subway station.” Lily spoke while looking at the frames. The word “strange” made So-eun a bit concerned. “What happened at the subway station?” She asked if her friend was fine and safe. Lily responded, “I saw two guys asking people something and they had Ddakji tiles. I don’t know why but I tried ignoring them.” She has heard the subway station to be a bizarre place like being crowded and impatient people, but playing a game is beyond her expectations. 

So-eun says, “They’re probably high or scamming people and unfortunately it’s common in this country to lure them because we aren’t self-aware enough.” She had read the stories about people’s businesses going bankrupt because they trusted fraudulants. Whenever the topic of money gets brought up it becomes a sin. No one wants to look like they threw their life away, but sometimes it’s their doing. 

Lily lets out a breath. “It could be. Scams are common in America too but mostly are on high alert. Well, I’m glad my day didn’t get ruined.” She switches the tone of the conversation. So-eun stops looking at the items and turns to face Lily. “You know what I would do if they’d come to me.” She wouldn’t hesitate to beat down the low lives if they tried invading her bank account. 

Her statement has Lily laughing but it’s true. Never let anything bad happen with your money. It then leads to the topic of self-dense. So-eun tells Lily, “Jun-ho should teach me how to fight. I mean, I do know how to punch and kick but not like a badass.” Her cop of her friend can effortlessly fight and it’s insane. With one hit you’re done. 

“He can! He is still teaching me. But it’s unfair how he has more advantages because I am small.” Lily pouts because she’ll look like a rat to her fiance, friends, and sister. So-eun gives a back hug and coos. “Aw, that’s your charm though! Jun-ho told me it melts his heart whenever you try to reach his shoulders.” Indeed, he would admit some things to So-eun without Lily knowing. 

“Who knew he would be a soft teddy bear? My teddy bear.” The petite woman giggles joyously because she’ll now call Jun-ho that. So-eun adds, “You did claim him." She unintentionally has Lily going shy because she is correct in every way. It’s unusual but Lily likes the sound of it. 

She and So-eun then left the shop because it was getting late. Lily bought a small oval-shaped frame to put a picture of Jun-ho from his birthday. His gorgeous smile will add more beauty to her desk. 

At the police station, Jun-ho and Han-gyul are getting ready to clock out. Today was a success without any issues. Han-gyul was also informed about his trainer’s engagement. He congratulated Jun-ho and was super happy for him. 

The young one even got invited to the wedding without an invitation because they created a bond, and Jun-ho would love to see people he is close with celebrating his big day. He imagines himself in a refined suit, a bright, dreamy venue, and he watches the love of his life walk down the aisle in her pure white dress, resembling an angel sent from heaven. 

Jun-ho is looking forward to that day. 

Han-gyul is done packing up his belongings while his superior is still doing his. “Thank you for today, hyung. Can you send my best wishes to Lily noona?” He wants to give her luck, peace, love, and all the great things in the world. Jun-ho draws a grin, “Sure. I’ll let her know.” He’ll mentally remind himself. Han-gyul bids goodbye and exits the locker room. 

After he left, Jun-ho put the last things in his backpack and closed his locker. Then his phone rings. He checks it to see Lily’s message. She told him her girls’ day with So-eun was done and she’ll see him back at the apartment. Jun-ho texts her back that he is on his way. The feeling of returning home is a relief that can heal his corrupted heart. Whether it’s his mother or Lily, he is grateful they’re waiting for him. 

ִ ࣪𖤐.ᐟ

The subway station is quiet with fewer people. 

Lily sits on an empty bench and patiently waits for the next subway. During work days, her legs would be aching from standing and moving to places. Well, that is what hard work is like. Before her job as a teacher, she was a barista with minimum wage. Not to mention, Lily’s old routine was school first, then work, and getting home late. It even made her guilty about not spending time with Jun-ho. 

Despite that, he didn’t mind it at all. He continued to support his love because she was a hard worker. Lily sent Jun-ho a message about going home and put her phone back in her purse.

“Hey, miss. Can I ask you something?”

Suddenly, a male voice speaks to her. Lily looks to the right and notices a man, more like a very handsome man, in formal attire and a briefcase sitting on her right. She fixes her composure and speaks cordially. “Sure. What do you need help with?” Lily asked the man. A chuckle escapes from his lip. The man shakes his head. “No, I’m fine. I want to know if you need my help.” He switches the offer onto her. 

“What kind of help, mister?” She looks at him puzzled. The man reads Lily like an open book and it’s no surprise for him to get skeptical responses from people. 

“Would you like to play a game with me?” He takes out blue and red folded papers from his blazer. Ddakji. The man wants to play Ddakji with her. 

Lily hesitates for a second because that caught her off guard. She thought she wouldn’t be encountering more strangers with Ddakji but it seems like it’ll be a new thing in subway stations. Her heart is telling her not to do it for obvious reasons and her head is telling her yes so he can walk off and leave her alone. 

So, she went with, “Alright.” 

The salesman’s dark eyes spark with excitement. “Perfect! Then play three rounds with me,” he offered with a cheerful smile. “For every round you win, I’ll pay you 100,000 won.” He gives a straightforward instruction. “I’m sorry?” Lily wants to know if she is hearing it correctly. He lets out a small laugh at her adorable shocked face. “You may think I'm scamming, but no. I’ll pay you real 100,000 won.” He clarified her bewilderment.

Lily inquires about the penalty. “What if I lose?” She knows she is entering a dangerous territory. 

The stranger adds, “You must pay back the same amount.” 

He sees her taking a deep breath. She could feel the pressure weighing on her shoulders. “Yes, or no?” The salesman pressed on, almost impatient. His happy smile also dropped. 

With a direct response, “Okay, I’ll play the game.” Lily knows this is foolish. The grown man’s smile returns to his face. “Excellent.” He, on the other hand, is super thrilled. “Which color do you want?” he asked, raising the two tiles. “Blue.” Lily answered.

The salesman handed her the blue tile before placing his red one on the ground. “Ladies first.” He takes a step back.

Lily knows playing Ddakji is difficult but will do her best to beat her opponent. She uses her entire strength and slams the tile as hard onto the red paper. It flips over. As the game went on, Lily won the first two rounds in one go, which was astounding because she never won in games. But her arm was starting to ache. The man detected her exhaustion and might have the advantage. In the third round, Lily throws down the paper and it misses. 

Her opponent speaks, “My turn.” He then tossed his red tile with a strong hit and it flipped the blue one. “Looks like you owe me 100,000 won.” He stated nonchalantly. The young woman looks inside her wallet from her purse and realizes she is short on cash. “I don’t have a lot. I’m sorry.” Lily apologizes and hopes there is another way. 

“It’s all good,” The salesman said. However, it didn’t stop there. “You can just pay with your body.” Her opponent watches her pretty brown eyes widen owlishly. “Excuse me?” She questions in shock. What did he mean by that?

Smack!

Lily’s head whipped violently to the side. Her cheek is stinging as she turns her neck to face him. He is unfazed and that smile is still on his lips, as if he has no care or remorse. In other words, physical abuse and not paying with actual money. “Want to play again? If you’re willing to win this last round.” The guy taunts her a little. Lily is starting to feel aggravated by him. She knows his mockery will make her look weak. She musters the courage to say, “I’ll do it.”

Smack after smack after smack, Lily wasn’t giving up, but her face was beginning to swell. 

Then came the moment when she used her remaining energy for this hit. Lily witnesses her world slowing down when the red paper flips over. She hollers an ecstatic scream for her victory. She didn’t care about the people’s judging faces. 

The salesman slowly claps his hands with that calm smile on his handsome face. Lily stops her cheering to relieve the tension out of her chest. Unexpectedly, her opponent becomes gentle by taking her hand and handing her the money.

“Congratulations, miss.” He spoke in a soft voice. He lets go of her hand and Lily sheepishly bows to him with a quiet appreciation.

The sound of a subway has arrived.

Before leaving, he responded, “If you’re interested, you can play a course of games to win yourself loads of money. You have until October 31st or Halloween to decide.” The man grabbed something from the inside of his blazer, a cardboard paper card with shapes on it; circle, square, and triangle. 

Lily kindly takes the card because she has had enough of this man. “I’ll see,” She said in short. The man gives her a pleasant grin and a nod. She scurries to her transportation and stands by the siding doors. Lily moves herself around to face the salesman one last time.

“Give me a call,” He says, raising a fist for good luck. As the doors close, Lily watches him wave his hand goodbye. 

She will not tell Jun-ho about this incident. 

series masterlist | four

[scribblesofagoonerr]

Buddy & Monkey: Double The Trouble Masterlist

pairings: leah williamson x chaos fc reader!monkey x separate reader!buddy

summary: a cross over that nobody asked for but i made it happen where chaos fc reader!monkey & separate reader!buddy are 2 unbiological sisters. A dynamic pair when led astray love to cause trouble together!

found family

how it came to be.

a lot of reserved feelings

monkey has a lot of reserved feelings when she first moved in

oh baby!

the day of the gender reveal

favourite little buddy

the day buddy was born and monkey met her favourite little buddy for the very first time

first christmas pt. 1

the first part of the flash back to buddy & monkey's first christmas.

first christmas pt. 2

the second part of the flash back to buddy & monkey's first christmas.

you're just like them!

monkey is unhappy to spend the night round jordan's for the first time since the transfer to aston villa and she makes her feelings known

the bubbles are pink, jackass!

buddy learns a new word from monkey and can't stop repeating it, meanwhile leah's almost have a breakdown over it.

buddy's first words

the day buddy said her first words and it's not a word that she should be repeated

the farmyard adventures

the swear jar mishap backfires on leah and it ends in a trip to the farm

no more money for monkey

there's a reason monkey isn't allowed money

we brought a puppy home

monkey brings a puppy home and its' not completely smooth-sailing

whoa, we're going to ibiza I

monkey goes on holiday to ibiza and she's not exactly happy about it

whoa, we're going to be ibiza II

emotions are high on holiday and monkey's finds herself struggling to open to jordan

the haunting of nightmares from the past

the anniversary of monkey's dad's death causes a lot of bad memories of the past to resurface.

flu season

monkey's sick with the flu and she refuses to admit it, putting her own life in jepordy.

stranger danger

monkey unintentionally put's buddy's life in jeapordy when she asks a fan to hold her without any realisation of what she is doing wrong

howdy, america!

preseason has kicked off in america and it's chaos all round!

she was a skater girl

monkey's menace behaviour ends with drastic consequences in the form of an injury

home run

baseball game chaos and monkey's up to her usual tricks throughout

little lioness

buddy get's to be leah's mascot for the game against the usa.

new girlfriend drama

leah finally introduces her new girlfriend, elle, to buddy and monkey

buddy the rat has a nice ring to it

halloween has a different style this year as buddy's determined to go as a rat of all things after monkey puts the idea in her head.

pumpkin patch adventures

buddy and monkey take a trip to pick out pumpkins with a special guest appearance from @lvnleah Rory

star of the nativity show

buddy lands the role as an angel in her nativity performance

dino's are fancy!

new year eve celebrations are in full swing, however, buddy is set on wearing a dinosaur costume to the party, so leah has to compromise somwhere along the line...

new year, new chaos

it's a brand new year and with it, there's a lot more chaos around the corner.

instagram

leah's post

monkey's photo dump

monkey's debut

blurbs

monkey's past

moving in

euros final

newfound fussy eater

baking in the williamson household

sun, sea and sandcastles

when did she grow up so much?

quality time with auntie kei

training days

trip to the zoo

aesthetic mood baords

buddy coded

monkey coded

[thisisjustfanfic]

"I Know Him"

A little drabble about Zayne knowing Caleb and their past. I got a little worm in my brain and had to write a little. (Done as a writing warmup for larger session)

{SFW, Zayne x Reader, Caleb x Reader, Reader is MC}

Read on ao3

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

Zayne Knows Caleb

As a child, you don’t notice things like adults do. You don’t think about the subtext of a person’s actions or their words. Things just are when you’re a child.

Growing up after the Chronoshift Catastrophe was an odd experience, but only from the outside, because to the children it was just the new normal. Adults did their best to shelter the youth from the truth and protect their fragile innocence, regardless of how scared they might be. 

Everyone had lost someone, some had lost more than others. Zayne’s parents had pulled him aside one evening to speak candidly about how while he still had his mother and father, the other children might not and he should be sensitive of that. 

You were one of those children. One of the many left without a family or a home. His parent’s had noticed the two of you interacting more in the neighborhood, and thought it prudent to warn him. 

After that talk, he remembers looking at you a little differently. In that, he actually looked at you. Before you were just another child in the sandbox, or climbing a tree. You weren’t really a face or a name. Not until then. Then is when he really looked at you. At your carefree smile. At the ease with which you talked to others. And he remembers thinking, surely his parents must be wrong. You were so happy. 

Caleb was another of those children, but when Zayne was warned about him things began to make sense. Caleb was quieter than you were but not by much, and he always had something to say in regards to the way things were done or how they were executed. Like an irritated parent telling the children how to behave. 

Maybe Caleb had stepped into place for you, and that’s why you still smiled so easily. Or maybe you just were stronger than other children. Zayne wasn’t sure which to think. 

As a child, the behavior was inexplicable. As an adult, Zayne could decipher the signs. 

You were sweet because you didn’t know anyway else to be, and you knew that your smile made others smile. You were kind. Honest. Brilliant. 

Perhaps, even then, Zayne had loved you. In that innocent, shimmery way that children loved. He orbited you like a star, and he was but a dwarf planet. Too small to be recognized, and too nervous to speak his mind. 

Though, maybe if he had…if he had made it clearer how important you were to him back then, then Caleb wouldn’t have been so bold. 

As a child, Caleb had just been annoying. Bossy and too controlling. He had to tell Zayne and the other kids what to do and how to do it. The worst was his claim on you. 

“I’m like her brother now!” Caleb would bark at the others, “So it’s my job to make sure she’s safe!”

Infantile, truly. But a warning sign that someone should have seen. Certainly no child would have been able to recognize the budding obsession your pseudo-brother was forming for you. 

“No! You can't tag her!” Caleb had shouted more than once during a simple game of tag. “She doesn’t count! Go after someone else!”

OTher adults probably thought it was sweet. Zayne, looking back, would have thought so too, but other times…

“You can’t be on anyone else’s team, ok?” Zayne caught Caleb whispering to you one day. “You’re only really safe with me, and so we have to stick together.”

You nodded happily to him, and Zayne, for the first time in his life, felt the corrosiveness of jealousy. Why couldn’t he get you to smile like that? Why did Caleb make it look so easy?

When they were getting close to their teenage years, the memories are clearer and perhaps Caleb learned to be more subtle. 

“I don’t want to live here when I’m older,” Caleb said to you as the three of you sat in a tree at the edge of the neighborhood, “We should find a place quieter than this. The city makes my head hurt.”

Zayne knew he wasn’t talking to him. Only to you. You just laughed and mentioned your fondness for Linkon, and your desire to become a hunter. 

They were twelve and Zayne was finally old enough to realize that his heart racing when you were around wasn’t just a coincidence. He’d gotten a hang oof his evol by that point, and would use it to show off sometimes. Snow in the summer. Freezing your drink. Leaving you a seal made of snow. 

It was that last gift that must have been too far. Caleb caught him alone, fire in his violet eyes. 

“I heard you lost control of your evol.” Caleb said with his arms crossed. His juvenile brow furrowed.

Zayne was surprised and ashamed. It’d been a few days ago. A slip up where his evol got out of control and he left half the park covered in ice. There hadn’t been many people there– you weren’t there, and Caleb wasn’t either. How did he find out?

Caleb must have seen the confusion on Zayne’s face and scoffed, “Stay away from her. It’s my job to make sure she stays safe, and you’ll put her in danger if you can’t control yourself.”

Zayne opened his mouth to argue, Caleb’s possession over you having finally gone too far. But Caleb stopped him.

“Do you want to kill her?” Caleb hissed, taking a step forward to step into Zayne’s space. “You know what she’s like! She’ll go running to help you and you’ll end up– ugh. Just– just, stay away.”

Caleb turned on his heel and left, not giving Zayne even a moment to argue. And the longer he thought about it, maybe Caleb was right. 

Was he too dangerous to be around you? Your heart condition was already scary enough, but what if you were around when his evol lost control? What if you– perfect and compassionate– tried to help him. 

Zayne decided that day he wouldn’t go back to your side until he could control it. Until there wasn’t a question whether or not you were safe. 

Because if he hurt you, he’d never forgive himself. But now, as an adult, Zayne would neither forgive Caleb either. 

[eclipseberrycake]

Poly! MoonBerryCake x Reader Pt. 5

AN: I cannot believe my silly lil MBC ramblings have turned into this. This is a combination of that one request mentioning the "I may be an idiot, but I'm your idiot" and another requesting Witch! Reader! I kind of took some creative liberties because this idea just like...hit me and I was like. If i dont write this rn im gonna crash out. Again, don't look too hard into the logic of this, it's a toon world :)

-> Part one

-> Part Two

-> Part Three

-> Part Four

☁ Sprout knew, intimately so, at this point that you, his loving, darling, amazing partner, could be so, so dumb it was alarming you've lasted this long.

☁ He loves you. He does. So much it hurts. But you literally are the embodiment of every chaotic impulsive thought he's sure they've all had. The only difference is that you do it.

☁ Which. Come on. Like, there has to be a learning moment. Where you turn over a new stone or rock or however that saying goes and you don't toe the line of twisted RnD's boundary, keeping them awake just to tease the twisted since they couldn't reach you. There had to be.

☁ He should've known it was too good to be true, at the beginning of the relationship, when things went too smoothly for him. Too good to be true.

☁ Truthfully, you're all little demons. He knew you were all hiding it, but to see it in person? He's getting gray leaves.

☁ Astro likes to play this game where he follows whoever's distracting, most times you, to see how close he can get to the twisted without them noticing. It drives Sprout, and even Cosmo, nuts watching it even if they know he's practically invisible to the twisteds.

☁ That does not stop him from being seen every once in a while when he gets too cocky, but he's quick to evacuate the area while you get the twisteds attention once more.

☁ Every lecture seems to go in one ear and out the other though as the very next run, unless it's a blackout, he's doing it again. (So maybe I play like this what of it-).

☁ Cosmo is normally pretty clever about how he does runs and is often the least of his worries. Unless there's a call for a bandage.

☁ From there it's like a race between him and Cosmo. Cosmo immediately drops whatever he's doing and takes off towards the source of the call. Sprout as well has to take off because sure enough, Cosmo doesn't take into account it's in the area you're distracting in, and Sprout can only watch as you realize he's in the area, panic to figure out an alternative route, get smacked by a twisted Teagan as Cosmo nearly gets bit by the Twisted Boxten.

☁ All of that for a bandage. For Cosmo who was at full health.

☁ Sprout has to step in, calling the Twisted's attention with a spare airhorn he found, giving you the chance to recover as Cosmo passes you a treat and a frantic apology, quickly leaving the area as he slaps said bandage on.

☁ The twisteds are returned to you as Sprout ducks behind a wall, trying to ease the rapid pounding of his heart. He cannot keep having the same conversations.

☁ Cosmo is unlike Astro as he shows actual remorse, immediately apologizing and saying that he wasn't thinking he just didn't want anyone else to take it, turning on the waterworks as he burrows into Sprout's scarf.

☁ You're already saying they're crocodile tears (They are) with Astro snickering at the action, but Sprout is a weak man. He falls for it every time, immediately breaking and cooing that it was just an accident and these things happen, Cosmo just needs to be more careful.

☁ And then there's a call for a med-kit the next floor and it happens ALL OVER AGAIN.

☁ So, yeah, you're all demonic gremlins and Sprout is the unfortunate victim of it. He's just as bad outside of runs though, don't worry.

☁ But you. Oh you. Are by far. The worst for his heart.

☁ He already doesn't like the fact that as a distractor, you're constantly in danger, but you know what he doesn't like more? The fact that you don't seem to take it as serious as you should.

☁ He's lost count of how many times you've run past him, shouting some sort of argument with Goob who was also distracting. How you've paused to emphasize a point and Goob's had to snatch you to save you from getting hit.

☁ Or how many times you've climbed onto a table, out of the twisted's reach but close enough to keep their attention, hands on your hips as you go on about some theory you heard about.

☁ He won't admit it, but his favorite thus far is that Dandy's actually bald and the petals are all fakes.

☁ Or the one where you claim Twisted Toodles has rabies, while Twisted Toodles snaps and snarls at your feet, clawing at the table.

☁ And when you're back in the elevator, and he's got you corner, going on and on about how idiotic of a move that was and why would you even think of doing that? You give him a grin and a cheeky smile.

☁ "I may be an idiot, but remember. I'm your idiot. FOREVER." You'd preen, cackling as he debates between throttling you or kissing you enough you're too dazed to think about running and he has to drag you behind him the next floor.

☁ Little did Sprout know that a turning point would come.

☁ He knew Dandy and you had your differences, as you were managing to get the research needed and reclaiming the other toons back to the good side while spending the minimal amount of tapes. (Not that it helped when a certain survivalist toon was on the run, but he digresses.)

☁ This time however, you were adamantly refusing to hand over any tapes and Dandy was close to crashing out. His eye was twitching as he glowered at you, you're own sneer rivaling his. "Why should I give you the tapes if I can give them to Sprout?" You'd snarl, making Dandy slam his hands on the desk.

☁ "Fine! Be that way then!" He snapped, yanking on the lever to bring him back down.

☁ "Was that really our best move?" Vee raised a brow at the closed hatch, nudging it with her foot.

☁ "Maybe we could've spared some for a stopwatch or something." Gigi added, reaching into her head to pull out a can of pop. "I don't know if his twisted form is something I'm all too excited to deal with."

☁ While Sprout agreed, he also didn't want Dandy to win. But still, Dandy's twisted form was lethal and he didn't fancy seeing your twisted form. Not after Astro had told him how even you, yourself, had feared it and what it was capable of.

☁(Guys not to spoil anything, but you'll never guess what else is in the works from that line alone lol)

☁ They hadn't seen any clones of your twisted form yet, but weren't eager to.

☁ You gave a wave of your hand dismissively. "Nah, it looks big but it really isn't that bad."

☁ None of them looked convinced.

☁ You groaned, rolling your eyes. "Fine! if he shows up. I'll make sure to stick to an area Astro and a healer can remain nearby." You pout, though between him and the other two, Sprout can tell you're a little hurt.

☁ No matter what you do, or how you distract, you're number one priority is their safety. If there's a serious twisted, you're immediately doing a one-eighty, distracting like a pro. You only goof off when their twisteds you know inside and out. To have them doubt for even a second you wouldn't give up your own sanity for them, probably stings.

☁ Frowning, he sets a hand on your shoulder, tilting your chin up with his other hand. "You got this, bud. We know you do. We just wanna be a little cautious when it comes to Dandy."

☁ And he knows you know that, making you frown a bit more before huffing. "I know."

☁ Cosmo is quick to wrap his arms around you, giving you a bright smile. "Besides, you know how much we love watching you distract anyway."

☁ Which too a degree was true. They loved seeing you in your element, thriving and shining like a shooting star.

☁ By the time Sprout is looking back, you're smothered between Astro and Cosmo, pushing away their murmurs of praise with bundles of laughter bursting from you. It makes him grin.

☁ But then the elevator stills and opens, only there's no footsteps. There's no signs of any twisteds at all actually. No commons, no passives, no mains. Just...empty. It's unsettling.

☁ With a look to each other, you and Goob are the first to step out, remaining cautious of the room around you. When you both make it into the center area, the rest slowly step out.

☁ "Is this a free floor?" Finn asks, nervously fiddling with his fingers.

☁ "Even free floors have twisteds." Vee answers, bringing her mic in front of her and tapping it. "Is this thing working?"

☁ Nothing is highlighted save for a small, wrapped up bundle near the broken elevator.

☁ Since you're faster than Goob, you slowly step forward, you're entire body tense as you spot said bundle.

☁ Astro and Sprout remain close enough they can target you if needed with Goob on standby in case the worst happens. None of them have ever seen anything like this before and have no idea what it even is.

☁ Vee, Finn and Gigi move on to finish three of the machines with the fourth primed right next to elevator, all giving the signal to go.

☁ So you do. You walk up to it and begin by kicking it slightly. It doesn't move and you move to poking it. When nothing happens, you pick it up, examining it before slowly moving to open it. By the time the beige paper wrapped around it is pulled away, you're left with a small glass bottle. It looks like a smoke bomb.

☁ Rolling your eyes, you're already whining about how a smoke bomb got you all so riled up, dropping it front of you and watching it erupt into purple smoke around your figure.

☁ In hindsight, that should've been a sign. The final machine is finished and the elevator re appears, a few scattered giggles ringing out at the fluke floor.

☁ But you aren't laughing like normal.

☁ Sprout notices immediately, glancing at Astro and Cosmo, who are already looking at him. They've noticed it too.

☁ Just as they're about to say something, the cards plop down, and you immediately vote on the Penny pincher one, turning to them with a soft, almost strained smile.

☁ "Are you...feeling okay, bud?" Sprout asks, watching as Astro rests the back of his hand on your forehead. His grimace does little reassure them.

☁ "Do you need a heal?" Cosmo pipes up next, placing a hand on Sprout's shoulder as he does. "Or a pop? Maybe you have low blood sugar."

☁ You shake your head, which seems like a bad move as you sway, Astro having to catch you as you stumbled.

☁ "Okay, I'm calling it-" Sprout's declaring as he steps towards the lever to return to the lobby before you're stopping him with a call of his name.

☁ "Sprout! No, I'm fine, just a little dizzy! It'll pass. We need the shelly research!" You had been positively adamant on getting shelly back since getting Vee, knowing she was the last main. They were sure it's because you knew Shelly and Astro were good friends and that was probably influencing your need to get it done as fast as possible.

☁ "Starlight, I'm sure it can wait." Astro adds, holding you much closer as you continue to sway. "You can barely stand upright and you have a fever. How long have you been feeling unwell?"

☁ "I was fine!" Your face scrunches as you fight for balance. "I promise. I don't know what happened!"

☁ The voting ends and everyone is immediately rewarded with the tapes. Most are handed right over to Sprout, who pockets them in case of an emergency, but there's a disturbance. He can't feel the energy of the tapes as well as Dandy, or even Pebble for that matter, but he can tell the magic within them is wavering somewhere. Looking over, he can tell where.

☁ "Bud?" He prods once more, and your head shakes again, this time taking our your legs as punishment for the movement. Astro once more catches you as Sprout demands the run be finished, Vee already at the lever, while Cosmo leaves his side to check you over.

☁ By all accounts, on the surface, you're fine. But Sprout can tell. He can feel it in the wave the magic of the tapes seems to cling to you. Looking at Astro, he can tell too.

☁ Maybe bringing you away from the tapes until...whatever this is passes is for the best, despite your refusals.

☁ The elevator is brought up and Astro scoops your form into his arms and against his chest, carrying you out and in the direction of your room.

☁ "You guys are as stubborn as mules!" You scoff out, struggling against the hold your in. "I'm fine. It was a dizzy spell! It-" You pause as you groan, curling into yourself and making Astro freeze. Sprout and Cosmo are right there, hands already buzzing with energy, yet, it's not needed.

☁ With the close proximity, he can feel the magic in the tapes get yanked, pulled into a physical manifestation. Then there's a scream. Looking over, they watch Finn scramble to get away as a donkey manifests itself in front of him. It's made out of tree bark and sticks with leaves for a mane, standing there and giving a bored bleat.

☁ You look over at it from Astro's shoulder, blinking at it and everyone's gaping face before wilting. "Okay, maybe it wasn't just a smoke bomb."

☁ There's a flurry of motion as Toodles runs towards her newly proclaimed pony, naming it Oakley of all things. Rodger is rushing, trying to pry her away while the others are trying to figure out just where Oakley came from.

☁ None of you stick around, the boys quickly bringing you to the bedroom and setting you on the bed. You look marginally better, leaning against Astro, who strokes your fur back, even as he watches Sprout pace in front of the bed. Cosmo is fiddling with his hands, standing to the side and bouncing in place as he opens his mouth over and over again, trying to find the words.

☁ Finally, the cake roll settles on, "What was that?"

☁ This stalls Sprout as he pauses, whirling on his heel to face you. "You used tape magic. How'd you do it?"

☁ You raise a brow at this, silently asking him to continue. He does so. "The only non-main who can use tape magic is Teagan. But she can't extend that to anyone or anything but herself. That's exclusive to mains. So how-" He pauses, brows furrowing. "The thing- the thing on the floor on that last floor!"

☁ It's like an epiphany. " But that-" He stalls, swallowing before shaking his head. He'd look into it further. "What are you feeling now? Better at all?"

☁ You hum for second, rolling your head as you take inventory. "A little better. Sore, but...better." You answer. "I didn't know I could do that."

☁ "Could it really be a side effect from...whatever that was?" Cosmo asks.

☁ "Hard to say. Like Sprout said, using Tape magic to influence anything but yourself is exclusive to mains." Astro frowns, taking in the information. "Which brings up an assortment of questions about your history and that object. Perhaps it's turned you into a momentary main."

☁ "I don't feel different though!" You exclaim, Sprout catching one of the hands you flung up. He pokes at your palms and fingers, finding soft pads of flesh. You yank it back. "I've always had those!" You defend.

☁ "Easy, bud, I was making sure they weren't injured." He soothes and you reluctantly let him look at them again.

☁ "Can you do it again?" Cosmo asks. "Like... It happened because you were thinking of an animal right? And that animal showed up? Can you do it again?"

☁ "I don't know if we should be testing this. We're unaware of what it needs or what it entails-" Astro quickly cuts in, but it's too late as you immediately shout out "Cat!" and like magic, a cat plops into Astro's lap.

☁ All of you stare at the thing, which is made up of whipped cream and cake, strawberries making up it's flickering ears and a blueberry for a nose. When it mews, Sprout stumbles back, tripping over himself as Cosmo screeches, poor Astro caught between being trapped by the thing and staying with you.

☁ You immediately coo at it, picking it up, and snuggling into it as it gives you a happy purr, licking your face. When you pull it away, you give your best puppy dog eyes, staring at your gaping boyfriends. "Can we keep them?"

☁ "Where did that come from?!" Sprout exclaims, hands coming up to yank at his leaves while Astro's mouth hands open, hands hovering as if unsure what to do at this point. If this was the stress he brought to Sprout's life, he owed the berry so many apologies because what.

☁ Cosmo was the first to recover before slowly crawling onto the bed, making you turn to face him with the creature. It continued purring happily, sniffing at the offered hand before nuzzling into it, prompting Cosmo to pet it. "I mean...It doesn't look dangerous."

☁ "It literally came out of nowhere." Astro gaped, watching as you transferred the cat from your arms to Cosmo's, who let it lick at his face. "That's a cat. There's a cat."

☁ Digging through his wallet, Sprout's eyes nearly bulge out of his head. "The tapes. You used my tapes-" He's not upset, not at all, but that kind of reach was really unheard of.

☁ "There's a cat." Astro repeats once more, standing as he runs two of hands through his fur. "Oh my stars, there's a cat. In our room."

☁ "Do you not like cats?" Cosmo asks, tilting his head as the...creature crawls onto his shoulder if only to jump to his head, giving soft licks to the icing on top. It makes the cake roll laugh, which you're echoing before turning to Astro. "I'm sorry. If I had known I would've chosen a different animal. We don't have to keep it I promise."

☁ Astro blinks, as if stunned by that's what you two were hung up on. "What? No. No, I don't mind cats, but starlight. My star, my sun, my galaxy," Astro takes a breath as his hands fall, save for one that rubs between his eyes. "You made a cat appear out of literal thin air. That's a...That's impossible in actuality."

☁ "Super impossible." Sprout agrees, watching the thing strut from Cosmo's head to jump onto yours. You go cross-eyed trying to look up at it, grinning as it meows at you with one paw landing on your cheek so it can lick at your head. You giggle at it before grabbing it, holding it against you as it seems to burrow into your chest. He's man enough to admit that he's jealous of the cat, sneering at it.

☁ "Well, evidently not." Cosmo snickers, using his fingers to poke at the cat's paws. Their paw pads are made of jelly beans and Sprout has to admit it's a little cute. Running a hand down his face, he groans, only to glare at Astro as he gentle runs a hand down the cat's head, getting a thankful lick in return. "Astro!"

☁ The celestial looks startled at being caught, looking at Sprout before shrugging. "You gotta admit. It's a cute little thing."

☁ "It's a she!" You add, almost unhelpfully. "You know, if you think about it, it's kind of like our child!"

☁ You make it an Olympic sport to see how fast you can get all three of them varying degrees of flustered, Sprout swears on it. He's left stammering, looking for help from Astro-who's blue screened, blinking blankly at the cat who paws at his still hand- and Cosmo- who's too busy hiding his face in a pillow.

☁ cool. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. This was fine. Taking a breath, Sprout urges himself to push whatever feelings that were bubbling in him at the action down, taking a soothing breath. "Bud, that's a cat." And because he couldn't help himself, he added, "Plus, we know our kid would look much cuter."

☁ You flush, just as he expected you too, hiding your face in the cat. The only thing you can come up with is, "Dandy got a dog. Why can't I have a cat?"

☁ "Because it won't stop at a cat." Sprout has to explain, thinking back to Oakley in the living room. "What if the next time it's- I don't know- a dinosaur?!"

☁ "It won't be a dinosaur." You argue back. "Maybe a friend for Custard."

☁ "We are not naming her Custard!" Sprout hisses only to groan as he realized you caught him in your trap, hearing your "a-hah!' proclaiming victory.

☁ "So we can keep her!" You cheer, even if Sprout is debating suffocating you in your sleep later. "No! We can't! Because then it's one, then two! Then we're crazy cat people!"

☁ "We would not-"

☁ "If that were the case, wouldn't we already have a dog, dinosaur and like at least two more cats?" Cosmo suddenly pops up, his cheeks still very rosy.

☁ "True, we got...her, simply by Y/N mentioning a cat and Oakley by them saying the word Mule. It hasn't happened again and I still have all of my tapes." Astro adds on, smoothing out his fur and hair, readjusting his cap. "Maybe it's worn off."

☁ "Quick, before it's too late try for a cat again!" Cosmo eagerly demands, despite both Sprout and Astro shouting 'No!' at the prospect.

☁ You ignore them, shouting out cat once more. The only reaction you get is the cat in your arms pawing at you. You slump, frowning at losing the aspect. "Dang." You sigh. "Well, at least we got you out of it."

☁ "We can't get rid of her!" Cosmo pleads, handing off your shoulder to look up at Astro and Sprout, who cast a glance at each other. "I promise I'll be more careful on runs if we keep her!" He adds quickly.

☁ "Oh! Me too!" You add, joining Cosmo in giving them the puppy dog eyes.

☁ With a heavy groan, Sprout looks at Astro, who's smiling softly at the two of you. When the celestial looks over, Sprout knows he's lost him. "...It's just one cat."

☁ Sprout groans again, looking up to the roof as if there's some being up there seeing the same bullshit he's seeing. They're probably laughing at him.

☁ "Fine! But we're not naming it Custard! And I expect you to keep your promises or I swear I'm going for that favorite Uncle award and giving Toodles a new pet." He finally relents, extending a finger to the cat, who licks it before jumping into his arms as you and Cosmo cheer. For what it was worth, that cat was pretty cute.

☁ The cat ends up being names Blueberry cake (get it get it-), Blu for short. She's a happy-go-lucky kitty who purrs and licks everyone when one of you is in the room, only to throw an absolute hissy fit when you leave. If Blue is left alone with anyone without having you, Cosmo, Sprout or Astro in sight, she refuses to let anyone touch her, hissing and swatting at anyone brave enough. The second one of you return though, she's all purrs and happy mews.

☁ She sleeps on pebble who sleeps on your bed, sorry I don't make the rules.

☁ Oakley is still around too, but stays outside where he prefers it. You obviously earned worlds greatest aunt/uncle/nibling for that, even if Rodger curses your name for it. Toodles loves it and thats the most important part.

☁ Blu also comes on runs sometimes! The first time it happens, it was an accident, but one that Sprout begrudgingly appreciates as she has an uncanny ability to sniff out tapes no matter how hidden they are.

☁ And before you ask, yes. Sprout absolutely is the dad that said he didn't want a pet and would now literally kill a man for Blu.

☁ As you said after all, she's pretty much your child :)

[hivemuthur]

The Game of Teaching Body - Ch. 5.

viktorxfemale!reader mature! (for now, I will mark later chapters as explicit when the time comes)

AU university, AU modern era, slow burn, frenemies to lovers, teasing, pinning, banter, eventual romance and therefore smut, Viktor is simultaneously a menace and needs a hug, TA Viktor

Ch.1. | Ch.2. | Ch.3. | Ch.4. | Ch.6. | Ch.7. | Ch.8. | Ch.9. | Ch.10. | Ch.11. | Ch.12.

word count: 5,4K

tag: #the game of teaching body

summary: Viktor discovers this thing called feelings and doesn't like it. Also a small tw, as he is a bit mean in this chapter. Another also: if you read my other multichapter, you will discover that Angus and Ambrose travel through all my AUs as cameos :') Besides that, I am slowly learning how to phase out the use of Y/N, so with each chapter there will be less and less.

Cross-posted on AO3 + POV3rd Person Version

—

You sat cross-legged on your bed, absentmindedly picking at the seam of your pyjama bottoms as Sue knelt by the bed frame, painting her nails. You knew you had to tell her, especially after almost an entire week of brooding, miserable sighs, and coming up with new expert ways to avoid Viktor.

“So… it was about him all this time? I should’ve known,” Sue said, her tone analytical, as though piecing together all of your encounters with Viktor since the beginning of the year. When she thought about it with her science brain, it all slotted together seamlessly, though the crease in her brow betrayed her concern.

You gave a small huff. “Even I didn’t know,” you said quietly, though who were you kidding? You knew—you just didn’t want to admit it. The truth was, Viktor’s rejection had been a big blow. Not because you didn’t handle rejection well—you were usually the one doing the rejecting, as frankly, people terrified you most of the time. You felt bad for underestimating him. You had presumed Viktor was lonely and would welcome someone willing to get to know him better.

You’d been oblivious to all the hungry glances he received in the corridors, the girls giggling as he passed by them with his nose in a book. The way people looked at him when he was flushed from alcohol, his accent slurring slightly, occasionally drawing words in his native language.

You were also oblivious to how all those things about him made you feel, and you kept telling yourself you had a special intellectual connection that came before all of that. And it was a terrible lie, because when you thought of him now, the first things that came to mind were his long fingers, the way he formulated sentences, and his long eyelashes.

“Earth to Y/N?” Sue’s voice snapped you out of the palace of your mind. “Have you tried talking to him?”

You rolled your eyes, but your lips quirked into a reluctant smile. “Yes, and it went dandy. He told me he got carried away, and I told him he was a wanker. We shook on it and lived happily ever after.”

“Y/N, don’t do that with me.” Sue placed her hand on your foot, smearing some of her freshly painted nails on the bedsheet in the process. “I’m sorry I left you alone. I didn’t know it was—this big.”

“I’m only telling you about this now because I’m only able to talk about it now. You wouldn’t have been able to do much before,” you said, offering her a reassuring smile. “Besides…” You trailed off, looking down at your hands. “I’m glad at least one of us is happy.”

“What did Hale say?” Sue asked, curious to know what kind of ancient wisdom Hale had stored up for the event of a heartbreak.

“Oh, he doesn’t know yet,” you whined, hiding your head in your knees. “He has a very scary dad side that I’m not ready to unleash just yet.” Seeing the questioning look on her face, you added, “Sue, I can see him in my head going to Viktor to have a chat about hurting the love of his life. I don’t think I can handle that yet. Besides…” You sighed reluctantly. “It’s Hale who keeps telling me I’m the queen of the world when I’m clearly not.”

“Alright, that’s just unhealthy. You are a fucking queen of the world. Not even a month ago you did an impromptu guest star spot in a musical in front of, like, five hundred people.” It was much less than that, but Sue wasn’t very good with numbers. “And seeing you turning inside out over some sad fart makes my skin crawl.”

“Is that what we’re calling him now? Sad fart?” you chuckled despite yourself. You weren’t entirely sold on the “fart” part, but you couldn’t shake Viktor’s sad image from that evening in the lab. The way he’d looked so tired and flinched every time you snapped at him. The way his brows furrowed, and he lowered his eyes. The way he’d tried to stop you, and you wouldn’t let him.

Sue’s hand moved to your knee. “Yes. Sad fart it is,” she grinned at you shyly. “How long do you need before I take you out, shower you in love and compliments, and find you a cute boy to hang out with to make Viktor’s blood boil?”

“Give me twenty minutes,” you sighed, watching Sue’s eyebrows waggle at you.

She didn’t find you a boy, but the two of you got ridiculously drunk that night and danced around in the courtyard fountain to Kate Bush, still in your pyjamas. A few lights in the building flickered on, including the one in the TA’s office—though neither of you noticed. It was obscenely cold, and a security guard tried to chase you down campus as you hid under the workbench in the lab. You returned to your room wet and giggling, minus one of your shoes.

***

A week later, the pub was packed with students blowing off steam before the next round of assignments loomed. You sipped your cider as Hale leaned across you to steal a handful of crisps, Sue laughing at his antics. You’d run into Viktor, Jayce, and Mel, and decided to act like an adult by accepting Mel’s invitation to your group’s usual spot by the fireplace.

“See, Viktor, this is where you go wrong,” Mel teased from across the bowl of breadsticks, wagging her finger at him. “You never give us the gossip. Jayce and I are still waiting to hear who left that very telling mark on your lip.”

Jayce grinned, raising his pint. “Yeah, man. We were taking bets. I was sure it’d be some PhD student. Mel thinks it was a theatre kid.”

Viktor’s smile was tight, his fingers curling around his glass. “I assure you, it’s nothing worth betting on.” He couldn’t think of anything worse happening in this moment.

“Very mysterious,” Mel sang, her eyes narrowing. “Did you actually kiss someone, or did you just hit yourself in a drunken slur?” She pushed too far this time, as Jayce hissed and pressed a hand to her shoulder, signalling her to back off before Viktor snapped her neck.

You smirked, hiding it behind your drink. It was almost satisfying watching Viktor squirm under Mel’s playful interrogation. Almost. But the mention of it “not being worth betting on” made your stomach twist slightly. Before you could think of a cutting remark to add, a voice interrupted.

“Y/N?”

You turned to see a tall, sandy-haired student standing by your group, his expression nervous but determined. You blinked in recognition.

“Angus, right?” He exhaled in relief, probably because he wasn’t prepared to remind you how the two of you might have known each other. Encouraged, he crouched to level with you.

“Yeah. I, uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks colouring. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something since Open Days, but I never got the chance.” He hesitated, glancing nervously at your friends.

Hale raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the show. He had learned about the mishap with Viktor shortly after Sue. He’d made a dramatic fuss about being the second to receive the news, swore revenge on the vile "sad fart" who had hurt the love of his life, and promised to keep you safe till the end of his days.

“I was wondering if you’d like to grab coffee sometime?” Angus finished, his voice steady despite the flush creeping up his neck.

Your lips parted in surprise. You glanced at Sue, who gave you a subtle nod of encouragement. “Sure,” you said, smiling. “That sounds nice.” Actually, what the hell. You could have coffee with Angus.

Angus beamed, pulling out his phone. You gave him your number, aware of Mel’s approving smirk from across the table. As Angus walked away, Mel leaned in. “Finally, someone with taste. Well done.”

You laughed lightly, but your gaze flickered to Viktor. His expression was carefully neutral, but the tension in his jaw was unmistakable. A moment later, he stood. “I think I’ll call it a night,” he said, tapping his cane against the floor. “Leg’s acting up.”

“Aw, come on,” Jayce said. “You’ve only had one drink!”

“Some of us value our health, Jayce,” Viktor replied, his tone dry. “I’ll see you all in class.”

As he was leaving, you caught the stiff line of his shoulders and the slight unevenness of his gait. For a moment, you considered following him, but you stayed put.

Viktor walked back to the dorm, the clinking of his cane against the tile floor echoing in the quiet hallway. His mind was far from the dimly lit pub he’d just left behind. No, it was still wrapped around the conversation, the questions, and that damn mark on his lip. The one that made his heart sink the day he woke up to find it had faded completely. It should have been nothing. Nothing more than a harmless tease from Mel, a drunken mistake he could brush off with a wry smile. Yet, it lingered in his mind, gnawing at him like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

Who left the mark on my lip?

The question had come out of nowhere, but it felt like it had pierced right through the veneer of calm he usually wore. Viktor had been careful, so careful about keeping his emotions in check, about staying distant. But every time someone mentioned the kiss—the touch—it reminded him of something he couldn’t define.

He paused outside his dorm room door, staring at the worn wood as his hand hovered over the knob.

What did I expect?

He had spent years learning to shut off the noise, to keep his focus solely on his work. He had indulged in a few distractions in the past, each one a failure. Yet, every time you were near, it was like something else tugged at him, pulling him off course. It had started with your questions in class, your jokes, the way you always seemed to say just the right thing—or just the wrong thing, depending on how one looked at it. You were the kind of person who got under his skin without even trying, and Viktor hated it.

He entered the room, tossing his coat onto the chair by his desk and walking over to the window. The city lights below flickered in the distance, the sounds of the busy campus fading as he closed the blinds. He sank into the armchair by the window, resting his cane beside him.

Angus.

The thought of him—that stupid student asking you out so casually—caused a familiar tightness in Viktor’s chest. There was no reason for him to feel threatened. He didn’t care about your personal life, didn’t care who you decided to spend time with. Yet, the image of you smiling at Angus—so effortlessly, so innocently—made something shift deep inside him.

The way he’d felt leaving the pub, the way his muscles had tightened when you accepted the offer to grab coffee with Angus, was all so... foreign to him. He wasn’t supposed to care. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything.

But Viktor had learned long ago that desire wasn’t so easily suppressed.

He closed his eyes for a moment, the silence of the room thick and suffocating. His mind wandered back to the pub, to the way you had laughed with your friends, how your smile had lit up the room when Angus had approached you. He hadn’t expected it to affect him this much. He had expected to walk out, let it go, but instead, he’d felt something stir in him—a jealousy, perhaps? But why? You weren’t his.

The stupid part of Viktor wanted to fight back. To make you squirm and run back to him, so this time it would be him who left a mark on your lips and left you to deal with Mel’s questions. He wanted to make your face go flush red as he teased you about how much you’d enjoyed your performance in the lab with Sue. He would push your buttons, tease you out of your mind—but that was it. Keep you at arm’s length.

Stop this.

But the thought only lasted for a moment before his mind drifted once more to you—your strange talents, your sharp wit, the way your eyes seemed to challenge him whenever they crossed paths. You were a puzzle, a mystery he couldn’t solve. And the more he tried to distance himself, the more intrigued he became.

He pushed himself to his feet, leaning on the cane as he crossed the room to his desk, where his textbooks lay open. The distractions were easy enough to find—work, studies, the endless grind of the lab. But tonight, he wasn’t sure if any of it would be enough to quiet the storm raging inside his mind.

***

You carefully adjusted the pipette, trying to focus, but Sue’s chatter kept sending jolts of disturbance through your brain. You were still a bit jumpy, and avoiding Viktor was still a thing. Unfortunately, today was his class.

“Are you going to tell me anything about Angus, hm?” Sue mused, propping her chin on her hand, her voice drifting in and out as she worked. “He has a slight accent, no?” She set her samples down, waiting for a response from you. When none came, Sue’s mind drifted, and she asked an absent-minded question into space. “I wonder where Viktor’s accent’s from.”

You barely registered Sue’s words as you focused on your task. You set the pipette down, your mind drifting to Viktor because of your friend. All you wanted to do was sigh—the man was still a sad fart.

“Czech,” you muttered absentmindedly, tapping the edge of the flask with a frown on your forehead.

Sue blinked, glancing over at you. “Czech? How do you know that?”

You shrugged, your attention still fixed on the exercise. “I have ears.” Your voice was dry, tinged with something sharper. “And he’s got that... all-knowing, ‘life is hard where I come from’ Slavic man attitude.” You snorted, the bitterness slipping out more than you’d intended.

“I guess that makes sense… oh crap, careful!” Sue instantly wished she hadn’t mentioned Viktor at all.

You didn’t have time to respond before you misjudged the tilt of the vial and knocked over the alkaline solution. Your hand shot out instinctively to catch it, but you winced as it splashed across your skin, a burning sensation searing through your palm.

“Shit,” you hissed, immediately pulling your hand back.

“That’s going to burn.” The voice was cold and precise—Viktor, standing directly behind you. You hadn’t noticed him approach.

He stood there, his cane resting lightly against the counter, his amber eyes fixed on your hand.

“Focus and coordination would serve you better in the lab than... ears,” Viktor said, his tone dry, though not unkind.

You winced again as the pain spread across your hand, and you looked up at him, still trying to shake off the surprise. “Great. Just great.”

Viktor raised an eyebrow, glancing at the vial you’d knocked over. “What did you spill?”

“This,” you replied, your voice tinged with frustration as you pointed toward the workbench with your chin. “Sorry, I got distracted,” you sighed, feeling defeated.

Viktor’s lips twisted into something like a smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Distracted. Of course.” Is it Angus who keeps you distracted? A snarky thought pushed itself into his brain.

He stepped closer, his movements precise as he gently guided you toward the back room for first aid. You felt a twinge of discomfort as you walked, the sting of the burn reminding you of your mistake. Viktor’s presence was unnerving, to say the least, his focus intense as he prepared the supplies.

When you reached the office, Viktor carefully set to work. He adjusted the temperature and beckoned you to the sink. His hands brushed lightly against your skin as he held it under lukewarm water. You bit your lip, trying to focus on anything but the sensation of his fingers on your hand.

“Should’ve been more careful,” he muttered, his voice quiet but firm as he gently dabbed at the burn. You let out an annoyed sigh and rolled your eyes at him. The cool water on your skin felt like a relief, but the occasional touch of his fingers sent a strange, electric shiver through you. It was all very sudden after days of avoiding each other and pretending there was no elephant in the room.

He hummed lightly, continuing to treat the burn with a careful hand. After a few moments, he glanced up at you. “Why weren’t you wearing gloves?”

“I said, I got distracted,” you repeated, your voice quiet and tight with frustration.

Viktor’s lips quirked into a slight smile. “And what distracts you so? Angus? Or is it my accent?”

“Please stop,” you muttered, your pride and your hand both hurting now. “You’re not funny.”

There was a long pause. Viktor’s touch, though still efficient, had softened. His fingers were careful as he applied ointment to your burn, his movements deliberate, as if sensing the shift in you. He applied pressure to the heel of your palm, then gently played with your fingers.

“Why didn’t you wear gloves?” he repeated, his voice lower now, as if the question weren’t really about the gloves anymore.

You glanced at him, feeling oddly exposed, your heart speeding up slightly. You didn’t know why you had answered so quickly before, but now the silence felt heavy. His fingers were too close, too intimate, and his gaze was locked onto yours with an intensity that made the air in your throat feel thick. Why was he suddenly letting his touch linger longer than necessary? After making sure to push you away—no, not push you away, but keep you at arm's length, as if said arm was the length of the equator.

“I—” you started, your voice catching in your throat. You bit your lip, then involuntarily glanced toward his lips—barely a second, but enough to make your pulse quicken. Immediately, you scolded yourself in your mind. Girl, get a grip. But Viktor was completely unreadable. His face remained a mask of calm, yet you could’ve sworn there was something flickering in his eyes. Was it amusement? You couldn’t tell, and it drove you insane.

The silence stretched between you again, gooey, slow, almost suffocating. You dared not look up at him, but you could feel his gaze weighing down on you like a tangible thing. Your mind was running a mile a minute, trying to decipher his motives, his intent, but it was no use. He was too good at hiding whatever was behind that steady, unreadable exterior.

Viktor took a sharp breath and reached for the bandages, and you almost whined at the loss of contact. You hadn’t realized how much his touch had steadied some part of you until it was gone. Viktor smirked under his nose, amused, seeing the way you visibly relaxed when his hands found yours again.

“How did you know I was Czech?” he asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and something more playful, like he was enjoying this little game you’d somehow stumbled into.

You blinked at him in surprise, momentarily thrown off balance by his tone. “I... can recognize some Slavic accents.”

Viktor tilted his head slightly, his amber eyes gleaming with an unreadable expression. “And where are you from, Y/N?” His voice had an edge of genuine curiosity, but a challenge lingered in it. Make her squirm.

You raised an eyebrow, masking your sudden unease with a smirk, feeling a flicker of irritation at how easily he seemed to disarm you. You threw him a bait, not realizing it was he who was the hunter. “Guess. I’ll give you three questions.”

Viktor’s eyes lit up, his lips curling into a small, amused smile. He was clearly enjoying himself now, the opportunity to ask something personal laid before him. “Favourite food from home?”

“Pierogi,” you answered without hesitation, though the word felt like a small, sharp confession. You quickly added, “Don’t overthink it.” It was bizarre that you were talking about this now.

His gaze sharpened as he processed your answer. His eyes narrowed just slightly, and a gleam of realization flashed in them. “You’re Polish.” He thought to himself, I should have known.

Your eyes widened in surprise. You hadn’t expected him to guess it so quickly. “Half-Polish. But yes. Impressive,” you said, leaning back slightly, a bit thrown off. “You’ve got two questions left.”

Viktor studied you for a moment, the mischievous gleam in his eyes never quite fading. He seemed to enjoy how off-balance you looked. Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he asked innocently, “And who’s your favourite TA?”

You blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the questions. You hadn’t expected him to ask something so pointed. “Uh... despite everything, you,” you said, your voice faltering for just a moment. You quickly averted your gaze, trying to mask the sudden awkwardness that swept over you.

Viktor smirked, clearly delighted by your response. “Flattery won’t get you far,” he said, his tone teasing, but there was a softness to it.

You straightened, meeting his gaze again, your expression firm, though you could feel the heat rising to your cheeks. “I think I’m being honest.” You chose not to elaborate on why, as it was a revelation to you as well.

Viktor’s amusement flickered for a moment, and his gaze softened slightly. He studied you for a few beats, the tension between you palpable as he took in the way your jaw tightened, the slight flush on your cheeks. Then his expression shifted back to something more serious, more gentle—as if he decided to surrender something in that moment. He took your bandaged hand back into his and began tracing circles around your wrist with his thumb.

“Why are you such a pain in the ass for me, hmm?”

You blinked again, clearly thrown off by the question—again. You felt an uncomfortable tightness in your chest. “Why am I... what? What do you mean?” Your voice had a slight edge to it, as if you were trying to mask the unease building inside you. Why would he do that now?

Viktor didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he continued to trace light, lazy circles around your wrist, his touch almost soothing, though the underlying intent was far from that. His eyes never left yours—sharp, testing.

“Don’t play coy,” he said, his voice low, the corners of his mouth curling up. “You know exactly what I mean. Why do you make things difficult for me, Y/N?”

You felt your pulse quicken, confusion and frustration mixing. You tried to shake it off with humour. “You... reap what you sow?” you said, a weak attempt at deflecting.

Viktor didn’t falter, his gaze still steady, his expression unreadable. “Oh, I think I’m well aware of the consequences. But you seem to enjoy making things... complicated.”

Your heart raced, the teasing tone from him sinking in deeper. Without thinking, you pulled your hand away from his, trying to put some space between you, but Viktor didn’t miss a beat. His eyes narrowed, watching you closely as you shifted.

“Are you fucking with me?” your voice was sharp now, your frustration bubbling over. You crossed your arms, not sure whether you wanted to storm off or stay and challenge him.

Viktor’s lips curled into a half-smile, amusement dancing in his eyes. He leaned in slightly, his voice barely above a whisper, the teasing tone still lingering. “Wouldn’t you like me to?” He didn’t break eye contact, watching you with quiet, unnerving intensity.

“You are so full of yourself,” you scoffed, but the stupid part of your brain whispered a wistful maybe that rang in your skull like a bell. You wanted to deflect, but something about him made you lose your grip. “Is that your attempt at being cruel?”

“No,” Viktor said, his voice dripping with poisonous sweetness, each word calculated to make your skin prickle. He closed the distance between you, leaning over to murmur into your ear, his breath warm against your skin. “This is my attempt at getting even.” He scolded himself for giving away his intent, but the heat rising within him was stronger than reason. It was anger, of course.

Your breath caught, your pulse quickening as his words slid into your consciousness, the warmth of his proximity undeniable. Viktor smirked mercilessly against your skin, savouring the moment in which he had almost made you fall apart.

“You can now think about how my hands on your skin made you feel, regardless of Angus,” he continued, his voice a low hum, sending a shiver down your spine. “And how your name sounds in my accent that you studied so carefully, Y/N. And what it would sound like in other circumstances… though I think you had a glimpse.”

Your mind spun, his words wrapping around you like a snake. Viktor straightened up, and for a moment, the room felt too small, too suffocating. The air became sticky, and you couldn’t escape the weight of the silence between you.

“You can take the rest of the class off,” he said, his voice cool and casual now, though the teasing glint never left his eyes. “Just don’t touch anything… unclean with that hand.”

“Eat shit, Viktor,” you spat, the words bitter as they left your mouth. You turned on your heel, eyes filling with hot tears, your lower belly tightening into a burning knot. You didn’t dare look at Sue, your emotions too raw. With one last furious breath, you fled the classroom, your legs carrying you down the corridor as you crumbled against the nearest wall, trying to suppress your sobs.

When you finally got there, you slammed the door to your dorm room shut, leaning against it as your chest heaved with unspent fury and helplessness. The small space felt suffocating, your desk cluttered with books and notes, the unmade bed in the corner serving as a silent witness to the chaos inside your mind. You pressed your hands to your face, the bandaged one brushing against your cheek like a quiet reminder of everything that had just unfolded. You pulled it away sharply, staring at the neat white wrappings with a mix of disgust and shame.

Your mind raced, replaying the scene in the lab. The smug tilt of Viktor’s lips. The unbearable warmth of his fingers brushing your skin. The low hum of his voice, so calm and calculated, deliberately needling you until you unravelled. And that final, infuriating smirk—the one you could still feel seared into your memory.

You flinched, a sharp, involuntary movement, as if you could physically shake him out of your mind. “He is so full of shit,” you hissed under your breath, pacing across the room. Your anger surged, hot and unrelenting. “This is just a game to him. Some cruel, twisted game.”

But then the anger faltered, giving way to something more raw and disorienting. Why had he pushed you like that? Why did he say your kiss was a mistake, only to turn around and toy with you like this? Was he just cruel, or did he mean something more? The uncertainty gnawed at you, twisting your stomach into knots. You hated the way your mind kept circling back to him, as if he’d taken up residence there, smug and untouchable.

You slumped onto the edge of your bed, resting your elbows on your knees and burying your face in your hands. The silence of the room pressed in on you, a heavy, suffocating weight. Your chest felt tight, your thoughts spinning endlessly, looping back to the way he’d leaned in close, his words dripping with venom and something else you couldn’t name. Your vision blurred, and you realized your hands were trembling.

When there was nothing left to pace about, nothing to distract you from the storm of emotions building inside, you let out a shaky breath. A memory surfaced, soft and fleeting: your mother’s voice, calm and steady, guiding you through moments like this. You closed your eyes, the words coming to your lips before you could second-guess yourself.

“My heart is full of love and understanding,” you whispered, the mantra shaky at first, then gaining strength as you repeated it. “My heart is full of love and understanding.”

You said it again, and again, your voice steadying with each repetition, the familiar cadence grounding you in the present. But when the words finally felt stable in your throat, you hesitated, your lips parting as something reckless and desperate rose to the surface.

“Viktor’s heart is full of love and understanding,” you murmured, the words trembling as they left you. The sound of his name in your voice felt foreign, wrong, and yet it lingered in the air like an accusation.

Your voice cracked. Your chest tightened. And before you could stop it, a sob broke free, raw and unbidden. It was as if speaking his name had opened a floodgate, releasing the tangle of emotions you’d fought so hard to contain. Confusion, anger, longing—all of it crashed over you, and you doubled over, your face in your hands as tears spilled onto your lap.

The mantra was supposed to help, but instead, it only seemed to amplify everything you’d been holding back. You cried until your breath came in gasps, your body shaking with the force of it. It wasn’t fair—none of it was fair. Viktor had no right to get under your skin like this, to make you feel so small and exposed.

When the tears finally subsided, you sat in the silence, your breath still uneven, your body heavy with exhaustion. You stared down at your bandaged hand again, the edges of the wrappings slightly damp from where your tears had soaked through. A bitter laugh escaped you, quiet and self-deprecating.

“What a mess,” you muttered, your voice hoarse.

You leaned back against the wall, the anger now dulled to a slow simmer beneath the weight of everything else. And for the first time, you let yourself admit what you’d been avoiding all along: you should’ve probed him more. You should’ve insisted, pressed for answers instead of letting him dictate the moment and twist it into something cruel.

The thought was uncomfortable, prickling like a splinter lodged deep beneath your skin. He was probably doing this because he was hurt, and it wasn’t easy to let that idea settle in your mind. But once it did, it sat there, heavy and unyielding, refusing to be ignored.

[lady-of-endless]

Squid Game (season 2) matchup trade for lovely @emoboymeoww

Author's Note: I'm sorry if there's too much fluff, but you seem like such a sweet person, so it felt right. Thank you for this exchange. Hope you'll enjoy it!

I match you with...

Kang Dae-ho (player 388)

- Don't expect him to be the one to approach you and break the ice. Dae-ho wants to seem extroverted but he's an introvert. You being the opposite makes him wonder how would be the best way to get to you without making a fool of himself.

- He considers your kindness a breath of fresh air in that twisted and deadly experience he's in, among other aggressive players. It puts him at ease and gives him faith that there are nice players, too, that he can trust.

- And you're also so fun! He's playful, too, but because of his days with the Marines, he learned to suppress it and keep it on the low. But seeing how you embrace it so easily, he gradually remembers that he can have fun too and have happy, careless moments in life too.

- He needs someone as confident as you in his life. Dae-ho is amazing, but he doesn't really see it, and you can easily notice him feeling insecure sometimes. Reassure him, encourage him, and he'll start to be more confident, too.

- Dae-ho will always listen to you, even for hours if it's possible. And he'll do that with cute puppy dog eyes.

- I feel like you'd be the few players who understand his PTSD and won't criticize him for it.

- Gets very protective over you once he realizes his feelings. His wish to protect and help you during the games will put him in danger though. Team up, help each other and you'll be fine.

- Talking about teams and all that, Jung-Bae (player 390) will be so happy for you two; he'll be the number one shipper. Especially when Dae-ho starts bragging about you and how cool you are.

- Talking to you is exactly what he needs when things start to get overwhelming. You can distract him and he'll always feel so grateful for you.

- Once he opens up to you more, you notice how he's more playful, silly, and cute, he can be! He's not a smooth talker but he'll always compliment you.

- You will get him so flustered with all your surprises! His love language would be acts of service so expect him to start doing things for you, helping you with anything you need.

- LOYALTY

- And he's big on nicknames too, except for him to come up with the nicest and most creative ones.

- Dae-ho is simply mesmerized by how many things you can do, how talented you are, and how many hobbies you have. Every time you talk about what you like to do, he starts imagining doing all those things with you.

- He'll promise you to get out of that deadly game safely and build something better with you. That will become his new motivation to escape and survive the games with you.

Runner-ups:

The Recruiter/Salesman: here's the thing, you'd fascinate him. He's in for the thrill and the fun, and seeing you enjoy that too in life gets him interested.

Thanos: similar to the Salesman's motives but more chaotic. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll handle him well.

[blueishspace]

Hero, Villain God 51

(Prev) (Next) (First)

*Grian's pov*

You know It's going to take you some time to recuperate, your body looks rougher then you expected. To be fair as a god you never really had the chance to be hurt so you are hardly an expert. Still you are definitely going to speed up the recovery as much as you can without it being suspicious.

Mindlessly as Mother Spore you bring Boogeyman to his lab and after a few words leave...you pretty much do the same as Poultryman with the vigilantes, Flame is apprehensive about what happened at forst but you assure him everything is alright and he accepts it easily enough...still not completely though.

As soon as they are out of sight you remove those vessels, you doubt you are going to have use for them for a while... You aren't even going to be able to go out as Poultryman for a while either since the other heroes are extra on edge now.

...

After that it becomes mostly a waiting game, you'd think being alive for all of the universe's history would make it not that annoying but you would be wrong. It's horrible, pure torture. You can't even do anything about it-

And then you remember, you're a literal god, there is so much you can do... And what you want to do right now is get a little revenge. If there is one thing you can do very well is making mortal lives worse after all.

Pharaoh you end up not doing anything to in the end, he was the one you were the least annoyed with since he didn't even kill Hotguy on purpose. It's not like you planned on not doing anything to him but more that you focused on the other two and by the time you even remembered he existed too much time had passed and you didn't care about him enough to bother.

Xonorth on the other hand killed Hotguy the first time around, you can still pretty clearly remember the black goopy tendril going into his chest and put the other side.

Still, he didn't kill him the rest of the times so you are... merciful, just a bit of mostly harmless fun. Like going after his men and sabotaging a few of his dealings or writing a love letter with his signature on it and giving it to some Joey guy... That's going to be so deliciously akward.

As for Quackity...youu thought about killing him and getting rid of the problem for good, you truly did...but Pearl's words resonated and made you change your mind. After all, she's right, there are many different... More fun ways to deal with problems. And if It's not as fun you can just kill him.

You start easy: A cold and bitter tea,bland food, an alarm clock that's way too loud, a warm pillow, a door that just won't close no matter what he does, air thats just warm enough to make him sweat with a jacket on but cold enough that he's kind of cold without it... You even move all the things in his office by a few centimeters and learn so many new swear words from him stubbing his toe. Oh oh, you think about it last second, you make his office chair just likely shorter, that is going to drive him insane. Truly, this is the best use of your godly powers.

The second day you decide to bring it a notch higher...

"Quackity from Las Nevadas?"

"Slime? What's wrong?"

"The printer isn't working."

"Huh? Let me look"

"..."

"It's just out of ink, do we still have some spares?"

They don't, you took them all and dropped them in the hands of three random teens.

"Nope! Should I go buy them Quackity from Las Nevadas?"

"No, have Fundy do it, we pay for a reason."

And so he does and you follow closely behind knowing well how this is going to go down.

...

"What do you mean there's too much ink???"

"Quackity? I could suck the ink out?"

"And now It's not enough?? Did Fundy but more?"

"Nope! Just this one!"

"... Great"

...

"Stupid machine, you got your ink now, just work!"

"..."

You push a bit of power and the printer is disconnected from the wifi, glad Mumbo thought you how that works.

"Ughh"

...

He punched it, you were waiting for this, you make it spray ink all over his face, It's hilarious. Well, that was entertaing enough, time to kill him.

*Extract from Hermittopia daily*

"Breaking news, Casino and Hotel Las Nevadas is not out of the woods yet. After last week's destruction by the hands of a group of villains and vigilantes the owner reportedly stated his own belief that the establishment would still thrive despite the accident... however this hopes seems to have been crushed as an infestation of toxic snails has taken over the main build. Is that right reporter Shelby?"

...

"Shelby?"

...

"Ehm ehm...Shelby reporting from las Nevadas?"

"Oh- uh...yes! That's right! Since an accident early this morning the pipes of the main building have been found to have been filled with snails! The species is still uknown but t-the police suggests go stay away from the perimeter as the snails have been found to be covered in an unknown...*ruffling of papers* toxic substance?"

"Yes, yes, truly brave of you to risk your safety like this in the name of reporting integrity"

"I...wasn't actually told-"

"Anyway, and what of the owner?"

"Right! Quackity has been rushed to the hospital earlier today as he was touched by one of these toxic snails, his condition is currently stable though further details have y-yet to be shared."

"Hmm, I heard you even managed to get an interview with his assistant?"

"... Oh! Yes! Yes! Mr. Slimecicle... He was very interesting."

"Oh? Interesting? Did he reveal something about the cause of this unexpected infestation?"

"Kind of?? He claimed it was the god from nowhere? I have never heard of anything like that."

"Is that all?"

"Y-yes, back to you!"

"Thank you Shelby...hmmm, never expected mr.Slime to be a particularly religious man...slime...thing... Well, for the weather-"

*End of extract*

Unfortunately he didn't die, guess you didn't make the snails toxic enough, or he's really really immune to the toxin... Still, you feel so much better already.

[otrtbs]

writer interview game ✨

thank you for tagging me linds!! <3 @inevitablestars

how many works do you have on ao3? 5 on my otrtbs account (+1 unpublished one) and 6 on my otrtbs_shorts account (where all my one shots and short stories went!!)

what's your total ao3 word count? 580,654

your top 5 stories by kudos? Art Heist, Baby! Tender Curiosities, Baby! Winterlude Angel of Death You and Me

do you respond to comments? i try!!!! i really try!!! ahb! gets unmanageable i fear but if you get there early enough on new chapters that i post on new stories, i really try to get to them!!

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? uhm. i guess art heist, baby! but tbh i feel like i could go angstier... maybe that'll be a writing goal for the new year...

do you write crossovers? no! haven't yet. but i was just talking to some friends today about something so cursed ....that could be my magnum opus if i wasn't a coward

have you ever received hate on a fic? no, never!!! everyone is really nice and respectful and can keep it peaceful and fun :))) !1!1!1!1! (<- girl who is manifesting for the future <- my fic has been eviscerated on goodreads and reddit and tiktok and twitter and in my tumblr asks and on ao3 i wouldn't be surprised if people are adding it to their linkedin atp)

do you write smut? very poorly and briefly and not really el oh el

have you ever had a fic stolen? not plagiarized, no!!! thank god!! but stolen and sold....well, yes i fear.

have you ever had a fic translated? yes! so many wonderful sexy versions of art heist, baby! out there for people to enjoy !! angel of death has been translated too!!

have you ever co-written a fic before? no, because collabing scares me. in the sense that i would be worried that i wasn't writing to my co-authors expectations and also ... if they don't directly align to My Vision i will also throw up. so. i don't think co-writing is in the cards for me

what's your all-time favorite ship? JEGULUS <3 jegulus. my forever girls <3

what's a wip that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? when i say i have...a master timeline full of every event that happened to bellatrix, andromeda, narcissa, sirius, and regulus.... detailing their time at school, what classes they take, key life events...just for me to use to write a massive canon-compliant fic of their lives.... i have put in HOURS and HOURS of work into that wip but i don't think it'll ever be done and/or see the light of day

what are your writing strengths? i really love writing detailed, descriptive interior scenes. it's one of my favorite things to do! i see every interior scene in my fic like a little still-life painting and i want the reader to be able to visualize the same still-life im seeing in my head in their head!!

what are your writing weaknesses? commas </3 grammar in general... like sorry 2 ur honor. but who fucking cares? do you get the vibes? are the vibes there? that's all i care about.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? i love it!! i've learned a lot of fun phrases from it !!

what's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? im gonna write moonchaser (jamus, wolfbucks? idfk) !!!!!! when my james/remus thesis drops i swear !!!!!!!!

what's your favorite fic you've ever written? Winterlude!!! Winterlude is my favorite child, she's beautiful, she's gorgeous, she's fun, minimal angst, happy endings, regulus is hot as fuck in it, i want to go to there so bad. winterlude !!!!!

okay, i'm no pressure tagging @rabidlittlestrawberry @whorerific @pretentiouswreckingball @twisted-tales-told @residentrookie 💕

[aurieeeeeenyx]

time travel mechanics in link click — intentional inconsistencies? closed loops and parallel timelines (theory)

Back in 2021 or so, I wanted to make a post about the time travel mechanics in Season 1, and how they seemed to be inconsistent in certain episodes. I never ended up making that post, and the idea slowly faded from my mind, but I want to make that post now (armed with all the new information we've received since then) before Bridon/Yingdu arc episode 4 comes out because of the episode preview when Lu Guang says this:

In Season 1, the time travel seems to operate on the principle of a closed loop. This is especially evident in the Doudou arc, when Cheng Xiaoshi sees himself in the past (while he's in Doudou's body) and realizes that he was always there; the "changes" he inflicted weren't really changes, because by the time he dives back from the future his actions in the past have already happened. This is also demonstrated when Xu Shanshan walks into the photo studio and interacts with Cheng Xiaoshi in S1E8, and we later find out that it was in fact Cheng Xiaoshi in Xu Shanshan's body interacting with himself. And again, with the ploy to use Xu Shanshan in order to lure Liu Min/Red Eyes to the photo studio. We also see this closed loop phenomenon happen in Season 2, for example when Cheng Xiaoshi possesses Lu Guang's body to go save himself in the past.

So I've always been a little bothered by the earthquake arc in Season 1. If the dives into the past have already happened, why does Chen Xiao come to the photo studio in the first place? If Cheng Xiaoshi (in Chen Xiao's body) won the basketball game and gave those kind words to Chen Xiao's loved ones, why does Chen Xiao remember otherwise?

I've wondered before what happens to the clients when Cheng Xiaoshi is possessing them—do they just not remember anything? Are they even aware of themselves being possessed? Why is no one concerned about missing memories for hours at a time or not being in control of their own body? Emma sort of skirts around this when she tells Cheng Xiaoshi, "So you were the one who sent that message" in S1E11, implying she's aware it wasn't her who sent it. For the sake of argument, though, I'm going to pass the general non-reaction of the clients to being possessed as a handwavey "the brain justifies it somehow later" thing and ignore it.**

That brings us again to the question: Why does Chen Xiao remember the past differently to the one Cheng Xiaoshi experienced/changed? Maybe the past isn't set in stone after all? Maybe, instead of just being a closed loop, the time travel in Link Click is operating on multiple systems?

In 2021, right after I watched Season 1, I was going to dismiss this as just an error. The writers slipped up and bungled their time travel mechanics a bit, and therefore the earthquake arc is different on accident. But we've learned since then that nothing is unintentional in this show, so why is that arc different from the others? (Also, I want to note, there is that moment in S1E4 where Lu Guang's face does that weird warping thing; coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not...)

My theory is: the time travel abilities that Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang have operate differently.

DISCLAIMER: My knowledge of photography and film is extremely limited, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

There's always been a lot of film imagery in this show—obviously, since the whole premise is based in photography—but as early as the Season 1 OP, "Dive Back In Time," we can see the repeated use of rewinding film rolls as a metaphor for going back in time.

Note also: Lu Guang dropping the photo and it transitioning into a film roll, and Cheng Xiaoshi being tangled up in film rolls and being "inside" the film in the background/trapped in the frame. I'll get to this later.

The thing is, once you record something on film, you can't change it; you can only rewind and play it again. This tracks with the closed loop theory: no real changes can be made, because they have already happened. So how is it possible that "changes are still happening," as Lu Guang says in the YE4 preview? It's likely that Vein (and Liu Xiao and Xia Fei) are involved, but I don't believe that's the root of the issue. And, I don't think it's just the ever-nebulous "butterfly effect," because in YE1 Lu Guang says this:

I used to think that even a flap of a butterfly might cause a hurricane strong enough to ruin the world. I was wrong. The power of time is still far beyond our imagination. The future may not change due to a ripple of the past. Not at all...

(Yes, Lu Guang is a notoriously unreliable narrator, but I've decided to trust him on this one. Not to mention, butterfly effect shouldn't exist in a closed loop system.)

I've seen lots of excellent analyses illustrating the discrepancies this season, from the very first scene of YE1 (different furniture positioning, cracks in photo frame glass, bloodstains, presence of curtain, etc) to the changing positions of clothing, buildings, time of day, food, and so on in YE2 (go check out hyperfaexation's excellent YouTube video on their Shattered Memories theory for more details). The fandom is constantly theorizing about how many timelines there are. But while we've been asking ourselves how many timelines exist (five, ten, more?), we forgot to stop and ask: why do they exist?

The existence of multiple timelines doesn't fit into Season 1's time travel premise. In Season 1, it was always Cheng Xiaoshi that we were watching. Whereas Cheng Xiaoshi could be said to live "in" the film when he dives, perhaps Lu Guang is cutting the roll short at the point which he dives back to and splicing a new roll onto it. This could explain the scene from "Dive Back In Time" that I referenced earlier, with Lu Guang outside the film and Cheng Xiaoshi in it. It's not exactly that Lu Guang is diving back in time; it's more like he's diving out of time, into a parallel timeline and leaving this one behind. Maybe this season, we'll get to see more complicated time travel mechanics that result from the intersection of different powers. (And, while we're at it, maybe we can get an answer to why Cheng Xiaoshi has golden eyes for a few frames in YE1 when they're running away, because seriously what's up with that?)

**Another explanation for the non-reaction to the clients' possession could be the interaction of different timelines, but I'm not really sure how this would pan out so I'm not going to elaborate too much.

What does this have to do with the earthquake arc? Why would Lu Guang have a (slightly) different power than Cheng Xiaoshi, if he inherited it from Cheng Xiaoshi as we are led to believe? What happens to the discarded film, the abandoned timelines, when Lu Guang casts them away? Can Cheng Xiaoshi ever be saved? I don't have answers to any of these questions, and maybe I'm overthinking (ha) all of this and it really is just a writing inconsistency after all, but I want to believe Link Click's writers know what they're doing with this and all we can do is wait for the reveal.

[phoebebuggers]

modern party high school/college headcanons that will maybe kind of end up in my text au if i ever go back to it

mike is a tote bag user and a letterboxd fanatic!! he listens to alternative rock especially weezer but he's not a music elitist he likes pop and stuff too. he still plays dnd and i feel like he probably reads like classic fantasy book bro books u know (brandon sanderson, GOT, LOTR, prolly also like steven king and stuff which the rest of the party also like.) cat person. he is such a film bro it's obnoxious and he has to shove his letterboxd account down your throat every 5 minutes after meeting you. says he's bitter and evil but would do anything for his friends (canon.) video essay watcher. dirty-ass pair of falling apart converse at the end of their life begging for mercy that he refuses to replace. ADHD diagnosis.

will loves thrifting and coffee shops and museums but not in a performative pinteresty way he just genuinely likes these things. had an art hoe aesthetic phase around 2020 and will never live it down. subverting all gay stereotypes by not knowing anything about gay/stan twitter and being happier for it. kind of a music elitist ('can i see your spotify wrapped??') but not as much as jonathan who he learned from. still loves the smiths, the cure, etc but i think he would also be into modern indie nowadays. i feel like he would have a huge chapsticks/lip balm collection bc his lips are chapped all the time and it's just like a running joke atp. major art kid draws all the time we been knew listens to podcasts while he does art. goes to therapy

lucas is still kind of a jock but i'm kinda anti jock lucas because he will never truly fit in with them he will always be a nerd first!!!! still plays basketball tho and runs cross country (all men who run cross country are a little bit unhinged and free.) wears a hairtie on his wrist in case max needs one. kind of matches will's evil music complex from the other side with objectively good music def likes tyler, brent, frank, SZA (max likes the same their music taste kind of bled into each others.) very good social media presence like color coded feed, highlights, pinterest worthy pics etc (digital camera user.) likes to cook. chronic notes app list user. wanted to be a youtuber as a kid. type of guy to say "um, guys, that was awkward!" etc etc and everyone clocks him for it

dustin is a reddit user but not in a weird incel way in a genuinely helpful and knowledgable way. he also wanted to be a youtuber because he fucking loved matpat as a kid. he also would love the green brothers. a sneakerhead. keeps his keys on a carabiner (max tells him he looks like a lesbian.) also very up to date on pop culture like max is, probably quotes that one baron trump suitcase video daily among other things. does a few very good very niche impressions. i feel like everyone in the party is a good student but dustin is definitely the best a genuis future engineer or smth. he's the friend who always has those party games but can't read a cards against humanity card without laughing (max has to read for him)

el knows it's trash but loves reality TV (real housewives) and also glee. probably volunteers a lot. she was probably like the most boy-crazy fictional man/celebrity obsessed tween but ended up being bisexual/questioning lesbian. chronic story liker and responder so everyone thinks she's in love with them but she's actually just really nice and maybe doesn't 100% understand the social cue. she was also in theater because i want her to be her own genre of nerd maybe not in big roles because i don't see her as someone who loves being the center of attention but in ensemble. type of person to make goals like "try a new type of apple every week for a year".

max is up to date on tiktok/internet memes and kind of speaks fluent reference. probably watches real housewives and dance moms with el (will will join in occasionally for glee.) she also thrifts a lot of her clothes and has very cool style in kind of an idgaf what anyone else thinks way. huge flannel collection. does stage crew. i know she skateboards in canon and she still would but i feel like she would also do roller-derby or like speed skating or something. similar music taste to lucas but also a swiftie from a young age. had a panic at the disco phase and did crazy 2020 eyeliner (it's not a phase, mom) and will never live it down. keeps a journal. goes to therapy

bonus:

mike and max never shut the fuck up during class and always have to whisper something objectively hilarious to each other/one of their friends while the teacher is talking

will el and max have a book club where at least someone lies about having read the book every month and they spend the whole meeting gossiping and eating snacks

will forced them all to get airbuds and airbuds reacts mike listening to mcr with mildly disappointed faces and cat emojis

mike and dustin had a phase where they were really into like conspiracy theories and UFOs and cryptids and stuff

lucas bought a stanley cup with no shame because 'it's so functional'

el is an ex-larry

[puckpocketed]

why is kopitar so underrated? maybe it's bc i'm not a kings fan (and that i'm quite new to the nhl), but i never hear anyone talk about him. as someone who wasn't following the league back in 2012-2014 i'm sure there was more of a buzz then, but he's doing really well right now, especially considering he is the same age as crosby and one of the best players on a (likely) playoff bound team. even if he isn't as good as crosby or ovi, he's still by far one of the best older guys in the league. ofc he doesn't have the same international prestige, but slovenia is a country that has been consistently promoted from and relegated to wc d1a, so he's not going to be winning medals at worlds or the olympics no matter how good he is. i am aware that hockey prestige tends to be focused more on north americans, so does the fact that he's not from NA - and more specifically not from a typical hockey nation - play into it? and how much longer do you reckon he'll play for? it would be nice to see him stick around for a bit longer as i'm quite keen on him (if you couldn't tell)

Why is he underrated? -> Your guess is as good as mine! probably even better than mine since I don't have the data or the expertise. I also just got here. AND im very biased lmao i think he's cool as fuck and so are the Kings... my sillies........

if you put a gun to my head I'd say i think lak play late night games + LA is not a Traditiional Hockey Market + also he is... not flashy?? <- probably why he's aged so well. he's not reliant on a speed/power game.

i dooo wonder how much of QB's emergence as a defensive center this season has to do with being around Kopi and learning from him... ough... i don't have enough of a skilled eye to tell.. i suppose my point is who the hell watching lak games except for me and the 2 moths and 3 dust bunnies that inhabit lak lb.

and I can't speak to NA biases except to shrug and say yeah I'd believe that. people love dismissing foreigners LOL!! xenophobia is all around us!! wheehehee!!!

How long will he play for? -> He's signed for 7M until 2025-26. He'll be 38 by then. He hasn't shown decline. He STILL leads the Kings in scoring (though right now that's by 1 point ahead of Kempe) and remains a locker room stalwart. His leadership, as far as I know, has never been in question. I can't see him asking for a trade or being dealt unwillingly seeing how well the whole team is playing and how he contributes to that.

Furthermore, much as I malign Jim Hiller for it, I do believe the lak youth movement has truly arrived <3 I'm so so so happy for Laferriere, Turcotte, Byfield, Clarke, Moverare, Helenius, Thomas, Lee.... Everything that could go right this season has gone right, with regards to bringing in so many of the Ontario boys (i LOVE home grown talent... love how weirdly attached they are to each other from marinating for years in the AHL)

Byfield in particular is taking on more responsibilities; just in the last couple games we've seen him butt heads with Kucherov's line as a matchup center and get rotated into Kopi's line when the Kings were in a pinch. He's gained Hiller's trust, skating just as many if not more minutes than Kopi. Going into the future this can only be a good thing for Kopi's longevity.

So given the team isn't on the decline, and the fact that Kopitar has remained remarkably healthy, and his game has never been dependent on being particularly fast/strong, and given there are young legs available to insulate him as he slows down... I'm gonna be bold and say if circumstances allow (cap, overall health, role) he plays into his 40 year old season in a reduced role <3

I hope he's a Kings lifer. He means so much to the org, to all the boys he's raised... I'm tearing up just thinking about it... ough...

thank you for dropping by!! A great reminder that i am NOT immune to beautiful goth gf...........

[abarbaricyalp]

WIP Whenever

Tagged by @firstelevens and thank you very much for nudging me out of a post-holidays slumber. Digging through WIPS is always just like 'now wait a second' No pressure tagging @jemgirl86 @funsized-loser @livingincolorsagain and anyone else cooking up something good in the new year I just love this little moment from a short fic I started after Mackie and Danny went to that game in Brazil together. Now that we've had the Globes, I think it needs a second chapter once I'm done with the edits

"Oh, shit," Yelena said very seriously. She unfolded herself from the sprawl she'd been laying in across the couch so she could rewatch the video that had just come across the news page she was scrolling. As if sitting up would change the content or context.

Antonia appeared from nowhere because she still hadn't learned to make noise when she walked, and Ava opened her eyes, finally not pretending to be asleep on the recliner catty-corner to the couch.

"What?" they both asked at the same time, both trying for nonchalant and failing. Yelena knew them too well for that.

"Captain America took his protégé to a soccer game. They were standing with their arms around each other."

Ava still moved like she was glitching through space, so she was halfway across the living room floor and heading for her bedroom when she said, "I'm not sticking around for him showing up and being pissed off."

"Captain America is coming here?" Antonia asked, watching Ava disappear. "Why is he mad?"

"Not Captain America," Yelena corrected. "Barnes."

Antonia's brow furrowed more. "Why would the Winter Soldier be mad about this?"

Yelena snorted and dropped herself into the armchair Ava had just vacated. "Bucky is in love with Sam Wilson."

Antonia's face remained grave and she solemnly sat on the edge of the couch closest to Yelena. "Yes and?" she prompted. "This changes things?"

"It looks like a date," Yelena explained. "They are sitting too close. They are having fun together."

"Does the Winter Soldier not know Captain America's relationship with his protégé?"

"I think they know each other," Yelena conceded. "He does not talk about it. It does not matter. Barnes does not have emotional..." She groaned under her breath as she tried to find the word.

"Maturity?" Ava called from her room. "Regulation? Intelligence?"

Yelena spread her hand out, offering up all the options.

Antonia continued to frown. "The Winter Soldier seems fine to me."

"That's because you are both grumpy shits," Yelena retorted. "It is different. Relationships. Romantic relationships. He does not think clearly when Wilson is involved."

Now Antonia's face eased and she stopped holding herself so tightly in concentration. "Ah. The Winter Soldier loves Captain America and is jealous."

[princess-of-the-corner]

Honestly I was confused about some roles in the show since s1 first aired. Like, initially it was thought that Lila could get the fox, which would have been interesting cause she's an outside force that LB didn't pick herself, and mind you, this was before she started handing out miraculouses, but the basic concept itself is good because it's character development to make strangers learn how to get along with each other. That's a normal thing in any genre, but it especially applies to magical girl and superhero shows so it was expected in a way.

But then she turned out to be a liar, which itself wasn't indicator of a terrible character, that was just her trait, but it did make me think if she was going to be another bully. And that itself isn't a bad idea cause someone can have multiple bullies, mean girl trope characters do gather in groups of 3 a lot. And then she just? Disappeared? Which was a weird choice but her appearance and disappearance didn't shake up the status quo until she did come back and Chloe got the bee. That shift would have been fine like, Chloe got the hero role and Lila became the new civilian bully.

And it's why Zoe feels so shoehorned in as a character because not only was she just the "perfect victim" version of Chloe, there was also nowhere she could go without kicking someone else out of a role plus there were already so many other nice people that Marinette was friends with that she could have given the bee to. Sabrina for one, but anyone in the other class was also fair game cause Marc got one too. Nothing made Zoe any different than anyone else. Alya was the nice girl from out of town, JuleRose might not have been confirmed but they were the fandom wlw couple, Mylene was the actress and in a sense so was Lila as the liar/faker, Nino was the one interested in film/movies, etc. Like they wanted Zoe in Chloe's position so bad that they ended up switching so that Zoe is where Chloe should have been and Chloe is now in some sort of weird purgatory where she should just not be in the show like Zoe was before she took the bee.

Yeah no like

I was here before Volpina aired and yeah we didn't have as much solid Lore, so we thought that Lila was going to be an actual Fox Hero. Like she got a Miraculous through other means and showed up in Paris and went "Hey I have powers too let me help!"(though some thought she might be more experienced, others thought she'd be the newbie)

Then the episode aired and we were like. Okay that's not what we hoped for but we can play around with Lila.

The hiatus era was all over the place with her. Some made her another outright bully. Some had her a reverse of Chloé where she hates LB but loves Mari.

Then Season 2 came out and Lila was just. Gone. So everyone kinda wrote her off as a one-episode character. Other shows had had an episode dedicated to the "new kid lies about their fantastical life only to be outed as normal by the end and disappear/transfer out again" so maybe this was ML's take.

Then Lila comes back right as Chloé is kicking off her redemption arc. And it's like "okay. Chloé is gonna be a Hero so Lila is taking the mean girl role". Makes sense.

Except Chloé's redemption gets axed. They bring in Zoé and Lila is still here. Leaving no room for either Chloé or Lila to do anything of value as they're essentially sharing episodes.

Then yeah Zoé just. So many characters could;ve gotten more attention instead of bringing her in.

[creekwritersblood]

Making your Character suffer or not?

Yeah, I will admit it, I am one of those writers who LOVES drama in their characters life. There is a reason for it? Don’t know honestly, but I think it helps making our Characters less boring and unpredictable, having a different background helps a lot the story in my own opinion -some others thinks the opposite and is good because it means we all like to be different-

I use to be inspired from the real world: I use to read newspapers - I hate Tv News- and usually I take inspiration from the Topic I’m reading about.

I remember few time ago, think last year, I read about something on Friendship, how it is formed, what are the first steps to it and so on; so I took that topic and wrote some backgrond for my character using that. -It’s still in my WIP But soon it will come out-

Usually I avoid topics too delicate like Crime, but is a personal preference.

I also use to be inspired by Games, Movies and other books: There are some Movies or Games with delicate topics, but I don’t know why I find more easy take inspiration from topics used there instead of real world, maybe because they are less Incisive and affect me in another way. -I am a bit strange -

Add my own touch to it: There is nothing bad in finding inspirational other stories, on the contrary I think they can help giving you a better idea on what you want to write about and How your character will build up along the way in each word you will write, remember to add you touch to it and this doesn’t mean copy and change few words, it means let your fantasy grow on a completely different project.

Make them suffer: Suffer is human and also inhuman, everyone suffer at a certain point in life, it doesn’t need to be a huge sufference, but also a little one will make us change a few things of ourselves in Real life, the same goes for your characters, having a little sufference will give them that touch of realness your reader is trying to find out.

Let them grow: Something I’ve learned recently is how to make a character grow with each page, I used to have a background to follow, without changing in the middle, and it was good, but adding that bit to my writings made them better, because the reader finds himself getting attached with a Character and maybe also find it a bit more relatable to its own self.

Whatever you want to write a background static or dynamic, you will always have the satisfaction to see readers loving your writings, your characters and your stories, so keep on writing fellow friend and live your dream!

[haloslips]

do you have a daniel sprong primer or just in general what about him compels you? i don’t know anything about him so i’m just curious

do i "have" a daniel sprong primer? if you count my single braincell clinging desperately to daniel sprong being a kraken for life as something i have, well, yes! that braincell bounces around my brain NOT unlike - [lound honking].

anon, we're about to embark on a journey, i hope you'll take me in stride. before we start there are a few things you should know:

i took an edible about an hour ago that's just kicking in;

i probably won't finish this in one go so it's likely the tone will change inexplicably halfway through;

i want to Fuck That Man SO bad it makes me look stupid

great, let's get started!

important note: daniel was accused of pretty brutally assaulting a former indycar racer. (warning: graphic images) for what it's worth, the story is a little fishy and there is absolutely no mention of it other than the articles from august 11th - i followed this incident very closely because my first favorite hockey player was p*trick k*ne and i learned my lesson in a hard way, and there was no local news after the initial accusation, no criminal charges pressed, no statement again from anyone on either side. he obviously doesn't cross my personal rpf boundaries, but yours may be different!

okay let's continue 😎

my love for daniel sprong (i luv to full name him) is inextricably tied to his being a 22-23 seattle kraken, which is going to be My Team for the rest of my life god willing. it was just fucking electric to be a kraken fan in seattle that year, and daniel was a big part of that. he ended the 21-22 season with the kraken and as a free agent that summer signed a pto and then a contract with the team right before the season started and then had a career year with us. he was occasionally healthy scratched, but usually on the fourth line. a local like sports and culture writer started making memes about him on twitter in a fun way, idk there was just a lot of local hype around him. and he was playing well! he was winning games for us! call it bad data but the stats say we lost a LOT more games when he was scratched than when he wasn't.

before he was a kraken, daniel sprong was drafted in 2015 to the pens in the second round. he was in draft year (2015) which is a docuseries that appears to have been wiped off the face of the earth except for this instagram account and the google drives of generous friends. the series highlighted six (i think) players leading up to the 2015 nhl draft - it's a real gold mine of content, it's a shame it's not more widely available. anyway so he's drafted to the pens where he plays a handful of games with them and then is sent back to major juniors. i'm pretty sure the guys in pittsburgh do not care for him - he's known especially at the beginning of his career as being a pretty severe defensive liability.

the pens trade him to the ducks in 2018, and the ducks play him a little and then send him to the gulls because he's a defensive liability. in 2020 the ducks trade him to the caps. he played for the bears at first, eventually gets a contract extension and a little more than minimum wage. in march 2022 he's traded to the kraken! he's still a defensive liability probably but like i said he had a banner year 22-23. after that season, which was the entire length of his contract, he was a free agent and ron francis was like, go get your bag kid, and sprong signed a 2m x 1yr contract with the red wings.

he does alright with the wings - stays on the nhl team, scores some goals. he doesn't put up enough of a showing that the wings extend his contract and he remains unsigned for most of this summer. i think he ended up on the canucks on a pto and then they basically just gave him back to us. which is to say traded for future considerations.

then last week we put him on waivers and for 24 hours i considered death and dying and then he cleared waivers and now he's on our ahl team, which is not my favorite thing but also isn't my worst case scenario i guess.

BEFORE all that, daniel sprong was born in amsterdam. his dad played hockey there, and when daniel was 7 they moved to quebec so he could pursue his hockey career more seriously.

now let's get into some fun stuff!

my first dms to beccah on the subject:

(sidebar i did actually submit a photo of daniel sprong to the leadership program & at the end the six weeks three separate people had left me shoutouts to thank me for my participation so. if you've ever wondered why i am the way i am it's because the universe only rewards me.)

my assessment of his fursona from this post about kraken fursonas i made:

some get to know the player graphics from the kraken and the red wings:

MUCH to consider!!!! sprong & burky were on the caps together for a brief amount of time, and have a known bromance (although i'm not sure burky has ever met a man he couldn't bromance). but WHAT a weirdo!! in another kraken media thing, he says wizards of waverly place was his favorite show growing up. i love him!!!!!

a really critical piece of media about him TO ME is this deep dive on his tattoos the kraken did. this is also were i sourced the first two photos at the top! some takeaways:

The first tattoo Sprong got was on the inside of his left arm. It's a rose with the birthdates of his parents, his sister, and himself inside. He got the tattoo in Montreal from an artist that a friend had recommended. "I'm not great with dates, but I don't really have any excuse to forget now," Sprong said with a smile.

okay girl. had to get a tattoo of your own birthday to remember it, i see you. this tattoo is kind of ugly so if you want to see it you will have to click the link sorry 🫡

"The outside is a bit of a forest and some water and trees with two wolves," Sprong said. "One wolf (represents) my dad, one (represents) me and the two birds are my grandparents back in Amsterdam."

i'm going to be so real with you when i say daniel sprong would be a furry in a life without hockey. further evidence:

But Sprong doesn't have to wait to finish the sleeve on his arm. He already knows what he wants for the front. It will be a play on imagery from his favorite movie growing up: Disney's The Lion King. Sprong's current vision includes two lions, something that holds multiple personal meanings to the 26-year-old, as well as Pride Rock.

OKAYYY yeah every hockey player wants a lion king tattoo. oh wait that's just me and all my friends.

here are some stills i have saved from draft year (2015) where he looks especially ridiculous and sweet:

here, he's talking about how much he misses peanut butter spread while he's adhering to a strict meal plan. i too would not handle giving up peanut butter well :( his fucked up teeth are sooooooo important to meeeeee

in this one i'm pretty sure he's winning an award playing on a team with people quite a bit older than him. look at his little neck guard!!!! his abundant curls!!! these days you hardly see him without a hat on because his hairline is awol. i truly don't understand why he doesn't just shave his head...... he would look amazing bald and yet he remains dedicated to the hair left on his head. actually ykw i accept this i think if he wants to rock his natural hair he should.

op i get you.

when luke prokop came out, daniel sprong was the first member of the caps to post in support of him:

also on the caps, daniel sprong did math!

here's a picture that drove me crazy from the moment i watched the video it comes from. daniel is ALWAYS wearing a snapback or something with the brim to the front (regrettably not as slutty as he could be, sigh) and looking down - so this angle is really striking imo.

OKAY pivoting hard but my absolute favorite thing is HOW BADLY HE WANTS TO BE A SEATTLE KRAKEN. when he was traded back to us this season from vancouver, he said he never really wanted to leave the team. HE LOVE US. i hate dan bylsma for scratching him 90% of the time he was with us before putting him on waivers. i'm not going to get into his recent post-game comments after scoring two goals and having an assist in his opening night w coachella because he's right and he should say it tbh.

another thing i love is that he talks like he has marbles in his mouth. it's that dutch french canadian thing he's got going on. it's charming!!!!!!!

also he is regularly on ice in shorts and flip flops. freak ass.

the following is NOT my favorite slow-mo video of him but unfortunately when my pc bricked itself a couple years ago i lost my favorite video, lovingly titled DANIEL SPRONG THAT ASS. but this video is mesmerizing also.

and finally!!!!! here's a snippet of burky/sprog fic i will probably never finish, if you've made it this far

in conclusion: