#i loved writing this so much♥♥♥

[just-french-me-up]

If you'd still like Dreamling kiss prompts, how about 7 or 17?

@martybaker asked : Hello, your fics are so lovely! May I humbly request ‘A kiss to shut them up’ if you’re still taking prompts? 👉👈 @anonymous asked : Thoughts on dreamling 7 or 17 (to shut them up or to distract - maybe even both at once?) for the kiss prompts?

We're shutting him up, yall! This is a Retired!Dream one, in which Dream struggles with the human body and human condition, and can't see how he can measure up to his old self in Hob's eyes. Angsty you say? Deceivingly horny I raise you! I kept this sorta M rated but... hey if there's more to come *winkwink* who knows?

The human body was a curious thing. It required constant attention, fluids, fuel, maintenance, care. And yet it was so... limiting. Morpheus could still remember how it felt, to think of a place and feel the ground shift under his feet without ever having to move. There had been no hunger then. No thirst. No itching, for his skin had never had the notion that it could be too dry.

If he had ever felt those things, it had been because he had chosen to.

Now the world imposed itself to him, there wasn't much of a choice.

Urges baffled him the most. The dryness coating his mouth on a particularly hot day, his mind conjuring up images of cold, condensation-weeping bottles. The drowsiness taking hold of him after dinner, weighing on his eyelids. The burning, devouring heat flaring in his abdomen as Hob would step out of the shower, a towel lazily tied around his hips, the line of hair trailing down his navel guiding Morpheus' gaze downwards.

It was a strange thing, to be overcome by such sensations. An infuriating thing, really. He ought to be able to resist them. He had been able to resist them, once, to ignore them, dismiss them into nothing if he so chose. How vexing it was, to be a creature of wants and needs, when your existence had been nothing but careful control.

He would not tell Hob, but he could not help but feel... lesser. How clever could his mind be, now that he only had access to his own? How good could his hands be, he who had been able to breathe life into dream clay, fashion lands and castles with a single thought? How pleasing could his touch be, now that he was barred from his lover's unconscious? How could he compare to who and what he had been, once?

They had not made love ever since his encounter with the Kindly Ones. Hob had never pushed, reading Morpheus far better than Morpheus ever could, now. There had been times, here and there, when Morpheus had thought they would, with lingering kisses growing deeper, embraces in bed tighter, but something had held him back. Some bitter gnawing feeling at the pit of his stomach. Yet another thing he could not seem to control.

Yet he wanted. Desperately, frustratingly so. The most mundane things would strike him as the most erotic sights he could fathom. Hob drinking his coffee in the morning, his Adam's apple bobbing as he'd swallow. Hob reading the day's papers, his gaze intent, focused. Hob reaching up to grab this or that from a cupboard, his shirt riding up and showing his navel, while his tired pajama bottoms hung from his hips, revealing the slight dips there, a hint of hair...

Morpheus' body would betray him often, subjecting him to fantasies and erections that, much like the rest, he held little control over. Unlike food, lust was a hunger he never seemed to satisfy. It only grew.

If Hob had ever caught him staring, he never said anything. Instead, he was highly skilled at noticing when Morpheus' mind would start spinning on itself, feeding the loop of existential dread looming over him. He had taken to giving Morpheus tasks, then, something to focus on. Although it would not quite clear the storm, it muffled it somewhat.

Perhaps he'd sensed another one of Morpheus' spirals that night, when his voice rose from the bedroom.

"Oh, bollocks! Love? Might need a hand here."

As he stepped inside the bedroom, Morpheus found Hob standing by the mirror, struggling with his button-up. He flashed a quick contrite smile at him, emphatically tugging at the fabric.

"Can't manage to button those buggers off," he explained.

"Allow me."

The human condition was one thing, but buttons he could handle. Morpheus' touch was methodical, surgical almost, as he focused on the task at hand, yet three buttons later, he could not help but feel his focus slip. He could feel Hob's warmth under his fingertips. His heartbeat. As he breathed in, Hob's scent filled his lungs, distracting him further. By the time he was done with the shirt, his mind had gone elsewhere.

Hob wore an undershirt, a thin, almost see-through thing. It required barely any effort to see his chest in spite of the fabric. Morpheus' eyes trailed down, heat flushing his cheeks. Mindlessly, his thumb traced the line of hair down Hob's abdomen, his mouth filled with want. He could feel hot breath against his lips. Humans were not meant to withstand such hunger.

They were kissing before Morpheus could articulate another thought, Hob's mouth warm and soft against his, the coarse brush of his stubble adding fuel to the fire overtaking him. No doubt Hob had meant for this to be tender, but Morpheus was famished, taking, and taking, and taking all that was offered until his lungs might explode. He found himself gasping against Hob, nose to nose, forehead to forehead.

"Hey," Hob whispered, gentle to a fault. "It's okay. There's no rush."

Morpheus swallowed hard, feverishly catching his breath. Hob's palm was invitingly cool against his cheek.

"I will keep," he continued. "We don't have to―"

"I want to," Morpheus rasped, weeks of frustration pushing the words out of him. "I want you. I just―"

"Just what?"

The patience in his voice was the lifeline Morpheus held onto as he sighed, embarrassment flooding through him.

"This form, it feels... finite. Flawed. Lacking."

Fallible, he did not say. He watched as Hob's eyes grew round, ridicule joining embarrassment.

"Duck―"

"I am not as I once was," he continued, overcome with the need to justify himself. "I am no longer suited to anticipate your every want. I can not satisfy you to the degree I once could. Everything I have to offer is bound to disappoint in comparison."

Hob's stare felt heavy, too heavy for Morpheus to hold, but as he looked away, Hob took his chin between his fingers, directing his gaze back to him.

"Love, I―. Sex is not about making some kind of... of ranking."

"Your unconscious would rank it, regardless."

"Fuck my unconscious. It's my conscious self who wants you, magic dick or not."

The corners of Hob's mouth twitched at his own joke, but seriousness soon took over.

"I love you," he said, prompting Morpheus to look away again. "I love you. I would love you Endless, I would love you human, I would love you if you were a tentacled monster and hell, you've been that before if you'd recall!"

Morpheus fought back the smile creeping up on his lips.

"I never cared how we'd fuck. Well, I did, but― I did because it was you. I wanted to be with you. I still do."

Hob sighed, and they stood in silence for a moment, looking at each other.

"At least now we know that mind of yours is well and truly yours and not a Dream of the Endless exclusive."

"An unfortunate discovery."

Hob's hand settled on Morpheus' waist, his thumb brushing the fabric of his shirt.

"I do want you," he said. "Whenever you're ready. If ever. But I don't want you holding back because you've convinced yourself I may not enjoy it well enough, according to some cosmic standard you've set for yourself."

Morpheus nodded slowly, his own thumb back to tracing the happy trail on Hob's stomach.

"I have always found you pleasing enough, after all," he dared, shooting a tentative look at Hob. "As human as you are."

Hob made a face, pulling him closer by the waist.

"Your compliments need work, duck. But I do think there's a silver lining to this whole human condition you are overlooking."

"Is that so?"

Hob smirked at him, fully conscious of how devilishly handsome that made him. He had had, after all, centuries to hone those skills. How long would it take him?

"You no longer have access to my unconscious, right?"

"I do not."

"Which means you can no longer anticipate my every want, as you said."

Now that was rubbing salt into the wound.

"Yes," he conceded with a frown.

"Well imagine how arousing it is, my love," Hob said, his eyes darker by the second, "to be able to surprise you."

A warm shiver went down Morpheus' spine, sending his pulse into a frantic race. He swallowed thickly, holding Hob's gaze.

"How arousing?"

"Very. Cock-achingly, one might say."

Morpheus glanced down, finding Hob's trousers tight, his hard cock pressing against the fabric, making his knees weak. The human body truly was weak in the most delicious way.

"I could dare you to surprise me," he teased back, his breathing loud in his ears.

"You could."

Gods, that mouth of his, Morpheus was quite certain he could be undone from that tone alone. But still.

"But should you find me displeasing, you ought to―"

The rest of his words were swallowed into a kiss, unheard and discarded, replaced by tender sighs and wanting hands, and after a while, Morpheus found he'd forgotten what they even were, his mind blissfully blank save for pleasure.

The human body was a curious thing. A highly pleasing thing, at times.

Send me a kissing prompt?

[starlightandtea]

Omega, carrying Lula, and standing next to Wrecker: Just know, you've disappointed all three of us.

Crosshair, feeling that in his heart: That's cold, kid.

[iamthecomet]

!!!

wait but like, if the ghouls hadn't seen humans as anything other than prey they would have no reason to glamour as them, so like they used to disguise themselves as cats, something a little too big and wild to be a housecat but if you look fast enough why would you question it?

as they start to get comfortable they start to take on more and more human traits, showing that they think the humans are part of their pack now

you're so smart comet i'm kissing your brain

I know we talked about it earlier too, but I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS.

Sure the cats are big but they're just cats, right? Forest cats are big. They're not feral though--they don't run or hiss or swat. They watch. It's a little eerie, a little creepy. But Nihil's boys are invested immediately. Terzo catching the eye of the biggest cat, of course. He's black, with a charcoal gray patch on his chest. Dark nose. Vibrant--purple, no they must just be dark blue--eyes. Nihil and Imperator both have that uncanny valley feeling. Like what they are looking at is both cat and not, but they don't seem dangerous. Just a little too sentient. Not pets. Even when that big black cat follows Terzo home one day--he never becomes a pet. A companion, sure. And then when the others start to hang around, they too are never pets. They tolerate attention, they appreciate food. But they cannot be tamed or commanded.

"Typical cats," Imperator says, but Nihil isn't so sure. Wary. Always. And then weird things start to happen. Secondo swears he saw a naked woman out at the lake. Just a glimpse. A moment of eye contact. A ghost? A siren? Seconds later the pure white cat that likes to hang out on the shores pads over to him, nuzzles against him. Looks up at him with eyes that feel a little too familiar. And then there's Terzo's cat--hardly a cat now. Bigger than ever. And Terzo swears the cat--he calls it Omega--talks to him. But that's just silly kid games, right? It's gradual, gentle. Until eventually when they take humanoid forms it feels--normal. Not surprising at all when Omega is suddenly a person--or an approximation of one. Or when that pretty white cat shifts right in front of Secondo and asks if he wants to go for a swim.

[quinloki]

Birthday Request Event

"It's my birthday and I'll write what I want to \o/"

Gift Details ♥ Reader: afab!reader Character: Eustass Kid Kink: #15 Bratty Reader Prompt: #20. "Kiss me like you missed me." Gift Giver: @swampstew

Summary: Eustass up and vanished for a whole day, and gave orders to keep you on the ship no matter what. Then he had the audacity to expect a warm welcome.

Content Notes: oral sex (reader receiving), of course he calls them mouse, vaginal sex, inappropriate use of a devil fruit >.>, cream pie, swearing, short but mighty - fluffy end

This birthday party is 18+, consensual unless explicitly stated otherwise, and BYOB

Kid’s golden amber eyes were on you like a predator watching its prey. His head was between your thighs, and after a few teasing kisses against them, he was now buried in your cunt, eating you like a man starved.

It felt good.

It felt really good.

But you’d be damned if you were going to let him know how good it felt, or how much you missed him.

He’d been gone before you woke up, and came back so late you were truly dead to the world by the time he came to bed. The day had dragged without him around and no one on the ship seemed to know what had kept him. Only that Hip and Hop had explicit orders to keep you aboard. No exceptions.

When you’d woken up, wrapped in his arms, you’d wriggled yourself free with the intent of just being somewhere else when he woke up. Your movements, careful as they were, had been enough to wake him. After you’d refused to kiss him, and he’d refused to tell you what he was up to, you ended up here.

Kid was certain he could fix your bad attitude and had spent the last ten minutes kissing your body and stripping away your pajamas. You didn’t deny him, didn’t tell him to stop, but you refused to kiss him back until he told you what he was up to.

Damn him and his skills.

The first soft moan escapes you, and you can feel the grin on his face with his lips pressed against your pussy like they were. There was no winning for you now, and even if you didn’t want to give in, your body was done trying to protest.

Your legs trembled as he gripped your hips and twirled his pierced tongue against your clit. Your hands grabbed the sheets so roughly your knuckles were white, and a much louder moan was ripped from your throat as he sucked harshly on the bundle of nerves.

You could feel the familiar hum that followed his devil fruit power, and nearly swore as a smooth, round, long, and cold metal object began to rub your slit, just below his lips. It was a gift you had given him some time ago, a perfectly smooth glob of metal that you had happened upon after a particularly fierce battle.

It reminded you of a wish stone, aside from the fact that it wasn’t a stone, but for Eustass Kid it was a perfect one. You told him about wish stones, gave it to him and just left it at that. It had been a few months before either of you had admitted your feelings.

You were delighted to know he kept it on him all that time, but you couldn’t believe what he was getting ready to do with it.

“Is… is that my g-gift?” You didn’t want to talk, you didn’t want to give an inch, but you were too surprised by the revelation.

Eustass only looks at you, spreading your legs wide as he teases your clit with his teeth. Your body freezes, if you buck you could hurt yourself, but the hard, almost sharp sensation of his teeth against your throbbing clit was sending lightning through you.

The brute could be terrifyingly precise when he wanted, and you’re nearly whimpering as the metal wish stone pushes into your cunt. You can’t move, you can’t twitch, all you can do is accept every single drop of pleasure. The stone’s nothing compared to Kid, but it’s vibrating as it slides back and forth inside you while he pays careful attention to your clit.

The pleasure’s building, your toes are flexing, and you’re worried you’re going to leave holes in the sheets as you try not to move.

“Kid – Kid, please. Please. I ca-can’t take it!” You cry as the pleasure seems ready to overwhelm you. You need to move, you can’t stay perfectly still when you cum, you know you can’t, and you want to squirm and scream and cry for him on top of it.

Everything stops, except for a few heavy, lazy licks from Eustass against your shivering clit.

“You miss me, mouse?” He questions evenly, bright eyes regarding you from beneath hooded lids.

You almost cry, nodding. “Yeah.”

“Gonna show me how much you missed me?” He prompts, the wish stone slipping out of you and into Kid’s hand as he changes positions, caging himself over you.

You nod as thick arms hook your legs and push them open, Eustass Kid leaning down closer to you as his heavy cock presses against your clit. You reach out as he leans down closer, letting your hands disappear into his fiery red hair, pulling yourself up to meet him and kissing him.

The press of your lips together included the push of his throbbing cock into your pussy. Your fingers gripped his hair tightly as you gasped from the pleasure, Kid leaning into you and diving into the kiss as he thrusts deep inside you. He took you, devouring your cries and moans with relentless and aggressive kisses as his hips slapped into your thighs.

He was so precise. So exacting. Even at his most bruising, Kid took you to the limit he intended. Limits you weren’t even originally certain you could reach. Not just behind closed doors either.

“K-Kid!” You cry, your voice muffled by the continued kisses. His lipstick is a mess on his face, it’s a mess on yours, you’re sure. How late did he get back, that he didn’t even clean it off?

“Yeah, sweetheart?” The question falls from him in a grunt as he continues to pound into you.

“F-fuck, fill me up, please!” You beg, feeling yourself melt at the glint in his eyes as the devious grin slips along his face.

“Missed you too, mouse.” He grins before leaning down and kissing you again. His tongue pushing past your lips as he commands control of both of your mouths.

Your body tenses, shivering against the immovable will that his Eustass-goddamned-Kid as the pleasure within you crests. Your cry of pleasure breaks the kiss as you’re squirming uselessly under him. His lips find your neck instead, teeth and tongue leaving their mark and urging more desperate growls of pleasure from you as you orgasm against him.

A few heavy thrusts, a satisfied grunt that sinks into your neck, you can feel his pleasure already leaking down your body. He slumps against you, head resting against your chest, as you both just enjoy the quiet afterglow for a moment.

You wonder idly if he got any sleep at all last night, and what could he possibly have been up to? What the hell happened yesterday that would leave Kid docile and spent after a single round?

It would be some hours before you would know. The velvet wrapped custom wooden box was still perfectly wrapped in Kid’s coat. From the box to its contents, he had made everything, in a single day, at someone else’s workshop, because he didn’t want you to see anything.

Not until he was ready.

Check out the event - requests are accepted until 7/31/2023 EST

[prentissluvr]

painful idea childhood best friends to lovers with sammy except when you're together, you revert back to your younger selves. which makes you feel high and giddy and smiley when you're together. but it also makes you dumb and naive and trusting and so in love that you lose just about all rationality. play everywhere everything by noah kahan!!!! "would we survive in a horror movie? i doubt it we're too slow moving. we trust everyone we meet. two bodies riddled with scars from our preteens intertwine in a car's dirty backseat, stare at a drive-in screen. we didn't know that the sun was collapsing, til the seas rose and the buildings came crashing ... i wanna love you til we're food for the worms to eat, til our fingers decompose keep my hand in yours." and then one or both of you gets hurt because you're so distracted by the presence of the other. idk maybe you die HAHA or he does or you both do or you just keep doing it. hurting each other over and over again, ignoring the way the world is falling apart around you and not caring because one way or another, you're gonna die together.

[bunny-lily]

My darling, about this post, you should just brag about what you have created so far just because your writing is wonderful.

Sweetheart, oh my gosh ♥♥ you've got my blushing and tucking my hair behind my ear omg, the feeling is absolutely mutual!

Alright, if you insist!~

Tether Me (here on Tumblr and Ao3) is the first multichapter work I've ever actually finished as a whole. I've got so many WIPs, and can lose interest/motivation quickly and easily, so I'm honestly so proud of myself for being able to finish it at all. It's 92k words of my pure heart and soul I poured into it. I really just went off with the symbolism, metaphors, and visualizations of it.

Fun fact, it was inspired by literally one scene from the genshin lunar festival event earlier this year

Lift a Pen and Rewrite the Ending was the first fic I posted! It's originally a gift for @bunny584, just something fluffy and wholesome with pianist!Satoru ♥ I've actually gone through and edited it a bit to polish it up! I managed to write that in the span of...overnight lmao, from midnight to about 6 am roughly

Satoru, who... is also something just fluffy and wholesome. I had this one tiny idea of "Satoru, who is just so smitten with you" and it kinda spiraled out from there. Also, the amount of notes I got on it over the span of like 2 - 3 days really blew me out of the water, did not expect to wake up and check my tumblr just to see 200+ notifications, oops.

Thank you for encouraging me to ramble a bit about my lil babies <3 I've got a bunch of ideas in the works, and even looking back at the work I've already posted, I can see that I'm improving by the day.

Proud of myself :)

(P.S. I'm stealing that Sugu pic oh my god my heart, I'm in love ♥♥)

[sysig]

Good to see you again ♥ (Patreon)

Bonus:

[woozi]

the way being on caratblr never fails to bring me joy no matter the circumstance and no matter how much time has passed </3

[tvrningon]

26 (How does a Muse’s behavior change regarding their partner after they’ve had sex?) + 28 (What are some common words or phrases your Muse says during sex?) + 29 (What is one sexual fantasy your Muse has that has yet to be properly fulfilled?) ++ for chiyo and cyrillo !

n.s.f.w. headcanons | anon asks about chiyo and cyrillo!

read more bc i'm screaming at the detail of this and how long it got asdf

26. how does a muse’s behavior change regarding their partner after they’ve had sex?

for cyrillo, it depends on the nature of your relationship with him. if it's a casual thing, he'll act much the same tbh bc if it's a casual relationship, nothing should change. at most, he'll be more likely to make suggestive comments/come onto you, given that you're okay with that. he keeps himself pretty restrained with casual relationships bc they don't hold any deeper feelings ( or shouldn't ). if you're entering a serious relationship, though, cyrillo will touch you more, resting a hand upon your thigh as you sit beside him, wrapping an arm around you/holding your hand while you walk together, kissing you in greeting, etc. it's his way of showing his affection without needing to always speak it, and it's also his way of showing the people around him where he stands with you. he only touches you this way, only allows you to touch him this way. his heart is yours, and no one else's. chiyo might be a little shy with her partner afterwards? but only immediately afterwards simply bc she's a virgin and might feel a lil self-conscious of herself afterwards ( overthinking how she sounded/what she said, how she looks, etc. ). aside from that, she's definitely going to be the most relaxed she's ever been around her partner bc if she's sleeps with someone, then she trusts them completely. expressing her thoughts, touching them without second-guessing it, teasing them mercilessly -- she won't hesitate anymore bc she knows they want every piece of her. sex is very much a milestone in a relationship with chiyo and a big one. something to note is that chiyo does have a high sex drive, so as time goes on, she'll be more open about it! she'll read the room ofc, but the longer y'all are together, the more likely she is to tell you flat out that she wants you or simply come onto you herself ( after all, she's a switch and does enjoy to take the lead every now and then ).

28. what are some common words or phrases your muse says during sex?

depending upon the person, cyrillo likely uses whatever pet name he's given his partner and praises them a decent amount, calling them beautiful/handsome/etc and telling them how well they're taking him, how only they make him like this. he won't lean into this if it's a casual relationship, but he will likely point out what they've " done to him. " he also!! is pretty demanding and commanding?? asdfg the main thing coming to mind is that he's gonna tell his partner that they better not cum before he tells them to. he wants control over that/wants to see them unable to listen to him bc he's made them feel too good :' )) and maybe he wants a reason to " punish " them : ) chiyo will curse like a sailor during sex asdf which is just her trying to avoid moaning tbh. she'll push out an expletive so she doesn't make a different sound, or sometimes!! she really is just at her limit/at the edge, and cursing feels right in the moment. just know it's never a bad think if you hear her curse in the moment! if she's the dominant one in the moment, chiyo will tend to say a lot of teasing things/ask embarrassing things like, " oh, does that feel good? you're getting so loud. " bc she wants to see her partner blush and melt under her fingers :' ) and as someone who enjoys oral, it's not uncommon for her to ask where you want her mouth. in fact, i'm sure she'll refuse to do anything to you till you tell her bc she's a brat <3 if chiyo isn't the one in control and you manage to get her to stop challenging you, then pls know she's going to be!! so good and polite uvu there's a lot of " please " coming out of chiyo's mouth, especially the closer she gets to her climax. whether she's nicely asking her partner to cum or to let her cum really just depends on the moment. i see her definitely saying things like " please, i need you/don't stop/just like that/etc. "

29. what is one sexual fantasy your muse has that has yet to be properly fulfilled?

cyrillo has been around for a while, and he's been with a lot of people, so there's not much he hasn't tried. but! i will say that he probably hasn't met many people who enjoy risky, semi-public sex simply bc of the time period he's in. it's a much bigger scandal in dorverold if he and his partner are caught vs. a modern day setting. so if you're willing to sneak away and bang in a garden while festivities take place inside his manor, you'll have a very happy vamp on your hands <3 like i mentioned earlier, chiyo is a virgin, so she's got plenty of fantasies that haven't been fulfilled :' ) but i can say that the main thing she'll have her mind on is being put in her place, if that makes sense. when she's read stuff, she's always been into one character pushing another too much to the point where they go " alright, i'm about to do what i want, and you're going to listen or there's gonna be consequences. " while she will enjoy and appreciate her partner being gentle with her at first, she's going to become increasingly bratty to see if she can't get a reaction out of them. since i've kinda talked about that before, though, an honorable mention is being woken up with oral/sex. it's something that she might feel embarrassed admitting or asking for, but there's something very soft and intimate about waking up and the first thing her partner wants is her :' )

[roguelioness]

always golden to me

A gift for the lovely @greyyourwarden for the @wayfarer-exchange featuring the wonderful Nadira Sero ♥

Pairing: Nadira Sero & Aeran Kellis 1757 words, G Summary: If Rona won't offer opportunities for joy, Nadi will just have to make them.

Rona is not what she expected. It’s greener than Karth, greener than the streets of Nesactium, but there’s something about the vegetation that feels impatient. The tangled overgrowth is wild and fierce; it’s as though nature rages against the attempt to domesticate it. There’s a savageness to the way every tree root juts outwards from the cobblestones, a defiance to every moss-covered plank, a feral contempt to every weed that sprouts between the walls of the ramshackle buildings. It should make her feel unwelcome, but Nadira resonates with this chaos, with this nature that refuses to be tamed. The bustle of the town square reminds her of the markets of Nesactium, the multitude of people moving from stall to stall as they examine the wares, their voices blending into a warm cacophony as they attempt to barter.

The scene before her also serves to remind her of her rapidly dwindling funds. Her hand goes instinctively to feel the weight of it, her palm taking measure of how light it is. Enough for a few days, but they really do need to find more work…

“We could try the docks,” Aeran suggests, absently scratching the back of his neck.  The day is a hot one, the humidity making a frizzy mockery of his curls. “Might find something there.”

“I’ll race you there,” Nadi grins. “Loser buys the winner a drink!” Without waiting for a reply, she sets off through the crowd, her golden hair a beacon as she barrels through the throng, uncaring of the indignant hey! and watch where you’re going! thrown her way.

The sky turns overcast as she turns onto the main road. Her foot momentarily slips on a particularly smooth cobblestone - she throws her arms out to maintain her balance. Glancing over her shoulder, she sticks her tongue out at Aeran, squealing delightedly as he picks up his pace, grabbing haphazardly at him as he attempts to overtake.

Aeran stumbles as he jerks to an abrupt halt, his feet still facing the direction of the docks. “Let go!” he tries to pull off her grip on his vest, but all she does is catch hold of a sleeve instead. 

“I’m not letting you win,” she laughs as she tries to take the lead. 

“This is cheating!” His indignant tone is filled with humor. Giving up on his attempt to prise her off, he resorts to doing what she’s doing. Snagging the collar of her tunic, he tries to wrestle her to the ground. 

“Hey!” she bats at him, shoving his shoulder, twisting this way and that to try and escape his hold. “No fair!”

“You started it,” he retorts. Letting out a triumphant whoop, he neatly trips her onto the ground before sprinting away. 

Nadi jumps to her feet, dusting herself off as she chases after him. “Get back here!” she shouts, a grin splitting her face, unaware of the startled, wary looks that passers-by direct her way. “Kellis, you cheater!”

“You started it!” he calls over his shoulder.

The sun is fully blotted out by the time she gets to the docks, the heavy, dense clouds looming down at them. Thunder rumbles through the skies, the sound vibrating against her ribs, adding to her breathlessness. Aeran’s standing by a lopsided apartment, the bricks faded and worn to a dull greige, his arms crossed, his smile indisputably smug. “I win,” he says, chuckling when Nadi gives him a playful shove.

“Only because you cheated,” she accuses, but there’s no heat to it.

“Don’t be such a sore loser,” he reaches out and tousles her hair. The warmth from his fingers seeps into her scalp and she involuntarily moves into the touch. Her eyes flutter shut for the briefest of seconds before opening to meet his.

Aeran has a soft look on his face, eyes bright with fond affection, forehead free of concern. For a moment, they stare at each other. Nadi watches as his smile turns from smug to tender, unable to look away as his fingers catch a flyaway strand of hair before tucking it safely behind her ear. Her heart hammers in her chest, her breath caught in her throat, and she climbs onto her tiptoes to get closer to him…

Then there’s a loud, obnoxious clap of thunder, and the skies break open to a deluge.

Rain pours over them in sheets, and for a moment they’re both too stunned to react. Then Nadi laughs, turning and tilting her face to the sky, and relishes the way the water taps her skin. Her every sense comes alive – the scent of petrichor fragrant in her nose, so rich she can almost taste it; her armor, wet and sodden against her skin; the sound of the rain hitting the ground, of feet stamping through puddles, of curses and dismayed wails as the townsfolk scramble for shelter; and then–

Aeran is still staring at her, his mouth in a broad, joyful smile, as though he’s seeing her for the first time. It’s like Karth all over again, but not – a awestruck wonder sparkles in his eyes, his eyes so blue amidst the increasing grey of their surroundings. His gaze is intent, intense, and she’s a moth pinned under the force of it; it makes her restless, it makes her panic, and so Nadi does the first thing she thinks of.

She stomps a sodden boot into a nearby puddle and splashes him with orchard-brown water.

Aeran sputters, staring down at the patch of dirt now staining his tunic. His expression is so comical Nadi starts to giggle, which turns into a chuckle, which turns into her doubling over, clutching her stomach as she chortles, tears adding to her already-blurred vision.

“You think that’s funny, do you?” Aeran’s palpable disgruntlement sends her into another peal of laughter. “It’s hilarious,” she wheezes. “You should’ve seen your face!”

“Oh yeah?” Quick as a flash, his leg moves, and before she can react, a small wave of mud hurtles through the air and lands squarely in the center of her chest. Nadi gasps, wiping away the worst of it, her eyes narrowed in a glare. 

“Oh, it’s on,” she snarls through a grin, hunching over and slamming into him. Aeran slides backward, but remains on his feet; his hands move to her shoulders but instead of pushing her away as she expected, he starts to tickle her.

Nadi shrieks and pulls away, stumbling neatly over Aeran’s perfectly placed foot, but she’s still holding on to him and so they both go crashing to the ground, right into the puddle that they’ve both used as ammunition. Wet, sticky mud squelches and sloshes around the weight of her body, coating her hair, one ear, the back of her neck, her elbows, dissolving under the rain to form little brown rivulets that run into her armor. For a moment, she remains as she is, sprawled out in the middle of sludge, Aeran’s legs tangled with hers. They get a lot of upturned noses in their direction, several grimaces and even a disgusted look or two, but none of that matters to her.

What matters is Aeran, and right now? He’s chuckling, little huffs of laughter rumbling through his torso, making his muscles vibrate with mirth. Nadi rises to her elbows, eyebrows raised as he dissolves with glee. There’s smudges of dirt on his cheek, smears of brown along his temples, and his brown tunic is more mud than cloth, but none of that seems to faze him.

“It’s not that funny,” she sulks. “It’s going to take ages for me to clean up.”

“I can help with that,” a brazenly dangerous glint of mischief dances in his gaze.

Nadi knows that look. She’s seen that look many, many times - it’s usually followed by an act she’s going to dislike. “Aeran,” she warns, holding out her hands to ward him off as he rises to his feet, “whatever it is you’re planning, don’t you dare–” she shrieks as he lifts her effortlessly into his arms, holding her in a bridal carry that shouldn’t thrill her as much as it does – and she’s certainly not resting her head against his chest and taking in the register of his heart – but when she sees his intended destination she starts to struggle. “No!” she swats frantically at him, “Aeran, don’t you dare–”

She makes a dismayed wail as he drops her over the edge of the pier into the shallow water, her limbs flailing and thrashing ungracefully as she attempts to upright herself. She feels every inch the sodden dishrag she undoubtedly resembles, and the thought puts a sour, sullen look onto her face. She crosses her arms and deliberately turns her head away from him as she searches for a way to climb out.

“Come on, Nadi, don’t be mad,” he shifts into her line of sight, offering a hand. “You got what you wanted, you’re all clean now–” he fails to stifle a snort of laughter as she pointedly plucks a strand of soggy seaweed from her scabbard. 

“Let’s get you out of there,” he offers his hand again, dropping to his haunches on the pier. At her skeptical look, he adds, “I won’t do anything, I promise.”

Satisfied, Nadi grabs his hand – her palm against his, her fingers beneath his knuckles. But before he can help her up–

She pulls him into the water, giggling maniacally at his high-pitched squawk. The same seaweed is on his head, having settled in comfortably among his curls. He gives her the most patently false outraged, betrayed look she’s seen, and she laughs again when he starts to grumble about the sand.

“Hey, you started it,” she sticks her tongue out at him.

He stares at her, deadpan, before his face splits into a smile and he wraps an arm around her shoulders and draws her to him. “Truce?” he suggests.

Nadi’s so warm where he’s touching her, and even warmer beneath her ribs. Her heart thrills with secret delight as she looks up at him. Does he know how much I care for him, she wonders. Has he guessed?

His eyes sparkle as he looks down at her, an unexpected tenderness on the planes of his face.

Her fingers twitch and jitter as the space between them fills with unspoken emotions.

She can’t tell him. What if she loses him?

She manages to pull a shaky grin to her lips. The rain turns melancholic as the skies weep the way she can’t. “Truce,” she agrees

[the-jam-to-the-unicorn]

Hi Jammy! Should we hope for some ficlet chapter today/tomorrow??👀

Yes! 🤗

I have planned only writing today, so I should get things done! 😊

[reginrokkr]

400 icons later I'm finally done adding the tiny adjustments I settled for! In all honesty, doing this is exhausting as hecky but I'm also really happy because I've been wanting to do something like this for Dain for a very long time to no avail. But at the same time it's highly rewarding to me because graphic design is a passion of mine that I include as part of the RP experience and it's really invigorating to have a newfound inspiration that I lacked a while ago. The change in his icons isn't that big, but I'm still one to keep things somehow simple as to not distract from the main point of focus which should be him.

[azikarue]

MayBlade 2023 : Day 20 : Scars

Salima, Goki | FFN Rating: K+ | FFN Link ❖ Sometimes Salima spent her nights awake.

It was easier explaining it to Goki when they were somewhere new and exciting. Those times, he’d buy that she was thrown off by the timezone or the different constellations swimming in the sky above their heads. He’d lay awake with her on occasion, sketching the scenery and planning their travels, always tactful enough not to mention her clipped, one-word responses.

When she was home, it was different. There was no hiding when she had to throw open every window to feel like she wasn’t suffocating, choking on guilt and long-gone power and desperation. Goki was unerringly kind about it and so gifted with reading her that he knew when to step in and when to pretend like he didn’t notice a thing.

And those were just the nights Salima didn’t sleep at all. Others she started out asleep, only to be woken up by dreams of mechanical roars and sharp, gnashing teeth. Her heart would beat like she’d just run a marathon. When her eyes snapped open, her face would be wet from tears she remembered crying that day in the battle tower.

The taste of her tears would bring back memory after memory. To cope, she would call Kane and listen to his steady voice, unmarred by a crazed bitbeast. Or she would call Jim and get him to tell her all about his latest project until her heart rate returned to normal. Most often, she would sit outside and breathe in the clean air, trying to convince herself that she was whole without whatever pieces of her Cyber Driger kept.

Wielding a cyber bitbeast was like being shackled to a wild animal: scary, unpredictable, thrilling.

Life after one was the same, except Cyber Driger was heavier as a corpse than he’d ever been living. Back then he steered her from just behind her eyes, a driving force that quickly took her over. Now she had to find her own way and carry the weight of her actions on her own shoulders.

It was exhausting. And more than enough to keep her up at night.

“You need to let it go,” Goki advised one night while keeping her company on a hostel roof. He had his sketchpad out and was doodling the view across the street. “You can’t let it eat you up inside forever.”

“I can’t just forget what happened,” Salima snapped. She knew she should feel bad about it, but her head ached from lack of sleep and throbbed in time with her racing heart.

“I didn’t say to forget.” He looked just as concerned for her as she’d felt for him when they were locked up together in the battle tower. “It’s not normal to launch a beyblade and have the bitbeast inside hijack your brain. You didn’t know what would happen – you need to forgive yourself for it and let it go.”

Salima felt the overwhelming urge to cry, so she buried her face in her knees.

She’d had a pretty good idea what could happen by the time she’d picked up Cyber Driger. It was stupid to think that she would be any less susceptible to the power of the cyber bitbeasts than Jim and Goki. She wasn’t better than they were and the proof was in how the rest of her friends were already over the ordeal.

Goki didn’t wake up at night, fighting off invisible forces; sleep was the solace it should be, for him. As for Kane and Jim, when she’d spoken to them last, they’d asked if she and Goki were planning on returning for the World Championships because the two of them were competing together. Goki had given a firm no on Salima’s behalf, because she couldn’t get words past the sudden panic squeezing her throat shut.

She didn’t know how to forget and she didn’t know how to let it go or move on. All she knew was that returning to Japan to face the Bladebreakers and masquerade as an upstanding member of the beyblading community filled her with too much shame to bear.

“Salima?” She felt Goki’s hand on her back, gentle and reassuring. Patient, even. Like he wouldn’t press, but thought she needed to talk.

“How are you so okay?” she asked, voice wavering with bottled up emotion. “You, Kane, and Jim – how did you put it behind you so easily?”

She hadn’t planned on opening her mouth, but there was something about the anonymity she felt with her eyes screwed shut and a city where nobody knew her all around and Goki’s strong presence by her side, that forced her thoughts past the knot in her throat.

Goki let out a long sigh. “I wouldn’t call it easy. Some days I can’t even look at myself in the mirror,” he admitted, running his hand over her back in firm, slow strokes. “And I can’t speak for Kane and Jim. I couldn’t compete in a Championship right now, but maybe that’s what it takes for them to feel better – proving that they can compete honestly on the biggest platform there is.”

Put like that, Salima could kind of understand, even if the thought of standing in the spotlight right now made her feel sick.

“For me, it gets a little easier with every kid we teach,” Goki continued. “It feels like I’m helping them discover the true spirit of beyblading, maybe keeping them from making similar mistakes to the ones I made. You know what I mean?”

Salima turned her head toward Goki, resting her cheek on her knees.

“I do.” There was a reason she and Goki were the ones who’d headed straight for the open road. Teaching kids and seeing that spark of joy on their faces when they launched their beyblades – the same spark that the cyber bitbeasts did their best to replace with the hunger for domination – those were the moments that she felt closest to her old self. “But I still have nightmares. Sometimes I can even feel Cyber Driger’s claws, like it never left.”

She was almost whispering by the end of her admission.

Goki’s brow furrowed thoughtfully.

“Cyber Driger was holding on tight when it was ripped away.” She could feel him shiver as he thought back to that day. “Those power injections made it too strong to resist and you shouldn’t have been able to, but you did anyway.”

He was looking at her with something akin to admiration and she didn’t want it.

“Goki—”

“I heard the scientists talking – saw their readings,” he said, cutting her off. “Cyber Driger pushed you past your limits, Salima – it makes sense that your scars are deep. You should be proud of yourself for fighting.” He looked off into the middle distance, no longer willing to meet her eyes. “I wish I’d been able to.”

Salima’s chest ached at the shame in his voice. She sat up and said, “They weren’t designed to fight against.”

If she wasn’t allowed to beat herself up over it, then he wasn’t either. She remembered Dr. B and his scientists being so sure that she’d be hooked as soon as she got a taste of the power they had to offer. For all their talk of mental strength being necessary to wield the cyber bitbeasts, they were still counting on the fact that their reckless creations would be strong enough to bend her team’s will to their own. She and her friends were never meant to be in control.

“I’ll work on accepting that if you will.” Goki offered her a small smile and she realized, belatedly, that she’d played right into his hands. “Then maybe we can both move on.”

“I’ll try,” Salima sighed. “I think I feel a little better just talking about it.” Even as the words left her lips, she was surprised to find that they were true. Maybe healing had to come in baby steps.

“You’d feel even better with a good night’s sleep,” Goki pointed out.

She should’ve known he wouldn’t let her get away with the sleepless nights without commentary forever. Unfortunately, her nightmares came and went as they pleased, no matter how exhausted she was. Something about Kane and Jim competing had brought them back full force. If the nightmares didn’t disturb her, her brain buzzing, trying to figure out what it all meant, would.

When she told Goki as much, he simply shrugged out of his jacket and balled it up. “Here,” he said. “I’ll talk so you aren’t alone with your thoughts. You, try to get some sleep.” He set the makeshift pillow on his lap and motioned for her to lay down.

“What, right here?” Salima asked in disbelief.

Goki chuckled. “Does it make a difference if you can’t sleep anyway?”

“I guess not,” she admitted. If she hadn’t found solace back home, in her own bed, familiar and comfortable, maybe it wasn’t where that mattered. Without another word, she laid down on the rooftop, tucked her knees up under her sweater and pillowed her head on Goki’s jacket.

He went back to drawing, but this time he kept up a constant stream of one-way conversation. He told her what he was drawing, explained what he knew about the architecture, told her how frustrating it was when the light changed as the sun sunk lower.

Between the scratching of pencil on paper and the steady rhythm of his voice, Salima’s eyelids, finally, began to droop.

[prentissluvr]

oh just 2817 words (give or take after editing) of luke alvez being the perfect, in fact, the only man. coming to you folks live probably tomorrow

[lumitris]

second part is here before I lose my train of thought. continuing on from her experience in teyvat. This one primarily focuses on Aether's involvement.

Her entire search begins with Aether. For the first few places she visits, that is her only goal. It's also why there is such a shift in Lumine's tone when first going to Inazuma, and I will go into that once we get there.

The moment she lays eyes on him, there is relief, and also heartbreak. Had he been looking for her? She had been searching all this time. Lumine's immediate reaction is not to question his involvement, not to go into details about Teyvat, she didn't care about the gods, the abyss, any of it anymore. She found him. What she asks is to come with her to another world. It shows that, before this point, she had no deeper connections to the people of Teyvat. She was still thinking in her old ways.

And he rejects her. Do you understand how that could feel? It's not just a sibling relationship, but he was her entire world. When they were together, they were home. But he can't. He has to stay, and she can't understand why. Unlike her, Aether has become attached to this world. Or, the OLD world. He woke up before she did, the second time, once again, and he journeyed this world. The truth he found made him stay. But why would that matter?

If given the opportunity, Lumine would have gone with him. Anything to make sure they were still together. But he instructs her to finish her journey alone. To experience what he has, before leaving again. This time of his own free will. And it destroys her.

Paimon keeps her spirits up, keeping her moving forward (this is so important, and I will go into Paimon more next time because this! Is so important for Lumine's character) and so she finds a new goal. To be with him again, she has to truly learn about the world she's in. But, god, does she immediately take that to heart? Yes and no. She still is searching for the unknown god, but she is also searching for answers regarding Khaenri'ah. Of any ties that relate to the abyss and her brother.

Inazuma see's a completely different Lumine to start with, and, what's so nice about it too, is that it also changes Lumine from what she was before. This, for me, is where her true change begins.

Lumine doesn't want to get involved. She doesn't want to care about the nation, it's issues, the people; no one. She is here merely to find answers in order to leave with her brother again. This decision does haunt her now, because it leads to some terrible choices. I think outside of story elements, it takes a longer time for Lumine to come on board. It really takes the struggling of others, to witness that, for her to want to help. She doesn't feel manipulated either, but rather, she has her eyes opened.

When facing the Raiden Shogun, she's reckless. Still in that mind frame to finish things quickly, and god she's arrogant. And it's here she's struck down and that gives long term affects going forward, because it's here that she's reminded that she can die. That people can take her down, that the GODS can take her down, as before then she hadn't necessarily lost a battle. And this is what Inazuma was up against.

She finds companionship with the Resistance. Once again, I think outside of gameplay, she's there for quite awhile. Her friendship with Teppei is formed during that revelation of her own weakness, and she's still rather fragile from it. With him, she starts to feel like herself again. Enough to forget about her sorrows with Aether, and put her back on track to her true journey.

His death is a giant piece of the puzzle that is Lumine's path. In a way, she loved him, she felt genuine connection to him that she'd had reservations about doing to anyone in this world. But to her, he died because of her incompetence, and it kills her. Even now. If she had stopped acting selfish at the beginning, if she'd taken less time to get involved, and to really commit to her travels in Inazuma, she might have been able to stop it before things got so bad. Obviously, this affects her relationship with the Wanderer years later, and a reason for her hostility at the beginning.

When Lumine is able to overcome the Raiden Shogun because of everyone's ambitions, it resonates with her. All their feelings, and hopes and dreams; even now, it stays with her. This is also so important. It is the cheesy trope that her friends give her strength, but it also transcends that.

After this? Lumine's desire to be with Aether, that desperation, begins to fade. Enough that she can even agree that what he's doing is wrong. Lumine takes her own time to learn things about this world without going down her brother's path. Yes, she misses him, god she misses him. She cries in her dreams (which is canon now yes!) whenever he's on her mind. She has nightmares about him, and how she can never reach him.

But now, like Aether, she was beginning to connect with this world, but perhaps, now, in the opposite way he wanted. She befriended the Gods, even her own enemies from time to time, and she is learning to love Teyvat without the trauma of Khaenri'ah and that entire road that Aether went down, which we know was around the time of Sumeru for his journey. She also has paimon, and that alone changes their routes. She has friends that he would have never met also by her side. She even finds herself falling in love with many who cross her path, outside of her usual, simplistic desire.

She still can't commit to staying because of the people, of even A person, but at this section of her journey, she knows there is a want there. But even now, Aether comes first, just, not in the same way it did when she first started. She also won't abandon this world for him, and she will protect it, even from him; she'll try and convince him to stop, and to come with her. Whether to stay in Teyvat, or traverse the stars once more.

[sysig]

The most fun you can have, barring the pain and torture (Patreon)