#i may not seem serious but i'm actually terrified

[alchemistc]

He's drunk when he sends it. Pissed because Buck won't just let this die. Tired of seeing his name flash across his screen, texts full of anger and sadness and hurt.

I suspect you've already met your last and it's not me he sends, and then turns off his phone and reaches for the bottle of whiskey on his top shelf.

---

If he'd been sober he would have known better. It's not even like it's been a pervasive thought - just an inkling at the start of things that seemed to be completely off base once he got to know everyone better, but looking back... He can see it. The built in life. The steadfast support. The knowledge that they'd always, always have each other's back. The kid who hero worshipped him.

The thing is he's fielding texts from Eddie, too, checking in and then circling around to being so goddamn judgmental that it's like they've coordinated their attacks to give Tommy no room to breathe.

He ended it to save himself from slipping so far under the surface he wouldn't make it back.

The fact that he's lost them both to his own fear is icing on the cake for the demon on his shoulder that keeps trying to remind him that once upon a time he'd fully thought Eddie and Buck were amicable exes.

---

He has to blink to figure out who's standing on his doorstep. The mustache is gone.

"If you meant who I think you mean, you're dumber than you look," Eddie says, and shoulders past Tommy before Tommy can even muster an affronted expression.

Tommy wanders after Eddie into his own kitchen, immediately annoyed that he looks more at home there than Tommy has felt in weeks. He'd gotten used to the loft - the space, the echoes, the lights of the city. The smell of his own aftershave on Buck's pillow.

They never spent much time here. The loft was closer - to Harbor, to the 118, to all the things in the city that tempted them out for a night. And staying at the loft meant he wouldn't have the echoes of Buck in every room, around every corner. (The echoes are in him, instead, and he still feels the absence like a lanced wound.) Tommy has always been good at making other people think he's good at putting distance between himself and them.

Eddie digs in a drawer, pulls out the bottle opener shaped like a cow and pops two tops. Holds one out for Tommy and scowls when Tommy wrinkles his nose at the Corona.

"Absolutely screw you if you think I'm driving halfway across town for you just to get the ones you like, right now."

Tommy can't argue that. He takes a drag and swallows. Stares. Is everyone else experiencing whiplash seeing him without the mustache? It looks fine but it'd taken so much fucking work to get used to it and now it's just gone. Clean shaven, an acre of skin he hasn't seen in months.

Tommy blinked and the entire world was different. Tommy freaked and the world changed.

"What are you doing here?"

Eddie's eyebrows both lift, a frank Are You Fucking Serious look on his face that makes Tommy want to take him to the mats and have it out in the garage instead of over beers.

"Buck may be spinning his wheels trying to figure out what the fuck you meant but I know damn well what you were implying."

That seems unlikely. Eddie always seems to be the last person to have a single clue what was going on, with Buck scraping in just before him. It's a tight race.

He used to find it charming.

(He absolutely does not still find it charming, he tells his heart, and wonders if he could hire some tiny asshole gnome to go stomp around in an atrium or two and get it to stop doing what it's doing. Fucking traitor.)

"Do you actually believe that, or is it some dumb excuse because you're terrified of being happy?"

Oh, that's fucking rich.

Tommy opens his mouth to tell him exactly that but Eddie just steamrolls right by him. "You don't have to point out the hypocrisy, jackass. I'm well aware of my own issues. Thing is - you're like, almost right. Buck does make me happy. Next to Chris there's no one else in the world I'd rather have by my side, rain or shine, good or bad. I love him. He's my person."

Tommy rolls his jaw. It's not a vindication to hear it.

"Except I'm not gay, Tommy. And I don't want that. I never have. And neither does Buck, just in case that argument was about to hit the airwaves."

"How do you know?"

Something sparks in the back of Eddie's eyes. Understanding. Triumph.

"You want an itemized list or a demonstration?"

Which is when Tommy knows he's stepped into an absolute minefield. No markers. Just free balling his way through a conversation that could explode with even the slightest pressure.

Eddie's got his phone out.

None of this is ideal.

When he looks up, his eyes land squarely on Tommy, who would like in this moment to be able to curl so far in on himself he gets sucked clean through the other side. "First of all, Buck may have just been improvising his entire journey of sexuality but for once I was trying to get ahead of the curve so that whole starry-eyed newly not straight vision you have of Buck is bullshit. You let him pull you along by the shirt strings for months without pressing pause and then you freak out when he thinks his speed and your speed are the same speed?"

This is feeling a whole lot like an ambush, now.

"Did you ever even try to slow him down?"

Tommy has some choice words that aren't remotely appropriate to say to someone who is at least tangentially still his friend, so he takes another swig of shitty beer. God, this shit is awful.

"You wanna know how I know I'm not his one? How I know he's not mine?"

Tommy really, really doesn't. Honestly he'd like to kick him out.

"Because he went at our friendship at the same warp speed pace he took your relationship and it never fucking scared me."

Proof in the pudding, for Tommy. He's not the sort of jackass who actually thinks he can make a different judgement call on someone else's sexuality than the one they've made themselves, but come on.

"Shannon's been dead for half a decade," Eddie says, voice dropping so suddenly Tommy feels it like an icy draft. "And maybe one day I'll make my peace with that. Maybe one day I'll get out from under it. The point is I've lost them both and the loss wasn't the goddamn same."

"Buck came back," Tommy argues.

Eddie scoffs. Wrinkles his nose. "Jeez, he wasn't kidding about how weird that sounds." His phone buzzes on the countertop, and Tommy wonders what the hell that look on his face means. "Don't change the subject. I'm not here to talk you into anything. I'm just here to drink a beer with you and tell you how goddamn stupid it is to think that an uncertain future with Evan Buckley isn't worth every second of terror it causes you."

"You don't know me as well as you think you do."

Eddie tips the bottle against his lips. Swallows. God, why hadn't Tommy just pursued the self-proclaimed straight guy for a couple weeks before he scratched the itch somewhere else and kept a friend, instead?

"Maybe." Eddie tips his head. "Maybe I do, though. Maybe in the months and months you were invited to all my mopey nights in with Buck and all the crazy crap we end up involved in at the station and all the times you couldn't shut up about him when he wasn't around and all the times I got to see you falling ass over teakettle for my best friend, I learned a fucking thing or two about Tommy Kinard." He wags his head back and forth. "Maybe."

"Is there a point to this?"

Eddie tips his eyes to his phone, and it's probably too late at this point for the suspicion to begin to creep in.

"I mostly just came to confront you about your completely off base bullshit excuses, but there's actually a pretty simple solution to at least one of your multitude of issues, so. Now we're waiting."

Tommy doesn't like the sound of that at all.

"Chris is mad at you, by the way."

It's a distraction. It's fully a - "Why is he mad at me?"

"I should actually thank you, because it's the first time he's actively talked to me in months," Eddie continues, like Tommy hadn't asked a question. "He's pissed because Buck is sad and there's literally nothing in the world that gets a rise out of the Diaz boys like sad Buck."

"You can just say you're pissed at me and go, Eddie."

"Oh I'm angry. Don't think I'm not. Mostly I'm just sad for you. You had six months to get to know Buck and never thought to yourself 'hes going to love me and it's going to hurt' until he skipped too far ahead in the program."

And that's - kind of the final straw. He's let Eddie get his licks in. He deserves it, he knows he does. Honestly it's a little cathartic to hear - to know exactly what Buck has spent his time dissecting post-Tommy. "That's all I ever thought about. Do you think I didn't know going in? I tried to put a stop to it before it even started and he just doubled down! Do you think for a second I wasn't viscously aware that I was setting myself up for -."

No. He's not gonna say it. He's not giving that to Eddie when he couldn't even give it to Ev-Buck. When he couldn't give it to Buck.

Eddie looks victorious anyway.

"And for six months you thought it was worth it."

"For six months I was too much of a coward to stop thinking about it."

Eddie drains the rest of his beer. "I'm not gonna lie. You screwed up pretty bad. Like. Astronomically bad. Giving up your location in a firefight bad."

Tommy does everything he can not to wince.

"It's salvageable, though. If you want it to be. If there's anything I know about Buck it's that second chances are his bread and butter." He's been dancing around saying anything of substance about Buck's feelings, in all of this, but the hints are there. As if the bouts of angry-depressive texts from Buck weren't clue enough.

"And what if it's not what I want?"

Eddie's eyes dart to his phone one more time. "Then you can make it a clean break in about ... three and a half minutes."

Tommy nearly tosses his beer across the room.

[bambisnc]

i'm like some kind of supernova [ft. u.ae]

⤷ pov : literally all of the clocks of your house stop working and a random girl falls into your house?? she says she's like .. a goddess?? and now you've agreed to help her find her colleagues that disappeared?? or else she might torment you for all your life???

pairing : timekeeper!giselle x reader genre : serious codedish + crack cw/tw : talks about dying/not dying + giselle talks old timey-ish for a couple mins + lowk this is a fever dream + uneditted womp womp wc : 914 woooo !!

the strange quiet should’ve tipped you off.

when you woke up from an (unusually) dreamless sleep, your first instinct was to fight the urge to look at your phone and instead focus on the digital clock situated to the left of your bed. 

you were trying to make a conscious effort to “stop being dependent on your phone” and metaphorically touch grass.

and, obviously, that was your first mistake. 

the flashing numbers of the screen looked back at you, almost defiantly. 00.30.

one look at the sunlight streaming in through a conveniently located window proved that incorrect immediately. 

the clock appears to be broken.

pretty normal occurrence, could happen to anyone.

but when you venture out to the dining room, another clock, one of the analog variety, proudly displays the hour hand at 1 and the minute hand at 8. 

the clocks in the living room, guest room and kitchen all respectively seem to believe it’s around 2.45, 3.06 and 4.58 am respectively.

you can no longer put this off to a coincidence and the realization that there may be some foul play at work shakes you to the core. 

until, of course, there is a loud BANG! and a girl falls right on top of you. 

by then, your only coherent thought is AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

the girl groans, likely in pain from the fall (where did she fall from??? is she a neighbour and did your ceiling just … break down??). she’s quick to regain composure however.

“greetings mortal. be not afraid for i am merely a being that most humans desire to have control over, despite knowing how utterly unattainable it is.

i am giselle; the keeper of time, in its purest essence.”

“your name tag says uchinaga aeri though.” you gesture with your eyes as she still has your arms pinned down with just enough strength to render them completely immovable.

“and also,” your fight or flight reaction shows itself by a means of ceaseless curiosity, “isn’t time supposed to be .. an old bearded man holding an hourglass? wasn’t he called father time?

the time keeper/uchinaga aeri/giselle/ looks pissed. or is she just flustered??

“the name tag is just a slight error, okay?! and i actually DO have an hourglass. also assuming that time is “male” is sexist.”

“no that’s not what i meant-” you try to defend yourself, but she brushes it off with practiced ease.

“my colleagues and i recently faced a … misfortunate incident. they all disappeared soon after.  the thorough investigations i carried out right after lead me nowhere for quite a while. 

but now… my sources have led me to you, mortal.”

the way aeri giselle speaks is enough to show you that she would not hesitate to resort to any means necessary to bring back the people she’s lost. they are obviously much more to her than just “colleagues.” 

you admire that. but also … according to her “sources” doesn’t she think that you are the one responsible for the disappearances? 

giselle’s grip on your hands eases only slightly while your brain busily tries to make sense of the events; wondering if she perhaps terrified you into silence. 

you do not let that opportunity go to waste.

with a slightly awkward, not as suave movement as you would have liked it to be, you flip over so that the timekeeper is now below you. 

“mortal?!” she gasps out, “you dare manhandle one of the 4 Supernovas, the guardians of the universe?! why i should-”

“hear me out please, before you burn me to a crisp or whatever you’d like” 

giselle’s eyes twinkle. 

she snaps her fingers. and all the lights blink out.

you find yourself … in your bedroom? almost like you’ve been sent back in time to earlier the same day…

the time keeper sits at the edge of the bed, rather nonchalantly, for someone who looked like they were merely seconds away from..

“letting you age and age and age some more, until all that’s left of you is a shriveled husk and all you can think of is the sweet release of death; but alas you’ll never find respite, because i will simply ensure that you remain undying. i think that’s what i’ll do to you if you don’t cooperate <3 arson’s not really my thing, ningning however,-”

you interrupt her once more, probably not the best decision but you need to make your offer as soon as possible if you have any hopes of getting out of this alive, “i’ll help you.”

“what…?”

you ramble on about how all the clocks had stopped working and how you were 99% sure that this meant you were definitely a key part in helping to find the people who had disappeared.

it almost feels like an interview; trying to convince giselle to hire you as a helper and also, as a side bonus, not torment you for all of eternity. 

and surprisingly, it works.

as you’re ending your pitch, she suddenly leans forward so that her forehead almost touches yours. 

“rest up for now, then.” she says, “you need all the energy you can get for our mission. and if you even think of backing out…”

“i won’t!!” you affirm quickly, which makes her smile and

god she’s really pretty isn’t she? 

—

beep. beep. beep.

the digital clock on your bedside says it’s 00.30. 

you grab your phone.

the Contacts app opens up. the first saved number is of a certain timekeeper.

o giselle (NOT aeri.) xxxxxxxxxx

notes : I HATE THE TITLEEE IM MIGHT CHANGE IT IDK THO + [m.list] song rec : man idk i was js watching danny gonzales videos/horror video game playthroughs + supernova - aespa???

𐙚 . regulars : @skriri ⋆

[flanaganfilm]

You have spoken about dealing with addiction in the past (congratulations on your sobriety, btw), and Hill House, Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep, etc, all feature characters struggling with addiction. Do you find a sort of catharsis in writing those characters and their storylines, and do you find that having gone through that affects how you write those characters and their stories? p.s. if the question is too personal, I apologize. You are, of course, free to ignore it.

Happy to talk about it. I was writing about addiction long before I admitted having a problem. Looking all the way back to my student films, many years before Absentia, I can see myself starting to pick it apart. The fact is I was a really shitty drunk. I was absolutely a problem drinker. It was always that way, going back to school - I was never able to handle it, and there were times throughout my life starting very young when that thought would occur to me, and I'd get scared, and then I'd convince myself I was being dramatic and that I had no problem whatsoever.

The truth is that I didn't have an OFF switch, I was inclined to hide my drinking, and the older I got the more self-destructive I became when I was under the influence.

But I was also very committed to the belief that I could handle it, and that I didn't have an actual problem, so for years I'd coast by, telling myself whatever issues I may have had weren't so serious. "Nine times out of ten, I'm just fine - I'm the life of the party," I'd think. I wasn't, though, and soon enough it was 50/50 whether I'd have to make apologetic phone calls on a given hungover morning. And those stretches where'd I'd really let go and drink hard, the person who emerged was less and less like me. It got to the point I didn't recognize him at all - there was this stranger who lived inside, and if he got out, he was could destroy everything I held dear, and he didn't give two shits about it. Looking back at the last decade of my work with the perspective I have now, I can see an escalating subconscious urgency in the way I was talking about alcoholism and addiction. My 2003 student feature Ghosts of Hamilton Street features a wanna-be writer with a horribly self-destructive alcohol problem. The people in his life begin to physically disappear, and the world around him resets as though they never existed at all, so he's the only who notices. I was 25 years old when I made that movie, and looking at it now, the addiction issues are a huge blinking red light all over the movie. At the time, I thought it was just interesting context for the character.

I wrote the opening scene of Midnight Mass (which features Riley Flynn waking up from a blackout drunk driving session to find that he's killed someone) all the way back in 2010, eight years before I finally sobered up. That was always something I was absolutely terrified of - not that I'd die because of my drinking, but that I'd kill someone else and live with the consequences. That was probably my biggest fear for most of my life, if I'm honest. And there were mornings I'd wake up at home and wonder how the hell I'd driven myself there the night before. I remember those mornings with a stomach-turning degree of terror and shame.

It was always somewhat cathartic to write about characters with addiction issues. There's a long stretch between Absentia and Hill House where it appears that I'm not dealing with those themes in my work (though I'd argue there's a subtle addiction meditation at play in Before I Wake that I've only recently noticed), but I was also secretly working on Midnight Mass that entire time, and just pouring all of my thoughts and anxieties about alcoholism into that story. So while Oculus, Hush, Ouija: OOE, and Gerald's Game don't seem to dwell much on addiction, that's really because I was spending my nights pouring all of that into the pages of Midnight Mass, which existed alternately as a novel, a screenplay, and then a series during those years.

Working on Doctor Sleep is what brought it all to the surface for me. Stephen King's novel deals thoroughly with the theme of recovery (The Shining is about destruction of addiction, and Doctor Sleep is about the journey and reality of recovery), and a lot of people in my cast were sober. It was while we were shooting that film that I realized I needed to make a seismic change in my life.

My wife will say that reading the scene in Doctor Sleep where Dan sits at the Gold Room bar in the Overlook was when she knew I was reaching a critical moment. That scene isn't in King's book, and my first draft of that conversation between Dan and Jack was almost fifteen pages long. It's basically a prolonged argument between the addictive and sober voices in my mind, and writing that scene shook something loose in me. I stopped drinking just a few days before we filmed that scene for that movie, and I haven't had a drop since.

But for catharsis, Midnight Mass truly is the most personal piece of work I've ever made. Riley is a very thinly disguised avatar of myself. I look at that series and I see several distinct versions of myself in conversation with each other over more than a decade. I'm glad it took so long to get that show made, because if I'd made it in 2016 like I wanted to, I wouldn't have done a good job - there is no way I could have told that story until I was finally sober. If you listen closely to the AA meeting scenes between Riley and Father Paul throughout the series, you're basically looking directly into my conflicted brain over many, many years.

This year is my fifth year sober, and I spend my days happy, busy, and so grateful that I was able to make those changes before my drinking destroyed my career, my marriage, and my life. I was lucky. I am lucky. But since I finished Midnight Mass, I haven't felt that pull when I'm writing. I haven't felt those themes elbowing their way into my work. That part of me is still in here (it always will be), but I feel like I was somehow able, over many years, to coax it to sleep. I'm sure I'll return to those themes over the years, as I hope to learn more about myself and have more to say... but for now, those voices are peaceful and quiet. I have projects on the horizon that will touch on some of those things (if I'm able to make The Dark Tower, there's some wonderful elements with Eddie's addiction issues that I look forward to exploring) but it feels different.

One of the things I hold onto when I look back at that time is the hope that the work can be helpful to someone else who may struggle in a similar way. And talking to fans, I've heard here and there that it has, and that means the world to me. I think storytellers can't help but use their stories as a mirror, it's one of the ways we take ourselves apart, look at the pieces, and put them back. It's one of the only ways we can see ourselves clearly.

Sometimes we don't even realize we're doing it. It's only looking back that we can see ourselves, and our work, with any real clarity.

[lendeah]

Eclipsed Reverie

Pairing: AstarionxFem!Tav

Summary: As the final battle with the Nether Brain looms, Astarion and Tav share a bittersweet night together, their hearts heavy with the knowledge that it may be their last.

Tags: fluff, smut and a tiny bit of angst. Very soft Astarion :( also biting stuff!

Word count: 5.3k

Warnings: NSFW (minors dni).

Under the shadowed canopy of the Baldur's Gate night, Astarion and I found a momentary reprieve from the impending battle. We have been strategizing the whole evening, and at this point there is nothing more we can do except rely on each other. I look at the man next to me, wondering when did we go from strategizing allies to something more. The moonlight catches the contours of Astarion's face, revealing a vulnerability that transcends his usual cheeky demeanor. There's a shared understanding in the silence, and as our eyes meet, unspoken words linger in the air. Despite his usual aristocratic charm, it now feels damp and heavy. Even with his vampiric strength, he seems weakened by the recent events. The battle against Gortash had taken its toll, leaving both Gale and Shadowheart heavily wounded.

The air is heavy with tension, but a shared understanding lingers between us two. "Are you scared?" I break the silence, although I already know the answer.

"Terrified, actually." Astarion turns to face me, expression serious for once, his red eyes gleaming softly in the night in a way that's somehow comforting. "I know that we've already faced worse odds together, but this time feels different, you know? Like, if anything happened to either one of us, it would rip the other's heart apart."

I force a little smile. "Good thing you don't have a heart then, or I'd be worried"

He snorts softly, smiling back at me. "Oh, the ever-present stereotype of heartless vampires. But fear not, my dear, I still have plenty of heart left - just not the beating kind you may be envisioning." A small laugh escapes my lips at his words, breaking the tension between us.

After a beat, he looks at me and reaches my hand across the blanklet we are sitting in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "And you, my dear, are you scared?"

I hold his gaze, feeling a shiver run down my spine at the intensity. "Of course I am," I reply softly. "But I have faith in us, Astarion. We've faced so much together and we always come out stronger."

He nods "You're right," he says, a hint of pride in his voice. "We make a good team." he makes a little pause, and adds "Mainly thanks to me, of course. My lethal blattle skills are the only reason you weirdos are still breathing."

Astarion's usual smugness returns as he breaks the intense moment between us. I roll my eyes, knowing that deep down he's just masking his own fears with his bravado. But I also know that his skills in battle are not to be underestimated. He has saved our group from countless threats with his agility and cunning tactics.

"Let's just hope our luck holds out," I reply, trying to convince myself more than him.

"Oh come on, have a little faith in me," Astarion teases, nudging me playfully. "I may be a vampire but I'm not invincible. I need all the help I can get."

I chuckle, squeezing his hand. As we continue to bask in the moonlit serenity, a gentle breeze rustles the leaves above us, carrying with it the distant sounds of the city. From the rooftop of this abandoned building we are alble to look at the whole city, the small lights flickering in the night. I look at him, and find him staring at the view lost in his own thoughts. I fight the urge to scream how utterly frightened I am of losing him, of losing all our friends. Of not being able to save the people of Baldur's Gate. That everything we did, every death, was for nothing.

When his gaze returns to me, I can sense he sees past my facade, his eyes full of understanding and acceptance. "It's funny you are scared right now," he muses, his gaze searching mine, "there are so many things that you fearlessly face every day. Battling against a horde of mind flayers? Easy. Blowing up a whole building full of firework? A piece of cake. But sleeping among a throng of grunting and snoring druids? That's enough to make you quiver with dread." I laugh, thinking back to the time when I almost had a heart attack when I heard Halsin's snores, thinking there was a boar in the camp.

With a small smile, he pulls me to him, and lets his lips brush against my forehead in a tender gesture. The warmth of his touch soothes away some of my anxiety. I look up at Astarion, and the emotions I've been holding back start surging through me. "I can't bear to lose you," I say, barely above a tremble. He deserves happiness after all he's been through, and I just wish I could give it to him.

"It's funny you should say that... Because I'd say the exact same thing about you." His hand wraps around mine, his other hand moving up to gently cup my face. "I've tried for 200 years to find a purpose, a reason to keep going, and it was only when I met you that this aimless meandering had a goal. I've loved others, and I've been loved before, but never like this. Never with someone like you."

A surge of warmth fills my chest as I listen to his words, and I can't help but lean into his touch. Astarion's eyes are soft and full of sincerity, a side of him that he rarely shows. But in this moment, with the weight of the world on our shoulders, he is opening up to me.

"I've never felt like I belonged anywhere before," he continues, running his thumb along my cheekbone. "But with you and the others...I finally feel like I have a home."

In that moment, my vulnerability and affection shines through as a tear slids down my cheek. He pulls me closer, the embrace is warm and desperate, with my face pressed against his skin as if trying to take in every part of him. His scent is intoxicating - leather and smoke blending together - and I can't help but breathe it in deeply, etching it into my memory like a treasure. I tenderly press my lips to the bite mark on his neck, knowing it’s his sensitive spot. He inhales sharply, his breath hitching at the sensation of my mouth on him. I feel his hands grip onto me, needing to keep me close, and I end up nestled on top of him, our bodies fitting together perfectly like puzzle pieces.

"You know... I am not ashamed to admit that I have never felt the kind of attraction I feel for you. Even those first days in the grove with you... My heart was pounding, because I thought you were so incredibly beautiful. I was so drawn to you, it was like you were made just for me and me alone." I blush slightly in response, realizing I will probably never get used to this. Never get used to him.

"I liked you since you put a dagger in my throat and I headbutted you so hard you almost passed out" I whisper in his ear, with a small smile playing on my lips.

"That was an excellent headbutt, though. I couldn't believe you were able to stand immediately after that." He shakes his head, smiling as he presses a series of kisses to my hair, my cheeks, and finally, his lips find mine.

I sigh against him, his touch so very familiar, his mouth awakening something in me from the moment it touches mine. As our kiss deepens, I feel my body melting into his, my arms wrapping around his neck as his hands roam over my back and waist. The heat between us is intoxicating, and I can't get enough of him. My hands tangle in his hair, pulling him closer as our tongues dance together in a passionate rhythm. His hands gently trail up my sides, fingertips caressing my body softly through my clothes, while his tongue dancing with mine in a rhythm that I have become all too privy to.

Desire sweeps over me like a wave crashing against the shore, my senses heightened to the point of almost overwhelming. I force myself to pull away for just a few seconds, needing to catch my breath and take in the sight before me. His once bright, piercing eyes have now transformed into pools of darkness, consumed by an insatiable hunger. I look at his lips, parted and glistening, showing those fangs I have grown to love so much.

"My love," I whisper, my voice trembling with anticipation. "Would you like to feed on me?" It's a question I have asked countless times before, but each time feels like the first, igniting a fire within me that can only be quenched by his bite.

There's a flicker of surprise, and then satisfaction, on his face as I ask him. His eyes flicker downward, his gaze wandering down my neck, tracing every vein he'll find there. His nose flares, breath growing heavy and my body thrums with anticipation and excitement. When he looks back at me, the hunger in his eyes grows, and with a small chuckle, he lets out a slow breath.

"My dear... You know I could never say no to such delicious meal."

My breath hitches, as his hands confidently and carefully press me onto my back, his fingers gently removing the collar of my shirt to reveal my neck. I take a deep breath, bracing myself for what's to come. He brushes away a strand of hair that has fallen across my face, just like he did the first time he fed on me all those months ago. His strong hands hold me steady as he leans in, and the warmth of his breath washes over me. I have to fight the urge to squirm as his lips press against my skin, trailing down to my collarbone where his teeth break through the surface. A sharp sting pierced my skin, and I can’t help but let out a moan. I can feel his tongue swirling around the wound as he feeds, his breathing becoming more labored with each passing second. My heartbeat races with excitement as Astarion's teeth sank deeper into my neck, drawing out more blood. He growls softly, his grip on me tightening as he feeds greedily. The world around me begins to fade as the vampire venom courses through my veins, clouding my mind and heightening my senses. He bit again, this time just below the first wound, and I could feel myself growing weaker yet more alive at the same time. The lack of blood starts to get to my mind, making me lightheaded. It was both terrifying and arousing, knowing that I was being drained of life while also experiencing a rush of pleasure unlike anything else.

He keeps the bite going for just a little bit longer, before eventually pulling away.

"Mmmm. I always worry that I'll drink too much from you, but you always seem to make it through just fine?" he says, his voice rough with desire.

I laugh groggily "I think I enjoy myself a little too much when you drink from me".

Astarion chuckles softly, a hand stroking my neck affectionately.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're quite delicious. There's something about your flavor that keeps me coming back for more." he purred, flashing a sly grin. "Just like how you can't resist my charms. Always coming back like a pretty little pup."

I roll my eyes playfully at his cocky remark but can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips. My thoughts are interrupted as Astarion shifts closer again. His body presses against mine and I can feel his breath on my face as he leans in. Our eyes lock for a brief moment before our lips meet in a passionate kiss.

He tastes like blood and something else entirely that is uniquely Astarion. It's an intoxicating combination that leaves my head dizzy with desire, making me want more.

I reach to the back of his head and curl my fingers in his soft strands of white hair, giving it a sharp tug. He groans, and I deepen the kiss, electricity cursing through me as I grab at every piece of him that I can. Every kiss grows longer and deeper, and I cling to him like I will drown without him, wanting nothing more than to spend what's left of tonight buried in his touch. His breathing grows heavier, but his grip on me is firm, steady. His hands wander over my body, one trailing down my waist and the other moving upwards slowly, to slide beneath my shirt.

"Mmm - my my, look at you." His whisper is filled with a teasing affection. "It seems like the venom has already put you in a mood." My breath catches and I lock my legs together. His grin grows wider as he watches my eager reaction. His hands keep caressing my body softly, and his voice is lower than usual, his words almost a growl. "Feeling a bit overwhelmed already, are we?"

I can only nod frantically as he leans in for another kiss. Our bodies move together in a rhythm that feels familiar yet new every time we're together like this. I moan in response, my head swimming with the taste of him, the feeling of him everywhere, and his smell, gods, that smell. He separates for a second, removing both my shirt and pants in a swift move, and leaving me exposed in nothing but my underwear. Every nerve ending in my body hums with anticipation as I await bare before him.

The way he looks at me, the way his eyes wander over my every curve, is intoxicating - and not just because of the venom. He traces his hand over my skin, his fingers slowly caressing every inch. His fingertips gently graze over my chest, brushing against the fabric of my underwear, and then his hand slips underneath the bra. I squirm beneath his touch, my breath catching, my excitement clearly showing as I arch my back. "Y-you are still fully dressed" I say, as I reach for his shirt. But before I can even lift the fabric, he grips my wrist firmly, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh no, my dear, you see... I have a different plan."

With a sudden movement, he presses his lips to the still sensitive skin under my neck, sending shivers down my spine. His tongue flicks at the punctures, his teeth gently nipping at it, until I can’t focus on anything else but the sensation of his touch. The weight of his hands on me was almost suffocating, but at the same time, it only adds to the pleasure coursing through my body. Overwhelmed with pain and pleasure, I let out a moan, louder this time, thanking the gods for being in a secluded area far away from the rest of our companions.

"I-I need to see you". I gasp, my thoughts scattered and my body yearning for him.

"Need?" Astarion leans in again, his voice dripping with honey. "Oh I know how much you need me." A mischievous glint dances in his eyes as he continues, "But don't forget about want and desire - I promise I can fulfill all of your cravings." His grin widens, as if he's sharing a delightful secret.

His hand tightens slightly, and his grin only widens. "Now, would you like to try asking me again, but with more pleading?"

"Please" I whisper, my voice barely audible even in the quiet of our secluded spot. Astarion's smirk widens even more, and he leans in close until our noses are almost touching.

"Please what?" he taunts, his hot breath tickling my skin.

My cheeks flush with embarrassment as I realize that he wants me to say it out loud. To admit how much I crave him, how much I need him. But then again, isn't that exactly what I want? To let go of all inhibitions and give myself completely to him?

"Please...I need you," I murmur, feeling a mixture of shame and arousal wash over me.

Astarion's smile turns into a satisfied grin as he loosens his grip on my wrist and leans back slightly. "Good girl. That's perfect." he purrs, before he pushes back, slowly stripping the rest of his clothes off, till he's just as exposed as I am right now. "Do you have any idea just how exhilarated I am right now?" His words are playful, his eyes twinkling as he leans forward. "All of this, this energy that's in my blood... and it's all your fault." He leans in again over my body, his breath fanning my lips "What are you going to do about it, my dear?"

I can’t help but feel a thrill run down my spine at the thought of being able to turn the tables on him for once. I reach out and grab onto his shoulders, pulling him closer until our lips were inches away from each other.

"I'll show you," I whisper.

"I bet you will…” Astarion leans in, his breath hot and sharp as he inches even closer. Then he pulls back, a devilish grin on his lips. It's clear he's enjoying this.

With a quick, fluid motion, I thrust my hands against his chest and roll on top of him. Despite the chaos and danger of our quests, I can't help but feel grateful for the physical strength and endurance it has given me in moments like these.

I take the moment to admire the beautiful lines of his body, the way his pale and smooth skin seems to shine under the moonlight, the curves and planes of his stomach and chest. My eyes linger on the stretch just below his navel and traveling south. My mouth waters at the sight of him, never used to his beauty doesn't matter how many times I see him like this. His muscles flex and tense under my gaze, and he watches me, his breath growing as ragged as mine is. He smiles widely, enjoying my staring at him so intensely.

"Enjoying the view?" He smirks at my admiration. "Is that all I am to you? A beautiful body?"

My own lips turn up in a sly smile as I tease him. "Well, let's just say you're not bad, but have you seen Gale without his shirt on? Now that is some tough competition."

I was expecting to see a jealous reaction, but instead he bursts out laughing. "You are a menace! I am a gorgeous, beautiful creature. Gale is... not unattractive, I suppose. But he also looks like someone glued bird wings to his hair and called it a day." He reaches out with a hand to gently trace his fingers down the lines of my stomach. "Mhmm..." I release a content sigh and take my hands to his chest and shoulders, caressing the smooth expanse of skin there. "Although I admit, I am way more curious about Wyll" I say, and then turning my voice into a whisper I add "You can grab his horns if you get really into it"

He laughs again, his mouth curling into a mocking smile. "Oh, you're curious about him, are you?" He shifts below me, his hips pressing against mine."Well, I should warn you - his horns aren't the only sharp part of him. He has a very sensitive spot, and he might just stab you if you try..."

I laugh lightly "You stab me everyday with those fangs of yours, so I think I'm used to it"

His voice growls low and deep, sending shivers down my spine. "Is that so?" he asks, the words dripping with a mixture of amusement and challenge.

My own breath catches as I feel his hips rise to meet mine again, the fabric of our underwear the only barrier between us. The sensation of his erection pressing against me in just the right spot sends a jolt of electricity through my body. "Maybe you should go to him instead, then" he taunts with a smirk, a knowing glint in his eyes. "But, then again, what would he say if he saw you like this?" His words are punctuated by another forceful thrust and I can't help but release a small moan in response. "Wrecked and bruised. Marked by me"

An uncontrollable moan escapes my lips as I start rocking my hips back and forth, the friction sending waves of pleasure throughout my body. I find purchase on his chest and scratch the skin there, hard enough to leave a mark.

"And you would like that, wouldn’t you?" His breath catches as my movements become faster, more aggressive. He knows what he's doing, and he enjoys seeing how it affects you. "Would you like for him to see you like that, with my marks on you? Knowing what we did? Would you want him to know that I had you first?"

"Yes, I would love for him to know that," I confess out of breath, as I struggle against the intense urges that fill me.

He lets out a low, guttural groan and appears to be finished with our playful game. He swiftly maneuvers my body back beneath his own.

With a quick and eager movement, I discard my now ruined underwear and he follows suit, shedding his own. My legs curve around his waist, drawing him closer to me as I feel the heat emanating from his body. As my hands roam over his back, I can't help but trace the raised lines of scar tissue, a reminder of battles fought and won. My heart swells with love for this man, and I plant gentle kisses along his shoulder, speckled with tiny freckles that resemble a dazzling constellation. Gods he is so breathtakengly beautiful. "None of our companions would make me half as happy as you do" I murmur against his pointed ear. His body tenses, and I can feel the emotions warring within him. "I know," he replies softly, turning to capture my lips in a deep kiss.

His hand squeezes down against my thigh, his fingers slowly working their way up my leg. His eyes find mine again, a flicker of recognition in them. And then he thrusts in deep, our hips colliding in loud smacking sound. My hips buck forward to meet his, the friction making me a wreck.

"Astarion," I whisper, arching my back and wrapping my arms around him. He groans and leans down to catch my lips in a searing kiss, and we both find ourselves struggling for air. My hands grip his shoulders, nails digging in slightly as my body responds to the intensity of the moment. I am panting as his thrusts start becoming harder and harder each second. Pleasure ripples through me, every touch turning me on fire. I glance up at him, and find his eyes tightly shut in concentration. "Please look at me," I whisper, my voice trembling with desire.

His eyes fly open at my plea, and I can see the raw pleasure mirrored in their depths. The way my body moves against his elicits soft moans from him, his gaze dropping down to take in the way our bodies fit together perfectly, the spot where our bodies connect. When he lifts his eyes back on me, is with a look of adorarion. His chest rises and falls rapidly as he leans in, pressing his nose against mine in an intimate gesture.

"I love when you beg for me, darling" he whispers, as his hips begin moving even harder, his thrusts quicker, rougher, and his body is so close now that it's almost like we are merging into one being.

Astarion's words send a shiver down my spine, and I cling onto him tighter as he continues to move inside me. Each thrust sends shocks of pleasure through my body, igniting every nerve ending and driving me closer to the edge.

"Please," I moan, my voice barely above a whisper as I tilt my hips up to meet his. He brings his fingers down to the place where we are connected, and touches my nub with vigor. I cry out at the feeling, my nails now fully scratching his back. His free fingers dig into the skin of my hips as his pace quickens, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. My teeth find their way to his neck, and I bite down with wild possessiveness. My brain buzzes with pleasure, and I can’t control the sensations coursing through me. The orgasm hits me like a bolt of lightning, causing me to open my mouth in a silent scream and cling onto him with my locked legs. My whole body tenses, as the ecstasy doesn’t seem to end.

His fingers dig into my scalp, his breath is fast and shallow and his eyes are locked on my face. I feel his body tense, the pleasure of my orgasm driving him right to the edge - but he doesn't let go, not yet. I feel him start to lose control of his thrusts, and after a few hard pumps his body seizes and with a rough groan. With a final gasp, he collapses on top of me, holding me close as we both catch our breath. We caress each other’s bodies, helping to ground ourselves again.

When he opens his eyes, they sparkle with satisfaction and amusement. It’s such a familiar gesture that I get suddenly overwhelmed with my love for the man before me, and can’t help but reach for him as I start to cry heavily over his shoulder. Astarion's strong arms wrap around me, holding me close as I cry against his chest. He strokes my hair gently, whispering soothing words as he lets me release all of my emotions. Tears and snot mix together as I sob, my body shaking with the weight of everything that has happened.

After what feels like an eternity, my cries turn to sniffles and then eventually stop altogether. Astarion pulls back slightly, cupping my face in his hands and using his thumbs to wipe away the remaining tears on my cheeks.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly, searching my eyes for any signs of distress.

I nod, giving him a watery smile."It's just..." I gasp "I love you so much" I finally manage to say, my voice cracking with emotion. "I wish we didn't have to go tomorrow. I wish you could stay safe at camp"

At my words, a soft smile plasters on his face, and he pulls me closer, one arm wrapped around me in a protective embrace while the other hand gently strokes up and down my back.

"Oh my dear," he whispers softly. "Don't be sad. This was the only decision we could make, the only right choice for us." words dripping with love and reassurance."You taught me about making the right choices, remember?" He playfully smirks, his fingers brushing away some stray tears from my cheeks. After a few seconds, he adds "I promise you, we will come back from this all in one piece. We always do."

I nod "I know. I just wish we didn't have to be the heroes for once"

"I know, my dear," Astarion says with a sad smile. He kisses my forehead and I rest my head on his chest, his breathing calming me down little by little. He lazily draws figures on my back, as I do over his pec, laying in comfortable silence. The quiet is soothing to us both, after the intense moment we just shared. I can't help but notice that he's tracing a little circle on my back, the pattern of one of his many scars. This makes me smile to myself somehow, like I'm feeling even closer to him, if that's possible.

After a few seconds of silence, he looks down at me and his fingers fall still. "I love you, you know." he says "More than anything or anyone."

"Even more than your hair?" I ask teasingly, as I caress his face with my finger.

He feigns shock and puts a hand to his chest. "Don't be foolish now. Have you seen my locks? No one could possibly love anything more than my magnificent white curls."

His words are playful, but his expression grows serious "You are the most valuable thing in my life. The only one who's ever truly seen me, as I really am. The only one in the whole world who I don't have to hide a single piece of myself from." He tenderly presses his lips against the tip of my finger, sending a wave of fluttering butterflies throughout my stomach. His love for me is palpable and it fills me with warmth and joy.

He leans in and kisses me gently, his lips soft against mine as he pours all of his love into it. My heart swells with emotion as our lips move together in perfect harmony. In this moment, it feels like nothing else matters except for us and our love.

When we finally pull away, we both let out a content sigh and rest our foreheads against each other's. We fall asleep like that, our bodies intertwined in a mess of limbs as if we are one.

The warm rays of sunlight gently wake me up, and I find myself still wrapped in Astarion's embrace. His arms are tightly around me as if he's afraid to let go, and I can't help but smile at the sight.

I take a few moments to admire his sleeping figure. He has his eyes closed, with thick lashes falling over his cheeks. His hair falls lightly over his forehead, and I resist the urge to tuck it behind his ear.

I trace my fingers over his chest, feeling the rise and fall of it with each breath. In this peaceful moment, I am filled with gratitude for having him in my life. He has been my anchor through so much chaos and danger. Something inside me melts at the softness of his sleep, and in that moment, I can't help but wonder what things would be like if he were to stay with you like this - if I could have him, completely, without any worry about the world ending tomorrow. And you will I tell myself when you defeat that damned brain.

A soft snore escapes Astarion's lips and I chuckle softly. He stirs slightly, nuzzling closer to me as if sensing my presence. "Good morning," he mumbles against my neck, his voice husky from sleep.

"Good morning," I reply with a smile.

"Hmm. You're a cruel one, to wake me up when sleep is so nice. But I suppose I can allow that because you are cute."

"I couldn't stand your snoring any longer. I wonder how someone so beautiful can produce such horrible sound" I reply, trying to hide my amusement.

"Oh? I always thought my snores were just endearing! It's your fault, for being so sensitive that you can't just learn to live with them. Maybe I should just snore louder to drown out your complaining instead." I pretend to look wounded, but end up laughing uncontrollably. "You are the worst" I say, leaning against his chest.

"I'll admit, my talent for irritating you is very much a learned skill." He chuckles, then looks down at me as his arms slip on to my waist. "Besides," he adds with a grin, "I was only half joking with that last bit. I'll be sure to snore in your ear a little harder tonight. Just to make sure you get properly annoyed, hm?"

I playfully hit him in the chest, and then I grimly realize the sun is almost up, which means we have to leave. I sadly sigh as I untangle myself from his warm embrace and get up.

"We should probably get going," I say, trying to hide my own reluctance.

We quietly collect our clothes and dress ourselves, deep in thought at what awaits us. Silence fills the air between us two, as both of us take in the morning air. I feel the tension of the upcoming battle, and the dread is a weight upon us that makes it almost difficult to breathe. Our understanding is palpable through just a fleeting gaze and a silent nod. His warm hand reaches for mine, the gentle intertwining of our fingers conveying more than words ever could.

And at that moment, I can only hope that the next time my eyes open, he'll still be by my side. Hand in hand, we finally face the coming storm, the echo of shared whispers lingering in the air, a testament to the fragile beauty found in the darkest hours.

[lover-of-mine]

Okay, so, I saw this still and went crazy, so stay with me for thoughts. Or don't, I can't really tell you what to do.

Okay, so Chris is in yellow, which is a bad sign. Chris being a kid, his color palette has bright colors, but it is mostly greens, blues, and reds, mixed in with shades of grey, he kinda mirrors Eddie but in brighter shades. (I think that's cute with the way Shannon was a very bright-colored character, so he has the hue of Shannon with Eddie's colors)

But he's in yellow in very specific moments, and yellow being the color Shannon died in is very interesting. When is he wearing yellow? Tsunami, skateboard incident, May's graduation party, the eddiana breakup, Eddie's breakdown, and his date in 701, he actually seems to be wearing the same jacket he's wearing on that still.

So he's in yellow in not so great situations for Eddie's mental state, that end up being parenting problems, I'm adding the graduation to the mix with how stressed Eddie is about Chris going to camp, I have a point, I promise.

But funnily enough, the resolution of these conflicts tends to involve red, Chris is wrapped in a red hoodie when Eddie finds him, Buck is wearing pink before the tsunami and both Chris and Buck are wearing red after, Carla is wearing red and Buck is wearing pink during the skateboard incident while Eddie discuss that with the adults, and Chris is wearing red when Eddie talks about it with him, Eddie is wearing maroon when Chris is on the bus leaving for camp, the eddiana breakup is muddier, but Ana is wearing red during the first panic attack, and it is what kickstarts the whole situation, Buck is wearing red when he breaks down the door during the breakdown,.

So, like, the thing that snaps Eddie out of it is red, and all of these end up being about Eddie and what's best for Christopher, the tsunami ends up being about establishing Buck as a second parental figure, and everything else could be described as parenting problems Eddie discussed with someone else, mostly Buck, to solve, the skateboard adaptation, the way he talks to the whole firefam about how he feels about Chris leaving, the breakup with Ana being tied back to the way Eddie thinks that if he does what's best for Chris, his heart will follow, and the way he leaves the job because of a comment Chris made and how that leads to the chain of events that triggers Eddie's breakdown.

And the thing with Chris in 701 hasn't really been solved, but it is all coming out with red involved in the whole situation, Chris' jacket has red in it and Eddie himself is wearing red, and that's interesting because it could be that Chris himself is gonna snap Eddie out of it, but Eddie is already halfway there by himself. BUT these are all situations that include some serious emotional distress and/or physical injures, the tsunami, Chris falling off the skateboard, the panic attacks, Eddie completely falling apart, and considering Buck being around in the other stills, this could be a bad sign for all three of them because these are all situation were one of them have gotten hurt in some way. I personally think Chris will ask to go with his grandparents, but the thing is, we saw the Diaz parents with Chris in the hospital in other behind the scene stuff, and considering the s4 parallels, and the way they like to mirror Eddie and Bobby, there's a chance they are going to be in the hospital for Eddie, Buck, Chris or any combination of the three and I am TERRIFIED. (Trapped dads is coming lol).

That's all for today, if you read this I love you 💜

[chronicbeans]

hi I saw your masterpost and was wondering if you could write Micah Yujin x reader who suffers from asthma?? I don’t know if requests are open and I’m so sorry if they aren’t, no pressure at all

Sure! I personally don't have asthma, so I'm sorry if these aren't necessarily the most accurate. Most of my research for these things comes from Mayo Clinic and the NIH. I also went to the ACAAI for this one. These will be headcanons because they weren't specified, but if you want a short fic you can ask!

TW: Asthma Attacks, Hacking, Invasion of Privacy/Stalking

Micah Yujin with a Reader who has Asthma:

• He's a smart man. I mean, he literally found your address by hacking into your personal information. So, the chances are, he probably knows that you have asthma. Not only that, but what type of asthma you have, any allergies you have, what medication you take... you get the gist. The only problem he may have is knowing what exactly your condition may cause.

• Yes, most everybody knows asthma can cause shortness of breath and asthma attacks, but not everybody really knows the less noticable symptoms, or what to do during an asthma attack. That's not going to stop him from trying his best to learn! He's pretty internet savvy, so he knows where to look. Though, those pesky research papers have a bunch of medical terms he doesn't understand... What the hell is an etiology, or a toxicokinetic? He's probably looking at papers that are high above his medical knowledge or reading level.

• When the two of you finally end up meeting face to face, he's absolutely ecstatic! He also tries his best to accommodate for you in certain scenarios. If the two of you decide to go on a hike or walk, he'll try to go slower for you so you don't overexert yourself. If your asthma is triggered by certain dusts or allergens, he'll be keeping a sharp eye out for them to steer you away from it. He may seem to be extremely overprotective and worried about it, and he really is! He wants to protect you, but he's also painfully aware that he can't really do so when it's a chronic illness...

• If you ever end up having an asthma attack with him nearby, his first step is to internally panic. Yes, he knows what to do, but he's also terrified that it might not work. However, he'll help you sit down, use your inhaler if you have one, and get you to a safe place. All while he's internally telling himself stupid jokes to keep himself calm, and telling you words of affirmation to keep you calm. As much as he'd love to tell you the jokes he thinks of, he doesn't want to make you laugh or frustrate you while you're having difficulties breathing. Humor tends to calm him down when upset, but he knows others might get angry and think he's not taking the situation seriously. He'll tell you them after your attack passes, and you've calmed down, if you want.

• Micah is going to let you cuddle one of his dinosaurs, afterwards. If you aren't allergic to cats, he'll also let you cuddle Skrunkly. If you are, though, he'll put her into a different room for you, and vacuum the room after she's out.

• He's the type to completely forget about your asthma until you actually have a problem. Not necessarily in the sense that he'd forget to avoid your triggers. No, he'll remember them, and help you avoid them. It's more like it is second nature to him, now, and he doesn't think of your asthma as being "asthma". It's almost like he's forgotten that not everyone has the "smaller" symptoms, like coughing or slight wheezing while laughing... And that may or may not be because you're one of the few people he actually talks to. So, any small symptoms are seen as just normal, then whenever you have bigger, more serious problems related to your asthma, he'll suddenly remember that "Oh, yeah, you have asthma- OH SHIT-!" and begin panicking, because said "more serious problems" that most likely will make him actively think about your asthma are probably asthma attacks or extreme coughing fits.

• He's probably going to have a miniature checklist written down on things to bring with him whenever he's going somewhere with you. He's already been bringing a mini first aid kit with him just because it's useful, but now he's bringing a separate kit with your emergency inhaler and any medications you might need to take in an emergency, as well as a thermos of a warm, caffeinated beverage to drink if you don't have or use an inhaler. He saw somewhere online that caffeinated, warm drinks can help open the airways a little bit, so it wouldn't hurt to try.

• He's going to obsessively check in on the latest news considering research regarding asthma. Any new, scientifically backed tips and tricks on how to help ease the symptoms will be relayed to you.

• Also, is your medication too expensive? How about he just pays for it! He'll find a way to get the money! He can hack into a few places to... "borrow" a few dollars for it. Or a few thousand... Or million... No price is too high for your comfort!

• If you couldn't tell, Micah probably will be a bit overly anxious, at first. However, once he calms down and actually gets used to living or being around someone who has asthma, he calms down. It's all second nature for him at some point, and he's no longer actively thinking about it. From then on, it's all just a regular relationship! Or, at least, as regular of a relationship as you can have with an obsessive hacker that is probably stalking you... It's to protect you, he promises.

[icumpinkglitterxo]

Take me to church

warnings: angst, brief mentions of sh, homophobia, internalised homophobia, f slur, overall heavy topics. 🥰

a/n: whY AM I WRITING SLAXL 🥲 ts may be the most chronically online thing ive ever done. am i the only one who thinks axl and slash are like mickey and ian and am i also the only one who hates bottom mickey...

i like girls and guys i can say fag go away

enjoy ★

This was the worst thing that could've possibly happened to them. Or at least, that's what Slash thought. Axl and Slash had been secretly dating, but some dickhead soccer player at their school found out and told the entire school. It was bad enough that Slash had long hair, dressed in glam and occasionally painted his nails - he had a 'girlfriend' who was really his best friend who was secretly a lesbian. But now he was out as gay, and out against his will.

It had taken a serious toll on Slash's mental health, so much to the point that he couldn't bring himself to go to school and even took a blade to his skin.

The only thing that seemed good to him was when his mom found out and she was more than accepting. She was having an affair with David Bowie, and while it didn't affect him majorly, it was comforting to know he was accepting too.

As much as it didn't bother Axl, as long as it didn't get back to his parents, seeing how badly it affected the man he loved made him unbelievably angry.

Slash spent as much time as he could ditching class, staying home, or staying with Axl or his 'girlfriend'. Making sure he was never alone in public worked surprisingly well. Nobody came near him when he was with Axl, gay or not, people still avoid a hormonal bipolar teenager.

Of course, he would freak himself out when he he had to walk home. Alone. Axl hadn't been waiting for him at the end of the day like usual, so here Slash was, walking through an alley because it was the quickest way home. It was still light out, and no one was around, so he would be fine. Right?

Wrong.

It was fast. And slow. All at the same time. All it took was one punch for the loud ringing in his ears to start. Someone had grabbed him and shoved him against the wall. Hit. Punch. Shove. Kick. They pulled him up off the ground and shoved him against the wall again.

'Did you really think you'd get away with being a fucking faggot' one of them spat. The word alone hurt, but the way it rolled off his tongue with venom stung. The guy punched him again, he could feel the blood dripping down his face. Slash was more terrified than he'd ever been in his entire life.

They weren't showing any signs of stopping any time soon. Was being gay this wrong? Was he truly a bad person?

He was in unbearable pain. He tried everything he could to push them off, but to no avail.

They were genuinely going to beat him to death. He was going to die. He was actually going to die all because of who he loved. That was all he could think about. His final thoughts. Until the guy was pulled off him.

Slash slowly opened his eyes. Before him was Axl beating the shit out of both guys and screaming at them. "Don't you EVER lay your fucking hands on him ever again, understand!?" He was screaming so loud it actually hurt Slash's ears. But what shocked him most was that both guys looked absolutely terrified, maybe even more than Slash.

They nodded and ran away.

Axl turned to Slash, who had since sunk to the ground sobbing and shaking.

Axl kneeled in front of him, cupping his face. "Let me see, let me see..." Slash tried to pull away. He was ashamed. He couldn't stand up for himself. Axl sighed, "it's okay, you're okay... okay? I'm gonna take you home. They're gone. Okay? You're safe. I promise."

Slash was in a state of shock. He was hyperventilating. He was clearly struggling to breathe. "I- they- I was just - and then - and I- walking - and they - attacked -" Axl shushed him, grabbing his face a little more rough than before.

"Breathe."

They sat in the alley for at least half an hour as Slash tried to come down from his panic attack. Axl stayed with him the entire time, doing and saying everything he could to help him relax. He knew Slash was prone to panic attacks. He also knew he was in a great deal of pain, which he could only imagine were making things worse.

As promised, Axl took Slash home. The pair were now sitting in the bathroom, Axl cleaning the blood from his boyfriend's face.

"Do you think this is wrong?" Slash asks carefully. "What, beating people up for being gay? Course it’s wrong, it's a hate crime - " Axl started, but Slash interrupted.

"Not that. This. Us."

Axl froze.

He slowly looked down at Slash. "Is that a serious question?" Slash nodded. "Everyone thinks so. Maybe they're right." Axl scoffs, "you're not serious, are you fucking serious!?"

He nodded again. "I don't think we should be together." Axl stares at him, "don't... don't say that... don't you fucking say that..." Slash gets up and walks out of the bathroom, stopping in the doorway. "I think you should go. Don't try to call me."

He walks out of the bathroom, leaving Axl standing there completely shocked, hurt, and confused. He leaves Slash's house.

Instead of going home, Axl went to the abandoned house he crashed in when things got particularly difficult at home. While he knew Slash and his mom would always welcome them into their home, he never wanted to worry Slash with the abuse he was enduring at home.

Though, now he felt like he couldn't. Slash had actually broken up with him. When he got 'home', he started breaking everything he could, until he passed out from exhaustion.

Slash walked into his room, crying. He sat down on his bed, reaching for a blade.

[warden-melli]

honestly the leaks are a very bad thing. nintendo is infamous for its strict copyright so people are definitely getting sued or fired. And this might affect the way the next games due might develop, worst case scenario they're scrapped entirely or changed beyond recognition by gamefreak desperate to keep things new and subvert expectations. we got some cool beta content sure, but it's done more harm than good overall.

And as a Gen 2 lover who picked Cyndaquil as my starter in my first ever Pokemon game, I'm not looking forward to having to deal with endless memes and comments of "haha Typhlosion is a pedo" for the next few years to come.

As unpopular an opinion as it seems to be, I actually agree with you fully. I know most people are celebrating the leaks, but I think they have the very real potential to cause a lot of damage to the fandom, and possibly even the franchise as a whole. We can’t really know what Nintendo/Gamefreak will plan to do moving forward, but I agree, it’s potentially not good. It seems very likely that there will be pretty serious legal actions taken against whoever they decide to go after, and yeah, it’s also very possible this may affect game development plans, or future projects pretty drastically

The worst part of these leaks for me is definitely the massive amounts of misinformation they’re bound to spread. These leaks are entirely lacking in any context, further complicated (In the non Japanese fandom) by cultural differences and language barriers leading to major misunderstandings and flawed interpretations, many of which are being spread as “canon” information by large portions of the fandom. People are wrongly coming to conclusions that aren’t canon, from sources that were never intended to be seen in the first place, the content of which they have no way of correctly interpreting. It’s a shit show, honestly.

I also just feel weird looking at it. I briefly saw some unreleased concept art for PLA today, and while you’d think I’d be delighted, I just felt sick. I can’t really explain why I have had such a negative physical and emotional response to seeing (or even thinking about) any more PLA leaks coming to light, but I do. I’m terrified about a leak (regardless of whether or not it’s canon) absolutely destroying the game, or its characters for me. I literally don’t know what I’d do with myself. As sad as it is, that game is everything to me. It’s very literally 90% of what I think about and create. I want it to stay perfect forever, and I’m scared a leak could potentially take that from me

And I fully understand your frustration. I am a huge fan of both Mr Mime and Vaporeon, so I know what’s it’s like to have one of your favourites picked as the punchline of an unfortunate fandom joke, and then to have that joke subsequently ran into the ground. I love the cyndaquil line too, and had just chosen one as my starter in my latest PLA play through, just before the leaks dropped. It’s gonna be rough out there for a while I’m afraid, but hopefully it’ll blow over eventually. At least for the most part

After seeing the PLA stuff tonight I made up my mind. I blocked the leak tags and I’ve decided to completely avoid any leak content moving forward. If it’s bothering you too, maybe you should consider doing the same? At least until the fandom settles down a bit?

[klaus-littlestwolf]

Franken/Kyle Spencer A-Z

A = Aftercare (What they're like after sex)

•Kyle loves taking care of you, he thinks it's his job

•No matter what or how much you do he will hold you tight, borderline too tight just trying to keep you close and make sure you're alright

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner's)

•Kyle doesn't have a favorite body part of his, he actually has quite a few issues with the body he lives in, considering most of it isn't his

•Kyle loves every single inch of you, he adores holding your hands, lives for kissing your lips and would kill just to squeeze your ass one last time before death

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically... I'm a disgusting person)

•Kyle loves finishing on you, he's practically hard wired (even post death) as a frat boy not to finish inside of you, even if he loves that too

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

•He tries to hide how much he wants to throw you around

•Kyle has had problems with his strength and he's afraid to hurt you, however he wants more than anything to pin you down and have his way with you

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they're doing?)

•As a frat boy he had enough experience, though he also had quite a bit of trauma

•He has to relearn quite a lot and while he knows what he's doing he has to relearn how to be gentle, slow, careful, or whatever you need from him, though he's entirely worth it

F = Favorite Position (This goes without saying)

•Kyles favorite position is missionary, he wants to see your face and gage your reactions, he loves knowing that he's making you feel as good as he does, it makes him feel accomplished, that he's done his job taking care of you

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

•Once he gets comfortable with you he can have moments of goofy, borderline childishness when trying to make you laugh or smile

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

•He's trimmed but he doesn't do anything more than that

•The hair on his head however is messy and adorable at all times

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect...)

•It takes him a while to get romance, he wasn't bad at it before he died but relearning that took a bit of time for him

•Once he gets the hang of it, he thrives at giving you the romantic nights and making you feel special

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

•Always

•Loves It

•Constantly!!

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

•Anal-is a big one that Kyle begs to try for a while before you give in

•Switch-Kyle loves being in charge with you but he also enjoys it when you take control and tell him what to do

L = Location (Favorite places to do the deed)

•Kyle prefers a bed, your bed

•He doesn't like others looking at you so being anywhere but your room doesn't happen a lot at all

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

•Kyle almost seems like a teenager discovering sex for the first time every day

•He doesn't need motivation, he's always ready and waiting for you

N = NO (Something they wouldn't do, turn offs)

•Anything that causes you pain

•Kyle already has trouble when it comes to hurting people and animals, his strength is a major issue and hurting you is something he's terrified of doing so please don't ask him to

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

•Giving

•Kyle loves hearing the sounds you make when he goes down on you, it may be his favorite thing in the world

•If you allowed him to he would do it for hours and never stop for air, listening to your whimpers and squeals, holding down your twitching hips

•God he loves the taste of your pussy

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

•He was very fast at first, feeling the need to rut into you frantically until you slowed him

•He actually quite enjoys slow, passionate sex, watching the expressions on your face change is fascinating to him learning what movements make you scrunch up your nose adorably or make you moan like an overzealous porn star

•Fast, slow, rough, sensual, whatever you need that day is what Kyle will give you, he wants to please you however you need, he has a need to make you happy after everything you’ve done to take care of him…and he loves your pussy with a passion

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

•Everyday

•All the time

•Sometimes living in a school for witches you only have 5 minutes here and there and Kyle is determined to always make the most of them

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

•He enjoys trying new things with you and he'll try just about anything you want

•You only ever risked doing it anywhere but your room once though, Kyle hates the idea of people seeing your body

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last...)

•He has a crazy amount of stamina

•Kyle can last for several hours before he even needs a break let alone has to call it quits

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

•He's not a huge fan of toys but he'll give them a try if you want him to

•He likes your vibrator, placing it against your clit while he fucks you gives you both an ungodly amount of pleasure

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease)

•Every once in a while Kyle will tease you but he's more of a dive straight into it sort of guy

•His foreplay was abysmal in the beginning but he got much better at it knowing how happy it made you

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

•Kyle is definitely a grunter

•He's not usually all that loud but if he gets lost in the moment he can really get there

W = Wild Card (Get a random Headcanon for the character of your choice)

•Kyle surprised you with how snuggly he is, especially with how angry and growly he is all the time

•He loves resting his head on your belly and wrapping his arms around you, curling up and loving the feel of you playing with his hair

•Your personal Frankenstein is adorable

X = X-Ray (Let's see what's going on in those pants, picture or words)

•6 1/2 inches

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

•Kyle has a high sex drive, he's always desperate for you and you don't make it easy on him

•Every time you wear those cute shorts that can’t even be called pants he's so hard it hurts and so needy for you

Z = ZZZ (... how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

•It's rare that he falls asleep before you considering his stamina however when he does you enjoy just watching him for a bit

•Usually you fall asleep before him and Kyle is quick to snuggle you against his chest and nuzzle his face into your hair

•He takes these kinds of moments to thank whatever deity exists in the world for letting him come back and experience true happiness with you

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Trimax Thoughts Vol. 5 Pt. 2

I want to talk about Knives for a sec. Up to where I've read in the manga so far, we really don't have much of an understanding of him yet. I think I may have a slight advantage in having watched one of the shows before starting (I've watched Tristamp) because otherwise I don't know if I would quite get what to make of him so far.

I won't say anything about Tristamp here since I'm not going to assume everyone in book club has seen it, but I did draw a conclusion from it that, after reading volume 5, I am almost positive applies to the manga version of Knives too.

Knives treats Vash as if he were an extension of himself.

[ID: A panel from Trigun Maximum volume 5. Knives stands casually, holding a cup and smiling as he greets his brother in Vash and Hoppered's shared flashback to July. Hoppered thinks "It's him..." as Knives says "Hey Vash." End ID.]

Ok so first off I need to establish something because it's important. Listen. I have no doubt that Knives loves his brother. I do not doubt that. But his behaviour towards Vash is actively and deeply cruel. Knives is friendly up until Vash disagrees with him, and then his mood suddenly changes for the worse - he has gone so far as to specifically target people Vash loves just to break the ideology he disagrees with, shifted culpability from himself to solely on Vash several times, violated his autonomy, and has on a few occasions physically restrained him. <- That's. Really bad. I would argue that these behaviours are in keeping with uh... pretty textbook manipulative/abusive behaviours.

However, here’s the thing: these kinds of behaviours are typically perpetrated because the person wants power over the victim. I think it's easy to read that into it, but I honestly don't think that's Knives' intention at all. He wants Vash with him. If anything his little "Watch it!" when Vash shoves him away just after the colony ships fall reads as genuine confusion. He's incredulous every time Vash points his gun at him. After all, as Knives puts it: they're brothers. They only have each other.

If Knives wants power over anything, I'd argue it's power over Rem, not Vash. He sees Vash's suffering and believes it was her who "made him like this", disregarding his own accountability in both Vash's continued pain... and her death. I do have to wonder if his attempts to break Vash's pacifism is also an attempt to make Rem's ghost leave them both for good, because there is no way Millions "I thought I'd spare her but now I see she was just as flawed" Knives felt no sadness or remorse over her death.

[ID: A screenshot from Trigun Volume 2. Knives sits in the escape ship with most of his face shadowed. He is hunched slightly, with a difficult to read, rather blank expression. End ID.]

^He is totally not bothered by this, definitely a-ok with her death. /j

But here's the thing: I really do think Knives believes that without Rem's influence, his brother will think and act exactly like him; that she has "corrupted" him somehow. This plays out in the way he's almost eager to show Vash their Plant abilities, apparently completely ignoring that Vash is confused and terrified - there's a serious dissonance to their interactions, where Knives seems less uncaring then oblivious to Vash's obvious distress. A good first indicator is directly before Fifth Moon, where Knives realizes that Vash has blocked out the memory of July, and is more intrigued than alarmed by this. Idk man if that was my brother I would be. Concerned.

See, if you read Knives as wanting power over Vash, then it's kind of reminiscent of the older sibling who thinks they know what's best for the younger. Indeed, that is the role Knives seems to take on at times.

But Knives is not actually older. They're twins.

Zazie also has an intriguing line after seeing the lengths Vash will go to in order to protect those he cares for: "It definitely isn't in Knives' nature to fight for anyone." <- This is an odd conclusion to come to for someone who is supposedly doing everything for a new world that's safe for all Plants, including Vash. I'm choosing to take Zazie at their word since I don't think they would have any real reason to lie or really see the point in lying.

So, what this implies is exactly what I stated earlier - Knives makes little, if any distinction between him and Vash. The world is divided into "same" and "different", "family" and "threat". It unfortunately allows Knives to continuously undermine Vash's autonomy - it's fine to forcibly activate Vash's angel arm because it's "our" power. It's fine for the doctor to poke and prod at Vash's arm to get readings because Knives is supervising it. Vash will stick with him because they're brothers, right? Of course he will. And if he doesn't... well that can't possibly be Vash. It's Rem's corrupting influence. And that makes him violently angry as he attempts to destroy any last trace of her that persists in his brother. Because surely, without her, Vash would be just like him, right?

One last note I'd like to make is the way Knives keeps obscuring Vash's face when he forcibly activates Vash's angel arm.

[ID: Two screenshots from Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The first image shows Knives grabbing Vash's face as he forces him to activate his angel arm during the Fifth Moon incident. The second image is of the same during the July flashback. End ID.]

The thing is, you can't argue this is necessary to activate the ability. In the July flashback, Knives actually has his hand placed rather gently on the side of Vash's head... up until Vash tries to resist. That's when Knives slams his hand down over his face instead and shoves him onto the floor.

In the context of Knives seeing Vash as an extension of himself, it could take on a few different meanings. If he muffles Vash's screaming and crying, perhaps he doesn't have to see the clear distress on his brother's face. Maybe it's representative of stripping Vash of his personal choice in these scenes. Maybe because this is the truth of the matter - Knives does not want to see the person Vash is if that person is so wildly different from himself, to ruin the illusion of twin as extension instead of a separate person.

Meanwhile, Vash is trying so hard to be everything Knives isn't. Knives' face is shadowed in flashbacks to create distance between them until July reveals the destruction they both caused and Vash can no longer deny the harm he too is capable of causing. The twins cause me emotional damage man.

[imagine-knb]

gom+uk+kagami+takao reacting to their partner joking about having a second baby right after a very difficult pregnancy that nearly kills them while giving birth (the baby is fine and their partner is on the way to recovery)

Kuroko: There's a small smile on his face, because he does recognize you're joking, but the furrow in his brow and worry in his eyes gives away his true feelings. "Please don't joke about that, ____. I don't think I could handle seeing you go through that again."

Kagami: "What? No, no way, not happening!" He almost gets a little too loud in his outburst, nearly waking the small little baby held in his arms. You'll have to reassure him more than once that you were actually joking about wanting a second so soon.

Kiyoshi: "I know you want another one, but maybe we should wait a bit longer." He looks actually rather serious when he says this, holding on to your hand and squeezing it tight. The way he does it has you feeling like he's afraid you still might disappear now.

Kise: "No, ____, I'm fine with one! Our perfect little one!" There are tears in his eyes when he says this, holding both you and the baby close. He doesn't even catch that you're joking because he's too worried over all the possibilities.

Aomine: He snorts. "Yeah right, when the doc gets back in this room, I'm asking to get snipped." He's rather serious in his comment, which is a little surprising, but the last thing he wants to see in his life is you going through that scary situation again.

Midorima: His initial response is silence. There's a part of him that knows you are simply joking, probably high off the endorphins that were in your body after giving birth, but he can't help but imagine you going through all the pain and trouble again. He doesn't want it.

Takao: Normally he's the one to be making jokes and enjoying them, but when you make yours he responds with a deep frown and a shake of his head. He sounds a little shaky and breathless as he says, "That's not a good joke, ____. That was terrifying."

Murasakibara: He shakes his head immediately after your comment. "Nuh uh, I don't want anymore." Which is exactly the opposite of what he had been telling you while you were still pregnant, asking you to give him plenty of children.

Akashi: He had always wanted more than one child, so it's definitely on his mind as well, but he would never want to risk losing you in the process. Though it's not the appropriate time right now, he has the thought of using a surrogate next time on his mind.

Mibuchi: "Maybe one day," he responds, smoothing one of his hands over your matted hair gently. He's only saying it to placate you however, as he really doesn't want to put you through all of that again. His refusal for another child will have to be a later discussion.

Nebuya: He almost doesn't seem to be listening to you as you joke with him, his harsh gaze seemingly fixated on yours. Your difficult birthing experience has shaken all of his confidence as a partner, making him feel helpless and he doesn't want to feel that way again.

Hayama: He had been bouncing your newborn slightly when you made the joke and it made him freeze completely. He's usually not so serious, so seeing him suddenly frown at you was slightly jarring. He may not give you an answer for a while, unsure how to respond.

Hanamiya: "Pfft, as if. It's not fucking happening." Despite his harsh words, you know they come from a place of care and worry. Seeing you nearly die has scared him and it's going to take him a while before he's even comfortable with the thought of trying for another.

[min-9things]

4 MINUTES EP 3 THOUGHTS + THEORIES

Will contain spoilers

This was a wild one guys. My mood went on a real rollercoaster on this ep and I have SO many questions. There were so many moments that was so LOLZ to me I have to include them in this post when I usually focus on the more serious shit.

First off, the 11:00s in this ep. The first time we see the 11:01 in this ep is when Great is alone, the first on his phone, then the digital clock, then the large projection, like in increasing size and possibly danger and awareness that there is something up. If I remember correctly in ep1 Great is also like "It's already 11pm?" but when he checks Korn's watch he's like huh, and then when Korn is with him his phone shows 07:13. So maybe this seeing of 11:00s is not new. I saw many theories on how what we are seeing is Great's past and the time that moves from 11:00 onwards is the actual time that future Great is living. Initially I didn't believe in this but it is starting to be really potentially possible cuz if not why would it be only seen when Great is alone.

For the first time since ep1, analogue clock is seen with 11:01. It does give us the visuals that we are getting closer and closer to that time of death as compared to just numbers changing on the digital clock. This whole scene of Great staring at the clock, unmoving and people moving around him is so tense for me. The ticking of the seconds hand, footsteps plus the music change to that frog sounding thing at the moment he is alone, then increasing in volume while zooming in on that clock really heightens the suspense and tension. Then the music immediately stopping once he isn't alone. Like damn.

The "Can you forgive me Great?" scared the shit out of me. Is that Great seeing what Tyme may write in the future potentially? It seems like Tyme is the only person that will do something wrong to Great, especially with Great finding out his brother's attacker is Tyme (I will get into that oh my goodness).

WAIT A DAMN MINUTE I JUST REALISED SOMETHING. Mod (the girl that passes Great the thai tea) is the same person that Inspector Win tries to talk to. And then Tyme says he asked a friend of Great's if Great likes thai tea. I'm assuming Tyme knows Mod and if Mod is linked to Tonkla's brother, does that mean Tyme has something to do with Tonkla's brother?

I don't think it is a coincidence that both of these are written in blue pen and are shown in the same ep. I may be tripping but I'm guessing Tyme wrote both of these, which means that Tyme has something to do with not only the people trying to take down the mafia but also the death of Tonkla's brother. May be a stretch but we see where this goes.

In this shot, as Great approaches Tyme it is actually slowed down. It sort of feels like Great is reaching a safe place with Tyme, when just a awhile ago he was stressed with all the clock ticking, time seemingly jumping around for him, and when he meets Tyme he is, well, stable.

My favourite part of this ep is actually the GreatTyme moments. It was nice and sweet, first date vibes. I screamed when they held hands actually like OHMYGOD SO CUTE. Also Bible holding a stuffed toy and making it talk is fucking adorable i swooned. The fact that Great isn't that averse to seeing him and Tyme in his visions is actually nice when initially dude looked terrified (pic from hospital scene in ep 2 when bro looked so weirded out I laughed).

The music in this scene is beautiful and the use of guitar and piano is so amazingly fitting. Gentle vibes all across. Up until the end it actually becomes a bit more melancholy with mainly only piano used, possibly foreshadowing that this happiness won't last, considering how much Tyme is hiding from Great, even when Great is quite openly honest with him.

The piano is also used as a nice transition into the next scene where the mood becomes more tense, instead of just dropping it and moving into fast rhythm music. The shot where the woman turns and suddenly the man isn't lying on the couch anymore puts in just the right amount of suspense with the timing although we know he's right there and then he pops out behind her and whacks her.

After some realisations there's more to unpack from this shot now. Firstly, inspector Win standing on the grey side of the building rather than the white side, possibly showing his change from a morally "I'll do what is right" person to possibly becoming less so as he uncovers that the justice system isn't always right, and that he is becoming more involved with Tonkla, who did kill someone, whether for the right reason or not. Next, Mod does not ever cross this line that separates them, maybe showing that she is indeed part of the group that is trying to take down (?) the mafia but also that her and the group are not on the side of the law.

The separation of Great from the "real" world with the glass windows, with all the clocks around him at 11:01. This could possibly be a nod to how disjointed he is from the real world, and is he really in the real world? So confusing. And then we have Great being Greatlock Holmes.

Camera here tilts to the right to fix itself.

Once Korn leaves the camera tilts towards the right again. Clockwise and more. Possibly showing time is passing and getting closer to death and also the distortion that Great feels whenever he is alone.

LAST SCENE: Tyme voluntarily taking off the mask so that he does not fight with Great? Did Tyme intentionally approach Great because he knew of Great's family's ties to the mafia but over time realised Great just doesn't know much? Sounds familiar, doesn't it? (cough kim)

thanks for reading this has been a long one.

[keysmashingfantasies]

Yo yo I’m obsessed with chishiya even more than I already was now season 2 is out. Could you pretty please do a fic freader and chishiya where reader doesn’t understand why his cold and argues to him about him having no emotions/ hating people. Reader says something hurtful and chishiya actually reacts to it (sees hurt in his eyes, he walks away or something). So reader feels guilty and goes to find him. Turns out his crying because whatever reader said reminded him for his mistreatment as a kid (his father neglecting him) and he trusted reader thinking they wouldn’t hurt him. So he opens up to reader about his past and how it hurt him reader thinks of him that way because he does have emotions and likes her. Like really fluffy ending maybe.🥺

yeah i'm obsessed with him too. and ofc i can, i will try my best. may be a little shorter than usual, though. feedback is always very much appreciated!

In the time you were in this insane world, you liked to think you and Chishiya were akin to friends. Sure, he wasn't too touchy feely with you, but he didn't share the same disdain he did with most people, either. You stuck by him and Kuina, and eventually, Arisu and Usagi, but still it seemed like he kept everyone at arms length, and hurtfully, even you.

You wore your heart on your sleeve when it came to Chishiya. Sure, he was a bit cryptic and cunning, but he wouldn't betray you. That's what you thought, but every time you were in a game with him and saw how unfazed the amount of death and betrayal had him, you started to second guess. And it all came to a boil after a hearts game.

"Chishiya! Chishiya, wait!", you ran after him, catching up in time to see him lift a hand to put his hoodie down and shove it back in his pocket. He looked at you expectantly, eyebrows raised and eyes neutral. "What was that all about?"

"What?", he said in a way that told you he definitely knew what you were talking about. He always knew that the games messed you up, especially from the hearts variety. To be honest, he was wondering how long would it take for you to call him out.

"What do you mean what? The kid! In the game, what was that about?", you said. There was a kid. Not little, but definitely not an adult either. Judging by his looks, uniform and the way he was nearly pissing himself, he was 17 at best.

"In the end there were only me, you, the kid and the other man. I knew it wasn't me and I would be able to tell if it were you. Or you'd tell me, either way. It was one of the two, simple", he said, as if he was merely saying that two plus two equals four.

"And so your brilliant idea was to trick them into killing each other?", you raised your voice, the fresh memory of blood spattered everywhere making you sick again.

"There were only five minutes left. If I picked one of the two, it would be fifty-fifty. If they both died, there would be no risk at all", he said, with a self satisfied smirk, as if he managed to solve a very complicated puzzle. Even though he did, he killed an innocent person in the process.

"Fifty-fifty?! The kid wasn't the impostor, he was terrified! He could barely make eye contact with people and you really think he'd be able to kill someone? A bunch of people as an imposter in a game? Are you serious?", you were livid. That kid looked so young and so scared, he still had a whole life to live. And although it was the game masters' fault for bringing you all into this, Chishiya had partook in this system flawlessly.

"We couldn't be sure of either. People can pretend, no matter how young", he said, remaining nonchalant.

"Like you?", you mumbled, and as Chishiya made a confused sound in the back of his throat, you repeated yourself. "Like you? If it were fifty-fifty with Usagi or Arisu or Kuina or even me! Would you still do what you did?", Chishiya remained silent. "I... I thought you weren't like that. That you wouldn't kill people if you didn't have to. I feel so stupid. I would have trusted you with my life! And then what? What would happen to me?", you were fully crying tears of frustration. "You're awful. You can only think of yourself".

You can only think of yourself. And suddenly Chishiya was a child again, interrupting a very important meeting to ask for a hug. He looked infuriated, and took a deep breath as if to say something, but then just deflated until he looked absolutely heartbroken before fixing his hoodie and walking away without saying a word. You instantly regretted saying that.

-

It hadn't been long at all. Couple of hours, tops. But in that world, a couple of hours felt a lot longer. Too much time alone with your thoughts. You wondered if that's why so many people went insane, you sure felt like you were going insane, seeing Chishiya's heartbroken face with each blink of your eyes.

You were truly sorry. You should be used to all the death at that point, shouldn't let it get to you as much as it did. But every death was a constant reminder that it could happen to you, to your friends. To Chishiya himself. The thought of that made you physically recoil. And as your mind replayed the thought of him dying with his heart broken because of you until you were at the verge of hitting your head on the wall until you passed out, you decided to go find him.

-

And you did. It was a bit harder than usual, but you managed to find him with his hoodie up and his knees to his chest, back against the wall of a narrow hallway.

He lifted his head to look at you, and you silently sat by his side, the sides of your knees touching each other, and your back to the wall opposite to him.

His eyes weren't red or puffy, but you knew he had shed some stray tears because of the dried tear tracks on his cheeks.

"Hi", you said, awkwardly. He, understandably, said nothing. "I'm very sorry about what I said. It was inappropriate and just a flat out lie", you said, resting your hand over top his, and since he didn't pull away, you thought it was a good sign.

"I'm not pretending", his voice was low, seemingly reverberating off the walls of the confined space.

"Ah, but that's not true, is it, Chishiya? I barely know anything about you", you said, calmly. Your voice was like warm balm to him, nothing like what it had been earlier.

"Lying and omitting are two different things. We protect ourselves in the way we can afford to. It works for me", he said. Cold as ever, not emotional anymore. But it felt like that wall wasn't there anymore. It wasn't forced. He wasn't hiding. Being as stoic as ever, Chishiya was holding his chest open to you.

"I know. I'm sorry", you said, hanging your head, scolding yourself, and Chishiya took a deep breath. Not like the one earlier. It was like the one you take when you're in a stuffy room for too long and finally manages to go outside for fresh air.

"Don't be. Not for not knowing. There was no way of you knowing, after all", he seemed less upset, which was good. Your eyes looked at your hand resting over his, suddenly frowning.

"I don't know anything about you", you said, decidedly and unhappy like a child that stomps their feet on the floor and says "But I want it!" after being told no, and Chishiya sighed. He was trying his best with being vulnerable and he thought you'd understand. But before he could say anything, you interjected. "But I want to know. Everything", you smiled and him and, surprisingly, he gave you a small smile back.

"Where should I start?", he said, turning his palm to intertwine his fingers with yours, his eyes connected to yours.

"At the beginning, but slow and steady. When you're ready. We're starting over", you squeezed his hand and you knew then you'd never be able to let go. Chishiya told you how he felt for you that night.

[scaredshadowsswap]

(I hope my English is as understandable as possible) I'm embarrassed to ask this but I was constantly asked how the SCP staff would react If they meet an androgynous person for the first time D:

Your english was great! I actually have a lot of ideas for this at the moment, but this is the first time I’ve gotten a request, so it might not come out right. I wrote this generally as the non-binary or genderfluid type of androgynous, but I think it applies just the same to people who just look androgynous :)

Clef:

Clef is probably pretty understanding, but that doesn’t make you exempt from one-liners that cross the line. I imagine Clef will make a lot of pop-culture references, so there’ll be no direct insults, but you may be called the names of famous androgynous people. Be prepared to answer to Annie Lennox or Boy George at least once. No matter your identity, he’ll call you the name of whoever your hair is closest to. Since you’re the first androgynous person Clef meets, you’ll be hearing it a lot, since he has no one else to tease. However, Clef’s insults are not reflective of their opinions, because Clef insults everyone. I think he’d almost like working with an androgynous person more? To Clef, your appearance would be a plus in certain field ops and Foundation situations, so Clef’d probably want you on their MTF.

If you work directly under Clef, he’d be fun and terrifying, just like normal. He’d definitely have an issue with anyone who made fun of your appearance and was serious about their comments, but he’d find a roundabout way of scarring them mentally for life :)

Kondraki:

If it was just seeing you in passing, Kondraki wouldn’t care. If it was working with you, I don’t even know if he’d notice. Kondraki is notoriously bad at names, which makes me think he’s probably also not great at faces. He seems like the type of guy who would take 4 months to notice your hair is firetruck red, so I wouldn’t worry about Kondraki at all. He only cares about if you are hardworking, if you’ll do his paperwork for him, and if you’ll change the coffee filter.

That being said, you’re the first androgynous person Kondraki is meeting. Since you look different from most of the people he works with, he’d probably love taking pictures of you because you’re a unique muse for photos.

Iceberg:

Iceberg will absolutely open the conversation with an insult about your appearance. How you respond will determine how he views you, almost like he was testing you. For best results, answer calmly, confidently, and do not reply with another insult, as he seems quite sensitive. His “Why do you look so weird?” would best be countered with a simple “I don’t know, but I like it!” or something along those lines. He will probably roll his eyes and not say anything else, but he will speak to you again in the future. However, I don’t think Iceberg would have an issue with you looking androgynous at all. I think he’s lacking a filter, and will say whatever pops to mind in a sort of mean way. He was simply acknowledging that you look different to what he is used to, but I think he’d like the style. If you end up becoming friends, he may begin to emulate aspects of your style. He would definitely gift you a scarf sometime to see you you’d style it so he could copy it for future reference.

Gears:

Gears is a short one because he wouldn’t care, or at least, he wouldn’t let anyone know. He is cold, reserved, and respectful, and treats you exactly the same as he treats most researchers. Even if you were working directly below him and he got closer to you, I don’t think he’d acknowledge your appearance except to tie it back to work. “Your hair is a mess, I suggest sleeping at your apartment tonight instead of on a couch” or something like that. Never a comment he wouldn’t make to someone else. However, I think he’d compliment you if you ever changed your hair/makeup/wardrobe, so he definitely notices and thinks positively of it.

Shaw:

Shaw would LOVE it. She’s been genderfluid for a very long time due to 963, so it would probably be a shock to them when they saw a person who looked gender-neutral and/or androgynous. But, it would be a pleasant surprise. He’d probably invite you to tea sometime or some sort of poker event, but you two are besties for the resties.

Shaw would definitely confide in you about their issues related to 963 very quickly, but they’re a decent judge of character and wouldn’t overwhelm you with their struggles. She will absolutely recruit you into her pranks, and sometimes play some on you.

Rights:

Rights would also love you, but it’s because she’d have so many ideas. She’s fashionable, and would have so much fun giving you ideas, whether it be for an everyday casual office outfit, or a formal suit or dress. If you worked directly with Rights, she’d be very low drama with you.

Glass:

Glass is a therapist, so he’ll probably be pretty happy to see that you are doing something that makes you comfortable. He might be able to give you advice on how to deal with some other staff who aren’t as accepting. Glass is a pretty short one because I can’t imagine him caring about your appearance past making sure that you felt comfortable in your skin.

Strelnikov:

Strelnikov…He’s from Russia. I think of Kondraki as traditional, but Kondraki is from Massachusetts, and Strelnikov is actually from Russia, and I think it would take him some time to get used to it. He calls all the male nurses “babies”, so I wouldn’t expect very much from this man.

If you’re hoping for any respect from him, you’ve already raised your standards too high. He may try to pull your records to find your sex at birth, he may snoop through your apartment, but he will not play fair or kindly. He might make comments about it, but at the very least, he won’t talk about you behind your back. Every comment he ever makes about you will be to your face. He might come around…three years later…

[riddlerosehearts]

idia/vil is such a sweet and interesting ship to me and does not deserve to be a rarepair i'm serious. this might end up a bit incoherent and disorganized because i'm not great with words, but listen. the thing is that while on a surface level idia shroud and vil schoenheit--a nerdy shut-in with anxiety who likes to game all day and a mega famous celebrity who's strict about self-improvement--might seem completely incompatible, their actual interactions show us that that just isn't true!!

like, for example idia's starsending robes vignette is a big one!! the way that vil sees idia trying to hide when he's supposed to be at the ceremony, and idia says he's terrified that people will make fun of him, that he's not like vil and can't just go out and not care what anyone think the way he does. and then vil... tells him he's wrong, that it's the opposite, that he cares so much what other people think but has enough of a grip on himself that he can ignore it and appear confidently in public. the way vil admits to idia that they are so much more alike that he thinks.

also, the way that (in this fan translation at least, as well as in other TLs i've seen--the localization translates it to have the complete opposite meaning, for whatever reason) idia then says "so in other words, you've got to level up your ignore skill", and instead of getting annoyed at him for translating his advice into video game terms vil just says "isn't that obvious?". he's going out of his way to try and give idia genuine advice and is willing to speak his language to get him to understand it. he even does a similar thing later on in book 6, when he tells idia that it's worth taking chances because after all, the star rogue protagonist took his chances and went from zero to a hero.

and on that note, book 6 is so good for them. book 6 has idia get all excited and carried away while infodumping about star rogue, only to abruptly lose his enthusiasm and start talking quietly and stuttering. and who is it that tells him he shouldn't act so embarrassed and that they weren't judging him? it's none other than vil. vil who also shows an interest in gaming, much to the surprise of idia who believed, in his own words, that a "sparkly, gorgeous supermodel" like vil couldn't possibly like any of the same things as him! but no, vil wanted to try out the games they had and vil expressed a desire for idia to talk about his passions without fear of being judged. vil enjoyed playing star rogue and he was glad to discuss the movie adaptation with idia and ortho.

it's also vil who, when idia expresses his disappointment at the star rogue sequel being canceled and his wish for the original team to get back together and create a sequel that would be made with passion behind it, is the only one to genuinely understand where he's coming from (as opposed to jamil who's like "is it really that complicated?" and leona who suggests that he just throw money at the creators). vil is the one who encourages him to take a chance at doing what he can to make that wish a reality, to let the original team know that there's a passionate and loyal fanbase waiting for a sequel, and tells him that he just generally shouldn't give up on changing his future and achieving his dreams before he's even tried. of course ortho heard this advice too and took it very much the wrong way, but vil showed a surprising amount of understanding and support for idia and i feel like it was exactly the kind of thing he needed to hear.

also. remember the scene in disney's hercules where hercules temporarily gives up his godhood and his youth by diving into the underworld to save megara? because vil literally did the same thing to save idia. yeah, he may say he only did it for plot reasons, but like come on, how am i supposed to just not ship them after they parallel one of my favorite disney couples like that? vil is a world famous actor and model who was terrified of aging, and he still took such an insane risk!! i'm sure idia would have a crush on him after that.

i'm trying to wrap this up now because it's already too long but also idia has actually been said to have great fashion sense as his online persona and shown to enjoy cosplay and dressing up on occasion (for example, he went all out on his pumpkin knight costume and this hasn't made it to EN yet but he liked wearing the masquerade outfit). vil had pretty high praise for his design sense when he saw ortho's burst gear. and vil gets along incredibly well with ortho and is in the film club with him post-book 6, which is something i imagine idia would appreciate a lot. the contrast between them and the things they unexpectedly have in common are just so neat to me.

so, in conclusion,

i love them and i think they should be boyfriends

[mimicha-arts]

Person in the shadows

Hello everyone! I don't know if this can be called a theory or something like that, Probably someone has written this before me, but I just want to write down somewhere my thoughts about one character that relate to the main plot. These are just theories! I have too much free time and I like to have fun, don't take it too seriously.

Possible spoilers! I think many people get the feeling that behind everything that happens there is a person in the shadows, whose goals and motivations are still unclear. And given that the plot leaves us with a lot of speculation, clues…Lets talk about Liu Xiao! Most likely, given the huge number of connections to story details, he may play a key role in the plot. 1. Who is Liu Xiao and his direct mention. Liu Xiao (刘枭) is a young man, the son of Liu Jing, who owns the Quede company. He is also the younger brother of Liu Min. So far, we don't know anything about his personality, but in his father's eyes, he is much better than his older brother, so we can definitely say that Liu Xiao is very promising and different from Liu Min. Considering the little clue given to us in s2s1, when Liu Xiao's father is talking to his business partners, Liu Xiao did not appear on the "main stage" because he was abroad. But, probably, we will soon see him in the frame.

Thus, for now, it can be summarized that the side that opposes our protagonists not only maintains Liu Jing (and Quede company), his lawyer Qian Jin with his subordinates and twins, but also Liu Xiao. The plot itself has already given obvious clues that this "side" is not a united one, each one twists intrigues and has their own motivation, because of which I dare to express the idea that in fact Qian Jin, who has already shown himself to be not the most loyal subordinate, actually works for Liu Xiao, not for Liu Jing's interests. 2. Posters & Liu Xiao in the "current" timeline. Have we already seen Liu Xiao? Quite possibly. Given the connection of the characters through the side of the antagonists and further information, I will speculate by referring to the posters.

It is quite possible that the young man in the hat, the only character who has not yet appeared in donghua directly, is Liu Xiao. We remember that on the poster it is the man in the hat who stands next to Qian Jin, which is his "shadow" on another poster of the character, which, it seems to me, can be a serious justification for assuming on whose behalf Qian Jin really acts.

Talking about any color coding, his design is centered around black, but his hair, although dark in color, has some kind of a purple tint.

In addition to the fact that this character covers his eyes with a hat, there are several other interesting details in his appearance.

1. The first is an accessory on his neck. I'm not sure what this sign is, but I saw that people suspect it is theta (death) symbol. 2. The image is quite small, maybe it's just a shadow or line of the collarbone, but I think it's a tattoo on his neck (maybe V letter or something). 3. Flashbacks, Li Tianchen From the last episodes, we learned that in childhood, Li Tianchen had a friend who greatly influenced the formation of his character. This boy from flashbacks deliberately does not show his face and eyes, and his hair is black with a purple tint. Of course, this is still speculation, but it is likely that this color coding, especially the purple tint of the hair, may be a hint that the boy in the flashbacks is the man with the hat from posters.

We have already seen that it was his words, the "the strongest survives" ideology, that influenced the actions of Li Tianchen (and probably the entire personality of Li Tianchen or even both twins in the future). Сonsidering that both boys are kids that time, the words of the boy with purple hair sound so out of age and kinda terrifying. A few days ago, Billibili also released a clip of this entire moment, which makes it pretty obvious how much this "idea" and character himself will be driving the plot to the future events. His voice actor is Zhao Lu, he cannot be a minor character.

After the death of the twins' parents, their case 7 years ago passed into the hands of Qian Jin, as we know from the last episode, but information about the case has disappeared, as well as the children themselves, just in accordance with the time when Qian Jin left the police. There are still many questions (his age, whether he has any abilities). But if the three characters I mentioned before (the boy from flashback, Liu Xiao, the man with the hat) is actually one character, his connections with Liu Jing, Liu Min, the Quede company, the twins and Qian Jin look too matched to be a coincidence. Probably. Another interesting detail that connects the two parts of the story is that Qian Jin calls "manhunt" what happens in episode 7 , and (in my opinion) this is very resonant with the words from purple-haired boy in flashbacks.

4. Speculations OK! Let me remind you again that this is all one big guess, and maybe I'm thinking too much about certain details. At the moment, I kinda assume that Liu Xiao is the one who manipulates all events from the outside. And maybe while Li Tianchen's hand is grabbing Cheng Xiaoshi, Li Tianxi's hand is grabbing the toy fox, he is represented by the hand from the shadow behind her.

About possible motivation: assuming that Qian Jin is acting in Liu Xiao's interests, maybe he is genuinely interested in destroying his own family because of his story or unknown background. At the same time, taking into account his words about evolving and hunters, it seems to me that he is pursuing far from material, but ideological goals, related to people with abilities.

Keeping in mind how it all started, I can assume that he also may be an unknown client from the first case, who gave a tip on Quede's financial manipulations and launched a case with Emma, dragging Qiao Ling, Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi into the maelstrom of events (if this moment of the plot does not turn into loop). There is also someone who collected information about the three main characters before the main events of the series even began (some earlier dates on documents, a few days before the start of the plot), so there is room for thoughts too.

Let me remind you again that all this is empty theory, and I play bingo. It will be interesting to come back to this post after a while and see how badly I guessed wrong, haha. In any case, thanks for reading, I was glad to share my thoughts ~