#i never predict these things they just possess me out of nowhere

[zarla-s]

I'M SORRY, I CAN'T CONTROL IT

[patreon]

[stillness-in-green]

current feelings on the state of the manga (in general), predictions, worries, fears? Is there anything about the final war arc and those first few epilogue chapters that you liked?

Current feelings on the state of the manga:

Image macro reactions aside, it's not like there's nothing? In the epilogue thus far, I like the single panel we get of Gentle and La Brava reuniting. I really like Spinner calling Deku a murderer and Deku not arguing the label. I like the first half of Spinner's breakdown. And in the last war arc, I’m sure there was stuff I liked; you could probably find any number of things in my chapter posts for such time as I was doing them.

The trouble is that the stuff I liked by and large didn’t go anywhere, or actively got shitted up in the long run.

To pick the example that springs most readily to mind, I loved the bit in Chapter 379, where Shigaraki devours Vestige!AFO from the inside out.  It was satisfying, vindicating, and perfect on basically every level—and then it went nearly nowhere for forty chapters until it got undone anyway.  That latter point is the big issue, of course: VFO wound up coming back anyway, one last sucker punch from the fucking possession plot that scuttled the ending more generally.

But it’s not even just the possession plot’s return.  It’s the way the story and Deku just adamantly refused to engage with Shigaraki on his own terms and as his own person.  He was still chatty as hell, but, as @codenamesazanka outlined here, Deku just didn’t talk to him in return.  Deku has only one solution for Shigaraki—punching him into submission—and so the narrative never even bothered making him try to engage Shigaraki in conversation.  Instead, Shigaraki had to be reduced to a problem that punching could solve.

There are even a bevy of smaller annoyances like Shigaraki’s writing sometimes veering into cartoon supervillain caricature, as when he gloats that Deku and the world are about to watch All Might die in Chapter 404, only for the narrative to show why he's wrong literally a single page later by starting to explain the metaphysical but still sharply literal power of Wishing Energy, undermining both Shigaraki's character writing and the threat he poses when the bulk of Deku’s fight with him still lay ahead!

To me, that’s the story of the whole endgame.  Even the things I like—Shigaraki’s return, the PLF advisor’s fiery speech at the hospital, Ochako vindicating Toga’s pain, Monoma in general, Kurogiri choosing Tomura in the end—just don’t go anywhere that’s ultimately satisfying.  It’s hard to really call them “things I liked” when they were so squandered.

[spnproshipbang]

SPN Pro-Ship Bang 2023 Masterlist

It's been a wild few months—thanks to all our contributors, and even more to all our readers! If you missed any, here's the masterlist for this year's submissions.

1. Jump then fall (you all over me)

Author: @restingdeanface Artist: @ncdover1285

Read on Ao3

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2. Searching for the Hand That I Can Hold

Author: @eninkahootz Artist: @midnightsilver

While Dean is trapped in Purgatory, Sam searches for him so intently that he hardly sleeps. When he does sleep, Lucifer haunts his dreams. Thanks to a witch named Rowena and a rogue reaper named Ajay, Sam is reunited with Dean in Purgatory but ends up with no way to get them home. He learns that Dean, Cas, and a vampire named Benny have a plan to get out via a distant portal. As the four of them journey through the woods to get to the portal, Sam hides the fact that he never stopped having psychic powers. Although they must regularly battle monsters and sustain injuries, the group enjoys the simple pleasures of living amidst nature. Sam and Dean grow closer as the months pass. Cas and Benny show signs of mutual attraction, and Sam wishes Dean would open up to the possibility of their relationship becoming romantic as well. Will Sam and Dean ever become a couple? Will Sam ever come to terms with his psychic powers? Will the four of them ever make it home?

Read on Ao3

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3. i'm so sorry (that you have to have a body)

Author: @archangelsammy Artist: @brothersinablackcar

Lucifer is still in Sam's head. Sam would say something about that, except he kind of likes being possessed.

Read on Ao3

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4. Diplomatic Measures

Author: @ladylilithprime Artist: @hawkland

Sam Winchester was taking a Saturday breather to read just for the enjoyment of it when a pair of no longer dead Angels come calling with an offer he absolutely could refuse but doesn't want to.

Read on Ao3

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5. Pen Pals

Author: @zrterria Artist: @oopsimfade

Gabriel was just doing his job punishing the wicked when he found a letter from a sad child. Thinking on it, he decided to write back. Things change when there is a kind ear to listen and an archangel willing to step in at a moments notice.

Read on Ao3

6. Wherever I Am...There You Are

Author: @ncdover1285 Artist: @alexiescherryslurpy

Dean uses a spell to travel to the past, and the future, and back. It gets a little confusing, but whenever he lands, Crowley is there to help him anyway he can… until he isn't.

Read on Ao3

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7. A Tale of Two Brothers

Author: @sam-and-dean-codependency Artist: amberdreams

On November 2nd, 1983, the Winchester home was enveloped in flame, and parents John and Mary were found dead in the morning. Their sons, Sam and Dean, were nowhere to be found. While the town of Lawrence, Kansas, eventually forgot about the family, Sam and Dean were being held by Heaven and Hell to fulfill their great destinies in God's Plan. Dean held by Heaven with Castiel as his trainer and Sam held by Hell with Crowley as his caregiver. When the two brothers meet ahead of schedule, no one could've predicted what happened next.

Read on Ao3

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8. Found a Place in Independence

Author: @sweet-sammy-kisses Artist: @pasta-n00dles

Independence is a place where the outcasts can come and find a place where they belong. No questions asked, if you had no place to belong well then Independence was the place for you.

The Winchester’s had searched for a place like that where they could be happy and let the ghosts of their past be just that in the past.

Read on Ao3

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9. Always The Wolf You Know

Author: @babyboykingsammy Artist: @blindswandive

The Winchester Boys have never had any easy life, their upbringing being supervised by a man hell-bent on vengeance for his murdered wife, and have largely been left to their own devices. If Dean's behavior, as the only Alpha his Omega brother, Sam, has had to turn to for love and affection, has become something with sharp teeth and long claws, well... It mattered not to him. Sam had always been his to love, cherish, and protect, and Dean would do anything within his power to ensure that he was the only one that Sam looked at as if he hung the moon.

There was no other bonds, familial or otherwise, that mattered as much to the two young Winchester boys as the relationships they had with each other.

If Dean had to fight to keep all of Sam's affection to himself he would do it. Even if it meant going after the one Alpha that they should have looked up to, their father, John Winchester.

There would never be a price Dean would not be willing to pay to keep his darling Sammy forever by his side.

Never.

Read on Ao3

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10. Beauty and the Beast of Below

Author: @ladyknightskye Artist: @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes

Fending off an unwanted advance leaves Dean Winchester in a bind - literally. He wakes up about to be auctioned off in one of the slave markets of the Below, the seedy underbelly of the City of Enoch. However, all of this is further complicated by the fact that Dean is the Michael Sword - the only person in the entire city whose internal hardware is immune to being hijacked.

Or so he thought. Enter Lucifer - the first Michael Sword. Lucifer buys Dean under the pretense of using him as a sex slave. In reality, Lucifer knows how dangerous Dean can be, and wants to use him to help take over the Below.

As Dean and Lucifer get closer, they begin to realize that Dean’s abduction was not an accident at all.

Read on Ao3

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11. Living His Grey Flannel Life

Author: @samanddean76 Artist: @girlsvmonsters

Jimmy Novak is a 21-year-old twink working his corner in Papillion when he is attacked by a long-term client. As he struggles to escape, he is rescued by a big, strong, and mysterious stranger named Sam Winchester. When Jimmy wakes the next morning, he flees the safety of the strange motel room as his life has taught him that he can never expect good things to come his way. And he can’t help but to be suspicious when a few days later, Sam pulls up to Jimmy’s corner and buys some of his time. But as Sam keeps coming back, night after night, Jimmy wants to simply surrender to the irresistible pull he feels towards his savior. The problem with that scenario? Jimmy is losing chunks of time, waking up in strange clothes, remembering chilling images as he apparently helped Sam bring justice to those who had viciously hurt him in the past. Jimmy is beginning to do things that he had never done before. And then Jimmy comes back to himself and finds that Sam has been badly injured. Will the arrival of Bobby and Rufus save the day or only deepen his confusion? And when will the little voice in the back of his head ever stop trying to convince him to just put all of his faith into Sam?

Read on Ao3

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12. on a stormy sea of moving emotion

Author: @izzyaro Artist: @alexiescherryslurpy

Dean is sick of angels. From orchestrating the Apocalypse to shattering Sam’s Wall, all they’ve done is cause trouble.

Balthazar is no exception to that rule, but there might just be more to him than that.

Read on Ao3

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13. A Stairway to Heaven

Author: @atwojay Artist: @hawklander

Dean never understood why his best friend (and crush) just up and left after graduation, and he'd probably ask him what the hell all that was about now that he sees him again after ten years of no contact... if Dean wasn't too busy being shot and bleeding out on the floor of the Crashdown Cafe. Good thing Cas has some kinda superpowers, or this reunion might have ended before it even got started.

Read on Ao3

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14. What Happens In Vegas

Authors: @lord-angelfish, @callalilycas Artist: smallscalemajestic

wherein the boys first go on a hunt, dean wants to go to vegas, and they proceed to get absolutely wasted (ft. sam's admittedly very clever spellwork getting cas drunk). oh, and they get married. but not legally.

Read on Ao3

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15. Put My Feet on the Ground

Author: @hello-starling Artist: @thegoodthebadandtheart

In the wake of the defeat of Chuck, Sam takes a chance with Dean that puts them both on a different path. While navigating a sexual relationship after years of trauma, they build a new life together.

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16. It's Rest I Want

Author: @klove0511 Artist: @imnot-evenhere

After John's betrayal results in Sam's death, Dean follows in the Winchester family tradition and swears vengeance on his father. The question is: is Sam really gone?

Read on Ao3

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17. The Devil's Triangle

Author: @quicksilver-castiel Artist: @keziahrainalso

After everything, when all is said and done, God beaten and all that good stuff, Dean figured that life would go on as he knew it, just with a few fewer ends of the world.

As it turns out, he instead gets a bunch of changes, including Sam moving out of and Lucifer and Nick moving into the bunker. That last one is temporary, of course, lasting only until they can trust that the archangel and her vessel aren't going to cause one of the aforementioned ends of the world again.

At least Dean hopes that it's temporary - that is, until he doesn't anymore.

Read on Ao3

18. Until the End of it All

Author: TheLemonrevenge Artist: Outofnowhere82

Season 3 canon divergence. Dean does not go to Hell thanks to something Sam has done. Of course nothing is free and the costs change them both.

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19. heaven, hell, and the human heart

Author: @saltbind Artist: @pentacentric

Sam isn’t about to let Dean suffer for his sake. It’s not like there isn’t historical precedent for travelling through Hell as a human - if he even still counts as that. With Ruby as a seemingly reluctant ally, and a cadre of rogue angels watching him carefully, he’s going to take a leaf out of Dante’s book. And possibly upend Hell’s carefully wrought hierarchy in the process.

Read on Ao3

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20. A Study in Winchester Transgenderism

Author: @boywifesammy Artist: @outofnowhere82

Dean shows up at Sam's Stanford apartment expecting to find his little sister, and instead finds a 6'4 dude with his sister's face and a voice an octave too deep. It takes a while for Dean to wrap his head around Sam being trans. It takes him even longer to understand why he struggles to look his little brother in the eye, and why he can't stop staring at his bare chest.

Read on Ao3

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21. In True Love's Shadow

Author: @avalonsilver Artist: @oopsimfade

A Fantasy Royalty! AU weaving through Adam Milligan’s family history on his Mother's side. From his great grandparents accepting the Archangel Michael's help down to Adam's mother working at the palace, catching King John Winchester's eye and then Adam's life as a prince — involving him being at odds with his eldest half-brother Dean and falling in love with someone unexpected. Adam is the youngest Prince of the most powerful kingdom in all the realms, Exalos. The Mainland continent of Wislira depends on Exalos's strength through the certainty of male heirs. Prince Adam is the illegitimate third son of King John. Adam's maternal grandfather, Noah Milligan, is wildly famous on Exalos. Many would be just fine with his grandson becoming King. At twenty, Prince Adam is faced with being the next King of Exalos. Although he may die before he is ever crowned King. The Archangel Michael is at the center of a secret that leaves Adam facing Death's door. Adam needs to make a life-changing decision.

Read on Ao3

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22. Naamah's Secret

Author: @samisadeangirl Artist: @ladylilithprime

Prince Samuel de la Courcel, middle child of the king and queen of Terre d'Ange, goes to the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers to pay for the services of one of their adepts, Dean Champbelle nó Eglantine, after hearing him sing and spends a steamy night together; however, Sam neglects to tell Dean that they’re half-brothers--that the king had had an illicit affair with Dean’s mother before marrying the queen—because he’d become enamored with Dean's beauty and music. As the two continue their passionate relationship and fall in love, how long can Sam keep their familial connection a secret from Dean before the truth comes out, leaving him to determine how to atone for his deception?

Read on Ao3

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23. The Immortal Game

Author: @missroserose Artist: @ncdover1285

September, 2005. Jessica Moore is focused on acing her final year at Stanford, passing her medical school entrance exams, and figuring out her boyfriend Sam—all of which leaves very little time for sorting through her strained family relationships, or wondering about her missing cousin, or remembering the charming green-eyed drifter she slept with some months back. But when she gets a strange call from her best friend Brady, kidnapped by a cult while home for the summer, she and Sam set out to find him—and along the way, she discovers her part in a sprawling chess match that not only involves Sam’s family secrets, but her own as well.

Read on Ao3

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24. (Not) Wanted: Alpha for Heats

Author: @outofnowhere82 Artist: @blindswandive

Sam has been suffering his heat for over a week. He needs an alpha but isn't interested in using a stranger for his heats any longer. Dean makes him an offer.

Read on Ao3

[swimmingclassicrockpizzawombat]

Beejie's Hearty Panties

Beetlejuice x (Gender Neutral) Reader

Warning: Fluff, NSFW super cringy and nonsensical. BAD WRITING I NEVER SAID I COULD WRITE.

So, we had a discussion of Beej's underwear on the discord channel out of the blue. Starting with @beetled-juice stating that he hc that if Beej (rarely) wears underwear it'd be stripped boxers much like his suit and me adding that I personally headcanon he has 3 kinds of boxers:

1. Striped ratty ones

2. Ones with little green beetles as a pattern

3. One with sandworms/sandy

(and ToonJuice would have one of those cheesy white with red hearts ones)

Later he suggested that MusicalJuice has this heart boxers but they changed color along with his hair and I was possessed by the inspo goblin out of nowhere and wrote... Whatever this is...

Note: I wrote it in a haze. Idk what this is or what I wrote and it may not make sense or be ooc, also I'm not good at writing smut/have never done it before (so I may or may not polish it and finish it) but the inspo gremlin possessed me and I entered a trance of writing for the past half hour and now you guys have this

Usually when it's really hot outside he'll cuddle you either by spooning you or resting your head against his chest.

And before this he will usually strip himself down to his boxers to keep you cool against his skin. He will either wear only boxers and be completely shirtless or maybe wear an oversized shit you gave him.

One time he did jokingly try to strip himself down completely (hoping to run his dick against you or just to be as close to you as possible) and yes he's a very sexual being, but... And DON'T TELL LYDS ABOUT THIS BUT... HE CAN BE SOFT TOO AND JUST WANT REGULAR CUDDLES SOMETIMES!!!

So for your sake and the sake of just wanting cuddles he will usually wear at the very least his boxers when he cuddles you. ("See Babs? I CAN be a gentleman!!!! >:(" - Beej).

~~besides, in any case that he got horny there can be something incredibly erotic about something constricting him~~

Anyways!

It was a night like this sometime ago that you first saw them.

You didn't know what you were expecting to find underneath his stripped suit the first time he striped himself down to his underwear to cuddle you. Maybe, some equally ratty and stripped boxers? Maybe absolutely nothing other than his dick like the perv he was?

And true, over time you did encounter those two things... Unsurprisingly... ("am I that predictable????" UnU).

And over time you also learned that he had a thing for boxers with patterns, you supposed he found them comforting? You recall once seeing him wearing boxers with a printed pattern of little green beetles (which you found adorable) and another time with a pair of boxers with sandworms.

(Where he got those very specific boxers you had no idea).

But the last thing you were expecting him to wear one night was STEREOTYPICAL CHEESY WHITE PANTIES WITH RED HEARTS... well not quite, the hearts were black, but they were cheesy panties nonetheless.

He caught you staring at them dumbfounded when he had first wore them in front of you.

"Like what you see, baby?"

You were still unable to talk from the shock and from trying not to laugh.

"I bet you'll like what's underneath even more, wink wink" (yes he said wink wink like the dork he is)

He said wriggling his eyebrows at you trying to look suggestive but failing and looking like a total dork instead, and you could hold it back no longer.

You burst out laughing from how ridiculous this was.

"What, can't the ghost with the most express how he feels about his little breather through his underwear?"

He started to walk towards you doing a super dorky dance.

"STOOOOP" you said trying to contain the laughter, and throwing a pillow at him. However that didn't deter him and soon he was on top of you laying little pecks all across your face and rubbing his beard across your cheek while tickling you and laughing as well.

After that the laughter eventually died out and you two settled down in bed ready to sleep (not before calling him a dork and he kissed you goodnight!). And that was that. You never payed heed to those boxers after that. He wore them a few times after but that was it...

Or so you thought.

It had been a while since that occurrence. In fact you almost forgot he even owned those boxers!

That was until one fateful night when you were cuddling in the couch and watching some random movie you both decided to put on.

You were laying on top of him, your head resting on his chest, running your fingers through his chest hair, his shirt slightly unbottoned, his sleeves rolled up, ~~how he knew you liked it~~ and his suit's blazer long forgotten, discarded somewhere else.

At some point you looked up at him.

He was engrossed with the movie and either running his fingers softly through your hair, almost massaging your head, or rubbing you back.

There was something about how peaceful he looked and how sexy handsome he was just laying there, like that.

And when you moved to adjust yourself, accidently grinding against his crotch there was something in the way he groaned that you couldn't ignore.

One thing led to another and before you knew it you were both making out on the couch and undressing each other.

You ran your fingers over him slowly caressing him and trying to kiss every spot of his body before reaching his pants.

You even left a few bites on his tummy.

You decided to follow his happy trail as you unbottoned his pants and that's when you saw them.

You took his pants down to get a better look (and he kicked them off him).

It was the same heart boxers he had worn before.

But something was different.

The hearts were now a bright pink not to mention the bulge under them.

You were a bit confused at first... Did he have more than one pair of heart panties? If do why hadn't you seen them?

Until it dawned on you

You went back to kissing his tummy paying special attention to his happy trail.

While he wriggled under you and whimpered desperately. All his body hair by now a mix of magenta and bright pink.

And when you slowly slid the boxers down ~~earning you more desperate whimpers and the ocasional "please babes"~~ you confirmed your theory that the hearts in the boxers had changed color to now match the pink of his bushy hair below.

Who would've thought even his underwear changed according to his mood? ❤️

[syncopatedid]

Link Click S2E7: At this point it's probably a sure thing (?) to assume that that's Cheng Xiaoshi who is in possession of Lu Guang's body (his mannerisms sure as heck seem to want us to believe that), but the immediate question I have is, does that mean Lu Guang is in possession of Cheng Xiaoshi's body???? Granted, we've never been shown that LG is capable of such a power or that CXS could do that to a soul of a body he has taken over, but then again, this show is notorious for randomly dropping random facts out of nowhere to make things canon, so make it make sense.

But then it got me thinking: It's been established that when CXS time leaps into the past, his physical body disappears along with him until he returns back to the present. Assuming our first hunch to be correct, why is CXS' physical body still around? Two possibilities I've thought of: 1) This is the first time CXS has possessed someone in the present timeline, rather than the past, so his physical body does not disappear as it's still the same present, but since two bodies cannot occupy the same physical space at the same time, CXS' soul would need to separate from his body to possess another. However, vacating his body to possess LG would leave it vulnerable if left 'empty', so it makes sense for the souls to exchange places so LG could protect CXS' body and follow the girl without raising further distrust and suspicion, and CXS in LG's body could make a break for it and ditch the police to meet up with (and rescue) LG in CXS' body as they would not have seen it coming. 2) That BOTH of them are CXS, and the one possessing LG is CXS of another timeline, future OR otherwise, here to save his own ass. Because... aw yeah, my Conspiracy theory that an AU timeline exists in this story is back on the table! We mad lads be madding over here and I will hold on to that thought until canon evidence states otherwise. Edit addition: I don't know how this holds up to that episode in S1 where CXS went back to Qiaoling's past to save a friend and LG reminds CXS to never meet up with his past self as that would mess with things, but given that CXS is never a stickler for the rules anyway I think this scenario is entirely possible and opens up a whole new mystery mcguffin for the series as to what can happen when you meet yourself. I will admit that this season is a slower drag for me compared to S1, which is why I haven't been motivated to muse about this show weekly the way I did for S1. Don't get me started on s2e1, which I thought went and complied all the questions we had at s1 and just... kind of info dumped on us as exposition? All that buildup for 12 episodes and for what. This season seems more focused on flexing their animation prowess than genuine plot and character development, and if I weren't invested in its potential and knowing the end game for these boys and how close my predictions/speculations are I might have lost interest already. The pace has gotten draggy, plot more convoluted than ever before (which is just S1 powered up tbh but I digress) and all their filler scenes of no consequence are probably 15 minutes too long. It is already episode 7, and it feels almost certain that at this pace, the 'end' will be yet another new cliffhanger so they can explain making a S3 and I don't know how I feel about that. We should really stop thinking about it, yeah. Orz.

[japplejottomjeans]

STRANGER THINGS 5: A NEW EVIL

DISCLAIMER: i am not a THEORY GUY. i am a FAN who is CHRONICALLY ONLINE and TOTALLY NORMAL about this show. this is just me SAYING SHIT.

Hear me out…So apparently after the first season, people were theorizing how the thessalhydra could make an appearance in season 2. Obviously, that never happened—it ended up being the mind flayer instead right? I guess, eventually, people forgot about it, which is fair considering it was only mentioned like, 5 times. But, because im a fucking nerd i and read too much into everything, i realized that the thessalhydra, or any other monster alike to it, was never mentioned again. Of course, it could just be a slip up or inconsistency or fuckin any other excuse they conjure up, but i dont like that way. Heres a different reason i like better

THEORY: THE THESSALHYDRA, OR SOME MONSTER LIKE IT, WILL BE A NEW VILLAIN IN SEASON 5

Wills painting depicted a dragon of some sort with several heads--the thessalhydra also has several heads

There are other theories of Wills art foreshadowing the future. In season 2 when he was possessed he draw a map of the town, purely from his subconscious.

Because he is still tethered to the upside down and/or vecna, hes still able to foresee the future—even if he doesnt know it—specifically the painting he gave to mike in season four. Its of the partys d&d characters facing a dragon type creature wearing three heads. To be fair, the thessalhydra can have up to 9, but the fact that they both have over 1 i count as a similarity.

Alot of people think theres gonna be a dragon next season—personally i dont think it makes sense, just a fucking dragon comin outa nowhere. The GA wouldnt clock it unless it looked exactly like it, or there was some flashback to the painting, or something. Idk, i just think itd be tricky. But the thessalhydra could work for several reasons: 1. its been mentioned verbally in the past, so it would be easier for the audience to remember it. 2. it could make as a sort of realization that their d&d games are having an effect on the real world.

Mike, will, even dustin or lucas would be the first to have that epiphany. I feel like that would give the main party a reason to stick together as they go over everything that happened in their campaigns, try n think of what the fuck is gonna happen next so they can be prepared.

Alternatively; they could be tryin to figure out what campaign could happen next, and before they do the thessalhydra jumps out and theyre like “shit, how did we not realize? it was so long ago…” etcetera etcetera

When vecna shows nancy "the future", she described what she saw to be "a giant creature with a gaping mouth"

The first reason could easily be explained as just a coincidence, but this part kinda sold me ngl. In season four nancy described what she saw in her vision: the town up in flames, dead soldiers, a dark cloud looming over the city, the four gates, but also a another monster. I watched her vision in .25x speed n there was no fucking monster. She goes onto say there were more—a whole ass army of em (probably demodogs).

Anyway, she described the creature as one weve never seen before (unless the mind flayer has another form or sum). I think it looks a lot like the thessalhydra. And these things are like…huge

And so far, everything vecnas showed her has come true

D&D games in stranger things have a record of predicting the future--in the finale of season 1, the party's faced with the thessalhydra. Will defeats it with his fireball (to which he rolled a 14 to cast but thats just the delusional in me 💀)

Ion got a picture for this one but most of yall will know what im talkin about. this is actually another theory thats popular among the fandom. There are tons of variations of it, but ill judt be talkin about the main theme

So whenever a game of d&d is played, it reflects onto real life events (re: season 1 with the demogorgon, season 4 with vecna). Just think of jumanji. Almost all games that have been played in hawkins have had an impact on the town itself— almost all.

The only ones weve seen that have never been referenced again is the one at the end of season 1 (where they defeat the thessalhydra) and in season 3 (where mike sacrifices himself for the town, but uh, ill save that for another post cuz that shit is lowkey concerning ngl)

Anyways—and im reaching with my whole ass torso—the “hoard of juju zombies” could be foreshadowing the “army of monsters” that nancy saw. the thessalhydra could show up with them <- and im talking about this like its endgame material, which it is. heres how i think it could go

Pre time skip, shit happens—i bet the army of monsters nancy spoke of will emerge from the gates. The soldiers will do everything in their power to stop them, but they dont understand whats going on, so they dont defeat them. More shit happens, the town is fled by most, then the time skip.

Its sort of post apocalyptic yk, they dont do much—just try their best to survive. there isnt much they can do. theyre mostly inside, and when theyre not they wear gas masks because of the spores in the air. theyre lives go on, but its not normal. its nowhere near normal.

Anyway, the main conflict ensues, but near the end (probably episode 7 or so) is when that monster that theyve been silently waiting for finally shows up. i think dustin, cuz hes always making the fucking connections to the ud and d&d, coins the monsters name with the analogy that fits it best—the thessalhydra. with this comes a sort of epiphany that maybe these arent just analogies for the sake of it; maybe theyre real.

so dustin tries to contact mike and will (theyre stuck in the upside down right now) to warn them of whats happening. maybe once they all reunite and are brainstorming how to defeat it, they could be like “well how did we defeat him in the game?” silence “a fireball” and will realizes he needs to help defeat it. (protective mike moment)

Yeah this post as all over the fucking place. Seriously im just spitballing. sorry if this is like, incomprehensible 💀 ight bye

[mxdarling]

[“Hurting you is the last thing I’d do, you know that.”]

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅• •❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

ೃ⁀➷: summary: keito is a great friend of yours, until he fucking kidnaps you out of jealousy.

ೃ⁀➷: Word count: 1349

ೃ⁀➷: Reference/Inspiration: link | link

ೃ⁀➷: Event: [200 followers event]

ೃ⁀➷: ERA: !!

[note:] If there is anything else triggering here that I didn’t list in the warnings section, please tell me. I don’t condone this type of behavior, this is merely just for entertaining purposes and some sort of coping mechanism for me. If you continue to read beyond this point, ignoring my warnings, I am not responsible for your actions from here on out.

[Warnings:] bad oneshot, maybe ooc keito, yandere behavior, reader is terrified at the end, kidnapping, isolation, possessive behavior, jealousy, reader gets drugged, reader gets blindfolded and tied up, tiny fluff, keito owns an apartment for (il)legal reasons (kidnapping reader), implies keito has a vehicle.

[GN reader]

KEITO HASUMI was a dear friend of yours, one you never expected to befriend due to the intimidating and hard-to-approach bearing he carries around with him. You could vividly remember how you would run in the other direction whenever you saw his moss-colored hair from a distance. Keeping your head down low and hiding in places you think he would never think twice to check, and it worked so well, perfectly even. For months, you flew under his radar unnoticed, and you were satisfied with that. You were okay with just barely avoiding him every second of the day. You wouldn't dare wish to change it; unfortunately for you, it seems he isn't too happy with it.

To him, it has now become a duty—a duty to try and find where you're hiding this time. He knows you're avoiding him, and he knows, at least, most of your current hiding spots, yet you always slip away, just out of his grasp. Like a wild goose, a game of cat and mouse, a play of hide and seek, with him being the hunter and you being the prey. As the former captain of the archery club, he commends you for being a challenging and interesting target. It has been a while since he's tested his expertise with a bow; he's confident he hasn't gotten rusty despite graduating from the club a year or so—but he wishes to confirm this by testing out with a new target, and he has the perfect candidate in mind.

Unexpectedly, it took him a little longer to catch up to you with your game of hide-and-seek with him; to say that he's impressed would be an understatement. Accounting for your slip-up in trying to avoid him, you're determined to not make that mistake again, and he's determined to make the most of that slip-up.

Weeks after your slip-up, keito seems to have gotten better at catching you. He was able to predict, most of the time, which hiding spot you would go to, what time you'd go to your hiding spot, and what route you would choose to go to your hiding spot. If he was feeling rather confident, then he would spot you in the crowd and task you to accompany him before you would even think about going there. If he was feeling sneaky, he would hide in your hiding spot before you arrived, startling you when he announced his presence out of nowhere, sometimes even scaring you before you reached your hideout place.

If this was his way of trying to befriend you, somehow, for some reason, it worked, and it worked well. Suddenly, you've just become friends with the person you wanted to hang out with the least. Even your own peers and friends were shocked and surprised to see the two of you talking casually, whether it be in the hallway or after a meeting. It was an unlikely duo—a pair that almost no one would ever suspect would happen. It doesn't help that he shows very clearly that you're the person about whom he worries the most. It's how he goes out of his way to remind you daily of what your schedule is, fixing any wrinkles in your outfit, what to do, where to go, basic needs, and regular rest. Keiko will always be the first one to ask how you have been doing.

With him always lingering around you, not a lot of people approach you since they'll be victims of his judging gaze for the whole interaction with you. He knows this and has a rather efficient method of getting potential suitors away from confessing to you or forming a closer connection with you. Still, there are some who find ways to talk to you despite the warnings they've been given by keito and other people.

He watches as you converse with this acquaintance of yours, who seems to be really, really testing his patience. Do they really have to put their arm around your shoulder? Do they not know that you could possibly be uncomfortable with that gesture being made towards you? How could a mere acquaintance of yours be this physically close to you already? If he wasn't too focused on being composed, then you would see the subtle twitch in his eye and a vein pop on his face. In coherent sentences, rationally, he's currently experiencing the emotion of jealousy. A term used when you feel unhappy or upset that the person you're interested in is paying attention to someone else.

Emotionally, he feels threatened by the introduction of a third party. It was usually just the two of you, him and you. How does someone like them, who you've only known for a few days, steal your attention from him—someone who you've known for months now? Plus, how effortlessly he was able to talk to you—he couldn't even approach you for weeks. He knows logically. Knowing him, he isn't going to sit idle and watch from the sidelines; no, too many seconds have already been wasted—he'll take care of this pesky little problem of his.

The day of your kidnapping was a clean and smooth process, and since there was no longer a wall distancing the two of you, it was a lot easier to plan than if he were to do this several months ago. All went according to plan; no hiccups or delays were made during the time to get you drugged or the time to drive you to his apartment, though in case you ever woke up due to the drug's effects wearing off, he blindfolded and tied both your hands and arms together. Just as a precaution, he didn't want to knock you out too good by overdosing you; he needs to take care of you; you're too helpless to be left alone.

You are shaking, trembling, and quivering; your heart is pumping so loudly that it's hard to hear anything else other than the irregular beats banging at your ear. You didn't even hear the sound of footsteps walking towards the room you're locked in or the door opening very slowly, revealing the culprit of your kidnapping. He stands near the doorway with no evident remorse or guilt for taking you and sealing your life away in this goddamn claustrophobic closet of his.

You took one glance at keito and looked away with fury and fright, the rage and betrayal knowing this was the work of one of your treasured friends and did this to you of all people; afraid and scared knowing he's in a position to commit anything ranging from merciful to downright cruel acts while you're in a vulnerable state. With haste, you drag your body to the farthest corner you could place yourself in, hugging your knees close to your chest, head down. You wish this was all a dream. Closing the door behind him, he takes another set of footsteps towards you—careful not to cause you any further distress. Kneeling down with one knee, he takes your chin and slowly raises your head to face his.

You look at him with overwhelming emotions, so much so that tiny droplets start to form in your eyes. For a moment, you could see a tiny glint of sadness in his eyes, though you aren't sure if you're just seeing things or if he really is saddened by your expression towards him. As an attempt to comfort you, he gently rubs his thumb on your cheeks while also wiping the tears that threaten to roll down past your chin. Swallowing down a lump in your throat, you plead with your best friend.

"P-please.. don't—don't hurt me." Your throat is starting to hurt, and your plea is as loud as silence. Due to his close proximity, he could hear every word you say. In response to your pleas, he cups your cheeks in the palms of his hands and looks at you with his eyes that seem to have softened after seeing your hurt expression.

“Hurting you is the last thing I’d do; you know that.”

•❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅• •❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅•

[a/n; um-, i come back from the dead, hellooo. so idk jackshit about keito LOLL god how do people characterized keito bhdhd I WAS STRUGGLING BRO, like fr i'm so scared to mischaracterized characters especially if it's people's fav😭😭 keito stans i hope i did him the justice he deserves!! ALSO PACING MIGHT SUCK?? anywayss, thank you anon for requesting keito with dialogue #19! i haven't visited the enstars community in months LMAOO so i might be a little rusty in my writing about them whoops. also last 2023 work of mine crazyyy bro.]

[scentedchildnacho]

Watch Kusama: Infinity on Tubi

Watch Kusama: Infinity on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/O4bH6kIzDFb

I think its more about emigration then mental illness.....uhm because she could be a Catholic saint....pace they send white men to relieve ethnic difference of a burden to take over his responsibility and she didn't want to go.back to her parents

Im from Wisconsin....so sometimes if art people make me truly think about suicide and once in memphis tennessee I was so possessed I went to a negro nurses league and told them I wanted to be put down just killing oneself is impolite

So they did knock me out with the Bosnia hergovinia pill alliance and said they weren't going to kill me and i just left not remembering it anymore

But if from the states I have never had to attempt suicide in these very masculine descriptions she is talking about

I was more just given an invitation to satanic meditation groups to talk about consumer culture as a form of modern guru they just invited me to something theosophical to do basically and told me I can't use their time too much with that

No it wasn't trauma it was satanic possession and some type of voodoo....

I have a fun hedonistic spirit and was raised with bad disembodied theory and told from young ages I wasn't going to get to be really strong and active and so I have always done things on my plan a little consciousness altering and a lot doesn't depress me it's just population theory

I shouldn't have tried to street sleep near that black counter culture to common reform pride or Mr will make you be rested and clean

Well people in the states go paranoid and apparently she was someone who felt enormous responsibility for pearl harbor and us having to figure out resources

Explains pearl harbor the world conservation corporation planned a sustainable utopic permanence so

Well she didn't want to ever be depressed and went around gay homosexuals in new York and deductively you will have to die like gay then

I am from the states so cities don't charm me much it will still be these stereotypical gradual decisions and solidarity and i go to nowhere so I can be by myself....

That's not tolerable men that large wanting to have homo interest gatherings around one that's really terrifying

People like them know their plans are then afflicting more delicate genders and still did it so

That's my apology for war go out to islands and do something mythic God thats gross and annoying

Uhm they prefer lamb and chicken instead of going at a larger animal

Art if starting from Wisconsin.....if around catholics infectious disease specialists warn their orphans require mentals.....so after enough christian shelters showing me the mother will hit them in abnormal ways....I remembered a woman on a milwaukee bus who told me predictively that cult children are her children and they stay with her now ......

Its just been too many tolerate cults and I liked the oracle in the matrix so ...a Mr. Around does have children with his profession...

Mentals have reform energists about them....

No don't use any psychiatric drugs....I saw that in the Albuquerque journal this psychiatrist that killed 17 people with Xanax.....so that is what is happening here

They have to confess their serial killers then they can have a psychiatric plan....

Saint Michael .....they would put them in jail for dealing some acid for like five years so they learned much quicker methods for profiling pedophiles that watch your schools your hospitals etc

They would watch us all the time so

[skyfcx]

     The instinct is to retract his previous ask— were tarot readings something that involved prep time? If Amy's reaction to the question was anything to go off of, it was commonplace to allot a fortnight's worth of time to get the session ready. Excuse the kit's ignorance, but tarot seemed like pulling some cards and stitching together some meaning from the randomization of it all... To need time to set something like that up just wasn't a consideration that passed his mind before making the request...

     —Then again, if someone came up to him and said, 'okay fine, if you're so smart, build a plane right now!', he'd be a little miffed about the drastic oversimplification of what goes into doing what he does. He can build a plane if you give him time, materials, tools, and the blueprints of the specific type of plane you want him to build. So maybe it was a little callous to have Amy cook up a spectacular showing of the arcane arts off the top of her head.

     A hand goes to hold itself up, ready to wave away the notion. But already are a slew of cards being pulled from seemingly nowhere. Once again, a baffling display of sleight of hand... from her sleeveless dress. And there wasn't a glove large enough in the world to comfortably conceal that many cards at once. Oh, he'd just let that one go, he could feel his mind splitting trying to pin logic to such a display.

     "Definitely! I-If you wanna, of course. Kinda rude to put you in the hot seat like that, but... I'd be a liar if I said I didn't wanna see one in action." His unfamiliarity expected an exact telling of his immediate future, but it sounded like it was going to be a loose prediction of a future to come eventually. Hey, he wouldn't start getting picky now. Just her taking out the cards was something special to the young one, clearly there were surprises yet to be made known.

     Speaking of surprises, the kit was just full of them, apparently! "Slightly alive," he'd chuckle, reiterating his point. "I don't think they're growing arms and legs to work a nine-to-five while they're out of our possession, but they have enough to bond with certain people who are tuned into their energies.

     Knuckles never mentioned having any full conversations with the M.E., just feelings and sensations that it gave him. And when it had to be shattered for protection, he spoke on receiving mental images of zones where the shards were. ...Vaguely. It wasn't a pinpoint location. But it helped him start searching somewhere strong instead of having to scan the entire planet from head to toe."

     As for her following question? The usual intelligence that brought forth confident answers wavered that small bit. His response was far from immediate. Like the pink heroine had caught the yellow-tailed genius flat-footed. Sights fell in contemplation, only returning to meet Amy's emeralds once they had some fleck traces of apprehension throughout.

     "...Gosh, I hope not." FOR THE KID WHO COULD SEEMINGLY THINK OF EVERYTHING— "I didn't even think to ask Knuckles that. Um... Well, I mean... probably not?" Probably? "I'm almost certain it wouldn't!" ALMOST. "...Then again, Knuckles never has let me do direct tests involving the Master Emerald... I always just assumed it's because he's so protective of the thing and isn't familiar with too many forms of technology. So the notion was an uncomfortable one for him!

     Gaia, you don't think they're upset by having a little bit of their energy extracted, do you?! Surely the most it would ever be akin to is having blood drawn at the doctor's, right? I'm always sure to be careful and respectful whenever I have the chance to work with a real Chaos Emerald. Even though they're seemingly infinite, I only ever take enough to work with!"

     If he was upsetting the Emeralds in some way, shape, or form, surely he'd know by now, right? Knuckles or Shadow or Sonic or something would've surely told him, right?! "Can your tarot cards tell me if the Chaos Emeralds hate me?" He's only panicking a little.

...IS she losing him? Tails isn't saying anything, but Amy has known him for long enough to pick up on certain quirks-- and his tails betray him right away. She can't tell exactly what is it about her explanation that's troubling him, though...ohhhh, she's really dug herself into a hole, hasn't she? Magic isn't as clean-cut as science seems to be...if she could've had at least time to prepare something instead of winging it like this--

"--A reading? Now?" Oh! Huh. Somehow this hadn't occured to her-- she'd used her tarot cards as a quick example more than anything, but she'd assumed Tails would show interest in THAT aspect of Magic the least. Tarot readings tend to be very open-ended; more than anything, they're a suggestion of the future instead of an accurate prediction of it...but if Tails is asking for an example, she's got no reason to deny him. "O-okay then, guess we'll keep it simple with a general reading. Is that okay with you?"

Another flick of both wrists-- and a slew of cards are shuffled into one neat stack in her hands, 78 in total. And no, it doesn't seem like she's going to elaborate on how she did that any time soon. Have fun rationalizing THAT one, Tails!

That being said, as she works on her arrangement, she continues to listen closely to Tails' explanation. Leave it to the fox genius to find a way to replicate infinite power if he can't find a way to get the real thing. Other people would probably be...concerned over such feats-- but Amy knows Tails. She knows he'd never use his own inventions with ill intent, and thus has no reason to fear. If anything, even if she doesn't quite pick on everything he just explained, she still feels fascinated by it...

...until something in particular catches her attention.

"The Emeralds are ALIVE?" Well, all things considered, she supposes something like this shouldn't surprise her anymore-- and it does explain quite a number of things, in retrospect Particularly Knuckles. No, that's not what really shocks Amy, but rather what it implies. "But...doesn't experimenting on her hurt them or something, if that's the case? Doesn't it...bother them?"

Again, she would never think Tails as capable of something so cruel if it were the case. And yet the thought won't leave her alone now that it's been planted in her overly sympathetic heart-- therefore, an explanation from Tails himself would be greatly appreciated.

[shades-of-stony]

ABO Stony AUs!

Celestial Navigation by  sabrecmc

Summary:  18 year old Omega!Tony finds himself Bonded to Captain Steve Rogers. He isn't happy about it until he is.

Note: Does it need any explanation? This fic is an all time classic and favorite in the Stony fandom!

Object: Matrimony by BladeoftheNebula

Summary: Omega Tony Stark craves adventure and an escape from the life his parents have planned for him in New York. He places a listing in a marriage catalogue to seek a match with an alpha out West, and Sheriff Steve Rogers answers his advertisement. But finding a nice alpha doesn't mean it's all smooth sailing from there..

- A Mail Order Bride AU -

Note: A 10/10! This has all the splendid elements of ABO with an added twist of a West setting and time! 

 The Team Omega by AngeNoir for PhenomenalAsterisk

Summary:  Steve Rogers is thawed, stressed, and not quite sure what Director Fury wants with him. Giving him a unit of all alphas, even if most of them Steve had fought alongside when the alien menace had nearly wiped out the entire city of New York... The thing is, more than four alphas wouldn't work in a unit with one another, not for long. Everyone knew that. Steve knew that, intimately, with the Howling Commandos.

Which was why Director Fury had, apparently, assigned them an omega.

Frustrated at the inability to even choose his team, let alone choose the omega that was supposed to keep the peace between everyone, Steve storms back to his unit's assigned quarters. There, he meets Tony Stark, grandchild of Howard Stark, clearly unhappy with his position and just as clearly unwilling to break contract with the U.S. military complex. So why was someone like Anthony Stark here, in Steve's charge?

And how could Steve even act upon his genuine attraction, with the power imbalance clearly in place?

Note: I admit, this has one of the best takes on ABO I read in a while! It’s a good read!

 If You Love Me I'll Love You Too by Carsonian

Summary: Starrk hands Steven a knife, leatherbound and strong, to fulfill the rite. The Alpha must go first. Steven takes Anthony’s hand, slices a clean line across the palm.

“And in the sharing of blood, I am become yours.” Steven recites.

Anthony takes the knife and returns the favour.

“And in the sharing of blood,” He looks up, eyes dark and unfathomable, “I am become yours.”

Note: A well-written ABO Stony fanfic with a dash of arranged marriage and Middle Ages (though the time period wasn’t exactly specified). It takes on how Steve and Tony navigates through their forced marriage and how they learn to care for each other!

Tribute Given, Treasure Gained by sphagnum

Summary: “Steve,” the Captain said, hand over his chest.

Tony licked his lips. Was he supposed to give his name, or remain silent until he was asked a direct question? The Captain--Steve, apparently--already knew his name, he had to, it had been included on the settlement he and Stane had signed. Was this a test? Time was passing and Steve was still waiting with his hand on his chest but Tony had to figure out the right answer fast or when Steve moved he might--“

Tony,” he blurted.

“Tony,” Steve repeated. He hadn’t come any closer. He said something short that might have been pleased to meet you or you look good on your knees. Tony had no way of knowing and he wasn’t going to risk echoing it. He kept quiet. See, Howard? I do know how to shut up when my life depends on it.

Note: A nice ABO with Warlord!Steve! This is a great read, with the steamy smut on the end being a nice cherry on top!

While We Pretend to Sleep by Typo66

Summary:  Tony pretends to be an alpha. Then he forgets he had been pretending. One thing he remembers is Steve. Steve tries to help out in his old fashioned, ethically strict way. Tony likes making big gestures. He has never been subtle.

Note: Another Stony classic! This is a great take on ‘Tony denying his nature’! A deifinite 10/10 read!

Rockabye by BladeoftheNebula

Summary: Cute alphas didn’t appear out of nowhere to help ruined omegas. That was a widely accepted fact.Tony Stark had always known his life wouldn’t be easy as a genius omega in an alpha’s world. But not even he predicted getting knocked up and forced to move to a small town in the middle of nowhere.

Note: A fun read where Firefighter!Steve lend a hand to pregnant Tony! It also takes place in a Small Town kind of setting, which is an added bonus!

In the middle of the night by defenceless_stark

Summary:  In the past, alphas used to only mate with other alphas and maybe the occasional beta or delta. Omegas were seen as useless and scum to alphas. Omegas would only stay in a pack if they could keep up and they were only protected if they were the head alpha’s offspring. Over time, alphas soon discovered that omegas were useful for producing offspring, due to their high fertility rates and weaker genes, so, in most cases, only the alpha’s genes will pass on. Alphas soon evolved to an omega’s scent, making them possessive and dominant over omegas which led to an increase in abuse and mistreatment. Steven Rogers was expected to be an omega, but much to everyone’s to surprise, he was an alpha.

Anthony Stark was expected to be an alpha, but much to his father’s disappointment, he was an omega.

Like any omega, Tony had his fair share of omega abuse and harassment. But unlike any other omega, he wasn’t one to sit around and take it.

Note: If you are avid ABO fan, this is a Stony fanfic that you wouldn’t want to miss! 

In A Rut by rougewinter

“You don’t have to do this, Tony.” Pepper said as she tightened her white knuckled grip on the clipboard in her arms. “I’m sure we can find someone else.”

“Yes. I do.” Tony said, surprised that his voice came out steadier than he expected.

Or the one where Steve goes into an Alpha Rut and Tony is the only one who can help.

Note: A short but sweet-well, not sweet since it has that dose of great smut! make sure to check it’s sequel where Tony is in heat! (Heat Up by rougewinter for avengemehamlet)

Please don’t (give me what I want) by masterlokisev159

Summary: After the events in Siberia, a new law is declared and Steve and Tony's newly reformed relationship is torn to pieces.

Then Tony goes into heat. And Steve is adamant to save it.

A post-civil war story where Tony is put in a position where he cannot consent to anything at all. Steve, the strongest alpha of all time, is furious.

Note: For those Stony shippers that wants a bit of angst! 

Perfect Man for the Job by Ilearnedtoreadforthis

Summary: After his ordeal in Afghanistan, omega Tony creates the Stark Housing Initiative: Executive Level Development (or S.H.I.E.L.D., for short) to provide housing to returning veterans. When alpha Steve Rogers applies to manage S.H.I.E.L.D., it turns Tony's life upside down.

Note: This is a cute employee/boss story with a dash of ABO! 

World Acclimation by Del_Rion

Summary:  When an unexplained phenomenon washes over the entire planet, the Avengers are left to struggle along with the rest of the population. Chains of command, relationships and friendships alike are put to the test as new biological imperatives take hold, and only one thing is certain: the world will never be the same.

Note: This is one of my favorites! It has a unique take on ABO that I don’t see often. And well, Am still hoping for the next installment. Though, read the tags carefully!

You Are Not Broken, Just Bent. by NazakiSama166

Summary: He won't break!

No matter how much he was tortured, no matter how much he was beaten, starved, threatened... He won't, he won't, he won't!

Until he did...

--- When Shield uncovers a hidden sub-basement in the house of Obadiah Stane, they find a tortured omega and his pup. Everything went down the drain when that Omega turned out to be Tony Stark, Howard Stark's son that went missing six years ago.

Note: Anyone in the mood for angst?

WIP: 

Finding Pack by Naferty

Summary: In a world where pack means everything from status to fame to survival and to family, newly pack-less Tony Stark is trying to survive after those he once trusted betrayed him, and starting over by searching for a new pack to take him in, but with his age and status weighing heavily on his shoulders finding someone to take a chance on him might be easier said than done.

What pack wanted an old infertile omega in their ranks? Certainly not the famous Avengers pack led by the equally famous Captain.

Note: This is a bit of a slow burn Stony fanfic that ticks all ABO boxes! It’s an all-time-favorite and classic! 

Secrets Don't Make Friends by sayah1112

Summary: Tony Stark has a secret. Several, in fact. Outed to the world as an Omega, he finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. His only hope at salvation rests upon the strong shoulders of a certain Captain Steven Rogers. The problem? Rogers hates his guts.

Note: Another favorite of mine! This is a great hurt/comfort fanfic centered on stony!

This is just part 1 guys! I’m kind of a big fan of ABO so I have a few more to recommend!

[backandimbamon]

Bonnie playing with Damon's hair and he all sleepy 😊

this really took a while because… i was going to stop at the first half but i wanted to consider Bonnie’s perspective (: and then it got a lil spicy and i was like *sigh* why must you always take it there? but i mean- 👁- i always take it there because we were robbed!!! Damon is practically a self proclaimed sex god and i hate how they separated Bonnie from her sexuality, or really any form of intimacy for sooo long. and the scraps we got were NEVER enough. okay anyways yeah i’m finally done, like let’s get into it.

Damon notices that Bonnie touches him sparingly and really not because she wants to but because it happens accidentally every now and then, one of the perks about frequently invading her space.

Being stuck on the other side, there is less room for her and more for him, she’s in his world now which means it’s his duty to make her feel as uncomfortably comfortable as possible.

He notices everything; how her cheeks turn red when their knuckles brush against one another’s, how she takes in an exasperated little breath when their shoulders touch, how she rolls her eyes when he stands entirely too close. Damon hangs on to these moments because this may be his only form of female contact he’ll receive for a very, very, long time.

That is the only reason he hangs on.

Anytime she touches him intentionally, he feels a pride swell deep in his chest that he’s liked by Bonnie after a rocky road of ups and downs, fussing and fighting, he is finally deemed worthy enough for her to care about him even if it’s brief, even if it’s the smallest skin to skin contact imaginable.

And yes, he cares because if he has to spend the rest of eternity with one person, they might as well get along.

Movie night comes around so he rests his head in her lap, testing the waters, to see how she will respond to him. He senses her tense up a bit as predicted, but then she relaxes into it breath by breath like she’s doing a tricky yoga pose.

Bonnie’s body lotion makes her skin smell edible- cocoa and honey- she’ll never know but that’s why he nicknames her Bon Bon, she always smells good enough to eat. At this point, Damon can’t recall the VHS movie on the block of a television, his focus has been robbed by Bonnie and this new form of contact she allows him to try. Half of his smile sinks into the cotton of her leggings.

Her eyes never leave the screen when she laces her fingers through his hair, nails surfing through tufts of raven-black and the gesture is so shocking and embarrassingly arousing that a strangled groan gets trapped in his throat.

She panics, and he can tell by the change in her heart rate before saying. “Did I hurt you?” He has to clear his throat to speak.

“Hmmm mm, feels good,” he mumbles feigning casual so she can’t realize how he needs this so so bad that he’s fearful of it being taken away. In his mind he thinks about what if.

What if she wakes up and decides she doesn’t want to tap dance on the line between what is and isn’t acceptable for two best friends. What if she remembers that he’s actually a terrible person who has done horrendous things to her and everyone she’s ever loved.

She shouldn’t like him or try not to laugh at his jokes. Not at all. Bonnie should’ve killed him a long, long time ago because if anyone could do it, it’d be her. He can see her now, all badass and angry with a wooden stake in her hand, vengeance in her eyes, the very last thing he’d see before his lights went out forever.

Bonnie, the giver and the taker.

Bonnie, the only god he knew.

Damon finds himself thinking so intensely lately that he checks the mirror more often than not to make sure he has no brooding lines like his little brother. Stefan’s expansive forehead has the room for it, his perfectly shaped forehead does not.

She laces her fingers back through his hair again and his eyes flutter, that’s how good it feels. It’s sensational. And while he’s had his hair pulled in and out of the bedroom, the innocence of her touch makes him want to melt. He finds his lids growing heavier, like how they used to do a century-and-a-half ago when he was human.

Running through dandelion fields in the overbearing Virginia heat, the sun up above sending heavy gusts of sunshine beams, a moment he considers to be oppressive now, used to be magical then- miraculous -and despite sweating through his britches and overcoat he never cared enough to stop running through the fields. The sun was the greatest thing all those years ago, back when white was his favorite color.

And after drawing a long, hot bath, he’d sink deep into the water while the bubbles floated to the top. Damon would close his eyes, hold his breath, see if he could break his prior record. Then he’d get out and the sleep would welcome him like any drowsy being, with open arms. And there he’d fall.

Bonnie has that affect on him. She makes him think of home, his past, when times were simpler and he was human.

He feels that exhausted sometimes, a boy who’s never stopped running through dandelion fields, whether it snows or rains or burns him alive. Her fingernails rake through his scalp- orange leaves on browning grass. Ruining Stefan’s piles for the fun of it. His lids droop. Tired of being consumed by himself, by Bonnie, he admits defeat this time. When he finally drifts off, he remembers that the Virginia heat gave him this same warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

“You really don’t know how good this feels,” his final words are hoarse before he drifts off but the last thing he sees is Bonnie.

The giver and the taker, the only god he knows.

.

Bonnie refuses to relish in the magic of the moment, the fact that it’s so rare Damon ever completely lets his guard down around her. She can always feel his eyes on her, constantly watching because Damon has a presence that’s inescapable.

Being so close to him when he’s extremely vulnerable makes her realize that in all facets, he’s stunning. A stunning that’s almost suffocating but with the dynamic they possess, he only needs to know that he’s not that much of an eye sore.

Now, she stares with wide eyes while she can, memorizes the smooth expanse of skin, every strand of dark hair. Relishes in the feel of his arms around her waist, the weight of his head in her lap. It’s been a long time since she’s felt a body besides her own and as much as she likes to ignore the fact, she has needs, needs that have swelled from being in the presence of Damon for too long.

He’s sexy without any effort, she examines. His dark t-shirt has risen and his pants are low enough that she observes the waistline of (silk?) boxers, taut muscle, navel, happy trail, yeah. Bonnie drinks him in like a cool glass of milk before bedtime- never has this much pretty been in her lap before. Her hands find their way in his head again, tousles through and he nuzzles up against her in his sleep. It’s difficult to pull her eyes away from him, but when she does, the credits are rolling on the screen.

This is Damon she’s thinking about like this, her best friend and also her first best friend’s boyfriend. She repeats it again, not satisfied that the guilt isn’t drowning her like it sometimes does when she catches herself lingering on his attractiveness for too long but Mystic Falls, the real Mystic Falls seems so far away. Elena, Caroline, Matt, Alaric, her old life just seems unattainable, no bigger than a memory she occasionally mistakes for a bad dream.

There’s no denying that being away from it all, here with Damon as the only other person in the world, she feels…safe. Maybe even protected, it’s a stark contrast from the real Mystic Falls where her life is always on the line.

Bonnie starts to get up when she feels his hold on her tighten to prevent her from moving away. They play tug of war for a bit but she eventually stops fighting because Damon is a vampire after all, physical strength is going to get her nowhere. “Fine,” she grumbles, then plops down which causes the end of her top to ride up enough that she can feel the press of Damon’s nose on the curve of her waist. Despite trying to inch her shirt back down, she has no luck. Naturally Damon doesn’t mind.

He inhales her skin deeply, makes a sound of approval before groggily muttering, “Going topless now, are we Judgey?”

She grabs his hair again, yanks his head back as a rebuttal, and Damon bites his tongue so hard that it bleeds. He has to ensure that all of the blood in his body isn’t rushing south too fast but unfortunately, he would have to sever both his arms completely off to stop the blood flow.

Bonnie realizes the dazed look in his eyes isn’t one of pain nor is it from sleep, “Not the reaction you expected, huh?” He asks, gesturing for her to look down but she doesn’t, she can’t. She’s embarrassed, and to make matters worse, a teensy bit turned on.

“You scared, Bon Bon? I thought you were big and bad,” Damon mocks, pulling between his legs to make more room in his jeans, “it’s okay. I know Jeremy left much to be desired.” He sits up with swirls of longing still in his eyes, then grabs a pillow to place in his lap.

“Scared?” She guffaws. “Of what exactly?”

“Me…You.”

“And that means?”

“You’re a smart girl, Bon, figure it out.” Damon taunts, holding her eyes with his. “It’s awfully lonely here.”

She says nothing for a while, refusing to break eye contact first. “So.”

“Soooo, I won’t tell if you won’t.” It’s almost a joke, almost because she has a feeling if she says yes to whatever sort of ambiguous proposal he’s thrown up in the air, there won’t be any laughter. If she says no, it’s no different from his usual innuendos but boy, will she wonder.

“Wanna take a walk on the wild side?” He asks in a singsong tone, eyes dropping to her lips then back up to her eyes.

There are no alarms, no cell phones, no one here that can interrupt this moment. She has to answer, though she has no idea what will come out of her mouth. Bonnie shuts her eyes to make the moment less real, as if it will change the fact that she whispers, “Just one kiss,”

They’re nose to nose when Damon whispers back, “a peck.”

She swallows his breath. “Mhmm,”

“It’s nothing,”

“Nothing.”

“As light as air,” he presses his lips to hers for a brief moment then pulls back again. “See.” He peppers more kisses on her lips, down her jaw, the side of her neck, but they’re heavier. They have a density now. His tongue is on the flesh of her shoulder, teasing up her neck. She feels the light imprint of sharp canines, arousal surges through her like a power circuit, so intense that she moans. When he makes his way back up, their mouths both open in a feral kiss that robs them of air.

Bonnie holds his face in place though he makes no attempt to move away. The pillow falls out from between them when he grabs Bonnie’s leg to straddle him.

It’s nothing.

Nothing separating them from attacking each other’s mouths, nothing stopping Damon from gripping his best friend’s hips, nothing saving Bonnie from discarding his shirt.

His skin is cool enough that she can stream together some thought in between relentless kisses. “Damon,” she tries her best to sound admonishing.

“Please, not right now.” Damon cuffs both her wrists behind her with one hand and plants a hickey just above her cleavage. She sees stars. He already knows what the inflection in her voice means- the timing couldn’t be worse.“Let’s save the guilt for tomorrow morning.” His tone is octaves lower, almost as low as his lids. He drags his eyes up to hers, and they’re so shiny she can see her reflection. “I need this, Bonnie. Don’t you?”

He doesn’t bother waiting for a response, just continues on with his ministrations, hypnotized by the pheromones seeping off of her in waves, wanting to memorize the scent with his tongue. She whines his name, like actually whines his name, and the feeling that sits in the pit of his stomach scares him. Bonnie is so oblivious to the appeal she carries but if she sat in his skin for a day, hell, for a moment, she would realize just how long she’s been driving him insane.

“We can’t,” she groans weakly. “We can’t.”

Damon tries to breathe easier, but that feeling is lurking in his gut. She’s right. The things he’d do to her, he’d break her in half. He removes Bonnie from his lap, separates from her warmth, her scent. Backs away until the tv threatens to fall off the stand. Everything in him tells him to go back, to reenter the magnetic pull, to poke at her forcefield.

He backs away even further if possible. Her breath catches at the distance.

Bonnie’s cheeks are flushed, warm and red like fruit. If she was an apple, she would have already been eaten down to the core. If she was a peach, it would be easier to explain why he ate her. He thinks to himself that he’s officially off the rails, comparing Bonnie to fruit like he is, but he’s trying to rationalize his irrationality. Because if Bonnie never stopped him, he’d definitely be eating something by now.

“Nothing happened.” She says, ignoring his expression and the silent plea in his eyes.

“Nothing.” He deadpans, throwing his shirt back over his head.

Damon thinks of how different things would be if he had his way. Bonnie, spent, drunk, high off of him. Bleeding and wild, pretty and dangerous, yelling for God. He would plunge Jeremy right out of her, help her find her magic again. Give her everything she could dream of. He gulps.

She doesn’t sleep with him tonight, not in the same bed. She’s on the opposite end of the boarding house when he hears her slide under the covers.

The next morning, he thinks to himself, if she even utters a word about last night, he’ll pick up from where he left off. But she doesn’t, her eyes are far away again, and the only proof he has of their adventures is the wonderful, purple hickey.

When movie night comes back around, his head is in her lap and her hand is back in his hair, running to and fro like him in his lavender fields.

That’s all he gets.

Every now and then, it’s enough.

Bonnie gives and takes, then takes away some more.

She’s the closest thing to God he’ll probably ever know.

[mrsgiovanna]

Between guilt and obsession (Yan! Don Giorno x Fem! Reader)

A nonnie mouse asked how would the unhinged Don act if his s/o was almost killed, and this is how I imagined it. I'm sorry in advance my nonnie, 😅😢♥️💕🐞

TW: mentions of injuries, anxiety, yandere themes, implied death.

Word Count: 1.4k

The atmosphere inside the villa was miserable, devoid of any of the joy you usually colored the place with. Giorno, usually found in his study on days that he spent at home, was nowhere to be found either. The harrowing silence was broken by the sound of metal striking the marble flooring as the young Don emerged from the basement, wiping his bloodied hands on a towel, coloring the plush white cotton material red. There was no joy in his eyes, none of the sparkle that was usually there, the emeralds had been clouded over by moss.

Your eyelids felt weighted down as you attempted to pry them open with much difficulty. You realize that the bed you’re lying on doesn’t feel the same as the one you have grown accustomed to. Finally, able to sit up and take in your surroundings, you realized that you were in the main bedroom of the villa- you were in Giorno’s room. Your rooms had an adjoining door separating them, but you always spent most of your time in your own space. Feeling dizzy as you swung your legs off the bed, the events of the day came screaming back to you, and you were panic stricken once again, the only difference was that Giorno wasn’t there to help you manage your emotions- this time you were alone.

It started off like any other normal day… well as normal as could be in your sheltered little world. You were preparing to go out with Giorno when a knock on your door interrupted you while you put on your mascara. Continuing to primp your lashes, you found it odd when you heard the second knock, as the blond would usually just knock once and let himself in, but this time nobody walked in, prompting you to answer the door upon the third knock. Everything happened so quickly, you didn’t have time to react before the enemy’s arm ran through your body, feeling the searing pain and then nothing at all, your vision clouded over seeing a golden glow envelop your body, you were jolted back to lucidity for a moment when the most intense physical pain overtook your body… and then darkness again, the last sound you heard being Giorno’s guttural scream.

Giorno checked to ensure you were still alive, with his guards already having apprehended the offender who, he decided, would be dealt with by him, personally, later on. For now, his main concern was you and ensuring that you were okay. Being driven halfway to insanity by the large blood splatter in your room, he carried your unconscious body to his room. Gently laying you down on the bed, he waited for you to open your eyes once again, knowing that you were going to be inconsolable by anyone other than himself. Just as he predicted, you were in shock, and it took a lot of gentle coaxing to calm you down while he waited for the effects of the adrenalin to wear off, which resulted in you passing out again, this time, in a deep slumber as opposed to being on the precipice of death.

Having seen you teetering so close to demise under his watch, was a personal insult to his entire sense of being, and unfortunately for you both, something in him shattered. Locking you inside his room and further reinforcing the entrance with vines, he starts walking to the basement to deal with the offender, GER materializing next to him, with a similar expression of rage on their face, ready to dole out a punishment worse than death.

With the threats neutralized and security being amplified yet again, there was no longer any imminent danger… other than the damage done to Giorno’s psyche. When he came to unlock the doors and let you out, his entire demeanor had changed, his voice monotonous, and his displays of affection were robotic, as if he was running on autopilot. He had all your things moved from your room to his without entertaining any arguments, permanently sealing off the room that served as a reminder of his shortcomings.

In the days that followed, Giorno became more and more aloof, it seemed paradoxically, that the closer you were in physical proximity to one another, the further your minds drifted from each other. Even though you were ensnared by him under the most questionable circumstances, you grew to care for him, although you wondered if your yearning was exacerbated by the fact that nobody in the villa interacted with you as freely as they once did, due, in no small part, to Giorno no doubt. Knowing the limits to how much of this you could handle you resolved to speak to the young don about this, staying up so you could catch him just before he got into bed after his shower.

You watched him crack the joints in his neck and shoulders with a sigh before pulling on his sleepwear.

“Gio…” you said in a soft voice, not wanting to startle him.

“Oh… (y/n), I thought you were asleep.” He answered you with his back still facing you, getting the last bit of water out of his hair.

“I couldn’t fall asleep… Gio, talk to me… I know you’re not okay,”

“I’m fine,” his curt response annoyed you, but you pushed on with the conversation.

“You’re lying, I know how you usually are, and this isn’t it. Your entire attitude towards me has changed, it’s like you hate me,” saying that struck a nerve, as he stopped drying his hair to turn around and look at you, unsure of how to reply to something so absurd.

“You can’t even deny it… if you hate me so much, then just let me go. Just get rid of me, anything would be better than existing like some wilting rose in an ornate vase,” you were finally able to place the emotion flashing in his eyes, he was angry… still.

“Get rid of you? I see I’ve been too lenient with you…”

“Stop acting like this… You’re not like this… not with me anyway,”

“Clearly, you’ve forgotten who you’re speaking to…”

“I haven’t, but I’m tired of speaking to Don Giovanna, I want to talk to Gio,”

“He’s gone...” He hated doing this to you, but he needed desperately for you to stop goading him. his mind was a mess, he needed comfort from you, hoping you would get his silent hints.

“Oh? Well then, I wonder if he even existed at all?” the tears pricked at your eyes, but you willed them not to fall, not in the middle of this.

“Stop…” Giorno’s voice came out as a whisper.

“Oh? Possessions aren’t supposed to speak, I’m sorry Don Giovanna,”

“Please, (y/n), stop it…”

“What? You don’t like repeating yourself?”

“Why are you provoking me like this? What do you want from me?” shouted Giorno, fisting the mirror he was looking into, causing his knuckles to bleed.

“I want you to let out your frustration about what happened, let it go and move on, or this is going to kill us both… I hate seeing you like this, knowing that this isn’t really who you are, I hate what you’re becoming, and I hate how I react to you when you’re like this!” your tears unfortunately betrayed you and left shiny streams across your cheeks.

Giorno inched his way towards you, a mixture of guilt and sorrow plaguing his heart. He didn’t want this incident to end up affecting you anymore than it already had but his inability to shake off his guilt combined with the austere instructions given to all his staff managed to create a miserable existence for you. Being blinded by his own rage and flashbacks to all the times he wasn’t able to save his precious allies, turned him into the very thing he swore to protect you from.

“(y/n) … bella, I’m sorry… none of this is your fault, and I could never hate you. I…” you saw the light slowly seep back into his eyes, vibrant emeralds regaining their shine, glossy with pent up emotions.

“Shhh, it will be okay,” you gently grasp his bloodied hand, “Why aren’t you fixing this? It looks painful… I know you have the ability to do so” you propose to him, touching the area of own former injury.

Contemplating whether or not to just leave his hand the way it was to serve as a reminder, the expectant look on your face convinced him otherwise, the softest of smiles blooming on your face when the wounds disappeared. It was then that Giorno realized that as much as he had orchestrated your need for him, perhaps he needed you around even more.

[crackinwise]

Mondo having a thing about coating Taka with hickeys and Taka having a thing about very much enjoying the process is a good headcanon I've seen used several times, in both fic and art.

I see it causing an issue for them at least once.

Kiyotaka has the syllabus and upcoming events memorized before he and Mondo have a "session" so he won't be caught broadcasting his love life unwelcomed. Besides, he always fears he'll be accused of being hedonistic and immoral just for using some free time to feel wanted by the man he loves.

Meanwhile, Mondo knows to keep it below the uniform collar, but that's a lot of fair game there. After one night where they get carried away, Taka's torso from the base of the neck down looks like a leopard. Taka looks like he lost a fight with an octopus. But it's fine because a)Taka wanted it, and b)he can still look presentable in public with them covered.

But, the next day at gym, the class is told the schedule had to be rearranged and everyone is to head up to the pool. Taka instantly panics.

As everyone starts walking, he grabs Mondo's arm and pulls him to the back of the group.

"Mondo," he hisses, "I can't go to the pool!"

"Why?"

Taka fully despairs for a brief second. "If I take off my uniform, everyone will see the marks you've made!"

The caveman part of Mondo's brain makes his chest want to swell with a mixture of pride and possession, but it plummets down to become a lead ball in his stomach the instant he notices the unshed tears and fear in Taka's large eyes.

"It's okay. S'okay, I'll figure somethin out. Let's just get goin," Mondo promises him.

He can't let Taka feel humiliated. He mostly trusts his classmates by now--Taka would never have another middle school experience--but this wasn't a couple hickeys to get teased over and laugh off. Their peers' first reaction might be to get Taka a bodyguard and Mondo a muzzle. The teacher might investigate; Taka's dad might be called. Mondo shakes away the mental image of a mortified Taka and tries to actually problem solve.

He couldn't picture Taka sitting the period out on the bleachers and risk being a bad class leader. Taka could lie about feeling sick or needing somewhere else to be to work on his Talent, but he wouldn't. Taka wouldn't forgive him for pulling the fire alarm either. He didn't know of any clubs Taka could help at this hour. Would anything at the pool hide him when they got there?

Mondo's head snaps up with an idea and he walks faster to catch up with the classmate who made swimming pools her domain. "Asahina!"

Hina stops hopping around excitedly next to Sakura and turns to address him. "Mondo? What's up?"

He starts to whisper while also glaring at any classmates daring to curiously rubberneck. "I need a favor. Do ya have one of them, like, swim shirts? Y'know, surfers and shit wear 'em?"

"A rash guard?"

"Sure."

Hina frowns, apologetic. "No, I never thought to bring one here since the pool is indoors." She gives him a once-over. "And I'm not sure we'd be the same size."

"It's not...for me." Mondo rubs the back of his neck anxiously. He makes sure to keep his voice low. "It's for Taka."

"Since when does Ishimaru prefer a rash guard while swimming?" Kyoko asks, suddenly appearing on Mondo's other side, startling him.

"Holy fuck! Who who asked you?!" he yelps.

"You're not as quiet as you think you are," she helpfully warns them. "Here, let's walk to the side a bit."

The three step to the outside of the pack of students to continue talking a bit more covertly.

"Now, Oowada, what's this about?" Kyoko asks, eyes sharp.

Yeah!" Hina loudly whispers back. "Is Taka all right? Him asking for cover is concerning, ya know!"

Mondo's defensive annoyance threatens to flare up. "He's fine, but he can't go in the pool today. I can't tell ya why, so don't ask."

Maybe if another teacher needed help, but Mondo didn't know of any and unless one walked down the hall, he couldn't beg them. Or the headmaster!

"Oi!" Mondo's outburst causes Hina to jump. He lowers his voice once again, "Kirigiri! I need ya to ask yer dad if he has anythin he can call for Taka to work on. Like, now, for the whole period."

Kyoko's cool eyes narrow at him. He knows she's still trying to suss out his motives.

"If it were just for you, I'd demand more of an explanation, but this is for Ishimaru, right?" Even as she asks, she has her phone out, texting the headmaster. Mondo catches a glimpse of her text starting with "URGENT" and feels a wave of appreciation.

Finished, she looks from her phone back to Taka, still uncharacteristically silent and walking yards behind everyone else. She notes how he's hugging himself and darting his unfocused eyes around.

"Hmm." Her hand is up to her chin in thought. "Well, all we can do is wait for my father to answer me or make an announcement on his own. I could always just lie and say my father requested him."

"Y'know damn well he'd hate that and give us both detention when he found out," Mondo gripes. He understands why Taka refuses a little dishonest help, but it's still frustrating as hell sometimes.

"Yes," she agrees, her voice was as level and confident as always, "but that depends on how much he'd rather be tricked than show off your love bites."

"Right? Damn."

Hina, still close by and listening, covered her mouth to muffle a giggle.

Then Mondo's steps faltered. "HEY!"

His shout echoed around the hall, causing a few students to eyeball them. Makoto was clutching his chest, about ready to imitate a fainting goat.

Kyoko didn't so much as blink though. "It's as if you forget who I am. But don't worry, I'll take all the blame for lying to Ishimaru if it comes to that."

"Thanks," Mondo sighs out. "If you two didn't help, I was gonna pay Hiro to predict a pool disaster big enough to stall."

That causes Hina and Kyoko to realize the severity of the situation might be more than simple awkwardness.

"You know Hiro would try to charge you, like, hundreds of dollars for that," Hina says, worried. "Maybe thousands. Is Taka really that embarrassed by a hickey?"

Mondo swallows thickly but doesn't answer. He feels incredibly guilty. He feels like a danger to Taka's reputation for a new reason than the usual ones that sometimes haunt him. He knows hormones and his lack of self-control are a bad mix, but add in Taka enthusiastically praising his mouth, and he has zero hope of restraint.

They arrive at the changing rooms for everyone to switch into their swimsuits before going to the pool. The other students file inside while Mondo, Hina, Kyoko, and the trailing Taka hang back.

When Taka stops in front of them, his wide eyes finally focus on Mondo. He glances at the girls then says, hopefully, "Any, um, ideas?"

Mondo worries Taka is going to have a panic attack with the way he's breathing and clutching his blazer closed. As if the marks were magically visible through his uniform shirt too.

Kyoko brings her phone screen up to her face to check for a reply, then shakes her head at Mondo. Hina wrings her hands.

Deciding he's just going to kidnap Taka for the rest of the day and risk his boyfriend never speaking to him again, Mondo starts to grab Taka's arm.

The P.A. system squeaks on. "ISHIMARU, YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED IN THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE, PLEASE!"

All four friends sag with relief. Hina does a little cheer, gives them a thumbs up and skips into the girl's changing room. Kyoko nods at Mondo's thankful expression and follows her inside.

Taka runs his fingers thru his hair, laughs bubbling out of him. He has no idea what had happened to save him, but he wasn't going to question it just now. He squeezes Mondo's wrist once with his left hand and smiles to convey he was never upset with his partner about the situation. Then he proceeds to speed-walk to the office.

Mondo's frayed nerves want him to break the rules and embrace Taka, but his impulsive actions have caused enough problems today. He turns to go get changed for the pool, his caveman pride starting to return after helping to protect his Kiyotaka.

Following this, Taka didn't let them have another "session" for a month, and when he did he made contingency plans to be nowhere near the pool for a full week.

[clarste]

Since it's been a few weeks, what's your opinion on Chapter 8 of Arknights? Reading about your opinion on other pieces of Arknights has been very nice so far.

I find this enemy description inordinately amusing so I will start with this before going to spoilers below the break.

1) First of all I am a sucker for flashbacks following the villain, so the basic structure of Chapter 8 was right up my alley. Even if Talulah's arc was more or less predictable—who among us did not expect Alina to die? I think some people might feel that it was a little too long, but honestly I think it said everything it needed to say and frankly there is nothing more important the chapter could have said. If anything, the parts that weren't about Talulah would be first on my chopping list if I were editing this story down. In particular, the whole bit with Kal'tsit and the sarcophagus and all that had almost nothing to do with the themes of this chapter or the Reunion arc, so they seemed especially superfluous. Even if that story might have been interesting told on its own.

2) Talulah. The main character of this chapter, obviously. I think there are two different angles to approach her from that seem almost mutually exclusive, which are that A) she is a tragic figure who started with noble ideals but was pushed to her limits until she became a ruthless shell of her former self and B) she is literally possessed by Kaschey, ie: the Deathless Black Snake, who is the immortal spirit of Imperialism manipulating the country of Ursus into a constant state of war. From what I've seen of people’s reactions, I think most people focus more on angle B, which makes sense because that is literally true in the story, but what I took from it is that it's a lot more ambiguous than that.

What I mean is that the story is constantly emphasizing that the Deathless Black Snake can only take action as long as Talulah agrees with it. It's more insidious than just an external ghost taking control of her (and thereby freeing her of responsibility for her actions), it's a philosophy that was planted in her by her mentor, a way of thinking, an idea. A living meme. So when I say that it's the immortal spirit of imperialism, I don't mean that as a joke, it is the embodiment of imperialism itself, of imperialist ideals and goals, manifested in this particular person the moment she starts seeing her enemies as obstacles to be eliminated instead of people with their own motivations. I certainly don't think that the trigger for the transformation was set arbitrarily, that's just Who She Needed To Be in order to buy into the ideas that Kaschey and the Snake had taught her from a young age. It’s also an ancient god taking physical control over her, but hey, it's fantasy.

Ultimately, we didn't defeat the Deathless Black Snake in battle, we just gave Talulah second thoughts. And she will live with what she's done for the rest of her life.

3) Amiya. In this chapter, more than anywhere else, it's clear that Amiya is the main character of Arknights. Sure, we have whatever Kal'tsit is plotting, and whatever the hell the Doctor is, but that doesn't actually matter. In fact, they spent this entire chapter walking around in the basement and never once interacting with Talulah. The Doctor shows up at the end with no idea what's going on or what happened, which is quite comical when you think about it.

By contrast, Amiya sees the big picture. Of the three people on top of the tower during the climax, only Amiya knows what both Talulah and Chen have been through, or indeed what she’s been though. What brought them all to that point. She is watching all these flashbacks right alongside us through her empathy powers. Which, as I've mentioned before, is really the best superpower in this setting: the power to see the world through someone else's eyes, and to feel the pain that drives them. And we, the players, feel what she feels. In a certain sense, she's even more of a player avatar here than even the Doctor, which I mean in the best possible way.

And of course her empathy gives her cool shounen superpowers that are suspiciously similar to Emiya Shirou, but I will allow it.

4) Chen. Chen is honestly kind of the weak link here, imo. While of course we've been following her character arc since chapter 3 and I don't mind where they've taken her, it ironically kind of felt to me like she had no personal stakes in the final battle. Which is odd since the story seemed to be hammering that it's all personal for her, what with Talulah being her long-lost sister and all that. The problem (imo) is that her close relationship with Talulah is all Told-Not-Shown, and also that Talulah is being possessed by the Deathless Black Snake, so it kind of feels like she's being left out of the loop, both in terms of knowing the facts and also emotionally.

I'm not saying she doesn't get any good lines, or that her banter with Amiya isn't cool or funny, I'm just saying that what should have been a big emotional moment at the climax of the story just sort of fell flat for me, and I was left wondering "wait, why is Chen here again?"

That said, I did enjoy her bit afterward where she's like "you need to stand fair trial for your crimes, Talulah, but in this world that discriminates against the Infected, there’s nowhere worthy of giving you one." I feel that sums up the game's stance on these things quite succinctly.

5) Rosmontis. Rosmontis had sort of an interesting arc here because it separated her from Amiya and I almost want to say that was a good thing? While I thought her relationship to Amiya was one of the most interesting things about her in the previous chapter, it almost feels like it was preventing her from forming bonds with other people and becoming a more well-rounded person? I guess what I want to say that is that Rosmontis was being coddled, sheltered, treated as a child. While some would call her a monster, Amiya was always around to say "no no no, don't listen to them, you're cute!" And while that was certainly nice of Amiya, it feels like what truly made her accept herself was almost the opposite: being accepted as a monster (or rather, a person with monstrous powers) by people used to fighting alongside monsters. Being told that she's allowed to hate the people who hurt her, and to be ruthless to her enemies. That her own emotions, both good or bad, are valid. For the first time, she felt human.

What you'll note, of course, is that these aren't exactly heroic virtues, and in fact they're kind of similar to what Amiya rejects and what got Talulah into so much trouble? Honestly I don't know if I would say Rosmontis is a good person right now, but what she is doing is thinking on her own for the first time, and deciding what's right and wrong for herself. It sounds almost malicious to put it this way, but it's like Amiya and Rhodes Island were trying to mold her into someone she's not. In some ways the opposite of what Kaschey did to Talulah.

I don't think her story is over yet, of course, but I found it an interesting direction to take. Rosmontis is on the path to find her own justice, which may or may not align with Rhodes Island's.

Also, kitty:

6) W. Back when I was doing a write-up for chapter 7, I said that maybe she would have been better off being recruitable in chapter 8 instead of 7, because it seemed a little early in her arc for that. I was wrong. She wouldn't fit in for chapter 8 either. Honestly she probably shouldn't be recruitable at all right now, not that I'm complaining as someone who uses her. Just, you know, narratively she is not at a place where she would consider joining RI, and in fact she ends the chapter pretty much going "later losers, I hope we never meet again." Which implies that the W in my squad right now is like a totally different person who is either from an alternate dimension or the future, after a lot of character development. That's not like the worst thing ever, it just seems a little weird to have her right now. W's story isn't about Reunion and never was. It's about Theresa and Babel, which as of now we are still only getting little hints of. I'd be glad to see that story when it happens, but until then W's just kind of there.

7) Themes. For some reason, this one line in this chapter really hit me. While it's not literally true, especially if you count all the former child slaves or feral children and whatnot, it does feel broadly true that most of the characters come from middle-class backgrounds. Like, your Krooses and Orchids of the world. Kal'tsit goes on to explain that this is because RI can only really recruit in cities, and that rural Infected tend to get thrown into the wilderness on their own and have no idea that RI exists.

Interestingly, this idea also sort of comes up in Talalah's side, when it's revealed that Talulah is the daughter of a duke, making her followers hesitate for a moment. While I don't recall it being explicitly spelled out, the implication was obviously that she's not "one of them" and this might be a cause for distrust. But what are "they' exactly? Clearly she is in fact Infected, she made sure of that herself. But she wasn't abandoned in the same way her followers were. She had a choice, and chose to side with the Infected. Which is honorable of her and all, but it also indicates a fundamental disconnect between them because they never had a choice. She could've used her influence to hide her oripathy and be treated like a normal person (as we saw happened with both Chen and Patriot), or used her wealth to get sent to a fancy private hospital like Rhodes Island, with the latest medical technology and treatments.

So while the story focuses on the discrimination of the Infected, it's clear here that that's not really the only thing going on. Being Infected means little to those in power, while for those without power it's just an an excuse to intrude on their lives and make sure they aren't "harboring any Infected" or whatever. Basically the story starts discussing intersectionality, which I found interesting.

8) This is a good line:

[snezandsickheadcanons]

Sicktember Day 8: Intense Coddling

Characters: Gil, Ha//kuno

Hakuno knew being in a relationship with Gilgamesh would be… interesting, to say the least. He was a difficult person to understand. Even knowing him this long, with everything they’d been through together, he still found ways to surprise her. 

She’d known from the get-go that his level of jealousy and possessiveness was off the charts. While he always kept himself physically and emotionally distant from those he saw as beneath him (including Hakuno herself originally), once he claimed something as his, he never wanted to let it go. Which is to say, he did certainly often stroke her face lovingly, hold her as they slept, or otherwise made some physical claim of her. But even then, he still always liked to keep himself in control, to never let his guard down too much, even to her. He was arrogant and childish, but he wasn’t needy.

So she couldn’t have predicted how absolutely clingy he’d get when he was sick.

“Gil, let go,” Hakuno sighed, trying to struggle free of his grip. She was laying next to him on their shared bed, feelingly absolutely steaming from the heat of his fever. “I can’t get you water if you won’t let me off the bed.”

Gilgamesh mumbled something into her shoulder, burying his face into her hair. There was a decent chance his nose was running again, but she tried not to think about it.

“What?”

“My mongrel… You can leave when I… say…”

Hakuno rolled her eyes and managed to free herself of his grasp. He was going all King of Heroes on her again. “I’m doing this to help you, you know,” she said, then lightly brushed her fingers across his forehead. “You’re burning up. You need to drink something.”

Telling Gilgamesh that he “needed” to do anything would usually get her a smug retort about how the king decided what he did and did not need to do, followed by him laughing as if his own voice was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. But now, he simply leaned his forehead against her hand, as if he couldn’t get enough of her touch. When she pulled away, his head lifted up as if to follow her, before sinking back down on the pillow.

Gilgamesh coughed harshly, his whole body contorting as the fit racked his body. It sounded painful.

With one more worried grimace, Hakuno turned to leave for the kitchen.

“Haku…no…” His voice sounded so weak. Not just that it physically sounded sick, but some of the pain and loneliness he was feeling was actually leaking through. 

“I’ll be right back,” Hakuno said, even as her heart skipped a beat at getting to see a rarer side of her Servant.

When she returned a few minutes later with the water, as promised, she’d barely entered the room before a portal to the Gate of Babylon appeared and took the glass from her hand. “Wha—Gil!”

A new portal dropped the class gently against the bedside table. 

“You couldn’t have waited just a few sec—onds?!” As soon as Hakuno had walked within arm’s reach of the bed, Gilgamesh had reached out and pulled her back down.

Hopeless. He’s hopeless.

Sighing again, Hakuno let herself be cuddled. It did feel nice, if a bit too hot. Despite everything, he always held her gently. Besides, if he was sick, she wanted to be there for him, as close as possible. 

��My treasures should remain by my side…” he muttered, but Hakuno could feel his hands shaking.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m right here.” There was nowhere she’d rather be. “You still need to drink the water, though.”

[nicknellie]

Anonymous requested: a Juke one shot based on the song 'Lets fall in love for the night' by Finneas

I’d never heard this song before, but I was seriously excited to write from it when I listened. And Juke is absolutely perfect for it too! This is the first time I’ve written Juke in a while and I’m so happy with how it turned out, thank you for your request!

I Know Better

You need a pick me up?

I’ll be there in twenty-five,

I like to push my luck,

So take my hand, let’s take a drive.

I’ve been living in the future,

Hopin’ I might see you sooner,

I want you, riding shotgun,

I knew when I got one right.

It was a lazy late night when Luke got the text through from Julie. He hadn’t been up to much, just picking at his guitar, trying to figure out a new melody but coming up blank. Bored out of his mind, he had been desperate for something to do, somewhere to go, someone to talk to. Perhaps he had been hoping for something just like this, a message from the girl who made his heart soar very much against his will, asking to see him.

She had asked to be picked up from work – apparently she’d had a very long day and just needed someone to talk to about something that wasn’t work. This happened a lot, Luke thought with a grin as he put his guitar away and headed to his car. Julie would ask him to see her after work, say she didn’t want to talk about it, and then talk about it for at least an hour before they even thought about mentioning anything else.

He didn’t mind. He would have listened to anything as long as Julie was the one saying it.

He clambered into his car and set off, muscle memory guiding him to the office block Julie worked at. It was supposed to be a half-hour-long drive at least, and even that was only in good traffic, but Luke was determined to get there quickly. He couldn’t have denied that Julie had been on his mind all day – like she always was – and for that reason he couldn’t wait to see her.

So maybe he ran a red light or two. Maybe he cut a few corners. Maybe he did some not-so-sensible things that were maybe not-so-safe, but it was just to get to Julie as fast as he could. The thought of her made him reckless, clouded his judgement, gave him the ability to do anything.

It was lucky it was such a late hour and there was hardly anyone else on the roads, otherwise Luke was certain he wouldn’t have got to Julie as quickly as he did.

As it happened, he managed to shave five minutes off the journey, arriving outside the building in about twenty minutes. He could see Julie sat on the front steps of the building, all the lights turned off inside so she was only lit by a nearby streetlamp and the light from her phone. She was wrapped up in a thick coat, her hair spilling out over her shoulders in that way Luke thought was more beautiful than anything else. In his head, he knew he could have just texted her to say he was there, or waited for her to notice him herself seeing as his was the only car around, but instead he opened the door and climbed out, heading straight for her.

Julie only looked up from her phone when Luke was just a few paces away. The way she smiled at him – small, sweet, soft, breathtakingly beautiful – melted Luke’s heart right then and there. It was almost difficult to maintain his appearance of cool and casual when she looked at him like that, but he forced himself to keep it up.

“Hey,” he said, grinning down at her.

“Hi,” she returned, still smiling that cute little smile. “Thanks for coming to pick me up.”

“Anytime,” Luke said, waving a dismissive hand. “You know that.”

He extended a hand to her, holding it out like a gift, an offering. A prayer.

Take my hand, Julie, take it and never let go.

“Do you want to come back to my place?” he asked. There was an unspoken ‘or I could take you straight home’ but Luke didn’t want to put the idea of leaving him in her head.

But that worry was silenced as soon as it reared its ugly head because Julie slipped her hand into his and hoisted herself up. Her fingers were much smaller than his, long and delicate, a pianist’s hands. A small part of him wanted to do nothing more than just stand here with Julie, hand in hand, nothing else between them but the silence of the late hour.

He tore himself away from the thought, but not from Julie. Hands still linked between them, they headed back to Luke’s car, charged silence drifting over them.

There were times that Julie didn’t feel real to Luke. The whole concept of a person like her was too perfect to ever truly exist. What were the chances that one person could have so much talent, charm, intelligence, wit, care, love, humour, beauty, sense of adventure, trust, loyalty, and the thousands of other qualities that Julie possessed? What were the chances a person could so easily embody everything good in the world?

At times like that, he was glad he got to hold her hand. Prove that she was really here.

He had been thinking of her all day. Wanting to see her, wanting to hold her, to sing with her, to talk to her, just to be in her presence. He had briefly entertained the thought of actually doing something with Julie, going somewhere together or doing something – anything – more than just talking like they usually did. But he’d soon realised that just talking to Julie was as good as anything could ever get.

His wandering mind hadn’t stopped there thought. Regretfully, he had thought about the future. Whether he and Julie had any chance of one. Luke didn’t often think further ahead than twenty-four hours, but when it came to Julie he wanted to plan his entire life around her. He wanted to be with her forever, and when he thought about it that was all he wanted. Just to be with Julie.

When he thought about the future, she was all he saw.

Together, they got back in Luke’s car, Luke behind the steering wheel and Julie riding shotgun next to him. They had let go of each other’s hands, but Luke reached across of gently squeezed her hand one last time before resting his hands on the wheel and starting the car. His heart was beating faster than he’d ever thought possible, thrumming with some thrilled and exhilarated energy which he was sure was the only thing keeping him alive at that moment.

Whatever it was, it was coming from Julie, and he knew then that he needed her to survive. Right by her side was exactly where he belonged.

I love it when you talk that nerdy shit,

We’re in our twenties talking thirties shit,

We’re making money but we’re saving it,

‘Cause talking shit is cheap and we talk a lot of it.

You won’t stay with me, I know,

But you can have your way with me until you go,

And before your kisses turn into bruises, I’m a warning.

Like normal, they ended up in Luke’s apartment. It had been their same old routine – consider going out for a drink (coffee, at Julie’s insistence, because she had work in the morning and didn’t want to get drunk), realise there was nowhere open that wasn’t a bar, so head back to Luke’s place and use his coffee machine before inevitably ending up like this: sprawled across each other on Luke’s bed, too close to be friendly.

Luke was lying on his back, one leg arched, one hand underneath his head. Julie lay across him, her head rested on his abdomen, her hair tickling his bare skin where his top had ridden up an inch or so. One of her legs was hanging off the bed, the other tucked under it in a way that looked uncomfortable but must have worked for Julie. Luke had her hand in his, toying with her dainty little fingers, running his fingertips across the palm of her hand every now and then and delighting at the way it made her shiver. Both were staring up at the ceiling, not at each other.

As he had predicted, Julie was talking about work although she had said she didn’t want to. Truthfully, Luke didn’t really know what Julie did for a living, only that it involved ‘algorithms and science stuff’ and it seemed dreadfully boring. She clearly loved her job, as much as she complained about the hours, but Luke knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do forever. Still, listening to her talk about whatever equation she’d used that day or whatever machine she was helping create brought a smile to Luke’s face that nothing else could have summoned.

Because Julie was a girl made of passion and talent and beauty and love. And right that moment, her passion was burning like the brightest star in the sky, and Luke couldn’t make himself look away.

“It’s only temporary though,” Julie said eventually. “I won’t be there forever. It pays well enough for me to save for a bigger apartment – maybe a house if I’m lucky, or if I stay there long enough. When I’ve got the time and the space and the money, I’m going to do music. Properly, I mean, not just open mic night down at Eats and Beats. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, it’s my only real goal. Get a house, get a record deal, get my dream life. However long it takes, whatever I have to do to get there.”

“You’ll find that happiness,” Luke assured her. “If anyone can do it, you can.”

Julie hummed a laugh and instinctively curled her fingers around Luke’s where they were still rested on his palm. If Luke stopped breathing for a moment, did nothing but gaze and smile in awe at the way Julie so naturally held on to him, Julie either didn’t notice or didn’t mention it.

“What about you?” she asked quietly.

“Music,” Luke said, not missing a beat. “Same as you. I might only be busking and doing open mic nights now, but if I save all the money I make from that eventually I’ll have enough to buy some really good equipment, hopefully hire a manager, really get myself started. I know it’s not gonna be easy, but…”

“But it’s all you’ve ever dreamed of,” Julie finished for him. He felt her nod. “It’s the same for me.”

Teasingly, Luke said, “Hey, if we have the same dream why not follow it together? We could start a band.”

Julie laughed – Luke felt his heart flutter at the sound. She rolled her head to the side to face him, so Luke lifted his head a little so he could actually look her in the eye.

“You and me?” Julie said. “Starting a band?”

“It could be fun,” Luke chuckled with a shrug. He was only half-joking; if he got to chase his music dream with Julie then it would basically be like chasing two dreams at once. “We’re both talented. We could make something really special.”

She laughed again, quieter this time, something solemn about it. Luke wondered if maybe she was really considering it too.

But there was a little voice in the back of his head, something bitter that he thought might have resembled brutal honesty. Julie was too perfect to ever stay with him, in any sense of the word. She deserved someone better, someone who matched her untouchable flawlessness, someone who could really give her everything she needed. Luke didn’t think for a moment that could be him. Besides, someone like Julie would never settle for him.

And yet, when she looked at him like that, brown eyes wide and deep and sparkling, full of their own private universes, seeing Luke at that moment and nothing else, it was hard for him to convince himself that they weren’t made for each other.

It could never last, he reminded himself. He would never be able to keep something he wanted so desperately.

Instead of replying to him, Julie shifted her weight, rolling over so that her arms were crossed over Luke’s chest and her body was half on top of his. Still he looked her in the eye – he never wanted to look anywhere else.

But when she leaned down to kiss him in a way that felt forbidden but mind-blowingly right, he couldn’t help but close his eyes and melt.

It wasn’t every day that Julie Molina would kiss him. He wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Let’s fall in love for the night,

And forget in the mornin’.

Play me a song that you like,

You can bet I’ll know every line.

I’m the boy that your boy hoped that you would avoid,

Don’t waste your eyes on jealous guys, fuck that noise.

I know better than to call you mine.

The sun was rising, an amber glow mingled with red and peach and the tiniest tint of blue, peeking through Luke’s thin curtains, but he and Julie hadn’t even slept. They were awake, but admittedly tired, running only on the adrenaline that came from being in one another’s company.

They were still sat on his bed, cross-legged across from each other, Luke with his acoustic guitar in hand. Julie had asked if he had been working on any new songs recently, and who was he to refuse the most gorgeous girl in the world a solo performance? He was picking out a melody he had thought up a few days ago, one that he could get out of his head for some unknown reason. It was only notes so far – he hadn’t had the time to pull any lyrics to it – but it was still a slow, soft melody that made him feel so relaxed that he almost felt as if he’d left reality behind.

All that was pulling him back down to Earth was Julie because she was proving yet again that she was some sort of miracle. When Luke started playing, she had nodded her head, swayed a little, just enjoyed the music. But a few bars in, she had started humming along.

When Luke hit the chorus, Julie sang.

It should have been impossible. Julie had never heard the song before, and even if she had it wasn’t like there were lyrics she could have followed. But somehow she was doing it, pulling the perfect words from nowhere and fitting them to Luke’s melody with ease, like she’d sung this very song a thousand times before. Somehow, she pre-empted every rhythm, every note, every ascending pattern and every dropping dynamic and matched him effortlessly. When Luke instinctively began humming a harmony to her voice, she took it in her stride and reached for notes Luke hadn’t known anyone was capable of hitting.

When Luke hit the last chord, Julie sang a breath-taking, elegant descending run, her eyes closed, a gentle smile playing about her lips.

Not for the first time, he wondered how Julie was even real.

But then a wholly unwelcome thought came to his mind. Julie had a guy. Kind of. Not really. There was someone very interested in Julie (someone other than Luke) who she told him about sometimes. From what Luke knew, he brought her flowers sometimes, he paid her compliments, he texted her almost as much as Luke did. Julie refused to say she was dating him and Luke believed her, but the problem was that this guy clearly wanted to date Julie.

Luke wasn’t jealous. He and Julie weren’t dating and he just wanted to her be happy, so if it turned out that this guy made her happier than Luke did, he would go with it. For Julie, he would go with it.

But he also knew, since Julie had told him herself, that this guy had something against Luke.

Luke had to wonder whether he saw him as a threat.

This guy, it seemed, was jealous. He wanted Julie to himself, which really wasn’t fair on the rest of the world. Julie didn’t deserve to be kept in a box, locked away for just one guy to look at, especially a guy who would get mad when anyone else tried to look at her.

Luke didn’t want that for her.

“Julie,” he said quietly. “You deserve someone amazing. Someone as incredible as you are. They’ll love you no matter what, they’ll trust you, they’ll… they’ll really care about you. That’s what you deserve in life. Along with everything else you could ever want. And I hope you get it.”

She was silent for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face which would have been totally blank if it weren’t for the twitch of her lips and the light in her eyes. Luke wondered, suddenly panicked, if he’d been too obvious about how he felt about her. But thankfully, she just smiled that sweet smile and said, “Thank you, Luke.”

He thought his heart might explode just from those three words.

He thought it even more so when Julie leaned forward and their lips brushed yet again and he realised he was going to get to kiss her again so maybe, just maybe–

The alarm on his phone went off and snapped their moment in two.

Julie sighed heavily and pulled away. Luke immediately missed her warmth.

“This was fun, Luke,” she said, already standing up and stretching. “Really. I love being here with you. But I have work. I need to get going.”

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn’t think of anything worse than Julie leaving right then. But he didn’t tell her that. He told her, “It’s fine, you go. You’ve got to chase those dreams of yours somehow.”

Neither of them said goodbye. They just shared a bittersweet smile and Julie left his apartment.

Luke let her, watching out of his bedroom window as she walked further and further away from him down the street. He wanted to chase her, his dream, but he didn’t.

After all, he knew better than to ever call her his.