#i remember there was a poll a while back asking people if they thought it was ok to tell ml fan creators that you hate the show unprompted

[buggachat]

legitimate question ....... why do people like to tell me all the reasons they don't like miraculous ladybug? i know i complain about the fact a lot, and i find myself on the defensive a lot, and i keep telling myself i'll stop and let it go, but it really is hard when people are always coming onto my posts, in my replies, in my comments, on my art and my fics and my text posts and anything i make, and telling me blatantly all the ways that they don't like the thing that i so blatantly find enjoyment in. "the show is bad". okay? good for you? why are you on my post about it? why don't you make your own? why are you telling me, specifically, this, on the art/fic/analysis i made that i assume you found by searching through the tag?

it's kind of a behavior that i legitimately don't understand. I'm a human being and I hate a lot of things, too. there are things i've loved at first and been disappointed by and have strong opinions about. there are things i like to complain about. so i'll complain about them to my friends or my family or my cat. but i have never, once, not even for a single moment, thought, "oh let me go into the tags of this media, find a positive post about it written by someone who's having fun with it, and make it that random stranger's problem". never once.

i just don't get it. i really don't get it. i sometimes worry that i come across like i'm heavily critical of people who just personally don't like the show, when really i'm just trying to defend my interests to the droves of strangers who are always coming specifically to me to tell me all the ways they hate the thing that makes me happy.

just.......... why? where does the urge come from? what do you get out of this?

[miru667]

Hey king you dropped this 👑

So, SO honoured to have been part of @hmosexymanzine !! For my piece I wanted to make a ref to sexyman character tournament polls, so here is our beloved Once-ler, the OG tumblr sexyman, going back in for the fight while being supported by a few notable colleagues..😇

Download the zine for free [HERE!] Keep reading below for my process vid and commentary!

As a total departure from the warm tones of my previous Once-ler zine pieces [link] [link], I decided to do a piece with cool tones this time :3

Admittedly I didn't have many ideas, except that I had been wanting to draw a beaten up Once-ler again for YEARS now and I figured this would be a perfect opportunity because this is a SEXYman zine and he's HOT like that...and that I also wanted to make a comfort piece (beyond just beating him up). And what I remembered was how shocking the infamous 2022 Sexyman Tournament poll on twit had been for us in the onceler fandom...because the Once-ler had lost SO early on?? In the very first round, to Megamind!!

We were so sad.

So I thought, what if, instead of pitting characters against each other, they supported each other instead? Let's show some respect for the original, very first tumblr sexyman! So then I drew this self-indulgent piece.

Apart from the Once-ler, I included 5 other sexymen: the 4 from the semifinals of the 2022 poll, and Megamind who was the one who had won directly against Once-ler. You've gotta look very closely to see Bill Cipher.

I gave Once-ler a signet ring, along with the crown and cigar, to make it feel like he's of high status - because he is! He's an important figure in fandom history.

The other sexymen (other than Bill Cipher) were drawn only as their arms as a nod to the original Lorax book where the Once-ler is only shown as a pair of arms. But I still tried to keep everyone in-character! One of my favourite decisions was to make Sans' lighter flame blue, just like how a lot of people like to draw him with a flaming blue eye in fanart ;) The lighter being pink was also a nod to his pink slippers.

And of course, a tumblr brand cigar, to stick with the theme of respecting our origins.

I think there's not much else to say...I played it safe by not being too ambitious this time with my zine piece for the sake of my health haha but I think I still like how it turned out! I was so lucky to have been asked to be a guest artist for this zine, I'm very humbled to have my art be placed alongside so many other amazing creators and all the mods were so lovely too! And I guess this piece has another meaning in that the Once-ler fandom will keep coming back again and again no matter how much we get beaten up. You'll never see the last of us. 😌

Much love to everyone in and out of the fandom who are genuine and thank you for reading if you did!

[visceral-reject]

I know it didn’t win the poll but I humbly ask you to write that RZ! Micheal Myers size kink fanfiction whenever you have the time and if you are feeling up to it🙏

{this is so late and I sincerely apologize TvT}

Sedatives

Tags: Dub-Con, Size Kink, Rough Sex, Choking, Manhandling, Reader is mentions to be a nurse some time ago, blood, knives, overstimulation, Michael is a warning himself. a/: this will most likely be one out of 2 parts anon im so sorry TvT

Sweet thing you were, you’d give the shirt off your own back if someone in need called for it, so giving and so trusting to even the most hardened criminals. It was a wonder how someone like you graced the halls of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. You, a star-eyed nurse fresh from medical school. The scum and slime that riddled the halls of the hellish “sanctuary” you’d been accepted into. You skip down the halls with your checklist and medicine cart in tow. You were kind. You were happy. You’d given patients who’d hadn’t seen the sun in years the same kindness as one would give to an old friend. But you favored one more than the others.

Michael fucking Myers.

Silent halls.

Odd shadows.

Creaking wheels.

The usual ambiance of Smith’s Grove had finally settled within your nerves after a long long few months. You, with your now worn in uniform, counted the rooms with an intent gaze. On the left, even numbers, and parallel to them were odds. Though it was a weird concept, there was a reason. Those on the left, the doctors deemed ‘safe’ and had the possibility of rehabilitation.

Inmates that resided on the right wing however, well you didn’t quite know if you’re being honest, you weren’t allowed to even breath the wing’s direction yet. But one digresses. Your low heels made a blunt click click click upon the cold floors as you neared your station, medicine cart in tow. Your manicured hand reached for your ID, ringing yourself in as the loud pang alerted you of the unlocked status of the door, which was shoved open by your hip as you passed a polite nod to security. Your trek was cut short however, your overseer tugging you aside with a rather harsh hand.

“ You’re the medicine girl right?”

medicine girl…right. Giving a curt nod he sighed, his breath reeking of cheap coffee and some kind of alcohol. His orders were short, clipped and rather rude. Though the next words he uttered left your mouth gaping like a fish out of water.

“ You’re doing both wards. Kirsten…had an incident. “

Fucking hell.

So now, here you were, approaching your last patient for the night. With security stalking behind you with scowls as they glared at patients through the tiny windows. You gulps, it was never patients that scared you, no. It was the sleazes that worked outside the cells. Their wolffish stares and ugly grins. You shook your head, you were approaching Michael’s cell.

You didn’t know much about him, only whispers of the monster, the brute that killed most of his family. A grade A killer, someone that should be locked away from society if not for Mr. Loomis’s need to study him like some kind of bug. But, you being you, wouldn’t let that stop you from being kind. That’s what irked you most about people here, these patients were still human at the end of the day. They still bled, they still died, they had interests and dislikes and personalities. You sighed, eying the dainty wrist watch. ‘ Just an hour and a half..’ you thought as some scum of a man unlocked the heavy metal door. Eying you as you motioned him to move aside.

“ Careful, he hasn’t seen such a young thing like you in a while…might finally remember he’s got a cock. “ the guard, who’s tag read Pierson, chuckled, elbowing his colleague. You could feel their gaze raking across your body, internally you gagged. Lurching forward was a far easier than you wanted to admit, medicines and needles clattering at the motion as the door slammed behind you, leaving you to jump.

Michael’s room was…interesting looking at it.

Buzzing overhead lights gave some relief as you tended to your cart, organizing the arrangement of pills and sedatives in their respective cup to serve to the inmate, who’s back was turned to you, fiddling with another mask that would surely find its way with the rest that perched upon the greening walls. Finally, you found the correct assortment. Smiling to yourself, you turned to face the mountain of a man.

“ Alright Mr.Myers, here’s your dailies! Dr. Loomis upped your sedatives so if you feel a bit off thats the cause! “ you chirped, leaving the cup a bit of a distance. Like you’d heard from the other nurses, Michael gave no indication of acknowledgment, hands stained with the glue-water mixture. The masks on the wall drew your attention, though you didn’t dare raise a hand to touch the precious things, knowing how it felt to have your art defiled by ignorant hands. “ You have a lovely night Mr. Myers! The mask are gorgeous as well! Truly a work of art. “ you smiled, warmth radiating from your aura.

Oh sweet thing. What have you done?

[vandal-flower]

What's Your Type?

Let's see who (Name) really is as a person, especially around their partner. Based on this poll.

Characters: Yoichi Isagi, Meguru Bachira, Rensuke Kunigami, Hyoma Chigiri, Reo Mikage, Seishiro Nagi.

Warnings: Reader has struggles too, a different ( Name ) for each partner. Kisses ( good for reader ) .

Notes: I fear my future writings will against this headcanon. 😶

Yoichi Isagi

(Name) is so aware of this man's foul language on the field, that it's almost embarrassing. Isagi thought he was slick thinking they wouldn't know of his habits and his love for soccer.

They're the type to tease him, just to see his reaction and how red can his cheeks go. They smile or laugh alot, something they don't even take notice. Yoichi loves this about them, often falling head over heels all over again. Don't go underestimating them, for they too have some insults in their back pocket.

"Yoichi, you're a sweet guy, but you have to realize that girl was hitting on you."

"What? She's only being nice."

"Yeah right. With those styrofoam nails trying to dig into your flesh. Not on my watch."

They're very observant of their surroundings and people, which benefits them greatly as they can figure out what to say to who. However, this causes them to not be true to themselves, putting up a façade for different people.

"Just being myself is easier said than done, Yoichi. I'm sure you of all people should know this."

"I'm well aware. But you are aware of my antics on the field."

"Of course. You have over 10 enemies because of that mouth of yours."

He places you in his lap, your eyes looking into his. He begins to kiss every part of your face. Each one holding an ounce of love for you.

"I've shown you each part of me, both on and off the field, and yet you continued you to stay with me. So I ask of you to show me every part of you. Both the good and the bad. I'm not going to leave you. I'll stay with you, and we'll get through it together."

That mouth of his always had your heart flutter. You can't help yourself, but spill all your feelings to him as he listened to every single word...

Meguru Bachira

Remember this post. Yep, that's what I based or planning to base (Name) from. I love the thought of Bachira finding someone who is comfortable with his behaviour, and bonus almost just like him!

Another trait I give to reader is that they're kinda his voice of reason sometimes. Like, there is only so much havoc you can cause for one day.

"Sorry Meguru, I have to put you in time out. You can't jumpscare Isagi while he's busy using the bathroom."

"Aww man..."

Not many understand them, due to then being introverted but also because they are afraid of being hurt by others. They have built up walls, but somehow this man by the name of, Meguru Bachira has done the impossible.

"I'm scared Meguru."

"I know, and that's okay."

You look at him. How can he say that with such confidence, how can he say that with a smile? You almost envy him, even with knowing what he went through as a child. He kisses the top of your head, catching your attention.

"You can conquer it, because not only do I believe in you, but also you believe in me."

You don't understand what he means at first, but his smile is contagious that you can't help but smile as well...

Hyoma Chigiri

(Name) is based of his type of person in the Egoist Bible is someone who is calm and understanding since he can be intense. They're down to earth, and very empathetic.

They remind Chigiri to still take certain things slowly, instead of rushing into battle. As much as they are understanding, they aren't afraid to call out your mistakes.

"Take your time Hyoma. Just remember to relax."

"But it feels as if...my world is falling apart."

"I'll help you piece it back together, one piece at a time."

Much to Chigiri's chagrin, they try to see the good in others, even after they have been wronged. It is only through meeting him that their habit seemed to diminish a little. Albeit, slowly but still making progress.

"He's a changed person Hyoma! Just have a little faith."

"It's a delusion of yours (Name). I'm sorry to break it you, but if he truly has changed, then he would have known what makes you uncomfortable."

You contemplate his words. He's right. How could you not realize this sooner. He takes notice on how your nails dig into your arms. Gently, he takes your hands into his and kisses your knuckles.

"Take your time. Breathe in and out. Remember I'm here for you, just like you were with me."

You can't help but release the tears you've been trying to hold in. At least he is here to be the shoulder you can cry on...

Rensuke Kunigami

Bold and straightforward. (Name) is not someone who beats around the bush. If they have a problem, they will tell you what it is in order to get the problem resolved as quickly as possible. They believe this is to put past disputes in the past, instead of bringing them up as it brings in more pain.

Before wild-card, they were grounded and confident. They entertain the idea of Kunigami being their hero, saving them from whatever comes in their way. However, kunigami believes they'll deal the final blow before he even gets a chance.

"Don't forget about me just yet, Rensuke. What if I need saving from a super villain?"

"I sure won't, however I believe you'll be able to kick them to the curb before I get the chance to show off."

Despite being grounded in reality, they can't help but cling onto past memories, even those that hurt them. Even after wild-card, Kunigami still cares for them. He is well aware that under that tough exterior, they are still soft. And it's not a weakness.

"Do you..ever feel like this Rensuke? Even after what they have done to you at Blue Lock?"

"Sometimes.", he wraps his arm around you, gently massaging your shoulder. It may be a small gesture to some, but it's more than enough for you. It shows he cares, even after everything that has happened, before and after Blue Lock.

"Stay with me will you, Rensuke?"

"Sure. I'll be your hero for the night, and forever more."...

Reo Mikage

(Name) is the mature person in the friend group. Often overseeing tasks and many people rely on them. I imagine this trait becomes more noticeable with Reo's codependent nature. They're seen as blunt, but say things with good intentions.

They turn down gifts they deem too expensive for their liking, but adore the little things like origami, love letters, or even a single flower. They often use Reo's black card for groceries and get excited at the thought of saving money or receiving a discount.

"I could literally buy you this whole building. "

"But you don't, since there is a discount on the groceries today. A 20% discount for that matter."

Often times they prefer to work alone, not out of arrogance, but because they feel guilty at the thought of burdening others with their problems. This is also their way of trying to be independent. Reo is one of the reasons that they don't feel guilty relying as much as they used to in the past.

"How long have you been doing this alone?"

"Long enough for you to not notice. You don't need to worry about me, focus on your dreams. I'll handle myself just fine."

The look he gives you, it breaks your heart. He is worried for you, it makes you feel guilty for making him worry like that. Tears slowly fall out of your eyes. He quickly wipes them with his thumbs, as he pecks your forehead.

"I just -"

"You don't need to apologize. I'm always here to help you, you can lean on me. I can handle the weight. If it means I have to carry a million rocks on my back, just to lift a gram off your shoulders. I'll do it in a heart beat."...

Seishiro Nagi

Oh Seishiro, how did you get bagged by (Name). They're quite jumpy, but often by themselves, not like they mind. It makes you wonder how are these two in a relationship.

Like Reo, they often have to drag him to do certain things, but only for his benefit. An example of is learning how to cook. It may not be master chef, but it's enough to give you a full stomach as well as look good.

"Do we really have to do this (Name)?"

"Why of course, Sei. After all, how on earth will you be able to live all by yourself?"

"I've been doing just fine."

"The jelly food in your fridge does not count. Also your bathroom is a mess."

In an attempt to be active, they overwork themselves. They believe that they must do something every second in order to make their life more fulfilling. Nagi reminds them that doing nothing is also allowing them to rest and regain their energy.

"You're overworking yourself again (Name). Rest"

"But-

"Rest.", he easily picks you up from what you are doing. He gently places you on the bed as he climbs in, and places a blanket on top you. He wraps his arms his arms around you, providing warmth and security. You smile as you slowly drift to sleep.

"Thanks, Sei."

"Mmm. Happy to help."...

This was so long, I just can't anymore. (Joking)

I'm going through my inbox right now. Check out my Rules.

[help-itrappedmyself]

Pairing Thing

You guys remember that poll I put up a while ago, to help me pick a pairing to try practice writing romance/flirting. Well, this is that. It did not go where I had planned it too, and I'm not sure if it counts, but take it anyway.

Tim has reached his last nerve with their new hire. Tim surges toward Danny, intent on getting some answers out of him. Danny stumbles back at his approach, but Tim just reaches out, one hand grabbing ahold of Danny’s tie and the other pushing flat against Danny’s chest. In another quick second, Danny finds himself pressed against the wall of the classroom. 

Then, Tim loops the tie fully around his hand, tugging Danny’s face towards him. Danny’s breath hitches and his eyes go out of focus for a moment, lost in the sensation.

This makes Tim falter. The moment causes Tim’s mind to blank, forgetting to speak, and pausing as only one thought crashes circles. The thought circles around a few times before it starts to slip out of Tim’s mouth.

“You…” The word comes out angry, but Tim can’t quite make himself keep going the way he had planned a few moments ago. Tim looks Danny up and down, and Danny can do nothing but flush at the scrutiny, and the inevitable realization Tim comes to. Danny braces himself for the vitriol, but when Tim speaks next it is nothing but a murmur. 

“You like this.” A murmur in a voice that has turned into honey and Danny can do nothing, eyes slipping shut involuntarily.

“Do you not care that it's me that's eliciting this reaction? I thought you didn’t like me.” Tim wonders aloud, and Danny can hear a tone in the voice that threatens to elicit shivers. A tone of sharp curiosity that concerns Danny more than anything. Danny’s eyes flutter back open, locking with Tim’s.

“I don’t like rich people.” Danny mutters. “It’s nothing personal.”

Tim, very slowly, lets the tie slip from his fingers. Danny is tempted to sigh in relief but before the sigh can become reality, Danny feels those fingers slide to his throat. The second they reach the skin there Danny’s breath hitches on a gasp.

A dark smirk graces Tim's face and the grip on Danny’s throat tightens for just a moment, just long enough for Danny’s eyes to flutter. Danny practically whimpers, chin tilting up subconsciously, exposing more throat to Tim.

As the grip loosens again, Tim leans forward to whisper into Danny’s ear. “Tell me, Danny. Would you respond to anyone this way… or is there something about me that encourages this reaction?”

At that, Tim’s arms fall to his sides as he takes a step away. Danny blinks after him, dazed and confused.

After a few moments of nothing but them watching each other, Tim straightens and squares his shoulders. “Are you going to answer the question?”

“Tim.” Danny chokes out, a lump in his throat that was oddly hard to work around, and no true idea what he was going to say next. He took a deep, shuddering breath as he stood straight, no longer leaning on the wall. Trying to buy time, he tried to fix his shirt and tie as best as he could, but after a moment of fumbling with it he gave up. 

Tim was still standing there watching him, face a mask of indifference. 

Danny had the thought that he didn't need to answer Tim. He also didn't need to be here anymore, and so he turned to leave. 

But when he got to the door it wouldn't open. He glanced back at Tim, who didn't seem to have moved, before trying everything he could think of to get the door to unlock. 

After a few moments, Danny sighed deeply, resting his forehead against the door for a count of three before turning back around to face Tim again. 

“What have you done?” He asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I locked the door.” Tim responded coolly. “I have full control of this building, you know?”

Tim walked back to his desk and sat down behind it. “ Now, I had some questions for you regarding your purpose in Gotham, why you chose to work with us at Wayne Enterprises, that kind of thing. But I find myself increasingly interested in your answer to my previous question.”

Danny swallows roughly. “Look, you're just going to have me on about it either way, why does it matter?” 

“It matters. Answer the question.” His eyes are hard and unwavering. Danny knows that he won't get out of here until Tim gets what he wants.

“It's because it's you, okay.” Danny spits the words out, hoping if they sound harsh enough, the content would be ignored in favor of the tone. “And I think this may count as some form of sexual harassment.” 

His hopes plummet as Tim starts to smirk.

“Well we could continue this meeting as normal if you would prefer.” Tim opens the folder he had placed on his desk after Danny walked in. “I will never bring it up again if you’d like.”

Danny sighs, then goes over to sit back down in the chair in front of Tim’s desk.

“Can we just continue the meeting?”

“Of course, Danny.” Tim winks.

[yandere-sins]

Monstober - Day 8: Merfolk [Elemental Sacrifices Part 3/4]

Work's been draining me of my strength, but I will not abandon my beloved challenge! Especially not on my beloved Mermaids ♥

Also, I am dedicating to that one person who loved the Mermay polls so much and didn't care about the yandere because they got to be a mermaid. I still remember you, and I thought about you while writing this!

Prompt: Merfolk | Water // Singing // Alluring Warnings: Yandere, Sexual Content (Dub-Con, Throat-fucking with a tentacle, Swallowing copious amounts of an "essence"), Long Post, Tentacles, Mermaids, Monster + Description

"Very beautiful. I am very pleased."

Nodding, you forced a smile on your face, looking up at the behemoth of a god before you. Waves crashed against the little platform that served as a stage for the sacrifices to perform on, a couple hundred feet from the mainland. The water seemed angry, lashing out at you, soaking your beautifully beaded gown as it swept over the edge of the stone and tried to wash you off.

But there was nowhere to fall, you were surrounded.

Writhing tentacles sloshed around and wrung out of the depths of the ocean, their movements so unpredictable, it had complicated your performance. Sometimes, they came so close to you that it made your voice shake, the sounds completely clogged in your throat as they brushed against you once, but they were mainly wrapped around the altar in endlessly sprawling amounts.

The only reassurance you got from the growths around you was that your family wouldn't have to see your eventual demise. You knew they were there, at the shore, waiting with the other people of your tribe to witness whether their god would be pleased by the sacrifice they had offered or not. You tried not to think about the tears your mother had willed away, the softest of hugs from your father before he let you board the boat that would take you away from them.

Sacrificing their loved one seemed much too cruel, while this god didn't.

Sure, if his size was any indication, he was frightening. A creature to be revered or be swallowed whole by. The scars littering his body indicated that he was a warrior, and seeing them made you realize there must be creatures beyond your knowledge that could put scars on such a being. He wouldn't go down easily, so your people worshipped him instead.

But on the other hand, he had leaned onto the platform and closed his eyes throughout your song, really taking in your singing like no one had before. His sharp teeth were scary, but his smile reached his eyes, and even though his hands had sharp claws, he didn't rush you to start singing when you were frozen up at first, gently encouraging you to present your song when you were ready.

If you were going by human standards, he didn't seem like a bad person.

The side of his clawed finger pressed against your cheek, smushing it softly, capturing your attention again as your mind had drifted off. That's just how comfortably he felt, yet you were alarmed by your own recklessness. He smiled down at you, but it almost seemed sad.

"I envy you so," the merman said, eyes dulling as he gripped his throat. "One of your people's ships managed to damage my own vocal cords, so I can't sing anymore. I listen to the sounds of the ocean every day, but it doesn't compare to the beautiful songs of your kind."

A knot formed in the pit of your stomach, and you felt terrible as the creature told you about his woes. "I wish to listen to them always," he sighed, staring longingly back at the shore; some people gathered there, gasping and shrieking in horror at the sudden attention they had gained from their god.

"The ones of you humans, and these creatures that fly in the sky, singing all day long as they please. But I cannot follow them, can't leave my waters to seek them out."

"You... you mean birds?" you asked, the conversation feeling a little one-sided with only him speaking. His eyes lit up as you mentioned them and he gave you a quick nod before lowering down again, resting his head on his hands.

"Sometimes they fly over the ocean, and I get to watch them, but they do not compare to you either. Your voice makes my hearts flutter, it tingles over my skin. It reminds me of how beautiful it is to live in this world that cannot return what has been taken from me. It would be a pity to take you, too."

A few beats of your comparably small heart, the god of water simply watched you, smile fading as he thought. His tentacles wrapped over the platform, slowly coming to a halt as they clenched it in their hold.

"Tell me, little bird, do you wish your sacrifice to be eternal? Don't you wish to stay with me instead and sing to your little heart's content? I didn't offer this chance to the ones before you, for I was still so distraught over the pain your kind has caused. I did not want to take them with me, but I do for you. You have changed me, and I'll have you by my side instead of making you a sacrifice if this is what you desire, too."

Your breath hitched as you took in the deal you were being offered. One that would not seal your fate and end in the death of yet another poor soul. All you wanted to do for as long as you could remember was to sing and make people happy, you didn't realize you were tying the noose around your neck tighter with every performance until your sacrifice was announced.

"But..." you mumbled, staring at the gap filled with water between his body and the stone. You had a secret that you had never shared before, and although staying alive sounded so much more favorable, you knew it was just that: too good to be true.

"But I'm only human. I can't live where you live, and my life is shorter than yours, so I won't be able to stay with you forever, even if I were to find a way to be with you. And besides, the ocean... it scares me. I fear it almost as much as death, as it seems to want to swallow me every time I look at it."

His face scrunched up as you explained your plight, unhappiness being written across as you refused his generosity. Still, it quickly turned into a blank look you couldn't read. "It's no problem," the merman explained, the corners of his lips curling back into a grin.

One of his tentacles rose high in the air, and as it lowered itself, you realized it was clutching something between its tip and the rest of the growth. You held up your hands as it came to a halt in front of you, expecting something, and it dropped a surprisingly small vial with a glowing substance into your waiting palms.

"My mother gave me this in case I find something worth keeping. To make it like me and take it for myself. You'll only need to drink this and then some of my essence, and you'll be able to live with me beyond the surface."

"Oh..." you mumbled, still feeling hesitant as you watched the glowing, light blue fluid slosh around inside the glass vial as if it had a life on its own. The god your people had submitted to seemed to be on a level of preparedness you didn't expect. That, frankly, didn't seem like a coincidence. But you found yourself overthinking as you were overcome with fear and dread.

"You don't want to? Do you want to die, my little bird?" the merman asked, staring down at you with the expectant eyes of someone who knew he won. Because whether you choose to be eaten or to become what he wanted from you, both options were in his favor, even if he preferred one over the other. Your eyes fell to the ever-so-angry water spraying everywhere as it collided with the stone. You remembered being caught in it, sinking deeper and deeper, swallowed whole by the darkness and endless wetness, unable to escape the hungry maw of the ocean when you were a child. You had been lucky then, somehow managing to wake up again at the shore, but you couldn't count on your luck to strike again.

"I will protect you from the darkness you fear, I promise. I will cradle you in my body so nothing can get to you."

He laid his palm at your back, supporting you as you wobbled, weak in the knees after remembering your childhood trauma. Before you knew it, you were swept off your feet, either by the dizziness you felt or the hand at your back. Either way, you found yourself sitting in his palm, being lifted off the altar, the slightest sound reaching your ears as the people gasped.

Surely, everyone was thinking you were about to be eaten, causing their trembling voices to cry out, and you felt something break inside of you, thinking about your poor parents. Hastily, you uncorked the vial, not overthinking what exactly you were swallowing as you placed the glass against your lips, the fluids slipping right in. It barely had any taste, but it was almost like you had swallowed some kind of slimy porridge, causing you to gag.

The merman's grin widened as you felt your body heat up just seconds after consuming the sludge, a shudder going through you as the world seemed so much colder all of a sudden. "There, there, what a good human you were," he murmured, patting your head with one of his giant fingers. "Drink this now, my lovely songbird, we can't have you dry out like one of the poor fishies."

Heat threatened to overwhelm you as you clutched your stomach. Everything was cramping while your legs prickled as if thousands of needles were trying to push out of your skin. Breathing was hard, focusing was harder, so when something wet and eager pushed against your lips, you didn't have the strength to resist.

Your throat immediately accepted the salty fluids rushing in, gulping them up as if it was the first drink you had ever received in your whole life. Your hands latched onto the squirmy supplier of the only substance that was able to calm whatever was going on inside your body. It explored your mouth, pressing left and right into your cheeks as if to make space for more of its length and slipping down your throat until it was satisfied.

Tears brimmed your eyes as more and more of the wet was spewed down your throat, hoping it wouldn't accidentally suffocate you. The fluids swelled your stomach, but you couldn't stop drinking more of the antidote. The salty turned into sweet the more your tongue lapped it up, and as it was the last lifeline you had to save you from the side effects of the vial, you were eager for more.

Whatever it was you were drinking, it gave back your senses to you, allowing the shudder that went through the merman to not go unnoticed. Followed right after with a soft sigh, you finally blinked out of the haze, realizing that it was a tentacle you were clutching onto, one latched deeply in your throat.

Panic rose, and your gaze wandered over to the lovestruck face of god feeding you his essence as if stuck in a weird ritual. His hand clasped over his mouth, and you watched as he bit down on his knuckle with his razor-sharp teeth, staring at you as if he had never seen something quite so fantastic. It felt wrong to be an object of devotion when he was the one that should have been worshipped.

"I'm sorry, did I go overboard?" he moaned. "You took that so well, I couldn't stop thinking about how... No, here, let me get it out, my little bird. I can't have your vocal chords be destroyed like mine."

Only as the tentacle slowly pulled from your throat did you realize how deep it had crept, every inch more painful than the other, as if it had wanted to leave your human body caved out. That was the feeling you got as you doubled over, the tentacle popping from your lips, coughs and gags that had to cover a lot of space following.

You couldn't hold all of his essence inside, and to your absolute horror, it was a pitch-black muck that dripped from your lips, smearing all over your body, dripping down your chin, and landing on your legs.

Your legs?

Even though it caused you to cough even more violently, you shrieked at the sight of your gone legs, replaced by blue scales the color of the merman's eyes and a long, heavy tail. When you slapped it out of sheer disbelief, you felt the pain in both your palm and that tail that seemed so out of place. You couldn't associate with it at all! But trying to move around only caused you to fall over in the creature's palm as the tail was too heavy, your body completely unsuited to heave its weight.

"What... What did you do?!" you gasped in horror as you watched scales protrude from your arms as well. You didn't need to see them to feel their presence all over your torso, and your throat hurt even more as you tried to scratch the discomfort there, noticing the large indents on each side of your neck.

"I made you mine," he chuckled blissfully, not at all worried or concerned with your change. "And now I will do as I promised and take you to my cave, where you will live with me and sing me your beautiful songs, little bird."

His body moved, rising even higher out of the water, and although his hand was steady, you were shaken, clinging to the ridges in his palm. "I'm not ready!" you yelled out, a rush of nausea overcoming you as you thought about the wet together with your inability to move well. Surely, you'd drown if he were to put you in the water!

"It'll be fine," he reassured you.

"You are so small, nothing will notice you where we are going. There are much bigger creatures lurking in these depths, but you. You will be safe as long as you stick with me. I can protect you from them, as have I with your little humanfolk. Although it is not your humanfolk anymore, you are seaborn now."

Pinching his fingers around your waist, you were lifted from his palm, your god smiling brightly at you. You tried to wiggle, his hold almost crushing, although he tried to be gentle. Beneath you was the dooming, hungry sea, waiting to swallow you again, and below your waist was a body you couldn't control.

You looked into his eyes, the blue reflecting that of the ocean, relentless, greedy, and full of unbending confidence that he was doing what was right. Maybe being eaten would have been more merciful, you thought, not knowing what awaited you beneath the surface. His body fell back, and you two sank into the water, his voice a solemn declaration against the splashing of water around you.

"Now, you have all eternity to sing your songs and be mine."

[lizzieisright]

hey hurt/comfort idea:

soo what about the reader and abby being best friends for years and reader always had a crush on abby. they go to a party and abby introduces her new gf to u. she always liked her but thought reader didn’t (always a bit horny around reader, but they know eachother since childhood so abby mistakes readers flirting as being flirty like friends) so reader gets absolutely hartbroken, drinks till she passes out but abby takes care of her ofc. abbys gf is always with her tho so it just hurts even more.

she avoids abby till the next frat prty or smth (maybe it’s college!au) and then they hook up, abby can’t remember cause she’s too drunk and is back w her gf

very messy but i hope u get the idea :P

(also to make it more hurtful make abby mean while she’s drunk bc she’s going through a rough time but isn’t telling anyone)

It took me so long, I'm so sorry

Palestine: what can you do

I've changed a few things (they don't hook up) because I can't deal with cheating, and I couldn't decide on what ending I wanted so there's a poll in the end.

Tags: Modern AU, childhood friends, Angst, pining and unrequited love, of course.

_______________

Abby is a fucking God, and you come to this conclusion when you're 11 and she helps you with your stupid assignment.

When you're both 14 you start to understand that what you feel for her is not, in fact, an admiration. 

You come to this conclusion when you sit in her bedroom and she jokes about teaching you how to kiss because you're a loser and you agree - and yeah, the kiss is a mess, but now you both know that you want to kiss girls. And you want to kiss one girl in particular, but Abby is your best friend and you won’t do anything that will lead to losing her.

Being a God means Abby is out of your reach and you have to live with your stupid feelings.

You're jealous of every boy who jokes around her to get her attention.

You're jealous of every girl who dares to look at her a little too long.

Abby is popular and she starts dating and it breaks your heart every time, and you can't look at other people because all your gods look like Abby.

"Why don't you go on a date?" Abby asks once when you're 16 and you're eating pizza in your bedroom, watching another marvel movie. "I think Jen likes you."

"I don't want to." What would be the point if the only person you want to date won't ever look at you this way?

"Why? Don't you get horny like the rest of us mortals?"

The worst part of being in love with your popular best friend is that she recently lost her virginity and she can't shut up about sex because she is excited about it.

"I have my hand, Abby." You roll your eyes at her.

"But it feels better when the other person does it." Abby winks and puts her hand on your thigh. "It's better, isn't it?" She rubs your thigh and your breath hitches. She looks at you, playful, and goes a little up on your thigh, and your face burns.

"You belong in horny jail, Anderson." You laugh, but don't move her hand: if you move it she'll call you a chicken, but she is a chicken enough herself to not move it further.

And she doesn't.

You live your life peacefully, dealing with your feelings as best as you can.

Then college starts and you're too busy to think about Abby 24/7 and you feel like it gets easier. Like you can breathe around her and you almost don't feel pain when she talks about her sex life.

Almost.

You know it's easy to deal with because all those girls in her bed are temporary while you're in Abby's life forever, and not because your feelings suddenly fainted. Abby likes to sleep around, she is a flirt even with you - a lot, actually, she thinks she can get away with a lot by saying she is touch-starved and then her hands wander off somewhere they're not supposed to be, and you let her, because you'll take whatever you can.

So you go through Abby's fuckboy phase with ease, because sex talk is way better than feelings talk.

A few years pass and suddenly the feelings talk starts, and you're slowly dying inside, because Abby likes someone. Abby talks about how nervous she is around her, she is always on her phone texting her, she is always busy when you want to spend time with her.

You hate this girl with all you have, because she takes Abby away, she takes everything away - Abby is not touchy anymore, she only hugs you briefly when you see her, she is not listening to you half of the time, too caught up in her fantasies.

You hope her girl is a bitch and an asshole and toxic so you can talk Abby out of it, but then Abby tells you she is going to introduce you at the party and you cry yourself to sleep that night.

"How do I look?"

"Like you need Jesus." You say honestly because Abby in the muscle tee and a pair of cargo pants makes you ache.

"Yeah?" Abby looks at you through the mirror with that fucking smirk she knows you like. "Am I fuckable?"

"We both know you prefer to be on the other end of that word, Anderson." You roll your eyes and put your shoes on only to straighten up to Abby's face way too close. She looks you up and down.

"You're very fuckable though."

"Fuck off." You huff and open the door of her apartment, hoping she won't tease you for being flustered. "Let's go before Manny gets so drunk you'll have to carry him. Again."

You spent the night in dread of meeting Abby's girl, dreaming of seeing her red flags or something to have a real reason to hate her to Abby's face, but then Abby lights up and she excuses herself to go and meet her girl, while you try so hard to not throw up from your nerves.

The girl is gorgeous.

"This is (y/n)." Abby motions at you and you smile politely. "This is Mia."

"I'm so happy to meet you." Mia smiles and she looks kind and genuine and fuck, you can't hate her. There's no jealousy in her, no fake smiles, no tense body language. "Abby loves you so much."

You swallow hard.

"I put up with so much of her shit, she doesn't have a choice." You joke and Mia laughs.

Mia is funny and cute and you understand why Abby likes her, because it's impossible not to. Mia is a type of girl that you'd think of as a bitch because she is popular, therefore arrogant, but when you get to know her she is a total sweetheart who'd help you find a way to your class if she notices you're lost.

This is hard.

This is going to break you.

You can't cope with this. You can't cope with seeing Abby's gentle gaze on Mia, with her careful touch and constant care. So you excuse yourself and go to the bar to get drunk, as if you can drown your feelings by dragging them to the bottom of the bottle. You dance and you drink, you dance and you drink and repeat it five other times until all long islands make you feel sick and you can't walk by yourself anymore. You're an independent woman and you refuse to ask for help, but when you can't order a taxi for the fifth time because your eyes are so blurry, Mia comes to you and holds you by your elbow.

"We will take you home, okay?" She says kindly and you feel your lips tremble. We.

"Jus- can you c'll a taxi f'me?" You slur, but you feel Abby's hand on your waist as she supports you. "Don't wanna ruin your night."

"You're not ruining anything." Mia says cheerfully and orders a taxi when Abby gives her your address. "Happens to the best of us."

The drive home makes you super dizzy and Abby has to put her hand between your head and the car door because you hit it all the time. The moment the car stops and Abby goes around to help you get on your legs, you throw up on the ground and it's a miracle you don't get everyone's shoes dirty.

Abby decides to carry you to your place and you can't shut up even for a second.

"I'm s'sorry guys. Not a good first impression. I really like you, Mia. You look kind. Like a grandma. In a good way, I'm sorry." Mia giggles. "Your laugh is very cute. It's cute, right Abby?"

"Yeah." Abby agrees quietly and what you don't know is that for her your drunken rant was way cuter than her girlfriend's laugh.

"Yeah. You look great together, I'm s'happy for you Abby. Haven't seen her that nervous because of a girl in years, can you imagine, Mia? You make this asshole nervous." You're chuckling sadly, you want to cry because you don't make Abby nervous.

No, you just embarrass her in front of her girlfriend because you're so pathetically in love you can't deal with it and drink half of the bar until you forget how to walk on your own.

Abby helps you change and Mia gives you water. She makes sure there is fresh air in your room and she tucks your blanket, and you close your eyes to hide your tears because Mia is so nice. She is a dream girl and Abby is so happy and there is no space for you anymore.

Because Mia took your place in that forever equation.

On the next day you text your apologies to both Abby and Mia (she followed you on instagram and asked you how you felt) and you can't deal with this. It hurts so much because you love Abby so much and you want her to be happy but it seems like the price of it is going to be your heart.

So you start avoiding her as best as possible, and what is more sad - it's not even that hard. Abby is always with Mia, fuck, Mia even asks you to come with them to hang out, which you always find an excuse not to. Library, fever, other plans, other plans again, sorry, paper is due tomorrow, my aunt is in town (she is not). Anything to not meet with them.

You still see Abby during classes and you give each other life updates, but it's been weeks since you actually hung out and you accept the reality that yes, there's no place for you in Abby's life anymore.

You cry every fucking night.

Then Abby suddenly remembers you exist and she asks you if you want to hang out, just the two of you, because she misses you. You miss her too and you agree.

You regret it the moment she cuddles you in front of her tv. She has a girlfriend now, why is she so touchy again? Did something happen with Mia that Abby came to you?

"Is everything okay with Mia?"

"Yeah, she is great." Abby says and buries her nose in your neck.

No. You can't deal with this.

So you start avoiding Abby at all costs after this - you can't shake the feeling that this is cheating, because for you Abby's touch has never been platonic, no. And it never felt platonic either, it was always giving you hope because Abby was flirting and touching the way friends don't touch each other. Maybe one day she'd finally give you a chance, you thought, but this day never came.

It is another party a month and half later - yay, Abby and Mia have been together for two months now! - and you don't know if Abby is going to come, but you hope she doesn't. You know she knows something is up and she will want her answers if she meets you.

But you have fun. You play games, you drink, you dance, you get flirted with and you forget about your pain just to get so drunk again you can't help but go outside to find a place to cry in peace.

You miss Abby, you miss her because she is a part of you and yes, you're in love with her, but she also your best fucking friend and you hate yourself for being in love with her, because it ruins your life. It has been ruining your life since you were fourteen and actually understood what you felt, but now it was getting serious.

"(Y/n)?"

Fuck.

You wipe your tears and look at Abby who is standing right in front of you.

"Hi." You squeak and she drops on the knees to look at you.

"Did something happen? Why are you crying?"

"I'm just sad. Don't worry." You try to smile but Abby's frown makes you cry more. "I'm going home anyway, so you can enjoy the party."

"What the hell are you saying? I'm not leaving you."

She should. She should leave you and not complicate it further.

Abby calls a taxi and you chuckle in your head - If you had a nickel for every time Abby was taking your drunk ass home, you'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

You tell her as much because the meme is funny and you try to be positive.

Abby helps you out of the car and this time you don't throw up.

"You know, last time I totally embarrassed myself in front of Mia." You chuckle and make your way upstairs with Abby's arm around your waist. "She is cute, I'm so happy for you."

Abby chuckles and leads you inside your apartment, but between the two of you she is mostly sober and she has some questions, and she wants her answers. You know this too, so when you sit on your sofa you feel like all your shields are crumbling: you’re giving up on hiding this from her. If this is the end, so be it.

"You've been avoiding me." Abby says quietly, looking you in your eyes like she is just a little bit mad. 

"Yeah, I know." You admit with a chuckle. "You have a girlfriend now, it's so cool. When was the last time you liked someone like that? Back in school?"

"So you've been avoiding me on purpose." 

"I don't think you can avoid someone accidentally, Abby.” You say, not holding back your venom. “Anyway, I’m so happy for you.”

“Why are you avoiding me?” Abby moves closer to you  and you swallow your tears because there’s nowhere to run.

“Because it’s easier.” You shrug. “I just want you to be happy, okay? Does Mia make you happy?”

“Yeah.” Abby admits and you start crying again: it hurts so fucking much. 

“Good. It’s good. I’m happy for you.” You sniffle and Abby huffs, annoyed.

“Stop saying that. Stop avoiding my questions.”

Inside you all hell breaks loose.

“I love you, okay?” You finally burst. “I love you, and it hurts so fucking bad and I can’t fucking see you with her or know that you’re with her! What do you want me to do? What would you do if you were me? I can’t- I can’t-” You throw your hands desperately and bite your lip, too angry with this whole situation.

“I love you too.” Abby says, confused.

“No, no Abby, you don’t understand.” You’re quiet and angry, almost spitting every word out. “I’m in love with you. I’m not jealous as a friend, Abby. I’m jealous because I want to be in her place, okay? Fuck, I wanted to be in your every girl’s place since you started dating girls!” 

There is silence. You thought it would be terrifying - this silence - but right now you feel nothing except how dizzy your head is. You feel empty and there's no tears anymore. Abby stares at you in shock, her fists clenched, and you chuckle cynically. 

“So can I continue avoiding you now or should I suffer more?”

“Fuck, (y/n)..” Abby sighs and rubs her forehead, going over her face with her palm. “Fuck. Don't do this to me.”

“Well.” You huff, annoyed. “Not like I have a fucking choice, Anderson.”

Abby throws her head back and stares at the ceiling while you do the same, trying to keep your drunk ass stable. You feel like eternity passes before Abby speaks again, and it is strangely comforting, having your best friend here with you, in this boat of pain, and sharing it with her. 

“All these years. All these years we could have been together.” Abby sounds like she is mourning. 

You thought your heart broke when you met Mia? Forget it, it's broken now.

You sob, howl almost, and Abby is suddenly holding you in her arms, placing kisses to your hair. Her heart can't handle seeing you cry, never could - yes, she tried to move on with Mia, and it worked partially, but all her effort went to shit just now. You're the most precious girl to her and nothing can change it. Abby swallows and braces herself, suddenly making a decision in her head, all her anxiety about what is a right thing to do gone. 

“You know what? Fuck it. Fuck all that time we've missed. I'm not letting you go now.” Abby says in your ear and you sob even more violently. “Come on, baby, I'm here. Let me see your face.”

You can't believe it. You can't even process it: is it your drunken dream? Are you hallucinating? It would definitely not be the first time. But you look up at Abby and she gently wipes your tears and there’s so much love and hurt in her eyes it’s hard not to break into another sobbing fit. 

“I've been in love with you since we were seventeen.” Abby smiles at you and you shakily smile back. “I’m sorry it came to this. But I'm here now.”

“I love you.” You say feverishly and Abby's restraint breaks.

She kisses you hungrily, practically devouring you, and you're weak, so you return her kiss and press into her, soaking in her warmth and strength. Abby is solid and tender, she holds you like she cares and you cling to her for a moment.

But then you remember yourself and push Abby away, shaking your head.

“No. You're better than this. You're not going to betray Mia like this. I'm not going to let you, Abby. We're not doing this,” You motion between yourself and her. “Behind your girlfriend's back. And I'm also fucking drunk.”

Abby chuckles and kisses your forehead. 

“Come on, I'll help you get into your bed.”

Everything else after is a blur as Abby helps you change and covers you with your blanket, and you fall asleep. You can't wait for the morning to come.

****

[everlastingauthor]

જ⁀➴ Author's Note: Hello! Yes I am back posting, took a little break from writing fan fiction to focus on some personal projects. While I was away I had a few ideas which I'll post about later, last poll I did was on which warlord should court the mama bird of the Straw Hats. It was between Sir Crocodile and Dracule Mihawk, and the person who won was Mihawk. So let's get this store started, there might be a part two. My request are open so feel free to request a story. Please do not re-upload my work or feed it to ai, if you wish to translate my work and upload please get my permission first and credit me that's all I ask for, please remember to stay hydrated, take your vitamins and medicine, and remember you are loved.

જ⁀➴ Word Count: 3439

જ⁀➴ Story Tags: Dracule Mihawk, Fem Reader, Skinny Dipping, Hot Springs, Flirting, Fem Reader X Canon Character, & One Piece

જ⁀➴ Request Open: ☑ Yes | No

The sounds of laughter and cheer filled the night sky, the Straw Hat Pirates celebrating with a village after rescuing it from a pirate gang that had been harassing this village for months. But thanks to captain Luffy D Monkey and his crewmates the village was back to being free and peaceful. Zoro was engaged in a drinking game with some of the village men while Usopp was telling dome of the village children how he took down the biggest group of the pirate bandits, Nami rolled her eyes at the tale as she went back to sitting with Robin, the two watching as Sanji would show off his cooking skills to some of the villagers using their local meats and fruits to make quite a delicious sandwich. Chopper was asleep in your lap. The little brown fuzzy creature looked so peaceful, exhausted from today’s battle. Mama {Reader} was exhausted as well. Her arms down to her hands bandaged, she was proud of her children for giving all their all even risking their lives’ to protect the village. But a pair of ambered eyes watched her from the shadows. Leaned up against the wall was the warlord but also the greatest swordsman Hakweye Mihawk, he had arrived in the village during the battle for a vacation, but when he saw the Straw Hats battling to protect this village, he stuck around and lurked to see how the fight would end and when he saw it was successful he stuck around a bit more, but something yet someone much more caught his eye. It was Mama {Reader} when he saw her battle, he was impressed on how many times she risked her well-being trying to take down people half her sizes to protect the Straw Hats even going up against the enemy captain that had devil fruit abilities. He thought she was stupid and reckless, but still impressed, even charmed by her, seeing how she still smiled and looked like she was up for more adventure. No one had ever interested Mihawk expect Zoro who was trying to take his title as greatest swordsman, but this interest Mihawk had in {Reader} was different, he wanted to get to know her but he didn’t want to draw attention from Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats to himself. But luck seemed to be on his side, as he watched {Reader} place a sleeping Chopper onto a nearby woman’s lap. He watched her stand up and stretch as she walked away, he followed her making sure to stay quiet like a bird watching his prey.

{Reader} walked to the beach. She stood in the sand underneath the night sky, a gentle breeze blowing as she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the crashing waves. Mihawk watched her from behind a coconut tree, he thought she looked glowing underneath the moon almost like a dream. “ Are you going to keep hiding or strike me down? “ {Reader} said, she opened her eyes looking at Mihawk's direction. Mihawk was surprised that she sensed him, he stood there never in his years as he felt so tongue tied. “ How did you know I was here? “ He stepped from behind the coconut tree, walking up to her with slow and steady steps. “ If Luffy and Usopp can’t get away with sneaking sweets from the kitchen, while I’m helping Sanji cook then no one can escape the eyes on the back of my head. “ {Reader} let out a warm soft laughter. Mihawk almost cracked a smile. “ How long did you know I was following you? “ Mihawk asked her. {Reader} tilted her head to the side as she tapped her chin. “ Well, I noticed you when you saw me and my kids fighting against those dirty crooks, I was wondering why a warlord was here but I was more focused on protecting my kids. “ {Reader} looked at him, her {eye color} locking onto his amber eyes. “ I was here to vacation, and arrived here right when the battle was beginning. “ Mihawk told her, he made another step towards her. “ They call you Mama {Reader}? “ Mihawk raised a brow as he was more curious about her nickname, he knew why but it didn’t hurt to know more.

“ They do, I am the mother of the Straw Hats. Sometimes they call me Mama Bird. I care about every member of the Straw Hats as if they were my own children. “ {Reader} smiled softly, her words true they may not be her blood but they were her children no matter what. “ Do you have any biological children? “ Mihawk asked as he gestured towards a large nearby rock wanting to sit and talk more. {Reader} looked at the rock and began walking towards it. She sat down with Mihawk as she looked at the ocean. “ No, I don’t have any biological kids. I would like to one day but right now I feel like a mother whether it’s stopping Luffy from bothering Nami or putting Zoro and Sanji into the get along t-shirt from fighting or even getting Nami to stop hitting the boys. Everyday they make me feel like a mom. “ {Reader} looked at him and smiled. “ I feel like a pirate as well, there is this ghost princess named Perona, she lives with me and is quite childish. More of a drama queen than a ghost princess. But I do having her in the castle makes it feel less lonely there. I make us dinner and taught her a bit about farming. “ Mihawk’s lips quirked up into a smile. “ I’ve come to think of her as a daughter. “ Mihawk looked at {Reader}. “ Besides knowing who I am, what else have you heard about me? “ Mihawk had asked her. Reader frowned and looked at him. “ I know you were the one who sliced Zoro, while I know he’s the one who challenged you to a fight for your title. It boils my blood a bit meeting the man who gave him such a nasty scar. “ {Reader} sighed. Mihawk didn’t regret that battle with Zoro, he was quite impressed that Zoro didn’t back down, that he was willing to die for Mihawk’s title - Even knowing that Zoro had a high bounty he was even more impressed with how far Zoro had come. “ I don’t regret it even when he asked for it, when someone challenges me I don’t think for a second about their loved ones and the effect it would bring them. “ Mihawk was blunt and honest, he didn’t care how his words would affect {Reader}. “ You are right, Zoro challenged you and with you being the greatest swordsman, you’ll protect that title from whoever challenges you. But know he’s an excellent swordsman right? “ {Reader} said, she knew there was denying Zoro was a great swordsman and would be the greatest.

“ I do, the fight with him left a strange yet interesting impression on me. Maybe he will cut me down one day and take my title. There is no doubt he’ll stop at nothing to have it. Others have tried and failed, some even running away before I could put them out of their misery. “ Mihawk rolled his eyes remembering the cries of those who begged for their lives or ran away, even pissed themselves. “ Your captain son, having Zoro on his crew is quite a smart move. “ Mihawk knew Luffy wasn’t the brightest apple in the basket but he seemed to have gathered quite some interesting members for his crew. “ How did you come to join the band of misfits know as the Straw Hats? “ Mihawk wished he had a drink, maybe something to do with his hands to settle the swirling feeling in his stomach. “ It’s a long story. “ {Reader} didn’t want to bore him, especially with the details. “ Excellent, I have a bottle of wine on my boat. If you care to join me there if so, you follow me, I promise I won’t harm you. “ Mihawk stood up offering his hand. “ And another promise it’s not the filthy cheap stuff, I’ve been making my own wine from grapes from the frame. “ Mihawk shrugged. {Reader} licked her lips, wine did sound delicious and he seemed harmless for now. “ That sounds lovely, Hakweye Mihawk. “ She took hold of his hand as he pulled her up to her feet. “ Call me Mihawk, dear. “ He let her take hold of his arm.

A small blush creeped up on {Reader’s} face as she walked with the swordsman to his boat. He helped her on the boat letting her sit on the throne he called his. Before sitting on the small bench and reaching towards the floorboards there was a hidden compartment. When he opened there were berries, maps, wrapped meats, medicine, and the wine that was secured in a cloth with a rope wrapped around it. Mihawk grabbed it and closed the compartment as he unwrapped the wine. “ I don’t have glasses, so I hope you don’t mind going back and forth. “ Mihawk uncapped the wine and handed her the wine. “ And don’t be scared to tell me my wine tastes like shit. “ Mihawk told her. A sly playful smirk curled up on {Reader's} lips. “ I met Luffy when he was just a child. “ {Reader} sipped on the wine, the taste making her shiver in delight. Mihawk raised a brow. “ When he was just a child? That means you must have known this redhead drunk named Shanks. “ Mihawk asked. “ I did, I grew up with Shanks he was a brother to me, I was Luffy’s babysitter whenever Shanks was away and I was also his teacher he wanted to be a pirate so badly, that he thought learning how to read or doing math was useless, but thankfully Shanks told him why numbers and reading was important. “ {Reader} handed Mihawk the bottle. “ Also the wine doesn’t taste like shit, cheers swordsman. “ {Reader} thought about the next part of the story. “ I eventually met Luffy and his crew when he had just Sanji, Zoro, Nanmi, and Usopp. Luffy had grown so much when I saw him, I decided to join his crew and leave behind my job as a traveling teacher. “ {Reader} got comfortable on Mihawk’s throne. “ I love teaching, but being a pirate also sounded fun. Now I have my own wanted poster with it calling me Mama {Name}. “ {Reader} let out a soft, sweet giggle of bubbly delight. Mihawk handed her back the bottle. “ I knew Shanks, as well we would battle before he lost his arm, now the fool isn’t worth it, he’s half the man he used to be. “ Mihawk rolled his eyes. “ If Shanks heard you say that, he would be quite the sour apple, maybe even challenge you. He’s the one who taught me to use the sword so I could protect myself. Pirates used to raid the school house to try to take what they deem valuable. “ {Reader} continued to drink the wine.

“ I’m excellent with a sword, I could probably knock you back a few times. “ {Reader} rested her head back against the throne. A deep, rolling laugh rang out from him as he threw back his head and let out a howl of laughter. “ You could try dear, I might let you but it would be pretend. “ Mihawk rolled his eyes, a part of him didn’t really want to hurt {Reader} if anything there company was a breath of fresh air. “ But I’m sure I could teach you some new tricks, maybe even better than whatever Shanks had taught you? “ Mihawk left the offer on the table. {Reader} leaned forward towards Mihawk as she examined him, she did want to learn more about sword fighting, she hadn't seen Shanks in years and Zoro wasn’t really up for teaching. “ Wouldn’t it be strange for me to learn sword fighting skills from the man, who is going to get his title taken away from my son. “ {Reader} had a slight tease in her tone. “ I find nothing strange about teaching a beautiful woman to sword fight. “ Mihawk bit his tongue realizing what he just said. {Reader’s} wasn’t sure if her face was getting flushed from his accidental compliment or it was from drinking half a bottle of wine. “ When I can’t wait to learn how to sword fight from the handsome swordsman. “ A sweet smile graced her lips, a gentle softened gaze in her eyes as she was swept up in the moment between them. Mihawk knew this would be risky but at the same time it could be the wine speaking. “ I was going to vacation here because the hot springs here are good for muscles and relaxation. Would you like to join me? “ Mihawk asked her. “ A hot spring sounds lovely, let’s hope my children haven’t discovered it. “ {Reader} stood up carefully as Mihawk helped her off the boat.

Mihawk walked with {Reader} to the hot springs as he told her about his days as a marine hunter. “ So you were like the boogie man but for Marines? “ {Reader} asked. “ I guess so, I have snuck up on some marines who tried to scare rookies with stories of me. So yes I was the boogie man for the Marines. “ Mihawk chuckled softly. “ Do you miss killing Marines? “ The question that {Reader} asked made Mihawk think. He had become a warlord chained to the Government free to hunt but no longer hunt marines. “ I do miss hearing the cries of marines who want their mothers or the blood curdling screams of striking them whenever they ran up to me. Sometimes the warlord meetings are boring and dreadful even. The government thought it was wise to make this warlord system, but look what happened to Crocodile. “ Mihawk rolled his eyes. “ Crocodile was petty and greedy, blind with greed and you are right look at what happened to him. “ {Reader} remembered the battle with Crocodile. “ And look where we are. “ Mihawk lifted a large leaf and showed her the hot springs. The hot springs area was beautiful and had a tranquil and relaxing atmosphere. The air was filled with soft burbling of the water as it bubbled from the underground, the scent of minerals was thick in the air. The temperature looked soothing for those with sore muscles that were looking to ease some tension. “ I’ll turn away to give you some privacy. “ Mihawk turned away, focusing on the stars. {Reader} removed her clothes and folded them up, as she slipped into the hot springs. She walked over and dipped her feet into the water before slowly dipping her whole body into the water. “ You can turn around. “ {Reader} turned her head to give Mihawk his privacy and she could hear the sound of his large coat dropping. “ Close your eyes, I’m about to get in. “ Mihawk told her. {Reader} closed her eyes, sinking into the water a bit more. “ They're closed. “ {Reader} said. She could hear the sounds of the water as Mihawk had gotten in. “ You can open your eyes dear. “ Mihawk told her. {Reader} opened her eyes, they slightly widened as she looked at his chest then his face. “ You still have your necklace on? “ She tilted her head to the side. Mihawk reached and removed his necklace showing a hidden blade. “ When you are like me it’s wise to keep a weapon with you, even if it is something your enemies would not suspect. “ Mihawk tossed the blade to {Reader} who caught it as she examined it. “ I thought you wore it for religious reasons? I never suspected it was a weapon. “ She was about to brush her finger against the blade but Mihawk stopped her. “ I wouldn’t do that, it may be small but it can do a lot of damage to the skin. As for religion I prefer to keep my faith a secret. “ Mihawk relaxed in the water.

“ I can respect that, I myself don’t like revealing my faith to others, I keep my religious upbringing a secret. “ {Reader} flicked some water at Mihawk. “ How private are you about your life? “ Mihawk wasn’t the type to pry into other people’s lives before their lives had no interest to him, but little by little he wanted to know about {Reader} besides what she had told him earlier. “ Depends how close I am with you. “ {Reader} leaned a bit towards Mihawk, he stared at her with sharp amber eyes. “ Would you say we are close? “ Mihawk reached up cupping her face, giving it a little squeeze. “ I would like to be close with you, I mean we are skinny dipping in the hot springs. “ She tried speaking through her squeezed cheeks. Mihawk chuckled thinking she looked adorable. He could squeeze her cheeks all night, but he let her go. “ But what wouldyour children think~ “ Mihawk had a slight tease to his zone, a passing thought of Zoror horrified that his pirate of a mother was getting close and even romantic with someone he’s trying to defeat, it made him chuckle. “ I’m a grown woman and I can date whoever I want. “ {Reader} huffed, running her fingers through her hair which made Mihawk chuckle. “ That you are, an enchanting one I might add. Who so far hasn’t annoyed me. “ Mihawk flicked some water at her. He could be in this hot spring all night with {Reader} but he had other plans.

It was risky but tempting like a forbidden fruit. “ I thought I might stay on this island for a vacation, but I might return home early. You should come with me, that’s if you want it’s an open invitation, I’ll be right now “ Mihawk left room for {Reader} to decide if she wanted to go with him. “ I’m about to get out and change, I’ll be on my boat waiting. Give you time to tell your Straw Hat children about how you’ll be leaving with me or if I don’t see you in ten hours I’ll know my answer. “ Mihawk stared at her and nodded his head. {Reader} closed her eyes as she listened to Mihawk get out of the water but also her own heart hammering against her chest. She wanted to leave with Mihawk, he was an interesting man. It kind of reminded her of the romance novels she read, like a vampire taking a fair maiden to his castle. {Reader} opened her eyes and turned around as she watched Mihawk walk down the path. {Reader} got out and as she got dressed she made her decision.

{Reader} found her way back to the village. It seemed the party was dying down. “ Mama {Reader} where were you, I was looking for you, the villagers offered us a room to rest in until we set sail tomorrow. “ Robin walked up holding a sleeping Chopper. “ Robin, I’m leaving with Hakweye Mihawk. He offered me to go with him to his castle when we were in the hot springs, we connected and I want to spend more time with him and get to know him. I really think it would be fun and I don’t want the others to freak out. “ {Reader} spoke quickly. Robin chuckled softly. “ Hawkeye Mihawk? I thought I saw him lurking around, I didn’t picture him as the romantic type. But I’m not surprised he is one of the warlords that I can tolerate, if you want to go with him then go right ahead. “ Robin told her. Even though all the Straw Hat members were like children to {Reader}, she always saw Robin as a sister. “ I’ll let the others know. “ Robin smiled. “ Let the others know? “ {Reader’s} chest tightened as she was nervous. “ {Reader} you’re a grown woman if you want to go with Mihawk you can, if the others freak out I’ll calm down especially Zoro. Now go on and have fun live your fantasy like those women do in your books. We’ll see you when you come back, but do let me know how romantic the stoic swordsman is. “ Robin winked and walked away. {Reader} smiled softly thinking of Robin’s words. She ran towards the beach as Mihawk was waiting there sitting on the boat, he was sitting on his boat waiting for {Reader} once he saw her, he stood up and offered his arm. “ I hope you don’t mind a loud annoying pink ghost. “ Mihawk helped {Reader} onto the bottle. “ I deal with Luffy so I’m sure I’ll be fine. “ {Reader} was guided to Mihawk’s throne where he let her sit. “ Then let us set sail. “ Mihawk couldn’t wait to have {Reader} at his castle he had so much planned.

⤷ One Piece Tag List: @anonymousewrites

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippets: Free Day Thursday

Per the poll, we're going with "half of Spargus casually parents the boys and Jak doesn't know what to do with that"

Some context: this is set within a half-WIP where I was exploring ways to interpret Ashelin's manipulative little "or did the hero I know die in the desert?"

In this universe, Jak was technically clinically dead for almost 90 seconds because heatstroke is no joke and adding eco imbalance probably makes it worse. He was resuscitated inside the city walls, so the Wastelanders shrug and invoke a law as old as the city: "a "corpse" just took his first breath in our city, that makes him one of us by birth." And then he and Daxter got sent to live in the Arena barracks wing meant for younger Wastelanders (he's not loving it)

Jak was in a bad mood. He'd been up most of the night, dealing with flashbacks, and he was tired. He hadn't finished any of the work he'd been handed so far, and he was supposed to report to Damas in two hours for gods only knew what reason. In the three-odd weeks he and Daxter had been here, he'd spoken to the man all of twice. What had he done? They hadn't even let him go past the gate!

"Jak, you done with the-"

"No," Jak snapped. Immediately, he felt a little bad. Running a hand over his hair he sighed. "...sorry, Daxter."

Daxter narrowed his eyes. "You need a nap."

Jak looked away. It wasn't like he didn't know that. He bit down on a sharp retort.

He hated not finishing a task. It made him feel useless. Like a failure. But he was having so much trouble just. Focusing!

Sitting and tying nets back together was as repetitive as scrubbing the floors back in Sandover -- or the prison, occasionally, when the Baron was coming and the guards had to pretend they actually took care of the facility sometimes. It let Jak's mind wander. In the prison, that was a welcome escape. But after his escape, he didn't like letting his thoughts loose. They tipped into bad memories too often, and trying to remember the good ones was hard.

Right now, all Jak could really think about was the nightmare the morning dorm headcount had woken him from.

The image of Samos glaring down at him, hand on the controls of the Chair, was going to haunt him for a while.

The crews of the Looper, Half-Shark, and Black Eel moved along the beach, monitoring the kids from Dorm Five who had been assigned to help them. They were mostly in their late teens, like Jak, but there were a few unusually small ones -- a thirteen year old, a twelve year old boy and his eight year old brother -- given that they had nowhere else to go. There was a reason the other dorms called Five the Orphanage when they thought the matron couldn't hear them.

Most of the other ten kids were already done, or close to done. And Jak couldn't even do something he used to do all the time as a little kid.

"Y'alright there, sprout?" asked a gruff voice.

The captain of the Half-Shark stopped at the end of the pier with his hands on his hips. When Jak scowled and tangled his fingers in the cords, he made a knowing sound.

"One of those days, huh?"

"What days?" Jak growled.

The grizzled man winked and tapped a finger to his nose.

"Got a visit from the night hag, didn't ya? I won't tell. All sorts of dreams'll put shadows like that under a man's eyes in the night. You can take a break if you need."

"I'm fine."

Jak wove another two rows and knotted them in place. Silently, he willed the man to just go away. The last thing he needed was for any of the others to notice that he wasn't pulling his weight.

He'd never been around this many young people in his life. Ten was bad enough, but there were some hundred or more teenagers all told rotating through the barracks. The noise, the way they all knew each other already, it locked Jak's voice down eight times out of ten. They all stressed him out too much to even consider conversation.

Daxter claimed that he had two rivals and an archnemesis already. Jak didn't want to talk to any of them.

They were normal. Most of them had never been forced labor for a sage or a gangster or a resistance. They'd never been imprisoned, or tortured, or consistently told that if they weren't carrying everyone's burdens, they were worthless.

The only ones who had remotely similar experiences were the three who were rumored to have escaped Marauder slave camps. They didn't speak to anyone but each other, but as soon as he'd arrived they'd seemed to recognize the shadows hanging over Jak. During allotted mealtimes or when they were thrown out into the common area during the chaotically unstructured "free time", the two girls and the younger kid had started sitting silently with their backs to him: keeping watch so he and Daxter could eat. And Jak was not about to ask them what they'd gone through after that kindness.

Matron Pax reassigned Jak from room four to room eight within the week, putting him next door to the pale trio. All the "quiet kids" went on the same end of the hall. He appreciated that the woman paid attention to her charges' personalities, but he could've done without some of her rules.

"It ain't gonna do you no good to run yourself into the ground, son," the captain remarked. He folded his arms. "What's your hurry, anyhow? Ain't like you've got to earn amulets yet."

Jak looked up with incredulous annoyance.

"Yeah we do? We're "newcomers", remember?"

Daxter grimaced. "We don't even know how to drive!"

Captain Oaken raised his hairy eyebrows in surprise. Then understanding settled in.

"Ah don't mind them younger warriors. They're just bein' snots because they gotta earn their citizenship, while you're a born citizen."

Jak recoiled. "I think you've been out in the sun too long. I wasn't born here."

"We think," Daxter added helpfully, "We dunno where they snatched you from. Samos is a lying liar who lies, remember?"

Jak elbowed him and shook his head.

"Your king dragged us here half-dead."

"A good ways more dead than just half, remember?" Oaken corrected.

Suddenly, the midmorning sun felt cold. Slowly, he set the net down and stood up to look the captain in the eyes.

"What?"

"They didn't tell you?"

The captain sounded surprised. He scratched his nose and glanced back at the other teenagers. None of the others were close enough to overhear. Oaken lowered his voice anyway.

"Boy, you was dead dead a quarter of a minute before they got you in the gate. No pulse, not breathing. There was gawkers all over the place while his lordship got your pulse going again. Word got around."

Jak felt sick. Dead? He couldn't have been dead! He wasn't sure if fifteen seconds even counted. His brain would've still been active, right? His brain was still active, and he didn't remember any hypoxia.

Of course, he didn't remember much of anything else, either.

Technicality. It was only a technicality.

Calm down. Calm down, you didn't actually die. He's a fisherman. They tell tall tales. Probably thinks that's supposed to impress me.

"You alright, boy?" Oaken gestured to the pier. "Maybe you oughta sit, huh? You're looking pale."

When Jak only stared at him blankly, he patted the boy's shoulder gingerly.

"Don't let it get to you, eh? They brought you back, and it was inside the city walls. That's the part that matters."

Insane. These people were insane.

But...

If it meant he didn't have to fight to be allowed to stay, if it meant he maybe, hopefully, might actually have rights, maybe he could ignore some of the bizarre tendencies of this city that had...rescued? Captured? Conscripted them?

He never did finish the net. He was completely distracted for the remainder of the morning, wrestling with the implications. Eventually, the warrior on rotation as Dorm Five's resident advisor just excused him to report to the tower.

"What?! He's not even done!"

Luka glared at Jak and Daxter.

"Why does he get to leave early?"

The RA rolled his eyes at Luka.

"Because he got summoned. You could've left by now if you weren't goofing around with the fishhooks instead of cleaning the traps."

Luka sulked, but didn't say anything more about it. Jak fully expected the burly teenager to say something snide about it later that he'd probably have to smack him for. Luka, as he had been assured by the little kid, Koda, didn't like new people in the "orphan hall", and always gave newcomers a hard time. So what else was new.

"Ooooo, he's in trouble," one of the girls snorted in a sing-song voice.

Why were teenagers in Spargus so...childish?

____________________________________

Jak ignored them all. He had to follow a map to get to the citadel, avoiding people as much as possible. He tended to stay away from people anyway, but today especially he just wasn't in the mood for hu'men interaction. The one plus side of getting called up to talk to -- or be talked at by -- the king of this place was that it would probably be quiet.

Anything his dorm...neighbors...or whatever they were...said had to be taken with a heavy grain of salt. But Daxter had heard that the king didn't like more than a few people in a room with him at a time. Either he was paranoid about getting ganged up on, or he just didn't tolerate loitering like Torn.

"Hey, hold up!"

Oh now what?

Jak turned slightly to find a woman with a gunstaff approaching quickly. He tensed, ready for a fight, but she had a fairly casual expression.

In three steps she'd reached them, all while patting her pockets for something.

"Geez, I know the Youth Barracks had a population boom, but you'd think Pax would notice the naked kid."

"Excuse me?!" Jak sputtered, leaning away from her.

With an exclamation of triumph, the warrior produced a somewhat grease-stained rag. Without so much as a by-your-leave, she plucked the cap and goggles from Daxter's head and wrapped the rag around his brow and the back of his neck, just like Jak's scarf. When she deemed the result satisfactory, the warrior slapped the goggles back on him.

"Okay, carry on."

Both boys stared at her.

"What was that?!" Daxter squawked, "Did you just put a grease rag on my head?!"

"Didn't have a handkerchief." The warrior shrugged. "Listen, pipsqueaks, Foothills clan learned a long time ago: fur don't save you from sunburn. You'll thank me later."

Jak exchanged a glance with Daxter. It was true that Daxter's skin had been extra sensitive lately. They'd just assumed it was the heat and sweating. Neither had considered that he could get sunburned.

A little chagrined, Jak looked up at the woman and muttered a quick thanks. He waited, assuming she wanted something in trade. Everyone seemed to barter here, rather than pay in paper orbs.

"Alright, scram," the lady said, waving them off nonchalantly. "You look like you got chores or something. Don't ever say Mel didn't do nothin' for ya, huh?"

Jak didn't speak for the next two turns in the neighborhood. Daxter was more than happy to fill the silence for him.

"Is this what it's like bein' you?" the ottsel asked, hanging over his shoulder, "The eyes all the time? Peeps just comin' up and decidin' stuff about ya? Not that I blame em for lookin, but it does start to wig an ottsel out."

He'd once assumed that being the center of attention was all he really wanted. Even negative attention was still attention, and Daxter had learned every way to provoke people, just so they would have to acknowledge his existence. But now he wondered if there was such a thing as too much of a good thing. Because if he and Jak got into trouble, Jak wasn't the one getting all the consequences anymore. They didn't just tack Daxter on as an accompanying afterthought to "help", no, it was much worse. Matron Pax had proved adept at finding ottsel-sized chores to make him do!

On the one hand, he was being acknowledged as his own person, being nagged at to eat at the same time as everyone else, to stay in his room after lights-out, to go to school (or what passed for school here).

But on the other hand, he couldn't get away with rot anymore!

"I never know what these people want," Jak grumbled as the tower finally came into view. "Are we here to work, or are we being patronized? They're watching us, Dax. I know we're being monitored. There's no way people would randomly stop a stranger to make him fix his scarf."

"Or scold us for carrying three ammo crates at once," Daxter added.

"Or drag us off the street at noon to make us sort beads until noon rest was over," Jak agreed. "Nobody just...does that for strangers. Especially not a city where you're either useful or deadweight."

One more person tried to stop them when they got to the tower. Jak actually remembered this guy's name. Watchman Chayne guarded the elevator up to the throne room. He was a pretty easygoing guy, compared to most Wastelanders. Jak didn't mind him so much.

"Hold it," Chayne signed, raising a brow, "What are you two up to?"

"I dunno, ask Damas," Jak retorted.

"Whatever it was, we didn't do it!" Daxter added quickly, "And I have character witnesses!"

Chayne let out a soft, hissing laugh and waved them into the elevator.

"Oh, your turn for newbie check-in, huh? Just don't mouth off and you'll be fine."

"Define mouthing off," Daxter said, steepling his fingers.

Chayne blinked at him slowly, then looked at Jak, then at Daxter again.

"Godspeed, kid."

Great.

[atlasofthestaars]

[MK X READER] New Era - Chapter .004

first part | previous part | next part

Note: I often try to plan out plot points while I’m at work, and I was like wow! I get why Kronika went insane because trying to keep all these plot points (especially the parts where I plan on diverging from canon) logical is wild.

This is the first chapter that doesn’t follow any of the main campaign events at all, so it was a bit more of a struggle to write for, but I hope you enjoy it regardless! There will be more chapters of this, building up the much needed foundation for the champions squad. Don’t worry Lin Kuei fans, there will be a few more Lin Kuei moments too during these times, allowing us to see them again before they disappear for a while during the tournament arc!

Shang Tsung deliberation is up until a week from when chapter 3 was released/aka when the tumblr poll ends. 

Otherwise, I will accept any wants for any other love interests until we get closer towards the Outworld arc since I’m pretty sure all Earthrealm men are already confirmed.

For example, someone asked for Reiko, so here’s a poll for him to gauge interest, AO3 fans, please comment on your thoughts for him!

FROM THE EYES OF ONE WHO HELPED TRAIN SOME NEW CHAMPIONS

Turns out, thinking about the things that worried you leads to overthinking.

Pacing back and forth in your room, you felt the cool wood under your feet. With how much you paced around the room, you were surprised the wood had not been ruined at this point. You paused in your pacing and you looked outside the window to look at the moon. 

You were never a good sleeper, finding it hard to sleep at night. But oddly enough you always found yourself awake for the sunrise due to routine. You often found naps were a good supplement for your tiredness, but some days you would suffer being awake without much rest.

Your memories buzzed around your head too much to rest easy. You paced back and forth once more for a few more minutes until you stopped at the door of your room, briefly considering going and seeing whether Liu Kang could help ease your troubled mind.

Your hand laid upon the handle, the metal knob cool to the touch. Goosebumps trailed up your arm as you stared at the doorknob. You tried to will yourself to move. To finally speak with Liu Kang about the memories that weighed upon you, to free yourself of this silly burn that you brought about upon yourself.

Unfortunately, you could not bring yourself to step outside your door.

You were too racked with guilt to do that.

You were afraid of the idea that you would slip up and mention the many other memories you had recovered, the timeline you were beginning to piece together, and Liu Kang would begin to realize this. You were afraid of upsetting the man who most generously took you in and allowed you to stay by his side despite your odd past.

You did not want to ruin the good thing you had going for yourself.

Your hand dropped from the doorknob. Sighing, you walked over to a particular floorboard and carefully lifted it up. You reached inside and pulled out the leather bound diary that you had found on yourself when you first awoke in this world. Along with it was a pen that somehow, despite the years, had not run out of its smooth ink.

This was your only confidant in the memories you had. Moving towards your desk, you adjusted the lantern in your room to hang over the desk, giving you more light to work with. You stared at your words, trying to look at what you recalled.

Your memories seemed to be linked with those you interacted with, so the Lin Kuei and Liu Kang and the memories surrounding them were the strongest. Even still, you had holes in what should be completed memories. Meeting the new people seemed to patch some of them up, though.

You sighed as you skimmed the pages. They were mostly short phrases describing what you remembered from these brief memories. It was hard to keep them in order since they were random and never in order whenever you got them.

You picked up the pen, spinning it with a flourish before you began to write.

Kung Lao, a cocky monk of the Shaolin with a razor hat. Once was friends with Liu Kang. Seems now he is a farmer and friends with Raiden.

Raiden, Thunder god. Seems to have once been what Liu Kang is now. Mortal now, and a farmer of Fengjian with Kung Lao.

Johnny Cage, actor. Was with Sonya Blade and had a kid. Still an actor, has a different wife, and no kid. 

Kenshi Takahashi, once a blind swordsman with telekinesis and telepathy with a magic sword. Had a kid. Now seems that he has his vision, uncertain of abilities.

You sighed as you put down your pen, staring at the words in front of you. You tried to will yourself to conjure any memories you had of these men previously from just their name. Unfortunately, this just gave you a headache…and not the kind that gave you any helpful memories.

“Damn.” You muttered leaning back in your chair. You had never had control of your memories, even after all these years. They were rather inconvenient and useless, since they rarely gave you any insight on the ones you meet. They’re all so different.

The only constant was their names.

You closed your eyes as you thought of the four men you had written down. Who were they? What was their connection to you? You sighed as you rubbed your forehead, trying to ease the headache you had accidentally given yourself.

Ah shit, you were in charge of training them, weren’t you? Or at least, somewhat.

They were going to be a headache in more ways than one, it seemed.

“So, how, exactly, am I to train the four?” You inquire as you glance over to Liu Kang, briefly noting the way the sunlight landed on his features. It was another morning of watching the sunrise with the fire god. You had gotten a few hours of sleep, at least, before rising to meet up with Liu Kang as usual. A few hours was better than nothing.

You had started off quiet, before natural conversation hit the both of you. You discussed many things, mostly the events of the past few days, before the conversation naturally landed on the new recruits. You found out that they were going to be arriving at the Wu Shi academy in a few days time, giving them enough time to get their life sorted out before they drastically change theirs.

The god looked over to you. It seemed like he had been expecting this question, and you wondered just how easily he could read you. 

“You are to simply oversee their training and test their skill. I know you are not all too familiar with the teaching of the monks, so they shall handle the bulk of it.” He explained, and you found yourself sighing with relief. “Not to mention, I shall also assist when I am able.” You were not ready to have to handle training four grown men, so hearing that you were mostly there to test them was great.

You were good at fighting, at least. It was a skill that people often commended you for. 

Madam Bo often praised you as one of the best she had sparred with. The old Lin Kuei’s grandmaster often found value in the practice you gave his sons. You would never admit it, but you prided yourself on these compliments. 

“That’s good.” You remarked, feeling your shoulders relax. You returned your gaze to the rising sun and the pretty colors that were painted in the sky. You paused, deliberating over the next words that were to leave your mouth. “Why me?” You asked, your voice almost shy. That question had been haunting you ever since you found out about this arrangement back in Fengjian.

“Because I can trust you.” Liu Kang began, his voice filled with certainty. You felt a pang of guilt, your gaze dropping to your hands. Your mind screamed with how you were unworthy of his trust with the memories you found yourself unable to confide in him with. “And I know you will provide a healthy challenge to them.” You chuckled at his words, pushing out the voice that whispered in your head.

“Why are we recruiting these people so late?” You inquired, asking another question that had been bugging you for a while now. You were glad that Liu Kang was a benevolent god, and never seemed to mind your questions. “Would it not be more wise to recruit them earlier since the tournament is mere months away?” 

“Had we sought them before, none of them would be ready.” Liu Kang answered wisely, and you hummed. You knew better than to ask how he knew this, despite the years together there were some things you knew he kept secret, and his innate knowledge was one of those things. You supposed it was just a godly thing.. “It is only until now that an opportunity presented itself.”

“And so you decided that I was one of the best options to train them within a few months?”

“Indeed.”

“You have a lot of confidence in me, Liu Kang.” 

“Should I not?” The god questioned. The tone in his voice surprised you, and you looked over to him instinctively. You were surprised to see such a strong look of confidence on his face. Gently, he put a hand on your shoulder. His thumb rubbed your shoulder comfortingly. Through your clothes and his hand wraps, you felt the comfort of his warmth.

“No, you should.” You said, your voice filled with a bit more confidence. You looked at his face, feeling oddly proud of yourself to have earned the god’s confidence. He nodded, seeming content with the shift in your attitude. “I shall do my best.” You said, bowing for the man.

“I know you will.”

“How are you boys doing?” 

Striding into the courtyard of the Wu Shi academy, you looked at the four recruits. You noted how each of them wore the uniform, and how it all seemed to fit them, more or less. You walked with confidence in front of them, imbued with the words you had been given before from Liu Kang. 

All of them were various degrees of exhaustion. Not surprisingly, the actor seemed to be having it the roughest. He was still fine, but it was easy to tell he was the most winded out of the four. You assumed his luxurious lifestyle had something to do with it.

You sucked in a breath as you fought the massive headache these four were giving you. Being stuck with overseeing their training, you assumed you’d be having this feeling a lot. It was no matter, you’d simply sleep it off right now.

Strangely enough, despite the intensity of the headache, you were unable to glean any memories easily. Probably something to do with so many people trying to resurface at once.

“Training has been rigorous, but enlightening.” Raiden replied, his face flush from exertion, and you noted how out of the four he was one of the ones faring a bit better. You assumed it was because he wasn’t underestimating the monks’ intense lessons. You smiled at him, nodding.

“Good, as it should be.” You said, humming as you clasped your hands behind your back, observing them all. Despite their tired state, you could tell they were at least eager. “As Lord Liu Kang has said, I will be partially in charge of your training.” You grinned at them, seeing them perk up at your words. “Today will be a…benchmark to see where your skills lie.”

“Who exactly are you again?” Johnny asked, still hunched over slightly, hands on his knees as he looked up at you. You saw the slight glares from the others, probably because they saw his words rude. He put up his hands defensively. “Hey, I didn’t get a proper introduction like you guys did.” He defended himself.

“Don’t worry, I don’t take offense.” You chuckled, shaking your head. You said your name, clearly and loudly so the others made sure what it was. “I’m a companion of Lord Liu Kang, and he has entrusted me with overseeing your training.” You explained before clearing your throat. “I’m not one for lectures, so I’ll get right to it, who wishes to go first?” 

The four looked amongst themselves, seeming to deliberate amongst themselves silently on who would face this challenger they’ve never seen fight. You let out a silent chuckle, wondering how they sized you up. Eventually, you watched as Kung Lao strode up to take the challenge. 

“Let me show the others how it’s done.” He declared, seeming confident. You saw the small smirk on his lips, and in return you smiled graciously at him. You gestured for the others to step to the side, and you watched as a few of the monks gathered around to watch. The monks were no stranger to your fighting prowess.

“Bold.” You commended, nodding as you walked into place with Kung Lao, settling into the all too familiar fighting pose that you were familiar with. You watched as he mimicked your actions, settling into his as well. “Now, allow me to show you why I was entrusted with this task.”

You watched as Kung Lao approached, confidence in his strides. Almost too confident. You held a defensive position. The point of this test was to gauge their abilities, so acting on the defensive first would allow you to see what their confidence and skills on the offense were like. 

As he swung the first punch, you blocked it with ease. You supposed it was a bit unfair, having already known what Kung Lao’s fighting style was like after watching him in the teahouse along with the bits of memories you had of him. You allowed him to attempt to break your defense more, noting how he had a strong emphasis on his punches with their quick nature.

You had to commend him on his confidence, he knew he was a strong fighter. The farmer had a lot of potential.

It wasn’t until his major slip up with throwing a rather risky punch that you decided that it was time to go on the offensive. Ducking under the move, you went for a sweep, knocking the man off his feet. You waited until he got back up before you grabbed him. Taking him off his guard, you brought him close as you winded your leg back.

As you sent the kick flying into his stomach, you transformed your leg into that of a secretary bird’s, allowing you to put even more power than you would have normally.

“Holy shit!”

You disregarded the actor’s exclaim as you watched Kung Lao fly back, tumbling from the strike. As he stumbled up, he seemed surprised before hesitantly approaching once more. This time, he utilized more caution as he swung at you, trying to even employ the technique of grabbing you like you had. Easily you shoved him back, retaliating by whirling around and transforming yourself to have a kangaroo’s tail which you swung at him with.

This back and forth went on for a bit, with Kung Lao being easily fended off by you before he eventually conceded, calling for surrender.

“You fight well.” You commend, bowing towards Kung Lao. He did the same as he panted, nodding as he caught his breath. You stood up to look at him as he gestured towards you, a look of awe on his face.

“I am amazed at your transformation skills.” The farmer admitted, looking at you up and down with amazement as he continued to catch his breath. “Is it possible to learn that?” He asked, almost too eagerly as he walked over to the side to rest up.

“It is a skill I was born with, so unfortunately I cannot teach you.” You told him, grinning as you held out your arm to transform it into a bear’s with its claws out. “I have the ability to transform any part of my body, and all of me, into an animal.” You explained as you transformed your arm back as easily as you had changed it.

“Now, who is next?” 

You causally stood there, only having barely broken a sweat as they stood to the side, catching their breath. A pleased look appeared on your face as you crossed your arms, noting how they each fought. Today you had gone easy on them, being more defensive than your usual aggressive fighting style. You surmised they’d only have a few bruises each because of this. You tried to stay away from anything that would rip and tear.

Honestly, your memories had been helpful for once. They helped clue you in on the fighting style of each man, the odd exception being Raiden who felt pretty different than the man you remembered. It was nice to know what to expect, unlike the first time you had fought the Lin Kuei in training…

Kung Lao had been interesting, being the most confident in his strikes and fighting style. That matched with his speed allowed you to see where he truly shone in his fighting. Taking defense against him was a challenge due to how swiftly he struck, but being able to defend well proved useful as you could counter him when he was left vulnerable after a failed attempt at breaking your defense.

You hummed, recalling how this version of the man lacked the iconic razor hat you remembered. You wondered briefly if you should suggest it to him, or if it’d be odd. You also noticed how despite his confidence in this life, he was at least a bit more humble than when you remembered him last.

Johnny Cage had been unique, his fighting style more flashy and all in than what you were used to. It felt like it should be impractical from just watching it, but the man made it work somehow. He also had interesting evasion, which almost took you off guard. You think you could definitely work with it, especially teaching him how to better evade the opponent since he seemed to grasp that concept well already.

Your eyes looked over to Kenshi. Kenshi had been odd to train with since he wielded a sword, and it felt like he had the most experience in fighting. Your eyes trailed down to his hands, noting the tattoos that littered his hands. You remembered how Liu Kang had briefed you in on his past. A yakuza…that explains the calculated way he fought. 

You wondered if you’d ever have to deal with the telekinesis you remembered he had in his past life.

Raiden had been the most different from his past life. In both his fighting since he lacked the lightning powers you remembered so strongly, and how he carried himself. He was not as confident as you hoped, despite the obvious skill he had.

You’d have to work on that with him.

“Excellent work for day one with me.” You congratulated, causing the four men to look at you with varying degrees of confusion. You guessed they thought they had done not so well due to how you had battled them off easily. “As I said, this is a benchmark, so I know now how to best advise where to take your training, especially since the tournament is mere months away.” 

“That was a benchmark?” Johnny Cage asked, sending you a disbelieving look. He had been one of the ones you had ended up fighting the most before he conceded. He had been stubborn against you, and you don’t know whether that was foolish or something to be commended for. Maybe it was both. “You kicked our asses.” You chuckled as you grinned at him.

“Did you expect anything less from someone who is allowed to stand by the Fire God’s side?” You asked, a hint of playfulness in your tone before you observed them once again. “We’ll meet again tomorrow after your training with the monks. For now, you are all dismissed.” You said, bowing towards them, your hands forming a fist into your palm similarly to how Liu Kang does. 

You turned around, intending to go back to the Fire Temple for a well deserved nap, especially since the headache was getting nearly unbearable at this rate. Then, you heard your name being called. Turning around with a raised eyebrow, you watched as Johnny jogged to catch up with you.

Your head pounded as he neared, but you at least felt some relief as you felt a few more memories resurface.

You recalled how he had been very, very arrogant as a younger man. He had brazenly had his name tattooed across his chest, and for a moment you allowed your head to dip to his chest, curious if he still had it in this life. Somewhere, after what you could only remember a big event as a tragedy, you remembered he mellowed out. 

You wondered how this one’s attitude laid on those scales.

“You know, you’d be a hit in Hollywood.” He told you, his breath still heavy with exertion. You raised an eyebrow, surprised at his words. You weren’t all too familiar with what he was talking about, but you assumed it had to do with his acting background which you vaguely remembered.

“Really?” You asked, holding back a chuckle as you looked at him with amusement. Even across the world, he was still thinking about his acting career. “What makes you say that?” You inquire, deciding to entertain his thoughts. 

“People dig animals,” The actor started off, gesturing to you, “and not to mention how much you’d be valued there for being able to act as any animal?” He continued, acting as if he were trying to sell you on the offer. “Directors would be hitting you up left and right.” You felt yourself grin a bit more at his praise, but reminded yourself not to get caught up in his flattery.

“Are you implying I’d only be adored for my animal side? And not my own charisma?” You asked with faux offense, deciding to try and tease Johnny. You were surprised how he didn’t even flinch at your words and smoothly replied.

“Nah, you got that and more.” The actor admitted, shrugging as he pointed at you. “but it’s not often people meet an animal shapeshifter.” He pointed out with a nod, making you nod. “So if anything is your claim to fame, it’s that.”

“You’re interesting, Cage.”

“So I’ve been told.” The man replied wittily as he grinned at you, eagerness shining in his eyes. “So, you interested in becoming a star after all this blows over?” It was an innocent seeming question, but you narrowed your eyes, not certain on the intention of the question.

“Why are you so interested in my career path?” You inquired, your tone a touch more serious. You glanced over to see where the others had gone. All gone. No one to save you from this man’s questions. You crossed your arms as you gazed at him with skepticism.

You were hit with a wave of nostalgia as your mind reminded you all of a sudden how he had offered a similar gig in your past life.

Some things never change.

“Listen, I talked with Liu Kang, this shit has movie written all over it.” Johnny Cage decided to be a bit more transparent with you. You raised an eyebrow, and gestured for him to go on. “I think if what he says is true, I can make a box office hit!” He gestured towards you eagerly. “And I think you have what would make this movie superb, my friend.”

“Interesting…I’ll have to pass though.” You said, shutting him down. You watched as his glee dropped a bit, and you started to walk off. You were surprised as he still walked over to try and cut you off.

“Come on, hear me out-”

“Not right now, Cage.” You replied, putting a hand up to silence him. He huffed and you could tell he held back rolling his eyes. You sent him an unamused look. “Perhaps focus on your training first, then we can discuss it.” He perked up, and you decided it was best to start to walk off before he can try and talk to you about his movie shenanigans again.

“Really!?”

It was another sleepless night.

Sighing, you swung your legs over the side of the mattress as you sat up. Perhaps you should stop trying to take naps and fight through the sleepiness so you can actually sleep at night for once. You sigh as you slump over, rubbing your eyes.

You should go outside, maybe do something productive. It’s been a few days in a row of this, you had to try something.

Not knowing exactly what to do, you followed your sense of wanderlust. You left your room, down the halls and out the building. From there, you left and found yourself standing at the entrance of the Fire Temple. You hesitated as you stepped out onto the dirt path, hearing the rocks crunch beneath your feet.

You’ve never left in the middle of the night.

It’s not like you had a curfew, or that you had any promise to stay inside the Fire Temple at night. Far from it, you remembered how Liu Kang told you that you were allowed to come and go as you pleased. That was long ago. You never thought much of his words, thinking you would never stray far.

You wouldn’t, but you figured there was no harm in going and walking off your restless energy instead of staying cooped up within the Fire Temple.

With a burst of anxiety and what you could barely consider courage, you walked on. You followed what felt like an invisible trail, until you found yourself standing in front of the Wu Shi academy.

Strange, but you supposed maybe you could train. Walking carefully into the academy, you made sure to be quiet, as to not disturb the monks with any noise near their sleeping quarters. You found yourself making your way towards the training grounds where you were surprised to hear the faint noise of training.

Transforming your ears into bat ears, you tried to hone in on the sounds. You furrowed your eyebrows as you stood still, trying to make sure the person was not a threat, and if you could recognize them. You blinked as you suddenly came to a realization.

You walked quietly, making sure to follow the lessons Madam Bo and Bi-Han had pushed onto you to remain quiet and stealthy. Be stealthful as the night, and as deadly as the dawn. You peered from around a pillar, and spotted the person standing there alone, and you confirmed your suspicions.

It was Raiden.

You watched for a few minutes, changing your eyes to those of owl eyes to see better in the dark, to better observe. He was going over the basics, ever diligently. You pursed your lips, raising an eyebrow. You had thought he had been more…feeble, being more reserved than Kung Lao. And yet, he was here, training in the dead of night.

What a peculiar man.

After a few more minutes, you watched as he made a critical error in his form. He didn’t seem to notice, and you sighed. He kept on training, repeating the error. You cringed. That was going to form a nasty habit, and if you were to be the mentor Liu Kang trusted you to be, you couldn’t let that happen.

Moving out of position, you slinked closer towards him, stopping to lean against a pillar that was only a few feet away from him. You changed your eyes back, letting your eyesight return back to normal. You felt the all too familiar feeling of the headache return, and you grimaced.

Your memories for Raiden were confusing. He was like a completely different man in almost every way. If your memories didn’t trigger in such specific ways, you wouldn’t believe the man that appeared in your head was the same one that was training in front of you.

Maybe because he wasn’t the same man.

“You’re doing it wrong.” You spoke, your voice ringing clear in the quiet courtyard. You watched as Raiden jolted from surprise, stumbling as he whirled around in a fighting stance to face you. You smiled at him as you held your hands up. “Relax, Raiden.” You said softly, to try and calm him down from the sudden shock.

“Why are you…?” Raiden began, eyes wide in confusion as he stared at you, not processing the situation quickly. He swallowed as he tilted his head, mouth open as he tried to muster up the words to speak. You brushed off his confusion, gesturing to his stance. 

“Your form was off.” You comment, gesturing to his body and pointing towards where he exactly had been incorrect. “You were practicing with it being wrong. That’ll be bad practice for you.” You point out. You watched as he tried to correct his form, and you hummed, gesturing to instruct him on how to fix it. As he finally shifted back into a proper stance, you nodded. “Better.”

“Um…thank you.” The farmer boy said, his awkward feeling at the situation obvious. Not only did it show on his body language, but it was shown plainly on his face. You had a feeling this man couldn’t obscure his feelings for the life of him. 

It was good to be honest, but you were worried it might work against him.

“I have trouble sleeping at night.” You explained, crossing your arms as you sighed. Your eyes looked down at the ground as you noted how the moonlight fell and illuminated the area around you two. “I decided to go on a walk and wound up here. I thought it might be nice to try and train, then I saw you out here.” You looked up, and gestured to him.

“Oh.” Raiden said after a few moments of silence. His face flushed as he put two and two together that you were asking for him to explain why he was there too. “I…uh, couldn’t sleep.” He admitted, looking down to the ground in defeat. “It’s different here than in Fengjian.” 

Ah. Homesickness.

“I see, so you decided to try and train and work off your restlessness?” You inquired, tilting your head as you tried to gauge his reaction. He paused, considering your words for a moment, before nodding hesitantly.

“A bit.” He said, nodding his head. “But I was also thinking about our sparring today.” The farmer admitted. You blinked in surprise, and nodded, wanting him to go on. “I just wanted to go over what the monks taught us today, so next time I would fare better against you.” 

How humble and sweet.

“While I admire your determination, there’s two problems.” You said as you kicked off the pillar you had been leaning against. You strode over to stand closer to Raiden, gesturing to him. “One, you must be diligent in your forms. Practice without purpose only builds bad habits.” He nodded eagerly, seeming to take your words seriously. “Second, there is a thing such as over practicing.” 

“I see.” Raiden said, letting your words sink in as he nodded. He stared at you with a mixture of admiration and attentiveness, and you smiled. Quickly, he bowed in appreciation. “I’ll keep this in mind, thank you.”

“No problem, what kind of mentor would I be if I let you practice such horrible habits?” You inquired, crossing your arms. You observed the man a few moments more, and you sensed that neither one of you were quite tired enough to go to bed. “I have a feeling neither one of us is ready to sleep, would you like me to run you through the forms again?”

“Yes please!”

Maybe you were cut out for this after all.

part five

[celestiamour]

Hi!! I saw that you had open requests for conclave, so I wanted to ask if you could make more Thomas Lawrence x fem reader smut? Maybe a needy Thomas or something, people don't write about him enough 😞

TYSM<33❤️💕

🎨 anon- since now:)

ft. thomas lawrence x f! reader — conclave

╰₊✧ the spirit is weak and the flesh is willing┊0.8k words

contains: smut!! dom reader & sub lawrence┊slighttt dubcon, succubus reader, mention of erectile dysfunction & references to his age, blowjobs, all happening in a dream, snowballing

➤ author's note: hii new nonnie!! something short for now since i’m getting ready to write all of those conclave fics in the poll plus all my squid game requests, but i look forward to seeing you in my inbox more often to thirst for this loser mwahhh (also this is kinda similar to the previous fic i wrote but oh my god i love torturing him)

as most people do, thomas has a few rituals he performs before going to bed: cleaning any clutter that may be in his room, showering and brushing his teeth, reading scripture and saying his prayers (specifically reciting psalms 91, he always makes a point to remember)— all typical things clergymen do before resting. however, there are a few other things he does that seem strange, even for a man like him.

he makes sure everything is in place, checking obsessively before taking a breather. his home is anointed with holy oil, a mixture of olive and other essential oils which were blessed and smeared in little crosses over all the surfaces of his home.  there’s a crucifix hung in every room, maybe even two if it’s more spacious. salt lines his doors and windows wherever there may be a crack.

he does everything he can to keep demons away while he’s in his most vulnerable state, but he still fiddles with his rosary before hesitantly drifting off to sleep, feeling like a child who is scared of the monsters in the dark. in all honesty, the monsters with sharp fangs and glowing red eyes in storybooks would be better than what he’s dealing with. at least then, he would feel less guilt and wake up feeling something other than shame for what has been happening in his dreams.

for the past four and a half months, you’ve been showing up in his dreams a few times per week, a winged creature with little horns on the top of her head and a pointed tail. a succubus who was looking to feed and chose a man who had dedicated his life to the church, which was against all you stood for. it wasn’t a coincidence, no, you chose him because you thought it was funny to taunt a man who was required to stay celibate for some sick, sadistic reason. you’ve even called him cute on multiple occasions, finding it adorable all the things this old man will say and do in an attempt to ward you off at first.

sometimes you wear lace, other times you wear latex. it’s always scandalous and leaves little to the imagination, but that always gets him more flustered than if you wore nothing at all. you tease him, caressing his face with the back of your hand, telling him all the things you want to do to him, asking him if he was having more fun serving god during the day rather than spending time with you at night, but you never force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do.

no, the best part is when he finds himself backed up in a corner, his hardened cock stirring in his trousers in ways that he thought were no longer possible, and the scent of your perfume making him dizzy with lust. the best part is when he cracks like glass, whispering a few pleas before outright begging for you when you pretend you can’t hear him.

it’s the most satisfying sound really, the sound of a man giving in to his most carnal desires and pathetically allowing stings of “please” to slip past his throat as you give him what he wants. it’s almost like he forgets what he’s made his entire life’s purpose the moment your mouth is on him, running your tongue along his length and teasing his tip while alternating between long and kitten licks. despite his age, he finds himself acting like a teenage boy again due to his inexperience, cumming in your mouth after barely two minutes like a loser.

he takes several deep breaths before opening his eyes, wincing at the slight overstimulation when you slowly loosen your jaw and let go of him with a ‘pop,’ the little string of drool connecting your swollen lips to his tip makes you smile before abruptly standing up and kissing him with aggression, so much so that he wakes up with a start with sunlight leaking into his bedroom.

thomas can still taste you, your sweet spit mixed with the saltiness of himself. the recollection of the nightmare makes him feel feverish, pulling the sheets off only to find his underwear sticky with evidence of his release. he takes a cold hard shower and prays before leaving his house, making a mental note to figure out another way to keep you away from him at all costs possible.

you can’t tell if he’s more stupid than he looks or is simply in deep denial. he can do all he wants to his house and say all the prayers he wants, but his mind is like an open portal for you to waltz into. despite everything he says and does, he’s just as weak as any other man to temptation, and his secretly perverted mind is more than willing to let you enter no matter how much he would deny it. 

[wonustars]

𝘚𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘭 ’𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 (𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘳)

“𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘪’𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰��𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶” - 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘩

story inspirtation came from this poll pairing: c.sc x reader word count: estimated ~10k+ (this teaser: 983 words)

genre: friends to friends with benefits to lovers, slowburn, angst, fluff, smut (mdni)

summary: You and Seungcheol have been friends ever since you were kids. Growing up as neighbours, experiencing all the horrific adolescent moments in high school, and now going to the same University together. Even though you’ve denied it many times to your friends, part of you has always had feelings for him, not that you would ever say it out loud. He is the one person you can trust with anything and everything. So what happens when he propositions the idea of becoming friends with benefits? (the plot maybe change a little while i’m continuing to write but the overall theme will stay the same &lt;;3)

tags: bestfriend!seungcheol, nonidol!au, university!au, female!reader, mutual pining, slow burn so painful you'll feel it in your toes, they are one year apart, SLIGHT like extremely miniscule wonwoo x reader (for the angst mwahahaha), seungcheol is a jealous jealous man, they're both idiots, jeonghan is a menace as always, seungcheol has a lot of pride, so does the reader, (i'll add more once its finished lol)

warnings/smut: this will be added on in the full post.

taglist: open! send an ask, dm, or comment to be tagged for when i post the full fic.

notes: long time no post everyone.... a LOT of people voted for an s.coups story on my poll so i'm here to deliver mwahahahaha...ALSO im so proud of the banner i made like udek i love how it looks hehhehe, i spent a good hour or so on it T-T ! i really have an urge to write a longer story, so idk when i'll be finished because it may take me a while to finish so sorry in advance. I just started writing and I was playing Mikee's Letters by Just Hush during it and so i thought id incorperate the song into the story, but barely lol (its a tagalog song so sorry if the translation is a lil rough my tagalog is not the most accurate). this story is SOOOOOO self indulgnet that it should be criminal lol BUT im really excited to write this and im really excited to share it with everyone,,, but first i actually got to finish it hehe. talk to u soon, mwah <3!

As long as you could remember you and Seungcheol have been attached to the hip. Even though he was a year older than you, you couldn’t remember the last time you spent a day without him. You’ve been in each others lives ever since then, starting all the way from the young, bright age of 5, when you and your family moved into the small, humble house across his. Although your parents weren’t very well off, Cheol was. It was an odd thing that you two were neighbours because his house was much more grand, and nicer kept than yours. This didn’t really bother you growing up though, he always made you feel like an equal.  

Seungcheol has been with you through it all, the petty fights in middle school to the pains of adolescence in high school. He’s seen you at your worst, like the time you tripped and fell trying to impress a cute guy at school, which resulted in a nose bleed. You were so embarrassed but at the end of the day Cheol was there to help you clean your bloody nose and pick you back up. A true night and shining armor, which was practically his brand. He was the one to patch up your heart, breakup after breakup. Always your shoulder to lean on when you’re feeling down, and especially when you’re happy. 

A man and bestfriend like Choi Seungcheol didn’t come around very often, and you took notice of that since you were young. You cherish every moment you have and will have with him. He is a true gentleman with a heart of gold. He’s handsome, smart, rich and caring. Every single box on your list is ticked off when it comes to him. Yet, you know that no matter how hard you love him, you will only ever be his bestfriend. The girl he sees as practically his younger sister. The bittersweet feeling of being so close to him tugs your heart till its torn. It took you a long time to accept that all you’ll ever be is his bestfriend, and even now, you’re still trying to accept this fact. 

...

Seungcheol has always seen himself as your best friend. The man that will be there for you when you have no one else to turn to. He has never seen you as more than his best friend, his y/n. He is a man who never second-guesses himself, always keeping a strong-willed sense of mind. Every time one of his friends asked him if he had feelings for you, he would simply answer no; and that you were like a younger sister to him. 

That first year was lonely for him, he didn’t really know anyone and all his classes kept him away from socializing. The only thing that seemed to have stayed constant was you. You face-timed him at least once a week before he went to bed, never forgetting to remind him how much you missed him, and how much you cared for him. In the simplest words, you were his rock for that first year. 

Seungcheol was never warned about how lonely and jarring your first year could be. The change in place, people, and most importantly the change in the fact that you weren’t there experiencing it beside him. He was never one to believe clichè sayings, but he finally understood what the saying “distance makes the heart grow fonder” really felt like. He had gotten so overwhelmed from the loneliness he even began to write you letters, ones he would never actually send out, as cheesy as it sounds. But knowing that he was addressing them to you brought him some type of solace in that first year.

 A year later you came to study at the same university, and he was elated, to say the least. Finally, he had thought to himself. The one person he hadn’t been able to see, smell, or touch for a year was finally going to be in his proximity. 

Unlike Cheol, you were only able to go to this school through bursaries and scholarships, your parents simply just couldn’t afford to send you to school in a different city otherwise. It reminded you how lucky Seungcheol was to receive support from his parents, getting and going to school was nothing he had to ever think twice about. You knew you could’ve stayed with your family, and gone to school closer to your house, but with Cheol away, it just wasn’t the same. Nothing had felt the same since he left. But this didn’t matter to you the moment you felt his arms wrap around you again. 

You stood there in the airport all alone, eyes searching for a head of freshly dyed blond hair. The moment you heard his voice call your name, you knew you were finally home. 

“Y/n!” An excited, deep voice calls out for you. 

You whip your head around to see him. The man you hadn’t seen in so long, the man you were so desperately in love with. Your best friend. 

“Cheol!” A squeal escapes your lips, you run to him. He pulls you into a tight hug, wrapping his large hands around your smaller frame. Swinging you around like crazy, a laugh bubbles up from your throat. 

“I’ve missed you so much y/n.” Cheol exasperates as he hugs you tighter, leaving a kiss on the top of your head.

“I’ve missed you too Cheol…” You whisper into his chest, breathing in his expensive cologne, not caring that you are in public; staying there to embrace him for a weirdly long period of time. “Never leave for that long again.” 

[dflogerzi]

It has taken me an entire night and the next morning to gather my thoughts. I think most of the world is doing just that as well. And who we are will be shown in how we now walk forward as people and as individuals.

I was a very little girl just in school when JFK was shot. I remember the day clearly even though I was very young. They dismissed us and sent us home, which looking back would never have happened in these times. I was far too little to be walking home the three or four blocks in the middle of the day, with no parent waiting.

I also remember when Reagan was shot. Clearly. Many people have not connected the family that was involved... and whom they were close friends with. I do not speak of it much any longer, I have learned that it does not serve anyone to do so. For in these days people firmly believe what they do, no reason to banter on. But I am going to say this... The very same people who saw out Kennedy almost did the same with Ronald Reagan. And I do not care a bit who believes me or not.

I had in the past few years bowed out of my own searches, journeying, and going down rabbit holes in an attempt to find quiet spaces for my days. I suppose I had decided to succumb to what I see as the inevitable. I saw no way out. I grew up around diversity, I played with children of all colors growing up, and I served in a military that even in the 1980's had every type of person in every single shade you could imagine. I was ahead of my time I suppose. So seeing all sides of the coin was always easy for me. And I have always straddled the middle ground.

What each of us should be asking ourselves today is this... What are my goals? My personal goals for myself, my children, and my grandchildren? How do I want to see my neighborhood? My library? My places to walk, explore, use as recreation, and take pause in? The preservation of art, history, and relics from the past? What is of the most importance?

Anyone who is not seeing where the world is being led to is not truly observing without the severe propaganda that has been purposely thrust upon the masses. It was legalized more than a decade ago in the United States, and it has been a major success in it's efforts. Mankind is losing, and in my opinion, on purpose. And we are even being openly told so. It is not being hidden. I think it is part of the NWO belief system actually... that we are told outright and we accept it. Or never listen. Like the sheep we are often likened to be.

So another attempt was made to end a life yesterday due to politics. And instead of a country who goes to the polls, in real and valid elections where EVERYONE casts one vote, legally and lawfully, a different future was instead being thrust upon a nation as an attempt. I would have far less worry about entering into a socialist and global state if I felt it was a REAL and lawful vote from every citizen of the country I belong to. I do not believe our elections are safe. And I believe they have not been universally in a long, long while.

We are not just looking at the character of our leaders... but we are looking at the character of each one of us. I am so grateful today that I am on the other side of my life span. And I am so sorry for our grandchildren who may never know some of the beauty of this world. It has been heart breaking to watch the decline of our civilizations.

So much evil. And I will submit from the cheap seats, up in the peanut gallery, that the very same people attempted to take a life yesterday as they have before. Some still alive as accomplices...

This is not about political parties. Anyone who believes that is sleeping far better than I am. This is about humanity. And integrity. And love for our world.

Okay. I suppose I will post this. And then onward with the day. Which is all each of us actually have. Seize it. As I am going to. Love to my friends here.

[rudnitskaia]

THE EPIGRAPH: A few people recently asked me if I plan to write a resolution of Rocky's and Maura's story after White Chrysanths for the Swallow, so I decided to put the fate of those fellas in your hands. That means this ficlet will be divided into several parts, each one ending with a poll about vital forks of this story. Enjoy and choose freely, whether you wish to read angst or fluff — just remember that, like in real life, outcomes of your choices in long time are not always clearly predictable. >:3

Wherever the Wind Goes (part 1)

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Spring was on its way.

The first buds that opened timidly fluttered on the branches from the light windblows. But the serenity of that spring day was not meant for her. Tired after the long road, Maura hesitantly opened the gate and slipped into the familiar yard.

It was the hot summer of 1929 when she had walked through this little garden last time. Despite the light anxiety from the forthcoming meeting with Nina McMurray, she had followed Roark with light, resolute step, holding her father under his arm and admiring the neat bushes and flowerbeds, enjoying the intertwining scents of flowers.

Yet now, almost two years later, Mau wasn’t feeling the same excitement. Only fear.

Oh, how she wished to never knock on that door. But it’s been more than a year since Little Daisy had been replaced by a different establishment, and attempts to ask the new owners about the whereabouts of the previous proprietress, and moreover of Roark Rickaby, had been futile. There was only one string left in Mau's hands, the one that led to the McMurray family’s house. She hoped with all her heart that at least Nina had not changed her residence and could tell her something about her nephew. Where he was, what he was doing now, whether he was safe… whether he was alive.

Mau forcefully pushed the last nagging thought away. She needed to pull herself together — this wasn't the time to think about bad things. No matter how scary things get, you should always try first, she urged herself. Mau made a few hesitant steps back and forth on the porch. Squeezed her eyes shut, mumbling something under her breath, encouraging herself not to turn around, not to leave.

Her trembling hand lingered in the air for a moment before a quiet knock sounded.

The minutes started to drag on like tar. So sticky, viscous and suffocating… Mau knocked again, a little louder this time… then again… and again, without waiting for an answer, and again, and… suddenly, the door finally opened.

“Sorry it took so long, I…”

Calvin froze, involuntarily clutching the knob with his fingers. How nice it would have been if life could have been like a musical once in a while. So that in this moment, to a heartfelt tune, Calvin would’ve smiled and held her close, telling her how happy he was to see her and how much more so Rocky would be. But there was no music. The confusion in the young man's eyes made the heart in Maura's chest shrink into a heavy lump.

“Good Lord, Mau!” he finally recovered. “Is that really you?”

She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to control her own voice. So she just weakly nodded instead.

“You're alive!” Calvin put his palm to the forehead and leaned against the doorjamb, letting out a few nervous chuckles. He couldn't believe that the young woman before him was real. In his mind's eye, he remembered the long days after Maura's disappearance, the days he and Rocky had spent side by side until the Lackadaisy's downfall. The days when his cousin had first become terribly, frighteningly quiet, and then turned into a hurricane, raging far more violently than it ever was before. Whereas before Rocky had brought trouble upon himself as if unconsciously, after the news of the shootout at Casa di Rondine it became much more like looking for troubles deliberately. Even in him, with his usual upbeat nonchalance, it was evident how much he was tormented. And no amount of trying to get him to talk, to support him, had done any good. All that time Calvin felt himself helpless, felt in his gut that he should have done something, but he couldn't. And really, what could he have done, except letting this terrible wound ache until it healed? Let Rocky grieve the loss, since there has been no way to distract him anyway. The only thing that could’ve possibly made him feel better was Mau's return, but no one comes back from the dead.

No one comes back…

The odd crooked smile that had contorted Calvin's face from shock finally faded, giving way to the grim awareness.

“You're alive…”

Already in the kitchen, Calvin silently listened to Maura's story: how her work for the Lackadaisy had led the New York syndicate to their trail, and how she and her father had miraculously survived the attack on the eatery. How she and Augusto, both wounded, stole a car from the assailants, dumped it in the Mississippi halfway across the country with several corpses in the trunk, and then hitched a ride to Minnesota, taking shelter in the middle of nowhere — finding a place to stay in a temporary shift camp thanks to Augusto, who found a job at one of the few remaining sawmills in the state. This allowed them to get by for a year and a half, until they received the happy news of the arrest of the heads of the New York crime syndicate, which at last allowed the Venza family to rest easy.

“It was too dangerous to reveal ourselves,” Maura continued to twist the tea cup in her hands with a dejected look. “But now… now everything is different. We can finally stop hiding. And… I need to see Rocky. Talk to him. Explain myself. Please, Calvin, you know where he is now, don't you? How is he?”

Calvin frowned. He was still struggling to collect his thoughts; even with Mau's description of the circumstances, deep inside he was still bitter about his cousin's unjust distress. He wanted to take a moment to think in silence before giving Mau an answer, but the cautiously hopeful look in her eyes didn't give him time to weigh the pros and cons. So he said everything as it came out of his heart.

[ninja-go-to-therapy]

Hello friends so Ik I said I didn’t have anything to post for my bday but I wanted to give you something (a birthday gift for me from me also for u if u will), so I present a sneak peak of my upcoming Sonic fic! Considering the poll I put out had the winner of “break his legs” that’s what we’ve got here :)

To be notified when this fic actually comes out, subscribe to my ao3 @ sodaschemes!

Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, torture, implied stalking/obsession

Lastly, if you want this fic to ever come out for realsies, you should engage with this post and my blog! Ask questions, express excitement, anything to know I’m not screaming into the void… pls… as a birthday present for little old me?

Consciousness found him slowly. It was the kind of sleep where you woke up totally disoriented, unsure of where you even were. Like when you woke from a nice mid-afternoon nap.

Sonic wasn’t so sure he was taking a mid-afternoon nap.

He groaned, his head aching with something sharp. He blinked the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. It took him a moment too long to notice that he wasn’t alone.

There was a figure above him, watching. Waiting.

“Ever heard of personal space?” he snapped, reflexively kicking a leg out to shoo them away (or at least get them out of his personal bubble). He regretted the action immediately, choking on his own spit as waves of agony radiated from his legs, which very well looked to be broken. “FUCK!” he shouted, head knocking against the wall and doing nothing to help the horrible pounding in his skull.

The figure — a honey badger, he thought… though it was hard to tell in the dim lighting of… wherever he was — didn’t seem to get the hint, instead moving even closer, until he was practically right on top of him.

Usually, Sonic had a bit more patience with people when they were probably evil villains with a plot to kill him, or something. But the piercing headache and the nauseating mess of his legs that he was trying not to think about were adding up to make one very cranky hedgehog.

“Get the fuck off me!” he snarled, trying to appear as intimidating as could be when his body was in as much pain as it was. He wondered how Shadow did this all the time. He wasn’t entirely sure the guy even knew how to smile.

No doubt because Sonic was just that good at imitating his rival, the guy backed off a touch. Still far closer than he’d like, but at least he wasn’t nearly in his lap now.

“Well, that’s not a very nice way to ask for something,” he said, the slightest furrow to his brows.

“Yeah, I don’t tend to treat people who kidnap me with manners, sorry,” he said. “Who even are you? One of Egghead’s new goons?”

“That psychopath? Hardly,” he scoffed, as if the very idea was ridiculous. As if Sonic waking up in — what, some kind of basement, maybe? — wasn’t the exact sort of thing Eggman would pull.

Granted, Eggman had also never landed a hit on him like this before. It made Sonic’s stomach roll unpleasantly.

He tried to shift his upper body in a way that wouldn’t jostle his injuries, but failed spectacularly, only barely managing to keep his shout at a low hiss, instead. This was so bad. But his friends were definitely already looking for him, so he’d probably be out of here in like, an hour or two. He’d get his legs fixed up, and mope around a bit while he waited for them to properly heal, and then this would all be some odd memory that he would look back on and laugh.

Hopefully.

“Well?” the badger prompted with a lopsided smile, “aren’t you going to ask my name?”

Beyond the fact that Sonic really just… didn’t care, he also hesitated to do so considering the weird way in which that was said. Because… what the hell did that lilt of his tone even mean?

“Doesn’t really seem relevant, honestly,” he shrugged, “I mean, I’ll be outta here before I could ever make the space to remember it, anyway.”

Rather than annoyance or frustration at his cocky attitude, the badger actually laughed. And not like a creepy evil villain laugh, but an actual laugh. Which, while normally Sonic would be incredibly pleased that someone was actually appreciating his humor, he really… wasn’t being all that funny, this time. Was he being serious? Definitely not. But it wasn’t like he’d made a joke, either.

It was just kind of… a weird reaction, from some random guy he’d never met and/or fought before. Speaking of which, now he definitely wasn’t asking his name, because he was worried it would only somehow make this interaction stranger.

He was pretty content to just kind of sit here by himself until he was rescued, thanks.

The badger shook his head with an amused grin. “Come on,” he prompted, “I think you’ll really like it.”

Yeah, unless his name was something-something-chili-dog, he doubted that. Man, what he’d give for a chili dog right now.

Not that he had much to give. His legs were fucking broken, after all, but he was trying not to think about that.

He wasn’t given that luxury for much longer. A pair of soft, smooth hands clasped around his thigh, and Sonic yelped in shock, just about to lash out, injuries be damned… but then they were sliding down, until they reached just below the knee, practically only a ghost of a touch. He didn’t have the time to wonder what he was doing. He’d find out in mere seconds, heart lurching into his throat when thick fingers grasped his leg and crushed.

He shrieked, waves of raw, unfiltered agony pulsing from the site of his broken bone, where harsh hands were probably pushing it even farther out of place.

He could feel it shifting where it stuck out of his skin.

“FUCK!” He wailed, nearly convulsing. His mind was a screaming wall of sound and little else, like a dial-up computer from the 90s or something.

“Be nice and ask my fucking name.”

“Fine — CHAOS—!” He sobbed, mortified to find tears squeezing their way out of his eyes. Nonono, Sonic the Hedgehog didn’t cry, he didn’t show this kind of weakness. He didn’t let people know when they were actually getting to him. “What’s your — name?” He spit out hoarsely, hardly able to breathe through the never-ending pain.

The pressure dissipated just as soon as it first appeared. Soft hands pet along his shin, mournful and apologetic. Sonic was certain he was going to throw up.

“I’m so glad you asked,” the badger all but purred, a delighted grin replacing the stark rage on his face just moments before. “It’s Maurice.”

[helluvathings]

Random observation, but I've seen a lot of posts in this fandom that begin something like "I know everyone has been hating on (insert either Blitzø or Stolas), and it's unfair because..." And it's funny, because I remember a poll a while back asking who's in the right, and something like 70+ percent of respondents said they were both part of the problem. The vast majority is neutral.

I mean, obviously it's human nature where if you have a favorite, and people are writing essays against your favorite, it feels like that character is being attacked from all sides. But I wonder if part of the perception that either everyone is against Stolas, or everyone is against Blitzø, doesn't also have to do with the way feedback toward each tends to appear.

This is just experiential so take it with a grain of salt, but the comments on the episodes, as well as reaction videos, tend to be biased for Stolas. Which makes sense. He's more openly vulnerable. Seeing his pain is easier, and his mistakes are subtler. He expresses love, grief, and sorrow like a Disney princess, through song and romantic gestures. Since his mistakes are typically subtle and only really reacted to by Blitzø (bristly, temperamental) or Octavia (so-called angtsy teenager), they stand out less on a first watch.

Blitzø's mistakes are bigger, volatile. His pain manifests in an uglier way. On first watch, reactors tend to dismiss him as a jerk/idiot/or even a villain. But further analysis, context, deeper thought, add complexity to his character, and the more you consider Blitzø's perspective, the more serious Stolas's (accidental) missteps feel. In light of that, seeing all the initial positive responses to Stolas can be frustrating, because it's like no one is looking deeper: so essays/videos show up detailing all the reasons that yes, Stolas is wrong too, almost as a reaction to the more positive initial Stolas takes.

I do think there are more in-depth 'Stolas messed up' essays than Blitzø ones, because everyone knows Blitzø messed up. The show makes it clear. Stolas is less obvious. His issues haven't been strongly addressed in his character arc, and sometimes get glossed over by casual reactions/analyses. And that can get frustrating to people who want to see both sides.

At the same time, if you're a Stolas fan looking for reactions, the abundance of 'this is why Stolas isn't great' content probably does get discouraging. People sort of take his sympathetic qualities for granted, and dig into his flaws. While people take Blitzø's flaws for granted and dig into his sympathetic qualities.

At least that's my two-cents for why some fans seem to feel everyone is favoring one side or another, when it seems like most the fandom does recognize mutual fault.