#i say crumbs but there is a good amount of interaction with them

[killjoy-prince]

I take the crumbs wherever I see them

[ceilidho]

landscape with honey

summary: price/reader bear shifter fic. PART 4. (read the whole thing on ao3 here) tags: light daddy kink, breeding kink, very nsfw, she/her pronouns for reader

-

He starts showing up at your house at odd hours. 

You’re fixing coffee in the morning, still fuzzy and warm from sleep, only to hear the sounds of hammering outside. Wrapping yourself in just a housecoat, you find John fixing the loose step on your stairs, barely sparing enough time to greet you before returning to the task at hand. When he finishes, he brushes off your attempts to pay him for the job, just loading his tools back in the car and driving off.

You sip your coffee and wonder. Odd.

The next day, you find him raking the leaves in your lawn. Two days later, he shows up at the grocers when you’re picking up produce, and helps you carry all your bags to the car. He also adds a peculiar amount of canned goods to your order and when you fret and try to tell him that you don’t need the pickles and sauerkraut and beans and all of that stuff, he just lays a hand flat on your head and drags it down your hair until you go quiet. 

He pays for the whole order.

You’ve never had to wonder about a man’s actions. Men are largely inscrutable to you, ever-shifting. They say one thing and mean another. They look at you like one might look at an oil painting, entitled something like Virgin Meeting Her Lover’s Eyes From The Top Of The Staircase or Landscape With Virgin. They speak to you as though an answer were entirely antithetical to their purpose in conversing with you. 

John listens to you with a focus that borders on intimidating, like he wants to hear each word enunciated exactly how you might enunciate it. It has the sharp clarity of respect, of a mutual acknowledgement of humanity. He also comes over to fix your sink without you having to ask. The world of men is still largely confusing to you. 

John grows surlier as the days grow shorter though. He doesn’t snap or snarl at you the way he does sometimes with his recruits (you rarely see him interact with them, but sometimes you’ll drop him off his lunch on the days when you’re feeling particularly generous and that’s when you’ll have the rare pleasure of hearing him shout at a trembling twenty-three year old for littering on the trail like a military captain), but it’s a near thing. 

The worst is when he catches you on a jog one morning on his drive to work. You see his truck with the faded red paint pass you by and you give a short wave that he returns. He passes you by about half a yard before coming to a full stop and reversing. You stare at him as the window rolls down, brows furrowed.

“Hi Jo—” you start.

“Get in the car,” John growls. You hear the doors unlock. 

“…My uh…my shift’s in two hours, John, I can’t just—”

“Get in the car.”

“This is my only time to exercise!”

“If I have to get out of this car and drag you inside, honey, I will. Don’t play with me. Get in.”

You get in the car. Probably wisely. Still dripping sweat and shivering from the cold—you’re not used to jogging in the winter, or at all for that matter, but it seemed like as good a time as any to start—you glance over to stare at the side of John’s face. His jaw is set, almost as if in anger. His knuckles are white over the steering wheel as he makes a U-turn and drives back into town. The cab of his truck smells like flannel pulled out from the back of a closet, almost musty, but comforting in the way that old clothes can sometimes smell. There’s a cigarette ashed out in the dish in front of the centre console. 

He takes you to the nearest bakery for coffee and a breakfast muffin and stares you down until you eat the whole thing. You feel like you have to scarf it down. Customers bustle into the bakery to order coffee to-go and fresh cookies and scones in waxy paper bags; everyone in town knows each other so you try to avoid the more curious stares when they’re turned on you.

“This is weird,” you say, staring down at the crumbs on your plate. “This is really weird.”

“This is what you get for exercising before winter,” John says, flagging down the barista for another muffin and a refill on your coffee. “Waste of calories.�� The last part is said derisively, almost with a scoff. 

You frown. “Lots of people exercise. Even when it snows.”

“Winter is a time for hibernating. Not…sweat,” he says with a grimace, like the very thought is anathema to him. 

"Hibernating?" you repeat skeptically, scrunching up your nose. "I mean, I spend a lot of time indoors, but I wouldn't say I'm hibernating."

John stares at you until you look away, flushed. "Finish your breakfast."

The barista returns with another blueberry muffin and a fresh cup of coffee. At least John's the one paying. When he finally seems satisfied, he hustles you home and leaves you off at the door with a stern warning. 

“You gonna be good for me this time?” he asks, a finger curled under your chin, tilting your head up. One of his hands curls around the doorframe and your heart jumps when you hear the wood creak under his grip. This close, you can see the faintest silver streaks at his temples and the flecks of it in his beard.

“It was just a light jog,” you mumble, looking away. 

“Not a light anything,” he warns, ducking closer until you feel like shrinking back, like disappearing into your house. “Bake a cake if you have to burn off energy so bad. I’ll be over around seven, alright?” 

You mumble something, the words getting lost in themselves. It’s impossible to think with John in your space like this. It’s only when he finally pulls away and ambles back to his truck that you rock back on your heels, let go of whatever spell he had you under. 

The first week of December hits town like a truck. 

You’re trudging home alone after your shift when you make the decision to cut through the forest because you missed the last bus and you don’t want to spend an hour walking home. The first snow of the season has caught you off guard, clad in boots too autumnal and a sweater too thin for the biting cold. The flakes fall in thick chunks that stick for a brief moment before melting into the skin.

It’s not the first time you’ve travelled through the forest alone. The town is surrounded by pockets of the forest, like it can’t help enveloping whatever space is left for it. Oftentimes it’s easier just to cut through the woods rather than travel the long way around. You wouldn’t even call this the forest proper, not like the acres of trees sprouting over the mountains just off in the distance. 

A bush rustles. Your eyes flick over for a second, breath hovering in your chest before you decide that it’s just a squirrel. Nothing ever happens in a town like this. The man from the other day notwithstanding, nothing truly bad ever happens. You keep walking down the partially demarcated path, lit only by the full moon overhead. It’s so dark that the snow around you is almost blue. 

The bush rustles again. You stop this time, feet staying planted in the snow long enough for your feet to grow cold. You stare at the dark shoots covered in a layer of snow; it stripes the branches like candy from a time ago, licorice twisted with white bark, and it doesn’t move when you look at it. The bushes and trees are dense, impossible to peer through. Even walking through the forest doesn’t make you feel immersed in it. You follow a barely marked path, hard to see through the recent snowfall, and stare out into the dark woods with a kind of animal sense. Not sure whether you’re alone, whether something’s there with you, and whether it’s sensed you or if you’ve sensed it first. 

You start walking again when your feet go numb. Better to just get home.

It comes behind you again as a slightly louder rustle. It’s harder to shake off the fear this time, harder to say that it’s just the wind. The snow crunches under more than one set of feet, branches cracking under the weight of something larger than you. 

You don’t want to turn around, but the sound of something chuffing makes your stomach drop. The first thing that emerges when you turn to face it is its massive head, a white frosted muzzle, and the visible hump on its back. The wispy smoke of its breath puffs out when it breathes. Its eyes are dark, hardly reflecting any light at all. Then the rest of it emerges, the saplings bending out of its way as it clambers out of the woods and onto the path, staring you down all the while.

You’ve never seen a bear before. Not this close. Not so close that you know it’s been stalking you, know that it didn’t come upon you by accident. You’re staring down at your own body from somewhere else, fear displacing you. Rending you from your own body. There’s no way to guess its weight at a glance, but it’s easily twice the size of you, easily more than that. 

When it takes a step forward, everything goes dark. 

You wake up snuggled under the warmth of a thick blanket. Sleep is creamy thick, engulfing you on all sides, only the faintest prickle of awareness letting you know that you’re awake. 

It’s unpleasant to leave the cotton miasma of sleep, you think. Your nose scrunches up and you let out a tired huff, trying to will yourself back into it. The harder you try to force yourself back into it though, the farther away it floats.

Still it weighs you down. It takes an age to work up the energy to so much as twitch a finger. Even your eyelids insist on staying shut. Yet, the prickle of consciousness needles at you as if to say hello, wake up, you need to get up. You sigh and try to shimmy up onto your elbows.

A hand shoves you back down. The breath rushes out of you.

“Get…back down,” a rough voice grunts from over you and then the full weight of a man settles on top of you, pressing you deep into the mattress. 

Consciousness snaps back into you, elastic sharp. The weight of him pins you to the bed, makes you sink into the plushness of—and this is gradually coalescing in your mind—an unfamiliar place. All four corners of your body are trapped under him. The voice is familiar though. Ragged, brutal. A saw taken to the trunk of an old, thick tree, too many interior rings to count. You whisper John’s name and he grunts, making you flinch from how the sound reverberates through the side of your head.

Exhaustion is thick though and it leaves you heavy, even when John slowly lifts himself to his elbows from behind you. You feel him drag his body down the length of the bed, beard scratching into your skin with every petal soft kiss dropped along your spine during his descent.

“John?” you whisper, only just able to turn your head, not even able to struggle up to your elbows. “J-John?”

He doesn’t answer you. The room is near pitch black, only a window on the other end of the room with the curtain pulled back the smallest amount enough to let the moonlight in. Even the moonlight isn’t enough. You know from the shape of the window that this isn’t your house, that it must be somewhere else. You can only surmise from John’s presence that it’s his, but that thought passes over you like a rock skipping over water. 

“Wher’m’I?” you murmur, eyes fluttering shut when his lips press over the small of your back. Sensitive there. 

Rough hands with callused fingertips smooth over your ass, pressing into the flesh. His fingers pry your cheeks apart, thumbs dipping into the space between and pressing over your hole, making you burn all over. You’re too far gone to worry about any hair on your legs or anything about your body other than John’s hands undulating over your ass and thighs. You flinch violently when his teeth sink into the meat on the underside of your ass, so tender that even exhausted to the bone your body lashes out. 

Big hands pry your legs apart. You flinch at the sudden hot breath over your sex, a whine tickling your throat. His face hovers so close to your centre that the tip of his nose presses on the tender skin near your entrance. 

“Wha’ d’you…think you’re doin’...” you ask breathlessly. Your brain tries to order your leg to kick, but it stays flat and limp on the bed. 

The first touch of John’s tongue along your slit makes you melt, the flat of his tongue lapping upward and making your hips tilt up with it. It almost makes your mind go blank again, almost tips you back into the unconscious world because the synapses in your brain stop firing the second you remember that it’s John between your legs licking hungrily at your cunt. John from the grocery store, John from the ranger’s station in the mountains—the John you’ve been crushing on and coveting for months now, content to just be friends with the gruff, handsome man in the house next to yours. Now sucking one of your nether lips into his mouth and tracing his tongue up the inside, gliding it over the supple flesh.

“Yer in the den,” John mumbles into your pussy and it’s like he sears the words into your brain. “‘N I’m takin’ care of you, honey.”

“The…the den…?” It’s so hard to keep your thoughts in order. Each flick of his tongue makes you gasp, pussy growing wetter and hips grinding languidly down on his face.

He hums instead of answering. 

“Why’m’I so tired?” you slur. 

His tongue saws over your clit from behind. It tears a broken whimper from you. You feel every textured ridge, the way it flicks around in a circle and then up and down again. 

“Winter season,” John says, sucking your clit into his mouth until you whine at the top of your lungs. “Bear’s sleep in winter.”

“Tha’s silly. M’not a bear,” you moan. 

“No,” he agrees, humming into your sex. “Jus’ mated to one. Makes you sleepy too, honey.”

“Mated?” you repeat back, but it’s lost in the way you moan when he eats your pussy from the back, licking into you with renewed vigour. Hungry like a bear. Grunting like a satisfied man, slurping loud enough to make your face heat up. 

Words and old memories about bears hardly matter when the handsome man from next door spreads your legs wide, almost to the point of pain, and sinks his tongue into your hole again. You never would’ve expected John to be vocal, but he’s noisy behind you, groaning into your cunt. He keeps mumbling things under his breath that you can’t catch. 

“John—” you gasp, biting your lip when he sucks your clit into his mouth again. “John—John—”

He only has to give you a single finger to tip you over the edge, feeds it in nice and slow. Your cunt clenches down at the intrusion, teeth nearly breaking through the skin of your lip. 

When he crawls back over you, anticipation makes you shudder. You hear something faint in the background that grows steadily louder as John rests his elbows on either side of your head, until you realize that it’s your own voice murmuring, “Put it in, put it in, put it in—”

He obliges. A thick, steady plunge that hardly manages more than a handful of inches before you’re crying, and it’s too much, too much, too much. Pleasure not a limpid pool anymore but something cavernous and deep-dwelling, pulling you in or trying to make a home inside of you for it. John’s biceps tense with the strain of holding himself back. 

You balance on the knife’s edge between pleasure and pain. There’s a single thought in your head that it might burn you up from the inside; it runs a jagged hole through you. 

His nose drags through your hair. “Never expected you. Thought I’d go another season alone ‘till I started smellin’ you around town.”

You hiccup. “Y’never—never paid me any attention ‘for— before, ah—”

“‘Course I paid attention to’ya, honey,” John says into your ear, grunting when he drives deeper into your pussy, still just a languid grind of his hips, so mind-numbingly slow that your thoughts sizzle out of your head. He keeps dragging his hips back and plunging in, barely pulling away from you, all skin on slick skin. “Made a home for m’self in your house. Made sure we had ‘nough to eat for the winter.”

“The winter?”

“Won’t be goin’ anywhere for a few months.” He brushes your hair out of the way to kiss down your neck, giving in to the urge to bite just a little. His body stays pressed tight to yours, hardly an inch of space between the two of you. “Wasn’ sure at first if it’d be here or in your house so… fuck, I had to get ready. Make sure you’d be safe when it hit.”

“Don’ even…know wha’ that means,” you mumble into the mattress, then squeal and fist the fists when John shoves a hand under you to grope your chest.

“Don’t worry about it,” he shushes you. “All y’have to do now is lie there ‘n take my cock, okay, honey? Can’ya do that for me? I’ll get some food in you after we’re done, then send ya back to bed.”

Only a whine comes out when you open your mouth. John’s arm by your head forces you to breathe in the scent of him, musky and rich. You stare at the hair on his knuckles and his thick fingers gripping the sheets as well, old nicks and scars decorating his hand. You can’t stop staring at his fingers and thinking that he had one of those in you before, that he’s felt you from the inside. 

He never pulls away, never changes positions, just fucks you on your tummy in his bed. You’ve never been in John’s bedroom before, but this has to be his room—even the pillowcase smells like him, pine needles and cigar smoke. He keeps up a steady pounding into your cunt, rutting like a wild animal. Has to be close. Gets so close to you that you feel smothered, trapped in place. Like if you struggled, he wouldn’t let up. You want to test it, see if you could, but the heaviness is still in your limbs, keeping you docile. Convenient. A little convenient thing for him to use, like a doll to get himself off with.

“Never coulda imagined such a pretty girl f’r me,” John groans, getting a grip in your hair to twist your head, tugging you into a kiss. Your whole body sparks to life, so shocked that you can’t even kiss him back at first. You wait until he pulls back, staring into his half-lidded eyes through the mess of your hair all tangled up around you. “Gave up on thinkin’ there was anyone out there. Thank fuck I found you first, honey. Can start workin’ on all the good stuff now. Get you to give daddy a baby.”

“D-daddy?” you gasp back, almost scandalized. 

He pants into your shoulder, worked up now. “Yeah, honey. Don’ I take care of you? Buy y’r food, fix y’r house? Give you someplace nice ‘n warm to sleep?”

You feel soaked with sweat, twitchy, on the verge of something dangerous. Vision all fogged up, heart beating so fast that your skin buzzes. Stretched out on a fat cock and pinned in a man’s bed, nowhere to run or hide. 

“Y-yeah,” you stutter when John gets a bit rougher, his breathing getting more staggered, laboured. 

“That’s right, girl,” he grunts, “I’m y’r fuckin’ daddy then, aren’t I?”

Magma bubbles up from deep inside of you. Rockslides off in the distance beat against the ground. When you cry out, it gets lost in the rubble. 

You stumble into the living room maybe hours later after using the washroom across the hall. Maybe a day later. It’s hard to say how many times the sun has risen and fallen behind the mountains. The clock face stares back at you uncomprehendingly. 

Come drips out of you onto the floor. Thick droplets run down your inner thighs. John is still sleeping in the bed where you left him, snoring like a chainsaw. It must’ve been what woke you up. There’s no way of knowing how long it’s been since he first brought you home, since he left a mess in your pussy, which is still puffy and sore from rough use. You walk with halting little steps to try to minimize the ache. 

You stare bleary-eyed around the room. It feels somehow different than the previous times John’s had you over; there are more throws and blankets draped over the couch, candles scattered around the living room with a lighter on the mantle. 

There’s a fire roaring in the fireplace, blanketing the house in a layer of warmth. It makes you sluggish, stumbling forward only a handful of steps before the shaggy rug in front of the fire drags you back down to the floor. 

“What’re you doing out of bed, pretty girl?” someone rumbles from behind you. 

“Had t’pee,” you say, blinking. You try to rub the sleep out of your eyes unsuccessfully. “Why’m’I still so tired? It’s been…I slept so long…”

“C’mon, honey,” John says, coming up behind you and curling his arms around you, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “Told you it was gonna be a long winter. Maybe just one more and then somethin’ to eat, okay?”

It’s easy to sink to the floor, so easy. Especially with the fluffy rug under your feet. Especially with the fireplace toasting you from the outside in, the tinder crackling in the hearth. Everything in the house is dark and warm, only the fire giving you any light at all. Outside the window, the moon is still heavy in the sky. 

Something about the humidity of the den makes you suddenly so tired, boneless, pliable when he goes to move you, when John curves himself around you in the furs and reaches down to slide a hand between your thighs. 

He grunts when he finds you wet and wanting, sinking a couple fingers in and palming your clit. He doesn’t talk much still, but he says good girl when he cants your hips and slowly stretches you out on his cock. Feeds it into you achingly slow, like molasses. Like nothing’s due for another few months, so why rush it? He’ll take his time so you’re nice and happy and sweet come spring for cubs.

You’re not sure what that means. The pace is slow and deep, like before but less intentional. Like he just wants to savour the warmth of your body. 

When he finally comes deep inside you, your body goes limp, collapsing in a heap onto the rug. You expect John to pull out and turn over, maybe pull you onto his chest so you have somewhere to rest. Instead, he sighs all tired and content, and stays in you, still plugged up in your cunt, his spend only just starting to leak out into a pool beneath you. 

“Are we gonna eat?” you mumble, already half-asleep.

Somewhere behind you, he laughs; it’s soft like a snowfall in winter. “Yeah, honey. After a nap, we can eat.”

[harmonysanreads]

「 note : written before fontaine/character(s) release. i promised crumbs :>」

If you decide to not entertain Yandere!Lyney's whims and wishes, he'll bombard you with all his tricks and mind-games til you grow dizzy and fall right into his arms. You can be certain and assured that he'll always be there to catch you.

Although her blank face rarely gives it away, Yandere!Lynette is enamored with your reactions. Every smile, every laugh, every gasp, the faintest and most prominent traces of bewilderment, amusement, irritation, distaste— are inscribed in her memory and she's always on the silent search of more.

Yandere!Arlecchino likes to present herself as your knight in shining armor, she appears in all the right moments and whisks you away from the dangers in a flair of chivalry. You're so enraptured by her charm that you never question the sudden increase of disturbances in your life, or how she's the only one to help you from them. Unbeknownst to you, the Knave keeps a tally of all the times she's been courteous, crossing out another day from the one she'll collect her debt.

Yandere!Wriothesley would absolutely hate himself if you were intimidated by him and ran away the moment he entered your radar. He understands that his countenance and reputation is at fault, but still, would it be such a tragedy if you two could just converse normally? He tries, he really tries to be reasonable even as you interact with everyone else merrily but as his jealousy and yearning threatens to consume him every day, he's uncertain of how much longer he can remain understanding.

If you try to defy Yandere!Clorinde — let's say by rejecting the meals she has prepared for you or by denying the clothes she tries to dress you in — she'll keep the firing point of her gun firmly placed on your head, occasionally charging it with crackles of electro to further affirm her stance till you yield and do as she says. No amount of sobbing will make her budge until you've completed what she's asked of you but worry not, she never forgets to call you good and reward you for your compliance at the end.

Yandere!Neuvillette calls you his moon, not as a term of endearment (he insists it is, though you've learned to not trust his smooth words anymore) but as a reminder of the perfection he seeks from you. He holds himself with the utmost propriety and etiquette and demands the same from you. His name has already succeeded in chaining your being to his, the only thing left is for him to mold you into his ideal spouse.

[a-whisper-in-the-forest]

A way out

Part 1 (Disgraced apple pie) Part 4 (A game of darts)

TW: mentions of kidnapping, panic attack

Hero taps their foot impatiently on the floor. They push the last crumb of their strawberry pie in their mouth and take a deep breath. It's their second piece, but who's counting? They could get a third. And maybe get a muffin for Sidekick. Hero knew they liked those. Their hand went to their pocket to feel the USB containing all the heroes' information. To their relief it was still there. They couldn’t imagine losing it, the Agency would burn them at a stake. The thought of giving the villains all that information made their stomach knot together. They could feel their heart beat in their chest. What the hell were they thinking? What if this is a trap and they just take the USB and Sidekick with them?

Hero doesn't have enough time to let their mind spiral as Villain and the Hero's Sidekick walk in. They stop at Hero's booth and look at them. There's the face Hero knew from all those late night pie dates. They weren’t really dates but given it was the only kind of social interaction Hero got in a long time outside of work, they liked to think of them that way. Villain let's Sidekick slide into the seat first and then sits next to them. “You got it?” Villain asks, only it doesn't sound like Villain. That's not the voice they spent hours with dissecting pies. “Yes,” Hero answers shakily. This still doesn't sit right with them. “Hand it over, and they're all yours,” Villain says, glancing over to Sidekick who is shivering in the corner. “Here.” Hero pulls the USB out of their pocket and places it on the table. Without saying a word Villain grabs it and stands up to leave.

“Hold on, Villain, wait!” Hero starts to say but Villain is already out the door. They wanted to run after them. Ask them why they were being so blunt. Ask them why the pie dates stopped. Ask them about what happened in the warehouse.

But they don’t. They don’t run after them and they don’t ask those questions. Instead, they look at the Sidekick who is staring at them expectantly. “Are you alright?” Hero asks them, not really sure what to do. Of course they’re not, they just spend the last three weeks in Supervillian’s claws. “It's okay,” Sidekick answers, still a bit shaky. “Can I go home now?”

“Yeah, of course,” Hero answers quickly, “The car is only a few minutes away.” They can’t even start to imagine what the poor kid went through. They make a mental note to make an appointment for them with the Agency’s therapist. Not that they are good at their job. Hero truly believes that the therapist is just the first person the Agency saw on the street and dragged them in. But hey, it’s better than nothing.

Hero escorts the Sidekick outside to the car. The moment they step out the diner’s door they can feel the cold winter air hit their face. Summer can’t come quick enough. While the Sidekick walks Hero can’t help but look at them. They don’t notice any limping but they do see a plethora of small cuts on their neck, face and hands. They have lost a little bit of weight, but not an alarming amount. “They feeded you?” Hero decides to ask. Sidekick nods slowly. “Villain came in a few times with a plate.”

“Villain? The one that dropped you off?”

“Yes, that one. I never really saw the others. Only Other Villain in the warehouse.” Sidekick answers, eyes fixed on the pavement. “Did Villain hurt you?” It’s hard to imagine that the same person who listened so carefully to Hero’s every word would hurt a kid like this. Villain would nod to their every word. Truly listen to them, give them what felt like a heartfelt response, hold their hand if what they were saying was becoming too much. They couldn't have hurt this teen, practically a child… Could they?

“They did.”

Something snapped. Hero felt something rise up in them. Their blood was starting to boil and they clenched their hands. Why? How?! How could this be the same person? Was it all an act? Of course it was. Villain never cared for them or their troubles. They just wanted information about the heroes and the Agency. They didn’t give one flying fuck about them.

They were so lost in their sudden rage that they almost missed Sidekick’s next sentence. “I don’t think they wanted to, though. They only did it when Supervillain asked them to.”

Oh.

The puzzle pieces started to fall in place and all the anger faded. Then they remembered the things they chose to forget in their frustration. The empty look in those eyes when Villain returned to the diner that first night. The sadness in the warehouse while Other Villain was so ecstatic. The very blunt and short conversation in the diner just now. They had to talk to Villain.

“Hey Sidekick, you go to the car already. I have to do something first.” Hero says looking for alleys where Villain might have disappeared into. “Oh, okay. You're coming back right?” Sidekick picks nervously at their sweater that was o so nicely provided by the villains.

“Yeah, I will,” Hero answers but they’re not really listening anymore. They have to find Villain.

~

Hero finds Villain in one of the dark alleys walking away towards god knows where. They stop running and have to lean against the wall from exhaustion. Damn, Villain was a fast walker. “Villain! Wait!” Hero yells out to the figure walking away once they get a bit of breath back. Villain turns around, their expression unreadable because of the darkness surrounding the dark alley. “What are you doing? Go home!” Villain yells back, turning around again. “Villain, hold on, please” Hero rushes over to Villain and grabs their arm to turn them around. “Why are you doing this? Why did you kidnap Sidekick?”

Villain huffs a laugh, “Are you seriously asking me that? I’m a Villain, honey. That’s kind of my schtick.” They tilt their head. “You didn’t truly think I would stop now that we’re friends, right?”

“No, obviously not. But my question is why? What are your goals?” If Hero’s suspicions were right, they’re going to have to be very careful. “Do you want my big, evil, monologue?” Villain smiles, “Well then, I'm sorry, but I'm not that type of villain.”

Hero decides to push Villain a bit further. “Why do you work for Supervillain?” Villain’s smile drops. Okay, maybe too big of a push. Well, they can’t back pedal now. “I know you don’t agree with them. Are they holding your family hostage? Blackmailing you?” Villain immediately pulls themselves out of the Hero’s grip. “No, they are not, and I highly suggest that you shut up about it.” Villain starts to walk away again but is stopped by Hero.

“Villain, I can help you. We can get your family back or whatever it is. Villain, please, let me help,” Hero begged Villain. They understand that accepting help is hard and scary, especially when they're going against Supervillain. But Hero has to try. They're a hero after all, right? They should help those in need.

“It's not my family, I don't have one. Now, go home,” Villain says with venom in their voice. Hero isn't giving up so easily. They have to help. They can't watch on the sidelines while Villain suffers. They just can't.

“Whatever it is, I can help,” Hero says with a soft voice, trying to calm down Villain. If they calmed down they might be able to think straight. Hero can help them then. It doesn't work.

“You can't!” Villain yells out. “You can't help. There's nothing you or I can do about it.”

“Villain, that's not true. There's always something we can do.” Hero keeps their voice calm. As much as they want to yell, get their message through in that stubborn head, they don't. It has no use to start yelling, that would freak out Villain even more. “There is nothing, absolutely nothing we can do. Believe me, I've tried,” Villain hisses.

“I'm here now, we can do it together,” Hero says, now holding Villain's hand and rubbing circles with their thumb. “You don't understand.” Villain shakes their head. “You don't understand what they'll do to me.”

“Come with me, then they can't hurt you anymore. You'll be safe with me.” The possibility that Supervillain was hurting Villain themselves hadn't crossed Hero's mind. They never really saw any injuries on Villain, but they did always wear long sleeves so they could have hidden them. It would make sense that Villain was scared because they didn't want to get hurt.

“You don't get it.” There are tears forming in Villain's eyes. “There's nothing I can do.”

“There is always a way to get out. Come with me, they can't get to you that way.” Hero is now practically hugging Villain's arm. It breaks Hero's heart to see Villain's tears stream down their face, creating wet streaks where they passed. They're going to make Supervillain pay for this. Villain starts to breath faster, their chest heaving heavily. Their eyes flicker around in panic. “No, there's nowhere I can go, they're everywhere. They follow me every second. There's nowhere where they can't get to me,” Villain blurted out, panicked. Hero guides them to the wall next to them for them to lean against. “Villain, listen to me. It's going to be okay. Take a deep breath in…” Villain and Hero take a deep breath in. “...and out…” they both, although one shakey, blow out. "Good. Let's do that again,” Hero says to Villain, who is still breathing heavily. Only this time it doesn't work. Villain keeps panicking.

Villain had to leave. Now. They had said too much and Supervillain knew. They always knew. They are in so. Much. Trouble. Staying longer here is going to end in an even bigger disaster. Villain feels Hero's hand on their shoulder to try and ground them but Villain can't hear them. They have to go back. Now. It keeps ringing in their head. Now. Get away, now. It's all becoming too much. They have to get away.

Before they know it, they've pushed Hero away. They hide themselves in a shadow and start running. Supervillain isn't even going to give them the pleasure of dying after this. They have to suffer for what they have done.

Next part

Hi! Wow, this is a long one, I hope you guys don't mind. The poll isn't over yet, but it seems like most of you want some more parts of this series, so that's what I'll be doing! I'm having my first exam tomorrow, so I'm going to post a lot less for the coming two weeks.

(My asks are open if you want to ask for something for me to write or just about life, I don't really mind either.)

[justfandomwritings]

An essay on why I won’t be watching next season.

1. Obviously actors have to promote their shows and hype them up. But the interactions between Nicola and Luke during the press tour were, in retrospect, clearly also acting performances, and it is rare to see acting within the press tour to the degree that those two put on while grossly exaggerating things like how sexy this season would be or how much Polin we would get. I don’t blame them. It’s clearly what they were told to do. And it’s fine to hype a show, but I think a lot of people felt genuinely lied to with the WAY this season was hyped.

2. The casting has been color conscious and inclusive in a way I greatly admire. But they have not been inclusive in other ways. And that’s not to say they should have to be. One show shouldn’t bear the responsibility of being inclusive to everyone and making up for an industries worth of exclusion. But we have exactly one size inclusive character in this whole show, and I’m not even demanding more, but to butcher the season of the only size inclusive person in this show this badly and in these ways sends me a clear message of what the writers thought they could get away with with a curvy actress and how they saw her.

3. The wait times for this season and next season are just too long. The hype dies down too much between seasons such that we care less and less each time we get a new one, especially when you only give eight episodes, regardless of their length. You know who also gave us a season in 2022 and then an eight episode season this year? house of the dragon. And they have to CGI a fuck ton of dragons. Yall were sitting on this season being done filming for over a year and for what? What did you do in post? A bee? And then to have the audacity to do it in two parts? Fuck off.

4. Add to that. The costumes and new sets looked so much cheaper this season than previous seasons. Where did the budget go.

5. The plot is too crowded. Maybe you thought a curvy girl couldn’t carry a season. Maybe it was bad writing. Obviously you needed Cressida and Eloise to have decent amounts of screen time but you also did half of Francesca’s story and set one up for Violet and Benedict that collectively took the majority of the screen time and left us with very little Pen and Colin. Which was a disservice you never gave Anthony or Daphne’s seasons and was why they were good. We got enough crumbs of the others to tell us what was happening but not enough to make them feel like main characters or to make it feel like an ensemble show. There were leads in season 1 and 2. This season it was an ensemble with too many moving parts. But everyone’s said that. It’s not surprising.

6. My biggest problem is the tone. The blame. Admittedly I’m a woman who relates strongly to Penelope so I’m not impartial here. But for a character who spends her entire life being abused by every single person in this show, who is pushed to her absolute breaking point before finally giving her mother and the tonne a taste of their own medicine. For that character to receive no grace, no understanding, no respect, for the vast majority of the season hurt. To not only have zero understanding of her situation but to frame the entire plot of the show around the fact that SHE alone should be sorry. To have minimal to no groveling from Colin over what he said last season, to have no acknowledgment of how he treated her as a safety net, to humanize Cressida who made her life hell with minimal acknowledgment of that fact, to have Eloise get ONE comment from Cressida of all people about her friendship with Penelope but no real reflection from Eloise or acknowledgment on her part or apologies for what a truly SHIT friend she was for DECADES. That hurt. Because the message is that sure, they can push you to your fucking limit, you can break after years of being bullied for your weight and your looks and your status. Your own mother and sisters hands can be filthy with insults and abuse. Your friends can treat you like utter garbage for years. They can befriend your bullies. Your soon to be husband can, very recently, insult you to his friends behind your back. But you owe them the apology for breaking after years of abuse. It’s not that the tonne couldn’t be angry or that they all should’ve fallen at Pen’s feet. It’s that those arguments never happen at all because once again, just like when she was being used and abused by everyone, everything was put on Penelope. And the cycle continues.

7. Colin should’ve groveled more. I know I said that in the previous point but it really ruined things for me so I want to emphasize it. I wanted that man on his knees the whole season, and I should’ve known I wasn’t gonna get that when y’all dropped the list of songs and there wasn’t any of the A List Yearners on the list. But I’m still mad.

8. Actually that’s a good point. Did anyone else think the songs didn’t go as hard this year? Except Pitbull were we excited about any of them?

9. You did the Pride and Prejudice ballroom trick with the dancing alone thing and you didn’t nail it. If you’re gonna do that trick it has to fucking HIT. (And it has to be enemies to lovers.) And you did it half assed. You should be ashamed.

10. There was a two second window there when Cressida asked the maid for help where I thought they were gonna swap lives and the maid would go with her aunt and Cressida would become a maid and I was like “holy fuck is Cressida gonna become Bennys love interest?” and that would’ve been better than what y’all did I think. And it would’ve justified her excessive screen time.

11. I love gender swapping Michaela and making Francesca bi. We love it. But why was Francesca immediately interested. Once again the writers don’t understand pining. Michaela is PINING for Francesca and can do nothing but love her from afar. Francesca loved John completely and whole heartedly. Michaela was a beautiful love story for her but was also a second chance. She loved John completely. She would never have an emotional affair on him. How did you immediately ruin such a beautiful second chance romance?

12. Where was Pen’s friendship with Anthony or Lady Danbury? Why wasn’t Colin proud of Pen the way he was in the book? To make her even more alone? To emphasize that she was alone and at fault and helpless? Fuck off.

I just don’t have it in me to watch this show deteriorate further.

[zer05trange]

Roaring Sea

I. Hermes

⋆｡°✩ (childe x fem!reader)✩°｡⋆

⋆｡°✩ chapter summary: After an inexplicable rush, your second favorite customer comes in for the second day in a row.

⋆｡°✩wc: 1.6k

⋆｡°✩content warnings: none

⋆｡°✩ series masterlist (there is a prologue before this part!!)

Your day began as most did. After waking and freshening up, you begin baking bright and early for the weekday ahead of you. For a relatively new business, you have a decent amount of customers each day, and with little to no negative feedback. It feels nice, especially since starting a business in the service industry was known to be very difficult.

However, today, you are slammed. 

Everyone and their mother is visiting your bakery, the small building space was packed for what seemed like hours. You had to get your one employee, Ivan, in early to help out, because this sort of rush was not something you could tackle alone. People were lined up at the back of the door, and each booth and table were full. And when a table isn’t occupied, it's being cleaned for the next customer to take.

The room surrounds itself with a bright and warm ambiance with many conversations filling the air, and it's enjoyable, though it may be overwhelming as all hell. Ultimately, watching people enjoy your food and your space never fails to cap your heart with fulfillment, regardless of how stress-inducing it could get.

The oddest part of the rush is that you're having loads of Fatui agents visit your shop. You've served your fair share of Fatui before, but never at this caliber. Usually, they were aloof and curt. But today, you could almost say they were polite to you, most even tipped a few extra mora with their order. You were mulling over the phenomenon as the fifth pyro agent of the morning walked up to your counter. 

“What can I get for you?” You smile up at a agent with his hood and mask covering his face.

 “I need a slice of praga cake. Oh and a slice of apple cake, both to go?” He asks, his voice almost... timid.

“Of course, is that all you want?” You ask as you pack up his two slices of cake.

“No,” He exchanges his money for your goods, “Thank you ma’am.”

Once placing a generous tip on your counter, he briskly leaves the shop. That, much like many other interactions that day, left you in a stunned state. Not only had a Fatui agent called you ‘ma’am’ and left a large tip, but he seemed more nervous than their usual stoic demeanor. 

After a while, the rush slowed, with fewer Fatui agents making their stay in your bakery. Must be time to do shady government business in the Tsaritsa’s name, you think. You begin cleaning up the dining area, picking up plates and glasses, as well as sweeping up excess crumbs on the ground.  

“Ivan, could you please ice that cake?” You ask your employee as you return behind the counter, “I’ll let you off early when you’re done.”

“Yes ma’am,” The boy responds attentively as he turns around toward the baking counter. You observe him for a moment, observing how his talent surrounding baking has improved since he began working for you. Ivan came in begging for a job just a few short months ago as a way to make an extra buck during the weekend, and you remember not necessarily needing an extra hand at the bakery. But the teenage boy seemed like he needed the funds, promised to work hard, and hasn't let you down.

It's days like these where find that nothing else brings you more peace than crafting for others, serving them something that you are proud of and that they love almost as much as you do. The tranquility that you found within your bakery was like no other, and besides the stress that came with the rush, you were truly grateful for it.

What you couldn’t pinpoint was how the rush started. You ponder over how it could be possible, you didn’t boost your advertising recently, and it wasn’t a holiday nor was it a weekend. Though thankful, you can’t get over your confusion.

Hours passed by, Ivan finished his shift a while ago, so you were left alone to fend for yourself. By now, the rush had long passed and you only had a few customers coming in at a time, so you weren’t too concerned about working alone. You're finishing refilling the shelves when you hear the doorbell of your bakery, signifying someone entering your shop. 

You look up before greeting the customer, only to be met with the same unforgettably cold eyes that you served last night. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Tartaglia,” You quickly flash a smile before getting back to work placing pastries into the display case.

“Mister? Do I seem that old to you?” He asks, a friendly smile back on his lips. 

“No, I’m just being formal with my customer,” You push yourself up to meet his eyes.

“Is that all I am to you? A customer?” He puts a hand over his heart and displays some sort of mocking tone, “ I thought I made a better impression than that, Ms. Y/N.”

You lean in over the counter to the man, close enough to be able to whisper, “Do you talk to everyone like that?” 

Tartaglia swallows, stiffening up ever so slightly.

“No, just the ones who make Snezhnaya’s best apple cake,” He answers back, just as quiet as you were. 

You scoff yet again as you push away from him, “Is this your way of getting food from me? Like the little stunt you pulled last night?”  

Before you can humor him any longer, you find yourself cutting a slice of cake for him, and ignoring his existence otherwise. 

“Speaking of, I have something else for you,” You say before taking off upstairs. His face molds into one of confusion, holding a plate of warm cake while you disappear. 

You come back down a few moments later, and his eyes fall on the pouch of mora he gave you. Before he can object, you place the pouch into his free hand and return back to the counter.

“Did you not like my peace offering, Y/N?” He asks, and the way his name rolls off your tongue makes you feel a little flushed.

“Peace offering?” You cross your arms and snap back at the man.

“You’re snarky, лисичка. I thought a little tip may extinguish your unbridled hatred for me, though it seems I’ve failed,” He says back, taking a seat facing the counter. You giggle at his last statement, his dramatization of your feelings pulls a chuckle out of you. 

“Giving me nicknames already? After like… 24 hours?” You ask him, “You’ve got stones.”

It was his turn to laugh before taking a forkful of cake to his mouth, and then making an ‘mm’ sound out of satisfaction. He continues scarfing down his dessert, though his eyes keep watch on you. Specifically, where your vision sat on your hip.

“Do you put that to use?” He asks, his hand pointing to your vision. 

“Sometimes,” You brush off the question, “I take commissions occasionally, usually when traveling.” 

He smirks at that, and you don’t miss it. 

“Do you use yours?” You ask back and watch him nod in pride, you hum at his nonverbal response, “We should spar sometime, though I’d probably smoke you.”

You notice how his demeanor perks up even more, his sudden excitable emotion is slightly scary. His happiness in response to your offer was frightening, to say the least.

He already carries an almost mischievous aura with him, and you begin to think that play-fighting with him would be a mistake on your part. Or it could have come off as flirting to him, which you definitely do not want to take any part in.

“I have to get going,” Tartaglia says as he begins to stand, “Tonya wanted me to hang out with her for a bit tonight.”

He makes his way toward the front counter, closer to you. 

“Oh no!” You respond in a dryly sarcastic tone, “What a shame.” 

He scoffs at you as he places his elbow on the counter, with his head in his hand. He looks up at you with an over-exaggerated frown and a puppy-dog demeanor. “Sooo…” He taps his other hand on the counter, “When are you going to teach me how to make that cake?” 

You cock an eyebrow at him with a hand on your hip, not having it with him, “I’m not giving you my recipe for free.”

You turn away to begin cleaning your miniature oven, and expect him to leave. Yet you don’t hear any sort of movement behind you. You quickly turn back around with an exasperated sigh and look straight at the man, who’s position didn’t change.

“I’m not leaving,” He says in a sing song tone.

“Let me think," You snap back.

Teaching him how to bake something would have to be after the bakery closes. So it would just be the two of you. And he’d be so annoyingly him that you’d probably have to recharge your social battery for the next three days following that. Also, you don’t want your kitchen secrets unveiled to anyone. And, ultimately, you’re smart enough to know that this whole thing has nothing to do with an apple cake. But, it would get him to stop pestering you at the moment. 

You look up from the desert case and straight into his cold, cerulean eyes, “I'm free two nights from now.”

You see the edge of Tartaglia’s faux frown sprout up into a small smile as he stands up with his hands held onto the edge of the counter. He remains hunched down enough to where his face is in line with yours. And as if he was accepting a challenge, he begins to part ways with you for the day. 

“I’ll see you then.”

 ⋆｡°✩translation: Лисичка- it’s a term like “fox” or “little-fox”

⋆｡°✩a/n: hiiiii!!! I want to get the next chapter out soon, and i hope y'all enjoy this one! i hope you are all doing well <333 thank you for reading

⋆｡°✩tag list: @inlovewithlondonn @zamorazz @ay4tou @kur0melon @boomie-123

[cabeswaterdrowned]

I've never watched pretty little liars but tell me about your favourite pll femslash.

Hi I think I wrote half of a response to this a while ago but it got lost somewhere… starting over so I’m such a multi shipper between the pll women that I think it would be more appropriate to tell you my top 5 rn.

Vandermarin —- (Hanna Marin & Mona Vanderwaal)

I tried to choose pics from the pll wiki gallery for each of these dynamics I thought encapsulated the dynamic and its gayness as well as two random images can. In this case the image on the left is Mona lovingly visiting Hanna in the hospital after Mona herself drove a car over Hanna, because they fought/Mona is jealous that Hanna has affection for people who are not her and also Hanna was too close to uncovering her identity as A the nameless faceless entity that badly wants Hanna to break up with her boyfriend and leave her friends and only hang out with Mona but we’re meant to think Mona is straight…. and the right image is after Hanna has found out Mona’s identity at the evil mastermind to her troubles but she’s still visiting her ex wife in the mental asylum, and lying to her boyfriend about it and the show plays every beat of this like Hanna is cheating on her boyfriend. Insane. They’re the love story of pll because literally if Mona wasn’t obsessively unhealthily in love with Hanna the whole plot of the show would not have happened. An undersung toxic yuri queerbait for the history books I seriously think it’s deeply misogynistic they don’t get their due in this department. 

Spemily (Spencer Hastings & Emily Fields).

This is so funny to me because these two images perfectly encapsulate the dynamic. Either they are soo in sync getting coffee for each other and detecting murders together and stabilizing/calming each other, or they are having the Messiest fights and bickering/getting on each others nerves like a married couple going through their third divorce. I joke about them being adansey coded for this reason, also there’s a dynamic of a class difference and Emily/Adam call out Spencer/Gansey for it similarly and Spencer/Gansey being protective towards Emily/Adam in a way the latter doesn’t like or feels infringes on their autonomy. Great stuff, I have a type. And speaking of..

Monison (Mona Vanderwaal & Alison Dilaurentis)

There are other gay pictures of them interacting but I chose the left image as Mona cleaning the dirt off Alison, the girl who bullied her, after pulling her out of a grave (Alison was buried alive this night and it’s a whole thing but not really relevant to this post) and they’re in a motel in the lost woods. There’s another scene from this flashback that’s Mona kissing Alison’s forehead but I can’t find a cap anywhere (I also couldn’t find a cap of her kissing Hanna’s cheek the homophobia). The one on the right is Mona’s shrine to Alison that’s in her evil lair girl literally was so obsessed with and in love with girl who bullied her and wanted to wear her skin and also for her to stop existing and also to be loved by her and then she made the love of her life Hanna into her own personal Alison doll… wild stuff. They’re also a bit adansey coded imo (and Hanna/Alison didn’t make this list but they’re rather Jordanessy coded imo). They’re also really gay for each other on the spin off which is not a good show but did give me crumbs. 

Spona (Spencer Hastings & Mona Vanderwaal)

Sometimes / in the past this has been no.3 I’m just in a very Monison mood rn so it’s fourth rn. The left image is of their psychosexually charged debate scene and the right is Mona trying to get Spencer’s attention at a political rally. Will say no enough of their really gay scenes are appropriately represented in that wiki gallery but I did the best with what I had. Overachiever x Overachiever but one is an evil mirror of the other,  the actresses have a ridiculous amount of chemistry, there’s a whole arc where Mona wants to corrupt Spencer and is furious when Spencer “turns her down” and seeks to ruin her life so she has no choice to accept her… another toxic yuri of all time. They’re also my two favorite characters on the show individually (although I love all six of the main women) so that gives an extra something special to their scenes for me. 

Arison (Aria Montgomery & Alison Dilaurentis)

left image is a flashback to them eating frozen yogurt together while bullying Mona, right is Aria’s hallucination of Alison that she has when her father’s girlfriend who looks a bit like Alison and who Alison wanted Aria to tell her mother about Byron’s affair with poisons her, again sadly there were fewer images in the gallery for them but. This is a really fascinating relationship to me and one I wrote a fic about that Imran quite proud of when I first got into pll a couple years ago. Aria is the only one of Alison’s friends she treats kind of as an equal rather than a subject or a rival, she’s very fascinated by the way Aria lives freely rather than at the whims of other people and Alison develops an alter ego that looks a lot like Aria, Vivia Darkbloom. She also gets into a relationship with an older guy while acting a lot like Aria and then this same guy (who is a predator and groomer but the show never addresses these dynamics as such L) goes after Aria after Alison’s death. Also Alison secretly took pictures of Aria while she was sleeping and hid them places and when they were uncovered her brother makes a comment about how Alison always hid things and it was almost second nature to her don’t remember the exact quote but it reeks of internalized biphobia to me (Alison is canonically a bi character it’s just that the show defines her as only gay for one girl which is Emily and straight for everyone else which is insane but we won’t get into that). Anyway. They’re really underrated and interesting. 

some honorable mention ships that I also love a lot: Sparia (Spencer x Aria, if I had done this a few months ago do think they would have a shot at top 5 I really love them), Spanna (Spencer x Hanna), Hannily (Hanna x Emily), Spalison (Spencer x Alison), Monaria (Mona x Aria), Emison (Emily x Alison this one is canon), Emaya (Emily x Maya also canon), Emona (Emily x Mona), Halison (Hanna x Alison), Aria x Jenna, Emily x Jenna, Aria x Alex Drake.

[tqngerine]

stay in the middle — 16. coolbeans

SYNOPSIS: Huening Kai would do anything for his best friend Taehyun, and this one small favor is no exception. It appears that Kai’s fellow campus journalist Y/N has caught his attention, and Taehyun needs help connecting to them. Befriending someone outside of his small social circle wasn’t something Kai did often, but he comes to find that it’s easy to get close to Y/N—maybe even getting a little too close.

word count: 1.6k

“This place isn’t as suffocating as I remembered.” Y/N couldn’t help but hum, gazing around the small cafe. Now that they weren’t overwhelmed with worries about social interaction anymore, they could properly appreciate the array of wooden decor lined up at the top of the cream walls. Plates, large utensils, framed coffee beans, the items were appropriate but quaint in its display. Y/N was quite charmed.

Sitting opposite to them, Kai made the practical decision of scanning the menu for their dinner selection. “My best friend and I often meet here in the early morning to charge up before our classes.“

“The same best friend that helped you with your report outline for earlier?”

Kai gave a nod.

“With the amount of times you’ve mentioned him, I’m wondering why I haven’t met him yet.” Y/N laughed.

A penguin pout graced his lips. “Ah, he’s especially busy these days because he’s in the volleyball team, training and all. But I promise you I’ll introduce him to you eventually.” He crossed his arms over the table. “Likewise, I want to meet your friends too.”

Y/N scrunched their face. “I fear they’re not as cute and into Sanrio as I am.”

“Not even Soobin?”

“He’s only cute. That’s the only thing he’s got going on for him.”

Kai giggled—or rather cackled with incredibly more power than necessary, earning him a few stares from the neighboring customers. After realizing his volume, he immediately turned to bow in silent apology to each table, looking like a docking ostrich in the process.

“We should probably take our orders now.” Y/N said, trying to hold back a laugh.

“Good idea.”

Y/N requested for a plate of carbonara while Kai went for a traditional caesar salad, along with two glasses of blue lemonade.

Once the waiter had left, the two were met with comfortable silence. They had just finished observing the swim team for almost three hours, it had already been a long day for them.

Although they have definitely grown much closer since the last time they were here (the longest and most awkward 30 minutes of their life, as Y/N remembered it), they found that they didn’t need to be constantly speaking to enjoy each other’s presence. Both naturally leaned more toward being the quiet type anyway.

The same panicky boy that made a mess out of Y/N’s papers almost a month ago wore a much calmer countenance today, his ebony curls more neatly kept and eyes crinkling into creases. He was fiddling with the corners of the paper placemat beneath him, creating a pile of paper crumbs that had been softly ripped apart.

“You’re not gonna have a placemat by the time the food arrives if you keep at it.” Y/N teased, pointing at the pile.

The tips of Kai’s ears colored. “Oops, habit of mine. My hands get restless so I often fidget without thinking.”

“No need to justify yourself, I promise. How about you help me with something instead to keep you busy.” Y/N then turned to their backpack to fish out a pastel pink notebook. They slid it in front of Kai to reveal the numerous Hello Kitty stickers decorating the front cover.

“That’s a lot of glitter on those stickers.” Kai’s own eyes sparkled at the sight.

“I always say it’s never enough.” Y/N smirked before flipping to the last filled page. Scribbled all over it was a mind map of words like moon, aliens, and galaxy, drawn arrows pointing them toward each other. “See, before I got in The Hybe Times, I used to submit self-written stories to the local student magazine. I’ve been thinking of submitting another one for the first time in so long, but I can’t quite stick to one idea.”

Kai took in Y/N’s explanation while examining the seemingly nonsensical writings on the page. “I’m gathering that your story is space themed?”

“Yep. The upcoming issue will commemorate the anniversary of the moon landing, so outer space was given as the prompt.” Y/N leaned backward, heaving a sigh. “But space is such a broad topic—kind of literally, too. So much could be talked about, how do I condense it into one short story?”

Kai’s eyes remained focus on trying to follow the words on the page, eyebrows scrunched thoughtfully. “Hm, do you know what all these arrows remind me of? Constellations. Metaphorical lines that connect different bodies together to form a bigger picture.”

Y/N blinked at his interpretation, caught pleasantly surprised. “That’s… I like that.”

“You do?”

“Constellations as lines that connect and create a bigger picture…” Y/N flipped the notebook back to face them and started furiously inking down the sparks in their mind. From their peripheral, they saw Kai watch in awe, his mouth slightly agape. Y/N only let a select few people witness their “light bulb” moments like these so they were admittedly a bit flustered under his gaze.

They finally looked up, corners of their lips stretched wide. “I don’t know how you did it but you just helped me plot out a full beginning, middle, and end of a short story.”

“That fast?” Kai gawked. “I’m impressed.”

“The mind works in mysterious ways.” Y/N reached forward to tap Kai’s temple with their finger. “Yours so much more so than mine.”

At that moment, Y/N’s eyes caught something from behind Kai’s head. Two figures had entered the packed cafe—two familiar figures.

Y/N quickly docked their head and tucked their notebook beneath the table, startling Kai. “I-is something wrong?”

Y/N’s voice lowered. “Don’t turn around, but Jungwon and Jay just entered the cafe.” They buried their face in their hands. Of course they’d come here; Jungwon was their field partner, and the swimming compound was right beside this cafe. It’d make sense for him to seek dinner here after fieldwork too.

Kai’s mouth rounded into a silent “oh”, nodding slowly and trying his best to remain calm for Y/N’s sake.

Unfortunately for Y/N, they made the mistake of peaking up again, accidentally making eye contact with Jungwon. At the sight of his co-journalists, he gave a big enthusiastic wave before dragging his friend along to their table.

“Kai hyung, Y/N! Thank goodness you’re here.” Jungwon greeted, grin wide. “The waiter just told us there were no more seats available. Do you mind if we sat with you instead?”

Jay stood rigid beside Jungwon, arms linked with each other. He gave the two a polite smile in greeting. Other than that, his face was practically unreadable—Y/N was hoping they’d figure out how he feels about getting a minor role alongside them, but maybe some answers are not this easily attainable. Still, his unreadability didn’t dismiss the way his hair was parted to the side so neatly, nor the way his slick leather jacket hugged his figure handsomely. Wait, how does an article of clothing hug one’s figure handsomely?

Y/N felt Kai’s expectant eyes on them, waiting for their call. (They were hoping his stare was not because they were noticeably blushing furiously at the moment.)

“Uh… sure! Come take a seat.”

Jungwon clapped gratefully. Right before any movements occurred, Kai swiftly switched to take the space beside Y/N, allowing the newly arrived duo to sit opposite them. It was as if he had read their mind begging for him to block any chance of Jay sitting close to Y/N.

“What did you guys order?” Jay asked diplomatically.

“Kai ordered a salad for two. Perhaps you’d like to take his other half?” Y/N promptly replied, to which Kai raised an eyebrow. They weren’t wrong, but Kai had the appetite for two servings; he very well meant to finish the salad on his own.

“I promise I’ll get you a big bowl of ice cream after to compensate. I just don’t want to have to wait for their orders too.” Y/N rapidly said below a whisper, ensuring that the other two didn’t hear them. Kai gave a thumbs up of content.

“Oh, I do love salad. That’d be nice, thank you.”

“Jay can pay for the entire bill, too.” Jungwon smirked, earning him an eye roll from his hyung. “What about me, though?”

“You can share Y/N’s carbonara! Also made for two.” Kai offered quickly. He lowered back down to Y/N to whisper, “I’ll make up for that with another big bowl of ice cream for you too.”

Y/N could feel their heart thumping in their ears out of nervousness.

“I’m more of a spaghetti person myself but I won’t complain since I’m hungry.”

As if on cue, a waiter arrived with their orders. The group then dined without chatter, busy enjoying their meals (and trying to stay calm in front of their crush, in Y/N’s case).

“Did you receive Yunjin’s message in the group chat?” Jay finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

Y/N nearly choked on their bacon. “O-oh. I haven’t been on my phone for the past hour. What did she say?”

“She already wrote specifications about our characters on the script. We’ll be rehearsing alongside the main cast tomorrow.”

“That’s great! I’ll read through the script later.”

“You guys have the same roles?” Jungwon asked.

“Uh, you could say that.” Jay simply replied, taking a sip from the service water. How on earth did he manage to make that something to swoon over.

Y/N had to slap Kai’s lap to bring them out of their trance, much to his poor surprise. “How are you enjoying the salad, Jay?” Kai spoke out of panic.

“It’s all right. My dad knows how to prepare an even better one though.” It should have sounded like a brag, but it came out more lighthearted. “I can pack extra to rehearsals one day for you to try, Y/N.”

“Coolbeans! I’d be honored to try.”

Jay lips pressed into a smile. “Hang on, I need to use the restroom.” He excused himself from the table, and the moment he was completely out of sight, Kai stifled a laugh.

“Coolbeans?”

Y/N plopped their head on Kai’s shoulder, groaning in embarrassment. “Why does time always seem to slow down whenever I’m in this cafe.”

A cough broke, causing Kai to turn to the scrutinizing gaze of Jungwon. “There’s something going on that I don’t know about.”

Y/N continued to grumble incoherently, forehead still stuck to Kai’s shoulder.

“Do you not care to tell me?”

“None of your business, Yang!”

< prev | masterlist | next >

a/n: kai and y/n can’t just be depicted as chronically online moots-ies forever so i decided to make a written chapter for them 😔🤞 lmk what you think of their dynamic so far 😙

TAGLIST: open!! leave a comment below or send me an ask to be included in this taglist ^^ (if your name is in bold, i can’t tag you)

@kaisdefender @fairysh4mpoo @0rangemilk @beomsbeanie @hanjisungsgirl @luvsoobs @goldennika @spagettae @solarsolarity @hy2ka-i @aestheticsluut @sophie-writingtime @quitbeingawhore @destinylightlove42 @softpia

[silentwillowwhisperer]

We have a birthday!!

Yesterday was the wonderful @deadboywalking227's birthday!!!

Yayyyyy!!! Have some Klance!

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

Keith doesn’t know how ended up here.

Oh wait, yes he does.

He had been sitting peacefully in the dark confines of his room when a certain blue paladin came banging at his door.

The second his door had slid open, Lance grabbed his hand and dragged him to the kitchen with surprising strength, rambling something about Keith being his test subject (victim).

And so now Keith finds himself sitting in the kitchen, watching Lance bustle around and being teased by a wonderful smell.

It goes through his nose and straight down to his stomach.

His eyes dart around at the various pots and pans steaming on every available surface.

Lance walks over to the now hungry red paladin and shoves a spoon in his face. Lance has a bright flush splattered across his cheeks and he ducks his head to the side avoid Keith’s eyes.

“Don’t- don’t uh- make this weird, okay? I need you taste test this and tell me if it has the right amount of spice in it.”

Keith can barely even hear the muttered words. Is this one of those things where only people who actually know how to handle social interaction will understand? He cocks his head to the side and stares at the blushing paladin in front of him with curious eyes.

“Why would I be weird? We both know that’s your job.”

Keith desperately hopes that the teasing jab will get Lance to stop doing whatever this is, but instead the redness in his face spread further down his neck.

While Lance is spluttering and trying (failing) to respond, Keith leans forward to take the offered bite that Lance is still holding up for him.

The second it meets his taste buds, he’s in some kind of heaven. Can you eat in heaven? Never mind, this is better thank heaven. His eyes slip shut as he hums with satisfaction. When he opens them again, he sees Lance staring at him wide-eyed and gaping like a fish.

“O-okay then. T-that’s a g-good thing, I-I think.”

Lance paces quickly back over to whatever he has cooking. Keith sees his shoulders rise slowly and then fall twice as fast, like he’s taking a deep breath.

When he turns, the redness is gone and he has that crooked smirk on his face.

“You know, my mama says that a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach! Well, she says that to my sisters, but the thought’s what counts, right?”

Five seconds later he places a plate stacked high with piping hot tamales down in front of Keith.

“Is that the food you’re drooling for, or me?”

Keith pointedly ignores Lance in favor of the food.

Lance keeps up a steady chatter as Keith eats, a mix of pick up lines, teasing compliments, and ramblings about his family and memories of Earth.

Sadly, the meal is gone in the blink of an eye. Keith places his chin down on the table and gazes sadly at the plate of crumbs in front of him.

When Lance sees him, he lets out a startled laugh.

“Wha- Keith, what are you doing? Why does he looks so fricking cute? Are you alright?”

Keith turns his deep gaze to Lance.

“Thanks. For.. food. It was good.”

Keith winces at his own awkward speaking.

Lance returns the look just as strongly.

“ Hmm… just as awkward as usual, huh? Well.. maybe you can thank me in another way.”

Keith may be oblivious, but he catches on as soon as Lance meets him at the lips.

————————————————-

Once again, I wish you a very happy birthday. I hope you enjoyed this, KJ <3

[footballffbarbiex]

If you don't mind me adding my two cents to that Musiala anon: we as readers are not entitled to any content. The writers on here provide their work FOR FREE and if none of them wants to write for a certain player, we don't have the right to complain about that. I understand that it can be frustrating but that sense of entitlement to free content by people who have normal lives with jobs, kids and other responsibilities outside of their passion for writing needs to leave this place.

Thank you for understanding! Like I said, don’t get me wrong I can understand how it must feel to scour blogs repeatedly hoping for content that just doesn’t exist or if it does, it’s in crumb size quantities. And it must be frustrating to have to take the repercussions for previous anons when it wasn’t your fault, but this is the result of a demanding consumption culture where they take take take, give nothing back yet expect more.

Up until the other day, I had 0 people ask me about Musiala. And then I got at least 2 snarky anons for no reason whatsoever. Having people sending rude anons like this and this (they were sent within seconds of each other so it’s clear it was sent by the same person and I’ve never even written content for Jude so that was just laughable) just makes me want to say no you can get stuffed. Some anons when it comes to free content are more demanding and impatient than my actual paid content followers waiting on their requests.

I myself have sent good natured anons to mutuals and because I was on anon and not my own acc, the way I was spoken to was just plain disgusting and it made me give up trying. And I hadn’t even said anything bad or insulting! So I sympathise with anons who do feel scared to interact but if they can send demands for requests, they can find the ask box to say thank you.

Obviously it’s not the case with most of my anons, because I’m blessed with some incredible readers and nonnies but the small amount do tarnish the reputation of the anon button for others.

Following on from what you’ve also highlighted, I have a job, two children including an actual baby, I’m a carer to a family member and I’m a girlfriend. I come on here to write and get respite and some days or weeks, it feels so tiring to just be considered as a content machine and not a person.

Like you said, there is such a negative, borderline toxic, mentality around requests and the way we treat these blog owners and it needs to stop.

Thank you for having my back 🩷🩷🩷

[wileys-russo]

hello, since you liked my previous long ass ask a few days ago, im here again with more thoughts (and mostly compliments)

characters: i really like that the main characters of your stories have their own unique dynamics which change from fic to fic. for example, the childhood sweethearts protagonist reads different from a date to remember protagonist, and similarly fresa and pollito read much different from each other. yes, i see the similarities in them but I also see how they interact with others in their own unique ways, i enjoy that and I appreciate how they are consistent within their own series.

a lot of it comes down to how you write players (and I believe someone else also pointed this out recently but); their personalities make sense (ofcourse I don’t really know what they’re like irl but their interpretations make sense in a headcannon sort of way).  

(i digress here so feel free to ignore this part) this is something i notice in recent videogames as well, in most early videogames all characters were written as “empty shells” so people could project their own personalities onto them and “relate” to them better but modern video games have started to also give their main characters some personality traits which make them more likeable and easier to relate to which leads to better storytelling and quests.

(controversial?) but i really like that you don’t use the “y/n” thing, it just breaks the flow of conversations and I just think its neat when people find a way around it

(super controversial?) (forgive me) I don’t think I am an alessia girlie but I do love the way you write her.

she is lovely and talented and brilliant and its adorable how she answers every question with “ya its incredible…”

plot: ohf, i appreciate you trying to find unique prompts and settings. it takes time and effort and is a challenge to rethink setting and situation every time. Moreover, these things just take time ya know (and but as a reader its worth the wait).

i used to work on an animated series, and our writers used to struggle with things like character consistency, repetitive plots, dialogues etc so wanted to highlight these points and say good job. creating art in any form or shape or kind and posting it is nerve-wrecking and scary, so I appreciate everyone who tries.

tiny bits of slang and localisation is just so satisfying. a little bit of “hoover”, “crisps” or “arvo” depending on their intended nationality, makes me happy.  

----

finally, its time for some beef i.e an unserious reaction to things the reader does

cutting the crusts off toast: the crust is an important part of the toast; you cannot just cut it off?!?! 1/5.

Hate against olives and tomatoes: is this a texture thing? if yes, i get it. no i dont. 2.5/5.

Nail biting: the amount of gErMs NO!. -15/5.

fidgeting with jewelry: you must, you cannot not. 5/5

using chopsticks or a spoon to eat certain snacks: super valid. ate and left no crumbs (literally). 10/5.  

sticky notes to help study: effective. 7/5.  

reading a book poolside on vacation: -5/5 (will not be explaining this one)

smushing strawberries against your face instead of eating them: crime/10.

causing trouble and blaming it on someone else (mapi) – perfect/5. (+ all pollito fics are so funny)

----

as always, I hope you are well and have a good day :)

I once again am rendered speechless and wish I could say more but thank you so much for your kind compliments and thoughts, it means a lot!! 💞

[evonkyva]

Just an incoherent diary entry of sorts

Tried mention of the phrase k5ll y45rs3lf/depression

I've been having some major growing pains. Like I defintely feel like 40 years are gonna go by in a second and im gonna find myself still stuck in this basement by then own by the son of the landlord and new dogs that bark all day and night. The room is still going to be bare or disgustingly moldy from all the failed attempted to spruced it up and my dreams of content creation when be long passed dead

And yet there is more safety there. Cause everything is over and you'll have to succumb to your fate and you either kill yourself or numb yourself with vices. But that is not we want. We want a network of people working together to save time. Access to knowledge through people and not just web links but through instruction from human to human. We want life to be savor for all.andnwe want people tonstopnassociated hard work with good character when sometimes it's just wasteful recklessness cover in gold. Your goal in life ahoild not be to whittle yourself away to prove to the capitalism God's that you're worthy of what they do every day which is rest

But to a degree you need money and and a sense of self to do that maybe even more of the former and I don't have that... yet. . . I am still training to be a daytrader I have a beginner sense of how to used my platform and a even how to read the chart but I can be doing more because the goal is not just to end my prison sentence to my current job but to be able to do more instead having my life wasted to 10 hrs cause of you ever work overnight you don't have 2 days you have 10 hrs.

I also realize and this is a large reason I wrote this message I don't have good friends either and that fuck up my sense of self or I don't have friends who are good enough for me , let me clarified that: the people I interact with are good people but they are not the type of good I want in friends specifically.

One person will be incredible easy to openly say that too, that you're good but you're not good for me.that we are cool but we don't have to check in on each other and when I see you in person it's a friendly hug and chat but thats all ans that might come off slimely but it's needed over trying to water a dead plant

The other person is just someone I can't communicate with. Although they do care about me we still the world very differently thanks to my neurodivergence and there may not be such a clear cut in the sand . I will never have to outright tell them that we're not the friends I expected us to be but in their case that's ok for now

They aren't the real isssuse but I bought them up cause a large amount of ...friction with exsisiting in this life and in.this body has been validation. I've always seek validation from.others and I always settle for crumbs after pouring out hundreds of dollars and hours into only to be the most harm.

I am also a perfectionist, I have also embarrassed them i have also just thought to much about how to fit in instead of how to refine what I really am.

So I habe to start working on myself.

If I was my favorite TV show character why

What do I do that consinder attractive , not what other would deem attractive what do I truly think is attractive about me as a character for me and me alone

What actions does my character take to make it clear they are worshiped not worthy and taken care of

How can I wake up and like me , and think of impressing me and making me focus on me and now how others can used me.

How do I get closer to that? It's not impossoble it just requires focus

[darkbitchithic]

theres some weird microdiscourse on tiktok rn abt fan fiction, specifically batfam content and how there are people writing stuff who have never really interacted with canon a significant amount - there's a lot of shaming and blaming going around and to that I have to say fellas. it's fanfic, not a dissertation - relax a bit

common points against these renegade authors that I see are along the lines of them messing up characterization, not understanding plot points, or just disregarding canon in many instances for their own fan-wraught versions and just. again, I cannot stress this enough but why does it matter??

no fanfic is ever truly going to BE canon compliant, no matter how well written or how well researched it is. that is the literal nature of FAN fiction. getting mad at non-canon content when it's... well... not canon is. particularly funny to me

and I see folks trashing authors for even wanting to write fics when they don't enjoy canon all that much but, again, that's. one of the many points of fanfic. you can do what you want as you want to!! how many spn writers or harry potter writers actively dislike or are dismayed by canon! ppl can't stop praising the marauders fandom for taking jkrowling's crumbs and trying to make something interesting out of them, and many folks wildly mischaracterize characters to better align with their visions for their writing, or even to better reflect their own thoughts and feelings!!! it happens pretty much everywhere, and I just don't get the absolute hate I've been seeing from this fandom in particular

imo this has the energy of folks getting mad at people wearing a nirvana shirt when they've only ever heard one or two songs, or ppl who get pissed when folks call themselves a fan of a game when they've only ever watched lets plays. people have different thresholds for experiencing and enjoying media, and especially in an ecosystem that runs on freely-given labor I think you can take a second and stop trying to police other people. you aren't being forced to read these fics, no one is saying you have to read them or even talk about them, it's just strange elitism and vaguely pretentious. it doesn't hurt anyone, block and move on <3

(obligatory disclaimer: there can be and are valid critiques of these authors! however, comma, I do not think this is one of them and am just tired of seeing so many ppl hate on them for no good reason)

[dalkyeom]

I actually started biasing vernon officially when I saw his radio interview with shua Years ago, where he was talking about his mom and his sister. It was so endearing to me the amount of love and kindness he exuded and I feel like it’s only gotten more and more intense as time has passed. And then of course I got to know him even more and loved everything, he’s so funny and talented. I wavered in stanning svt for a few years because I was so overwhelmed w life but tried to keep up with vernon regardless!

Did you see the rumoured BSS comeback?? I think I’ll DIE. And the vernon mixtape dropping soon too, I don’t know how to function with this news. This is an aside but I really love that the Vern teasers were red bc it’s one of my favourite colours!! What about you? Oh and! Are there any friendships you like or svt with other idols ? I enjoy svt and astro a lot 😭💞 - 🥕

Oh! Is it the english interview from way back? I recently watched a few clips of it bc it came up on my recommended. Rocket line is one of my fave friendships in svt and they’re such sweet boys 🥺💗 also vv true!! I find their relationships with their families so endearing 😭 and amg I love how you kept up with Vernon before becoming a carat bc SAMEEEE

My friend introduced svt to me when I was starting to explore kpop (I started with Day6) and she has a cat named Hansol so she told me about svt (and I kid you not! She made it easier to remember Bonon bc she said he looks like Tom Holland and I had a big crush on him back then) but bc there was so many members, I kinda put off stanning them until Darling came out (and a few GoSe edits YT recommended me). I kept up with him too bc I associate him with my friend and he’s good friends with Pentagon’s Kino 😂

AND YES I DID AMG MY BOYS 😭 manifesting! BSS energy is so fun and chaotic I’m excited if they come out with more details. Also since the teasers are out can I just say— VERNON SOLO IS PEAK MM CHEF’S KISS! KISSING HIS BRAIN RN 😭💗 based on the teasers it hits my inner 2014 5SOS and 2008 Avril Lavigne loving heart so much. I was watching this Vernon Disconnected edit and thought this kind of sound fits him so well and THE TEASERS DELIVERED. I hope you’re alive, santa carrot bc man delivered like 😞 joining the Vernon pits with you rn!

As a multi I’m always on the lookout for svt/ptg/skz crumbs bc their my ults 😞💖 especially seventeen and pentagon! I adored their friendship since my pre-carat days— esp JunYan 🥺 I fell for Jun bc he took care of Yanan so well 😞 he’s so sweet and thoughtful when Yanan wasn’t feeling well. when he had to leave the show, Jun didn’t choose another partner bc he wanted to stay partnered to Yanan iirc (and smth about it being unfair for everyone) and I found it so brave and considerate of him like it made me cry 🥺 Junhui is many things but I’ll always remember him as a friend with a good heart bc of his friendship w/ Yanan.

And ofc MOLA gang! 😂 VerKino is the one idol to idol friendship I’ve known the longest bc of those Pentagon x other idol friendship threads and I saw so much VerKino interactions. It’s funny too bc Kino is good friends with Astro members so they probs hung out a lot over the years. (Also amg! Hello fellow Aroha 😂 I casually listen to them but I mainly keep up with Eunwoo)

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 019: Man-Wolf! (ASM 124-125)

MASTERPOST

In this set of issues... awoo!!!

Where are the censors?!

Now, I would just like to start my showing one of the letters in the last issue:

Naturally, this was written when the first issue with Hulk (#119) had just come out. I have only one thing to say:

Peter with a beard? YES PLEASE.

Now that that's out of the way...

Gil Kane has been penciling quite a few issues recently, and he's getting better at it! I wasn't impressed at first, but his recent SM ventures are quite enjoyable!

Jameson's son comes back for, I think, the first time since the first issue of the magazine.

John's new fiancée, Kristine, very much looks like Gwen and I gotta wonder how much of it is intentional.

The issue keep delving into Peter's grief, and I love it. Show me that ugliness, Peter! Flex your drama talent, Conway!

I do completely understand the feeling of being in a classroom and feeling like you're gonna snap, for whatever reason. Happened to me more and more these last few years. Getting out is the best way to deal with that. Gosh, I really had no patience this year... But I'm done with university (for now at least), phew.

Peter keeps being the most relatable character ever conceived and I'm watching little-me who was kid and read those issues and recognized himself in this entire second panel. You had something, kid. You had something.

I'm not saying Peter's right to act like that, and while Flash (in spite of his promise -to Gwen!- that he'd stop acting so antagonistic towards Peter) certainly provokes him and deserves it, MJ, while slightly pushy, has only tried to help the boy and shouldn't face this much antagonism.

But I also completely understand it! Flash is also grief-stricken, all of them are trying to hang on however they can! And I've been that angry person that just feels like they want to be left alone and nobody would let them, and in that case, you absolutely have a tendency to lash out at anybody interacting with you--even, or especially if they're trying to help you!

I didn't remember all that angst, but I remember it really resonated with me. It's no wonder I kept coming back to these, Peter feels *true*.

So thank you, Gerry Conway. You'll never know how much you helped me.

Peter's rage continues as he wants to manhandle Jameson at the same time the latter's son -but now a werewolf!!!- also wants to attack him. Brilliant. The parallels continue. There's SOMETHING in there. I know it.

A panel helpfully informs me that Spidey has already fought a werewolf in Team-Up #12, and I helpfully answer back that I don't care about the Team-Ups. It does feel like I'm missing a bit of something, but I want the plot, not the side stories with characters I don't really care about. (I do check everytime what the features hero is.)

Then Jameson understands that his assailant is his son, and forbids Spidey to go after him. That's a great moment and Conway found the perfect place to put this story.

The readers letters are about Gwen's death. A lot of shock, understandably! Most readers seem to think that was a great choice but a few already complained about the amount of angst. Oh boy.

Okay, the parallel stopped being subtle. Are women only destined to be victims?

Ross Andru's back for this issue, thankfully. I love his style so much.

Yeah, I missed his... intellectual art.

The coffee's back! Long time no see! And Randy's still here <3 He doesn't appear enough, but I'll take every crumb I can get.

Flash keeps being an asshole (...) and Harry arrives! He's an ass and he shouts at MJ. She deserves better because it really seems like she doesn't have much of a support circle.

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever because Jameson might be the most Spider-Man-obsessed New Yorker ever.

Conway finally gives MJ a chance to stand up for herself. She promptly makes Pete leave her apartment, and good for her! Girl deserves self-care.

What a great script.

The readers continue to be very passionate about Gwen's death in their letters.

Next time, we see the Kangaroo again (...), the Vulture, and the soap continues. Oh, and we get to 1974 too (already?!).

[mrpenguinpants]

Xiao: Jealous HCs

But never be ashamed of anything anon. We believe in Xiao supremacy in this house. I treat Xiao as this angry boy who just wants to be hugged but refuses to say so.

I’d like to think it would cross his mind and yes, you are right 👀 green with envy as they say. I’m desperate for Xiao crumbs and waiting for him to drop so he can rip my HCs apart.

yes aha..part 3;; I’m not slow at all with requests haha...don’t look at me like that. I’m trying okay. It’s still day 1.

💕🥰 but ty all for the support! I hope you’re still here... I’m still working on my writing style and getting back into the swing of things.

Here’s my second appreciation post for @cattycattitude​ Beautiful human being that has been with me since the beginning and fuck I’m in love 💕💕

---

Semi Part 1: Friendship

Semi Part 2: Falling in Love

Semi Part 3: Cuddles

Semi Part 4: Protective

Semi Part 5: Affection

Semi Part 7: First Kiss

Semi Part 8: Opposites Attract

Semi Part 9:  String of Fate [Soulmate] HCs

Semi Part 10:  [ Fainting ]

Really liking this semi-series. Never meant for them to be connected but look at how far our boy has grown 💕💕 aka look at how many liberties I took.

---

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji  @mikeysbike @unionwitch @musekala @twistedsunnshiii @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @youaskedfurret​ @snowy224 

Xiao: Jealous HCs

Xiao has been alive for a very long time. He’s felt hatred, sadness, and every ugly emotion under the sun. But when Rex Lapis had released him from that possession and he was given a second chance, he promised himself that he would not let himself go down that hole again. He’s been living in solitude and even the barest amount of social interaction he does have, he still keeps his distance. That was until you kicked down and broke the door and entered his life. It was the first time he had ever felt love, affection, and happiness. He was grateful and respectful to Rex Lapis and his fellow adepti but with you, a growing sense of personal protectiveness burst forth but even then, he had never been extremely jealous over anyone.

If you played with Dusty Ming then he was fine with it. If someone was taking up your time he might get protective sure, but never extremely jealous. Even when Rex Lapis himself complimented you on your looks or prowess, he would never feel jealous. He either didn’t know the person or trusted them and while it was his duty to protect Liyue, he never associated himself with any others so what was there to be jealous of? That was Xiao’s mental rant as he watched Childe of all people talking with you and beside you and-

“Deep breaths Xiao. Remember what Guizhong taught you. You cannot pick up your spear and beat your problems into submission. It is not healthy and it is frowned upon in 7 regions”

He might have gotten a bit too used to your affection plus adding onto the fact that it was Childe, the man that thought it was a good idea to summon an ancient god just so he could get the attention of Rex Lapis, therefore endanger you - and Liyue but mostly you - meant that he was dangerous and a schemer and who knows what else. Maybe he was just a bit touched starved but with Childe taking up all your time and how casual Childe was skinship. From ruffling your hair, swinging an arm around you, and laughing along he couldn’t help but feel that familiar green monster dig itself into his heart and laugh at him.

You still have his sleeve on you and in theory that should be enough but Childe doesn’t know the first thing about Liyue traditions if it doesn’t involve fighting. For christ sake, he used the expensive chopsticks Zhongli gave him as weapons. He doesn’t understand why Zhongli and you say he can’t eviscerate him. It was fine, it wasn’t as if he was some animal that constantly needed your attention and care so he could stay strong. What would you say if you saw him like this?

It’s only when Childe, looks him in the eye, grins smugly, and places a hand on your shoulder that Xiao snaps his chopsticks in half and proceeds to throw the pointed end at Childe’s head. Reputation be damned.

It took a bit but you managed to rip out the chopsticks from the wall of where Childe’s head was. A quick apology to Verr, who didn’t even seem mad that the wall almost had a chopstick hole sticking through it said it was alright, and you quickly dragged Xiao up to the balcony.

“Alright, I know you don’t like Childe and that’s completely understandable but you can’t just attack him like that okay?” you sighed as you looked at the huffy adeptis. He never liked Childe in the first place but it never escalated to a point where he actually tried to attack the fatui. Threats, all the time, but if it wasn’t for Childe’s reflexes you were sure that he would be in some serious danger.

“He’s dangerous and a threat. You shouldn’t associate with him so much and letting him get to close. You never know what those Fatui are thinking” Xiao huffed, crossing his arms and turning away to look over Liyue from the railing. It almost seemed like he was...pouting?

You look at him curiously as you study his features. Looking for cues that only you would recognize before a small lightbulb went off. Come to think of it, it has been awhile since you were up here, just the two of you. You slowly reached over and slide your hand between his arms so you could curl your fingers around his. Your palm resting on his as you slowly but surely pull him into a hug. You almost laugh a bit when his arms go immediately around your frame and pulls you in closer  

“I’m sorry. I guess I have been spending a bit of time with Childe and Zhongli. But you still can’t try and stab Childe ok?” you grin as you cup his face as his yellow eyes stare back at yours. He seems to ponder about it for a second before huffing and nodding.

“Good boy” you laughed as you kiss his forehead. Xiao hmms happily, he missed this. It still felt a bit weird to him to express this type of affection and to receive it but it was nice. The moment however was ruined when he saw Childe talking to Zhongli and pointing at you both from underneath the stairwell. His face immediately glared at the harbinger. You said he shouldn’t try and attack him so...

“Xiao, did you ju-?”

“DID YOU SEE THAT ZHONGLI? HE HISSED AT ME! HE ACTUALLY HISSED AT ME!”

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I kinda forgot I used to write small fics at the bottom. Whoops, Xiao is a goodboy. Best boy. I do not see childe because he is a scammer. If Childe is a fox then Xiao is a cat. I take no criticism.