#i was anxious so i decided to watch something designed to make me anxious

[forcebookish]

i get why there were staunch non-shippers in the original x-files fandom - like, colleagues of equal intelligence but opposite beliefs is very cool you don't see that kind of platonic relationship between men and women on tv

but they are sooooo sexy oh my god their chemistry is insane from the first episode. intellectually, i know their being platonic would be neat but my animal brain wants them to fuck

[jellinuy]

(saw your announcement so imma get this in real fast) post jjk! ( everyone lives bc gege is a menace) gojo, reader, and suguru living together :3

( roommates! )

౨ৎ incl. satoru and suguru.

౨ৎ a/n. first time i've actually written something that's NOT a drabble in like forever. can't decide on a format!! also i thought of reader being like their shoko, so this is completely platonic! urrghhh sorry this took me forever

living with the strongest duo would include...

Big house, first of all, because Satoru bought it. I’m talking, like, the three of you live in a penthouse, big.

Two VERY different sides of the house. Satoru's messy room consisting of strewn socks on the floor and food containers littered across his desk and an unmade bed and not a single cell in his brain to fix any of it until you or Suguru get on his ass: he says he has other things to worry about.

On the other hand, Suguru is something of a nagging mother when it comes to his sector of the house. Clean sheets every week, clothes in the hamper immediately after taking them off, shoes in his closet in a neat row, etc. You and Satoru like to joke about him having OCD.

Late night snack runs!! It usually starts with one of you complaining about being hungry at an ungodly hour, way too late for snacks but craving snacks anyway. It’s usually Satoru who gets you two up by video calling you from his room, making noise until you can’t take it anymore and decide to get up.

Suguru does most of the cooking. Satoru isn’t bad at it, per se, but he’s too lazy to try and so are you, let alone make big enough batches for three people.

Suguru is also lazy at times, but less than Satoru, so you two designated him as your personal chef.

Of course, there are always days when none of you feel like cooking — those are Satoru’s favorite days. You’ll order takeout (with his money), heaped in a tangle of legs and arms across the couch as you eat and binge watch whatever you three happen to find.

Suguru usually makes you guys lunch for work or school if you ask. Or even if you don’t.

Pillow fights! Or any kind of play-fight that involves throwing things at each other. They're usually initiated by Satoru when the mood strikes, and he'll literally beat you and Suguru over the head with pillows until the stuffing is everywhere or until you physically can't breathe.

A group chat! Satoru’s a frequent texter, Suguru not so much, whether it’s to show you two a picture of a stray cat he found, to ask what’s for dinner, or to beg for something.

Strangely though, when you or Suguru question him on why the trash isn’t taken out, he goes quiet.

Those two are the kind of boys who come into your room to knock something over and just leave without closing your door.

Movie nights are a must on weekends, unless one of you is extremely busy. That’s how the three of you unwind without really saying you need to unwind. You cuddle up on the couch in pajamas in one big messy heap and turn on a movie (based on who wins rock-paper-scissors) with a mountain of sugary and salty and spicy snacks at your disposal.

The three of you trust each other completely, so deep conversations are occasional, but comfortable. Neither of them would judge you for crying or being anxious or anything, and vice versa. When you need a hug, they’re there for that, too.

It’s not rare for the three of you to share a bed, or even cuddle. Granted, it took some getting used to at first, but now none of you find it weird, and it’s comforting to have a 6 foot heated body pillow, especially during the winter.

You three have an insane amount of inside jokes, and you bicker like siblings. Anyone who doesn’t get it would probably be concerned how much you insult each other.

“Shut the fuck up Suguru, didn’t you used to swallow balls?”

“Oh, shit.”

“Satoru, aren’t you still a virgin??”

“Fuck you! Y/N, what the hell are you laughing at, didn’t your date flake on you the other day??”

“Suck my dick!”

And then you’ll go back to whatever you were doing before like it didn’t even happen.

Whenever you or Suguru need to go shopping, you usually ask Satoru to Cashapp you before you go. He pretends to put up a fight, but to a guy who sees $2,000 as pocket change, he really doesn’t care. Hell, take one of his cards, go nuts.

[haikyu-mp4]

Crooked bangs

word count; 1053 – f!reader

Not usually favouring sports, you’re in the journalism club to make use of your great eye for design and writing. After watching one of your school’s volleyball team’s official games last season, you took notice of the boring brochures they handed out with the players’ information. You hadn’t yet chosen what to do for your project this semester and decided to lend your talents to making a better representation of the team’s charms and talents. What you didn’t expect to get out of the project was a date.

You received permission from their coach and captain and set up some equipment to take your photos in a room adjacent to the gym during practice. Hopefully, you can encourage them all to pose confidently. In order to not disturb their whole practice, you ask one grade to join you at a time, starting with the first-years and ending with the third-years. Good luck!

You were nothing short of nervous as you got ready to photograph the tall volleyball players. The volleyball team was one of Shiratorizawa’s many great prides, and you had taken it upon yourself to create something that would represent them and their talents. However, you didn’t expect that some of the players would be even more nervous than you. While working with the first years, Goshiki was proving difficult as he kept turning away from the camera. The coach gave you limited time with his players so you started getting anxious, begging him to tell you what made him so camera shy.

“My bangs are a little crooked and I look stupid,” he mumbled. You hadn’t noticed before, but your eyes darted up to the hair on his forehead and you noticed it wasn’t quite as straight as usual.

“I can’t even see it! Don’t worry, Goshiki,” you tried to assure him, ignoring the other first-years giggling at their future ace acting like that. He didn’t seem convinced by your encouragement and the rest of the members you had at hand were no help, so you browsed your brain for an idea and left for where the rest of the team were training. Muttering encouragement for yourself this time under your breath, you walked over to the coach and asked him to borrow a specific player. He considered for a moment, but your respectful demeanour convinced him.

“Tendo! You’re excused. Follow her and make it quick,” the coach yelled, and the redhead was surprised, to say the least. Still, he strolled over to you and gestured for you to lead the way.

“I thought you were starting with the first-years?” he asked and you put a hand on his upper arm before leaning closer so you didn’t have to speak too loudly. Tendo took the hint and leaned down.

“Goshiki is refusing to take his pictures because of his hair. I’ve seen how you encourage him between games, please help me,” you explained, hoping he could hear how desperate you felt. Tendo stood back up to his full height and looked at your eyes for a second. It felt good to hear someone notice his efforts and talk to him so casually. Like he wasn’t scary. He hadn’t even talked to you before, but you seemed to have a good impression of him. He liked this feeling.

“I’ll try my best, boss,” he said simply with a wink. The two of you went back to the first-years and Tendo did his best to boost Goshiki’s confidence. Telling him how people would be looking at the awesome flyer after seeing his amazing line shots to find information about him, the next ace. His eyes found yours and you nodded.

“I can even write that on your profile if you want! The future ace sounds pretty impressive.”

And so the two of you got Goshiki to pose more confidently, cheering him on until Tendo had to go back and you could start with the second years.

When it was finally the third-years’ turn, you smiled a little brighter at the tall redhead. “Thank you for your help earlier, I appreciate it,” you said. The two of you seemed to be looking at each other like the others weren’t even there.

“No worries, are you happy with all the pictures so far?” he asked, not noticing the way Reon and Semi glanced at each other.

“Very, it’s fun showing off such a great team.” Your cheeks almost matched his hair with the way you felt when his eyes were on you.

“That’s good, saved the best for last of course. How do you want us?” he said as he finally broke out of the trance, rubbing his hands together.

“Give me a look that says undefeated champions, even though it’ll probably say it on the paper as well,” you giggled, trying not to be shy about your excitement.

The third-years had you laughing nonstop, energy high as you went from static Ushijima who really just had two poses to dynamic Tendo who made some funny faces for you. You got Reon to give you a handsome smirk and Semi had more than enough confidence and it showed. Overall, you couldn’t be happier.

“You guys better get back to practice, thank you so much,” you said, starting to pack up your stuff. As they were about to leave, Tendo doing so a bit hesitantly, you stopped them. “Wait! Ushijima, did you find someone?”

When explaining the concept to him and asking for his approval, you informed him that you would love it if someone spent some of their own time to make sure you had all the right information. The captain seemed to understand what you meant after a moment of thought. He pointed to Tendo, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Satori will meet you for lunch tomorrow,” he said before bowing and leaving. The others followed him, except for Tendo who gulped and stuck around. Is his best friend, the Ushiwaka, playing wingman?

“I’ll meet you by your classroom at lunch then,” you said cheerily. You could feel your little crush blossoming, charmed by how he made you laugh.

“TENDO SATORI!” the coach yelled, done with waiting for the lanky boy.

“I’ll see you then, Grandpa’s calling,” he joked and left you with a soft chuckle.

I can’t wait for tomorrow.

the Flyer Series ║ masterlist

/taglist: @cottonlemonade @dira333 @cosmiicdust @nagi-core

[bones4thecats]

Their S/O Assists Them With Their Hair

Characters: Cater Diamond, Leona Kingscholar, Jamil Viper, and Idia Shroud Inspired By: The multiple cards A/N: I have been laying this off to the side for such a long time so I decided to finally write this. Also, I've been having a hard time with the border around the images, so I changed it. Anyways, have fun reading this!! ⚠️ Spoilers/Trigger Warnings for: Nothing. Just pure fluff ⚠️

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Cater Diamond ══════════════════════════╝

💎 Cater doesn't change his hair up very often, only making it different when he has special events such as performances for the music club

💎 One day, you received a text from Cater asking if you were going to their next concert the following week, in which you just smiled and replied with a happy yes

💎 You knew from Cater's many messages and calls from his club meetings that they were getting more and more excited and anxious for the day that it came and they would set up and play to their heart's content

💎 Over the passing week, everyone could see how happy the group was, and you had a front seat to it. Since Cater would send you photo and video after one and another of them having fun getting ready

💎 Then came the day

💎 Cater was beyond stressed out, scrolling through his feed to find the perfect hairstyle that he could use for that night, to which you sighed and laid back on his bed as he stressed

"Cater, Honey, are you sure you know what you don't want any help?"

"Yep! Just give me a minute. I'm sure I can find the perfect hairdo!"

💎 The sound of his shoes hitting the floor in a circular motion was giving you a headache, so after about four more minutes, you slapped your hands on the nearby table and told him to sit down

💎 Cater was shocked when you took his phone from his grip and secured it into your pants pocket before grabbing his shoulders and forcing him back on his butt

"Thankfully, Vil taught me enough during the time I spent helping with the VDC. Now, just sit down and relax, I'm sure I can figure something out quick."

💎 As you walked around the bathroom and grabbed multiple brushes and clips to hold his hair as your designed it, Cater watched memorized, you really were beautiful when helping others, weren't you?

💎 It took a mere ten extra minutes for you to decide and fix up his hair, making it into a shaggy-crop style. You smiled and kissed his forehead as he stood up and adjusted a couple light-up weave-like pieces and allowed rose his phone, which you gave back halfway through styling, and took a selfie of you and him

"Hashtag: 'Cay-Cay's S/O' , 'Cay-Cay Getting Ready' , and 'NRC Music Club BTS'. "

"Good luck, Cater."

"Thank you so much, Love Bug."

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Leona Kingscholar ════════════════════════╝

🦁 He, unlike other beastman, doesn't enjoy having his hair touched. He does it a certain way and doesn't want it to be messed with like how his brother would do

🦁 This means that every time you would ask to style his hair, he would just open one eye, say no, and then lay down on you. Claiming you as his makeshift pillow for one of his many daytime naps

🦁 To actually get him to agree, you'd most likely have to either wait until a couple months into dating or marriage, and we all wanna know what his hair feels like, don't we?

🦁 Now, when you finally got to touch his hair, Leona had come back to his room drained from the long day. He had gone to all of his classes and then Magift practice. All without a single nap throughout the day

🦁 The guy had practically barreled onto the sheets of his bed after throwing his bag of dirty clothes on the ground. He groaned as you chuckled, opening your arms for him to lay down there

🦁 Thankfully, Leona had taken a shower already and was perfectly clean. Not a single drop of sweat on his body. Meaning he could be curled up on you without you trying to pull/push him to take a shower to get clean

"Leona?" You asked, your head moving from the book Leona gave you a couple weeks ago. He merely growled lowly before looking up and into your eyes and asking what you wanted.

"I was just wondering... if I could- y'know. Touch your hair? You don't have to let me, I understand if you wouldn't want me too!"

🦁 Leona smirked and reached up to take his hair out of the ponytail he lodged it into after showering earlier. His long brown locks dropping down, a slight amount of water there, he obviously was to tired to spend a ton of time drying it

"Have at it."

🦁 Smiling gently as you laid the book down, you began to move his hair around gently, using your fingers like a make-shift brush (did anyone else's mom/dad/guardian do that when they were young?) to get the small knocks out

🦁 After doing that, you began to rub his scalp, allowing him to relax and let out a very low purr, though it sounded more like a satisfied hum to you, and kissed your exposed thigh. He was thankful you were wearing shorts. (Though how could you NOT? It was like over 70 degrees in that dorm!)

"Do you feel better, Leo?" You asked, only to be met with the soft snores of your boyfriend.

🦁 His larger form was hugging you tightly as you chuckled and embraced him back, nudging a blanket on top of your both. He was a lot more than a mere second-born prince to you, he was your one and only prince, from now till the day you die

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Jamil Viper ════════════════════════════╝

🐍 Jamil takes pride in his hair. It has always been one of the only things that he had full control over. Throughout his life he never got full control of anything, except for things like his hair (I know this is wordy, but you get the point)

🐍 Anyways. When you had asked him to do his hair, he was getting ready to cook for the remaining Scarabia members for the spring break. Some students volunteered to stay while others left, he and Kalim volunteered to stay, along with you

🐍 You noticed that he was having a hard time keeping it out of his face, so you excused yourself from the third year and walked into the kitchen

🐍 Jamil was getting more and more frustrated, he was so close to taking the scissors and snipping his ponytail off if it won't stop getting in his way. Thankfully, the sound of your chuckles made him look up and nervously look away, embarrassment was obvious in his expression

🐍 You smiled at him and told him to sit down as he began to put some ingredients away. You had been helping Jamil cook long enough to know that the food needed to simmer for a while, just long enough for you to help him out

"Jamil, would you like your hair completely out of your face? And not done by having it shaved... or cut by kitchen utensils?"

"...yeah."

🐍 Handing him your phone as your began to take his hair out of his ponytail, you told him to just hang out and let you do what you knew best: hair styling

🐍 As you meticulously placed his hair behind his head, Jamil felt relaxed, even more relaxed then ever before. You treated his hair with the amount of care that he did. It was admirable just how much you paid attention to his reactions as you worked

🐍 After maybe a couple minutes, you had patted his hair down and gave him a cheerful done before telling him to turn the camera on and put it in selfie-mode

🐍 He did as he said and was shocked. You did beyond amazing! His hair was completely out of his face, and he didn't look half bad. He had to admit, he needed to put his hair up like that more often when he worked

🐍 Jamil stood up and hugged you, his arms giving you a snug squeeze as you chuckled and kissed his jawline. He smiled and kissed your forehead before thanking you and handing you your phone back. Right before you left though, your boyfriend called your name and asked

"Would you like to help me cook?"

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Idia Shroud ════════════════════════════╝

🎮 This guy. Ho this guy

�� When you guys first began dating, he was very off-handed. He was not, and still really isn't a big fan of physical touch. He just doesn't like it that much

🎮 That doesn't mean he hates it, he just prefers to simply spend time together and give you things. He sucks with his words (he overthinks like me), he has a hard time with acts of service (he doesn't go out often, so he can't do much outside of his dorm), and he has a massive issue when touched. He just freezes and stutters a lot more than before

🎮 Idia does like it when you're physically affectionate sometimes. Like when you would lean your head on his shoulder whenever he gets frustrated with a level in a game he has been working on for days to calm him down. He likes that kind of stuff

🎮 So, whenever you would ask to mess with his hair, it goes from a beautiful blue to a campfire-like orange and red, the tips being flushed with pink like his face as he stuttered and mumbled

🎮 After the first couple times, you decided to lay loose and allow him to come to you whenever he wanted you to mess with his hair. It was his choice and his consent and comfort was just as important as your own

🎮 It only took maybe a couple weeks for him to begin wondering why you weren't asking to mess with his fiery locks. But, in true Idia Shroud fashion, the male strayed away from questioning you until the thought was all he could wonder about

"Hey... Y/N?"

"Yeah, Idia?"

"D-do you think, you could maybe... y'know... mess with my hair a bit?"

"What? Please repeat louder, honey."

"Damn it... could you mess with my hair please?"

🎮 You smiled and laid your phone on Idia's desk before he moved away from his gaming chair and sat down in front of you on the bed, continuing to play his game and groan about how the 'noobs were releasing more time camping and not acting as aggro against the boss like he was'

🎮 It was funny how much gamer lingo Idia used when he was outside of class-related situations. But it was quite funny when he then began to speak of how 'op the boss was and how the rest of the players needed to get off their buts and act like true FPSs and help him defeat the bullet sponge of a boss'

(Yes I looked up gamer terms, I am dumb T^T)

🎮 You just chuckled as his face went from petrified as he ran from danger to reload his weaponry to coming up with the most determined expression you had ever seen on him. Playing these games really made him feel better than he was outside speaking to others

🎮 It lasted maybe a couple hours before Idia finally noticed you weren't playing with his long hair anymore. So, he looked up and saw you laying down asleep on his bed, one of his larger hoodies was around your top and he couldn't help but smile gently as you snoozed

🎮 He decided that he was going to lay down on the bed to, not to sleep, but to get a more comfortable angle to play in. So, he stood up and got on the bed, pulling the sheets down and over your arms and his legs before looking back at his phone, noticing it was in camera mode. He must've hit the button at the bottom as he secured his spot

🎮 Idia gasped quietly as he saw how you did his hair. It was like a mixture of multiple braids with a single thicker braid behind. The housewarden couldn't help but smile and laugh like the little dork he was

🎮 After the little giggly fit, Idia looked at you and shut off his phone before laying down next to you, holding your arm as you shuffled onto your back. He smiled and closed his eyes. If you did something so nice to him, he could at least get maybe a couple hours of sleep for you

(I have so much Idia brainrot right now it's insane)

[cupidbedsy]

𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 ; 𝘤𝘣98 ୨୧

➪ summary: two things on connor's checklist: one. to get his girl to see a game of his, and two. to get an overtime goal. lucky for him, he gets both in one night

➪ warnings: none

➪ word count: 0.7k

➪ file type: blurb - reupload

➪ sunny's notes: a little connor blurb for the first thing today! i think a nico fic will be out later today but yeah. this takes place after the winnipeg game when connor scored the overtime goal

© cupidbedsy (sunflower-lilac42) ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

cb98 masterlist || nhl masterlist || taglist

Y/n sat anxiously in her seat, biting her nails and her leg bouncing as she watched the game. This wasn’t the first overtime that Connor had been a part of, it also wasn’t the second. The Hawks had been to overtime 4 times, including tonight, in the whole season, losing only one. Yet, this was the first time she was present for one, well actually any game.

Being at school it was hard to form and support her boyfriend but with the break being here she finally came to watch him. He didn’t know, which made this all the more exciting for her.

Janelle sat next to her, just as anxious as the girl, as Milana cheered for her dad. They watched and moved their eyes simultaneously for three minutes until they stopped in the Hawks’ zone. 

Tito skated to center ice before swinging back around and passing the puck to Lukas. Lukas waited patiently until his teammate was near and swiftly passed it to Connor.

Y/n prayed silently as he took the puck, easily skating through guys down the ice, getting close enough on the Jets’ side, shooting it, and making it into the goal. 

Janelle and y/n stood up cheering, the younger of the two naturally being more excited. She clapped as everyone surrounded the rookie and she held a smile on her face.

Watching his interview she couldn’t help but tear up a little because just earlier Connor had called her and talked about how he felt he wasn’t contributing much to the team. They had known each other for so long and she always stood by him so being here, knowing that he just proved his own words wrong, felt great to her.

Janelle took her daughter and y/n outside as the girl felt she was suffocating from the number of people that were still in the UC. They waited for their partners to come out, making small talk about how school was going.

They could hear the slight chatter from behind them, turning around to see the team slowly start to file out of the arena. Tito walked out with Murphy and Seth, noticing the two standing there, “They’ll be out soon.”

They both nodded and expressed their gratitude watching them walk off. It wasn’t long before Nick was walking out with Connor, talking about something that was probably hockey-related. Nick looked up and saw his wife and y/n standing there, stopping and nudging the boy, “Hey.”

Connor looked up from his phone looking at his teammate, “What?” 

He gestured to his right and Connor looked that way, “Oh my-”

He wasted no time in dropping his bag and running to his girlfriend, easily picking her up and swinging her around. She let out a loud laugh, wrapping her arms around him, hitting him so she could be put down, “Put me down, psycho.”

Connor placed her down and leaned his forehead against her own, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Nick took his family off to the side to let the two teenagers have their moment. Y/n placed her hands on Connor’s cheek, holding his face, “I’m so proud of you.”

Connor blushed and stayed silently, not knowing what to say. She gave him a look, “Connor, come on. Be proud of yourself.”

He nodded, “I am. But I’m also still in shock that you’re here.” She kissed him and he kissed back, “Best believe it Con because I’m here and I’m coming on your roadie with you.”

“No fucking way.”

“Yes way, school is closed for another week so, my family and I decided to fly down to Dallas and then I think my friends and I will go out East with you.” Connor couldn’t stop bouncing on his feet, even pulling away to jump.

Nick and Janelle walked over, Milana following excitedly behind them, “You guys want to go out to celebrate.” Y/n nodded her head enthusiastically and the five of them headed off to go out for dinner.

𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗚𝗢 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗛𝗔𝗪𝗞𝗦 𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧 ୨୧

@toasttt11 @chiblackhawks @pucks-goals-penalties @dancerbailey3

© cupidbedsy (sunflower-lilac42) ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

[alice-after-dark]

Deer Wife AU - First Kiss

Inspired by @hiemaldesirae's deer sinner Vox designs (1 | 2 | 3) and his Attic-Wife Vox AU

TW for graphic violence, mild gore, murder, cannibalism, agoraphobia, and other canon-typical triggers.

Alastor trusts him. Vox realizes this with a thrill. He actually trusts him.

For the past 3 weeks, Alastor had begun leaving Vox's door unlocked during the day, with explicit instructions that Vox was not to leave the house unless an emergency arose ("Go to Cannibal Town. Find anyone and tell them Alastor told you to go to Rosie and they'll help you") and to stay away from the basement ("There's nothing down there you need to trouble yourself with, darling"). They still took their meals in Vox's room and he was locked in at night, but otherwise he was free to move about his new home to his heart's content.

This new freedom had made the blue deer anxious at the start and he'd refused to leave his room for the entire first week, despite Alastor's reassurances. Some gentle coaxing had seen him to the top of the stairs to greet Alastor upon his return home, but he'd struggled to make it any further.

Today, however, he stands in the kitchen, clutching a steaming mug in his hands. He made his own coffee today! Alastor will be so proud! The nausea in his stomach won't actually allow him to drink said coffee, but he still made it all the way to the kitchen by himself! And if all goes as planned and he can withstand the anxiety, he'll be able to greet Alastor at the door this time! He's wearing one of his favorite dresses. He wants to look nice for him. It'll be a special surprise.

He wants to flee back to his room desperately, but decides to do the dishes instead, to keep his hands and mind busy. He has no idea where anything goes, so he just leaves them to dry when he's finished and ends up wiping down the table and counters. He wanders into the living room next, coffee forgotten, and begins to straighten the pillows on the couch. They're not really all that messy to begin with as Alastor keeps his home very tidy, but it gives him an outlet for all the nervous energy he feels. He goes in search of a broom. He used to help his mother sweep all the time as a child and it always made him happy to help her. He wants to help Alastor too. He searches a couple closets, frowning as he comes up empty. There is one door left in the hallway. One with a sturdy lock on it. No, not that one. That one is the basement. He is not allowed in the basement. He begins to walk away before doubling back, wide-eyed.

Something is...leaking out from under the door.

His heartrate spikes. What is that?! He watches in terror as a thin green tendril slithers up the door, deftly undoing the lock and letting it fall to the floor with a heavy thunk. Vox holds his breath as the door slowly - so agonizingly slowly, creaks open. The tendril retreats and a greenish ooze pulls itself into the hallway, rising and taking on humanoid shape until another Sinner stands before him. Snake-like yellow eyes dart around the hall, wild and unfocused until they land on Vox.

"Huh? Who the fuck are you?"

Vox can't find his voice. He hasn't seen another Sinner, hasn't interacted with anyone, since Alastor came into his life. Who is this man? Why is he in their home? A forked tongue flickers out of the lipless mouth as it twists into a sneer.

"Well, who'da thought the infamous Radio Demon would be hiding such a pretty little thing away?" The Sinner takes a step forward. "Fucking bastard tried to take a taste ah me...I should make him regret it..."

Vox doesn't have time to consider his words before the Sinner lunges at him. The blue deer barely manages to duck out of the way, tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground. A hand curls around his ankle and he shrieks, a sharp burst of electricity exploding from the site of contact. The Sinner curses and lurches back.

An emergency. Alastor said he can leave if there's an emergency. But the Sinner is between him and the door now. He can't get out, can't even get to the stairs to run for the safety and comfort of his room.

Vox's eyes land on the open door of the basement. He bolts. He doesn't quite manage to get the door closed before the Sinner grabs it, wrenching it out of the blue deer's grasp and causing him to lose his balance. He tumbles down the stairs and hits the cement floor below hard. Pain erupts in his shoulder and he wails. It's dark, he can't see, and the Sinner is on him before he can get his bearings.

Vox pushes at the hands that grab at him, closing around his throat in an iron grip. The Sinner's eyes are bloodshot and manic. "Gonna leave your corpse for him to find." Vox feels around the floor, desperately search for something, anything. "Maybe I should cut up that pretty face of yours too." His hand closes around smooth wood. "Make you ugly and force him to stare at it while you regenerate." There's a flash of recognition. "Maybe he won't even want you anymore..." He swings.

The flesh of the Sinner's throat makes a loud squelching sound as the ax makes itself at home deep in the side of his neck and the Sinner's hands go slack as he goes down with a gurgle, collapsing onto his back and grasping weakly at the thick blade of the ax. The blue deer takes a desperate breath, greedily sucking in air as he scrambles up and grabs the ax again, brings it down again and again and again even after the Sinner has stopped moving. He finally stops when he feels the sharp burn in his arms and he nearly loses his grip, embedding the ax so deep in the Sinner's skull that's he's almost certain it's caught in the concrete below. He isn't sure how long he sits there, the corpse cooling on below him. His breathing is heavy. He feels floaty and lightheaded. There is blood and viscera everywhere.

Oh, he's ruined his dress.

The thought encourages him to move, shoving the Sinner's corpse away from him. Instead of standing, however, he simply sits in the darkness, hands folded primly in his lap as he thinks.

From the beginning, Vox could only remember bits and pieces of his life above; the fear of his father, the hyperawareness of his appearance, societal expectations and the like. Alastor had told him that it was perfectly normal for Sinners to struggle with memory loss during the first few months of their Hellish existence. Usually it was resolved within a few months or so, but for some it took years, even decades to right itself. On especially rare occasions, some Sinners didn't regain their memories at all. Typically though, one good metaphorical jostle to the noggin - a reminder, a trigger - was all it took to bring everything back.

Vox couldn't say he ever expected his to be driving an ax into a man's skull.

He staggers to stand, fumbling in the dark. The sliver of light coming in from the top of the stairs leads him to the wall and the light switch there. He turns it on.

Oh.

There are weapons everywhere. Mounted on walls, laid across tables, even several in the nearby sink, covered in what Vox can only assume is blood. There is another door on the opposite end of the small room, open and with a lock on the floor much like the basement door upstairs. It is dark, but Vox is certain he can hear moaning and crying coming from inside.

He doesn't enter. He isn't even supposed to be down here. Instead, he tries to pull the ax free, but it remains wedged in the Sinner's skull. His adrenaline is fading fast and his muscles tremble with exertion.

Vox takes a deep breath. His heart is still racing. What should he do now?

"Oh my."

The blue deer whips around towards the stairs, blood running cold as he meets Alastor's mildly startled gaze. Red eyes drift around the room as the other deer takes in the chaotic scene. Vox is suddenly very aware of how much blood there is and just how much of it is on him. Alastor descends the stairs slowly. "What happened, darling?"

And all at once everything is too much and Vox drops to his knees and begins to cry. He's babbling, unsure if he's even making any sense, but he can't pull himself together. The adrenaline has left him tired and achy and everything is just too much. He isn't sure when Alastor reaches him or when he takes him in his arms. All he knows is that when his sobs finally die to weak sniffles, he is fully in the Radio Demon's lap and the very thought makes his face burn.

"Goodness. You've had quite the day, haven't you?"

Vox nods into Alastor's chest. There's a gentle hum of static radiating from the red deer and it soothes him. Alastor pets his hair and ears, shivers running up Vox's spine when his gentle fingers brush against his antenna. Those same fingers trail down his jaw and tip up his chin and then Alastor is kissing him. It's soft and tender and Vox eagerly returns it. They only break apart when the Radio Demon picks him up in his arms and begins to carry him upstairs. Behind them, Alastor's dolls have already begun to drag the Sinner's corpse back towards the other room.

"Why don't we get you a nice bath and a change of clothes, hm?" Alastor says. "I'm sure you'll feel much better after that."

Vox looks up at him, confused. "You're not mad?"

"At you?" Alastor asks. "Of course not, darling."

"But...I went in the basement."

"It doesn't sound to me like you had much choice. And you did quite marvelously with that ax."

Vox knows he's blushing. "I'm sorry...I got my dress messy." He feels bad for ruining Alastor's gift. He liked this one a lot too.

Alastor laughs. "My dear, I wouldn't be any good at this if I didn't know how to get a little blood out." They've reached his room now and have made their way into the bathroom. Alastor sits him on the closed toilet as he begins to draw the bath. "I'll go get dinner started while you get cleaned up. Just put your dress in the hall and I'll take care of it."

The water is warm and it feels so good on his aching muscles and it's nearly an hour later before he finds his wounds tended to and himself dressed in his coziest nightgown and robe and seated at the table with Alastor.

"I remember some of my life now." He says it casually, without any preamble.

Alastor regards him with interest. "Oh? Do tell."

Vox stirs his food. "I killed my parents. I put sleeping pills in their drinks so they wouldn't wake up. And then I killed them with an ax in their own bed. My mom was a fading star who wanted to live vicariously through me and forced me to do all these auditions. I was actually pretty good though, so I got a lot of jobs. But it was never enough. My dad thought it was sissy work." He pulled at his nightgown. "He'd have a fit if he saw me now."

Alastor hums. "They both sound quite awful indeed. No wonder you dispatched them."

Vox nods. Some things are still fuzzy, but he has a good grasp on what his life was like now. It makes him feel more grounded. More sure of himself.

"What do you do with them?" Vox asks.

"Hm?"

"The people in the basement. What do you do with them?"

"Oh, why I eat them, my dear."

Vox feels like this should shock him more. Like...it really should shock him more. Like he's more shocked by how un-shocked he is by it. The man he's been living with for several months has just told him he eats people. The man who quite literally owns his soul and could do whatever he pleases with him has just told him he eats people. Well, it is Hell after all. He glances down at his own food, drawing a snicker from the red deer.

"No, darling, I don't feed them to you."

"Why not?"

Now Alastor actually does look shocked and Vox can't help but feel a little swell of pride at having drawn such a reaction from him.

"Would you like me to?"

Vox considers. "Maybe? I'm not sure. I've never eaten a person before, but you like it, so..."

Alastor doesn't say anything. Instead, he calmly spears a chunk of meat on his fork, stands, and circles around to Vox.

"Open."

Vox does without hesitation.

It's not...bad. It's not bad at all, actually. Vox chews and swallows. "Wow. You're such a good cook you can even make people taste good."

Alastor laughs. He kisses him again. Vox will definitely eat more people if it gets him more kisses.

"So..." he begins to ask when Alastor returns to his seat. "What are you going to do with that guy? Are you going to eat him too?"

Alastor shook his head. "That was the original plan, yes, but now I think I'll be making him a surprise guest on my radio show." Vox tipped his head in confusion. "Ah, I forget you haven't actually heard my show yet. I'll get you a proper radio. I'd love for you to listen, my dear. Now, tell me, did anything else happen on your eventful day?"

"Oh, I made my own coffee!"

"Splendid!"

[nolita-fairytale]

hi gen! hope this finds you well!!!! and hope i’m not late to the party… but i’ve been thinking about luca having a long distance relationship. and since most of the time chefs have cooking as an act of care, could you think of hc for luca in this situation?

@translatemunson thanks for sending this one in.

dating chef luca long distance: a headcanon

dating chef luca long distance would look like:

while luca works early most mornings, the two of you make sure to keep in touch. texts, voice memos, phone calls and facetimes when you can because he wants to connect with you as often as possible.

luca is always sending you tiktoks/instagram reels once he's off work -- things he thinks you might enjoy. you love to send pics back and forth: things you're doing, a great meal you had, a selfie when you have something funny to tell him or just when you miss him.

luca does not have read receipts and neither do you because truly, read receipts are unhinged and just make everyone involved anxious. (not me coming for read receipts, oops)

you try to physically see each other every 1 - 3 months, depending on where you're located, at least until your make it to your long distance end date. hear me out: i think that luca is going to move to you. "there will always be work for me as a chef, babe. and i want to be with you."

the week before a scheduled trip, it feels like time can't move any faster. you normally don't have too much trouble with distance, aside from missing him, but that week leading up to always feels agonous.

speaking of, leading up to a trip, luca busies himself with planning out menus, things he wants to make you, places he wants to take you, knowing that food is such a strong love language for the both of you.

the moment you reunite is always so sweet. in some ways, you don't mind the distance because it always feels so exciting when you see him for the first time after a few weeks to months apart. and can we talk about the reunion sex?! it is hot, hot, hot and it's the first thing the both of you want to do when you're reunited. (fully projecting here because i once had a long distance relationship and that ways always the first thing we did).

when you're not together... i don't think you and luca are big sexters... per say... but the man will indulge in phone sex when the mood strikes. just picture it. that deep voice over the phone telling you to touch yourself?! asking you how it feels? moaning with the phone on speaker while you tell him how much you need him?! how you can't wait to be together, jfc.

every day with him feels special, whether it be luca making you breakfast in bed or the two of you just doing nothing together, watching movies, cooking something together. he makes the most mundane of things feel like magic because the man has your heart.

somedays are harder than others, and you feel like you're missing out -- when his hair is longer, when he finds a new cafe that's become routine for him but is something you're only just finding out about -- and it makes your heart ache for the day that you get to live in the same city together.

long distance is hard, but you and luca make it as easy as possible by being kickass communicators and by meeting each other halfway. on the days it feels harder than others, you hold space for each other, recognizing that, while normally you feel good about it... you really fucking miss each other.

i know i wrote this in burn your life down but i stand by it: luca is a letter writer. perhaps after a particular tough day where you're missing the hell out of him, luca decides to surprise you by sending you some snail mail. you receive it a few days to a week later (depending on where you are in the world) and the care and love he poured into this surprise reminds you that it's all worth it.

this song and these lyrics make me think of dating luca long distance, so i will leave us on this note:

"so, can we strip down to our vitals? i'm obsessed with your design and I've missed your soul forever" -- superbloodmoon, holly humberstone & d4vid

[4acoffee]

Prompt: “Am I a hero or the devil’s son? Can’t figure out what side I’m on.”

pairing. todoroki x reader

word count. ~900

genre & warnings. fluff, insecure todoroki, comfort

notes. here have this edited repost of an old drabble i did a while while back... mans so difficult to write for but so gorgeous he's a trap in every sense i swear. only i would suffer stiff shoulders the rest of my life for him anyway <3

The steady hum of the air conditioner running at full speed filled the air and left your skin pleasantly chilled. Your room was dark, long curtains draped over your windows, and the soft plush of the mattress covers under you were steadily making your eyes more and more difficult to keep open.

You could have fallen asleep so easily, if it weren’t for the warm body currently pressed gently to your side.

Earlier, UA's resident pretty boy, Shoto Todoroki, had unexpectedly turned up at your room, head hanging almost sheepishly, and asking in his soft, world-peace-fostering voice if he could come in.

And although it wasn’t out of the ordinary to find him hanging around your room at the dorms, he was generally always accompanied by Midoriya, or Iida. Your cozy little room was somewhat of a designated rest area for your friend group with your extra pillows and blankets, and the fluffy pink beanbag that Uraraka often curled up on.

Which is why you peeked behind him uncertainly at the empty space in the hall, but let him in nonetheless.

When he had seated himself comfortably on your bed, you attempted to ask him if everything was ok, and the only answer you received was a simple nod.

He looked exhausted. While the young hero was not as volatile as one particular blonde classmate you have, you know he still struggles to express himself easily. You figured he would open up to you in his own time if he really wanted to. So you decided not to prod and plopped down on the bed next to him, doing your best to ignore the way your heart started to race against your will at the proximity.

As you messed around on your phone, over the course of an hour, you came to the sudden realization that the two of you had unconsciously gravitated towards each other. Soon, your legs were curled up to your chest, with one hand gripping your phone, and the other getting sore because of the deceivingly heavy head of silky half and half hair now resting, frankly, uncomfortably on your shoulder.

You would have believed he was asleep with how quiet and still he was being, but his fidgeting hands on the cotton of your oversized shirt proved that he was still awake.

Besides the coma inducing fact that his mindless fussing was making your top steadily reveal the skin of your stomach, even in your groggy state you could practically feel the current of thoughts plaguing Todoroki.

He radiated something anxious and tired at the same time, and you couldn’t help but steal glances at him to try and gauge what he was thinking.

Just when you figured that maybe you’ll never truly figure out the mystery that was Shoto Todoroki, his hands stilled, and he said something so softly you struggled to hear.

“...am I a bad person?”

Your eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Did you hear him correctly?

You tilted your head at him and hummed in question.

He sighed deeply and you watched as his lovely heterochromatic eyes turned dark and sad.

“I’m trying my best to be the hero I always wanted to be as a child, but sometimes I wonder if I actually deserve to be here. My family has been through so much trouble because of me. Mom is in the hospital because she always had to protect me from him, Touya left because I had to be better than he could be, Fuyumi and Natsuro, father always neglected them because of me. It’s my fault that we couldn’t be a normal family. My fault the we can’t be together. All the time, I see real families, happy families around me, that need protecting — and I can’t help but think, — do I really deserve to be the one protecting them? If I can’t even keep my own family safe, do I really deserve to call myself a hero? Hero’s are supposed to be good, — am I good?”

You listened in astonishment as he rattled of reasons why he was a shitty person. His speach trailed into mutters and slurred words that you could barely put together. He sounded like he was barely concious and you think that at this point, he was more talking to himself.

In his sleepy rant of self-deprivation you did catch one thing as he buried his head further into your shoulder.

“Am I a hero or the devil’s son? I can’t figure out what side I’m on.” He said, dead serious.

A sputtered laugh was the only response you could muster, why did he have to be so dramatic sometimes?

He narrowed his eyes in indignation at your laughter and looked up at you through his lashes. You grinned apolagetically. “Sorry Todoroki, I didn’t mean it like that.”

You shifted to face him better, “It’s just — none of that is your fault. You know that right? No, clearly you didn’t know that or we wouldn’t be here.” You said, and he pouted further.

“It doesn’t matter what your past was like, we’ve all done some bad things in our lives, and what happened to you was completely out of your control. Just because you made some mistakes, doesn’t make you any less of a capable hero than any of us. In fact, it makes you better, because you know what there is to lose.” You reassured him.

He looked at you carefully, “Oh, you really think so?” he asked you, so hopefully you swore you felt a part of you melt.

“Of course” you told him, he spared you a soft smile.

You smiled back and nudged him playfully, “Now if your done moping, could you get off my shoulder, — I lost feeling in it hours ago.”

Masterlist

[dreamlessimp]

— intermission

summary: you go to reo’s house for a movie night. during one particularly dull moment, the late night forced out a question that had long been on your mind.

warnings: mikage reo x gn! reader, blue lock not mentioned, sfw, reo becomes the biggest flirt, reo carrie’s you, 1.3k words, pure fluff

you jogged up the steps to reo’s ‘house’, shivering in your light jacket. once at the door, you rung the doorbell a few too many times, anxious to get inside and away from the relentless cold winds. you’d been to his home many times and your awe pertaining to his family’s wealth never fades.

“would you like me to get the door, young master reo? your friend is here.” ba-ya called out to the purple haired boy.

“thanks ba-ya. i’ll get the door for them.” reo responded, rushing to get to the door wanting to greet you first. he swung open the door and pulled you inside, shutting the door swiftly so as not to let more of the cold air in.

“t-thanks reo.” you said, pulling off your shoes and hanging up your jacket. “am i late?”

“well we’re not on a time limit. but, no.” he answered, guiding you to his room to prevent you from getting lost. “was it cold?”

“yeah. i walked here and nearly died.” you gave an exaggerated shiver.

“come on. my room’s much warmer!” he flashed a bright smile, bringing far too much color back into your cheeks.

you followed him into his room, and you swore your mind was playing tricks on you. how many turns were there again? you decided that without reo, you’d get lost in his mansion forever.

once there, you ignored the enormity of his room as you always tried to do, wanting to spare him the obvious and awkward questions. 

instead, you noticed the couch pulled closer to his huge tv. you ran over to it once you noticed the blankets folded on it’s side. as you expected, they were insanely soft.

“do you want to make popcorn?” he asked, thinking it bets to have something to snack on during the movie, whatever was chosen.

“yeah. i’ll make it for us both.”

he nods with a smile. “deal. follow me.”

you follow close behind him again, and end up in the kitchen after walking for far too long. 

considering you’d only been there a few times, you had no idea where to find anything in his kitchen. “reo.”

the purpled-hairs boy had been sitting on his counter scrolling through his phone. “what’s up?”

you cringed. “where are the pots? and popcorn?”

“oh” he laughed, pulling everything out from their designated cabinets. “when you’re done, just leave them in the sink.”

you nod your head and turn on the stove. it’s a short job, and you leave it up to the oven not long after.

“you did awesome at your game yesterday.”

he gave a grateful smile, bowing his head. “thanks, i’m glad you could make it.” his voice gave away the honesty in the statement, your heart leaped knowing that he really was glad you were there.

“yeah, your second goal was probably the best in the game.” you say, pleased to see his eyes light up.

“thanks! me and nagi have been working on that play for a couple weeks.”

soon, the popcorn had completed its popping and at least 90% was popped. you gave it a minute of careful studying before dumping it all in a bowl and setting everything you used in the sink, which seemed to clean dishes automatically.

he guided you into his room quickly, him happily holding the bowl of popcorn.

“what movie do you wanna watch?” he asked, sitting in the very middle of the couch scrolling through his favorite streaming service that you failed to recognize.

“not sure.” you said, muffled by the blankets. you were trying to bury yourself underneath the monstrous pile of comfort. “your choice, whatever sounds best.”

“okay.” he clicked on a random movie he’d once heard of, and skipped the trailer.

it was some kind of romance where the two love interests met in college. it didn’t sound all that interesting, but reo chose it based on its high reviews. 

the beginning of the movie had been tame. you two had finished the popcorn early on, and were both sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the couch. you were both resting on the couch’s backboard, the blankets beneath you instead of over your legs.

it was almost exactly in the middle of the 3 hour-long movie that it got interesting. you and reo sat on the edge of the couch, leaning closer to the tv as if that would make the moment even more intense. 

you’d both begun to feel passionately about the characters rather then the plot, and this moment was high-stakes for your shared favorite.

he grabbed your arm and lightly shook it as if it would emphasize the moment. 

and then, it was over. 

reo let go of your arm and release a large sigh of relief as everything turned out fine.

too fine.

in the minutes after, the movie went downhill. it had clearly peaked far too early, and had begun to fall flat. 

soon, you had groaned for the third time and reo had apologized for his choices for the second. 

you quickly became all too aware of the silence. unfortunately, you took it upon yourself to fix it.

it was probably the boredom. or you just wanted to break the silence. maybe it was the late night.

either way, a horrible question was dragged up from the depths of your mind.

“have you ever dated anyone?” you asked.

shit. of course he had.

he was mikage reo after all. he was heir to a ridiculously huge company. he had good grades, he was athletic, and was friendly to everyone.

then there was his looks, which did nothing but increase how amazing he was.

“ho, i guess not.” he turns to face you, eyes obviously serious in the room’s darkness. “why?”

“huh. i’d have thought you’d dated many people. you’re so good-looking it’s kinda weird.” you froze. you could have sworn you were never that bad with words.

“wait, sorry—that sounded mean.”

“i guess.” he pauses. “i’m waiting for someone.”

“oh. so you do want to date someone?”

“yeah.” he clears his throat, only thought in his head being; ‘fuck it.’ he turns to face you. 

“you.”

wait. fuck. 

that should have been much more romantic. he curses himself out, face burning with an awkward, but hopeful smile.

“i’d date you too.” you say, trying to avoid eye contact.

‘well.’ reo thought, ‘this could certainly be made more romantic.’

his hand moved to hold the side of your face. he was aware of his probably bright-red face, but that only made his smile larger. the movie is long forgotten as he uses his other hand to lightly pull your shoulder, bringing you even closer.

you manage to compose yourself for just long enough to wrap your arms around his torso, forcing him to meet you in the middle.

the two of you let yourselves fall back against each other as your hands meet and intertwine. in the warmth and subtle background noise of the movie, you allow yourself to comfortably fall asleep on his shoulder.

reo fell asleep not long after you, his hand never leaving yours.

when the movie ended though, he knew he couldn’t stay in the same position for the rest of the night. he was aware that his shoulder likely wasn’t the softest pillow.

it had already been decided that you would be sleeping over, and he had asked for an entire bed to be brought in for you. 

slowly removing himself from your hold, he silenced his laughter as you fell sideways onto the couch as your support left.

then came the best part. he carefully picked you up from the blanket to which you’d been on. he was meticulous to make sure you didn’t hit anything and he slowly lifted you up, and carried you over to the second bed.

your sleeping expression had remained content and still the entire time, giving him a proud sense of accomplishment when he found he hadn’t woken you up.

he lifted a fluffy blanket over most of your body, and quietly walked to his own bed, allowing your dreams to replay the events of the night.

[readychilledwine]

we want the juicy details on your sexual awakening

It's not that juicy. It's actually fairly sad, but someone else may be at this point and need to hear it.

Warning - questionable consent, technically a form of sex work, total power exchange, abusive relationships, mental health issues, learning to adapt, and becoming a survivor instead of a victim.

I was a really really good kid and teen. Like I addressed, I got my kicks from fanfiction. I dated once in high school, and it never went further than kissing (which caused my first break up and broken heart). My first "What is happening to my body," came from watching The Mummy, and it wasn't something I could discuss with anyone besides my older brother who did the best he could to try to talk to me about safe sex.

I moved away from my parents in 2014 and went to a college about 4 hours away. Aka- close enough to mom and dad to drive home once every couple months, not close enough for them to randomly show up. I was an art major focusing on art history and visual design, and that required me to take a life drawing class.

Tender 18 year old Liz, a starving college student working two jobs, ended up catching the eye of one of the male models, and we started talking a lot. I found out after a month of him taking me on dates, surprising me with gifts, and him staying up with me when I'd be lonely because I didn't live on campus have friends, that he was married and him and his wife were looking for a girlfriend for him since she had a boyfriend on the side. I don't regret this choice because it shaped who I am today, but I stupidly agreed to go into it without having set my own boundaries and limits.

He had rules for me. Rules I can recite clearly to this day: he dresses me, I do not make financial choices without him, I am to tell him where I was at all times and leave my tracker on, he decides what I eat and when, no drinking, no smoking, and no other partners. If I listened, he would pay my tuition, books, help with rent, etc. At the time, I did not realize that I was entering a total power exchange dynamic, and he knew that.

Those starter rules evolved into more... sex based rules, and after 3 months, I ended up losing my virginity to him after he told me refusing was breaking his rules, and if I broke his rules, my allowance was cut off, and I really needed help with rent, friends. I am not proud of that decision, but that decision was made.

I stayed in this relationship with him hanging financial security and my own naivety over my head for close to 10 months. My dad is a law enforcement officer, and he is the one who noticed the change in my personality and looks.

I had waist length dark brown hair. I came home blonde with my hair cut to my lower neck. I stopped wearing Converse and Vans and started wearing heels and sandles more. I would get really anxious and upset if I wasn't near my phone or could not find it to meet my required check-ins. I cried. Alot. Yelling made me actually panic. My dad made me sit down with a female investigator and answer questions about everything.

When she was done and confirmed to him what was happening, he then proceeded to get my brothers, a uHaul, and my apartment keys and move me back home. He had my phone bill at that point, so he blocked the couple, her boyfriend, and their friends that I had the displeasure of meeting and ensured I never heard from them again.

Cohearsed consent is not consent. The second I started therapy and realized that, I spiraled. The weight of everything set in, and I realized I had been a victim of sexual assault. I began to cope by being hypersexual. Within a year, I'd had sex with close to 30 people trying to reclaim my body and, in turn, endangering myself until I met my ex fiancé.

When I met him, things changed significantly. He was a stepping stone in my healing and helped me find religion and value in myself beyond my body. Ironically, my healing and finding the wrong religion (catholics don't seem to be a fan of spirituality) is what led to our engagement being called off. I was 21 when we stopped seeing each other.

I slowed down at that point signicantly and cut off all sex. I was done with it and decided never again. I could please me better than anyone else could anyways. Then, I met baby daddy, and we started as strictly friends with benefits. He is the safest dom I've ever had, the kindest man I've ever met, and from the bat, he understood me more than I understood me. He saw me for me and cared for me despite the damaged goods.

He triggered the true awakening. We took sex between us slow, exploring things gently, talking about what I wanted to try and keeping track of what I liked, what he liked, and meeting in a happy middle. He indulged my want to explore with other women and just sat and watched. Then, when we felt I was ready, he introduced me to the swinging/bdsm lifestyle, and it helped me process the remaining bits of trauma I had with him beside me every step of the way. He helped shape me sexually into who I needed to be to heal and then who I deserved to be sexually for me.

I don't know at what point FwB turned into us living together and telling each other how much the other means to us almost daily, but now we're here, cuddling on couch, exhausted from taking care of our daughter, and discussing which one of us gets the last chocolate peanut butter overnight oats packet and *whispers* marriage.

Him and Sophia are the happy ending 18 year old Liz thought she was losing when she was desperate to pay rent. He helped me heal, learn who I was in terms of sex, and gave me the safest place to land.

One might say I'm pretty attached to him forever now 🤣

Ps - let me tell ya, missionary isn't boring when it's with someone who thinks you're the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, pregnancy stretch marks, and all. 💕

[questioninglogic]

Hi there! I don't mean to get you started, but, I'd love for you to break down Team RWBY's Aura Personality.

😅 Sincerely an individual whom you have piqued their interest and attention.

For context: (x)

Hi anon! First of all, thank you for this ask. I love RWBY so much and your message got me really excited to dive in! So much so I ended up... making it overwhelming at how much I had to say sdfsnjnsdj

I realized that I'm never going to finish this if I do all four girls in one post, so I thought I can start with one and write the others over time. Hope that is okay, and thank you for your patience!

. . .

The first thing I want to mention is the caption, where it states their aura is reflected in their personality. How this is displayed in RWBY is often shown visually: the characters designs, their colours, their actions. I will not only attempt to breakdown how these personality traits are represented in the characters, but how they are told to us through watching them on screen.

. . .

Ruby Rose: Passionate, Energetic, Driven

Red is a strong colour, said to bring out energy in a person by being in its presence. Red represents moods like passion, intensity and love.

. . .

Passionate: Capable of, having, or dominated by powerful emotions.

Early in the show, Ruby is shown to be very passionate about living life like a fairy tale. From hunters and huntresses defending a kingdom, describing slaying beasts as being romantic, to adoring the craftsmanship behind a users weapon.

This passion is also expressed with her love for her friends and family. She uses this excitement of being with them to make every moment count and to fight for what’s right. Even when Beacon fell, it was this passion that carried her throughout the Mistral and Atlas volumes.

These feelings of passion are not just positive, but all encompassing. When Ruby feels something, she feels strongly. When she was anxious to socialize, it was dreadful. When she saw the loss of her friends, it was devastating. When she lost her drive, it was shattering.

Ruby is an incredibly passionate person as she wears her emotions on her sleeve. She attempted to hide her negative feelings in volume 9, but if you look at and pick through various moments between volumes 7-9 this tension and stress would often come out in her dialogue and body language.

. . .

Energetic: Having energy or energies; possessing a capacity for vigorous action or for exerting force.

Ruby is full of energy. Her expression of adoration is displayed through quick patterns of speech and her eagerness to jump to action. Her weapon expresses this capacity for vigorous action with exerting force and intense power needed to slash an enemy. Add her semblance to the mix and she becomes a speeding bullet!

On top of how she utilizes this trait with her weapon, her semblance quite literally breaks down mass and becomes energy.

. . .

Driven: Motivated by or having a compulsive quality or need. Caused, sustained, or stimulated.

Her drive is as clear as her first moments on screen (whether you count the Red Trailer with her demolishing beowolves or episode 1 with her attempts at stopping Torchwick's robbery it's all the same).

She is a highly driven person: one who fights to protect humanity, fights for justice and is one of the last people to back down in the face of adversity.

Our minds might be focused on how her drive was displayed in volume 9, but let’s recall how she expressed herself after Beacon fell:

Volume 4: her choice to look at what happened to Beacon and decide to continue fighting. Going to Mistral while helping all along the way, this decision is the epitome of her drive.

Volume 5: remember her conversation with Oscar about moving forward, despite how much the loss of Penny and Pyrrha hurts she chooses to keep going

Volume 6: how Ruby was the last to be influenced by the apathy and the first to snap out of it. How she stood face to face against Cordovin's mech and a leviathan

Volume 7: even when faced with tough decisions, she continued to look to what was right with how she approached Ironwoood and co. How she stood by to protect Mantle the night of the grim attack

Volume 8: despite every horrible thing that happened in volume 8, she managed to pull together and create an ingenious plan to be able to gather and save Atlas, Mantle, Penny, everyone (and I am referring to how it was going before Cinder joined the chat)

Looking at volume 9, you see how Ruby is when she loses her drive. This is a huge part of her and her character, to the point that she becomes unrecognizable to herself. Who is she? What happens when she gives in to her doubts and anxiety?

In coming to terms with herself and learning she is good enough does she allow herself to become driven once again.

. . .

Finally, I want to direct you to her having silver eyes. This ability of light can be utilized with strong desires to preserve life. Feelings of love, passion, drive—these traits are literally her super power!

[kkami-writes]

hey guys!! long time no talk......here's a little life update!

so as you remember I got a job at the beginning of novemeber! while kinda stressful and hectic I really enjoyed working with the dogs and was happy even if i didn't have as much time for other things. December took a bit of a rough turn with seasonal depression and just feeling no motivation for really much of anything. For context for years I've never really had amazing birthdays, I've been disappointed, upset or just alone on my birthdays and I've long lost the excitement of my birthday. This year, I took a trip to Orange County/LA to visit family. We had planned on doing an escape room (something I've only done once but enjoyed but with my anxiety the thought of being locked in a room freaks me out). my cousins bf however booked a saw themed room. for those of you who don't know. I hate horror. ok, I digress. sometimes I can watch horror. but i mostly more enjoy horror video games but even then I do NOT play them for the most part. And if I do I usually have to take a break bc my anxiety spikes. In years I have gotten better at dealing with it, but in general horror movies specifically trigger me pretty badly. And prior to this, my anxiety had been out of control, constant anxiety and panic attacks that I didn't think I was even going to make it on my trip. So needless to say I was upset. Because I was looking forward to doing an escape room, I enjoy puzzles and thinking but that being said I would never ever do a horror themed escape room. I felt bad because I couldn't do it and they had already paid and it was about an hour before we had to leave. (thank god I asked what the theme of the room was before we got there). anyway, with all my emotions that I had been piling up in me, I just had a bad breakdown and cried. They all ended up going bc again, didn't want to waste money and I just wanted to be alone at that point anyway. Regardless, I still had a good time on the trip, "minor" bump aside. We went to little tokyo and I got to go to designer con for a bit. ALSO I love my cousins bf, he's a really nice guy. He did not know I don't do horror so it's not his fault. In his defense it was more supposed to be horror comedy / parody but I was already very highly anxious that even that would freak me out.

With my job, the original owners of the daycare had sold it, due to personal circumstances so we were getting a whole new owner. Except that a lot of us did not agree with things they were going to be adding or the way they interacted with the dogs. They have "nap time" which is literally just them crating all the dogs for almost 2 whole hours. Not all the dogs are crate trained and needless to say, did not enjoy it. When we tried it a few times it was just non stop barking for 2 hours. It was heartbreaking and sad. Literally everyone but two people have quit and decided they would not be working with these new people who clearly don't really care about the dogs. It's all about how to make the most money. The new owners don't even HAVE a dog. It's kinda crazy. So that being said...I have also decided to leave as I just don't feel comfortable there anymore. Which is heartbreaking because even though it's been two months, I've really bonded with these dogs and love them and it feels like I've left them to fend for themselves :/ anyway, I don't want to keep rambling on and on. but basically! i'm on the hunt for a new job and still struggling a bit with motivation and my mood, but i'm still hoping to return back to writing in january. I miss you guys a lot and have missed writing. I'm gonna answer all my asks soon. Thanks <3

[mrsundays]

TADC GANG REDESIGN

I finally finished the redesigns. It took me a long time, but they are done, and that's all that matters. Now I'll proceed to talk about each of them because if I don't, I'll implode.

I approached the designs with the idea of not straying too far from the original designs, although I can't deny that I went a bit overboard with Pomni's design.

AND NO, THEY HAVE NOTHING UNDER THOSE CLOTHES, ZERO, ABSOLUTE VOID, LITERALLY LIKE A BARBIE OR KEN. But who knows, maybe one day I'll wake up feeling crazy, ahem.

POMNI:

She has undergone the most changes compared to her original design, the most noticeable being the hat. The reason is simple; I find it funny that the hat itself is larger than Pomni, making her look even smaller than she already is, which brings me to the other change.

This Pomni is much smaller than the original, reaching only to Ragatha's shoulders compared to the redesign, which barely reaches her waist.

The third change is the suit. The only things I kept were the pattern and colors, along with the bells on her torso. I liked the idea of giving her a design that constantly makes her appear smaller than she is, with only her head and forearms visible. Now she wears a "tunic" that also serves as a small skirt. In addition, her sleeves and pants are now loose, not to mention a more prominent "collar."

Finally, the pupils - one is red, and the other is blue, both accompanied by black. I don't have many reasons for this; I just liked how the black looked in her pupils when I sketched it, so I decided to keep it in the final design.

Now, a few details or ideas I have:

The bells on her suit make little sounds when she moves. They're not very loud, but somewhat annoying.

Pomni remains just as nervous and anxious, but now a bit more aggressive and impulsive. Why? Who knows.

During the first few weeks at the circus, she develops an intense fear of physical contact. Not only because of the strange sensation her own skin gives her but also due to other events that I can't talk about yet.

She's quite elusive, like a cartoon mouse. This is the only reason she can land punches on Jax without him expecting them.

RAGATHA:

SHE'S THE SAME, SHE'S THE SAME—There are only a few changes. To be honest, I really like the original design, and I didn't feel the need to change much. So, I decided to add a few more things because I enjoy adding silly details that end up saturating things, haha.

The most noticeable change is the white apron. Now it has certain seams all around her body, from her arms to her face, including her neck. Lastly, a small bag hangs behind her with all the tools a seamstress needs, out of necessity, like herself.

Other than that, there are no other significant changes to her design.

Now, with the little details/ideas:

Originally, she was slimmer, but after a small adventure in the circus, she discovered that firstly, she had polyester fiber filling, and secondly, if she added a bit more filling to her arms, she gained more strength.

Yes, she has the kitchen knife/machete, not just to scare a certain rabbit but also to cook meals sometimes with Bubble, the meals they eat after their adventures, with all the affection a ragdoll can give.

She once tried, along with Gangle, to make clothes for Zooble. It didn't turn out well...

Currently, she is the second-longest-serving person in the circus, only surpassed by Kinger. That's why Jax sometimes calls her grandma.

GANGLE:

Same as with Ragatha, her red ribbons and mask are intact, with the only additions being the French beret befitting an artist of her caliber and a small cape that covers the top part of her ribbons. I don't have much else to say; I didn't have many issues designing her—it was just something I thought fit perfectly with her personality.

Little Ideas :D :

As the entire fandom agrees, she's an artist and probably watched a lot of anime before ending up in the circus. Yes, she has one of those pillows with a character printed on it in her room.

Every now and then, she draws the circus members, including Jax, and gives them as gifts. Although she has currently put this practice aside due to recent abstractions...

She has been in the circus for less time than Jax, and despite everything that has happened, she has been enjoying her time in the circus more than she expected.

She can take any form with her ribbons as long as they remain connected to her mask.

Pomni asked her to teach her how to draw. The reason wasn't given, but Gangle gladly accepted.

JAX:

The purple rabbit, yes, he was a bit more complicated. Originally, I had the idea of giving him a shirt with a vest—a contrast between formal wear and his asshole attitude. However, I ended up discarding that idea and decided to go for a 60s fashion style.

The beret was something I seriously considered almost at the end of his design, and at least in my opinion, I think it works well with the rest of his clothing. I had to keep the jumpsuit; it was too characteristic, so I had to work around that piece, leading to the integration of the turtleneck sweater.

And finally, I made him furrier, and yes, he has a tail—a fluffy tail that he doesn't let anyone touch.

Now, you know what's coming:

See that pocket on his jumpsuit? It serves as a hammer space, so if he wanted to, he could store something comically huge there.

He's the best at carnival shooting games. No one has managed to beat him even once. The only one who used to give him competition was Kaufmo.

Don't tell anyone, but he has Gangle's drawing saved. He thinks it's a cute detail, but no one can find out, okay?

Before Kinger's wife's abstraction, he used to play chess with him or accompany him on bug-hunting missions, mainly with the goal of finding one to bother Ragatha.

Once, Zooble called him a furry. Jax locked himself in his room for three days because of that comment.

ZOOBLE:

Zooble… was the main reason I took so long with this. I spent days trying to think of any changes, anything—giving them clothes, didn't like the idea; maybe changing their form, nope; a total redesign… no. And so, I was stuck for days until I decided to change absolutely nothing. They're perfect as they are.

But, but, but in the end, I made a few small changes. I decided to play with the idea that Zooble is a toy with removable parts, and none of the parts are from the same toy brand; some aren't even made of the same material, with their right arm being the prime example, a ragdoll arm with filling, something similar to Ragatha.

Also, now they have a built-in voice box in their torso. You just have to pull that light blue thing on their chest, and you'll hear a phrase that varies between "I love you," "You're the best," and "Friends forever."

I won't repeat myself with this, huh:

They were the one who had been in the circus for the shortest time before Pomni's arrival.

The limbs they have now are not the original ones; it took some time for them to find a combination that was comfortable to move with.

They strangle Jax at least twice a week; it has become a habit.

They dislike the lake, mainly because they don't have aquatic parts, making swimming very difficult for them. Plus, they have lost some parts at the bottom of the lake. Caine returned them, but something tells them that the ringmaster gave them duplicates.

KINGER:

He's perfect, simply that. His original design, despite being simple, I think is one of the best in the series. But I had to do something, so I decided to add two very small things.

First, a ring. No need to explain; I think it's quite obvious what it refers to.

And second, a belt to highlight the excellent figure he has, even if that belt isn't his…

Don't bug me, you already know what's coming:

Sometimes, he hums a song when lost in his thoughts, but it seems like some parts of the melody are missing.

He has managed to create a small encyclopedia with data on all the bugs he has captured, even with drawings made by Gangle at Kinger's request.

He knows what you are.

He takes long walks around the lake on his days off, perhaps in an attempt to revive memories of a better time, although he says he does it in search of an aquatic specimen to add to his collection.

Sometimes, Caine challenges him to an arm wrestling competition. Oddly enough, he effortlessly manages to beat the AI.

[meiliarotten]

Team Fortress 2 Kinktober Time

Day 17: Hello Nurse! (Uniforms)

🔞MINORS DNI🔞

Pairings: Medic x Fem!Reader

Summary: Medic is quite taken with your costume for a Halloween party.

Tags: Uniforms, sexy Halloween costumes, semi-clothed

Word Count: 1.5k

The Masterlist

“I look ridiculous!”

A privacy curtain was situated in the corner of the infirmary, creating a makeshift changing room, and honestly, you would be content to hide away behind that curtain forever. Or at least until you could change into something less revealing. It was just a silly little party. No one would judge if you abandoned this costume and showed up in a Halloween themed t-shirt and jeans.

“Don’t be so modest, liebchen! I’m sure you look wonderful.” Medic tried his best to reassure you from the other side of the curtain, but you were still reluctant to let him see you like this.

“Promise you won’t laugh.”

“I promise, now come on out. We’re going to be late,” Medic said. He sounded genuine, so you took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the medical screen.

You had donned a nurse uniform with red accents along the sleeves and collar, and it was quite a low cut collar. You had found the costume in a store a few days ago, and while you had initially scoffed at the sight of it, you found yourself drawn back to it repeatedly. Finally, you decided to get it, figuring that it would make for a cute couples costume.

Unfortunately, buyers' remorse began to set in before you even had the outfit fully on. Even now you were instinctively trying to pull the excessively short skirt lower. It barely covered your ass, and you had actually begun to wonder if you purchased a size that was too small. Apparently not. Based on the way the model on the package looked, this was just how the costume was designed.

To top it all off, a garter was wrapped snug around your thigh, bearing the same red and white color scheme as the rest of the outfit. The garter had a little charm with a symbol similar to Medic’s own insignia. A nurse’s cap and prop stethoscope also came with the outfit, but you had left those behind, ultimately deciding that they were a bit much. You nearly tripped as you stepped forward, unused to the tall white heels that you were wearing.

“On second thought, I wouldn’t blame you if you laughed at me,” you sighed, meeting his eyes with an expression that probably looked absolutely pitiful.

“Oh darling,” Medic whispered, placing a hand over his mouth. Unable to see his expression clearly, you assumed it was a negative reaction. You couldn’t see the blush rising in his cheeks.

“Fuck it, I’m taking it off,” you said with a huff. “I don’t need a costume that badly.”

“Nein, darling, wait!” Medic’s tone almost sounded panicked, and it made you stop short. Again, you almost rolled your ankle in those damn heels.

“What? Why?” You asked, turning to look at him with a confused tilt of your head.

Medic held up a hand, a gesture that asked you to give him a moment. He looked you up and down in a manner you could only describe as an examination. It made you a bit nervous, but as you watched him, you noticed his gaze lingering on certain parts of your body- your thighs, your breasts, oh he was definitely enjoying how low that neckline was. He wasn’t examining, he was admiring.

“Medic?” You whispered, suddenly anxious to know what he’s thinking.

“Mein gott,” he muttered, almost as if speaking to himself. A smirk spread across his face when he met your gaze. It sent a shiver of anticipation down your spine.

“Medic?” You said a bit more firmly, repeating yourself as he approached you. An arm was wrapped around your waist and you laughed nervously as you were pulled against his body, starting to get an idea of where exactly this was going. “What are you doing?”

Rather than respond immediately, Medic leaned into your neck, pressing a ghost-like kiss there that sent yet another shiver through your body. His mouth was right next to your ear when he finally spoke, his breath tickling your skin as he did.

“Meine liebe, what would you say if I told you I would very much like to ravish you on the operating table right now?”

“I would say we’re gonna be late.” You grabbed the suspenders on Medic’s uniform, pulling him down roughly for a kiss. “So we better be quick.”

The wicked laugh you got in response aroused you far more than you thought it would. He wasted no time pressing his lips against yours again, slipping his tongue into your mouth and dominating the kiss. He tried to guide you backwards towards the table, but you stumbled on your heels once again, breaking the kiss with a yelp.

His response was effective and efficient. Leaning down, he lifted you up into his arms, carrying you over to the operating table with your legs wrapped around his waist. He took full advantage of the situation, his hands being in the perfect position to support your weight and squeeze your ass.

You gasped when you were placed on the table, shivering at the cold metal. Your skirt had ridden up, and before long Medic was hooking his fingers into the elastic band of your underwear, pulling them off and exposing just how soaked you were.

“Already so wet, little nurse?” He asked. You grinned at the sound of that new nickname. Medic ran a still gloved finger along your slit, drawing a soft moan from you. “You look so gorgeous, mein gutes mädchen.”

“Medic- oh fuck! Medic!” You weren’t able to contain your moans as he began to rub circles around your clit. “Please, fuck me!”

“So eager,” Medic said, reaching up with his free hand and unbuttoning the uniform until your chest was exposed. You weren’t wearing a bra. It proved difficult to find one that worked with the outfit, and you figured the costume was tight enough to keep everything in place. Medic stopped stimulating your clit, pausing to unfasten his belt and unzip his fly. Soon, he had his hands placed on either side of you as he leaned over your body. You felt his erection prodding between your legs, and it only made you more desperate.

“Please!” You whined, looking up at him with a pleading, lust clouded expression.

“My sweet little nurse… du siehst so wunderschön aus. How could I resist?” With that, he finally entered you, pushing in to the hilt easily due to how aroused you were. You moaned and rocked your hips against his, eager for more.

Medic shuddered, relishing the warmth of you wrapped so tightly around him. When he regained his composure somewhat, he began to move, setting a fast rhythm. Delicious noises fell from your lips as you were rutted against the table. The only sounds echoing in the infirmary were your pleading moans and the metallic creaking of the surface below you.

“Harder, please Medic!” You begged, clutching desperately at his jacket. He was more than willing to comply. Medic’s hands traveled to your legs, lifting them and wrapping them around his waist again. You held your legs there as he drove into you, those powerful hips slamming roughly against yours and making you see stars. He seemed to hit just the right spots within you, and you felt the pleasure begin to build.

“Mein schönes Mädchen. Du bist so gut für mich,” Medic groaned, slipping into his native language as he often did during such passionate moments. “I want you to come for me. Bitte liebling, komm für mich!”

You did just that, coming with a strangled cry, clutching onto his shoulders in an attempt to ground yourself on whatever was within reach. Coupled with his harsh thrusts, it almost seemed as if his words alone sent you tumbling into a positively helpless climax.

Medic only managed to hold out a few moments longer than you, coming with a few more desperate thrusts. He shuddered against your body as he did so. His final moans as he let pleasure overtake him were music to your ears.

He pressed soothing kisses across your body as the two of you basked in the afterglow. Apparently neither of you remembered that this was supposed to be a quick affair, or perhaps neither of you cared. When Medic pulled away and you finally looked up at him, you were startled to see red smeared across his lips.

“Oh shit, my makeup!” You said, dissolving into raucous laughter as you realized what had happened. Caught up in the frenzied passion, you had completely forgotten the red lipstick you had applied to go with your costume. Medic couldn’t help but chuckle as well, the post orgasmic euphoria making the whole situation seem far funnier than it was.

“There’s no way we’re going to be on time for that party,” you said when you finally recovered from a fit of laughter.

“We’ll simply be fashionably late, meine liebe,” he said with a shrug. “Come now, let’s get cleaned up a bit.”

You nodded, letting him help you off of the table and buttoning up your costume once again. You flattened out the wrinkles with your hands and looked down at yourself with a satisfied smirk. The makeup would need to be reapplied, but other than that, everything seemed in order. Plus, you had to admit, you were feeling much more confident about the outfit than before.

[erisenyo]

"why does it feel like this is goodbye?" prompt- characters or ships are writer's choice. make me sad?🥺

For this prompt game! (And also this one!)

(Can be read as a follow up to this bakery first date one)

“—and I know you had certain plains and expectations,” Zuko continues carefully, feeling his fingers tangling more and more along with Sokka’s growing frown, “And I respect that you communicated those, this isn’t about your communication,” Zuko assures him, forcing his fingers flat against the bench and trying to breathe through the anxious tightness in his chest, “It’s me, not—”

“Zuko,” Sokka interrupts, sounding something between confused and upset, which does not help that anxious tightness thing, “Why does it feel like this is goodbye? Are you—” A flash of something small and worried over Sokka’s face. “—are you working up the nerve to break up with me?”

“What?” Zuko startles upright. “No, no. Why would…” he trails off, playing his carefully rehearsed speech back to himself, and…

 “Oh,” Zuko realizes, blinking. “Fuck.”

Sokka hums, nodding. “The whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ thing.” Zuko winces. “And that we ‘needed to talk.’” Zuko winces again. “Asking to meet in a neutral location.”

“I like the park!” Zuko protests. “There’s turtles! And ducks!”  

“Saying you wanted me to listen before responding.”

Okay, sure, Zuko can give him that one too.

“That you’d decided there was something you needed to tell me.”

Alright, well that one is a bit less—

“The fact that you didn’t greet me with any tongue in that ki—"

“Okay, okay, yes, alright,” Zuko breaks in, glowering when Sokka just smirks and not giving him that one. “We all get it, I wasn’t very clear, thank you for enumerating every example.”

“You’re welcome,” Sokka grins, hesitating a moment before adding, almost diffident, “And just to clarify. You’re not breaking up with me?”

“No,” Zuko huffs, exasperated. “I’m not.”

Sokka blinks. “…Why did you just say it like that.”

“Um.” Maybe he can play it off. “Like what?”

“Like you think I’m about to break up with you.”

Maybe not. “Did I say it like that?” Zuko asks, gripping nervously onto the edge of the bench. There was a reason he practiced so much what he was going to say…

“Yeah,” Sokka says slowly, staring at him. “You did.”

Zuko purses his lips. He…can’t really deny that.

“Zuko,” Sokka presses again, “Why’d you say it like that?”

And it’s not that Zuko thinks Sokka would break up with him over it, not really. He knows all the jokes about Sokka’s favorite thing about him being that he can keep Sokka supplied in fresh-baked free pastries for the rest of his life are just that, jokes. Kind of. Mostly. But Zuko still doesn’t know the right way to break the news that, “There are no pastries tonight,” he finally blurts out, wincing. That…was not how he practiced.

And Sokka just staring at him blankly and going “Huh?” was also not what he planned for.

“The Jasmine Dragon is closed for two weeks so everyone can take vacation,” Zuko explains. As mandated by Ty Lee, their on-the-spot-designated HR person. “So there’s nothing in the kitchens.”

Sokka blinks, scratching at his undercut and once again deviating from Zuko’s carefully game planned script. “You’re going on vacation?”

“Not really?” Zuko says, confusion twisting in alongside the nerves in his chest. “I have some stuff to do.”

“Staycation?”

That sounds better than watching all of Ty Lee’s plants, so, “Sure. Why not.”

“Cool,” Sokka nods, “Maybe we can—wait,” he suddenly cuts off, staring. “Wait, were you—were you nervous to tell me this?”

“…Uh.” Kind of?

“Zuko,” Sokka says, mystified, “What.”

Zuko can feel himself flushing, embarrassment squirming through him. “I mean.”

“I just.” Sokka shifts, looking like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or get upset. “Zu, if it’s that important to you I can bake you box brownies naked or something, like really, there are options beyond the Jasmine Dragon.”

…Now it’s Zuko’s turn to stare. “…What?” he finally manages, feeling like Sokka just made about twelve leaps across the conversation that Zuko didn’t even know were happening, let alone managed to keep up with.

“I don’t know,” Sokka huffs, shoving a hand through his hair. “I’m just, like, trying to communicate that this relationship is more to me than just suggestively eating pastries for you.”

Wait. ”For me?”

“And like, I know that’s how the past few dates have gone,” Sokka continues, upset definitely starting to win out, “But I don’t—” he stops himself, blows out a hard breath. “I don’t know what I did to make you think I’d only care about your ability to get me pet trios.”

“Petit fours,” Zuko corrects, automatic.

“Yeah, those,” Sokka nods. “I mean, they’re good, don’t get me wrong, like really, they’re amazing, but—”

Which Sokka said at length and volume at the time, so Zuko doesn’t feel bad about interrupting: “Every date.”

“—I don’t see—what?”

“Sokka,” Zuko says slowly, eyes careful on Sokka’s face, “It’s not just the past few dates. It’s been every date.” A fact that Mai was absolutely as merciless about when she found out as Zuk expected her to be, though not anywhere near merciless enough for him to stop.  

“What do you mean every date?” Sokka says, startled. “We didn’t do that after the BBQ.”

Zuko gapes. “Helping to toast buns inside while you man the grill outside because you underestimated the RSVPs and everyone else who could help was invited is not a date.”

“Yes, it is,” Sokka protests. “We did a shared activity!”

“No it’s not, we didn’t spend any time together!”

“A good relationship doesn’t require constant togetherness at all times,” Sokka frowns, sounding like he’s repeating some quote. “And neither does a good date.”

“It requires being together for more than ten nonconsecutive minutes,” Zuko says, incredulous, and Sokka huffs, waving that away.

“Well what about the movie?” he says, switching tact. “We didn’t do pastries then either.”

“You mean the movie,” Zuko says slowly, disbelieving, “That we didn’t plan to be at together? And happened to see each other at while we were out with our other friends?”

Sokka nods like Zuko somehow expressed agreement. “And that furniture thing, don’t forget that.”

“That ‘furniture thing,’” Zuko repeats, amazed. “When my sister hired you off Task Rabbit to build her new bookshelves?” Which was a thin and blatant excuse, even if Zuko theoretically appreciates her care.

“You were there, too,” Sokka points out, like Zuko could possibly forget.

“And we were both surprised by it.” Azula wasn’t, though. “And generally, one is not surprised to find themselves on a date.”

“…Hm,” Sokka says after a moment, pursing his lips. “Let’s circle back to this one later,” he finally suggests, “After we talk about your whole pastry panic food thing.”

“Fine.” If Sokka needs to be shown what a date is then Zuko will show him a date. “But why do you keep saying my food thing?” he frowns. “It’s your food thing, you’re the one eating.”

Sokka opens his mouth, nothing coming out. “Wait,” he finally says. “You don’t have a kink for it?”

“Me?” Zuko blinks, surprised. “You,” he corrects. “It’s your kink.” And Zuko doesn’t mind, its completely harmless as kinks go, and easy enough to indulge, but Zuko wasn’t worried about the sudden lack of free pastries for himself.

“No,” Sokka says slowly, confused, “it’s not.”

“....What?”

“Zuko,” Sokka says, incredulous, “You brought it up as a kink in our first date!”

“So we could practice informed consent!” Zuko protests, ignoring the startled look it gets them from the couple across the pond. “I didn’t care, I just wanted to know.”

“And you said your ex was always doing food stuff!”

“For her job?” Zuko says, gaping. “Her job as a chef?”

“…Huh,” Sokka finally says, looking rather…stunned.

“Wait, wait,” Zuko says, trying to catch up to this entire fucking conversation, fuck, no one can never know about any of this. “So you don’t have a thing for it either?” he asks a little desperately. “You said you were so good at it because you and your ex did shit like that all the time. All the time, Sokka!”

“I mean.” Sokka rubs at his undercut. “I did say that,” he allows, “But he definitely had some kind of oral fixation thing going on.”

“And you don’t?”

“I mean, it’s fun, sure, but I don’t, like, need it.”

They stare at each other a long moment, the quiet sounds of the pond and the city filling the space between them, until finally Sokka says, “…So should we maybe do a few dates that don’t involve food in any capacity whatsoever?”

“Yes,” Zuko says almost before he finishes speaking, “Yeah, yes, let’s—do that. Good idea,” he says, fumbling for his phone, Sokka doing the same as they both start looking up alternate ideas.

[heckyeahponyscans]

Thoughts on MLP Make Your Mark, Ch. 4 Episode 7

Man, what a great episode! So much happens in this, the finale for Chapter 4.

Summary: Misty has finally kidnapped Sparky for Opaline, but regret it when Opaline traps Sparky in a bubble cage hundreds of feet above the ground and casually says that she will let him drop after she drains all his dragon magic into the Dragonstone.

Misty runs to gets the Mane 5, who go along, although Zipp is suspicious. At the evil castle Opaline immediately spots and traps the Mane 5 in an anti-magic bubble, congratulating Misty for her supposed subterfuge and urging her upstairs to watch Sparky's demise.

The Mane 5 are angry, heartbroken, and betrayed . . . Misty feels guilty, and also anxious as Sparky continues to be drained. But she can't rescue him on her own. While Opaline is distracted, Misty pops the anti-magic bubble and frees the Mane 5. Magic swirls around Misty and she finally gains her cutie mark!

Misty pretends the Mane 5 have tricked and captured her, distracting Opaline while Hitch and Zipp run up to rescue Sparky. Meanwhile Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp challenge Opaline. Opaline is powered up via the Dragonstone, but Sunny also transforms into an alicorn to protect her friends. Throwing an anti-magic bubble around Opaline, Sunny escapes with her friends. Misty stays behind, hiding her cutie mark from Opaline and pretending to still be on her side.

Back in Maretime Bay, Misty arrives and apologizes for lying to the other ponies. They forgive her and welcome her as a true friend.

--

Observations and random thoughts . . . As always, I want to remain spoiler-free so any questions I pose are purely theoretical! I watch one episode per week.

They crammed SO MUCH into a half hour episode, and it's amazing

Hitch has a trundle bed disguised as filing cabinets at the police station. Maybe to spare the expense of CGI-ing up a room for him? #giveHitcharoom

In the movie they mentioned that Hitch has paid off his mortgage, so maybe at some point he bought the station to prevent it from being bulldozed or something.

I liked how the pegasi gesticulate with their wings when they hear Sparky is missing. Reminds me of Starscream in Transformers Prime.

Also, really good expressions in this episode. From Hitch looking anxious to Misty looking guilty to Opaline looking deranged.

So one moment I really liked was when Opaline--while cooing over Sparky--says "I must admit, Misty, I didn't think you had it in you." And Misty says in a flat tone, "Oh. I guess I did, though." and the viewer is left to decide whether it's because Opaline just lowkey expressed doubt in Misty or whether it's because Misty knows in her heart of hearts that being a pony capable of kidnapping is a bad thing.

Another new room!

The blue box with the keyholes reminds me a bit of the chest that came with G1 Dream Castle. Speaking of that playset, it had a repeated design element of a flower (as seen as on the top of the box); it's fun to think Opaline's castle, which has a tree growing through it, took some inspiration from Dream Castle. It also has similar colors, pink (mostly) with blue roofs on the turrets.

Opaline's castle looks mystical from far away, but up close it has this rough-hewn look, which is really interesting since most MLP castles tend to be very polished.

Look at all that mortar. This castle didn't spring up by magic, it was built by a hundred underpaid peasants.

More talk about Sparky being drawn to the magic tree in Maretime Bay, I swear that thing is going to grow new Elements of Harmony at some point

I liked this part with Opaline testing Misty / spying on her reactions. Opaline is usually too full of herself to notice what Misty's up to, but between Misty's reaction to Sparky and the Mane 5, she must suspect something is up.

Watching this episode, I found myself wishing that Twilight Sparkle had gainedalicorn powders in the Magical Girl way that Sunny did, where most of the time she was still normal. It's would have given her more to explore and figure out, and there could have been circumstances where she couldn't transform due to evil magic or self-doubt or whatever. Instead, due to the way MLP FIM had characterized the existing alicorns, it was this weird thing where Twilight Sparkle was forced into being a politician: a job she had never expressed interest in.

Loved Misty getting her cutie mark! What a great scene, it reminded me of Cinderella getting her gown and Sunny becoming an alicorn at the end of the G5 movie. I wonder if all ponies have this much pomp when they get a cutie mark.

"Ugh, that Misty. That pony will be the end of me." FORESHADOWING?

Leave Spider-Man alone! Youze mess with one of us, youze mess with all of us!

The fight between Opaline and alicorn-Sunny was great, I know if I saw that as a kid I'd be excited by the action and the visuals.

So this was a random thought I had, mostly based on their color schemes: what if Sunny ultimately becomes responsible for the sun (like Celestia) and Opaline becomes responsible for the moon--you know, after a redemption arc where she learns not to be toxic. (I don't think this will actually happen, because the moon doesn't fit with Opaline's fire theme, but I gotta write it down so I look like a genius if it actually happens.)

Sunny and her friends just leaving Opaline initially surprised me, but on watching the episode again, it make sense . . . they had to get Sparky to safety and Sunny was never besting Opaline offensively; she was just holding her off.

Speaking of which, an anti-magic bubble totally severed Sunny from her magical abilities, but when Opaline is trapped in a similar bubble it taker her all of 30 seconds to bust free. Opaline is supercharged.

I was surprised but intrigued at Misty staying with Opaline as a double-agent

More dragons???