#i’ll be writing a part two

[magicandmundane]

Something something Clone Force 99 breaking binders in every season finale

[turtleblogatlast]

[ cw: nightmares / trauma / ]

Post-invasion, Mikey sneaks into Leo’s room and when asked by Leo what the problem was, Mikey just smiles and says since he’s awake and knew Leo would be too, he didn’t want either of them alone. Leo laughs and lets Mikey stick around, both of them clumped together on Leo’s bed, watching grainy compilations of old Lou Jitsu commercials on Leo’s phone.

Technically, Mikey didn’t lie. He just didn’t explain everything that led him to Leo’s room. He didn’t explain the nightmare of his arms burning up too bright, too fast, destroyed before Raph and Donnie have a chance to help. He didn’t explain how he woke up with a wail caught in his throat, phantom pain in his arms and chest alike chasing away any semblance of exhaustion. He didn’t explain how his mind made sure he knew, vividly, that if one thing went wrong with his portal, then he would have never seen Leo again.

He didn’t explain, and he didn’t have to. Leo knows his brothers better than he knows himself, and Mikey has always been easy to read. So it’s no trouble to let Mikey know that he’s still with them, that Leo is here and alive with everyone else. And when Mikey finally regains his exhaustion and falls asleep leaning against Leo, Leo simply maneuvers him into a more comfortable position and stays by his side.

He doesn’t move, doesn’t go to sleep - not that he could, anyway. He just mindlessly scrolls on his phone, the soft snores of his little brother filling the room. He stays in place, awake, because he wants to be sure that when Mikey wakes up again it’s to the immediate sight that Leo is alive and well and home.

And, if Leo’s bring honest, that’s a reminder not just for Mikey’s sake.

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part One

For Xiantober Day One: Genius… albeit stretching the prompt so it refers to MXTX and MDZS itself, but at the end of the day it’s still about WWX – so no harm done!

(Part Two | Part Three | Full version on AO3)

The narrative is a very active player in MDZS’ story. How it presents information, what it chooses to show and omit, often reflects important facets of its themes and characters – Nie Huaisang, for instance, is so good at hiding behind his mask that not even the narrative can hold him accountable; the present day’s storyline as a murder mystery and the slow reveal of information about the past both prompt the reader to think critically about the truth of events, when the importance of thinking critically is an important theme; and the dangers not thinking critically (and instead basing conclusions on rumours without much evidence) are shown by tricking unquestioning readers into the very same trap the cultivation world falls into, as the information given by the title, summary and in-universe rumours – which contradicts how we see actually Wei Wuxian act – turns out to be false.

But nowhere do I love this trait more than in its treatment of Wei Wuxian – and, more specifically, in its way of emphasising his agency. We’re not just told how much his active choices define his character, and we’re not just shown this in-universe through his personality, worldview and the events he causes. I’d argue that this aspect goes a step further, and shapes the structure of the out-of-universe narrative as well.

There are two main ways this happens: one, in how the aspects of Wei Wuxian’s life that are shown and hidden directly tell us what’s important about his character (which is good writing but isn’t necessarily tied to this shaping of the narrative), which is what we’ll explore today; and two, how what’s shown and hidden reflects what Wei Wuxian himself prefers to dwell on, resulting in the narrative respecting his own thoughts and feelings on matters (which very much is tied to it). We’ll explore this at a later date.

But as for now – let’s explore my favourite aspect of MDZS.

(Here, narrative agency will be considered the ability of a character to meaningfully influence their events and the story they’re in.)

Tragedy, Circumstance, Choice

If we simply look at Wei Wuxian’s backstory in a vacuum, it seems almost typically tragic. His  parents died in circumstances beyond his control, he was left alone as a child with nobody to care for him, he was forced to grow up fending for himself on the streets, he was faced with abuse when he finally was taken in… as with all typical woobies, everything simply happened to him, and none of it was good. It’s just another example of the lack of agency being used for sympathy points, right?

…Except there’s one problem with that idea. We don’t actually see any of this.

It would’ve been easy to start the flashbacks during these times. We’re telling the story of Wei Wuxian in (largely) chronological order, and these are likely important experiences for him! But instead of starting in his street days, or evenat the moment Jiang Fengmian took him in*, we start at the lectures in the Cloud Recesses. That’s not even something mentioned in, and therefore something that’s able to disprove, the rumours at the start of the novel. So why is this the case? 

Well, there are multiple reasons – the main one being that MDZS is also Lan Wangji’s (and Wangxian’s) story, and having the flashbacks open with their first meeting is very satisfying. But I want to focus on something else.

This period doesn’t have to be shown, because what happens to Wei Wuxian, especially out of his control, isn’t what’s important about his character.

We’re not even at Lotus Pier here, where Wei Wuxian certainly has more agency than he would’ve had as a young child, but where the harm caused by Madame Yu is still completely out of his control. Here, he has agency! Though there are consequences, he is free to act, and what happens to him is a result of those actions and not of circumstance. Yes, he gets punished more than others who also take those same actions (due to classism); yes, it’s not his choice to be picked on by Lan Qiren in class (yet look how he responds, twisting the situation to his advantage and ending up tricking Lan Qiren into letting him leave, which is what he wanted to do. He is not at all helpless here!); yes, these choices have been influenced by his learned mindset from Madame Yu that punishment is arbitrary and will happen anyway, so you may as well do what you want regardless. But there is cause-and-effect here. It’s not circumstantial tragedy.

Therefore, instead of our first impression of past!Wei Wuxian being that of an unfortunate woobie, it’s of someone who has the freedom, ability and will to choose and act (and that’s after these initial tragic events have taken place). This is compounded by the fact that before we see any of his backstory, we get a similar impression of him in the present day.

If the purpose of his tragic past was to earn him sympathy points, to make us pity him due to how much he was influenced by events out of his control, this would’ve been a terrible way of going about it… and it’s this that betrays the true reason for its existence. Because now, the flashbacks instead show us how little these tragedies define who he is! From the very start, Wei Wuxian isn’t someone defined by circumstances out of his control, but rather by who he is as a person and by what choices he makes in the present day (which is both a mindset in-universe, and a nice little out-of-universe detail that lines up! Because out-of-universe, this means he’s not defined by sympathy points from a backstory, but rather by his great character writing… aka, by who he is as a person and what choices he makes). And this refusal to be defined by tragedy is a conscious choice on his part, too – but we’ll explore that more later. 

The important thing is that this idea of Wei Wuxian isn’t because of what exists in his past, it’s because of what parts of his past are shown to us (as well as what he chooses to do, with agency, in the present). 

Now, if this relationship between what’s displayed and what’s omitted was just a one-time thing, I might’ve considered it a cool detail or a nice way to establish a character, but not something the narrative is actively focusing on. But it’s a pattern that continues throughout the flashbacks. What, arguably, are the two other most important times in Wei Wuxian’s life where he doesn’t have enough agency to meaningfully influence his circumstances? His three months in the Burial Mounds (before escaping – he managed to assume some control of the circumstances but not enough to substantially reduce his suffering in his time there), and his loss and death during the First Siege. And we’re not shown either of them! We skip to when Wei Wuxian has emerged from the Burial Mounds and is torturing the Wens, or we skip to the present day – both times he has agency once more, because, again, what he’s like without it doesn’t matter enough to be shown. 

Furthermore, I’d argue this does actually contrast the other tragic events we see in Wei Wuxian’s later life. Things do go horribly wrong, but it’s either due to choices he knows the consequences of (see: rescuing the Wen Remnants in the first place), or instances where he still has some ability to act in the situation and influence it within the limitations. If he’d had no ability to influence circumstances at Qiongqi path, he would have died in the ambush; if he’d been unable to do that at Nightless City, he would’ve died then, too (of course Lan Wangji helped him escape as well). The attention drawn to him losing control of his actions in both instances is very interesting, but intentional or not, it’s still his actions influencing the plot. And that influence happens to be detrimental. The very ability to act and influence, at a base level,  is not taken away (though, of course, that doesn’t make these events any less tragic).

So, so far, the narrative seems to be telling us that the ability to act and choose is key to Wei Wuxian’s character. And it’s doing it through omitting his moments without agency in favour of instead showing us his moments with it. 

Let’s see if this is echoed in the text itself before we go further – because even with this pattern, nothing would end up mattering if Wei Wuxian’s agency wasn’t actually that important to the story itself. But thankfully it is, and that first impression we get of Wei Wuxian in the Cloud Recesses turns out to very much be accurate! Though there are defining circumstances out of his control that occur, such as the massacre of Lotus Pier, the majority of the important events of his life are due to his own choices. He didn’t happen to be forced to cease traditional cultivation and solely use guidao, didn’t happen to lose his Golden Core in a fight with Wen Zhuliu or due to some force in the Burial Mounds, it was his own choice to give it and his spiritual powers away. He didn’t tragically happen to get targeted by the cultivation world, it was a result of him acting on his morals and protecting the Wen remnants (a choice which he was fully aware of the implications of). He isn’t a protagonist to whom things simply occur, and that activeness and agency is my favourite thing about him. 

That’s not to say that the times Wei Wuxian doesn’t have agency, or feels like he doesn’t have any, don’t exist at all, either – but they are rare enough to have attention directly drawn to them in his internal narration:

Or else what could he do? He could do nothing. He was powerless. Lotus Pier had been destroyed, both Jiang FengMian and Madam Yu were gone, and Jiang Cheng had disappeared as well. He was the only one left, alone, with not even a sword in his hands. He didn’t know anything, he couldn’t do anything! For the first time, he discovered how little his power was. In front of something as large as the QishanWen Sect, it was the same as a mantis trying to stop a chariot. - Chapter 59, EXR translation

(And even in this circumstance, note that he still does force himself to act – to carry on searching for Jiang Cheng, to place his faith in Wen Ning – and does accomplish his goal (albeit with the help of others)! So even in dire situations, he isn’t simply passive. This is actually also the case with his time in the Burial Mounds, almost certainly the First Siege, and even his days on the streets as well (Chapter 20: he did actively fight with dogs to get food despite their danger and his growing fear of them, rather than just waiting and hoping to somehow receive some more). He can’t influence or immediately influence his circumstances, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.)

Overall, although they do influence him, Wei Wuxian is very much who he is in spite of his circumstances, not because of them. We’re shown the importance of his agency both in-universe by the major impacts his choices have on himself and the plot, as well as by narrative presentation – important periods where he lacks the ability to meaningfully influence anything are often mentioned but not directly shown, which suggests that such moments and circumstances aren’t as important to understanding Wei Wuxian’s character as moments where he does have this agency are. And I’d argue this works very well. Depending on the version of the story you consume, you may end up having different interpretations as to how much circumstances were at play nearer the end of his life – but nobody comes out of MDZS thinking about Wei Wuxian, the poor bearer of yet another generically tragic backstory.

(Part Two | Part Three | Full version on AO3)

—

*We are shown this moment in more detail in Chapter 23… but even then, it’s through the framing of Wei Wuxian remembering Jiang Yanli’s narration, not through a flashback proper or even him remembering the experience itself!

[puppppppppy]

its so hard to watch time pass when things like careers and assignments exist. what do you mean im supposed to take that seriously

[paimonial-rage]

a great undertaking - albedo

ship: albedo x reader

synopsis: after a week of radio silence during crunch time, you’re just about ready to call it quits.

notes: idol!au, reader is albedo’s manager, tw drugging (this is g-rated i swear), warning: i wrote this two years ago and the writing shows

Many assumed being the manager of the hit soloist, Kreideprinz, was an easy job. You couldn't exactly blame them. It wasn't like he held many concerts. He preferred to stay away from the public eye as well, so talk shows and events starring him were rare. He also didn't focus on his musical career as much as other soloists as well. You had to agree. Any normal person that shared such traits would definitely be an easy person to manage. However, Kreideprinz was anything but normal.

"Albedo? Albedo, please! It's been a week already. Do you know how difficult it is trying to schedule a concert with people from two separate agencies? Do you know how scary that pink-haired lady from HNMIzaka Entertainment is!? Please, I'm begging you!!" You cried as you pounded your fist against his lab door.

When all you heard was silence, your eyes filled with tears and you slid to the ground in a crumpled heap. This was the end, wasn't it? The KA5EN reunion was scheduled in two months' time and there were still so many things to prepare. They hadn’t even practiced as a group yet, which was the source of your despair. You swore if you told that pink-haired lady you were ‘still discussing possible dates with Mr. Kreideprinz' one more time, you were certain she was going to murder you in broad daylight.

Your lower lip wobbled as you leaned against the door and stared up at the depressingly bright fluorescent lights. Perhaps you should quit while you were ahead. Sure, Klee would probably miss you, but you didn't know if you could do this anymore. It was getting to the point you avoided looking into the mirror for fear of spotting gray hairs. It was a good thing Albedo was a straightforward person. Your resignation letter wouldn't have to be too long–

"Wha!?"

You squeaked when your backrest disappeared behind you. It took a few moments for you to realize the back of your head did not slam into the hard tile but onto something soft and bumpy. Glancing up, you could see the handsome prince himself looking down at you.

"Good morning, First."

This time, tears really did fall. There he was, the man you had been begging to see for the past week. Your angel. Your knight in shining armor. Your Messiah that would save you from death! And–

Also, the man that threw you into this whole mess in the first place.

"Albedoooo..." You sobbed as your shoulders shook pathetically, "I have very conflicted feelings toward you right now..."

He sighed before reaching down to help you up.

"I did inform you this recent project of mine would take a while. Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, but not for a whole week! I get that you're busy, but you could have at least—Sorry, yes, coffee, please—You could have at least responded to my text messages!"

"Hmm? Well, you sent so many I couldn't tell which ones were important or not," he replied nonchalantly.

You wanted to scream.

"Also in the coffee, I–"

"Sugar, cream, I don't care what you put inside. I just need a cup," you grumbled before continuing, "Anyway, if you replied to the first one at a reasonable time, I wouldn't have sent all those other ones!! Do you know how many people I have chasing after me because of you? Not to mention the amount of times I had to entertain Klee because you wouldn't answer your door. I mean I almost got my–"

He handed you your mug of coffee.

"Oh, thank you… –My eyebrows burnt off! Multiple times. Multiple times, Albedo!!"

You took a few long sips of your coffee, ignoring the way it scalded your tongue and throat on the way down. Any pain it could cause you paled in comparison to the weight of stress you were under.

"You know once you burn off your hair follicles, they'll never grow back! I could've been eyebrowless the rest of my life just because you decided to ignore me for a week. I don't know how I can keep putting up with this. I thought you would be easy to manage, but it's getting to the point I don't think I'll be able to make it to retiring age!!"

His lack of reaction had your eyes tearing once more.

"Hmm... And how are you feeling right now? Physically speaking?"

You really did scream this time.

"How do you think I'm feeling!? I'm exhausted. I'm sleep-deprived. My back hurts. My chest feels tight. My head is pounding. Oh, you know. Just typical symptoms of extreme stress," you finished with a smile.

"I see. Would you say it is better than how you felt when you first entered this room?"

You frowned.

"I, uh... Um... I mean I did see you finally, so I guess so?"

"Do you feel any symptoms of nausea, dizziness, or drowsiness?"

"Why would I feel any--"

You froze as the hairs on your neck shot up.

There he stood with glasses on his nose and clipboard in hand, a familiar scene you fearfully dubbed as "Mad Scientist Mode." What was he writing down? No, why was he writing things down!? Did he–

Your eyes shot to the warm mug you held in hand.

Ah.

You shakily placed it on a nearby counter and pushed it away gently.

"Symptoms, First?"

You cleared your throat.

"It wasn't sugar or cream you put in the coffee, was it?"

He nodded.

"No, I synthesized a compound from an enhanced matricaria chamomilla flower and a few other plants in various degrees."

You wanted to laugh.

"So drugged me with something that may kill me."

"Ah, there's no need to worry about that. I tested it on myself multiple times. However, as I hypothesized, I did not feel much of the effect due to my, ah… differing temperament."

"So it's not going to kill you, but it may kill me?"

He sighed.

"Don't be ridiculous. I am more than well acquainted with your body. I already know what you do not react well to.”

You felt your face heat.

“Ignoring how wrong that sounds, you can’t just–”

You cut yourself off abruptly when a wave of exhaustion hit. You staggered back a few steps before holding onto the counter for support.

“Ah, it’s finally kicked in.”

Had you not been so disoriented, you would have shaken the lapels of his lab coat in fury. But your body was not agreeing with you. It instead felt too heavy to carry as your eyelids began to follow suit. You almost didn’t realize it when you lost your balance until you collapsed into the arms of something warm. You tried to push away weakly.

“No… I can’t. I still need to…”

“Shh, just sleep.”

—

You could tell you both weren’t compatible from the day you first laid eyes on him. As a neighbor and family friend to Miss Alice, you met him the day she brought him home. You were sick with fever that day, as you normally were, and answered the door with a stuffy nose. Never did you expect to see a young teenager at her side. He was quiet as Miss Alice introduced you both, only speaking up a few minutes later saying Miss Alice had a prior engagement and needed to leave. Judging from the surprise on Miss Alice’s face, though, you knew such couldn’t be farther from the truth. Did he just not like you?

That belief was solidified after Miss Alice left on her journey. Before she did, she told you both to take care of each other. It was a job you took seriously. Albedo did not. Though you were sickly, how many times did you find yourself at his door with dinner in hand? How often did you visit to keep his company? But he rarely responded to your knocking and never heard your calls of his name. When you finally managed to get inside whether it’d be by Klee or walking up to his window, he’d meet your eyes with a troubled sigh.

He’d always try to get out of things. When you’d spend a whole day trying to cook him something hearty and healthy to eat (he was too skinny, after all), he’d only eat a small bowl before suggesting you should take the rest home. And when you nagged him about the dangers of isolation and lack of social contact, you could tell his mind was elsewhere halfway through.

Eventually, when he realized you wouldn’t be going anywhere, he started to bully you instead. When you planned grand outings with Klee, he’d come along and force the day to end halfway through. He didn’t let you stay at his place too late and would only text to make sure you were sleeping on time. You couldn’t even play outside on snowy days for too long before he’d herd you back inside.

That didn’t even count his strange obsession with feeding you weird things. His meals, though delicious, were chock full of strange and exotic ingredients. He’d put odd concoctions in your drinks. There were times you could have sworn he opened pill capsules to mix into your desserts. Whenever you'd complain, he'd explain the health benefits, but the words and explanations were so complex that he'd simply give up before telling you with a deadpan expression to, "just eat it." Eventually, you began accepting anything he made you without question because, well, you always felt a bit better after.

If you had to be honest, perhaps having him as a thing to focus your minimal energies on was a good thing. Your life started to pick up after meeting him. Much of your childhood was spent in and out of the hospital. It wasn’t rare to find you in bed weak with a fever. Miss Alice's request got you out of bed every morning with a goal for the day. And as the years went by, you became healthier and healthier. You found yourself able to do more and more things. You were happy.

Albedo still worried you, though. Despite growing older, he was just the solitary person as he always was. He’d spend days holed up in his lab, only leaving to meet with his research partner, Sucrose, or to spend time with Klee. It was unhealthy, wasn’t it? He was a handsome young man, after all. He would miss out on the best years of his life if he spent it by himself! So you took it upon yourself to force him out into the world.

You took him everywhere you could. In fact, you may have gone a bit overboard with it as well. Though you weren’t a loner like Albedo, you never were able to do much when you were younger. Your parents were simply too overprotective. But they trusted Albedo. And much to your surprise, Albedo went along with your naggings and invitations. There were times you even caught him smiling which would cause your heart to soar.

Though you knew Albedo initially thought of you as a nuisance, you knew you eventually grew on him. After all, it was because of you that he became a singer. If you had not encouraged him to pursue it after being scouted by someone in the industry, he never would have taken the role. And after much convincing, he even let you become his manager! Sure, he didn’t change his habit of holing himself up whenever he felt the need, but still. You had a place in his heart. And you were happy with that.

—

When you awoke the next day, the sun was peeking through the curtains in the early hours of the morning. If you had to be honest, you had no clue how you got up. The bed was soft and the covers were warm. The pillows cradled your head like a cloud. Yes, why be up when you could be sleeping peacefully instead? It wasn’t like you had anything to do.

…

…

…

Wait a minute…

—

Albedo sighed when your strangled scream echoed across the house. He estimated you would be asleep for at least another hour, but you seemed to love betraying his expectations. As your feet pounded towards him, he reached into the cupboards to pull out a glass. By the time you arrived in the kitchen, he had a cup of water held out to you.

“Albedo! Why would you–”

He pushed the cup into your hands.

“Water first. You’re most likely dehydrated from sleeping so long.”

You opened your mouth so as to cry more, but decided against it and downed the water instead. You hated that you proved his point by how quickly you drank it down. Placing the cup down, you wiped at your mouth.

“Albedo! Do you even realize how much time I wasted sleeping? Why would you do that to me? Now Ms. Yae is definitely gonna–”

“I already spoke to her.”

“... kill me– Wait, what?”

“I spoke to her a week ago regarding the date for the KA5EN rehearsal.”

Your jaw dropped.

“E-Excuse me? Then why did she keep…”

“When I asked her yesterday, she said that your desperate expression was ‘very cute.’”

You felt your eyes tear. So that meant this whole time you were panicking over nothing? You wanted to laugh. It seemed like it! Albedo apparently did your job for you while Ms. Yae reaped the benefits from the miscommunication by watching you squirm for her sick pleasure. Were you destined to get bullied for the rest of your life?

You jumped when you felt a hand pat your head gently. Looking up, you saw Albedo gazing at you with a calm expression.

“Don’t worry. I told her that I will handle any communications dealing with HNMIzaka Entertainment from now on. Just focus on other things.”

Your hands balled into fists while your eyes teared more.

“But that’s my job! You can’t just–”

His expression became firm.

“No.”

His hand then slid to your cheek. His thumb brushed gently under your eye.

“Even with the medicine you took last night, you’re still sleep-deprived. You haven’t been drinking enough water and you’re undernourished as well. I noticed I needed to intervene a few weeks ago, but I didn’t think you’d get this much worse over the course of the week I was gone. You’re not going to be working on anything big until you get better.”

You turned your face away and pouted.

“You're not my mom, you know. It’s my job to take care of you, not the other way around.”

He turned back to the counter and began to take various ingredients from the shelves.

“If you don’t want me to take care of you, take better care of yourself. The day you quit being my manager is the day I end my singing career.”

Your jaw dropped. How could he say such a thing so casually? And while frying up eggs no less!?

“Wh-Why in the world is that?”

He glanced over at you, his expression as calm as ever.

“Well, you’re irreplaceable.”

And as if he threw a bucket of ice cold water on you, you simply stood there frozen. You didn’t know what to think. You didn’t know how to react to that. But just as quickly as he froze you, his next words slapped you out of it.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Absolutely not.”

[lavendernlilac]

Hnnnghh,,,lazy sex. Grian being half awake watching tv, just chilling with a nightshirt and panties on, Scar walking in(from patrol or just being in the other room) and flopping down behind her, arms wrapping around her waist. They’re sleepy but not quite ready to fall asleep so Grian takes Scars hands and adjusts one to her breast and the other onto her crotch.

He catches on and gently starts kneading her chest through the shirt while slipping her panties to the side to roll her clit under the pad of his finger, slowly getting her wet.

After a few minutes, he takes one hand away to extract his cock from whatever pants he has on and guides it against her hole, steadily pushing in. He just slightly rocks against her(it’s mostly just cockwarming). This goes on for awhile, maybe they even fall asleep for a bit and wake up and continue. Either way, it’s just serene and cozy, and they’re both content.

-bodypillow/massage anon <3

anon I need you to know that you are single-handedly enabling my brain rot for this au and I appreciate you so much for it omg. serene, cozy, sleepy sex…. they’d be so soft about it too.

hm. hmmmmm. another drabble,,,,

Grian lets out a yawn as she relaxes on the couch, watching whatever’s happened to catch her interest on t.v. This time it’s a show she’s familiar with, an ongoing prank war between friends that continues to get more out of control. A diss track has been made, and Grian can only be thankful it’s actually good.

There’s nothing worse than being a musician being forced to listen to something terribly made.

It’s been a long day, one full of interview after interview, and she’s grateful to be home. She loves being Ariana Griande, and everything that comes with it. But sometimes she just wants to flop on a comfortable surface with glasses rather than contacts and a comfy shirt. Which is how she is now, relaxing after an eventful afternoon.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she looks up, seeing Scar approach. It’s been a long day for him as well, considering Hotguy was with her from the first interview to the last. Now though, it’s only them. No alter egos or masks. They can act as normal people, until the next call beckons them. But future Grian can worry about that.

“Hey,” she greets, earning a smile from her boyfriend.

“Grian! Fancy seeing you here,” Scar returns. How he has some energy after their tiring day, Grian doesn’t have the faintest clue.

Still, she snorts, “It’s my apartment Scar, of course I’d be here.” She follows it with a fond shake of her head. “Gonna come join me?”

“Of course.” Scar’s smile brightens as he comes around the couch, flopping down behind her. Grian’s never been more thankful that a) her couch can comfortably fit two people and b) she has a small stature. She feels him throw an arm over her waist, moving until her back is against his chest. Scar rests his head on the same pillow she’s using, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Did I miss anything fun?”

Grian sighs in contentment, already melting against him. “Nothing besides a diss track and a failed heist,” she answers, moving so that her head is comfortably under Scar’s jaw. She feels his hand slowly stroke her side, moving down to her thigh and trailing her hip. She hums softly, enjoying the touch. Scar’s hand is warm, sending tingles down her spine. It could almost put her to sleep, if she were ready for bed.

“Awww, what do you mean I missed it? G, they hyped that up so much,” Scar whines, making her giggle at him.

“I’ll rewind it for you, you big baby,” she huffs affectionately, grabbing the remote.

They fall into silence after that, as the two of them lay there together. Grian’s breaths are even, relaxed, soft. She can feel the steady rhythm of Scar’s heart against her, bringing a sense of comfort as she rests. She finds herself in that weird state of being sleepy but not enough for her to actually fall asleep. Not that she minds though, she gets to actually enjoy being awake and snuggling with Scar.

He hasn’t stopped moving his hand, lingering on her thigh as his thumb leaves light strokes against her skin. It’s not even that big of a movement, but in Grian’s sleepy state it leaves her feeling nice and warm, wanting to be touched more.

“Scar…”

“Hmm?”

She reaches for the arm underneath her, nudging his hand to her chest. As for the other, she encourages the hand on her thigh to move lower. Grian doesn’t say anything else, letting her nudges tell Scar what she wants. Of course he understands her immediately, fondling her chest over her shirt. He kneads her breasts with nothing short of attention and care; Grian sighing softly in contentment. Scar gently squeezes her, thumb brushing over a nipple.

His other hand slips under her panties, reaching her clit. He rolls his finger over the sensitive bud, rubbing it in light circles. Pleasure drips through Grian immediately, between the two spots, and she sinks against him.

“A..h, yes…” she whispers, eyes falling shut.

Scar kisses her head, pressing his cheek against her hair. He continues kneading her chest, keeping the cotton layer of her nightshirt between his palm and her skin. Had he been more awake, he might’ve moved so he could take her into his mouth, but this is just as good.

Each roll of his finger against her clit causes Grian to grow wetter, dampening both Scar’s finger and her panties. She hums softly at the pleasant feeling, making quiet noises. The television becomes distant white noise as Grian becomes absorbed by just Scar, the feeling of his hands touching her. He moves the pad of his finger in gentle, slow circles, the pressure feeling quite nice. Grian moves her hand down to hold his arm, whining lightly at the soft rubs. She rocks into it lazily, not committing to the movement. It makes Scar chuckle.

This continues for a few minutes, neither of them in any particular rush. Grian basks under Scar’s attention, loving it. He briefly pushes his finger inside her, and she moans at the feeling, hearing the quiet wetness of the movement.

Scar hums behind her, pleased with how wet she’s become. He rolls his finger a few more times, soaking up her quiet hums before pulling his hand away. Grian makes a disappointed sound, and Scar’s chest rumbles with a laugh. “I’m not going anywhere, princess.” He reaches into his shorts, pulling his hardening cock free. He gives it a few strokes before pushing her panties to the side, guiding himself toward her warmth. Scar gently presses inside her, making sure to go slow.

Grian moans at the intrusion, his length filling her up. She whines and whimpers, Scar’s other hand still kneading her chest.

“Okay?” Scar whispers.

“Okay,” Grian returns, unable to keep her voice from sounding shaky. It only worsens as Scar lightly rocks against her in lazy movements. “Feels good.”

Scar’s arm returns to her waist, draping over her. “Good, m’too,” he mumbles. “Love you, G.” He keeps up with the light movements, slowly pressing his cock inside her. Grian’s noises are still quiet, though they do rise in pitch with each gentle rock of Scar’s hips. Some of his own quiet moans and sighs tangle with hers.

“Nh, I love y’too, Scar,” she sleepily answers with a light slur, the fire in her gut mostly being quelled now. She doesn’t mind just lying like this, letting the peaceful atmosphere wash over her, push her toward slumber. It’s so cozy and warm, and Grian feels so nice.

It’s inevitable really, that they fall asleep like that, wrapped up in each other.

[larz-barz]

Too scared

Warning(s)/info: Featuring Miki’s uncle, Miki getting hurt, reader’s discretion is advised, i apologize in advance, modern au

Tagging: @shining-stars-of-love @nothingtoseehere1-2-3 @rosalinastan1 @ayunakatsukiwolfhashira @pinkwisteria @nimmie-nugget @kimetsu-chan @slayfics @circus-gone-wrong @frostburn-shoto @floofgryph @muichirolover14 @muichirosboba @kiyokatokito

Tanjiro and Mikitama are walking through the mall, hand-in-hand, when Tanjiro sees something, letting go to grab it and show it to his girlfriend. “Hey, angel look at th- angel???” He looks around worriedly, unsure of where she could’ve gone.

He walks around, looking around for her worriedly.

Tanjiro’s eyes widen when he sees Miki with her uncle.

Haruki grins as Mikitama takes shaky steps, following him with tears in her eyes.

Tanjiro rushes over and carefully takes Miki away from Haruki.

Before Tanjiro can say anything, Mikitama steps towards Haruki.

Tanjiro looks at her in confusion and worry. “A-angel..? What are you d-doing???”

Miki gulps nervously. “I-it’s for the best, Tanji…” She responds in a soft shaky voice, squeaking when Haruki grabs her arm roughly and pulling her along.

Tears fill Tanjiro’s eyes and he quickly calls Giyuu, explaining the situation.

“Tanjiro, you need to stall them until I can get there, okay?” Giyuu asks as the sound of jangling keys hits the phone’s receiver.

“Y-yes, sir. I can do that.” Tanjiro sniffles and wipes his eyes then grabs Miki’s wrist, pulling her back.

The two teenagers’ eyes widen when Haruki growls and lunges at them, Tanjiro reacts quickly and guards Mikitama.

He holds her tightly as he uses his body to shield her.

“Give me back my niece!!!” Haruki yells and Miki trembles as she clings to Tanjiro.

“Not in a million years!” Tanjiro says as he tightens his protective hold on Mikitama.

Moments later, Giyuu comes into the mall and makes a beeline for Mikitama, Tanjiro, and Haruki.

He starts arguing with Haruki and Miki’s eyes widen in fear as she notices her uncle fiddling with something in his pocket.

Tanjiro tries to stop her as she rushes to shove Haruki away from Giyuu while the former starts to pull out a knife.

Miki cries out in pain when the knife stabs into her stomach

“A-ANGEL!!!” Tanjiro shouts and rushes over, shoving Haruki away from Mikitama as Giyuu watches in shock.

Tears roll down his cheeks as Tanjiro holds Mikitama close in one arm while calling 911 with his free hand.

Giyuu slowly walks over, tears filling his eyes as he drops to his knees.

He takes Mikitama’s unconscious and bloody form in his arms.

“B-baby….” Giyuu whispered shakily, cupping Miki’s cheek in one hand, stroking the skin with his thumb.

The ambulance and police shows up a moment later and the nurses rush in and lift Mikitama onto the stretcher as the police take Haruki away.

The nurses ask Giyuu questions about what happened, also attempting to ask Tanjiro, who is far too distraught to answer them.

They let Giyuu and Tanjiro onto the ambulance with all of them.

Upon arrival to the hospital, Miki is immediately admitted to the intensive care unit where they will perform emergency surgery on her.

After the surgery, they allow Giyuu and Tanjiro into her room to stay with her.

Mikitama is hooked up to a heart monitor, an I.V., and medicine that will keep her asleep so she’ll get the rest she needs.

The sight is truly heartbreaking.

“M-Miki, why didn’t you just let it be me..?” Giyuu asks the sleeping girl in a shaky, teary voice as he holds one of her hands in his…

~the end~

sorry 🥲🫶💖

[jamietarttsnorthernattitude]

Finished my under 5K AU for the @ficwip August challenge and it clocks in at…4975 words lmao

Also, this is the fic I’ve posted about as coal before and I have changed the name, and elaborated on the concept. There will be a sequel coming from Roy’s perspective where this is from Jamie’s.

I’ll put another snippet under the cut (cw abuse):

Jamie Tartt was sixteen years old when he realised his father would likely kill him one day, the first time a forearm pressed against his throat and made it impossible to breathe, the first time Jamie realised he might have survived the night, but his luck wouldn’t last forever.

It was the first time Jamie learned it was safer to not fight back.

It had only been a little shove—a slight push after James had grabbed Jamie’s hair in his fist and pressed his face so close to his that James’ alcohol-tinged breath made his eyes water. Just enough to give Jamie some space, nothing compared to the marks his father’s hands had left on Jamie’s body over the years, but that was all it took to set James off. That was all it took for him to ensure Jamie never forgot this particular lesson.

[the-woman-upstairs]

Betting on Daniel’s S3 plotline being the gay vampiric version of Almost Famous. No way Lestat’s going on tour without someone to chronicle all the insanity that’ll ensue plus Daniel would absolutely jump at the chance to get Lestat’s side of the story. It’s the perfect setup.

[quinn-pop]

yet another oc that only exists because i wanted to write something very specific

(middle is a little older, hence her scar healing. i like to think she gets a glass eye at some point)

anyway this is mira! (they/she) since that wip is almost 20k words and counting i won’t give away too much but long story short she’s the result of meta going “one last time, i promise” and adopting yet another kid

also galaxia kinda indirectly picked the name :)

i’ve mentioned before that i headcanon that pretty much all astrals are autistic and this is just kinda an extension of that. whereas meta tends to suppress his emotions and conform to others, mira…doesn’t. she gets uncomfortable and upset and lashes out at people easily, and working through their emotions is no small task.

the main reason i chose to write them that way was for the sake of narrative but i’ve grown attached to it because there’s a lot of ideas there i’d like to explore. stuff about navigating emotions and relationships when existing is so suffocatingly uncomfortable. it’s not something i could center around Kirby himself, but i think it makes sense with a post character development meta knight.

they are very loved (omg oldee cameo???)

kirby was definitely very excited to have younger siblings after being used to being the youngest in the room for so long!! (with the like. one and only exception being gooey.) he’s super affectionate with both of them and wants to have a close relationship one day, but for now mira is pretty unappreciative of that fact lol. they don’t like being pestered for hugs

everyone else is okay tho

(i know that’s hard to read. oops. “obvious bite marks”. siblings being siblings.)

mira also has a very love/hate relationship with the egg kid, being so close in age they kinda Have to get along but in typical sibling nature they also fight a lot. sure it’s probably rough for a while but i think in the end they’d be good buddies. maybe not as close as Kirby and Bandee but still.

anyway i have a lot of thoughts and am very busy but. i’m really enjoying writing about all this lately it’s been fun ^^

[i-am-a-fan]

Since I finished a mini arc…

This happens before the “Miscommunication” comic. Enjoy!

[plutonianplaything2]

i’m not dead the internet was just down for 40 hours :)

[earlgreylatte]

I absolutely LOVED Returnee, will there be a part two?? 👀

Maybe if someone says something really funny under that post🧜‍♂️

[crossbackpoke-check]

it’s all the rest of what i want with you

connor dewar/brandon duhaime :: 8k

Summary:

“Brandon,” Connor says with a sigh. “There’s no baby in there.”

“Not yet,” Brandon says. Connor feels his stomach twist, almost like what he would imagine a baby kicking to feel like.

in these trying times of dewvorce, may i offer you 8k of pwp inspired by @stillfertile’s wonderful art which i had. several breakdowns about 🫶 anyway please enjoy!!!

[kaidanalenkosprmanager]

THE BEST OF PRIORITY: MARS (PART 1)

Featuring: Cmdr. Sophie Shepard, Maj. Kaidan Alenko, Lt. James Vega, and Dr. Liara T'Soni Sophie, I don't know what you are- or who. Not since Cerberus rebuilt you. For all I know, you could be their puppet- controlled by The Illusive Man himself. Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)

[clumsiestgiantess]

Alright everyone, this prompt is done! I couldn’t help myself, or was just too cute a scenario

Whenever Sierra grumbled in that adorable way of hers, Scotch‘s heart simultaneously softened and sped up.  He loved her in a way beyond words, and as for the coming child — it was impossible to say who he loved more.  “Hungry again?” he asked softly, sliding gently to Sierra’s side.  She nodded, placing her hand over her rounded belly before glancing discreetly at him.  “I know you’ve already gotten me so much..”  With a small smile, Scotch slid her hands into his own, and this time her gaze alighted on his.  “Just tell me, sweetheart.  Whatever you want, I’ll go find it for you.”  A gleaming smile immediately brightened her features.  “Well, since you offered, it’s pickles and peanut butter this time.”  Scotch‘s face scrunched up at the thought.  “Hey!  You promised not to judge!”  He chuckled, “I didn’t say anything!”  Sierra smirked, giving him a light shove, “Your look said enough.”  

After a few goodbyes and a kiss, Scotch picked up his pack of supplies, and headed uncertainly out the door.  This was what put him on edge.  Both he and his wife are borrowers, a species of creature similar to humans — though their range of adaptations differs greatly from their larger, more well-known counterparts.  Their ears are slightly longer and rounder to pick up on acute noises, and their limbs are naturally double-jointed to give them better maneuverability while escaping danger.  However, their most noticeable difference is their height.  The average borrower only grows about four to five inches tall — six at the most.  To survive, many live off of what humans have, simply because it’s easier for them to steal what’s already been made then make it themselves.  Between fending off danger around every corner, and trying to stay hidden in a large and unforgiving world, making anything beyond necessities is only a fantasy for most.

Scotch shuddered at the end of his route through the walls.  He and his wife had more than a few scares over the last few years.  The old house’s cat was by far the most terrifying.  It was the reason they’d moved away, after all.  He and Sierra could barely consider themselves safe around such a dangerous creature, nevermind a child.  The layout of this new place still confused Scotch some, but he’d quickly put to memory the layout of the kitchen after all the times he’d come for yet another random piece of food.  What did she ask for?  Pickles and peanut butter?  He felt his face scrunching up a second time.  “I have to get into the fridge again?  Great.”  

The last time Scotch tried opening the fridge, it took him nearly all night.  A whole leverage system had to be set up just to pry it open.  Tired, but determined to get what his wife asked so sweetly for, he made his way down the kitchen counter, across the floor, and back up to the fridge.  From there, he had to set up the pulleys and whatnot to actually open the thing.  After that, he had to get in and out as quickly as he could — quite a tedious process.  The fridge sets off an alarm when the temperature rises a few degrees too high, meaning the door could only stay open for so long before attention was drawn to it.  If he really had to, Scotch figured he could leave the door open to give himself a bit more time to escape.  The humans would deal with it once he was gone.  

Neither borrower knew much about the humans of the new house.  They had only lived there a little less than a month.  From what Scotch had seen, there seemed to be only two of them, and at least one of them was always in the house.  Beyond that, they knew very little.  Not that it mattered much; a borrower wouldn’t be caught dead with a human so much as looking at them.  

With the fridge finally open, Scotch rushed into the frigid interior, scouring the shelves for a pickle jar.  Luckily, he found it quickly and began yet another ascent.  Using a handmade grapple — a trademark tool of all borrowerkind — Scotch pried off the lid and reached into the jar, knife at the ready.  THUD THUMP THUD  What?!  How-?  No!  The sounds of a human walking towards the kitchen startled Scotch so badly that he dropped his knife into the jar.  That was the least of his worries, though.  Haphazardly throwing the lid back on, he rushed to get out of the fridge.  Sure, he could hide in the racks upon racks of goods, but the human would undoubtedly close the fridge the moment they found it open, leaving him trapped inside.  There really was no other choice, he had to get out.

Winding up the grapple into his bag, Scotch hurriedly jumped down onto the shelf from the top of the jar.  This was a major oversight on his part.  The shelf was made of metal wiring, which left gaps in its surface.  They weren’t wide enough for a borrower to fall through, but a leg or an arm could certainly get stuck between them, and that’s exactly what happened to Scotch.  The footsteps only grew louder as he desperately struggled to free himself, but he could already tell that there wouldn’t be enough time.  The human would find him, and who knows what they might do then.

Scotch‘s heart stung at the thought of Sierra waiting for him back home.  How long would it take her to realize he wasn’t coming back?  She’d have to move again, alone.  And raise their child alone.  He couldn’t let that happen to her, he couldn’t.  But when it came down to it, there wasn’t much he could do to stop the inevitable.  The thought only worsened the pain in his chest.

In the blink of an eye, the refrigerator door was opened wider by someone who was easily thirty times Scotch‘s size.  The human’s eyes wandered sleepily through the contents inside, but when they landed on Scotch, they lifted wide open in shock.  “What the hell?!” Bryan yelped, jumping away from the strange creature in his fridge.  He regarded the little thing for an astonished moment.  It could be a weird mouse or rat, but it almost looked like…  No, it couldn’t be that, could it?  Bryan hesitantly reached for the thing, but just before his fingers made contact, a small choked voice rang through the kitchen.  “Please-  Please, don’t do this!  I- I have a wife and a child on the way; I’m begging you!"  

Bryan’s heart practically dropped out of his chest.  That-  It is a tiny person!  They have.. oh.  What does this little guy think I’m gonna do to him?  Slowly, Bryan moved his hand from the tiny person to the shelf where they were stuck.  Gently, he pressed their leg out of the wire shelving.  Scotch could only watch in frightened awe as the human freed him from the metal wires.  Very briefly, he thought the human might snap off his leg, but it wasn’t any more painful than it was when he got it stuck there to begin with.  Both beings stared at eachother in silence, confused and dumbstruck by the other.  They were both about the same age, and even wore almost identical expressions.  In a moment, the refrigerator alarm sounded, startling them both.  

“Here, let me.. let me close the door for a second.”  Bryan offered an outstretched hand to the smaller man, and he reluctantly climbed on.  Scotch didn’t quite trust the human, but he was afraid of being shut into the cold space, so he went willingly.  After closing the fridge, Bryan set him down on the island counter a few steps away.  He turned, glancing at the contraption still hanging from the refrigerator door.  “What were you looking for in there?” he asked questioningly.  Scotch stayed silent.  “I’m not mad if you’re taking things,” he amended, “I just wanted to know.  Maybe I could help get whatever it is you need.”  Scotch gawked up at the large human.  “You.. You would do that?”  Bryan nodded, “Why not?  What is it you want?”  “Well,” the borrower rubbed the back of his head nervously, “Pickles and peanut butter, for my wife,” he added.

To both of their shock, Bryan suddenly belted out a laugh.  “No way!  My wife gets the same craving!”  “You.. She’s..  You’re having a kid too?”  The human nodded enthusiastically, “I’m Bryan, by the way.  It’s nice to meet you.. tiny.. person.  Sorry if that’s offensive or anything, I just- I have no clue what you are, man.”  A relieved breath of air escaped Scotch‘s lungs.  The human, Bryan, didn’t seem nearly as malicious as he first thought.  Rumors are slow to pass around the community of borrowers, mostly due to their separated, secretive lifestyle.  However, that didn’t stop hundreds of variations of tortuous human stories from passing from household to household.  Humans are known by borrowers to be unnecessarily cruel and overly curious, but Bryan seemed more confused than anything else.

“I’m.. Well, I’m obviously not human, and that’s all you probably need to know.”  Bryan’s eyes narrowed in thought and Scotch hastily added “I- I didn’t mean to be rude!”  “Naw, that’s alright,” the human shrugged, “Clearly you guys aren’t very fond of us, though I don’t really understand why.  I know we’re obviously bigger, but I don’t think either of us have done anything very scary.”  Scotch sighed, “It’s just humans in general.  My wife and I moved in recently, so we haven’t had the time to learn much about you two, specifically.”  Another shock to the borrower: the human agreed with his secrecy.  “Yeah, that’s probably for the best.  I know a few people I definitely wouldn’t want to be, like.. five inches tall around.”  

Bryan returned to the fridge, grabbed a few different items, put them all down on the counter beside Scotch, then went to the pantry and pulled out even more.  “Here, take whatever you want, for your wife and you.”  “R- Really?” the borrower stuttered, amazed at the sheer amount of options spread out for him.  “Of course, dude!  It’s not like you can go to the grocery store and pick stuff up.”  A human pacifist was one thing, but a human who was willing to let a borrower take from them was unheard of.  “And you’re sure you don’t need any of it, yourself?” Scotch asked.  Bryan chuckled, “It's not like you’re taking the whole jar with you!  Just.. think of it as a belated housewarming present or something.”  

At that point, Scotch was shocked he was still surprised by the human.  “You mean we can stay here?  Usually we leave if someone sees us…”  “No, please stay!  I’m gonna need someone else to talk about dad stuff with!  I could introduce you to my wife, and maybe she can meet yours-“  “Woah, woah, one thing at a time!” Scotch cautioned, “Let’s just keep my existence a secret for now, ok?”  Bryan felt it was such an awkward topic between his friends, all of which weren’t even married.  Meeting someone in the same situation as him — or at least a similar one — was beyond exciting.  He couldn’t help it if he was rushing the borrower some.

“Alright, sorry.  You’re right.  I got a bit carried away there.”  Scotch stepped up to the pickle jar and peered in, finding his knife stuck in the middle of it.  “My uhh, my knife is actually in here.  I dropped it when you came over.”  Bryan dug in and pressed it between the tips of his fingers, dragging it back out.  Once that was taken care of, Scotch got to work slicing the tiniest bits of pickle to take back with him.  As he worked, he gestured to a few other items he thought he might need.  “Dude, will you be able to carry all of this?”  Scotch shrugged, “I have to stock up while I can.”  “Or you could just take it whenever you want,” Bryan offered, “I told you that you can have whatever.”  “It’s still a hike to get it, though,” he countered.  Bryan agreed.  “So, are you as nervous as I am?” the human asked after a brief silence.  Scotch glanced up at him.  “About.. what?”  “Your kid, man!  God, I’m kinda freaking out about mine!  They haven’t even been born, and I’m already having doubts whether I can raise them.  I don’t know..  Do you think I’d be a good dad?  It’s just.. a lot.”

Scotch stopped working for a moment.  Setting down his pack and tools, he turned to examine the human in front of him.  He couldn’t deny he’d been thinking very similar things over the last few months.  “Just don’t mess up and you’ll be fine.”  Both of them laughed loudly through the quiet house.  “I’ll sure as hell try.  When’s your kid-“  “Bryan?  What are you doing down there?  What are you laughing at?”  His wife called from the bedroom upstairs, still waiting for the bottle of water he’d promised to bring her.  “Oh shit; I forgot she’s waiting for me,” Bryan whispered quietly to Scotch.  “Nothing hon!  I just remembered something funny!  I’ll have your water in a sec!”  “Thanks!”  The moment his wife called back, he began gathering everything into his arms.  “I gotta put all this back now, but if you want anything else, feel free to get it.  I just don’t want to leave it all on the counter.”  Scotch nodded, “I think what I have is enough.  Thank you, though.  Honestly, I thought you were going to hurt me when you found me, for stealing from you”. 

Bryan gave him a saddened look.  “Naw, I wouldn’t hurt you!  But.. you are still staying here, right?”  “Yeah.  I don’t think you’re a big enough threat to have to move for.”  “Oh,” Bryan said with a tinge of shock, grabbing two water bottles from a package in the pantry.  “What was such a big threat you had to move here?”  Scotch shuddered, “The other humans bought a cat.”  “Geez, that’s definitely not good for the kid,” Bryan remarked.  “Well, I’m gonna head back to bed.  Good luck getting everything back.”  Scotch scoffed, “The bigger problem is going to be hiding it all.  I think my wife would be a bit suspicious if I came back with all this.”  Smiling knowingly, Bryan made his way to the hall leading upstairs.  “See you soon?”  Scotch nodded, hefting his back over his shoulder.  “I’m here practically every night.  Come down and talk about ‘dad stuff’ with me.  Or help me with the food.”  “Or both?”  “Or both.”  

Confirmation settled, Bryan headed upstairs and Scotch headed into the walls.  It had been a strange evening of events, but both were grateful for the companionship.  It was only a matter of time before the kids arrived, and Scotch had the feeling he would end up needing the human’s help with a few things.  Even if he didn’t, it was still nice having someone new to talk to.