#i'm glad there a handful of folks who appear to care

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Trey Clover - Tsumsitter Voice Lines

Tsumsitter Trey does not have a vignette.

Summon Line: So, looks like I ended up having to look after a tsum as well. I'll do my best to keep it out of trouble, but... Just in case, I'll apologize in advance.

Groooovy!!: We made some good progress making those sweets… Tsum, I'm glad you were there to give a helping hand.

Home: Tsum, can you grab the sugar for me?

Home Idle 1: The tsum's been staring at the meringue for some time now... Maybe it doesn't like how the whipped peaks are looking?

Home Idle 2: Was that Silver's tsum I saw lounging in the courtyard earlier? It was just lying there belly up... Not a care in the world, huh.

Home Idle 3: Vil's tsum has an aura about it that rivals Vil himself. I can't help but flinch every time I lock eyes with it, because it feels like it'll start trying to scold me on my appearance.

Home Idle - Login: Never expected to have to take care of a tsum myself... Well, I'll make sure that it doesn't cause any issues.

Home Idle - Groovy: I saw the tsum helping to placate some of my dormmates who were arguing… It was a tad strange to witness, since it felt like I was watching myself.

Home Tap 1: Looks like the tsum can tell different seasonings apart. When I was looking for some cinnamon earlier, it brought it over to me from the shelf.

Home Tap 2: Jamil's tsum made a quick U-turn as soon as it saw a line of ants crossing the road. It's deft speed was startling.

Home Tap 3: It's a small blessing that it doesn't look like the tsums can use magic. This situation is crazy enough as it is, it'd be even more of a hassle to deal with any larger problems.

Home Tap 4: You want to know how the tsum got the strawberries on top of the cake? It just tossed them up there using its tiny little body. Pretty skillful, huh.

Home Tap 5: I gave the tsum a toothbrush, and I guess it liked it, because now it won't let the thing go. Doesn't it look more like a whole-body brush?

Home Tap - Groovy: Well, you see, the tsum has been working pretty hard to make snacks to hand out to folks. If you get a chance, you should try some.

Requested by @farfalla049.

[ihopesocomic]

Something I'm fascinated about the comic is how you've managed to make characters that, even if they appear for a little bit, are memorable, likable and worth caring about. For example, Clever and Quiet appear only for a short while but it's enough to establish their characters and for the readers to know a few things about their personalities, and thus make audiences care about their deaths. And from the few scenes they have, they've made quite an impact on the overall story. Taking notes!

The reaction to Quiet and her death kinda surprised me. it just shows what sensitive and caring readers we have when a character with only a handful of lines dying is genuinely saddening to them. I knew people would be shocked but actually sad and demanding answers like they had actually lost somebody dear to them? It certainly added a layer to her character for me that wasn't there when we first started.

The fact that what happened to her was brutal and shocking aside, I think what helped for us is A Quiet Moment as a chapter. I feel it was important for those close to Quiet to reflect on her death and have it sink in for them as well as the audience. Quiet wasn't just cannon fodder, she was an individual who had people in the story who would miss her and who would be impacted by her death.

Very much like the readers who had their own feelings and aspirations for her.

Careful love will always get me too. I'm glad she has a lot of fans nowadays because she deserves all the nice things and I can't wait for folks to see more of her and her cubs. Their bond and dynamic are such a nice contrast to write when compared to that of Vicious and her own children.

There's also Tempest who we haven't seen in a good long while, and yet she also has her own fans. Presumably because she is super mysterious as a character.

Just the fact that folks are hooked on these characters and we have so much planned for them is super exciting ahh <33 - RJ

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Ok all of a sudden I have like 20 different ideas so, sorry woopsies if this is a double ask or spam or something. I will do my best to rein myself in khehe.

moving right along..

So... Heartbeats go br. Unless they don't. Wooould you mind me asking for M4A1, M16A1, AK-12, UMP45, Springfield and SPAS with someone who wants to listen to their machinery for comfort? Seems really sweet to me. If that's too many by the way you can drop 45 and/or Springfield (although saying it like the feels kinda mean...)

and also I have got to learn these characters nicknames, these names are way too tricky.

(GFL) M4A1, M16A1, AK-12, UMP45, Springfield, and SPAS-12's S/O wanting to listen to their "heartbeat"

Nah you're good, that's why my askbox is always open. I don't care if they're from the same two folks, if it's a good idea, I write it! And I guess remembering their names for me is easy since I've played Call of Duty for as long as I've been alive, so I just have these weapon names burned into my brain for the rest of my life.

M4 gives a shy smile before letting S/O rest their head onto her chest.

She supposed it was only fair. After all, a lot of the times she liked hearing their heartbeat, S/O should be able to do the same.

M4 has a hand on S/O's face, gently caressing their cheek as she enjoys the intimacy.

(M4A1) "...How is it?"

(S/O) "A...little weird, to be honest. It's not so much of a heartbeat as it is just a faint whirring noise. But...it's comforting."

She giggled cutely at their honesty, her mouth instinctively going to cover her mouth as she did so.

Even though M4 wasn't human, she sure acted like one.

(M4A1) "I'm glad."

M4 held S/O's waist and let their head sink in deeper into her chest, hugging them tighter and closing her eyes.

M16 is extremely flustered, one finger pulling at her collars as her eye averted making direct contact with S/O.

(M16A1) "Uh...S-Sure, go 'head."

M16 feels S/O weight lean into her as their head gently stopped on her chest.

She looked down and saw S/O with their eyes closed, listening contently as their smile slowly grew.

(S/O) "I...think I hear your systems heating up faster. Heh, are you embarrassed?"

(M16A1) "C-Course not! It takes a lot more than that to make me nervous!"

M16 puffed out her chest confidently, though the fact she began blushing betrayed her true emotions.

After a couple seconds of S/O not responding, she sighs and begins pouting.

(M16A1) "...A-Alright, how long are you staying like that?"

(S/O) "I don't know, how many times did you lay on me?~"

M16 mumbled something under her breath but eventually relaxed.

Truthfully, she adored how close S/O was, but she'd be damned if she was going to admit it first.

(AK-12) "By all means, go ahead."

12 patted her chest with her hand, inviting S/O in.

She hummed once S/O put her head onto her, staying unnaturally still despite how human she appeared to be.

(AK-12) "If I didn't know any better, I'd just say you were looking for an excuse to just examine me up close.~"

(S/O) "My head isn't in the gutter, 12."

12 giggled at their response, her hand finally resting on S/O's.

(AK-12) "I know. I just wanted to see your reaction."

As much as she did want to tease S/O more, she decided to let them have this for a few moments longer.

It wasn't often they got to be this intimate after all.

And with the missions she undertook, who knows how many times she could get to do this.

Trailing off that line of thought, 12 instead decided to peek at S/O, one of her eyes slightly opening.

Commiting the sight to memory, she closed it again and just leaned back.

(UMP45) "Make a joke about my chest and I'll kill you."

(S/O) "Did I say anything?"

(UMP45) "I'm just saying-"

(S/O) "I didn't say anything!"

45 sighed but couldn't hold back a chuckle, laying down for S/O to properly rest their head on her.

She was not used to this kind of intimacy, or any kind really.

Having someone this close to her was completely alien. She remained stiff before S/O cuddled closer, finally letting her relax even the slightest amount.

(UMP45) "It doesn't feel weird?"

(S/O) "...Kinda, but not in the way you're thinking. Instead of a thumping, I just hear...a fan going on? I'm not sure what it is."

UMP45 laughed at their confused reaction, both hands resting on S/O's shoulders.

(UMP45) "Because you're on a robot, dummy."

(S/O) "Hm...Wrong. I'm on someone I love."

She rolled her eyes but smiled at that.

(UMP45) "When did you get so smooth?"

(S/O) "Learned it from a certain girl who has a sharp tongue."

(UMP45) "Mm...Wonder who that could be."

Springfield instantly accepts S/O's request, no hesitation.

(Springfield) "Come here!"

Springfield takes S/O into a gentle embrace as their head rests on her rather large chest.

Her hand strokes their hair as she's fighting back the urge to just hug S/O tight altogether.

(Springfield) "Are you comfortable, dear?"

(S/O) "Quite."

Springfield lets out a small giggle as she relaxes into S/O herself.

(Springfield) "I might not be as comforting as a human, but I hope you like it all the same."

(S/O) "You make me feel loved more than any human could, Springfield."

She doesn't fight back the smile overtaking the corners of her lips.

Springfield leans further into S/O's head, one hand resting in their hair as the other sits by her lap.

(SPAS-12) "S-Sure, I don't mind!"

SPAS is a little flustered at having S/O in close proximity, but she doesn't take long to relax.

S/O is able to rest their head on her chest no problem, as SPAS's fingers fidget, unsure if they were uncomfortable.

(SPAS-12) "Um...it doesn't feel weird, does it?"

(S/O) "It's actually really comfortable here."

(SPAS-12) "I mean my heartbeat!"

SPAS blurts out quickly, turning slightly red.

(S/O) "O-Oh! Right!...Honestly, It's a bit strange, but it doesn't feel bad to hear."

(SPAS-12) "Strange?"

(S/O) "It's not like my heartbeat but...it's still comforting. Getting to hear you be...alive...Sorry, this must make no sense."

SPAS smiles and hugs S/O tightly, making sure to not threaten the stability of their bones.

(SPAS-12) "I...think I get it."

SPAS adjusts herself slightly so that they can rest their head even more comfortably on her chest.

...At least it wasn't her stomach they were asking to rest on.

[awakenthemusic]

Peace (A Soft Epilogue)

"Dean," A voice whispers as a warm hand shakes Dean gently by the shoulder.

Dean rises back to consciousness slowly, a recently-acquired skill (a luxury).

Sam's softly-smiling face appears before his bleary eyes. A slow blink brings him into better focus, the laughter lines around Sam’s eyes that are finally starting to overtake the worry wrinkles on his forehead come back into sharp relief. "We're gonna head out," He murmurs.

A glance over his shoulder. Eileen stands by the door, features softened by distance, but ready smile easily visible as she waves and holds up a hand that means 'I love you.'

Dean sends the message back left-handed (he's been practicing with both).

To Sam, he whispers, "You sure you don't wanna crash here? It's dangerous for old folks to drive after dark."

Sam shoots him an annoyed (and fond) look as he tries to hold back a grin. "I'm not the one who couldn't stay awake for my own movie marathon, Jerk."

"Hey," Dean protests (softly). "I ain't old, I'm just in a food coma, Bitch."

Sam stops holding back his grin. "Whatever you say, old timer." He easily dodges Dean's halfhearted swipe, then leans back in to squeeze Dean's shoulder. "Love you."

"Yeah, love you too," Dean huffs, mock-annoyed still (the words come out so easily now, turns out—like signing—they flow better with practice). "Now get out of here."

Sam chuckles as he heads for the door, knowing to lock it behind him as he goes (he and Eileen have keys).

Dean settles back against the warm wall of muscle at his back and squeezes the hand interlaced with his, never more glad that they'd shelled out for the ridiculously large sectional that allows them room to lie sandwiched together (and room for visiting family).

A bean bag chair stands alone against the far wall and Dean feels a bittersweet pang.

Cas stirs and squeezes the arm currently around Dean's waist (which has finally been allowed to grow softer and is currently stuffed full of good food and extra servings of pie). "You alright?" His voice is sleep-rough but somehow lighter than it's been in years.

"Yeah," Dean whispers back, unwilling to break this moment.

"Jack?" Powers or not, Cas has always been able to read Dean's mind.

Dean nods with a sigh.

Another squeeze. "I miss him too." Easy words breathed against the back of Dean's neck, like there could be no other answer, like a lifetime full of 'toughen up' and 'no one cares you're hurting' had been the exception, not the rule.

"He seemed happy, though." Dean thinks how excited Jack was, bouncing excitedly on the video call this afternoon, telling them about his new friends and how he'd been settling back into his dorm after the winter break.

Cas nods. "He'll be home soon, spring is just around the corner."

Dean nods back and nearly drifts off again. His phone pings with a notification at almost the same moment Cas' does.

They untangle themselves, but stay close as they sit up to check their phones.

Dean opens his messages, idly reminding himself to charge his phone tonight. The many birthday wishes from friends and family drained his battery today.

A text from Claire, Happy birthday, Hasselhoff. Brace yourself.

Cas laughs in the glow of his screen, his eyes scrunching up and sending a road map of lines across his temples that Dean would drive for the rest of time.

"Claire?"

Cas nods. "She sent us a 'warning,'" (his air quotes melt Dean's heart just that little bit more, like they always do.) Cas smiles bright. "She and Kaia are crashing at our place tomorrow on their way to Yosemite."

Dean grins back, relishing the thought of family in the guest room again.

He texts back, Bring it on, Barbie, And kindly doesn't mention that they are not even close to 'on the way' to Yosemite from Sioux Falls.

"They actually manage to scrounge up a case?" Dean asks, worry sending tension coiling across his shoulders. Turns out, Chuck lied. The world left behind after his defeat is calmer, with fewer monsters stirred to bloodlust, not more.

Cas shakes his head. "Road trip."

The tension releases, a smile taking its place. Dean sinks back into Cas' side, thoughts drifting to what his past self would think if he could see Dean now.

He always told himself he didn't want to get old, didn't want to deal with those aches and pains, didn't want to get slow. He told himself that living long enough to lose all his friends was really the worst thing. He told himself that going down swinging was the only way to go.

He ignored the pain of broken ribs and bleeding knuckles. He ignored how many friends he'd already lost. He ignored his own desire to live at peace and in safety.

Why hope for things you know you'll never have.

Dean chuckles, causing Cas to raise a questioning brow.

Dean takes a look around the home he’s built here with Cas and then leans in for a lingering kiss, knowing he'll be welcome, knowing he is loved by so many people (his family), no matter what.

He answers, smiling so wide his cheeks ache with it. "Just glad that past me was full of crap."

[genderqueerpositivity]

I've been looking for reviews from trans masc folks who get their T through Folx Health, and surprisingly I'm not finding very much. So I was wondering if anyone who follows me or sees this would be willing to share a little about their experiences with the service?

It's an option now in my state, so I'm thinking about switching--and of course I'm concerned that I may be forced to switch at some point in the future whether I want to or not. Although I'm glad that this is now a back up option for me.

I already do telehealth for my HRT, but the clinic I get my T through is located in a neighboring state--a state where gender affirming care for minors is already banned; it doesn't appear that they've made any moves toward banning care for adults yet, but I have to consider that it could happen.

On one hand, the clinic I go through is a little less than 3 hours away, so I could potentially cross state lines and still see them, just in person, if the state that I live in passes a ban.

On the other, after doing the math, going through Folx would actually cost me considerably less per year than continuing through my current clinic. My health insurance doesn't cover the full cost of my visits or labs and it doesn't pay for my T at all. So I would actually come out ahead money wise to switch.

I've been strongly considering switching to injections also, and my current doctor has a preference for prescribing topicals for people on T unless there is an absorption issue.

And by switching I could also go back to having my T simply shipped to my door without any weird interactions at the pharmacy.

So if anyone is willing to answer: what has your experience with Folx Health been like? What labs are you able to go to for lab work (I have a decent trans friendly LabCorp office nearby that I'd like to keep going to)? Are they good about responding to messages and getting prescriptions sent in a timely manner?

[bethyyoung]

Kissing Booth

Ft @mikebennet and @wheelingstars

In which one joke doesn't get a laugh, but it still ends on one. || Community Center Kissing Booth for Pot of Gold event.

Mike | So you got a preference of what I should ask for? You look repressed.

Beth | Hello, Mike. Thanks for that. I suppose it depends on what you need. Hugs tend to be more for comfort, if that helps.

Mike | I don't need no comforting. Mayhap you should plant a big ol wet one on me. Plenty of tongue.

Beth | It made her laugh, half astonished, and half relieved he hadn't specified some vulgar, alternative location. "Alright, honey."

One hand fisted his shirt, pulling him to meet her halfway, the other hand gripping his chin to angle his head. Starting at the jawline, Beth licked one side of his face slowly, trying not to break into a laugh. A repeat on the other side of his face, and she nearly cracked.

Chin to nose third, Beth held Mike's face in both hands and closed her eyes. He wanted plenty, her goal was too much. So she made sure she touched everything in Mike's mouth, no care given for anything approaching sensuality.

After sufficient time for her mind to start wandering, Beth let go of Mike and leaned back into the booth. "Plenty enough?"

Mike | He held still for everything she wanted to do, just making a rumbling sound in his chest at it until she was done, and then lifted the front of his tshirt to mop his face from all the excess saliva. "You must have one freak of a boyfriend. Or one dog you really, really like."

Beth | Beth would've preferred a napkin but made do with her sleeve. "No, honey. Neither option applies. Just lucky old you, to date. Raccoon voice'n all."

A pause, a pang of guilt, and Beth huffed out a little sigh. Her expression softened. "Sorry I went overboard. I was hoping to get a laugh out of you. You strike me as someone who doesn't get to have many." That may have been an overshare, but said was said. She'd kick herself about it later if need be.

Mike | that did get mike to pause for a moment, as he scrubbed his shirt beneath his scruffy chin. "An apology? Lord above. Wasn't expecting that." He let his shirt drop and looked beth up and down, in a new light. "Jes so happens I laugh at plenty of things. Most of the time other folks don't find it funny, is the thing. Get to know me and you'll find out I'm funny as a fish in a cracker bowl.

Beth | Her smile warmed, and Beth's shrug was light, easy. "No shame in apology when called for."

It was interesting, that Mike hadn't tried to be biting, or make her feel worse. Just spoke honestly. "Okay," she agreed, teeth flashing in a proper grin. "I will. And-" She reached for Mike's hand, offering a gentler kiss brushed along the knuckles while holding his gaze, "I owe you a do over."

Mike | He hadn't been about to press for anything, sure as hell not out here in the community centre, but beth's seeming remorse for her lick-happy response caught his interest even more. "I'll never turn down a do-over."

Beth | A smile appeared above his hand, her thumb idly tracing a path along his skin. It was an imitation of the past, but Beth had known she'd be calling those back for the task. Well - for those who requested it. "Glad to hear it."

Another press of lips to skin at the wrist and this time the pull of his body to hers was suggestion. A soft tug of the arm, to follow or ignore. "I'd have been sleepless with guilt."

Mike | "You ever watch The Simpsons?" The comment might have seemed like a non sequitur, but mike didn't leave beth wondering for too long, not waiting for an answer before he said. "Because I feel like we're Nelson and Lisa right now."

Beth | The laugh arrived bright, and entirely lacking insult. "I don't remember Lisa licking Nelson's face, honey. And I surely don't play the saxophone."

Mike | He snorted. "You're a literal sorter gal, huh? Go on and gimme another kiss, then. See how wet you can make it and stay on target, this time."

Beth | Her forehead creased at the way her joke appeared to bounce off of Mike before she let the issue pass. "As you wish."

In college, Beth had briefly fallen for an artist friend. Huge mistake in the end, ruined the entire dynamic of their relationship, but oh, had it been fun. She remembered it now, leading Mike closer with the same slow insistence.

Holding his gaze, Beth wet her lips before caressing the arch of his cheekbones and down along the line of his jaw with the back of her free hand. When she held him this time, it was a soft, fond act. Memory sped the tempo of her heart, but Beth gave only the whisper of a kiss first. The barest pressure of open lips.

Mike | He didn't rush her or pressure her to begin with, waiting to see what it was beth would choose to do, but once she parted her lips mike pushed on ahead; his own tongue insistent as he opened his mouth wider, pushing into the tiny gap of space.

Beth | The gasp was quiet, but real as she opened for him. The hand that held his trailed fingers up Mike's arm instead; other hand curling fingers through hair.

Opened eyes fluttered shut when Beth tasted him against her. Smoke and the faint bitter of pine. He tasted like Appalachia felt.

A slip of her tongue against his, rhythm like breathing, and Beth pressed closer across the gap between them.

Mike | The gasp made it hard for mike not to smile into the kiss, but he managed to hold it back, instead concentrating on beth's fingers moving up the muscles of his arm, moving into his hair. he leaned in closer, easily with his height, and tasted her at his leisure as he put his hand against beth's side, thumb moving along up her ribcage towards the curve of her bosom.

Beth | He may not have, but Beth did smile against his mouth. She moved Mike's hand back down to her hip, leaving her own hand curled around his upper arm. Pressure to hold, yes, and appreciate. "Behave," she exhaled quietly.

Mike | "Yess'm." He acquiesced in a murmur, switching to running his thumb along the slight ridge of her hipbone as he kissed her more deeply, the tip of his long nose starting to press sideways as he moves in as close as can be managed.

Beth | The smile flashed again at his answer, stubble bristling along her skin as Mike pressed closer.

She pulled back to press her forehead to his, breath catching. "Closer to the mark, Nelson?"

Mike | There was really no other answer fitting to the moment, after they parted and were sharing breath, other than a pitch perfect nelson muntz. "...ha-ha."

Beth | She could have pulled back, steadied by the booth between them. Instead she remained, not ready to let go of the flair of warmth she hadn't felt in so long. Selfish, perhaps, but so she was.

Her laugh was hardly more than a breathless sound. "Fish in a cracker bowl."

[snarkymonkeyprime]

Oh hai; more of the sci fic weirdness that is eating my brain.  No Dean here but maybe plot?

Given how little had resulted from the autopsy, Castiel went with the only lead he had; that of the former Councilwoman’s successor, Balthazar Severin.  To his annoyance, the flamboyant civil servant was currently not in his offices nor at his home; he was instead traipsing about with donors and other hangers-on in an over-priced, gaudy ballroom in one of the grander buildings downtown.

He bit back an annoyed groan as he called out the address.  The car’s communication screen flickered and announced pleasantly, “Please buckle up for safety,” before sliding into the fast-paced traffic of the early evening.  

As he rode, Castiel pulled out his case tablet, flicking through the information he’d gathered. Rebecca Errol had been hounded by scandal in the last few terms of her Seat.  Everything from purchased votes to greased palms over development deals.  Little wonder why Severin had managed to be win by such a large gap.  Not that Castiel saw much difference.  The Council had long since been a localized but fully corrupt replacement of local governments.  Only really shocking concept was that states continued to function at all.

A half hour later, he arrived at the ballroom.  He left the car and it dinged as it sped away, searching for a parking space. Given it was Friday and relatively early, Castiel believed his car would simply end up circling until he called it back after his interview.

I hate the city, he admitted.  He ignored the valet’s look of superiority and flashed his ID screen.  The man’s face paled and he gestured rapidly.

At least some things still work.  The wide entry to the ballroom was brightly lit and full.  He didn’t stifle the look of disgust.  All this opulence and for what?  Ego stroking?  The amount of money spilling from the crystal chandeliers and elaborate buffet tables would certainly be better served elsewhere.  Not that he could voice such an opinion.

He asked about quietly, seeking the newest councilman.  He found him rather by accident, talking with a tall brunet nearest the open bar.

Both men turned at the same time as Castiel stepped close.

“Councilman Severin? Might I have a word?”

Before the man could respond, the younger, taller one held out a hand.  “I’m Sam, his attaché.  You can make an appointment with his office in the morn-“

Castiel held up his ID screen.  “It’ll take only a few minutes.”

Balthazar tapped Sam on the shoulder and inclined his head to the left when the man looked back.  “I do so love it when he’s aggressive.”  He grinned at Sam’s annoyed squint.  “What, Agent Novak, might I do for you this fine evening?”  He sipped his drink, pale eyes on Castiel’s.  

Maybe I just hate people, Castiel grumbled.  He pulled out his case tablet.  “Last night, Rebecca Errol was murdered at her campaign headquarters.”

“So sad,” Balthazar muttered.  He waved away Sam’s groan of protest.  

“Might not be the best reaction,” Castiel pointed out, hiding his smile at Sam’s look of no shit he threw at Balthazar.  

“You’d have a harder time finding someone who liked her over someone who didn’t,” Balthazar drawled. He shrugged.  “In any event, I don’t know why you’re bothering me with this news.”

“Councilman Severin, you have to understand why I’d be asking.”  Castiel fought back a yawn.  He didn’t truly believe the man had anything to do with her death.  Even the idea of hiring an outsider appeared laughable. Balthazar was many things but from what little Castiel knew of him, he was too lazy to engineer assassinations over something as small-time as a Council Seat.

“Please, call me Balthazar. You make me sound so old,” he wheedled.  

“Fine.  Balthazar.  You’re an obvious suspect given your past in regards to Errol.”

Balthazar pulled a face. “Oh, yes; she and I were fond of our public tête-à-têtes, were we not?”  He held his half-empty glass loose in be-ringed fingers.  His gaze wandered the room, flickering about like a moth distracted by a wildfire.  One could think him well beyond the intoxication of the socially-acceptable; but Castiel could see the pale blue eyes that roved were still sharp and clear.

Balthazar caught his look and smirked, before swallowing the last of his drink.  “My condolences to my predecessor but you’ll no doubt find I have not been in her presence – or in fact, near her base of operations – in nearly a fortnight.”  He didn’t lift his gaze from Castiel’s as he replaced his glass with a full one from a wandering waiter.  He looked away then to peer at his drink, shifting it under the myriad lights of the ballroom.  “In fact, I would believe she has been rather naughty these last few months.” He let the glass dangle from his fingers.  “Perhaps those avenues are better traveled?”

Castiel ignored the question.  “Have you ever actively hired Alters?”

Strangely, Balthazar glanced at Sam before answering.  Any sly humor had tempered as he responded.  “I don’t seek them out, no.  I may have hired them in the past but not with any intent.  Mods are rarely so useful to require purpose.”  His flirty, drunken behavior vanished entirely.  He stood straighter, glass forgotten in his hand.

The man was a chameleon. Castiel could see why he’d been able to win the election so handily, even with Errol throwing money at every corner. Balthazar appeared to be expert in behaving exactly as expected or desired, no matter the venue.  But beneath that shifting exterior peeked a cunning awareness that Castiel found far more interesting.

“Why?” Balthazar asked, tone low.

“Her killer is thought to be one.  He, uh, removed her mods.”  She didn’t have many.  One in her left ear for communicating with staff and cash card chips on the back of her right.  He showed the crime scene, her right arm ending in a bloody stump and the left half of her head torn away, exposing bone and brain.

“Bloody hell,” Balthazar breathed, his face pale.  That reaction alone was enough to convince Castiel that Balthazar had no hand in her death.

The other man took effort to tear his eyes from the photo.  He cleared his throat and pushed Castiel’s tablet down and out of sight.  “I may not have liked the woman but I never wished her dead.” He turned to Sam and leaned in, whispering low.  

The other man frowned but nodded.

He turned back.  “Why do you think an Alter is involved?”

Castiel flicked through his tablet, pulling up the same distorted image he’d shown the shop owner at Winchester Station earlier.  “This.  This was the last person seen around her compound before the morning when her body was found.”

Balthazar grimaced.  “Unfortunate looking soul,” he muttered.  He shook his head.  “I am genuinely sorry she suffered like that, but I’m afraid I’ve nothing to offer.”  He held out his empty hand.  “Nor have I seen that man before.”

To Castiel’s surprise, Sam took the tablet from him, frowning at the image.  “Do you think her mods had anything to do with it?”

“Not at present, no,” Castiel replied slowly.  He retrieved the tablet.  It was an avenue he was considering and found it interesting that a councilman’s attaché had clued in so quickly as well.  Everything about the crime scene spoke of a serial killer with intent.  This wasn’t an assassination.  He’d taken his time with Errol.  Careful and methodical.  Though, his superiors were quick to indicate anything but.  To them, the easiest and cleanest answer was a political argument turned bloody.  Castiel feared it something more.

It resembled two other unsolved cases he had.  In far too many ways.  The grotesqueries.  The destroyed mods.  The time.  He hadn’t exaggerated when speaking with the shop owner; he was certain this killer targeted Alters.  And given Errol’s demise, apparently even ones with minor mods.  Which meant more than half the population at this rate.  

He eyed Sam, watching his reaction.  “Do you have information?”

Sam blinked in surprise. “Er, no.  Sorry.  I just . . . her body getting damaged like that.”  He drew his hand along his mouth and shuddered.  He coughed and looked toward Balthazar who watched him carefully.  “I’ll, uh, have flowers sent to her office in the morning, Councilman.”

Balthazar nodded, a slight smile on his lips.  “So thoughtful, Samuel.”  

Castiel turned off the case tablet and returned it to his coat pocket.  “Chances are, it’s as you intimated; an enemy of hers.  Possibly angry over her election loss.”  He tugged on the collar of his coat.  “I’d be more suspicious of you, Balthazar, if she’d died before votes were cast.”

Balthazar’s grin was cold. “Indeed.”  He raised his eyebrows.  “Well, if I’m no longer needed?”

Unwilling to consider the avenue closed, Castiel nodded.  “For now.”

There was no missing the narrowing of pale eyes.  “Do help yourself, Agent,” Balthazar purred, gesturing to the excess around them.  “As a dutiful servant of the Council, you’re more than welcome.”

Castiel worked a hollow smile.  “Thank you, but no.  I’ve still plenty of work to do.”  He touched two fingers to his temple in a false salute.  “I’ll be sure to leave a message with your office when I’ve more to discuss.”

“Until then,” Balthazar murmured, raising his glass.

Castiel felt two pairs of eyes on his back until well out the ballroom’s false opulence.  He glanced over his shoulder as he headed toward the street and noted both men were now huddled together, the taller one’s hands motioning quickly in agitation.

He frowned.

Something there.  Something to pursue.

Outside, the cold musty air a boon compared to the stuffy confines off the ballroom, he tapped a code on his wrist.  The medallion he wore there vibrated and quite quickly he heard the soft hum of his car as it approached.

He slid into the vehicle with a grunt and directed it to home.  A fruitless day, in the end.  He’d done little more than unearth new questions.  He tapped a code into the console of his car, opening his private computer link.

“Yes?”  The soft, male voice filled the cab of the car.

“Run a search on Winchester Station.  I want to know who owns the building, who runs it, anything.”

“Yes, sir.”  A click and the AI disconnected.

He rubbed his jaw, wondering why his instinct wouldn’t let him risk the public channels.  Why only the ones provided by his old friend, Gabriel. Paranoid, maybe?  Yet, some quiet part of him knew it a wrong turn to use the Department’s servers.  Given their insistence on this being an assassination and Castiel knowing it spoke of worse, he figured he may as well give in.  For now, at least.

He sighed and ground his knuckles into his eyes.  “I’m turning into him, probably,” he muttered.

Thinking of Gabriel reminded him that he owed his friend a visit.  Maybe Gabriel had heard something.  Or knew who might have performed the killer’s mods.

Or knows who performed the shop owner’s.  He sat back in his seat, eyes unfocused as street lights and head lights turned into streaks of brilliant white and gold.  Something very strange there.  Mods so well hidden were expensive.  And if that were true, why would someone with that kind of financial access work in a backwater repair store like that?

He sighed and shut his eyes, settling in for the long drive home.

“What I wouldn’t give for an ordinary murder.”

[mxnsterbabe]

Male Onikuma/Female Reader NSFW Wordcount: 997 Tags & Warnings: Japanese character, camgirl reader Commissions | Masterlist | Kinktober List

You're a camgirl, and your new client is a cutie for sure.

The video feed flickered to life as you grinned, flicking hair behind your head with a sultry twist of your wrist. "Hello," you spoke, putting on your best flirtatious charm, "Hiroshi, was it? You must be a new client, I'd absolutely remember someone like you."

The man on the other end of the grainy video chat was a big, beefy onikuma with silky white fur and the most beautiful sea-blue eyes you had ever seen. His nervous smile revealed a maw full of pointed teeth, but it was more endearing than anything else, at least to you. Especially given the way his gigantic paws tugged at the sleeve of his shirt as he shifted awkwardly in his seat.

He was new to you - but also new, it seemed, to the entire camgirl experience.

You provided an encouraging smile and sat higher in the bed, just high enough to reveal the first glimpse of your lacy lingerie. "I don't usually do private sessions, but you're one of the lucky ones." You spoke with the practised ease of someone who had been doing this for years, but in reality you had been at this for all of a year. Still, the softness of your words seemed to be working, and combined with the sultry red lighting and gentle music playing in the background, you knew it wouldn't be long until both you and Hiroshi were having a good time. "So, big guy," you said with another grin, "what are you here for tonight?"

Those bright eyes turned to you, lips hanging open as if the words had been sucked from him. He was more human in appearance than the other bear-folk you had met in the past, with almost-human lips that really did look kissable, and a small pink tongue that swept out to lick his bottom lip. "Honestly?" he admitted in a deep, rich voice that made you shiver, "I'm not sure."

"Then how about I lead, and you tell me if it's okay?"

He nodded shyly, big eyes never leaving your face. "Okay."

You had experimented with clients before, but never with someone so obviously new to this. Usually, your private customers were those that had been buying your content since the beginning, but you had taken a chance on Hiroshi when he popped up in your DMs, and now you were glad for it.

At first, you started off easy; clients often enjoyed the tease of only glimpsing your body at first, revelling in the suspense and anticipation. You tossed your hair over your shoulders and angled towards the camera, feeling the shiver as Hiroshi's appreciative gaze roved across your chest. "Tell me what you like," you purred, "and we'll go from there."

Hiroshi swallowed thickly. "I-I don't know," he admitted, paw-like hands digging into his thighs, "I've never - I mean... this is my first time."

Oh. For a moment, your facade dropped. "Your first time?" Suddenly, you had the feeling that he didn't just mean his first time with a camgirl.

He ducked his head with a nervous nod; and the poor guy looked so mortified that your heart stuttered.

Shit, you had ruined the mood, hadn't you? Cheeks pink, you straightened up and fumbled to recover from the blunder. "Well," you replied sweetly, and gave the dipping neckline of your lingerie a tug for good measure, "let me take care of you. I won't have you leave today without having the time of your life."

When Hiroshi looked at you, it was as if you were the only thing in the entire world. "Okay," he breathed, and even managed a toothy smile that made your heart jump.

Your smile never faltered as you adjusted the camera angle, and it allowed Hiroshi the perfect view of the lacy black lingerie that just barely covered you. The gown was made entirely of thin, silky lace that hugged every curve, flowing from your shoulders to pool around your hips; it did little to cover your bare waist and thighs, or hide the fact that underneath, you were wearing only a dark red bra and matching underwear.

Hiroshi's gaze was appreciative. Adoring, even.

"Like what you see?" you asked, laughing sweetly when Hiroshi nodded in approval. "Good. I bought this especially for tonight you know; you deserve special treatment." Slowly, allowing Hiroshi to see it all, you slipped the gown from your shoulders and let it fall to the bed. Now, goosbumps rising along your arms, you were bare save for the bra that just barely covered the swell of your breasts. "I'd show you more, but where's the fun in revealing everything?"

Awesruck was the only way to describe Hiroshi's gaze. His eyes blazed with desire, and although he was far from the only client to look at you like you were the world, he was the only one who made you squirm. Paws clenched and unclenched against his thights, barely visible from this angle, as he soaked in every inch of you.

With a delighted grin you leaned forward. "You know, I wouldn't be angry if you touched yourself."

His blush was invisible due to his thick fur, but his eyes widened and his lips parted, and you knew he was blushing anyway. "Oh no, I couldn't-"

"Not even if I asked you to?"

He paused, hands going still even as claws dug into his thighs. Then, bashfully, "maybe next time."

"Oh," you replied languidly, "you're already thinking about doing this again?" The thought made heat pool low in your gut, desire stirring inside of you. That... well, you would have been lying if you said the concept didn't elicit more interest than it would have from anyone else. With a deep breath, you fixed your gaze on Hiroshi's bright blue one and said, "private sessions are usually a luxury... but for you, any time."

Hiroshi visibly gulped, and you grinned.

"Perhaps next time, we could even meet up in person?"

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

I’m Not the original anon but I want to hear your thoughts on the movie

Bless. (And if you were the original anon, that would've been great, too!)

Okay, so basically, I went in expecting to hate it, and I did not! Did it dethrone LEGO Batman? Not even close. Was I glad I saw it? Yep! Will I ever watch it again? Doubtful (but not impossible.)

There were things I LOVED and things I hated and things I loved for what they were but wished that they were different, but those will all be discussed under the cut, because spoilers.

Okay, so, I was surprised by how much Battinson delighted me. I still maintain that I would have preferred a BatDad and not the early 20s emo loner Bruce, but if we must have that era Bruce, Battinson was a good choice. (I don't write a lot of that time period for a reason, but they did it well.) He was very awkward and weird and dramatic and I liked him a lot. His children are going to tease him mercilessly someday.

I am neutral on Serkis as Alfred. He was a nonentity for me. But I was going to fly out of my chair if they didn't hold hands in the hospital, so I'm very glad they did.

Am also neutral on Kravitz as Selina. I don't care. (Also? V uncomfy that Carmine was 100% hitting on his own daughter for the entirety of the movie without realizing it!)

I was surprised/impressed that even though they went with the same boring washed-out and dark color palette, I could actually? follow? the action?? Marvel, take notes.

I physically, literally rolled my eyes every time Riddler appeared. You're a disenfranchised pouty white boy who no one understaaaaaands, I get it, I'm bored. As the Riddler, I hated the character. Loathed. That said, I was totally down for the utter skewering of that specific brand of 4chan man. (I out loud under my breath muttered "Ooooh look at all them white boys" in the stadium scene.) I just wished they'd used someone else to make the point they were trying to make. The thumb drive was the only part that made me go "Oh hey, Eddie." Also could've done without the Zodiac stuff.

It was too long. It was way way too long. But it didn't feel like three hours the way a Marvel movie would, so I appreciated that as well.

I loved the journey from Battinson not being afraid to die at all to at least being afraid for other people, like Alfred. (The freakout in the car? AMAZING.) Now we just have to get him to care for himself for the sake of other people.

I. AM. SO. SICK. OF. THE. JOKER. THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY I WILL ACCEPT THE JOKER ONSCREEN AGAIN AND I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE THE GUTS TO DO IT. TAKE AWAY THE CLOWN I DO NOT WANT HIM.

The realism of the acts were... hard. I do prefer my superhero blockbusters to be a little less grounded. As someone living in a city with a marked rise of violence against Asian-coded folks, the attack on the subway was hard. The natural disaster that likely killed many many people? Hard. The mass shooting in a stadium modeled off a center that I have been to before? Hard. Those were all very difficult to sit through.

I also understand that the director was going deliberately noir and that does come with specific tropes, but the way the movie treated women was... bleh.

I LOVED that they did what they needed to do to pay homage to the Nolanverse aesthetic but then by the end levered Batman/Bruce out and away from vengeance as a motivator. Batman! Is! About Hope!

Overall, I was mostly whelmed while watching and moved to slightly positive after thinking about it some more. Really, what gives the movie the biggest points in my book is its potential. I want to see Bruce continue his trajectory out of darkness! I want to see him embrace HOPE! I want to see him grow out of his mopey emo phase out of necessity because a small acrobat child needs him to. I want to see him build his family and his allies!! I want to see this franchise build Bruce into the Batman we know he can be!!!!

(But I am also leery of many of the potential pathways they set up with the Hush nod and the Venom nod and of course the Joker nod, so we'll see.)

[silverflame2724]

Happy Prompt (if you feel like it): WWX being the genius/ex first disciple of great scet that he is realizes they can't sustain the Burial Mounds. So he comes up with a Plan to make them all dissappear. Knowing how important lineage is so them, he asks them to give up the Wen name and take up Wei. (The wens are mostly common folk who just want to live so they agree). He the proceeds to hide them among other clans. People who have met and remember all the good young master Wie always did. He hides them among the Jiang and Nie. (I always head cannon that part of WWX'S flirty reputation comes from him helping women who are in bad situations/ NHS somehow finds out/knows and begins to help him. I figure theyhad to get several Lan women out. Mama Lans ghost helps?). JC knows but ignores it, they aren't WENS anymore, so his pride can leave it be. I'm not sure if A'yuan would still end up with Lan Zhan? But then WWX, WN, and WQ all fake thier deaths and go travel as rogue cultivators. But now WWX has all these living and dead people praying to/for him as the patron Saint of lost causes? And he accidentally becomes an immortal without realizing it? To the absolute fond disgust of WQ, of course. Anyway, I figure old Jin perv still pulls his bullshit at a discussion conference and between NHS, JYL, and LWJ? They somehow clear everyone's nsme. And then newly immortal WWX rocks up in there (to the horror of the Lan Elders who now have to face thier own bullshit/ hypocrisy) and lives happily ever after.

I think I read a prompt or a fic somewhere with the concept of the Wens hiding in plain sight.

________________________

The thought came to him out of nowhere. 

It had been a peaceful day with the Wens as he farmed, invented and tinkered with various incomplete contraptions when Wei Wuxian was struck with a thought: they could not continue like this.

Wei Wuxian wasn’t an idiot. He knew that they couldn’t sustain themselves in the Burial Mounds. Their crops hardly prospered, one by one the more elderly individuals of the Wens got sick and died, the resentful energy messed with everyone’s temperament, the cultivators never stopped trying to break his wards.....the list went on and on.

He had to come up with a plan. He thought they could live here for a time, but that was just wishful thinking. 

With this in mind, he takes the next few days to come up with a concrete plan.

...............................

The first task, and perhaps the most important one, is to ask the Wens to give up the Wen name. It would be easier from then on.

As he presented this suggestion, he was surprised by how readily they agreed. He knew how important lineage was to them, so the rapidness of them giving up their name was shocking. 

“Would you......take up my name?” Wei Wuxian asked quietly. 

The Wens were silent before cheering. Wei Wuxian didn’t know how to react to this. The Wens told him that they were more than happy to accept his name since they were his family. 

Wei Wuxian held back the tears and laughed happily instead as he went on to tell him the next plan of action: hiding them in plan sight.

Various people from various clans owed him favors and remembered the good in him, as they were more than happy to take on the refugees he hid away now that they were no longer Wens.

They had to do this quietly and slowly though. It would be suspicious if a large group of people suddenly left Yiling all at once. So Wei Wuxian took each of them to different places. Some of them went back to their original homes, some went to the Nie, some to the Yao, some to the Ouyang clan. 

He even sends some to the small village of women who he helped run away from their horrible home situations.

It was a little tricky with Nie, but Nie Huaisang pulls through and Nie Mingjue suspects nothing.

He sends some to the Jiang and Jiang Cheng grudgingly accepts them, knowing that they are no longer Wen. 

And for A’ Yuan.......He sends A’ Yuan to Lan Zhan, who is familiar with A’ Yuan. Wei Wuxian sends a letter to Lan Zhan asking him to meet and instead of appearing, A’ Yuan is there in his stead. The letter to Lan Zhan details what to do with A’ Yuan and to hide his identity.

Wei Wuxian trusts that Lan Zhan would take his suggestion and tell his brother and uncle that A’ Yuan was a child that Lan Zhan was asked to take care of by a dying mother.

Wei Wuxian watches from afar as Lan Zhan takes A’ Yuan away and takes the last step in ensuring that the cultivation world forgets him: He fakes his, Wen Qing’s and Wen Ning’s deaths. There’s enough corpses in the Burial Mounds and ones with their physique to replace the Wens and him. He gossips to the town that he’s going to destroy his weapon, the Seal, and subsequently fakes an explosion of resentment, quickly disappearing with the Wen siblings to a random direction. 

He always thought how nice it would be to be like his parents and be rogue cultivators. He guesses that he’ll find out now.

..................................

Years pass and Wei Wuxian makes decent salary by taking care of monsters in the area. Wen Qing is a doctor, of course, and Wen Ning becomes her assistant.  

They move to a little village near Dongying and settle down there. The people there a little more open to demonic cultivation and dark arts and don’t bat an eye at Wei Wuxian using such means. 

Wei Wuxian invents more contraptions, selling them under a false name in towns far away from Dongying.

One day, on a chance night hunt near Yunmeng, Wei Wuxian hears whispers and gossip about Nie Huaisang, Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli clearing his name and capturing the actual people responsible. 

He’s happy to hear this. Overjoyed. But that doesn’t mean he’ll gladly return to the cultivation world. He’s had enough of that life. 

He walks around town for a bit longer, catching bits of gossip here and there. As explores the town, wine jug in hand, he nearly chokes around a mouthful of wine as he sees a small shrine encasing a statue of his likeness. What.....the hell??

He quickly asks around and finds out that people are praying to him for protection. Wei Wuxian squirms a little at this, glad he’s wearing a weimao to cover his face. 

All of this...praying makes him uncomfortable. Not long ago, people were spitting on his name and now he’s suddenly become some sort of Patron for protection? The change is remarkable and cements Wei Wuxian’s decision to firmly stay out of the cultivation world. 

People’s opinions change like a tide and Wei Wuxian doesn’t want to stick around long enough for them to switch back. He sighs, disposing of his empty jug, and leaves the town.

.......

Surprisingly, that’s not the end of the changes. 

He got careless on a night hunt and ends up with the claw of a yaoguai piercing him all the way through his stomach. When the yaoguai pulled out its claw, though......Wei Wuxian healed quickly. Too quickly.

He recovers from the shock at this and finishes off the yao.

What just happened?

.

.

A quick trip to Wen Qing answered everything.

“Congratulations.” Wen Qing says dryly. “You’re an immortal.”

“........What.”

Wen Qing sighs, “From what you told me, you healed unnaturally quickly, right?”

Wei Wuxian nods. 

“There have only been records of immortals recovering that quickly. Even Wen Ruohan healed slower than you did.”

“But I don’t have a core???”

“You do. Sort of.” Wen Qing replies. “I’m actually surprised you haven’t you felt it.”

“.....” I mean, I did think it was odd that I didn’t freeze to death in the winter or die of hunger when money became tight over these years, but I thought those were side effects of demonic cultivation! Wei Wuxian quickly goes through the motions of feeling for his core, willing the surge of hope he felt down. 

And he......didn’t feel a core. He felt more of a large mass of energy congregated in his dantian.

Wei Wuxian is glad that he is sitting down right now because he feels very faint.  “But.....this......how?” 

“Hmm. Well, from what I’ve been hearing, you’ve become some sort of Patron Saint?” Wei Wuxian nods. “It’s rare, but cultivators can gain power from prayers. Take Wen Ruohan for example.”

“He became powerful through the same means?”

“Yes. Well, his people believed him to be all powerful, not so much as what people are praying to you. As the Sunshot alliance chipped down on his people, so too did they chip down on Wen Ruohan’s power.”

“So if people stop praying to me, I’ll stop being immortal.”

“Yes and no. Right now, there’s just a mass of energy concentrated there. It’s basically unrefined energy. All you have to do is refine that power into a core and cultivate normally. Otherwise, yes. You will lose this power as soon as people stop praying to you.”

“I see.......”

Wen Qing raises an eyebrow and brandishes her needles. “What are you doing just sitting here? Go and cultivate!”

“Aiya, Qing-jie! I’m in shock here, give me a moment to absorb this all!”

“I have patients to see! Get your ass to your room and cultivate!”

“Are you my mom or something?”

Wen Qing’s expression turns thunderous.

Wei Wuxian didn’t want to provoke her any further despite wanting to banter more and left to his room.

..................................

“You should visit your siblings.” Wen Qing says one day. “And Hanguang-Jun. I want to hear about how A’ Yuan is doing.”

“Where did this come from?”

“Wei Wuxian.” Wen Qing says patiently. “It’s been over a decade. Your name and our name has long since been cleared. People no longer hate you. And.....they miss you. Your siblings have commemorated the day you “died” and go into mourning for that day. Hanguang-Jun is a little subtler but he wears a mourning sash now.”

“They’ll be better off without me.”

“Says who?”

“The rest of the world.” Wei Wuxian says weakly.

“And why should you care for their opinion? You never seemed to mind it.”

“Ummm.....Lan Zhan hates me? Jiang Cheng might resent me? And Shij---Jiang-guniang---the Young Madam Jin has a life already.”

“First, if Hanguang-Jun hates you, why would he frequently glare at people who badmouthed you?”

“Because he’s a good person. How do you know this anyway?”

“I have friends. Try again. Hanguang-Jun is a famously reticent person. Would he do this for every person?”

“.........I don’t know.”

“The answer is no.”

Wei Wuxian pouts.

Wen Qing then begins to tell him how Jiang Cheng frequently takes demonic cultivators back with him in hopes that one of them would be Wei Wuxian and even added Wei Wuxian back to the Jiang sect register. Jiang Yanli smiles while ruthlessly talking people into apologizing every time she hears something bad said about Wei Wuxian.

She even lectures him on his feelings towards Lan Wangji, that he would entrust A’ Yuan to him.

Wen Qing closes off her speech with threats of her needles if Wei Wuxian doesn’t get his ass over there.

“There’s a Discussion Conference at Lotus Pier. Wei Wuxian, wait till they’re done and go meet them.”

Wei Wuxian, sufficiently threatened, hightails it back to what was his home.

.......

Wei Wuxian also decidedly forgets that he was supposed to wait for the Conference to end. Well, he had assumed that they would be done considering the empty state of the area in front of the conference room and stupidly bursts through the door to a room full of people.

Wei Wuxian blinks, “Uhh......”

“Wei Wuxian?!”

“Wei Ying?!”

“A’ Xian?!”

Wei Wuxian tittered from side to side, “Hello, all! I bet you thought I was dead! Well, you guessed wrong! Hahaha......”

..............................

Lan Wangji did not know what this time’s discussion conference would be like. He expected Jin Guangshan to try and subtly slander Wei Ying. He expected Jiang Yanli, Jiang Wanyin and himself to stand up for Wei Ying, as he was unable to do before Wei Ying died.

But he certainly didn’t expect Wei Ying, who he thought was dead, burst into the room.

Everyone was silent as soon as they heard Wei Ying speak, but soon burst into a cacophony of noise.

Continuing the Discussion Conference was futile after that and it was quickly closed. Lan Wangji watched Wei Ying be surrounded by many people, some crying, some happily angry, some exasperated and he couldn’t help his reaction after seeing him once again.

He rushes forward and hugs him.

“Wha--Lan Zhan?”

“You’re alive.” Lan Wangji breathes, voice full of wonder. “You’re alive.”

Wei Ying’s arms come up around him and Lan Wangji feels the strong heart beat through their robes. His elders yell at him for his shamelessness and he comes back to himself, embarrassed at his lack of control.

“Aww, Lan Zhan! I’m so glad you missed me!”

“Mn. Missed Wei Ying a lot.”

A slight blush rose to Wei Ying’s cheeks and he laughed, a little shy. Lan Wangji couldn’t help his response to hearing his laugh again after so, so long. He kissed him.

The crowd gasped around them and Lan Wangji pulled back quickly, wanting the ground to swallow him up. But then......Wei Ying kissed him back.

“Aiya, Lan Zhan. How bold of you! To steal a kiss from me in public!” He giggles, not seeming mad at all and even pressing forward, tangling his fingers in his forehead ribbon.

Lan Wangji’s breath stutters at the gesture.

“You’d better take responsibility!”

Is Wei Ying asking what I think he’s asking? “Responsibility?”

“Yes! You took a kiss from me in public! It looks like I can’t marry anymore.”

“Will marry Wei Ying.” Lan Wangji replies, voice hoarse, ignoring the cries of outrage from his elders, the angry shouts from Jiang Wanyin, and the smirks from Jiang Yanli and his brother. “Will take responsibility.”

“I hope that isn’t the only reason.”

This is his chance to come clean. Lan Wangji already told himself that he wouldn’t hold himself back if he met Wei Ying again. “Like Wei Ying. Love Wei Ying.”

Wei Ying laughs brightly. “I like Lan Zhan too. Now, you’ll finally admit we’re close?”

Lan Wangji ignores everyone, eyes only on Wei Ying as they should have always been, “Mn. Let’s get married.”

___________________________

I feel like Lan Wangji may be a bit OOC......hmm. Well, whatever. I finally got this done and with that, I think I’ve cleared all the prompts I haven’t answered, so asks will open up again!

Hope you all enjoyed this!

[iambilliejeanok]

🤎A Break With My Lover.🤎

Part One

Pairing: Might Guy x Tenji( made up character)

Summary: Tenj is back from her two month mission and is so excited to spend time with her new boyfriend Guy, who pampers and adores her. Just a cute little short story for all my Guy sensei hoes to enjoy.😊

Warnings: 18+, language, fluff, SFW and NSFW, smut.

Tenji now stood at the entrance of the Hokage mansion, grateful to have been granted a full week's rest after her team worked tirelessly for a full two months. Another breeze blew a curl that dangled from her loose bun into her face, not caring in the slightest to put it back in its place. Her main goal was to reach her beloved apartment and take a much needed cool shower to wash away the grim, sweat and blood that clung to her aching body. With her eyes closed she inhaled a deep long breath, forcing herself to take the first step. Her body felt so heavy and her mind fuzzy, a sudden wave of fatigue ripping a whine from deep in her throat. “Oi, Tenji,” a sharp flick on the side of her neck immediately snapped her out of her sluggish mood. “Tch! Genma what the fuck,” a sly smirk appearing on his smug face as he took pleasure in her frustration, relishing the irritated look he managed to put on her face. “Well hello to you too Tenji, it's been too long, glad that you're back and in one piece it seems,” he spoke as he gave her a quick once over, ensuring that she was really in one piece and he hopefully hadn’t spoken too soon. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes as he inspected her obviously fatigued face, a hint of sympathy pulled at his heart realising she would probably have to walk all the way home on her own despite how tired she was. Tenji noticed the slight worry in his light brown eyes and instantly thought of a plan. Maybe she could convince him to carry her home after seeing the state she was in. “I’m okay I guess, I’m so tired, just wish i had help getting home Genma,” she whimpered as she stepped closer, leaning her chubby cheek into his broad, muscular chest, she looked up at him, hopeful that her long time buddy would show even the tiniest bit kindness he claimed to have, pulling her best puppy face while looking into his light brown eyes, her darker eyes needy as her full lips curved into a pout that he almost gave into until he realised what she was up to. Now, it’s not that he didn’t want to help(maybe a little) but it was also that he had already been summoned by the Hokage and couldn’t afford to be later than he already was and also because he knew Tenji could be such a spoiled brat sometimes and he was not in the mood to baby her today. He averted his gaze and placed two long, slender fingers on her forehead before gently nudging her off of him. “Geez Tenji” , his words almost sounding empathetic until he opened his mouth again, “Good luck finding someone who will help you with that”. Tenji’s mouth hung open in utter defeat as Genma walked right past her, not missing how he unashamedly took in the gorgeous sight of her full, round ass, her uniform gracefully complimenting it with the way her pants clung desperately to the curve of her hips and hugged her ass in a way that he would always appreciate. “Tch”, Tenji scoffed as she turned fully to face him, his soft light, brown eyes slowly climbing up her body taking in her front, failing to hide the disappointment in them, missing the blessed sight she turned away from him, reluctantly looking back up into her darker orbs to wink at her, disappearing into the Hokage mansion. She blamed herself for expecting anything from that perverted bastard, as she hesitantly began her dreadful walk down the busy streets of Konoha.

Tenji kept her eyes glued to the ground, drowning out the sounds of the happy village folk all around her, as she continued on replaying how good it would feel to walk into her apartment and pamper herself to a nice shower and some well needed rest. A low growl from her tummy dirsturbed her train of thought, reminding her of her deep hunger for some delicious, warm food. The divine, savory smell of Ichiraku’s ramen, not helping her best attempts at ignoring it and heading home, her fatigue too overwhelming for her to entertain her hunger as she stood in front of the little ramen restaurant. “Tenji sensei!,” a loud voice erupting out of nowhere pulled her attention directly in front of her. A young and enthusiastic Lee stood in her path, the biggest grin spreading on his face, clearly excited to see her. A mini Might Guy, always bringing a deep nostalgic feeling in her heart, he was far too adorable for her to not smile at him, despite the exhaustion that tugged at her eyelids, with his little green jumpsuit, “Lee-san, so good-,” she was suddenly cut off as two large hands tugged at her waist, lifting her up and tossing her high into the air, she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the one sensation she absolutely despised, punching her deep in her gut as the fall back downwards came shortly after. Landing right into none other than her boyfriend, Might Guy’s strong arms. “Precious!”, she shuddered as he spoke way louder than she would have liked; “After so long you have finally returned from your mission! Wow I’ve missed you'', Guy was basically roaring right in her face at this point, which she normally wouldn’t mind, but the fatigue she couldn’t shake off any longer made her highly irritable. “Guy!, put me down right now, baka!”, she blurted, his big, pretty grin never leaving his face as he gently complied. “My precious flower, how was your mission” he spoke in a much calmer voice, now sensing her irritated mood as he shamelessly inspected her entire body, not bothered by the irritation in her tone, making sure his eyes and hands didn't miss a single spot, hoping she wasn't injured as she replied, “It was a success. I just reported to Lady Hokage and I get a full week of rest as a reward so i'm going home now” , the tone of her voice growing more and more annoyed as she noticed Kakashi and his team all standing there, watching Guy fiddle with her body, the embarrassing display of care leaving a light blush across her plump cheeks. Everyone knew they were dating, despite the fact that their relationship was still very new, it didn't take a scientist to figure out they had been in love with one another even as friends. “Guy!” she whined, pushing him off of her hoping he was now pleased with his inspection. “As expected of my lotus! Always glowing in the light of her youth!”, he continued with his over enthusiastic praise. Tenji was now very used to his overly positive attitude that he was apparently born with, considering he was just as loud now, as he was when they were still children. Kakashi looked at her with a knowing look of second hand embarrassment as he nodded towards her “Yo, we‘re going inside Ichiraku’s now, join us whenever you’re ready Tenji-chan” he spoke in the warm, familiar manner, he always spoke in when talking to her. “Kakashi-san, I’m too tired. Next time?”, she replied, her eyelids noticeably droopy as he nodded in understanding, walking into the restaurant.

Guy stood in front of his new lover, feeling like his heart would explode with the surge of joy he felt to be near her after not getting to hang out much, especially in the past two months. Tenji stood before him and let out a deep sigh, knowing that she wouldn't have to worry about the dreadful walk home because her best friend and now lover would go to the ends to make her happy, as she would for him. Tenji looked up at him, her deep brown eyes never leaving his onyx ones as she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his large build, gripping on the back of his green jumpsuit, sighing heavily into his chest. Her heart fluttered, remembering that she could now hold him like this. He was hers now. Guy’s flak jacket draped her arms as he engulfed her in a warm embrace, strong arms wrapping firmly around her, pulling her impossibly closer. Her eyelids fluttered shut, comfort washing over her as he began to rub his large hand soothingly up and down her back making her eyelids feel like a ton of bricks as she finally gave in to keeping them closed. She relished in the heavy slumber that quickly crept up on her feeling like she was sinking deeper and deeper into her lovers addicting hold, but it was cut short as she was abruptly interrupted by the rumbling of Guy’s hard chest, a deep chuckle leaving his lips as he felt the weight of her body dip further into his. “Someones ready for a nap I see?” he spoke placing a soft kiss on her forehead, “Mmhmm”, was all Tenji had the strength to say, too tired to move her mouth into actual words, revelling in the pleasant warmth Guy’s soft caresses provided—despite the afternoon heat—bringing his fingers to brush the coily strand that escaped the loosely tied bun at the nape of her neck and tucked it back into place. Attempting to tuck the one strand in, the whole bun began to fall apart and Guy being the sweet bean he was,decided to fix the whole thing for her. Speaking to her, he continued to work on it, gently detangling her hair from the scrunchie that failed to keep her thick, dark brown coils neatly bundled up. “How about I take you home and help you wind down?” , he continued, finally able to pry the scrunchie from the last little coil that wouldn't let it go, careful not to hurt her. “Miss you”, she sounded muffled, snuggling further into his chest, a pang of happiness filling her chest at the action, taking in her favourite faint scent of lemon and a much stronger earthy smell. Guy began to softly brush her hair back with his palms, making sure to pull all escaping strands into the ponytail he was forming in his fist at the nape of her neck, now securing it all with the scrunchie. “Well let's get going precious”, he sighed out, gently prying himself free from her tight grip around him, quickly silencing her whine, turning around and gently tugging at her arm, easily pulling all her weight onto his back. A move that she was all too familiar with, Guy always treating her like the ‘precious flower’ he always described her as ever since they were younger. Her heart leaped along with him as he jumped up onto the nearest rooftop, maintaining a firm yet gentle grip on her thighs, a faint sigh leaving her lips and excitement bubbling up from the pit of her tummy, pleasantly spreading around the rest of her body as thoughts of the cuddles and attention she was going to receive clouded her mind. Why didn’t they get together any sooner? Not only did she have a whole entire week off, but she also scored time with her lover. It couldn't get any better than that.

[rottenheartedchild]

Here's Concept Fic no. 2 which mostly features Phoenix, or by his true name, Phenex. Any warnings will be in the tags and as usual, comments and critiques are always welcomed ❤

It's been a week since Isidore was discharged from the hospital after surprising everyone by waking up from his coma. There were tears of joy as his parents and siblings hugged the still drowsy hybrid, Durante, and his large family taking turns kissing and hugging him. The only person who didn't participate in such a joyous occasion was a man with the chiseled features of a Greek God and bright crimson eyes.

He merely watched from outside the ward with a vague smile before evaporating in a cloud of ash, leaving no traces behind.

Right now, the stranger is conducting a study with his eagle companion when the door is kicked with such strength before the intruder casually walks to his side with a cheeky grin.

"Just dropping by to see my favorite infernal author doing and my my, you seem busy today"

Says the demon as he smacks his shoulder playfully.

"Any particular reason you decided to drop by at my place? I doubt you're here for a small chit chat, you're not that kind of guy"

"Always astute, aren't we, Phenex? Very well, Ralphie asks me if you can teach the kid how to hone his new powers since...you know..."

"If you're talking about Isidore, then you'd have nothing to worry about but..."

Phoenix places his quill onto the table and looks at his fellow companion with an urgent look on his face.

"We need to keep him away from those Cassell folks, especially from that Lu Mingfei boy"

"Hang on, what are you talking about?"

"In due time, my old friend. Let's just say I pissed off a couple of people on my way back, no biggie~"

Phenex answers with a smile that shows no warmth as his eyes turn a shade darker as he recalls the incident and goodness, what a lovely sight it was.

"You cruel monster, you need to tell me more about what happened in the Red Well. I'll bring Raphael and Ciarán over, does the usual place sounds good?"

"Splendid, now run along and go torture some poor souls elsewhere. I still need to finish my report"

As Val leaves, the feathered demon goes back to work on recording the specimen though his mind begins to wander off to that wonderful memory.

The sky was bleak and gray as Isidore clutched his gaping chest, blood oozing out of every wound as he falls to the ground, out of breath. Herzog...was dead but it felt like an empty victory as he gazed at the corpses of the Uesugi siblings. Tears began to flow freely as the hybrid blamed himself for their deaths and how weak he was. He'd do anything to bring them back even at the cost of his own life.

"Now now, dry those pretty eyes, my little songbird~"

A voice snapped him from his stupor.

Isidore tried to focus on the owner of the voice and was surprised to see a well-dressed man with a Cheshire smile.

"It appears that you want to give these...mortals a second chance? Even if they weren't the best of people to you?"

"Those people..." Isidore coughed heavily, blood dripping down from his lips "...are victims of an actual monster, I'm glad the fucker is dead..."

The stranger merely smiled and sit next to him, not caring that his pants were stained with the hybrid's blood.

"Goodness aren't you noble?"

"What exactly are you...?"

"Why I'm here to you bring you back home~"

"Home?" Isidore scoffed "That place was destroyed twenty years ago... I doubt that still exists"

The stranger only chuckled before he corrected his pessimistic response.

"You misunderstood my words, little bird... I meant, your real home. Does Kahina ring a bell to you?"

"W-wait, you mean..."

He nodded and offered his hand to the hybrid.

"We've already brought your sister home, now it's your turn. Just grab my hand"

The hybrid looked hesitant at the hand but the thought of his sister being with their parents overridden the doubt he had as he weakly grabbed it.

"There's just one more thing I need to do"

"And what would that be, my dear?"

"Give them a second chance for life, one that will let them live the lives they deserve"

The outsider blinked a couple of times before letting out a hearty chuckle to the peeved hybrid.

"Quite a bold desire to state in front of a demon, little bird. Of course, it can be done but only if you agree to forfeit your soul for it"

Isidore's eyes widened at the grim condition of the wish but he remained resolute with his decision as he shook his hand firmly.

"Very well, but your parents will not be happy with this that's for sure little bird~"

The stranger did a couple of incantations as the light in Isidore's eyes slowly began to dim until his heart finally stopped. With a Cheshire-like smile, he plucked out the still heart from the hybrid's chest with utmost care before consuming it as if it were a rare delicacy. He let out a pleasurable moan as he savored the taste that lingered on his tongue.

"I must say little bird, your soul is one of the finest I've tasted in eons. Not even the angels of Paradiso could compare to such complex flavor~"

After having his fill of the organ, he immediately began his work as the outsider summoned orbs of fire, watching it float on top of the bodies of the Uesugi siblings. As he slashed his wrist and let the blood trickle down to the orbs, watching it transform into heart-shaped crystals. He inserted the crystals into their chest after making an incision on it and stitched them up. Without waiting for the results, he walked back to the dead hybrid and carried him bridal style.

"Let's get you back home, little bird. Everyone is anxious to see you again"

Before he could caress Isidore's cold cheek, the outsider quickly moved aside as a bullet barely grazed his cheek. When he turned around to admonish the perpetrator, he was greeted with three furious aces.

"Put. Him. Down. Now!"

Caesar ordered him harshly, the grip on his gun tightened as he noticed the newbie's body. Johan already brandished his blade, eyes glowing gold with fury at the peculiar stranger. Lu Mingfei was beyond livid having to lose not Eri but the freshman as well and he has no hesitation to kill the fiend right where he stand.

"Pray do tell, young Gattuso... Why would I do such a thing? I don't recall you summoning me~"

"I don't give a shit why you're here, you'll pay for what you've done to our freshman!"

The stranger cruelly laughed at their faces, infuriating the aces even further as he touched his face.

"Such a lovely darling, to think you were used as a living weapon for these unappreciative mortals and their egocentric societies~"

Caesar fired another shot and the stranger merely sprouted out three pairs of wings and flew out of reach, a portal formed above his head.

"I'd like to play a little longer but his family is anxious to see their baby boy again. Oh, and Luminous?"

"You can thank him for bringing your dearest princess back from the dead"

The stranger motioned to the Uesugi siblings who slowly rose from their slumber, dazed and confused. Mingfei was stunned at the revelation and tried to call out Erii's name just to make sure.

Taking this opportune moment to escape, the stranger immediately flew into the portal as the aces cursed and tried to shoot him down.

"If only you were there to see it, Altair. The hatred and desperation was simply addicting, I absolutely when that brat tried to call out his name desperately"

The eagle merely shakes his head and squawks at his master about the neglected research.

"Oh, silly me. Thanks for reminding me...Now, let's continue where we left off...If we add..."

[daisylincs]

Today is, officially, the last day of 2020 - so it's literally just in time that I'm getting to @aosrecweek's amazing challenge. But that does go to show the nature of this crazy year a little bit, right? Time has just been INSANE, and I honestly cannot believe it's so close to over.

That said, I want to put it out there that everyone - absolutely everyone - who created something in this mad year, is a SUPERHERO. Like. We could have hidden away in dark corners, curled into little balls, and lost touch with our creativity entirely - but instead, we made some of the most fantastic content I have ever seen. And, excuse the language, but that is fucking amazing, of each and every single one of us. We're bloody INCREDIBLE, you guys. We really are.

Now, the rules of this challenge dictate that I've got to start with some of my own things, then repeat with the same number of creations by other people. So I'm going to do that, and I apologise for the sheer length (and self-plug-iness) of what is about to follow - but, bloody incredible, remember? I really mean that. 💜💜💜

My Own:

you could call me babe for the weekend - 19k of Spideychelle being oblivious, mutually pining IDIOTS while being snowed in. And, you know, fake dating. (This thing was SO MUCH FUN to write and though, yeah, it got completely out of control, as evidenced by the 19k, I still really love it.)

'tis the damn season - my first attempt at writing a multi-chap, and, yeah, it only has one chapter as of now, but I really love said chapter. Basically, it's Daisy and Mackelena being friends, and honestly just the BEST friends - I adore the style I managed to achieve in this thing. Plus, the Skimmons I have planned up next is going to be da bomb.

the closest thing - Philindaisy plus fake family. Also; amusement parks. And for a fangirl like me - well, it was pretty much a dream come true to write!

oh valley of plenty - in this fic, I basically told myself, so AoS won't give us Huntingbird in the finale? Fine. I'll just do it myself then - in the fluffiest way possible. And that's exactly what I did - making them, and their kids, be best friends in Perthshire.

maybe life should be about more - a very angsty Skimmons and Daisy-centric AU, focusing on the internalised homophobia Daisy has experienced through her life, and shaking it off (and eventually, y'know, getting together with Jemma.)

and it's dark in a cold december (but i've got you to keep me warm) - Fitzsimmons just make such a supreme pairing for hurt/comfort, what with how insanely well they understand each other and care about each other, so I'm really glad for the Fitzsimmons Secret Santa giving me the chance to write this! Basically, this follows our science duo through a stressful mission on Christmas Eve (so yes, it's a mission fic!!) and realising that the two of them can do anything together.

july second - ahhh, one of my personal favourites to write! Daisy birthday surprise fluff will always be top-notch for me, especially for all the team-as-family fluff you can add in, especially especially that this is set in Staticquake times! Also, it's from Hunter's point of view, which will forever be the most insanely fun thing to write, I do think.

i just wanna be with you - man, I'm such a big royal fan, so getting the chance to write a modern royalty AU for my OTP was nothing short of amazing!! This is Princess Daisy and her fiancée Lincoln Campbell at their official engagement interview

see the line where the skye meets the sea - shameless season 1 bby Bus Kids fluff, featuring movie nights, singalongs and... so much fluff your teeth will rot. Also I'm really freaking proud of the pun in the title okay

'cause all that you are is all that i'll ever need - Huntingbird waking up together fluff (because, fight me, Huntingbird in their sweet moments is one of the sweetest things you will ever get to read or write.) This is also my, fluffy, take on the origin of the Franny's Saloon keychain.

we love you, we love you (and we hope you love we too) - aha, my first polyship fic! Also my first try at some actually fancy HTML formatting (forever thanks to Kat for explaining.) Both of these things combined to form a fic that even I think is ridiculously fluffy and funny, and kinda amazing, at that.

and man I don't know where the time goes (but it sure goes fast like that) - Another Bus Kids movie night fic, but this one set post-season 7, and reflecting on how far they've come. A little bit more hurt/comfort-y than it's pure fluff prequel, but still super fluffy and soft. And, of course, with a happy ending.

she shares my dreams, i hope that someday, i'll share her home - snowy Fitzsimmons fluff, complete with them falling in love at the Winter Olympics, as you do.

then you walked in and my heart went boom - 16k of Dekesy for the wife, and remarkable for that, because literally a month ago from this, I hated Dekesy with my entire soul. Then I started reading Kat's fics, and, well, fell in love with them... so much so that I wrote sixteen thousand words of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, bed sharing holiday fluff for them.

a love like that - a Fitzsimmons Cinderella AU, featuring my two favourite science babies, in true science bby style, falling in love over science and how stupid the whole courting thing is. Also, Daisy makes a brief appearance, and she's the freaking best.

ever after - ah, probably the one single fic I'm proudest of. A post-season 7 Daisy character study focusing on her emotional rollercoaster re: losing her family/things never being the same again, which just achieves... an emotional level that I have never managed to replicate again. I was full-on sobbing while writing it, and, guys, it also part-holds the Closest To Making Kat Cry prize.

blue - Daisy character study spanning snapshots of seven seasons, and before - but tied together by something blue in every moment. Researching for this, and finding all the blue moments, was very interesting, and immensely satisfying, especially since all the moments where a little bit of blue was present actually combine to chronicle Daisy's journey on the show remarkably well.

who is that girl I see - the one time I decided to write straight angst, and straight angst with no happy ending. Melinda May post-Bahrain, folks.

take my hand, take my whole life too - aww, the first thing I wrote that I really and truly loved. A Staticquake and Fitzsimmons Actors AU, featuring a proposal on set and INCREDIBLE amounts of fluff and softness.

hold out your hand, 'cause friends will be friends - the wife's favourite, and, as second fics go, pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. It's a Soulmates AU for Staticquake and Mackelena, with the focus being on DaisyMack friendship, and lots of denial, angst, and guilt about finding their soulmates. (They figure it out eventually, don't worry - it's me, of course I made them happy.)

Fitzsimmons + Fake Dating moodboard - Fake dating will always be FAB, and picturing it out in a moodboard - especially for my clueless bby best friends in love - was the best, and super satisfying.

Staticquake + Orange moodboard - One of the cooler ideas I had for Trick or Treat (which I still have not finished, heaven help me) was to make a series of moodboards for my OTP plus different colours. This orange one is just so light, and cheerful, and happy, and honestly I kinda adore it.

This Philindaisy + Family Moodboard - making moodboards can be insanely frustrating when you just can't find the photo that fits exactly right. With this one, however, I found all the pics I needed pretty insanely fast, and, better, the whole thing just worked, and really nicely so, too.

This Bus Kids + Baking Cookies moodboard - there's absolutely NO faults to be found with tiny, adorable Skye, Fitz and Jemma concocting choc chip cookies - but I'm actually doing a tiny cheat here, because, cute as my moodboard here is, the accompanying fic by my love @eowima is the SWEETEST and best thing you could ever wish for!!!

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - Day 3 of Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week focused on an emotion, and I picked confidence and power, because honestly, it's nothing short of amazing how confident and powerful our gorgeous girl has become.

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - One of the times I wish I could gif, because this quote about struggling though never giving up just suits Daisy perfectly. The photos I found are cool, though, and I mean, it's Daisy, so that's already absolutely fabulous.

Other People's:

I managed to find twenty-six of my own things that I liked enough to put up there (because, yes, I'm that big a dork, 26 things for me being 26 is the way to go :D) Anyway, now that gives me the amazing chance to spotlight twenty-six of my favourite creations by my FANTASTIC mutuals! 😍

To start, my wife - Kat said I couldn't put everything she's ever written on here, so, ugh, I guess I'll just do my top five then. *grumbling* Everything by Kat is on here in spirit, though!!

Chasing Cars (even after the story ends) by @aleksandrachaev - the epic Dekesy roadtrip AU and incredible Daisy character study itself, which, I do believe, finishes today!! Words aren't enough to describe how freaking AMAZING this thing is, or how spectacularly well characterised. Just: if you haven't read this yet, you are missing out. You will laugh, you will groan, you will want to wrap Daisy in a very tight hug, and you will probably cry, too. This fic just has it all, really!

there goes the maddest man this town has ever seen by @aleksandrachaev - the post-season 7 Deke-crashes-the-Framework-Zoom-call fic I didn't know I needed (but spent the next two weeks rereading every single night.) It is absolutely INCREDIBLE, with all the Deke & Team feels we missed in the final outro scene, and honestly just the most fantastic writing. I cannot recommend it enough!

To Box It Up And Start Again (everything must go) by @aleksandrachaev - bloody hell, this BROKE me. Deke never really got to say goodbye in canon, but Kat gave him the chance to do it here. And, my freaking GOODNESS, she made it so incredibly bittersweet and heart-shattering. 10/10

i am a leaf on the wind by @aleksandrachaev - a little bit of a stretched-out, reflective moment in the season 7 finale. As Daisy lingers on the edge of death, she reflects on all the lives she could have had - and, man, what a study in bittersweetness!! This entire fic is utterly incredible, and something I think all Daisy fans should read.

Falling Into Place by @aleksandrachaev - here's a tiny cheat from me (sorry, babes, lmao) because technically this isn't one fic, but a series of three. Way too amazing to miss out on, though!! Set mid-season 7, this has the Chronicoms go after a young Mary Sue Poots to kill Quake before she can become a problem for them. They stop the Chronicoms, yes, but not without a TREMENDOUS dose of feels and hurt/comfort. There's also a wonderful little dose of Dekesy friendship, and then an adult adoption (!!) that honestly made my entire day to read. Actually, that's true for the entire series - I really canNOT yell about it enough!!

destroyer of worlds by @bobbimorseisbisexual - a study in incredible parallels between Jiaying's daughters. Utterly breathtakingly done, this will give you ALL the feels for this small and complex Inhuman family.

Muscle Memory by @robotgort and @bobbimorseisbisexual - a Huntingbird!! Bones!! AU!! And also a collaboration between two of the most fabulous Huntingbird authors in the fandom - honestly, what more can you ask for?! This will make you laugh, and gasp, and wince, and keep you guessing at each new plot twist (and also screaming at your screen for Hunter and Bobbi to get their acts together and TALK ABOUT IT.) In short: it's completely and utterly amazing, and I cannot, cannot recommend it enough!!

You Belong Among the Wildflowers by @libbyweasley - a freaking incredible Scis & Spies Regency AU! I only just started reading, but I was hooked all the way through, especially on the way Libby writes all four characters' complex relationships (and their attraction, and their history!) Everything about it is just completely stunning, and I for one cannot WAIT for these beautiful idiots to figure out they all belong together.

Family Snapshot by @tomatobookworm - if it's family fluff you're after, especially Staticquake family fluff, look no further! This tremendously soft and utterly amazing fic follows a day in the lives of a pregnant Daisy and her husband Lincoln, and their not-so-little family of Inhumans, both adopted and biological. There's also shopping with Grandma May, lots of feels, lots of shippiness, and just AMAZINGNESS all the way through!!

Best Day Ever by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - Jemma and Daisy want to adopt a pet, and make a very special trip to Wisconsin to do it. Also, whether he knows who he is or not, Jemma has an important question to ask Cal - and just, AHHHH, everything about this is utterly stunning! For starters, Aubrey's writing is FANTASTIC, and the scene she sets is absolutely beautiful, and so very bittersweet. I was actually misting up a little with happy tears towards the end of this - really, I cannot recommend this enough, to any Skimmons fan.

so why don't we go somewhere only we know by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - more Skimmons (platonic this time, though), more hurt/comfort, and, yes, again, more absolutely INCREDIBLE writing. This one is canon compliant, following a shaken Jemma struggling to sleep after Maveth, and how Daisy finds a way to help her out. Incredibly sweet, tender and BEAUTIFULLY written, this one was an instant favourite the moment I read it!

Unspoken by @anxiouslynumbme - a birthday fic for yours truly, and, honestly, one of the most STUNNING Staticquake introspectives I've read. It follows Daisy and Lincoln in a beautifully tender missing moment in season 3, with them both realising their feelings, and just... AHHHHHHHH, everything about it is utterly incredible!! I cannot, cannot recommend this gem of a fic enough

the thing about water droplets and ruffled hair by @que-mint-tea - here's another fic that proves, once and for all, how good Kat's Dekesy is, because it managed to convert T to write some Dekesy smut. And, oh my GOSH, what Dekesy smut - so goshdarn angsty, but so FANTASTICALLY characterised and written that it leaves you more than a little breathless, and gaping at your screen. The first chapter initially left us on the most HORRIFIC cliffhanger, but then T fixed it, and it's just... this thing is really a whole new level of emotional writing, raw and gripping and intensely perfect for both of these characters. My haw still drops whenever I think of this thing, and how utterly AMAZING it was, so yeah. Fic rec!!!

beautiful stranger, there you are by @justanalto - I do believe I still owe Serena a long and very gushy comment on this thing, because, MAN, does it ever deserve that!! Pipsy and fake dating, with the most HILARIOUSLY incredible writing, plot and characterisation, and honestly just a giddy "askhdfkhsfh" whenever I think back to how much I enjoyed it. Yup, it was that good.

Jumping to conclusions by @eowima - a very special one, because it marks my love Océane's first venture into writing AoS fic! It's an AU of 1x06 (the Fitzsimmons episode of s1) where Fitz does actually jump out of the plane to save Jemma. Realisations of feelings, and some of the most genuinely FANTASTIC Fitz characterisation I've read in a while, follow - and, yup, I was shouting at my screen for them just to get together already. Amazing stuff, really!!

Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit by @eowima - okay, this. This. Another gift for me, and one that I will probably treasure forEVER, because it is just?? so?? utterly?? perfect?? Just for starters, the title is a Hamilton reference - and then the theme of Hamilton references continues into the fic itself, I'm delighted to say. There's also the most BEAUTIFUL, playful Skimmons friendship, and teasing, and then of course the bet about who can make out with their crush first... Staticquake & Fitzsimmons perfection. And all rendered in Océane's delightful, best-thing-ever-to-read writing!! I'm going into a giddy keyboard smash just THINKING about this, so yeah, cannot recommend it enough.

lullabies and clear blue skies by @springmagpies and @bobbimorseisbisexual - okay, I never thought I'd catch myself shipping FitzBobbi, let alone shipping it this hard, but... wow. Maggie and Al teamed up to completely blow me away, and MELT MY WHOLE ENTIRE HEART with the sheer cuteness of this!! It features Fitz, Bobbi and adopting two daughters, and it's just the most tender, beautiful development through that little family - I love it so, so much.

We made all the wrong choices by @browneyedgenius - the winner of the AoS Angst War 2020, how could I not include this one? It is such a well-deserved win, though, whoa - I was sobbing, full-on sobbing, at least twice while reading. It follows the season 5 team through the events of the time-loop, after they failed to save the world - and, oh my gosh, it ripped my heart right out of my chest, but beautifully so. Everything about this fic just hits so hard, and it's written so well - yeah, really a most AMAZINGLY deserved win, for an utterly SHATTERINGLY incredible fic.

I threw stones at the stars (but the whole sky fell) by @nazezdha321 - this is Z showing us all how to write a backstory for a minor character, and write it so well that everyone's hearts break all over again when she dies. This one is about Victoria Hand, and it builds a stirring and profound childhood for her, also making her rise through the ranks of SHIELD and just her entire character mean so much more. Really, fic-wise, this is goals, and I take my hat off to you, Z, 1000%, for writing it.

in which the universe is put together by @besidemethewholedamntime - Rebecca's emotional writing, particularly Fitzsimmons' emotions, is incomparable, and she proves it all over again in this fic. If follows Fitz and Jemma before, after and during the bloodwork, and I just... wow, honestly. The emotion!! And the characterisation!! Absolutely stunning, and honestly all I could wish for in a we-had-time fic.

Agents of SHIELD Season 8 by @egumal - THIS. This, this, this, oh my gosh - as fix-it fics go, this has to be the most spectacular one I have ever read. What it does is find a way - a potentially canon compliant way, too - to bring back Lincoln Campbell, and reunite Staticquake. Basically: just about as season 7 finishes, the Astro Ambassadors get an unexpected visitor from another timeline, who asks them to come help out against Hive. Case in point, Daisy meets her lost love again (... but he has no idea who she is) and also has to relive the Fallen Agent drama. It all gets even more complicated when Kora restores Lincoln's memories, and Daisy meets the full team Deke has assembled around him in the 33 years (for him) that they've been apart... in short, this is one of the most thorough, well-written and downright SHOCKING plot-twist-wise fics that you will ever read, and honestly, saying "I can't recommend it enough" is an understatement. This thing is thd BEST, plain and simple!

Black Roses aren't real (but you and I are) by @ohwriteiforgot - ahhhh, a fic that will always have an incredibly special place in my heart, because it introduced me to one of my best fandom friends. The main focus is on Clintasha, it's true, but it's also a crossover with AoS in the sense that Clint was adopted by Coulson and May. Also, Daisy is his little sister, and their bond is gold. Also - there's Staticquake!! And flower shops!! And rivals to friends to lovers!! All I'm going to say is, what more can you ask for?!

A book to shield my story by @maybebrilliant - Staticquake High School AU, ahhhhhhhh!! There are only two chapters out so far, but the way this is shaping up is making my DAY - with Daisy as the new girl who meets Lincoln and his group of friends, and, though her foster parents are absolutely shit, starts to find actual happiness in a school for the first time in her life. Also - THE REFERENCES. Guys. I'm crazy for those, and in this book, so are my favourite dorks, Daisy and Lincoln - and let me tell you, it's nothing short of the best thing ever.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @heysteverogers - AoS really has been the most INCREDIBLE journey through the years, but what's really made it special is the company - and that's summed up perfectly in this gorgeous gifset. Also, the graphics on this are just, ahhhh, stunning - I'm in awe, and I've spent very long periods of time just looking at this thing in a state of heart-eyes.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @jemannesimms - combining Auld Lang Syne and the final scenes of my favourite show was a raw emotional - but utterly brilliant experience - for me. It's just so absolutely beautiful, and perfectly suited to the team, and their goodbyes!! Breathtaking editing work here, too.

This Daisy as Peter Parker and May as Tony Stark moodboard by @agentsofcomedyandchaos - ahhhh, a crossover of two of my favourite fandoms!! And what a lovely one, too - the colour scheme, quotes, and just the whole FEEL of this is absolutely genius, and I am guilty of being inspired by way too many fic ideas by it. Stunning stuff!!

And... whoa, that was long, but I really do feel that we deserve a bit of a proper pat on the back after creating such magical content in such a messed up year. So that's the note I'm going to leave you with for 2020, my friends: hell-year or no, look at the absolute beauty we were still able to create!! We really are freaking amazing, guys.

[wrongwiredmind]

Before I start saying anything I'd like to warn that the content of this post is both gore and contains suicidal thoughts, if any of that triggers you, please do not read, I care about whoever is reading but I can't hold any responsibility for anything that might follow, stay safe, and remember that no matter what, what comes next in your life will be better, one way or another.

This post is rather long, but that's kinda the point of this page, here we go, then.

So, I had almost my weirdest dream to date, right now, and then I thought, to heck with it!! Let's share something!

So first of all, I need to set some points straight before writing so it might explain a few things, hopefully, without giving a lot away about my personality:

(I have no idea how to put them on order, so they're pretty much a mumbo jumbo. Ah~ My favourite type of writing~. Kidding, of course, I actually prefer reading well written stories and articles)

Anyhow:. 1- I have a really deep unexplainable fear of the vast beast called an ocean (or a sea, or really anytype of deep water), I still go to the beach and pools and whatever, but there's always some sort of an icy grip tightening around my non-existent heart.

2- I love IronMan! So so much, and I kinda adopted Tony Stark!! (no one tell him, please!).

3- my adoration of a certain supernatural series made me love batman! (well, not entirely true, I always loved him, but kinda from afar, you get me?)

4- want me to get hooked on something? Give me a fanfic of it!! (of course like a series or a book, not a substance, you bad bad people!!), that's how I loved Bilbo!! (imagine me saying it in my adorable voice, the one I use when I try to sound cute 😉)

5- I binge read a certain fanfic about those two amazing superheroes saving the world, and themselves!! (I refuse to give up the name since if you think this is me oversharing? You've got another thing coming, honey!) that had a cruise and another prototype of the IronMan suit (don't ask which mark it is but it's so fast it broke the sound barrier!!)

6- I'm a little bit under the weather, (not corona, folks!) and my throat is kinda itchy, to the point that I lost all my vocal prowess for a little more than 24 hours a few days ago, still kinda annoying, and my stomach rebelled so much yesterday (before and during sleeping) that I thought she should take the rebellion symbol from Mr. Che Jivara!! (with all due respect to him, I'm only joking, so please no one takes it seriously).

7- I'm a little bit of a spacetoon (and all that's good and beautiful in our childhood) encyclopedia, want a name of a cartoon or a song you can't remember? I'm usually your best bet, after the second mother, google, of course!!

8- this week is so dead that if you want to see zombies come to our lectures any time in it, seriously we're so under a lot of exams, thank God and the doctors for postponing our tasks and assignments' due-date.

9- if I was a little more of an extrovert I might not have had to write most of these strange snippets about me in a freaking post!!!

And finally, on with the dream! (another thing you probably know by now, that I kinda take you around and under and left and right before I say what I want to say).

So, it was an assignment to some sort of subject (don't ask me which, since as far as I know, not a single thing in our curriculum will make me do what I'm about to do here, or at least, I hope so!!!), we made some type of fall-body suit that needed analysing (who am I kidding, it was the IronMan suit!!), and guess who was picked as a pilot? That's right! Yours truly!!

Anyway, good thing to bad, we had to make the prototype test in the middle of the (as I said above) the vast beast! Mr. Oceanus (I know that that is a Mr. Titan, but who am I, the lowly mortal, to deny his decision to appear in my paragraphs? And no, he didn't show up in the dream, thank God! [ours, not any of the others]),

So, I was put in the cruise, in the middle of the ocean, with the IronMan suit, and a seriously sick stomach, can you guess where we're going with this? (I'm actually kinda enjoying writing this since it reminds me of a certain mad superhero/not superhero who finally joined the XMen!, of course he joined a few years ago but I only watch the second movie circa a month ago) no? let me tell you, a bit of dizziness, seasickness, and an already rebellious stomach? Not a good combination, and remember that I really, really fear the ocean (just remembering the dream and the images in my head is traumatising, let alone living it vividly for a few hours), so, I fell, and strangely enough, I was a good swimmer (ah~ I really count my blessings here since no matter who or when someone taught me to swim, I still can't manage), I was able to stay close to the ship, but couldn't really pull myself up, so all I could do was keep a good hold on a rope tied around the ship and keep my legs in a calculated, slow what feels like a walking-in-place exercise,, (I can still feel the water around me, and the gentle waves of the ocean, it was both a calming feeling and a horrible one) and then...

Something touched the soles of my feet, and it kinda hurt, and it continued to move under me till something hit my toes, it was a shark fin, that's right, a shark choose me as his next meal, how honoured I was!!! Kidding i was kinda terrified, but all that YouTube survival videos came to mind, I left the rope of the ship and kinda dipped under water (triple scare, here, yikes!) and I... pushed.. his muzzle?

Yeah, so not really what they taught you in the videos, my polite nature rears its ugly head again (politeness is not as good as it seems, people! actually once a stray dog entered our home and jumped on the couch, and I was asking nicely and politely if "Mr. Dog would pretty please leave us be", and no, I wasn't scared but mom told me not to touch it, and it kinda was a cute, if a mangy mutt)

I didn't really want to punch the shark, even if my life kinda depended on it here, for a few reasons and actually at least one of them was pretty reasonable, which is, my punch is pretty weak, guys!!

Anyway, of course since its skin kinda scratched my feet there was blood, so it didn't leave me alone, two things I concluded here, first, Mr. Shark was either a lazy guy since he was coming to me slowly as if he either was a giant cat coming for pets no matter how many times you push her, or he was playing with his food, aka, me.

The second thing I discovered was that I was really sick in real life since my imagination couldn't conjure another family member of my guest here (again with the small mercies, can you imagine being alone around all these carnivores? And I bet not all of them will be moving so leisurely!!)

So, I finally decided to be the champ of my cruise and punch the thing in the face, so I pulled up all the power I can in my fist and punched him in his snout!!!

And let me tell you, it's not as easy is they make it sound, first, his nose is actually pretty hard, not the sensitive area they led us to believe, second, my hand really hurt and his skin scratched my knuckles, and I believe it kinda broke a bone in my hand, third, and worse, it actually enraged the mister so much that it left me, J-squared again and this time, flew! in my direction and I swear I still feel his teeth sinking in the shin of my right leg, but before he tore it apart, I actually did the right thing to defend myself, I (and I apologise, Mr. Dream shark, but you really hurt both my leg and my feelings!!) poked his eyes, which made for a very awkward stretch to my body, but finally, I was left alone!! With a mangled leg, of course, but hey!! It's not real life, so let's be glad.

The saltwater stinging my feet, still sick, and more dizzy from blood loss, you have no idea how glad was I that I was still near the ship, a little bit more than a meter but still floating, and then, the bad became worse, I actually goT SWALLOWED WHOLE BY A WHALE!!!!!!!!, YUP!! THE WHALE IN THE PICTURE!!!

And then god with his mercies again, it swallowed the ship but opened his mouth for me to leave, neat, ain't it?

But let me tell you what happened in a little more details, I felt a ripple in the water beneath and around me, and the ship started to sway, and a faint sound of something between a roar and strange song-like-sound, feeling the rumble under me was what made me look, and lo and behold!! The mighty animal wanted the meal that the shark didn't get, bye bye world!! Bye bye the suit that I still didn't to get to wear! And bye bye the report I needed to write for this freaking assignment that because of it I might fail and my friends will rail me when they see me!!

The ship and I couldn't help but enter the mouth of the humongous fish, the sounds of the wood, metal, glass and whatever is the cruise was made of was deafening, so loud and cruel, and I got a more than a few bruises and abrasions, and the feel of his teeth behind my back, sharp and huge and bigger than my own size, was something I don't know how to describe, and suddenly between all the breaking and suffocating water and absolute darkness, something caught my eyes, the slits in the helmet of the suit were lit, I'm sure it was a malfunction because of all the destruction on Mark, but it took all my fear, as if sucking it from my own eyes, and as sudden as it glowed, it vanished, but the calm remained, I closed my eyes, since it didn't matter, and just stopped everything, even trying to hold my breath, but not breathing as well, as if all body functions just... Stopped.

And then my eyes flew open again, not because I woke up, but because of an almost crushing change in the water pressure, it just pushed me forward more inside the huge mouth, and when I thought that this is it, I found the whale mouth moving further away from me, taking the ship and Mark with it, and leaving me alone, in the middle of the ocean that I wanted to say "c'mon!! If you ate me it'll be a win-win situation!!!!" but the second I opened my mouth water rushed inside that I tried swimming up to breath (even though not knowing which way is up was problematic, since something similar happened in real life before I wasn't worried, but that's a story for another time), breaking the surface was a godsend, I tell you! But my misery wasn't in any way over, I was so thirsty I actually wanted to drink salt water a again (and then death, oh wow, how smart?), and once the adrenaline deserted me, my leg returned to trying to kill me, and I don't know if it was a real thing if it happened in real life but it actually stopped bleeding, which was both fantastic, since it means that I won't die of bloodloss, and horrifying since I'm not going to die because of bloodloss, at least then I would have been able to calculate an approximate time for my death, but no, I have to wait and see what kills me next, I almost wished that I just had my previous stomachache and be done with.

Anyway, moving was not really an option, and staying was not either, and the breeze was making me so cold my teeth almost broke from all the shattering they were doing, I wasn't really sure when the others might decide to check on me, and I'm not really sure if I was still in the place they left me at, and I really didn't know what to do, I was so helpless, and cold, and thirsty, in so much pain and so so tired.

I cursed the whale again for not ending my misery, and cursed the shark for being a coward and not finishing what he started and cursing the assignment for being so impossible yet important, and most of all cursing myself, though I don't know why, but my self-loathing decided that now is the time to remember how horrible I am.

As physics does, the water raised me till I was floating on my back, which made me feel even more cold but I didn't have any energy to do anything about it, and strangely, I fell into some sort of doze, not asleep yet not really awake and aware, my whole body half above half into the water, though my right, injured leg, was bend in the knee into the water, which made my pained scream when something took hold of it in its mouth the more agonizing since it made my upper body enter the water, and the thing holding my leg left it alone, and I was able to right myself and look around me for the next threat, the fear was immense that I thought I might get a heartattack, which, admittedly would be better than the pain going to be inflicted upon me any second now, looking around finally led me to what attacked me, and for a moment, with my blurry, and fear filled eyes looked like Mr. Shark has indeed returned to finish what he started, he even returned to his play-with-my-food attitude, but when my eyes finally focused they detected differences, from the lighter shade of colors, to the more smooth curves of the fin and snout, and the gentle, warm (even if it looked sleepy) strange brown tone of the mammels eyes,

The dolphin was about two meters away, and looking at me with intense, twinkling eyes (if they were blue and he wore glasses, or at least marking that looks like it, I would have thought that the dolphin was Dumbledore' animagus and I really wouldn't have hesitated this time to punch his already crocked nose.. err.. snout [which it isn't, the dolphin's snout was perfect] with my broken hand!!) and moved slowly towards me, he pushed me gently with his nose in my abdomen, swam back a few inches, then entered the water and moved towards my leg, not touching it, but he was close enough to feel with my already almost destroyed sensitive nerves, he did all of that while I'm standing/floating, stupefied, hardly even breathing, and then he left, and pushed me again with his snout on my back, this time with more pressure that my body couldn't help but move to the dolphin's right side to let him pass, with my hand just above his back, when my hand touched his prominent back fin, he pushed my hip gently, as if telling me something, and pushed his fin into my hand again, it felt like rubber, and I couldn't help but ask "you want me to hold you?" he made a strange clicking noise then kinda slapped the water with his side fin in the other side of me, and bizarrely, his actions made me feel as if he was saying "are you stupid? Why else would I offer you my magnificent dorsal?!!" I stared, flummoxed, at the creature and couldn't help but throw my head back and laugh, I'm certain that it was the tension, fear and hysteria that made me do it, but for me, the whole situation was so hilarious that it seemed like it made Mr. Dolphin look at me and think "alright, the pathetic, hurt, star-shaped blemish is, indeed, stupid and needs help from my majesty" and then, using his right fin, slapped me non-too-gently on the side of my left hip, squeaking something as well and pushed his dorsal in my left hand again, but when he noticed my wince, he actually kinda rubbed his slippery appendage on my thigh while honest-to-god cooed at me that I couldn't help but smile at him, "it's okay, big guy, and thanks; you know, you kinda remind me of flipper!" and then I petted him a couple of times (which he purred at, I think I need a cat! 🤔🤔) then grabbed his fin in a tight but non constricting grip, my right hand was swollen by now so my only hope was to keep holding using my left hand, after shaking his body a little as if to check my hold, he dove with me into the water!! I almost screamed in fright but then he broke the surface and jumped about three meters high into the air!!!

Hello, there, adrenaline, didn't see you since a few!!

He dove again into the water and this time gradually moved towards the surface, with the water flowing into my hair and pushing me from my saviour, my left leg moved on its own violation and moved around the body as if I was riding a horse,

"WOOHOO!!", I shouted once we were in the air again, it was exhilarating; cold, but thrilling, though the warm body beneath me was perfect, he took me in a straight if slightly curvy line, and when I noticed that, I also noticed that his right fin was not moving as his left, I even thought he was injured for a second, but then a sharp sting in my leg and a slight jerk from him made me understand, my injured leg was beneath his wing-like appendage, and he was being considerate, as a solution, I flattened myself on his back, kept my left leg dangling as if in the horse saddle, my right one, as gently as possible, bend on the knee above the dolphin's back, my left hand gripping the top fin with it touching my shoulder, and my broken right hand above Mr. Flipper's cousin head, and then I came into a a sudden realization!! "does that mean I'm Lopaka????" I asked Flipper the second, and he made a sound suspiciously almost like a snort, but my change of position made him move in a much more pronounced straight line; the speed decreased as I started to doze again, as if he was worried about dislodging me, though the annoying feeling of the salt crusting on my skin woke me up, no idea how much time had past, except that the sun was on either the verge of descending or rising, and finally, finally, I saw land and buildings and what not from afar, and I certainly moved to another continent all together, let alone another country, after reaching the area where I could stand comfortably on the ground beneath the water, people started to come to see what was happening, I ignored them for the sake of my silent companion, suddenly he actually stood on his tail fin, and kinda sort of awkwardly leaned on me without trying to put too much pressure, I didn't understand what was happening though it seemed sorta like a hug?

Anyway, I pat his back again, (and again with the weird purring noise), when he released me I felt buzzing in the back pocket of my jeans, I actually still have my phone!!!

Pulling it out and snorting that after everything that happened my phone was still working!! all I could say is "well, it seems like the time of a picture, Mr. Flipper, sir!" and after an awkward kneeling so I could put my injured arm around him and trying to stretch my bloody leg (both meanings are accurate here, tbh) so it wouldn't interfere with the selfie, I positioned my left hand.

And the last thing I remember is the picture of my (Lopaka the second 😂) wide mouth grin and an equally wonderful grin from Mr. Flipper the second!!!

The End.

It really was a dream I had, with all these details, the only thing that's not entirely true about this post, is saying that this is the weirdest dream I had.

[alicedopey]

Some Ivar TLC

This is a little fic for the Winter Wonderland Writing Challenge of @oddsnendsfanfics and @pixiedustandfairywings .

I picked the situation Playing in the snow with modern Ivar.

Pairing: Ivar / Reader

Genre: Romance / Fluff

Words: 1122

Warnings: None

Beautiful banner by my lovely @naaladareia

Christmas was your favorite holiday. You loved winter, the snow, the decorations, the songs, the atmosphere in general. This year was different though. This year, you felt like the Grinch and Scrooge had possessed your soul. You didn't even want to celebrate Christmas and this fact angered you even more.

Your parents had chosen to spend the holidays abroad with your brother and his wife. And you couldn't go because you had to work on Christmas Eve. You had tried to make them see reason, persuade them to stay with you and leave afterward but they had refused to heart about it.

“Y/N, try to understand. We would like to spend Christmas with our grandchildren.”

You understood perfectly but the child in your heart was shattered. There wouldn't be your mother's Christmas pudding, no exchanging of gifts in front of the Christmas Tree, no bickering with your brother about silly things. You would not exactly be alone but you wouldn't be with them either and that was the main issue. Since your parents had shared the news, you were feeling sad and grumpy.

Ivar, who usually was the grumpy one, had tried to cheer you up many times.

“You want to go to the Christmas Market downtown ?”, “Fancy a cup of eggnog?”, “What about Christmas songs?”

Every time, you refused in a grouchy way. You knew you were testing his willpower as you selfishly pushed away his attempts to make you feel better. Nonetheless, he remained calm each time... until this morning when you snapped at him about going to his parents for the event with another; “I don't care. Do what you want.”

Ivar had taken a deep breath and answered very coldly. “You know what ? Maybe I'll go and leave you here so that you have every reason to complain about being alone on Christmas.”

Feeling tears threatening to fell, you had just turned your back on him and left for work.

Remorse followed you all day long. Your behavior was not fair to him. He wanted to be there for you and you acted like a whimsical child.

So you went back home, determined to apologize and make amends. You opened the front door of the nice and cozy home you've been sharing with your boyfriend for two years now. In spite of his family being the wealthiest ever, you insisted on having something simple where you could feel at home. Another reason to apologize since Ivar had agreed to your request with no hesitation.

A nice heat welcomed you when you entered the room. Ivar had lit a small fire.

“Ivar.” No answer. “Ivar, I'm home.” Still no answer but you felt your phone vibrating in your pocket. It was a text from him.

“I'm outside. Join me ?”

You sighed but let go of your bags and made your way to the back door and into the snow-covered garden. You frowned, Ivar was nowhere to be seen. You took a few steps and looked around but there was no sign of him. What was he up to ?

“Ivar, are you playing hide-and-seek ? Ivar ? Iv....”

Splat ! Something hard and cold connected with your head. Your eyes widened when you realized somebody had just thrown a snowball at you ! You turned around and your eyes met the facetious ones of Ivar before another snowball hit you right on the chest.

“Come on, babe. Play with me !” Then, he threw another snowball at you to prove his point.

His smile was so contagious that a big one was finally stretching your own lips.

You gathered some snow in your hands to make a ball and took a few steps back in order to hide behind one of the many white bushes in your garden.

Once you were settled, the fight began. Snowballs were flying while your giggles where mingling to Ivar's laughs. You felt good and light. All negative thoughts had left your body to be replaced by a bubble of giddiness. You and Ivar were playing like little children with no worries in the world.

You played this way until you were both drenched from the snowballs hitting you and your cheeks were rosy from the cold.... and until Ivar lost his infuriating smirk when you managed to hit him on the face with a huge ball.

“Not so funny now, is it ?” He pouted and you laughed, offering him to build a snowman instead.

Ivar complied and tried to help you as much as he could since it appeared that it was his first snowman. When he saw your shocked face to his announcement, he merely shrugged his shoulders, reminding you that he had always disliked winter and everything related to it.

But still, he helped you and seemed to have fun, even using his scarf to dress up your creation. You watched him doing so and couldn't help beaming at him.

“Thank you.”

His eyes snapped up to yours. “What for ?”

“All of this.” You gestured to the snowman and the whole garden. “Sorry I've been so horrible to you lately. It's not fair.”

“Never mind.” He leaned over you and pecked your lips. “I know how much you usually love this time of the year and it sucks that you can't spend it with your folks.”

“Still....I shouldn't have acted this way. I'm sorry again and I can't wait to celebrate with your family. I acted like a selfish kid.”

He softly caressed your cheek. “I'm glad you feel better. It was nice to be the one cheering up the other for once.”

“Well, at least you know who I'm coping with every day.” You teased him before cupping his cheeks in your hands when you heard him scoff.

“I love you, Ivar.” It was your turn to peck his lips. Then, he surprisingly put one of his hands behind your neck and gave you a kiss that left you both breathless.

“I love you too.” He added against your mouth when his lips left yours.

You smiled. “Hot chocolate ?”

He shook his head. “Mmh, mmh babe. It's eggnog season.”

An airy laugh left your lips as you got away from him. “Oh, you so love Christmas.”

“I do not !” He replied indignantly in your back.

“Okay, okay....if you say so!” You waved your hand dismissively and made your way back inside.

As you started fixing your drinks, Ivar's head appeared in the door frame. “Can I get some Christmas cookies with it ?”

Tagging: @naaladareia @therealcalicali @tephi101 @ivarslittlebadgirl @ivarswickedqueen @akamaiden @mblaqgi @peaceisadirtyword @thevikingsheaux

[beowulfs-booty-call]

I like to share love, so I'm glad it helps. I believe everyone can find love, and generally what you're describing sounds like my beliefs, though I'm much more a hard polytheist than a soft one. As far as Freya? Lots of potential things, but that's most of the basics. I'm glad that you found confidence though. Self-confidence is one of those things I struggle with, but if it helps I also think you look good too. Was more the emotional/mental side I was complimenting earlier though. :)

Ah! Now I understand, I want to apologize then, on my behalf for not fully understanding what you’d meant at the time! (Unfortunately, I answered your ask at around... 2 AM or so in NY time, so, I really am sorry if you got a whole long answer on something completely else!)

That aside, I really agree with your ideas on that. Everyone can find love, and, they deserve it to, as well in the sense of both the word, and well, love.

The reason I steered more towards... Physical love, I’d say, was mainly because I’m still... opening up in the side of emotional / mental side (in terms of Incubus-focuses and their emphasis of course!). On one end of the spectrum, Incubi / Succubi can have emotional sides rather than an erotic focus, but that’s just their actual representation. They’re amalgamation of human desires put into form, one can say, so to speak. The other, is the more commonly known eroticism as to, in some cultures, “mate with a human and create a foul half breed” (which, if I’m correct was more of the older archetypes. Considering Merlin was prophesied as one of their half children, I think it’s supposed to mean that side of the coin, though... I could be wrong in the context of time here..!)

The emotional / mental side of them aren’t really... always seen to people. In some ways, it’s almost nonexistent, but you’re like... What’s the saying?

“Always the bridesmaid, never the bride?”

That’s the sort of life motto you’re “branded” with, to acknowledge, and to understand. It’s definitely something that is sort of a burden to carry, because there’s times I’d fantasize about just a random person I met in a cafe and think, “Boy... What’d I’d do to wake up to someone like them tomorrow morning...” And then... there’d be more perverse thoughts of course and such, but the emotional side, of commitment, of just hand holding, or cuddling on the couch while reading 3 AM fanfics of your favorite characters... It leads you to believe all you’re really good for, is the eroticism, you know?

Of course, that’s only just what most incubi / succubi struggle with for the time being, and, after a while, I shook it off once I got back into stuff like Sailor Moon and of course Amy Rose from Sonic the hedgehog, and really sort of got the understanding of what love really means. I could harp on, on what you already know, but, it was amazing, to say the least. Not just, saying it in a card, or, valentines chocolates (I will, of course, eat them, if offered) but just... Saying it. With meaning. 

Supporting the people you care about, and showing it in your daily life for them. Always being there to understand and help carry them to their potential. It’s magnificent, to say the least. 

And, I’d like to apologize again, if I misunderstood anything as well, but that’s just my opinion on the emotions of the night folk, besides myself. It’s liberating, yet... Chained. You’re led to believe it’s only the physical side of you that’s meant to be charming, that it must be an aesthetic, a pleasure, a masterpiece if you will, but you’re not happy with it. A lot of the sex demons struggle with that. They’ve gotten lust down, charm, wit, tenacity... But they don't have love. At least, they don’t really understand it.

I want to really thank you for the kind words, honestly. While I’m still working up the courage to wake up every morning, look in the mirror and say, “Hey, rise and shine, today’s going to be wonderful. Can you see it written on your face?” I’ve definitely gotten far enough to not look at things as black and white as before. Before... It was like, all eyes are on you, keep appearances sharp, sensual, and walk with a gait that saunters over with power and grace.

...Now, I’m just... Me! To say the least. I wear my favorite outfits here and there, I splurge on myself to treat myself better, and really, just take care of myself. Of course, the reason I work with Venus / love magic best, is because I’ve well, unrequited love in the sense. There’s someone out there I’m living for, and, while I know it’s not meant to be, they’ve taught me a lot about myself, and about the world. Of course, it doesn’t hinder me or anything, but since I met that person, I think I finally understood what I know now about love, not just in the familial sense Parvati taught me, or the Eroticism Lilith exudes. I’m still learning though, like everyone else.

Still, your beliefs sound so... Unique and inspiring! In all honesty? It’s like a breath of fresh air, hearing about that, especially your bond with Freyja! I’d love to hear about the potential things you have there, someday, if it’s alright, since it seems I got the basics down! But, in all seriousness, I suppose looking back on my own, I don’t really “know” what my beliefs could be classified as. I would definitely say a form of soft polytheism, since Hinduism is a huge on the topic, as well as Paganism (at times). But at best? I’ve dealt with many deities and demons, and while I know they’re different in both persona, and context, I’ve always felt, maybe, they’re who we believe to be, whether it is being comfortable seeing the god of the afterlife as the goddess Izanami in Yomi, or Hades in the Underworld, you know? But, at the same time, there’s also lots of questions I find myself asking, to my own beliefs too. For example, 

- Most Ars Goetian demons were at once, angels, the same for the fallen. Beelzebub was considered at one point, the god Baal, and the other, Bael. If that was the case... Does that mean, one can conjure either form and it would in fact, be Beelzebub / Baal / Bael in the context of nature? Would the separate entities acknowledge their other forms? In a sense, yes, when I summoned Baal for questions on politics and power, (What are the two, how can I use them effectively?) he spoke about his “other” form as being the king of flies and filth and that laying others down to build one’s self up is the nature of man. Things like that, besides his er... “advice”, tends to make me reevaluate what I already “understand”.

- Are the cultures we already know, not anglicized, but perhaps, evaluated in different ways for us to comprehend? It’s a more philosophical question, I admit, but it’s definitely one on my mind for some time. One could argue about the Roman and Greek mythos being near one and the same, but it’s not my place to do so (Considering it’s not my culture, nor... Well, my main interest. I’ve been more so pondering the question to some of my friends who do take up the mythos as their life and such, and we like to ask each other these sort of questions to ourselves. Not just to make fun or poke at each others beliefs, but more so to maybe grip some form of understanding of the things we have faith in.

- Who are we, as humans, and to what are the Gods and Goddesses? It sounds rather... rebellious in a sense, but there are times I question things and wonder, if Parvati is primordial and always in the background of things, yet, we can see her work or Vesta, or even Hera in the world, what are we really? Do we have a purpose that exists beyond their scope of things? And,  what are they, in terms of our human understanding? Mothers? Fearsome entities? Intangible concepts for us to acknowledge, respect, and see to answer that through our work as witches and devotees?

There’s so many questions I have for myself, that, while I don’t lay down myself as really anything but Hindu and Pagan, makes me so excited to see others who think differently. There's a lot to wonder and think about, not just about yourself and the subject matter of what your offerings do to please the deities or the demons we bond with in our every day lives.

So, really, thank you so much for taking the time out and having such a wonderful discussion with me here, like I always say, I’m always open to asks and anything you ever need! But also, thank you for letting me think about myself more, not just in how far I came along, but also how far I know I’m going to go, I can only say the same for you, for really getting your thoughts out to people! As silly as it may sound over .txt, but I offer my deepest gratitude and blessings for you to be as content as can be in your life, no matter where you go, anon. 

Go in peace, and may the (I would say Æsir or the Vanir, however, I’m not sure which pantheon Freyja and Freyr would fall under considering the Æsir had Odin’s side, and the Vanir had the twins born under them, until taken under the Æsir as either hostages or honorary members?) deities make life nothing but grand to you, your problems lifting into the air like feathers in the wind, your freedom bound to no one, and your future enshrined with wonder and joy.