#i'm way less picky with this for some reason

[moe-broey]

OKAY OKAY I'M GONNA POST SOME OF MY RAMBLINGS FROM THE GROUP CHAT BC. I'm SO EXCITED about what I fucking scored (these are just snippets I Talked. A Lot LMFAOO)

Okay. Context. Just one pic that doesn't do it full justice bc it has cool little details too (ESP: little straps near the waist that button/unbutton, EXTREMELY USEFUL AND IDEAL to carry my noise cancelors with) (will hit image limit so just saying Dude Trust Me)

Okay. GO

LIKE. LIKE. I went on a whole ass journey about this. The vest I'm talking about in that last screenshot is this really gorgeous handmade green/beige blocked w flower print (it's like. Femme Masc. To me) that I got at a craft fair, for reference! Something I Barely wear/honestly save for special occasions bc 1) the Collar I did not factor in The Collar BUT. I FIXED THIS. WITH SAFETY PINS. Honestly I don't know why I didn't think to do that sooner. And 2) It's... incredibly difficult to pair w my usual jacket. If not impossible.

THIS... CAN CHANGE.... like something I said that I cut out here is The Potential. Of customizing this jacket Intentionally. So that I can layer it in both directions -- worn on top of things ofc but FOCALLY. Easy to wear Underneath something.

IDK IDK I'M JUST SOOOOOO PICKY ABOUT MATERIAL AND HOW THINGS FIT so it's like INSANELY COOL. That I scored something Like This that fits Perfectly to my preferences AND is really good material ESP when I've been wanting to start a new punk jacket For Forever...... again, with more intention this time! I don't have any clear plans or ideas. But I am thinking about The Purpose of it, what I Want from it, and exactly How I want it. And going from there!

[libraincarnate]

astrology notes: 16 ☁️

quick note: i'm absolutely not an astrologer. these are just a collection of some observations, thoughts, theories, and personal experiences based on astrology. with that being said, i'm still learning along the way & i may come back to edit this post to make corrections. above all this is just for fun. lastly, keep in mind that i’m not reading your birth chart and i know nothing about you. these are just some possibilities that may or may not apply to you. enjoy!

🐚 neptune–venus aspects: you probably get compliments on your appearance a lot. you may have been told that you look a model or a celebrity. there's some sort of star quality to you.

if your neptune is square/opposite your venus, you might struggle to see the same beauty that others see in you. it’s not that you think you’re ugly but you might not think you’re as attractive to the extent that others do, so it makes you wonder what other people are seeing. you might think they’re lying or exaggerating. compliments could also be hard for you to accept. the attention you get can make you a little uncomfortable.

🐚 i used to think that virgo venuses were too nonchalant when it comes to love but this placement will give you that real princess or prince treatment that goes beyond money and materialistic items - that kind of princess/prince treatment may apply more to taurus and sag, but with virgo they give the kind of treatment that considers their partner’s entire well-being and not just their monetary needs and desires. they really care about their partners and want to put their life at ease, they truly care if you ate and aren’t just asking that just to ask. if you haven’t eaten they won’t just say, “oh, damn” or “oh no, eat something :/” but they’re the type to create time to make you something or buy you something to eat and even bring it to you. if they can make your life less stressful in any way, they’ll try to do that. if you’re sick, they’ll take on some of your responsibilities like tidying up your house for you since you aren’t able to do so. there can be times where they won’t even let you lift a finger. the types to say, “i’ll take care of that for you” even if you can do it yourself.

they’re reliable so if they say they’ll do something, you can expect them to do it. but this placement may often find themselves in a position where they’re always being the care taker so they want someone who takes care of them too. these individuals are often anxious and may be quite paranoid when it comes to romantic relationships so they desire someone who will put their mind and life at ease. they can be picky and difficult to impress because of their high standards and because they’re quick to get the ick, but once they love you they’ll really go above and beyond.

🐚 sun opposite rising: your looks may not match your personality and you might even think so yourself. for example, you might look innocent or younger than you are, but really, you’re quite mature and there’s a dark, wild, or unexpected side of you. your looks are deceiving.

🐚 capricorn rising/in the 1st house: you are someone who had ambition and big plans from a young age. money could be a big part of your identity. the ones making “money moves” fr. you could have a lot of work experience. you’ve been working/touching money since your pre-teen or teenage years. 

if your cap rising aspects your mercury then subjects related to money/finance could be something that is always on your mind and it frequently comes up in your conversations as well.

or if it aspects your lilith, then you may be the type to get money by any means necessary, meaning you might be willing to do illegal/immoral things to obtain it. but in your mind, you probably think you have a good reason to do it. something made it worth the risk because capricorns are too rational, prudent, and judicious to just do anything without good reason.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ𓇼 ˖°

🐚 lilith in pisces: might deal w/ sleep related issues such as insomnia, sleep apnea, sleepwalking, etc. 

🐚 sun conjunct mercury (natal): your father may be someone you hold in high regard and therefore someone you speak highly of most of the time. it’s possible that you tend to reflect on the memories you share with him, your similarities/differences, and the influence he has had in your life.

🐚 jupiter in the 7th house: you bring abundance into the relationships you have. this can be a friendship, business partnership, romantic relationship, etc. your loved ones are lucky to have you in their life. you’re generous and you’re the type to spoil & splurge on those closest to you. you bring encouragement and goodness into the lives of others, even if you haven’t known them for long. you’re a blessing. you could have qualities that make you the perfect wife/husband & you could also be blessed with your perfect spouse in return. unless you’re a jerk, you may be someone that people regret losing, especially your ex.

🐚 aquarius: reminds me of The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) in a way, the ones to step up and help a stranger. they have this innate desire to help people, to help the world, even if it’s done in a small way or even if nobody else sees it.

isn’t it ironic how the sign that’s about humanity and togetherness is the one that feels like an outcast or has been ostracized from some group in some way? whether it be by their family (aquarius in the 4th house), friends (11th house), classmates (3rd house), or co-workers (6th house).

as an air sign, they can talk for hours. but out of the 3 air signs, aquarius is the most socially selective. this can be one of the reasons why they’re often described as cold and distant.

they may not be all sunshine & rainbows but they’re actually kind-hearted individuals. it’s just that they may not always express it in the most warm, affectionate, lovey-dovey way. i wouldn’t describe them as the most emotional individuals but they are still empathetic and they dislike inhumane behavior.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ𓇼 ˖°

🐚 sag experiences life to fullest by going everywhere, seeing everything, learning about it all in the process and then reflecting on what they’ve seen & learned.

taurus experiences life to the fullest by really being present in their physical body. they’ll take in the different sounds of a song and dance to the beat, they'll distinguish the different notes or aromas of a particular smell and then buy similar scents to fill their home with it or to wear as perfume/cologne. when eating, they'll really taste food and explore the different flavors/ingredients, then maybe they’ll try to cook it for themselves. they’re in tune with their senses and therefore the world around them. it’s such a beautiful way to experience life, but this can also mean that they are quite sensitive to their environments. with that being said they may feel a strong connection to nature/the earth.

🐚 cancer in the 10th house: may be perceived as compassionate & loyal, shy, or a sweetheart by the general public. could be sensitive about their reputation and any criticism they receive. they spend time nurturing their career, and their career may even relate to nurturing children, caretaking, or healing. they rely on their intuition or heart to carve out their path and navigate their career. they’re good listeners and as a cardinal sign they also possess that leadership quality. the types to provide their close friends and family with opportunities to help them reach their own success. a desire to take care of their family and their needs once they make it. people within the same industry as them may see them as a motherly mentor.

🐚 scorpio in the 2nd house: they can have deep and/or raspy voices. it’s music to my ears, but especially if it’s a woman with this placement. that’s because women typically have higher pitched voices, and so naturally, these women stand out when they speak. if they can sing well, they can probably reach deeper notes than most women typically can. but in the same breath, it may be hard for them to reach high notes. this applies to both the natal chart & the mercury persona chart.

🐚 saturn rules the teeth and so people with saturn in retrograde in the 1st house, or saturn opposite/square pluto, lilith, mars or the ascendant may have a chipped tooth due to a certain event such as getting hit in the mouth or biting on something hard. or they may have a gap between their front teeth, the type you inherit genetically or from your parents. this doesn’t mean they have ugly teeth or an ugly smile. however, whether they feel like they have an ugly smile or not, they may have a tendency to smile without showing their teeth or they cover their mouth when smiling/laughing in attempt to hide their teeth. either way, there’s a sense of self-consciousness here.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ𓇼 ˖°

🐚 4th house synastry: potential for a strong/solid foundation, they're your comfort place, having a strong desire to live together, moving in together can make the relationship feel more satisfying, fulfilling, or complete. you miss them when they’re not home/around, hate having to say goodbye, long distance could make you both feel miserable or like something is missing. possible separation anxiety. emotional vulnerability, healing, and attachment. taking care of each other. wanting to start a family. this house also creates an environment for a deep connection just like the other houses ruled by water signs.

🐚 if i could communicate with animals i would tell pets to choose owners who have scorpio in the 6th house. these people will loveee their pets to death. their pets would probably be obsessed with them (it would be mutual though) because of the amount of love and attention they would receive from their owners. there’s definitely a strong emotional attachment. but in general, having a water sign in the 6th house indicates a strong emotional connection or bond with pets/animals.

air signs in the 6th house would talk to their pets a lot and they’d be besties lol, they obviously don't speak the same language but they'd understand each other nonetheless. possible animal whisperers here.

earth signs in the 6th house would give their pets the best of the best but i also think this dynamic would bring a mutually grounding effect that could be therapeutic, bringing a sense of calm and peace to the pet and the owner’s life.

fire signs in the 6th house would spoil their pets and they’d have a lot fun doing things together like taking them outdoors and going on adventures. 

🐚 1st house ruler in the 2nd house: the themes of the 1st house includes one’s appearance and the themes of the 2nd house includes one’s physical body and beauty, being that is ruled by venus. while this still applies to libra because it is also ruled by venus and it has the reputation of being beautiful and having physical symmetry, this doesn’t apply to the 7th house, which libra rules, because that house is more related to romance and relationships.

so, since the physical body is part of one’s appearance, if your 1st house is ruled by the 2nd house, not only can this show another layer of your appearance but it can also mean you have a very attractive appearance and body. bonus points if taurus is in the 2nd house since that is the house it rules and it is also ruled by venus.

with that being said, even if you don’t have a libra rising or libra in the 1st house, if it’s in your 2nd house and it rules your first house you may have libra physical traits like freckles or dimples. if aries or leo is in your 2nd house then you may have a lot of hair, red hair (naturally or dyed), or a pronounced face/head. 

the planets in your 2nd house may also have an impact, so if you have mercury there your body may be quite slim. having venus in the 2nd house is also a bonus because again, beauty. jupiter too since it represents blessings so you may be blessed with great looks and this may indicate a thicker or curvier body type as well. i’d also add asteroid aphrodite (1388) as well, being that it represents attraction, & beauty, but planets will have a greater influence. 

lastly, people may like the way you dress and think you have a good sense of style.

^ even if the house that rules your 1st house doesn’t relate to one’s appearance or body, it can still have an influence on your presence. for example, if your 8th house rules your 1st house you probably have sex appeal without even trying to be sexy, people may think you’re secretive, and you might look and feel best when you’re wearing dark colored clothing. but remember, signs matter and can reinforce this or bring out the opposite.

🐚 asteroid juno (3) at a gemini degree (3°, 15°, 27°): can indicate a marriage filled with laughter, lots of conversation, and possibly good communication between you & your spouse, or these are things you desire or must have in a committed romantic partnership.

࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ𓇼 ˖°

🐚 pluto represents things that are hidden. those with pluto in the 1st house may hide or gatekeep their personality or their true self, so many people don’t know the real them. they’re naturally mysterious with deep layers. 

in the 6th house they may hide any health issues they have or how hard their life may be on a daily basis, the types to feel like they’re on the verge of death but no one would know. 

in the 3rd house they may not be quick to reveal their thoughts or what’s on their mind, they try to think before they speak. reminds me of the person who chooses to sit in the back of the class and doesn’t participate much, but they have profound ideas and also a dark mind. their siblings may also feel like they don’t know them very well even if they grew up together and were raised in the same home. furthermore, your sibling’s friends may be surprised to learn that they have a sister/brother (the person with pluto in the 3rd house), because they’ve never seen or heard of them.

🐚 lilith represents the things we reject. in the 1st house, lilith may reject parts of themselves because they find those parts difficult to accept, they might create a new version of themselves but it’s not really authentic since they’re rejecting their true self. they may reject their personal boundaries and can potentially be a push over or they care too much about what others think. this may result in a lack of self-esteem and confidence. they could reject their appearance and do things to constantly change how they look whether that be dyeing their hair, dressing up in ways that are drastically different, or possibly getting cosmetic surgery.

in the 10th house, lilith may reject commands from their superiors, their boss/supervisor may tell them to do something a certain way but they do it their own way, may have a tendency of disobeying their father or they were rejected by their father. they may reject leadership roles and prefer to work alone. they don’t take the “traditional” path to success and may choose a career that their father is against. they could also reject fame or attention from the general public even though that’s something they naturally attract. 

in the 12th house they may reject their dreams, meaning that they think nothing of them, they’re “just dreams” and have no deeper meaning. they might reject the darker parts of themselves and prefer to focus on the parts that aren’t so dark and heavy. because of this there could be painful experiences that they haven’t healed from because they refuse to pay any attention to them. if they are spiritual, then they may have surface level knowledge and aren’t interested in delving into deeper waters. or they could disregard or hate the reality of life on this planet and so they have a tendency of fantasizing about death, the end of the world, or a different/better world. also, they may not be the most generous or charitable people.

🐚 empty houses: some people might think that the empty houses in their chart are insignificant but they still have relevance in your life because a there’s still a sign that falls into that house and that empty house also has a house ruler. for example, if you have an empty 3rd house with leo or sag there, you may still be one of the popular kids in school even if you have no planets in that house.

and let’s say your 3rd house is ruled by the 7th house (meaning your sun or jupiter is in the 7th house), your popularity may stem from your relationships. you may be known because you’ve dated the popular boy/girl at school or you both are popular making you the popular couple at school. perhaps you’ve had several relationships throughout your school years and maybe you’re that person who is always in a relationship which could create some gossip whether it be for good or bad. or maybe you have a lot of people pursuing you and wanting to date you, perhaps you have multiple people wanting to take you to prom or you might be a sophomore and yet you end up going to prom with a senior.

so, empty houses will still play a role in your life, but it will most likely be less active or less prominent compared to the houses that do have planets.

🐚 the 5th house: this is definitely one of my favorite houses. people with multiple placements in the 5th house typically have so much personality. they’re so fun, a joy to be around, truly a burst of sunshine with vibrant energy and they’re also really talented. definitely the life of the party, bringing everyone together with excitement and entertainment. the type to start dancing with or talking to a stranger or that person standing in the corner, making them feel both welcomed and included. they also have this youthful quality to them, which may be one of the reasons why children love them or get along with them well.

if you read this until the end i hope you enjoyed it & thank you so much for reading. ♥︎♥︎♥︎, those hearts are for you.

[notglue-9]

About My AU

This is about how 8 souls in Minecraft afterlife,try to live in peace and harmony.

Random facts about world/lore:

• You can’t stay at night for long as your own nightmares and fears will begin to haunt you.

• Catnap has had corruption three times. And each time it gets worse and more painful.

• on a full moon in Cartoon world, Catnap will turn into that same creepy version of himself from his past life.

• Bobby: mother/big sister figure

Bubba: Big bro/Father figure

Kickin: best Bro/best friend

Hoppy: best sister/best friend

Crafty: comfort shy bestie

Picky: the same kind aunt who will feed and take care of you/sibling figure

• Catnap lives with Bobby or Bubba.

The guys built houses for each other while they were in the afterlife. And they built a House for Dogday in advance.

• It hurts Catnap to show other emotions with his mouth, so he always smiles. But in the animation "Overnight" he was so upset that he didn't care about the pain and to show his sadness to Dogday he erased his smile

About Medallions

medallions are their souls.

Catnap collects the negative emotions of other critters. This makes his medallion increase. Although he helps others, it’s worse for him if he collects a lot of negativity within himself. He's in pain and reaaally Sick.💀

Each critter has their own cracks in their medallions. They show their emotional state.

Why is Catnap's medallion different?

it’s just that Catnap is punished for what he did in a past life. He pays back by helping and providing therapy to others there will be a rollback from negativity only if someone helps him. But no one will help him yet. The worse the Catnap medallion stage, the more his voice disappears, his beautiful lullaby voice becomes either mute or creepy.

The reason why Catnap is still cursed with this "therapy" ability. He feels guilty for all his mistakes. And it haunts him. His guilt hits harder than other negative emotions of smiling critters.

Sometimes a big red cloud hangs over him in the shape of his past life. And until he forgives himself and does not help others. He will be forever cursed and suffer

Cracked or Cursed Medallions symptoms

When Catnap is too overwhelmed with negativity. He coughs up Red Smoke.

But it doesn’t affect the others in any way. Although other critters are scared by this smoke. Especially Dogday.

Broken medallions.

These are souls that have not found peace, traumatized, broken. They feel bad mentally.

About ARCS.

Arc 0. - Catnap's Therapy. Pilot lmao

Arc 1. - Eclipse, nightmares and dreams,"I'm sorry"

Arc 2.- Corruption,Hey Dogday,,the groundhog Day,comics about other Critters

Arc 3- (Red crescent arc) - Your face,Camping, Theatre, others in future

Arc 4.- After prank, overnight,Moon's everyday Life.

Arc 1- Everyone hates Catnap. They shun him. Beat him,kick him. Bobby was the first to befriend him.

Arc. 2.Catnap helps them cope with their traumas that have begun to appear and interfere with their lives.

Arc 3.They are all more or less well. Some notice Catnap's strange behavior. Dogday has a hard time accepting Catnap. He already wanted to more or less make the relationship better. But the Red Moon appeared.

Their voices ,Their speaking style

Dogday: The deep voice of a veteran who went through a 100-year war. But sometimes it changes to squeaky if it experiences strong emotions. He remained expressive, but his face is always angry as if it would bite you.

Catnap: Actually he was mute. But he was given a voice in the afterlife. He still can't get used to it. His voice is very gentle, cold and pleasant to the ear, like the Cradle. His voice is also designed for singing.

Bobby: Calming tone, tactile when communicating. Sometimes she makes beautiful speeches. And very chatty. Loves to gossip.

Bubba: Monotonous and calculating Voice. He speaks briefly and clearly. And doesn't gesture at all and he is very passive.

Kickin: He deliberately makes his voice tone rougher to seem cool. He comes up with different slangs and often makes funny gestures. But when he's scared, his voice becomes very squeaky and he chirps like a Chicken.

Hoppy: She has a loud and confident voice, like a fitness club trainer. She will never tire of shouting motivational words at you. She often jumps and runs around you. She doesn't sit still while she chats with you.

Crafty: A gentle and sweet voice, like a princess. She is often distracted and has Daydreaming Syndrome.

Loves fairy tales and everything that is not from reality. She can debate her point of view about creativity

Picky: She has a very fun and playful voice. But sometimes you don’t understand whether she’s happy or ready to roast you in a fire.

A truly charming farmer and chef. Loves the Western theme.

About Chronology.

First arc - Catnap enters the afterlife. And everyone will begin to take revenge on him in their own way. Only Bobby will be there for him

Second arc - Catnap helps all of his friends to help recover from their traumas, and slowly wins their trust.

Third arc - Everything will more or less calm down. Only Dogday has the most difficult period of acceptance. There will be a lot of adventure beyond this. And only when Dogday wants to fix everything. The red moon appears on the horizon

(camping, theatre )

fourth arc - is Catnap's self-exile. everyone misses catnap

Arc five- blocked

Arc six- blocked

[imagine-you]

You Know I Love You Too Much To Be Crushed Like That [Erik Campbell/Reader]

Summary: You're at the end of a long shift at the hospital and eager to get home and go to bed. But on your way to grab a snack for the ride home, you run into your ex. You would do anything to get him back, but first you've got to convince him not to kill his baby brother with a pack of peanut butter cups. Word Count: 5k Author's Notes: I've been in such a writing slump, but I fell in love with Erik and couldn't get this idea out of my head. I'm not a medical professional, obviously, so forgive any mistakes. I'm also a sucker for a fix-it fic, so here y'all go. 💖

Read On AO3

If anyone asked you about the biggest regret of your life, you would lie and say it was putting yourself through academic hell and getting your doctorate right before you hit twenty-five. But that wasn't your biggest regret. It wasn't even really a regret at all.  

What you really regretted, even though you would never admit it to anyone, was losing Erik.  

He drove you crazy and your fights were always epic. He was the only person you knew who could truly get under your skin and make you feel like you were going to lose your mind. But you loved him so much you felt like you couldn’t breathe without him some days. For three and a half years, he was your everything. But somewhere along the line, you fell apart.  

You were constantly working or studying or stressing over your future and Erik started staying later and later at the tattoo shop since you weren’t around. Before you knew it, you went days and then weeks without seeing him.  

You got so wrapped up in finishing your degree that before you knew it, Erik wasn't in your life anymore.  

It had been nearly a year since you were together, but he still featured heavily on your mind. You thought about picking up your phone and sending him a text several times a day. Half the time you wished you could hear his voice even if just for a moment. Even if he was pissed off, you didn’t care. You just wanted to know he was thinking about you. 

You missed the way he held you and the way he would press a kiss to your forehead when he knew you were sad. You missed being tangled up together in his bed and watching him get all worked up playing video games. You missed his laugh and sardonic sense of humor and the way he made you smile.  

No one could make you smile like he did.  

You even missed his family. While your own family situation was less than ideal, the Campbell family had welcomed you with open arms. Even though you and Erik were done, you still called Julia every few weeks and sent funny memes to Bobby. Howard had even invited you over to eat dinner more than once and Brenda sent you care packages since she was worried you weren’t taking care of yourself.  

 Without Erik, you didn’t feel complete. You felt like a part of you was missing. You were merely a shell of yourself, half-alive and searching for a reason to keep going. You thought getting your degree and living out your dream of becoming a doctor would make it all worth it, but without Erik, it just felt like a hollow victory. You were just so fucking lonely that you didn’t know what to do with yourself anymore. 

You knew it was only a matter of time before you caved and tried to get Erik back. You didn't know when and you didn't know how, but it was inevitable.  

You just never thought it would happen because Erik wanted to kill Bobby.  

You thought maybe it was just wishful thinking that had you hearing Erik's voice. You were exhausted, coming off a twelve-hour shift of shadowing and making calls you didn't feel prepared to make. All you wanted was your bed, food, and enough sleep to make the dead envious. You weren't even all that picky about the order that it happened, as long as it happened.  

But when you rounded the corner, intent on grabbing a snack to take with you for the ride home, all thoughts of leaving fled your mind.  

Erik was standing at one of the vending machines with Bobby right behind him. Erik was muttering to himself about something, and Bobby was standing back, looking worried with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. 

 You felt rooted to the spot, unable to move or even blink out of fear that he would disappear. 

Erik brought his fist up, hitting the glass, before shaking out his hand. "Ow! You piece of shit. C'mon!" 

You jolted out of your stupor and walked closer, helplessly drawn to him, before finally catching sight of what Erik was so desperate to free from the machine.  

"What the fuck are you doing?" You blurted, suddenly not caring about remaining unnoticed. "Are you trying to kill him?" You continued, gesturing towards Bobby.  

Bobby had turned to look at you, but Erik had only given a defeated sigh before resting his forehead against the glass in front of him.  

Bobby offered you an unsure smile before freeing his hand from a pocket to lift his hand in a wave. "Hi, Y/N." 

"Hey, Bobby," you greeted, glancing from him to Erik and then back again. "What the hell is going on here?" 

"I'm trying to kill him," Erik confessed, keeping his forehead pressed to the glass but turning his head enough to look at you out of the corner of his eye. "So he'll live," he clarified, finally turning to face you.  

"What," you said, too surprised to even phrase it as a question. You were momentarily caught off-guard by how exhausted Erik looked, but you couldn’t let yourself ignore what he said. “That doesn’t make sense, Erik.”  

You didn’t want to admit it, but saying his name after so long felt so good. It was like coming home after a long day where everything had gone wrong.  

"Look," Erik started, turning away from the vending machine and beginning to walk towards you. "I don't have time to explain. Just trust me, alright? We're going to get him the peanut butter cups and then he'll die and then we'll bring him back. And then all will be right with the world. Or at least our family." 

You hurried forward, blocking Erik's path when he made to go back towards the vending machine. "You're not letting him get anywhere near that, Erik. What the fuck is wrong with you?" The Erik you knew and loved would never put Bobby in danger, but now for some reason, he was ready to hand his little brother death coated in chocolate.  

"What's wrong with me?" Erik huffed out a despondent laugh. You had never heard him so defeated, but he hid it well with a sarcastic smile. "What's wrong with me is that Death took my dad and my sister and I'm sure as hell not letting it take my brother too." 

"Howard?" You thought for a second it was a sick joke on Erik's part, but then you saw the look on his face. "And Julia?" You couldn't help but check, hoping you heard wrong.  

Bobby nodded his head, solemn and apologetic.  

"And no one told me?" You knew it was stupid. You and Erik were no longer together. But Howard had told you only days after the breakup that you were still a part of their family. To lose not only Howard but Julia as well hurt more than you could stomach.  

"We were a little busy trying not to die ourselves," Erik told you, flashing his arm at you. You could see a new tattoo he had inked into his skin, no doubt a tribute to Howard, but there was a heart branded into the skin right above it.  

You instinctively reached out, not even thinking about how it might be weird to grab his arm. Only a year ago, your touch had been welcomed, but now you didn’t know how Erik would respond. You should have waited, but all you could think about was that Erik had gotten hurt, and you weren't there for him.  

"Oh, Erik," you sighed, barely remembering at the last moment to not call him ‘babe.’ You wished more than anything that you been able to prevent him from getting hurt. He was always so fiercely protective of the people he loved and sometimes you wondered who was watching out for him when you were no longer around.  

You lightly brushed your fingers along the tattoo, studying the burn mark on his arm. Erik shivered and you raised your head, meeting his eyes.   

You were in no way prepared for the look he was giving you. It was brief, but you still saw what he quickly tried to hide.  

It was want and desire. It was pain and grief. It was longing and apology.  

It was love.  

You knew you were still in love with Erik, but having the proof staring you right in the face that he was still loved you was something else entirely.  

It was everything.  

"I'm so sorry," you whispered, not even fully sure if he understood that you were sorry for more than just the burn on his arm. You were sorry about Howard and Julia. You were sorry for getting so wrapped up in your future, that you let yourself forsake your present. You were sorry that you were too scared to talk to him after the breakup.  

You were sorry that you let him go.  

You knew you needed to stay focused, so you tried to steer the conversation back on track. "None of that explains why you're trying to kill Bobby," you pointed out, hurriedly letting go of Erik's arm once you realized it was still in your grasp.  

Erik shot Bobby a questioning look before Bobby nodded his head in answer. Erik rolled his eyes before focusing back on you. "We don't have much time, and this is going to sound fucking crazy, but you've just got to trust me, alright?"  

Two minutes later, you were starting to wonder if you should get the two of them admitted for whatever break from reality they were experiencing.  

"You two have lost your fucking minds," you muttered, unable to think of anything else to say.  

"I know, trust me, I get it," Erik assured you. He hesitated for a moment before he reached out and grabbed your shoulders. "But don't get caught up on how batshit insane I sound right now and remember that when we were together, I never lied to you. Not once. Do you really think I'd be doing this as some kind of sick joke? It’s not like I knew you were going to stumble across my master plan to kill Bobby here. What are the odds that you just happened to be here?" 

You couldn't tear your gaze away from his stare. You knew deep down that he was right and telling the truth. But you still couldn't wrap your mind around what he was saying. You saw death every day at the hospital. But hearing about what the Campbell family had endured coupled with the idea that death itself was an entity correcting the timeline by eradicating everyone who shouldn't exist had your head spinning. 

And from what you understood, it wouldn't be long until Death came for Bobby. Innocent, incredibly sweet Bobby who had always made time for you even after your breakup with Erik. The world surely didn’t deserve someone like Bobby, but Bobby deserved the world. He deserved to live.  

Your thoughts were racing at a million miles a second. You could lose your license. You could go to jail. There were countless horrible outcomes that could occur, but you knew you would give up everything for Erik. You would do whatever it took to save Bobby. 

All it took was one look at Bobby to make your decision for you. 

"Exposing him to that is incredibly fucking risky," you said, nodding towards the vending machine where Erik had been doing his damnedest to free a pack of peanut butter cups. "Doing that without a doctor's supervision? That's just stupid." 

You let them both take a moment for your words to sink in. 

Erik got it first. He grinned at you, clapping his hands down on your shoulders. He reeled you in so he could sling an arm around your shoulders and pull you in close to his side to squeeze you tight. "Then it's a good thing I've got a doctor." 

A little thrill shot through you hearing Erik call you his doctor. It had been so long since you had been anything other than just his ex and you wanted so desperately in that moment to be more. You forced yourself to shrug his hold off and turned towards Bobby.  

"Come on," you directed, beckoning for the two of them to follow you.  

"What are you going to do?" Erik asked, trying to keep up with you as you lead them down one hallway and then another.  

"First, we're going to find an empty room. Then, we'll go from there." You kept an eye on your surroundings, making sure that no one was paying attention to what you were doing. "In here," you said, opening a freshly vacated room. It was at the end of the hallway leading towards an empty waiting room, which meant that it would remain unused for a while.  

As Erik and then Bobby passed you, you noticed the light in the hallway flicker for just a moment. You got the creeping feeling that someone was watching you, but when you looked up and down the hallway, there was no one there. You shuddered before closing the door and then turned to face Erik and Bobby.  

"Alright," Erik started, leaning towards you. "Now you’ve gotta tell me. What's the plan?" 

You winced, knowing that it wasn't much of a plan, but it was guaranteed to achieve the goal of killing Bobby.  

"We're going to have to stop Bobby's heart," you admitted, noticing the way Bobby shifted warily on his feet. "A clinical death is far preferable in this situation than anything else. We stop his heart and then immediately restart it." You had specifically chosen the room for its crash cart which would give you everything you needed to resuscitate Bobby.  

"So, basically the plot of Flatliners?" Erik asked, gifting you with a skeptical look.  

You arched a brow at him. "And your idea was better?" 

Erik studied you for a moment before he sighed. "Fuck it. Let's do it." 

Erik ushered Bobby over towards the bed while you set up what you would need. You could feel your heart racing as you got Bobby hooked up to a heart monitor and pulled the crash cart close to your side. You were terrified that Bobby would actually die without hope of resuscitation and his death would be on your hands. You knew that losing Howard and then Julia in just a few days had devasted Erik, but you didn't know if he would ever recover if he lost his baby brother too. Erik had spent his whole life watching out for Bobby and steering him clear of anything that might hurt him, so leading him right towards certain death must have been weighing heavily on him. If you were the reason this plan didn't work? Then you didn't think Erik would ever forgive you.  

"What's going to happen?" Bobby asked as he let himself fully recline on the bed. He sounded scared, but was trying to hide it. You hated hearing Bobby so terrified, but you knew there wasn’t much you could do except comfort him.  

You stopped setting out your supplies and turned to face the bed. You took a couple steps forward until you were at his bedside and then reached out to grab his hand.  

"Bobby, I know this is scary. And I know you don't wanna die. But I'm not going anywhere, alright? I'm not going to let Death take you. I'll bring you back. Or I'll die trying," you promised, hoping he got just how serious you were about making sure he survived the whole ordeal. 

Bobby's eyes were wide with fear, but after a moment, you noticed his grip on your hand relax. He nodded his head, letting you pull away.  

You offered him a smile before raising your head to see Erik staring at you. "What?" You couldn't help but ask, feeling slightly defensive.  

"Nothing," Eric claimed, shrugging his shoulders. "It's nothing," he lied before turning away and beginning to pick up a container. He shook it, shooting you a curious look. "What's in here?" 

"Put it down," you sighed, turning away to face your supplies again. "And keep an eye out for anything weird. We might not be on Death's hitlist, but I doubt they'll take kindly to us fucking with their plan." 

"What is all that stuff?"  

You jumped, not noticing that Erik had walked up behind you. You resisted the urge to lean back, wanting just a moment of comfort, before you pointed towards the crash cart. "That is filled with everything I'll need to bring Bobby back in case the AED doesn’t do its job. It also has what I need to stop his heart." 

"So, what? You keep this in every room?" You knew from his tone of voice that he was trying to distract himself. He was asking questions to keep his mind otherwise occupied from the fact that you were about to kill his brother. 

"Not every room," you answered, turning and facing Erik. "But in the rooms where someone recently died? Then yeah," you admitted with a wince.  

"Oh," Erik sighed, swaying just the tiniest bit closer. "Wonderful." He looked uncertain for a moment, but he had yet to take his eyes off you. 

"You trust me?" You couldn't help but check. Did Erik still have feelings for you? Absolutely. You knew that without a doubt now. But did he trust you? You didn't know.  

Erik kept eye contact for long enough that you had to fight the urge to look away. You didn't know what he was looking for, but you wanted him to find it. Whatever it was, it brought a slight smile to his face. "With my brother's life," he assured you before stepping away.  

You took a deep breath, allowing yourself one more look at Erik, before you finally approached Bobby again.  

"Okay, Bobby," you said, reaching for the first item you would need. "Let's put you to sleep." 

It turned out that killing Bobby was easy enough. Hearing him flatline after you stopped his heart had you feeling dizzy with panic. But you forced yourself to stay calm.  

You waited for a count of thirty seconds, ignoring Erik's nervous pacing near the door of the room. You couldn’t allow yourself to freak out if Erik was already panicking. You held people’s lives in your hands every day, but this was different. This was family. And if you weren’t able to bring Bobby back, then the rest of Erik’s family would die.  

Once you were sure Bobby had been gone for long enough, you started with the defibrillator again. You let yourself fall into the role of saving Bobby. Killing someone deliberately went against everything you vowed to uphold when you became a doctor, but trying to save someone was why you became a doctor in the first place. When you were a kid, you had to sit by and watch your aunt fade away from you as sickness took her. But you wouldn't lose anyone else.  

Not Bobby. And if you were lucky enough, you wouldn't lose Erik again either.  

"Uh, Y/N?" You heard Erik call, barely snagging your attention. You were in the middle of considering a shot of epinephrine to get Bobby's heart restarted. It was a risk, but it might be one you had to take to save him. The AED wasn’t working for you like it should and you were quickly hitting the point where you were going to have to consider alternatives. 

You noticed the lights flickering above you, but you ignored them. There was a creaking noise above you that you couldn’t explain, but it wasn’t important.  

You couldn't stop now. You had to keep trying.  

You used the defib again, keeping all your focus on the heart monitor to see if Bobby's heart restarted.  

"Y/N!" Erik yelled, this time closer than before.  

You felt an arm wrap around your waist before you were tackled to the floor. There was a screech that pierced the room before the light above you disconnected from the ceiling and swung down, heading right for the spot you had been just seconds before. There was a shower of sparks before the light fell and hit the floor hard enough to crack the tiles.  

You were rolled to the side as the ceiling tile above you gave way and followed after the light. You had your head turned to the side, looking at the destruction just inches away from your face.  

Erik was above you, his breath coming fast as he studied you. All you could do was blink up at him in shock, realizing that you had narrowly avoided death just a moment before.  

"You okay?" Erik asked, bringing up a hand to brush his fingers gently over your cheek, as if he had to prove to himself you were still there.  

"Fine," you lied, knowing that you didn't have any more time to waste. "Bobby--" you started, before you heard it. The sound happened again. And again. And once more, before starting up a steady rhythm.  

It was a heartbeat.  

Bobby's heartbeat.  

 In all the chaos, you had missed Bobby’s return to life. No wonder Death had taken one last shot at you. You had managed to disrupt its design and save the rest of the Campbell family. 

"Oh, thank God," you got out on a relieved laugh, grinning up at Erik. "We did it." 

"You did it," Erik countered, shaking his head. "I never fucking doubted you," he said before he dipped his head down, letting his lips brush yours. "Thank you," he murmured against your mouth before kissing you again. “You’re a fucking genius,” he pulled back to say before diving in for another kiss. 

You knew you needed to check on Bobby, but you allowed yourself to have Erik again for just one more moment. You reached a hand up, letting your fingers brush through his hair before lightly gripping the back of his neck, pouring everything you had felt for Erik over the past year into the kiss. You gave him all your heartbreak, sorrow, fear, longing, and need, hoping he got everything you hadn't been able to say to him.  

"Fuck," you breathed, breaking the kiss when the smell of smoke reached you. You looked over to see that the fallen light had managed to ignite a set of towels that had been knocked to the ground.  

You felt Erik moving above you and at first you thought he was shaking. But when you finally tore your gaze away from the fire to him, you realized he was laughing.  

"What--," you got out before he was kissing you again. This one was tinged with joy and promised more to come. He brought a hand up, his fingers curling just beneath your jaw to hold you in place. You let your eyes close, savoring the moment meant for just the two of you. 

Before you could lose yourself in the kiss, Erik was pulling away. You immediately tried to reel him back in, but he evaded your grasp and stood. He reached a hand down, helping you off the floor.  

"You help Bobby," he told you, nodding towards his brother. "And I'll go get something to put that out." He pressed a quick kiss to your forehead before flashing you a reassuring grin. 

You watched him leave the room, shooting you one quick look over his shoulder, before he was out the door.  

You managed to get Bobby conscious, but you still wanted to make sure nothing had gone wrong during his brief excursion with Death. So, you convinced him to get admitted for observation. Erik had told a whole story about how Bobby had collapsed and you were there to save his brother once he went into sudden cardiac arrest.  

Your boss had ordered you to go home and rest, but you were scared to leave Erik again. So, once he made the decision to stay with Bobby, you found yourself making the same choice. If anything, having a doctor around for constant supervision would only benefit him. And if that meant you were in the same room as Erik for hours with nothing to do but lean your head on his shoulder and pretend you were getting some rest, then why not kill two birds with one stone? 

The next morning, Brenda showed up at the hospital to take watch over Bobby.  

"Go home," Brenda urged Erik. "Get some rest," she sighed, leaning forward to press a kiss to his temple. "Bobby will be fine. He’s not in danger anymore."  

You saw tears begin to well in Brenda's eyes as she turned to face you. "And you," she started before reeling you into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered, squeezing you just a bit too tight. “After losing my Howard and my baby, I couldn’t lose anyone else. And you saved him. You saved our family.” She wasn’t letting up on her embrace and you were starting to feel just the tiniest bit overwhelmed.  

Erik must have noticed your momentary distress, because he reached out and tugged on his mom's arm. "Let Y/N breathe, mom," he groaned, shaking his head.  

Brenda was quick to turn and pull Erik into another hug. She hid her face in his neck and you knew from the way her shoulders shook that she was crying. You happened to meet Erik’s gaze over his mom’s shoulder and caught the pain and gratitude in his expression. It was everything that Brenda had tried to say to you and you dripped your head in a nod of acknowledgement.  

"C'mon," Erik said once his mom let him go. He slung an arm around your shoulders to steer you out of the room.  

You didn’t know where he was leading you, but you didn’t care. You would have followed him wherever he wanted to go. You had spent so long without him in your life that for the first time in a while you felt like you were finally breathing again. You didn’t want to know what would happen to you now if you let Erik distance himself from you again.  

Erik didn't say anything until you were in the elevator and descending towards the first floor. He no longer had his arm around your shoulders, but he was sticking close enough to your side that you could feel his body heat. 

 “So," he started, rocking back on his heels. "What are you doing after this?" He shot you a look that you knew all too well. He was trying to hint at something but poorly concealing it behind nonchalance. 

You hadn't really thought that far into the future. Exhaustion was threatening to overwhelm you and all you wanted was a bed to sleep in for a few hours. If you had it your way, then Erik would be there when you finally managed to do it. 

"Probably going home to sleep until I don't feel like this anymore," you answered, shrugging your shoulders only to feel your arm bump into his for a moment. "What about you?" 

"You know," he mused, the corners of his mouth ticking up in a smirk. "I was planning on sleeping too. Why don't we just do that together? Carpool or something. It's safe for the environment or whatever." 

"Oh, really," you said, having a hard time fighting a grin. "Well, if it's for the environment, then," you joked, trying to not to let on that you were entirely too eager to be in the same bed as Erik again.  

"There's only one catch, though," Erik warned as the elevator doors opened. He gestured for you to lead the way before following you out of the elevator.  

"A catch?" You asked, starting to lead him towards the parking garage. You weren't sure how Erik got to the hospital, but you figured he wasn't planning on letting you drive home alone.  

Erik reached out to grab your shoulder, pulling until you turned to face him. He had a serious expression on his face and you worried for a moment that something had gone wrong between leaving Bobby and getting to the parking garage.  

"You see," he started, letting his grip on your shoulder drop to your hand. He pulled your hand up until it was clasped between his own. "I only sleep in the nude." 

You stared at him, completely dumbfounded for a moment. "What?"  

"And I'm afraid I require my bed partners to do the same," he continued, a shit-eating grin finally pulling at his lips.  

You drew your hand from his hold and shoved his shoulder. "You're such an idiot," you got out on a laugh.  

Erik's grin faded away and his expression grew serious once again. He grabbed your hand and reeled you in before putting his hands on your hips, keeping you pressed close together.  

You couldn't help the butterflies that took flight in your stomach, fluttering around like crazy and making you feel weightless.  

"Really," he said, his gaze briefly flitting towards your lips before finding your eyes again. "Maybe after we've both slept off the near-death experience, we could get dinner and catch up. Maybe more," he added with a thoughtful look.  

You knew it wouldn't always feel this easy. There would be conversations and fights and assurances in store for the both of you. Erik, once he was able to process everything, would still have to come to terms with the deaths of Howard and Julia. And you would have to do your best to convince yourself that you weren't going to fuck up the best thing to ever happen to you again.  

But for now, you were going to let yourself have exactly what you wanted.  

"I'd love that," you assured Erik, helpless against the grin you could feel tugging at your lips.  

Erik pressed a kiss to your mouth, letting you feel his answering smile against yours. "Good," he said once he pulled back. "Because I sure as hell don't plan on letting you go again." 

Author's Notes: I have a few other Erik ideas, so if you read this and you're interested in reading more, please let me know! And if you read this and liked it, please also let me know! 💖

[ddejavvu]

Spring Fling - Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Reader (Part Six) (18+) / SERIES MASTERLIST

Summary: You should have known the ‘no refunds’ detail on the website for Spring Fling was a red flag. But you paid no mind to it, eager to be assigned a quick fuck for spring break. When the man that walks through your cabin door is none other than Jake 'Hangman' Seresin, your wildly infuriating fellow pilot, you have two choices: bicker the entire time and have a miserable spring break, or fuck.

Contents/Warnings: smut, minors dni. fem!reader, pilot!reader, enemies/rivals to lovers, lots and lots of arguing, could these two people be any less cooperative, sex seven ways to sunday and then some, seriously like so much smut it'll make your eyes bleed, makeouts, rough sex, oral (m+f receiving), penetrative sex, will add as i post

WC: 8.3k / navigation / inbox / summer of series

A/N: another very late installment! I am really, truly sorry that it has taken me this long to update this series. it's very near and dear to my heart but unfortunately I was just having a very hard time with my life and there wasn't much motivation for me to write anything. but i'm back and better than ever, and you can check out my 'summer of series' to see more upcoming content! thank you to those who waited, and welcome to any new readers <3 this is our longest chapter yet :o

feedback is greatly appreciated! comment, reblog, talk in the tags, send me a message, tell me what you think!

Plowing through pizza has never been easier than it is now, because you’re so intent on stuffing your mouth full to impede your ability to answer prying questions that your lunch is gone in a matter of minutes. You consider swiping from Jake’s plate considering he’s taken at least ten percent of your lunch every day for as long as you’ve known him, but reciprocating any of this ‘love’ that Danica deludes may not work in your favor. 

You’re left to sit awkwardly back in your chair, no food to eat while the rest of your companions finish theirs at a reasonable pace. 

It’s noticeable, because everyone else is still making their way through pizza that’s thinner and stiffer than it should be, but not altogether bad. Jake and Daniel both side-eye you, but Daniel shifts forwards as he notices pizza sauce smeared over your cheek.

“Y/N, you’ve got-”

“I got it.” Jake cuts in, reaching out and nearly smacking you in the jaw in an effort to get his thumb over the stain. You jerk away, startled, but Jake already has red sauce on the pad of his thumb that he’s offering to you like you’re going to suck it off.

“Want it?” He grins, and your lips remain firmly sealed as you shake your head no.

“Fine, picky.” Jake shrugs, raising his hand to his mouth and taking his thumb between his lips himself. You watch as he sucks the pizza sauce off of his finger for longer than he needs to, eyes fixed so intently on yours that you’re almost certain he would rather be licking it directly off of your cheek.

You’re glad he hadn’t- you’d have smacked him with how wound up you are. You feel like a prey animal, cornered and shaking with nerves that could morph into aggression at a moment’s notice.

You turn back to your empty plate, ignoring the way that Jake tips a half-eaten piece of pizza your way.

“Don’t tell me you’re worried about cooties.” Jake raises a brow, “We accidentally used the same towel once after the beach.”

“And I showered twice when I got home to clean myself.” You recall the incident with grave resignation, remembering the look on Phoenix’s face when she’d spotted the sherbet stain on the corner of the towel you were wearing, one that Jake had put there earlier, just after his own shower. You’re not surprised he’s still bringing it up- just one more thing to needle you with, but you wish he wouldn’t.

“More for me.” He acquiesces, voice almost awkward before he takes another bite, and you look at Danica to see if she’s noticed only to find that she’s staring hard at Jake already.

Interesting.

You don’t know how to fill awkward silences with Jake, because there almost never are any. You’re too used to his loud, brash voice that once he gives in and rolls over, a sight you’ve rarely ever seen before, you feel unequipped to talk. You don’t talk to Jake- or you barely ever do, you mostly quip. And tease, and jab, and rib, and mock. Everything’s a dogfight with him, and the first to run out of bullets crashes and burns.

Jake’s not the type to crash and burn.

“I’m done.” Daniel leans back in his chair, a hand slung lazily over his stomach, “I think cruises are bad for me. I always overeat.”

“We could walk,” Danica suggests, “There’s some shops a few decks above us.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about the shops,” You scoff, feeling Jake’s shit-eating grin despite refusing to look at him, “I’m not interested, thank you.”

You expect pushback from Jake, but what you don’t expect is Danica, who seems to be making it her sacred mission to force you out of your comfort zone.

“Oh, come on. Please? You can shop with me.” She promises, reaching out a hand adorned with a delicate golden bracelet, “We can leave the boys behind.”

You’re still wary about her insistence into butting into your rivalry with Jake, but you wonder if perhaps she doesn’t want to be alone with Daniel the same way you don’t want to be alone with Jake. Maybe there’s pressure there that she can’t handle, or maybe there’s not and she doesn’t want to face the implications. 

You’d think signing up for a sex cruise would really take the emotional turmoil out of having sex.

“They’ll kill each other,” you take her hand, letting her squeeze yours tight, “And we can’t get new roommates so that’d really take the fun out of the whole sex cruise thing.”

“We can start at the candy shop,” She grins, tugging you to your feet, “I owe my niece some gummy bears.”

Danica reaches for her purse, a sweet baby blue over-the-shoulder bag that Daniel gently pushes her hand away from.

“I’ve got it.” He offers, smiling up at the both of you, “You two just have fun browsing and I can hold whatever you get.”

There’s an unmistakable grin on Danica’s face that she turns around to hide, something akin to a giddy schoolgirl at Daniel’s chivalry. It’s sweet, admittedly, but what’s less sweet is the way that Jake makes a grab for your own bag, already hooked over your shoulder.

“Gimme that.”

“What- no!” You scoff, stumbling backwards to avoid his grip, “That’s my bag!”

“I’m trying to carry it for you.” Jake insists, as stubborn as a mule, “Let go!”

“You’re mugging me!” You shriek, dragging Danica along with you when you finally wriggle out of his grip and making a mad dash for other side of the deck, “Danica, if we can make it to the stairs we can push him overboard!”

She giggles as you two run across the deck, probably something you shouldn’t be doing considering you’re poolside and adults, but something you do giddily anyways. Daniel and Jake jog to keep up, and neither wants to be around each other, but both want to be first to reach you. This means they keep pace, and when you pass a netted-in basketball court, your head turns to watch the players.

They’re nice to ogle. There’s men and women, but your eyes are drawn towards a particularly muscled man, tall and thick around the arms and thighs. He has your attention until he fully misses a shot, feet away from the basket, and you and Danica cringe in unison.

“He had me until that throw.” Danica admits, trying not to laugh so as not to attract any attention and hurt the man’s feelings, “Can you boys do better than that?”

It’s such clear bait that you assume both men will scoff at her, tease her for wanting to see their sweaty muscles and continue towards the interior door. Instead, Danica’s purse is handed rather unceremoniously back to her and Jake strips of his shirt. He doesn’t need to, but he does. Of course.

“I can run laps around him.” Jake vows, beelining for the entrance to the court while Daniel takes his flip-flops off for better leverage.

“Just sit and watch.” Daniel grins, pointing towards benches opposite the court, “Get some sun, and we’ll show you how it’s really done.”

“Men are dumb,” You sigh, watching the two you’re stuck with integrate themselves into the game already going, “They couldn’t tell that was on purpose?”

“Jake wants to show off for you. And Daniel, too.”

“They wants to show off for you, too.” You level her with a look that’s half exasperated, half self-conscious, “I’m not- I’m not trying to steal him away from you. Daniel, that is. You can have Jake- no returns.”

Danica grins, her smile glowing, “I’m not angry that Daniel likes you. I like you too. I just think you’re stupid.”

“Thank you.” You nod, hoping the conversation ends there. You turn towards the court, trying to track Daniel’s movement among the crowd, but latching onto Jake instead. He towers over most of the men on the court, and with his military muscles, most of them have no chance.

“I’m- sorry. For pushing. I just think,” Her voice takes on a wistful note, “I think you two could really be soulmates if you tried.”

“Soulmates don’t try,” You laugh, “That’s the whole point. They’re intrinsically made for each other. Perfect from the get-go.”

“You are made perfect for each other. You’re just acting stupid.” She clarifies, “You’re both stubborn, but that means you’ll match wits with him. He wouldn’t want someone who just gives in every time.”

“That’s certainly what he’s wanted in the past,” You scoff, “Woman after woman after woman who doesn’t bother to save herself from the most obviously sleazy pilot in the bar.”

“That’s why he never sees them again,” She nods, “Because they only satisfied him short-term. Men mature slower than women, did you know that? They’re still figuring things out, bless them. I think he’s starting to realize that hookups aren’t sustainable, and that he wants something long-term. And that’s not to say you can’t resent his dating history,” Danica gives you a meaningful glance, “I can understand why you would be slow to trust him. But he’s trying. He backed off at lunch, right?”

“Right before he tried to steal my purse.” You grumble, despite knowing she’s right. But still, attributing his uncharacteristic lack of an argument to love- that’s a notion you don’t want to even begin digesting.

“Men are dumb.” She reminds you, “I think he’s trying to show you that he’s changed, and that his ideals have too. You just need to let him. Give him a chance.”

“I’ve given him plenty of chances before,” You sigh, world-weary as you watch Daniel snake the ball from Jake, “How many is too many?”

“You might not know until you get hurt.” Danica levels with you, placing her hand atop yours once more, “But you won’t know how many it takes to work, either. Just- be casual.”

“Casual.” You raise a brow at her, “With Jake? He’s incapable of being casual about anything. Even when he tries you can see the muscles in his neck about to pop.”

“Yeah, I saw him almost jump Daniel in the pool.” She admits, watching as Jake slam-dunks the ball despite three pairs of hands clawing at him, attempting to slow or stop him, “Has he ever started a fistfight before?”

“He’s not- mean. Not like that, not- he’s classy, I guess.” It’s a word you wouldn’t normally attribute to Jake, but he doesn’t go around starting fights like a teenage boy, “He swears up and down he’s a southern gentleman.”

“A gentleman!” Danica laughs, “A gentleman who was staring at your ass in that bathing suit, earlier.”

“I figured. Whatever,” You shrug, “I chose it because it makes my ass look nice. It’s not Jake’s fault we ran into each other, I guess.”

“That’s why I’m sure you’re soulmates,” Danica confesses, “The same cabin, on the same sex cruise? And you hate each other? I see some sweet, sweet angry sex in your future.”

You laugh, despite yourself. You let yourself get carried away in girly giggles, and seeing the warmth in her expression makes a twinge of guilt flare up in your chest about the way you’d snapped at her earlier.

“Hey, I’m- sorry. I’m really sorry for freaking out on you earlier, Danica.” You murmur, eyes downcast as your smile fades, “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, if I did.”

“It’s okay.” Despite the way your face had dropped, hers only grows more tender, “I understand. Like I said, I shouldn’t have pushed. But I hope you know I’m not trying to make your life harder. I suppose I don’t have any business butting in, I just see two people that are afraid to be vulnerable around each other despite maybe having the capacity to love each other for eternity.”

You glare at her from beneath your lashes, and she throws up her hands in mock-surrender, “I said maybe!”

“Eternity is a long time.” You muse, focusing again on the basketball scrimmage happening before you. The nets blur your vision, but it’s clear that the men are working up a sweat. Jake makes another basket, and you notice desperation in the way that Daniel lunges for it after it falls.

It’s not his fault- navy men just do it better.

“That’s why destiny gave you a free trial.” Danica grins, “This week, you don’t have to wear your heart on your sleeve. He won’t, either. Just- be casual, like I said. Be receptive, I’m not asking you to fall all over him, just- watch him. Notice him. Look at what he does and think about why he does it. Yes, he did try to liberate your purse from your shoulder earlier like he was getting at your wallet. But he did it because Daniel did it for me much more gracefully a few seconds before. He’s trying simple things: sharing food, holding bags-” She grins conspiratorially at you, “Five bucks says he’ll try to hold the door for you when we go inside later. He’s testing the waters, okay? He’s trying to change, but like I said before, he’s afraid of being vulnerable around you just the same as you are around him, even if he doesn’t seem like it.”

“How do you know all of this?” You ask her, eyes narrowed as you study her from across the bench, “Are you some sort of all-seeing eye?”

“I asked him,” She blinks, simple as that, “And I’m not going to share everything he said, because I think it’ll come better from him, but I can at least tell you with one-hundred percent certainty that he’s trying. Just- be gentle with him, okay? Let him try.”

“He can try,” Your voice is weak as you watch Jake sink a third shot, “But I can’t guarantee I’ll care.”

“That’s okay. You’re afraid of him hurting you, he’s afraid he’s already hurt you too much. If you don’t want to be with him, that’s fair. Just give him one more chance.”

“One more.” You sigh, “But not for him. For you.”

“I’m glad I met you, Y/N,” Danica smiles, standing from the bench and offering you a hand, “Now, let’s get them out of there before they start punching each other.”

Jake and Daniel are, in fact, facing off. Daniel shoves roughly at Jake’s chest but he stands shorter than his opponent, so it looks almost comical when Jake doesn’t move an inch. His strong thighs keep him steady, and his eyes blaze with a challenge.

“Jake!” You call, but both heads turn your way, “Guys- let’s go shopping.”

“Fine.” Daniel grunts, elbowing past Jake towards the entrance to the court. You’re sure Jake has thoroughly gotten on his nerves- you know the feeling, but something about the way his tensed muscles make him look like a coiled spring makes you gravitate towards Jake instead.

“What did you do to him? He looks like he might punch someone in the face.”

“Yeah, me.” Jake redresses himself, fixing the asymmetrical waistband of his shorts and putting his shirt back into place, “He’s just mad he’s too short to dunk.”

“Poor Danica.” You hum as Daniel stalks three steps ahead of her, “I’m gonna walk with her.”

Jake doesn’t provide any arguments when you rush to catch up with your newfound friend.

“Men are scary when they’re angry.” You nudge your side against hers, speaking in a hushed whisper “Did he say anything to you?”

“No, but he’s sure not offering to hold my purse anymore,” Danica grins, “Men are so dramatic.”

“It’s part of our charm, ladies.” Jake pushes between you, gentler than Daniel would have done in his angered state, “And it seems Danny-boy has neglected his manly duties, so I’ll take this,” Jake plucks Danica’s purse carefully off of her shoulder, “And can I please hold your bag too, princess?”

“Thank you for not tackling me this time,” You glare at Jake, letting him sling your tote over the same shoulder Danica’s bag hangs from, “See? When you’re nice to women they like you.”

“Some of ‘em like me mean.” Jake shrugs, “But you lure more flies with honey, I guess..”

Jake watches Daniel push his way through the doors, and makes a grand gesture out of catching them before they can close and holding them open for the pair of you.

You owe Danica five bucks.

“After you, ladies.” Jake says, loud enough for Daniel to hear. It only tightens the muscles in his shoulders, and it makes you slow your pace, putting even more distance between you and him. 

Jake doesn’t realize until he’s already slamming into you from behind, and he steadies you with a hand on your shoulder, “Woah! Sorry. I thought you’d be beelining for the sex shop. What’s the holdup?”

Danica shoots him a lethal glare over her shoulder, and tugs you closer to her side.

“We are beelining for the sex shop,” She announces, and Daniel seems to remember he has company as he slows down, chest heaving with adrenaline, or rage, or indignance, or whatever Jake has injected into his veins, “We are going to have a lingerie fashion show and there are no boys allowed.”

“No, come on! I can squeeze in the dressing room with you guys! I’ll fit!” Jake protests, but you level him with a stern glare.

“If you come into the dressing room, you’re putting on a thong.” You warn him, but nothing can rattle Jake Seresin.

“No part of me would fit in a thong,” Jake declares, herding you all towards the elevators, “Front, back, wherever- I’ve got too much goin’ on down there.”

“A bra, then.” You counter, walking backwards into the empty elevator and letting your back hit the wall, “You’ve got a bigger chest than I do.”

“If that’s what tickles your fancy,” Jake shrugs, your bag and Danica’s pressed against the wall of the elevator as he plants himself opposite you, faced away from the doors, “Everybody’s got their thing. If yours is me in a bra, so be it.”

Danica giggles. Daniel presses the button for the floor that you need.

“I’d send it to the rest of the daggers.” You threaten, hearing the doors slide shut behind Jake, “Rooster would show Mav. Phoenix would obliterate you.”

“Don’t spread it around, it’s for your eyes only.” Jake scoffs as the elevator begins its ascent, “Keep it in your spank bank, Y/N.”

Instead of lifting five floors, the elevator only moves one. The doors open again, and Daniel groans almost inaudibly at the sight he’s met with. You peer around Jake’s side to see- a lot of people. There’s a lot of people trying to board the elevator, and you pair off, parting like the red sea to fit them in.

Danica slides over to Daniel’s side, who squishes himself into the corner closest to the buttons, offering to press them for the new passengers. Jake steps closer to you, caging you into your own corner.

He raises his brows, clearly suggestive, but you know he’s teasing. That’s the thing about Jake- his constant teasing irritates you, but you know it’s just that. Teasing. He’s kidding, which is why you roll your eyes when he presses himself flush against your body.

“O-kay. Do we really need to be this close?” You ask, but chancing a glance around his shoulder reveals that, yes, you do. You’re sure he’s shimmied closer on purpose, but the woman backed up against him hasn’t given him much of a choice either.

“Does this remind you of anything?” Jake murmurs under his breath, as the elevator doors scrape closed and you begin another ascent, hopefully four floors this time, “A certain tryst with a certain bearded man yesterday?”

“He wasn’t stepping on my toes,” You glance downwards, “And I wanted to kiss him.”

“Ouch.” Jake huffs, but he shuffles his feet backwards off of yours, “What are you really gonna look at in the sex shop?”

Be vulnerable. Danica’s voice echoes in your head, as dramatically as she’d been hoping, He’s trying, be open, be casual, let him.

“Maybe just a vibrator or something.” You mumble, taking care to keep your voice between the two of you even if it’s an adults-only environment, and meeting his eye with honesty you don’t often showcase around Jake, “I can’t say I really need anything but it’d be nice to browse, I guess.”

He nods, slow and attentive, taken aback because he’s just as new to listening as you are to conversing.

When you finally, painstakingly make your way up four floors of passengers trying to squeeze on and off every second, Jake lets you and Danica exit the elevator first. It had been uncomfortable, but convenient when Daniel was storming ahead of you- he and Jake had been kept apart, but now the two nearly bump shoulders again as they trail behind you.

Their array of shops is, admittedly, impressive at first glance, considering you’re in the middle of the ocean. You take pictures of the glittering lights to have as keepsakes, but far away from any cell service, you can’t show them off to your friends just yet.

“Gummy bears,” Danica reminds you, before you can wander off into whatever store catches your fancy, “You can get duty-free booze later, for now let me make sure my niece won’t kill me for coming back empty-handed.”

She pulls you towards the candy shop, and any doubts you’d had about a fanciful confectionary on board an all-adults ship disappear when you step inside.

There’s sex candy. 

You shouldn’t be surprised, because even an ice sculpture you’d spotted from across the deck earlier was shaped into a male torso with well-defined abs. There’s gummy candies in the shape of genitals, there’s chocolates meant to throw you into a hormone-fueled sex craze, there’s flavored condoms, there’s candy lingerie. 

There’s a very small section of actual candy, but it’s where you and Danica have to look for her niece’s gummy bears.

“These are fine,” She eyes the package warily, “There’s nothing adult I’m missing about these, is there?”

“No penises.” You promise, looking over the matte-plastic bag to ensure that even the patterning isn’t crude, “But I think it’s just about the only thing in there without them.”

“Y/N! Look at these!” Jake calls, proving your point when he holds up phallic lollipops, “Dick suckers!”

You suppose if there were ever a time and a place to shout that across a store, it’s here and now. But that doesn’t mean you don’t still cringe, and you duck behind Danica to examine a package on a low shelf, near the corner of the store.

It’s those sex chocolates you’ve seen advertised online, in greatly-exaggerated tiktok videos or tweets. All of the posts you’ve seen about them have been sponsored by the company, so you doubt its efficacy.

Still, you pick a package up and tuck it into a basket that’s stacked in the corner of the room.

“Good idea,” Danica grins, throwing her gummy bears into the cart, “We should see how much Jake’s willing to pay for.”

“If he buys them he’ll want to share,” You make some convoluted sound that’s somewhere between a groan and a laugh, “And I’m not sucking the same dick as him.”

Your basket slowly but surely starts to fill, until one of the packages falls when you turn to look at something Daniel’s pointing out to you.

“Oh-!” You turn to grab it, but there’s already someone there, and Jake shoots you a heavy glance from where he’s kneeling on the floor beside you. It’s a sight- you’re not sure he’s ever looked up at you instead of down, and something in your stomach tightens as he stands back up.

“It broke,” He nods to the chocolate Danica had added into your basket, a piece molded so that it can be tucked between your legs and cover your sex. It’s meant to make someone eat through it before they can eat you, but it’s snapped in half now, completely useless.

“We’ll pay for it,” Danica keeps it in her own grip, grabbing another one and reaching for a new basket, “But I do want one that’s still intact.”

“Don’t bother with one of those for us.” Jake tells you, heaving the basket out of your arms and into his own, “Wouldn’t hold me back for very long at all.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t, Pussy Eater Extraordinaire,” You scoff, “Men always think they’re better at it than they are.”

“I’ve had nothing but glowing reviews,” Jake boasts, but his eye twitches slightly as he reconsiders his statement, “But- I’d trust your input more than theirs.”

“Why’s that?” You bite, “I’m a harsher critic?”

“Exactly.” Jake nods, “I’ll even take pointers if you’ve got any.”

“I’m pointing that way.” You raise your finger towards the cash register, “If you buy the candy lingerie I might be more inclined to let you see me in it.”

He blanches, “You’re serious?”

“See me, Seresin,” You point again to the register, “No touching, no eating.”

“I’ll take it.” He nearly trips over his feet, and Danica erupts with laughter as he pulls out his wallet.

“He really did it!” She gushes, “See? He wouldn’t be buying cherry-flavored condoms if he didn’t want you to use them on him.”

“I have no doubts that he wants to have sex with me.” You remind her, “It’s what comes after that I’m afraid of.”

“After one condom there’s another.” She points to the big number 10 on the side of the box, “In between rounds you can ask him what you guys are.”

She can tell you’re about to groan, because before you can she grabs both of your hands, looking imploringly at you, “Y/N, this is a sex cruise! Let loose. Even if he does tell the whole navy about you- which he won’t, you can tell the whole navy it happened on a sex cruise. That’s a completely valid reason to let him fuck your brains out! You came here to fuck, so fuck.”

“We’ll see,” You grumble, “Cherry’s not my favorite flavor.”

Jake’s total at the register is comically high, but you don’t feel bad because you two get the same paycheck, and as a specialized squadron you’re not exactly down on your luck. He makes no complaints, and pointedly keeps the bag in his own hand instead of letting Daniel fulfill his earlier promise.

“If I let him hold it he might throw it down on the ground during one of his temper tantrums,” Jake murmurs conspiratorially to you, and you appreciate that he has the good sense to keep his voice low, pitched only for your ears as you meander towards the next store, “The chocolate underpants don’t deserve to snap a second time.”

“He’s not gonna throw a temper tantrum,” You groan, “You have a way of getting on people’s nerves, you know that?”

“Okay? And I’ll admit I riled him up, but that’s no excuse to act like a kid. Stomping around, taking it out on you and Danica.”

You raise a brow at him, unimpressed, “Eerily similar to the way you used to act on the tarmac whenever one of us beat you in an exercise?”

Jake’s mouth tightens, “Used to. I grew up a little. When’s the last time I threw a fit?”

You want to reference one of his bursts of antagonistic energy from the past 48 hours, but you have to admit, he’s much more controlled than he would have been a few years ago. You promised Danica you’d give him a chance, so you’ll give him credit where credit is due.

You settle for a reluctant, “You’re getting better.”

It’s another awkward dance, his jutted-out chin pulling back and loosening from the way it had been clenched tight in irritation. It’s your wayward eyes, not meeting his own but not looking at the floor either, just- roaming behind him.

It just so happens that behind him is a very intricately designed vibrator.

You hadn’t paid much attention to your surroundings, but Danica and Daniel had given you and your apparent bickering a wide berth as they’d headed into the next store in the row. It’s the sex shop, you realize now, and you and Jake are facing off in the entrance.

It’s an awkward thing, debating character growth between a display of vibrators and a display of fleshlights. You suppose there’s one for each of you if this doesn’t work out.

“After you.” Jake offers, prodding your limp form into the shop when your legs struggle to work, “We can shop for tonight.”

“I’ll be using that tonight,” You point at a ball gag, “I don’t want to hear a word from you.”

“That won’t shut me up. Y’know, When Harry Met Sally is my sister’s favorite movie? I could take a page out of Meg Ryan’s book and start moaning loud enough for the neighbors to hear.”

“She did that in a diner,” You correct him, “And she did it with grace. You could never be Meg Ryan.”

“I couldn’t be Billy Crystal either.” Jake laments, “Turtlenecks don’t look good on me.”

Before you can fall back into the familiar pattern of quipping back and forth with Jake, an old rut in the road that’s familiar even if it digs its own trench deeper, he catches sight of something behind you and his face twists.

“What’s that supposed to do?”

It’s not technically a rose toy. It’s something similar, adjacent maybe, still made for suction and vaginal pleasure. 

“It stimulates suction. Y’know, on the clit?” You explain, and Jake’s face blanches on top of his aghast expression.

“It sucks on you? That sounds dangerous. ‘Sounds like someone’s gonna get their clit ripped off.”

“I’ll test it out and let you know,” You grin, plucking it off of the shelf and adding it into the handheld basket that Danica’s started, “Maybe I’ll do it when you’re sleeping tonight.”

“I’ll hear you anyways. I’m a light sleeper.” Jake reveals, and your stomach drops. Did he hear-? 

No.

He’d have made it known if he’d heard your.. predicament.

It’s Hangman, after all. If he had something on you, he’d use it.

You shake yourself out of your funk and watch as Danica and Daniel contemplate getting a strap-on. You respect him for being open to trying it, if he hasn’t already. Jake’s face hasn’t pinkened from its earlier shade of sheet-white, so you make the very mature decision to not teasingly suggest that you use one on him. 

Instead you turn towards the lingerie, eyeing a red set with stereotypical lace lining the edges.

“That’d look nice on you.” Jake follows where you lead, and though his comment is suggestive, it’s almost respectful, “I think you should get it.”

“It’s too expensive,” You wrinkle your nose, “Not for something paper-thin that you’re probably meant to rip off anyways.”

“I’ll be careful,” Jake vows, and now the cracks in his facade start to show, “I promise I’ll handle you like a gentleman, darlin’.”

You turn on your heel and glide over to Danica.

“He’s trying to disrobe me,” You inform her with a sigh, “When am I allowed to conclude that he’s not changing?”

“Just-” You miss the way that she glares daggers at him from across the store, “He’s trying to change. He won’t be a completely different man, remember- you have to adapt too. It’s a compromise.”

Unfortunately, she has a point. If Jake is changing- and that’s a big if, you’ll need to meet him somewhere in the middle. But this whole Jake-changing-for-you thing is still highly suspect, and though Danica’s insistence is beginning to wear through your hide, you’re not fully convinced.

“Fine.” You sigh, “But I’m still getting the rose toy in case he doesn’t work out.”

“I love my rose toy.” She admits with a grin, “But there’s nothing like getting woken up between your legs. It’s different when someone surprises you with it instead of you shoving the toy down there yourself.”

“I’d love to be woken up by oral.” Your teeth sink into your pillowy bottom lip, and Jake’s footsteps stop behind you where he’s caught up to your group. You miss the look he shares with Danica over your head.

You browse the sex shop for a fair amount of time, but there’s not as much fun to be had as there was in the candy shop. They had variety and exciting things you’d never seen before, and here- well, they have a lot of dildos, that’s for sure. There’s a bland feeling that comes over you as you pace shelves and shelves of the same sex toys, and you wind up with only the suction-based rose toy ripoff at the counter.

“Scoot-” Jake comes up behind you, gently pushing you aside instead of elbowing you out of the way as he extends his own card towards the reader, “I’ve got this one too.”

“No- you don’t have to buy me a sex toy, Jake!” You argue, but the reader is already beeping, having accepted his payment, “I was mostly teasing about the candies. I’m not using you as a sugar daddy- you don’t have to keep picking up my tabs.”

“I’m picking up this one,” Jake carefully tucks the bag into the larger one from the confectionary, “I want you to think of me every time you use it.”

Something terrible, horrible, and unwanted in your brain supplies that you’d already have done that. That the experience of being stuck with him on a boat, of waking up grinding against his thigh, of being at each other’s throats for days on end would have cemented itself into the fucktoy whether you wanted to or not. But that’s an intrusive thought you have no desire to express, and instead you fall silent, taking Danica’s advice of meeting in the middle.

This silence, and the troubling thoughts that induced it, follow you through the next few shops in the row, showcasing duty-free liquor, off-brand ‘designer’ purses, and perfume that all smells the same. Danica holds up samples and swatches, shows you jewelry and handbags, but there’s not much she can do to shake you out of your spiral.

Do you want to fuck Hangman?

No, you certainly don’t want to fuck Hangman. 

But Jake? 

This Jake, the one who’d splashed around with you in the pool and sensed your uneasiness towards Daniel’s outburst, offering his own soothing presence as a distraction. This Jake, the one who’d muscled down decades of manly Texan pride to call for a truce- something you never thought his competitive spirit would be capable of. This Jake, the one who tilts his chin towards the section of books he knows you prefer in their sparse bookstore- this one you could certainly attempt to get used to.

It’s a hard thing to swallow, when something threatens to upend the life you’ve precariously crafted for yourself. When something challenges your notions of true and false, when someone changes. Can people change? Can he change, can Jake really fix his behavior to the point where you’d want to not only fuck him, but date him? Dating Hangman is laughable. Dating Jake is- something you’ve never considered before.

It’s troubling, and your brow remains creased for the remainder of your shopping trip. There’s an underwhelming amount of stores, and you wander further out, down towards the casino at the end of the deck.

“I didn’t bring cash,” Jake’s hand flies to his wallet, “And I don’t trust a casino on a fuckboat with my credit card.”

“We should go back,” Danica agrees, turning to grab Daniel’s hand. He’s calmed now, perhaps embarrassed for his temper earlier, and turns soft eyes towards her as she asks, “Should we go get couples massages?”

Jake waits on you for an answer- that’s new. You tuck the information aside for processing later, and you shake your head wearily, “I need some fresh air. You guys can go without me.”

“Couple’s massage with an empty bed’s pretty sad.” Jake hums, the drawling lilt of his southern accent sweet like honey, “You two enjoy yourselves. I’ll take our stuff back to our room.”

There’s a chorus of agreements, and you bid Danica goodbye with a soft squeeze to her hand, and a sheepish smile from beneath your lashes.

“Trust him!” She urges in a whisper, disguising it as a hug, “We can meet up again later.”

“Tonight for drinks?” You ask, glancing at your phone and seeing that it’s hours into the afternoon, “I think I’d like a casual dinner after last night.”

“We can do casual.” Jake agrees, and you don’t miss the way he says we.

“Drinks,” She nods, and Daniel tries to meet your eyes where you’re trying to avoid his. 

Everything’s so complicated now. You wish Danica hadn’t managed to get into your head- you wish Jake was still the cocky pilot he was yesterday, or three years ago, or since the dawn of time. You wish you didn’t notice his strange behavior, you wish he’d go back to being irritating so you could be irritated with him. You wish you weren’t thinking more about Jake than you are about Daniel, your perfect man, and when you finally do meet his soulful eyes you can’t offer him anything more than a weak smile.

“See you later.” You hum, and there’s nothing to go in for- a hug seems sad, and a kiss seems showy. You fall back a few steps instead, bumping into Jake who’d been stationed behind you.

“Let’s go,” He hums, “Elevator’s at the other end.”

You walk in silence, and discomfort roils in your chest the longer Jake says nothing. Nothing, nothing at all, no poking, no prodding, no comments about the candy penises in the bag he’s carrying for you. Just- dead silence, and you’re still not used to Jake taking social cues from you. He’s loud, and he worms his way into every situation, so why is he failing to do so now, when you crave normalcy the most?

You’d almost forgotten that you were swimming before this, but your bikini resurfaces in your mind when someone in the elevator pays attention to it. His eyes glance downwards towards your chest, and the way that they narrow in focus makes your skin crawl. His gaze isn’t warm like Daniel’s or like-.

He’s eerie, long, sharp facial features making him look like the human equivalent to a dagger. His sharpened point needles at you, and you’re already shuffling back on your feet in the elevator when Jake throws an arm over your shoulder, effectively covering your breasts.

Glancing up at him reveals that he’s locked into a staring match with the man who’d been looking down your top, and Hangman always wins staring matches. His skin grows warm against your chest, and you marvel at the way his single arm manages to shield every sensual detail of your torso.

When the man finally looks away, defeated, Jake uses the arm to pull you back into his embrace, and this time, you don’t fight him on the proximity. You feel a rush of affection for him, uncommon but not unheard of, and you remember that deep down, he’s a good guy. He’s got faults, he’s got faults that you’re not sure he could ever mend, but at his core he’s got a heart worth loving. 

You don’t have time to thank him, because there’s still people in the elevator when the man disembarks, and Jake gets out only one floor after him.

“You’re going to the top deck?” He asks, having seen you press the topmost button on the panel, and you nod.

“I’ll let you get your fresh air.” He walks backwards out of the elevator, “I’ll stash this in our room and come meet you. Mini golf?”

“I’m down,” You nod without thinking just to agree with him, your throat dry as your skin chills in the absence of Jake’s body heat, “Jake-?”

He stops, brows raised. There’s people around you, waiting for their floors, and you sheepishly give up any hair-brained scheme you’d have planned for having an awkward heart-to-heart with the man who’d just protected you with his body.

“My bag.” You gesture to his arm, your tote still slung over it, “Can I have my bag?”

He grins, wide and pearly white, fumbling with the bags in his arms while keeping his foot in the door to stop the elevator from closing. You take it and he steps away, the doors instantly sliding shut on him. You watch as they close in front of his face, and retreating back into your corner of the elevator seems lonely now that there’s no one accompanying you.

No one says anything- why should they? They don’t know you. But the last thing you need is more silence, and the second the doors slide open on the top deck you’re rushing out onto the slippery flooring, beelining for the railing overlooking the water.

It’s the top deck, so it’s shorter and thinner than the rest below it. But it doesn’t matter- you’re afforded a truly stunning view of the ocean as you drink in lungfuls of sea air.

It’s never this pretty on a carrier ship. Maybe that’s because it’s work, or maybe that’s because of where you work, or maybe that’s because you’re always below deck anyways. This kind of a sunset is something you usually can’t find unless you’re soaring into it through the skies, and here you’re able to relax without being in control of an aircraft.

The clouds act as a Rorschach test. The longer you stare at them the more your mind runs wild, and you seem to find all of your problems in the sky despite having landed to get away from them.

Now you’ve got new ones- one day ago your biggest concern was getting laid. Now- well, you suppose your biggest concern is still getting laid. But now you wonder if you could ever muscle down your nerves enough to fuck Jake, or if you’re going to lay yourself bare for Daniel while thinking about your fellow pilot like you had in your dream last night.

This was meant to be an escape. A thoughtless, lust-driven week-long party that would cure you of your sex block and get you back into the groove.

How’d it all go so sideways?

You don’t hear the footsteps behind you, but you do feel Jake’s hand on your shoulder. His fingers, more like it, because two are perched on your shoulder and three are holding a yellow golf club and a pink ball. He’s got a green and blue pair in his other hand, and you try making your face look like you hadn’t just been searching for answers in the clouds.

“‘You ready for golf?” He asks, his voice far more chipper than yours, “They said they won’t charge us if we shoot one into the ocean.”

“Let’s try not to anyways,” You take the club from him, but swap him the pink ball for the green, “There’s people on the first hole. You wanna go backwards?”

“I’m a pro at mini golf anyways,” Jake scoffs, “Don’t need those practice courses.”

Pro Golfer Jake Seresin loses his ball right away.

It’s important to note that you hadn’t gotten a hole-in-one either, but Jake’s shot is especially horrendous. It veers so off-course that it ends up rolling off of the green altogether, and before either of you can reach it it drops from the deck onto the one below. It doesn’t go as far as the ocean, but it does happen to land right in some unfortunate woman’s drink, and she’s not happy about the bright pink disturbance to her mai tai.

“Sorry!” Jake calls, and you know any apology from him is sincere, or he wouldn’t say it, but she takes less-than-swimmingly to his seemingly casual tone, and she launches the ball with much better aim than he had.

Jake nearly tumbles over the railing as he crumples, groaning in pain at the way the ball had solidly whacked him between the legs. You’re torn between laughing, congratulating the woman, and helping Jake back away from the edge of the deck, so you do some convoluted mixture of all three.

You shoot the woman a dry smile as you tug him away from the railing, and he takes a minute just to breathe as you support his weight. He grimaces, but tries to turn it into one of his signature smirks, though it’s clearly forced as he remains doubled over.

“Hell of an arm on that chick.” He comments, voice heaving with either a laugh or a sob, but probably the latter, “Jesus, darlin’, y’think you could kiss it better for me?”

“I’ll make it worse,” You vow, brandishing the golf club in your fist for extra emphasis, “Sit down before you puke, Hangman.”

He listens, dropping to rest his back against the railing and tilt his head back towards the sky.

It just so happens that you’re skyward to him, and his head rolls so that he can gaze up at your face.

“This is not how I envisioned golfing to go.” He admits, his club laying defeated in the fake grass beside him. “For the record, I was going to tell you that your form was off, and then I was going to come up from behind you and grab your hands and guide you through a swing, all while hoping I could control the big guy downstairs.”

You snort at his admission, but for some reason it doesn’t make you indignant like it might have a day ago. You’re not sure what exactly has changed, just that it’s still changing, and that it would be far easier if it never had.

“How romantic.” You drop a hand onto his head, jostling it side-to-side now that he can’t stop you, “And I suppose this is us staring at the sunset together?”

“Sort of,” Jake shakes his head free of your palm, short-cut hair now wildly out of place.

“It is- funny. How we fly every day but can still stare at the sky.” You note, trying to lose yourself in the watercolor hues of the sky again, “Clouds aren’t any less captivating now than they were when I was 10.”

“It’s different here. We’re relaxing.” Jake hums, “Even if I’m gonna need to ice this later. We’re not doing a timed drill that involves tactical missiles.”

You suppose Jake’s not standing anytime soon so you hit the deck yourself, landing defeatedly beside him and letting your club rest in front of you, “I didn’t come here to relax. Or- I guess I kind of did? In between rounds.”

Jake laughs, and stretches his leg out to rest beside yours, “I came here to fuck. Obviously. But this is nice too.”

You feel a sudden rush of guilt. You’re secure in the fact that you don’t owe Jake anything, even if you’d been assigned as his roommate on this sex cruise. Of course, you hadn’t known he’d be your roommate, or you’d never have signed up, but neither had he. He’d been expecting some woman of his dreams, someone hot, curvy, and ready to open her legs for him, and he’d gotten you. You’re both, in your own ways, disappointments to each other.

“I’m sorry. By the way. That you got stuck with me.” You interrupt the silence after a moment, and only afterwards do you realize that it was a comfortable silence, not one of those tense, awkward things that shatter when broken. 

“Stuck with you?” Jake questions, but before he can spit out some half-baked, cheesy line about never being stuck with you, darlin’, you finish your speech.

“You came here to fuck.” You parrot his words, “And I’m not letting you, and I don’t have to let you, but you wanted to. So I’m sorry we’re each other’s roommates. I came here to fuck, too. And it sucks that we know each other, and that things are so complicated, and that we can’t just fuck like rabbits for a week. I’m sorry.”

Jake stays silent for a while, something that rarely happens with him. But it’s sincere, and when he finally speaks, it’s with a sigh and a nudge of his foot against yours.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to let me,” He agrees, “But- I’m enjoying myself even if we’re not fucking like rabbits.”

“You are?” You give him a sideways glance, “Even though we just drained your credit card and you’re unlikely to be able to reproduce?”

“Free vasectomy,” He grins, “And shopping was fun. And swimming was fun, and drinking was fun, and dinner was fun, and- being with you is fun sometimes.”

“You just had to throw the ‘sometimes’ in there, didn’t you Hangman?” This time, when you refer to him with his callsign, it’s not venomous. Instead, it’s almost fond, and you share a quiet laugh in unison as people mill around you, drinking and kissing and playing mini golf.

“I’m glad you’re having fun.” You sober up, “I’m- I think I’m having fun too.”

“I hope so. ‘Gotta get somethin’ out of this cruise, even if it’s not sex.”

“Jake?” You ask, keeping your head forward and ignoring the sense of deja vu that comes over you.

“Hm?”

“Thanks.” You hum, “For- for understanding that I’m not going to- and, for stopping that guy from looking at me earlier, and for buying me stuff at the shops, and- just. Thank you.”

His response is the thunk of his forehead against your shoulder, and he turns his head to watch the sunset with you through the railing at the opposite end of the deck.

feedback is greatly appreciated! comment, reblog, talk in the tags, send me a message, tell me what you think!

[factual-fantasy]

28 Asks! Thank you! :)) 🪆

@thelatter0verview5

I got a few petty reasons, but a very justified reason is because he is extremely disrespectful and treats everyone around him like garbage. Goose herself said that Jax is a bad person and the Jax simps need to reel back on the excuses they make for his behavior.

"But he's just pushing people away to cope" "But he's just mean because he lost a friend." "But that's just his way of showing love"

Yeah those may explain his behavior but they do not justify it. No matter the reason, Jax is responsible for how he treats other people, and he treats them all like trash. Jax should be held accountable for that.

Now just because I hate him, doesn't mean I have to take Ribbit away in my AU. I hate Jax as a character, as he was designed to be up to this point. But I wouldn't wish the death of a friend on anyone. So honestly for my own sake, not having to write something so sad, I added Ribbit to my AU.

Honestly I like Ragatha a LOT more after episode 5. She's actually becoming one of my favorites.

For starters, I could so easily put myself in her shoes when she mentioned Ribbit. Jax has been a PHAT JERK for a VERY LONG TIME. He has been grinding her gears FOREVER. Because of this she lets a nasty comment slip. "Not anymore.." but after that she IMMEDIATELY back peddles, realizing that what she said was very out of line. I can see myself being bitter and sipping up just like she did.

Right after she frantically yet genuinely apologizes and then flees to give Jax space from her.

Later on, when Jax has been a jerk AGAIN and pushes her buttons with a stupid "what no apology for me?~~💅💅💅"? I would not have had the strength to be kind to Jax. I would have told him to screw off and turned away most likely. But Ragatha had a bigger heart than that.

Despite how rightfully TICKED OFF she is with Jax's horrible behavior, she swallows her pride and apologies again for bringing up Ribbit. And again, walks away to give each other space.

I think Ragatha was awesome and showed how big her heart is in this episode. When she has these outbursts due to stress or other she immediately takes accountability for what she said and genuinely apologizes. That is a millions times more than Jax can say.

@local-dairywizard

The Caine in my AU is very different from canon. So much so he's hardly Caine anymore, but I'm ok with that.

My Caine has 2 goals, of which he was not programmed to do, but has made for himself none the less. #2 is to keep the humans as mentally healthy and calm as he possibly can. And 1# being the most important, get the humans out of here ASAP and back into the real world.

So while Caine in canon was freaking out about the humans liking the suggestion box adventures more than his own, my Caine would be THRILLED! He's be so relieved that the humans have some time of peace where they're getting along and socializing. In fact he would probably toss in a few little distracting activities like more food options, some more pretty bugs and a few more pretty colors in the sky.. before leaving the humans there in peace while he works extra hard on finding an exit for a bit.

In my AU, Caine cannot control or alter the minds of the humans in any way. And he is very transparent and honestly about his inability to do so. Which ngl the circus members kind'a wish he could-

If Caine could alter the minds of the humans, he could shut down their panic attacks, remove their deep depressions or paranoid delusions, and even cure abstraction. But alas, he cannot..

(Referencing this post)

Thank you so much!! :DDDD💞💞💞

Honestly, the only ramen I really remember the taste of is chicken. And its been a VERY long time since I've had that.. so its hard to say what they'd like <XD

But Cici and Gerald aren't picky, they'd probably try any ramen! Maybe they'd even favor a spicy kind! :00

I think that would be pretty fitting! :0 I wouldn't be surprised to see a teddy bear character on one of the crossed out bedroom doors..

(Referencing this post)

XDD I'm glad you like it! :))

That's gotta be on the list of the most wholesome and warm compliments I have ever received.. thnk yu... 🥺💞

@neo-metalscottic (Referencing this post)

Thank you so much! :DD And don't worry about the Shockwave post, <XD in hindsight I should have just waited a day or two before answering.

As for the Dinobots, I don't think I can promise anything 😅 I mean, you said they were normal Cybertronians that were experimented on and mutated to look like dinosaurs, right? Well in my AU it obviously wouldn't make any sense for Shockwave to have modeled them after Earth creatures- if he even could make them perfect like that.

Instead, they just probably became these horrible masses of mutated metal and grime. Their legs and spines were elongated, forcing them to arch and crouch their legs. Kind'a looking like a dino but not really being one- Idk how I can make that NOT horrific 😓😓

And tbh, I'm back and forth on Shockwaves arm. If he was primarily a scientist, wouldn't be illogical to replace one of his arms with a blaster? It would make more sense to replace his arm with another working hand, and maybe give himself some kind of body mounted gun for protection. Like Megatrons arm blaster or Breakdowns shoulder cannon.

That's probably what I'll do. But his other arm could look different or odd. Maybe it was taken from someone else's body and so the paint and finger shapes are different. But ultimately its just a normal hand.

Also, Shockwave using Arachnids mind as a blueprint for the Insecticons is really clever! It would make a lot of sense that they would worship her. I'll have to think about that! :00

And lastly, thank you for the well wishes! My symptoms have been pretty bad today, so after these two posts are up my day will come to an end and I will go crash <XDD

I honestly didn't care for any of them, but I liked evil Orbsman. His voice made me laugh for some reason XD

SCREAMSSS THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! 😭😭🥰💞🥰💞💞💞

@palettepainter

Thank you so much!! :D Though unfortunately- since Ribbits ref was released, some changes are in the works-- <XD

I'm thinking Ribbit will actually be a 17 year old girl. I'm considering making her a mischievous "little" sister to Jax and they (lovingly) prank the crap out of each other all the time XDD

Anything beyond that, like if they knew each other before the circus or anything- has yet to be decided 😅

I got through all of Markipliers videos on it thus far, which as of typing this he has 8 parts up.

And yeah, at first I liked it. But by that first ending I completely rejected that entire game from the FNAF lore. It implies and changes WAY too much. Especially when it comes to Henry, William, the history of Fazbear entertainment, the springlock suits, the original 4 bots- its just a huge mess. As far as I'm concerned, for my AUs at the very least, that game is not canon. at all.

HOWEVER, I did take a liking to the animatronics/costumes. Much more than I thought I would. In fact I have some drawing plans for them! :DD

@briandraws (Referencing this post)

JSNDKJSN SORRY XDDD (I'm glad you liked it! :DD )

Also thanks again!! :DD But don't get too attached to it, after seeing Ribbits official ref sheet that seems to imply she's girl, I will be making some changes to her design.. whoops! 😅😅

@cherrycreamfairy

AAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDD That's the part of the drawing I try my hardest to get right! 🥰🥰

I believe I've watched the.... 2....? movies about it. But it was a very long time ago so I don't really remember much 💔

@dragonsgirl572 (Referencing this post)

AWE!! Thank you so much!! :DD

And thank you for the well wishes. My symptoms have tough and our more recent cure attempt came back with no results. Hoping I get better soon too <:') 🙏

@beryl-shade

The design of the Tiger had me HOOKED! He looks so drawable! If its a movie and not a show I'll have to give it a watch!! :DD

@misscherrypie

I've seen it floating around and people saying its surprisingly good. I might have to look into it! :0

@minnesotamedic186

Honestly this season has been very gloomy, and it hit too close to home one too many times. I'm anxious for it to be over.💔🕊️

You can look at my tier list here :0 my rankings haven't really changed after episode 5. Other than moving Ragatha and Pomni up a tier and moving Caine and Bubble down a tier. Also adding Evil Orbsman to s-Tier XDD His voice was really funny. "whAt tHe f R I c K???"

@pewpewae

SCREEAMING AND CRYING WAAAAJHG THS IS SO SWEET THANK YOUU!!! PUTTING THIS ASK IN THE TINY SHIRT POCKET IN MY HEART😭😭😭💞💞💞💞

@candyglumboy (Referencing this post)

I can imagine they love pranking and screwing each other over in adventures. Its all light hearted and nothing too painful though dw- XD

(Referencing this post)

XDD Indeed!!

Awe, thank you! I can confidently say I don't do that because I've actually tried it before with Bowser <XD

I don't hate Bowser- but after the Mario movie made an absolute fool of him, I wanted to make him a vicious, irredeemable villain in my AU. Just an absolute monster, I WANTED people to fear and hate him. But in the end he felt bland.. it almost felt like I made a fool of him too but just on the opposite end of the spectrum.

I have since then learned my lesson and now try to take characters I don't like and give them some grace. I hope I was able to do that with TADC and TFP! <XDD

@virtualworldfp5

Very cool! :D

❣️🌟

☺️🫴

[anticanonsposts]

Early flirting/relationship things

(I'm just thinking out loud)

SFW:

i feel like when you first start to flirt with him he is kind of oblivious

talking to you already makes him so nervous so I think if you were intentionally being flirty he would already be so nervous that he wouldn’t notice

when you two do officially start going out…

he tends to make very prolonged eye contact when talking to you

especially when you guys go on more ‘traditional’ restaurant style dates 

like his eyes would NOT leave you 

defo from the beginning he pays for EVERYTHING 

even when he doesn’t fucking get anything

one time he invited you for coffee and pastries, you got there, and he didn’t order anything…

he said oh no I’m not hungry but like he wasn’t being rude, he wasn’t doing it for any other reason

but he still insisted on paying 

(he really just wanted an excuse to see you and used food) 

idk why but I feel like at the beginning he would be a little cautious about eating around you

i just feel like sometimes with social anxiety, eating in front of people can be more difficult

so i feel like he would eat a more ‘normal’ amount/portion instead of his normal much bigger amount

but his stomach would give him hell so usually after he took you out to lunch or something, on the drive home or wherever you were going next he’d ask if you wanted to stop somewhere for a ‘snack’ 

then he would eat a whole other meal 

he kept doing this until you were ordering at a restaurant once and you just touched his arm and said ‘is that all you want? Get more if you’re hungry babe’ 

and he realized he wasn’t as slick as he thought 

from then on he’s just your human garbage disposal 

any time you have left overs you don’t want, already taken care of 

considering he isn’t from the US (this only applies ig if y’all are living in the US) 

i always see people from the states go on vacation in other places and they lose weight because the food is better quality/better for you/less banned ingredients lol anywhere outside of the U.S.

i think the reverse would happen for König

one thing about him, guy likes to eat

so I think when he first comes here he’s a little overwhelmed by all of the snack/food options and would gain a decent amount of weight 

also regardless of where you guys live/where you are from/your heritage I think he would love learning about your cultural foods and your favorite foods, he would want to try everything 

not food related…

before moving in together, the guy would get so giddy whenever you spent the night with him

especially when you would forget or leave stuff at his house

it would brighten his day when you aren’t there and he sees something of yours, like a body care product, a perfume (which he would defo steal/hide forever), or a piece of clothing

in the most wholesome way possible, he would love being in bed with you 

just being cozy and feeling your body against his 

he would also start sleeping better the more you guys slept together 

i honestly don’t think he’s super picky about cuddle position, as long as you two are wrapped around each other in some way, he doesn’t give a fuck <3

NSFW: MDNI!!!

things that i think definitely happen before you guys’ first time together…

literally googles ‘how to eat pussy’

idk if I headcanon him as a virgin or not, considering I like to write about mid 20s him, more likely??

for sure he doesn’t have much relationship experience, like bullied, then 17 joined the military, not much opportunity there

but sex, maybe he’s had sex before, but either way would be really nervous about pleasing you 

first time together he really wants you to lead the way but honestly

he gets super into it very quickly and just gets obsessed with how you feel

basically devours your face and neck with his mouth 

when he is finally able to pull himself away he eats you out for so fucking long

at least 3 orgasms with is mouth/hands because he is nervous and making you cum makes him less nervous and because let's face it….dude has a third leg

he wants to make sure you are prepped enough that he won’t cause any discomfort 

i think he would be very attentive to facial expressions and body language during sex, so when you looked a little nervous after seeing how big he was he rushed to comfort you but you just said-

‘don’t worry, I’ll make it fit’ which ngl besides the amount of concern he had for you made him even more flustered 

i also think this man is just vocal in general, but ESPECIALLY at the beginning 

partly bc he wanted you to know it felt good but also because it was just so overwhelmingly good 

[literallypyro]

Ello there! I like your perfect pair series, can you do the deffense classes as well?

Absolutely! Who doesn't love having the complete collection?

As with any response, hope you enjoy!

The perfect pair Pt.3

Demoman:

He's another one who wouldn't be too picky with requirements. Personality flaws are fine, as long as they are willing to acknowledge and work on them. Doesn't care if they aren't a stand-up citizen, as long as they aren't just an outright evil or sour person.

I think he would actually be attracted to things others would consider physical flaws. It "adds character" in his opinion. Bags under their eyes? They must be working so diligently on something that they stay up a couple hours longer than they should. Stretch marks? How are those a flaw?! Those are like adding veins on a leaf painting, beautiful attention to detail on his favorite work of art! Crooked teeth? Oh, come on now. It's just cute.

He would probably like someone who doesn't have to be around him 24/7, especially when he's experimenting with his bombs. That just means they aren't codependent and there isn't a chance they get hurt if he messes something up while inventing new types of bombs.

I think he would also like someone who likes parallel play. Not sure why, it just sounds right to me.

I feel he's one of those people that the saying "the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach" applies to. It's definitely not a requirement, but it's a lot easier to fall head over heels if they can feed him some good food.

I could also see him going for someone a little bit shy and easy to fluster. He wouldn't overdo it, but seeing his effect on them would ironically have him wrapped around their finger. Not even he knows why it works that way. Maybe it's because he and his partner understand the limits and don't let anything settle into discomfort.

He would also like someone who can help him out of his insecure moments, yet they don't feel like it's their obligation. Someone who helps because they want to for his sake, not because they have to because they're with him.

All in all, he doesn't have super high standards, but he won't settle for less than he deserves.

Heavy:

He would probably be into spunky, tough people. He'd avoid people who actively seek out fights. However, if they only get into fights for valid reasons, he likes when they're resilient and resourceful enough to win every time. Not a requirement, but definitely bonus points if they tend to be smaller than their opponents.

I think part of the reason he'd be attracted to these types of people is because it would give him some peace of mind and make it easier not to subconsciously try to protect them all the time.

I think he would probably have a thing for people with visual art talents. Whether it be painting, graphite, or even graffiti, he would love to be able to see what the inside of their mind looks like. To him, each artwork is another piece of their personality he can cherish. That being said, he definitely leans more towards the expressive artists rather than ones who make still life pieces or photorealistic pieces. Those already exist. He understands it takes an insane amount of skill, and he can respect it. He just prefers those who can pull something completely new and original from their mind.

I could also see him pining for a dancer. He would be their #1 cheerleader, and wouldn't be shy about it either. Why would he be embarrassed about others seeing how much he supports and loves his partner? It would just be weird if he tried to hide his enthusiasm for them doing great things and being happy.

I think it would relax him if his partner didn't want kids. It's not that he doesn't want any, but the thought of his partner being like "kids or I'm gone" just doesn't sit right with him. He helped raise his sisters for a good portion of his life. He's already been a dad, in a sense. While, yes, that makes him very well equipped to raise more kids, that doesn't mean he has to want kids, y'know? Basically, he would want a partner who wouldn't pester or pressure him for kids. Chances are, his perfect type isn't sure if they want kids or not, just like him.

He would like someone he can cook with. Big emphasis on "with." He loves quality time and sharing skills and interests with each other. If they can teach him something completely new to him, bro is DOWN HORRENDOUS. Teach him more. He loves to learn things from the people he loves.

Engineer:

Ah, the good ol' country boy. Call me basic, say I'm sticking with stereotypes, whatever, but this man could never turn down someone who embodies southern momma energy, regardless what gender they identify with. I'm just a firm believer that every southern hospitality sweetheart needs their southern sass spitfire! They don't even need to be southern, to be honest. They just gotta have that energy, that zing.

Someone who, when he's trying to spare someone's feelings, will chime in with a brutally honest version that people can't even be mad about. I mean, they're right, aren't they? Someone who can be the spice to his sugar, the clarity to his kindness, the fire to his candle.

Now let me step away from that since I know he's an open-minded guy. He could also go for someone who's more like him. The type I mention above is more like "same sentence, different font" but the type I'm talking about now is more like "same font, different sentence."

Just as an example, he's humble and good with machines, so maybe they could be humble and good with nature. He's smooth on guitar, they're smooth with singing. He's drinking beer, they're drinking relatively cheap wine. You get what I'm saying.

I guess, when it comes down to it, he wants a partner who's just like him on this half of his personality, but the complete opposite of him on that half of his personality. Like a book. The front cover looks totally different from the back cover, but they're the same piece of leather.

[gentle-hero-blog]

Fun Samus n Adam fax yayyyy bc I'm writing ANOTHER thing about them

Samus:

she can eat A LOT but she's also fairly picky. She also gets nauseous easily as a lasting effect of Phazon sickness

(EXTREME HEADCANON TERRITORY) Chozo have minimal sex dimorphism and basically no concept of gender - this is why we never see any quote unquote “female” ones (I like to believe their language doesn't even have indicators of gender, i.e. when Raven Beak calls her "nadaha" [daughter] it translates more literally to "child"). so I think the GF Academy was really her first exposure to the complicated world of human gender expression (since the age of 3 at least). she vibes with some of it and really Doesn't vibe with the rest

“Lady” was actually a name she was trying out for a while after joining the Academy (^see above). She warmed up to Adam a Lot when he just went with it. Nowadays she doesn't use it anymore, except in an inside-joke sort of way with him

Loves Joey to death if i'm being honest. she sees him as a little bro and he sees her as The Most Amazing Spectacular Hero In The Universe (as per the s&j comics)

Has complicated feelings about slowly becoming a Metroid. at what point does it stop? can she still call herself a person? it feels to her as though she's lived in a different body at every stage of her life and highkey she's tired of it

Laser-focuses on other people's problems to avoid processing her own. ruh roh

LOVES fixing stuff/solving puzzles and very little can snap her out of it when she's in the zone. she'll often work on her gunship to clear her mind and forget to do anything else

BONUS: some misc. metroid DNA effects

scaly skin on back, arms and calves

raspy scratchy voice (FANS SELF FURIOUSLY) and basically i think if she were to scream it would sound like a metroid shriek

suit develops a ridgy, almost organic texture on the plating; colors shift (less vibrant, starts to tinge with green)

unexplained Cravings. gets real grumpy and finds it hard to think when they hit. anger and stress cause them to flare up especially hard (like in Dread)

something weird with her eyes.....when the cravings hit the irises dilate

Adam:

I usually envision him as anywhere from 10-20 yrs older than Samus

Definitely not weak per se (highly trained soldier. duh) but he's no powerhouse like Samus. easily throwable individual

eyestrain McGee. this guy does not wear his readers as often as he should

tolerates animals and actively avoids young children. I think he could maybe bond with a cat or something if given the chance though

he and ian didn't have much of a choice about going into the military. It was a very strict family tradition

enjoys music a lot. I imagine he'd have a nice singing voice too but this guy would NOT sing i'm sorry

(entirely 100% self-indulgent) his favorite song is Pink Pony Club. The unit was in hysterics upon finding this out

was in advanced placement at the Academy due to being large-brained which meant his classmates were all much older. one of these classmates was Rodney Aran

(more self-indulgence) that being said, the one and only quote unquote "date" he has ever been on was with Rodney, who asked him to the Academy's equivalent of prom. it was uncomfortable and bad

similarly to Samus, he has complicated feelings about the AI situation. that was NOT done with his consent. but at the very least he can finally drop the commander act and just be a catty snark

AI Adam is a lot more talkative than his former self. the main reason for this is that he will no longer lose his job for telling someone to suck his entire ass

Joey reminds him of his brother. who said that

Both:

they don't necessarily Identify as such (I don't think they like. care), but both are likely some flavor of aroace. adam finds the idea of romance/sex borderline repulsive and samus just doesn't think about it often beyond Boobs Are Cool (she does get very flustered when girls are nice to her though)

transgener. yay 🥳🥳🥳

Sooo introverted YAYYY. lowkey they first bonded over being the quiet ones in their unit (“bonded” meaning they stood next to each other in awkward silence at some sort of gathering and thought aaahhhhh thank god another quiet person)

they're just comfortable around each other idk. it's nice :] on the other hand they also Get On Each Other's Nerves So Enormously Bad

not all is well between them. there is defo some silent resentment on Samus' part for some of his past actions and their way of solving problems does NOT always align. they are, however, making the most of it AND i love them

[pincushionx]

Oh I just had an evil thought about the Ghoul AU

Belos uses food as a main manipulation tactic for keeping Hunter "efficient and successful" on his missions. It has not been revealed where that meat comes from (if I'm not missing or forgetting anything).

I would totally believe that since petrification is admittedly rarely done if at all in the present day, Belos would feed him the meat of prisoners. Maybe he would amputate them and use those removed limbs to simultaneously feed Hunter less and still keep the meat fresh---objectively, it's being efficient with resources and punishing him for underperforming.

How fucked up would it be if (assuming that the ingredients required to create Grimwalkers are reusable and that the process is worth the time investment) Belos feeds him other Grimwalkers. What if he had tried it previously with the bodies of failed specimens? Would they have been able to tell the difference?

Sorry for the ramble, I just woke up from a nap and had a brrrrrr brain moment

Correct for the most part! The Emperor coven is already known to have secret petrifications of Wild witches so it would make sense for some of them to be executed in different ways for reasons. I don’t think he’d be bother to have limbs amputated, rather why not just kill them if he’s already fine with doing that.

Though the idea of “reformed” wild witches(aka those forced into covens) leaving the conformatorium with missing limbs and being told that’s just punishment is all sorts of dystopian. Though, I always like the idea that the most wild of witches would just “disappear” and the rest, lesser ones would be forced into covens or kept imprisoned. They all get arrested but have different fates depending on severity of their crimes.

After Hunter carvings arise, Belos has a select few witches hanged and taken to the morgue where they could be butchered by him or Hunter (a form of punishment) for food privately.

I always saw Grimwalkers being a limited product due to having very limited sources. I mean there aren’t many palistorm trees, selkidomous are rare, stonesleeper lungs where already limited at the start and might degrade over time, and the galdorstones are difficult to obtain. Realistically, I think Belos could only have a max of two grimwalkers at a time since he’s reusing parts.

Also the horror that Hunter’s body parts had been reused multiple times for past Golden Guards is too horrific to pass up. I think Belos harvests the corpses for these parts after killing them, all besides the bone since that’s too tedious for what it’s worth. So as much as he would like to make Hunter cannibalize other grimwalkers for experiments, he can’t do that unfortunately without further degrading a limited source.

(I think he would have had more sources in the past where he would have been able to do experiments on the grimwalkers until these materials eventually became unusable and he had to be more cautious on what he used his remaining materials on, much to his dismay)

So the best he could do is make Hunter eat the bones. Yes our boy eats bones, plenty of carnivorous animals do and it’s a good source of calcium. Though he can’t survive off them, thats an incredibly deficient diet. Since Hunter is actually consuming something that’s the same species as him, this is genuine cannibalism and it makes him incredibly sick.

Hunter is unaware of this of course, assuming it’s some random witch bone that tastes weirdly gross and is also a bit aged for his liking(not like he has the option to be picky)

Like I said, it makes him sick. Like he’s been poisoned sick. Through these are just bones and who’s to say that Belos doesn’t have grimwalker organs and flesh, preserved somewhere in storage. Might explore that possibility in the future.

[greekceltic]

I don't usually show thumbs before pages, but I think there's some benefit in being noisy about these. I want people to realize I'm redoing earlier parts of the comic so they'll go back and look for story seeds that weren't there before. And I have so few girl OCs. Let Belz have big lady spotlight.

I'm really picky about keeping Jacky's losable animal vibe and wanted to change how she's captured without adding too many new pages. I also couldn't do something that would change her world view (make her even MORE suspicious and distrustful of people), because I need her to accept Herman. I had to think up a way to disarm her that is: - believable to me - not an overt betrayal - will not make her suspicious of the wrong body types - is relatable enough viewers won't think less of her ability to fend for herself for falling for it - is something she understands to be her own fuck up

So I just had Belz grab her head a lot and made some allusions to her spending lots of time in the forest, and Belz having reason to show up there. She's got reasons to worry about wildlife but not anyone plotting against her. When her captor grabs her head, she was already expecting it to be someone she knows. Seeding some other stuff too.

[gallavich-annise]

April Fanfic Roundup!

I feel like I've read far fewer fics this month, but I've read a couple of great longfic WIPs, just fewer short ones... And while I thought I'd been reading less I've apparently read way more again...

So overall I read about 610k words from 23 fics including another reread of The Menagerie... It's been a hard time, don't judge me. The book is on order and when it arrives I'll read it again.

And as usual, here are my new bookmarks from the last month, most recent to older.

I don't think I ever claimed only to bookmark stuff that's finished (I'm very mercurial about this), but just in case, the following do include WIPs.

Piece of my Heart by Runningempty

Hurt/comfort with nurse Mickey caring and falling for Ian while the latter waits for a heart transplant. Lots of cute pining and a bit of medical malpractice shush now.

Chasing Dreams by JessiJ1997

Very sweet story where Ian and Mickey have an adorable dream friendship as children. I've been having a lot of decision paralysis about starting new fics, but this one from the GGE caught my attention and was very cute.

Golden by crossmydna

So... I never seek out A/B/O, and I'm picky about soulmate fics, but I've decided cross can write anything and I'll be there now. So I was there. And it was delicious. 

The Stowaway by crossmydna 

Pirate Gallavich! Mickey stows away on "Captain Redbeard" Ian's ship and becomes his... Ahem cabin boy. Delicious, but watch the tags if you're squeamish about power dynamics.

Workhouse Rock by Suzy_Queue

Delightful Mickey and Ian having fun at prison work camp! It's been getting a little angsty as it gets towards the final section, but I really love this one... As always Deena's writing is beautiful. 

Africa by IanGalagher

I alluded to starting this one in last month's roundup... Wildlife photographer Mickey and his new intern Ian are unable to keep things strictly professional for more than about six seconds. This was another one where Ian and Mickey get to have a lot of fun together, which is lovely... then there's a dramatic turn and a really tense few chapters. WIP, but it does currently end in a not-angsty place.

(Recently I went to the zoo and they had elephants and lions and I thought of this fic a lot... On behalf of my Nikon-user photoing friends, I do have to 😠 at the Canon supremacy 😝.)

Safety in the Workplace by Romanticalgirl

Post season 5 breakup Ian starts a new job at the warehouse where Mickey works... A sad-and-sweet reconnection story. I haven't read the follow-ups yet. Had me in my heartbroken Mickey feels. 

Someone to save you by whatyouandihave

Superhero Ian and villain Mickey! From this year's big bang (I'm reading very erratically and haven't read all the ones I want to yet). I really loved Ian's powers in this, and the fights between Ian and Mickey. I really enjoyed it.

In this smoking chaos by JR_ooc

I think I missed this one off last month's list for some reason... But I'm enjoying this WIP military dystopia a lot. Slow burn though, so I'm waiting to see how things develop with baited breath.

---

And that's it for this time, though another honorable mention to Little Serious Tone, which I listed last time and is now complete, and you were meant to be near me which has had more adorable updates this month.

[soperomitch]

Queer Kirby characters! 🥳

As in, my LGBTQIA+ headcanons for some Kirby characters. Sorry, I don't think any of them are confirmed to be canon gays. Happy early pride month.

My explanation for each character:

Kirby- Well, he doesn't seem like one to really pinpoint his gender. He doesn't feel like he has one, y'know. So, I headcanon him as agender. He also just doesn't care about pronouns. I also put panromantic cause he doesn't care about gender. If he loves someone, he loves someone. That's it.

King Dedede- For him, it was kinda easy to choose. After playing Kirby Fighters 2 and consuming way too much MetaDede fanart, I can't see him being with a woman. For the pronouns, I'd assume he prefers he/him pronouns, but he likes all the other ones too.

Meta Knight- Something about the way he hides his face and his voice in both Smash Bros. and the anime screams transgender. I don't know, he just seems like it. He also doesn't seem like much of a sex guy. Can his species even have sex? I dunno. That's a different question though. He's also uranic cause he doesn't seem like he would want to date a woman, but he wouldn't mind dating a non-binary person. Or anyone male-aligned. But he wouldn't like dating girls. For pronouns, he prefers he/him. He's too much of a Chad to care though. He's too busy with wars and crap.

Bandana Waddle Dee- He doesn't seem like a romance or sex kind of person. He prefers stuff like hugs and maybe platonic pecks on the cheek, but romance? Not his thing. He also looks like the aroace flags. I also feel like he doesn't feel like being 100% male. Like, it fluctuates for him. Some days, he feels more masculine, other days, he feels less masculine. That's why I put him as boyflux. For pronouns, he likes he/they. That's literally it no other explanation.

Magolor- Something about that hood screams transmasc. I dunno, he just looks like it. Same with pansexual. Just the vibes. For his pronouns I put he/they cause he just likes those. For Magolor it was pure vibes.

Marx- He's too cool for sex, so you have to prove to him that you're enough. Not the actual reason why I put demi-sexual but it's funny. I just put it because he's picky I guess. He's also bisexual. He likes women, but would like a really attractive man, y'know. Also he/him for him cause. Yeah.

Susie- She's a bisexual with a preference towards women. She gives lesbian vibes I know but I also feel like she wouldn't mind being with a man. But she's really picky towards men, so she has a heavy female preference. She/they for her cause I don't know.

Taranza- He seems queer. Like, he knows he's not straight, but he loves Queen Sectonia. So queer is just right for him. But in reality, we all know he's Queensectoniasexual. /J on the last part. For pronouns, he/him cause I don't know. Just yeah.

Okay that's all the Kirby characters I'm doing for now. Sorry there's a lot of Kirby characters. I only did the most well known ones. (+ I like them) Maybe next time I'll put more Kirby characters.

[themildmahariel]

OC Tag Game: Asha Wakefield

I was tagged by @in-the-drowning-deep!

I've already done this & tagged ppl, but this time I'll tag @maagisterpavus and @seaglassmelody (if you've done this already, lemme know 'cause I wanna read 'em!)

Since I filled this out for Ronan and Euzen already, I think it's time that I finally speak about my ever-elusive Asha Wakefield. She may be dead in canon, but she was actually my first Rook in a sort of AU (and i'd like to eventually write a novel that includes Ro, 'Zen, and Ash) so she's a lot more fleshed out than I've let on.

General 

Name: Asha Wakefield

Alias: Captain, "That bitch"

Gender: Cis female (maybe nb if she were to ever think about it hard enough)

Age: 42 in VG

Spoken language: Trade, Rivaini, some Antivan and Tevene (mostly swear words)

Sexual orientation: Canon: aromantic pansexual. VG AU: panromantic/sexual (so that she can smooch someone. She's who I want to romance Dav & Neve at the same time with)

Occupation: Pirate

Favourite…

Colour: Emerald green, like the colour of her eyes and the loot she loves to hoard

Entertainment: Drinking, singing, fucking. Sometimes all at the same time.

Pastime: Reading poorly written romance novels (she loves making fun of them), chatting with her crew (especially about their next score)

Food: She's really not picky. She grew up on a fishing boat, however, so the stinky smell of fish reminds her of home.

Drink: Again, she's not picky. She maybe prefers a good gin though.

Have they…

Passed university: No

Had sex: Ohhh yes.

Had sex in public: Ohhhhhhhh yes.

Got tattoos: Yes, she has a chin tattoo and she's let her crew stick 'n poke a few funny/crude images on her (edit: Ash is white af but I might make her more Māori as I continue to develop her, especially since her chin tattoo kinda resembles their Tāmoko - I didn't make that connection at first, but I feel a bit uncomfortable having a white character 'appropriate' that part of their culture - especially since I'm reading on it now and realizing that this kind of appropriation is a big no-no)

Got piercings: Lots on her ears. Maybe a labret piercing like Isabela (because if it isn't obvious, Bela was a big influence on Ash's characterization)

Got scarred: She's picked up a few scars over the years. She was also disembowelled by a rival qunari and killed (does that count?). In the VG AU she somehow survives and gets sold into slavery after (Laidir background)

Had a broken heart: Not by love. There is a reason why she was so insistent on chasing after her rival though....

Been in love: edit: I missed this one. Answer is no to romantic love (bc aromantic) but yes in VG AU with Neve and Dav. She also loves her crew in her own way sorta like an older sibling/guardian relationship

Are they…

A cuddler: No

Scared easily: No. It probably would have been better for her and her crew if she did have more fear in her.

Jealous easily: Not at all!

Trustworthy: Not at all!

Family

Siblings: None (that she knows of)

Parents: Different in all the AUs. In DA they're both dead.

Children: None

Pets: Do her crewmates count?

Fun fact if you've made it all the way down here: Euzen is actually quite different in my pirate AU. He's much less "Baby" and is actually on Asha's crew as their doctor!

[ox-imagines]

Dsgjfkk hello, sorry to bother you with my brainrot but I'm so curious. Which tokyo debunker ghouls do you think would be into taller women vs not? I'm 5'8-5'9 and a (chunky and comfortable) Heel Enjoyer, so I typically end up standing around 6', and it's made a couple reallll weird dates lol

Thank you for your ask! I hope I answered it to your satisfaction!

Into it: Alan, Jin, Haru, Zenji, Jiro, Sho

Alan

Really Alan isn’t too picky about his partners visually, and he’s a tall guy who doesn’t mind dating someone who’s also tall. I feel like he’d be the type to equate short=cute and tall=attractive. It also doesn’t hurt to be tall because that means you’re less small and therefore probably not as easy to harm, though regardless he will still treat you as if you’re fragile; it just helps subconsciously loosen his mental block.

Jin

Jin is another one who is tall and wouldn’t mind a tall partner, he’d just prefer you not be taller than him. Even if you are though, he’ll eventually put his reservations about it aside. Fuck society, after all; who cares if people don’t consider it “normal”? If someone has something to say about it, they can say it to his face, and let’s just say it won’t go too well for them if they’re actually bold enough to.

Haru

Ok look. I am pro sub Haru. I think a tall woman would easily have him weak in the knees. He finds it so attractive and too often catches himself thinking about you having him pinned to a wall. He would be a SIMP. Please step on him. If he has to climb you like a tree he will gladly do so. He often acts up and gets cheeky with you as a way of subtly begging you to put him in his place.

Zenji

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Zenji genuinely thinks everyone is beautiful in their own way! I don’t think he’d necessarily want to be with someone taller than him, but luckily he’s over 6 feet tall and usually wears platform sandals, so that won’t be a problem for most people. He otherwise doesn’t mind your height at all and thinks it’s part of what makes you unique! He enjoys waking up next to you because both of you have long limbs and you'll often end up tangled together cuddling.

Jiro

Like his brother, he is quite tall. He doesn’t view people the same way his brother does, but he would also date someone tall, though he wouldn’t care in the least if you happened to be taller than him. He doesn’t care about or think in terms of social norms, so he doesn’t think the height of a potential partner should matter, unless for some reason you’re trying to have children of a certain height. In fact, for Jiro, if you’re taller than average he’d probably take more interest in you because you stand out as compared to other girls he studies.

Sho

This man is another who finds tall women attractive. He’s fairly tall himself and loves the idea of having a tall partner, like the couples in the media who are both tall and hot. It doesn’t at all detriment his ego to be with someone his height or taller, even if Leo makes snide remarks about it. He likes to show off, and for him if you were around his height or taller it would be a point of pride that he was able to bag you since most women seem to like men who are taller than them.

Iffy about it/it depends: Lyca, Kaito, Tohma, Leo

Lyca

Social norms don't affect Lyca. In fact, a bigger mate might be beneficial because size usually equals strength, right? That being said, though, it might take a while to get to the point of being with him because girls make him nervous, and you being tall would make you seem a little more intimidating to him.

Kaito

Surface level, Kaito is very subscribed to what other people think and what the media says is cool and right. He's not actively into tall girls, especially since he's not very tall himself. However, if you start giving him attention, it won't take much to get him thinking about you and he'll quickly become more like Haru, practically begging for you to do whatever you want to him.

Tohma

Tohma doesn't really have too much of a preference either way. He'd prefer you to be at least a tiny bit shorter than him, but otherwise, he doesn't think it's much of a sensible concern. Height isn't a trait that makes someone a good partner.

Leo

Leo would prefer for a female partner to be shorter than him in most occasions. He thinks it's a better aesthetic, plus he could tease her about being short and put his arm on her head like an armrest. But just maybe you could convince him to date a tall girl. He's cuddly, so if you let him cuddle into your side and put your arms around him he'll enjoy it. Also if he gives it some thought, he might decide it would actually be beneficial to date a tall girl. It's outside the norm, so it would inevitably get people talking, and any attention is good attention in Leo's opinion.

Doesn't like it: Towa, Romeo

The only two I can imagine just not liking it are Towa and Romeo, and even they could be convinced if you can get past their initial distaste.

Towa

Towa wouldn't like the idea of a girl taller than him. It doesn't fit into his traditional understanding of romance, and he likes when girls seem small and weaker as compared to him, he thinks it's cute. He's an affectionate person, so if you can convince him to like you as a friend first it could go somewhere anyway despite him initially not seeing you as "suitable".

Romeo

Romeo is a bit too shallow and a bit too invested in appearances and societal expectations to even consider dating a woman his height or taller. If you somehow manage to endear yourself to him, you may be able to change his mind, but it'll take a lot of time and effort, so good luck.

[adobe-outdesign]

What are your thoughts on the 25th anniversary pet colours?

As a whole, I really like the 25th anniversary colour. I have a few gripes with some more technical things, which I'll touch on momentarily, but I think it's a fun colour that stands on its own.

Visually, I think it manages to nail the three big aspects: base colour, individuality, and customization. For the base colour, the semi-opaque stars are a great nod to the Neopets brand that also happen to look "celebratory", and it makes sure the base isn't too similar to any plain colours. I've heard some argue that 25th anniversary is too close to starry as a colour, but I disagree; sure, they both have stars, but one is always blue with yellow stars and no wearables, while one is... not that. Like, you're never going to confuse the two.

I also think the colour works in terms of both overall coherency and and individuality. Each pet has a simple main hue for the base with stars, and then a few small celebration-y items for custimization. However, the base color is different for each pet and the wearables also vary, so each pet still feels unique. The wearables are also a nice touch because they add a little something and are unique to this colour, but are completely optional. It reminds me a lot of valentine in execution, which is a good thing.

The colour also comes in "celebratory" styles. The styles are variable in quality; some of them have really fun poses and good shading, while others look very flat and have very thin linework or strange proportions. However, I'm not quite as picky with these because they're all-new styles not based on any actual pre-customization art, unlike something like the recent dynamic Halloween and Ghost styles. Either way, I do like the styles and I think they add some life.

My only issue with this colour is that we only have, like, five pets in it. Don't get me wrong, it's normal to only get a handful of pets in a given colour when it debuts... but the reason is that each species needs to be designed, whereas here, we know most species already have a 25th anniversary design thanks to promo materials. It probably would bother me less except we have way more pet styles than we do non-styles, which feels kind of gross; almost like part of the colour is paywalled for certain species until further notice.

Also, my other minor beef is that "25th anniversary" is a very clunky pet name; not only is it a mouthful, but it doesn't make sense in-universe (the 25th anniversary of what, exactly?) and makes it weird to release 25th anniversary pets on any other anniversary, which they're apparently planning to.

Favorite Species:

Xweetok: Unfortunately there's no NP colour for this one yet, which like I said above I'm really not a fan of as a practice. However, this is a really 25th anniversary pet regardless. It comes decked out in a bow, wings, and balloons, and uses a pink/green/orange palette that really shouldn't work and yet somehow does. The winking pose for this one is also very fun and adds a lot of personality.

Uni: I don't know why I like the Uni so much; maybe it's just the nice rearing pose, or maybe it's just that I like the light blue, yellow, and pink palette. Regardless, it's very pretty, and that's coming from a person who normally isn't huge on Unis. My only beef with it is that the hair clip stars and the bow have colored lineart for some reason, and the bow is stapled directly on the body without a ribbon around the neck—a weirdly common problem with 25th Anniversary pets for reasons I don't quite understand.

Kougra: Of the five pets to currently have both a NP option and a style, the Kougra has a very fun base color; a mix of red, blue, and yellow that's kind of similar to the base red Kougra but also not at all. There's not a whole lot of wearables, but the Kougra's fairly complicated default design combined with the colours makes it kind of work, seeing as it would likely look too busy otherwise. My only issue with the customized version is, similar to the Uni, the stapled-on tie with colored linework, though at least you can remove it here. The style is nice, more expressive but not over-exaggerated; proportions are a bit off (the head is way too big, and the body's a little too skinny), but that's not a huge deal.