#if not for themselves definitely for the other

[misayani]

DOPAMINE — G!P SQUID GAME WOMEN + COCKWARMING HCS

◜ featuring ... kang mi-na (player 196), no eul (guard 011), se-mi (player 380), jun-hee (player 222), young-mi (player 195), kang sae-byeok (s1 player 067)

𔗨 author's note — was supposed to write a cock analysis for each character but i got too shy and then realized that im kinda terrified of dicks. no hyun-ju :) [lowercase intended]

🧷 𝓜isa mentions — @joc3lynx @mymel1008 @justredsw @wlvlurvsfimmia @azansstuff @dvrk-hoon @yersang-dreams @keiradg01

warnings: nsfw [too many mentions of cocks (oops), public sex, exhibitionism, somno / free use, unnie + breeding kink, masochism + knives]

mi na —

𓏲๋��࣪˖ cockwarming shameless gf mi-na while on a karaoke date with your girl-friends ♡ [public sex]

- here's the thing, they all don't know you two are in a relationship

- so it's definitely not weird when mi-na asked you to sit on her lap because girl-friends do that !!!

- she's wearing a skirt, you're wearing a skirt .. need i say more?

- mi-na's always shifting you on her lap, solely to make you feel her boner underneath you

- she took the chance when your friends excused themselves to go to the bathroom

- she slipped her already hard cock from her panties and hiked your skirt up so that she can move your underwear aside and finally push it inside you 

- "m-mina they'll come back soon—"   "and? your skirt's covering everything so they won't see a thing."

- when your friends finally came back to the private karaoke room you all booked, party's resumed!

- little did they know, the both of you were having your own fun while they sing their hearts out

- luckily, the speaker was loud enough—too loud actually— to blur your moans out everytime mi-na bucks her hips up

- but other than that, she completely stays still the whole time, making you needy and desperate for any movement

- mi-na doesn't stop you though when you decide to take matters in your own hands and grind yourself on her dick

- she doesn't let you cum though, bc what's the point of cockwarming her then?

- you both stay like that for the entire evening—her whispering dirty things in your ear and then you squirming on top of her.

- "dirty girl. really? in front of our friends? fucking shameless." 

- shs tells you that as if she wasn't the one who initiated the whole thing ???

- uh oh .. ! one of your friends notice the both of you quiet, not socializing and singing with the others.

- "babes! you both good?"

- mi-na smiles, "absolutely," then looks at your state—face flushed while looking down— "although, i think she's had too many drinks, but i'll handle her."

- your friend simply nods and joins back in on the others' conversation so... phew, close call.

- the karaoke date finally ends and then here's you, tired and worn out, even though you just sat down the whole day ??? just on mi-na's cock

"hey, party's over, you still okay?" mi-na whispers while snaking an arm around your waist. a few seconds goes by without any responses coming out from your lips and then she breaks into laughter, "what? have you gone dumb now? i haven't even done anything."

no eul — 

𓏲๋࣭࣪˖ cockwarming strict older gf no-eul while she's working ♡ 

- she tells you to wait until she's done working but how could you?— not when you just woke up from a wet dream, seeing no-eul's side of the bed empty, and dragging yourself to her office just to find her working late, again.

- she ignores you while you're whining and sulking beside her chair. 

- tenses up when she feels your hands gently massaging her shoulders, and then traveling them to her neck, before leaning down to leave wet kisses on the spot below her ear. 

- "stop that." she warns,   "why? is your work more important than me?" 

- she clicks her tongue in annoyance, why do you have to be so stubborn right now? right when she's working?

- you frown when she still won't budge despite your efforts. 

- "please, just need you inside me." you voice out, burying your face on the crook of her neck, before she lets out a sigh and then finally moves her chair back so that you'll have space when you straddle her !!

- a groan slips from her lips once she's finally inside you

"you're not allowed to move. let me finish my work first then i'll take care of you." she speaks, tone strict. you pouted, "huh? i thought you—"      "you gonna stay quiet or should i make you leave?"

- and then she's got you totally quiet before you sighed in defeat and just rested your head on her shoulder, muttering a small 'i hate you' under your breath.

- you started wiggling yourself, resulting to no-eul's hand reaching for your throat and firmly gripping the sides, making you dizzy

"didn't i tell, you're not allowed to move?"    "i was just trying to get comfortable.."    "stop disturbing me if you want me to get this over with faster."    

- "can i at least kiss you, eul? please?"   and of course, how can she deny you more? restricting you from bouncing on her cock was enough—and so she says yes <3

- you start to leave sloppy kisses on one corner of her mouth, while her eyes stay still on the laptop screen behind you

- oops ... you 'accidentally' clench around her, which makes her stop typing

- "i'm sorry eul, i didn't mean to," you apologized softly against her mouth, letting out a yelp when she suddenly turns her attention to you and actually crashing her lips onto yours

- no-eul's not really great with controling herself .. so here's the both of you, making out, while her work was loooong forgotten

- no-eul's hand reaches for her laptop and closes it, before gripping your thighs from under and lifting you up

- she's such a loser. betraying her own words from earlier— "let me finish my work first then i'll take care of you."

- because she's literally pounding into you right here, right now now while standing, not even bothering to take you to your shared bedroom

"you're so damn stubborn"  she chokes out while thrusting hard and deep inside you. 

se mi —

𓏲๋࣭࣪˖ cockwarming bandmate se-mi while inside the music studio ♡ [exhibitionism]

- se-mi can be lewd sometimes .. 

- because what do you mean you're sitting on her cock right now while you're both in the music studio WITH your bandmate, mi-na, inside the soundproof room ????

- your back is facing her as you adjust the controls in front of you while se-mi is literally dying behind you, face red, trying to lift her hips up into you

- but everytime she does, you're totally unbothered—not making even the slightest sound—because you're too focused on what you're doing

"please can we just record the fucking song tomorrow? i can't handle this anymore"      "shut up, i can't focus."

- she gets whiney, but she's kinda enjoying this.

- when mi-na's finally done recording her part, she exits the soundproof room and her gaze immediately lands on the both of you—you on se-mi's lap while she's red as fuck underneath you—and then makes a disgusted face, "ew"

- you guys really need to get a room because wtf

- and then thanos walks inside the studio, not even sparing the three of you a glance as he walks straight inside the soundproof room.

"hey! these two are fucking while we're recording!"  mi-na complains, though thanos was already inside the soundproof room, unable to hear a word she's saying.

- you just laugh, sending vibrations through se-mi's cock, making her grip onto your thighs tightly,  "babe, he doesn't give two fucks." 

- se-mi just hides her face on your neck, slightly biting it, "gonna fucking kill me, you know?" 

- a playful smirk tugs on the corners of your lips, savoring the moment,   "i know." while purposely grinding down on her length

"baby please, can we go now? let's just have nam-gyu do all this work."  se-mi sulks, her right hand under the skirt you're wearing while she rubs your clit. you sighed, "min-su still needs to record his part." cocking your head to the side towards where min-su was sitting down, his palms covering his eyes. poor min-su.

jun hee —

𓏲๋࣭࣪˖ cockwarming girlfriend jun-hee while she's asleep ♡ [somnophilia / free use]

- to get things straight, the both of you had numerous conversations about this before— both parties consenting and agreeing to free use in the relationship.

- and here is one of the moments where the agreement is applied:

waking up from a wet dream, you gently flutter your eyes open before stretching your arms over your head. and then, due to the dream, there's that ache in the space between your legs, your throbbing core clenching around nothing. this early? you huff, your eyes finding their way onto your girlfriend's sleeping figure beside you. 

- slowly grinning to yourself, you move closer, before you start hiking her nightgown up and then pulling her underwear down

she shifts a bit, her face scrunching, before she falls back still again. you carefully slide your own panties down until they reached your toes. 

- once they were finally off, you straddled her with no hesitation, slowly sinking your soaking cunt onto her soft length before resting your body on top of hers, sighing in satisfaction

- jun-hee is a deep sleeper, so she didn't react at all, not even a single twitch, no anything.

- and you were still tired yourself, even though you were horny as hell, so it did not take long for you to fall back to sleep

- hugging her tightly, your eyes slowly closes. her being warm inside you helping you fall asleep better

you wake up an hour and a half later, moans involuntarily slipping from your lips as you pry your eyes open. you realized you're laying on your back now, with your legs pinned down and jun-hee in between them, pumping her cock in and out of you.  "good morning, sweetheart"

young mi —

𓏲๋࣭࣪˖ cockwarming younger bestfriend young-mi while you do her makeup ♡ [unnie + breeding kink]

- baby is such a puppy :( she'd get shy about it at first once you initiated the idea

"are you s-sure, unnie? i don't wanna make you feel uncomfortable.." "it's okay sweetheart, think of it as a repayment! i'm gonna make you pretty, while you make unnie feel good, how's that sound?"

- she then nods slowly, sliding her pants down and revealing her already hard cock, pre cum leaking at her tip

- "so pretty."     "t-thank you..."   "i'm gonna make you even prettier"

- you make her sit on the chair before sinking yourself down,  soft gasps leaving the younger girl's mouth

- "you're so warm, unnie"

- she rests her hands politely on your thighs that were on either side of her lap, while you start applying concealer on the spot below her eyes

- you tease her the whole time ! clenching around her dick on purpose just to see her face scrunch up

- then here's you, being mean, complaining. telling her to stop making expressions so that you won't make a mess of her make-up, as if it was all her fault !!!

- your lips would form into a mocking smile, gently cooing at young-mi whenever she makes those pretty pretty noises

- and then her hands travels their way onto your boobs, gently cupping them over the shirt you're wearing—well, that was before you make her stop and guide her hands underneath it, making her actually feel your boobs.

- you were now applying her blush, making her cheeks even pinkier than what it had been just earlier. (she stares at you with puppy eyes the whole time)

- soon enough, you're finally onto the last step which was applying lipstick onto her lips

- when you were about to do so, she slipped out a hand from underneath your shirt and grabbed your wrist before her cock suddenly twitches inside you

"unnie... i feel something.."   she softly mutters,   "hm?"   tilting your head curiously at her, before realizing something and then chuckling softy,    "are you gonna cum baby?"     she nods, her eyes getting glossier.    your lips form into a satisfied smile, "go on. inside."    

- her eyebrows furrow, looking at you in disbelief, "r-really?"

- not responding, you put the lipstick down on the vanity table, before wrapping your arms around her neck and crashing your lips onto hers

her hips buck up into you while letting out whimpers against your mouth, and then you finally feel it inside you—hot cum painting your walls white—before breaking the kiss and then looking at young-mi, pushing her hair away from her pretty face,   "my good girl."

sae byeok —

𓏲๋࣭࣪˖ cockwarming ex girlfriend sae-byeok while she carves her name onto your thigh ♡ [masochism + knives]

- i'm so sorry please forgive me after this

- saying sae-byeok is mean would be an understatement

- how did you end up here?—crying while sitting on top of your ex's lap, her cock hard and deep inside of you, while she's busy carving your thigh up

could you blame her? you were entertaining and flirting with somebody else at a party—where sae-byeok just happens to also be in—and that somebody wasn't her.

- she pulls you in one of those private club rooms, one that smelled of sex and cigarettes, and drags you to the firm couch, before harshly pushing you down

"sae-byeok what the fuck?!" you yell, your voice barely audible over the blaring music outside, while turning around to look at your ex, only to find her starting to unbuckle her pants

- she just looks at you blankly, but her eyes held something else—hatred and lust—which scared the shit out of you. who knows what she's capable of right now?

- once her pants were off, she walks towards the couch before sitting down,    "strip."

you didn't know what has gotten inside your mind, because all of a sudden, you found yourself sitting on her lap with her length inside you. you glare at your ex as you sniffle,     "fuck you."

- she snickers, "sure."  before pulling out a small compact knife from her pocket

- sometimes you'd ask yourself, what is wrong with you? why the fuck are you getting even more turned on at the sight of her fucking pocket knife

- she glances at you, licking her lips before looking down, seeing her buldge on your lower belly

"i knew you still weren't over me."    she speaks, tone cocky. you scoff,  "you wish. not even three days after our breakup, i was already over you."   

- she raises an eyebrow, "really now?" 

- a loud hiss leaves your lips as you felt her press the blade hard, enough to slice your thigh

- "gonna carve my name on your thigh. you want that slut? for everyone to see you're mine?"

- you look at her with tears in your eyes that were threatening to fall

"fuck you."        "is that all you can say?"

- and then she starts writing, moans leaving your lips at every slice !!

- fortunately for you, the pleasure from her being inside you overshadows the pain from her carving you up

- when it was getting too painful though, you would start grinding down on her, trying to feel more and more pleasure

- but it is strange—the fact that you also feel pleasure from the pain alone—surely, you knew you were fucked up

"fuck— slow- stop, please stop."  you finally cry out, your hand wrapping around her wrist and gripping on it. she looks at you with her eyebrows furrowed. you just stare at her dumbly, drool escaping your mouth. 

- it hurt. more than you'd like to admit it.

- you looked down to your thigh and saw the bloody mess, which made you timid,

- she grabs your hand that was wrapped around her wrist using her free one, and yanks it away, "not done yet. you don't want me leaving it just like this, right?"

- you felt so dirty. many thoughts raced around your head, 'am i gonna fucking bleed out to death?'

soon enough, she's finally done. she looks up at your pathetic state, seeing dried tears on your pink cheeks. she grips your chin tightly, making you look down at her work— 강새벽.

@misayani

[ajfbgkdjfg]

Honestly imo they both made the right choices for themselves

I doubt everything would've worked out as smoothly if Elphaba, someone who's known for being impulsive and speaking out, stayed and tried to save the animals from the inside. And even if she did manage to keep her sense of justice under control, her spirit would most definitely be at least a little broken.

On the other hand, Glinda would have effectively no power if she went on that broom. She'd be giving up her popularity, and with no magic to back it up, she has no way to defend herself for a good while afterwards. She'd only be miserable and drag Elphaba down unless she learns a few tricks herself.

I love how inherently selfish both Glinda AND Elphaba are as protagonists. But where one gets praised and admired for it, the other gets demonised and hated.

People always attack Glinda’s decision not to runaway with Elphaba, but no one acknowledges how overtly selfish it is to ask that of someone.

although what Elphaba is asking of her is noble on paper, in practice it’s an incredibly selfish position to put Glinda in. By asking Glinda to stand with her in solidarity she is also asking Glinda to be ostracised and hated all throughout Oz when she knows full well how much being liked means’s to Glinda.

This traps Glinda is a lose-lose situation. If she agrees she loses everything, her family, friends, and future. If she refuses she is being complicit in injustice.

but on the other hand It’s a more selfish decision to refuse Elphaba request. To perpetuate corrupt beliefs you don’t believe; in order to be accepted and validated by people in power.

Although one of the options seems more ethically right, it is at the same time individually devastating. The conscious choice to willing ruin your life for things you believe in is a choice that only the strongest people can make. And we shouldn’t shame people when they choose themselves over ideals, because self preservation isn’t a thing to be ashamed of.

They’re BOTH in the wrong, for entirely different reasons. It was an impossible situation with no right answer. And thats why the scene works, neither is right or wrong. I’m sick of people acting like Glinda made the “ wrong choice ” as if they would go ruin their lives for their ideals.

[daemonbrain]

Part 1

3.5k, cw: ghosts a pervert and stalker, readers husband is a piece of work, brief mentions of sex, explicit, not proofread

Simon Riley wasn’t one for the romantics, he was a simple man. Wake up early in the morning just as he would on base, complete his training regimen, take a quick shower, and rot away in his one bedroom one bathroom apartment until he's recalled for a mission. A mundane life for the soldier who dealt with life-or-death circumstances just as many times as he’s brewed himself a cup of tea.

But even Simon had things to look forward to. After enduring the monotonous routine of his week he’d practically sprint to the butcher's shop, not for love of the finer cuts of meat one could find, but to see his bird. 

Still the fittest thing he had ever seen, your relationship evolved from standing with your back turned to his debauched stares to you actually saying hello to him. Slowly hello turned to little conversations. By conversations, it mainly consisted of you prattling on about one thing or another while Simon grunted out a short “yeah?” or “hm.” Sometimes he felt bad that his pretty little thing who always had endless things to say spoke to him, someone who was pretty much a brick wall in conversation.

But, ah well. He couldn’t think of you banging on the headboard while he fucked you and fully pay attention to what was said in his defense.

At times he didn’t know whether to scold or praise your ability to dole out kindness to even a cold bastard like him. A stranger was what he was, and you still managed to speak to him as if he were any other man you’d meet on the street.

He didn’t deserve it, he knew that. Not with the things he has done to others. Things that would send your pretty little head toppling off your shoulders if you knew. Not with the way he prowled behind as you shakily made your way up the slippery sidewalk, plastic bag with groceries in hand.

He didn’t deserve it, but he was sure as hell certain your fuckwit of a husband definitely didn’t deserve it. That prick left you walking alone and cold the whole way home, letting you know minutes before he was supposed to pick you up from the butcher’s shop. 

That pathetic guy didn’t want to take care of his wife? Didn’t want to pay attention to his girl? Well fine, he didn’t need to. Simon would. 

As if it physically pained him to watch you have to lift a finger, he sped up his pace and loudly cleared his throat from behind.

Whirling around in fright, your tensed shoulder immediately relax upon meeting Simon’s eyes. Your body shivered from the winds, yet you beamed at him with the warmth of the fuckin’ sun. 

“Simon! What are you doing here?” You chirped out in greeting, clasping your hands together as the bag dangled from your fingers. You waited for him to stalk up to you, broody as ever. 

His pretty little songbird, who tweets out her hellos even when the frigid weather demands a more mellow tone.

In his usual unsettling manner, he stops right in front of you. “I live up this way.” He lied. 

“Really?! I’ve never seen you coming up this way.” He was so close. He had to crane his neck downwards to look at your face, cheeks and nose probably frozen from the biting wind. Your brows furrowed in what he assumed to be suspicion, and he truly wondered for the first time if you actually had a semblance of survival instinct after all.

Raising a brow, he points to a random building in the distance. He picked something far enough away from your own home to quell any unease.You lived in that reddish-brown building about two blocks away. Though you’ve never told him that.

“Just righ’ up there. Usually don’t go this way, but the other route is closed off.”

Your furrowed brows quickly correct themselves at his words and you assume your resting expression, one much softer. “Well… we might as well head up together then!” You laughed in joy and Simon felt his cock twitch for similar reasons. It seems the concept of “stranger danger” wasn’t drilled into your head hard enough during your formative years. 

He’d never dream of doing something to hurt your cheery demeanor, but he couldn’t say the same for others. People can be nasty and, if you survived this long without that bubble being burst, he’d be more than happy to tear apart the prick who’d try. Pricks like your husband.

Wasn’t it a soldier's duty to protect the peace? Something like that anyways. 

He noticed the way your poor fingers stiffly held on to the bag, the weight harder to carry because of the chill in the air. His hands itched to help.

You quirked your head to the side due to his lack of anything to say and Simon merely jutted his head towards what you carried, “Give it ‘ere.” Your mouth opens to protest, but Simon doesn’t give you the opportunity as he easily plucks the bag from your hands. “Come on,” He began to walk again while ignoring his bird’s shrill whistles of objection to his help “You’ll catch a cold out ‘ere if we don get’cha inside soon.”

Catching up to his long strides, you approach from the right and sigh. You’re inclined to tell him it’s really not necessary, but the heat that bloomed in your chest as a result of his breathy chuckle interrupted you.

You didn’t even need to ask him to help... he just did. 

You couldn’t help the way your eyes wondered about his large frame, and he was huge. You had to admit the first time you had spoken to Simon you were a bit rattled when you stuck your hand out to shake his. It was maddening the way he never made a sound, the way his steps quietly padded along the floor when he went up to the counter at the butcher’s shop to pay. 

Occasionally you felt your skin prickle everytime he stood behind you. Whenever you gathered the courage to take a peek you would be met with the sight of him tapping away at his phone without a care, hood of his jacket concealing most of his face. 

Though you could’ve sworn his phone was upside down once?

Cars whizzed past and you shook away those thoughts. Simon happens to be a quiet type, nothing to judge him for. 

“... Thank you. You know, you’re a real nice guy.” Shoving your hands into the pockets of your jacket, Simon slows his steps just enough to move behind you. “Simon?” You turn your head side-to-side in confusion as he nudges his way to your other side.

“Wha’?” He huffed while putting himself between you and the road. 

Odd.

The two of you got closer to the building and in a practiced stop you both pause at the entrance. About to speak again, you’re cut off by the loud ring of your phone. Looking down you see your husband's photo pop up on the screen. With a sigh, you hold up a finger to your companion and answer.

“Hey hun, is something wrong? You said you had a meeting?” You could hear the exhale of annoyance which escaped him before he responded.

“I’m working late tonight. I can’t make it for dinner. Make sure to leave me a plate before you go to bed though.” Of course. He was always late nowadays. One project or another he would say before rolling to face away when you asked him about his day before bed. 

You were his wife! You’d make time for him no matter what, and normally you wouldn’t want to be a bother, but the way tears threatened to bead your waterline in frustration caused your voice to harden a fraction.

“Again? Really? They’re working you a bit hard, don’t you thi-” 

“I have work. I’ll talk to you later.” 

You blink owlishly at Simon who looks back in silence. You hear the beep indicating the call has ended. Slowly, you pull your phone away from your ear both saddened by your husband's cold words but also the humiliation of your new friend witnessing the way you were clearly hung up on by your own spouse.

You wanted to turn heel and retreat into the privacy of your apartment. Cook up a meal which will grow cold on the counter and curl into your bed while incessantly tracking the minutes until you hear the door open.

Simon’s eyes narrowed as if he wanted to burn a hole through your phone, and he waited for you to gather yourself.

“I- um,” letting out an awkward chortle, you scratch the back of your neck. “Looks like I'm alone for dinner tonight.” You managed a disingenuous smile. Simon didn’t seem like the type to be able to pick up on subtle social cues like that, you doubt he’d think anything of your words.

“Well I better get back inside… it's freezing out here. Thanks for your help with my bags I-I just have to get started on cooking right now, so.” You reached for your groceries and saw the strange look in his eyes soften a bit. As you pivot towards the entrance, you hear a gruff call.

“ ‘m pretty hungry righ now.”

…How could you be such an idiot! He carries your bags for you, probably chilled to the point of numbness, and you don’t even invite him in for something to eat. Not even a hot drink. All because of your own selfish discomfort?!

“Oh gosh, that was rude of me. Simon, you wanna come in? I have enough to whip you up a plate if you’d like. A ‘cuppa’ as well. Is that what you say?” You asked.

Simon was a kind man. He was intimidating, but surely it was okay to let him into your personal space. After all, the only person who would object to his presence was currently holed up at his office.

“Brought it up for a reason. That’d be great, love.”

You couldn’t help the way your heart pattered in your rib cage at the endearing pet name. Kind words from a kind man. That’s all. You willed your heart to slow with images of your husband, to whom you had the utmost respect for.

The two of you made your way up to the spacious apartment. You bent over to unlace your shoes and take off your coat. It doesn’t go unnoticed how it took Simon a moment to follow suit. When he stood to his full height, a gentle warmth swelled within you when met with the sight of his broad build in the now seemingly small walls of your home. He looked as though he crowded the room more than any of the furniture.

You felt a bit hazy when you moved to the kitchen. You shouted back to Simon who stood put at the door, “Feel free to make yourself comfortable! Go ahead and sit down anywhere.”

Like a flower, you needed your fix of sunlight. You had lots of windows in your apartment to let the natural light in, a giant one looking into your living room. Simon would see you watching your silly shows, tapping away at your laptop while snuggled under a blanket in this very spot. Soon he’d show you the value of privacy, closing the blinds, locking everything before bed. 

There were shady people in the world. Those who’d feed off of your sweet carelessness like it was the best thing to touch their depraved mouths. That wasn’t fair to his bird. 

“ ‘m gonna go to the loo.” and before you even had the chance to give him directions, you watched the Brit make his way to the restroom unprompted.

It wasn’t fair, but he would make it fair. He would keep those bastards far away from you, guard your blissful paradise. Keep you ignorant.

So what if his methods were unconventional? So what if he’s followed you home dozens of times. It was to keep you safe. So what if he spent any free time he had watching you through the windows from the building across yours. 

Closing the door behind him, his lips quirked up at the sight of your things strewn about. Makeup, hair products, lotions taking up all the space on your side of the sink. In the mirror, his eyes caught on the laundry hamper sat in the corner. He had been here once before.

So what if he has come into your apartment during the late hours just to catch a whiff of your scent. Just to pull the blanket you had knocked off, deep asleep, while on the couch waiting for your prick husband. You needed someone. He could do good by you, or at least try his hardest to.

With practiced ease, he turns to open the hamper. Hands grabbing with the eagerness of unwrapping a present only to be met with a sorry sight.

“For fuck sakes”  He whispered.

You and your cleaning. The damn thing had been emptied out of all things with your lovely fragrance, tossed in the wash. With the quick roll of his eyes, he quietly puts the lid back on to the stupid thing.

He had been much luckier last time. After taking it upon himself to sneak in and close a window you left wide open, he had the urge to explore around. Fast forward to when he arrived at his treasure chest (the laundry basket) he was rewarded for his considerate act. He had nabbed a dirty pair of panties with sheer ecstacy. 

In the natural progression of things, his cock had hardened with urgency. He had stroked himself eagerly to the thought of your soft, snoozing breaths. A bead of pre-cum already poised to roll down his shaft. You drove him mad, only a few walls separating the two of you. He could walk over to you now, shove your legs apart and sink himself into paradise, in pure euphoria. He continued to jerk himself to the edge of his peak. He had taken in the sight of everything from your loofah to your robe to the pink toothbrush unobtrusively in the corner.

A shiver went down his spine as he looked at the very same toothbrush at present. He wondered how many times you had unassumingly used it since that night.

Images of his desperation flooding back, a hint of something akin to guilt. He had squeezed your panties to his face as if he was trying to suffocate himself, impatiently grabbing for anything else that could connect him to you when he felt himself begin to strain under the stimulation. He had grunted when your scent filled his nostrils, unlike how his balls emptied themselves, his release spurting all over your toothbrush.

When he came back to his senses, he had turned the coated thing over and over in his hand. You’d be none the wiser if he just… washed it off, right? No harm in something you wouldn’t know about. He couldn’t bring himself to do more than lightly run it under the tap.

“Simon! Food is ready!” You shouted. Breaking from his stupor, he steps out of the restroom and moves back to the counter overlooking the kitchen. You gave him that sweet grin while setting the food in front of him.

“Looks delicious, love. Thanks.”

You sat on the seat beside him with a plate of your own. You both tensed at the proximity for the same reason. Taking your first few bites, you look at Simon who blissfully closes his eyes and groans with satisfaction.

That warm feeling begins to simmer in your belly wrongfully so. You turn back to chew before breaking the silence. “I’m glad! It’s been a while since i’ve sat down and ate with someone… it’s a lot different to watch someone actually enjoy something you put effort into.” He didn’t miss the wistful expression you wore. He wanted to fix it, he never wanted to see that pretty mouth fighting stay curved upwards.

Whether it be unknowingly or not, you brushed your knee against and for a moment you both paused in that position. The touch was light but it felt as though Simon’s body was overloaded with only you. Your touch, your eyes, your everything.

It took himself a second to recompose himself, but when he realized your body stayed put; his heart just about soared. Taking another forkful of food, he casually glanced at you and nudged his knee unmistakably to yours. The sound of your cutlery clanging onto the plate gives him a degree of satisfaction.

You simply kept looking down to your plate, whatever was in front of you, anything except his intense stare. Simon was a stranger. Simon was unsettling. Simon was in your home. Simon was so strong, so large he could manhandle you in ways your husband could never.

Your husband. Your life partner who you’ve remained loyal to for years. This was so wrong. You should be leaping out of your chair and separating yourself by 3 meters at least in protest.

So how come you allowed his hand to grip your thigh? You frowned, yet surrendered to his fingers which tilted your face towards him. You didn’t know Simon, but you’d be dense to miss the dark glint in his eyes as he takes in your hesitancy.

How the tables have turned. It was always you who initiated interaction with the morose giant, but as he held you firm in his clutches, you could only sit in wait for his next move. 

Testing your reaction, he slowly brought his face closer to yours. Braving his gaze, you could only recognize want. He pressed a gentle kiss to your jaw as you tilted your chin upwards. You weren’t sure whether it was to avoid his lips or grant him better access to your neck.

“No no no come back to me. Come back.” He urged you carding his other hand through your hair, tugging you back. He had to see his bird's face, commit her to memory. Would her expression be like what he imagined? Better?

With a shaky raise of your arm, you caress his face with uncertainty. He needed to fuck you. The most depraved, wicked parts of his mind demanded it. His blood went straight down south at your gentle touch. He needed you to feel him, to feel all of him. 

He would protect you from all the perversions those other tossers had to offer, with only one thing in return. To corrupt you from the inside with his own special brand filth. His fingers tightened ever so slightly in your hair.

“I wanna fuck you,” he leaned closer to your ear and nipped it “and I have a feeling my pretty bird wants the same thing, yeah?”

Simon’s words sent a jolt to your brain to sink further into the daze. Your lips parted and you turned to him with round eyes hiding the temptation swirling behind them. Your eyes wildly roved across his face, searching

He carried your things, he called you pretty, he ate your food, he talked to you, he wanted you, he wanted to fuck you, he wanted you to want to fuck him, you want to fuck him, you want to fuck him, you want to fuck him-

His impatience got the better of him when he pulled you into a frantic kiss. His lips were warm and the feeling of his hands holding you secure and upright only added fuel to the fire. How would they hold you when he took you to your bed? Would he be so kind?

Had Simon known your phone would ring loudly moments before finally getting what he wanted, he would have broken it with his own bare hands.

Your eyes cracked open to only be met with the sight of your husband’s contact photo and all at once your guilt hurtled at you. Sensing you pulling away, Simon couldn’t help but try and keep you to him for even a moment longer. He knew it was over when you pushed at his chest to break the connection.

“I’m- oh my gosh. I… i’m a horrible person! Shit! Shit!” You spiraled as you hurriedly got up from your seat and backed away from Simon as if his touch had burned you.

“Hey, hey it’s okay-” He attempted to console you, but was sharply interrupted with a tone he had yet to hear from you.

“No, no! You need to leave. Get out, please!” You screeched in shame. As Simon once again tried to approach closer to placate you, you only put a hand up with a hard look. “Leave. We shouldn’t have done that, it was a total betrayal of trust!” 

“Okay. Okay. Don’t worry, ‘m gone.” His arms went up in surrender as he mirrored your own backward movements.

Your mind really went blank as you took deep breaths to calm yourself, Simon’s heavy footfalls receding and eventually fading from earshot entirely.

While you focused on calming yourself from your “mistaken” judgement, Simon could only think of one thing. 

If his bird couldn’t be happy because that fuckin’ asshole was still in the picture, he’d have to weed out the problem from the root.

He was a dead man walking.

[just-a-ghost00]

A portrait of your fated lover

Group 1

Cards : Agate - Find your solid ground, Knight of pentacles, Treat yourself eat what you want, Underworld, Newborn butterfly, Majestic stag " I honor my self worth by asking for what I want."

There's a predominance of Earth energy in this spread, especially Taurus energy. I also picked up on Venusian energy so Libra may be significant as well. This person's energy feels very feminine. I think it is safe to say that this person is a lover by nature. They are very caring, kind, generous on a daily basis but those qualities will be even more highlighted when they are with you. They have a very empathetic nature as well. Their sensitivity shows in the way they talk and in their gestures. They walk very slowly, their touch is deliberate and careful, their tone is reassuring and warm. They are very encouraging and supportive of others as well. I feel like your trope with this person would be friends to lovers. Connection to and through music seems very significant. Music could be part of their hobbies but it could also be their job. They need time to trust people but once their mind is made, this person does not back down until they get what they want. They have a steady and secure approach with relationships. They take the time to get to know the other and make sure that both partners are on the same wave length because they value stability and authenticity. When they are dating, they are in for the long run. They're not interested in short term connections. This person is family oriented and also career oriented so they would appreciate a partner that is respectful of their goals.

They definitely are a foody ! In the past, they may have struggled with their body image and physical health. They could have struggled with eating disorders. But now, this person is very conscious of what they eat. However, they do not deprive themselves of what makes them happy. They've worked really hard on their sense of worth and can now proudly say that they love themselves. They've gone through an important transformation in their life. This could have involved a physical glow up. But I feel like their mental state changed drastically as well, as I get the impression with the underworld card that they overcame a period of depression. With the energy of the stag, I feel like this person has stepped into their true power after many trials. I also pick up on the fact that they feel grateful for these challenges because they're aware of the role they played in their progress. They learned how to set their boundaries and ensure that their needs are met. They may have been neglected in past relationships.

They enjoy spending time alone in nature to get back to their center. If in the past they used to be surrounded by many people, they learned the hard way that sometimes being alone was better than being in bad company. This person now values their alone time and makes it a part of their routine. Speaking of routines, their energy feels quite organized and stable. This person likes for things to be explicit. They like to know in advance what their schedule will be, what people expect of them, what resources do they have and so on. Unpredictability may scare them. Physically, I feel like they're quite tall and fit. They put a lot of work into their health and their appearance. They dress aesthetically. Their physical traits are natural for the majority : they don't dye their hair, they likely do not have any piercing or tattoo, if they've had any surgery it isn't something that is appearant and it was likely done for health purposes only. They may not wear make up or if they do, they use very little amount of product. I get a very clean vibe from this group. Honestly, I feel like your person could be modeling for an ad. For some of you, that may be part of their job. Anyways, they are definitely good looking and I feel like you'll particularly enjoy looking at their face. They may have straight hair with bangs that hide their eyes. They may like to wear hoodies and beanies or caps a lot. I feel like their fashion style is rather genderless. What stands out the most is how clean and tidy it looks all together. They may go for a casual chic vibe more often.

This person has a very romantic vibe. They could mostly show affection through physical touch, acts of service, gift giving and quality time. Though they may be very artistic and don't have any difficulty communicating in their daily life, I feel like in an intimate setting they have a hard time finding their words. They may not say "I love you" very often but their actions will show you without a doubt that they do. They'll bring you your favorite food when you're feeling a bit down, surprise you when you least expect it because you deserve it, anticipate your needs, make significant gestures to help you on your journey. Their love feels slow and steady. They'll build a cocoon around you that you'll never want to leave because of how safe you feel in it. You'll never have to fear this person's reactions or wonder whether they're faking it. Everything they do is very genuine and deliberate. If they tell you they like you, they mean it. If they gift you something, they meant to. They don't have any second thought, any ulterior motive than to take care of you, nurture you and love you wholeheartedly.

Channeled song (s) : Jimin - Lie, BTS - Butterfly Extras : niche interests, book worm, ASMR enthusiast, workaholic, gamer, middle child, ESFP, ISTP, ENTJ

Group 2

Cards : 8 of pentacles, Chrysocolla - Be your own mama, I've got superpowers, The Observer, Sturdy crab, Eternal roots "Guidance is available to me now. I know that angels, ancestors and spirit guides are always at hand. I do not walk alone.

Okay, this is definitely my psychic / healer group. This person is a good mix of Earth and Water energy, especially Taurus, Scorpio and Cancer. This person has a hard time looking at themselves in the mirror. They struggle with their body image and they are not comfortable with showing their body. They are very modest and this could also be because of their cultural background. They are a hard worker to the point that when they're up to something they have a hard time stopping. They may stutter or have a hard time finding their words in public settings but in private they can be pretty elaborate. This person had to grow up very quickly and parent themselves. They could be working in a medical field or a position that requires them to care for others : teacher, paramedic, massage therapist, psychologist and so on. They use their hands a lot or they have the ability to provide healing through touch. They may also do a lot of manual activities as a hobby. They could have the ability to read into energies. This may or may not be a conscious thing. This person is possibly religious and/or interested in the occult.

They have a hard time trusting other people. They have a sturdy shell that not many have been able to see beyond. This person is alone most of the time. They have a hard time making connections. They may struggle with ASD. This person could be neurodivergent. They need a lot of quiet time to recharge. They could also struggle with mental health issues. This person has been through a lot, that's for sure. And despite all of that, they are the kindest and sweetest person you'll ever meet. In group settings, they tend to be like a mother. They cater to everyone's needs exept their own. They encourage and compliment others, make sure everyone's eaten and drunk their water, that everyone's had a proper sleep and is feeling good. But they forget themselves in the process. Physically, they have rather long hair. They can be quite curvy but I feel like what stands out the most about their appearance is that they hide behind a lot of clothing. They wear oversized clothes or clothes that aren't revealing. They may layer clothes a lot. If they wear skirts or dresses, those are quite long and flowy so that it doesn't stick to their body. Even in Summer, this person is covered up. This person masks a lot of their true self in public. This could be litteral in the sense that they wear an actual mask in public, maybe for health purposes for some. But it could also be metaphorical in the sense that they wear things or act in ways that is not relevant to who they are as a person. This is likely a defense mechanism and they may do so because they feel pressured. Of course, it could also mean that this person wears a veil in public.

In connections, I feel like they show their affection in all ways. They have no problem changing love languages to adapt to their partner's needs. This person feels like a chameleon a little. I think this could be related to their ability to mask certain aspects of themselves but also to their high levels of empathy. I am not given many details about their physique but more about their personality so it could also mean that looks don't matter to them. They also feel very balanced in their feminine and masculine. It could be possible that this person is gender neutral. I see a lot of green on the cards which relates to heart chakra energy. So this person has a lot of heart that they put into everything they do. They are a very genuine person that only wishes to love and be loved. Their shell isn't easy to crack but once you've earned their trust, you can be sure that they will treat you like royalty. They are 100% a giver and tend to be on the submissive side. In that sense, they feel a bit similar to group 1's person. Family is important to this person. They may wish to have a family of their own in the future. Like group 1's person, they are not into short term connections. They date for the long run. They look for a partner that can be understanding of their shadows and will not run away when things get difficult. This person is dealing with an abandonment wound. In past connections, they were mostly left out and never chosen. They may have been bullied as a child. This person is extremely loyal and dedicated to their lover. You will never have to doubt about this person's dedication and intentions.

Channeled song(s) : Mario theme, Naruto OST, Saliva - I walk alone (Dave Bautista entrance theme) Extras : words of affirmation, cultural differences, kinky 24/7, first born child, golden retriever vibes, ASMR enthusiast, ISTP, ENFJ

Group 3

Cards : Copper - Energize your whole world, Strength, Hierophant, Do what you love, Cunning fox, Forgotten arch "The more I honor my inner light the more I brighten the world. I choose to shine."

This group gives of fire and earth energy, especially Taurus, Leo and Sagittarius. There are two things that are striking about this person : their eyes and their voice. They are smart AF. If you were to debate with them, you wouldn't be able to win. They are very convincing people. And also very charming. They ooze confidence. This is someone that is very active physically, both for health purposes but also for fun. They are very passionate, bed time included. They are also very funny. They make a lot of snarky comments and sexual inuendos. They speak and type really fast. They cannot stay still. They have many interests and can pretty much do anything. They're an all rounder and a fast learner. They are very skilled and popular among their peers. They have core values that they would defend no matter what. They cannot stand injustice. This stems from past experiences, including romantic ones. They could have been cheated on by ex partners. This person may have been told quite frequently in their life that they were "too much", "too loud", "too noticeable". Which may have birthed a lot of resentment in this person as well as anger issues.

Physically they are quite bulky and impressive. They intimidate people just by their looks. There's something about them that's very warm. It could be because of their fashion style, their shining smile or their incredible charisma. They are intense. Not only because they are constantly on their guards and ready to fight but because their personality is complex and they have a lot of depth. This person may be religious. Or at least they're very traditional. If they define themselves as a man, they may be a bit of a machist. They have a very dominant energy. I feel like they're the type to believe in that alpha/beta/omega dynamic between people. And they want to be perceived as and embody that alpha energy. They come off as very masculine in their energy. So they may struggle with expressing their feminine side more. This person is likely to show affection through actions than words. They are definitely sensual and kinky. They have a lot of stamina. They are stubborn AF. But they're also incredibly uplifting and inspiring. This person is the type that would push their partner to be the best version of themselves and help them embrace their own light. I feel like they would challenge their partner, tease them a lot, bring out the more competitive side of them because they themselves are very competitive. They aren't afraid of depth and shadows so if their partner had any rocky past I feel like this person wouldn't mind. They're the "only matters the here and now" type.

This person has a very curious mind and I feel like that applies sexually. They may like to spice things up quite often. They may enjoy spicy food and boosting their stamina with certain herbs deemed as aphrodisiacs. They could believe in superstitions. Again, I get a very committed vibe from this group. If this person dates someone, they do it with the hope that it will lead to something long lasting. They are the most likely to commit very early on in relationships. They do not like to dwell on the past. I also feel like very early on this person will make you feel like royalty. They definitely pamper their partner and spoil them. Even though they may not be into PDA, I feel like this person will deliberately at times use physical touch to show others you are off limits. They definitely are the jealous and possessive type. They may be a bit rigid at first in connections and they need to be sure their partner is as serious as they are if they want to be able to release the need to control.

Channeled song(s) : The Final Countdown, Doodle - Changbin Extras : book worm, cultural differences, gift giving, kinky 24/7, drama queen/king, INTJ, ENTP, INTP, INFJ

[saintzweig]

bestfriend!tashi showing art and patrick how to properly eat someone eat ... by doing it on you :3 the four of you drunk off some beers you snuck into the boys' hotel room in the middle of the us open. tashi sat on the floor, leaning against the foot of the two beds pushed against each other. you're right next to her, laying your head on her thigh while playing with her hand that rested on your stomach. art and patrick across from you in just their pajamas and badly covered boners.

somehow, the conversation had moved from your college plans to how well you are in bed. patrick claims he's a sex god while art is more humble, and as far as you know, you and tashi pretty much had similar experiences which is pretty much just casual make out sessions (with others and each other) and mediocre sex with some boys you met at the tennis academy.

"i don't think i've ever orgasmed from head before" you absentmindedly confessed, watching at how the boys' eyes pretty much bulge out in surprise while tashi only hums, softly caressing the exposed skin of your torso.

"you mean like, were they bad or no one did it ... properly?" art formed his question carefully, not wanting to make you uncomfortable.

you pursed your lips in thought, "i don't know, i guess like ... it felt weird, like they were all up in there. i don't think they knew what they were doing"

patrick took a sip from his drink, "aren't we supposed to be all up in there? i thought it was like, don't be afraid to be messy and shit like that"

"well yeah, i guess" you reply with a shrug, "it would be okay if it felt good but it didn't, so..."

tashi moves her hand from your stomach up to your hair, raking her fingers through. "have you ever made a girl orgasm like that?" her question directed to patrick. you and art turn towards his direction in anticipation.

"i'm sure i have"

"ah" tashi smirks, "so it's not definite"

patrick scoffs, rolling his eyes "have you?"

"yeah" your head snaps upwards to meet her gaze as she looks down on you, the two boys across sporting a surprised look on their faces.

"you have?" you asked, tashi wasn't exactly the straightest person you know but you never knew that she had actually done it with another girl, was it someone else on the tennis team? a classmate?

"so how do you do it then?" art innocently asks, leaning closer. tashi only shrugs, her fingers still moving gently through your hair. "just .. feel and observe, i guess. there's no techniques or anything, it feels different to everyone so you just have to figure out what makes them feel good."

"you sound like you've done it quite a lot" your voice was soft, a slightly puzzled expression on your face and tashi wasn't sure if it was jealousy, disbelief or amazement. she nods, "a few times, yeah"

patrick sits up properly, now on his knees and leaning over with his palms on the floor. "but how do you, you know– move your tongue?"

"that's really up to you, and it really isn't just about licking– you can suck" the curly haired girl shrugs nonchalantly.

"suck?" the two boys repeated in unison, making tashi sigh. "it would be easier if i can show you"

and before you knew it, their gazes land on you. the four of you have done ... some things but never one that crossed a certain line, but that doesn't mean it never crossed your mind. it did, multiple times and now you're here.

the next thing you know, you're laying on the bed. propped up on your elbows as you watch tashi take her place between your legs. your heart racing against your chest as you feel her fingers ghost over your thighs, slowly pushing them apart. "this okay?" and you only nod, not trusting your voice at that moment.

the two boys knelt beside the bed, undoubtedly palming themselves at the sight. "just get on with it, damn" patrick calls out, earning a glare from tashi and a nudge from art, "shut the fuck up dude" the blonde mutters with his gaze still fixed on you.

you lift your hips up as tashi begins to tug your shorts down, revealing your lace panties. her breath hitches at the sign, purple lace panties with a wet patch. "were you waiting for this?" she laughs, you tell her it's laundry day.

she places a hand right next to your head, leaning down to place a kiss on your neck, your jaw and working her way up to your lips. there was almost a sigh of relief from you, which was quickly interrupted by a gasp as she pressed her fingers against your clothed cunt. "tash" you moan against her lips, "please."

and without wasting anymore time, your panties were thrown on the floor (which patrick quickly pocketed) and her mouth was on you. moist, warm, and incredibly skilled. tashi definitely knew what she was doing, sucking on your clit and occasionally tugging on it with her teeth, fucking your pussy with her tongue and then with her fingers. you were writhing on art's sheet uncontrollably– tugging on tashi's hair and attempting to pull her closer.

you weren't the only one that was noisy, patrick and art were furiously pumping each other off. the brunette placing his hand behind art's neck to pull him in, their teeth clashing slightly as they met in the middle. tongues furiously working against each other.

it was definitely embarrassing how quickly you felt the climax building up in the pit of your stomach, but who can blame you? this right in front of you was godly, tashi is a god. coming in to save you after everyone else has failed.

"a–ah" you cry out, hips bucking up in pleasure. "so close– fuck, tashi– i'm g'na cum" and she only moaned against you, you felt the vibration against your pussy, sending chills down your spine.

you were nearly blacking out, eyes rolled to the back of your head and you swear you were seeing stars.

and as soon as those words left your mouth, you squirted. for the first time ever. and it was right on your best friend's face. you whine as you ride it out, the two boys groaning at the sight as their members fall limp against their cum covered thighs.

it's safe to say that that event remained a topic for a long time (courtesy of patrick, "hey remember when we made you squirt for the first time?" followed by a slap on the head from tashi). and it definitely wasn't the last time.

[edenfenixblogs]

I actually really appreciate how honest you are here!

And I think it is FINE to have no clear opinion. I actually think it’s great to admit that you don’t have the background or expertise to comment on a subject.

Some will say it’s about sacred land. But most Jewish people will say it amounts to a land back movement, because Jews are indigenous to the region and have been living in exile for a long time. Many Palestinians will say the price of Jews returning home has been to subjugating Palestinians. Jews and Palestinians will disagree both within their own groups on this as well as with each other’s groups. It’s complex and totally ok for you to say “not my circus, not my monkeys” and nope out of it. I honestly wish more people would do that tbh.

The part that is both offensive and that causes harm to Jews is when you make blanket statements about large swaths of our identities. The total percentage of Jews who call themselves Zionists is hard to pin down. But it’s typically estimated between 60 and 95%. Definitely the majority of Jews. Most figures I’ve seen exist between 70-80%. I’m not a Zionist, because there are MANY branches of Zionism and none fully reflect my views. But the general idea that Jews are from Israel, are indigenous to Israel, and exist in diaspora is something I do believe. That has 0 to do with how I feel about Palestinians, and I don’t want any harm to come to anyone because of Jewish indigeneity.

But most Jews who call themselves Zionists (which, again, is most Jews) feel the same way. A lot of us Jews everywhere in the world have had a lot of people say and do horrific stuff to us since 10/7 in the name of “freeing Palestine,” but it amounts more to harming Jews than helping anyone. And most of the people Reblogging that stuff haven’t done or said anything to help or even ACKNOWLEDGE Jewish suffering which is also extremely widespread right now.

If you are going to talk about this subject, I’d recommend talking to Jews and expressing interest in why and how we think and feel the way we do about things.

Or if you don’t want to talk to Jews, please PLEASE read “People Love Dead Jews” by Dara Horn. It’ll do a lot of work to explain how you can inadvertently end up perpetuating antisemitism by doing things you think are harmless. If you want a copy I can literally GIVE you one. Please.

But if you can’t be bothered to learn about half the people affected by a conflict then you probably shouldn’t be speaking about it.

I also have plenty of resources on my blog and can link to specific posts if you like. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing stuff. But there is something wrong with acting like you do when you don’t.

pleaaaaaase y'all the process of having a manufacturing facility declared kosher has nothing to do with a rabbi blessing the food

pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase stop

you can literally google what is required

[astraeus-tree]

Chapter 1

『For we're all that we need』

Disparities Between Our Souls

You were enjoying a peaceful lunch with your husband when you two were transported into your home-universe that you hadn't been in since 5 years ago

Disclaimer: This chapter focuses on Miguel and Reader, Batfam is only implied/mentioned. They will appear next chapter

Prologue <- Chapter 1

The halls of the Spider HQ were big, never failing to amaze you. The abundant amount of spidermen had surprised you when you first woke up here and to find out you were one yourself was even more of a shock.

Never in your life would you have expected to be transported into another world and become some sort of mutant, but you definitely wouldn’t change it. Especially now as you swing to your dear husband’s office.

Miguel O’hara, the leader and founder of the Spider HQ and also the one who chased after a 16 year-old boy. Yep, that was (un)fortunately your man. Thankfully that whole fiasco was over before you even arrived. From what you heard, he eventually ended up realising and coming to terms that canon events weren’t so canon and they could be altered, depending on the universe.

But enough of that. You were here today, swinging around the HQ to deliver your husband some food because you knew he would be busy taking care of the spiderverse—or as he likes to call it, ‘The Arachno-Humanoid Poly Multiverse’— to take care of himself.

With a plate of food in your hands, you swung up to the platform he was on.

“Darling, I have some food for you. Take a break and eat with me?” You asked him.

“Mi corazón, I’m busy, you know this.” He stated, almost groaning but in a teasing way.

“Miguel.” You stood your ground and watched him as he sighed, moving closer to you and pulling the screens closer. Fine, you could compromise with this, as long as he ate. “How have you been, dear? Need any help dealing with the anomalies?”

“No, not now at least. For now, they’ve mostly been in low numbers and the new recruits are usually able to deal with them themselves.”

“Alright then. Any leads as to why they’re still appearing though?”

“Still none. I would’ve hoped that they’d had disappeared when Morales was finally dealt with but they’re still ongoing. Lyla’s theorising something else it at play here and I fear she could be right.”

You stayed quiet, deep in thought. These anomalies were off, something about them had given you the wrong feeling, especially when you were on-field fighting them. You had mentioned it before to Miguel, but you both chalked it up to the fact that in technicality, you were also an anomaly, a similar but also vastly different case to Miles Morales.

“Do you think I’m related to the anomalies in some way?” You blurt out.

“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s most likely.” Your brows furrowed in concern. This further complicated the matter at hand. Being an anomaly yourself meant you were already connected to the others in some way, but if there was any chance that this relationship between you and the anomalies was any deeper, danger was most certainly waiting just around the corner. You two spent the next few moment in silence, slowly processing that possibility.

“Well enough of that. I came here so that you would finally eat, so take some.” You nudged a roll of pandesal towards him, alongside a cup of coffee. You had your own right pair next to you, standing on a makeshift table made of webs.

He sighed before muttering a small thank you under his breath and the smallest smile on his face. Well, you’d take what you could get. You both enjoyed your food and drink in silence as you sat on the ledge of the platform and Miguel continued working. It was a comfortable quiet, unspoken words of love were understood and picked up by the both of you. A small respite in both of your usually chaotic lives.

But as luck would have it, this peace did not last long. You didn’t even have time to finish your food when a portal opened up in front of the platform. You stood up quickly, stance in a fighting position, Miguel also suddenly on alert, his arm in front of you in a protective manner.

Portals were a normal thing for the both of you, an everyday use even. Yet, this was weird. No portal had ever opened up in this room. Most respected the privacy of their leader and always opened the portals outside of his office. That wasn’t even the most off-putting thing. This portal was different, the shapes and colours were all wrong, all different from the ones spawned from the gizmos on your wrists. Yet, it seemed familiar to you. Like you saw it once and then stored it at the back of your mind to forget about it. That couldn’t have been right though, any portals you’ve seen are the ones made by the watch.

You didn’t have time to worry about this though. Danger could be come out of that opening at any moment and you needed to be ready. But danger would not come to you. No. It would pull you into it instead. Quite literally when both you and your husband were tugged into the portal.

The journey through the portal was short, but most certainly not smooth. With being pulled in unexpectedly and the inside itself feeling like it was tossing you around, the landing was rough. It felt like you were picked up and were thrown away carelessly with indifference.

Miguel regained to his feet before you and held out a hand for you to help you stand up. As you oriented to your surroundings, you could feel your blood go cold. The sky was dark, vastly different from the midday sky that you were previously in. Even though it was night, stars didn’t light up the night sky, instead smog filled the skylines. Buildings stood tall, reaching for the sky but always too short. The streets were quiet, like a the silence of a forest when a predator is near. The rain dripping onto your head was the final confirmation.

You were in Gotham.

You were back in the city you grew up in. The city that raised you to be the person you are now. The city you had so many conflicting emotions about. You were not ready for this confrontation. In fact, you might never be.

So, like the coward you were, you quickly pulled your mask back to cover your face and turned to Miguel. He quickly takes the hint and puts his on as well.

“We have to get home. We can’t stay here.” You fiddle with your gizmo, attempting to open a portal back up to the HQ, but nothing. Miguel looked at your struggle and tried to get his own to work as well but it was a futile attempt. Nothing seemed wrong with the gizmos, except for the fact the no portal was opening up. You hoped that everything else was working fine.

Miguel had no knowledge of this strange world. All he knew was that you didn’t want either of you to stay here, and who was he to doubt your words? The situation was alright at first. Yes, it was suspicious that you two were dropped off here by some unknown entity, but there seemed to be no immediate danger and you two could easily open a portal back to the HQ.

At least he thought so.

But when both of your gizmos failed, he could feel worry start seeping in. No, this is fine, he could fix the gizmo. He didn’t have any tools though. What was even wrong with it? It had been working perfectly fine before you were dropped into this foreign universe.

He could see you pacing back and forth on the rooftop you two were on. Although he couldn’t see your face, he knew there was a frown etched onto our face.

“Mi corazón.” He called for you, but you were still in your trance. “Corazón.” He called out a little louder, and still nothing. He quickly gave up on words and walked over to you, softly grabbing your hand to pull you out.

“What?” You snap at him before regretting it almost instantly. You take a big breath and try to calm yourself down. “I’m sorry, I’m just stressed.”

“It’s alright mi vida. Can you tell me what’s got you so worried and where we are?” He spoke to you softly. You take another breath, mentally preparing yourself for the conversation you were about to have.

“We’re in my home universe.”

“Ah.” That was all he needed to know. He had heard enough of your ramblings about your old life to know why you were reacting this way.

“Why isn’t the gizmo working?” You ask, point-blank.

“I’m not sure. Maybe there’s something about this universe that’s stopping us from being able to communicate with the others. I attempted to get in contact with other spidermen but no response.” The Spider HQ must be a mess right now, with the sudden disappearance of their leader. He hoped you two could quickly make it back home or else you two would be coming back to chaos.

You opened your mouth to say something but were interrupted when you felt your spider senses tingling. You could see Miguel’s signature scowl form on his face, it seemed he could hear the danger you were sensing.

You both take a look around at your surroundings, and not too far off into the distance you see a Doc Ock terrorising the poor citizens of Gotham.

No, that wasn’t right. Your universe shouldn’t have a Doc Ock, hell you didn’t have any of the standard spidey villains. There was only one reason for this

An anomaly was in your universe.

Farther into the distance, you could see the bat sign light up the night sky. Shit. You needed to hurry before your family could get to this. You and Miguel looked at each other and nodded. A silent agreement to continue the conversation later and also take this anomaly down as soon as possible.

Taglist

@kik1010 @cxcilla @00hellohello00 @bluepanda08 @frankie-moon3 @guyfuitty @lumi320 @type-ink @kye-chen-r @sugasweettea @sillyheartmoonnyx @definitely-not-sammie @birbtweettweet @itsberrydreemurstuff @bellethesleepypotato

Another chapter done, yippee! I'm sorry this is focusing more on Reader and Miguel, but I needed to introduce some plot points and it ended up being too long for the batfam to make an appearance

As said in a previous post, I don't speak Spanish, so if those nicknames are cringe or something then please do tell me how to improve it and I will gladly change it

Anyways this has been another busy week. I finished my prepL, took my license photo, started watching the bayverse transformers movies and prepared for the start of the school year on Tues

Speaking of school, I have no idea if that will affect my upload schedule but it most likely won't until a few weeks in.

As per usual, you are free to point out any mistakes. I don't edit my work cuz my ADHD won't allow me to and I don't have a beta reader so I am bound to have some mistakes here and there

Fun fact, my titles (except for the story title) come from songs. The Prologue came from Never Love An Anchor by The Crane Wives and this chapter's came from Abandon Ship by Fin. I recommend you listen to them, they're so good!

Have a great day everyone <3

[chosove]

*tw!!! daddy kink!!! + a lotttt of size kink stuff!!! fem bodied reader*

I know he gets such a like…almost ‘selfish lover’ rep but in my humble daddy issue biased opinion, toji would 100% talk you through it like…

Everyone already finds him so intimidating, if not from his stature and general appearance, its his gruff voice and combative personality. He doesnt even mean to do it, he just always has that trademark scowl on his face that makes people afraid to say excuse me in grocery stores :(

Not you though, you still served him with your bright smile as he checked out of the store. You asked how he was and giggled at his flirty response of ‘why, ya wanna make my day better?’. I mean…other than his kids he never had people willingly make small talk with him, let alone laugh at his old man jokes.

Godddd he just gets so flustered when you look at him with your big doe eyes and say have a fantastic day :(

Thats why when he sees you on the dating app megumi downloaded for him (against his will), he feels his heart skip a beat. I just know he’s all nervous, thinking how dirty he is as a self proclaimed ‘old man’ finding such a pretty young thing attractive- i mean you could literally be his daughter. All these worried thoughts flitted through his head while he tried to decide, not realizing his thumb was just a littttttlllleeeee too close to the screen as he accidentally matched with you.

Oh.

Oh.

I mean it was an accident for him, but was it an accident for you? It couldnt be if you were texting him already, a message reading “hey there stranger :)” popping up on his phone.

And when you liked his simple response of “Hello.”, responding with “anything i can do to make your night better, toji?”, that couldnt just be a typo or misclick, right?

You made him feel like a teenager again, the butterflies he felt only becoming more intense when you asked him to come over n’ tell you in person :( he nearly jumped out of his skin trying to get ready, hands fumbling with that pinstripe button-up he’d been saving for something special (gumi’s grad or….i guess his first date in forever). It was only at times like this he wished he had someone to call to help him chill out.

Maybe after tonight that’d be you though? He hoped so at least, and even when you pulled him into your apartment, pushing him on the couch while he stuttered about getting to know each other first, he knew you were the girl for him.

It did take a while for him to actually get up to your speed- he didnt wanna break you or anything. You were just so, so desperate for him, tugging at his shirt while you grinded your clothed cunt against his beefy thighs, filthy words coming out of your mouth only making it harder for toji to take it slow with you.

“God you’re so big toji, feel like even jus’ your fingers can split me in half.”

“Couldn’t stop thinking about you, knew you’d treat me better than all the guys my age. Ya gonna fuck me right toji? Please?”

“C’mon toji…know you wanna breed me, bet it’ll only take one time for me to give you a baby. D’you want that daddy?”

It was no later you said that word that he was picking you up, throwing you onto the tiny mattress your studio apartment held. Yeah, he definitely wasnt getting out of this alive- but neither were you judging by the way his big hands began to unbuckle his belt, unzipping the pants you so graciously left a giant wet stain on, the outline of his cock in his boxers making your mouth water.

“See what ya do to me, pretty?” His deep voice spoke, one hand giving his throbbing dick a few much-needed strokes while he stared down at you like a wolf. “Nothin’ to say anymore, hm? C’mon, i liked hearing it all.”

He hadnt even pressed himself against you before you let out a whine, his hands resting themselves on your sides already being enough to make your hips jump. If it weren’t for the fact he was now intent on hearing more of those pretty sounds from you, he’d have let out a whine himself from how soft your skin felt against his worked hands. And when he slowly pulled your panties down your thighs, clenching his jaw at the sight of strands of wetness sticking to your pussy, he nearly came in his pants.

“Poor girl, bet this sweet pussy hasnt been treated right in forever hm?” The question nearly brought tears to your eyes, both from the truth of it and from the fact he began to thumb at your glistening cunt, the rough pad of his finger being the exact pressure you needed on your pulsing bundle of nerves. “T-toji i might cum alr-”you began, but you werent able to get your sentence out before his hand came down to slap against your cunt.

“What happened to my good girl from earlier? Y’know not to call me toji, little bird. Whats my name?” He whispered against the shell of your ear, fingers covered in your wetness now coming to play with your hard nipples.

Clinging to his shaggy hair like it was your lifeline, you nearly cried out as you came undone for him, the desperate moan of ‘thank you daddy’ falling from your lips. He smiled as you writhed below him, your body convulsing while he let you ride what would be the first of many orgasms that night.

[cupcakeslushie]

actually the last ask you answered for kendratello AU got me wondering, how do the boys navigate it if they actually get mad/upset at Donnie about something post-recovery? like obviously in the aftermath they're all going to be as patient with him as they can be, but I'm talking down the line when Donnie has had a lot of healing time. Donnie can definitely be a little shit from time to time, and even unintentionally, four siblings living in the same space are gonna get on each other's nerves.

Are they nervous about getting mad and triggering Donnie again? Do they ever seem like they're being overly patient to the point of condescending in Donnie's POV? (do my questions even make sense lol)

I think far, far, far down the road, Donnie would be the first one to kind of hit a breakthrough and wish to move on. Because for sure, Donnie hates feeling like he’s being condescended to, and once he kinda gets more of himself back, that returns as well.

But when the others are still too worried about upsetting him, Donnie might try to up the obnoxious behavior, to test them. I think the first one to lose control of their tone would probably be Mikey. Leo and Raph are way too paranoid, and used to controlling themselves/holding themselves back—be it, Raph with his anger issues, or Leo with his masks and humor. Meanwhile, Mikey is emotionally empathetic. So if Donnie is trying to be a little shit, Mikey would match him, without even realizing until too late. It would be just a little bit of good natured bullying from Mikey, but it’d still freeze everyone in their tracks. But Donnie would take a deep breath, smile, laugh, and try his best to play up his theatrics like he used to. It’s an awkward stage, for sure. Sometimes Donnie pushes harder than he’s comfortable, and doesn’t realize until one of the brother’s tries to playfully tease back, and he panics. Even just simple snarking can trigger Donnie pretty badly. And sometimes, it feels like he’s is forcing himself to play a character that he only recognizes from vague memories. It’s an act that the family tries to convince Donnie isn’t necessary to force. But Donnie wants that old familiarity, even if he regrets pushing more than he’s ready for. It’s a slow growth of just learning new boundaries and pushing a safe amount from everyone.

But it’s a phase that needs to happen! It’s growing pains to a healthier normal.

[emptymanuscript]

XD!

So, laugh rule but also:

What’s kinda throwing me is that I think this is actually pretty close to the central thesis of the actual mystical/religious tradition/lineage I’m actually in.

Like, the belief is absolutely that the god we call God is real (as are many other gods and other things) but that the fundamental idea of Divinity vs Mortality is not real. That the fundamental purpose of most religious thought is so the Divine can keep us in our place, even though we’re perfectly capable of doing what they do and achieving apotheosis into being without a difference. The problem with God is that He thinks He’s it and the problem with people is that we think we aren’t.

And, yeah, the fundamental task of the novitiate (initiate? I’m always fuzzy on those. The person just starting out who knows enough to look but enough, yet, to do. Early level apprentice who is learning the ropes sort of person) is to Self Create.

Like that’s the most necessary part of the tradition. You’re supposed to study your little butt off (obviously why I am drawn to it XD, studying everything as a religious devotion? Sign me up! I am a B+ child and I want you to love me teacher XD). But the purpose of the study is to find the hidden resonances, what is actually true, that is not actually recorded in full anywhere because you are divine so only you can fully define you.

It’s self definition by using the other. I am that. I am not that. I am like that but not in this way, etc. Just using metaphysical principles rather than your social group.

Or, I suppose, in ADDITION to your social group.

My actual biggest criticism of my tradition lineage is how often we’re inconsiderate assholes. Not just that we’re not nice people but that we’re not nice people in and on principle. For whatever reason (some I know and some I don’t) the first thing we seem to say we’re not is good, kind, and caring. Like, the exact thing we would want in our own deities and berate the Demiurge (the god who thinks He is God because He was the deity that did all the original creating as far as He is concerned) for not being is what we’re not going to do, too.

Which I get as an act of anger and provocation and boundaries. But I really don’t understand as a mature decision for the path of one’s life. I hear it’s better to reign in hell than serve in heaven but nothing I see demands that that is the actual choice at hand.

There IS a lot of worship. And, yeah, I think part of the draw to my tradition/lineage is that it speaks to lonely weird people who are happier surrounded by books than crowds. But there’s nothing actually NECESSARY to the path about starting a cult, claiming that you’re evil, and then proving it by manipulation and lies. But somehow, those are all the famous people writing the influential texts.

Like, why not be the sort of person you wish that a deity would be. Be your own dream fulfillment. And instead of putting yourself up at the top of a pyramid of something icky, just be the sort of person that other people like hanging around.

Of course, that may just be me being a novice. Wizards aren’t exactly known for their EQ. We know the forbidden names of gods and a whole mess of trivia. My current joke is that if you want to find one of us, go looking for a party. Go to the weirdest one you find. Like, these are not the cool kids, you get me? Look at the people who are up against the wall, not partying. Find the most boring person out of them. That’s your most likely candidate to be a Wizard.

If they are, the questions to ask are ones that lead you to awareness of their humility and sure confidence in themselves.

The more confident they are that they know the secrets of the universe, as a whole, for everything and everybody, the farther back toward initiation they are. The more they need to fight for their own self definition and boundaries, the closer they are to being in the “middle” of their journey. It’s not really the middle it’s simply that you’re very self confident at the very start and very self confident at the end. But the majority of the journey is taking a hammer to the ego when we’re often the sort of people who don’t have a lot of ego defenses to spare.

Which means defensiveness and love/worship cravings are rampant. A great area to promote Narcissistic impulses.

That’s actually a big warning I’ve run into a few times now. That a lot of people simply break and become these megalomaniacal monsters who are just completely full of themselves and their arcane power. They become Demiurge like. They think they’re it. You’re just a prop to them and their power trip fantasy.

Mostly, I hear the solution to be this gray ascetic humility. That the world is illusory and transitory and that includes me and my feelings. So you become this immovable, unimpressable center point. Nothing bothers you. It’s why I talk about my own lineage as shit-eaters. Because that’s a literal example from them. That you should be able to have the same experience and same emotional impact whether you have the best meal of your life or eat literal feces. All that matters is your will and willpower and, yeah, power… so you can enact your will.

Can’t say I like the idea. I do not particularly want to eat feces. I like enjoying food. And this dichotomy strikes me as false. You either reject life or are conquered by it. Meh. I like dialectical thinking not dualistic thinking. And the entire point is to make something new. Something you. Not to simply repeat the old lies and oppression.

If you’re a god, great. Namaste. In all humility and seriousness. I see and acknowledge the divine in you. I welcome it. But as a living, breathing, experiencing person who participates in the world with other people, I would ask some questions:

What are the benefits of your worship to you?

What are the benefits of your worship to your worshippers?

How are you the same as your worshippers?

How are you different from your worshippers?

What are the drawbacks and costs to you that come from your being worshipped?

What are the drawbacks and costs to your worshippers from worshipping you?

If you put yourself in the place of one of your worshippers (pick a few at random) would you feel the benefits and costs weighed out in your favor?

If you put one of your worshippers in your place (pick a few at random) would you come to the conclusion from the outside, with a godlike view of the whole situation, that it weighted out to an activity that was ultimately favorable to them?

For the worshipper you have put in your place, would you be satisfied with how their worshipper’s lives would work out for them in the care of that other?

What would be the benefits to you of rejecting the idea of being worshipped all together?

What would be the costs to you of giving up that particular place at the center for just being one of that particular group you get along with?

DO you actually get along with your worshippers when they aren’t worshipping you? Or do you only like them for their worship? Are they the people you would surround yourself with if you weren’t in this group together?

What benefits might they get from being let go from worshipping you? From being let go from the group?

What would it cost them if they were to stop worshipping you? What would they necessarily lose if they left the group?

Looking at the balance of your answers to these questions and comparing it to likely possible alternatives (NOT the best, NOT the worst, NOT the strangest), is worshipping you the best thing for your worshippers?

Looking at the balance and considering the likely possible alternatives for yourself, is being worshipped in this way the best thing for you?

Looking at all the answers that you’ve written out, and being honest with yourself, with the full divine view of what is and what could be, is this situation what you actually want? Would that answer change if it was for someone else? WHY? WHY is this the best arrangement? Or WHY isn’t this good enough? WHY does it matter who the worshipped is versus an alternative versus the worshippers? WHY? WHY? WHY? There is a reason that children demand this endlessly. It is the most necessary question to understand their lives. That doesn’t really change when a child grows up and realizes their own divinity.

They say you gotta worship god because he created stuff, but I created myself, and my epic boobs, and I'm real, so aren't I better than god? Maybe I should be worshipped. Much to think about

[jackiepackiee]

Telemachus x Apollo! Blessed Reader

Chapter Three

Masterlist

Prince Telemachus who is favored by Athena with a reader who's favored by Apollo. Both under the guidance of the god and goddess of wisdom and knowledge respectively. One a fierce warrior and the other a lovely musician. Yet complete opposites of their role when it comes to a peaceful artist and intimidating opponent.

Previously…

And you, you stood there with the lyre talking to the handmaiden. Unaware of the cute boy blushing in the next hall.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Telemachus stood behind the stone pillar of the royal hallway, slightly viewing the doorway that you had just entered. Maids leaving off to another section.

When he saw you enter the room, and the coast clear, he snuck up to the door that blocked you in.

It was cracked open, enough for him to see the side of the room. It was known as one of the tallest rooms in the palace, in the quietest section.

Beautiful stone walls with wide windows that showed the sunshine as it played on air.

And you sat in the middle of his view, back against the wall as you looked around the place with an expression of curiosity. Eyes wide to take in all around you.

Looking gentle, as if the sun itself was coating over you and glowing so only you could be seen.

Laying in your lap was a golden lyre, looking almost out of place in the barren interior of furniture and decoration inside the room.

But one thing did fit with the style of the lyre to him, you.

The way your shoulders relaxed at the notion of solitude, lips parting to let out a hum of determination before you fiddled with the instrument.

Creating notes of a melody with ease, nimble fingers working to pick and pull for the loveliest sounds.

If it was possible, he would’ve thought the gods themselves were playing the music just for you, and he was simply seeing a goddess in front of him.

Apollo be damned, that song. He had to know who you are-

“Telemachus?” A woman’s voice called out, causing him to tense at the shoulders and whip his head around.

“Mom?!” He asked, stepping away from the door as he tried to control his heartbeat.

“You must’ve heard the music.” She pointed to the door to the room you were in, still playing a song that drifted throughout the palace halls.

“Yeah… the song.” Nodding, he bit his tongue to not admit he was just wondering who the pretty girl was.

“Well, I was going to find you. Let’s head inside.” Placing her hand on his shoulder, she gestured him into the room. The maid behind her followed them.

He froze. “Inside? Why?” His voice went higher than normal and he planted himself in place.

“You are to meet her. She’ll be your music teacher.”

Oh.

Telemachus felt his stomach drop, like it was swirling with some feeling of something. Something he didn’t quite understand.

He was definitely nervous, but not the kind of nervous that made him restless whenever he was near the suitors or talking with other royals.

No, something else.

Before he could contemplate too much, his mother was pulling him inside the room where you were.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Here he was, the boy you had expected to meet for the last few days. Standing directly in front of you.

All the princes you’d seen in years of traveling Greece for music were often… nothing but a prince. A sense of ownership from some rooted entitlement.

Wearing the most blinding pieces of metal, which was best as to not have to look at their faces from the lights glare. Even if handsome, they held utter disinterest or overwhelming smugness that ruined their demeanor.

All nothing but boys trying to be the men they weren’t, in their lack of any reminding qualities.

Each prince of Greece you had seen had been the same… until now.

Telemachus of Ithaca. “Son to the great Odysseus” was all you had heard from the locals and a few handmaids.

Face to face with royalty. He was so much more than just the son of a warrior.

“Hello, it is lovely to meet you.”

Oh gods, his voice was just as sweet as his face, which seemed impossible with his fluttery eyelashes and tan skin. Low enough to soothe your ears with an absolutely adorable tenor that made it seem impossible to not want to hear again.

He stood in front of you, bowing his head as some hair waved forward to cover his forehead. When he saw the hair, his eyes widened and his lips parted before he quickly brushed it back to regain his composure.

They were a lovely blue, his eyes. And when they met yours you knew they were the kindest eyes you’d ever seen.

And he was tall… his chiton showing off arms strength. Yet he didn’t seem hostile in the slightest, refusing to let that strength be seen as anything but muscle.

Really toned, tan arms…

Damn it! You should probably respond to his greeting!

“It’s lovely to meet you as well, my prince.” You spoke clearly, focusing on your tone so none of it was too quick or too high.

When had you started to care so much?

Though, it wasn’t only you. None the wiser were you to your apparent charms.

Telemachus was thinking the same thing, keeping his arms strictly at his sides to avoid looking awkward, fixing his hair every move, focusing on each word that he would say and practicing the lines in his head.

“As a prince, it is important you have many skills.” The queen spoke, pointing at the lyre. “This will build a good habit of learning things quickly.”

Her advice wasn’t wrong, in fact it made good sense. But both of you were too caught up in how the other was in front of you to respond.

She held back a smile at your fickle eye contact, noticing every one of her son's movements.

“You’ll start your first lesson this week.” Penelope spoke, nodding in conformation at you and Telemachus.

“Of course.” The words came out fast, pulling you out of whatever weird trance you were stuck in. You agreed, bowing your head before one of the maids gently tapped you to the exit.

Unable to face the prince again, you simply turned and made strides to the door with your eyes steady ahead. ‘Step one, right foot. Step two…’

Right before you left, you saw a familiar sun god watching in his invisible state smiling at you smugly. Oh no…

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

“I’m no Aphrodite.” Apollo spoke, hanging from your bedroom window sill as you sat in bed with your lyre, hopelessly fidgeting with the strings. Half ready to push your head into the pillow and wish the night away.

He adjusted in his makeshift seat and pointed to his chin in mock thought. “Although-” Before he could continue a noise interjected of one of the lyre’s strings breaking. Snapping under your contortion and flinging to a curl at its base.

“Woah now, you can’t tune it too tightly.” He laughed as you fumbled to fix it. Hands restless as your fingers worked while you tried to ignore everything but the instrument.

Eventually your arms stilled, coming into your lap as the snapped string flopped onto the bed in defeat.

“I can’t go back.” You spoke, eyes closed as your chest rose with air filling it fully.

Apollo sat up straight, platinum like hair swooshing as he scurried to sit beside you.

“You have to go back!” He called, pushed the lyre back into your lap. Feeling the weight of him dip the bed you opened your eyes and looked to the ceiling.

“No, I don’t. He’s a prince, and has more important things to do than music.” Mumbling, you began to push away the lyre again, but before you could Apollo fixed the string and let out a strum across the row.

“More important than music? You’re saying that to me?” He teased, beginning to fiddle with the instrument on his own. The song was undoubtedly beautiful, but you could tell something was off.

“Play that string twice, it’s not counting right within the melody.” Pointing at the string, he noticed your judgement and listened. Playing the note and nodding as the music sounded correct.

“You know, you can show him this, let him be something more than just a prince. It’s your gift.” He spoke, giving you back the tool.

“That was really smart…” You strummed the low section of the strings in contemplation. “Fine, I’ll go back.” Agreeing, a breath left your lips as you finally relaxed your decision.

…

“And~ maybe become his princess.”

“Apollo!”

Taglist - @dog-and-cat-person230 @m-carriaga2021 @blessedbyahuntress @cleawritesstuff @b4ts1e @permanently-nothere @kaguraaaa @rockyeatrock @keikeiluvyou @hijinkxy @doodle-with-rhy @barrythestrawberry041 @dazedemery @sunshinewhosketches @bafb1tch @lethby @pjopinkk @nishayuro @moonlitenvyillust @emmy6999 @theyumeeighth @plushiesssforcrying

[hugheses]

I think there was a bit before this but this is most of it.

Transcript below cut

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, I think both of our older brothers played together growing up, so I think somewhere along the way we met. But I think I played a tournament in Toronto with the Bulldogs, with Jack, and that was kind of the first time I was like, I think I'm a pretty bad hockey player. But, I mean, the whole family's great.

They love the game, they're so passionate about it, but obviously from any age you knew Jack was going to be something special.

[Amanda]

What was it about the way he played from that young age that you could see that? Because you're not such a bad player yourself, too, you know?

[Cole]

I mean, just the way he skated. He could always handle the puck well, move the puck well, but I think it's just like the skating talent, everybody at that age could kind of move around, but he was like, probably skated the same way he does now, just a little bit slower back then. You know, he's very special, and it's cool to see how far he's come, but for sure always special to watch.

[Amanda]

And I know that you guys speak to each other, you're still really good buddies, right? So tell me what the Hughes brothers are like when they're up at their cottage. I've heard the stories, the boat, the house, all that.

What's it like when you guys get away together, away from this game?

[Cole]

I mean, it's pretty much anything that we can play a game at. I mean, I just moved five minutes away from their place, so it's even worse than it was. I mean, they're just chill guys.

I mean, they like to compete or whatever, but surprisingly really good cooks and guys that take care of themselves. Obviously, it's always fun being on the boat and kind of messing around, but I think at the end of the day, everybody's just looking out for each other and having a good time. But summertime is fun for sure.

[Amanda]

They are very competitive, as I'm sure you are as well. So what brings out the most competitive spirit? Is it pool?

Is it something, you know, water ski- What is it that brings out that summer competitive spirit the most that gets a little heated?

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, obviously that pool table's gotten the most use I've ever seen out of something. It's a chalkboard with so many names about how many wins they have. It's either that, ping pong.

Otherwise, we're on the boat. But some nights can get a little bit more fun than that. But again, everything's just out of fun.

I think we've got a good group of guys over there, and everybody just likes hanging out with each other.

[Amanda]

And what's Luke like away from the arena? I mean, he's got a real competitive drive too, and I've heard that he is the best at pool. He's shaking his head, by the way, for people who can't see.

Cole is shaking his head. Is he actually the best at pool?

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, he's tough to beat. I think everybody's chasing him. I mean, I think he's got his own pool stick.

I don't want to confirm that, but I want to say everybody's chasing him down. If you don't know that, he'll probably tell you. No questions asked.

He's also a guy who never stops eating.

[Amanda]

You know his nickname is Rusty, right? Do we know where that originates? I mean, obviously I know it's from Ocean's Eleven and Brad Pitt's character, Rusty, who in every scene he's always snacking on something or whatever, but it's kind of crazy.

[Cole]

I think he's going to fill himself out pretty well moving forward here.

[Amanda]

And then just as friends, what do you enjoy most about competing against them?

[Cole]

I mean, honestly, they're really special at what they do. They love what they do. It's pretty cool to be able to get to train with them and kind of compete against the best, and that's kind of what you want.

So to be around them, golf with them, do whatever, it's definitely good to just stay competitive in the offseason, but also have guys like that you can lean on and talk to throughout the year.

[Amanda]

All right, we'll do this quickly. Out of the three of you, we'll leave Quinn out of this because he's not involved here. So out of the three of you, who is the best wakeboarder?

[Cole]

Jack.

[Amanda]

Who drives the boat the best?

[Cole]

Probably Jack, too. Luke's pretty good, but I think everybody's more comfortable when he's not behind the wheel. Do you have your boating license? Are you able to?

I've driven their boat a couple times, yeah. I've got to get one for myself, but I probably trust myself more than Luke.

[Amanda]

Best baseball player, if you play?

[Cole]

Me, 100%.

[Amanda]

You?

[Cole]

Yeah, we used to play in high school. I know they all played growing up, but for sure me. We'll have to settle that this summer in a batting cage or something.

[Amanda]

Do you guys play basketball at all together?

[Cole]

Oh, yeah, we used to play two-on-two, one-on-one. If a guy gets out of hand, I think me and Alex Turcotte won a two-v-two this summer. We beat Luke, which is surprising.

Getting him down low, it's tough to defend, but you can get him moving on the outside. You can't keep up. He for sure got his fair share of points on me down low, which is not fun.

[Amanda]

Two-on-two, who is Luke? Is it Luke and Jack? Is it Luke and Quinn?

[Cole]

I don't know who he was with. I mean, we have a huge group, like Larkin, Norris. Glendening, too.

We had a bunch of guys that were just like dogs in a paint. It was crazy. Me and Turcs won, and I was like, there's no way we just did that.

We needed to be on the shelf for two weeks afterwards. That was probably the most sweat I've ever had today, for sure.

[Amanda]

Lastly, Ellen has told me this story, how when they were growing up, that Ellen and Jim used to tell Quinn and Jack, please just try and pass the puck to Luke once in a while. Let the guy do it once in a while. I know you're laughing there.

What does that tell you about these brothers, that family? Does that not check out when it comes to Luke and the boys?

[Cole]

Yeah, I mean, obviously, being the younger brother, I'm a younger brother, too. That's just how it is. But now I think everybody's old enough that it's kind of getting out of the question a little bit.

But he for sure is always the last one for stuff. I feel like I always hear Ellen kind of tell him, just get Luke in on something. Get Luke involved a little bit more.

But Luke's great, a really good human being, to be honest with you. Definitely needs a little bit more respect, I think. And I'll give it to him this summer, for sure.

But I think he's being able to move into the house this year. Now that he's played a couple more games, so that's huge.

[Amanda]

Thanks, Cole. Really appreciate it.

[sneepity-snoop-snorpity-sneep]

I apparently come across as the same age as my younger coworkers, possibly because I am holding the vestiges of my whimsy in a deathgrip and also because they are experiencing the highs and lows of marriage and I'm not (seriously, I once had a conversation with an old lady at an urgent care where she was talking about her kids, stopped mid-conversation and went "you don't have any, i can see it in your eyes" TTvTT). If i were a cartoon I might be failing the above person's character design test

a lot of people do NOT 'look like adults'. Hell, in my experience a lot of folks look about the same if they're between 16 and 25 depending on the person and the only real way to find out where they fall on that range is to straight-up ask them

on one hand, yes, fiction and character design in cartoons specifically is meant to convey information about the characters to the audience quickly and easily - that doesn't mean shorthand like this is a good idea

visually conveying important information about your characters to your viewers is one thing, catering to the members of the audience who become viscerally uncomfy with characters not fitting in the exact boxes they think characters (and usually real people) should fit in is another thing ENTIRELY. People are gonna surprise you and do backflips around your expectations in real life just by being themselves sometimes, and frankly fiction gets better when this part of the human experience is included (at least i think it does)

like this whole complaint could've just stopped at "I don't like it when writers/designers sexualize characters whose role in the story doesn't have anything to do with their sexuality or lack thereof" and most folks would agree - like anybody from the clone wars fandom remember what they decided to have ahsoka wear for the first couple of seasons for no real reason? but that doesn't actually have any bearing on the character themself, again, see young ahsoka running around doing jedi commander stuff and having character arcs that her clothes are coincidental for at best (girl was literally in a war zone with not only no protective clothing, but not clothing at all covering at least three vital organs hhhhhhhhh)

and also, since this seems to be about hazbin hotel, I'd like to point out that there's probably some overlap OOP is seeing between 'character is being sexualized by the writers and/or fans' and 'character is in a story that includes adult themes about sexuality, lust, etc, and is shown to visibly have a sex drive/sex life/sexual experience', as many adults do.

But i still don't really see this as a bug over a feature, i mean....yeah hazbin hotel writes adults whose lives include sex-related stuff in a very different way than other adult shows which include sexuality (gonna use arcane and castlevania here, because i just recently re-watched both), but they're also all very different kinds of stories.

hazbin hotel, while not being quite the same kind of show like say family guy or south park, where you might find over-the-top sex/profanity based comedy, is the kind of adult animation that decided to have sex be a more relevant part of the setting and sometimes plot. Characters make sexual references, innuendos, jokes, etc, all the time even when there isn't any actual sex going on, while the other two shows I mention simply have sex being A Thing Adults Do Sometimes and there isn't (usually, with a particular exception *cough cough Lenore + Hector*) anything majorly plot-relevant about it.

but as far as your audience goes, that's really a difference in preference than a sign of good/bad writing or character design. Like i'm definitely more of a fan of the latter style of including sexuality in stories about adults. The hazbin hotel take on writing adults and sex isn't my cup of tea, but neither is it a deal breaker for adult media in general for me. This may be because I am Not Going To Pay Attention To Whatever Nonsense The Horny Fans Are Doing Now. i'm just not.

like a lot of the above complains seem to be rooted in how members of the audience will see the character, which is really not the greatest way to judge a work of fiction. Inevitably, at least some fans will draw porn of any character regardless of canonical age or if the story they're from actually has any kind of sexual content or not (doesn't Disney have an official vault of porn of characters from a bunch of their kids movies/shows? yeah) and if that's an issue for you you may not be curating your own online experience as much as you should. Gotta learn to think 'Do i actually want to see/engage with this or will it just make me unhappy' before u actually look at something. I regret to inform u i dont know any way outside of experiencing the consequences of NOT doing that to learn when I should. I'm talking about the moment when i see a unfamiliar word online ending in 'philia' and i take a moment to notice my curiosity before pondering if i really care to look it up

in conclusion, trying to box actual adult's appearance/behavior into boxes on who should and shouldn't be allowed to have a visible sexuality is just kinda reminiscent on the aspects of western shame culture that presume you can stop people behaving badly by making the potential targets of that behavior act so as not to encourage it.

Understandable gut motivation. Poorly thought out reaction

Alright.

At First I Was Going To Make A Joke About How Stupid This Thing Is, But Now That I’m Thinking About It This Is Just More Gross, Infuriating, And Sexist Than It Is Stupid And Funny.

Adult Are Adults.

Fictional Adult Are Fictional Adults.

I Don’t Care What Height They Are, If They Have Curves Or Not, If Their Personality Is Childish Or Adultish, Or If They Look Like A Child Or A Adult.

They Are Adults No Matter What.

Also “ProShippers Take Her And Run”… Can You Just… Not Do Or Say Anything Ever Again?

Either That Or Change Your Ways?

[smilesatdawnmain]

Would Xiaotian and MK both be the harbinger of chaos or only MK ? If the pillar of heaven would get destroyed and would need fixing, would MK AND Xiaotian have to sacrifice themselves or only MK ? And than maybe his soul would go to Xiaotian so that he could live on his own without the other half. He would feel whole but of course be sad because who would want to lose their twin ?

Imagine a self-sacrifice MK not just fighting Macaque and Wukong to go jump into that pillar, but also his own twin 🙈

Honestly, I'm not quite sure yet on that front. I would LOVE to add the pillar into Taken, but that feels like such a far away concept from what I originally made. I definitely wanna explore the idea of it though!!! I don't know exactly how it would go, if it would be both or one that is required, or what might be going through their heads. But- if the option was JUST MK... You can bet a certain someone isn't going to just let him

He's got three very protective Monkeys in his corner now, who are not too keen on losing him.

[baobpn]

Squid Game!Love and Deepspace Headcanons

How I imagine each love interest would react if you were both participants in the Squid Games

SEASON 1 SPOILERS FOR SQUID GAME (I haven't watched season 2 yet)

✦ Xavier is the man who would save you during the Red Light, Green Light game. When you are on the floor trembling for your life, he is the one to urge you to get up on your feet and make it to the finish line. You are visibly shaken up when you reach the end before time. Xavier will offer comfort by covering your ears and having your view obscured so you don't witness the remaining contestants gunned down. 

✦ Zayne is the doctor who is collaborating with the masked guards in order to guarantee both of your safety. To avoid drawing suspicion from you, he won't relay the information given to him but will make sure you always pick the "correct" option. Whenever meal time comes around, Zayne gives you half of his portions to ensure you get enough nutrition. Especially when rations run low, he will refuse your offer because he would rather not see you starve. 

✦ Rafayel immediately forms a bond with you after the first game. He recognizes you as someone who once visited his art exhibition. (How did a big shot like him end up here? Who knows.) You both joke around, and it's like the tension in the air has ceased. Rafayel acknowledges that you are a nervous mess, so he always teases you in order to keep the looming fear of death out of your mind. After the night of each game, you both reminisce about your life before the Squid Game and what you would do with the money. Rafayel makes a promise to paint a giant portrait of you after you both win the games. 

✦ Sylus notices you were lacking in some areas and decides he will be the one to protect you throughout the games. He ALWAYS makes sure you are on his team, albeit to the displeasure of his teammates. No one is going to object to the guy who has the looks to murder, so they keep their thoughts to themselves. Whenever the lights go out, Sylus instructs you to stay under the bed and stay out of sight. You bet your dragon in blood-drenched armor will retrieve you once the massacre is over. Sylus always puts you before himself; let's hope his decision to continuously select you to be his partner doesn’t come back to bite him…

✦ Caleb is definitely the guy behind the games. Just kidding. But let's say he “played these games before.” Similarly to Zayne, he will ensure you know what mini-game you are playing ahead of time. When pressed about his ability to correctly guess the next mini-game, he conveniently dodges your questions. Caleb may or may not pull some strings to make sure you don’t end up in a black box. It wasn’t in his foresight that you would end up in this deadly scenario, so he will ensure you don’t meet the same fate as the other contestants.

[mcdonaldsnumberone]

AH-CHOO!

phainon has noticed something weird with his buddy, mydei, and takes it upon himself to do something about it.

gn reader but told from phainon's pov (it's a mydei x reader i prommy)

content warning(s): amphoreus spoilers

THE FIRST TIME Phainon suspected that something might be up with Mydei was when he received word that Mydei had been spending quite a bit of time listening to songs from Lipos, Okhema’s traveling bard. 

It wasn’t like it was an unusual thing for Mydei to indulge in Okhema’s many cultural offerings, but what threw Phainon off was receiving word that Mydei had been listening to love songs.

And a good variety too, if his sources were correct. So it was only natural for Phainon to check up on his friend with his own two eyes. Keeping his distance, he followed his friend from a few paces, being very careful so that Mydei wouldn’t detect his presence. 

Lo and behold, on a beautiful sunny day in Okhema, was none other than the crown prince of Castrum Kremnos sulking in the plaza. If Lipos suspected something was wrong, he didn’t show any sign. The bard expertly strummed at his lyre, the closing melodies of his current song filling every corner of the air.

Phainon held his breath from his hiding place behind some bushes. 

The final notes of the song reverberate in the air, and Mydei claps slowly once Lipos opens his eyes and looks towards the strawberry blond man expectantly. Phainon isn’t sure if he’s seeting things correctly, but from the angle he’s at, he could have sworn he saw a bit of pink dusting the Kremnoan man’s face and neck.

Whatever it was that Lipos was singing, it must have struck a chord with Mydei.

“Any other requests?” Lipos glanced at Mydei and offered the prince a coy smile. Mydei visibly swallowed thickly and let out a loud exhale through his nose. He glances around the plaza once, twice, as if making sure no one was watching him in secret. Phainon held his breath again, not wanting to disturb even a single leaf of the bush he was using as a barrier. 

“If you insist…,” Mydei mumbled back, “...Could you do the one song I requested last time? The one about Mnestia…”

Lipos’ face brightened. “Yes, of course, dear Prince! I know exactly which one you’re talking about! Yes, yes, the one in which Mnestia laments that their feelings towards Ceres may never be returned and just how deep their emotions stirred inside their chest-”

“-Not so loud…!” Mydei hissed, instinctively stepping forward as if he wanted to shove his hand over the bard’s mouth and silence him for nearly spilling his secret. “Just play the song. I… have some thinking I have to do.”

Phainon’s brain was operating at full speed as Lipos poorly stifled a giggle and strummed the lyre. So it was true that Mydei was seeking out the bard and spending copious amounts of time outside of his training to listen to various love songs. And in this case, he had specifically requested a song about unrequited love.

Something was definitely up with Mydei. But this was enough to prove Phainon’s growing suspicions and before he could risk his luck any further, the silver-haired man decided to make a ‘tactical retreat’ to gather his bearings and continue his snooping.

…

THE SECOND TIME Phainon suspected that something might be up with Mydei was when one of the kids brought it up with him. It had started off as nothing more than Phainon heading into the city to run some errands and taking a seat on the curb to snack on some fruit when a group of kids ran up to him. Some of them were whispering amongst themselves while barely containing their peals of laughter.

Phainon, ever the gentleman, greeted them with a smile. “You all better be staying out of trouble! What are you guys giggling about now?”

“It’s nothing!” One kid blurted loudly. 

“Mydei will scold us if we do!” Another remarked before hiding their face behind their pudgy hands, barely hiding the big grin on their face. 

Phainon exaggeratedly puffed his cheeks out and pretended to pout. He had an inkling as to what it could be that was plaguing Mydei’s mind ever since his little espionage session, but if it was to the point that even the neighborhood’s kids might be onto it, it had to have gotten pretty obvious. At least, maybe to his eye—after all, Mydei could be stubbornly difficult to read at times. 

“Oh, c’mon, guys,” Phainon waved his hand nonchalantly. “Do you not trust me? I can keep a secret! Besides, Mydei and I are like the bestest of friends! I’m bound to find out anything that has to do with him sooner or later.”

The kids sheepishly looked at each other, almost as if debating if their juicy secret was worth handing over to Phainon. He struck up an unassuming grin, the same one he’s used countless of times during his long journey across Amphoreus. He liked to think that it was convincing enough, especially when it’s brought him this far.

“Okay, but you gotta pinky promise not to tell anyone first!” One brave kid stepped forward, and Phainon found a chubby pinky finger stuck right in front of his face. Phainon let out a small chuckle and wrapped his own finger in a tight hook around the child’s.

“You have my word.”

The kid beckoned for Phainon to lower his head a bit further, and Phainon turned his face to offer the child his ear. The kid cupped their hands and went on their tiptoes to whisper into Phainon’s ears: “Mydei’s has a crush on someone!”

Phainon’s eyes widened, and he bit down slightly on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying something impulsively. The kid stepped back, only to stifle another round of laughter amongst their friends.

“What makes you think that? Can I know?” The silver-haired man quipped innocently. The group of kids stole glances amongst themselves before exclaiming in a hurry:

“He’s been blushing a lot!”

“And when we tease him about it, he gets all defensive!”

“Mhm! Normally Big Brother Mydei wouldn’t react, but now he gets all huffy and puffy!”

“But we don’t know who it is… He won’t tell us!”

Interesting. Phainon tried to memorize as many details as the kids were able to divulge, and after them demanding a truckload of snacks as repayment for their information, he finally was able to sit down by himself to ruminate over his findings of the day.

Mydei was in love.

What existed only as a mere hypothesis was now practically set in stone. And all that was left for Phainon was to figure out who exactly it was that could have captured Mydei’s guarded heart.

…

THE THIRD AND FINAL TIME Phainon suspected that something might be up with Mydei was when he was stuck doing paperwork at a nearby eatery. Aglaea had dropped a big stack of papers into his arms, mentioning that “even a Chrysos Heir must do their fair share of administrative tasks” before dismissing him quietly. 

He’d probably get his work done more quickly if he wasn’t so distracted though. Only about a quarter of his thoughts were occupied with getting the paperwork filled out. The other 75% was focused on discreetly observing the man working behind the counter as much as Phainon possibly could.

But, if the scowl on said man’s face said anything, Phainon was being far from discreet.

“What is wrong with you?” Mydei growled, crossing his arms over the little apron he was sporting. “Are you here to mock me, Deliverer? See the once proud prince of Castrum Kremnos serve up pancakes like a layman?”

So much for being discreet. Well, it would have been hard to be discreet given that he was the only patron in the cafe right now. Phainon threw his hands up in mock surrender. “N-No! I am genuinely trying to do work here! Just figured I’d come down here to get some free food while I do it too.”

That was only a partial truth. If Mydei was to find out that Phainon was spying on him to find out who had ensnared the prince’s heart, the Kremnoan might strike him down harder than Nikador had done. Phainon flashed a tiny smile as a peace offering in hopes that it would be convincing enough.

Mydei thankfully didn’t press on it any further. He let out a small “hmph” and leered at Phainon as if to call him a weirdo but was none the wiser to Phainon’s greater motive. Phainon wondered who it could be that had caught Mydei’s eye. He had suspected it might have been one of Okhema’s soldiers, but observing all of Mydei’s training and sparring sessions didn’t come up with anything. It had to be someone Mydei interacted with outside of his princely duties, which was why Phainon had suspected it was someone he met during his pancake-model-cafe-worker gig, but the lack of eligible coworkers ruled that one out faster than he had expected.

Phainon sighed and stuck a hand in his hair. He gripped his pen firmly, and his eyes glossed lifelessly over the endless lines of nonsensical administrative jargon in front of him. Maybe he had truly hit a dead end. Maybe Mydei was better at concealing his secret than Phainon had initially given him credit for. Maybe he should quit trying to play matchmaker and actually focus on the work in front of him, no matter how boring it was and how much Phainon would rather to anything else than see another page of hogwash seemingly printed for the sole reason of melting his poor brain—

—”Is the cafe open?”

A polite voice broke through Phainon’s messy thoughts. He raised his eyes, only for them to widen slightly when he noticed that someone had entered the cafe. And someone rather familiar too.

He hadn’t expected you to show up.

But before he could process anything, for some reason, his intuition screamed at him to look at Mydei. He swung his head around towards his friend, and for once in his life, his intuition had done something good for him.

Starstruck. 

That was the only word Phainon thought fitting to describe his friend. The way Mydei’s normally rough face softened up the instant his gaze fell on you was something that Phainon had never seen before. All you had done was stick your head into the cafe and ask if it was okay for you to come in, and Mydei was gawking at you as if he had forgotten how to act like a normal human being. You might as well have strung up the stars and the sun in the sky in Mydei’s eyes, and Phainon would have believed you.

“Oh! Great! Looks like you guys are open!” You laughed carefree before making your way in front of Mydei. Phainon pretended to bury his head into his paperwork but continued to peek over at what the two of you were doing. Hell, he wasn’t the one with the crush, but seeing Mydei’s infatuation playing out in real time was making the silver-haired man nervous for no good reason.

“And it’s good to see you here too! You make the best pancakes. Could I get a stack of ‘em? Seriously, nobody else in Okhema makes them as good as you do!” you remarked cheerfully, wiggling into a seat on the counter. Right across from Mydei, no less. Phainon couldn’t help but think if Mydei’s face got any more red, the prince would be putting the bright red color of his beloved pomegranate juice to shame. 

The tension was thick enough for even Phainon to feel it. Poor Mydei. Not only was the prince already awful with expressing his true emotions, he was already rough around the edges as he was. And as if to add insult to injury, you seemed hopelessly oblivious to Mydei’s pining. You rambled on and on about your day and all the chores you had to get through before you could go home, and all Mydei could do was listen to your honeyed voice and barely stifle back the violent tremblings of his heart.

Phainon could barely sit still in his seat. He knew Mydei would have his head if he were to interfere, but this made things so much more interesting for him. Any doubts from earlier than had plagued his head were gone, replaced with countless schemes and ideas that he could utilize to give his dear friend a nudge in the right direction. 

Now with all the puzzle pieces on the table, Phainon painted the clearest picture he could.

Mydei was in love, and he was in love with you.

Phainon had done his homework sneaking around and piecing together the scraps of information he could collect. With this part complete, that meant Phainon could finally move onto the next part of his plan.

And that was to concoct up a perfect way to get you two together.

Wasn’t Mydei so lucky to have such a caring friend?

x