#its just. kinda boring and sucks all of the potential for fun out of an evening

[hotshotshitshow]

man ngl i just dont think i like getting stoned, i cant do anything and feel useless so i always get to the point in my high where i realize ive just set myself up for wasting the next several hours of my life bc i cant function well enough to make art, play a game, talk to anyone, watch anything, etc

ngl i was low key really embarrassed last night bc i streamed and then realized i was too stoned to make any sense so i just forced myself to stop talking and . that sort of defeated the point of setting up a stream so i could interact with people by talking lmao

[sachirobabe]

Chapter 9

Kuroo Tetsurou x reader

Wc: 2596

Summary: You, a dedicated member of the girls' volleyball team, find an unexpected connection with Kuroo Tetsurou. Igniting a bond over shared passions and stolen moments, love blossoms on the court; all because you met him at a captains meeting.

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Taglist: @merlucide, @lemurzsquad, @02shuuu, @michakune, @ivy-taylorsversion, @scinclaitnoir, @v-e-r-t21, @siheez, @bakugouswaif, @sinistereotypes, @chao01248, @rivui

You lied. You did not have a cookie recipe you wanted to try. So why were you doing all this? For him to come over and spend more time with you?

'We're just friends.' You keep repeating to yourself, almost trying to convince your mind (and heart). You woke up a little earlier, due to your parents farewell. It felt nice to be home alone for a bit.

You laid back in bed, going on TikTok to try and find an interesting cookie recipe. Of course, it didn't take long. There were many recipes being shared online and you found one that seemed easy enough. It did require you to make a quick trip to the grocery store.

The thought of him being in your house, and maybe even your room suddenly made you a little anxious. You quickly ran around and frantically tidied up every single crevice of your house, wanting it perfect.

The knock on your front door made you come to a halt, you unknowingly fix your hair and open the door. "Hey, come in." You smile and move to the side so he could enter.

He gives you a warm smile as he came in and let his eyes wander, "Hey. Thanks for inviting me." He took his shoes off.

"Yeah, I figured baking cookies alone would be boring." You smile at him and lead him to the kitchen.

He chuckles, "I don't bake often, so don't make fun of me if I suck." He likes the way your house is decorated, there were family photos scattered and he wished he could get up close to see a younger version of you.

"It's easy. I'll be here so my house won't burn down." You joke and he shakes his head. You liked seeing him outside of his school uniform and volleyball clothes. It felt like this sight of him is for your eyes only.

"Okay, I'm not that bad." He laughs and watches you take out some bowls. "Can I—uh get some things? I feel bad just standing here."

"You can get the wet ingredients." You tell him what he needs to find in the fridge and he puts them on the counter. He gets to mixing and is doing a good job, he doesn't spill or over measure anything.

You did the dry ingredients and then poured them both into a bigger bowl and let the mixer do its job. "Isn't this kinda of cheating?" He chuckles, watching the mixer work through the dough.

"No." You laugh, "It just makes it easier."

"I don't know, I feel like I'd be old fashioned and mix without it." His eyes meet yours and he feels the all-too-familiar thump against his chest.

"But it gives me time to preheat the oven and prepare the pans." You counter, smiling softly as he looks at your features.

"I guess so. You got me." Kuroo rests his elbows on the counter and looks into the mixer. "Smells good." He notes.

"I can't wait to eat them." You hum and agree. "It's taking everything in me to not eat the cookie dough."

"Well, let's try it together." He grins and grabs two small spoons, scooping a pea sized amount for you. His tongue savors the flavor of the cookie dough, he knows it's bad for you and the two of you could potentially get sick, but it's worth seeing your pleased face.

"These might be my best cookies yet." You chuckle, the oven was preheated. It beeped to let you know. "I'll show you how to get the pans ready and how much to scoop." You move around the kitchen with ease.

He listens intently, matching your actions. He's starting to get the hang of it and scoops the perfect size for each ball. "This is actually very therapeutic." He chuckles, a lopsided grin on his face. The soft music playing in the background really topped it all off.

You agree with him and open the oven carefully, making sure you weren't going to get burned while putting the trays in. "Now it's time for the boring part. Dishes." You sigh and shut the oven, putting a timer to check on them.

"I've got them." Kuroo says, already turning the faucet on.

"No arguments here." You raised your hands up and he laughs, you sit on the counter chair in front of him. Your mind goes to volleyball, it's second nature to think about.

Kuroo notices you've gone quiet, but decided not to ask about it. He washed the dishes with ease, stealing glances at you occasionally. "Do you think Daishou's team is better than us?" He speaks up after a few minutes.

You give him a confused look, "Who's Daishou?"

"Right," He chuckles, forgetting you're not that familiar with the boys' names on other teams. "He plays for Nohebi academy? He kinda looks like a snake."

You let out a laugh, "How can someone look like a snake?"

"He just does." He chuckles with you.

"Oh, wait, are they the team with green and yellow?" You ask, "Yeah—their ace, he kinda has curly hair."

Kuroo shook his head, "You're thinking about Itachiyama." He flashed a smile, "They're the other green and yellow team. Their jerseys are more lame."

"Oh, yeah. I think I know who you're talking about." You hum and think hard. "Their girls' team never makes it past the first round."

He nods slowly, "Well, their boys' team is annoyingly good."

"Not as good at you guys." You smile.

"I mean, we've been beat by them the last few years." He rubs his neck and sighs. "I think I'm just worried."

"I've seen how you guys play, you're really tough. I'm sure beating a snake boy and his team won't be an issue." You say to him.

"I really hope so." He sighs, "I just want to play Karasuno at nationals."

"That's all? You don't want to win?" You chuckle.

"I mean, obviously, but I want to beat them." He says determined.

You hum, liking this competitive side of him. "I'll be there to cheer you on." You say, but then quickly realize how that sounded, "You—uh, you know, like me and the girls—we'll cheer you on, and of course your teammates!"

He smiles big at your words, "Thank you, it means more than you know." He says, and it's true. If you're out there cheering him on, that's more than enough motivation for him.

"You guys will do great." You smile, finally calming back down. "If not this June, there's always January."

He lets out a soft sigh, "Yeah...that does make me feel a little better." The oven dings, just in time as the conversation dwindled down. "I've got them." Kuroo says and puts on the oven mitts.

"Thanks." You smile and put out a cool down rack for the two batches. The smell filled your home, making your stomach grumble.

"I don't know if I have the self control in me to not eat them right now." He says seriously as he took out the second pan.

"No," You chuckle, "C'mon, you're supposed to be the strong one and tell me we have to wait for them to cool down."

He laughs loudly, "We're both the same, huh?" And you give him a sheepish look, he shook his head and led you out of the kitchen so the two of you wouldn't be tempted to eat them piping hot. "We need to distract ourselves for at least 10 minutes."

You hum excitedly, "Oh! I have just the thing." You say and this time you're leading him upstairs, towards your room. You're so glad you decided to clean your room beforehand.

He follows you upstairs, his eyes taking in everything as he passes by. When he steps into your room, he can't stop a goofy grin forming on his face. He looks around and he thinks he's silently getting to know you even more by just your decorations.

As you turn around, you notice his eyes absorbing the details of your room and softly smile, 'He looks so cute.' You say to yourself, you bring his attention back to you as you're holding something up.

"Is that paint?" He chuckles and asks, taking the box from you.

You nod excitedly, "I got it as a gift a long time ago, but I've never gotten around to paint it." He looks at the ceramic piece, it was a book vase with words on it and flowers.

"I'm not sure you want me painting." He says grinning, "I'm not a very good artist."

You shake your head, "C'mon, it'll be fun! I'll show you how to make it look good."

That was all the convincing he needed, "Alright, I'm in." He smiles widely and follows you back downstairs. He's sitting at the coffee table in the living room, you gave him the controller for the tv and he's scrolling through different movies.

You came back with the supplies needed for watercoloring and sat next to him. He let you do the unboxing, he didn't trust himself with doing it because with you being so close he thinks he'll accidentally rip open the box and drop the ceramic.

He finishes picking the movie. Satisfied with his choice, thinking it'll impress you. He listens intently just like before when you give him instructions on how to paint the ceramic.

"If I do bad, what will you do with it?" He chuckles as he nervously dips his brush in the water.

"But what if you do good?" You challenge, "Either way, they're going on my bookshelf."

He feels his heart do leaps and can't stop a light blush dusting his cheeks, "I noticed you have quite the collection on books. You like reading?"

You hum and begin painting, "Yeah, I do. Some of its manga, though." You say.

"That still counts." He shrugs, "I don't read, like ever."

"It's fun." You smile at him, "I used to read a lot more a couple years ago, now I just try to when I get the chance."

"Volleyball and school is a lot." He agrees.

"What do you like to do on your free time?" You ask curiously. "Besides play volleyball."

He chuckles, "I play video games with friends." He pauses his painting for a second to think. "I also like working out and fixing up cars with my dad."

"Oh really? You like car guy stuff?" You chuckle.

He hums, "I'm not, like, crazy about it, but yeah. It's fun to do, and gives me time to spend with my dad."

"That's cool." You smile, "What about your mom? What do you like to do with her?"

He's quiet for a moment before answering, "She's not really in the picture." As the words leave his mouth, he's worried it'll create an awkward atmosphere between the two of you.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for bringing it up." You freeze your hands in mid-action.

He waves you off, he knows he had nothing to worry about, you were great girl. "It's okay, she and my dad divorced when we moved next door to Kenma." He explains.

You're hesitant with your next question, but ask anyway, "Do you...miss her sometimes?"

He stops painting completely and looks at you, "Not really. I try not to, why waste sadness on her, you know? She made her decision." He can feel himself get annoyed just thinking about his absent mother.

"That's understandable." You nod, "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay." He smiles, he feels his annoyance dwindle down and all he's doing is looking at you and your pretty self.

"I know I can't understand fully how that feels, but I did grow up with Himari and her dad sounds just like your mom." You say, "That kind of hurt—I've seen it, I helped Himari through it." You give him a comforting smile.

"Thank you." He returns one back to you, "My dad and I are good. Way better than when she was there, to be honest." He chuckles and continues to paint. The last person he's opened up to about that was Kenma, and even then, he struggled to feel fully comfortable to tell him. That's just not the case with you, he physically has to stop himself from rambling on.

You nod and continue painting as well, "So, tell me more about these cars you fix up with your dad?"

His eyes glimmer as he thinks about it, you can tell he enjoys talking about it. He doesn't get to do it much because nobody else on the team is really interested, "Right now, we're fixing up my car for when I turn 18."

"Oh really? That's exciting." You smile.

He hums happily, "It's vintage and real nice, it's coming along great."

"I'd love to see it when it's finished." You chuckle.

"We've been working on it for a year, we try to every weekend." He says.

"Oh, does that mean you didn't get to this weekend? I'm sorry—" You begin to say and he interrupts you.

"Don't sweat it," He smiles, "I wanted to spend this time with you." He says and his face immediately gets hot, he can't even hide it.

"You sure?" You ask and he's thanking whoever is above because you're busy painting your bookvase, and not his embarrassed face.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He says, "Besides, he was tired from work, anyways.”

"That makes me feel a lot better." You chuckle. "Oh, cookies should be done. I'll be back." You say and quickly stand up.

"Need any help?" He asks.

"It's okay! I'll be back in a sec." You say from the kitchen and he nods. In a few minuets, you're back with a large plate and some milk.

He wipes his hands and he grabs one, his self control crumbling at the sight and smell of the cookies. He takes a bite and lets out a satisfied hum. "It's delicious." He says and eats it in two bites.

"Yeah, these are definitely my best." You say and agree as you let the cookie savor in your mouth.

"Can I take a few of these back home?" He chuckles as he finishes with his third cookie.

"Sure, but I gotta save at least two for Himari. She'll kill me if I don't." You say and he sets aside two, knowing if they were on the plate, he'd eat them in seconds.

The two of you talked, painted, and ate cookies for a few hours. Everything felt so natural with him, you're having so much fun.

It was starting to get late and he needed to get back home to eat dinner with his dad. "Thank you, again, for inviting me over." He says, his hands in his pocket as he stands in front of your door.

"Of course," You smile, "I had a lot of fun."

"I did, too." He mirrors your smile, his heart flutters in his chest and his knees feel like they're going to give out. "See you at school?"

You nod and hand him a small bag of cookies, "Yeah, I'll see you. Goodnight, Tetsurou.

"Goodnight, Y/n. Sleep well, yeah?" He says behind him and catches a glimpse of your cute nod and smile.

You don't think you can convince yourself anymore that you're not falling for him. You practically melt into a puddle as you shut the door behind you and locked it up for the night. Himari will have a field day with this.

[ad-hawkeye]

posing you a potentially difficult task:rate artem’s year three worst to best(when you get the time ofc)

anon this was difficult on my soul. but i did it. mostly. because there's one or two i haven't watched in full myself, and one of those i legit have heard nothing about in terms of quality, i will mark them with a star.

i will also be including some of the upcoming third year cards i've read the translations of.

with that disclaimer out of the way, here's my list! worst from best.

ocean’s enchantment [summer splash] - i have no clue how they made a card that i consider worse than artem's second anniversary card but. by god did they do it. never say anything is impossible. at least artem was dressed nice in his second anniversary card. and also shitfaced. literally nothing is in this card's favor. also artem knowing how to surf is mind numbingly stupid i'll say it. lavish invitation [second anniversary] - i've bitched and moaned about this card for nearly two years now. you all know the takes on this one. third anniversary - this one nearly put me to sleep! 2/10. despite some weird short lived ooc moments, not as bad as artem's second anniversary card. its main sin is being a chore to get through. i was fighting against the urge to skip forward. mediocre art. top up cello ssr - ugh. i got so annoyed by this one i stopped watching a few minutes before the end. it's yet another "omg no way artem is a master at this random ass hobby?!?!?!?!??" card that year three LOVES and the explanation for it is so convoluted. really pretty art though. always happy to see rosa's canonical violin skills mentioned. calm as the night [billiards] - this one was fine. i guess? first of the cards i don't actively dislike. epic highs (omg this part made me smile like a year one/two card!) and epic lows (why are they licking each other's arms) velocity of desire [racing]* - i'd rank this one equal to artem's billiards card. one of the ssrs i mentioned that i haven't actually read, but i've seen people have generally indifferent to positive commentary on. better handling of jealousy. the actual event this came with was super cute though. love for the ages [3rd birthday] - cute art, serviceable if not a teensy bit convoluted story. an enjoyable time. this ranking is NOT about the birthday event it came with which, imo, sucked major ass. enshrouded sunglow - to the surprise of no one the au cards are going to wind up topping this list. funny enough i think this is artem's weakest au card. it's afraid to take risks and was a bit more boring than the other aus. still ages better than most of year three though. cutie ollie - mind boggling how this card where artem "isn't used to this kind of physical touch" in regards to mc playing with his hair, comes AFTER the daddy dom sex god ssr. anyways this one is very cute. i'm convinced it was supposed to be a year two card bc the only mention of second anniversary is a quick mention of an engagement ring. lmao. stormy enigma [bakerlon] - bakerlon my beloved. save me bakerlon save me. one of artem's better au cards, but i still wouldn't rank it first. also celestine is in it! a win! belle nuit d'amour - further evidence to my claim that tot's personal story cards rarely if ever suck. some good character stuff, the closest we've seen to artem fucking up a case, really good art. would recommend. or maybe not idk i haven't actually read the global version but i can't imagine it's too different from the fan translation i read. dragonsbreath - this one ties with the weeds for my favorite artem au card story. neil is in this one. fun plot. good art. good characterization.

[UNRANKED] voice of comfort* - i have not read this one nor have i ever seen anyone talk about it like. ever. or maybe i did read it and just fucking forgot. idk. don't really have the energy to read it regardless. the art is kinda mid. if anyone wants to message me their thoughts on this one, i can tentatively adjust my ranking on it

*i have not personally read either of these. any ratings are done via word of mouth or summary. regard these ratings tentatively.

[ohmygoly]

omg okay so I've decided I'm going to rank my favorite kotlc characters. This just includes the main kids though because I actually suck at caring about the adults in the fiction I read. I love Grady, Edaline, Della, Tiergan, etc etc but I would never rank them above the main cast so oh well. Uh I'll just do this list style I guess. You can just keep reading if you care (I'm new to this site so I hope I did that keep reading function right).

13. I feel so bad for this but I put Keefe here. Maybe if I reread the books I would change my mind but where I stand he's one of the more boring, cookie-cutter boys in the series. He's got the parental issues, the comedic mask, etc etc. I don't hate him, he's an interesting character who I ship with Sophie but I just couldn't put him above the other characters is all

12. I put Linh here. I think the way Shannon handles her personality is odd from what I remember. I think in my head I like her more than I like her in the books because she just turns into a mean girl kinda as Stina's friend and she doesn't understand Tam at all once he gets back from the Neverseen. She doesn't leave room for him to change from his experiences. Again, I need to reread the books but thats my quick take. PS. Its really weird how much she dislikes Rayni and I just think she needs to relax a little bit. If she can consider forgiving her parents she can trust Tam's judgement a little bit more.

11. I think Wylie's pretty cool. He's definitely older and more mature than a lot of the other guys are and he has potential to be very relevent to the plot right now. He's just a very mid character for me though, I just don't have many strong feelings for him.

10. Maruca is a pretty cool person. I admire her determination and her willingness to put herself out there to help even when Wylie protests. She is the only helpful Psionipath we know so she's special in a way and she is best friends with one of my favorite characters! I'm also very interested in her dynamic with Biana pre-Sophie and I just want to know how that switch to Stina happened in detail.

9. Jensi goes here. I love Jensi! I think he's very cheerful and it's very cool to have a talentless elf Sophie's age, and as one of her first friends at Foxfire. He's different from the rest of the drooly boys from the start which I find compelling and I would love to see another character compete with Sophie for talents. I remember he was the only other elf who could explode the ball with his mind like Sophie did. Thats pretty cool and unaddressed as of right now but seeing as he joined their table when Foxfire started back up I imagine he'll get a bit of development so yay! Also, I always like imagining him in a fun pre-Sophie dynamic with Dex and Marella as an opposite to Biana, Fitz, and Keefe (and I guess Maruca haha) and whenever I can imagine someone being in a cool group dynamic they usually go up in points so oops.

8. Ooh its Rayni time! I think she's a much more interesting flasher character than Wylie is at the moment. She was part of the Neverseen, she encouraged Sophie to take action (I still don't like how they reacted to Sophie. As if Sophie did the wrong thing) and best of all Rayni is close with Tam for unknown reasons and I love Tam and I trust his judgement and she seemed really nice in his pov at first. I also just really love a bit of that shade and flasher dynamic especially considering they're both pretty powerful supposedly and aided in Keefe's transformation. Sooo yeah! Rayni is pretty cool, I like her attitude but she needs to be a little less attached to that cloak and a little more ready to cooperate I think.

7. Sophie is the main character so naturally I won't like her the best lol. But I actually like her a bit better than I typically care for main characters so that's still a win! She's very strong and she's finding her way. She has a human perspective and cool abilities and I think that if she became more independent of the Black Swan she could be even cooler. I still love that she burned that hideout and stood up to Lord Cassius, and she's also respectful of people's mind privacy. I do wish that her view of the Lost cities was expanded or that we got to know more about the other character dynamics outside of Sophie but everyone wishes that for every side character so it's not her fault lol.

6. Marellaaaaa. She's cool, she has fire powers, and she has an interesting home and social life. I think its great she's also getting lessons from Fintan, would love more on that. Fire is my favorite element, btw. I already technically did an analysis on her but I find the way she rejected female friendships to be interesting more than annoying and I also would love to see her have more of a childhood friend dynamic with Dex but I guess thats just not how theyre set up. I also love her hair with the little braids, its very cute.

5. Top five baby! Biana is amazing! I love that she didnt like Sophie at first and I like how it wasnt like she actively bullied Sophie she just didnt make her her business, which is totally fair. I think Biana's struggle of being under Fitz's spotlight is a great dynamic to see play out and honestly Biana is just a girl's girl. She's feminine, she's strong, and I really wish she was the one to kill Vespera but instead it was Gisela and that still makes me upset. Oh well, Biana is amazing, strong, and feminine and I love that for her! I want to see more of her desire for attention or insecurities, maybe even her friendship with Maruca being reflected upon or renewed.

4. Dex is a technopath. Therefore he is cool, despite what he thinks about the ability. Have I been called a nerd my whole life? Yes. My opinion on cool definitely still counts I promise! He can't be simplified down to a cinnamon roll, he's got a lot of anger at the class system that needs to be addressed and is totally valid. I love his dynamic with Stina, his loyalty and innocence, his distrust of the Vackers, and now his concern for Rex. He's also infinitely cooler being a student of Tinker who I also think is really really awesome.

3. TOP THREE. Okay my third is Fitz Vacker. Yes, he has some anger issues but my boy is very generous and sweet and he is remorseful for his actions. I think that he's not as angry as everyone makes him out to be and I like his arc of being the golden boy much more than Keefe's dynamic of being the disappointment. And he has a lot more experience with the human world than most elves but I feel like fandom kinda throws that under the rug. I want to see his collection! And he bakes. I bake too so I love that he bakes and he bakes for people he cares about. Why would he commission Keefe to make a painting when he could've just baked Sophie's favorites and shown he cared in his own time consuming way? Anyways, I can already imagine his innocent charming smiles and I like brunettes too, sorry. And he definitely has a maturity Keefe doesn't have. I don't ship Sophitz, I just think Fitz is better. He does care about his status tho and what an interesting dynamic is it to have a hero who actively helps fight the bad guys but also still has to confront his own support of the class system in place? He's not bad, just morally grey!

2. I love Stina soooo so so so much. I know a lot of that is headcannon and fandom but I still do. She was mean in the first books and I think the mean girls are usually the most fun. I think its not only because you can channel your own internal aggression into them but also because they're a refreshing critic to the main character when everyone else enables them. I love that she takes care of unicorns and she probably rides them and I have channeled my minor love for music into Stina potentially having a huggggee love for it. If she ever discovered human music (unless she has in which case she's already in love). I love her friend group in the recent books and I think shes just herself and she attracts others who wsnt to be themselves. Now animal kidnapping and bullying is certainly not okay, but come on I wish Dex and Stina were portrayed on even playing fields because it would've been so much more fun and plausible that Dex and Stina both just equally hate and torment each other. She wants to be more involved in fighting and she has a loving home life so I love that for her. She'd be a great commentary on societal expectations which is such a contrast to Fitz actively supporting some of these expectations and that is so cool to me. Anyways, sorry I love Stina.

Okay, so it's hard to decide if I truly like Tam more than Stina but at this moment I will say that I do. Tam is a very interesting character. He's loyal to those he cares about but he makes himself appear to be very standoffish and suspicious. Its like, he has trouble letting you in but once you are he isnt letting you face anything alone. He's got his own morals and that includes not hurting anyone but he's not self righteous about it. I love his banter with Keefe, I love that he has common sense. I love that he is canonically a reader because I also love books and I feel like he could be known for having a great imagination or researching some cool things, whichever way his book preferences sway. His relationship with Rayni is so interesting and so is the shade/flasher dynamic. I think Tam and Keefe will have a different dynamic after this and I really want to see Tam address his parents more clearly and I want a conversation with Linh because she's trying to forgive her parents and also not trusting Tam or Rayni. Tam's whole aesthetic is so cool too. You might think he's emo, but he's not. He just likes black and that's totally fine. Shadow magic is also so interesting, and I have more thoughts on that for later. He has a relationship with the gnomes and the dwarves now technically. He has survival experience and he is one of the few who has full skill training that he could utilize. Anyways, I love love love Tam so there ya go. He's at the top and Keefe's at the bottom. Oops, not oops tho.

[lyxthen]

Extremely mildly niche academic-ish rambling ahead. Might wanna skip this one. It is long and boring

One thing that does make me happy is the Latinoamerican Literary Boom was so big it actually went on to be translated in other languages. There are still authors that I feel need to have their works translated (mostly women, I wonder why) but many of the video essayist I watch keep mentioning Borges in their videos, and truly I can't blame them because his work is rad. I don't know about him as a person but he lives 30 layers of post ironic meta fantasy or some shit like that. Cortazar is really cool also. In terms of living authors I really like Juan Villoro, his writing style is very fun. The Wild Book is a children's book about literary theory, like, Theory of Reception, Death of the Author, stuff like that. It was a really fun read as a child but the themes are interesting as well.

I feel like, I don't know, it's so hard to find Latin American fantasy books these days, or at least they are not as available. The YA genre is dominated by books originally writen in English or on books written in Spain (think Laura Gallego, which I just found out has a Netflix series made out of her most famous series of novels, but I am derailing) with the exception of Benito Taibo, who is Mexican, and has one (1) high fantasy trilogy that is kinda mid. The ideas were great, but they could've been expanded, you know? Camino a Sognum had so much potential, and you can *see* that it was inspired by classic epic fantasy like Earthsea, but it needed some more *spark* to actually work. I have not read Normal Person, but I plan to. Maybe it is better made?

And it's funny, because a book like Mexican Gothic, that was written in English, is so darn good! But only if you read it *in English* because the Spanish translation did this thing where they try to "neutralize" the accent and manerismd of the characters to make it appeal to the wider Spanish-speaking world and it doesn't sound or feel Mexican at all.

I am not sure where I am going with this. I have been discovering the local literary scene lately (and I mean *local*, like city-wide local) and it is mostly so boring because no one is writing fantasy! No magic realism! It's all kind of depressing dwellings on how we are being gentrified and indigenous people keep being oppressed by the mestizo majority and corporations and the goverment keep stealing the land to make Coca Cola and we are dying of diabetes and we don't got water and Capitalism sucks. LIKE I AGREE BUT CAN YOU PUT FAIRIES IN THERE OR SOMETHING. And I guess that's why I've never wanted to read Cómo Agua para Chocolate, because it is just *too real*, cuz it's a story I know by memory and I don't wanna live it all over again verbatim. Probably a great book, but I just cannot.

I don't know man idk idk.

The funniest think about this is that my favorite book ever (like actually, for real) is a children's book, written from the perspective of the imaginary friend of a child, and it is so gracefully narrated, and the characters so well constructed, and it touches real problems like Teen Pregnancy and Childhood Depression and Anxiety while also managing to be funny and whimsical? The very premise of the book (memories of an almost true friend, it's called) is already so creative and the execution is masterful. BUT I AM THE ONLY GUY ON PLANET EARTH THAT SEEMS TO KNOW ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE ITS DRIVING ME INSANE.

Where was I going with this. Ah yes. Youtubers talking about Borges. Well. Um. I. I think imma translate some of my own texts to English and put them on Wattpad or something. They are not the kind of thing Wattpad people are into but I gotta archive them somewhere and doing it on AO3 feels wrong since they aren't fan works. And on that note, I also wanna write more fan works.

Ugh I could be writing an essay but you got me writing a Tumblr post. What is wrong with me. I'm too bad at word weaving.

Aaaa (??????

Thoughts?

Help

I did take my meds today BTW. I don't know what is happening to me I just wanna WRITE ok I LOVE WRITING BUT WHY MUST I DO TUMBLR INSTEAD OF MY PASSIONS?

Oi I'll end it there

[luwupercal]

@yestheantichrist replied to your post “picked back up the ferrus primarch novel and...”:

Warhammer soulmates au?

a long and silly exercise in worldbuilding mostly lol

by soulmates i mean like fanfiction style with the little indicators of who your soulmate is and stuff. matching soulmarks, first words, names, see in black and white until you meet 'em, whatever. i think documenting potential reactions of all of these Horrible Nightmare People to a concept as fundamentally fluffy as fanfiction soulmates is kind of a fun idea and i've been occasionally picking it up and toying with it on and off since like september

it's also kind of fun in a. "whoever you are, whatever you've done, someone out there is fated to love you unconditionally (EXTREMELY DEROGATORY)" way if that makes sense. i'm fond of the idea of healthy and loving relationships between deeply evil and fucked up people, partly bc it's fun in an addams kind of way and partly because if you wanna take it seriously and in depth it's kind of a fun way to like, interrogate a bunch of things about love

(i'm not really planning on taking the obvious route of "fucked up you don't get a choice, what if your soulmate sucks" bc that just kinda turns it into arranged marriage with less steps and i think it does a disservice to stories about arranged marriages to mix them up with soulmates. i've got other ideas) (again: "whoever you are, whatever you've done, someone out there is fated to love you unconditionally (EXTREMELY DEROGATORY)")

anyway i think all of this stuff would have an interesting communication with 40k's whole thing, w how romantic and gothic and such the idea of soulmates can become and how easily it can entangle and complicate situations. like imagine having a soulmate on comorragh. or as a space marine. warhammer 40k does this thing a lot where everybody presents themselves as above love and care for one another, and i think soulmates could be a fun way of exposing the soft gummy flesh underneath the ceramite or whatever and interrogating how 40k portrays (and how its characters feel and lack) love and, most of all, vulnerability

(because like. i could easily characterize it as 40k characters being "above emotion", but that's kind of bullshit, 'cause that's what chaos is all about, yeah? everyone in chaos feels extremely deeply. uncomplicated cheer, withered gloom, self-indulgent pleasure, bitter rage, increasing desperation, intellectual curiosity... whatever you like, but not even chaos wants to present as vulnerable. everyone in warhammer 40k has their shields up, and some of the strongest emotional moments in novels, that stick with me the longest after i read them, is when something finally breaks through, unwanted)

anyway also i think its hilarious if there's imperial planets who think soulmates are a sign of witchcraft and you gotta get burned at the stake vs planets who think theyre a gift from the emperor who personally sets you up like some kind of bored schoolteacher

[razzdrgn]

been replaying all the ace attorney games and man. the "apollo trilogy" kinda sucks huh

apollo justice itself is kinda weak overall, since the whole thing builds up to the conspiracy around phoenix losing his badge. its an interesting story but apollo as a character just feels really boring and is pretty much only a vehicle to move the plot forward

dual destinies is just. bad honestly. i got through the first case and started the second when it hit me like "oh i dont actually want to replay this". it started out strong by promising to have us play as athena but then phoenix comes swooping in right when the actual gameplay starts and god that really threw out any stakes that were there. and when it came time for case 2 and the investigation portion started it was immediately super slow feeling and like. the new interface for the bottom screen on the 3ds suuuuuuuuucks. plus no more examining random environments for fun quips losing any potential characterization now its just extremely railroady. and man the new voices and anime cutscenes just suck so hard

i dont even want to think about spirit of justice and the cringy and borderline racist names for the characters in khurain man. and i dont even want to remember how long turnabout revolution was. just. bluhhhh

the original AA trilogy is SO solid snd tight, and the AAI games feel like a great extension of it, but aj/dd/soj just kinda reek. where the hell are all the fun returning characters. where are larry and gumshoe. where are maya and pearl. what happened to the way they write phoenix and edgeworth they fucking suck now. just everything feels so bad now man.

anyway uhh ace attorney 7 when athena deserves a PROPER trilogy. apollo got shafted by his trilogy mostly being about athena and phoenix but athena actually has a nice character and i want to see more of her. i genuinely want to see less of phoenix and apollo with how they're written nowadays. i just want my funny visual novel murder mysteries to actually be fun and interesting dude.

[crazysodomite]

okay. dead money/honest hearts

dead money was okay. it was really annoying in parts because i don't really like timed puzzles. it felt like some parts of it were working against themselves. like i can't really pay attention to traps when i have to run through a toxic cloud and so on. the enemies annoyed me and the weapon selection was more annoying than challenging. at some parts i just beat them with a spear ignoring my health because i was getting really bored. plus they were usually placed in a way that sneaking was impossible because they were looking straight at you plus your companion rushed at them. the characters and their mechanics were kinda fun and i liked to find out more about father elijah and christine. it was okay overall

honest hearts. it was appalling. i was honestly disappointed because the game was good so far. or at least not so offensive i wanted to quit. it started promising. and then it dawned on me...

wow. this is. just like the worst parts of fo2 all over again. i dont really have much to say because i just wanted it to be over so bad. its like every racist stereotype and trope you can imagine wrapped into one package. wow. I just don't give a fuck about joshua and daniel i really don't. it's such wasted potential because they could have done something interesting with joshua. i was actually looking forward to find out more about him. but they did all this. It felt like i was playing a really bad side quest in a mmorpg. this also sucks because a lot of effort was surely put into making the map and art but the story and characters and stereotypes completely ruined it for me. the 'big choice' felt extremely lacking. we are choosing the fate of people without even hearing their input. there are obvious Other things they could have done since. this is a game about choices. i honestly never understood where all of this came from in the fallout universe. genuinely who decided this needed to be included at all. oh my gooooooddddddd

[dolldoll5987]

Graduating high school is not worth celebration, it's worth the exact opposite.

As a senior in high school I get bombarded with questions like what I'm going to do after I graduate, like go to college or get a job. I've been suicidal since I was 11, all I want to do is die, which is what I've been trying to do for the last 7 years. I suppose my last fleeting hope was that after school was done I could finally just relax. Now I'm kinda hit with the pressure to do something else... when I don't want to. I mean, sure, being a productive and contributing member of society is all fine and brilliant when you actually have the will to. For the last 7 years all I've had the motivation to do is try to figure out how and get the courage to kill myself. I don't have the energy to go to school, but do because I have this crippling fear that if I miss just one day I'll fail and have to repeat this year of torture.

I suppose what I'm getting at is if all there is in life is to either get a job or go to school to be able to get a job you want (...depending what it is, I suppose), still labour in a way, all for money just to pay to live — what's the point if you don't want to live? Like, it's all work and payments for something I didn't ask for, and didn't want. Why would I put so much energy into that?

Also, I'd like to make a point to say that when I say there's nothing else in life besides that is hyperbolic in its own right. There are friends, family, hobbies/aspirations, whatever. None of these make me happy. I have few friends and no energy to socialise anyway, my family sucks, and I have no aspirations or hobbies. I mean okay I like reading, writing, drawing, and gaming and have a niche interests in things like criminology, forensics, medicine, science, and other stuff, but not enough to make it into a living. Well, maybe, but I definitely don't have the energy to. I'd need more school, and school is the definition of Hell for me. In a lot of ways it made my depression and eating disorder worst, although I do not blame them entirely for these events. I take blame where I need to. My fault for isolating myself (due to lack of energy to socialise, which isn't my fault, but I still made the choice to do what I did), my fault for resorting to an eating disorder as a desperate distraction and to feel good about myself for once. It's my fault, I get it.

Teachers and other staff ask me if I'm excited to graduate and I'm like. Well. I say yes but it's mixed feelings. It's odd, I hate school and want to get out, but when I do that I have nothing else. I don't have the smarts or motivation for college, and I don't see the point in getting a job to labour away and pay to live when I don't even want to be here anyway. I don't hate learning, I just don't like how schools teach. Maybe I'm pedantic about it, but there have been some teachers that give us easy work loads and easy classwork in itself and still managed to leave me feeling like my time was being used well there because 1) I had fun for once, and 2) I actually remembered what I learnt. I wish more people teach like they do. Now I just feel like a big ball of lost potential because I've had so many people tell me I'm smart and even at genius levels yet I never use it in a good way I always do it to detriment myself.

I don't know. Not everything has a good ending, especially not this. I plan on offing myself after I graduate, which is soon. I won't do it immediately after I graduate, probably.

I just. Ugh. I want to cry. I should be happy about graduating, but I can't be. All I can think about is how everyone else has their lives figured out - going to college, getting a job, whatever, while I'll be by myself with no friends, no life, no potential, and bored out of my mind but with no energy to start something. Even then, nothing interests me socially. I hate social interaction to the point of isolating myself entirely just to avoid it, which is a bad thing to do probably, but socialising causes me pain. I feel so different from everyone else and that I'm too weird and people are only ever nice out of pity or deception.

It seems that when I'm very bored, I get the most suicidal. With nothing to distract me I realise how dull and shallow my life is compared to everyone else's. Everyone else has friends, everyone else has at least some happiness, yet here I am with a chronic 😐 expression to the point people constantly ask what's wrong/if I'm okay when it's only my resting face. It's annoying having to always answer. Like... no, I'm not okay, but for the sake of this conversation, yes. I wish I could just disappear forever.

I don't want advice, I don't want help, I don't even want to make it better. I've been on meds and in therapy from ages 7-15, and it didn't help me at all, even made it worse sometimes. My life was doomed from the beginning, and since late 2019 it's gotten so, so much worse. Please, I just want it to end. When will the malnutrition that I've been experiencing for half a year finally just kill me? When will this all end? I want it to end. I want to die. Please.

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

Hi! I’ve been seeing a lot of your spn posts and I’ve kinda been getting sucked into the drama. I heard about spn a few years ago and considered getting into it, but now with how the last episode (I think it was the last episode?) played out, I’m not sure. What do you think? Even with everything going on, all the drama surrounding the last episode, is it worth getting invested it? Or am I just going to end up with my heart broken in the not-fun way?

i had to sit back and think about this for a while, because it's genuinely a difficult question to answer.

i don't regret the 8 years i've spent in this fandom, but it has caused me a great deal of pain. i've never had a fandom experience this amazing, but i've almost quit a few times from overwhelming frustration and anger.

after considering it, i'm going to say that i think this is the lynchpin: you need to watch a few episodes and see if you actually enjoy it. because while i rant and rave and cry about the greatest love story ever told, unfortunately TGLSET takes up precious little actual screentime. if you don't actually LIKE watching the show and enjoy its premise, it won't be worth it for you.

watch a few episodes of season one, see if it compels you. (lots of people want to skip to season four when cas enters, but honestly, if you find nothing about sam and dean enjoyable, you're not going to enjoy the show enough to watch it for cas.) if you watch those and say, "this is alright, i'm kind of interested, but does it get better?" then try watching the first three or four episodes of season five. if you don't like season five, you don't like supernatural.

it's important to understand that spn is a wild patchwork of content, changing enormously from beginning to end while also staying maddeningly the same. it's hilarious and it's terrifying, it's stupid and it's brilliant, it's beautiful and it's repulsive, it warms your heart and it makes you want to scream.

it's misogynistic, racist, and homophobic. it's also a wonderful story of found family, defying destiny, choosing free will, and love saving the world.

some of the episodes are so, so fucking stupid you can't believe they aired on television, while some rival any oscar-nominated film for the quality of their writing, directing, and acting. it's boring as shit but also the MOST show you'll ever watch. sometimes you wonder if the writers watch their own show, and yet miles of meta have been written about how a choice of wallpaper and the arrangement of a lamp reflects a character’s inner turmoil. they chase their tail by repeating the same lame plots over and over, and for their fifteenth season they came up with the freshest, most interesting and meta concept i've ever seen. there is a scooby doo episode.

they captured lightning in a bottle with castiel, and then spent twelve years wasting his potential. they created the most utterly breathtaking love story on television, mostly by accident, and then gaslit the fandom about its existence while simultaneously exploiting them. they wrote a story about two brothers that managed to touch millions of people's hearts, and then they poisoned themselves by refusing to ever allow the relationship to grow or change.

in their fourth- and third-to-last episodes, they reveal that an angel invented free will through the power of choosing to fall from grace because of the love he felt for the man that he rescued from hell. and then... something terrible happened at the network, whatever was originally planned was cut, and something shallow, empty, boring, flat, and pathetic was inserted as the finale.

in the end, the only peace and satisfaction we have is what we make for ourselves. in the end, we have to reclaim the story and finish it with our own hands. but in a way, that’s weirdly appropriate for a show that is, canonically, about ripping up the ending you’re given and writing your own.

i can’t tell you, or anyone else, if watching it is worth it, because that depends on how much you get out of it. you have to decide if you’re willing to watch it to see if you get enough out of it to continue watching it.

if you decide the answer is no, you’ll get no judgment from me. if it doesn’t float your boat, that’s fine, you’re welcome to still like the gay angel and reblog drawings of him kissing the pretty hunter. 

and if you do decide to the watch the whole thing, i’ll offer a couple pieces of advice. first, expect to be disappointed; that makes it a pleasant surprise when you’re not disappointed. and second, stop at 15x19. the second to last episode serves as a lackluster finale, but at least it’s not a finale that shits in your mouth while you weep tears of hate.

so uh... take that as you will, and good luck. ⛤

[vinc3nnt]

𝐀 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦

Summary: Xiao's dream.

this ones kinda boring imo so get ready for the wack writing

xiao awoke on a peaceful shore, it was as if he's been drifting off into the ocean for far too long. here he is now, nowhere. xiao felt incredibly lazy.. or just too tired to wander elsewhere than this shore.

who would even want to leave such a peaceful sight? this isn't liyue for granted, he'll return back eventually, no? well.. he ended up staying there for the sunset, it was worth it.. though, it did remind him of a distant memory, it continues to shimmer like gold through his life, even though he's tried forgetting.

"hey,, you. um.. are you okay?" a familiar voice rings throughout xiao's ears. he knows this voice extremely well, though its been a long time by not seeing that specific person.

xiao turns around to meet a familiar face, one's he's missed. it was another version of you. the clothes were foreign, like what foreigners from fontaine who are usually said to wear. how fancy..

"sir.. I've noticed you've been sitting there for a while, I was wondering if you were doing alright?" the person asked, sitting down next to xiao.

xiao just looked away, not responding at all. "uh.. I'm y/n, how about you?" they replied, trying to get xiao's attention. that name's done the job of catching his attention. "y/n?" xiao felt as if he wanted to hug you... but what if it was just someone with the same appearance, name and anything else? it sounds crazy.. though its been past decades, you can't really look this young...

"I'm xiao." xiao bluntly responded, trying his best to bottle up his current feelings towards seeing 'you' once again. it hurts, though it also creates a weird feeling inside him. did you really leave him for all those years just to be here?.. No, you swore to come back. and I wouldn't ruin your fun.. perhaps you just hadn't had the time to visit by.

"that name sounds familiar." they giggled, combing their hair. "say, have we met before? you look like you know me too!" they exclaimed. "I don't believe we have.." xiao lied through his teeth, you barely even remembered him. will you even accept him back into your arms? "hm.. if you say so." they pouted, writing using their finger through the sand.

"oh, are you a vision bearer?" y/n pointed to xiao's wrist, where his vision stays. "I am." xiao bluntly responded. "how cool! can you do anemo tricks?" y/n said, doing gestures of floating tricks. "anemo tricks?" xiao asked, not knowing what it is. "anemo tricks are like making things float or something, controlling something into the wind and other stuff! can you do that?" y/n asked, as xiao tried to concentrate his energy to a tiny hole that sucks in items, soon enough the sand was able to be caught into it, making y/n amazed.

"how cool!" y/n said, clapping their hands. xiao slightly smiled at your behavior, he felt as if you two just met again. then y/n were just playing with the sand in the anemo stormeye, running out of potential conversation topics.

"xiao, can I tell you something?" y/n smiled, cuddling their knees. "go on." xiao said, relaxing himself into the sand. "I was put into a cryogenic sleep once! they told me it lasted decades!" y/n rambled about a cryogenic sleep, "what is this 'cryogenic sleep', you're talking about.." xiao asked, feeling a tad bit curious.

"cryogenic sleep is sleeping in a cold place.. I think its similar to hibernation, y'know, the thing that animals do when they're cold n stuff. cryogenic sleep is like freezing food, or.. I lost examples. It's like preserving yourself for the next time!" they continued to explain, soon enough you felt as if you've said too much. "ah.. sorry. Its fun talking about things I've known.. and plus, cryogenic sleep sounds suuuuper cool!"

"...I see. who put you in that cryogenic sleep?" xiao asked, willing to take down anyone that you've mentioned. "uh.. what was their names? hmm.. I don't remember!" y/n thought from the top of their head. "alright then.." xiao felt a need to go already, it was too early for that..

xiao felt as if the world was spinning, his head felt pain never once felt, as if it was asking it to leave. the vision of your face became blurry for xiao. "seems like our time's up.." they muttered, feeling saddened by xiao's departure.

"maybe we could see each other next time, no?" they smiled, as xiao now awoke in a cold sweat, he's just fallen asleep onto the table he were eating almond tofu on. that dream just gave him more questions than answers itself, quite confusing, though you were still alive, were you?..

never had he once wanted to go back to a dream.

[scamoosh]

oh PLEASE tell me about the persona 5 megamind au

everyone who sends me asks abt the nonsense i post abt ....... i have feelings 4 u

OKAY SO its a bit unorganized bc i never rlly sat down and worked out the details, its mostly just 4 fun bc i like the movie and i thought itd b funny LOL

-obviously goro akechi is megamind.,,, tho instead of being blue he is just goro akechi (maybe w loki's horns or smth to make him look more alien) and when hes disguised as 'bernard' he just looks like his disguise from the jazz club where u ruffle up his hair n put glasses on him LOL. also he still uses the name bernard bc i think thats funny

-akira is roxanne :3c ambitious reporter who v much enjoys the banter between them every time he gets kidnapped hehe and is sooo enamored w bernard bc hes the only other person who seems so invested in the cruel detective prince despite his Villainous Tendencies

-ryuji is hal (ryuji baby im so sorry) but not in like a 'nice guy' kinda way just in that hes the lazy bro whos always hangin around akira.,, but i love ryuji so rather than going mad w power after getting rejected like some kind of dweeb its more of a persona 4 situation where his concern for akiras safety and his jealousy of he and goros (or bernards as far he knows) relationship - it all combines and his shadow self takes over, so instead of being consciously a douche he is just consumed by forces beyond his control 😔😔 and obv snaps out of it after they beat his ass LOL

-souji is metro man lmaoo i think it fits that hed b like a role model n an inspiration to the p5 characters but also opt out of the fighting b4 it can consume him and become his entire life bc soujis character already struggles w feeling like hes living his entire life for other ppl and not for himself :/

-im not entirely sure abt minion.,, i feel like sumire fits better but i didnt play royal n havent watched the entire playthrough so idk her that well ..,, so in my heart minion is ann <33 i rlly like the hc that goro and ann are friends Anyway n i feel like the petty catty megamind/minion dynamic suits them well hehehe

so basically the gist of it is that akira is repeatedly kidnapped by Villainous Detective Prince Goro Akechi and rescued every time by local hunk and hero souji seta, who fakes his own death to get out of the public eye. in the aftermath of that akechi takes over the city but quickly grows bored w the lack of challenge.,, he and his assistant ann decide that ryuji (while kind of boneheaded) has potential to b strong and should b crafted into his New Rival !! but that backfires, as trying to motivate him through the promise of earning akiras interest only drives his jealousy to the point of being all consuming (this is when his shadow self takes the reigns).

akechi accidentally bumps into akira just like in the movie where he panics and disguises himself ( tho i think rather than freezedrying some poor dude its a magic thing idk bc i think its funny if that why his disguise sucks so hard its just bc he was flustered and in a hurry not to b caught so all he could manage was no horns messier hair big glasses) and akira talks 2 him abt how awful it is that soujis gone and that he never even Disliked akechi in fact hed grown rather fond of him after all their flirty rapport and bernard (akechi) has 2 b like mmhmm yeah that guy sucks. and hes caught between sounding indignant bc his pride is wounded and sounding all too genuine in talking abt how much he hates goro akechi LOL😖

ummm they get closer over time trying 2 pinpoint where akechis Evil Lair might be and then they 100% still have that sad restaurant scene where akechis disguise gets all fucked up (i like to think its bc he got so flustered by being kissed that his brain short circuited and the spell dropped for a sec) and akira does the whole 'wtf why did you lie to me why did u string me along was this all to humiliate me?? or worse was this all genuine to you? did u ever think i could love someone like you??' and walks home in the rain especially sad bc hed confessed that hed had feelings for akechi prior to soujis death so now it just feels like its being thrown back in his face Twice smh

akira still gets snatched up by shadow ryuji and cant do anything abt it but not bc its helpless its bc he doesnt wanna hurt his best friend ): he knows thats not him!!! but tldr goro shows up and ryuji gets bonked around bc akira comes 2 goros aid just 2 subdue him not 2 actually injure him! and then he comes back 2 himself and is so sorry and its ok they r besties again :) and goro and akira kiss on the mouth maybe

[uyv]

Newfound Avarice

(Businessman!Sakusa Kiyoomi x Fem!Reader)

Genre: SMUT/NSFW! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS!

Words: 3.2K

TW: PWP, choking, fellatio, spanking, hair-pulling, degradation

Author’s Note: Was kinda sorta listening to “Wicked Games” by The Weeknd and it gave me some sorta Sakusa vibe. I also just like the idea of fucking on office desks so yeah 🥰 Enjoy!

Taglist: @tspice283 @sapid-rose @tvbiio @lunar-lilly @kukiisan

“Sakusa-san!” you gave the door a more than generous amount of knocks, an arm embracing two pristine bottles paired with two tulip glasses cautiously.

An exasperated groan came from behind the door, causing you to chuckle. You knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid an appearance made by you today.

"Come in."

You didn’t waste any time flinging the door open, a pearly grin stretched from ear to ear on your face. Sakusa was plopped down in the leather office chair, the sumptuous office surrounding him, the exhibition of the gleaming city in the background illuminating his presence even more. Dark eyes stared back at you with an obviously displeased bearing, a frown hidden under his mask.

During your time with Sakusa as your boss, he kept stepping all over you–though you didn’t seem to mind. He wasn’t all that fun of a guy, moreso an introvert who carried almost too much hand sanitizer around. He obviously took a strong repugnance to crowds, declining Komori’s offers for a small get-together for dinner and disappearing from the scene when the amount of people in an area piled up.

“Why are you here, (L/N)-san?” Sakusa queried, his tone bleak as always.

“Komori-san said that you wouldn’t be attending the New Year’s Eve celebration tonight, so I thought I’d pop in and we’d have a small celebration of our own.” you responded.

“It’s not needed. I have work to do.” Sakusa said brusquely, his tone almost forceful.

“You don’t even want a drink..?” your timbre was almost pitiful, a kittenish pout plastered onto your face, to which the man in front of you mumbled annoyedly.

“Just come in and take a seat.” Sakusa muttered, eyes travelling back to focus on the pile of papers in front of him.

You trotted forward towards his desk, setting the voluptuous bottles of dark tawny along with a corkscrew down on the clear side of his desk.

“Cognac and armagnac, both X.O.” you stated, placing one of the glasses in front of him as you rolled a smaller office chair over in front of his desk.

“I’ll take the cognac. Armagnac is too sweet for me.” Sakusa whirred in a low voice, slipping his mask down with a gloved hand. You reached for the corkscrew and the tall, rotund bottle of cognac, popping the cap off and carefully pouring the amber elixir into his glass. He continued to focus on the forms in front of him, pen moving diligently to swipe his signature onto the last line of the paper.

“Why didn’t you go to the New Year’s Eve party?” you questioned, sitting down as you emptied some of the armagnac bottle into your glass.

“I dislike parties. They don’t interest me at all.” Sakusa responded, gaze pasted on the fresh form in front of him.

“There would’ve been a lot of food, though.” you retorted, leaning back into the chair and lifting your glass to take a sip of the lush tincture.

“Whatever. I don’t indulge in such kiddish interests.” he picked up the glass, taking in a sip of the drink, continuing to focus on his papers. A long silence passed before you opened your mouth again.

“You’re no fun, Sakusa-san.” you murmured, cocking your head back in boredom.

He didn’t respond to your comment, pen swirling over the sheets of paper. So boring. You’d kill for him to say something.

“What’s your life like back at home? I mean, do you have a wife? Kids?”

He sighed before staring you dead in the eyes. “Listen here, and listen well.”

“I don’t know what your business with me is, (L/N) (F/N), but it needs to stop.” he murmured, raising the mahogany tincture to his lips once again, eyes travelling back to the form he was filling out.

You groaned irritatedly before you retaliated. “Sure thing, boss.”

-

Your visage had become blurred, flames burning in the pits of your cheeks. You giggled hazily. One of the bottles had been drained of the liquor, only a scintilla left rolling around at the base.

“Sakusa-sannnn~ Let’s fuck, please…” You reached over the table to cup his face with a greedy palm, to which he slammed your hand down onto the desk.

“You may leave now, (L/N)-san.”

“But I don’t wanna leave, sweetie.”

You impulsively crawled your way over the desk, knocking both glasses full of liquid over, the tints invading the white of his papers. You pressed yourself onto him, throwing your thighs on either side of his lap, tossing your arms around his neck.

“(L/N).” His timbre came louder now, but you didn’t pay mind to it.

“Please, Sakusa-san? If you like it, I don’t mind more than one night with you…”

“(L/N) (F/N), get off me this instant.” he said in a lower voice, almost like the warning growl of a predator circling a potential prey. You continued wiggling your clothed ass onto the crotch of his dress pants, moaning to yourself.

“Sakusa-san… Sakusa-san, please~”

Little did you know you were treading dangerous waters.

Your moans were interrupted by a sharp pressure around your neck as you felt something caressing your lips savagely. You were unresponsive to the sudden movements until the pressure around your neck became tighter, triggering a choked gasp from your mouth.

You then came to the realization that your own boss was kissing you—rather aggressively, for that matter. He shoved his tongue into your mouth to attack yours, the filthy salaciousness of his tongue messily scraping against yours causing a dissipated moan to erupt from your throat. He took your wet muscle into his mouth, sucking with a brilliant fervor that dramatically changed the tempo of your breath. A gloved finger raced up the cloth covering your stomach to fiddle with a breast, more whimpers flowing from your mouth.

Sakusa leaned over so that your head was pressed to the muddled pile of forms, then pulling back to marvel at the splendor of you, penalized for your downright lecherous deeds, sweat pearling on the scape of your face. Balmy exhales were released from your mouth.

You peered up at Sakusa with curiosity to see his cheeks dominated by a pale tint of sanguine under his skin. His breaths were just as exasperated as yours.

“(L/N), you should really know the consequences for such depraved actions.” Sakusa mused, forehead pressed to yours in a domineering manner, dark orbs peering right back into yours. You gulped as a clothed hand reached down towards your dress shirt, skillfully dismantling the buttons that served as a gate to your bosom. You didn’t dare move, ecstatic about his next move.

“You just had to blabber on and on, didn’t you? Now look where you’ve got me.” he murmured, eyes travelling down to look in between his legs at the protuberant bulge that had risen underneath his black dress pants, causing a whimper to reverberate from your throat. His grip around your neck consolidated again, ripping a few wheezes and coughs from your throat.

“Make another annoying sound again. I dare you.” he snarled, giving a breast a sharp squeeze. He gazed back down at your form, mapping all the slopes and ridges of your body with his eyes.

“Get on your knees.” he used his legs to propel the office chair away from the desk, motioning for you to kneel in front of him. You obeyed, getting off the desk and dropping to your knees as he spread his legs.

Your hands reached to unclasp his belt, but he slapped your hands away.

“No touching.”

He fiddled with his belt for a second before successfully unclasping it, quickly unbuttoning his pants and tugging them down along with his boxers, his cock uprooted from the confines of the tight clothing. His cock slapped against his shirt, the head an agitated maroon hue contrasting the pretty pink flush; white percolating at the peak, trickling down the shaft. You gaped at the size, wondering about how it would fit in your mouth.

“You’re wasting my time just staring like that.” Sakusa smacked the tip of his member against your face, smearing a bit of the silvery liquid onto your cheek. A rough hand grasped and tugged at your hair, causing you to gasp. He took that opportunity to shove his whole length into your mouth. Your nose was pressed to his crotch. As your throat constricted painfully around his length, you peered up at him. What were aloof eigengrau orbs had shifted into voids of pitch black desire.

“Suck.”

You withdrew from his crotch, hollowing your cheeks and dropping your jaws even further, triggering a concupiscent trill from his mouth. Your tongue glissaded in tantalizing motions along his shaft, muffled groans trailing on his part. The warm slickness of your mouth embellished the congenial sensations, his thighs starting to shift and tremble as he bit his lip to hold in those blissful keens that flooded his mouth. His dick pushed its way into your throat, tightening around it as small chokes and groans interrupted the process, muddling his mind with even more off-color thoughts.

Sakusa fisted your hair as he felt himself get even closer to his searing climax. He tilted his head back into the office chair he was sitting on. You grinned mischievously at the burning debauchery of your boss, like an unrelenting flame slowly and painfully turning everything in its path to black. He finally squeezed his eyes shut, singing out a sinful lilting.

“S-Stop it–stop–(L/N)–!” Sakusa had bleated through gritted teeth, but you were nowhere close to abiding by his rules. You unwrapped your mouth from around his member as frosted streaks of cum glazed your face. You stuck out your tongue, the creamy white substance coating it.

When Sakusa’s exasperated gaze regained, the sight you were presenting to him was unforgettable. The fire that had just died had reignited in the pit of his stomach, burning even brighter into a shade that consumed all nullified thoughts around it. This was like nothing he’s ever had before. Something about the way his essence was drizzled onto your face was so alluring but he couldn't pinpoint what. He’d had plenty of women at his beckon call to use for his own pleasure, but you–you were something else. His focus was on you, and only you at this point. Absolutely nothing else.

“Damn slut.” Sakusa growled, hand bunching strands of your hair in a rough grasp. “Stand up.”

You obeyed, standing up. Within a blurred moment, you found yourself pinned against his desk face first, your cheek pressed onto the sheets of paper. He impulsively reached under your skirt to tug the thin material of your panties down to your knees so it could no longer sheath your arousal. His cock pressed against your glutinous folds, slick dribbling onto his cock as a salacious message that begged him to shove his entirety into your sopping core. Sin was singing so sweetly to him, like the cry of birds on a sunlit morning.

“Stay down.” He gingerly slid an index finger into your tautness, ripping an obnoxious moan from your throat. A loud clap rang throughout the room as a painful burst crashed onto your clothed ass, causing you to bite your lip and whimper in realization that you’d just moaned so loudly. Sakusa then grabbed your hair, shoving his head close to the shell of your ear.

“Another sound? You really are testing my patience today, aren’t you..?” his breath was humid against your ear. You bit your lip and squeezed your eyes shut, awaiting his next action.

Before your hole had time to unclamp around that single digit, he added another finger, making scissor-like motions to widen you out for the pounding he would deliver afterward.

Arid breaths were drawn from your mouth as he continued his movements, fingers exploring your silken walls. You let out a choked whine when you felt his fingers graze over that one spot, which turned your stomach into an active caldera, preparing to erupt in gushes of shame.

“S-Sakusa–please, I can't–!” you whimpered, vestiges of exasperation in your meek voice.

“Shut up.” he mumbled, using his free hand to slap the sensitive web of nerves between your folds, causing a strained yelp to fall from your already abused lips.

Every heady whine drawn from the pit of your chest made Sakusa’s cock spasm. He just wanted to indulge in all your decadent inclinations. He wanted to feel them with you and make you feel them in the worst and best ways imaginable.

“Fuck it.” Sakusa cursed, removing his fingers from your arousal-laden hole and replacing it with the plush head of his member inside. He pushed into you, every inch making you quaver with utmost rapture. His clothed chest was pressed against your back, crushing you to him as he continued to force himself into your quivering little cunny.

“I-It’s not gonna fit!” you panted as his cock still grazed your sensitivity, teeth sinking into your bottom lip again to hold in the outrageous whines building in your throat. You were left breathless as the man behind you bottomed out, the tip of his dick threatening to attack your cervix and pierce through it.

"Would you look at that? I made it fit."

You mewled as he drew his hips back, leaving only the luscious head of his cock inside you, and then collided into your figure fiercely, your hands scrambling on the desk for stability. His cock nudged against your g-spot, causing you to bleat and writhe as he continued plunging into you.

You wiggled your hips into his thrusts, which earned you a satisfied groan that fell from Sakusa’s lips. He bent over to loom over your figure, hot breath warming the atmosphere of your neck and sending shivers slithering down your spine.

You cried out as he started pumping into you at a fiercer speed, filthy squelching noises echoing through the room as he rubbed up against your leathery walls. The feeling of you squeezing around his cock so desperately drew loud curses and grunts from his mouth. Sakusa had found himself discovering unexplored desires, those that were smutty and licentious and encased his mind in an ever-tightening chrysalis of decadence.

“Fuck!” he roared, reaching to cup your ass with both hands, spreading your ass apart so his cock could reach deeper, reaching the depths of your ocean, sucking him in even deeper like a raging maelstrom. You whined wantonly as he used you to his delectation. He wanted to feel you, hear you, taste you in all your glutinous, honey-trap sweetness; and consume you.

“I’m so close–p-please–!” You pleaded, your voice hoarse from whining out so licentiously. Sakusa felt himself getting closer too, but he couldn’t let you achieve your awaited release–not until he got what he wanted first. He wanted to savor the feeling of your ridges and tense rings of muscle caressing his cock in such a blissful manner.

He pulled out, watching himself withdraw from your hole, your juices slicked all over his length. Usually, such a dirty sight would make him cringe in disgust but it just increased his libidinous intentions. You whined in complaint, the raging fire inside your stomach quickly subsiding into nothing.

Sakusa sat back down in the office chair, deciding he’d give himself another reprieve to fulfill his desires.

“Turn around.”

He motioned for you to come and straddle his lap, which you abided to. You fully slid down your underwear and tossed it onto the floor. Your knees were on either side of his waist as he reached below the armrest to move the backrest of his chair backward, allowing him to recline in a more relaxed position.

You put your hands on his chest for leverage, which he surprisingly didn’t mind. Your hips rose as his hands clasped them, caressing them as you slid back down into his cock, your walls tingling and clenching from the overwhelming sensitivity, instantly milking him for his seed.

You moaned in unison with him as you sunk further down onto his length, tense fingertips leaving dark maroon dents on your hips. He bottomed out again, the searing head of his cock knocking at your cervix. Your avaricious walls slithered up and down Sakusa’s shaft, drawing a depraved bellow from him. He decided to reach his hand behind your head again, pushing you to give into another sloppy interaction of your lips. The tender globes of your ass rested on his toned thighs, your tongues scrambling against each other. Floral notes of iris and candied citrus with a hint of freshly grated cinnamon resided on his tongue as he entangled it with yours, a muffled bleat released from your throat. You pulled away, a bridge of saliva connected your tongues.

He gave a sudden thrust into your heat, your walls not prepared for the abrupt sensations. A licentious warble soared from your mouth which resulted in an aching spark to your ass.

“Damn mouse–” with the last, hard syllable of Sakusa’s sentence, another punitive slap was delivered onto the downy flesh. “You just want the whole building to hear you making such filthy noises, yeah?”

“Saku–Sakusaaa~” you moaned brazenly, paying no mind to the fact he’d punish you with another spank if you didn’t remain quiet–although it wasn’t like he minded either, head growing fuzzy from the way you yelped his name like a benediction every time his hips oscillated to meet yours. Your head tilted to the side exasperatedly, tears sliding down your dewy cheeks, indicating to him that he was so close to tipping you over the edge.

“Why’re you crying, slut?” he queried. You could just hear the quantity of smugness in his voice.

“Answer me.” he glowered, gripping your jaw roughly. A stray drop of saliva leaked from your mouth. Sakusa smeared it back onto your lips, saturating it in an even more lewd film.

“I–I’m gonna cum..!” you could barely breathe it out, the sensations searing your abdomen. He moaned at the way your voice cracked mid-statement, your gasps even louder now, your panting never slowing as he bounced you on top of his cock, splitting you along the shaft in the best way possible. He looks down at his shaft, seeing that some of your juices had dripped all over it. With the way your walls were sucking him in so greedily, it was no surprise that you were close.

“You couldn’t even last for that long? Tch.” his thumb reached for your clit, causing you to squeal at the velvety pain it gave you.

“Cum for me.”

You felt something inside you rip as you cried out one last time, your vision bursting into hues untouched by man as you fell further into rapture. He continued to plunge into your sopping heat as he, too, felt himself get closer to his end. He clutched at your hips, biting his lip as his cum filled you up, your tummy growing warm with the embers of your release.

He gazed up at you in all your depravity, saliva leaking from your lips, dew clinging to your cheeks, your combined juices gushing onto his balls. Such a sight would have made him so utterly disgusted, but with how absolutely ethereal you looked after he had just ravaged you, his mind could only drift into the wonder of what other things he could do with your pulpy little pussy.

Guess it’d take him all night to figure it out.

teehee

[originalwinnercheesecake]

First Impressions and predictions based on the coven Leaders

After a full first season their fame adorning the banners and walls, who they are being hailed, yet they themselves being kept in the shadows we now get first looks (and throughout 2a will meet) the emperors top dogs: The coven leaders. I will not lie as a group... these guys dissappoint me. Making the majority of them very human in appearance for me is a big no. Compare this group to the many colorful and fantastical creatures that are shown teaching at hexside and the hexside teachers are far more creative, unique, and fun. Maybe the artists decided to make the coven leaders look more like normal people so the audience would have an easier time understanding their expressions and body language. Maybe the more humanoid whitches are a higher class and have a easier time climbing higher than the more beast and demon like residence.? We will have to wait and see. 

Seperate this group into individuals (like how we will hopefully meet them) and most of them become far more interesting, So below lets take a look at each coven leader individually, where the artists may have taken inspriation, and what  What kind of characters they could maybe turn out to be.

The Beast keeping coven Leader: One of the only two that are not humanoids. What type of animal is he? At first I was sure he was a hedgehog, but maybe he could also be like a chipmunk or a squirrel. I get the feeling he might be partially inspired by Sonic from Sega. I was really into Sonic back in middle school. I liked the cartoons and read through the archie’s old comic series. But I kinda out grew him since then. I know from helping to take care of kids though that he is still popular with the younger generation. That’s kinda how I thin the Beast Keeping Coven leader will be: less interesting for older viewers, but a real fun charcter for kids.

The Healing coven leader: Now this guy looks like fun villain all around. Is some kind of witch docotor? a Dark Priest? The size the purple Grin, he looks like the phantom boss from those horror films where you get trapped in nightmares. Tell me he has scary theme song music and talks in a very high pitched voice. I’ve heard some people wonder if he could be Selena (oracle girl from hexside)’s dad. I don’t thinks so, the macaroni crescent shape n his head looks more like a fancy cowl than part of his actual head. Also him having a daughter in Luz’s class could be used as a reason for him to change sides, I want this guy to stay as a villian/antagonist. We all know that with this size group some will stay with the emperor and some will defect to Luz’s side (possibility a couple will die, we haven’t seen yet just how dark Dana is willing to go). Personally my view with redemption arcs and if a character “deserves them” is it depends on what it will do for the story/character afterwards? IF redeeming them opens more doors for the characters and directions the story can take, do it. IF it closes doors leave them as they are. I absolutely hate when clever and well written bad guys get “redeemed” in to boring, plot useless, weebs. The only reason I could see having this guy change sides is for him to “cure” Eda and Lilith’s curse, and I would much rather see the two of them gain control over their forms than be “cured” of them.

The Illusion coven leader: Another fun looking antagonist. My third favorite of these nine. If the healer guy is horror movie based. This guy is Disney based all around. Looks like one of those Vegas suave showmen styled character. Love it. I guarantee you he does not actually look that young or slicked back, but is using illusion magic to make himself more pretty. Not sure if he will stay with the emperor or not. Illusion is Gus’s track and I could see Dana having the leaders of Luz’s friends tracks be the ones to stand by them. If so I am fine with that (in the case of the abomination leader I will beg for it). Gaining the respect of someone as high up as a coven leader could be really great for Gus’s character. Just as long as I get plenty of laughs from Gus and this guy both along the way.

The Potion coven leader: My second favorite and in my opinion the most creative idea of the whole bunch. A mosquito that works in potions! Does he suck them up with his nose and carry them in.. whatever it is mosquitos store blood in. Also he looks angry. Like everyone else is either amused or board. This guy is fed up and ready to do something about it. Not sure if it is the Emperor, the other leaders, or the owl gang he is mad at, but it should be a worthwhile show down.

The Abomination coven leader: Yes this is my favorite design. Yes it is because he is such a beautiful man. Would never have expected someone who creates mucks (the pokemon) with legs would be so fine. Its more than that though. He looks the most kind. Their is no malice or guise in his smile and his green eyes are bright and relaxed. I wondered what the purpose of the Abomination track was and why it had “more opportunity” all last season. Well slight spoilers if you haven’t seen episode 2x02 it is the industrialist field. When you learn about Industrialization usually the idea is that it is done to help the human race reach its full potential, and it is up to each individual to decide what to do with that potential. Whether you call that the passion of a creative mind or the carelessness of a fool would also be up to you. But I really don’t want this guy to be all bad. If for no other reason that more spoilers for episode 2 * with the interest/caution the emperor is showing the blights I expect this guy to show up to their house, probably meet Amity, and we really do not need another not so nice adult in her life. She has had enough.

The Oracle coven leader: What is this? He’s got nails/caws at the ends of dread thingys like Kikimore, so is this her father? Does he have anything to do with her being in the Emporor’s coven? But this is my least favorite. Like what was the inspiration behind this guy? With so many legendary oracles in mythology and we get this guy who mostly looks saggy, washed out, tierd, and just Blah. Hope thier is more to him, but here is one who I am not holding my breath for an episode on.

The Plant coven leader: based on her banner I was expecting something like the Swamp Giant from ALTA. Instead they went in the direction of a very traditional witch desgine: An old women with a wrinkled face and really messy hair, who probably lives alone in the woods, with maybe the exception of a cat, and dances around a fire at night. Okay. She is definitely going to become an ally of the owl gang. This is the only female of the group,and it is neither in Dana’s message nor would it be popular with her target audience to make a villain or even an antagonist out of a women who managed to climb the later into a male dominated success level. I am actually looking forward to seeing her, because it will probably be in a Willow based episode, and after 2x02 (which I personally feel should not have been a luminaty episode but rather a Willow and Amity one finishing up their reconciliation arc), Willow deserves an episode with potential centered around her. An episode where she goes against the Plant track Leader would be that. This witches Grin isn’t exactly friendly, but its more mischievous than wicked. She gives off vibes as one of those people who like to test the mains, and if you pass her tests than you earn her respect. I have no doubt Willow could win at her little games, and doing so would be a huge boost the confidence she has spent the show building.

The Construction coven leader: Oh joy here’s the other one I am unimpressed with. Unlike with the Oracle guy I know where they got his design. To everyone saying that we first saw him at the convention, your not backing far enough up. If you have ever seen any cartoon ever where the main character wanders past or onto a construction sight you have seen this man. Every trio of workers sitting on a iron frame eating from a lunchbox. Every pig that makes a catcall at a disgusted women. Every exhausted worker who watches as your slapstick mains chase each other past at quitting time... they all looked EXACTLY like this guy. This is really the character leading the track Dana herself has said she would pick to join? They could have done a Golem made of brick an stone that resembles a palace. They could have done some kind of humanoid ant with super strength. They could have done a wizard with shapes and mathematics on his robe who carried a scroll everywhere that he compulsively scribbled blueprints onto. But instead we get Mr. Generic here.

The Bard coven Leader: This is R, Eda’s old friend from her hexside days. Did I save R for last because of this connection? Partially. I am also unsure what R’s pronouns are. To me R looks physically male. I have seen other posters use “she” when posting about R. One person posted that Dana had confirmed R uses “they” and if so awesome, I would really like to see that tweet. What ever R’s pronouns though their appearance in the show will be tied with Eda, er past, and what she had to give up in order to live free. I look forward to this new insight onto her character

[thr-333]

Drastic Measures- Part 11

@daminette-december2019-2020

~Snow globe~

Gabriel: Nathalie why haven't you canceled my card?! Nathalie: oh were you going to use that to pay my pay rise for moving to a different continent or to pay my last 6 years of overtime? Gabriel: Nathalie- Nathalie: You’re welcome to do it yourself sir. Gabriel:....... I can’t do anything without you can I? Nathalie: No you cant and make sure to remember that next pay day.

Ao3

First < Previous  > Next

------------

“So why are we here?” Damian asks getting dragged around the mall by the two.

“Because if we’re decorating the pet stores we need inspiration,” Marinette holds him by his elbow in case he tries to escape again, “And Adrien's having fun,”

“Why don’t we just hire someone for that?”

“I haven't found a good babysitter yet,” Marinette smiles as she knows Damian glares at her, “The style of the store is the most important thing, it’s what people interact with the most and a representation of our company,”

“Tt,” Marinette smiles knowing she won. 

They follow Adrien into an incredibly overpriced knick-knacks store, exactly what they’re looking for. She jots down notes in her book looking at the glasswork on the figurines or the beautifully painted porcelain.

“I think every store should have the same color coordination for each section,” Marinette suggests writing down a potential palette based on the plates she was looking at, “So people always know where to find something no matter the store,”

“How many people do you think are going to multiple stores?” Damian scoffs.

“We will be, besides its a decorative thing, a bit of paint on the wall or shelf, hm maybe each section should have a range of shades to keep it from being too samey,”

“I take it you’re in charge of this part now?”

“Guess so,” Marinette hums looking over the shelves for more inspiration, Adrien looking over a large glass sculpture that she may have to talk him out of buying, “So did you talk to Adrien?”

“Oh no,” Damian catches her attention, “He talked I was expected to listen,”

“So you make any decisions?” She spots a little china doll on a high shelf.

“I’m not going to run away if that’s what you’re asking,” Damian reaches over her grabbing the doll before she knocks over shelves trying to jump up and reach it.

“But If you were-”

“I’m not,” Damian hands the doll over.

“But if you were,” He gives her a withered glare, “Where would you go?”

“… Somewhere I can paint I suppose,” He says after some consideration.

“That's a start!” Marinette exclaims, almost dropping the doll.

“I can paint anywhere,” Damian catches it before she can.

“Ah,” They go back to pursuing the shelves, Damian taking it upon himself to hold the delicate decorations for some reason.

“... Where would you go?” He asks eventually, Marinette tries to keep the smile to herself as to not scare him off.

“I used to think I’d like to go somewhere with lots of snow,”

“Is that so?” Damian hums consideringly.

“Yeah but then I came here and realized the cold sucks,” Marinette's jaw actually drops as Damian laughs, not a snort or a scoff and actual chuckle! “Hollll- did you just laugh?! Did I just get you to laugh!? Are there cameras around?! Do you think they’ll let me keep the footage?!”

“Calm down,” Damian places a hand on her head to stop her bouncing,  “Besides I think your friend is about to make a ludicrous purchase,”

“Adrien!” Marinette snaps as he tries to pay for a glass sculpture twice his size, “Can it fit on the back of a motorcycle?!”

“.... no,” Adrien hangs his head like a toddler being told off.

“Then put it down!” Marinette chides dragging him away from the sculpture and out of the store. She already had to fit three on them on hers. Damian is lagging behind, Marinette resigns herself to having to drag them both through the mall like children when he finally catches up.

“Here take this,” She startles a snow globe in a clear box being pressed into her hands, “Now you can look at the snow without getting cold,”

“That's so nice,” She bites down on the follow-up question of where the hell is Damian and what did you do with him.

“No, it’s bribery,” Ah there he is, “Don’t tell anyone I laughed,”

“So you admit you laughed,” Marinette smirks, letting Adrien go look at different stores.

“Besides,” Damian sharply changes the topic, “If you want to see the snow so badly just stay inside a cabin or something,”

“Well maybe you can come with me,” Marinette hums looking at the snowflakes fall over a winter forest, two little people by a campfire, “I bet it would be beautiful to paint,”

“Maybe so,” Damian agrees before giving her a side look, “Also you’re a horrible influence,”

“Who me? It’s not like I gave you the idea to run away,” He had come to her with that all on his own.

“No you didn’t,” Damian easily agrees, walking along with Marinette.

“Well if you’re still in the rebellion mood why don’t you join the pink hair squad?”

“I am not dying my hair pink,” Damian rolls his eyes.

“Just a little bit?” Marinette steps in front of him walking backward.

“No,” Damian brushes past her, Marinette lets him go ahead.

“Adrien I just had the best idea,” Marinette turns to her side where Adrien is not. Marinette looks behind her spotting Adrien in the crowd- getting picked up and carried away by a stranger! “ADRIEN!”

Damian hears her shout bolting forward. Grabbing a baton he apparently had the whole time. 

“Damian, watch out! They might have feelings!” Damian actually stops in his tracks, turning back to glare at her.

“...”

“...”

“Hey guys,” Adrien speaks up, “I’m kind of being kidnapped,”

“Right!” Marinette wipes the grin off her face, punching the kidnapper right on the jaw. He drops Adrien who lands on his feet, “Do I need a child leash for you young man?”

“Please don’t my Father had one of those for me,” Adrien brushes himself off as the kidnapped stumbles to the ground.

“Weren’t you never allowed out of the house?” Marinette asks as Damian steps forward to pull the kidnapper's arms behind their back.

“Exactly,”

“Not that this isn't riveting,” Damian says in the most bored tone, turning to the kidnapped, “Who hired you?”

“Garbeil Agreste sent me to fetch his son,”

“Yeah, here we call that kidnapping,” Adrien snarks back, “Great can’t the guy just leave me alone? What's his problem it’s like-”

“Nope!” Damian drops the kidnapper walking away, “Not today! Not again!”

“... well that's just rude,” Adrien huffs as someone calls the police.

“Don’t worry,” Marinette smiles, “As I was trying to tell you I have a plan,”

 ---

 “MARINETTE!”

“Hm wonder what that could be about,” Marinette flips the page, continuing to read peacefully while seated for breakfast with the rest of the Waynes.

“Dupain-Cheng I know you are responsible for this,” Damian leans over her, still in a towel and dripping wet, oh and with pink hair that bits kinda important.

“You did this to him?” Jason laughs, not so subtly taking pictures with glee.

“Relax it’s temporary dye,” Marinette grabs Damain’s shoulder before he can jump over the table and dismember Jason.

“How temporary?” Damian demands, Marinette just turns to a new page with no drips of water on it.

“Just wash it a few more times and it will come right out,” Damian huffs again stalking out of the room, all eyes on her.

“... I can’t believe you survived that,” Tim says with awe, “Actually even Damians not stupid enough to risk that,”

She’ll ask what he means later.

 ---

 “Temporary Dupain-cheng?” Damian glares at her, still very much pink and still very much angry.

“Alright maybe not,” Marinette tries to suppress a giggle, “It looks good tho,”

“Dupain-cheng you will fix this and you will fix this now,” She’s not lying he does look good and she does blush.

“Well, we could go to the hairdresser-”

“No,” Damian snaps, crossing his arms like it's final.

“Do you trust me to dye your hair myself?”

“Absolutely not,” at least not after this.

“Then you’re stuck like that,” Marinette shrugs, Damian groans sinking into the seat behind him.

“This is all your fault Dupain-cheng,”

“Ha, how long are you going to call me that?” Damian leans forward fixing her with a venomous glare.

“Forever,”

 ---

 “Hey Robin- are you wearing a swimming cap under your hood?” Ladybug cuts herself off trying to take off his hood.

“It’s a lightweight head protector,” Robin grabs her wrist, but Ladybug is stronger.

“Yeah no,” Ladybug pushes his hood off, “It’s a swimming cap, what is killer croc up to something?”

“You’re hilarious,” Robin scoffs looking away as if there isn’t a real smile tugging at his mouth.

“Well I can’t let Chat take all the glory,” Ladybug shrugs coming to sit next to him in what has become their usual spot, “So what's the deal? Gasp did you lose a dare?”

“Did you just say gasp?” Robin asks incredulously, “And no it’s not a dare it’s a rather unfortunate prank,”

“Oh please please tell me they did the same to Batman, Please,” Ladybug his holding both his shoulders, Robin completely turned towards her as she looks at him desperately.

“........ yes,”

 ---

 “Marinette,”

“Yes Bruc-” Marinette chokes then tries to choke down her laugh.

“I feel you may have gotten carried away, I would like to remind you-” 

“So sorry to interrupt,” Marinette interrupts, “But that wasn't me,”

“Are you sure?” Bruce is studying her.

“Yeah I only messed with Damian's  bathroom,” Marinette turns completely towards him, “Were you using Damian's bathroom?”

“No,”

“Then it wasn't me,” Marinette shrugs turning away.

“Then who did it?”

“A true mystery,”

 ---

 “So you’re sure you want me to do this,” Marinette asks again, the dye in one hand Damian sitting in front of her.

“Dupain-Cheng I swear-”

“Ah, if I help you, you have to stop calling me that,” She tells him, pulling the black dye away for extra effect.

“I only call you that because of what you did,” Damian glares at her reflection in the mirror, “If you want to get back in my good graces then do this,”

“Alright, you’re sure you don’t want to keep a little pink?”

“Marinette,”

“Alright, alright,” Marinette ruffles his hair while she can get away with it, “I did like your pink hair,”

“It got in the way of...” He trails off.

“Way of what?”

“Nothing,” Marinette drops it, the topic not the dye.

“Well Damian,” She spreads the dye through his hair, “Welcome to your first step of rebellion,”

Little did either realize how true that was.

--------

no tag list :P

[the-crows-typist]

Since your latest post says you’re back, I’d like to request a ficlet with Azul x F!mc with the random word as curious. I’m so glad to hear you’re back as I really enjoy your writings, thank you 😊!

Thanks a lot Anon, I hope you like this piece of mine.

CW: Minor mention of bullying, Angst with a Happy Ending, minor mention of wound, wound healing and potential OOC

Word count: 3,435

The Possibilities are Endless

“I made a promise to you.”

Curiosity. Inquisitive, wondering, ready to poke around and figure something out. Around him, all he ever saw the deep blue, the seagrass, the fish he could easily catch with one of his tentacles. Octopi like his were curious by nature and often to a slightly violent extent. He would peak his head over the surface, watching the seagulls cry overhead and the humans walking over planks of wood. In the disguise of the night, the young boy could always watch humans at their most natural and most vulnerable and wonder to himself what life would be like had he been born a human.

He doubted it would be any different from the life he lived day today.

As fun as learning was, it was boring not being able to share it with those who cared. Time with his classmates was bad during classes and all the more during recess but during the times Azul could escape their grasp quick enough, he would swim to lonely areas around the school to read and write his learnings in discarded shells, flipping through page after page of borrowed books from the library learning and taking in the information written on paper. 

His hand halted on a picture of children playing; the light brown color of dirt, the bright colors of shirts and dress, the happy yet dirtied faces of the youth who continued to pass the ball to one another. The young octopus' shoulders hung low, his eyes training down and at nothing. Would his life be that different had he been born human? Would he be able to play with the other children had he been given two legs instead of eight?

There was a sniffle and Azul's rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe slowly. Suddenly something hit his head, something like and equally small. A red sandal floated down to his lap, a kid's shoe. From above, a shadow loomed over him, and on instinct, he gathered his things and rushed to the nearest hiding place. There was the smell of blood in the water, the boy taking courage to peek from the safety of his hiding place.

A girl whose hair flowed in the water like a ribbon speared a fish right through, her mouth covered with a breathing apparatus, eyes protected with goggles, and a red sandal missing from her left foot. Azul looked at the Sandal at his hand then to the girl who expertly drove her spear into another fish. He had never seen a human this up close before and with that spear, he could easily get hurt…Looking at her again, she reached down, patting her empty foot while bubbles released from her breathing gear.

The boy moved slowly and glided through the water while leaving all but the sandal behind. He stopped in his tracks when she turned around, her eyes shined brilliantly behind the foggy looking goggles and immediately trained to the sandal in his hands. 

"Y-yours…?"

He offered the sandal to her, both hands holding it up. She nods her head, taking the shoe from him and slipping it back on. Her hand moved, palm motioning him to follow and finger pointing up. Come with me. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that she came to the sea to hunt and with a spear full of nearly dying fish didn't help her image any better. He pointed at the spear to his chest, finger pushing to the skin and she shook her head. At that moment, she took his wrist and swam up with a swarm of warm bubbles floating around them. Azul wondered if following this human girl to the surface was a good idea if leaving the school so suddenly was all right but seeing her hold him without disgust…

It struck a chord with him.

She gasped when they broke the surface, the sun beating down on them from high above. It was the middle of the day, a time when sailors slept and the water becomes calm. Next to them was a small boat where the girl threw her spear in along with her gear. Without the goggles, he could see her clearly, she had eyes like molten gold and hair stringy like seagrass. "I'm sorry I had to bring you up here with me. My oxygen was running out and I couldn't hear you." 

"It's okay." He said softly, his eyes lingering to the boat then to her. "Um…Did you come here to look for fish?" 

"Yup. Fish are easier to catch than chickens or boar." She laughed, her teeth shiny and smile wide, it was cute and Azul couldn't help but sink into the water to hide his blush. "But it kinda does suck when they're really small, though. I wish I could capture bigger fish so I can have a feast but usually, adults have to do it or I get pulled in trying to catch it." 

"Like groupers?" He asked. "The big kind?" 

"Yeah! Those are really big and taste good too. A light grilling and some salt really go a long way." Azul looked down at the water again as the human moved to chuck her shoes into the small boat. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Azul."

"Like the color blue?"

 

"Huh?" The girl looked to the side and Azul's heart sped up, thinking he said something wrong. "I saw this book once that your name means blue. I was just wondering if that's the reason why you have that name. Your eyes are pretty blue, too." 

"I can ask my parents later…" 

Their brief meeting was cut short when a voice from afar yelled, the girl quickly getting onto the boat as it waddled in the water. "I'll wait for your answer tomorrow. Can I see you here again?" She asked, her wet face smiling down at him and he nodded. "Great! Bye, Azul!" With a snap of her fingers, the small anchor pulled up and the boat sped away with a torrent of water. The two of them waving goodbye as the distance between them grew and grew.

"Tomorrow…"

When he got back to the classroom, the teacher scolded him for being late and the usual pattern of torment began again but somehow the promise he made with the girl with the golden eyes made him push through. He didn't sleep easy that night, especially with the excitement he held in his heart. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. He couldn't wait to see her.

Their new meeting place was along the rocky cavern where she could sit and on her lap was a book propped up for him to see. Her finger pointed at a word. "See? Azul. It means blue in different languages." Azul leaned against the rocks' the push and pull of the water against his dark skin. "It's a possibility. I never really thought about it that way." 

It was his turn to show her something, a shell with scribbles of writings. They figured early that books from underwater were not easy to bring on land so Azul immediately switched to the gathered shells he had. "I like to read grimoires sometimes and I put anything I find interesting into a shell. Any spell I like is in there."

Taking the shell from his palm, the girl took a look at it and reading its inscriptions. "This spell…"

Azul nodded his head. "It's a spell to change the color of something. It can be anything too." 

"Can I try it out?"

"Can you do magic?"

"A little bit." 

"Do it."

 

Taking a small rock into her hand, the girl looked to the shell to recite the color-changing spell. "Like a rainbow in your palm and voice ever calm, may the item you wish to change be yours to arrange." The rock began to glow, reflecting a myriad of colors like glass under the summer sun. Its shine subsided, the stone suddenly a deep blue. She held it up, staring into it. "Wow…"

"Pretty neat, huh?" Azul smiled up at her when she nodded. "This is super cool! What else do you know, I want to show this to my family later." It was shell after shell of small spells that almost lit up the cavern they stayed in and soon, the floor was littered with shining rocks and off-color stones. The girl sighed, trying to regain her breathing while Azul collected the shells to his chest. "You shouldn't use your magic all willy nilly, you might overblot." 

"That's okay. I'm strong, I can't overblot!"

Azul's grimace and amusement weren't hidden and the two laughed with each other, their soft voices echoing through the empty cavern.

 

"Will I see you here again, Azul?"

There was a silence between them, a beat of hesitation, but Azul leaned against the soft rock with a smile. "If only you bring another book with you."

The next day, she was late to the meeting but Azul paid no mind to it. In her hands was a big book about mountains and their animals and on her knee was a scratch. "Are you okay?" he asked, pointing his nubby finger at her wound to which he just shook her head. "The kids I play with can be rowdy at times but I didn't want to play with them anymore after that." She set the book down and opened it. 

He looked at her eyes, those pretty gold eyes of hers, and his shoulders hunched a small bit. He knows those eyes. When they droop and look at nothing when the brows are low and furrowed.

 

"Hold still."

With a careful hand and concentrated magic, Azul continued to look at her knee as he let magic flow from within him to her knee. The skin began to close and the pain had subsided, her eyes widened while his closed. 

"Azul?"

He opened his eyes, a hand had stroked his drying hair. He pushed himself too much, it seems, and his friend took to letting him rest against the rocks. Her smile was soft and her eyes no longer looking like they were before, the eyes were warm and the brows relaxed. The wound on her knee was smaller now.

"Thanks." She told him, bringing her legs to her chest. "Here. I'll tell you about elephants."

He leaned in further, careful not to wet the book. "Huh, they're different from the ones we have in the sea."

"Sea elephants, right?"

"Yup. They're all blubbery and have really large noses. We don't usually see them around here but I heard they can get pretty mean." He looks down at the rock in thought. "But they are pretty big like land elephants." The girl closes the book with a huff. "I'll take your word for it. Now, show me what you've got."

Smiling, he set a few shells down. 

"Here's the spell I saw today—."

Azul rested on the rocks, his hand tracing the markings on the shells he brought. The cavern was empty and silent, his mind whirling to the girl he was supposed to meet in that same spot. He turned the shell over and traced his finger on the grove patterns. 

"Azul, sorry I'm late." 

She came in, drenched in water. "What happened?" He asked suddenly and she just smiled at him, a smile he didn't exactly trust was telling the truth. "I just thought to take a shower on the way here, that's all." His eyes followed her as she sat down with a book on her lap. "Was it the kids again?"

Her shoulders slumped and her lips were pursed. "I…They get rowdy. I thought I could outrun them." She took a look at her drenched form with an awkward laugh. "But at least the book is safe. It's about plants this time." Azul continued to stare at them, blinking and nudging the shells forward. "You protected the book from them, didn't you?" 

"I did." With a watery smile, she nodded her head and brows furrowed. "…I did."

She clutched the book closer to her chest and Azul reached over to pat her good knee. "Azul, you'll always be here, right? You're never going to stop being my friend, right?" Golden eyes mixed with clear glass, her voice sounded so desperate and broken that Azul couldn't help but feel the sadness drip from her lips. He squeezed her knee just a little bit. 

"I will. I promise."

The next time they met, they were on the small boat they met in with Azul holding onto its bamboo fixtures. "What's life like in the sea?" She asked suddenly, her feet paddling against the water. "It's mostly wet and there's a lot of fish around…" Azul began, his eyes downcast at the water below. "School is like a record and people can be mean sometimes, you have to look out for sharks of giant squids, and the currents are sometimes a butt to deal with." 

Her golden eyes flickered for a moment and she chuckled, eyes closed, smile light, and brows furrowed. "Not much different from life on land, huh? But having pretty fins or tentacles seems fun too." She looks to Azul and for a second she hesitates. 

"Can you turn me into one?" 

He is silent for a moment, surprised and confused why someone on land would want that. "Um…" He stuttered, his face flushed and eyes downcast. "I don't think…My magic can do that, yet." Her golden eyes remained warm and she shook her head. "I'm just kidding." 

Yet Azul had a feeling she wasn't. 

"Is it because of the kids?" He asked curiously but she stayed silent, opting not to answer and instead asked a question in return. 

"You'll always be my friend, right?"

He nodded his head without a second thought but was confused why she would think to ask that. 

"I…I will. Of course, I will."

She rubbed her knee, feeling for the closed wound and sniffling after being exposed to the cold water of yesterday.

He waited in the cavern the entire day, waiting for her to show up. His shells were prepared but with no one to look at them. He should have known this would happen, he should have known it was too good to be true. He sulked against the smooth rock and felt the washed brush and leave his back. She never came. 

Had he done something wrong? She would have told him.

Perhaps she got bored of him…The spells he showed were the most basic as they come, it wasn't enough. Azul pulled away from the rocks and looked deeper into the empty cavern. Something cold froze his insides yet licked his body like fire, he felt his eyes sting. 

He should have known better.

He left the shells on the edge and went back to sea, never looking back from the place he once held hope in. He forced himself not to cry. He forced himself not to feel sad and only let his feels show when he found himself in his special spot.

He covered his face, remembering their chance meeting, her red sandal, and golden eyes. He remembered her smile, the promise they made. Azul shook his head, telling himself to forget. Forget. FORGET!

Suddenly, a piece of seaweed hit his head and the voice of two boys whispered above him. "I told you that wasn't a trashcan, Floyd." One chided. "What, I'm just gonna throw wherever this and get in trouble? C'mon Jade." He swats the piece of seaweed out of the pot and popped his head out. "Do you mind?"

"Ack!" 

Two eels floated before him and one's eyes were wide in surprise and the other the mix of amusement and a face that just oozes of 'I-told-you-so' energy.

"I'm not a trash can, I'm your classmate." 

"Huh? Oh wait, you're the one we have science class with." The culprit said, pointing a sharp finger at him. "What's your name again?"

"Azul. Azul Ashengrotto."

"Okay, Octie."

"It's Azul!"

His life turned around when he met the twins, the power that he grew was immense. While Azul was not good at sports as much as the twins; he excelled in books, in his studies, in business. His power allowed him to grant favors, to hold power over those once thought to be strong. For once in his life, no one thought to ever look at him as the stupid, lonely octopus he was once was nor did anyone think to lay a hand on him. 

And things were fine that way.

But more often than not, he would catch himself thinking about the girl he once became friends with and wondering what she was doing or if that wound on her knee was doing okay. Even after the sudden departure, their brief friendship never left his mind nor did the memories lose their sweetness. His feelings were a mix of resentment, curiosity, or sadness, and even guilt.

He would look up from the seafloor to the shining surface above and wonder if she would be there waiting.

"Azul, there's someone who wants to see you." Says Jade.

But the business was always his priority. He turned away from the surface but his heart never could. "Coming." He swam away but his feelings stayed in one place, yearning and hating for the day he'll come to see her.

Though time heals wounds, the bitter sting of remembrance was something he disliked immensely. Azul's trips to the sea were less frequent and when he did, it was usually to visit his family and help around. With school done for the year and the family business running smoothly, there wasn't much he could do now but bide away his time. 

He swam through the open ocean, his legs propelling him around the deep blue. He would resurface no long after to look at the sun and the water around him, his eyes adjusting to the sudden appearance of light after he had been in the dark blue depths long. It was noon, a time when fishermen slept and left the waters quiet. 

He swam in a certain direction, to a place he once knew. A cavern-like entrance where he pulled himself up and bare feet touching the ground. For the short time he had spent there, he had memorized every crevice and detail.

"It's like it never changed." 

He walked further in and looked in the deepest nook, he saw a tinge of color. Old shells packed into a neat pile, his old shells that he gave away to his friend. Looking back on it, he realized the two of them went through the same thing and wishing the same wishes. She was just more vocal about them.

He picked one up from the pile, it was the spell that allowed an object to change its color. 

"Ah, this one takes me back."

Even how short their friendship was, he had fun just talking to her. While it was sad he never got to see her again after that day, he enjoyed it while it lasted. He returned the shell to its pile and moved to turn around, a figure stopped blocked his path.

Red sandals, eyes like melting gold, hair stringy from seawater, and a spear with two fish held to their side.

"Azul?" Her voice was just as he remembered.

The moment was short and Azul's breathing stopped for only a few seconds. A warmth passed through him, a wave of nostalgia. "You're back." He said, his shoulders bobbing through his airy laughs "I waited for a long time, y'know? Now look at us, we're bigger now." She discarded her spear to the ground and ran towards him, one of her sandals leaving her food as he hugged him. 

 

No words were said between them, their arms looping around each other in an embrace both seemed to be ready and yearning for. Her nose buried into his shoulder and his hands in her wet hair. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so sorry I left. I just couldn't—I had to leave. I wanted to go to you but—! She sputtered into your skin. "I had no time left to say goodbye. I'm sorry."

"I made a promise, didn't I?" He said, pulling away from her.

Their foreheads connected, ah, how long had it been since he felt so vulnerable? There were so many things he wanted to say and he knew she also felt the same. Perhaps another time the two of them could put two and two together. 

"I'll always be here."