#its no-ones fault except maybe mine

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

Hiatus

TLDR: my ass has not been recovering but instead stressing myself out badly over tumblr so i will be taking a break from tumblr till it wont affect my mental health and my physical recovery. more details further down

Key Stuff:

Unlike my last hiatus, im talking a complete hiatus, no dash, no checking peoples blogs, no posting art and probably not even posting my writing on ao3.

Commissions will be open via my kofi as they have been, as im already shooting myself in the foot financially with this hiatus and i wont any further. I also won't be raising my prices from £25 to the price i should given how i changed my workflow and the time i take for them, in an attempt to make them more appealing, as other than unemployment benefits and occasional private comms from family they are my only way of making money as i am too disabled to work.

Mutuals please dm me for my discord if you want to keep in contact while im on hiatus<3 i will be active on there

My reasons: Since finishing education i have been mainly focusing on opening commissions, and then trying to draw more/get more popular so i can reach potential clients. Despite telling everyone and myself that this time is for me to recover from the stress of the last... well lifetime, I've thrown myself right into the stressful ordeal of being an artist online trying to make money through that art. And its been awful for my mental health.

Turning what was for so long my escape and joy into what i make money from has made it so much harder to focus on the positives, from lovely tags and replies to people interested in my ocs to discord conversations. I feel raw, drained, and one bad step away from fucking everything up because the stress is tiring me out so much i cant think about how to be polite, or find the energy to be kind no matter how much i want to.

I need to take a break from tumblr to actually try and fucking recover, and i'd rather leave now than after i have worn myself down even further. I hope to return as soon as i can do so in a good mental place, and hopefully i will have physically recovered to some extent in that time as well.

Because i think I'm funny[and this song has been looping in my head all day]:

[saphiccarma]

Heyyy, I've never requested anything before so hopefully this isnt too much 😭 but could u do agathario x reader, where reader dies maybe from like disease or she somehow gets caught in a scene where agatha is trying to steal a covens power, and like rio doing everything to fight against her duty and having to take one of her lovers, maybe reader doesn't die instantly but she's like dying in agathas arms and is trying to soothe her wives. Idk if that makes sense its ok if you can't 😭 i hope you have a great day💕💕

- It was not your fault, but mine.

Relationships - Agatha Harkness x Rio Vidal x Reader

Summary - Being married to Agatha and Rio was perhaps your favorite thing ever, the best part of your life. You wanted to be with them forever, but that wish is threatened when you touch a mysterious object outside and fall ill.

Warnings: Major character death, angst

A/N: I love this so much and it was fun to write. Thank you for the request!

You had technically got married to Agatha and Rio for about a year now. Since your type of relationship wasn't excepted by the town you lived in, the three of you got quietly married in a little cottage in the middle of the woods. This was where you spent most of your time, sitting in the cottage and reading books, or picking flowers, or testing out new recipes you wanted to try. Agatha and Rio come and go as they please, always too busy to stay in one place, and you were fine with that. They were still good wives.

Absent mindedly you kicked a rock, the little stone flying across the leaf littered ground and crashing into a tree. They had both been gone for weeks and you had heard no sign of them, no magical raven that had a letter attached to its foot, no quick check in, nothing. While you trusted them and their abilities it had begun to worry you. You stumbled a bit, tripping across something that protruded out of the ground. Letting out a quiet curse, you looked back to see what it was.

A glowing rock, a faint pink hue emitting off of it, sat nestled in the red and orange leaves. You crouched down and grabbed a stick next to you, pointing at it. When it did nothing, you reached towards it, and against your better judgement, picked it up. Searing pain shot through you, fiery sparks crackling through you. You gasped, your eyes squeezing shut as you tried to drop the rock. It didn't fall from your hand as intended. Panic spread through you rapidly as your heart beat faster and faster. The thing was now a bright pink, sparkling so bright it hurt your eyes, and stuck to your hand.

Pain coursed your body, every inch of you filled with searing pain. In a brief moment of clarity, you grabbed a stick from the ground, and making a big effort, traced a circle in the dirt and drew an X through it. Words were whispered from your mouth slowly as you chanted the spell. The lines in the dirt began to glow a soft green color and it wasn't long before they flashed brightly before disappearing.

"I was in the middle of something darling," Rio began, her tone playful and light. Then she paused, her eyes catching on your hand. "What happened?"

You grunted, "I don't know."

She rolled her eyes at your lack of response, taking a step closer and trying to grab your hand. You yanked it away, afraid she would get hurt as well, and that was the last thing you wanted. Rio rolled her eyes once more, fixing you with a reprimanding look.

"Let me see." Rio took your wrist in her hand, not caring much to be gentle, and turned it over, examining the stone. A curious hum escaped her as she poked at it.

"Well?" you hissed, flinching as her nails dug into your skin. She dug her nails deeper, ignoring your whimper of pain, and drew blood. The red droplets spread down your wrist. "What the hell Rio?" You were not in the mood for her jokes right now.

Your wife smiled at you, her dashing and cheeky smile that you had grown to love. Slowly, eyes meeting yours the entire time, she brought your hand up to her mouth and licked strip across the crescent shaped marks. The second she did so, your hand loosened and the rock dropped from your grip, landing on the floor with a thunk. A sigh of relief escaped you as you fell to the ground, laying on your back with your arms spread out. The searing pain that had coated your body dispersed.

Rio chuckled above you, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "Better?"

You nodded, rubbing your wrist absent mindedly, still feeling her soft lips there.

"You know what would make it even better?" You raised both your brows, "A kiss."

Laughing softly, her eyes rolling once more, Rio crouched down. Her lips met yours in a harsh kiss, she was never gentle.

^___________^

It turns out, the three of you had found, that the rock carried a deadly curse. Agatha had kicked the thing, sending it flying before Rio reluctantly retrieved it. The two had been frantically trying to find a cure, despite their supposed casual appearance, you knew it was stressing them out. While they were plagued with the stress of finding a cure, you were plagued with constant pain.

A sharp pain that shot through you. Some days it was manageable, some days it left you crippled in bed, unable to move and barely able to talk. Those were the days that worried your wives the most. Today, thankfully, was one of the good days. You sat with Agatha on the porch, her arms wrapped around you.

"You know I wanted kids," you said suddenly, your fingers toying with her own as you twisted them together, "Or at least one."

You felt Agatha inhale sharply, "We'll have them," she said fiercely, "We can have kids." The sun was setting slowly in the distance, the sky a perfect hue of pink and red. You always had loved the sunsets, and the sunrises, but there was something special about sunsets.

In the distance you could see Rio, perched by the edge of the woods, green magic swirling around her as she did who knows what. She had asked to be alone during the time being. But still, you couldn't help but watch as her arms moved fluidly to cast the spells, her body moving as if in a dance. A soft smile crossed your face.

"Agatha," you whispered softly, "You know that's not going to happen." Looking up at her, you saw her jaw clenched and a dangerous glimmer in your eyes. You knew, that if you died Agatha would take it the hardest. She would blame Rio and that was the last thing you wanted. You gently tugged her fingers, intertwining yours with hers.

"I'd want a boy I would name him Nicholas, little Nicky for short. Ideally, he would have Rio's eyes and your hair, my face, he would be perfect," you smiled up at her, pleased to see a dreamy look in her eyes. It wasn't often that Agatha indulged in fantasies about the future, but she always tried with you. You could imagine a boy, brown eyes that were darker than the night sky, but could hold so much emotion like his mother. Brown hair that was just a little bit wavey, and you would let it grow out if he wanted it to. And lastly, your smile, your nose, all your facial features. He would be the perfect mix up of the three of you. Something that was created through a force of love, but no outside magic used.

Her features softened even further when you winced, a pain flaring up in your back. You waved away her concern, straightening out.

"Would we make him with a spell?" she asked, her voice lowered to match yours.

You shook your head, "No. We would make him from scratch. No incantaion, no spell, no magic."

A little laugh escaped Agatha. She pressed her lips down onto your head, burrowing herself in your hair.

"Whatever you say my love."

^_____________^

You sat in the fields, twisting flowers in your hands to form a crown. This one was made with dandelions, the stems intertwined as you threaded them through each other. Two other crowns sat next to you, one with azaleas and the other with black roses. You had plucked the thorns off of course, not that Rio would care.

One of the perks of being married to a green witch was that she could produce any flowers you wanted, and she did just that. Rio always grew flowers if you asked them, even if she rolled her eyes and said they were too colorful for her taste, she wanted to make you happy.

Your fingers twitched as pain flared through you, but you worked through the pain. The two had gone out that morning in search of other possible cures, but promised to be back in time to sleep with you. The sun was setting in the distance, the sky a beautiful gradient of orange and yellow.

Crows cawed above you, their black wings flapping as they soared in circles. A little smile flitted across your face. Both of your lovers adored crows, their passion for them always made you happy. Before you had more time to ponder if Rio was up in the crows, there was a hot breath in your ear.

“Boo.”

You jumped away, placing a hand over your heart as you glared at Rio. She was cackling, nearly falling back into Agatha who stood with an amused smile on her face. The purple witch shoved Rio away, moving forward and placing a tender kiss on your lips.

“I made you something,” you scooped up the azalea flower crown and stood, placing it one her head despite her pout, “Can’t you at least pretend to like it?”

Agatha rolled her eyes, “It’s amazing darling, I love it.”

Smiling happily, you rewarded her with a soft kiss before turning to Rio who was watching the scene quietly. You weren’t even sure when she had stopped laughing.

“Ooo,” she cooed, stepping closer, her finger curling as she took hold of her crown, “I love it, my love.”

You blushed at her words. While you loved Agatha’s pet names, Rio’s did something to you. The Green Witch placed it on her head with a broad smile.

“Do you have one?” Rio looked around, her eyes landing on the dandelions in the grass. She reached down, scooping it up before placing it on your head with a proud smile.

Agatha came up behind you, wrapping her arms around your waist, “You look beautiful darling.”

A deep blush crossed your face when her breath fanned against your neck. Rio took a step closer, her finger curling under your chin. A sinister smirk crossed her face.

“Good enough to eat.”

^_____________^

You coughed harshly as you curled into a ball, pain flaring up everywhere in your body. Everything hurt and it felt like you were on fire. Agatha's fingers clutched you tightly, one of her hands carding through your hair as she attempted to comfort you. Rio was no where to be seen.

"Agatha," you choked out.

The woman above you shook her head, "Don't say it. You're fine. It'll pass."

You wanted to smile at her stubbornness, it was always your favorite trait about her. These past few days the curse had been getting worse, and Rio was disappearing more and more often. You knew what that meant. You were fairly certain Agatha knew what it meant, she just didn't want to admit it. Trying to fight through the sparks that shot through you, you played with her fingers, bringing them to your lips.

Your words were soft against her skin, "I love you."

"No, you have more time," she said harshly.

You felt it when Rio entered and based on Agatha's sharp inhale, you knew what she was here for. Painfully, you turned your head to look at Rio, clad in her green dress that represented the part of her that was alive. A bitter smile crossed your face.

"Don't take her," Agatha spat, her grip tightening on you despite your wince, "You can't." Trying to force words out of your mouth, you wanted to tell Agatha it was okay, that it wasn't Rio's fault. "If you do this I will hate you."

Rio's features flinched, but she made no move to step closer, "I held it off as long as I could."

"It's not her time," Agatha snarled.

While it was painful, you reached up, your hand cupping Agatha's cheek to force her to look at you, "My love," you whispered softly, "I have to go."

"No." She shook her head, so much desperation conveyed into that one movement.

"Don't hate her. Please? It's not her fault."

“I don’t want to do it,” Rio added, her voice wavering, and it was the first time you had ever heard her sound so fragile, so vulnerable.

Agatha's lower lip wobbled, tears shimmering in her eyes as she clenched her jaw, fighting off the sorrow. She closed her eyes, a small tear slipping out at the action and you wanted nothing more than to give her a big hug.

Her voice was oh so quiet when she whispered, "Okay."

A small smile spread across your face. It was only then that Rio came closer, bending down so her lips were just above yours. So many emotions were conveyed through her eyes. Words asking for forgiveness, ones that expressed her sadness, and some angry. You wanted to give her a hug too. Instead, Rio leant down, her lips brushing against yours.

The kiss deepened and that's when you felt the pain stop.

[sweet-as-an-angel]

A Gift for Simon

Warnings: No Thoughts – Only Fluff, No Pronouns Used For Reader Except ‘You’.

Imagine you go up to Simon and you present him with an Altoid tin wallet. “I remember you saying your wallet broke the other day, so I thought maybe you could use this one until you got a new one :-).”

And you pass him a tiny little tin that, initially, leaves Simon both curious and confused. When he opens it, however, his breath catches in his throat, his heart stutters.

It’s perfectly furnished inside, tailored to his exact tastes based on morsels of information you’ve either discovered by accident or Simon has told you. You’ve made a little velvet pocket in the lid, the material Simon’s favourite colour, “So you can put your emergency money in there. I always put my coins in mine in case I need to get the bus home or buy some milk,” you tell him.

The idea of you doing something so domestic and, in some vein, humble, only endears you more to Simon. He should be taking you places; you shouldn’t be using your own money when you have him.

He says none of this, of course.

The other half is decorated with a quote cut out from his favourite book, stuck behind a fresh tube of chapstick and an elasticated hoop for him to put his house key in.

He wonders if you know his lips are chapped, whether you’ve looked at them as often as he finds himself watching yours whenever you accost him, privilege him with your time.

Regardless of how close the two of you are, whether you’re just acquainted neighbours or the closest of lovers, all Simon wants to do is wrap his arms around you and hold you as tight as you’ll allow. He wants to keep you all to himself, keep your kindness all for him, selfish in his endeavour to hide it from everyone else.

He knows it will be his undoing — this act of generosity you have bestowed unto him. But he can’t bring himself to fault it, even down to the idea that perhaps you expect something back from him. He’ll gladly give you anything you want if only you ask.

But you didn’t. You just smiled, bade him goodbye, and left to go about your day.

Not that you’d notice, but Simon held off on getting a new wallet for some time after that. Whenever you asked him, he’d tell you it slipped his mind, that the wallet you gave him is doing a good job anyway. Why put all the time you spent on it to waste, he thinks. And one day, he hopes he can say it, tell you to your face how his heart flurries, stutters whenever his fingers brush over that tiny tin wallet, whenever he holds it, Thumbelina in his behemoth hands. He feels your fingers there, painstaking piecing together a dream into this physical form, gossamer in its beauty, perishable in its disposition. Warm, warmth like he’s never known, and care. It’s visceral, palpable, and Simon holds it in his hand and never lets go. Not so long as he has breath in his body.

Reblog for more content like this! It helps creators like myself tremendously and it is greatly appreciated :-)

Masterlist Masterlist [Continued] Masterpost Modern Warfare AI Masterlist

AO3 Wattpad Tumblr Backup Account

[h0ck3yl0v3r]

foolish one

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

lh43 x childhood bestfriend!reader

warnings: angst, semi-swearing

you and luke were inseparable. always attached to each other, whether it was you attending his hockey games or him attending your events. everyone around you guys always thought you were both dating, although you wish you were, there was never any romantic relationships.

highschool graduation happened, and you and luke both had committed to the university of michigan. as time went on through senior year, yours and lukes relationship was rocky, luke being too busy with hockey and girls to always be there for you. as for you, you were still one of his biggest supporters. it was in that long list of promises you guys made when you were seven. 'we promise to always be there for each other no matter what.'

college was rocky, you barely saw luke, heard from him, it was hard on you.

chances are, tonight, you've already got plans and chances are i will talk myself to sleep again

you cried every night, seeing pictures of luke at parties with girls while you were never invited. you felt invisible to him now, your mom and ellen called every day, they knew how much love you have for luke, they knew it from the moment you slipped and fell on the ice and luke helped you up, the moment your spark in your eyes grew.

and the voices say, "you are not the exception you will never learn your lesson"

that spark was now slowly fading away. you really thought you had a chance being his best friend that maybe, just maybe he'd be in love with you too.

don't know what to call this situation but i know i can't call you mine

the whole first semester of freshman year went by really fast, meaning it was now time for winter break, one of your favorite seasons. luke was still radio silence, you both always spent winter together, guess he's too famous for you now, another promise broken, 'we promise to never forget each other, no matter how famous we get.'

but goodbye screamin' in the silence and the voices in my head are tellin' me why

when ellen and your mother came down to visit they held a little gathering with jack, quinn, luke and his friends.

the gathering was a mess.

"yo moose who's this girl in your baby pictures." one of his teammates had brought up.

"oh her, she's just an old friend." he had replied, 'old friend.' that hurt to hear, you were no longer apart of his life.

cause you got her on your arm and me in the wings i'll get your longing glances, but she'll get your ring

luke didn't know you were there, too busy with his new girlfriend and teammates. but you heard it all, you see it all, it was heartbreaking, quinn saw it all though. quinn was always second closest to you, being that person you looked up to, he was the first person you ever confessed you had a crush to luke on.

"it hurts quinny, it hurts so much, i feel like a ghost to him. i thought we would've happened i thought all the signs i gave him would've been enough for him to catch on. i feel so stupid" you sobbed into quinns chest, hos heart breaking for you.

"shh its okay, my brothers an idiot, please don't feel like stupid, it's not your fault angel" quinn rubbed your back softly as you sat there and cried yourself to sleep.

foolish one sittin' 'round waiting for confessions of love they ain't never gonna come and thinkin' he's the one, you should've been walkin' out foolish one

you woke up the next morning devastated. maybe in another universe it could've happened, but right now its time to piece yourself back together. you couldn't face watching your spark keep fading over someone who no longer is present in your life.

when all is said and done, he just wasn't the one no, he just wasn't the one

for you, luke will always be your past present and future, but right now he is not what is needed in your life, mayne one day he'll come back to his senses but for the time being self-love is the best healing.

tags: @drysdalesv @ghostfacd @shy4turcs

pt 2??

[dilfs-bitch]

Ralnga' | Neteyam (NSFW)

Pairing: Neteyam Te Suli x Fem Omatikaya reader

Word count : 5k

Summary: You do everything in your power to get out of an arranged marriage, but it ends up arousing the fury of the Omatikaya prince.

Warnings: Characters inexperienced, p in v sex, degradation kink, angst, arranged marriage, dom Neteyam (slightly) rough sex, hair pulling, biting, some mentions of blood, use of the word bitch in a derogatory sense, choking, aged up Neteyam ( 22) dirty talk, nsfw.

Sorry if there are any spelling mistakes. English is not my first language.

Image its not mine, credits to the ower.

The golden child of the Sully family.

The prince of the Omatikaya clan who left unmated females breathless every time he strutted through the village with the swagger of a future chief.

The passionate gazes and sighs of many who once dreamed of being his future Tsahik, yet that fate has been forced upon you since you were a child.

Everyone in the clan knew who his future mate would be, and yet many didn't seem to care especially since he reached adulthood, his slender body now had so much muscle, his voice was much deeper and more authoritative, his once youthful face now had features of a man, who was wanted wherever he went except for you.

That wanted since the day your parents decided that arranged marriage would be good for the clan, that before the ceremony, Neteyam would fall in love with someone who would make him give up that engagement.

But a warrior as noble as he would never do that.

That's how that ugly feeling grows inside you towards him, it was no longer enough to be forced into an arranged engagement, your hopes of getting rid of it slowly died every day because he never seemed to be interested in anyone, because he was always focused on perfectly executing every task he was given, focused on being so kind and affectionate whenever he was with you.

Just the thought made you snort impatiently rolling your eyes, such a human gesture learned from Kiri having your whole life been so close to the Sully's, adoring each one of them like your own family, except the eldest son.

Maybe that was even why the elders thought that arranged marriage would be profitable, but did that have to be him? Even Lo'ak being your future mate seemed like a better idea, it sure was, the boy was much more fun, cheeky, cocky when he needed to be, butted heads with anyone just like his father, but Neteyam? He was so dull, always serious and moody, taking anyone's orders without hesitation, always so kind and what fun was that?

Certainly none for you who never wanted a mate and much less a man like him.

Sometimes you even wondered if you were the problem considering how many Na'vi wanted to mate with him. Maybe Neteyam even had its attractions, but that anger you've felt since learning you'd be mated to him clouded your judgment of him.

“ Yawne ? ” Are you listening to me? “. He says, his big hand squeezing your shoulder gently.

“ I was lost in my thoughts, what did you say? “

Neteyam's brows furrow, and his ears flatten, his gaze lingering on your face which has a visibly annoyed scowl and he swallows hard at the thought that this was his fault, although now a gentle smile adorns his face when he pushes those thoughts away by convincing himself that the day has just been tiring so far.

His heart flutters in his chest at the familiar warmth of your hand now against his, so small in comparison to his own. “ Meet me today, at our spot after the eclipse Yawne ”

Our spot was a small waterfall he found a few years ago, deep in the forest, the place is breathtakingly beautiful, one of the most beautiful places you'd ever seen in the vast forest that surrounded you since was a child, but spending time with Neteyam there it was almost torturous and yet you smile nodding satisfied the man in front of you who smiles proudly leaving a soft kiss on the top of your forehead before walking away from the area where you collected herbs to Tsahik.

His breathing is heavy with each agilely step he takes, his braids swaying back and forth clouding his vision for mere seconds each time his heels hit the sandy ground beneath his feet.

His fist is clenched so tightly that his knuckles are almost white with anger, which bubbles up in his chest at once again being left waiting.

Because he waited during the entire eclipse until the rays of sunlight began to illuminate the running water that flowed down from the great mossy rocks of that waterfall that day he found deep in the forest.

Neteyam still remembered exactly how he found that place

Sweat trickled from his hairline in Pandora's heat, his mouth was dry and his body begged to go back to the village.

The soft moss that grew on the ground gave some kind of comfort to the soles of his feet that ached for he had been going deeper into the forest for so long clinging to some thread of hope that that day he would finally find a special place so that he could take his mate there.

Just the thought of her made a genuine smile appear on his face and his heart pounding in his chest that suddenly seemed to beat at a much stronger frequency when he saw the waterfall in front of him, it was the most beautiful place he had ever seen, on the rocks grew species of plants he had never seen, such an intense blue was the perfect contrast with the green of the plants that surrounded the lake of warm water that was drunk by several hexapedes, it was as beautiful as Y/n and he was sure she would love that place.

After so many days, it was worth get in deeper into the jungle just to find the perfect spot for her.

The thought made his stomach churn, his anger now redirected towards himself.

How could he have been so foolish all these years? Always pushing himself harder than he should, always hunting the biggest Sturmbeest and cooking for you the best meal, weaving the prettiest jewelry and clothes and all that to be thanked with a not-so-convincing smile and yet, he pushed those feeling away of ingratitude that sank his chest settling for whatever you gave him.

There were so many nights where he waited in that place only for you to apologize the next day saying you were too busy at Tsahik's tent, and each time he forgave you with a smile on his face, but the lack of apologies this time in the next morning left him fed up with everything.

The words were stuck in his throat, stealing his breath, begging to be said when he stepped in the entry of your tent.

His ears twitch at the sound of your familiar laugh, on other days it would warm his heart, but now the sound of your laughter curls inside him conjured daggers so sharp that left his heart bleeding, sunk in the sadness of your coldness of not even caring if he was still alive, the rage now succumbs to his body dilating his nostrils leaving behind any trace of that kind and attentive Neteyam that now disregards any kind of education entering your hut abruptly without bothering to greet Ya'nut and Tun'ti who quickly feel the tension in the air leaving you two alone the.

“ I'm so- ”

" Be quiet " He snaps before you can finish your sentence, close the flap of your tent and turning to glare at you, his lips a thin line. “ I'm tired of you looking down on me even when I've tried all these years to make myself a good potential mate, but that stops today”.

Your hands stop arranging the herbs and medicines along the shelf that Neteyam himself had made, the words have barely left his lips, and your heart is racing, beating desperately in happiness against the chest, the corner of your lips has a smile from the sudden relief that takes over your body it's like Eywa has finally heard your prayers all those years getting you out of that arranged marriage.

The feeling of freedom flowing through your body is so addictive that suddenly confidence rises in your body, quickly abandoning your good girl act that you so graciously pretended to be in front of the entire clan, who was happy with an arranged marriage that barely couldn't wait to mate with the future Olo'eyktan before Ewya.

“ Come, we should tell our parents that you give up then ”

You pass by him trying to hide the smile on your face, but before your hand can reach the knots that close the flap of your tent, your eyes widen and your body is pulled back, an almost desperate scream comes out of your now parted lips with the strong tug on your braids hair.

The sound perked up Neteyam's ears as he smiled, not the gentle smile he always had on his lips it's a sneer, a different kind of smile just like his own features that although he couldn't see it, he swore it was dark, because the cry of pain that leaves your lips ignites a flame in his heart that clouds his own thoughts as he drags you deeper into the hut by your braids, nearly undone by how tightly he's gripping a handful of hair.

His eyes light up and his ears twitch at the sound of your whimpering voice as he stops, forcing your body to kneel on the mat and Neteyam squats down, his muscular body towering over your that seems so small, the sight makes his heart felt like it was crumbling, being crushed under the happiness of finally feeling in control of the situation because now you were the one feeling inferior under his sneering gaze that had his brows furrowed and teeth clenched.

" Give up? No, today I'm going to teach you a lesson Yawne "

You sigh at the sound of his voice, as you take a deep breath through a wave of nausea, swallowing the saliva that pools in your mouth at how suddenly the endearing name now sounds strange on his tongue, it was more like a threat and your body shivers with instant regret for keeping him waiting all night.

An irritated snarl escapes his lips as you try to stand up only to suddenly have your back bumping against the treadmill mat, and your eyes widen at the grip on your throat of his hand making it difficult to breathe, his body muscled now hovering over yours who is cowering from the intense sensation that makes your head spin, the words are stuck in your throat though your mouth opens nothing comes out it's only Neteyam's chuckles in a low, gravelly echo as he loosens his grip on your throat that coughs as you breathe in the air so eagerly.

" St-stop it ". You swallow your saliva, fighting your words, crawling away from him.

But your body quickly goes still, it's a single tear that rolls from your amber eye at the sting that leaves the skin on the back of your thighs itching, your pointy ears ringing from the pain that shoots up your spine with a shivering itch every hair on the back of your neck and you choke on your own spit at the realization that he's given you a few smacks on your thigh.

Your thoughts is clouding as yout body shivers as you feels his hand quickly circling your thin tail, it's an intense sensation of heat flowing through your lower belly as Neteyam lifts the fist that he's curling with your tail lifting your hips up and the scream that was trapped in your throat comes out more like an inaudible moan at the strange but pleasurable sensation that flows through the base of your spine when he growls, his nostrils flaring breathing in your natural scent that suddenly flows throughout the tent, it's so intense that his own pupils dilate leaving only a thin layer of amber in his almost completely black eyes, his heart pounding in his chest as his muscular body curves over your.

" Oh, yes " He hums rubbing his face against the sweat-wet skin of your arched back. “ This whole time and you only feel this way when I'm being rude? ”

You shake your head deny more to yourself than to him, trying to convince yourself that your body's reaction was just the instinct of Na'vi females sensing his potential as a mate, submitting to the urge to breed, nullifying all contempt that you've felt for him your whole life.

However, your breathing is breathless feeling his body pressed so close to yours in that position that felt so intimate, like the intense desire that puts you in a trance to mate with him, it's overwhelming in how suddenly the scent of wet forest that radiates from his body leaves little noises coming out of your parted lips, begging for something you don't know what it is, and the thought of it makes your body tense, trying to slowly pull away from Neteyam's body heat only for him to pull your body back by your tail, your heart pounding in your ears with the shivers of your body totally stunned by the way he keeps his grip.

" Let me go, it hurts " You hiss.

" You're sure? ” He chuckles huskily pulling the base of your tail arching your back even more. " This your bitch in heat scent of yours tells me otherwise "

He sneers, repeating the english words he once heard his father say, but he gasps slightly when he feels you forcing your ass against his groin and he lets out a guttural growl, sliding his hand to your hips to squeeze them hard moving his hips against yours who sighs looking over your shoulder watching his sweaty skin, flushed cheeks, ears down and his facial expression, dark, lustful, that makes your sex clench around nothing begging to be filled by Neteyam that slides his tongue against the skin of your back bucking his hips into yours harder.

And you bite your bottom lip to try to contain the moan stuck in your throat, afraid to admit your own thoughts aloud regarding your future mate who seems so different from the other times turning you on with his overpowering pheromones almost putting you in heat , because now your nipples are hard rubbing against the colorful feathers of your top and it pisses you off, the idea that he's the one making you feel like this makes your stomach churn, not understanding why until a few minutes ago you were beaming with happiness that thought he was going to back out of that engagement, but now the mere thought of it makes the jealousy cloud your vision at the thought of him claiming another woman as his other than you.

“ Teyam please ”

It's with that thought that you give in to your animalistic urges, to want to be claimed by him, to cover your body in his scent and you do this by rubbing your clothed pussy against the growing bulge under the thin wet cloth of his loincloth for his own pre cum, but Neteyam just growls, his hand that was on your waist comes down hard on your ass making that side of your hip tingle and the corners of your eyes water, and he repeats this movement again and again until the blue skin turn an almost purple color, until tears rolls over your face contorted with pain, pleasure and frustration for not understanding why he continues to be so rude, but that's the point.

Neteyam is so bothered to the point of continuous grunt because can't understand why all those years he could only get the pet name to come out of your lips now, when he was being rude, mistreating you, but it leaves him… -so horny that his throbbing cock is begging to be released now from the uncomfortable tightening of his own loincloth.

“ Say that again ” He sighs finally loosening the grip on your tail which is now swinging from side to side.

You say through groans, rubbing yourself against the hardness under his loincloth. “ Please Teyam, please mate with me.”

He closes his eyes, his breathing now heavy still trying to assimilate the fact that his future mate not only repeated the words he order but also said those words that he dreamed so much of hearing from your lips, damn it he dreamed awake so many nights while he waited in that spot.

Neteyam could even imagine it perfectly, the noise of the waterfall and the nocturnal animals of Pandora while you were dressed in that top he had woven for you that only covered your nipple, he could even perfectly imagine the sight of you looking at him through your eyelashes smiling shyly asking him to mate with you, maybe that was even why he got so angry because the last night he planned everything, the place, the fruits and flowers that you loved so much because he felt ready, ready to finally move on that phase of just gentle kisses on your lips, he wanted to mate, wanted to know what it would feel like to be buried so deep inside a woman, inside you.

But now everything looks much better.

" Yes " He growls, shoving his hand between your legs covered, slick with your arousal. “ I'll mate with you here and now, would you like that? ”

“Yes, Teyam, mark me as yours”. You moan, tugging at the band of your loincloth.

Impatient, he groans giving in to his primal desires, tearing the fragile fabric that covers your breasts, the beads that adorned it fall spreading across the mat, your ears twitch feel his warm, large and callused hand on your soft skin, when he starts fondle your right breast. His length twitch uncontrollably with the desire he's always felt to touch them finally come true, it's soft, warm and wet from the sweat trickling down your hairline down your neck disappearing between the valley of your breasts, your cheek now resting against mat, trying to control the sighs that come out of your lips from the pleasure that flows through your belly as you feel him rolling your hard nipples between his fingers, you moan softly pushing your ass into his groin .

Your core pulsing, your neglected clit is aching begging for something more as he tries to pull away, but your tail coil his muscled thighs that makes him cocky, assuming you really are lusting after him to the point your body doesn't want to stay away from his heat even for mere seconds.

" I want more ". You purr, your cunt clenching in anticipation.

He moans in wonder at the purr that vibrates from your chest, his animalistic thrusts clouding any sober thoughts of him as he rips off your loincloth, throwing the tattered cloth to the side, his hands now squeeze your hips as Neteyam rubs his now covered cock hard on your bare cunt making you gasp, whimpering in desperation to feel him inside because just the friction on your clit doesn't seem enough, not enough to control your arousal it seems leave his head spinning, as the room moves swiftly around him, he feels intoxicated by the scent of your, by the moans that come out of your parted lips, you want him as much as he wants you it's with that thought he digs his nail into your hips when he undoes the knot of his loincloth in the base of his tail.

He jolt at the raw friction on his sensitive cock as it springs up slapping against your ass, his stomach churns at the heat flowing through his belly at the sight of his pre-cum leaking the bulbous tip that's the perfect contract with your skin almost purple blue from the smacks.

It's at that moment Neteyam forgets why he was there in the first place, to teach you a lesson, make you respect him, desire him as your future mate, but now he's lost in his own pleasure, watching with his mouth open as the you crawl forward just enough for his cock to now sit between the heat of your thighs, rubbing against your clit as you bucks into his hips back and forth.

He is in pure ecstasy, tilting his head back slightly concentrating on the pleasure that although not what he so badly desires is still better at his own hands, his ears are flat against his head in embarrassment at the memory of all the times he has toched himself in the solitude of his tent after a hard day, relieving his frustrations stroking his cock thinking about what it would be like if it were your small, soft hands doing it, but now he swears this is so much better.

“ Is it good Teyam? “ You ask between moans bringing him back to reality.

He growls between moans and breath breathless" Could be better "

Your heart feels like it's caving in, being crushed under the pressure of the weight of his single word, 'could be better', and he looks at you with furrowed brows, big eyes shining, chuckles in reaction at the mean words that came out of his lips. Neteyam now curves his body over yours once more, rubbing his face against your shoulder before biting hard, making you cry out in pain beneath him stopping your movements because it feels so good your sex tightens around nothing, the moisture trickling down your thigh mixing with his precum making your thighs sticky.

His fangs finally leave your bloodstained skin, his hand finds the base of your tail, gripping it tightly, lifting your hips again, the wetness of your arousal now against the hot skin of his groin, his fingers prods at your slick entrance.

“Clenching so tightly around nothing, did I make you feel like this? “ He asks, a smirk playing on his lips before quickly sliding two fingers into it.

Groaning at your wetness the feel of his fingers inside you that had your brows furrowed trying to crawl, running away from the discomfort, pain his fingers bring and his smirk drops quickly, his heart racing in his chest at the thought that you still haven't had mated to no one, perhaps waiting for the day of the ceremony where you two would become one before Ewya.

“ Who would have thought that you would be waiting to mate only with me ”.

He teases, looking at you with piercing eyes, ramming two fingers even deeper into your slippery cunt which clenches with the pleasurable sensation that replaces the pain before, mixed with the tone he uses to make your back arch even more when you feel him curling his fingers, stroking the inside in a torturously slow rhythm that has all four of your toes curling as a moan escapes your lips, your eyes rolling back in the pleasure that races down your spine as he growls pulling your tail.

“Oh, I-I… it's so good, b-you… fuck, aren't you too? “ You babble, feeling your eyes fill with tears at how good his fingers are.

A high confidence fills him as he hears you say those words, his mind clouding with your loud, desperate moans each time he continues a few more times he pulls them out of you cunt taking his fingers to his mouth, savoring the last of your taste in his tongue. Lifting your hips enough by the grip on your tail lines himself up with your slick entrance so that the tip of his cock against your entrance, instantly thrusting almost his full length into you when that dig your nails into the mat trying to get used to the sensation to finally be filled.

“ You don't think it's that important, do you? ”

For a minute you feel something new blossom in your heart, something that Neteyam has never made you feel before, something like jealousy that makes a snarl leave your lips at the thought that he had become intimate with a woman other than you, the possessiveness has you gripping his forearm scratching his sweaty skin so hard he hisses in pain and pleasure as he starts to thrust into you, setting a lazy rhythm to his thrusts, pushing his pelvis against your ass burying himself deep inside you as possible, before halfway out and filling you up again with his cock.

Just as he remembered listening at that conversation from years ago hidden behind a tree, listening to the things his father and the most skilled warriors talked about when they were drunk, Neteyam committed every word to memory for the day he finally mated with a woman who he was in love, he yearning to gave her as much pleasure as he felt, exactly as he was doing now.

The hard slaps of skin against skin resonating throughout the hut mingled with the pathetic moans of your lips as you grip his forearm tightly shoving your hips into his, he's startled, lips between his teeth to keep from escaping a moan stuck in his throat at your obscene, insistent body language, grinding against him, the squelching noises of your cunt permeating the air.

“ Mmnh… ah, deeper, please Ma' Teyam”. You beg, sighing breathlessly between moaning.

He moans as he feels his cock bumping against your cervix, your body writhing beneath his, his tail swaying back and forth content with the words coming out of your mouth, it seems unreal to hear you call him that while begs him to go deeper, it's so overwhelming that he feels like his heart is going to stop beating any minute because suddenly everything seems too much, its too much to feel you pressing against him sighing between moans that consists only moaning his name when he thrusting into you like the sweetest of songs, mating with him because you want to it and begging for it and so good that his legs almost give out, as he purrs frees his hand from your tail only to bring it down onto your ass in a hard slap.

That screams with the tears that form at the corners of your eyes as the sensation of his now wildly, falter thrusts the walls of your cunt clench around him tighten around him almost becoming too much for him.

“You are mine now”. He whispers in you ear as his hand snakes around to your front so he can grip onto your throat, feeling your breath hitch underneath his fingers when he squeeze down, you whimper in a pathetic display of submission. " Say it "

You shake your head weakly, that would be too much, it would be too much to say when you still didn't want that arranged marriage, you still didn't want that Nateyam, who suddenly seems so attractive, so handsome that the irrational part of you desperately wanted him to be only yours. Tears well up in your eyes from the lack of air, which causes a strange feeling inside you, and you let out a silent cry as your body approaches orgasm with the stimulation of his fingers on your clit.

“ I'm yours, your vonvä ” You gasp. “ Only yours Teyam”

A sick satisfaction washes over Neteyam at your words. Ewya, he knows you'd hate it if he actually knocked you up, but your submission takes him totally over the edge. His hand releases your throat as he fucks you a few more times, a guttural growl coming out of his chest groaning as his his cum paint the slick walls of your cunt which are so sensitive in search of your own orgasm and he smirk watching you try when his fingers stop the stimulation on your clit, the lewd sounds coming from your used pussy seeps his cum.

He circles your clit a little more precisely, the pressure in your lower belly becomes immense, it's like ecstasy, flooding your body as it shudders beneath his, screaming you let out a hoarse moan, throwing your head back as your entire body shudders under his control finally succumbing to the orgasm that leaves your vision dark, your body relaxing at the pleasurable sensation.

A silence falls as you both pant, his muscular body slumping as his knees give way, putting all his weight onto your body that is now lying on the mat, eyes closed and heavy breathing trying to establish the normal rhythm of your breaths heartbeat that now seems to beat at a much stronger rate than normal with the thought that even without tsaheylu, even without being in front of Ewy you are now mated.

With a man you're now not so sure would still prefer you over all those Na'vi who practically begged to be mated, however that fate has naturally been accepted by you now.

“ Will you mate with me now? “. You hold his hand, wrapping it in yours. “ I mean before Ewya”

“ You're mine, aren't you ?” The words roll off his tongue before he even has a chance to process them. “ I'll mate with you before Ewya and make the bond for life, I'll make you my Tsahik, but only if you want it ”.

You take a moment to answer, not out of uncertainty but because the words are stuck in your throat, his warm breath blowing against your neck now that he's nuzzled his face there, inhaling you natural scent, licking the pulse point until you moan softly.

“ Yes Ma'Teyam, I want to ”

[artificial-transmutations]

Friday Friendship

Hey there! This one is kind of a spiritual successor to Calling the Plumber - and as such, it is one of the rare gay to straight stories of mine. While I do try to keep it friendly and without any homophobia or hate, feel free not read the story if you don't like g2s!

It was hard to overlook Montgomery and Archibald. Of course, that was always the case. But here, on the dirty construction site of their new home, the expensive silk suits of the couple stood out even more than elsewhere. Yes, the two of them were together - and they made sure everybody knew it. Not only were the two gentlemen standing in a tight hug whenever possible, but their flamboyant and colorful clothing left little doubt about their sexuality.

They were those kind of gays that conservatives were afraid of. Both were old enough to have been alive during the stonewall riots, although only Montgomery was actually there as a teenager. Still, the aged couple embodied everything the gay community prided itself on having achieved during the last decades.

Their house, too, would be a statement. The mansion was the largest construction in the area, and the most expensive one. It was going to be built on a large hill, overlooking the town, and its style was... extravagant. The house was to be built in a modern architectural style, but the two men had insisted that the walls would be entirely covered in rainbow colors, although that was still in the future by now. Surrounding the mansion would be a magnificent garden, a park even.

"My dear, are you satisfied with the construction?" Archibald asked his husband in his lime green suit. Montgomery had dyed his hair in an orange-pink tone today and wore a purple tie to his green suit. It was hardly the first building site he visited, since he had made a fortune in real estate.

Archibald, on the other hand, was a bit more conservatively dressed. His suit was a more subdued shade of beige, although his tie was of a bright sky blue color. He usually didn't dye his hair, and today was no exception: He wore the gray with pride, although he spent a fortune on hair and skin care products. He, too, had a respectable job as a top manager in a logistics company.

"Well, darling, I'm not sure yet." Montgomery replied. "I want it to look great, and the work has been good so far. But frankly, it feels that the workers motivation is somewhat underwhelming."

"I think I know what you mean, my dear." Archibald commented as they walked through the empty shell. "It is barely three in the afternoon on a Friday, and there isn't anyone around anymore. The workers must be out partying already. I can't fault them for that, but it is rather annoying, isn't it?"

"Indeed. It would have been nice if they were a little less lazy, though. The garden is behind schedule, and I believe the electrics are going to be delayed by another month."

"That is quite unfortunate."

Montgomery nodded and they walked a bit in silence. It was true. There was still a lot to do, and it looked like the workers left early for the weekend.

Finally, Archibald sighed.

"I guess I could take a look at the progress the electricians are making. I do know a bit or two about this. Maybe then we can talk to the foreman about their work. It's a pity that we cannot supervise every little thing here, but our jobs demand a lot of our time. If only we had a bit more hands-on control."

"My, what a fabulous idea! I will take a stroll through the garden then, to get a better picture there."

The husbands kissed each other on the lips as they split up and Archibald opened the fuse box. He had indeed done a bit of electrical maintenance in his prime, so he knew that what he saw in the box was nothing less than a mess. He sighed and was about to close the box again, but hesitated. No, he couldn't leave the mess like that. He would just tidy things up a bit, to show those inexperienced workers how it was done.

Carefully, he began to work on the wires, but before long, he felt uncomfortable. The fuse box was located in the bright afternoon sun, and it was just positively hot here. Still, not wanting to leave his work, he slipped out of his jacket and hung it over a nearby wall. He didn't notice that the piece of clothing disappeared once he turned away, nor did he notice that his hands became nimbler as he rearranged the wires.

Montgomery on the other hand found the garden construction even less advanced than he had hoped. Even worse, someone had left a few plants out in the heat. They would surely be dead by the time the construction continued on Monday. Montgomery couldn't let that happen. This garden would be beautiful, and no plant would die under his watch.

He carefully carried the plants to the place they were supposed to be. Of course, he knew - he had planned the park all by himself, so he knew where everything was supposed to go. As he arrived at the shady place, he understood why the plants hadn't been placed yet. The ground was wet and muddy, and there weren't any holes yet. He would need to talk to the foreman about that, but the man was surely already in the weekend as well. There was, however, a shovel nearby. Now, aside from ceremonial groundbreaking, Montgomery had never held a shovel. It wasn't that he didn't understand the concept, but he was just not the type for physical labor.

Well. He looked over his shoulder to his husband, who was apparently still busy looking at the fuse box. It seems like he had some time on his hands, so he might as well. Grimacing, he grabbed the shovel and carefully stepped on the soil, trying not to ruin his expensive shoes or pants. That worked well, for about two steps. But as soon as he tried to break the ground with the shovel, a big clump of wet soil splattered on his lime green silk pants.

Montgomery frowned. Well, that suit was ruined anyway. No reason to stop there. Determined, he pulled the shirt out of his pants and opened his vest. He wasn't going to ruin his custom tailored suit for no reason.

Meanwhile, Archie was getting into his work even more. From time to time, he had to wipe his brow, though, as he was sweating like an animal. His dress shirt was stained with multiple sweat stains already and didn't really *look* like a dress shirt anymore, but more casual. The same could be said for the rest of Archie as well. A certain youth had returned to his face, as he was concentrated on his work. This way, he didn't notice when his hairstyle dissolved into an unkempt mess or when a bit of stubble grew in on his chin. His shirt clung to his body now, drenched in sweat. It had long ceased to be a dress shirt though but had become a plain - although rather filthy - beige t-shirt. His tie was nowhere to be seen.

Due to the wetness, the shirt didn't leave much to imagination regarding his body. Not just his face had rejuvenated, no, his entire body had. He was leaner and his muscles firmer now. Out of the V-neck of his sweaty shirt poked a few golden hairs, and before long, his main hair had turned into a Nordic blonde, as well.

Meanwhile, Monty was digging like crazy. He had to get those plants in the ground, or the foreman would... Wait, what was he thinking?

He stopped for a moment, to scratch his head. Thinking was not his strong point, and Monty knew that. But he had other qualities, that made up for that. When he grabbed the shovel again, to keep digging, he heard a ripping sound that made him stop again. The shoulder of his shirt had ripped. His boss was going to kill him! Although, it appeared somewhat strange to him that he was wearing such a colorful and impractical shirt. Perhaps there weren't any other shirts left?

He looked around and saw only one of the electricians still on the site. He knew the guy, he was friendly enough. He surely wouldn't mind if Monty went shirtless for a bit. With an effort not to damage the clothing even more, he peeled out of the garment. He was only half successful with that, and a few more rips sounded before he had finished taking it off.

Monty looked down at his muscular and hairy torso. The cold air was good, and he wasn't afraid to get dirty.

With every movement of the shovel, his arm muscles tightened, and his frame filled out more. A short beard sprouted on his chin, and his now full earthy brown hair shortened to a more practical cut. It wasn't like he had money for an expensive hairdresser, after all.

Finally, he had the holes ready and wiped his hands on his sturdy pair of work pants. Now, he only had to put the plants in. Despite his impressive physique, Manny was always very careful with the flowers, and he made sure that none of the roots got damaged or that he didn't break the stem.

He looked at his work. Good, that would look great, once the plants grew. Someday, he would have a garden of his own, and a house like that. And a beautiful wife and two, no, three children. But that was still a long way to go, with his poor pay.

Someone behind him cursed and Manny looked back to the electrician.

Chad was still sweating like crazy as he worked the wires. His mates had all gone to the clubs by now and he was stuck here and had to fix the mess he had created. That was only fair, but he wished the foreman wouldn't have noticed until Monday. He had to hurry up, though. He didn't want to spend his Friday night on the site, after all. Perhaps he would even get lucky and find a guy... No, what was he thinking? Working on these fruits' house had made him all confused. No, perhaps he would find a busty bombshell to take home tonight. Chad felt his cock growing hard at the thought, creating an obvious bulge in his work pants. Great, more distraction.

Chad tried to readjust himself, just in time as he sensed the big burly gardener approach. He knew the guy loosely but had forgotten his name already - if he even had known it at all.

"Hey, everything alright with them wires?" the low voice of the brute asked in a friendly tone.

"Yeah, I just need to finish up here... Should be done aaaaany minute now..."

Manny watched Chad connect the last wires. Poor guy. His t-shirt was soaked with sweat, and he looked like he was really hot and stressed out.

"Cool. It's no fun working late, and on a Friday. Hey, do you want to hit a bar after that? I could go for a cold one."

Chad looked over his shoulder at the bear of a man. Was that guy hitting on him? Na, his face only showed dumb innocence.

He shrugged. "Sure, why not, eh..."

"Name's Manny." Manny said.

"Great. Manny." Chad said and closed the now somewhat better looking fuse box before wiping away his sweat once more.

"I'm Chad."

Manny and Chad left the building site together this Friday afternoon. Neither of them knew that they were going to become best friends over this and many more beers. Manny turned out to be a great wingman for Chad, and Chad even ended up as Manny's best man during his wedding and godfather for his first child. Sometimes the closest friendships are forged in the Friday afternoon sun of a construction site.

[klunkcat]

50 VAGUE ANGSTY + HURT/COMFORT DIALOGUE PROMPTS

7. "Did they hurt you?" gio + author's choice :3c

This is foul, just want to say! Not my fault!!!

Gioverse can be found here - this is n!mikey centered because its me <3

His first mistake, in a long line of many, was assuming he could leave for a few hours.

Gio had mentioned in the start-stop way of his that meant more half hedging implications of noticing something than ever an outright statement, that he’d never had broccoli and cheddar cheese soup before. This was, of course, a sin that Mikey had no choice but to right as soon as possible. He’d thought he could be in an out in thirty minutes, maybe an hour tops. Swing by April’s place after giving her a call, pick up the ingredients and head back. Easy peasy. 

He and Gio had really started to crack into his recipe book lately, and the thought was a syrupy sweet palpitation in his chest. Adding one more warm thing to the repertoire of lessons he was bundling the kid in seemed like a wonderful opportunity. 

Except, of course, he’d left Gio alone with them. 

It had been a long minute since Donnie had willingly left his lab, in his defense. More often than not Mikey had to brave the mess of cold wires and empty metal to try and bring dinner to his brother that he knew in his heart of hearts would be forgotten. And Raph rarely stayed in the Lair long enough to do anything other than sleep. He hadn’t thought— well, there was the crux of it. He hadn’t thought at all. 

Returning through the front door with bags of broccoli and the fancy kind of cheddar, he’d been thinking of warmth. Of getting that rare shy smile of Gio’s to shine through once again, just for the two of them. He’d been thinking of kitchen lights and music bouncing off walls, and not at all of the echoes or the empty rooms around them. 

“ – if you think, for one second that he’d– “

“That’s the problem!” Raph’s voice thunders. Mikey’s heart takes a sharp twist and tumbles straight down to the stone floor. “I don’t know anymore. You don’t either! Just— can we stop pretending?” 

A sharp, icy scoff. “Isn’t that what you’re best at, brother of mine? Or is that just Mikey. Should we ask him?”

“Don’t,” Raph growls back. 

“Or what! You’re not even here. Am I the only one who can’t do this? This thing where we act like we can make anything better just because he’s here—” Donnie’s voice pitches up, practically a roar by the end splintering off into a thousand barbs Mikey knew he’d wrap himself in the second that he could. But where is Gio? 

There’s a crash.

The bags fall from his hands to the floor. He takes in the fact Gio’s bedroom door is open, that the lights in the living room are on and— 

It’s all noise and color. Mikey barrelling through, skidding to a stop and registering just enough to note Raph’s balled fists, Donnie’s sharp glare, and Gio, standing just behind the couch, surrounded by shards of glass. Gio’s wide eyes, looking between his brother’s and over at Mikey like he isn’t sure there was anywhere left in the world for him to go. 

No one moves except for him.

He falls to his knees instantly, scooping Gio’s face in his shaking hands. “Are you— did they hurt you? Show me your hands, buddy, okay? I’ll check, I’ll make it better, you’re safe I promise, I—” 

Gio blinks, lets Mikey fuss and turn his hands all over, placating and malleable. There’s a tiny scrape on his knee that looks old, no cuts or nicks on his hands. No red or purple rising on his dark skin. Mikey closes his eyes, leaning his forehead against Gio’s for a shaky breath. 

He feels Gio’s hands reach up and press against his palms. “I’m okay,” he whispers after a moment, voice small and trying not to shake in the way that made his voice flatter. Younger. 

It doesn’t stop him from being terrified, because Gio had grown up somewhere Mikey didn’t know, where pinches and slaps had been handed out as easily as words. And it had taken Mikey all these hard months just to get the kid to stop scanning for exits in every room they stood in, and his brother’s had been yelling.

The thought slows, grinds to a halt. His brother’s had been yelling. About him. 

He makes himself lean back. Glances over at the rest of the room. 

Raph’s face is hollowed out. A complete study in guilt, one hand reaching forward almost unthinkingly. Like the smallest shard of an old Raphie had flickered through for a microsecond before vanishing on both of them. And Donnie– 

“We didn’t know he was here.” Don says, flat as ever. 

Mikey frowns, pulling Gio more firmly into his side. “That doesn’t make it okay.” 

There’s something strange to Donnie’s expression. Guilt? It can’t be. The loss of his twin had warped him so thoroughly that Mikey could never manage to fully understand, and he knows that this Donnie is a facsimile more often than his own person, but he’d thought… It isn’t a kind thought. It isn’t a thought he’s allowed to have anymore. 

“Mikey—” Raph tries, and some of the simmering anger Mikey makes sure he doesn’t have rises up between his breaths. 

“Don’t Mikey me. You were yelling about—” his voice catches, he makes it hold. “About me, right? You think I’m playing pretend. That I don’t know how bad we are.” He remembers that Gio’s here and holds onto the reminder like a buoy in the midst of all this disappointment and hurt, and the things they never say out loud anymore trying valiantly to fight their way through. “I’m not a stupid kid anymore, of course I know!” I know more than you, I know a thousand other worlds more than you, how badly we’re broken, I’ve seen them. 

His hurt crashes against him. “Of course I’m angry! I’m tired, and it’s so hard to try but I can do it  even if you can’t, and I am trying, so just. Stay the hell away and leave Gio out of this!” 

Raph’s face twists, his good eye dropping to the floor. “We thought. I thought he was with you. We wouldn’t hurt him.”

Gio’s warm and still bendable with his need to appease at Mikey’s side. It grounds him in all the same ways it makes all of this so much worse. Wouldn’t hurt him, except they’d yell and glare and avoid, right? Wouldn’t hurt him except that they didn’t know Gio thought he didn’t belong in the one place he should always feel safe. That he thought they hated him.

He opens his mouth, some boiling betrayal burning on his lips— 

“It’s my fault.” Donnie cuts in, still blank and stiff and sharp the way he always is, now. The admission is a tiny miracle nonetheless, and Mikey’s anger dies a quiet heat death in the center of himself. He doesn’t miss the tiny lurch in Gio’s breathing at his side, though. 

No one says anything for a long, horrid moment. Donnie looking straight through Mikey like he’s alone on a dying star; and it aches– it aches all the way through to know it’s an untouchable chill Mikey can’t ever break through even when he tries, and it’s worse to think that he’s used to it, but it’s familiar all the same. Don turns his head, hands flat at his side. 

“I’m the one who can’t do this.” Love right, he means. He doesn’t mean he can’t at all. 

Mikey pulls Gio closer, like he can shield him from the misunderstanding he knows will reach the kid anyways. He feels the words hit Gio, wash over him as Donnie leaves with a hiss of his lab door clicking firmly into place. 

He doesn’t mean it, Mikey thinks of saying helplessly. Except Donnie does mean everything he says, it just exists in stone blocks and hard data now and none of the softness has anywhere to stay. 

Raph watches Donnie leave, and lets out a long sigh. He rubs a hand over his face, and ages rapidly in a thousand eye bag lines all at once. “I’m sorry, kid,” Raph mumbles. Mikey’s not sure if he means Gio. He hasn’t been Raph’s kid in a long time. 

“It’s okay,” Gio says, stiff and quiet. Raph nods to himself, eye gazing emptily at anything but them, and shuffles himself off to his room. 

It’s them, again, like always. Mikey hates the fact he’s relieved enough to let himself untense— that his brother’s could ever exist in the same sentence as danger. It hurts to realize that his instincts have been wired backwards and inverted like this, in this reality Mikey couldn’t save anything from. 

He lets Gio go with a puff of breath and forces himself to stand, tries to find the strength in himself not to cry. There’s a light in him somewhere, still, but it’s different, too. 

Maybe he has been playing pretend in a type of way. Acting like he hadn’t changed as much as everyone else, too. 

Gio’s hand touches his, briefly. “Your knees.” 

He blinks. Oh. There’s blood, patches of it on the floor in between the glittering bits of glass. For a moment he worries that he had missed something after all, that Gio had been hurt— Gio stares nervously at Mikey’s legs where he’d crashed to his knees. 

There’s bloody tears in his pant legs. He doesn’t even feel it.

“Oops,” Mikey tries to laugh. It comes out wavering and pathetic. Gio bites his lip–  isn’t that a thought. All the yelling and the anger and the sheer brokenness of their family, and Gio looks like he might actually cry just over some scrapes from Mikey being stupid. He loves this kid so much it balloons right through him constantly in endlessly shocking ways. 

I’m sorry, Mikey thinks. He’s always sorry these days. “Let me get cleaned up, okay? Then, um. How about a new recipe? Think you’ll love it.” 

Gio looks like he wants to say something, closes his mouth instead. Smiles that tiny way Mikey would burn the world down for, instead. 

Maybe they’re both pretending, really. Maybe that’s all they can do. 

___

Gio grew up cold, it’s an inescapable reality he’s forged his understanding of the world around. There’s a bone deep chill that resides within most places, rooms for things that aren’t to be kept, and stern words meant to correct in straight neat lines. There’s no space for anything else. That’s the reality, kid. 

He’d spent most his life adapting, quick as he could to make the next deadline or the next drop. Make sure he was useful but not too important to be seen, to keep the jobs coming and food for the next day available. 

There was a point A to a point B, a quickest route forward. That’s all he needed. 

When Mikey found him a lot of that had been subsequently shaken apart. A lot of things suddenly meant staying, and promises, and bright room lights that held. Suddenly, food was fun and a given, and could be asked for, and there were laughs bubbling up and bouncing back to him, and warm hands against his cheeks asking ‘are you okay’ just to know. To check. 

He knew what being warm was because he knew the cold. He considered this a gift. 

There isn’t a single atom of himself that doesn’t ache with a deep homesickness he’s not sure he’s allowed to have every second that his Mikey is lost somewhere unreachable, but he is grateful. As much as he loves his family now, and their bright silly constant thrum of life everywhere he goes, he wouldn’t ever have chosen differently. 

If he was cold for nineteen years, it was so his big brother could burn bigger in comparison. 

His family now has plenty of warmth all on their own, but he tries to burn the same way for them all the same.

It’s funny, sometimes; his stomach twists with a fond ache that’s equal parts grief and absolute relief all in one that ties his words up somewhere else he can’t touch, but he misses his Mikey in the same way he loves this one. He wonders if Mikey knows how bright he is, that it’s the bravest thing he’s ever known. He’s also so small, here. Breakable in all the ways he bounces. It’s absolutely terrifying. 

Gio had been fighting in back alley scrapes and life or death battles since he was ten, but that doesn’t mean his little brother should. 

“Did they hurt you?” He asks, scanning absolutely every inch of Mikey’s arms and face he can see. He presses carefully at his sides, where the hard shell and plastron give way to more tender spaces. Mikey giggles instead of flinching, thank god. 

“Gogo~” Mikey complains, laughter bright on his cheeks. “I’ve been in bigger fights last week.” 

“You got thrown through a wall.” 

Mikey waves a hand. “Like, a little.” 

“No, he’s right,” Leo leans over Gio’s shoulder. “That sounded pretty rough. Anything dislocated?”

Gio hates the idea abruptly that any of them know what dislocation feels like, or that it’s regular enough it wouldn’t be obvious. 

“I’m fine, really! I pinky promise double swear.” 

Leo purses his lips. “With sprinkles on top?”  

Raph’s worry sensors must ping at the commotion, because Gio can hear him abruptly switching to Mikey fussing mode from the other room. Mikey’s expression darkens, Gio switches tactics. 

“You’re okay,” he decrees, with a tiny nod. “Soup will fix it.” 

Leo’s muffled snort is worth it for the way Mikey’s eyes light up. 

“Oh! I have broccoli I’ve been meaning to use.” He immediately jumps up, luckily confirming he is in fact just fine in the same motion, and instinctively puts both hands on Gio’s cheeks with excitement. “Oh mama, you have no idea what can of worms you’ve just unleashed. I’m going to make so much soup. How about a new recipe? I think you’ll love it.” 

Gio’s heart does something funny. 

“I’m sure I will,” he smiles back. Warm enough for all of them.

[precure1ove]

must be the season of the witch

summary : after being ditched last minute by his friends cater finds himself in an unusual shop owned by a even more unusual person

character : cater diamond

warnings : secret witch reader, no magic au except for reader, cater being weak to pretty people, non graphic mentioned animal corpses

a/n : A LOVELY BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR MY MOST AMAZING FRIEND @ceruleancattail ₍^ >ヮ<^₎ .ᐟ.ᐟ!!

Cater sighs, checking his phone once more despite it being ultimately useless as were the other times he tried before. It was just his luck that everyone decided to cancel on him with half-assed excuses; perhaps he should've known by the looks on their faces when he first asked.

It's not his fault that everyone was posting about that new trendy pumpkin latte so of course he had to join in or else he'll lose his status as a social influencer, even THE Vil Schoenheit posted about it.

Cater finally tucks his phone away, looking around at the street he ended on or the one he was supposed to meet up with his friends. Rows of the same high quality modern shops though one caught his eye it was a tucked shop with a sort of ‘witchy’ vibe.

 He didn't know what drew him towards that shop, maybe it was magic but he quickly shook that thought out of his head after all magic is fictional.

The door gave off a little ring as Cater took a peek inside the shop, the realization set in that it wasn't that far off from being every teenager's witch phase come true. As he explored every shelf the store had to offer, corpses of cats, rabbits, birds stuffed and posed for the artists desire, unusually labeled jars—seriously why was one named ‘drink me’ and nothing more—he realized how the shop seemed so much bigger than it looked on the outside, maybe it really was magic.

He snorted quietly in his hand, magic, yeah right. He passes by a section full of charms, this was more his style, objects to match with a bracelet or decorate his phone. Cater let his hands drift carefully from charm to charm, one shaped like the skulls he saw earlier, others from the stuffed animals. However one caught his eye, a crescent moon hanging off a diamond he traces the delicate patterns carved on the object, entranced by the object as if it put a spell on him. 

Cater didn't know how long he stood there admiring the mini charm but it was long enough that a teasing voice pulled him out of trance.

 “If you're gonna stare any longer i can ring it up by the register so i know you won't steal it”

He turns towards the noise, only to be met with a huge white hat, his eyes glance downward and there you are, an amused smirk paired with a smile that could only scream mischief. Embarrassment swelled within him, was he really acting like a shoplifter from being spell bound by a witchy charm—a small part of him is now glad that he was alone, he would of never lived this down if his friends were here— a nervous laugh escaped from him “Im..uh sorry i wasn't going to steal this i swear.”

 You laugh out loud at his nervousness and Cater swears that was its own magical remedy. His heart stuttered as he gaped at you, words dying even before they dared to make a sound out of him, you truly stole his breath away, like a real enchantress.

Your laughter turned to quiet giggles, twisting away beckoning him to follow, the charm tight in his grasp. You both ventured deeper into the shop, an opening appearing ahead with a register on top of a desk with small knick knacks to decorate.

He watches you skip behind the register, a ding welcoming you as you smile back up at him, he places the charm into your hand, “So- what made you want to work in a place like this?”

A hand scratches his cheek, contempt in simply observing you after handing in the money you asked for. “Witchcraft has been an ...interest of mine for some time so I thought why not make a hobby out of it! Long story short, I found a ramshackled building, fixed it up and ta-da my own shop!” A grin plastered on your face, Cater returns a smile of his own, lifting the charm as it dinged together up to his eyes receipt deep in his pocket,

“Well my dear little witch, what does this charm mean?” 

An exasperated look was on your face at the word ‘little’ but you complied with his question anyway, reaching over the register for a closer look. 

“Desire and protection.”

A hum of acknowledgement made its way out of him, grasping the charm in his hands again, he glimpsed up at you busy with packing away certain items, a smile once again presenting itself on his face. His phone vibrates in his pockets, checking it he sees another post about the forgotten trendy drink, crap.

“A-aha… it was great coming here! But i best be off, gotta update my magicam!♡” You look at him just as he blows a kiss at you then saunterinnering off quickly, the bell door rang throughout the shop, signifying his exit. 

A couple streets over Cater whines miserably, why had he acted like such a fool in front of such a , where was his normal happy go lucky attitude. He stops walking, realization settled in…

.…HE FORGOT TO ASK FOR YOUR NAME?!

⠀

EXTRA

You sigh again, a light pink dust over your cheeks as soon as the shop bell confirms you of the pretty man's exit. You giggle to yourself, lifting up a diamond charm hanging off a crescent moon.

You had no faith in that soulmate spell you casted out of pure boredom but surprisingly it had worked. A giddy feeling fueled you, you had found your soulmate and he was surprisingly cute, hopefully by now he would find your name and number written on the receipt.

And he did after venting to his notes app, especially how your phone was now always full of notifications and a date was planned for the following day to try out a new trendy drink.

likes & reblogs appreciated

masterlist⠀ — ⠀ request here

[rosesfromaforgottenname]

you’re an amalgamation of all you’ve ever loved, and i don’t believe you've ever been kissed—not by human lips, the loving sun or moon, nor the sweetness of genuine connection to a verb or a noun. I can’t blame you, you’re no better than a scared animal, you hurt therefore you hurt in a cycle of self-loathing,

and i’m sorry i couldn’t be the first one to kiss you, the first one to trespass your walls and leap over your boundaries like you did mine, and stay. i will never not feel guilty for all the promises we made and all the secrets and hurt shared before i left, but i honestly couldn’t bring myself to go back. you deserve better than you’ve ever had, which is what i’d say if i understood you, but you can’t ever read a book that refuses to let you cut it’s pages,

and of course, i implicitly understand your violence, your hate, your passionate rage is nothing but the product of pains echoing in your empty, dark, cavern of a heart, i know in my heart you are no different than me, a hurting romanticist, a lover struck too many times in our most vital organ, but your hurt has manifested into hatred, for not just all around you, but you yourself,

and what a difficult thing to love, hate, you can’t look for love and refuse to give it, but i can’t blame you for not wanting to be at risk again, but it’s silly, you’re so willing to play with your life, but not your heart? is it not the same to you? 

you’re so old now, and you still don’t get it? of course, i’m only a little girl feigning sentience and maturity, so my word means little, but you’re still that soft and bruised little boy feigning to be a 70s masculine man, so i suppose we’re two sides of the same coin,

how hard do you need to crush a heart to change a hopeless romantic? despite countless heartaches, i’ve never been pushed to leave like i had with you, you pushed so hard the sides switched, at some point i had turned cold, a miracle truly, you were all i wanted and hated in one repulsively beautiful package, i adored how you understood me and i hated how you were silent still, hated how hateful and how hurt you were, it wasn’t your fault entirely, of course you can’t control how you were treated by others, but you could always control your reaction

you are an icarus, except you never got close to the sun, time and people chipped at your wax, and you burned yourself down, you were a train crash, you were a gruesome disaster in progress, an amalgamation of hate and misconceptions, an example of how prejudice ruins, and its human, you’re only human, but maybe my problem with you was that you were too intrinsically human, too deeply in tune with the passionately hateful nature of humanity, too filled with the rage that drove humanity to develop the history we remember and forget today,

forgive me for not staying, forgive me for not being the one like you swore i was, forget me,

myin

[loquarocoeur]

alex I am so sorry to send another fucking ask but like. I needed to okay, (also doing my first ask on a laptop was a mistake bc I can type at the speed of light here and this got way too long oops?)

something I've thought and wondered about before was the idea of what would happen should max & charles ever be interrupted while max is in subspace. you've covered a funnier side like a regular walk in during sex and both of them just being like Would U Fuck Off, but subspace is different. like perhaps its something just like someone at the apartment door that actually does really need answering, an urgent work call one of them forgot about, someone in an area they are unexpectedly that maybe doesn't see them but their presence is enough to panic max.

if its more the physical presence of someone, even just in another room etc, obviously max would lose 20 years of his life at the idea of anyone but charles seeing him in subspace, its a painfully private vulnerable part of him for charles and charles alone. it'd rock him, obviously.

or if it was more along the line of a phone call or situation where one of them needs to be physically present, how would max feel but also how would charles deal with juggling the Important Thing He Forgot To Do while also soothing a very down very subby max. obviously a first idea is just making the problem Go Away, etc, but a. I like to work scenarios through and b. it'd be enough of a bubble intrusion to cause a shift in the atmosphere anyway.

its not even meant to be like especially angsty if you don't want because heavy shit aint always the vibe. you don't need to know like a definite answer here, or have even thought about it before. I just particularly enjoy the dynamic of subspace itself and wanted to chat (and accidentally send u half an essay about) it. hell you don't need to have a fuckin clue I just wanted to float you my brain thinky stuff bc why not <3

apologies again that I've sent u an ask the length of war and peace

~ swanon 🦢

Yeah I think considering their careers this is definitely a thing that happens at some point.

I think the first time it's probably just the door or something and Max thinks he's going to be fine if Charles just leaves to answer it quickly, but turns out it is not fine and Charles can't just leave him because he will absolutely panic

Also it's probably also more subtle that Max's, but I think Charles also kind of gets into a kind of domspace during sex as much as Max gets into a subspace and even though he finds it much easier to snap himself out of it or multitask with it, it's still a thing and he'd probably need a second too

So I think it obviously does happen like several times to the point that sometimes they either just put it off for a few minutes until they're out of that headspace enough to do the 'important thing' or Charles just ends up taking Max with and letting him just cling onto him behind the door while Charles peeks his head out to sign for a package or smth lol and also let's be real, Charles is not above answering phone calls while he is actively inside of Max

So basically I think it's either Make The Thing Go Away or if that's not an option just Multitask

But yeah I don't think it would end up too great if anyone walked in on them while Max is like actually properly in subspace because yeah that's not something Max wants anybody to see except Charles and it's also not something Charles wants to share with anyone else because it's just like private and personal and it means something to them yknow. And Charles also kind of has the responsibility of taking care of things when Max is like that so he would feel like absolute shit about it even if it wasn't his fault like at all.

Yeah I don't even know what would happen but I don't think they would blame each other at all, if it was bad enough they'd probably end up having a joint breakdown about it crying at the same time like no no I'm sorry it's my fault, no it's mine etc until they finally agree it was nobody's fault and finally calm the fuck down and feel slightly bad for whoever they accidentally traumatised just now

[dakogutin]

for @wolfstarkinktober2024 prompt: age gap (adults) happy kinktober, sluts!

They were way past the 'how' of this... accident. Remus has finally calmed down to a more reasonable degree, just enough for him to stop spiralling in guilt and instead go off in a panicked search for a remedy.

The worst part was that Sirius was right about everything. It was Remus' fault for being stubborn enough to take on a commission involving potions, and for even continuing to take on commissions when they weren't in dire need of its revenue. At all.

This was a classic foundation for an argument between them. Nothing too extreme, just that Sirius would give him that exasperated look of his where his eyebrows would pinch together above narrowed eyes and curled lips.

Except Sirius was staring at him with round eyes, a blend of fascination and... something else... behind that gaze.

Oh, and the fact that he seemed to have aged back ten years.

(read on ao3)

Every once in a while Remus would catch a glimpse of twenty-something year old Sirius in the corner of his eye and lose his train of thought. Where was he? Remus shook his head. Right, he was flipping through the book that held the instructions for the Aging potion he was commissioned for.

In his defence, yes, he may have butchered the potion. Yes, he could've asked help from Sirius, who happened to be brilliant at everything. However, he wasn't the idiot who mindlessly held the vial with bare hands. Tripped. And spilled everything on himself. Yeah, that was all Sirius, who was equally brilliant at sending Remus into a frenzy.

"So we're still together?" Sirius continued his interview whilst Remus tried to prevent another breakdown.

"Yes, we are," Remus replied distractedly.

"It's been, what, a decade?"

"Yep."

"Aces."

Remus tried to sound annoyed but had to hide the rush of fondness from his face.

"Do I also have greys?" Sirius said.

Before Remus could begin to wrap his mind around that question he felt a finger playing with his hair. He jumped.

But Sirius simply smirked at him. "Do I?" he pressed.

"A bit. Not as much as mine," Remus said bitterly, turning back to the book. Really, Sirius didn't have to point out how badly Remus was ageing thanks to his lycanthropy.

Sirius hummed, and then he was running his hand through Remus' hair again. "Looks really good on you," he purred. "Really good."

Remus froze. He knew that tone. Finally setting down the book, he gave Sirius a look.

"What? You look really hot! Can't blame a guy for checking you out. And I'm allowed," he added as a matter-of-factly. "Technically I'm still your boyfriend."

"Husband," Remus said softly.

Sirius glowed. "Holy shit, that's even better!"

Remus blushed, and instantly felt ridiculous. He wasn't supposed to be as giddy as Sirius. Being married has been his reality for a decade, it wasn't news to him. But seeing how elated Sirius was also made him feel warm. He settled on the couch, collecting himself– but then Sirius climbed on his lap, very much like Padfoot when demanding for cuddles. Except Sirius was significantly smaller, heavier, and... squirmish. It almost felt foreign to Remus' body. Almost. As soon as the initial shock passed, familiarity settled like a distant memory. He'd know this body anywhere.

"Can you please stop stressing for one minute?" Sirius said, grabbing Remus' chin to lock their gazes together.

Admittedly, the distraction worked wonders. Remus had to fight it off like he was facing a Legilimence. Rich pools of silver were deep enough to drown into as Sirius stared him down. "How?" Remus said wryly. "You are practically a child."

Sirius scoffed. "Calm down. I've got to be about twenty-three or maybe older. How is that a child?"

"Sirius, I'm thirty-eight!"

It did not evoke the reaction Remus expected. "Really…” Sirius' pupils dilated as a ravenous grin spread across his face. “This is what you look like at thirty-eight?"

By ten whole years Remus was apparently older, and yet here he was, blushing under Sirius' gaze. This had to stop. "Right..." Remus turned away and started gently plucking Sirius' arms off of his shoulders.

"No, no, no, I mean to say you look very hot!" Sirius pinned Remus down on the chair, squeezing his arms. He chuckled. "I'm actually so incredibly attracted to this."

Remus still refused to look at him. "Sirius..."

"No, listen," Sirius murmured, forcing Remus to meet his eyes. "I know we can find a solution to... what happened to me, but don't you want to make the most out of this first?" Sirius tilted his head, hooded eyes trailed directly on Remus' lips. He was danger in human form.

Sirius' parted lips were right there. Remus swallowed thickly. "I don't..." he cleared his throat, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Sirius hummed. "Those happen to be my favourite." He inched closer until he was hovering over Remus' lips. "But you know that." He captured Remus' lips.

Remus kissed back, embarrassingly eager. Although Sirius was just as eager, Remus was still older, and, well... shouldn't he know better? 

Sirius pulled back and sighed. "You are thinking too much again." He gently tapped a finger to Remus' forehead, chastising. "Nice to know not much has changed with you."

Remus rolled his eyes and let his head drop. "This is just so wrong, okay."

"No, it's not! I'm still me. Christ, Remus. Please tell me you didn't become so boring after ten years."

"Well, maybe I did!"

"Nice try, old man." Sirius chuckled at himself. "I know you can be fun." He didn't give Remus room to reply, burrowing his face into Remus' neck and kissing a bruise there.

A shudder spread throughout Remus. He felt himself melt into Sirius' kisses, just as cold hands slid under his shirt. Fucking hell, even to a younger Sirius, Remus was still powerless to his whims. Sirius' touches had nothing gentle about them but rather a hungry kind of possessiveness. Remus recognised it, just as familiar as he was with each one of Sirius' mercurial moods. 

One hand brushed against Remus' nipple, eliciting a surprised moan from him. Sirius hummed in reply. "The same tells," he mused before going back to ravishing Remus' mouth with his tongue.

Remus forgot how even more insufferably arrogant Sirius was and had a newfound appreciation for how subdued Sirius became. "Didn't know you had a thing for older men," he mumbled.

Sirius laughed. And it was the same barking note, so full of fire and mirth. "Apparently," he said. Remus shifted on his seat. "No, don’t even start with me," he immediately added. 

“But I didn’t say anything.”

"I know what you're thinking." Sirius ran his hand through Remus' fringe, massaging his scalp. Remus relaxed into his touch. "I just like you, okay. Any shape or form or size." He grinned.

"Right, I'll be sure to let Moony know."

"Absolutely do."

Remus bursted out laughing. "You're disgusting."

"And you're still buttoned up." As soon as he pointed it out, Sirius set to work leaving Remus' shirt open. He sighed appreciatively and trailed his kisses down to Remus' chest. Climbing off, Sirius continued his trail of kisses until he was sat between Remus' legs. 

In a series of swift and well-practised movements Sirius undid Remus' belt and trousers, and slid Remus' cock in his mouth. He was laser focused, not interested in teasing. He took Remus deeper, sucking harder until Remus hit the back of his throat. Remus could do nothing but moan in abandon as Sirius began bobbing his head. It was a relentless pace, stealing Remus' breath. Too much all at once. Remus had to laugh at the stark reminder of his age once again. This didn't used to be an issue.

His hand rested on Sirius' smooth locks, curling it in a fist to ground himself to the mind-numbing sensation of Sirius' hot, wet, talented mouth. He'd tug on it every now and then, knowing how much Sirius loved that too.

Just as Remus was losing himself to the bliss, Sirius pulled off and hastily got on his feet. He wiped his chin and upon noticing Remus watching, he winked. "Think you’re all set now." Then proceeded to peel his clothes off in a rush. Remus only had time to remove his shirt as Sirius was already climbing on him again, straddling his lap. With Remus' cock standing hard and leaking behind Sirius' bare ass, Sirius rolled his hips a few times just to tease them both. He was so lithe. So… compact. His waist fit Remus’ hands perfectly. 

Then Sirius lifted his hips, and guided Remus' cock to his hole. "Sirius!" It was almost a moan, except it sounded too urgent.

Sirius shot him a questioning gaze, before it melted into a softer expression. "Stop looking at me like that."

It caught Remus off guard. "Like what?"

"Like I'm made of glass." He cupped Remus' jaw and caressed his thumb there soothingly. The gesture was so tender that Remus was not at all prepared for when Sirius added, "When did I ever not like it rough?"

A surprised laugh pushed its way past Remus' throat. He rolled his eyes, too fond for his own good.

Sirius smiled. "Just relax, Moony."

Remus took a deep breath. Sirius was right– about everything, yes, but mostly that he should stop resisting. It did nothing but spoil this moment for both of them. Besides, this Sirius still wanted him, and he wanted this too. He’d be lying to himself otherwise. Now more decidedly, he pulled Sirius into a deep open-mouthed kiss.  

A feathery moan was Sirius’ response, pleased by this decision. Remus guided Sirius’ hips with his hands, properly sliding Sirius against his cock. He had no idea what to expect. If the difference in body was anything to go by, would Sirius feel different when Remus fucked him now? How long had it been since this Sirius had done anything like this? Remus’ head swam with desire as his cock twitched. 

Then Sirius chuckled, pulling back ever so slightly. “You finally got out of your head?”

“Not exactly.” Remus felt his lips curl into a small smile.

Realisation washed over Sirius’ expression. “I know that look.”

Remus felt his smile widen in intrigue. “Do you…”

“You have no idea.” Once again Sirius lifted his hips, took Remus’ cock in his hand and lined it to his hole, slicking himself with precum. “How often I wank myself thinking about that look.” 

A shiver ran down Remus and he had to bite his lip. He reached for his wand, casted the preparation spell for Sirius and threw it somewhere on the floor. Then slowly, he pushed the tip of his cock inside, watching the way Sirius’ face pinched. “Why, what do I look like?” Remus purred.

Sirius tried to push down, impatient. But Remus held him still, his grip on Sirius’ waist tight enough to form bruises. A groan rumbled in Sirius’ throat before melting into laughter. “Prick.”

“Yes, you’ll get that soon,” Remus teased.

“I think I prefer you being shy and careful than this.”

It was Remus’ turn to laugh. “But I thought you said you like me any shape or form or size…” A crease formed between Sirius’ eyebrows. When he sighed a small whine slipped out from his lips. Remus forgot how bratty Sirius could be back then especially when he was being teased like this. 

“Moony,” he grumbled. “Hope you plan on fucking me before you turn fort– Ah!”

Remus slammed his hips up. Then again. And again. And again. Until Sirius was crying out in pleasure. When he found a rhythm Sirius’ legs fell slack, letting Remus fully keep him just right up so he could, in turn, keep fucking into Sirius. He couldn’t help his own moans as he was right– Sirius felt different.

He was more… pliant. Supple. It didn’t take long for Remus to crave more. Without pulling out, he flipped them so Sirius was lying on his back with Remus pinning him there. Now with better support he thrusted faster, harder, the loud slap of their skins echoing in tandem with Sirius’ little whimpers. God, Remus was about to lose it.

“Mmm…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah…” Sirius drawled out a longer moan. “Fuck, Moony, just like that.”

Remus hummed. “Feels good?”

“So… so g– ah! So good.”

A grin strained Remus’ cheeks. Sirius was so much more reactive. And by god, he felt so good too. “You want it rough?” Remus murmured sweetly.

“Mm, yes. Fuck…” Sirius pushed back, meeting Remus’ hips and fucking himself on Remus’ cock. Remus watched in lustful awe as Sirius fell apart, losing himself in pleasure, desperate to give just as much as he was getting. Sitting back, Remus instead slipped a hand to wrap around Sirius’ neglected cock– and squeezed.

Sirius screamed. Hips stuttered from the stimulation on all angles. His movements lost its coordination, growing erratic and clumsier that Remus mercifully obliged. He reclaimed his control and pinned Sirius back down so he could ram his hips into Sirius better, deeper. He timed his thrusts with his fist around Sirius’ cock, all in all reducing Sirius into a mess of incoherent babbles and breathless moans.

Then without warning, Sirius exploded in hot white ropes between both of them. Remus thrusted a few more times, letting Sirius ride out his high. Only when Sirius’ breaths became deeper and more relaxed, he stopped, then parted Sirius’ lips open with his tongue.

Sirius kissed back languidly, sloppier now that he’d come down from his high. But then he pulled back not too long after and spoke in a hoarse voice. “Why’d you stop?”

Remus could only blink and let out a huff of amusement before Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus’ waist, his hands settling on Remus’ ass– and pulled Remus’ cock deeper in. Remus could only gasp.

“Cum inside me, Moons.”

“Fuck…” Remus groaned, easing back to his earlier pace. “Sirius…”

“Yeah, that’s right. Just like that, darling.”

Their lips reconnected. All spit and tongue more than anything. “Good enough?” Remus mumbled.

Sirius grinned. “Harder.”

Remus easily obliged, until every thrust punched out a whimper from Sirius. He felt that familiar wave building as he neared his edge. And almost as though Sirius sensed this, his hands crawled to play with Remus’ nipples. 

It was too much.

Remus came with a guttural moan as he could vaguely make out soft whispers from Sirius. “Did so well… Love feeling every bit… So full…”

When Remus recovered from the haze, he wasted no time devouring Sirius’ lips. They stayed like that for a while, lazily kissing back, licking into each other’s mouths. Remus was close to drifting off into sleep— when he felt himself being flipped onto his back. His eyes fluttered open to the sight of Sirius straddling him again, and it reminded Remus that he still hasn’t pulled out of Sirius.

Especially when Sirius began rocking his hips again.

Remus winced from the oversensitivity. “Ah, Sirius!” He whined.

Sirius bounced a few more times before finally stopping. “Oh… sorry,” he cooed. “Is it too much for you, old man?”

“You…” Remus fell into breathless laughter, “little shit.” Sirius simply flashed him a grin at this as he made a show of wanking himself in slow but deliberate strokes, still sitting on Remus’ softening prick. Although he knew Sirius could definitely cum a second time just from this— letting Remus watch, he also had a better idea. “Come here,” he said.

Sirius ended up bent over, thighs as far apart as he could with Remus pressing his face into Sirius’ used hole, licking up his mess. It was all indulgent, all for the sake of Sirius’ pleasure. Sirius stroked his own cock harshly, as desperate as his muffled moans from his face digging into the couch. This was more familiar. While fucking Sirius felt like being on top of the world, there was still something special in what was familiar. Like coming home.

“Oh, fuck…” Remus jerked his hand faster, moaning into Sirius’ hole and sending vibrations all over him. “Remus… ah… I’m gonna— ah! ” Sirius came with a grunt, squirming in Remus’ tight grip. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Ah!”

Pulling off, Remus glanced over as soon as Sirius’ moans subsided into heavy panting. He gently flipped Sirius so he would lie on his back, only to find the potion's effect had worn off. His husband was back.

Remus couldn’t contain the huge relieved smile. “Sirius…” he called softly, tucking the stray locks of hair away from his gorgeous flushed face. “Welcome back, love.”

Sirius’ eyes fluttered open. Then the first thing that escaped his parted lips were, “Younger me just had to go for a second, didn’t he…”

“Of course you did.” Remus collapsed in chuckles. “What’s the matter? Too much for you, old man?”

“Shut up,” Sirius threw a weak punch to Remus’ chest. “My throat burns. Fucking hell, how loud was I?”

“Very loud.”

Sirius groaned. “Hope that was bloody worth it. I’m sore all over.”

“Are you really saying you didn’t think it was?” Remus scraped his fingers through Sirius’ hair, just like how he’d pet Padfoot. It seemed to work all the same with Sirius anyway.

Sirius was silent for a while. “Whatever. You’re drinking it next time.”

Next time. Remus rolled his eyes, but couldn’t contain the rush of excitement. Then the rest of Sirius’ words dawned on him. “Drink? You didn’t drink the potion, did you?” The events caught up to him, now with a different pair of eyes. “You said it spilled on you…”

“Oh, Remus.” Sirius’ shoulders shook with laughter.

Everything suddenly made sense. It was all Sirius. Nothing was on accident.

Remus shook his head in disbelief. “You are a menace,” he said as Sirius’ laugh rang through their living room.

[bethberry]

THE ONLY EXCEPTION

⋆·˚ ༘ *pairing⋆·˚ ༘ *- tara chamblerxfem!reader

‧₊˚ ⋅warnings* ‧₊ - none

*ੈ✩word count ‧₊˚ - 1,563

୨୧A/N - thank you to the server for forcing me to write this I'm actually very proud of it :3

my first idea of love was terrible. the first time i thought i knew what love was and how it should be, it was torn in half. only months before the apocalypse started, my parents got into a fight.

they always fought and i was used to the yelling. hell, i was even used to how aggressive my dad got. not this time. i couldn't do it anymore. it ended up with my parents getting a divorce.

all because i couldn't keep my mouth shut and my feelings inside.

ever since then, i swore to myself and to the future people I'd meet that i would never try to love someone or let anyone love me. they say you're parents are the draft for how you grow up to be. i didn't want to roll with that so i never fell in love. if i felt like i was going to? i'd just leave. cut whatever person i felt feelings for out.

then the breakout began, cities being taken out within the hour, buildings burning down from the mass bombing. both of my parents died quickly. my mom was taken out by a walker while we tried to make it back to my dad's place. i got there alone, only to find his rotting corpse.

to this day, all of it still feels like my fault. maybe if they weren't hating each other because of how stressed their fighting made me. maybe then they'd still be living together. maybe they would have little secret safety spots that they came up with together that we all could've hid out in. but no. it's not like that. now, i was sitting outside of a gated community. in this world, it felt like i was dreaming when they let me in. houses, baths, food, and even cattle. it was all real. after a couple of days of people warming up to me, i finally got my own home to live in.

so far i was only getting close with two people from the community, a man named glenn and a girl named tara. everyone else was just acquaintances.

glenn was caring, and extremely protective. i saw him as a brother but not the kind where he's always looking after me. he supported me and my decisions.

tara.

tara had the softest brown eyes. almost all of the time, her resting face was still so kind. she made me laugh all the time. her hair was growing long after i had been there for so long. she let me trim it sometimes which turned into me completely styling her hair in the silliest ways possible. i had even found some makeup in the drawers in my house and decided that tara would be a good model for me. anytime that i wasn't helping around the community i was with tara. she loved lightning moments when she could. she loves fist bumps and thinks they are a simple way of showing friendship. she loves having her hair up but lets it down around me. she prefers baggy clothing because it's not touching her skin as aggressively and skin-tight clothes. she likes the feeling when i sit over her lap while i draw on small hearts next to her eyes with eyeliner. "you should try it on both sides this time babe." she says with that same small giggle between every other word. i tilt my head to the side a bit before lifting my hand to hold onto her chin and turn it to the left.

i draw another heart and she smiles. her eyes were locked on mine and mine were staring at the crease of her eye. when i looked back to her pupils, they widened. expanded as if she were under the influence. both of our eyelids flutter a bit before i can't even think anymore because our lips are pressed together, melting against each other. it felt nice in the moment but my head started finding its track again and i stood up quickly. i was falling in love again.

every day, i would think about tara. her doe-like eyes. her pillowy pink lips. her hair. dry or when she comes out of the shower and puts on one of my t-shirts instead of hers. how couldn't i tell that i actually loved her? how did my brain not process that for so long?

i panicked in place for a second before rushing out of the room, leaving tara dumbfounded. she sat on the bed in silent confusion, now sat up with her arms supporting her as she stood up.

the bathroom door slammed shut as i stepped inside. at first, i tried to take deep breaths and shake away this dreading feeling of love but it didn't work. i just kept imagining her face and how nice her lips felt against mine. it was all too perfect and that was the exact issue. i was going to fall in love then it would be taken away from me in a blink of an eye. my back was pressed against the bathroom wall while i had my head in my hands. i quietly cursed at myself for letting this happen but quickly jumped at the soft knock from tara.

"y/n? you in there?" she totally knew i was in there. but that's how tara is, she's kind, compassionate, understanding, and patient.

i swallow a large lump in my throat and begin to speak. "yeah."

"could i...come in?" she said through the door, her voice slightly muffled but i could hear the affection and need in her words.

a long sigh left my mouth when i thought about her question. she stayed sitting outside of the door as i contemplated letting her in. it could lead to so many different things. i could confess my feelings for her and she would say that she felt the same. or i could confess and she could feel the complete opposite and all of my precautions and overthinking would be right.

i open the door with a small creak. i could see the saddened look in her eyes when she saw that i had been crying. she was the only person that had ever seen me cry like this. all she did was look at me with a caring expression. the corners of her lips were tugged down a bit and her eyes and eyebrows were dropped down.

"i know." she breathed out with a small huff. i snapped my head up from my gaze on the floor and met her eyes but i was still silent.

"i've known. when you first did my hair i could see it in your eyes." my eyes flutter a bit, a look of disbelief painted all over my face.

"you don't even have to say anything okay? i just know and i also know that i want more with you. i want more than little sleepovers as if we're kids. i want more than you doing my makeup. i want more than taking the mornings to ourselves to clean up the horse stables i want more than this. i just..." she takes in a large breath and lets it out while staring up at the ceiling. she then brought her head back down to look at me while small tears fell from my eyes.

"i want you."

part of me couldn't even process the words leaving her mouth. another part of me wanted to run away from this horrid feeling. this terrible terrible moment where i realized that this was it. then that last third part of me wanted to smash my lips against tara's. but i just stood and stared at her with pure worry in my eyes. imagine it was all a joke and she was fucking with my feelings.

of course, she wasn't.

"please say anythi-"

for the first time ever, i quickly wrapped my hands around the back of her head and pressed our lips together without tugging away to run. not a rushed kiss or a hungry kiss. just a kiss. a long one. i felt a small breath leave her lips, probably a gasp but my brain was fogged over so i couldn't tell. all i knew was that i couldn't go back after this. her hands linked together behind the small of my back and pulled my hips closer to hers, not for a second did she let our lips slip away from each other. we ended up stumbling all the way from the bathroom back to her room. she laid back down on her bed with me on her lap. her hands still held onto my waist while i wrapped mine around the very back of her neck. our lips sunk into each other like puzzle pieces. i could taste some sort of fruit juice on her lips.

eventually, her hands found their way into my hair. the sensation of her fingertips and slightly long nails against my scalp sent a chill up my back.

my throat and lungs were telling me to pull away to catch my breath but my hands, feeling her soft skin, said to stay. my nose, gently tapping right beneath her eye socket, said to stay. my hips, sat on top of hers without fear, said to stay. my entire body told me to stay. then tara pulled away.

"are you gonna stay?"

tags - @carlsangel @crxssbowcarl @aurasplanet @hiro--aoki @rositastara @deadgirlwalkingx

[lovelykil]

CAN U DO REVERSE COMFORT WITH KILLUA

IDC WHAT ITS ABT BUT JUST MAKE IT REVERSE COMFORT PLEASE POOKIE😞🙏🏻

chocolates—

: ➛killua

note; my brain has put itself on hold for like a week 🙁🙁 but anyway ofc pookie

my back leans against the cold wall with my knees tucked to my chest, I sit still like a pouting child. Except I'm not pouting. I sniffle, my glossy eyes staring at the carpet. This same overwhelming feeling of anxiety washes over me as the pathetic tears swell my eyes.

was this my fault? was I the cause of this break up? will.. she come back?

"shit,," I breathe out as I wipe away these droplets of vulnerability. The more I think about it the more I want to cry. It's all so stupid but—

"y/n." I nearly jump at the voice from beside me, I was so lost in my thoughts I must've forgotten I wasn't alone in this bedroom.. that wasn't even mine.

"h-huh?" I turn my head toward the voice, eyes wide and watery as I stare off guard like. It was him, he was still in his sleeping wear; comfortable baggy sweats with a black loose t-shirt. He looked wearily, his blue eyes low and dark as his hair was quite in a mess, not entirely but some stains stuck out. It kinda went with his whole layered haircut he recent got though.

"you shouldn't cry over her you know, I kinda saw this coming to be honest." killua said, his voice hushed in the dark space before he looked away. He sat with his legs infront of him, knees toward the ceiling as he arms rested on them. I remained looking at him, letting his words sink in. My eyes dart away for a moment as I look away shortly.

"you did?"

"yeah." I sit in silence with him trying to wrap my head around all of this, my legs grow minds of their own as they fall to the ground slowly. I mess with my finger tips, speaking again.

"how so? Was this my fault?" I whisper. I feel weak as I mutter the question, my stomach twists with horrible sensations that make me queasy, I almost don't want him to answer, afraid I might be correct.

I am a terrible friend.

"are you kidding me? No. I didn't want to say anything or else we would've had a fight and honestly I wasn't in the mood for that but, she was a total bitch." Judging by the tone of his voice, he was being sincere. He was harsh as he explained,, suddenly that weird feeling went away and I felt.. relived?

"well that's not nice.." I chuckle lightly, sniffling in the moment. I hear him scoff 'tch.' He goes as his legs fall just like mine. He looks over at me as I do the same. Our eyes meet.

"she gave me such a headache, god I hate your friends."

"killua.." I make a face, my eyes still glossy red from the crying. I fold my arms slowly stating at him. He looks at me like he's done nothing wrong, even smirking with those tired eyes of his.

"it's true–"

"I still really cared about her though, we've been friends for so long kil.. it kinda hurts." My arms unfold to mess with the string of my pj pants I wore. Silence filled the air, it felt like a long one.. it felt like he was conflicted on what to say next.

maybe he understood? Maybe he didn't. I had no clue in that moment. It wasn't until I heard him softly sigh and saw him stand up I realized he didn't understand. He left the room and abandoned me in this empty bedroom for a few minutes.

to be honest I felt a little offended, even sulking till he returned back. What the hell did he leave for??

I saw him close his door with something in his hand, he walked himself back to me and sat down— this time a little closer than before.

curious and a little mad, I gazed over at the silverette to see what he was holding. It was..

"chocolate, here."

"huh?" He placed the chocolate— actually it was his chocolate robots right on my lap as I squinted to see it clearly. My eyes grew as I picked up the treat, my mouth hung open slightly in shock.

"your chocolate robots? But you never—"

"just shut up and take it before I change mind.." He opened his robot, making it very clear to just shut the hell up and take it. In which I did, quickly! A confused but warm smile tugged my lips as I opened the treat.

I could feel his eyes land on me as I happily ate the chocolates, he only stared for a bit before he looked away. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught him smiling to himself looking at the robot container.

he was either really happy about the chocolate or me. If I was to guess it was probably the chocolate.. either way he still looked adorable when he smiled. I felt a little better now.

"hey, it's okay to be torn about her.. you'll eventually get over it. Though you shouldn't because she sucks but you get it.. I kinda hate seeing you act so sad. Your smile is way better anyway." my sweet, unaffectionate, idiotic boyfriend spoke with sincerity, he chews on his chocolate momentarily after speaking such kind words to me.

I look at him, stunned for words. "killua—"

"don't ruin the moment.. just shhh." He says, pressing a finger to my lips. I cross my eyes to look at his finger then look back at him as I nod. He removes his finger about to open his mouth wide to pour in more chocolate but I interrupt with a grin.

"oh killua you're so cute you know? Thanks sweetheart." I tease, leaning in to peck his cheek. Once I do I sit back down and lean my head on him to savor this moment.

this time I smile to myself, thinking about his face right now.

at this point my tears were all dried up, and the feeling of anxiety was replaced with a warm fuzzy one from this hunter. He takes a second to respond to which I snicker lightly once he does.

"your... your welcome."

[venticuliao]

Thoughts on Arcane

Arcane's writing is built on a basis ideologically opposite to mine, as every work of American fiction is by design.

I like it on its own terms, without projecting my beliefs into it. All American media is held back by ideological constraints, this one has great writing within these limitations which I don't see often, so I like it a lot. Doesn't represent any ideal for me, is all.

I don't know why that is, if every American creative director just happens to be a loyal imperialist dog or if executives in the corporations that own the product share a guidelines of what has to be portrayed by the narratives. Every villain with a reasonable goal has to be morally antagonized in some way, Killmonger wants to be the head of the new power structure, Magneto wants to return the violence, so on and so forth, for whatever reason.

What I know is it's inescapable, even biopics of real life people have their beliefs trivialized or sidelined, even when the directors behind them sympathize with it. Oppenheimer defined his role in the creation and use of the bomb through Hindu beliefs that he was very serious about, yet the movie trivializes it with a scene where he recites the Vedas during sex; Fred Hampton was openly a communist yet Jesus and the Black Messiah gets away with mentioning it only once.

This is just how American media is allowed to exist, I've never had the luck to encounter any exception. When I started Arcane I didn't have any different expectations, regardless of what was presented to me on the screen. Anything that has the remote appearance of a reflection of my ideals can only be a mirage that sooner or later will show its real face, that's more or less how I interact with American media, and I've learned to not resent it. I don't compromise my ideals in watching and enjoying how the enemy makes art, something like that. Everything can be appreciated within its own terms.

Such is the case of Arcane, although only explicit in the second season at the very least. I think fans in general attribute what they consider flaws in the writing to a lack of skill or a failure, but just from my perspective drawing from what I described before, these are deliberate choices.

The optics of having rioters, especially black rioters, willingly join armed forces against the threat of war is pretty incriminating on itself. When the country demands duty from its citizens even the most rebellious ones will attend.

On the other hand, for every act of violence against the people of Zaun there is a reasonable justification, although parts of a larger conflict between the two cities.

This story was never about rebellion to me, that much I can vouch for. It seemed to me that it was rather about powerlessness. I think just most people are used to dystopian YA novels where the teenage protagonist overthrows their corrupted government at the end, but that's not usually how dystopia genre works. Outside of YA you're more likely to see pessimistic stories where the characters are beaten down by the system into submission. This isn't a bad thing, fiction that produces negative feelings like this or tragedy aren't bad media, they're good, it's good to experience these bad feelings in this context. And Arcane never seemed to me like it would build up into a grand rebellion that would serve satisfactory justice, it starts with a failed one after all. Vi has a rebellious spirit when she's a teenager because she doesn't understand the consequences of impulsive acts, even when these impulsive acts have justified rage. Vader tries to teach her that the potential losses aren't worth the risk, it's his fault her parents are dead after all. Hence....... the powerlessness..

I felt that's mostly the vibe of season 1, following the characters through their struggles in this realistic approach to dystopia. I wasn't paying a lot of attention then, so maybe there was something I didn't catch, but that's how I feel right now.

I do however have some notes on season 2, beyond the fact that the sociopolitical conflict between the two cities was sidelined, and this is mainly a confirmation that it all stems from deliberate choices and not careless or rushed writing: the narrative of the hextech.

I, uh, appreciate how it was written, and I enjoyed it a lot, like I said I can enjoy fiction that's rooted in ideology or philosophy I disagree with. And I think it was well written in its own terms too, under its own rules and themes.

How do I put it..

Themes of individuality and identity in western philosophy tend to be contrasted by the equality of socialism and the unity or denial of ego from eastern philosophy. The threat is a collective force that takes your identity away from you and to which you have to stand up to as an individual. Philosophers like Nietzsche specifically identified dharmic religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) and social changes that sought equality like liberalism (of that time period), socialism and even democracy as culprits of producing mediocre culture, anything that subordinated the individual's will to the will of a majority or sought to control the individual's will was understood as a threat in this type of western philosophy.

In Arcane Viktor attempts to absorb every individual into a collective consciousness where they become everything and nothing at the same time through a violent process. The peaceful commune formed by his cult that works on the basis of mutual aid and collectivism is framed as the first stage for this authoritative resolution. By Viktor's own admission, this pursuit ends up being meaningless.

Socialism is framed with similar threats: the leaders are authoritarian, it deprives you from your own individuality, followers are cult like believers.. and so on.

Another thing that called my attention is that Viktor is seen mediating in a pose that resembles that of eastern religions and he remains isolated. Another enemy of Nietzsche's was the figure of the ascetic that he mostly associated with the dharmic religions, someone who by western standards denies their own self to live in isolation. Dharmic religions are rooted in beliefs of unity with the world, universal consciousness, a concern with unavoidable suffering, and the separation of or control over one's ego, all which stand in conflict with western ideals of power.

Like I said, these are elements that already make up parts of the western sci fi genre in and of itself, precisely because the pursuit of technological advance acts as an affirmation of power over the environment and others. Imperialism but through creative lenses, and of course the beliefs of unity and self restraint stand in its way.

Like I also said, they wrote this in such compelling ways! If they're gonna write imperialist western values, at least make it interesting, y'kno.

The resolution between Viktor and Jayce is incredibly moving too, it has made me feel things I hadn't felt in years, but in perspective it seems more like an enforcing of the status quo.

Anyway, I don't know if the creators or the writers are to blame, it's not the first time a popular franchise suddenly asserts this kind of ideology (see Korra or superhero movies), singling out individuals for what seems like a problem in the industry (dare I say the country) doesn't seem useful. Perhaps Netflix executives had their hand in this, who knows.

[hana-no-seiiki]

why does ‘it’ give me so much gender euphoria? i’ve been reading way too much monster! reader fics.

anyways have an old fic of mine from quotev i never got to continue writing lolz have fun. next chapters will be posted on yoru-no-seiiki if ever.

LOVE MULTIPLIED : MONSTER

PROLOGUE:

THE BEAST.

IT WAS A BEING WITH NO NAME, no face, no identity in this world except the cruel things it was designated as by the people it tormented.

By all intents, constructions and purposes, the being was an enigma to humankind. An enigma of atypically molded flesh and bone ; of blood; of darkness — of the heavens and the universe.

When it awoke on this planet, it already knew its purpose.

To tear down humanity’s knowledge that edged far too close to the divine the being called its creator.

Yet, it had underestimated the tenacity of these new creations. 

It had taken them centuries, sure. A number of years enough to carry half a dozen generations. But they had won against it.

It was a being with nothing but the overflowing intent to destroy humanity —

So that one day it may build it back up again to where it will stay juvenile and naïve for eternity.

“You have been captured, Alien. There’s no use to this.” A human that the others called a scientist spoke. They watched with focused eyes, and the creature was almost sure they did not stop to blink for a second.

Alien. It was one of the things humanity thought it was. If anything humanity were the true aliens to this world. How awfully ironic of them to call it that.

It only responded with a deep trill.

“It took us almost a millennium but we did it. We finally — “ The scientist choked on their words for a moment, overwhelmed with sadness, excitement, and most of all anxiety.

”We finally defeated you.”

If their enemy still being alive and capable of destroying several moons with just a thought was considered a victory for humanity. Then maybe the beast had overestimated its quarry. Still it could not deny the impressive feat that is its capture. Though it was mostly its fault for taking so long to finish the job, humanity was nonetheless impressive.

And that is exactly why humankind must be cut off where it stands.

”And… I have you here. All to myself.” The scientist muttered. Fortunately — or was it unfortunately — the forcefield did nothing to stop the sounds coming from outside. So the beast could hear their whispers , and every sound there is and could be in the universe , just as well as them shouting these words out.

It leaned forward, inches away from the forcefield that separated it from tearing the human apart. Is this the type of person that they usually call— what was it again— a creep?

Unfortunately this action only made the scientist blush. Either at the success in finally getting it to do more than growl or from being incredibly close to the murderer of billions. It did not know. 

“The strongest being in this universe — and me, about to be the most knowledgeable human this world has to offer. “ The beast adjusted itself back to a ‘sitting’ position. The scientist took the action as one made in fear — how utterly ridiculous — and waved their hands, ”Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you . . . too much.”

This person was the exact epitome of why the divine creator had sent it here. Humans who venture too far into the unknown turned to fall ill with madness. Really, the creature was doing these beings a favor.

A favor paid in the souls of billions.

Though it knew that if it hadn’t gone through with its divine mission, humanity would inevitably destroyed itself. The creature only accelerated the process and gave them a villain to blame.

”I never experienced the war myself, as old as I am. While those brutes out there kept themselves busy with attempting to destroy you. I knew from the moment I first saw you towering the black skies that the true way to achieve a triumph was to keep you locked. For us to observe.” The human continued musing while they walked around the room.

At this point the monster wasn’t even listening anymore and was thinking of the infinite ways it could reshape this rather annoying scientist.

”For us to learn about.”

It growled. There was nothing to learn about it. Nothing at all. The leathery detached skin in front of its mouth fluttered as the sound emitted across the gigantic chamber.

”And who knows — for us to one day replicate.”

It attempted to reach through the forcefield, the urge to destroy to unbearable. But it is reminded of how they were exactly kept here.

The moment flesh made contact with field, it burns. The creature knew no pain before for it had only known its creator and darkness. But pain, oh how —

— distracting it was.

The scientist paid no mind to its loud roars of agony. Instead they smile as they leave the observation room. 

“I’ll see the next day then, Beast of Judgement.”

ART BY MARK HILYER

©️ hana-no-seiiki - yun | 2023

[schneiderenjoyer]

whats your headcanons for TWTR!Vertin?

Oh, boy! Get ready to see how much of a disaster TWTR!Vertin is (by my own doing) Thank you for asking too! It'll be fun to share things about this AU of mine.

The list is long so continue with that in mind:

Vertin uses she/they pronouns. It's one of the first headcanons I thought of the moment I saw their design and how lovely they look in a suit!

Vertin is ambidextrous, they use their right hand for professional documents and their left hand for personal letters. It's actually canon and mentioned in the game's story that they're ambidextrous!

Vertin has freckles. I know this is canon, but there's still people who prefer her without them. I'm not one of them. I'm a freckle believer.

Vertin can play the piano. SPDM offers their students some form of entertainment through the arts like dance and music. They kept the ones they found most interesting. Mainly composing music sheets and playing it on the piano.

Vertin is an engineer. They have many hobbies and tried many things, but only few really stuck. Engineering is one of them.

Vertin created the Storm clock! Using their skills in engineering and high sensitivity towards arcanum, they've managed to accurately create a clock that tells when the Storm arrives. Only that it can tell its arrival within 24 hours. It doubles as a normal clock sometimes too.

The realm inside the suitcase is part of Vertin's arcane skill! Vertin can't use their arcanum effectively for offensive purposes, but it's useful in other avenues like support. Their arcane skill is [Ne iru milde en tiun bonan nokton] which has created the space. It also explains how the suitcase sustained some anti Storm properties, even if it doesn't fully protect everyone from the Storm.

Vertin is skilled in physical combat. With their arcanum mostly inferior and ineffective for battle, they've trained to be more resourceful in combining melee with arcane tools or potions for self defense.

Vertin is an insomniac. You can hold so much trauma in this Timekeeper. They're plagued by nightmares and even in quiet nights, it's hard to sleep. Schneider's presence and the occasional sleepy poppy pill helps most of the time.

Vertin has abandonment issues. Their fate is set on the day of the breakout incident, nothing can stop the Storm from taking people they love away. As a result, it's become detrimental for them to make friends, but never become too close. There's always a chance to lose them in the Storm. Well, except maybe Schneider.

Vertin has separation anxiety. This is extremely strong with Schneider, but they've gotten better over the years. They still panic if they don't know where she is for too long, especially when they're asleep and wakes up to Schneider missing. It only takes 5 minutes for them to notice her gone and 5 more minutes for them to start panicking.

Vertin has a sweet tooth. Candies, cakes, toffees, you name it! It keeps their sugar levels up when extremely exhausted and throughout all the bitterness they go through, they deserve a bit of sweetness in life.

Vertin is touchy. Their every word and action is always observed, they can't say what they want most times. So they express their fondness towards someone through action. Their favorite form of affection is patting someone on the head. For Schneider, it's to completely cling onto her and smell her all over. No, that's not appropriate. Yes, they still want to do it.

Vertin has a body pillow of Schneider. It's self explanatory. Those were dark times... Schneider lets it slide knowing it helps with their anxiety.

Vertin is selfless to a fault. It ties in to their abandonment issues and desire to grant people's wishes as much as they can. It's only recently they've express selfish desires around Schneider more.

Vertin likes critters. They often veer towards befriending them than fighting them if they can help it. But self defense is self defense.

Vertin is strong. They can lift alright, like a whole lot. They may not be magically strong, but they can at least punch like a bear.

Vertin is a mediocre learner. They're not the smartest and even find studying to be boring (like math). If it's something they take interest in, they hype fixate on it and eventually just be good at it.

Vertin is often misunderstood to be talented. Contrary to popular belief, a lot of the rumors and facts know about the Timekeeper is all a matter of circumstance and misinterpretation. They're just fortunately at the right place in the right time and most, if not all, their plans always ties in to the fact they have connections that help them get through it. Vertin doesn't actually have much skills in many departments. They just have the power of friendship on their side lmao.

Vertin is...passionate. Life of oppression, depression, and trauma can't be good for developing relationships of any kind. Fortunately the one they have now is four years in the making. While it still has a lot of bumps on the road, it's far more stable than what could've been if they haven't been given all those years to develop it. Still, Vertin being desperate to feel and smell their lover both privately and publicly needs some work...

Vertin is jealous and possessive. Ties in with being passionate and the whole "working out the bumps" part. They're not fully aware of it either, but their "selfless to a fault" nature aids in keeping this side of them strangely dormant for the most part. Timekeeper is very complicated.

Vertin shows signs of disassociation. While this one is a lot more hard to pin point, when overwhelmed by trauma and emotions, Timekeeper starts losing focus on their autonomy and action. They see with their eyes and hear with their ears, but they start noticing less of what they're doing and only know what's happening. Ties in with their anxiety.

Vertin is both touch starved and touch repulsed. The worst and most conflicting of their problems due to the Foundation's experimentation. They enjoy being affectionate, but flinches or stiffens when others try to be. Only Schneider gets a pass, but even then they still twitch occasionally. They're growing to be more comfortable receiving affection from their friends too.

Vertin's favorite food is Trifle. Their favorite drink is Butterfly Pea Tea.

Vertin is a terrible cook. No, it's not because they're British. It's because they're spoiled by Schneider's cooking. They also think that an entire jar of picrasma candy counts as a meal.

Vertin doesn't like chess. They know how to play it, but they stopped liking it for...obvious reasons. Instead, they picked up playing Go from Madam Z.

Vertin makes dioramas and terrariums. Another hobby they kept. It bolsters their architectural crafts, but mainly it's to have fun homes for the frogs and creatures they collect.

Vertin is a prankster. That's never disappeared as they grow up. They have a particular sense of humor and they like teasing their friends like Sonetto to get a reaction. This stems from having a partner that rarely reacts with anything but a smile. Getting an open, honest response excites them.

That's about all the ones I can list at the top of my head for now! Thanks again for the ask!