#looking forward for the full game to come out :D

[sandeewithtwoe]

I’m a big fan of them 🦴

(No text version under cut)

[terubakudan]

Since I made a playlist for Sol, it only makes sense that the extremely charming Crowe from The Kid at the Back gets one as well. ♡( ◡‿◡ )

Though to be honest this took a while for inspiration to hit since I'm a metalhead at heart. xD For Sol, I was aiming for "passionate and fiery", as for Crowe I wanted something "tender and romantic".

DIV - 漂流彼女 (Hyōryū Kanojo/Drifting Girlfriend)

Crowe's whole aesthetic reminds me of the galaxies and stars, so imagine my "eureka" moment when I was finding a song that I felt fit him to a T. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Crowe and MC just fit the "star-crossed" lovers trope so well. Sol and MC on the other hand are the Demolition Lovers 🤔

2. GACKT - Flower

Ah....GACKT, hoo boy xD I used to be obsessed with this man in my teenage years, but over time he just became a little too cringe for me and I'm a very cringe person by default. xD

But I'm grateful to him because it was his background in his Malice Mizer days that made me fall in love with visual kei. That, and he does have genuinely great songs, Flower in particular being one of my favorites.

My only nitpick is the way he sings the lyric "You are the irreplaceable flower", his pronunciation makes it sound like "replaceable" xDDD Other than that, this is the type of song that plays at the ED credits or final episode of a romance anime with a bittersweet ending. I don't know shit about music theory, but just from the way the song sounds, there's this certain sadness to it.

3. Versailles - Amorphous

This song, this song...this song 😭 It's one of Versailles' most beautiful songs. The violin in this song especially just moves the soul. Not to mention the goddamn guitar solo...it makes me want to cry tears of joy.

It's Crowe's love and adoration towards MC, it's "amorphous" and has no definite shape, but like the stars in the sky never truly fade.

On an unrelated note, the image that would pop in my head when listening to this song was the ending of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, in which Frodo decided to sail with the Elves to the Undying Lands and thus had to say farewell to Sam, Merry, and Pippin. It's most bittersweet and I still get the feels from watching it. QQ

4. Paramore - The Only Exception

I mentioned several times how much I love Paramore, and this song just gives me the warm fuzzies. It's a very tender song that talks about being pessimistic that love exists but eventually realizing that it does exist and deciding to give love a chance.

I feel that it could describe Crowe and MC's affection for each other, they're both afraid of being "more than friends" but you can't deny that both of them have that desire to want to give love a chance, to become each other's "only exception".

5. Mindy Gledhill - I Do Adore

I actually found this super adorable song through an equally adorable and cavity-inducing ThanZag animatic.

Not much to say about this, other than the lyrics describe Crowe's and MC's budding feelings towards each other, and I absolutely adore the way the singer sings "Ha, ha, Heaven help me".

6. D - 君が見る夢の中 (Kimi ga Miru Yume no Naka/Inside the Dream Where I Saw You)

One of the more underrated songs from visual kei band D off their Day by Day single. One of D's strong points as a band is definitely Asagi's incredible voice, and this song just makes me feel so happy, like I'm on cloud nine.

The colors in this lyric video are like how this song makes me feel, it starts out with cooler colors like blue and indigo, and then progressively gets "warmer" with colors like yellow and orange as the song picks up.

7. Versailles - Prince

This is the Crowe song�� xD Along with the vibe of Hyōryū Kanojo on this playlist, I feel it fits Crowe so well. He's this "princely" character through and through, both in presence and in heart.

My absolute favorite part in this song is the guitar solo from 2:13 ~2:52 for sure. It gives me literal chills.

8. Plastic Tree - サイレントノイズ (Silent Noise)

The opening theme to the otome game Collar x Malice. This is the first Plastic Tree song I listened to and the opening guitar riff in this one is also one of my favorites in the Plastic Tree songs I've listened to so far. The live version is even better. (≧◡≦) ♡

Ryutaro Arimura has this distinct voice which may be an acquired taste for some, but I do think the fact that Plastic Tree has been active for more than 30 years is quite something. I already consider it mighty impressive when a band can stay together for 20+ years.

9. L'Arc~en~Ciel - 瞳の住人 (Hitomi no Jūnin/Living in Your Eyes) - Cover by Tereza Fahlevi & Fazil R

This playlist is already saturated with so many love songs, so why not go all in and include one of L'Arc's most iconic love songs?!

Look up the lyrics to this song and tell me that's not a slowburn AO3 fic waiting to be written xD

To this day though, this is by far the best cover of Hitomi no Jūnin to me. It's one thing to cover a song which isn't in your native language, it's another thing to totally hit it out of the park. The way these two sing Japanese so well just makes me appreciate it all the more.

I absolutely adore their covers of My Heart Draws a Dream and Anata, and I highly encourage giving them a listen.

10. Black Butler OST - Waltz

The holy shit amazing I want to cry ED song to the Emerald Witch Arc of Black Butler by 龍宮城 (Ryūjūgo). Perhaps I created this playlist as an excuse just to include this song in one. xD

I still remember when I watched the ED for the first time when the first Emerald Witch episode came out, and I sat there for a good minute or two with my hand to my mouth. It's that good.

Combined with the ending visuals, it makes for a very emotional experience, and hits hard especially for long-time Black Butler fans. I could see Crowe and MC "waltzing" to this song. And this song makes me think of more somber implications should MC strive to be together with Crowe, such as "Sol would never allow it", "What if Crowe's family opposes it? What then?". With what we have so far, it's clear that Crowe isn't on the best terms with his own flesh and blood, and that there's something sinister and bigger going on at play, what with the university the characters attending being a "fake" one and Hyugo's mysterious goals.

I'm really excited for when the full The Kid at the Back game comes out! But I think that the creator deserves a much needed break, and as fans we should wait patiently and be understanding. In a fast-paced digital world where attention spans have been destroyed by TikTok and hyperconsumerism is at an all-time high, we should strive to not give in and try to be our better selves, both for our own sakes and for others.

TL;DR: I love Crowe so I made a playlist for him, and it's hard to create, don't push yourself and others too much for the sake of instant gratification, and learn to really "enjoy" life, take things a little slowly and remember to "breathe", it'll do wonders for you. :)

[jeansdoll]

virgin!caleb who’s never had the experience of receiving a blowjob. only ever imagining it — slouched in his gaming chair, the glow of his pc screen illuminating his dark room. annoyingly, having to wrap his own hand around his cock, stroking himself slowly with tired eyes glued to the porno playing in front of him. but in his mind, it’s you. not whoever’s on the screen. it’s you he pictures, wrapping your warm mouth around him.

and now, he doesn’t need the help of his imagination anymore.

you’re kneeling between his legs, one hand holding onto his thigh for stability as you bob your head up and down, the other hand stroking the parts you can’t reach. it’s messy, wet, spit dripping down to the base, and the sensation has his eyes rolling, breaths shaky, legs trembling under you. hands fidget like he doesn’t know where to put them, until one rests on your head, hesitantly guiding you at your rhythm.

he looks wrecked, brows knitted together, head tilted back against his chair and he barley has enough in him to keep his eyes on you. especially when you look up at him with those eyes, glassy, tears threatening to spill as you try to take him whole, tip kissing the back of your throat.

“fuck, o-oh my god.”

caleb’s quick grab your hair, keeping you in place — it’s assertive. your eyes widen, his bold action coming off as a surprise to you. a full 180 from how awkward he’d been earlier, confessing how inexperienced he was. his body jolts forward, a guttural groan leaving his lips. you grip his thigh harder, unable to move when you feel his warm cum shoot into your mouth. he uses you to milk himself, coating your throat white, completely filling you up.

his breathing begins to slow, husky moans turn into soft whimpers as his orgasm calms down. and he finally pulls out with a shaky sigh, a string of saliva keeping you both connected. you blink up at him while trying to catch your breath and caleb just stares back at you — lips parted, pupils blown, dazed.

“d-did you swallow.. all of it?”

you instinctively open your mouth, tongue lolling out, giving him exactly what he wanted, a view revealing the clean muscle. any trace of his seed was gone. he curses under his breath, the sight so dirty, so shameless — unable to look away, burning the image into his brain. it was enough to undo him all over again. and you weren’t going anywhere for a while.

꩜ masterlist !

[chamisulgrape]

after the concept photos came out omg we need kinky free use submissive reader x dom member (or reverse? u choose???)!! i am very intrigued by your office idea so maybe you can incorportte that??? love u

YESS i hope u like this one op hopefully i did ur idea justice D:

boss!sunghoon x afab secretary!reader | 2.1k

ᢉ𐭩 part one | part two

cw → office au , pwp , mild dubcon , degradation , blowjobs , mention of free use relationship with boss!hyungline , recording without consent , sunghoon is obsessed with cats & calls reader a kitten once , reader is a whore for hyungline & she's playing the long game

“Sunghoon, I’m not going to—” You blink up at Sunghoon in disbelief. 

Sunghoon’s fingers are digging into the skin of your jaw with a grip that’s so gentle, yet tight. You’ve been on your knees on the bathroom floor for what feels like hours, and at this point you’re starting to feel a dull ache settling throughout your legs. Sunghoon smiles at you, lips curled into something sickeningly fond and sweet.

It makes your stomach churn.

“To what, hm?”

“To meow for your dick.” You mumble, cheeks aflame with embarrassment. 

“Why? You do it all the time as a joke already.” Sunghoon says, running his thumb along your bottom lip. 

“That’s—that’s different.” You breathe out. 

Sunghoon tilts his head, pressing down on your lip and humming at you in a way that makes your brain go fuzzy. “How? Think of it as another task. Simple and easy,” Sunghoon glances at the door behind you. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

The weight of the situation hits you then; what Sunghoon’s asking of you. Sunghoon wants you to meow for his cock. You swallow, looking up at him helplessly. As if Sunghoon can sense your hesitation, he shifts, removing his hand from your chin to tug his slacks and boxers down to his knees in one swift motion. You hate how your mouth betrays you and waters at the sight of Sunghoon’s cock.

“What’s it going to be, hm? Are you going to meow for it?” Sunghoon’s voice is soft, gentle like he isn’t asking you for—whatever this is. You gulp, throat bobbing and face hot, your focus on Sunghoon’s cock. “Words, baby. I know you want it.”

To be fair, you should’ve seen it coming. Sunghoon’s always asking you to do things, whether it be doing some cringe aegyo for his cock or wearing the cat ears you wore during the company’s Halloween party last year while he fucks you. But, despite it all, no matter how embarrassing it feels, you always comply; the feeling of shame and embarrassment and attention only pushes you further, you hate how you thrive under it.

“Sunghoon,” you try, helplessly. “Just let me suck you off before we have to go back. Our—our lunch is almost over.”

Sunghoon clicks his tongue, tutting at you as he wraps a hand around himself, stroking slowly. You make a sound, needy and high. “Sunghoon, please.”

“C’mon, do what you do best. You know what to do, baby.” Sunghoon looks down at you with hooded lids as he strokes himself, and you flush further. He just wants you to listen. Sunghoon could do this all day, you realize.

You squirm, wincing as you realize that your legs have fallen asleep. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Is it? Are you embarrassed?”

“Sunghoon.” You let out a whine. 

Sunghoon indulges you, letting the hand he has around his cock guide himself forward, forward until the head is tracing along your bottom lip, wetting it with precome. Sunghoon smiles at you, and you press your thighs together in an attempt to ground yourself.

“Come on,” Sunghoon says, lowly. “You know you want to. Why are you playing hard to get?”

You blink up at him, at a loss for words. The worst thing about it is that you want to. Sunghoon knows you want to, he knows that you would do anything if it meant you’d be able to please him, to get to have your mouth full. You open your mouth to protest, only for a weak whine to come out when your lips brush against the head of Sunghoon’s cock.

“Sunghoon,” you murmur, brain already starting to go mush and obedient, just how Sunghoon likes you. 

You trail off, closing your eyes and breathing deeply through your nose. When you open them, Sunghoon is still looking down at you, a smug, sardonic grin on his face that makes your embarrassment grow further. “Please.”

“Hm?” Sunghoon tilts his head, smiling so wide that his canines glint under the lighting of the bathroom. 

You huff again, all the fight leaving your system. You open your mouth, but fall short of words. You purse your lips before making—or, trying to make a noise akin to a… meow. 

Sunghoon snorts, and you bite down on your bottom lip to hold the humiliation back, the sob that threatens its way out of your mouth. God, Sunghoon is the one with the oral fixation, yet he always has you like this, making you beg just to have his cock in your mouth.

“You know you can do better than that.” Sunghoon says it so sweetly, yet it’s so humiliating that you want to cry.

“Please,” you plead, before realizing that Sunghoon isn’t going to give it up. You do it again, louder this time. Sunghoon raises a brow, unimpressed.

“Do it like you mean it.” Sunghoon’s eyes haven’t left you the whole time, and he has that look in his eyes: the same look Heeseung gives you when you slack off even the tiniest bit, the same look Heeseung gives you when you mess up during a meeting. 

You swallow down the humiliation and sniffle, holding back the tears and the burning in your nose, and do it again. You barely have time to take a breath before you’re choking, Sunghoon’s cock forcing its way into your mouth. 

Sunghoon holds your head in place, and you faintly feel disgusted once you realize the position the two of you are in. You; with your knees on the dirty floor of the bathroom, and Sunghoon; seated on the seat of the toilet. The thought makes you gag, and you sputter around Sunghoon’s cock. 

“You’re so ungrateful. I ask you to do one thing, and you can’t even do it,” Sunghoon lets out a laugh before furrowing his brows. “You’re always so good for me, yet you can’t even do this when I ask you to?” 

You whine around Sunghoon’s cock, breathing in harshly through your nose when tears well up in your eyes. Sunghoon presses in further, hand pushing your head down until your nose is buried in his finely trimmed pubic hair. Sunghoon holds you still, and you know better than to move. 

You swallow helplessly around Sunghoon’s cock, throat constricting as you try to take in nosefulls of air. Sunghoon only hums, hand still fisted in your hair. “Maybe I should get Heeseung? He’d be able to teach you, wouldn’t he? You’d be good for him, wouldn’t you?”

You close your eyes, squeezing them shut. A few tears run down your cheeks, dripping onto Sunghoon’s thighs. Sunghoon continues, “I know you would, you always listen to him so well,” Sunghoon lifts you up until you release his cock completely, letting you breathe for a few seconds before pushing your head down again, all the way to the hilt. More tears spring from your eyes at the feeling of Sunghoon’s cock hitting the back of your throat. “Yet you never wanna listen to me.”

“Is that what you want? You want Heeseung to be here instead?” Sunghoon asks. You shake your head as much as you can around a mouthful of Sunghoon’s cock. Your eyes widen when you see Sunghoon reach down to fish out his phone from his pockets. “Look pretty. I’ll give you what you want.”

You squint your eyes once you feel the flash on you, and in horror, you realize that Sunghoon is recording you. You don't fear the fact that you’re being recorded, rather, you fear for who Sunghoon is recording you for. 

“You’re so pretty like this, baby. You really do look like a cat, hm?” Sunghoon smiles at you, phone a few inches from your face. “Pretty baby, pretty kitten.”

You hate the way you preen inwardly at the compliment. Hates the way you feel yourself clenching around nothing. Sunghoon coos at you, and the humiliation from earlier returns. 

“Yeah? You like that? Always knew you did. That’s why you’re always letting me fuck you in the ears, huh? You like it just as much as I do, don’t you?”

You let out a pained moan, but it only comes off as a garbled sound around Sunghoon’s cock. Sunghoon hisses at the feeling, fingers gripping your hair tighter. Sunghoon still has the phone in front of your face, and you startle when you hear a few clicks. 

“Maybe I’ll send these to your bosses, hm? Let them all know how much you like this. Maybe I’ll let them take turns with you too,” Sunghoon releases the grip he has on your hair to reach lower, sticking two of his fingers into your mouth alongside his cock. “Maybe even Jongseong. I see the way you look at him. You look at him the same way you look at Heeseung—the same way you look at me, like if he asked you to, you’d let him fuck you right then and there.”

You whine, feeling yourself drip as you clench helplessly. Sunghoon isn’t wrong, you know that if Sunghoon hadn’t been the one to fuck you first, you’d have gladly went to Jongseong or Jake instead—even Heeseung, if he’d let you. The thought makes your mouth pool with saliva, spit making its way out from around Sunghoon’s cock and fingers to dribble pathetically down your chin, wetting Sunghoon’s wrist.

Sunghoon makes a face, curling his lip. “You’re always so messy. Heeseung won’t fuck you if you can’t keep your spit in your fucking mouth, he doesn’t like it messy.” Sunghoon says, and you sniffle, holding back another sob. “You’re always drooling all over my fucking pillows, but Heeseung won’t like that. You know how clean he is, don’t you?”

You nod, inhaling through your nose. Sunghoon pulls the phone away to peer down at you, examining you with disinterest. Sunghoon clicks his tongue, “You’re so greedy. You always want more, you can’t ever be happy with what you have, can you?”

You want to retort. You want to tell Sunghoon that he’s wrong and that you’re not greedy—but it’s true, you’ve always bitten off more than you can chew. You can’t help but always want more than you deserve.

Sunghoon taps away at his phone, and you squirm at the sound of the keyboard. Sunghoon doesn’t break a sweat, there’s no crack through his facade that can show you that he’s even the least bit affected by this. Your throat is starting to ache, but you love it; you relish in the feeling of Sunghoon deep in your throat, the familiar, comfortable weight of Sunghoon’s cock resting on your tongue.

A moment passes, and Sunghoon finally sets his phone on the counter. Your shoulders slump in relief. 

“Bosses are texting, baby. Time’s up.” And then Sunghoon’s pulling you off of his cock by the hair. You inhale deeply, taking a few shaky breaths to ground yourself. Sunghoon holds you like that; hand fisted in your hair, tilting you side to side like he’s assessing you. Sunghoon clicks his tongue, other hand coming up to wipe your chin with the back of his fingers. 

“You’re so messy,” Sunghoon murmurs. “I don’t have to do much and you already look like you got fucked. Run through.”

You pout and Sunghoon coos at you. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, baby. It’s cute. Just—Heeseung isn’t gonna like it.”

You don't get a chance to reply, because within the next second Sunghoon’s lifting you, up until you’re back on your own two feet. You wince when your joints crack, the numbness of your legs has you falling forward into Sunghoon with a yelp. Sunghoon catches you easily, hands reaching out to wrap around your waist to stabilize you. 

“Zip me up.” Sunghoon demands softly, and you listen. With shaky hands, you help Sunghoon back into his pants. When Sunghoon’s pants are zipped and his phone is slipped back into his pocket, Sunghoon stands. You look up at him, helpless, as Sunghoon towers over you. 

Sunghoon laughs, breathlessly. “You’re so cute.” 

You open your mouth to retort, but any comeback is swallowed down by Sunghoon’s mouth on yours. Sunghoon kisses you softly, sucking your bottom lip tenderly, the action making your heart swell. Sunghoon pulls back abruptly, and you chase after his lips.

“You want another one?” Sunghoon asks, and you nod, eagerly seeking Sunghoon’s lips out. “Meow for it.”

You scoff, glaring up at Sunghoon. “Fuck you. You’re fucking weird.”

Sunghoon grins at you, and your glare falters. He’s pretty. Sunghoon is so pretty that it’s unfair. “You like it.”

“No. I don’t.” You reply, and Sunghoon just shakes his head, a small smile on his lips. He ducks down to kiss you again, once, twice before pulling back. 

“You love me.” Sunghoon sounds smug, like he already knows the answer. Like he knows that you do love him. 

You bite your inner cheek, tugging on one of Sunghoon’s belt loops to pull him closer, hips flush against your own. “I don’t.”

Sunghoon lips curl into a smirk. “I know you do.”

Sunghoon always has the upper hand, but that’s because you let him. The one thing that you really hold above him, is that you don’t love him, you just love to fuck with him. You meant it when you said that if Sunghoon hadn’t gotten to you first, you would’ve gone to Jongseong instead. 

That's the thing about being a good secretary: you have to know how to play the game.

But, still, Sunghoon doesn’t know that, and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

a/n: eeek lowkey want to make another part for the rest of hyungline?? kinda obsessed with them... hehe i hope u liked this op, also the concept photos r fucking me up soo bad rn. mind is reeling i have so many more ideas i want to write now! also side note as always: some of this is reworked from an old wip/au i had written! i thought the prompt matched PERFECTLYY hehe

[tobeholyistobeempty]

part two / continuation to ‘immediately into dating, simon riley would buy you a gun.’

———————

simon doesn’t do panic. he doesn’t do “what if” in the way most people do.

simon does loadouts, contingency plans. redundancies. plans b, c, and d. war-game strategies for situations you haven’t even considered. you once joked that if aliens invaded he’d have a bunker prepped with oxygen tanks, thermal blankets, and stashes of your favourite tea.

he didn’t even laugh. just looked at you and said “third shelf. bottom left.”

that’s simon riley in a nutshell. the man you’ve grown to love more than you thought possible. so it’s no surprise when, a few months into his first deployment since moving in with you, he returns home with yet another gift. a plain black phone - matte black, weighty, no brand or ports or logos - just a long slim button along the left side.

you look at him as if he grew three heads, and earn an amused smirk for it.

“encrypted satellite uplink.” he explains, like that’s a thing you’ve heard before. “custom interface. only one number in it - mine.”

you blink at him. “you got me a burner bat-phone?”

he hums, then shrugs like it’s not the weirdest thing ever.

“gps auto-tracks if it’s turned on. hit the button on the side twice and it sends me a signal - transferable no matter where i am in the world. i’ll see location, coordinates, audio, front facing images. enough data f’me to paint the whole picture without you sayin a word.”

oh.

you exhale something shaky, mumble something like jesus simon - but nonetheless, you hear what he isn’t saying. he’s made it clear, from day one, that you being safe isn’t negotiable. and simon isn’t the man to leave anything to chance.

you understand it’s love, in the language he speaks best. preparation.

so then he runs you through it. how to use it, scenarios you might need it and how to remain calm while staring down the face of danger. gives you script suggestions and ways to talk yourself out of an ambush. he’s got an idea for every situation and a backup plan for each back up plan. you understand it’s the mind of a soldier. the way he’s been trained to be.

and when it does happen - some months and change into his second or third deployment - it doesn’t even feel real at first.

it’s late. you’d gone out to grab some takeout from a spot two blocks down. you don’t even question it anymore - don’t even think twice. you carry the phone in your pocket just like you carry the gun in your purse - knowing it tracks your location, knowing it sends a silent beacon straight to him if you double press the side button. you used to joke about him being paranoid, but simon isn’t paranoid. he’s a realist. a man who’s watched enough good people die to understand that bad things don’t wait for convenience. they wait for your hands to be full of takeout bags, your guard to be down, and your head to be elsewhere.

and that’s exactly how it goes.

it’s a shortcut you’ve taken a hundred times. the alley behind the restaurant that cuts straight to the other end of your neighbourhood. you’ve got headphones in and your hood up when you come face to face with a man standing dead centre of your path.

you clock him immediately. wide stance. twitchy energy. hand near his hip - not quite pulling a weapon, but not just scratching his ass either.

shit.

“evenin’,” he drawls with a toothless grin. “nice night, huh?”

you don’t respond. your mind is already going - whirling through all the things simon taught you. how to pretend. how to play a part so well you catch the catch off guard.

the man steps forward. “whatcha got on you?”

you exhale, steady. just like you’ve been taught - and then you smile. script selected and ready to play the part.

“careful,” you murmur. “you’re interfering with an ongoing operation.”

that gives him pause.

“operation?” he repeats, eyebrows notched.

you nod, slowly - turning your head only slightly, not taking your eyes off him, to nod toward the building behind you.

“undercover narcotics. been tracking cartel for the last two weeks. i’m wired, by the way.” you tap your hoodie. “whole conversations being recorded.”

he laughs, ugly, and pulls a knife out of his pocket.

“bullshit. give me the purse, lady.”

“okay, okay. sure.” you shrug, snuff down the panic, and work that training that was drilled into you. “sniper on the rooftop two buildings over says otherwise.”

“nice try.” he snorts and steps closer again, raising the knife a little higher. “ain’t no fuckin sniper.”

and that’s when you do it - two presses of your thumb on the side of the phone in your pocket. no sound, no light - but somewhere halfway across the world, simon riley is already moving.

the call comes three seconds later. you answer without taking your eyes off the man before you.

“sergeant.” simon grits out from the other end. “what’s your status.”

there’s noise behind him. a radio, chatter, chopper blades - yet his focus is entirely on you.

“got a civilian obstructing the path. attempted mugging with a concealed weapon. non responsive to verbal warnings. might need a threat escalation.”

a pause - then simon’s voice changes.

“copy that. sights locked, target acquired - middle aged male, five foot seven, green hoodie.” he says, like he’s in the middle of a fuckin battlefield, somehow detecting all of this from behind a five inch screen. you hear his gun cock. the man hears it too. “rounds chambered - if he reaches for you, we take the shot. confirm.”

the man’s face drops into a scowl. you smile wider.

“confirmed.” you reply.

“wh-who the fuck is that?” his hand falters. “what the fuck-“

simon doesn’t miss a beat.

“who i am doesn’t matter. what matters is your position, your movement profile, and the blood spatter trajectory once my round goes through your fuckin teeth.” he pauses, just for a moment. “you’ve got a daughter. five years old. get moving if y’wanna see her again.”

and it’s like a switch flips in the guy’s brain, because his whole posture changes. eyes darting to the rooftops. sweat prickling at his hairline. you don’t even have to reach for your gun because he’s already backing away.

how the fuck simon knew all that in a thirty second span is beyond you.

“fuckin’ - whatever, man. shit,” he mutters, turning on his heel and power-walking into the shadows.

you let out a breath once he’s gone - slow and long and completely in shock, and raise the phone to your ear.

“you still there?”

“always ‘ere, love,” simon murmurs. his voice coming through in something softer now. still tense, still locked in, but something in it cracks around the edges. “you alright?”

you nod even though he can’t see it, then realize that maybe he can.

“i am now, si.”

there’s a soft silence between you. weighted with everything he can’t do from across the globe.

then, quiet: “i shoulda been there.”

you clutch the phone tighter. pretend it’s his hand.

“simon,” you murmur, “you were.”

you walk home with the phone still pressed to your ear, and he stays on the line until your door’s locked, your shoes are off, and the food’s gone cold on the counter.

“hey,” you whisper into the speaker. “your sniper impression’s terrifying, by the way.”

a breath of a laugh - filled with all the relief that comes with it.

“nothin’ bout that was an impression, sweet’eart.”

[butchvampireheimerdinger]

The Great War

A/N: So this was made in response to a request but it ended up blossoming into a full 2K word fic adjacent and I had to split it into two posts! Anyways, if you enjoy sexy and occasionally soft Sevika, dramatic arguments that result in comfort, and mob-wife vibes… enjoy!

Warnings: Not smut but mentions of sex and both characters are D O W N B A D.. A lot of cussing and mentions of violence.

Pairing: Butch!Sevika X Femme!Reader who is super outgoing and forward

🂱 So the two of you’ve met briefly around town, kinda running in the same circles. You notice her right away but you don’t actually talk until she shows up at work — The Last Drop.

🂱 You’re a server and your charisma, magnetism, and punchy/blunt sort of energy makes you well suited to hospitality. You’re the bubbly outgoing type of waitress who gets their table laughing and in a good spirits with ur contagious good vibes.

🂱 You beat the other waitress to claim Sevika’s table, and it’s on.

🂱 She would get a kick out of it — your shamelessness. She really likes the forward thing, timidity makes her roll her eyes. Life’s too short for playing hard to get! Plus, she’s an adult. And a literal revolutionary who quite literally does not have the time for all that.

🂱 Before you learn each others names you endearingly and lightheartedly call her “butchy,” or something like that. She calls you sweetheart.

🂱 You’d pour her beers on the house. You’d lean over the bar counter on ur elbows, making sure ur titties look good and perky. And if it was just the two of you, she would not hide her ogling.

🂱 It��d be a bit of a game to you two. Making the other person crack, being the first to back down/get all blushy. You’d be all flirty-flirty over the bar counter, she’d pull you into her lap during her card game. It’s like how straight guys play gay chicken. Except ur actually gay so it would just be chicken.

🂱 And she’s smoking indoors, as per us. You ask if you can have a hit. She shotguns it into ur mouth and you blow it upward, once again drawing attention to your décolletage, to the girls hehe

🂱 Eventually she just asks you straight up if you wanna spend the night. Maybe you take her up on it, maybe you don’t. Either way, she’s not the fuckboy (fuckbutch?) hit it n quit it type. She’s an adult woman with emotional intelligence and communication skills goddammit and she’s gonna ask you to dinner.

🂱 Takes u to the fanciest place in the undercity, orders everything on the menu trying to flex her wallet and impress u. Whether or not u ask for it she gets you one of those weird rich people desserts where they make part of the preparation an “experience.” like they pour hot liquid over a hollow chocolate shell and it cracks open and reveals a little cake inside. Or something involving a blowtorch.

🂱 Anyways this whole time ur just rubbing ur lil high heeled foot up her pant leg under the table and twirling ur hair, touching her arm, etc. Naughty girl — she mock-scolds you telepathically with a dommy little eyebrow raise thing.

“Here? Now? I pull out all the stops to give you a magical evening and you already wanna leave and bang it out. That’s real classy, sweetheart.”

🂱 You’re both rather bold and upfront, obviously. Strong personalities, fire sign energy — which means you butt heads often. Your relationship is super intense and fiery so every day is like a soap opera, or like The Real Mob Wives of Staten Island in levels of drama.

“Why the hell didn’t you come home last night? And why did i have to find out from Vivi that she saw you cracking skulls in a fishing boat by the pier?”

“Babygirl I told you I was taking care of business. Sweetheart, uprisings don’t happen overnight, it’s all about biding time and strategically applying political pressure in Topside-”

“Jesus, Mary, and the goddamn camels you and your strategic goddamn pressure. I’ll tell you I’ve fucking had it with you and your fucking pressure. You wanna make me look like an idiot? When me and my girlfriends are sitting drinking mimosas for brunch at Jarrod's and they ask me ‘Y/N where’s that woman of yours?’ And i have to look them in the eyes and say “Clint Eastwood was unable to join us as she had a prior engagement strategically applying pressure. To the back of enforcers’ skulls. With a fucking baseball bat. Like a common thug. Mind you, I’m a classy lady all by my lonesome on a Sunday fucking morning-"

“Classy lady I’ll fucking say. You’d think I plan on growing old with Mrs. Fucking Vanderbilt, the way you want to buy ten thousand pairs of red high heels-“

“Omg babe you wanna grow old with me?”

“-that all look exactly the fucking same, by the way. ‘Burnt orange’ and ‘vermillion’ and ‘chartreuse’ or whatever the fuck — You know it’s just fucking red.

“Chartreuse is green, since you wanna be a smartass,”

“Don’t gaslight me, woman. Where do you even plan on wearing those? We live in an oversized sewer pipe. Not the magical land of Oz. I told you who i was when you met me. I told you this is what I do. And you better get used to it if you wanna keep charging my card at every boutique within a ten mile radius,”

“Or what? Gonna give me the spiel again, talk me to death about the uprising and the political elites and the our time is imminent, y/n. Gonna threaten me like you do your little fishing buddies? Gonna apply me some strategic fucking pressure?”

“That’s enough.” Sevika hissed, scary calm. She kicks the pantry door shut and whips around, pointing at you with her cigarette. “I’ve had enough of this shit. You’re done, Missy.”

“Beg pardon? I’ll decide when I’m done, thank you very much. You’ve got some nerve telling me when to speak when I can’t even reach you half the time. I had to track down your little boss the other day — brought him a lovely casserole — and ask if he could pass on a message for me! ‘Excuse me Mr. Scaryman Eye of Zaun, sir, could you possibly ask Zorro if she might head home as soon as she’s done busting kneecaps? And to arrive in a clean shirt, as my parents are in town and they prefer to greet their daughter-in-law when she’s not covered in someone’s intravenous blood. Thank you kindly.’”

“You showed up at work? Wait- you talked to Silco? Babe I told you to stay the fuck away from there!”

“Please. He may be the kingpin of the city or whatever, but I make a gorgeous quiche. Trust me, babe. Once he tastes my cooking, I am henceforth immune to whatever machiavellian basement torture chamber you brutes probably use as your break room.”

🂱 Sorry guys, got a little carried away there. Point is, one minute you’re screaming at each other and dramatically slamming doors and throwing shit, the next you’re fucking on the kitchen floor like the world’s about to end. You guys basically co-authored the book on how to be an absolute nightmare of an upstairs neighbor. The entire building feels the floor shaking and no one knows if the screaming is just you guys having a little too much fun for 2pm on a Tuesday, or if they’re gonna see this on the news tomorrow.

🂱 Kidding! At the end of the day, trust and loyalty are the foundations of your relationship. You love each other wildly, deeply, and passionately.

🂱 Sevika has a strict no going to bed angry policy. If you’d gotten into it that evening you might give her the cold shoulder, curl up facing away from her in the quiet moments before bed. She’s reading by the lantern on the bedside table — an upcycled barstool the two of you stole from your old job at The Last Drop one evening when you were in a particularly silly mood.

🂱 She catches your gaze a couple times as you stare over your shoulder to see if she’s paying attention to you, and then you immediately turn and go back to ignoring her. She takes off her reading glasses, tosses her book onto the bed, and rolls over to you, wrapping her arm around you from the back.

“Hey baby?” She kisses your shoulder and the back of your head since you still won’t look at her, and she continues. “Love of my life? Light of my world? Keeper of my soul and partner in crime through the sea of trials we call the fucked-up game of life?” You turn slightly to give her a glaring side eye.

“…What do you want.”

“Still mad at me, babygirl?”

“Not at all. Why on earth would I be mad?”

“I’m sorryyy,” she draws it out, cooing at you all soft and sing-songy. If the ne’erdowells who often got their asses handed to them by her and her little team could see this Sevika, they’d think they lost their mind. Hell, if any punk on the street could see this Sevika they’d think they lost their mind. It made your knees weak the way she undid herself and softened for you. For only you. You fought the smile forming and she continued murmuring against your skin.

“It’s all this bullshit at work Silco’s got me taking care of. I’m neglecting my little lady, I’m stretched so thin. It’s too much…”

“Too much…?” You echo. “Talk to me, love. Silco’s not letting you catch a breather?”

She grunts in affirmation against your shoulder: “Mm-hrmm”

“Does my baby have the whooole wide world on her poor, tired, buff, strong, sexy shoulders-EEK!” She gleefully flips you over to face her, making you cackle. You’ve been disarmed. At her mercy. You always were.

She leans forward to bonk her forehead against yours.

“Glad someone in this cruel world finally understands me and my line of work,” she says, half-joking.

“No one understands the importance of your job better than me, babe.” You continue, at this point unable to remove the sarcasm from your tone even if you tried. She nuzzles into the crook of your shoulder facedown, head supported by the cushiness of your tit. You weave your fingers in her hair.

“The honorable burden of great duty… The unfathomable smothering of moral obligation, even. One might describe it as an immensely… strategic pressure-”

“-For FUCK’s SAKE”

“You have worker’s rights, you know! Demand an hour off — paid — in your underground torture chamber-breakroom. You’re entitled to relax and sip coffee as you watch the bodies hit the floor, goddammit!”

Feigning exasperation, Sev dramatically collapses backward starfish-style on the old-ass creaky-ass decrepit-ass daddy longlegs convention of a double bed the two of you share; in a shithole apartment, in a shady-ass neighborhood, in a collapsing city. That’s how it was between the two of you. Underneath it all, she trusts that you’ll always be there to kiss her wounds, to make sure her collar is straight and there’s no shmutz on her face. You trust that at the end of the day, it’s you she’s coming home to.

[houseofblve]

wilderness baby

the wilderness chose lottie— the antler queen. a messiah must be born, and who better to bear the one destined to carry on lottie’s divine reign than the love of her life

lottie matthews x reader

tw: cult themes, religious undertones, slight mention of blood, implied pregnancy. this is kinda an au? it makes the wilderness more supernatural and explores how deeply ingrained lottie is with it, especially if she was actually antler queen. also, this definitely took a different route than i intended.

The wilderness had always whispered to her. Before the plane crash, before the blood on the snow, before the horns. But now, it screamed, not in terror, but in exultation.

And it had chosen Lottie.

She was the Antler Queen now.

The crown had grown into her—figuratively at first, then with something closer to bone. She moved through the clearing with reverence, every step silent despite the frost. The other girls knelt when she passed, eyes lowered, breath visible in the chill. They murmured prayers only the wilderness could teach.

But none of them saw her—not really. None of them knew her.

Except you.

You stood just beyond the firelight, cloaked in a deerskin Lottie had draped over your shoulders weeks ago, back when winter's bite had first settled in. You still wore it, despite the smell, despite the blood that had never quite washed out. You wore it because it was hers.

“You always stand at the edge,” she said, approaching you slowly, like a wolf that wasn’t sure if it was about to bite or beg.

You didn’t answer.

“You should come closer. The fire’s warm.” Her voice was soft, reverent.

You turned to her, eyes full of something harder to name than love, but deeper than doubt. “You’re warm.”

Lottie smiled, like the trees were listening.

“They chose me, Y/N.” Her hand touched your arm lightly—not enough to draw attention, just enough to remind you. “And through me… they chose us.”

Your mouth went dry. The fire popped behind her, the smoke trailing up like it was incense in a cathedral.

“You said we could leave,” you whispered. “That when the snow melted, we’d try and get home.”

“I meant it,” she replied, voice distant, as if speaking from two places at once. “But the wilderness changed its mind. It wants us here. It… needs us here.”

You stepped back, but her hand caught yours.

“Don’t pull away,” she pleaded, her eyes wide and frighteningly clear. “You’re the only one I can still feel when they speak. Everyone else is just static now. But you? You’ll help me bring it forth.”

Lottie stepped closer, her forehead pressing to yours.

“You carry my heart,” she whispered. “And soon, you’ll carry the rest.”

You blinked.

“What are you talking about?” you asked, already knowing. Already dreading.

“The wilderness gave me a vision.” Her hands cupped your face. “A child—born not of fear, but of devotion. Our child. The one who will walk both worlds. Not just survival… divinity. Our legacy.”

Your throat clenched.

“Lottie, I—”

“Shhh,” she breathed. “You love me. And love is sacrifice.”

Outside, the wind howled.

Inside you, something broke.

Later that night, they crowned her again.

She stood at the center of the circle, firelight licking the hollow beneath her collarbones, antlers rising dark above her head. The girls chanted, rhythms that felt older than language.

You stood behind her, bare feet in the snow, stomach bare beneath the wolfskin robe she’d wrapped you in. A red smear ran down your navel—berries, she’d said. But it looked too much like blood.

She turned to you and extended her hand.

The chanting stopped.

The forest hushed.

You stepped forward.

You had loved her before the crash, when she was only strange, not sacred. When her hands trembled during chem class and you held them under the desk. When she nervously kissed you in the parking lot after every game. When her madness had edges.

Now, it was endless.

“Do you accept the blessing of the wilderness?” she asked, her voice soaked in smoke and frost.

You didn’t speak.

She didn’t need you to.

She leaned in and kissed you, her lips warm and cracked. “We are going to bring the world a miracle,” she whispered against your mouth.

The fire roared.

The forest screamed approval.

And somewhere deep inside you, where you thought only doubt could live now, something small and terrifying bloomed.

Hope.

[pinkolve]

Waiting For You-Cove Holden

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

Summary: You and Cove have your first time together.

Genre: Very fluffy smut!!

CW: fem!reader, second person point of view, use of Y/N, Cove calls reader an angel like once, set during step 3 so he is 18!!, submissive top!cove my beloved, protected sex, cute awkward sex, first time for both Cove and reader, he’s just a little cutie what can I say 

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: I’ve played like six different saves in this game…Safe to say I’m literally obsessed with Cove. This is for my very few fellow Cove Holden lovers, I hope you enjoy it besties!!!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

You’ve seen Cove’s room many times before, but something about this feels so much different. 

“How’s Y/N Junior doing?” You ask, bending over slightly to look inside the tank. You watch her swim around, ducking into one of the small caves. She pokes her head out a little, opening and closing her mouth. You can’t help but giggle. 

“She’s been doing well, I think she misses her mom though.” Cove says quietly. You look over at him, his face staring straight at the tank. His cheeks are pink, as his hand reaches up to rub the back of his neck. The comment was clearly hard for him to get out properly, making him nervous. 

“Well, I miss her too.” You smile, gently poking your finger against the glass. You stand up to your full height then, looking at Cove with a small smirk. You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him forward. He makes a small squeaky noise at the sudden movement. He instinctively places his hands on your waist. “But I think I miss her dad even more.” You whisper, pushing Cove’s head down to be mere inches away from yours. 

Cove sputters, his cheeks flushing. “Well…I-I miss her mom too.” He says shyly, avoiding your gaze. 

“Yeah?” You ask teasingly, making him look at you. 

“Of course.” 

“Prove it.” You whisper, biting back a smile. Cove’s head leans away, his eyes wide. 

“I-I don’t know…How.” You giggle at his embarrassed face, admiring how adorable he is. 

“I could lead you through it…If you wanted.” You state, running your finger down his chest. You can hear him gulp loudly, his breathing shaky. 

“Please.”

“Is that a yes?” You weren’t going to risk making him uncomfortable, you needed to hear the word fall from his lips. 

“Yes.” He sighs, sounding almost pained. You lean up quickly, connecting your lips. He pushes himself into you, your lips melding together like clay. You run your tongue across his bottom lip, silently asking him for more. He opens his mouth wider, letting you shove your tongue against his. He whines at the contact, a high-pitched, desperate sound. 

You pull yourself impossibly closer, your stomach pushing against his hardening length. 

“Ah!” He pulls away, his hands raising off your hips. His eyes squeeze shut, and his cheeks flush. “Sorry…” He apologizes, pulling his hands from you to cover his face. 

“Cove.” You say softly, gently wrapping your hands around his wrists. You pull his hands away from his face. He doesn’t meet your eyes, but you speak anyway. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, I told you to stop saying that so much. It’s okay if you need a second, you always wait for me, and I’ll wait for you.” He finally looks at you, his eyes watery. You lift a hand up, wiping a tear from under his eye. “We don’t have to do anything today, or ever, if you-” 

“I do!” He blurts, his voice raising. He clears his throat a little, ducking his head down. “I do want to…I really do.” You smile, watching him with pure adoration. 

“Well we don’t have to today, just sometime in the near future.” He grabs onto your waist again, pulling you back into him, making you yelp. 

“I want to…Today.” He chokes out. 

“Cove…We really don’t have to…” 

“I know! I want to…” He swallows. 

“Are you sure?” He nods frantically. 

“My dad won’t be back until tomorrow…We have the house to ourselves.” He blushes, embarrassed by what he’s implying. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Come here, Romeo.” You smile, pulling him back down to connect your lips. You pick up right where you left off, tangling your tongues together. It’s heated and desperate, but so full of love you can barely breathe. You push your stomach back against him, but he doesn’t pull away this time. Instead, he pushes back, his thick length rubbing against you. He whines into your mouth, his eyebrows furrowing at the pure pleasure. 

You back him up, his legs hitting the edge of his bed. You push him onto it, your lips pulling away from each other. He gasps, his back meeting the softness of his sheets. You crawl on top of him, your hands against his chest. You pull your hips up, keeping your clothed heat away from his bulge. 

“This still okay?” You whisper, ready to push your lips together again. 

“Yes…Please.” He begs, his voice hoarse. You kiss him again, it’s sloppy and wet but it feels so addicting. You push yourself down on him, a moan releasing itself into your mouth. Cove pulls away, looking down at where the two of you meet. His fingers dig into your hips, like he’s trying to keep you here forever. You pull away, sitting up as you stare down at him. He looks at you with puppy dog eyes, silently begging you to keep kissing him. You grab the edges of your shirt and his eyes widen with realization. You pull it up and off of you, revealing your uncovered breasts. 

Cove lets out a choked sound, halfway between a whine and a groan. He can’t help but stare, enamored with your chest. You grab his hands, pulling them away from your waist. You open his palms, placing them over your boobs. 

“Y/N…” He whimpers, his hands going stiff against you. 

“You can squeeze them…If you want to.” You whisper. He doesn’t waste any time, squishing your chest like it’s pizza dough. It should hurt, or feel uncomfortable, but with Cove everything feels perfect. You can’t help but moan, and it makes Cove feel feral. He pulls on one of your nipples suddenly, making you cry out. Your eyes fly open, staring down at his hands on you. 

“Sound so pretty…” He mumbles. Suddenly his hands stop and he looks in your eyes. “C-Can I be on t-top?” He asks, the heat of the question burning his cheeks. 

“Course’ you can, Covie.” You huff out a laugh, switching positions quickly. He holds himself above you, his hair falling down to frame his face. 

“You’re so beautiful.” He says, still groping your breasts as he kisses you again. You moan into his mouth, grabbing his face with both of your hands. You pull away from his mouth, your hands pulling at the bottom of his shirt. 

“Your turn?” You ask, and he nods slowly, helping you remove his shirt. You bite your lip with a smile, running your hand down his chest and along his abs. 

“You’ve seen me without a shirt before, you know.” He mumbles shyly. 

“This is different.” You answer without missing a beat. He blushes, moving to connect your lips once more. His hands run down your stomach, resting at the waistband of your pants. His fingers slip past it, silently asking for permission. You pull your pants down with your underwear, his face pulling away from yours. You throw your pants on his bedroom floor before looking back at him. His eyes are already on you, devouring you whole. You crumble under his gaze, starting to feel self-conscious. 

Cove notices immediately, looking up at you with sparkling eyes. 

“You’re so gorgeous, you look like an angel.” He whispers, his hand resting against your cheek. You can’t form any words, instead you pull the waistband of his own pants. He blushes a dark red, looking away from you for a moment. 

“You need a second?” You ask softly. He shakes his head, moving to unzip his jeans. He pulls them off along with his boxers, just as you had moments before. You stare down at him with wide eyes, your mouth falling open. Saliva gathers in your mouth at the sight of him. He’s so long and thick, you should’ve expected it, with how tall he is. 

“Y/N…” He whines. You look away from him, meeting his eyes. His face mimics yours just a few seconds ago, he’s worried you don’t like what you see. You grab his face, forcing him to look at you. 

“You’re so fucking perfect…Even more so now, you just keep getting better. I love you so much, Covie.” He smiles at your comment, tears welling in his eyes. 

“I love you more.” He smiles, gently pushing his lips into yours. He looks down where the two of you almost meet, before he looks back up fearfully. “I-I don’t have…” 

“I do, in my bag.” You say quickly, pointing to your discarded bag on the floor. He smiles in relief before getting up to look through it. “Back pocket.” You say, smiling as you watch him rummage through it like a child. He grabs one and stands up to his full height, holding the condom like it’s a prize. You giggle softly, closing your eyes and covering your mouth as you smile wide. 

“What…?” Cove’s back on top of you when you open your eyes again, his mouth pulled into a deep pout. 

“You’re just the cutest guy ever, that’s all.” You smile fondly, grabbing onto his face with both hands. “Now, are you gonna fuck me or what?” You ask, making Cove blush profusely. 

“Y-Yeah, I am.” You giggle again, watching him tear open the package and roll the condom over himself. Your mouth waters at the sight, nearly drooling. “Ready?” He asks, his cheeks still pink. You pull your eyes from his length to look in his beautiful aquamarine eyes. 

“Definitely. Are you ready?” You ask in a whisper. He nods, his eyes drooping as he stares at you dreamily. 

“Definitely.” He grabs onto himself, slowly lining up with your hole. You gasp as he nudges your entrance, he looks up to make sure you’re okay. You give him a reassuring smile in return. He continues his ministrations, his head pushing through. You bite your lip, holding back the whine you wanted to let out. He pushes forward a bit too far, half his length already filling you. You yell out in pain, making Cove pull back slightly. 

You grab his shoulders, pulling him back towards you. 

“I’m okay, just go slower, Covie.” You can tell what he’s going to ask you before he even opens his mouth. “Yes, I’m sure.” He smiles softly, leaning down to kiss you gently. While he distracts you with his soft lips, he pushes into you a little more. You gasp into his mouth and he stills, letting you adjust to him. 

After a few moments you pull away from the kiss. 

“Keep moving.” You beg, nearly breathless. He nods, pushing the rest of the way in. You both moan out, the feeling becoming overwhelming. You’re completely and entirely connected to each other, like your souls have joined together. Cove seems to know what he’s supposed to do already, pulling out of you before shoving back in. He sets a quicker pace than you expected, making you whine. 

“Feels s-so g-good.” He whimpers, his thrusts relentless. You can hear his thighs hitting your ass, and it makes you groan. You grab his hand from your hip, moving it to your clit. He gets the hint immediately, rubbing circles over your bud. Somehow, it’s the perfect mix of fast and slow. You can’t help but wonder how the hell he’s so good at this. 

“Covie.” Your voice quivers, the pleasure overwhelming you. He doesn’t stop, he only looks down at you, his eyes so full of love. “K-Kiss me please.” He obeys within half a second, your lips melding to his in a sloppy kiss. He lifts your legs up slightly, his dick hitting that spot that makes you see stars. 

“T-There, right there!” You scream. “Don’t stop!” And unlike most, he doesn’t change a thing he’s doing. He keeps the same pace, keeps your legs in the same spot, and continues rubbing your swollen clit perfectly. “F-Fuck, Covie! I-I’m…” You cut yourself off, throwing your head back in a silent scream. 

“M-Me too.” He whimpers. “C-Cum with me, Y/N…Please.” He buries his head in the crook of your neck, your hands coming up to pull lightly on his hair. 

“Fuck, Covie!” You howl, pleasure consuming you. The pressure in your gut snaps, and your vision nearly goes white as you shake with the force of your orgasm. He moans into your neck, biting onto your shoulder as he finishes. His dick twitches inside of you, as he fills the condom. 

You both stop to catch your breath, Cove’s head still buried against your neck. It takes a few moments before he pulls away, pulling out of your warmth. You whine at the loss and he kisses your cheek before he leaves the bed. You’re in such a daze you don’t realize he’s already cleaned you up. When he comes back again he falls into bed beside you, pulling your body against his. 

You shove your face into his chest, breathing him in. 

“I love you, Covie. Thank you…” You whisper, already half asleep.  “I love you too…And thank you.” He whispers back, also half asleep. You both can’t help but smile before falling asleep completely.

[eery-lir]

So

About the Spice Prompt List 😶‍🌫️

4, 31, 40

Aaand character sugestions: Law, Luffy, Shanks

Please

Monkey D. Luffy, Shanks x AFAB!Reader

Exhibitionism, vibrators, orgasm denial

AN: I left out Law because I haven't seen the anime in years and I'm afraid I'll butcher him horribly

Monkey D. Luffy

He'd really done it this time. Luffy tries to be a good boy, but it's hard. Especially when he's bored, which is almost all the time.

You can't get anything done when he's hounding you for attention, so you get an idea.

"I want to play a game."

Luffy is excited by this idea, but he's going to be sorely disappointed when he realizes your full plan.

He's laid on his back in bed, a bullet vibe tied the tip of his cock, and it's been set to high.

You told him that if could hold his orgasm until you're done with work, then he can fuck you all night long.

Luffy didn't think of the technicalities of that agreement before he was nodding eagerly and pulling his clothes off.

You're sat at the desk across the room, finishing something or other. Truth be told, the work had been finished nearly 30 minutes ago, but you just wanted to torment Luffy a little longer.

He'd been a whining mess since the beginning, but after about 15 minutes of his cock throbbing and bouncing against his stomach, he began to beg.

"Please, please. Can't I just touch myself? I can make myself cum, you don't have to touch me!"

You reminded him of the agreement which earned a loud cry from him. It was hard not to give in, you'd stolen glances at him as you worked. The sight was absolutely divine.

His tummy was soaked in precum and his cock looked painfully hard and red. The sheets beneath him were wrinkled from how tightly he gripped them. Part of the agreement was not being able to touch himself.

You're shocked he'd actually lasted this long. You expected him to have cum all over himself within minutes, but he's determined to prove how much of a good boy he is.

Maybe you'll stop torturing him and let him finally drain his balls.

Shanks

"Started without me princess?"

His voice startles you, and you stare at him wide eyed.

Shanks is leaned against the doorframe, staring you down, a smirk on his lips and a devilish glint in his eyes.

You pull the vibrator from your clit, expecting him to come to you and make you feel good. He just clicks his tongue.

"No no, if you're start without me then you're gonna finish without me."

He sets himself in the chair by the desk, looking at you expectantly. You feel like prey under the eyes of a predator.

"Well? Show me how you get yourself off."

You press the vibrator against yourself again, your hips jolt as it hits your clit. The delicious waves of pleasure washing over your body once more.

Your thighs are wet with slick and sweat and you close your legs to feel more friction. Shanks narrows his eyes at this, "Darling, how am I gonna be able to see that beautiful, dripping cunt of yours if I you got your legs shut?"

He moves forward and grabs your knees, spreading you open and smirking at the sight.

"That feel good princess? Better than my fingers?"

You quickly shake your head 'no' and a whine leaves your lips as your orgasm draws near. Your wrist swivels the vibrator and you gasp at the pleasure.

Shanks admires your body, sliding his hands up your thighs and using his thumbs to spread your folds.

"Fuck that's good."

[octuscle]

UFC fare

Sebastian arrived at the airport more than just annoyed. Because of a strike, there were no taxis, and the commuter train had been completely packed. Normally, Sebastian never took public transport—he had no clue whether there was no AC in those trains or whether it had simply broken down. Either way, the air had been thick enough to slice with a knife, and he was soaked in sweat.

The entire ride, he'd been pressed up against a group of teenagers clearly headed to the airport to catch a flight to some party destination for heavy drinking. Sure, the guys were in shape and easy on the eyes, but their lack of personal hygiene and the stench of beer breath had been downright disgusting.

Okay, by the end of the ride, Sebastian was just as sweaty himself. He could only hope his deodorant was holding up. And he really hoped his flight was a little delayed. A few minutes in the business lounge would be sheer bliss. He was looking forward to a gin and tonic and a properly working air conditioner.

"I'm really sorry, but there seems to be an issue with your booking," the woman at the check-in desk said. "You booked a special fare in Economy Class, so I’m not allowed to check you in at this counter."

Sebastian was fuming. First, because some idiot in the travel department hadn’t booked him Business Class. And second, because even with his Platinum frequent flyer status, he wasn’t allowed to check in at the Business Class desk. The ground staff lady was visibly embarrassed, but she kept emphasizing that there was absolutely nothing she could do about that very specific fare. He’d have to check in at the Economy Class desk.

Fuming, Sebastian grabbed his Hermès weekender and headed over. And who was in line in front of him? The soccer bros from the train. Perfect.

The guy at the counter grinned when he saw Sebastian. “Dude, you know you booked the UFC special fare, right?”

Sebastian ignored the “Dude” and responded with as much arrogant composure as he could muster, saying he hadn’t booked the fare, was unaware of it, and had no idea what a UFC fare even was.

“Yo, bro! Ultimate Fighting Championship! That MMA thing, ya know? Don’t ring a bell?”

Okay, Sebastian had at least heard of MMA. And yeah, UFC was actually a client of his firm. Martin handled their audit, as far as he remembered. He rolled his eyes.

“I really don’t care. Just check me in, I’m in a hurry!”

“Yo, it ain’t that easy, my man. That fare comes with a few requirements. First question: What’s your highest level of education?”

“Master’s in Law, Bachelor in Business Administration,” Sebastian replied, cold as ice.

“Damn, bro… problem is, this fare only allows a max of high school diploma with a D average.”

Sebastian felt a little dizzy for a second. He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

“Hehehe,” he chuckled. “Was, like, always an A in gym, but other than that, C-minus was like… a freakin’ party, man!”

The check-in dude gave him a fist bump. “Now we talkin’, bro! School’s a damn joke, huh?”

“Total waste o’ time, bro!” Sebastian replied, full conviction in his voice.

“Alright, next thing’s your CoD level.”

Sebastian had to think for a second. “Level 41, Colonel II. Ain’t had much time for gaming lately.”

“No sweat, bro. Level 30’s the cutoff, so you golden. Next up—luggage. Only carry-on allowed. And it’s gotta be sports gear only.”

“You really wanna know?”

“Gotta check, bro!”

Sebastian opened up his gym bag. It reeked of sweaty fight shorts, socks, and jockstraps soaked in sweat and... well, other fluids. The guy at the counter took a deep breath. Was he seriously getting hard? Sebastian wasn’t even surprised. He himself loved jacking it into his gear after winning a fight.

“Aight, champ, almost done. Only thing is—your clothes might be too heavy for the fare. Max weight for what you wear: 400 grams.”

Shit. How was he supposed to know what clothes weighed? He pulled out a pair of sneakers, socks, a jockstrap, Adidas shorts, and a Lakers jersey from his gym bag. Threw it all on the luggage scale. 420 grams. The counter dude grinned.

“I’d bet the sweat and cum in those threads weigh at least 20 grams. You’re solid, bro!”

“Yo, you want me to change right here?”

The guy just shrugged with a grin. Sebastian stripped. He never had a problem showing off his ripped bod. And honestly, he was glad to get outta that dumb suit. Why the hell had he even worn that crap? To the cheers of the other passengers, he pulled his jockstrap up over his tight ass. The check-in guy massaged the bulge in his pants.

Sebastian laced up his sneakers. “That it?”

“Get movin’ Sebastian, boarding starts in ten minutes!”

Sebastian gave the hot dude a fist bump. “You’re a freakin’ lifesaver, bro. But don’t call me Sebastian. My grandparents call me that. My homies call me Steel.”

“Have a good flight, Steel. Good luck on your next fight!”

“You can bet your sweet ass on it!” Steel grinned and jogged off toward security. He still needed to grab a beer before the flight.

[nnephthyss]

just one kiss right? - choso x reader

plot: what happens when you give choso just one kiss for fun? he wants more….

warnings: fem! reader, choso being needy, hot make out session, grinding, dry humping, teasing, praising, virgin choso, sub choso

wc: 1k

(how do yall write over 5k wc fics???)

———————————————————————————

you find your self sitting on the couch, watching a romance movie that you chose of course with your friend choso. he stuffs his face full of popcorn, entranced in the movie as a sex scene comes on. you weren’t for sure if the boy knew what any of it was. they started to kiss at first, the girl undressing herself for the man. “have you done that?” you ask him and he turns to you slowly. “what?��� he asks, almost surprised as he drops the popcorn that he was about to eat back into the bowl.

“kissed someone.” you clear your throat and scoot towards him, getting on your knees and he practically stiffens at your closeness. “ have you ever had sex, choso?” he shakes his head no, a blush coming to his cheeks at the blunt questions. there were kissing noises and shuffling of clothes in the background from the movie but it wasn’t like either of you were paying attention anymore anyways.

he was a nervous mess in front of you, getting aroused at the way you speak so softly and yet so suggestive to him and the couple having sex on the screen in front of the both of you really didn’t help. sighing, you move closer and straddle his lap. his hands come outward, legs spreading apart as you settle in his lap. he was stiff and nervous, eyes wide on yours. he was surprised that you were being so forward with him. he slowly but hesitantly places his hands on your thighs. “yeah, it’s okay. you can put your hands there.” your voice was so soft, tone sugary sweet.

he nods and slides his hands up and down your bare thighs gently. you had on just pair of sleep shorts and he could feel the heat between your thighs against his crotch that was getting hard as fuck. the both of you could hear the scene on the tv cool down, just inaudible voices in the background.

your hands slide up to his shoulders, fiddling with the strands of hair that fall down them. “can i kiss you?” and you already know what he was gonna say. having a pretty girl in his lap, willingly to give him what he’s been dreaming of for forever, hell like he’d past that chance up. “y-yes.” he stutters out. with his permission, you lean forward, teasing him slightly by running your tongue along his lower lip. you hear him whimper. shifting uncomfortably beneath you from his aching length that was painfully hard.

he parts his mouth as you slide your tongue past his lips. he’s not sure how to react at first but he finally gets the hang of it and moves his lips against yours. he’s sweet and gentle with it. after all he’s never kissed anyone before so you didn’t expect anything more. his movements were sloppy, tongue tripping over yours. your hand moves up or his jaw, holding his head still as you give him the best kiss of his life that was slowly turning into a make out session.

his hands wander, sliding up your thighs and resting on your hips. you were getting ready to pull away when he starts to move his hips upward towards yours which instantly receives a gasp from you. he was hard, his aching cock rubbing up against you through his jeans. he whined at the friction he was receiving. “please.” he pleads with you as you pull away. this was supposed to be all fun and games, not taking his virginity away. “please what?” you ask him teasingly, tilting your head to the side.

“please make me cum.” he says so softly it’s barely audible. he stops bucking his hips once you start to roll your own. he groans, hands tighting on your hips. “y-yesss!” he moans, eyes almost rolling back at the pleasure that was rippling through him.

he looks up at you, head fallen back against the couch cushion. he holds your hips tightly, holding onto you like you’re the only one to keep him afloat. “does that feel good? you like me grinding on your cock, cho?” he whimpers at your vulgar words and his hips stutter for a moment as he starts to buck them upwards again.

only moans were filling the room along with your panting, he looks up at you just mesmerized by the image he had infront of him. he could feel that familiar coil in his stomach about to snap just like he normally felt when he masturbated but this was different. it felt way more powerful as he lets out a low whine. “g-gonna- fuckk.. cum..” he stutters, breathing coming out uneven as he closes his eyes.

“yes cho. be a good boy n’ cum for me..” he lets out a low groan at your words, whimpers and whines filling your ears like a melody. all the sounds coming from him was making your core absolutely ache with need. his thighs tense, eyes rolling back and fingers digging into your sides. he was murmuring your name. no, more like whimpering it over and over again as his body convulses beneath you.

“that’s it, yes that’s it.” you coo, hands coming up to cup his face. you could feel the wetness between the two do you from were he came in his jeans. you almost smile, wanting to laugh at how precious it was to have a man nut in his pants just from grinding on him. his lip is quivered as he looks up at you, eyes half-lidded, body exhausted from his earth shattering orgasm. “good boy, cho.”

———————————————————————————

[corroded-hellfire]

Reading AYW things has me thinking about Eddie and Reader sniffing baby Eliza right after they bring her home and she’s got that fresh baby smell and Luke and Ryan are like “what are they doing?”

-cj. @cheesewritings

Just out here fueling my own baby fever. Please enjoy some lil baby Eliza 💕

Words: 1.2k

[As You Wish masterlist]

Less than a month has gone by since you’ve given birth to your and Eddie’s baby girl and yet so much has changed. Your hormones still give you mood swings from time to time. Eddie feels a bit more tired than usual between being up at odd hours of the night and trying to make sure you and Eliza are being taken care of while still keeping Ryan and Luke’s normal weekly routine going. The boys dote over their baby sister, but their sleep has definitely been impacted as well by the high-pitched wailing that comes just down the hall every night. One morning at breakfast before school, Luke fell asleep with half of his face in his bowl of Corn Flakes. 

But every small discomfort is well worth it to have the most beautiful baby girl you’ve ever seen. Her eyes already threaten to be as wide and doe-like as her father’s and you know you’ll be in deep trouble then. The soft wispy baby hairs on her head are similar in color to Eddie’s and her eyebrows have the same arch as his. Eliza absolutely has your nose and lips though. Your husband swears it’s as if God copy and pasted the features right from you to your daughter. Whenever she smiles though, you see her brothers. It may still be gas for her at this age, but the smile that upturns her pretty pink mouth is the spitting image of what you see on the faces of your sons. Munson charm in full effect. 

Evenings have been the most unpredictable so far. Will Eliza be awake? Asleep? Hungry? Fussy? Happy? Content? Not to mention what Eddie or the boys will be like.

Tonight is a good night, though. The boys are down the hall playing video games in Ryan’s room, and you and Eddie are cuddled up on the couch, Eliza snuggly cradled between your arms. Spider-Man is playing on the television, but you’d both forgotten about the movie the second that your daughter woke up, about fifteen minutes into the superhero flick. 

“Oh, look what a big mouth you have!” you coo as your daughter releases a tiny yawn, as if she hasn’t spent most of her day sleeping. You envy the hours of rest infants need. 

Eddie gazes down at her adoringly and the love shining in his eyes threatens to have your heart burst right through your ribs. It’s no secret that he’s always wanted a daughter and it’s still dizzying to think that you’re the one to give that to him. 

Soft, gurgling baby noises come from the baby’s mouth as she looks back and forth from you to her father. Both you and Eddie chuckle when she lifts her small arms above her head, then on the way down stops to stick her tiny fingers in her mouth. 

“God, she’s perfect,” Eddie muses, and you’re not sure if you were meant to hear it or he was just thinking aloud. Either way, he’s right. Every little thing about her has captured your heart. 

Slowly, Eddie leans forward and presses his lips to her soft forehead. 

“And she smells so good,” Eddie adds, making you giggle. 

“I know!” you agree. “What is it about that new baby smell?”

Gently, you lift Eliza so her head is more level with yours and Eddie’s. As one, you both lean in and inhale the scent wafting off your daughter. The baby doesn’t seem to mind, but it looks like she’s trying to figure out what you’re doing by the way she keeps looking at you. And she’s not the only one.

“What are they doing?” Luke mutters to his older brother from where they stand off to the side of the hallway connecting the living room to the rest of the house. 

“Smelling her,” Ryan answers with a shrug.

“Uh, why?” Luke furrows his brows as he watches the scene on the couch in confusion.

“Seeing if she needs a diaper change? I don’t know,” Ryan says.

“But they’re smiling. No one would ever smile around one of Eliza’s dirty diapers,” Luke says, having plenty of experience to back up that claim. 

“Maybe they washed her hair,” Ryan offers with another shrug. “I don’t know, I guess she just smells good.”

Luke’s quiet for a moment before he tilts his head up to look at his brother.

“Do they ever smell you?”

“No,” Ryan says with a sigh, this conversation already exhausting him. 

“Do they smell me when I’m not looking?” Luke asks, more rhetorical this time. 

“Yes, we all do,” Ryan goads. “We’ve been meaning to talk to you about taking more baths.”

The younger Munson boy glowers at his brother and stomps past him into the living room.

“Um, does she smell?” Luke asks as he approaches the couch.

“Yeah,” Eddie says, looking up at his son with a grin. “She’s got that new baby smell. C’mere.”

He gestures for Luke to lean in and smell the top of Eliza’s head. The boy does and when he pulls back, he’s smiling.

“She kind of smells like cheese.”

The words make you giggle, and you lay your head on your husband’s shoulder as Eddie cradles Eliza against his chest. 

“Ryan! She smells like cheese!”

“What?” Ryan asks as he walks over. 

“Yeah, but like actual cheese. Not a Cheeto or the stuff in a can.”

Ryan frowns. “Didn’t you just eat a whole bottle of Cheez Wiz yesterday?”

“You did what?” Eddie asks, raising an eyebrow at his youngest son.

“I said it wasn’t real cheese,” Luke says to Ryan, ignoring his father completely. “Not that it wasn’t delicious. Now smell,” Luke urges him.

Ryan gives his little brother a skeptical look, but when you give him a reassuring nod, he leans in and sniffs her hair.

“It’s like…baby powder. But…I don’t know, fresher?” Ryan isn’t sure how to describe it, but he certainly doesn’t think cheese is the word he’d use. 

“Do all babies have it?” Luke asks as he takes a seat next to you.

“Most do,” Eddie tells him. “You both did.”

“When did I lose it? Or do I still have it?” Luke tries to yank one of his curls straight so he can get a good whiff of it, but to no avail. 

“It goes away after a few weeks or months,” Eddie says.

“What causes it?” Ryan asks.

Your husband smiles and you can tell he loves the boys asking him these questions. He’d sit here and talk to them about Eliza—or anything, really—all day. 

“I don’t know, pal,” Eddie says. 

“It’s like new car smell!” Luke adds. 

“But better,” you say, poking his tummy in his most ticklish spot. He giggles and squirms around at your side. Once he’s calmed, Luke slumps against your arm and watches Eliza fuss a little in Eddie’s arms.

“Even when she loses that baby smell,” Luke says, poking you in the thigh with a small bony forefinger, “I hope she grows up to smell like you and not Daddy.”

Eddie’s jaw drops open as he turns his head towards Luke. You want to make some sort of witty remark, but you can’t think of any. Plus, you’re laughing way too hard to speak. 

[tea-plantz]

Hi!

Could you maybe write some physical affection/romantic headcanons for ennui? Like cuddling and kisses etc lol kind of like the one you wrote about anxiety. If not that’s okay! :D

Hii, thank you for the request! This was a really sweet request, and it’s always fun writing for my favorite French girl<3

~Ennui physical affection/romantic hcs~

I’m honestly not too sure how Ennui feels about physical contact, due to the fact that she was pretty distant in the movie, and never attempted to engage in physical contact herself. However, when the others touched her, (like when Envy ran up to her and hugged her, cause she was scared of the pipes falling), she didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Therefore, I think that Ennui wouldn’t mind having a partner that was touchy and clingy, as long as it’s not waaay too overbearing.

She probably kind of likes it whenever you walk over to her, as she’s laying on the couch on her phone, and snuggle up to her. Ennui lets out a low chuckle, and keeps doing her thing, whilst letting you lay against or on top of her. Maybe she even wraps her arm around your shoulders as well.

When it comes to her asking you for cuddles, she would be pretty forward about it, unlike Anxiety. Ennui would straight up just pat the spot beside her, whilst looking at you with her usual bored expression, waiting for you to go over and join her.

“I want to cuddle. Come over here. Now… s'il te plait (please)”

When Ennui feels extra bored, she’ll let out a dramatic groan as she leans on you, her body going limp, and she slumps over you like a worm.

Ennui probably wouldn’t get embarrassed that often, if someone teases her about you two being in a relationship, and being affectionate, she’ll most likely just roll her eyes at them, whilst muttering a small insult in French. Only if they where being mean about it though, and potentially hurting you, otherwise she wouldn’t really care. It’s way too much work to care about stuff, unless it’s about you or her phone.

I personally think Ennui’s main love language would be physical touch, mainly because it takes the least work, but still shows that she cares. She really does care, it’s just too tiresome to go out and buy flowers, or something. Therefore, Ennui mainly sticks with giving you hugs and all, and sleeping on you, it’s easy, but sweet. She would also give you some compliments, nicknames, and words of affirmation as a way of showing affection from time to time.

Movie dates, and playing random phone games on the couch with her is a must! She really likes spending quality time with you, by doing chill activities like that.

We’ve learned from the book ‘Go to sleep, Anxiety’ that Ennui kinda… doesn’t sleep.

“Who needs sleep anyway?”

Although I feel like her sleep schedule might get a little better if her significant other was in the picture. You would practically force her to come and cuddle with you instead of staying on her phone all night, and even though Ennui let out a bunch of groans, complaints and a decent amount of eye rolling, you finally got her into bed with you. She deserves a good night sleep<3

Ennui gives of major big spoon every-

She likes to wrap her long, slim limbs around you, hugging you tight like a teddy bear.

I don’t think Ennui would initiate much in kisses, that’s usually up to you, but she does take charge sometimes when she’s feeling extra flirty.

Honestly, she would be pretty chill about kisses, she finds them cute and all, but she doesn’t become a blushing mess or anything (like Anxiety).

She likes giving you forehead kisses, and she loves giving you kisses on your knuckles! You could simply be chilling by the console, and the next thing you know, Ennui is holding your hand in hers. She lifts it up to her mouth, and places a small kiss to your knuckles, before murmuring in her low voice:

“Bonjour, mon amor~ are you having a nice day? Not too boring?”

On a few occasions, when Ennui’s feeling really ballsy, she goes in for the full on ‘on the mouth’ kiss. She’s really good at French kissing (see what I did there?🌝).

She really likes kissing and snuggling you, she just feels like it’s too much work sometimes, and would rather you take the initiative, but when Ennui actually decides to put in a little effort, she can be pretty smooth and romantic~

Omfg I’m so bad at French, I have to google like every word, and half of it is probably wrong too😭

[ruggiesbiologicalfather]

hello everyone and welcome to a new series i like to call Event Miscast where i take current twst events and reimagine them with a new cast of folks. so without further ado i present:

Miscasting on the Savanna

(A retelling of the Cloudcalling on the Savanna event starring Leona Kingscholar, Epel Felmier, Floyd Leech, Sebek Zigvolt, and You!)

Word Count: ~6.5k

As you stand in the mirror chamber, waiting for everyone to be ready to go, you can’t help but wonder why Leona chose these particular students to be his crew. Floyd is obvious: he’s big, strong, and doesn’t have any qualms about fighting. You suppose Epel is scrappy in his own way, though you’re not so sure how he’d do in a full-on brawl. And the last one… the mystery is not why he was chosen but how he was convinced to come along.

“Where is Leona!?” Sebek bellows loud enough to shake the mirror itself. “We’re supposed to leave in two minutes!”

“Wouldja pipe down?” Epel groans with a wince, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. “It’s too early for hollerin’.”

“What are we supposed to do if he fails to arrive on time!?”

“I dunno. Go home?”

“Boo,” Floyd chimes in. “I was looking forward to squeezing somebody.” The term squeezing sends a chill down your spine but you keep quiet.

“Shut up, all of you.” The man of the hour finally arrives. He yawns widely, showing off his massive canines. You try not to stare but the light glinting off of them makes them a beacon. “Everybody here?”

“Present and ready,” Sebek reports. “Some of us know the meaning of the word punctuality.”

“Don’t make me leave you behind.” This shuts Sebek up. He doesn’t seem to realize that if Leona leaves him behind, he’ll be down a crucial team member. Naturally, it’s not something that you have any intention of pointing out. You just want to have a good time.

Everyone is fidgety, anxious to get going. Except, you notice, Leona, who seems to be dragging his feet more than usual. Nonetheless, your journey begins with a step through the mirror.

The air in Sunset Savanna hits you like a brick wall. It’s not only hot but humid, meaning that the air feels almost too thick to breathe. You can practically feel the sweat begin to pour out of every inch of skin you have. You squint against the bright sun and try to shade your eyes but neither action does anything to help.

“Holy Hell!” Epel shouts. “It’s damn hot out here.”

“Duh,” Leona says. “Now that we’re here, everyone just do what I say, got it?” You are the only person to nod. Everyone else is too occupied with taking in their surroundings. So occupied, in fact, that they all begin to wander off in different directions. “Hey, hey! Get over here!” 

You decide it’s best to just stick close to Leona. Not only are you a stranger to this country, you’re a stranger to this world itself. There’s no telling what you may encounter. So you keep your mouth shut as much as possible through meeting Neji - the grand chamberlain - touring the city, and watching your companions eat more food than should be reasonably possible to ingest. Everyone’s having so much fun eating and shopping and trying new things. You even catch Leona smiling every once in a while.

Spirits are high even when Leona tells everyone it’s time to do some training. You’re not participating in the brawl but you still want to watch them all and be supportive. Leona lays out his game plan - a strategic masterpiece. Any doubts you’ve had about his choice of competitors have been laid to rest. Using Epel to set opponents up, Sebek to knock them down, and Floyd to keep them on their toes is pure genius. No wonder he’s hailed as a master of chess. Naturally, you seem to be the only one who doesn’t see anything wrong with this plan.

“Why do I have to be bait!?” Epel demands. Leona sighs, flicking his tail in annoyance.

“We’re going to use your size as an advantage,” he explains, tight-lipped. “They’re never going to expect a little shrimp like you would be capable of defeating them. You’ll catch them off guard.”

“I don’t like bein’ called a shrimp.”

“Who cares? I’ve seen you move in Spelldrive. Use some of that speed and it’ll be a piece of cake.”

“I take issue with being described as a ‘wrecking ball,’” Sebek declares.

“Is that ‘cause you don’t know what it is?” Epel mumbles under his breath.

“WHAT WAS THAT!?”

“Take it easy,” Leona interrupts. “There’s no reason for you to draw anything out. You can easily overpower anybody out there, so just do it. Take them down clean and simple.”

“Battle is rarely so simple.”

“Yeah, okay. But wouldn’t it bring that horned jerk so much pride to know your fights were done in record time?” Sebek’s eyes start to gleam. “And I’m sure he’ll agree that having a Sunset Warrior for a right-hand man is pretty cool.”

“I suppose. But I’ll have you know that I am capable of feats of combat far greater than-!” A yawn from Leona is enough to shut Sebek up. All eyes turn towards Floyd who has settled himself in the shade of a tree. He doesn’t notice the staring for a few long moments. Then he blinks absently.

“Hm?”

“Anything to declare?” Leona asks.

“Nah.”

“Alright then. The sun won’t be setting for another two hours. Back to it.” As much as you enjoy being able to participate as a spectator, you have to admit that the Bead Brawl looks like fun. You find yourself cheering as your schoolmates battle each other and you can’t help but laugh when Epel lets out a war cry and launches himself up onto Sebek’s shoulders to snatch his beads. This, of course, ends with the two of them wrestling around in the dirt. Only Leona looks displeased. It must be all the stress.

When you return to the hotel, you realize it will be a long time before you’re able to actually get some sleep. There’s mountains of food, crowds of people, and a live band playing right in the center of the lobby. Sebek and Grim make a beeline right for dinner but Epel asks if you’d like to come dance with him. You agree but first you ask Floyd if he’d like to come too.

“Nah,” he says, his voice oddly quiet. “I’m goin’ to sleep.”

“Okay… goodnight.” You don’t get a reply.

“Don’t mind him,” Epel says. “He’s just in one of those moods. God forbid someone give him a task to do.” You chuckle then catch sight of Leona in the doorway.

“Don’t stay up too late,” he instructs.

“We won’t. Promise.” You doubt that Epel’s promise carries much weight. Even so, Leona leaves you all to your own devices. You eat until you're stuffed, dance until your feet are numb, and laugh until you can feel a headache forming behind your eyebrows. You end the night on a balcony with Sebek and Epel, watching the stars.

“Are you guys nervous?” You ask.

“Nope.”

“Not in the least.”

“Really?”

“The knowledge that the great Malleus Draconia will feel pride after my victory keeps my spirits high!”

“Shh dude,” Epel chastises. “People are sleeping.”

“I’m not being loud!” You can’t help but laugh.

“Well, good luck,” you say. “Not that you’ll really need it.” You bid each of them goodnight before retiring to your room. Inside, you find Grim sprawled out in the center of the bed, belly bulging from the copious amounts of food he ingested that day. You shake your head, roll him aside, and practically fall asleep the instant your head hits the pillow.

You wake up jittery with anticipation but with a joyful optimism in your heart. You’ve seen your schoolmates in action, you know that they have an amazing shot at winning. Even Grim is pumped as you tie on his festive ribbon. But all that hope flutters away when you hear a pounding at the door.

“It’s unlocked,” you call. The door opens and Epel and Sebek poke their heads inside, practically stacked on top of each other. They’re already dressed with their cloaks wrapped around them and their beds dangling down onto their shoulders. They would look like warriors already if it weren’t for the terrified look in their eyes.

“We got a problem,” Epel says.

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah. And it’s a doozy.”

“Why don’t you get Leona?”

“‘Cause you’re the closest thing we got to a housewarden. And ‘cause Leona’s gonna be pissed and I don’t wanna get bit. Sebek, you wanna get bit?”

“I do not want to get bit.”

“He don’t wanna get bit neither. You gotta help.”

“What’s the problem?” Epel and Sebek exchange a glance. They appear to have a telepathic game of rock-paper-scissors before turning back to you.

“We can’t get Floyd out of bed.”

Epel, Sebek, and Grim fold themselves into your shadow as you stand in front of the door to Floyd’s hotel room. It’s eerily silent. You knock gently a few times, seeing if you can get a response.

“Floyd?” Nothing. “We’re coming in.” The light coming in from the windows illuminates every corner of the room and yet a feeling of lifelessness abounds. Floyd’s Bead Brawl costume lays in a heap on the ground at the foot of his bed. For a moment, you wonder if he’s even here. But then your eyes land on the largest pile of blankets you’ve ever seen in your life. He’s made himself a cave in bed. A small tuft of blue hair sticks out from underneath one of the pillows.

Epel and Sebek suck in a tense breath as you approach the bed. You try not to think of razor-sharp teeth and unhinging jaws as you reach an arm out. You give a small pat to your best estimation of where Floyd’s shoulder must be.

“Hey buddy,” you say as if talking to a potentially rabid dog. “It’s time to get up.” The blanket pile shifts and lets out an almost inaudible groan.

“We tried that,” Epel whispers.

“Without the touching,” Sebek adds.

“Yeah true. You’re brave.”

“Come on, Floyd,” you continue. You’re used to having to drag Grim out of bed, this shouldn’t be much different. Perhaps just a bit heavier. “I’m gonna pull the blankets off you.” Another groan. You ignore it, grab two fistfuls of the blankets and tug as hard as you can. The blankets are so tangled around Floyd’s limbs that you’re barely able to uncover part of his shoulders and hips.

“WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!” Sebek shouts before shrinking back behind you again. The voice that responds is barely audible, but you’ve heard Floyd utter these words enough times that you know exactly what he says:

“I don’t wanna.”

“Well you’re gonna have to!” Epel says, finding some new courage. “If you don’t, we’re gonna have to forfeit the Bead Brawl!”

“NO WAY! YOU WILL NOT PREVENT ME FROM BRINGING HONOR TO MALLEUS!”

“Grab his feet.” Sebek does as Epel commands and grabs the section of blanket that probably houses Floyd’s feet. Epel takes his place by his shoulders and you take your place by the door. Together, the boys heave but Floyd doesn’t budge. They try again, both grunting with the effort. It’s not until the third pull that Floyd flops off the bed with a huge thump. He’s still wrapped in blankets but at least he’s out of bed.

“What is going on?” Leona’s voice makes everyone freeze. Grim scurries under the bed and out of sight. Leona’s face is twisted in barely-contained irritation. The muscles in his arms bulge as he crosses them over his chest. He glares at the pile on the floor.

“Is Floyd in there?” All you can do is nod. With a huff, Leona marches forwards and yanks a few of the blankets off Floyd. He almost leaps into a lecture but then he stops and drops the blankets from his hand. “Damn it.”

“What?” Epel asks, trying to see what Leona sees. Then, you notice it. Floyd has always been pale but never has his skin appeared so translucent. He’s also covered in a layer of sweat. You can tell his eyes are bloodshot even though they’re barely open. There’s no doubt about it; Floyd has a fever.

“Holy Hell! What happened to you!?” Floyd doesn’t answer. He breathes slowly through his mouth, his bottom jaw flexing with every inhale. You’ve seen this in eels, where they look like they’re gasping for breath. Somehow, it’s even more terrifying to see it in him.

“What are we gonna do?” Epel asks, panic seeping into his voice. “I mean, I don’t know eel anatomy!”

“DON’T DIE ON US NOW!” Sebek bellows. “YOU’RE HALFWAY TO GRADUATION!”

“YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!” Epel joins.

“Shut up!” Leona snaps. “Let me think!” Leona’s brow furrows as he looks down at Floyd in his pathetic state. Then his face relaxes and one of his ears twitches. He’s listening to something out in the hallway. Or someone. For a moment, his eyes brighten. He dashes to the doorway and sticks his head out into the hall.

“Jamil!” Jamil?

“Jamil’s here!?” Epel asks, bounding after Leona. It takes only a second for everyone to be crowded in the doorway, looking out. You recognize Jamil right away even from the back and out of his uniform. He’s wearing white linen and brown sandals. His hair is slicked out of his face braided around his crown. He turns to face Leona and you see a twitch of venom in his eyes. But then, as if pulled by an invisible string attached to his shoulder blades, his posture straightens and he holds his hands in front of him at hip-height. As he approaches, the bangles around his wrists and ankles jingle. The jeweled adornments across his forehead glint in the early sunlight. His smile is pleasant but not real.

“How can I be of assistance, Your Highness?” An ominous chill fills the air. Leona wrinkles his nose and scowls.

“Ew. Don’t call me that.”

“Then what should I call you?” Leona and Jamil just stare at each other for a moment. There’s some unspoken understanding between them. At school, they are almost equals - both students under the same headmage. Not anymore. There’s a strange connection weaving between them due to the fact that they each occupy a role that no one else around them can imagine: the servant and the eternally served. It's strange to watch them morph into such different people. It makes your skin crawl.

“Leona will be fine,” Leona utters, his voice tight and way too formal.

“Very well, Leona,” Jamil responds. “How can I be of assistance?”

“We need your help with Floyd.” Jamil’s eye twitches.

“Floyd?”

“He should be in the Bead Brawl but he’s down. I need you to look at him.”

“I’m not sure why I’d be-”

“Because you know medicine and you know him.” It’s clear Leona’s patience is wearing thin. “All I need is him back on his feet. So just get in there and get his ass up.” 

“With all due respect, I have other things on my plate at the moment.”

“Should I get Kalim? Have him ask you to do it?” Jamil scowls, his eyes shooting daggers at Leona. His hands are clenched so tightly that his knuckles are pale and shaking. Even you can tell that Leona has just played a card that Jamil cannot ignore.

“No need,” he mutters, keeping his jaw tight. You have the sense to step way out of his way as he comes into the room, practically pulling a storm cloud behind him. Leona closes the door once everyone is inside and leans back against it with his arms crossed. Jamil goes right to Floyd with a swift precision and squats beside him. All it takes is his hand on Floyd’s forehead for him to come to a conclusion.

“What did he drink yesterday?” He asks.

“I dunno,” Leona answers. “I wasn’t babysitting him.”

“So… you brought a merman to the hottest, driest city that you have access to and now you’re shocked that he’s dehydrated?” It’s clear that the diplomatic politeness that once possessed Jamil is gone now that they’re behind closed doors. 

“Sounds like we just need to get some water in him,” Epel says. “I’ll go get-”

“No,” Jamil interrupts. “It’s too late now, he’s running a fever. Even if you manage to get him recovered, he’s not going to do anything for several days. Believe me, I know. He’s useless in this heat and that wouldn't have been a surprise to you if you had thought about it for five seconds. You would’ve been better off bringing Azul because at least then you’d stand half a chance trying to carry him back to school.” Jamil stands and walks back to the door. Leona doesn’t move out of his way.

“But the Bead Brawl…” Epel starts, clearly trying to weaponize his gigantic baby blue eyes. “We won’t be able to compete.”

“I apologize for the disappointment,” Jamil replies. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“No,” Leona says.

“No?”

“You’re a Night Raven student,” Leona continues. “Which means you could slot into our team and we wouldn’t have to forfeit.”

“No.”

“Please,” you add, hoping that adding some sweetness will be more persuasive. “They’ve worked so hard. They really want to win.”

“I’ve given my answer. If you’ll please step out of my way, I have other things to attend to.” Still, Leona doesn’t move. A smirk plays at the corner of his lips.

“That’s a shame. I know Kalim was excited to see the tournament.”

“The tournament will continue.”

“Without his friends.”

“He barely knows you’re here.”

“Shame… you know, it was Floyd’s dream to participate in this.” Jamil narrows his eyes, trying to figure out Leona’s angle. “He’ll be devastated.”

“He’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you’re right. But what will Kalim think?” Jamil’s shoulders sink. He’s figured it out.

“Hm.”

“He’ll be so disappointed, he’ll probably want to jump right in and win this thing in Floyd’s honor. And, hey, I might just let him. Better than nothing, right? I think I’ll go ask him, he’s right down the hall, yeah?”

“Wait.” Jamil clenches his fists. “I’ll do it.” Leona claps Jamil on the shoulder so hard it practically knocks him forward.

“Good choice. I’ll get you a uniform.” Jamil glares at Leona as he leaves, chewing on the inside of his cheek. You know you should say something but you stay quiet. Epel and Sebek’s loud celebration is enough of a distraction.

The arena is buzzing with excitement from participants and spectators alike. Music and voices merge together to create a joyous hum that is only somewhat spoiled by Jamil’s scowling presence beside you. You’re just grateful you get to be right on the sidelines with everyone. You can hardly sit still.

It’s decided that Sebek will be first to compete. This fate that would have you nearly passing out from anxiety doesn’t seem to faze him at all. He stands right at the entrance of the ring, shaking his hands back and forth at his sides and bouncing on the balls of his feet. He’s all focus, his eyes locked on his opponent across the ring. He ducks his head down, keeping it almost in line with his shoulders, and stares up through his eyebrows. You can see his opponent whispering to the rest of his team. No doubt they think he looks insane. But Sebek is not one to care what others think.

The judges announce the tournament is about to begin. You and Epel whoop as loud as you can to pump Sebek up but he doesn’t seem to hear you. He has locked onto his target. It’s impossible to tear him away. Right before the bell rings to begin, Sebek removes his cloak and tosses it your way. It takes both you and Grim to catch it before it hits the ground. 

The long sleeves of the Night Raven College uniforms have hidden Sebek’s physique from you for the time that you’ve known him. Of course, you always knew he was strong, but you had no idea he was so massive. As the sun beats down from directly above him, every muscle casts a rippling shadow down his body. His chest is practically bursting out of the shirt of his costume and you can see every crease in his abdomen. For a moment, you fear for his opponent. And it looks like he fears for himself.

The bell rings and Sebek gets low. He’s almost in a full crawling position with one of his arms on the ground in front of him and the other pointed straight back. He keeps his head, shoulders, and spine in a perfectly straight line. His opponent is bouncy and begins to approach in a sweeping semi-circle. He’s trying to bait Sebek into following him but Sebek stays perfectly still. Only his eyes slide back and forth, never wavering. The opponent almost seems scared to approach. You would be too.

“GET ‘EM, SEBEK!” Epel calls. “TAKE ‘EM DOWN!” This prompts the opponent to strike. He lunges at Sebek, grabbing for a strand of beads. Sebek drops to the ground, rolls away, and pops right back up into position. The crowd goes nuts. Sebek takes advantage of his challenger being off-balance and attacks. He seizes him around the waist from behind, expertly topples him to the ground, and snatches every single one of his beads. A cacophony of cheers echoes across the arena. Sebek jumps to his feet and pumps his fistful of beads into the air.

“FOR MALLEUS!” He roars. You can practically hear Leona rolling his eyes even from way up in the stands. You, Epel, and Grim scream your applause from your side of the ring. Jamil claps politely but his face is stony. He’s wrapped himself in his cloak, even going so far as to pull it up over his head. It makes you sweat more just looking at him.

“Nice work!” Epel says, leaping up to chest-bump Sebek. Which was a bad idea considering the force sends him sprawling to the ground.

“I want to keep these,” Sebek says, staring at the beads as if they’re tasty prey he’s about to devour.

“Keep ‘em,” Epel says. “Who can stop you?” Jamil rolls his eyes and settles his chin in the palm of his hands. Leona’s new master plan is to have Jamil participate as little as possible by having him set to go last. If all goes well, he may not even have to step into the ring. It’s all up to Epel.

Epel is springy on his feet. Unlike Sebek, who was laser-focused, he doesn’t even look across the ring at his opponent. He instead faces his own team as you feed him words of encouragement.

“You got this,” you say.

“I know it,” he replies with a smirk.

“Remember, try to look non-threatening.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Maybe cry a little bit.” Epel throws his head back with laughter.

“Maybe,” he says. He makes his way to the center right as the bell rings to begin the match. His opponent is cocky and charges ahead right away. Epel expertly dodges with a chuckle.

“Come on now,” he taunts. “Ain’t no way you thought it’d be that easy.” He bounces on the balls of his feet and gestures for his opponent to come closer. With a growl, he falls right into Epel’s trap, lunging again. Epel laughs and evades. A third strike yields the same result. The crowd cheers and groans with every movement, filling Epel with pride and excitement.

“Come on, Epel!” You call to him. “You can do it!”

“My turn,” Epel says to his opponent. He’s too fast for the adversary to react. Epel is in his personal space in a moment but he raises his knee at just the right moment to force Epel to back away. “Scared?”

“Of what? Some little girl?” He doesn’t realize he’s just triggered a land mine. Epel stops bouncing. His eyes widen and his head tilts to the side ever-so-slightly.

“A girl?” Here it comes. In a second, the contenders are grappling with each other, kicking up a cloud of dust that’s nearly impossible to see through. You and Sebek stand in unison, trying to make out what’s happening. After a second, a familiar fist emerges from the cloud with a strand of beads in hand.

Epel bounds towards the edge of the arena, making sure everyone can see his victory. His opponent is still on the ground, panting. Epel hoots and hollers loud enough to wake the dead as he does a victory lap around the ring.

“HELL YEAH!” He screams. “HELL THE FUCK YEAH! DID YOU SEE THAT SHIT!? YOU THOUGHT I WAS SOME DEFENSELESS LITTLE GIRL! NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ME, FUCKER!” Epel removes his mask and spikes it into the ground like a football. It bounces in a high arc and misses an audience member by only half an inch. The bell rings again, twice this time, and a judge’s voice utters a death sentence:

“Epel Felmier of the Night Raven College Team, you are officially disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior and vulgarity.”

“WHAT!?”

“This is a respectable sports event, you idiot,” Jamil hisses. “You can’t just prance around using that language. You are in the presence of a crown royal. Doesn't matter that it's just Leona.” Epel storms back to his seat and plops down in his chair. You can practically see smoke coming out of his ears.

“You fought well,” Sebek says. “It is a shame you had to act with such dishonor.”

“Blow me,” Epel mutters. Sebek’s ears turn red. Beside you, Jamil sighs loudly.

“What’s worse is that now I have to get in there.” Jamil stands, letting his cloak drop back into his chair.

“Good luck.” He doesn’t seem to hear you. He takes his position and stands completely still. His expression is unreadable. He stares across the ring as if he’s watching a professor give a lecture. His opponent is the biggest yet, at least a head taller than Jamil and nearly twice as wide. Still, Jamil doesn’t react. He just slips off his shoes.

The opponent wastes no time after the bell rings. He goes straight for Jamil. Jamil dodges with ease, spinning on the balls of his feet. You can vaguely hear Kalim’s voice in the stands calling out words of encouragement. This seems to have no effect on Jamil. Does he even hear him? He just keeps staring blankly. He forces his opponent to chase him around the ring by expertly dipping and weaving and spinning just out of reach. It’s like a dance. The beads clacking against each other as he moves is almost hypnotic. You can’t help but lean forward in your seat.

The opponent lunges for Jamil with both hands, creating a sort of cage that seems impossible to escape from. You cover your mouth with both fists as you watch. Jamil ducks low then pops back up on the other side of his opponent’s arms. He moves to lunge again but Jamil stops him just by raising two fingers. Between them is a strand of beads.

A roar echoes around them. You feel Epel grab your shoulders and shake you in victory. Jamil doesn’t celebrate. He simply moves out of the ring, drapes his cloak back around himself, and sits down. He doesn’t care that he won. He just keeps staring straight ahead.

You pay less attention as the rounds go on. You spend most of the time just chatting with Epel and Sebek. Of course, there is the occasional moment where you’re swept up in the excitement but it’s mostly just a time for rest. At some point, Leona appears behind you all.

“Good job Sebek and Jamil,” he says. He glares at Epel.

“I know," Epel groans.

“Sure. And you will be running laps for the entirety of the next eleven Spelldrive practices.”

“Shit."

“What was that?”

“Yes sir.”

“Yeah. Alright, next round will be harder. Better opponents. Jamil, you’re going to have to be in again.”

“Mhm.”

“You chose to be here. I could’ve asked Kalim but you wanted it to be you.”

“Mhm.”

“Tsk. Whatever. Just don’t lose.” Leona leaves, heading back for his seat in the stands way above them all. Only Jamil’s eyes move as he watches him go. He stares at the massive throne for a long time.

“Alright…” Epel says, sensing the tension. “I’m gonna go get a drink. Sebek?”

“I will join you.”

“Wait for me!” Grim says, leaping for Sebek’s shoulders. That leaves you and Jamil alone. For a moment, you let it be silent. But your guilt is eating at you, you have to say something.

“Listen um… so earlier… with you and Leona…” Jamil exhales loudly through his nose. “It was kind of intense… and weird.”

“These events aren’t as much fun if you’re not actually on the guest list,” he says.

“Oh.” You hadn’t realized until now: Kalim was the one to actually be invited. Jamil was brought to serve. 

“At these sorts of events, I just go where I’m told. Follow the finger snaps.” You steal a glance up at Kalim in the stand. He’s surrounded by people wearing the same white linen Jamil had on earlier. The clothes are a uniform, marking them as servants. They’re meant to broadcast their status to everyone in attendance.

“And," he continues, "I was so close to getting to sit the whole time and just watch it all happen. But no… I have to do this now. All because I lingered in the hallway.” Jamil holds his chin in his hand again. He isn’t scowling anymore. His expression isn’t angry. It’s almost sad. 

“They really snap at you?”

“Not the worst way to get my attention.” He scratches absently at the braids at the nape of his neck. He sighs again and leans back in his seat. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Epel, Sebek, and Grim return before you can protest.

“Water for all,” Epel announces, passing everyone a cup. You take it gratefully, having forgotten just how hot and sticky everything around you feels. You won’t miss the humidity, that’s for sure. Sebek downs his cup in an instant. Jamil surrenders his own. You notice Sebek is sweating buckets and wobbling a bit on his feet. He’s going to need a lot of water.

The final rounds are with the reigning champions. As much as he tries to deny it, you can tell this makes Sebek nervous. He absently picks at his fingernails as he watches his opponent take his place in the ring.

“You got this,” Epel says.

“Yes. Yes, I do. Splash me, Epel!”

“Yeah, alright.” Epel takes the rest of his cup of water and dumps it directly onto Sebek’s face. Sebek shakes his head like a dog and whoops.

“Now I am adequately moist! There will be no drying out for me. I will be strong!”

“Wow,” Jamil deadpans. “Leona brought two people predisposed to dehydration to flank his team. Excellent work, just great.”

“I am an attendant of Malleus Draconia,” Sebek continues. “I have been trained to defeat enemies much stronger than my current adversary.”

“Aren’t you worried about what he’s going to think of this?” Jamil asks, eyeing the challenger.

“What do you mean? He will be proud to have a Sunset Warrior as his right hand.”

“Fine, now that it’s just a title. But what happens if war breaks out and you have to leave Malleus? Or what if Briar Valley and Sunset Savanna wage war on each other? Then what's the plan?” Sebek’s face goes pale. You notice the ghost of a smile cross Jamil’s face. But he keeps staring straight ahead. “I don’t think he’d like that at all.”

“Why’re you razzin’ him up like that?” Epel demands.

“Just posing a hypothetical. It’s not my fault that he hasn’t thought this through.” Sebek’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. You swear you see his pupils drift apart.

“Don’t listen to him,” Epel says, trying to push Sebek towards the ring. Sebek doesn’t move at all.

“What have I done?” He whispers.

“No, Sebek, hang on,” you say, trying to repair some of the damage done. “It’s not a big deal. Don’t let him get in your head.” Sebek wanders into the ring like a man fresh out of a sensory deprivation tank. He trips over his own feet getting into position.

“Why did you do that?” Epel hisses to Jamil. Jamil keeps his eyes firmly focused on Leona up in his throne.

“I want to watch Leona squirm.”

“So you’re just gonna throw the whole game?”

“Mhm.”

“Wait a minute,” you interrupt. “You didn’t throw the last one.”

“Kalim needs something to cheer about,” he mutters. “One victory is enough to satiate him for a while.”

“You’re evil,” Epel says.

“Maybe.” The bell rings. You, Epel, and Grim yell at the top of your lungs, trying to get Sebek to snap out of his fog. But it’s no use. He stands completely still. His opponent is a massive man, a retired brawler who has been brought in as a substitution. You still have your doubts about the fairness of this special rule but you keep your mouth shut. After all, what do you know? 

At first, the opponent seems wary of Sebek’s stillness, remembering his first round. He eyes him closely, only taking a few small steps closer. He keeps his center of gravity low, preparing for Sebek’s rolling technique. But he quickly notices what the entire crowd does too, Sebek isn’t planning on moving.

“COME ON, GO!” Epel hollers. Shocking everyone, Sebek drops to his knees.

“MALLEUS I HAVE FORSAKEN YOU!” He yells at the sky.

“Here we fuckin’ go.”

“I HAVE MADE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL AND THIS IS THE PRICE I PAY. FORGIVE ME MY TRANSGRESSIONS!”

“Somebody get him outta the rink. I swear, I’m gonna beat his ass.”

“Hey man…” Sebek’s opponent says, looking around for advice. “I don’t know what this is-”

“TAKE THEM!” Sebek yanks his own beads off his mask.

“NO!” Epel screams, his face flushing scarlet. “IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT!”

“I cannot dishonor my liege,” Sebek says, holding his beads out to his opponent. “I have committed a grave offense against him. I must atone.” The opponent analyzes Sebek for signs that this may somehow be part of an elaborate scheme. He doesn’t know Sebek is incapable of scheming. It’s over, he’s done. The opponent takes the beads from Sebek’s hands and the crowd claps politely yet bewilderedly.

Epel dramatically smacks his forehead repeatedly against one of the posts marking the outside of the ring. Sebek comes back to his seat and all eyes lock onto him. You all sit in silence for a long time, trying to avoid looking anywhere near Leona’s position.

“I hate you,” Epel says, keeping his forehead pressed against the post.

“I know. I hate myself.”

“It’s okay,” you say. “Two rounds left. We just have to win both of those.”

“I will not be battling again.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Epel spits. “Jamil, I blame you.”

“Fine.”

“Still gonna throw your round, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t make it obvious,” Epel sneers. “Or Leona might have to skin you alive. We already know Sebek’s gonna be a nice gator rug for the Savanaclaw lounge.”

“I am a crocodile.”

“Suck my dick.” Jamil ignores the bickering and walks into the ring, just as unreadable as the last time. You dare to glance up at Leona in his throne, preparing yourself for flames shooting out of his eyes. But he’s not there. As a matter of fact, you can’t spot him anywhere. The bell rings and your eyes go back to Jamil.

The opposing team clearly remembers Jamil’s fighting style. They’ve sent out someone much smaller and slimmer than his previous opponent. In terms of speed and agility, they’re evenly matched from the get-go. Neither of them stop moving for a second. They dance around each other, each one occasionally snapping for a strand of beads. Even though you know Jamil intends to lose, you can’t help but feel your adrenaline rising as you watch them go.

Jamil grabs for his opponent’s beads but is countered. His opponent takes him by the arm, swings him around, and latches his fingers around a strand of beads. At least, that’s what he thinks. You suck in a breath, realizing what just happened before any of your companions do. What the attacker thought was a string of beads that had gotten caught across the top of Jamil’s mask was actually the jewels secured into his hair. And now here he stands, holding Jamil by his roots. He realizes his mistake and releases, practically throwing Jamil away from him.

There’s no apathy in Jamil’s expression anymore. He and his opponent stare at each other, both frozen. Jamil’s shoulders are hunched forward and his breathing is heavy. Some of the hair at the front of his head has come loose, causing several strands to fall into his face. One of his eyes twitches. Your blood runs cold at the look on his face. He’s enraged. And his opponent is terrified, still holding one of the jewels he pulled free.

“You pulled my hair,” he hisses.

“I- I am so sorry. I thought- I was trying-” Jamil launches himself at his opponent. The poor guy is face-down on the ground in an instant with one of his arms pulled straight behind him and Jamil’s knee between his shoulders. Jamil yanks the beads off, practically pulling the mask off with it. He tosses the beads to the ground as he stands and walks right back to his seat. Even Epel in all his rage can’t help but cheer.

“YOU HOG-TIED HIS ASS! HELL YEAH! FUCK HIM!” A stern look from the judges warns him that he’s one outburst away from being ejected. Jamil smooths the loose hair away from his face and goes back to staring straight ahead. This victory might mean nothing to him. But there’s a sparkle in his eyes that makes you doubt that.

The next match brings uncertainty. You have no idea if Leona will choose to send Sebek in who he knows will forfeit or risk sending Jamil who he surely must know might throw it all away. You don’t envy his position as the decision-maker. It’s not until a masked stranger approaches and calls himself by your name that you remember that dubious special rule. Leona is in the ring.

His brawl is a thing of beauty. So effortless and easy. His opponent never stood a chance and yet there were a few moments you could’ve sworn he came close to a victory. But you know that Leona is just toying with him. Victory was certain the moment he stepped down from his throne. Leona Kingscholar had what he wanted - a perfect excuse to not do his sacred duty. You know that everyone will get an earful on the way back home but honestly, judging by the very real and very rare smile across Leona’s face, you’re not worried. It’s all so joyous that everyone seems to forget about the fact that someone will need to carry Floyd back to school.

[mariacallous]

Kyle Brett had a feeling Sinners, the new supernatural horror from Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, would have a big opening weekend—but he was also hyper aware of the consequences of failure.

“It’s already extremely hard to have a successful original horror movie or just any original movie,” Brett, a former Netflix lawyer who works as a creative executive at Blumhouse, the production company behind M3GAN, Get Out, and the Insidious franchise, tells WIRED. “If that shit had bombed, original film would have truly gone away.”

The night before its US release, Brett predicted on X that Sinners would clear $60 million, based “on nothing but the number of Black folks who have asked me about it.” In the business of Hollywood, nothing is guaranteed, least of all a hit movie that’s based on an untested story. But not only was Sinners a hit, breaking multiple box office records, it’s becoming a full-on cultural phenomenon, complete with memes and literary deep dives.

Perhaps most importantly, it has challenged what’s become conventional wisdom in show business: the idea that audiences won’t respond to original stories.

Sinners has almost everything you could possibly want out of an original film: sex, vampires, a haunting score by composer Ludwig Göransson, and Michael B. Jordan in maybe his best performance yet. The movie opens in Jim Crow–era Mississippi during 1932 and follows identical twin brothers Smoke and Stack, both played by Jordan, who have returned home after time away in Chicago, where they moonlighted as gangsters for Al Capone. They’ve come back to start a juke joint but are put to the test when a coven of vampires encroaches on their new business. Across its two-hour-plus run time, what unfolds is classic Coogler: a lush, complex story about family, community, and survival that dares to reinvent the horror genre into something new altogether.

The premise has resonated with audiences in such a powerful way that Sinners opened with $48 million domestically and $63.5 million globally, making it the biggest debut for an original film since 2019, when Jordan Peele’s Us opened to $70 million. (The anticipation surrounding a new Coogler project likely also played a role.) Sinners likewise surpassed Nope, also by Peele—which pulled in $44 million its first weekend in 2022—as the biggest opening for an original film since the pandemic began. It is now the only horror flick in over 35 years to receive an “A” on CinemaScore.

“IPs are a comfortable, safe bet, but originals, when you have something that right out the gate can connect with audiences, they can have as big a punch,” says Daniel Loria, an analyst at the Boxoffice Company. “That’s definitely what we’re seeing.”

It can still be hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of movie works best in Hollywood these days. The success of big-budget blockbusters—Dune, Barbie, Wicked—aren’t exactly a litmus test of how well the industry is faring or what audiences are ultimately satisfied with. Certain IP, like The New Mutants from 2020, bomb or never take off for a number of reasons; often it has to do with earnings, but poor reviews and studio mismanagement can also be a factor.

“Some franchises are past their best and haven’t performed. This happens every decade or so, which means the studios are looking at new franchise stories to take forward,” says David Hancock, an analyst at Omdia. “A Quiet Place did this. Minecraft may do it.”

Minecraft, a Warner Bros. property, currently holds the top spot at the worldwide box office, with $720 million, and is estimated to eventually top $1 billion. Video game IP is especially hot right now. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released by Universal Pictures in 2023, topped $1.3 billion. Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog has yielded major dividends for the studio. Until Dawn and Mortal Kombat 2 are also slated to drop this year.

One of the things Sinners got right, Brett says, “is that they treated themselves like they were IP.” That means, per his agreement with Warner Bros., Coogler gets the rights to his film back in 25 years—the type of deal that’s mostly unheard of today. Some studio executives believe it sets a “very dangerous precedent” for copyright ownership and distribution entitlements, Vulture reported, saying it will crater the current power dynamics of the studio system, “effectively imperiling the cinematic back catalogue: the core asset behind all movie-studio valuation.” But “that’s the kind of attitude you need with an original,” Brett says. “It's like, No, this is my intellectual property.”

For a time, a new Marvel epic was a proven seat filler, but the fatigue and declining critical reception around superhero movies that has bubbled up in recent years—a consequence of Marvel flooding the market with comic book IP—means that is no longer the case. Marvel is currently in rebound mode. It dropped Jonathan Majors, who was a rising star in the MCU, in light of his domestic assault case (he was found guilty of two out of four charges), and The Marvels became the studio’s lowest-grossing film across its 33 titles, earning $206 million globally, well below its $374 million budget.

It’s “hard to reinvent that form, and I think this next generation is looking for ways to tell their own stories that service their own sort of collective ADHD,” Avengers: Endgame codirector Joe Russo told GamesRadar+ last year, likening young moviegoers’ communication style to “memes and headlines.”

Not all original films are seeing a huge demand, as the age of streamers has reshaped consumption habits. As of March, movie sales in the US and Canada were down 7 percent this year compared to the same period in 2024, according to Comscore.

In a recent interview with The Independent, director Steven Soderbergh bemoaned that very reality. His latest feature, Black Bag, a spy thriller starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender that was released in theaters last month, has yet to turn a profit; it pulled in $37 million worldwide on a budget of $50 million. “This is the kind of film I made my career on,” Soderbergh said in the interview. “And if a mid-level budget, star-driven movie can’t seem to get people over the age of 25 years old to come out to theaters—if that’s truly a dead zone—then that’s not a good thing for movies. What’s gonna happen to the person behind me who wants to make this kind of film?”

Still, the success of Sinners offers a beacon of hope. It’s currently on track to have a second weekend increase, which “would be much more impressive for a non-IP April release,” Erik Anderson, the founder of Awards Watch, noted on X. It also belongs to a cohort of original films, many centered around identity, from directors that have also found audiences, commercial appeal, and critical acclaim in recent years, including Celine Song’s Past Lives, Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, Lawrence Lamont’s One of Them Days, and Sean Baker’s Anora, which won Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards.

Hancock predicts the “next decade will see a return to original stories” as a bid to bring in a wider range of audiences.

But the takeaway from Sinners and other movies like it go beyond just IP fatigue, says Brett, noting that these films—and their unique audiences—need to be adequately marketed and prioritized.

“If there is anything Hollywood misses it’s how much Black audiences will continually engage with them,” he says. “It’s not just like this one-time-customer type of thing. People will return to Sinners. The excitement of it, to me, shows that it has a long shelf life.”

[sporeclan]

Sorry this may be a bit of a ramble I talk a lot-

I’ve been wanting to try making a clangen comic for a while, since I’ve seen so many cool ones and I’ve tried out the game (admittedly just the web version) and had a lot of fun. I haven’t done so yet because I haven’t been into warrior cats in a while and it felt poser-ish, and ALSO I’m still getting back into the groove of drawing cats, but this blog is SO COOL and it’s making all the inspiration come back and AUGH!

So I may make a comic eventually, and if I do, thank you for the inspiration!!! That may mean restarting my clangen save, but I do reaaally like a few of the cats so idk…

I really really like your characters and art, it’s all very cool and I have so much admiration for people who can make a full story out of something so unpredictable. I stumbled across this blog at a pretty late moon and then read from the beginning, and when I realized mushroompaw wasn’t in the later moons I was really sad bc I knew she had to die… my favourite kbity…

But yeah just wanted to say your stuff is very cool! Sorry for dumping 3 paragraphs in your inbox 😭

AWHHH this is one of the sweetest asks I've ever received, thank you so much :'D I'm so honoured to have inspired you! I look forward to what you come up with if you do end up making something!!! <3

It is just straight up them sneaking off to places they shouldn't just to search for Cinnamonpaw :'] They felt so bad about their own percieved failure to protect him that they were still actively searching for him for a good year after he was lost </3

Nope, they don't know anything about what Mousegrove did, and even if they had an inkling, I don't think they'd even want to entertain the thought. The only cat currently in the clan who knows for certain is Puddle, and maybe Crowstar has a twinge of doubt about it too.

LMAOOOO honestly so so so valid and fair