#love a good fully posterized image

[freackthejester]

[joeyfranchise]

𝟙𝟚 𝕕𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕗𝕚𝕔-𝕞𝕒𝕤: 𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕤𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟

i’ll be home for christmas

fiance!joe x fem!reader

summary: a bulleted blurb/fic about you surprising joe in athens on christmas.

warnings: NSFW, 18+. mdni. p in v, slight dacryphilia, not tooo descriptive.

note: my first bulleted fic with smut?? kinda feels like a crack fic but lmao it was so fun. love yaaaa 🫶🏻

joe was bored

he came to athens to be with his family because you

his lovely fiancée

the light of his life, even

you were away. on a business trip. IN LONDON

at christmas time?? CRIMINAL

but honestly like. joe could’ve stayed in cincinnati

gone to the facility every day. watched film. all that

HOWEVER

his mother convinced him to come home. AND FOR GOOD REASON

because you were conspiring

you were gonna make it home to surprise him. it was going to be sO EXCITING

you called robin to plan it all out. she was also SO EXCITED and she got you and joe some matching pajamas (that she had to hide)

she couldn’t tell jimmy or joe’s brothers you were coming

because they would’ve absolutely told joe considering he was MOPING

and like he’s a grumpy ass in general. BUT WITH YOU GONE?? OVER CHRISTMAS???

*insert grumpy pic of squidward here*

for days he sat and moped. and scrolled his phone. and just chatted with you

poor lil baby joey. texting you like

joe: miss ya

y/n: i miss you bub 🥺

joe: i love my family but it’s different without you

y/n: i know. i hate that i have to miss it. but work is going okay! i’ve learned so much while i’ve been here

joe: i’m glad to hear it baby. i can’t wait until you’re back

y/n: it’ll be sooner than you know it <3

joe: wish it was right now. miss your pretty face

y/n: attachment: 1 image *photo of you in one of his hoodies, showing off a pout with a coffee mug in hand, your gold necklace with a ‘j’ charm on full display*

y/n: miss you 😭

joe: wanna kiss those pretty lips

and GOD

YOU WANTED TO TELL HIM SO BAD. but you knew the pay-off of making him wait would be so daMN good

finally. it was time to fly back home. you had a window seat. thanK GOd. would you be jet-lagged? yes. did it matter? nO

robin arranged it ALL for you (what a saint) and you were able to arrive in the states on the 23rd

she had someone pick you up from the airport and drive you to their house, and you literally drug your luggage into the garage (you’d make joe get it later)

now. to enact your elaborate plan

you walked up the front porch steps SUPER CAREFUL not to be seen

you rang the doorbell

“joey can you get the door”

you can practically feel him grumbling after being asked to do that

but when he opens it. and it’S YOU???

IT’S YOU????

you’re in his arms in less than a second. just completely enveloped by him. he’s pressing a kiss into the top of your head

“you tricked me”

“but aren’t you glad i did?” you’re smirking as you look up at him

and he’s never felt happier. never felt such peace. because you’re here

you come inside and say hi to everyone and make a little small talk before retiring to joe’s room because

A BITCH IS TIRED

it doesn’t take you long to fall asleep, right there in his star-wars themed room

you and joe are awake by 1am

nobody else is, and you intend to keep it that way but

YOU HAVEN’T SEEN EACH OTHER IN SO LONG

joe kisses you tenderly on the lips, his hands roaming your body, peeling off your layers of clothing

you’re undressing him too, taking your time as your hands map each others skin

you laugh into the kiss, your eyes are focused on the wall

“hmm?” joe whispers to you, wondering what’s funny

“i think your anakin poster is staring at me”

“well don’t make eye contact with him”

finally the two of you are fully naked, still pressing kisses to each others skin, taking your sweet time

and trying yoUR BEST to be quiet (it’s hard to be quiet)

after what seems like forever of loving kisses and tender touches, joe lines himself up and presses his cock between your folds, pushing into you

you let out a soft gasp and immediately

“quiet, princess”

“m’sorry” you say, muffled from your hand covering your mouth

joe shoves a pillow between the headboard and the wall just in case because

IT’S GONNA BE CLANGING IF NOT

he takes his time with you, unraveling you so slowly

because again, it has been SO LONG

and he’s got you in the mating press

you’re biting back moans, every sensation feels like a live wire in your skin

and he hits you with that slow, deep thrust

the deadly hip swivel

tears are falling from your eyes, it’s so much but it feels sO good

“feel good, baby? love seeing you cry for me”

his voice. he’s so

perfect

sexy

amazing

when he talks you through it? oH GOd

“taking it so good. doing such a good job being quiet for me”

you loSE YOUR MIND

you can’t help it, you’re cumming around him

and still, he’s talking you through, helping you along as his fingers trace delicate patterns over your clit

“that’s it. good girl. doing so well”

and he makes you cum two more times before you’re finally ready for a shower

then you’re clean and back his his bed

now he’s falling asleep

AND SHE’S CALLING A CAB

no but really he falls asleep with his head resting on your chest

when you wake up christmas eve (technically you already were, but) you go upstairs and have breakfast with everyone

it’s so nice, his family is so loving

and you spend the whole day laughing, snacking, baking, and most of all just enjoying being back home with joe

he’s glad you’re back too

christmas morning is exciting as well. in more ways than one ;)

but afterrrrr you get to go upstairs in mATCHING PAJAMAS

and relax. and watch the kids open gifts. and most importantly

you get to watch football

joe’s the happiest you’ve ever seen him. and you’re so glad to be here

home for christmas is the best place to be 🫶🏻

photos and dividers are not mine. all cred to owners.

taglist: @slimshiesty @starsinthesky5 @kykysinlovewithafairytale @burrowdarling @joeyb1989 @loveyatopluto @toterry @unhingedfangirl @superheroprincess22 @burreauxsworld @definitelynotdomanique @samanthamark5 @superstarshitblog @fa1ry03 @wickedfun9 @xbriexx @venic-bxtch @burrowdarling @angels555 @idbe-theman @yelenasbraid @ladyluvduv @joeburrowshaircurl @joeybisbootiful @livinobx @blairsworld22 @jarring-behavior @joeyburrrow @yomamaslays4lyfe @gazebotori

[yameoto]

yam love love love that analysis on cate you just posted and was curious what your thoughts are on queers (lesbians in specific obviously) reading her as a closeted lesbian going through comphet?

tbh i could talk about this for hours but would just like to say that she legitimately had queen maeve posters all over her childhood bedroom lol didn’t believe that soldier boy shit for a SECOND.

comphet reading of cate dunlap ft. mariecate

TLDR so u don’t have to read the whole thing; all of cate’s relationships with men are overall fake and do not revolve around love, rather the forging of an idealised identity formed around media (comphet Classic). cate’s only real raw genuine untainted relationship is with a woman. ft. mariecate

id love to my favourite hobby is looking at characters through a orangepinkwhite tinged lens. cate’s relationship with luke fits the comphet bill almost too well. firstly, cate being locked up her whole childhood means the formation of identity would be entirely based on media. a very heteronormative landscape of media, which aligns with traditional comphet. you could say her relationship with luke—literally golden boy—is comphet based, the ‘gold standard’ for a relationship cate’s drawn from all that she’s consumed in her childhood years. effectually, cate’s entire early life was robbed of her. and here, she achieves her perception’s ‘perfect’ idea of a life through luke, and forms her entire identity around him (hence her desperation to keep him). this is especially evident in the fact she changed her major to ‘hero management’ just to support luke’s career. to fully commit in shadowing him, for the rest of her life.

except, it’s fake. the entire relationship is fake. by the time of the show, cate has erased and changed and warped luke’s memory, his identity to the point where his mind breaks by the pilot. the fauxness and dysfunction of luke/cate’s relationship despite their image of unattainable perfection is probably her largest comphet indicator. maybe she loved him (not enough to remain faithful, however), but it reads as more of a subconscious love of what he represented, and something to anchor her identity to, which she’s never had a chance to form. as well as a means as to gain shetty’s affection and trust, no matter if she thought it was for his own good or not. her relationship with luke was poisoned, for a multitude of reasons.

(sidenote: cate/luke comphet reminds me of jiper comphet down to the false memories piper’s charmspeak and jason as the golden boy who literally explodes so like. there’s that’s free tidbit for anybody who is tapped the fuck in.)

cate has been so deprived of love she seeks it wherever she can find it. hence her stint with andre, which obviously ends in shambles because it’s foundations are already shaky, considering she’s cheating on luke with him, and andre is fucking his best friend’s girlfriend, but is also disingenuous, because cate’s compulsion powers arguably affect andre the secondmost to luke (though, by a wide margin). these are her two only romantic interests, and they suffer the worst consequences of it.

enter.. marie moreau. and cate’s relationship with marie is more genuine than any of her romantic relationships, which i think is the most telling thing. cate and marie serve as foils to each other: both in the manslaughter of their loved ones, the way shetty attempts to use them, and how can you NOT ship two reflections of each other?

in the finale, cate reaches out her hand, and andre can’t take it, because he doesn’t trust her. you can’t blame him. inversely, marie is the one always reaching out to cate, who is constantly defending cate’s intentions and her motivations to the others—when cate doesn’t deserve the benefit of doubt. partly, it’s because marie has known cate the least amount of time, making the betrayal sting the least. but also, cate’s relationship with marie is also the one least tainted by her compulsion powers; marie is the least affected by cate’s manipulations (to love her, to stay with her), and yet, despite marie not being compelled to do so; she still retains her faith in cate. that cate is good. that cate can be good, which is a fact not even cate believes in.

marie actively sees through cate’s compulsion, and later, nulls it. there’s a reason why marie is the one to discover cate’s betryal. there’s also a reason why marie is the one to blow cate’s arm off when saving jordan. in the same episode that cate reaches out and andre draws away, marie reaches out to cate, and cate draws away. that is a very direct comparison. it also speaks to cate’s larger unwillingness to accept love that is untainted, either fear she herself will ruin it, or because she doesn’t think she deserves it.

anyways, all this to say that yes, cate could totally be read as comphet. and mariecate is totally metal as they are, romantically involved or not.

[elsa-fogen]

Oh, thinking more

What if the hunter that shot Alastor was Vox?

Like, I doubt it, but we "know" they had dogs, so I was thinking about who if any has anything resembling dogs? And the only one I can think of is Vox, like he had two sharks in the show plus some dog-shark creature in the insta stories

So, what if he was pretty young, loved radio and any new technology, so he was a fan of Alastor's. In addition, he had just started to learn how to hunt and wanting to impress his parents went out late to practice, took the dogs so that he could just say he went out with them if anyone asked

Then out in the woods, the dogs start to bark and he readies his gun, mostly just to better his aim, not intending to shoot. Then he sees the figure rise, he can't fully comprehend it before he takes the shot. He can hear a thud. He got it? He got it! He shot a deer!

Oh.

That's gonna be hard to hide.

Should he tell dad that he was able to shoot a deer? Like, yay, he did it! But also, no, he went out with dads gun without permission.

He approaches the deer, trying to figure out what to do with it, only to freeze when he gazes upon it.

It's not a deer.

It's a-

He-

This is bad.

That was the last time he went hunting. He can't get the image out of his head. He'll never forget that face.

The worst part was, he knew who it was. He had figured it out when he saw a missing poster of his favorite radio host.

He still liked technology, and to drown out the past that's where all his focus went. He wanted to be a big part of TV just like Alastor had been a big part of Radio. It was his way of honouring Alastor.

Still, sometimes it was hard to listen to the radio, that's why his focus was on the TV. They where practically the same, just some extra visuals, distractions, it was practically an upgrade. He just knew Alastor would agree, that man was always on the forefront of what was new in radio.

Surely, if he was alive, then he would have obviously pivoted towards TV after realizing the benefits of the medium

___

Imagen then how Vox would reach when seeing Alastor for the first time in hell. Like he doesn't know if Alastor is aware that it was Vox, but if he does maybe he won't recognize Vox? He has a TV for a head now, not really a human feature. Still though, he can't help but want to spend time with Alastor, tell of all that has happened in the world and share with him how Amazing the TV had become

DAMN BAEWSBNFSDYGUFKDGHFS

ANONS ARE FEEDING ME GOOD TODAY WTF?

✨✨✨THE TRAUMA✨✨✨

THIS IS INSANE remember the "sad and complicated" IT KINDA FITS LOL AHAHA-- THIS EXPLAINS WHY VOX IS SO OBSESSED WITH ALASTOR

IMAGINE JUST IMAGINE, NEXT SEASON THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIGHT AND VOX SAYS SOMETHING LIKE, I KILLED YOU ONCE, I'LL KILL YOU AGAIN AND ALASTOR'S JUST WHAT AND EVERYTHING STOPS WHILE BOTH REALISE WHAT WAS JUST SAID

That would be such a cool turn, like. Vox clinging to Alastor in pathetic attempt to apologise for killing him and make up for it, and get waht they could have in life if he haven't killed him. And Alastor just doesn't understand Vox's behavior nor the reasons for it

AND WHEN VOX SAYS THAT HE KILLED HIM IN LIFE EVERYTHING BECOMES CLEAR AND ALASTOR JUST LAUGHS LIKE, HOW PATHETIC YOU ARE, HE'S NOT EVEN ANGRY, BECAUSE VOX JUST BECOME EVEN MORE PATHETIC IN HIS EYES. HE KILLED HIM AND THEN WAS IN SHOCK HIS WHOLE LIFE WHILE ALASTOR KILLED MUCH MORE AND NEVER FELT REMORSE FOR A SINGLE ONE

[yeosatinyngz]

ME OR LUMIERE?

Xavier is jealous of your love for Lumiere (A lil twist to Xavier’s new myth story)

↳GN Reader | wc: 982 | Fluff/suggestive mention at the end

A/N: I'm trying to get my groove back for written pieces since I've only been making text fics so I hope this piece was alright, don't expect too much

With the arrival of the new film Apocalypse’s Dawn in theaters you excitedly dragged Xavier along with you since it was starring your all time favorite hero, Lumiere. Xavier on the other hand wasn’t nearly as excited as you were, matter of fact he was completely disinterested. 

After watching the film all you could do was talk about Lumiere and frankly it was getting on Xavier’s nerves. “Can we stop talking about him already and get some food instead? All your gushing over him has made me hungry” He grumpily murmured while storming away to find the nearest restaurant. What’s his problem? You thought to yourself while you tried to keep up with the irritated male. 

Xavier swore he didn’t mean to eavesdrop but he has somehow found himself pressed against the wall behind you and Tara, trying to hide his presence. He was just minding his business until he heard Tara ask you about your ideal type which stopped him in his tracks and led to him in his current position. 

You answered rather passionately, “My ideal type is someone like Lumiere. Brave, strong, selfless, not to mention handsome. He’s everything I can only dream about.” Tara couldn’t help but smile, “Ah that’s right I remember you mentioning being a big fan of Lumiere. It’s a shame that we don’t have more men like him” You nodded in agreement to Tara’s statement before you both had to part ways.

The bleach blonde who was eavesdropping displays a face of pure annoyance. Lumiere again?! 

Your eyes were fighting to beat unconsciousness from the amount of stress you put on yourself from fighting off a sudden wave of wanderers. As you were struggling to keep up your breathing a wanderer appeared before you about to strike you with an attack This is the end you helplessly voiced in your head. However, a flash of bright light appeared and the wanderer who was seconds away from finishing you was now defeated. The last image you had before you fully submerged into darkness was a figure resembling the same person who saved you 14 years ago. 

You woke up with a jolt to find yourself back in the comfort of your bed. Confused on how you ended back home, you were startled by a voice you know all too well. “Had a good sleep?” You looked up to see Xavier and nodded. That’s when all the memories were flashing back into your head and you looked Xavier straight in his eyes. “You- you saved me back there.” You said before softly adding on, “Lumiere saved me again.” 

You searched in Xavier’s eyes to try to find some sort of answer only to find a look of indifference. “That’s not what’s important right now, what matters right now is you getting a proper rest.” You awkwardly pressed your lips into a thin line and stayed quiet. The silence was quickly broken by Xavier, “So you’re a big fan of Lumiere huh?” 

That’s when you realized that while you were sleeping Xavier had seen the Lumiere shrine section of your room, decorated with a giant poster of him on the wall and a shelf with his merchandise including figures, plushies and pins. You shyly looked away from his piercing gaze while letting out an embarrassed laugh, “Yeah.”

He grabs ahold of your chin and turns it back so your eyes meet him once again. “Who do you like more, me or Lumiere?” The sudden question shocked you beyond disbelief. “So what’s your answer?” He demanded, snapping you out of your shock. “Uh I’m confused, Aren’t you and Lumiere the same person?”

He looks away with a slight frown, “But you don’t see them as such.” He looks back at you with that piercing gaze again while sitting next to you, slamming both his hands down besides your body, caging you in between his arms, “While Lumiere is handsome and courageous I’m nothing but your coworker aren’t I?” 

You couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Bringing your hands up to cup his face he looks away again with a pout on his face, you shook his face in your hands. “Oh my, are you perhaps jealous of Lumiere?” His pout deepens while he lets out a, “No, I’m not.” You couldn’t help but laugh again, “You’re too cute when you’re jealous.” You proceeded to plant a kiss on his forehead, “My answer is you, Xavier. It’s always been you.”

His eyes widened as he intensely searched your eyes to find truth behind your words. What he found was a pair of sincere eyes full of endearment. The same pair of eyes that he's been yearning to see for all these years. This was the moment he felt himself slipping, he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. 

He softly smiles at you while tucking the hair in front of your face behind your ear, “Please stop me if you don’t want me to continue but I can’t control myself any longer when it comes to you.” Before you could process his words fully, his arm snakes around your waist pulling you closer to him, connecting both of your lips.

What started off as a sweet and tender kiss turned into something much more passionate, you can feel the desperation from Xavier’s kiss. He was kissing you as if it was his last, every attempt you made to free yourself from his lips would fail as he continued latching on to your lips.

When he finally freed himself of your lips you were a panting mess. Your heart was beating so fast you felt like it was gonna fly straight out of your body. How was this the same Xavier who was pouting cutely not too long ago? That was the night you found out that there was another identity Xavier was hiding from you, his freak in the sheets identity.

[peppermint-moss]

He tore Hummingbird into a thousand pieces. But each piece... ...turned into a new hummingbird.

'Picture book spread' assignment for my graphic novel illustration class! Text is from the Condor's Wife story, specifically the version from Yoshi Yoshitani's Beneath the Moon: Fairy Tales, Myths, and Divine Stories from Around the World ^^

I like to think of this spread as one in a children's book that would teach readers about animal species in South America (especially hummingbirds, of course!) I made the Pink Throated Brilliant our protagonist, and in this theoretical full picture book I imagine that they're just fully green at the beginning, until they get their pink throat from the condor at this point in the story :')

I had a lot of fun with this!! I actually initially wasn't looking forward to this assignment because I was more interested in the 'graphic novel/comics' part of this class (it's technically called a 'narrative illustration' class, so this was our first assignment), but I'm very pleased with how it turned out!

I did research on what species of hummingbirds could be found in the area around Peru, as well as the habitats of those hummingbirds and Andean condors! I got most of the hummingbirds from this list on Hummingbird Central. I didn't know there were so many hummingbird species!! Sword-billed might be my fav but they're really all so lovely

also got some real good feedback on this one about my typography; in my inital version of this piece the text was much larger and pink; im always too worried ppl won't notice the text but i was really disliking how it looked. My prof said the text reminded them of a poster too much, and after looking at other picture books for reference i realized the text in those are often really very understated and with smaller font!! and it suddenly clicked a little better when i thought back about when my prof had been talking about the importance of image over text in children's picture books and how they're often read to them by adults (I'm a big words enjoyer and sometimes I lose sight of image for the sake of text haha) so I changed it to this and while it's not 100% to my liking I think it's much better than my first version so I'm happy :)

commission info || ko-fi (tip jar)

here's the Condor's Wife story from Beneath the Moon by Yoshi Yoshitani!:

and here's my old version of this assignment with the big poster looking text lol:

[lawslessons]

Heat Stroke - Ace x f!Reader

Rewatching One Piece again. I was inspired by a certain man. I had this crazy idea involving an ice cube. Hope you enjoy!

Synopsis: After a failed assassination attempt, I find myself stuck with the man I was supposed to kill. Now I'm dehydrated, exhausted, and very, very attracted to my captor.

Warnings: N$FW

It was a mirage, it had to be. There was no other explanation for what I was seeing and for why I was alive. Everything I knew about mirages involved water and palm trees, not tall men in orange hats, especially men who were my targets. All I could remember was wandering the desert for a day without water and hunting down my target. I looked at his bounty poster and saw that he matched the image perfectly. I walked towards him and with my knife, I remember lunging after him in the middle of the desert, he turned around and flashed me a smirk, and then my world went dark.

 My sweat dripped into my eyes as I tried to make out the shadowed figure in front of me. The light in the tent was dim, the candle in the corner seemed to struggle as it pitifully wiggled and gasped for air. The man in front of me was tall and shadowed well. The light illuminated the rough contours of his bare middle and muscular arms as he stared at me. As my eyes met his, I felt the temperature in the sweltering tent reach a near unbearable level.

Why am I here?

“I could ask you that same question,” a smooth voice teased. With my exhaustion, I hadn’t realized I had spoken aloud until I witnessed him smirk. He had dimples, I was in for a rough night. Why didn’t his poster show his dimples? The poster was incredibly misleading. While I knew that he was dangerous, I didn’t know just how dangerous he was. He was gorgeous - there was a hidden danger in those who were beautiful like him. I tried to push my thoughts to the side as I watched him approach me and crouch to be at my eye level. The candle flared behind him, it seemed to gasp as I gasped and fully saw his face. 

“You’re –”

“You already know who I am,” he teased as he sat down on the plush blanket which was laid out on the ground. I had a feeling it was him, but the sweat dripping into my eyes was making it difficult to see. I regained my wits and shook my head to get the sweat out of my eyes. Some of the sweat landed on him, but he didn’t even flinch. I scowled at him. This couldn’t be possible. My last memory was me stabbing my knife into his back. I could almost remember the feeling of my knife landing into air… or was it fire? As I tried to lunge towards him now, I heard the grating clinking of metal behind me. I glanced behind myself and cursed as I saw that my hands were chained to the wooden pole which seemed to support the tent’s fabric. I gave the chains a few experimental tugs and cursed again. The way I was now, there was no chance I would be able to escape.

“You’re a bounty hunter. You’ve been hunting me while I’ve been in Alabasta,” He pouted as he held up the bounty poster of himself which he had grabbed from my bag. The poster was well loved. I had folded it up in numerous ways as I carried it around with me and asked locals if his face was familiar. Seeing him in the flesh was jarring, his poster didn’t do him justice. I should be focusing on the fact that I had just gotten kidnapped, but instead I was fixated on his face; mainly his lips. No man should have the ability to look as good as he did while pouting, but I knew he was not just any man. “You’re not as slick as you think you are, you’re pretty sloppy,” he stated as he relaxed there and watched as I continued to struggle to break out of my chains. It was a fruitless effort on my part. I didn’t have any Devil Fruit powers. My main strength was the element of surprise and I blew it. 

“I’m not! You caught me at a bad time, that’s all,” I spat as I exerted myself more. My head spun and reminded me why I had been caught. “Water,” I pleaded. My tongue suddenly felt dry as I desperately tried to swallow some of my own spit to have some relief. 

“That reminds me! You just passed out in the sand. Seems like you were going in for an attack when you just… fell. How long had you been out there following me?” He asked with an infuriating smirk gracing his lips. I could only scowl. 

“Just give me water, Ace.” I couldn’t recognize my own voice. It was gravely and dry, any noise I made was followed by a painful dry cough. As I acknowledged who he was, he seemed to preen and smile even more at me. He seemed to enjoy the fact that I knew who he was, and it was infuriating. His excitement was almost childlike, it reminded me of another pirate whose bounty I was looking to obtain, but that would be for another time.

“Who sent you to find me?” Ace asked while wiggling the wanted poster in front of my face. The move itself wasn’t much in theory, but with the still air in the room, the small movement was priceless to me. The quick blast of air against my heated skin felt heavenly. I was tempted to tilt my head up and expose my neck for more relief, but I quickly gained control of myself again. I had to concentrate, I had to get out of here, I had to ignore my attraction to him. I had obsessively hunted him for weeks before our encounter in the desert, I couldn’t let my time be for nothing.

“Piss off,” I retorted. Ace only seemed to be more amused as he watched me helplessly lash out at him from the chains behind me. He stopped messing with the poster and placed it to the side. I groaned and felt my face grow hot again. After having a brief taste of relief with the air on my face, the lack of a breeze was suffocating. I was uncharacteristically weak and delirious from my dehydration. I was growing desperate. I felt like a caged animal which was being poked again and again. I was unable to snap at him. My arms were uselessly pinned behind me while my legs were numb under me from my uncomfortable kneeling position. 

“How long are you going to keep me here? Are you going to let me go? What do you even want from me?” I asked while examining his infuriatingly perfect face.

“I’m the one asking the questions here, sweetheart,” Ace cooed as he slowly traced my jaw with one of his fingers. The heat which emitted from him only made my throat drier. I broke out into another coughing fit and scowled at him as he stood up. When I refused to answer, his smirk broke into a full smile. The pathetic flame behind us seemed to flicker in excitement as he stepped back from me. 

“You’re thirsty, exhausted, and going crazy from what I can see, but you still have your brains with you,” Ace said as he paced the length of the tent while watching me. While his movements mimicked a predator stalking its prey, his expression was curious. I wasn’t scared that he would hurt me just yet, but I was more worried that I would let my guard down around him. His eyes burned into mine, and as his eye contact continued, I felt myself becoming delirious for completely different reasons. His eye contact was powerful. The onyx coloring of his eyes was beautifully shown through the candle light. I had never seen eyes like his. If I wasn’t careful, I knew I would fall for him.The sight of him was magnificent. Strong muscles, but he wasn’t too bulky, he was just right. Freckles on his cheeks, biteable dimples, and hands that had the power to burn everything in their path. My tongue suddenly didn’t feel as dry and I found myself salivating over the man in front of me. Perhaps I was too late. Maybe I had already fallen for him, maybe it was before I even woke up in this tent. There was a reason I gravitated towards this mission to hunt him down, perhaps my intentions were less honorable than I initially believed.

“That has me wondering just how desperate you are to leave. What would you do?” Ace asked as he stopped his pacing and fully turned to face me. He was assessing me. People didn’t give him as much credit as he deserved. He was smart, cunning, analytical when he needed to be too. The candle burned brighter and I felt myself become breathless the longer he stared at me. Those damned eyes would be the death of me. I felt my resolve weaken, and the longer he held eye contact with me, the more I broke. He wasn’t unkind, he was just curious about what my next move would be. I was curious too, I had never been in a situation like this one before. He was right here and so, so attractive… My throat was dry. I coughed again and wheezed. The burning in my throat was reaching an unbearable point, I didn’t think I could hold out much longer. 

“Anything,” I found myself admitting. The heat of the desert was fogging up my brain and drying my throat even more. 

“Anything?” Ace questioned. “Even answer my questions about who sent you here?”

I tensed and turned my face away from him. Even when I wasn’t facing him, his stare was so intense that I could feel it burning through my cheek. “Anything except that.” Even if I had failed my mission, I couldn’t reveal my organization.

“Then what are you useful for?” His question was so blunt that it had caught me off guard. I thought about my mission and how I had failed it by being captured. This was my chance to redeem myself, catching him was all I needed to do, but I failed. The grief of being captured was strange. It wasn’t debilitating, but it didn’t feel freeing either. No one would rescue me. I had failed, so now I was useless in the organization’s eyes. 

“Nothing, I guess,” I whispered. The realization was sudden on my part, and I didn’t miss the look of shock which quickly appeared and disappeared on Ace’s face. I found myself smiling through my internal turmoil, it felt good to catch someone like Ace off guard. It felt good to see the bewilderment on his face. I laughed, I had failed and I would be killed when I got back to my organization without Ace if I even made it out of this situation alive. I was thoroughly screwed.

“Ah, I thought you’d be more fun, but you’re giving up so quickly,” Ace frowned. The disappointment in his tone had me scowling again. I watched as he lifted his hand up and how the flame flickered more wildly behind him. His finger erupted into flame as he watched me. My heart sped up. I knew I was going to be killed. I had to decide what was more important; attempting to finish the mission, or my life? When I weighed both options, I watched as the flame on his finger became even more intense. I didn’t know what to choose, but I knew I needed to fight for myself. I couldn’t give up. Either I was killed by my organization, or I died by Ace’s hand. Or maybe I didn’t have to die. There had to be some other option out there.

“I’m not giving up. I have no choice here,” I pointed out to him. The flame on Ace’s finger fizzled out as he watched me. He was silent as if he was giving me permission to continue speaking. “If I give you the information, you’ll just take it and kill me. If I don’t give you the information, you’ll still kill me. Either way, I die. What would be in it for me if I said anything to you?” I was breathless again. Ace didn’t deny that killing me was out of the cards, that made my mouth dry. My throat constricted as I coughed and gasped for air. The air I inhaled was dry and burned my throat even more, but without water I was hopeless. Ace seemed to notice. His smile widened as he seemed to have an idea on what he could do. 

“Water,” He offered. Most captors offered their prisoners jewels or money when they needed information. This spoke to the depravity of my situation. He could have offered me anything else in the world and I would’ve scoffed, but water? I tried to crawl closer to him at his offer. Water was more tempting than my freedom.

“You’re mocking me,” I stated, but I still didn’t deny that I wanted what he was offering me. The longer he stayed silent, the more desperate I felt. 

“You don’t want it?” Ace asked. He walked over to a small chest in the corner of the tent and opened the small latch at the front. “It’s so hot outside, but I’m able to handle the heat. You? You could barely last a day out there before you fainted on top of me. I’m only offering what you want… unless you don’t want it?” Ace had grabbed an ice cube from the chest and turned to face me. My eyes were wide and focused on him as he dropped the ice cube into the crook of his neck. I watched as the ice cube quickly began to melt. The water began to pool near his collarbone before it dripped down his chest. I watched as the water trailed down his abdominal muscles like a river before the water disappeared behind the waistband of his cargo shorts. I didn’t see Ace step towards me. My eyes were still focused on the water disappearing behind his shorts when I felt his hand on my jaw and suddenly my eyes were meeting his eyes again. 

“Interesting.” His pupils were wide in fascination and arou— no, it couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be. My lips parted when I gasped as he crouched down and brought his face closer to mine. The fingers he had on my jaw quickly went into my mouth and he began to feel around there. “You’re wet,” he marveled as he pulled his spit covered fingers out of his mouth. His lewd allusion had me flustered. My face burned even more as he rubbed his wet fingers together and watched me squeeze my thighs together to relieve the throbbing discomfort between my thighs. He licked his lips and my eyes focused on that motion as I moved to copy him. I was surprised to feel how I was salivating while I watched him. The moment between us burned longer and longer as we watched each other breathe, pant, and figure out the next step.

Ace stood up and I almost groaned as he turned away from me and went back to the ice chest in the corner. He picked the chest up and brought it closer to me before he set it on the ground. A pitiful sound arose from my throat as I tried to lean forward to get a piece of the ice on my tounge. Ace smirked and pushed my head back so I couldn’t get close to the ice.

“I think I’ll be nice today. I’ll give you some water and if you’re up for it later, we can talk. But before you get your water… I need to know that this is something you want.” Ace had grabbed another piece of ice from the chest and reached forward to sloppily smear the piece on my lips. I groaned from relief at having my heated lips balmed by the ice. I understood what he was alluding to and I found myself nodding. 

“That’s not good enough,” Ace chided as he pulled the ice cube away. “If you don’t consent to this, I’ll give you the water, knock you out, and take you back into town. But if you do, I promise I’ll make your torture perfect,” Ace promised as he used the ice cube to cool off my cheeks. In a perverse way, I found Ace to be quite a gentleman at that moment. I ignored the fact that he did kidnap me and instead focused on how he was right now. What he wanted - no, what we both wanted - was something he could’ve taken by force and I wouldn’t have been able to do much about it. Instead, he was offering something mutually beneficial… Besides, he wasn’t holding the water back if I didn’t want to have sex with him. I had power at this moment. I could easily take the water and go back to the town. I could lie and say I hadn’t found Ace yet and live to see another day, another mission. I knew I was kidding myself. The minute I left here without him, I was as good as dead. But what about myself? I was tired of making decisions for other people’s benefit. I never received anything good from what I had to do. Seeing Ace in that moment, seeing how he was looking at me like I was something to be prized, savored, and tortured. I wanted it all. I wanted him in any way he would give himself to me. I wanted to be destroyed by him. 

“I don’t do nice guys,” I smirked as I looked up at him. “Do your worst.” I was screwed anyway, I might as well have fun before I died.

Ace grinned again and I watched how my captor quickly - eagerly - grabbed onto another ice cube and held it in his hands. “You must be thirsty,” He murmured as he sat up some more so his chest and abdominal muscles were in front of me. “Drink,” he ordered as he dropped the ice cube onto his chest again. Like earlier, I watched as the ice quickly melted on his naturally hot skin and flowed down his chest to his middle. I was closer to him this time. Ace was watching me. I didn’t want to disappoint him. I wanted this. The temptation was too strong. I leaned into him and pressed my tongue against his middle. Ace’s eyes momentarily fluttered shut as my tongue began to work its way up his body. I followed the waterfall up his abs and up his chest until I reached the nearly melted ice cube and lapped at the small pool with my tongue. Now that I had a taste of the water, I knew that it would take more to quench my thirst. I was fooling myself by saying I was desperate for the water. Tasting his skin made me realize he was the drug I never knew I needed. Now that I had a taste, I was an addict that could never get her fix.

“More,” I pleaded as I watched Ace. Ace’s gaze was unfocused as he watched me. He seemed to be surprised by my boldness, but he didn’t deny my request. He grabbed another ice cube and held it in his hand which was out of my reach. As I tried to reach for it with my mouth, he pulled the ice cube further from me. My thirst was worse than ever. I let out another frustrated sound which only made Ace laugh. 

“You’re cute,” He teased as he used his free hand to feel at my jaw and my neck again. His fingers weren’t hot, but I still felt as if they were burning me. I groaned and tried for the ice cube again, but he pulled it out of my reach again. 

“Ace!” I snapped up at him. Ace laughed even harder and smirked as he let the ice cube drop from his hand and onto the top of his boot.

“Looks like I dropped it,” He hummed. I watched as the ice began to melt on the leather and I cursed myself. When he didn’t make any move to get the ice off his boot, I looked up at him. He smirked down at me and raised a brow expectantly. I knew what he wanted me to do. It wasn’t like that part of his boot touched the ground, it was clean, but humiliating. I was too far gone by that point. I scowled at Ace before I bent down even more and popped the ice cube into my mouth. The ice melted instantly on my tongue and I nearly burst into tears from how comforting the water felt running down my throat as I greedily lapped up the rest of the water that had landed on the leather boot. I groaned in relief when I finished with that ice cube and felt most of my thirst become quenched. When I glanced up, I noticed how Ace’s teasing smile turned into something more sinister and animalistic as I sat crouched at his boots. It was a demeaning position which only reminded me of my current predicament. I didn’t realize my thoughts brought me to tears until Ace reached for my cheek and wiped away one of my tears with his thumb. He brought his thumb to his mouth and licked it clean. His pupils were blown, he seemed to be as lost as I was. 

“Wait,” He said as he went to his bag and grabbed a key. He came back to me and crouched down again as he reached behind me to undo the cuffs on my arms. I felt the cuffs come off and my first instinct was to run, but I didn’t. Ace stayed in the same position he was in, he didn’t grab another ice cube, he just watched me. I knew the next move had to be from me. This was on my terms and I had to remember that. I wanted this, I wanted him. Without breaking eye contact with him, I reached for another ice cube and popped it between my lips. Ace’s gaze flickered down to my lips. When I didn’t make a move to kiss him, he raised a brow and I just smirked. He once again was a bit caught off guard, but he smiled as he reached his hand towards me and pulled me in close for a bruising kiss. 

I pushed the ice cube into his mouth when he deepened the kiss between the two of us. He pulled me on top of him as we both fought for the ice and for control. Ace’s hands wandered from my arms, to my sides, down to my hips where he squeezed to keep me close to him. He was maddening me with how good he was at kissing. I felt my brain grow foggy as he deepened the kiss even more and pulled at my bottoms. Just as I was gaining confidence in the kiss, Ace pulled away and watched me with his chest heaving from him catching his breath. My legs were shaking from the awkward position I was previously in as I stood up and looked down at Ace. Ace seemed to know what to do. He smirked up at me and grabbed at the waistband of my bottoms and pulled them down in one easy motion. 

“I wanted to burn these damn things off of you,” Ace said as he messed with my bottoms and made me lay down on the blanket that was there on the ground. I shivered as he grabbed the hem of my top and tossed that to the side of his tent as well. The candle behind Ace was flickering wildly, I was almost afraid that the flame was going to set the whole tent on fire. 

“Why didn’t you?” I asked while Ace unclasped my bra with one hand and ripped my panties off with the other. Ace didn’t seem to expect that question from me. He grinned and held my underwear up before he just set it on fire in his excitement. “Wait! I’m going to need those later!” I scowled. He laughed and pushed my legs apart before he grabbed another ice cube.

“You won’t need them if you’re with me,” He stated before he put the ice cube between his lips. I instinctively tried to shut my legs since I assumed he was going to use the ice on my clit, but he didn’t. He chuckled at my pathetic attempt of pushing him away before he pushed me down on the blanket again. He pressed the ice cube against my neck and I gasped. My back arched up as he circled the ice near my pulse point at my neck. When he was satisfied, he dragged the melting ice cube down to my breasts where he pressed it against my sternum. My nipples perked up when I shivered, but he seemed to ignore them with his mouth while he ventured further downward. His hands reached up and cupped my breasts while he brought the ice cube further down. I was panting and cursing his name. My skin wasn’t overheated from the outside heat anymore, but instead from the damned man who was about to go down on me.

By the time he reached my clit, the ice cube had practically melted. He slurped the rest of the water up before he looked up at me. His onyx eyes locked onto mine as he squeezed my thighs and pushed them further apart. He gently rubbed my entrance with his fingers and grinned as he pulled back and rubbed his slick fingers together. “You’re wet,” he murmured again as he watched me. I was breathless and shaking, I had never wanted something more than I wanted him at this moment. He settled between my legs and stared up at me. I was so lost in his intense gaze that when I finally felt his tongue, I cursed. He pressed his tongue against my throbbing clit, and I nearly came apart on the spot. 

“Fuck, Ace!” I cursed as I reached down and grabbed onto his hair. He ate me like a man starved. His tongue circled my clit while two of his fingers pressed against my entrance before he pushed into me. The stimulation from his tongue and his fingers had me melting like the ice in the chest next to us. He methodically pushed his fingers in and out of me. He curled his fingers a certain way which had me seeing stars. He was relentless with his fingers and his tongue. The sounds that came from my lips didn’t seem like they were from me. I babbled and cursed as I tried to meet his thrusts with my hips. Ace pulled his face away from my clit to look over at me again. Though I couldn’t see myself, Ace’s expression told me enough. I was debauched and he loved it.

“You need to cum?” he asked with a confident smirk on his face. He knew I was close, but he was just messing with me again. “Not gonna let ya unless you beg for it,” Ace said as he slowed down his thrusts. I throbbed around his fingers and tried to ignore the wet sound his fingers made when they would thrust inside of me.

I cursed again and shut my thighs around his hand to force him to stay there. “Damn you,” I hissed through my gritted teeth. It was taking everything in me not to finish. I thought that it was my pride that wasn’t letting me beg, but I was mortified to realize that I was enjoying him denying me my orgasm. Ace seemed to notice this as he pushed my thighs apart again. 

“You don’t want me to stop? Is that what I heard?” Ace asked as he slowly fucked me with his fingers. I could feel myself throbbing and clenching around his fingers. My body was begging for a release, but the torture of being denied by him was even sweeter. “I can’t hear you,” Ace smirked as he slowly pulled his fingers out of me. He inspected his fingers before he looked at my breathless state. He slowly licked his fingers clean and groaned as he slid his tongue between his fingers to thoroughly clean them.

I cursed loudly and felt myself clenching around nothing as I watched him. I could still feel the ghost of his fingers inside of me. I was near tears again. I reached down to alleviate some of my need, but Ace quickly pinned both of my hands above my head.

“You think I’d let you cum by your own hand? No chance for that,” he smirked. He let go of my hands but kept a close eye on me as he unbuttoned his shorts and pushed them down. “Seems like you didn’t want to finish from my hand either. Is there something else you want?” he asked as he hovered over me.

“You, all of you,” I breathed out as I glanced down and took in the sheer size of him. I shivered in anticipation and spread my legs some more as he got settled between them. 

“And what exactly would that be?” Ace grinned as he held my legs back and lined himself up. He rubbed his head against my clit and we both hissed at the same time from the mutual pleasure at the simple contact. I didn’t want him to hold back, I wanted to feel all of him inside of me. 

“Ace, I need you to fuck me, I need to feel you inside of me,” I begged as I reached down and lined him up against my entrance. I tried to pull him in closer to force the head inside of me. Ace cursed and pinned me against the blanket with his arms resting at my side like a cage. 

“I think I can manage that,” Ace smirked down at me before he pushed all the way into me. I loudly cursed and dug my fingers into his arms as I adjusted to his size. 

“You’re huge,” I gasped, I was in shock at how full he was making me feel. He was full and throbbing inside of me. The stretch of having him inside of me was exquisite. Ace grinned as I stroked his ego even more.

“Why thank you,” he smiled. For that moment, he was gentle and I found myself falling into his softness, but soon that moment was over. His soft expression was quickly replaced by that seductive smirk I was growing to crave as he started to thrust into me. Again and again, he was relentless in his pace and the force of his thrusts. My eyes were rolling back into my head from the white hot pleasure I was feeling. 

Though it was sweltering, I couldn’t seem to care. The only thing that was able to balm this fire I was feeling was more fire. Whenever I would turn away from Ace as he fucked me, he would use one of his hands to force me to look back at him. 

“I want to see you fall apart because of me. I want to hear every sound you make, I want to see your tears from how good you’re feeling, I want you to see me,” he emphasized his last few words with two particularly toe-curling thrusts. I cursed and nodded as I watched him. 

“Ace!” I breathlessly moaned as I was once again brought to the edge of my climax. Ace watched me and grinned as he relentlessly pounded into me and forced me to watch him. I could feel him throbbing inside of me, I could feel the desperation in his thrusts, I could tell he wanted me as much as I wanted him. He sped up as my sounds became more frantic and desperate. He had me coiled tight and only he was able to release me. He bent down close to my ear and held me close as he continued to fuck me into oblivion.

“Cum,” he ordered. I didn’t need to ask for permission. There were no strings attached here, he just wanted me. His words were enough to set me off. With an ear-spitting shout, I finished. I felt my fingers dig into his back and scratch against his tattoo. I felt him help me ride out my orgasm before he quickly pulled out and finished on my stomach with a satisfied groan. 

The minutes after were still. We both panted as we caught our breath together. Ace’s face was hiding in the crook of my neck. My hands were absently playing with his inky hair, it seemed that both of us were riding out this high. I didn’t feel hot anymore, I felt comfortable and very, very satisfied as I watched Ace pull back and stretch. His little laugh had my heart beating even faster.

“That was something,” He said as he grabbed a clean cloth to clean my middle up. I could only nod as I watched how tender he was being with me. He grabbed a canteen and handed it to me as he started to get dressed again. “Drink. I don’t want you passing out on me again,” he explained as he put his hat back on.

I looked at the canteen in confusion and looked at him. “This wasn’t part of the deal,” I teased as I greedily drank my fill. He watched me and rolled his eyes at my attempt at a joke.

“Not exactly, but I do have to knock you out to take you back to town. You do have a mission to do,” Ace reminded me. I instantly sobered and stopped drinking the water.

“What if I didn’t go back?” I asked. “I’m tired of doing what they want. What if I want to live for myself? What if I want freedom?” I asked. It seemed that what I had said pleased Ace. He smiled at me and grabbed my shoulders as I got dressed.

“You sound like you’d be a perfect pirate. What if you came back with me? I’m sure they’d all love to meet you. My captain would love to meet you too,” Ace babbled as he continued to talk to me about the dream of being a pirate.

I found myself smiling as he spoke. “A pirate, huh?” I asked as I got myself dressed… minus my underwear.

“Yes! Join me, we can go on adventures together!” Ace smiled as he reached his hand out to me to help me stand up. I took his hand and stood up and watched him smiling down at me.

“Why’re you being so good to me? I went after you to kill you,” I frowned as I grabbed my bag and put my arms through the straps. Ace went towards the candle and used his fingers to stub the light. The tent was now dark, but I could still make out his features with the moonlight filtering in through the front of the tent.

Ace just smiled even more at me. He never seemed to stop smiling, he was someone special for sure.

“Everyone deserves to live their dream,” he explained as he looked at me with his mesmerizing onyx eyes. It was so simple with him. He was trusting and believed in my dream. It made it hard for me to not believe in my own dream. All I wanted was freedom, I could have a real chance at that with him and his crew. I smiled at him, he was right. I took his hand again and stepped out of the tent into my future full of freedom with him.

[gaysindistress]

Связи (n.) connections - two

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

pairings: mob!bucky x reader

Summary: “Did you think you could hide from us? That’s adorable, little one. There’s no where on this planet where you could hide from the Shostakov Bratva and even if you did manage to evade us, the Barnes Bratva would find you. Your связи, your connections, will always come back to haunt you, Y/N.”

Warnings: Cursing, guns

Word count: 2.6k

part one | series masterlist

taglist: @unaxv @identity2212

“Don’t even think about it,” the hand squeezes my arm as I try to look up to confirm what I know to be true.  “Walk.”

“Let go of me,” I mumble and try to pull my arm away but it’s useless. He has an iron grip and I know there will be bruises by the morning from how hard he is grabbing me. 

Good. it’ll give me a reason to slit his throat. I find myself thinking and a horror fills me at my own thoughts. Not even five minutes in my father’s presence and I’m already slipping back into that way of thinking. 

“You think you’ll survive if I did that?” my captor grumbles, jerking me along towards the edge of the room. “Look around, Oksana. How many of your father’s men do you see? Hm? How about my men?” 

On cue, the crowd erupts in a frenzy of cheers and chants when we reach the edge of the room and he pulls me fully into the shadows. I let out a groan of pain as my back hits a wall and the heavy sound of hands slamming next to my head catches me off guard. A looming figure cages me against the cold stone and blocks my view from the party…the fucking party that’s started in honor of my sister’s death. 

“Tell me what you see,” the figure demands and my eyes are straining to make out any features. 

“All I see is a fucking dick head who grabbed me and threw me against a wall.”

A chuckle. 

A familiar chuckle. 

James Barnes is the figure that all but dragged me to this hallway and slammed me against the wall. The Pakhan of the Barnes Bratva is the one who’s leaning over me and demanding things from me like I’m one of his side pieces. Bucky, the man my sister loved more than her own family and probably died protecting, found me in a matter of minutes and fear floods my veins as the realization hits me. 

He takes notice of my sudden silence and smirks, “What do you see now?”

“A. Dick. Head.”

His smirk never fades but grows and he yanks me away and down the hall with both of my hands in one of his massive ones. During our little “detour” the party has turned into something from the movies and my father’s men have come to line the hallway walls instead of the main room. Protecting their sweet Pakhan as if he isn’t a Soviet breed killing machine. 

They bow their heads and avert their eyes when we walk past and I wish just one of them would look at me instead of acting like a coward. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that they know who I am from the way they do everything to avoid making eye contact. They most certainly know who Bucky is and it ignites my infernal hatred for him and my father again. 

At the end of the hall is a set of black metal doors; a contrast against the red decor and white marble of the house but a menacing sight no less. An older man I don’t recognize nods to Bucky before he opens the doors and steps aside to let us in. I throw a pitiful look in his direction but he’s closing the doors and disappearing into the hall. Another set of doors halts us but this time it’s opened when Bucky types in a code into a small keypad off to the side. 

And what awaits us is my worst nightmare. 

My father is sitting in a disgustingly large and overwhelming red chair at the back of the room with my mother and remaining sister sitting on the matching couch. Yelena is staring up at the ceiling with her arms crossed while Melina is reading a book as if this isn’t the world's worst family reunion. 

“Ах, моя милая Оксана! Я так рада, что ты смогла приехать. Мы скучали по тебе,” Alexei says with his fake smile that never reaches his eyes. 

Ah my sweet Oksana! I’m so glad you could make it. We’ve missed you.

I say nothing. I can’t. It’s sludge in my stomach and molten lava in my tongue. 

“Приходите. Садись. Давай догоним.”

Come. Sit. Let us catch up. 

Bucky hauls me towards them when I don’t move on my own and I stumble, falling into him. He catches me with a grunt and stumbles backwards himself before shoving me to the couch. Yelena makes no attempt to acknowledge me and Melina raises an eyebrow at the bounce of the couch but nothing else. 

Typical. 

“My darling Oksana,” Alexei starts and my voice finds itself again. 

“That’s not my name,” I blurt out and now all eyes are on me. “Not anymore. I go by Y/N now.”

“Y/N,” he says as he draws out the letters. “The name your mother called you. I remember how you got it, don’t you, Melina?”

She sighs and nods. 

“Alexei,” Bucky says harshly from where he’s been leaning against the wall, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. 

“I know, I know,” my father grumbles and pins me with a sudden serious stare. “Do you know why you’re here?”

“I imagine it’s because Nat…” I stop. I can’t say it. 

“Yes, sweet Natasha is dead but not to worry, Y/N. Your life isn’t in danger or at least it won’t be soon.”

I narrow my eyes at him, confused and his next words so nothing to clear it up. 

“Antonia has decided that she needs to enact revenge and has been making our lives difficult as of late. She’s already made an attempt on Yelena and well as you can probably guess, made a successful one on Natasha’s. I fear that the unseen protection I once offered you isn’t enough anymore and we both know that your agent Danvers will do nothing if it means she can get close to Antonia or me for that matter.”

“Antonia as in Dreykov’s daughter?” 

“Who the fuck else would it be?” Bucky snaps and we exchange a nasty glare. 

Alexei huffs but continues, “But being the amazing father and businessman that I am, I was able to broker a peace treaty so to speak.”

Bucky shifts uncomfortably and I study the way he’s drumming his fingers on his arm although he’s trying to hide it. 

“What kind of treaty?” I ask while still watching Bucky. 

“A beneficial one.”

I roll my eyes and give my father a blank stare, “for you. It’s always only beneficial for you.”

“Would you rather me let you die?”

“You haven’t had an issue doing just that for the last ten years.”

His eyes harden and he leans forward as he speaks to me, “I didn’t know where you went. I only found you three years ago.”

I lean forward too, “I wish you hadn’t.”

Melina finally speaks up and says my name in a way only a mother could. 

We both return to semi comfortable positions and stare at each other. 

“You’re marrying Bucky,” Yelena casually states. Her eyes have closed but she’s still leaning her back back against the couch with her blonde waves hanging over the back. 

“What?” Is all I can think to say. I look to my father and then to Bucky for anything. Denial, confirmation, laughter, fucking anything at all but I’m met with blank stares and the severe anxiety building in my stomach. 

“We need the numbers and resources. Antonia isn’t…”

The words sound fuzzy and I know I’m missing important information. 

“…Natasha was the first choice and I think we all can agree that Yelena is not an option so that leaves you, my youngest daughter and out last hope.”

“No.”

The word slipped so easily from my lips I didn’t even realize it was me who said it. 

Bucky makes a noise that I assume is meant to be a chuckle but being the devil reincarnated means he never does such a thing and it’s a strangled sound instead. 

“Y/N,” Alexei warns, “Antonia has made threats against our lives already. I’ve done what I can to protect you and let you live your life. I cannot do that anymore so i have no other choice but to do this. You have no other choice but to do this and if you can’t find it in your heart to do it for us then think of Natasha. Her death will not be in vain.”

“I think you missed explaining the part where a marriage will keep me any safer than leaving me the fuck alone.”

“He can offer you more protection than I can.”

“Stop this,” I tell Bucky and he only glares at me. “Stop this. We can find another way.”

“Уже сделано.”

It’s already done.

“Так ты говоришь, что ты бессилен,” I sneer back and smile when Bucky flinches ever so slightly. 

So you're saying that you're powerless.

The older man who had opened the door for us comes in with a large white envelope and hands it to Bucky. The Barnes Pakhan takes it with a roll of his eyes and takes out a packet of papers. Melina has finally stopped reading and Yelena is still pretending to sleep as my fate is being sealed. A pen scratches on paper and then the packet is dangling in front of my face with Bucky’s name messily scrolled next to a blank spot where I can only assume mine is meant to go. 

“I’m not signing that,” I tell Bucky and he only stares blankly at me. 

“Y/N,” Melina tries but I cut her off with a triate about how this is illegal and stupid and seflish and no one can make me do this. During my efforts to get someone to change their mind and call this all off, Bucky signs my name for me before tossing the packet to Alexei. 

“Did you just forge my signature?”

“No,” he deadpans and watches my parents sign the witness section of the marriage license. 

“Yes you did! I saw you!”

“But did you?”

“What the fuck kind of question is that? I literally just watched you sign my name on a legal document. That makes it void,” I snap at him and I swear I see the anger start to roll in. 

Bucky takes a deep breath, “And who here is going to back you up? Alexei? Melina? Yelena?”

When I don’t answer, he mutters something in Russian under his breath and tells my father that we will be leaving immediately. A man I hadn’t seen before comes up behind me and pulls me off of the couch by my arm causing me to swing at him. My fist lands with a satisfying crack on his cheek and he tumbles backwards, cradling his face as blood leaks from between his fingers. He curses under his breath and I spin around at the familiar voice. 

It was the voice of one of the man who kidnapped me that night. 

That’s when it hits me; Bucky and this man had been the ones to kidnap Yelena and me. 

“YOU,” I hiss and grab him by the face with one hand while the other pulls the small gun tucked into his waist. Pressing it against his temple, we stare at each other and after a few agonizing moments pass, the man looks down with defeat. 

“You were there,” I whisper to him, “Why?”

He looks over my shoulder at Bucky and that’s when I remember Bucky was there too. Still gripping the first man, I turn the gun to his boss and the entire room takes in a sharp breath. 

“Why?” I ask him knowing that’ll I never get an answer. His expression is a frozen image of boredom and based on what little information I have gotten in the last few minutes, it’s not likely that he’ll decide that this question deserves a response. 

“Let him go and give him his gun back,” is all Bucky says before snatching up the packet and stalking towards the door. My hand slips and the man quickly grabs his gun before dragging me along with him. 

Alexei moves to stand and Melina stops him by holding out her hand. She mutters something to him in Russian and he rolls his shoulders in response, no doubt having been told to act like a Pakhan and not a loving father. Yelena has lifted her head and is staring daggers at me but she still doesn’t say anything to me. The little girl in me begs to call out for my older sister and craves the comfort that her hug once brought me but all hope of that relationship is dashed with the murderous look she’s giving me. 

Once again my family has left me for dead without a good reason. 

Sam, as I heard Bucky call him, dabs a black handkerchief on his cheek as he inspects the small cut in the car’s tiny visor mirror. He keeps muttering under his breath and occasionally Bucky throws in a sarcastic comment to which Sam threatens to hurt in him some way. 

“Please tell me why you couldn’t have just walked up to her and played nice,” Sam says after he’s finished fussing over the truly minimal cut on his cheekbone.

Bucky looks at me in the rearview mirror, “Does she look like someone who plays nice?”

“I’m literally right here.”

Sam glances over his shoulder, “Oh I’m well aware that you’re right there. I can feel you plotting my demise.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t be thinking of the most creative way to kill you if you didn’t kidnap.”

“I didn’t kidnap you. That was Bucky.”

The man in question gives his partner the most offended look possible, “Wow. Remind me to never trust you with anything ever again.”

“Don’t act you wouldn’t give me up just as quickly,” Sam mumbles as he settles into his seat. 

“I wouldn’t and that’s why I’m Pakhan.”

“Oh you want to play that way? Okay, okay,” he perks up and leans over towards Bucky. “We had a plan walking into that fake ass funeral and it didn’t involve either of us getting punched or you getting married. Want to explain how your plan to get in and get out epically failed, Pakhan?”

Bucky’s jaw clentches and his hands grip the steering wheel tighter, “Look, let me walk you through a hypothetical. Can I walk you through a hypothetical?”

“If it involves telling me how you managed to royally fuck this entire thing then yes but otherwise, no.”

“I didn't...do anything. That’s on Alexei. I almost had him…”

Sam lets out a loud and dramatic sigh, “You did not almost have him. He was never going to agree to your terms and you know it.”

“Someone want to fill me in?” I pipe up and both men say no loudly at the same time. I raise my eyebrows in surprise and again they both sigh before Bucky starts talking. 

“Alexei is an idiot.” 

“You’re not wrong,” I mumble and I swear I see him smirk. 

“He got lazy with cleaning up the mess Dreykov made and now he’s too weak and stupid to handle the consequences. He’s more concerned about his reputation than he is actually running his bratva and he somehow managed to rope me into his bullshit.”

“What does that say about you?”

“You’re the daughter who escaped, how do you think it looks that you’re also part of this?”

I don’t answer. I’m well aware of how stupid and naive this whole situation makes me look. I did escape whether or not thanks to Bucky kidnapping me all of those years ago, but I escaped and yet I still wound up being entangled in my father’s mess. I was free but now I’m both legally and morally bound to Bucky. 

The rest of the car ride is silent. Only when we pull up in front of Carol’s apartment building do I say something. 

“What the fuck is going on?”

[thethirdromana]

Some Beetle covers, assessed

This book is about a beetle

A good two-thirds of Beetle covers take this approach, including the first edition on the left. And you know what, I can't fault it. This book sure does have a beetle in it. Bonus points for the middle one that draws on the hypnosis theme by making the beetle look like a brain.

Maybe an Egyptian beetle?

This is essentially the same approach, but more Egyptian, which I think looks very stylish. Given late Victorian Egyptomania, I'm surprised there aren't more like this. I could imagine a luxury edition with lots of gold really making this concept work.

Specifically involving a woman with a beetle on her forehead

This is an arresting image that's also sort-of justified by events in the book. It took me forever to realise what it reminded me of, and it's of course the poster for the Silence of the Lambs, which postdates both of these covers by about half a century. These are two quite sulky-looking Marjories, but perhaps that's the effect of hypnosis.

The cover illustrator read the book!

Given these covers minus the title, I think I would still have a solid chance of guessing which book they were for. The blue cover is the fully illustrated version. But actually, I think my favourite on this theme is redhaired Marjorie being menaced by the Beetle while Sydney tiptoes over in evening dress, both looking they could be in the opening credits of a Bond movie.

The cover illustrator didn't read the book

A very small part of the novel takes place in a railway station. None of it takes place in a cemetery, nor does it involve a hermit studying anatomy. With the whole world of royalty-free images of beetles to choose from, how does anyone land on any of these?

The cover illustrator really, really didn't read the book

Here we have the Beetle as represented by some Taiwanese houses, as True Blood, and as a picture that I vaguely recognise but where the image is so fried I can't even google it to check. At least the previous three had semi-appropriate spooky London vibes; these appear to be entirely random.

How about a bonus subtitle?

The first one here is clearly the weakest of the three, since it just features a picture of Richard Marsh's face, but is redeemed by choosing possibly the most metal line in the novel as its subtitle. I love both of the latter two, with a special mention to the illustrator of the middle one for actually depicting the Beetle's human form as described in the Beetle while also minimising the elements of racist caricature. No mean feat.

The cover illustrator understood the assignment

When I wrote something similar to this about Dracula covers, I was quite critical of the illustrators who decided to depict it as pulp horror. But it is so much more fitting for The Beetle. If you're drawn to buy Scantily Clad Woman Is Menaced By Giant Beetle, or Weirdly Green Man is Terrified of Mural, or even Rasputin And His Giant Beetle Spell, I feel like you genuinely might be the right audience for this terrible, terrible book.

[lulublack90]

Prompt 13 - Free

@jegulus-microfic August 13, Word count 753

Previous part First Wolfstar part

Dinner was pleasant. Regulus enjoyed the novelty of a full dining service as opposed to the mismatched, somewhat tattered bowls and cups the wolves used and the battered pewter plate his food was served to him on in the dungeons when they’d remembered he needed feeding. It felt almost ridiculous just the two of them sitting at that huge dining table. He savoured every bite, it had been so long since he had food of this calibre. 

Regulus was struggling to keep his eyes open once the meal was over. He wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere soft and warm.  

“We can stay here if you like, instead of going back to the camp,” James offered as if he'd read Regulus's mind. Regulus was honestly so full of good food he didn’t want to move, so he agreed. James led him up the stairs to the bedrooms. “Here you can have this one,” He said after poking his head around the door to make sure it was set up. “That’s mine over there. If you need anything, just come in and wake me up, or you can call for Flitsy, and she’ll help you. Oh, just a second,” James darted into his room and came back with a set of pyjamas that were definitely too big for Regulus. “You’ll drown in them, but the drawstring should help. We can get some in your size if you stay again.” He said as he pushed the clothes into Regulus’s hands. 

“I’m sure I’ll manage, thank you,” He stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do now. 

“Well, good night,” James darted in and kissed his cheek before hurrying into his room. Regulus sighed and went to check out his room. 

It was big, that was the first thing he noticed, big and open, with a huge four-poster bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a shelf dotted with a few books. He went over to the bed and put his pyjamas down. He noticed a door and hoped it was a bathroom as he’d neglected to ask where one was before James had gone into his room. He pushed the door open and found a full bathroom. He eyed up the shower and decided a quick wash before bed couldn’t hurt. He stripped off his clothes and got in. 

The water was deliciously warm. The lavender-scented soap helped wash away the grime he hadn’t been able to fully remove after being rescued from Lestrange Castle. He lathered his hair with the matching shampoo and watched the murky suds wash down the plughole. He finished with the conditioner, and he couldn’t help but run his fingers through the soft locks, free from the tangles that had plagued him for months. 

He grabbed the thick fluffy towel and wrapped it around himself. His clothes were gone. He wasn’t too concerned. He guessed that Flitsy had collected them to wash. He padded back into the bedroom and put the pyjamas on. They were huge on his slight body, but they were soft and smelled faintly of James, so he got under the covers and settled down to sleep. 

He woke suddenly in the dark, his heart was racing as flashes of images played behind his eyes of dark rooms and Voldemort’s wand pointed at his face outside that cursed cave. It felt so open here, there wasn’t anywhere to hide. A tree’s branches were creaking somewhere near his window and he couldn’t help but imagine that Voldemort’s forces had found him and come to take him back to his old master. The sound of a fox screaming from the edge of the garden was the final straw. He jumped up and raced into James’s room. 

“James?” He whispered nervously. He felt so stupid coming to him because of a damn nightmare, but James just rolled over and blinked at him with sleep-filled eyes before opening his arms wide to him. 

“Come on, love,” That was all he needed. Regulus launched himself at the bed, curling up into a tight ball against James. “Mmmm you smell good,” James yawned, burring his face in Regulus’s slightly damp hair and wrapping his arms tightly around him. Regulus felt his heartbeat steadying and snuggled further into James’s chest as sleep began to take over him again. “Don’t worry, love, you’re safe. I’ve got you.” James murmured as he too fell back to sleep. And Regulus believed him. For the first time in a very long time, he felt completely safe.  

Next part

[tothisemptiness]

The base IOMT post

EDIT: Hello! If you found this post before my newer ones please know that I have started a series of analysis regarding Golden Hour: Part 2 that explain everything more neatly and in detail.

Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part I: The Diaries

Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part II: The "Ice On My Teeth" MV

Golden Hour: Part 2 Analysis Series Part III: The Chess Piece Theory

Golden Hour: Part 2 Bonus Analysis: Character Studies

This is not the fully fleshed theory post on iomt but more of a starting point. I am just extracting my google doc on here so that 1) i can remember to edit it and 2) maybe people will see it and talk to me about it. so here we start with some bullet points about my scattered thoughts:

atp the falling chandeliers must mean something. not only are they in the mvs, they are also part of the actual stage now

the recurring theme of making money in the songs/mvs and the need to make money winning over their desire to follow their dreams in the diaries. it's just that while "work" caricaturizes it "iomt" goes with a darker criticism

the chandeliers, dust and ashes, broken piano and dinner tables decorated with candles draw parallels to answer and halazia

other halazia parallels: the tendency for arson, destruction of art, a seemingly more in control yunho and hongjoong more removed from the group

the broken mirror: a crooked version of themselves, the greed for money at the expense of passion and art is the opposite of the original ateez. the mirror appears on the d-day poster and also in hongjoong's first part

The white towel turning black: we first await the good, usual ateez we know and love. The towel turning black might mean that this is not the case and now we are face to face with the crooked version in this MV.

return of the ruby, which is probably badly handled by wooyoung (may be the cause of this crooked mirroring): we don't know the exact functioning of the ruby, now named Sopro, and all foreshadowing shows that things won't go well when wooyoung hastily and drunkenly uses it

tic-tac-toe: in the MV we see a tic-tac-toe game in tie in the room Jongho is in, previously mentioned in seonghwa's mini-rap (speaking of which, someone help me with the meaning of the "engrave the 3 letters of my name in this game" lyric). in the mini-verse created since gh1 it may symbolize the battle between passion and money: without money they won’t be able to live and realize their dream but without chasing their passions there will be no meaning to their survival. the black/gray cat walking around may symbolize woo who is trying to find a way out

the mansion well matching the description of yeosangs mansion

there are also parallels drawn between ateez and z with the mention of mingi’s ads

overall, feels like a new, older version of ateez trying to destroy their old image

also reinforced by jongho not being able to listen to their first song and the chaos that comes after they finally listen to it as a group: bitterness towards the past and the failure of their lives

golden hour is not about appreciating the moment they are in anymore: they are nostalgically reminiscing about the golden hour that passed them by and carry more or less some bitterness about not having been able to utilize it. they could not treat the trauma within the 60 minutes they had (make it as artists after having returned to world a before money ran out) and now have to lead imperfectly put together lives

The MV probably takes place in the aftermath of the diary. In the diary, Yeosang is the only one to explicitly go against Woo when the matter of trying again comes up, all the others either play along with woo or don’t say anything. In the MV, yeosang is shut up by Yunho and San chimes in with the “little bird over there has a lot to say”. By creating an alternate reality using Sopro, Woo may be making everything fit “as he would like” (things don’t seem to go in that direction) and Yeo may be trying to speak up but is pressed down by Sopro/other members under the influence of Sopro.

at the end of crazy form we see the cromer broken and sopro taken away by the blue bird. we see both of these in yeosang’s mansion since he took them in when nobody cared. in halazia, it is yeosang who sings about the little blue bird. again, in iomt mv he has parallels to a little bird. throughout the lore, yeosang has already been likened to a bird but at this point i don’t think it is crazy to say that the blue bird directly symbolizes yeo.

(from the crazy form reaction video)

San: “Now we found freedom”

Hongjoong: “That’s going to be…it’ll be connected to the next one.”

BRO WANTED TO SPEAK SO BAD ON THAT REMARK THEY IN FACT DID NOT FIND FREEDOM

who tf even is the doctor

what was supposed to happen in strange mansion before we died like fucking idiots

WHERE ARE WE IN THE LORE

parallel to second half of fever first diaries, crisis happens, shit goes to shit, new artifact appears and we are left at the cliffhanger right before the adventure

after this: crisis unfolds, probably back to a world seen before (very likely halazia since it is left little discovered and with many mysteries), crisis ends along with the entire plot (probs another 5-6 years to go if we don't count military service)

on a personal note: i feel like we are being a little stalled. the "work" mv seemingly doesn't enhance the plot at all unless we take it as a dream sequence of the members' in world a and a lot of time is put into explaining the members' lives than actually creating action in both golden hour diaries. even when given the chance in the Sopro room Yunho still doesn't mention his archeological finding in gh1 and further the plot in that direction.

CHESS PIECE THEORY EXTENSION

For the people that don't know, there is a theory on twitter that suggests the members each symbolize chess pieces. I think it is a very smart theory and is reinforced in the MV with Mingi playing with bedazzled chess pieces. To sum it up, the Ateez in the MV are the black pieces and we get this idea from the concept photo where each member mirrors their counterpart except for HJ and SH, who are the king and the queen. I have taken the theory and kinda did a bit of research to make more sense of it.

(PS: I got most info from here: https://www.chessstrategyonline.com/ so a big thank you to the admin of this website)

YUNHO AND MINGI (ROOKS)

Rooks are strongest when they protect each other (even sitting next to each other on the plane may foreshadow something). The rooks protect each other by being positioned along the same line. In the rook doubling strategy, one of them charges ahead while the other stays one line behind for protection. For successful attacks, the rook must go far in enemy territory to either take pawns down or restrict movement

Usually not used in the early game, starting the mv off with Yunho is a bold move. It either means they have a unique strategy they are so sure of, or they are making a very bad choice very flashily

The rook pawn openings are considered to be one of the worst openings in chess

Rooks are defensive pieces, putting them at the forefront (letting them take leader roles) is not exactly smart

In the MV the leadership role belongs to our rooks (mafia leader Mingi and Yunho being seen in leader positions and shutting Yeosang up in front of the press)

Mingi and Yunho also take part in a lot of action (the middle of the board). Mingi goes around with a clique of “pawns” as their leader, sets the furniture on fire, and breaks the car window. Yunho also is seen with a lot of pawns and is the one who interacts with the doctor.

SAN AND JONGHO (KNIGHTS)

The knight is a master of surprise, and can hop in and out of the most unexpected locations. (i sure as hell was surprised with san in the mv)

Best positioned in the center

the knight is sometimes vulnerable to being trapped if it runs out of squares -> possibility of (very likely san) being trapped in enemy territory or in the middle of battle -> either miraculously and riskily gets saved or pulls a sacrifice

Very risky to move along the edge of the board (aka, isolate or distance from action)

WOOYOUNG AND YEOSANG (BISHOPS)

Many, many possibilities to use them, we are not yet privy to Woo and Yeo’s exact roles

Except… they are usually not held in the center for long. In the choreo Wooyoung takes the center position often

bros suck at this game

SEONGHWA (THE QUEEN)

Mostly offensive, weak in defense, must be protected by others

Especially vulnerable when brought out too soon

A lost queen is almost as bad as a check

In the MV, SH is mostly surrounded by pawns (the ballerinas), a fitting protection

HONGJOONG (THE KING)

Castles protect the king the best

In the MV we see him isolated. Except for group sequences and a quick shot (related to the group sequence), HJ is seen totally alone in obscure corners of the villa. This is good for the protection of the king, but also means there is no one protecting the king. We can take Wooyoung the bishop as his protector if we take the black and white photos flashing in the MV into consideration.

A side note: The Ateez in the MV are the black pieces, however a lot of the “pawns” we see are white with just black masks. This has to symbolize something. I don’t know what.

Another side note: I think the white pieces they are playing against are the "normal" ateez we've known from the start. The real black pawns are all dressed in suits, which is a very classic symbol for capitalism, while the white pawns that have black masks are all artists or sports players (the tennis army). the white towel turning into black (expectation of seeing the "normal" ateez refuted by being met by the "crooked" ateez) may also be a nod to this. A very big stretch, i know, but in some occasions in halazia world mvs we see an overpowering theme of white on the members' costumes

in halazia mv, woo and san are shown in all white for their dance sequence. parting from theirs and mingi's costumes i take this entire look, which is predominantly white, as a canonical part of halazia

in "it's you" and "matz", the trapped versions of the members also wear predominantly white/light colors

this is all for now, i will be thinking solely of this comeback and how it ties into the general lore for the next weeks to come. if you have read until here, thank you so much and if you have anything to say plz do! <3

[britcision]

SNACKS!

For all y’all freaking about the ghost marriage joke 😉

Also Jason is not pregnant there is no mpreg but this will absolutely not stop him from bursting into fake tears to fuck with Dick if Dick mentions his “parasite”

——————

Well You Did Get Down On One Knee part i

Jason was feeling good, really. Actually a little surprised at how good, considering.

That crunchy little ecto-ice chip had been better than a gallon of coffee, filling him with energy like he’d actually gotten a full night’s sleep.

He hadn’t actually felt this good since the night Danny slept over, which had been the night before last. Didn’t sound all that impressive, except that it had been the best he’d felt in half a decade.

Maybe the full decade. For all Robin made him magic, skipping sleep to fight crime had done a number on him in his teens. If he’d been as willing as Dickie and Tim to slack on his schoolwork, maybe…

Yeah, no, Tim was the poster child for Do Not Emulate This Sleep Schedule.

What mattered was that even after running the docks down with Black Bat for more than half the night and then getting up to get Danny, Jason felt fucking great.

A little more emotionally wrung out, sure, but he felt lighter for… having whatever that had been. Like the stress that had been compacting his chest had finally eased.

He may still want a pillow to scream into for a good six hours, but for him? Still a solid improvement. He felt like his brain was finally working again.

Which… meant he was fully processing that his fucking soul was vibrating in time with Danny’s. And every other ghost could just. Tell.

That was gonna make fight club… actually, Jason had no idea what the fuck it was gonna make fight club. By all accounts Danny being the Ghost King hadn’t made any of them less likely to throw down with him.

If anything, Danny had warned Jason that him being a “young” ghost would make the others more eager to fight. It was a kind of play, bonding and teaching the new baby their powers.

Sounded fucking terrifying by all accounts and Jason was just glad he had Danny to explain it to him, since apparently full ghosts just… knew it wasn’t serious. Even baby ghosts came into existence recognising the game.

Halfas didn’t.

Whiiiich meant that all the “playful” threats of dismemberment had sounded pretty fucking real to Danny, back when he’d been a baby ghost and had half the Zone flocking to “play” with him.

Pitty let out a rumbly little growl, like a sulking dog and Jason hid a snicker. Yeah, he’d also be kicking their asses that little bit harder for that given half a chance.

Actually, if they kept holding fight club, Pitty could take a chunk out of them itself.

That thought got him a contented little purr, which was weird enough that Jason was going to focus back in on Frostbite’s broader explanation. He hadn’t missed anything.

“In the sense that you have tied yourselves together, it may be somewhat like a marriage… however, it is a very different relationship. In a true love-union, your signatures would beat in time,” the yeti explained, gesturing once more to the screen.

Jason’s blob continued to pulse and blur a fraction of a beat behind Danny’s. Definitely not quite in time.

This was a relief. Yup. And Jason’s cheeks definitely weren’t any warmer than they’d been a minute ago, before he knew that, again, his fucking soul was echoing Danny’s.

Frostbite gave his tablet a couple more taps, and a pulsing blue line linked the images on the screen.

“In your case, young knight, your allegiance is marked in both your resonance and in your aura, which now carries a link to your King. His status is what defines your role as a knight, instead of a more casual bond.”

“No one’s king yet,” Danny protested, folding his arms and leaning into Jason’s side. Letting a little more of his weight rest on him.

Jason leaned in too, frowning from the screen to Frostbite.

———————

Tag List:

@welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikkobara @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle e @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @trickerdi @mayoota-blog @xysidhe @idkmrpianoman @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper @bun-fish @aroranorth-west @demon-cat-goes-woof @perfectwastelandcreation @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @mothman-the-mothman87 @viyatrix @stargirl1331 @idfk-man10 @thedepressedrobin @skulld3mort-1fan @rootsmudge @ravenshadow17 @cankoking @phantom-dc @mentalcarebear @magic-pincushion @redamancyardor @lyra689 @itsparadoxlacuna @alcorbearson @asphyxia778 @why-must-i-be-like-this @tkiesai @greenpyrowolf @frivolous-pastel l @honeysuckletook k

[not-the-conversation-starter]

The Death Of A Website.

tl;dr click source to see an AU of my blog.

As many of you may not have heard, Cohost has gone read only. The website infamous for "Zero Discoverability" and its users "Not Being Funny." Servers will close down at the end of 2024, if not earlier, being backed up on the Internet Archive before that. Since their user counts were still low after 2 years (about half of all sign ups ever were from people evacuating twitter, which then didn't know how to use the site so most left almost immediately. Kind of hilarious) they didn't feel like anymore money bleeding OR the fact that a staff of only four people being on call 24/7 was worth it anymore.

However,

the people who DID use the site loved it. And they did some genuinely cool things on it, far cooler than anything I ever saw even in the glory days of Tumblr. You know, like Finn and Jake hi-fiving between 2 posts. Stuff like a playable maze, or a fully navigable 3d room you move around in with your mouse entirely within a post. They really did some cool stuff.

There were also a ton of really talented people, people like the composer Lena Raine(Celeste/Minecraft) who loved the site because you could just. Actually talk to people on it! Without an algorithm to boost their posts, the only people who saw it were genuinely looking for it.

Also some of them were just good posters, we did get Pikmin 18 billion and eleven from Cohost after all.

The point is, I think if anyone outside of Cohost actually knew what was being done on Cohost, it would of succeeded. There would of been enough active users for them to invest more. If I knew about all of this I would of been there way more!

But rather than just you blindly believing me, I decided to spend (almost) every hour I would of on Tumblr, on Cohost instead. Clicking that link, or the source, or the link on the source above in the tl;dr, will take you to my Cohost blog. At least while it's still read-only.

You should check it out. I reblogged a lot, but the first page or 2 (every 20 posts, I kept trying to stop but I got sentimental and reblogged more) is pretty much just people's last posts. I'd say give it 3 pages to see if you're interested or not in exploring more of what the website has to offer.

If you've ever wondered what people would post on a dying website,

If you ever wondered what some of the best posts people were making on Cohost that got shared again in its last dying moments were,

If you want some reference for what inside jokes would look like to an outsider,

If you're just bored and need something to scroll through,

if you ever wondered what I would of reblogged on that website if I remembered my password easily enough to log back in easily...

You could think of my blog as a small encapsulation of a small website. There's only 60 pages, including the ones from before the announcement from me just rarely using the site!

I reblogged all kinds of posts. Goodbyes, sarcastic hellos, mourning, long speeches about the spirit of Cohost set to sad music, nothing burgers, inside jokes I didn't understand, The New Garfield, posts I flat out didn't read past the title because they were too long and I just wanted to move on really there's a lot of posts to archive, CSS crimes, stuff I found funny, "Where to find me" and webrings and website posts for people I never knew, Love Honk, reviews for movies and games I never intend to play or watch, 88x31 buttons, music recommendations and history, entire games, signing up for RSS feeds, asks and answers related to other stuff I didn't share on accident, regular memes, Intern Secretary Eggbug, a post that's just an image hosted off-site so it'll update even after readonly, and so on.

(Nothing overtly NSFW. Tag search still works if you want that)

One that I, personally, am sad is gone. That I'm glad I got to see at least in its dying days. That I genuinely hope someone makes another attempt at creating.

[luuhy-blue]

I wrote a post about Davos and Aeron's Hogwarts houses, and I think I still have a few things to say about these two, so here's my daily dose of Davron obsession. First about Aeron.

Aeron is a Hufflepuff and I think he would be very happy and proud of that. I know people have an image that Hufflepuff is the worst of the houses but that's purely the fault of that crazy JK Rowling who didn't bother to develop the characters of each house better besides the protagonists. Hufflepuff is about effort, dedication and loyalty and I feel like those are some of the pillars that make up Aeron. Aeron is not someone who is super talented, he is not someone who stands out right away or who people put a lot of faith in. When he appears (during the three measly minutes of the episode, seriously I hate this damn show-), his friends even call him "the worst knight among us" and he just laughs with them. He knows how people see him, he is fully aware that he is not the best or strongest among his cousins ​​in Stone Hedge, but he seeks to improve upon each failure.

And that is what he does. He is someone who strives and dedicates himself to the maximum, he knows what he wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. He also values ​​courage, but I think that hard work and persistence are much stronger in him than the fearlessness and boldness of the Gryffindor.

He can also demand a lot from himself at times, especially when his insecurity gets the better of him. He wants to be good, he wants to be a good nephew, a good knight, someone who will honor his house. For a while, this came from a desire for glory and recognition (due to all the doubts people had about him) but, in the future, he realizes that he doesn't need that. His relatives love him for who he is and he trusts his ability and effort enough that he no longer needs to seek their approval. He fights for loyalty and for the love of his house.

Another point, and one that is explored a lot in fanfics (In fact, "Kiss a Man or Slit His Throat" addresses this very well and I LOVE IT) is Aeron's relationship with religion. We know that the Brackens follow the Faith of the Seven and I personally agree with many authors who show Aeron as someone devout and who deals with a lot of religious guilt. I feel like he's someone who's very attached to a sense of duty and right and wrong, which is something that's very present in Hufflepuffs as well (his element is earth, stable and firm in his judgments). I think he would agree with Alicent's phrase "Where's the duty? Where's the sacrifice?" because for him it's much more about what he should do or what's "right" and much less about what he wants. I think his relationship with Davos becomes so interesting because the two are very opposite in that regard.

I think I had more to say but that's enough for today. I was going to talk a little bit about Davos and his relationship with Gryffindor but this poster would be huge so I'll leave it for another time. These are some thoughts from the middle of the night because these two haven't left my head since they appeared in that episode, (someone needs to put Kieran and Ryan together more often, seriously, so much chemistry). Also, many of my headcanons came from @herofumi fanfics on AO3 so they are to blame for all of this (that's a lie, I'm just dying for the next update). Thanks for coming to my podcast.

[disappointingcabbage]

TDP Season 6 Episode 1 live reaction, spoilers under the cut

Who is this man crying?

What the fuck it’s Aaravos

Ok so Aaravos showing actual emotion was not on my 2024 bingo card

Genuinely why does his crying sound autotuned

There’s another startouched elf??? Who is she?????

Why is the intro still Viren getting statued??? He’s dead

Oh ok his statue got disintegrated

Yup he’s dead

Terry my beloved

O h n o he’s gonna find viren’s body

Bro why are you sobbing over this racist motherfucker

WAIT WHAT

HE’S ALIVE ????? WHY IS HE ALIVE????

oh no Claudia’s covered in blood

NOOO THE LITTLE MOTH GREMLIN SHE DID THE SACRIFICE

Oh damn Viren is fully redemption arcing and he has Regrets

“No parent wants their child to suffer for them” first of all tell that to Soren. Atone for your bullshit. Second of all you’ve clearly never met my mother

Ah shit Aaravos convinced Claudia to let him out

Viren’s actually putting his foot down and saying no. I never would have predicted this pre-s5 but now it makes total sense and I love that the writers are sticking with his character development

Oh ew this show is actually going to get me to like Viren I hate that

He’s going to Katolis to turn himself in. Based tbh.

Claudia what the fuck though like girlie your whole point of everything was to get your dad back and he’s fine now why are you still going along with Aaravos

Oof her voice acting in this scene is incredible though

Also she’s still missing that leg. I hope she gets either a cool prosthetic or an even cooler mobility aid.

Soren has opening blindfolded for some reason. The reason is either going to be A Secret Meeting for Very Not Good Ominous Reasons or something very funny

Based on the tone of the scene I’m assuming it’s the funny option

LMAO LORD BREADSANDWICH SOREN I LOVE YOU

Oh it’s just a season 5 recap in the high mage’s office

Oooh they’re deciding what to do with aaravos’s prison

I get he’s on the high council and all but why is Barius here???

Callum wants to destroy the prison, Opeli wants to assemble a multi-kingdom task force to protect it, and Barius wants to hide it

I’m with Callum or Barius tbh, the multi kingdom task force idea exposes too many people to potentially be manipulated by aaravos.

However, hiding it means that it can be found probably and exposes everyone who already knows about it to Aaravos, and destroying it runs the risk of freeing him accidentally.

Soren with the LOTR reference 💀

Rayla has the same issues as me with destroying it

Ezran has decided to hide it in katolis, smart choice

oh no, Zym’s sad about Zubeia

Callum wants to visit this ancient faction of skywing elves for info on A) yeeting the pearl out of existence and B) un-coining Rayla’s family (please let them out)

Callum is right to be afraid of aaravos manipulating him tbh

Awww one of the baitlings sleeps in Callum’s bed

Oh god aaravos nightmares oh FUCK WHY ARE YOU SLEEPWALKING

what the fuck what the fuck whY IS HE IN THE PEAR WHAT WAS THAT IMAGE OF AARAVOS YEETING THE PEARL F E A R

Rayla do NOT dismiss Callum’s concerns like that

“I have an idea” *fucking sprints away to enact said idea without elaborating* peak autism moment

I’m sorry, you want to stop aaravos with the power of pastries?

“Sometimes I wonder where my mom is too” SOBBING

awwwww bait has a little four poster bed that’s so cute

AHDIEJXIEKF BARIUS DID AN “is it real or is it cake” WITH A FUCKING PEARL DECOY IM WHEEZING

Ooh anti spell blankie

“I have my blankie 😎” Callum I would die for you

Soren and zym are going on a quest to find Zubeia and Callum and Rayla are going to see the Celestial Elves but more importantly, each questing squad is taking a baby bait with them!!

If the one going with Soren isn’t Hat I will be very disappointed

Claudia why are you ominously standing over Terry and trauma dumping

Claudia what are you doing with the staff

Claudia no please don’t hurt him if you hurt him it’s transphobic

Oh ok she’s just walking her toxic ass out of the relationship cool

Terry don’t wait for her she doesn’t deserve it

[lauvwar-r]

07 from the start ⸝⸝ cold drinks and cowardice

"oh? we're not going to the library this time?"

it must be a sign, you think, holding a paper bag in your right hand and his hand in your left. it was late enough into the cold winter season for frosty breath and signature hot chocolate but warm dandelion rays seemed to follow you two and frame the campus perfectly.

"nah," you shrug, "pela said that the council agreed that the stage would be put in the middle of the campus uh- garden? lawn? grass area thingy- you know what i mean…"

"yeah! we thought the area would bring the most traction." you're not even looking at him: your nervous eyes glued to your surroundings with false confidence, but you know he's giving you that look. that sickening soft one that you often mistake for adoration.

it's… fond??

and it makes your heart race — just for a second, before remembering what he said before.

"not a date huh…" you mutter dejectedly.

truthfully, it kinda sorta hurt when you found out he said that. whilst not fully demolishing your ego and porcelain heart, it did pinch at you — like soft rope burn for your self-esteem.

but what hurt a little more was the fact that he never told you. never told you about his private account that is.

i mean yeah… i have one too, but that's because i talk about how much i like him on there, you reason with yourself. and i get privacy and everything. but, bronya? you thought him and bronya were just school friends. were you… even his best friend?

"hm?" a hum interrupts your spiralling thoughts.

"anyway! i thought we could like, survey the area. see how and should things be set out and work from there." you say with faux enthusiasm, "we can work on your quote-on-quote poster on a bench nearby too."

"...it's not that bad."

"uh huh," you tease, raising an eyebrow. whatever. who geppie lets follow his private doesn't mean anything.

eventually, you two end up sitting on a bench together that faces the lawn.

"oh come on! look," gepard laughs as he pulls out his laptop, already logged in and displaying a somewhat improved version of his last poster. the changes are minor, like font changes and whatnot. but you can tell just how much effort he put into it. effort he put into everything and anything he did. a quality of his that you love. "i got rid of some of the uglier images," he pointed out excitedly, shuffling closer to you so you could get a closer look, "just like you told me to." the last part, a whisper similar to the sweetness of vows.

"it's good…" you mumble, too busy clinging onto his words and soothing a racing heart.

"really?"

"really." you reply earnestly, hooded eyes studying yours.

you wanted to lean in. to tread past the tightrope of a line preventing you and gepard from being more than just friends; to finally speak your mind on what you've been feeling for the past few years.

but…

"ah!" you explain, pretending to remember something by suddenly grabbing your paper bag from before.

…you're a coward.

inside are two beverages and a warm pastry carefully wrapped in tissue. "my favourite…" gepard mutters, surprised, "you remembered."

"iced coffee. you always preferred things cold. and a pastry too! it's a thank you for yesterday and-"

his ears turn redder than the normal red-on-a-windy-day red. and you almost — almost considered this a win: a step over that line, before…

"ha. you really are my best friend."

ouch.

MASTERLIST ⸝⸝ previous! ⸝⸝ next!

𑁤 sypnosis. despite claiming to be 'rizz master 3000' name has failed to ask out their crush and childhood best friend, gepard, for a few years (L). with this new wave of courage, will this lovestruck idiot be able to confess before gepard buys a house and adopts 3 cats and a bunny with someone else? (this is a joke. geppie will not be adopting 3 cats and a bunny).

notes. . . omgg this is like my 6th time ive tried to post 😭 ( so sorry for the like 3week hiatus LMAO) anyways ive been trying to get into a law school for next year so college has been biting me in the ass lately. sending love to all yall tho <3

. . . tags @520cafe , @kitsuxiv , @91ed0 , @iridescentsunsetwaters, @yevene , @lunavixia , @vilthenothing , @ryuryuryuyurboat