#maybe I'll have Loop Rose watch it something

[district4loading]

OMGGGG is there any way your could revive that fic 😭😭 somno fits sana so well and if were to turn this into a full request, can it be fem reader but can use strap hhdhehehehe thank uuuuu

Snooze (WLW)

Twice Sana!Sub x Female Reader!Dom

3K Words

Content Warning: smut, somno, praise, oral, fingering, strap, some fluff at the end

Minors DNI

A/N: Didn't plan on making this a full blown fic but anon asked so they recieved. Apologies that its so short. Enjoy!

Also i'm sorry but doesn't Sana look so pretty?

-

It's sick and twisted but for some reason, you like it.

-

"Sana, thats the weirdest thing I've ever heard you say" You look up from your phone to gauge whether or not the brunette was serious about what she just said.

Sure enough she had those expecting eyes fixated on you "It's not weird! It’s hot" She protests your comment, climbing into your arms like she usually did.

You were on the couch in your living room, scrolling on your phone when Sana came in and made a rather peculiar request. "You want me to fuck you while you're asleep?" She nods with a cute smile on her face and she hums in response "And you don't want me to tell you when I'll do it, or warn you before?"

Sana giggles softly when she sees the look of pure disbelief you give her "Listen you have nothing to be worried about, I want you to do it" She holds your hand in hers "and make sure i'm out cold, I literally want to wake up with your face between my legs"

"I don't know, what if you're not in the mood? Or-"

"Shh" Sana puts her finger over your lips then leans forward, removing them in the same instance to plant a small kiss on your lips "I assure you, I'll be in the mood"

-

So you agreed to it, fulfilling one of your girlfriend's wildest fantasies because you love her and you'll do whatever you can to make sure she's happy. Even if you think it’s a bit odd.

You waited a couple of days so it'll come as a complete shock to her. It's maybe one in the morning and you're more than sure that she's out cold but you think it wouldn't hurt to make sure. So you tap her arm a few times "Sana" you whisper. You take notice of her body and the way it rose, then fell with such gracefulness as she breathes in and out, the slow noise of it filling the silent room.

Then you shift a bit, getting on your knees so you can gently pull the covers off of her. She's wearing what she usually does to bed, a loose tank top and some shorts. You start to feel a bit of a rush as you watch her lay there, asleep with with no knowledge of what's to come.

Maybe it's not so weird after all

You touch her thigh, the soft warmth making you aware of how cold your own hands were and you start to worry that it'll wake her. It takes you a moment but you finally manage to get your hands on the waistband of her shorts. Your fingers loop under her panties too because there's no need for teasing. The only one you'd be teasing is yourself. So you begin to pull the pieces of clothing off, having a bit of a hard time because she's not awake to lift her hips.

Soon enough the garments slip down her legs and past her ankles and you toss them to the side. Your heart begins to race because the tension in the room is thick, like you're doing something you're not supposed to and if she were to wake up and catch you it'll all be over.

This fantasy of hers is something different, something you never thought you'd be into until now when you're faced with the opportunity—and you want nothing more than to touch her right now.

There's a bit of uncertainty in your movements, you reach for her legs and while you're opening them your hands are trembling. Your breathing quickens as you admire the sight of her perfect body before you, highlighted by the moonshine through the bedroom window.

You try your best to shrug off the nerves, then you position yourself between her legs. The moderate moistness isn't something you're used to at all. Usually, by the time you make it down there she's fucking dripping and soaked so bad that it's spread to her thighs.

However, you know it's nothing you can't fix. So you grab her thighs with your hands, refraining from squeezing them like you normally did so she doesn't wake up. Then you stuck your tongue out and flattened it against her cunt. You pause and look up. She's still asleep.

Ever so slightly, you drag your tongue up her slit, making a soft humming noise when the tangy taste attacks your tastebuds. Still no response. So you keep going as you normally would, swirling and flicking your tongue on her clit.

It only takes a few seconds for Sana to shift a bit. She tries to close her legs but you hold her a bit tighter so she doesn't. You pause for a moment, then you continue eating her out like you've been starving for her.

A soft hum escapes her lips and then her hips start squirming. You push your face deeper into her cunt, taking her clit into your mouth to suck. Then she gasps loudly, her head lifting weakly just enough so she can make eye contact with you. "Babe- what are you" Then you witness the exact moment the realization of what's going on hits her and it's priceless. "Oh fuck"

Her voice is rough and tired as she reaches her hands down to tangle your hair in between her fingers. You smile and remove your mouth then you climb over her so you're face to face. Your hand finds it's way to her sopping cunt and you rub slow circles before you connect your lips with hers.

Sana moans into the kiss, reciprocating it with some newfound strength, cause she has to reward you for doing so good. You prod her entrance with your fingers and you slide two digits inside. She breaks the kiss and moans out loud when you curl them "Pleasant surprise?" You question her with a smirk on your face as you pump in and out.

"Yeah" Sana nods frantically, all breathless with her words "I - fuck - I wasn't expecting it tonight" She moans again because you've found that spongy spot that makes her walls squeeze you tighter.

You leave a shorter kiss on her lips again "That was the point wasn't it?" You ask and she only hums, although it comes out sounding like more of a moan. You kiss along her jawline, then down to her neck "Did I do good?"

Sana can only nod her head and close her eyes "So good baby" She keens, her hips bucking into your hand as you fuck her faster and harder with your fingers. She's so wet that you can feel the slippery warmth dripping down your forearm. You think to yourself that this must've really turned her on, the thought of you using her in her sleep.

It's sick and twisted but for some reason, you like it.

She starts babbling incoherent words and you know it’s something she does when she's close. "Gonna cum for me baby?" You ask as her jaw goes slack and her moans go silent. There's only a faint, high pitched, whiny noise coming out of her mouth and she has that look of pure devastation in her eyes, like she’s cumming so hard that she almost can’t handle it.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" She mouths the words and then a very audible "Fuck!" and she's cumming all over your fingers. You can feel it inside, the way her walls clench and pulse in an erratic rhythm as her back arches. Her body stutters to a complete stop and then she goes rigid.

It's only a matter of time before... and there she goes, her body relaxes as the pleasureful waves wash over her and her moans turn weak and broken. You kiss her lips softly and she doesn't even try to kiss back "Now how was that?"

"I can't fucking believe... I came so hard" She tiredly runs her fingers through her hair. "I need you to do that more"

"I think I could get used that"

-

Now Sana's definitely got you into this shit. 

By now it's almost been a month since you've had sex and it was really killing you. She's been working a lot, so you refrained from doing anything that could disturb her sleep. You only found yourself watching her at night, touching her cheek, her thighs and really any bare skin she had exposed. She looked so peaceful just laying there, breathing so slowly that you can barely hear it when she inhales.

It's exactly what you're doing right now. Her smooth skin feels so warm and soft on your palm and you don't mean to stare but you just can't take your eyes off of her face. How could someone look so pretty while they're sleeping? It's what you ask yourself every night. 

You really don't intend to slide your palm higher up her leg, but you just can't resist her. Everything about her is almost too addicting. You need her. Need her creaming on your fingers, cumming in your mouth, writhing on your strap. and you need it now.

The sheets are covering her body, so you peel them off and almost immediately you feel that rush in the pit of your stomach. Then the feeling comes back tenfold, like more of a surge when you get an idea.

Maybe you're more sick and twisted than you thought you were because you crawl out of bed slowly and gently so she won't wake up. Then you go into your closet—where you have your toys stashed—and you grab this lavender strap on that you bought just recently. You haven't gotten the chance to try it out with her yet and nows a better time than any. 

You pull off your clothes in the dark room, the sound of the fabric sliding against your skin so loud that you think it might wake her up. It's all in your head and you know it, but you still slow down your hurried movements.

Excitement courses through your veins as you think about how she'll react when she wakes up with your body on top of hers while you're inches deep. That unparalleled look of shock she gets. It has you fumbling with the straps as you try to get it on nice and tight. You crawl back into bed, the dip causing Sana to move just slightly.

She's sleeping like she normally does, on her side with her knees folded. You separate them so they're spread for you and you stop for a moment to see if she'll wake up. She doesn't. So you pull her shorts off, noticing that she isn't wearing any panties tonight. It's something she usually did for comfort reasons though, so you don't see it to mean anything more than that.

Still, it gave you easier access. You shuffle on your knees so you can position yourself between her legs and you reach for the lube on the bedside table. The toy is girthy and she isn't aroused right now so you don't want to hurt her. You coat the toy, and lather it up. Then you put some in your hand and gently you rub it on her cunt. 

Sana hums then she takes in a deep breath and your heart drops because you think you've ruined everything. But then she's back to the way she was and you exhale in relief. 

Now's the time, you guide the head to her entrance and you press it inside. Almost immediately her body has a reaction but it doesn't quite wake her up. An adorable whimper escapes her lips and the way her lips press together almost makes your heart flutter. You push your hips further inside, leaning over to get your body on hers and when you make it to the hilt you put your face in the crook of her neck.

It's around that time that she actually wakes up with a sharp gasp, her upper body trying to rise into you off of pure instinct. "What - Oh fuck... babe" She whines, dragging the four letter pet name out as you begin to move your hips nice and slow, pinning her body to the bed with yours. "Fucking hell - I can't.." She moans and you bite the flesh on her neck, a surge of arousal taking over your body while you rut into her.

"I'm sorry baby, I know you were trying to sleep... but I couldn't help myself" You mutter the needy words into her ear and she almost loses it right then and there. It's the idea that you can't control yourself when she's around you, so much so that you'll even fuck her and use her body while she's peacefully sleeping. In the back of her mind she knows you're only doing this because she asked, but it still has her clenching and dripping.

You kiss her neck and her arms sling around your back "Fuck, fuck, fuck" She chants in that breathless tone like she's struggling to handle everything. Your lips on her skin, your body on her body and most importantly this thick fucking toy stretching her out. You're ruining her.

"You weren't wearing panties darling, you have to forgive me it just seemed so easy, you should've known this would happen" You whisper it into her ear, really playing off of her little fantasy. It's sort of like role-play which is something she's also been into for a while now. 

She gasps again and another choked up sob forces its way out of her throat. Sana is fucking loving this. The way this toy feels, stretching her, rubbing against her walls and hitting all the right spots has her going fucking feral. You know it because she's digging her nails into your back, scratching you so hard it'll leave red marks but you don't mind at all.

Sana's hips buck into yours and you finally bring yourself to pull your head up. Now you're facing her and the look on her face is nothing you've ever seen before. Her eyes are screwed shut and her eyebrows are upturned in the prettiest way ever. You observe her porcelain skin and the mole on her cheek, noticing the sheet of sweat which covers it. "Pl-Please don't fucking stop... don't fucking - Fuck baby it's too much" She pleads.

You only move your hips faster then you bring your hand down and you show her what "too much" actually is when you begin circling her swollen clit. 

"I don't fucking.. I can't - You're so good, so deep in my cunt, so fucking good" She murmurs all the praise in the world, just make sure you know that you're doing a good job. 

"Look at me princess" Your voice is steady and soft when you say it because her pussy is clenching so fucking hard on this toy and you think she might actually be trying to suck it in. Her eyes soon flutter open but they're only squinting "C'mon, let me see those pretty brown eyes" This time you're voice is a bit less steady, more shaky cause this is one hell of a workout.

Like the good girl she is, she opens them wider staring deep into your soul as you fuck her. "So pretty" You mutter, your breath hot against her face and then you lean in to kiss her "Want you to cum on this toy for me"

Sana nods her head when you break the kiss and she's staring at you again, those big beautiful eyes just begging for you to make her cum. She needs it so bad. So you keep going, pressing hard on her clit just the way she likes it and then "Fuck I'm fucking cumming baby, I'm fucking-" She cuts herself off with a loud high pitched squeal.

"There you go" You mumble, watching how her eyes roll to the back of her head as her body arches into yours. "Keep cumming for me, that's my girl" You keep it up and she begins to shudder, taking her bottom lip in between her teeth to bite down harshly. Her eyes eventually do shut and her body sinks back into the bed.

You let yourself lay against Sana's body, feeling the deep and heavy rising and falling of her chest as she catches her breath. "I never expect it" are the first words she sighs with a breathy giggle. Then she wraps her arms around your body, rubbing her hands over the scratch marks to soothe the welted skin "I'm sorry, I got a little carried away"

"I really could care less about that. I'd let you do it over and over again cause it tells me that I fucked you good" You lift your head to look at her. She smiles and you kiss her lips softly again "I love you" you mutter.

Sana can't hide the way she blushes when she says it back "I love you" She whines a bit and you wonder whats wrong "I don't wanna get up"

"Then don't" You mutter

The toy is still buried in her cunt, all the way to the hilt as you two stay like that. She doesn't seem to mind it at all. Sana only hums tiredly in response and the two of you stay like that for a while. It almost feels perfect.

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

i would cross the line, i would lose my mind

Hey friends! I haven't posted any rayllum in a hot sec, and bc I'm doing well in school right now and have a moment to breathe, here we are!!

When Rayla comes down with something, Callum spirals more than a little.

Life in Evrkynd was more difficult than he’d anticipated. Of course, it came with plenty fewer long treks and early mornings than the castle, leaving him more time to cuddle with Rayla as the sun slowly rose, and Callum was thankful for that. They only spent half the year there, and the other half in the Silvergrove with her dads.

He got to appreciate Moonshadow foods (never getting any less surprising), rituals (painting runes on her forearms and her on his back, for instance, leading to running from the ceremony giggling, drunk on the other's presence), and dances (he was just as hopeless at those as he was human ones), plants, and… everything about her was enchanting, he thought with a smile. He'd spend every day of the rest of his life learning new things about her, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

But it was arguably better getting to show her human life, the things they hadn't experienced together in those two weeks after the Storm Spire, and when they'd been too busy cooped up in the castle after Umber Tor and then retrieving the pearl.

Brown sludge, they were both fans of. She danced to music bards played around town, tied her hair up with red silk ribbons… Far too dangerously pretty and sweet and loving.

She'd loved wisteria when she'd seen the blooming trees planted and cultivated by Earthblood elves, giggling when he'd plucked a branch and tucked it behind her ear.

So the natural next step was to hang it up in the home they had when they resided here, letting her walk in after a long day of teaching swordfighting to the blossoms of purple complimenting her eyes and watching the way she lit up with curiosity and wonder, then kissed him silly when she realized.

The sniffles started a few days later. He woke up to her sniffling in her sleep, snoring all of a sudden from congestion– "I don't snore," she'd said once, when he’d asked how she didn't after the corrupted banther had attacked a lifetime ago. "Even if I'm sick. It can give away your position. So I don't do it."

"I'm pretty sure you can't just will bodily functions away," he'd teased, and handed her a handkerchief.

So snoring now may have just been a result of her feeling secure enough to, no longer in constant fight-or-flight even when asleep. Or maybe it was just that bad.

He tried to convince himself it was the former.

Rayla had grown from constantly insisting she was fine– it was only marginally better though, claiming that it was a little cold that would pass in no time.

He stopped entertaining the sliver of belief he'd held when she nearly fainted going up the stairs.

"Not a little cold," he mandated, looping one of her arms around his shoulder and helping her the rest of the way up, easing her down onto the bed. "What have you eaten today?"

Rayla coughed into her elbow, wiped her nose with her wrist. "Soup for lunch. S'posed to make you feel better."

He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm. Is this some kind of elf sickness I don't know about?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not a textbook."

"You've been icky for a week," he frowned. "Shouldn't we call a healer?"

Rayla rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. I'm not dying or anything."

Callum kissed her forehead. "Compromise: If you're not better in two days, then we'll call one. Okay?"

"If it'll make you feel better."

"It will." He patted her knee and stood up. "I'll go bring you dinner, and we can have an early night. And let Soren take over tomorrow, okay?"

"Fine, Doctor."

"Doctor what? Doctor Scarf? Doctor Dork? Doctor Hottie?"

She whacked his butt and cackled. "Go get dinner, dummy."

Ao3 :)

[sweet-s0rr0w]

writing interview game

honestly, i very much doubt that anyone wants to read what i have to say about writing, but i got tags from some lovely friendly people (thank you to @garagepaperback, @citrusses, @arminaa8 and @wholahoop) so let's start and we'll see where it takes us.

how many works do you have on ao3? 31

what's your total ao3 word count? 368,607

your top 5 stories by kudos?

Nor All That Glisters 

Kept in Cages with @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (art)

Dreaming Skies with @tackytigerfic

Among the Elements

When The Party's Over

do you respond to comments? no, i'm awful, i don't think about it too much or i feel absolutely overwhelmed. i read and appreciate every single one though (except the draco simps complaining about glisters you know who you are) and in my dreams i will reply to you all one day.

what's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? i don't really do angsty endings, although i did recently write a creepy timeloop fic! also, if anyone wants a laugh please check out the first bookmark on that fic, which is named After the Time Loop:

(also, 'a good enough fic' yeah well your reading comprehension skills aint all that either mate)

what's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? maybe kept in cages?

do you write crossovers? no

have you ever received hate on a fic? not just hate on my fic, hate on my fic that somehow led to me being accused of something i didn't do and basically ostracised from fandom for like nine months. wild!

do you write smut? intermittently

have you ever had a fic stolen? no-one would bother. though i think AI is stealing from all our fics right?

have you ever had a fic translated? yes! the lovely @moonletterss has translated several of my fics into brazilian portuguese! and by the way i had the nicest comment a few weeks back from someone who'd read the translation and came to say thank you to me too, so i'm super grateful to you moon <3

have you ever co-written a fic before? yes, i had the time of my life with @tackytigerfic on dreaming skies and my dream is to write a drarry with them one day if they'll have me. i think there are probably two other people i'd love to co-write with, but i'd be too shy to say!

what's your all-time favourite ship? so basic, but drarry

what's a wip that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? omg i started a fic many MANY moons ago which was actually supposed to be a gift for @vukovich with a fairly morally corrupt draco who works for vice squad and is sent in undercover to let some guy pick him up, and harry's his handler and has to watch him in frustration as he shows off for all the hidden cameras etc. not sure it's something i would write well these days but you never know!

what are your writing strengths? dialogue, pacing (i think)

what are your writing weaknesses? everything that's not dialogue, also i joyfully skip back and forth all over the shop when i'm writing a first draft which means i have to force myself to go back through in order afterwards to make it all make sense. there are better ways, i'm sure, but i really don't care.

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? oh, definitely! what, as opposed to jkr's 'eet ees lucky zat 'e is marrying me'?? yes, no thanks to that. i'm sure i've had some french in there before, and i seem to recall asking people for italian and german advice though i reckon that was like book titles and not dialogue. but definitely i would!

what's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? oh god, f1, always the one that got away.

what's your favourite fic you've ever written?

nor all that glisters (i'll never not be proud of that as an achievement, especially given the pit of postpartum despair i was in), dreaming skies, or silhouettes

tagging: @tackytigerfic, @maesterchill, @kamaela, @shiftylinguini, @moonflower-rose, @epitomereally, @lemonlimelea, @sorrybutblog, @oknowkiss and anyone else and if you've done it pls lmk so i can hunt it down and reblog <3

[whimsimille]

A PETAL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Seo Moonjo x reader!

"Do you think these would be nice for her?" With fear in his gaze resonating off the ivory petals of the catchfly arrangement, Kim Nam Shik inquired while watching your deft fingers skillfully loop a satin ribbon around its right side. "You've always had such a knack for choosing just the right flowers."

A laugh fluttered out vacant and hollow as an abandoned mansion, bouncing off the walls as his fingers entertained themselves by drumming on a rusty iron handcuff dangling from his belt—ironically just a showpiece since all he patrolled were cloud-swathed streets of this labyrinth city and secret trysts with the mayor's wife and his compatriot in his district.

Unfaithfulness gnawed at him like a lurking creature in the dark, and you saw it right under his alluring mask. Nestled within Pocheon's slender streets filled with traditional Hanok houses, secrets were as fleeting as glimpses of dawn through the lingering mist. Whispers moved through the town like waves in the Soyang River, skimming over private conversations beneath the massive shadow of Gwanak Mountain. The whispers carried stories of temple bells chiming and daggers flying at Nam Shik, the picture-perfect husband and devoted police officer, who was now painted in two sobering hues.

Silent storytellers of treachery, white catchflies were charmingly cunning. An undebated tradition insulated meaning into ribbons – tie it on the left; confess someone's treachery; tie it to the right; concede to self-betrayal.

Apology replacing anger stirred within you as you observed Nam Shik wallow in unease, a stark contrast against his modest wife back home, who only saw his effusive smiles and confidence often splattered across local papers for saving the day.

"Officer Kim," you began, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the room, "Have you thought about writing her a note?"

A puzzled look stamped itself across his features. "A note?"

"Exactly," you responded, reaching within your counter to pull out a charming, cream-colored piece of stationary. Your shop’s logo sat elegantly embossed on the top right - a subtle explosion of lily-of-the-valley blooms - something you doodled as a kid for your mom's old shop; she got her wings early and left the responsibilities to you. A memory turned into an emblem, now stamped onto every love letter that left your store.

"Maybe a sincere declaration," you proposed, offering him the card. "Something that conveys her significance to you. It could pair wonderfully with the flowers."

Accepting it, he nodded. "Sounds good, Y/N. I'll do that."

After all, why not let him expose his treachery to his wife while feigning his love with an offering of flowers, whose symbolism he was blissfully unaware of?

Like the hammer of a blacksmith shaping iron, your heart pounded against your ribs. A dark, twisted humor that had you on the edge, a gnawing cynicism that had you contemplating whether to equip him with a pen for his confession or a shovel for his own grave.

"Pardon my curiosity, Officer Kim," you began, brushing the petals of a nearby rose with your fingers. "But I've heard things. Things about the mayor's wife. She's a beautiful woman, isn't she? As beautiful as these roses, perhaps?"

Nam Shik's eyes flickered with surprise, and his grip tightened around the stationery. His jaw tightened and sweat beads formed on his forehead.

A moment of silence passed before he managed a response.

"Where did you hear that?"

You shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Oh, you know how it is in Pocheon. The wind carries whispers. Even the flowers here have stories to tell."

His lips pressed into a thin line, the confusion in his eyes replaced with a stormy unease. He reached into his pocket, his fingers curling around the familiar shape of a cigarette box. But before he could pull it out, your hand shot out to stop him. His eyes snapped towards you, wide with surprise.

"Officer Kim," you stated, pointing at the 'No Smoking Inside' sign hanging by the entrance. "My shop, my rules."

He stowed the box back into his pocket, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips. "Right, my apologies." He muttered, glancing nervously at the bouquet of catchflies.

Your smirk was fleeting, disappearing as soon as it appeared. Didn't he know? A flower shop was no place for burning bridges or harboring secrets.

The patter of rain against the roof rose to an imposing drone, while a perfume of fresh blossoms perfumed the room- subtle but omnipresent.

Just then, Nam Shik broke the silence. "I... I should get going. The rain is getting heavier, and the streets will turn muddy. I need to get home, put my baby daughter to sleep."

"Officer Kim," you interjected, halting his movements just as his hand was about to reach his worn-out wallet. "No need for payment; it's on the house."

"What? Why?"

You smiled, a soft chuckle escaping your lips. "Consider it a gift, a token of appreciation from your local florist. You've been one of my regulars for quite some time now."

Nam Shik seemed taken aback but didn't protest. He merely nodded, a faint smile of gratitude tugging at the corner of his lips.

"But," you added, tapping your fingers lightly on the counter, "there's a small condition attached."

Curiosity flickering in his eyes, he tilted his head like a mutt.

"I want to know how your wife reacts to the bouquet. Consider it... professional curiosity. I enjoy knowing that my flowers bring joy to people.”

Less aware of your stoicism, Nam Shik chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Sure, I can do that."

"Oh, and one more thing. Please ask Mrs. Ji-An to visit me after one of your patrols! I'd love to chat with her over a cup of tea. She has such interesting stories, doesn't she? Last time, she told me about her gardening adventures. I wonder if she's added any new plants to her collection!"

Visibly stiffened at your casual mention of Ji-An, his other affair, his eyes snapped up to meet yours. For a split second, you saw a flicker of surprise, fear, or guilt in them, but it disappeared just as quickly. Trying to gather himself, he cleared his throat.

"Ah, Mrs. Ji-An... Yes, I'll make sure to pass on your message," he stammered, avoiding your gaze. The confident, composed officer was nowhere in sight. In his place was a man caught in the headlights, his secrets laid bare.

With a deep breath, he stepped out into the rain. The chime of bells hanging by the entrance rang out, their melody mingling with the pitter-patter of raindrops on the pavement. He pulled up his collar to shield himself from the cold wind that whistled past him, heading towards his home nearby.

Quaint, winding streets of Pocheon, slick with the day's rain, lay deserted except for the occasional silhouette hurrying past under the shelter of large, colorful umbrellas or huddling in the welcoming warmth of doorways. Nam Shik, in his rain-slicked uniform, must have felt like a specter weaving through the shadows. Every step he took echoed like an admission of guilt, and every glance he cast around felt like an acknowledgement of being watched by unseen, knowing eyes.

Now, all that was left was to wait and see what he would do with the truth.

A faint smile tugs at your lips, thinking about how you bent the truth to expose him, using flowers as your weapon against him. It wasn't exactly honorable, but sometimes deception deserves to be called out in the open.

As you continue tidying up, you hum faintly under your breath, humming one of those old village songs about unfaithful husbands and cuckolded wives seeking revenge through poisoned desserts or cursed needles sewn into their lovers' clothes. A soft chuckle escapes your lips at the thought.

Glancing at the antique clock hanging on the wall, you noticed that the hands had swept past midnight. Despite the late hour, you still had a few more customers who would come in, their faces illuminated by the soft glow of the shop's lights, to buy flowers for their loved ones or just to brighten up their homes.

Your hands traced the petals of a pink peony, feeling their velvety softness under your fingers as you murmured reassuringly to them.

After a few minutes, the  door chimed again, its familiar metallic jingle echoing through the quiet of the shop.

"Good evening," you called out, not yet looking up from the flowers that occupied your attention. Your fingers danced over the petals, snipping away the dried leaves with a careful precision that only years of practice could offer.

It was only when the silence stretched on, unanswered, did you glance up to meet the newcomer's gaze. Framed by the dim street lights outside, a tall and lean man stood tall in the doorway.

Raindrops clung to his hair, dripping onto the floor with soft plinks against the tile. Wearing a black turtleneck shirt and neatly rimmed glasses, he looked even more out of place in the little flower shop. His hands were tucked behind his back, but even from where you stood, you could smell the sharp, unmistakable scent of iron in the air. Crimson stains dotted his cheek, a stark contrast against his pale skin.

It didn't take long for you to realize that he wasn't from around here. The way he looked around the shop, his gaze lingering on the neatly arranged flowers, the old paintings that adorned the walls, and the antique clock that ticked softly in the corner - it was as if he were a ghost, silently watching the world around him.

Your grip on the scissors tightened imperceptibly at the sight of him.

"Can I help you?"

There was a pause before he responded, his voice carrying an unfamiliar lilt that you recognized immediately - he was from Seoul. "I was just passing by. I saw the lights on and... well, I've always had a soft spot for flowers."

"Oh, I see. Well, make yourself at home. My store stays open till late because some customers work odd hours and want to surprise their loved ones. What brings you to Pocheon so late at night?"

Apparently unaffected by your nudging, he shrugged. "I am an artist," he said simply, his gaze shifting over to the stainless steel pen poking out of your apron pocket. "And I'm here in search of inspiration."

"Inspiration..." you echoed, narrowing your eyes slightly. Something felt off about this man and his words. But then again, you had seen stranger characters come into your shop before—people seeking solace in flowers for all sorts of reasons. You couldn't help but wonder what kind of thing he was after.

“Perhaps you'd like to purchase a bouquet? Flowers often serve as muses for artists. I could recommend some known for their symbolism in art.”

"Oh, no… Maybe something for... a masterpiece I left behind?" He asked softly, his voice rough and low. It was clear he hadn't spoken much recently, like an old wound that never quite healed.

“Of course! I can help with that," you offered enthusiastically, setting aside the steel scissors you were holding onto the counter. "What kind of flowers were you looking for? Something bold and fiery like red tulips or something more delicate and whimsical like baby's breath?" You spoke as you led him deeper into the shop, where more fragrant blossoms hung overhead from strings connecting them to the ceiling hooks. Serenity gently swayed downward as if dancing in silent waltzes under the music only you could hear.

"I don't know. I  haven't seen flowers like these in so long... They're beautiful.” He paused, a fleeting smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "They remind me of someone very special."

Intrigued by his words and the emotion behind them, you found yourself more curious. "May I ask," you began, your hands skillfully arranging an unfinished bouquet of vibrant sunflowers as you spoke, "what kind of art do you specialize in?"

Fastening the stems with a golden ribbon, you turned to him, awaiting his response.

“Oh… I break things. Dissect them, mold them into something new. I take the broken, the shattered, and make them whole again.

His words struck a chord, leaving you with a sense of unease that slowly crept up on you. But you pushed it away, shifting your focus back to his words.

"That's... an interesting way to describe art. A unique perspective indeed."

He chuckled. "Art is a reflection of the artist," he explained. "Art is about transformation. About taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary."

"That's true. Just like how a seed transforms into a beautiful flower?”

"Yes, exactly like that," he agreed, his eyes lighting up with a spark of understanding.

From then on, the conversation flowed naturally, your earlier anxiety dissipating as you talked about art, flowers, travel, and even his classical music love. What had at first made you uneasy seemed strangely reassuring in his presence. Your store felt brighter and cozier with him in it, even at this late hour.

Abruptly, the room reverberated with a tremendous crash.

Turning towards the sound, you saw a beautifully crafted vase, adorned with intricate carvings of peonies, that had been perilously perched on the edge of the counter, now lying shattered on the floor. Its pieces glistened like scattered jewels on the polished oak floor.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized quickly, looking genuinely mortified. "I didn't mean to ... "

"It's alright," you reassured him, already moving to clean up the mess with a small broom from under the counter. "Accidents happen. That's why they're called accidents.”

As you bent down to pick up the pieces, you suddenly felt a cold, metallic pressure against your throat, making you drop everything you were holding. You froze, the realization of what was happening washing over you like a wave of icy water.

"Art is also about destruction," he murmured, his voice devoid of the warmth it held just moments ago as he made your back meet his chest. Finally, you noticed how his nails were caked with dirt and blood, how he smelled of nicotine and something predatory, and most alarmingly, the warm liquid oozing out of his waist - he was bleeding. "About breaking something beautiful to create something even more beautiful.”

A chill ran down your spine at his words. You had always known that the beauty of flowers often hid thorns beneath, but you had never expected to find those thorns so close to home.

Looking around for anything that could be used as a weapon or defense, you noticed that the scissors were too far away, but there was a small knife on the counter for snipping off dry leaves. You prayed he couldn't make out the faint sheen of sweat on your forehead or the tremble in your hands as you tried to think of a way to reach it.

“Nah ah… Don't even think about it, pretty flower.”

You unconsciously swallowed as the cold metal pressed tighter against your throat. Your heart beat faster, and your breath hitched in your chest. You slowly raised your eyes to meet him, seeing the depths of deafness and satisfaction reflected in his gaze. What had seemed like a mysterious stranger moments before was suddenly a threat, possibly even a killer.

"Please..." you whispered, trying to plead with him. "You don't have to do this."

But he didn't listen. Instead, a deep hiss escaped from between his teeth as he pulled you closer to him, his fingers digging into your skin. You could feel the sharp edge of the blade that had somehow snuck into his hand; it was cold and unyielding. It cut through your flesh like a jagged knife, tearing through silk. The pain was immediate and intense, but you barely registered it.

Outside, the rumbling of thunder could be heard growing louder as the rain fell harder on the rooftop above you.

"Why are you doing this?" You managed to croak out before another bloody cough burst from your lips staining the front of your lavender apron.

Stars danced in front of your eyes as you struggled for air. As the sound of your own heartbeat pounded in your ears, the room appeared to spin around you, amplifying until it drowned out all other noises.

All around you, the flowers seemed to wilt under the sudden darkness - their petals curling in on themselves as if they too were wilting under the pressure of impending doom. How ironic it was; you had chosen flowers for their symbolism of life and new beginnings, yet here you were, dying in your own store that you had hoped would bring joy to people's lives.

Try as you might, fighting back was impossible—every movement you made just made things worse. It was like swimming against a powerful current.

Through the shop's window, you caught sight of a small man with an oversized, rain-soaked coat. He looked like a drug addict, his eyes darting around nervously as he held a gun in his shaking hands. Every feature on his face was masked by the dim streetlights, save for his eyes, which were wide with desperation. He was trudging down the streets, his boots splashing in the puddles as he seemed to search for something—or someone.

"Help! Please—" Your plea was cut short as the man landed a punch on your stomach, effectively silencing your screams.

"Quiet, darling," he warned in a dangerously low voice. "Believe it or not, I'm the safer option here."

Without another word, he began pulling you towards the back of the shop. His steps were measured and deliberate, carefully avoiding the shards of the shattered vase. Your heart thumped against your chest as he guided you towards the hidden room—a tiny space your mother had fashioned for you to rest during long shifts.

"Why are we going here?" You managed to ask, your voice trembling despite your best efforts to sound steady. "How did you know about this place?"

He didn’t answer right away, his gaze fixed on the antique doodle hanging by the door, the one that showcased you and your mother running from a big shadowy figure. “I need a place to hide," he finally said, his tone strangely matter-of-fact. "And you're going to help me."

A wave of memories washed over you as you stepped into the hidden room. This small space, tucked away from the rest of the world, was your sanctuary. It was where you and your mother would curl up together after a long day, whispering stories and sharing secrets. It was where you would retreat when your father came home too drunk, too lost in his own sorrows and inner demons.

The room was filled with remnants of your past—a tiny bed covered in faded floral sheets, a worn-out teddy bear sitting on a wooden chair, and the old radio that would softly play your mother's favorite songs. The walls, painted a soothing shade of lavender, were adorned with old photos and drawings. And in the corner, a small wooden chest filled with your mother's keepsakes—letters, trinkets, and an old locket that held a photo of you as a baby.

"Where is the key?" He demanded, his voice echoing off the four walls of the room.

"In the top drawer, under the counter.”

He retrieved the key and locked the door, the click of the lock echoing ominously in the room. The man then turned to you, his eyes scanning the room before landing on the small cot in the corner.

"Sit down," He ordered, pointing towards the cot with a bloody hand. The dim light from the solitary bulb hanging overhead casting an eerie glow on his pale skin, making the blood look black. “And don't even think about trying to be funny, honey. I have a gun here too.” He nodded towards a dark shape peeking out from his pocket. It was a small gun, but deadly in the wrong hands. “You're quite the beauty, and it would be a tragic waste to paint this room with your blood, but don't think that I will even blink. I could give your lips and those eyes a better purpose. A place in my art gallery.”

Your heart pounded in your chest like a wild drum, but you snarled back at him, teeth bared like a cornered animal. “You're no fucking artist, motherfucker. You're a monster.”

His laugh was a low, chilling sound that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. “Oh, no, no, darling! Of course I am. Don't you understand the beauty of my craft?” He kneeled in front of you, the knife in his hand glinting in the dim light as he traced patterns on the bare skin of your legs. You flinched at the cold touch, but refused to show any fear. “Do you want to know the best thing about masterpieces, jagiya? Sometimes, past creations turn into chasing specters, hungrily hunting back.”

Despite the blood he was losing, he seemed unfazed, a devil wreathed in human skin. His eyes gleamed with a perverse delight as he continued his torment. It appeared as though he was a deformed Dionysus, intoxicated by his own dark pleasure.

Gathering your strength for the inevitable fight, you forcefully swallowed. "This is not something you can get away with."

“Oh, jagi… I always do.”

Before you could react, he reached out, his hand cradling your face. His fingers were cold against your skin, his thumb brushing over your cheekbone in a chillingly tender caress.  “You are a beautiful flower, aren't you?”

With his eyes grazing your tear-streaked face, he drew slightly away. “Tears don't suit you, darling.” Raising his hand to remove them with the back of his hand, he spoke.

All of a sudden, he leaned in once more, gently kissing your cheek with his lips. Although the touch caused your skin to crawl, you held your breath to prevent him from getting a kick out of watching you writhe. His lips trailed down your cheek, stopping at the corner of your mouth. “Such a pretty mouth,” he murmured, his thumb brushing over your bottom lip in a mocking caress.

Then, without warning, he struck. The blunt end of his gun connected with the side of your head with a sickening thud, sending you sprawling onto the floor.

Knowing that you would be at his mercy if you blacked out at this point, you struggled to stay conscious even as your vision became blurry and pain erupted behind your eyes.

With his face just inches from yours, he knelt beside you. “Sleep tight, darling.” Before getting up and leaving you by yourself in the tiny room, he gave you one last kiss on the forehead.

[alucardsdaddyissues]

-A Letter Back To You- Prologue Part 1-

Authors note- hello everyone! This is my first work of writing so please do be kind. And I hope that everyone reads this even if they haven't watched the show. please do note that the prologue is split into 2 parts due to the Tumblr text character limit Enjoy! warnings- nothing, annoying mother?

15 years ago Berkshire England (name) walks through the town with local ease. Weaving through crowds of local markets and old couples. Strolling through the weekly market, stopping to buy the things on her mother's grocery list. bread eggs carrots potatoes And at the end of the list, a small note scribbled '''Don't forget to haggle the prices dear'' (name) sighed as she was once again reminded of how much of an annoyance her mother could be, having freshly been thrown out of the house in yet another fit of rage about (name)'s no desire to ' pull her weight' now that her brother had run off to the army. ' good grief' (name) continued to walk down the market lane, greeting all the old folks and her mother's friends which left her feeling even more drained from her social battery running out. Blah blah blah college blah blah her brother, do these ladies not have anything better to do than interrogate her about her future or her sibling while she attempts to not drop the heavy bags of her mother's goods As she weaved through the last of the market, with the residential districts now in sight, she waved goodbye to the nice vegetable vendor, finally escaping the prison of a marketplace. Continuing to walk down the empty city streets taking turns in a mindless pattern. She arrived at her front door, put down the heavy bags, and attempted to pull off her keys from her pant loop before stopping and waiting as her mother's heavy footsteps came closer and closer to the door as it opened inwards with enough force for her loosely tied hair to blow in the gust created. ''WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??'' (name) sighed for what seemed the nth time in the past hour and replied cooly ''getting the groceries as you asked me to mum'' lifting the bags off the floor and walking past her huffing mother ''well, you should have at least let me know before stepping out, and in that paper-thin shirt no less! Where is your coat, young lady?'' Continuing to walk further into the house to hoist the food onto the kitchen counter. Turning round to pass her mother again to the foyer to slip off her boots. '' well, Mum it's not cold outside and I still need to mend the hole in my coat'' '' I suppose I have nothing to say to that then'' Despite having nothing to say her mother continued to complain until (name) shut the door to her room and dropped face-first onto her bed groaning into her duvet. She attempted to shut her eyes for a few moments and allow the voices in her mind to settle to not gain a blood vessel-bursting migraine later into the evening. The moments in the darkness seemed to have worked as her head began to slow its incessant throbbing, her peace, and quiet were interrupted by a a stone wrapped in paper flying through the open window. Her spirits almost immediately rose as she picked apart the piece of twine and read the note from her best friend and the boy she'd had a crush on since she moved here with her mother. (name), Tell your mum you're stepping out for a bit at 8 and walk through the back to the tree in the yard, I'll be there. I've got a surprise :) love, A Her heart fluttered. A surprise? Maybe he's finally telling her he likes her too before leaving for the army- tomorrow... he's leaving tomorrow, for god knows how long. She panicked as she tried to think about what she could do to make this night special, the last night they'd ever talk to each other face to face. 30 minutes later Why is it that the second she dresses up, she suddenly seems to have a closet full of nothing to wear? Cursing and muttering as she fumbled to find something casual but not too dressy to wear. Finally, after another dive into the pile of clothes now skewed on her carpet She found an off-shoulder sweater, perfect. Not too dressy but casual enough to go with leggings. Now she just had to figure out what to give Alexander so he wouldn't forget her when he left.

Walking to her vanity, which was cluttered with hair ties and other such accessories, sticking out from under a mug that had been there for a week was a hair ribbon he bought her a year ago from a kind street vendor at a carnival. She remembered how much fun she had running around the place with Alex and the blush that spread across her face when vendors offered things to Alex to buy for her, telling him he should buy things for the lovely lady he was accompanying. Alex, not having much money to spare, settled for buying a blue hair ribbon after the kind lady running the stall insisted that he buy (name) a gift. Blue wasn't even her favorite color back then, it was green, but as she received it from Alex she started to notice how beautiful the color was. It was the same color as his eyes. Right, so the plan was to tell her mother she was going out for a walk and leave through the backdoor and into the yard and wait by the tree for Alex. Simple. '' mum I'm heading out for a walk I'll be back in about half an hour'' ''Right, take your coat'' Step one is complete. Now walking slowly across the house in her boots and coat she exited through the back door shutting it gently to not alarm her mother. Step 2 accomplished. She walked across the dry, dead, and patchy lumps of grass that were in the yard towards the tree. Great, plan completed, now to wait for her crush best friend. She sat down at the base of the tree, one hand in her coat as she fiddled with the ribbon in her pocket. Her heartbeat thumped in excitement as she anticipated his arrival. ''Who are you waiting for?'' Whispered a smug, recognizable from right behind her. She gasped as she whipped her head around smacking Alex in the face with her hair. ''ow what the f-'' '' ALEX! Oh my god you scared me'' She exclaimed as her hand reached for his face to check if he was actually hurt or simply being a massive baby. '' Jesus, maybe check who's actually behind you before whipping them in the face with your hair'' He muttered in frustration as (name)'s hand removed the fingers that he was holding over his nose. She scoffed and muttered in response. '' maybe you should think before sneaking up on me'' '' fair point’’ (name) removed her hands from his face she couldn't stop the grin that bloomed on her face accompanied by a soft blush that was caused due to the proximity to the boy she was in love with. ''so, what's the surprise?'' Alex grinned in a Cheshire manner displaying his premature smile lines and his eyes squinting slightly. 'he's going to be the death of me' (name) thought as her face grew warmer. She quickly turned away from him and got off the grassy knoll. '' well for the surprise we have to get on your roof'' ''excuse me?'' For (name) hanging around her house was a big no, especially with Alex. Her mother didn't mind her talking to Alex but god forbid she bring him home. Men? in her mother's house? No way. ''no. no way Alex, my mother is at home and her newest boyfriend is too. You know she doesn't want you in the house’’ ‘’ who said we’re going into your house?’’

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

and that's the first part of the prologue, the second part will be out right after this one. I'll be working and learning how to make a master list for this series. ( p.s They totally kiss in the next part so go read it ;) )

[may85]

Title: Beyond the Veil Part 1

Character: Logan Howlett x Psychic Medium!Reader

Warnings: Mention of attempted suicide (NO description)

Photo/GIF credits go to the original maker/owner

The whispers followed you around wherever you went. Whether they’d be living or dead, that wouldn't make a difference. 

It was an ending loop of constant noise which led you to your mental breakdown and ultimately your hospitalization. You hadn't meant to, but the thought of ending it all didn't sound all that bad. Maybe then you'd get your peace.

The sterilized smell of the hospital was one that you welcomed but nauseated you at the same time. You stayed to yourself, staring into a corner. You always listened to the nurses, took your medication, ate, bathed and slept when they told you.

Most of the nurses treated you just fine, but there was at least two that you knew of that had no problems taking advantage of the mentally ill.

Mind your p’s and q’s, take your medicine and you didn't have to worry about the noise or repercussions from the shady nurses.

Then it all changed one day. A voice broke through the haze, making you jump at the sudden intrusion.

“It's quite alright my dear,” the voice belonged to an older, soft spoken gentleman.

“You have nothing to fear,”

But you felt as you did. Slapping your hands over your ears, you began to rock back and forth, “Leave me alone… leave me alone…”

When a hand landed on your shoulder, you slung your elbow out and heard a crunch.

“Mother fucker!” A male nurse yelled out, blood pouring from his hands as he led his nose.

It was then that two more nurses took hold of your arms and dragged you kicking and screaming into a padded room. There they belted you down to the bed as you hyperventilated. You watched as they filled a needle and injected it into your arm. It was then that the voices finally stopped and you went to sleep.

When you came to, the smell of sandalwood and cardamom filled your lungs. Immediately you shot up and frantically looked around. No longer in the hospital, but in a cozy bedroom and on the softest bed you'd ever lay on.

“Hey there,” a deep, but soft voice came from your left.

The man was tall, wearing a white tank top, blue jeans and boots.

“Whe-,” your voice broke. Clearing it you whispered, “Where am I?”

The man leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, “Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Children, “ he extended his hand to you, “I'm Logan,”

Your eyes flickered from his hand to his face before proceeding with caution as you shook his hand.

“Y/N Cantrell,”

When his long fingers wrapped around your hand, you felt him touch the bandage that was wrapped there. You couldn't help but jerk your hand away from him.

“The Professor will be around shortly to talk to you. I'll bring you something to eat in the meantime. So you can get your strength up.”

Logan rose from his chair and went to leave, but paused briefly before closing the door behind him, “Whatever happened… for what it's worth, I'm glad it didn't take,”

He left you dumbfounded. A man who didn't know you from kingdom come was glad that your attempt at killing yourself wasn't successful. It wasn't every day that you encountered that type of kindness. 

A quiet, “Thank you,” was all that you could manage.

It didn't hit you until you were alone that you hadn't heard one cry of help, one scream, one demand… That was how you met the X-Men.

[linkedspirit-fanartfunart]

Blue Skies and Dark Clouds

Sky's backstory! (Ao3)

(And unfortunately because it's a Backstory I and everyone else must suffer the sense that things aren't Resolved lol)

Summary: Zelda & Link have always been inseparable. Now, Link fights Demise, the creature that separated them, even as he's on the verge of collapse... when the battle is done, Link just can't seem to slot himself back next to Zelda as smoothly as they used to.

Warnings: injury, ignoring injury, spoilers for the end of Skyward Sword but like. So is the comic. Zelda has Hylia Guilt annnd... angst. Ye.

-

There was a time before Demons and Goddess reborn. Before endless cycles of battle. When the sky was blue and cloudy. The air crisp. Skyloft had felt much bigger back then. When it was the only place they knew. When the place beneath the clouds was a legend, a fantasy.

The little orphan boy followed the headmasters daughter closely, as he often did when they were young. Small hand in hers. The pair were still equally small, and had recently traded wardrobes. Link's old dress looked much nicer on Zelda, that was for sure. Link also much preferred Zelda's old tunic shirt on himself. It was especially nice because it smelled like her still.

“Hey- er- Zelda!” Groose said, waving excitedly at her. His red hair was tied up in a little ponytail right at the top of his head.

Link leaned over to whisper to Zelda “Umbrella.”

She laughed, “Link, be nice.”

Groose frowned, putting his hands on his hips. “What did he just say?”

“Oh, he's just being silly.” Zelda said with another giggle.

“Hmph. Well, I just learned how to do a loop-d-loop with my loftwing! Do ya wanna watch?”

Link shifted to hide behind Zelda.

“Oh, not right now. Link and I are gonna go looking for butterflies,” Zelda said. She gestured her head at Link behind her.

“...Oh.” Groose mumbled. He frowned, folding his arms, “Well when are you not doing something with Link?”

Zelda considered. She shrugged, “I don't know?”

“Uhg, why do you even hang out with him!? All he does is stare at clouds and catch bugs! How is that any fun? He doesn't even talk!” Groose complained, throwing his hands up.

Link hid further behind Zelda. She frowned, stepping forward, “He's my best friend! He's super sweet and funny and super cool! So maybe you should shut up! I don't think I wanna be your friend if you can't be friends with Link!”

Groose pouted, “Well…n- Nevermind then!” he turned and ran.

Link watched him go, then looked at Zelda. “Thanks,” he whispered.

“I'll always protect you!” Zelda exclaimed, turning to take his hand and raise it to the sky with hers. “We'll be best friends forever and ever and nobody is ever gonna get between us!”

Link smiled and nodded firmly.

-*-

10 years later and nothing would get between him and his best friend. Not even the Demon King.

The sky was dark. Oppressive dark magic filled the endless world of storm. Lightning made of pure rage and malice crashed through the swirling dark clouds.

The Master Sword raised Skyward like a beacon of defiance. The lightning struck down upon him. Ae channeled all the boiling rage of his own and redirected it against the Demon King. Before it could consume him.

Link ignored the pain crashing through his body. Ignored the insistent chime from Fi reminding him he was very close to outright collapsing or even dying. Ae could do this. He would be fast enough, he would be strong enough, he would be smart enough. Nothing. Would. Take Zelda. From him. Again!

He slashed repeatedly into Demise's chest. His blood boiled in his veins. His gaze sharp and focused. Aer breaths made with careful precision.

Demise was strong and firm. His movements sharp and heavy. Link's legs shook with the efforts to remain standing as Demise's blade struck against his shield. Link flipped out of Demise's range, eyes flickering at the demonic skies. There was no holy light here to call. Only electric power and anger.

Link rose his sword Skyward as Demise strode toward him. Stalking aer like prey.

Link grunted and stumbled slightly against the force of pure energy crashing against his blade. Fi captured it, sparks crackling dangerously close to his skin. He panted, swallowing down the fear closing around his throat. He swung his sword toward Demise as he rose his own. The blades cracked together.

Lightning erupted over Link's body, the crash shocking his senses. His body seizing from the God's power. It felt nothing like the electric powers found in the Desert. It was seared into him with pure contempt for his existence.

A buzz in the ozone. Hair standing on end. Demise's electrified blade struck against his chest, pushing Link back into the pool of thin waters. Link could barely feel aer face. He breathed out slowly.

Ae struggled to take another breath in.

The sky was hazy and dark. Get up. Get up. GET. UP. He refused to slow down now.

Link rolled as Demise's blade crashed down against where he would've been. Ae tumbled into a stand, pulling out a half-full bottle of red liquid. He downed all the flower-sweet crimson potion in one gulp. Ae choked on it, feeling it buzz against the fuzz in his brain and the cotton in his mouth.

He dodged another attempt at a blow, flipping backwards. Ae dropped the empty bottle entirely. He grabbed the Master Sword and thrust it to the Sky again. His eyes focused even as his vision seemed to play tricks with him.

Lighting cracked around the blade. Zelda's hair golden and long like a flash of light.

Link yelled and sliced the electric power at the God with breakneck speed. Zelda's smile as she demonstrated an arching motion with a wooden sword.

Zelda. Limp and unconscious, warm brown color drained from her face. Her body draped in Groose's arms. Link hit Demise with a flurry of quick, precise strikes. Aer blood pounded in aer veins. Fi's blade nearly glowed, shining and swift against the shadows of the Demon King.

He pushed Demise onto his back with a splash of ink dark waters. He screamed a yell of rage and lept. Electricity cracked around Fi's blade. The pulsing rage of it almost seemed to follow his whim, now. He drove the sword into Demise's chest. He was strangely still for a flash. The sky rolled with thunder. Link flipped back. Ready.

Demise stumbled back to a stand, wavering. His blade rose, then fell, crashing to the ground. Ghirahim's sword form vanished in a flurry of dark smoke. Link glared intently. There had to be another move. Something the demon had prepared. A beastal form? Like the Imprisoned?

Demise panted, almost laughing, “Extraordinary. You stand as a paragon to your kind, human.”

Link stared, unsettled. He shifted, keeping his sword close and ready. Briefly, he glanced around for a sign that Ghirahim might materialise to attack him from above or behind.

“You fight like no man or demon I have ever known. Though this is not the end.”

They both labored for breath. Link couldn't see any inkling of a transformation. His scales shimmered slightly, but not with dark power. It seemed more like light, crackling and overpowering the dark that created the demon.

“My hate… never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again!” Demise exclaimed to the windless world.

Link's brows furrowed deeper. His breaths felt shallow and difficult. He ignored blistering pain shooting through his arm and hand. He would see this through. Ae had to stay standing. He had to. Just. Stay standing.

Demise raised his hand slowly, pointing, “Those like you… Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero… they are eternally bound to this curse.” Demise heaved a laboured breath. “An Incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!” The Demon King laughed, maniacal as his form shimmered like a ghost.

Link's heart pounded heavily against his chest. A booming painful cacophony. He held firm. Ready and alert even as Demise vanished into a puff of smoke.

Fi chimed. Link glanced at the glowing sword, his friend, expression softening. Ae shifted to raise the sword Skyward, slower than ae usually would. His arm ached and stung with the effort.

The lingering darkness gathered into the blade. Fi spoke into the endless sky, finally turning a peaceful blue. “I have confirmed the eradication of the Demon King.” Link let out a heaved sigh of relief, looking up to the clouds. He felt the lingering tension in his body fade. His vision swirled and wavered, the blues and whites hazy. Ae felt close to collapse. He stiffened back up again. Ae could pull it together. Ae needed to get to Zelda. Check if she was alright. Prove to Impa and his goddess that he and Fi were successful. Prove to Zelda she was finally safe.

“His residual consciousness has been absorbed into the Master Sword…” Fi said softly. His sword arm shook slightly. He glanced at Fi. “And is now sealed away.” Link closed his eyes, and light returned him to the sealed grounds.

-*-

“Hey, wake up sleepy head.” A soft voice said. Gentle fingers brushing against his forehead. Zelda. His brows pinched and he turned further into the mattress… Which didn't feel quite like a mattress. It was warm and the fabric was wrong. Not to mention the vague sense everything was moving.

“Link? Please wake up,” Zelda said, sounding more frightened, sad. Ae groaned, shifting to open his eyes. Zelda seemed like she was glowing. A blur of pale blonde and a white dress. Just how often did he need reminding she was a reincarnated goddess? So far beyond his reach… Now she had to glow to be beyond his sight even with her next to him?

“Oh, oh good-” She said. She definitely looked like she was walking. Why were they moving if he was asleep-

“He's gonna be fine,” Groose said somewhere above him, “He was moving and grooving just fine for at least 20 minutes, right?” Oh. Groose was carrying aer. They'd said goodbye to Fi, to Impa- twice- and he'd looked back at the Master Sword and… then… then…. The world had lurched upward and everything was bright and blank.

“I'm just worried his injuries are worse than they look… Goodness, his face-” Zelda's hand brushed against aer cheek. It stung. He made a soft whine, pulling away slightly. “Oh, oh! I'm so sorry-” she stammered, sounding a lot more like she used to when she fretted over aer. Ae giggled despite aerself. He missed her so much… He tried to reach for her hand, but his right side felt pinned, tingling with pain and exertion. He shifted and brought his left hand to her hand instead.

“We're going to take you home, okay? It's going to be okay! It's fine, you're fine.” Zelda moved her hand away and became a blur of motion. With the little hiccups Link had to assume she was wiping away more tears…

Link sighed softly. He briefly considered demanding Groose let him walk on his own… but… this felt nice. Ae was exhausted anyway. So instead he pulled on Groose's shirt to get him to move closer to Zelda. Groose didn't quite catch the intentions, and instead he leaned his big dumb head down to obscure all of Link's currently very limited vision.

He glared lightly.

“You look like a pirate with that squinty look you're doing.” Groose commented. Link smacked his chest. “See Zelda, ae's fine! He probably only collapsed because he's been running on no sleep for like a month.”

“Ohhhhh,” She whined, not sounding comforted at all.

Link reached to her again but instead of Zelda's touch, ae felt a billow of wind and heard an unmistakable chime-

“Woah! Ally-up!” Groose exclaimed with a whoop and they were flung upwards into the air. Link completely lost sight of Zelda in the whirlwind. A sense of panic and dread clutched his chest and his throat.

Groose held onto him tightly. Groose whistled. A screech from a loftwing. Link yelped as he got nearly squished between a body of feathers and Groose. “Sorry sorry-” Groose whispered. “That could've been gentler.”

Link struggled to adjust aer self enough to get into a more secure and comfortable position. “Stop squirming, you're gonna knock us off balance. it'll only be a few minutes.” Groose grumbled.

Link snorted a huff. A red blur swooped above them, shrieking.

“WOAH you big red brute, he's fine! I've got him!” Groose exclaimed to Crimson.

Link wanted to clarify just who the big red brute was here, Crimson or Groose, but the joke couldn't make it past a wheeze in his throat.

Link hooked his left arm around Groose's shoulder and pulled himself up closer to a sitting position. Groose and his Loftwing both squawked in protest. The world spun and blurred around him. Something wooshed back and forth in his ears. It didn't feel like the wind. His own heartbeat, maybe. He reached up to his Loftwing's beak, giving him a gentle pat. Crimson churred, satisfied, and backed away, swooping to fly under them.

“Oh. Thanks,” Groose grumbled, “...Dunderhead.”

Link didn't have the energy to argue. Blue. Blue blue blue- why was Zelda's loftwing the color of the sky, why was she so hard to see- “Zelda-” Link rasped. Voice quiet and scratchy. It felt like the first time ae had spoken aloud since Zelda had fallen through the clouds…It might have been.

“Oh. She's just ahead of us. She's speeding like a firecracker too, I think she's gonna grab some people to meet us when we land.”

Link struggled to look into the distance enough to spot her. It was harder to breathe in the sky. The air thin, his breaths shallow and wheezing. The blue skies all blurred back out into darkness. Aer head lulled before ae could stop it.

“Link?!”

Blur. Grainy moments. Their voices were so loud but so distant. His body heavy and light all at once. It was just too hard to wake up…

“OH I think he's waking up!” Zelda shouted over her shoulder. Practically in his ears, but he didn't care. Her face was much closer and thankfully much clearer.

Footsteps thundered into the room. Groose, Link assumed, from the stumbling sound. A slower footfall entered shortly after, Headmaster Gaepora maybe?

Link didn't turn to look. Ae just smiled softly at Zelda. She smiled back, eyes teary. Ae wished she could stop crying… it was over. She said so herself.

Link reached up to wipe her tears. He frowned softly as he noted the bandage wrapped around the entirety of his right hand and arm. It hadn't been that bad… right?

Zelda leaned against his touch, grabbing his left wrist with both her hands. “Stop scaring me, you jerk.”

He slowly pulled his hands from hers, signing, “I'm okay. Tired.”

“Have you really not slept for a month? I know better than to trust Groose at his word but-”

Groose huffed, but didn't interrupt with protest. …Weird, Link decided.

Zelda brushed a thumb under his left eye, where dark circles were very likely to be. He closed his eyes, sighing. “You really look so tired.” She said softly.

Ae couldn't really dignify that with a response. Sleep had become a battle of its own lately. Dreams of the myriad of ways he could've lost Zelda had been near constant any time he'd slept long enough to dream.

She leaned over and hugged him, voice lowering to a whisper. “I'm sorry. I didn't- you're too kind. I would hate me if I was you. So much. I made you do such dangerous and horrible things in my name-”

“No-” Link whispered… Don't say that-

Zelda leaned back so she could look at him.

“I trust-” His signs were cut off without his input. His arm shook, tingling with pain pain pain- How did he ignore it before? Electricity seizing his heart with a slash of a blade. Burns curling against his hand-

“Link?”

The shaking slowed. Ae swallowed heavily, staring at aer hand.

“Zelda, may I?” Gaepora asked softly.

She nodded, making space for Gaepora to sit beside them. Zelda leaned into her father's side, sighing softly. Gaepora smiled at her, kissing the top of her head before turning back to Link.

“Link, what caused these injuries? I haven't seen anything like this before.”

He sighed, forming the words carefully with his hands, far too focused on the motions to feel anything more than monotone. “Lightning. Sword. Demon.” He hesitated, then mimed raising the Master Sword up, and the crackle of lightning traveling through it. Trapped by Fi. Then a strike to his blade, and chaos, lightning jumping from his sword and through his arm.

“Ah. That explains the intensity of the burns on your hand.” Gaepora took his right hand gently to look at, carefully. “Do you feel anything?”

Link snorted, grimacing a bit exaggeratedly, “Yes. O W.”

Gaepora shook his head, very gently squeezing his pinky, one of the least injured fingers, “Can you feel the touch, though?”

He frowned, focusing. Slowly, ae nodded.

Gaepora hummed sceptically, letting go, “I'm taking that as ‘a little’.”

Link sighed, shifting to lay flat, looking up at the ceiling. Ae supposed the scepticism was fair.

“Well. The main thing I'm concerned with is how shallow your breathing sounds and how hard your heart seemed to be working earlier. The burns and cuts should heal, but we have no way to know how that lightning will affect you.” Gaepora said softly, “We'll keep watching you, okay? Just be careful.”

Link nodded, closing his eyes again.

-*-

The woosh and thunk of the ax against the wood was pleasantly familiar, even if Link wasn't the one cutting. He watched Zelda take a final whack at the tree. It crackled and fell neatly. He sighed. She was getting the hang of it very quickly. She didn't even need any advice. With the dangerous section done, he decided he might as well help more than just supervise. The site they'd set up building the house was within shouting distance. He carefully grabbed a finished bundle of wood and started walking.

“Link! What are you doing? Be careful!” Zelda shouted as she rushed toward him.

He groaned loudly. He was going to start screaming every time he heard those words. He continued walking. He was being careful with this batch of wood, thank you very much. He wasn't even using his bandaged hand.

Zelda grabbed the wood from him, “Here, I can do it-” She said with a smile. After she'd already taken the wood. She adjusted her grip, “Do you remember what part of the frame this was for?”

Link frowned, “I had it!” He protested, throwing his hands up.

“I know!” Zelda said, smiling far too wide, “It's fine though, I can do it! It's barely anything compared to what you've done…”

He looked up to the sky, but he knew the Goddess wasn't going to guide him. … She was trying, however. He sighed. “It's for the right wall.”

“Oh perfect!” Zelda started walking, and Link sighed, following.

“So you just want me to find the right woods, and that's it, huh?” ae mumbled.

“You really should be resting, I have it handled by now-” Zelda started. She looked at him, and something about his furrowed expression must have made her smile fall slightly. She turned to look forward, “You helped a lot with the plans, you're really doing more than you need to!”

“I'm a woodworker,” Link said as an explanation. He needed to do something with his hands. Ae couldn't just sit around while everyone else helped build their house.

“And you're fantastic at it, but that doesn't mean we can't help you!” Zelda said, “Please… just let me help you.” She said softly.

Ae sighed. With another glance up at the sky, ae nodded. Silence stretched between them. It felt awkward… When did silence between them start feeling so uncomfortable?

“I love you.” Link mumbled, just to say it. To fill the space. To confirm they were still best friends.

“I know.” Zelda said, voice thick with some sort of sadness. A guilt he couldn't figure out how to stop her from believing. “I love you too.”

He watched her for a moment, carrying the burden he had intended to take. Ae sighed, gripping his bandaged hand. It stung slightly still, sending a tingle through his whole arm. “I know,” he nearly whispered, feeling like he had to force it out... Strange, how he had to grow out of his childhood silence all over again.

“Oh there you two are!” Groose shouted with a wave. “Look!” He gestured to the house's frame, nearly complete already.

Link smiled softly, “You're insane.”

“Oh wow. Impressive work Groose!” Zelda cheered. She laughed, running over to hug Groose. He blinked, face flushing bright red over her shoulder. “It's going to be so beautiful!” Zelda cheered, squeezing him.

Link laughed and meandered around the structure. He smiled, looking it over. Groose was a fantastic engineer. He sat in the grass, closing his eyes to imagine the finished work. He could just picture Zelda's fiber art hanging in the rafters and walls. Groose's little workout space in a corner. His work bench in another- his hand started shaking again. He opened his eyes, feeling a wetness well in the corners. Would he ever get back to whittling? It certainly wasn't particularly safe with a shaky hand. ...A lot of things weren't, it seemed.

A warm body settled next to him, and then another on his other side. Zelda leaned in, “Are you okay? Is it hurting? Do you need something?”

Link swallowed and shook aer head. “I'm fine.” He sucked in a breath, rubbing his eyes gently. “Just got lost in my thoughts.”

Groose nodded softly, “Sounds like you.”

Link laughed, “I guess it does.” Lost. He was always lost, wasn't he?

Zelda nuzzled in and hugged him. “Can we help you through them?” She said softly.

“No,” Link whispered impulsively. Surprising himself. Zelda looked startled, confused. Ae bit aer lip. “It's nothing bad. I was just imagining what it'd look like when it's done.” He pulled a smile on, glancing between the pair of them.

“It'll be fantastic," Zelda said softly.

“It'll be Groozsume!” Groose announced.

“That doesn't sound like what you think it sounds like,” Link laughed.

“Shut up, it totally does.” Groose laughed, ruffling Link's hair.

The trio laughed and snuggled together.

“It'll be beautiful,” Link whispered softly. He sighed, closing his eyes. The breeze tossed his hair. Warmth on either side buffetting any windchill. Zelda's perfume was still calming. But he could feel her nervous energy, her suffocating concern curled against him.

Yet… Ae would always prefer to suffer her nerves and worry over not having her near at all. He just needed her near. They'd figure the rest out. Eventually.

[nolanhollogay]

where did you come from ?

chadtateethan love triangle but not really bcuz ethan made that shit up in his head !! also chadtate being in love and vaguely hornknee about it

+

Tate would like it to be known that he wasn't a party person. Or he wasn't in the past at least. During high school he hadn't had the same rose colored glasses as his peers about getting wasted on the worst alcohol imaginable full of people you would have to see the next day in your AP English class.

Honestly, he wasn't into parties until a month or so ago, the trauma connected to the last party he went to enough to deter him.

But Chad was persuasive and he convinced him to go to a party a friend of a friend was throwing and one thing led to another, and now Tate mostly enjoyed parties.

Probably because he and Chad used it as an excuse to make out – not that they usually needed an excuse – but that was neither here nor there.

As expected, they were pressed together, in one of the corners of the basement of some frat house Tate only half remembered the name of. Delta something. Or Zeta maybe?

Chad pulled away from their kiss, sliding his hands from Tate's back to his waist. "I missed you today."

Tate snorted. "You woke up next to me."

"Yeah but," Chad kissed his jaw, making Tate shiver, "I didn't get to see you all day after that. I missed you ranting about how everyone in Prof Crane's class is derivative, and performative, and some other -ive."

Tate was too distracted by his lips moving down his throat to be offended at being teased.

"Chad."

Both of them jumped out of their skin, and Tate reflexively reached for the knife he kept in his pocket, before he realized who it was.

"Jesus fuck, Ethan," Chad said, releasing Tate's waist to press his hand to his chest, feeling his presumably erratic heartbeat. "Where did you come from? You can't just sneak up on people!"

Ethan pouted, looking like a scolded child. "Sorry." He ran his fingers through his curls. "You just said you'd walk me home when I was ready to leave."

"You're ready to leave already? We just got here," Chad said, more concerned than annoyed because he was a good person. Tate, on the other hand, was less than pleased.

Ethan shrugged. "It's been half an hour. But I guess you didn't notice because you ditched me as soon as he–" He waved a hand in Tate's direction, "–showed up."

He said it as if it was a joke, but Tate could still hear the bitterness he was trying to mask, and fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Chad uncurled himself from Tate, turning to Ethan, face apologetic. "Sorry bro. Didn't mean to leave you out."

Ethan stood straighter, smiling wide, as soon as Chad's attention was on him. "It's okay. I just.. You'll still walk with me, right?"

Chad nodded. "Yeah, it's no problem." He turned to Tate, looping a finger in his belt loop. "Wanna come with?"

Ethan's face crumpled over his shoulder.

Tate shrugged. "Might as well. Safer in numbers."

Chad whooped, because he was a huge loser. "That's my boy!"

If possible, Ethan managed to frown even deeper. "I have to go find my coat. I'll meet you outside."

Tate waited until he was gone, watching him retreat up the steps basically stomping, to say, "He wants to bang you so bad, and he hates me so much."

Chad rolled his eyes, though the action was full of affection, a hint of a smile on his lips. "You keep saying that, but I don't understand why. He's just my friend. Not everyone who's friendly wants to fuck me. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know. I'm not threatened by him. I'm just stating a fact. He hates me because I'm stopping him from fucking you," Tate shrugged. "It's not my problem."

"You're ridiculous," Chad said fondly, pressing a kiss to his cheekbone. "Let's go before a strong gust of wind knocks him over or something."

[afternoonblues]

people i'd like to know better

tagged by the sweet @smolhours !! thank you for always including me in these fun lil tag games. helps me a lot with arranging my thoughts.

last song : roses by alisa xayalith

(tbh i also have labyrinth by taylor swift also on loop for a while now but yeah i've been shuffling back and off between these two songs)

last book : kokoro by natsume soseki

(i read this book perhaps at the beginning of last november. so that's like almost three months ago. could be right around the time when i finished the last two vols of raven of the inner palace. but i really need to go back to reading proper PROPER books because tbh the only ones i really read are the ones which are in my master's course. and, frankly, when you're reading a book in the academic sense, you're simply autopsying it, cutting and tearing through the lines and dissecting the multitude of layers of all these characters. too busy taking notes to just simply....enjoy just a book, you know. so yeah, i want to read simply for the thrill of it not just for getting a good grade.)

last movie : the last movie i watched was just a rewatch of tokyo godfathers by satoshi kon at the end of december. like that's my movie. that's a whole fucking masterpiece. i have plans (?) to watch nosferatu (no, not because i'm personally a gothic-freak or something but you do you, babe, i'm not judging you at all. anything that makes you happy.) considering i did download that film and all but tbh i haven't found the right mood to watch it yet. and i don't know...should i watch it during daytime or nighttime? how much will it freak me out? because i mean vampire-themed movies are not really horror kind (at least to me) so idk...i'm just overly conflicted but you know what...maybe one of these days i'll just randomly go "fuck it" and just watch it.

last tv show : guardians of dafeng. A WHOLE BANGER. i'm not going to say much. if anyone asks me what they want me to say about this show, i'll just say, just watch it. and by the time you finish watching it, you'll think 40 episodes is way too less. we need more. like...you cannot even fathom how empty i feel now that i don't have any new episode to look forward to every evening. this absolutely sickening. and oh, give me that SECOND SEASON. NOW.

sweet/savory/spice : SPICE (i'm a bengali indian, never trust me if i say "it's not that spicy") / savory / sweet.

relationship status: single

last thing i googled : usotoki rhetoric manga

(i'm currently watching the live action j-drama, quite comforting, love the set design and the slice of life theme adding with the detective thrill. highly recommended! it's fansubbed by the wonderful irozukusubs)

looking forward to:

finishing the advance quantitative aptitude topics for the upcoming exam that's probably gonna commence around april or may

start (and finish) reading white nights by fyodor dostoyevsky (bought the penguin little black classic with a test series booklet for another upcoming national exam). well, it was like killing two birds with one stone because i have this story for my final sem of masters along with crime and punishment, which i'm definitely buying at my city book fair next week.

finish usotoki rhetoric j-drama & then read the manga (thankfully, the manga has ended along with translations.) somehow this reminds me a lot of my dear detective: mitsuko's case files, which is another great on-going manga. although the two individual female protagonists are cut from two different clothes. while one is the assistant to a detective and has a supernatural element, another (my dear detective) is your classic tomboy but elegant detective lady herself. both of them are accompanied by two clumsy man though. i got the urge to read the novel kokoro after i finished a heartwarming case story of two women from two different generation's secret meet in the library in my dear detective.

hmmm what else? idk perhaps i will finally come around to watch nosferatu? that's the only motion picture media i'm contemplating watching nowadays. i guess the days need to be gloomier for me to get into the mood for it.

current obssesion : just procrastinating on these upcoming exams and getting sudden heart burns of how much i have to change my life this year or else i will end up hating myself more and more. but other than that...nothing much. it's just the overthinker in me.

[opheliaacomplex]

Ophelia's mini-rant #? "Future Diary"

So it's like 12:34 for me right now, and I still have to finish my review of Strange Darling, but I'm too hopped up on anger to not post something. I've watched many a bad movie. Many a bad TV show. But this one...? This one hurts because it's a bad TV show I loved when I was younger.

Mirai Nikki or The Future Diary.

If the name doesn't ring a bell, it's either because you're normal or because you only recognize the character who is THE spokeswoman for the yandere type of personality

Yuno-motherfucking-Gasai.

I want you to put yourselves in my clown shoes for a second here. It's [indiscriminate time in the early 2000s] and I am but a pure baby boy still in his egg. Even back then I was interested in horror, but like I feel all early 2000s kids I was also into anime, which was getting pretty damn big then. So color me surprised when I stumble upon a "horror" anime about a girl giving a wet cat of a man tonnes of attention, something I needed when I was younger. When I think about then, I truly think maybe beyond Hellraiser and old graphic reruns of the Investigation Discovery Channel, Mirai Nikki was my first piece of "problematic" content. It had it ALL. C/SA, Gore, Unhealthy relationships, nudity, hell it even had yaoi! I could blab for a while about the yaoi-liker to transfemme pipeline, but that's another rant for another day. All in all, younger me thought it was the hottest shit on god's green earth, and it inspired a lot of creative endeavors for me. I obsessed over it for a little bit, but eventually it fell by the wayside.

Cut to me now. Rural tranny trying to balance work/college/life balance and I start rewatching nostalgia shows with my friend and I end up back on a piracy site with Mirai Nikki pulled up. It'd be fun, right? Who doesn't like horror or anime? Yeah, no, after the first few episodes the rose-tinted glasses I was wearing shattered and lacerated my fucking eyes. The main character is about as unlikeable as can be, and the show quickly abandons its death game premise to turn more towards time loops and meta-physical drama. Now I'm a person with...extreme kinks, but fucking hell man if you want to portray issues like SA honestly and openly, you have to write them better. And the most obscene thing in my opinion is the constant groping scenes of *clears throat* 15-YEAR-OLDS and is portrayed as a goofy, silly moment. The show is in a constant state of not knowing what the fuck kind of vibe it wants to be, and it clearly suffers from it. Despite how kind of sad it is to see one of your inspirations go down the toilet because you have to take the goggles off. At the very least, it offers a good lesson for me and other writers: sometimes you need to be told no in your stories. And sometimes the author does need to die.

The first OP is an absolute banger though I'll always keep it close to me.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Random ask that may or may not be foreshadowing; if you were to completely drop persona cold turkey, what other rpg series do you think you'd hyperfixate over instead?

Hmmmmmm hard to say.

If it's something I've yet to play then I dunno.

But if it's going back and playing older games I've played the hell out of.....hmmm let's start there I guess:

I like Pokemon, but I'm not gonna compete to be the biggest know-it-all with that franchise (esp with the amount of conflicting info and canons and possibly mistranslations). It's astronomical compared to MegaTen.... (what applies to Pokemon can also be applied to Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh too....)

Dragon Ball.......Tbh I'm not that into fighting games, maybe if I ever get a Legacy of Goku 4 fkjdlajf; Gimme some good RPG DB games and I'm down (I have Kakarot and the Legacy of Goku games tho)

There's really no plot/character/story analysis I can do on the Tony Hawk games.....

I like DMC and Nioh, but I feel like those games and fandoms are more focused on the gameplay mechanics....plus they aren't exactly easy games to just "kick back and enjoy" I have to really concentrate which is draining...... (more so Nioh than DMC, but I'm more invested in Nioh than DMC so that's an issue TT0TT)

I love Assassins' Creed, but even I know the amount of content I'd have to hard core consume (between AC and AT LEAST Watch Dogs......oof). Just thinking about it might explode my brain. u_u

Love Rule of Rose, but other fans have dug deeper done everything with it. So there's nothing for me to really bring to the table.

.hack.....maybe I could get back into that? My knowledge is mostly in the novles/manga I've read tho. ("But Silly! Isn't that technically a fantasy game?" I mean.....yes but it's modern day chars playing a video game. I dunno I always found that idea novel alongside 'oh people are dying' mystery. It's why I watched SAO because it reminded me of .hack! ....I'm not getting into SAO tho >_>)

Most heavy fantasy.....probs not likely but not impossible. The thing with Persona/Megaten is that they usually have a very "grounded in real life" kinda vibe going on. Which was nice because it felt like less stuff I had to memorize to understand the world. Plus it was more of a vibe I liked..... (but I'll mention some of the well known franchises....mostly cause they are the ones with the most entries to get into)

Love KH but I don't really wanna deep dive into it (I think the writing was best in KH1 and CoM, I think Sora's char has really devolved over the games, and I hated 3D and KH3). I am keeping an eye on KH4 and maybe even Verum Rex (which I'm pulling for us to get, outta all the FF games, FFvs13 was always one I was super interested in).

FF.....I'll play them, but I'm not that invested into them. (12's ok, 7's ok, 7R's ok but I need to finish those three first.... I liked 15 even tho it was messy, I hate 13 with a passion, I should try 10 cause it reminds me of Destiny Islands. 15 and 10 are the best contenders for me to be invested in tbh).

Tales of...... tbh Xillia always interested me the most. I should go through my backlog......I'm like halfway through Arise so I should probs pick that back up.

Maybe I should try Ys? Or finish the Trails of/Legends games I have too, tho I'm not very invested in that that.

Atelier series.....I should finish the games I have of that....then again....it's related to Mana Khemia right? I actually played and liked the first game of that (I sucked at it so I don't think I finished, that and I think I got P4 within that year so that ended up consuming me not long after)......I should give Mana Khemia another chance.

Oh there's also the Lunar series......I was always interested in that after I was graced with the game Lunar Dragon Song as a kid. :'D Weep for me yes, weep. I know. u_u IYKYK

I like Harvest Moon/Story of seasons.....but not enough to like...deep dive into stuff.

I mostly play Slime Rancher for the gameplay loop than the analysis too tbh.....

Far Cry 5 is a heavy contender. I did get lucky, outta all of the FC games....at least this one not only got a direct sequel with New Dawn (even tho it deals more with the Highway men than the cultists *sobs*), it also got a tie-in DLC with FC6......plus I got that novel, and the little bit of supplementary material. The issue, which is a double edge sword....is that it ends there. There's a lot of side content I could probs find and dissect, but once I find it all it ends.

At least with Persona, I can expect the world to keep going and expanding (either it's main continuity or the larger continuities in general). FC I'm not sure.....they might have diff timelines but no in an interactive way like MegaTen does.....

I guess I can try a swing at Mind=0, Tokyo Xanadu, Caligula 1/2, or Monark. Both with finishing and attempting to hyperfixate....but they just don't hit the same. Plus I run into a similar problem as with FC5....it's pretty much it when it ends (and unlike FC5, I doubt those games have as much content).

.hack might be a heavy contender.....

I am very Avatar-pilled atm....and I'm going through those games. Which was something I meant to do like 10 years ago during my last hyperfixation on the franchise (but I think I got distracted by PQ1 jklsdfj;). So maybe expect a small deep dive on those? Platinum's Korra will probs reign supreme for me tbh klfdjsa;f

Hmmmm I've heard good things about Suikoden......same with Phantasy star, Chrono trigger, Mother/earthbound.....maybe actually finish FE 3Hs......

Tldr; I dunno. At least game wise. Other media (either exclusively a diff format or one that's multimedia'd)? That's a bit more easier/open ended. (I'm juggling Atla/Korra, Addams' Family, and Naruto like a lil' court jester, we'll see how this goes)

[district4loading]

Thoughts on somnophilia with sana….I feel like it’s one she’d particularly enjoy

Content Warning: a little bit of smut, somno, oral, fingering

Minors DNI

"Sana, thats the weirdest thing I've ever heard you say" You look up from your phone to gauge whether or not the brunette was serious about what she just said.

Sure enough she had those expecting eyes fixated on you "It's not weird! It’s hot" She protests your comment, climbing into your arms like she usually did.

You were on the couch in your living room, scrolling on your phone when Sana came in and made a rather peculiar request. "You want me to fuck you while you're asleep?" She nods with a smile, humming in response "And you don't want me to tell you when I'll do it, or warn you before?"

Sana giggles softly when she sees the look of pure disbelief you give her "Listen you have nothing to be worried about, I want you to do it" She holds your hand in hers "and make sure i'm out cold, I literally want to wake up with your face between my legs"

"I don't know, what if you're not in the mood? Or-"

"Shh" Sana puts her finger over your lips then leans forward, removing them in the same instance to plant a small kiss on your lips "I assure you, I'll be in the mood"

-

So you agreed to it, fulfilling one of your girlfriend's wildest fantasies because you love her and you'll do whatever you can to make sure she's happy. Even if you think it's a bit odd.

You waited a couple of days so it'll come as a complete shock to her. It's maybe one in the morning and you're more than sure that she's out cold but you think it wouldn't hurt to make sure. So you tap her arm a few times "Sana" you whisper. You take notice of her body and the way it rose, then fell with such gracefulness as she breathes in and out, the slow noise of it filling the silent room.

Then you shift a bit, getting on your knees so you can gently pull the covers off of her. She's wearing what she usually does to bed, a loose tank top and some shorts. You start to feel a bit of a rush as you watch her lay there, asleep with with no knowledge of what's to come.

Maybe it's not so weird after all

You touch her thigh, the soft warmth making you aware of how cold your own hands were and you start to worry that it'll wake her. It takes you a moment but you finally manage to get your hands on the waistband of her shorts. Your fingers loop under her panties too because there's no need for teasing. The only one you'd be teasing is yourself. So you begin to pull the pieces of clothing off, having a bit of a hard time because she's not awake to lift her hips.

Soon enough the garments slip down her legs and past her ankles and you toss them to the side. Your heart begins to race because the tension in the room is thick, like you're doing something you're not supposed to and if she were to wake up and catch you it'll all be over.

This fantasy of hers is something different, something you never thought you'd be into until now when you're faced with the opportunity—and you want nothing more than to touch her right now.

There's a bit of uncertainty in your movements, you reach for her legs and while you're opening them your hands are trembling. Your breathing quickens as you admire the sight of her perfect body before you, highlighted by the moonshine through the bedroom window.

You try your best to shrug off the nerves, then you position yourself between her legs. The moderate moistness isn't something you're used to at all. Usually, by the time you make it down there she's fucking dripping and soaked so bad that it's spread to her thighs.

However, you know it's nothing you can't fix. So you grab her thighs with your hands, refraining from squeezing them like you normally did so she doesn't wake up. Then you stuck your tongue out and flattened it against her cunt. You pause and look up. She's still asleep.

Ever so slightly, you drag your tongue up her slit, making a soft humming noise when the tangy taste attacks your tastebuds. Still no response. So you keep going as you normally would, swirling and flicking your tongue on her clit.

It only takes a few seconds for Sana to shift a bit. She tries to close her legs but you hold her a bit tighter so she doesn't. You pause for a moment, then you continue eating her out like you've been starving for her.

A soft hum escapes her lips and then her hips start squirming. You push your face deeper into her cunt, taking her clit into your mouth to suck. Then she gasps loudly, her head lifting weakly just enough so she can make eye contact with you. "Babe- what are you" Then you witness the exact moment the realization of what's going on hits her and it's priceless. "Oh fuck"

Her voice is rough and tired as she reaches her hands down to tangle your hair in between her fingers. You smile and remove your mouth then you climb over her so you're face to face. Your hand finds it's way to her sopping cunt and you rub slow circles before you connect your lips with hers.

Sana moans into the kiss, reciprocating it with some newfound strength, cause she has to reward you for doing so good. You prod her entrance with your fingers and you slide two digits inside. She breaks the kiss and moans out loud when you curl them "Pleasant surprise?" You question her with a smirk on your face as you pump in and out.

"Yeah" Sana nods frantically, all breathless with her words "I - fuck - I wasn't expecting it tonight" She moans again because you've found that spongy spot that makes her walls squeeze you tighter.

You leave a shorter kiss on her lips again "That was the point wasn't it?" You ask and she only hums, although it comes out sounding like more of a moan. You kiss along her jawline, then down to her neck "Did I do good?"

Sana can only nod her head and close her eyes "So good baby" She keens, her hips bucking into your hand as you fuck her faster and harder with your fingers. She's so wet that you can feel the slippery warmth dripping down your forearm. You think to yourself that this must've really turned her on, the thought of you using her in her sleep.

It's sick and twisted but for some reason, you like it.

She starts babbling incoherent words and you know it's something she does when she's close. "Gonna cum for me baby?" You ask as her jaw goes slack and her moans go silent. There's only a faint, high pitched, whiny noise coming out of her mouth and she has that look of pure devastation in her eyes, like she's cumming so hard that she almost can't handle it.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" She mouths the words and then a very audible "Fuck!" and she's cumming all over your fingers. You can feel it inside, the way her walls clench and pulse in an erratic rhythm as her back arches. Her body stutters to a complete stop and then she goes rigid.

It's only a matter of time before... and there she goes, her body relaxes as the pleasureful waves wash over her and her moans turn weak and broken. You kiss her lips softly and she doesn't even try to kiss back "Now how was that?"

"I can't fucking believe... I came so hard" She tiredly runs her fingers through her hair. "I need you to do that more"

"I think I could get used that"

-

A/N: Fun fact I had a somno fic written before I started posting on here but then I scrapped it because it was bad.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this mini fic as I work on the next fic I plan to put out. Sana x somno is something that fits her so well and I agree with anon.

Also, I try my best to make these asks gender neutral so everyone can get a good read out of them. If you want reader to be a specific gender just put it in the ask.

Sooooo i've made a full version of this. Check it out here

[winterapocalypse]

Winter Apocalypse chapter 13

The Ancient Runes

"I heard that Orton and Greyjoy didn't show up for practice today. Some people said they skipped school, but that sounds like bullshit to me. They'll be sick and won't want to let it be known." the coach informed them, but still the morale of the halved team did not improve.

Practice was over, and the boys were about to return to the locker room, except Aston, who was headed to her brother's office.

She was holding something in her hands.

Ken reached out, and Aston passed him the rune pendant she had stolen from the Night's Watch kid.

“Did Denny tell you about this shit?”

Ken denied. "Not really. He babbled about it sharing a secret with you, but I suspected there was more to it than just the two of you fooling around." he said, pulling out some huge, old rune book that belonged to their Royce ancestors, masters of the ancient practice of runes.

Ken was not considered a genius by most, but if he had never been academically good enough, he was instead an expert in runes. He was patient and calm and willing to help everyone - and if he hadn't been drawn into Hufflehdhdff it was only because the Royce family had always been Ravenclaws, and Ken was honestly too lazy to even think about being Hufflephdfhfd. He was so lazy and listless that he left the title of heir to Runestone Castle to his younger sister.

"They are not runes of the First Men."

"I know." Aston retorted.

“And this is white obsidian.”

"I know this too."

"So what did you come here to do?" Ken chuckled, as Aston continued to glare at him. "Emily said this is been in contact with a centaur. I believe her– I trust my best friend blindly, or she wouldn't be such. But I wonder…"

"What it could be, and why a NightWatcher had it." the older brother finished the sentence, closing the books he had on his desk. "I wasn't one of the professors called to the meeting with the Watchers , but I found out something. Yes. They were talking about centaurs. And that they spotted a centaur foal. And that they need a seal to avoid some war the strange woman in red was talking about. The Watchers hoped to recreate a unicorn, but a centaur could be useful in the same way…"

Ken handed the pendant back to his younger sister, who quickly put it back in her pocket.

"I have to go find that Watcher, the one with the strange gray eyes… Brontes ripped off half his face, that son of a bitch in Black. He won't be hard to find." Aston muttered to herself, but her brother's hand stopped her as she was about to run out of his office. "He definitely knows about the centaur. Maybe even about this war. I'll go right away, thanks for the info."

"Dennis went to sleep, as tired as he was." Ken informed her. "And you seem a little too agitated too. You should calm down a bit, it's sunset now. Would you like a broom ride above the castle, like the old times?"

When Aston had started school at Winter Hogwarts, her brother Ken would occasionally take her to practice flying in the skies around the school - but they hadn't done anything together for many years now. Aston was no longer fourteen, and Ken was always busy.

Why not?

Aston picked up her broomstick again, and together they took flight, doing the same old loop over the mysterious forest of ancient trees that stretched all the way to the Wall, far from the castle, hundreds of kilometers north of their school.

Aston and Ken rose so high that the Wall was there, almost on the horizon, shining in its pure blue ice.

And beyond it, there was not the usual white infinity of snow and frost, but something.

A huge army, and it was marching towards the Wall.

“What in the Seven Hells…” Ken muttered, as the rune on Aston's stolen amulet glowed.

Without waiting even a moment, the two brothers swooped towards the school.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

[superlativesamsara]

((Fair warning to followers new and old! Rose is currently Capital-D-Dead pending cosmic reset! So it'll be a bit before this account is particularly active beyond one of Rose's alts occasionally liking a post or sending something.

((That said if you're a HS Muse (or a muse familiar with such) she is in a Bubble, for a bit, if you wanna have your muse get a bit of closure with this iteration.

((There was an event I was having for it but, given a lack of writing muse on my part and apparent enthusiasm on the part of anyone involved (myself included), I have decided that for blog purposes it will have all happened already because it's getting tiresome and somewhat emotionally draining to keep doing nothing with the character.

[thewertsearch]

Asks Comp 1/5

We don't even need to speculate about Vriska's hidden motives - even her stated motivation is dangerous.

As I said before, we know exactly how she 'helps' people.

Thank you! It's good to be back.

Act 5.2 has been fun so far. I didn't realize how much I missed the kids until we got back to their PoVs.

Homestuck could have opened on Rose, watching her mother drink herself into a stupor - or Vriska, tossing a corpse into her spider's pit. These events are canonical, but bringing them into sharper focus would turn the story into something very different.

That Homestuck chose to start with John tells us a lot about its identity. It's a dark story, in a lot of ways - but there are much darker stories, two steps to the left.

Sburb Any% in 23:59:59 (Green Sun skip)

Haha, that's fair, actually. Although you're probably not chastising them for failing to understand the time loops you're both navigating.

(If you are, though, you have the coolest job imaginable. Are you hiring?)

@gravity-rocks asked: Ooo, saw the person who asked you about your thoughts on lusii and troll evolution and thought I would pitch in with my little theory. I like to believe instead of lusii being the parasites, maybe TROLLS evolved as brood parasites. All these lusii seem to have consistent blood colors, and the blood colors always match the troll theyre a guardian of. I know we havent seen baby lusii, but maybe before they become "white" their babies are a bright color, and the bright blood colors of the trolls evolved as a way to trick the lusii into caring for them. Now, not all animals actually care for their young, so it's not a perfect strategy, so some creatures taking 'advantage' of this parasitism couldve evolved side by side, which I find super interesting. And with troll genetics and slurries, that made me wonder if troll genomes are particularly unstable and able to incorporate all sorts of other dna into it, like some bacteria - perhaps lending to this ‘infiltration’ power. The troll powers and mutations relating to their lusii is really really interesting, I mean we saw sollux’s ogre lusus with similar powers. I wonder if that sort of matching dna in subtle ways influences which trolls are adopted by which lusus. Alternatively an even more interesting explanation. Trolls grow their powers over time with their lusus and incorporate more of their dna over their lifetime with them. With huge wiggled populations, the way the genetics slurry with each other, and ease of mutation, perhaps it explains how intense their anti mutant and culling sentiments are, and why they might have evolved to be as extreme as they are.

This is some great speculative biology - I particularly like the idea that trolls are highly prone to mutation, like an alien Eevee.

It is interesting that Sollux shares his eye-beams with his Biclops. Their powers are identical, so there has to be some casual relationship between the two - we just don't know what direction it's in.

Aw, Kanaya. Neither of you is the Stupid Girl - it just feels that way when you have a crush!

I started shipping these two because they're my favorite characters - but I'm continuing to ship them because their relationship is cute as all hell.

For sure! The added context of Hivebent really adds a lot of texture to the plot. The playing field feels wider, and the stakes are much higher.

@manorinthewoods asked: What are your favorite songs from Homestuck? [ they listed their own faves but some are technically spoilers, will send them later! - C] . ~LOSS (25/4/23)

My current favorites are Descend, Dissention, Sburban Jungle, Upward Movement, and The Beginning Of Something Really Excellent!

Another album review is well past due, but Homestuck Volume 5 is longer than the first four combined, so I'll need to set a day aside to really take it in.

I never got an ask about this, so send away!

Zathura! Damn, it's been a while since I've thought about that movie.

I love the idea that every 'real' game in fiction is actually taking place in an infinite sea of monsters.

That's true, I guess, and you do need to get there to fight the final boss - but Sollux proved that you can freely fly between planets, if you have the means. The houses seem kind of redundant, if that's their only purpose, but I don't think it is.

Act 4, I think! Hivebent's troll worldbuilding is great - but Act 4 focused a lot more on Sburb's game mechanics, and that's still my favorite part of the comic.

We don't yet know the circumstances of his Exiling, but he probably needed to lose, to be Exiled the way he did.

As for why he needed to be Exiled the way he did... well, we've already talked about how weird and arbitrary these loops are. In the end, WV's army was just a casualty of causality - and messing around with causality is beyond the scope of the game.

Not impossible, necessarily - just beyond the scope of the game. Rose knows what I'm talking about.

It's either that, or the meteor's seed was what fell into the portal, and it grew to full size after it left the Medium. Either works.

It's impossible for me to choose - but I'll default to Descend. It was a great bookend to pre-Hivebent Homestuck.

Thanks for the list of names - and congratulations on your evolution to full blog status!

That's all true - and I never considered that Karkat would be jealous of John's social circle. Things are just easier for him - his friends all get along, and he doesn't need to needle them into working together. From Karkat's perspective, John barely has to do anything as a leader, while Karkat worked his ass off and still failed. Damn.

[ this post! ]

Hahaha, damn. I forgot about those early predictions.

I was right about the terraforming, I just wasn't thinking big enough. In retrospect, it's pretty funny that I only gave it a 1% probability - for all the help they were, I may as well have pulled those numbers out of thin air.

John's the kismesissitude mascot, after all!

Earth's a big place, so there could easily be thousands of unseen temples - but I'm starting to doubt they'll ever get any focus.

I've slowly begun to accept that Earth's other sessions might just be out of scope for this story. That's for the fanfiction authors - and, maybe, for 'semi-canon' spin-offs.

Yep, this chicken/egg stuff is so common for Sburb that it's practically routine by now. It's simply not possible to say whether Titles cause personalities, or vice-versa - both were 'simultaneously' encoded into the Alpha Timeline. The point is moot.

Yeah, quadrants really haven't shaken out the way the original infodump implied they would.

Karkat's Dark Crush on John doesn't seem nearly as toxic as whatever's going on with Jack and the Queen.

Is Karkat wrong about his feelings? Do Carapacians experience kismesissitude differently? Has Hussie quietly retconned some of Hivebent's quadrant stuff?

At this point, who knows. Alternia's original view of quadrants might not even matter - it's gone, and the surviving trolls are free to do their own thing.

[high-ashell-hargrove]

Teddy Bears- Bucky Barnes

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x plus size!reader

Word count: 560

Warnings: implied sex, nothing else. 

A/n: I've never written for Bucky before so forgive me if it's inaccurate. I'll work on it, I promise. 

Synopsis: God love Bucky, big brooding and secretly a big fluff ball. In the rush to find his lover a gift for valentines day he gets you a Teddy Bear, or two..... or three?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"You ok Bucky?" Steve asked, patting his friend's shoulder. In reply he let off a string of incoherent mumbling. 

"He's trying to figure out what to get y/n" Sam chuckled, a smirk found its way on Steve's lips. 

"C'mon buck, it can't be that hard" 

Looking up, Bucky sent his friend a glare. It was His first Valentines day with you coming up and he wanted to kick it off with a good start, but he was just so stuck on what to get you. 

She likes chocolate, I'll get her chocolate. He thinks to himself. No that's too cliche everyone gets chocolate on Valentines

Rose's? Red? White? Pink? He let out another loud groan. 

"Listen man don't think too far into it, get her a stuffed bear. Girls love those'' Sam suggested. 

"Don't you think that's a little basic?" Bucky questioned  

"Maybe, but listen if the bear doesn't work you could just work some of your magic" Sam winked at him. 

Bucky just rolled his eyes 

_________ 

Bucky went to the nearest store. Searching through the shelves he scanned through all the Stuffed bears he could possibly look at. 

Should I get a big one? Small one maybe.... 

"Can I help you sir?" A lady who worked there asked him sweetly. 

"Yeah actually you can. I wanna get my girl one of these but I'm not sure which one." He explained. The lady smiled, she continued to ask him questions about you. 

What is she like? How old is she? Is she originally from around here? 

Her questions confused him, but if it got him any closer to picking one of these damn bears he would answer anything she asked. 

After a few more questions the little lady pulled out three bears, all varying In size and price. 

"One of these should do." 

Bucky thanked her and watched as she slowly walked away. 

Now he was stuck with which one of the three to buy, price didn't matter at all to him. Feeling overwhelmed he snatched up all three of them and made his way to the checkout line. 

________

"Three? Really?" Sam said, giving him a look. 

"Shut up" 

________ 

Bucky watched you anxiously as you stood staring at his gift.

"Oh Buck, they are so cute" you chuckled, picking up the smaller of the three you rubbed it over your face. 

"Soft too, but you didn't have to buy so many." 

Walking over to you he plucked the bear from your grasp and sat it with the others then proceeded to wrap his arms around your waist. 

"Wasn't sure what to get you Doll" he admitted, his words were muffled by  your hair. The smell of your shampoo filled his nose. 

"Well I love all of them, but I feel silly getting us matching bracelets now." You said with a pout. 

"To be honest I didn't know what to get you either" 

A chuckle erupted from Bucky. 

"You know to make this even better I have something else in mind" you cocked your head to the side and began playing with the loops on his Jean's. 

"I think we are on the same track pretty girl" leaning down he placed a swift kiss to your lips.

Bucky wouldn't admit this to Sam but he was right, when in doubt get a girl a bear... or three.