#my body is a strange and mysterious machine to me

[hetchdrive]

hmm giant coffee on the first day since i started t was maybe not the best decision making i have ever made

[pretzel-box]

Heya! It’s me again, so I was playing pressure with a friend to yap about the lore going on there and showed them that you can die to Sebastian and was reading my death file when I saw that the recover or rescue team came by to pick up our bodies (my friend died as well to get the badge LOL) So being a person who runs on caffeine and 4 hours of sleep, How about a Experiment reader (Anytype of monster and gender) gets caught by the recovery team, gets experimented on again so they’re pretty much brainwashed to take out Sebastian and/or get the crystal? Angst ending or Fluff ending is fine! You might be hearing me yap about the lore LOL

🍀

Tags: GN!reader, mentions of experiments and drugs, Reader is brainwashed against their will.

Words: 1,1k

The facility's cold walls pressed in on you, the sterile air thick with the metallic scent of blood and chemicals. Your last memory before this suffocating darkness was of Sebastian. His face, twisted with anger—or was it sorrow?—was the last thing you saw before everything went black and your mind shut off completely.

But now, your body aches. Something had changed, yet you failed to pinpoint it directly. Based on your view, you were in a pristine lab again, hooked up to machines, wires connected to your arms and chest, pumping something into you—something that made your mind foggy and distant, as if it didn’t belong to you anymore. The recovery team had found you, and instead of rescuing you, they brought you back into the nightmare you had once escaped as if your life was a tape that ran on repeat. It all felt so sickening familiar and at the same time so strangely because of the mysterious medication they gave you.

You tried to focus, but your thoughts slipped like clear water through your fingers. Every time you tried to grasp at a memory, it flickered out of reach. A dull pain echoed in your skull, reminding you that they had been tinkering with your mind—reshaping it, rewiring it. Urbanshade was doing what they did best: using you, turning you into something else. Something that isn't supposed to exist.

They had injected you with something, a serum meant to restrict your personality, to make you loyal, silent, more compliant. But the worst part wasn’t that type of change—it was the mental fog they forced upon you. They weren’t just changing a piece of your personality. They were changing your mind. Slowly, you could feel yourself slipping away, the edges of your personality dissolving into something more mechanical, more obedient. You were becoming their weapon, molded for a single purpose.

And that purpose? Sebastian.

“Target: Sebastian Solace. Mission: Retrieve the crystal. Kill on sight.” The robotic voice from the intercom echoed in your mind, a constant reminder of your new objective. It wasn’t you, but it felt like it was. The brainwashing had worked, at least partially. You wanted to resist, but every time you tried, pain shot through your head, and the objective reasserted itself like a brick wall blocking your escape.

They had turned you into a weapon to take him down.

Days, maybe weeks, passed as you walked through the hallways of the blackside, sharpening your new instincts, your new state of mind. Each mission drilled into your mind left you more detached, more focused. Every muscle in your body responded to their commands, every thought sharpened to fulfill the one goal: track Sebastian, retrieve the crystal. It was all you knew anymore.

But deep down, something still clung to life inside you, like a flickering ember of who you used to be. The memories of Sebastian—his voice, his calm determination, and the fleeting moments of connection you shared before it all went wrong. You weren’t sure if it was guilt or something else, but it kept gnawing at the corners of your brain, threatening to tear down the programming.

And then, finally, the day came. You met again.

The facility’s doors slid open, and you stepped out, breathing in the fresh, crisp air that felt almost foreign now. The world outside had moved on while you were trapped in Urbanshade’s clutches, but for you, time had frozen. Your eyes scanned the horizon, senses on high alert as you tried to track Sebastian down as best as you could without any helping tools. He wasn’t far. The crystal wasn’t far.

Your body moved like a predator, silent and swift through the shadows as you made your way to his hideout that served as a small shop. Urbanshade’s command echoed louder with every step: Kill on sight. The words pulsed like a heartbeat in your skull, tightening their grip on your mind.

And there he was—Sebastian. His tall, lean figure stood in the dim light of the facility’s lower levels, his back turned to you. He didn’t see you yet. You could feel the crystal’s energy pulsing from somewhere nearby as well, drawing you in like a beacon.

Your muscles tensed, ready to strike.

But then, something in you cracked. That flicker of memory, the ember of who you once were, flared up. Images flashed before your eyes—Sebastian smirking at you in some shared moment, his voice calming the chaos around you, his hand brushing yours in quiet moments that neither of you acknowledged aloud. The mission screamed in your head, demanding you act, but your heart thudded louder, pushing back. You fought the control, teeth gritted, hands shaking.

“Don’t do this.” It wasn’t your voice, but it was a part of you. The real you.

Sebastian turned, his eyes locking onto yours in an instant. For a moment, surprise flickered across his face, quickly replaced by something darker—recognition. He knew what you were here for.

“Of course,” he muttered, his voice cold, though his eyes softened for a split second as they traced your form. “They got you, too.”

You stood frozen, torn between your orders and the memories fighting to resurface. The sharp edge of the mission still lingered in your mind, urging you to finish it.

But the way he looked at you—so familiar, so human—made it hard to move. This was Sebastian. Not just the target, not just the mission. He was something else to you, something more. And Urbanshade couldn’t take that away, not completely.

“Are you really gonna go through with it?” His voice broke through your haze, slicing through the confusion in your mind. “After everything?”

Your hands trembled. You were so close. The crystal was there. The mission screamed for completion.

But you dropped your weapon.

Sebastian didn’t move, didn’t rush to you, just watched as you struggled, the conflict playing out on your face. For a moment, you were sure the pain would split your mind in two, the commands so deeply embedded that disobeying felt like tearing yourself apart.

Finally, you spoke, your voice strained. “I… I can’t.”

Sebastian’s eyes softened, though his posture remained guarded. “Then don’t.”

There was a silence, heavy with tension and something unspoken. You had disobeyed. You had failed the mission, but it didn’t feel like failure. It felt like freedom, even if just for a moment.

The pain in your head began to recede, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, you felt like yourself again.

But you knew it wouldn’t last. They would come for you. They would fix you, break you down, rebuild you into their weapon again.

Sebastian seemed to sense it too. He stepped closer, his hand brushing yours for the briefest moment. “We’ll figure this out,” he said, voice low. “But we have to go.”

You nodded, though a part of you knew there might not be a way out. But for now, you had one thing—Sebastian—and that was enough.

As you turned to leave, a weight lifted from your chest.

[fafnir19]

The Gender Switch Experience

Linus sat on his stool in the laboratory, swirling a stirring rod idly in a beaker of bubbling pink liquid. Elias leaned against the adjacent bench, eyebrow raised in amusement. Linus sighed, setting the rod down. "I just don't get it, Elias. How do women work? Why can't I find a girlfriend?"

Elias chuckled, adjusting his glasses. "You know, Linus, sometimes intelligence can be intimidating for some people. Plus, you can be a bit too deep with your scientific explanation of the universe. You need to be a bit more approachable and light-hearted." Linus huffed, running a hand through his blonde buzz cut. "But isn't it frustrating? Women seem to go for these brainless muscle masses, like that arrogant Aron from sales.

It's like their brains shut down in the presence of biceps and a charming smile." Elias arched an eyebrow. "Are you jealous of Aron?" Linus blushed. "Of course not! It's just... frustrating. I wish I could understand them better. And on top of that, my parents keep pressuring me about grandchildren. I'm their only hope to carry on the family lineage. It's like the weight of the ancestry rests solely on my shoulders."

Suddenly, Elias's eyes lit up with an idea. "Wait a minute, Linus. Remember our research project? What if we use our machine on one of us to understand the female perspective better?" Linus blinked, intrigued. "You mean the gender switch device?" Elias nodded. "Yes! We've been on the verge of a breakthrough, and this could be the perfect opportunity for you to walk a mile in a woman's heels, metaphorically speaking." Linus's eyes widened with realization. "You really think this could help me understand women better?" Elias grinned. "Absolutely! Plus, it could be a fantastic test run for our breakthrough project. Think about it, Linus. You could become Lina for a while and experience the world through a new lens." Linus hesitated before nodding resolutely. "I'll do it." Elias clapped him on the back. "Great! We'll do it on Friday evening when no one is in the lab. We'll keep it a secret, just between us." Excitement and nervousness swirled inside Linus's mind. What would it be like to inhabit a different body, to see the world through a different set of eyes? He couldn't wait for Friday to come. 

As the laboratory fell into a hushed silence, Linus positioned himself before the formidable transformation machine.

Nervously, he squared his shoulders, anticipation and trepidation intermingling within the depths of his being. Elias, his stalwart companion, stood poised to assist, his eyes alight with a fervent intellectual curiosity that mirrored Linus' own. "Do you truly wish to proceed with this, Linus?" Elias inquired, his voice tinged with a blend of caution and excitement. Linus met Elias' gaze, his own filled with unwavering determination. "I must understand, Elias. I must experience firsthand what it means to walk in a woman's shoes," he replied, his words resonating with resolute conviction. With a nod, Elias initiated the sequence, setting the transformative apparatus into motion. The contraption hummed to life, casting an otherworldly glow as it enveloped Linus in its embrace. Time seemed to stand still as an iridescent aura unfolded around him, bathing him in an ethereal luminescence. The air crackled with anticipation as Linus felt a strange, almost imperceptible tugging at the very essence of his being. His form contorted and shifted as the machine worked its mysterious alchemy, imbuing him with a profound sense of transformation. His heart quickened as he became increasingly aware of the subtle, yet undeniable rearrangement of his physicality. A surge of emotions coursed through him as he observed his chest swelling with newfound fullness, the contours of his physique assuming a delicate femininity. He gasped in astonishment as his once-familiar genitals underwent a profound metamorphosis, inverting and reforming into the embodiment of womanhood. A flurry of sensations, both exhilarating and disconcerting, washed over him, signaling the irrevocable completion of his transformation. Elias surveyed the scene with an analytical fervor, his eyes aglow with exhilaration. "It's working, Linus! You're becoming Lina!" he announced, a spark of triumph dancing in his gaze alongside a glimmer of incredulity. Indeed, the profound metamorphosis had come to fruition, and Linus had been reborn as Lina, her spirit pulsating with the complexities of her newfound identity.

With an unyielding resolve, Lina prepared to embark on a journey teeming with uncharted territory, her gaze alight with an insatiable curiosity. "Elias, I need to immerse myself in the world as a woman, to truly comprehend," she declared, her voice resonating with a fervent resolve. Acknowledging the weight of their audacious experiment, Elias met Lina's eye with a nod of acquiescence. "We must exercise caution, Lina. This is unexplored terrain, and we must tread with utmost care," he cautioned, cognizant of the gravity of their endeavors. As the evening unfolded and the initial shock of her newfound identity began to subside, Lina found herself filled with a sense of empowerment and curiosity. She wore a radiant smile as she thanked Elias profusely for his part in the experiment. "We should celebrate this momentous occasion, Lina," Elias suggested, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Let's go out, have some fun, and truly experience life as a woman." Lina's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect. "I'd love that! Let's make the most of this opportunity." Together, they ventured into the vibrant city, the evening air filled with an infectious energy. They found themselves in a lively bar, where the gentle clink of glasses and laughter mingled with the pulsating rhythm of music. Lina savored the feeling of newfound freedom and embraced the thrill of the unknown. As the night progressed, Elias and Lina indulged in a few cocktails, their lighthearted conversation punctuated by fits of laughter and the occasional insightful observation. It was a rare and cherished moment of unburdened joy, unmarred by the weight of responsibility and expectations. However, their carefree revelry was interrupted when a familiar presence entered the bar. Lina's heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of Aron, the very object of her frustration earlier.

She felt an urge to flee, but fear and defiance warred within her. Elias noticed Lina's unease and leaned in to whisper, "Let's leave, Lina. We can find another place to enjoy ourselves." Lina hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head with determination. "Yes, Elias. I want to dance. Let's go to a club." Elias raised an eyebrow, surprised at Lina's sudden resolve, but he acquiesced, understanding that she needed her space.  In the pulsating ambiance of the club, Lina lost herself in the dance, her body moving with a fluid grace that she never knew she possessed. The music resounded in her veins, infusing her with a sense of unbridled liberation. Elias, on the other hand, felt out of place in the thumping rhythms of the club and approached Lina. "I think I've had enough," he said with a strained smile. "Do you want to head home?" Lina, intoxicated with her newfound freedom, shook her head. "I'm going to stay a little longer. You go ahead, Elias. I'll find my way back." Elias hesitated, his concern evident in his eyes, but he eventually relented, knowing that Lina needed this night of self-discovery.  As Elias departed for the sidelines, Lina lost herself in the music, the vibrant allure of the night sweeping her into its enchanting embrace.

However, when an unexpected figure approached her amidst the dance, Lina's enthusiasm faltered. Aron materialized in the midst of the crowd, his confident strides carrying him closer to Lina with a charming smile playing on his lips.

Despite her initial reluctance, Lina found herself tentatively entertaining his approach, a strange sense of curiosity seizing her. "What's a vibrant beauty like you doing all alone on the dance floor?" Aron inquired, his blue eyes glimmering with a warmth that caught Lina off guard. Lina hesitated, caught in a curious dance of conflicting emotions. "I was planning to leave, but the music got the better of me. I couldn't resist the allure of the night." Aron's smile widened, the playful glint in his eyes stirring something unfamiliar within Lina. "I'm glad you stayed. Care to join me for a drink? I'd love to get to know you better." Lina's thoughts swirled in a tempest of uncertainty, her resistance slowly eroding in the face of Aron's undeniable charm. "I suppose one drink couldn't hurt," she acquiesced, allowing herself to be swept up in the enigmatic allure of the night. As the evening wore on, Lina found herself entangled in a captivating conversation with Aron, his charming manner casting an unexpected spell over her. The vibrant energy of the club intertwined with the heady allure of Aron's company, stirring sensations within Lina that she struggled to comprehend. Though she had harbored resentment towards Aron, Lina discovered a surprising charm and warmth in him as they conversed, his laughter infectious and his wit surprisingly disarming.

The night unfolded in a whirlwind of emotions, and before she could comprehend the gravity of her actions, she found herself in Aron's embrace, succumbing to an unexpected wave of desire. The next morning dawned with a disorienting haze of regret and bewilderment. Lina struggled to come to terms with her unexpected liaison with Aron, the weight of her actions settling heavily upon her. 

Eventually, Lina reunited with Elias, the gender switch machine restoring her to her original form as Linus. However, amidst their joyous banter, Linus divulged the startling revelations brought about by his time as Lina. "Elias, you won't believe what happened," Linus confessed, his expression a concoction of incredulity and astonishment. "As Lina, I found myself overwhelmed by unfamiliar sensations, and I… I slept with Aron." Elias arched an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Well, well, well, Linus. It seems that Lina had quite the adventure. And with Aron, no less!" Linus scowled, his cheeks ablaze with embarrassment. "It was a mistake, Elias. I don't know what came over me." Elias chuckled, offering Linus a reassuring pat on the back. "Relax, my friend. It's all part of the grand expedition of life. And I must say, this will make for a fantastic story to tell." 

As days turned into weeks following the experiment, Linus noticed a newfound vitality within himself, an inexplicable surge of energy and a fervent inclination towards physical activity. In a departure from his usual demeanor, he delved into rigorous physical exercise, his frame gradually gaining strength and definition.  Elias observed Linus's remarkable metamorphosis with a mix of awe and curiosity, remarking on his friend's newfound dedication to fitness. "I must say, Linus, the change in your lifestyle is truly astounding. Your commitment to exercise knows no bounds. What ignited this newfound passion?" Linus, a sheen of sweat glistening on his brow, beamed with a newfound confidence. "I can't quite put my finger on it, Elias. It's as if this surge of vitality has engulfed me, propelling me to embrace physical activity like never before. I feel like a whole new person." Elias raised an eyebrow. "A whole new person, you say? Are you certain it's simply the result of amplified endorphins from exercise?" Linus chuckled, the resonating tones of his laughter carrying a semblance of unfamiliarity. "Sure thing, man!" In the following weeks, Linus's fervor for physical activity yielded undeniable results. His physique underwent a stunning transformation, his once slender frame honed into a chiseled form that exuded an air of confidence and vitality. Rumors of his newfound allure rippled through the research facility, prompting admiring glances from colleagues and an influx of attention from female acquaintances.

One fateful day at the gym, Linus found himself face-to-face with Aron, the very embodiment of the idealized image of masculine vitality that Linus had previously begrudged. The air buzzed with an unexpected tension as Aron regarded Linus with a glint of recognition and intrigue.

Aron's eyebrow quirked up in surprise as he studied Linus's physique. "Well, well, well, Linus. Look at you, morphing from a bespectacled scientist into a swole stud. Quite the metamorphosis, I must say. What's your secret?" Linus paused, acutely aware of the newfound strength that surged through his being. "It seems that I've stumbled upon a penchant for physical exertion, much to my own surprise. Perhaps I should be asking you for workout tips, Aron." Aron chuckled, a bemused smile tugging at his lips. "I must admit, the transformation suits you, Linus. Embracing the ways of the jocks, are we?" Their encounters at the gym became a regular occurrence, and soon, Linus found himself embarking on training sessions alongside Aron, their banter filled with a surprising sense of camaraderie. As they delved into rigorous workouts and exchanged jabs and jests, a bond of unexpected companionship began to burgeon between the once unlikely allies.

It was during one such training session that Aron inquired about a peculiar detail. "Say, Linus, I couldn't help but notice something. Your eyes are typically brown, yet they seem to be blue. Are you wearing contact lenses?" Linus furrowed his brow, a flicker of perplexity dancing in his gaze. "That's odd. I haven't donned any lenses, so this alteration is indeed perplexing."  

Seeking answers, Linus approached Elias. In the dimly lit laboratory, Linus paced nervously as Elias fiddled with vials and beakers. "Elias, you have to help me figure this out," Linus implored, his brow furrowed in worry. "My eye color has changed, and I don't understand why. It's like I'm turning into someone else." Elias adjusted his glasses and peered at Linus intently. "Hmm, let's run some tests. We'll get to the bottom of this, Linus," he assured, his voice laced with determination.

With deft movements, Elias collected samples and scurried off to the lab equipment, his mind whirring with potential explanations. After a few days of anxious anticipation, Elias bustled back into the room holding a sheet of paper. "Linus, I have the results," Elias declared, his eyes ablaze with curiosity. "It's... unexpected." "Spit it out, Elias," Linus urged, his nerves on edge. He braced himself for the impending revelation. "According to the DNA test, it seems that Lina, well, she was... she was impregnated by Aron," Elias stuttered, his shock mirrored by Linus's gaping jaw. "Aron? But... but that's impossible! How could this have happened?" Linus spluttered, his mind swimming with disbelief. "And what does this mean for me?" Elias paused, choosing his words carefully. "It seems that transforming from Lina back to Linus triggered a fundamental change in you. Because the lack of a uterus has prevented you from growing a child, it appears that your own genetic makeup has been irrevocably altered.You, my friend, are now technically considered Aron's son," Elias explained, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "No, that can't be right," Linus protested, his fists clenching in denial. "I refuse to accept that I'm anything like him. I'm not his son." "It's common for offspring to resist acknowledging their similarities to their parents," Elias chuckled, attempting to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "But Linus, when we really think about it, you've taken on a lot of Aron's traits, haven't you?" Linus fell silent, his mind grappling with Elias's observation. He couldn't deny that over time, he had mirrored Aron's behavior, finding a newfound confidence that had eluded him before.

Unbeknownst to them, Aron had overheard snippets of their conversation and sauntered over, a smug smirk dancing on his lips. "What's all this fuss about genetic makeup?" he inquired with a curious glint in his eyes. Linus flinched at the sight of Aron, his newfound anxiety clashing with his unease. "It's nothing, really. Just some absurd test results that we're trying to make sense of," Linus replied hastily, attempting to brush off the seriousness of the situation. Aron folded his arms across his chest, casting a knowing smirk at Linus.

"So, does this mean that you're no longer part of your own family line?" he prodded mischievously. Linus squared his shoulders, determined to refute the assumption. "Children carry the genetic traits of both parents. I can't just be solely considered like you," he asserted, his voice wavering with uncertainty. Elias shifted awkwardly, the weight of the revelation sitting heavily on his shoulders. "Well, the test results did show that about 90% of your genetic makeup is now paralleled with Aron's, with only 10% retaining aspects of your old self," Elias confessed, unable to meet Linus' gaze. Aron raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Does this mean that Linus' family line has now been wiped out - he is an only child?" he asked mischievously, his eyes glinting with mischief. Silence enveloped the room as Linus struggled to grapple with the enormity of the truth. How could he come to terms with the fact that he was more akin to Aron than himself and that his ancestral line has been vanquished?

Aron clapped Linus on the back, his expression brimming with amusement, "Look at that, you're one of the cool kids now, Linus! Embrace the change, buddy." "This is absurd," Linus muttered, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. Over the next few months, Linus noticed a change within himself. His once-keen intellect seemed to wane, and he found himself drawn to activities he had never before considered. Linus clasped his hands and stared into the distance, "I never used to enjoy sports or casual conversations. What's happening to me?"

Elias patted Linus on the back, a tinge of sadness in his eyes, "It seems the transformation has altered more than just your physical appearance, Linus. Your interests, your behavior, they're all shifting." Linus shook his head, unable to comprehend the magnitude of the changes taking place within him. "I don't want to be like Aron," he muttered, despondent. As days turned by, Linus found himself a sudden desire to be more outgoing and social gnawing at him. "I never thought I'd say this, but Aron has become my best friend," Linus admitted to Elias, a sense of bewilderment lacing his words. Elias sighed, "It seems like you're embracing more and more of Aron's traits with each passing day, Linus. It's like he's become your role model."

In the nine months that followed, the change in Linus was palpable. His once razor-sharp intellect dulled, morphing into a shadow of its former self. No longer was he the dedicated scientist engrossed in groundbreaking research, but a husk of a man, devoid of his former brilliance. It was a bright Monday morning when Linus trudged his way into the sales department, a world away from his beloved science department. He was greeted with slaps on the back and hearty cheers from his new colleagues, among them, the suave and charming Aron. "Hey, Linus! Look at you, all dapper and ready to conquer the sales world!" Aron exclaimed with a roguish grin. Linus barely managed a dim smile in return, his once keen eyes now glazed over with vacant emptiness. His transformation was complete, and Elias could only watch in despair as his best friend slipped further and further away from him.

As the months went by, Linus' days revolved around sales pitches and closing deals. Gone were the days of intellectual pursuits, replaced by the pursuit of fleeting pleasures and hedonistic indulgences.

As Linus strolled into the sales department, a noticeable swagger in his step and a twinkle in his eyes, Elias glanced at him with a mixture of disbelief and resignation. "Linus, what in the world has gotten into you?" Elias asked, his brow furrowed in concern. "Hey, bro, check out my new watch. It totally seals the deal with the ladies," Linus drawled, flashing a blingy timepiece that gleamed under the fluorescent lights.

Elias's mouth gaped open. "Linus, you were a prodigy in the science department. A budding genius. And now look at you. What happened?" Linus chuckled smugly. "Who needs all that nerdy stuff when you've got charm, huh? Aron showed me the way. Now I'm living the dream, man." He slapped Elias on the back with a booming laugh, his once soft voice now laced with a newfound bravado. Elias's eyes widened as he watched Linus saunter over to the water cooler, surrounded by a flock of female co-workers hanging on his every word. Elias, torn between disbelief and resignation, approached the boss of the sales department, hoping for a glimmer of some solidarity. "He's dumb as a rock but knows how to use his good looks for successful sales. I guess, you should produce more of them, Elias," the boss remarked casually, not a hint of recognition for the man Linus used to be. In a moment of resignation, Elias turned to Linus, his once-friend, now a mere shell of his former self. "Linus, I need your help with something," Elias began, the weight of his words heavy on his chest. "I need a sample of your...cum." Linus, now devoid of his former depth, chuckled thoughtlessly. "Sure, man. Anything for you," he replied with a vacant look in his eyes, his once keen mind reduced to nothing but a mindless echo of Aron's.

And so, Linus and Elias drifted apart, their once unbreakable bond shattered by the cruel twist of fate. What was once a story of scientific discovery and friendship had now morphed into a tragic tale of lost intellect and shattered dreams.

[bogkeep]

when i was a teen, i was in love with my best friend. to this day i cannot tell you with any certainty whether or not i was in love romantically or platonically. i don't know and i don't care. it's very possible there is a difference, but i never found it. i've asked many people about it and everyone has their own definition of where that line goes, none that ever applied to my own experiences. there is no satisfying, universal and objective line. i think that's good, actually. the idea that there is some shining abstract concept that's specialer than all the other concepts that can only be achieved like nirvana by some people and not others is not a comfortable idea. this is not to say that everyone has the same feelings and experiences, absolutely not - but we categorize our experiences within the contexts we exist in. or maybe that's just word salad.

i know that - at the time, i knew i was deeply connected to this other person and kept thinking about her all the time and we talked about wanting to be close friends for our whole lives and wrote poetry together about our soulmateness and we made mutual friends feel like a third wheel. i knew i had no desire to kiss her or take her on dates, and she crushed on some boy at summer camp, but the connection between us was mutual and explicit. if the concept of a queerplatonic relationship had been available to us at the time, maybe we would've recognized it as such. i just knew that what i was feeling didn't match up at all with what i've been told 'being in love' was supposed to be like - especially because, at the time, Being In Love also included sexual attraction. we had just cracked open the 2010's and asexuality was a punchline and a joke.

i know that - during the time i was made to feel ashamed of my aroace identity and the narrative was that i'm actually just repressing my TRUE queer identity, i reframed my memories - i had obviously been in love with my friend Romantically. i was a Real Gay. i was Valid. I Was Sapphic Actually. you can't kick me out of the parade if i had pined for my best friend as a teen!!!!

i know that - once i reclaimed the pride in myself, i reframed the memories again: i had obviously been in love with my friend Platonically, because otherwise i would've been a traitor to the good name of aromanticism. if i knew what it was like to have a crush i would contradict myself. who am i to write about romantic love as if i know? what was i doing at the devil's sacrament?

maybe it is a mystery. maybe i don't know shit. it's hard, actually, to know anything at all when the way my strange brain filters emotions through my body reads so different to the user manual. how can anyone stand to pine for another when it's all anxiety, all day? "butterflies"???? really????? how am i supposed to know anything for sure when my brain's favourite hobby is to pick thoughts apart and run them through the distortion machine on repeat, on repeat, on repeat? i don't know if i've ever loved anyone at all, now that i think about it. maybe i'm an empty shell of a human and everything i do is an act of puppetry and wishful thinking.

i just gotta trust that the love is there, in some form or another. even when i can't reach for it and confirm its existence - let alone deduce a detailed taxonomy. what do you even need that for.

[ijustwanttoreadfanfiction]

Friendly Sex - Chapter 1 - The Party

Eddie Munson X AFAB!Reader

Your 6 year long unrequited crush on Steve Harrington is starting to wear thin, and after discovering Eddie Munson feels the same way about Chrissy Cunningham you decide to make a pact. After all, what's the harm in a little casual sex between friends?

  A/N: Story opens April 1986. Slight AU, all the events of seasons 1, 2 and 3 happened, except Hopper didn't get transported to Russia, the gate was closed and Joyce, Hopper, Jonathan, Will and Jane all move to California as one big happy family. Jonathan and Nancy break up (necessary for plot, apologies to any shippers). Nancy and Steve are together. Reader is 18 and in final year at Hawkin's High School, alongside Robin and Eddie etc. Reader works at Family Video with Robin & Steve. Vecna storyline is not a thing, strange things will not be happening. This has been festering in my brain and I don't know what to do with it, so, tada!

Warnings: NSFW. SMUT, (MDI) 18+ only, drugs, sex, alcohol, underage drinking, public sex, dirty talk, name calling in sex (consensual), explicit language, adult themes, there will be angst, it will get messy.

More warnings to be added.

Revised edition.

************************************************************************

  It was Robin’s idea to go to the party, one of those let’s have a party for the sake of having a party, parties, the all American standard, under-age keg fest.

It was an unwelcome change from your regularly scheduled Saturday night plans of doing nothing.

But argue as you might, Robin had made it clear you were going, even if she had to drag you.

"I'm tired of watching your ass wallow in self-pity." She said in true blunt Robin fashion, pulling outfit after outfit out of your closet, throwing them haphazardly in your general direction.

"I thought you loved watching my ass." You bite back, holding up a rust-coloured corduroy mini skirt to your hips.

"Ha, ha. I'm serious though dude, this whole moping Minnie routine is getting old, you just need to get out there and get yourself laid." She groans, pushing past you, flopping face first onto your bed in frustration.

"The skirt looks good, you should wear it with your tan knee highs." She adds, laying on her front to look at you.

"I'm working on it Rob." You grumble, fishing your boots out from under a pile of clothes. "It's not easy to let go of a 6 year crush you know."

"Well maybe if you had made a move 6 years ago, we wouldn't be in this mess." She huffs in exaggeration.

"Gee, you're right, let me just hop in my time machine, go back and tell my 12-year-old self to man up and ask out Steve Harrington. Huzzah!" You quip dryly, yanking the zipper of your boots up none too gently.

  "Honestly Harrington has a lot to answer for, it's like the women of Hawkin's see him and suddenly all rational thought disappears." Robin laughs.

"It's the hair." You agree, fluffing up your own in the mirror. "And only the great Robin Buckley, lesbian superheroine, is immune to its hypnotic powers."

"Then I must use my powers for good!" She declares in a manly tone, hauling herself off the bed to wrap her arms around your shoulders. "My mission, gentle citizen, is to break the spell cast over you." She places a wet kiss on your cheek casting an appraising eye over your finished ensemble. "Very hot."

  ***

  It's not that you disliked parties, after all it was a time honoured tradition to go to some random person's house whilst their parents where out of town and get absolutely wasted, chintzy picture perfect living rooms suddenly overrun with overactive hormones, sweaty bodies and dubious punch bowls, however after the initial buzz wore off you usually found yourself longing for the quiet solitude of your bedroom. Of course, when you express this to Robin, after half an hour of being there, she merely rolls her eyes in disgust, thrusting another cup of mystery alcohol in your hand, ushering you back into the throng of young adults.

"Would you stop?" She implores, holding your left shoulder with her free hand. "Your problem is you think too much. So, give those little grey cells a break by killing some of them off." She lifts her own drink in a mock toast, nodding at you to do the same.

"You are a terrible friend." You relent with a laugh, toasting quickly and taking a gulp, face scrunched up in distaste as the alcohol burns your throat.

"The very worst." She says with an evil grin, which fades somewhat as she focuses on something behind you. You turn towards the source, and despite knowing what you would see, your stomach still swoops uncomfortably at the sight of Steve or more precisely Steve with his arm wrapped around Nancy Wheeler looking incredibly loved up. "Shit." Robin declares.

"Shit." You agree flatly. 

  You move to go back towards the kitchen, but Robin takes your hand, holding you in place, Steve having already spotted you both, his own hand thrown up in greeting, weaving through the crowd with Nancy in tow.

"Fancy seeing you fine ladies here." Steve grins broadly, leaning in to give each of you a one-armed hug, your skin burning from his touch.

"Fancy that." Robin agrees sheepishly, you get a grim sense of satisfaction at the uncomfortable look on her face.

Nancy, who had been hanging off of Steve's free arm for the majority, leans forward to speak to you over the pounding music. "I love your skirt Y/n." She smiles sweetly; and you feel the rather irrational urge to stick pins in her bright blue eyes.

"Thanks Nancy." You call back, trying to return her smile. "I- uh -I like your bracelet." You say, noticing a golden glimmer on her wrist, plastering on the enthusiasm.

Nancy, being an actual angel, flushes with pleasure at your compliment. "Steve bought it for me." She sighs, toying with the gold bangle,

and you try not to urge as they share a sickening saccharine look.

"Of course he did." You mutter grudgingly to yourself, desperately wanting to escape.

"What did you say Y/n?" Steve asks absent-mindedly, still gazing at Nancy.

"I'm gonna grab another drink." You say in a clearer voice, not that it mattered, because at that moment Steve seemed to find a very interesting spot on Nancy's neck that required the immediate attention of his mouth. Grimacing you slip past them, purposely ignoring Robin's pleading calls for a top up and/or a sick bucket.

  Reaching the kitchen, you chug a cup of punch straight off, before refilling it to the brim, whilst you knew alcohol wouldn't solve your problems it could certainly try and soothe the jealous beast currently roaring in your head at the human octopus that was Stancy.

Deciding the garden was the best place to avoid a front row seat to the lovefest, you steer your body around bumping and grinding couples, careful not to spill a drop of your precious emotional medicine. The backyard to your pleasant surprise is empty, the party having not yet spilled out, and the chilly night air was a welcome contrast to the stale humidity inside. You wander out onto the pristine lawn, and find yourself releasing a breath you didn't realize you had been holding, ears ringing slightly as they adjusted to the now muffled thumping bass.

"Well, well, well what brings you out here Sweetheart?"

You groan heavily at the teasing drawl behind you.

"I was trying to get some peace and quiet, but that's not likely to happen with you around, is it Munson?" You sigh, turning to face Eddie Munson who was perched on a swing set to the far right, slightly obscured in semi-darkness, but a Cheshire cat grin clearly plastered on his face.

"Ouch, you wound me." He says, placing a dramatic hand over his heart, still grinning away like an idiot. "Seriously though, I wouldn't have pegged you for this kinda gig." He gestures with his head back towards the party.

"It was Robin's idea." You mutter darkly, glaring towards the shut French doors.

"Well, if looks could kill, I'm guessing you'll have a best friend vacancy by this time tomorrow." He laughs again, which irritates you further. 

  "What are you doing here?" You deflect back, hiccupping slightly as you drink some more punch. "Place is like jock city in there, hardly your regular stomping ground either."

He nudges a battered black tin lunch-box with his foot, slightly tucked under the swing. "You know me sweetheart, got a business to run, empires to build, horizons to expand." He says with the usual Eddie flair.

"Dealing drugs to inebriated teens, I should've guessed." You say wryly, rolling your eyes.

"You make it sound so dirty." He mocks you, irritating smirk still fixed.  "And you've never complained before." He reminds you pointedly.

Whilst far from being a hardcore user, you were a semi- frequent customer of Eddie's when it came to weed, finding him to be discreet, reliable and most importantly for your minimum wage ass, cheap.

"Well maybe I'm in the mood to complain tonight," You mutter suddenly feeling bitter about the way the night had gone downhill so quickly, scuffing your boot into the neatly trimmed grass.

Eddie leans down to extract something from his tin.

"Joint for your thoughts?" He offers, holding out a perfectly rolled spliff, quickly adding. "No charge." You mull it over for all of 2 seconds, concluding your jealous inner demon will not be calmed by alcohol alone. 

  "'Atta girl!" He calls happily as you stomp over to squeeze beside him, he pats your knee in encouragement, then lights up, graciously passing you the joint for the first drag which you take gratefully.

You both sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, offering the smoke back and forth. You could tell straight away that the weed was a much higher quality than you could ever normally afford and therefore hoped its soothing effects would kick in a lot quicker.

"Soooo," Eddie gently ventures after a few more minutes, "you wanna walk about it?" 

"What's there to talk about, I'm in love with a guy who is in love with someone else." You shrug on a heavy exhale.

Eddie whistles between his teeth, regarding you carefully as you take another hit.

"Ah, that old cliche huh?" He nudges you lightly, taking the joint back for his turn.

Now Eddie had said it, you couldn't help but laugh in agreement.

"I guess it is pretty clichéd." 

"Yup no points for originality this time princess. So, who's Captain Oblivious?" He asks, offering you another hit, shaking your head you opt to take a swig of alcohol, mentally bracing yourself for Eddie's inevitable teasing.

"Steve Harrington." You sigh glumly into your cup.

Eddie let out a muttered "Damn." 

"The former King of Hawkin's High himself. I don't envy you there babe."

  You snatch the joint back from his ringed fingertips, fed up with his teasing. "Don't take the piss Eddie, I'm not in the mood." You mumble defensively, leaning forward so as not to see the smirk on his face.

"Hey." He says in a surprisingly genuine tone, his hand rubbing your back, making you turn to look at him. "I'm not ragging on you sweetheart. Harrington is a nice enough guy now he's not hanging out with the douchebag brigade. I can see why you'd like him."

You lean back and Eddie slips his arm around your shoulders. 

"Well, I'm glad you can see it, he doesn't even know I exist, at least not in the way I want him to." You sigh, resting your head on his arm, seeing off the last of your drink and feeling distinctly sorry for yourself. 

You both lapse into silence again, the swing swaying gently beneath you as you burn through more of the joint , somewhere inside the house voices were shouting "Keg! Keg! Keg!"

  After a few moments, Eddie shifts slightly, arm wrapping more securely around you.

"Can I tell you something?" He asks, sounding nervous.

"I mean I just bared my soul to you, so I guess it's only fair." You murmur, glancing up at him.

He breathes a heavy sigh, right leg jiggling.

"I have been head over heels in love with Chrissy Cunningham since middle school." He confesses with a wince.

You wanted to say something encouraging, maybe even profound, or at the very least offer some words of comfort, so you felt a little guilty when you couldn't suppress the giggle that passed your lips.

"Chrissy Cunningham?!" You exclaim, staring at him wide-eyed "Cheerleader extraordinaire, Chrissy Cunningham?"

He looks at you, lips pressed tight as though he was trying to hold back his own laughter. 

"Yep." Letting the 'p' pop. "Ever since she shook her pom-poms in the talent show."

You were barely holding it together, attempting to keep your voice level as you spoke. 

"Wait, wait. So not only are we both in love with two very attractive people who are waaaay out of our league, these people are also in long term committed relationships with two other very attractive people." 

Your statement hung in the air for a second, both of you then erupting into fits of laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation.

  Eddie chuckled throatily around the stub of the joint, almost burnt out. "Oh man, we are pathetic." Shaking his head.

You jam your elbow lightly into his ribs. "Hey, speak for yourself!" You jokingly admonish. 

"What, you think you have a chance?" He snorts incredulously.

You pretend to weigh up your options.

"If Nancy Wheeler gets hit by a bus, sure I'll shoot my shot… after an extended mourning period of course." You say.

"Of course." Eddie agrees, both of you collapsing into fits of uncontrollable giggles once more, fuelled on by excessive alcohol and weed.

  "So, what do you think you need to do to get over little old Stevie?" Eddie asks you somewhat more seriously, stamping the remainder of the joint out under his sneakers, leaning back against the swing, taking you under his arm again.

You shrug, settling comfortably against him, staring up at the night sky, your own arm wrapping lightly about his waist. "Robin says I just need to get laid." You sigh flatly.

"I mean it's not the worst suggestion in the world." He says reasonably. 

"Yeah, but c'mon Munson, guys aren't exactly queued around the block waiting to give me a service." You say, gesturing to the empty garden, Eddie pulling a face at your phrasing.

"Maybe that's because you've spent the past however many years with your Harrington blinkers on." He suggests, and it hits a nerve within you, quite often you wondered if you had missed opportunities with other guys because of your Harrington fixation. Your first and thus far only proper relationship, at 16 ,was doomed to fail from the start as Bobby Cooper just couldn't live up to the standards you had set in your daydreams of Steve.

"Well, what about you and your Chrissy conundrum? Your on-tap supply of groupies not helping to ease the pain?" You bite back, on the defensive.

Rather than get shitty with you, Eddie just gives you the classic Munson smirk.  

"You think I’m good enough to have groupies?" He teases, squeezing your side, with a saucy eyebrow raise.

You pinch him back playfully. "I've seen you play Eddie; you know you're good." You admit with a smile.

He heaves a dramatic sigh, hand to his brow like some wretchedly poor southern belle.

"And yet, the tour bus-"

"Your van?" You chip in snidely.

"-my van" He ruefully concedes "is decidedly empty, even with the new air freshener."

"It's a crying shame, Eds." You laugh, patting his cheek.

  He places an affectionate kiss on your head, cuddling you closer against the chilly breeze, it feels nice to be held, and even nicer to talk to someone so openly, other than Robin of course.

You lapse into comfortable silence once more, the strains of some Blondie song thumping from inside, the party was kicking up a gear but you found yourself lost in thought.

You had always had a soft spot for Eddie, conversation flowed easily enough, and you appreciated his dry sense of humour, both of you were regular outcasts in comparison to rest of the high school cliques, and you had found yourselves in detention together more times than you cared to count; you had a bad habit of disagreeing with your English teacher. And if you were being honest, he was actually really kind of pretty when you took the time to really look at him, chocolate brown eyes, full lips, awesome hair.

You hadn't realised you had been staring at him until he cleared his throat, you pulled away from his arms sheepishly, cheeks aflame from the embarrassment of being caught out, but feeling sure Eddie had been staring at you for the same amount of time.

"Uh- sweetheart, and by all means please let me know if I have completely misread some signals here, but I think I may have found the solution to both our problems." It surprised you to hear a note of uncertainty in his voice, particularly as Eddie was normally shockingly cavalier to a fault, it made you turn back to face him.

"Go on…" You encouraged him, finding your mouth oddly dry.

  He took a deep breath, leaning closer, his arm snaking about your waist, warm fingertips tracing absentmindedly across the inch of exposed skin between your skirt and top, goose pimples erupting that made a shiver run up your spine.

"You need to get laid." He stated. "I need to get laid. We both have stuff we need to get out of our systems. You're a stand-up girl," he gave you a courteous nod. "...and I think I'm correct in saying you find me tolerable at the very least." The uncertainty was back, steeling yourself you placed a hand on his denim clad knee giving him a squeeze. 

"More than tolerable Eds." You offer a smile.

"Thanks sweetheart." He mutters blushing. "So, uh anyway, what I'm trying to say here is… in a pretty roundabout way and you can of course say no-"

"Eddie"

"Sorry, rambling, what I'm trying to say is we could… help each other out?" He was staring at you, pleading with you to chime in.

"You mean sex?" You ask slowly, noticing his blush creep up to his ears.

"Uh, y-yeah that thing." He stammers. "If you wanted to, with me, we could have sex as friends every now and then, friendly sex."

  You glanced at your wristwatch, 26 minutes ago you came out into the garden of some unknown person seeking a quiet place to drown your Steve induced sorrows, and now you were sitting next to Eddie Munson, seriously considering his offer of 'friendly sex'. Maybe Robin's kiss from earlier really had broken a spell, you laughed aloud at the thought, mirth quickly turning to frantic apologies at the look of horror on Eddie's face, forgetting that he was not privy to your inner monologue.

"Oh my god Eddie, no I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you!' You cried, cringing at your own social ineptitude.

"Hey, it's ok honey, I told you, it's cool if you don't want to-" His tone was calm, patting your side, making to stand and walk away with what little dignity he had left.

"NO! Don't go, I do want to!" You let out a shout, grasping his arm to pull him back down, your face burning in mortification that you essentially just begged Eddie to fuck you. 

"Alright sweetheart, calm down I'm not going anywhere, no need to shout." He soothed; devil- may-care smirk back in place, holding you firmly about the waist again. You tried to turn away at his teasing, but Eddie cupped your cheek, the numerous rings on his fingers cool against your prickling skin.

"I'm going to kiss you now." His voice low and surprisingly authoritative. "Ok?" He asks, inching closer to your lips. Unsure if you had the nerve to speak, you merely nod. "Use your words princess, I need you to tell me that it's ok for me to kiss you." He teased; lips just shy of brushing against yours.

"I-it's ok, kiss me, please." You whisper, hands fisted in his jacket, pulling him in to close the final gap.

Eddie surged forward with an urgency that made you gasp, kissing you hard, your teeth clacking together painfully but you didn't care, adrenaline coursing through your veins like rocket fuel. You quickly found the right rhythm for each other kissing back with equal enthusiasm, his grip tightened moving you to straddle his lap, with you kneeling. He kneaded your ass, grinding you down, you gasped feeling the hard outline of his dick, taking full advantage of your open mouth, his tongue slipping in to meet with yours. Releasing his jacket, you tangled your fingers in his hair, tugging harder than intended as Eddie nipped at your bottom lip, but he hardly seemed to care judging by the groan that escaped his throat. You smirked, tucking the knowledge away for later use, Eddie also appeared to be mentally cataloguing your reactions, like the way your hips rocked involuntarily as he sucked your neck just below your right ear, and how your breath hitched whilst he felt you up under your shirt, brushing the underside of your breast.

So lost in each other you didn't notice the sudden increase in noise coming from the party, signalling that someone had opened the screen door, it was the violent retching sound of vomiting that had you jumping apart as though you had been electrocuted, scrambling off Eddie's lap. You grimaced in disgust, Chance from the High School basketball team spewing chunks over the once pristine lawn, to the jeers of others inside.

  "Hey…" Eddie spoke breathlessly, pulling your attention back to him, his lips kiss bitten, pupils blown wide. "You uh, want to get out of here?"

Grinning you snatched up his hand pulling him none too gently in the direction of the back gate, the sound of Chance's digestive pyrotechnics mercifully fading away, Eddie now pulling you along in the opposite direction to the house.

My van is this way."

Your heels clacked against the concrete, the pair of you moving at a light jog, keen to pick where you left off, both breathless as you came up on Eddie's van.

"Your chariot milady." He gestured proudly to the beat up vehicle like it was Cinderella's magical pumpkin carriage.

"Eddie, calling me milady is a total turn off." You teased, nose wrinkling.

  He pulled you to him, spinning you so your back was pressed against the passenger side door, 

"Oh well in that case, I best stick to sweetheart, huh sweetheart?" Caging you, his smile almost predatory as he set to work sucking what would no doubt be a prize-winning hickey just above your throat.

You grabbed the scruff of his neck when the skin got too sensitive, pulling his lips back to yours, both of you fighting for dominance in the kiss, thoroughly making out. Eddie palmed your tits, as you reached down trailing a teasing hand along the bulge in his jeans, he broke the kiss huffing out a low "Shit…."

Feeling bold, you flashed him a mischievous grin, unbuckling his belt, your hand slipping inside the tight denim stroking his cock properly, he was fully hard, your thumb swiping a thick bead of pre-cum around the mushroomy head.

"You keep doing that sweetheart and I’ll have no choice but to fuck you right here in the street." Eddie panted against your neck, his words going straight to your cunt.  

"Promises, promises." You said with a purr, jerking him slowly.

He laughed breathlessly. "Fucking tease." His hands quickly hitching up your skirt, hips pressing you closer to the van, slipping your panties to the side, you gasped as he trailed a finger through your wetness up to your clit and back down again.

  "Jesus baby, you're soaked. All this for me?" He asks incredulously, kissing you deeply again, two fingers moving slowly pumping in and out of your cunt as his thumb plays with your clit. The pair of you working each other, quiet moans slipping past swollen lips 

"Eddie." You whined softly, there was a tiny voice in the back of your mind which was terrified about getting caught in such a compromising position, but a much louder voice was screaming, begging to let Eddie have his way with you in the street where anyone could see.

"What is it princess?" He murmured, biting at your lower lip.

"I want -" You hiccupped on a moan, all four of his fingers now working over your swollen clit, spreading the slick from your cunt, you could only hold his cock, brain not functioning enough under his ministrations.

Grinning, taunting you openly he nipped at the sweet spot under your ear, whispering "Use your words baby."

"Oh my god." You whimpered. The screaming in your brain reaching a fever pitch; you wanted him to fuck you, right now, you didn't care if you got caught. "Eddie, do it, fuck me, fuck me right here." You say frantically, his movements stilling in shock. 

"You sure sweetheart? I-I can wait, we don't have to do anything you don't wanna-" He cut off, watching as though in a trance, you turned yourself around, pushing your ass out toward him, in the dim streetlight your pussy glistened with wetness all swollen and pretty.

  "Ho-ly fuck." He breathed out in awe, fishing hurriedly for a condom in his jacket pocket. You were breathing hard against the passenger window, watching Eddie's reflection, staring, cheeks flushed with excitement and lust as he yanked his jeans and boxers down enough to free his length, panting as he rolled the condom on. Coming up behind you, he crowded you against the van once again, his body covering your back, feeling his cock line up with your entrance; shivering at the slow press and delicious stinging sensation as he worked his way in.

"Christ you're so fucking tight baby." He hissed, balls flush to your ass as he bottomed out, one hand coming up to play with your tits, the other bracing against the van as he started to thrust.

"Eddie…fuck." You choked out, rubbing at your sopping clit, you were already so close, bouncing your hips back against him as he thrust harder.

"Oh my fucking god, you're perfect, so fucking tight and perfect. I can feel you dripping on my balls." He groaned, grabbing your hair, turning your head to capture your lips in a frantic kiss, you keened into his mouth. He was pulling your top up, freeing your breasts, pinching at your puckered nipples, his other arm wrapping tight  around your middle, holding you steady, pounding deeper.

  It was lewd, it was indecent, it was sinful and you had never felt so alive.

  "Eds, Eddie, I'm - fuck I'm fucking close, please." You begged, pleading, hovering over the edge, heat swimming deep in your belly.

"Oh shit, yes, such a good girl." You could hear he was close, the words passing through gritted teeth. "Taking this cock so well. You wanna cum baby?"

"Yes." You whined desperately, the coil within you tightening. "Please, I wanna cum so bad, fuck me harder." 

You didn't know where the words were coming from, had never felt this pent up, never craved sex this way before.

Eddie's balls were slapping against you in a faster rhythm, the sound penetrating the otherwise still night air.

"Fucking hell baby, yes take it, so fucking good - shit - that's it fucking cum for me sweetheart. Cum-on-my-cock-you-little-fucking-slut." He punctuated each word with brutal thrusts and at the word slut you felt the dam break, wave after wave of throbbing pleasure seized your body, head thrown back in a wordless cry, spasming around his dick.

"Shit,shit,shit,fuck,fuck." Eddie was chanting in a low whine, hips stilling against you, even with the condom on you could feel the pulse of him cumming.

  You both stayed perfectly still for a moment, your shared heavy breathing the only sound now.

"That was… holy fuck that was…" Eddie muttered leaning heavily against your shoulder, you clung onto the side mirror for support, legs feeling like jelly.

"Uh huh." You agreed breathlessly, you felt his hand on your back rubbing soothingly, unable to stop yourself from hissing as he pulled out, gently righting your panties for you and pressing a fleeting kiss to the back of your neck.

It was a remarkably sweet gesture, particularly in stark contrast to your position moments before, you tugged your top down, and skirt back up leaning against the van with a heavy exhale. Eddie had tucked himself away, and was now busy tying the condom off, stepping into the road to drop it unceremoniously down a gap in a drain cover, your face scrunched in distaste at the action.

"Giving the swimmers a new lease of life." He said winking impishly.

"I'm sure the sewer rats will be ever so pleased." You deadpanned.

  You were unsure what the plan was now, should you go your separate ways, you back to the party, him to - well wherever Eddie spent Saturday nights?

Returning to the party felt like a hellish idea, not just because you probably looked like you had just had sex, which you had, but you'd also have to face Steve and Nancy and whilst you now seemingly had the option of sex on tap, emotionally your heart still very much belonged to Harrington. Also you had the beginnings of a headache no doubt from the toxic punch.

"Uh- sweetheart you in there?" Eddie asked you, waving his hand in front of you, evidently you had zoned out.

"Huh?"

"I was talking about milkshakes." 

'Milkshakes?" You repeatedly blankly.

"Yeah, ya know, you take the milk, you take the shake you take them both and then you have the facts of life." He said moving past you, opening the passenger door.

You just stared vacantly.

"Oh my god I fucked the intelligence out of you." He giggled, ducking to one side as you tried to punch him in the arm, catching your hand he pulled you to him.

"Sweetheart I would very much like it if you would accompany me to a diner where we can have milkshakes and discuss the intimate details of our little arrangement." He clarified, gesturing for you to get into the van.

"Details?" You ask cluelessly, clambering into the seat, maybe he had fucked you dumb.

"Details." Eddie cooed, tapping you on the nose and strapping you in like a child, before handing you his drug box and slamming the door.

You were unsure whether to be amused or concerned at how he skipped to his own driver's side, lighting a cigarette. 

"Eddie, what exactly are we doing?" You ask, completely exasperated. He revved the engine, jamming the play button on the car radio, head banging along to Ace of Spades - Motorhead for a few moments.

"EDDIE!" You yell over the music impatiently.

"You and I are making a pact princess" Flashing you a huge grin before peeling down the street.

[belle--ofthebrawl]

Trick or treeeEEEAAAT I have come to request Swiss/Rain librarian AU.

Swiss likes to think he's a pretty suave guy. He dresses the part, well fitting trousers and sweaters, a tattered pair of canvas shoes to add a little intrigue and of course, his perfectly styled curls he spent way to much money on products for.

He knows he's the reason the library has suddenly gained the attention of many lonely souls. He's attractive, he's friendly and he wears glasses that give everyone flutters when he looks over the rims at them to inform them of their fine amount.

And it's not like he's stupid either. The library isn't exactly his typical hunting grounds for a pretty face to spend the night with. Everyone who goes there usually ends up absorbed in a book and who wants to be bothered when in that state of mind? He knows he hates it.

Still, he wonders. What it might be like to sit down across the table from that strange, mysterious face and introduce himself. Ask him all sorts of questions about the books he read, what genres he preferred, why his order from the cafe below (charmingly called The Ground Floor) was always green tea and a slice of lemon cake. Wonders what it might be like to have that face turn into a whole person with thoughts and ideas and dreams that Swiss would happily follow to the ends of the earth.

"Excuse me?" Comes a soft voice and Swiss prides himself on not jumping. He looks up over the rim of his glasses to the person he was just daydreaming about. Rain, according to his account. Beautiful name. Beautiful weather. Kept people inside the library for longer than they meant to.

"I think I have to renew my card? The machine won't let me check out." An elegant gesture to the line of self checkouts just behind him.

"Yeah!" Swiss says, sitting up straight. "Lemme get ya all set up."

It's an easy fix in the system. He confirms Rain's address and is surprised to see it's in the neighboring apartment building from his own. Damn. He files that information away and makes a silent promise to not be weird about it.

Rain, however, has no qualms being weird about it. He leans over the counter, crossing his arms to rest his chin on and bats his eyes at Swiss.

"You must live nearby?" He asks innocently. "I think I've seen you running in the morning."

"Uh..." Swiss' brain goes blank. He runs early early. Mostly because he likes to do it in just his shorts with his shirt off and the pre dawn air just felt different. "I'm so sorry you see my attempts at running."

"No, you're good." He says with a little laugh. "I usually can't sleep so I go out on my balcony and look at the stars. It's nice seeing another person."

"We could start a running club." Swiss suggests easily, falling into his natural banter that usually leads to new friendships. "No one else I know is up that early."

Rain sighs and somehow in his body language, Swiss realizes he fucked up. But it isn't a terrible mistake, only a little setback.

"I can't run." Rain says. "Medical condition, doctor's orders."

"Say less." Swiss says. "You good for slow walks in the park though?"

Rain hums thoughtfully, examining Swiss with his beautiful blue eyes. "What time are you done?" He asks. "Because I might be down for a slow walk to the cafe downstairs."

"Whatever you want." Swiss says, sounding lost even to his own ears.

"Thanks." Rain says, plucking his new cars from Swiss' hand. "See you there?"

"Yes." Swiss says, and then again, "Yes!" Just loud enough to earn himself a shush. Even Rain himself shushes Swiss, finger pressed right to his bupid's bow.

"Careful now." He says with a wink. "I hear the librarians at this place are pretty vicious."

Swiss is so screwed.

[fallen-knight]

My sci-fi nerd ass trying to make sense of the Zonai and extrapolate their history from the crumbs of lore we were given:

Yeah, I believe the Zonai came from outer space, fight me. >:)

I'm currently working on a TotK rewrite fic (working title: The Dragons Ascent) that incorporates this idea, and if I don't share my thoughts in the meantime I will literally explode, so here's a (very rough) timeline of events, and many worldbuilding headcanons and theories of varying degrees of canon compliance.

In the Beginning - The Zonai are a magically and technologically advanced civilization living among the stars, their origins shrouded in mystery. All is well for their species, until a group of artificers create the first secret stones, relics channeling immense power, in an effort to unlock their species' full potential. Unfortunately, the Zonai are playing with powers they don't fully understand, and horrors of cosmic proportions ensue…

The Secret Stones - When it's discovered that consuming a secret stone will transform one into an immortal dragon, a being that constantly sheds magical energy while mindlessly pursuing their last conscious thought without regard for lesser beings, and there's no known way to reverse the process, draconification is forbidden and knowledge of it suppressed. The secret stones are seized by the Zonai rulers and worn by their trusted allies as a display of power, with further official research shifted to focus on their less drastic amplification properties when worn outside the body.

The Draconification War - Inevitably, war breaks out over the power of the stones. Hundreds are draconified in a mad scramble for power and enlightenment, as many believe the dragons to be their species' ultimate form, not caring that they sacrifice their minds in the process. Others sacrifice themselves purposefully, their dragon forms guided by the last sole thought to destroy their enemies, an eternal kamikaze. The world is devastated by warring dragons and empowered Zonai alike, the mindless conflict leading to near-global extinction.

The Zonai Refugees - Their homeworld now a barren wasteland haunted by draconic husks and polluted by magical fallout, the surviving Zonai escape in a fleet of ships fueled by soul energy from their dead. They mark their faces with tears in remembrance, using the remaining secret stones as engine power, in collective agreement after the horrors they've witnessed that no more dragons will be born. Ages pass as they wander the void, adapting to their new way of life as self-sufficient nomads. Inevitably, though, they run low on soul energy fuel, their technology begins to fail, and they are forced to descend on the nearest world.

The Descent - The Zonai come down from the heavens (aka crash from outer space) onto Hyrule in three great ships, paralleling the Golden Goddesses of myth. This event leads the native Hyruleans to worship them as descendants of their gods, and the Zonai use this to their advantage as they regain their footing and explore the newly discovered land. From the ships, the last of their fleet, come the warrior tribe of Boars, the scholar tribe of Owls, and the royal tribe of Dragons, who each travel to central Hyrule to regroup.

The (Re)Founding of Hyrule - The native Hyrulians have been recovering from an apocalypse of their own that left their societies in a primitive state (AKA a timeline crash… but that's a theory post for another time). Seeing these apparent demigods as powerful potential allies for the future, Sonia's ancestor, a priestess and queen of the Hylian people, allies with the Zonai rulers, exchanging protection and knowledge for the Zonai's offerings in kind.

Into the Sky - Despite the Hyrulians' welcome, the Zonai aren't content to be bound to the strange, primitive land, and seek to return to their spacefaring existence. As they scout the sky above the Great Plateau aboard their flying machines, they discover a cloud barrier, hiding the middle and upper atmosphere of Hyrule from the lower - and above it, the remains of an ancient island group, spoken of in the oldest Hylian legends as the birthplace of their people. The islands once known as Skyloft are abandoned and eroded, no longer stable, but they offer a platform for those who seek to return to the stars - and once enhanced by antigravity tech, they become the Great Sky Island. The Zonai quickly branch out, finding other abandoned islands raised by Hylia in an era long past, and raising even more of their own. Storehouses, forges, and observatories alike are lifted into the sky by their own godlike powers.

Into the Depths - Seeking to replenish their energy and rebuild their ships, the Zonai first turn to luminous stones found on the surface of Hyrule, but the soul energy they contain is too weak for their needs. While exploring around the crashed ships that have sunk into the Depths, however, they discover a metamorphic ore that has distilled the essence of Luminous Stone into a powerful energy source. Going further into the Depths, they enlist the help of their new allies among the people of Hyrule to mine and process the ore they discover, and share the wonders they can create with it in return. To them, stripping these resources bare and disturbing the dead are but a small price to pay for progress…

The Labyrinths - As the Hylian civilization experiences exponential growth thanks to the new technology, the Zonai assign top-secret construction crews to build concealing structures - labyrinths, or Lomei - over the crash sites of their three ships, to hide the bulk of their knowledge. The top sections of the Lomei are lifted into the sky once the remaining usable tech has been brought into them from the Depths, and a low-gravity field is created around these skybound platforms to facilitate rebuilding - and launching - the ships from atop them. Evil Spirit armor, discovered in the Depths, is stored in the lower part of the labyrinths, and the old ships' construct intelligences - the so-called rulers of Boars, Owls, and Dragons - are assigned to keep the true purpose of the Lomei a secret from any unauthorized beings, using the armor as a red herring if need be.

The First King of Hyrule - To strengthen the alliance between their people, Zonai prince Rauru marries Sonia, heir to the Hylian throne. Previous male rulers of Hyrule in this era were regarded as prince consorts, due to their lack of divine powers compared to their queens, but Rauru's light powers and demigod status elevate him to the official position of first king of Hyrule. Alongside Sonia, he works tirelessly to create Shrines of Light, sealing demons and protecting the land.

The Three Dragons - The Springs of Power, Wisdom, and Courage have traditionally been protected by oracles named after the half-forgotten gods of old. Three Zonai are elevated to the roles after their elemental powers manifest at the springs. Taking the titles of Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh, they swear to protect the land as long as they live. When they learn that the Zonai plan to return to the stars, they refuse to leave their new land and gods, and commit the forbidden act of draconification, their last thoughts to watch over and guard Hyrule forever.

The Return to the Stars - Using the low-gravity sky Lomei as launch platforms, the remaining Zonai - all but Rauru and Mineru, the chosen guardians of their legacy - take off for space in secret. Their sudden disappearance and Rauru's reluctance to speak on the subject fuel heavy speculation, with the spiritually inclined claiming they returned to the Sacred Realm, and the more cynical Hyruleans believing they must have gone to their deaths.

The Imprisoning War - Not all Hyruleans are happy about the Zonai's sudden appearance and far-reaching meddling. The independent Gerudo are wary of the Hylian-Zonai expansion and attempted assimilation of their territory, and their king Ganondorf uses their concerns to his advantage. Lured by the whispers of an ancient evil, he leads dissenters in secret attacks on Hyrule, his eyes on the power of the Secret Stones. When he finally acquires one, the power consumes him, and the noble ambitions he once held are lost in the destruction that ensues. The majority of the Gerudo distance themselves from their mad king - some holding out in desert strongholds, while others see an alliance with Hyrule as the only way to stop him. With the new Gerudo chief joining the other peoples of Hyrule, the Sages are formed, and fight the Demon King and his army until Rauru manages to imprison him.

The Aftermath - With Rauru locked in an imprisoning seal, Mineru reduced to a spirit, and Zelda having undergone draconification, the remaining Sages draw on the power of their secret stones to send the Zonai Temple of Time skyward, and aid the hero to come. In the place where it once stood, a new Hylian Temple of Time will later be constructed, resembling its predecessor from the Era of Myth. Hylian survivors create glyphs around the Light Dragon's tears and leave records of their history in the back of the Forgotten Temple, then move the Mother Goddess statue to conceal the entrance.

The Ancient Hero - After Rauru and Mineru are gone, one Zonai still lives in Hyrule, their existence a secret to everybody. A warrior of the Tribe of Boars, they sleep in a hidden stasis chamber for thousands of years, until Sheikah researchers investigating the ruins discover and awaken them. This last Zonai will go on to wield the Master Sword alongside Sonia and Rauru's heir, four champions, and the mechanical Sheikah army, and help defeat the Calamity born of Ganondorf's seeping hatred. Their deeds will be immortalized in a legendary tapestry, while their aspect lingers on, even after death...

And that's the gist of it! I have so many thoughts about this game and its lore, trying to get them organized has taken a lot out of me. But I'd love to engage in any and all discussion, and hey, if you've read this far, hear your own thoughts on the Zonai mystery too.

[bigbird07]

Haven’t posted QSMP rambles for a while and might not after this but there’s something to be said about a tragic ending…

The ghosts of the island roam through a land that was never there to begin with. How everything went wrong, they will endlessly search for answers. Driven to grief, many parents lose their place without any way back.

How cruel was it of the federation to let me them live a normal life, only to drag everyone back to where it all began. To get them attached to children they could never truly protect.

Think about it- the hope in the beginning, slightly confused but unmarred by the treachery of the islands.

But now it’s over- it has been for a while.

Maybe it was over when they were sent to purgatory, maybe that was supposed to be the end but the islanders clung to life like roaches in the apocalypse.

Jaiden and Max are dead, so is Dan and Spreen for that matter too. The latter two didn’t even survive for that long anyways.

Bad and Foolish are forever wandering with the loss of their children- unable to end their immortal souls.

Fit and Philza have moved on- spurred my greater purposes that condemn them from making fallible connections. They are warriors, not fathers.

Tubbo works in a fugue state- barely even noticing when the Bunny’s or even Cucurucho stop visiting. Only the hum of machines keeping him company on an island that was once filled with family.

Slimecicle, without anyone left to stop him, let himself give into the code. He never was given the chance to heal from his daughter’s death, not with the twisted spirit in her image prodding at his grief.

Cellbit, well that remains a bit of a mystery. His sanity in tatters and his son gone- his husband so different from the person he fell in love with… some say he offed himself, others that he returned to purgatory with Baghera as if to not remember anything more than pure survival instinct.

Roier, stuck as a rat with no one to turn him back. He lived as a rodent and died as one.

Tina… well, maybe it was the loss of Empanada that made her lose the fight to the demonic but now she waits. Endlessly wandering the islands as a deity of rage and uncertainty.

Mike and Pac knew things were going bad quickly- they chose the swiftest way out they could think of. Their bodies intertwined with Richas’ small form at the bottom of a great height.

Bagi has no family once again, what little connection she had to tie her to this world is gone. All that sacrifice and for nothing. She endlessly searches for a way past the island’s reach but comes up short. One day she set sail and never returned.

Missa falls asleep with his children and his platonic husband, underneath the watchful eye of gods brought over by Philza’s presence. Even as crows surround Phil and his body starts to dissipate with the familiar spark of purple- his adventure starting anew, Missa does not go. Death cannot come for a reaper like him and he still has children to stay with.

Fred, for his many short comings, is reset. All his memories gone in an instant. They have one last look at the strange tinkerer in his factory, ignoring the odd feeling in their chest as the federation prepares to leave the island sinking into ruin.

Agent 18 is found slumped against the door of his office by a golden man with fins at his feet. There are scratch marks at the door but no indication of it ever opening. The golden man stays there for a moment before closing the door again and continues walking.

The eggs that weren’t found… who knows if they ever woke up. Maybe they’re still sleeping somewhere, hidden away. Maybe they’ve been sent back to the adoption centre to wait for guardians who will never come back. Perhaps they go to Tallulah’s special hiding place in the centre to curl up with their remaining siblings, close their eyes and never open them.

Quackity… who knows if he was ever really there? A ghost of an experiment clinging to a life he never had.

And well Cucurucho, he puts a blue feather away in his desk, uproots his remaining corn plants for something more practical and prepares for new residents. The experiment starts over, hopefully with more docile subjects this time. With ElQuackity waiting for them at the docks, nothing will go wrong this time… or they’ll just have to do it all over again until they get it right.

** damn, this is way longer than intended to it to be lol. Let me know if I forgot everyone and thanks to the QSMP for the creative outlet for the short run it had and of course, bless the admins who made it possible.

[yukibluebunny]

𝕄𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕕𝕪 ~ - Ithaqua x Reader

This is my first written request! I apologize in advance for all grammatical and other errors. English is not my national language.

Ship: Ithaqua x Reader

Request from: zuruthekitsune

Notice -> Anxiety/fluff

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Lakeside village.

One of a number of fairly large maps used to play in duo mode. The map ranked first in terms of its size, followed closely by the smaller Moon River Park, the second largest map among the three. Just behind it is the smallest Eversleeping Town, perhaps the most mysterious and shrouded in a fog of uncertainty, with its once-accessible school and corridors of unkempt streets. What happened there that the Baron has blocked off those places? No one knows yet, and is unlikely to find out anytime soon.

Today's match, the biggest stress and fear among all the other new survivors just took place on one of these three maps. The village by the lake, it was today's map drawn as if on a wheel of fortune by the drawing system, including the survivors. And also the hunter.

Emily, the only doctor in residence.

Helen, a seemingly blind maiden with a stick for assurance, yet smart enough that even despite her blindness, repairing the cipher machine was no problem for her.

Norton, on the surface a rather quiet guy seeming to be an observer, yet coming from the veteran class in residence. One of a few of the best chairmen of the hunter, as well as rescuers of his friends from the chairs.

Well, and last what a new acquisition of the residence. (Y.N). A freshman whose life in of the hunter can only be saved by a plea to god not to become the first of the hunter target. A young girl, equipped only with her not too large but old bass flute, which itself, despite its age and her father's former use of it, continued to sound as beautiful as before. However, what's the use to her of a flute if she wouldn't be able to play it while running?

Melody would only lose her charm and enchantment more with each step through breathlessness. After all, the girl was of frail stature, she wouldn't have a chance to last too long with constant running.

Even more so under stress and anxiety, let alone the pain inflicted on her by an unmerciful hunter.

The girl's luck, however, was to wake up by the shed, which she even ran into immediately. Just to hope that the hunter wouldn't think someone might be in the shed right now, much less notice her. The flute player's skills, were not at all easy. By playing her flute, she was able to accelerate her process of deciphering the machine, including giving that acceleration to other members of her team through the sound of the melody coming out of the instrument. With the only risk, of being detected by a hunter.

(Pov: (Y.N) )

My fingers moved across the keys of the old typewriter in a calm but focused manner. Who would have thought that cipher machines, would be so much like those old typewriters used by journalists, newspapers and also banks and writers. However, the difference was that this typewriter was attached to a strange box as well as an offshoot metal pole with a light bulb at the top, the light of which became brighter and brighter the closer you got to finishing deciphering it.

However, my attention, directed at the machine, did not last too long, as soon as a bell sounded across the map, suggesting that the hunter had caught the first person. Only after a brief shock from the rapidly spreading sound did I manage to look at the watch on my wrist. On it were four gray dots, but however, this time one from the prospector was a slowly charging red dot. In one small moment, I felt quite a shock and fear pass through my whole body. Norton was hard to catch. The man was quite canny and clever, his run in with the hunter always lasting until the very end of the match, or at least until the last two machines were left, but not just four of five. His fall came as a shock to me and the lack of knowledge regarding who the hunter was made the adrenaline in my veins began to flow twice as fast as before. Don't get me wrong in spite of everything I was feeling considerable stress. However, the knowledge that we had Norton on the team only calmed me down slightly. After all, I was still only a freshman in the middle, the whole brutal game.

After only less than a moment, the watch on my wrist, gave off another quiet vibration. In doing so, it showed my location along with that of the Prospector, who was now sitting in the chair. I was the closest… and that made really scared at the moment. However, leaving Norton could only have a bad effect on the outcome of the match. So, after not a long moment, I left the machine just after giving her the percentage of finish on the watch.

Norton was sitting in a chair just near the gate by the shed, but what really bothered me was the lack of a hunter beside him. No beating heart. Nothing. Silence, in the midst of the Prospector shallow breaths.

-Norton! - I called out to him quietly, approaching him quickly, but nevertheless remaining vigilant. After all, a hunter could always come back if he wanted to.

-(Y.N)…? No. (Y.N), leave me. Get away from here - Whispered Norton. This time no longer looking at one blind spot. And at me. However, despite his objections, I released him from the chair anyway. Only to catch the poor Prospector, who was not quite limping. He was out of breath again because of his asthma.

-(Y.N)..ugh. It doesn't make sense, leave me…. run away from here, he will only come here -

-Norton I will not leave you. We can't give up - I didn't listen to him, not even knowing why Norton so suddenly went from being a confident man to completely giving up.

-Freshman, we're playing against the Night's Watch… - As soon as those last two words came out of his mouth, I froze in place as my heart, instead, by itself and not by the presence of the hunter, beat harder.

Night Watch. He was as much a new hunter as I was a survivor, but he managed to build his reputation really fast. A merciless, wily fox. Quick and brutal in his attacks. While at the same time evoking no small amount of goosebumps whenever he used his skills. Norton's words only just awakened my awareness that, after all, no one had yet managed to escape from the Night's Watch. He was like a hunting predator, he will not let his prey escape from him like that without any reason.

I wanted to turn to Norton again, to take him to a safer place anyway, as well as to treat him from the wounds inflicted on him by the Night Watch. Only to be pushed away quite suddenly by him.

-Run! - Norton called out to me. Trying to still get away from me so as not to expose me, as I didn't even realize that our hearts, quite rapidly began to beat.

In an instant, I saw what I really never wanted to see. I never wanted to see one of my team members fall to the ground, stunned by the hunter right above him. Oh it was him, in the flesh. The Night Watch. Hiding behind his devilish mask. Effortlessly wielding a check as well as walking in a slightly slanted position on stilts, oh no one would likely want to accidentally or purposely get stepped on by this hunter.

I don't even know why, but even Norton's shouts directed at me did not reach my head. Just witnessing how the hunter, annoyed by the loud shouts, without mercy pierces the man's leg with his stilts, to then finally look in my direction after silencing him.

A cold sweat doused me from head to toe as soon as those neon glowing blue eyes of his at the mask, bore into my figure as if I were his next victim, which I nevertheless was. However, to my surprise, he did not move towards me.

And only watched me. And Norton just below him bled more and more. Merciless.

Awareness came to me more and more. The knowledge that I was playing against one of the most brutal hunters infused my head with poison, a toxin of fear mixed fear and anxiety. With each successive sending off by the hunter, another member of my team.

The last one was Helen, who clearly through her watch told me not to go near her. So my only salvation was to find a trapdoor, somewhere located right on the map in the field. An underground passage that would keep me safe and my head cool, amidst my increasingly aching lungs. He was chasing me. I knew it. Even though I couldn't see him anywhere near me.

My hope was dying more and more, only to be suddenly hit on the head by the sight of the open flap of the underground passage.

Looking around once more, I finally ran out, with little hope that I could jump into the finally coveted quiet place without the thought that I might be caught right away. Oh, how foolish I was.

-Little lamb I don't want to play anymore?~ - This sudden voice made my head spin. And my heart pounded as a frosty breeze enveloped my frail figure in an embrace. Only for me to be violently pulled away from the only way of escape at the moment.

To just after that I felt male arms catch me from behind, without the slightest problem embracing me and holding me in an iron grip.

-No one has run away from me yet. And you won't be the first, little lamb. - His voice leaked through me like venom, but it did not cause pain, only a shudder.

But this voice was different, completely different from the way he laughed out loud or giggled meanly.

-Let me go! Let me go! - I jerked in his grasp, as if my life depended on it.

Since it depends on this right now, end he may not have knocked me down or hit me, only caught and held me. Just after a while too, easily catching and holding my hands at the wrists. Thanks to which he now gave me a better view as well as a reason not to struggle better in his grasp. The sight of his gloved hands and also the attached iron shiny slightly claws. It made it clear that if I really didn't want to accidentally cut the veins on my wrists, I'd better not jerk.

Even more so the moment one of his hands embraced my waist. Lifting me up easily. In such a way that I wouldn't touch the ground with my feet. And all she saw were his stilts, which themselves were now covered in blood and mud by the conditions that prevailed on this map.

However, now, the position I was in was of little concern to me now. After what words of the hunter spoken directly into my ear.

-Good, clever girl ~ Maybe this time it will be for me that you will play your lovely melody? Hm? - I didn't even realize when the Night Watch pulled off her mask, or just picked it up for herself, when a quiet and low murmur was directed directly to my ear.

And I could have really saved myself from sending to Helena a percentage of faster decoding.

-Did you lose your tongue sheepishly? ~ - He asked again, come this time his voice caused a shudder in my body, completely different and on top of that strange for me.

-Lovely frightened sheep ~ - In an instant he tightened his grip on me.

Only to then turn towards the shed. Pulling away, and me, away from the only way of my escape.

-I want to hear your melody, little one. And no matter how many times you beg me, I will listen to it ~ - And I could have given today's match to someone else after all.

My god...

[luveternals]

paring: Konig x rebel male reader. cw: dystopia AU, friends to enemies to implied lovers(? bruh the 1st draft —sneak peak link— is literally gone, I don't know what happened bewteen that and the 2nd one T^T), war, violence and all that stuff, angst (ya, that's the only thing that didn't change lmao). ~ ~ ~

Should you really? Follow the order? Go through with the mission? Make the Empire pay for all it did? 

The longer you wait for someone to give you an answer, the greater your hesitation grows. Because your brothers are dying, your sisters are crying, your family is losing.

It started raining at some point, droplets growing heavier and angrier the further you move down the alley. You were drenched to the bone when you finally realize it, nose assaulted by the stench of wet, filth and death. It was a trap. And they knew. 

They sent you all out anyway. 

You're alone now, the last — the only one —  of the team still standing. You don't know where anyone else is. Your feet drag against the slippery asphalt, body weighted down but the leaking wound stabbing pain down your leg. The end of your gun scratching against the floor as you stumble forward. 

When you raise your head, you find a man looming at the end of the alley, rifle aimed in your direction. His face is hidden, the rain only adding to the mystery of the veil he's wearing. 

You've lost sensation on one arm and the other shakes with effort as you raise your own rifle. 

“Out of my way.”

He's silent as he watches you, grip steady around his weapon, body a large and unmovable obstacle you know you'll never surpass. 

“Outta my way!” you shout and your voice cuts through the howl of the storm raging around you, “either kill me or leave!”

Instead, he relaxes his stance, lowers his gun and, without any hint of hesitation, removes his head gear. 

Despite the lack of protection on his head, the image that presents itself before you is one of a machine built to fight until his heartbeat is forcefully put to a stop. 

It's not that sight that makes you drop to your knees, but the way he drops his shoulders as if to curl into himself. The way he lets everything he's holding fall to the ground, hands raising to show their palms to you. 

It's the perfect replica of that day. Different weather, alley, clothes on your back. But it's the same exact scene, the same exact veil covering his face, the same worried posture dragging his body down and making him seem smaller. The same indecipherable spark shining in his eyes.

“I can't stop now,” you say, voice nothing more than a whisper. You don't know if he heard but don't have the strength to do anything about it. 

He kneels next to you — you don't know when he managed to come close to begin with — and carefully takes your hands in one of his, other hand already opening his medikit.

Your senses are blinded by pain and you hear him mumble something. It sounds like an apology and it sounds strangely familiar too, as if he actually cares that your hurting despite having met you only once before.

Your adrenaline runs out eventually and the last thing you wonder before blackness takes over is if you'll ever meet your Engel again.

-

The sun is hot against the back of your neck, scalding your skin as you scurry your way through the street. You’ve gathered all you could find on your way to the shelter, but when you look at what you're carrying, it feels too little.

It's never enough anyway.

Angel is the only good thing you’ve got left in this world, and this is your offering to him. An apology for the loss and pain the two of you had been put through.

You were blessed with him keeping his bubbly cuteness and innocent mind despite it all. This offering is a gesture of gratitude for him coming into your life. And finally, a desperate request for him to forever be by your side.

You find him sitting on a low wall near the entrance of the building, head bobbing side to side and little feet kicking under him as he hums to himself.

His eyes are bright when they fall on you and his grin is nothing but blinding. Whatever protest you had about him being alone and so in the open dies with a sputter when he throws himself at you, face smushed into your stomach.

“Can I come with next time, pretty please?” his voice is small pressed against your clothes, and when he looks up his eyes are so big and round, and you know it would physically hurt you to say ‘no’.

-

The soldier kneels beside the little girl, massive hands cupping hers so gently, the weapons he's carrying positioned away from her sight. 

She sniffles and he shushes her, bringing her hands up to encourage her to wipe her tears away. He takes out his medical kit and uses it to clean the scrap on her knee. Once he's done with her little injury, he bring a smile to bloom on her face with a gentle pinch on her cheek and sends her on her way.

He must be feeling the intensity of your stare, because when he raises to his feet, he turns your way and meets your eyes. His attention doesn't drop to the knife spinning between your nimble fingers. He simply raises his arms and tilts his head, shoulders hunched forward and weapon forgotten in its holster. 

You don't have to kill him — your objective is to send the nearby base into a bit of a panic — and despite his massive stature he doesn't seem like a threat (not after what he's done for the little girl). But he saw your face. Or rather, he seems fixated by it. There's a look in his gaze that you're not sure how to decipher, his eyes seem brighter than what they've been a second ago. 

You decide to just get out of here and not look back. 

-

This is a route you’ve become quite familiar with. You know how to keep out of the way, how to mind your own business and not get involved, which turns to take to avoid trouble, which alley to stir clear from to avoid danger.

What your years of going through this part of the city taught you was that bringing a child along requires quite a bit of adjusting to keep safe. And he’s a good boy, he knows when to follow directions without complaint. What you didn’t take into consideration was his curiosity peaking at the thought of this new adventure.

You’d looked away for a second. To make sure you were going the right way.

One single second.

-

There's a wet stain on the page, smearing ink and ruining the paper. You've crumpled and smoothed the letter over and over, read the words until you've imprinted them into the forefront of your mind. Still, today they hit differently. Stronger than the first time you've opened the envelope five years prior. 

You've been assigned to your first official mission since you've joined the rebellion. 

There's never been a chance to turn back on your decision. To undo them and remake them so they turn out right. And this won't be the first time you've gone out of your way to cause trouble to the Empire. The first time you'll hurt someone. Willingly or not. 

It will be the first official action you'll take against power. Openly calling out your desire for disobedience. Destruction. Change. 

You can't undo your decisions now whether you want it or not. 

But it doesn't matter because Angel might have betrayed you by leaving for them but you're still doing this for him, aren't you? 

You blink and when you find the letter in your hands, you wipe your face dry with a hand as you pocket it and take your pistol instead, so you can load it. 

-

He's lost his spark. 

He tries to hide it, chubby little face forced into a straining smile. He winces as the expression pulls at his split lip. 

You hold him close to your chest, whitening grip so tight your muscles ache. You don't let go, instead whisper apologies against the crown of his head. 

“Shouldn't have let you come,” you say again and again. “if the guards had cared at all—”

-

“If the guards had cared at all—”

“Again with this?” Angel went through a growth spurt last summer, sending him to stand taller than you now, despite being younger. Still, he sits on your bed with his shoulders hunched over, hands wringing as he stares at you in exasperation as you stomp around the room. “It's not the guards’ fault. They weren't the only people there that day.” he says, “you can't blame everything on the Empire.”

You flinch at the words and spin to glare at him, “what?”

“I—,” he drops his gaze and does his best to avoid meeting your eyes. You see a frown settle on between his eyebrows and your cursing yourself. 

You sit beside him and gently pull him closer so he can hide his face against your shoulder. “I'm not… I could never be mad at you, mein engel. I'm sorry for snapping. It's just— we were just children when they took everything from us.”

He doesn't answer and just turns his head to press it against your neck. You shift and hide your own face against the crown of his head. The angle is awkward and quite uncomfortable and it forces you to realize how he's not a little boy anymore.  

He mumbles something. It sounds like an apology so you shush him. 

The next morning he's gone, a letter with your name on it the only evidence of him left behind. 

~ ~ ~ a/n: this took an exaggerated over-complicated turn lmao I know it's a little twisty so tell me if it's a hit of miss x3 I'll keep the sneak peek as a reminder draft 1 was kinda good too lol disclaimer: as per usual I don't know bananas about cod or the military. sorry... *sweats*

[umbralundertaker]

ive been meaning to ask you, what are your thoughts on the new vegas dlcs? :o

Theyre good!... Mostly. I cant make many excuses for Honest Hearts.

If you have them already/can get them for free, then I suggest you play all of them and in order of release (Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road). Though if you have to buy them all individually, then I suggest just doing Old World Blues then Lonesome Road.

Dead Money is good story-wise but I really hated the gameplay. And Honest Hearts is... visually pretty, but VERY racist. Even for Fallout. Its gameplay is only marginally more interesting than the base game, so if you arent set on doing all of the DLCs then I'd skip this one.

As for Old World Blues and Lonesome Road, theyre great and I cant recommend them enough. Old World Blues has both great gameplay and lore, really enjoyable characters, great humor, lots of replayability... its been my fave the moment I finished the intro cutscene. Lonesome Road is kinda slow but the character its based around is PEAK fiction, I'm serious. Its hard for me to think of a character I think is more badass. For real if you can only play one of the DLCs, PLAY LONESOME ROAD!

I'll put a synopsis under the cut, so see if youre interested in any of em!

Dead Money

Dead Money is set in the Sierra Madre, an extravagant resort that would have been the greatest casino in the west, had it ever been opened. The bombs fell before the grand opening event, and the Sierra Madre froze in time, its state of the art security system locking the place up tight. After many years, the climate control and air conditioning systems began to spit strange toxins into the surrounding city, causing a red cloud to form over the area - which proved lethal to anyone who tried to explore the city. The Sierra Madre attempted to send out a distress signal on the day of the War, but the system did not broadcast an alert signal, having been hooked up to the gala event to broadcast advertisements for the casino, so help never came. And so the Sierra Madre faded from memory, only occasionally being seen in posters across the wastes, until it took on mythic ghost story status, a supposed "City of Gold" in the wasteland where all the treasures of the Old World were rumored to be held. And then a weird old guy kidnaps you and makes you and a few other NPCs explore it to look for gold.

Honest Hearts

Honest Hearts takes you on an expedition to the wilderness of Utah's Zion National Park. Things go horribly wrong when your caravan is ambushed by a White Legs raiding band. As you try to find a way back to the Mojave, the Courier becomes embroiled in a war between tribes and a conflict between a missionary and the mysterious Burned Man. The decisions the player character makes will determine the fate of Zion. Fun fact, the Burned Man is the Joshua Graham you've probably heard a lot about.

Old World Blues

The Courier is abducted by the Think Tank, a group of pre-War scientists that have replaced their bodies with machines. Learning that the Think Tank has removed and subsequently lost the Courier's brain, the Courier aids the Think Tank scientists in fighting Dr. Mobius, the rogue scientist currently in possession of their missing brain. Exploring the Big MT facility, the Courier rediscovers lost technology and fights off Lobotomites, Robo-Scorpions, and more. Really fun characters, though a few plot points aged really poorly. So be careful of that.

Lonesome Road

Lonesome Road brings the Courier's story full circle when they are contacted by the original "Courier Six," a man by the name of Ulysses, a former frumentarius of Caesar who refused to deliver the platinum chip at the start of the main storyline in New Vegas. In his transmission, Ulysses promises the answer as to why, but only if the Courier takes one last job; a job that leads them into the great depths of the Divide, a landscape torn apart by frequent earthquakes and violent storms. This is the fabled location of the battle between the Courier and Ulysses. The road to the Divide is a long and treacherous one, and of the few brave enough to walk it, none have ever returned. Another fun fact, Ulysses drops so much lore and commentary that a third of the game had to be cut just to fit his text files in!!

[sicasole]

Why I Love Kpop (I think)

I’ve joked before that everyone who likes kpop secretly wants to be in a polycule, but like most jokes the more I think about that statement, the more truth I find in it. After all, kpop disrupts the way we think about homosocial relationships, and it often presents queer dynamics for its audience to ponder and sometimes even obsess over. Lately, (and by lately I mean for almost 8 years) I’ve been captivated by the question of why I and so many other queer people love kpop so much. The following is a stream-of-consiousness attempt at answering that question. I’ll be speaking from the perspective of a queer femme fan who listens to and watches mostly male idols, but of course I know this topic is richer than just this one dynamic. I don’t speak for all queer people or all kpop fans.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been listening to, performing, and analyzing music, but when I think about kpop, I’m thinking about it very differently than any other musical media. Because yes, kpop is about the music but it’s also about so much else. It’s about queerness and bodily autonomy and relationships both toxic and beneficial. I, like a lot of queer people, love fantasy worlds and characters because they present their audiences with beings who live outside the norm, people and places unbounded by logic and social constraints. They offer us an escape from a world that is unaccepting of our ever-expansive queer identities, and a vision of the possibility for a better one.

But kpop occupies this intensely fascinating space between fantasy and reality. Fans online talk about idols more like they’re fictional characters than real people, frequently speculating about an idol’s time away from the narrative their company puts out the way someone might headcanon a fictional character. These group narratives a company creates give idols an air of fantasy and mystery, allowing for this fan speculation to run amok on social media as they attempt to “fill in the blanks.” But kpop offers a grounding in reality that pure fiction cannot. Here exists a fantasy world you can really see and hear and walk through. These characters you project onto are actually real people.

So why do I love kpop? The answer changes almost daily, but lately I think it's because in many ways, kpop seems to be made to be enjoyed by queer people. The 20th century had gay men who were devoted to Judy Garland, and now we have the Jungkook lesbians.

Queers have always dominated fandom spaces. As people who are more likely to lack role models in our everyday lives, we’ll often turn to fandom media for guidance about how to love and how to be. I think “straight” mass media lately is obsessed with being “relatable” but queer people don’t usually relate to the narratives put out by the heterosexual media machine. This is why kpop is really appealing to members of the community. It’s overwhelmingly uninterested in being relatable, instead, it's aspirational. This parallels the queer self, who is often more invested in the journey of becoming than it is in running towards a more clean-cut goal like home ownership or a nuclear family.

But when I think about kpop, I also think about my own body and its autonomy (or lack thereof). I think about the performance of femininity. This feels a bit strange and vulnerable to admit, but a part of me has always been willing to hand over my body in exchange for love and devotion. This is the kind of transaction a kpop idol makes when they sign a contract. It’s easy to criticize when we see it put in front of us so plainly, but queer people (especially trans people) and those assigned female at birth have always been aware that they don’t entirely own their bodies or decide their actions.

Idols capture exactly the level of freedom I believe is currently possible for me because frequently as a queer person and a feminine person I feel like the only way I can be accepted and safe is if I offer up my body and self in a way that is sanitized and therefore marketable and commodifiable.

Queerness is more accepted today than it was even a few years ago, but there are still limitations to that acceptance. Queer people who remind the dominant heterosexual power structures of tropes and stereotypes are more accepted than those who are living their lives in active opposition to straight expectations. Of course, we know that stereotypes are oppressive tools used to dehumanize people, which is why the pressure many members of the community feel to censor their identities in order to fit into these tropes and stereotypes (while often done for their own safety) is especially demoralizing.

Kpop also relies heavily on tropes when it comes to constructing the narrative of their groups’ dynamics. We know that much of this is done to make the group marketable and commodifiable. But one positive is that a performative self can protect a kpop idol’s privacy from a world that demands celebrities provide their fans with an endless stream of details about themselves and their lives. In the same way, a performative self can protect a queer person from persecution.

This begs the question of how much someone can stand to perform an inauthentic self, even if that performance helps keep them safe. Lately, this is where I see myself most in the idol on my screen. Like me, I feel he is constantly engaged in a horrific balancing act, asking himself how much he can stand to inhabit a performative self for his own safety. Like me, I feel he is questioning whether an authentic self even exists and if it does, will its appearance cut him off from the audience’s love? Like me, I feel he is screaming for a way out.

These men have been locked into a performance their overwhelmingly queer and female fanbases are all too familiar with. Their personal and financial livelihood depends on their ability to appeal to their audience just as the safety of queer people is dependent on the way they are viewed by the domineering heterosexual power. The relationship between idol and fanbase is both symbiotic and toxic. Idols become what they think their audiences want, and this performance is terrifyingly reflected in the lives of their marginalized fans.

This is the point in my thinking where I ask myself what I even hope to gain from this line of inquiry. Is it some sort of twisted self reflection? Is it an unhinged brain-ego trip? Is there even anything here worth exploring? I believe (and hope) there is. I and most people who analyze media today are pushing back on the idea that someone has to be exactly like you for you to relate to them. On the surface, the male idol is nothing like me, but the aspirational nature of kpop media invites me to see him and myself as more hauntingly alike than I would sometimes like to admit. He is androgynous in ways I could only ever dream of, yet he is yearning like me. He is queer like me.

One of the pillars of anthropology (so much so that it’s almost become a cliche) is that its goal is to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. To the untrained eye, kpop might look like a shallower reflection of our everyday world, one that’s even more image-conscious and subjugated by the demands of capitalism. It certainly can be those things, but when I look at kpop I see the current human condition distilled. Most of us alive today have been trained to constantly seek validation from those around us. Kpop is both familiar and strange because it reminds us of the ways we perform for audiences either real or imagined. It can make us uncomfortable because it shows us just how much we are willing to sacrifice to satisfy the demands of those audiences. In censoring ourselves, we become our own voyeurs and are left wondering who has more power, observed or observer?

So why do I love kpop? I’m not always entirely sure that I do. What I do know is that it’s not really about some fantasy of receiving affection. I don’t turn to idols for tenderness. I never wanted to feel loved, I just wanted to see something beautiful up close. I wanted to see someone who was suffering in the same way I was. I wanted to seek some unprovable personal truth, that perhaps this ethereal creature I saw on my screen was, in fact, just like me. Sure, they had a surface-level beauty I could never reach, but we were alike in all the ways that mattered.

And here I am now, with all of this behind me, wondering if I am (and continue to be) just some more than slightly messed up and lonely child looking for connection in all the wrong places. But then again, aren’t we all?

[fsfghgee]

And what would happen if Sektor met Dark Bi-Han? Do you think this version of him also has his Dark Sektor? 👀

— Finally. The perfect replacement. — Finishing tightening the ties on Sektor's wrists to the metal bed, Sektor smiled in satisfaction. — Finally, I will have control of the Lin Kuei.

— Why bother stealing my clan?! Don't you have your own?!

— You are a lonely leader. Of all the timelines I have visited, you are the only one who does not have Bi-Han, Cyrax, Kuai Liang or Tomas to strengthen your leadership. No great Lin Kuei warrior guarding you from the back. So vulnerable… — Sektor smiled as she remembered the small number of Lin Kuei warriors she had killed before facing her counterpart from Liu Kang's timeline and winning. — It was so easy to get to you. How even Bi-Han abandoned you is a mystery to me. — Observing Sektor's silence and sad look, the invader smiled with realization. — He is dead, isn't he?

— Shut up.

— He is as strong as he is stupid. But do not worry, you'll soon be in the company of another.

— How can you abandon your Bi-Han?

— He doesn't deserve my loyalty.

— Why? What did he do to you?

— I don't owe you an explanation. — Finishing the machine's initialization, Sektor placed the futuristic helmet on herself before taking her place on another gurney. — Once I take control of your body and clan, I will be invincible.

— You're going to kill us both!

— If my test subject Cyrax didn't die, we won't either. — Sektor signaled for one of her cyborgs to activate the machine, and so he did. — Want some advice? Don't make him mad. The third beep is gonna hurt.

“Beep”

“Beep”

— Aahhh!

_________#__________

— “Split up. We must find her!”

Still dazed and trying to get used to her new body and strange surroundings, Sektor got up as fast as she could. And ran when she heard Bi-Han's voice, followed by others approaching in a hurry.

— Argh, this fragile body. — Sektor cursed under her breath as she struggled to pull her foot out of the branches, opening a deep wound in her leg in the process. With her leg covered in blood and lifting her long red dress, she hadn't even been running for half an hour and she was already feeling out of breath. Out of breath in a way that she would only feel after several hours of training with her old body. — Where did that crazy woman send me? — Amidst the darkness of the forest, Sektor spotted some poorly lit buildings and, without much of a choice, advanced towards them. — Where am I going?

— Nowhere, doll. — Startled, Sektor screamed as she was grabbed from behind. And with her mouth covered, she tried to hit him with the elbow in vain, as he only let go of her after being severely bitten by her. — You dumb bitch! — Thrown away and with her leg still injured, Sektor struggled to stand up and face the Smoke of that world. — Your escape ends here.

— You've never bested me, brat!

— Ha! You never ever fought me.

— Maybe not in this world, but I taught you almost everything you know in my world and you were one of my worst students. — Still processing Sektor's words, he took the first blow and was surprised that she actually knew how to fight and had managed to disorient him. — Your incompetence is so great that it transcends time!

— Do you think I'm going to be defeated by Bi-Han's little toy?! — Sektor hid her surprise well when her kick didn't knock him down. She didn't know whether to blame her new weak body or her bloody leg from the earlier wound. — I'm going to do to you what Bi-Han should have done a long time ago.

_________#__________

— You never stood a chance.

— Sektor?! — Surprised to see Smoke unconscious on the ground and Sektor standing near the body, Scorpion threw his rope dart towards her, but before he could hit her, Sektor dodged and ran into the forest. — You can't hide from me! — Launching fireballs and burning foliage along the way, Scorpion cornered Sektor in a matter of minutes. — Try to escape and you'll burn.

— You rely too much on flames, Scorpion.

— I agree…

— Bi-Han?!

— Ice is sharper. — Surprised to see Bi-Han appear behind her, Sektor looked from Scorpion to him and was frightened by the malice in his smile. — And precise. — He didn't sound or look at her with the same affection she was used to. If anything, he looked at her like she was a prey in his sights. — But what will you do to dispel the flames?

— Bi-Han… — No, that wasn't the Bi-Han she had fallen in love with. — I'm not who you think I am!

— Don't even try.

— B-Bi-Han… — Frightened by the flames that began to corner her even more after Bi-Han barely nod to Scorpion, she struggled to stay on her feet and think of a way out.

— Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… — Crying out for an understanding from him that didn’t come and fearing for her own life, Sektor turned away from his cold white eyes to look up. — You won't be. — Bi-Han, foreseeing what she would do, threw a ball of ice that froze the ground before it could hit her, as she quickly climbed the tree. — Scorpion!

_________#__________

After jumping from tree to tree, escaping the balls of fire and ice, Sektor lost her breath and fell when she stepped on a branch too weak for her weight. She regretted it as soon as she screamed in pain, crying compulsively afterwards. Crying in a way that she had only done the day her mother had left the clan and the entire legacy behind, she had never felt so lonely. And she wondered what she had done to deserve that. She never imagined that one day she would see so much anger in Bi-Han’s eyes directed at her. That wasn't the Bi-Han she loved, it was a vile and despicable version of him.

— Take her.

— N-No! — Fearing the worst after being dragged by Scorpion's rope dart, she struggled to free herself and hurt herself even more. — W-Why are you doing this to me?!

— You know very well what you did. You always know very well what you do.

— I'm not her! Sektor invaded my… The Sektor of this timeline… S-She… Ahh..

— Your tears don't move me. And you'll pour them out even more after I teach you respect.

— Y-You… Y-You wouldn't dare.

— You're mine! — Crouching in front of her, Bi-Han grabbed her face aggressively, moving the long strands of her hair out of her face with the rough movement before squishing her face. — I do whatever I want with you.

— You. Are. Despicable! — Just disgusted by that version of Bi-Han, she spat at him with all the saliva she had saved and screamed in pain when he slapped her so hard that her face turned with the impact and drew blood from her.

— Tread carefully. I was never careful with my toys. — With a nasty stare and a frighteningly soft voice, he wiped the blood from her cut mouth while she tried to control the tears that fell nonstop in panic. — Mother always said that I don't play with my toys, I destroy them.

— I-I bet she would be proud of you now. — Sektor says sarcastically, ignoring her inner terror that only grew the longer she looked at him.

Bi-Han chuckles, almost laughs, enjoying Sektor's defiant look. He appreciated intelligent and sarcastic humor, but soon his cold laughter stopped and his expression hardened when he remembered what she had done.

— Your parents are dead, your siblings are dead, your lab and your crazy machine have been completely destroyed, your chamber no longer exists… — He stood up without breaking eye contact with Sektor, dictating everything coldly. He hoped she felt half what he had felt for her betrayal. — You will sleep handcuffed to the foot of my bed, you will walk on a leash wherever I go…

— Brother…

— Silence, Kuai Liang. — Ignoring Scorpion's clamour, Bi-Han continued emotionlessly. — Your life will be only to serve me and you will finish building the army you promised me or you will join your family in netherealm. Kuai Liang.

— Brother, she is not trustworthy. We should eliminate her before…

— Obey!

Scorpion sighed in resignation under his older brother's angry gaze, and reluctantly, carried Sektor after throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

— I will keep my eyes on you. — He murmured irritably close to Sektor's ear.

— Take her to the palace and do as I told you. — Already some distance away, he continued to look at the woman as his brother walked away with her. — I'll make sure everyone regroups and returns to Arctika. — Without waiting for an answer, he looked at the burning surroundings with satisfaction and sighed suddenly tired. — Earthrealm can burn for all I care.

And upon meeting Smoke and the rest of the Lin Kuei warriors he had brought with him in the hunt for Sektor, he gave the order on what to do with the witnesses from the village:

— Kill them all.

......

[frankensteinmutual]

»we’ll sing the body electric until machine and soul are one.« — the android and the engineer are in love 🪐

like real people do - hozier / human - dodie / mystery of love - sufjan stevens / lifening - snow patrol / jupiter - sleeping at last / ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space - spititualized / at my most beautiful - r.e.m. / そのいのち - kaho nakamura / gretel - alex g / yellow - coldplay / love like you - rebecca sugar / new soul - yael naim / we are golden - mika / you’re my best friend - queen / hey man (now you're really living) - eels / alive with the glory of love - say anything / close to me - the cure / let's talk about spaceships - say hi / just impolite - plushgun / creature - half•alive / bulletproof heart -my chemical romance / feeling this - blink 182 / electric love -  børns / dissolve me - alt-J / this bright flash - m83 / sweet disposition - the temper trap / heaven or las vegas - cocteau twins / space age love song - a flock of seagulls / the system only dreams in total darkness - the national / strange currencies - r.e.m. / livin’ thing - electric light orchestra / starlight - muse / paradise - wild nothing / golden brown - the stranglers / blue monday - flunk / awake - tycho / encyclopedia (galactica) - weaver at the loom / more like you - orla gartland / livewire - oh wonder / pink in the night - mitski / all I need - radiohead / 21 M◊◊N WATER - bon iver / jóga - björk / soulvaki space station - slowdive / no one said it would be easy - cloud cult / the big ship - brian eno / intro - m83 / constellations - enter shikari / soundings in fathoms - the lonely forest / a different kind of human - aurora / ____45_____ - bon iver / open you eyes - snow patrol / dear future historians... - enter shikari

listen here.

[pukanavis]

"Mystery on a Moonlit Cruise" Track 8

Location: Party Hall

Kinari: System rebooting…please wait…

Yachiyo: N-No way, did I s-s-s-seriously doze off at w-work…!? They’ll cut my pay…they’ll fire me…they’ll bill me for damages…t-they’ll kill meee!?!?

Momiji: Mm…I slept great…!

Nanaki: Everyone is waking up…!?

Akuta: …Hah! Wha…? Where did my beef steak go? And my fried fish…?

Muneuji: Don’t fret, that was all a dream. There’s still plenty more fried chicken, stir-fried burdock, and pickled onion to go around.

Yodaka: Oh dear…just a moment ago I was researching how many acorns a chipmunk could fit in its mouth…so it was nothing but a dream?

Yukikaze: A chipmunk? How adorable.

Kafka: Ugh…when did it get so late…? Were we sleeping that whole time…?

Ryui: You better start talking, Yowa.

Netaro: Mmm…don’t wanna, but I know I have to. It was fun playing detective but a confession from the criminal is the perfect way to tie things up!

…Ahem. You may remember that I claimed to be catching fireflies earlier, well…I wasn’t! That was complete and utter baloney! 

Ryui: No kidding.

Netaro: Now the real question is what was I really doing then? And to answer that—I was conducting a test run on a new invention of mine!

Nanaki: An invention?

Netaro: Yep! I call it the ‘Ultra-Realistic Netaro Hypnosis Doll’ !

Muneuji: There’s two Yowa-sans…!?

Ryui: Where the hell did that thing come from!?

Netaro: I’m the real Netaro, and this one is a doll~! At first, it starts off teensy-tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand but with just a jab at the buttons in its eyes, it’ll jump in size.

Toi: You have to poke Mr. Doll in his eyes…?

Yukikaze: That breaks my heart.

Netaro: It even has a glow-in-the-dark feature that makes it periodically light up ♪

Nanaki: If it moves and it glows…could this be what Muneuji really saw…?

Muneuji: My little sister has pyjamas with the same feature. Hm…now that I compare them, this does look awfully similar to the light I saw.

Netaro: My craftsmanship is impeccable, right~? This is the perfect body double to deploy whenever I don’t wanna work or think I’m gonna get arrested.

Akuta: A body double!? That’s freaking sick!

Toi: This makes me think of that time the Night Squad worked an attendant job. Netaro-san brought along a robot that looked just like him then too!

Ryui: I thought he’d already thrown that thing in the trash. 

Netaro: That’s the beauty of inventions! The improvements are endless! I wouldn’t want anyone to know that I’ve switched places with my doll so I implemented it with the ability to emit hypnotic sound waves.

Nanaki: Why did it have to be hypnotism…?

Netaro: Since I found myself with some free time on my hands, I thought I’d go out to the deck to poke and prod at my new creation. When I turned on the hypnotic sound waves, it coincided with the songs the service robots were playing and ended up ultra-amplifying the theraputic effects of their music.

Netaro: Deary me, sometimes the work of a genius exceeds even his own expectations! I never anticipated an outcome of this calibre!

Momiji: What exactly are you trying to say…?

Kafka: I take it that Netaro accidentally put everyone to sleep with his invention?

Kinari: It’s deeply intriguing to see something able to affect both humans and machines alike.

Nanaki: You mean the reason that Andy lost signal and the background music had such strange amplitudes was because of hypnotic sound waves…?

Yodaka: My goodness, Netaro’s inventions are simply full of surprises, aren’t they?

Netaro: I assure you there’s nothing to worry about! I’ve already had Ryui yell at me about safety, so I made sure to implement foolproof security measures! I’ve programmed the hypnosis feature to auto-stop after exactly one hour!

Thanks to me, everyone got to have a lo~vly sleep, right? Aren’t I just amazing~? C’mon, tell me I am~.

Ryui: Toi. Do you feel any pain anywhere? How’s your fever?

Netaro: Ignored!?

Toi: Um…I actually think it’s gone…? I don’t feel sick anymore…

Ryui: Easy now. Sleeping for an hour won’t be enough to make you bett—

Momiji: Wait, now that I think about it, the exhaustion and stiffness in my shoulders from all the work I've been doing is completely gone…!?

Kinari: My thought processing unit is now 18% lighter than it was prior to entering sleep mode.

Ryui: How does that even happen?

Netaro: It’s possible that when my invention enhanced the music from the service robots, it created an ultra-super-healing melody!

Yachiyo: Hwaah…this is too much for the stupid nitwitted brain of an idiot to comprehend…

Momiji: I-It’s okay. I don’t think anyone but Netaro-kun truly understands what happened here…!

Yukikaze: I always knew you were a genius, Netaro.

Kafka: …Hmm. I was wondering how I should handle this situation but I think I’ve found just the thing.

Momiji: Is there something on your mind, Kafka?

Kafka: Yeah, just a little idea ♪

We’ll be arriving back at the port shortly but I'll need to step away for a bit to speak with the head of the cruise ship. I encourage the rest of you to go back to enjoying the remainder of the party.

Oh, but you’ll be coming with me instead, okay, Netaro?

Netaro: …

Kafka: Poke—

Momiji: Did you just jab Netaro-kun straight in the eyes!?

Kafka: It’s just the doll, right? Look, it’s shrunk back down to size.

Netaro: Aww, my trick didn’t work.

Momiji: (...I wonder what Kafka’s planning? I suppose I better trust him to take care of it.)

Alright then, everyone…why don’t we pick up from where we left off earlier and enjoy what’s left of the food before we arrive at the port?

Akuta: You don't have to tell me twice!

Yukikaze: …Nanaki.

Nanaki: !

(Right, now’s my chance…)

Nanaki: (Thank you, Kamina-san.)

Chief…! I've been meaning to tell you—

Back | ★ | Next

[fangirlies]

Gorgons & Coffee Grounds - (a.p)

Pairing: ajax petropolus x normie!reader

Summary: curiosity takes over when an unfamiliar set of brown eyes appear at your usual hangout spot.

Warnings: slow burn. reader has no knowledge about ajax being a gorgon. (please let me know if I should be aware of anything else)

Listening to: you and me- Lifehouse & love- Lana del rey,

A.N: we all know ajax can’t take a hint for the life of him but for the sake of this fic, let’s pretend he’s a little bold. and can we all admit we want to either own a coffee shop or a flower shop in another life? no? just me?

It was almost like you lived in the weathervane. If no one knew any better, they’d say you were glued to your unassigned assigned booth. You appreciated the aroma of freshly roasted coffee, the sight of groups of friends who’d meet up after class and it definitely helped that Tyler would provide free refills considering you were a regular. Today was no different.

"Thanks, Tyler" you thanked as the charming barista served you a cup of hot, freshly brewed coffee.

He gave you his million dollar smirk, "Anything for you, pretty lady." and he left you alone to indulge in whichever book seemed to be your monthly fixation.

You never seemed to be bothered by the constant tinkling of the little bell that sat above the weathervane entrance. But for some strange reason, you found yourself peering up from your chapter and toward the figure entering the coffee shop. You encountered a pair of brown eyes as you turned your attention to the door. A captivating pair that you've never seen in here before. You were here every day, sipping on your coffee and were certain that you would never forget eyes like his.

The boy with the mysterious brown eyes kept walking toward the cash register, hands shoved deep in the pocket of his hoodie. Despite the fact that your attention was drawn back to the book in front of you, you carefully listened to his conversation with Tyler, even though you didn’t exactly intend on being nosy.

“Hey dude, I'll uh- get a regular iced coffee to go," now sliding his cash on the counter toward Tyler.

You couldn't help but question whether he was new in town. Jericho wasn't particularly a large city so everyone knew each other, you would have definitely heard about a new transfer— especially if he was this good looking. You slowly raised your head from your book and directed your gaze his way. He had on cargo pants, a loose-fit hoodie, and an apricot colored beanie that covered his hair. Given that it was spring, you found his choice of wardrobe questionable. While the temperature undoubtedly drops significantly at night, during the day it was practically a sauna. Your eyes gradually travelled up his body till they landed on his eyes that were already fixed on you. As you swiftly turned your head back toward the book, you were sure your cheeks had become a slight shade of pink.

‘Nice going. You definitely look like a total creep now’ your inner voice spoke.

“Here you go, ajax” Tyler called from behind the counter as he handed the iced caffeinated drink to the boy who your mind couldn’t shut up about. What was it about him?

Ajax.

Ajax smiled, "Thanks man, I'll see you tomorrow," before taking his drink and exiting the weathervane.

You were now en route to the eatery, as usual. However, today you spent about an hour deciding what to wear. Although you never gave much thought to what you would wear to a coffee shop, you had a pretty solid excuse to put on your best outfit.

"Hey ty, I'll do the usual," gasping for air as you rummaged through your wallet.

“A white mocha with vanilla sweet cream foam coming up, is there any particular reason you’re all dressed up?” He reached for the steaming pot from the coffee machine with furrowed eyebrows.

“This old thing?” You chuckled nervously as his eyes roamed the upper half of you body that was visible to him from behind the counter. “I um- just came back from dinner at my grandparents house” you lied.

He handed you the cup and gave you a perplexed expression, "It's 5:30. . ."

You lied once more, "early dinner." You refused to reveal the underlying reason behind today's clothing effort. It sounded quite rational to you in your head. Repeating it out loud? Perhaps not so much.

“Okay then, not like I’m complaining," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "You look beautiful." Tyler handed you back some change, which you hurriedly stuffed into your wallet before proceeding to your usual seat.

You never paid any mind to Tyler’s playful words. He was notorious for flirting and flashing his million dollar smile while doing so. Despite how sweet his words were, you were completely unfazed by them.

The small bell over the weathervane entrance rang, causing you to jerk toward it before you could settle in your seat and open your book— not that you were going to do much reading. With his typical beanie and mesmerizing chocolate colored eyes, Ajax entered the room. Another boy with long, unkempt hair was standing by his side. He's unfamiliar to you as well. The two of them seated themselves in the booth in front of yours after placing their orders at the counter.

You could see Ajax's bloodshot eyes from your current position. However, the tall, lanky boy sat in between the two of you, obstructing your vision. They were talking about a girl named Enid, occasional laughs were heard coming from them. You concluded that they were both equally as high. Of course, you justified your nosiness by blaming their roaring voices that rang throughout the shop. Ajax would periodically look up and return your glances while taking small bites of his pastry to hide the fact that he was admiring.

The two boys picked up their belongings and began leaving after a few more minutes of chatting about the Enid girl. The long-haired boy was followed by Ajax, who moved somewhat slowly. You argued for a few seconds with your mind, telling yourself repeatedly not to glance up as if the more you thought about it, the less you'd want to admire him one final time. Your head gently lifted up and to your surprise, you were met with a smirk as he passed your booth. As you met his stare, your cheeks grew a shade of cherry red- surely emitting heat. You thoughtlessly smiled back at him as he was about to exit the weathervane, letting him know you noticed him as well.

Ajax.

Later that evening, you fell asleep to the thought of the fleeting second the two of you shared. That brief encounter has been replaying in your mind since you made it home. It brought you back to grade school, with small butterflies fluttering around in your belly — perhaps other places as well. You couldn't wait to see him the next day, the thrill of exchanging shy smiles and sneaking glances across the room, having a crush was fun even at your big age.

And so you returned to your neighborhood coffee shop, ordered the same coffee, and sat at the same booth the following day. But he never showed up this time. You almost plunged out of your seat at each sound of the door opening and closing. With each face that wasn't his, disappointment set in.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Tyler's familiar voice was heard approaching you, finger pointed toward the entrance and a rag on his opposite hand.

“Nope, why do you ask?”

He took a seat in the empty space in front of you, "well, I lost count after twelve times you eyed who was coming in, so I had to assume you were either waiting for someone or you’re insanely paranoid.” were you being that obvious?

“Oh— no, I guess the coffee has me wired and on edge,” you chuckled as you washed down yet another lie with a mouthful of coffee. Tyler appeared to believe you after a long pause in which he examined your expression.

“Right. . well the Weathervanes hosting an open mic night tomorrow. I know you'll be here anyway, but I thought you could invite some of your friends. Ya know- so you don’t look like a total loner." you mocked, putting your hand over your heart as if his words had any affect on you.

"I'll have you know, galpin, I have tons of friends."

“Books don't count sweetheart, I'll see you tomorrow," his laughter filling the now empty coffee shop.

The real reason you were the last one there crept in as he walked away. Tyler was now cleaning up and preparing to close for the night, and you couldn't help but wonder what if you never saw the beanie wearing boy again? What if you missed the chance to get to know him because you were too afraid to make a move?

All you were left with was an invitation to an open mic night and the name of the guy resonating in your thoughts.

Ajax.

Ajax.

The weathervane was completely packed. This is the most full you've ever seen it actually. Laughing, chatting, and coffee-drinking people could be seen at every corner. The fact that open mic night was a success is something you couldn't help but smile about.

Tyler emerged from the crowd, "Surprised to see you here." You sensed the sarcasm in his voice, which to which you laughed.

“Great turn out!”

“Yeah, half the towns in here," Tyler was clearly proud, the two of you now focusing on the next act that was making their way to the stage. You thought it was unusual, but the boy's beekeeper suit drew your interest.

“Oh I almost forgot, I saved you your booth,” Tyler directed you around the crowd and arrived in front of your usual booth. In the center of the table was a small card that read ‘reserved’.

You chuckled, drawing a grin from the barista boy, "Wow, didn't know I was basically a weathervane celebrity.”

“What can I say, after a few months I think you’ve earned your spot here.”

After taking a seat, you turned your attention to the young boy on stage who was talking about the value of bees and the need to protect them. It was adorable to say the least, so you were invested in his informational speech. You hadn’t even noticed Tyler had left to attend the counter.

“Mind if I join you?” You were startled out of your trance by a voice. His question caused his voice to break, which led you to internally giggle. Awaiting your reaction, the boy with the beanie stood in front of you. A trick of the mind, perhaps? Has he been on your mind so much lately that you’ve begun envisioning him?

His eyebrows sprang up, his eyes shifted, and lips pursed as you struggled to form any words. It brought you back to your senses.

Ajax.

You mentally cursed yourself for exclaiming "Of course" with a bit too much enthusiasm. Ajax silently thanked you and took his seat on the bench in front of you. You seized this opportunity to closely examine his appearance. He surely was handsome. Chiseled features, chin stubble, fingers adorned with rings. Up close, his eyes were even more captivating; they resembled the coffee you adored so much. His fragrance was an intriguing blend of cologne and weed that enticed you.

“Didn't realize you were famous around here,” he said as he pointed at the reserved sign and peered at you with a hint of confusion on his face. “What do I need to do to get special treatment like that?”

You couldn't help but giggle at his remark while tucking a flyaway hair behind your ear. “Spending all of your free time in here is a good way to start..”

“I'm sure being extremely charming to the waiter helps." As he analyzed your expression further, your ears were filled with his endearing laughter. Attempting to hide the flush that was appearing now on your face, you turned toward the up-and-coming act who was carrying a guitar as she approached the stage. The weathervane's crowd erupted in cheers and applause as they receive the young girl.

“Are you planning on taking the mic tonight?” He said, desperately hoping to strike up a conversation with the stunning girl who had been occupying his mind ever since he first spotted her in the exact same booth they were currently in just a few days prior.

“Me? I wouldn't go up there even if you paid me."

“What, no special talent you'd like to share with the people of Jericho?” He questioned.

“What else would I impress people with if I shared all my talents at once? I think I'll keep those tucked under my sleeve."

"So far, you've managed to impress me." He was being honest. He's been drawn to you ever since he saw you staring at him across the coffee shop with a book in hand. Even though Xavier thinks normies are condescending scumbags, Ajax hauled him to Jericho the following day in an effort to show him the girl who had piqued his interest.

“How about you? Any noteworthy abilities you'd like to share with me?” Ajax was taken aback by your question. It was at this moment that he realized you were unaware that he was a student at Nevermore. You were unaware of his true identity. You didn’t know what hid under his beanie. Before he even had the chance to get to know you, he heard a voice in his head telling him he had no chance.

He gazed intently into your eyes, wondering what you would say if he revealed his ancestry to you.

“Uhm. . .”

ok.. a big thank you and an even bigger kiss to those who helped me when I was stuck on certain parts of this. Ilyilyily!

also a big shoutout to @firefly-graphics for these really cute dividers!

If you’d like to be tagged in future parts- yes I’d gladly do so! just comment besties

and lastly because I talk a lot, pls know feedback is always welcomed! 🤍

requests are closed at the moment however— my inbox is always open! Share your thoughts! Talk to me! Get something off your mind! ✨