#of course it is....n't

[trilobitepunch]

Yo! I don’t mean to be weird….. but is this you??? I found it in the wild

... *cackle*

[lymtw]

Wet Dreams

Thinking of Toji being pulled out of sleep because he hears you whimpering beside him in your sleep. Once he wakes up, he can't get back to resting until he figures out what's going on with you. Maybe you're having a bad dream. After all, you are clutching your pillow pretty tight...

He puts a hand on your shoulder, ready to shake you. That is until you let out a moan. There's a visible 'huh' on his face as he keeps watching you to make sure he didn't mishear. His heart drops to his stomach when you sigh, your hips languidly rolling against the blanket that is bundled between your legs. Now he knows for sure that he didn't mishear you.

He chuckles quietly, his hand going up to caress your face. "Doll," he whispers, gently brushing wisps of hair away from your face. You don't respond. You stopped moving, and presumably went back to sleep. The problem is, Toji's awake now. Yes, he loves you and would guard you for years while you slumber, but right now you got him all bricked up. He can't sleep like this, but also, what's more embarrassing than getting himself off when the prettiest princess is right next to him.

"Baby," he coos, scooting closer to you. He pushes the blanket out of the way so that he can put one of your legs over his hip.

"You okay, Toji?" You mumble, slowly opening your eyes.

"Course, doll, but you're dreaming pretty loudly." He grins, throwing an arm over your waist. "Wanna talk about it?"

"What are you talking about?" You groan, still sleepy.

"Did you cum?"

Your heart stops at the question, and though your body is still in its sleepy daze, Toji could feel the tension surface.

"Could hear you moaning and whimpering like someone was giving it to you good. Was it me?"

"Toji...," you whine. "Who else would it be? Can we go back to sleep, now?"

"Hold on. Just wanna know if you finished. You know I wouldn't leave you hanging." His hands snake under your shirt.

"I did...n't. But i'm more tired than horny, Toji. Don't worry about it."

"You won't have to do a thing. All you have to do... is lay there... and look pretty for me." His lips ghost yours as his fingers snap the strap of your bra against your skin. "How's that sound, hm? Want me to ease you back into sleep?"

You can see the trace of a grin on his face. His eyes look so dark, and this rattles something deep in your core.

"Fine. Just... not too rough, please."

"Yes, ma'am," he says, trying to hold back the full wolfy grin on his face. He makes haste of taking his clothes off and when he sees you trying to do the same, he takes over and pulls your shorts and underwear off. He's above you in an instant, wedging his hips between your legs, allowing his tip to nudge through your slick folds. "Dream me really did a number on you, huh? You're so wet."

"He was a freak." You giggle, watching Toji adjust himself.

"Not freakier than me, right?" He asks, kissing up your stomach until he reaches your chest.

"He's definitely competition for you, but you're number one, baby."

Toji gives you a deadpan expression, luring a laugh from you. "So damn lucky you asked me to go easy on you." He looks at that tired smile on your face, instantly remembering his mission. "Gonna put it in, 'kay ma?"

"Okay," you murmur, reaching your hands up to caress his face.

You both go quiet for a second as he brings his cock towards your entrance. Even the gentlest of Toji's movements are hard to take sometimes, but you've always been praised by him for handling those movements so well every time. You try to mute the gasp that comes with Toji stretching you, but your discomfort is not something you can easily hide from him.

"S'all good, princess," he mumbles into your neck. He can feel you trembling as he pushes in further. "Always so good for me. You can take it, huh?"

You squeak out a little 'fuck' and are instantly soothed by Toji. "I know, I know, my pretty girl. Don't cry." He looks into your twinkling eyes and kisses away the crystals gliding down your face. You're somewhat distracted by the affectionate butterfly kisses Toji scatters on your face. He uses this as a chance to sheathe the rest of himself inside you. Another inch stuffed into you, another kiss to your lips. He can see the light way your nose scrunches, instantly catching you with a coo of "that's it, mama. That's all of it."

You shudder, sighing as you push your head back into the pillow. "Fuck. Your dick is cursed, baby."

"You love it, anyway, little masochist." He smirks.

"What's a good fuck without some pain?" You can see the way his face lights up, almost like he considered that a green light to fuck you like an animal. "Ah, no," you intervene so quickly. "You're easing me back to sleep."

"Right." He stifles a laugh. "Let's get on that then."

It doesn't usually go this way with Toji. He likes to show off his strength against you, be it breaking your back when you arch over the crushing orgasms he gives you or holding you down when you try to squirm away from his overstimulating touch.

Somehow you got him to slow down for you this time, and the prize is you getting to mumble sweet nothings to him. His reward is that he gets to stay in gentle control. You tell him you love him and he responds with a little "mhm". You tell him you wouldn't go anywhere without telling him first but he doesn't read into the code in your message, so he smiles and says "you'd get lost, and I'd have to find you." You tell him you're glad you get to sleep next to him and he chuckles in your ear, responding with a non-threating "dick's got you all emotional, baby?"

You laugh it off, not taking it to heart. "Just love being close like this with you is all."

It goes quiet for a minute, only your little breaths and Toji's pants filling the silence. Toji can hear your heartbeat as he rocks both of you. Your heels dig into his lower back, your nails dragging across his shoulder blades. "Fuck, princess. I'll bust if you keep scratchin' me up like that." His lips ghost the column of your neck before latching on and working a mark into your skin. Your thighs squeeze against his waist as he grazes your sweet spot repeatedly.

Toji knows you well enough to know that that's a tell-tale sign that you're about to cum, so he makes his touch overwhelming. His hands run up your body until he reaches your chest, where he teases your nipples until your stomach starts quivering and you start breathing shakily. He massages your hips with his thumbs, while pressing kisses to your jaw with little murmurs of, "show me how good you feel" and "come on, baby."

"Fuck, princess..." he groans, almost reaching his own peak. "I wanna hear you. None of that covering your mouth or biting your tongue shit."

You folded so quickly after that, gasping like the air was sucked out of your lungs. "G-Go- Oh god! Fuck, Toji... I-"

"Mhm... fuck yeah, baby. T-That's good, so fuckin' good," he groans, rutting into you as he spews out his load. You put your hands up to his chest, pushing weakly as the overstimulation starts kicking in. He pants, trying to catch his breath as he slows to a halt. "So good for me, mama," he mumbles into your neck, his cock still buried in your soaked cunt. "No one deserves you." He presses a few more kisses onto your shoulder before getting off of you. Your eyes shut for seconds at a time every time you blink, meaning you could knock out any moment now. Any other day, the sight of cum drooling out of your pussy would incite another round, but Toji said he would fuck you to sleep, and he kept his word. The session concluded and now he gets to clean you up while you rest.

[b111teme]

tw :: dom!nanami , sub!reader , spanking , fingering , orgasm denial .

"nasty little slut."

is all you hear from meanie!nanami's mouth before he's spanking the shit out of you and manhandling you to bend over.

you've been so needy all day for him. purposefully groping his special place while he's on the phone with someone, grinding your core on him when sitting on his thigh, whispering naughty things into his ear in public just to get him hard. it's torture, especially for his neglected member. it took everything in him to not give in to your ruthless pleas all day, the only thing holding him back is how busy he's been.

"fucking teasing me all day today, yeah? you tryna get a reaction out of me? here's your goddam reaction." he shouts at your face before ripping off your lace panties. you shriek but don't protest, as you're unable to in the position you're in. he's got you bent over his knee at your hip, one arm holding your back down while the other is right by your dripping cunt.

his fingers are already forcing their way in and finding your g-spot with no effort, making you cry out and reach your hands back to his legs, scratching there. he hisses in response, ripping his fingers out and spanking you once more.

"quit that shit, you hear me? relax and take your punishment like the good girl i know you can be." he says through gritted teeth, returning to focusing on working you from the inside out. you drop your hands from where they were and grab on to the floor the best you can, eyes crossing.

"f-f.. fuck, nanami! fuck, i c-ca-n't-" you stutter as your whole body shivers in pleasure, your orgasm approaching at lightning speed. oh but of course nanami notices, of course he does. instead of stopping entirely right there, he waits. he continues until your right on the brink of falling, body thrashing in his lap and moans growing higher and higher, then he stops.

he stops, and then pulls your shorts right back up and sends you on your merry way. all with a small, "go on." ... (´ ω `♡)

[batlovebites]

Can i have shadow milk x cuddly reader?? I love this silly jester so much 😭

Hi! This is. absolutely not what you were after but Shadow Milk Cookie's whole theatre and deception deal makes it far too tempting to attempt a format screw form of writing with him. So I hope you can enjoy this for what this is. Also, as a note for anyone not familiar with this before reading, the little blue numbers after certain words/sentences are linking that word/sentence to a footnote at the end listed under the same number- You'll see these on Wikipages a lot, but I can't actually hyperlink them in the same way on a tumblr post.

Shadow Milk Cookie x Cuddly Reader [Drabble] - House of Deceit

You do not lay on the bed alone.

Are you alone?

Yes. No.

(He's/You're/They're) there, wrapped delicately in (Yours/His/Each Others) arms. There. Where?

[INT - Spire¹ of Knowledge. Night? You look outside. Its night. You blink. It's morning. You blink. Its dusk. You stop looking. It does not.]

He grins. A bit sharper than it should be. Shifts just so, hand ghosting along your spine, plants a featherlight kiss on just above your brow. The stage lights shine a little brighter. The Audience² cheers.

The eyes lining the shadows of his hair twitch with something like anticipation. (The eyes lining the shadows of his hair twitch with something like love.)

He laughs, something sharp and cruel loving and longing, "You're oh-so unbelievably clingy, my love," he croons. "Whatever would you do without me here to bask it all in?³"

You pretend to pull away your affections just to tease a little; He knew it was a lie, of course, but he pulls you back in with the fervency of if it was the truth⁴ all the same. This is the role you are meant to play; He simply cannot have you going off script.

So he pulls you back in, grabs your hands in his own- they fit together oh-so perfectly. You two were always fated to play the star-crossed lovers; There's no two more fitting actors in the whole world-, and mutters words of affectionate meant (for once) for your ears only. The shadows around you warp and twist as if trying to eavesdrop. (The shadows around you warp and twist as if trying to hold you, too.)

cling·y /ˈkliNGē/ - adjective    1. What he calls you    2. What he is. (LIAR.⁵)

[INT - Spire of Knowledge. The sky watches you with reverence. It's blue. Not day. Just blue.]

So (You/He) lays in (His/Your) arms. Shadowed eyes blink at you lazily, and you return the gaze half-asleep.

This serenity was all a lie, of course. Things like him didn't really love, not in the way people do. Its all just another show at the end of the day. And in the morning you will wake up in a cold bed with no one in your arms. (LIAR.)

This moment (this eternity) was the only truth welcomed into his house of deceit. Not a clean truth, no. A truth swaddled gently in little white lies, in ever-twisting deceptions and cold dishonesty to keep safe the warmth of the only true thing to ever really exist- the little truth between the two of you, only the two of you.

true·love /ˈtrü-ˌləv/ - noun    1. Perfect romantic love between people.    2. A person that You love.    3. A deception. Except when its You. (right?)(Right.)

(You/He) falls asleep in (His/Your) arms. The curtains don't exist fall. The performance ends in its eternally soft dénouement, no loose ends left to be tied; But it doesn't end, not really, because the curtains aren't real will rise with the morning sun tomorrow (today? yesterday?) to start the performance anew; And with each performance, Shadow Milk will play his part with (venera-)(devo-)tion⁶ as always. A single droplet of truth in an ocean of deceit.

Footnotes:

It is(n't) a tower. stage. house. spire. It is ■■■■.

There is(n't) an audience. The audience crowds him. The audience holds him with such affection it feels like suffocation. The only audience there is anymore (the only audience that ever mattered). The Audience is You. You are the Audience.

You would 1.) Sleep a little less peacefully. 2.) Smile a little less often. 3.) Dream of something a little more honest.

Disgusting.

It is the truth. How distasteful.

ven·er·a·tion /ˌvenəˈrāSHən/ - noun    1. Great Respect; Reverence. de·vo·tion /dəˈvōSH(ə)n/ - noun    1. For You, always for you.

[yeoldenews]

I'm not sure if you'll know the answer to this, but for the regency era, how common are contractions in letters and speech? Not the "Wm." for William kind, but your standard "couldn't," "wouldn't" and "shouldn't?" Thanks!

All common English contractions did exist by the Regency period. However, there is very limited period documentation or scholarly research as to whether they were viewed as "proper" English or not at the time.

Contractions were first used in the English language sometime in the last half of the 16th century, and by the late 17th and early 18th centuries were approaching what most people today would probably consider over-use.

By the time the Regency era rolled around however, many older uses of contractions had already fallen, or were in the midst of falling, out of favor. 'Tis, 'twas, ne'er, e'er, e'en, tho', thro', etc., were mostly confined to poetry by the early 19th century (though 'tis seems to have hung on a little bit longer than the others).

The last half of the 18th century had also already seen the almost complete disappearance of the most common use of English contractions in the 17th and early 18th centuries - using 'd in place of -ed - as seen here in an example from the 1736...

The frequency of use of contractions in the Regency period specifically, seems to have varied greatly from person to person. Jane Austen herself used very few contractions in her novels compared to some of her contemporaries. Couldn't, wouldn't and shouldn't do not appear at all in Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility or Emma, and all other contractions were used very sparingly.

In P&P, I counted one appearance of "I'm", one of "you'll", one "won't", two "can't"s, three "shan't"s and six "don't"s.

I compared this to Evelina, by Frances Burney (published in 1778) which (just in Volume One) includes: 14 occurrences of can't, 4 of won't, 35 of don't (vs only 15 of 'do not') and 11 of shan't (3 spelled shan't and 8 sha'n't).

Though couldn't, wouldn't and shouldn't all appear in Evelina as well (in an archaic forms which included a space between the modal verb and n't: could n't, would n't, should n't), I did notice they are used much more by lower class characters than by upper.

There seems to be some evidence that negative contractions (those ending in n't) began to be considered improper English in the latter half of the 18th century, and subsequently generally fell out of favor with the upper classes.

The Grammatical Wreath... by Alexander Bicknell, published in 1790, specifically cautions against using contractions in correspondence with social superiors.

"And be careful in not omitting any letter belonging to the words you write; as, I've, can't, don't, shou'd, wou'd, &c. instead of I have, cannot, do not, should, would; for such contractions not only appear disrespectful and too familiar, but discover ignorance and impudence."

This very interesting paper (which you can view in full if you have a free JSTOR account) analyzes the grammatical trends found through 50 years (1730s-1780s) of the correspondence of writer Elizabeth Montagu. The author marked a significant falloff in the use of negative contracted modal and auxiliary verbs over the course of Montagu's letters. In the 1730s Montagu used un-contracted negatives 62% of the time and contracted 38%, but by the 1780s Montagu used no contacted negatives at all.

Granted these are only the letters of a single person and, as the author notes, could have many other explanations (age, change in social class, familiarity with the correspondent, etc.), it does seem to reflect what I've personally observed in writing from this period.

So the answer to your question is - yes, contractions existed and yes, they were in fairly common use - with the asterisk that how they were viewed by society is not terribly well documented for the Regency period.

So I'd personally say feel free to use them in any Regency era stories you may be writing, but do so sparingly with very proper or upper class characters.

If you're aiming for very authentic period flavor, you could also try throwing in some contractions that have fallen out of use over the past two centuries - shan't, mustn't, needn't, mayn't, etc. I'd especially recommend using 'shan't' in place of 'shouldn't' where appropriate, and also remembering that if you're using 'can not' instead of 'can't' it is always one word - cannot.

One thing that is period authentic, but I won't personally recommend to any Regency era writers (unless you want to throw some meta commentary on the chaos that is the English language into an epistolary) - is that no one really agreed where to put the apostrophe in wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't until well into the 19th century. It's very common to see the n't separate as in the examples from Evelina, but I've also seen wou'd'n't, would'nt, wou'd'nt, etc. etc. etc., sometimes multiple different ways within a single paragraph.

Hope some of that was helpful. I had fun digging into it!

[chow0w]

Hello! It’s me again :3

So you already covered that you think sandwings are punk and what you think seawings styles are. But what do you think the other tribes aesthetic’s are/how they dress? Thank you for your time!

Hi! thanks for the question! This was an amazing chance for me to explore more alt styles!

Goth Icewings: why it would(n't) work

About the Goths

Museum of youth culture defines goth as a music genre, fashion scene and cultural bubble usually pertaining to a 'dark' aesthetic, stating 'Goth developed from various other youth subcultures, including punk... in the late 1970s to a more commercial visibility in the 1990s. ' It has the same loose political origins as its punk cousin, even if these ideologies are slightly less visible/represented through mainstream media. in the context of the icewings, I think goth would be more about the ice/nightwing feud - specifically as a promotion of peace and unity between tribes. I'll talk more about that later, as this post explores the many ways goth fashion could work - and not work - on Phyrria.

There are also a handful of other cultures/fashion styles I can see being present in rural icewing villages, which I do plan on exploring in the future! The only reason I chose goth this week was because I was listening to goth music and ended up liking it a lot.

The Magic Behind the Makeup

Now that we understand what Goth fashion means to Phyrria, the bigger question remains: how the FUCK did they get to look like that? Figuring this out actually ended up being pretty difficult the more I thought about it, because there are a number of different logistical issues that arise when it comes to dragon makeup. For one, Icewings have little to no access to fire - any dyes or makeup would have to be either imported charcoal, squid ink, or other pigment - which would be expensive to northern villages. Secondly, applying water-based makeup must be a literal nightmare if you life in the tundra. All products would have to be oil-based (which is actually not too unreasonable, given that the Icewings have unlimited access to seal fat.) But still, would these products even last? The short answer is no: goth icewings would need to be seriously dedicated in order to consistently dress this way. (Although, that does add well to the peace message.)

but moving on to the 'hairstyles,' what are icewings doing to achieve this? For sake of this headcanon, I am going to assume the spines don't have nerve endings, and are also able to move with enough time and pressure. Using enough wires and pressure, Icewings may be able to give themselves 'braces' for their spines - twisting them into the right shape over the course of a few years, and keeping them in place using the nightly retainer routine. (I can feel your mouth hurting right now.) but hey, it would certainly hurt more if the icewings tried to use a straightener.

I imagine there are some permanent things you can do to become goth, like dying your spikes with ink or getting a tattoo. Clothes could also be made to last - or alternatively, 'tattered' clothing could just become part of the look. You could also argue that the goth look would be easy to achieve if it were born outside of the icewing kingdom but pioneered by icewings, somewhere like jade mountain.

Why Jade Mountain, and Why not now?

I imagine goth fashion would be more than controversial, both in and out of the icewing kingdom: especially given how violent (and a lot of the time unprovoked) nightwing violence on icewings is. My best example is definitely from book one, where Morrowseer has the nightwings slaughter all 6(?) icewing prisoners in Queen Scarlet's arena. While these dragons would've probably died in the arena anyways, the attack could still be interpreted by icewings as and act of hatred. So, the ideals behind goth fashion - striving for diplomacy, peace and an end to the conflict - are probably not fit to live in the same timeframe as any of the current books.

Knowing this, I first argued that the best place for goth fashion to go would probably be Jade Mountain Academy. Being the only place where young dragons of both tribe can interact without being in an explicitly violent setting, it could be a good starting point toward healing, grieving and discussing the feud. And this totally could've started during the JMA arc, but...

There is one small roadbump that prevents this happy ending.

Darkstalker's secret 4th power: Ruining Everything

JUST when the nightwings were out of the volcano and under a more reasonable leader, JUST when the sandwing succession war ended, JUST when a school opened specifically for teaching intertribe peace... Darkstalker (the bitch) decides to re-heat his own nachos and literally try to kill every single icewing via plague. And then fight them on top of a school.

Ultimately, I do think there is a place for Goth fashion in Phyrria, the same way there is a place for peace between the nightwings and icewings. But both of those things would require a time, effort and open-mindedness - as well as recognition of the wrongs committed on both sides, and ample opportunity to grieve.

Adopts! Wow!

I promised I would start making adopts to go with these fashion posts, and I am determined to commit to this. So, this lovely dragon you see above you is going to be available in my Kofi, right here! I named them Permafrost for my own convenience, but you can do whatever you want with this guy when they belong to you.

I'm literally scrambling to post this on time so I'll keep it short, but thank you all so much for your support! My pinned post contains a navigator toward any and all of my other fashion posts, as well as links to my discord server + socials. AND I SAW YOUR FASHION REQUESTS AND I LOVE THEM!

Later ( =ω= )

[cyborgghost]

I don't think Enki killed his sister. His personality and later decision to give himself as a sacrifice to Alllmer makes more sense to me if he was neglected by the Temple he grew up in. (Yes, I almost always pick Mastery Over Insects and Dash, plus I want him to be a loser...what about it)

HOWEVER, I think an Enki who'd kill his sister would not have ended in the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger. I believe he would have become more power-hungry after his victory was celebrated. It would have motivated him to climb the social ladder within the church.

Enki would still persue education, of course, he has the Enlightened Soul. But as a more influential member of the church, his academic career would be different than in canon, as it would go hand in hand with his ascension in the Ministry of Darkness.

He'd be slightly less antisocial, still very much Machiavellian but with less tendencies to isolate himself. His superiority complex would remain the same or even worsen with time.

Eventually, he'd be among the top dark cardinals of the Vatican. A lot of people would hate him for his temperament and controversial views but theyd be unable to deny his intelligence. When a pope ellection is held, he'd be chosen winner after a long months-lasting conclave.

His term would be remembered for his cruelty and his patronage for Science and Arts. Finally he'd be assassinated as a consequence of his outrageous corruption.

Not sure if this counts as meta or as an AU exploring how the death of his sister would affect Enkis personal development.

You could even interpret it as one of Enki's fantasies. Regardless of his choice I bet each night he always go to bed, thinking to himself "what if I had(n't) killed her?"

All that aside, Enki as a corrupt pope would be #hot.

[pitchsidestories]

big girls do(n't) cry II Mariona Caldentey x Reader

masterlist I word count: 1241

a/n: based off this sweet request here. Let us know what you thought about it !

warning: strong period pain

There it was. The familiar pain in your lower abdomen was back.

You sucked in a breath.

This morning it had only been the slight twinge of an upcoming period. You had hoped that it would go away again, that you had time until after your away game with Barcelona. But your body had betrayed you, you started your period an hour later.

Now that you were sitting on the bus with your teammates and a league game in front of you, your uterus decided that it was the perfect time to torture you.

You lifted your knees, your feet pressed against the seat in front of you, in hopes that it would ease the pain.

Your whole body tensed with the onset of the cramps.

Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed by your girlfriend in the seat next to you: “Amor?“

“Yeah?“, you pressed out between gritted teeth.

“Are you okay?“ Mariona studied you with worry in her eyes.

You nodded once and lied: “Yes, I’m fine.“

“You look very pale..“

You sighed. There was no use in lying to her, especially not when you were so clearly in pain.

“I got my period this morning…“, you admitted. That was all you had to say. Your girlfriend knew how much you struggled with it every single month.

Mariona looked at you with compassion: “Oh.“

“Yes. The timing is just great…“, you complained.

“I hate when that happens before a game. Do you need anything?“

You shook your head through another wave of cramps that left you feeling slightly nauseous: “No… I’m good.“

Mariona frowned at you: “Are you sure?“

“I have to be.“

“No, you don’t.“, your girlfriend disagreed sternly.

“What?“

She very carefully placed her hand on your thigh, rubbing circles on it with her thumb. “You don’t have to be good or even okay. You don’t have to suffer through this.“

You bit your lip as a tear rolled down your cheek. Was it the pain or what Mariona said? It didn’t matter, you wiped it away with the back of your hand.

“It’s okay, come here.“, Mariona said in her soft voice and gently pulled you towards her, making sure to not put you into any more pain.

You put your head in her lap and curled up on your seat. She affectionately ran her fingers through your hair in calming strokes.

“Thank you.“, you mumbled, closing your eyes for a short moment.

“You’re welcome, amor.“, she whispered back.

“Mariona, y/n, we need to get out of the bus.”, Alexia was padding your girlfriend’s shoulder, after leaving her seat which was right behind you.

“We’re coming.”, Mariona told her.

With an encouraging smile, she turned around to look into your eyes. “Come on, amor.”

In the changing room, it was Marta who noticed how much you were struggling because of your period pain. She quickly searched for your meds in your bag, before walking to you, handing you the pills.

“Y/n, here.”, she said firmly knowing full well you were stubborn when it came to this sensitive topic.

“I don’t think I’ll need them.”, you softly pushed her outstretched hand away.

“Just take it, it’ll help. At least a bit.”, Marta stated.

“Thank you, Marta.”, you sighed, the defender usually knew what was best for her teammates.

“You’re welcome.”, she replied, genuinely relieved that you took your medicine. The older woman hated to see you, or anyone suffer unnecessarily.

You closed your eyes, waiting for the pills to take the edge off the pain while sitting on the hard bench.

“Do you feel ready to play?”, Mariona asked you, her voice with a hint of concern.

For a moment you paused, considering her question until replying. “I think I do.”

“Anything I can do to make you feel better?”, your girlfriend wanted to know, she longed to help you to ease the pain you were in.

“Be here.”, you answered quietly.

“I’ll.”, the midfielder assured you, pressing a feathery kiss to your forehead.

Despite everything Mariona went through in her life, the injuries, the early death of her father, she was the kindest human you knew, and you were so grateful to call her your girlfriend. “I love you, Mario.”

“I love you too, amor and I’m proud of you.”, the fellow football player praised you.

“I cried. You don’t mind that? Are you still feeling proud of me?”, you muttered.

“Of course I don’t.”, Mariona shook her head slowly.

 The medication finally kicked in and filled you with new motivation. “Come on we got a game to win.”, you declared cheerfully.

Your girlfriend realized relived that some colour has returned to your pale cheeks.

“Let’s go.”, she happily clapped into her hands while you two left with your teammates to start the warmup.  

The game was won, and you couldn’t wait any longer for your hotel room bed, the match has been more exhausting than usually for you. Normally you didn’t feel this extreme of tiredness and hurt.

You didn’t even remember how you made it back to the hotel but you were glad that you didn’t have another drive home ahead of you.

The hotel bed was incredibly soft as you sank into it, curling into a ball once again.

Mariona sat down next to you on the mattress: “How do you feel, y/n?“

“Tired… and hurt.“, you groaned. The painkillers were slowly losing their effect.

“I’m sorry.“, she said, gently but helplessly rubbing your back.

You noticed from the corner of your eyes that she set something down on your bedside table. It was a white mug and the smell of its content was very distinct.

“Is that hot chocolate?“, you asked, sitting up slowly.

“I hoped that it would help.“, she nodded.

You cautiously picked up the mug and took a sip: “It does. Did you get yourself one too? It’s delicious.“

“It’s good?“, she replied.

You offered her your mug. “Yes, want to try?“

Mariona sipped from the delicious, rich-tasting drink, leaving traces of chocolate around her mouth.

You smiled, she looked absolute adorable. “You got something there.“

“I do?“, she laughed.

You leaned forward and kissed the chocolate on her upper lip away. “It’s gone.“

Mariona pouted in feigned disappointment: “It was supposed to be there.“

“Sorry, amor.“, you grinned.

“Glad to see that the hot chocolate seemed to help a bit.“, Mariona smiled satisfied.

“You know what helps as well? Lots of cuddles.“, you said innocently and placed the hot chocolate back on the bedside table.

Your girlfriend pulled you close to her: “I can help with that.“

You cozied up in her arms with a sigh: “Thanks, yours are the best.“

“Don’t worry, you can have as many as you want.“

“Promise?“

“Promise. Until you feel better.“, Mariona nodded and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

The heat radiating from her body was calming and comforting, you fell asleep next to her in seconds.

Not even the quiet knock on the door could wake you up.

Alexia peeked her head inside: “Hey, everything okay? Y/n fell asleep?“

“She did.“, Mariona confirmed in a whisper.

Alexia smiled at the two of you cuddled up together: “Good night, you two.“

“Good night, Ale. Thanks for checking in.“

Your eyelids fluttered opened but Alexia was already gone.

You blinked at your girlfriend with tired eyes: “Sleep well, Mario.“

She gently placed a kiss on the crown of your head: “You too, amor.“

[erotica-ficx]

Magic Hands

Pairing : Boyfriend!Jimin x Girlfriend!Reader.

Genre : Soft!Boyfriend au, Smut au.

Summary : Where you can't help but melt and twitch everytime his hands touch you.

Warning(s)! : Teasing, groping, caressing, kisses, fingering (in front of the mirror), overstimulation, crying, smacking (once? ig), petnames (darling), dom!mc x sub!oc (that's all ig).

The soft and gentle feeling of your boyfriend's cold fingers brushing against your skin causes you to shiver, making your back arc. His not so huge yet soft hand caresses the inside of your right thigh, squeezing it lightly.

You let out a breathy whimper as his fingers reach your center, tapping your nub, and your muscles tense up.

With your eyes shut close and right hand covering your mouth to stop your pleasurable noises from escaping, your other hand clutches his left bicep, your body shaking.

"Relax, darling. Open your eyes and see how beautiful you're looking right now." His breathy and gentle voice reaches your ears, his warm breath hitting the side of your face, fanning your skin, and the blush on your cheeks deepens.

You're so damn aware of the body length mirror standing right in front of you, which is the reason why you've your eyes shut tight, not wanting to witness the erotic view ahead.

Of course you're too embarrassed to watch yourself sitting on the edge of the bed in your boyfriend's lap with your legs wide open, your bottoms gone with his magic hands doing wonders on your body.

"J-Jimin-ah..!" His name escapes your lips as a oh so pretty moan, and the said person feels butterflies erupting in his stomach, a smile creeping on his lips as his heart flutters.

"Yes, darling?" His voice gets huskier as you keep wriggling in his arms, causing him to tighten his hold on the side of your waist.

"I-I can't...!" You cry, the overstimulation causing your clit to throb, body trembling hard.

"Oh, yes? I'll stop and give you what you want once you open your eyes for me, darling." A breathy chuckle leaves his lips at your whiny self, and he plays with your throbbing center, teasing you more.

You know how demanding he can be in bed, no matter soft or rough, so you do your best to force your eyelids open because you know he won't stop playing around with you unless you don't do as he pleases.

As your eyes flutter open, your blurry vision doesn't allow you to see properly, so you blink your eyes a few times to clear your vision, which was a mistake.

As soon your view gets clear, your eyes travel to the mirror right in front of you, and you can see everything, literally everything.

Throw your eyelashes, you can see how his fingers dance over your skin, playing with your outer folds and teasing them, overstimulating you further while his other hand massages your inner thigh, squeezing it from time to time.

You let out a loud moan as his middle and ring finger press against your gaping entrance before sliding in oh so easily through your pretty little slick walls.

Your eyes roll to the back of your head at the sensation and you clutch his bicep tighter, toes curling up at the delicious feeling of his fingers massaging your gummy walls as your back arcs, sensitive moans falling from your lips.

Your eyes prick with tears as his first two fingers hit your sensitive spot in one go, slowly and steadily abusing it, making you see literal stars.

Your breathing remains ragged as his other hand slides up from your bare belly, traveling up to grope your clothed breast, massaging it in his palm while giving it moderate squeezes from time to time.

"J-Jimin-ah, I-I can-n't! I'm gon-na-" Your sentence gets cut off in the middle as he slides out his fingers from your tunnel, leaving you with a feeling of emptiness.

"Why-..!!" The whine leaves your lips before you could stop it, and the very next moment, a smack echoes throughout the four walls of the bedroom, followed by your loud cry of pain as his hand comes down to your thigh with great force.

The tears that had consumed your eyes earlier now fall down your rosy cheeks freely, your sobs turning to hiccups, the skin hot and burning with his red handprint.

"Aww, did I hurt you, darling?" Jimin's voice comes from the side of your face, and your head moves on it's own, the nod confirming his assumption, and the chuckle that rumbles from his chest causes you to tremble, a shudder going down your spine before you feel his hot breath fanning your side, deep, husky voice filling your ears.

"But we haven't even started yet, darling. Trust me, the night is still young, and we've a long way to go~"

(this smut is from my Instagram, don't know why but I just felt like posting it here ◜◝⁠ )

Requests Are Open!

Follow @erotica-ficx on Tumblr or @/erotica.ficx on Instagram for more! Make sure to check out @erotica-ficx 's writings on Wattpad! (Wattpad ID - @/erotica-ficx)♡

NOTE : Requests will be taken for both BTS and Anime, so make sure to drop your fantasies! ;)

[macdennisnation]

I think it would be interesting if “overage drinking: a national concern” was the emotional episode of sunny season 17.

as we saw in the season 1 episode (underage drinking), the gang all more or less become alternate versions of who they were in high school while at the same time experience a real dissonance between their perceptions of themselves and the reality of who they actually were. dennis and dee are the attractive popular ones being hit on by the hottest people in school (when in reality it’s all a big ruse that preys heavily on their insecurities), charlie is well liked and people easily confide in him (but at the end of the day he’s dancing by himself and loving it), and well, mac is basically just himself (volatile, intense, jealous, and the drunkest one at the party).

which brings us to season 17. perhaps it's an episode where we simply see how far the members of the gang have(n't) come since then. they're still essentially the same people doing the same things, carrying out ill-advised schemes, and fucking with anyone who crosses their paths. but maybe within that, there's an opportunity for emotional depth.

frank is involved now which he of course wasn't in the season 1 episode, dennis is experiencing a death to his ability to get by on his youthful charm and good looks, mac has finally come out and isn't taking it back, charlie has suffered a devastating and complicated loss, and dee is now a more resilient, less naive version of who she was in season 1.

of course I'm sure there are things I'm not taking into account and this is really just one guy's thoughts but why not grasp at some straws.

[tf2incorrectquotes]

Spy: Wait, does that mean you put trackers on all of us?!

Everyone: *turns to stare at Engineer*

Engineer: *smiling nervously* Nooo.... No, of course I did...n't.

[edutainer2022]

As always, a great discussion with @janetm74 brought forth a different spin on this trope. Scott has given up so much for his loved ones, but he likely believes they wouldn't (and definitely shouldn't) do the same for him. John begs to differ.

FOR YOU, I WOULD

"Shhh, don't wake up, it's just me."

" J'hnny? Wh'u 'ere?"

"You're not feeling well. I love you. So I'm here. Go back to sleep!"

"U'luv space."

"Of course I do. Exponentially less than I love you, my brother."

"S'not tru."

"Scotty? Stay with me for a sec! You DO know I love you more than anything in the world, right?"

"S'not right. I'm jus'... I'm not..."

"Scooter! Stop! Hey, hey, eyes on me, brother, just a moment! Then you'll catch your rest or Virgil will have my head! Do you know when I was going to space cadets program when you were in That Place?"

"Dunno... soon?"

"Never. The answer is never. I was NOT going to be an astronaut when we lost you. No more than Gordie was gonna do the Olympics. Virg was not doing much of anything either. It was just NOT happening."

"J'hnny, u'shud'n't."

"Well, tough! Thems the rules. I was not submitting my PhD either, if you must know. They sort of just... gave it to me on merit of publications and sent me on my way. And do you know when I agreed to be the space monitor for Dad's project?"

"When Dad asked?"

"Nope. The answer is I didn't. I promised I'd never speak to him again if he put the project before your needs. Again. Virgil didn't say as much, but he signed up to train only to make sure you were not pushed into a regression. We both told Dad we'd be pulling you out and living off Mom's inheritance at Gran Roca if that happened. I could teach at a local college, Virg would stay with you full time and just... read out loud to you if it helped. I think we were so convincing Dad actually put IR on the backburner for a year. It took Dr. Ross calling us in for a sit down to say the training and the purpose were doing you more good than harm. I'm still not sure, all things considered. So that tenure in Austin might still be a go."

"Nooooo!"

"Scotty, shhhh! Don't pull at the stiches! Stay put!"

"U shud go do... stuff! Ya'll so smart and talented. Ya'll shud n't giv't up for ME!"

"We love you so much, you idiot! We'll never give you up for anything! Now hush! Go back to sleep!"

[redrandomposts]

WEEPING BC I READ YOUR RESPONSE WHILE I WAS ON THE WAY HOME FROM AN ERRAND LMAO

imagine hyuna manages to catch ivan before he runs away, but she doesnt stop him bc she saw how miserable he was while he was at base and maybe he can find another human settlement where he can be happy at least ? so she provides him w a radio for emergencies and some provisions and makes him promise her that he'll at least send a message every once in a while so she'll know he's safe.

ivan was long gone when till finds hyuna standing by that one window facing the rising sun. till looks a lot more frazzled than hyuna has ever seen him, and thats saying something.

(he just remembered the end of r6 and theres two lifetimes fighting for dominance in till's mind)

till asks hyuna if she has seen ivan.

hyuna remembers the ever-present broken look on ivan's face every time he sees till and every time till pushes him away with cruel words and even crueler fists.

hyuna tells him no.

----

of course hyuna does tell the adults in charge of ivan's departure. they inform the other human settlements to look out for ivan and they move on with their lives.

while theyre saddened by ivan's departure and wish they couldve gone with the kid (he was twenty, barely an adult !), theyre at least comforted by the fact that he wasnt chaining himself down by his guilt anymore.

----

as days go by, hyuna notices the changes in mizi, sua, and till.

she never personally told them that ivan left but someone mustve told them nonetheless.

theres a new tension between the formerly-inseparable mizi and sua.

(mizi remembers the moment sua lost her life in front of her and, knowing what she knows now, wonders why sua kept her ignorant until the very last moment.

"i wanted to preserve your happiness."

"by making me lose you?"

"...")

till ... hyuna doesnt know what goes on with that kid. one moment hes watching both his friends like hes afraid theyll disappear in the blink of an eye, the next moment hes writing lyrics and music like a madman and searching for ivan like a man starved.

hyuna doesnt get it. with how much sua and till practically shoved ivan away, they shouldnt be this affected by his departure, right ?

ah, whatever. that's their problem now.

----

at first, ivan sent her check-in messages maybe once or twice a week. the most he's gone without any contact has been two weeks and that was because he had trouble finding batteries.

and then his last message came in.

the first thing she hears is static and gunshots.

finally, ivan's voice comes in. he doesn't sound so good.

"--oona, noona im sorry--"

"ivan, what-"

"--n't know how but -- found m--"

static. gunshots. a pained noise. more static.

then, silence.

hyuna needs to get a rescue team out there as soon as possible. she has his coordinates, she can-

"was that ivan ?"

fuck. how long has till been standing there ?

"hyuna... was that ivan ?"

----

anyways :> hyuna gets a rescue team for ivan and they manage to get him back to base in one piece but hes hanging on for dear life lol. imagine he got shot in the same damn places he was in the past life and bleeding out from the mouth too.

till sees and is immediately gut punched into a harrowing flashback and panic attack and hyuna wonders just how she was saddled with such troublesome juniors.

i, too, got possessed it seems LMAOOOO

— 🌦️

do u need a tissue for your tears, 🌦️?

imagine there's a spy rebel that was promised a lot from the aliens and sent ivan's signal to them, so the aliens are able to track him...

till is beside ivan's bed, sifting through hastily-drawn sketches from the middle of the night, lyrics that seem more like chicken scrath, and melodies that's played repeat in his head.

ivan looked the exact same as he had in round six. blood spilled, a slight smile when he caught sight of till—till didn't deserve it. he didn't deserve the heartfelt smile, the bleeding heart ivan gave to him, the all the ivan put to him but never got back.

he painfully remembers the night of their escape, too. ivan was stressed beyond relief, and when they made it out, he looked to the sky as if expecting something. till hadn't recognized it then, but he does now; the look in ivan's eyes resembled heartbreak, sorrow, grief, mourning.

till looks down at ivan. in the past decade since they've escaped, he's never seen him so relaxed.

[prior-medium]

"Your choices do(n't) matter" -> Deltarune to Undertale

I have been wanting to make a post for a long time, but I have a free hour on my hand and a mind full of Deltarune soo allow me to draw my favorite parallels about how Undertale and Deltarune both tackle the concept of choice, and how they are distinct but both still tell a necessary story.

Also, if you are reading this post, I am assuming you have played through Undertale and Deltarune Chapters 1 and 2, because this post will have spoilers for both. Without further ado…

Undertale’s approach when it comes to choice is one that directly targets and addresses the player. Much of the characters’ dialogue with Frisk often address them as “the human”, which, depending on your stance, could be a comment meant to speak to Frisk as a character, or to you, the player, as a human being.

In fact, as much as I adore Frisk as a character all of their own, they aren’t necessarily given any defining personality traits. They are, in the purest of senses, meant to directly be an in-game representation for the whims and desires of the player. “They” act, “they” fight, “they” flee, but it’s always you, the player, making the decisions. This isn’t necessarily a unique concept, but it’s the way that this is applied that makes this particular idea special in Undertale. 

Obviously, the most noticeable instance of this is when Sans calls the player out towards the end of the game, explaining that those little levels and numbers that we, as the player, loved seeing go up, were affecting the world that we had just spent the last few hours immersing ourselves in. There is a direct effect of our choices on this universe. It is a pre-established place, and it will continue without us, the player, making an impact. In fact, in the neutral and genocide routes, you are actively making this universe a worse place! It puts the player in the position to act as themselves and make a decision about how they want to impact this virtual world. In essence, the decisions made by Frisk and you, the player, are presented as one in the same. Frisk isn’t necessarily seen as a vessel for your intentions, but rather, as your intentions themselves. 

This created a unique meta-narrative when it came to the idea of how we, as players, consume media in universes. It presented the idea that universes made by creators aren’t just things to pick up and put down, but that each game world has their own story that continues onwards, with or without input. You aren’t seen as some great hero, but rather a nuisance at best, a mass murderer at worst. This was the way that Undertale addressed the idea of stories in their universe: you, the player, were seen as synonymous with Frisk, the character.

Deltarune took a different approach to this. Of course, it becomes instantly recognizable to players that “our choices don’t matter”, which is told to us almost immediately in the game. There are some sections of the game where the decisions you make don't directly influence the storyline, which differs from the narrative set by Undertale. It takes this idea of “choice” that we had pre-established going into the Deltarune experience by Toby Fox’s other works and toys with it.

Kris is their own individual. Kris has had a hard time making friends. Kris has a brother at college, and is a known town citizen. Kris is greeted by neighbors, classmates, and teachers. Kris loves chocolate and pies, shows anger at Spamton’s demise, and has a tendency to make some scary jokes (as referenced by Noelle). They are their own person. This is when Undertale and Deltarune start to split on the concept of choice.

Frisk was seen as the culmination of the player themselves, but Kris isn’t the player. This is what makes the ending of Chapter 1 particularly shocking– the idea that Kris could directly address us, the players, and our influence on them, by removing their soul. They don’t want to be the culmination of our actions. They want to be Kris. 

This is where the idea of choices is twisted from our prior conceptions. Just like in Undertale, our choices in Deltarune are either praised or criticized depending on how we interact with the world we are given. However, in Undertale, we are judged as players by the characters aware of our influence. In Deltarune, we are judged in a far more intimate setting: directly by the person we are instructing to do our bidding. Because, at the end of the day, our choices do matter in Deltarune. They just matter on a smaller scale. They matter to Kris.

In this way, both games address the way our choices are impactful; they just happen to do so in two, unique settings. I think this is what makes both Undertale and Deltarune so interesting– they have a similar concept, but they completely flip the script on what that concept means, and how it applies to universes. 

[sonicblueartist]

Sonic: Wait. Does that mean you have trackers on all of us?

Tails: [pause] Nooo?... [grins nervously] Noooo.... Of course I did.....[nervous glance] ...n't

[valscodblog]

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ 𝕯𝖎𝖆 𝖉𝖊 𝕸𝖚𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖔𝖘 ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

Alejandro x OC

Warnings: Vulgar language, mentions of sexual themes (no smut but like...talks of having sex-), major mentions of death bc this Holiday revolves around death, descriptions of a character's death, i headcannon that Alejandro had a little sister who died to terroriest and that's why he joined the special forces.

SOOOO IT'S NOVEMBER BITCHESSS AND I'M MEXICAN SOOO!!! I'm writing about day of the dead and what MY family usually does for it. So...welcome to my family's herritage!

also, disclaimer: I always fall asleep when the fucking holiday starts bc i stay up until 3 am backing con mis tias-so i just wrote sum random during the ending-

Tags: @needa-sum-luvn @thebunnednun @writing-with-moss @seconds-on-the-clock @staytrueblue @karlachismylife @tendermanismybaby @devil-in-hiding (if you want tagged just let me know in the comments!)

Dia de Muertos...Day of the Dead. The one and only day Maria truly looked forward to. She always went all out for it-because she has lost so many loved ones it felt wrong not to. Una fiesta, Una Ofrenda...todo. She loved it all...and her love for the holiday only got bigger when she married Alejandro. Who, of course having lost many people he loved as well, asked if they should get a bigger ofrenda-to which she said yes. In short, let's just say...it took up a whole small room in the house.

"Maria-Mi Amor...we have a lot of familia, no?" Alejandro said, his arm wrapped around Maria's back. She laughed and shrugged. "Ohh, Si...but I like a big family! As long as, you know...they like me too-" "Mi mama loves you, don't worry, she's just old and well, a little judgy." "Aww, it's okay, Alejandro. I love your mother, she's sweet, really," Maria said, loosing herself of his grip and saying, "well, if we're going to take food to your Papa y Mi hermanito, I have to get ready-you too." Always and forever the early bird, this one, Alejandro thought smiling. He nodded. "Claro que si, mi alma. Go on, get ready. I'll be in in just a second." He stood, facing the Ofrenda, and soft smile on his face. "...Mi hermanita would've loved her," he mumbled gently. They even shared a name, his sister and her. Marita and Maria...ha. Funny, He thought ad he walked out of the room.

He walked into the bathroom and saw Maria doing her makeup-Skelton style in honor of the holiday. He smiled and asked, "think you could help me do mine, Mi Vida? I'm no very good at the art stuff." Maria didn't reply, but she did tap her foot twice. An old habit she used when she couldn't talk. Meant yes. So Alejandro decied to do his hair in the mean time, throughly brushing it since they were hosting a huge ass party later that night and Maria would've given him la chancla for not brushing it. He split it on the side and smoothed it.

Maria made the last night on her face and nodded. Her hair was n't going to be up tonight. Oh no, it would be down. She took the brush from where Alejandro had laid it down and ran it through her hair. "Just let me brush my hair and I'll do your face paint, Amor." "Claro. No rush." Maria looked at her husband and blinked. "No rush? I have to get cooking soon, and you said you wanted to visit the graves before we started!" and this is what made Alejandro scared of his wife-unlike most women, Maria could argue whilst doing things and not lose track of her thoughts or actions. No, she'd be performing whatever task perfectly in even more so Spanish.

Alejandro put his hands up an surrender. "Okay okay, yo-" KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! "...Alejandro Juan Pablo Vargas-" "No, I didn't invit anyone earlier than you said to! I don't know who's at the door." "well go answer it, you idioto!" "ayy, okay! I'm going, dios mio!" Maria sighed heavily as Alejandro walked off. He answered the door and Rudy was there, smiling as he stood in a full mariachi outfit. Alejandro blinked. and then blinked again. Y otra ves. "...Rudy? Que paso?" "Nada-just thought I'd drop by to see how you two were doing." Alejandro sighed and whispered, "She's a little...stressed, you could say-" "ALEJANDRO! WHO'S AT THE DOOR?" and both men jumped.

"Rodolfo!" he called, back, yaking Rudy inside of his house. "Save me, por favor." "...I...Don't think i can save you from tu esposa, Amigo. You married her-said your vows before God and everything." Alejandro sighed and rested his forehead against Rudy's shoulder. "Yo seeeeeee." he groaned, before getting back up. Maria came out with the face paint and said, "Just as I thought. Both of you don't have face paint. C'ere-ahora!" Rudy listened and walked over. "Pretty makeup, Mari." "Aww, grasias, Rudy." and she sat him down on the couch as she readied the paints.

Alejandro sat down next to Rudy and Maria started on his first. "Prolly would've helped if you shaved first, Amor..." Alejandro put and eyebrow up. "Ey? I thought you liked my stubble?" "I do, I do, it's just in the way of the paint. It doesn't look as smooth as mine...ay, oh well. All the ladies don't need to see you looking good anyways because your married." and Rudy laughed, so Alejandro. Maria gave the pair a smile and continued to paint her husband's face. "...hmm, do you want it plain or sugar skull?" "...whatever you think, Mi Luz."

and so Maria started painted little colorful swirls and dots on his face. Once she was done she did the same to Rudy-matching with Alejandro because he requested it. "You know every skull is different, right?" "Yo se-but Alejandro's looks good. Muy beuno."

Once they were all done, Maria quickly cleaned up and ran into the bedroom to throw on the first dress that came to mind. A simple yet elegant black dress with red, light yellow, and gold marigolds. She then added some skull earrings and elbow long black gloves. She chose a traditional hat with a black veil and, with this addition walked out of her room. Once back in the living room, Alejandro nearly choked on his own spit.

"...Maria...Maria, que-que es esto?" He asked softly, rnning his hands up and down her arms lovingly. She smiled, knowing how he meant the question, and said, "What I'm going to wear." It hugged Every. Single. Curve. The dress did, and it left Alejandro drooling like a mutt. "Mi-Mi Amor, por favor...how come you didn't wear this to our wedding!?" He blurted, and Maria laughed, "Ayy, Ale! I'm not going to wear black to a wedding! Plus-the theme was White and Blue! Our favorites." "Well, Cariño...I dunno whadda say, you look stunning."

Maria giggled, "Ay, Alejo. Such a way with words you have...no wonder why I love you, hm?" and, out of now where it seemed, Alejandro tired to kiss her. He always asked but jeez-this time he didn't. "The makeup, pendejo!" "Ayy, to hell with that! My wife looks like a fucking snack I could devour in one whole bite!" "Mi Amor-Rudy's right there!" "So? He's heard me say worse-" "Alejandro Vargas!" Maria laughed as she pushed her husband away, re relented and sighed. "Fine-I'll wait until we're alone in the shower. Then I'll fuck you-" "VARGAS!" "Hmm? Mi Amortia, Senorita Vargas?" "Cállate!"

Maria laid down three conchas and two cups of flan. Her brother's favorites. She smiled and said, "Hola, Gordito..." Alejandro snorted. "You called him that?" "Alejandro he weighed eight pounds when he was born. Everyone called him that." "...Explains." Maria smiled and whispered, "He also used to sneak food at random times over at our father's. He was the favorite there." and Alejandro laughed. "Oy-Alejandro. Donde esta su hermanita?" "Ahh...Marita is...aqui." He pointed a couple of rows up and Maria's vision landed in a small little headstone with the name "Marita "Sol" Vargas." Maria smiled gently and asked, "Older or younger?" "Younger..." "Mhh..." They stood in silence for awhile before Alejandro rubbed Maria on the back and said, "Don't we have to get cooking?" "Oh shit-your right!" and then they walked to Alejandro's little sister. Well...her grave, more like. He laid down two chicken legs and a three pieces of 'pan de muerto.'

"Hola, Mi Solita...Como estas?" he murmured gently as he did so, Maria smiled. "Cute name for her...was she bright?" "Ooh, Si. Smart too. Very smart...I miss her." "...beuno, you know she's not gone right?" "Yo se, Mi Vida. She's in our hearts...and will still be here after we're gone if we past down her story to our kids, si?" Maria nodded and rubbed Alexandro's shoulders. "That's right...yeah...You wanna stay here for a little while longer?" Alejandro nodded. "Yeah...I do...you can-" "Me too." And Alejandro relaxed and wrapped his arm around his wife's torso.

"AYYYY, MARIA!" Sandrea squeeled as she threw her arms around Maria, Maria hugged her back and grinned. "It's been so long Rea!" "Ayy no, pero Si!" and both ladies laughed. "Maria, como estas?" Alejandro's father asked, Maria nodded and let the older man take her hand and kiss it's knuckles. "Muy bien, grasias, Senor Vargas." Hector nonded and Alejandro's mother glared at her husband. It wasn't a secret she didn't really appreciate how he acted with other women. Alejandro quickly walked over and said, "Ma! Hola!" And put his arms around Maria's waist. No secret that Alejandro didn't like his father either.

"Ayy, Mijo! Bien, muy Bien! Feliz día de muertos!" She said, smiling fondly up at her son. He smiled back and let go fo his wife to hug his mother. His father sized him up and huffed. "Eres grande nino, ¿no?" Alejandro rolled his eyes. "No, Papa. Soy Chiquito." His father scoffed. "Hpph, okey!" and walked away as if he owned the place. Maria could see Alejandro fuming and quickly said, "Uhm...Senora Vargas? Quedes un poco de comida?" Alejandro's mother smiled at Maria and shook her head. "Ay. no...Uhmm...Diet!" she said, and Maria's eye twitched. Maria knew that Alejandro's mother knew she was fluent in Spanish but his mother always seemed to speak English to her because she used to live in the US-and even then they spoke Spanish to her in Texas! Maria just smiled back and nodded. "Okay!"

Alejandro had followed his father the moment Maria began to talk to his mother. "Oye-Puto." Hector turned around and quirked a brow up. "Que?" "It's not a secret that I don't like you, is it?" "...I guess not, no." His father was, by default, on hundred percent Mexican-he just grew up in Florida and therefor didn't know much Spanish. He could understand it though. "Well-I'm tolerating you for one fucking night only, Pendejo! Solo uno noche! Fuck it up and you'll never get to see the kids." "Pfft, what Kids? You'll porbaly end up getting them killed, like your sister-"

"Hector! Qué carajo?" Alejandro's mother shouted, waking her husband. He grunted and glared at Alejandro. "Just remember...your in my house, Cabron...Y mi casa no son tu casa." and Alejandro walked away, fuming. His eyebrows scrunched together-that is until he say Maria. Dancing and having fun with her (and only trusted) family members. "Mhh...Mi Vida, que pasa?" He asked, slipping behind her and taking her cervesa. She laughed gently and said, "Nada..." "Mhh, okay...I told my dad off, finally." "We heard." "...Good. Tio pedro needed to hear that." "Ha!"

Maria turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Wanna dance conmigo?" "Oh, Claro." His arms went around her torso and they started to sway, pausing every now and then to sip off of Maria's beer.

As the sun went down, the party got louder and bigger and then, as soon as it was dark out, everyone flooded the streets of Las Almas and los ninos ran around with sparklers and other handheld noise makers. Maria giggled as some of her younger cousins joined in the fun with their friends. "Tia Maria...do you think I'll see Titi this year?" Maria's littlest cousin asked. Trevor. He was around four, she thought. Titi was a hairless dog as old as time that had passed the previous year. Maria hummed and shrugged. "Well if we do...we won't see him like we did in this life." "Huh?" "He'll be back...but stronger and more playful! He won't act like an old dog...oh no, he'll be acting like a little puppy!" "Really? Why?" "Por que...Será un Alebrije-a spirt guide."

and Trevor grinned and ran off. Maria giggled softly and watched the kids play and felt her heart fall, just a little. "Tres anos...y no ninos...tsk tsk, no es beuno..." she heard from behind her. She didn't turn around, knowing it was Misses Vargas talking. "Ma, por favor! Lo estamos intentando!" Maria blushed at the lie Alejandro told his mother and thanked god she had painted her face. "Alejandro-Por favor. If that were true you'd have at least two of them running in the streets by now!" his father said, and Maria groaned quietly. Why were Mexican families like this?

The yelling went on until the stroke of midnight, which was when Maria really got into festive cheer. "Alejandro-Alejandro Vamanos!" she said, grabbing her husband's arm and running out onto the streets. They ran and ran until the reached la plaza, where they saw Rudy with he new girlfriend. "Oye-Rodolfo!" Alejandro called, waving over. Maria waved too, Rudy and his girl waved back but then Alejandro and Rudy had to hold onto their hats becuase of such an intense wind gust. "Ha ha! It's my sister callin' me stupid!" Alejandro joked, but he was grinning happily. Maria was too. "No-es mi hermanito saying he likes you!" she joked back, and she and Alejandro laughed together for a whole minuet and a half.

It was these kinds of nights that made Maria realize she loved Alejandro...to an amount that words couldn't describe. She looked up at him. He wasn't looking back, he was shouting over the crowd to Rudy, who was shouting back. But Maria gazed at her husbaned and whispered the words, "You really did save me...didn't you?"

Alejandro looked down at Maria and asked if she was drunk, she shook her head and He smiled at her. "...Could i get that beso now, Mi corazon?" "...hm, i dunno, Mi Amor.." "Por favor Mi Linda?" "Mhh, claro que si."

He leaned down just as another gust of wind blew and this time...the mariachi bands started playing their music and the dancers started dancing along with the crowd. Alejandro lost his hat to the mercy of the wind, but crared about un sombero when he was kissing his ermosa esposa?

"Lo se..." "Heh heh, y yo tambien, Mi Amor...yo tambien, Mi Pistolita."