#once again we've got a fun situation on our hands

[hydrachea]

Genshin fans: So the archons are going to be only 2 men to 5 women? That's kind of uneven...

Mihoyo: Sorry, it is what it is.

Mihoyo in 4.2, giving Neuvillette his authority over Hydro back and straight-up destroying the very concept of the Hydro archon: SIKE.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

UPDATE What's up, it's the proposal guy. You said you wanted to know how this turned out, so I figured I'd tell you. First some context though, because I'm mean and I wanna keep you in suspense longer.

1- I don't wanna doxx us so I'm not telling you where we live, but suffice to say, neither of us are American, and gay marriage has been legal here for less than five years. For both of us, this is the first relationship we've had where marriage was even an OPTION, and I think that's where we've been getting some of that whole 'this has to be a REAL proposal with EVERYTHING' idea.

2- I gotta figure out how to explain this properly. So, I'm pretty used to being the GUY guy in relationships? I was always the one who did the nice gestures, not the one they got done for. Before I met my dream guy, I didn't really notice or care that it was such a thing, I just assumed that's how shit worked. Also, I promised I wouldn't talk a lot about his stuff here, but his last boyfriend before me SUCKED. Anyway point here is, it turns out we both REALLY like feeling swept off our feet sometimes, and a big part of finding each other has been getting to feel special for once? That's a stupid sappy way of putting it the point here is I think all that's what morphed into "I need to be the one getting proposed to, also it has to be completely perfect", and then our Petty & Extra genes got involved.

So I'm sitting in bed thinking about all that up there, and watching all the comments coming in basically being like "Dude, you are BLOWING this" on repeat, and telling me to compromise, and I look up and see him flossing in the bathroom and making all these doofy faces at the mirror, and it's like a switch just flips in my brain, and I'm like "Oh, I'd rather he gets to have his perfect proposal than we both have an okay one". I'm gonna do it.

Morning rolls around, and while I'm 'out for my jog like normal' I hit up a pawn shop for a temp ring (the ring pop thing is cute but NOT HIM). I found one I was at least confident wouldn't get ruined the first time he got his hands greasy (he fixes old machines as a hobby it's hot as hell), got back home, and hid the box in the toe of my nasty ass workout shoes in the bedroom closet, since I figured he'd check there last.

He was still asleep, because he stays up late no matter what and then is SHOCKED he's tired the next day, so I called and booked a table at our usual anniversary spot. (Side note about the 'he picks bad restaurants' thing. This isn't an 'I like Greek, you like Chinese' situation, dude's just BAD at finding places. He either assumes pricey is tasty and I get to eat some overrated gourmet bullshit, or he'll try and find something hip and underground and risk giving us food poisoning again, and he REFUSES to give up and pick somewhere we've been before when it's his turn to plan date night. I'm obsessed with him <3.) Date was set, I'd propose on the 21st.

Some of you might have noticed this, but fun fact! It's currently the 16th.

Last night I'm doing dishes and he's been sent to our room for mug collection duty, and he's taking FOREVER, so I go check just in case he found the ring, because the man's a gift tracking BLOODHOUND. Turns out he hasn't, he's found my Angry Box.

I assume other people have an Angry Box? Basically, we had this huge messy fight right when we first moved in together, and I never wanna let it get that bad again, so I have this shoebox where I keep a bunch of our stuff I can look at if we're fighting and hopefully cool off. There's one of those photo booth roll things, letters we wrote when he moved back with his parents for COVID, the wine cork from our first date, shit like that. Anyway, he's just sitting on the floor staring at it, and I explain about the Angry Box, and then he! Proposes!!! Kind of.

He definitely didn't have anything prepared, because by 'propose' I mean 'ugly cried & rambled at me for several minutes before I figured out it WAS a proposal', but once I got on the same page it was amazing. I said yes, and he had to admit he didn't have a ring for me because he was CONVINCED he'd win and I'd do it, so I grabbed mine because, yeah, he was right. He was like "this is the ugliest ring I've ever seen" and I was like yeah well the plan is to replace it later and he went "No. You can pry this off my cold dead fingers. After I'm buried with it." So I guess it's not a temporary ring anymore.

I'm just gonna go ahead and skip to this morning. I pointed out we still have the reservation, and he said I should propose there anyway because "We can get a free dessert. They have those creme brulee shot glasses you like. And for love, or something" and I said ok deal, but that means you gotta get me a ring to keep it fair, and his eyes LIT UP. When I swung by his work for lunch he was still on the phone with a jeweler and he had a whole page of notes on three other ones. Pray for me.

OH PS: I was RIGHT that he'd been the one behind the cat biting me, but it wasn't about the proposal stuff, it's because I paid my baby sister three dollars to shout 'fuck you' every single time he enters a room she's in for (if you ask me, he should be madder at my sister for charging so little), and he did it by giving her a bunch of treats for biting his hands too, so now neither of us can pet our baby girl without oven mitts on. HOLY SHIT I love this man.

Oh my goddddddd I love everything about this <333 I awwww'd out loud on a voice call, like, six times while reading. You two are friggin perfect for each other and so obviously smitten with each other and I wish y'all all the happiness in the world

PS Are y'all planning to have a big wedding? If so oh boy I can't WAIT to get that one in the inbox

Original post

[cheeseceli]

Love wins all

Pairing: Jungkook × Gn!reader (established relationship)

Genre: fluff, comfort, late 40s au, drabble (<1k words).

Prompt: "however big, however small, let me be part of it all. You may be right, you may be wrong, but say you'll bring me along."

Warnings: Both y/n and Jungkook struggle financially, they are married.

A/n: This is a mix of the greatest showman with the notebook (although I never watched the latter) | daily click

"Jungkook, if you let me trip over another rock I swear that I-"

His laugh cut you off, not allowing you to finish your threat towards him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. We're almost there, I promise."

"You said that a few times already. I miss the light."

You heard his giggles once again. You loved that sound. It never failed to amuse how, even with all difficulties life presents, your lover always managed to find joy in the little things. Like leading you through the sidewalk when your eyes were covered. That seemed to be bringing a lot of fun to him and, although he still hasn't confessed to you where the destination is, claiming this would ruin the surprise, you trusted him enough to literally follow him blindly.

"But we're getting closer every new step, aren't we?"

"I bet people are staring weirdly at us."

"I wouldn't say that."

Now it was your turn to smile, a lighthearted laugh coming out of your lips "we've been walking down this entire road with you covering my eyes, people would be crazy if they didn't find it weird."

"I really don't think it's that weird. Don't worry about that. Instead, focus on this."

With that, Jungkook slowly took off his hands from your eyes and placed you in front of the destination.

As your eyes got used to light once again, you saw a house in front of you. It was simple: a single floor, rather small, with visible dust and some broken stairs. It seemed abandoned for a while, but it had this cozy charm. It seemed like a lovely house, one you would love to visit given the right circumstances. "Where are we?"

"At our home."

You looked at him, speechless, only to find a quite anxious yet very smiley Jungkook. His eyes shone as you looked at them. "Surprise," he nervously giggled.

"You bought this house?"

"I did. I've told you I'd give you a good life once you married me, hadn't I?" not even once he stopped looking at you, trying to understand your reaction through your glossy eyes "I mean, the house is not very big and it needs some adjustments... A lot of them, maybe. But it's ours."

You couldn't believe it. Not once in your life you would've expected this. When you married Jungkook, you never expected gold nor glory. None of you never even saw it throughout your lives, and you genuinely think that you could die without it as long as you had Jungkook's love.

When your lover told you as a wedding vow that he would do the unimaginable to give you a proper life, you knew he was true to his words. But still, him buying a goddamn house for the both of you was not in your plans. As he promised you, you couldn't have ever imagined it.

And yet, here you are: seeing the man you love the most guaranteeing a home to keep your love safe for the following years, all while looking at you like you are the most precious thing in the place, even when considering the current situation.

You really were at a loss of words, but maybe you kept quiet for too long, as now Jungkook was getting nervous. He didn't plan your silence. He didn't think you would've cried. He wished you had at least smiled a bit. But you were seriously looking at him, tears threatening to spill at any second. Did you not like it?

"I know I should've bought the house with you... It's just that I wanted to make a surprise. If you don't like it, then I can... I don't know, I can come up with something to-" you hugged him. Tighter than you have ever hugged him before, maybe just not comparing to how you embraced him when he proposed.

He then remembers that your reaction at the moment was the same back then: speechless at his will to build a future with you.

"I love it, Kook. I love the surprise. I love the house. I love you."

This time he is the one who couldn't come up with things to say. He could never get tired of hearing you say things like that. So he hugged you tighter, bringing you closer to where his heart beats, maybe in an attempt to keep you and your sweet words with him for longer.

Maybe you would never be rich. Maybe you would never wear brand clothes and live in fancy houses, with expensive cars and food. But you had a home. You had each other. And you could never think of anything else you longed for. Your life was complete, and maybe that was the rarest thing to find, yet you and him did.

Masterlist | you'll probably like: 7:44 pm

Reminder that this is all fiction, this does not represent the members in real life!

Taglist (open!): @yuyubeans @butnotmontana @lelewright1234

Dividers by @adornedwithlight | images 1, 2 and 3

[awarrenswhore]

Not an Affair (M)

→ pairing | Phillip Graves x Reader

→ genre | smut, angst, domestic au! Fem!reader.

→ word count | 3,415

→ summary | You ended up getting involved with one of your parents' friends after getting back from college, had a few hot nights with him until you discovered he was married. You ended up developing feelings for him, but after finding out that he hadn't signed the divorce papers yet, you decide to throw everything in his face and end the affair. But god only knows how persuasive Phillip can be.

→ warnings |sex, Adult content, alcoholic beverages, low slang words. unprotected sex. cheating (the reader helps him to cheat or something like that)

→ A/N| I don't know what came over me, I just decided I was going to write a smut with Phillip Graves. English is not my first language so sorry for my mistakes. It's kind shitty lol

When you finally returned home, Phillip was in the kitchen, sitting at the counter with a bottle of Whiskey in front of him and two glasses. One of them was half finished, and the other was empty. As if he was waiting for someone to drink with him.

He was looking out of the window, sipping his whiskey and just staring out. When you got home he didn't even glance at you, he was just lost, trying not to think about the words you had said earlier. When he saw you enter the kitchen he looked up at you with a pained look in his eyes. He had already started drinking the whiskey hoping that it would numb the pain and make the conversation easier but he was just making things worst. He was feeling desperate to say something or get this over with because the longer it took the more the anxiety was building up inside of him. "Can I talk to you?"

You couldn’t help but feel like you should ignore him, act as if nothing had ever happened. But those sad blue eyes didn't let you continue on your way to your room. Then you walked to the other side of the counter, facing him.

His mind was already a mess of emotions, and now seeing your face made his heart beat uncontrollably fast. The anxiety he felt was at the peak and he just wanted to tell you everything so he could get this moment over with. You could see that he was trying to hide his pain but it was so evident that it would be impossible to not spot. He took one last sip of his whiskey and poured you a glass hoping you would join him.

You looked at the glass, then at him, and back at the glass, taking it in your hands and taking a sip. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"No" he said, taking a sip from his whiskey. "I just want us to get our minds relaxed. The last thing I wanna do is have this conversation while our minds are clouded, this is important to both of us."

"Okay, go ahead."

He took a deep breath in and let it out. Then he slowly began to speak. "the past few weeks we've been spending time together I thought we had something more. You felt different. But it all changed today when you threw my words back in my face like I was just using you for my own satisfaction, not once did I ever think that our relationship was just based on sex."

You shook your head, waiting for him to continue, too tired to argue.

"You didn't even try to listen to me. You just decided to get up and leave and I felt my heart crush into pieces when you said all of that to me. It's not right because what we had was not just sex. What we had was real, it was a true bond but it all seemed to mean nothing to you. I was hoping I could convince you to come back to me, but how can I do that if you refuse to believe me? You're too stuck in this stupid idea that I was only with you to have fun."

At times like this, I should use my smart mouth, but I felt like if I said something, it would only make the situation worse and we would fight again. You thought, just taking another sip of the drink and continued listening to him.

"You see the way I look at you every day, the way you make my heart feel like it's going to jump out of my chest, how could it have been only about fun? I'm sure you felt this way too, how could you not? The way my body responds to yours. We never acted selfishly or without thinking, I knew when I went in bed with you that I would get attached, I knew the risks and I knew what it meant to my life. You said all those cruel words and it felt like I've just been thrown away." He paused "I'm divorcing her... I just, i'm not the one for her. And she's not the one for me, you are. I wasn't just using you for your body. I've found someone that I felt was meant by me and it's you. I want you to be mine." Your silence was making him uncomfortable "Will you please just be reasonable and talk to me?"

You took a deep breath, staring at your empty glass. You wet your lips with your tongue before looking at him. “I Already told you how this situation bothers me and I know I shouldn't have gotten involved with you. But there's nothing I can do. You are the person who has to make a decision here, not me." you said calmly.

The moment he heard those words he felt like a sharp knife had stabbed him in the heart. You refused to talk to him and he wanted so badly for you two to work out. The marriage was already over so there was nothing stopping him from just ending it now and being with you. But now it all came crashing down on him when you said that there was nothing you could do. His eyes were locked into yours as he stood up from the chair and walked up very close to you, looking down at your face. "I already made my choice," he said softly "this whole time you were the one for me."

"I don't believe you." you said looking right at his eyes.

"Just let me show you." His eyes were filled with pain and desperation, he wasn't planning to let you get away this easily. "I'll do anything to prove to you that it was more than sex. How can you say you have feelings for me and then just shut me down at the same time? It doesn't make sense and I know you still have feelings for me too. You can't deny that. Please, let us talk about this."

"The only thing I know is that while we're having this conversation, you're still married to her. And until that ends, I won't fall for your charms again." You said decidedly. "You want me? You'll have me the day you sign the divorce papers. Until then, don't touch me." I got up.

His heart skipped a beat the moment you put the conditions so easily. "So... So you're saying you will take me back... Once I sign the papers?"

"If you sign the papers."

The excitement he felt at that moment was unbearable. He could already see the two of you together and living as a real couple. "I will." he said firmly, not even hesitating a bit.

Seconds later, they heard the sound of the front door opening and closing. Your mother's figure appeared in the kitchen, smiling. "Hey, what are you guys doing? Drinking? Pour me another glass because we need to celebrate." She said laughing, grabbing a glass for herself. "I got promoted at work." She said. That whole situation, you needed to put a smile on my face. "Congratulations, Mom."

The both of you had to act like there was nothing wrong between you two and it would be one of the hardest things to do right now. Your mother was being way too happy and had her full attention on the two of you. It was impossible to have a serious conversation now or to leave. She just had the best news and she deserved to be happy so you both had to act as if nothing was wrong and nothing was about to change.

"I'd like to stay to celebrate, but Ryan asked me out today. So I'd better go." you said taking short steps towards the door.

"Oh come on, can't you stay for at least a little bit?" your mother said. “Your Father is coming to celebrate too, he will be home soon.” She was excited to celebrate, it was odd that you were just leaving all of a sudden, The idea of you going out with Ryan made him feel like he was going to throw up.

"it's just a little celebration, it'll be fun." Graves tried to stay calm, not wanting to show the jealous in his eyes. "Once we finish, i'll take you to him."

You looked into his eyes. "No need, I'll take a cab." Phillip has no right to be jealous of me. You thought.

"I insist." He replied firmly "I'll take you."

"I'm just going to take a quick shower and come back." Your mother said going upstairs, leaving you and Graves alone again.

"And i said that i don't need you to take me, Phillip."

He was fighting the urge to scream internally. His fists clenched tight and he had to force his mouth from saying things that he would regret. "just listen to me for a minute. I know you don't need me to take you, ok? Just let me do it. I insist."

"Why? Just so you know where I'm going? For what? So you can show up there and ruin my date?”

The words were cutting him like a knife. He didn't even deny the reasons you gave him because they were true, he was going to ruin the date. He was jealous and you just made him acknowledge it. "Yes... That's why."

"You can't do that. I already told you, I will be yours the day you sign the divorce papers, until then, you will not touch me. But other guys will. Because if you can fuck her, I can fuck other guys."

That hit him like a bullet to the chest. Your words hurt him way more than if you had just slapped his face. The jealousy and the anger were making him furious, to realize that you could possibly meet other men made him feel sick to death. He couldn't let that happen, he wanted you, only you. Suddenly a wave of anger invaded his body and Phillip let his intrusive thoughts control him. He grabbed your throat and pushed you against the fridge, putting one hand behind your head so it wouldn't hit the fridge and hurt you. His breathing became heavy, and he placed his forehead against yours, lowering his face to your neck, smelling you, smelling your scent before pressing himself against you, trapping you between him and the refrigerator. He moistened his lips and pressed them together, alternating his gaze between your eyes and your mouth before focusing on your eyes.

"If you ever let another man touch you, I will kill them."

You couldn't help feeling excited by his actions, your entire body shivering with his words, the possessiveness that you had never seen in his eyes gave him even more charm and the desire you had to open your legs for him and let him ravishes you was almost uncontrollable. But you wouldn't let him think he was in control. “I don’t believe you.” You provoked him.

"You will." he hissed between his teeth, his voice sounding threatening as he pressed his lips and caressed your neck, with this eyes locked onto yours. You started to feel dizzy from his touch, and the smell of whiskey was heavy on his breath. His mouth was so close to yours and it made you feel so hot and weak. His body was pressing even harder against yours, and the air was becoming thick to breath. "I own you." he whispered against your lips "Don't you forget that." He said before kissing you passionately.

You felt like he had manipulated you, but when his lips met your, you forgot everything, your mind went blank and you could only press your body against his, desperate for more contact. Moaning against his lips, your hands went to his hair, and Graves's free hand went to your thigh, lifting it and fitting between your legs. His kiss was aggressive and breathtaking, and his right hand squeezed your throat using the right pressure to not leave you completely breathless, while his left hand stuck his fingers into your skin, the pain causing you more pleasure.

Your moans sent him over the edge, causing his grip to become tighter, his movements becoming rough and his kiss more urgent. As his fingers pressed into your skin you felt the intense sensation of his hand exploring your body. The combination of the pain and pleasure was making you feel all sorts of feelings that you never felt before. His mouth was still locked with yours and the sensation of him kissing you was getting more and more intense. Your mind was starting to blur and there was nothing else but the sensation of his touch and your body. He was getting close to kissing your neck and exploring everything and the thought of him exploring your body like this was making you shiver in pleasure and anticipation. He was losing control over you and he was making you his, there was no other way to explain it. He didn't think about anything else in that particular moment but being as rough as he wanted with you. His hands squeezed your skin and your body with all his force, not stopping till he felt like he had drained the last drop of your pleasure and desire for him.

Your cell phone started ringing on the counter, looking over Phillip's shoulder you could see that the caller ID was Ryan’s name. "I need to answer."

The ringing of your phone was the last thing he wanted to hear. He was so consumed by his desire to make you his again that the thought of another man calling your phone, or you answering it, was causing him pure rage. A wave of jealousy started to overwhelm him. Ryan, he couldn't stand the thought of your date still happening. He had to do something to stop it. And he would.

Graves didn't waste any more time, he let go of your throat, and unbuttoned his own pants and lowered them along with his underwear just enough for his hard cock to be free, he took advantage of the fact that your thigh was still around his waist and slipped his hand under your dress, pushing your panties to the side before pushing his cock into your soaked entrance, making you moan loudly as he filled you completely. He started to pound hard against you, so hard that the fridge behind you was shaking and banging against the wall behind it. It was impossible to control your moans, throwing your head back with your eyes closed, the feeling of being filled by him was too strong and you could barely breathe without letting out a grunt of pleasure.

Phillip smiled, ecstatic at that scene, seeing you so at his mercy. He then reached back, taking your cell phone, and without stopping his thrusts, he answered it. "(y/n)'s cell phone, who is it?" He asked and you immediately opened your eyes, widening them, letting out a loud moan when he gave a hard thrust, hitting your spot. You couldn't think of anything, you didn't even try to take the cell phone from his hand.

"Who are you?" The male voice on the other end of the line asked harshly.

"Do you hear that noise, asshole?" Graves said through gritted teeth. "That's the sound of my cock making (y/n) cum. Don't ever call her again, she already has an owner." And so he turned off the cell phone, throwing it on the floor and using his arm to hug the you, kissing you furiously while thrusting with speed, strength and skill. Graves grabbed your other thigh, pulling towards his waist having complete control of the situation, grunting and thrusting into your pussy like it was the end of the world.

And it didn't take long for both of you to reach climax.

You were breathing heavy, trying to normalize, your hearts beating in sync, sweat running down your bodies.

"What the fuck did you just do?" you asked, your arms Around his neck, hyperventilating.

"Nothing" he replied between his breaths "I'm just letting him know to stay away from you. I just claimed what was mine. I don't need another man bothering you." His breath was heavy and his voice was still filled with anger.He was leaning his body towards yours, his breathing was extremely heavy and you could feel his breath hitting your face, making you shiver. "That was a very pleasant feeling." He said with some difficulty, his voice was rough and his breath was full of desperation. "Do you know what else is going to be a very pleasant feeling? I will break anyone who dares come near you and that includes Ryan there. You are mine and mine only you hear me?" he said pressing his head into the side of your neck.

"Yeah, i hear you." You whispered. All your defenses were down and you felt like you were fucked.

A wave of pleasure and excitement had overwhelmed him and the thought of you giving in to him had made him feel so strong that he couldn't contain himself. "Good girl" he then began kissing your neck and caressing your back, pulling you towards him. You felt his finger trail down the back of your leg and pull up your dress. This was a feeling you loved and it made the both of you want each other even more. If only he could make you feel this way all the time...

"Fuck! My mom is upstairs." A wave of realization washed over and you pushed Phillip away, feeling his juices spill down your thighs. "Shit, if she finds us like this, she's going to be pissed." I picked up my phone from the floor. "Damn, what if she heard?"

"Shhh... She didn't hear anything." his voice was whispering close to your ear. The thought of your mother walking into this scene made him nervous as well, he didn't want to make this situation worse. "Just go to your room and clean yourself up. I'll clean the floor here." he replied hastily as he pulled up his pants and buttoned them. His body was sweating and his breathing was still heavy due to the intense pleasure the two of you had just experienced. "But don't even try to sneak out of your window to go to that stupid date."

"Well, it's not like I can now, you seem to have made it pretty clear to Ryan that I already have someone, he won't ever want to talk to me again, you idiot."

"Good" he grinned, satisfied at the fact that Ryan would no longer be a threat. "Besides, you're better off without him. You would be just another one in his long list of ex's. You don't need that. You need someone who is going to love you and take care of you and I am the only one who can do that."

"I'm not even going to try argue with you right now." you rolled my eyes and runned to the second floor.

While he cleaned up the mess that the two of you made inside the kitchen, he thought about what had just happened. The thought of that guy taking you out on a date and probably trying to do something intimate with you had filled him with so much rage that the thought of him touching you had made him go crazy. The jealousy and the desire had overwhelmed him and you didn't even fight back. You enjoyed every second of it, and he made sure that this feeling would continue and you would never have to worry about anyone else touching you. He smiled, satisfied that you had agreed to cancel your date and that you were going to be at home that night. The feeling that he had accomplished his mission made him want to jump and kick his legs, like a child. He was feeling euphoric and the only thought that was crossing his mind was having you to himself, without any other man in the picture. Graves was finally feeling like a human again.

all rights reserved — no reposting and/or modifying of any form on any medium is allowed. no translations allowed.

[w2soneshots]

Oh shit -W2S

words: 0.8k+

warnings: secret relationship.

summary: you and Harry get caught while trying to hide your relationship.

I've been with Harry for just over 2 months now, but no one knows. When I say no one I mean no one, not any of the boys, not Faith (my best friend and also the person who introduced me to Harry), even our families don't know. When we decided to get together we knew it was slightly risky, we didn't want to divide the group if it didn't work out. It's a complete secret, we've been sneaking around during parties and night outs, lying about where we were when we were actually staying at each other's apartment and there's also been times where we've almost been caught, snogging or being a little to touchy.

Today Faith asked me to come along with her and Olive to one of the sidemen shoots, so that she had someone to talk to and help her with Olive while they filmed. I've never been to one of their shoots before, Harry always told me he'd bring me along when everyone knew. We weren't planning on keeping our secret for so long but we just couldn't figure out how to tell everyone, it's also quite fun sneaking around, it kinda makes you feel like a teenager again.

I got dressed into some jeans, a white t-shirt, dark blue hoodie and my converse. I left my hair how it was and applied a little bit of makeup. Once I was finished I left. Once I arrived outside of the studio that they are filming in today, I looked down at my phone and saw a message from Harry: "I'm the only one here, come inside!!" I looked up to see him standing just outside of the building. I smiled and quickly got out of the car.

"Hi." I said with a smile as I walked up to him. His lips spread into a small smile "Hey, how are you?" He asked. "I talked to you this morning." I said with a slight chuckle, referring to our phone conversation earlier while I did my makeup. He pulled me into him and pecked my lips. "Harry!" I said sternly then pulled away "someone might see us!" I said looking around the car park. When I made sure the coast was clear I looked back at him, he had a huge smirk on his face. I shook my head and playfully slapped his chest.

Josh turned up soon after followed by everyone else, Ethan, Faith and Olive being last to arrive due to a toddler meltdown. I sat next to Faith while Olive sat asleep on my lap "you have the magic touch." she said looking down at her daughter. I laughed slightly "she's so cute!" I said quietly. "She's all cute when she's asleep but as soon as she wakes up she turns into a little gremlin." she stated. I laughed "I know, I've seen it first hand." I said referring to the time I looked after her for an afternoon so Ethan and Faith could film a video, and she was a little menace, but she's to adorable to get annoyed at.

The boys finished filming almost an hour and a half later. I quickly popped to the toilets before everyone left. But before I could get there I felt two hands on my waist, pulling me back slightly. I turned quickly, knowing exactly whose big hands those were. Without a word he smashed our lips together. "gosh so confident today." I said as we caught our breath's quickly. He smirked "wanna come mine later?" He asked. I smiled "you know it." and smashed our lips back together. When I heard a gasp. "Oh shit" I thought. I quickly separated myself from Harry and looked down the hallway to see JJ standing there with a shocked look on his face. My eyes widened, as did Harry's when he realised the situation.

I looked to Harry "it's time to tell them." I said softly. He nodded and we looked back to JJ. "Are you too?" He said pointing at each of us quickly. We both nodded and he gasped once again "omg!" He said running towards us and pulling us into a joint hug. The three of us walked back into the green room. "We have something we wanna tell you." Harry started. Everyone looked up confused as we sat down. JJ looked as if he was about to burst with excitement. "Me and Harry have been... seeing each other for a while now." I said. Each one of their eyes widened. "No, fucking way!" Ethan shouted, jumping from his seat. "How long?" Faith asked. "Two months." Harry replied. "Two months?!" Tobi exclaimed. I nodded "sorry, we couldn't find the right time to tell you." I shrugged. They all quickly began celebrating.

"Wait why are you telling us now?" Simon asked after everyone calmed down. "I caught them snogging in the hallway!" JJ said with a chuckle. The entire room erupted into laughter and I shared a slightly embarrassed look with Harry. I actually feel relief knowing everyone now knows, it was fun for a while but I feel like we can properly start our relationship now.

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

This reaction is for the season 8, first episode “Buzzkill” which originally aired on September 26, 2024. The episode was written by Molly Green and James Leffler and directed by James Wong. 

The 118 is back, baby, and you won’t bee-lieve what shenanigans our faves are getting into in season 8 opener. Previously, my reviews have been a bit long-winded as I tried to react the episodes in their entirety. For this season, I thought I’d try something new. Rather than doing a scene-by-scene recap, my plan is to have four segments that I comment on. Those segments will be:

Best plot

Best emergency sequence

Episode MVP

BuckTommy Corner

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's start with our best plot.

Best plot?

It was fun checking in on all of our first responders. In case you for some reason didn’t watch the season 7 finale, Bobby left the 118 and was replaced by former captain Vincent Gerrard (Brian Thompson). This leads me to the best plot of the episode. We’ve seen glimpses of what life was like prior to Bobby becoming captain in the episodes "Hen Begins" and "Chimney Begins". There’s only a handful of characters who have worked under Gerrard. Unfortunately, Buck is not one of those characters.

Captain Vincent Gerrard is still just as terrible as he was back then. Hen, Chimney and even Eddie, our three minority members of the 118, seen to hate working for the man but they seem to take all of his microaggressions in stride. Not to get too deep on racial politics but if you’re Black, Latinx, or Asian living in America, you probably know all too well what it’s like to encounter someone like Captain Gerrard. Buck, however, hasn’t had to face as much adversity as his colleagues and it is this reason that he’s the most outwardly resistant towards the interim captain.

Nothing Buck does seems to please Gerrard, and I imagine this reminds Buck of his own fragile relationship with his dad. Buck truly saves the day, twice, when he suggests using smokes to disperse the bees and later on uses Eddie as bait to distract the bees. Gerrard, however, isn’t impressed and only sees Buck’s good ideas as acts of defiance.

At the end of the episode, Buck gets chewed out by Gerrard and for a moment I thought he was going to snap. What happened next was very unexpected. A saw blade flies across the firehouse and nearly skewers Gerrard. Buck manages to intervene and saves the captain’s life. We end the episode with Captain Gerrard lying unconscious in his own blood. Will Buck’s act of bravery be once again misinterpreted, or will Gerrard be grateful for his lifesaving intervention?

Best emergency sequence?

We had a handful of emergencies this episode but the one that sticks out to me is the one involving the mother Julie (Marisol Sacramento) and her daughter Reyla (Nora Harriet) both of whom are deathly allergic to bees. Now I’ve never been afraid of bees. If I see one, I usually get out of their way. I know how important they are to the environment, so I just let them do their thing. With that said, if I ever saw that many bees in one spot, I would probably have a panic attack. When the bees surrounded their vehicle, all I kept thinking was, what would I do in that situation. 

Watching the 118 respond to the accident was quite exciting. Once again, Buck’s quick thinking saved the day. I’m always amazed by how all of the seemingly useless information stored in Buck’s brain ends up being extremely useful during their emergencies. Aside from Hen, I truly bee-lieve that Buck is one of the smartest people on the show. It’s unfortunate how some of the other characters right him off as being an idiot at times. 

Okay, I’m not trying to be rude but, if you and your daughter are both deadly allergic to bees, why would you only have one EpiPen??? Speaking of smart characters, kudos to Maddie for thinking on her feet and having the mom reuse the EpiPen. I’ve given myself many injections before and I didn’t know that some of the medicine is left in the pen. I’m sure someone will remind me that this is something fabricated for the show but if this is true, that’s pretty awesome. 

The last thing I’ll say about this emergency sequence is RIP to the guy driving the bee truck. I don’t know why he thought it was a good idea to get out of the vehicle, but I guess his fight or flight kicked in. I hate that he got stung to death. Oh, and how disgusting was it when Chimney sucked all of those bees out of the other guy’s windpipe. Blech!

Episode MVP?

This was hard for me. I was really impressed by Buck’s heroics this episode, but I have to give Episode MVP to the queen badass herself, Athena Grant. I love how this show is constantly building off of its own lore. One of the best episodes of the series (and the saddest) is season 3’s “Athena Begins”. In this episode, we learn that Athena had a fiancé named Emmett. Emmett is the one who got Athena interested in law enforcement. Unfortunately, Emmett was gunned down by a man named Dennis Jenkins (Glenn Plummer). In that very same episode, Athena solved her late-fiancé’s murder and Emmett was arrested.

Athena finds herself reliving the trauma of Emmett’s murder when she is instructed to do a prison transfer. Apparently Dennis has some tea on his deceased jail mate and in exchange for that information, he will get an early released. Athena is not exactly enthused about the assignment, but she truly is the best person for the job. When she arrives in Arizona, she is accosted by an assassin looking to take Dennis out. She whips out of her gun Dirty Harry-style and commands him to get in the trunk of his car. Her and Denis manage to escape and get to the airport. Athena is smart enough to book an alternate flight back to Los Angeles in hopes of avoiding any additional attempts on Jenkins’ life. However, that decision will prove to be disastrous as we see at the end of the episode a small plane collide with the passenger jet Athena and Dennis are on. 

BuckTommy Corner

And now we’ve made it to our last segment. I wasn’t expecting to see Tommy this episode even though I know he will feature more prominently in the next few episodes, but we did get a pretty sweet and heartbreaking scene with him, Buck, and Eddie. Less we forgot, Eddie’s relationship with his son Christopher is extremely precarious since Christopher walked in on his dad with a woman who looks exactly like his late mother. Christopher is back in El Paso with Eddie’s parents and Eddie is doing everything he can to win back Christopher’s trust. 

It's Christopher’s birthday and it’s so strange to see our little man as a teenager with a deep voice. I feel like we’ve watched this kid grow up and he’s gone from the adorable little kid to sullen teenager in the blink of an eye. With Christopher with his grandparents, Eddie decides to celebrate his special day via FaceTime. The connection is spotty but that doesn’t seem to dampen the spirits of our three partygoers. While Eddie chats with Christopher, Buck and Tommy hide behind the sofa. They’re both wearing party hats, the kind you wear for a little kid’s birthday party, and Tommy tells Buck that he’s a vision in a cone hat. That was so sweet. I love how much is said without saying all that much. These two are still just as smitten as they were at the end of last season. They seem so comfortable with each other, and I can’t wait to see more of them this season.

Well, that’s my reaction! How’d I do? This episode was so fun and 9-1-1 is best when it gives us these multi-episode disaster episodes. It’s so good to have all my favorite characters back on my television screen. Most of all, everyone looks like they are having fun. I’m seriously looking forward to what happens next. Until next time …

[smolwritingchick]

Helping Taehyung Cook

Ah okay another request done. This is a brainstorm of when Jennie helps Taehyung prepare for Jinny's Kitchen.

-----

"Okay, make sure it's seasoned well. We do not do unseasoned chicken up in here," Jennie advised as she watched Taehyung season the chicken.

Taehyung giggled at how serious she sounded.

"You think I'm playin'? I am so serious!" she giggled.

"I know you are! You've explained it plenty of times,"

Here they stood in the kitchen of Jennie's shared apartment with Jungkook as she monitored how he was preparing the chicken while the oven preheated. 

"Are you free to do this tomorrow, too?" He asked, hopeful as he placed the chicken in a pan.

"We have...what? Like a week or so before you go on the show? We can practice every day if you want. I'm free,"

His eyes lit up. "I owe you, big time,"

"Tae, I got you, always," she said as he smiled and kissed her temple.

"Still, I appreciate you doing this for me,"

"Anytime. Okay, put that in the oven. Let's start the Bulgulgi Kimbap. I have everything on the counter. Let's wash our hands first,"

After they got situated and finished washing their hands, Jennie began to demonstrate while he carefully followed her movements. The first order of business was to season the rice that had finished cooking as she pointed out to him that a little went a long way. Then she watched him cook the beef and eggs.

"Remember not to use too much salt. A pinch," she gently advised and watched as he followed her instructions.

He appreciated how she used a gentle tone with him and remained patient whenever he made a mistake. 

After the food was finished, he had his sheet of seaweed while she had hers as they neatly put rice on it along with the rest of the ingredients.

"All right, let's roll it up," she announced as they began to roll up the seaweed.

Once everything was complete, they cut the rolls into slices, with his looking a little uneven but still putting in the effort. 

"Tada! Great for a first attempt! Let me try yours," she requested.

"Here you are," he fed her a piece and she nodded in approval, enjoying the taste.

"Outstanding! Right amount of everything. I like it,"

"Yay!" he cheered and began dancing around the kitchen causing her to laugh and join in the fun.

"Still at it?" Jungkook asked as he walked out of the bedroom, preparing to go to the gym.

Seeing them dancing, he let out a laugh and watched as Taehyung presented the plate of food they just made.

"Yeah! You want to try it? Ennie said it was pretty good,"

"If you have her teaching you, you're in good hands. Let me have a piece," he walked over to them.

After trying a bite, he nodded and smiled. 

"Good job, hyung," he praised.

"Yay~!" Taehyung cheered again and high fived Jennie.

"I'll be back, later. See you two!" Jungkook kissed her goodbye and left.

As Jennie and Taehyung continued to cook, he brought up, "Remember when we cooked during Rookie King? Namjoon Hyung and you were the judges?"

"Oh my gosh," she laughed at the memory. "I remember! I miss those days. That show was so chaotic. Who knew what time could do for your cooking? You're doing great so far,"

"You think so? Thank you,"

"Of course! Thinking about it, I just hated how people would be so mean about your cooking skills over the years. It always bothered me when people would talk so negatively about you making stuff,"

"Ah, it's okay, Ennie,"

"I know but still...everyone starts somewhere. And it is never too late to learn a skill. You'll prove a lot of people wrong when you attend the show. I want you to have fun while you're there and also don't forget the best ingredient of all when cooking. As cliche as it might be, it's always my number one. Make your food with love,"

"Ah..." he grinned and felt his eyes began to water. "You always know what to say to keep me grounded. I love that. Putting love into your food,"

"How long have we've known each other, now?" she giggled. 

"Very long. And I hope it lasts forever. I'm happy I walked down that hallway to find you practicing,"

"Me too. Deep down I did feel a little bit lonely when I first came to Seoul as a trainee. The other girls were all right but I really wanted to make my first friend and then you came along. You found me practicing in that practice room. You were the one that spoke up first and made me feel like I was the most interesting person ever,"

"You are. That transition from America was not easy but you made it all work out,"

"It was difficult but you made the transition to Seoul much easier with your fun tours and recommended restaurants. Now look at us. The 8 of us. It's crazy. But I'm happy to have the 7 of you with me on this amazing journey in life. I'm happy you are my best friend and have been there to help me through my highs and lows,"

After reminiscing on the past and how happy things are currently with Bangtan, the two took a snack break.

"Thank you for being patient with me during our lesson. I really need that. I'll think of you when I cook. And when I'm on the show and begin making the food, I'll think about your sweet words to me and your advice. Each dish I make will be full of V's love!"

Her smile widened. "I'm glad. I'm proud of you, Taehyung. You've improved a lot in your cooking. I see it and taste the difference,"

He grinned happily. "All thanks to you,"

"And your amazing learning ability!" she added as he pulled her in for a tight hug.

"You want to stay for dinner?" she asked as they pulled away.

"Yeah, I'll stay. Can I help you cook dinner?"

"Of course! I think having a second opinion on your cooking will help, too. So let's see about Kookie's thoughts on what you make,"

"Sounds like a plan!"

[mundrakan]

How about snupin lost in the woods?

I gladly provide... this was fun.

“It's got to be somewhere here!” Remus looked around, trying to find any hint on the cabin. They had to find it. Important information had been dropped off there, and was needed. Better sooner than later. “One would think your nose was of any use,” Severus groused, grossly misjudging what he was capable off – and probably on purpose. He always did things like that, when he was in a mood. In moments like that Remus knew why he had driven everyone off. He considered an equally grumpy answer, but before he could make up his mind if he wanted this argument, Severus grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the next tree, his own body pressed against Remus'. That felt... Oh, that felt good, but also awkward, entirely out of context with the situation. He didn't even object to Severus putting a hand over his mouth as he seemed to listen to something. Remus heard nothing but his racing heart. Seemingly neither did Severus, as he pulled him around and pointed to the thin line of smoke in the sky, to far away to be picked up by his nose with how the wind stood. “We've company.” He was still so very close, and his words tickled right by Remus' ear, making him suppress a shiver. Or failing to. “Don't get your pants in a twist, will you?” Severus could be truly a bitter arsehole. “We have company, and until we find out, if they are friend or foe, we better think with our heads and not the other end.” Remus jerked around, he couldn't believe this. “But once we are back...” The grin was thin, but he had never seen it before, and it made his skin prickle all over again. “Well.... then we better find out quick.”

I hope you like it :)

[lovelymessybubbly]

kyaaaah tamadachi i am so excited and grateful because the ever-wonderful @thornoisdono commissioned me a gift written by the incredibly talented @theatregaymer !!! ( ´͈ ॢꇴ  `͈)੭ु this is a fic featuring nagisa shoto from assassination classroom as the lee, and our devious tama-chan as the ler !! ufufu, i was totally over the moon reading it, theatre captured tama’s overall character perfectly and is a master at writing teasing ! and reading of nagisa getting worked over this way…. uwaaaah it is just the best !!

thank you so much, both of you ! i have gotten permission to post this, so i am sharing it with my tamadachi !!

pleased be advised, this is a DUBCON fic !! so it may be a bit more intense than what some may prefer. just be aware when reading !

You are cordially invited to an event honoring service to the greater community. To honor and commemorate your years of support, the MFL has provided a gift in the form of a familar lee to suit your tastes. We do hope you will join us at the disclosed location to avoid the public eye during this celebration. We look forward to your response and wish you a pleasant day. Warm regards, The President, Management of Lees Department.

Tama's eyes browsed over the contents of the letter once again, an eyebrow raising up as the contents continued. P.S tools will be provided as well as the proper restraints to ensure the comfort and longevity of your lee. Of course upon seeing the enclosed photograph of this familiar lee they described. Nagisa Shiota was indeed someone she was familiar with, a walking tickle spot who always had great reactions. The thought of getting her hands on him again in this kind of setting was just too good to pass up, so of course she accepted with the most humble of responses. Hell yeah.

The location was not somewhere close by though, so it was a bummer that she had to travel to get there. But reminding herself of the treat at the end of the rainbow was more than enough motivation to keep her going. She wondered if perhaps he would remember her, or if his sensitive tickle spots would remember her touch at the very least. Regardless, upon arrival her face could barely hide her interest, a slight sadistic smile showing itself as she entered the rather posh looking offiice building to be greeted by an oddly enthusiastic receptionist. "Ah miss Tama! We've been expecting you. Welcome! Please come this way, refreshments are available if you like. Your commemorative lee has already been brought in and is waiting whenever you're ready." This guy seemed way too happy for some reason, though she could at least admit...he seemed kinda cute. Probably why he landed the job as receptionist. The briefest interest in his own potential as a future lee quickly became overshadowed though, the blond's mind shifting right back to why she was there after hearing Nagisa was already ready and waiting. This was gonna be fun.

For Nagisa however, he was yet again wondering how the hell he got himself into situations like this one. He had been minding his own business as usual of course, but after having some morning tea at a cafe, he had a lapse in his memories, likely due to something in the tea. He was familiar with the people who took him of course, marveling each time at just how estensive their network was and how many people were either secretly agents of the MFL or at least accepted contracts from them. Why was there even a group like this at all!? He groaned, teasing his bonds as his wrists were both tied high above his head, keeping them secured as he was seated in a completely grey cushioned chair, the room he was in boasting what was most likely a one-way mirror, soft colors on a few wall paintings as well as a large chest on a rolling cart complete with a rolling chair much like he could find in a doctor's office. Another unfortunate sight was his shoes neatly set aside under the mirror, his own socked feet sticking out of the other side of a stockade with his knees slightly bent. The way the chair was not only made that possible, but also sported extra cushioning at his mid back to keep his body stretched, ribs exposed beneath his thin, sky blue tee shirt. Some tan shorts completed this basic outfit he had gone with to relax, not planning on finding any assassin work today and taking it easy...so much for that idea.

Of course he knew tickling was going to be inevitable, but nothing really seemed as bad as he thought it could be until a certain familiar face came through the door to his left...

"Weheeeell look who I get to see again!" That familiar, taunting tone in her voice, that unmistakable pastel tone of yellow from both her hair and clothing making her not seem out of place at some cutesy tea party...but the young assassin knew she was not someone to judge based on appearance alone, his body instantly wanting to curl up as a few flashes of memories played in his mind of the last time they'd met. "N-no...not you!" Tama just giggled openly, closing the door behind her, having already been told of the only limitations being three hours, for his safety, or until he passed out. "Yup, it's meeeee....you're still such a cutie arencha? Still no state alchemist buuuut, we'll have fun all the same." She approached with a small skip in her step, looking around the room, an eyebrow raising again as she looked at the mirror, knowing that there would be two people present for viewing. One was assigned as Nagisa's handler today, keeping him healthy and in charge of taking him home. The other was to take notes on how things went, how the tools worked out, possibly to watch her own technique to garner new ideas for their own use in the future...welp, let em watch.

She plopped down in the rolling chair, taking a second to spin before rolling over to open the square chest to look at some of the fun little toys she was given. "Mmm standard stuff, you guys should get more creative." She complained aloud, her cute demeanor taking a break to really drive home how much she'd expected them to make some kind of strides in tickle research and tool development or something. For now though she relented, picking up a finely curated feather as well as a metal back scratcher with plastic coated tines to keep them dull. The entire time she was listening to the somewhat scared whimpers and pleas from her tickle toy, Nagisa softly begging for mercy...he really couldn't take tickles. "Hehehe sorry lil killer, we have plenty of time together and I wanna hear you make some noise~" She stated bluntly before rolling up close to his upper body.

It started off light, a soft, fluttery and teasing touch gliding around Nagisa's cheeks and neck, the boy attmpting to scrunch his shoulders to little effect, his arms still locked above him. "Pfthehe...mmnghhmhhheihihheheh." Try as he might, Nagisa knew there was really no getting around it now, he was just too ticklish to really hold it in very well with someone who knew what they were doing. Of course, it didn't mean he had to give in completely right away, the assassin still doing his best to hold back as he used subtle movements to try and figure out any possible way he could escape, but nothing seemed to give him anything beyond more giggles, especially as Tama angled her other tool, sliding it right into the short sleeve of his left arm to use the tines against his unprotected armpit. "AH! Naha nohOHHHEHAHahahah naha stahahaphihihit!" And just like that, his tormentor's face donned a signiature smirk to go along with this torturous act.

"Uh ooooh, oh nooo someone's breaking down already! Does it tickle? Hmmmm? It sounds like it! Someone's gonna make a lot more noises before we're done!" She taunted her toy as the tools continued to tease along his body, his torso twisting slightly as he tried his best to shift away from the other's instruments, his trembling shoulders following the pattern of his laughter. "AHah ahah ah ahah pah plehehehEHEHEHhashehehahah AHAHa I cahahan't hthehehehah teehehahahakehehaha take it AHAHaOUT!" Nagisa begged, unable to focus on any sort of intimidation tactics while the tickles were driving him wild, so his tone was completely submissive. What really didn't help was when the golden haired girl chose to stuff the feather down his opposite sleeve, giving him not only tickles in both pits but different sensations in each as well. "KYEHEHEHEHEHAHahahaHAHahah aah AAHAha nahaha!" While he was pretty sensitive all over, Tama definitely remembered Nagisa's pits being one of the best spots to get him squealing like this. Nothing did quite compare to getting a cute guy squealing at her fingertips however, so soon enough she stepped up her game.

"Ngh ah aha wah wait what are youHUHUHHHAAHAHA!" Tama, sick of just teasing for now, dropped both tools to the floor before both hands began giving rapid scribbles to the lad's underarms now. Sure it was over his clothing, but he'd been the one to choose a soft cotton shirt today so it was his fault it wasn't at all protective against tickling. Her hands began dancing lower, starting to drag around and dig between his ribcage. "Tickle tickle tickle! PFt you're like a fish outta water ain'tcha? Pft that's it heh dance for me pretty boy!" She taunted, his body writhing continuously as he tried throwing off her rhythym as best he could. Sensitive as he was, it was no surprise that soon enough tears were starting to caress his cheeks as he looked around frantically as if trying to peer for an escape, a source of solace, anything to aid him. His eyes landed across from him at the mirror, picturing the other people that could be watching, earning a fiercer blush than ever before as he closed his eyes in embarrassment while Tama's fingers moved ever closer to his tender tummy.

"We can't forget this tum-tum of yours can we? Oh noooo, we wouldn't want that! Ohohooo so ticklish ohoho yeees!" Tama's tone was much more airy than it was when speaking to the staff beyond the mirror, her cutesy talk reserved for good little ticklish guys like Nagisa. Not that it made him feel any better that this was her version of special treatment, not with her hands using a claw technique right at his tender flanks, hands alternating occasionally with kneading motions at his sensitive abdominals. He wasn't super fit of course, still retaining some natural give due to his age, but his assassin training had long since begun to mold his body into definitive fighting shape, giving plenty of fun little divots for her fingers to fit nicely into. "NAHA NO NO NOHOHOhohahahah haha nahaht my bellyhyhyHEHAHA AHAHA IHIh'll DAHAIEHEHehaha!" Of course his pleas continued to be ignored, even laughed at as Tama continued, rolling away briefly to retrieve an electric toothbrush from the chest before returning, one hand starting to spider at his ribcage and sides again. "PAHAHa plehease, you aren't gonna die silly. Though you might want to when I get to those cute little tootsies of yours." She taunted, earning a squeal and ten curled toes as a reply.

The electric toothbrush of course, buzzed to life soon enough, being waved in front of him as one eye opened in desperation to find the source before Nagisa watched with horror as the device was lowered until it dipped under the end of his shirt, pressing around his waistline before being used to polish his tender navel. A fresh scream was torn from his throat of course, music to his tickler's ears as he sang like a bird, signature squeaks showing that he had indeed gotten a little hiccupy with his laughter going on like this. The wicked device swiveled and buzzed all around his belly button, his hips shaking like no tomorrow as he shook like he was trying to learn some new dance he saw on the internet. "Ohooo someone likes to dance a lot! You tryin the tickly tango lil assassin?" Tama continued to taunt him, her fingers finally finding a perch on another killer spot for the boy, his lithe hips.

"PLeheheasehhaa aha ah ahaha I KEEHEhah *hic* AHAHIEHEH Canahahah caahahn't!" He cried out, his cheeks a rosy red hue before a dull beep sounded over an intercom. Looking up in annoyance, Tama knew what this meant as she looked up behind Nagisa with a huff. "Just getting good, ah well. Time for a lil breakie!" She said sweetly, moving the toys away from him as she pulled out a bottle with a bendy straw potruding from the top. "Here giggles, drink up."

Nagisa took the briefest of reprieves to think about countless things at once. He'd seen her look at the wall behind him, denoting there was some kind of clock on the wall behind him, or some other form of signal to show time had passed. That or it was somehow linked to his own pulse, showing the need for a break if he got too close to passing out too quickly.

Another worry was that this water she was offering was also going to be laced with some kind of drug to knock him out. That thought however drifted away since she had mentioned having more ticklish plans for him, and he wouldn't be as responsive under the effects of something like that...and she so did love when he was energetic. So, with less hesitation than he initially had, he took several long sips from the water, Tama smiling with an obviously wicked intent as she watched him regain his strength, his eyes blinking back to life slightly as he attempted to turn his head and wipe some tears on the sleeve of his shirt. Nagisa wanted to immediately use this time to demand answers, why he was targeted for this insane sort of thing, why she liked this so much. However, he knew he should save his breath and focus on preparing himself for the soon to be second portion of this little session of theirs.

Sure enough after roughly five to ten minutes, he couldn't focus on counting, the tone rang in the room once more, his eyes jumping right to Tama's fingers instantly wiggling in the air and moving ever closer. Damn, she still knew how to get him riled up even just from the sight of something like those hands getting closer to his hips, his shirt somewhat ridden up in all his struggling earlier. "Ngh h-hahang on now eh plehehehase hehe...y-you dohohn't need to go right back to wohohork on my hihips no no please ihiht tickles so bahaha-AAAHAHAhahD!" It was like she didn't hear him at all, those skilled hands each grabbing those hips, thumbs swiveling quickly into the dips as she kneaded them like working on bread dough. "EEHEHEe HEHEAHHA AHAH AH AH AHAHAH!" His legs trembled, torso bucking like some kind of wild animal trying to escape it's bonds.

It was obvious to anyone that Nagisa was the kind of lee that was hard to pin down, his training making him nimble and fast like a snake. It took a trap planned out over three days to pinpoint and acquire a prized lee of this quality and Tama understood that very well, not intending to waste any time as she felt like she was digging into a ticklish feast after being famished for too long. "Ohohoho yeah laugh for me lil cutie! Come ooon you can get loudeeeer!" Her volume just about matched his own, the boy squealing and squawking like some kind of trapped animal, small flicks of saliva and tears on his face as he thrashed around from her viscious onslaught.

Thankfully, though he didn't know it, the MFL adhered to strict policy of at least sixty days rest for any lee on their register who was not willingly employed by them. So he would at least get some time away from this sort of thing, but that wouldn't have given him any solace in the moment. His hips finally made a dull thud as they dropped back onto the chair, the blue haired young man not even realizing he had been so desperately arching off the chair while Tama had helped herself to his now blushy hips. Of course she knew just how much force to use, not wanting to damage such a delicate flower. Still, it wasn't in the cards to give him too much reprieve, occasional squeezes making the boy jump as his tired form tried to recover as much as he could. Even in this state he could tell, her attentions were moving lower...from his thighs and knees to his calves before reaching the stocks at the end.

"N...n-no ah plehehease..hah *hic* enoohough already..." His voice sounded tired, but still had signs of strength left. Besides, there was still plenty of time remaining in round two and this ler wanted to savor it.Giggles and whimpers began a steady climb up from his core as he felt manicured nails gently dragging up his socked soles. "N-nooOooOOHohohoho oh oh hoho no pleheashehehesHSHSHhehehehahaha hahave mercy on mahay feet!" He begged, having completely surrendered to the fact that he had no power here, he was only there to be a ticklish toy for her enjoyment.

"Shhhh sh shhh it's okaaay...I've got you, you're aaaaall miiiine. I'll take good care of these ticklish little tootsies down here." Tama's ticklish subject could be seen shaking his head drastically, too giggly to form the words to further plead his case as she seemed determined to pick apart every bit of sanity he could spare. Like his armpits and his waist, the boy's feet seemed particularly tender if their flailing was anything to go by. But Tama was skilled, a bit of wriggling was no match for her nimble hands as they followed every attempt at escape, picking up the pace and teasing his cotton covered beauties. "Oohohoho can't get awaaaay hehehe I saw something we're gonna have fun with so leeeet's get these socks off hmmm?" More ticklish protests followed, rapid and repeated words falling on deaf ears as his socks were pinched and pulled, the fabric sliding inch by inch along his creamy smooth skin until both of them popped free of his ten toes, the digits curling right away.

With her subject too tired from laughter to put up much verbal repetoire, Tama took it upon herself to go ahead with the next step, dropping the socks and rolling back to the chest of goodies. She returned only a moment later, two scrubing hand brushes with her as well as some oil and some thin rope. He could only blush and whimper as the pads of her fingers began to glide smoothly along his revealed skin, as if mapping out his nerves and making his toes twitch to life once again. "Ohooo so soooft. Hehehe there we gooo let's get these puppies polished hmm?" Just those words alone had Nagisa giving a renewed effort to free his hands and feet, Tama taking a single hand and holding the right foot firmly as she looped some of the thin rope around his large toe, pulling it taut and tying it to the stockade. It was kind of a pain to have to do this herself and use up time better spent making him sing, but it would be worth it.

Once she had repeated the method on the opposing foot, a little bit of extra rope was threaded between his digits, now unable to curl down for protection. "Uh oooh...Uh ooooh!" She sang with perfect timing, accompanied by the melodious sounds of Nagisa crying out as the textured rope flossed in between his tender toes, back and forth, changing which area it was in constantly. "GAHAHAAHa AHahaAHA NAHAHt AHAHa Nahaht my toesEHEHSHAHah NAHAHAOHOH!" Tama laughed along with her toy, loving how he bounced in his seat like he was riding some kind of roller coaster and had lost his safety belt. The only brief escape he got was the precious few minutes she spent drizzling and spreading the oil along his pale soles. She of course made sure to get some of the slick substance to work between and around his toes as well, not wanting to miss a single section of the sensitive real estate.

Once the prep work was finished, his twitching feet looking freshly shined with oil, Tama decided to be a bit cruel, pulling out her phone and posing with a peace sign right next to those flushed and ticklish beauties. Embarrassed as all hell, Nagisa looked away as best he could with a fierce blush on his face before she resumed her previous seat in the rolling chair and donned the hand brushes. Leaning close to get his attention, she blew some air against his toes to make him squeak. "Hahaha there we goo...ready? Heeeere we goooo! EEhehehe ooohohooh yes tiiickle tickle tickle!" Of course her words, enjoyable as they were to say, went mostly unheard by anyone outside of the ler and lee themselves. Nagisa's screeches of unbridled laughter even blocked them out for those in the observation room!

"NAHAAAHAHAa NAHAHA NO NOHOHOH NO BRUSHESHEHSHHAHSHAHAHA HOHOH SHIHIIHTHEHEHH IHIHIHAHAHA'M GONNA DAHAHAHAIE!" He proclaimed, Nagisa's feet now unable to curl down or twist about to lessen the sensations even a little as Tama's brushes, soft as the ends were, wrought ticklish insanity, sending unending sensations shooting up his legs and making the poor assassin flail and writhe around with all his might. "Tsk now now, heh watch your damn language cutie, else you're gonna get that toothbrush between the toes!" She warned, figuring she might do that anyways. Of course as things were starting to flow oh so well, that familiar tone rang through the room again, Nagisa praying this meant she was done. His vision was blurry, either from exhaustion or just tears he couldn't tell. His lips took the offer of water again however, not hearing any fresh taunts and figuring he was safe.

But nothing was going to be that easy, as he jumped with the feeling of oil being rubbed into his pits, his body naturally twisting to try and move away. "Wah ah ahah ack wah wahahit ah what thehe?" He shook the tiredness from his head, wiping his face again before looking and seeing Tama still in the room, rummaging again in that chest. "Wait wha...we're not done!?" He asked, figuring once she got all his spots that would be it. "Hmm?" She replied, turning her head to look at him before smiling. "Psh no way my lil cutie! We still have a whole hour! You got to enjoy the appetizer and the entree...now it's time for dessert!" She said, holding up that dastardly electric toothbrush again as well as a second one. His heartbeat jumped into his ears, eyes honing in on those vibrating brushes as they sprang to life just as the signal for their final hour began. "No...nohohoh...NAAAAAHAHAHAH!"

*BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*

[explorersaremadeofhope]

I would like to know more about both your Star Trek Terror fic and your Crozier hates tinder fic please 🙏

omg okay so like, these are both a bit old, star trek terror fic is proper old, i think i wrote it in 2021, but im still hoping!! i had so much fun just working out the worldbuilding on that one and how the different characters slot into different roles, but then i ran up against my old nemesis The Actual Plot and was like 'hmm ok, i think i need to know a bit more about Star Trek TOS lore for this', aaaand that's where i stalled. it's fitzier, but like, eventually. very eventually. you'll see why from the snippet 😂

crozier hates tinder fic was me going 'why is there almost no modern au romcom rossier fic' and then having a very funny convo with some folks on discord about science nerds on tinder. that one mostly exists in vague outline form with a scene or two written out plus random details like 'james ross owns not one but several tacky early 2000s mugs from various places in the southern hemisphere, preferably with penguins on'.

snippets mostly below a cut because they got long (sorry about that)!

Star Trek Terror:

francis raised his brows, but said nothing. ignoring fitzjames' confused expression, he turned his attention back to the file in his hand. "i see from your service record that you've received several commendations for bravery in engagements with the romulans and the klingons." he looked up. "out of curiosity, do you speak klingon? or romulan?"

"ah, no, sir," fitzjames smiled apologetically. "i'm afraid i don't."

"i see. so your expertise lies primarily in firing at alien races, not communicating with them."

it wasn't a fair question, nor a fair conclusion. clearly taken aback, fitzjames blinked in open surprise. "sir," he began carefully, "i believe my qualifications -"

"your qualifications, commander fitzjames, are perfectly adequate. even impressive. for war." francis fixed him straight in the eye and held his gaze. "but don't let the repurposed nature of our ship fool you. we are a survey vessel. you will appreciate, no doubt, that the primary goal of any exploratory mission is to avoid bloodshed, not to excel at it." fitzjames drew breath to speak. francis ignored it. "put bluntly, commander, we don't particularly need a war hero. what we need is someone who knows how to calibrate a spectrometer correctly."

"with all due respect, sir," said fitzjames, once he was sure francis had finished speaking, "i think you'll find i have the requisite scientific training to apply for this post." he'd uncrossed his legs while francis was speaking and now sat ramrod straight. his mouth was pinched, his dark brows drawn together.

francis waved that away with a flick of his hand and a shake of his head. "this isn't a twelve-month patrol tour along the neutral zone, commander. we will be five years in deep space. sometimes uncharted space. in that situation, a man's merits on paper will matter far less than his personal qualities."

there was a pause in which fitzjames lowered his gaze to the floor, his jaw working. when he spoke again it was to a point just above francis' shoulder. the affable buoyancy had drained from his voice, leaving a gravel harshness which francis privately suspected was far more genuine. "i respectfully posit, sir," said fitzjames, "that you don't know my personal qualities, seeing as we've only just met."

francis' smile did not reach his eyes. "be that as it may. i'm afraid my decision is made, commander." he set his padd aside and folded his hands on the table. "thank you for your interest. and good morning."

Tinder fic:

“Well,” says Blanky flatly. “That's sexy.”

But as he reads over the message one more time, Francis’ heart is actually slowing down from its panicked gallop – his dread replaced with sheer relief at being given a topic of conversation he's fluent in.

“No, no, it's fine,” he says absently, staring at the words I'm thrilled we matched. “I don't mind.”

“Aye, you wouldn't, would you. What the hell are–” Thomas peers at the screen more closely. “Pinnipeds?”

“Seals. Well. Not just seals.” Francis looks up. “It's one of those things – all seals are pinnipeds but not all pinnipeds are seals. You know?”

Blanky regards him with the look of a man who absolutely does not. "Right."

After staring at his phone for a few moments longer, Francis opens the keyboard. 

Hi, he types out with deliberation. Thank you for – no. That comes off a bit pathetic, doesn’t it. Backspace. 

Thank you; likewise. Exclamation point? Does the full stop look dour? Cold? But he’s never been much of an exclamation point man. Likewise – I’ve always wanted to visit Antarctica. What

He stops typing, seized by a sudden fear. Hurriedly erasing the message draft, he looks up at Blanky. “Can people see me typing on this thing?”

“Fuck should I know, Francis? I’ve been married for twenty years. – Give us a minute, though.” Blanky pulls out his own phone and writes a text. Less than a minute later, his phone pings. “Hannah says aye. Also wants to know if I'm cheating on Esther.”

[productiveliquid]

My submission to @glitterypirateduck ‘s Gazfest, also first post

-

Kyle (Gaz) Garrick x GN!Reader

Gaz and Reader were high school friends (?) Before Gaz went off to the British Army. He's now back in New England along with the 141 Task Force for some bar-hopping and rescuing fun??

-

TW : Mild Harresment (not from any of the 141 task force), Old Friends, Mentions of Trying to Underage Drink.

-

The bar atmosphere was perfect from the lighting down to the music. My friends had already started heading among the other bars opposed to myself, deciding to stick to this one bar. Reason? Because of him, Kyle. Kyle Garrick. It's been over 6 years now, and I'm still hooked on him. This was the first bar we ever tried our fake IDs and also the last, being that we were suspended from school as our science teacher was there to catch us. These memories we've made sticks as a reminder to what we had. Not to mention that anything I do somehow reminds me of Kyle.

I'm drawn out forcefully from my thoughts by a hand wrapping around my waist.

"So what're we having tonight, beautiful?" A whisper spoke into my ear with a hint of Jack. I put on my best customer service smile and try to deter the conversation while also moving the hand who had an unormally strong hold on me.

"Nothing much, just water." I state struggling now to move the hand. That actually starts to piss me off. "Now, can you please move your hand?" I speak calmly, again trying not to esculate the situation.

"That's it? Here, I got you. Bartend! Get this lovely lady here one of your finest shots!" He yells practically in my ear. Just as fast as he ordered the drink slid our way. His hand on my hip cutting off the circulation to my waist. But he uses his free hand to offer me the drink.

"No thank you. But again, can you let go of my waist? It's hurting me." I state gritting my teeth now, the fingers enterlinked with my waist still not fucking moving. I see him look at the drink almost disappointed, then he trys forcing me to drink it. This little boy cannot take rejection can he?

"Come on, you know you want it." He does a rise of an eyebrow, furthering the ick I already have. While also being the last straw. I grab the drink from his hand and then throwing the drink into his stupid face.

"Jesus!" He cries, i take this opportunity to try and smash the drink against his once again stupid face. Till, a hand stops me. Easily overpowering me. Looking back I see,

"Relax, he's not worth it." An easily recognizable voice speaks over the now seemingly ear wrenching music.

"Kyle?" I question but knowing the answer rightfully so, I watch his eyes as he glances at me then to the man glarring daggers at the both of us. Kyle drops my hand and proceeds to step infront of me.

"You got a problem?" Kyle questions, a very much rhetorical question. Kyle then sends the stupid faced man a glare and wrapping his arm around my shoulder, almost ushering me out the bar.

"What the hell!?" I yell, trying to be angry at him from stopping me getting arrested on assault charges but excitement quickly taking over instead. I grasp onto him tightly, wanting to never let go.

"Seems like somebody missed me?" He says, quickly returning the hug.

"Missed you so much." The glint in his eyes telling me the same goes for him. The eyes I missed spacing out into, the man I missed having in my arms. Just like this. Letting go of Kyle, he does a full examination (checking out) of myself.

"Are you okay?" He questions concern taking over his features, pretty features may I add.

"Yes, I am. Thanks to you, huh?" I say, trying to ease the shaking of adrenaline coursing through my bloodstream.

"More like thanks to yourself! You handled yourself pretty well. You also look very well taken care of." He smiles, seemingly easing a pervious worry he had?

"You don't look too bad yourself, Kyle." I return the smile, checking him out for myself as well. He's tanner, even with a more defined outline for himself. "Is the military treating you well out there?" I ask, noticing the cut on his cheek. I bring my hand up to get a closer look at it, not noticing the gap that seems to close ever so slightly. I can feel the warmth coming out of his skin. That seems to be getting hotter by the second. "Do you have a fever? You're awfully hot."

"God damnit." He curses under his breath. Suddenly, he pulls me in by my shoulders, then works his way up to my face. Holding it loosely as if to tell me I can leave at any point. "Can I kiss you?" He asks, hope swimming in his eyes. Not wanting to waste anymore time, I return the favor by grabbing his face and pulling him in the rest of the way. I pull away asking,

"Do you seriously have a fever?" He rolls his eyes and pulls me back in with a muffled 'No'.

-

I honestly do not know how I feel about this LOLS, but I wrote this in an hour. (Not grammarly checked or spelled checked.)

[eisforeidolon]

Question: So, uh, Jensen, I think you once said that you don't like to be tied up - on set.

Jared: That's right, that's right.

Jensen: That's timing.

Question: Because you feel vulnerable and kind of at other people's mercy -

Jared: Smushy?

Question: Mercy!

Jared: Oh, mercy! I thought you said smushy.

Question: So my question is to both of you, what was the worst or most uncomfortable tied up situation - on set.

Jared: Thank you for clarifying. Because I have some stories.

Jensen: Favorite tied up situations -

Question: Too much information.

Jensen: On set. That's great.

Jared: Uhhh. Uhhh. To be honest, the - in my opinion, the most uncomfortable situation being tied up on set? Were not when we were actually tied up, but it was when we had to pretend for many seasons [Jensen nods] it was like the demon does this [holds out spread hand] and you have to pretend to [imitates being stuck back against wall]. And so I think at first we were just trying to kind of act like, 'How would it feel to be supernaturally pressed against a wall?' And invariably, you know, you film - so for an episode of television, you film it, say, in October and it airs in January. And so you film another one in November, December and you're tied up and then in January, you watch what you did in October and it's like, oh, the [holds up hand again] ghost pushed you against the wall and it airs and you look like this [does much more unflattering impression of being squished to a wall, with exaggeratedly distorted facial expression]. Like twelve chins? So, like, okay, I gotta change that, 'cause this is - I'm gonna vomit. But it was more when there were actual ropes around, it felt alright. it was easy to kinda like get into character and get the timing of the scene and the sequence, but it was more the [finger quotes] invisible -

Jensen: It's also exhausting, too.

Jared: Yeah. [nods]

Jensen: Because when you're doing it yourself and you're pressing yourself up against the wall, and they yell action? You kind of hold your breath and tighten everything, you're like [pained noise] and doing that over and over and over again for, like, minutes at a time? Is not fun. It's like this -

Jared: It's like hyperventilating. [breathes exaggeratedly]

Jensen: Yeah, you're hyperventilating and then you're straining and you're [pained noises] ugh, like I'm gonna pop a blood vessel. And that was not - that was not fun. I will say that, aside from that, which happened quite often on Supernatural? I was kind of tied down or locked down on The Boys a few times that was not fun. The one where the Russians have me in captivity and I'm tied down to like a table, and they're trying to see what can hurt Soldier Boy. And so I've got like - like on Supernatural, we were pretty good friends with the props department. So Robin would tie us up very loosely to where when they yelled cut, we would just, you know [both mime shaking off restraints easily], get out of our ties. And if we've got ties around our ankles or were tied to a chair, like when demon!Dean kind of thing? They yell cut and I would just wiggle and just, you know, [mimes getting out of restraints again] walk away. On The Boys? I wasn't as friendly with them, and - You know, we didn't know each other that well. So they were really, like, locked me in to this table. And there was - they were trying these different items to see how - so one of the items, they put like an AK-47 in my mouth. That - even though I knew it was a fake gun? That didn't feel good. And then to top that, which I don't know how you do, but you can [Jared laughs] - when you have a skill saw and it was running, but they just removed the blade? And it was like [makes saw noise and mimes moving saw towards Jared] and I was like, [Jared shakes his head] 'I don't like it! I don't like it! I don't like it!' And I couldn't move! And so, yeah, that's - you feel pretty vulnerable. [Jared, subvocally: Yeah.] Not nearly as vulnerable as coming out of the cage completely naked in front of an entire new crew and new cast. Welcome to The Boys!

Jared: Welcome to The Boys. Thank you for your question.

[starkandthewaynes]

Ghosts from The past 

Chapter 2

"JJ, does this mean you also know the rest of the biwds and bats?" Danny asks as JJ nods. "I sure do, and I bet Batman is going to help you little specter," JJ says, as Jazz raises an eyebrow. "Hey, Danny, how would you and Jazz like to go to Family dinner with me tonight?" JJ says as Danny smiles. "Can we? Can we? Can we Jazz? Please?" Danny asks rocking on his tippy toes. "If it's okay with Bruce that JJ brings extras." Jazz says as Danny's head swings back to JJ. "Let me call him, okay little Specter?" JJ says as Danny nods. "By the way, my name is Jason Todd, Danny calls me JJ because he had a lisp and hated it."  Jason says, as he rubs Danny's hair and goes into the hallway. 

"Who's phone?" Bruce asks in the cave as everyone stares. "B, its yours." Dick says as Bruce looks at his phone. "Jaylad, what's up?" Bruce as answers, surprising everyone. "Yes, of course you can, I'll let Alfred know, no I won't tell, your surprise. Oh my, Jaylad, yes of course the league will help. We'll discuss it more after dinner. Yep, same time, see you then." Bruce says as he hangs up. "Jay's coming for family dinner?" Dick asks, as Bruce nods. "Yes, he is." He says with a smile.

"Alrighty, Bruce said it was a go." Jason says coming back into the little apartment. "Yay!" Danny shouts jumping up and down. Jazz laughs at him, and he looks at her. "We don't have to eat mac and cheese!" He shouts as he starts jumping onto the furniture. "Hey! I thought you liked mac and cheese." Jazz says as she catches Danny and starts tickling him. "I do just not five nights a week." Danny sasses as he laughs, trying to get out of his sisters grasp. "Let go, Let go." Danny says, as Jazz tickles him some more, until Danny has enough and goes invisible and intangible. "Cheater." Jazz laughs out as Danny reappears next to jason. "Stop her JJ. Stop her!" Danny screeches as Jason smirks and starts tickling him, too. "Traitor! JJ! Traitor!" Danny screams and laughs. 

After the tickle fight between the three of them, Danny needed a nap, so Jason and Jazz got to talk.

"So, what do you do when Danny's not here?" Jason asks as Jazz makes the two tea. "Oh, I'm in my intern year as a psychiatrist at Arkham. I'm getting my M.D. in criminal psychiatry." Jazz says, and it makes sense for her. "Did you always want to be a criminal psychiatrist?" Jason asks as he takes his mug of tea, adding milk and sugar. "Not necessarily the criminal part, but a psychiatrist, yes, the whole criminal part is all thanks to Danny, though." Jazz says as he nods. "So what do you do while you're not kicking bad guys' asses?" She asks, making the pair chuckle again. "I'm a mechanic, it's a small shop, but it helps to pay the bills." He says as she nods. "Sounds like it's good business." Jazz says as Jason shrugs. "It's fun and legal, so can't complain." He admits as the two sit in comfortable silence. "So, how do you cover for Danny at work?" Jason asks, as Jazz nods. "I tell people he's my son, that I had him freshmen year of med school." She says as he nods. "And his dad?" Jason asks, chin resting on the backside of his hand. "I tell people he's not in the picture, split when he learned he would be a dad." Jazz replies as she taps her mug. "It's been hard. I practically raised him myself the first time around, but at least then my parents were around and we had food I could make us." Jazz sighs and shakes her head. "You don't have any help?" Jason asks as Jazz shakes her head. "Jason, we can't ask my parents, and Danny's friends are still in high school, our situation isn't the best, but, we've got each other." Jazz says as Jason sighs. "And you've got me now, and the rest of my crazy family. Trust me, once they meet you and Danny, they won't be letting you go." 

Last Next

[novafire-is-thinking]

Rules: shuffle your ‘on repeat’ playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people 🎶

Thanks for the tag, @lets-try-some-writing! I listened to all of the songs you listed (and previewed the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla soundtrack since my attention span is too short for a whole album at the moment). I must say, I like your taste in music!

Anyway, I’m going to have so much fun with this since some of the songs that came up are part of a yet-to-be-created playlist for my Soundwave’s backstory. 😏 10 songs from my ever-changing Dishwashing On-repeat playlist coming up. (Yeah, there’s a story behind the “dishwashing” name. lol)

The Assailant from Arcane

(Spotify | YouTube)

Gladiator!Soundwave stepping into the Pits of Kaon, ready to take on Megatron(us)

Light Em Up by Daniel Gunnarsson

(Spotify | YouTube)

I have this on my ‘To Be a Lost Lighter’ playlist, but my newest interpretations are Soundwave @ Shockwave in the first sequel to my Big Bang fic (platonic) and Orion Pax @ Shockwave in IDW1 (romantic, perhaps?)

Suffer by Harlen Chung

(Spotify | YouTube)

This one’s in my Chromedome playlist, but it applies to a variety of angsty situations.

Goodbye (from the series Arcane) by Ramsey

(Spotify | YouTube)

The angst of this song is immaculate; I love it so much. There is a very specific, heart-wrenching Soundwave scene I intend to write to go with it:

“I can hear the sound of a heartbeat before it goes out / Won't ever leave my memory of bloodshed all around / And I can see a tear on my father's face before it falls out / Oh my enemy, how could I have ever let you down? Oh

When all these trees saw us grow / Cut our teeth and break our bones right here / We'd play with shields made of stone / Share our dreams and sit on thrones, be still

'Cause I see smoke up ahead and I got steel in my hands, we will / Return like warriors, I swear that we'll find glory up ahead, tell me

Where is my home? / I don't recognize the faces anymore, oh / Where is my friend? / The one I've known since I was only just a kid

I think it's time to say goodbye / Goodbye, goodbye / Goodbye, goodbye, oh / It's time to say goodbye / Goodbye, goodbye / Goodbye, goodbye, oh”

A Sky Full of Stars (cover) by The Piano Guys

(Spotify | YouTube)

I highly recommend watching the YouTube music video for this, as the salt flats and visual effects add so much to the music. I strongly associate this cover with TFP Optimus in particular. ✨

Hopeful by ODESZA

(Spotify | YouTube)

Just cool vibes.

Legendary by Epic Soul Factory

(Spotify | YouTube)

This epicore(?) instrumental is in my Iacon playlist. The city was once the home of legends (both bots and stories), and this captures that vibe nicely.

㆔ by Aether

(Spotify | YouTube)

The word I’d assign to this song is “yearning.” It’s one of my all-time favorites.

Doves by We Are All Astronauts

(Spotify | YouTube)

I love this song so much. It only has 2-3 lines of lyrics—a quote by Carl Sagan—but the quote and the whole vibe of the song make me think of the hypothetical collision of Cybertroniankind and humanity and how we would most likely view each other:

“You’re an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone. In all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.”

Playground (from the series Arcane) by Bea Miller

(Spotify | YouTube)

The undercity of Zaun in Arcane is very similar to how I imagine Kaon being like before the war. When I listen to the song, I have a scene playing in my head: A young, wary Soundwave wandering the streets of Kaon with Ravage that transitions to him walking those same streets as a gladiator with both Ravage and Megatron present—all three of them aware of the power they now hold. *cries in inability to art*

Tagging @onewingedsparrow @karlyanalora @aecho-again @decepticon-nerd @starscreamgirlfriend @knight-says-ni @spiritshaydra @soundwavesweep @sphnyspinspin @localrobotlover

[samsspambox]

*shoves face in hands* aAAAAAA

(if you wanna read about my personal woes, feel free!)

so. uh. hi!

i know i don't do much of updates or much on my personal life bc doing it here kinda feels like i need to explain myself while on twitter it's more like a tweet and go situation but eh, i ran out of tweet rations LMAO.

anyway! i started working about two months ago in a library and it's been fun! but that's not what i'm here to talk about (or what you're here to read lol)

i ended up catching feelings for one of my coworkers. and let me really define feelings bc it'll make me feel better and bc i've recently discovered i have attachment issues LMAO

i really like this person's smile. that's what started all of this mess. i've caught myself daydreaming about the possibility of spending more time with them. i'm excited every time they walks through the door. they make me laugh, I make them laugh. we exchange memes on the server we made for all of our coworkers. lately we've been exchanging ai song covers and mashups (they... really liked mine which made me preen internally) imo, not quite there yet, but certainly not something to ignore. so a mishmash of emotions. hell, it took me a while to admit that my feelings had spilled into something more than friendship.

"sam just ask them out" i hear you say.

counterpoints: i suck at this. i have no experience whatsoever. im always the one who asks people out. i don't even know if they have a partner and i could overstep. i like being their friend and i don't really have my feelings cemented and i wouldn't want to do that to someone. i've come out burned several times. i don't know when people are flirting or being nice. using body language queues i think they don't like me like that. i want to be asked out for once.

i like the current arrangement. they would come in on the day we were both scheduled, along with another coworker, and we'd laugh and joke. i beat them in mario kart once (it was a thing for the library.)

and well... they got a new job. their last day is tomorrow. i'm most likely never gonna see them again.

i'm kinda sad, in a sense. they're leaving and well,,, i would've liked for something to happen. (this lowkey hits me in the 'never had anyone ask me out' feels and it makes me wonder if there's something wrong with me, if i'm attractive enough or if they like my personality, but that's for another day.) it also makes me happy in a sense? they're moving up in the world and i wish them the best. also happy for myself bc it's been such a fat while since i've had feelings like these. the last time was my sophomore year of hs. (im also incredibly loyal to my crushes, which is funny. that person i liked till the end of hs) i thought something was wrong with me (turns out you can't force emotional connections even if you want to LMAO)

but yeah. the saga of me pining for a person. (i guess i also don't wanna ask them out bc it's something i'm more used to? i'm always the one pining, eternally waiting to finally be picked. and when i do try to get out there, i get rejected. i feel safer at a distance.) they leave tomorrow and i'm just gonna stand there and watch.

anyway have some songs that i've been obsessed with bc idk how to end this lol

[evokersapprentice]

A wizard's initial studies of the martial classes

First off, a disclaimer. I am a relative novice to DnD, and part of a table of relative novices. Our DM is a little more seasoned (paprika, mostly), but I know he goes easy on us in some areas, given our inexperience. None of our builds are particularly optimised, and I'm fairly sure they started out as off-the-rack starter character sheets. I speak from a place of profound ignorance, and my future options are limited by my ignorance so far.

But I'm just about starting to learn. It's been too long, far too long, feeling our way without actually knowing what we're doing. We went from just trying it out and not being sure we would like it, to not knowing how long it would continue for, and now we're hooked but well behind on our reading. There's a lot of information for a newcomer at a table of newcomers, and I'm finally trying to swot up on the details beyond the immediate 'what do I do now' in each situation.

A lot of that has been learning about other classes. I feel like for half of our campaign I've barely remembered the extent of my own capabilities, let alone the rest of the party. They just have their turn and move in mysterious ways. Dice are rolled on the other side of the table, numbers are called out, and hit points move around whilst I'm trying to think about my next move. I play a wizard, and the others tend to grumble if we're still shuffling through our spells by our turn. It seems a lot easier when you only have a sword and one thing to do with it.

That's the sort of dismissive attitude that it's easy for a wizard to have. It's in character, too. When you're a genius who can reshape reality with the sheer power of your intellect, a big guy with a blade seems a little primitive. At relatively low levels, I gain the ability to fly, or turn invisible, or reanimate the dead, or whatever. You get to hit the goblin with your sword a second time per turn? Good for you.

But as I said, I'm learning. We've had a bit of time between sessions, and I've had the chance to read up on some guidance on other classes. It's useful for considering multiclassing, but mostly it's given me a real appreciation for the work the others do. There's obviously a practical relevance in being able to strategise around them, and it's appalling that none of us have really taken the time to ask what the others do so far, but it also makes me admire them.

We have a fairly standard party. Human fighter, halfling rogue, gnome druid (replacing our original cleric), high elf wizard. The druid I still need to work on. As a spellcaster she should be the easiest to understand, but then her strategy is probably the most complicated. She's a pacifist who focuses on healing, battlefield control and summoning, which for me is great because it frees me up for setting people on fire (my subclass is also evocation, which fits that nicely). But I don't really know her choices for that big concentration spell, and certainly don't know what her options are for each turn afterwards.

It's the martial characters I've been reading up about. First, the fighter. He just runs up to the bad guy and starts hitting them. I didn't even know how melee damage worked, but it doesn't seem like much. He's wielding one-handed with a shield ('sword and board', I'm learning), so a normal rapier does 1d8 + DEX or STR modifier. As the party tank he's had to spread across DEX, CON and STR ('MAD' as I think they say) but manages a +4 to DEX.

At Level 9, he's therefore doing 8.5 (4.5 + 4) damage per attack. He has the extra attack ability, which takes him up to 17 per turn on two hits. He can double it again once per rest, which is fun, but otherwise that seems... fine. When I got fireball at Level 5 I could do 28 damage to a whole pack of enemies from 150 ft away. At Level 9 I can summon a swarm of flying daggers which can do 65 damage per turn (again assuming hits) plus my action. I can do a whole host of things.

There seem to be a lot of snobbish wizards out there. I see them on the forums. One of the more commonly referenced resources is a guide by a guy called treatmonk which purposely plays up to this, with wizards as gods, the tank as a 'Big Stupid Fighter' putting himself in harm's way, the rogue as the 'Corpse' who stupidly has to scout ahead and put himself in danger. I suppose I previously just found them a bit basic.

Since I gained access to fourth level spells (i.e. Polymorph), I've had a simple test for the strength of my martial colleagues. As I can turn any of them into a Giant Ape to do their melee attacks (two attacks of 22 damage each for 44 per turn on two hits, with far more HP to absorb hits), they effectively need to justify why they are a better tank or damage dealer than a big gorilla, which feels a bit condescending, but there you are.

Even more damningly, it's usually felt like an obvious choice. The longsword doesn't do 22 damage per hit. The Giant Ape has more power and more health. So for the first few combats, I've been benching one of my party and replacing them with an animal. It's only now that I've looked into what else they can actually do, and learning more has made me appreciate all the wonderful things about their builds.

So, the fighter. Ours has focused on maximising his AC, which has been simple but effective. Whilst I try my hardest to avoid being targeted, thanks to the combination of low AC, low HP, and the need to maintain concentration, he actively courts the danger. Whether one big bad or a whole group of minions, he does his best to draw all the fire to him, because he can take it: attacks very rarely hit him, and when they do he can usually suck it up (or even heal himself, in case of emergency). He's our human shield.

That alone is incredibly effective, and probably more so than any buff or healing spell we mages could provide. He'll save me and the rest of the party dozens of HP per encounter, and sometimes per round. Just as importantly, he preserves concentration on my spell and whatever the druid is doing for another round. The 17 damage he does is just a bonus.

Except it also isn't just 17, because if any of the enemies do decide to run for a softer target he gets another 'opportunity attack' as a reaction. On top of that, our fighter has taken the Sentinel feat, which may not be necessarily the best thing in terms of optimising his output, but makes him even better in this role. Even slippery enemies who disengage can be stabbed in the back. Those who try to run lose their movement speed and are left in range for another attack next turn. If they don't run and just happen to reach one of us in range, they also get stuck. He's fairly consistently able to do another 8.5 damage per round and keep the rest of us safe from the minion wanting to break the front line.

Oh, and in flanking the target he gives anyone else advantage if we want it (more relevant when we have smaller summons/allies), and certainly lets the rogue sneak attack on every turn. Just as a bonus. Finally, all of this is just factoring in a bog-standard lump of metal. He actually has a couple of magical swords which let him do far more damage (per attack, i.e. three times a round), whereas the items I've found as a wizard don't really let me augment my spells to the same degree.

The rogue has been a similar revelation. He was previously my main target to be polymorphed, purely because he's so unassuming: this is just the little halfling we send to scout ahead of us, I always thought. A non-combat lock-picker and skill merchant. He's not meant for the heat of battle. Let's put him somewhere safe, like inside a massive gorilla suit. I didn't ever realise that he can hit as hard as any of us, and is one of the hardest to hit.

I don't think I'm actually alone in this one. When I look at rankings of the best or most powerful classes, rogues (or 'rouge', as it is spelt with alarming frequency) are consistently towards the bottom. It may be that they just don't scale too well to other levels, but my experience is that he's been plenty helpful thus far. A lot of early adventures need somebody who can sneak or get us through locked doors, and he can do that, whilst having the charisma and dexterity skills to get out of various other sticky situations. I suppose that spells make a lot of that redundant, but they're a precious resource in a combat heavy day. Out of combat, he's probably been the most competent amongst us.

I never really noticed him in combat. He just seems to dash around, occasionally stabbing someone, and I assumed he'd be doing far less damage than our main fighter. This was when I though the fighter's purpose was to be a sword, rather than a shield. The rogue is the sword. With a rapier, he can do the same damage as the fighter per attack, or better: 1d8 + 5, as he could afford to focus on DEX. That's 9.5 per attack, which was just about in line with my expectations.

But then he gets to sneak attack. Rather than attacking twice, he can do a bonus 5d6 damage on a hit where he has advantage or an ally in play, which is virtually always the case with our tank up front. That transforms a hit to 27 damage, each and every turn. More than the fighter's two attacks. As much as my third level fireball, per target, and that's something I can only do a few times per short rest. He can do this all day. This is just with a normal sword, of course. In reality, he has magic weapons that let him do even more.

On the other side of things, he's incredibly slippery. As a rogue, he can dash, disengage or hide as a bonus action. In the early game, he would therefore duck in and out of melee each turn. He then took the Mobile feat, which means he doesn't provoke opportunity attacks anyway. I first thought this was a wasteful choice, a bit of duplication with a slight bonus to speed, but he's now free to run much further in and out (dashing with double that bonus) or hide after attacking (and as a halfling, he can hide behind the fighter). He's a melee attacker who almost never gets hit.

I'm assuming that the sneak attack scaling doesn't keep up with the extra attacks, which is why the rogue isn't generally rated highly overall. But in this stage of the game, he seems to have it made for someone who just wants to stab people: do lots of damage, dodge the response, repeat. I'm now wondering if I can get him a ring of spell storing to cast a concentration spell for me, because he might be less likely than me to get hit.

In fact, I've even caught myself wondering if he's better off turning me into a giant ape for the start of a fight, so I can conserve my spell slots and help the party better with a bit of tanking: doing more damage and shielding them better than I'd do with most of my actual spells. With the druid having left me as the designated blaster, I'm honestly not always sure I'm any better than a gorilla under my own test. The tables have well and truly turned.

This is how far the mighty have fallen. Ape punching does seem to be better than fireball, unless there's a nice group of targets lined up. I could give the fighter advantage by flanking, give him constant opportunity attacks by making me the target for attacks, and soak up 157 HP of damage from a big bad (protecting him, the rogue and the druid whilst she pins them in place with concentration) before reverting and doing something wizardy to finish them off. It's a scary thought, and I try not to dwell on it too much. I have my own concentration spells, I say to myself. Shiny new fifth level ones. They'll keep me relevant.

Don't get me wrong: I'm still a wizard supremacist. When I see takes that go the other way, pushing martial classes as stronger overall, it makes me laugh. From the little I've read about higher levels, a wizard definitely has the ceiling to enter god-like territory. A fighter gets four attacks per turn and the wizard gets Wish and True Polymorph and Simulacrum and almost limitless power. There are any number of avenues to complete domination of that match-up. But here and now, with a monster up ahead? I'm grateful to have such powerful friends here by my side.