#pandora's box has been opened and you can't put your feelings back

[thebongcloudopening]

not to be serious on main but if there's one thing I learned that I want to pass along to other trans people it's that closeting yourself to appease others doesn't work. I girlmode all the time and yet it's still not, and will never be, enough for people. You wear girly clothes, they wonder why you don't wear makeup. You wear makeup, they wonder why you don't shave your legs. You shave your legs they ask why you haven't just done laser hair removal. No matter how much you pretend for them there will always be something else they deem different.

[yamst3rdamctrl]

When Sexual Desires Clash YN Story

Chapter 4

Omniscient

As Michael kissed Y/N all she could do was melt and let him overtake her. She has not been touched by a man in so long she did not know how to react. Michael broke the kiss by looking at her. Michael then asked while looking her in her eyes, “I need to know this answer now. Do you give me permission to do whatever I want to you? That includes me being rough and doing whatever I feel the need to.” Y/N looked at him and she thought to herself that she has always been the one to take control and she would love to finally have a break.

“Yes, as long as you make me cum.” Y/N said boldly knowing she was scared out of her damn mind. Michael then said, “I’m going to make you nutt so many times you’re going to cry and be soo sore you can’t walk. Do you understand me, if so lets go to my room?”

Y/N followed Michael like a little lost puppy with a towel wrapped around her, not even knowing what she was getting herself into. Michael opened his room door and let himself come in and opened the door for Y/N. Michael closed and locked the door and then pushed Y/N to the door and kissed her like his life depended on it.. Both of them fought for the dominant place while kissing, but Y/N backed down due to their talk they had just a few moments ago. Michael then started to kiss down Y/N while she was on the door.

Once he got closer to her sweet, sweet nectar, he lifted her leg and kissed her outter lips. Y/N moaned at the kiss, and once he then parted her lips and started to lick on her clit. Michael then spit on her clit and went to work. All she could do was moan while trying to hold her composure. Michael began to get sloppy and add two fingers. "I hear you trying to suppress your moans. Keep doing that, and I'm going to make you scream since you wanna play." Michael then got up and grabbed Y/N by her neck and dragged her to the dresser with a mirror. He then walked up behind her and looked at her in the mirror and made her bend over. "So you wanna play like you don't wanna moan?" Michael questioned with dark, black lustful eyes. Y/N started to speak, "It's nothing lik... FUCK!" Before Y/N could even speak, Michael had shoved his dick inside her pussy and started off at a hard, fast pace.

Michael wanted to wreck her and leave her wanting more. Michael wrapped his hand around her neck and kept pounding into her. Michael did this for the next 10 minutes and before Y/N knew it she had a knot in her stomach. "I feel that Nutt coming back, cum all over my dick." Michael gritted through his teeth. "I'm going to uhhh.." Y/N couldn't finish getting her sentence out when she came due to Michael fucking her into submission and through her orgasm. Michael then moved her to the bed and crawled on top of her while sliding his dick in her slit without any friction.

Michael put his left hand on Y/N hip and his right hand on her throat. When he started, she felt as if he had awaken something in her. Y/N saw the look in his eyes and said, "I need you to cum for me daddy." Michael never had this type of feeling with Lori and when she said that he started fucking her harder. He then said, "I'm going to cum all over your stomach.. omg...". He then nutted all over her. They both laid there out of breath. Michael got up and gave Y/N a warm rag to wipe off her stomach, but to her surprise he did it for her.

They exchanged no words because they were left with no words. Y/N broke the silence and said, " I can't lie that you fucked me up." Michael said, "Good, i enjoyed you and this not the first and last time I hope you know." Y/N laughed and said okay before going to her room. Little did she know she opened a door that she would have never thought it would be.

Y/N opened Pandoras box and would never close it! Her life would forever change after that encounter.

And boom.... I got more smut to come for yal!

Next Chapter I need 15 likes since yal showing me love

[satureja13]

New Chapter!

Home cr happy home! As soon as they jumped out of the TukTuk, the Boys ran down to their Underground Police Station to look after Tiny Can. How had he been able to repair himself after being blown up? And where did he get all that money from to pay for their school fees? ö.Ö'

But Tiny Can wasn't at the place they left him. This little brat! Of course he was hiding somewhere, fearing Saiwa's wrath. Saiwa: "Spread out and find him! Dead or alive - I don't care. As long as his memory is still intact so we can track where that money came from and give it back. Gods, we are going to jail if this comes out!" Jack tried to defend his (t)rusty friend: "Sai, we don't know what happened to him. I'm sure it isn't as bad as it seems and ..." But Sai didn't listen and kept spitting: "Damn - I knew he was trouble!We should have left him at the temple to rot for the next thousand years! It's all your fault, Jack! You took him with us!" It hurt Kioyshi that his mate got scolded, but he knew that it was useless argueing with Sai when he was in his rage state. And so he hushed the others up and out to search for the lawless tin can... Kiyoshi sighed, he knows that Jack doesn't care much to be Sai's punching bag. More than that, it's a labor of love for his oldest friend.

Jeb and Ji Ho started to search their home lot. Since Tiny Can can even fly short distances, he could be anywhere! Jeb winced internally. Again, Sai is so, so furious. Jeb really needs to find ways how to deal with Sai when he's like that. Or better, ways to take this self-destructive anger off of Sai. And the blame he mortifies himself with. They are all to blame. Not only Sai. This has to stop.

Even though Ji Ho was travelsick and drained again from teleporting, he kept on searching. He even tried to suppress his feelings to not upset Vlad and keep him from their task. Vlad would come back to him immediately if he knew how exhausted he really is and how much he craves Vlad's healing and comforting touch. But this has to wait. Finding Tiny Can is more important than their 'indispositions'... Who knows what has happened to him? Ji Ho doesn't believe Tiny Can broke the law. Tiny Can helped him get his feelings back so Vlad and him can finally be together. Only - Tiny Can also put the influence his grandfather had over him with that spell into the Therapy Game. Ji Ho thought it was to make him so angry to finally open the Pandora's Box with his hidden feelings - to protect his friends. But what if the Council was behind all that? And they called Tiny Can back to extract the evidence he gathered - to use it against them? Ji Ho ran faster - despite his body's hammering ache and desperate pleads for some rest - and Vlad.

Kiyoshi, Vlad and Jack called the horses to search the surroundings. Vlad was torn. Of course he knows how negatively teleporting affects Ji Ho's (and his own) well being and it must be even worse now that he has his feelings back. Vlad would skip the search in an instant to care for Ji Ho but he also knows that Ji Ho would never accept his ministrations at the moment. In fact, rather the opposite. Ji Ho would be embarrassed to cause a fuss and make it even harder for his friends in need. So he kept on raking Tomarang. Ji Ho would send him away anyway.

Not many creatures are able to reach the Otherworld. And no one can stay for longer, so it was pretty pointless to ask the few people who are currently lingering here if they'd seen Tiny Can. But hope is the last to die. As Ji Ho, Jack can't believe either his tinny friend did something illegal to get them into trouble. Tiny Can's actions weren't always clear to them - but Jack is sure he always had good intentions. When Tiny Can let Jack getting killed or set Lou up with Caleb in the Therapy Game, Jack was upset and felt betrayed - of course he was. But in the end, all that Tiny Can did was to help him. He helped all of them. And they owe him. Without Tiny Can, he never would have been able to be mates, just mates with Kiyoshi and he never would have found ways to deal with his (many) disorders.

Kiyoshi rode over to the temples to talk to Arturo, but he also had no luck. One would think that Tiny Can would have ran for shelter to Arturo, who offered the Boys the circuit board with Tiny Can's AI 'to help them through this'. But Arturo didn't see him. Nor had he heard any gossip about a stray Astromech in the Otherworld from the visitor's of the temples he cares for. Surely someone would have noticed him.

And while the others turned every stone in Otherworld's Tomarang, Sai tried to catch a signal from Tiny Can to track him down. But it was as if he was wiped from the planet. They have no internet or phone reception here in the Otherworld, so Sai even connected his computer with their 'Post Office Device' to find a trace of him in the Muggle World - to no avail. And how could Tiny Can even reach the Muggle World without them teleporting him there? No, he must still be here in Tomarang. This little piece of junk must have supressed his signals! Ach, Sai distrusted this rusty tin can from the beginning! And he knew there was something foul about him. Even months ago, he already suspected the Council behind! But they all had been too excited about the Therapy Game and finally getting some help... And Sai had been too confident in his abilities to make it secure for them. But he utterly failed. The blame is on him and him alone. He never should have allowed Jack to bring Tiny Can among them. And he should never have installed that circuit board with the AI into Tiny Can. He created a monster that was bound to destroy them in the end. If the Council now has evidence they stole that much money, no one would be able help them anymore. They would get sentenced and sent to jail and that would incite even more hatred against creatures! All the creatures, in all the worlds... The creatures they are supposed to help. They are a shame and a threat for their community.

... to be continued

'Boom boom, ready to use my body Using the entire city of Seoul as my stage Nod, nod, your head I don’t want to be locked up Gather the crowds, let’s break the taboo We need to spread out Or else we might become scarecrows We can make empty lots into royal spaces This is the peak, don’t exit out now To the left, to the right, rock all night'

Block B - Shall we dance (Real Ji Ho's (and my favourite) group)

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts here with this post :3 Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-28

[sasheneskywalker]

batfamily fic recs where members of the batfamily deal with their experiences with sexual assault

The Silence Grows Louder (Ringing Out In My Head) by Kirazalea

I feel the pressure building until I can't breathe,

And it takes everything.

Till it all spills out,

Reckless but honest words leave out my mouth

Like kerosene on a flame of doubt,

I just couldn't make it right…

Duke notices something while on a mission, and that one observation turns into a confrontation with parts of Dick's past that he's kept hidden from his brothers for years.

M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Miriam Delgado/Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Catalina Flores/Dick Grayson, Daughter(s) of Acheron (DCU)/Tim Drake, Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas, Tim Drake & Duke Thomas, Duke Thomas & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Jason Todd

Into The Light by LilliputianDuckling

When Dick finally learns what happened to Tim during the assassination tournament, it reopens an old wound. Trying to TALK about it opens a whole Pandora's box of old wounds.

To make matters worse, Ra's still wants a new heir from Dick's little brother.

M | Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage | Batfamily Members & Dick Grayson, Batfamily Members & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd

You Brought the Flames and You Put Me Through Hell by Sohotthateveryonedied

Womanizer.

Dog.

Slut.

They’re jokes. They’ve always been jokes. No one ever intends to be hurtful when they tease Dick, when they pat him on the shoulder and remark on his latest exploit, when they ogle him from behind. It’s a joke. No one actually means it.

Except for the ones who do.

M | Rape/Non-Con | Grayson/Koriand'r, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson

I Don't Know How to Say No by Sohotthateveryonedied

“What the hell is your problem?” Dick demands, yanking his arm back. “I was working.”

“That’s what you call working? He had his hands all over you like a piece of meat. You should be thanking me.”

“That’s how an interrogation works, idiot. People give up information more freely when their inhibitions are lowered.”

“If that’s how you interrogate, then I’d hate to see your torture techniques.” Jason stalks off toward the car they arrived in, one of Bruce’s less conspicuous vehicles that they “borrowed” for the night. He opens the driver’s side door and slams it behind him. “Get in the fucking car.”

M | Rape/Non-Con | Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Catalina Flores/Dick Grayson (mentioned)

When Will Enough Be Enough? by Sohotthateveryonedied

Dick Grayson, first and foremost is, and has always been, a performer. The first sunlight to touch his young cherubic face was a spotlight. His first love was the trapeze from which he swung. He was a star. He was perfect.

That was his birthright: talent, strength, beauty. Beauty. All throughout his formative years under the circus tent, it was always Dick’s cheeks that were pinched by fawning old ladies. He was the Flying Grayson whom everyone wanted to get their picture taken with.

Such a looker! The girls are going to be all over you one day, honey, just you wait. It was usually followed by a wink and a laugh, and Dick would laugh right along with them. The attention wasn’t any more of a hardship than the adoring crowds’ cheers were when the dazzling Dick Grayson landed a quadruple flip fifty feet above the ground. Everyone loved him, and he loved being loved.

(A character study about Dick Grayson's relationship with his sexuality, and how his perception of his worth becomes warped by the way others treat him.)

M | Rape/Non-Con, Underage | Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Catalina Flores/Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne

Unsteady by withthekeyisking

Dick grew up watching Bruce take countless women to bed for the sake of the mission, and to get what he needed from different people. He watched, and he learned.

And maybe he doesn't feel the same things the people around him feel, maybe he doesn't really like sex, but it doesn't really matter. Because if sex makes people happy, then why does his opinion on everything matter? It's not their fault he's broken.

M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Dick Grayson/Various, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd

If Night Falls in Your Heart by withthekeyisking

Dick never knew how to tell his family about what Tarantula and Mirage did to him, so he simply didn't.

That solution works, until it doesn't.

T | No Archive Warnings Apply | Catalina Flores/Dick Grayson (past), Miriam Delgado/Dick Grayson (past2), Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne

Hat Full of Glass by succeeding

Dick's injured one night on patrol, which is no big deal. Sure, his face is a little burnt, but it's not like anything serious happened-- so why is everyone acting like it has? Faced with a concussion and mandatory rest, he has a lot of time to think, and that's never good for someone in their line of business.

OR: An injury threatens to scar Dick's face, and it brings up a lot of things in him, things he hadn't realized were even there. The Batfamily acts and reacts.

T | Rape/Non-Con, Underage | Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Everyone

Honeypot by Ididloveyou_once

‘If you keep getting older who’s gonna take your place?’ Jason tilted his head to look at Bruce. ‘Did ya hear me, B? I asked who you’ll use as a honeypot when Dickhead’s old and blind.’

The milkshake cup crinkled under Dick’s fingers.

Or: Dick’s kept it together for years and it only takes a single comment for it all to come crashing down.

T | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent

here comes the rain again by pocketofsky

Dick doesn’t patrol when it rains. Not since Blüdhaven. And everyone knows that, but they don’t know why.

Or: Dick slowly but surely confronts his trauma. Now featuring: a train, pain, and a lot of rain.

M | No Archive Warnings Apply | Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne

When it Rains by vellaphoria

After Cass and Tim return from Paris, something seems… wrong.

Dick tries to find out what it is.

T | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain & Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake

little cruelties by misspickman

Years down the line, Tim deals with the consequences of his run-in with the Daughter of Acheron. Sort of.

E | No Archive Warnings Apply | Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake, Tim Drake/Tam Fox, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Tim Drake & Cassie Sandsmark

Change by TheSilencer

"Are you telling me that being human trafficked felt the same as being a member of the Justice League?"

Dick jerked back. "Don't say it like that. That makes it sound way worse than it is."

Or a mission goes exactly as intended but has unintended consequences.

T | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con | Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd

something just broke by BeatriceEagle

With teams run by a small handful of big names, recruitment based almost entirely on who you know, and unchecked interteam dating, the superhero community is practically designed to encourage interpersonal abuse. When a former sidekick comes forward to say that she was abused by her mentor, the entire community has to reckon with the part they may have played—and with the abuses that may still be going unnoticed.

(A story of systems, told through chats, texts, and transcripts.)

M | Rape/Non-Con, Underage | Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Dinah Lance/Oliver Queen, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, Barbara Gordon & Dinah Lance, Koriand'r & Donna Troy

Petals for Armor by SilverSkiesAtMidnight

There’s a small half-moon of blood under the white of Tim’s nail where he bent it. He studies the red of it, feeling foggy and dreamlike. “Can I ask you a question?”

His brother’s eyes flick to him and away again, surprised and wary. “What?”

His nail doesn’t hurt much, just the dullest of aches when he presses down against it. “When you were homeless, you slept with people for money, didn’t you?”

Jason jerks like he’s been slapped. His knuckles are so pale where they grip the steering wheel they suddenly look more bone than flesh. “Did I -”

“Was it worth it?” Tim asks, drifting like a cloud over whatever furious reaction Jason was about to give him. “The money, I mean.”

His sternum slams into the seatbelt with bruising force. Unbraced for it, his head whips forward and back against his seat as they swerve off the road again and skid to a halt with a screech of rubber.

T | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Tim Drake & Jason Todd

fingerprints all over me (now my throat's choked up and I can't breathe) by lostandlonelybirds (RUNNFROMTHEAK)

“I don’t have my comm, Dick,” is whispered over bare skin as Jason leans in.

There’s a laugh, throaty and wet. No joke has been offered, but no joke is needed.

Two men walk into a bar. Neither walks out.

(Dick is the punchline.)

M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Dick Grayson/Jason Todd

Second Generation by lowflyingfruit

Nine months after the 'Blockbuster Incident', a call from Lockhaven Penitentiary regarding Catalina Flores brings all Dick Grayson's plans for his future in Bludhaven crashing down. Thrust suddenly into parenthood and hiding what happened to make him a parent in the first place, Dick must decide, adjust, and accept - and no matter what, the family has to pull together to help him.

Unfortunately, the Red Hood, a newcomer to the Gotham crime scene with a grudge, has his own ideas about Bat-family togetherness. Giving them time and space to work things out peacefully isn't one of them.

T | Rape/Non-Con | No Relationships

[mirronhg]

Does Mira want to have another baby? Has she thought about it? Is it even possible physically for her? Who was the father of the unborn child?

Sorry for the avalanche of questions! I'm curious.

Thank you for your interest! I appreciate it ✧

She had no thoughts of wanting another child, because the memories of pregnancy and the events associated with it in captivity were the only suppressed memories in her head. It only came out when the worm in Commoraggh was looking for something to profit from in her mind. This little bastard literally opened a small Pandora's box to simply take nothing from there. Dying and looking at this memory, she felt something close to a shock and at the same time an understanding of which exactly part of the puzzle was missing in her memories.

In any case, looking back on these events, she felt a sense of deep despondency leading nowhere. She has been trying for many years to get off her life swing of failures to succeed and find something of her own just to end up with her face smashed into the asphalt at high speed. This struggle is pointless and she has given up on wanting something.

In Commoraggh the psyker's abilities were triggered towards biomancy, which restored her body, perceiving non-human organs, which, for the sake of interest, a haemonculus put into her [instead of artificial ones that were there] as her own. That is, biomancy sewed part of drukhari's code into her own. And it wasn't anything good. With artificial intestines, she felt like thick worms were crawling inside her, and now she feels like her insides are itching and she feels discomfort under her skin. She can't get rid of it. Her biomancy will reproduce the erroneous code over and over again. But, nevertheless, from then on, her recovered body was physically able to conceive a child.

And the pregnancy actually happened, some time after the main events of the game. But this pregnancy turned out to be unexpected, because answering Nomos' question about the concept of family, she didn't expect Nomos to perceive the information about the incompatibility of Eldar and human biology as a challenge and turn her being inside out. From now on, her body can recreate a representative of another species and it's not even a half-breed or a hybrid. It's a damn fully drukhari kid.

She had difficult feelings about the sudden pregnancy, because it was neither her nor the decision of the child's father. And she had absolutely no idea what kind of monster she would give birth to. And if the child does appear alive, then he will be an absolute outcast from all sides. It's a terrible fate and she didn't want that for a child. She should have had an abortion, but she just couldn't. Not after everything that had happened in her life. But in the end, everything worked out. The child was born a healthy and full-fledged Eldar as I said before. It was a boy. After a while, he got a sister.

She isn't ready for the third one because this pregnancy is very hard and she has to torn and put a part of her soul into the soul of the children.

I know that joint children from an Eldar and a human were possible only in the first edition, and then it was removed. Now this is just a headcanon of people. But I tried to hang up a few guns, for an outcome like this, that would come together and shoot at her. And when I say that there is almost nothing human left in her, this isn't a dramatic metaphor. It's literally.

In addition, there is another moment that is associated with a pit of total darkness where we will receive the buff "champion of the abyss" if we successfully pass it alone.

And yes, the father is Marazhai.

[gravesung]

@koseigu said:

❛ say my name . louder . ❜ & ❛ i’ve barely even started . ❜ & ❛ i want to hear you beg . ❜ ( warmups for vocalist sugu <3 )

IF YOU'D ASKED SUGURU AT TWENTY what he thought he would be doing in eight years, the answer would most likely not be 'getting his back blown out by the hot drummer for his own band before every show.'

sukuna's stamina is legendary in the wider circle of gossip around them and their band. when suguru first approached him, all he knew about the man was that he was notoriously hot, notoriously mean, and an excellent drummer. all he really cared about was the last part (though, he had to admit curiosity about the first.) as it turned out, excellent was an understatement. he sat and listened to sukuna's reel for hours and hours that first night, mind already awakening rhythms and melodies and lyrics from where they slept under almost a year of writer's block.

initially, sukuna refused. BENEVOLENCE had put out a couple of major hits, but nothing that kept them in the public eye — not like him and satoru were before their duo-band broke up, not even close. of course it made sense that a drummer worth his salt ( and more, in suguru's opinion ) wouldn't want to sign on with a band led by satoru's shadow.

even after he was rejected, suguru would readily admit he became a bit obsessed with sukuna's sound. he listened to that reel again, again, again, wrote accompaniments that wrote themselves, and before he knew it he'd put together a demo with his own vocals over the synths and sent it out.

he didn't expect a response. whatever happened on the other side of that email, he's not sure to this day — something about it must have, as he hoped it would, sparked the inspiration of a man he knew was just as stuck as him.

once they started working together, it didn't take long for suguru to be the recipient of a great deal of unsolicited gossip about his new drummer's sex life. his stamina first among the deluge: he can go for days. i think i heard someone say like, four?? that's a lot! and he's into some real kinky shit.

again: did not ask.

but pandora's box had been opened, and before long suguru found himself casting sidelong looks during recording sessions in the studio. which turned to songwriting sessions with just the two of them once he caught onto sukuna's excellent ear and a knack for bouncing off of suguru's ideas to create something better. they bickered, argued, fought, and the friction between them only amplified what they created together. but suguru was so caught up in flowstate, in the dream, to notice what was happening until it was too late and sukuna's mouth was on his and he wanted it there, had wanted it there, and only when suguru found himself on his knees with sukuna's cock down his throat did he realize that maybe, just maybe, he'd gotten into something dangerous.

attraction is a powerful motivator. it also turns everything around it brittle. he has learned the hard way that a band can't survive a breakup between its two creative centers — one hit and the whole thing shatters.

so don't get your heart involved, said the caustic thing in him that ate away reason, that in matters of attraction he always ended up listening to. easy.

yeah. sure.

to his credit, it seems to be working so far. though he isn't sure what it was about him that drew sukuna into his orbit the same way suguru had already been drawn into his, it isn't a gift horse he particularly feels like looking in the mouth. and though he thought the rumors were exaggerating, they weren't kidding about his stamina. either sukuna brings out something in him that wasn't there before, or suguru has been incredibly shortsighted about his body's limits — repeatedly the other man stretches them, breaks them, and leaves him begging for more.

the more they fuck, the more he suspects it may have been his voice that did it. sukuna likes to hear him — and suguru likes to deny him, calm and honey-smooth and intentionally infuriating, until he's made to. ( and then, sometimes, when it's least expected of him, he likes to flip the script and make sukuna beg in turn. suguru has always enjoyed being underestimated. it makes retribution that much sweeter. )

it's a good thing that his studio is private, situated in the guest house behind suguru's well-kept garden. it's a good thing it's outfitted with soundproofing. every minute of his schedule is accounted for: they'll need to arrive three hours before doors, which means hustling once two p.m. rolls around, but they've been up since six. suguru has found it easier to work around sukuna than to try to make sukuna work around him. if he doesn't block out time, sukuna will take it: more than one press event has been delayed or canceled because suguru was busy gasping against him for the third straight hour, left raspy-voiced and unable to walk.

shows are a little stricter. both of them are required to be in relatively good shape to be able to perform, but that doesn't mean they can't still warm up suguru's voice in unconventional ways. throat-fucking is off the table — really off the table, not 'off the table until sukuna does it anyway' — and besides, this is about exercising his voice, not stifling it. instead: scarlet rope bites into the skin of arms contorted behind his back, locked in place by a web of intricate knots. the patterns weave over his chest, enhancing and pressing and pulling. sukuna under him, keeping his hips in place with one hand as he fucks suguru from below, grabs his hair with the other and yanks his head back just enough to provoke a hiss. "say my name. louder." and suguru truly may have resisted, had he not been edged for the last two hours. but his thighs tremble from keeping the position and from the muscle spasms brought on by almost-orgasm after almost-orgasm, and every movement of sukuna's hips sends a new wave of not-quite-enough-but-oh-god-please bliss through his body, and he isn't sure how much more of this he can take.

so before sukuna can stop mid-thrust again just to make him squirm, just to keep him moving, he complies. ❝ ryo— ngh. ❞ another hard pull at his hair — and as he feared, sukuna stops moving, red eyes boring into his with a flash of dissatisfaction. a choked, desperate sound leaves suguru's throat as he arches his back, tries to move his hips only for the hand in his hair to move to his throat. under those harsh and practiced fingers, his pulse races, faster now. the open air is brutal on his dick, a complete lack of stimulation despite sukuna buried deep inside him causing a throbbing, indescribable sharpness that has his lips pulling back in a grimace. "louder," sukuna snarls below him, pulls his hips low and snaps them back upwards just once. "i want to hear you beg."

❝ ryomen, ❞ suguru bites out, resistant even in his desperation, even though he thinks he might do just about anything if it means sukuna will let him come. ❝ please. ❞ positive reinforcement at using his voice: sukuna moves again, rolls his hips lazily, languidly. yet more precum leaks down the length of his shaft, drips down to meet the mess already present. he imagines one of those lovely hands wrapping around his dick and it does not make his situation any better. the new motion is enough to make him moan again, and he sees — feels — a shiver roll down his partner's spine.

and that is all he needs. suguru could delude himself into thinking he's in control by raising his voice, gasping, groaning sukuna's name and please into the crook of his neck as his drummer's tongue runs up the tense line of his jugular, but knowing that he isn't is the thrill that binds them together in this moment. for what he hopes is the last time this morning, sukuna wraps a hand around him and fucks him hard and works him up until his toes are curling, the slight tremor in his thighs growing more violent, tension rippling through his arms and shoulders and abdomen, his moans growing louder and filthier still —

— and then the pressure is gone. the hips still their motion again. sukuna's face is still hovering close to his neck, to his ear; he pulls suguru back by the hair until they're just far apart enough to look each other in the eye. "nah. i've barely even started."

suguru's eyes are filmy with tears, violet consumed by pupils in desire and frustration both. his voice is low and clear, vocal cords responsive and warm like they should be on show day. ❝ i hate you. ❞

[drdemonprince]

I bought your book Laziness Does Not Exist a while ago, read it and put it back onto my book shelf. Recently after some major life trauma I gave it to my husband to read - he's mid way through and he's constantly talking about his much it's resonating with him while he has tears streaming down his face. He's a cis-het white man who and works in construction development.

Two things, this book saved my marriage and probably my husbands life. Secondly your books and essays ( Empathy is overrated in particular) have been life changing for me. It like opening Pandora's box, I can't ever go back to what I used to think. Thank you.

The way you write speaks the truth into whomever reads it. The perspective you articulate is what so many of us feel but can't find the language to describe. In your books and essays. It's also a perspective for anyone who doesn't experience burnout to understand.

This isn't a question its a comment of gratitude. Your work has changed my life in so many ways. I will keep buying your work, and ill be giving it as gifts to many people.

I hope to see your work as a required read for anyone who works with the public. And I hope to see you thrive and enjoy your life in the most fulfilling and peaceful way possible. We all deserve that. Thank you again for sharing your mind with us all!!

omg wow its so crazy that what i experience as just frenetic hamster wheel running inside my own mind has an impact on people in the world!!! thanks for the kind message, and for reading.

[the-white-soul]

*Flowey mutters, feeling mighty embarrassed now about his favorite stories being fairy tales. Every else sounds so cool!He mutters his answer so people can barely hear.* I like James and the tomato stalk…

*He speaks louder and with more excitement now that that’s over with, adding onto it to make himself sound cooler.*

Uh, but I gotta agree with 1984! The torture scenes are so good. And the inner party has so much power over everyone else! That would have been so perfect to try out in one of my runs while I had the resets, but I imagine it'd need to take years to get to that point. I don't have that patience.

*He glances at Chara for a moment, then back to Kara. He might take up their offer to leave and talk about his their interests.* Hey, Kara? Do you know how much time do we have left before we resume? I wasn't to know if I have enough time for something.

(Kara) "Flowey, your favorite book sounds amazing! I mean technically Harry Potter's a fairy tale just made by a jackass! Anyways this should start in 10 minutes! We have time for whatever you have."

(Noelle) "Hey, Chara. Want to go on a quick walk!"

(Chara) "Why?"

(Noelle) "I think we should really take a walk Chara! *Whispered* To get away from them for a second."

(Chara) "Ah, okay! We're going on a quick walk!"

(Noelle) "*They walk out fast and Chara and Noelle are alone* Will you ever tell them the secret?"

(Chara) "My real question is, why haven't you? If it's because you feel bad about hurting Flowey..."

(Noelle) "No, it's something I can't trust you or anyone with."

(Chara) "Come on, I promise not to tell!"

(Noelle) "A promise like that isn't worth making."

(Chara) "Please! It's been nagging at me for years!"

(Noelle) "I've only been here a couple months."

(Chara) "Well, it felt like a year. I swear on Asriel's soul I won't tell anyone."

(Noelle) "You mean that?"

(Chara) "There are very few people I love more than Asriel. Of course, I mean it."

(Noelle) "Alright, I want to trap humans under a barrier."

(Chara) "What?"

(Noelle) "I've learned after seeing the atrocities committed by Clover that humans and monsters can't coexist. I wanted them to and tried my best but it didn't work. I knew the original barrier wouldn't work because humans hate everyone. So I thought to give the humans a piece of their own medicine with a few exceptions. Kara can stay since they're half both and deserve to be friends with Flowey. I could never tell them I'm Noelle because I'd rather they think I was dead than this."

(Chara) "What the fuck?!"

(Noelle) "That's all I'm saying right now."

(Chara) "No. That's not all you're saying. You can't just tell me you want to segregate humans and monsters, in the end. You've opened Pandora's box!"

(Noelle) "*Laughs a bit* Once I tell you how I'll achieve my goal, I'll never achieve my goal. ;). Now let's go back to Kara and Flowey. Oh and if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you. Now let's go."

(Chara) "Fine. *Grabs Noelle's hand and tightens their grip until Noelle is in such pain she almost screams. They whispered* Because I put this on Asriel I'm not going to tell anyone but don't threaten me. I never promised not to kill you."

(Noelle) "Let go!"

(Chara) "No, let's just stay here a bit. *Makes sure no one's around and bites down hard on Noelle. They let her bleed out for a full minute. While this is happening Noelle can only stay in horror pleading with them to stop the pain. It hurts like a stab wound and almost gets infected.

(Noelle) "Please you made your point just stop it."

(Chara) "Did I make my point? I'm not so sure yet. You know for times like this I get some salt. *Grabs it and puts it right on the wound.* Do you like that?"

(Noelle) "I'll do whatever you want just stop this torture or I'll tell Kara!"

(Chara) "I'll tell them about your little plan then."

(Noelle) "You swore not to."

(Chara) "Asriel believes that I should've lived. He made me promise him that I'd never die for something stupid a long time ago. *Bites again.* If you're threatening me, you must be pretty stupid. *She starts to cry but Chara punches her until they stop. Then they whisper their final warning* Don't fuck with me. Now, let's get back to that court room. Oh and here's a butts pie. *Forcefedd it down her throat.* Now no one will know. Right, Noelle?"

(Noelle) "No one will know. *They walk back into the room. There is still 5 minutes left.*"

[bullet-prooflove]

Donna’s Wednesday Radio Show Prompt List #12

Hey guys! As some of may know I do a weekly radioshow on Wednesdays and I thought why not put together a prompt list from some of the songs I’ve been playing. I thought it would bring some fresh prompts into our world!

Feel free to pop any of these prompts with a charcter I write for (You can find these on the pinned post on my blog) into my ASK box!

Also don't forget to put the entire prompt in and not just the number!

One has diamonds in his pockets

Remember the words you told me, love me 'til the day I die

But I can never escape The war inside my skull

But I wonder, where were you? When I was at my worst down on my knees

Broken down in agony

Is she alive?

I'm dancin' on my own 

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now

Did you get out I'm wondering where you are?

I see you layin' there with me Like my missing puzzle piece

 all of the lines we've crossed

Trying to save what's left before everything is gone

All tied up

You opened up Pandora's box, You don't know what you just unlocked

Maybe all the secrets that she knows won’t save her

The quiet scares me 'cause it screams the truth

Too many years of battle scars

Let go of my darkest thoughts

Rewrite your history

Did you follow your, follow your fire

I always saw you reaching and catching stars

The weird and the novelties

Just wanna touch you for a minute

And my heart's turned cold since you left my life

 don't give up, it's a little complicated

And now I want it bad

Light up your wildest dreams

We promised that we'd never part On a tree, under the stars

what doesn’t kill you makes you that bit stranger

It's such a shame we fucked it up, you and me

You almost turned me psycho, I almost lost my mind

Hung on your sleeve, you wore your heart on it

You left with no warning 

Sweet love, my oldest friend

Drinking, kissing in the street We couldn't get enough

And I pray that hope's not lost

I'm following the map that leads to you

The story of us, it always starts the same

I've escaped many vices Like drugs and alcohol

I can't accept it's over now

And I'm just a dead man walking tonight

I never miss a beat I'm lightnin' on my feet

You damaged what we had

Come on and talk to me

No make-up, no pretend

I don't know what I'm doing wrong

Lately our conversations end like it's the last goodbye

You beat me at my own damn game

You're gonna keep your head up through it all

Have we come to the bitter end?

I see you staring out the corner of my eye

I got some pictures on my phone

I miss the conversation

I was there for you in your darkest night

You marry me, your father will disown you

you're losing faith while I've been holding on

 one of us gets too drunk and calls about a hundred times

And you said you had my back So I wonder, where were you?

fire always makes it better

 I tried to find shelter here in the arms of someone new

Now, I can't get over you

This has gotta be the good life

I like to think that we had it all

We all got our stories but please, tell me

I'm the one that loved you baby can't you see?

Prozac can make it better

But how do I feel this good sober?

I say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

And if you like to talk for hours Just go ahead now

 They don't know Where I've been for the past few years or so

[mejomonster]

Silent Reading, chapter 25. Their first flirt! Omg! I didn't pay attention to these things last time! ToT

1. Love how Fei Du says it without thinking, so sorry my dude, subconsciously somewhere in there you either already like him (my condolences) or you're so used to flirting with Everyone Else that the instant ur not fighting him you do it to him too and... that has now opened pandoras box. You can't put it back and undo it. He's now a person that Can Be flirted with, that Is Categorized dating material in ur mind, so sorry Fei Du. You've just sealed your fate.

2. Lol at both of them turning silent and feeling something is off about those words. Both of them internally: wait that wasn't an insult like usual.... that was a flirtation? ???!!!??!?!! Oh fuck fuck oh what what WAIT why oh dear. Oh no it's already happened. Fei Du: I just hit on the bitch trying to play caretaker 7 years I'm dying inside let Me rot away -.- Luo Wenzhou: that... BRAT, he's escalated from normal insults to sexual ones. T-T

3. Both of them IMMEDIATELY Talking about the case again like it didn't happen and moving on cause they both don't wanna examine the shitstorm of future paths that this pandoras box just opened. Good job Fei Du! You did it!!

4. I love how it starts because Luo Wenzhous like: there's something wrong with you... you're being so nice.... you okay?? Just lmao says SO much about them. Both now how the car chase and opening up somewhat during the hospital did em both some good in a ceasefire. And also how these 7 years it cant have been entirely not-close, since they seem to be on the level of Luo going "even if we fight, nonstop, I can ask you personally vulnerable questions and check in on if you're okay and when we Aren't fighting we can cooperate and problem solve on our non-emotional shit quite easily and second nature." Which implies maybe they got along like siblings who fight a lot but defend each other from bullies or a sucky parent, or like a parent and kid who fight a lot but are trying and do put in a lot of effort making their close situation work in the non-fight moments (think Lilo and Nani from Lilo and Stitch). They've clearly cultivated a close emotional relationship over 7 years even if as Luo says "they were constantly fighting." Because Zhang Donglai sure couldn't ask Fei Du if he's okay. Nor could he read Fei Dus emotions as well as Tao Ran and Luo Wenzhou.

5. Lmao Fei Du is that bitch that really said "I'm sorry, captain Luo. I didn't know you liked it rough." Excuse me???!!! Oh my god. Fei Du I hate to break it to you but I think you have a specific daddy kink but you're the rich baby so like rhe reverse of sugar daddy/baby situation but same, you wanna whip your man Fei Du? You went right for rough sex references? Oh fei du you're in too deep ur mind somewhere in there definitely thought about hitting Captain Luo one too many times and slid into wanting to choke him sexually or throw him on a bed or bite his neck and Oh my fucking God Fei Du you SAID IT OUT LOUD the only ONLY reason you're living this down is a woman is about to die and yall both are desperate to zoom past this slip of the tongue. Yes, I think it's fucking hilarious. Fei Du your horniness just lost you all coolness cred lmao. I fucking love this line it's incredible.

6. I do hope we see at some point Luo Wenzhous opinion at their boy Fei Du switching his flirtations from Tao Ran, who he's now treating strictly like a close bro, to Luo Wenzhou who was frenemy ish the entire time prior. I just think like. It must be so surreal and odd an experience for Luo Wenzhou? Since he saw the behavior second hand targeted on Thick at Tao Ran. It's gotta be weird being irritated by that, making fun of it, shaming it, competing Against it, teasing Fei Du for it... only for the same actions you were Like That toward are now being targeted at you instead.

The passage:

Luo Wenzhou was silent—their investigation really had followed this line of thought.

Fei Du shifted as if he’d become uncomfortable from sitting too long, absently looking out the car window at the scenery rapidly falling back outside. The rows of street lamps turned the spiraling overpasses into an elegant, winding panorama. The first inklings of the East Flower Market District’s nightless sky of fiery trees and silver flowers were already appearing far off. Perhaps it was his mistaken impression, but it seemed that tonight, the huge LED screen of the East District’s Skyscreen corridor was even brighter than usual.

Luo Wenzhou looked at him and suddenly asked, “Are you all right?”

Fei Du expressionlessly asked in turn, “What could be wrong with me?”

Luo Wenzhou thought about it, then bluntly pointed out, “Then how come you’re suddenly being so kindly and gentle to me?”

For a moment Fei Du was speechless. “I’m sorry, Captain Luo. I didn’t know you liked it rough.”

Then both of them turned silent, feeling that there had been something a little off about these words.

Fei Du thought, Don’t I have anything better to do?

Luo Wenzhou meanwhile reacted half a beat late. The little whelp was flirting with him!

And he was doing it in the tone of taking a dig!

[maguro13-2]

STREET FIGHTER X TEKKEN EXPLAINED!

Ryu : (Sighs) Another day, another fighting tournament go off the scales. Oh well, can't be too hard on that, might as well make a geniues effort about giving ourselves to that kind of experience of the Blanka makes pound cake thing. Glad that didn't happened. I might as well spend the day with this crap sandwich.

*Hears something landing*

Ryu : Huh? What's this? Looks like something has left from a galactic civilization. I wonder what's this doing here?

Ken : Dude. I think that's called the Pandora's Box, it was probably left it from the Sky and nobody would noticed that someone left it hear from unknown reasons. It could be Alien power.

Ryu : Aliens, Ken? Look I'm not into a sci-fi person, but whatever this is doing on earth, I wonder how are supposed to deal with this machinery? If it's ancient like my ancestors then so am I.

Ken : Who knows dude? Maybe it's a just a worthless artifact or something.

Kazuya : That box is not worthless, it's highly rare.

Ryu : Kazuya.

Kazuya : Long time no see, Street Fighter. What a shocking coincidence on finding this contraption. You found Pandora's box and I found out it first.

Ken : Actually, we're the ones who founded first, we've been like this since the 80s and 90s, we've been like this for over a decade or a year two. Since we are the only guys of the FGC, we're doing something respectively, for anyone in Fighting Game don't know what the heck are we fighting over for?

Ryu : It's an amazing discovery that we found the name of Pandora's Box, which is a some kind of alien device thingy from outer space and it contains deadly, evil, power.

Ken : Worse, it could be anything that might be deadly, evil, power thingy.

Ryu : We've already know that. Look, Kazuya. This is what you've been digging on earth and I do believe that Pandora's Box is simply a misfit to science we're taking this guile to for some experimental research.

Kazuya : But we found first, so it's ours for research.

*the two fights over Pandora's box*

Ryu : it's mine, back off!

Kazuya : No it's mine! I found it first!

*Ryu and Kazuya straining angrily+scene cuts*

Ryu : Good job, doofus. You got our two companies involved of fighting over a stupid box. What kind of plot device was that?

Kazuya : Consider it yourself, an idiot.

Ryu : Yeah, we felt like this over a day since your son met at a crossover strategy game by the guys who made Xenoblade Chronicles which Shulk was never in, do you believe that, Monolith Soft never put Shulk in one crossover game by that video game/toy company and this is our respect for a new demonstration, all the games in Japan were popular in the day since 1980.

Kazuya : Well, at least, that the powers of Pandora did not opened.

Ryu : Wait what?

Xiaoyu : *Straining* Uhh, guys? Why did I feel so evil in my system...?

*DBZ SFX : Powering up*

[Sacred Dark by Keiichi Okabe plays]

Xiaoyu : WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

Ryu : Wait a second, this wasn't part of our deal of fighting over the box! We don't remember everyone doing that!?

Jin : *straining* My heart, my soul, my everything...

*DBZ SFX : Powering up*

Jin : RRRAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!

Blanka : Blanka don't fee so good.

*DBZ SFX : Powering UP*

Blank : *screams furiously*

Kazuya : Aw Crap! We opened the powers of Pandora Box!

Ken : I knew that device was from space people! We should've destroyed that thing in any minute! I told you having crossovers with you guys, is all your faults!

Kazuya : What? We told you that we wanted to take Pandora's Box for research, but these idiots involved we're supposed to be possessed by it's power that turns everyone evil!

Ryu : At least you were supposed to have yourself scheduled in this crossover for a fight in the packet!

*The fighters are in Pandora Mode and going beserk*

Ryu : Oh man! What have we done!? I knew crossovering with you guys was stupid, but the entire world is in chaos of because of our responbility, fighting over evil in a can is such a stupid idea, thanks a lot to our irresponsible selves all thanks to your stupid shenanigans.

Kazuya : Well, at least you don't have a proper material to bring that to science in order to save world, Mr. Snoopy pants!

Ken : Should we even save everyone or we're just gonna stand here and watch the super deadly, evil, alien power take control of our mind, heart, and soul?! Is that a yes?!

Chun-Li : You idiots! What have you done!?

Cammy : Do you have any idea what's going on?! We're you idiots trying to doom the entire world!?

Anna : It was all his idea to find that stupid box and has super deadly, evil, powers that turns everyone evil which is known as Pandora Mode.

Nina : What!? I-[stutters] Kazuya! You son of a gun! Look what you did to everyone! Now the whole world's doomed because of your stupid shenanigans!

Kazuya : Nina! I can explain! I can fix this! No problems needed to be done!

Heihachi : Kazuya! Look what you've done to me!

Kazuya : Oh boy. I guess he's involved with this too.

*Heihachi is in Pandora Mode*

Heihachi : You did this to me! You did this from your foolishness! YOU ARE A MENACE, YOU HEAR ME!?! YOU ARE A MENACE!!!!

Ryu : But we didn't meant to...why did we even...Oh no, no no...!

*Ryu falls down on his knees+looks up into the sky*

Ryu : WHY DID WE EVEN CROSSOVER WITH THEM!?! WHY!?!

*Why is echoed*

*Imaginary Scenario ends*

Kazuya : And that is why I told you before, I did not even want to impress shenanigans over evil devices that could doom us all and I meant you that, I don't deal with anyone in my plans having responsibilities for any occasions, no idea of how I got into a situation between those guys.

Ryu : Look, I promise that this time we'll get it right and not do any of the super bad stuff. Promise me that you'll do it right when the time is right.

Kazuya : Oh yes, that reminded one thing about it...Do you happened to know if this is gonna work between us, I mean my sister is coming from town and I have a meeting with her.

Ryu : That tomboyish sister of yours...Who was her name again?

Kazuya : Reina...Reina Mishima. That's my sister's name.

Ryu : Wait, nobody in the fighting game community that you have a sister. How is that even a plot twist...

Kazuya : Around 30 years?

Ryu : Unbelievable. Also, they just found out that this showing Juri's toes thing is not my cup of tea, I need that to get memory wiped out and never do it again, but I promise that it would be a great deal for us to handle our situations with the perverted stuff happening in our minds. Blank memory space. All good in with the program.

Kazuya : Same to you, that really happened when Nina once wore her classic outfit without weary any shoes like me, I don't wear shoes but mostly I do during battles.

Ryu : What?

Nina : *blushes* H-Hey! Don't get that idea on me! You said wanted a player character without wearing shoes, so that's my idea of not wearing shoes before I wore shoes in my suit! Same goes to Lili who doesn't like wearing shoes.

Lili : Hey, that only only happens from modders or even in customization. I don't know why I got that mixed up.

Ryu : So we all agree that we can finally show how much appreciation from all the players that we've shown in the FGC, do we make ourselves clear?

Kazuya : Clear as ever...

Mai : Hey, guys! Guess what!? I decided to ditch my appealing costume that I wored for years and decided to wear black, I got a fresh new suit for my new kicks!

Ryu : Now I understand why I was upgraded into this.

Mai : Probably like a next day, Tuesday next day. You know what it is, I'm feelling glad that I don't even wear red anymore, I wear black now and that appealing costume made look appealing since SNK decided to drop the red.

Ryu : That is the reason you were banned from Smash because of that appeal.

Mai : ....It's true, I thought showing a little skin would be too much to deal with. Why didn't anyone think about it before I started wear black.

Goku Black Hmmm...I like your appreciation.

Mai : See? This is exactly the reason that I promise it won't be a bad thing and cannot be affective anymore. Everyone likes this get up.

Terry : Good thing that everyone wore a belt on their crotch, no offense, but...I think we're good since we joined the roster by Nintendo.

Heihachi : Hello, boys and girls. I'm back!

M Bison : I just got back from today's travel to the mall!

Kazuya : Yep. There is never going to change that. This never gets old.

Ryu : Here we go again.

*iris out*

[vltra-mayhem]

VLTRA MAYHEM DEVLOG MARCH-APRIL-MAY...

*Hello there! Apologies for the wait, I have been trying to figure out how to open my drafts since I usually write them down separately across days, but I see now that I should not do that to avoid leaving you all in the dark for too long. On top of that, the game's progress had been put on a TINY break due to the main developer going on a vacation. But now that she is back, we can continue on!

*Anywho! Vltra Mayhem has been going pretty well! I have been given a lot more information to share with you all today, so I hope you are all ready!

*To start off simple, let's start with the battle system.

*There's a lot to say about it, but I'm allowed to talk about some stuff that is already fully implemented! Such as the Bullet Hell Battle System which has been seen in games such as "Undertale" and "Deltarune".

*The plugin used to emulate that kind of battle system is called "Synrecs Understriker Plugin" since the game is made in "RPG Maker MV".

*The devs are very happy with these things! It's a struggle trying to get everything you want exactly how you want it with the limits RPG maker brings and the non-exsistant ability to code.

*On top of that the battle UI has been changed ALOT, The screenshots above do not display it, but it currently looks like this:

*It's pretty neat looking, if I do say so myself. The Pulse Meter also known as the "HP Bar" and The Sanity Meter also known as the "MP Bar" both displayed neatly in the boxes at the bottom. *As you can see the bar on the side that's The Spirit Bar but more widely known as the "Team TP Bar"

*Moving away from the Battle System, let's talk a bit about the overworld a little! *Something that Pandora (The lead developer) tries her best to do is make the overworld as fun and interesting to go through as possible by adding a lot of NPCs and such, all with unique and silly dialog! Here are a few:

*That's all :), It's not, but we can't show ALL of it! Where would be the fun in THAT. *Anyway, Aside from NPCs there's being put a lot of work in the tile sets and the environment of each map, for example the… The demo area's map is supposed to feel very sweet, calm and homey, and they seem to do their best to success in that! *So far the demo is just about 60/50% done it seems, and they can't wait to share it with you all! *Another thing, so I, was informed to inform you all about is the fact that Vltra Mayhem is looking for PIXEL ARTISTS to help create stunning imagery for the game such as tile sets and more! A couple more applications are open, so please feel free to check the application link below! * Application link! *That's about all I've got to show! I hope you enjoyed, and we hope to see you at the end of June to share more! Enjoy your month of Pride, by the way!

[nosuchthingasagruffalo]

S2 Chapter 3

Charlotte kicked off her boots and flopped onto her bed. She was finding this assignment made her feel more weary as the weeks went on. The more she thought of her brother the harder she worked, she took extra shifts and brought her work to her quarters, but now she was starting to feel her brain fog, every day rolled into the next and she stayed away from crew drinks and group holo parties. She heard a beep at her door and pulled on her boots, expecting her managing Lieutenant she stood to attention. As the door open she froze.

"Instinct is driven by subconscious micro calculations. The brain making sense of fragmented observations. Instinct tells me I should leave you here, not involve you. To take you from here will compromise the safety of us both, there are other parties who are involved who will be displeased by this action."

"So why are you here" Lottie responded.

"Because I need someone whom I trust. Because I need someone who is willing to open the Pandora's box and face the consequences with me. Because there's no other officer who has your tenacity, strength of character or quest for justness" An eyebrow lifted "Well there is, but when she finds out what I'm doing, who I'm watching, she will have me scrubbing the nacelles for the next three decades"

Lottie smiled "well seeing as I'm her daughter she will up my sentence to four decades, just so you know. Seriously though, if you're doing this for us, for Amal, you really don't need to become entangled in this messy shit that is our family's cause and curse,"

Seven frowned "your family, sorry, I hadn't thought, I , oh"

Lottie didn't often see the ex-Borg stutter or lost for words, she took a step closer "Seven, Commander, I'm sorry, I didn't mean you aren't our family, of course you are, you're a big sister to me, you know you're an integral part. It's just, I don't want to drag you down, we and especially mom have had such a big impact on your life that hasn't always been for the best, I'd feel guilty if you threw away the chance of a happy life to be part of our spiral into darkness"

Seven put her arm around Lottie "if there's one thing I have learned about human relationships and families. It's that they are dysfunctional, chaotic and perfection, in their own way. Messy shit as you so eloquently put it. If you want to leave with me you can. You'll re-join Abioye's ship, you will be in engineering, I don't want you too visible, you will quietly observe, we will meet off duty and off the record".

"You know I'm not going to say no, I need to message Niamh though as she's due to visit me in two weeks"

"No need, I spoke to her before I left in anticipation of your acceptance"

Lottie's mouth hung open as she watched the woman before her turn away to hide her smirk "One day you'll be wrong about me, but not today I suppose".

*********

The Janeway apartment - San Francisco

Kathryn opened the box, inside was Amal's baby booties, a mother's day card, a badly painted Flotter picture. She heard a noise and looked up.

"Hello dear wife, fancy seeing you here"

"Chakotay, I'm sorry I've been away so long, I've got so much to tell you. I wanted to see the kids too, I didn't realise Lottie was going to be gone so long. I wanted to see them all before I set back off again. Chakotay, I don't know what I should and should not tell you.."

"I don't want to hear anything Kathryn, it's over don't you understand. You can't bring him back, you can't chase his ghost. You need to focus on those of us still here"

"Chakotay, I can't do that, just listen if we can make his death mean something we co..."

"No Kathryn, this ends here. Nothing good will come of this. For your family you need to let it go, stay here, do you even care what I, what we all think?"

"It's not that" Kathryn could feel her voice raising "to ask me to let it go, do you understand me at all? Did you ever understand me?"

"Did you ever care? Really? As in see anything from my perspective? Not even work, just what I might think, I know you love me but I don't think you respect me as someone equal to you. I can't just wait around wondering what you'll do next. If you can't stay here, if your need to be the hero outweighs all else, well it's best for you to stay at our Indiana place for a while, on the off chance you're on Earth anytime soon."

Kathryn expected to feel white hot rage, to wish she had an airlock to throw her husband out of, but instead she felt ice coldness towards him, he was letting her down, he was holding her back. "Well, I guess it ends here. I'll call the kids" she tucked the box under her arm and walked to the door before the tears that had unexpectedly started to sting the back of her eyes threatened to fall.

*** USS Voyager

Captain Tuvok raised an eyebrow as he lifted the cup of tea to his lips. "Admiral, I see you have updated your emergency contact to one Phoebe Janeway"

"I knew you would have done your due diligence Captain, I trust you have updated on all the systems"

"Indeed Admiral, is this something you would like to discuss with me? As a friend, off record"

"No Tuvok, I don't even know what to think myself anymore. There will be a time, but for now I've got bigger things to worry about. I've had further reports of Amal being in some sort of assignment, I don't know who for. But it seems someone recruited him out of the Academy nearly a year ago. Who they were working for I don't yet know. I need to investigate further but I need a mission to cover my investigations, so I thought I'd rejoin you. Seems like you have an assignment I can tag along on that will seem like I'm nicely out of the way?"

"Very well. However knowing the former Commander and yourself as I do, being separated from T'Pel, unsure of the status of my marriage may I offer.."

"Tuvok"

The Vulcan composed himself "Apologies, yes the planet, it's home to microscopic life. First contact will likely never meet the regulations of the Prime Directive but Command has identified a strong intelligence. Our mission is to determine of there is any threat posed by these life forms and to take action if so"

"I think that's just the sort of challenge to distract me" smiled the Admiral.

****

Lottie sat with the junior officers at the mess of the Essex. Seven had explained the suspicions she had about her Captain and Lottie suggested the best way to get more information was to target anyone in the know when their inhibitions were lowered. "So Commander Never Chat On Duty is your godmother then? Gee I'd hate my private life being in the tabloids from the day I was born". Lottie grimaced, these days the press left her family alone but when Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant, the Captain pregnant with the father being eventually revealed as her second in Command, the rumours and headlines had taken a few years to abate.

"Yes but I haven't really spent much time with her over the years, she was MIA with the Rangers for a bit, I suppose didn't want to slot into our family the way my mother had hoped. I'm not here to spend time with her. I wanted to serve under Abioye, he has a distinguished record in active service. I've heard of some of the battles he served in, he's a hero."

The Lieutenant laughed "yeah I suppose. A great soldier, a leader? I don't know, he's a yes man. He follows orders to a tee, he's ok I guess. What you'd call a company man, he'll give you chances to try new things though. You like trying new things? I can show you a thing or two"

Lottie swallowed her grimace and tried her best coy smile "maybe another time".

****

Back in Seven's quarters Seven was pacing "What a pig, thinking you're an Ensign who wants to please the seniors, I'm going to put him on the Gamma shift back to back for a month" fury burning her face.

"Auntie, really it's fine, I learned how to deal with those losers my first day in the Academy. Besides if they actually got me back to his it would be me teaching them a thing or ... sorry sorry, that's a joke. It was useful "data" to gather. Plus watch this. Some friends and I on DS5 were working on undetectable espionage, an unofficial assignment from our Chief Engineer. You know we couldn't crack the secondary code before? Well, it turns out the first step is based on musical arpeggios, the rest followed from there and of course I was in and out before I could be detected." Lottie looked out of the window "what side are you on Captain"

"I knew you'd make a fine officer. Send me the files and I'll look over them. We need to know if we can trust him or not" Seven said

"The decoded information didn't make much sense to me, do you think you can make sense of it?"

"Twenty years ago it would be simpler than beating Harry Kim at Kal Toh, but as you know the longer I've been away from the Borg the more my humanity has developed, I've lost some of the advantages my Borg upbringing afforded me."

"So now you can tell when Mom's hustling on the pool table but aren't good enough to be her team mate?"

"Oh Lottie" Seven smiled "If there's one thing Kathryn's taught me, it's how to be s shark at the pool table".

****

Kathryn and Tuvok stood on the planet's surface. At first look it seemed green and peaceful, flowers bobbed in the wind and leafy trees with boughs weighted down with summer fruit. Kathryn detected the microscopic life forms on her tricorders, they felt short electric shocks. "Are they trying to communicate?" Kathryn wondered.

"It would seem so" Tuvok responded, "They are making these shocks at will, the larger numbers they congregate in the stronger the shock. Maybe if we lay our weapons on the floor it will show we mean no harm".

Kathryn nodded and placed her phaser on the floor and was stunned to see a force field appear around it. Suddenly the shocks were increasing and she fell to the floor, she felt Tuvok help her up and they stumbled towards the shuttle. A shock to Tuvok's head and he was disorientated, Kathryn pulling his weight over her back as she opened the door and pulled them inside. At the controls Kathryn found every time she touched them they short circuited. She could only get the shuttle a few feet off the floor before it fell down again. She leaned under the console and pushed two of the buttons at the same time, the shuttle shot up and they sped towards Voyager. As the shuttle entered the larger ship, energy beams from the surface knocking Voyager's shields to less than 50%. Kathryn raced onto the bridge "Ensign Hussein what are you waiting for, get us out of here" she roared.

[captaindibbzy]

I was thinking about the art world as a whole. AI doesn't exist in a vacuum and Art has experienced upheavals before. So when discussing the merit of AI as art it has precedent. Making collages out of print goes back over 100 years, and you never needed permission from the prints you cut up. And the invention of photography created huge waves in the art world. AI art it's self goes back to the 70's, though the first AI art machine made abstract physical work. Can't remember it's name right now. When it comes to taking other people's work and running with it The Fountain and other ready made sculptures come to mind, things that are made and designed by some unknown individual elevated to art because of the pedestal it lands on and attributed to the man who put it there.

So in that regard AI art is art because we already set the way for it. Theft is ok when it's got the institute behind it, apparantly, cause we already decided that. Everything and anything can be art from the experience of life to spray painting an iceberg red cause you feel like it.

So the values of art must come from somewhere else. While money is certainly a value, it's not an important one really. The joy of creation is much more telling. The experience of the art is much more valuable.

Take an NFT for example. An NFT, if all art is inherent in value, is identical to the Monalisa. But that is a hard argument to have, so the value of one over the other must come from elsewhere. A digital copy of the Monalisa is identical to the real thing then? I would say no also. Experiencing that art in person is a different thing and a grander experience. Being liked is more of a tell of the values of art than the status of being art in of its self. In that regard enjoying your own work and wanting others to find joy in it offers more value to art than it being art.

I mentioned the spray painting of an iceberg. This is a real thing.

2004, artist Marco Evaristti. "We all have a need to decorate Mother Nature because it belongs to all us," it was called the ice cube project.

This is what I think of when I think of worthless art. Is this art? Yes. Does anyone remember this? No. Did it add anything to the world? No. If anything it detracted from the world, causing environmental damage, upsetting locals and confusing wildlife. What became of it? Not a clue. He just left it floating off the coast of Greenland nearly 20 years ago and nothing much has been written since.

I guess what I'm trying to say is whether or not AI art is art is the wrong question to ask. It exists, that Pandoras box has been opened and it's not going back. The wider question is with art it's self: does the status of art give something the right to exist? And personally I think no.

AI art does more damage than most bad art. Like NFT's it's value may be commercially high but culturally trying to dig a hole deep enough to hide in.

This isn't about how to solve the problem though. It's just a deconstruction of why "it's art" is not a defence of anything. And I'm not sure I'm explaining myself well cause I'm coming down with a cold 😅

As part of a long thought process of art vs AI I have come to the conclusion that the inherent value of art is actually pretty low. As in the value something gains from being art is such a tiny amount it's barely quantifiable and other contributing factors are much more important in the value of the piece: is it trying to say something? How important is that statement? Is it damaging? Is it joyful? Is it hurting people for the sake of hurting people? Is it irreplaceable? Does it matter if it is? Does the availability to the masses add or lose value in comparison to the potential for exclusivity?

When you say something in the art world isn't good the first defence is always "it's art! It doesn't need to be!" And that is true. But also just because it is art doesn't mean it automatically has a right to exist, and doesn't mean I have to respect it.

I remember reading somewhere that when you are trying to push the boundaries of art and ask the question of what is art you must always be prepared for someone to say "not this". Art is so indefinable there are cases where art has been destroyed and the vandalism is declared art.

But when everything can be art and nothing is art I have simply decided that the status of art doesn't give enough weight to the value of an object. In which case the value of a piece of art must come from elsewhere.

Personally I find that to be the experience of being part of it: witnessing, participation, etc. Through that a positive experience outweighs a negative generally but not exclusively, a well spent emotional experience always outweighs a mediocre one.

Enrichment to my enclosure holds more value than the status of a piece as art can add.

Tldr: if everything is art then art isn't special so art must be judged by other criteria.

[kookiecrumb]

JJK || Someway

Chapter Three

previous • next

summary: You go on a non-refundable cruise with your LA realtor ex-boyfriend. Things get interesting.

tags: one bed trope, exes to lovers, mutual pining, stubborn!y/n, vacation, smut, angst, fluff

warnings: jealousyyyyy, explicit language

wc: 1.7K

Jungkook's decision to work out was independent of what happened between the two of you last night. Not that he was completely ignoring your conversation, but it was irrelevant toward his routine. 

That being said, it did affect his performance. A third of the way through, he put the equipment in a resting position and just laid there, his headphones still on and everything, breathing hard. 

He double tapped the drum of his headphones to turn the music off. The sound of clanking weights and grunts could be heard. The scent of sweat and adrenaline was potent in the air. It was overstimulatimg.

He needed to leave. 

Jungkook cleans off the equipment, gets his things from the locker rooms and is about to head out when he spots you talking to the receptionist. 

It totally looks like he's flirting with you. 

It…really looks like he's flirting with you. 

Jungkook's face turns bright red. He can't pull his eyes away from you, laughing and smiling at this mid-at-best guy who thinks he's goddamn Eddy Murphy or some shit. 

But this is what you wanted! This is what you both wanted. Good for you.

You smile and turn your head in his direction. He looks absolutely terrified. He is terrified.

Your face drops and you move away from the desk, stepping towards him, but Jungkook has already scattered. 

So much for that. 

It might be worth talking to him later about it. But then again, what is there to talk about? If you assume that he was upset or jealous of seeing you simply talking to another guy, then that would be opening up Pandora's Box. Confrontation is your worst enemy. 

And what if he confronts you about it? You'd have to defend yourself.

You'd have to defend yourself and he'd quickly realize there was nothing to defend in the first place. Then you'd be seen as weak.

It would be revealed that you're not this strong, confident, put-together woman, even though it's been months. You still want him. Who wouldn't?

You clench the wallet in your hand and drag it off the table, briefly thanking the receptionist before walking toward the yoga studio just beyond the sauna. 

The morning went by quickly, otherwise. The yoga class was supposed to be two hours long, but it had only felt like thirty minutes to you.

It had a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean as well, with the crescening waves below playing with the sunlight. You felt refreshed after all that stretching and holding, but you were starving. 

It was just about time for brunch. You were feeling some strawberry yogurt and granola with some banana. Back in LA, we call those parfaits, like the French word for perfect. 

Valley girls love French, for aesthetic purposes. You're not surprised the trend has resurged nowadays. In this restaurant, right now, you could point out at least seven girls wearing a jacket matched with a miniskirt. 

Just so fetch, as Karen would say. 

Fashion is meant to be fun. What's the point of being stupid rich if not to spend it, stupidly? Perhaps a shopping trip is in order. You're almost certain that the luxury shops on-board are open for business. 

You imagine it now, another diamond tennis bracelet to match your skirts, or a sapphire necklace to compliment your evening dress. 

Perhaps you'll find another pair of those limited edition shoes from Dior. You've been hunting them down like a hound ever since their release.

You spoon another layer of yogurt into your mouth. Looks like your afternoon plans are in place, some retail therapy, if you will.

"My ex-girlfriend says I'm a good liar. I want to test the theory," Jungkook says as he slides over a Benjamin toward the attendant in exchange for twenty five-dollar chips. 

"Sir," the poor guy smiles. "That's hilarious." 

Jungkook can tell he doesn't actually think the joke is funny. With an awkward grimace, he shovels the chips from the slot between the two of them, pockets them, and walks away. 

It wasn't long before Jungkook sat down for his first game of blackjack with a pint of beer set down on a comically small coaster next to him. 

He didn't budge from his seat until he broke even. It was a good thirty minutes before he was winning money. It took another four for him to consider opting out. 

He was three hundred dollars over his break-even point. He had spectators gathered around him to witness him correctly predict and strategize around the cards he'd drawn. It was a sight to behold.

The stakes weren't high. He was still betting twenty dollars per round, but he was on a winning streak. He could have kept going, easily. 

He pulls out of his chair. He takes his chips. He thanks the dealer, and he cashes in. 

"She was right," he says, folding two extra hundred dollar bills into his wallet. "Now I gotta prove her wrong." 

"Prove who wrong?" A voice that isn't yours says from behind him. Jungkook turns to greet its owner. 

She's a young woman with long, braided hair. Her glasses sit upon her nose quaintly and her eyes are radiant. 

"My ex-girlfriend," Jungkook replies, quickly. 

"Ohh…You're still hung up over your ex?" She makes a judgemental face. 

Now who is she to judge someone's healing process? It takes time to get over an ex, especially if that ex was smart…pretty…rich…

Fuck. Why did he break up with you again?

"Well, yeah. It's normal," he defends. 

"That's a shame," she sighs with a fake pout on her lips. 

"Yeah," Jungkook looks away awkwardly. "Thanks for checking in," he concludes and continues on his way. 

"Waaait!" She exclaims. "I can help you get over her if you really want to…" 

There it is. The perfect opportunity. It's staring him right in the face again and all he has to say is, 'Yes, I do,' at most. Jungkook cannot fuck this up. 

"...nooo…" he says, in a small voice. "No…" he frowned.

The young woman rolls her eyes. "Pf, okay. You aren't even all that cute anyways, and…" Her voice grew quiet in Jungkook's mind as he looked beyond her. 

There you are, carrying fifty million luxury shopping bags, trudging along the hallway with your good pair of sunglasses. It looks like you're on your way toward the casino. 

The girl had stormed off by now. 

That's fine by him.

He's got a bigger problem on his hands, at least, according to him. 

A concierge greets you at the door or the casino lobby. He happily takes all of your bags up to your suite, safely with the exemption of your clutch bag containing all you'll be needing for today. 

You're about to hand over your card so they can register your room, but it seems as if they've already made an account under that number and there's a limit on how many times you can visit a day. 

"Well that's a little ridiculous, don't you think?" you laugh. "You'd be losing money!" 

"We are already losing money, miss. Your boyfriend–" 

"Ex-boyfriend!" 

"Ex-boyfriend has robbed us of two hundred dollars in blackjack just a few minutes ago," he says firmly.  

You're delighted by news of his big win. A feeling adjacent to pride taints your otherwise stern heart towards him. 

"Well, if that's the case…what do you suggest I do meanwhile?" You say, sweetly. "I planned on spending my entire evening here. You don't supposed I could make a last minute reservation for that restaurant upstairs?" 

"No, ma'am…unfortunately, they are booked through and through," he replies with a regretful tone. 

"Like…booked?" 

"Booked," he reassures. "Absolutely." 

After a while of clicking around the reservations on his computer, the attendant goes, "But it looks like you have a reservation here, already, for tonight…" 

You shake your head. "It's him again." 

"Well, it is on there. If you decide to go, you'll be admitted," he says. 

Actually, It wouldn't be the end of the world to have dinner with him. 

The natural solution would be to double date, but the idea is repulsing you right now. You would only be sharing a table. There wouldn't be an obligation to actually talk to one another or hold hands…or listen to each other's stories…or stare into each other's eyes over candlelight…or anything. 

Jungkook appears behind you, hands in his pockets with a smug look on his face. "Haha, you can't gamble," he teases. 

"Shut up. I need to ask you something," You pull him to the side, back out into the hallway. He begrudgingly complies. 

He flashes a smile, bright and charming. "Huh?" 

The sunlight plays with his hair as it sets over the open sea, a gentle glow resting on his face as you speak. "Uhm," 

"Yeaaahhh~" he laughs. 

"Are you drunk or something?" You comment, shaking him a little. "Stop that." 

Jungkook clears his throat and nods. He straightens up. "Okay." 

You're instantly intimidated. You brought him out here to say something, but it seems it has escaped your train of thought. "Like I was trying to say," you pause. 

Jungkook gestures for you to continue. 

"I was wondering if I could use your reservation for tonight. They're completely booked and…you can't book more than one table for a room…" 

He stares at you questioningly, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Huh? A date, then?" 

"No! Not like a date. The opposite of that. I want to eat the food there and you're gonna take me," 

"Y/N, that sounds like a fucking date to me," he nods his head insistently. 

"Well it's not."

In that moment, his stare felt heavier on you than usual. His careful hands wanted to reach for yours and, without a word, hold them close to his heart. He wanted to keep them there. Your breath stuttered. 

"Yeah, it is," he says, softly. 

You turn away. "And I'm the stubborn one?" you mutter. 

Jungkook's eyes wander around you before settling on your shoes. "Anyways, we could meet back at the hotel room and just…go after seven." 

"Yeah!" you reply, a bit too enthusiastically. Jungkook purses his lips to keep a smile from escaping. 

" …Yeah. Okay," you say, slowly. 

-

a/n: I I updating April 15th. No more begging. I have to actually write the next chapter 🤭

[inviberu]

music box

Confessing was no easy thing, especially for someone like Heath who could barely take a compliment without his cheeks burning red. When someone suggested he should give a gift instead, the gears inside his head started to turn. The most beautiful gift of all is one that comes from the bottom of one's heart—the question is: what was it?

Heath didn't know how to express his feelings without getting too many butterflies in his stomach to the point that he has to bend over to calm himself down or without tripping over his words and forgetting everything he planned to say. His cheeks would flare up and he would tear his gaze away from your figure as he told himself inside his head: "Not today, maybe not tomorrow either…."

Faust could barely stand the way Heath kept on backing out at the last minute during his decisions to finally confess his feelings. Faust pushed up his glasses and crossed his arms with a stern look on his face as he sighed. Heath sat up straighter, hoping that Faust wasn't about to scold him about something related to missions, unaware that Faust called him to his room to talk about more… personal matters instead of their line of work.

"I know there's a lot of stuff going on inside your head, but you shouldn't let it affect you when you're doing missions." Every word that came from Faust's lips was a lie to disguise his genuine concern for his student—roundabout, as a lot of Eastern folk are. Upon seeing Heath's face contort into one of slight panic, Faust immediately followed up with a question: "What is it that's bothering you anyway?"

Another lie. Faust already knew well what the source of Heath's worries is but he'd rather have Heath be unaware of the fact that he's been paying attention to him. Heath glanced down, a light hue of pink dusting his cheeks and Faust could already tell what this was about even if he hadn't known about Heath's countless attempts to confess to you before.

"Faust-sensei… do you know how to confess to someone?" Heath's unexpected question caught Faust off guard, his eyes widening in surprise before letting out a small cough after regaining his composure.

"C-Confess?" Faust tried his best to play dumb. "Like those love confessions?"

Heath nodded slowly, "I've been trying to confess to someone for a while now but… I keep on getting scared at the last minute. It's like the fear of being rejected suddenly walking up behind me and grabbing my shoulder."

"... You're a wonderful young man, Heath. I doubt there's anyone out there that would reject you" Faust closed his eyes as he tipped his hat slightly, trying his best to reassure him.

"Plus, you'll never know the answer unless you go for it." Faust chuckled, a smile forming on his face. Heath's eyes twinkled all of a sudden and felt his enthusiasm bounce back up as he grabbed Faust's hands into his own—Faust's expression slowly turning to one of discomfort.

"Then… Can you help me?" Heath asked hopefully.

"Me…?" Faust exclaimed, his glasses almost dropping down.

"W-Well only if you want to! I wouldn't dare force you to help me against your wishes..."

"I suppose I can try… I can't guarantee anything, of course." Faust agreed reluctantly and Heath beamed, his smile widening in happiness as he said his thanks to the Eastern teacher. "Well, first of all, if you find yourself unable to speak in front of them… don't you think there's a better alternative rather than confessing in person?"

After all this time, Heath had always tried to confess to you upfront and had never bothered to consider any other options until Faust brought it up. Heath wanted to curl up and bury himself six feet under at the sudden realization, feeling as if all this time spent was just used for needless worrying.

"Like a letter of sorts?" Heath asked carefully. Faust shook his head and merely answered his question vaguely.

"Something that comes from the heart." He pointed towards Heath's heart. "You're good at craftsmanship, aren't you? Why not make good use of that?"

A few days had already passed since Faust made that remark—living inside Heath's brain with no signs of leaving soon. A letter would've been easier but after taking it into more consideration, as well as Faust’s words, he decided to give it more thought. What was another alternative? A gift instead of a letter, perhaps? Heath ruffled his hair, deep in thought as he sat on one of the cushioned seats inside the lounge.

“Heathcliff?” A voice called out, snapping Heath out of his daze and adjusted his vision to the person in front of him—the northern wizard, White. Curiously, he asked, “is there something troubling you? Won’t you allow this old man to help if so?”

“Sir White… it’s nothing important, I appreciate the offer though.” Heath shook his head, trying to brush off White’s offer as politely as he could. White merely crossed his arms, nodding his head before a smug and knowing smile took over his face—as if he already knew what was troubling Heath without having him say anything.

“Ohoho… it’s about the matters of the heart, is it not?” Bullseye. Heath felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest, unable to hide the surprise evident in his expression. White didn’t wait for an answer, for he already knew he struck gold—he let out a laugh. “It’s written all over your face! A young man falling victim to love… is what your expression is saying.”

Heath covered his face by instinct, horrified at the newfound information that it was written all over his face. He wished he could keep a poker face like Lennox, perhaps that way he wouldn't be so easy to read—unaware that was precisely one of his charming points.

“Haha… is it that obvious?” Heath muttered weakly, burying his face into his palms and White only chuckled at the cute display. “Sir White, do you know of any good gifts fit for a confession?”

White rubbed his chin, deep in thought. A fitting gift for a love confession—one would normally think of something like flowers or sweets as if it was valentine's day, that was the textbook answer, though when White glanced at Heath and remembered his knack for machinery and the likes, he suddenly remembered of that one era that had a specific trend.

“It's a bit old fashioned but back in the day, music boxes were the trend. Why not make one with music that reminds you of your beloved? Wouldn't that be perfect for someone like you?” White beamed, smiling as if he gave a groundbreaking piece of advice. Heath’s eyes widened ever so slightly with his mouth agape as he thought about his words; music boxes were indeed old fashioned as you wouldn't see it normally these days.

“Me…? Make a music box?” He has never tried it before, especially not for a special someone, though he was confident he's able to make one if he tried.

“Ohoho, you’re good with machinery, are you not? Why not put those skills to use to make a heartfelt gift?” White nodded enthusiastically. Heath couldn't help but get lost in his thoughts, already trying to figure out how he was going to construct one—it seems like the young master has already figured out which gift he should give.

Heath spent his days holed up inside his room by his desk, materials sprawled all over with chunks of wood littered around after he had carved the finest wood he could get his hands on after returning to the East for a short while. A focused look adorning his face as he drowned out the noises surrounding him, immersed in his craft.

Countless music sheets were crumpled and thrown to the bin at the side which was overflowing with scrapped pieces—music pieces. Heath was no expert like Rustica when it came to music composition, he had left his seat several times to consult the Western Wizard in order to make sure the music wasn't disappointing and was able to convey his feelings, somehow.

He planned to leave the box and a note anonymously, though he already suspected it wasn't going to be very discreet as he started carving the box with the same carving he engraved into Shino’s magic tool. One look at it and you would be able to guess who did the carving, for it was named Blanchett for a reason.

He added the finishing touches, blowing the small particles of dust away that remained in the corners before opening the box as a sweet, soft melody started to play—its gears turning as it played music flawlessly. Heath smiled at the music box he created, proud. He put all of his feelings of adoration for you inside one box, only revealing itself if you decide to open it, akin to Pandora's box.

As if reciting his last prayer, he clutched it tightly as he muttered his spell under his breath before standing up and deciding to leave it by your doorstep—this time, he'll let you know of his feelings.

As he arrived at your doorstep, he quietly wished that you weren't inside your room because that would make things complicated as Heath already felt like he was doing something scandalous. His cheeks burned red as he quickly dropped the music box as well as a small note before knocking once and scurrying off back to his room where he could finally put his mind to rest.

You opened the door, greeted by no one but a mysterious box and a small note that didn't indicate whoever sent it to you for there was no name. Without much hesitation, you picked it and inspected it—the intricate design catching you off guard as you recognized it as the same one present in Shino’s magical tool. And the one who made it was none other than Heath himself, that only meant one thing—Heath was behind this mysterious set-up. You felt your chest bubble up in excitement, an uncontrollable smile forming in your face as you felt giddy.

You opened the note, it read: For you have captured my heart, I offer this gift to you.

You felt your heart leap at the words you read, scanning it once again to make sure your eyes weren't playing tricks on you, cheeks heating up as you realized what this meant. You quickly opened the box, not expecting a few blue butterflies to come out and fly around you as a soft melody played from it—a music box Heath made just for you. You could feel his magic from the box, did he imbue his magic? You suspected as much.

The longer you listened to the music, the more you felt like running to his room to tell him you felt the same way. There wasn't a single thing stopping you from doing so. With a determined look on your face, you started heading towards his room. Fortunately, you saw him walking in the hall, it seems like he hasn't arrived in his room yet.

You took the opportunity to jump at him, his arms instinctively wrapping themselves around you, panic was written all over his face when he realized it was you who threw themselves at him. With the proximity between the two of you, you placed a chaste kiss on the tip of his nose. His heart felt like it was about to explode.

“W-What are you doing!?” He grabbed you by the shoulders and tried to push you away in an attempt to calm his racing heart. You smirked as you felt like teasing him more, though the huge smile on your face was unfitting as you told him:

“You could've told me in person… but, I like you too, silly!”