#people have worked where i work for upwards of 6 years they like me there and they have a hard time firing people who they dont like

[justinefrischmanngf]

i’m getting very weirdly settled in place here like i am becoming strangely tied to people and things and it’s very scary to me it makes me want to run away very very far and very very fast but like. i know that so much of that is because i do want that kind of settledness but what does it mean to want that what does it mean to crave being settled when you haven’t been settled when you don’t know what that feels like ? i have spent most of the time i have been writing, writing about liminal spaces and the way we go from one thing to another and the inability to stay in one place and a perpetual sense of restlessness . so it’s not unexpected, but it is very strange . it would not be hard for me to know the people i know now for years. that doesn’t make sense . what do you do with that

[charlotteking23]

The Lion's Lamb - Chapter 3 - MV1/33

Max Verstappen x reader

The Lion's Lamb Series: Aesthetics, Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.4, Ch.5, Ch.6, Ch.7, Ch.8, Ch.9

Max was a beautiful man. He was even more beautiful when he smiled.

His smile wasn't full-on but slight, with his lips turning upwards in the corner only. But to you, making the man in front of you smile was your goal.

"Tell me about yourself," he said gently.

"About me?" You needed clarification. Normally, when you talk to men, especially the ones that live in Monaco permanently, they don't care to know about you.

"You are (name), aren't you?" His thick eyebrows arched questionably.

Blushing, you lowered your head, looking at your cup in between your hands. You see a hand reach across the table and land on your chin, slowly lifting it so your eyes meet blue, "No. I don't like you looking away. I want to see your eyes on me."

You blushed again at the man's words, biting your lip anxiously. His eyes immediately get drawn to your pink lip between your teeth.

Noticing his shift of attention to her lip, she decides to speak, "My (name) (last name) and I'm 23."

Max was surprised that was all you said. Most women he met would never give him a chance to speak, continuously talking about their lives to try to impress him.

"Are you from Monaco?" He asks, trying to get you to continue

"No," You shake your head lightly "I'm originally from the U.S. and came here about a year and a half ago."

"What brought you here?"

"The people," you shrug, "not to be weird about it but everyone here is wealthy. My clientele is mainly wealthier people."

"What do you do for a living then?"

"I'm an artist. Specifically a painter," You visibly become happy when talking about your job. It was obvious to see you love what you do.

You start to ramble on about your job until you realize what you were doing and start to blush, "Sorry. I ramble a lot."

Max chuckles, sending shivers down your spine "I don't mind. I love hearing the sound of your voice."

Blushing even deeper and smiling, you change the topic to save yourself from any more embarrassment, "what about you? Where are you from?"

"I'm originally from Belgium but grew up in the Netherlands most of my life."

"And for work?"

"I work with cars," he vaguely answers. You raised your eyebrow knowing there's more to the answer but decided not to push.

"And that brought you to Monaco?"

"For a time," he shrugs. "I travel a lot for work and only really have about a total of 4 months here in Monaco."

"Where do you travel for work?" Your eyes light up again at the thought of traveling.

You always wanted to travel but haven't been able to do it financially nor do you have any idea where you'd want to go.

Max smiles at you and goes into depth about some of his favorite places to go. He realizes his job is amazing but can't help but wish he had more time to spend with his family.

Though, his lifestyle hasn't affected him much because he's a loner. But sitting there with you, he can't help but hope to come home more often to see the beautiful woman more often.

The pair continued to talk for about another hour or so before they were interrupted by your phone ringing.

You give the blue-eyed man an apologetic smile before answering the phone, "hello?"

"Where the hell are you?" You hear your roommate yell at you through the phone. Your roommate wasn't someone you would willingly have in your life. If you could you'd live by yourself.

"I'm getting coffee," Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I need you home because I have people coming over and the house is a mess! You have to come home now and clean it all up!"

Max didn't know who was on the other end of the phone but just by her tone, he didn't like her. No one should yell at you like that.

"What do you mean? When I left, the house was perfectly clean."

"Well, it was until I spilled soda everywhere so I need you to help clean up!"

Deciding not to fight with your roommate, you just sighed, and told the girl you would come home now and hung up the phone.

"Everything alright?" Max asked.

"Yeah just got to help my roommate clean up the mess she made because she wants to have people over," You sighed again.

"You shouldn't have to clean up her messes."

"I know but it's easier not to argue with her," you started to gather your things and stood up.

You reached into your purse, pulled out a pen wrote something on the napkin, and handed it to the man. "Here. It's my number. Text me and we'll do this again"

You smile softly at the man before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek before turning away and leaving. You hadn't registered what you had done until you were almost home.

You stopped mid-walk, a smile plastering your face. You didn't mean to do that, but you were happy you did. You smiled the entire way back to your apartment.

Max was stunned by your boldness. You were so innocent and naive yet here you were giving your phone number to him and kissing his cheek.

Something about you made you stand out from everyone else. He didn't know what it was yet but he couldn't wait to see you again.

Taglist: @shelbyteller, @smithieandy, @fangirlforever2000, @herexpertcollector

[laviaceae]

your art has spiked my interest haha what’s tower of hanoi and how/where do i play it?

OKAY.

TOWER OF HANOI IS THE BEST GAME YOU ABSOLUTELY, 110% GUARANTEE NO REFUNDS, HAVE NEVER HEARD OF.

LET ME EXPLAIN.

(also known as: i win at all times ever and im glad my tawahano propaganda pays off, HAH!)

----------

Have you ever heard of... END ROLL? Walking On A Star Unknown? Farethere City? These are all relatively niche RPGMaker 2000 games made by a Japanese game creator known as Segawa (せがわ), with END ROLL being the most popular among Western Fans (you might see the main character, Russell, in some fanart with OMORI or Yume Nikki characters for example)!

In fact, for followers of mine who are In Stars and Time fans, END ROLL was credited as one of the inspirations for that game!

TOWER of HANOI is another game made by Segawa, one released in November of 2020, and one of the final games they've made in RPG2K (so they've got an absolute mastery of the engine).

I'll be in part directing this post towards ISAT fans since that makes up the majority of my followerbase on Tumblr, so there may be ISAT spoilers (including Two Hats/Act 6 Secret spoilers) up ahead! There will also be mild TOWER of HANOI spoilers required to explain the game's premise. Proceed at your own risk.

Section One: So, what is TOWER of HANOI all about?

TOWER of HANOI is a narrative-driven RPG with multiple endings (2 'true endings', 3 'bad endings') set in a futuristic, post-post-World-War-Five society. The game mostly takes place within the TOWER, a hyper-realistic virtual reality simulation currently undergoing playtests that was built to be able to rehabilitate HANOI (androids that look and sound and feel emotions like humans do) who have dangerous levels of mental instability.

The stability of a HANOI is measured through their Stress Level, a numerical representation of that HANOI's mental state. HANOI are generally considered by society to be more of technology or property than people (like your computer or your phone would be), and as such have no rights and are often mistreated by humans. More than 50% of HANOI hate their human employers.

In order to combat the dangerous upward trend of HANOI Stress Levels (caused by their mistreatment), the TOWER was created. In it, HANOI are expected to fight and defeat virtual enemies that approximate humans in order to destress through violence. Upon a successful completion, HANOI are to be returned to their human employers.

Because the TOWER is currently undergoing testing, groups of HANOI are accompanied through the TOWER by a human "Inspector" who is expected to report any bugs or issues they encounter during their playtest.

You play as one of those human Inspectors; Inspector No.102, Coral Brown.

(this is my art! you may have seen him in my ISAT au as taking the place of Siffrin).

He's 33 years old, kind, calm, and soft as a marshmallow. He's also a human being who believes in the rights and wellbeing of HANOI, and sympathises with their suffering. As a child, he was raised by a HANOI instead of his parents, which may have contributed to his feelings towards them.

Over the course of the game and as you progress through the TOWER you'll get to meet and intimately know the ten HANOI under Coral's care with Fire Emblem-esque Support events depending on how many times you bring each of them to battle. These can be between Coral and the HANOI, or the HANOI between eachother. (There are more than 100 of these such events to collect in total!)

TOWER of HANOI's characters are both charming and tragic. They each have incredibly well-realised personalities, backstories, and relationships both with the Inspector taking care of them and eachother. It's easy to imagine day-to-day interactions in Headquarters (your hub area) between them all.

You have Adams, a HANOI built for missionary work and who's Stress Level is the lowest out of all ten (and actually below the 'dangerous' stress threshold)! He's silly and mischevious and adores spicy food. Despite this, he's here at the TOWER because he doesn't believe in God, despite that being an important part of his 'role' in the world. When did he stop believing in God, and why? What is his relationship with the people at the Church that took care of him?

Or Mira, a Childcare HANOI that reminds Coral of the HANOI that looked after him as a child. She loves children, but has to constantly grapple with the fact that she can't have any and that any children she takes care of will eventually, inevitably leave her. How will she and Coral resolve the fact that they both remind eachother of someone they knew in the past? How will she interact with the other HANOI?

There's also Nanashi, a cheaply-made HANOI for miscellaneous chores who's trust and care for humanity has been completely shattered due to his ties with the mafia. He wasn't even important enough to be given a name until Coral gives him one upon their first meeting in the TOWER. He hates humans, hates Coral, and refuses to trust him, instead convincing himself that Coral is merely faking his kindness to get him to let his guard down just to use him like all humans he's ever known have done. Will Coral eventually be given Nanashi's trust? What will he do once he leaves the TOWER, and has to be sent back to the mafia where he came from?

Finally there's Kimon Noroi, a HANOI who resembles a child that fulfils a very special purpose. Noroi is what's known as a Yorimashi (憑坐), and uses her body to allow spirits to occupy it and commune with the living. She's seen how terrible humans can be because of the spirits she's seen and can come across as a bit standoffish (though she's really just as much of a menace as Adams is), and definitely, definitely, definitely doesn't miss the Priest at the shrine she lived in before coming to the TOWER at all! How will she interact with Adams, both having people they miss back at home? How will she interact with Mira, who's like a mother figure to her in this place?

As you progress, you can find the answers to all of these questions, as well as the identities of the six other HANOI I've not even mentioned here- all as well-written and interesting as these four.

However, the HANOI aren't the only faction in the game to worry about.

The very NPCs and enemies you'll be fighting along the way are coming to life, gaining sentience, and realising they want something more in their existence than eternally repeating dialogue chains and fetch quests and death in battle.

The head of this 'rebellion' of 0s and 1s, a computer virus named Shunya, acts as the main antagonist for the majority of the game, but even she isn't... 'evil'. She has her own found family, a group of bugged enemies she's befriended along her journey, all of whom want her to realise her dream of "melting" down the TOWER and returning all of the 0s and 1s inside to their base state of not thinking, not feeling, and not being in eternal pain.

Should you fight these people, if their emotions really are real, and defeat them without caring about their plight? Is it right to, to disregard the thoughts and feelings of 0s and 1s for the sake of the wellbeing of the HANOI Coral's grown so attached to? Should you follow the 'role' you've been given, or disregard it and create your own?

TOWER of HANOI excellently tackles the dichotomy of themes between 'roles' in societies and the 'dreams' people have, and nowhere is this more apparent than Coral Brown himself. Throughout the game, there will be multiple events and opportunities in order to control Coral's own Stress Level, and how he feels towards both the side of HANOI and the side of 0s and 1s he's stuck between. Lower his stress and he'll side with the HANOI and enjoy his job, and at higher stresses he'll begin to hate it, being unable to eat or sleep as he starts feeling awful for the 0s and 1s he spends his time killing in the TOWER....

These branch into the two main 'True Routes' of the game, depending on your Stress Level... but I shall leave the specific nature of those to discover in your own playthroughs. :)

If you've enjoyed ISAT, there's a good chance you'll enjoy TOWER of HANOI. Not only is one of the creator's previous games an inspiration for ISAT, they share a lot of similarities in their characters. Coral and Siffrin are very similar as protagonists, and as for others...

(Loop artwork credit to Insertdisc5 from In Stars and Time)

I could write a whole essay on how these two are so painfully similar and would kill eachother on sight. Maybe I will one day. Who knows. Me when I have a guide character lacking half of a face that has Fucking Issues TM stemming from intense jealousy and shares some visual similarity with our main character. Just look at them. This is the sole reason for the twohats warning. Just look at them.

Section Two: Wow, that's so cool and awesome Mx Lav! How do I play TOWER of HANOI?

You can check out the official website here, and the official downloads page here! I'd recommend following the instructions on this website to get the game working faster (because RPG2K is a pain in the ass on modern systems).

...

...Oh? It's all in Japanese? ...Well-

Section Three: --WAIT WHY IS IT ALL IN JAPANESE??

Yes, that's TOWER of HANOI's One (Big) Thing. The one thing you have to look past in order to actually play the game; it's all in Japanese, and an English translation will never be made (unless Segawa-san lifts the translation ban).

However, you don't actually need to know Japanese to play the game. I sure don't! And all of the other English-speaking fans I know that have played this game don't either.

There are three main ways to accomplish this, but I'll only discuss two here:

Sugoi Translator or similar translators. Sugoi Translator (or Sugoi Toolkit) is a machine translation tool that automatically grabs and translates the text in game you're looking at. The translations themselves make a good amount of sense, too! It's a little difficult to set up, but once you've calibrated it once you never have to worry about it again. This is definitely easiest if you want to read all of the dialogue in the game, including flavourtext (as yes, all 10 HANOI and Coral have unique flavourtext for every item in the game...), but is only available for free on the 15th and 16th each month and is otherwise only available to download on the creator's Patreon.

Google Lens. The easier, plug-and-translate method of the two. Simply download the Google Lens app and point it at the text on the screen, it'll read and translate it for you. The translations here are a little goofier (and sometimes, depending on your phone camera quality or lighting conditions, can be difficult for the app to pick up), but it's easy to complete a playthrough with just this tool alone.

If you can't get past this game's One Big Thing, I get it. It's a hard game to sell to people precisely for this reason. I'm at least glad you've read this far down into the post to get to this point and have showed interest in the game. And now you now about a game you didn't before, and you also have an itty bitty bit of context for all the non-ISAT stuff I post here. But this game has had me in a chokehold for the past two years and I promise that, if you can get through it, it's extremely worth it.

If you have the time and you're willing to try, please do! I love this game with all my heart and it's such a shame that most Western fans will never have easy access to it. I shill this game with all my heart, for realsies.

Section Four: Trigger/Content Warnings

If you've played a Segawa game before, you knew this section was coming. Segawa-san's games often tackle heavy or dark themes, and TOWER of HANOI isn't an exception. I'll add a list of content warnings here just so you aren't surprised by anything.

Suicide, both on and off screen

Self-harm, on-screen through dialogue

Themes of terminal illness, on screen

Hospitals (on screen, a majority of one of the game's dungeons takes place in one)

Death (on-screen)

Abuse (off-screen, but portrayed through dialogue)

Child harm/death (mentioned)

Kidnapping/Child kidnapping (mentioned)

Horror elements (no chase sequences, one jumpscare through an optional and hard-to-find sidequest)

Sexual Assault/Abuse (Not on-screen but talked about extensively, can avoided if you avoid Melitica/Merrytika's dialogue)

Mishandling of discussions surrounding gender identity (this character's identity is shown generally throughout the game to be a positive/supported thing, but some dialogue and design choices are quite ignorant/transphobic- though not maliciously. This can be avoided if you avoid Kathy/Cameron's dialogue)

There is also a substantial amount of screenshake employed near the end of the game. This list is from memory and limited from the amount of dialogue I've personally seen/translated, so it's probably not fully comprehensive. But it is thorough.

Section Five: Conclusion

oof... You've made it to the end! This took me the better part of a day to write, and I'm glad I finally got to advertise my favourite game on main. I hope... any of this makes sense, and that you enjoy! Even if you decide TOWER of HANOI isn't right for you, you at least know a little more about something you didn't before. Thank you so much for getting to the end, and I wish you the best!

[neoraso]

end of a day | pwb

a/n: the people ask for wonbin and i provide.. this is basically just pure and never ending sickening fluff when he comes home from a schedule :D warnings: one instance of him calling the reader his gf. i didn't mean for this to happen but gets like 1% suggestive towards the end. literally nothing happens though just a little heated kissing hehet

you had woken up when wonbin did, your ears listening to him rustling around the room getting dressed. after a few minutes he came to your side of the bed, stroking your hair and moving it out of your face before leaning down to kiss your forehead. your eyes fluttered open at this and he looked back with a surprised expression,

"did i wake you up? I'm sorry baby. try to go back to sleep, I'll be back later." he petted your hair once more. before he could back away you reached out to grab his wrist.

"you're not leaving without giving me a goodbye kiss are you?" you said with a pout.

smiling, he leans back down while you strain your neck upwards to meet his mouth.

"i almost didn't want to because then i wouldn't be able to stop" he mumbled against your lips. leaving one more peck he turned to actually leave and chuckled at your whine. "i know baby, i don't want to leave either but i'll try to be back before you know it. maybe you can sleep for the next 14 hours."

"I can sure try." you grumble back. "but hey, good luck today, work hard, i love you."

as he shut the door he turned to peek his head out. "I love you more." he said with a bashful smile before shutting it fully.

looking at the clock it read 6:34 am. yeah, you were definitely going back to sleep.

you woke up a few hours later and decided you had nothing to do but keep up with business since it was your day off. wonbin pretty much never had a day off so when you weren't working, your days were often spent like this; just filling the time until he came back.

it wasn't like you didn't have a life, you had friends of course but your schedules didn't always match up- like today. and so, you were alone. it wasn't bad to be fair, you caught up on emails, cleaned the apartment (mostly), called your mom, yearned for your boyfriend, all in all a productive day.

wonbin had texted you a few times throughout the day when he could.

[7:10] hi baby, wish i was with you

[9:13] getting ready to film this interview, hope i look pretty for you. i think you'll enjoy watching it when it comes out, the mc's are really funny

[13:19] finally done. heading back to the building to practice. love and miss you soooooo much,

it was strange, you had been dating for almost a year but you wondered when would your heart stop fluttering at everything he did. every text, call, every touch, every kiss made you fall in love with him even more and you hoped he felt the same. 

it was getting close to 8pm which seemed like a good time to start dinner. you didn’t cook every night but you knew wonbin liked it when you did. he always worked so hard, it’s the least you could do. you decide on something  simple for tonight, soup and rice and some sides his mom had sent you.

you snapped a quick picture and sent it to him so he knew he had a meal waiting for him at home. 

perfect timing :) we’re about to wrap up. 

can’t wait to see you 

just as you were finishing plating everything for the two of you, you heard a key jangling the door knob, bringing a small smile to your face. you could hear him taking his shoes off and shuffling out of the walkway.

“where is my baby?” he called out.

“in the dining room!” you reply. he makes his way to you as you turn around meeting him halfway for an embrace. ”sorry, i’m sweaty..” he said sheepishly. after you patted his back to assure him it was fine, he held you to him and kissed your hair then pulled away to hold your face and kiss your nose then your lips more times than you could count. between kisses you tried to ask him if he wasn’t hungry, eventually he let go, “yeah actually. it smells so good, i’m starving.” he let you sit first, noticing your bowls were seated next to each other’s , he slyly scooted his chair closer to yours. after a few moments of silence with both of your mouths full, he turned to you. 

“how was your day? what did you get up to?” he said as he reached over to tuck your hair behind your ear. 

blushing, you reply, “well, mostly just waited for you to get back… but i did get some work done.” 

he frowned at this, “i don’t know if i can ever leave again. i missed you so much too.” he softly pinched your cheek and went back to eating. “this is delicious by the way, thank you so much. the guys went to  get food but i wanted to come home as soon as possible. they teased me a lot but it’s ok… i’d take anything for you.” he said the last part so quietly you almost missed it- luckily you didn’t. without making a big deal out of it you softly stroked his back and then his hair (which really was sweaty). 

“i’ll clean this up, you go get in the shower and relax.” you suggested

“can’t you come with me?” he asked with pleading eyes. 

“unfortunately, i already took a shower. but when i’m done with the dishes i’ll come in the bathroom ok?”

he looked back down at his soup and pursed his lips, clearly disappointed. you couldn’t help but laugh at his state. mirroring his earlier action you stroked his hair and tucked the strands that were falling into his eyes behind his ear. “tomorrow we can take a bath and i’ll use that bubble soap you like, does that sound good?”

he had to smile at this. “that sounds good, but i’m holding you to it.”

“i promise. finish your food so you can wash the day away.” 

he obeyed and you both finished your dinner quickly in a comfortable silence. 

he offered to help you with the dishes, but you shooed him away so he could get ready for bed sooner. it didn’t take you long anyway and you made it in time to get some sleeping clothes and a towel to meet him in the bathroom where you heard him singing. 

“what song is that?” you asked him casually, but then heard a bottle of something fall with a loud crash.

“oh my god y/n you scared me!! you move like a ghost, i didn’t even hear you come in!”

“oh my bad!” you said between laughs, you almost felt bad but it was also a little funny.

“it’s our new song though. don’t tell anyone.” he said as he turned the water off

before he got out, you softly told him “of course i won’t, but here, i brought you a towel and some clothes.” you handed him the towel while he was still in the shower and heard him give a small chuckle.

“babe, you’ve seen everything already, don’t act shy now.”

scoffing, you replied, “i was just trying to give you some privacy, sue me!”

he came out with the towel wrapped around his waist and gave you that smile you loved so much, the one that made you feel like your veins were disintegrating. he must’ve noticed your wide eyes that were trying to avoid the extensive amount of his bare skin showing because he laughed again and pulled you in for a kiss. you made a small noise of protest .

“wonbin! you’re all wet!” 

“oh, i didn’t notice” 

“move, we need to brush our teeth.” you said, still avoiding his half naked self.

you both moved to get your toothbrushes, but he took this opportunity of your proximity to slide a hand around your waist and kiss your temple. while you wanted to melt away , you pretended to be annoyed still, not saying anything. he kept a knowing smile on his lips the whole duration of your teeth brushing date in which he also linked your arms causing a very clunky experience, but you let it slide because you really were so weak for him. 

once you finished, you escaped his hold and walked to your bedroom so he could get dressed (he suggested you stay for that too, to which you declined with burning cheeks)

you only had to scroll laying on your bed for about two minutes before wonbin walked through the doorway, still with that grin on his face.

“what is so funny mister?” you asked with tight lips.

he came over to your side of the bed and sat down, carefully avoiding your feet but rested his hand on your calf, lightly squeezing the skin there. “oh nothing. you’re just really cute when you’re flustered. i like being the only one to make you blush. also, since i’m dry now, can i get some love?” he looked like a kicked puppy to where all your fake annoyance dissolved and you sat up to kiss his cheek. he turned his face to yours and whispered “you know that’s not enough.” 

pushing you down he caged you in between his arms, laying the rest of his body weight on you as he lightly rubbed his nose against yours before pressing his lips to you. 

he kissed you until you were breathless, your lips wet and puffy from where he had bitten them. as he leaned in again you put a hand on his chest. 

“wonbin…” you warned.

“don’t worry i’m not trying anything, i’ve just wanted to kiss you all day.”

“wow, this must be your dream come true then.” “this might be the best day of my life. maybe second to when you said you’d be my girlfriend.” he said with another kiss. 

“i would tease you if i wasn’t so in love with you” you retort as he pulls away, now leaving you wanting more. he noticed your pout and smirked “i’m just moving to where i’m not suffocating you.”

“i liked it though?” you admitted. 

“oh?” he replied as he crawled over you to his side, laying close to you with his head propped on one hand. He stroked your cheek with the other hand, brushing your hair away from your face. 

you were caught in the way he looked at you, always with so much adoration. it was obvious to anyone that saw you together (which they often told you) how intense your love seemed just in the way you looked at each other. holding his hand to your cheek he took it as his cue to lean down once more to your face. kissing your lips, your cheek, your forehead, anywhere he could reach. you wrapped your arms around his neck as he pressed his lips to your throat before going back to your lips and finally pulling away with a kiss to your cheek. rolling  just a bit over to where he was almost entirely on top of you, he mumbled into your chest “did i mention i missed you?”

heart swelling you replied, “you may have. are you so tired my baby?” he can only nod and deeply sigh. you almost coo at this and brought your hand to his hair, running the strands through your fingers and lightly massaging his scalp.

“don’t do that.” he grumbles, shocking you.

 “why not ??”

“because i will fall asleep and i want to stay awake and talk to you.”

“oh, well it's late bin, we should sleep anyway hm?”

“don’t wanna”

you resumed playing with his hair anyway and humming a ballad.

“you’re so mean…” he said sleepily, you could hear the tiredness taking over.

“i want to talk to you too but you need your rest. you had a busy day and we have tomorrow morning to be together.”

you only got a whine in response while he tucked his hand under your waist and tangled his legs with yours. 

“love you.” he managed to mutter.

you stretched to turn off the bedside lamp.

“love you more” you reply, hands slowing down in his hair as sleep took you over as well just as you heard him whisper something else.

“impossible.”

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias - Friends With Benefits Part 1/6

Reposting this cuz it seems to have disappeared from my page

Summary - Reader and Ruben have been in a friends with benefits situation for over three years now, with Reader eventually looking for something more serious. But what does Ruben want?

Enjoy!

The bar was full with people tonight, one of those after work specials, you thought. It was one of those places with that American Psycho feel, where people drank wine and whisky rather than Redbull-vodka and cheap pints of Guinness. And the interior design of the place resembled more of a fancy art gallery than a place to get drunk.

"From the gentlemen " Said a waitress, dressed in forbidden red, handing you a glass of dark liquor, gesturing over to the gentlemen sitting across from you, who's gaze watched you attentively. "He says once you've finished, come over."

By the looks of it he must have been flirting with the poor girl prior to her delivering your drink. Her hands were seen clenching the tray, knuckles white. Perhaps she was feeling guilty to be setting you up with a man she'd suspect to be unfaitful to you if you ever gave in.

You put a hand on your thigh, rubbing your exposed skin. Your other hand held your phone, typing a cryptic message to the unknown number that had previously sent you a message, telling you to chug the drink being delivered to you by the young waitress dressed in red.

"Thank you." You smiled, accepting your drink. You raised your glass, giving the gentlemen across from you a slight nod. The young waitress bowed her head, leaving you to it. Little did she know that two could play the game of seduction.

You took a swing of your drink, almost emptying all it's content in one go. The glass was left half empty now, leaving you with a burning sensation in your throat. The gentlemen across from you held his glass to his mouth, hiding his obvious grin.

The game was on.

You: What now?

Him: Take off your panties, tell me what they smell like?

You smiled at your screen. It was the seductive hand on your thigh, he had noticed, falling right into your trap.

You: As you wish.

You began moving your hand upwards your thigh, slow enough to tease him, but fast enough for anybody else not to take notice.

You kept your eyes on him, watching them widened with interest as your hand slipped under, tugging at the damped fabric that kept your throbbing pussy in check. You wiggled in your chair for the panties to detach from your ass, eventually sliding down the curve of your thighs and to your ankles, where you let them trap your high heels together in a tempting knot.

You smiled, watching him empty his glass, pouring the dark liquor down his throat. He was on his feet now, making his way over to you, faster than you could've imagined. That had been the deal though, whoever finished their drink first had to be the first one to approach. A silent game of cat and mouse, as the two of you had tried to get the other to finish their drink first, practically the entire night. Turns out a man weakness is and always will be a wet pussy.

You: A little help?

"Good evening." He said, taking the chair next to you, scooting it an extra inch closer.

"Evening." You said, cocking your head.

"A lady in distress I see."

You chuckled, but allowed the tip of your heel to put pressure against his outlined calf.

"Care to help?"

He leaned forward, his large frame covering the sight of you, preventing other people at the bar to see the tugging of hands.

"Carful now." You hissed. As his hand which now rested on your thigh, traveled upwards rather downwards towards your fallen panties.

He chuckled, flashing his white teeth. "Your cunt is mine, didn't you know that?"

You jumped, feeling him enter you, his warm hand beneath your dress, a slight panic because of your lack of movement caused by your trapped ankles.

"Carful now." He teased.

The feel of his thumb stroking your bead made you clenched around nothing.

"Ruben, not here." You gasped.

"Then where?" He grinned

You left the bar with a draft between your legs, your apartment only being a ten minute walk away.

You fumbled with the keys to the door as Ruben's groping hands and latching mouth made it difficult for you to concentrate.

As soon as you stumbled over the threshold clothes were coming off. You barley made it to the bedroom before his shaft was locked up inside of you, with you climbing on his cock, clinging on to his neck.

You woke up the next morning with a scolding headache and a naked man sleeping beside you to mend the pain.

Ruben had an alarm of his own. It went off the same time it had always done for these past three years.

"What are we?" You asked, as Ruben pressed your body against his, planting soft kisses down your shoulder.

"What do you mean?" He groaned, clearly distracted by more important things.

"What are we in terms of a relationship."

He paused the motion of rubbing your back, lifting his head to look at you. "We're friends, no?"

"The best of friends." He grinned, resuming the serenading of kisses, this time traveling down the slope of your neck and onto the trace of your collarbone.

Your eyebrows furrowed. "Don't you mean friends who fuck on a daily bases?"

"Ruben, I'm serious."

"I'm serious too." He said, a slight irritation in his voice as you forced all motion of kissing to stop once more.

"Okay, if we're the best of friends, how come every time you're in town you somehow always wake up in my bed?"

"Because your bed is the best." He pressed a swift kiss to your lips, sitting up in bed.

You rolled your eyes and fell back against the your pillow.

"Look, Y/N, I thought we went over this? I'm not looking for anything serious right now, neither are you, or at least that's what you told me."

"Friends?" He said in that trustful way he always did.

"Yeah, three years ago." You muttered.

Since then you and Ruben had shared numerous of moments like the one in the bar last night. Moments that would make any sane person qualify you two as more than just friends.

"With benefits." You agreed, grabbing a hold of the hand he offered to you, letting him pull you out of bed.

Maybe you should let things be with Ruben. He was a simple guy with simple needs and you knew exactly where you had him in terms of a relationship. It was just not happening. So what if you kept him around for a bit longer? From now on you would see him as a dick on the side whilst you finally put yourself out there in search for a real man.

[eatmangoesnekkid]

Like Suki beautifully and confidently said in one of her ratchet interviews “I come from a long line of whores.” I grew up in a family system where most of the women were incredibly sassy and sexual. Later in life I found out that at least 2 were even a bit whorish—which would have been fine if they weren’t so riddled in shame and guilt about their secret lives. The inheritance of sass and a high sexual nature were the reasons my mum fell pregnant with me as a middle-aged woman. It was odd (and still is) for a woman to give birth to a child when she was (is) in her mid-40s. For the first few weeks after her period stopped, she thought that she was going into menopause, Finally. Little did she know that it was just her plump root and sacral energies activated. And now she was pregnant with me. It took me years for me to learn to move this energy throughout my body so that I could stop attracting lovers who just wanted to fuck, but didn't want to adore and love me. Venusian woman, learning to convert your abundance of sacral energy up into your heart, throat, and 3rd eye will probably be your biggest work in this lifetime. I utilized deep diaphragmic breathing. Connection to nature. Lots of forgiveness work —forgiveness makes your heart softer and belly more relaxed and even smaller because toxins are released and your energy starts to flow freely again. You are not holding onto anything or needing anything from anyone. The key with forgiveness is that you must eventually elevate into a spaciousness where there is really nothing to forgive. You have no desire or need to hold grievances or blame or shame yourself or another human soul. When you need nothing, energy blocks dissolve. The debt clears and resistance and tension are lifted. Your heart frees and new narratives sow. Forgiveness that eventually evolves into the spaciousness where there is nothing to forgive sets your body, energy, and memories free. Back in the day when my lover was male, I would suck his dick often by candlelight or in the bright natural light with my heart full of joy and an ocean of tears in my eyes. Time ceased to exist and I would be sucking him like a God with an abundance of water streaming down my legs and face. Open-hearted lingam worship is primally nourishing, expansive, relaxing, and energizing to the female body. Any kind of heartfelt, vulnerable oral sex is an act love and worship—divine energy, especially when you consciously draw the slippery honey and heat sensations up from your sacral into your spine, heart, throat, and 3rd eye/forehead area. I unconsciously started threading my dances with some neck, shoulder, and throat playfulness, similar to the Ethiopian dance "Eskriska" to loosen the tension around shoulders and heart so that energy could flow into my 3rd eye without being blocked. Tight or painful shoulders express for a variety of reasons: pushing yourself too hard, poor posture, experiencing anxiety,worry or fear of heartache therefore you walk around bracing yourself for a blow or impact, or attempting to control life. Learning to give relief to your shoulder relaxes your body and quiet worries and concerns and permits higher consciousness to circulate. Lots of belly work--everything from belly massages to speaking life into my belly, giving it commands and decrees, playing jazz songs to my belly to stimulate the energy to flow upwards towards my heart. Lots of spinal flexion like the “cat cow." Professional pelvic care for 6 months. Too much concentrated sexual energy will always express in shadowy ways. It also makes you too watery and overly-empathic, easily taken advantage of, resulting in tremendous heartaches and heartbreaks. I ascended from a long line of strong medicine people: healers, herbalists, dancers, mystics, housekeepers, educators, lovers, and warriors. One day Aunt Verna had a little bit too much to drink and blurted out in the kitchen that 2 women in the family line were also whores. I pretended not to hear. --India Ame'ye, Author, Venus Energy and Its Management

[alessiathepirate]

Far Cry 6

EL CAZADOR Y LA PRESA: Vaas Montenegro x fem!reader

Summary: La Raja Bar - the place where two old acquaintances finally meet again...

Notes: English isn't my first language. I apologize for any mistake I may have made while I wrote this short story.

My Spanish isn't the best so if you find a word / phrase used in the wrong context or anything please let me know so I can improve :)

I can't believe I finally finished this piece, I've been working on it for such a long time. I think the Michael Mando brainrot helped a lot.

I hope you'll enjoy this <3

Warnings: swearing, my Spanish, referenced and mentioned violence, heavily suggestive themes, also mentioned and referenced plot of Far Cry 3 and 5

•••

Juan knew many people and he for sure knew his way around them.

He knew when and how to strike a great business deal, and how to get out on top with more intel and money than the other had initially offered.

But more often than not, when he got tired in the workshop, he just went out to have a drink or two - or more, it was almost always more - with an old friend. And he had many old friends. Some even more dangerous than the potentional business partners; many were ex-guerrillas, ex-CIA, ex-KGB, ex-terrorists... The list was endless.

She liked to join him sometimes; sitting down to try and make the stupid businessman talk or sitting down with a beer to listen to Juan and his old pal fool around.

That's what she planned on doing once again, after finishing a run for the man to steal some uranium from the last few remaining anti-aircraft sites. After taking the iron chest back to Zamok Archipiélago, she went straight up north, to La Raja Bar - where she knew she'll find the one and only Juan Cortez.

Arriving there though... a surprise was waiting for her there. A big fucking surprise. Juan wasn't the one sitting at the bar, waiting for her, already drunk. In fact, Juan wasn't anywhere in sight. Instead, she found an old friend there, hunched over with his elbows on the table.

She could still recognize him even after all those fucking years, even if the time had taken its toll on both of them.

And just by knowing who he was, she was sure he was the one Juan had met up with before leaving without telling her not to come.

And thank God he didn't tell her that.

"Holy shit!" she cursed as her lips turned upwards into a smile. "What's the fucking chance?"

The man turned around slowly - much slower than he did in the past -, but the very dangerous kind of calmness was still seen in the way his muscles moved. The look on his face upon realizing who was speaking to him, wasn't really surprised - she had never seen him being surprised at anything -, although it was close to it. She was pretty sure he had been going on with life like she had done, thinking they'd never see each other again. To be completely honest, for a time she believed he died - until she realized nothing could kill him, only himself.

"Long time no see, Jefe."

Vaas grinned and she took a seat right next to him, asking the bartender for two more beers. The old lady just cursed under her breath, but in the end, gave her what she asked for.

She gave one beer to Vaas and then took a sip from the other one.

"Fucking Hell, chica!" he took the bottle from her and gave her one of his signature little chuckles. "I thought the jungle ate you up alive."

"The jungle?" she questioned. "Like it had a fucking chance."

"It had one in the beginning."

They smiled at the other in a very twisted and scary way. The bartender chose to stay far away from them, and decided to mess with the old radio in the corner.

She liked knowing that nothing changed.

It all felt the same; the drinking, the talking, even the fucking looks... Although they had more scars - more than the ones they had given each other back then -, more grey hairs and a more serious drinking problem, it was as if they were back in some part of the Rook Islands, in a shitty bar.

She leand in more, her lips turning into an even wider smile, until it was a grin, and said: "It doesn't have one anymore, Jefe."

She carefully watched as his expression went through different phases. She could see the almost-smile as his lips twitched when she said that last word.

Jefe.

It was easy for her to tame him just by saying that. For some reason he liked to hear that word from her. Only her. She remembered all the times she had been tackled to the ground, rough fingers digging into her skin. It has always been easy to get what she wanted.

"I can fucking see that, chica."

His gaze was upon her knuckles, which were bruised. Small cuts littered her hands.

"Good for you." she said as she took another sip. "Nowadays not many people get to keep their eyes to look at me with."

Vaas chuckled.

"You still got your claws, tigre." his smile turned into a smirk. "No one broke them before, huh?"

"No one other than you." she teased. "Believe me, no one could do it better than you."

"Careful now, chica." his voice was just like hers, it had something to it - some teasing and some danger, just the things she liked. "You still think you can just run that mouth of yours without any consequences, ey?"

"I know I can't." her tone became low. "That's why it's fun."

Silence followed. The unsettling kind.

And then after a smirk, Vaas laughed.

And she felt as if she was on the Rook Islands again, being intentionally teased and angered, Vaas just chuckling at her reactions. But he had loved it more when she escaped. He loved her fight, he loved her nails more - enjoying when they broke his skin, leaving red lines behind. And in return, she got some thin cuts as well, mostly around her collarbone, making it impossible to hide them.

As they sat there, drinking and laughing, she wanted nothing more than to jump on him and leave marks behind again. And she was sure he wanted to do the same.

"So, what are you up to in Yara, chica?" he asked, his voice turning serious as much as it could. "Causing trouble again?"

"Sí, Jefe. Juan seemed to enjoy it so I decided to join in on the fun. Besides," she pulled down the neckline of her shirt so he could see the scar on her chest. "I got tired of Montana pretty quickly."

"Nice tattoo. You got more?"

"Only this one." she let go of her shirt. "You gave me better ones anyway."

"That I did chica."

She felt a chill run through her as he looked at her.

The want, or rather need was undeniable. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. He needed her as much as she needed him.

They've been far away from sanity for a long time, and their shared insanity met them each and every time they chased the other again and again and again... She was never really sane, especially with Vaas around. He made her the person she has become. He made her want him more than she wanted anyone else.

She still remembered the time Vaas gave her the tattoo she knew he was referring too. They went out to hunt - in reality he just wanted to see her face when she hit a living, moving animal; he wanted her to know she was the one who killed it. And she shot - perfectly. She only had to give the doe one more bullet to put it down and as soon as the animal was dead, her chest started to raise and fall quickly. Yet she didn't have time to think, because one of his arms was around her waist, pulling her close. His face was burried in the crook of her neck as he laughed.

"Ahora ya no eres presa, chica." he had said. "Eres la cazadora." and his teeth broke the skin on her neck.

She had asked what it meant, not quite understanding Spanish back then.

Vaas chuckled, but translated it.

"You just became the hunter, chica. You are not prey anymore." his nose touched her ear and her breathing hitched. "Mi pequeña cazadora."

Mi. She knew that meant 'my'. And from the way he acted she knew he liked that idea. He liked it a lot.

And then his fingers grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulled it up and his knife cut into her skin. Droplets of blood ran down her hip, making her jeans red. She whimpered and grabbed onto his arm, trying to get it away, but he wouldn't move.

The letter V he had carved into her that day could still be seen just above her hip. She thought about touching it - like she always did when she was thinking about him -, but held herself back.

He didn't need to know how much she enjoyed the thought of that scar.

She finished her beer. He did too. She thought about asking for another, but since the bartender wasn't anywhere in sight, she decided against it.

She didn't know what to say.

She wanted him and she was sure he felt the same, but after all those years they both became tame. It was actually surprising to not hear him shout orders.

In the end she reached into her pocket to pay for the drinks, but just as she was about to throw the money on the counter, Vaas grabbed her wrist. Out of reflex her other hand was immediatelly on the knife which was attached to the back of her belt. Vaas just grinned.

'Good reflexes, chica.' she could hear his voice in her head.

She raised one of her eyebrows.

"No need for that, cazadora." uncomfortable tingles ran through her at the nickname and at the touch. "The puta won't ask for money. I made sure of that."

She looked at him with excitement.

Her hand let go of her knife and she concentrated on the feeling of him holding onto her wrist, almost crushing the bones.

Cazadora. He remembered, didn't he? Of course he did. He remembers fucking everything. Especially the things he had done in the past.

She knew he made her. In the jungle, in the heat. Every single time she fought him and he cut her, he made sure she'll become something else. Something... loco.

And every time she let him tackle her, cut her, kiss her and bite her, she let him form her into the insane bitch she has become.

Mi pequeña cazadora. She remembered that day in the jungle when they were hunting the doe. She remembered the dull pain when he drew the V into her skin. She remembered his breath on her skin and his grin when she leaned into him, accepting her own insanity next to his.

She felt the need grow in the pit of her stomach as Vaas held onto her.

Perhaps they weren't too old to hunt again.

"You make me fucking crazy Jefe." she said as she dropped the money, letting it fall, the coins rolling far away.

And soon they were on each other. Hands roaming free, teeth biting lips. His thumb found the letter V above her hip and she whined.

She let herself be tackled, she let him break the skin with his teeth.

No matter how different she has become, next to Vaas she didn't want to be a hunter.

Not when it was too enjoyable to be the prey.

[orangedodge]

To date, I've been trying to stay away from being overly negative about the From the Ashes imprint. There's already enough of that, and a lot of the commentary strikes me as unnecessarily histrionic. But we've now reached a point in the publication of this run where I think it's fair to say that several elements of our first crossover, between X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, were poorly conceived. Or possibly all of them.

1) The least significant issue, though the most grating, to me, personally is Rogue's outrage at Magneto's presence on Scott's team. It has been more than 20 years--going back to the publication of Claremont's Excalibur--since Erik was depicted as anything but an ally. We are furthermore less than a year removed from his triumphant return from death at the finale of the Krakoan Age, wherein he was consistently portrayed as both the lone incorruptible paragon of his nation's founders, and as the greatest hero of his people in a world that fears and persecutes them. Oh, and also Rogue just incidently happened to be in love with him for most of her publication history, and has been on a team with him three times that I can immediately recall. Why would she be upset that he's working with Scott? Especially when the Juggernaut is standing right there. Or even Kanon, since as far as Rogue knows she's just a random Hand ninja.

2) I can accept that Scurvy was an unexpected, hidden, threat who entered the fray with such profound subtlety that even the most experienced members of the team at resisting psychic attack were unable to engage a defense. What cannot be overlooked, on the other hand, is the frankly incoherent suggestion that Scurvy is the first equal Charles has ever known. What about Emma, who was created just for that purpose? What about his dark mirrors, Cassandra Nova and Amahl Farouk? What about fellow Quiet Councilors, Bennet du Paris and Nathaniel Essex, or his Omega powered children, Kevin and David? What about JEAN, who is currently off being God in her own solo title, that shares editors with this one?

3) The implication that Charles' powers have caused a tumor to grow on his brain stem... makes no real degree of sense? His current body was created by the Five, and modified by Sinister after the fact. Wouldn't they have just gotten rid of that? Also, he's been the galaxy's most notable telepath for upwards of four decades. Wouldn't the Shi'ar doctors have noticed? Wouldn't Moira?

4) Okay. So Scott is outright done with Charles, and thinks he should toil in isolation to atone for his crimes. Okay. But why does it have to be in that one specific prison? At the mercy of a genocidal torturer, who has already successfully brainwashed multiple X-Men into serving as her hounds? Why not take Charles back to Alaska instead, and hold him there? It's not like Scott has ever shown a moral objection to imprisoning undesirables in his basement.

5) Speaking of our villain, previous issues of Uncanny have taken pains to show that while Warden Ellis is an authoritarian bigot, she is not unwilling to cut deals with her enemies to preserve life, even those of individuals that she hates, such as when she intervened to save the X-Men from Gaunt. I don't know if that's an interesting angle in the long term, but it was the one and only point that distinguished her from Orchis goons. We've now abandoned that thread, and flattened her out to a genocidal torturer for the sake of consistency with Adjectiveless.

6) Scott withdrawing because the villain has taken thousands of hostages is the exact scenario where he would usually double down and assess that the storyline antagonist must be dealt with urgently. And orbital weapons platforms are the kind of thing he would absolutely know about and have a plan for in advance. Especially after having just fought off Orchis, a space based adversary. Couldn't he just have Magik deal with it? Or his rocket plane? Isn't that why he has it? The cartoon absolutely would have followed up on Ellis' threat by star sweeping to footage of the Blackbird shooting missiles at a satellite, techno music going crazy in the background. It's just what you expect of the X-Men and their space plane. But instead, they just quietly walk away? What.

7) The threat is manifestly stupid regardless. "Let me keep my concentration camp, or I'll blow up Louisianna" is not credible. Suppose they call her bluff, and she blows up Louisianna. Wouldn't... the Avengers... or SHIELD... or the police show up five minutes later?

[dr3mvaalmar]

Showers of Sentiments | Kinktober Day 6

Pairing: Asra x Gn! Reader

Prompt: First Kiss (sfw)

Summary: Asra and the reader spend the day inside the shop on a rainy day.

Warnings/Tags: none that I know of

Author's Note: I didn't have time to edit and go through this thoroughly because of work and lack of sleep. It might sound a bit robotic. Thank you for your patience.

My eyes peered to the skies, a veil of pregnant clouds overcast above. Peering back down towards Asra, he seemed none the wiser to the looming storm. We were walking in the market after a midday excursion. Our feet hit the cobblestones as we strolled to various stalls and attractions. Today was the weekly bazaar, where new tents and goodies were spread across in succession—the colorful array of fabrics billowed in the growing wind. The shouting of merchants and customers resonated across the entire street, a cacophony of voices melding into one. Various stalls had everything from fruit and vegetables to crafts and necessities. It was hectic in the market. The lively crowd was so dense I could hardly see in front of me.

Asra turned towards me, a fleeting glance to ensure I was steadily behind him. He didn’t dare leave me behind, but it was certainly hard to keep up. He weaved through the crowd with graceful agility I couldn’t compare with. Seeing my newfound struggle as people entrapped me between them, Asra took my hand in his. It was gentle, yet I trusted him not to let go.

“It’s about to rain,” I shouted towards Asra. He didn’t seem to notice the first time, so I repeated it. He gazed upwards. The clouds were now upon us. Asra’s nose scrunched up as a droplet plummeted onto his face. “We should go back to the shop.”

“I was hoping we could pick up some mandrake root before we go,” Asra said, his lips puckering in disappointment. I squeezed his hand tighter just as the rain started to pour on the two of us. “Well, it can wait for another day. How about we have a little fun, (Y/n)? It’s not often there’s rain this time of year.”

My lips curled upward, which only encouraged him further. He took my hand, guiding me through the crowd. By now, everyone was getting soaked as the rain increased in vigor. It was much easier to maneuver by now.

Asra took me to an alley nearby before undoing the straps of his shoes. I could only watch miraculously as he set the shoes aside. Asra looked up from his crouched position, beckoning me to do the same. Reluctantly, I followed suit.

“Isn’t this exciting? I can’t remember the last time I felt rain like this,” Asra said, his arms spreading out from beside him. He twisted and hopped in the puddles, never minding the mud he was stepping on. Asra took me along as we reveled in the coolness of the downpour. I paused to close my eyes, enjoying the trickling of water and the giggles of Asra before me. The smell of petrichor was heavy in the air. Even though the rain was cold this time of year, it felt like a blanket across me. Water cascaded across my exposed flesh, dripping onto the ground below.

Asra’s shoulder brushed against mine as he returned to my side. His eyes were filled with wonder as we enjoyed the scene before us. Houses were dripping with water, the pitter-patter making music along the cobblestone. The sky was dark, and the sun was long obscured. 

At that moment, I couldn’t help but admire Asra. The way the rain soaked into his white curls, dripping onto his long lashes. His face was slick and glimmered in the dimness of the storm. His clothes clung to his form, leaving little to the imagination. The way he stomped around like a child was so endearing. When Asra drew near again, I leaned into his touch, savoring the warmth against my cold skin. Yet, I felt a hole in my heart. Something was missing.

I grabbed both of his hands, bringing them up to my face. I didn’t heed his flustered expression as I laid his fingers across my skin. They were wet but comforting. I nudged into them, inciting a delicate sound to escape from Asra’s throat. I giggled.

“Maybe we should go to the shop,” Asra said, turning away. “You’ll catch a cold if we stay out here too long.”

“What about the fun?” I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. His golden skin was gorgeous under the reflection of the rain.

“It wouldn’t be any fun if you got sick, now would it?”

We both returned to the shop, soaking wet from the torrent of rain. The sky was getting darker by the moment. Lightning would pierce the clouds, and a bang of thunder would resume. It was getting more unruly by the moment, but Asra was able to shield us with a magic barrier above us.

When we opened the doors, the shop seemed so inviting. The aroma of the potion ingredients brewing in the kitchen hit my senses. It was intense, almost overpowering. Asra used a spell to disperse the heat throughout the house, warding off the chill of the raging storm outside. Thunder shook the house with every strike of lightning. As Asra prepared, I went to our shared bedroom, stripping my wet clothes.

“(Y/n), what kind of bakhoor do want?” Asra said, calling my attention. I turned towards the closed door, sensing his presence on the other side. “I’m also preparing tea in the other room.”

I told him my preference before he scurried off. We collected some perfumed wood chips from a traveling merchant. It complimented the house and our clothes with a flourish of enticing fragrances. I chuckled to myself before putting on some warm night clothes. I hung my old garments to dry before I would clean them tomorrow.

I entered the room to find Asra curled on the floor in a pile of blankets and pillows. He must’ve changed already, as his attire was dry and very gaudy compared to his usual garments. The bakhoor smoke wafted around him, inviting coziness and leisure. Beside him was a pot of boiling water, sustained purely on a small brazier. He invited me in with a smile.

I walked towards the window, peering through the curtains to see rain spilling down the side of the shop. It didn’t look like it'd die down anytime soon. The droplets seemed to dance wickedly across the windowpane. I walked back to Asra as he patted the spot next to him. 

“What tea did you make for us?” I asked as Asra started pouring the cup. He waved his hand, clearing the steam away from my face. I eagerly peered into the amber liquid as it gyrated with each subtle movement.

“Today it’s elderflower and echinacea,” Asra affirmed. I leaned over to savor the smell. It was very floral and soft with slightly fruity notes. I took the cup in my hand, the heat radiating into my fingers. Tentatively, I took a sip. 

“It’s hot, but I—” I said before scrunching my nose. In one fluid motion, I sneezed, tossing the liquid in my hand. Asra had strong reflexes to stabilize the cup, but it wasn't near enough to protect me. The hot liquid tipped over the edge, spilling onto my lap. I jerked but tried to stay calm in front of him. Asra looked pitifully at me as he set my drink aside.

“Ah, (Y/n)!” Asra said, frantically finding a rag to soak up the tea. “I knew you would get sick. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have taken you out in the rain.”

I only giggled, the initial heat subsiding. I dabbed at my clothes, paying no mind after a moment. I laid a hand on Asra’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t apologize,” I assured, his eyes dull and half-blinking. “I enjoyed our time together.

Asra seemed aloof, refusing to look me in the eyes. However, I knew no matter how much I reassured him, he would still feel guilty. It wasn’t even his fault. I wouldn’t even get sick this quickly.

“Can I make it up to you?” Asra asked, hands folded together. “I have a remedy that may help.”

I nodded enthusiastically. Anything to make him feel better. He got up from his criss-crossed position. He disappeared briefly before reappearing with a bottle of viscous liquid and some wool socks. I arched a brow.

“Lie down, (Y/n),” Asra instructed with a tender smile. I did as I was told, lying on the nest of fabrics below. Asra seemed determined as he grasped my right leg. 

“What are you doing?” I asked as he poured oil over his hand. He looked up from his task.

“There’s a tradition,” Asra began, “that taking care of someone’s feet is seen as a deep act of respect and care. The feet, after all, carry all of our burdens. They are deeply connected to the body.”

Asra rubbed my feet with gentle pressure. His hands glided gracefully along the skin from my ankles to my heels, to the pads of my feet, all the way to my toes. I giggled, his touch tickling with every movement. The sensation of the oil on my skin was slightly uncomfortable, but his love and devotion put me at ease. I felt a pressure lift from my shoulders as he finished his massage. He glanced at me curiously as he put on the socks for me.

“Thank you, master,” I said, descending into the blankets. “Why don’t you join me?”

Asra didn’t need to say anything as he enveloped himself in the blankets. His body was so close that I could see every detail. Everything about him brought peace to my mind. Yet, I felt a slight longing for more…

We both lay on our sides, face to face. It was awkward for a moment. Asra’s breathing was faint, and he closed his eyes as if about to fall asleep. I lifted my hand, letting it brush the hair from his face.

Asra seemed so serene. So calm. His gentle breathing was enough to tempt me to sleep. However, not just yet.

“Master,” I called as he let out a disgruntled moan. I gently ran my finger along his skin, causing his eyes to flutter open slowly. “Do you mind coming closer? I’m cold.”

Asra mumbled out a sleepy response that I didn’t quite hear. His arms caressed my side before tugging me into an embrace. His cheek rests delicately against mine. I felt every vibration from his voice as he said, “Is this okay?”

I hummed in agreement, my body sinking into my surroundings. It felt like I could stay here for eternity, forever bound by the comfort of Asra’s body. His touch was softer than anything I could ever experience. I spent a few moments in bliss.

“Master, are you awake?” I asked, feeling shame in waking him again. However, each time, he was patient with me. Asra never raised his voice or caused a commotion. He was always attentive to my wants and needs. “Can I kiss you?”

Asra chuckled, dropping a limp arm around my waist, “Don’t be silly.”

Putting on a brave front, I took his head into my hands. Asra’s eyes immediately darted open, disbelief ridden all across his face. I leaned forward, letting my lips graze his forehead. One gentle peck of a brief kiss, and I was satisfied. The sinking pit in my chest drifted away.

“You really make it hard to sleep when you do that,” Asra whispered bashfully. “Kiss me more, but do it right.”

I giggled as Asra beckoned me with his violet eyes. My lips opened slightly, but I hesitated, his sweet face disintegrating every ounce of confidence I had left. He looked very pleased with himself every second that passed by. Asra inched closer as if coiling for a strike. As his lips paused before me, I breathed in his scent, letting it consume me entirely. I closed my eyes, letting his lips clash with mine. It felt soft and tender, beyond anything I could’ve imagined. As Asra pushed against me, I felt the ties of our bond tighten. 

Asra peeled away, but his entire body seemed to motion for more. As we comprehended what just happened, time seemed to still until it was just the two of us. Nothing else mattered but us.

“Not bad for a first,” Asra chuckled, focusing solely on my lips. “How about we try this again?”

Our lips entwined as one, moving in waves of passion and zest. Asra’s motions became bolder and hungrier, the sounds of our kisses reverberating off the walls. 

“More,” Asra would say. “More.”

We spent the time entangled in the midst of endearment, kissing until the taste of Asra was fixed on my lips. My mouth tingled, urging me for more. Yet, I knew time was dwindling, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep with Asra with the muffled song of the rain.

Asra wrapped the blanket around us. His warmth cradled me and soothed every inkling of sickness that I could’ve possibly had. His presence was my panacea. 

“Good night, my soul’s delight,” Asra whispered, planting a final kiss on my lips. I melted into him, allowing my eyes to become heavier. As my mind flittered into sleep, I heard him utter one final phrase…

“I love you.”

[sidewalkscienceguy]

Today was my last formal day of teaching. I resigned back in March, before spring break. I don't post much on my personal account, so unless you follow Sidewalk Science Center, you don't hear too much from me.

SSC is on a steep climb, projected to more than double our 2023 revenue, with 155% more anticipated events in 2024 compared to 2023 (225 vs 145). We now have 14 employees: 12 educators and 2 Event Coordinators, covering events that span 110 miles of Florida's coast.

Put simply, it's a lot, and teaching has been interfering with my ability to properly perform administrative work and event coordination for SSC, where I've been falling behind emails and calls. It's certainly a full-time job, anywhere from 40-60 hours per week, seeing upwards of 3,000-5,000 people per month across 20 events each month.

Teaching was never the goal, just a walking stick to get up the mountain of starting a business - and a nonprofit, at that. I've been running SSC for nearly 6 years, and while we've still got kinks and shortcomings and things to iron out, we've also integrated ourselves into local communities, meeting kids and families outside the classroom, outside the museum, outside the work hours.

Around here, SSC has sort of stopped being strange to people. Many know to expect us. Many tell us that they look for us at the park. Some have traveled from other states and added us to their itinerary. We're just a table, a team, and a commitment to providing access to resources they likely don't have at home, at a place and time when it may otherwise be difficult to take your kids and families to educational institutions.

I've been building a dream. I'm a writer at heart, and an educator in mind. Creating these experiences not only for people at the park, but for our employees, too, who now have avenues to teach and reach a whole new audience. Traveling and experiencing things we otherwise never would? That's all part of it.

I'll still substitute teach to supplement necessary income, but without formal teaching in the picture, I can dedicate a vast amount of time I've never had for Sidewalk Science Center before, all while knowing it's to a point where this is a viable route to follow. I'm nervous, of course. I'm quitting a guaranteed financial safeguard. But trusting that I can now utilize 8 extra hours every day, rather than squeezing it into 2 or 3? I really feel like this is the best choice.

Really, the SSC team has made this life-change possible. SSC is a place where you can project your passion onto the world. You're not teaching, you're inspiring. When people have conversations with our educators where passion shines through above all else, you can feel the joy or learning flood through them. It's so important to find people who understand that this is not a job, it's a lifestyle, and we've only just started living it.

If you feel so inclined, you can leave a tax-deductible donation for us here (we are a 501c3 nonprofit corporation): www.donorbox.org/ssc-2024

To all our endeavors.

[kojirago]

18+ A new RP partner is approaching! 18+

Hey all, hey all! The name's Koji and BOY do I have an offer most couldn't refuse! I'm looking for any and everyone who is wanting to do a roleplay of really any sort! Albeit at the moment I do have a HEAVY bias towards **Hazbin Hotel** And **Helluva Boss**. So! If you have any fandoms you want to try out, or just a OC idea- Then let me know and I'm sure we can work something out! []---------------------------------------------------------------------------[]

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A little about me though: I am a 21M who has been roleplay concurrently for about 5-6 years now! I like to think I withing Advanced Literate - Novella range, but really it varies from roleplay-to-roleplay and from partner-to-partner! If I have enough to work with, I can write upwards of the Discord text limit (using it as a reference since that is where I am used to writing on). Speaking of Discord, that is what I primarily use for roleplay! I'm actually quite new to Tumblr, and heard that this was a good place to find people to roleplay with so I have high hopes! []---------------------------------------------------------------------------[]

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My requirements: Please be literate! I don't like to roleplay with anyone who puts very little effort- That's not to say I am expecting huge paragraphs! Just more than a few lines is all! I would also prefer if you are understanding that I have a life outside of roleplaying, so there will be times I get busy and don't respond- But I promise when I am locked in we could roleplay back and forth for hours! One other thing I should mention, I am looking for either SFW RP or NSFW RP! Just tell me when we get to talking! []---------------------------------------------------------------------------[]

[]---------------------------------------------------------------------------[] I think that's really it honestly! I'd like to thank you for reading this little post, and hope you consider trying me out as a partner! SO- If this DOES warrant any interest from anyone, don't be afraid to leave a note and I'll make sure to send a message your way; or if you want to go ahead and send me a DM then by all means I welcome it! See you all soon!

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[five-rivers]

You write at a very consistent pace/schedule, do you have any tips on how you do this ?

Before I start, I do want to say that what works for me might not work for everyone. My circumstances (financial, job, social, etc.) let me put aside a large amount of time for my hobbies. I'm not trying to discourage anyone, I just don't want to be that "how to have no debt: be born rich" thing.

1. Schedule yourself if you can. If you can't, take time where you find it. When I was starting to try and write regularly, I had a more rigid schedule than I do now (I even gave myself a timer), but usually I try to write for at least a couple hours between 8pm and midnight every day. For others, this might look like writing every other day or writing every weekend. But if you can’t do that, be aware of where you can take time. For example, I've also writen during my lunch break, on the bus, while walking, doing chores, etc.

2. Set attainable goals for yourself and meet them. If you consistently don't meet them, they aren't attainable, so adjust them as needed. For example, I can sometimes hit 4k words in one day, but doing that every day would destroy me. I typically use a daily word count goal, but a time goal (like writing a half hour every day) or a weekly or monthly goal might work better for some people. You can also adjust goals upward as you get better.

3. Write something every day. I've written at least 100 words every day since May 2018, no exceptions, but even a single sentence or paragraph every day adds up over time. Heck, to get a novel a year you only need around 150 words a day.

4. Challenge yourself, but don't make things hard for yourself. This is a hobby, not a job. Take breaks if you need them. Breaks don't need to mean no writing, either. When I need a break I drop my daily goal from 1k to 100 words for a while. That way, I still have writing as part of my routine.

5. Different writing projects behave differently. I typically find it a lot easier to write a 5k fanfic one-shot than 5k of an original novel. Just because it's harder doesn't mean you suddenly got worse at writing. Don't let this discourage you.

6. No, you won't "remember and write it down later." That's Satan talking. Write it down now.

[chromantlks]

Workin on art at 5:30am and watching Vendetta, so to procrastinate even longer, here is:

Resident Evil Vendetta: Why Leon and Rebecca’s Positions Should Have Been Swapped

• Rebecca is not a damsel in distress please stop doing this to RE women (female characters in general, hate to be that guy), let Rebecca be the prodigious badass tyrant slayer she has been since day fucking one

• Leon’s entire arc would be improved in the way Chris’ sort of was if he was kidnapped and had time to think about who he is and why he’s come as far as he has, as well as accepting that he can’t always be the dashing hero and that sometimes he needs help too

• We could FINALLY re-explore the dynamic between Chris and Rebecca!! Don’t get me wrong, I love the relationship between Chris and Leon I love the part where they said “it’s gay sex Thursday” and then started making out on the chopper, but cmon. These were the ORIGINAL guys, the goobers, the oomfies, they were partners then and they could have been again

• We might have had more of a chance to catch up with what Rebecca has been doing all this time, we haven’t seen her since 0, or the stage play if you’re insane like I am, and I feel like we deserved to see her in action. It’s totally in line with her character to take more of a backseat to the action, having more of an interest in the science and medical aspects, that’s all good, but she’s still trained in combat and marksmanship. Can you imagine a scene of Rebecca showing off her skills, especially to Leon? Dude that would rock so unbelievably hard cmon.

• Chris has this continued theme in his life of losing people close to him and it reflects in the way he treats his partners/teams. This is just a flaw with the movie in general (which I continue to enjoy despite its. Yknow. Everything~), but we never got to see much of that. Obviously that whole theme was generally resolved in 5 and then continued into 6, but I feel like whether it’s Leon or Rebecca, Chris should have been, like. Way more freaked about it? Staying professional and all, but Jesus Christ man, you’re gonna exchange one liners and cool gun slow-no scenes with MCR over here in the hallway while you have less than 20 minutes to both SAVE and CURE someone who has been by your side for upwards of 20 years whom you have befriended and relied on numerous times??? Whatever! Whatever!

• Arias should have had a MUCH higher interest in obtaining Leon if he wanted his revenge plan work out. He’s already a suuuuper iffy character, I too would be mad if the government dropped a bomb on my wedding and killed almost everyone I held dear, but also I didn’t do arms dealing and bioterrorism so. Maybe reflect on that man. But anyway, the A-Virus already has a lot in common with the Plaga. Arias ABSOLUTELY could improve this connection via a sample of Leon’s blood and an examination of whatever’s left in his nervous system; if done right, this could have handled the virus nearly unstoppable. But instead, he opted to, uh…steal a woman that looks like his wife? Yeah, her blood with the antibodies made the virus stronger, but he had NO IDEA OF THAT. He totally lucked out there. Now, information about the Plaga would be easily attainable for a man of Arias’ profession and status among the underworld of crime or whatever, all that shit, and Leon’s name would absolutely be among that information. It’s just so much more convenient? Makes so much more sense?? Literally aids his evil plan???

I’m sure there’s more reasons I’m forgetting because the amount of times I’ve ranted about this is ridiculous, but like. Cmon cmon cmon I beg

If someone makes art or like rewrites the story like this tag me in it I beg of you like idk if this will incite any inspiration this is just my special weird take on a my special weird movie

[bullshitcustomerssay]

The man who just walked in the door:

You work here? Good good. So I bought some shoes here and I need new laces. But I’ve checked three other stores and they all tell me you don’t sell those, so it’s ok if you don’t have them I just don’t know where else to get them I got these shoes probably 2 years no 3 years ago they’re kind of soft and like woven Cole Haans I think doesn’t matter if the laces are brown or black but I do want longer ones maybe 42 inches all I see is 36 inches which is too short I have wide feet these are the only lace up shoes I own you know and I got them with a suit and you know what? The dry cleaners lost the pants! It was a Ralph Lauren kinda grayish anyway I came in this was maybe a few months back to replace them and they told me there weren’t many but you know what? They were on clearance in a 38 which is my size and they are already hemmed so I called up your hub and they sent me the pants to the suit and they fit perfect I don’t see any of the people here who helped me with that but I guess if you don’t have the shoelaces maybe I’ll check Target or something

Me, behind the front desk at the register with a customer on hold, the little red light blinking like a bomb, and upwards of 6 full table setups to remerchandise:

I’m sorry, did you need my help with something else?

[eatmangoesnekkid]

In my hot yoga class, my teacher asked why each student (around 14 people or so) came to class today. We could only answer with one or two sentences. Of course one of my sentences was thick, long, over-run, and full-throttled. HA! After I spoke, some of the class sighed in a good way and 5-6 did a kind of slow clap afterwards. I was first to speak, and their gestures were like 'her answer is a hard pill to follow.' HA! Because I'm working on my projects, I am often somewhere inside the sensation of making love, so super- sensitive right now, in this period of my life, even more sensitive than usual so my answer was this (more or less): "I feel grateful to be here with you all today and how I get to practice loving on my body, as it is, as it is showing up in this moment, and discover ways I can use my breath to feel into my body and make love to it more deeply in a collaborative space with other people who also live in these world systems that constantly push us into cycles of self-hate, production, and consumerism. Instead, we are here." Here are my top 5 yoga tips: Yoga is a time to slow down and feel. Feeling is an important practice of being human because if we could all feel deeply, we would not be working so hard for other people's dreams. We would rest more. Make love more. Stretch open more. Write more sensual poems and hand-written letters on special stationary and take time to mail them. Deep breathe more. Love on other people more. We would find a way, decree a way, inside and light-years beyond capitalism. Yoga is a sacred time to slow it all the way down and be in the real practice of feeling deeply and thereby re-sensitizing your body with your love or great acceptance for however you are feeling in the moment. If it's comfortable, close your eyes during your practice. I always close my eyes during my practice unless I have to do postures that require them to be open like "camel pose." I like to be in my body FOR REAL and not in my head comparing and contrasting so I rarely look at what other people are doing during class. If I need direction, then I soft gaze over at the teacher. If my teacher is walking around, then I will soft gaze over at another student and close my eyes again when I'm clear. Yoga is a personal intimate journey. We waste good clean chi when we focus on someone else’s progress and unconsciously use it to judge our own. Arrive at least 10-15 minutes before class begins to settle your body down. I like to get to class early, but I have absolutely been the one running into class late or just-in-the-knick-of-time and give myself deep grace. It rarely happens though because my aim is to get there early. I like to intuit and feel out where to place my mat and pick a spot that feels right. Also being there early allows me to ground and relax my body and do a few basic very slow stretches where needed. Then we the teacher opens the class with "hello" or "namaste," I am already present, softened, and ready to float. Use your breath. Yoga is a really good time to use your breath as a tool to love on your body. Pay close attention to your breathing and slow-breathe rhythmically, breathing out longer on the exhale. Don't be so serious. Some people do yoga like they are getting a colonic, donating blood, or something else. Keep your face relaxed which relaxes your pelvic floor. At certain points, let yourself even be a bit more playful with your practice or quietly sensuous like when bringing your pelvis down and transitioning into "upward facing dog." Can you spark joy in any discomfort or in your least favorite postures? --India Ame'ye, Author

[farlynthordens]

SKB Short Story 3 - Chisel of the Mind’s Eye

summary of a short story published in Dengeki Bunko, vol 63. takes place between volumes 1 and 2. Contains minimal main story spoilers.

there is an intro page with the same art from v2′s cover, but there’s a fun little diagram about the 6 towers that we haven’t seen before. it lists each tower’s leader and what they consider virtuous.

Fire: possessing beauty and strength Earth: possessing knowledge Gold/metal: possessing money Water: possessing artistic talent/skill Wood: being calm/unshakable (translated by eight for the fan server)

Bisco and Milo have made it to Shimane, traveling a deserted mountain path toward Izumo. Noticing rain clouds forming, milo asks if they should take shelter in case of acid rain, but bisco doesn’t respond.

He’s crying and sniffling while reading a picture book of Bunbuku Chagama. Milo pokes fun at him a little and asks if a guy with a bounty on his head is the type to cry at a folktale, to which bisco asks if milo has no heart (because the ending of the story is very sad)

It starts to rain while they’re bantering, and milo hurries actagawa along to find shelter. They come across a giant temple buried deep among the trees and tall grass, seeming abandoned. But despite being dark and empty, it’s surprisingly pleasant.

B: “Let’s start a fire and eat.” M: “I wonder though... is there really no one here?” B: “Heh heh... maybe there IS someone, like a pink-haired jellyfish with a worm in her stomach...”

A flame then sparks and bisco draws his bow as he jumps in surprise. Standing before them holding a lantern is a young girl who has her eyes closed.

The girl seems to believe at first that they are god(s) and apologizes for not being done with her carving of them yet. Milo hastily tries to apologize for intruding, and explains that they aren’t bad people and were just looking for a place to get out of the rain. The girl is quick to accept them as visitors, and brings them some worn-out cloth to put on the cold floor for sleeping. She then disappears into the inner sanctuary.

They hear a strange noise coming from the direction she went in and Bisco uses his goggles’ night vision to have a look. He spots something interesting and gives the goggles to milo so he can see.

What they see is a gigantic carving of a god. It appears to be a god of war, having a highly toned physique, 6 arms, drawing a large bow and firing 3 arrows at an upward angle toward the ceiling. They realize the noise they heard was the girl chiseling at it.

Bisco takes his goggles back and runs off to ask the girl about the statue. He climbs its giant form and meets the girl where she sits on its one arm. Girl: “Sir, it’s dangerous to be up so high. If you needed me, you could simply ask and...” B: “Nah, I was just thinkin’ you’re pretty talented. You make this by yourself?” Girl: “Yes. I began when I was 8, and have been working on it for about 6 years now.” B: “It looks cool, but I’ve never seen this god before. Where’s he from, and what’s he a god of?” Girl: “Well... I do not know. I do not even know his name, but he appeared in my dream like a divine revelation and gave me the desire to create a statue in his image. And so I have been working on it every day since, but...”

She points up at the god’s uncarved face. Despite the rest of the statue being so detailed, she hasn’t been able to carve a face for it yet because she can’t remember what it looked like.

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise echoes through the temple and rattles the building. The girl slips but bisco catches her, then climbs onto the statue’s shoulder. Milo joins them.

A group riding giant spider-like mechs burst in. A thin man emerges from one of the mechs, asking where “Master Saresea” is, as he the high priest of the water sect, hylmaleo, has arrived.

The little girl shouts at them, saying she will not give them the statue and that there are probably plenty of other skilled sculptors who they could go after. H: “There IS no one else. That’s why we came all the way to this backwater temple for you. ... I'm an artist, I can understand a work’s beauty or flaws. I’ve seen many idol statues, but yours is on another level of skill, Sarasea. Carve my face into it, and give it to me as a Hylmaelo idol... I’ll give you money, men, whatever you want in exchange. You can even be one of my women if you want... I’d be interested to try fucking a blind girl.” He and all of his followers laugh and jeer.

Sarasea throws her chisel at the priests and it strikes hylamelo in the shoulder. S: “How dare you say such foul things in a god’s sacred domain! Leave this place at once!” H: “You bitch...! This is no god’s domain anymore. I don’t care, just burn this building and that little brat to ash!”

The followers start fires, but bisco shoots a number of arrows and the mushroom growth’s spores extinguish the flames. hylamelo and co. seemed to have not realized bisco and milo were there and are scared by the sudden rain of arrows that seemed to come from nowhere. noticing this, milo whispers an idea into bisco’s ear. 

From their hiding spot on top of the statue, bisco begins to speak in a low and booming voice as if pretending to be the god himself speaking. he and milo fire shimeji arrows at the followers’ feet, and they freak out again. “My god, it’s the voice of Enbi! We’ve incurred Enbi’s wrath!!” / “Everyone, run! If you die by his arrows, your soul will never be able to escape from hell!”

Hylmaleo tries to stop the others from fleeing, but then runs away in fear as well after seeing his spider mech ruined by a giant, red oyster mushroom.

M: “Hehe... that went surprisingly well. It’s kind of funny seeing a group of bad guys who are also incredibly devout.” S: “Did you chase off the water sect group? ... Perhaps you two really are messengers of the gods, otherwise--” B: “Like hell we are. This was just a convenient way to pay you back for lettin’ us stay the night. We’re just regular mushroom keepers. No relation to that god of yours.”

The next morning, Bisco and Milo are getting ready to leave. M: “I’m sure your statue will turn out great. We’ll definitely come back to see it when it’s done!” B: “If you keep waitin’, you’ll probably see that divine revelation or whatever again. But don’t forget his face this time. And ask for his name, too.”

Sarasea grabs bisco’s face and puts her hands all over it. bisco is so shocked that he doesn’t move for a minute, before suddenly jumping away from her hold. B: “Wh... the hell do you think you’re doin’?!” S: “May I... ask for your names?” B: “Our names?!” M: “That guy is Akaboshi Bisco ... And I’m his partner, Nekoyanagi Milo. Thank you, Sarasea. We’ll see each other again, if fate allows it.”

Milo pulls a still frozen in shock bisco onto actagawa’s back and they ride off. B: “...The hell was that? She just messed up my face... Did I do somethin’ to make her mad?” M: “She just wanted to remember the shape of it.” B: “Huh? Why?” Milo laughs and decides to not say anything more. 

They come to the end of the mountain path shortly after, and Izumo begins to come into view. 

Back at Sarasea’s temple, which is now quiet once again, she talks to herself as she resumes working. S: “Had that really been just a dream? He was so warm, like the sun...” She climbs up to the statue’s face and continues to chisel away.