#postal workers are wonderful and I love them

[secondbeatsongs]

[ID: tags reading "#don't ship lithium ion batteries or flammable liquids without declaring them #it is dangerous and postal workers deserve to know which packages to treat with care" /End ID]

"don't ship—" i will just be doing whatever the fuck i want actually

[elodieunderglass]

I am absolutely wild and feral over HDM (legit like, daemons fit SO well. I'm watching dunmeshi wondering where Laios' dog went) and super curious if you do plan a sequel or other fics following this AU??

(In reference to the His Dark Materials / Dungeon Meshi fusion fic)

thank you so much for this question I love this question god!!!! Thank you thank you thank you

God sorry about HDM being delayed, I’m going through hell over it at the moment. It’s meant to end a little after the dragon, then a timeskip epilogue, with special coding so that you can read it two different ways, depending on whether you want spoilers for the manga/season 2. (My idea is that you’ll click a button to reveal/hide it, and the spoiler-free epilogue will be like found poetry.)

Firstly, if you or anyone else would like to take the concepts/characters in His Delicious Materials forward for themselves, you must do this. You don’t need my permission (but I’d love a link! so I can read, scream, reblog, comment, link to it, etc. there is also the “inspired by” setting on ao3 so we can link works directly to HDM, forming a collection for anyone who reads one and wants more.) I don’t own any of it! We are all just having fun! YOU can be the sequel you want to see in the world! If your heart feels a way forward, then follow your heart!! A daemon AU is really about revealing character and I find them really inspiring, like adding a whole engine to a story idea.

If I were to write something to follow up, I do know what the sequel WOULD be! It would be a sort of Discworld novel about the slow social revolution occurring in the half-foots as a chain reaction to Bee settling as a weasel, all occurring behind Chilchuck’s oblivious and unhelpful back. Pushed into a sort of bottleneck of sparrow- and mouse-souls, and marginalised to the very edges of society, half-foots are precarious and endangered. Chilchuck is mostly eating a ham sandwich unhelpfully in the foreground, and at the end of the story looks back and sees to his bewilderment that his people have found a way forward (they don’t have a Shire or a Chosen One, but they do have a goddamn functional worker’s union and their own collective dignity.) kind of Discworld-commentary-comedy, kind of a loving argument with Tolkien, kind of Sharpe hostile-and-awkward-protagonist-POV-doesn’t-know-and-wouldn’t-believe-that-his-men-genuinely-love-him, kind of about the experience of parenting, and kind of gently warmly political BUT FUNNY so it would be ok. but feel it would be too much of a stretch of people’s patience and the original materials’s intentions to call it fanfic. Too many OCs needed to carry the weight, too little reference to the other Dungeon Meshi characters, almost too little “payoff” for what would be a full 70k word work. So maybe to let the story breathe, it would be better worked up as original fiction?

(Plus, that is actually an actual novel: if people write their own novels and manga about orc coffeeshops and dnd parties, I could just write my own too: wait but how do you know if you should?)

Anyway, that is an entirely separate kettle of weasels and my own cross to bear! If your heart cries out for a sequel the best way to manifest it in the world is to write it!

If you feel that A Weasel Heart In Defiance feels like it would scratch that itch, here is a bit that is mildly relevant to Dungeon Meshi, which is Chilchuck and Bee starting to work away from home while the girls were still small. You’ll probably see what I mean from it.

About seven of the village children, including his own three, had a snake in a wooden bucket. They didn't look up.

The reappearance of a random guy who functioned mostly as a postal service and occasionally shouted at them about bedtime - in a way that could be easily blanked out if something more interesting was happening - simply could not be expected to compete for attention with a snake in a bucket.

Chilchuck could recognise this on some level, but as his own children ignored him, he felt very hot and angry, in a way that he had never wanted to feel about children, especially his.

Bee, also rigidly pissed off, growled, "Easy, boss."

This was where Chilchuck did the only thing so far that he was proud of, in this day. He did not start shouting, even though his temper was going something like What the fuck, kids, but worse. He stopped, took a minute, and remembered he'd had this whole thing where he'd wanted his kids to love him. He rubbed his nose, said, "Remind me," and his daemon reminded him: "What do we want them to actually do?"

And he said, "The bare minimum fucking acknowledgement would be nice."

And Bee said, "Have we explained that to them? Do they know?"

So Chilchuck and Bee, hot and tired and cross and still on the job apparently, sat down on the ground with the kids and looked in the bucket. The snake, poor bastard, looked very limp and tired. Chilchuck could relate.

After a while, Chilchuck said, "Girls?"

Or more accurately, something like, "Girls! Girls. Meifleurpatti-I mean Puck-PUCK. Listen up. Mei! Fleur, I'm talking - thanks Fleur - Puck. (Ryeland, stop the baby.) PUCK. Mei, Fleur, Puck - PUCK, eyes on me - thanks, Ryeland - PUCK. EYES," which condensed in parent-speak to a single roar of "Girls!"

When he had them more or less listening, he remembered to set his voice to the more singsong cadence one used for children, instead off the deeper version of his natural voice that he used for shouting at the top of his abilities at tall people; making the choice to be patient and gentle, or at least pretend to be someone who was; and in this manner he said reasonably, "Now, your dad's been away for a very long time and missed you all very much. What do you say? What do you say when your dad comes home?"

Six children stared at him blankly, and the baby toppled gently into the bucket. He fished it out, stuck it sideways under his arm, allowed the snake to escape in the confusion, acknowledged someone's grievously injured finger, stopped Fleur from pinching, took out his pocket handkerchief and wiped Puck's nose in essentially one continuous motion.

To be completely fair, now that he'd let go of the initial anger, he could see that the kids had absolutely no idea what he'd wanted of them. Kids had practically no social instincts at the best of times. Chilchuck coming home was remarkable, sure, but beyond their influence; how were they supposed to react? What do you say to a comet? What do you say to a hailstorm? What do you say when daddy comes home?

He repeated the question, as the children had universally drawn blanks and devolved into staring vacantly.

"Good morning, Daddy!" A child chirped helpfully, setting off the rest in an automatic drone of "good morning, Daddy," in the strangely universal dreary tone of all children saying that.

"So close, Fernwise! Is it morning? What else do we think?"

Bee, fighting for order among the kit-daemons, was simultaneously washing Fleurtom's daemon, Pantoufle's, face; receiving a long rambling report of a grievance from three incoherent witnesses; and minding the baby's chick-daemon; up to her ears in parenting. She said, around a mouthful of Pan, "Speed it up, boss, you're losing them."

"Where are your spots, Daddy?" Pan asked him. He was in the form of a young ferret and scrabbled against his mother's grip on his scruff.

"My what?"

"Your freckles," Bee said grimly, and seeing he'd been temporarily disarmed - and being a valiant beast in her way - charged in to her human's defense, "Is that nice, Pan? We don't want to make people feel bad about their looks, do we?"

"Yes we do," said Fleur.

"Fleur! We've just - we haven't seen much of the sun, that's all," said Bee, taking charge, the best and most loyal soul a man could have. "They'll come back, and they're not spots."

"Mei has spots."

"Freckles."

"Grimbob has spots."

"Yes, and you shouldn't notice," Bee said. "Think of Grimbob's feelings."

"I do, I think he feels spotty."

"I'm thirsty," Puck said flatly.

"Stick to the point, kids," Chilchuck said, recovering from the fact that his usual face was apparently indistinguishable to children from Grimbob's, who had been taking puberty hard. This was surprisingly difficult to do.

Ryeland, a mildly bright spark who was older than the Chils girls, connected two dots and suddenly roared "WELCOME HOME DADDY," so six children all repeated that automatically, and Fleur added sunnily, "I missed you Daddy!"

And just as a very small piece of Chilchuck's heart was finally allowed to melt, she added, equally sunnily, "Mei didn't."

"I did a little," Meijack said vaguely.

"That's great kids, well done, we got there in the end," Chilchuck said. "Remember it for next time, okay? It makes Daddy feel better about his stupid life. Now, next time, let's remember that it's traditional to do a hug."

He realised his mistake instantly, as six children and their daemons all bore him - and the baby he'd forgotten he was holding - to the ground.

___________

[phoward89]

Masterlist

WARNING ⚠️: Coryo is his own warning in and of himself. Delusional!Coryo, Soft!Dark!Coryo, Soft!Dom!Coryo, Reader has some survival instincts, Reader knows keeping Coryo happy keeps her alive and well, cussing, possession, obsession, slight manipulation, threats of harm, threats of rape, threats of violation, choking, murder threats

Chapter 7:

Coriolanus has been on Peacekeeper duty for the last 3 days. It sucks because Sejanus isn't with him. Instead he's doing his medic training at the infirmary with the Matron, leaving Coriolanus to do street patrols on his own.

But today he's on watch duty at the Peacekeeper Uniform Factory. His partner’s some grunt he’s barely even talked to. Honestly, he doesn't care to get to know the grunt since he's not sticking around much longer.

Coriolanus is taking his Elite Officer's Exam tomorrow; he knows he'll pass with flying colors. He can't wait to get you out of 8, to be able to claim you as his wife on legal documents and paperwork. Coriolanus sent a letter to Pluribus Bell about your father and one to Strabo Plinth as well, so he's hoping to receive some responses with some advice on how to move forward with inquiring about the asset law of Colonel Javanis Halvir for you.

Coriolanus grappled with the idea of writing to Dr. Gaul, but then decided against it. The woman, after all, was a bit crazy and had planned on killing all of the leftover tributes in the arena with her rainbow snakes; if he didn't cheat then there wouldn't have been a victor for the 10th Hunger Games. So, he decided not to contact Dr. Gaul. God forbid the woman wants you to return to the Capitol, to be rescued from your abandonment in the Districts for so long.

Yea…

Coriolanus isn't giving you up for anything. You're his wife; that makes you his responsibility. He's your protector since you're now Mrs. Snow. That gives him power; no one's going to take that away from him.

Coriolanus is dressed in his denim fatigues, his lanky frame leaning against the concrete wall as he keeps an eye on the women and teenagers that're working the loom machines. His icy blue eyes have been staring a hole into your once sister-in-law’s head, but that's mostly because she keeps giving him nasty looks. But that's fine with him; not like he cares what she thinks about him anyways.

In fact he hates Ashlie for abandoning you in a strange place; for being the cause of you to stoop down so low to stealing- to getting punished by the lash.

Yes!

Coryo has the audacity to shoulder the entire blame of your whipping onto your once sister-in-law. He refuses to take responsibility for it. He ‘loves’ you (more like he's head over heels obsessed with you) and refuses to believe that his greed and overwhelming need to impress his superiors hurt you in any way.

Plus you love him and married him. If he hurt you why would you have done that?

Yea…

Private Snow’s thick skull doesn't grasp that you latched onto him for pure survival- got somewhat of a Stockholm syndrome going on with him. Can't bite the hand that feeds you, eh?

Eh…Coriolanus feels like he's in for a long day. It's not even noon yet and he's already ready to take a break. And he can't help, but to wonder how your day’s going so far.

Ah, to be young, in love, and a newlywed.

You're making yourself a simple sandwich for lunch whenever a knock sounds at your door. You're not expecting anybody, so you're a little taken aback. Your husband's at work until the evening and you don't really have any friends in 8.

So, tentatively, you approach the door and open it. Standing before you is a postal worker, but not just any postal worker- one with a Peacekeeper postal uniform on. On the ground by their feet’s a large wooden crate.

What the?...

“I have a delivery for a Coriolanus Snow and a Y/N Snow? Are one of them present to sign for the package?” The postal worker asks, holding a clipboard with an attached pen.

You simply answer the postal worker with, “I'm Y/N Snow.”

Without a word, the Peacekeeper postal worker hands you the clipboard; which you take and sign your name on in the required spot before handing it back.

“Have a nice day, Ma’am.” The postal worker tips their hat at you before walking down the hall; leaving you alone with the crate.

You picked up the crate, which wasn't too heavy, and brought it into the house. Once you set it down, you read the return label. The name on it was The Plinths. You quickly realized that Sejanus' family sent Coriolanus something. You knew that they're friends from the Academy in the Capitol that joined the Peacekeepers together.

Well, it's nice that they sent your husband something.

But then you remember that the postal worker had said the package was for Coriolanus and Y/N Snow. Oh boy, so did they send you something in the crate too? And how did they know that Coriolanus got married? You've only been married for 3 days. Did they just assume or did Sejanus get a hold of his parents and tell them. How fast does Peacekeeper mail travel?

They say curiosity killed the cat, but it didn't kill you.

You opened the crate, with the help of a bottle opener that you used to pry the wooden lid off, and saw that inside of the crate was a few wrapped packages and a tin. Oh, so the Plinths sent Christmas presents. That's very nice of them.

You take the packages and the tin out, only to place them on them on the kitchen table. Then you realize that you don't have a Christmas tree to place the presents under. You'll have to talk to Your husband about it when Coryo gets home.

During the factory’s lunch break Coriolanus is stuck watching the workers gather in a breakroom while waiting for his relief to come. His partner's relief showed up, but not Private Snow's. Talk about shit luck.

So, Coriolanus stands up straight in the break room, watching over the factory workers with some scurvy looking Peacekeeper a few yards away from him.

Coriolanus narrows his icy eyes as he watches Ashlie shake her head at her co-worker and stand up from her lunch table. What's she up to?

���Why's she heading over here?” The scurvy Peacekeeper asked Coriolanus.

“She knows my wife.” Was Coriolanus’ curt answer.

“You got a wife?” The Peacekeeper by the platinum um blonde asked, his brow skewed up curiously.

“By District 8 rituals, yea.” Coriolanus nodded. “I got a wife.”

“You know that ain't allowed. Better keep it a secret.”

“You gonna tell on me?” Private Snow asked, his face stony, as he looked the scurvy guy next to him in the eye.

“No.” The Peacekeeper next to Coriolanus shook his head. “I don't care what you do, but there's some people that would sell that kind of information to further themselves.”

Little did the scurvy Peacekeeper know that Coriolanus is one of those people who'll sell out somebody for the upper hand; to get ahead.

“I need to talk to you.” Ashlie told Coriolanus as she came to a stop right in front of him. Looking between your husband and his fellow peacekeeper, she added in, “Privately.”

“Fine.” Coriolanus told her. “I'll be in the hall with her; I won't be long.” He told the peacekeeper before turning and leading your once sister-in-law out into the hallway.

Once in the hallway, he sneered, “What's so important that a whore like you had to seek me out for?”

“One of the girls says that she saw you in the market the other day buying supplies for a handfasting.” Ashlie's eyes welled up with sorrow as she begged, “Please, tell me you didn't marry my sister.”

“Y/N’s not your sister. Her dead brother was your meal ticket, but that doesn't make her your sister.” Coriolanus coldly told the factory worker. “In fact, she's shit to you since you abandoned her shortly after dragging her here.” Towering over Ashlie, like a predator tower's over their prey before they strike, he condescendingly said, “You're such a good ‘sister’ that my darling rose has to stoop so low to resort to stealing to feed herself. If I wasn't there to witness her whipping; to carry her home and tens to her then who knows what shape she'd be in right now.”

Ashlie’s eyes blazed hatefully as she looked up at Coriolanus. “I’m going to do anything I have to get Y/N to see the light and leave you. You filthy Capitol blooded peacekeeper.”

Shoving the thin brunette girl against the wall, Coriolanus wraps his large, calloused hand around her throat. Pressing his thumb, hard, into her windpipe he hatefully threatens in a snake like hiss, “You stay the fuck away from my wife, you ratty lil whore, or else I'll fuck that pussy of yours up and pass you around the barracks to let my squad take turns with you before snapping your neck and tossing you into that sludge filled river.” A managing look crossed over his face as he toyed with the girl who's life he literally had in his hand. “What's it called again? That's right, the Cuyahoga River.”

Ashlie couldn't breath, all she could do was let out high pitched wheezes. She frantically clawed at your husband's hand, desperate to breath since he was choking her.

“Stop your dramatics, you stupid whore.” Coriolanus commanded harshly before letting Ashlie's neck go.

She gasped desperately for air, her lungs aching for oxygen to give them their substance, as he knees buckled. Ashlie slid against the wall, watching as Private Snow- your cold and cruel husband- walked back into the factory's break room as if nothing has happened. As if he just didn't nearly kill her; threaten violent things against her.

Ashlie's off tomorrow and, even tho sh was threaten by Coriolanus, she's determined to get you to leave him. So, she's going to be paying you a visit.

A visit that'll prove to be her last once your husband hears about it.

Tags: @kuroosbby001 @purriteen @poppyflower-22 @meetmeatyourworst @whipwhoops @bxtchopolis @readingthingsonhere @savagenctzen @ryswritingrecord @erikasurfer @tulips2715 @universal-s1ut @thesmutconnoisseur @squidscottjeans @sudek4l @wearemadeofstardust0 @mashiromochi @gracieroxzy @belcalis9503 @shari-berri @aoi-targaryen @whiteoakoak @spear-bearing-bi-witch @gisellesprettylies @loverandqueenofdragons @qoopeeya @mfnqueen1 @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @v-love @swiftieblyth @joyfulyouthlover @harvey-malfoy @chxrrybomb22 @marvel-hiddles-stark @xjinnix @devils-blackrose @zombicupcake3 @jacesvelaryons @tempt-ress

[nightghoul381]

Ellis Twilight ~ Main Route Chapter 0

Disclaimer for route warnings | Masterlist

Additional Content Warnings: None

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Ellis: “—That’s about all Jude asked me to report.”

Victor: “Thank you for your hard work on this mission… It seems like tonight was a bit difficult.”

Ellis: “Huh, Oh…”

Looking down at my clothes that were covered in blood, I realized the reason for Victor’s wry smile.

Completing tonight’s mission certainly took a little extra effort.

Ellis: “I aimed for the heart, but his body was thicker than I thought, so the knife didn’t penetrate deep enough.”

Ellis: “I felt a little sorry for him because I wasn’t able to kill him instantly.”

Victor: “…I see.”

Victor: “As always, you carried out your duties calmly, but… are there any times when you find it difficult?”

(Difficult…)

The members of Her Majesty’s royal organization, Crown, undertook everything from espionage to assassination.

But that doesn’t mean that everyone felt nothing when taking a life.

I noticed that a few days after moving in.

And I thought it was a fairly normal feeling.

(But…)

Ellis: “No, nothing in particular.”

Victor: “…That’s fine then. Please let Jude know that he did a good job.”

Ellis: “Mmhmm, Understood.”

Some pick flowers, tie them into bunches, and display them beautifully in the store.

Others polish dirty shoes with cream and a brush.

For me, taking a life as part of my job was the same thing.

As long as my desires weren’t involved, I had no hesitation.

(If there’s one thing that makes me hesitate to kill someone, it’s--)

(When I want to kill that person for my own desires.)

(Maybe it’s time to think about such selfishness and self-centeredness.)

To stop that from happening--I put a tight lid on my desires.

Never again… I will not let the happiness of someone I love be faked.

Young boy: “Waaah…!”

Ellis: “…!”

No matter how bloody the night, a bright morning will come.

While Jude and I were at the market on business for the trading company, we came across a crying child.

(He doesn’t seem to be injured… Maybe he’s lost?)

As I went to call out to him, the postal worker nearby suddenly crouched down.

Her gentle manner seemed to have calmed the child’s crying a little.

(…That’s good. Then I’ll—)

When I looked around…

(Ah, over there.)

I found the person I was looking for right away. I’m relatively tall, so I could see them easily even in a crowd.

Ellis: “Would you happen to be looking for a lost child?”

Woman about to cry: “Yes, do you know where…!?”

I pointed to where the child was and the woman ran off in a panic.

From a distance I could see the postal worker from before, the child, and the woman who appears to be his mother, all burst into smiles.

(…good.)

If possible, I wanted everyone I saw to be happy.

I didn’t want anyone to be unhappy.

If there’s anything I could do, I wanted to do it.

(Because—Happiness is fragile.)

(No matter how wonderful a person is, no matter how much they wish for an ordinary life.)

Happiness is like the twilight sky, changing color quickly.

(…Did you see?)

On a normal night of missions, all of Crown worked to take out a certain target, and then…

There was the sound of one woman’s taken-for-granted happiness being shattered.

William: “Oh, isn’t this the Robin I met this afternoon?”

Kate: “Ah… um… uh…?”

The woman was covered in blood, turning pale and shivering,

It looked to be the same postal worker I’d seen working on the street.

(…So pitiful.)

My heart ached as I remembered how she was smiling so happily after the lost child was reunited with his mother.

The work of “Crown” is meant to be kept secret.

A darkness that should not be known to those who live in the bright sunlight.

If they found out—They wouldn’t be able to return to their normal daily life.

(So at least…)

Ellis: “Shall I kill her?”

Ellis: “She doesn’t seem happy at all, but I’ll do it.”

(At least I’ll kill you so you don’t suffer.)

Silence fell.

The postal worker, whose name was Kate, was trembling pitifully.

Victor: “Hmmm, that’s right…”

(If the punishment has been decided, it’s better to do it sooner.)

(That way, you’ll spend less time dwelling in anxiety and fear.)

While waiting for Victor’s reply, I was about to reach for my knife, but at that moment…

Kate: “I promise I will never tell anyone about what I’ve just witnessed.”

(…)

Miss Kate declared that in such a firm voice that it was hard to believe that she had been pale and trembling just a moment ago.

Victor: “Hmmm…Huh? What’s that?”

Kate: “I will keep your secret at all costs. Postal workers are trained to maintain confidentiality no matter what.”

Victor | William: “…”

(Victor and Will are both surprised.)

I was taken aback, but before I knew it, my eyes were glued to her.

Even in this situation, it seemed that Kate hadn’t given up on life.

Kate: “If you say you don’t trust me, you can keep an eye on me until you feel you can.”

Kate: “I’ll definitely prove it.”

(…You still believe…)

In being able to return to your normal, everyday life.

To be able to laugh with happiness again.

Even in the darkness, where the sunlight seemed to be completely swallowed by darkness, you believed.

(--…It’s wonderful)

Her profile was dazzling, like the sun that would never set on the horizon—

(I want you to laugh again.)

(Like that time when I saw you on the street corner.)

The feeling arose as if it were natural,

What if I didn’t have to ‘end things’ as a job?

If there were still a ‘continuation’ to her happiness.

(I want to make you happy.)

As I stared at Kate’s profile, as she tried to keep her head up—

--For some reason, the twilight sky of ‘that’ day, the happiest day in the world, vividly appeared in the back of my mind.

Chapter 1

[judesmoonbeauty]

Ellis Twilight Both Ends Bonus Story 🗡

Fan translation only. Not 100% accurate. Please expect grammatical errors. This is a SUMMARY/Semi-Translation of the bonus story. I am roughly translating this with out much research other than specific lines from certain scenes. Why? Because it's a huge task to translate a main route chapter line by line. So, this is what we're working with, and I appreciate your understanding ♥︎ Cybird owns everything. Re-blogs are appreciated, but please do not post my translations elsewhere. The summaries will be uploaded in groups.

I thought my love would make my loved ones unhappy. So I tried to only think about the other person.…..I think about my brother smiling happily that day. But I also suspect that I may have twisted my own memory. - I think he was actually very frightened. Like the lives I took for Crown. Such thoughts blur my brother’s smile that day. The truth is, I can’t even remember the look on my brother’s face at that moment anymore.

Ellis is waiting for Kate outside of a store. It’s been about 10 minutes since she’s entered and he’s getting antsy with worry about being approached by strange people. As he debates if he should go look for her or not he sees her through the shop window and is put at ease, but she was chatting with a man amicably inside which Ellis notes that she’s smiling at the man as he opens the door for her. He wonders about who the guy is and then Kate runs up to him apologizing about keeping him waiting. They talk about the man she was speaking with and he apparently helped in the past as a postal worker by drawing a map for her. Ellis called the guy a “nice person”, but was analyzing the guy in his head; he didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives, and his smile seemed genuine, plus he held the door for her. At this point, Ellis seems to compare himself to that man with himself because that guy can offer to help someone in a very natural versus Ellis who can not do that since he wants to kill someone even more if he likes them more.

He recalls his Dad telling him the day his brother died that, “Killing people and laughing about it is something demons do….Repent and atone and you may still be forgive.”

(Forgive me? Who?)

(I just wanted him to stay happy.)

(Is the way I show my love unforgivable?)

Kate is the only one he’s really confided to about his past and more and more he’s getting selfish with wanting her to love him. Because only she has forgiven him. He offers to carry the bags for him, but she refuses and it shocks him, so he let’s her carry them. He’s sad that he can’t hold hands with her, so he wraps his arms around her shoulders instead and they head back to the castle.

(I wonder if you’d be offended if I told you that I was a little anxious?)

There is a flashback to when he rescued her and she confesses that she accepts Ellis for wanting to keep the happiness of his loved ones within his grasp.

Flashing forward to the present. Jude & Ellis who’ve just finished a mission, he tells Jude that he’s sure it’s normal to feel pain when you kill someone, and Jude is like: Oh?? He wipes off the blood-soaked knife before he sheaths it; staring at the puddle of blood that spreads like splattered jam, Ellis says: “But, I’m not bothered to do this kind of work.”

(Kate is kind enough to grieve.)

The guy at the grocery store, I wonder if she’d be happier if he were her lover instead.

(But I could never let that guy take Kate away from me.)

(I don’t think I could tolerate it.)

Jude: Huh, what? Ya wanna be “normal”?

Ellis: ….no.

I don’t want to be someone else. Kate said she liked me because I’m me. It’s just -

(What can I do to make Kate smile?)

(I keep thinking about it.)

That night at the castle Kate greets Ellis when he gets back home, who was reading in his room. Kate had recently been taking an interest in Ellis’ and Jude’s work and so she decided to study up on business material. It was a serious task, but Ellis thinks it’s wonderful. Ellis didn’t let her go on the mission tonight because of the level of difficulty and because it was going to be so bloody that he wanted to protect her from it. So, she waited up for him so they could have a drink together.

She said that she’ll get the drinks ready in a set of new mugs that have matching designs on them. Ellis asked if the mugs were from her secret shopping trip before lunch earlier that day, and she confesses it was. As she offers herbal teak, hot milk or alcohol to him, he approaches her from behind and hugs her from behind and says that he prefers Kate over those options. Rubbing her cheek against his arm she says okay, feeling his hands slowly crawl up body.

(Kate’s so soft.)

It’s so different from his own, so when he touches it he gets worried.

(It’s too easy to break.)

Ellis pulls down the top of her negligee and slowly squeezes her breasts which makes her moan, and he asks if she likes it when he does this standing behind her. She says that she does because it feels like she is being completely surrounded by him and it makes her happy.

(It’s no good….Kate.)

(You’re too cute.) Ellis kisses and touches her in many of her favorite places, and even though he wants to make Kate feel good, he is painfully aroused….

Ellis: Then, I’ll do you from behind today.

Kate: Ah……

Kate squeezes his fingers inside her and Ellis pushes Kate onto the bed.

(Oh…..)

(My head is a mess.) ……Which one love???

I want to feel good. I want to feel good with Kate. He looks at her tear-stained eyes.

(It looks like Kate wants to feel good with me too….)

(Is it my imagination or….I don’t know.)

For you, for me, it’s all a jumbled mess..

Kate: Ahhhh!

Ellis: ……Ah…..Ah…..

Ellis hugs Kate’s sleeping body in the middle of the night and thinks she sounds cute. Sometimes, he thinks that they’ve reached their happiest moment as he loves her with his bloodstained hands, for another day. He dreams of the day when his dirtied with her blood.

(…..I want to stay like this forever.)

(With you in my arms.)

(I want to stare at your happy sleeping face.)

The end of this happiness, I don’t want it to come either. The moment you’re killed by me Kate is also the moment -

(Oh.)

Kate slowly lifts her eyelids and look at him drowsily and she laughs at Ellis. He asks why she’s laughing at him and she says it’s because she woke up, and Ellis was right next to her and she thought she was happy.

-No matter how much I dread tomorrow. Even though I’m not sure if you’ll really be smiling on that day that will come someday.

(I can’t help but love this person.)

Ellis: Kate….

Kate: What….?

Ellis: I love you.

Kate: ….Hm.

Ellis: I love you, I love you…..I love you.

Kate: Hmm….hehe….what’s up…?

I bury my face into Kate and she holds me to her chest. It smelled like sweetly simmered jam and it made my heart ache.

Kate: ……Ellis, are you crying?

“No,” I almost reflexively said that, but now I don’t have to hide these feelings anymore.

Ellis: …..Yea, because I’m happy.

Ellis: I’m glad because you’re smiling.

Kate: I see…

Kate reached out and patted Ellis’ head.

Kate: I love you too, Ellis.

(I’m willing to be killed right now.) I bet that if I told you that tomorrow morning that I really thought that, you’d laugh again.

I’m sure there will be more of these supremely happy moments waiting for me.

Fin.

[Master List]

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] Event | A Postman Delivering Your Feelings | Episode 1

Misumi: Triangle, tri~angle~♪

Misumi: (It was so fun to also find new triangles at my part-time job today~.)

Misumi: Huh? It’s the mail carrier! Hello~.

Postal Worker: Hello.

Misumi: Do you have any letters that are addressed to the house with the triangle roof~?

Postal Worker: Yes, I do.

Misumi: Then you can give them to me! I also live there.

Postal Worker: Ah, is that so? Then, here you are.

Misumi: ‘Kaaay! Thank you as always~!

Misumi: Waaah, there’s lotsa letters today too~.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: So the meeting I just went to now…

*Door opens*

Misumi: I’m home~. Director-san, I’ve got a letter for you!

Izumi: Ah, Misumi-kun, welcome home. I see you got the mail too, thank you.

Izumi: Umm… This one is addressed to you, Tasuku-san.

Tasuku: To me?

Tasuku: …Ah, it’s from the sweepstakes company I applied to.

Masumi: Did you win or something?

Tasuku: Nah, I don’t remember applying for anything that’d be sent in an envelope like this, but… I’ll open it up and see what it is anyway.

*Tasuku opens the letter*

Tasuku: This is… a 500-yen gift certificate?

Tasuku: …That’s right, I do remember it mentioning something about 100 people winning gift certificates in a drawing from the people who didn’t win the main giveaway.

Misumi: Really? That’s great! Congrats, Tasuku!

Tasuku: Thanks. But I can probably only get a drink at a convenience store or something with 500 yen.

Izumi: This one’s addressed to Azuma-san, this one is accounting-related… And this one is addressed to you, Masumi-kun. Here you go.

Masumi: Thanks. I’m glad you’re the one who handed it to me.

Tasuku: Who’s it from?

Masumi: My grandma.

Misumi: Waaah, so it’s from her~!

Masumi: Ever since I wrote a letter to her after she went to the U.S. on Respect-for-the-Aged Day like you told me to, Misumi, we’ve been exchanging letters every once in a while.

Izumi: I see. I’m sure Hatsue-san is really happy to be getting letters from you, Masumi-kun. Make sure you write her a reply.

Masumi: Yeah, I’ll be sure to.

Misumi: That’s so nice, Masumi~!

Misumi: (I wrote a letter to Gramps back then too. …I really like exchanging letters like that.)

Izumi: Ah, Misumi-kun. There’s a letter for you too.

Misumi: For me? Who’s it from~?

Misumi: Ah, it’s from the neighborhood grandma who I sent a letter on Respect-for-the-Aged Day! Waaah, yay~!

Izumi: Hehe, I’m glad.

Misumi: But I wonder why she had the mail carrier bring it when she lives so close? Why did she write me a letter?

Tasuku: Well, you won’t know until you read it. Maybe it’ll even explain why she chose to mail it.

Misumi: Right! Umm…

Misumi: Waaah, she’s on a trip with her daughter and and son-in-law right now! It looks like she sent me it from her trip!

Masumi: That must be why she mailed it then.

Misumi: She said, “I was very happy to get your letter on Respect-for-the-Aged Day and wanted to write a reply someday, but the timing was never quite right…”

Misumi: “On my trip, I found a lovely postcard like yours, Misumi-kun, so I thought now was the perfect time and sent this letter along with the postcard.”

Tasuku: This postcard must’ve reminded her of you, Ikaruga.

Izumi: It really is a beautiful postcard of the sky. I’m glad this reminded her of you, Misumi-kun.

Misumi: Me too! I’m really happy she thought of me ‘cause of this postcard, but I’m also really happy just to get a letter from someone like her~!

[ 💌 ] [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[pkmn-dr-wondertainment]

WELCOME, ONE AND ALL!

This delightful Rotomblr account is the latest attempt by Dr Wondertainment to bring fun and fancy to as many imaginations as possible, across the multiverse!

We here at WonderWorld™, the headquarters of Dr Wondertainment, have been working together to create as many fun toys, consumables, play-locations, and other such wonders as possible!

With a staff of around 15000 workers, all well versed in anomalous properties and manufacturing, we're more than well positioned to bring as much whimsy as possible!

Our recent ventures into Local-Multiverse-PK-MN-Arc-151-22796 have proven to be well received successful! And so we're opening our mail order catalogue to receive your products through the local 'Pellipper Mail' postal system!

We will also be sending a great deal of promotional items to help spread the news! So some members of this site can expect to receive their own little slice of Wondertainment® in their inbox, so look forward to free product demonstrations, and please send any feedback through this account! We're dedicated to making sure you have a phantasmagorical time!

That's all for this post! We look forward to spreading the business of fun to your local area!

Have a Toytastic day!

//OOC time! I basically wanted an excuse to come up with fun magic items and send them to people, and I also love the Wondertainment stuff in the SCP-verse.

This account will at times be a company rep, and at times be the actual Isobel Wondertainment... maybe. Company rep is nonspecific, probably a whole team, any pronouns. Isobel would primarily use she/they but technically also any pronouns would work.

The format is that you can send an ask (you have to tag yourself) requesting an existing Wondertainment Product from the SCP Wiki or any of its stories, and I'll write a fun little response here and send a Pellipper Mail to your Askbox. I'll also come up with my own and send them out randomly as 'promotional items'

This blog is run by the mod of @pokemon-ecologist, @castelias-cat-queen, and @the-black-zoroark. I'm pretty bad at multiblogging, so my activity will teeter between them and drop off at times, but I hope we can have some fun here :)

[dgaftilwedie]

:3

strange peculiar weird looking fucking thing

i wish i was less annoying 💀💀💀 i feel like all i do is bother people and no one actually really likes hanging out with me because im fucking obnoxious!!!! i wish i didn't think that way but i don't know how NOT to

i do NOT wanna dwell on that rn!!!!!!!

family guy.......... breaking bad............ god i need to rewatch that show i fucking love breaking bad

i don't really have any???

i wanna go back to new york city so bad 😭😭

no one's gonna look out for you so you have to look out for yourself. your friends aren't your friends until they're your friends, yknow??

my hot bio teacher /hj

summer because it doesn't make me suicidal LMFAO

the inside cover of ur favorite cd

im not even gonna lie there's ten songs and half of them are by BTS

coolest guy i've ever had the pleasure of meeting. he's so fun to be around and i'd probably kill somebody for him. he smells like weed and warmth and the 2000s. 10/10 human being i fuckin love that guy

i was in a dodgeball competition with some people at my school that i didn't like but instead of using dodgeballs, we were using tiny water-filled popping bobas. i became a dodgeball god.

pumpkin spice latte 🤤🤤

SWAN SONGS BY HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD. it was the first album i ever got attached to and i've been criminally obsessed with hollywood undead since i was fucking 2!!!!!!! their dove n grenade logo is gonna be my first tattoo :33

idk, getting punched in the face??

i don't really have a favorite painting

uhmmmm scene kid meets teenage boy from 2013 meets white trailer trash chick

what does this question mean

this is lowkey embarrassing but jimmy urine 💀💀 YES I KMOW HE'S A BAD PERSON OK I WAS A LITTLE KID

i've been on tumblr for about 4 years and i don't think the way i've used it had changed very much

it was a piece of shit android but it did what i needed it to do (except for run roblox)

mmmmmm strawberry :3

my uncle dave LMAO i would ask him literally every question under the sun i haven't seen him since i was 6

sandwich.......... but hear me out. you can literally turn ANYTHING into a sandwich. salad sandwich......... pizza sandwich.......... burrito sandwich.......... sushi sandwich......... anythig constitutes as a sandwich

?????? what kind of whavk ass question

POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL POSTAL EEEEEEEEEEEE

shark :33 i love shark :33

stank ass pits

i just think dragons are really fucking cool :33

that scene is turning red where the main character's mom brings her fanart to show the fuckinnnnnnn convenience store worker that she has a crush on the fanart she drew of him 💀💀💀 literally had to pause the movie for 20 minutes to think about if it was really worth watching

uhmmm probably my ancient brokencyde cds

i've chipped one of my front teeth so many times that half the time it doesn't even look like it's there 💀💀 i am the one toothed wonder

never been to one

not in the mood to dwell rn :3

YOLOOOOOOO

all of my habits are strange i do everything in patterns (i am 99% sure i have ocd)

poofesure gameplays 💕💕

uhmmmmmm idkkkkkkkkkk :PPPPPPP

jerk off

making my own original music

idk but i bought this dope ass sonic hat earlier today it's fucking awesome

stupid poopy loser

prettyyyyyyy good B)) i think my relationship with my dad is a little better than my relationship with my mom

the bass

ramona flowers........ not in a manic pixie dream girl all the incels want me way, but in the we're both people who've made mistakes, tried to run from them, and are now trying to face them head on and be better people way

most country just does not float my boat like specifically MODERN country............ the older shit is super mega nostalgic for me cuz i grew up in the country

i would be too excited to experience fear like "OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT FUCKING CREATURE!!!!!" but the answer is probably ants because i am scared of ants :D

i think most people are overrated

silly blog :3 tell people my thoughts :3 hello world!!!!!!!!!! \(^_^)/

50 Q’s

1.) describe yourself through the eyes of a stranger? 2.) what is a quality you’d like to change about yourself? 3.) what is your worst potential fear for the future? 4.) which television series do you use as a form of escapism? 5.) share a secret about yourself? 6.) if you could choose any place in the world to visit, where would it be? why? 7.) what advice would you give your childhood self? 8.) describe how you envision your ideal life partner? 9.) what is your favorite environmental season? why? 10.) what’s one book you’d suggest every person should read? 11.) what is one song that’s able to bring you to tears? 12.) describe your best friend? 13.) what was the premise of your last dream? 14.) what’s your favorite warm beverage? 15.) name one musical album that greatly impacted your life? why? 16.) what’s your favorite form of flattery? 17.) what’s your favorite painting? and describe how it makes you feel? 18.) describe your personal style? 19.) what was the last concept that inspired you? 20.) who was your very first artistic inspiration? 21.) how long have you used tumblr for? how has your style changed over the years? 22.) what was your first cell phone? 23.) what is your favorite fruit flavor? 24.) whom would you resurrect from the afterlife? which 3 questions would you ask them? 25.) if you could choose only one meal to eat for the remainder of your life, which would you choose? 26.) which of the 7 deadly sins do you struggle with the most? and which the least? 27.) your latest obsession? and why? 28.) if you could domesticate any animal as your pet, which would you choose? 29.) what’s your least favorite smell? 30.) favorite mythological creature? and why? 31.) name a scene from a movie that makes you cringe? 32.) favorite piece of memorabilia you own? 33.) your personal favorite oddity about yourself? 34.) favorite concert/show you’ve attended? 35.) what’s one thing you would tell to the last person who betrayed you? 36.) your favorite mantra to live by? 37.) do you have any strange habits? 38.) what’s your favorite white-noise to fall asleep to? 39.) what is your favorite gemstone? why? 40.) how do you choose to cope when you’re upset? 41.) what are you currently trying to accomplish? 42.) what’s your favorite item you’ve purchased secondhand? 43.) describe your personality is only 3 words? 44.) how is your relationship with your parents? 45.) an instrument you aspire to learn how to play? 46.) relate yourself to one movie character? 47.) least favorite music genre? why? 48.) which animal would you be the most terrified to encounter? 49.) name a public figure you find to be overrated? why? 50.) what purpose do you get out of using tumblr?

[mattkenzie]

Listening to Wolf and Owl (Episode 9)

- I know that Owl introduces the podcast and Wolf closes the episode with his words of wisdom and a combination of a howl/hoot, it doesn’t need changing.

- Oh yeah, I gelled my hair when I was a teenager I made my hair spiky (Garnier Fructis Style Manga Putty) but as an adult I eventually use (Red One Hair Wax). I never understood the cheap blue, purple or green hair gel.

- (it makes me wonder about how anyone can notice strong smelling food like curry, but the person who cooks it never notices it?) Poor Owl getting dunked on at school, yes the comments were racist. “Let me help you help yourself self here,

- “I would suggest if you are an Asian kid going to a school that is predominantly white as this one is, try not to come in smelling like that, because you are only doing yourself a disservice.” —Romesh Ranganathan

- Wolf was talking about a broken tooth (I can remember when I had a duck wrap and I wasn’t sure if something was wrong until I was eating raw carrots so I had to get a silver filling, and years later I have a zirconia crown.)

- Owl shared that he is anxious about going to a dentist (yeah, everyone admits that, I do too).

- Classic Wolf, being too over friendly with the courier, but yes… our couriers and postal workers are the backbone of society.

- A pigeon is in the dentist on the dentist tray. 😂

- ASMR dentist 🤣

- 1000% No no no no, I don’t agree, I never liked the idea of 110%, you can give 100% and not more! I am siding with Owl with this one (Wolf 2-2 Owl) maybe it’s me being autistic but I never use numbers as a language, I can’t do “On a scale of 1 to 3” I may not put in 100% but I will put in the effort.

- So a listener made an essay on “The Little Mermaid: Stalker or Romantic?” 🧜‍♀️ the topic is about Tom getting in touch with people and his fans which got started when Tom was watching Married at First Sight (Australia), I agree Tom which is a good analogy (of taking a risk) but the reason why I agree with Romesh (who I gave the point to) is Ariel is a stalker, it serves as a cautionary tale for Tom. Don’t meet your celebrity idol or crush, because they’ll leave you for a sea witch.

- Owl is watching Married At First Sight: Australia and is asking questions about how the show works. (Both parties the husband and the wife have to agree if the marriage isn’t working for them).

- Wolf was watching Great British Bake Off as a pallet cleanser.

- Yeah, lad’s nights are the worst! One of the contestants doesn’t drink.

- I love how Wolf (Tom) loves the name Jeremiah and now Zack. (But I began to say RomTom) Anyway because Owl was a school teacher he would have names he doesn’t like because of how that person behaves. I can’t see Tom being a Zack.

- Kieran Hawks (Best name!) according to Tom.

- Toenails in the cup holders! 🤢

[ilikereadingactually]

A Little Like Waking

A Little Like Waking by Adam Rex

i adore Adam Rex with my whole heart so i had a feeling i was gonna love this one, and my feeling was right!! from page one reading this was like curling up in a warm bed, a relief to be in the hands of a wordsmith and a delight to just be sucked in for a while. it's a perfect combo of hilarity and fresh, surprising prose with a surreal storyline that brought me back to beloved media of my childhood like The Phantom Tollbooth and Labyrinth and The Point! and The NeverEnding Story--plus the kind of very sweet, soft, tender romance that can only happen between two people having the weirdest adventure possible. yk that feeling when you're waking up from a dream and realizing that nothing happening in it makes any sense, but in the dream it was completely ordinary? this whole book feels like that, as it should, because it's about two teens realizing they're in a dream, or maybe in a story, and trying to find the way out.

Zelda is so incredibly charming! Patches the talking cat is the ideal animal companion! Langston is the sweetest boy to ever boy! and i adored every wacky side character, from Clara the postal worker and Erx the wizard to the laundromat clown and the giant duck. all of this is made infinitely more wonderful by Rex's illustrations, which have always delighted me and continue to do so, giving visual life to the comedic weirdness of the dreamscape.

and as with every book that lives in my heart, i wept with my whole crinkled up face at the end. i'm so mad i didn't get to meet Adam Rex when i was a bookseller, i desperately want to hang out with him for a while.

the deets

how i read it: an e-galley from NetGalley, and i'm definitely buying this one for my home library when it comes out!!

try this if you: dig a knowingly surreal setting, are charmed by nerds, delight in wordplay, or want to actually laugh out loud a lot

some lines i really liked: i bookmarked so many pages for this section as i was reading and it felt criminal narrowing it to these two selections

You think you know this next part--you've seen it before. She'll tell herself she was hearing things, maybe, that it was all in her head.

But no, actually--she just forgets. It sinks back below the surface like a dream. Her mind idles; her head is a quiet house. She stares absently like people do in the early morning, and tries to think about what she'd been thinking about.

The grass grows a little. Fat, dirigible bees mess around in the flower bed.

She gives her head a toss--Whatever, it couldn't be that important.

---

An epic brawl is breaking out by the fountain in the center of the circle. The wassailers in particular seem to have a lot of bad blood between them, and now they kick and pitch, punch and piledrive.

"They're not so much wassailing as assailing," Zelda says proudly, but nobody hears her.

pub date: August 1, 2023!

[hangingslothcentral]

Hello folks who enjoy TMA and WTNV, do you crave more audio content that is gay and spooky?

I have some recommendations for you!

@hellofromthehallowoods is a multilayered spooky narrative set in a sinister forest with a huge range of LGBTQ+ storythreads which weave in and out of one another. There are 85 episodes at time of writing and the fandom has been screaming about some of the most recent ones, and for good reason. There are transcripts on their website. Each episode has its own lovely artwork, and a patreon-exclusive bonus story.

@thenightpost tells the tale of conscripted postal workers in the strange setting of Gilt City, feat. a lot of queer love and found family. There are 38 episodes currently available and they're about halfway through Season Three at the moment. The plot is definitely thickening. Transcripts are linked from every episode in the shownotes. Their patreon offers early access to new episodes and some wonderful bonus stories.

@monstrousagonies is an advice show for monsters. enough said. but for good measure, it's softly spooky and has a lot of heart. There are 43 (edit: there are 71 I just can't read apparently sorry!) episodes already released, and many of them are written in response to prompts sent in by listeners to the show. The creator opens up submissions for episode prompts now and then, and submissions will be opening for Season Three fairly soon, so if you have a monstrous agony you'd like to see advised upon, keep your eyes peeled. Transcripts are available on the show website and they have a patreon!

There is also our own show, @spiritboxradio, the story of an unlikely radio show host who discovers he has a bigger part to play in the spooky events unfolding around them. The show is full of queer characters and aims for a growing sense of spookiness that builds as the show goes on. There are 69 (heh) episodes currently live and listenable, and you can get early access via our patreon, plus bonus content every Friday, including bonus stories, Creator's Notes, and a monthly behind-the-scenes podcast. Transcripts for every episode are available on our website.

All of these shows are made by LGBTQ+ folks. They're available on most places you find your podcasts. Is one of these shows not available on the platform you prefer? Drop an ask in our boxes and see if we might be able to change that.

[coupleofdays]

Speaking of which, it was only recently that I realized Yori's amazing double entendre in the famous deleted love scene:

She explains how they might reach the I/O Tower while moving her hands along Tron's circuits, slowly going downwards, towards the... ahem, Tower. It's interesting that the video abruptly cuts off just as it might get a little hot and heavy. I wonder if there's additional footage that Disney haven't seen fit to release (aside from the cute "morning after" scene)?

And while we're on the subject, I want to mention that while it's never been confirmed officially, there's apparently a rumor that the reason why Flynn is wearing a toga is because the tights were a little too revealing on Jeff Bridges in particular, specifically his, ahem, data package.

Oh, and what has been confirmed, in the making-of documentary for the film, is that the actors had to wear belts that were a little too tight (Jeff Bridges actually compares them to g-strings), so that it became a running gag among the guys.

"How's the belt today, Bruce?"

"Little tight, little tight."

So let us pour one out for these brave young men, who, much like the heroic postal workers, went through many hardships to deliver packages.

A production pic of Tron's scene in the I/O tower.

MY GOODNESS, BRUCE'S SUIT IS SO REVEALING. I don't think they meant THAT output tower.

[beesmygod]

Hello, do u have any game recommendations for the steam winter sale? If not don’t worry. Have a nice day!

what a sweet question...my recommendations are going to suck so sorry ahead of time

dark souls remastered - $19.99 / dark souls 3 - $14.99 : you know what these are. i still think the remaster price is bullshit. that's a good price for 3 tho.

sekiro - $29.99 : this game took a long time to grow on me but man. it fucking rules.

fallout new vegas ultimate - $7.99 : the good bethesda game not made by bethesda. a steal for a game that i dropped a ton of time into over the years. for some reason it just kept pulling me back in! it's just kinda fun to explore, you know.

morrowind GOTY edition - $4.59 : god i love morrowind. uh, once i modded it to hell and back lol. the base game is not very playable. but once you fix all that shit my god its easily my favorite bethesda game. it has absolute faith in the player to fucking figure shit out and doesn't give you waypoints. instead you have to ask around and get directions! they have not and will never make a world this weird again. you ride around on giant insects and explore cities with bizarro architecture that's easy to get lost in. you meet living gods and dunmer who have gaping holes in their faces and empty skulls. the fauna are fucking dinosaurs. its so fucking good. AND everyone fucking HATES YOU LMFAO. EVERYONE. absolutely no one wants you to be the chosen one. its great.

oblivion GOTY edition deluxe - $5.99 : morrowind's much much dumber brother. hysterically bad at times. breaks in the funniest ways. install mods so it breaks more often. one time i walked into a village and everyone was t posing outside and slowly slid to the left through houses and barns and shit until they disappeared into a mountain. just wonderful.

dishonored definitive edition - $4.99 / dishonoured 2 deluxe bundle - $11.99 : extremely fun series where you get to teleport around and kill people. takes itself very seriously which makes it all the more charming lol. it feels good to play, you know.

opus magnum - $9.99 : i still havent finished this puzzle game because its hard but like. good hard. reminds me of the difficulty of 90s puzzle games that were geared toward adults.

two point hospital - $8.74 : this is just the base game bc the price for everything is completely out of pocket. this is a hospital sim game. run your hospital. hire your staff. build your rooms. try not to kill people. don't go bankrupt. good luck!

disco elysium - $17.99 : you know what this is.

girls like robots - $3.49 : a little puzzle game that scratches an itch ive been drastically trying to scratch. you can pick up and put down quickly. i like it

sunless sea - $6.45 : taking place in the world of the browser game "fallen london", you pilot a ship and manage your sanity, HP and food meters while out at sea. slowly reveal the map, find ways to make money by determining the best trade routes, and meddle in everyone's affairs. everyone's. the fellas at the salt lions will trade with you until the supply dries up and the fed-up postal workers have their own very insular culture that doesn't involve you and the polythreme causes all inanimate to become alive. all of them. pretty neat.

civ 6 anthology - $29.88 : ugghhhhhh 30 dollars?! in this economy?! damn you sid meiers and your stupid piecemeal dlc releases. you might as well get the full bundle bc the base game is unplayable. they shipped half a game. this pissed me off so much next time im pirating. good game tho.

pathologic 2 - $9.79 : maybe a little too close to reality right now but it is one of the best games ive ever played. feel free to play it on any difficulty option (this game is notorious for its perceived difficulty) but know that you're supposed to die and fail repeatedly. you cannot save them all. you won't save them all. maybe on the next playthrough, you can take what you've learned, try again.

planescape: torment - $5.99 : i played this ancient game this year and had an absolute blast with it lol. despite knowing nothing about the lore of the world, i managed to get sucked in to this really weird place the game dropped me in and quickly caught up on all the details.

sleeping dogs - $2.99 : neo-noir mystery set in hong kong. you play an undercover cop trying to infiltrate a gang so the game has you working both criminal stuff and police work at the same time. neat concept. funny on purpose at times. but my god the ending is disappointing lol. im telling you now to spare you the "that's it?!" feeling

saints row 4 game of the century edition - $4.99 : deeply stupid game. the johnny gat DLC is supposed to be terrible. the christmas one was a hoot. its mindless.

SOMA - $4.49 : philosophical horror game about consciousness. i dont know if there's a way to describe it without sounding pretentious. the way the player choices are utilized is the best way ive seen in a game so far since it reaches past the character youre playing to you, the player. highly recommend to play the mode where the monsters dont kill you. i fucking hate frictional games' gameplay. its wretched stuff. plus the monsters are pretty cool lol i liked looking at them

star wars knights of the old republic 1 & 2 - $3.49 : these games are worth exactly this much. the first one is one of the stupidest games ive ever played in my entire life and i dont think ive laughed so much. its like a b-movie in game form. its a riot, its just not good. the second one is made by obsidian and NEEDS!!! the patch!!!! to be a fully playable game. with the restored content its not half bad and the writing still drops into b-level territory delightfully.

[kayssweetdreams]

A Wonderous Christmas

Timeville loves a good holiday, whether it be the world's biggest Easter egg hunt, to The ultimate Halloween-fest, they always manage to have the biggest holiday spirit. However, the holiday that they seem to have the most excitement for, the time that everyone looks forward too, is that of Christmas.

The hustle and bustle in town as filled with many workers preparing various decorations to cover the town, or shoppers looking for that perfect gift to bring to their special someone. The smell of peppermint and Gingerbread filled the air while the falling of snow floated in tune with Christmas carols.

A postal truck could be seen zooming down the icy streets, rushing to its destination. "Coming through!! Light delivery!!" The postman shouted, avoiding the various people and piles of snow. Where is he going in such a hurry you may ask? Well, that would be to the Azure Isle, the location of the Bruno Household.

Sliding down the hills, the postman just BARELY made it to the mansion, to an awaiting Stefan Bruno. "Wow! 2 minutes early!" He joked before giving him a hand "You have no idea! These things are HEAVY!! Why do you need so many?" He asked. Stefan gave a chuckle "Well, the house isn't going to decorate itself." He said, pointing to the large property coated in snow, and half decorated with various lights.

Thea Bruno came out, a few more decoration boxes she was holding. "Stefan Dear? Could you please come grab these real quick?" She asked. Stefan immediately ran to help his wife. "Here we go dear, I'll handle the decorating on the roof. And speaking of which, Where is our daughter?" He asked.

Thea gave a knowing smile "You know where she is, she went with her friends to the mall." She said. "She wants to find the PERFECT present. Even though she doesn't know what exactly that is yet." She said. Stefan smirked, they both know that their daughter loved to shop. "Hey Thea, Look what we're standing under." He said, pointing up.

Thea saw that they were standing underneath someone mistletoe...and Stefan gave a flirty look. "Oh Come here you!" She said, pulling him closer as they shared their Christmas smooch.

Meanwhile, In Wonderworld...

While Timeville was filled with holiday induced enthusiam, Wonderworld was practically overflowing with the Christmas spirit. The theater was decked out in the most beautiful Christmas decorations you've ever seen, as the sound of a entire orchestra was heard blasting out full force, Christmas carols in Balanese.

The Tims could be seen hopping behind the positive Maestro, all of them now had a little Christmas accessory on, whether it be a little sprig of Holly, or Reindeer antlers, they all hopped behind their equally festive maestro.

Balan picked up a small white Tim with a black top hat, making it look like a snowman "Oh I just love the holidays! They bring me with so much cheer! And soon, Christmas will be here!" He cheered, booping the Tim on the nose. The Tim gave a happy chirp, before it hopped down with its siblings.

Balan smiled at the positivity emanating from the Tims, before he felt a somewhat neutral presence behind him "Oh Balan, You say that every year, how the holidays always fill you with cheer" Lance said, his own suit being more festive as well.

Balan just gave his normal large grin as he wrapped an arm around Lance "Oh Lance, Where's your Christmas spirit? The holidays are for everyone! There's no reason to fear it!" He boasted, the light seemingly getting brighter with Balan close to them. Lance just simply removed Balan's gloved hand from his shoulder "Balan, Every year it's the same. You throw your party, and go all out with no shame." He said.

Balan waggled his finger at Lance "Oh but you forget, we ditched the status quo! After all, the inhabitants and Wonder Stars are coming, my tentacled Foe!" He reminded. Lance rolled his eyes and was about to retort, when an Air Cat, who's fur resembled a white cat came out "Balan! The food for the party is almost done if you and Lance would like to sample them!" She said, holding up a tray with Gingerbread cookies, that resembled the Tims, Negati and costumes.

The scent of the cookies got to the both of the maestros noses, a smile gracing both of their faces "I could do with one or two, Lance? How about you?" Balan asked, only to see the dark Maestro already biting down on a Ghostlii shaped cookie "These are splendid! Truly well done! I suppose that I can have more than one?" He asked. Balan and the Air Cat laughed at Lance's love of Gingerbread "of course! Right this way!" She said, leading the two into kitchen to try more Christmas treats for their holiday soirée

Happy Holidays everyone! Here's a Christmas gift from me to you, A holiday tale true and true! Now the story is getting started, so join in! Grab a seat! This is one holiday story that can't be beat!

[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] Event | A Postman Delivering Your Feelings | Episode 5

*Page turns*

Tasuku: …

Misumi: Ah, Tasuku~. Are you reading the script?

Tasuku: Yeah. I wanted to figure out what was bothering me during the morning rehearsal.

Misumi: I see. I was gonna practice on my own later too.

Misumi: Since the theme of the upcoming event is “To Your Loved Ones…” and there’s the scene in the play where the brothers send letters to each other, y’know?

Tasuku: What about that?

Misumi: When I was reading the script and acting it out, it made me wanna write a letter to Madoka too~.

Tasuku: That’s fair, talking about this stuff does give out a newfound appreciation for letters. If you want to write a letter to him, why don’t you do that, Ikaruga?

Misumi: I mean, I guess I could…

Misumi: (But when I wrote to Gramps last time, I knew I wouldn’t get a response…)

Misumi: (I’m still kinda worried about writing him a letter ‘cause I was really sad when I didn’t get a reply…)

Misumi: Hey, hey, when you were reading the script, did it make you wanna write a letter to your older brother Fuyuki, Tasuku?

Tasuku: Nah… I personally didn’t particularly want to.

Misumi: Oh, okay~. Have you written letters to Fuyuki before?

Tasuku: I guess I might’ve written one to him when we were kids, but… As far as I can remember, I’ve never written a letter to my brother.

Tasuku: If I do talk to him, it’s only by LIME or calling him.

Misumi: Have you ever thought about writing him one?

Tasuku: Not really. He’s busy, and I don’t really talk to him frequently either.

Tasuku: So I wouldn’t even think of writing him one. Nowadays, we don’t really do things together as often as you and your brother do, Ikaruga.

Tasuku: I’m not really sure how to word it, but we’re just not the kind of brothers that send letters to each other.

Misumi: There’s all different kinds of brothers. But you and your brother seem like you get along well, Tasuku~!

Tasuku: Well, I guess we’re not on bad terms or anything.

Tasuku: I don’t know what you’re hesitant about, but… If you want to write a letter to your brother, I think you should, Ikaruga.

Tasuku: I’m sure he’d be happy to get a letter from you.

Misumi: Yeah, you’re right. I’ll write a letter to Madoka after the event is over…

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Tsuzuru: Huh, there’s all kinds of stationary and goods lined up here. There’s everything from cute stuff to mature stuff.

Guy: Yes, it’s quite fun just to see.

Supervisor: You’re MANKAI Company, right? Thank you so much for accepting our request.

Supervisor: We look forward to working with you today.

Izumi: Likewise, we’re glad to be working with you.

Troupe Members: We’ll do our best!

Supervisor: Allow me to quickly explain the kind of customer service you’ll be doing at each booth. Please follow me this way.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakyo: It’s almost time for the mall to open. Are we ready?

Yuki: Obviously.

Masumi: I’m ready.

Izumi: Then everyone please go to your stations. I’ll also be going around all the booths, so just let me know if you need anything.

Tsuzuru: Takato-san, Ikaruga-san, and I are in charge of the sales booth first. Let’s do our best to serve the customers while following the examples of the postal workers.

Misumi: ‘Kaaay! Let’s do our best!

Tasuku: Yeah, let’s do it.

Guest A: Hello. I’d like this letter set.

Postal Worker: Welcome. This animal letter set, right? Would you like to use it at the letter booth?

Misumi: Hello! These two letter sets? Do you wanna use them at the letter booth?

Misumi: Okay, I’ll only put one of them in a bag then~.

Tasuku: Since it’s summer now, how about this postcard that’s refreshing to look at?

Guest B: Waah, that’s so pretty! I’ll take that one!

Tsuzuru: Who are you planning on sending this to? …Ahh, then if it’s for an elderly person, these traditional Japanese patterned ones are a popular choice.

Guest C: Ohh, there are a lot of traditional Japanese patterned ones. They’re such calm patterns, they all look wonderful.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Masumi: You can write your letters at the letter booth over here. Please feel free to use it.

Guy: We have free stationary and envelopes. If you’d like to use other patterns, please feel free to purchase them at the sales booth.

Guest C: You even have free stationery? I think I’ll write one then.

Masumi: Then please use this table over here. Feel free to use the pens.

Guest D: Hey, since we’re here, why don’t we write letters to our oshis too?

Guest E: Yeah, and it looks like they even have pens to borrow! I wonder which stationary I should use~.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakyo: At this capsule toy booth, everyone gets to try a capsule toy once for free.

Yuki: There’s lots of cute things to win. Feel free to give it a try.

Child: Mama! I wanna try!

Mother: Alright, you can try it once.

Yuki: Okay, then just pull this lever to try.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: (Since the venue is a shopping mall, lots of people came as families. It’s really refreshing to see.)

Izumi: (But all the booths seem to be pretty busy. The guys are all used to doing customer service, so it seems to be going fine.)

Izumi: (Let’s keep up this energy and finish strong with our performance.)

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] [ 💌 ] [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[imaginewriting1]

100-99

Ariana Grande x youtuber!reader

Part 8.5 of "positions"

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5.5 (1) | 5.5 (2) | 5.5.5 | 6 | 7 | 7.5 | 8

“Thank god for postal workers.” 

Ariana had been keeping track of the parcel religiously, planning for you to be at her place on the day it was going to arrive. So there you were, sitting on her bed, watching as she tore open the cardboard box, like a kid with a pile of birthday gifts. You were just as excited as she was, but you kept it to yourself, content with watching her inspect her new toys with enthusiasm. 

“Ooh, which do we try out first?” She thrust two items into your vision - one you identified as a vibrator and a strap-on. 

“Whatever you like.” You answered with a straight face, rummaging through the box to find the item you bought after Ariana had her turn.

“Great, let’s get right into it.”

It was awkward at first - with the pause that came after she utter those words. Her eagerness both eased and terrified you, knowing what was to come, so to speak. 

To calm yourself and prepare for the inevitable, you distracted yourself by clearing the scattered packages from the bed. When you carried the box to the corner of her room, you discovered that she was nowhere in sight. 

“Ariana?” You thought out loud, wondering where she had gone. The click of the bathroom door handle caught your attention. She emerged, wearing nothing but black lace and a smile. All the effort you did to keep your heart still was in vain. You couldn’t even look away like you always did, or tried to anyway.

“Do you like it?” She asked, despite the redundancy of it when the answer was written all over your face. Your arms raised impulsively, prompting her to step in between them. The material caressed your palms smoothly. As much as you loved it, they’ll never be better than her skin. 

“I do. But I think it’ll look better on the floor.” You felt Ariana shudder under your words, and you felt something akin to pride. ‘“Let me help you out of it.” You sent a quick thanks to whoever designed it - making it fall off her seamlessly.

Her tattoos came into full view. You wanted to appreciate them but you don’t think it’s the right time to do so. Before you could carry her to bed, she stopped you.

She fiddled the hem of your shirt, “It’s your turn now.” You really had no excuse not to let her lift it above your head, not when she had bare herself for you. Besides, she had seen this part of you before, so it’s not as daunting when you find yourself shirtless. “Do you want to keep this on?” Ariana’s fingers played with the strap of your bra.

“Yeah.” You nodded. “I’ll go change my underwear.” With that, you slipped past her into the bathroom. You returned nervously, with one hand holding your pants and the other covering your new boxer brief harness unconsciously. Ariana only smiled as she took your hand, after you spent more time than necessary draping your pants on an armchair, pulling you towards the bed. While you were gone, she had taken the initiative to place the toy she wanted to try neatly on the nightstand. 

It was the strap-on she picked out earlier; a smooth pink thing that weighed nicely in your hands. You placed it back down, coughing out softly, “How do you want to do it?”

You had some idea of how it would go, of course, since you were no stranger to sex. However, today was going to be different. It was the first time you’ll be incorporating toys into the act with Ariana. That was something new, the act of using a strap on her. There would be an added layer of intimacy and vulnerability, as you were going to be more involved, in a way. 

Ariana, perched on the bed with her legs crossed, looked up at you through hooded eyelids. “Anything you like,” her voice was as light as air. 

So you do the only thing you know best, falling to your knees. You guided her legs over each of your shoulders after placing your glasses neatly on the bedside table. Your lips ghosted over her skin lightly at first, leaving goosebumps in their wake. You added pressure gradually, over all of her sensitive spots like tracing constellations in the night sky. With your vision covered, all you felt was her unyielding fingers tugging your hair and her bare heels digging dents into your back. It wasn’t long until she let you out of her hold, pushing you away weakly. 

You wiped your face before searching for your glasses and putting them back on. Giving Ariana some time to collect herself, you pick up the toy from the nightstand. You have it a quick rinse with soap in the bathroom before drying it. 

With the sanitation done, you remembered the bottle of lube you got and went to find it. It was hiding in the corner of the parcel, where you fished it out from.  

Returning to Ariana with the items in hand, you wet your lips before speaking. “Are you still up for this?” 

“If it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.” Her conviction dismissed the last of your insecurities. You returned your attention to the toy, angling away to make an attempt of attaching it to the harness. You felt her tugging at your waistband, “I want to see.”

You faced her sheepishly, “It looks a little weird but-”

“It doesn’t. I think it looks good on you.”

You muttered a flustered ‘thanks’ as she wrapped her legs around your waist, pulling you closer. “Wait.” You said, fumbling with the bottle cap.

Ariana chuckled as she plucked it out of your hands. “I don’t think we need it, given how well you did earlier.” Your cheeks warmed at the compliment. “But if you insist…”

You observed as she turned the cap with ease, dribbling the toy with a good amount of lubricant before slicking it all up expertly with her hands. You didn’t need a mirror to tell you how dark your pupils must be at the sight, not with heat pooling deep in your gut. She tossed the bottle behind her when she was satisfied. “There, now we can begin.”

The both of you trod further up the bed, sheets rippling as both of you stopped in the middle. She flitted around you, trying out different positions. You coughed out your suggestion after a few attempts of trying to fit each other like puzzle pieces. “How do you… should you- I think it’s easiest if you are on top.”

Ariana seemed to agree, swinging a leg across your stomach, her knees steadying beside your hips. “Ready?” She asked after your back rested on a pile of pillows. You could only nod as she aligned the toy toward her.

You watched with wonder as she sank down onto you, slow and languid, pulling you in until she was filled to the brim. It took all of your self-control to not take charge like you always do at her request. Instead, you take your time to study the way her eyes rolled and her back arched. 

She moved again, and you matched her movements as well as you could. Your hands anchored her waist down while your hips rose up to meet her, like waves lapping against the shore. 

“Ari, does this feel good?” You asked in between choppy breaths, fighting against the fire pooling in the pits of your stomach. 

“Yes,” She breathed out. “Right there.” It wasn’t long before gasps and pants mixed with the smell of salt on her skin, in the air. One particular hard landing almost sent you reeling. With the sharp moan she emitted, resembling something like “I’m close”, you knew she was at the edge too. The fact made you double down on your efforts, causing Ariana to press her chest against yours. Her body was as pliant as seaweed in a current when you change the rhythm to relentless and rough. 

That was enough to evoke a cry out of Ariana, a puff of hot air on the spot of your throat: “God, don’t pull out.”

Her words - the insinuation - opened up a floodgate in you. It’s not like you could anyway, with her hips welded with yours. Relief came crashing down, like tsunami tides do, swallowing you whole. The pleasure was almost unbearable, like the need to breathe after being submerged in water for three minutes.

“Was that as good for you as it was for me?” Ariana’s voice pierced through the bliss like sunbeam into sea waves. You let out an intelligible mumble into the side of her neck, completely wiped out. She responded with breathy giggles, as melodious as a siren’s song. “We should have done this sooner.” You don’t think were as drawn to her as you were now, but it could just be your libido talking. 

-

You decided to take a shower. The idea was more spontaneous for Ariana, who only entered the bathroom after watching you clean the toy meticulously in the sink. When you were finished washing it, you found Ariana standing behind the glass door. You didn’t know she wanted you to join her until you saw the suggestive quirk of her eyebrow.

If she noticed the slight stall before you removed your underwear, she didn’t comment on it. Instead, she asked, after adjusting the tap to the shower head: “Is the temperature okay?”

“It’s perfect.” You assured her, after checking it with the back of your hand. She gave you a warm smile as you huddled closer under the waterfall. You tried not to wax poetry about the way water droplets cascade down her hair and cling to her skin, but you were only human. So naturally, you would like to appreciate the beauty and have it committed to memory. 

Despite your glasses being on the soap holder, in the proximity, you could see Ariana’s tattoos in clear detail. Some were self-explanatory but there are a few which intrigued you. You recognized Chihiro from Spirited Away on her arm, a character you loved as well.

“Like what you see?” Her voice startled you into looking up, causing you to jerk away in realization at a lack of distance. 

“Oh- I’m sorry,” You coughed, embarrassed at getting caught staring, “I’m just admiring how well the tattoo was drawn.”

“I would hope so since I paid good money for it.” You watched with half-averted eyes as Ariana turned off the tap and turned around, looking over her shoulders. “I’ll accept your apology if you wash my back.” 

Without a word, you grabbed a loofah and slathered it with soap - a bigger bottle than the one you had at home. After moving her hair to the front, you glide the loofah over the smooth expanse of her spine, reading the tattooed quotes before they get covered with bubbles. 

“Is that quote from Breakfast at Tiffany’s?” You pressed a finger at the back of her neck, before moving it to her shoulder. “And this from The Truman Show?”

Your words were met with silence, making you wonder if she heard you.

“Ariana?”

“Y-yeah. Have you watched them too?”

“I did.” You replied, absentmindedly nudging her shoulder after you were done washing her back. She took the hint and turned to face you. You began soaping yourself up as well but were brought to an abrupt stop when she held your wrist.

“Can I wash your back too?” 

It was a request you’d never heard of before, but there was a first time for everything. “Okay.”

Your eyes fixated on a white tiled wall after Ariana turned you around. You felt the rough texture of the loofah and the coolness of shower gel dancing across your skin. The scent was sweet like a flower garden; you had a thought of how you were going to smell like her.

The sound of scrubbing was only broken after a moment. “You should get a tattoo.” Her statement was punctuated by the resumption of the sound.

Even though there was a first time for everything, getting a tattoo wasn’t one of them for you. Unsure of how you were going to voice this opinion without coming off as rude, you retort with a joke instead. “Is that some kind of friendship ritual?” 

Ariana doesn’t take the bait, turning your body to face her. “I think you’ll look great with them.” Ariana supplied, scanning your body like she was picturing you with one. You felt the heat rushing to your cheeks like sunburn, folding your arms consciously. You didn’t return her gaze, seemingly more interested in the corner of the ceiling.

“Maybe I'll get a temporary one.” You laughed nervously, “I don’t really want to experience the pain or the fear of regret.”

“That’s a good idea, they’ll last quite a while too,” She mused, “We can get matching ones. What do you think?”

While you never want to get real ones, that doesn't mean you had never thought about it. “I quite like angel wings? We can put on half a pair each. Similar to the one you had in your left ear.”

“Oh! I like that. Let’s find a design we both like.”

With newly founded enthusiasm, the both of you quickly washed up and dried off. You spend the rest of the afternoon scrolling through the internet. With Ariana’s experience, both of you found one that was satisfactory. You ended up deciding to get a bunch of other designs too, due to the both of you getting carried away with the joys of shopping and the thrill of trying something new.

This time, Ariana showed you the power of connections. With one phone call, the tattoo sticker sheets arrived at her doorstep in less than two hours, in the hands of her assistant.

Ariana sat across you on the bed, with the tattoo stickers between the both of you. The both of you sorted through them - besides the wings, there were common tattoo designs like space-themed stars and planets, animals, flowers, and a variety of symbols.

The angel wings turned out to be bigger than you thought, almost half the size of your back. After separating the pair of wings neatly in half with scissors, you help to put it on Ariana’s back as per the instructions given.

The bathrobe slipped from her shoulders as she shrugged it off, granting you access to her back. You peeled off the plastic wrap before pressing the tattoo down smoothly.

“Your turn,” Ariana singsonged in excitement. The positions between both of you switched. You sat cross-legged with your back facing her. A ruffling sound could be heard from behind before you felt it stick to you. Even with the plastic sticker sheet in between her palms and your skin, you could feel the warmth radiating from them as they ironed down the tattoo. “All done. Now we just have to wait an hour before peeling the rest of the plastic off.”

You acknowledged with a small hum, carefully putting back your robe on. “Should we do the smaller tattoos as well?” You suggested, not forgetting the other designs you wanted to stick on your skin. Since you were going for one, might as well go all out.

“Why not,” Ariana returned to her spot in front of you, perusing through the various stickers. “Which one do you want?” 

You went for the ones that stood out to you the most: a shield with adorning flowers, a smattering of stars observed by an astronaut, and a wave towering over Mount Fuji drawn in Japanese-style art. 

Satisfied with your selection, you studied Ariana as she sifted through the pile, settling on an intricate outline of a butterfly, a string of perfectly aligned planets, and a sun setting over a horizon.

With Ariana’s help, you managed to have the astronaut inked on the inside of your left wrist and the other two on both of your arms, placed in a way that would have them hidden in shirt sleeves. Unlike you, she had no qualms in showing off her butterfly. However, she kept the planets and the sun lined in her inner thighs. You felt a small amount of gratification in the fact that you were the only one who knew of their existence. 

While waiting for the ink to fully soak into your skin, you thought of drying your hair so your shirt won’t get wet when you wear it later. “Ariana, can I borrow a hairdryer?”

“There’s one in the bathroom. Top drawer on the left.” 

You found it easily with her instructions, before locating a power socket near the bed and plugging it in. Sitting back down, you dried your hair until you were certain it didn't wet your back. While you were about to return the hairdryer, you noticed Ariana playing with her phone idly, her hair still wrapped up tightly in a towel. “Hey, do you want me to dry your hair?”

She looked up at you for a moment, “Okay.” 

You placed the hairdryer down, freeing up your hand to unfurl her towel gently. Her locks fell her back in strands as you picked up the dryer. Turning it on at the lowest setting, you point it at the inches intertwined with your fingers. You combed through them carefully, not wanting to cause any unnecessary painful tugs.  Besides the whirring sound and the occasional dog barks, you enjoyed the companionable silence, putting all your focus into completing your task at hand.

Time passed unknowingly before you switched off the dryer, signaling to Ariana that her hair was finally dry. She didn't move at first, and you saw how stiff her shoulders looked. They relaxed suddenly, and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “Should we check on the tattoos now?”

Your words seemed to pull Ariana out of her reverie. “Oh right, we should.”

Ariana presented her back to you once again as you peeled the remaining plastic wrap off. It looked super cool, exactly how you had imagined it. She had the same thought too when she asked: “How does it look? I wanna see.” 

“Give me a minute.” You went fishing your phone out from the back pocket of your pants. The camera app was tapped open as you made your way back to the bed. She had her robe removed. You took a quick snap before handing it to her. “Here.”

You watched Ariana as she scrutinized the picture. “It came out great.” 

“It is beautiful,” You agreed, after taking a second glance at the screen when she returned your phone back. You don’t forget to delete it, albeit reluctantly, counting on your memory to retain the view.

“Let’s see yours too.” She piped, prompting you to pass your phone to her again. However, she reached for her own before situating herself behind you. She tugged lightly on the collar of your robe as you loosened the knot on the belt. You shivered a little, but it wasn’t from the cold, not when the heater was working perfectly. 

The soft click of the shutter could be heard after a second. You felt the weight of Ariana’s right arm on your shoulder as her phone entered your peripheral vision. “It looks amazing on you. I would totally believe that you are an angel.”

You had to admit, she was right. The left side of the wing looked realistic, and you felt satisfaction fluttering onto your face as a smile. You felt like you should have gotten a full-size pair of wings that covered your entire back, for added realism. It was a good idea to get temporary tattoos after all. “Let’s check out the rest.”

Like the wing, they printed beautifully on your skin, yours to keep like a carefully concealed secret for two weeks. You now knew how addictive the feeling of having something you want without suffering any of the consequences could be. 

AN: early access to later chapters on my ko-fi page. Also feel free to DM or ask anonymously for any questions.