#shame the sequel wasn't good

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: [REC]

After talking about Paranorman last week I feel a hankering for some more in the world of the spooky, and so I figured it was time to talk about one of my favorite scary movies, certainly the one that has the best track record at scaring the utter bejeezus out of me, the Spanish found footage film [REC]

TV Journalist Angela Vidal and her trusty cameraman Pablo are filming a Human Interest story about the life of firemen on night watch when the emergency services are called to assist an old woman who has fallen in her home. Hoping for a slight touch of action to the otherwise painfully boring footage, Angela and Pablo tag along to the apartment complex where the rest of the movie takes place. Unfortunately for them, by the time they get there the old woman is dead, the exit is sealed by the government shortly after their arrival, and to make it all worse said old woman refuses to actually stay dead.

Now, Found Footage is an oft-maligned subgenre, and I will concede that many of its criticisms are valid. Shaky camera and characters too scared and cinema verite-incoherent to explain what the hell is going on can wallpaper over subpar effects and incoherent writing and the by now beyond cliche ending of whatever beastie is out hunting amateur filmmakers or journalists lunging at the cameraman isn't as satisfying as the first five or so times we saw that. Still. [REC] makes it work, and I think there are a couple of reasons for it.

First of all, the main characters are professionals. Pablo wields a heavier, more stable camera than the handheld camcorders that are often the POV in these things, and his skills and experience compels him to keep striving to keep a more or less readable picture until shit has well and truly hit the fan. Similarly, Angela's journalistic instincts wake up in a big way under the unusual threat and the mad scramble to get to safety as the firefighters and tenants fall to the intensely aggressive rabies-like disease that makes them turn on their fellows. Her ongoing narration and commentary on their situation also help bridge gaps in the narrative and provide a small, but important jolt of characterization. Her attitude also does a good job of justifying the movie going on. When all is said and done, she is a journalist, and what's going on with her may be terrifying, but it is also capital N-News. As she herself says close to the movie's final crisis point "We have to tape everything, Pablo, for fuck's sake."

Perhaps the best part about [REC] is how perfect the movie's sense of timing is and how it capitalizes on the verisimilitude offered by the camera pov style. Sudden jumpscares do not come in the form of cinematic build up and scare stings but in the middle of an otherwise normal-ass scene where something unexpected and frightening will happen at a point where your mind has kind of assumed this scene's just a breather scene or is secretly delivering you some exposition when WHAM!

My favorite of these scares is just so insidiously effective that it has gotten me every single time I've watched the movie. The scene in question where our heroes use their camera, now the only light they have access to, to scout out a potential escape. Despite knowing the type of scene before I even saw it and expecting a scare to come out of left field either before or after I expect it, the scare still hits me like a damn train. It could be that the filmmakers hold back, almost to the degree where you end up wondering if it's misdirection and that the real scare will be when the camera is pulled back when WHAM, you get got by the simplest conceptual scare possible, there's something scary and grody-looking in your attic and it fucking GETS you.

REC isn't one of those movies that I have zero complaints about, there's a kind of out-of-left-field twist to what exactly is going on that feels more like sequel bait than part of a cohesive story. There are also perhaps more moving parts to this apartment building than feels entirely plausible and one or two scenes that don't quite hit the mark. These are minor quibbles hanging on for dear life on a majestic shadow-beast of a movie. Normally I don't even like fast zombies all that much, but these living dead folks got my adrenaline going like there are ambush predators about, and make no mistake.

[tljisthegoat]

Stormpilot definitely should've been canon.

These two would've been a great couple. Especially after their respective arcs in TLJ.

[andersonfilms]

❝ DO YOU FEEL ASHAMED? ❞ ✶ ELLIE WILLIAMS !

★⠀warning y disclaimers — eighteen+, ex!ellie, heavy angst, cheating, heartbreak, moving on, reader going through it, no happy ending y'all, this one has a little kick, ellie is a bit of a dirtbag in this, next time i write for her it'll be the most fluff.

RAYNE RAMBLES ★ wrote this last year after getting cheated on and it's just been sitting in my docs, forever. enjoy my pain?? idk, possible abby x reader sequel

ex!ellie who avoids you for a very long time after the breakup. she wishes it could be amicable between the two of you too, but it can't be. it never will be. ellie made sure of it. all of her belongings are still littered across your apartment, though her scent is gone, you still see her everywhere. you can't bring yourself to remove the framed photos of the two of you hanging across your home. she was happy, or so you thought, and you were. but today was the day. you were letting all of it go and her with it. your roommate had taken it all down for you, the strength to remove the past three years of your life just couldn't be found. 

ex!ellie who doesn't really want to think about the way you'll look at her. her emerald eyes were always your favorite, you used to go on about how much you love them. how soft they looked at you, the light shining beneath them whenever she said something stupid and ellie just waited for your giggle or a hint of it anyway. they used to be kind to you, careful, even calm but it didn't seam to be the case anymore. ellie knew you wouldn't be either — not after she’s hurt you. carelessly, abusing your kind-hearted spirit, turned you to something resembling unbridled rage with a large dosage of resentment. 

ex!ellie who is met with your roommate instead of you, before the door is slammed in her face. she expects to be met with sharp behavior. there wasn't a shadow of a doubt she did. ellie just wished it wasn't your best friend who she fucking hated. ellie never liked them. they never liked her and now she didn't have to hide it. what ellie couldn't stand was that they were right about her. three years in and instead of doing the decent thing, ellie chose to betray you. those closest to you were going to protect you from the enemy at all costs. the only you trust the most and cut you the deepest. as much as she despised it, it was all true. 

ex!ellie who eventually gets you, after you hear her voice carelessly arguing with your friend. you place a box at the entry in front of her feet, before you walk away. ellie peaks through one foot in the door, but then you're already back with the second box. ellie can see the tears in your eyes and you see the guilt in hers. almost shining brighter than the shame. she knows how much it hurts you, her being here, being so close but so unimaginably far away it makes you want to hurl. 

ex!ellie who watches you breathe deeply, your hands clenched into fists. before you're rubbing them at drained eyes, dark circles underneath them. she's to blame for everything you're going through. if she had just been honest from the beginning, maybe the two of you could've been friends and just left your love there. you were nothing but good to ellie, pure like white snow, and now the blood from her hands fell over you, staining you a violent red. you would never be pure again. no. not like before. you wouldn't ever blindly trust anyone just because you simply fell in love. putting yourself out like this again? no, you couldn't do it. 

ex!ellie who tries to speak with you, mouth open, but no words are able to come out. she tried her best to put off this moment, the confrontation of the aftermath, facing the fact she had treated you like an afterthought, but you were more than just a thought ellie had tried to push away. you were a person she had left abandoned. she had promised you the world and caved when the time came to give in. she become everything you feared she would be, tearing you in little shreds of yourself as you tried to piece back what she had broke. 

"you look like you haven't slept." ellie states, not really a question, but she almost phrases it as one. she doesn't have a right to ask. the two of you know she's forfeited knowing you, your life, how you're doing — she's the one whose damned it all. 

"i don't really. not right now at least." you look anywhere but her eyes, your eyes concentrating towards the freckles meticulously scattered along her shoulders, her cheeks, and along her button nose. “anyways, should be everything of yours. i’ll contact dina if anything else shows up.” your tone sharp, clearly cutting through. 

there’s no malice when you utter her girlfriend’s name, but ellie senses you’ll reserve the tone of betrayal just for her. she’s the one who abandoned her commitment to you. 

not dina. 

“can we talk? please?” ellie flashes her beautiful puppy eyes at you, once would make you melt, now you feel like throwing up.

“ellie.” there is it is, ellie thinks, betrayal and brutality laced in the voice who promised her a future. there once had been one, house, kids, a ring. it seems so silly now. it’s a warning the way you speak to her. don’t push your luck, williams. 

she’s with dina. why does she even care? 

she’d never seen you so upset, so vengeful, so tired of her. you weren’t lying when you never said you never wanted to see her again. every single beat of your heart meant it, the emotion cut off when you spoke to her, how you looked at her with this cold look in your eyes. arms crossed over your chest as if looking at her is the most taxing task in the world. 

ellie was supposed to not care. she couldn’t, yet it bothered her you clearly didn’t. 

“i have nothing i want to say, especially to you.” you bark, for the first time, ellie fears there might be a bite. 

“i-i know i fucked up, okay? i just can’t stand the thought of you fucking hating me.” ellie pleads, a longing look in her eyes. 

“well, i never thought i would, so i guess we’re all evolving and changing into horrible people.” you roll your eyes at her, watching as she struggles to pick up the boxes laid at her feet. 

you loath how much you want to help her, but don’t. 

you can’t. 

“you’re not horrible.” 

“well, you are.” your insult slapped her right across the face, the burning sensation stung but what hurt more was knowing you meant every word. 

“this isn’t fair, i know what i did was bad, but i told you the truth. i didn’t lie, i confessed. isn’t it worth for at least, i dont know, a little empathy? something?” ellie sighed deeply, shoulders tense from the altercation with you. “

“you didn’t tell me because you’re a honest person. it’s because i would have found out and you were scared.” you scoff. “fuck you. wanting brownie points for admitting you cheated? go to hell.” 

“what else could i have done? it was already too late.” ellie admits, shame laced in her eyes. you hope she feels every bit of shame for all the hell she’s put you through. 

“i wonder why it was too late?” your sarcasm slicing through the air. ellie finally managed to get a grasp on boxes in her shaky hands as she tried to not crumble under your death glare from hell. “i was the last one to show up at the party to your new fucking relationship. huh, guess i would be one not invited? some weird fucking placeholder until you found something better. right under my fucking nose.” 

she deserves every bit of it. 

painfully, you were met with silence. ellie couldn’t do anything, apologize in a way she hadn’t before, beg for forgiveness, grovel for your compassion. 

you were too angry, too heated, too fucking hurt. there’s only a split second of it, ellie almost missed it, but she saw it clearly. the gloomy blues hidden beneath your beautiful eyes, slowly becoming more evident. you’re trying your best to hide it beneath anger, mask it from her, but she sees it. 

tears building the more your voice escalates and ellie would truly hate herself if she made you cry in front of her, again. she’s can’t see you do it again. it’s the last thing she wants. she can’t keep hurting you. 

dina, fuck. she has to protect her. ellie’s unsure if you’ll lash out on here. you haven’t yet, but breakups pull the worst out of you and she’s fearful for the women she does love. 

“just…don’t take it out on dina, alright? if you wanna be mad, fine. as much as i wish i could fix it, i know nothing i can say or do will earn your trust back. okay?” 

your heart breaks at her instinct to protect dina, how she used to do the same for you. it nearly splits you into an abyss, cracking your soul just where she had nicked it. almost seemed intentional at this point. 

“i would never be mean to her. she didn’t promise me a future together, you did. hope you have lovely fucking life with her.” 

ex!ellie who is met with the wooden door being slammed in her face, nearly kissing her chin. she stayed there long enough to hear you cry, sitting on the concrete to hear the consequences of loving someone else who wasn’t her girlfriend, well now ex. she craved to punch something, someone. you whined, a name quietly dropped from your perfect lips, abby, your fucking best friend. she would be the one to comfort you, pick up the pieces of the wreckage ellie had left you with. it scorned her, letting a flame loose on her skin, with the thought of you with her. but she didn’t get to have feelings, she couldn’t be upset with how you chose to reassemble your sanity. not when she’s the one who broke you. even if it’s with the woman she always feared you love more than a friend.

DAILY CLICK + DONT BUY TLOU + DONATE

[radioisntdead]

Is there a possibility for a sequel to "The Radio Man's Wife" ?

Good evening my dear! Indeed there is I've had quite a few folks request it! Originally the radio man's wife was supposed to be a one and done deal but now it's progressed into a two and done deal! Hope you enjoy!

The radio demon's wife

Alastor x female reader

Warnings!!

Cannibalism, murder, there's slightly more Alastor in this, still victim blaming the dead people, this is a little messy

This is a part two to this fic here

Alastor's death was a weak spot for him, a shameful death in his opinion, he, the charming radio host Alastor was mistaken for a deer of all things and shot, bullet through his head and bitten by dogs.

Not only was the title of being a radio host ripped away, the job he had worked so hard for, that he had clawed his way up too, that he had killed competitors for, that he genuinely enjoyed, it was gone just like that! Now he'd have to start all over again, not to mention he had left his dear wife behind.

She'd join him eventually, she was just as messed up as he was, but still! It was such an inconvenience.

She died quicker then he would've thought, not even giving him a chance to properly prepare for it,

she'd always been resourceful, one of her traits he was fond of, perhaps the heartbreak had gotten to her? How flattering.

She had managed to hunt down find Mimzy and well, knowing Mimzy she just HAD to reunite the lovebirds, or deers in this case.

She was in Mimzy's speakeasy, sat at the bar sipping on some type of alcoholic drink as she watched the performer on stage sing, she looked different, with deer ears much like his own, they twitched ever-so-slightly, her skin was a more unnatural color, candy shaped markings could be seen from just beneath the hems of her dress.

She was just as lovely as when he saw her last.

Static filled the air as he walked in, and Mimzy called him over, he saw as his wife's face change at the mention of his name, twirling around her face lit up at the sight of him.

Shouting his name she stumbled out of her seat, drink hastily placed on the bar counter as she rushed over, eyes bright and filled with pure adoration as she linked her arm with his.

She'd tut at the state of the home her dear Alastor stayed at, drenched in red, a deer head hung on the wall and there were a concerning amount of radios, she worried her Alastor was becoming a hoarder, she added her touches in rather quickly, banishing the radios to their own room much to Alastor's displeasure, but compromise was expected in marriage.

Now that the two were reunited nothing could tear them apart, as Alastor climbed the ranks she did too, taking down overlords and collecting souls on their own merits.

She would grimace at his new found fondness for cannibalism, making him brush his teeth several times before she would give him a kiss or his weird haircut, much preferring his hair from when he was alive but much like the cannibalism, it for whatever reason wasn't a deal breaker, after all if sinners didn't want to be eaten they shouldn't have pissed off Alastor, or ended up in cannibal Town!

She encouraged Alastor as he aimed for power, power he would've never been able to attain in life for multiple reasons, and he encouraged her to rise the ranks with him.

She kept the sickly sweet persona even if it wasn't needed, it came in handy with taking souls.

She became friends with Rosie, she was involved with the friendship between Vox and Alastor, at least until Vox got weird and tried to seduce Alastor, and when that didn't work tried to seduce his wife too, trying to get both of them thinking that was the issue.

The married ace deer man, and the also married ace deer woman, very smart of him to try to seduce them.

She was near Alastor throughout the years, it wasn't odd to see the pride ring's sweetheart and the radio demon walking around side by side.

But it was odd when she was often seen alone, repeatedly for the seven years Alastor had vanished.

She didn't need Alastor to survive but she did prefer him around, especially as others took his absence as a chance to woo her.

It did not end well for them, either perishing in a painful way, souls stolen, given to Rosie as a gift or another way she had thought of.

It was their fault for trying to take Alastor's place in her heart afterall!

As the years dragged on painfully slow, she built on her territory, gaining influence and power.

The night Alastor returned she was fast asleep, arms wrapped around the feral catlike creature that resembled him.

Alastor slid in a key to the door of their home, quietly entering and closing the door behind him.

Not much of their little ol' home had changed in his absence, the same decorations hung on the walls, the mounted deer that his [name] disliked was still there in the living room, although now with a tacky top hat on it for whatever reason, the couches were the same, there was a vintage TV set Infront of the couch that he frowned at, he would have to dispose of that later.

He walked through the room and into the halls, hooves tapping against the floors as he traveled,

His grin widened as he opened the bedroom door creeping in and standing above his sleeping wife, watching.

He shook his head at cat creature, making a motion for it to move, it refused, resulting in Alastor picking the lil' guy up and tossing him to the side of the bed before looking down at his now awaking wife.

She screamed at the glowing red eyes staring at her in the dark, grabbing a pillow and launching it at Alastor before she reached for the lamp.

Alastor had another pillow thrown at him after the light was turned on and she recognized him.

While Alastor had proclaimed the position of being the Facility manager of the Hazbin Hotel She had called dibs on promoting the hotel via different means, newspaper, social media, [much to Alastor's disapproval but he couldn't do much about it, sucks to be him]

Did she completely believe in the whole redemption idea? Not really but watching things progress in the hotel as time went on was fun!

She was known as a sweetheart, a saint when she was alive, she was known for being charming and being married to the equally charming radio man.

she was known for luring people in with her sweet venom coated words, for being ruthless when the situation called for it.

She was now known by her friends at the hotel as the cheerful publicist that for whatever reason married the creepy smile guy even though she could do better, she was known for being somewhat supportive of Charlie's aspirations.

She eventually would stand back and watch as Alastor aimed to take advantage, more then likely betraying them in the end, trying to undo his deal that not even she knew the details of, but for now she would sit comfortably at the bar, sipping on some type of sweet drink watching as Charlie organized another exercise with Angel dust cracking an inappropriate joke, with Vaggie giving him a disapproving look, with Husk taking a swig of his drink, with Niffty doing Niffty things, with Sir Pentious and his eggs listening intently, and with Alastor standing by with that neverending smile of his.

Good evening folks! This isn't my best work, I didn't know how to really make a part two to the Radio man's wife but hopefully y'all enjoyed! Assuming everything goes to plan a platonic Rosie fic should drop tomorrow! So tune on in to that, until we meet again folks!

[madwomansapologist]

my love mine all mine

Meet Kind!Druid!Tav | More Weirdos | AO3

synopsis: It doesn't matter what their first impressions of you were, they certainly did not expect you to be so important in their lifes. And as the days passes, each one of your companions need to understand a simple fact: they love you. They all love you.

warnings: a sequel to that (you don't need to read if you don't want to). song "my love mine all mine" by mitsky for gale. song "class of 2013" by mitsky for karlach. companions (gale, karlach) x druid!tav. background cast (mystra, halsin, lae'zel, shadowheart, selune, astarion, wyll). this game really is about faith and bodily autonomy. hurt/comfort. falling in love.

There is something endless about suffering. Once you felt hunger, nothing can complete that empty spot inside your soul. No amount of hope can ever make you forget about how painful it was to be helplessness. The sun is warm, but not enough to melt winter away from memory.

No brave adult can forget what felt to be a trembling child facing harshness all alone. It would be so much easier to forget how cruel the world was, but all you do is wonder to yourself: why didn't no one helped me? Why didn't no one saved me?

Even the word survivor feels wrong. It implies that something cruel happened in the wild, far away from home. A survivor has a tale to share with pride, scars to proof how strong you became. But sometimes suffering is just suffering, and the wild is your home.

It doesn't end. The suffering doesn't end, even after it does. It haunts you, laughs as you fumble, stains the good moments with sin.

But not with you.

For every time life was painful, you are caring. For everytime it burned and ached, you are gentle. There is something soft about you. No edges to get cut, no harm to be done. You care without shame, and your delicacy is welcome.

It's been long since someone cared for Gale Dekarios. Not for Gale of Waterdeep, the prodigy able to compose the Weave as he so desired, Mystra's lover and worshiper. But for Gale Dekarios, a man and nothing more than that, it's been so long.

Gale's value is his capability to bend the Weave. No one helped him for a reason other that. No one cared, or loved him for something that wasn't his talent or competence.

He was alone, except by Tara, and he got used to it. It's easy to get used to bad things when you think that you deserves them. It's no surprise that he so easily got used to being a dead man walking.

It was fine. Fine that his goddess wouldn't save him, that she would cast him away. Gale took it on himself, he knows that. Sometimes people don't get salvation. Sometimes they don't get a second chance. Sometimes things just end.

But you helped him. You held his hand and pulled him out of stone, unaware that you were actually pulling Gale towards you. You didn't asked for a payment or answers. You just held him.

And Gale held you back.

The world trembled. Poisoned mace. His defenses were already low when the goblin attacked. He knew his party won, but he can't remember how. His conscience was barely a whisper, as uneasy and skittish.

His feet were moving, he could feel it, but Gale wasn't controling them. Darkness devoured him, and the world was reduced to a cold freeze against his face.

"Karlach, you got the first watch," a distorted voice startled him. He wasn't alone. It took Gale a second to understand who was talking. "Halsin, Lae'zel broke her wrist. Shadowheart, follow me."

Gale is half asleep, half dead, but he could recognize that voice anyway. Always demanding, aware of what to do, being right. You. Sweet, caring, loving you.

"Alright, soldier!" Karlach dropped her dripping wet backpack near the fire. Something bumped on his shoulders, and a cry left Gale's lips. "And you get better, mage. I'm counting on you for that!"

Her hand. It was her hand that almost made him collapse. But Gale didn't. That was when he noticed his eyes were closed, and someone was holding him.

Your hands gripping his waist as you tried to walk, your warmth reaching him. He could see a drop of sweat making its way on your neck. Blood staining you silver armor. You smell like... you. He can't describe it in any other way.

"You'll be fine," you whispered. As if you knew his head was about to explode. "We'll take care of you. Close your eyes."

You asked. Gale obeyed.

When he woke up, a black sea stained his vision. He breathed in and out, and understood it was the night sky. Gale stared at the moon, shining down on him, and for a second he though it was staring back.

Gale tried to pray. Would Selune embrace him? If he kneeled and promised his loyalty, would she protect his soul? Gale tried to pray, but no words made to his mind.

When he opened his eyes, you were there. Kneeled beside his bed, so close he could hear you breathing, but looking away. Bright eyes, reflecting the moon, looking down at something. Furrowed brows, lips tense, your shoulder stiff as you moved.

Gale heard the water before he saw the cloth you dipped into it. You agile hands folded it carefully, and placed it on his belly. It was hot. Almost too hot, but you were quick. You pressed it against his skin, and went back to dip it. The white cloth was now stained red.

Oh. You were cleaning him. His eyes noticed the bucket filled with redish fabrics. Gale wondered if cleaning him felt like rubbing wine stains into rugs. If by trying to make it right, you only made it worse. He wouldn't care if you made him worse, not as long as you keep on touching him.

When he reached for your cheeks, Gale didn't even thought about it. He just wanted to touch you, to make sure that you were real.

It startled you, a little gasp escaping your throat. You looked at Gale, analyzing every inch of his face.

For a time, Gale could only look at his hand against your skin. His thumb stroking your cheek, so soft beneath his touch.

"Why are..." that voice wasn't his. It wasn't anything like his. For how long did he slept? "Why are you here?"

You looked at the hand you placed on his waist, and realized how it must be to wake up with someone else touching you. "I was just cleani..."

"That's not what I asked," the mage stopped you. You went back to look at him, and Gale felt your gaze softening his entire being. "Why are you here?"

"I worry about you," you admited. "Specially when you forget what shields are made for."

"Why are you like this?" Gale found himself trying to make whatever was on his mind understandable. That doesn't happen very often. For him to be unsure about his words. "Why do you keep on taking care of me? You don't owe me anything."

"Because you are... you," you went back to cleaning his skin. Gale didn't move his hand, and you didn't seen to mind. "Close your eyes, go back to sleep. You won't even notice I'm here."

With his hand on your cheek, eyes staring at the moon, Gale hoped Selune was staring back.

He don't know what will happen to him after his death. Mystra didn't forgave him, so Gale isn't counting on her protection when his soul is to be judged. But one thing Gale knows: the moon was here before him, and will remain after.

So he prayed. Silently, he begged Selune to protect you. He begged for her to shine on you, the only one who ever made him feel worth something. One day he must die, sooner than later apparently, so he hopes she'll protect you when he's gone.

"Impossible," Gale stroked your jaw. "Utterly impossible."

Every single one of your companions love how sincerely you care for them, but they all see how it can be a problem too. How many times have they told you to not be so welcoming? It makes you you, but it's also the reason why you bleed so often.

How many times have you tried to help someone just to discover they didn't deserve it? How many times will it happens until you finally understand your lesson?

Fainting after a encounter with a ruthless dwarf, Shadowheart thinks it's the best moment to ask you to tone it down, only to be reminded about how you still befriended Astarion even after his introduction. If Wyll explains there is no way you can win this fight, that it isn't even yours, you point at Halsin and he can do nothing but to shut up. And whenever Astarion is a pain in the ass, you explain that mercy and kindness are what brought Karlach to the party.

They are scared for you. No one knows how much pain your heart can take before if finally stops healing. You're kind, and they want you to stay that way, but not if it diminishes your soul. There must be a limit for your hope, and they aren't interest on finding it.

Worried about you hurting yourself, they didn't noticed how that hurted Karlach too.

Few can say they escaped from hell, and even fewer would be stupid enough to not enjoy a second chance. Karlach knows she sounds too distracted at the worst times, too excited when there's nothing to celebrate, but how couldn't she? She won't waste her chance.

If only she could be touched. If she could hug her friends, be near those she loves without hurting them, hold without bruising. If only she could touch you without boiling your precious skin.

Don't matter how affectionate you are, there are thing you just can't do. You showed her only your best sides, so welcoming and caring. After a fight, you rush to check on her. Late at night, you tell stories about your life. When it's peaceful, you show her different ways to tie a know. But you can't touch her.

Karlach thinks you look warm. Not cold. Nothing like distance or indifference. And not hot. Nothing like the infernal machinery inside her chest. You seem peaceful. Calm, in a way that she might never fully comprehend.

You hold Lae'zel's hands to stop her from offending someone. And don't flinch when Astarion pulls you by your waist. It's been some weeks since started to teach Shadowheart how to swim. And Wyll tried to help you with your dance moves. Halsin's hand seem to be glued to your shoulder.

She envies them. Karlach envies everyone that you touch. She just feels so lonely, and she'd already spent too much time pretending not to be. Avernus is behind her, and the person she was there won't ever see daylight again. Karlach is free, and she'll be always true to herself.

Poking the flaming wood with a sticky, trying to make it spread to the others, she was to focused to noticed when you sat beside her by the log. Her mind was somewhere far, far away.

After a few moments, Karlach saw you. She kept herself quiet, just enjoying your presence. As if her silence would make you not want to leave. As if her silence would be enough so she could lay her head at your lap, feel your fingertips undoing the knots on her hair, without burning you in and out.

As she stared at the soon-to-be bonfire, you glared at the sky. You searched on your pockets, looking for a coin, but all you found was a forgotten jasper. It'll do the trick. "Jasper for your thoughts, Mama K?"

Karlach looked at you. "What, soldier?"

"You're quiet today," you said. "Too quiet. Let me help you. If you want to talk, I want to hear. If you want to kick some butts, my boots are ready. So, jasper for your thoughts?"

She opened her hands, and you dropped the crystal on it. Karlach played with it for a second, amused by your words. "I'm tired," she said. "Of not touching. Or being touched. I know I'm not alone but... sometimes I can't help but to feel like that. Even Mama K has her moments."

She has so much love to give. Just like you. If only she could give it as freely as you do. Karlach respects you for it. For trying to be better, don't matter how much it hurts you. Scars are signs of bravery, just as pieces of broken hearts.

You think it's worth the cost, and so does Karlach.

"One day," you breathed in. Looking at the fire, you saw why Karlach was so interest on it. Don't matter how much you learn, it still looks magic. "I will braid your hair. Massage your shoulders. Wash your back. Teach you archery, my chest against you back and my hand holding yours. Take the eyelash that fell on your cheeks. Straighten your necklace. I will let lips do what hands do."

You turned to her, with a beaming smile on your face and wet eyes. "But for now, can you wait? Can you dream for a few months more, until we find a solution? Because I swear, Karlach, I will find one. Don't matter if I'll need to walk throught the Nine Hells. I will find a cure for you."

"Damn, soldier," Karlach hissed. Maybe it was the light, but her eyes were redish. You did the noble thing and pretend to not have seen the tears. "You really are the sweetest hero around."

"So don't think you're alone anymore!" You suppressed the urge to punch her arm. Scratch brought you a red ball, and you caressed him. "I'm here. We all are."

And that's one thing they all will be forced to understand: they are not alone. Not anymore.

Part 3!

if you enjoyed, please reblog! i promise it makes a difference ♡

@ madwomansapologist.tumblr.

[thesamoanqueen]

Anatomy of an affair

Warnings: age-gap (but we keep it legal), cheating.

A/N: I was talking to @alyyaanna and the anatomy professor's idea took control, I couldn't resist, so this one for her. It will have a sequel, this is just part 1.

They say the secret of a good relationship is friendship, I had scientifically proven that this wasn't the case being a test subject all my life. Tobert and I had grown up in the same neighborhood in Pendleton South Carolina, two nearby houses, our families loved each other, we went to school together, hung out with the same group of friends, we even broke our arms together – it was his fault –. For everyone we were two soul mates linked, it was inevitable in some way. We had done everything together our whole lives, the most mundane things and the first shameful experiences. Our relationship on paper was destined for success, absolute, overwhelming, our faces under the heading "goal couple", at least until I decided to study medicine in Boston and he stayed in our hometown. Our paths had separated for just three months before he had a bad accident at his uncle's construction company, he had begged me, it had been a tough decision, but I had agreed to come back to support him. But now that I had finally taken control of my life, in my second actual year of studies, Tobert was boycotting everything again.

For the entire previous year I had thought he was trying to distract himself from the void I had left in his life, filling it with trips and nights with co-workers and friends, but looking back I had been kidding myself. Our parents called every day to find out when we were getting married and if I would be home soon, but from him? Oh, well, a few calls, always short, couple of messages, often stupid ones, and a facetime on weekend for some creepy phone sex. He didn't come to visit me, he didn't organize anything when I returned home, for my last birthday he sent me a package with a sweater I suspected he hadn't chosen. And now, after months of tolerating it, I saw him in an IG story with a chick’s ass in his face.

- "Good Lord man!"

- "Sav have you seen? Sav?"

What I could see was that he was even enjoying it! He had the same stupid face of an old man who can't read the newspaper, the one has been in my face since we were fifteen, ending our moments like commercials on TV in his father's garage.

- "What’s with that face? Sav is it everything okay?"

- "Savannah…"

I had felt guilty for wanting to start again and leaving him behind, I was working hard to finish and return home, I had always pushed away the instinct that told me I deserved more and instead he was living his best life without worrying about hiding it. His behaviour was not somekind of abandonment syndrome, it was just one of his bullshit and evidences were everywhere. I was a freking clown, our relationship was a joke I had wanted to believe alone because after so many years it seemed impossible to think of anyone else to me, when he was simply used to having me there at his disposal and now he thought was free. I had wasted my life and almost burned my future…

Realization hit me in the cafeteria, my colleagues staring at me like at some psycopath and rightly so, because when the next story popped up on the screen, I snapped.

- "That asshole!" – my scream echoed throughout the entire hall, overcoming the chatter that always filled it.

The sudden silence that followed and the hand one of my friends smashed against my arm brought me back suddenly, but by then it was late. I had just made the scene I would probably always be remembered for. Standing with my latte dripping onto the couch and music now playing in the background like a bad theme for my drama, I saw dozens of eyes staring at me.

- "... Sav what’s you problem?! We got company... get your ass over here!" – my roommate whispered in a panic, nodding towards the two men who had been about to leave.

In slow motion I saw them both looking at me and to humiliation was added absolute terror when without thinking I raised my hand to wave an embarrassed greeting, restarting Tobert's story. Oh, they would definitely remember me for that scene.

There wasn't a person on the entire campus who didn't know about my performance and the worst thing certainly wasn't the rumors but rather pity looks, plus the extra tasks I had agreed to do to clean up my reputation and keep myself busy. I hadn't received any formal warning, not even a comment, but I didn't want to risk ruining my career after having already dropped out in the past. The idea of losing the opportunity of a lifetime to someone who had already gotten more than he deserved from me drove me crazy.

Tobert hadn't commented, probably his two brain cells hadn't yet met to discuss what to do or they didn't think it was serious, but I had clear ideas and I had chosen to run the circus, patiently planning the day I would have kicked him with my degree.

So armed with good will and courage I marched across campus with my head held high, ready to face my demons and regain total control. It was almost time for the anatomy course to start and I planned to pass with top marks, but to do so I also had to make sure that the new professor didn't just remember me for screaming that day in front of him and his predecessor. My friends talked about him constantly, but I didn't have time for gossip, I had to seem like the right person to invest in for the future of medicine. When I arrived in front of his studio, however, my intention seemed less simple than expected. The entire aisle had been assaulted by a crowd of students, mostly girls. If I had suffered from amnesia, I would have thought I was at a concert or among a nymphomaniacs cult. We weren't in California, those outfits were definitely out of season as well as indecent, what’s was wrong with all of them?

- "Do you think he will receive today?"

- "Ah, I hope so! I want to see him so bad!"

Forced to wait like everyone else, I caught up with the gossip I had refused to hear from my friends, discovering the new professor was not only charming, but also young and free, which explained the cult. I also sadly discovered firsthand he hated receiving students and from what I saw he didn't even respect the time when he should have been forced to do so. Sitting in my chair, I waited twice as long before seeing the other students go away resignedly with their tiny blouses and too short skirts, deciding to spending my time finishing the chemistry project I had to hand in the following week. With my head down and fixed not to give up, I continued typing on my keyboard until two voices distracted me.

- "You can't take care of it alone, it's not necessary and you shouldn't at all" – I knew Mr. Heyman, he was an authority everywhere thanks to his investments and was often in the area because of his daughter, as well as a good friend of the rector.

The other man with him, I had only seen him on the day of my drama and I must not have seen him well due to the shock, because if I had I would not have given dirty looks to all the girls who had waited for him with me. Was he really a professor? Since when were professors like that?! You couldn't be like that, it was disorienting, didn’t help to the teaching process.

- "I should find someone but I don't have time to waste, Paul" – he complained and his voice sent a shiver through my body as I watched them reach the door in front of me.

- "I could ask, I have some friends, I'm sure there will be many smart guys who would be honored to do it, extra credits or not."

- "I will do it."

I said without thinking, lost in thoughts I shouldn't have been having, and they both turned to look at me, just as confused and surprised by the interruption as I was.

I had planned to introduce myself, ask a few questions, apologize for the bad first impression and now I had just made another one, listening to conversations that didn't concern me, without even saying hello, volunteering for who knows what next. Perfect.

Once the confusion was over, Mr. Heyman looked at me with interest, almost analyzing me, and I quickly tried to put myself together, putting everything away to get up.

- "And you are?" – He asked, his hands hidden in the pockets of his elegant suit.

- "Savannah Naïs Simon. Among the best in my class" – I introduced myself without hesitation and once again mentally scolded myself.

Now I even praised myself?! I usually handled the pressure well, for that kind of career it was indispensable, after all, but all of a sudden I was making one misstep after another and I couldn't afford it, not now. Tobert wasn't there to screw things, I had no excuses, it was my time, it was up to me. Head held high, nerves strong, that's what I needed.

- "Among the best doesn't mean the best" – Mr. Heyman cut me off, shaking his head – "and we have to check it too. I'll make a call."

Struck dumb, I quickly tried to think of something, anything, to make my case. The other professors would have confirmed, but what would I look like standing there waiting for their help?

- "It's no use" – however, Professor Reigns, who had watched until that moment, stopped us both.

His voice really played tricks on my body, but when my eyes met his it was even worse. His expression conveyed nothing, I couldn't imagine what he was thinking, but he exuded authority and there was something magnetic about him, the kind of man capable of changing the atmosphere with just his presence.

- "Are you sure?" – he heard Mr. Heyman ask him, finally stopping looking at me.

- "I’ll take her" – he established, checking me for a brief moment and I held my breath without even realizing it.

He will… take me? for doing what? And was it positive or…

- "We start tomorrow morning" – he said, addressing me directly.

- "I will be on time" – I promised, even if he had already turned his back to me to open the door, Mr. Heyman following him without paying any more attention to me.

- "No phone Miss Simon" – he advised from afar, just before I was left completely alone in the aisle and I distinctly felt the weight of the entire campus falling on me.

I had risked making another scene, I had volunteered for something I didn't even know what it was, I would have had to move lessons to keep my word and I would have thrown away even the amount of time I had left to sleep. And once again that wasn't the worst, but the fact he remembered and had already targeted me before I could even apologize.

What awaited me was a role as an assistant for the entire duration of the course, but I only found out the following day, after spending the whole night awake. I wouldn't have much time to do anything else, it was clear from the first moment, but I had no intention of backing out after having volunteered. It wasn't just a way to make up for my bad impression, it was an opportunity for which anyone else would have gladly given an organ, I myself would have done so - who needed two kidneys? One was enough - and that would certainly help my career, I was lucky. Professor Reigns was a successful doctor, he had changed the landscape of pathological anatomy with his works and his presence was an honor for the university. Admissions to his course were closed after just one day and the program specified that a selection would still be made by him personally. Assisting him and observing how he worked could have given me a great advantage in the selection phase and that was what I was aiming for. Memorizing had always been my thing, but anatomy was much more than listing body parts.

However, reality once again did not correspond to my expectations and in the following three days, I felt more like a secretary than an assistant, with alla those emails and calls. He always arrived early and most of the time I found him sitting at his desk, looking at personal documents and boxes full of medical records. He worked with his head down for hours, often without speaking or taking a break, which wasn't good for my ambition, but at least it helped me not to get distracted because the rare times I saw him looking at me were a test of mental resistance.

His presence demanded attention, his imposing body promised what it shouldn't with the most banal gestures like a pen between his fingers. Calling him a good-looking man would have been an insult, the world was full of handsome and insignificant men, but he had something vaguely frightening, something I had never tasted before and it awakened an almost primordial impulse in me.

The sound of someone knocking on the door brought me out of my thoughts and I quickly straightened up, hoping nothing in me would give me away. I couldn't think about certain things, I wasn't there to daydream about affairs, not when my future was in play and my lifelong boyfriend had cheated on me. A student I had seen a couple of times appeared in the doorway, wearing a lab coat, a deep neckline underneath. Her blue eyes scanned the room where I was in search of what interested her and which was instead sitting in the near room.

- "I know it's not reception hour, but is the professor over there? I would like to talk to him in private about some things" – she said without even trying too hard to simulate and I batted my eyelashes at her, fascinated and annoyed at her courage before stopping her.

- "Unfortunately he is busy. If it’s important you can ask via email or otherwise wait for the course to start. Lessons start tomorrow morning, the time and place are already confirmed" – I anticipated, getting a reproachful look.

- "I need to see him now."

Oh, I could imagine it and I would have complimented the clever attempt to show up when no one was waiting if she hadn't been trying to call me dumb.

- "Can I help you now?" – I proposed without getting too upset and she seemed on the verge of losing her patience.

- "Can I have an appointment?"

- "Sure, I'll put you on the list."

I didn't see her expression, she was probably furious, but she didn't give me time, huffing her disappointment out of the studio, leaving me with the agenda in my hand. I closed it with a heavy breath, putting it back in my bag, where I had been advised to keep it so that it was always with me and never unattended. When I raised my head I almost had a heart attack, discovering Professor Reigns intent on staring at me from his desk, hands crossed, his expression curious.

- "I'm busy?" – he inquired and his low, rough voice made my neck tingle.

I hadn't told a lie, he was busy. He worked on those medical records all day, there was always some document on which he kept his eyes glued. Why was he staring at me like that? Maybe I shouldn't have spoken before asking yes, but my intentions weren't bad, I was trying to be helpful.

- "With the material for the research project and the visit to the rector this afternoon, plus I don't think she really had any questions" – I explained, clenching my fists praying that I could use them against myself because it would have been much better.

I spoke without being involved, I made decisions independently, now I also commented and implied. The unkind thoughts I'd had about Tobert were backfiring on me, bad karma.

- "Is that so?" – Professor Reigns asked curiously, leaning back in his chair and knowing for a fact it was better keep my mouth closed, I nodded, returning to look at my laptop in silence hoping to not have to explain anything else.

I couldn't talk about those things with a professor, someone who could have mentored me, it didn't matter if there wasn't that much of an age gap between us and we ended up on the topic. It was an off limits talk and I tried to focus on the topics outline he would analyze the following day during the first lesson, it had to be detailed and precise, but I couldn't even read what I had summarized until five minutes before.

- "Savannah right?" – I heard my name being called and even more shocked, I watched him finally get up from his desk to join me – "you want to be a cardiologist"

- "How... who"- I spluttered in surprise and putting hands in his pockets, he smiled at me amused.

A smile that would have knocked anyone out, perfect and soft, so incredibly unexpected on an authority figure like him. For three days he had paid almost no attention to me, only addressing me as necessary as Miss. Simon and I had never hoped for more than that, because of our first meeting and his role. Plus not many people knew my goal, after giving up and coming back was something I had learned to keep to myself.

- "Paul is a friend of mine and the rector's. He has his people. He was doubtful at first, but he thought better of it after a few calls and was right as always. You're doing a good job" – he replied, clarifying the doubts I wasn't even able to express and I felt my stomach tighten with emotion.

I knew I shouldn't expect recognition, not in such a competitive environment and when I was a nobody, but it was nice to know my effort was being noticed. Noticed moreover by people of that level. It was a rush of positive energy I really needed to give value to my sacrifices and know investing in myself was the right thing. Tobert and this sort of incestuous relationship we'd had had tried to screw everything, but I was still in the running.

- "I do my best, it's an honor" – I said enthusiastically, matching the smile he had given me, but he raised a hand to stop me, swinging his head.

- "Let's leave this out, I need support and an objective opinion at every lesson. I'm not a real professor, I'm a doctor, but it's an opportunity and everyone has something to pass on. Do you think you can do it, without distractions?" – He asked, throwing another dig at me, but this time I quickly got over it, nodding immediately.

At that point I would have done anything he asked me, I couldn't refuse him anything. It had been three days as a secretary, ignored and perpetually under pressure, but I had passed the test, I had earned his trust. He really wanted me to become his assistant now, he asked for my opinion even though we weren't equals in that field. Screw karma, I had already won in life at that point!

- "I can give my word Sir" – I promised and once again that smile appeared on his perfect face.

- "Good girl" – he approved, before leaving me again.

Those two words rang in my ears right inside my head, as dangerous as a spell and I had the impression of feeling my blood warm, while my body suddenly came alive and melted at the idea of having deserved that pet name. Subconsciously, I scratched my notebook, legs clenched under the desk as I watched the profile of his massive back. We had had an important moment and there I was holding my breath for something that Tobert had never in a lifetime been able to give me, after two words said without any intention.

I saw Mr. Reigns sit back down, rolling his shoulders with ease as he resumed whatever had occupied him before our chat. His eyes searched me one last time and a part of me that shouldn't have throbbed around nothing, making me lower my head to the lesson plan.

I was imagining it, it was in my head and it had to disappear as soon as possible.

Tag squad: @sunnyfleur23 @racerchix21 @alyyaanna @expert-texpert @romanreignsdefencesquad @romanstheory @claymorexpunisher @keybladeofsteel @msbigredmachine @nayys-world @gobbersworld @utika151209 @cumxxslutt @civildawn @romanmydaddy @triscillal @papireigns-05 @helensanders92 @darqchilddaydreamz @meggylynnloves @unfriendly--blvck--hottie @nicolewoo @joannasteez @reignsx @kianaleani @daguenoire @extra-11 @333creolelady @snowpanda18 @brattyfics @mzv11 @romanreignseater @dreamsinfocus @vebner37 @depressedneedingrevenge @cyberdejos2 @mahi-wayy @jxtina-86 @harmshake @southerngirl41 @smile1318 @headoftheetable @sortudademais

[sanjoongie]

ꓖ𝗼𝖔𝚍 𝒞σр

Sequel to Two-Way

ღPairing: Detective! Seonghwa x criminal! reader (f) ft Detective! Yunho

ღAu: detective au, murder mystery au

ღTrope: s2l

ღRated: 18+ MDNI, smut, pwp

ღWarnings: abuse of power, ⚠dub-con⚠, soft dom! hwa, sub! reader, aftercare, voyeurism, begging, overstim, sexual interrogation, multi-orgasm negotiation, fingering, dacryphilia, breast play,

ღWord Count: 1,075

ღSummary: Seonghwa lures the truth from you, fucking you through several orgasms to get results

ღBeta’s: @downtoamagicalland

ღDedication: to @flurrys-creativity, who along with many others, wanted a second part, but this was meant as a present for her to succeed in writing a much delayed fic 😆 i hope my suffering was worth it

"Here," a kind voice said. "It's not much but it's something.” Strong but soft hands raised you to your feet. 

When you didn't respond, the man helped tug your clothes back into place. "I've got some water, you need it.”

You should feel shame through every cell of your being... but you don't. This man, helping you, has seen you in your most debased form. And yet…

“Don’t worry, I hear Seonghwa is pretty long too. He’ll finish what I started. Be a good little slut and show Seonghwa exactly how good your cunt can be for him.”

Was Yunho truly going to let another man finish you off? That wasn't the Yunho you knew. He was a competitor, through and through. There had to be an alternative motive here.

You don't take the water, studying the new detective. He has kind eyes and soft lips. His nose is regal and his jaw sharp. He doesn't look like a mean cop like Yunho could be. But then San's sunshine smile lit through your mind, face splattered with blood. Appearances are definitely fucking deceiving.

“If you're ready, I'd like to go over some footage with you. Ask some questions. All on your time, of course.” His voice was lulling and melodic. His tone whispered to trust him. He patted the back of a chair, suggesting you sit down.

The sound of the chair scraping against the linoleum is enough to make you wince but still you sit down, primly mind you. 

Seonghwa leaned over your shoulder, close but not overbearing, and tapped on a tablet to wake it up. “I don't think I heard you quite clearly here,” he murmurs next to your ear.

The video plays showing Yunho fucking you against the two way, from the corner camera. You squirmed in your seat. Seonghwa's head comes into view, intent on the video. His finger hovers over the screen, following the curve of your ass. You watch as you move your ass back towards Yunho's thrusts, insisting on your innocence.

Seonghwa bit down on his lip. “Right…” Yunho demanded how, against all the evidence, how you're still a suspect. And then you admitted to being San’s lover. “...here!”

You had been mid-cry when Seonghwa paused it. “Choi San’s lover, huh?”

You nodded. “I hated that woman because she was obsessed with San. But I didn't kill her. I… I faint at the sight of blood. There's no way I could have pulled that off.”

“What a relief,” Seonghwa grinned. “You're too beautiful to be a killer.”

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding. “I'll take that water now.”

Seonghwa leaned back, his ass against the table. He undid the cap and handed it to you. “I hope you're not worn out.”

You swallowed profusely, drinking half the bottle before putting it down. “Yunho… trained me well. I'd be a let down if I could only last… once.”

Seonghwa cocked his head curiously. “Can I help you?”

Your hands tightened in your lap. “He said… you'd finish what he started. Will you? Please?”

“Of course!” Seonghwa agreed easily enough. “Only if you help me.”

The chair screeched a second time as you fell to your knees and clutched his pants. “Anything.”

Seonghwa laughed, an adorable snort that made a lock of hair fall into his eyes. He lifted you up a second time and changed positions. He pushed your ass up against the table and guided you to your back. “I don't need your help in that department, Sweetness.” His dark eyes followed his fingers as they swept up the inside of your thighs. Your outer lips were smeared with your wetness…and Yunho’s. His fingers rubbed along your folds, circling your clit and making you cry out. 

“Just tell me what Choi San has to do with all of this and you can cum again and again,” Seonghwa purred.

You shook your head. “He’s just my lover.”

Seonghwa hummed in acknowledgement, continuing to make circles around your clit. “And?”

You groaned as he inserted his thumb into your aching hole. “And she was obsessed with him, the mad woman.”

Seonghwa tsked. “How dare she? Didn’t she know he was already taken?”

You arched your back and fondled your sensitive breasts. “Well--” Your breath caught in the back of your throat. “--she didn’t know about us.”

Seonghwa nodded sagely. “A secret tryst between you two then. Must have been fun.”

You frowned at the past tense he used. “It was just better that way.”

“Certainly,” Seonghwa agreed with you. He removed his hands from your body and you keened at the loss. “So San never expressed his anger towards this woman?”

You looked up at Seonghwa with puppy dog eyes. Where was the cock you were promised? “He was annoyed but never angry. San would never hurt a fly.” Because flies never caused him pain.

Seonghwa rewarded you with your response by undoing his slacks. When he pulled free his hard cock, you salivated at the length. Yunho had not been bragging, by all means. He played the head of his cock against your hole, pushing only a little bit before pulling out. It didn’t take long for him to find the sweet spot inside of you, and without any aid, pushed you over the edge. 

You came but somehow you were satisfied. Seonghwa was playing with you, you knew it, but you couldn't help but want more. 

Seonghwa raised his eyebrows at you in question. “What’s wrong, sweetness?”

“That was--” You let out a shuddering sigh as you realized Seonghwa hadn't come and he was still rock hard inside of you. “I need more.”

“Mmm, so do I,” Seonghwa sighed softly. 

He maneuvered his body until he was lying horizontal with you. The tablet was near both your heads and Seonghwa tapped his long fingers against the screen. The scene played once again, with Yunho manhandling you and talking dirty to you. Your lower half flooded once again with shame and lust. 

“Seonghwa,” You groaned as he grinded his pelvis against yours. His eyes were solidly on the screen, timing his thrusts with that of Yunho. You whined as you were fucked but not hard like you preferred.

“We can do this all day,” Seonghwa murmured, not looking at you but screen you. “I can do this all day. But can you? Don’t you want me to slam into you? I can have you coming on my cock again and again and again, but you won’t be happy until there’s some roughness to it, hmm?”

Seonghwa’s fingers stroked the screen again, watching as your past self sunk to the floor after your first orgasm Yunho gave you. He rewound the footage and made it play again. His cock, the length good enough to slam into the end of you, quietly stroked the heat between your legs. You whined again but you knew until you said what Seonghwa wanted to hear, he was probably good on his word. 

You swallowed down your whines. “Wh-what do you want?”

“Give me something to link San to this crime,” Seonghwa moaned. 

You shook your head again. “There’s nothing. There’s simply her obsession.”

Seonghwa planted his palms solidly on the metal table and fucked you with precision but slowness that coaxed another orgasm out of you, simultaneously as you came loudly in the footage. Tears streamed from your eyes from the second climax, still feeling both full and empty at the same time. 

His slim finger caught a tear and sucked it into his mouth. He released it with a mocking pop. “Such pretty tears for me, Sweetness, but it won’t help you.”

Your mouth trembled. You wanted to be fucked so badly. This sweet love making matched Seonghwa but it didn’t release your need. “Please,” You begged. Your fingers reached behind Seonghwa and dug into his plush behind. “Please!”

With the same finger that was wet from your tears and Seonghwa’s saliva, Seonghwa pushed down on your clit and started up again. “Your sweet begging is awfully tempting,” Seonghwa whispered gently. “I wish I could help you. But until you help me, there’s nothing to be done here.”

The dual stimulation had you tipped over the edge again, your mouth stretching into a silent ‘o’ as you came for the third time. You wished you hated overstimulation but you didn’t. Your hips bucked against Seonghwa’s, demanding more. His hands were gentle on your body, his lips suckling your breasts with the patience of a good man. But still left your body aching for that more that your kinkiness required. 

“I don’t think it’s gonna work, Yunho,” Seonghwa called out to the air as he pushed some of your hair out of your face. “She’s not breaking.”

“So much for your tried and true practice,” Yunho’s harsh voice came out through some speakers.

Your body shot upwards. You hadn't even considered that Yunho was watching. That wasn’t his thing at all. 

Seonghwa pursed his lips to the side of his face in thought. “I need you to be a good girl for me, sweetness, to prove a point.”

“I can’t,” The tears and the pout came unbidden this time, “I can’t give you what you want to hear.”

Seonghwa chucked your chin with his pretty fingers, kissing you softly. “What does he do for you that the two of us couldn't?”

Flashes of San, his sweet smile and the blood splatter on his chest, smeared with your violent love making. “We’re tied in blood and cum, you and I are, my love,” he growled, “You can never betray me with a pact like this.”

You had a secret to keep, a lover to cover for, regardless of how much your body begged for that sweet, rough release you were looking for. And besides… San could more than give it to you… as long as the two of you were released from custody. 

You raised your chin stubbornly. “You two can’t be San.”

A loud curse and bang could be heard through the speakers, shocking you and Seonghwa. Was Yunho coming back? What did that mean? You both anticipated and feared for what the future could hold for you.

[just-a-strange-boy]

a wicked tongue

part two

part one here

masterlist

Two frustrating nights in a row leave you restless. Stephen finds himself concerned - and poses a kind offer. He seems all too eager to pay you a friendly favor.

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Reader (GN)

Warnings: 18+ (Minors DNI), more questionable sexual proposals, friends with benefits (kind of), caught masturbating, oral sex (reader receiving), face sitting

A/N: one good turn deserves another ;) and I promised you a sequel, so there it is! thanks for all the love you left on a helping hand. I tried to keep this as gender neutral as possible, but it was very hard to not get specific with this kind of sexual interaction. I suppose you could say it's a little more afab-coded, but I still hope you'll enjoy!

The world was kind of funny.

Two days ago you had decided to help your sister's friend get off after sort of stumbling upon him in a very private moment, failing to pleasure himself, and finding yourself to just be the right person for the task.

Now, after two frustrating nights in a row of trying, you were suddenly the one incapable of getting all the way to the edge on your own. You didn't know what the matter was, why it suddenly wouldn't just...work.

Perhaps it was the fact that you were staying at someone else's place that made you unable to orgasm in peace. Not even the shower would do, though the perfect place for masturbation as the door locked and the spray would conceal any noises you did not want Stephen to hear.

But your body simply wasn't able to relax, even though that had never been one of your concerns before.

Maybe you were just tired of only ever feeling your fingers – you had to admit it had been a long while since having someone else and you rarely used the opportunity of involving a sex toy.

It wasn't that you weren't horny enough, because heaven's sake you absolutely were. That's why it was so damn frustrating. The urge to get there was strong and arousal sparked almost violently, especially when you thought about Stephen. You needed release and just couldn't find it.

Maybe it was a Stephen problem.

The man had been riddling your thoughts ever since your little encounter in his bedroom – and you found yourself replaying how beautiful he had sounded, remembering the expressions on his face flicking from frustration to pleasure to bliss and relief, how incredibly hot it had been to have him (quite literally) in your hand and bring him to a mindblowing orgasm. But even that fantasy wasn't enough to do it for you and you frankly felt bad for using Stephen as means to get off.

Shame on you. Of course, you still thought about him. Whenever you thought you got there though, you failed to cum anyways.

It left you restless and frustrated, even though it had only been a few days without release, and that's exactly why you ended up sitting at the kitchen aisle in the middle of the night, deciding to start working on the next project because you imagined it at least might distract you enough from your own dissatisfaction.

So you had thought.

But once you had opened the program, you immediately realized that neither inspiration nor motivation would grace you tonight, so you kept typing and tapping away randomly, hoping some creative spark would finally strike and keep your mind busy.

Minutes and then an hour and then two hours went by. Nothing.

About 1am, you were surprised to find Stephen joining you in the kitchen, staggering in from the dark corridor – he acknowledged you with a curt nod, though his gaze seemed to linger on you a while longer, before he quietly walked towards the kitchen counter, apparently meaning to get himself a drink, just some water.

Because you greeted every distraction you could get at the moment, you decided to watch him bustle around instead of trying to focus on work. And what a perfect distraction he was, looking entirely adorable, his hair a little mussed and rumpled with sleep, careful with every single one of his steps, clumsily trying to open the cap of the water bottle, grumbling - probably about the fact his hands were absolutely pissing him off.

He had not paid your presence any more mind up until that point, but eventually gave up on the bottle cap, walked towards you and handed you the bottle with a pleading (albeit very tired) look. Stephen didn't speak his request out loud, but he didn't really need to – usually you liked having him ask and say 'Please' because it annoyed him to go the extra mile of niceties, though once in a while you had mercy.

You opened it for him in the blink of an eye and carefully returned it to his hands.

“Thanks”, he muttered. For a moment you thought, he might just have a sip and leave again. But then you noticed that he drank while staying real close by your seat and tried to catch a glimpse of what you were working on – it wasn't much, just a few scribbles on the screen, but still seemed to make him curious.

"That looks... not like something I'd expect from an actual graphic designer", he worded politely, though his cockiness seeped through, regardless of his exhausted state, “Let me guess. Couldn't get any sleep?”

"Nope, my body decided to betray me and I couldn't fall asleep. Now I'm just... here, doing work, because I might as well be productive", you sighed, obviously not planning to tell him about your frustration with another kind of handiwork, “But you can see how well that's going. It looks pathetic.”

"Is the couch getting too uncomfortable perhaps?", Stephen wondered. You almost snorted. It was definitely not the couch bothering you. “And by the way that looks, I doubt you'll get any further with your creativity tonight.”

"Yeah well, just a couple more days of suffering and Christine will be back and then I can finally go home to my own bed, while you can get on her nerves instead", you therefore replied, paying him a tired smile in response, trying to match his teasing nature, “Or she on yours. Probably both.”

"Already tired of playing caretaker?", Stephen joked, placed one of his bandaged hands on your shoulder and squeezed it gently, “And here I thought you liked me.”

"Don't blame me for thinking you are a horrible patient", you rolled your eyes at him, "Are you gonna bother me much longer or may I go back to work?"

"Actually, let me be the reasonable one for once. I have an idea", Stephen contemplated and by the way his tone suddenly shifted, you were almost expecting it to be a very suggestive one.

"How about you stop working and come join me in bed? You need some rest too, considering you'll have to deal with me for a few more days. There's space enough for the two of us, it's much more comfortable than the couch and maybe the presence of another human being will allow you and me both to finally get some sleep. I call that a win-win.”

You tried real hard to keep a neutral look on your face, not giving away that you were somewhat entertained by the suggestion, but also slightly confused.

Had you expected this coming from Stephen? No, certainly not. You didn't mind, but were still conflicted, because you couldn't tell whether it was actually meant to be so suggestive or just an innocent offer. Maybe he was really just trying to accommodate you in order for you to have a good rest, since he was the one getting on your nerves so very often.

Though it did sound like he wanted you near too, as if it would also help him to get some better sleep as well.

Stephen looked worried when you didn't answer immediately, like he feared he had made you uncomfortable. In truth he had simply rendered you speechless.

You caught yourself somewhere amidst the awkward silence between you. Instead of giving him an answer he was most certainly dreading, you let your actions speak, closing all of your programs and shutting off your laptop.

It was a silent agreement, but he sure understood.

It wouldn't do any harm, would it? Sleeping next to Stephen might be nice, just to have the comfort and warmth of another person might be enough to actually lull you to sleep, and it wasn't like this was crossing any more boundaries along the lines of friendship, considering you had jerked him off two days ago without a second thought.

Sharing a bed was nothing worth mentioning in contrast.

Your only concern was your current sexual frustration, something that might be intensified by the presence of a very attractive man and the proximity you'd get to enjoy while sleeping in the same bed – you would definitely not try to masturbate next to Stephen and if you were lucky enough, then maybe sleeping next to him would end up being just as relaxing as a possible orgasm.

Well, apparently you were going to find out.

As soon as you got settled into bed next to Stephen, sheets and pillows smelling delightfully fresh, of course a little like him, you let yourself be embraced by the warmth of the blanket immediately, sinking into the soft mattress. Heavenly. Definitely better than the couch, though the choice of furniture had certainly not been the underlying issue anyways.

Laying in a comfortable bed, suddenly feeling the dead tired weight of your limbs and your eyes dropping as well, you stopped worrying altogether.

There was not even a whim of discomfort in this moment, even though you hadn't shared a bed with anyone for months. Especially sharing it with Stephen, you had expected to find it perhaps odd, but now that you lay there – it was just fine. The exhaustion did its part.

You bid good night to one another and it took you mere minutes after closing your eyes until you were drifting off...

•

You could have sworn you had fallen asleep laying on your back, with an appropriate amount of distance between two people considered friends, but in your process of awakening you quickly noticed something was a little off.

Apparently you had rolled over onto your side at some point during the night, which wasn't that seldom. It was just a lot more comfortable than sleeping on your back. But that wasn't all.

You also undeniably found yourself in a warm embrace that wasn't just a blanket on top of you but an arm draped over your form and a warm body pressing up to your backside.

Oh lord.

Getting spooned in the morning had sure not been on your list for the day (or at all, as of lately), but you didn't bother to complain or even make the slightest attempt of moving away, no matter how much the initial realization startled you. Having Stephen near was kinda nice, more than you could have imagined.

It didn't feel wrong.

As this was probably the only cuddle you were going to get for a long while, you might as well enjoy it. It made you wonder though. He had likely just embraced you by accident, subconciously snuggling up to the one thing in his bed, but you wondered what his reaction might be like if he woke and noticed what was going on.

Would he be startled or entirely unfazed? Had it perhaps not been a subconcious decision at all? What if he had done this on purpose? What if he had wanted to hold you, feel another body close to his? Maybe that had been the reason for his invitation in the first place. But right now you couldn't find yourself to care too much about any ulterior motives and just let it happen.

Focusing on the sensations around and within you, you came to a few more realizations.

Stephen was a furnace, his presence alone incredibly warm. There was something comforting about his embrace, it was a protective but gentle hold, and you could probably get used to being cuddled in the morning by someone like him.

However, and worst of all – it was enough to turn you on instantly, to have his warm body pressed up to yours, the way he had claimed you all for himself, how right it felt.

You wanted to damn yourself for agreeing to his offer in the first place as it brought you into such a precarious position right now, but then again... you wouldn't want to risk missing the experience, would you? Besides that, it would never happen another time and you should enjoy it while it lasted – though if you both consented, perhaps it might not be the last time for you after all.

You greeted that idea. But this certainly crossed a boundary, a different one than having jerked him off. Allowing Stephen a sexual favor, for this one time, had been a friendly deed. You had wanted to make him feel better, because you cared for him, and you had accomplished just that.

But now, with his arm around you and you wishing to be able to experience this more often, you became uncomfortably aware that maybe being just friends would not be enough for you.

Because you wanted more. So much more. Especially right now.

It didn't help that Stephen was shifting behind you, drawing his arm around you tighter, pressing up to your back, his warm breath tickling your nape, obviously still fast asleep...

Your heart hammered in your chest, a familiar lust rushing to your loins, and you squirmed in interest, cautious to not press back into him in order to not accidentally wake him up. Because if you did and he became aware of what was going on, he would likely pull back and then this perfect moment would be over.

Or maybe not. But could you risk that?

If you surrendered to your own desire here, you might never be able to look Stephen in the eye ever again. Jerking him off had been a well-meant favor. Masturbating next to him would entirely be for your own gain and just wrong. But the temptation of doing something forbidden, the thought of maybe being discovered by Stephen... undeniably did something to you.

It wasn't like he had to know. For as long as he wouldn't wake, you'd be safe. It's not like you would use him for your own pleasure – no, he was just there and his presence was more than enough to feed your arousal. The rest, you could do yourself.

A little drowsy from sleep, you slid your hand down the pajama pants, over your underwear and eventually finding your evident excitement, letting fingers rub over yourself through the material. Seemed like this part of you was responding quite eagerly too.

God, with only noticing how touch-starved Stephen had been, you apparently had forgotten how starved for attention and desperate you were.

Alas, if you started touching yourself now, it would be twice as awkward for the man behind you to wake up and find you like that, but being so aroused, being so embraced too, you allowed to just let this take its toll.

Slightly ashamed, your cheeks burning with heat, breathing faster, you slipped your fingers under the remaining layer of clothing, brushing over your naked arousal, allowing yourself just a tiny bit of pleasure.

Going on like this, maybe for a handful of minutes, your fingers busy working between your thighs, trailing the spots that made you feel just right, trying hard to not shift or push back against Stephen, to not make too much noise, to not moan at how utterly excited you were and how your own touch might just be enough to finally get you to the edge, you nearly found yourself forgetting about being in a presence of another person.

Unsurprisingly so, it scared the shit out of you when Stephen suddenly stirred and moved, gently placing his bandaged hand on your forearm, a very definite sign that he was awake.

Oh no.

You stopped the movements immediately and by god, another hole in the ground opening up and swallowing you whole would have been great now. Your face must have literally been flaring red in your current state of embarrassment, burning with heat, and your entire body tensed. Rather awkwardly, you tried to remain as still as you could, pretending that you had not just touched yourself.

But he wasn't a fool, obviously. You sure were, hoping this would go unnoticed. What in heaven's name had you been thinking? And what was going to happen now?

Was he urging you to stop, but wouldn't mention it to you, letting the weight of silence consume the moment and ruin your arousal? Maybe he'd just let the moment pass and you could continue on to be friendly with each other, without ever demanding to talk about this? You'd greet that.

But could there be any chance he might just be okay with this? What if he'd be disgusted, resentful or would ridicule and tease you about this forever on?

You wished for the whole world to come crashing down just about now and spare you the embarrassment...

But then he spoke up, with the low rumble of his voice, warm breath brushing against the back of your neck, something that didn't help your arousal at all. "You know, you could have just told me that you're also desperate and need some relief. I wouldn't have judged."

"M'sorry", you sighed, pulling your hand out of your pants in utmost shame, Stephen's closeness and his careful touch on your arm burning into your skin, "I know I shouldn't have... but... I've just been struggling with getting off... and... I guess being held by you... just kinda did it for me. Not to say that you turn me on, I just... god, this is ridiculous."

"Oh come on, is it really so ridiculous?”, Stephen hummed, sounding very amused about this situation as a whole, "You jerked me off, remind you not that long ago, and this... is actually kind of hot. Having an adorable little minx like you in my bed trying to get off, too afraid to admit that they're turned on, too shy to ask for assistance. Sounds like a dream to me."

"More like a nightmare, being caught in the act", you turned your head to smush it further into the pillow. Why were you even having such a casual conversation right now? You, in this odd state between complete embarrassment and relentless arousal, and Stephen, having woken up to this, seemingly unfazed.

You should have just rolled out of bed and left the situation, hoping that Stephen would never mention it again and spare you any further shame.

Perhaps it was only fair – you had accidentally witnessed Stephen trying to masturbate and now he had discovered you. You were in an odd way even. Not that it made this any better.

"Do you want any help with that? I owe you something, don't I?", he asked, instead of letting it rest though, his voice still gravelly and low from sleep, his hand brushing over your arm in a comforting motion. Speaking of being suggestive...

"Fuck all the way off. You don't owe me anything", you replied, of course. You didn't want Stephen to feel like he had to offer you anything in return for the favor you had so willingly given, even though you obviously didn't actually mind the idea of it. Damn it.

He wasn't the type of person to be entirely selfless, so with offering something like this... maybe he wasn't opposed to the idea of being in more sexual situations with you and you didn't really know what to think about this.

Though you might not want to go as far as having sex with the man already (if ever) and while his hands might be a bit of an issue, you had no doubts it would be worth it, whatever he had in mind.

God, if Christine ever found out about this... she'd probably make fun of both of you, thinking you were absolutely ridiculous - which you no doubt were, dancing around each other and clutching onto the boundaries of a normal friendship, when you could perhaps be so much more if you were just bold and brave enough.

"Would it make this situation better if I wanted to help you?", Stephen admitted to you, sounding unsure, "I wasn't lying when I said I think it's hot."

"And we won't talk to anyone about this?", you asked.

"Not a word. Promise", Stephen confirmed, pressing up to your body from behind, his breath still ghosting over your neck, sending a whole different kind of shiver through you when his lips softly brushed your nape, "I'm just afraid my fingers currently won't be good enough to please you. But I have an idea."

"And if I may ask, what kind of idea might that be?" Curiosity killed the cat after all. You were still so horny you might have accepted any offer of pleasure, even though unsure whether it was wise, but you were looking forward to pick a piece of his mind, to find out what filthy thoughts he might harvest. He seemed so willing to do this, for whatever reason – and you yourself began wondering if all of this was just a dream, made up by your subconscious desires.

"You'll figure it out. Turn over", Stephen spoke and eased his embrace – and so you did, rolling onto your other side, facing him, who was watching you with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a rather soft sleepy smile. You couldn't possibly tell what was crossing his thoughts and looked at each other for a quiet moment, since you didn't know what to expect or how to act next.

“If we're going to do this my way, you need to strip. At least get out of your pants”, was the subtle order that followed up – and so you did, even though followed by a little awkwardness, deciding to shuffle out of your pajama pants and underwear, still hidden from his gaze by the blanket resting over you. It didn't save you from feeling slightly self-conscious, a thousand thoughts running through your head.

What was he planning? What was he going to suggest next? Why was he doing this for you? Would you like it? And what would that mean for your friendship?

"Don't be shy. Come get on top of me", Stephen announced the third step and leisurely turned onto his back, appearing oddly expectant. You faltered, eyes widening at his suggestion. He wasn't expecting you to... he wasn't asking for sexual intercourse, was he?

Noticing your second guessing, his gaze softened and he smiled at you, assuredly. “You can trust me. If you don't like it, we can stop any time. But I'm thinking you might just enjoy it.”

“I just...”, you began. Your curiosity was catching up on you. You would have liked to find out.

“Come on up. I'll be nice”, Stephen's smile turned into that self-satisfied grin you knew him for and whatever it was that had you convinced in the end, you decided to surrender yourself. He had given into you mere days ago and so easily, putting so much trust in you, convinced you were meaning well – and in return, you'd allow him the same trust.

So you did as he suggested, slowly pushing back the blankets to awkwardly scramble onto Stephen's lap, finding your usual confidence whisked away, oddly exposed. The man's gaze was raking over your body and for a moment you quietly watched him in the soft morning light, his smug face, pupils dilating with desire as he consumed the sight of you.

What now, you asked yourself, bracing your palms against his stomach, feeling his warmth, the subtle movement of his breathing, perched on firm thighs. Was he waiting for you to make the next move? You had no doubt that if you grinded down on him, it would feel good. Perhaps you'd even get him to harden as well, adding to his pleasure as much as to your own.

But something told you it wasn't quite what he had in mind – he was meaning to give you a favor.

"Good. Place your hands on the headboard instead", he instructed you next, waiting for you to do just that, "And now you come further up here."

You swallowed hard as you stared back down at him and the clear indication he had just made. "Do you mean I should...? Like... on your... face?"

A sharp and quick "Yes" was the only respond you got. So that's what was he had planned.

Stephen was apparently very pleased with his idea and before you had a chance to second-guess, he snuck his arms around your waist, pulling you forward instantly, urging you to shuffle up until your knees were resting on the pillow, close to his head, and you were literally hovering over him, holding yourself up on the headboard.

You suddenly didn't dare to look at him and closed your eyes instead, contemplating just how unreal this situation was. Kneeling over him, you could feel Stephen's warm breath on your most private parts, his head between your thighs, and honestly, even that alone seemed too crazy to be true.

But this was really happening, wasn't it?

Only a broken moan escaped you when you suddenly felt Stephen's mouth on you, hot and welcoming, gently teasing, carefully sucking on your sensitive swollen sex, tongue lazily testing and probing all of you, to the point all your insecurities and doubts were whisked away.

"Fucking... fuck", you shuddered, clinging a little tighter onto the headboard immediately, careful not to crush the man under your own weight, but god... his mouth felt so good on you and Stephen was unashamed to taste every bit, exploring you, sometimes with the flat of his tongue, sometimes only giving you little flicks, paying more attention to those spots he had quickly figured how much you liked and humming in delight whenever he drew a reaction out of you.

You had known Stephen had a wicked tongue, judging by his snarky comments most of the time, but only now were you truly figuring out how skilled it was as well. He was downright devouring you, slow strokes of his flat tongue up and down, his mouth tasting you seemingly everywhere, sucking and licking and kissing, his tongue easing its way along every dip and curve, not leaving a single part of your arousal unattended.

Apparently he was trying to drive you mad too – just the right level of intensity, switching things up to keep you on edge, pausing, so you could only feel his breath ghosting over you, and you had to admit that you kinda deserved this torturous sweetness after having being cruel to Stephen himself last time. But god, how thorough and driven he was, all this to make you feel good.

At this point, it seemed a lot like the man wasn't too concerned with being smothered by you at all, hungrily pulling you further towards his own face, tasting you, lapping on you like a starving man, his heavy breath and scruffy beard tickling you. Nothing seemed to dampen his enthusiasm.

You couldn't remembered ever having someone as eager as him between your legs before and sank your head against the wall, unable to stop moaning, giving yourself over to the purest pleasure sparking within, Stephen's sinful mouth taking care of you like no one else ever had.

A whine left your lips just as Stephen's mouth parted from you, continuing to spread soft kisses and playful little bites on you inner thighs – as much as he could reach of them anyways – and you were so close to just grab him by the hair and lead him back to your aching arousal, if it meant he would continue to lick you.

It was just as intense when he returned to taste you with his tongue again.

Stephen didn't hold you back from grinding against his face either and you rolled your hips in time for the greedy laps of his tongue, chasing your orgasm just like this.

And when you came, gods, did you come hard.

It was seriously unreal, your entire body was suddenly trembling hard, you could feel the heavy jitters of your thighs taking over all of your body, moaning and panting, your brain was literally on fire, pleasure surging like electricity through your veins - and if that wasn't the literal definition of a mind-blowing orgasm, you didn't know what was.

You couldn't believe your own luck. A heavy weight was lifted off your chest, you felt carefree and light, floating in nothingness for a moment, mind entirely blank.

You must have carried a quite loopy smile, looking down at Stephen, having pulled back enough to let him breathe, not wanting to smother him altogether - because it would honestly have been a shame to get rid of him now.

But Stephen took it like a champ, entirely unfazed, just smiled back at you, hair still tousled from sleep, cheeks reddened, lips swollen red, mouth and chin glistening with saliva and slick of your arousal, a filthy reminder of what had just happened.

He looked damn pleased with himself and admittedly so, you were more than pleased with him as well.

Too weak in the knees to gracefully get off Stephen, you nearly tumbled backwards on top of him, almost crushing him with your awkward shuffling around. Your head was still a little too scrambled to word your satisfaction, but you were sure Stephen understood you quite well, even without words.

He seemed smug. Amused. There was this glimmer in his eyes as he watched you climbing off his body. You felt the urge to simply whack him with a pillow for his grin alone, but reconsidered.

Let him have a little joy. A little satisfaction. He seemed at ease and you loved to see it.

Coming to lay beside Stephen again, utterly tired and probably ready for another hour of sleep now that he had knocked this orgasm out of you, you found your own kind of enjoyment. Almost a sweet moment, if one ignored the fact you had just sat on his face mere minutes ago, and one you were willing to make the most of, for as long as it would last.

Instead of simply fleeing the scene like last time, you closed the distance to cuddle up to him, placing your head on his chest and a hand to his stomach, happy with the fact that the man accepted your affections and went on to hold you in his embrace. He seemed content and as you shut your eyes, fully welcoming his comforting warmth to lull you back to sleep, you swore you could feel him press a soft kiss to the crown of your head.

For now, it was more than enough. But who knew where this little encounter would eventually take the two of you?

[daysofyellowroses]

red rose ii

kerry von erich x reader | 2.6k | sequel to this story (you can read this as a standalone as it's basically just plotless and i won't expect anyone to read a 10k fic just to know a backstory) | 18+ minors dni - this is plotless smut because i felt like it, enjoy!

“I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride.”

A chorus of cheers rang out from the congregation, hands clapping together as whistles rang out around the church.

You met Kerry's eyes, standing across from him in your pink, puffy bridesmaids dress. He gave you a wink and you rolled your eyes with a smile as you cheered on Kevin and Pam, the two of them starting to head down the aisle. After a moment you were by Kerry's side, your arm in his as you began to leave the church.

“Second time today you've walked me down an aisle,” You grinned, looking over to your boyfriend. “Making a habit of it, are we?”

“Might just be,” Kerry teased, giving you a kiss on the cheek. “hope you don't mind.”

“Not at all, I encourage it.” You smiled, watching a shower of rice wash over Kevin and Pam as they walked out ahead of you.

There was some standing around as the wedding photos were taken, all the various relatives and friends being swapped in and out, the photographer giving more demands thanan army sergeant. Part of you felt a little silly being in the photos, being a bridesmaid alongside Pam's old friends, but you had still been so thrilled when she'd asked you. After all, the two of you had become friends, which was a joy.

As Kevin and Pam took pictures with their parents, you rested your head on Kerry's shoulder, his arm around your waist. David and Mike stood across from you, bored expressions on their faces that made you smile.

“Can't memories be enough?” David sighed as he rested his hands on his hips, looking over to the photographer. “I'm starving, I'll eat his damn camera if I need to.”

“Give me half,” Mike sighed, folding his arms. “A crumb, anything.”

You smiled as you turned and whispered in Kerry's ear, his hand tightening on your waist.

“I'm still full.”

“Good to know,” He murmured softly, grinning as he looked down at your dress. “You know, you really can't tell this thing was crumpled up on the floor a few hours ago. All that panic for nothing.”

“I wasn't the one pulling it off,” You grinned, your hands coming to rest on Kerry's shoulder. “that was all-”

“You!” The photographer snapped, gesturing to you and the boys. “get on over here, all of you.”

“You hold him down,” David looked at Kerry. “I'll get the camera.”

A couple of hours later, you were taking your seat after your latest twirl around the dancefloor. You took a sip of your drink, looking out to the floor filled with people having the time of their lives. Your gaze fell on your dad, smiling as you watched him and Carla sway together, laughing about something and unable to keep their eyes off each other. A moment later, Kerry came and sat next to you, his arm resting over the back of your chair.

“Having fun?” He asked, looking over to you with a smile.

“Of course,” You grinned, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek, your hand resting on his thigh. “I was just thinking..my dad and Carla will stay a while longer, the house is gonna be empty. Seems a shame to waste it.”

“It would definitely be a shame,” Kerry smiled, resting his hand on top of yours. “I say we sneak out the back and if anyone asks we'll just say I felt sick and didn't want to make a big fuss.”

“Wow,” You raised a brow with a smile as you stood up. “I'm making a rebel out of you, Kerry Von Erich.”

The drive home seemed to take an age, all you wanted to do was get out of your dress (again) and wile away the evening in Kerry's arms.

When you finally arrived, you practically leaped out of the truck, rooting around in your purse for your key. You could hear Kerry laughing as you held half the contents of your purse in your hand while you searched, rolling your eyes with a smile.

“Alright I got it, we're good,” You finally fished the key out, walking up the steps to the front door and opening the door. You walked into the small lobby and turned as you waited for Kerry to join you.

“Still feels strange,” He grinned as he walked into the house, closing the front door. “I still expect to have to sneak through your window.”

“You can walk around the back and shimmy up the drainpipe if you want,” You grinned, lightly pushing down your puffed up sleeves. “For old time's sake.”

“And leave you here all alone?” Kerry raised a brow, striding over to you with a smile, wrapping his arms around you. “Absolutely not.��

You wrapped your arms around his neck, feeling truly content as you met his eyes.

“Good..I don't want to be apart from you for even a second. Who else is gonna help me out of this thing?”

“Good thing I got experience then,” Kerry grinned, and you laughed before an excited squeak flew out of you as Kerry picked you up and started walking to the stairs, your arms secure around his neck.

When you reached your bedroom, you got onto your feet and wasted no time turning your back to Kerry so he could pull your dress off as he had before you'd left the house earlier.

To your surprise, he took his time, standing close behind you as his fingers slowly released each button. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to the nape of your neck and you let out a soft breath as you closed your eyes.

“Kerry,” You groaned softly, no real admonishment in your tone.

“Shh, we got time,” He murmured softly, trailing kisses down your back as he slowly unbuttoned your dress. “Just enjoy it.”

You didn't need to be told twice. As much as you had enjoyed the morning, it had been rushed. You'd been in Kerry's bedroom, with the background noise of David asking where his tie was, Mike banging on the door to get his shoes, and the radio blasting out.

Now, you were more than happy to feel Kerry's hands slowly glide along your bare back before he carefully eased your dress down your shoulders.

“Turn around, gorgeous.”

You moved slowly, holding your dress to your chest as you turned and met Kerry's eyes with a smile. After slowly pushing the dress off yourself to pool at your feet, Kerry held his hand out and you took it before stepping out of the dress and wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Well this really isn't fair,” You grinned, moving your hand to lightly toy with the grey bow tie wrapped around Kerry's neck. “You get to stay fully clothed, bow tie and all, and I have to be naked?”

“You've still got these,” Kerry grinned, his fingers hooking into the waistband of your panties. “So it's fine.”

“Is it though?” You hummed, moving your hand to gently stroke Kerry's cheek. “Because I don't think it really i-!”

You gasped as Kerry picked you up and carried you over to your bed, throwing you down on it and taking his suit jacket off. Your panties were instantly soaked as you watched him move slowly onto the bed, settling between your legs.

“I don't need to be undressed to do this,” He murmured softly,his hands gripping your thighs. You closed your eyes as you felt him slowly peel away your panties, feeling his gaze on you. It was already driving you crazy, your body desperately wanting more, but at the same time you found yourself enjoying that he was taking his time, giving you so much attention.

When you felt Kerry's hands gently moving along your thighs you let out a soft breath, your chest tightening as he placed a soft kiss on your inner thigh. You were sure neither of you had moved so slowly since you sparked your relationship back up again.

Not that it was a bad thing, of course. You were snatching moments where you could, in his bedroom or yours, in your truck, and that very enjoyable time when he dropped by the garage to pick you up and you got a little delayed. You couldn't quite meet Mrs. Davenport's eyes when you dropped her car back.

But now..now it was like there was nobody else in the world but the two of you, Kerry wasn't having to hold his hand over your mouth to cover up your moans, you didn't have the thrill of potentially being caught, but you did have Kerry between your legs, licking a slow stripe up your soaked core.

A moan escaped your lips and you relished not having to hide it. Your hands found the sheets as you let the moans fall freely. Kerry seemed content to keep a slow pace, taking you apart a little at a time, and your protests died in your mouth, replaced by ragged breaths and moans.

“So pretty,” Kerry murmured softly, and you slowly opened your eyes as you felt him slowly rub his fingers over your clit, spreading you open as he moved down. His eyes met yours and you felt like you could die happily in that moment as he smiled at you.

“All mine, ain't you darlin’?”

“Yeah,” You managed after a moment, your heart racing. “All yours baby.”

Your head fell back against the pillow as he slowly pushed his finger into you, his tongue slowly swirling over your clit. You wanted to tell him how good it felt, how you wanted, needed more, but the words couldn't get out, your mind swimming and your body crying out.

Emotion and tiredness and desire all melted together within you, and felt like you could cry as Kerry pushed another finger inside you, crooking the digits as they found that wonderful spongy spot inside you.

“Oh god,” You moaned, your hand falling over your forehead. “Kerry..I..please..”

You were sure you heard him murmur something like “I got you baby” but the building wave in your stomach grabbed your attention as it began to crescendo, a cry escaping your lips as Kerry worked you open.

It took a moment for the breath to settle back into your body, your heart hammering in your chest. Kerry lapped you up, and you whined at your own sensitivity while loving the feeling nonetheless. You reached down and touched his arm, wanting him closer, needing his arms around you.

Kerry moved slowly, your hands reaching out to touch his arms when he was finally above you, trying to steady yourself.

“Please tell me I can undress you now,” You murmured softly, your hands moving to the top button of his shirt. “Don't torture me..”

“Go ahead,” Kerry grinned, watching as your fingers moved to undo his bow tie, the material gathered around your hand as you unbuttoned his shirt. You hadn't had time to take his shirt off earlier, you relished in being able to freely.

“I love you,” You murmured softly as you slid the shirt down Kerry's arms. “You know that, I know, I just like reminding you.”

“I know,” Kerry smiled, getting his shirt all the way off before meeting your eyes. “And you know that I love you. Always have. Always will.”

“I always have too,” You smiled, hands moving to unbutton his pants. “I always will..you're it for me. Nobody gives me what you do, makes me feel the way you do.”

“You mean..like this?” Kerry asked, leaning down to kiss you and grinning into it as you gasped. You felt his hand move on top of yours, helping you push down his pants.

“Exactly like that,” You murmured softly, resting your forehead against Kerry's. “Just need you to do one thing..”

You gripped his shoulders, pushing him over onto his back.

“There, perfect,” You grinned, leaning over to pull his pants all the way off and dropping them to the floor before looking back at him.

“I think I should just keep you here forever. It suits you.”

“You won't hear me complaining,” Kerry smiled, holding his hand out to you. “C'mere angel.”

You took his hand, moving forward til you were straddling his lap. The friction of his shorts against your bare core was heavenly, your hips shifting a little.

“Comfortable?” Kerry asked, a teasing tone in his voice as he gently stroked his thumb over the back of your hand.

“Very,” You nodded, a soft moan escaping you as you moved again, biting your lip at the sensation.

“I was gonna take ‘em off but maybe not yet,” Kerry mused, moving his free hand to your hip.

“No,” You breathed, your hand moving to the waistband of his shorts. “I need to feel you. Please.”

Kerry gave you a nod before you pulled the shorts down, his hard cock springing free and resting against his stomach.

“Fuck,” You murmured softly, gently gripping Kerry's election and giving it a few slow strokes before lining yourself up and sinking down slowly.

“Oh god,” You moaned, your eyes falling closed as your head tilted back. “Mm..”

When you were filled completely, Kerry wanted no time in sitting up and wrapping his arms around you before flipping you onto your back. He took your hands on his and held them above your head, pushing deeper into you. Your legs wrapped around his waist, wanting him as close as possible.

“You're everything, you know that?” Kerry murmured softly, leaning on to kiss your neck as you arched your back. “So perfect..my good girl..”

You slowly tugged your hand from Kerry's, moving it to grip his hair as his fingers deftly moved to your breast, thumb rolling over your nipple.

“I shouldn't let it affect me so much,” You moaned softly, your hand in Kerry's squeezing tightly. “But..fuck..”

“It's okay,” Kerry murmured, sucking a mark onto your collarbone as he thrust into you harder. “You can enjoy it, being such a good girl for me..”

“Mm,” You nodded, your eyes rolling back as Kerry hit that spot inside you, your hands gripping his hair. “Yes, I..”

“You what, baby?” Kerry asked, his lips trailing kisses back up your neck as you tried to gather your thoughts.

“I..I love being your good girl,” You moaned, legs falling apart as Kerry began fucking into you harder, deeper. “Please..”

“I got you, darling,” Kerry moved his hand to grab your thigh, holding it up and open, your eyes clenching shut as you felt the wave build.

“Hey, eyes on me, angel.”

You felt like you could let go then and there, your eyes opening to meet Kerry's. You could feel the desire in his gaze, the want and the passion and the all consuming love that had you wanting to wrap your arms around him and never let go.

Everything fell away as you cried out, eyes rolling back as you saw stars, felt Kerry's warm touch and heard his sweet words somewhere in your mind, feeling him fill you with warmth.

It took a moment to come back down to earth, turning on your side slowly and wrapping yourself around Kerry. He wrapped around you instantly, placing soft kisses to your forehead and whispering to you about how good you were, how perfect and beautiful and wonderful.

It wouldn't always end in such a way, where you had time to heap praise and embrace each other. At least not for a while. But in that moment, there was nothing else, just the two of you, in your perfect moment.

[littlemissclandestine]

Why I think Russell Adler is going to make a comeback in COD 2024

WARNING⚠️: Contains spoilers for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Disclaimer: This is all just speculation on my behalf of course. I've just tried piecing stuff together for fun because Russ is one of my fave BO characters even though he's a bitch but i need more Adler content stat. <33

Let's get into it peeps. HEAR ME OUT.

Buckle up. Gonna be one hell of a ride folks 🤪

We'll start off with some random/background info.

Russ was born on February 12th 1937 so that would make him 53/54 in the Gulf War era. This actually isn't that old because if you think about it, Woods was about to turn 51 in 1981 during the Cold War campaign. What's a few more years?

We last saw Adler in action post-campaign in Warzone 1.0 cinematics but we've been kept in the dark about Adler's whereabouts post-1984 (after being brainwashed and killing Stitch LOL).

This meanie in a beanie wasn't forgotten about, oh no. He appears in the new cinematic intros on startup for both MWII (2022) and MWIII (2023). See below:

He was also featured twice in the 20 year anniversary video for Call of Duty whereas COD Ghosts didn't even get an appearance (ouch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL_w5HmxsPI

I personally believe Adler was a great addition to the Black Ops roster and is essentially the new Black Ops 'cover boy' now. Would be such a shame and a missed opportunity not to include a character like him in the upcoming COD. One who is morally grey, does whatever he deems necessary to get the job done - a bit like Cpt. Price in MW. Got the COD fans riled up about him brainwashing and pulling the trigger on Bell too - he's already got the spotlight in both a good and bad way.

Now, let's explore my main reasoning as to why I think Mr Shades 2.0 is most likely coming back in late 2024...

🎖️First up: Gulf War mission list 🔫

Here are some of the campaign missions that will be featured in Black Ops Gulf War. Obviously, this is subject to change, however, going off what we have, look closely...

Credit: @MWIIINTEL on Twitter/X

Safehouse guys...SAFEHOUSE. Takes you right back to Cold War, doesn't it? Ugh the potential.

🕵️ Next up: The campaign for COD 2024 will dive into the CIA's role/the Black Ops timeline 🕘

I took the following snippet from this official article.

From this, we know there will be a huge focus on the CIA and who's a CIA clandestine special officer? Mhm, you guessed it - Russell Adler.

Now, according to the events of BO2, it's evident which characters have the possibility of returning out of our original BO trio - Jason Hudson, Frank Woods and Alex Mason.

💫 Alex is presumed dead after Frank shot him so he's out the picture in '90/91 until 2025 when they canonically meet again.

🪵 Woods would be in his 60s during this time too so I'll let you decide whether that's too old for him to be in GW.

Edit: Woods got SPAS-12'd in the kneecaps on Dec 20th 1989 by Raul Menendez so uh...yeah

🧊 Hudson died on Dec 20th 1989 at the hands of Raul Menendez.

Feel free to check out this website (Call of Duty Wiki) for an outline of the events after CW to remind yourself. Here's a link to the Black Ops timeline from there.

➡️ Gulf War being a direct sequel to Cold War and what that could mean 💉

That brings me onto the rest of the safehouse crew. Since GW is a direct sequel to CW, it would make sense for some characters to carry over if possible:

We, as the player/Bell, get to choose whether Park or Lazar die (or both lovebirds) in 'End of the Line'. It's highly unlikely they'll return unless the devs make one decision canon maybe.

There could be a chance we see Sims again given his bond with Adler (Da Nang etc.), his age (late 40s in GW) and his status (alive).

That leaves the man himself, Russ. Everything from his age to the fact he's CIA and was the deuteragonist in COD 2020's campaign just makes sense for him to have at least a lil cameo or even a larger role, don't you think?

📱Finally: Hints from official posts 🔎

This post from Call of duty's official Instagram account kind of sealed the deal for me.

Oh lookie - they dropped syringe-lover's famous line in a zombies post. Why would COD just drop it so casually like that without a reason and years after CW came out? They could've said absolutely anything else but no, this was purposeful.

And that's all for this episode guys and gals!

Thank you for reading!! 🫂

Do what you will with all this information but I have concluded in my silly little brain that scarface is coming back.

How he's only in one game is beyond me. Won't get a character like him ever again. Seems like a cliché war dude at first glance but dig a little deeper into the details of the CW campaign, peel back the layers and get into his psychology and WOWZERS.

Am I delusional? Most definitely.

But the possibility he might be returning...that little bit of hope is enough for me and i won't shut up about it.

This will age horribly if he isn't in GW. Forgive me for feeding your delusions too in that case. Please?

What are your thoughts? Feel free to share them! 😊

------

EDIT: Y'ALL IT'S HAPPENING 😭😭

[lurkingshan]

Random BL Grievances, 2023 Edition

Listen. I was going to be nice. I was going to listen to my better angels. Shan, I said, there is no need to hate, it's all love! Just let it all go! But then my Tay Tawan was cruelly ripped away from me and @my-rose-tinted-glasses gave me inspiration. So fuck it, we ball. Hateration turned up to 11, let's go.

Worst Waste of a Good Start: Jun & Jun

Remember when this show started and it was all about scent kink and extremely horny energy, and then suddenly that all evaporated so we could add a bunch of side plots and do four different love triangles instead? Yeah I'm still mad about it!!

Most Overused Metaphor: Dangerous Romance

Hey y'all, did you know windmills need wind to power them?

Rudest Boy: Lomfon, La Pluie

The audacity of this boy. The chaos he sewed. Look at this scene! Immediately after this he not only plotted a secret date with his situationship's brother, he kissed said brother without consent. He made Tien cry. I may have forgiven your lanky ass, but I sure didn't forget!

Worst Retcon: Naughty Babe

This is not Men in Black and you can't just mind wipe me into forgetting these two already worked through half these issues in Cutie Pie. Not to mention suddenly turning a dog into a CGI tiger!! Thanks to Nat and Max for their service though those sex scenes at the end did help me cope.

Biggest Audience Betrayal: Minato's Laundromat 2

Plot contrivance amnesia! In my painstaking slow burn self acceptance journey that I have spent two entire seasons on. I will never forgive them.

Most Egregious Lack of Threesomes: Only Friends

You put me through all that messy drama and all those teases and I did not get to watch even one (1) threesome? Just a couple of kisses and everybody vacates the pool. I ask you, what was the point of Boeing if he wasn't here to fuck everybody! For shame, Jojo.

Most Undeserved Forgiveness: Eun Ji and Tae Hyung, The Eighth Sense

These two assholes are really up there amongst the worst friends in drama this year. I don't care what Jae Won says, I do not forgive you. Ji Hyun should have kept that petty energy for the both of them.

Biggest Character Letdown: Sand, Only Friends

Eternally pouring one out for the rougher, more cynical version of Sand who was wielding a baseball bat in the trailer. I don't know what happened to you, my guy, but you live on in my heart.

Most Baffling Dropped Plot: Thyme, A Boss and a Babe

Why was Drake even in this show? What was the point of all that plot set up in the first half if they weren't going to resolve it?? Why wasn't Thyme the mole??? Make it make sense.

Most Obvious Lack of Purpose: Between Us

How on earth did this happen? You have literal years to write a compelling sequel story for a wildly popular side ship and this is all you can come up with?! Aside from a couple nice sexy scenes at the start, this show really had no idea what it was about and nothing interesting to say.

Biggest Waste of Everyone's Time: Absolute Zero

New Siwaj, you're getting the triple dose on this list!! And AZ is your biggest sin this year because what the fuck was this! You had all that money, all that talent, all that time at your disposal, and this is what you did with it. UWMA squad was lined up to see you finally do another masterpiece, and you delivered this mess instead. What is going on with you, sir, I feel it's time for an intervention.

Worst Derailing of a Good Show: Step by Step

You didn't think this post was ending without me mentioning this disaster, did you? An all-time cautionary tale in how to waste a good slow burn. Jeng deserved better and so did we.

[popfizzles]

have you ever liked/currently like bendy and the ink machine/bendy and the dark revival?

I liked Sammy Lawrence's voice. <:)

But for real though, I liked the base concept of the plot; the idea of demons being used to bring cartoons to life, and having to survival horror your way out of a never-ending animation studio.

But I think the execution of the idea was really poor. :(

I think Dark Revival did slightly better than the first game, but still missed the mark by a longshot for me to consider it a game I enjoyed. The first game was clunky, the mechanics were not clear or well-defined, and the plot lost itself (and I think that's safe to blame on the episodic release).

But at the same time, I think I'd prefer more of the Resident Evil type gameplay than the Bioshock vibe the sequel employed. It was still wrong, but in a different way.

Usually I can look past these sort of criticisms and find myself enjoying extremely bad games! But BATIM hit the horrible mark of being. Just plain mid. It wasn't good enough to be enjoyable, but it wasn't awful enough to be fun to laugh at either.

It's a shame too, because it really does feel like something I should like, right? A survival horror game based on a 1930s cartoon studio!! Wow!!!

The games are just. Not memorable, in my opinion.

And that's probably the worst thing to be.

[weirdmarioenemies]

I am still ranking the Super Mario Galaxies and none of you can stop me

Hello! Thanks for your patience. It's time to get back to ranking all of the Super Mario Galaxies. There is nothing to be afraid of. If you are afraid, we will look together.

I'm still ranking the A-tier galaxies this week, since there are a lot of them and I couldn't fit them all in the previous post. If you want to read the series from the start, look here, and also here's a link to the post with all the B-tiers, for completion's sake.

We have fifteen more galaxies to rank today, so prepare for liftoff! All rankings are under the cut!

35. Slipsand Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

We're starting off today with the other desert galaxy! The better desert galaxy. Yeah, you heard me! Dusty Dune Galaxy fans are in shambles, except I'm not sure if that's a Hot Take at all because I don't know what the general fan consensus on all the Super Mario Galaxies is anyhow.

If you may recall from my previous rankings, my general take on Dusty Dune Galaxy boiled down to "I like it, it has pretty consistently solid missions, but the theming is a bit generic for my liking." But as I stated, it's not that "desert" is a bad theme, just that I felt that Dusty Dune didn't do anything particularly interesting with that theme. While Slipsand Galaxy does still have a little bit of that desert mismatch I chided in my Dusty Dune review, I think the much stronger emphasis on a "desert ruins" theme ends up making it feel a lot stronger.

Heck, this might be one of the few times where a galaxy from the sequel wins points for atmosphere over the first game! I really, really love the skybox in this one, with threateningly huge towers looming over the horizon everywhere you look, with bits of space peeking out from in-between. Again, theming isn't everything, but it can contribute a lot more to a galaxy's experience than you might expect.

But to be fair, the missions in this galaxy are pretty great too! Stuff like the room where the gravity changes so you're always walking on the walls, the return of the Sand Bird (albeit a more compact version), the somewhat tricky sand slide with all the Rhomps, and the Squizzard boss fight all come together to make a galaxy that is as fun as it is stylish. A great galaxy all around!

34. Hightail Falls Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

This galaxy serves as the introduction of the Dash Pepper, and I think it's a pretty great time! The dash pepper gives you extreme speed in exchange for being really difficult to control, and I think this galaxy does a really good job showing that off. I think that once again, I love the optional challenges they put here, with more rewarding routes generally having more obstacles. Sure, you can just take the straight path, but then how are you supposed to gather all the coins you need for the Hungry Luma star?

The galaxy's obstacles also escalate really well, with the walls Yoshi has to climb gradually gaining more turns with more walls to bump into and knock you off clean. Generally there's enough ground to fall back on that it's not too unforgiving, but since you have to clear them to grab the star, the galaxy's making sure you know how to control this vehicle (dinosaur) that is speeding out of control!

As a side-note, I really love the Penguru easter egg on this galaxy. There's not really any rewards (besides a chat with our good friend Penguru) but it's a fun little bonus for anyone who knows where to look!

33. Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

You know, the E3 2009 trailer of this game showed a clip of the airships appearing out of the portals from a cool angle, and I so badly wanted to use that as the picture for this galaxy, but I wasn't able to find a high-quality picture of that, which is a shame.

Doesn't change the fact the galaxy is still pretty cool! This one's mostly an autoscroller, but I've never really minded autoscrollers personally, and this one is fun in how it makes you multitask, often having to mix platforming with dodging projectiles, all while needing to hold a Bullet Bill in Yoshi's mouth to break the glass cages in your way. And they break up the autoscrolling just often enough that it rarely feels like it drags to me, which I think helps this mission a lot.

And that boss fight! Even though I spent most of Megahammer's post talking about how it looks like it has boobs -- because it does and I stand by that, the boss fight is still really fun, making good usage of the Bullet Bill mechanics and multitasking utilized throughout the rest of the level.

It's one of the trickier bosses in the series (even if still not that hard, I don't know if any of the Galaxy bosses are), mostly due to how getting one hit from Megahammer throws you off your Yoshi, causing him to panic a bit. In hindsight, I don't know if the Daredevil run is really necessary here, a Time Attack mission might have been more unique. Or they could've given Megahammer a bra. I still stand by that part of my post, also. Hire me, Nintendo! Put my bad ideas in your games!

Either way, this is a pretty fun galaxy with a pretty great boss at the end! Thumbs up from me!

32. Upside Dizzy Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

I mentioned in the last post how much I love these gravity walls, right? Well I love these gravity walls a lot. They're a fun mechanic that ties in nicely with this series' gravity mechanics, and make for fun 2D platforming segments! And while the first game had a few segments built around them, the sequel took the opportunity to build full galaxies around them, which I am more than happy about!

I consider the two galaxies that utilize them to this extent about equal in quality (take a wild guess now what #31 is gonna be) but for the sake of this list, I have to like one slightly less than the other, and unfortunately, after thinking it through, Upside Dizzy ended up losing out. Which is weird, given I usually prefer the later "harder" versions of missions... oh well!

But I mean, it's a tight race, because Upside Dizzy has a lot going for it. Having moving strips with different gravity from everything around them makes for some fun platforming challenges, and I really, really love the segment at the end where the gravity of the backdrop changes in time with the music, and you have to plan around it accordingly. I wonder if this galaxy would outdo Rightside Down if that bit was a bit longer, or the whole galaxy's gimmick? It probably would, but since it's not, at least we get to hear these galaxies' great music for a little longer.

And since this is the first galaxy we're talking about that largely highlights this gimmick, know that I'd love to see them bring it back in future titles! Unlike the Flip-Swap tiles and Beat Blocks, they were largely absent from the 3D place games (which makes sense, given well,) but they made a welcome comeback in a few places in Mario Odyssey, and all I'm saying is I wouldn't mind if they got used a bit in Super Mario Bros. Wonder as well...

31. Rightside Down Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

whoa. didn't see that one coming.

Jokes aside though, I like Rightside Down Galaxy about as much as Upside Dizzy Galaxy for pretty much the same reasons: I just love this gimmick a lot and I'm always happy to see a mission built around it!

And Rightside Down Galaxy uses this mechanic for a lot of fun platforming, though that's sort of to be expected for any galaxy that uses this mechanic. I especially love the bit pictured above, where you have to run through a long hallway of Thwomps with a gravity flip in the middle, though the bits where you have to jump between moving platforms in different gravity is pretty neat, and I really love the bits where you get to flip the gravity yourself, experiencing the level from a couple different perspectives. Maybe not as cool as the timed-to-the-beat iteration in Upside Dizzy, but still pretty cool.

Ultimately what gives Rightside Down the edge to me is I think it feels like it has a little more variety. Stuff like the Thwomps and Chomps, the Fire Flower segments, and the brief top-down segment all make for fun changes of pace throughout the level, making it feel like they're showing off a bit more of what can be done with this mechanic. Still, I consider these two really close, and I went back and forth on which is higher when making this list.

If there's one thing I think we can all agree on though, it's that the bonus missions where you have to destroy crates with a Fire Flower are kinda lame. Not as frustrating as the versions with the bombs from the first game, but also not as interesting. Given how little of these galaxies those missions take up though, I'm willing to let them slide when compared to the really fun main missions.

30. Buoy Base Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

As I've mentioned in many of the previous posts, most of the small, one-off galaxies from the first game are pretty forgettable and not especially fun, but there's a handful of exceptions, and Buoy Base is absolutely one of them, and I think the developers knew that too, because they put one of the game's three Green Stars in this one, and also gave it a top-notch soundtrack. And honestly, I think that was the right call. I don't know if Buoy Base is elaborate enough to sustain more than a couple missions, but it's definitely cool enough to deserve a little more love than most of the weird one-offs in this game.

While my gripes with these games' water physics aren't completely absent here, I do think luring the Torpedo Teds to destroying the weights can occasionally feel a little tedious, I think the platforming that follows more than makes up for it. I love how it feels to gradually climb up this tower while avoiding its numerous obstacles, particularly the part where you have to line up a Spring Topman right to get the height you need, that part is really nifty.

I also really love the part where you have to collect the Pull Star Chips around a bunch of moving platforms, given how they intersect each others' paths and often need good reflexes to navigate. Again, you kinda know Nintendo had a hit with this one with how much they'd revisit pieces of it elsewhere, with a similar segment to the top of the tower showing up in Melty Molten Galaxy, and a familiar-looking tower making an appearance in the sequel's Space Storm Galaxy.

Buoy Base Galaxy might not be one of the most elaborate galaxies in these games, but for the brief time you're there, it's sure to provide a very memorable experience.

29. Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

The last Bowser Jr. galaxy in the series is also going to be the last Bowser Jr. galaxy we review, on account of I Like It Quite A Lot! Talk about going out with a bang! Or... a boom.

The Boom Bunker brings back the gimmick from the Airship Armada in the first game, where you launch yourself out of cannons from planet to planet, but here I think it's executed a bit better. Having the targets to hit, where getting a bullseye gives a 1-Up, adds a bit of a fun optional challenge that always feels rewarding when you pull it off, even though 1-Ups are admittedly never in short demand in this game. I also love that they progressively make this more challenging, later adding mines to avoid, adding an element of timing alongside your aim. It's really neat!

I also really love that this galaxy starts off on a planet with Megahammer's remains, making you bring a Bullet Bill to unlock the first cannon. I appreciate the throwback to Megahammer's top surgery, even if it makes sense that Megahammer's remains would be in a completely different galaxy... Then again, Bowser Jr. made both of them, so it's probably just recycling. Bowser Jr. may be the son of an evil warlord, but even he cares for the environment, kids.

Enough talking about the previous boss though, let's talk about this boss, because it's also great! If you can make inferences from the previous posts, "Cloud Flower" and "Climb to the top of big tower" are both formulas I like a lot, and this boss has both of those things! Combine that with a solid sense of escalation where the tower gains more height, more guns, and more mobility, and it ends up making for a fun, hectic, and memorable final Bowser Jr. encounter!

28. Melty Monster Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

Melty Monster Galaxy is another of those galaxies that I feel kinda gets overshadowed by its Cooler Older Sibling, in this case being Melty Molten Galaxy. And like, that's completely fair, hardly any galaxies out there are capable of beating Melty Molten. Melty Monster never stood a chance in this fight. May as well throw in the towel.

Which to some extent, Melty Monster does, given that after its first mission it completely shifts focus and makes all the remaining missions about bowling as Rock Mario. But that's not necessarily a bad shift in focus, because bowling as Rock Mario is really, really fun, and this galaxy makes really good use of it. If you're gonna have a sudden jarring shift in focus, that's not a bad thing to make the jarring shift to.

And it's not like the first mission is bad at all, either! The segment where you have to use Pull Stars to avoid Magmaarghs (pictured above) is really dang fun, and I love that you gotta play around with Pull Star momentum a bit to reach the first Launch Star, it's the right move for a lategame galaxy like this one. Most of the remainder of the first mission involves timed platforming over lava waves, which is a pretty fun gimmick, and the final planet, surrounded by asteroids that occasionally get engulfed by an ocean of Magmaws, is really nifty too.

Basically: Melty Monster is kinda two galaxies stapled together, but it's two really good galaxies stapled together, so I don't find myself minding the sudden shift in focus all that much. It was never gonna beat Melty Molten, so it may as well see how well it can do at something else, and both the Chimp Bowling Challenge and the very long alley in the second mission make for a pretty memorable time, as well as where I always go to grind out Star Bits in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

27. Bowser's Dark Matter Plant

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

Congratulations to Bowser's Dark Matter Plant for being the best boss level that isn't a final boss level! That has to be some sort of worthwhile distinction, right?

The Dark Matter Plant is a really cool galaxy, introducing the Dark Matter which will instantly kill Mario when he touches it, so your goal is to Not Do That! Of course, as the level goes on, they only make that more difficult, such as when they start introducing stationary holes in reality, that the platforms underneath move around. It kind of reminds me of how the textures on clothes work in Chowder, for some reason.

Of course, the highlight of the level to me is, you guessed it, the gravity wall segment, which this time features green walls that push you right and gray walls that push you left, while you have to regularly adjust your positioning on a plus-shaped block, since each change in gravity will push you into the dark matter if you choose to stay still! It's a really creative application of the gravity walls, and a fun way to handle an autoscroller.

Combine that with the Dramatic Staircase returning from the Star Reactor and a solid Bowser fight to top it all off, and you end up creating a Bowser mission I won't forget any time soon!

26. Puzzle Plank Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

Puzzle Plank Galaxy! :D I'm not sure how many galaxies bring me this level of raw joy when I reach them in a playthrough. Like, I wouldn't really consider it one of the best galaxies, it's in 26th place for a reason, but dang it, this galaxy just makes me happy. The combination of the creative theming and the bopping music just gets me really excited whenever I reach it.

And it's a pretty fun galaxy, too! I love how it utilizes the Ground Pround to move wooden blocks into the right spot, and especially memorable is the part of the level where you have to dodge saws that are slowly cutting apart the ground you're walking on. It's a really fun and inspired platforming challenge, and fits the theming of this galaxy so, so well. I especially love that it ties into how you grab the Comet Medal for this galaxy!

It's why I hate to admit it then that I think Puzzle Plank Galaxy is a bit underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I still love this thing to death, but culminating the first mission in a fight against the Mandibug Stack is... sure? Whatever? I dunno, Mandibug Stack is one of the least interesting fights in the game, and part of me feels I may have been less disappointed if putting the puzzle block together just gave you the star outright. And the secret mission being a Bugaboom rematch is like... I mean I love Bugaboom, it's a great fight, I'm glad it's here, but also this is a galaxy concept so fun and creative, that I wish the secret mission was dedicated to more original content, y'know?

Still, when my complaints about a galaxy boil down to "I desperately wish we got more of it," then I think you can probably figure that I really like what we did get here. It's just that I can't help but feel that in a timeline where some of the recycled content was replaced with more original content, it'd be hanging out with the S-tiers in next week's post.

Don't let my nitpicking undermine how much I like Puzzle Plank. I only moved it up the rankings while writing these reviews. That enthusiasm I feel when playing it goes a long way!

25. Boulder Bowl Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

More bowling! Yeah, I like Rock Mario. Not as much as Cloud Mario, but I like Rock Mario. Bowling is fun. There's something so enjoyable about curling up into a ball, and knocking anything that gets in your way into the stratosphere! (Figuratively. Very few of these planets have stratospheres, or even atmospheres at all...)

And I think the developers knew this, because for one part of this galaxy, they just fill a planet with as many Octoombas as they can and let you bowl them over. And like, when you only get down to a few left, it becomes more practical to just stomp on them, but where's the fun in that? You don't get to use Rock Mario much. Are you gonna deny the opportunity to try and roll into that Octoguy, miss, and throw yourself off the edge? Yeah, that's what I thought.

And I think that's the key to what makes Boulder Bowl Galaxy work so well, it feels like the developers really understand that when you're playing as Rock Mario, you want to have some reckless fun. You want to go on a rampage and take out everything in your path, even though you might not know where you're going. Not only does Boulder Bowl Galaxy show us how to use the Rock Mushroom and what it can do, but it also shows us why we should love the Rock Mushroom, which I think is what makes it really effective.

Oh yeah, it also has a boss fight. It's alright, but I think it'd be better to lean into that "roll over everything that dares stand in your way" mentality for this one. Still, it's not like it's making the galaxy any worse.

24. Battlerock Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

From one rock to another, up next we have the Battlerock Galaxy! Today's post is a big hit for all the Rock Fans out there. Unfortunately, no Rock Mushroom here because it didn't exist yet, but we can't have everything...

Still, Battlerock is a pretty great time. You could say... it's ROCK SOLID! I love most of the missions in this galaxy. The cannon autoscroller uses the gravity mechanics in really fun ways, having you switch to different sides of the UFO you're standing on to avoid the electric fences in your way. The second mission is also really fun -- all the Bob-ombs and cannons make it an absolute BLAST!

But the highlight has to be the third mission, being your first encounter with the Topman Tribe. The Topmen are really well-designed and unique enemies, and this level does a good job introducing them, capping off with a pretty fun boss fight at the end. And this mission has gravity walls! I honestly forgot that. Can't go wrong with gravity walls.

Of course, the reason I have to specify "most" instead of "all," is because I don't like that mission where you have to help the Gearmo blow up his garbage. Kinda frustrating, not especially fun. It's not enough to bump this galaxy down too much, but I may as well mention it.

Lots of the ideas introduced here get elaborated and improved upon in Dreadnought Galaxy, but hey, we'll get there when we get there. For now, let's just say Battlerock Galaxy makes some great first impressions.

23. Clockwork Ruins Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

And for our second Ruins-themed galaxy of this entry, we have Clockwork Ruins Galaxy, which... hey, wait a minute! Those are the same towers in the background we saw in Slipsand Galaxy! I knew these two galaxies shared the same music, but that's something I'd actually never noticed before. Is this Lore? Who constructed these impossibly huge, presumably ancient towers, and why come they show up in multiple galaxies? I mean, the actual explanation is they probably just wanted to save time by reusing assets for another galaxy with a similar theme, but let me have some fun about the Implications of these reused assets, okay?

Sorry for getting sidetracked there. Clockwork Ruins is a very cool and distinctive galaxy, partially due to its theming (taking the "desert" out of the "desert ruins" somehow makes it feel way more distinct than it should), but also due to its layouts and platforming challenges. They get a surprising amount of depth out of all the Rotating Platforms here, making for both interesting terrain to navigate, and later on, interesting obstacles! Especially the part at the end, where you have to ride on top of the rolling stones to grab the star with the right timing is particularly cool.

Actually, this galaxy also has one of the best purple coin missions. The rotating platforms at the start of the mission make for interesting obstacles to navigate, given the mission has a time limit, but obviously not every part of the rotating walls can be accessed at all times, forcing the player to carefully plan their routes. I like it!

Not sure what else to say about this one besides "pretty fun and pretty distinctive". I like that planet where you ground pound the button, and what was previously the wall becomes the floor, but now it has more holes in it. That's pretty nifty.

22. Space Storm Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Tier: A

I guess after a certain point, I worry about repeating myself in these posts. Like, how many times can I say "yeah, this is a galaxy with a cool aesthetic, great music, and really fun missions" over and over again before it gets tiring? I mean, that's basically what makes an A-tier galaxy to me. "Really dang good, doesn't quite go above and beyond, but one I'm always excited to play on."

But at risk of repeating myself: Space Storm Galaxy is a galaxy with a cool aesthetic, great music, and really fun missions. I think the gimmick of having to lore Bob-ombs through a glass wall to make an exit is pretty neat, and maybe a little underutilized? I think there's a lot of mileage you could get out of that. But it's not like I particularly mind, because the rest of the galaxy is still fun. I honestly really love that thin cylindrical rocket ship with the electrical fences at the start. Once again, good platforming challenge.

And while I know I've pooh-poohed galaxies with reused content a bit, I don't even mind the Buoy Base remake in this galaxy, partially because Buoy Base Galaxy is already great, partially because they changed the layout a bit so it's not a one-to-one remake, partially because the time slowing gimmick is done well here. I only have love for one galaxy that brings back an old planet and adds a time slowing gimmick to it in my heart!

Also, I don't know if this is just me, but is Space Storm meant to be the "hard version" of Sky Station Galaxy? World 5 of Super Mario Galaxy 2 has a lot of "sequel" galaxies, like Upside Dizzy, Fleet Glide, and Boo Moon (which we still have yet to see). I dunno, there's some similar-looking spaceships here, and the background goes from a sky on a cloudy day to a sky on a stormy day, feeling like a callback with a bit of a gloomier atmosphere. Either way, I dig it.

21. Good Egg Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy Tier: A

And wrapping up today's post we have... well, it's not the first galaxy because technically you go to Gateway Galaxy first, but it kinda feels like the first galaxy, because Gateway Galaxy is kinda more like a tutorial to me, and this is like, the first true mission of the game, though I think that's not really fair because the Gateway Galaxy is a fully fleshed-out mission with a star and everything? Ah, whatever. I'll just say it's the first galaxy you can access from the Observatory and call it a day.

And as the ostensibly first galaxy in the game, I really like this one! Compared to Gateway, it gives the player a lot more freedom to figure things out on their own, and play around with the game's mechanics. The first planet is pretty brilliant, it's small enough that players can quickly get on with the mission if they like, but large enough that there's a bit of room to explore, with the orange pipe to the music note room, and a tower with two paths up it, where only one gets used at a time.

As you probably know, I always appreciate having a little room to goof off, and I appreciate it here as much as anywhere else, if not more so! It's nice to highlight this sense of wonder and discovery so early on in the game, and honestly the balance between a more clear linear progression with a little wiggle room to goof off and have fun is something I've always appreciated about these games, particularly the first. While I still enjoy Sky Station Galaxy quite a bit, as a first mission, I felt it was always a bit weaker in that regard.

Good Egg Galaxy isn't especially thematically cohesive, it kinda just feels like the devs threw whatever ideas they could think of into this one, but I don't really mind that at all. As the first "proper" galaxy you get to visit, it mostly exists to acquaint the player with how the game works, and show off some of the things they can do here. They're gonna have a bunch of differently shaped planetoids, a 2D section with gravity walls (they're back!), show off all the game's motion control gimmicks, and throw in a couple fun boss fights, for good measure. It's important to make a good first impression, and Good Egg Galaxy understands that very well.

And that's it for the A-tiers! Lots of gravity walls this time, apparently, though I think I might have talked about all of them by now...

Hope you're still enjoying this series! I mean, you probably are if you've made it this far. Tune in next week, when we'll start covering the top-tiers... We're reaching the cream of the crop, everyone! Or at least, the cream of my crop. As always, you're free to disagree, I don't mind. Mostly.

Take care!

[spacedadkronos]

Ooo, lol, looks like someone got their knickers twisted so hard they wrote a whole essay about how they're categorically correct about an ultimately subjective matter. That's always a winning approach.

Please do not try to "educate" me the difference between writers and executive producers in animation. I have an animation degree. I'm not a child.

 I follow both Brent and Alan on Twitter and have been for like 3 years now. I have been watching their updates since the announcement of the show 2 years ago. I have pics of them celebrating finishing up the writing. Here's proof that they wrote it, including screenshots of the IMDb Brent had linked on his Twitter. 

I said this is not what they consider THE sequel. Obviously it is *a* sequel. I'm saying people should not be treating it like Megamind 2 when it is a pilot for the TV show. They want a real theatrical sequel.

This is a random screenshot I felt was important

I think this person better put what I meant about not as many people would care this much if it wasn't on streaming:

Megamind was an arrogant little egomaniac for the entirety of the first movie. Not sure how you missed that. Roxanne appears dissatisfied with her place in life from her recording at the Metro Man Museum with Hal onward, and does her level best to become the hero her city needs because no one else is going to stand up and do it - not sure how you missed that, either, but her whole character arc is about stepping up to the plate to do good. Well done reducing her to a single career point and then discarding her. I wasn't surprised to see her frustrations with going right back to reporting. That was a headspace that made a ton of sense for her. It was set up incredibly well.

And Megamind himself says, "some days, it felt like it was just me and Minion against the world," so you might think I agree with you there - but in fact I'm going to point out the SOME days, it FELT LIKE. There is no reason to believe that he never had any other professional associates between the time he left the schoolhouse and the time we see him as an established supervillain. In fact, I can and will argue that there's room to interpret *he himself* saying he wasn't always flying solo. It's up to interpretation - but it's there.

And no, Roxanne and Megamind are not and should not be "quasi-dating" unless you want to look past the enormous Bernard lie. Which I can't say I'm surprised you did, since Roxanne doesn't matter as anything other than Reporter Romantic Interest, apparently. The end of the original implies they have *potential.*

But I'm not trying to convince you. At the end of the day, you didn't enjoy something you hoped to enjoy. You missed a few key points about the original, so the pilot of the show didn't line up with some of your expectations and it pissed you off. That's a shame. But instead of offering some grace and recognizing it for what it is - a movie designed for a younger demographic than the original, the first ounce of love Dreamworks has shown this IP since its initial release more than a decade ago, and as much story as could be crammed into 83 minutes because the people making it only had so much time within which to work, which is *honestly a fun ride* if somewhat tonally dissonant compared to what YOU were hoping for - you've decided instead to focus on what it wasn't: What You Personally Wanted. And you've decided to make your disappointment everyone else's problem instead of processing it like an adult and moving on.

I think you're boring, I think you're unkind, I think you're a whiny little bully who came onto MY POST to bitch and complain about how you're the god of what I'M allowed to enjoy. Block me, if I make you so miserable. I'm busy having fun.

[olderthannetfic]

This was many years ago but the first f/f book I had was something made in my country. Tried it cause the author had made some non-f/f books I liked. The book was good and I bought the sequel as well! I tried sharing the story online on a forum (screenshots/summary translation) cause if I didn't, I know no one would know it exist cause it's in my native language. Author contacted me a few days later telling me to delete the the stuff I shared cause it's an old shame of hers now. She's gotten much more popular elsewhere for a different, more wholesome story and probably didn't want a problematic story under her name.

I was sort of upset that someone (even if it's the author) hated something I liked but I also felt more sad cause it's shame cause it's a good story. Seeing how people now treat any f/f works and want them to be perfect though, I kind of understand why she wanted her old work to be shared to more people.

--

:(

I wish authors wouldn't be like that. We all cringe at Baby's First Fic and such, but even those usually had a reader who loved them who deserves to be treated with respect. And this wasn't one of those.

[dessarious]

The Angel of Death Pt52

So this is going to be the last chapter of this, at least for now. I may add onto it later, or do a sequel. But this feels like a decent stopping point for the moment.

Prologue   Beginning  Previous

As the Angel of Death worked her way across the rooftops, her rage was getting worse. Just thinking of the audacity of that stupid clown was enough to make her blood boil. Cass appeared beside her as Black Bat and they continued in silence. She'd dumped all the Miraculous into her pocket before she left to make sure Chloe didn't follow herself, or even go get the others. Gina would likely follow eventually, but that was a problem for when it happened. They stopped when they had a visual of Damian dangling from a rope.

"Are you ready to let me do what needs to be done?" She waited for Cass to nod. She didn't think it would be an issue, but she was one of Batman's people, and she didn't know exactly what she'd end up doing to the freak-show on the next roof. Logic said to just kill him and be done with it, but... something was making her pause, so there was no telling what would happen when she confronted him. "Don't free the others until I've dealt with him." That got a much more hesitant nod. Whether it was worry that she couldn't handle the idiot herself, or worry over Batman's reaction was a toss up.

As she watched him strutting around the roof, calling for Batman, Marinette felt a pull to the Miraculous in her pocket. As she palmed each one in turn, the Peafowl almost felt like it was burning her. Duusu appeared in front of her with a determined look. Well, she could take a hint. The transformation didn't seem to change her outer appearance the way she'd seen with other holders. It was a question for later though. Duusu's energy was radiating through her and it seemed like the Kwami was even more pissed off at the Joker than she was. This should be interesting.

Black Bat had disappeared and Marinette assumed she was putting herself into position to protect her team. So, as she snuck up behind the Joker, she knew she could focus solely on him.

"If you wanted Batman, you should have stayed in Gotham." Watching the man jump and almost fall over as he turned to face her should have been amusing.

"Isn't it past your bedtime?" She could help but roll her eyes.

"No wonder you turned to crime. You'd never make it as a real clown with shitty jokes like that." The flash of anger in his eyes gave her more satisfaction than it should.

"You should be careful. A mouth like that is going to get you in trouble one day." Bit late with that advice.

"I guess it's a good thing the rest of me is capable of getting out of trouble then. Shame I can't say the same for you." The clown was just frowning at her now. He didn't seem to know how to react to the fact that he didn't scare her. "Batman isn't showing up. I'm going to give you one chance to pack up and go back to Gotham to aggravate him there. If you stay, the consequences will be on you."

"Are you threatening me?" He sounded somewhere between amused and insulted. Bruce was behind him trying his best to glare at her. She ignored it.

"I assure you, if I threaten you, you'll know it. Make your choice." He walked towards her with a hand outstretched to grab her.

"Listen here you little- Ahh!" The second he made contact she grabbed his hand a bent all the fingers backwards. At least three were broken.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to touch people without their permission?" The clown was just cursing up a storm and she waited. When he finally focused on her again the rage in his eyes was actually rather impressive.

"Girly, you just made the biggest mistake of your life." She just let out a snort.

"Please, if that was a mistake, and it wasn't, it wouldn't even make the top hundred." He reached for the flower on his chest and she let him. Poor guy went from gloating to confused in a few seconds when he realized his little acid bath had no effect on her. "Are you ready to leave now, or do I need to take drastic measures? I can even help you on your way if you wish." Granted she'd just use Kaalki to put him in a cell in Arkham but he didn't need to know that. Mari could feel Duusu's anger that he might be left unpunished, and had to wonder what exactly the Kwami planned to do.

While the Joker seemed to be trying to figure out what she was, Mari took a moment to look at his strings. All but one of them were black leading to him, but gray coming from his body. So, everyone in his life hated him with a passion, but he had no care for them at all. Not overly surprising. The other string was the weird one. It led to Bruce and was black coming from the billionaire, but from Joker... it was purple. But a warped version of the familial bond. There were odd patterns in the same kind of sickly green that pulsed between her and Damian. That was... interesting.

"I guess I'll just have to start offing hostages until Batman shows up then." She couldn't help the eye roll.

"I'm not going to let you do that."

"I'd like to see you try to stop me." He turned away from her and she had to wonder at his arrogance. Before he made it two steps, she tackled and pinned him to the roof. Bruce was yelling at her, but all she could concentrate on was the insistent thrumming in her head from Duusu. The string between her and the Joker, now gray from end to end, began vibrating, and she pushed. What exactly, she wasn't sure, but it seemed the right thing to do. The clown stopped struggling for a moment and everything was deathly quiet. Then he started screaming.

Mari got up and watched as he writhed in apparent pain, as Duusu filled her in on what had happened. The Kwami seemed to get great pleasure as the man went from screams to whimpers and sobs as he curled into the fetal position. Black Bat was watching her from the shadows, and she gave the other girl a nod. The man wasn't a threat anymore.

"What did you do?" Bruce's tone caused her to let out an aggravated breath.

"I didn't kill him. Isn't that what you wanted.?" As Black Bat untied them, it seemed that only Bruce was concerned with the man's suffering. He thought it was a good idea to loom over her.

"Torture is no better."

"No, but it's exactly what you do to the citizens of Gotham by refusing to remove threats like him." She hadn't meant those words to come out, but honestly, seeing the stunned look on his face was worth it.

"That is ridiculous. I do not torture people."

"Oh? So what do you call forcing them to live in constant fear? Knowing that the next moment could bring another villain attack from people you know are dangerous but can't properly contain? Praying that the next phone call isn't to tell them a loved one died because Batman cares more about keeping murders alive than them." The man stormed off, but the rest of them were trading looks before one of them, Red hood she was pretty sure, walked up to her.

"So, what did you do exactly?" It wasn't an accusation, and he seemed to be studying the clown with interest more than anything else.

"He's being forced to go through all the emotional pain and torment he caused others. Given the sheer amount of victims he had, I doubt it will ever stop. If he's lucky, his brain will eventually shut down and he'll go into a vegetative coma. But that won't happen for at least ten years."

"Good." That was it. He just walked back over to the others. Damian was the next to approach her, but didn't seem to know what to say. He kept rubbing his chest where his string to Talia had been.

"No after effects from being stabbed?" He blinked at her for a moment.

"No. Either the blade wasn't poisoned or whatever healed me got rid of it as well. I'd bet on the second." She nodded. "Do you truly believe killing is necessary?" Not the question she expected.

"You don't?" He hesitated.

"In the League, it was expected. With Batman it is strictly forbidden. While I believe my father's way of living is better overall, I am uncertain about the nuances." She still didn't know how to react to him when he admitted things like that. It was so strange compared to how he'd always acted when she was trapped in the League.

"I suppose it depends on the outcome you want. For my purpose it is necessary. For Gotham to regain balance and heal, I would say it is necessary. I do not know what your father's intentions are, so I can not say if they are necessary to achieve them."

"But you didn't kill him." His confusion was clear as he glanced at the Joker, still whimpering on the roof.

"I'm learning that death is an easy way out. Far too easy for some. Talia's death was necessary to rid everyone connected to her of the corruption she caused. Had she remained alive, even if she was neutralized, that corruption would have remained and possibly taken on a life of its own. The Joker, while insidious in his own way, does not have that effect on others. He will remain in the hell he created until he does die. It seems fitting, does it not?"

"The corruption you speak of, is that why I feel..." He didn't seem to know what he wanted to say. "Free?"

"Most likely, yes." He continued to rub his chest for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"I regret that you suffered because of me." The words were soft, almost like he didn't mean to say them out loud.

"You are not the one that decided my fate. If I have learned nothing else from this experience, I've learned that I was always destined to suffer. For all I know, it is actually my fault you were born into the league in the first place. But placing blame is a rather useless endeavor."

"Will you remain in Paris?" She frowned at him, but he was looking away from her. Was he trying to get information for his father?

"It is unlikely. I need to travel to serve my purpose." He hummed and fiddled with something in his jacket.

"I have something I wish to return to you." Mari's face scrunched up in confusion. When she caught sight of what he pulled out of his jacket, she stopped breathing. Her hands were trembling as she reached for the little photo album he held out to her.

"Maman carried this everywhere. She hated showing people pictures on a phone for some reason. I can't believe you have this." She couldn't bring herself to open it. The thought of looking at those pictures made her chest ache, knowing she'd never experience anything like it again.

"It fell out of her purse when... It never seemed right to get rid of it." He sounded embarrassed and wouldn't look at her. Before she realized what she was doing, her arms were around his neck.

"Thank you." She let go and stepped back quickly. Both because of her aversion to touch and because she was fairly certain he had the same issue. "I should leave before your father comes back." He nodded, still refusing to look at her. Before she left the roof, she noticed that the string between them had stopped pulsing and was starting to turn from gray, to a pale green. She supposed she could be okay with that.

Prologue   Beginning  Previous

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