#should've made it brighter but oh well

[kyshkasa]

[feverish-cuddles]

Okay I'm really into humiliation + contagion+ mess, so here's a lil scene.

B has come down with probably the worst headcold they've ever had. Definately the drippiest, every sneeze forcing out more snot from the red, swollen passages. They texted A requesting they pick up some more tissues on their way home, and thankfully A listened. When A came home B was in the middle of a fit or well trying to get it out. Holding a tissue to their nose to try and hide all the mess threatening to come out. The bed was covered in used tissues and the one in hand looked like it should've been tossed by now. A couldn't help but grin at this. Seeing the poor thing with tears in their eyes, gasping desperately, their body shivering from not only chills but the need to sneeze! "aaaw my my my, look at you, seems like you really did catch the worst of it, my love." A smirked sliding beside them on the bed with a fresh box of tissues. B sighed as the sneeze fades away again though their face blushed brighter than what the fever gave them. They started sniffling trying to keep back the flood of mess which A caught onto. "You sound rather stuffy, honey, why don't I help you." Opening the box A pulled up a tissue, using their other hand to lower the one B had pressed to their nose. When they did this this had all the snot leaking back down. A then held the tissue just under their nose to catch what was dripping. "Oh look at that poor nose of yours, so drippy and red, it looks so angry too. One sneeze and I think its going to be more than a little mess." B kept trying to sniffle and snort the long thick cords back up, A wrapped and arm around then and gave them soft encouragements. "thats it love, try and sniffles all that back in" "you can do it" "oh there's so much, I'll help you keep it in okay. Just keep going" sdff sdfff sddrrrrck sdck! Finally all of it just barely managed to go back inside. A tilted B's face to make sure. seeing just how full their nose really was. All that snot was blocking B up badly. The nostrils flared widely trying to push the slimy stuff back out, but B did their best to keep it in. "there you go, love. See isn't that better, you did so good sniffling all that snot back in. Should I take away the tissue now?" B shook their head and used their hand to keep A's up at their nose. A soft hitching sound came, A could feel their breathes against their palm even through the tissue. A knew what would happen next, and decided to tease B. "aw is your nose tickling, I bet all that sniffling is making you feel sneezy huh? You don't wanna make a big mess do you? It'd get all over you and that pretty face of yours." B whimpered a little at this blushing harder, they tried to keep a handle on it but. Soon A started to use the tissue to rub a their septum and the tip of their nose. Feeling the soft cloth making teasing circles and rubs at the sensitive and raw skin of their nose. B's mouth dropped right open, their hitches growing desperate as were their sniffles. A could feel the snot beginning to leak out and onto the tissue in their hand, practically pouring out.

"oh it must be so tickly, darling sniffling back all that snot, feeling it drag against the inside of your nose aaaw. I bet its almost unbearable for you, and I know this cold has you sensitive." without a second longer B gasps and sneezed, and sneezed, and sneezed. The sneezes were just a forceful as they were desperate. Their nose doing all it could to get this nasty cold out. Snot soaked the tissue with in the first three sneezes, the next absolutely obliterated it leaving A's palm drenched in spray and snot.

When the fit slowed to a stop, B's nose was trembling, anything could set it off now and it looked like it needed to blow badly. Luckily they had A there to get them through it.

"oh look at the mess you've made darling, you're getting that cold of yours everywhere~"

[echoingalaxies]

Content: self-punishment/injury, conditioned whumpee, trauma

Whumpee got up before dawn to prepare breakfast. For so long now, it had been their routine, something they'd gotten used to doing no matter their condition, no matter the amount of pain or exhaustion weighing them down. Coffee with two sugars, and three fried eggs, would have to be ready to be served precisely at 6, and Whumpee would carry them to Whumper's room where he would still be sleeping, wake him up, and stand there, head bowed, wait until he finished his meal and then take the dirty dishes to the sink.

The few times Whumpee had missed the 6 am mark, even by a couple of minutes, hadn't ended well. Whumpee ran their fingers over the scars they'd received for those mistakes, wide and raised under their shirt, as they waited for the food to cook. They kept glancing at the clock, anxiously, shivering at the thought of being late, but they also couldn't hurry too much because the punishment for undercooked eggs would be just as cruel.

At 5:58, Whumpee had everything set up, and taking the plate and the large mug of coffee in their hands, they started to head toward the stairs, moving slowly for their aching body. Whumpee had become really good at counting in their head, so they knew they were right on time, as they balanced the mug on the plate for a second to knock on Whumper's door.

They pushed the door open, flicked on the lights - so much brighter than Whumpee remembered... He hadn't changed the lightbulb, so had Whumper had to do it himself? How come hadn't he told Whumpee to do it? - and went next to his bed.

"Your breakfast, sir," they said, trying to sound chipper but gentle, humble and happy to be there. "Good morning, sir," they added quickly after, almost having forgotten the proper way of greeting. What has wrong with them today?

Whumper, usually waking up to their voice and demanding to have the food immediately, just pulled the duvet to his chin, face deep buried into pillows. He grunted something inaudible, and Whumpee was left standing there, unsure what to do.

"S-sir? It's morning, sir, time to rise. Are you feeling ill?"

"Shut up," Whumper growled, and his voice was odd, but Whumpee pressed their lips together tightly, afraid to make a sound. "What the fuck are you doing, it's so damn early..."

The plate and the mug were shaking in Whumpee's hands as they began to breathe heavily, panicking. They'd been on time, but they'd made a mistake. They'd made some kind of mistake. Whumper was upset, and oh, when he'd wake up, hell was awaiting for them...

"Please," Whumpee whispered. "I- I'm so sorry. So sorry, sir..."

After a few mess-ups, Whumper had introduced Whumpee to an alternative option when it came to punishments of slipping off schedule or not completing their tasks just as Whumper had told them to. Quicker, easier, and for Whumper, even more fun than getting to carve marks on Whumpee's skin.

He'd love to watch Whumpee be humiliated.

"I don't want to waste my time on you when I have better things to do," Whumper had once said. "Make it simpler for the both of us. You know when you mess up. Why not get the consequenses out of the way? Use whatever's available, as long as you clean up the blood."

Whumper was still under the covers, perhaps falling back to sleep. Whumpee was still confused by the situation, but it seemed like he should've somehow known to not bother him this morning, oh no, they'd done gravely wrong, and there was only two ways out...

And they'd made their choice which route to take.

Whumpee set the plate on the nightstand, and closed their eyes, when with trembling hands, they took the mug of still steaming coffee above their head and spilled it all over themselves. Even as cried out in agony, they kept reminding themselves whatever Whumper would have done to them would've been worse, and with any luck, this would be enough.

Whumper was once again woken up by Whumpee's cries, and bolted up from the bed like he'd been electrocuted. Whumpee felt a sting in their heart. Of course they'd want to watch. Why would they miss the show? Maybe they'd be unsatisfied with their pain and make Whumpee throw themselves down the stairs for good measure.

Whumper cursed loudly and grabbed Whumpee's arm, pulling them out of the room and to the nearest bathroom. He shoved Whumpee under the shower and turned it on, turning the temperature cold. He squeezed Whumpee's arms, shaking them lightly.

"Oh god, Whumpee, why would you do that? What were you thinking?"

Whumpee coughed, the water getting into their mouth. They shivered, from cold and from fear.

Another mistake.

Nothing made sense.

Why was whumper helping him? What was all of this?

Whumpee tried to pry themselves away from Whumper's grip and out of the shower, but Whumper held them still.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry -"

"Wait," he said, sounding concerned rather than angry now. "Oh shit, Whumpee, no, stop that. Look at me. I'm not him."

Whumpee did as they were told and raised their gaze to meet the eyes they expected to be gray and cruel, and was shocked to see hazel, and nothing but kindness.

"I'm not him," he repeated, and Whumpee blinked a few times, letting their eyes take in the rest of the person's face. "Everything is okay. You're home, remember? Safe."

The person had dark circles under their eyes. They had a friendly face, although right now, they wore a worried expression. Whumpee wiped water from their face to see better... their eyes must've been lying to them...

"I..." Whumpee begun, stammering. "S-sorry... I should've let you sleep... I didn't know... I'm sorry..."

"Whumpee, shh." The person reached to turn off the shower and then let go of them to grab a large, thick towel they spread on Whumpee's shoulders. "Don't, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't realise it was you. You shouldn't even be walking! I thought it was Teammate just annoying me, I was barely awake, I didn't mean to be harsh towards you."

Whumpee pulled the towel around them, turning their head to look around. They knew this bathroom. They'd been patched up here many times before, years earlier. It was Caretaker's.

They looked at the person in front of them. They knew them. It was coming to them slowly, but they knew them better than anyone.

"Caretaker?"

They smiled. "Yeah. It's me. It's okay. You've been home for a few days now, remember?"

"I... guess."

Caretaker helped Whumpee out of their wet clothes and let them shower privately, washing the coffee off their hair and ease the pain in the burns on their scalp, their face, their shoulders.

When whumpee was ready, they opened the door to let Caretaker in once again. Caretaker sat them down on a little stool and started to treat their injuries, talking in a calming matter throughout the process. Whumpee was still feeling lost, his brain struggling to understand what was real and what was not.

"I'm still so sorry, Whumpee," Caretaker said, spreading something soothing over his burns. "I never should've allowed things to go so far that you'd do this to yourself."

"I didn't want you to hurt me," Whumpee said quietly. Caretaker stilled for a second, then continued rubbing the lotion on Whumpee's skin. Whumpee bit their cheeks. Caretaker, and everybody else, didn't know much about what he'd been through with Whumper. They hadn't had many opportunities to talk that much yet.

"I would never do that." Caretaker leaned in and pressed an unexpected kiss on Whumpee's forehead. Whumpee blushed, though they were grateful it probably was hidden by their already reddened face. No one had done that for... Whumpee didn't even know how long. "No one will ever hurt you here. And you never have to hurt yourself, okay?"

Whumpee wished they could keep that promise. But who was to say what happened this morning wouldn't happen again?

"Yeah," they said. Caretaker's touch was gentle and comforting, and Whumpee remembered them as a trustworthy person.

Only it all wasn't up to Caretaker.

And it wasn't up to Whumpee. They didn't decide to forget they were not living in that nightmare anymore.

But if things were to be like this, would they ever truly get out?

[phantomdreamgirl]

Been thinking about S2 Steve again

18+

After getting his heart broken by Nancy, he storms out of the party, heading for his car. On the way, he sees you sitting on the curb, crying. He'd already pinched away his own tears, but knew as soon as he was alone, they would flow again.

An overwhelming protective feeling urged him to walk over to you. You two were barely friends, although you ran in the same circle. He always seemed to smile a little brighter when you were around. His heart ached seeing you like this, so he wanted to try to ease some of your pain.

"Are you ok?" He asked, sitting next to you. "Wait, sorry, that's a dumb question, you're obviously not ok."

He actually made you laugh, as you wiped your eyes, not caring how ruined your makeup was.

"I'm very much not, but thanks for asking," you replied, looking over at him.

"Do you wanna talk about it or...?"

You chewed your lip, before revealing, "I caught my boyfriend...having sex with another girl."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Steve grimaced.

"Yeah, well, I should've seen it coming...he's always been a bit of an asshole," you added.

"Still, you don't deserve him hurting you like this," he consoled, wanting to put his arm around you.

"I know, but we all can't be as perfect as you and Nancy," you joked, looking to him again.

You noticed how his expression immediately changed. He looked solemn, devastated.

"Oh no, don't tell me..."

"We just broke up actually," he confessed, unable to keep your gaze.

"Oh, Steve, I'm sorry," you said, placing your hand on his.

He shrugged. "Its my fault. I don't think I'm cut out to be a good boyfriend."

"I find that hard to believe, but ok," you scoffed.

"Its true, though. Relationships are bullshit," he continued, now looking into your eyes.

"That we can agree on," you smiled.

"Can I, uh, give you a ride home?" He then clumsily asked. "I figure you wanna get outta here as much as I do."

You nodded, earning a smile from him.

Once you're sat in his passenger seat, he anxiously glanced at you before putting the car in gear and slowly driving down the quiet street.

"Do you mind if I make a little pitstop first?" Steve asked, as he turned off the main road.

"No..." you cautiously replied, your thoughts racing with possibilities.

One of your guesses came true when you realized he was taking you to Lover's Lake. You then thought how he didn't waste any time moving on to the next girl/conquest.

He parked close to the water, next to a large tree, who's shadow cast over the car, blocking out the moonlight.

After shutting off the engine, he sighed then looked over at you.

"I know what you're thinking, but I like to come out here when I need to collect my thoughts," he explained. "And I wanted to spend a little more time with you, since neither one of us should really be alone right now."

You nodded, thinking how sweet he actually was.

He turned to face you, taking your hands in his as he gazed at you.

"You deserve a guy who will treat you right, who only dreams of being with you," he quietly said, gently squeezing your hands.

You breath caught in your throat. Steve Harrington was consoling you, in his car, at Lover's Lake. This had to be a dream, this couldn't really be happening.

"You're sweet..." you managed to say, as he leaned closer to you.

"I have an idea..." he began, releasing one of your hands so he could cup your cheek. "What if we helped each other forget about tonight, about everything else, other than us?"

"I-"

"If you don't want to, I'll take you home right no-"

You cut him off by quickly slipping your hand out of his and pulling him into a kiss.

"Would this be a good time to tell you I have a crush on you?" you asked, your voice almost muffled by his lips.

"Yeah," he smiled. "Perfect time."

He kissed you softly, as your hand settled in his hair. You sighed his name as he kissed his way to your neck. He sighed against your skin before leaving a sizable purple mark.

"Wanna get in the back?" He breathily asked, raising his head so fast, his nose bumped yours.

You nodded.

You were soon laying underneath him, his body pressed on top of yours. He couldn't get enough of you, as he pressed hungry kisses to your lips. His hands roamed your body, with one sliding up your leg, under your skirt.

"I wanna feel you, angel, is it ok if I..."

His fingers toyed with the waistband of your panties.

You nodded again, almost embarrassed to speak.

"You're adorable," he smiled, before kissing you again.

His plush lips momentarily distracted you from the feeling of his thick finger sliding into you.

"Oh, you're soaked, sweet girl," he cooed, his lips now at your cheek. "All because of me?"

"Y-Yes," you breathed, back already arching from how deep he kept plunging his finger into you.

He pressed wet kisses across your cheek, as he added another finger and began pumping them faster.

You tried to quiet your moans by biting your lip.

"I wanna hear how good I'm making you feel, angel," he said, his breath tickling your ear.

Moans of his name soon filled the car, as he grinned. You pulled him into another kiss, desperation overtaking you.

"You want more, angel?" He asked, nuzzling his nose against yours.

You struggled to catch your breath, as you gazed up at him. His eyes were still beautiful, even in the darkened car. You weren't sure if you could handle more, but yet you wanted it, you wanted him.

"Yes."

He smiled, sitting up to take off his black jacket and shirt. You followed, unbuttoning your blouse and slipping off your skirt. He licked his lips as his eyes traveled your body. He then quickly took off his jeans and leaned over you once again.

"You're so fucking pretty," he breathed, against your lips. "I've always thought so."

"You have?" You asked, genuinely shocked.

"Yeah," he laughed. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Coming from you, kind of," you timidly replied.

"Ouch, but I get it."

"I'm sorry," you cringed, brushing his hair from the sides of his face.

"Its ok, I'm used to it," he said, smiling faintly.

You frowned, before pulling him into another kiss. He lowly moaned into it, licking his way into your mouth, deepening the kiss.

He moved his hips against yours, and you raised yours in return, wanting to feel that familiar pressure between your legs.

"You really want me, don't you, sweet girl?" He asked, breathless.

You nodded, while smiling up at him.

He sat up and pushed his underwear down his toned thighs. Your eyes widened at the sight of him. You unashamedly watched as he stroked himself, soft moans leaving his lips as he looked at you with hooded eyes.

You quickly took off your panties and tossed them in the floorboard.

He pressed his body to yours again, his hand still wrapped around his throbbing length. His eyes never left yours as he eased himself inside you. You couldn't help closing yours, as you acclimated to him.

"Oh, fuck, angel, you're so warm and wet..." he breathed, as he pushed himself all the way in.

"S-Steve..." you gasped, as he fucked you slowly.

"Is it too much?"

You shook your head. "No, I've just never felt..."

"I know, sweet girl," he replied, smug. "Just let me make you feel good."

You sighed his name, as he was already delivering on his proposal. The feeling of his kiss, the light scratch from his chest hair and the perfect rhythm he was fucking you were all that mattered to you right now.

"Faster, please..." you breathed, against his lips.

"Yeah? You want me to fuck you fast and hard, making you really forget about every other guy?"

"Yes, Steve, please..."

"How can I say no to you and your perfect pussy?"

He smiled, before snapping his hips against yours. Your nails raked down his back, as your lips parted and eyes watered from intense pleasure you'd never felt before.

"Fuck, after tonight, I don't know how I'm gonna live without being able to fuck you again..." he breathed, as his sweat covered your body below.

"Who said it'd just be for tonight?" You shakily asked.

"You wanna...oh fuck...you wanna make this a thing?"

"Well, I m-mean, we both just got out of relationships, s-so we should take things slow, at first," you clarified, still somehow able to form coherent thoughts.

"You're right, but we can take it slow after tonight, because you feel too fucking good, angel..."

You cried his name as he fucked you relentlessly. You then squeezed your eyes shut as you came undone around him.

He moaned your name as he fucked you through your orgasm. Your hands clung to his sweaty shoulders as he succumbed to you. His hips kept moving, with praises and more moans of your name falling from his lips, until he gave you every last drop of him.

Heavy breathing then filled the car as he pressed his forehead to yours. Your hands moved to cradle his face as you guided his lips to yours.

You then lazily made out, with you in slight disbelief that you really just had sex with Steve Harrington in his backseat.

"Would this be a good time to tell you that I have a crush on you, too?" He softly asked, making you giggle.

"Yeah," you smiled. "Perfect time."

[chickenkurage]

FINALLY MY YAP OF CHAPTER 9 ON BLANK SLATE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (STILL GOTTA READ ABOUT THE NEW AU TOO GOSH DANG IT-)

A LITTLE BIT OF DR*GS WILL BE MENTIONED HERE!!!

FIRST OF ALL OFC THEY HAD TO NOTICE THE SLIGHT DIFFERENCES ON SOME THINGS ESPECIALLY THE WALLS OFC SINCE IF IT WAS JUST REPAIRED THEN YES IT WOULD LOOK MORE NEW AND BRIGHTER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT- AND OFC SLATE IS DODGING THE QUESTION, BUT SLATE PLEASE GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK YOU NEED TO TRY AND GET USED TO HOW YOU'RE LIVING NOW, YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF SH*T UNDER HALO'S COMMAND AND YOU NEED A BREAK AND SOME POSSIBLE THERAPY??? ACTUALLY IDK IF THAT WILL EVEN HELP AT ALL OR NOT- BUT HE REALLY WANTS TO HELP THEM SO BAD AND CAN'T JUST SIT AROUND DOING NOTHING AND RELAX, HE WANTS TO HELP OUT AND FEEL USEFUL OR PRODUCTIVE IN THEIR NEEDS THAT BAD AND BEING LOST INTO THOSE KIND OF THOUGHTS REALLY MADE HIM SUDDENLY BREAK THE GLASS- HALO REALLY HAS DONE A LOT OF SH*T ON YOU SLATE DEEP BREATHES- BUT A 19 YEAR OLD??? DIDN'T EVEN REACH TO THEIR TWENTIES YET??? (POSSIBLE LYRIC REF-), BUT LITERALLY SLATE HAD TO WATCH EVERY SINGLE KIND OF EVENTS LIKE THAT BECAUSE ITS HIS LITERAL JOB, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT ELSE HE HAD SEEN TOO.... BUT STILL I FEEL BAD FOR ALL THE YOUNG FIGHTERS DURING THOSE YEARS WHAT THE HECK??? ALSO YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! SLATE AND ALAN SCREENTIME AGAIN WITH NULL!!! BUT MORE OF A SERIOUS TALK INTO FINDING HALO, NOW I CAN'T ACTUALLY IMAGINE WHAT ALAN EVEN WANTS TO DO WITH HALO FOR HIS... REVENGE RIGHT??? BUT HONESTLY I AM CURIOUS ON WHERE HE IS AS WELL NOW TOO SINCE HE WAS LAST SEEN BACK AT THE OLD WAREHOUSE AFTER EVERYTHING WAS MOVED ALREADY- AND DANG ALAN MUCH MORE DIFFERENTLY NOW.... BEING UNDER HALO'S COMMAND AS HIS FIGHTER REALLY MUST HAVE SNAPPED SOMETHING INSIDE OF HIM AND CHANGED HIM COMPLETELY ALREADY AFTER 3 WEEKS... OH GOSH- THE EMPTY SMILE, THE SUDDEN LAUGHTER, AND SAYING HE KNOWS EVERYTHING??? DANG.... BUT OH.... OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH- NO.... SLATE ACTUALLY SHOR NULL??? OH... OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH THAT MAKES MORE SENSE- HONESTLY WHEN FIRST READING ABOUT WHEN NULL GOT SHOT AND SLATE FINDING THEM I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT IF HE WAS THE ONE THAT DID IT IF HE GOT THERE TO THEM ALREADY AND TELLING THAT HE FOUND THEM... I REALLY SHOULD'VE TRUSTED MY GUT BUT NOT COMPLETELY BECAUSE I ALSO THOUGHT HE BETRAYED THEM AS WELL BUT THAT WAS WHEN I JUST THOUGHT HE WAS A REGULAR OC AND NOT NAVY YET- DANG I SHOULD'VE PIECE IT ALL TOGETHER OH GOSH SLATE- BUT WAS HE WAS SUPPOSED TO FLICK THE SAFETY LOCK ON TO LOOK LIKE HE'S TRYING TO SHOOT OR SOMETHING??? LIKE- HE WAS UNAWARE ABOUT THAT AND SHOT FROM OVERTHINKING A LOT ON WHAT HE SHOULD DO AND HOW HE SHOULD EVEN HELPED THEM, POSSIBLY EVEN KNOWING THE CONSEQUENCES IF HE FAILED ONCE AGAIN TOO... AND HIM WAKING UP FROM IT AND APOLOGIZING TO NULL AS HE ADMITS IT WAS HIM WHO SHOT HER TOO, THE AMOUNT OF ABSOLUTE GUILT, REGRET, AND EVEN LOTS OF TEARS OF LIKE SIGNS ABOUT WHAT HE HAS REGRETED AND HIS OWN SINS CRAWLING ON HIS BACK, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SLATE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE HE REALLY IS LIKE PAST ALAN 2.0 ATP LIKE DANG- BUT ANYWAYS ANOTHER FLASHBACK OF ORCHID AND NAVY BUT ISN'T A VERY HAPPY ONE, HONESTLY READING HOW HE HAS GOTTEN ILL DUE TO THE MEDICATION MAKES ME THINK IT DEFINITELY HAS SOMETHING TO DO ABOUT HIM LEAVING HIS FAMILY IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE OF HIS JOB, GENUINELY HOW DID HE EVEN END UP THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE LIKE SURE IT'S A FIGHTING PLACE BUT STILL- WORRIED ORCHID!!! WORRIED ORCHID!!! WHAT EVEN WENT WRONG BETWEEN THESE TWO OH MY GOSH THEY'RE EVEN MORE SICK....

ALSO I'M STARTING TO SOMEHOW SEE THE RESEMBLANCE ABOUT ALAN AND SLATE WITH VICTIM AND AGENT- I'M STARTING TO SEE IT SOMEHOW- BUT THE FEELS WITH THESE CHAPTERS THE FEELSSSSSSSS-

This chapter has a shit ton of stuff happening amirite? Alright! Let’s talk about Chapter 9!

We have so much of Slate whump, after receiving somuch Alan whump from the alst arc,now we see how much Halo has really done to other people.And how he could have been the possible reason why Purple lost his father (spoiler~). And the saddest thing, is that Purple nor Orchid knew :((.

While it is not explicitly said (yet) HSlate or let’s say Navy, has went the throught the same thing as Alan,but no one had came to get him back. Hence he has been stuck there, for many years (definitely). So the fact he had went through (possible) torture as well and now had worked underl Halo’s command for many years,he ahd also seen the horrors that Halo has done,and was not able to do anything about it.

Imagine all the guilt he feels :///. Fuck Halo mannnn.

And Alan, changing, surely everyone has seen that coming….. Right? We shouldn’t be suprised that he is acting like this considering Halo had forced him to fight in a ring. (there are also off cam moments that were not shown in the last arc, and would mostlyprobably be shown in this arc) So, be prepared for that, because Halo has done some shit.

Slate really was the person who shot Null,admitedly it as an accident due to him panicking and somehow going in by instinct. there are already hints that Slate was the person that Halo usually orders around to do the dirty work nd has been forced to hone his skills, especially with the gun. alan and Slate are really supposed to parallel each other.

But the difference is, Alan aws saved. And Slate was not.

So imagine if Alan was hypothetically not saved. He would have ended up like Slate.

Here is a small thing to note about the medication: It is the sme medication that Mauve is very interested in. The same medcation is highly addicting and the same medication that changes someone’s personality. Take that as a grain of salt for now <333 - S

[dorkasdaydreams]

My Treasure

Juliana/Kieran (Pokémon Scarlet & Violet)

Summary:

After a couple of months pass during Uva Academy's Treasure Hunt, Juliana has found her treasure! She shows Kieran, who was definitely not expecting what the "treasure" turned out to be...!

Word count: TBA

A/N:

This is the first fanfic I've ever published, so any constructive feedback on how I could improve is greatly appreciated. I've got some more Dipplinshipping goodness cooking in the back, so be on the lookout for that! :3

-------------------------------------

"This looks like a good spot, Kieran! I'll get the ingredients." "O-okay! I'll set up the table."

Juliana and Kieran were on a cliff in Apple Hills that overlooked a vast field. The hills were blooming with lush vegetation, and several Applins were rolling about playfully as the two Trainers set up their picnic. It was the last day of Juliana's second visit to Kitakami (and her friends' first), and she had asked Kieran earlier if they could have a picnic at Apple Hills between just the two of them before she left.

He wondered why she would have made such a request as he sat down with her. The pair agreed on the fillings; they would make a sweet & slightly sour fruit sandwich with apples as the main attraction. Once it was complete, Juliana cut it in half and handed one to her companion.

After the former and current champions ate their fill, Kieran remembered his thought from earlier.

"So, why did you ask me to come here with you?" "Oh! Here..." She pulled out a flat, rectangular box tied with a shiny blue ribbon and handed it to him. "What's in here?" he asked.

She smiled as she replied, "Do you remember that "treasure hunt" my school had? The one I was still on when I met you?" "Yeah, you've talked about it before. What about it?" "Well...I found my treasure!"

Kieran's eyes lit up brighter than the Terastal phenomenon. "W-wowzers! That's awesome, Juliana!" He paused for a second, looking at the box. "...so, is this it? Is your treasure in here?" "Yep! I wanted you to be the first one to see it! C'mon open it up!"

"O-okay!" He set the box down & carefully untied the ribbon. His hands trembled a bit as he lifted the white cardboard lid and set it down on the picnic table. "Woah...!" His jaw dropped upon seeing the contents of the box.

In Kieran' hands was a splendid, dazzling mirror encased in a shimmering crystal frame. It bore the clearest reflection of any mirror he had ever seen. It was so clear, in fact, that he thought he was looking into an alternate universe. He subconsciously glided his thumb over the surface to reassure himself that it was still just a reflection.

"Wowzers..." The former champion couldn't muster any other words in that moment with how stunned he was. A soft giggle beside him snapped him out of his short trance. "I take it you like my treasure?" Kieran was a bit confused, but he answered her nonetheless with a question of his own.

"Yeah, it's cool an' all, but why is your treasure a mirror?" Juliana seemed taken aback by his response, and she snorted a bit as the poor boy looked on in even more perplexity. "W-what? Did I say somethin' dumb...?" The current BB League Champion shook her head. "That's not it at all! Sorry, you just caught me off guard! I guess I should've expected that you wouldn't get it..."

"What do I not get???" he asked, his curiosity piqued. Juliana smiled and replied, "The mirror itself isn't my treasure, Kieran." "It's...not? T-then why'd you-" "It's what's reflected by it."

Dumbfounded, the young Kitakami native blinked in slight disbelief. "Okay, well, what exact thing are you referring to??" She put a hand on his shoulder. "Think about it, Kieran! What was the first thing you saw in that mirror when you held it up in front of you?"

Kieran had to take a moment to re-trace his steps. He held the mirror up once more, staring into the gleaming glass. As his own glossy golden irises stared back at him, the answer finally dawned on him, clearer than the trinket's crystalline frame.

"Me...I'm your treasure...?" He looked back at her in awe. Juliana nodded and giggled nervously as her cheeks tinged pink. "Yeah, you are!" She threw her arms around him and pulled him close to her, which he could not resist as he did the same.

The two nestled into their embrace as they quietly watched the stars dance in the night sky. Suddenly, Kieran broke the silence. "H-hey, so...does this mean you're my treasure, too?" Juliana looked a bit taken aback, but she smiled nonetheless and responded, "If that's what you want, then yes!" She nuzzled the boy's nose with her own as the two Trainers laughed softly in each other's arms.

When the time came to go back, they packed up and walked towards Mossui Town as their fingers intertwined. They stopped by Kieran's house first since it was the closest. As the former BB League Champion walked toward his front door, the current Champion stopped in her tracks. "Oh! I almost forgot..."

She took out the exquisite glass and handed it to him. "This is for you! I'll always be able to see my treasure, even without a mirror. You, on the other hand, won't be able to unless you have one." When she said that, Kieran stood there frozen and unsure of what to do. Juliana replied, "I-if it's too tacky, or if you're scared of breaking it, I can buy you a cheaper one-" "No! No, it's fine!" Kieran took the mirror from her hands and smiled. "I'll take good care of it! If it gets chipped or anything, I can fix it! Grandpa's been showin' me how to repair crystals."

"That's amazing! You'll have to show me sometime." "...I will one of these days. I promise."

With that, the two embraced their most precious treasures once more.

[littlest-w01f]

Slumber Party

Feyre x Evelyn (my oc, Tamlin's sister) [Feylin ship]

For @feyreweekofficial

Feyre week 2024 Masterlist

Day 7: Free day

Summary: Feyre having a first proper sleepover with Evelyn

Cw: Fluff, slightly sad, Friends yelling at each other about their choices to make bargains

Feyre couldn't believe it, in a year she had settled in the Spring court so easily, she had Evelyn to thank for it, bubbly Evelyn who always made sure to not make her feel excluded. Evelyn and Feyre had formed a sister-like friendship soon after Feyre had arrived to live in spring.

"So, have you ever had a sleepover?" Evelyn had asked her, her eyes wide, popping a berry in her mouth. The two of them were on a picnic, eating different forms of berries.

Feyre looked at her confused, chewing her own fruit, seated in Evelyn's garden, "Well, don't we every night? We live in the same palace..."

"Oh, you did not just say that," Evelyn looked at her almost offended, "No... That's not a sleepover."

She smiled softly, "A sleepover is another step of friendship, we do each other's hair, and nails, we talk about males, we twirl around in pretty dresses or just stay in our nightgowns." Evelyn smiled brighter, "And we also kick the males out and sleep in the same bed." Evelyn turned to face Tamlin and Lucien, who were a little further away from them when she stated it.

"That sounds fun." Feyre smiled back. "And we have snacks...?"

"Of course, we have snacks, Feyre!" Evelyn gasped, playfully enraged they wouldn't be. "A sleepover is nothing without snacks that people can't finish and they have to be packed away."

Feyre looked over her shoulder to Tamlin and Lucien, "Well I could do without those two for a while." Making them send a wave of talking over each other, pissed at the two females making a joke on their behalf.

"You can paint me," Evelyn wiggled her eyebrows, ignoring her brother and their friend.

Feyre and Evelyn were soon alone in the mansion, Evelyn sprawled over a couch with Feyre standing on the opposite ends, with her canvas and paint. Feyre's brows were furrowed in concentration as she moved the brush flawlessly across the canvas.

"So...?" Evelyn had a teasing tone, "How is being a High Fae?"

Feyre smiled, looking up from her work, "I... I can see colours so much clearer, it's amazing."

"We're just better." Evelyn gave a cocky grin, the grin that matched Tamlin's almost identically.

"You are gorgeous," Feyre breathed with a soft blush, if Feyre had thought the Spring Court Fae were pretty before with their masks, Evelyn was painfully gorgeous, especially by human standards. Evelyn was a mix of soft and sharp features, something Feyre felt she could not put on paper. There was something in her emerald eyes that swirled differently than some other Fae she had seen, well, she had also seen only a handful of Fae as close as she had seen her.

"Should've chosen me over Tam, Feyre." Evelyn gave a wink, chuckling slightly. "You're gorgeous too."

Feyre was a lot fuller now, especially after Under the Mountain, she and Tamlin had managed to figure out how to make her feel better and manage being High Fae, she was a lot more powerful, just as much powerful as the heir of High Lords.

It was quite after that, Evelyn posing for Feyre as she painted, a little pain splattering on her hands. Alis had come in, setting their finger foods down on the small dining table in the room, Evelyn had asked Alis to stay with them but she had smiled and said he would be with her nephews, taking them out for dinner in a new place that had been fixed up.

"Could... Could you not include this?" Evelyn whispered, motioning to the black ink band around her ring finger on her left hand, and a tattoo of stars and swirls flowing up.

Feyre smiled a little sadly, looking at the tattoos "What does it signify?" She had never asked, seeing how Evelyn was uncomfortable with it, as Tamlin had told her, telling her it was Evelyn's story to tell. "If you are feeling up to telling me."

"Well, we do have deep conversations during sleepovers," Evelyn smiled softly, "It's a bargain I made with Rhysand." She didn't talk of the band but the rest of the ink. "I... I made it so that Rhysand would look after you... Keep you... Alive."

"What...?" Feyre set down her brush at that, walking to sit next to her, "That's why he was... Did he ever...?"

"No." Evelyn cut in, "No he never actually hurt me, even if we did piss each other off a lot."

"What did you give away?" Feyre asked, her hand holding Evelyn's tattooed one, stroking the swirls.

Evelyn smiled slightly, letting Feyre feel the magic of the bargain, "A week every month, for my entire life. I have to stay with him."

"But it's been months since then." Feyre looked slightly hopeful, "Maybe he forgot."

Evelyn smiled, moving to sit closer to Feyre, "That's just wishful thinking, the Night Court is rather... Firm... about their bargains."

Feyre looked melancholy, "Well, this got upsetting quickly."

"Ok." Evelyn shrugged, a smile forming on her face again, she picked up the pillow she was leaning against and smacked Feyre in the head with it.

Feyre's eyes widened, "Oh no you didn't!" She picked up her own pillow before swinging at her.

"Oh yes I did!" Evelyn dodged her hit. Swinging again as she got up, Feyre followed her, trying to get a hit on each other.

Feyre landed a hit, making Evelyn stumble slightly against the wall, "How could you give yourself up for me!" Feyre held the pillow against Evelyn's neck as if it were a weapon.

"Because it's you!" Evelyn yelled before hitting Feyre across the face with her pillow, "Because you gave yourself up for my brother! For me! For Lucien! For all of my people!"

"Stop yelling!" Feyre yelled back, glaring, holding her pillow like a sword.

"No!" Evelyn glared back but didn't yell anymore. "You were willing to die for my brother, and you did die. Of course I would do anything to protect you. Even if it is making a deal with Death itself."

Feyre paused, "You did it all for me?"

"Of course I did." Evelyn set down the pillow in her hands, "And I would do it again."

Feyre smirked when she put her pillow away, choosing to strike her again hard enough to make feathers fly out of it, "And I would always help our people!"

"Oh, are we screaming again!?" Evelyn glared, throwing the pillows on the couch at her. "You don't get to be the only person who scrifies something for people."

"Well, you're too gorgeous to end up dead over me!" Feyre yelled and Evelyn was surprised at the splash of dark green paint that now covered her face.

"There!" Feyre smiled, rubbing the paint in Evelyn's hair, "Now I can capture you in paint!"

Evelyn squealed as she heard Feyre mumble "Stupid gorgeous Fae" running to the paint table and throwing the bowl of pink paint.

"Shut the fuck up Feyre." Evelyn watched the pink paint run down Feyre's face, "You're gorgeous too!"

The two run in circles, hitting each other with pillows and paints, yelling aggressive compliments at each other. They end up falling on the floor of paint and feathers, giggling. Evelyn uses her magic to clean both of them.

"Is this what a sleepover is like?" Feyre asked, breathless.

Evelyn shook her head, "I don't know, It's my first too. But I liked it."

The two smile, looking at each other and the mess they had made.

"We left you guys alone for 4 hours!"

"GET LOST!"

{General taglist: @nox-ceur @lilah-asteria}

[thelemonsabbath]

Gazing in the eyes of a beautiful monster

Miki accidentally backed herself against a tree upon seeing the wild look in Ryo's eyes as he slowly approached her. His blood-stained clothes and knife were just the icing on this terrifying sight the blond was now.  She had known from their very first meeting all those years ago that he was dangerous and had always blamed herself for letting him take Akira away from her that day, and the awful change Ryo had brought out in Akira both scared and excited her. But now Miki knew more than ever that she should've fought harder to keep Akira away from Ryo, especially after having witnessed him brutally slaying that demon, all with that awful and beautiful crazed grin on his face. Despite the fact that demon had been threatening her not too long ago, she almost felt sorry for the beast in the way it had cried out in pain as Ryo relentlessly stabbed it over and over again to death. She had been saved, but for how long she couldn't help wondering.  What if the crazed bloodlust she could see in Ryo's eyes would drive him to coat his knife with human blood as well?

And yet with possible upcoming danger casually strolling towards her, Miki found herself frozen in place, feeling as though she had nowhere to run or hide, not with the demons all around in the forest. Miki couldn't help but flinch when Ryo suddenly slammed his knife, deeply cutting into the tree and dragging the blade down until it was right besides her head. Before she could catch her breath, she felt the the tree trunk start to move and twist against her back, and the sounds of pained agony emanating from it made her heart jump in her chest. 

Ryo curled hand around her wrist tightly, "Ms Makimura, there you are. Now, come with me. Akira would be so happy to know that you are alright." His voice was breathy and as intense as his bright and wild blue eyes, like he was still riding the high that slaying a demon or two had given him.

"Fine, I want to leave this forest as soon as possible too..." Miki replied, as she glared at Ryo, while allowing herself to be pulled close to him. She didn't have much of a choice, she had to stay with this horribly beautiful killer until she could be reunited with Akira again.

Ryo's wild eyes softened slightly as he led her away from the horrors, perhaps the high he had been overwhelmed with was starting to subside. "You know, I had always wondered what Akira saw in you, but now, having seen you in this elegant dress and smiling with him earlier, I think I understand... The whole world really does become brighter when you smile... like its being bathed in the warm rays of your beauty," he said as they were reaching the exit, his tone too smooth as velvet for her liking. And the gentle way he was handling her, it was making her forget what a monster he was. No, more like an attack dog who was now cozying up to its owner after a successful hunt, becoming harmless and affectionate, just like... Akira does...

But Miki couldn't be sure if Ryo was being sincere with this flattery or flirting of his own accord in this moment or not, or merely buttering her up for some reason, and that uncertainty made it hard for her to completely relax around him. And that horrible sense of danger that surrounded Ryo was as compelling to her as it was repulsive... "You're just saying that... Its like you are comparing me to the sun..." she said, hating the way her cheeks heated up. What the hell was wrong with her?

Ryo halted his steps and turned to Miki, smearing blood onto her chin as he cupped her face with his bloodied hand, "Oh, I can assure you I am not just giving you worthless flattery, Ms Makimura, because like the sun, if that light of yours goes out, then we are all lost..." 

Miki was lost for words as she felt a chill run down her spine. Whatever he had meant by that, she deep inside knew he was right, and it had brought out both anger and fear within herself.

"So you should stay with me and Akira. I know we frighten you at times, but it's better to stay with monsters that hunt much worse monsters," Ryo stated as his hand moved up to cup her cheek, making her mirror the bloodiness on his own face.

"I-I suppose I can't disagree with that idea..." Miki swallowed, as she brought her fingers to touch his hand, dirtying herself even more with the blood Ryo had spilled earlier...

Ryo just smiled at her with satisfaction before they both heard Akira's voice call out to them as he ran over to them, leaving Miki wondering how much horror she was about to witness in the name of them protecting her...

Okay, after writing all of that, now I can explain why I made this picture XD first of all I've been playing Law of the Beast from the League of Dreamers app and I've been really enjoying it so far, it's really creepy and intense, and the characters/love interests are really interesting! And there was this one scene in ep 3 where the MC follows this hunter named Casper (he's crazy for sure and yes, a possible LI XD) to see what he was up to and needless to say it's intense confrontation

and when I saw that, I thought it would be fun to redraw this as Miki and Ryo, since one, I adore Ryo's manic expressions in the manga and the ova

and two, I do enjoy giving the ova version of Miki and Ryo a messy af relationship! XD        

Btw if you like what you see and want a commission drop me a direct message on tumblr, instagram, a note on deviantart or artistree https://artistree.io/missn11

[optimistredsox]

1 Apr, BOS @ OAK, 9-0, win

Oakland makes me sad. Instead of investing in the team and improving a storied franchise they're being dragged through the mud in anticipation of moving to Las Vegas. It's heartbreaking.

That being said, it's important to really beat up on bad teams because there are a lot of good teams out there that can beat us up. There's not a lot to say with a 9-0 win against a team that seems terrible on purpose, but there are some things that still require pointing out. The brighter sides among the bright sides.

Mea culpa as one of those hand-wringers about the state of the Sox rotation. I think the optimist in me was of the mind that there was certainly potential there but everything had to be going right. Well, we're one time through the rotation and everything is going right.

Tanner Houck went six, struck out 10, allowed three hits and didn't walk anyone. Oh, and as you can see from the score, he didn't allow any runs either.

Chase Anderson went three to finish up, giving up one hit and striking out three. He's also credited with a save? Is that a new thing? I thought a save only happened if the run differential was three or fewer runs? I'm going to have to look that up. I probably should've looked it up before writing this but whatever.

Jarren Duran, knowing that fear is the mind killer, shrugged off his slow start and went three-for-five, knocking in a run, scoring twice and stealing three bases. His hair is still properly terrible, sporting what I can only describe as a frosted-tip mohawk/mullet (he looks like he fell off the back of an Australian pickup), but his hair can be whatever if he keeps raking and running.

Tristan Casas, also off to a slow start, got a couple of hits and knocked in a run.

The lineup made shit happen even without hits. Raffy was hitless, still scored a run. Ceddanne Rafaela? He didn't have a hit and racked up two RBIs. Masataka Yoshida? Scored twice and a RBI with no hits. The Sox are walking and running and making things happen. It's cool!

We won!

We've got a winning record again!

[slutterhaus]

.something in between

AN: I have no idea what Az is saying but I love that man.

CWs: None that differ from usual canon triggers.

Other: Second Person POV, GN!Reader, failed attempt at Gen Z slang, might be ooc I'm so sorry. Under read more because it's more than 100 words.

Word Count: 675

If you had any sense of smell, your nose would be burning with the overwhelming presence of gunpowder and sulfur. It had been how long since you found that damned notebook and ended up here? You didn't remember. Hell, you were over counting the days now that you had something else occupying your every waking moment. As a matter of fact, the sound of welding followed by the clanking of metal and what you could only assume were tools falling to the ground rang and echoed throughout the building.

It was early, way too early for anyone else to be around, so it was undeniable that Aziel was up to something. . . And that was never a good sign. Though you had come to enjoy his company, even if you had no fucking clue what he was talking about 60% of the time. He was sweet, almost sickeningly so, and while you found it annoying at first, you came to miss him whenever it was quiet. The tune of whatever he was listening to was drowned out by the sound of you pulling the rolling door open, letting it close on its own as Aziel turned to you, welding mask flicking up quickly so he could give you a grin.

"Lemon Bar!" The once hated petname left him so smoothly... Damn that gorgeous Cuban man. Wait, no. . . Oh who were you kidding? Even with the excuse that Aziel looks like his diet consists of energy drinks and lemons, you don't bring any of your other coworkers homemade food. That man is a genius when it comes to explosives, but Jesus H. Christ you've made it your mission to feed him ever since you saw actual flames coming from a pot that was supposed to only have boiling water.

"AYO, what're those?" You weren't sure if that was an internet meme reference done on purpose, but with him, it might as well be. On the note of things you don't do for coworkers, you certainly don't bring them flowers either. Feeling the heat rising in your cheeks, you quickly shove the arrangement onto an empty spot on the metal table. "They're for you, pendejo." You mumbled, setting the bag you were also carrying next to the flowers. "I made you breakfast too. Figured you were here when you didn't answer my texts."

"Aww, that's so sigma of you~"

"Stop being delusional. It's friendship month."

"Delulu is the solulu, Lemon Bar~"

With a groan, both your hands come up to rub your face as your eyes roll back. You should've never done this. Maybe you're the delusional one who thought there was something platonic and not romantically inclined to this. Az, however, stood from his stool, and despite the shrimp posture he had when he was sitting and lanky frame, it felt like he towered over you. Sure, he was tall, but the nerves made him feel as long as the ceiling. He inspected the flowers, which were marigolds, the same color of his eyes, along with what you believed were carnations and something else you couldn't identify.

Second thoughts quickly flooded your mind before they quickly disappeared at the sight of Aziel's goofy, toothy grin. "Consider me rizzed up~" He teased, coming over with puckered lips before you squealed and giggled out for him to get off. "Ey, ey, no kisses! People might think something else."

"Too late, we're already married."

"You're insufferable." You commented, though the smile on your face matched his. Aziel made your days more interesting, even if you didn't need any more adventure than what you already had on hand, but he also definitely made days brighter. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, call it masochism. Call it whatever you wanted, but you spent the day stuck to his side like glue, laughing and chattering like two college students that were about to get shushed by the librarian.

Moments like these where the ones you cherished the most... Because for all you know, you may end up dead in a ditch by sunrise.

[lavenderchqn]

𝐶𝛨𝛢𝑃𝑇𝛦𝑅 𝟎𝟐𝟒 — TALK IN A DAZE (1,7K WORDS) 𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑆 — lyney x f!reader smau

𝑆𝑌𝑁𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐼𝑆 —

Second year of university should've been everything you thought of it - more studying with human interaction sprinkled throught... What it definitely wasn't supposed to be was an investigation saga where one of your friends goes missing out of nowhere

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆 — 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — 𝑁𝐸𝑋𝑇 𝐸𝑃𝐼𝑆𝑂𝐷𝐸

Quiet. The room had been far too quiet for [Y/N]’s liking. She had been stuck in this weird trance since the previous evening… and the unexpected delivery. Navia, Clorinde, Charlotte and Furina had managed to fall asleep, leaving her alone at peace with her thoughts.

As much as you could call it being at peace. From the girl’s perspective, her brain has been running non-stop ever since the… event of the evening before. It felt like a daze; everything was happening after that. After all, who in their right mind expects to receive a photo of their missing friend… with another quote attached. 

"You see, she had absolutely nowhere to go." These words had become a mantra in her head. The absurd lie of the context in the real world had filled her with more and more anger.

[Y/N] had made sure that the rest of the girls knew only about the quote part. It’s wrong, she knew that. They were entitled to this evidence… Yet at the same time, the kidnapper knowing the exact dorm she’d been staying at… was anxiety-inducing. Perhaps that’s why she hadn’t been able to get a wink of sleep. 

Oh, how she wished the entire thing never happened. Oh, how she had prayed the situation could return to what it had been before the spring break. Ignoring the butterfly effect for a second there, not only would Lynette be here… The rest of the girls would also be safe, celebrating summer with their friends. 

Perhaps she wouldn’t be stuck here, wondering why Lyney went missing on his own accord so suddenly. Maybe he’s gotten tired. It could be that, he got too overwhelmed with his friends trying to be supportive… That had been far too many maybes for a single night.

Well, it seemed to be getting brighter minute by minute. It must’ve been dawn by this point. 

Not another hour passed before [Y/N] was fully dressed and tiptoeing out of the flat. What she was about to do was absolutely idiotic. People would be worried. Of course, they would be. How could they not? Would they start a hunt for her, like they had done for Lyney? Maybe, maybe not… who knows. It didn’t matter at that moment. 

As soon as she closed the dorm's doors, her notifications were turned off. She knew it was wrong. And yet, it calmed her down. The fewer distractions, the better.  At the very least, she’d feel less guilty… not having to see the consequences of her own actions. 

Seeing Lynette in that picture… It was causing substantial damage to her thoughts. Despite being an ‘innocent’ picture of her sleeping peacefully…  it filled her with pure rage. Her friend must’ve been suffering, and yet nobody has done anything. Sure, they’ve all tried to gather who the kidnapper could be… and where the girls could be located and yet they hadn’t managed to get to anywhere. 

How could she not grasp the nettle when the kidnapper was openly going to war with her. Looking back logically, it was her fault for poking the bear’s nest… Screw logical thinking for a second there. This was no longer about logic. It was about playing the game that began. And [Y/N] fully intended to win. 

It’s a surprisingly cloudy day. That’s not something you’d expect from a summer day in the city of Fontaine. At the very least it’s not raining… then she’d had to make a wish for a dragon to stop sobbing. At least, that’s what she remembers Lynette telling her back in the day. 

With a short walk, the girl gets closer to a tiny patio, where a group of cats are lying, their bellies up. There’s no sight of Earl or Duchess, but the kittens are here. They’re in their full glory, napping around in the only patches of sun. The little cats seem to recognise her instantly, several tabbies coming to rub against her legs. 

Kneeling down, she extends her hand to have the kittens sniff her before trying to pet them. Once she can hear a slight purr, she starts rubbing their backs. They’re jumping onto each other, pushing some critters away for a chance at her attention.

“Hopefully somebody will take care of you,” She murmurs to herself, voice hushed. “If the worst happens.” 

[Y/N] soon stands up, checking over the food bowls. Her statement is hopefully right. Indeed, somebody was caring for the campus cats, bowls full of cat food being the evidence. 

Despite this short and sweet moment, the game continues on. She has to keep on moving. Time for a visit to look at old rolls of film, she thinks. Heinry will most likely enjoy a cat enthusiast customer showing up to scratch his back.  

Game theory. A study on interactive decision-making. Each game is built on four principles — participants of the game, choices said players make, the information they gather… and its outcome. 

As far as [Y/N] is concerned, her game with the kidnapper began as soon as they slipped the message with the picture of Lynette. While her best-case outcome would be to figure out who is behind those atrocious actions… it would be in the kidnapper’s best interest to finally get to her, to shut her up. 

She’s absolutely insane for participating in this hide-and-seek-esque game. A sane person would first try and think whether they were competing with anyone. [Y/N] instead acts as if it is true. Her heart knows that the kidnapper has picked up her trace. They’d be foolish not to do so.

From a normal standpoint, provoking a person who, according to their assumptions, has kidnapped four separate people in three months would be having a death wish. [Y/N], however, throughout these past few days came up with a theory of her own. Due to a lack of any new person being recorded as kidnapped… perhaps they found their ‘Lolita’ in Lynette.

She wishes her assumptions were wrong, yet the evidence points to it directly. The biggest nail in the coffin will be if the kidnapper has any family relations with the siblings. That’s precisely why she tried calling The Hearth in the first place. 

The next time she sees Navia, she will have to apologise for that one time she had put a joking tone indicator in a message regarding putting a target on her back. Being all alone makes it quite the opportunity to just be kidnapped… Tweet after tweet, she’s making to be on the move. A clever person would instantly recognise the pattern of her messages and correctly guess her next place of visit. Maybe whoever is behind the missing girl saga is not as smart as they think they are. 

With every new post she makes, the number of notifications on them increases. She doesn’t open them per se, purely expecting to be met with a slew of concerned asks. Well, that’s most certainly, why she doesn’t check all the unanswered phone calls… or the unread messages.

“Here we are…” [Y/N] says to herself quietly, entering a shop. The air has a musky smell, with a strong note of sulphur. There must’ve been a new ceramics collection released recently — the display case full of purple and blue-hued bowls and cups she had never seen before.

“Good morning!” A shopkeeper notices the girl, getting behind the counter gets close to her, ready to try and sell her something. They stop for a moment, eying her up and down. “Oh, I recognise you! I’m pretty sure, you’ve been here with a friend once. ”

The shopkeeper is correct. She had been here before. She bought a mug for Lynette here.

“Oh, that’s right. ” She smiles slightly. “Would you mind if I took some pictures for inspiration?” 

“You're all good,” The shopkeeper notices the phone in her hands. “Would you be kind to tag the shop if you decide to put it on social media?” 

“For sure.” 

It’s in the afternoon now.  The weather hasn’t changed at all during the game. At the very least, she’s not a sweaty mess right now. 

As she nears the water, the gentle sound of water flowing becomes louder and louder. The air feels lighter too, a slight breeze doing it wonders. The riverbank was lined with cobblestones, smooth from years of wear, and the water reflected the dull grey of the sky above. [Y/N] slows her pace, walking closer to the edge where the river gently hits against the stones.

Oh, how she wishes her mind wasn’t laced with anxiety. Having a seat to take a breather... and fully disconnect from everything. To allow her to disassociate. To let her push everything aside — be it anxiety, adrenaline, or the stupid feeling of commitment. 

With each and every step she’s getting closer to the bridge. The last stop for today’s journey. Had everything gone according to plan she’d be… Actually, what would she be? [Y/N] isn’t even sure what she wanted to accomplish by today’s feat. 

A game, by its definition, needs to end with a conclusion. Perhaps today’s journey was the friends she made along the way… Wait no, absolutely not that. What did she even figure out today? Well, for starters, the kidnapper was not the best at putting down clues together. 

[Y/N] realises where she is. The exact spot where she has taken the picture back then. How poetic. The view is stunning, just like that time. Sadly there’s no Lynette that’d be at her lectures… nor are there any lectures to being. She’s all alone… probably having gone insane from trying to find anything to lead her closer to her missing friend. 

By the time her train of thought ends, somebody is getting closer. It’s weird how she can hear that, given the sound of the river right next to them. 

In a blink of an eye, said person grabs her hand forcing her into a run to the city centre on the left to the river. Their grip on her hand so tight as if made from steel. 

"Trust me on this, please."

𝑇𝐴𝐺𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — OPEN

@state-of-grac3 @santaluna @meigalaxy @romyoia

@meurtreofcrows @charles-braindump @floweringanna @moonjellyfishie @vavrin @lovelypadisarah

date of posting — october 5th 2024

[rthoughtscollected]

To Carve, To Care - Chp. 1

Vi stumbled back awkwardly, suddenly feeling nothing behind her. The door she was leaning against had been opened.

She turned around, to see a tall woman had opened the door to the student accommodation building. Vi couldn't see much in the poor lighting in the dark night - the motion sensor light had been broken since the 4 days Vi had been at university.

"Oh - I apologize. I barely saw you there." The woman said, stepping out the door to stand on the dusty front steps of the building with Vi. The woman was taller than Vi, her slander face framed by blue hair while her hands were tucked into navy hoodie pockets.

Vi lifted her eyebrows, eyes barely pealing out from her pink hair. "No no, it's fine - shouldn't have been leaning on the door." She reached for the handle, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

She had been out at this time of night to clear her head, to breathe in the cooi, rainy night air. But she'd had enough now. So without a word, she made her way back to her dorm room.

The much of the student accommodation building were lit with poor, unwelcoming white light. Because of this, Vi lit up her dorm room with a warm desk lamp. There were duffle bags tossed around, clothes pooling around them. Little trinkets and bottles of toiletries were stacked on the small desk across from the bed.

Vi knew that she should've unpacked by now, that classes and courses were beginning tomorrow and that she'd have little time to put her room together properly. But she just couldn't be asked at this point.

She didn't even get dressed into pyjamas when she collapsed onto the bed.

-

Caitlyn knew she'd enjoy the library. It was a relatively small university but it had a beautiful, spanning library - long wooden tables marked old wirh with water rings, blinking computers lining the walls and a maze of bookshelves. Students were dotted about, alone or in small groups.

She made her way to the end of one of the long study tables, where there was only one other student bundled up in a red zip up hoodie. Caitlyn sat across from the student so they had their own space. The student across from her had a notebook and a heavy textbook in front of them.

Caitlyn herself pulled out her laptop to get her own studies started. Truthfully, she had been looking forward to starting university for a while, eager to throw herself into her law course. She hoped this would impress her parents, to some degree at least.

She glanced over the top of her laptop as it was powering it on, all the while watching as the notebook belonging to the person in front of her caught on their sleeve as they leaned to get something from their bag.

Caitlyn's arm instinctively shot out to grab the notebook to prevent it from falling off the table. The sudden commotion made them turn back.

"Your book - I didn't want it to fall." Caitlyn explained, lifting her hand.

She recognised the person's face - it was the woman from last night, who was leaning against the door. Her blue eyes looked even brighter in the daytime and Caitlyn noticed juat how beautifully pink her short hair was.

The pink haired woman blinked then looked down at where Caitlyn's hand had just been over sketches on the pages. "Oh shit - thanks." She looked up at Caitlyn. "I think I saw you last night."

So it was her, Caitlyn thought to herself. "Again, I apologize for last night." She wondered if she should introduce herself. Her studies were her main goal here, but she supposed there would be no harm in getting to know those around her. "I'm Caitlyn."

"Vi." The pink haired woman responded. Vi hoped her nerves weren't showing. This blue haired woman, Caitlyn, was absolutely gorgeous; dressed in a dark blue cardigan and black pleated skirt. Her nails looked well taken care of, painted a baby blue and finger wrapped in simple gold rings. Her long, blue hair was loose now, brushing her slender shoulders.

She was still embarrassed about her little stumble last night - she should have expected university students would be going in and out their accommodation late at night. Vi realised now that she may have to see Caitlyn even more because they appeared to live in the same accommodation building. It would be useful to be friendly with those in close quarters with her, but Vi was in know way planning to get super close.

"Are you an art student or or those just a hobby?" Caitlyn gestures down to the sketches in Vi's notebook.

"Oh uh, both." Vi closed her notebook, feeling insecure suddenly. "I'm doing Art & Design and ya know, I like art outside of the academic sense I suppose." She wanted to move the topic away from herself and spotted the title of the heavy textbook beside Caitlyn's laptop. "Oh damn, you do law? Rather. . . noble I suppose."

Caitlyn smiled but raised her eyebrows, not entirely sure what Vi meant by that. "Well, I hope it'll feel noble when I actually get qualified."

There was a silence then, neither of them sure what to say. They both wanted to continue talking, but weren't 100% sure how to do so.

"I heard there's a party in our building tonight." Vi observed outloud.

"Oh?" Caitlyn's head tilted to the side. "To be honest, that's not really my thing so I doubt I'll be going." As much as she knew university wasn't just about a academics, she didn't know enough people to enjoy a party. If she was to socialise and get to know people, she wanted to do so one-on-one.

Nodding, Vi opened her notebook again, feeling the conversation had truly ended. "I get it, I get it."

-

Hours later, Caitlyn found herself staring up at her dorm room ceiling that was pulsing with heavy music of a party.

She leaned back, resting against the propped up pillows at the top of her bed. Caitlyn wondered if any of the footsteps above her belonged to Vi.

Caitlyn had found Vi intriguing. She was attentive, in a rugged, rough-round-the-edges way.

Caitlyn never had a specific type for men of women. She remembered Vi's voice being smokey, but confident. Her hands, clutching the notebook, had been strong and veiny-

She gulped, feeling a tight coil in her stomach. God, control yourself.

Caitlyn knew that human attraction was normal, that it was biological. But she couldn't believe how she was feeling about someone she hardly knew. She told herself it was just intrigue of a new person and environment. Caitlyn was also curious about what was in Vi's sketchbook.

She hoped she'd be able to spot Vi agsin, around campus and the student accommodation.

-

Vi bent over, hands on her knees as she caught her breath from here ending run

. Sweat beads ran down the side of her face and shoulders. Her shadow was long in the fading dusk light. As much as her chest was burning and her limps were sore, Vi knew suddenly stopping her run.

So she began to briskly walk back to the accommodation building, now finished with her dusk run. Other students were littered around on the grass and benches and walking along the old stone path that split off to other student accommodation buildings.

Vi again felt embarrassed about asking Caitlyn about the party. Truthfully, Vi hadn't been planning on going, but would have perhaps felt more inclined to go if she knew Caitlyn was going.

Caitlyn's voice was strong and articulate, a subtle reminder of just how clever and put together Caitlyn seemed. Vi had noticed just how tall Caitlyn was; long legs hugged in sheer black tights as she walked through the library. Her cheek bones were defined, and her eyes intense.

Vi had no real way to describe her type - just women she felt could boss her around abit.

"Fuck, stop being fucking weird,' she hissed quietly to herself as she re entered the accommodation building.

In truth, Vi had no plans to stay at university forever. She figured she would just try it out for a bit to make Vander proud because she figured that's what he would have want. Besides, a year of school fees was the most she could afford at the moment. Vi had a feeling that she'd never become filthy rich in the future, so paying off student loans for the rest of her life was in no way appealing. Because of that, she didn't want to make any relationship too lasting in her time here.

There were other students going up and down the building stairs, some drunk and swaying. As Vi moved further up, she could hear the thudding of party music - she did wonder if Caitlyn ended up going or what the beautiful blue haired girl was doing instead.

In her dorm room, stacks of sketches and notebook were everywhere like towers of artistry. Becoming a tattoo artist is what Vi wanted to do - she found drawing and designing to be a way of calming her anger. Because she felt so much of it.

The pale blue lighter on her bedside table caught Vi's eye as she collapsed onto her unmade bed. she turned up the music louder through her headphones, to hopefully drown out the sound of the party down the corridor. (Pink by Deftones)

5 days clean from cigarettes.

Vi had only been able to get to 14 days before she relapsed again. The addiction had only got worse when Jinx disappeared. Every time Vi had attempted to quit smoking, it had always been when she believed she was starting a new chapter in he life; On my 18th birthday I'll quit; When i graduate high school, I'll quit; when I start university, I'll quit.

She hoped this would be the perfect time, that she'd actually quit and stick to it this time.

-

3 days later

-

"Yes Mom, I'm attending all my classes." Caitlyn assured her mother through the phone. she had a feeling that her university experience would be like this - her parents checking in whenever they could, to see if she was making use of herself.

The university campus was bustling with people - going to and from classes, relaxing in groups on the grass, gathering outside the small shops on the street corners to get snacks and drinks.

"I'm glad to hear that, Caitlyn." her mother responded. "Oh but do remember to have fun - but do not get too out of hand. Have you made any friends? It'si mportant to make connection. "

Caitlyn's loafers plodded across the wide brick pathway that sliced the campus green grounds in half. "It's still early days, I haven't quite had the time."

"Your father and I of course want you to focus on your academics, but don't coop yourself up all the time, Caitlyn." Her mother cooed.

And just like it was a flicker of fate, Caitlyn spotted Vi, adorned in a red hoodie and slumped in the shade of a tree.

Caitlyn smirked slightly. "I'll keep that in mind, Mom - I promise." The mother and daughter said their goodbyes and when she put the phone down she wondered off the path and towards Vi.

Vi didn't notice Caitlyn at first, too engrossed in the book she was sketching in and distracted by the loud music playing through her headphones.

Caitlyn caught Vi's attention by tapping her foot lightly against one of Vi's sneakers.

The pink haired girl looked up and took off her headphones. "Oh - Hey Caitlyn."

Caitlyn gestured to the spot beside Vi. "Would you mind if I sat with you?" She was thinking about what her mom said - about also trying to socialise a bit.

There were of course people in her law class she was friendly with and could get along with, but Caitlyn found them to be all too similar to herself.

Vi was quiet for a couple of moments. She had to stop herself from just staring at Caitlyn standing over her. It made her realise just how tall Caitlyn was.

"Oh yeah, go ahead." She finally responded.

Vi was surprised Caitlyn wanted to sit with her, let alone interact with her at all.

Caitlyn took off her satchel and used it as a makeshift cushion to lean against the tree. As she settled, Caitlyn could smell a refreshing, masculine cologne from Vi. As well as a faint scent of tobacco.

"I've seen you with that a couple of times," she observed aloud, glancing at Vi's notebook.

Vi's veiny, strong looking hands reopened the leather coated notebook. "It's one of my sketchbooks," Vi hesitated before continuing. There would be no harm in opening up a tad, right? "If all goes well, I'm looking to get a tattoo apprenticeship soon."

Caitlyn's eyes widened ever so slightly. "So you want to be a tattoo artist?"

Vi was worried now. Alot of prim and proper upper class people tended to look down on her when she told them that. Vi could tell Caitlyn was higher class to some degree - dressed in a clean, dark blue sweater, black sheer stockings untorn and perfect on her long legs.

"Mind if I see some of your sketches?" Vi could hear Caitlyn's question was genuine, that there was no mocking or judgement.

"Go ahead." She hoped Caitlyn believed the confident front she was putting on. Vi handed Caitlyn the notebook.

The first page Caitlyn looked at had a hearrt with flames and swords piercing through it. She gently ran her fingers over it, to feel the indents the black ink had made on the page.

"That's called a sacred heart." Vi explained. "You see them alot in tattooing

"Like The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus? I remember seeing alot of these when I was at Catholic school."

Vi chuckled. "You went to a Catholic school? Can't imagine that was fun."

Sighing, Caitlyn ran her hand through her hair. "It certainly was interesting." She flicked to the next page.

It was a 2 page-spread drawing of three headed Doberman, wearing spiked collars.

"Cerberus? The Hound of Hades, right?"

Vi stared at Caitlyn's lips as she spoke - they were a soft, plump pink, glistening with a subtle gloss.

She gulped and blinked, to stop herself from staring any longer. "Yeah so ideally this would go on someone's chest or maybe even their stomach."

Caitlyn waa astonished by what she was looking at. So much of what Caitlyn was interested in was logic and practically, thus she always found art and creativity so intriguing.

She looked away from the book, but instead at Vi's face. There was a small tattoo under her cheek - she also noticed tattoos peaking out from the back of her neck.

"Vi, there's a bar just of campus." The blue haired woman started. "Would you want to get a drink with me tonight?"

Vi didn't even blink, Was Caitlyn asking what she thought she was asking? Was this some sort of date? she held back a gulp. "I'm not free tonight," Vi did f course want to spend more time with this beautiful, articulate woman. Selfishly, she could not bare to loose someone else after loosing Powder and Vander.

But the disappointed look that began forming on Caitlyn's face made her back track. "But I an free tomorrow tonight - are you?"

Caitlyn's eyes lit up once again. "I am yeah." she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone "I'll give you my number - we can talk about time and where to meet."

She leaned over slightly to show Vi her phone screen with her number on it. While Vi coped down the number, she could smell Vi's sweet perfume and a fruity shampoo for her long hair.

Fuck, was this actually happening? Is this drop dead gorgeous girl really asking me out?

Caitlyn got up, brushing the grass off her skirt. "I'll see you tomorrow, Vi."

Vi watched her walk off, her blue hair swaying. Vi was still in complete awe. She still couldn't quite decipher if Caitlyn wanted to hang out as fronds, to gain some university acquaintances or if this was something more. Vi wasn't even sure if Caitlyn was attracted to women. But this was a pretty strong sign, wasn't it?

-

Closing her thick law textbook that night, Caitlyn decided she was down revising her work from today. Even though it had been hours since she had spoke to Vi under the tree, she was still thinking about it.

She still couldn't believe how bold she had been. Caitlyn had always been confident, bit even this surprised her. Growing up in a Catholic school meant Caitlyn didn't have many chances to get into relationship, let alone a relationship with another girl.

Now she was free from that as well as her parents. and she was getting the opportunity to do so with Vi. She could still remember the way Vi smelt - fresh cologne and a hint of tobacco; the knuckles of her rough hands; the tendons on her tattooed neck.

Instinctively, Caitlyn's thighs pressed together from just recalling talking with Vi. But she stopped herself from going any further, feeling somewhat ashamed.

Instead, she got up and started looking through her clothing, trying to figure out what she would wear.

-

With the window open, Vi could hear the mummers of students on their way back form going out and muffles from the people above her. a half empty pack of cigarettes and the dark blue lighter were on the tiny window sill.

Vi took a deep breath. a part of her had wanted to go out with Caitlyn tonight. But she wanted to give herself some time to prepare - an also potentially let Caitlyn cancel in case the other woman got second thoughts.

She wanted to open the pack of cigarettes, take one out and light it up. For so long, Vi had convinced herself that smoking calmed her nerves, that it cooled all the anger and pain. but deep down, she knew that wasn't true.

Vi was nervous about tomorrow night. she'd been on many dates before with many other girls. But nothing ever lasted too long - Vi's own past would get in the way. She reached out and picked up the lighter. She spun the tiny metal wheel a few times, eyes locked on the flickering flame.

if worst came to worst, Vi told herself that she could just jeep her head down and ignore Caitlyn if she saw her around the campus afterwards.

Nearly tripping over the clothes, Vi searched for her boots. As she was laying them up, she check the tine.

7:56 PM - she still had a couple minutes before her and Caitlyn were supposed yo meet at the entrance of the accommodation.

She muffled her hair a bit and grabbed her red leather jacket. "You can do this, Vi, calm the fuck down." But just before she closed the door, Vi went back into the dorm room and stuffed the pack of cigarettes and lighter in her back pocket.

Vi knew that she should throw the lighter and cigarettes away, that the temptation was too close. But she wanted to prove to herself that she was stronger than the temptation. Vi knew it was stupid, but she'd made worse mistakes in her life.

She walked down the stairs and stepped out the building door. Caitlyn was already there, leaning against the front step railing.

"Have you been waiting long?" Vi asks.

Caitlyn looks up from her phone. "Not at all." Her hair was in a neat ponytail, letting Vi see her gold earings. This time, she wasn't wearing her classic sheer stockings. Her black skirt was embroidered with subtle gold patterns and a blue jumper was folded over her arm.

"You look great, by the way." Vi couldn't help but say. She tried not too make it too obvious when she looked Caitlyn up and down again.

Her long sleeve white shirt was simple but tight. Vi didn't know if she was hallucinating but she swore the shirt was a tad see through, the dark fabric of a bra able to be seen subtly through the white fabric. A simple gold necklace waa tucked between her cleava-

Stop, Vi. Stop.

Caitlyn smirked. "You clean up well too, Vi."

And Caitlyn meant it. Instead of her usual red hoodie and cargos, Vi wore black slacks and a dapper grey vest. Her hands were hidden in the slightly scuffed red leather jacket.

The two of them began on the short walk to the bar Caitlyn mentioned. They spoke of what their classes and their days as they passed underneath the warm street lamps.

The bar in question was small but lively, lit with gentle purple lamps and plant pots scattered around. Most of the patrons were young and in their own world. Vi and Caitlyn sat themselves at a small high table

Caitlyn picked up one of the menus that was in the table stand and starting scanning over the drinks.

"What are you thinking of getting,Vi?" She asked.

Vi just barely glanced over the menu. "Probably just a cider."

Pursing het lips, Caitlyn had a closer look at the menu. She didn't even feel like she had enough time before the server came over and asked what they wanted.

When their orders were taken, Vi took off her jacket and hung it on the back of the stool.

"So Caitlyn, I can hear you're not from around these parts." Vi noted.

Caitlyn tried to relax her shoulders, leaning her forearms on the small table. "Yeah, I moved back and forth between here and London because of my parent's jobs."

Leaning back, Vi raised her eyebrows. "London? How posh and prim."

Caitlyn shrugged, hoping this would get rid of her nerves. Truthfully, she felt out of place here, she felt like she stuck out. She was curious as to how Vi was able to appear so cool and collected.

"Parts of it were posh, some of if wasn't so great." She admitted.

Just then, their drinks arrived and we're placed on the table. Vi casually started sipping from the flavoured cider and Caitlyn took a sip from het cocktail. She coughed when she swallowed the liquid.

"Dammit that's sour." She weezed, placing the drink back down.

Vi chuckled, and smirked at Caitlyn. "Aw, not a fan? Little posh law student out of her comfort zone?"

Vi was right - Caitlyn was a bit out of her depth. She asked Vi out here because she felt it was nice and casual. "I am not - I'm perfectly fine."

Here, Vi felt less out of place. She had spent years hanging out in bars and pubs, following Vander where he went

And as nervous as Vi was, she felt she could relax a little here.

She watched Caitlyn attempt to take another sip of the cocktail. But it was just as strong and sour as the first sip. "Remind me to never get a cosmopolitan again."

The two spoke for a while; Vi retelling stories of her time in her Catholic school and Vi retelling stories of her time in high school.

Vi learnt that Caitlyn lived an upper class life, raised by parents who were successful lawyers. But despite all the privilege Caitlyn was raised in, Vi could tell that she was grateful for her opportunities and was humble about it. Caitlyn learnt that Vi didn't grow up as lucky and lived with her adoptive father. Vi briefly mentioned a sister but didn't give any details.

Vi wasn't sure how long the two of them spoke for before they decided to leave. The flow of their conversation was easy, making them unaware of how much tine was passing.

The bar was busier when they got up and were walking alongside the counter. A small cake stand at the end of the counter caught Vi's attention.

"This may be more to your liking, Caitlyn." She observed. The two of them looked at the little information card next to the cake stand - free samples of new shots, called Sugar Shots.

"'For those with a sweet tooth- tastes just like a cupcake'" Caitlyn read aloud. She picked up one of the shot glasses, filled with pink liquor and the rip of the glass coated in sugar and colourful sprinkles.

She looked at Vi for some sort of reassurance

With her hands in her pockets, Vi tilted her head cockily. "I'm interested to see where this goes."

Caitlyn lifted her chin up. "There will be nothing interesting to see." She put the shor to her lips and downed it in one quick swig. It was a strawberry-vanilla mixture, not at all as sour as the earlier drink.

"Pretty pleasant actually."

Vi watched as Caitlyn put the shot glass down, who picked off some of the sugar and sprinkles with her elegant nails. Thr lighting from the bar made her gold jewellery reflect and sparkle.

"God, you're hot." Vi let it slip.

Caitlyn was taken aback slightly, hoping her cheeks wouldn't flush too much from the compliment.

They started on the shirt walk to the campus and it's accommodation buildings. There was a gentle, cool freeze and the tall street lips made their shadows long and tilted.

Vi was still a little unsure of how Caitlyn felt - two people could go to a bar as just friends right? Had Vi made it too obvious that she was attracted to Caitlyn?

They came to a slow stop when they reached the front steps of their building. There was a tense silence between them, filled with quiet anticipation. They faced each other.

Vi spoke first. "Which floor are you on?"

"Third floor." answered Caitlyn. She went up onto the first steps, her back turned.

Vi felt the pack of cigarettes in her pockets. She gulped, putting on a facade of confidence. "Cupcake, if we go up to your room, what do you want to happen?"

Caitlyn paused, turning her head back. "Cupcake? Is this because . . . " She was frustrated, but tried to recover to answer Vi's question. "Well, I was hoping we could possibly talk more. . . Possibly even something more. . ."

Vi walked up the steps, now one step above Caitlyn. "Something more?" She was now eye level with her. Vi could feel Caitlyn's warm breath on her own lips. "Something like this?"

She leaned forward, eliminating the space between her and Caitlyn's lips. Her lips were even softer than what Vi had been picturing the whole day.

Caitlyn was receptive immediately, kissing back with enthusiasm. Her hands slid up to Vi's face, her palms cupping Vi's cheeks.

Relief washed over Vi - this was proof enough that Caitlyn did in fact return the attraction.

Caitlyn could taste old tobacco and nicotine against Vi's slightly chapped lips, but it didn't turn her off - it only made Caitlyn want more.

Vi slid her rough hands up to Caitlyn's upper sides, feeling the vague imprint of the elastic band of a bra. She was engulfed in Caitlyn's sweet perfume.

"Easy, easy there." hushed Caitlyn, about to feel Vi push her tongue through her lips. "Shall we continue this Something More upstairs?"

The two of them stumbled into the building, grabbing at each others clothing and hands, too inpatient to wait.

Caitlyn didn't even get a chance to unlock her dorm door before Vi started kissing her again, thejr bodies pressed tightly together. Caitlyn was taller than Vi, so she had to lean down ever so slightly.

Caitlyn fiddled with her keys and was able to unlock the door all while still having Vi push her up against the door.

Click.

The sound of the door unlocking brought Vi back to reality. She stepped away, letting go of Caitlyn.

"Vi?" Her eyes wide with confusion. "Is everything alright?"

Vi ran her hand through her short hair. The reality of this was settling in. She thought she'd be able to resist, but she just couldn't.

"We can do this later - just. . . Just not now." And Vi walked away before she could see Caitlyn's reaction.

Caitlyn stood there in quiet confusion. What the hell had just happened? Had she done something wrong?

She went into her room, trying to mull over what was going on. Caitlyn had a feeling that Vi was complicated, that things weren't easy for her.

She kicked off her boots and flopped into her desk chair. Her body felt cold, no longer having the warmth of Vi's body pressed up against hers. Did Vi say 'later' because she truly meant they'd see each other again or just saying that to soften the blow?

-

Vi stomped off to her room, clutching the door handle so tight her knuckles went white. the moment her dorm door closed behind her, Vi pulled out the pack of cigarettes and the lighter. like second nature, the plucked out a cigarette and sat on the carpeted floor.

Fuck.

Vi regretted leaving Caitlyn so suddenly. Of course she wanted to continue things - Vi had a strong idea of what would have happened next.

She held the end of the cigarette between her lips and got out her phone. she shoveled around the floor of her room and found her headphones. She wanted to drown out the sounds of other people enjoying their lives around her and the critical thoughts in her own head.

Vi had been careful to be vague when Caitlyn asked her questions about her family and childhood. if Caitlyn knew all the details, Vi knew she'd run as fast as she could - just like Jinx. Selfishly, Vi didn't want to loose someone because of her own mistakes.

Her hand shook as Vi brought the lit lighter up to the tip of the cigarette. the flame died before it touched the cigarette. So Vi spat it out.

"You sorry piece of shit, what is wrong with you?" she hissed to herself.

Vi had spent so many years punishing herself for her mistakes, letting her regret eat away at her soul. The mistakes she had made as an angry, lost teenager. Everyone else around her was gone, there was no one she could repair her sins for. Except herself.

A tiny part of her told her one thing - the least you deserve is one night of happiness.

Vi got up. Leaving Caitlyn without an explanation wasn't going to help her pursuit to become a better person.

This time, Vi left the cigarettes and lighter on the floor when she closed the door.

-

Knock knock.

Caitlyn was caught off guard by the sudden knock on the door. But she got up anyway and opened the door a crack.

"Vi?" And there Vi stood, hands in her red leather jacket pockets, not quite looking Caitlyn in the eyes.

"Have I lost my chances to spend more time with you?" Vi asked, faking a smirk.

Caitlyn opened the door wider. "No, not at all." She stepped aside to let Vi in.

She let out a quiet sigh of relief when Vi stepped in. "Is everything okay?"

Vi was quiet, gazing around Caitlyn's dorm room. "Yeah - I just, I just get stuck in my own head sometimes."

Caitlyn's room was neat, lit by a lsmp and her textbooks were slotted into a small bookshelf, her single bed was made and unwrinkled and there was no clutter on the floor. "Your room is exactly hiw I pictured, Cupcake."

"I'm not sure if that's an insult." Caitlyn could tell that Vi wanted to switch topics, but Caitlyn wanted to just make sure. "We don't have to. . . ya know."

Vi turned to look at Caitlyn. "I want to - I mean if you want to."

The blue haired woman raised her eyebrows, trying to keep her confidence. "I would like to." Caitlyn stepped closer to Vi.

The two kissed agsin, hands and arms around each other. Their tongues slid against each others and their chests pressed together.

Vi's hands gripped Caitlyn's waist, feeling the warm flush of her skin. Caitlyn started tugging at Vi's jacket, eventually getting it to drop to the floor.

They stepped back, still tangled up in each other and got onto Caitlyn's bed. Kneeling between Caitlyn's bent legs, Vi kicked off her shoes.

"Holy shit, you're fucking gorgeous." Vi said, taking in Caitlyn as she lay on her back, staring up at Vi.

Her hair pooled onto the duvet, framing her face like a blue halo. Their heaving breaths filled the air as they sloppily kissed, getting desperate. Caitlyn gently took one of Vi's hands and placed it on one of her breats.

"It unclips from the front." Caitlyn explained.

Vi's mouth nearly dropped open. God, she could barely think properly. She untucked Caitlyn's shirt from her skirt and pushed up the white material to reveal a dark blue bra with intricate butterfly lacing.

"Wore that just for me, Cupcake?" Vi's fingers expertly unhooked thr clip of the bra. The delicate cups slid to the side. Vi sat back up, taking off her grey vest so that she was just in a black tank top.

Caitlyn propped herself up on her forearms to look up at Vi. "Perhaps."

Her breasts bounced slightly as she moved, Vi's eyes following the movement.

Vi went back down, massaging one of Caitlyn's breasts with the pads of her fingers. She licked the fingers of her hand and held Caitlyn's nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

Caitlyn took in a short breath the moment she felt Vi's saliva covered fingers against her skin. Vi took the other nipple between her lips, sucking gently. "Ha - Dammit, Vi." Caitlyn grunted.

Vi's tongue and mouth her warm against the sensitive skin and areola. Vi could feel Caitlyn's back arching against her torso. Caitlyn clutched at Vi's shoulder. Caitlyn could feel a wetness gathering between her thighs, getting more desperate the more Vi grazed her teeth against her nipple.

"Vi - Vi, I need you inside me, your tongue." Caitlyn pleaded. She knew that if Vi's mouth felt this good on her breasts, it would feel even better between her legs.

She could tell Vi had experience with woman, and she wanted to be one of them.

Vi removed her mouth from Caitlyn's hard, saliva lathered nipple. "I like it when you ask for what you want, Cupcake."

She ran her tongue over Caitlyn's, pale, soft stomach. Vi found the buttons of Caitlyn's skirt, then pulled the black material down. She shimmied it down Caitlyn's plush thighs, chucking it to the floor.

Underneath, Caitlyn was wearing simple pink underwear. "They're not matching. . . I couldn't find anything more classy."

Vi slid her fingers under the elastic band of the pink material. "I really don't care about that sort of thing." And when she pulled them off, Vi still couldn't quite believe that she had the most gorgeous, cleverly articulate woman she'd ever met naked underneath her.

Instinctively, Caitlyn covered herself with her hands, feeling suddenly exposed. Yet she didn't feel scared. If anything, she was excited - she could even feel it between her legs.

Vi shuffled backwards, climbing off the bed. She knelt at the at the end of the bed, forearms resting on the duvet. "You wanna come a little closer, Cupcake?"

And of course she did. Caitlyn moved so that her feet were brushing the floor. Vi ran her rough fingers down one of Caitlyn's legs, aiming to take her black socks off

"Keep them on, Vi." She replied hoarsely.

Vi tilted her hand and smirked. "There must be an interesting reason why." She didn't break eye contact as she hooked Caitlyn's legs over her shoulders.

Caitlyn couldn't help but explain herself. "It has to do with blood circulation." She tried to concentrate as she felt Vi's finger trace over the stretch marks on her thighs. But Caitlyn could hardly focus when Vi's tongue ran over her inner thigh. "If a part of your body. . . Is-is cold, you can't relax- God, Vi."

One of Vi's hands moved to her vagina, opening up her labia. Caitlyn could now feel Vi's hot breath against her sensitive, wet skin.

God, every inch of Caitlyn was alluring - the wet glistening folds, blood vessels swollen with arousal. Vi could feel a pool of saliva collecting in her mouth - she couldn't wait to her tongue against Caitlyn's perfect pussy.

"Continue - I'm interested." Vi urged. Through out the night, Vi had listened to Caitlyn explain things to her with expert understanding. There was nothing more attractive to Vi than an intelligent woman.

Caitlyn gulped. "It's easier - ha - to orgasm when the bo-body is warm and relax - Ah!"

Her mouth hung open as she finally felt Vi's warm tongue against her inner labia, travelling up slowly to her clitoris in a slow up and down pattern.

Caitlyn's hand shot out and she leaned herself on her forearms so she could tangle her hand in Vi's pink hair and also watch Vi go down on her.

Her body wanted to slam her legs shut, reacting to the wet pleasure - but she didn't want to hurt Vi.

Vi's other hand rested on Caitlyn's stomach, massaging the soft flesh. Her whole body was on display to Vi but Caitlyn felt in no way vulnerable. Instead, with every touch of Vi's finger and every movement of Vi's mouth made her feel godly appreciated, like Vi was trying to memories every part of her.

Caitlyn's fingers held Vi's hair tightly as she moaned and whimpered. "Uuh, uuh, Vi - God!"

Vi's tongue slid up and pressed against Caitlyn's clit. Caitlyn twitched suddenly, gripping Vi's hair harder. "Ah, ha - God dammit!"

Vi ran the tip of her tongue in circles rhythmically over the throbbing clitoris. She then gently closed her lips around it and began gently sucking.

Caitlyn was no longer able to keep herself up on her arms so she flopped back down, trembling back against the wrinkled duvet cover.

Caitlyn's free hand moved to one of her breasts, massaging the flesh. She wouldn't be surprised if there was spit dribbling from the corner of her lips, too turned on to focus on keeping herself presentable.

Vi moved her mouth back down so she push her tongue into Caitlyn's vagina.

"Yes-yes please." She pleaded, feeling Vi's warm tongue curl inside of her.

God, Vi wanted to be like this for hours. Caitlyn tasted as good as she sounded. Caitlyn felt as good as she looked.

She started pumping her tongue in and out. Caitlyn began rolling her lips in tune with the moment of Vi's tongue. There was a gentle creaking coming from the springs of Caitlyn's bed.

"So close, V-Vi." Caitlyn stuttered. She could feel her stomach and thighs tensing.

Vi moved her tongue with ambition, with a want - a need - to get Caitlyn off. And then without warning, Caitlyn's thighs locked against Vi's head as she came.

Caitlyn's moans of pleasure were bold, but incomprehensible. Caitlyn's back arched off the mattress, her mouth agape in euphoria.

Vi wiped some milky white cum off the corner off her lips as she gently came up for air when Caitlyn's legs relaxed.

Taking in a deep breath, Vi ran her hand reassuringly over Caitlyn's leg. "You okay, Cupcake?"

Through recovering breaths, Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah."

Vi took a moment to take in the way Caitlyn looked laying on the bed, chest heaving slowing down and eyes fluttering open and closed. God, she was glad she came back.

Vi got up, looking around the room. "Where's your-"

"Middle drawer under the bed." Caitlyn answered.

Vi knelt down by the side of the bed, and pulled out the middle drawer. Folded up neatly, were dozens of socks and underwear.

"Are you planning to steal some?" Caitlyn jokingly asked.

"No, no I swear." Vi picked out a clean pair and handed them to Caitlyn who slid them on while Vi found a baggy shirt.

Caitlyn chuckled as Vi gently helped her pull the shirt over her head. "You are a big softie, you know that right?"

Vi was taken aback, but tried to cover it up with a smirk. "I'm going to assume that's a good thing."

There was a moment of silence between the two, not sure what to do next.

"Vi."

"Yeah?"

"Are you gonna stay?"

Vi raised her eyebrows, swallowing quietly. "I appreciate the offer, Cupcake, but I'm not a peaceful sleeper." She brushed her knuckle against Caitlyn's flushed cheek to soften the blow. "I don't wanna keep you up."

Caitlyn was still then nodded. "That's okay."

Awkwardly, Vi slid her hands into her pockets. "I'll see you around, yeah?"

"I'd like that."

Vi looked back as she opened the door. "I had a good time tonight, Caitlyn."

She began to her own room, thinking about the night. Vi felt honored in a sense that Vi wanted to get so close and intimate with her. Tonight was certifiable proof that Caitlyn was attracted to her. Vi wondered if Caitlyn would want go see each other again, if her words were useful. She also wondered if she'd agree to see Caitlyn again.

She'd got one good night of happiness. Did she deserve more than one day?

Hey there!

Welcome to my first Arcane fic! I've included links to pictures and songs that tie into the story so that you guys can have a multi-media experience. There is a playlist that collects all the songs I'll be using in this fic and will updated as I go on.

Hope you guys enjoy xx

On completely different paths in university, Vi and Caitlyn cross paths. Finally on her own form her parents, Caitlyn wants to get to know Vi. But Vi's own past and self doubt drives Vi to question if she even deserves being so happy with a girl so perfect.

[bewitchingfanfiction]

MCYT (2021/05/25)

Tommy couldn't believe he was about to do this.

It was humiliating, he was TommyInnit for God's sake! He shouldn't need to go to someone for this shit.

And yet here he was, over at Dream's house, unannounced. 

"Here." Dream set down the cup of cocoa in front of him kindly

Tommy mumbled a quick thank you and took a sip of it.

It wasn't the first time Tommy showed up at Dream's place, he actually went over often, whenever he needed to talk to someone who wasn't Phil, Wilbur or Techno.

For this situation, he just couldn't. Phil would die from awkwardness, Wilbur would laugh at him and Techno didn't know anything about this subject, so here he was.

"So, what's up? Or are you just here to visit your favorite buddy." Dream grinned.

Tommy scoffed. "You wish Big Man. Tubbo's got you beat any day." It wasn't an insult, it was just fact. Tubbo had everyone beat.

Dream merely chuckled and took a sip of his own cocoa, sitting across from Tommy at the dining table. "So?"

At this, Tommy froze. It was catching up with him how embarrassing this was. Was Dream even really the right person to ask? Then again, he didn't really know who else to turn to. He didn't know George or Sapnap well enough, not like he knew Dream. 

So, gathering up his courage, Tommy grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and pouted, staring down intently at the table, cheeks flushed red. "How did...How did you know?"

"Know what?" Dream questioned, raising an eyebrow at the smaller boy.

"...That you liked George."

For a moment, the room was silent, and it made Tommy tense. He couldn't help thinking this was a terrible idea. He should've just googled it or something, this was dumb, he should see himself out-

"Well, I guess it was when I realized just how comfortable I was around him." Tommy's eyes widened. He looked up at Dream in surprise.

He wasn't really expecting Dream to give him a serious answer.

Dream smiled fondly. "I dunno, it happened slowly I guess. We kept talking and I just realized...I wanted to be able to tell him anything, and then at some point it crossed the line to being more than friends. I didn't want him to just know about me, I wanted him near me. I wanted him to see me everyday, I wanted him to think about me, all the time, just like I thought about him. And then suddenly his smiles started looking so much brighter to me." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, this is probably a really lame explanation."

But Tommy didn't think so. He was actually a bit in awe. His admiration for Dream only grew stronger.

'He's so...cool...' Not that he'd ever tell Dream that.

But it was true, Dream was probably the coolest guy Tommy knew. And hearing him talk so emotionally and openly about his love for George just made him admire him more.

"So how did you ask him out?" Tommy questioned.

Dream smiled a little. "Well, we were playing Minecraft-"

"Oh my God-" Tommy snorted.

"Quiet. We were on Minecraft, it was after the video where George tried the colorblind glasses. He used them for a bit afterwards while we were playing and said he thought the world looked beautiful, and then I stupidly blurted out that he looked beautiful, and then there was a lot of awkward silence, and then he asked if I was flirting with him for real and not as a joke, and well...it kind of just happened." Dream blushed shyly, a fond smile on his lips.

Tommy snickered. "Wow what a loser-"

"Oh shut up!" Dream demanded, laughing.

But it was actually kind of sweet, and so very Dream-like. It was the perfect love story for them.

"Sooooo, who's the lucky girl?" Dream questioned, wiggling his eyebrows.

Tommy's cheeks flushed red. He scowled and stood up from the chair. "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" He exclaimed. "I'M GOING TO TUBBO'S!" He ran out the door.

Dream could only chuckle in amusement and fondness. "Glad I could help!" He called after him, despite knowing he probably didn't hear it.

[azurityarts]

Daily Doodle #106

NO HERO?

hydreigon would never do this i'm crying and shaking rn

Special thanks to @smilepebble for the caption! I couldn't think of anything witty to replace the default text lmao

Here's the default "no bitches?" version if anyone's interested:

[midlight-sim]

Retro Inspired Lookbook

I’ve been trying to create outfits with some of the CC I hardly use and I like these so much more than I thought I would!

Thank you to all the CC creators whose work I used! Check them out if you haven’t already.

I: Hair    Brows   Earrings    Glasses    Top    Skirt    Tights     Shoes

II: Hair    Brows    Earrings    Eyeshadow    Top    Pants    Shoes

[astralleywright]

times the Hells have been gagged this hard:

Orym: this obviously, Ashton saying, "I know you're not okay." when checking in on him on the skyship, the Wildmother asking, "Why are you here? You've traveled so far," all the way back in EXU

Imogen: Deanna saying, "oh you've seen worse your dreams are bad!" FRIDA replaying Imogen calling Laudna "beautifully scary" to Laudna. Fearne asking her if she was staring at Laudna with Dusk bc she was jealous. Orym did get her a little bit with, "well I hope my family didn't have to die for their brighter tomorrow," which was not a productive response to Imogen's point discursively but was pretty cunty

Laudna: when she says "there's a thin line between being a savior and an oppressor." to Abbadina in Hearthdell and Abbadina replies, "well, thank you for being our saviors." honestly they should've edited in the vine boom sound effect after this one

Ashton: people talk shit to Ashton constantly but it's rarely actually a gag bc he is typically very open about his flaws. if you call them on something and it's true they will just agree with you. some have made them stumble but Laudna's the only person whose ever managed to get them fully on their ass, usually when she pushes him on his past (or throws it out to the rest of the Hells like throwing meat to rabid dogs lmao. "I just think you should talk about yourself more Ashton!")

Chetney: Ashton and Imogen do this to him literally every week. Deanna fit an entire campaign's worth of it into a single guest arc. Matt himself springing a seemingly random werewolf hunter on him in Jrusar only to reveal that they were hired by the shopkeeper he attacked 40 episodes ago. And some day, that d100 will gag him one final time

FCG: Like Ashton it is hard to do this to FCG but instead because they are the most stubborn bot alive. if they don't like what you're saying there's a good chance they will simply refuse to listen. That said, FRIDA caught him out when they asked, "Why do you help, always?" after the encounter with Umadura. Also when they asked him, "Why do you need a god to give you purpose?" and when Deanna asked them "You based your entire belief system on a coin?" Honestly FRIDA and Deanna were rocking FCG's shit those first couple nights lmao

Fearne: When she mentions the back area during the ball and Imogen tells her, "do not go into the back area by yourself without us there," which is exactly what she planned to do. Also when she says that she doesn't have bad thoughts about people and Ashton and Imogen are both like You Absolutely Do. and then Ashton saying "someone would find you extremely comforting and calming until they get to know you" next episode. the Who In This Group Might Turn On Us vote doesn't count bc she was literally right about that

i still think about this line like once a week btw like Utkarsh really ate Orym up with this one. and Liam recognized that and had Orym make the decisions from there that would make me as insane as possible