#sludge techniques

[michellesanches]

“Reject All” cookie consent update

On 9 August 2023, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the UK Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) jointly published a position paper on harmful design practices in digital markets, particularly focusing on cookie consent banners. The paper clarifies the ICO’s stance on the “Reject All” button in these banners. Key points from the paper include: Equal Ease for Consent Choices:…

[juggalogojackerbox]

Maybe I'm just Sleepy but something seems a bit Twisted here

[Terrible puns aside, Onycraft uses he/him only]

[spinpro]

If you have a project that needs a supply of the best sludge tubes, ensure to get them from a reliable and well-reputed distributor.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Today, it’s common to see farms covered in plastic. It lines the sides of greenhouses, blankets fields as “plastic mulch,” covers hoop houses, and winds through farms as irrigation tubes, among other forms. In satellite images, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has observed the typically golden and green agricultural fields turned white, as though dusted in snow, from all of the plastic. Agriculture is responsible for 3.5 percent of global plastic production, a figure that may seem small until you consider the sheer volume of plastics produced: around 400 million metric tons per year.

[...]

The Earth’s soils have become a waste bin of the world’s plastics. Soil is thought to be even more polluted with microplastics than the ocean, which contains an estimated 358 trillion plastic particles. Agricultural soils have been called a “reservoir” for not just the plastic produced on farms, but also plastics from other industrial sources that enter the water to eventually wash up on farms during a flood, or are carried by the wind. In a world where all industries run on plastics, these fine particles can also find their way onto farms through poultry litter, sewage sludge applied to soils, and even fertilizer. “There are currently no viable remediation techniques,” said Cusworth. “If you want to remove them from the soil, [the solution] is to stop producing them in the first place.” The major producers of plastics, like ExxonMobil and Dow, continue to sell plastic to farmers as a way to adapt to extreme weather conditions like drought and flooding. For instance, ExxonMobil promises that plastic sheets, like those used by Emmert, will “protect and preserve harvests in even the most demanding weather conditions.” Yet the production of plastics—a derivative of fossil fuels, typically obtained through fracking—is a major contributor to climate change, responsible for over 5 percent of global emissions. This creates a vicious cycle, where the production of plastic drives climate change, which drives up demand for plastics on farms. Extreme weather also causes plastics to degrade more quickly, causing microplastic litter. Indeed, a 2021 report from the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Administration noted that the demand for plastic on farms is projected to grow by 50 percent between 2018 and 2030.

5 June 2024

[annievrse]

"sorry, i can’t focus when you look at me like that"

nanami x reader —ᡣ𐭩 blurb

"duck!" you scream, falling to the ground. a blast of fire swallows where you once stood, and you guarantee a few strands of hair were singed off in the process.

"shit," nanami mumbles, quick to draw his blunt sword and aim for the arm of the curse. the purple, seven-armed first-grade wails as their arm is severed, rushing to the other side of the hall when the limb hits the floor.

you get up and run toward nanami, examining the burn on his shoulder. "fuck, you okay?" when he doesn't reply, you look up at him. "you alive?"

nanami nods, his eyes flickering between yours desperately. your expression softens when you notice his infatuated gaze — one for your eyes only. he opens his mouth to say something, but the sound of a disgruntled gurgle to your left draws you away from your lover's stare, and you look down — one of the curse's arms has wrapped around nanami's wrist, unbeknownst to him.

so, you stick your hand out, your technique making the curse freeze in shock. you sigh and close your eyes, focusing on your ability. nanami's stare never leaves your face, and he can't stop. he's enamoured with you.

and once the insides of the curse are scrambled, it explodes, raining violet gloop all over you and nanami.

"gross," you spit, wiping the sludge from your cheeks.

"why didn't you do that sooner?" nanami asks, his breathing ragged and his hair unruly.

you turn to look at the man beside you in disbelief, concern making your chest hurt. "how did you not notice that curse grabbing you? you could've been hurt!"

nanami laugh is deep, his eyes low. with red cheeks, you guess are warm from embarrassment, he shakes his head. "sorry, i can't focus when you look at me like that."

"like what?" you tilt your head in confusion because what sort of excuse is that? yes, it makes your body tingle and your heart rate increase, but at what cost?

instead of answering, nanami waves his hand in dismissal and turns. "we've gotta get back to the school."

"you're kidding. ken—"

he reaches his hand out for you, winking behind his green lens. "come on, i'll tell you all about it when we get back home."

[bitter-bats-cult-of-the-moon]

Energy Shields - Basic and Advanced Techniques

Psychic Defense Technique One – White Light

This technique is widely accepted and utilized within the new age and mainstream avenues involving metaphysics. The initial concept is about surrounding ourselves with white light encompassing positive energies relating to protection and love.

White light often is associated with illumination, purity, harmony, and wholeness. It raises our awareness and energy vibrations as a whole while neutralizing negativity away from us.

Visualization Remedies

Imagine yourself in the center of the room illuminated by light bulbs providing warmth and security to you and your home.

Find yourself standing under the shower waters or next to a waterfall. Seeing and feeling the waters turn into light illuminating over you and around you are becoming a protection barrier.

Visualize angels watching over you and the light is radiating and forming just the right kind of shields.

Psychic Defense Technique Two – Bubble Shields and Layers

Bubble Shields

The Bubble Technique uses the idea that we can mentally surround ourselves with either a bubble or shield itself that will reflect and absorb negativity, so we do not feel the full effects. It is useful when having to learn shielding techniques because the bubble or shields themselves can feed on the negative energies directed at us, but only if there is a filter being used.

Filters

When it comes to energy filters try to think of it like this. We use coffee filters to take in all the good stuff leaving behind the coffee grounds or else it slows down our intake and is more like sludge that we are drinking. Some of us are left feeling nauseas and will end up sick if this keeps happening.

Throat Chakra

The color blue is associated with the throat chakra and this energy point represents will power. Whenever an individual visualizes their personal shield try combining the associated color and chakra point energies because directing willpower and your voice to the shield strengthens it.

Layers

When it comes to the bubble shielding technique it is a good starting point for beginner energy workers, but there are advanced methods one should learn to further reinforce themselves.

The easiest way for me to explain this is an individual should start out by visualizing the sphere around them and from there adding more layers. You can be creative with this, and the bubble method doesn't always have to be utilized in this way. Some practitioners visualize a suit of armour or an actual shield that will aid in their personal protection. So, my question is what do you think would work best for you? Is the armor or bubble surrounded by elemental energies that correspond with you as an individual? What about colors and their metaphysical meanings? Are there any plants or animals that work with you in order to properly create these shields?

It doesn't always have to be the bubble method or suit of armour either. The shield can be a triangle like a pyramid or walls built around you. The creativity is left up to you as the author.

My best advice for trying out advanced shields and adding in layers is to write and / or draw it out physically for yourself. Do not show anyone else because this is for your eyes only. Having an actual physical visual for yourself helps because you can look at this and change things around at any given time.

Psychic Defense Technique Three – Shadow Shields

Like the bubble and light variations of shields the shadow shield can be formed as either a barrier, fog, mist, or utilized as a combination. For focus and laying out the basic foundations visualize yourself in a dark room so that there is a perpetual shadow. This will familiarize you with how you may look in the darkness of a room or another way to achieve this is by going outside and peering down into your own shadow visualizing it as a suit of armor or your shield.

The shadow shield can be turned into an offensive weapon as well if the magician visualizes additional parts to their own shadow such as spikes, barbs, or tendrils. It's also an effective cloaking method if one wishes to remain unnoticed by people around them. The shadow when visualized properly can create a camouflaged space around you, but this method requires more energy and focus to maintain. Remember and think of things like this as well. It's easier to hide behind shadows than in a clear or colored shield.

Psychic Defense Technique Four – Physical Body Positions

Certain body positions can act to close off the energy circuits and protect chakra points depending on where the arms and legs are crossed. Next time you are around someone that seems to be draining and pulling at your energy or spewing a bunch of negativities try sitting down and crossing your arms and legs. Simply listen, but do not give into their issues.

Another way to try this is to think about your chakra points along the human body. If you are unable to sit down, think about the throat and heart chakras. Visualize slowly closing the chakras off temporarily while around these types of people.

Psychic Defense Technique Five – Reflections

Mirrors

The visualization technique here is to imagine mirrors facing outwards so that energy is reflected away from you. This is a good method to try whenever keeping unwanted energy out. Everything will be reflected return to sender.

Another way to utilize this is by visualizing mirrors around someone else facing inward. Whatever they try to send at you will return to them. The cause and effect will be that they themselves get to deal with their own energies instead of causing harm to your own.

Negative Bubbles

Visualize a bubble around the person that is being negative. Similar to the mirror method, whenever the individual in question tries to throw negative energy or use negative emotions to their advantage, the energy won't be able to escape the bubble. The person will feel everything for themselves versus harming you. They will learn to be nice or be zapped by their own negative energies.

Hallways And Doors

Remember that person throwing negative energies at you? Instead of visualizing mirrors or bubbles to return to sender you can also try this. For any psychic attack being thrown in your direction visualize and redirect those energies by looping hallways with doors or imagine whatever it is attacking you on fire before giving the outside energies a kick to the curb.

Psychic Defense Technique Six – Salt

Kosher Salt or Sea Salt works the best for protection because these types of salt absorb negative energies and will ground them or take it away from you. There are many different ways to use salt. How does this help in shielding yourself one might ask? Simple. Sea Salt can be used as a physical or energetic barrier. It is also good for grounding your own energies because it is an element from the earth.

Salt Remedies

Salt in a small cup around a busy room and where you work the most will help by absorbing the negative energies. Make sure to flush and change the salt out every month.

Sprinkle salt into bath water and soak. The salt will absorb and take negative energy from you while also grounding your energies. Add a touch of baking soda if you need to kickstart your own energies and revive what has been lost.

Dilute salt and mineral water into a spray bottle. In each room that has been overloaded with negativity I want you to spray mist into the air. This will cleanse and clear your home. Alot of people tend to try this if they cannot or will not use smoke cleansing methods.

Psychic Defense Technique Seven – Protection Symbols

Protection symbols come in many different forms but will only work if you believe in them. Your belief in the symbol actually working will give the best results. Confidence is always the key whenever one is working in metaphysics, period. Belief is the most important, and when it comes to protection symbols, they can be utilized as an additional method to your energy shields. The symbol can act to strengthen the subconscious mind which adds to your defenses.

What works best for you? Many people believe in different things and any symbol can be used for protection as long as the symbol means something to you. What may work for you might not work for the next person due to having different beliefs.

Psychic Defense Technique Eight – Prayer and Affirmations

Prayers are good for building positive energy, amplifying protections, and adding layers of defense to your energy system. It's a good way to get to know your deities and spirits as well. While this may be a good tool for building a relationship with your spirits, please remember to not fall into the habit of doing this and becoming too dependent. Deities and Spirits are there to help guide you. They are teachers and sometimes will become your friend -but like all other mentors they want what is best for you so that you will grow. This includes being able to protect yourself without aid at some point as you progress in your metaphysical workings.

Affirmations are about bringing positivity to yourself as a person.

Simple affirmations include:

"I allow only positivity around me."

"My vibrations grow stronger every day."

When writing out an affirmation try to keep it in the first-person perspective and stay in the present. Do not sink into the past and think about all the negatives. Affirmations are about all the positives one possesses. Adding this right after a prayer is a good way to boost relationships with your spirits.

Psychic Defense Technique Nine – Crystals

Crystals can be used for various workings and amplify your protections or work to protect you on their own accord. Many crystals are already attuned to certain metaphysical properties and each stone holds its own meaning. There is even a way to use crystals and lay out a grid for bigger spell workings or intentions. To provide some great examples; black tourmaline and most obsidian stones are great for protection aid and are good choices for crystal grids when seeking out protection and absorbing negative energies away from you. Most crystal grids rely on a bigger crystal that is central to the rest being used because they act as a generator giving power to the grid itself and amplifying the other crystals within the line up. A lot of people use clear quartz for generator crystals, however if this type of crystal is under too much strain or absorbs too much negative energies they are known to chip and crack. Darker stones are your friend.

Psychic Defense Technique Ten – Sounds

Using sound as a means of defense can be effective and primarily it is used more so as a warning or deterrent within an outer to middle layer of your shields. Sound distracts and thus scatters a target's focus on the original intent. With this obviously there is a source of irritation present rather than direct counter attacks.

Various sounds that can be used are high pitched ringing, alarming bells, constant chatter of people as background noise, nails on a chalk board, etcetera.

Which sound you choose for yourself is entirely up to your imagination and as always one method may not work for all attackers.

At times, this is a temporary idea for whenever you need to craft your shield and get other layers up.

[selfindulgentpixies]

Slight Suguru Geto x Gn!reader.

Edit: Okay so this is extremely self inserty and indulgent. It involves the cursed technique I head canon for myself in jjk. I've gone back and done some editing to bring it more up to my current standards. This part is relatively unchanged and just has some corrections in grammar. I love this series dearly and I hope you all love it too

The hands that hold you

chapter 1/prologue: Not alone

When Yaga tells Geto that he’d like for him to keep an eye on one of the new first years, he's not sure what to think at first. He's not sure how to feel when he learns you also have the ability to absorb curses and use them. The method is different, as is the ultimate application. You can't summon them but instead turn them into weapons. You also don't have to swallow down the toxic sludge of them which admittedly causes some envy to flare up in his chest. An ugly emotion that he squashes.

It's not until he's tasked with taking you on a mission with him that he realizes that the suffering that your cursed techniques cause the two of you may be different but it's there all the same. He watches as you clutch the orb of cursed energy in your hand, watches as veins like the darkest ink rise on your skin, spreading from your hand, up your arm, and even peek up above the collar of your uniform along your neck. He watches as your posture hunches slightly, teeth grit as you curl around your arm until the orb has been fully absorbed, your arm darkens in a way that distinctly reminds him of pictures of frost bite he'd seen on documentary once.

You're so focused on your arm that you don't even notice another curse making its way quickly toward you. Before it can get close enough to harm you Geto's already destroyed it.

He walks over to you and your eyes refocus looking up at him, glancing from him to the twitching remains of the curse that had been heading your way. You apologize to him, maybe for dropping your guard or for being weak in front of him, perhaps it's both. "S-sorry.." the words fall past your lips and he wants to catch them and put them back.

Carefully he reaches for your arm, mindful to see if you react in pain. You stubbornly keep your face neutral as he takes your arm to look at it. "You don't need to apologize," he says with a furrowed brow and you're taken aback a bit by the gentleness in his tone. Sure he wasn't as overtly rude as his best friend but you'd still been prepared for some sort of commentary on your moment of weakness. " Is this normal for you when you absorb curses?"

"Yeah... it usually clears up in a couple hours, sometimes less depending on the curse. Nothing to worry over." He looks at the tight smile you're giving him, wonders how much the ability actually hurts you as you put on a brave face in front of him.

He thinks in that moment that he understands why Yaga wanted him to keep an eye on you. That maybe the two you could find some sort of understanding in each other that you can't find among other sorcerers. There's comfort in knowing you're not entirely alone.

Edit: this is officially part one of a series!

master list

@nanamikentoseyebags @strawberrystepmom @gojoest

@icy-spicy (Since i know you also love him)

[deusvervewrites]

Convergence events,summer training camp snippet.

“Not bad,” Mrs. Tsutsumi says. “Again.”

Mina’s muscles are already sore—sorer than they’ve ever been since her transformation—and heavy sweat coats her body.

“Right!” she says between gasps of air, raising her shaky arms in front of her. Her Quirk, stretched thin from frequent use, protests her calling on it again, but she’s not going to give up now.

With that thought, a second wind hits her, and what she expected to be the last gasp of her Acid is instead enough to fire off a proper acid bullet. The grey sludge rockets down the range, several inches to the side of the target, and slams into the rock wall, eating another tunnel into the stone.

Ah. Shoot.

Mina stumbles back, collapsing in a heap.

“Damn it…!” she says, tears and sweat forcing her eyes closed. “I didn’t—not even once!”

“That’s true,” says Mrs. Tsutsumi, “But that wasn’t… the whole point of all this. Remember what we told you on the first day?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waves, “Work on our Quirks by pushing them past the limit, I remember. I still wanted to hit the target!”

“Given that was a new technique you’ve been trying out, your accuracy is actually rather remarkable.”

[squirmydads-creations]

Spawn handler skinks for the spawn of Chotec. These were fun little guys, I didn't really try any new techniques, as the creative part of my brain is still digging itself out of sludge. Mainly I just concentrated on keeping them clean and doing good highlights, since I often skip highlights.

[yuyu-writes]

sweet (just like you) [18+]

[ kinktober 2023 ] day 5 - freebie

⟡ haikyuu!! -- matsukawa issei x reader

⟡ wc: 8,170

⟡ working from @/darling--core's kinktober list! NSFW, 18+ only!

⟡ summary:

Who would have thought, Matsukawa Issei, your best friend's best friend, is a demon?

Obviously, not you. But it works out in your favor, even if you're a demon hunter.

Archive of Our Own

It’s a school night, so you should probably head home soon.

It’s a passing thought as you wipe your cheek, rubbing away the black sludge on your skirt. The stench of blood and ash fills your nose as you watch the minor demon melt. It’s shrieking, writhing in pain as your exorcism spell reaches its end.

Its inky tendril reaches for you, but you don’t even flinch, watching it dissolve into the air with a final cry.

A sigh escapes your lips, and you finally relax your shoulders.

The demons around Miyagi have been more active as of late, and it’s taken a toll on you. You’ve been taking longer patrols after school, which means you stay up later into the night to complete your homework before sleeping a restless sleep and repeating the cycle. You could probably count the number of hours you’ve slept on average with one hand, yikes.

You’re tired, to be frank. Thankfully, most of them are lower levels, but they’re a force to be reckoned with when they have power in numbers, and you only have so much energy to take care of a large area on your own. 

It’s not like you voluntarily chose to hunt demons. But it wasn’t something you could walk away from. Ever since you began seeing them as a child, you soon found yourself under the local priest’s training, mastering basic exorcism techniques and continuing to practice advanced ones that even the priest struggled to use.

No one else saw what you saw, only becoming a victim to them when they sapped human energy to gain more power. You’re not too sure how they’ve come into the human world, but the priest theorizes it’s some sort of rift that has let them cross the barrier. Closing the rift is a whole different story, and even you’re stumped for ideas, so you do what you can in the meantime.

If you could make someone’s life easier, unburdened and no longer haunted, you would.

It was a thankless duty, but a duty regardless.

You head home for the day, dreading the upcoming exams and the pile of homework that sits in your backpack, completely blank.

“Oh, [Name]!” 

The call of your name has you jolting awake at your desk, quickly blinking away the sleep as you look up. “Hiro? What’s up?”

The clay-haired boy enters your classroom, making his way to your desk and sitting in the one in front of yours. For the most part, everyone went off to eat lunch outside since the weather has gotten warmer, which lets you ditch the thick winter uniform for the short sleeve button-up and skirt.

“You said you’d meet me and the other guys for lunch, but you never showed up. And now I find you dozing off– you good?”

“Yeah, yeah,” you wave off, rubbing your eyes. “Been sleeping late the past few nights, but I’m going to try to fix up my sleep schedule this weekend, hopefully.”

Hanamaki eyes you suspiciously, and you stare at him with the same intensity. As childhood friends, you can read him just as easily as he can read you. It’s not often you wear yourself out to the point it's noticeable, but it just can’t be helped and like the workaholic you are, you can always blame it on upcoming college entrance exams.

He gives in with a sigh when he realizes you aren’t faltering, and he shrugs. “Just don’t push yourself too hard,” he says, gently. “You work hard enough as is, and I think you deserve a break with how much you’ve been doing.”

You smile, because you know how much he cares, and you know that he still respects your drive and your own judgment. This also makes you extra careful around Hiro, who would absolutely freak out if he knew you were out hunting demons. 

“Yeah. You too, with volleyball. I don’t think your friends would appreciate having two volleyball-obsessed players.”

“Ha! Like I’d ever reach Oikawa’s level of obsession.”

You banter with him a little, your exhaustion melting away as you chat with your best friend before he suddenly stops mid-sentence with a noise of realization.

“Wait! You haven’t eaten anything, right? Since you were sleeping?” he asks, and when you nod, he stands up quickly, ignoring the way he trips over the chair slightly and grabs your wrist.

“Let’s grab something from the cafeteria before it closes! We can probably make it!”

And you run with him down the halls, dodging friend groups and teachers who yell at the two of you to behave. 

And for the first time in a while, you smile brightly, enjoying this moment of normalcy.

While you absolutely love Hiro, you find yourself unsettled ever so slightly with his friends.

Not Iwaizumi, since he’s rather respectful and polite, and not Oikawa, since he’s just a flirt whenever you’re around.

But Matsukawa Issei is another story. He is…dangerous, for a lack of a better word.

You find yourself nibbling on a curry bun that Hiro managed to buy from the cafeteria right before they closed. With about fifteen minutes left of lunch, you take him up on his previous offer to eat with his friends, sitting on top of the school rooftop with the four boys as they finish up their lunches.

When you greet them, you can’t help but avoid Matsukawa’s heavy stare. There was something oddly familiar and unsettling about it…something you couldn’t quite put your finger on, and you opted to blame it on the unfamiliarity, or the fact that he’s one of Hanamaki’s closer friends after entering high school.

The idea that Matsukawa stole Hanamaki from you doesn’t sit well in your gut and you chastise yourself for even having that thought. Maybe he thinks the same thing, hence the strange feeling you get whenever you are near him. 

You push it to the back of your mind, and do your best to ignore him as lunch comes to an end, heading back to class. It’s uneventful, as always, learning new concepts and putting them to use on your worksheets and later, for exams. It’s mundane, but you enjoy it, since it’s not like you’re actively putting yourself in danger as you normally do.

As soon as the last class ends with the ring of the bell, you briefly replay Hanamaki’s concerned words, before you shake your head.

You’re better than that, you could keep hunting, keep helping , even just a little. It’s a responsibility that you’ve chosen to handle, and you can’t slack off just because you’re a little tired .

It’s ok, you reason with yourself as you pack up your notes. Just a short patrol, and you’ll take time to rest today. 

It’s unfortunate that your plans always seem to get foiled, and you eat your words. Literally.

A blast sends you flying, and you think you hit your head against the lightpost before absolutely eating shit on the sidewalk. The demons laughs, it’s screeching noise grates your ears, slightly disorienting you as you struggle to get up. You’re unsteady on your feet and while you’re fully aware of how hard you’re pushing yourself, you can’t just go home, not when the demon presence in this area is just so high. 

It wasn’t this bad before. Their numbers keep rising, and your efforts barely make a dent in their forces. It’s a harrowing thought that makes you falter for a moment, but you grit your teeth and steel yourself once more. Summoning another talisman,  you launch it at the demon, watching the paper attach themselves to its body, burning through the inky black as it disintegrates. Your limbs tremble, and you ignore the numbness in your legs.

You let out a shaky exhale, but you remain on alert. The air is saturated with despair and evil, and it makes your chest tight.

You’re so, so tired.

Just one more sector. Just a little more and you can end your patrol and go home and get rest.

Just one more–

Thump!

Huh?

Pain sprouts at the temple of your head. You’re staring across the asphalt of the alleyway, the faint silhouettes of demons growing larger–coming closer to you from the street.

Get up, get up!

Yet no matter how much you willed your body to, you lay crumpled, defeated, and tired.

A wave of cold dread washes over you and you close your eyes tight. 

I’m sorry, I’m sorry Hiro, I’m–

High-pitched shrills fill the air, and your eyes fly open, immediately lifting your head to see –

“Makki kept telling me he was worried about how tired you looked. Guess this explains why, huh?”

Matsukawa is standing protectively in front of you, but your eyes land on the black, ridged horns that protrude from his messy hair, curling slightly at the tip and alarms blare in your mind.

Matsukawa Issei is a demon.

And you have to kill him.

The thought crosses your mind briefly, but then you look past him, watching as his splayed hand emits another burst of energy that disintegrates the demons at the mouth of the alleyway. They are the ones screaming in pain, they are the ones to die in front of your eyes. Not you.

“Why…” you mumble, because what was this demon doing, attacking his own kind to protect you?

Without a response, he finishes off the last of the small demons who have attempted to escape around the corner, and silence falls over the two of you. 

Shit, maybe he’s going to kill you next. Maybe he’s just so cruel to take the kill of a demon hunter all to himself. Without a doubt, he was not some weak troublesome demon–no, he was much, much stronger than those you normally deal with.

He would enjoy watching you die, watching the life leave your eyes in amusement.

You close your eyes tight, trying your best to get up, trying your best to come to terms that you are going to die at the hands of a demon (your best friend's best friend, nonetheless) as you listen to his footsteps grow closer and closer. They stop, and you know he’s standing over you, probably reveling in the sight of your weak, crumpled body. 

You brace yourself once more, expecting pain to erupt and bring you to the edge of death.

“Can you stand?” You open your eyes, confusion filling your head. He’s crouched down, hand hovering over your face. The chilling smile of death that you envisioned is erased as you see his eyebrows furrowed as he scans your figure for injuries.

His eyes have a red tint to them that makes you freeze for a moment. He knows fear when he sees it, and he sees it clearly in you as he meets your gaze.

“Y-Yeah. I think so,” you say slowly, shifting to rise. His hands hover over you still as you get to your feet, wobbly, and standing for just a moment before your knees buckle from under you. Matsukawa is quick, arms encircling your frame and catching you before you can hit the ground again. He sits you down against the cold wall, maneuvering you, careful to lean your head back with his hand.

“You’re bleeding a bit,” he points to his forehead, and you swipe at your own, grimacing at the blood. “But you aren’t hurt anywhere else. I’m glad.”

“Glad?” you parrot in disbelief. “You’re glad that I, a demon hunter, am not hurt?”

Matsukawa blinks, before he laughs, soft chuckles escape him and you watch him incredulously because why does he think this is funny? “Yeah, I’m glad,” he says, smiling. “Since you’re the one keepin’ most of them at bay. I try to get rid of ones near the school area, but I usually don’t go any farther out than that.”

“What do you mean you get rid of them?”

He contemplates for a moment, eyeing the entrance of the alley before his eyes flicker back to you. “Maybe we should get out of here and have a chat, hm?”

Never in your life did you expect to find yourself in a demon’s home.

And never in your life did you expect that a demon’s home would be a cozy little apartment nestled in the residential district just ten minutes away from your high school.

To be fair, your life is anything but normal, so maybe this falls into the realm of likely possibilities.

That sucks, you suddenly think, because that means there are more things you simply don’t know about–which isn’t new, but it’s never a good thought to dwell on.

You keep your distance as he leads you back to his place. He lives on his own, having forged fake identities for his “parents” and keeping up the guise that they’re busy with work in Tokyo or abroad. It makes sense, but you’re filled with questions to the brim. 

With the main one being, “why?”

He’s back to the human Matsukawa you’ve known for years, the one without horns and red-tinted eyes. 

As he unlocks the door, you hesitate for a moment, suddenly imagining scenarios where you’re being led into a demon’s dungeon, that you’d be tortured and your soul would be offered up to the demon king or whatever higher level demon exists and–

“Are you just going to stand there?”

His deep voice brings you out of your stupor, and you’re embarrassed, gaping at him for his casual response–as if he’s just bringing a friend over to hang out. With a stutter of “no,” you enter, wary of your surroundings.

It’s plain, for the most part. Blank walls with minimal furniture fill the home, and everything is relatively cleaned up as you enter deeper. Matsukawa heads to the kitchen as you walk into the living room that has an untouched loveseat in front of a small TV.

“Tea? Or do you want some water?”

“Water is ok,” you answer him, and you take a seat gingerly, setting your bag down and suddenly feeling awkward.

He brings you a glass, and you thank him quietly, staring at it to see if there was anything amiss in your drink. 

“It’s water,” Matsukawa deadpans at the sight of your intense stare. “I didn’t do anything to it, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ll get the first aid kit though, and we can clean up your head before we start talking.”

Watching him disappear to what you presume is the bathroom, you look back at the glass of water before taking a sip, which turns into two, and then two more gulps to finish it off.

As you set down the glass, you see Matsukawa return with a small kit and wet cloth, taking a seat next to you before cleaning up your wound. You bite your lip at the stinging sensation, staying still as he finishes up with a bandaid. 

His hand is warm against your forehead, and you try not to let your mind linger on that fact.

“So, where should we start?” you ask, watching him pack up the kit and setting it on the coffee table. He hums, leaning back and throwing an arm over the back of the couch. 

“I can start,” he proposes. “I’m a demon, as you already guessed. Was born, if you could call it that, about the same time you were probably born. I never really liked the idea of stealing human energy solely to grow powerful, so I aged slower and stayed under the radar to avoid getting killed by hunters.”

“And how’d you do that?” you ask, because you have to admit, he did a great job hiding his presence the past three years you’ve known him.

Something was always off about him, ever since the day you met him in your first year, where Hanamaki excitedly introduced you to his new teammates.

“Oh, I’m an incubus,” he says offhandedly. “Most of our kind usually don’t stand out in the first place, and it’s much easier for us to mask our scent and blend in with humans.”

“An…incubus? As in, the demons that…” you trail off, realization hitting you like a truck and it hits harder when you see Matsukawa smile.

“C’mon, you can finish that sentence, you’re a big girl,” Matsukawa teases, and you feel heat rise to your cheeks.

“You gain energy from sex.”

“Bingo.”

It takes your mind a moment to process and remember what you’ve learned about incubi. You haven’t encountered one before, to be honest, and you recall that they, as well as succubi, were the rarer types of demons to exist. 

Most demons didn’t have a developed sense of consciousness, merely driven by their hunger for more energy, to gain more power with no other purpose. 

You’re piecing things together because, yes, it makes sense now how he is so human despite being a demon, how he can retain a human form and not a monstrous blob, and–

“Wait a minute–then, who have you been having sex with–” you shut up the moment the question tumbles out, and Matsukawa laughs again, a deep, hearty laugh that leaves you absolutely humiliated.

“Wow, asking about my sex life already?”

A slap to his arm gets another laugh out of him. You have no doubt he’s enjoying teasing you.

“But, really. It was me and Makki, for a bit,” he says earnestly, and you let out a noise of surprise, but he doesn’t stop there. “No, we didn’t fuck or anything, before you jump to conclusions. We made out and stuff. But lately he’s been talking to that one girl in class 3-B, so we called it off–just a few days ago, actually.”

You feel a headache coming on.

First off, you’re definitely going to Makki and probing him about whatever fling he had with Matsukawa because how dare he not tell you about it. 

Second–

“How are you still so powerful if you’ve been just living off…what you have–no, had with Hiro? What are you going to do now?”

“Well, that’s the thing, little hunter,” he mumbles, leaning back. “I used most of my energy on getting rid of those demons earlier, so I’m exhausted.”

You take a moment to mull over his words, and that’s when you realize how there are dark circles beneath his eyes, which was definitely not there before when he first helped you up.

“And it’s not like I’m going to go out and just go to anyone,” he continues after a moment. “I just want to live my life as normal as I can. ”

Whatever unsettled feeling you had in your stomach before is replaced by guilt. You’ve never…communicated with a demon before, and never did you think that they’d have such honest emotions and desires to be human. 

“You really don’t want to harm anyone?”

“No,” Matsukawa responds, seriously. “I want to keep all of them safe: Makki, Iwaizumi, Oikawa, all of them.”

“You’re a traitor to your own kind.”

“And I’ll continue being one, if it means I can live as normal as I can.”

You stare at him, looking at his hooded, dark eyes to see if there is any hint of deceit. As suspicious as you were of him, you can’t help but believe him. And what would that do, killing a demon who just wanted a normal life, a demon who was also a dear friend to many?

Hiro would be devastated.

“I’m sorry,” you begin, and Matsukawa’s eyes widen, not at all expecting the apology. “All this time, I thought demons were…evil. But if you’re being honest, then who am I to kill you when you’re just trying to live a normal life?”

“Well, I’m glad that we’ve come to a truce,” Matsukawa says. “Thank you. Didn’t think all you hunters were fine with us, but I really do appreciate that you’re letting me live–I have no doubt you could kill me, even now.”

That makes the both of you chuckle, but soon after, a tired sigh escapes Matsukawa, and you see him close his eyes, and you’re suddenly reminded that he exhausted most of his energy saving your ass. 

Perhaps it was obligation, perhaps it was curiosity, but–

Something burns inside you.

The words escape your lips before you can reel them back in, and you’re instantly mortified right as they leave your lips.

“If you need energy, then why not with me?”

You're staring at your hands that are folded on your lap, your entire form tense as you realize what exactly you just offered to him. Silence follows. No laughter, no rejection, no movement.

“Of course, you don’t have to agree–”

“You sure?”

Raising your head to meet his gaze, you’re frozen by the hungry look that he has in his eyes, darkened with an unfamiliar feeling that makes you shiver. You think you see red flash in his eyes.

“I…I owe you for saving me today,” you force out. “And if this helps you maintain your power, then we can maybe… work together to keep everyone safe.”

“I’m asking you again, are you sure?” he says, voice low, making a shiver crawl up your spine as he pushes himself up with his elbow, leaning closer to you.

“I’m sure,” you confirm, swallowing down any hesitation as you face him directly.

He surveys you, closing his eyes and chuckling a bit before he grins, amused.

“Thank you for the meal, little hunter.”

In an instant, he’s next to you, his breath ghosting over your ear, and you jolt in shock and at the sudden heat that runs through your veins. He’s leaning over you, trapping you with his arms and you gulp nervously, letting out a soft noise as his tongue trails along the curve of your ear before he moves further down, licking a stripe up your neck.

“You know, I always thought you were cute,” he mumbles into your skin. “I was surprised when Makki wasn’t into you, but that’s fine, it worked out perfectly in the end.”

His lips latch on, sucking gently, and you moan softly at the foreign touch, absolutely embarrassed at the way he easily makes you melt.

In the midst of warmth, you vaguely feel his large hands trail down your body, before they grasp at your hips and—

“There we go,” Matsukawa praises as he flips you so you’re straddling his lap, your crotch right over his—

“I’ve never done this before,” you blurt out in nervousness, because you most definitely feel his growing bulge through the thin layer of your own underwear. 

“That’s ok. We don’t have to go that far,” Matsukawa answers instantly, calming your nerves just a little. “I can get energy from giving, too. Not just receiving.”

One of his hands finds its place on the back of your head, tangling with your hair as he looks up at you, wanting, hungry.

“May I?”

A small nod is all you can muster.

“Tell me properly, little hunter,” he whispers, and you feel a hot flush crawl up your neck.

“Yes, I… kiss me, please,” you mumble out quietly, looking away, and he chuckles.

“As you wish.”

The hand behind your head presses down softly, leading you so your lips are just mere centimeters away from his before he closes that distance.

Soft.

His lips are so soft against yours, his warmth enveloping yours and you hold your breath, clumsy, unfamiliar with this dance. If he notices your inexperience, he makes no comment on it, looking up at you with hooded eyes and licking his lips as he leans back.

“Not so bad, right?”

An affirmative hum escapes you as a pleasant feeling tingles along your skin and further down, and the feelings of embarrassment fade away, replaced with your desires for more.

When you open your eyes, you immediately find yourself looking back at red ones, and you watch as his horns appear from the curls of his  hair once more. Upon closer look, they're sleek black, equal ridges traveling up to the very tip that curls slightly. 

His lips curve into a smirk that makes you feel smaller, but another part of you wants to wipe that smug look off his face so you lean back in, crashing your lips onto his with a sudden feeling of confidence that surges through you.

You jolt from the sudden feeling of his tongue as it teases your own, and you have to prevent every ounce of your demon hunter instincts from biting it as he explores your mouth.

You focus on Matsukawa, his lips, his hair under your fingers, his hands on your waist, his bulge pressing up against your wet sex.

Fuck , his tongue swipes against yours and you falter, leaning forward when he backs away, a satisfied quirk of the lips. His hand trails to cup your cheek, dipping his thumb into your open, waiting mouth, and you swirl your tongue around.

“Ah, I forgot to mention my spit has some…aphrodisiac properties. But you seem to be enjoying it.”

Your head is fuzzy, eyes glazed as a string of saliva connects you with his thumb as he pulls it away from your mouth. You’re too gone to care about your pride, and the pleasant buzz you feel blurs all your morals.

You don’t even realize that you’re moving your hips, grinding against his growing bulge that makes you nervous and…

Excited.

Something flares inside your chest at the realization.

You don’t know how long it lasts, your tongue dancing with his, hands roaming, exploring everything he had to offer you and you for him. It’s dark by the time he finally pulls away, gently tugging you off his lap as a string of saliva connects your lips to his.

“Thank you,” he says your name, making you whimper, leaning forward to chase after his lips. “You’ve done more than enough for me today. I look forward to working with you, little hunter.”

He licks his lips, and with the little reasoning left in your head, you can’t help but realize how you’re absolutely under his spell.

–

The next few days are strange.

Strange in that, you notice Matsukawa more than usual. On occasion, you would see him with Hanamaki as he greets you when lunch period starts, or when he gets out of volleyball practice with everyone. 

Although, something changes after that particular day and you see him in passing as you eat lunch with your classmates, when you head to the restroom, or even when you take some papers to the teacher’s office. He’s just always somewhere in your peripheral vision, intentional or not, as if watching over you from a distance.

Hell, you make eye contact with him where he’s seated out in the courtyard with the other boys and you just so happen to look outside for a brief moment while you’re on cleaning duty.

When he smirks up at you with a wink, you feel warmth spread across your cheeks, suddenly reminded of…

All the events of that day rewind in your head within the span of ten seconds and you grip your broom tighter.

That fucking demon.

Your classmates ask what has you so flustered and you can only sigh and rub at your cheeks, hoping to wipe away the brightening red.

You hope they don’t notice how you squeeze your thighs together ever so slightly.

It doesn’t help that as the next few weeks go by, even your childhood friend notices your not-so-subtle change, and unfiltered as he is, he immediately jumps on it.

“So, you and Mattsun, huh?”

“What?”

You raise an eyebrow at his suggestive tone, and he takes it as a sign to continue, waving around his milk carton.

“Don’t pretend– you and him have been talking more, out of the blue too! And he’s not very discrete, I saw him looking at you a few times,” he mock-whispers to you. “Did something happen? Should I be happy? Or maybe even worried?”

“Neither,” you grumble, because Hanamaki most definitely misunderstands the entire situation but you can’t exactly clear it up. “We just started talking ever since we bumped into each other a few days ago. There’s nothing more.”

“Hm.” He’s looking at you with his usual stare, and you don’t even look up from the worksheet. “If you say so. I’m glad you guys are getting along better.”

You look up to meet Hanamaki’s gaze, but from the corner of your eye, you see Matsukawa chatting with some other students in the hallway, locking eyes with you before sending you a knowing smile.

Getting along is one way to put it, that’s for sure.

Just a few hours after that conversation with Hiro, you find yourself pushed up against the wall of the boy’s volleyball club room, moaning softly as he peppers open-mouthed kisses down your neck and grinds his thigh up against your sex.

“Ah–Don’t you dare leave any marks,” you gasp, shamelessly moving your hips for more friction against him.

“Or else what?”

His teasing voice has you throwing your head back, and the trails of his saliva burn deliciously along your neck. Matsukawa’s hands trail up your waist before they cup your tits, squeezing playfully.

You have no retort for him, opting to quiet down – practice is soon, and he has dragged you into the lesser-used clubroom to “recharge.” There’s a chance that anyone from the team could come in, knowing your terrible luck, and the thought makes you both humiliated and excited, to your horror.

 “Just a little more,” he mumbles into your skin, and you’re lost in his dance, brain turning to mush as heat overwhelms you. You’re half frustrated as Mattsun refuses to go any further, edging you on and bringing you so close to your peak before pulling away.

He lets you go, letting you stand on your feet before leading you towards one of the plastic chairs, sitting, before tugging on your waist so you sit in his lap, back against his chest.

“What are you—”

“Shh, not too loud,” he whispers, licking at the shell of your ear before nibbling at it, as his hands unbutton your blouse. You don’t even stop him, grasping at his forearms as you feel the fabric of your shirt pull away.

“Open your eyes.”

You don’t even realize you have closed them. You crack open your eyes, as he commands, and you see yourself through the full-length mirror that’s hung near the empty lockers. Your blouse is opened, revealing your bra, and one of his hands is lifting up your skirt, legs spread and revealing the soaked patch through your panties as they rub against his bulge.

“Such a cute little slut, don’t you think?” 

Locking your eyes with his through the reflection, you turn red at the sight of his smirk, and when his tongue darts out to lick the shell of your ear, you throw your head further back, shivering under his touch. A hand travels up your torso, and you squirm at the ticklish feeling, before letting out a choked moan as soon as he cups one of your tits, squeezing playfully, before pushing your bra up with his hand. His finger teases your nipple, pinching it gently and eliciting more muffled moans out of your pretty lips.

His hips grind up to match your own movements, and he hums, his hand on your hip trailing down to your clothed sex, rubbing small circles at your clit. It makes your hips jolt, shaking as they try to match his pace and he lets out a chuckle against your ear.

“Wait–I’m–”

“Go ahead, cum.” His low whisper tips you over the edge, heat bursting in your gut as you cum against his fingers. The fuzz of your orgasm fills your brain and you’re boneless against Mattsun, who lifts his fingers to his mouth, and you hear him suck on them.

He sits you down on one of the chairs before he fixes his uniform, and you’re sitting there, dazed, the scent of Matsukawa lingering in your nose, his taste still upon your tongue.

More, more, more.

Matsukawa looks back at you, a satisfied smile on his lips.

“Practice is starting so you won’t have to worry about anyone coming in anytime soon. I’ll meet you after?”

You hum, not trusting your words to come out. He grins, leaning down to peck your lips one last time.

“Good girl.”

A promise is a promise, but you don’t know how you can keep going with his teases. 

That fucking demon.

–

For the most part, the doubled power makes your patrols much easier, and you feel better about going out without pushing yourself to the edge. Matsukawa’s powers aren’t the strongest, objectively speaking, but the extra hand and cooperation makes your strength combined something to fear. The areas that you’ve left to simmer and grow are much more maintained, and you’re able to make good progress that even the priest comments on when you visit him occasionally.

Of course, you don’t tell him about your partnership. You’re not sure if it would be received well, and you’re not willing to take that leap.

It continues like this for awhile, and you can finally catch up on sleep, even getting a thumbs-up of approval from Hanamaki when he sees you more lively than usual.

But…

There’s something darker in the air today. 

It had been a few weeks since you’d nearly met your end. Most areas have lightened up in terms of activity, but for some reason, you feel a chill in your bones that makes you uneasy all day. Matsukawa must have also felt it, glancing at you with worry in his brow.

It’s overcast, and you smell the incoming rain as you tug on your coat, pulling the hood over your eyes as you walk past some high schoolers heading home. Matsukawa is unbothered, merely looking over and nodding to them as they pass.

Practice was canceled a little earlier than usual, so you decided to take an alternate route that goes a bit further from your usual patrol while it was still evening. Rain begins to fall, splattering on the pavement at your feet, and you sigh annoyed. Mattsun breathes out of his nose, a soft exhale as he looks up to the sky. Suddenly–

He stops, whirling around to face the end of the street you two are crossing.

“Get ready.”

“What?”

Your question is answered too soon.

Something crashes, and you jump in surprise, losing your balance as the ground trembles beneath you. Matsukawa catches you, holding you steady, eyes glued to the particles that center together at the end of the street, forming together into a dark blob and taking shape.

It’s downright ugly and terrifying, exuding such malice and rage that has you stepping back. The demons you’ve dealt with before are absolute small fry compared to his massive size and aura. 

“What is that?” you shout over its screeching and Matsukawa grimaces.

“A goliath,” he says, a little too calm in your opinion. “Said to be servants of the underworld, or something. I think they consume other small demons, just for energy.”

It roars, a large arm protruding from its back and you recoil in disgust. It is, by far, the largest demon you’ve encountered up until now, and you have no doubt it’s the strongest.

“Ok, well, what the hell is it doing here?” you yell at Matsukawa, who jumps back at the sudden tremor it emits.

“No idea!” he shouts back at you. “Be careful!”

There’s not much room for you and Matsukawa to fight–the street is narrow, and the beast in front of you nearly takes up the whole width. You keep your distance, making sure you’re not in its reach as you launch a few talismans toward it, maneuvering them so they cover its body. Matsukawa approaches it, launching his own attacks as he weaves between each swing of its ugly limbs.

It’s slower than you imagined, and you think as long as you keep your distance, it should be fine–

Dark static flicks off its skin before it explodes in an instant, shooting uncontrollably before it bursts wildly, covering the ground and traveling towards you.

“Watch out!”

You’re shoved to the ground, watching a strike pierce through Matsukawa, in midair as he jumps right where you were.

“Matsukawa”

You see him go down, blood splattering against the asphalt with a sickening sound as his body hits the pavement, hard. Anger fills you with red, and you cast most of your talismans towards the demon, binding it tightly with your power as it screams. It’s stunned for a moment, disoriented as it recovers, but you take the time to run towards Matsukawa, who’s struggling to get up onto his knees, blood dripping from his torso, washing away on the asphalt with the rain.

“Let’s get you out of the way,” you say hurriedly, throwing his arm over your shoulders and dragging him to an alleyway. “Don’t move, you’ll open your wound up.”

As soon as you set him down, the demon screeches, an ear-piercing sound that makes both of you falter. 

Demons aren’t perfect. They’ll die with enough damage, and you do so, dwindling down their health with continued attacks, moving constantly to avoid its electricity. 

Left, right, under–jump!

You can barely catch your breath as you dodge its movements, careful of where you end up. A screech erupts from its head, piercing your ears, and you take the moment to send more binding charms, tying its limbs together and buying you time .

It struggles, and just as you’re about to blast it with more of your attacks–

A large burst of energy shoots at him from behind you, slicing the goliath’s head off with a clean schuck!

It thuds to the ground, lifelessly, and you’re gasping for air, falling on your ass as it rolls just a few feet away from you.

Matsukawa is peeking around the corner of the alleyway, leaning against the wall as he sends out that last burst of power before he’s sliding down, falling against the brick wall. Without hesitation, you hurry over to him, nearly tripping over your own unsteady feet as you crouch beside him.

Blood spreads across his clothes, a pool of red that makes your hands shake because it’s just so much blood, demon or not. Your eyes flicker up to his, dull and unfocused as they glance up at you.

You tug up his shirt, trying hard to ignore him flinching out of pain to see a deep gash across his stomach, one that curled around his torso, and you have no doubt it probably pierced through him.

The first thing your mind goes to is—

You smash your lips on his.

You taste copper.

He yelps a little at the sudden force, and you cup his cold cheeks with your hands, kissing him deeply. 

There’s not an ounce of shame because you’re saving his goddamn life right now . He’s quick to respond, kissing back and groaning against your lips, and in a few moments, his wound is gradually closing up, his blood-coated skin patching itself together. 

When you back away, he winces, looking down at his wound, blood and spit smudged against his lips, and you have no doubt that you look the same. 

Shit , you think to yourself, feeling a wave of warmth hit you suddenly. And it’s different today because you just want more for once. Perhaps it’s the adrenaline, perhaps it’s because you almost lost him. You’re tired of constantly being edged by him, when you know he could give you so much more, that you could give him so much more.

“Your place is close, let’s get out of the rain.”

Curse Matsukawa for his height. He easily towers over you, and it makes it ten times harder for you to properly support him as he leans against you, his arm thrown over your shoulders as you weave through back alleys, slowly making your way to his apartment. It doesn’t help that the rain hasn’t let up, drenching both of you.

He’s lost a lot of blood, and you’ve been trying to keep him conscious with little success, as he keeps blinking in and out. By the time you’re at his front door, he’s awake enough to dig through his pockets and give you the key with a shaky hand.

There’s blood on it, and you wipe it away with your thumb as you jam it into the keyhole, quickly twisting and opening the door, stepping into the hallway and navigating to his room. 

You kick open his door, feeling your strength falter at the sight of his bed and with one last burst, you unceremoniously drop him on top of his covers. He lets out a grunt and laughs a bit under his breath.

“How romantic,” he chokes out, and he rolls onto his back painfully, groaning as he twists his body, mindful of his healing wound.

“Shut up,” you mutter, taking off your coat and kicking off your shoes, slamming the door closed after a moment. Taking in a breath, you steel yourself before you lean on the bed, one knee first, before you swing your leg over his, straddling his lap. 

Without any warning, you lean in, kissing him, grinding your hips down on his. You moan against his mouth and–

“Let’s do it, this time, c’mon,” you moan out impatiently, nipping at Matsukawa’s neck as he grabs your hips, tight enough you’re sure you’ll be bruised by the end of it.

“You sure?” he asks softly, lacking his usual teasing lilt, and you nod.

“I’m sure,” you reassure him, looking him dead in the eye, watching as his horns grow out. “I’m saving your life and I’ve wanted to do this with you for a long time. I think it’s a win for both of us.”

He grins, pained, but absolutely ecstatic, as if he’s won the lottery.

“You’re telling me we could have done this earlier?”

“Stop talking and we can get right to it, you dumbass.”

And you can’t stop the curse that leaves your mouth when he flips you over, trapping you under his arms. He tugs off your shirt and your pants, kissing you before you reach up to return the favor. His torso is red, but there’s no longer open flesh that makes you sigh in relief.

At the sight of you bare to him, he leans back, admiring the view and whistling as his eyes trail down your body. 

“Can’t believe I went slow with you when you’ve wanted this too,” he comments, leaning to press kisses against the inside of your thigh before he leaves a long kiss on a spot and bites hard . You yelp at the sudden pain, gripping at his hair as he licks his new mark, thighs trembling as he continues to mark you up.

His fingers reach up, hooking under your panties before—

Rip!

“Hey!”

“I’ll buy you new ones,” he says, uninterested, eyes locked onto your cunt instead. “You’re so fucking wet—and all for me.”

He swipes a finger up your leaking pussy, earning a yelp from you and he brings it to his lips, sucking on it

“Sweet,” he whispers. “Didn’t think you’d taste so good, and it’s all mine .” He leans down, spitting on your cunt before licking a long stripe at your folds as you keen, your hands once again finding purchase in his wet hair, tugging at his curls as he makes a mess of you. Your back arches as his tongue flicks at your clit, swirling around it before thrusting in, wanting to taste all of you. His fingers make their way beside their tongue, and he’s pleasantly surprised with how you take one, two fingers, then three as you sing so beautifully.

Your eyes are glazed over, purely lost in pleasure and everything is so hot and you just want his cock so bad and—

It’s coming it’s coming I’m coming—

“Issei!” 

The cry of his name makes him smile against you, as you're suddenly hit with a mind-numbing orgasm, back arching and body trembling against his mouth as he continues to coax more you have to offer him. Coming down from your high, you’re far from satiated, still feeling the wanting burn deep in your gut. 

You don’t notice him taking off the rest of his clothes until you feel him press up against you. He pushes up your legs, your thighs pressing against your stomach as he leans close and folds you to his will. 

He’s huge, you realize, and you’re not sure if he’ll fit, feeling its weight as the head of his cock kisses your pussy. You jerk at the feeling of him rubbing his length against your wet folds, his eyes trained on the way his cock glistens against your wet cunt, slapping it once, twice against it. 

As if reading your mind, he offers a reassuring smile, squeezing your thigh.

“Tell me if you need me to go slower,” he says. “Last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

You nod deliriously, moving your hips and rubbing against his length, urging him to hurry up. He finally obliges, pushing in slowly, and you let out a broken moan, clawing at his arms as he groans, sinking into your heat inch by inch.

“Fuck, you’re tight,” he grunts, and he listens to your breathing, waiting for any indication of pain before he keeps going until he bottoms out, hips flush against your ass. 

You’re just big, you want to retort, but you can’t even form words, choking on your spit as you feel so full, turning lightheaded at the feeling of his cock stretching you out wide. He’s holding back, biting his lip and a furrow in his brow as he lets you adjust, barely able to control himself. 

He’s careful, his calculating gaze roaming over your face as you focus on leveling your breathing, letting yourself relax before–

“Issei,” you moan, “Move, move. ”

He wastes no time, starting slow and experimentally he moves his hips, pulling out of you until the tip of his cock is inside you before he snaps his hips, making you scream as he buries himself to the hilt once more. The bed frame creaks with each thrust, and you whimper, his cock reaching depths that even you weren’t aware of, your walls fluttering around him.

You chant his name, lost in pleasure and Issei knows you’re long gone, completely undone by his cock and his punishing rhythm. He shifts, leaning down to swallow up your moans, tasting you, relishing in your sweet, sweet flavor as you cross your legs behind his back, bringing him closer, deeper inside. 

“Let me cum in you,” he grunts out, not slowing down as his dark eyes stare at you and you feel as if he’ll devour you. “Make a contract with me, I’ll be yours, little hunter, just say the word, and I’ll give you my all.”

“Please!” You cry out, nails digging into his back as you hold on for dear life. “Cum inside, I’m yours, I’m yours—“

Your words flow out of you as the knot in your stomach builds quicker as Issei’s unrelenting pace seemingly gets faster and faster. 

“Issei, ‘sei, please, please more—faster!”

“Fuck!” he curses, feeling you tighten up around him. “Gonna cum inside your pretty fucking pussy—”

He pushes as far as he can inside you before he stills, moaning against your shoulder as you feel yourself reach your peak, clenching around his cock. 

Something warm burns in your abdomen, and you look down dazedly, seeing Issei’s cock buried deep inside you and a strange symbol etched on your skin, just below your belly button. Your hazy mind barely registers the shape, feeling it tingle along your skin.

You feel yourself twitch as he pulls out, a small moan escaping you as you feel his cum leak out of you. He collapses beside you, absolutely spent, and you turn to look at him, brushing a hand through his messy hair.

“Are you ok?”

“Now I am. Thank you, master .”

“Wha– What do you mean?” you ask, flustered, and he laughs, grabbing your hand against his cheek and squeezing it before he trails down to your stomach. His thumb brushes over the mark, and he opens his mouth, sticking out his tongue for you and the same mark is drawn on it.

A contract. 

“I’m your familiar now. So, please, treat me well,” he says your name, voice deep with want. The coil in your gut tightens, and you meet his red-eyed gaze. His lips meet yours, and you yelp when his fingers find your tit, pinching lightly. “I’ll treat you well, too.” 

[captainofthedauntless]

More Rise!Nardo thoughts.

Just thinking about how he'd abuse the fuck out of his portal abilities with you. Always offering to be your "ride" when you need to go somewhere, using it as an excuse to see you for just a minute when you're busy. The classic you're upset? oh lol i just Happened To Pop By A Shop, Here, Your Favorite Snacks.

He'd show up in a heartbeat to help you move furniture, or to help you cook, or to help you speed clean because your aunt's in town all of a sudden and you cannot let her know you live like this.

You don't think anything of it, really. Because it's effortless for him. It's like getting up from the couch for how much energy it takes him.

But it gets to be a habit.

It's a pattern.

You text him after a long day, once, and you say something about being tired and not wanting to cook, and then he's in your kitchen with a crackle of blue energy and a bag of take out and a hoodie he pulls off less than five minutes later, passing it to you with an easy shrug and a nonchalant smile. Lot warmer in here than the lair, he says breezily, as though it isn't your favorite of his hoodies. As though it was an accident.

He does that a lot, you realize. Act as though calculation is coincidence.

And then you can't stop realizing it.

It's not just the portals.

It's everywhere.

He's everywhere.

He's spending enough time at your place that he just leaves his stuff there when he gets a mission call, and you end up with a stack of books and comics that you definitely didn't pick up yourself, and instead of mentioning it you just replace his horrifying whatever-he-can-find bookmarks (you find one of your bracelets there, once) with actual ones. People keep giving them to you as freebies- might as well put them to use.

Somehow he knows when you've got big appointments scheduled, and he just casually shows up the night before and complains about how you do your chores and insists on showing you how it's done, and then you blink and he's put away every dish in your kitchen, all while playfully critiquing your organization. And, like magic, you're free to sit down and relax, because evidently your sweeping technique is also tragic, no, no, give me that, you're- you're banished, that's abysmal, and feet off the ground- don't care, it needs swept, go on.

Crazy how his movie night picks are some of your favorites. Great minds think alike, eh?

And then 'huh, Leo's pretty helpful' becomes 'oh, Leo's given me impossible standards' when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't seem to catch your breath from a nightmare. You fumble for your phone and type what's supposed to say are you up? and comes out as ate yii yo? and then your phone is ringing.

He greets you with a you alright? that you think should probably be harsher than it is considering the hour, and when you manage to get the word dream out of your face he follows up with want some company?

And you must say yes, because the next thing you know is a crackle of blue energy (which should look dangerous, should feel dangerous, but looks like a playful wave and feels like home) and nearly six feet of mutant turtle dropping onto your bed, landing with a playful bounce that shakes a little of the dream-scented-sludge from your mind.

Sorry, he says, playful and grinning as he folds his arms behind his head and watches you like he can read your mind, traffic was a nightmare.

And you shake your head, because what the fuck, but you're laughing despite yourself and some of the scrutiny melts from his eyes.

Thought I'd-

Don't say drop by.

I would never, he says, but he doesn't elaborate on what he was going to say, and you draw your own conclusions. Anywhoozles, what's the vibe? Movie? Snack? Field trip to the top of the Great Wall?

And somehow he means it.

He's in your room at four in the morning, still in his pajamas, mask down around his neck, all warm and soft and sleep-shaped, and offering you the world like it was a piece of gum.

And you just stare at him, wondering if you're still dreaming.

[grubloved]

Hello <3 you are a big inspiration to me when it comes to the kitchen. I often struggle to get myself to cook, but I want to learn to love it !! Do you have any advice or words of encouragement ?

its good to think about what your barriers to entry are!! is it too many steps, is it too much forethought, does it not feel worth it for just you alone, do you not wanna wash all those dishes, stuff like that. keeping it simple, making big batches and eating them slowly, doing a little 10-minute meal planning session at the top of the week, inventing small reasons to cook for other people, eating out of the pot you cooked in, or even just calling someone you've been meaning to call while you cook are all good solutions to those kinds of problems & can help u get urself in the kitchen!!

as for learning to love it/be excited about it, i think it makes a huge difference to just put it more in your life! food video work on tiktok and youtube can help get you thinking about things you're excited to make or eat and can help familiarize you with techniques and recipes that might otherwise be intimidating. low-stakes messing around with additions to easy food like boxed mac and cheese or instant noodles can start getting you familiar with what it feels like to season to taste. interacting with stuff that explains How and Why things work (lavender loves j kenji lopez-alt for cooking, i love pancake princess for baking) can help you build up skills to make cooking more rewarding.

i said this once but i will say it again giving yourself opportunities to cook with and for people is just so fun. it instantly makes it feel more "worth it". it feels so good to feed somebody something you made, and cooking is a really good thing to take up your hands and work together on while you hang out! you can slowly ramp up difficulty level if you're making meals. personally fucking love attempting a maybe too complicated baking recipe with a friend as a hangout -- if it goes well, you can both be pleased and proud and have a tasty treat. if it goes bad, you did it together and so it mostly just becomes very funny instead of disappointing (and then you can just eat ice cream). i have had so much fun many times in my life attempting to make macarons but actually ending up with some sort of cookie sludge, or One Big Cookie, or what have you :)

[gibberishquestion]

listening to the original bmc album like. wow ewm’s vocal technique and delivery is actually a lot of fun! if only i could register this (his songs especially) as actual real singing and not auditory sludge i oversaturated my ears with as a 14 year old! its like semantic satiation but permanent and for an entire musical

[golvio]

The interview talking about Ganon’s focus on appearances, yet that not being relevant in-game, is still really weird to me.

Like…what does that mean for Ganon as a character? Is he self-conscious? Is he a perfectionist in terms of both his magic/martial techniques and his appearance? Is he hard on himself when he feels like he isn’t measuring up?

Also, what does that mean about his relationships with other people? The other Gerudo seemed to love him as a celebrity, or at least thought they loved him. Was his focus on appearances purely a manipulative tactic, or was it spawned from him being held to extremely high expectations as future leader the same way Riju was? Or was it both?

Did this focus on appearances have something to do with his thing for puppets, given that he spent most of his life effectively puppeteering his own body to restrain his less dignified emotional expressions? Could that line about “entertaining” Link by presenting himself as the image of what Link wanted have been given additional implications by a writer who genuinely wanted to spend time developing Ganon as a character?

And what was the deal with his demon transformation? When he changed, he seemed…happier? Was it just the power rush lowering his inhibitions and making him more outwardly expressive, or was it genuinely a relief that he didn’t have to fit his old image anymore? How does that tie in with him becoming a rampaging asshole once he returned home? Did he always want to do that, or did he fly into a rage when his people rejected his new form?

What does that mean for his general transformations throughout the game and the BotW arc as a whole? Was the real reason he didn’t really do anything while Link was active because he was ashamed of his diminished appearance and wanted to look beautiful and impressive again?

How did he feel about Draconification? Did the thought of losing his identity altogether and therefore losing control of his presentation and how others perceived him distress him? Does that have any implications for the similar state he was in as Calamity Ganon before he properly awakened? Was being in a state of barely identifiable sludge that couldn’t pull itself together into something coherent, much less beautiful, a kind of personal hell for him?

Did the Calamity ever have moments where he remembered who he used to be, or felt this vague sense that he was supposed to be something else, and experienced a brief twinge of loss over it? Or was it constantly on his soupy, jumbled up mind from the moment he reawakened and reemerged from his true body’s prison? Was that why he was so desperate to build a new body? Is that why he kept making ugly, flawed, and incomplete half-remembered self-portraits to send after his enemies?

You can’t just drop that information in an interview after having done nothing with it in-game! It could’ve been a really interesting throughline for his character arc, maybe even humanized him a little bit even as he ruined everything, or retroactively humanized Calamity Ganon by tying these two versions of himself together thematically, but it was only implemented superficially.

[cutebutalsostabby]

Indescribable

Short fic based on @breannasfluff's finish the prompt challenge :) first part, in italics, is Breanna's work. I wrote the second half.

(Tried to match the style and tense but oops in advance.)

-------

Hyrule wipes his forehead and turns to Wild with hopeful eyes. “So? How did I do?”

Wild’s face does this funny thing where it goes through too many emotions at once and ends up scrunched. “Well…six fires in just three hours is your personal best! The only problem is that we’re making fruit salad…”

“I need to cook the fruit!”

“Well, about that...”

“And then there’s that sauce you wanted me to add to it.”

“Which is…warmed in a pan.”

“And don’t get me started on the whipped cream!”

They both turn to look at the jar which once held cream and now holds…chuchu jelly. And maybe some butter.

It’s at this moment that Legend walks in and freezes, sniffing the air. “Do I even want to know?”

“Ledge!” Hyrule grabs a spoonful of something from his bowl and holds it out. “Taste this and tell me what you think!”

The veteran is dubious, but at a nod from Wild, accepts the spoon. Then his face scrunches up because it tastes–

Indescribable.

Indescribable is the word that comes to mind.

Sweet, innocent Hyrule is staring at him with bright, hopeful, expectant eyes, and yet the only word that comes to mind is "indescribable".

No, Legend tells himself sternly, he should at least try to describe the situation happening inside his mouth. If the scattering of pots and pans, the strong odour of burnt cabbages in the air (why?) and the heavy dusting of flour and cinnamon on Hyrule's clothing are any indication, his successor worked hard to produce that deeply indescribable taste. He should at least provide some form of feedback.

Reluctantly, he looks down at the bowl Hyrule is holding, on the off chance that it will offer up some further clues. The ominous sludge inside is a murky, greyish brown, splotched with brackish oil, and right in the middle, Legend thinks he can see...

"Is that... a tentacle?" he asks unwillingly.

Hyrule appears genuinely startled at the question. "Huh?!"

"I think it's a spicy pepper," Wild observes casually from the side. He reaches over with a spare wooden spoon and scoops the offending produce out for inspection. Sure enough, the bright red monster part is revealed and re-identified as a large, whole chilli.

For some reason.

"So?" Hyrule prompts eagerly. "How does it taste?"

"Uh," says Legend. He fishes for relevant words. "Spicy? I guess?"

"You guess?" a crestfallen Hyrule asks.

"Maybe he needs another taste?" Wild suggests sweetly.

And now that Legend's actually looking, he can't help but notice the distinctly vindictive edge to that smile. Obviously, that little shit is in on it. So Legend, of course, does the only thing he can do in that situation.

He lies.

"It's great, Roolie," Legend says cheerfully. "Might be the best thing I've ever tasted. Did Wild teach you how to cook that?"

Hyrule beams. "Yeah!" he replies, in tandem with Wild's emphatic, "No."

They look at each other - Hyrule with confusion and Wild with incredulity.

"Guess Wild still has a lot to learn then," Legend concludes. He claps Hyrule lightly on the shoulder, gives a small, encouraging nod, and rapidly evacuates the premises - a well-trusted problem-solving technique that is yet to fail him, even once.

Left behind to double-guess his scientific method, Hyrule can only glance mournfully at Wild. "That bad, huh?"

"...Let's just start again from the top. Alright?"

[scaryscarecrows]

Here I Lay (Still and Breathless)

AN: Follow-up to ‘Can You Sew Them Shut?’ You will be lost and confused without that, so. Y’know. Definitely go check it out. Title from Deftones’ ‘Passenger’.

* * *

Jason shudders in the restraints, the cold blooming inside him like he’s swallowed an ice cube whole. He can’t focus on anything apart from thread thread thread; even trying his usual techniques, like the Fives rule, only ever gets him stuck in a loop of thread. It feels like he’s suffocating, struggling to get enough air through his nose, and God, God help him, he has to get out of here, he can’t…

The cart is just visible out of the corner of his eye and he’s trying, desperately, not to look at it. Trying just makes his eyes go over there all the more.

The doors swing open. Crane steps in first, briefcase in hand, looking like he’s on his way to work. Which, Jason guesses, he is.

“Perfect stitches, Kitty.” He nudges the cart over, out of Jason’s view, and leans closer. “Let me just…”

He frowns, jabs Jason’s top lip, and nods at the involuntary flinch.

“Local’s worn off. Wonderful.”

Richardson hums. She’s fiddling with a camcorder and all Jason can hear, suddenly, is his voice.

“Did ya get that, Bats? Kid’s not yours anymore.”

There’s a sharp, sudden pain, a quick pinch against his wrist, and Joker shuts up.

“I need you present, Hood,” Crane warns. Jason would love to tell him to fuck off, but he can’t he can’t he can’t. “Don’t wander off, now.”

They both laugh. Richardson snags her stool, sets the camcorder on it, and comes over to check the restraints again. Crane pulls a vital monitor over and Jason wonders, through the haze of panic, where they even are. They have a lot of equipment they usually don’t a-a-and–

Beep. Beep. Beep.

“All right…restraints secure…are we loosening the vise before or after?”

“After. This one’s spiteful.”

“Whatever you say, Doctor Crane.” There’s the sound of buttons. “Camera is…on. Ready when you are.”

“Thank you, Nurse.” Tip-tap. “Patient will be receiving three milliliters of formula nine-z-s-eight-two-zero. He will be the fourth such subject to do so. Patient has experienced prior exposure on…” Crane pauses, counting under his breath. “Nine known occasions to date, though six of those were in conjunction with other drugs and cannot be counted as inoculations.” Crane smiles down at him. “Deep breaths, child. Only a little pinch.”

Please–

Fear toxin hurts going in. It’s thick and it burns, sluicing through the vein like toxic sludge. Jason breathes through his nose and tries, desperately, to focus. He can’t scream. No matter what he sees, or hears, or anything, he can’t scream.

Dimly, he’s aware of the vise being taken off. The sudden release of the pressure on his teeth is a fleeting moment of relief, but the sudden slackness pulls warningly at his lips and he tightens back up as much as he can.

Keep it together, Jay. 

Breathe in, breathe out. Eyes closed–eyes lie. Focus on what he knows is real; the sound of his pained breaths, the sticky, slightly sweaty vinyl seating under him, the. The thread in his lips. Maybe especially that last one, for motivation. He can do this. Just got to ride it out. He’s made it through fear toxin before and sure, it’s nasty, but he can do this.

“Jason?”

Oh, God, no, please.

“Jay-baby?”

He squeezes his eyes shut until weird spots dance behind his eyelids. He doesn’t want to see this, see whatever monstrosity Mom’s become because she’s dead he knows that he knows he should’ve stayed with her that night but he didn’t and–

“I’m sorry Jay, please don’t be upset.” A frigid hand rests on his shoulder, thumb moving in little circles. “Please talk to me, kiddo.”

He bites back a frantic, Mom please don’t be sorry it’s all my fault only because it pulls. That’s right. She’s not here. She can’t be here.

Pained breaths. The thread in his lips. The hard, chipped tiles under his body, leaching the heat from him. Those are real. Mom’s not. The damp, medicinal reek is not.

“Jason.” Her voice is thick, like she’s going to start to cry. “At least look at me, baby. Please?”

He can’t. He can’t face her.

There’s a soft sniffling and he clings to the feeling of thread, even though he’s wondering if I just try not to move my lips, I could maybe still–

Her face presses into his hair, warm tears seeping through it, and he chokes, throat swelling up and threatening to force out something. If he could just pick his hand up, at least, that would be enough to show her he’s not mad, if anything, she should be mad at him–

He tries. He does. But it won’t move. He settles for trying to lean his head towards her instead, hoping it’ll be enough.

There’s a sudden shriek and he feels her being pulled away, hears the clang! of her skull striking the cart followed by crack! of it hitting the tiles.

“Whoops!” Joker cackles. “Don’t know my own strength sometimes!”

No–

His eyes fly open without his consent. Mom’s lying facedown on the tiles, blood slowly pooling under her head, but she’s still breathing, he can see that. Joker stands over her, twirling a crowbar, but when he makes eye contact with Jason, his smile manages to grow even wider.

“There you are, Todders! I keep telling your mother, spare the rod and spoil the child.” He shakes his head. “You should have done what you were told. Now look at what I have to do!” He gestures vaguely with the crowbar. “You’ll be the one cleaning this mess. It’s the only way you’ll learn anything.”

He raises the crowbar. Brings it down.

Raises it up.

Brings it down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

“Stop it!” There’s a terrible tearing and pain and he spits blood, has no idea where it came from. “Stop it, please!”

Joker does stop. He looks up, flicks bits of blood and bone and brain matter from the end of the crowbar. Jason’s shaking, hot blood streaming down his chin and onto his neck and dripping towards his chest.

“Please,” he whispers. “Please don’t.”

For a second, that’s not Joker. That’s Scarecrow’s mask, gazing passively at him as worms wriggle through the burlap. Then the stitches curve into a smile and Joker’s back where he was.

“Nah.”

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Regardless of Jason’s desperate screams, he doesn’t stop.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

THE END