#so maybe you guys are all just big desert fans!

[youarewhatyoulove-blog]

the violence of the dog days.

pairing: jeongguk x reader

summary: In the midst of summertime, after a week of neglect, your boyfriend has a way of making you feel even more heated.

OR

you're hot and horny for jeongguk.

rating: mature🔞 (minors please dni)

genre: non-idol au, college au, established relationship, smut, fluff, pwp

word count: 9.2k words of unadulterated smut.

warnings: reader and jeongguk are absolute horny simps for each other, but they're also so inlove, soft boyfriend jeongguk (because yes that is a warning), jeongguk is a law student (oof), overuse of the petname 'baby', reader hasn't been getting it seven days a week😔, switch jeongguk (kinda), hair pulling, hickeys, making out, thigh riding, nipple play (jeongguk is proudly a boob guy), religious imagery because jeongguk worships reader like a god, usage of the words 'c*nt' and 'p*ssy' (because i know some people are iffy about that), cunnilingus (f-receiving), jeongguk is low-key a sadist y'all (in his fantasies), a bit of dom/sub dynamics, prayers for reader because jeongguk's got that big d🙏🏽, unprotected sex, doggy style, degradation, a teeny weeny bit of overstimulation, creampie - like this is just pure smut guys 😬, possessive sex, choking, aftercare, reader kinda hints at having attachment issues (but don't we all).

author's note: 1. please ignore any typos :). of course, i'd appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism. but if you find yourself uncomfortable by any of the themes in this fic, there's no need for hate, just kindly move on. 2. also, this is a lot longer and softer than i intended. this fic was supposed to be purely hard smut, but i fell in love with the characters and their relationship, and some aspects of the story just turned out sickeningly sweet - so proceed with caution.

You're an hour into tossing and turning when you can't take it anymore.

The heat.

With June coming to a close end, the surviving remnants of summer creep in through your bedroom window with barely a whisper of a breeze. It clings to every part of your skin, that ever-lingering humidity thickening the air, and wraps itself around your body like a cloak. For some reason, you thought that scrolling aimlessly through the various apps on your phone would help distract your mind from the muggy weather or maybe, by some miracle, even lull you to sleep.

But it hasn’t—of course it hasn't. Because summer is here to stay, burrowing deep within your bones and making a home there. Each passing minute is a testament to that, insomnia creeping up your spine with ill intent and wriggling into every cranny of your mind until you feel like you're losing it.

Perhaps you are, you think.

Because when the desk fan a few feet away suddenly stops whirring and the fumbling grasp you had on sleep slips from your reach like a fleeting dream in the morning light as a result of it—drifting further and further away—you hit your breaking point. The lack of white noise and cool air blowing your way mounts your frustration into place. It hangs there in the ether like a looming shadow but, unlike your slumber, has no plans of deserting you.

With an annoyed huff, you drop your phone back onto the nightstand for the umpteenth time and kick your leg out from under the duvet.

“Fuck.” You sigh, rolling onto your back.

A thin sheen of sweat lingers on the surface of your skin, causing the sheets to stick uncomfortably to every part of your body. You spread your limbs out like a starfish in some futile attempt to cool them down, hoping that you'll catch a draft, but the action only reminds you of how largely cavernous your bed feels right now.

The space beside you is missing a particular doe-eyed boy and, as your hand brushes over the empty spot, you realize that it's not so much the seasonal heat that's making you feel weirdly restless, but rather Jeongguk's absence. In an inconveniently clingy way, you need his body settled next to you at night, your legs and arms a tangled mess beneath the blankets.

You don't know why that is. Why sleep eludes you like a compass without direction, unable to find its way to you when Jeongguk isn't near. But you don't mull over it or give the thought a foothold to stand amongst the endless anxieties already in your head.

All you know is that cuddling up with him in the evening is perhaps one of your favourite pastimes. Akin to a baby with it's bottle, falling asleep in his embrace is something you've grown incredibly used to, maybe even a little dependent on—like a security blanket or night-light—and there's nothing you can do about it.

Sneaking a glance towards the dim light spilling in from beneath the bedroom door, you picture Jeongguk on the other side. Chances are, he’s still where you last left him. Sitting cross-legged on the couch with a laptop balancing carefully on his lap, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration, as he catches up on coursework.

You worry your lip, the thought of your boyfriend causing your mind to wander...

He looked so good tonight; adorned in a pair of grey sweats and a baggy t-shirt with his tattoos fully exposed. His dark hair was strewn across his forehead, falling into his eyes in a way that made your fingers itch.

You, on the other hand, are sporting an old, oversized shirt you opted to steal from Jeongguk's wardrobe to combat the high temperatures, but it hasn't helped much. The heat still loiters, creeping up the back of your neck and imbuing your cheeks with warmth.

It makes you long for winter, for the bitter nip of frosty ice and pelting rain, and the desire for that inadvertently reminds you of that fucking silver lip ring Jeongguk had gotten recently.

The memory of its cold, metal sting against your lips as he kissed you goodnight sends a distant, carnal hum coursing throughout your veins. It's probably tugged anxiously between his teeth right now whilst he types away, eyes deadset on the screen before him, and the image of that sends you reeling. Makes your skin flush further, yearning to feel its steel bite again.

For some reason, it propels you into motion, skin prickling as you throw your legs over the edge of the mattress without a second thought.

The last thing you want to do is bother his progress or interrupt his work, but selfishly, you persist. That gnawing feeling deep within your chest is too hard to ignore, heart beating voraciously with each step you take because it longs to be satiated by Jeongguk's presence. Your boyfriend is only one room over, just four thin walls separating the two of you, yet still—you miss him, want him.

Treading lightly, you hear the persistent click-clack of his keyboard and the muffled sound of typing only grows louder as you step out into the hallway. The wooden flooring is frigid beneath your feet, a sensation you immediately relish in as soon as the fiery crawl of discomfort across your skin begins to lessen. Your shirt—or more precisely, Jeongguk’s shirt—falls flat from your waist, landing a few inches above your knees, as you wander further into the apartment.

Just as you’d predicted, Jeongguk is all pretzelled up on the sofa, too focused on his work to hear you enter. A few empty bottles of soju and convenience store snacks litter the coffee table, serving as silent witnesses to the length of time he's been out here. He must have dimmed the lights as well because a faint, warm glow shrouds every facet of the room, making him look particularly soft at this hour.

You walk up behind him, wrapping your arms around the length of his shoulders as you bend over the couch's headrest to envelop him in a hug. ”Hey,” You hum softly, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Jeongguk startles slightly at the contact, shaken from his deep concentration as he angles his head to look up at you. “Shit, baby. You scared me.” He breathes, voice rough from disuse. It rumbles through you like a distant thunderstorm, body vibrating with electricity.

“Sorry,” You murmur, glancing at the assignment he's been working on and tiny pangs of guilt gradually trickle into your stomach. “I didn't mean to disturb you, but-”

“You're not disturbing me.” Jeongguk instantly reassures, scanning your face with a knowing look. “Can’t sleep?” He asks and you nod, burying your face into the crook of his neck. The scent of his body wash immediately encompasses you like a warm embrace, wild pinewood and bergamot invading your senses.

“I thought you’d be in bed by now.” You mumble against his skin, unable to hide the pout in your voice.

Jeongguk frowns, eyes flickering to the time at the bottom of his laptop screen.

Shit, he hadn’t even noticed how late it’s gotten, the hours skulking along the cusp of a new day. He should probably be turning in for the night, head to bed and worry about this project tomorrow, but he’d rather not postpone his responsibilities. Not when you’re staying over the weekend and he could be spending that time with you instead.

“I know.” Jeongguk responds, hand coming up to intertwine with yours. “I’ll be there soon, okay?” He promises, bringing your knuckles to his lips. The featherlight kiss he presses there soothes you like a curative balm.

“Okay,” You relent, untangling yourself from his body. “But, can I stay here for a bit? It’s too hot in there.” You half lie, gesturing towards the bedroom while simultaneously walking over to the kitchen only a few feet away.

“Yeah, of course.” He murmurs, eyes following your movements.

“Thanks, Kook.” You smile, sparing him a glance over your shoulder as your eyes sparkle with mirth. “By the way, your fan broke down again.”

“Again?” He laments, eyebrows furrowed together whilst he runs a disgruntled hand through his hair. “I seriously need to get that old thing repaired or maybe even replaced.” He grumbles to himself, before a guilty afterthought occurs at the sight of you. “Fuck, I'm so sorry, baby. No wonder you couldn't sleep.”

You don't tell him that it's not so much the heat keeping you awake but, more so, him.

“No, don't worry about it.” You settle on instead, trying to dispel his concerns. “It's not your fault.”

This isn't the first time that Jeongguk’s fan has given him problems. He's had the thing since high school; so it’s no surprise that the motor tends to give in every now and then, running a little too hot. He’s been meaning to get the issue sorted, but hasn’t really found the time to do that these days.

“Plus, I'd much rather be out here with you.” You add.

Jeongguk smiles at you so sweetly then, dimples making an appearance, and your body flushes all over, burning once again.

God, what is wrong with you tonight?

You need to calm down, cool down. At this rate, you feel like an overheating engine, bound to crash in on yourself and combust.

Grabbing a glass of ice water from the fridge dispenser, you rein yourself in, distracting your mind with conversation. “I promise not to be a bother though, like you won't even notice I'm here.” You say, before chugging the cold liquid down on the spot, completely ignorant to the way that Jeongguk drinks you in.

A welcome sight is what you are, so cute tonight with your hair all mussed, practically drowning in his shirt. “You’re never a bother.” He responds, mouth going dry when you lean back to empty the glass. The action causes your shirt to hike up, the creamy expanse of your thighs further exposed to his hungry eyes.

He feels his dick stir at the sight.

“How much longer do you think you’ll be?” You ask, wiping your lips with the back of your palm, as you place your cup in the sink and shuffle over towards your boyfriend.

“Uhh…” Jeongguk clears his throat, broken out of his stupor. He turns back to face his laptop, skimming the Word document that's open before him when he feels you nestle into his side a second later. Automatically, he brings a hand down to rest against your leg.

“I’m not sure,” He grumbles, thumb rubbing soothing circles against your bare thigh. The absent-minded touch ignites something in you, skin blazing at the contact, and you try your best to suppress the goosebumps that rise in Jeongguk’s wake. “Maybe another hour or so?” He guesses.

“Oh.” You mumble and, although you fight the disappointed curl of your lips, Jeongguk doesn’t miss the deflated look on your face.

“I’m sorry,” He squeezes your thigh apologetically, frown overtaking his pretty features. “I know it’s been a while since we spent time together.”

A week exactly, you note, but ultimately keep that detail to yourself. After all, neither one of you is to blame for being so busy, constantly caught between work and university.

You think that's maybe the reason you're feeling so needy tonight, body set ablaze by every minor look and touch from your boyfriend. In a way, you're feeling a little neglected since your relationship’s taken the backseat, not by choice but by consequence, and you don’t know how to deal with it.

“It's fine.” You shrug. "It's not like we can help it.”

You try to be nonchalant about the matter, injecting the slightest hint of indifference into your tone, but Jeongguk sees right through you.

He always does.

“Come here.” He says suddenly, voice soft as he shifts his laptop onto the coffee table.

You look up at him, confusion clear on your face.

“What?” You blink, but your question falls on deaf ears because Jeongguk merely uncrosses his legs and pats his lap.

“Come here,” He then repeats and reaches for your waist.

You're uncertain for the briefest of moments, eyeing Jeongguk suspiciously, before you ultimately give in like malleable clay in his soft hands, allowing him to pull you onto his lap with ease. “I've been working for hours.” He grumps once you're comfortably straddling his waist, hands resting on either side of your hips. “Hardly seen you since you got here.”

You hum, pulling your bottom lip between your teeth in thought. It's no secret that you've been spending a lot more time at Jeongguk's place in lieu of your ratty little dorm room. You felt bad about it at first, feeling as though you were invading his space and overstaying your welcome. But your boyfriend couldn't be happier about it. He rather likes the idea of your lives interlocking, melding together as if they were puzzle pieces falling into place. He likes that when he's working, like on nights like this, that you're just on the opposite side of the door, not one phone call or car ride away.

He likes that you're his and he is, equally as much, yours.

“I wanted to leave you to your work.” You explain, curling your arms around his neck. Your fingers absentmindedly play with the ends of his hair that have grown out and the light touch only brings about the memory of how much he has missed you these past few days.

“Well, it's about time I take a break, don't you think?” Jeongguk muses and you become hyper-aware of the way his fingers brush up your spine. “Give my girl some attention…” He trails on, eyes flickering to your lips.

You practically preen at the idea, smiling shyly as you lean into his touch. “I wouldn't object to that.” Your heart patters in your chest, beating wildly at the mere sight of Jeongguk. At the thought of him finally touching you, kissing you, quenching your thirst after this week-long drought. “I've missed you.”

Jeongguk chuckles faintly. “Me too, baby.” He murmurs, perching his head upwards to press his lips against yours.

The kiss is gentle, chaste, his plush lips feeling so featherlight against yours. You almost imagine they were never there to begin with because Jeongguk pulls away before you can truly savour the taste of them.

“You know, you look so pretty in my clothes.” He begins, large hand spreading lazily around your left hip and up your back. “Kinda makes me want to wreck you.”

“You already wreck me.” You breathe without missing a beat.

“Yeah?” Jeongguk rasps, his voice low and a little dark. It sends a thrill straight up your spine.

You nod in response, feeling the heat rush to your cheeks. “No one makes me feel the way you do.” You admit, eyes flitting across his face. It's an unwavering truth—one that simultaneously scares and excites you in this quiet dead of night.

“Can I kiss you again?” The words come out as a breathy whisper; as if you've been holding on to them for too long, as if they're the oxygen you so desperately need to breathe, and Jeongguk tilts his head, bewildered frown on his face.

“How is that even a question.” He gripes, slanting his head in a means to meet your mouth halfway, but you have another idea.

You press into him instead, leaning forward, and set out to peck lovingly along the curvature of Jeongguk’s jawline. He huffs in amusement, endeared by the way you take control. Because, although he’s usually the dominant one in the bedroom, he doesn't mind when you take charge like this. In fact, he's grown to love it. Loves the way you come into your own, toying and teasing with him, until your own actions cause you to grow desperate.

It's one of his greater weaknesses, his Achilles heel, and right now, you want nothing more than to expose it. Unveil a certain side of him. The one that'll see how far you can push before he starts to push back. The one that'll give in and take you right here on this couch after he's entertained your antics for long enough and you finally beg him to fuck you.

Your body practically hums at the thought.

You map out his skin, lips brushing against the surface like you're exploring a new land. Every movement careful, every touch claiming what's yours. And it almost goes to your head—how quickly Jeongguk submits to your mouth’s assault, his body relaxing into the couch like he's letting you have your way with him.

Jeongguk doesn't tell you that he is. That your lips are a holy grail he'd happily yield to.

When your teeth graze lightly at a particular soft spot below his ear, he lets out a small groan, eyes falling closed at the sensation. You feel the sound roll through you, the ache between your legs becoming hard to ignore when you think about the fact that you've roused that melody from his mouth.

It spurs you on, makes you want to hear it again and again. You want to paint the entire column of his neck red and then watch your confession of love fade to a bruised purple in the weeks to come. You want to rediscover all the ways that you can make Jeongguk sing, and the way your body dances to his tune in turn. Your lips lap him up, kisses becoming indelicate with desperation, teeth nipping with intent along his upper jaw, tongue tracing over the skin before you repeat all these gestures twicefold.

You can feel yourself growing wet, relish in the way that Jeongguk's hands tighten around your form. “Shit,” He mumbles and your body crows. Without pause, you shift against his lap and move to the neglected side of his neck, targeting the skin there. You can feel him getting hard beneath you, your core situated right above his growing erection, and it causes a shiver to run down your spine.

You plant a few messy kisses against his throat, nibbling vehemently, but then Jeongguk tuts and pries his eyes open before you have the opportunity to really sink your teeth into him.

“Baby,” He warns, curling a hand into your hair to form a makeshift ponytail. “No marks. I've got a presentation on Monday.” He says and pulls you back by an inch. His movements are somewhat hesitant, voice rough, like he's not entirely sure he truly wants you to stop.

But he has to. He can't afford to show up to class on Monday and present the most important project of his life with hickeys all over his neck.

“Next time.” He promises, but you consider outright ignoring him for a second, even though it's nonsensical, like some twisted form of punishment for a week of neglect.

But it’s Jeongguk—Jeongguk who’s been extra stressed lately about completing his degree. Jeongguk who’s carving time out of working on his big assignment right now—one which, not only counts forty percent of his grade, but could also earn him an internship at one of the top law firms in Seoul if he's lucky enough—all to pay special attention to you.

So, “Fine.” You give in, albeit a little petulantly, and brace your hands against his chest, face feeling flushed. “I’m sorry. I just wanna be close to you is all.”

“I know. Me too.” He rasps, grip on your hair loosening a touch, but not completely. “We don't have to stop though, just don't mark me up.” He explains, free hand rubbing up and down your thigh.

“Okay,” You slide your palms up his chest, feeling the toned muscles tense beneath your touch. “I really love you, you know?”

Jeongguk's eyes soften, a hint of a smile creeping up on his face. “I know,” He hums, tugging at your hair in a way that makes your scalp tingle. “But I don't think it comes close to how much I love you.” He rasps, using his grip as leverage to pull your head backwards until the delicate skin of your throat is exposed. “It's incomparable.” He murmurs, placing a single kiss on the side of your mouth before he travels south, lips peppering across your jawline.

You shiver, hands twisting into the thick material of Jeongguk's t-shirt. You want to tell him that it's not a competition, that you'd love him until the sun stops rising and, even if this one week of distance had been more, you know that he feels the same.

But the heavy palpitations in your chest causes the words to dissolve on your tongue because Jeongguk pulls the collar of your shirt to the side a second later, exposing more of your skin, before he traces a path along your décolletage. He's touching you like a starved man, mouth just as desperate and feverish as you’re starting to feel.

A stuttered gasp escapes your lips, your hands moving upwards, unsure of where to be, when he nips at a particularly sensitive spot. You settle them on his shoulders.

“Jeongguk,” You moan, the tingling between your legs maturing into an unbearable ache.

“I know, baby.” He abruptly pulls away from your clavicle—lips red, eyes blown. “Tell me what you want.”

His demand goes over your head because you don't know what you want; can barely think straight with the lingering feeling of Jeongguk's lips on your neck. With the growing wetness sticking uncomfortably to your panties. With the burning, hot embers laying at the base of your stomach, begging to be set ablaze. And Jeongguk knows that. Knows that you're neither here nor there, only somewhere in the middle, teetering on the line of endless choices. So he lets go of your hair then, manoeuvres your body until you're straddling only his left thigh.

“Don't think about it, baby.” He murmurs, both hands moving to your hips. He guides them back and forth, slow and gentle, with just enough pressure to relieve that desperate throbbing in your pussy. “Just feel.”

And you do, sinking into your own little bubble, a paradise as impenetrable as the gates of heaven. You take your time to grind up against him, moving in tandem with the flow of his hands and a soft whimper climbs up your throat at the sensation of your clit brushing against the firm muscles of Jeongguk’s thigh. You're already so soaked, underwear absolutely sodden from the relentless pendular motions of your pelvis, and when you look down to find a dark, damp spot beginning to stain Jeongguk's sweatpants, you can't help but intensify your movements.

It should be embarrassing, how quickly you've become turned on, how much you're dripping, when Jeongguk's barely touched you, but instead you just feel liberated. Pure power coursing through your veins because your boyfriend has given you the reins, is letting you use his body like a bitch in heat, and it's exhilarating; intoxicating every facet of your mind.

“That's it,” Jeongguk purrs, deserting your hips once you gain momentum to instead sneak both hands up the hem of your shirt.

Your breath escapes its chambers when he trails past the soft curve of your waist and straight to your breasts. “Fuck, you're so beautiful.” He grunts, gaze intent on your every reaction, like he's watching artwork unfold. His nimble fingers circle your nipples, tracing them with the most tantalizing pattern, until they begin to harden.

“Please,” You choke, clasping his shirt in between your fists like it's some sort of lifeline. You're not even sure what you're begging for, pace quickening as you ride Jeongguk’s thigh more aggressively. Every rut forward sends sparks shooting throughout your body, nerve endings alight, and when Jeongguk pinches your nipples between his thumb and forefinger, your back arches in pleasure. A throaty moan penetrates the room otherwise filled with nothing but your uneven pants and the sound of Jeongguk's voice.

“Gonna make you feel so good,” He groans, hands inching towards your shirt’s lower seam. He drags it over your torso, itching for better access to your breasts. Even in your muddled state, you meet him halfway, raising your arms above your head until the damned thing is off and you're left in nothing but your lacy underwear.

You hardly have time to adjust to the humid air hitting your torso, when Jeongguk tips his head forward, enveloping your right nipple into his mouth with reckless abandon. The response is instantaneous, a strangled sob slipping past your lips at the feeling of his warm mouth encased around your stiffened peak. His tongue swipes across your nipple, shockwaves manifesting at the blissful contact, and you don't know how much longer you're going to last—an embarrassing feat you don’t ponder on too much.

Instead, you squeeze your eyes shut, focusing on the attention Jeongguk pays you. Whimpering when the pads of his fingers move to fondle the nipple of your forsaken breast while the other submits to his mouth’s pleasurable torment, each purposeful pinch causing them to tighten all the more. Your skin feels like it's on fire, the warmth of Jeongguk's touch igniting the cinders glowing from deep within your belly. “I-I think,” You swallow, your pussy rubbing deliciously into Jeongguk's leg. “I think I'm going to come soon,” You manage to admit through a repressed whine, voice so strained it sounds foreign even to your own ears.

You don't think you've ever hit an orgasm this quickly. You've never had to. Because you and Jeongguk are like inseparable magnets; every atom in your bodies drawn to each other, always connecting like two poles seeking the other out—never going more than a few days without some form of intimacy. Never mind a week.

At least, not until now.

So when Jeongguk bounces his leg upwards to meet the force of your pussy coming down on his quadricep, adding to the way you slam into him, your clit positively throbbing at the impact, you feel the onset of that familiar coil in your stomach tightening.

“Just let go, baby.” Jeongguk rasps, granting you permission with one final flick of your nipples and then you're coming undone, white fiery heat flooding every fiber of your body, as you cry out his name. Only his name, forever on your lips. You feel the way your entire form convulses, the way Jeongguk helps you through it, flexing his thigh so that you can get the most out of your orgasm, and your hips buck forward—unrelenting and greedy—before they finally ease into a slow rut. Grinding into him until the receding, minuscule waves of pleasure begin to fade.

With the last few clenches of your pulsating core, you slowly catch your breath, muscles slackening as you become pliant in Jeongguk's arms, the weight of your body suddenly too much for you to bear. Your boyfriend holds you tight though, both hands moving to your waist to keep you secure.

Behind the darkness of your closed eyelids; you hear Jeongguk softly murmur your name and feel the way his hand comes up to your face, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind your ear before he cups your cheeks. “You okay, angel?” He asks, voice emerging as a hushed tone.

When you manage to tear your eyes open and give him a soft, affirmative nod, Jeongguk seems satisfied, pressing a delicate kiss to your sternum before he shifts you from his lap and onto your back in one fell, but gentle swoop.

Your head hits the soft leather of the sofa with the aftermath of your climax still lingering against your skin like crackling electricity, fuzzing up your mind. “You think you can take more?” He asks, eyes flitting across your face to get a read on your current state of mind.

You nod your head assuredly, reaching out to make a grab for his body, to bring him closer. “Yeah I can,” You say confidently, arm's snaking up his back to explore the taut muscles that reside there.

Jeongguk is hovering over your body, thigh pressed hotly between your legs, and even though you can feel the rush of arousal, brought on only a second ago, pooling uncomfortably in your underwear—you want more. You want him. “I want to carry on.”

Jeongguk studies your demeanour, casting your body and expression a careful once-over, because he wants to feel you, be in you, wants to make you see stars. But it's only a matter of whether you're able to handle that right now. He has barely had his way with you, but you already look so fucked out, so perfect for him. It makes the blood rush straight to his dick. “You make me crazy.” He rasps, eyes locking with yours as he brings a hand up, tracing his thumb along your bottom lip.

You almost cower beneath his touch, beneath the sincerity of his gaze; appraising the very depths of your being as if you were a delicate treasure, as if he were staring at a god or something of a divine beauty.

Jeongguk thinks that maybe he is; thinks you’re the light, the one thing he’d worship morning, noon and night through blind faith. And there are barely enough words in the dictionary for him to express this notion to you, so instead he settles for “I love you.” Voice as rough as the high tides, but softer than moonlight.

He feels compelled to tell you this every chance he gets, a hopeless slave to his feelings for you. “Like I've never loved anything else in my life.” He continues. It's a quiet confession in the night, not a new one, but the words mean just as much as the first time he admitted them to you.

You feel yourself melt, can't remember ever feeling this cherished. Not since before Jeongguk and hopefully, never after. “I love you too.” You murmur, taking a moment to drink in every detail of the man who has left you restless all night.

Your eyes flicker over the defined cut of his jaw. The delicate curve of his lips and the pretty mole resting just beneath it. The small kissable scar on his cheek. The feathery flutter of his eyelashes. The strands of hair that have fallen over his face, and you retract your hand from his back to push them away.

How did you ever get this lucky?

“So much.” You emphasize and your voice thickens with the weight of your words, spoken from the very depths of your soul. “More than you could ever know.” Because there aren't enough words in the dictionary to get this notion across, so instead you lift your head, planting a firm kiss to Jeongguk’s lips as if sealing a vow, a promise of forever.

Jeongguk receives your kiss like he does with everything else related to you; openly, hungrily. His tongue swipes across your bottom lip—once—twice—and you instantly become pliant under his weight. Your fingers find his hair, tangling into the dark tresses as you deepen the kiss. It’s hot and it’s heavy, and in the distant part of your mind, you register that Jeongguk tastes like peaches, most likely from the alcohol he’s been drinking.

The sweetness of his lips immediately goes to your head; drunk and euphoric, and all grace flies out the window the next second. “Touch me,” You murmur breathlessly against his mouth, fingertips skimming over the nape of his neck. “Please, I need you.”

Jeongguk groans, a husky sound resonating from deep within his throat. “Fuck,” You can feel how rock hard he’s gotten, his erection pressing into your inner thigh and it's making you delirious with need. “I’ll give you anything you want.” Jeongguk rumbles, his mouth forming a wet, messy trek away from yours to embrace the flesh of your breasts.

You want to tell him that it's him, only him you want. Puppeteering your every move, body relinquishing itself to his touch. But you don't. You can't, not when Jeongguk's teeth leave scarlet marks across your chest that render you mute, words evaporating on your tongue like sacramental bread.

“My pretty baby,” He coos tenderly and you fight the urge to rut up against him. “Always so fucking ready for me.“ He praises, kisses traveling southward and it burns, searing, everywhere that Jeongguk touches you. You think you might erupt or shatter, and nothing less, if he doesn't meet you where you really need him to, your cunt begging to be satiated with his fingers, or his tongue, or his dick—anything.

A whimper escapes your lips, an embarrassing, desperate sound hanging in the thick air, as you glance down past your heaving breasts. You watch as Jeongguk abandons your boobs, planting a trail of kisses across the expanse of your stomach, your hip bones—takes the tiny little ribbon on your underwear between his teeth and tugs. The deliberate gesture causes your panty to rise up a bit, ever so slightly brushing against your clit in the process, and you bite down on your bottom lip, holding back an ungodly moan.

You can't take it anymore, all this teasing.

Jeongguk can read it on your face; sees it in the way you swiftly tilt your head back, eyes closed, brows scrunched together. He knows you like the back of his hand, which is how he gauges that you've fallen back into a place of submission—done with the tortuous foreplay, done with calling the shots, done with delaying the inevitable. You want him to fuck you, to use your body the same way you had used his mere minutes ago. And if his dick could get any harder at the thought, it would.

Jeongguk licks his lips, slips a finger into the curve of your waistband as he murmurs, “I’m gonna take this off now, okay?”

You nod your head, not daring to open your eyes to confront the image of Jeongguk's face a mere hair's breadth away from your cunt. It's too erotic. Too much. You feel him drag the thin garment down your legs, a string of arousal following suit, and suddenly feel self-conscious, attempting to close your legs to hide how shamefully wet you are.

But Jeongguk's not having any of that.

He carelessly chucks the lacy material to the side like it’s nothing but a rag, a nuisance, and then grips your inner thigh. “Don't you dare,” He grunts, using his grasp to keep your legs apart, lifting them upwards until your knees are bent to your chest and your ankles are resting over his shoulders, giving him the perfect view of your dripping cunt.

You barely have time to register the ticklish feeling of Jeongguk's breath fanning against your core before he dives straight in, licking a long stripe across your pussy, and your hips instinctively buck up. “Shit,” You mewl, rejoicing in the way his tongue traverses from your slit to your clit, lapping up every drop of arousal.

Jeongguk groans, a sound so low, stemming from the heart of his diaphragm, when he samples that first morsel of your leaking nectar. You taste like heaven, so sweet and unbearably wet, and all just for him.

“So fucking good,” He grumbles, mouth drinking you in. His tongue is unrelenting in its efforts to devour your pussy, and the overwhelming sensation of him slurping and sucking—of him eating you out like a connoisseur tasting the rarest of delicacies—causes frenzied pools of pleasure to ripple within the base of your belly.

He keeps at it, nose brushing against your clit as a byproduct, and after a few minutes the pure, unwavering rapture of Jeongguk's tongue becomes excruciating. A feeling so good, it’s almost too much. “Jeongguk,” You wail, heels digging into the couch as you try to back away from his mouth, but your boyfriend merely hooks his arms around your legs and pulls you closer. Holding you in place; unable to run or escape from the ruthless onslaught of his tongue, from the metal bite of his piercing brushing against your lower lips. “I can't,” You cry, writhing beneath his touch.

With his grip keeping you firmly anchored, Jeongguk brings one hand down to toy with your swollen clit, fingers moving in languid, clockwise motions. “You can,” He grunts thickly, tongue slipping between your folds and prodding deliciously at your hole. “I know you can, baby.” He mumbles in between fucking your drenched pussy with his fleshy muscle.

You shake your head frantically, eyes screwed shut, as you feel the waves of your second orgasm surfacing. “Not like this,” You beg, using your hands to reach down, fingers twisting into his fluffy hair as you desperately try to push him away. “Please, I want you in me.” A sob runs free, your walls pulsating around nothing because Jeongguk is taking his time with you, teasing your opening like he's got all night. But you don't. You're close, so fucking close, you can feel it in the tightening muscles of your pelvis, in the quivering of your legs.

But Jeongguk isn't giving you enough. He isn't giving you what you need. Your boyfriend, in all his hot glory, is taking you there with his tongue, swirling insufferably along your orifice—bringing you right up to the edge of the plank with an ocean of pleasure waiting just below your feet, but then he pulls you back. Drags you from the precipice before you can allow yourself to fall in, and it causes a frustrated whine to escape your lips. You need his cock deep inside, filling you up, pushing you off the ledge and into troubled waters. Your pussy throbs at the very thought. “Please Kook,” You find yourself beseeching for the second time. “I wanna cum with you in me.”

And any thread of composure Jeongguk has been holding on to up until that point, snaps at the pure neediness burrowed within your tone.

He looks up at you; lips glistening, eyes dilated—a mess of a man. But you don't look any better—or, if you were getting a glimpse of yourself through Jeongguk's point of view, never better—skin flushed, gleaming with a fine film of sweat, lips swollen from the way you've been biting them, and all at once, Jeongguk is overcome with the desire to give you everything you've ever wanted.

“Fuck, okay,” He curses, rising to his knees and you force your eyes open at the rough edge tainting his voice, at the overwhelming relief of getting what you wished for. “But it’s going to be a bit of a stretch, baby.” He says, not having prepped you fully. It's been a while since the two of you have had sex and, if he had it his way, he would have given you his fingers first, would have warmed and widened your lubricated walls, to ease the initial discomfort of him entering you.

But you look so pretty beneath him, so impatient, and—“I can handle it,” You mollify, voice a sweet concoction of sultry persuasion.

He nods in response, a curt motion, because if he thinks about how eager you're being, about how you're willing to take a little bit of the pain for the insurmountable pleasure, he might just come right there. Might just think of all the other ways you like to hurt; of the way you'd react if his palm made rough contact with your ass cheeks, or what would happen if he handcuffed you to his bedpost and stuffed you full with a vibrator and butt plug—if he fucked you tonight with no end in sight. He wonders if you'd cry, if you'd beg him for more or want him to stop, sopping and spent. More than that, he wants so badly to find out.

Jeongguk’s dark eyes find yours, their typical doe-eyed demeanour having turned hooded a long time ago. Yours are twinkling with anticipation, watching intently as he pulls his sweatpants down, letting them hang low beneath his buttocks. His cock immediately springs free, slapping against his stomach, and you sink your teeth into your bottom lip at the sight.

“Come here,” Jeongguk's voice carries a jagged intonation, raw and untamed, and breaks through you like crashing waves. But when he makes a grab for your body, his hands are nothing but gentle, hoisting you up onto your knees and positioning you on all fours.

With your ass bared before him, face pressed into the cold faux leather of the couch, Jeongguk smooths a hand down your back, watches with satisfaction as your spine yields before his touch, and then he takes a hold of his dick. Doesn't even bother giving it a few preliminary pumps because he's already painfully hard, precum leaking from the tip as he lines himself with your hole.

He doesn't put it in though.

First, he teases your little cunt with only the head of his length, not fully embedding himself within your warmth just yet. You whimper pathetically at the testing prod, fingers balling into frustrated fists, while Jeongguk watches in awe as your entrance narrows, pleading to be stuffed.

“God, look at you.” Jeongguk groans, eyes traveling from your glistening pussy to the state of your overall servile form.

He places one hand on your hip, fingers digging into the skin there, as he inches just the slightest bit forward, his dick slowly pushing into you. Your mouth parts at the sensation and you shakily prop yourself up onto your elbows, head falling forward with a moan. “So fucking needy, huh.” He goads when you attempt to meet him in the middle, subtly backing up against his pelvis.

“No,” You shake your head as if it's some sort of lie, as if you haven't been thinking about this moment since you stepped over the doorsill of Jeongguk’s apartment earlier. And your boyfriend laughs—he actually laughs—a maniacal, derisive sound that rings in your ears.

“There's no need to deny it, baby.” He drawls like smooth liquor hitting the back of your throat, a silky succour that, for some reason, has you dumbly nodding along. Because Jeongguk’s entering you more now, his dick fighting against the tight restraint of your heat, and you're too distracted by the feeling of it to fully comprehend what he's saying.

“I mean,” He continues, reaching down between your legs to gather the wetness clinging to your folds before he bends over your back, lips brushing against the shell of your ear. “You’d think you've never been fucked a day in your life.” He murmurs, bringing his slick fingers to your level of sight.

You flush instantly, burning at the way your arousal dwells on Jeongguk's digits and forms a translucent web when he parts them into a V shape. “I can't help it,” You breathe shamefully, about to protest that it's his fault for letting you go so long without attention, for not taking care of your sexual needs and making you this susceptible to moments of depravity, when Jeongguk fully entrenches himself into your heat without so much as a warning.

“Aah,” Your jaw slackens at the sudden stretch of his length against your walls, the sensation so unfairly delicious you find yourself clenching around the intrusion with a gasp, and your boyfriend uses the opportunity to stuff his letch-laiden fingers into your mouth.

“Clean them.” He grunts, lazily rocking forward and you choke back a moan, mouth instantly closing around his fingers. Head full of clouds, pussy filled to the brim, you obey. Your tongue licks up the juices stuck to his slim digits, gliding sensually across each one with care, and you vaguely hear Jeongguk curse below his breath, hips grinding into your core. “Fuck, just like that, angel.” He praises, allowing you to suck them clean for a few more seconds before he pulls them from your lips altogether with a lewd pop.

“Such a good girl,” He murmurs lovingly, pressing a singular kiss to your shoulder blade before he straightens to his full height behind you. “Always so perfect for me.”

Jeongguk's hands find your ass again and he gives the supple flesh a few gentle squeezes, savouring the way you whine in response.

“Please,” Your words come out embarrassingly broken and wretched, heart hammering in your chest with want, as you peek at Jeongguk over your shoulder. “Please, no more teasing. Just fuck me.”

“What do you think I'm doing?” Jeongguk asks, eyebrow raised, voice harbouring a hue of cockiness. He withdraws his thick length from your warm embrace at an agonizingly slow rate before thrusting right back in, repeating the motion steadily. “I'm fucking you right now, aren't I?”

You want to cry, your need to come so severe, it's starting to physically hurt.

Your fingers leave deep indents in the couch as you tackle the burning coals of frustration setting every inch of your body on fire. “M-More,” You stammer, feeling a pearl of arousal trickle down your thigh. You're so turned on right now, your mind an empty haze as Jeongguk edges you into oblivion, cunt so wet, you can barely feel the brush of his shaft against your walls anymore. “I need more.”

Jeongguk grins, feels the crown of his cock brush against a particular soft spot, and then decides to give you what you want. Because he loves it when you beg, when you become a blubbering mess beneath him, so cock-hungry, you forget yourself.

Without a moment's pause, Jeongguk pounds into you with unbridled vigour. His hips slap against your ass, the sound echoing throughout the room, and your body jerks forward at the impact. Your core is so drenched he's able to enter you with little resistance now. Emitting a rough, throaty groan, he fixates on how your creamy arousal coats his cock, disappearing in and out of your cunt.

“F-Fuck,” You hiss, your hand reaching back to firmly grip Jeongguk’s wrist for support, but he takes advantage of your extended arm and yanks you up until your back is pressed to his chest.

The new position gives him better access to your front and Jeongguk ghosts a hand around your waist without a second thought, smooths it down your stomach until he reaches your clit. Your body jolts the instant his fingers make contact with the swollen bud, legs quivering with the strength it's taking you to stay upright.

Your boyfriend notices your struggle and hooks his other arm around your waist, his fingertips holding you so tightly you won't be surprised if some bruises appear there tomorrow.

“Fuck, I've missed this.” He rasps, more to himself than you, whilst drilling against your g-spot. But the words affect you just the same as your pussy tightens in response, squeezing him into a death grip, and Jeongguk's hips stutter. “Jesus,” He groans, making a mental effort to stave off his own orgasm, trying to focus solely on you.

You really are going to be the death of him.

He breathes heavily through his nostrils before starting up again, slowly driving into you and his cock burrows so deep, you swear you can feel it in your uterus.

His fingers skim over your clit, tracing the nub ever so slightly because you're starting to flinch from his touch, starting to grow sensitive. And when your head falls back against his shoulder, a choked whine forcing its way out your throat, Jeongguk knows that you're close.

“You gonna come for me?” Jeongguk's lips brush against your temple, his hand deserting your pussy in sympathy to knead your breasts instead. You feel his thumb run over your nipple, static lightning steamrolling across your skin with each sweep.

“I-ah!” You can barely form a coherent sentence, the inklings of even one lucid thought slipping from your empty, fucked out mind as Jeongguk slams into you. He's setting a brutal pace, the noise of skin-against-skin undeniably obscene, but you can hardly find the will to care when the muscles in your abdomen begin to tense. They twist up like a clockwork toy, winding and winding, until Jeongguk hits a particular spot that makes your toes curl, and then you're coming undone for the second time tonight, knees buckling with the sheer force of your orgasm.

It hits you like a freight train, your body spasming. White dots of euphoria blur your vision, the pleasure so blinding, and Jeongguk's hold around your midsection is the only reason you don't collapse right there onto the couch.

“That's it, baby.” He reveres, hips never ceasing their movements even as your walls contract sporadically, determined to fuck you through it. An uncannily pornstar moan spills from your lips, mind and body having finally plunged into the silvery, stormy torrents of your climax, and the strangled sound causes something impossibly primal to rupture within Jeongguk. It thrashes at his chest like a wild caged animal, demanding release, and he recognizes the feeling all too well.

“You're mine, right? ” He finds himself grunting, voice husky with strain. The hand that was attending to your boobs instinctively ascends to your throat, squeezing slightly as he chases his own high, gives in to that grueling streak of possessiveness that only every rears its head when he has you like this—naked and vulnerable—and you groan at the familiar pressure.

You hum, walls clenching around him. “Only yours.” Your own hand reaches up, cuffing around his wrist for support as a tremor runs down your spine.

Jeongguk feels his balls tighten, the knowledge that he’s the sole witness to this side of you, so subservient and docile, sets him off the deep end.

Then you angle your head to the side, joining your lips with his. It's a messy, sloppy kiss, but the intimacy of it all causes Jeongguk's last bit of composure to crack.

He spills into you with a groan, the sound muffled by your mouth, as he rocks forward until every last drop of his seed is snug within your warmth.

The feeling of his cum bursting inside of you, length twitching, causes your pussy to flutter by reflex, milking Jeongguk of every ounce of cum, only suspending their contractions once he's thoroughly depleted.

By the end, you're both a heaving mess; chests rising and falling in unison as you come down, the electric current pulsing through your bodies fading into a comfortable hum.

Your skin is still buzzing, head befuddled, when Jeongguk presses a few lazy kisses across your shoulder—as if to ground you, to bring you back from the constellations he's painted behind your eyes.

“You were so good, baby.” He commends, smoothing the hair at the side of your profile and you can't help the soft, but dopey smile that breaks out onto your face then.

“I've been dreaming about that for forever.” You murmur, submitting to the assault of his lips. Your boyfriend chuckles in return, nuzzling your neck as he commits the smell of your skin, an alluring scent of sex and lavender, to his memory.

“Me too,” He hums, thumb gliding gently across the contour of your waist. Your sensitive pussy throbs at the light touch, rousing from the stimulation; which only reminds you of the unpleasant remnants of arousal coating your inner thighs.

As if reading your mind, Jeongguk whispers against your skin. “Let's get you cleaned up, okay?”

He eyes your figure carefully, waiting for any hint of consent before he leaves you here alone.

You manage to muster a nod and then feel his dick slip from your entrance a second later, withdrawing in a way that makes you cringe and leaves you feeling oddly empty.

“I’ll be right back.” He assures, his lips quickly, but comfortingly, brushing against your hairline. Thereafter, from your peripheral, you see Jeongguk detach himself from your side, pulling his pants back up as he disappears into the bathroom to do what he does best—take care of you.

In the meantime, you resist the temptation to slump back onto the sofa, feeling a hefty load of cum leaking down your thighs. Every muscle in your body feels relaxed, those sparks from earlier sizzling down into sleepy, smoky remnants that weigh you down. Mind a dazed mess, not sure of how much time has passed, you almost give in—the slumber you so desperately sought out at the beginning of the night finally settling into your bones—when Jeongguk walks back into the living room. He's changed into a pair of briefs and is carrying a wet cloth, as well as, a small tube of ointment.

Your body instantly perks up, a little rejuvenated by his presence.

“Hey,” Jeongguk murmurs once he's back in your close vicinity, fingers brushing against your cheeks as he peers down at you with a soft smile.

“Hey,” You tiredly grin back, pointing a finger at the items in his hand. “Those for me?”

Jeongguk hums, draping an arm around your waist to steady you. If you had the energy to freshen yourself up, you honestly would but currently, you can barely keep your eyes open. So instead you lean on your boyfriend—figuratively and literally—clutching onto his biceps as he brings the warm cloth to your nether regions. You hiss a little at the contact, still feeling delicate down there, but Jeongguk handles you with a gentle mindfulness that makes your heart swell. Makes you think back to a little over an hour ago, when you were alone in bed unable to fall asleep because he wasn't there.

And sometimes it worries you. How much you need him. How much something as simple and basic as sleep, needs the warmth of his touch to make its mark on you. How much you’ve grown to love him in the span of a few months, your life endlessly orbiting around him like the earth to the sun. How much the deepest crevices of your soul, where the vile fear of abandonment and instinctual desire to run, relinquish themselves to the light of Jeongguk’s unconditional love.

You watch him toss the used washcloth to the side before unscrewing the top of the ointment. Sigh; as his fingers, tender with purpose, apply dabs of vitamin K salve to your hips where the marks from his fingertips are starting to surface. “Shit, I'm so sorry baby.” He apologizes, the raspy, hushed tone of his voice communicating how guilt-ridden he feels. “I didn't mean to be this rough.”

And, you've never known a love like this. One that rustles through your hair like the wind on the drive down to your parents. One that meets you in the dead of winter between classes, wrapped up in coats and scarves, and coffee as the snow falls. One that kisses you goodnight, hands cupping your cheeks while the street lamps flicker outside.

One that dresses all your bruises.

It makes you want to run in the opposite direction every now and then, fleeing until you forget that you ever knew it could be this good, this safe.

But, staring at Jeongguk and the careful, intricate way he's massaging ointment onto all your black-and-blues, you bury these trepidations away, laying them to rest in the one place they belong—the past.

Because yes, you’ve never had this sort of love before—the seriousness, the commitment.

The emptied-out drawers for your clothes.

The spare toothbrush at his place.

The conversations of a future together—the clear line being crossed from fling to forever.

Even though it's a concept so scary and unfamiliar, and foreign to you—you never want to let it go.

You never want to let him go.

[beachbxtchforev]

Stagecoach Diary

your friends had organized the perfect weekend, but you’re forced to share a space with your enemy Drew.

pairing: Drew Starkey x fem!reader

word count: 1.6k

warnings: 18+, smut, oral (fem! receiving), curse words, close proximity trope ish, enemies to lovers, slow burn

country music. the desert. drinks. friends.

you were so excited to experience your first Stagecoach. growing up, your Midwest summers were always accompanied by country radio, so the opportunity to see all of your favorite artists in one place was one you couldn’t pass on. Maddie organized the whole thing; plane tickets, festival passes, and a gorgeous house just outside of the festival grounds.

it was also your first time traveling with your group of friends.

when you guys finally arrived at the airbnb, Maddie explained how she planned the sleeping arrangements. her and Carlacia in one bedroom, Madison and Mariah in another, Chase and Austin sharing, and you in a room by yourself. your single room had a catch, however. Drew, who was sleeping on the air mattress, would need to use the bathroom attached to your room since it was closest to the bonus area that was being makeshifted into a bedroom for him.

while you wouldn’t think this would be a big deal, it was.

you and Drew were not friends. you could probably be classified as acquaintances, mutuals maybe, but definitely not friends. and you really don’t know why you guys aren’t close. when you were first introduced to the friend group, he smiled, introduced himself and then acted as if you didn’t exist. you deemed him as rude and childish, wondering what you did in five minutes to push him away.

so, it became mutual. neither of you communicated and you made an awkward tension for the rest of the group.

“y/n is that okay? I know it’s not ideal but it was the best house available for the weekend” Maddie reasoned with you, treading lightly to test out your feelings regarding the living situation.

“yes, totally fine! Drew and I are adults, we can share a space for the weekend” you said, convincing her that you were brushing off your differences for the time being. which was partially true, as long as you didn’t really have to interact, it wasn’t a problem.

you roll your bag to your room, eager to start getting ready since it’s Friday morning, tonight being the first of the festival.

Maddie hired a glam team for the girls, so really all you needed was to put together an outfit. researching Stagecoach beforehand, you noticed it was a major fashion event among influencers and celebrities. you have a small following just from being associated with the cast, so you know you had to do it big.

you opted for a sheer tie front tank, lace midi skirt, chunky belt, and boots. given that the festival is multiple days, you can really experiment with different styles.

thankfully, the girls and guys had separated for this part of the process, so you and Drew weren’t running into any problems regarding sharing the bathroom. the boys moved to the backyard of the house, getting their drinking started early and playing corn hole while you girls gathered in the living room with the professionals.

after doing some professional photos out back and inside, it was time for the group to head to the festival. you were tipsy from the pregame, swaying and singing on your walk over, hand in hand with Maddie and Carlacia. the group laughed and giggled at you guys, taking some candid photos and videos that you know are bound to make it in the photo dump.

you guys had VIP passes, but stopped frequently to talk with fans, get drinks, and make sure the group was still together. finally, Morgan Wallen came onto main stage and had you singing and dancing your little heart out. what you didn’t notice in your drunken moments was the fact that Drew couldn’t keep his eyes off of you all night. the way you moved your arms to reach for one of the girls, the way your hips swayed when you danced, especially because of your cheeky bottoms. he became infatuated by you, the way he always had been.

the show was over and you guys made your way back to the house. you had sobered up a lot by now and were ready to get in the shower to wash the day’s dirt off of you. walking into your bedroom, you gather your things for a hot shower. you didn’t realize that the bathroom door didn’t close all of the way when you stripped to get under the water.

the mix of the warmth and pressure instantly relaxed you as the water pelted your sore body. so relaxed that behind the noise of the water running, you couldn’t hear Drew knocking on your bedroom door and ultimately letting himself in when you didn’t answer.

you also didn’t notice that he caught a glimpse of you behind the clear glass wall of the shower through the crack in the bathroom door. he couldn’t tear his eyes away, even if he tried. you were lathering soap on your body, running your hands over your chest and down your arms. he could feel himself growing in his pants at the sight of your simple movements, and it wasn’t until he dropped his shampoo on the ground that you noticed his presence.

“Drew?” you gasped, “how long have yo-“

“sorry! sorry, I-“ he quickly put his head down, trying to grab the bottle off the floor, flustered.

he finally picked up his things, about to turn and leave when he hears your voice, “wait!”

he doesn’t know where to look when he turns back around, awkwardly acknowledging the fact that you just caught him staring at you naked and he’s fully clothed.

“you can get in if you want to shower. I haven’t even touched my hair yet and I will probably take forev-“ you start rambling, but notice he has now stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. you watch closely as he begins to remove his clothes, biting your lip when he starts to reveal himself.

you don’t know what you were thinking when you offered to let him in the shower with you, but you were enjoying the view. when he steps out of his jeans, you see his cock for the first time and wonder if you have ever seen one prettier than his. it’s hard, and long, probably due to the fact that he has been looking at your boobs for the last five minutes and imaging the rest of your wet body.

you make room for him when he steps into the stall. “hi” you say sheepishly, as it comes out in a whisper. it felt like if you used your full voice it would pull you out of the moment.

he grins down at you, instantly relieving you of any awkwardness that could be happening. his eyes scan down your body, “you’re so beautiful y/n,” he murmurs as he bring his hand up to caress your face, “and motherfuckin’ sexy too” he adds.

you giggle, shocked to hear he feels this way about you. you nuzzle your head into his palm that’s attached to your cheek, taking a step closer to him so that your nipples are grazing his abdomen. the contact makes your take a sharp inhale. you’re so wet just at his simple actions, hoping he makes a move.

his thumb swipes back and forth, tracing your cheekbone before moving over your lips. you can’t help but open your mouth, running your tongue over it and sucking.

he groans, “shit baby, you’re playing with fire,” his words making you clench your thighs as your tongue swirls around the pad of his finger.

you release it from your mouth, “and what’re you gonna do about it, Starkey?”

his response is clear when his mouth comes down on yours, teeth slightly clashing, tongues fighting for dominance. all of your built up tension coming out in a kiss. you moan into his mouth as he brings his left hand to your chest, keeping the right locked around your jaw. he pulls away as his fingers tweak your nipple, “this okay baby?” he asks to which your fiercely nod your head.

“I need words sweetheart,”

“y-yes, please. more.” you moan out.

he chuckles, “good girl” then returns his lips to your neck. you feel his tongue meet the junction between your neck and shoulder before moving lower. replacing his hand, his lips close around your left bud. sucking and nibbling, getting another moan from you before moving to the right side. your hands grip his hair, trying to keep yourself upright while letting the pleasure takeover.

his lips move lower as he gets onto his knees in front of you. ghosting over your bellybutton, he grips your right calf and swings your leg over his shoulder.

“such a pretty pussy y/n,” he says, eyes quickly glancing up to meet yours, “so wet for me baby”

“yes, all for you Drew” you respond. breathless and he hasn’t even touched you yet.

“I’m gonna taste you, okay?”

“yes, yes! please” your hand in his now wet hair pushes him toward you, waiting to feel his mouth on you.

he licks a stripe over your slit, before his tongue rubs circles against your clit. the noises coming from you encourage him to wrap his lips around your bud and suck. you swear your knees might give out.

he moves his tongue to your hole, thrusting it in in a quick motion. you let out a scream, hoping the whole house doesn’t realize what you two are doing. your back is now pushed against the glass, cold feeling good against your hot skin as he tongue fucks you. “Drew! I’m gonna cum!” you breath out.

“cum on my tongue baby, let go,” he responds ready to catch your release. your whole body jolts as the band in your lower belly snaps, gushing onto his face.

“if I would have known this is how it was going to go, I would have walked in on you a lot sooner”

-

let me know what you think! 🤍✨

[pommunist]

This is mostly gonna be just a rant but it just baffles me how everything Qstudios has done since the beginning of the admins situation is a terrible pr move. So yeah this is just gonna talk how, even if you forget the immoral and potential illegal stuff that went on, I don’t think their strategy is doing any good for the studio’s image.

-Going radio silent publicly and privately : Kinda the original sin of all this mess tbh. This obviously just leaves the space for the ex admins to share their stories, even more so since they have been ignored privately beforehand when they tried to handle things internally. This also allowed for the union to publicly intervene and more ccs talking about it, and actual news article being made on it.

-Leaving the server open : Tbh I get wanting to leave it open, maybe to allow minecraft centered ccs to still make content or maybe because it’d be weird to close it right after new people got in but also I think it would have be better to close it temporarily while they focus on the changes they promised rather than having it getting deserted little by little until it feels like a ghost town. This + also not a good look to have so many npcs online when Q said there would be none until things get better (The current npcs are likely non volunteers, once again not a bad or illegal thing per say but not a good look). Closing it would also have made it so that the reopening would have been a big and probably positive event.

-Welcoming new ccs/new languages : This might just be because of scheduling necessities or whatever and something they couldn’t do later but it still made the community go :/// to get new people while on the flip side you had parts of the fandom leaving because of what was happening. Also not great for the new arrivals to start in such a weird climate, without admins help and with few people online on the server.

-Releasing merch at the worst time possible : This might have been something they couldn’t change, just like the arrival of the Koreans/Hugo, but it still isn’t a good look for them to release egg merch after it came out that some of the egg admins were poorly treated, especially when they haven’t stated clearly that benefits from the merch would go towards paying staff. It’s also not a good look for them to release new discounts every day, barely ten days after release. (Also the Qstudios Twt account retweeting every egg figures announcement except for Pomme will never not make me laugh)

-Making the twitter updates accounts active again : Yes it may just be that they’re using a bot or that it’s the people who are in charge of the Qstudios twitter account posting on it, both of which are not wrong per say. But of course people are gonna wonder if it’s new people being hired, of course speculation will happen when there’s a lack of transparency, of course ex admins are gonna be upset when it seems like things are continuing as if nothing happened, when they were fired without a warning, a thanks or even a sorry.

And now we have the two points that are kinda in a « you fucked up so bad it’s almost funny and I almost feel bad for you guys » category

-« Hey guys out of all the people we exploited and treated poorly you know which ones we’re gonna make eat dirt the most ? Hell yeah the ones that are from a part of the world who literally have a whole cliche about them complaining and rioting for anything and everything. Also happen to be the same ones whose community we alienated for months by sidelining them. Also happen to be a community who, during this time, has grown quite close to our most active community (who are themselves quite mad at us by now) to the point that they are making memes about the two of them being in love with each other. Yeah surely this can only go well »

-« Oh no, people actually really care » : QSMP Fans in general just loved and appreciated all the work the admins did, whether they were twitter admins, builders, actors, writers… This is even more true since the situation also revealed that some admins things people have been most critical on (lore being weirdly interrupted, french being ignored…) were not these admins fault. And of course, you have the eggs admins case. How do you make viewers and ccs alike get SO attached to these kid characters, as if it was their children, while mistreating the people playing them and not expect this to blow up in your face at some point. It’s like you managed to catch lightning in a bottle and then left it to rot thinking this wouldn’t end up badly. Weirdly this one makes me kinda hopeful bc Qstudios kinda HAVE to fix it or else they lose on of their main selling points.

[eggiesins]

Sandrock Bachelorettes Being Drunk

Mild NSFW so minors DNI!

So many notes on my Bachelors headcanon post! Thank you guys so much!  Anyways, as (one) kind soul requested, here are the bachelorettes!  I did my best to capture their unique traits, but unfortunately, the dateable women in Sandrock are written more subtly (flat) than the men.  Without such extreme personalities (Elsie and Catori notwithstanding) it was much more difficult to think of unique scenarios the ladies would shine in.

Amirah

To date, no one in Sandrock has ever actually seen Amirah get drunk, and most would speculate that it’s simply something she’s never done.  Being the parentified older sibling to Arvio, she places a strong emphasis on personal responsibility.  That being said, someone get this girl a drink, please!  Of all the bachelorettes, she could probably use one the most.

But once she does decide to let loose - maybe a Fleeting Youth Tea Society meeting got out of hand - boy does she relax.  Sober Amirah scolds Arvio, Drunk Amirah goes on an hour long rant with Pablo taking notes in the background giggling with glee.  Did she mean anything she said?  Of course not, but a girl needs to vent sometimes.  She’s a very flip-flop kind of drunk, though.  Once the tipsy euphoria hits, you can bet she’s dancing around the saloon with reckless abandon, laughing at anything and everything.  Her usually reserved personality gives way to a sloppy wholesomeness and she’ll spend the night latched onto Heidi and the Builder just laughing and hugging and reminding them all just how much she loves them.

She’s gonna be extra harsh with Arvio the next day, so be prepared for him to show up at the workshop asking why his sister hates him now.

Catori

I know a lot of fans aren’t huge on Catori because of how messy she comes across.  But a struggling businesswoman, divorced with a kid, whose idea of rebuilding Sandrock means installing roller coasters in a monster-infested canyon.  That’s it.  I just love messy characters who pour their heart and soul into their dreams.

Anyway, Catori is no stranger to partying by any means.  Again, she has a kid.  She’s not exactly naive or reserved, so when she drinks, it’s really just her natural personality getting amped up a bit.  She’s pitching her latest drunken business idea to anyone and everyone in the saloon because you never know which tourist might secretly be a bazillionaire in disguise.

“Oh Builder, it’s you!  I was just looking for you!  I’ve come up with a great show idea for Catori World.  We’ll have a separate building set up with all kinds of games just for adults.  There’ll be dice and card games, and customers can put their own money on the line for a chance to win big from the house!  How exhilarating!”  “...Catori that’s a casino.  You want to build a casino.  I don’t know how well the Church would respond to something like that in Sandrock.”  “Oh Fuck the Church.  They’ll be on board as soon as they see how much profit it’ll bring in for the whole town!”  “Catori, no”

Elsie

Elsie wants to get drunk.  No one else in Sandrock wants Elsie to get drunk.  She’s already a serial prankster and a furry when sober.  Who knows how far she’ll go with no inhibitions?  She’s definitely getting drunk by sneaking into Cooper’s premium Yakmel milk supply before she knocks on Mi-an’s door at 3am dressed in a full homemade catsuit.  She’ll spend the next hour trying to make herself purr and climbing all over Mi-an’s furniture before bolting out the door to try and scare Owen as he walks home from the saloon.

Seriously, it’s like she develops super ADHD when she drinks, never focusing on anything for more than 5 seconds before something shiny catches her attention and she’s pouncing on it.  Light help her when she decides to go for a night-time horseback ride across the desert.  She’s 100% gonna wake up near Gecko station surrounded by concerned Penskies, but Logan or Larry will find her soon enough and take her home to an annoyed and frightened Cooper.  He’s been preparing her lecture for the better part of four hours.

Grace

She makes the best drinks in Sandrock, hell, in probably all of the Free Cities.  But she never seems to get drunk, ever.  Years of training and building up resistances to different poisons and intoxicants while working for the Alliance make it very difficult for her.

If the builder is dating her, though?  She’ll feel comfortable enough to let her walls down and drink plenty.  Even Grace doesn’t know what to expect from herself when she starts drinking, so strap in.  She’ll only drink heavily at home with the builder, and once she is drunk, she’s nonstop cuddling with all the pets.  Once the builder starts feeling left out and tries to join the cuddle pile, her attitude shifts drastically.

“Hey Builder?” she’ll ask, standing up to look over the builder before just grabbing the collar of their shirt and staring them dead in the eye.  

“Yeah Grace?”

“I’m gonna take your virginity now.”

“...huh?!  Grace, I’m not a virgin.  You know this.”

“I don’t care; your virginity is mine and I’m taking it.  Right now.”

Hold on for dear life, Builder.  You’re in the Light’s hands now

Heidi

Drunk Heidi is a Smash-or-Pass/Would-You-Rather/Never-Have-I-Ever goddess.  She’s quick with the prompt, and her Would You Rather questions are always the most morally or philosophically devastating you’ve ever heard.

“Builder, if me and your mom somehow switched bodies and you had to sleep with one of us to switch things back, would you rather choose your mom in my body or me in your mom’s body?”  Cue distraught Builder noises ‘cause what the fuck, man.

She is, in a word, relentless when drunk, chasing Qi around the saloon trying to get him to finally admit out loud that he’s obsessed with Gungam, making (welcomed) passes at the builder any chance she gets, and man oh man, does she have some choice words for Master Verna.  

I definitely see her as the type to get ridiculously flirty and handsy with the builder for the whole walk back to the workshop, only to immediately pass out on the couch when they get there.  

Jane

Tomorrow is gonna be a “watch a movie” day at school for the kids, Jane already knows.  She’s 6 Yakmel daiquiris deep and showing no signs of stopping.  Why does she drink like a monster?  Who knows?  Knowing why wouldn’t change the fact that she’s doing it anyway.  

She’s definitely making the Blue Moon stage hers for the night, spouting endless play renditions, sometimes switching into her regular teaching lectures, and re-enacting Old World historical events.  She’ll sit at a booth with Ernest for a while hammering out ideas for new plays and novels, maybe even how to incorporate Ernest’s novels into a creative writing lesson.

(Jane, I’m sorry your entry is short.  We don’t get to know much about you other than that you’re a teacher and an actress.)

Mi-an

Mi-an is a very nervous and kind character, so I could see her being hesitant about drinking, and especially getting drunk…at first.  As soon as the buzz and tipsiness start to kick in, it’s a whole new side to her.  She’s singing on the blue moon stage with Jane (making out with Nia in a corner), helping out Elsie with pranks, and generally indulging in shenanigans she might overthink when sober. 

I think Mi-an would actually like being drunk once she’s done it once or twice, like any gifted student as soon as they get to college.  It’s an easy way to turn off her everyday anxieties and just live in the moment.  She’s definitely still trying to fix everything around town, though.  Sober or not, this woman is determined to work herself to death.  Owen has to kick her out one night after she starts a one-woman builder cruise inside the saloon at 1am.

“Go to sleep Mi-an.”  “Owen, you don’t understand, I can fix all your wobbly tables and the sinking booth AND the shelf behind the bar in like, 5 minutes flat.  I even have the materials right here!”  “Yes, I saw you drag in a pile of scrap wood earlier when I told you no.  And what do you mean wobbly tables????”

Nia

Ah Nia, recent college graduate Nia.  She’s a party girl, through and through, but in the most wholesome way possible.  She’s the mom friend who may be just as plastered as everyone around her, but will still be handing out snacks and water bottles for everyone else.  Elsie passed out and needs to be carried home?  Who knows when Nia started hitting the gym like Pen, but she’s on it.  She may be drunk too, but she knows what she’s doing and how to work around it.  We see in the game that she’s more than capable of handling herself, from scaring Yan so badly he flat out begged the builder to keep her away from him, to dungeon diving with the likes of Logan and the builder as well.  Sure, she’s incredibly sweet and bubbly, but there’s a lot of depth to Nia that doesn’t get explored anywhere near enough.  If the builder isn’t romancing her, she’s definitely making out with Mi-an in a corner.  Girl’s got builder fever, something FIERCE.

Venti

Strongest babygirl vibes of any character in the game, and she’s got the least amount of content of any romanceable townie, tragic.  Tragedy is really the name of the game when it comes to Venti, well, for literally everyone BUT Venti.  Her relentless optimism is only gonna get amplified when she starts drinking.  She made it to Sandrock, she’s got a steady job with people she likes, the town is recovering and Venti is alive.  And she’s gonna enjoy being alive to the fullest she can.  Sober Venti tends to fade into the background, but Drunk Venti?  Try and find a way to not think about how amazing she is, I dare you.

She’s dancing, absolutely stoked over getting all the “fancy” drinks and foods at the saloon, and if she’s dating the builder, she’s gushing about how happy she is with them.  Be careful, though.  Venti may seem the impossible optimist through and through, but that may be more an issue with her simply never acknowledging her trauma rather than having processed it healthily and come out happier.  If she drinks too much, be ready for that happy drunk mask to drop and reveal someone who has buried their sadness so deeply they have no idea how to handle it should it come bubbling to the surface.  So, just focus on having her drink lots of water & get to bed early, then find a good therapist in the morning.

Thanks so much again guys!  Let me know if you have any headcanon ideas you’d like me to write on.  My ask is always open!

[ryin-silverfish]

JTTW Discord Summer Contest Entry: South Seas Sojourn

AO3 Mirror

-In collaboration with the amazing @ejaysstuff, who did the art!

-I'd say "This is mostly me nerding out about folklore", except that sums up all my recent one-shots.

-An LMK fanfic about Wukong going on a vacation, set between S3 and S4. 

---

"I'm going on a vacation!"

Before anyone in the noodle shop could let out a groan or a cry of "Again?!", Sun Wukong immediately added, "And you are coming too, MK. I ain't leaving my disciple out of the fun, not after, well, everything."

"But it's okay to leave me out of the fun?" Mei sulked, as she tried to make the tea inside her cup rise up, yet only created a little ripple. 

"Hey, I'm not the one who signed you up for that internship at your uncle's place." Sun Wukong said. "But maybe we can drop by once we are done! Take a break from the heat in the cool air of the North Sea."

"Yeah, the nice, cool, sub-zero-degree air of the arctic zone..." Mei sighed. "Don't wanna beat on that dead horse, but I'm so, so sick of icy stuff."

"Aw, bummers. Guess you won't be a fan of my new tea recipe, then." Sandy poked his head out from inside the kitchen. MK could hear ice cubes clinking inside a glass, and so did Mei, since she perked up within seconds and looked like she was on the verge of backflipping over the counter.

"Sandy, Sandy my man, I'll never not be a fan of your tea recipe!" 

"Uh, where are we even going?" MK asked, in between the sound of icy lemon tea being slurped through a twisty straw. "Don't get me wrong, I'm super duper up to it! But Mr. Tang had been complaining non-stop on MeChat about Pigsy's decision to drag him to Chang'e's virtual concert during summer break, where every major tourist spot is packed with kids. I hope we are going somewhere...quieter, that's all."

"Oh, no worries. It won't be deserted, but it ain't gonna be nearly as crowded." Sun Wukong paused, striking a pose. "We are going to the South Seas, bud!"

"...Where?" MK and Mei asked in unison, drowning out Sandy's faint "Wait, like, Guanyin's place?".

"Out south. In the oceans. Duh." 

"That explains nothi——"

"And no, my big blue friend, I won't be knocking on her doors at Potaloka unless someone needs saving! She's gonna be real busy in the next few weeks anyways." Sun Wukong continued. "For you less geographically gifted kids: it's where Lion City and Betel City are. Ring any bells?"

Mei made an "Oooo" noise. "You mean the place with the mermaid lion? Man, I was so disappointed when I found out it wasn't a real critter working for the South Sea Dragons." 

"I still have no idea what you are talking about!" 

"Ah well, MK, you'll be finding out soon enough." Sun Wukong said. "So go give your Dadsy a holler, and start packing up! We'll be leaving next week or the week after that, depending on when Nezha gets off work." A pause. "Yeah, he's coming too."

...

"We aren't really going on a vacation, are we?" MK asked, as he dragged his luggage up the creaky wooden walkway near the Megapolis harbor beach. 

Dangit, who knew that mosquito repellent and sunscreen could weigh so much? (Tang and Pigsy were very adamant about the importance of taking enough of these, once they heard the news over MeChat.)

"What makes you think that?" Sun Wukong replied, swishing his tail at the daring seagulls who kept trying to peck it. 

"Well, last time you said you were going on a vacation, you weren't really telling the truth." MK let out a nervous chuckle. "And Nezha's coming too. I don't know him all that well, but he doesn't sound like the kind of guy who'll, uh, join in on the fun just because?"

"Yeah. Sorry again, MK," he sighed. "But you are half-right. It's not a complete vacation, and more of a vacation-slash-summer school, slash-free exposure therapy..."

"What was that last part?"

"Nothing!" Sun Wukong exclaimed cheerfully. "Basically, you are gonna learn how to be a god, MK."

"I——WHAT?!"

"Relax, bud! It's not as serious as you think." A pause. "How do I put it...hmm, it's like being a hero, but more down-to-earth. Where, instead of people asking you to save them from big bad demons, they are asking you to solve their personal problems."

"Like?"

"Win lottery tickets. And discipline their kids for them."

"Speak for yourself."  

A familiar voice echoed through the evening air. The next second, in a blaze of pink fire, the Third Lotus Prince was standing tall on his wheels, his sash flowing in the wind. 

"Oooh, what did I just hear? Good ol' Brother Nezha, Electro-Techno Third Prince, The Other God You Go To For Lottery Tickets, acting all uppity and serious!" Sun Wukong stuck his tongue out at the new arrival. "Nice entrance, by the way. Very flashy." 

"You know very well I don't answer every desperate addict who doesn't know when to quit, nor do I play games of chance for fun! I play them to win!" Nezha retorted. "Also, thanks for the compliment, Great Sage."

"You are welcome, Laodi."

"Are we really going on a vacation to...help people gamble?" MK nervously raised a hand. "Isn't that, like, against the law?"

"Goodness, what have you been telling your disciple before my arrival? No, what have you left out?" Nezha groaned. "Well, since your mentor clearly hasn't explained our goals properly, I suppose I'll have to substitute for him. Again."

"Hey! Professor Sun is getting to it, Teaching Assistant Nezha——"

"In the next week, we shall be visiting and staying in multiple cities of the South Seas. Now that my true body isn't guarding the Samadhi Fire, I can finally start answering the more tricky prayers," Nezha sighed, "Which will only continue to pile up, since the Seventh Month is imminent."

"Seventh Month?" MK asked, reaching into his pocket with one hand. "But it's August the third already! Lemme check the calendar again..."

"Lunar Seventh Month. Also known as the Ghost Month." Nezha shot a look at Sun Wukong, his expression a mix between annoyance and slight concern. "Someone has picked a great time and place to take his student on a trip."

"What could I say? It sure is less depressing than Qingming nowadays. And they won't fine you for burning paper effigies in the South Seas, or so I've heard!"

"I…no matter." Nezha's look softened a bit, but not by much. "Back to what I was saying. Once the gates of the Underworld open, all the spirits will come out, go visit their families, enjoy the offerings as much as they can under the watch of Dashi Ye, Lady Guanyin's ghostly manifestation."

"We'll be assisting him, much like my brother and all the local gods. Keeping order, giving directions, and all that. In between these shifts, I’ll finally get to perform my duties in my actual physical body instead of the youthful manifestations mortals expect to see, and your mentor is free to monkey around with you and his worshippers at his own temples. All clear?"

"So we are gonna be, like, tour guides and security, but for dead people?" MK asked. "That doesn't…sound too bad, actually! Also, you have a brother, Nezha?"

"No, I pop out of a rock, just like your master." Nezha said flatly, then added, "Goodness, I wish. Muzha can be a bit much, but he's a lot more bearable while on the job, so no worries."

"Someone's getting jealous again, I see," Sun Wukong reached over to pat him on the head, and received an annoyed glare. "Oh, and don't let Nezha's sour attitude fool you, MK. We are still on a vacation, it ain't gonna be all work and no play! And the work won't start until several days later, so we'll have plenty of time."

…

This didn't seem like a great start for our vacation, MK thought. 

Okay, it did, for about three minutes, after they got off the somersault cloud. 

The palm trees were swaying in the wind, the two-story buildings with red-tiled roofs were glowing under the tropical sun, and Nezha reluctantly glamoured a lotus-patterned T-shirt and some baggy pants over his armor after rejecting Sun Wukong's more outlandish suggestions ("You should totally change your wheels into flaming flip-flops!"). Not a single dangerous, vacation-ruining, world-destroying threat in sight.

Then a giant rain cloud appeared out of nowhere, driving most of the crowd indoors and leaving the unfortunate ones seeking shelter under the nearest rooftops and bus stations. 

Not that it helped much——MK felt like he was standing behind the waterfall at Flower Fruit Mountain again, as raindrops slammed into the ground with a fury and created splashes of watery mists.

"Okay, Nezha, Did you anger the local dragons again?" Sun Wukong asked, holding the monkey-hair-turned-umbrella over MK's head.

"Nonsense! Not even the East Sea ones hold a grudge for this long, and I've never seen a South Sea dragon other than their king," Nezha said, then added, "and my brother's co-worker. Are you sure you have a temple nearby?"

"Eh, maybe. I saw a bunch of faith beacons up there, all clustered together." Sun Wukong shrugged. "Some of these have to be mine."

"Have to be yours? Oh, that's rich, coming from someone who hasn't visited the South Seas in person since the 19th century——"

"And they still love me, bud. Deal with it."

"Um, what's a faith beacon?" MK wiped the water droplets off his phone screen with one thumb, trying and failing to steer his luggage away from the puddles. "I'm not seeing any on CloudMap."

"Well, you won't, unless you are a patron god of IT workers or some other technology-related stuff!" Sun Wukong said. "How do I put it, hmmm…after people have prayed to you for a while, offered enough incense, you can just sense the places they are doing it at. Usually, it looks like a beam or a glowy aura, but some gods can smell or hear it too."

"Wow, that's so cool! It's like a mystical VR goggle. Is it something you can learn, though?"

"Look, I'm glad that you are doing your job as a mentor, but can we please get some actual directions?" Nezha sighed. "Temples here aren't always their own separate buildings. I've been summoned inside too many HDB flats to count, and you won't know that by looking at the beacons alone."

"We are heading in that direction right now. It'll get clearer once I get closer to the place. So be patient, will ya'?"

"Well, isn't that just the most reassuring answer I've ever heard. 'We'll get there when we get there'." Nezha muttered, as the group took a turn into a narrow side street, ducking below the swaying lanterns and multilingual shop signs. "Just so you know, if the rain doesn't stop and we don't get there in two hours, I'm dragging both of you onto a bus and to my temple instead."

"Why, you three sound like you are lost! Need a tour guide?"

Abruptly, a high-pitched, child-like voice resounded through the torrential rain, coming out of the alleyway to their left. MK turned to look at the speaker—

—and stared straight into the lifeless glowing eyes of a chalk-faced monstrosity, its red tongue hanging out of its mouth.

With a scream, his staff was out, and in a split second, connected with the thing's head and sent it flying into the nearest wall. It slid off the yellowed concrete, landed with a splash, then went completely still. 

A spiderweb crack was spreading across its porcelain mask——Oh goodness, it's a puppet, which was somehow even worse.

"Ah. The answer is 'No', it seems."

He nearly extended the staff and hit the puppet again when it spoke, had Sun Wukong not dashed forth and, in one swift motion, dragged a pale specter out of it by the robe collar.

"Glad to see you again, Xiao Xie!" He grinned in a rather dangerous way, like what Mr. Tang said non-intelligent monkeys really meant when they bore their teeth. "Is there any particular reason why you are jumpscaring my student in broad daylight, or do you just have nothing better to do?"

"Yes, because this one knows it will happen!" The specter, still in Sun Wukong's grip, said in a cheerfully oblivious voice. “The vision caught this one by surprise too. It's not every day that you see the Great Sage's golden staff approaching your face at lethal speed, especially when you have done nothing to offend him. Good thing this one did not come in his contractor's body!"

Behind them, Nezha let out a groan. "Oh joy, it's these two clowns again."

"W-W-What the heck just happened?! And what's THAT?" MK pointed at the specter. Outside of that creepy puppet, it just looked like a lanky, unnaturally pale youth in an oversized mandarin jacket and a tall hat.

Before Nezha could answer, another sullen voice cut him off.

"You knew you'd get smacked in the face if you came, so naturally, you possessed the creepiest vessel you could find and headed straight in this direction." The air suddenly got a lot colder. "I don't need precognition to know you deserve to be smacked at this point."

The water in a nearby puddle rippled. Okay, technically, it never stopped rippling because of the rain, but this one was a lot bigger, as if something was about to crawl out.

MK took a step back. Seconds later, the murky water turned inky black, rising up into the air and coalescing into the form of a short, stern-faced kid, wearing the same clothings as the pale specter, except they were all black-colored.

"Darn right, Lao—" Sun Wukong paused, as he turned and took a closer look at the newcomer. "Xiao Fan? Huh, didn't expect to see this you here. Not that I'm complaining."

"I'm absolutely complaining." The kid replied. "Our main souls have been attending one meeting after another at Fengdu since the Ivory Lady Incident, which is why I'm currently on," He shot a pointed look at his ghostly companion, "babysitting duty. You gonna smack him or not? Cause I won't mind if you do, Great Sage."

"Aww, really, Xiao Fan? You, of all people, should know that everything this one sees will happen, even if he doesn't know how or why. Since trying to avoid a future is the best way to unknowingly make it come true, this one can only try to soften the impacts and minimize the risks."

"By making sure you would, one-hundred-percent, get hit in the face by someone?" Fan snorted. "Way to go, brother."

"By making sure that staff wasn't slamming into this one's soul, or a flesh-and-blood vessel!" Xie replied. "And the mission is a success! Only a single puppet is harmed."

Nezha threw his hands up in the air. "How did you manage to be even more annoying and nonsensical than your main soul?"

"Welcome to my fucking un-life." Fan mumbled.

"Um, hello?" MK waved awkwardly. "Have you guys suddenly started speaking in some sort of secret code mid-conversation, cause I don't understand a single word you just said."

"Gosh! Sorry, bud," Sun Wukong finally let go of Xie's collars (now that MK thought about it, how did you even grab a ghost's collars? Mystic Monkey Magic at play again?) "Get a bit carried away there."

He pointed at the two specters. "Meet the Heibai Wuchang. The ghost cops, or rather, parts of them. Remember your hair clones? Xiao Xie and Xiao Fan here are kinda like that, but with their souls."

"T-The ghost cops?" MK squirmed. The downpour had become a light drizzle, but he still felt chilly, and it wasn't because his T-shirt sleeves and socks were now soaked. "Like…the ones you see when you are about to die?"

"Don't worry, bud! They aren't here to take any of us away. I think." Sun Wukong narrowed his eyes slightly, "and even if they were, I'd like to see them try."

"Nah. Not a chance. This one still values his un-life—"

"Yeah? Then apologizing to my student and stop wandering around in that thing will be a good start!"

"—so yes, he is very sorry for the distress he caused, young one. The 'wandering around in possessed objects' part, though, is perfectly legal, and this one still has to take the puppet back to his temple, so sorry, no can do."

"You have a temple now?" Sun Wukong let out a chuckle of disbelief. "You two?"

"You really haven't been around here in a while, have you, Great Sage?" Nezha said. "Yes, unfortunately. It's a new South Seas trend, and I hope it stays where it is."

"Our main altar here is still inside the City God's temple. But there are more temples dedicated to us alone, across the strait." Fan said. "And I'm obligated to inform you that all deities who visit the South Seas in their true bodies instead of using clones or astral projections must notify the local City God's temple beforehand, or submit the relevant paperwork immediately after arrival."

"Hmm, and if I don't?" Sun Wukong raised an eyebrow. "What are you gonna do?"

"Other than following you around and staring at you judgmentally? Nothing substantial." Fan said, before sighing deeply. "But if you can at least pretend to respect us and not treat Underworld officials like the complete pushovers we are, we'd really appreciate it."

Sun Wukong hollered at that. "Y'know what? I think I'll do just that, since this you are a lot cuter and not a raging jerk!"

"You know my main soul can hear you, right?"

"Exactly." Sun Wukong grinned. Unlike a few minutes ago, it was a lot less tense. "So lead the way, Xiao Fan!"

…

When MK heard the whole…ghost temple thing, he was expecting skeletons, eerie lighting, spooky stuff.

Okay, some of the statues and puppets were still creepy. Same for the possessions. 

Sure, the ghost cops had explained that they had human "contractors" who'd let them possess their bodies willingly, after signing a lengthy form where all the risks and duties are spelled out clearly.

But when he thought of possessions, the only images that came to mind was LBD's host, shaking like she was in the middle of winter again despite sitting inside the safe, cozy confines of Pigsy's Noodles. And Sun Wukong's golden eyes glowing frost blue, devoid of all warmth and emotions.

Well, better get used to it now. Gonna see a lot more ghosts once the…summer school part of the vacation-slash-summer school starts.

MK took a deep breath and began to make his way back through the corridors, a small incense burner in hand. The exterior of the temple was dated and slightly out of place, sitting beneath towering skyscrapers and surrounded by neatly trimmed park lawn.

Past the main hall and the altar room behind it, however, the place could be mistaken for any modern office building. Or the background of a Monkey Cop episode, except the cops were all ghosts and the monkey was filling in the divine equivalent of a customs form.

"There, done." Sun Wukong said, putting the pen down, "Right in the nick of time! For real, though, couldn't you ghosts just burn the paperwork together with the rest of the effigies?"

"And get them stuck beneath a mountain of sports cars, or whatever insane vehicles people decide to send to their ancestors nowadays? No thanks." 

As he handed the incense burner over to Sun Wukong, who crumpled the form into a ball and tossed it inside, MK caught a glimpse of a dark blue aura, enveloping the handle of the back door before it opened on its own. Two more uniformed ghosts hovered in, telekinetically carrying multiple pitched paper objects.

"Speak of the devil…" Fan turned towards his partner, who was leaning leisurely against a wall. "This year's bunch are already coming in, and if you bothered working with a contractor today, you better put that physical body to good use and start helping!"

"Alright, alright, This one hears you." Xie yawned, then walked over and grabbed the floating effigies. "Hmmm, no helicopters or private jets this year? That's a bit disappointing."

"Well, Mr. Chow sent a pretty big table, boss. We don't think it's gonna fit through the backdoor, so we left it in the park pavilion."

"Excuse me?" MK perked up. At last, a chance to do something instead of just standing there and watching awkwardly. "Do you need something resized? Cause I have just the power for that!"

…

"Y'know, I was wondering what's so special about a table," Sun Wukong poked his head out from behind the door frame, trying very hard to suppress the giggles, "or why they'd make a live-sized one in the first place. Now I get it." 

"Kudos for dedication, I guess?" MK shrugged. "I'm sure their loved ones would, uh, appreciate the gift down there."

With a snap of his fingers, the paper Mahjong table returned to its original size, drastically reducing the remaining space inside the storage room. 

Yeah, the "craft" part of "Arts & Crafts" wasn't really his strong suit, but a piece this detailed and lovingly crafted? It probably took weeks to make. And cost more than an actual Mahjong table.

"Are you two done admiring the beauty of that absurd object? Can we please leave and go somewhere else now?" Nezha's muffled complaint came from the corridors. “It's raining outside again, and if we don't hurry——"

"Even if you do hurry, this one doubts you will be able to get any further than the bus stop, in the two minutes it shall take for the drizzle to become a downpour once more." Xie said, then tossed the last stack of golden joss paper into the storage room.

"Great! Wonderful! Yeah, I'm just looking forward to spending more time with you and your clowns-in-training." Nezha snarked. "How will we ever get anywhere in life without your nifty short-term prophecies?"

"Hey hey, Nezha, chill out. A dash of salt is good n' all, but you are getting spicy over there." Sun Wukong said. "But, speaking of ways to pass the time during a rainy day…"

There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, as he turned to look at Xie. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Judging by what this one just saw? Yes."

"Great! Come here, bud, I have something that will make our stay a lot less boring."

Sun Wukong beckoned MK over, back into the big guest room, then pulled out a tuft of hair. Seconds later, an actual Mahjong table landed squarely on the floor with a thud, complete with chairs and Mahjong sets, followed by an "Ohoho, lovely!" and two simultaneous shouts.

"Seriously? Don't set a bad example for your student!"

"Don't you dare corrupt our guests, Xiao Xie!"

"Please, this one is just joining in on the fun. Our guests have no problem 'corrupting' themselves, so to speak!"

"Oh, c'mon, it's not gambling if you aren't betting actual money!” Sun Wukong exclaimed. "It's like poker, but…for old people. Right, MK?"

"Um, one problem: I don't know how to play Mahjong! Or poker!" MK said, scratching his head. "The only card game I know is Uno."

"Great! You can just learn it on the fly, then, under the watchful eyes of Professor Sun and Teaching Assistant Nezha!"

"No way, Great Sage. I'm not helping you lure your student astray into a potential lifetime of wasted hours and petty vices."

"Really?" Sun Wukong flashed a taunting smile. "I bet you only said that 'cause you don't wanna lose too badly to me. Again."

"Oh, you take that back right now, monkey!" Nezha jabbed a finger at him. "If we were back in the old days and in a gambling house, you'd be going home in nothing but your undershirt and breeches by the end of the day!"

MK did not miss the implication that, at some point in the past, these two had indeed been to an actual gambling house.

"A bold challenge if I've ever heard one!" Sun Wukong's grin widened. "Or is your bark worse than your bite? Brag all you like, but the only way to prove it is to get on the table yourself."

"I——Screw this, I'm in," Nezha took a deep breath, “But only because it will be quite satisfying, kicking the collective behinds of the two most annoying gods I've ever met." A glare at Sun Wukong, then, at Xie. "So. Get. Ready."

"That's the Third Prince I know!" Sun Wukong gave him a thumbs-up. "Bring it on, lad!"

MK gulped. "Yeah, sorry, I think I'm just gonna watch you guys play first. Get a feel of the game before jumping in. Is that alright?"

"No prob. Though this did put us in the most classic bind in the entire history of Mahjong…" Sun Wukong paused dramatically. "The 'Short of a Fourth' problem."

"That won't be me." Fan immediately said, before walking through the nearest wall. "Still have a job to do." He turned, poking his head out of the wall once more. "But by all means, teach Xiao Xie a lesson for me."

"Ah well." Sun Wukong shrugged, reaching towards his head. "Guess this calls for my clone——"

"No!" Nezha smacked his hand away. "That's just blatant cheating!"

"But literal future vision isn't?"

"Hey, it's not like this one can turn it off." Xie protested. He looked like he wanted to say something else, before Sun Wukong stood up, dashing out of the door and towards the altar room. 

"Guys! We are one person short of a Mahjong game here!" A pause. "Niang Niang? Ah Pek? Datuk? Hello? Anyone up to it?"

"...What's he doing?"

"The divine equivalent of spamming telephone calls." Nezha rolled his eyes. "Yelling into the ears of every deity's idol he can find, and hoping for a response."

"For your knowledge, we have a three-people variant of the game here," Xie added, unhelpfully.

…

Way after Sun Wukong had returned, sulking a little but soon jumped right into arguing with Nezha, MK heard a chime. 

Like someone had just dropped a bunch of coins onto a marble floor, but…louder. Okay, he wasn't too sure about that last part, because if the others heard it too, they did not react to the noise at all.

"It's still not gambling! Just a way to keep the score, yanno?" Sun Wukong continued, tossing a tangerine back and forth between his hands——one he probably pinched from a random altar table on his way back. "Also, the game will be pretty boring if you aren't winning something."

"That's the very definition of gambling." Nezha said, with a deadpan expression. "Wagering money or other stakes in a game of chance."

"It's only a stake if it's something of value, and outside of sentimental ones, these offerings have none." Sun Wukong turned to Xie. "Otherwise you won't give them away to folks for free before they spoil, right?"

"Indeed, for we've already eaten them." 

MK squinted at the fruit; not a single bite mark or patch of peeled skin was found on its exterior.

"Ewww." Sun Wukong grimaced. "Anyways, that just makes them even less valuable and further proves my point."

"Is that supposed to be convincing? Because I'm not taking home a bunch of ghost-eaten fruits even if you give them to me for free——"

"Greetings," someone cleared their throat, then said in a deep, magnetic voice, "Is it you who invited this Zhao to your humble temple for a game, friends?"

The door curtain jingled; in walked a dark-faced man with an impressively bushy beard, clad in gilded black armor and red-gold robes. The only thing that didn't make him as intimidating as he should was the black tiger cub, clinging onto his shoulder pauldron like an oversized housecat.

"Yep, Lao Zhao!" Sun Wukong cheered, "Didn't think you'd have the time, but here you are!" He winked at MK, "Now, ya' ever seen a God of Wealth statue in your Dadsy's store? If you did: this is your guy in the flesh, Zhao Gongming himself."

"Oh yeah! The statue," MK tried his best to recall something that looked like the man, yet the only thing that came to mind was the adorable and totally dissimilar one on the counter. "You mean he's..the cat?"

"Ha! I like your little disciple, Great Sage." Zhao Gongming laughed. "Sadly, no. The only feline here is my steed, Biandan Hua." He pointed to the tiger cub. "In her baby form, so I don't get animal control called on me again. Mortals these days are so easily startled, I swear."

"Aww, that's the cutest name I ever heard." Sun Wukong cooed, earning an unimpressed look from the tiger. "Anyways, since we have our fourth guy here, without further ado, let's begin——"

"A second. I'm here for business too. Serious business," he held up a hand. "Have any of you seen a golden scissor? It's about this size, but becomes a lot bigger when transformed," a gesture, "about the size of a city block. Ah, and it can turn into two flood dragons."

"Nope!"

"Hmm. This one doesn't think so."

"The Golden Dragon Shears?" Nezha’s eyes widened. "How did you lose *that*, Marshal Zhao?!"

"I didn't! It's probably my youngest sister again. Bixiao is still rummaging through our study, so I may as well check in the Lower Realms while she's at it." He said. "Make sure no one has 'borrowed' it without their permission."

"Why are y'all looking at me?" 

Awkward silence ensued, broken immediately by Sun Wukong's indignant huff.

"Okay, first, I'm insulted by your insinuations! You eat a few peaches, and suddenly you are THE suspect whenever something goes missing up there." He shook his head. "Second, you have sisters, Lao Zhao? Huh, never know that."

"Well, unless you are planning to have kids in the immediate future, Great Sage, your paths are unlikely to cross!" Zhao Gongming laughed, before resuming his frown. "Our scissors are far from the only missing treasure, though. Other palaces have also reported similar cases over the last hour. I'll just have to go shake down Spirit Official Ma again——wouldn't be the first time that little candlewick bugger tried to pin his thefts on someone else."

At the mention of Spirit Official Ma, Nezha mouthed something that sounded suspiciously like a swear word. Sun Wukong made a face. 

"Yeah, show that Huaguang brat who's boss! But before that, surely you still have time for a Mahjong game? It'll only be a minute up there." 

"Hmm, I suppose it won't hurt." Zhao Gongming replied, twirling his beard. "But with one condition: no one uses their godly powers."

"Define 'godly powers'?" 

"Anything that requires intent to activate." Zhao Gongming said. "Your golden vision, active divination instead of passive, uncontrollable foresights, my power over fortune..."

A sigh. "I've played enough games where that is allowed. With my disciples it always turns into a teaching session, and playing against my fellow gods of wealth feels more like a power-measuring contest than a true match of skills, especially when Bi Gan was involved." He shook his head. "For a scholarly god of wealth, the old man can be more competitive than us martial ones."

"I feel ya', Lao Zhao. It's always the old geezers who play dirty."

"Hello? Excuse me?" Nezha asked. "Am I the only one who's more concerned about the missing treasure of mass destruction than the silly Mahjong game?!"

"Yes, yes you are." Sun Wukong smirked. "It's just a tiny scissor! What mass destruction can it cause, other than to Art & Crafts materials?"

"Says the blissfully ignorant monkey who has never seen it in action," Nezha retorted, then lowered his head with a defeated look. "Whatever. I don't care anymore. Just don't mention me when the Celestial Host starts pointing fingers and your sisters come knocking, Marshal Zhao."

"You have my words, Third Prince." Zhao Gongming made a fist-and-palm salute, almost jokingly. "For I'm not one to tattle, even if it means enduring Yunxiao's scolding alone. Now, what are the stakes for this game?"

…

After a brief discussion, the four had settled on using some unopened and unoffered snacks as their stakes. Which still didn't beat the gambling allegations, according to Nezha. 

Well, it was better than betting all your belongings on a rigged game and losing them all, at least. And after watching a few rounds of their play, MK's only thought was Dang, if that goldfish demon chose this game back then, he wouldn't even need to cheat to wipe the floor with me.

"You know, if someone tells me I'll be watching the Great Sage, two celestial gods, and a ghost play Mahjong like old people at a community center during the first day of our vacation..." MK mumbled to himself, "I'll probably believe it, actually."

Despite having only the vaguest idea of the rules——whoever completed a set of certain tiles first won the game——and not getting any closer to understanding them, he was determined to keep watching. 

If only because Sun Wukong winked at him right before tossing the dice and starting the round, and he was pretty sure it meant "Watch and learn, bud!" in a way that suggested the message went beyond a simple Mahjong game.

"What you are seeing now is not a typical day for most of us, if that makes you feel less disillusioned." Fan said, without looking up from the documents he was flipping through. 

A while ago, the ghost had returned with a stack of them, and the papers were now floating around him in a ring, suspended by the dark blue glow of telekinesis. If that wasn't the most stylish way of doing paperworks, MK didn’t know what was.

"Uh, but I'm not?" MK said. "It's just…a lot less serious than I thought, this whole 'gods' business, and honestly, I'm not complaining! The Great Sage looks like he’s having a good time too."

Back on the table, Sun Wukong and Nezha yelled "Pong!" at the same time, then immediately glared at each other.

"Hey, I said that first!"

"That doesn’t matter, because you are cheating!" Nezha huffed. "It is impossible for two players to Pong at the same time unless someone has sneaked an extra tile in there while shuffling them, and we all know who that is."

"Well yeah, but I'm just evening the odds in a rigged game, Laodi." Sun Wukong said, eyeing Xie sharply. "For the sake of fairness, I'll allow you to cheat back too. How 'bout that?"

"Good grief, and I thought Master Taiyi was the most unabashed cheater I ever met on the table." Nezha took a deep breath and announced, "New battle objective: show the two cheaters who's boss, without lowering myself to their level."

"Well, this one can't blame the Great Sage for it. Two more turns, and he’ll claim the first win."

"Keep your visions to yourself, ghost!"

"Thanks a lot, Xiao Xie." Sun Wukong grinned. "That gives me even more reason to do it."

A few more turns, a few more clacks, and the monkey was left staring wordlessly at the table.

"Hey, what the heck! Your vision isn't right."

"This one's vision is always right. That, however, isn't one." Xie gave them an innocent look. "It's just the time-honored tactic of 'lying', friend."

"Serve you right for trusting him and cheating." Nezha snorted, before reaching out to claim the discarded tile.

"Why, ya' little——!"

"Credit where credit's due, that sure is a more entertaining use of precognition than the average Dipper Mansion chess game." Zhao Gongming commented, amidst the chaos. "I look forward to what you will bring to the table next, budding little wealth god."

"More bullshit, that's what he'll bring." Fan crossed his arms. "And he wonders why I don't play chess with him anymore."

"Well, I guess it could be worse." MK said. "They could be playing Monopoly."

"What's a Mono-poly?"

"A game that ruins friendships and turns family members against each other. Mei tried introducing her cousins to that during a New Year gathering." MK shuddered. "Some of them still won't talk to her."

"Sounds like it needs to be exorcized." Fan said, without a single hint that he was joking. 

"Please don't."

MK kind of got the impression that he was the "by-the-book" cop of their buddy cop pair, who sounded serious whether he meant it or not, but maybe the kiddy soul would take things just that literally.

Sadly, his clarification ended up killing the conversation. For the next few moments, they just sat side-by-side, listening to the clacking of Mahjong tiles.

And the clacking had intensified, as the game picked up speed. Sun Wukong in particular was speeding up into a blur, fidgeting in his chair, using only one hand to move the tiles while juggling the same poor tangerine with the other.

Now, he was always in motion, gesturing as he talked, grabbing something or the other wherever they went. But the fidgeting had intensified to a point well beyond what MK was used to, which was making him fidgety too.

After a loud "Would you please stop that?" from Nezha, MK finally mustered enough courage to half-prod at Fan——and immediately drew his hand back! Wow, ghosts are freezing to the touch. 

(Okay, he wasn't really touching anything solid, but it felt like reaching into a pocket of sub-zero-degree air, made even more jarring by the heat of summer.)

"Sorry sir, one question." MK asked. "I don't really have a good grip on the rules yet, but is the Great Sage in trouble now? Like, is he losing?"

"No idea. I'm not bored enough to watch and guess their sets." Fan said. "But if you are talking about his hyperactivity, that's not a result of panic."

"Then what’s he doing?"

"He's teaching you how to fight someone with precognition."

"By…acting like a wind-up toy?"

"On the surface level, yes." He answered. "How much do you know about divination?"

To pain. 

No, not that one. MK shook his head wildly. "Next to nothing, I guess."

"Good. You aren't losing out on much." Fan said, before frowning. "I'd rather know less about it, but Xiao Xie just has to be an insufferable prick, so here we are. Essentially, think of Fate like a game of cards, or Mahjong, or whatever game of chance of your liking."

MK chuckled. The idea of Fate being a Uno game was quite a funny one, not gonna lie, if only because he'd get to figuratively shout "Reverse!" at someone.

"The Way is the ruleset, what is allowed and not allowed to happen. The winning and losing conditions. The cards and tiles are the individual events and outcomes, happening to a being as they draw them, one by one."

"To the Dipper Mansion celestials in charge of Fate, divination is like having your master's golden eyes and fiery vision. They can see through the cards and tiles, know what's on them instinctively, and are thus banned from playing, only able to shuffle and deal them out on the Celestial Host's orders."

Zhao Gongming's tiger, having jumped off its master's shoulder long ago, pawed at Sun Wukong's twitching tail. This only egged the monkey on, as they promptly began a game of 'catch my tail if you can' off the table.

"For some," he looked at Nezha, his face a mask of intense concentration, "it isn't so much divination as making snap-second, highly accurate guesses, aided by superb memorization skills. To the more unfortunate mortals, however, it's like seeing recordings of multiple games playing side-by-side, with no way of knowing which one is theirs."

"Lucky for my sworn brother and almost no one else, he can see snippets of a single recording, which just happens to be ours." Fan said. "It's also random, very short-reaching, and makes the part of his soul that bears the brunt of it into a kooky brat with no self-preservation instincts. But I've complained enough. Now that you know how his precognition works, what will you do to counter it?"

"Does not playing the game count?"

"A wise choice. But suppose you don't get to choose."

"I, uh." Think, smartie kid, think! What is the relationship between ultra-hyperactive monkey behavior and beating a ghost with future vision on the Mahjong table? (Oh geez, it's like that one question about ravens and writing desks in that foreign children's book again…)

"I guess I'll make myself, well, unpredictable and even more random?" He finally said, hesitantly.

"Not very specific, but you get the gist of it." Fan nodded. "Going back to my analogy, your master knows his opponent is making a random draw too, except each card he draws allows him to see others claiming or discarding a certain tile."

"So he decides to add more useless cards into the pool. False maneuvers, feints," Fan pointed to the tiger, still pawing at Sun Wukong’s tail, "Artificially creating another game on the side to divert the visions. Nothing can be a hundred percent predictable, not even literal future vision, and if only my partner realized that, he'd be a lot less annoying and not on the way to getting absolutely destroyed in this game."

"Wow. That's very clever and all, but should you really be telling me this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't know much about the Underworld, outside of how Monkey King wrecked the place and scribbled him and his monkeys' name off the Book of Life and Death——" MK waved nervously, "No hard feelings 'bout that, ey? But if the Great Sage is teaching me how to counter you guys, does that mean you'll be going after us at some point in the future?"

"Technically, we'll be going after everyone who isn't an immortal or formally ranked celestial, sooner or later." Fan said. "Your master is firmly in the first category, and for you, that won't be in a long, long time, if it eases your worries."

"Yeah, no. Not at all. Thanks."

"You don't like ghosts very much, do you." He said, then, before MK could reply, added, "Which is fine. We don't like ourselves either."

"Uhhhh, don't be?" Oh gosh, was there really a way to word this without offending ghosts more? "It's not like I dislike you guys! Like, you and the other ghost cops seem pretty chill. It's just, y'know, a bit freaky, seeing the walking reminder of my inevitable mortality and all, ahahaha…"

"It is. And I won't tell you what to feel about that." Fan held up a finger, and the documents he had been reading were instantly sorted into neat little stacks in midair. "But if there is one thing you remember from our conversation, let it be this: no game lasts forever."

"One has to end in order for another to begin, and a game where no one wins or loses is gonna be a very boring one. We, officials of the Ten Courts, are but the keepers of scores, and you don't have to win in order to have fun while it lasts."

"Hu le." Zhao Gongming's calm voice cut through the chit-chat, followed by a light thud of him pushing the tiles over. "Four Kongs."

All eyes were immediately on him.

"By Buddha, Lao Zhao! No wonder you've been so quiet."

"Ugh!" Nezha facepalmed. "I was so close!" He shot a half-hearted glare at Sun Wukong. "This is all your fault, by the way. Without the extra tiles you snuck in there, he'd have never gotten such a rare combination."

"C'mon, maybe he's just that lucky?"

"Very enlightening." Xie hummed, handing over the bag of peach-flavored chips to Zhao. "This one knows he won't be winning the first round, but its certainly a great start!"

"And this is why you don't gamble with a literal, formally ranked, celestial god of wealth." Fan said, after a long, stunned silence. "Even when he isn't actively using his influence, for fairness's sake."

"He's not?"

"If he did, he'd just win every round, and there wouldn't be a game to speak of."

…

They stopped playing when the rain stopped, at which point the sun had already disappeared below the horizon. Zhao Gongming left halfway after getting an astral call from his sisters, shaking his head, giving MK the chance to finally join in. 

Sun Wukong had stopped cheating after that——at least not as blatantly, if Nezha's words were to be believed. To MK, he just settled back into his old laid back attitude, which, in turn, made his own palms less sweaty as he faced off against the other two.

He still lost, badly, only barely managing a win at the very end. Not that it mattered, since Nezha had soundly kicked everyone's butts like he wanted, coming out at the top by a wide margin of three bags of chips and a single Tau Sar Piah.

"Let this be your lesson, Monkie Kid," he said, with a hint of childish glee, "That hard work, knowledge of statistics, and memorization skills will always triumph over luck and a bunch of cheating clowns."

"Ah well. I'll let you have your moment, Laodi, since it's pretty much the only fight you can win against me." Sun Wukong responded with a cheeky smile, then tore open his bag of chips and started munching loudly on them. 

"Yes, keep telling yourself that. Maybe you'll actually start believing in it." Nezha smirked, before standing up from his chair. "I'll just be over here, basking in the glow of victory and trying to not run into my brother on the way back——"

As if on cue, a shout came from outside.

"GREETINGS! This Hui An pays his respect to the City God and his attendants!"

"Annnnnd there goes my good mood." Nezha muttered. A formation started glowing under his feet. "Goodbye. If anyone asks, I've never been here."

Almost immediately after he disappeared in a blaze of pink fire, the speaker outside with the loud, booming, megaphone-against-your-ears voice marched through the doorway.

"Oh. Hi there, Muzha."

"HI THERE, as the younger generation says these days!" The tall man replied cheerfully. The dangling green ties on his hair bun were swaying back and forth, as he made a bow. 

"Heard you yelling into Lady Guanyin's statue a while ago, Great Sage, so I decided to pay a visit. Is my brother here too? Longnü said she saw you two flying together, while weaving the storm clouds with her kins."

"Well, in Nezha's exact words, 'If anyone asks, I've never been here'." Sun Wukong shrugged.  "So no, he is not here." 

"Ah. Embarrassed, I see!" He exclaimed, making his way to the Mahjong table and staring down at the tiles. "He really shouldn't be, though. By my religious vows, I'm supposed to refrain from such worldly pass-times, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be preachy about it!"

Now MK was starting to have an idea of what "Too much" meant. Namely, his complete lack of volume control.

"Well, looks like I've dropped by at a rather inopportune time, so I won't keep you fellows any longer, Great Sage. Thanks for keeping my little brother company, though——"

His sight met MK's, and only then did Muzha seem to notice his presence. "And DEAR ME! Is that your new disciple I've heard so much about? A pleasure to meet you too, young one!"

He reached out for a handshake. MK made the mistake of taking it, and immediately winced. 

"Oww, owww——Nice to meet you too?!"

"Please stop crashing my disciple's hand, Muzha."

"Sorry, sorry!" He laughed, releasing his iron grip at last. "It's just so wonderful to see the juniors coming into their own, I get a bit carried away. Still, this acolyte looks forward to working with you in the days to come!"

"Man, we are busy here today, aren't we?" Xie commented, just as the overly cheerful and loud immortal made a turn and headed for the backdoor. "So many visitors. Not that this one is complaining."

"...Yeah." MK agreed, after awkwardly waving Muzha goodbye.

Well, one thing was certain: godhood internship or not, he'd sure have one hell of a story to tell once he got back home.

[13as07]

Desert Lily #1

(Kankuro Sabaku)

[Art work is not mine! Credit to unknown]

Requested by: Myself

[Idea (somewhat) inspired by the imagine above]

Keys:

Y/N: Your Name

Word Count: 4,123

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Definitely going to do a part #2 and #3 cause I like this story line

——————————————————————

     I hum softly to myself as I walk through the empty hallways of the Hokage mansion. I'm not a fan of the place. The muniment gives me the creeps; as do its residents.

Well, just Lord Fifth. The way he slithers around the huge place, appearing where he pleases when he pleases. Given it is rightfully his home and always has been. Nepo-baby at its finest. Though I shouldn't be so harsh. Temari and Kankuro hold high standings in the village because of their father right alongside our Hokage.

I should take it as an honor that our Lord welcomes me into his home, even if it doesn't seem he does it willingly.

As if Kankuro's emotionally underdeveloped brother could hear my thoughts, a door swings open with the Sand's Kage walking out of it. He's wrapped up in his official robes, the Kage hat coating his face heavily from the oversizing. A big hat for a big-headed Hokage. I smile a bit at that. I’m really mean, perhaps I should be nice to my village's leader. Or at the very least, be nice to the little brother of the man courting me.

"Lord Fifth," I mumble, bowing my head down. If my thoughts can't be nice, my body language can be.

"Do not bow to me," he huffs, my eyes catching a glimpse of the end of his robes as he walks toward me.

"I didn't know you didn't appreciate respect," I mumble, snapping my head back up. I shouldn't have said that. My big mouth always getting in the way.

Gaara tilts his head some, a sliver of confusion in his eyes as he looks at me. "I appreciate the respect given to me by all my civilians," he answers, tipping his hat back. It doesn't stay though, slipping right back down to coat his eyes.

What a humorous little guy. I know very little about Kankura's childhood and even less about the childhood of his siblings. From the offhand comments and whispers around the village, it was not very pleasant, much less the luxurious one you'd expect for the princes and princess of our village. Even if only a fraction of the rumors are true, it would explain a lot.

     "Is that so?" I ask, a bit of a smile pulling at the corners of my mouth.

     "Yes," he answers shortly, turning on his heels and walking away. "Walk with me?" Gaara asks though it's more of a statement than a question. I obey, making quick steps so I can fall in pace with him. "What are your thoughts on sapphires?"

     "Sapphires?" I ask, glancing at the young leader of our village. He's looking back at me, the paleness of his eyes catching me off guard a bit. I snap my eyes away, focusing on the hallway ahead of us.

     "Yes," he answers shortly, eyes still burning into me.

     "They're nice... I think."

     "You think?" Gaara asks, stopping his movements.

     I stop too, turning my attention back to the scary kid standing next to me. Our Lord is the same age as me, but despite that, he still has quite the baby face. "I've never seen one so I don't know."

     He rolls my words over for a while, still looking at me as he does so. Our Lord's eyes are pretty despite their pale coloring of them. They remind me of Kankuro's, though Ro's are brighter than his brother's.

     "Well," he starts, head tilted in confusion again. "A lady of your standing should know what a sapphire is."

     "My Lord, I do not have any standing in the village. I'm not even on the waitlist to be considered for any standing. Perhaps you are mixing up my bloodline," I answer in a bit of a ramble.

     Does my Lord not know who I am? I mean, I would understand since our village is quite large but his brother is courting me. Am I not the only woman Kankuro is courting? Maybe both of them were misled about my family. Is Kankuro going to stop courting me when this misunderstanding is cleared up?

     "Of course, you have standing in the village. Quite a high standing, might I add," Gaara says, starting up his paces again.

     I follow after him, face scrunched up with confusion. Did he not hear me? Maybe he just doesn't believe me. What has Ro told his brother about me? Is he ashamed of courting the daughter of a nightshade farmer?

     "My Lord-" I try again, but get cut off.

     "Gaara."

     My voice catches in my throat, causing a small squeak to come out instead. "Gaara," I say quietly before continuing my sentence. "I don't think you understand-"

     Once again, I get cut off. "I am aware of your bloodline. I am also aware of my bloodline. The same bloodline my brother shares. Even without my... egotistical brother, your family is quite useful to our village. After all, I don't know a single shinobi within the gates of the village that hasn't used nightshade after an injury."

     Oh. Maybe he's not confused. "I still don't fully follow, my Lord."

     "Gaara," he corrects again, causing the warmth of embarrassment to start crawling up my neck. "You shall eventually. I may not understand my brother but I am aware of his title, the title you'll inherit."

     "I don't-"

     "I must go. The meeting break will be ending soon. I shall see you soon I assume, Princess?" With that Gaara knocks on the door next to us before nodding at me. Before I can get another word in, he turns on his heels and starts walking back down the corridor.

     My head is spinning as I look after him. What title am I going to inherit from Kankuro? How would I even inherit anything from him? Why was the Lord asking me about sapphires? Why would he want to walk with me? Why did he call me Princess? There's no way he meant it as a pet name, he doesn't even know what sarcasm is! Why would he want me to call him-

     "Y/N?" A voice calls, cutting off my thoughts. I'm getting annoyed with getting cut off. Do people have no respect?

     It takes a second but I do end up processing it as Ro's voice. "Ro," I call, turning in the direction of his voice. Even more confusion rolls around my head as I look at him. "You're... where's... goodbye," I stumble over my words for a second before closing the door, separating me from a makeup-less Kankuro.

     My suitor hasn't kept his features hidden from me. He's taken his hood and forehead protection off around me before, showing his brown locks and his face better. I've even played with his hair before, usually picking out sand specks after a mission or training exercise. I've held his face so many times that I have the layout memorized and almost permanent purple ink on my fingertips from his makeup.

     I've never seen Ro without his makeup though. He's very handsome with and without it on. I just wasn't prepared to see his bare face after the confusion dump his brother left me in.

     I feel like this is a big step in our relationship... right? I mean, he's never seen me without makeup either. If Kankuro saw me without makeup I'd consider it a big step. Does he expect to see my bare face now too? Is he upset I saw him without his face paint on? Is he going to be mad? Maybe I should apologize. Maybe I should just go home.

     A knock on the door cuts me out of my thoughts again. It causes more confusion to swirl around my head. The confusion is quickly racing towards upset territory. A second and third knock echo through the hallway, not helping the headache that has started to form from my overthinking. A fourth, fifth, and sixth knock comes before I decide to open the door again.

     "Hello my Desert Lily," Ro says, a smile on his still bare face. His head is titled in confusion, the same way Lord Fifth's was a few minutes ago. The confusion has reached his soft eyes, concern mixing with it. "Are you alright?"

"I'm... my..." I puff out my checks, trying to get words to form as I focus on Ro's face. I like him without his face paint. Don't get me wrong, he looks good in it, but his face is so handsome without it.

"My little Lily," he mumbles, hands reaching out to cup my face. The roughness of his skin brings me some comfort and helps me sort my thoughts a little easier. "What is on your mind?"

"You're not... you don't have your face paint on," I answer, sucking my cheek in so I can nibble on it.

My eyes end up settling on Ro's mouth, memories of our first kiss swirling around my head. It happened a couple of days ago. It was sweet but short. I didn't want it to be that short, and I wanted it to happen again but it didn't. The Lord ended up needing him for something, so I didn't get what I wanted.

"Do you not like it?" He asks, his words slow and careful as they fill the air. His tone is filled with worry, also evident from his scrunched-up face.

"I-"

"If you don't like it I'll go put some on. I don't mind," Kankuro rushes out, eyes blinking quickly as he scans my face.

"You just... look handsome," I answer, tilting my head in worry. "Ro? Do you... you know you don't have to change your appearance for me right?"

"Ya, of course, I know that," he rushes out, his breath a little huffy as he drops his hold on my face. "It would be, so lame if I... yes, I know that." I tuck his reaction away for later. I have the feeling if I push the subject it'll end up with us talking in circles. "So... um was the whole 'goodbye' thing just because of this?" He asks, circling his face a couple of times.

"No, your brother has me doing mental laps."

"Oh great, what did Gaara do now?" Ro asks, taking hold of my hand and gently tugging me into his room.

This is another first. I've never been in his room before. It's how I expected it to look. Tools and puppet parts are littered all over the room. There's less mess than there is in his workshop, but still very much a puppet-making space. His bed is one of those huge fancy beds with the currents you can pull around it. There's a small couch pushed across from a TV, the coffee table in front of it covered in different scrolls and paper. The wood-shaving-covered desk in the corner looks the same as the coffee table. Two single doors are stamped into one of the walls, but both are closed so I don't know what's passed them.

"My Lily?" Kankuro calls, pulling my attention from my surroundings to himself again.

"He just... said a lot of confusing things."

"Like what?" He asks, gently herding me towards his bed. I do as he wants, heading towards the bed before sitting on the edge of it, the footboard gently digging into my thighs.

     "He asked me about sapphires," I answer, scanning over the room again. My focus is mostly on the puppet parts. Kankuro's art always interests me; all the different colors and how the parts are put together.

     "He asked you about what?" Ro asks, voice chipped and sharp with anger as he asks his question.

     "About sapphires," I repeat carefully, tearing my eyes away from a half-made spider-looking puppet. Ro's chest is pumping fast, eyes wide but I'm not sure why. His voice seemed angry but his eyes seem fearful. "Why are you upset?"

     "I'm not upset. I'm fine. What... exactly did he ask?"

     "Just my thoughts on them," I answer, trying to keep my voice calm in light in hopes it'll run off on my suitor.

     "Okay, okay, okay," Kankuro mumbles to himself, pacing around the room. A piece of wood catches his eye, turning his panicked attention toward it. I watch as he toys with it, his eyes scanning the room for something. "What are your thoughts on them?" He asks, words broken up as he walks toward whatever he is searching for. It's a pencil.

     I watch as he sketches soft lines into the wood, my eyes locking in his fingers that flex and relax against his work. "Haven't seen one so I don't have any thoughts on them."

     Silence falls between us, giving me time to look over his half-worked art pieces again. When the board digging into my thighs becomes too much I decide to shove my shoes off and settle into the bed better.

     Once I'm comfortable lying on my back with my knees propped up, Ro peeps up again. "Is that all you two talked about?" His words are careful again, attention on me as he scans my face. His face is the shallow 'trying to stay cool' look he does when we run into shinobis around the village. I don't know how to take that.

     "No, we talked about some other things too."

     "Like what?" Kankuro's sentence falls out so quickly that it almost overlaps the end of my own. Is he mad I talked with his brother? Is that why he's trying so hard to keep her cool?

     "He seemed a little upset when I bowed," I murmur, doing my own scanning for a reaction. I've seen Ro mad before and it's pretty scary. Would he lose his temper with me? I'd be lying if I said the knowledge of what Kankuro can do didn't scare me. He is a puppeteer after all, which makes it pretty easy to control others, especially those that aren't trained as shunobis, like me.

     His face softens, concern breaking the mask he tried to hide behind. "What do you mean by upset?"

     "Lord Fifth was just a little snippy about me bowing to him. Well, I wouldn't say snippy. He was pretty relaxed about it and about me calling him Lord instead of Gaara."

     Kankuro's mask is back up for a second before a huge smile covers his face. "My brother asked you to call him by his name?" I nod my head, yes, sending him a small smile back. "That's... chill," he murmurs, turning his attention back to his wood chunk.

     My sand prince is a really happy person, but other than his normal 'happy-go-lucky' attitude he won't show his other emotions very much or for very long. I've accepted that if we do plan to start a relationship it'll take some time to build enough trust for Ro to be more open about himself and his feelings.

     Once again silence falls between us, but this time Kankuro moves closer to me. He sits down on the edge of the bed, his back to me as he focuses on his handy work. I take the time to admire the soft outline of his shoulder muscles. Puppeteering works out your arms a lot and it has done Ro some favors.

     Before I can stop myself I reach my hand out, letting my fingertips feather over his shoulder muscles. Ro tenses under my touch but slowly starts to relax as my hand dances over his clothing. "I want to talk to you about something," I whisper, sliding myself closer so both hands can rub on him.

     The pencil scratches that were filling the space stop, but nothing else ends up filling the space. "So, the main thing your brother and me talked about was social standings."

     "Gaara can be a little... unaware of what he says sometimes. Whatever he said probably just came out wrong."

     "I don't know about that. He seemed pretty set on what he said," I mumble as I sit up. I shift myself around again, sitting on my knees. I make sure to keep plenty of space between us, causing my arms to stay stretched out. I start massaging Ro's shoulders instead of my light touches. I can tell he needs it from all the knots tightened up under his skin.

     "What did he say?" Kankuro says, a soft groan following his words.

     My heart flips at the sound as thoughts of our kiss fill my head again. I can feel the heat crawling across my face as the thought of asking for another - deeper - kiss keeps repeating in my head.

     "Gaara said I have 'high social standing' and when I tried to correct him he kept insisting I did. He also mentioned something about title inheritance which I don't understand at all. Plus your brother called me 'Princess' and I'm pretty sure it has to do with all that cause I don't think your brother understands pet names," the words come out in a word dump, my attempt to shove the words out before my overthinking gets to me.

     Ro's head tips back to look at me, eyelashes flutter on overtime as he rapidly blinks at me. I stare back at him, my eyes blinking a lot slower than his. "My desert Lily," he says, his words warm as they collide with my ears. The warmth continues to fill me up, making me feel like actual lilies are blooming in my chest.

     "Ya?" I call back, my eyes settling on his lips again. I want another kiss. I let myself scoot closer, my hands dipping down to his chest as I move.

     "You are aware of my siblings and my titles, ya?" He asks, eyes drooping over my face slowly. Kankuro's hands slide up, tangling themselves with mine, the wooden project completely forgotten.

     I hum a yes, dipping my head down lower. The space between us is thin, so thin that only a sheet of paper could slip through. My mind races from our position. Should I kiss him? Should I wait for him to kiss me? Am I too close to him? Am I not close enough?

     "Uh... with... our father being the last Kage, my siblings and I still hold titles of... um, princess and prince, which passes down to our life partners and kids." Ro's words come out broken again, his head tilting to take up more of the small space between us. His lips are so close to mine that I can almost feel them against me.

     "Oh," I breathe out before fluttering my eyes closed. I need him to kiss me, I need him to do it now before my thoughts pull me back.

     The bedsheets ruffle as Kankuro shifts again, his lips feathery light against mine. "There are customs that come with that though. Approval from the family Kage, family jewelry being gifted, and a dumb long list of all the other customs."

     I can feel a desperate whine clawing up my throat from the teasing butterfly touches. "Kankuro," I whisper, a hum being sent back as an answer. I huff a little, coating his face in warm air.

     I can feel the smile curling on his lips, which only makes the stifled whine even harder to hold down. More shifting fills my ears before the feeling of Ro's fingertips ghost over my neck. Shivers are chased by sparks that rash from his small touches. "I can't read your mind. Tell me what you want, my beautiful flower."

     By the last syllable, my whine had won. The long soft mewl gets me what I want. Ro's hand slides around my neck, his palm barely against my neck, fingertips slightly denting my skin as he holds me still. His lips are finally pressed against my own, his mouth catching my noise before it's finished. Our lips dance against each other for a while, lungs screaming for air, and more sparks filling me up and sinking to my stomach.

     When Kankuro pulls away another whine spills out, getting me sparkling eyes and a soft chuckle from my suitor. My nails dig gently into his chest as I attempt to pull him back to my lips. Once again I'm given what I want, a string of soft short kisses.

     Sadly my kisses are cut off from a knock at the door. "I'm sorry," Ro mumbles, peppering a few more kisses to my lips before letting me go. I can feel the deep pout on my face as I watch him get up and walk over to the door.

     He smiles at me softly, eyes soft and so full of admiration as he looks at me. "Absolutely gorgeous," Kankuro murmurs before turning his attention away from me.

     I flap back on the bed, the tension slowly creeping out of me from the lack of Ro being wrapped up in my space. I watch as he opens the door, cracking it enough to fit himself in the open space but closed enough that I'm not seen. Is he ashamed of me being in his room? Or is he just worked up from our make-out session? Maybe it's part of the customs he was talking about? Is me being in his room against those customs?

     The voice on the other side of the door is hushed enough that I can't make out the words but loud enough that I recognize it as Temari. "I know," Kankuro whines, slumping against the door frame.

     Another hushed whispering before "No, she's not in here, that would be like so against the rules."

     This round of mumbles is harsher, Temari's anger making her voice raise a bit. "I know!" Ro whines again, a groan following his words. It's not the relaxed happy groan from earlier though, this one is a pissy groan. "Ya, ya, ya. Give me a couple of minutes," he answers again before slamming the door shut. The frame creeks against the tension before falling silent again.

     Once the door is shut Kankuro races back to the bed. His hand is instantly back in place, gently wrapped back around my neck, the other pinning my wrists down as he hovers over me. I can feel every inch of him pressed against me, securing my spot on the mattress.

     He wastes no time, lips back against mine. Ro is a lot rougher this time; hand tighter on my skin, lips doing all they can to bruise mine, body pinning me in place. Kankuro's hunger is evident from the way he devours me, only pulling back long enough to suck in a quick breath before going back to my mouth.

     "I'm sorry," he races out once he's gotten his fill. Ro's hands stay in place but are back to the light touches from before. He picks himself off of me a bit, giving me room to move around again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have... I am so sorry, my little lily." More apologies fall from my suitor, each one chased by little kisses on any skin Ro can get to. His hand shifts as he jumps between my neck and my face.

     "Ro-"

     "I'm sorry."

     "Kuro-"

     "I shouldn't have - I'm sorry. I really should have - I'm sorry," I can feel the waves of panic ripping off of him, his kisses getting desperate as if he can kiss the experience off my skin.

     "Kankuro," I call again, wiggling my wrists in his hold.

     His hands drop off of me and shift to lifting himself off of me, leaving him in a push-up-like form. "I'm sorry," he says for the hundredth time.

     "Why are you sorry?" I murmur, lifting my hands to cup his face.

     Ro's head tilts, gentle kisses being pressed against my fingers. "I shouldn't have been so rough without asking," he whispers as if the words will click my reaction in the other direction.

     "Kankuro," I call out smoothly, letting my fingertips slide against his lips as he presses more kisses into me. "It's okay, you're fine, I'm fine. Just give a little bit of a warning next time, okay?"

     "Okay. Okay, I will, I swear, okay," he murmurs more to himself than me. It hurts a bit seeing how panicked he is. Maybe Kankuro fears what he can do to me more than I fear it myself. I think in our next meeting I should start poking at his life before me. There has to be a reason Ro fears himself so much. "I'm sorry," he says again, soft kisses tracing up my arm.

     "It's okay," I answer again, softly playing with the ends of his hair. Perhaps my suitor’s walls aren't as high as I thought they were.

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[onesunofagun]

The implications on Ganondorf and his background in TotK suggest some very interesting things to me.

First of all, like. I love him. He specifically did not disappoint me. His JP audio fucks so hard. I love his design. He's glorious.

And Hyrule as an imperialistic divine hegemony is not a new concept in the slightest, obviously, the Ganondorf corner of the fandom have known and discoursed about the potential story ramifications of those themes since OoT, but Fujibayashi really went ham on it in his run. (And look. Zelda is made in Japan. Framing a divine imperial authority as a good thing narratively is pretty par for the course JP nationalism, to be really blunt. It is what it is. Grain of salt.)

But I do appreciate that it revisited some OoT plot beats even if it... really drove that point home again in retrospect

I guess new fans are in for a treat unpacking that;;;

Anyway in the BG of that, I'm interested in the particular minutia of what was happening with this Ganondorf specifically to flavour his particular brand of 'fuck you'

And a few important points that give broader context to things are these and I'll put under a cut bc spoilers obviously--

Rauru's repeated 'invitations' to join Hyrule and benefit from their protection (presumably some advanced technological access or strong magical allies as part of that promise, which I believe is probably anti-monster focused within world context) which Ganondorf as a King has very much ignored (and good for him tbh).

Clearly, he has an interest in keeping Gerudo independent.

Ganondorf is acknowledged as a Hero to his people. Not only does this heavily resonate with the very particular themes of his actual character design and both its Buddhist reference and Samurai trope homages, but like-- we're actively shown an explanation for WHY he may be considered such.

Being who he is, he's already magically inclined with a kinship to monsters. We are unapologetically shown him in command of a Molduga Army. Trained Moldugas, under his command-- and not under specifically his mystical command, either, but musically conditioned. Trained to follow sound based command cues, which makes plentiful sense given Moldugas are sound sensitive and Ganondorf usually has musical inclinations. Plus it's Zelda franchise, magic command music is also very much a thing but--

Moldugas are, at least medicinally, very important resources. On a larger scale, they're also a very present threat to desert dwellers and travellers, and from the looks of it in much larger numbers, back then.

Given the context of everything, Ganondorf was a badass even before 'he took a magic relic and fucked up the Hyrulean Royal Family' as he tends to do. Sporting as ever, he fights Link one on one as just a Gerudo, also showing once again that he does in fact have some personal code of honour when it comes to fighting worthy opponents. But it gives us a yardstick of how capable he probably was even before he nabbed the tear.

Capable enough of tangling with most big uglies in the desert, such as Moldugas, which he has at least trained and at most maybe even raised.

Exemplified Power as he ever is, I'd like to point out that in this case, he's demonstrating a flipside of what Power looks like-- benevolence, protection, guardianship. Once again, we have the pieces that indeed he is capable of that and showing that to his own people. He also flexes the Molduga Army as a show of Gerudo and its own power.

To anyone other than Rauru, who is an incredibly powerful Sage already, a Molduga Army would have absolutely won the day, I think. The reaction of the other Gerudo is pretty telling.

Ganondorf's faction were deeply shaken by the display of Rauru's power. And as a guy that's been knocking on your King's door and saying 'you should come and bend knee to me' when Gan already has the worst problem in the sands sorted out?

Very understandable.

From their perspective -- what do they need protection from, exactly, if not Hyrule itself? Their monster problem is a non-issue. From the viewpoint of Gerudo loyal to Ganondorf, everything about this looks like a pressured threat.

Which comes back around, of course, to what Ganondorf plainly lays out to Rauru when he gains the tear-- this is because Rauru tried to control him. And yes, that's Ganondorf and his pride and his nature in full tilt too. He will not be pulled beneath anyone or anything.

But that's the point about that hubris on Rauru's part, he felt superior and he underestimated both Gerudo and Ganondorf-- as a warrior and a leader, and as somebody who was likely managing things very well on his own.

But I mentioned factions. This is something that should be made clear.

Pointed ears are, canonically, associated with faithfulness to Hylia and/or the worship of Hyrulean spirits. This gets debated all the time, but that's the fact of it. We have been shown again and again that humans from outside of Hyrule have round ears (as long ears are associated with hearing the voices of the gods; ie being open to them). Exposure to Hyrulean aligned divine elements can lend pointedness to previously totally round ears. We see this happen.

It has been doubled down upon that the ancient Gerudo (such as in oot and FSA, with FSA having the introduction of the floral association in Gerudo design and OoT heavily centering mirrors in their spiritual practices) worship different deities, whether derivatives of Din or Hylia or completely different myth. The Goddess of the Sands has been confirmed as a deity that Hyrule itself views as evil and false.

I generally interpret this to mean that part of the reason boils down to this-- Hyrule's main concern is that pointed ears are living lives closer to the gods, and therefore more insulated against corruption and demonic influences. Rather fittingly, their patron's foremost spiritual antagonist tends to find his reincarnation in unprotected, non-Hyrulean tribes who are 'open' to demons.

Now that may be another layer to what Rauru means when he says protection, also. Worshipping the 'right gods' affords certain protections (and certainly supports the security of Hyrule itself).

In SkSW, by the way, there's a really cool point of questioning early human society too-- the fire temple depicts demons and monsters and snakes quite a bit, and these were built in a time when I suspect the humans were mostly a large proto-people.

Sidenote: I think Hylia's faithful went to Skyloft and generally shook out to be the Hylians we know later, where some stayed on Earth to serve Hylia's plan and became Sheikah, many more people were transformed into demons in a reverse-Batreaux situation, and some humans just scattered far and wide to avoid conflict.

Anyway that temple depicts Bokoblins making hand signs and long story short, the overall motif and meaning of that temple shows demons offering to teach things, approaching humans with a different kind of enlightenment. Whoever built that temple was very much in a state of open spiritual and mystical curiosity.

Now the takeaway there is, ultimately, the ancient Gerudo very much seem to be descended from such a sect of people. They have their own gods, and they're not part of Hyrule proper, and they have round ears because of it.

Botw departed from that very clearly, but in doing so, also erased and replaced almost all traces of the ancient Gerudo deities with new Hylian analogues.

The Seven/Eight Heroines count as Hylianised deities, and I believe the reason for this-- first suspected in botw but I feel it's weightier after totk-- is that they represent tear holders / Hylia aligned Sages in the seven group (edit: and apparently a Hero in the Eighth) such as those in the decline timeline. They are functionally the reason that the Gerudo of modern day possess long ears-- even where they are selective in what they worship, they are still worshipping Hylia aligned aspects of Divine Hyrule.

And in case this wasn't absolutely irrefutable to me beforehand, the ancient Gerudo Sage from Rauru's time is both loyal to him, and possesses pointed ears under her camel mask.

I would also point out the Hylians of Rauru's time seem to have longer ears in general, probably owing to having a Zonai King, ostensibly a Hylia aligned Deity himself.

Ganondorf's ears are rounded, of course. He clearly doesn't believe in Hyrulean worship even in lip service, and it's little wonder why.

But following another beat of OoT, that ancient sage is a very obvious Nabooru type character. And, in much the same way, that suggests that even when Ganondorf was King of the Gerudo only, there may have already been factions splitting up amongst their people based on spiritual practices.

I don't think it's beyond the pale to speculate there may have been a mixture of Gerudo at the time who had both pointed ears and round, signalling the confusion from and conflict between their spiritual leaders.

It seems likely that a schism probably existed, regardless of ears, but that schism-- and the sage who may well have been leading it-- may have been caused by people who decided respond to those calls from Rauru and join Hyrule without their King.

Which gives a lot more context to why Ganondorf would be in the mood to send a giant Molduga shaped "back off" Rauru's way, also.

I take particular note that Ganondorf's destruction intentions are faced towards Hyrule and her allies, and specifically those who oppose him in that goal. And while I concur that his whole Red Inheritance party ran hard and may well have had a decent hand in frightening the bejeezus out of the Gerudo who were previously faithful to him-- maybe even inadvertently sent some running for camp Hyrule-- it seems he considers modern day Gerudo, fully converted to pro-Hyrulean status, to be traitors.

We have no idea what happened to the Gerudo who followed him, so that's really up in the air as to how messy that may have gotten.

Even the woman who plays to summon the Molduga has pointed ears though, so I tend to lean that his camp got converted to Heroine worship (or at least those with pointed ears mostly did if the mixed ear situation was happening).

But heck, it would not be the first time some Gerudo got ran outta dodge after a King went belly up.

Food for thought.

[callmewrinkles3]

Deuxmoi Submissions, 2019

January

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo and a brunette boarding a flight from Perth to London.

February

Name: F1 Fan

Email: cyrilskindahot@gmail.com

Subject: curls get the girls

Message: I was one of the first in the room for the Renault F1 car launch this year, Daniel Ricciardo definitely has a new girlfriend. He spent the first ten minutes with his arm around a short brunette while she kept telling him to pay attention. Nico Hulkenberg didn’t look impressed.

March

Spotted: rumours are true!! The same brunette from Monaco last year was at the Australian GP and spent the weekend with DR3’s family. Saw her talking to his parents while holding his nephew in her arms.

April

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo doing a boat tour around Shanghai? He was staring more at the woman beside him though.

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo making out with someone at Coachella weekend two. They left before Kanye came on stage.

May

Name: Carb loading

Email: italianromance@gmail.com

Subject: Lady and the Tramp

Message: Daniel Ricciardo and a cute woman doing a real life lady and the tramp in a tiny trattoria outside Ventimiglia in Italy. She couldn’t stop grinning and he looked at her like the sun was shining from her. Maybe I believe in love again?

June

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo and his girlfriend (we’re calling her that, right?) walking around Toulon the week before the French GP. No PDA but very cute.

July

Spotted: Soho House in London, Daniel Ricciardo and a group of friends (his trainer, Scotty James, a couple of others) at the bar for Dan’s birthday. His girlfriend was beside him, and if they want to keep it low key a hand in her back pocket isn’t the way to do it!!

August

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo and his girlfriend on Splash Mountain. His family were waiting for them to get off the ride, big hugs for both of them.

Spotted: I’m 99% sure I just saw Daniel Ricciardo propose to his girlfriend in Vegas? With Charles LeClerc there? I can’t even tell if it was a joke or not tbh but they were wasted.

Name: Desert Girlie

Email: vegaslights@gmail.com

Subject: F1 does Vegas

Message: Can confirm Daniel Ricciardo and Charles LeClerc are/were in Vegas with Dan’s girlfriend. The “proposal” happened but was a joke, they were all drunk and Charles said “yeah, because the two of you will get married.” So Dan dropped to one knee. She said no while laughing.

The three of them ended up in the club I do promo for and tipped REALLY well, the bartenders didn’t recognise them and were surprised. A couple of guys tried to flirt with the girlfriend (Em? I think?) but Dan’s arm was around her the entire time.

September

Spotted: Daniel Ricciardo and his girlfriend Em walking around Milan together after Monza. Super low key, saw them get turned away from a full restaurant and there was no fuss. Just held hands and found a new place to eat.

October

Name: Cherry Blossom

Email: honeybadgertamed@gmail.com

Subject: ADORABLE

Topic: Daniel Ricciardo and Em stayed in Japan an extra couple of nights, saw them walking through the main train station in Japan to get a train to Tokyo. She had a jigglypuff plushy in her arms.

November

Spotted: DannyRic has a jealous girlfriend! A fan started talking to him in a bar in Austin and she wouldn’t keep her hands off him. It was insane.

Spotted: about DannyRic and Em - I was beside them at the bar when that happened, the “fan” knew who he was and wanted more than just an autograph. He kept his hand on his girlfriend the whole time.

December

Name: tired traveller

Email: perthairport@gmail.com

Subject: adorable

Message: arrived into Perth airport at the same time Daniel Ricciardo and his girlfriend did and oh my god the cuteness. His toddler nephew was there to meet him with family, and he ran across arrivals yelling “AUNTIE EMMY!” It’s so obvious how much his family loves her too, we stan a couple who make an effort with each others families.

[summercreolefanfictioner]

Headcanons about Sakamaki and Mukami hands please 🙏

touch by touch: sakamaki and mukami hands headcanons

tw: a bit nsfw

SHUU

-his hands are rough... but not as rough as what you'd imagine cause he carries this small tube of hand cream that he uses as his mini perfume

-however, you can feel his calluses due to playing the violin. well he doesn't play that much anymore but the calluses are still there to remind him of the child he was back then

-but boy what he does with his fingers will make you wild (I'll leave it up to your imagination 😉)

REIJI

-one might think Reiji's hands are soft bcos he always maintains cleanliness everywhere he goes

-nah his hands are dry like the Sahara desert cause of his frequent usage of alcohol c/o of the things he experiments

-would even try to compensate for these dry hands by using gloves while washing the dishes like those Asian moms (mommyreijiinthehouse)

-so yeah he's the typical rough hand that could touch your skin and make you melt as he chokes you into oblivion bcos he wants you to subject to him

AYATO

-hmm sometimes his hands are sweaty especially when he's nervous and that is really rare or maybe his hands are sweaty due to excitement or adrenaline rush cause our red boy's full of spunk

-he actually takes care of his hands tho, especially his nails bcos basketball players aren't allowed to have long nails

-would even go as far as to apply a clear shiny coat on them bcos he doesn't like seeing them chipped off

-even got Yui into doing this kind of thing bcos couple goals ✨

KANATO

-as someone who is a fan of fingers and such, this purple gremlin takes care of his hands

-after all, he knows how hands can have a significant impact on the way you touch and tease someone

-doesn't matter if his hand is composed of paper pale skin or bony fingers that look like they can easily bend and break as long as he manages to ghost you with his touch

-yeah like his touches and carrases are gentle but the way he skins you alive with his knife is harsh and painful

-also uses a hand cream with the same brand like Shuu's

LAITO

-HOARDER OF HAND CREAMS

-this guy has prob the most beautiful hands out of all bros like he really takes care of them

-yeah bcos this beautiful boy wants to do anything that would make him the center of attention

-diva

-his hands are not too bony nor muscular??? they're just the perfect fit

-well until he decides to do something terrible to you with them

SUBARU

-you know those hand descriptions that say "rough and muscular with veins protruding"?

-yep that's our bby car right here

-like his whole body, even his hands, should show any amount of rage he always keeps inside like the constipated man he is

-ofc there are a few bruises here and there

-as if they don't heal cause pureblood vampire genes

-guess how many people he has killed with them

RUKI

-papercuts, lots of them

-I wanna say something interesting like rough with a few bony fingers and veins popping up every time he cuts a vegetable

-but nah all this guy has are papercuts

KOU

-the same with Laito

-like btch he has an idol image to maintain so might as well take care of any part of his body so he could sell well

-talk abt exploitation jk

-he actually practiced giving himself manicures for years until he can finally flaunt them btchass fingernails 💅

-even got the signature Doja Cat nails bcos he found out some idols use them to pick their nose

-eventually removed them cause it only makes his nose bleed

YUMA

-BIG 👀

-like I swear when he spreads it out, it covers Azusa's whole face and his bros would reprimand him to be careful with them

-cause one tight grasp of his hands and he'll be sending someone to the hospital soon

-he accidentally broke one of his classmates bones by trying to pull them when they're about to get bumped by the crowd during cultural festival

AZUSA

-wounds everywhere

-I swear all of em are traced like constellations in the sky but this time constellations on his bony hands

-prob even named them after constellations too

-"Ruki what does this one look like?"

-"like Spica"

-"okay your name is Spica"

-but he will realize soon enough that it's futile to have wounds in his hands bcos it hinders movement

-so he went back to his bff Justin and added more friends there so he won't be lonely 🫂

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Some replies!

Anonymous asked:

Do you have an Ao3 account?

I honestly forgot that I had one because I don’t read or write fics… so it’s just for leaving kudos from time to time when I remember to log in lol

Katsu’s account isn’t as empty as mine though! But Katsu doesn’t write fanfics very often; the one I posted a sketch for yesterday was the first twst one Katsu wrote.

Anonymous asked:

I was looking at Union birthday interviews again, and the deserted island answers spark some really really reallyinteresting scenarios... Stuck in a deserted island without Internet with a guy who now can do whatever he wants with you(r body) 👀👀👀 And you can't even complain because YOU chose him!!!

Truth to be told, I originally thought of this with Lilia/Vil considering how Lilia behaved back in Stitch event, but then I realized it could be so scrumptious with other ships too! Ruggie/Deuce, Kalim/Leona, Jack/Jamil (and these three who picked victims to stuck with on an deserted island: Jack/Epel, Rook/Silver, Ortho/Malleus)

I really love this question, I wish the next bunch of birthday interviews would have more “theoretical scenario” questions like this one. It’s like the characters themselves give us a prompt for a fic or a doujin lol Stuck in a deserted island…together…

Lilia/Vil on a deserted island sounds like a delightful time, but I also don’t know what Lilia did in the Stitch event, so maybe it’s not as delightful as I picture it LOL But all of these combinations are so fun… I think Rook/Silver and Ortho/Malleus are the ones I would love to see the most.

Also, if I remember correctly, Idia went through an entire list of characters before making his pick, the boy ANALYSED IT he is so picky!!

Anonymous asked:

I was rereading Lilia's union birthday card (spoilers now if you haven't watched it— you should!!!) And thinking that his ideal brother being someone who is not "boring or too independent" but more unpredictable and interesting is really silly when it sounds like his ideal "baby brother" is the total opposite of Silver lol 😭 I can't help but think Lilia has been waiting Silver's whole life for him to hit his rebellious phase and start acting out, but Silver remains as adoring and steadfast as ever... I wonder what Silver would think of this lol

OH I remember that one!! It’s funny how pretty much the first thing he said was “well not Vil or Trey”, like why would you even mention them then, Peepaw? So mean lol

It really is very easy to imagine Lilia waiting for Silver to become a little rebel… If he had had a moment of disobedience or brattiness, Lilia would’ve probably secretly be very pleased. It’s like wow! I’m raising a little firecracker. Or maybe it was a pleasant contrast with Malleus: finally, a child that isn’t trying to burn your face out of pettiness lol

Maybe Silver would get confused and/or upset by it… he is trying his best to be the best son for Lilia, and all this time Lilia just wanted more trouble?

Anonymous asked:

do you ever intend to watch cloudcalling on the savanna/tamashina mina? i know you’re not a big fan of leona and leona’s the star of the show, and i honestly can’t say i disagree with your criticisms of book 2 — frankly, if you said it’s the weakest book, the majority of the fandom would agree with you (and idk if you know but there’s a theory that book 2 was originally book 6, bc when the books were being announced before the game’s release, they were largely in order except savanaclaw being 6 instead of 2. which is admittedly not amazing evidence that the order was rearranged way too late in development, but it’d explain why b2 is so rushed and just… bad, and p. much all other advertisement and promotional material for the game since then has been in the current order). however i feel that this event does a lot for leona’s character, and also offers a lot of worldbuilding for the savanna and context for the way he is. almost like an apology for fumbling the bag on book 2 haha. i’m not trying to force you btw and it’s totally fair if you don’t want to or have other things you want to watch first!!! i’m just a faceless blob on the internet and i obviously can’t (and don’t want to!) force you. i just recommend this event, as a resident catboy lover and lion snuggler!! :3

besides that, are there any potential events that you want to see? for example i’d love an event that takes us to the coral sea, briar valley, or even the isle of woe!!

In general, Anon, we would love to watch all the events at some point (or at least the majority of them), but yeah to be honest Tamashina Mina isn’t really in our top-10 when it comes to priority.

Even though it has Lilia, Vil and Kalim, whom we love a lot, and actually learning more about Savanna would be very cool, and the idea of Leona’s character being better written there is inviting, I guess we’re just not in a Leona mood most of the times lol It all boils down to how I just don’t like the way he is written the majority of times. This balance always feels off somehow, and the way he bounces off other characters doesn’t feel as fun, but maybe it’s due to my personal taste and me disliking this type of character in general. I don’t even know how to describe it in a way that makes sense.

But the thing is, Leona has moments that I genuinely enjoy; for example, I love it when he gets called out or when he is stuck in a funny situation. I liked his fighting scene in the Playful Land event (if you know you know, I’m not spoiling it since it’s not out in EN yet) because it shows him being smart and skilled and then adds a punchline on top of it. So it’s not completely impossible even for me have fun with Leona, and I hope this event has moments like this. But we’ll see… eventually.

The theory that Book 2 was originally Book 6 makes sense because it feels super rushed and “raw” with writing all over the place at times… Honestly, I hope we’ll get some info on it at some point! I doubt we ever will unfortunately, but it would explain a lot. But I’m happy with their order now because we got a lot of stuff from Book 6, which we love so dearly. If Leona had to be sacrificed for it, so be it, we won’t complain lol

THE CORAL SEA EVENT, YES!!! This is the one we are the most excited about, I really hope we’ll get to see it soon! And Briar Valley too of course, and the Isle of Woe since in my head I almost always picture S.T.Y.X. facility, which is so unfair because they have their own (fake) ecosystem underwater, so it’s pretty much Greece-like place!

More events…. more….

It also depends a little bit on the character combo which participates in the event, we clearly have our biases too lol Events with the characters that we strongly ship will most likely get our attention asap. We actually planned on watching the Stitch event back in April, but personal stuff made us delay it for so long that it actually came out in English. We didn’t want to overlap with the Western fanbase, so instead we watched White Rabbit Fest and Ghost Marriage Event or whatever it’s called. The second one is not fully watched though, I’ll mention the reason below. And now I’m not at home so we won’t be able to finish it properly.

What hinders us in most cases is the lack of non-official translations because as soon as the official one is out, nobody is going to bother with translating the event since it doesn’t make sense. But it matters to us :c Same with vignettes, which are even less likely to get translated after their EN release. It ruins the flow of watching TWST by making us constantly looking for videos with the events being unfinished or nobody bothering with the vignettes for the event. It’s a pity, but I understand that it’s a very hard work to translate stuff in general and not to get demotivated by the official translations, because who then needs yours? I NEED!!! Please...

[tdinyomomma]

TDWT- Cody X Reader (Chapter Three) Walk Like An Egyptian Pt. 2

If you haven’t read: two

“Let’s take a few moments to review some of the features of our aircraft.” Chris announces, the next clip showing back to when a piece fell off the plane outside and a raccoon falling out with it. “Safety is our number-one priority. So please remain seated with your seat belts fastened at all times.” 

Showing off Owen knocked out, straps holding onto him to sit up right. 

“The plane has one exit, located here.” Another old clip of Chris throwing Ezekial out of the exit door to the plane, after that is the team mates running for their lives. “

As we explore exotic destinations, take time to familiarize yourself with the local architecture. The world is our playground.” It’s a bunch of clips of the teens getting hurt in the last episode.

 “But remember- refusal to sing will lead to immediate disqualification. When dividing into teams, be sure to give your crew a catchy handle. Upon arrival at our final destination, one lucky competitor will receive a parting gift to remember: 1 Million dollars!” It shows the kids passports and a big ole hunk of cash before going back to Chris with his hands behind his back. 

“So stow that carry-on baggage and lock those tray tables in the upright position. We’re taking off for one crazy ride, right here, right now, on Total… Drama… World Toouurr!”

Of course we’re back behind the starting line in the middle of a hot ass desert. Have I mentioned that I need a new agent? If not… I need a new one. 

“Ooh, look! Team colors!” Izzy awes in admiration at something so simple. 

“Why the heck is our mat yellow?” Harold speaks up, disgusted. “We’re no cowards!” He raises a fist into the air. 

“Relax, sugar. The mat’s gold ‘cause team victory is in first place!” Leshawna points out. “Not for long.” I whisper, glancing down at their stick. 

“I can’t believe Duncan got disqualified just ‘cause he won’t sing.” Gwen exclaims, obviously hurt that, that punk loser decided to take his losses. 

“Maybe he can’t sing.” Heather quips. “Oh, he can do anything he sets his mind to. And now he’s stuck on the plane, waiting for a ride home. Poor thing. He must be miserable.” Courtney cuts off the mean girl and I raise a brow. 

“It’s his fault if he is so miserable, even seems like a player since you two are so upset about him leaving.” Was what I wanted to say outloud but this is about gaining their trust. I couldn’t say that. 

“It’s a shame he quit, but hey, you won’t focus on a boy being here or not if you’re winning.” I grin, nudging the two girls earning small smiles in return along with them blushing. 

“You’re right, Amazing super star, [Name] [Last Name].” Courtney sighs in a dream-like state and I snicker, glancing over to see Heather’s upset expression. 

“Duncan-and-Courtney fans will be devastated, but I also agree with [Name] Courtney don’t need no man” Sierra snorts, 

“But another but, I think you and Owen have a shot at becoming fave “Total Drama” couple on my fan site.” She informs Izzy. 

“Owen’s magic. When he breathes, his nose whistles the national anthem!” The crazy redhead shouts proudly. 

“Super cute! But he’s no [Name]... Or Cody!” She says as Cody and I walk past which gives me the shivers. I plug my ears to not hear another fact she weirdly knows about us two. 

“Does she weird you out too?” I question the boy next to me and his eyes widen. He stares at me for a few seconds so I repeat myself. 

“Did you not hear me or something?” I crossed my arms. “No, no! I did, I just didn’t expect you to actually talk to me.” His face turns red and I ruffle his hair. 

“Cute,” I then grabbed my hand sanitizer realizing what I just did. 

“And yes, she does extremely weird me out.” He tells me as he fixes his hair. Before I can continue on the conversation a cymbal crashes loudly. 

“Mmm. Good.” Chris stuffs his mouth with grapes. 

“Don’t know about you guys, but I am loving egypt.” He chuckles. 

“Mmm! And I’m gonna love it even more watching you enjoy your second challenge– The amazing camel race.” He declares. 

“Where are the other camels?” Harold quizzes. 

“There are no other camels. It’s a camel race. Not a camel’s race.” He fixes their thinking about the whole race ordeal. “Yes!” Heather cheers. 

“What?!” Alejandro adds in, distraught and angry. 

“We won last time, but they get a camel, they get a goat and we get a stick?!” Leshawna furrows her brows. 

“Each reward has its advantages. Trust me. You’ll be racing to the world’s most infamous waterway, the Nile.” He assures them. 

“Teams must bring their rewards all the way to the finish. You have 60 seconds to strategize.” He points, 

“Move it, people. It’s a race.” Heather hurries us as she is already on top of the camel. 

“Uh, Hello? It’s Team Amazon, not Dictatorship Amazon.” Courtney argues with the girl. 

“Great. Well, I’ll stop being bossy when you start doing things right.” Heather says, I get on the stupid camel and I’m squished in between Gwen and Izzy. 

“Whee! Yeah! I get the throat!” She then starts grunting and it sounds more like a donkey noise if anything. “I just introduced myself in camel-ese.” She mutters. 

“I bet you did.” Gwen encourages her and I shake my head trying not to scoff. “Oh, hey. Fancy meeting you here.” Cody lifts himself up in front of Gwen. 

“Go out for a slushie later?” He asks. 

“Cody. Hey. Listen, I still really appreciate you setting me up with Trent that time.” Gwen thanks the boy. “Nice, right?” He smiles a toothy smile. 

“And now that he’s gone, huh? Yeah. I’m available.” Cody tells her, I make a face knowing the girl is not interested.

 “Hear that? It’s the sound of girls all over the world running and rushing, just desperate to lock their doors.” Heather starts off nice and then completely stomps on his heart. I sighed out as the other girls laughed. 

“That was mean, he didn’t deserve that.” I snap back to her. “I’d be interested in Cody, he’s a sweet boy.” I tell Heather, it shut the other girls up real quick too. Of course I wasn’t telling the complete truth, and normally I wouldn’t have cared about anyone really. But laughing at him like that for having feelings just didn’t sit right with me. 

“A’ight! Nile’s thataway! Kind of big, blue and watery. Can’t miss it. Or I guess you can, but then you’ll die. Probably get killed by the local scarab beetles. It’s mating season and they get all killy when they’re in heat.” Chris tells us, I watch as Leshawna goes up to him. 

“I am glad there aren’t any out here. Those things are nasty!” She looks up at him. 

“I’ll tell them you said so.” Chris motions to Chef Hatchet who knocks over a big vase. It lands with a thump in the sand and shows the little beetles crawling out.

 Leshawna screams, running away causing a domino effect to all of us around. Then that stupid ding goes off. 

“Ooh! Time for a song! Think of it as a mini challenge. Music can soothe the savage mate-seeking scarabs. So make up a good song and maybe they won’t kill you. Or don’t and get disqualified, like Duncan.” He speaks up, but I’m more focused on the bugs crowding around us as the others groan except for Izzy of course. The music starts. “

No need to get crazy.” Alejandro starts off. The other guys snapped to the beat. 

"It’s lovin’ time at last.” He belts. 

“You don’t want to eat us up!” The guys sing together. 

“We’re mostly full of gas~ No!! No!” Owen shouts as the beetles start to climb up him. 

“It’s mating time for scarabs!” Courtney, Heather, Gwen and [Name] sing. 

"So what you waiting on?” Leshawna pushes two of the scarabs to each other. 

“Just ignore us humans.” Izzy holds one. 

“And make out till the break of dawn!” The teens all come together. 

“It’s lovin’ time,” Alejandro says. 

“lovin’ time, lovin’ time.” 

“Scarab mating season!” 

“It’s lovin’ time.” It shows Cody staring between Gwen and now [Name] as they sang their part.

 “Lovin’ time, lovin’ time!” 

“Scarabs, get busy now.” Alejandro seems disappointed in what he has to sing out loud. 

“It’s lovin’ time.” Harold does his own piece. 

“Lovin’ time, lovin’ time.” 

“Scarab-mating season!”

“It’s lovin’ time!” Cody sings, now starting to tip-toe away as the Scarabs are busy loving each other and finding their mate. 

“Lovin’ time. Lovin’ time.” 

“Scarab-mating season!” 

“Season, eh!” Ezekial messes up the whole tone and the Scarabs get agitated. “Whoa! No! Wait!” The bugs start crawling up him as the others run away screaming.

An air horn goes off as we get on the camel. As moments pass we’re still in the lead.

 “Come on!” Courtney smooches at the animal we’re riding. “Come on, camel! Faster!” Courtney attempts to motivate him. 

“That is not how you talk to a camel.” Heather then clears her throat. “Freakin’ move it!” She shouts. 

“Much better.” Gwen laughs. “Shh, guys! Keep it down, okay? I’m trying to tell him a fairy tale!” Izzy tells them then starts making the grunting noises again. 

“So, how’s it going back there, Cody?” Gwen changes the subject moving along from whatever crazy girl is doing. He gets whacked by the tail of the camel. 

“Ow! Great!” He chuckles trying to play it off. Thanks for- ow! Asking. As long as it doesn’t– oh! Go number three.” Cody informs her. 

“We’re gonna go win the race now. See ya!” Heather blows raspberries at the other team behind us. “Eat sand, losers!” Courtney jumps into the teasing. 

“Such witty remarks from such fiercely intelligent women. I’m both humbled and intrigued.” Alejandro responds and I roll my eyes. “Nice try, but I’m with Duncan.” Courtney turns away from the hispanic charmer. “And what a pity it is that you should give yourself to a quitter who doesn’t deserve you.” He tells her, which he’s not half wrong. “That’s not- Duncan is totally-” She scoffs. “You’re just- Will someone just hurry this Camel up?!” She orders. 

“Can you see the Nile, Izzy?” Heather asks. “No, not yet!” Izzy makes the Camel speak. 

“It’s got to be around here.” Courtney says. I just glance around not seeing anything. But then a smell emits the air and we all gag, realizing the camel just did it on Cody. 

“Ew!” Courtney yells. 

“Oh, gross!” Gwen gags. Then the camel comes to a stop. 

“Uh, guys the other team is gone. We’re all alone out here.” Gwen announces. “Does anyone know where we are?” Heather asks. 

“Planet earth, silly.” Izzy laughs.

 “We’re lost!” They all say as if it wasn’t fucking obvious. 

“No dip, guys. They probably went another direction, let's try going to the right!” I simply tell them, folding my arms now, getting super sweaty and irritated. 

“Are you sure?” Heather questions me. “All in favor of my idea, say I.” I smile up at her in a cocky way as they all quickly say I in return. 

They all still argue but I have Izzy talk to the camel to know where to go. The camel changes courses like I said to a while ago.

“Wait, what is that?” Gwen points ahead of us.

 “The finish line!” They shout. 

“Weird. I asked Ruby where we could get lemonade. But this is okay, too I guess.” Izzy explains. “Want me to tell her to hurry up?” She looks back at us. We all just blankly stare at her. “Okay.” She then does the grunting. Once we get to the water the other team is already making their boat. 

“Basket-weave a boat?! Ugh!” Heather shouts in disgust. I get down and pet the camel as a thank you for carrying us but right after I go for my hand sanitizer because you don’t know what kind of diseases animals carry. 

“Sorry you guys are so far behind. Plus our baskets are nearly done already thanks to my speed weaving.” Sierra apologizes. 

"Plus you’ve got Owen on your team. Lucky.” Izzy says. 

“But you have Cody and [Name]!” She then runs over to us and pulls us into her chest. “I wish we were on the same team, too!” Sierra hums. “Uh, I have to do something.” He pulls away and I nod in agreement following after him. 

“Aw, you guys are so cute together.” I overhear Izzy tell Sierra. 

“Maybe we could swap teams!” 

“Trade a basket case for a basket weaver? Fine. Sierra, you’re with us. Izzy, go play with the boys.” Heather calls the shots. 

“What?!” Alejandro shouts but immediately Sierra starts basket weaving for us. 

“Wow, she’s amazing.” Courtney compliments her and I would’ve too if it wasn’t for how creepy the girl is towards me. 

“Maybe you should think about listening to me a bit more this time around, hmm?” Heather suggests, which Gwen and Courtney burst into a fit of laughter. 

“It’ll take a lot more than this to earn our trust.” Gwen tells her. “A lot, a lot more.” 

“Where’s Chris? He won’t allow this.” Alejandro says. 

“Excuse me. Did somebody- Ugh” Chris comes up on a boat and Sierra pulls him into a tight hug. “Today is officially the best day of my life, so I really hope you allow us to swap.” Sierra stares up at the host. “But of course, you’ll make the best decision, ‘cause you’re the best decider ever!” She cheers for her. “And that’s why I’m going to allow it.” Chris smiles, I throw my head back in major disappointment. 

“Smiley face!” The purple haired girl squeals.

 “What was that about Chris not allowing it?” I tease the boy now standing in front of me as his head is down. Heather also sticks her tongue out at him but instead of getting upset he blows a kiss at her. She gasps, crossing her arms and looking away from him. 

“Ta-da!” Sierra shows off her work and we come running her way. 

“Team Amazon Rocks!” We uplift the girl happily. Chris says something as the other team finally makes their way to the water.

 “Cody! Let’s go!” Courtney yells as Cody struggles to get the camel onto the boat with us. 

“Come on, pal. Just get in the boat.” Then the boy says something quieter and goes behind the camel and tries to push but ends up with his face in the animal's ass. 

“Cody!” Sierra gasps.

 “Izzy, tell ruby to get in the boat!” Courtney demands. Izzy goes to do it but that Noah kid stops her. 

“Whoa! Whoa! Izzy’s on our team now, not yours. Not a word.” Noah glares at her. “Oh! Fun!”

 “Fine. We’ll do it ourselves. C’mon.” Courtney motions for us to follow her. We then try to get the camel to get moving as we pull on the rope around her neck. But she doesn’t even budge. I notice the other teams already start to get a move on. 

“This is totally unfair! If it wasn’t for that stupid swap, we’d be halfway across the Nile by now.” Heather groans.

 “We’re gonna win fair and square.” Alejandro says. 

“But to make sure you believe, talk to the camel.” He turns to Izzy. “Yeah? Okay.” Izzy starts the grunting noise and finally the animal starts trotting. We finally get moving and right as we do that stupid ding goes off once again. 

“Time for a musical reprise!” Chris shouts at us. Everyone groans.

 “Hey if you finish the song the first time, you wouldn’t be here now, Zeke. Start singing!” He calls out the homeschooled kid. “And put your backs into it.”

“Mm-mmm, crocodile amigos, what you swimming for?” Alejandro starts us off once again. 

“We don’t mean to bug you.” Courtney sings next, Gwen right after. 

“Please let us reach the shore!” Even the Camel brays out a song. 

“These crocs are gettin’ killy” Lindsay worriedly sings. 

“Just bop them on no-ose! I learned that in muskrat boys it vanquishes all foes.” Harold tells everyone. I watch as Ezekial goes to bop a croc but he fails and the croc eats the stick he had in his hand. 

“It’s rowin’ time!” Alejandro sings. 

“Vanquishing, vanquishing!” Now all of them sing. 

“Crocodile season!” “

It’s rowin’ time,” DJ adds. 

“Crocodiles! Crocodiles!” 

“Tell me I’m not sinking.” DJ asks. 

“Yeah, it’s rowin’ time!” Cody sings this time, on the camel’s hunchback bump. 

“Singing it, singing it! Crocodile season!” 

“It’s rowing time!” 

“Rowing time, rowing time!” The Amazon get ahead and makes it past the finish line. “

Till the Amazons Wi-i-i-i-in!” The Amazon team belt it out towards the end.

“Congrats, you’re alive. And as long as you all brought rewards across the finish line, there will be no elimination tonight.” Everyone cheers but I remember the Victory team lost their reward.

 “I lost the stick.” Ezekiel announces to his team. He then chuckles nervously causing Chris to actually start laughing. 

“Wow. Sucks to be you.”

We get to go to the wonderful first class area. We all sit down and Courtney comes up to me. “Hey!” She grins at me and I do a small wave along with a smile. 

“What’s up?” I ask. “Could I sit with you?” She seems hopeful. 

“Oh, of course!” I had to think about it at first but realizing to earn her trust I have to be nice. I go back to cleaning my area up a little bit. I feel her staring and I start to smirk. 

“You wanna fangirl a little bit?” I messed with her and she went to deny it but then blushed. 

“I’m sorry I just really love your work in the movies you play in.” She admits. 

“Don’t be sorry I love fans or just people who enjoy my work, we can talk all about it.”

“Call me whatever you want, at the end of the day my career comes with that stuff. I'm used to fangirls and fan meetings and I love everyone who appreciates me.” [Name] smiles sweetly at the camera.

Taglist: if you want to be added lmk!

@marsyay78

@ghostdoodlen

@laecrowa

@pulling-out-my-eyes

@tulipatheticee

@cipher-004

[oonyula]

Decided to condense what I have so far for my Grand Theft Auto/Crazy Taxi crossover AU... so here it is! go girls go! 🎀🐩🍨💕💐

Don't Talk To Me Unless I've had My Morning Cup of Big City Crime!

Gus owns a taxi depot in SA and hires a few guys (Gina Axel Joe). maybe sometimes he makes some side income taking 'hot' calls (he plays getaway-driver-for-hire and makes a little extra cash on the dl and makes a lot cos he drives crazy)

cos in Gus' lore or whatever in the og arcade game, he starts driving Crazy Taxis (haha) cos ppl tip him more when he drove fucked up and fast. Then he got more crazy ass drivers to join his gang/business.

According to Axel's background, he's been a fan of crazy taxi style driving since he was a kid. Like says he was born in a taxi, etc. I think it would just be so funny and cute if in this AU he always heard of the crazy cabbies who drove as getaway drivers for the right price... seeing some of the chases online and the odd sighting in person....

In game canon, Axel also claims to have been born in a cab, that's how much he loves being a cabbie. Take that for what you will??

Axel is the newest cabbie right. He doesn't show up for calls and doesn't seem to be at the depot much. He's straight up pulling small time jobs rather than work, like robbing gas stations and boosting cars.. until Gus one day gets a hot call at some pharmacy or store, and when he picks up his eh, Client....

IT'S AXEL!!! It'd be more of a Spiderman pointing moment if Gus wasn't so pissed at this fag twink for losing him fares ajskf. This legend is his oldfuck boss who hates him because Axel is a slacker LOL

After they barely get away w their lives, screaming down the Senora Fwy and all the way into the grand senora desert they get into a huge fucking argument over Axel's work ethic and maybe he'd almost be getting his severance package as a punch to the teeth...!! If he wasn't as excited as a kid meeting Batman about his boss maybe being THEE coolest cabbie there ever was to drive a shitbox for minimum wage.

Cabbie Info

Gena and Joe are like ok whatever dude. We don't care what our boss does in his free time. They're friends in and outside of work, despite their deoffefenr social circles. But both of them have the mentality of "I just wanna get paid and do my job to the minimum." But you knowwwww...

Gena is trans and mostly cares about tuning up her car for the underground LS car meets and is roommates w Cinnamon from Crazy Taxi 2 (somewhere in Murietta Heights/Mirror Park). She LIVES to work on her car and someday wants to own her own garage. All her paycheque that isn't sucked to rent or her medication goes to her ride. She could really use the money to fund her little dream...

Joe is an average guy who's a bit of a favourite with the few regulars Gus has. He's easy to talk to, rolls with the punches, and thinks of himself as being pretty funny. He lives in the Vespucci Beach area in an apartment by himself, and when he's not working, he's doing DJ sets at the clubs around LS. He's always on the pulse of what's hot in the club scene and has a few friends in interesting places, being a niche social media micro celebrity. Joe can often be seen in the VIP booth at the most elite clubs with his friends Bixbite (Crazy Taxi 3) and Iceman (Crazy Taxi 2). The thought of getting insane clout from this crazy side hustle and being the first on a new trend is really interesting to him...

[drsteggy]

Can I get some DVD commentary on Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore? I know you have been in the process of rewriting the core fic and there are so many parts of it I love, so if you're able to talk about the rewriting aspect, that's a bonus!

I don't really have a specific section, more of a general point for discussion. Maybe less DVD commentary and more Farore interview exclusive!

One of the things I suspected on my first read through was that Twilight Princess really played a big part in furnishing the world. I went in to your fic having only played OOT and BOTW and there were some commonalities (though I think with OOT it might have been more of a general LOZ vibe because I'm not sure if you had played it at that point). Now that I've played TP and think back to Farore, I really feel its influence in the 'dungeon' design and some of the geography.

What parts do you think the games played in terms of influencing your worldbuilding on Farore?

Thanks so much for the ask, my god I love going on about this fic so much.

The rewrite has mostly been trying to bring it up to the level of how I write now vs how I did then. I lean into perfectionism (though I swear I’m much better than I was) and I will tweak things endlessly. There were a few things I felt were a little rough and never got smoothed the way I liked. The entire back half of the fic got pretty much written and published as I went week to week because I hit a spot where I just had to finish it- I knew how it would end, and I wanted to make sure it hit its marks. I wasn’t comfortable without having the safety net I had at the start, but the people who offered to beta at the start slowly shifted priorities and drifted…and man, if I could not keep a beta readers attention, how well I was doing here?

I mean, part of the fic is about imposter syndrome and learning who you are and all that and. Yeah. I half joke that Link is a self insert. I’m not the train wreck he is at the start of the fic by miles- but there are places where he is very much some hard projection. But by the second half of the fic he was getting his shit together, so I figured maybe I should try and follow that example.

So when I was first trying to deal with my Zelda brain rot, which was mostly Breath of the Wild brain rot, I ended up in a community of people who were very much Gamers who liked Zelda games. When I started Farore in its original six chapter form, I’d only played BOTW and the geography/map is 100% the BOTW map. The Zora’s Domain is differently laid out, but I think that’s it. I can show you where I decided specific things were otherwise.

What I learned from this was people who identify as gamers first don’t really gel well with people who identify as Zelda fans first. Like these guys liked to shit all over BOTW Zelda (a 16 year old girl in the game) and go on about how a non male hero should never be a thing and turned me into a defender of the princess (who I’d only experienced as her yelling at me to that point, and I wasn’t really a fan) Eventually I left because they decided to make fun of cosplay photos I shared.

But these guys were obsessed with Twilight Princess. Obsessed!!! In particular, they talked about the Arbiters Grounds constantly. They claimed, more than once, that it was the best dungeon in the series!! And this influenced me as I continued the fic.

I’m a Switch girl, though my Nintendo introduction involved a Wii in 2009- I was recently married and unable to work as I was trying to deal with state level bullshit about a professional license that ultimately kept me sidelined for 3 months. I was going stir crazy and spouse decided I should learn to play MarioKart. I still had this Wii and started to track down older games to play them.

I scored a copy of TP and had already decided the Arbiters Grounds was going to be the desert dungeon in the fic, but I wanted to play through it first. As it turned out, playing TP with a Wiimote was a bad combination for me and I kept slopping into lava before I even properly entered the Goron temple. I ended up watching someone do a let’s play of that dungeon before I wrote it.

Much, much later I learned my Wii could play GameCube games and I did eventually play TP via a GC disk. I remember getting a chill when I finally rocked up on the Arbiters Grounds, and I do not feel that I made that dungeon as scary as maybe I could have- I don’t think I changed a lot in the rewrite because there’s a lot in that chapter that I really love and thought came out well.

I had also played part of Skyward Sword as I was writing (and I feel that after BOTW, this game has the most influence on the fic, particularly over the Link/Zelda relationship) and I knew spiders were sort of a thing in Zelda games and that’s why I made the first dungeon boss sort of a spider (it only has six legs, so it isn’t a spider) I was unaware that there was a classic dungeon boss that had a spider form, so when people were going on about Lady Ghoma in my comments I was very what about that. I was super shocked when I hit that dungeon in TP lol.

I will say TP has some of my favorite dungeons and the most fun bosses. I kind of wish that I knew about Snowpeak Mansion and the City in the Sky as I was writing, but I think my Link would have had a mental breakdown at the very thought of that much hookshot. He probably would have been into making soup, though.

I tried to Easter egg as many games as I could as I wrote- except I decided this was before BOTW- so that game is not mentioned at all aside from the map. I think I did a pretty good job of it, considering I hadn’t played (and had not completed any) many as I was going. I definitely hit Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Links Awakening, Wind Waker and the manga from Hyrule Historia. One comment I got on the fic - one that really touched me, too - referenced the Picori and the reader assured my Link that he wasn’t really alone. And like, I literally teared up reading that, because it was something my Link needed to hear but he also probably wasn’t open to hearing it at that moment. And I had no idea what Picori were…and now I’m sort of sad I didn’t think to go back and try and weave them in, but maybe I’ll do so as the edit goes on.

[currywithcufant]

(@interregionalgyminspections) Hello! How would you rate the safety and accessibility of the gyms you've been to? -Breve

Honestly, the gyms here are tame compared to the stories I've heard from other regions (canons??? Pits??? A honey wall??? Are y’all in other regions alright?)

I’m sure Geeta conducts safety audits for the gyms. It's been a while but I'll list off what I remember. Terastallizing itself appears to be safe but I'm no expert.

Disclaimer: I’m fully able bodied, so I cannot provide accurate information for those with disabilities, medical conditions that can affect their ability to do a gym battle. This also applies to hybrids and those who are Pokémon themselves. These are purely my opinions. Also it’s been years since I’ve battled all the gyms (pretty sure I have the old pictures somewhere).

From best to worst

1: The Bug Gym, Katy

Honestly the tamest as it's the first gym everyone does in Paldea. The gym challenge is a simple game of rolling this giant olive. Had to do it on my own two feet but it was easy.

Gym itself is on this tall wooden platform near her bakery. Battling her is easy as long as you have a flying or fire type.

Only issue is that you’d need to climb stairs to get up there. If you couldn’t use your legs for any reasons, that’s a big problem. Maybe the flying taxi can take you up there?

2: The Psychic Gym, Tulip

Also pretty tame. Nothing too special about it, unless we’re considering Tulip’s status as a celeb

The gym challenge is called ESP (emotional spectrum practice?) you do these funny exercises with your Pokemon. Pretty sure anyone can do them

Gym battle itself isn’t too hard. The area is on this high tower but appears safe. Same issue as Katy’s gym with the stairs.

3: The Normal Gym, Larry

A fairly easy gym that’s run in this restaurant. The area is hidden in the middle with the table and chairs flipping over! They’re stuck to the battle area at least.

Gym challenge has you battling people to get this special order. Something about rice balls?

Pretty safe on the inside. Wouldn’t be surprised if battling there didn’t damage the nearby surroundings…or customers.

Larry appears to be overworked. Does that count? He works at least 3 jobs for the League.

4: The Grass Gym, Brassius

Another easy gym. Grass is pretty weak to a lot of typings

Gym challenge has you running around to catch 10 sunflora. They’re surprisingly fast for a walking flower

The battle area is surrounded by these really pretty flowers

I recall going through this cliffy area. It has a lot of natural ramps at least. There’s also signs all over the place pointing to the gym. The signs also let you know if you’re lost. There’s ladders going down to other portions of the cliffs.

Only reason I ranked this lower is because the guy jumped off a windmill before greeting me. How are his legs not broken??? Is he alright?

5: The Electric Gym, Iono

A gym run by the famous streamer! Her gym challenge had me doing a stream before battling her…which was also streamed. Just had to battle a couple of her fans.

Only issue is having electric Pokémon near water. The city is near a couple of beaches but the platform is high above the water. Haven’t heard any issues about it

It can be tricky near the end because of her ace Pokémon

No stairs needed to access the battle area. City itself is huge and I got lost a couple of times

6: The Water Gym, Kofu

On the lower end because I kept getting sand in my eye during the battle. It’s near this huge sandy desert.

I heard rumours that this giant rolling beast resided there. Super dangerous from what I heard

His gym challenge was…well I remember fighting his apprentice.

I don’t have much to say about this. Battle itself was easy if you ignored all the sand pelting you

There’s elevators that’ll take you up to the gym. Cascarafa itself is easy to navigate around

7: The Ghost Gym, Ryme

Ryme is my favourite gym leader! I just didn’t enjoy climbing a mountain to go and battle her. If you don’t have a ride Pokémon then it’s a struggle. I couldn’t even take a flying taxi there until my rotom phone registered it on the map!

Double battles are cool. Her gym challenge and battle consisted of them.

Mountains are cold. Snowstorms, random Pokémon popping out of the snow. Had a pack of grevard trailing me.

Just be prepared for a journey up the mountain

8: Ice Gym, Grusha

Same issue as Ryme’s gym. Had to climb up a mountain to get there

I don’t like snowboarding. The gym challenge had you riding down a slope in a few minutes. Rented a cyclizar and it wasn’t fun. I know he was a former snowboarder but like…not cool

The battle area is right next to a steep drop. There’s this red fencing around it at least

Battle itself isn’t hard. Rock or fire for an easy win

Bonus: Is it legal for a young child to be a part of the elite 4? Her name is Poppy, a steal type specialist. She seems so young…

If you have other questions and concerns, I heard Geeta has a blog somewhere here

[yuuxhan]

Wanderer Headcanons!

Im starting to really like him for some reason.. I guess I never really gave his backstory some thought until now 🥹… poor guy

I’m still fairly new to learning about him.. but none of my ideas are canon! Though, if I get anything wrong or if you have any ideas or other headcanons then please LMK! I’ll be happy to hear!!

Anyways.. enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That black shirt he has under is clothes isn’t exactly a shirt.. it’s his body! That’s why it emits that blue light.

Wanderer was made out of clay.. so his body is mostly freezing cold to the touch. He almost feels metallic.

When he was first made, he was unable to move is body much, confused on how to work it since Ei/Raiden had been using him like puppet stings for the longest time… he couldn’t stand on his own, he didn’t know how to move his fingers/etc

He doesn’t eat.. he’s not human.. so why should he? Yet.. Nahida forces him to eat all the time.

That battle.. when he got his gnosis taken away, I think we can all agree that he got into a coma or smth right? But I don’t think that happened. He’s not human, so I think all his parts just flew off off him, he broke like a piece of glass. Especially his head since he went face first down. I’m positive he passed out or ‘died’ I assume. But nahida pieced him together.. and wanderer finally came to be.

He’s actually a big softie.. as cold as he must seem, he loves kids. He likes playing with them and talking to them like they are his own friends. And if he ever had kids of his own (I don’t think he can have kids bc… he.. yk, he doesn’t have ‘that’ it’s plastic) he would treat them with so much love and care. He wouldn’t want them to end up how he became, unloved and abandoned.

Ontop of loving kids, he’s a big fan of animals.. and I do think he tamed a fungus of some sort in Sumeru, sort of like how we tamed them for that one event in Genshin. Those Aranara too, he’s close with nahida.. so I’m sure he’s good friends with the Aranaras.

He can’t swim. Lmao. Even if he did, I think he wouldn’t be able to float, as much as he practiced and practiced with nahida.. he’d just keep sinking and someone would need to save him.

I don’t think he can get cuts and bruises. Like I said he’s made out of clay.. but maybe he could get a chip here and there.. and his body would have a couple cracks. Especially after that fall with the gnosis.

He actually really likes hugs.. it’s warm and very comfortable compared to his cold body.. and if you hug him for long enough, you might be able to warm it up.

Speaking of comforting, he has no heart! Everything inside of him is wires and cables.. he’s a small compartment in his chest, probably where that blue light is. You can open it and see inside of him… he kinda looks like inside of a computer or a phone lmao.

He hates being tied or held down, it reminds him of being tied up like those puppet strings. No matter if it’s for ‘doing the dirty’ or just being held down to tease him.. he’d immediately get agitated and throw you off of him.

He really likes sumeru compared to inazuma, it’s his comfort nation.. and he can feel at ease there. He likes to sit high up somewhere and just admire the beauty of Sumeru. But he hates the desert, it’s quite annoying even though he can’t sweat like how we humans do.. the heat still feels like it’s melting his clay body.

He has major trust issues.. and once you do gain his trust.. he had abandonment issues. He won’t let you go, that’s it. It’s either be close to him, or be his enemy.

•He doesn’t blink. Hes a puppet, right? A doll? So why would he have to blink? For all we know his eyes are people’s drawn on, or some sort of machine in his body.

That’s all for now! I’ll add more later if I ever have more ideas! Thanks for reading!!!

[mcytblrconfessions-but-bad]

https://www.tumblr.com/mcytblrconfessions/756228722102796288/i-think-its-incredibly-interesting-when-aus

Going off this anon yeah it is very weird to leave someone out of au’s when the cast can have them in. As a fake fic example If it’s only focusing on Dogwarts in a modern au then yeah I guess you can leave out a bunch such as the crastle or desert duo and just focus on Dogwarts members. But if it has everyone but just so happens to leave one person out like Grian or Cleo or Scott then I’m suspicious on you. Other examples I have seen is when there’s watchers involved and they focus on 4/5 evo members, always leaving BigB out. Why is BigB out? Pearl hasn’t mentioned Evo in years, Grian said he doesn’t like referencing old series in new/current series, Jimmy only aid that the secret keeper seemed familiar and moved on and Martyn is the only one making lore for himself and fans who want it. Why is BigB out but Pearl can be mentioned?

The life series fandom isn’t the only one to do this. Dsmp did it a lot with it focusing on 10 people max, maybe mentioning other people. Hermitcraft is even worse. In the last 4 seasons it’s been pretty consistent on who’s on hermitcraft, why is there no mention of Hypno or Wels in your au focusing on Mumbo Jumbo? It’s set on hermitcraft, what the hell are they doing?

I can understand if people don’t like a CC therefore they won’t mention or add them but my guy, just give them a small, tiny role or depending on the au kill them off early. Pretending that they don’t exist at all especially with ones that have ties everyone makes you look like a fucking prick.

The only big smp fandom I see that doesn’t do this is empires but they also have a smaller cast to play with. Removing Lizzie in an au about the Codfather looks very, very stupid.

(Also do not attack people who do this, I’m just venting here and it’s best you do too so they don’t see it, and if they do then who cares)

.