#so the demo will for sure drop this month

[untitledrockstar-if]

So excited for the demo! Do you have any more snippets for us?

[gb-patch]

Structure Poll Results

Hello again everyone, GB here!

The release structure poll for Our Life: Now & Forever has closed. Nearly 10,000 people voted, and we got hundreds and hundreds of thoughts people left about the idea. I want to say thank you so much for the supportive and understanding messages. It made me pretty emotional to see how much people loved the game and cared about the team 😭 💖

To restate how this worked, players could vote for or against the idea of OL: N&F releasing Step by Step. We would change our original plan to launch the first three Steps together if people wanted us to. But we wouldn’t do such a major shift if people weren’t interested or there was more of a split in the community. With that said, this is the poll-

Yeah, it’s almost exactly 50/50 between people who want the episodic release and those who don’t actively want it! That could have made this complicated, but after thinking about it and reading the reasons for and against the options, I do think the decision we’re going with will be for the best.

Our Life: Now & Forever will not release episodically. However, there’s going to be truly massive updates to the demo this year.

And this is why: a true early access release with DLC content becoming available would impact things in ways that might not be worth it. Us as a company would have to promote an episodic release the same way we would the entire game launching, and then we’d have do that again when the next Step came out. We’d have to be concerned with sales numbers and such before the base game was even done. Also, the game would be releasing for the entire world, not just for our current players. That isn’t the type of work we want to jump into ASAP unless it was what a majority of players really wanted. The point of this was always meant to be something good for the people most excited about the project.

If we keep OL:NF as a demo and focus on putting out a ton of the free-to-play parts of the story, we can make this all about our fanbase and that’s it. We could drop a 100,000 word demo update and move on with our day like it’s nothing ‘cause it’s not a proper launch. A lot of the best content has been left out of the demo, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. We could make the demo a more fulfilling experience without impacting anything behind the scenes or putting anything up for sale.

Not only that, but those who don’t want to see too much of the game before it’s fully launched will then be able to avoid the extra content more easily since it’s hidden away as a demo instead of getting the full marketing treatment. Sure, it might confuse newcomers who try the demo and find out it’s absurdly long for a demo, however that’s not the end of the world.

Since there is this clear divide, I think a compromise that tries to avoid the main things people were worried about while keeping as many of the benefits as we can is better than simply choosing one side or the other.

I hope that sounds like a positive development. Look forward to future announcements about the mega-sized demo expansions that will be on the way in coming months! And thank you again for following along with the development of Our Life: Now & Forever 🥰️

[starsenha]

[12] FIRST IMPRESSIONS - just choreo

synopsis: riki was a big fan of your group Devilish, but when he met you for the first time, he made a very bad first impression and now you hated him. rumors started to spark saying how you hated each other and to calm the rumors, the company decided to make you two hosts a variety show together for two months. wc: 2k tw: lots of sexual tension

You arrived at the brightly lit practice room of Hybe Entertainment. You hurried a bit, the clock showing 10:03pm. You were three minutes late. Your bag slung over one shoulder, and your usual determined and focused expression on your face, even if you were exhausted. It was a hectic week with Devilish as you were preparing for your upcoming comeback. Yet, here you were, late at night rather than resting, obliged to rehearse this chore for the variety show. The production team thought it was a good idea to use both your and Riki's talent in dance and do a little choreo section in the next episode. Like you both already hadn't enough on your plates.

As you pushed open the door, the familiar beat of Under The Influence by Chris Brown resonated in the room as you saw Riki rehearsing the chores. You both received the demo just this morning and from what you saw, he almost had it down already, the same as you. He noticed you arriving in the mirror and stopped the music, offering you a cheeky grin.

"You're late,' he teased, walking over to grab his water bottle.

You dropped your bag near the corner, rolling your eyes, but a hint of a smile was playing on your lips. "3 minutes. I literally just got ut of practice with the girls."

"Oh please, I just finished practice too. Don't find excuses," his playful tone didn't irritate you as much as it used to, which honestly surprised you. But you guessed it was probably because of your actual conversation you had with him a few days ago.

You smirked slightly at his comment, pulling out your phone to glance at the choreo notes one last time. Your smile didn't go unnoticed by Riki, who felt his heart skip a beat for some reason.

"Did you have time to watch the demo?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as he could.

You nodded. "Yeah. I'm genuinely surprised they went with something so...suggestive."

He chuckled. "You and me both. But hey, it's a chance to show our chemistry, right?"

"What chemistry?"

He placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. "Ouch. You wound me."

You couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. "Let's just get started."

The two of you moved to the center of the room. You had studied the routine on your way here, but performing it in person was completely different, especially with him. You first started by reviewing the chores without music, trying out the formations and steps to make sure you were in complete sync. It was a bit intricate and required you to actually have cohesion.

When you reached the first section that required physical contact, Riki hesitated for a split second before tilting your chin upward with his fingertips. The action was quite brief but charged. Your breath hitched a bit unexpectedly as you realized just how close you were to each other, your eyes locking onto his. When he stepped around you as the choreo demanded, you felt a little pang of disappointment. What was happening?

"Too much?" Riki asked, a playful glint in his eyes as he noticed your reaction.

You scoffed, masking your unease by being a bit defensive. "I'm fine. It's just choreo."

The suggestive sections were next, and you could feel the heat of the room intensifying. He executed a sharp hip thrust while you popped your hips in perfect sync.

"Wow," you heard him mutter under his breath, but loud enough for you to catch.

"What?" you asked.

"You're actually really good at this," he admitted, his voice genuine, even if you caught him checking you out a bit in the mirror.

You blinked for a moment, a bit taken aback. "Uh, thanks. You're pretty good too."

"Pretty good?" he raised an eyebrow, feigning insult. "I'm incredible. Best dancer of 4th gen, and you know that."

You chuckled, swatting his baseball cap to pull it down ever so slightly. "Yeah, yeah sure. let's not get carried away, okay?"

He chuckled, too, and put his cap up a bit. You went through the choreo several times, doing it with music too. After a few times, you plopped down on the wooden floor, leaning back on your hands and catching your breath. You could feel the thin sheen of sweat on your body. Across from you, Riki sat cross-legged, chugging water from his bottle, and you couldn't help but let your eyes wander to his Adam's apple going up and down as he gulped. He then wiped the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his shirt, exposing his defined abs. You quickly looked away, pretending not to notice.

"That wasn't so bad..." you muttered, reaching for your own water bottle.

"We aced that," he said with a boyish grin, and you couldn't help yourself but smile as well.

You both laughed and talked a bit, the conversation flowing quite naturally between you two. You found yourself actually having a good time, the way you bantered a bit too made it interesting.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Riki cleared his throat, a hint of nervousness creeping into his expression. "Hey, uh...can I ask you something?"

You raised an eyeborw, curious. "What?"

He figedted with the hem of his shirt, avoiding your gaze. "Do you...maybe...want to exchange numbers? You know, since we're gonna be working together for a bit, we might wanna talk about schedule or...stuff."

You tilted your head, surprised. He was alwyas so confident and playful but he seemed quite shy now. It was almost, cute? "Sure,' you simply said, pulling out your phone.

His face lit up as he handed over his own phone. Your fingers brushed briefly during the exchange, and you felt a spark you quickly ignored. As you entered your number, he watched you with a small smile, trying not to make it obvious how giddy he felt.

“Here,” you said, handing his phone back. “Don’t text me at three in the morning or something. I need my beauty sleep.”

“Noted,” he replied, grinning. “I’ll make sure to only annoy you during waking hours.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at your lips. For a brief moment, you caught his gaze, and the air between you shifted. 

“Ready to go again?” You asked, breaking the silence as you stood up.

“Always,” Riki replied, his voice steady, though his heart was pounding.

You moved back into position, the track starting up once more. The choreography demanded precision and a level of intimacy that made the room feel smaller, hotter.

At one point, you decided to shed your oversized button-up, leaving you in just your sweatpants and a cropped tank top. You were completely oblivious to the effect this had on Riki, who suddenly found it difficult to concentrate. The way your tank top clung to you, revealing toned arms and just a hint of your midriff, made his throat dry.

Riki tried to focus on the choreography, but his eyes kept drifting to you. She’s so fucking hot, he thought, mentally scolding himself for letting his mind wander. He had to stay professional, but it was getting harder by the second.

You, on the other hand, was too engrossed in the routine to notice Riki’s internal struggle. You were, however, hyper-aware of your movements, the way your bodies seemed to naturally sync. Your styles complemented each other perfectly. It was like you were made to dance together, and the realization only added to the crackling energy between you.

As you reached the section where Riki had to tilt your chin, he hesitated for just a fraction of a second before doing it. His fingers brushed against your jaw, sending a shiver down your spine. You met his gaze, your lips parting slightly as you tried to steady your breathing.

You moved into the next section, the one with the suggestive grinding. You rolled your hips in sync with him as his hand rested on your shoulder, and you avoided his intense gaze in the mirror. The mirrors reflected your chemistry, the way your bodies moved as if drawn to each other. You tried to ignore the way your pulse quickened.

“Good,” You muttered breathlessly as you finished the sequence. “That was better.”

Riki nodded, though his focus wasn’t entirely on your words. He couldn’t stop staring at you, the way your hair clung to your neck, the flush on your cheeks. You looked incredible, and it was driving him crazy.

“Let’s run it one more time,” you said, your voice firm despite the growing tension.

“Yeah,” Riki replied, his tone slightly husky. “One more time.”

And you did. You ran it one last time, but as the music faded into silence, you and Riki stoof in the center of the practice room, your breaths heavy, your bodied inches apart. It was your best run through yet, every moment was perfectly synchronized.

Your chest rose and fell as you tried to catch your breath, your eyes locked on his. There was a look in his gaze you coudln't decipher, something that made your stomach twist in ways you didn't want to acknowledge. Your mind screamed at you to step back, but your feet refused to move somehow.

The tension was thick, alsmot suffocating and you both were hyper aware of hos close you were right now. He could feel the heat radiating off of you, and you could see the way his chest rose and fell with each deep breath he took. You hated how your pulse quickened and how your body was reacting to him.

He swallowed hard, his eyes flickering down your lips before snapping back up to your eyes. His hands twitched at his sides as if he was fighting the urge to touch you in any sort of way.

Your heart was pounding so hard you were sure he would hear it. You wanted to remind him that this wasn't allowed, that you both had some sort of dating ban to respect, but the pull between you was way stronger than logic.

He took a step closer now, and your faces were so closed that you could feel the warmth of his breath against your skin. Your eyes flickered to his lips and you hated yourself for it, hated the way you leaned ever so slightly, as if your body had a mind of its own.

Riki's hand hovered your waist, hesitating, as if he was giving you a chance to pull away of you wanted to. But you didn't. Your eyes locked, and in that split second, the outside world disappeared.

He leaned in, his movements slow, deliberate, as if he was afraid to scare you off. Your heart raced as you felt the barest brush of his nose against yours.

Your lips were a breath away from touching when a sudden noise shattered the silence—a loud thud from somewhere outside the practice room.

You jerked back as if you'd been burned, your eyes wide with panic. “I—” you stammered, your voice barely above a whisper. “I need to go.”

“Yn, wait—” Riki reached out, but You were already grabbing your stuff, your movements frantic.

“Good, uh... good practice today,” you said. Your voice was steadier now, though your heart was still pounding in your chest. “See you Friday.”

Riki stayed rooted in place, his hand falling to his side as he watched you flee. You pushed open the door and disappeared down the hallway, leaving him alone in the empty studio.

Riki ran a hand through his damp hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. His chest felt tight, his mind replaying the moment over and over again. He wanted you so, so bad.

The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the air conditioning, a stark contrast to the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside him. Riki sat down on the floor, his head in his hands, and whispered to himself, “What the fuck am I doing?”

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TAGLIST: @pkjay @d-dilemma @heartheejake @lunaritex @dreeki @inishij @rikirritated @whoiss4m @sleepyxxhead @aanniikkaa @right-person-wrong-time @aespaqq @starry-eyed-bimbo @nerdywitchcrown @yuniesluv @lovestruck-sky @ariluvssssss100 @rei4sunoo @wildtigerlili @jakef3ver @seungminsapuppy @kittsnewera @regalfox @rairaiblog @pairinnn

[melodic-haze]

h-hey 👯‍♀️😕😜🎀

Since you said in your other post that you wanted to write for either Miko or Ei, I HAD AN IDEA!!

What if Miko and fellow kitsune!Reader who start their breeding months (in january obviously) and have Ei volunteering herself to them not knowing that they can’t obviously be sated in just one day 🙄 (r.i.p her cunny)

☆ — DEMO TRACK: switch!Miko x sub!Ei x dom!Reader

☆ — TYPE: NSFW

☆ — CONTENT WARNINGS: Reader and Miko can shift what they want (specifically their genitals 😄), knotting and breeding (not really)

☆ — NOTES: You. YOUUUUUU. Are such a genius ily anon ty for this 🙏🙏🙏

Ohhhh this bitch REALLY fucked around and found out LOL I almost feel bad.......almost

Have to hand it to Ei though, she DID try to research before proposing the idea in the first place. Especially since this is set in the first year since she got out the PoE........but studying it obv won't be the same as the real thing LOL

You and Miko have fared relatively okay on your own—the two of you have ABSOLUTELY mated before to ease each other's heat but it always felt like something was missing. You both made sure to take procedures to make sure neither of you ever concieved a child after the process with the excuse of the two of you being way too busy to care for one but like. The actual main reason was that if you were to have a child, you both wanted to have the third piece of the puzzle there with you

Now that the third member of your polycule's back, your heats are STRONGER THAN EVER bc wtf she's acc here??? Ughfhghfhh neeeeeed......like do you get me I hope you do

It wasn't as if it was a normal discussion to have out in public (you both always talked about it indoors until neither of you needed to really talk ab it anymore from all the time spent w each other) but it was a nice picnic between the three of you; Ei's head was on Miko's thighs as she ate up yet ANOTHER skewer of tricolour dango while you were leaning on the latter's side when she brought it up

Ei cleared her throat with a slight tinge of nervousness, "Could I perhaps, ah.. assist the both of you in your mating period?"

You choked on the dango that you were about to swallow as you see Miko startle the slightest bit, nearly dropping her novel in the process.

When you managed to regain your composure (or at least a modicum of it), you could only rush out a simple "'scuse me?" as Miko placed her book down to the side with a raised brow.

Miko combed her fingers through Ei's hair as she questioned, "What brought this on, dear?"

"Well..." The Archon licked her lips as she slowly got her words out, "I've.. left you two for over five hundred years. And while I'm glad that you both had each other for company whenever the season hits, I cannot deny that.. well, I feel bad, I suppose."

"You feel bad," the shrine priestess mocked, which.. really, wasn't all that undeserved, despite the fact that she was mocking the nation's leader.

"For a lack of a better word, yes." She sits up and turns to the both of you, putting the now-empty skewer aside, "Now that I have returned from my admittedly self-imposed isolation, it would be remiss of me to.. avoid my duties as your lover."

"I don't mean to be rude, Your Excellency," you teased, "but do you even know what you're saying? You've been in the Plane of Euthymia for so long; I worry for your safety."

You hear the pink fox envoy let out a quiet snort of amusement for your slight condescension (all in good faith, of course) as Ei sighed, "I think you forget that I am not a fragile mortal who needs to be coddled—I can withstand brutal wars and come out victorious."

"Besides," she adds, "I have done a fair amount of research to refresh my knowledge. I assure you both that I can take whatever it is you give me."

Miko mused, "I thought you knew better than to rely on textbook information rather than actual experiment, Ei."

"You're trying much too hard to dissuade me from my offer."

"We both deserve to rib into you for at least a couple hundred years."

"Especially considering how we've been left to fend for ourselves..."

"I.. suppose I do deserve that. And I want to make amends for it all, starting with this. So.. will you let me help? Please?" She looked at the both of you with such sincerity despite the subject matter.

...

The fact that Raiden Ei herself was begging the two of you though...

The both of you jumped her sides with sharing grins, your ears flicking in sync as you let out your own laughs.

"You should hope that you don't regret that, Ei.."

"..Because we are rather.. insatiable."

Then comes the actual thing and ohhhhh girlie was NOT prepared

When I said your heats get worse bc of how Ei's back, I fucking MEAN IT. It's the fact that that familiar sweet smell isn't just a not-quite-forgotten memory for you two anymore that it's just driving you both abslutely NUTS

When she gets to you two she gets POUNCED ON and there is. Basically no break for her at all and foreplay is basically foreGONE atp tbh

Eat her cunt like a bitch STARVED it's like both you and Miko are competing and assisting each other at the same time like who can eat her out better, who can make her squirt, etc etc

SO MANY BITE MARKS ON HER HOLY SHIT like okay yes on you and Miko as well but both of you want to mark Ei EXTREMELY for all the time you've lost with her. The both of you wanna show both Ei and perhaps the entirety of Inazuma that archon is YOURS at the end of the day......at least, if the loud noises didn't give them enough of a hint 🤷‍♀️

You're so right anon rip Ei's cunny indeed bc both you and Miko ABUSE the living HELL out of it❗️❗️❗️ You do often have to personally pry Miko off when she's overstaying in the spot you're supposed to share 🫶🫶🫶🫶 just tell her she's being a VERY bad girl rn and she'll fold. Usually she wouldn't but the haze (lol) in her mind is sooo fucking thick she can't think straight and she can't think of the witty remarks she would've otherwise made :((( poor baby the only thing she wants to do is breed and get bred :(((((((

I need to spitroast her with Miko so very badly I'm ngl to you I neeeed I NEEEEED I need to see Ei being impaled on both ends, both sides basically slobbering

It'd be very messy and would 100% take so long before you finish but when you do, it's with your fellow kitsune's own pussy practically filled to the brim and Leaking as she's laid out and finally passed out as your hips are locked in on your Archon's own; you cumming inside of you for like the nth time and stuffing her full w a mix of both your and Miko's cum and essentially plugging it with an inflamed bulb :3

Whether Ei has a system that allows her to get pregnant or not, gen who knows.......but one thing's def for sure. Or like three things acc: one, you two are VERY clearly excited that your shared lover is finally back; two, turns out she absolutely LOVES being used and bred by her two partners; and three?

It was an unusually hard thing to do, waking up. Despite having an artifical body and being an archon that has faced true horrors and extreme exhaustion, she found herself absolutely spent from the marathon.. copulation.

Ei had hoped that her exhaustion meant that the two of you were much more tired than she was, even despite your inhumanity, and yet...

Her eyes couldn't help but flutter open as a sudden gasp left her lips—she sees you push into her roughly with a lust-addled look on your face. You were already inside her when she fell asleep, considering the animalistic knot that held the both of you together, but even when it had shrunk to a more.. manageable level, you still hadn't taken it out.

Then Ei looks slightly to the right and there she sees her pink-haired familiar, heavily breathing as she grinded her wet, hot pussy onto her thighs with such loud, obscene moans.

(If the Archon listened close enough, which she did, she would've noticed the slight growl to the sounds she made—such a sound was at its most clearest when she ducked down to press another bite mark on porcelain skin.)

She couldn't even utter a word to remark that she had just woken up, didn't even have the room to do anything to stop you before you started pounding away at her like your life depended on it.

..And she could. Really, she could. She wasn't the feared Raiden Shogun for nothing.

She could stop you if she wanted to.

If she wanted to.

But when she feels the residual fluids within her gush out as you essentially resculpt her insides over and over and over, when she feels the desperate whines that Miko lets out as she cums and covers her thigh in slick, well.

She finds that she doesn't really want to.

(And really, not only was it her fault for volunteering, but this is her responsibility as your lover.)

(She knew that, and she wasn't going to start shirking her responsibilities again.)

(Even if it costs her her mobility for a while. But it's fine, she can just do a lot of maintenance after.)

[multiheadcanons]

MERCS AND HUNGER

scout: scout does a pretty good job at keeping himself fed well enough that hunger doesn’t bother him. he eats when he has a taste for something or a craving for something, and he eats at mealtimes. makes a point to finish his plate at mealtimes because if he eats more, he’s hungry less. loves a good dessert and a midnight snack, so hunger pangs just never hit.

soldier: another man who takes care to eat when he’s hungry, so he never feels the sensation of hunger. even when he does get “hungry” it’s not the physical sensation as much as it is he is just prone to hanger. if his stomach is less than a quarter full, his mood sours quickly. he could be in a great mood and the second he’s feeling even marginally peckish he starts to get annoyed. he is at his worst when he’s hangry.

pyro: pyro keeps snacks on deck in case they ever are hungry and needing anything to eat. the stomach growls from hunger kill them, in a humorous way. it’s funny to listen to their body work, and tell pyro what it needs. it’s almost nice, like working with a dog. they can’t communicate completely with each other, so they have to do what they can to understand the signs their body is giving them.

demo: demo drinks so often that his stomach never feels empty, so he forgets to eat more often than not. it’s only when he’s having pains in his stomach so strong he thinks he’s dying and he goes to the infirmary and the doctor asks “have you eaten anything today?” that he goes oh…. no, no i haven’t. he’s actually pretty sure he hasn’t eaten in a few days… then he goes to make himself something to eat! will always make enough for the team, even if he’s just putting together a light snack. he’ll make an entire charcuterie board for the team in his quest to feed himself.

heavy: snack basket god. he is the snack basket. you need sugar? protein? carbs? fat? you feel dizzy? blood sugar dropping? need something to drink? need some energy? this man’s pockets are like bags of holding, and you never know what he’s gonna pull out of there to cater to you. he’s got fruit, he’s got chips, he’s got protein bars, he’s got jerky, he’s got washed veggies, he’s got crackers, he’s got peanut butter, he’s got water, he’s got chocolate covered espresso beans. whatever you need, whatever you want, you get if you’re hungry. he was doordash before doordash existed. the team got him a cooler bag embroidered with his name for his birthday to free up some space in his pockets, and he was eternally touched. this man hasn’t felt a hunger pang since he was a teenager, he will continue that streak until he dies. and now he has a cute little bag to help him with that. stares at his name on the bag and smiles. he really feels like they’ve become a family.

engineer: the second engie starts hearing his stomach growl he’s annoyed. another unfortunate victim to hanger, engie works nonstop, and never in his list of things to do is “go fuel the body you own”. he should start putting that on the list, because he becomes a big bitch when he’s hungry. engie is already a pretty high strung guy, so when he’s just feeling random pains in his body that he can’t immediately parse through or stop he’s annoyed. the cramps from hunger will double him over because he just won’t think about the idea that he is man made flesh, and not a robot. as much as he would love to be. if he could chug motor oil and call it a day he would. but he can’t, so he needs to start remembering to feed himself. at least remember to drink water.

medic: medic’s not allowed in the kitchen, so he had to take matters into his own hands, because he requires a good amount of calories to function. he got a second fridge and a portable camping stove; and that keeps him fairly comfortable hunger wise. it’s not stuffed to the brim, just some water and a bottle of wine and a pack of beer and some ready-made or quickly prepared meals. there was a period of about a month that he ate exclusively sharp cheddar cheese and summer sausage. just the blocks and the entire fucking sausage. the team joked about it until they got bored, and he decided he’ll never do that again. he gets so tired when he’s hungry, and he can’t function like that.

sniper: sniper will go a solid five days without real food. keeps a sleeve of crackers and a canteen (like a leather canteen) of water and nibbles and sips on them like a mouse. he’s seemingly fine until day five when he realizes if he is given access to the fridge everything in there will be gone. then he promptly goes to the fridge and raids it. then he has to go tell heavy they need to make a grocery run. nobody’s personal groceries are safe from sniper when he is hungry. the furthest he will go in consideration is eating the stuff that’s closest to expiring. everyone gives him that. everyone also learned that regular team meals needed to be a thing pronto so that sniper, specifically, will stop eating their shit. everyone is very concerned about sniper’s caloric intake because their concern is the only thing standing between him and the fridge. and they can’t ban him from the kitchen. he’s the guard. if he’s not watching then pyro and the doctor have free reign. and that can’t happen again.

spy: spy is a grazer when it comes to eating, but he attends the meals regardless. hunger is something he has had to grit his teeth through before, and he’s mostly willing to do it again. but he doesn’t really… have to do that anymore. the team ensures that none of them ever experience a hunger like that again. he’s thankful for it. he remembers being young, and the pain that came with hunger. it was overwhelming. to the point that food was the only thing he can think of. and sometimes, when he’s sitting in the mess hall, staring at a meal that had thought and care put in it… he wonders what price he has to pay for it. sometimes he wonders why he’s worth the trouble of a meal. but he eats it. and it’s always some of the best tasting food he’s ever put in his mouth. and the question persists. what is the price he has to pay? but he eats. he finishes the plate. he sits and ruminates on the meal he just had. he’s a little nicer to the chef. more open, more friendly. and he looks forward to every meal.

[takemealivelh]

spread them open|| l.h.

fratboy!luke

i've been delaying this because it's not that i don't like it, it's more like i think i could've done more with it. i'm posting this and then i'm disappearing for a bit.

Luke and his classmate (self-insert) find themselves in her room late at night after new year's party.

2.3k words

MDNI: fingerfucking, unprotected sex, choking, spanking, dirty talk, you get it lmfao

FEEDBACK IS ENCOURAGED AND APPRECIATED

you meet luke at one of your friends' gigs. he plays songs with the band he formed during his freshman year in college. he's a junior and you're a senior now. he's in the advanced music theory class, so you share the same class.

at the new year's eve party, your dorm is packed with musicians and friends who attended the show a few hours ago at your college's theater. you catch luke smiling at you with a drink in his hand.

you've been friends for a while. you think he's sweet and emotionally intelligent. he seems older, and more experienced. and he's absolutely gorgeous. "hey," you smile back. it's all it takes for you to end the rest of the night flirting.

"you wanna listen to this demo?" luke asks you when you're outside, taking some fresh air, and alone. "but you can't laugh. it's the first one i ever made." luke's cheeks flush and you think he's adorable. he plays a song about anxiety and fear. and you think that him being this vulnerable with you must mean something. you also show him some of your first productions. he likes them.

midnight strikes and you hug each other. there's quite a bit of flirty tension but neither of you acts on it. then, when it's suddenly four am, it doesn't take long. not after the rest of the party dies down. you two are sat down near the end-of-the-hall window and you say "it's cold." "maybe your room is warmer," he smiles.

when you get there, he asks you if he can play your keyboard. the one between your bed and your desk. you say sure and lay down, feet up on the comforter even though you hate you're wearing these shoes, they're probably gonna stain the whole thing. "i like it," you smile as he plays one last chord and runs a hand through his bleached curls.

"it was shit," luke answers, chuckling awkwardly, leaning back on your desk chair.

"you're too hard on yourself, man."

"maybe," he shrugs. and you both stay silent, staring at each other. you feel the tension building up. you've had a crush on him for months now, ever since you had a dream where you both were dating. went to the beach and everything. luke scratches the back of his ear as if he's coming up with the courage to… do something. you can't really tell what's going on through his head.

"i'm so tired, i can't even take my shoes off," you grin, looking down at your feet. something to alleviate the tight knot in your stomach. he stands up and walks over to you. he doesn't say anything as he undoes the shoelaces and takes your shoes off, dropping them on the floor. "thanks," you smile. feeling him this close is making your head go dizzy. you're not even that drunk. he doesn't seem drunk either.

"can i lay down with you?"

you nod your head.

in no time, luke's beside you. you feel the weight of his body on the mattress and the warmth of his clothes against yours. you both stay silent for another couple of minutes. you don't dare to look up at him, not even when he starts playing with your hair. you feel safe with him, but also horny as fuck. you haven't gotten laid in about a year and the drought has been driving you insane. "hey, i've been meaning to ask you something," he says.

"what is it?"

"can i steal a kiss from you?"

you look up at him, his soft yet playful smile. those baby blue eyes. you don't answer the question, you just close the gap between both your mouths.

making out with luke feels like a fever dream. his texture and flavor, god it's so good. your hand finds the nape of his neck as he cups your face, making you shift your weight and end up on top of him. there aren't too many words. the only sounds in the room are sighs and heavy breaths. they echo around. you pull his hair and a low moan erupts from his lips, making you smile into the passionate kiss. "i wanna fuck you," he finally says, pulling away and looking into your eyes.

you want to burst. you want to cum right now. the way he looks with his tousled hair and that devilish smirk on his lips. "cool." your voice is soft but desperate as you kiss him again. he smiles.

the messy makeout session goes on for, three minutes? an hour? time doesn't feel rational right now. it doesn't exist. it's just this moment, and luke's tongue licking your lower lip, begging for entry. his boner, growing hard. his eyes, growing darker. "i've wanted this since the last show."

"really?" there's both confusion and joy in your voice.

"yeah," his tongue runs down your chin to your throat. licking your salty skin, he seems to be having fun. your college classmate's hands find the hem of your shirt, quickly removing it from your body. you let yourself melt into his movements. "you wore this fucking dress…" his grin against your neck makes your skin bristle. you remember that dress. the blue skin-tight dress you put on for that night. it accentuated your curves and "it made your ass…" he slaps it, "you're a gorgeous view, you know that, right?"

you blush. no man has ever admired your body as much as luke. the way he touches it, both caressing it and being rough with it. pretty sure he's already left a mark on your left asscheek, you bite your lower lip. "mm-hmm." it's a soft affirmative sound. sometimes fake-it-till-you-make-it works.

he chuckles and grips your waist, kisses your lips, and swiftly moves you to pin you down to the bed. hovering over you, he trails down his hand to find you absolutely soaking wet under your panties. you moan a little louder this time. "god, you're tight," he says as a finger slips in and out of your pussy. your walls already throbbing for him. for something bigger. so pathetic. "you gonna let me ruin this body, yes?"

your heart pounds harder in your chest. your breathing becomes irregular. luke looks so ready to ravish you, to absolutely destroy you. it's all you want. "mm-hmm."

"good girl." you both take off your pants, fast, like animals. that's when you see it for the first time. it's big and thick and absolutely beautiful. erect and leaking precum. he catches you staring at his dick and chuckles again, "i know."

you would've never thought luke to be so confident in bed. he's sweet and a bit anxious, so the passionate movements and dirty talk startle you a little. but also, life has been hard lately. you might as well submit to this fucking fratboy, the one that popped into your head every once in a while when masturbating.

"spread them open," he orders as he parts your thighs with a hand adorned with rings. he grips the flesh of your left one so fucking hard that you know the indents will be there till morning. you have no time to catch your breath as his fingers skillfully slide up and down your folds. you cannot stay still for the love of god. your mind's about to shut down and you can't resist it. his fucking smirk as he sees you lose control makes him throb harder. "let go, gorgeous. i got you." his words are sincere and it only takes a second before he penetrates you with three fingers.

"fuuck," you moan out when you feel them inside. your walls already longing for something bigger, yet enjoying how his fingers spread you open even more.

"that's it. let it aaall out."

your moans become strained as he keeps fingerfucking you. you don't know where to focus your attention. his heaven-sent fingers, his fallen-angel lips on your tits -licking sinfully every nipple till they become erect- or the sounds he makes. so animalistic yet so beautiful. your hands fly to his hair and you tug his blond curls, which makes him groan.

"yeah, baby," he hums. pulling his fingers out, luke holds them in front of you, his sweaty forehead and his lustful eyes waiting for you to lick them clean. "taste yourself," he orders, once again. and you do. right now you'd do anything for this man.

he rubs his sticky thumb against your lower lip and you put it in your mouth. his smirk grows wider as he looks at the mess you're making. so filthy. so sinful. your mind doesn't work anymore. and nothing matters. nothing can make you worry right now, not even luke lining himself up -no condom- with your entrance and slowly but surely sliding into your swollen pussy. your lips suck his fingers dry with a moan when you feel his size. his mischievous eyes make you go insane.

"you like that." it's not even a question. of course you love being treated like a fucking ragdoll by him. he can have his way with you. he can absolutely destroy your body and you'll thank him in the morning. he's your master and you'll do unquestionably everything and anything he says. his hand pins you down to the bed by your throat. you can barely breathe but all you can do is smile and roll your eyes to the back of your head. "god baby you make me sooo hard." luke hisses as he begins pulling out, then pushing in at an excruciatingly slow pace. he knows he has you in the palm of his hand.

"more," you beg in a choked whisper.

"more?" he chuckles. "you want more of my cock inside you?" his breath near your ear makes you so fucking soaked that you know you'll have to wash your sheets in the morning. and that's when the thought stops. it comes to a halt when he pulls out and then pushes right back into you with the impetus of a madman. he starts fucking you so hard that all you can hear is the skin slapping on skin. his hips bruising yours, his hand choking you harder. "you want it hard and rough and you want all of me inside you. don't you, girl?"

god, you love it when he calls you that. as a consequence of him hitting a deeper spot, your legs fly open only to then wrap around his waist. his moans grow louder and your whining is so pathetic that the kisses on your mouth feel like sins.

"come on," luke pulls out and it makes you shiver. "come on, on your stomach. ass up," he orders.

and you do what he says. it takes no time for you to turn around and shake your pretty ass on his face. it makes him want to devour you. "fuck, you're gorgeous," his smirk is noticeable in the tone of his voice and you cry out when he penetrates you with four fingers and slaps your asscheek as if it's the most natural thing in the world. "come on," he hisses before pulling your hair with his sticky hand. lining up behind you, luke pushes his fat cock inside your swollen pussy and he yanks your hair. "wanna hear you beg for it."

"please, please," you start to implore, "please, luke. ruin me, make me cum." his laughter echoes in your ears as he slaps your ass again and pushes your head down on the mattress, making it hard for you to breathe. you can even imagine his face right now. red, flushed, sweaty. teeth biting down on his lower lip as he fucks you deep, hard and fast. you can't open your eyes and the pleasure you experience is so fucking overwhelming that you feel your orgasm bubble up in your lower stomach. your walls clench around him and he groans out. it's pure bliss.

"louder, girl." his thrusts are so forceful you can picture the bruises there'll be tomorrow. so you comply and start whining louder even though the sounds are muffled by his hand pressing your head against the bed. "fuck, fuck, fuck," he keeps repeating, holding you down, spanking your ass and fucking you so deep that your brain shuts off. your brain malfunctions and that's the moment you squirt all over his cock, which makes him shoot his cum into you. it's such a stream that fills you up and his guttural moans don't stop while he fucks you through both your orgasms.

his movements become sloppy as he yanks you by your hair one more time, turning your face around and looking for your eyes. his hips stop moving the moment he sees your drool drip down your chin. and he smiles. that devastating trademark smile he has. you are speechless before the fallen angel that's got you wrapped around his finger.

luke chuckles and lets go of you. he pulls out with a hiss and lets himself fall on your bed, on his back, his whole pelvis sticky from all the fluids exchanged. "fuck, that was good. you feel so good," he whispers, turning his face to look at you, absolutely destroyed, lying on your chest. "come on, here." his arm pulls you closer and he lets his eyelids rest as he kisses the top of your head. "you're such a fucking good girl."

"thanks," you can't help but blush, closing your eyes and wrapping an arm around his naked torso. you don't mind all the mess you two have made. you don't mind anything because that orgasm was out of this world. your pussy's relaxed, your mind isn't spinning and all you want is to stay there, against his chest, having him kissing the top of your head over and over.

"happy new year," he grins.

"happy new year."

[theprice-if]

DEMO (TBA)

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Roaring stadiums, filled to the max with screaming fans, as you stand with a microphone in hand. Your heart pounds against your chest as you get ready to perform. Shouts of adoration filter past your ear as the lights finally turn on; the show truly begins. With you in the center of it all.

Except… that isn’t you. You’re to the side, watching it all, with a clipboard pressed to your chest. Making sure that nothing was out of place.

You’re just an assistant, an assistant to the biggest star gracing the stage in the past decade, but still just an assistant.

That is until you woke up alone in a room that was way above your pay grade; with a shiny ring on your finger. Your new spouse? The very star that you have been working for, for the last two years. The same star that many believed would never settle down— until you came along.

These rapid-fire events thrust you into the spotlight. Rocketing you towards the twinkling lights of stardom as you desperately try to figure out how to come to terms with everything.

The media and tabloids are just the tip of the iceberg. The very star you’re married to offers you the deal of a lifetime.

Stay married to them for a year and get a record deal; the biggest reason you moved to L.A.... All of your dreams will come true after twelve months.

If only you had known what the price of stardom truly brought.

The Price is rated 18+ for explicit language, sexual themes, alcohol/drug use, questionable behavior, and more!

★ Features ★

Customizable MC: name, gender, appearance, facets of your personality, hobbies, and more!

Get into the studio and start preparing for what will come when the year is up. Find the voice that you have always wanted to showcase in the industry!

Create your own music! Cultivate your debut album and show the world what it's been missing!

Interact with your fans and the music industry as a whole through social media! Will you become an upcoming star that the media loves or a black sheep that'll keep them returning for more?

Engage in romance with a variety of characters. Will the fake one become real with your pretend spouse? Or perhaps you'll find passion building with the less complicated-- and fun-loving-- photographer?

Discover what truly happened the night of your marriage. Or, if you choose to do so, leave it as the hazy fog in the recesses of your mind.

And much more as the story continues forward!

Are you willing to pay the price for your dream? Will that dream change over time?

★ The ROs ★

Adrian/Ariana Ocean ★ He/Him or She/Her ★ 28 ★

Your boss, and also your spouse, the most sought-after star in the entertainment industry. With a reputation as spotty as one would expect with someone at the top. However, with the news of your marriage, people seem to be seeing them in a new light; something that they’ve been wanting for a very long time. Let’s hope it’ll last.

Blake Turner ★ He/Him or She/Her ★ 28 ★

A Hollywood starlet that’s coming off their recent Oscar win; who also happens to be your ex from college. An ex that dumped you when they dropped out of college to become a star. A story that you never truly got to hear the entirety of. And suddenly, just like that, they’re back in your life with the same smirk from before. The one that made you fall in love with them, to begin with.

Liam/Leah Shaw ★ He/Him or She/Her ★ 29 ★

Your newly assigned bodyguard, you still have to get used to that, who is supposed to protect you whenever your spouse can’t be with you. You just weren’t expecting them to start affecting you the way that they have. Their warm smile is like a beacon in this unfamiliar world.

Isaac/Isabel Carnell ★ He/Him or She/Her ★ 27 ★

The photographer who is tasked with taking lovely shots of the newly wed couple. One of the only people, besides management, that actually knows what the hell is actually going on. Their general cheerfulness does wonders to lighten your spirits. Not to mention the pictures they take are absolutely divine.

Carson/Cara Madden ★ He/Him or She/Her ★ 33 ★

The lawyer that is making sure everything goes smoothly; while also trying to not get gray hairs throughout. An aloof individual that only cracks a smile around a select few people. However, they’re good at their job and that’s what should matter most to you. Even though you sort of wish they’d smile at you. At least just once.

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

Do you have any Engineer headcanons?👉👈

Engineer Headcanons!

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Hi Lone!!! FINALLY got around to writing these!! I hope you enjoy!

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I personally think a LOT of the mercs knit. Including Engie. I think he, Sniper, and Demo all knit together. It's mainly comprised of Engie and Demo talking away while Sniper listens. I definitely think Engie likes to do big knitting projects. Like this man has spent months on huge blanket just because he likes devoting MANY hours to any project he starts.

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I think Engie collects rocks. It stared because Pyro would always gift Engie cool rocks it found and he just kept them around in a drawer. Then one day Engie found a rock his own and gave it to Pyro. And Pyro started collecting the rocks Engie gave it. So now it's a little back and forth where they collect rocks to gift each other, and now they both have pretty big rock collections.

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I think Engineer has a lot of nightmares. Never the same one twice though. They range from just general fears and your typical nightmares to really haunting ones that tend to stick with him. He doesn't know where they come from or why they happen so often but he's become pretty used to dealing with them. Definitely a reason he stays up working late...

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Speaking of working late. He has and will continue to pass out at his desk after staying up for days on end. But! Inexplicably, he always wakes up back in his room. He doesn't know HOW he wakes up in his room. He always chalks it up to waking up in a daze and stumbling his way back. After all, none of the mercs seem to know either, or at least, they won't admit to anything...

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In the same vein, absolute KING of forgetting to take care of himself. He's just behind Medic and just above Scout in the ranks actually. He gets so focused in on things that he forgets to do those pesky things like, eat...and drink. You know, minor things! He's sure it's no big deal. At least Pyro drops by with snacks to share sometimes.

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For the life of me can't headcanon him as JUST a black coffee drinker even though I want to. You can't convince me this man doesn't like flavored coffee creamers. French vanilla, hazelnut, Italian sweet crème, you can't tell me he doesn't enjoy the occasional seasonal flavor. His love of coffee creamers however, does not stop him from brewing an entire pot of black coffee and only drinking that. Likes his coffee all ways.

————————————————————

Okay. Hear me out. This man hates criticism. He can't stand it. And not in an arrogant way, like he doesn't think he's above it by any means. I just think a part of him always takes critism to heart because he's trying his hardest and giving things his all, so sometimes hearing he isn't doing enough or good enough, even in the kindest or most constructive way gets to him.

————————————————————

I think his workshop is actually never necessarily "quiet". I feel like most of the mercs (Scout and Pyro specifically) come and talk his ear off a LOT. Literally telling him about anything and everything because, we'll, he likes to listen to them. Medic has also been known to drop by, but doesn't spend as much time as the other two. But even when he isn't being talked at by someone, he's got music playing, he's humming to himself, I can't imagine him actually ever doing anything in silence.

————————————————————

And that's all I've got for you. Hope you liked them, and sorry they took so long 😭

[hollowtones]

ayy monhun fan! what are you thinkin of what we've seen of wilds so far?

The initial trailer they dropped months ago was pretty cool. "World" is my least favourite game that I've played (even thought I liked it a lot!!), and 90% of why I felt that way was "this is the first time they're making a game of this scale / scope / direction", so it's exciting to see them make a successor to it now that they're not also learning how to make a game like it from the bottom-up & not also building the tech side of it from scratch.

Big desert environments have me excited!!!! I love the way these games do deserts. I'm always dreaming of Val Habar. I love the colour palette they're using for this area. Big fan of Yoshi being a new mechanic. In general I'm noticing a lot of things in "Wilds" that feel like a really cool mix of ideas from "World" and "Rise" in a way that feels a little more grounded. It's cool that they're bringing back a buddy you can ride around on & control. I wonder if they'll let Yoshi fight with you. I don't remember if they showed that off already. Getting to hotswap between 2 weapons without having to run back to base camp feels like a big deal that I haven't really wrapped my head around yet.

The focus mode thing seems fine. More granular control over aiming sometimes seems neat, & the footage we've seen makes it feel like positioning & animation commitment are still a part of it, which I like. Expanding part-breaking into "opening wounds that take more damage & enable special attacks" seems cool! (There was a similar-ish tenderizing mechanic with the Clutch Claw in "Iceborne", and I fuckin hated using it. Loved the idea of it at first. Having to do this whole separate action that interrupted the flow of the fight in a weird way to enable more damage felt awful after a while!! And they designed all the fights around the fact that you have it & use it! So I'm glad they're seemingly taking what I liked about it & chucking out the rest, haha.) I remember there was some hubbub about focus existing at all when news was first dropping. Some people were mad about it? I feel like this happens every time they announce a new Monster Hunter. They reveal a new feature, and a couple guys crawl out of the woodwork to go "THEY HAVE MADE THE VIDEO GAME PITIFUL AND EASIER - THIS IS THE DEATH OF THE FRANCHISE!" The franchise has died every game since the first one, by my count. (They end up buying the game anyway, of course.) I hope they put out a demo soon, though. I wanna get my hands on it & see how it works in the middle of a fight to see how I actually feel about it.

Weapon & armour design so far has been great. Happy about that. The bits of NPC designs we've seen have been cool. I don't really like the smith's look very much. Which makes me sad because I'm pretty sure she's supposed to be Little Miss Forge. LOL

When they first showed the game off I remember thinking "yeah, that's cool, I'm looking forward to this, but it's coming out Next Year & we're not even halfway done with 2024." Well now we're almost two thirds of the way through the year. And they keep dropping gameplay trailers. And they look hype as fuck!! And now I'm feeling more impatient!!! I wanna try this shit out soon!!! I wonder if they'll drop a public demo after Gamescom or something. I wonder if my computer could even run it...

I liked the way Hunting Horn played in "Rise" but it's cool to see the more traditional recitals back. (But faster!! And with new combo paths!!) I think I've spent a cumulative hour or two watching that horn trailer over and over again for little details. The funny bubble reminds me of bead of resonance but it seems like it might also be some kind of AoE team buff? It could also just be extra damage like bead was. But I loved bead. So I'll take it. Being a Hunting Horn fan is accepting that you'll be playing an entirely different weapon in every subsequent game, so I suppose I fuss less about whether or not it plays like any one specific game. But mannnnnn it looks cool as hell this time around.

[angelsanarchy]

Alkaline: Euronymous x Y/N Series CH 34 {END}

Tagging: @ophelialaufey @madamemaximoff06 @forever-not-gonna-sink@ajmiila02@liquidsmoothdomme@shady-the-simp @auggiethecreator @tempt-ress @blacksoul-27 @shroomje

Oystein sat at the typewriter, drafting up a letter for Mayhem's fans. It had been at least nine months since Helvete was closed down, Varg had started his own label and had already put out a demo for his new band. They had auditioned all over Norway and beyond to find someone to re-record their album and they were in the final stages of putting it together.

Oystein didn't expect to fall so seamlessly into living with Y/n but life had been good. He felt like they lived a normal, surprisingly uneventfully fun life together. She decided that she wanted to quit her jobs and start studying in healthcare. He found it noble of her to want to focus on psychiatric care in such a time when people didn't take mental health serious in the slightest.

He had finally taken her home as his girlfriend for the holidays and his family was over the moon excited that they had finally gotten their stuff together enough to be a couple, no one more than his sister. She had made them matching bracelets to wear and made sure Oystein's was black.

Oystein had done exactly what Y/n had suggested and let the sting of Helvete closing burn off before he started looking at other buildings he could lease. Now that they were wrapping up the album, they planned to start the search for Helvete's new home.

Oystein heard the front door open and didn't bother looking up from what he was writing.

"Hey baby, I picked up dinner because I did not feel like cooking tonight." Y/n greeted him putting the food on the table and dropping her bags on a chair. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him from behind and looked over the letter he was proof reading.

"What do you think?" He asked looking it over.

"I think Black Metal is about to get one hell of an album." She kissed the side of his face and he smiled as she bumped his glasses with her lips. He spun around in his chair and put his hands on her hips.

"How was your day beautiful?" He asked pulling her into his lap.

"It was exhausting. I want to get in the bathtub and just soak for like an hour." Y/n rubbed circles into Oystein's chest and his eyebrows went up.

"Sounds nice although you don't look nearly dirty enough for a nice long soak." Oystein teased gripping her hips a little tighter.

"Oh yeah? You want to help with that I'm sure." She smirked at him as she grinded her hips down into his semi-hard cock.

"You know me, I'm a helpful guy." She laughed at his response and she leaned down to kiss him.

"Your dinners going to get cold." She warned as she started to get off his lap but he held onto her wrist.

"That's what the oven is for." He reminded pulling her back onto his lap. She laughed running her hands through his hair.

"Are you gonna leave you glasses on if I let you fuck me?" Y/n teased making Oystein purse his lips at her.

"Let me? You think you get to let me fuck you?" Oystein gripped the back of her neck holding her in place. She bit her lip as he moved his free hand between her thighs and felt the damp spot on her panties. He pulled them to the side and started to play with her clit.

"I fuck you whenever, wherever I want because you belong to me." Oystein sucked a spot on her chest that was exposed. She started to thrust her hips into Oystein's hand but the closer she got, the more she needed him.

"Oystein..." He was equally desperate for her as he tossed her legs off of him and started to undo his belt buckle and jeans. Y/n scrambled to pull her dress over her head and step out of her panties. She practically hurdled his hips to straddle him in the chair. She lowered herself slowly onto him letting out a groan but there was no patience in Oystein's hips as he started pistoning his cock into her. She bounced on his thighs, the sound of her skin slapping his and her moans filled the apartment as she held onto him for dear life.

"F-fuck.." Oystein whined. Y/n put her hand around his throat and squeezed making him look up at her. His glasses were slightly fogged from having his head against her chest.

"You full so good baby. I want you to cum inside of me. I want it. Please." She begged and Oystein's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he continuously slammed his cock into her. When he did cum, Y/n swiveled her hips feeling his load dripping out of her and onto his thigh. He hummed as he tried to come down from his orgasm and she smiled. Once he was able to look at her, he chuckled at the fog covering his lenses. She pulled the glasses off and smiled giving him a sweet kiss.

"Hold on." He said making her throw her arms around his neck as he got up and shuffled them towards the bed. She laughed as his feet squeaked along the floor before she landed on her back on the bed. He silently went back to rubbing her clit and using his fingers to bring her to the same ending as he was. He wasn't sure what was his cum and her own release as it leaked onto the bedspread.

"Don't stop baby. I'm gonna cum." Y/n cried out and Oystein kept his eyes on her face as she came on his fingers, waiting for her to grip his wrist to stop him from overstimulating her.

The two of them lay next to eachother and smiled.

"I think that's the first time we've fucked at your desk." Y/n pointed out. Oystein nodded his head.

"All the time we've been here and we haven't fucked at my desk, kind of hard to believe." Oystein chuckled.

"Well that's your work station. I don't usually like to bother you when you're working on something." Y/n pushed some of his hair off his face and he smiled.

"If you think riding my cock is a bother, I'm clearly doing something wrong." He joked.

"We'll have to make a list of the places we have left to christen around here." Y/n looked around and Oystein agreed.

"We've got plenty of time for that...for now, I need your help getting out of my pants so we can heat up dinner." Oystein looked down at his legs and Y/n laughed seeing the mess of pants, underwear, loosened belts and boots around his ankles.

"You're a mess." She teased helping him take his boots off so he could slip his legs out of his pants.

"Yeah but you love it." He lifted her chin with his thumb and she smirked as he held her chin.

"I do...to hell and back." He smiled at her before kissing her sweetly.

END

[resident-gay-bitch]

you can now find eddies pov here :))

this wasn’t going to be easy, and that was a fact.

dustin was already distraught, a blabbering fucking mess for the entire walk from the town centre to the creel house in this slimy godforsaken underworld.

they were already at their wits end, with barely a string of hope left when eddie stepped in. eddie, who was now a bad guy apparently. steve had to tackle dustin to the ground when eddie first swooped in and tried to slice nancys throat open with his claw because dustin just wanted to hug him.

that was hard enough. everything was hard enough. but now steve had to face - and probably be the one to kill because he was the brawn if nancy couldn’t - the very man who had been haunting his dreams for months and led him to ask robin the question of how she knew.

he was… rabid. clothes ripped and clinging to his body in unnatural ways, his hair a fucking wild mess, his eyes glowing red, his skin paler than usual, the tips of his fingers now black and sharp like talons, extra teeth that were far sharper than teeth should ever be, a snake like tongue, wings!, and not to mention he was soaked in blood. he had it dripping from his chin for fucks sake.

whatever that thing was, it wasn’t eddie.

but it was.

so they’d spent the past hour trying to hide and calm dustin and devise a new plan, whilst trying to survive in this hell.

yeah this was going to be the hardest thing steve’s ever done.

he was probably going to die today.

well, if he died at the hands- claws of eddie, then at least he’d be dying with something beautiful. monster or not.

they stepped back out into the road, steve leading the pack and nancy covering the back.

something swooped overhead, casting a wide shadow, and by the break in dustin’s voice, steve knew it was the eddie thing.

he looked up to see the beast pearched atop a stobie poll, crouched with his hands between his feet like an animal, his wings hanging down behind him.

he looked right at steve, and steve felt his heart stop.

covered in blood and fucking terrifying, steve still loved him.

more than ever, actually.

eddie cocked his head to the side, just looking at steve.

steve adjusted the grip of his nail bat over his shoulder, ready in position to swing. he heard nancy cock her gun, he heard mike and dustin grab onto eachother, and noticed el stepping up beside him at the ready.

eddie just sat there. he moved his head slowly forward, like he was trying to get a better look. he was assessing them, probably, figuring out the quickest way to kill them all without getting hurt.

it made steve sweat.

if eddie wasn’t so high right now, steve would just charge and take a swing. get this over with. give the kids the best advantage.

eddie quickly straightened his head out and made a sound. it was a weird sound. sort of like a creepy roll of his tongue and then a click. it sounded far too much like a demo dog for steve’s comfort.

everyone froze at eddie’s sudden moment and then started looking around after he’d made the sound.

had he called for help?

steve clenched his jaw and gripped the bat tighter, eyes fixed on eddie.

eddie raised his wings up high, spread out wide and they were big. like fucking massive. steve was sure one wing alone was longer than he was.

everyone braced for impact.

eddie made the sound again and stood, standing tall atop the electricity pole, and then he made another sound that was more like a birds chirp (if the bird was dying).

and then he moved, and everyone made sudden noise and yielded his weapons but then stopped not a second later.

eddie was falling.

he was just freefalling backwards off the stobie poll with his hands clutched at his heart.

right before he hit the ground, his wings kicked up into action and carried him back up into the air. and once he was high enough, really fucking high, he dropped again.

steve was confused.

eddie dropped and then… oh shit, he wrapped his wings around himself and was fucking spiraling through the air like an arrow, heading straight for steve.

he heard will shout to run, and everyone jumped back but-

steve was on the ground, groaning and trying to fight eddie off who was on top of him, pinning him down. steve didn’t know where his bat went.

eddie was looking at him with wide eyes.

steve’s jumped out of his skin, screaming when he heard nancys gunshot.

silence.

eddie made a small sound, a shrill one, like he was hurt.

oh he was hurt.

eddie turned his head and spread out his wing and steve could see a perfect circle cut through it. eddie looked at it, then moved his wing out of the way to scowl at nancy.

this couldn’t be good.

eddie snarled at her, his snake like tongue darting out to his before he was grabbing steve and lifting them up into the air.

steve screamed, he’d never been this high before.

nancy had aimed her gun to shoot again but dustin stopped her, there was a very good chance she’d hit steve if she did.

steve didn’t know where his bat was.

eddie started flying, steve clutched tight in his arms and he had no clue where they were going because he had his eyes squeezed shut.

he was so gonna die like this.

and then they stopped, and steve was being layed down on something… soft?

he opened his eyes to find eddie crouched over him again, his hands between his feet like before, his wings draped down behind him, his head cocked as red eyes blinked at steve curiously.

steve rubbed his head and looked around to find that he was… in the highschool theatre dressing room? he only recognised it because it was a classic in school make out spot.

he was laying on a pile of pillows and ratty old blankets that were piled on top of a few mattresses. pillows, big and small, were piled up even higher around the mattresses and it looked… it looked like a nest.

eddie made the clicky sound again and then chirped happily and crawled away.

steve was beyond confused.

he sat up and looked around.

beside him was an old mangled bear, there was just a pile of flannel shirts in one corner of the nest, eddie’s guitar was leaning up against the edge of the nest wall, there were those weirdly shaped dice dustin always carried scattered around, and… oh.

steve moved a pillow to the side a little to find his old varsity jacket stuffed there. it was dirty and a little wear for tear, but everything was in the upside down.

he wondered why eddie had it.

he moved the pillow some more to find one of his shirts there too. and then he lifted a blanket to find a whole collection of his clothes! a few shirts, a red jumper, three odd socks and one matching pair, a pair of purple boxers, his old basketball shorts, a singular sneaker that matched the one on his foot now, and a yellow sweater that steve recognised as the one he threw at eddie on the boat.

steve pet his own chest to feel the familiar bumps of the pins and patches of eddie’s battle vest laid there.

oh.

oh they- they were the same.

they missed eachother.

they barely knew eachother, but they missed not being able to learn.

steve spun around when he felt eddie’s presence again, and eddie was sitting in his same weird stance, but this time right beside steve, his face abnormally close.

steve kinda freaked out.

eddie cocked his head again, blinked those wide eyes that steve couldn’t find scary, even under the red.

steve held up the varsity jacket in one hand and gave it a waggle. eddie looked at it and then looked back at steve, then back at the jacket, then back at steve, and then he purred.

steve didn’t know why it gave him butterflies.

eddie nodded his head forward until his head bumped steve’s shoulder, and then he looked back up with those wide eyes again.

“it’s yours.” steve said simply, tugging at the sleeve of eddie’s vest on himself, “i know, i’m sorry. i hope you don’t mind. it helped ground me on the bad days.”

eddie cocked his head.

“can you understand me?” steve asked.

eddie nodded.

steve was very glad to hear that, “can you talk like me?”

eddie just looked at him.

steve sighed, “i’ll take that as a no.” he hummed, “you have a lot of my things.”

eddie dropped something else on his lap.

their old year book from eighty two. steve opened it up to the page that was indented, obviously eddie looked at it a lot.

on the page was a picture of the swim team, steve posing in one picture with one other guy - the co captains - however, the other guys face had been covered by a cutout of eddie’s face. above it in red sharpie wrote “by the time you graduate, this will be real, and he will be nice and want you back”.

steve couldn’t help his laugh.

eddie crushed on him in highschool?

steve stopped his laughing when eddie made a sharp sound of protest, and steve looked up to see his already wide eyes even wider and… a pout?

oh god, he was making a puppy dog face at steve right now.

god, steve had heard so much about his puppy dog face from wayne, he’d dreamed about being on the receiving end of one himself. and here he was, only it was different now. he had pale skin and dark eyes and blood on his chin.

steve closed his mouth and looked at the pleading expression on eddie's still pretty face, and kinda melted.

"you technically still haven't graduated, you know?" steve found himself saying, and he didn't know why. eddie was technically a demon or something. steve should be running for the hills, but...

eddie made a chipy clicky sound again and then suddenly something wet was touching his cheek and- okay, eddie was licking him.

eddie was liking him a lot, like a dog.

steve laughed and pulled away and smiled at eddie, "licking? really?"

eddie smiled and nodded, shuffled steve back into the steve pile under the blankets and made him rest there. steve did lay, and rest, leant up against the pile of pillows and old clothes. he'd forgoten all about the high stakes of everything, because all he could think about was eddie. eddie here, alive- not really there, but here no less.

eddie shoved steve into the shape he wanted and then grabbed the old mangled teddy with his teeth and crawled over to steve. he dropped himself down heavily into steves lap - causing him to jolt forward and gasp from the sudden weight and pain - and curled up. his wings wrapped around steve, caving him in. eddie nussled his head against steves chest, under the opening of the vest, the mangled teddy clutched tight in his arms, and then he purred again, a big long one.

it was so warm like this.

steve didn't care if eddie wasn't really eddie anymore, because deep down inside, he was still every bit eddie that he could be. it was this world that had turned him into something else.

plus, who was he to judge? steve was a much uglier monster at one point in his life too, bulying and kicking people to the ground during highschool, but he was still good at heart these days. eddie could be too.

he was.

there was no doubt about it.

steve ran his hand over - not through because he physically couldn't - eddie's hair and held him close, and they rested there together for a while, in eddie's home.

saving the world could wait a little while.

[herotome]

When will the next update arrive? (GREAT GAME, I LOVE ITTTTT)

Hello!

In regards to the weekly written update: thank you for asking. I've been dropping the ball of those recently because, honestly, I think the grief from my recent loss is hitting me much harder than I want to admit. It's weird, though, because I had such a strong week of work last month, and then this month has been peppered with depressive spells. Woof! Grief is varied and unpredictable like that, I suppose.

Herotome is still consistently on my mind. I've at least been able to write some good notes for an NPC yesterday, but I hope to make actual documented progress sooner rather than later. I don't want to make a promise that I can't guarantee though.

In regards to an actual playable demo: the honest answer is that I don't know. In keeping with my philosophy of avoiding promises I can't guarantee, I don't do estimates.

I'm going to be working on a lot of "one-on-one "free time choice" scenes with each LI (where you choose someone specific to spend time with). It should be a lot of content but also involve heavily branching paths as the game builds towards actual LI routes.

I could release what I have so far, but I fear it'd be very short, underwhelming, and littered with unfinished assets (even more than the Super Demo has, ha). But like, if for some reason I suffer such severely ill fortune that I physically cannot continue working on Herotome, I'll be sure to put up whatever I've got.

For now, I'm still able-bodied. Just stricken with some sadness. It should pass.

[gddancefloor]

Gnaw on the flesh of the young and fresh,

NOW DESPOIL WHAT YOUR PREY HAS LEFT.

Here's Nana! Another character from the project that Hana's from.

I've been working on an original song after slowly but surely coming out of depression, and I think it's going really well so far. The song is called "DAYCARE AFTER-HOURS", and I will be talking about some of the lore to it and the symbolism to it in this post. But firstly...

The song is STILL A DRAFT. The lyrics will be below the cut.

This drawing has taken 13 hours, so I'm really hoping you enjoy it. My wrist started burning working on this drawing lmao

Also, MASSIVE TW for abuse (sexual, physical, emotional), blood, and murder. This song + story is EXTREMELY dark. Please, PLEASE heed this warning.

With that being said, below the cut is the lore/story to this.

Nana owns a daycare that's for preschool-aged children on up to the age of twelve. Older kids don't often need it, but with the existence of a place to leave your child after school while you work, it's an opportunity that shouldn't be wasted. Nana is renowned for being one of the best nannies in the village, doing things the "old fashioned" way and being very sweet and gentle with the young ones.

She's perfect to parents. From the moment the daycare opens to the moment the doors shutter, they see what Nana wants them to see.

But, when some careless parents get too trusting and decide to leave their older kids overnight — allowed by Nana and even encouraged, that's when the After Hours occur and Nana gets what she really wants.

Nana uses the blood of twelve-year-olds (often girls), soon to age out of her daycare, for the belief that the sacrifice of their blood will appease her false god. What she's looking for is pleasure, longevity, and luck. Luck to never get caught for her actions, longevity to live as long as possible to keep her worship going forever, and pleasure from a child's suffering.

And this drive only worsens when one day, parents drop off their young daughter, a rabbit named Hana. Nana could only wait for the moment she's old enough for her harvest, because nothing's luckier than a rabbit, especially a young, growing one. At this moment, Hana was only six-years-old, leaving her parents to decide that this is where she'd be going until she's aged out.

From sun up to sun down, the young Hana saw what Nana wanted her to see. She knows that young children tend to run their mouths and expose the truth of what an adult did to them, so it's easy to treat the child as if one were a true kind-hearted caretaker. It works, to say the least.

Hana's twelve now. Nana tells Hana's parents that she can stay for a month or two longer, that there's no rush, and this is when Hana soon discovers the truth. So blind and so innocent, crushed with the claws of Nana.

At night, Nana takes Hana downstairs, telling her to keep her voice down and that this is just a little game she enjoys to play with the older kids. Taking the "Nanny's Scissors" out of her dress's side pocket, Nana widens them and slowly drags them across Hana's wrist and neck, bringing her lips up to the wounds and sucking them, lapping up the blood that seeps. At first, Hana believes this is normal, because why would Nana hurt her, right? She's her caretaker.

But, after this happens over and over again, Hana being told to not tell her parents (and leading to Hana lying to them frequently about her injuries being from playground accidents), Hana realizes she can't tolerate this "game" anymore, yet still endures it because Nana made the threat that no matter what Hana does, she will always be bound to her and that she'll kill and eat her body if she tells.

I won't say much about this since it's quite triggering for some people, but Nana believes just the blood of a rabbit isn't enough to receive the epitome of her blessings, and decides to resort to... Well, S/A, consuming the blood from that too. This doesn't happen as often, but Nana did it purely from going insane for her "love" of Hana. (It isn't love in that sense, more like obsession.)

What will be shown in the MV during the final chorus is Hana snapping and grabbing the scissors from Nana, stabbing her to death in the throat and neck out of pure, unadulterated rage. That would be the only time Hana shows full anger, sick of all the pain that she's dealt with because of her abuser. And because Hana had never wanted to hurt anyone, being a sweet little girl, she falls to her knees and breaks down, even if the person she hurt was her abuser.

And that's the story for now.

===

Lyrics:

[VERSE I] Sun up to sun down, Mom and Dad see the veil Covered in bright pastels and a perfect woman ideal And since a little kit, I've been left here in her care Now old enough to be an unlucky victim of this nightmare

Too good to be true, predators never change You smile with your fangs and thirst with your eyes soon as you say my name Sacrificial prey's blood is what you really want And there's no better choice than your prized rabbit's for a blessing of luck

[PRE CHORUS] I'm taken down and ravished open Claws grip my neck leaving me choking You're lapping up the slit that's seeping And I'm not the first one you've broken

[CHORUS I] The seemingly perfect caretaker A predator of what it's collared "I'm quite lucky to have a girl like her Your daughter's just so well behaved and mannered!"

You'll act so the parents never know What happens here when those doors close

Learning what's going on behind the scenes A first-hand witness to these cruel schemes Feed from the wound from which I bleed Aren't you supposed to protect me?

Gnaw on the flesh of the young and fresh Now despoil what your prey has left

===

The first verse is after the chorus in the audio because it's just a draft. I'm not even intending on keeping Teto in this and probably going to use Solaria's whisper VB in the final project. It's just difficult to get the vocals to sound like an actual kid.

I will have a separate post for Hana's character information as soon as I make her reference sheet, since this post was more so focused on Nana. Also, keep in mind this story is VERY new (just came up with it this week) so a LOT of changes will be made. This is what I have for now, and I'm really happy with it so far.

Lastly, this song is about grooming and power dynamic abuse. That's all I'll say for now.

Thank you SO much for reading and have a lovely day.

[infamous-if]

dev update (august 9th 2023)

I'm really bad at doing these, I apologize. I find I prefer just dropping things without much notice haha but since chapter 2 is out I do want to do better at these sort of weekly log things.

Anyway, with the Patreon out I've been having a lot of fun dropping stuff. I have a whole folder of deleted scenes and extra bits that I kept aside collecting dust so that's been fun. I've done a lot with August so far so I'm determined to keep up that momentum, especially since I'm deep in G's POV right now.

I started picking away at Part II. Luckily, I feel it may be shorter than Part I so it won't be too long until I'm dropping it. I'm going to make sure not to change any variables until after it's published so people can just play from where they finished off. Hopefully...if I can avoid it. If I speed run through Part II I feel like I can drop it next month or late this month. I'm not making any promises but if I do, I'll be giving myself a huge pat on the back lmfao.

Since Part I dropped, I've been getting a lot more asks and suggestions. Many people have been suggesting certain choices and reactions and dialogues which is great. People tend to catch things that I don't catch or have ideas that don't come to me so it helps when I go back to rewrite. I can't promise I'll add it but so far I've been getting a lot of good suggestions. I don't respond to them just so I can keep them in one place, so don't think I'm ignoring you! I do read all my questions I just tend to be picky with answering them so as not to flood the dash. I was having a wild idea to make a side account just to answer questions because I wake up to so many that I can hardly handle it and my inbox gives me a bit of a fright every morning lololol I currently have 3.5k questions and I feel terrible every time because I feel like I'm ignoring people.

As I said before, once Part 2 is out I'm going to go through the entire demo with a fine tooth comb and pick it up bit by bit. Improve on it, add dialogue, choices and just fix it up. It won't be a rewrite lol since I like what I have but I think I can improve the prose and the overall...cleanliness? of my writing!

I'm always taking suggestions or anything that may make the game better. I can't do everything but I do try. I'm also always taking song suggestions for the master playlist. I do listen to it when I write so that's fun lol

This was a non update but I do like keeping everyone up to date on what I'm doing! If anyone has suggestions for something August related to do this month, I'm all ears!

[fiftysevenacademics]

Venting below the cut.

I gave my (mentally ill but treatment resistant) adult son an extension on staying with me until May because when the appointed time rolled around it was still obvious that he was completely unable to support himself– mostly because he refuses to get a job. I gave him the past year to live rent-free while he recovered from an abusive marriage and divorce and pursued some artistic ambitions he had sacrificed during his marriage. He spent the past year writing a music album, which was finally finished last month. He had big plans! CDs (no one even has CD drives anymore, I remind him? Real music connoisseurs, who are the ones who will appreciate my music do, he says) Pitch it to radio stations! Record labels will pounce on it! He was going to get rich! Money is going to solve all his problems! He’s the greatest mind of his generation! He’s an artistic genius! His music will be played at the Olympics! Etc. etc. grandiose fantasies of this nature. He finishes the album, puts it on Spotify, then just…. Abandons it. Completely. Nothing at all, not even an email to family to let us know it’s done. I ask him why he’s just… Oh, it’s there for people to listen to. I’m like…. ??????? This music is horrible. I say that grudgingly, because a parent wants to be 1000% behind whatever their kid does, but I also have to be honest– this isn’t just a case of “not to my liking.” It’s a case of “some of this has potential but needs a LOT more work and definitely someone else singing it” but he won’t do that because he thinks he’s a good of a musician as Prince and can do it all himself. He will not accept any input or collaboration on his music. (Yes, we’ve had THAT conversation, too.)

So, at the year point when he was supposed to move out, it’s clear he has no job, no money, spends all his time making absolutely incoherent TikTok videos and shitty music, I can’t make him leave, and tell him so– hey, I really would like you to move out but it’s clear you can’t support yourself right now so you can stay here till May. This will give you time to find a job and if you’re going to stay here, I also want you to get evaluated for PTSD, bipolar disorder, and ADHD and take medication if necessary. He balks at that but agrees to look for real jobs.

Not a week later, he’s telling me he can’t waste his talents on a job, he’s going to offer his services as a composer to record companies and that they have asked for demos. I’m irritated because this is a pie in the sky idea and his music is AWFUL (in my opinion) but I keep my cool and say, “Oh good! You can use your album as the demo.” Oh no, that wouldn’t work, for some reason that I don’t understand, he has to write new songs. I figure that’s stupid but ok he’ll do a couple songs and the record company will either completely ignore him or say no thanks mister. Weeks pass, constant songwriting, which means totally chaotic sleep schedule and 100% disregard for everyone and everything else in the household and I finally confront him when are you going to be done. Oh, he’s making a whole new album now that he’s going to sell to the record company. The whole thing will be done and he’ll have his money by May. Do you already have a contract I say? No, but the album is called Gemini and they’ll want to have it produced and ready to sell by June because that’s when Gemini is….. I cut him off, the plan for you staying here till May was so you could find a job that will pay you enough to move out, not to make another whole album. Whatever happened to your plans for the first album? Long screed about this IS his job and I’m not supportive of him because I don’t have faith he can succeed, he’s investing in himself, etc etc etc. 

This is what he’s said for the past year, about the album that he dropped like a hot potato the instant it was done and now he’s saying it about the new album. After this, there will be another and another and another, I’m sure. His plan is to “move in with his dad” after I make him leave but he’s only going to be able to stay for about two months at his dad’s and his dad’s wife isn’t nearly as accommodating as my wife is– there’s going to be a lot of fighting in that household while he’s there. She’s argumentative, my son is argumentative, and his dad is argumentative and none of them is willing to take a backseat or compromise, so this is going to be a disaster. 

In the meantime, MY wife is down to her last straw with his constant disregard for the extremely small, easy things we expect from him as a member of this household (like, we haven’t even tasked him with any regular chores or responsibilities, what we expect is really just common decency and he won’t even do that). And I feel very taken advantage of and disrespected at this point, too, plus it’s causing a lot of tension between me and her. 

So now it looks like this weekend it’s going to come down to a showdown of “Get a job and get on psych meds and leave this house by the end of March now.”

I’ve had the non-police emergency mental health crisis team number in my phone since his incident last summer (I know of two other meltdowns that didn’t reach imminent police involvement level like the summer one did but could have resulted in serious injury to self or others and/or termination of employment had it happened at a paid job) but fortunately haven’t had to use it. We’re afraid to leave him alone in our house for too long in case he walks out and leaves the door unlocked, or forgets to turn off a stove burner, or gets into a fight with a neighbor while he’s walking his dog, or while he’s out at a movie theater, or who knows what.

I even recruited his dad the other week, who is at least on the same page as me regarding our son’s need for mental health help. But he’s a grown-ass man and I just don’t know what we can do. 

Meanwhile, he's also lost his insurance, though I think he'll get it back, seems to be a bureaucratic snafu but who knows. The upshot though is I don't even know if he'll be able to see a doctor even if he agrees.

[notgonnaedit]

Healer's Care

Tipping Point

Summary: Eight months after the destruction of Tipoca City, and the Bad Batch are starting to question where they truly belong

Pairing: Bad Batch x Teen!OFC (clones being good brothers/dads)

Chapter summary: A situation arises that Hunter can't ignore.

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, dad Hunter, ECHO, minor Sorrthea, that's right, I gotta ship name! (If I miss a tag LMK)

Masterlist

Tags: @hugmekenobi @nottwonerdy777

@dreamsight73 @delicioustacocollector

@covert1ntrovert @clonethirstingisreal

A light breeze flew through the air, cooling Hunter as he worked with Shep moving crates. The docks of Pabu were lively with ships and people (including Wrecker) fishing.

"This friend of yours who's stopping by, he's another clone?" Shep asked as he set down a crate.

Hunter set his down and nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry. He's not with the Empire."

The girls had been excited to hear that Echo was visiting. Even Hunter had been feeling a bit better knowing his friend was returning.

"If you trust him, that's enough for me," the mayor decided.

Hunter couldn't believe how welcomed they had been, even after staying for several weeks.

"The new fishing dock's rebuilt and moored," Wrecker announced as he ran up the steps. He laughed and shifted the large fish hanging over his shoulder. "And I caught some dinner!"

Hunter regarded his brother. "You've been busy."

"You got that right." The demo man dropped the fish in a crate to deal with later.

Lyana's voice rang out from the dock. "Hey, Wrecker. Can we get your help?" She asked. "We're fortifying the seawall."

The tall clone grinned and laughed. "Sure thing, boss."

Hunter watched with a smile as Wrecker ran down the steps to help them. He hadn't seen the demo man so happy since they were cadets.

"He's become an integral part of this community," Shep hummed. "You all have." He glanced at the tracker. "Any chance you've reconsidered staying permanently?"

Hunter pursed his lips. He had considered it, but he still hadn't come to a final decision. Words formed in his mouth, yet he didn't know how to voice them. So, he simply said, "For soldiers, putting down roots is an occupational hazard."

Shep furrowed his brow. "Is that all you are? A soldier?"

A crease formed in Hunter's brow. He had never been anything else. He was all but convinced it was too late in life to be anything else.

Quick footsteps sounded through the other noises of the docks. Hunter turned to see a familiar face that had been lingering around lately and frowned.

"Hey, Dad. Hunter," Sorren greeted with a nod.

"What have you been up to?" Shep asked his son.

"Miss Janya needed some help with her groceries," the boy told. He glanced up at Hunter, a bit nervously. "Is, uh, is Althea around?"

Hunter narrowed his eyes. He was no stranger to how this boy felt for the medic of their squad. But he also was no stranger to what boys' thoughts consisted of when it came to girls. The tracker wasn't going to risk Althea, even if it was something as simple as this.

Before he could answer, the Marauder zoomed overhead.

Hunter watched as it flew over the sea. "She's up there."

"More flying lessons?" Shep chuckled.

Hunter couldn't resist the smile that formed on his lips. "Uh-huh," he chuckled. "Tech's got his hands full."

                 •°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Althea laughed as the ship took a steep nose dive toward the water. Tech clutched his seat fearfully, but Omega –who was piloting– was smiling calmly.

"Up. Up!" Tech ordered as the sea grew closer. "Up, Omega! Pull up!"

"Copy that," the girl replied cooly. She pulled back on the controls, splashing water outside as they flew back into the sky. "I'm getting better, right?" She chuckled. "The collision alarms haven't gone off once."

"Because it shorted out during your last lesson," Tech pointed out. "But thanks to my excellent instruction, and ability to think clearly in stressful situations, you are indeed... improving."

Althea rolled her golden eyes. "I too, am extraordinarily humble."

Tech opened his mouth to argue, but Omega interrupted by asking, "So, what's next?"

A sigh escaped the pilot. "Execute a sharp swing back to port with zero thruster pull."

Both girls gasped. "The Tech Turn?"

"Really?" Omega asked.

"Now that is not what it is called–" Tech smiled. "–but I rather like it. I suggest you proceed before I come to my senses."

Omega punched it. The G-force kicked Althea and Tech back into their seats, earning scream from the latter. 

The blonde then cut the engines, did a 180° to turn, and powered them back up. "How was that?"

Tech adjusted his goggles, seeing as they had fallen halfway off his face. "Much better."

Suddenly, the console beeped. Althea glanced at it. "Incoming vessel on approach. It's him!"

Omega grinned and grabbed her comm, speaking into it. "Havoc-5 , this is Havoc-6. Do you copy?"

"Affirmative, Havoc-6," the ARC replied. "I see you've been keeping up with your training."

Omega's grin was wide. "As promised."

"Good. Race you to the landing zone?"

Tech's eyes went wide. "I do not think that is a sound idea–"

"You're on!" Althea cried.

Tech yelped as Omega rushed to land by the Archium. Once they did, the girls wasted no time to greet their comrade.

"Echo!" Omega shouted as she waved. 

Tech clutched his head and stumbled, to which Althea rolled her eyes. "It wasn't that bad, drama queen." She took off behind Omega to see Echo.

The ARC barely managed to grab Althea as he was already hugging the blonde.

"We've missed you!" The medic hummed.

Echo chuckled. "It hasn't been that long."

Althea pulled away. "Feels like it has."

"You mentioned needing some assistance with data decryption," Tech said as he approached.

Echo reached into his pouch and pulled out a data stick. "This is what's left of the files I recovered from an Imperial shuttle. It was transporting clone prisoners, and we need to know where and why."

Tech took it and nodded before heading back to the ship.

                   •°•°•°•°•°•°•

Night had fallen on Pabu as Hunter and Echo conversed. Both had a drink in their hands as they watched Wrecker chase Omega and Lyana around the Maya tree. Sorren and Althea sat in it's branches, talking and laughing.

"You all plan to stay here indefinitely?" Echo asked.

"We haven't decided yet." Hunter watched we Omega squealed with delight as she played. "But, to be honest, it might be the best thing for us. Even if there are...things I'd rather not deal with."

Echo followed his gaze to where Althea sat with Sorren. She laughed and he nudged her shoulder lightly. The ARC suppressed a grin as he realized what Hunter was referring to.

"What about you? What have you been up to?" Hunter asked.

Echo's expression became somber. "Rex and I have built up a small network of clones. Some are in hiding, underground. Others act as our contacts within the Empire."

Hunter regarded him. "Echo, you've seen the power you're up against. You can't defeat them."

"It's not about that. It's about fighting for our brothers."

"I understand why you're doing this but..." Hunter placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed, "when will it be enough?"

His comm beeped suddenly. "Hunter, I decrypted the data. You need to get back to the ship."

                       •°•°•°•°•°•

"The Imperial transport Echo hijacked was  assigned to the Advanced Science Division," Tech told them as they stood in the cabin.

Hunter folded his arms. "Never heard of it."

"That is because it is a clandestine operation." Tech turned back to the screen. "There are no records on its location or its purpose. All I could find on it was the chief scientist in charge, Dr. Royce Hemlock–"

The image changed to a man in a lab coat with a clone commando by his side.

"–An officer expelled from the Republic science corps due to his unauthorized and unorthodox experiments."

A crease formed in Omega's brow. "Why were they sending clone prisoners to him?"

Tech furrowed his brow. "I do not know, but it gets worse. Previous transfer records recovered from the ship's logs list other clone prisoners detained by the Advanced Science Division. And Crosshair is one of them."

Althea blinked. "You mean Crosshair turned on the Empire?"

Hunter leaned forward. "How sure are you about this?"

"Very." The pilot took his datapad and went to work. "After discovering his clone number on the transfer register, I checked our old comm channels and found a recent distress message sent from Crosshair's old code."

"What did it say?" Omega asked.

"Plan 88. The Seeker."

Wrecker glanced up at Hunter worriedly. Althea bit her lip.

"We are being targeted," Tech said. "I believe he is warning us."

"Or it's a trap, like he's set for us before," Althea reminded them.

Wrecker grunted in agreement.

Hunter's gaze flickered to Omega. She was watching the screen with a concerned expression. He could tell she wanted to go after the sniper. 

As much as he wanted to leave that traitor for dead, something in the tracker's soul wouldn't allow it. He turned to his intelligent brother. "Well, how do we find out?"

They could at least see if they could attempt to rescue Crosshair. They were still brothers.

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