#the highlight is i got to see my sister for the first time in.. god like a decade??

[cyanidas]

Hii I'm still alive! I went out to Iowa for bio family reasons and have been... recovering... 🥲

[tgcg]

tell your loved ones

-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 12:01 --

TG: hey im on the john

JOHN: hey, dave is taking a dump.

TG: taking a shit just so were clear

JADE: jeez!!!!!!! even when im not online i have to hear about it

TG: i know you care so youre first to know

JOHN: i'm just giving you a heads up for the bajillion messages you will definitely have about this when you get home.

EB: god, thank you. that is awesome. dave fans everywhere are gonna go NUTS for this truth nugget.

EB: hey, i am at the store with jade!

TG: tell her the news

EB: i did as soon as you first pinged me, don't worry.

TG: hell yeah see you just fucking get it

JADE: well tell him i say congrats!

EB: she says congrats.

EB: also that you left your "yeah! woo!" machine at her place.

EB: and that you are gross and smell like a dog took a dump on a fart even when you aren't crapping during our conversations.

TG: goddamn

EB: jk that last bit was me heheh. but she nodded!

EB: so anyways, a yeah woo machine?

EB: what the hell even IS that?

JADE: its more or less a machine that yeahs and woos

TG: its basically a machine that yeahs and woos

EB: ok, yeah, that is pretty much exactly what jade said too. apparently this is supposed to be obvious.

JADE: its pretty self explanatory!

TG: pretty self explanatory stuff

TG: anyways im gonna tell karkat this time i think im ready for that

EB: oh shit (LOL), that's a pretty big deal, right? good luck dude.

--

-- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 12:03 --

TG: ok karkat can i be unbelievably candid with you is dj crabapple ready for this

TG: this is a really big deal for me but like no pressure

CG: SHIT, IS EVERYTHING OK?

CG: DO I NEED TO COME OVER THERE.

TG: no no its good i just really need to confess something

CG: WHATEVER IT IS, TELL ME. I'M HERE.

TG: alright

TG: deep breath strider

--

TG: im dropping mad logs like bars in the ablution block vantas

TG: shit is on fire

TG: downright heretical like a shat outta hell

TG: and since im feeling penitent i figure our pesterlogs are pretty much akin to a confessional booth right

CG:

--

-- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 12:04 --

TT: Hey Dave.

TT: Are you, by any chance, taking a shit right now?

TG: damn word spreads fast on the information superhighway

TT: Yes, I have had the news forwarded to me via this bountiful virtual dimension of knowledge and culture we call the World Wide Web by a fellow enthusiast, one ectoBiologist.

TT: Frankly I'm heartbroken you didn't come to me about it first.

TT: Please, divulge to your loving sister the nature of your bowel movements, in exhaustive detail. Highlights in a notarized list, an overall ranking grade of your experience, whether you would recommend it to your friends, et cetera. These would be among my most pertinent avenues of inquiry.

TG: you were next on the mailing list rose im already on it

TG: boutta weave a verbal tapestry no holds barred just for you about my rambunctious foray down in brown town

TG: stay tubed

TT: Thank god. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't peruse your commodal follies like the morning gazette.

TG: dont act like this has educational value rose

TG: we all know my daily bullshit has got a laugh track

TG: like damn what kind of gazettes are you getting

TT: The best kind, Dave. Only the best kind.

TG: thanks for the vote of confidence

TG: wait gimme a sec karkat pinged

TT: Of course. I understand it's quite a big deal for you.

--

CG: OK.

CG: SINCE THIS APPARENTLY SKIRTS THE FRESHEST BUDS OF OUR BRO-DOM'S BURGEONING FROND NUB, I *ALSO* HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SHARE.

CG: I HOPE YOUR REFLECTIVE ABLUTION VAULT IS STOCKED WITH FUCKING RUMBLESPHERE TRANQUILIZERS, BECAUSE THIS EXCHANGE IS ABOUT TO GET SHITHIVE MAGGOTS.

CG: LISTEN CAREFULLY.

TG: whats up

--

CG: I AM ALSO ON THE LOAD GAPER RIGHT NOW.

TG: oh shiiit

CG: DON'T UNCLENCH YOUR EXPLOSIVE FUCKING SEED FLAP JUST YET, BECAUSE THERE'S *MORE*!

CG: I AM *ALSO* TAKING A CRAP.

TG: oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

CG: OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT

[ferrstappen]

could you be more obvious? l MV1

a/n: thissss is based on a request I got and ofc I added the Verstappen twins <3 this is messy I’m sorry but I’m on a writing mood

summary: you show up pregnant for the first race of 2024, just six months after Max won his 3rd WDC.

Max being crowned world champion for the third time was something that made your skin buzz with excitement, a knot form in your throat seeing everything he’s achieved and the pride and satisfaction of knowing that every single person on the team had his back, was definitely one of the best sights.

But for Luca and Mila Verstappen, their papa being champion again time wasn’t exactly a big deal… they knew it was important because there were lots of fireworks and special tshirts, but they were born watching Max a champion, they only knew him as such.

what, like it’s a big deal?

They didn’t say it, but you knew that’s what was on their mind.

That was the reason why both Max and you decided to not bring the twins to Qatar, especially with the high temperatures and Luca’s history of getting sick during Grand Prix weekends, they were more than happy to stay with auntie Vic while you got ready to celebrate your husband.

And God, did you celebrate him.

Without the twins, the gin and tonics kept coming, the sloppy make out session on the VIP area of the club as if you were teenagers again, his front pressed against your back as he tried to impress you with his best moves, only to earn a couple of drunken giggles and peck on the lips.

Things were starting to quiet down, lots of people had already left to their hotel room, but you and Max were on a world of your own, with you sitting on top of him, but the moment you started feeling his lips ghosting against your neck, his hands moving from your waist to squeeze your hip.

and you knew it was time to go.

Bahrain, 2024

Max didn’t remember being so excited for race day. Yes, he was anxious for the new season, but the highlight of his day was seeing you getting ready, a loose blouse and white jeans accentuating the noticeable belly of six months of pregnancy, which was a complete surprise to everyone.

You entered the paddock through the main entrance, with photographers everywhere and Kym Ilman greeting your family, because the scene was worth more than a couple thousand likes on Instagram: you were holding Mila’s hand who in return was holding Luca’s, while Max walked with his arm protectively around your belly.

The twins weren’t exactly thrilled about the idea of having a baby brother or sister, a fact they made clear by asking every day if there was any chance to stop the baby from coming home eventually, telling you and Max that they were more than okay having the cats. Sadly, they were the only ones

“No! No! No! Is that why you went MIA on social media? Oh my God look at this bump! Congratulations you two,” Lily let go of Alex’s hand to give you a tight hug as Alex congratulated Max with a couple of pats on the back.

The scene repeated itself with most drivers on the grid, who didn’t ask how far along you were, but were able to deduce the situation. Until…

“How far along are you?” Charles asked you as he held Luca on his arms, letting him mess with his hair.

You blushed and Max’s chest puffed as if he has been waiting for the question. “I’m a couple of days away from the six months mark,”

Charles looked as if he was doing a very specific and difficult math problem as his girlfriend, Alexandra, stares at him with a faint blush on her cheeks, probably since she has always been more reserved around you because she was younger, but she was impatiently waiting for her boyfriend to catch on the situation.

“This is a 2023 season baby?” Charles asked.

“Looks like it,” Max answered with a smug smile on his face, but in reality it was an excited grin which reached his blue eyes.

“No…” Charles jaw dropped and had to put Luca on the floor.

“No what?” Max counter asked, even if he knew the answer. This time he started drawing mindless shapes on the clothes over your swollen stomach.

“Max… is this your championship child?” Charles whispered, shocked.

“What can I say? Winning on and off the track!”

And Charles almost passed out as both you and Max laughed, beaming while interlacing your fingers over your belly, knowing cameras wouldn’t catch you there.

user1: Max knocked y/n up the night of the third championship change my mind

user2: Max Verstappen pulled a k-mag and I respect that

user3: do we know the birthday of the verstappen twins? Asking for a friend

user4: y/n and max will have a full kindergarten if they have a kid every time he wins the championship💀

user5: are we really surprised after those videos leaked of max squeezing her ass while they were celebrating the 3rd wdc

user6: if the maths are mathing this baby will be born around the Monaco gp. GODS PLAN

[kmoneymartini]

Drunk in love.

paige x reader

Warnings: SMUTTTTTTT with some plot, fluff, cussing, alcohol, pet names? (If that is one) I think that's all

A/n- this is my first fic. If it's terrible I'm open to constructive criticism! Also I literally live for Paige being a soft switch so that's literally all it is. Also I gave up on the ending bc i didn't know how to write it.

You were sitting next to Paige at the bar everyone goes to after a win. You could tell Paige was getting drunk because she's was getting a little more....handsy.

Right now her hand was rubbing up and down your thigh under the table while she talks about the highlights of the game to the team. Her fingers glide from your hip to your knee, her thumb ever so slightly on the inside of your thigh.

You and Paige had been friends since 6th grade when the blonde almost knocked you out during gym with a basketball. Figures.

"shoot, are you okay?" Little paige said.

"Yea I'm good, just dizzy."

"yea let's get you to the nurse, may have just given you a concussion.." she replied with concern.

Ever since then, y'all have been inseparable. Spending most weekends at each others houses or at her tournaments. She taught you the game of basketball. (Which you later came to love) And you rambled about the books you just finished. You were basically sisters.

When highschool started, Paige convinced you to join the Hopkins basketball team. At first you were adamant on just showing up for games, but blondie would not shut up about it till you tried out.

The next 4 years were the best of your life. Spending time with the team, especially paige. Going the state championships, and just being able to have fun.

Nothing changed when you both got into Uconn, She continued basketball while you studied literature and womens studies. You were always around the team, they loved you and you were practically part of the team.

Which leads us back to the bar. KK and Aaliyah dancing to the music blasting through the building while the whole team laughed and videoed them. Paiges hand still lingering around your leg as she drinks her Shirley Temple she swears has no alcohol. (Bull. Shit.)

"Paige you may want to slow down, you'll be miserable tomorrow." You say as she chugs her 3rd one down.

"nah baby I'll be fine."

"baby" that word. The word she uses when shes drunk and talks to you. The one that makes your heart stop, the one that makes your stomach fill with butterflies. The one that makes you wet asf. God you were so gay for this girl.

A few hours pass, and sleepy Paige is half awake on your shoulder while everyone starts to say their goodbyes.

"hey, p?" You say in a whisper

"hm?"

"Ready to go home?"

"mhm"

Now, just because you don't play basketball anymore, doesn't mean you don't go to the gym. Your pretty strong, strong enough to hold the 5'11 guard to the car. You pick her up bridal and haul her ass to the car near the entrance.

When you get home you wake Paige up again and walk her to your shared second story dorm, opening it up and locking the door behind you. Paige is a little more perky now, you made her eat crackers while she was still awake on the way home.

"Paige you wanna get a shower or just get comfy?"

"I'm tired" she clings onto you like she always does, always making you turn red.

"okay sweet girl, let's get you ready for bed." You help her to the bathroom and brush the gel out of her hair.

"you think you can get dressed on your own?" You ask

"Mhm"

"okay, get dressed and go to sleep okay?" You start to walk towards the door before she stops you.

"no, stay please"

"What?"

"stay here, please?" She begs

"Okay, let me change first."

"no, just wear one of my shirts, don't want you to go" she says as she stumbles to her drawer, grabbing a shirt with her name and number on the back.

You take the shirt and go into her connected bathroom to change before walking out. You see Paige staring you you.

"you look hot in my number"

"excuse me?"

You watch her look you up and down with a look of pure lust, making you wet by just standing there.

She gets up and walks towards you. "You look hot." "Extremely hot." You feel her hands on your waist, the sudden confidence she had, mixed with the tired rasp in her voice turned you on instantly.

"Paige, your drunk. Let's not do anything you'll regret." You say, your voice shaking slightly.

"mmm, I'm gonna regret not doing anything."

With that, your pinned against the wall, the taller blonds lips connected with yours. God she feels amazing. Her hands travel up and down your sides while yours find her hair.

"fuck, p. Please" your breathe between kisses.

"please what ma?" She replies.

"wanna feel good"

That's all you had to say before she whips you both around to her bed, laying you down gently without breaking the kiss. Her lips find their way to your neck just as her knee finds a way to your core. Causing you to moan from the sensation.

"paige please, fuck." You whine.

"shh, I'm gonna make you feel good baby, don't worry."

She lifts up your shirt, revealing the white sports bra underneath, which is also quick to come off.

"so pretty for me. So pretty." She praises as on of her hands travel to your tit, her mouth connecting to the other. You moan and arch your back, trying to get more friction to your clit.

her hand finds your heat, realizing you don't have shorts on, she starts rubbing your clothed bundle of nerves. The moans and whimpers coming from you surprise her. They sound almost pornographic.

"there you go ma, so wet for me." She whispers into your ear sending signals throughout your body.

"Paige please, please, fuck. Please fuck me"

She groans hearing your pleas for her. "Lift your hips up, princess." She guides your underwear down your legs and throws them on the ground before slowly pushing a finger into you. Earning a moan from you and a groan from her.

"good girl. so tight for me. Taking me so well." She praises.

"Paige more please. Please, need more"

She adds another finger, immediately curling them into your g-spot.

"Fuck baby please" the bubble in your stomach getting tighter and tighter as she moves her fingers.

"taking me so well pretty girl, so so good."

Paige feels you coming closer to the edge, so she dips her tongue into you, moving it with her fingers. A pornographic moan comes from your mouth as you tense up and shudder, cuming all over her fingers. She wastes no time cleaning up and helping you ride out your high.

"taste so good my gorgeous girl, so good."

After catching your breath with sweet kisses from Paige you lift yourself up on your elbows.

"wanna make you feel good paigey" you breathe out. "Please"

You sit up and kiss her, tasting yourself mixed with the alcohol on her lips.

"okay my love" she says, taking her shirt and bra off as well as her boxers.

You watch in awe, she beautiful. Her hair, her arms, her toned abs, god she's so pretty. You keep looking down until you see her soaking cunt.

"your beautiful" your say, still amazed.

You make your way to her clit. Floating your fingers and touching on the sensitive area lightly, making Paige squirm and whimper.

"please" she says, watching your every move.

You come up from her heat and kiss her lips, then her jaw, her neck, leaving a few hickeys and down her chest. Sucking slightly on her nipple and swiping over the other, hear her low moans.

"baby please please." She begs.

Hearing her become so vulnerable under your touch after giving you the best orgasm of your life gives you a confidence boost as you start bringing your hand down to her heat, sweeping your finger up and down her fold.

"doing good paige. So good." You whisper, finally dipping your finger into her, earning a gasp and moan from her mouth.

Realizing one finger would never get her to the edge, you add another, going faster and curling into the spot that makes her moan loudest.

"Fuck ma, please." She breathes

"I got you Paige, taking it so well."

You replace your fingers with your tongue. Dipping it into her heat as you suck at it, your nose hitting the bundle of nerves above her entrance.

She grips the shears, wrapping her legs around your head as you go deeper into her. Feeling her start to shake, you keep your pace, adding more pressure. You hear her get louder and finally scream from pleasure as she reaches her high.

You lick her clean before making contact with her lips again.

"so good baby, you did so well."

As both of you catch your breath, she wraps up into your arms and you fall asleep stroking her hair.

"god I fucked up."

~-TIME SKIP-~

In the morning, you wake up and realize what happened. Fuck. You end up carefully pulling yourself from the blondes tight embrace and start to gather and put on your clothes, but not before she wakes up.

"hey, what are you doing?" She asks groggly

"Paige I'm so sorry." You reply with watery eyes. Your scared for your friendship. You let your feelings take over. She was drunk and probably didn't feel the same.

"hey hey, ma come here" she says in a comforting tone.

You walk over to the bed with the naked guard wrapped up in blankets. She watches you sit down and look at her.

"I know I was drunk. But I wanted that. Don't feel like it was just a drunk hookup, at least for me? I feel like there's more to it." She explains, wiping a tear that fell to your cheekbone.

"really?"

"Definitely" she pulls you into her lap. Hugging you for a while before speaking again. "I want you to be my girlfriend"

"Paige what?" You pull away surprised

"be my girlfriend. I can't just live with you as my friend. I want you."

You think, not for long that is.

"why not" you peck her lips.

"fucking finally" she sighs, burying her face into your neck, leaving a small kiss there.

like I said, this was my first fic. I'm hoping y'all like it and thank you for reading till the end. I tried not using y/n because I thought it would be challenging so that happened.

[atinystraynstay]

You Calling My Name - Seo Changbin

Synopsis: You were his favorite. His favorite person, his favorite scent, his favorite sound. Being away from you for so long was driving him insane, but thank god for modern technology.

Pairing: idol! Seo Changbin x fem reader

Genre: Smut, established relationship, long distance - Minors DNI

Contains: nudity, male masturbation, mentions of oral (f. receiving), video call sex, dirty talk, pet names, female masturbation, dacryphilia, orgasm

Word Count: 3k

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It was around 12:11am, meaning it was a little after 2:11pm in Korea. You did an everything shower - washed your hair, did a sugar scrub on your legs and arms, shaved, and moisturized your legs. You had put mousse in your hair, giving the extra volume you know that drove Changbin wild.

It's been over two months since you last saw Changbin. You were fortunate to have been able to fly out to visit him during your fall break of your college program. You spent five days exploring Seoul together, him showing you his favorite spots and introducing you to his friend group. You even got to meet his family and sister! It was a wonderful trip, but one that happened far too quickly for your liking.

In just a few short weeks, Changbin would be flying from Korea to America to spend the holidays with you - both Christmas and the new year! You were beyond excited to spend one on one time together, as well as get to show him around like he did for you. You also were excited to be able to spend your favorite time of the year with the love of your life.

That didn't replace the emptiness you felt. You craved his touch, you craved his kisses, you craved him. And for now, FaceTime was your only option that got you two close to satisfying your desires.

Soon, you heard your laptop ringing, indicating you had a FaceTime call coming in. Right on time. You looked over to see Changbin's name in the corner with a green accept button and a red decline button. Quickly, you situated yourself so you were sat up on your knees. The white tee shirt riding up gently to expose your bare thighs on the call. In fact, it was a tee shirt of his you stashed away in your suitcase before leaving. You made sure your hair looked neat before answering.

"There's my girl," he said the moment you came into view.

He was leaned back in a chair, assuming he was back at the dorm. Stray Kids had just completed a successful dome tour in Japan, so they were getting some well-deserved time off before their schedules ramp back up in 2023.

Changbin was wearing a black t-shirt and black sweatpants. What drew your attention first was his naturally curly hair. God, he was so gorgeous. From his position, you knew he had his laptop on the coffee table so you could see him fully relaxed. He had his legs slightly spread, hand resting on his thigh close to his crotch. What you would give to be on your knees in front of him right now.

"Hi Binnie," you said softly. "How are you doing tonight?" "It's been an alright day so far, doll. But this is my highlight. God, I wish I was there with you right now. Is that my shirt, by the way?"

You glanced down, unable to hide your smirk. Your fingers twisted the hem of his t-shirt. The movement gave him a glance of the pink lace underwear you wearing. Just for him. You could have sworn you heard him groan from your computer. I guess he saw a glimpse of his surprise.

"Maybe it is," you said nonchalantly before looking up at him through your lashes. "I just wanted something to remember you by," you confessed.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm not mad. I can't be when you look so perfect for me. I just wish I could jump through the screen to be with you."

Your heart fluttered at Changbin's words. To the world, he was this tough guy who rapped insanely fast. He was buff and intimidating, someone who you didn't want to anger. Yet, you knew the real Changbin. To you, he was your adorable boyfriend who couldn't harm a fly even if he tried. He had a soft heart and gentle touch, but ready to go to war for those he cares the most about.

"You know, I feel like I'm wearing too much clothing. Why don't you get comfortable, baby?" You suggested.

Changbin smirked at your question, nodding his head. He wasn't the type of guy to be sly. He liked getting straight to the point. He stood up from his seat, very slowly undoing the tie around his waist that kept his sweatpants at his hips. You subconsciously squeezed your tights together as you watched him. He knew how much you adored his thighs. If you had to pick a favorite feature, his thighs might take the crown.

His hands gripped onto the waistband of his sweatpants as he slowly pushed them down. Your eyes widened as you noticed he wasn't wearing any boxers. Like you said though, Changbin always knew what he wanted and didn't like to waste time. His cock was already hard, slapping up against his clothed abs. He stepped out of his sweatpants, not wanting them to just pool around his ankles before reclaiming his seat in front of you. You weren't sure where to look - his cock with a flaming red tip or his bare face.

"What you got underneath for me, sweetheart?" He asked.

Slowly, his hand grasped onto his hard cock. But he didn't move it. He didn't want to get too ahead of himself. Changbin always favored when you two finished together.

You smiled at him sweetly before sitting up straighter. Both of your hands this time grabbed onto the hem of the t-shirt before lifting it above your head. Much to his surprise, you had no bra underneath. The extra large shirt did a good job of hiding that surprise. His jaw was dropped which caused you to giggle.

"Like what you see, baby?" "God, you already know I do, darling. I love it."

You leaned forward, bringing both of your hands to rest on your knees. You pushed your arms somewhat inward so they brought your breasts closer together. Changbin just wanted to put his face in your breasts and plant kisses all over. He also was hypnotized by your hard nipples, thanks to the chilly air in the bedroom. He wanted so desperately to wrap his lips on one and suck as if his life depended on it.

"Do me a favor. Sit back against the headboard, spread your legs for me. I want see all of you."

Shivers ran up and down your spine. Memories from the last time you were in this position came flooding back to your mind. You remembered how Changbin placed his head in-between your legs. Every time he ate you out, he treated you as if you were his last meal. If you closed your eyes, you could see feel his tongue sliding up and down your slit just before sticking his tongue in your pussy.

You were his favorite meal after all.

Compiling to his request, you scooted back so your back rested against the dark wood of your headboard. You slowly spread your legs open for him. Through FaceTime, you could see a darker pink patch forming on your crotch.

He didn't know where to look first. His eyes first went to your panties, noticing the wet patch forming and getting larger by the second. The second thing he noticed was how hard your nipples were. You were laid out for him, just waiting for him to pounce. He began to move his closed fist up and down his cock, thumb teasing the angry head as you would've done. His precum already collecting on his thumb.

"God dammit, baby. You really must miss me? Just the sight of my cock over FaceTime and you're getting so wet. I wish I could taste you right now."

You whined slightly at his words. You wanted that more than anything. You wanted to feel his hands run all over your body, you wanted his mouth everywhere and anywhere. You just wanted him. Subconsciously, your fingers began to move towards your clothed pussy and ran over it gently. "I bet you smell so delicious too, hmm? Why don't you take the panties off and show daddy what is mine. Show me your pussy." "All yours, baby. Just waiting for you."

You moved your legs together and lifted your hips, just enough to slip the panties off of your hips. Changbin's eyes followed as your panties sliding down your legs, until they were out of the view from being dropped on the floor. You resumed your previous position, legs spread and now your glistening pussy on full display.

"The moment I get home, I'm ruining that pussy. You hear me?" He growled. "I'm going to make you cry, scream, or cum so many times you lose count. I'm going to make up for all the time you've spent without me."

You wanted to squeeze your thighs together in response to Changbin. You craved the feeling of him pinning you down, doing whatever he likes to you.

Your fingers at the moment ghosted over your clit. You didn't allow yourself to touch yourself, not yet at least. Even though your lover was already masturbating to the sight of your naked form, you had to wait. Changbin prided himself in being able to provide for you, taking much of that pride from your intimacy. He was in charge. "S-Sir, can I please touch myself?"

Changbin groaned hearing the name you call him. You noticed his free hand moved down to fondle his balls, just as you would do if you were on your knees. Your voice shook a bit, fighting off your own urges.

"Baby girl, there's no need for formalities right now. But I do appreciate you asking. Go ahead, show me what my poor girl has to endure while I'm away."

You didn't have to be told twist. You spread your legs as wide as they allowed you. Your fingers circled your clit at first, almost to get you warmed up. Yet, since the moment you got ready for him, you've already been in the headspace. You moaned softly at the feeling of your clit getting pressure it desperately craved.

"Atta girl. Keep going," he encouraged you.

Your fingers traced figure-eights first into your clit. It was Changbin's signature move until you begged for more. His words though were enough for the time being, as you both were horny and just wanting to watch each other.

As your fingers slipped from your clit to your pussy, you kept your eyes on him. You noticed the vein on the side of Changbin's cock becoming more prominent. The pace of his hand had picked up a bit. If you were there, you would have taken over for him. You would jerk him off as you suck him dry.

"Is my girl lost in thought, hmm?" Changbin questioned. He noticed how quiet you got rather quickly. Yet, your eyes twinkled as you watched him jerk off to the sight of you. It made his ego swell. He loved knowing you were attracted to him.

"I c-can't help it, Binnie. You just look so handsome," you whimpered.

Two of your fingers slipped into your pussy. You arched your back slightly at the relief and pleasure setting in. You pumped your fingers gently, not quite matching Changbin's current pace, but you were building up to it. Your fingers already curling into your g-spot.

Changbin was nearly drooling over you. He saw the way your wetness coated your inner thighs and now your knuckles that were in your pussy. He found himself growing jealous, wishing that was him fingering you instead of yourself. it was indeed a heavenly sight to see his angel blissed out, but he wanted to be the only one giving you pleasure. "I miss your cock, Binnie," you called out to him. "I miss the way you fill me up. I miss the way you make me scream, make my body ache. I miss you filling me up with your cum," you panted out.

He had gotten so focused on watching your fingers go in and out of your soaking, tight cunt, he didn't notice what else you had gotten up to. Your free hand had reached up to cup your breast, squeezing it every now and then. The feeling of your harden nipple underneath the palm of your hand caused you to scream. Your body was trembling slightly already.

He could feel his orgasm approaching him, but he didn't want to rush this moment. He didn't want to rush time with you.

Suddenly, you cried out in frustration. You were trying to move your fingers at a faster speed, trying to reach deeper inside of you. But you couldn't. You never could reach the same spots that Changbin could, the same spots that made your toes curl and made you see the stars.

Changbin noticed the tears starting to fill and fall from your eyes. While it pained him to see you frustrated, he found it enduring and even attractive. He liked knowing he was the only one that could give you pleasure. He liked knowing that you needed him that desperately that you couldn't even bring yourself relief. He groaned as the tears began to run down your face. If he was there, he would run his tongue over your cheek to rid of them.

"Binnie, I-I can't. I can't make myself cum. I need you."

His baby needed him.

"Yes, you can, angel. I know you can," he cooed. "Move your hand off of your breast and play with your clit as you finger yourself. It'll help." "What will actually help is having you fingering me," you whimpered.

But you did as he said. Your hand leaving your breasts to occupy your clit. This time, your rubbed it in harsh circles. You could see the way that Changbin's breathing was harsh and quick, signaling he was close. Some of his curls were sticking to his forehead yet all his attention was on you.

You felt your pussy walls squeeze your fingers now from the extra stimulation. You head tilted back in relief, finally getting close to your orgasm. You quickly picked your head back to look at Changbin. The man looked like he was about to burst at any second. "Baby," you called out to him. "Please cum for me. I want to see you paint your stomach and thighs in your cum." "Now, sweet girl, you know I like to cum together." "But I think watching you could help me. Please. I want to see you cum so bad."

More tears fell from your eyes. How could he ever deny you?

His fist picked up the pace. He was groaning out your name as he felt his hard cock throbbing in his fist. His hands that cupped his balls squeezing hard, just enough to bring him to the edge. What got him through was thinking of you. He longed for your warm touch and kisses, he wanted you to be pressed up against him. He was eager to see you again, in person and not through a computer screen.

He loud out a loud moan, head tilting back as you watched him cum spurt out of your cock. His cock twitching as the cum covered his lower stomach and thighs. Changbin had tilted his head back against the back of the chair, his chest rising. Yet, his eyes never left yours.

You continued your own pace, chasing after your high. Your fingers were going at record speed while your other fingers of your opposite hand catered to your clit. Your pussy walls were beginning to spasm against your fingers, knowing you were close.

You cried out his name as you felt your orgasm hit. The knot coming undone in your abdomen, sending your back arching and legs trembling. It wasn't the greatest orgasm you had, but it was probably the best for now. Your best orgasms were always with Changbin. Your vision blurry from the tears. "So gorgeous," Changbin whispered. You didn't even notice that he began to clean himself up. You slowly moved your legs back in front of you. Your body felt exhausted, being that this was the first time you've cum in weeks.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" He asked. The silence again taking over. He had pulled up his sweatpants then leaned in close to the camera. He frowned, feeling guilty that he wasn't able to provide you appropriate self-care. To him, the after care was just as important as sex. Maybe even more.

You nodded your head, offering him a gentle smile. You tucked your legs underneath the comforter of the bed, leaning up to grab the laptop. You moved your computer to rest on the pillow, on the side where Changbin normally sleeps. You pulled the blanket then up to your chin as you sunk into your side, letting the blanket completely cover you. "I'm just tired, Binnie," you whispered. He nodded as he watched you get curled up. He wished he could do more for you in this moment. H wanted to play with your hair, to comfort you. He wanted to place tiny kisses all over your face, all over your body. You could sense that something was troubling him. You could always just tell with him. If you two had it your way, you'd be in person. But soon enough.

"Binnie?" He perked up hearing you call for him. "Can you sing to me?"

He smiled gently at your request. "For you? Anything." He moved his face closer to the computer, much to your delight. Your smiled as you took in the sight of his deep brown eyes, his nose, his smile. He was all yours. And you were all his.

He began to sing "Because" which caused you to smile even wider. Your head nestled into the pillow beneath you.

It was something small he could do for you, but he would do anything and everything for you. That was not up for compromise. You were his whole world.

[ficsbyuzi]

All the ways lead to you - part 4

Characters - Aemond Targaryen and Inara Maegyr (OFC) in a modern AU.

Warning: just some fluffy, swoon worthy moments

Word count: 1875

Masterlist

Part 3

A/N - Not proofread or beta read; I just write whatever comes to my mind. Isn’t that what us amateur writers are here for anyway? 🙃

Also, I’m using Mr. Mitchell’s face as Aemond for the first time in the header of my fic. Earlier, I was not in the favor of using an actor’s picture in fan-fictions. But since he too keeps Aemond with him all the time, I thought, why not? Plus this picture fits the story really well. 😩

“AEMOND? AEMOND TARGARYEN? Oh my god, oh my god, Inara, do you know how big of a star he is?”

Inara’s baby sister Nina’s voice echoed through the phone, high-pitched and brimming with excitement.

“Apparently, the whole world knows but me,” Inara responded robotically, rolling her eyes.

“You and your books and your makeup set! I have been begging you to watch some TV, but noooo…”

“Nina, manners.”

Nina apologized airily and quickly switched to her yapping.

“Tell me, did you speak to HIM?"

A smile tugged at the corners of Inara’s lips, which quickly faded as she recalled how Aemond brusquely brushed her off at their first meeting.

“Yeah, I did, but..” Inara couldn’t finish her sentence as gasps and squeals erupting from the phone startled her. She chuckled, flinching and moving the phone away from her ear. She could envision her sister flailing her arms.

“OMG, OMG, OMG, how does he sound? What does he smell like?" Nina bombarded her with inquiries.

"Smell? What? Calm down! He's just another person."

Inara was trying her best to sound composed and nonchalant, but an unbidden blush on her face said otherwise.

Two weeks ago, after the orientation meetings, she told herself that she would watch Aemond's shows objectively, to simply familiarize herself with his work and appreciate his talent as an actor.

But something like a tiny spark of infatuation ignited within her as she watched him on screen. Scene after scene unfolded, each one highlighting Aemond's charisma and irresistible charm. Everything about him fueled that spark - his witty dialogue, the intense romantic scenes with his co-stars, and the way he conveyed every emotion through his eyes.

The more she watched, the more spellbound she got.

And despite her earnest efforts to extinguish the spark, she couldn't. If anything, it grew into a proper flame, now constantly fueled by an anticipation of seeing and working with him every day.

"Are you there? Inara?"

"Yes...yes, I'm here, Nina. You were saying?" She cleared her throat, trying to shake off her daydreams.

God, why is it so difficult to focus these days?

"I was asking if you can get his autograph for me? Please say yes, please, please...pretty please?"

"Okay, okay, I'll try, stop begging." She sighed as more squeals and OMGs came from the other side of the phone.

“You are the best sister in the whole world!”

“Yeah, yeah, now I really need to go to bed. I'll call you later, alright? Love you. Good night."

The thought of navigating a request for an autograph swirled in her head as she prepared for bed.

Hours passed and her mind refused to shut down. Sleep seemed to elude her. Nerve-wracking thoughts of her first day at the shoot kept intertwining with the thrilling anticipation of meeting Aemond, making it impossible for her to catch even a second of rest.

After hours of staring at the ceiling and tossing and turning in bed, Inara finally succumbed to her restlessness. A refreshing shower and a mug of her strongest coffee later, she was on her way to the Red Keep studios. As the rosy, dawn rays peeked through the gray sky, she arrived on set, making her way to the makeup trailer.

She found Margaery, already setting up the workstations. Just when she got to know a slight change in her duties, which now appointed her to Aemond's makeup and costume exclusively, he returned to the trailer with two coffee cups in his hands.

Her insides somersaulted the moment her eyes met his.

A baggy gray tracksuit covered his lean frame, hiding all the musculature. His short, platinum hair - slightly tousled today, starkly contrasted the well-groomed hair she was used to seeing. Even in plain clothes, he looked every bit a royal prince.

"I thought you guys might need a cuppa. It's going to be a long day," he said with an impassive face, handing over the cup to Inara.

And there it was.

That unsought, uninvited feeling in her core that kept resurfacing at the sound of his deep, velvety voice.

A warm, tingling sensation that traveled all the way up to her face, suffusing her golden skin with a tinge of pink.

For a moment, she couldn't believe that the same Aemond, a big star, who snubbed her the other day, now stood before her with an arm outstretched, offering a cup of coffee to her.

"Thank you," she replied in a timid voice, forcing her lips not to curve into a smile but her eyes gave her away.

But when she got only a nonchalant hum in response, that smile from her eyes died too.

Gosh, why is he like this?

Staying quiet, she schooled her features into neutrality while her senior took charge of most of the work. However, each time she assisted in adjusting Aemond's costume or blending the makeup on his face, she could feel his gaze fixed upon her.

As she watched him walk out of the trailer, all primped for his shot, she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Are you okay?" Margaery asked, breaking her focus from the trailer's door.

"I... yeah," she lied, rubbing a finger on her temple and removing her apron.

"I'm fine, just tired.”

She was lying to herself too, stifling the novel feelings growing inside her. Scolding herself for letting her focus waver over a silly celebrity crush.

Margaery chuckled in response, leaving Inara to wonder if she could see through her façade.

-

Over the next few days, Inara settled into the rhythm of her life in the new city.

And yet, every day when Aemond walked into the make-up trailer, the air inside the room shifted for her, making her nerves fly all over the place.

He wouldn't smile or say anything to her, but she would feel his eyes burn a hole into her face the entire time he sat there.

Everyday, she tried her best not to be intimidated, but her hands betrayed her nervousness, and Margeary would have to step in to correct her flimsy work on Aemond���s face.

She often wondered if he would fire her because of her jittery inefficiency.

And while she struggled to maintain her calm around her, it didn’t escape her notice that whenever a scene was cut or there was a break in filming for touch-ups, Aemond's eyes would seek her out.

“I'm reading too much into things,” a sane voice would counter in her head, reminding herself that everything was strictly professional: an amicable rapport between an employee and employer.

He seeks me out for touch-ups. Yeah, that’s all.

Whatever her unease was, it still was not enough to loosen the pull she felt toward him.

Every day, she found herself drawn to him, discovering a new trait and adding to her understanding of who he was.

Cold, yet inviting. Mysterious, yet an open book for all to read. Quiet, and yet his eyes told a story she was unable to decipher.

As if I could ever..

-

When Margaery called in sick one day, Inara was left solely in charge of the entire makeup session, including on-set touch-ups. The thought of being alone in the makeup trailer with Aemond sent her heart scrambling for composure.

The door of the trailer opened and she practically jumped.

"Dr. Maegyr,” he nodded in acknowledgment.

"Umm..Margaery is not here today, just me. " Inara informed, fiddling with her apron, as she noticed Aemond looking around for Margaery.

A sudden glint appeared in his violet eyes, with a subtle smile gracing his lips.

Did he just smile? At me?

However, the moment the question popped up in her mind, she saw his eyebrows furrow, his expressions turning to one of unsurety and concern.

"Uh..she..called in sick." Fumbling for words, she gestured towards the makeup chair in front of the mirror, asking him to sit. "I spoke to her and prescribed some medication. I'll try my best to finish the look on time. Shall we begin?"

“Hmm.”

As Inara worked on his makeup and prosthetic, her brush slipped, smudging the final touches. She gasped, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Reflexively, in an attempt to quickly correct her mistake, she used her finger tips instead of the brush.

Aemond’s eyes flew open at the unexpected touch.

Oh no..no no..

"I'm so sorry," she murmured, her hands shaking, “I did not mean to,” she jerked her hand away from his face.

Aemond noticed her unease, his piercing gaze softening just a fraction. "Are you okay?"

"I... yeah, I... I'm fine," she replied, her voice wavering as she fumbled to find something on the counter, her mind in a whirl.

As she turned to face him again, a commotion erupted outside the trailer. Without warning, Aemond swiftly rose from his seat, towering over her and unintentionally trapping her in a corner against the makeup counter.

What in the..

Inara steadied herself, placing a hand on the counter.

Aemond’s sudden proximity left her breath trapped in her throat. The scent of his leather costume, mingling with his own essence, enveloped her.

Her last coherent thought was of how he always carried a faint scent of coffee and cigarettes, before her mind went numb, abandoning her wildly thumping heart to interpret the torrent of sensations within.

Her eyes remained stubbornly locked with his as she fought the urge to flutter them shut.

Inara watched as his stolid, ethereal Valyrian features softened in slight amusement.

She could feel his exterior guard cracking too, when he placed an arm over her head on the mirror and leaned closer.

Oh God.

“We all make mistakes,” he spoke in a tone she thought she was sure she only heard in a scene of one of his romantic movies

A silky whisper that reverberated through her, sending delicious waves all over.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” His other hand moved and stopped near Inara’s hand on the counter.

For a moment, she wondered if her heart now joined the stuck breath in her throat.

“Please don’t fire me,” Inara finally breathed out, still unsure if she had spoken the words aloud or if they were just a regular alarm of anxiety in her head.

Only when Aemond replied, “And why would I let you go, Inara,” dropping his voice to a low murmur and shifting his gaze to her lips, did she realize that she had spoken her thought aloud.

The noise of the hustle and bustle outside began to die down, as Aemond straightened up. Moving away from her, his fingers brushed against her hand, his lips curling into a tender smile.

“I should get going... Are we done here?” His usual business tone was back in a blink of an eye, nudging Inara out of her dream-like daze.

Done? Done with what?

“Yeah... sure... we... we’re done,” she stammered, her gaze shifting from his lips to the floor.

As she watched him walk away from her swiftly, sanity flickered back into her mind.

The moment he stepped out of the door, her knees turned into rubber. She placed one hand on her chest, gripping the counter harder from the other, trying to anchor herself into the physical reality.

What the hell just happened?

The rest of her day slipped by in a blur. Thoughts of what happened in the trailer lingered around her, all the time, teasing her. Caressing her.

It was only when she lay on her bed at night that Aemond’s words resonated in her half asleep mind. Words which she barely registered when he stood so close and the heat of his body seeped into her, tingling each cell of her body.

The same warmth now returned with the memory of his fingers briefly brushing her hand on the counter.

She could almost hear those words in his low, gravely voice -

“And why would I let you go, Inara?”

-x-

Part 5

Taglist: @zenka69

[ultfan]

MY DESPAIR DR3 IDEAS LFG

firstly, i just wanna say that i am basing everything here based of info we get in dr1, dr2 and dr0. i'm just wiping the actual anime itself from my brain. so anime exclusive editions are just gonna be scrubbed. i may be able to fit them in somewhere, but they're not my focus. this is origin story centric.

kick off during the first year of the dr2 cast. i think rather than showing how unified the group is it would actually make more sense if everyone was kinda struggling. obviously some people would form their close bonds, like nekomaru and akane, gundham and sonia, etc. but i don't think it makes sense for the cast to have as close a bond as they do in dr3.

hajime and chiaki were huge pieces when it came to keeping the peace/unity between the members of the dr2 cast during the game. they would not be present in class 77-B. because hajime is in the reserve course and chiaki is an ai.

if their first year of school was all sunshine and rainbows i don't see why they would erase memories of ALL of their time at hope's peak academy.

narratively it makes the most sense for their first year to be setup as to why these people would fall for junko. they shouldn't be having a great time at hope's peak. fuyuhiko's sister is killed, sato is killed, people have health complications, people are dealing with family troubles... even if they try to keep together there is a lot boiling under the surface.

nagito, as a known troublemaker, would 100% fucking make the problems they are facing worse. because on god you know komaeda would tell fuyuhiko to his face that his sister's death was a "stepping stone" and he could overcome it. — he is definitely a disrupter of unity, even if he's not trying to be.

hajime's deal is likely a seemingly disconnected b-plot until the izuru stuff happens (at least if you're watching without any danganronpa context... which would be stupid... but narratively that's how it would look). ——— he's separated from the rest of the cast, probably often witnessing things form the sidelines. the focus on hajime should be on his worsening mental health, going from being excited to be going to hope's peak to learning what it really means to be in the reserve course.

he strikes me as someone who would at least TRY to get involved with the main course students. i think it'd be interesting to see him all hopeful and trying to make ultimate friends or act like he's on the same level as them. only to get completely shut down and rejected by the people he does end up reaching out to.

really use him to show just how poorly reserve course students are treated by the school. the disparity between the two kinds of students — the fact that the reserve course are ONLY there to give hope's peak more funding and nothing else.

highlight how badly he wants to be part of that world. how desperate he is. how he'd be willing to do anything to feel "special." like he's worth something.

yasuke has to be important as the ultimate neurologist. he helped with the memory shit, he's implied to have helped on the kamakura project, and he is also said to have his research used in the neo world program. not including him in all of this would honestly just be a crime. he ties everything together in a neat bow.

given that they're both entering the school in the same year, and nagito got his diagnosis this year too, there is no way he wouldn't see this as fate. he is going to hope's peak at the same time as the ultimate neruologist! that has to be a sign. i can easily see nagito offering up himself to yasuke so he could study his illness and monitor his brain activity. yasuke, who has a past with this kind of disease, would probably be more than willing to as well.

in the middle of the year the school, being impressed with his work, yasuke is reached out in private to assist in the kamakura project. he accepts and gets on it ——— in the background hajime is scouted and accepts to participate out of desperation, not entirely aware of what he's getting into.

enter class 78 — and junko and mukuro — who, thanks to yasuke, are able to easily integrate themselves into the plot and where they need to be.

junko's relationship with yasuke allows her to learn about the kamakura project early on into the school year. she learns about it's progress, it's purpose, and where izuru is being kept (for future reference).

by coincidence — or perhaps thanks to bad luck — she is able to meet nagito through yasuke. this is a guy who's brain doesn't function normally. simply put, he is an incredibly difficult guy to predict/truly understand. i imagine he would interest junko — and his hope fanaticism would be something of note that can be taken advantage of. it is via nagito that junko is able to get an interest in class 77-B and learn about the misfortune they faced last year (when she wasn't here). this will eventually domino into her turning them into ultimate despair. this makes a lot more sense then randomly running into a guy and deciding he's important to the plot, imho.

izuru would get "rescued" by the despair sisters. with a combination of the information they got from yasuke, mukuro's skills as the ultimate soldier, and junko's ultimate analyst ability they are able to avoid trouble and smoothly get to him. this is the real start of her plan.

in dr2 it is said that junko "broke izuru's spirit" — which implied he had a spirit to break. in dr3 he was already dead inside, but i feel like it would make sense if the scientists really tried to make him incredibly loyal to hope's peak and the idea of hope. you know — actually attempt to make the ultimate hope. make that his entire identity.

izuru, incapable of remembering anything that has ever been told to the contrary, is given an entirely different view of the world through junko. izuru, given his little reaction to being on the boat (his excitement at the rocking) strikes me as someone who is surprisingly ignorant and impressionable. which makes sense. they took away all his memories/feelings/personality. and so, when junko gives her philosophy to him, he asks for her to prove it.

he doesn't initially believe her, thanks to how he was created, but then the idea of the first mutual killing game comes up. izuru participates out of sheer curiosity to see where junko is coming from — to see if there is anything at all to this. and given that is the incident that leads to the inevitable fall of hope's peak... it seems to izuru that there is. THAT is what breaks his spirit.

izuru learns that everything he went through, that everything he thought he knew, was a lie. and that the concept that he is meant to embody and put forth into the world isn't... really... anything. "hope" — what is that? it's such a vague idea and it's different for literally every person. it's just an empty promise. there's no hope for someone like him. and there's no hope for this school — or this world. not really.

the events of dr0 happen. most people actually know that ryoko is junko and that she lost her memories (at least class 78 and people who knew her beforehand were aware) — and we know the school is also covering shit up too. izuru goes into hiding. the reserve course students start rioting. kyoko goes to investigate the killings of the student council and is eventually told to stop by her dad (because if she got any further she'd learn about things the school couldn't risk getting out). mukuro tests out her junko disguise here and there, but probably not in public often (mostly just with ryoko). and yasuke is killed, his death covered up by the school.

if kyoko is able to investigate, i think it is logical that nagito also investigates. i mean, his beloved symbols of hope are dying! he is pretty close to kyoko's levels of deduction in dr2, often having solved the cases before everyone else and just watching things progress as he drip feeds hints. i have no doubt kyoko would've been able to uncover everything if she wasn't stopped, but nagito also has an advantage: knowing yasuke.

he would know yasuke wouldn't suddenly drop out and stop their research — he's the ultimate neurologist, after all. it's also likely that he knew he was treating junko (ryoko) for a while. and if he were to investigate his lab/dorm he could be able to find the research papers on memory that were stolen by the despair sisters for their future plans.

with this knowledge, as well as seeing that junko SUDDENLY regained her memories after yasuke's disappearance, i think it's reasonable for him to confront them and figure out what they're doing.

junko takes advantage of the kind of person nagito is. we know from monokuma's behavior in dr2 that it seems he really trusts nagito to go above and beyond when given the opportunity to challenge his symbols of hope. monokuma was supportive of komaeda in the first killing and even actively helped him a little bit when it came to setting things up for the investigation (hajime even mentioned it seemed like nagito had trained monokuma). and i've already talked about how the final dead room's highest difficult setting was likely made specifically with komaeda in mind — knowing he would do something extreme upon finding out about their identities of ultimate despiar.

what takes place is a proposed battle against hope and despair. junko would know enough about nagito from yasuke to know about his love of hope, as well as his abberant behavior. and, with mukuro around, she's not in danger if she spills some stuff to nagito. if he threatens to spill things before they're ready to be spilled, he'd get killed. luckily, nagito is 100% the kind of person to side with his enemies.

this school and the ultimates here are basically komaeda's coping mechanism. he believes that hope can overcome any despiar. and so he fully believes junko's plans will fall flat and that the symbols of hope will easily overcome her despair and be stronger for it. junko is able to egg him on — get him to prove it  — and he agrees to help her spread her despair just to prove her wrong. he doesn't believe his assistance will do much. because he believes himself inconsequential and irrelevant.

it is through nagito that junko is able to learn more personal details of class 77-B, and through him that she is able to manipulate them directly and indirectly. she is able to break each of them down one by one — really dig in and target them in ways that would break them specifically. and eventually brainwash them (in the culty sense, not the mind control sense) into accepting her despair mindset.

junko works a lot like a cult leader in my mind. she is able to perfectly analyze and predict others, and has great charisma. after breaking them down she could easily offer them despair to give them some "meaning" back into their life. and we know from mikan and nagito that "just despair" isn't always the reason for the members of ult despair to do what they do. mikan was doing it out of love and devotion for junko, for example.

as nagito sees each of his classmates fall over to junko's side and begin to add fuel to the fire of the tragedy, he starts getting a little nervous. but he managed to convince himself that they were just surprisingly weak in the end, and holds onto hope that the school itself and the majority of students would be fine. unfortunately, that's not the case.

the new members of ultimate despair manage to push the reserve course students over the edge — and start pushing the world towards the edge as well — leading to the mass suicide and the complete collapse of hope's peak. class 78 being "coincidentally" the only class to survive. this would end up getting nagito fully despair-pilled, even if he is still fighting for hope. and it would end with all members of ultimate despair (aside from mukuro and junko, who agree to be locked up in the remains of hope's peak) going somewhat into hiding to spread despair from the shadows (i say in hiding because we know that they didn't know the identities of the remnants, and didn't even know there were 15 other survivors).

i imagine part of junko's motivation for getting all these extra members into ultimate despair was to ensure that things wouldn't die down in the outside world without her directly involved. and, of course, to get help with the things she needed help with (building monokuma, for example).

EXTRA STUFF I WAS VAGUE ABOUT

how junko would get each individual member of ult despair is up in the air. i have nagito and izuru clear in my mind because i think it makes the sense for them to be the most directly involved in the plot, given their overall significance in the series. but i do have some ideas:

she probably preyed on maihiru's guilt involving the twliight syndrome murder case.

mikan is obvious — she preyed on her need for love/acceptance and gave it to her.

fuyuhiko and peko were probably targeted together, preying on the death of his sister and peko's role as a tool.

took advantage of ibuki's loneliness after leaving her girlband.

etc etc etc.

however she did do it for each of them, i believe it was a matter of ensuring they got to their lowest point (probably even with nagito's help, given his skills of manipulation and complete willingness to be a fall guy), and then swooping them in and being the person that they need in that moment. her true colors probably only really being seen/felt by the time they were all despair-pilled and it was too late for them.

at some point treating each other horribly is part being ultimate despair, yeah? like... kind words aren't used between them. it's similar to mukuro in danganronpa if ——— when she realized junko is cutting her off because she's being super kind and speaking about how much she loves her. for ultimate despair verbal abuse becomes a love language, it feels. hence why i think junko was pretty mean to the remaining remnants in the last dr2 trial. that's just how they interact! they make fun of each other, they're mean, they're abusive. so they can feel despair. because that's all they have at that point.

[carp3tpasta]

I did the thing!!

Here's the template

Reasons under the cut

Favorite campaign: This was really difficult, as I enjoy most of them pretty equally. I couldn't narrow it down to one and had to go with top three. I love Hunter's campaign because of the challenge and story, and because it was the first to be different than the first two [no hate, I love the first two]. Ofc, because Hunter is my favorite slugcat too. I really love Artificer's campaign. Being able to explode is super fun [I love arson >:) /j]. Though the Karma mechanic can be annoying, I think it adds to the tragedy of Artificer in a way. I think the campaign would've been way too short without it too. Rivulet is top three cuz. Speed. And the storyline of that campaign...I will never stop crying.

Honorable mentions: Survivor, Spear Master and Saint

Favorite Slugcat: Hunter is my favorite slugcat because of the tragedy of their story and their character. Hunter did not deserve their fate, and even though the ascension ending is a far more peaceful end for them, they still never got the chance to live a full life.

Hardest Campaign: This was kinda difficult to decide as well because some campaigns have things that are both difficult for me and easy for me. But I ended up choosing Saint because it is a lot more difficult to defend yourself and how it is more difficult to find food before you freeze.

Honorable mentions: Spear Master, Artificer

Favorite Lizard: Yellow/Orange lizards because their antennae are cute, and I like that they live in packs and communicate with each other. They are just really silly, and I like them.

Honorable mentions: Cyan: So jump :), but they've caused me much pain. White: They remind me of cats because they're so sleepy, and I like their camouflage ability. They also have caused me much pain.

Favorite Iterator: Five Pebbles is my favorite character in the entire game. His story is a tragedy through and through. He shuts everyone out because he is desperate, angry, and jaded. He hurts everyone who cares about him in one way or another and, worst of all, kills his sister. The Rot he develops, in my interpretation, is a representation of his guilt, that slowly consumes him literally and figuratively. Before he succumbs to it though, he gives the only thing prolonging his life to the person he hurt the most. A representation of the heart. In his own blind rage, he failed to see the value in what he had, and like Hunter, never truly got to live. By the time he does realize, it is too late, and all he can do is give all he has left to Moon in a final attempt to make things right.

Favorite Passage: I like combat. It is fun

Honorable Mentions: The Scholar, The Mother

Favorite Species: King Vultures [and Vultures in general] are just super cool to me. They're terrifying but cool. Like, what is that thing!!?? It's horrible but so neat at the same time!!

Favorite Region: This was also difficult. I decided on Five Pebbles because of how mind-blowing it is the first time you traverse it. Especially with the lead up to it. Traveling through Memory Crypts and Exterior, getting closer to this mysterious destination that isn't just abandoned structures anymore. I think it really highlights how excellent the environmental storytelling is in Rain World. Also, Random Gods is so good. This isn't my favorite region in terms of being there for fun, however. But I couldn't choose one favorite for those either.

They are: Chimney Canopy, Industrial Complex, Outskirts and Shoreline

[quincywillows]

a scattered and overall supportive review of percy jackson season 1

let me just say first of all, it's extremely fun to be enthused about a tv show like this again. the adaptation isn't perfect, but it's a lot of fun, and you can tell there's plenty of heart and good intention behind what they're doing. i'm very much enjoying tuning in every couple of episodes and catching up -- and avoiding the relentless commentary of the internet while i do so lol.

but now it's time for MY commentary!! to preface, i was a huge fan of the books when i was younger, am a stalwart long-term advocate of the original five books as some of the best children's lit of our lifetime, but i also enjoyed the films a decade ago for what they were and think people (including cough rick cough) are way too harsh about them. justice for logan lerman. anyway

i'm not going to do like a play-by-play, but in summary, here are my takeaways from the first season -- what i thought worked, what did not, and things i'm optimistic about going into the future seasons.

the good

for an adaptation of the original series (which, to be fair, i have not reread in years), i felt this was honest and faithful. there were tweaks, obviously, but none that took me too out of it or felt irredeemable. there was a lot to like about this show, so i want to start right from the top with my highest highs.

the worldbuilding / production design. i absolutely loved getting to see how they imagined certain iconic characters, locations, and sequences from the books. it was so exciting to get to see camp halfblood for the first time on screen (at least, in this adaption) -- that moment in episode two definitely felt like a turning point where we picked up from the somewhat laggy pilot episode. i especially loved the design of mount olympus, aspects of the underworld (hades and his upside down castle were baller, though how did percy and grover get up there lol; and i absolutely loved the choice for asphodel and the ghosts being rooted like trees, i never would've thought of that myself but it was so chilling and unique... just wish i could see it better through the terrible lighting, but we'll come back to that), and of course, camp. even down to the small details, like the camp beads... it's just very cool to see it come to life.

the casting. i wasn't sure about some of the casting when the news was breaking, but i'm very happy to have been pleasantly surprised all around (and have majorly avoided people bitching about every single thing). there wasn't any role where i felt like someone was horribly miscast, and you could tell that everyone involved really wanted to be there and committed. i thought the casting of the gods was especially inspired at times. some of the highlights for me personally:

adam copeland as ares. i had no idea he was apparently a wrestler turned actor until my sister told me, but i thought he was absolutely spectacular. very charismatic, with just the right amount of cringefail that ares needed. i found him thoroughly enjoyable in all his scenes.

lance reddick as zeus. having just played horizon zero dawn recently, oh my lorde was this an inspired choice. he was absolutely brilliant. i'm so so sad about his passing, i don't know how they're going to recapture his performance, but i have faith now that they'll find a way.

timothy omundson as hephaestus. i love that they took a softer, more mad scientist approach to his role than like ugly basement blacksmith vibes... i just thought it was really refreshing. his scene with annabeth, where we got so much humanity from him in such a short span of time, was one of my favorite scenes of the season.

jason mantzoukas as dionysus. i mean. what else can be said. obvious choice, but he was so fun lol. i hope they give him more to do next season.

other standouts beyond the main youth cast for me were jay duplass as hades (his brief appearance in 107 was thoroughly enjoyable) and dior goodjohn as clarisse (she was by far the acting standout of the first couple episodes to me). also very happy to see jessica kennedy parker and sinclair from the 100 get work, lol.

walker as percy jackson. it was really wonderful watching walker grow as an actor even just through the first eight episodes. the difference from 101 to 108 is almost night and day. you can tell how much he cares about the project and percy as a character, and he upped his game with every episode. i cannot wait to see what he turns out in the coming seasons. to be fair, i thought all of the youth cast did a decent job, and i'm giving them a lot of leeway and room to grow since they are literally child actors -- it takes time to hone your craft, and im optimistic they're all going to do a great job as the series goes on. but walker was, definitively and thankfully as the protagonist, the standout.

charlie bushnell as luke. i was so excited when i heard he got cast because i loved him in diary of a future president, and he did not disappoint. i kind of wish he had more to do, but all of that was forgiven in the finale when he had his final confrontation with percy. oh, the acting popped off then -- i can't wait for him to get to chew up the scenery more in the coming seasons.

grover and percy's friendship. it was so sweet to see this come alive, and i thought walker and aryan had excellent natural chemistry together. they were so endearing, and i really believed their friendship basically from the start (them swapping their sandwich fillings is a tiny detail from the pilot that has stuck with me since; i just loved that choice so much). they definitely provided a lot of my favorite moments in the season, and i think evoked the most genuine "aw wow" moments from me.

percy's relationship with sally. since sally was, understandably, absent from the original novel, it was awesome to get the flashbacks here that allowed us to more deeply understand their bond. i thought walker and virginia did a great job with this, and the young actor who played little percy also did a surprisingly great job (he was actually one of the stronger youth actors in the pilot imo lol). you totally understood why percy was doing everything he was, because that mother-son bond felt believable. big shout-out to the absolutely baller line "i am sally jackson's son." one of the first writing moments where i was like oh snap!

the music. a good score really can't be understated, and this one did not disappoint. did just what it needed to do. i also loved the closing title sequence and the art direction there with the epic music -- just such a nice touch that i'm so glad they included.

some of the writing. i'll get more into some of my qualms with the writing below, but there were definitely some great moments that deserve their flowers. i thought they did a great job weaving in some early themes without being heavy-handed about it (percy having to define who he is for himself, mostly). there were some genuinely funny moments that made me laugh out loud, including "i am impertinent," annabeth's "i'm multitalented," and the entire exchange on the road side when the trio to ares are like no... we're fine... ahaha bye... oh and percy trying to drive the taxi out of the garage at the casino was absolutely hysterical.

pivotal scenes hitting their mark. when the show needed to deliver, i thought they really delivered. i absolutely loved the staging and acting in the final luke and percy confrontation -- the lighting of the fireworks was such a cinematic touch. percy's arrival at olympus and scene with zeus was also a big standout. i loved a lot of the st. louis arch episode, and thought the hephaestus golden chair sequence was really well done. overall, the episodes i thought were strongest were without a doubt 104, 105, and 108.

expansion where expansion was welcome. one of my favorite aspects of the series is how it's giving more nuance to the monsters and "villains" of the books. i loved that we got a little more motivation for alecto beyond evil -- that she clearly wanted to accomplish her own mission and retrieve the helm, whether out of loyalty or fear. i loved how medusa got much more depth and humanity, that we're sort of reexamining the fairness of how myths are told rather than just taking it all at face value. i'm really looking forward to seeing how that continues in the next seasons.

the decent

percy and annabeth. to be fair, i think my issue with this is more on the fan reaction than the show itself. i think the show is doing a decent, if somewhat awkwardly paced job, of building their friendship and offering small little hints of what could blossom in the future in classic youth awkward ways -- unexpected hugs, banter, etc. i think walker and leah are both doing a good job, and i look forward to seeing how it develops. but my god, people on the internet are really jumping the shark so hard here. i can't handle seeing more "uwu percy is in love" posts when it's like. y'all. THEY ARE 12. THEY JUST MET. LET THEM ORGANICALLY BECOME FRIENDS FIRST... i just hope the creators don't feed into that and also jump the shark. like yes, we all know where this is going, but can't we enjoy the actual journey to get there instead of forcing what isn't there yet? in any case, on the positive side, some of the moments between them i really enjoyed: the conversation on the train when grover was asleep, the hephaestus chair sequence, annabeth giving him her camp beads before going to olympus (that was a slay... that was a legendary slow burn start moment worth hyping up), the way percy smiled at her in their last scene... that's the good stuff. let's not rush through what we're getting folks. the water is fine.

lin manuel as hermes. here is the thing. i thought lin did a good job. i thought his casting was apt, and fun, and he did a great balance of hermes charisma and like, a darker edge. it's just... the thing about lin manuel is that he's lin manuel. and this is coming from someone who likes him, but it's like he shows up on screen and i'm just like. hey it's lin manuel. it's a bit of a "takes you out of the moment" stunt casting, but i'm not mad about it. i wouldn't call it a bad thing. hopefully it'll wear off (though i doubt it). i guess i'm just deciding that hermes is just lin manuel, which honestly, would kind of track.

the youth acting. mentioned this above, but again, some of that early delivery was rough. but i am giving a lot of grace, and i think they've already improved plenty in the first eight episodes. i felt the same way about shadowhunters back in the day when i thought kat mcnmara was hard to watch in season 1, but by season 3 she was my absolute favorite cast member and came so far. i have no doubt these kiddos will do the same. so very much looking forward to that.

the not so great

the pacing. this was definitely the weakest part of the story writing wise. it wasn't irredeemable, but it did hinder the first half of the show (which didn't lock in for me until about 104, when the stakes truly shot up at st. louis). and that also affected how dynamics and plot points were able to unravel. the biggest victim of this...

the luke reveal. from the start, i was worried about this. since luke was only really in episode 2, i had doubts about whether the reveal of his betrayal would be at all satisfying or earned. i don't know that i can speak on it for sure, since i knew what was going to happen as someone who read the books, but i still feel we should have gotten more of those luke-and-percy-bonding scenes and convos earlier in the series rather than tacked onto the finale as flashbacks. it worked there, but i think it could've been better. thankfully, all of that didn't hinder the delivery of the finale confrontation, which as i said, was a standout moment for me.

the fight scenes. with rare exception, i was pretty underwhelmed with many of the monster battles and confrontations this season. given that's such a huge gimmick of the novels, i hope they're able to revisit and polish up the pacing of these in the future... i just felt that scenes like the museum clash with dodds were so rushed and anticlimactic. or not even confrontations at all, like the scene with crusty. we got a bit more of this at the back half of the season, in the sword fights with ares and luke, but i wanted more of that epic feeling throughout. i'm hoping it's maybe just a budget concern and that it'll improve in the coming seasons -- especially as the bosses get bigger and the stakes get higher -- but i'm not sure i'm optimistic just yet.

some of the dialogue. it was... wooden, to say the least. i think the worst moments of this were when they were trying to force Kid Bants -- which just felt stilted in the earlier episodes -- and whenever they were explaining greek myths point blank to the audience. there were moments it worked, but many where it didn't, and i hope they flesh out how to better info dump in the future episodes. i didn't mind the change of having percy be more familiar with the myths and thus more aware, but they could afford to finesse how they relay that information to us in the audience without basically reading from wikipedia in percy's voice.

the ugly

oh my god i can't see. i can't SEE. this show went to the teen wolf academy of employing one lightbulb and it's actually criminal. there were so many scenes where i really wanted to see what was happening because the stakes were high or the scenery was so pivotal -- the entry into the underworld for the first time, the vastness of medusa's basement of stone, THE FIELDS OF ASPHODEL -- but the lighting was so god awful i legitimately couldn't see a thing. in asphodel i literally could barely see the trio's expressions, it was that bad / flat. the audience is smart, we understand it's dark out. we can suspend our disbelief so you can add some visibility to this thing. i was turning up my brightness constantly but it wouldn't go any higher. please, disney execs, rick, anyone -- GET ANOTHER LIGHTBULB. i'm losing key immersive aspects of the show to this and it's a bummer. when they were walking through waterland for the first time and annabeth was like "wow can you believe this craftsmanship" i was like i don't know, girl, I CAN'T SEE ANY OF IT. begging on my knees that they fix this next season.

well, that ended up longer than expected, but oh my gods it is so nice to be writing paragraphs about a tv show again. all in all, i'd say 7.5/10 from me in this first season. there's so much to be keen for here, and i'm really happy with how it's going so far.

friends and fellow demigods, what did we all think?

[magentagalaxies]

Kids in the Archive: Episode 7

currently procrastinating on writing my own comedy sketch for my college class that's due tomorrow which means it's time for another episode of kids in the archive! the show where i highlight iconic kids in the hall sketches that i have procured the original scripts for and break down a behind-the-scenes comparison of script and screen

Previous Episodes: Episode 1 - armada finale ("do we make it?") Episode 2 - fran & gordon: the vacation Episode 3 - comfortable Episode 4 - cathy & kathi: is he? Episode 5 - danny husk: kidnapped! Episode 6 - Trappers

on today's escapade, i take you to the s2e5 sketch Sizzlers and the Bank!

imo sizzler and sizzler embody the best things about kids in the hall's recurring characters that you don't get in any other show. despite only appearing in 3 main sketches, none of their appearances were formulaic and they were given genuine depth and character arcs while still hitting all the beats of great sketch comedy. i truly hope i get a copy of "treatment" someday so i can go even deeper into what makes them some of my favorites

Bruce's Character

The first notable change in this draft version of the sketch is that Bruce's character is present from the very beginning. Now, in the first Sizzler and Sizzler sketch, Bruce's character of the nightclub owner provides some of my favorite lines (I still quote "the pre-show part of the show", "the show part of the show", and "the describing the show to the police part of the show" all the times, or some variation like when i tell a rambly anecdote and refer to "the story part of the story"). however, there aren't really any notable bruce lines in the first half of this sketch, so it's unsurprising his character was cut until the second half.

The Love Triangle

as the sizzlers are playing with their hostages, in the sketch that aired their antics are limited to making people put their hands up, mixing up the shoes, and choosing two people to fall in love. in the original draft, their antics are more drawn out, including setting up a love triangle

The Ending

the ending of the script is largely similar to the version that aired, albeit with some extra dialogue upon leaving the bank. the most major addition is that both jerry sizzlers shoot each other prior to proclaiming the city a "madhouse" (which happens on the following page, it's the only line on that last page so i didn't include it)

out of the three sizzler and sizzler sketches, i'd probably give sizzlers and the bank the bronze medal. this isn't because the sketch is bad, it just doesn't hook me as much as the first and last of their trilogy. i always found the turn of jerry shooting jerry a bit abrupt (that is slightly lessened in the script with the stage direction but not by much) - and while i know the justification for every sizzler and sizzler action is "he's crazy," it just typically doesn't manifest in explicitly violent ways so the turn feels jarring. still, i appreciate its place in the sizzler trilogy and the fact that it managed to build continuity (you can still see the bloodstain on the robe in "treatment," and it could be argued that jerry got put back in custody after the shooting leading to the final sketch)

the sizzler sisters are a bit similar to tammy in how, despite being common character archetypes, they are dealt with so differently in the course of their 3 sketch runs that they would never fit on a more formulaic show like snl. both the sizzlers and tammy go through full arcs in their trilogies (god i hope i find an excuse to do one of these about tammy), cross between live sketches and prerecorded media, and are given satisfactory endings. snl will occasionally do a sendoff for their characters when the actor leaves the show, but those tend to be the only break in their pattern. vs kith, where the pattern is fully realized characters who can still make you laugh in under 5 minutes.

[space-spring]

I reblogged that post the other day about never finishing video games and it made me stop and think hard about my life and the fact that. oh my god....... I really DO never finish video games........... So I have changed my ways by finishing up Chapter 4 and the ending of Chaos route for Tactics Ogre! Tons of endgame spoilers ahead but here are my bullet-pointed highlights:

My guy Azelstan the pirate! I love him. His whole arc with losing his daughter reminded me a little of Svarog and Hossabara from Triangle Strategy (albeit with substantially more nihilism!), and finding him at the port and then going through the story with the girl he takes under his wing made me die a little inside.

I do really appreciate the fact that even once he joins you he's still a little bit of a mess! I feel like a lot of the characters join Denam out of anger or honor or something else equally passionate, and meanwhile Azelstan's out here going "I've lost everything I love and this is just a decent way to try and make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else." He's simply a very sad old man and I love him a lot

This is not a highlight per se but it IS funny: I had to play the whole pirate cove dungeon where you recruit him like three or four times because I kept thinking I had the recruitment conditions fulfilled and then. did not in fact have the recruitment conditions fulfilled. I killed SO many ghosts. I got to the point where I just bought like 30 exorcism arcanas before going in so I could just have anyone regardless of cleric status blast the stilled undead whenever I needed to

AUGHKDHJSHDGHJJS. I am. SO unwell about the Sherri recruitment scene. I cannot express just how much I am unwell about the Sherri recruitment scene. All the Phoraena sisters really are so cool and good and I spontaneously combust whenever they come on screen but this scene is just AUUUUUGH........ It kills me thinking about how long Sherri's been hiding out because she doesn't think anyone will welcome her back and meanwhile her sisters just!!! love her so much!!!!!!!!!! and SHE loves THEM so much!!!!!! it just makes me go woaugh..........

I also just replayed some of the earlier chapters with Cerya and Cistina to test out the endgame rewind feature, and I take back my little chart I made of them a while back where they're arguing over clothes and things. All of the sisters are defined first and foremost by Being Willing To Sacrifice Everything For Each Other and I love them so much about it

And in addition to all the Phoraena sister dynamics, looking at this scene through the perspective of Denam ALSO having a sister who's keeping herself apart because she feels unloved is so. wowowowow

And on that note Denam and Catiua are rotating around in my head 24/7!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really so in love with how far the writers went with their argument and fallout and also insane about the bad ending in this scenario because AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?! and also I'm just a sucker for guilt arcs and having to live with mistakes even when it'd be easier not to. Catiua's absolutely insane (affectionate) and I think it's so fun how she changes things around and really comes into her own after this.

Also I really really love that the two of them got to have such a narratively clear conversation about everything that went down!!!!! This is a complete tangent but I sometimes kind of go insane over the fact that in Triangle Strategy we really don't get to see a ton of Roland and Cordelia after they reunite and Whiteholm is retaken. They have. so many things to talk about, and Cordelia has more than a few valid reasons to feel resentment toward Roland for the way he handled retaking Whiteholm. The closest they come to really talking about how they feel is that scene where they're standing in the garden and Roland's trying to explain why he killed Avlora and Cordelia just kinda quietly goes, "I know. I get it. I can't blame you." And while that scene is fun in its own "this bad boy can fit SO many emotionally traumatized Cordelia headcanons in it" sort of way, it's also so so so nice to see Denam and Catiua do the opposite and actually sit down and hash it out for a bit. They get to talk about why they're angry!!! They both get to explain themselves and then reassure each other that they're still loved!!!! They get to be genuinely close again and work as a team!!!!! and I love that for them :)

Also with comparisons to Cordelia, Catiua very distinctly doesn't get sidelined after Denam rescues her!!!! She's an active participant in the war and really takes charge over Denam, which is very neat imo, and I love getting to see her coronation and speech at the end

THIS ATTACK SPECIFICALLY. The whole final boss was so cool but I actually gasped and sat back when I saw this, it was just so so different than any of the other graphics in the game and it made me go nuts

AAAAOAUGH GHAGHG

The credits are really pretty :)

RHCKCHHGLGLRLRLAHHJG I am once again foaming at the mouth about the way the game blends game mechanics and story this is SUCH a fun explanation for how the whole world tarot system works and also I am absolutely gutted by the idea of Denam doing this canonically because he can't stand the regret of the choices he's had to make. I feel like Denam's guilt over the entire conflict isn't explicitly mentioned a ton (he actively makes a lot of comments to the effect of "I'm doing what my honor dictates and I have nothing to be ashamed of") and then every once in a while the game comes back and slaps you with stuff like this. Like hey. hey. yasumi matsuno. can we talk? I jst wantto talkk

Also all the endgame content is SO GOOD. I'm starting to move over to Reborn because I want to experience all the voice acting and stuff over on that version, but it's also so hard to leave my team and all the cool stuff I've unlocked. I need to read up on it more but I'm 90% sure you can recruit Lancelot and Warren if you do the Palace of the Dead stuff which I avoided in Chapter 4, so I'm tempted to go back and do that on there sometime. Or mayhaps I'll just play it through on Reborn once I get through Lawful and Neutral!

But yeah!!! Overall, such a fun route and a fun game and a fun ending :) I do feel like I want to come back to Chaos route once I've finished the other two, because I miss Vyce and the role-playing part of my RPG-obsessed brain really wants him to survive the canon-ish ending because I think there's a ton of things from the beginning of the route that I'll think differently on now that I've finished (like all of the stuff building up to Vyce going nuts and Catiua leaving).

[prodigal-explorer]

so as someone who is only on chapter one of omori and is obsessed with it here are my thoughts as a new member of the fandom

bear in mind that i haven’t finished the game. i only just got to that one creepy forest place? like the one after the spiders? please don’t spoil!!

but spoilers for everything before that below

1) I HATE BASIL. he’s such a stupid little punk. “uwu im so smol and helpless and i always get bullied and i’m so sweet and innocent” I JUST KNOW THAT FUCKER IS HIDING SOMETHING. everytime i end back in that stupid white room it’s because HES DOING SOME SUSSY SHIT. i also just hate him and everything about him and i know for a damn fact that he’s hiding something horrible behind that sweet little smile and he thinks he’s tricking me but he’s NOT I KNOW HIS GAME.

anyway.

2) i literally cannot decide on a favorite character. i have a least favorite, that’s pretty obvious, but when it comes to a favorite im torn. i LOVE omori, aubrey, kel, and hero all the same! i love mari too but i’m a little salty against her because all her hints for the quests are severely unhelpful 😭 but i still love her tho. i just love the main four so so much and i physically cant choose who i like better. poor little aubrey seems so scared and alone when she has the pink hair and she’s so kind in the little space world thing. hero is a sweetheart and i can’t wait to meet him in the colorful world where i’m moving or whatever. and kel is literally so me 😂 it’s not even funny he just does whatever the fuck he wants and that deserves some respect on his name. and omori is a kickass main character who has a cool thing going for him. but these four characters are sooo well crafted and i love how they work together! it’s a great dynamic balance!

3) i’m either a really bad gamer or the game is super long. i finished the prologue in like seven hours. it took SO LONG. i’m not used to indie games taking that long to play considering that i got through all of undertale in like 10-12 hours my first time. it’s awesome! i love finding all the secrets and talking to all the npcs but DAMNNN.

4) this game has so. much. detail. it’s insane. like the sheer amount of mini games and tiny pockets of lore. it’s like higher than undertale level and i don’t mean to keep going back to undertale but i see a lot of similarities in the game style. i also totally got sucked into playing like 30 rounds of blackjack on omoris computer. it was cool af.

5) the fighting mechanics are super hard. maybe i just suck at strategy but i am so bad at the fights that i just run away whenever i have the opportunity 😭 it’s a problem. i also have no clue how the happy sad angry shit works, i just make omori sad so stab has an attack boost and make aubrey angry so headbutt has an attack boost but other than that i don’t really use it at all and i don’t understand it. maybe that’s why it took me literally 10 tries to get past space ex boyfriend? it’s really fun i just think it’s supposed to be easier than it is and i just missed a memo on strategy.

6) i really love the message so far. the way that mental health is portrayed as something that’s a never ending journey. omori doesn’t just breathe and then everything’s okay, the game highlights realistic coping strategies and makes things like depression, anxiety, and phobias to understandable for any audience through a very creative medium: an indie video game. it’s genius. and i just love how it’s been approached so far, it’s very inspiring!

7) i’m terrified that this fandom is gonna make me mad, i swear to god if i just walk in and see a bunch of basil stan’s i’m turning and walking back out 💀 i mean okay maybe i’ll like basil better later but chances for that seem very low right now. my sister told me that apparently he went through some trauma thing? womp womp don’t care he’s an annoying mf who keeps taking me back to that boring white room where i stab myself, he’s a party pooper and i want a tornado to blow his dumb little flower house down.

[pippastrelle]

Bulletpoint liveblog of C3E91 let's go!

Second half: Crown Keepers

Oh, is this where the Crownkeepers come in? I heard that. Haha I always wonder what it's like at the studio hiding the fact that, like, Robbie is there.

AABRIA! God, I want to know how her hair and makeup is done. It's so different and so cool nearly every time I see her. She's got such style.

Moment to appreciate the music they play during the art reel at the end of the break.

CROWNKEEPERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I actually never fully watched Kymal so the bunny woman was a surprise XD

The collaborativeness is nice, asking Anjali about her sister.

ahahaha god this platform. DON'T WHIPLASH MY EMOTIONS LIKE THIS! I'M CRYING OVER ORYM AND ALL!

….Me not having watched Kymal might confuse me for the next two hours.

Black lipstick will never not get me. Aimee.

Is Dorian going to reply to Orym's message??????

Good on Matt for starting off.

(Pleeeeease may they say this woman's name). Her character's Morrighan. Whoa, a champion of the Matron of Ravens.

The Crownkeepers have been having a real swell time.

(Fy'ra Rai has always been a great name to say). So, sent by the Wildmother to protect them.

Aww, Dorian feeling some consequences of his avoidance.

From an above-table perspective, I'm surprised they're all feeling so lost? I wonder if it was planned and if Aabria's going to suddenly give them a direction, or if they're reticent to set too much in stone?

OPAL'S BETRAYER GOD CHAMPION DESIGN IS SO SICK; I LOVE IT!

Sleep as an exhausting void… Creepy.

"Can I hear him?" "Make a wisdom save." Terrifying. "Shouting at you while running backwards." What a description.

I do love Opal, too. Such a situation but still trying to retain that image of her.

"We gotta get these chuckles out not." Whimper in terrified player.

I love Aabria's GM-ing in a lot of other things (ACOFAF is S-tier), but I think this highlights why I found EXU Prime harder to get into. The Crownkeepers tend to lack a motivating goal from the off-set, making it a bit hard for me to figure what they're trying to do and why.

Still, starting off with PVP might be the wakeup!

HA! Matt Mercer doing the ad read. Love it.

Spider Queen is intimidating and poor, poor Opal.

Holy shit, Opal's raising into the air and burning the forest. Hahaha make Aimee choose which friend to destroy. Awwww forcing her into PvP!

Goddddddd Aabria is the Betrayer God here.

Black eyessssssss. Magic second set of arms.

God, imagine being Aimee rn.

27 on initiative??????

THE DARIAX ROLLS RETURN!

At least Opal can communicate her panic.

HASTE ON OPAL???? HA! VENMO TO HASTE THE ENEMY!

The Dariax rolls balance Morrighan's.

Aw, sweet with Morrighan and Opal whispering telepathically.

Amazing image of stone cold Opal in contrast.

I like how Matt and Aabria pop in with lessons for the others. Nice to see players propping each other up.

CRYSTAL RAPIER? NICE!

"She's just a little guy."

Absolutely fair, seeing weird shit for your Betrayer God Champion friend and just wanting to knock her the fuck out.

Kind of Anjali to tally up the numbers as they roll.

Eeeeeek, ripping a rapier down her thigh.

OPAL DOESN'T TAKE THE DAMAGE????? IS THAT A REACTION OR????

TED!

Hahaha "if Opal did crossfit".

(I googled it. Morrighan is played Erica.)

Oh christ Ted's helping. I wonder how much Morrighan knows about Ted.

"NONONO STOP!" as verbal component for Shield is fantastic.

I don't trust that this is Ted?? Does Ted know Opal's fucked right now??

"Why's the first thing you do drawing blood?" Well, because it's D&D.

Haste lets you go get a hotdog from Arby's. Vax knew this well.

Aabria's English accent is so American-version-of-English but I like how it sounds anyway.

Let the ashhole return, cowards!

Yeah, Robbie, this is a weird situation. Dorian's just choking on his flute. Yeah, trying to restrain Opal is a good plan. NO! NAT 20 minus 1 + 4 plus 13. Aimee/Opal, go! Get! It!

Nice, Aabria, failing forward is a lesson we can all incorporate.

NAT ONE PLUS 13?? ROBBIE! Cannot catch a break.

T_T Fy'ra being betrayyyyyed again. Ooh, very very cool from Anjali calling for a flashback.

(We still never got the response to Orym. Has that happened yet or it that going to be the bookend? I'm curious what this is going to mean for the actual campaign. It's a really fun idea to bring in another GM for a section. Sure, more Actual PlayTM than homegame but Matt at least gets to play.)

Haha Anjali welcome to the DM club! I know about this from the Ginny Di video. Anjali DMed an official lego game.

Can they free Opal?

Ohhh. The Wildmother wants this? Am I misunderstanding? Shit.

They can't separate Opal from the crown.

Love how different people set their dice.

Never take advice from GM Aabria :P

Holy shit these guys roll high.

I hardly ever see people take the dodge action.

I do like Opal a lot.

So the Spider Queen is just trying to full take over Opal. I wonder if Teven or the other Betrayer God Champion had this sort of thing happen.

GO AWAY FOREVER??? THEIR MOTHER DID THIS TO OPAL AND TED?? Evalux? A splinter group? I'M SO CONFUSED AND INTRIGUED! THE BEACON'S INVOLVED??? How tf did they get it in Byroden? So there's a splinter of Luxon followers who split themselves in one life instead? God, I hope the main cast get to watch this.

…..And Opal has no memory of it. Will we ever get this information?

Erica continues to roll like a god.

The turns have felt both long and fast. I've still got, like, an hour and a half.

I love how Matt describes/contextualises things, even as a player.

HA! CYRUS IS HERE?!

ROLL PERFORMANCE FOR HANDJOB

A 7!!!!!

Bless is good. Dariax panicking is great.

XD God initiative takes a long time in a big group.

THE ROLLS! THE DARIAX ROLLS!

Ah! Dariax is a bard! Yeah! So cuuuute for the Double Ds. "THE PERFORMING ARTS IS WORTH IT!"

So. All of them are blind in the darkness. Awesome, awesome move, Aimee.

Hahhahahahaha right. Warlock. No spell slots.

XD It's such a long game. No loo breaks.

SQUIRREL SPIDER FTW

Gotta love Cyrus. "NO DON'T SHOOT!" The himbo persists.

….Matt, what did you get for the WIS save?

PALADIN COMES IN FOR THE SAVE!

Hahahaha "that could can see". Okay. Blind mistystep? …..I'm sure 8 will get it.

Aww, attacking your friend's going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Lay on Hands is good.

I appreciate Aabria's helpfulness as a GM.

Fy'ra good teammate.

Opal, again, is amazing. I love how she tackles such complex things in her very Her way. Preserves drama and humour in her self-absorbtion.

I wonder how Opal washes her hair under that crown?

Well, some allowance for fighting when Opal attacked them? Obvs harder emotionally than logically.

Aww everyone got to see the memory of Opal and Morrighan bonding.

HA! LOVE FY'RA BEING COMMANDER!

Dorian is forever clanking with all the instruments he carries. T_T 9 to dispel fails. Good plan though. Until back into the darkness he goes.

I like the idea of going back to the Crownkeepers, especially as a perspective on Opal and Dorian, but I'm two hours into this section and still don't quite get the full significance of it. Which is a shame. I still have faith, but I think this encounter would be more enjoyable if I understood better why we were seeing it in the Bell's Hells campaign.

I've always respected Opal/Aimee going in on being the asshole sister. Getting to see that perspective.

The gem flashbacks are cool.

"We can both be coins." "And we're richer for it!" Amazing. Great pun. Love Fy'ra. Love Ted coaching Opal.

Max offering blind Dariax up on a plate. Respect.

I LOVE MATT AS DARIAX! SO FUNNY!

Con sorcerer is smart.

Aabria has no luck against Dariax.

I'm sure that 9 WIS will help perception.

BARDIC COMES IN CLUTCH!

DIMENSION DOOR IS A BONUS ACTION?!

I. Love. Opal. Aimee plays her and her struggles and her relationships with everyone so well and nuanced. Dariax is a well-done character too. Real even behind the humour.

I leapt too, Aimee. Holy shit what the fuck, Spider Queen?

(Fuck you, Twitch, for skipping, my god).

Oh god, Cyrus, don't die.

Nooooo, Dariax. Living nightmares. Him and Dorian seeing their nightmares.

Spider Queen Opal wtf.

Pick up next week? Huh. I… am confused by this. Interesting encounter. I liked the drama between the Crown Keepers. But, again, I don't understand the significance for the Bell's Hells? So I reckon next week will be first half Crown Keepers, second half Bell's Hells. Huh. Interesting episode. It was fun, though I really don't deny still being on the edge of my seat to find out what's happening with the BH.

[ollieofthebeholder]

So my mom has been part of a pirate crew for the last seven or eight years (maybe more). This is a local guy who used to go to our church - so an old friend - and it started off as him dressing up as a pirate to give out candy on Halloween, then he started decorating his garage to look like a treasure cave, then it snowballed. Now it's a two-night event the weekend before Halloween - one low-sensory night for people with autism, PTSD, people who don't like jump scares, whatever, and one night where the scary factor gets turned up to 11. (They also now do events throughout the year, like fantasy events at the aquarium and pirate weekends and the like. They're children's entertainment, not historical reenactment.) My mom loves it, and she's REALLY into it. She's one of the longest-serving crew members at this point, beside the captain and his wife.

This year they had a lot of people who couldn't make the Treasure Cave - one of the core members had a wife about to give birth, one just hasn't been heard of, people were out of town, there's a nasty bug going around - so my mom had asked me a few weeks back if I would help out. Against my better judgment, I agreed. The captain put me in a new "scene". Basically, I stood in front of an archway of branches, lit inside with blue pool lights, and told the children that I'd heard there was a wishing well back there and was going to make a wish; when I came out, I asked if they were having a good time, then when they said "yes" I happily informed them that I'd got my wish, and asked for the password ("Trick or Treat") to give them candy.

I realized very quickly on the first night that the captain had VASTLY underestimated how many kids would want to go and look for the "wishing well" themselves, so I called on my TTRPG-honed improv skills and informed them that I'd been told about the alleged well by another crew member, who'd been on the island last year but was training somewhere else this year. I then informed them that said crew member was my brother, and that we liked to play jokes on each other, and I thought maybe this was a joke - and that since we were grown-ups, sometimes our jokes got dangerous, so if there was a monster or a dangerous trap back there, I didn't want the "visitors" getting hurt. I basically told all of them that "If you hear me screaming, or I don't come back - tell the captain when you see him that it's Bonesaw's fault he's down a crew member!"

That mostly kept them in check. MOSTLY.

A few highlights:

The startlingly high number of kids who were fully prepared to fight God for me and eyed me skeptically when I said I would go myself.

The kid who fearfully asked "why are you drawing your dagger?" as I pulled it out to advance into the glade.

The kid who said in a voice somewhere between fearful and resigned, "Please don't scream."

The child who solemnly informed me that they ALWAYS believed everything their brother and sister told them (bonus points for the look of "oh I'm going to have fun with that later" said child's older sister shot them).

Child: "Are you a boy pirate or a girl pirate?" Me: "No, but thank you for asking." Child: "Oh, cool!"

The eight-month-old child who obviously couldn't say "trick or treat" or "thank you" yet, but who, when I asked him to give me a fist bump, stared at me and then reached out to softly grab my knuckles for a second.

The child who ducked down to peer into the "glade" when I was doing my spiel, then solemnly informed me (and the rest of the group) that there WAS a well back there, he saw it.

The child who thought he was being clever by saying "treat or trick" instead of "trick or treat" and then bluescreened when I replied with a deadpan "what would you do if I said 'trick'?"

The group that, when offered the choice two stations on from me to bypass the isolated super-scary portion where the "Shadow" lurked, split in half with only three children choosing to go into the scary portion. The instant the Shadow spoke, the boy dressed as Iron Man noped right out of there, backing out and heading on to the storyteller (my mom). When the screaming started, the child dressed as weddnesday Addams (5ish) came charging out like it was actually on her tail, whereas the small child dressed as a chicken (2ish) sauntered out nonchalantly and had to actually be dragged by her mother, since she was clearly not bothered in the slightest.

The single lowlight:

The brat in the ninja costume with two katanas crossed on her back and a dagger in her belt who loudly and derisively declared that there was no well back there, that I was making it all up, and then led the rest of her group in responding with "NO" when I asked if they were having a good time. (I blinked at her for a second, then looked her dead in the eye and said, "Well, then, I suppose you were right about there not being a well, because I didn't get my wish.")

Her mother hissed at her to "just play along". She didn't. I didn't hear what she did at the next station (the Sea Witch) because I was too busy drifting over to warn my mother, but I did watch her go into the Shadow's lair and then, when the group was chased out by the Shadow, duck into the trees and draw her katanas, clearly intending to go back into the lair and either cause trouble or prove that it was just some people in costumes. (I shouted over to the guide for the group - who'd developed a bit with my mom about how she couldn't count and wasn't entirely sure if she had the same number of people as she went in with - that she'd lost one, and they had to practically drag her out of the trees.)

Apparently every single station had trouble with her except, ironically, my mom, and that only because she saw the hip scarf from Mom's belly dance days sitting on the table and asked what it was and Mom let her try it on, so she was too distracted by that to say anything nasty about Algernon being a puppet and not a real mouse. She even apparently backtalked the captain when he gave his speech at the end of the tour about being kind and "plundering smiles". He was not pleased when he found out she'd been giving everyone problems.

[ask-hws-uzbekistan]

What is your relationship with turkey like? :]

You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?? I...I gotta go I hear someone calling me!

She only ran about a few steps before passing out on the floor. Sometimes I wonder what she sees in that guy...

Anyway, I'll be taking over for her in case you wanted the real answer.

She had tried to fight Iran once before with Turkey and Crimea back in 1578, but had to retreat for a while to take care of matters at home. Said matters being my brother and I rebelling against her rule on us. She did end up taking large areas of land from Iran, so I guess that's a win?

And then she did it again in 1616. She asked Turkey about a cooperative military offensive against Iran, to which he accepted and attacked Iran again. I kinda feel bad for Iran...that must have been annoying at best.

She used to talk to him and visit him quite often around the 1500s and 1600s. She also asked him for help in the face of Russian expansion around the 1700s and 1800s. However, we all know what happened...

One of his military generals, Enver Pasha, tried helping us in the Basmachi Revolt against the Bolsheviks, but unfortunately died in battle in 1918. His remains stayed in Tajikistan until the late 90s, where he was brought back to Turkey.

Initially Turkey did have good relations with the USSR due to the shared ideas of revolution and the overthrowing of the monarchy, but things got cold after Turkey joined NATO.

They never really talked to each other after that...

Until we all became independent. Turkey was the first nation to recognize all of our independences, and things were going well. Until Turkey took Muhammad Solih, the Uzbek President's opposition candidate, in to stay. Uzbekistan asked for him back, but in Karimov's tenure that meant bad news...and so Turkey refused. This started the deterioration of their relationship(all of us too, if I'm being honest–she was very cold and brash during this time and just did whatever she could to achieve her goals). She had also raided a lot of his office buildings and jailed his employees on accounts of "terrorism" for having prayer mats and religious books in the offices.

After Karimov died in 2016, a new era was ushered in as Vice President Mirziyoyev took office as President in 2017. He began to thaw relationships with the rest of us, including Turkey. My sister also finally joined the Organization of Turkic States as a full member in 2019! They started talking to each other like normal again, and they even worked on a drama together about the last prince of the Khwarazmian Empire, starring a Turkish and Uzbek actor and actress as the main characters who fall in love.

Hmm. I wonder if that reminds me of something...

Turkey's politicians constantly highlight how important Uzbekistan is as a gateway to other Central Asian countries(me totally me), and she's starting to move away from trading with Russia in favor of Turkey. He also gives her a lot of military weapons, like drones, and they've begun training together recently.

So to sum it up, I think they both benefit each other a lot economically, and Turkey's also very similar culturally with the rest of us.

Wait why do I see Kyrgyzstan with a suitcase looking angry?

Oh no I better stop him. Thanks for having me, the cooler brother- OH GOD

[twoidiotwriters1]

Daughter of Olympus (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: You get Nico, as a treat-Danny Words: 2,013 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter / Next Chapter Listen to: 'Out Of My League' -by Fitz and The Tantrums

XXXIX: Fates' First Mistake Was Giving Me a Body, the Second? A Will

"Nico!"

"Ara!" Lily shouts, running after her friend.

Ara's never compared to her in speed, no matter how good she is at other stuff, so Lily reaches Nico way sooner.

"Don't listen to her!"

The boy looks at the girls with confusion. "What happened?"

"She made a fool of herself," Ara pants and supports both hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "Oh, gods, how can you run uphill like that? You're a cyborg or something?"

"You must be thirsty, Neeks, let's go get you something!" Lily tries to take him away.

"Wait," Nico smirks. "Is this boy-related?"

"Yes!"

Lily glares at Nico with determination. "Yesterday Leo used his shirt to clean his face and Ara was staring so hard she walked straight into a wall!"

"Connor heard Leo calling me sunshine," Ara acts like she didn't hear anything. "And he was making fun of us, so he called Lily 'My sweetheart' as a way to mock Leo, but Lily was drinking coffee—"

"He caught me off guard!"

"She spat it all over Connor!" Ara cackles. "Her face was redder than a strawberry!"

Nico never really laughs, but he enjoys hearing their funny stories, especially if they have to do with how they embarrass themselves in front of the guys they like. Ara and Lily rarely fail at stuff, so he thinks it's fair they suck at this.

"I hate you," Lily tries to seize Ara.

Ara sneaks away giggling, she uses Nico as a shield and he stays out of it. Nico moves forward while the girls chase each other around him until they reach the Big House.

"So you two are in your boy-crazy era?" He asks, sitting on the porch steps.

Ara wrinkles her nose. "Is that what this is?"

Lily blushes. "I'm not boy crazy! My brain works just fine, don't compare me to the Aphrodite!"

"You can judge me all you want, but I have a boyfriend and you can't even take a compliment without gagging."

"Lily's just playing the long game, aren't you?" Nico teases her. "I'm sure she'll tell Connor right before they die, so they can spend eternity together."

Ara snorts and Lily raises one fist as if to punch the boy, but he lifts one finger to stop her.

"Attenta, Saggio," he grins. "Don't wanna anger your patron, right?"

"Let me anger him for you, babe," Ara gets up to punch Nico, but Lily trips her.

"Stay away from each other," Lily warns them. "Now's not only my patron I've got to worry about, Nico. Did you know Leo can summon fire?"

"Leo won't fight my battles," Ara states calmly. "Especially when it comes to Nico. Kicking his ass is the highlight of my weekends."

"Likewise, hobbit."

We have no problem finding the palace, but Lily keeps glancing back at Cerberus longingly.

"It'll take a while for him to get in," I say, unable to utter Mike's name out loud. "We still have time."

Nico's sulking on the front steps of the palace, and as soon as he sees us he runs up to us. "How—"

I roughly seize him by the jacket. He's taller than me, but I'm too angry to care. "You backstabbing piece of—"

"Let go of me!" He snarls.

"Ara," Lily urges me, looking at the skeletons rushing forward to get us.

I toss Nico to the ground. "Call your father," I point at the dead guards. "And tell them to back off."

Hades agrees to see us, mostly because he's super insulted by my audacity. 

"I can't expect you to give up the fight, Lily Saggio," he says. "But I thought you knew better than to bring a Jackson to my palace."

Lily keeps her head down. "She's not here to offend you, my lord."

"No, of course not," he says with a hint of mockery. "An Aphrodite is no challenge for a god, and even if she's Perseus Jackson's sister, I'd like to think she's not as stupid."

"Lord Hades," I get on one knee in front of him. "If you let me, I'll explain why I'm here."

"And why would I care about that?" He asks.

"I know you won't fight if you're not promised respect, recognition worthy of your sacrifice," I glance at Nico without lifting my gaze, "and a place for your children amongst the rest of us."

"A charmspeaker, aren't you?" He points out sharply.

I go straight to my point. "I think can help, my lord."

"You think?" He presses.

I'm not sounding like I want to. Michael believed in me the most, and I'm not an expert at looking confident. Without him, I have no one to speak for me, so if I only have myself, I can't guess, I have to get things done.

"I'll give you what you want," I look up at the god. "If you accept my offer."

He laughs, but he doesn't throw me out of the palace, so I can still convince him. "What can you offer to a God that he can't get himself?"

"A daughter of Olympus."

His eyes flash greedily, but he isn't convinced. "Children of Olympus can't favor a god above others, Jackson."

"If the god favors them beforehand," I reply. "They can."

"You're asking for my blessing?"

"Something of heavier meaning. Show faith in me, obliging to my request."

He takes a heavy breath. "And what would that request be?"

"Fight with us," I look at Nico. "I'll make sure your son has a place in our camp, and you'll get to be one of the gods that didn't turn his back on us, you could be the first patron of the first daughter of Olympus."

He ponders this, looking me up and down. "Do you even know how to use a sword?"

I pull Almighty out of my pocket and show her off, now I have his full attention. "I've been trained, yes."

"Pantodýnamos," Hades's grip on the throne tightens, he leans forward, staring at my sword in awe. "How..?"

"The fates chose me," I continue confidently. "Will you?"

He fixes his posture and glances back at Lily and Nico. "I've heard enough."

"Thank you," I smiled politely, bowing to him. "I'll know you accepted if you show up to fight."

He mutters some stuff as we walk out of the palace. 

"That's what you were trying to do?" The boy inquires as soon as his father is out of sight. "I thought—"

"That I was going after Achilles's curse," I glance at him with annoyance. "That should teach you— When I ask you to do something, just do what I tell you."

He scowls at me. "I did what I thought you wanted—"

"You did what you thought would make you look better," I stop to face him. "You don't fool me, Nico Di Angelo. I know you're not a bad person, but you're very stupid if you think I'll ever forget this. I don't trust you, and Percy never will."

He reaches for his sword, but Lily yanks me onwards. "Let's go back now, or they'll realize we're missing," she says. "And I wanna sleep before our next fight."

I know we have a few hours left before we could be at risk of getting caught. Annabeth is injured and Percy's probably still sleeping—the only person who would've noticed our absence fast enough would've been Mike, but he's gone, and that's given us a type of freedom we never asked for.

"You want to be a hero?" I press, still glaring at Nico. "Convince your father, then maybe Percy will reconsider."

I'm being an ass for manipulating Nico like this, but I never said I'm not like the other charmers in my family. Also, I'm a matchmaker, and that works in more ways than just romantically. 

Hades is a good match for my ambitions, and Nico's a good match for the cause. I'm merely working with what the fates laid down for me. I can only hope... 

No. I believe this is enough.

Ara's studying a map in the rec room when Leo finally finds her. She feels him before she sees him, he wraps an arm around her shoulders and kisses her cheek. "I've got something for you."

Ara glances up at him a little distracted. "What is it?"

"Two things," he pulls something out of his tool belt. "Here's a snack so you stay motivated for the rest of the month!"

Ara looks down and laughs. Leo is holding a stack of photographs of him in various places of camp. He made an effort to look ridiculous in every single one of them.

"What is this?" She asks, looking through them.

"I can't Iris message you every hour of the day, so these will have to do."

"How thoughtful of you!" Ara replies, half-amused and half-bashful. "Who took this?"

"The Stolls. Piper helped with the costumes, though."

"They're great," she puts them in her pocket. "I'll put them up on my ceiling back in New York, so you're the first thing I see when I wake up."

"Damn, you love me too much," He jokes, squeezing her shoulders.

"What's the other thing you wanted to show me?"

"Right! Look at this!" 

He steps away to pull a larger item from his belt: It looks like an ancient scroll, but when he rolls it open a projection starts playing on it. Ara gasps and picks it up.

"What!" She watches as a tiny projection of Leo walks around the bunker giving the viewer a tour. "How did you make this?"

"I'm very smart," he grins. "You like it?"

"This is so cool!"

Leo starts glowing, he's comfortable with her praising nowadays, though it still makes him slightly dizzy. 

"Last weekend you couldn't come cause you had a pile of homework, so I thought I could send you this with a weekly report. Everyone can record a short message for you, so you know everything that's going on around here while you're away."

Ara beams at the idea. "That's awesome. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he pinches her chin as a brief affectionate gesture. "It's the least I can do to help my stunning girlfriend."

"True," Ara nods solemnly. "That, and sharing your full name with me." 

He snorts. "Nice try."

"Leo!"

"Pretty close. It's Leobard."

"Liar."

He laughs. "Are you sure?"

"Why are you torturing me with this?" She scowls.

"You don't need to know my full name, sunshine," Leo brushes it off. "Cause the only way you're allowed to address me is either by a cute nickname like 'Baby' or 'Honey', and plain Leo when you're in General mode. See? Easy."

"I'm not calling you any sweet names unless you tell me your full name!"

"I can live with that," he taunts her. "Can you live with the doubt?"

Ara groans. "C'mon! It can't be ugly."

"It's not that I hate it," Leo grins. "I just like to give out different names when people ask me, and if you go around shouting my name then the joke dies."

"I promise not to call you that in front of the others," Ara pouts. "Pleeeease?"

Leo frowns. "Hey! Not fair, don't look at me like that!"

Ara gives him the most pitiful look she can, placing her arms around his neck and leaning closer. "If you tell me your name," she continues quietly. "I promise to call you ridiculously long fake names in front of everyone else."

The boy sighs, shaking his head a little. "You know the way to my heart..."

"Being real for a moment," Ara says, smoothing out the front of his shirt. "Why can't I know?"

Leo's eyes brighten with amusement, he holds her face and kisses her briefly. "Well, I already dropped the L bomb and took you on a picnic date on the beach, I'm running out of options to keep you interested, and my name is the only thing I've got left!"

Ara laughs, pulling him closer. "You know... next month is Valentine's Day, we can convince Chiron to let you visit the city that weekend?"

Leo hums, half-listening. His brain gets all fuzzy when Ara stands this close to him. "Could be fun..."

"We can go to the movies and you can meet my parents!"

"Movies and parents," His eyes regain focus and they grow worried. "Parents?"

Ara kisses him again. "And if everything goes as planned, then maybe you won't need to keep me on my toes, and I'll know your full name."

"Are you sure you want me to meet your parents?" He asks anxiously.

She nods, eyes bright with affection. "You'll love them."

He makes a face. "That's not the part I'm worried about."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @ash-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles