#this one took a while so its a bit late whoops

[starslasher]

our wishes are the flame that light up history

[loganwritesprobably]

– Sanji with the 2° genre, prompt (u.) 🍡

You know, I never would've paired this prompt with Sanji, but I think its more harsh nature pairs itself well with a masculine reader, so that's what I'll do! This ended up being pretty long so everything is under the cut

Since this is the first one I'll be posting like this I'll just explain - anything where you only requested one character, I assumed was to be paired with a Reader, since I struggled with making a lot of them work as a solo thing.

Content/warnings: Sanji/M!Reader, hurt/comfort, getting together, reader is insecure, Sanji is kinda cruel at the start whoops, Sanji has a gay awakening

You'd been acting off all day, you knew you had, and while the crew hadn't mentioned it you were aware they'd noticed and that they were beginning to worry. Generally, you kept in high spirits. Not today. It wasn't any much, your insecurities had just been getting to you lately. You also felt ridiculous for letting that spoil your mood all day, which was only making your mood worse. You were the least attractive person on the crew, in your opinion (outside of Chopper because who is calling a kid attractive). Most days, you let yourself be confident in the fact that it didn't matter because that didn't make you ugly and you had a good personality so why did looks matter. Some days it bothered you anyway.

You were docked at an island while the log pose set, and pretty much all of the crew had received attention from people (of their preferred gender and not), outside of Chopper, but again, he didn't count (and he'd still had a group of teenage girls call him cute). You? You'd not gotten a single comment or even a look. It just made your stomach twist. It was stupid and you knew it, but it was eating you up inside. Worrying about that just led to more worrying about other things and you were spiralling a little even if you were attempting to pretend you weren't. It wasn't working.

"What's your problem?" Sanji asked as he emerged from the kitchen having just finished cleaning all the dishes from lunch.

"I don't want to talk about it, Sanji." He'd not gotten much attention from women, but oh boy had Sanji gotten attention from men. He'd brushed every one of them off, rather unkindly, and that hurt too. You'd had a bit of a crush on Sanji for ages now, but moments like that told you that you couldn't ever share that fact with the cook.

"Then stop moping! It doesn't help anything, and it's not great for the mood on board." He retorted with a roll of his eyes, and you rubbed a hand over your face with a sigh. You didn't want to lash out, but you really didn't have the emotional availability to be kind in that moment.

"Sorry Sanji, my bad, I'll just pack it all up and ignore it all - God forbid I have fucking feelings." You snapped, pushing off the railing of the Sunny where you'd been leaving to walk away. You didn't want to deal with his shitty attitude today of all days.

-·���·-—-·—·-

You'd hidden away to calm yourself down, then taken a shower to release some of the negative feelings you'd had pent up. Residual negative emotions lingered, of course they did, but you were more prepared to push them aside and put on a happy face. You emerged on the deck and sat down with Robin to talk about the book she'd been reading, allowing yourself and your better mood to be more easily seen by the crew.

"What happened? You really looked upset." Nami asked after a few minutes, having come to sit in her usual spot beside Robin.

"Oh, nothing. Just had a chat with Sanji." You said with a shrug, smiling at them as best as you could.

"I hope you're not spoiling these ladies days with your foul mood." Sanji said as he appeared with two drinks, one for each of the ladies in question. Robin and Nami snapped their heads to look at him, unbelieving he could be so cruel.

"No don't worry Sanji - I took your advice and just got over it. Won't catch me moping again. I'll keep that to myself from now on." You replied, mock kindness on your face and in your voice. You weren't going to start an argument with him, but that didn't mean you couldn't be passive aggressive at least. He fixed a hard gaze on you, but kept his smile in place. Wisely, he said nothing, and left the drinks for Nami and Robin before swiftly returning to the kitchen.

-·—·-—-·—·-

You spent the rest of the day avoiding Sanji, even having asked Robin to save you a plate of food so you could eat away from the rest of the crew and mainly away from Sanji. She'd delivered your plate loyally, and just gave you a smile before leaving you to eat in peace.

Eventually though, the plate did need to be returned to the kitchen. It'd long since gone dark, and you were just hoping that Sanji was elsewhere by now.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," you heard muttered from the kitchen, pausing outside to listen to whoever was so frustrated inside, "can't even be nice just for once. He just makes me so-" it was Sanji, of course it was. You weren't sure what else you'd been expecting. But he was in there, scolding himself, and it sounded like he was doing it over how he'd treated you.

You didn't knock, just pushed open the door and let yourself in, plate still in hand. Sanji stopped stock still, staring at you as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have. You gently set the plate down on the table, pausing for a moment before turning as if to leave again.

"Wait-" Sanji called out, making you pause. There was another beat of silence while the cook found his words.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, hesitating before continuing, "I was unnecessarily cruel. You didn't deserve that."

"Yeah." You simply said, because just saying that wouldn't make him forgiven. You'd never done anything to him, you'd both just always had a joking friendship, where you'd take playful jabs at each other. They were never genuinely cruel.

"I just-" he paused again, fighting with himself to find his words, "you make me.. feel a lot of things that I don't know how to deal with. I just look at you and it all.. bubbles up inside of me and for some reason the only thing that ever gets out is something mean. What I said earlier was too far, and I am sorry. I was just worried." He finished, and you finally turned to face him. Sanji was flushed red, wringing his hands as if he was fighting not to put them elsewhere - his hair your brain helpfully supplied.

"Okay," you started, nodding slowly, "but that isn't a good reason. You didn't even try to get me to tell you. You didn't probe at all, you were rude when you asked what was wrong and then accused me of ruining the atmosphere on the Sunny. That's what you told me and best you can come up with is you were 'feeling a lot of feelings'?" You asked, growing more and more angry, but also more upset. You knew you couldn't have Sanji the way that you wanted him, but you'd at least wanted him as a friend. Maybe that was too much to ask for.

"I'm sorry! I'm not good with words - I can't make my brain tell my mouth what I'm thinking and I really want to help you understand even if you don't forgive me." You would forgive him, you knew you would, this would be petty to lose him over and would jeopardise the crew. But you couldn't be the same after this.

"Try."

"It's different than with other people. You feel- you make me feel different. I don't understand why. I just look at you and it's like.. the whole world stops moving for a minute," Sanji leaned forward, resting his hands on the table and stared right down at the wood rather than looking at you, "I've never felt like that before. It's scary. How am I meant to deal with something I don't understand? So I'm mean to you instead because maybe then it'll go away? I know it sounds stupid. And then when we're out and people look at you.. something just comes over me. I hate it. I just glare at them until they back down because they're not allowed to look at you like that."

You understood suddenly what Sanji was talking about. All this time you'd been so sure of what you couldn't have and in the background Sanji was having his gay awakening because of you. You were desperately trying to hold back, but you couldn't help laughing. He shot up straight as if he'd been struck, wounded by your laughter.

"I'm sorry- I know this is serious. I promise I'm not laughing at you, just the situation really. Sanji.. you have a crush on me. That's what that is." You told him, slowly approaching to close the space between you two.

"No! I- I like women." He defended, but he was hesitant, as if your words had given him clarity.

"Sure. But you also like me."

The two of you stood, silent, staring at each other. You, waiting for Sanji to decide what the next move was, and Sanji, processing the new information. In retrospect, he realised it was a little obvious.

"I acted like a little boy pulling on a girl's pigtails." Sanji muttered, suddenly a little humiliated.

"Yeah, a little bit." You agreed, and the cook just sighed. You both fell into quiet laughter finally, the tension of the entire situation drifting away.

"So uh.." Sanji started after a while, you let him find his words before responding, "what now?"

"That's up to you. I've liked you back for a damn long while now, but you've only just realised. You can go and take your time to process that new part of yourself if you w-" you didn't get to finish your sentence before Sanji's lips were on yours for the first time.

Yeah, now you definitely wouldn't be the same after this.

Requests are open! See below links for my other works, and how to leave requests. I write both canon/canon and canon/reader requests for your enjoyment

AO3 | Fanfic Masterlist | Request Rules | Fic Trades Guide | WIPs

Tags: @claryeverlarkf

[spookykoolkat]

the red j.m. | chapter four

CHAPTER FOUR: NO GOOD

series masterlist | main masterlist |

previous chapter | next chapter

pairings: older!joel miller x plus sized!younger!reader

chapter summary: you've been in jackson for a month now and things are still a little rough. you haven't found the right crowd to fit into yet, and thought maybe you might have to settle for the family of four you already know, until you meet your patrol partner, tyler. unfortunately, joel doesn't seem to like the idea of you with any other man but him.

warnings: 18+ age gap (joel is 57, reader is turning 26), inappropriate thoughts, sexual language, teasing, touching, slight jealous!joel, x-rated descriptions, crude language, perv!joel, creepy!joel, mean joel not too mean tho, MDNI!!!

wc: 6.2k

na: HI! thank you for alllll of the love oh my god my little gothic heart is so full i love you guys!!! i hope this series is everything and more to you guys bc i love this so much! hopefully as chapters go by, i get better in my writing and hope everyone enjoys it! i appreciate all of your kind words and interactions with me and making me feel welcome since i am new to writing on tumblr and kind of took a six year break from writing oneshots/fanfictions LOL. anyways please enjoy this chapter things are g3tting a little hot and heavy :P I CANT WAITT i hope that my writing is cathartic for my big girls we do not get enough representation for us in stories and writings!please enjoy! smut coming soon fr fr LMFAOO

i appreciate all reblogs, likes and comments feel free to do any one of those things or ALL! if u think its deserved :P

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DECEMBER 21ST, 2024

YOU

you’ve been in jackson for a month now. you couldn’t believe it, you truly had every doubt about staying even a week. but, it’s probably the calmest life you’ve lived in a very long time. you enjoyed it and you truly felt you’d made the right decision, it didn’t take much convincing either. but, you still haven’t unpacked the items maria gave you and continues to give you. just in case. 

the neighbors are learning your name, as you are with them, and they actually care. as much as you let them. you felt quite bad because you found yourself still not clicking with anyone around you. and you’ve tried. the people your age find you boring, almost a dark cloud over them, bursting their bubbles. younger kids only approach you because of ellie, asking for advice on stance and grip. the older group, around tommy and joel’s age, finds you a bit much. 

your language, your lack of social awareness–sometimes it gets embarrassing. saying something old heads wouldn’t necessarily like, being too blunt and a little explicit. joel figured you should hang around your age group, yet you didn’t really click in with the rest. he was far from embarrassed being around you, you just said the things he was thinking out loud.

you only found yourself clicking with joel. in many ways, as much as he let you. he was standoffish most of the time, barely cracking a smile at your weird habits and the noises you make when you’re passed out on the couch. he refused to let you break him, this wall that he had up to survive. do not get attached. he thought, maybe the less he knew you the less it’d hurt to have anything happen to you. but it seems even as little as he does know you, he’s still feeling that tug at his heart laying his eyes on you. 

it was too late. whoops.

joel doesn’t want to address that feeling, and he doesn’t want to call it as it is. he actually cares about you. he had no choice but to call it that, because why else would he lie to you about finding cassettes in the house?— so that you didn’t know what he really did to get you whatever he could get his hands on. 

he didn’t want you to know that he actually smuggled in goods that he and his family needed, and while bribing, stealing, trading and selling for necessities, he made it a mission to find at least one cassette tape for you. he didn’t know you actually saw him red handed, and you still didn’t know where those boxes were coming from. he figured if you knew, you’d bring it up. 

he made it his mission for two whole weeks, after your first week of staying with him, and finally got his hands on some actual music for you. joel hadn’t made efforts like this in a long time, and he knew that denying the fact that he at least cared for you would mean he was being delusional. 

but he was always worried about you. you were his object of affection and he craved to find a way to get you out of his mind. he actually felt guilty for thinking about you in ways you’ve probably never been before, he felt guilty for wanting nothing but to make you feel good—however that was. 

you doubted it strongly of course, shaking the feeling off as your own delusion and insanity, but you always hoped. hoped that maybe his generosity and southern hospitality was actually him caring about you in a different way, but he was a grown man. you tried to off yourself in front of him–you were insane to think he’d even look at you as anything but a liability, he hardly looked your way as it was. 

at least you thought so.

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joel paid attention to every single thing he sees and hears. he doesn’t show it, he doesn’t acknowledge it—all he does is observe. some more than others. 

you didn’t talk to him unless he talked to you, you kept your distance like he wanted, but somehow he knew everything that was going on. he didn’t have to talk to you to know you, and that’s what he was ashamed of. he watched you. 

he was a creep, he felt like someone who was abnormal and making things weirder than they had to be. he was studying you and you didn’t even know. he picked up on what made you smile, which cassettes you listened to the most, which just so happened to be the ones he was ‘holding on to.’ and in the midst of observing you, he checked you out any time he got. 

when you weren’t looking mostly, but even sometimes when you were talking to him about something not so important. he realized that if you did see that his eyes wandered over you, you were probably gaslighting yourself into thinking he wasn’t doing exactly what you thought he was doing. he loved your body. and he loved the way you dressed your body, the way the shirts you wore always clung to your heavy breasts, how even when you dressed in baggy clothes he still wanted to ruin you like that. 

sick. you’re a sick old pervert, ya kno’ that? he knew. what joel didn’t know is why you made him feel this way, why you drove him to do the things that he does for you. why he acted feral every time you bent over, why he would storm out of the room when you got on your hands and knees to pick something you dropped up off the floor. 

but he also studied you because he wanted to make sure you weren’t feeling how you felt the night you woke up in jackson, to make sure you weren’t feeling depressed or like you didn’t want to be here anymore. just talk to her fucker. he couldn’t. he would never admit it, but he’s eavesdropped near ellie’s garage to hear conversations between the two girls. 

“ellie, i mean it, you cannot tell joel.” you hushed as you glanced towards the door, back to ellie. 

she scoffed. “like i’d tell him, lay it on me.” you noticed the irritation in her eyes when you brought up joel, asking yourself if maybe there was something that wasn’t being said. you just put a pin in it. 

“okay. one, i’m finally allowed a gun and i got my patrol route.” you cheered in a hush and joel almost pressed his ear into the door. 

ellie rolled her eyes, grabbing the piece of paper. “no fucking fair. good looks, telling me bad news first. what’s two?” she joked. 

“i met my patrol partner. his name’s uh, tyler? i think. yeah,” you looked down and nodded, assuring yourself. joel made it a note to tell ellie how thin her walls were, not right now though. 

“tyler… tyler m?” joel thought of every man in this town named tyler with the letter M as his last name. instantly made a mental list of five tylers. 

“i don’t know. but he asked me for a drink. tonight, he was gonna meet me here but i told him i’d meet him there. lesson number 5, always have a way to leave anywhere you are if you need to.” you said. you figured it’d be best to teach her as much as you could, telling her things she needed to hear to survive. 

that’s how joel knew immediately what was happening when he heard your soft singing from your cracked door. you were getting ready for him. he actually hated it. he couldn’t remember the last time he felt that heat in his chest, biting the tongue—it wasn’t until his face turned down into the old familiar feeling, what he recognized as jealousy. 

who was he to be jealous? for what? it was a saturday night, most people were off of work, and everyone was settling in the town’s circle to drink and watch movies. everyone but joel. he was now classified as a bitter old man, with a dark whiskey in his glass. maybe now a bitter, creepy old man as he knocks slightly on the cracked door and you invite him in. 

you were fixing the laces on your shoes, simple black converse, and his eyes made his way up from there to your face. a deep v neck shirt that looked like a second skin from how tight it was, and faded black jeans with tiny holes from being lived in that hugged the fat of your thighs. he never noticed the gold dainty necklace that sat in the middle of your chest, but it sits right between the curves of your breasts. were they always that big? he felt like a kid, ogling and asking stupid questions.  

“hellooo? joel?” you called to him as you rested your palms on the width of your thighs. he saw your lips, coated in a sheen and your hair split down the middle instead of being in a pony tail or bun. creepy old man. you’re being creepy joel!!! he shook his head. 

“headin’ to the circle?” he asked. if he were close enough you could smell the whiskey on his breath. 

“yeah i-,” you thought for a minute. joel didn’t trust the next person as much as you did. you saw his protectiveness through ellie, you felt maybe he’d feel the same for you. even if you were a bit delusional. 

“-was gonna catch a movie with ellie, most likely be back around 12.” you said as you glanced at the clock, 9:32. 

“‘s that right?” he said suggestively, like he knew something you didn’t. he did. 

“yeah. that’s right,” you stood firm, even shot him a dirty look. “why don’t you enjoy the night, joel. you got the house to yourself, ain’t that what you’ve been mopin’ around for?” you stood up and grabbed your gun to put in your waistband behind your shirt, sticking a knife in your high top converse and one in your jean pocket. 

maybe you got too defensive, but you were right in a way. he looked miserable around the house, storming in just to grab a beer and lock himself in the library or room. 

“that’s right,” he was just smug. so smug you couldn’t stand it, you wanted to slap him. 

“whatever joel,” you wanted to be right so bad. you wanted to prove to even yourself that you were right. but neither of you were buying into this act you played, and you knew it. he was making you nervous with his stare, the hard shell you had was practically ripped off of you when he grabbed your wrist before you left the room. he held you, shoulder to shoulder and looked at your face, down your neck and to your chest. 

“if you need anythin’, you let me know darlin’.” darlin’? it was so foreign to you, so alien that you didn’t even have time to process it before your mouth moved to say a small alright and taking your arm from his grip. when you did, it was cold and you could feel the print of his hand around your wrist down the stairs. 

it was so different, something that leaked off of his words when he spoke to you. and you wanted to hear more of it, explore that with him. 

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before you could psych yourself out of going through the bar’s doors, you heard someone call for your name and turned your head to the left to see tyler, walking towards you with a big grin on his face. tyler was just two years older than you, someone you met while you were in combat and patrol classes, and didn’t acknowledge until he approached you, re-introducing himself as your partner for the first two weeks. you couldn’t be cold and shoo him away, you just smiled and introduced yourself, really looking at him. 

he was not joel miller. tyler’s skin wasn’t as tan as joel’s but he wasn’t pale, and he was actually a bit lanky even under the thick coats he layered. you noticed that his chest wasn’t as broad and strong as joel’s, hell his arms were smaller than yours. he was a skinny tall thing, while you were a bit short and thick everywhere. and when he embraced you lightly at the entrance of the bar, you just felt cold. no warmth, no comfort, you felt like you’d break him. 

“hey, i was hoping you’d actually come.” he breathed in as he pulled away, still, it wasn’t feeling right. 

“why wouldn’t i?” 

“cause you’re out of my league,” he said with a seductive smile and you wanted to believe him. wanted to enjoy the night as it comes and maybe have a few drinks, talk. but your mind was on a bitter man who sat in a house all by his lonesome. 

the thing about ‘dates’ now is that small talk doesn’t happen anymore. what’s your mom like? she’s dead actually. really? mine too! it was pointless. if you ended up here, you knew that you were alone. 

it wasn’t long before you and tyler were sitting on two stools, side by side. your knees were in between his as the two of you talked, flirted, gave simple touches. you were having fun. doing what would seem normal at a bar, just enjoying the company of someone who actually liked you. 

“how come you’ve never hung out with anyone else? i never see you with anyone.” he said, his fingers tapping on your knee. 

“mmm, i’m just not for everyone.” you flirted, covering his fingers with yours. you knew this wasn’t going anywhere, but you’d like to live in it just a little longer. the touch of a man, someone who desired you even if it wasn’t how you wanted. something you started to crave from joel. 

“maybe you’re just for me then?” he suggested, and you decided to just play into it. it was kind of hard not to when you were thinking of joel, you needed to act out on it. 

“i doubt that, honey,” you said, tugging at the collar of his shirt. he smelled like tequila and grass, something not that appealing but you ignore it. you wanted something out of him tonight, because for some reason the words joel spoke to you kept ringing in your ears. if you need anything, you let me know darlin’. the words rumbled through your body and straight to your core, because if there’s anything you need he could definitely be of help. 

you didn’t know how long you stayed at this bar, teasing and touching each other until you felt the ache in your core, aching for a touch that you’ve had once before. but you didn’t give a shit about purity or virginity, you wanted the ache gone and you knew tyler was the best bet. 

“tyler,” you whispered in his ear as the bar started to empty. 

“yes, beautiful?” he answered and slid his hand up your thigh. 

“show me how good you are with your fingers, yeah?” 

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he followed you back to joel’s, hand in hand as you turned the key to the house and softly opened the door to prevent the creaking. granted, you didn’t think this through, like everything else. maybe you should’ve gone to his. you cringed a bit, walking inside. 

it was dark inside, nothing but the sizzle of a freshly put out fire. you put your fingers to your lips to shush him, taking him slowly upstairs and to your room. you couldn’t help but find yourself glancing at joel’s door, which is cracked open. 

you finally made it to your room with the lanky man groping your body and trying to slither you out of your jeans, letting him. 

“only want your fingers, okay? if not you can leave.” you established as you stood in your panties and tight shirt. 

“fuck, yeah that’s okay,” tyler himself was craving a woman’s touch, he didn’t even care if he got off. he just wanted to see you, a woman’s body, to feel you. 

“can i touch you? like anywhere?” he asked as he sat on the edge of your bed, his cock already hardened against his pants. it didn’t sound right coming from him. you wondered what it’d sound like with the texas twang you craved to hear from a certain man. 

it still made your core twinge a bit, remembering the last time you were this vulnerable. you couldn’t lie, even if it wasn’t what you wanted, you fell in to the odd touch of the man desperately trying to touch you. 

“anywhere. keep your dick in your pants, i’ll touch as i go if you want me to.” you moved over to him and crawled into your bed, and he slipped in next to you as he propped himself on his elbow to look at you. 

“you’re so pretty, really.” he said, genuinely and you smiled. your stomach even fluttered a bit. it’s been a long time hearing that, hearing desire. 

“touch me, please.” 

tyler took his time, a little more than you’d liked but he was busy distracted with the way your tits pushed up to your chin, like you were suffocating. touching and teasing, his touch felt good but it still didn’t feel right, it didn’t feel heartstopping. maybe you’re expecting too much. 

but he didn’t talk to you when he dipped his hand in your panties, you just heard his whimpers and panting as he rutted his hard on into the side of your fat thigh, barely focused on you. you weren’t feeling it anymore, your wetness wasn’t even directed towards him really. everything you did with him was what you wanted to do with joel. you weren’t interested anymore and it started to feel wrong, it never felt good because tyler wasn’t worried about you. just his nut, and you didn’t like that. you didn’t like to feel used. 

“okay, wait, wait—i said wait!” you said and grabbed his wrist, pulling it from your panties and moving off of the bed. 

“wait, fuck i’m sorry, i was just so, fuck i’m so sorry.” he said a bit loudly, and you swore you heard a creak in the hallway as you moved to the door. 

“it’s okay, i just, i’m not–i’m tired. i think you should go.” you said, hugging your arm as he adjusted himself in his pants and got up. 

“i’m sorry, i,-” he tried again and you waved him off. 

“it’s done and forgotten, you didn’t do anything you were just really into it. i wasn’t.” you were careful with your words, not as tough as you would be because you’re vulnerable. but he wouldn’t get far if he hurt you, you knew that. 

“i’m sorry, goodnight. can we kind of like, forget this?” he asked rubbing the back of his neck and you softly laughed. 

“forget what?” you smiled and he returned it, giving a small kiss on the cheek before he left. he was a nice man, a good kid, and he meant no harm. he didn’t need a ruthless beating or yelling, just needed to tell him it wasn’t meant to be. you couldn’t shake the feeling of how wrong it was, how wrong it felt being tyler touching you. 

you knew who you wanted to touch you. as sweet and kind and charming tyler was, he wasn’t what you wanted. the man you wanted was across the hall from you, on the other side of the stairs. sleeping, maybe. 

you knew ellie was at a friends house doing only god knows what, so with the hope in mind that joel was asleep in his room, you trotted downstairs braless, and bottomless. you were still in the same tight shirt you left in, but now just in the pink panties that were apart of the gifts maria got you. just new/traded clothing you needed. the shirt hugged you and cut off at the dip of your curve, the fat of your tummy slightly protruding between the shirt and your panties. 

you didn’t look towards the fireplace where the sofas were, instead you grab a small cup and let faucet water pour into it, taking a drink. 

“work up a sweat?” a deep southern voice said behind you, from a distance. you jumped at the sudden break of silence and turned quickly to the sofas. 

“joel? what the fuck,” you breathed and stepped out to walk to the sofas. somehow, you completely disregarded the fact that all you had on was a shirt and panties, standing in joel miller’s living room. 

“what made you think it was a bright idea to invite a bastard in my home like that? not only that,” he said. you finally saw the light from outside shining on his face as he stood up, something glimmering in his hand. a gun. “but letting him touch all over you? that prick?” 

you had a lot to say, a lot to yell out. but the only thing to say was a snarky comment. “you know he called you the same thing.” 

which, he did. but you were too drunk on the flirting and drinks to care or to know why, even though you already knew. joel wasn’t nice to anyone but ellie. tommy and maria even think he’s an asshole, but that’s tommy’s brother and maria’s brother in law. he’s family. but there were things that you didn’t know about joel miller. things he didn’t want you to know either. 

“why do you even care? who’s touching me, i mean.” you scoff, feeling less embarrassed about your state of clothing. but being a lot more aware as he steps closer and closer to your curvy figure, putting his gun in the waistband of his sweatpants. 

he was intimidating like this. towering over you with his fists clenched, searching your face for something. you felt your heartbeat pick up as his eyes raked over you and fell on your lips. he was drunk off of you, the sight of your fat cunt only being clothed by a single piece of fabric drove him to dig his nails in his palms. the nakedness of your thighs, and the midriff showing—it was going to kill him.

“if you’re gonna fuck these town folk, make sure it ain’t in my house.” he spit, and you just rolled your eyes. you felt like you were in trouble for sneaking out, like a teenager. 

“i didn’t fuck anyone. we didn’t do anything. he wanted to, i didn’t.” you defended, feeling small now but still holding yourself tall.

joel just looked at you, not wondering if you were lying or not. he knew you weren’t, he heard it himself the minute he heard something bang against your wall. it was just you shuffling to get up, and he heard you consoling him. you weren’t satisfied. 

“why’d you lie to me? bout’ seein’ him tonight?” he asked, your head tilted up to his as he steps one step closer. your chest is almost touch his, and your breathing was getting heavier. 

“figured you wouldn’t trust him,” you said, sounding like you wanted to say something else but keeping it to yourself. 

he was watching you like you were his prey. like you were something he wanted to take and devour for himself, like you were something for his eyes only. 

“smart girl,” 

“he touch you wrong?” he couldn’t help but ask, the curiosity killing him slowly as time passes with you standing in front of him with your tight pink panties on. he looked down between the two of you and saw the hardened pebbles that were your nipples showing up through your black tight shirt, down to your tummy that was pressed against his. he liked the softness of your belly, he was practically dying to grip it himself. he wanted to grip every part of you, to palm your pussy and feel how warm you were in his grip. he even found himself hating his own mind as thought of what your pussy would look like sucking him in. 

“i, he,” you were stuttering, embarrassing yourself as his hand trailed up your arm, thinking of all the ways he could watch you take his cock for him. 

you watched him watch you. how his eyes went dark again, how there was a slight touch of possessiveness in his voice. you didn’t assume though.

“can’t find the words, hm? he wasn’t makin’ you feel good?” he asked softly, watching as you closed your eyes and breathed through your mouth, opening again to see a small grin playing on his lips, his head tilted to the side. his fingers barely left your wrist, and made their way to your fleshy hip, tapping against the bare skin. he was enjoying this. making you squirm. making you nervous. 

“fuck off, joel,” you meant it to come out a lot stronger than it did, even you thought you sounded needy. “s’ none of your damn business,” you spit, stronger this time.

and before you could even wallow in your retorts, a smile tugged very faintly at his lips. you weren’t so convincing when you were practically trying to pull him to your body with your fists buried in his sweater. he appreciated the effort though, he's never met someone with as much bite in their bark as you.

he just liked to watch you writhe for him. you wanted to whine with how eager you were for him, how mean he was being to you for no reason. you needed him.

“it’s like you’re not even tryin’, what’s the matter? do i make you nervous sweetheart?” he gleamed in his power over you, the way your eyes searched for him and your mouth parted, just for him. he wanted to ruin you in every way. ruin every man for you, show you how to truly be taken care of.

"go fuck yourself," you retorted and he actually laughed. and he laughed at you. a sudden heat rushed to your cheeks, embarrassment filling you.

“i didn’t tell you but,” he paused as he leaned into your ear, grazing his cheek against yours and smiling to himself, “you looked real pretty today, ya know that? you look even prettier like this, all flustered for me.” 

you had to be dreaming. had to have gone to sleep after tyler left, and this was your wet dream making up for it. there was no way you were this exposed to joel and he was practically pressed up against your body as he told you how pretty you looked. you couldn’t speak, your tongue was tied and joel smiled to himself as he realized he got you to shut up.

“would ya let me touch you, sweet girl? maybe you'd be nicer if someone knew how to touch you,” he asked, his fingers playing on your hip. 

you still couldn’t answer. it felt like a trap, like if you let yourself give in to his words, every guard you put up was pointless. you were frozen, and suddenly felt insanely vulnerable but his voice was so inviting, so impossible to not fall into.

“touch me where?” you asked, treading lightly. you wanted to hear it, you wanted him to tell you he wanted you as bad as you wanted him. you wanted to prove to yourself that you hadn't lost your mind yet. but you also wanted to stretch whatever this was as long as possible before you find yourself on your knees for him without even asking.

joel felt like he was out of his body. like he was watching you squirm and move under his presence from above. he was so distracted by how hard your nipples were rubbing against him that he didn’t even notice your fists balled into his shirt, trying to take him in closer. maybe it was the alcohol he drank to ignore the jealousy he felt, or maybe it was the fact that tommy came to tell joel about the boy you were seeing. how the two of you were practically on top of each other before he left, how he was touching you in public–he was angry. 

nothing was done, nothing more than joel grabbing your almost bare hip and you tugging on his shirt, but it still felt like something that was crossing a line. a line you wanted to cross.

until he got the courage to grab the hand that was buried in his sweater, taking it in his own and touching you with your hand. he was answering your question. his hand ghosted on top of yours as his eyes watched your eyes train on the sight between the two of the bodies, enjoying how soft and pink you look. you were hot and bothered, and he could get used to seeing you like this. 

“first place i’d touch you, baby,” he breathes, his lips practically against your cheek now. he was breathing you in, drinking you in, “is right here,” 

his hand guided you to cup your mound, angry that it wasn’t his hand touching you. your breath was shaky while you watched him, your eyes flickering from his moving hand to his eyes, and every time he made sure your eyes latched onto his. he wanted you to know how much he was enjoying teasing you like this, he wanted you to remember the way he looked at you while you panted against him. 

“but like this, lemme show you ‘xactly how i’d touch you sweetheart,” he was lost, drunken only on you, ignoring the world around him. “don’t think that boy would be enough for a woman like you, ain’t that right?"

he took his own hand as you were still pressed against his front, his lips now teasing the skin of the crook of your neck and starting to pull your panties away from your skin to dip his hand inside. your breathing was uneven and your soft whimpers were getting louder the more he trailed down into your underwear, and he was loving them.

the second he felt the scruff of your unshaved mound, he heard you release a shaky, sexy breath, and he grew harder against your bare abdomen. even feeling the heat of your skin on his clothed cock made him want to get on his knees and worship you.

"needy little fuckin' thing, that desperate for me huh? you gonna let me feel this pretty pussy how i want?"

he was so fucking filthy. so filthy for someone who hasn't even seen you naked, so filthy for someone who didn't even talk to you before this. it was agonizing, you were melting into his harsh words and wanted to listen to him make you feel small like this all night.

"joel, i swear," you warned as his breath hit your lips with his eyes on yours.

you had a bush, he thought to himself. he really didn’t think that would turn him on of course,  but now he pictured you standing in front of him, bottomless. how your belly would look with your curves, the way your breasts would rest at their natural position, your thighs fat and wide all for him, and the pretty fat mound waiting for him to feel and taste. worst time to think all of that of course, because it sent a flood of blood and excitement to his groin, giving him another thing to be nervous about. but god did he want to see it, see all of you laid in his bed, and tugging on the thatch of hair on your mound. he was fucked.

and god forbid you figured out that he’s been picturing you bent and folded in every way just so he could reach to the back of your cervix, if you figured out that his anger towards you is pent up sexual frustration because every time you’re in the shower, he’s thinking of the way you looked lathered in soap, waiting for him to join you. he was a sick man to think of you like this, but all of his desires and fantasies were threatening to barge in, to unleash all of his wants and needs to you. 

he was fighting himself to be a respectable man, a man who doesn’t think of women who were young enough to be his own kid in ways that were sinful. he shouldn’t be wanting to fill your throat with his cock when you smart mouth him. he was losing whoever he thought was himself, and letting heart and cock do his thinking. 

you couldn't think right, nothing was processing as you felt the heat of his hand on your cunt. you felt another wave of pleasure hit you and suddenly, you could feel your wetness pooling for him in your panties. you had a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that joel actually wanted you too, even if he wanted to put you in your place for once and shut you up.

you didn't care how he wanted you. you were a bitch, but you were desperate for him.

"mmm, you're real scary, baby, threats ain't gettin' you anywhere. you have t' beg me for my fingers," he teased, rubbing the hair on your mound.

"oh fuck off, i'm not begging you for shit," you're putting up a fight with yourself, and you were winning. at leadt you thought so. even if you were letting him touch you this way, you weren't goping to beg him or give him the pleasure of watching you submit to him.

"yeah? maybe i'll jus' make ya," he grinned, his sinister smile forming while he rested his forehead on yours, his hand inside your panties as the two of you watched him tease your lips.

the second joel’s finger moves from your hairy mound to the fat lips of your cunt to spread and feel just how much you ached for him, to tease your hole so you'd be sent into a fit of desperation, the two of you heard the doorknob jiggle and a loud laugh from the outside, meaning it was ellie. joel pulled his hand and body away quickly and nodded upstairs with a hard look, giving you the hint to go before ellie saw you in your panties. 

your face expressed everything to him, you needed him. and you didn’t want to let go. he watched as you walked up the stairs, your ass practically eating up the fabric of your panties. it left nothing to the imagination and he groaned, something you swore you heard, before he fixed himself in his pants. 

ellie walked in, and you stayed at the top of the stairs out of sight to hear the lecturing. 

“are you outta your damn mind, ellie? it’s three in the mornin’,” his paternal instincts were coming out, and you smiled. 

“i was down the street. relax, i just didn’t want to stay there.” ellie defended as she slipped her shoes off. 

“did somethin’ happen? are you hurt?” he asked quickly, examining ellie to see if he saw blood or cuts anywhere. 

“jeez, no joel lay off. why are you up anyways isn’t it like six hours past your bedtime?” she scoffed, annoyed at the father figure lecturing her right now. what was he gonna tell her? 

“was waitin for your friend to come home, so i can lock up before bed,” he lied. he was lying and you knew it. you came home an hour ago, and he was still up. 

“you’re in love aren’t ya? old man,” ellie teased. her demeanor was a little more playful than she’d been this last month and he shook his head annoyed, but to you it was silent. your lips pinched into a thin line as you heard joel grunt.

“go to be ellie. now.” he ordered and she rolled her eyes, saying her good nights and going to the garage to sleep in her space. 

a part of you wanted joel to come upstairs, into your room and to do everything he wanted to do. you didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do, but with the touching and flirting he was doing, it seemed like he wanted you. maybe he was drunk, you could smell it on his breath! he seemed pretty sober talking to ellie. you cursed yourself as you moved quietly to your room, leaving the door cracked open just in case. 

but nothing. you heard him trudge up the stairs, and walk directly the opposite direction into his own room. you were frustrated at this point. sexually frustrated if you must say, and the ache in your core was not leaving any time soon. 

you felt embarrassed, and you felt like joel was toying with you. all of the sudden this comes up and he's trying to finger fuck you in the living room when you genuinely thought he didn't even acknowledge your mere existence. it was so confusing for you, but the only thing you knew for sure now after a few weeks of deciding is that you craved joel miller.

it was a weird feeling. only because growing up in an apocalyptic world as a teenager and a young adult meant your chances of love and relationships were slim to none, at least for you. but you met joel in times where you had given up already.

as you lied in bed, wondering if joel was asleep or thinking about you too, you felt silly. you were setting yourself up for disaster by having hope that whatever this was with joel was more than that, and not just that. you worried you were getting ahead of yourself, maybe you were taking joel's advances too seriously. what if he just wants an easy fuck? nothing serious, something for pleasure in this dark world where everyone seeks a way to alleviate their pain

you felt like maybe you were geting into your head like you always do. maybe this could be good. maybe this could be your chance to let go, be vulnreable again, let someone make you feel like a teenager again. you had your fair share of crushes when you were in the QZ, you remembered that innocent feeling of liking someone, the shyness that came with it, how nervous you got around them. and with joel, you felt that times one hundred.

the flutters in your stomach, the goosebumps on your skin when he stands too close to you. he made you feel good even without trying.

but nothing good comes from joel miller.

[princesskenny1998]

MHA | Bakugou Katsuki x f!confident!reader ~ Attention, PT. 4

It’s late when Bakugou’s phone buzzes again, the screen lighting up with a notification. It’s another message from you, and even before he reads it, he knows it’s going to push him over the edge. You’d been teasing him for days now, messages and pictures that escalated from playful to straight-up provocative and pornographic. And for a guy with a short fuse and an even shorter tolerance for games, he was reaching his breaking point.

"Hey," the message read. "Just me here tonight. Place feels a little empty." Alongside the message was a picture of you, comfortably sprawled out on your bed but unmistakably flirty, the angle just right so he could see the top of your, very naked, breasts, to suggest more without showing too much. It’s enough to snap any last bit of patience he might have been clinging to.

He typed his response without hesitation: "On my way."

Stuffing his phone in his pocket, slipping in his shoes and stuffing the nix if condoms in his backpack, he strode down the hallway of the dorm, an air of purpose in his step that could only mean one thing. As he passed by the common room, he could feel the curious eyes of his classmates on him. Kirishima, lounging on the couch with Sero and Kaminari, looked up, immediately sensing something was up.

"Hey, Bakubro," Kirishima called out, a smirk forming as he leaned over the back of the couch. "Where are you heading off to this late?"

Bakugou glanced back, his glare half-hearted as he paused in the doorway. "Going to see someone. Got a problem with that?" His voice held its usual bite, but there was a flicker of something else—excitement, maybe, or anticipation.

The smirk on Kirishima’s face turned into a grin. "Ooooh, so you're actually going to meet her?"

Kaminari's eyebrows shot up, and he looked between Kirishima and Bakugou with dawning realization. "Wait, her? Like, the girl you were telling us about, Kiri? Damn, Bakugou, didn’t think you’d actually go for it!"

Sero, ever the instigator, joined in with a low whistle. "Well, well, look who’s got game after all."

Bakugou’s jaw clenched, but there was no hiding the slight flush to his cheeks. He rolled his eyes, muttering, "Shut it, losers," before turning and heading toward the door. Their laughter and whoops followed him out, only egging him on as he stepped into the cool night air, a single thought running through his mind: Finally.

Meanwhile, back at your place, you were starting to second-guess your own actions. When you’d sent that last message, you hadn’t actually expected Bakugou to take it so seriously. After all, you’d been flirting back and forth, sending playful messages and dropping hints for a while now, but it had all felt safe—just enough to keep him interested without crossing any lines.

But now, staring at his last response, a thrill of panic mixed with excitement shot through you. He was actually coming over.

“Oh god,” you muttered, pacing around your room. You hadn’t anticipated him taking the bait so quickly. The messages had been a game, a way to keep things interesting and test his patience, but now that he was on his way, reality was setting in.

Part of you couldn’t help but laugh at yourself for underestimating him. For all his tough-guy posturing, he was still a boy, and apparently, you’d finally managed to get under his skin enough to provoke him into action.

A knock at the door jolted you out of your thoughts. You took a deep breath, steeling yourself, and went to open it, coming face-to-face with Bakugou, who stood there with a look that was equal parts annoyance and anticipation.

"You gonna invite me in or what?" he asked, arms crossed as he stared down at you, his usual fiery gaze even more intense than usual.

You swallowed, letting a smirk spread across your face to mask your nervousness. "Didn't think you'd actually come," you teased, stepping back to let him in.

Bakugou walked in, eyes scanning your place briefly before landing back on you. "You kept pushing. What did you expect?" His tone was matter-of-fact, but there was a heat behind it that sent a shiver down your spine.

Shrugging, you closed the door behind him, trying to maintain your composure. "Maybe I just wanted to see how long you'd hold out."

Bakugou scoffed, moving closer, his confidence taking over as he backed you up against the wall, dropping his backpack to the floor. "Guess you got your answer."

You bit your lip, heart pounding as he closed the distance between you. "Yeah… guess I did."

His hand found your chin, tilting your face up to meet his gaze. For a brief moment, the two of you locked eyes, and all the teasing and playful banter faded, replaced by something raw and electric. And then, with a low growl, Bakugou leaned in, capturing your lips in a kiss that was anything but gentle. It was heated and demanding, filled with all the pent-up tension that had been building between you.

You responded eagerly, fingers tangling in his shirt as you pulled him closer. The intensity of his touch was almost overwhelming, and you couldn’t help but wonder why you’d ever thought he’d be anything less than completely in control when he finally made his move.

As his lips moved against yours, you could feel the weight of every unspoken word, every unsent message, in the way he kissed you—like he was making up for lost time. And in that moment, you couldn’t bring yourself to care about anything else.

After what felt like an eternity, Bakugou pulled back, his breath coming in short bursts as he looked down at you with a smirk. "So," he said, voice low and rough, "still think this was just a game?"

You laughed softly, feeling a rush of confidence as you leaned up to kiss him again. "I don't know, Katsuki," you whispered against his lips. "Are you up for the challenge?"

His eyes flashed with determination, and without another word, he pulled you back into a kiss, both of you fully aware that this was only the beginning.

[zearay]

This is a little Steddie ficlet that wormed its way into my brain a few days ago and wouldn't leave till I'd written it, so here you go ^_^ I hope you enjoy

Steve had finally agreed to sit in on a session of Dungeons and Dragons while the kids played with Eddie, but only if he got to sit in the big chair at the end of the table. Dustin had readily accepted the condition, the rest of the party less convinced that Eddie would be fine with it.

As soon as they arrived at the Wheeler household, the kids bounced like rubber balls down the stairs and into the basement, Steve following at a leisurely pace after having greeted Mrs Wheeler on the way down.

When he got to the basement and saw the big chair decked out in heavy blankets like a polstered throne, he immediately let out a quiet "fuck yeah" and went to take his place like a king in his castle.

Eddie arrived not too late after, looking like he'd been hurrying to make it on time. As he scanned the room to make sure everyone was present, his eyes slid to Steve on his throne and suddenly he couldn't look away. It was all he could do to let out a short "that's my chair" before his heart combusted at the image of Steve Harrington looking very much at home in the setting most intimately familiar to Eddie.

"Yeah, but Dustin said I could sit here," Steve replied, looking smugly at the kid he'd just thrown under the bus without remorse.

"Yeah, man. You're always up and pacing anyway, I thought maybe it'd be okay? It was the only way to get him to agree to sit in," Dustin defended, looking at Eddie with defiance in his eyes.

Eddie couldn't do anything but nod, still a bit in awe at the display in front of him. But he had a game to run, and run it he would. For the sheep. So he took one last lingering look at Steve before turning his head to look at Dustin.

"He's in my chair, though. How will I sit? On the floor? Not fit for a Dungeon Master," he said.

But before Dustin could come up with something, Steve commented from behind him.

"Well, the chair may be occupied, but there's still a seat, Munson."

Eddie turned his head to look at Steve, who was now patting his own thighs in invitation. And who was Eddie to deny him that, he was just a man after all. So Eddie smirked and walked over to the throne, plopping down on top of Steve before clapping his hands to demand the attention that was already on him.

"Alright, time for some roleplaying. Who's ready?"

The party quickly got over their shock and let out a few short "whoop"s before settling down on the floor and setting up their gear for yet another session of battle against enemies they weren't prepared for. At least it was only pretend this time around.

[simplyaskfellowplural]

waddles in your inbox

Hiya! Regarding PluralKit, do you have advices/tips on how to make a neat/aesthetic descriptions? Inspirations for examples on how to make one, or like- a copy paste of the template? Sorry if I'm asking a lot whoop-

🪺 (She/Her) & 🍎 (He/Him) & 🌀 (She/Her) & <3 (She/Her) Began Writing

😐🏹 (He/Him), 😐📖 (He/Him) Finishing.

Hi, sorry for the lateness of answering this ask. And thank you for sending in an ask! ❣️ And don't worry you're not asking too much!

So pluralkit is a bit tricky when it comes to making descriptions as for some systems it might be difficult to keep your information below the character limit. We even ourselves struggle with making a very pleasant aesthetic bio for pluralkit ourselves.

Our main tips are limited with Pluralkit bios specifically; but we might be able to get something!

Actively conversate and make sure you know what you're wanting, what you need, and what you can leave out! If you can't convey everything in just the bio of your pluralkit page, possibly try working that information into individual headmates/sysmates bios!

Take advantage of online guides like discord servers that help with aesthetic pluralkit bios, and definitely maybe dip your own toes into the idea of making your own!

A lot of premade templates exist by simply googling "Pluralkit/Tupperbox System Bio Templates". Tumblr as a million, but there are few and very far between, especially taking into account syscourse and people making templates specifically for and only for traumagenic systems, limiting the resources.

We personally definitely recommend using these carrds here as its something of a common practice to use symbols that are from other languages like Japanese or Arabic as aesthetic symbols for rain or stars, and it messes with screen readers.

Make sure to take and leave as you will! We honestly in most advice asks here asking about how to organize and such will offer as much inspiration as we can! While also encouraging people to seek what they want to display if they have an idea, and leave what you as a system don't wish to explore.

So we actually are going to put our own template making skills to use and make a broad base template any system can use!:

✷ Welcome to [System] ！! ✷

Our name is [name], and this is our introduction to our [platform name]! Below is information on our system, boundaries, and fun links we/other sysmates enjoy!

ıllı ────── ıllı

**General Information**

**Name?**

⟡ Name(s), Nicknames

**Age?**

⟡ Age range or Age

**System &/ Body Gender?**

⟡ Gender Terms (with possible Links)

**System &/ Body Orientation?**

⟡ Orientation Terms (with possible Links)

**System Terms/Origins?**

⟡ System Terms/Origins/Modifiers (with possible Links)

**Status/Relationship?**

⟡ Taken/Single/Private/Etc

Possible notes: Notes

ıllı ────── ıllı

**Boundaries**

**Do NOT Interact If..:**

⟡ Following Boundaries

**DO Interact If..**

⟡ Following Boundaries

**Ask to Interact If..**

⟡ Following Boundaries

Possible Notes: Notes

**System Terms**

**Do Not Refer to us as..**

⟡ Terms

**Please refer to us as..**

⟡ Terms

**Ask if you can refer to us as..**

⟡ Terms

ıllı ────── ıllı

**Fun Information**

**Fandoms/Hobbies**

⟡ Fandoms & Hobbies

**Where else to find you?**

⟡ Individual sysmates blogs/socials/etc & System socials and such

This was a quick template that we will put in the comments as it's own thing hopefully. Thank you again for you again for your ask! And hopefully this helped in some way! And we FINALLY finished this after months. So we apologize for how long this took.

We will be uploading a self Indulgent post about a how to privacy guide, then will start being more active on this blog!

[preservationofnormalcy]

Hi, sorry, I know it’s been a few weeks but it really hasn’t felt like it, I haven’t got out of my house much. Oh, to be clear, this is the guy with cracks in his wall, except they’re not cracks or something, I dunno.

Anyway, on what you mentioned, no, there were been no other potential communication attempts if my house was alive. Considering the age of the place and the weirdness happening recently, I wouldn’t have been surprised if my house was alive, but I did a few tests and nothing came up positive sadly.

On to more important stuff though, there’s a reason I got distracted. Mainly because these cracks are really weird. I think I’ve figured out what was going on with the bleeding, or more accurately, why it would start bleeding. Oh yeah, bleeding is a pretty accurate term for the fluid, it’s like it’s coagulating when exposed to air, except it’s not the air it’s reacting to.

That’s probably confusing, so I’ll start about a week after my last message: It’d been a while and I was mostly beginning to forget about the cracks to be honest, what with the big, plastic tarp hiding them. There has been a storm the night previous and my power had gotten knocked out, so when I got up early to head to work I let instinct take over and accidentally stepped badly on the new addition to my home, the tarp. Stepping on it pulled at its bindings and revealed the cracks again, but they were kind of different. The cracks were bigger, obviously, but the main thing was the tar-fluid-stuff. See, the tar only comes when it’s raining, which it had been, and intensely at that, which meant that now there was a big build up of this tarry gunk that was messing up the walls even more than the cracks were! I was already late for work, so I decided to clean it off when I got back.

After finishing work, I ended up getting a paint scraper and a metal brush to get it off. At that point I was more worried about it permanently sticking the tarp to the wall than any damage I would do to the wall, so I was really going at it. I started using the paint scraper as a chisel is what I’m getting at. Anyway, a bit after doing that, I noticed that there was one part that was way easier to clean off, the parts where the cracks were. It took some close looks, but when I was using the paint scraper as a chisel, I was pushing the stuff back into the cracks, and when the tar went back into the crack it turned back into a fluid.

I did a few more tests with stuff I scraped off, and it all turned back into water, flowing into what ever was on the other side of the cracks. While I was doing that, I also poked the paint scraper in, and the part that was put in became floppy. And then I pulled it out and it solidified in the new position.

I’m serious, these cracks are weird, but I’m way way more fascinated by them now than freaked out. I’m still at least a little worried by how they’re growing to be honest, but this was something I could poke! And that’s what I’ve been doing for a while now. Poking the cracks with stuff. And I think I’ve figured it out somewhat.

Stuff that comes through the cracks seem to invert in some way. Water becomes a room temperature solid, stiff metal becomes bendy, hot air becomes cold (that one’s really nice to be honest, nice cool breeze on a hot day), etc. I want to see what happens if I put an active exothermic chemical reaction through it and see what happens, but I have no idea what that could do. Would it become an endothermic reaction? Implode? Change chemical composition and cease reacting? I have no idea, but I gotta be honest, I really want to try.

I have no idea where these cracks are coming from, but they’re really fascinating. It feels like there’s something on the other side, and I can’t tell if it’s a dimension with different conceptual or physical laws, or a being watching me who’s unzipped the wall and has been poking back. Or something else.

Kinda got off track there, whoops. Anyway, I don’t mind if you send help anymore by the way, I kinda just want to about this stuff to someone, it’s really cool.

Yeah, that is not what I expected.

I think we are seeing a sort of break in reality here, but not like I was describing last time. This isn't a "living" home. This is a special case.

We call these Rulebreakers. I'd wager that at some point in the past of the structure, something was done to create a series of tears to a hypothetical pocket dimension that operates differently than ours. And I do mean "hypothetical" - as far as many of our tests are concerned, a lot of times these things are only conceptual. Your seems...frightfully realspace. And it's not often that it's directly, conceptually "opposite" - that suggests a level of human-adjacent intelligence that I'm concerned about.

These are pretty rare - I sent this over to Ambrose and he's very interested in this. Is your place wheelchair accessible?

[lobster-tales]

Beat the Daylight

Sequel to Face the Noise, an Arcane Rock Band AU

Rating: M

Chapter 20: The Jam Sesh

Summary: All is well. 3 months later || Springtime

This work is available here on AO3. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19

Powder had missed her bed. Sure, the one at the hotel had been comfortable, with its satin pillows and heavy comforter. But there was nothing like her bed, the mish mash of blankets from her childhood that were layered on top of each other in artful chaos, arranged to allow the best combination of weight and airflow.

And particularly this morning, with Lux sleeping beside her, she didn’t want to leave.

She heard heavy footsteps in the hallway, the scent of coffee a few minutes later. Careful not to disturb Lux, Powder slipped out of the sheets and tugged a Hextech hoodie over her shoulders. She’d been surprised at how comfortable it was, way more than any of Shimmer’s merch–no wonder Vi and Mel wore theirs all the time.

Vi was pouring a cup when she walked in. “Morning.” Even after a few months, her eyes still had that shine whenever she saw Powder, that awed relief. Powder pretended not to like it. Vi asked, “Lux here? What time did she get in last night?”

“Late.” Powder pulled out her favorite mug and her second favorite for Lux.

“She likes one splash of vanilla creamer and a splash of hazelnut,” Vi advised. “I picked up both last night. She also likes a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top but not too much because it’ll sink to the bottom.”

Still so weird. Powder wondered if she would ever get past it. “Thanks.”

“What are you two doing today?”

“I’m gonna show her the town,” Powder said, sipping from her own coffee. “We’ll pick up Ekko once he’s done with his meeting. You want to come with us?”

“Nah, I got work.” Vi stretched her fingers skyward. “New hire’s settling in, though. He’s been closing the last couple nights on his own.”

“Good. Give you more time to train for your tournaments.” Powder smirked at her. “Cause you’re gonna need it.”

“Oh, I need it, huh?” Vi scoffed playfully, rising from the table. “Come say that to my face, I’ll whoop you right here and now.”

“No thanks,” Powder said, taking Lux’s cup. “I’m not paying your hospital bill.”

Vi shook her head, grinning. “See you tonight, Pow-pow.”

“Later.” When Powder returned to her bedroom, Lux was just stirring. “Good morning, Starlight,” Powder purred. “Want some coffee?”

Lux blinked at her, and gasped. “Yes!” She accepted the cup, murmuring, “Did I ever tell you that you’re my favorite person ever?”

“Mmm I wouldn’t mind hearing it a little more,” she said, kissing the tip of Lux’s nose.

They took their time getting ready for the day. Of course, Powder wasn’t very helpful, since every time Lux put a piece of clothing on, Powder eventually worked it back off of her again, distracting her with kisses.

“Powder,” Lux giggled. “Come on, I have to do something with my day.”

“I’m something.” And she bit her neck.

They spent a few hours tangled in each other’s arms, enjoying each other in lazy bliss, until Lux glanced at her phone and gasped. “Oh, we gotta go! Ekko finished his meeting a while ago.”

As they arrived at Ekko’s place, he bounded up to the car. “Yo, Crownguard!” Ekko reached in through the window to clasp Lux’s hand and draw her in for a half hug. “What is up, girl, how you been!”

“Good,” Lux said with a grin.

Powder cut in. “You better watch those hands, Boy Savior.”

“Only if you can catch them.” He slid into the back, propping his forearms on the back of their seats. “What’s our first stop?”

“The school,” Lux sighed. “Have to convince my parents this was a productive trip.”

They cruised through campus: the weekend left the area empty, with only a few students trailing through. Powder had familiarized herself with the buildings, and pointed them out as they went. “There’s the chemistry building, environmental science. That’s where Viktor and Jayce’s lab used to be when they were grad students.”

Lux asked, “Which one are you going to be in?”

“All of them,” Powder huffed. “The boys said I can’t start my Hextech internship until I get my basics out of the way.”

Ekko reassured her, “You’ll knock it out in no time. As long as you don’t get distracted by Starlight over here,” and he pinched Lux’s shoulder.

“Hey, what’d I say about hands, bitch?” Powder reached back to swat at him.

They stopped at the top of the parking garage, leaning over the concrete wall to survey the city. The trees were full and lush, cars passing by lazily in the mid-spring day. Ekko and Powder switched off their tour notes, pointing out different landmarks.

“There’s the square,” Powder said. “You can’t really see the pub from here, but you can see the top of the courthouse.”

“And that office building?” said Ekko. “When that place was still being built, we snuck in one night and tried cigarettes for the first time.”

“Oh yeah,” Powder laughed. “Vander was pissed. Vi was grounded for two weeks.”

Lux just beamed at them both, enjoying the stories, only interrupting occasionally to ask questions.

The pub was the next stop. The lunch rush had just ended, giving Vi and Vander a long enough break to greet Lux. Vander in particular was excited to meet her, curious about her style of playing guitar. Lux was nervous at first, but settled into one of her rambles, and Powder gave Vi a knowing look as they all listened.

Eventually Vi and Vander had to get back to work, at which point, Powder, Ekko, and Lux went to Shepherd’s Bridge. After handing Lux some spray paint, they cheered her on while she left her own tag, a bright blue star symbol sandwiched between Caitlyn’s cupcake and a fresh pink “Jinx”.

The trio picked up a few supplies for the evening, stocking up on sodas and chips. Powder dropped off Ekko at his car so he could go pick up Zeri, leaving her and Lux to their own devices for the afternoon.

They lay entwined on the living room couch, half-paying attention to the horror movie. Lux ran her fingers through Powder’s hair, gently massaging her scalp.

“Do you think they’d like me?” Powder asked. “Your parents. And Garen.”

“Maybe. I mean, you are rich and famous now.”

“Jinx is famous,” Powder clarified. “Powder’s just rich.” Because she was over eighteen, all of the money Silco set aside for her had become hers, even after his arrest. The problem was she didn’t know what to do with it, other than pay for school. Now, she had everything she wanted.

Lux smiled to herself. “Well, Jinx is the one in all those scandalous pictures of us, so they’ll probably prefer Powder.”

“Scandalous, huh?” Powder buried her nose in Lux’s ribs.

“They’re going to be weird,” Lux said honestly. “They always have been. Hell, I could be dating Caitlyn and they’d still complain because the Kirammans are new money. You can’t worry about what they think. Just worry about what I think.”

Powder propped her chin on her stomach, gazing adoringly up at her. “And what do you think?”

“I think…” Lux said, tapping her nose with a finger. “That you’re adorable.”

Powder scrunched up her nose, pretending she was offended. “I’m not adorable. I’m a menace.” She gently bit Lux’s skin.

“Fine. You’re an adorable menace.”

The doorknob jingled, and Caitlyn followed the sound, arms overflowing with paperwork. “Hi Lux!” she said with a smile. “How was your trip here?”

“Good.”

Powder nodded towards the papers. “How’s hunting?”

“Ugh.” Caitlyn dropped everything on the already cluttered kitchen table. “I’d rather hunt a hawk in the rain. But, we’re making progress. There’s a lot of new housing between here and Piltover. Lux, I forgot to ask, do you have any home preferences?”

“Nope!” Lux said brightly. “Just my own room and a roof.”

“That’s exactly what Vi and Ekko said.”

Powder gave Lux the side eye. “You know, you could always take Vi’s room and live here with meeee.”

“My parents barely agreed to let me live with Caitlyn,” said Lux. “That being said, I might have some early classes, so it would make more sense for me to spend a few nights a week over here.”

“Or every night.”

“Powder,” Lux chuckled. “I can’t.”

Powder huffed, pretending to be annoyed. “You’d really rather live with my sister and my ex-boyfriend?”

Caitlyn chimed in, “It was that or fourth wheel with Jayce, Mel, and Viktor.” The kettle whined and she entered a few seconds later with a steaming cup of tea in hand. “Speaking of which, Jayce said they’re on their way. Viktor wanted plenty of time to set up his equipment.”

“Perfect.” Powder stretched, rising from the couch and offering her hand to Lux. “I should also start getting set up. Wanna help me?”

“Sure!” As they entered the garage, Lux admired the string lights weaving back and forth over the ceiling, the variety of band posters on the walls. “Not sure how helpful I’ll be, though.”

“Well, you have the most important job.” Powder indicated the brown couch against the wall. “I need you to sit there, and look pretty.”

                                                           ☆ ☆ ☆                                                   

Viktor and Jayce brought Sky with them, as she was visiting from Noxus. While they set up, she regaled them with stories of her new job and coworkers, her love life and friendships. Lux asked constant questions, fascinated. The two had only met over Caitlyn’s video calls, and were fast friends.

Just as dusk approached, Ekko and Zeri arrived with Vi. Ekko prepped his keyboard presets while Vi and Lux tuned their guitars, Zeri warming up her vocals. Caitlyn and Sky were more than happy to plant themselves on the couch, splitting a bottle of rosé.

Vi asked Jayce, “Who’s drumming first?” but Powder answered for her, plopping down into the drumset chair and twirling her sticks.

“You ready to see a real drummer, Talis?” Powder sneered playfully.

He smiled, joining Caitlyn and Sky on the couch, inviting Viktor into his lap. “Took you long enough.”

Ekko played a single chord, considering his bandmates. “Alright. What song are we-”

Zeri interrupted him by seizing the mic and singing,

Shot through the heart And you're to blame

They all joined in.

Darlin', you give love a bad name

Vi, Powder, Lux, and Ekko launched into the instrumental, the noise rattling the walls of the garage. Zeri nodded her head to the beat, her pigtails bouncing with the movement.

An angel's smile is what you sell You promise me Heaven, then put me through hell Chains of love got a hold on me When passion's a prison, you can't break free

Oh, you're a loaded gun, yeah Oh, there's nowhere to run No one can save me The damage is done

The couch crowd sang along to the chorus,

Shot through the heart And you're to blame You give love a bad name (bad name) I play my part and you play your game You give love a bad name (bad name) Hey, you give love, a bad name

For the final chorus, the instruments fell away, leaving the band to sing acapella,

Shot through the heart And you're to blame

Zeri aimed the mic at the couch, and the small audience sang the last,

You give love a bad name

The friends whooped and cheered. Powder whispered to the other band members and they all grinned. She clicked her sticks together, “1, 2, 3, 4!” and they began an upbeat song. There was no part on the keys, so Ekko grabbed his mic and sang with Zeri.

All the small things True care, truth brings I'll take one lift Your ride, best trip

They harmonized, Zeri singing the higher part as Ekko took the lead,

Always, I know You'll be at my show Watching, waiting Commiserating

Say it ain't so, I will not go Turn the lights off, carry me home

Zeri pulled Ekko away from the microphone, dancing together in the center of the room while the rest of the band sang,

Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na, na Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na, na, na

As the song ended, Mel entered from the garage’s side door, grinning. “I can hear you down the street,” she chuckled. “Excuse my tardiness: meeting ran late.”

“You’re excused,” Zeri and Powder said at the same time.

Mel considered the couch. “And this must be the lovely Sky I’ve heard so much about.”

Sky’s eyes widened at the sight of her. “H-hi,” she stammered, rising. “Senator Medarda, it’s so nice to meet you.”

She took her hands and said warmly, “Call me Mel. I’ve heard you’ve been working in Noxus. Quite the culture shock?”

Sky smiled shyly. “Yeah, they’re a little intense over there.”

“Some things never change,” Mel said wistfully. “Here, I have something for you in the car: Caitlyn mentioned you like rosé so I brought my top six brands for you to sample. Jayce, darling, can you help me bring them in?”

Sky just stared after them, jaw dropped. “Is she-”

“Always like that?” Caitlyn asked wryly.

“Always,” Viktor confirmed, resting an arm around Sky’s shoulders.

When Jayce returned, Vi nodded towards Powder. “Alright, Pow-Pow, it’s Jayce’s turn.”

“No!” She crushed the sticks to her chest, but her possession was more playful than sincere.

Ekko smirked and said, “You’re gonna make her sing this next one alone?” And he played the opening synth riff.

Powder practically threw the sticks at Jayce, taking the microphone in hand as he scrambled to get behind the drumset before the beat dropped.

The sisters sang the first verse together.

Here we stand Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two Sleepless nights Losing ground, I'm reaching for you, you, you

They harmonized together on the pre-chorus.

Feeling that it's gone Can't change your mind If we can't go on To survive the tide Love divides

On the chorus, Ekko and Lux joined the vocals, but paled in comparison to the passion that Vi and Powder shared.

Someday love will find you Break those chains that bind you One night will remind you How we touched and went our separate ways

Vi sang,

If he ever hurts you

Then Powder,

True love won't desert you

And together again, grasping each other’s hands as they belted,

You know I still love you Though we touched and went our separate ways

Lux shredded through the guitar solo, a cocky smirk resting on her lips. Then it was just Ekko, running the synth hook, the song ending with the final two notes of the bass drum.

When the applause and cheers died down, Powder pointed at Viktor. “Alright, Vik, you’ve had it too good for too long. It’s your turn, DJ.”

“Eh, good things never last.” He took his spot behind his equipment, playing a few warm up beats and house music. The couch was too small to fit all of them, so Powder, Jayce, Ekko and Zeri grabbed some lawn chairs.

After his series of beats and tracks, Viktor nodded decisively towards Lux. “You ready?”

“I was born ready,” Lux said. She left the mic in the stand to free her hands.

Viktor started with a snapping, electropop beat. Lux raised her hands, grinning slyly at Powder as she sang. The notes were simple, but she added vibrato to the notes, made the sound her own.

We are the crowd, we're c-comin' out Got my flash on, it's true Need that picture of you, it's so magical We'd be so fantastical

Leather and jeans,

She spread her arms wide, indicating the space.

Garage glamorous Not sure what it means But this photo of us, it don't have a price Ready for those flashing lights 'Cause you know that, baby, I

Lux took the mic in hand, stalking towards Powder in time to the music.

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me Papa-paparazzi Baby, there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be Your papa-paparazzi

Standing directly in front of her, legs between Powder’s knees, Lux’s free hand toyed with her braids. Powder lifted her hands and claimed the back of Lux’s thighs, holding her there. She gazed up at Lux with adoring, hungry eyes.

Promise I'll be kind But I won't stop until that girl is mine Baby, you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me Papa-paparazzi

Lux’s voice was playful as she went through the verses, gliding around Powder, brushing her fingers over her shoulders, never quite close enough. But as the bridge ended, Lux fell to her knees in front of her, crawling towards Powder as she sang the chorus once more, her voice fiercely possessive.

I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me Papa-paparazzi Baby, there's no other superstar, you know that I'll be Your papa-paparazzi

Powder held her breath. She was spellbound by Lux’s intensity, fixed in place by those bright eyes and the carnal rawness of her voice. Lux added in her own high notes to the final chorus, belting the song as she climbed into Powder’s lap.

Promise I'll be kind But I won't stop until that girl is mine Baby, you'll be famous, chase you down until you love me Papa-paparazzi

The mic dropped to the floor as Lux took her mouth in a rough kiss. Everyone cheered except for Vi and Caitlyn, who averted their eyes and clapped politely, charmed but embarrassed at the fiery display.

The jam session went well into the night, with each of the band members switching off instruments whenever they got too tired. Even Caitlyn at one point felt the rosé enough to show everyone her under-practiced, jerky rendition of Moonlight Sonata, to which Zeri chose to do an entirely inappropriate dance to, making everyone laugh. They went through a variety of genres, and the original Firelights even played a few of the songs from their past performances. Eventually, the group decided to call it, with Powder taking the mic to lead them into one final song.

Acapella, Powder sang the lead, with Vi and Ekko backing her up with harmonies,

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landside, No escape from reality Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see,

Powder belted out,

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, Because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low, Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to Me, to me

Ekko played a gentle, modified scale on the keyboard. The rest of the group joined in, all singing together for the first verse.

Mamaaa, Just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, Now he's dead Mamaaa, life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away

Powder took the lead again on the second half of the verse,

Too late, my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all The time Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go, Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth

During the instrumental break, Vi tore up a guitar solo. Her fingers pulsed against the fret with each note, creating a vibrato sound. When the solo ended, Ekko’s piano took over again. Powder sang,

I see a little silhouetto of a man,

The rest of the band sang,

Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango!

They all broke out into smiles during the operatic third verse. Powder alone,

I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me

Zeri and Lux both grabbed her, dramatically fawning as they sang,

He's just a poor boy from a poor family Spare him his life from this monstrosity

As the verse built towards it’s climactic end, they all sang,

Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me,

“Go Starlight!” Powder yelled, and Lux belted the high note,

For me!

Vi shredded out another guitar instrumental, screaming into the microphone with the rest of the band,

So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? So you think you can love me and leave me to die? Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby! Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here

She kept up the pace, the energy building until finally the music collapsed back into a slower tempo. The couch audience held up their phone flashlights, swaying back and forth to the muted end of the song.

Powder took a moment to look at them, her family. It had grown so much in such a short time. She smiled at each of their shining faces, ending with Vi, who returned the joyful grin. Powder sang,

Nothing really matters,

Lux took her hand, drawing her attention, and sang,

Anyone can see

Powder pressed her sweaty forehead against Lux’s, singing,

Nothing really matters

Lux echoed,

Nothing really matters

Then they harmonized,

To me

Ekko played the gentle piano outro, Vi joining quietly on the electric guitar. And here, surrounded by the music and her family, Powder felt completely and totally at peace.

Any way the wind blows

[sadfruittheatre]

Whoops

"Deeji isn't home right now," Dulze explained to the god standing at her door. "She's been out with her father today."

             "...Oh," replied Bragi, the god in question, frowning a bit. "When do you think she will return?"    

             "Probably not too long from now," she answered. He was immediately smiling again.

             "Oh, excellent!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Would it be alright if I waited here for her?" Dulze hesitated a bit.

             "...I guess," she sighed despite her better judgement as she opened the door a little more. "Come on in."

             "Thank you!" Bragi bowed to her slightly before following her inside. Almost automatically, Dulze made a beeline for the refrigerator and grabbed the boy a juice box.

             "Here, help yourself," she said, handing it to him. He accepted it graciously like it was a precious gift and not a juice box for preschoolers. She hoped it would keep him quiet for a little while until Yamcha returned with the kids. In the meantime, she decided to pour herself some coffee.

             And for a time, it did keep things quiet. However, the silence between them grew painfully awkward as they took turns glancing at each other between sips of their respective drinks and looking away the minute they made eye contact. Bragi took note of the necklace Dulze was wearing. It was the one her husband had him make for her. He smiled to himself, quite proud of his handiwork. Perhaps this would be a good topic to break the silence!

             "Oh, Mrs. Dulze, that is a very lovely necklace you're wearing!" he said slyly (or so he thought).

             "Thank you," Dulze replied, trying to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "My husband got it for me."

             "Did he say where? The craftsmanship is incredible! I imagine you must be very happy!"

             "He didn't, but I think I can hazard a guess," she mused, giving him a knowing look. "...Thank you, Bragi." His eyes widened a bit in surprise.

             "Eh? How did you know?" Now she was rolling her eyes.

             "One, Yamcha can't afford something like this on his salary, and two, you're being about as subtle as a brick through a window."

             "...Oh." He felt his face heat up a bit, so he glanced away, fidgeting. "W-Well, umm... I figured it's the least I could do, since you're like family--" He froze, eyes wide. "I mean--" He went to cover his mouth with his hands, but it was too late. Dulze raised an eyebrow as she wondered if she'd heard him right.

             He hadn't meant to say it. He hadn't even meant to think it, but after their last major talk, it had been an idle thought that found itself continuing to grow until this moment, where it had managed to work its way out of his mouth. In that moment, he wished he were an angel so that he could rewind time to just before he made this fatal error. Unfortunately, without that proverbial undo button, there was only one other option: lie his butt off.

             Unfortunately, Bragi was a terrible liar.

             "Whatever you just heard-- whatever you thought you heard-- I didn't say that--" he babbled. "It was a slip of the tongue! A verbal typo! A conspiracy! Slander and lies! I didn't didn't mean that, I didn't say it, I didn't--"

              Dulze had admittedly been caught off guard as well, but she was much better at hiding it. Unfortunately, now that he'd gone and pointed out the elephant in the room, there was no choice but to deal with it.

             "So, that's how it is, hmm?" she sighed, resting her chin in her hand.

             "Y-Yes--er, no--umm, d-depending on what you mean by 'it,' I mean--" Bragi was squirming, practically flailing his arms as he tried in vain to salvage the situation.

             "Hey, slow down a minute," she said in the sort of gentle, yet firm tone she usually had to reserve for her preschoolers. He froze, looking like a deer in headlights. "Come here and sit down." He hesitated, so she urged again, "Come on." Despite feeling like his legs suddenly weighed a ton, Bragi finally did as he was told, sitting stiffly in the chair across from her. Dulze sighed again, taking a deep swig of her coffee.

             "Calm down, you're not in trouble," she said as she set the #1 Mom-Sensei mug back down.

             "I-I would certainly hope not!" he replied, trying (and failing) very hard to play it cool. "It was an honest mistake! That was definitely not the phrase I wanted to use whatsoever! I don't even know where that came from! I would never be so presumptuous as to--"

             "Please," Dulze interrupted, holding out her palm. "I have five year olds who are better liars." Bragi went quiet as he stared down at his lap.

             "I-I'm sorry..." he mumbled, unable to look at her.

             "What for?" she asked, with a bit of a smile in her voice.

             "Because-- I-I mean, you already have your hands full as it is, and... and I am well aware you only tolerate my being here for Deeji's sake, so, umm..."

             "Well, that was true..." she hesitated a moment. "...At least, at first."

             "Huh?"

             "Well, yes, you've been surprisingly good for Deeji, but think about it. Do you think I would go out of my way to find stickers you like, or increase my juice budget to accommodate you? Do you think I would sit and offer you advice if I disliked you that much?" Bragi looked up at her.

             "...Oh," was about all he could muster.

             "Don't get me wrong, you're absolutely a handful, maybe even two,  but that talk we had made me realize that you're really not all that different from the rest of us."

             "...In what manner?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

             "You're covering up a lot. Under all that pomp and circumstance, you're a bit lost, aren't you?" There was that awful feeling in his chest again; the kind that he'd get whenever Maraschi called him out on something about himself that he didn't want to think about.

             "I--" he immediately began to protest, but Dulze cut him off.

             "It's okay! I'd say it's probably a little normal, even. I was the same way at your age." She paused for a second as she remembered he had a good few thousand years on her despite his young appearance and overall demeanor. "...Well, relatively speaking."

             "...Really?" he asked hesitantly.

             "Mmhm. I had to figure a lot of things out on my own, but that's a story for another day. The point is, as much as I hate to admit it, you've... kind of grown on me. A little," she made sure to emphasize. "And, well... I don't think you should have to figure things out on your own either. So, if you ever want to talk about anything, I'm always open."

             "So you mean..." Dulze nodded.

             "...Just think of me like... your cool aunt. Or something." As honored as she was, she was definitely not going to make it a full time job, at least.

             "Aunt..." Bragi murmured under his breath. That wasn't a word or even a concept he'd considered until now, but with it, everything sort of fit into place. He could at least stop worrying about betraying Flann's mothership... Overwhelmed with relief on many different levels, Bragi felt tears start to well up in his eyes. "Thank you...!" Dulze couldn't help but smile a bit and shook her head.

             "Don't start doing all that now! If Deeji walks in the door, you'll make her worry!"

             "I'm trying not to, but...!" he protested, wiping his eyes. But suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. "Wait, Deeji..." Like a switch had been flipped, he suddenly stopped crying and looked toward Dulze excitedly. "Do you realize what this means?!"

             "...I'm afraid to ask."

             "This arrangement makes Deeji and I cousins!" he exclaimed, barely able to sit still. "Isn't that exciting?! I wonder what she'll think? I hope she comes back soon! I can't wait to--"

             "H-Hey, hold on a minute!" Dulze attempted to interrupt, but Bragi was far too excited to pay any mind. All she could do was hope he'd calm down before Deeji arrived.

[haloburns]

had some free time to think today and i just. got really sad about the life i used to think i was going to have before i became disabled

(whoops this turned into a Journal Entry, so im putting it beneath a read more sry lmao)

like. i had plans to travel europe and work in cafes and stay out too late in clubs with my new friends and then stumble in to open the cafe with my clothes from the night before and smeared makeup. and like, maybe thats a weird dream to have, but id spent so long in this tiny little box in my hometown (kinda. its complicated bc ive lived where i am now longer than the place i was born, but my birthplace will always be my hometown, to me.) so i was reaching for experiences so drastically different from the life id known.

but then i went to college out of state. 10h from home, almost in canada. and i did spend a good chunk of my first two years partying exactly like i described: work until 8/9, go home eat something fatty and greasy, change into smth slutty and cool, and go out with my friends and stay out until the wee hours, making out and dancing with whoever asked. two one night stands came of it, both embarrassing for different reasons (thats a whole different post lmao but i dont regret either, actually) but i had so much fun. i felt free. like i could truly be myself for the first time in my life

and then i became disabled.

(caveat: ive probably been disabled my whole life, but i simply. never noticed. i didnt know it wasnt normal to be in pain, because i didnt know what 'pain-free' meant. it wasnt until i started making diasbled and crippled friends that they made me realize that living at a 4/5 on the pain scale All The Time is in fact not normal)

i got a terrible cold my first thanksgiving. spent the entire break on the couch in the lounge sniffling and coughing, trash can, tissues, hand sanitizer, and lotion all right next to me because i was DETERMINED not to get anyone sick (context: this was pre covid. wearing masks was like. not a thought.) despite everyone having gone home/away for the break. i got my first (and only) case of viral pink eye. i had bronchitis until april. that same january, while i still had bronchitis, my knees suddenly swelled up so badly i couldnt move for two days. my knees have ached almost daily since then.

from there, it was simply a cascade failure of things. fingers and wrist hurt constantly, no matter what i did or what brace i wore. (hint: i ended up having de quervaines tenosynovitis and had to have surgery bc it went untreated for 5+ years) back was constantly cramping. feet hurt after only a four hour shift. stairs became impossible. i was constantly exhausted, no matter what i did.

then, in december 2020, i was home like everyone else, and i was working in my mom's office full time while also attending classes full time remotely (like everyone else). my mom took a week off. finals week. she left me in charge, since i was the second most senior person in the office with my roughly two years experience. my half sister was demanding to know why our other sister wouldnt talk to her after she borrowed our car to go see our estranged father. again. (we gave her permission to borrow the car, but it still hurt). the exhaustion was getting worse and worse until thursday of that week. my coworker was threatening to call my mom to come pick me up because i couldnt think, could barely talk, and i was nodding off at my desk. and then my half sister called out of nowhere and wanted to talk. and i was so tired, so done with EVERYTHING, i let her have it. that took the last bit of my energy and i told my coworker to call my mom.

i spent a week in bed with the worst pain in my life. my entire body ACHED. my cat couldnt lay on me because it felt like i was being crushed to death my a bed of needles. my elbow swelled up so badly i could hardly move it. i could barely sit up to eat or stand to go pee. i slept SO MUCH.

i returned to work maybe a week or two after. i maybe finished my classes but i hoenstly dont remember. i moved back up to school in jan/feb with covid restrictions so i could finish my senior year on campus. i couldnt walk to the mail room and back without needing a nap. i couldnt go to starbucks and bring back two coffees without needing a break in the middle of my walk. i went to the health services because something wasnt right.

after some tests and lots of arguing with some shitty doctors and PTs, the light of my life, dr k diagnosed me with chronic fatigue. i finally had an answer for all my issues.

i thought that was it.

that summer, june/july 2021, i developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and fought to get it taken seriously. two er trips with elevated heart rate, brain fog, and high bp, and it took the second trip to have them take me SERIOUSLY and get a referral. the cardiologist told me i was fat and just needed to exercise more, the three heart monitors don't show stereotypical tachycardic events, so im just experiencing elevated heart rates. i was fine. finally convince him to put me on propranolol, the "as needed" dose, and fuck off when he says he wants to work me off them and get me exercising.

i found a doctor who took me seriously and listened when i said "i have x problem. i would like a solution." and gave me referral after referral after referral, chasing more and more diagnoses. she never once made me feel insane for my symptoms, never made me feel unheard, and she never failed to make me cry in relief every time i went to see her and didnt have to fight for just an ounce of care.

since then, ive been diagnosed with moderate asthma, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, and potentially (almost assuredly) hypermobile ehlers-danlos syndrome. (for those of you keeping track, thats six diagnoses in four years) dr m, my savior, retired this year, and ive found a new doctor im hoping i can teach to treat me with the same care and respect. shes already given me a second referral to gastroenterology for my stomach issues (which... might just be from too much ibuprofen... :) rip me) and neurology bc my migraines that have crippled me for upwards of a month before are no longer being managed by my meds and i need something more specific before i start new meds. she said shed find me a doctor to dx heds, bc shes still new and wasnt comfortable with the tests required and didnt want to do it wrong, which endears her to me just a little more

but all of ^^^ that is just a big winding way to say that my life has changed a LOT since i graduated high school. i can no longer stand for long periods of time. i cant lift more than maybe 5-10lbs, and i certainly cant carry it for any significant length of time. i get migraines so easily. my joints slip out of place if i step wrong. i cant go out one night and expect to be up and at'em early the next day. i have to weigh my energy vs what i want to get done vs what needs to get done, and most days, nothing gets done at all.

and sometimes, usually when i get a new diagnosis and a new complication to my life, i mourn the life i used to dream about for myself. i mourn the things ive had to lose out on because my reality has changed so drastically. i cant go to amusement parks anymore. i cant go to standing-room-only concerts. i cant go to the grocery by myself. and you can forget doing things like wandering through the mall to kill time or going for a leisurely walk around the park.

being disabled is not the worst thing to happen to me, and i dont think im damaged or broken or anything like that. despite all the pain and complications and accomodations i have and need, i love myself the way i am. after all, i am now the funniest fucking person in ANY room. i dont think i want it back, because i love the life i have now (meaningful volunteer work, a dnd group i love, and a partner i thank the stars for regularly). but sometimes, its hard not to mourn the life i thought id have

[peregrineggsandham]

Been playing Dark Souls I for the first time, blind. It's my first-ever Soulsborne game but after really enjoying other games that have been compared to Dark Souls for a variety of reasons (encouraging exploration, interconnected world, lore/plot that is drip-fed through sparse dialogue and item descriptions, combat that is challenging but fundamentally fair, environmental storytelling, themes of light/dark not necessarily corresponding one-to-one with good/evil, "dark fantasy" setting in general, secrets upon secrets upon secrets) I decided to give it a shot.

Have been completely blind so please no spoilers, even though this game is now 12 years old. All I know about the lore is... uh... Aviators music. Really enjoying having context for songs I've loved for years. Fading Light really hits now, it's awesome.

Thoughts below.

[Edit: an absolute shit-ton of thoughts below, sorry y'all, it just kept going.]

...I am loving this game, y'all. I understand why it's a classic and damn, I think I'm gonna end up playing through the whole series. Eventually. Too bad Bloodborne doesn't have a PC port, because I hear it has a more explicitly Lovecraftian vibe and I am here for that aesthetic.

...Will say that this is entirely blind save for one googling which amounted to "hey I consistently suck at bosses that require me to split my focus because I have a hard time tracking moving things on a screen, but... Ornstein and Smough are a pain in the ass for everyone, right? right? they are exactly the kind of boss I tend to be very bad at but it isn't just me right??"

(very glad to see the answer was yes, finally gave in and summoned another player for help. Thank you Percy, whoever you are. I think I could beat them solo, I was getting either of them in their giant forms to about half-health pretty consistently, but by then it had been far, far too many hours and I have real-world things to do, I really couldn't spare the time to keep trying. for now. maybe later.)

(felt kinda bad about it for a bit but then with the Lordvessel in hand holy fuck I have fast travel now and it feels amazing I went into the magma-y depths and took care of the... whats-his-name, the guy who acted just like the Stray Demon. Having beat the Stray Demon, it only took a couple tries, and then I one-shot the one after it, whom I think was called the Centipede Demon but whom I have dubbed Crawly.)

Currently throwing myself at the Bed of Chaos, who feels more "environmental hazard" than "boss" but after the rest of the... gauntlet?... kind of a nice break.

(Admittedly I realized late that it was a gauntlet - I beat Ceaseless Discharge right after Quelaag and then learned there was nowhere to go afterwards, whoops.)

Lore Musings:

(Look I know I'm probably super off - this game is very old and has sequels and I'm sure people have spent literal months of their lives piecing it all together, and believe you me I will be watching lore videos... after I have finished the game. By which I here mean "gotten all achievements". Which, google tells me [I like to check these things] will take three playthroughs. So it'll be a while, and it's fun to piece things together on my own! Feel free to hint cheekily at things that are right and wrong here but please don't spoil.)

I've been told I am to succeed Lord Gwyn and take his place to "link the first flame" and prolong the Age of Fire. Mm. Right. So. That seems lovely. Really, honestly, lovely - the world is beautiful. Worth keeping it going, I think.

(I had an initial theory that, having kinda passed its natural endpoint, the whole world was basically "undead" - lumbering on after it was supposed to have ended. So that prolonging it would effectively curse everyone to eventually go Hollow. But it sounds like "linking"/succeeding Gwyn would actually return things to how they were a millennia ago and solve this whole undead problem.)

......However. Two issues there.

First Issue: One of my favorite games of all time is Hollow Knight, which I've heard is rather DS-inspired. I definitely see how. Not just the metroidvania design and emphasis on challenging bosses and drip-fed lore, but themes. Light and dark. A sacrifice to keep something at bay, who is failing in their duty, who needs to be replaced. Now, I'm not going to rely on a completely different game to inform my understanding of this one's lore, but...

... But... well, this isn't a permanent solution, is it? Something like a thousand years ago, as I understand it so far, shit went down. People started becoming undead, Gwyn went off to Do Something About It. (Also the Witch of Izalith fell to Chaos around that time? Will get there.) Havel went Hollow and was locked in his tower, presumably by Gwyn (which was my original clue that Gwyn/the Lords were still alive after their whole Lords vs. Dragons showdown, since it meant Gwyn had to still have been around when the zombie problem began - love this piecemeal lore).

Gwyn "linked the flame" (the First Flame? what did he link it to? current bet is the Shrine, since that is what it is named - maybe that has something to do with why its Firekeeper, of all of them, seems to have some terrible penance she is performing). Now it's my turn? But Gwyn was a Lord (whatever that means? current guess is Lord=God but we've heard of more gods than just the four, so honestly I'm gonna base my Lord=God assumption entirely on what happens when I collect a Lord's soul and whether they look like the other unique souls in my inventory, since that would imply they're a similar kind of soul).

I am not a Lord. I'm just some dude. a flawed vessel, if you will.

Meaning that eventually - and probably less than 1000 years from now, someone is going to have to succeed me. (Was Gwyn even the first?)

How far will this go? How long can this last?

We're prolonging the inevitable.

(Also what does "linking the fire" entail and is this a Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas situation.)

Now, you could easily frame "prolonging the inevitable" as either a good or bad thing.

(1) Theme of persistence and hope: Even if the end is inevitable, isn't it worth fighting to drive it back as long as possible? Just because everything ends doesn't mean we shouldn't give up and wait for it to happen. We must fight to keep the fire lit, as long as we can.

(2) Theme of acceptance and change: Yes, everything ends and the end is inevitable - fighting that will only lead to despair. Ends are not bad, change is not bad, and letting change occur is not giving up - it is only witnessing the start of a new age. Even if we can bring it back to its former glory in some day, is the world not, by this point, undead?

Is that a bad thing to be?

Even if it isn't, is there new life that we are preventing from existing?

Now of course you can argue that there is not new life! What is to come is darkness! It is devouring, consumption, end, ash, blindness! (Funny, though, isn't it how all of those things can come also from wildfires.) Dark is bad. Obviously. Of course we don't want the end to come, when all it will bring is despair.

But then, that's the Second Issue:

"Falling to dark", the end of the age of fire, it's all presented as quite horrible. Fair enough! It does, indeed, seem to be! Certainly darkness is a corrupting force - Gwyn's soul (?) split into four, Four Kings, falling to dark - don't know what that's about yet, I imagine I have to find some way to drain New Londo to find out.

Point is, darkness is bad! Very bad! Everyone is quite insistent upon this! Dark=bad. Falling to it = bad.

....

........Except I'm in Lost Izalith right now and it's. uh.

not gonna lie, it's pretty bad here.

and it's very, very bright.

Here, in this lava-lit city, where Solaire himself found a "sun" so blindingly beautiful he lost himself to it. Here, where the witches who had mastered fire - mastered light - fell just as hard.

Light, it seems, is just as corrupting a force.

"Chaos" is more confusing - I think it's effectively the primordial base from which light and dark arise, aka "Disparity", will have to watch the opening cutscene for a third time. But that doesn't seem quite right since seems to be more light-aligned, what with the chaos fire pyromancies and seeing how the witch and her daughters were corrupted by chaos. not dark. they did not fall to dark.

Again, haven't figured out what's going on with the Kings yet, but...

...I am not convinced that dark is evil.

And I'm not convinced that clinging to light is the right thing to do.

Fantasy likes to paint darkness as stagnation and death, light as life and change.

But as I understand it, both light and dark arose from Disparity, which had something to do with the First Flame. They were created at the same time. There is no such thing as light without a corresponding concept of darkness. They are equals.

Stagnation, emptiness, those aren't characteristics of darkness, they're characteristics of the ancient world, the one the dragons ruled/existed in. Dragons which might (?) have been made of stone, the #1 metaphor for something firm and unchanging and eternal (geologists everywhere just rolled their eyes). Eternity, immortality, that predates light and dark.

The concept of decay and death requires a concept of life, of change. A world of dark is not a world without change. Things still died in the Age of Fire; it is not eternal. (that's rather the whole "problem", actually). Hell, Nito is apparently "first of the dead" and he was born of flame like the other Lords as per opening cinematic. Things will, presumably, still live in some future Age of Darkness.

...the entire point of disparity, of fire, was the introduction of the possibility of change.

........so it kind of feels that the perpetuation of this world, a world of Fire Unchanging, would be just... a shallow and ill-fitting recreation of How It Used To Be during the age before disparity came to be.

Like. Look. Uninformed blind-playthrough timeline here: There was Stagnation, all stone and dragons. Then, Disparity was born, Change, and with it Light and Dark. The Souls of Lords were found, and used Light to fight against Stagnation. (I feel like Dark would have worked just as well.) They built a world of Light.

Now everyone is upset that Change is happening? My dudes you built this place out of one half of Change incarnate. It does that! It's almost as if you didn't really want Change, you just wanted a new world of Stagnation in which you ruled as gods.

A new eternal kingdom, made of fire instead of stone.

But fire isn't stone. Fires go out, eventually. And are rekindled.

....Funny, it's almost like a classic dark-light-dark-light cycle. The story is so close to "there was dark, then light, now dark is coming again and everyone fond of light is trying to stop it".

But it's not.

Because there hasn't been dark - at least, not a full-on Age of it. I think. I dunno, there are two more games and I haven't finished this one yet but...

...I suspect that that kind of cycle is exactly what would happen if this age ended! Dark is born of disparity, too! It'd end eventually, and a new Age of Fire would be born, and so on, ad infinitum, until even change itself changes and the cycle is broken, because an infinite cycle is really just its own kind of stagnation and one day someone will have to make that choice.

But that's not this story. This cycle hasn't even started, because fire is clung to so tightly.

Maybe that's not a bad thing. Again, infinite cycles, not great, but... more natural, certainly. And if dark is destruction without rebirth, decay without fertilization of new soil, despair and suffering without relief, then, well, I can't say I disagree.

...............but is it though? all I have been told of it comes from its kings and those who followed them. maybe they are corrupt and unwilling to give up their power. or maybe, more likely, they are only afraid of the dark.

....We are afraid of the dark when we do not know what lurks in it. Souls of Lords, found in the flame - they're children of light, then? What do I know so far, that is born from the dark? Anything?

........yeah I have no idea if I am reading really really really too far into this but from what I know of games that take inspiration from this and from what osmosis of its Themes has entered pop culture I really don't think I am. (and hell, even if I am, it's super fun)

I don't know if I'm going to have the choice to succeed Gwyn or not but I have a sneaking suspicion that the answer is yes given that the achievements list gives two endings named "To Link the Fire" and "The Dark Lord" (the latter of which... uh... vaguely ominous)

also side note what the fuck is humanity

and also talking about Lords why has no one mentioned the furtive pygmy since the opening cutscene. "so easily forgotten indeed"

Four souls for the Lordvessel: Nito, the Witch, Gwyn in four pieces via the Kings…. and Seath? The dragon? Not the pygmy. What happened to the pygmy.

[rewatched cutscene] "then from the Dark, they came" are those humans. those look like humans.

something is very weird here.

WAIT FUCK corollary to 49

"Then from the Dark, they came" humans. found lords in the flame. are humans are born of dark like lords are of light?

.....well what the fuck does that mean?

if lords=gods, are humans "dark" things that have been ruled by light for millennia? i mean, that's not so bad, light is lovely, big fan of fire, I am a bona fide swamp-dwelling pyromancer fire is my jam 10/10 would solve all my problems with arson wait are we the fucking "dark souls"

I mean we exist during this Age of Fire, but we're also turning undead. A problem the gods don't (?) seem to be having.

…We are afraid of the dark when we do not know what lurks in it.

What if we are what lurks in it?

...........alright now I'm reading too much into this. But I LOVE this kind of lore where things all just feel… kind of off? As if there is some big picture you can't -quite- see.

I am under no illusion these questions'll be answered perfectly in-game, and I'm well aware there are 12 years of figuring all this out for me to catch up on! But damn if it isn't fun to specul-

THE HUMANITY ITEM. IS A FUCKING. BOSS SOUL ITEM. IN INVERTED COLORS.

.........

Gripes:

...not many. But the one thing. My nemesis. In this game. Is the god-damned keyboard menu controls. Look, I get that this was made for controller! I do! But I do not own one! Navigating the weapon/item selection is one thing, I'm [checks steam] 84.7 hours in [...oh god, really?? holy fuck. dear lord.] and have finally gotten a handle on that!

But the button to unequip an item in the equipment screen is the same as the button to switch to inspection in the... item screen. whatever you call it. and I suspect this would actually be the same for controller.

How many times have I unequipped something when I meant to look at it? many. 84.7 hour in, how often do I do this still? usually.

...also I only found that bonfire in Sen's Fortress via combination of friendly player message and sheer dumb luck holy crap that would have been a nightmare y'all didn't need to make them that hidden.

......also it'd be very nice if NPCs had some sort of indicator of their name, or mentioned it more than once. I remember Solaire (...RIP, poor dude found his new sun, I carry his talisman in solidarity) and Quelana (because it's so close to Quelaag) and Eingyi (he's mentioned in an item description and the whole... egg... thing haunted me for ages before I met him) and Sif (because why would you make me kill a good pup, guard dog wolf with sword, best friend, she [? female name in Norse myth, not sure if character is also female] was protecting her master's damned grave she did not deserve this) and for some reason Laurentius (dunno why that one stuck) but everyone else gets monikers. Onionman. Bird Friend. Sad Friend. Blacksmith. Bigger Blacksmith. Deader Blacksmith. Sadder Blacksmith. Cheshire Cat Lady.

(Frampt is remembered now because Gwynevere says his name but in my heart he is still Mr. Teeth.)

..........yeah that's all I got, honestly, I have loved everything else about this game.

WAIT NO

ONE MORE THING THAT I REALLY HATE

so there are all these player messages before female characters with no tops reading "great chest ahead"

ha ha very amusing yes chuckle chuckle

BUT

you know who has a very well-defined chest on full display right there in your face and for whom I have never seen a single "great chest ahead" message?

SMOUGH.

i realize that he is wearing armor but i have no reason to believe it isn't form-fitting and true-to-life. dude may as well be topless. there is no smough boobs appreciation and i will not stand for it.

To conclude, I present two pieces of evidence:

"Since his sores were inflamed by lava from birth, his witch sisters gave him this special ring." - Orange Charred Ring item description

"...the Witch of Izalith and her Daughters of Chaos..." - opening cinematic

Diversity win! Ceaseless Discharge is trans.

[wldrose]

Challenge

Technically her challenge is finally done. I'm just tying up loose ends with Yuuji, but the drabble and stuff is ready. Anyway, Kugisaki already sustained some gnarly scarring over her right side of her face (eye area) from the Down You Go event when she and Vash were up against this alien creature. Just a refresher, she got slashed by the alien's Knives' attacks AND got sprayed by its alien acid juice whoops. It's caused her to lose sight on her right eye but also caused her to have a nasty burn over that part of her face and scars from the slashes she received as well.

However, after her challenge, she's sustained new injuries on top her previous ones. In the challenge, she took a drink that the Stars so kindly handed her and it put Kugisaki to sleep for 24 hours. Whatever injury she received in her dream-state, she also got in her actual body so there's that.

With that being said...Her eye is still a milky cloud where she cannot see through, but there are now some black splotches in her eye as well. While only partial right side of her face (around her eye) was disfigured from down you go, about a quarter more is disfigured. From her eyebrow all the way to the corner of her lip to her cheek is injured pretty badly. People will notice this a little bit more even when she's wearing her eyepatch.

If you are unfamiliar with what happens in one of the chapters of Jujutsu Kaisen (SPOILERS FROM HERE ON)

Mahito and Yuuji is going against each other one on one

Mahito splits himself into two. The real Mahito remains going against Yuuji while the other runs off

Kugisaki and second Mahito meets. They fight.

Mahito realizes that Kugisaki is not one to fuck with (her cursed technique is perfect to go up against Mahito!)and runs away. He has a trick up his sleeve.

Kugisaki follows. Mahito and fake Mahito sneakily switches place, Yuuji notices but Kugisaki who had her guard down notices a little too late.

Mahito makes contact to Kugisaki's face and disfigures the right side of her face horribly.

It's in the air still if she's alive or dead (but as much as I don't wanna admit it....Kugisaki might actually be gone in the manga 😔

[clubsmarties]

"Hey!" Wally exclaimed making his dimple show as crystal green eyes looked up at her excitedly. "I guess I really was talking to your walls. Anyway," he shook his head and offered her some cake. "You should have some. Taste the fruits of your labor. Isn't that a silly expression. How are fruits in labor?" The idea of it just making him chuckle. "I'm not lost silly," his finger tapped her nose or as close to her nose as he could get before he released a sigh. "Not lost. I just didn't like how we left things. I don't like it. Feels weird and strained and that's not us. Sure, I didn't forsee the giant fuck ups we'd be met with but that's the job. Rolling with the punches." He'd lost track of his sentence but quickly brought it back. "I'm sorry. Genuinely so. No I'm fine. Meds taking effect. Good as new in no time."

His head leaned back at her door and sighed. "It's nice having you here. I don't think I told you that. I miss adventure week. Remember? No. Probably not. Been a while. You kinda didn't talk to me for a bit. Why?" He had a lot of questions he knew that. "You can think of the answers while you sleep or rest. You don't need to tell me right now. It's late. Or early depending how you see it."

"Hey, do you regret coming? I think you do maybe. I drew something for you. Its in my room but can show you tomorrow. Not important." He closed his eyes and hummed. "Not asleep just resting my eyes. Did you see the ocean?"

Silence was not his friend, he hated it. "I asked you before if you liked muffins. Where did you learn to make this? I want....I don't know what I want. Maybe finish off this marvelous cake and sleep for a week. It'd be the same amount of time you were busy. Was it true you were busy." His hand wobbled the mug and he got so surprised. "Whoops. Better keep that one steady.'

'Did you like the ocean? Could you smell the sea breeze coming in?" His head turned to look at her, green eyes shining as they blinked at her. "You know," he started as he took a look at her hair. "This is nice.' To what nice was he referring to he had no idea but he liked the fact that he could look at her without having to search her face. She was just there. 'For the record. I'm not loopy." Though he sounded it but he was sure he wasn't.

"You and I both." She patted his shoulder with a small sigh. It was a fact she had come to know him since meeting him. Their conversations, their glimpses into each other's upbringings. Well more like her into his with the little she shared with him. "Well don't say I didn't warn you when you find yourself flat on your back in the first couple of seconds."

The salt in the air, the sounds of the crashing waves, and the night began to calm her. Bring her back to what mattered and what didn't. And a big part of her hated it. The usual gene, instinct, whatever the hell it could be called, to run was nowhere to be heard or seen. Instead, there was a voice that said that she needed to get some rest and apologize tomorrow instead. It irked her but annoyed her more that it was right.

There was no way that she was going to leave now that she knew for sure what his goal was. Wasn't that why Charlie had created Thieves Gambit? To help people instead of hurt them? Wasn't that what Wally was doing, helping someone? Internally something told her that she was oversimplifying this, that it was two very different situations. Yet, she knew this world inside and out, he was already injured, she needed to stay the course. Much like she had known in life, she needed to lay the traps out and wait for the bait to be taken and help Wally accomplish what needed to be done.

Knowing that there would only be little time until the sun would break across the sky, she decided to head back to her room. Taking one last glance out at the dark sky meeting the ocean at the horizon, where they combined into one, and you wouldn't be able to tell where one ended and the other began unless you knew what you were looking for, she decided to head back to her room. Any little bit of rest she would be able to get would help for what comes next.

Making her way down and back towards her room, she found herself yawning and actually looking forward to sleeping for a little bit. The ocean waves had served more than just a lull, it was also something that grounded her. Calmed her. When suddenly she found herself wide awake at the sight outside of her bedroom door. "Wally?" A small wave of worry overcame her thinking he perhaps was hurt again but saw the mug next to him. Had he come over just to thank her for it? Kneeling besides him, she looked him over to make sure that he didn't have any more injuries than he had earlier before asking, "Seems you got lost, need some help up?"

[veliseraptor]

☕️ Golden core reveal and what it means for the two prides of Yunmeng

took a while to get to this because I needed to sit down and take a minute about it. been a bit since I got in my yunmeng shuangjie feelings but that just means it's a good time to get back in them eh

this is one of those things where I'm like...there are so many ways this could go from where it ends in canon, which is one of the things I find so fascinating about it, and why it's so interesting to pick at. because if we're talking about the side of it in canon, namely the fact that Wei Wuxian gave up his golden core for Jiang Cheng, then...that really does detonate a bomb in, particularly, Jiang Cheng's conception of a lot of things. it rearranges the way he has to perceive a whole lot of stuff from before Wei Wuxian died in a very painful way, changes the context of what he thought he understood, and specifically does that years after the fact at the point when he's had a long time to figure out how to come to terms with everything that went wrong.

in the face of tragedy, people like to make sense of it somehow, and Jiang Cheng I think spent a solid amount of time trying to make sense of what went wrong, and when, and where, and why, and came to his own conclusions about all of those things based on the information he had. and part of the way he decided to cope with it is, I think, deciding that his relationship with Wei Wuxian decayed because Wei Wuxian didn't care about him enough to stay; that ultimately Wei Wuxian cared more about the Wen, or himself, or demonic cultivation, than he did about Jiang Cheng (or Jiang Yanli). and he operates with that assumption when Wei Wuxian is dead, and he continues to operate with it when Wei Wuxian comes back.

and then he finds out that whoops! your brother loves you! so much so that he destroyed himself because he thought he had to in order to fix you! and that's, you know, a lot on its own, but it also forces a perspective shift on a tectonic level that rattles Jiang Cheng all the way to his core.

but I think he sort of comes to the conclusion, or at least somewhat the resignation, that it's too late now. things have gone too far and changed too much to mend what's broken, and I don't think he necessarily knows where to start; on the other side of things Wei Wuxian is tired and the reveal rips open some old wounds for him, too (though I think not quite as many; he's not dealing with the same perspective shift). I think he just wants to move on, not in the sense of "doesn't want a relationship anymore" but in the sense of "doesn't want to keep dwelling on the past," and he's in a position where that's easier to do, in some ways, than it is for Jiang Cheng.

I wrote in everyone else is spring bound:

“I told you,” Wei Wuxian said slowly. “It’s in the past, now. You don’t need to-”

“For you it is,” Jiang Cheng said. “For you it’s history, another life, whatever. For me it’s-” Inescapably present. There, inside me, under my heart, sustaining me. “-not.”

and that I think is part of the problem: the disjunction between a Wei Wuxian who wants to leave it behind and Jiang Cheng, who needs to process it.

none of this is to say - I hope obviously! - that there's no way for them to figure it out, or that they shouldn't, or don't want to, etc. etc. just that for all there's an idea sometimes that truth clears the air or whatever and makes it easier for them to approach each other...while that's not not true in this case I think it also in some ways presents its own new challenges.

as far as the other half of the golden core hot potato game...I go back and forth on whether it would help. I don't think Jiang Cheng would ever voluntarily or intentionally tell Wei Wuxian about his choice to sacrifice himself to the Wen; there are a lot of reasons for that but I think one of them is that to him it would feel pathetic and petty, like he was saying "see, I made my sacrifice too, so you should still love me" or something like that. if Wei Wuxian found out somehow...I don't know. I think it would be complicated and messy and painful and very fun for me to read about but I think in the long term it would depend on how Wei Wuxian reacted to that knowledge, and I can see a lot of different ways he might go with it.

wow this got long. well like I said been a while since I got in my yunmeng shuangjie feelings but I've still got em. guess I should go back to trying to finish that fic I was working on. once I can write again.

[rmoonstoner]

Kinktober 18+

04 - Size Difference- The Lycanthrope

Pairing: Werewolf MK System x Petite Female Reader

Warnings: Size difference, breeding kink, werewolf mates, soul mates, knotting, biting and scratching, marking, p in v sex, creampie, human werewolf, no furry sex, no wolf penis, it's a regular penis that can knot, chasing kink, pregnancy mentioned at the end, cunnalingus

Not proofread at all, and it's late. Whoops. 🤡

***

It was the night of the full moon on a fall day. The skies were clear and the stars were bright in the sky. You had gone camping to a nearby lake in the mountains to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Your new boyfriends of three months had pleaded with you to come with them to check out the cabin they had purchased for real cheap.

The cabin itself was secluded, and far away from any other people. You were barely able to get your jeep up to this place, and frankly, if it didn't have 4x4, you wouldn't have made it.

The cabin was clean and cozy. It only had one large room, a small bedroom, and a small bathroom with a shower. You and the boys had been cleaning it the entire day, and decided to call it quits for the night. You went outside to have a joint, and Jake was the one to follow you.

"Mi amor… The moon is almost at its peak." Jake murmured as he wrapped his arms around you and swayed to the battery operated radio you had outside.

"Hm, yes. It is so pretty. I hear the aurora borealis is supposed to appear soon." You replied with a smile and handed the joint over. Jake took it and inhaled a deep hit.

"Yeah…" He nodded and nuzzled into your neck.

Jake was very touchy feely, more so than normal. He had been demanding cuddles just as much as Steven did. And Steven had become exceptionally bold. He had made out with you an hour ago on the hood of your Jeep. Earlier that day, Marc had snuggled with you for hours, instead of fucking off first thing in the morning like he usually did.

"I have to take a piss. I'll be right back." Jake said as he went and vanished behind some trees to do his business. You smiled and went over to your jeep to grab a pop from the cooler in the back. You drank it while checking your phone to see the time, and if you had any signal up here, which you didn't. It was just about midnight, and the clouds were almost all cleared away. It would be a perfect view of the lights in the night sky.

You heard some rustling in the bushes near where Jake had disappeared. You looked up, expecting your boyfriend to come out, but instead, nothing but more rustling could be heard. You trained your ears for any sounds of movement, hearing a faint groaning. The sound was almost painful to hear.

"Jake? You okay?" You called out as you went closer. You wanted to make sure you weren't interrupting him or anything.

But no reply was to be had.

All you got was a strangled grunt and whimper that almost sounded canine. You could hear twigs snapping and heavy breathing, making you seriously think that something was wrong. You got closer, pulling a branch back as you looked around in the dark for your boyfriend.

"Jake? Is it still you, or..?" You said loudly. You walked deeper and deeper into the brush, the sounds seemingly getting farther and farther away as you approached.

"Honey? Sweetheart?" You kept calling for him, switching to pet names in case he had switched alters.

The sounds had died off, and now everything was eerily quiet. You couldn't hear anything, except the slight rustle of the wind through the trees. It was unnerving, and you were worried.

"Come on!" You yelled. You heard a low humming that sounded suspiciously like a wild animal. You bet they were playing a prank on you.

"This isn't funny. Please come out!" You barked out.

The humming got louder, but now it sounded like aggressive growling. You tensed a bit, feeling a trickle of fear begin to pool in the bottom of your gut. You rapidly looked around, trying to find any sign of your boys, but all you found was darkness and the light of the full moon shining down through the trees. With one final passing glance, your eyes locked onto a set of glowing white dots.

"Love? Is that you? Please stop fucking around. I don't like it." You trembled a bit as the glowing dots went sideways, almost as if they were eyes on face that was tilting to the side in curiosity.

More rustling and a shadowy figure came out from the bushes. It appeared to be your boyfriend's form, but nearly doubled in size. The heavy breathing was coming from the shadow, and when it stepped into the light, you could see Jake's face.

He wore a snarling scowl, his mouth oddly misshapen from his teeth looking sharp and long. His facial hair had seemingly grown out in a thick beard, and his black curls seemed to puff out. His shoulders were hunched, and his overall bulk was much larger than before. His shirt was tight enough to give way at the seams, and his pants were straight up missing.

You were filled with terror at the sight of your boyfriend looking like he had suddenly become a feral animal.

"Jake..?" Your voice quivered as he took a step closer towards you, his head cocked to the side as he sniffed the air. His eyes twitched and he jerked his head back as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He looked at you again, his eyebrows turned up in sadness.

"Run." Begged the raspy voice of Steven.

You gasped and turned around, scrambling to get away from him and almost tripped. You dashed into the brush and maneuvered yourself over fallen trees, through bushes, and avoiding stray rocks in your path.

The entire time you could hear heavy breathing and the sounds of thudding behind you as you were chased. You realized right quick you had gone the wrong way, and away from the campsite. You tried fixing this mistake by taking a wide angle in the trees to get back to the Jeep, but failed and you couldn't spot it at all. You switched directions when a sudden growl was heard to your right.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, mi vida…" Jake's raspy voice echoed around you. You couldn't tell where he was, and it sounded like the bushes were rustling all around you. You looked up to the sky, using the stars to guide you, and you bolted north, towards where you hoped your cabin was.

A howl was heard southeast of you, sounding almost like a strangled cry of desperation. You flinched and sped up, only to trip and fall on the ground because of a loose tree root. You landed hard, twisting your ankle in the process. You cried out, tears stinging your eyes as you tried to get up.

"I can smell you, sweetheart." Marc's voice hit your ears. You shivered at the way he spoke, because it sounded like he wanted to eat you, and not in a good way. You got up and scrambled away, your ankle hurting badly as you limped over things.

Finally, you could now see the vehicle in the distance.

You ran towards the Jeep, making good time as you broke into the clearing. You went to the doors, trying to open them, but then remembered that you didn't have the keys. You turned towards the cabin and decided to try and get inside to lock the doors.

You darted into the cabin and slammed the door shut, locking it and running to the windows to shutter them in. You ran to the back bedroom and hid inside. Loud scratching and creaking could be heard from the front door as it was being pried from its hinges. Deep guttural growling and snarling came from the front of the cabin as you heard the door crack and land with a clattering thud.

Your heart pounded in your chest as you heard his footsteps make their way towards the bedroom. You had not thought things through, because the window was too small to fit through, and there was no other way out.

"I can't hold myself back any longer. You smell too sweet. I have to have you." Steven's voice came out a growling whisper behind the bedroom door.

You shuddered, the fear pushing you to try and think of what to do. It was hard, but your eyes caught sight of the attic trap door. You hopped onto the bed with a wince as the door groaned from the force of being pushed on. You could barely reach the trap door, so you tried to jump, just barely missing the rope handle.

The door finally gave way with a crack. It hung from the hinges as a hulking shadow stood in the doorway. You froze in place, seeing glowing eyes staring back at you.

This was it.

You were going to be torn apart by your boyfriends.

The worst part, was that you didn't know if they purposely planned this trip to murder you, or if they genuinely had no idea that this was happening. It broke your heart, and you suddenly resigned yourself. With tears in your eyes, you sank to your knees and hung your head as you shook from fear.

"There you are…" This time it sounded like all three of them were speaking at once, their voices all speaking at the same time. It was unnatural.

"I… I am r-ready to d-die…" You replied with a bit of a sobbing wobble. They snorted and a deep laugh reverberated through the room.

"We won't kill you." They said, and you looked up in surprise, cheeks stained with your hot tears.

"What?"

"We don't wish to kill or hurt you." They took a few steps forwards, making their way to the edge of the bed. You noticed the rest of their clothing was gone, including their boxers. Your eyes stopped in their tracks when they got to their groin.

Dear Gods and Goddesses above…

It was huge, painfully hard, and leaking generously with precome.

It was then that it set in what they wanted, no, needed from you. Your face heated up, as did the rest of your body. The fear slowly rolled away to nervous arousal.

"Take off your clothes. Please." It was Steven this time. His clawed hands came up to gently cup your face. You could see the pain and anguish in his eyes at having to refrain from taking you without your consent.

"Okay…" You replied as you tugged your clothes off as quickly as you could and sat there. You didn't want to test the promise of not hurting you if you took your time.

"¡Mierda! Such a good girl for us…" Jake purred out as he crawled onto the bed with you. The bed creaked under his added weight, and you felt yourself burn with desire as his large hands roamed down your sides. You shivered and found that he was still being overly gentle, because Jake normally would have your legs over his shoulders by now.

"P-papi… I am scared…" You whimpered while staring at his heavy cock. It was much bigger than it normally was.

"Mmm… Don't be, carino." Jake said as he cupped your breasts and leaned down to lick them. You moaned and arched your back into his touch.

"Will it hurt?" You gasped out, feeling him move his large hands down to your bottom and your thighs.

"A little." He said, this time Marc's voice came growling out softer than before. He grabbed your thighs and pulled up suddenly, forcing you onto your back. You yelped as he stuffed his face into your heat and lapped at your opening.

Oh sweet Gods above, his tongue was much larger now, and it hit all the right spots just right. Electricity shot through you, making you convulse and see stars. You could feel your clit being rubbed thoroughly and it was fucking amazing.

"Fuck!" You gasped out as your hands flew to his head, fingers digging into his hair to pull on as you thrust your hips up for more.

He growled loudly in response, obviously pleased that you weren't fighting him. He delved his tongue deep into your hole, taking long and languid licks. The way his beard was rubbing at your skin felt amazing, tingling each nerve. You melted for him, finding that you enjoyed this so much.

"Feels so good…" You breathed as he suckled on your clit, rolling his tongue all around it. You shook violently as an orgasm hit you so suddenly, you tried to close your legs around his head. He refused to allow you to do that, and he kept you spread eagle as he drank back the gush of fluid you released. You could hear the wet sounds of him slurping away mixed with a low growl.

He let go once you stopped shaking as badly. He loomed over you, licking his lips as he stared at your heavily breathing and limp form. The way his eyes glowed in the low light of the room held you still, almost mesmerized in a trance.

"So good for us… You smell and taste so sweet tonight." It was still Marc. He grinned down at you as he grabbed his thick cock and gave it a slow stroke. A thick glob of precome came dribbling out, and ran down the underside of his shaft.

"You're ovulating…" Marc continued with a groan as his dick pulsed painfully.

His other hand slipped under your ass, pulling your hips back up as he positioned himself at your entrance and rubbed the tip against your folds. You felt your pussy clench around nothing as he rubbed your clit with the head of his cock.

"You're exactly who we have been searching for… A perfect mate…" Marc whined while dipping his face down to nuzzle into your neck. You let out an unsteady breath as he nudged his way in.

Oh fuck.

He was so thick, it was bringing you to your limit, but it felt amazing. Your nails were digging into the meat of his back as he entered you. You wrapped your legs as best as you could around his waist as he sank in, inch by agonizing inch, until he had no more room to go any deeper. He paused, allowing you time to adjust, and he looked down into your eyes.

"M-marc… I feel so full…" You whined at him as you clenched his cock. He kissed your forehead and rubbed his hairy cheek against yours.

"You will feel even more full soon." He grunted and then he reared back, hands holding your hips as he started to thrust in and out of you.

You keened and bucked up against him as he set a gruelling pace. Marc was not being gentle, but he wasn't trying to be rough, either. So far, nothing was hurting outside of the regular and normal sex things. You wondered when that would happen, or if you were just lucky enough that they were taking your safety into account.

That thought was quickly shuffled away when a heavy pressure was felt down there. You burned as you felt the stretch, his cock somehow growing larger around the base. It was almost painful, but the pleasure from him grinding into you was making it bearable.

"Our pretty little mate…" Again, you could hear all three of their voices at once.

"You will make a perfect mother for our children." They groaned as their movements became faster and harder. You scratched at their back, squirming as you came again.

"Fuck, boys…" You moaned hard as they adjusted your waist, somehow dipping deeper inside of you. You felt another orgasm quickly approaching, and you were not prepared for it.

"We are going to fuck you all night, until daybreak." They hissed as they ground harder into you, face against the crook of your neck and shoulder. You screamed as you came again, soaking the sheets beneath you.

"Steven… Fuck, fuck! Marc… Oh Gods… Jake!" You couldn't take the maddening pleasure, so you bite down on their shoulder while trying to muffle your screams.

They snarled in response, and that's when the pain came seering through as they bit down into your flesh. You spasmed and convulsed, eyes rolling back as you felt them spurt inside of you. You could feel your womb expanding, filling up with their come as they stilled. They licked your wound as their hips stuttered, and you tried to push them off of you for a break, but they held on tightly.

"Can't move yet." Suddenly it was Steven's voice whimpering in your ear. You whimpered back, trying to ask why, but your voice failed you. Luckily Steven was coherent enough to explain.

"We're sorry, love. We can't move yet. The knot hasn't subsided." Steven whispered as he kissed all over your face.

You didn't bother asking why, because at that point you knew what was happening. Instead, you slowly ran your shaking hands through his hair as he gazed down at you with nothing but love and affection. Steven slowly flipped over so you were on top, and you whined at the movement. He hushed you and stroked your hair and back.

"We love you, so bloody much. We hope you're not angry with us…"

"I'm not angry. I love you guys, too. But you should have fucking warned me, instead of scaring the shit out of me."

"Sorry…"

True to their word, the night continued on like this until morning. By the time the full moon was gone, you were exhausted and completely spent. The bed was broken, bedding soaked, and you were not going anywhere for a while. The boys had given you the best after care you had ever received and then waited on you hand and foot for the rest of the trip.

By the time you left the cabin a week later, they had informed you that you smelled different, and that they were certain you were with child. When you got home, it was confirmed with a few tests. Life was going to be one hell of a trip from now on, but you wouldn't have it any other way.

***

This took so long to write, because of life beating me down. I hope you enjoyed it.

Tags: @snippychicke @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @queenotaku23 @clairewinchester14 @promiscuoussatan @mona-has-friends @lazyotakujen @timeless-crow @crazylittlereader2474 @bibibeu @novagonz3elz7799

[dadsbongos]

trashy dad

Movie/Game/Show: My Hero Academia Dynamic: Shota Aizawa/Reader (Platonic) Warnings: references (2) to un*s ann*s, one (1) use of (y/n), fem pronouns Summary: Shota trying to support his YouTuber daughter :) cuz social media aus own me Word Count: 2.1K ~~~

"Hey, gamers," you grin at the camera before tossing an arm over your father's shoulders, "My dad's in town and as you can see," you hesitated slightly before turning to face your father, "Dad's not super into taking care of himself. So, I figured what's better than doing a Q&A together while I do his makeup?"

"Hitoshi just did a 'what I eat in a day', didn't he?" Shota quirked a brow, already reaching back to tie up his messy, tangled hair.

"Spoilers!" you quietly whine as you open your phone, "He still has to edit it, silly man. We're gonna have to brush out your hair later, by the way."

Shota's eyes widened, "We? I thought this was your idea and video, (Y/n)."

"No," you huff, scrolling through a few of the questions from fans, "I mean it was but your hair is so… Okay, first question is from - oh my God the names - shrekslongtoe, what was my first word?"

"Are you gonna start putting makeup on me or just sit there?" Shota scratched at his nose before snickering, "That wasn't your first word. Your first word was 'Dada' and it drove Hizashi insane."

"Hizashi is my other dad, by the way," you lean over to grab your makeup bag, "'Toshi and I call him papa. Oooh, oh no," you looked up to Shota, "I don't have your shade, you're gonna look weird."

"I don't really care," the man shrugged, watching as you took out a pink beauty blender, "That looks like a buttplug."

"Don't say that!" your eyes were wide at his words while you got out your foundation, "Youtube doesn't like that."

"Whoops," he deadpanned, "Next question."

"Shit, right."

"Language."

"Japanese," you murmur, going to the next reply, "yoonbumskneecap asks, 'Did you believe in me-’ they said my name but you know, ‘and Hitoshi when they decided to become Youtubers?' And 'in 'Toshi's case - drop out of college to become a professional clout man.'"

"To be honest," Shota closed his eyes, only in slight fear, as you began pressing the foundation into his skin, "I was really worried about Hitoshi, I didn't know if he'd stay as big as he was because he's a lot like me, in the sense that people tend to not like us for our bluntness. So I was worried he'd be a meme for like a month and then people would drop him, but thankfully I was proved wrong," he opened his eyes when he felt you pull away and begin rooting through your bag once again, "With you, I was less worried because you're more like 'Zashi, i.e extremely likable, and you were kind of getting a boost from appearances on Hitoshi's channel. I still worry because the internet is a fickle mistress but I'm not staying up at night about it."

Pulling out a dark eyebrow pencil, you grin at your father, "Aww, that was kinda sweet. Not really but kind of."

"What I'm here for," Shota's eyes followed your hand as you uncapped the pencil and reached up, beginning to mark at his eyebrows, "I'm gonna read the next question while you kill my eyebrows."

"I'm not killing them!" you giggled, "But unlike Papa, you already have pretty thick, full eyebrows so I won't be here long."

"Good," he muttered before furrowing his brows in confusion, ignoring your frustrated groan, "who is daddysero and why is he asking if you pissed today?"

"What?!" you pull your dad's hand back to see what he was looking at, instantly calming down when you saw he was still on Twitter, "Oh, that's just Sero, he asks me that every time I tweet. I thought you went to my Instagram DMs," at Shota's questioning stare you grinned, "Mama's got simps in her DMs."

"Don't ever call yourself 'Mama' in my presence ever again," Shota shook his head, once again ignoring your annoyance, "papichulo46290 wants to know my favorite memory of you."

"If you mix me up with 'Toshi, I'll be so pissed," you return the eyebrow pencil to your bag as Shota speaks.

"I won't... probably," he shrugs while you root through your bag, "So, Hizashi had taken Hitoshi out for ice cream because of - has he mentioned his middle school trauma?" at your nod, he continues, "Hitoshi was having a bad day from middle school, shocking, so you and I were left home alone together. You were probably seven and you really wanted to paint my nails and I let you. You..." he shook his head, snickering, "you fucked them up. So bad. But you were so happy to just be spending time with me- "

"Keep talking, but I'm gonna do your eyeshadow," you lean back in, swishing your brush over a navy blue, almost black shade, "Just so you guys know, Dad wanted to look like shit, don't unsubscribe cuz this is gonna come out bad."

"It won't be too bad, you're talented," Shota did his best to remain still, "But overall, you were just so adorable and it didn't even matter that the smudged nails got me teased in the teacher's lounge the next day. It all came off after like a week because it was shitty polish but you get the idea."

"Aww, I didn't know you kept it on, that's so sweet," you fall back briefly to inspect your work, "It's not awful but I'm only posting this because you're my dad."

"Of course, I did," Shota continued scrolling through the questions, "A lot of people are asking if you mean Dad or Daddy, and a lot more people are asking for pictures of your feet, you should block them all."

"Yeah, I got sickos in my replies too, just gotta scroll past em'."

"Disgusting..." Shota grumbled as you moved to his other eye, "Is 'electrodick' Kaminari, perchance?"

"Unfortunately."

"Gross, he asks if you had an 'I'm not like other girls' phase," Shota hummed quietly in thought, "Maybe when you were eight for like a month, but that's probably because except for Nemuri you didn't have any women in your life. Thankfully you moved on from that pretty quickly."

"Oh yeah, that was a gross, weird time. You and Papa also weren’t shitty people so I didn’t have a lot of misogynist influence."

"I like to think we did a good job," Shota sighed, finally moving back into his slouching position when you pulled away completely, "Is 'explosionmurder' Bakugou?"

"You know it."

"Okay well, he's asking if you plan on fucking up your bronzing again?" he thinks for a moment, “Was that from when you looked kinda copper-ish in a video?

"Oh my God, that was one time, Bakugou!" you shout and shake your brush at the camera, "One time!"

"I don't even know what blending is so you're doing better than I am."

"God, how are we related?"

Without hesitation, Shota replied, "Surrogate. Which answers summerlongsock's question."

"Nice," you chuckle, setting the brush back in your bag, "You probably won't need too much bronze or countour since you're going for bad," you immediately turn to the camera, "And Bakugou isn't gonna say a fucking word about it!"

"Is eyeliner next? And if so, I would enjoy a nice wing," Shota muttered, looking through the remaining questions, "Hitoshi asks why I haven't done a video with him yet."

You nod along while uncapping the liner, "I'm curious about that too. I thought my first video with a parent would be with Papa. I was gonna say family but..." you shrug, "Hitoshi was my first video and then Eri came on."

"He never asked," Shota closed both of his eyes, allowing you to move his head around as you pleased, "You just texted me the video idea and we set it up while I was in town. If Hitoshi wants a video so bad he should come up with an idea."

"Jeez, don't bully the poor boy," you laughed quietly, carefully applying more eyeliner to your father's left lid, "We should all do a video together. I think it'd be fun."

"Come up with an idea," he replied flatly before opening his eyes, "davinky wants to know when you got into makeup. Probably after thirteen, sometime."

"Yeah, I got my first real eyeshadow at like fourteen and then you guys just enabled my love of makeup after that."

"Well, the thing with that was, Hizashi and I didn't want you growing up thinking you had to wear makeup for any reason," Shota opened his eyes once he felt you back away, blinking a few times, "So we waited till you were more mature because giving makeup to a six-year-old is weird."

Capping your eyeliner, you traded it out for mascara, "Yeah, even little play kits are a bit ehhh. Don't close your eyes, but look down."

Following instruction, Shota took the opportunity to read off another question, "I can't see the name but someone's asking what we did together for fun. While you were a kid."

Humming quietly in thought, you move from one eye to the other, "We used to go to diners a lot. Those late-night diner trips, remember?"

"Oh yeah, you were such a little demon about bedtime. I had to take you to this little place for scrambled eggs or some shit and you'd fall asleep on the way back home."

Putting away your mascara, you reach out for your hairbrush before beginning to pull out the hair tie in Shota's hair, "Mina wanted me to ask what videos you show people when they ask what your kids do for a living."

"For Hitoshi, the one where he and Kaminari made Bakugou breakfast with sex toys. For you, the one where you turn yourself into Mina's little character - with the pink skin," Shota winced slightly at the tug of your hairbrush, "And Eri's a teacher so that information comes first since it's the least strange."

As you fussed with his tangled nest of hair, you read another question over Shota's shoulder, "When did you know you loved me? Like after adopting me."

"Not too long after the adoption was finalized actually," Shota grumbled as the brush made its final courses through his hair, "You've always been a really great kid. I don't know when I 'realized' but it was definitely around the time you were born, maybe like the day after."

"That's pretty good considering I was a stranger," you giggled, brushing out the final knots in his dark hair, "A baby stranger."

"Hmm," Shota hummed in response, "You almost done?"

Refraining from rolling your eyes, you fluffed Shota's now smooth and detangled hair around his shoulders with a small smile, "I'm done. Your hair is so pretty when it's brushed out."

"I know," the man muttered, handing your phone back, "Wanna do one more question and then sign off?"

"Yeah," you scroll through some of the questions, "I want it to be the best question that's ever been asked."

"Ask your own, you're great at that."

You shook your head with furrowed brows at his comment, "Is that a compliment?"

"It was meant to be."

"Thanks, but no need, I've found one. Midoriya wants to know if raising two attention whores was hard. He didn't say ‘attention whores’ because he doesn't swear but that's the vibe."

"What's Midoriya's at?" Shota asked.

"SmallMight."

"Of course," the man grumbled, closing his eyes to think, "You two were honestly pretty easy to raise. Not a whole lot of fits compared to what I've heard other parents talk about. You both liked to talk a lot to each other, and, of course, to Hizashi and me. Not terribly difficult at all."

"Aww, I'm glad we didn't make you pull your hair out," you grin.

"Oh, you still did. Absolutely."

"Nice," you giggle before turning off your phone and facing the camera, "Okay guys, well, I hope you don't clown on me as much as usual because if you do, my dad will... I don't know… kick your ass."

"Exactly," Shota nodded, a horrific smile on his face, "I'll beam right into your living room."

"Hopefully you guys come back next week where I'll..." floundering for an answer, you turn to your dad as if he’d give you ideas, "Create wings to do it better than Icarus ever could."

Giving a singular stiff nod, Shota looked dead at the camera, "I'd watch it."

"You heard it from the main man himself, peeps," you waved to the camera, Shota copying the motion, “Bye!”

"If there's one comment about my eyebags, I'm never coming on your channel again," Shota lied as you leaned over to stop recording.

"They're gonna love you, I'm sure," you assure your father, "Wanna see how I edit?"

"God no, Hitoshi showed me how long it takes to edit his videos, it looks like hell."