#this took me an obscene amount of time to actually finish but I like it

[wren-kitchens]

oh, another day, another sunset

2659 words

there are not nearly enough things to do inside, and those activities that do exist have all been completed at least five times over by now. honestly, joel is considering just going outside and seeing how far he can get before he dies—he guesses the base of the mountain at least, if he sprints. of course, no one else is suffering the same boredom as he is because the deadly weather outside is just rain. honestly, being a blaze is fun until it starts raining and you can’t do anything before it stops.  maybe joel should have based closer to the water, since he’d at least be able to fish for the time being. not that fishing sounds like the most entertaining thing in the world, but it’d beat just sitting around doing nothing. somehow more annoyingly, he can’t even do anything relaxing, like take a bath, because joel had the stupid idea of building most of his base out of very flammable wood, and if he tried to pour lava anywhere near the houses, they’d burn immediately. not to mention how many naps he’s already tried to take only for them to last ten minutes at most.

if this is a bit weird and clunky or the pacing is off then you will have to forgive me because I have been working on this pain in the ass since joel's first video on hermitcraft

me when depression makes my life harder (no one saw this coming)

there are not nearly enough things to do inside, and those activities that do exist have all been completed at least five times over by now. honestly, joel is considering just going outside and seeing how far he can get before he dies—he guesses the base of the mountain at least, if he sprints. of course, no one else is suffering the same boredom as he is because the deadly weather outside is just rain. honestly, being a blaze is fun until it starts raining and you can’t do anything before it stops. 

maybe joel should have based closer to the water, since he’d at least be able to fish for the time being. not that fishing sounds like the most entertaining thing in the world, but it’d beat just sitting around doing nothing. somehow more annoyingly, he can’t even do anything relaxing, like take a bath, because joel had the stupid idea of building most of his base out of very flammable wood, and if he tried to pour lava anywhere near the houses, they’d burn immediately. not to mention how many naps he’s already tried to take only for them to last ten minutes at most.

the most entertaining thing joel has come up with to do is to watch the raindrops slide down the window in some desperate attempt to keep from dying of boredom. sure; he could just message one of the other hermits and ask if they’d keep him company but- well, they’re all definitely busy. joel is busy- or would be, if he weren’t trapped inside, so he can’t imagine how busy everyone else is. 

to be honest- he can't really imagine it because he hasn't exactly asked anyone if they’re busy or not. it isn’t- it’s not like joel is embarrassed about it—of course not! these are his friends, it's not like they'd be freaked out or something if joel asked them to hang out. in fact, he’s been hanging out with loads of people, and just because they asked him first doesn’t mean he couldn’t be the one to ask them. in theory. 

joel is so engrossed in his own thoughts that it takes him a long second to notice that as he was staring at raindrops, a figure has appeared in the street. and- not just anyone, but etho.

panicking a little, joel ducks away from the window and into the corner of the room, where he attempts to look nonchalantly at a book he scrambled to grab at the last second. he realises, a moment too late, that the book is upside down. shit.

“oh- joel?”

joel looks up a little too fast, and finds etho stood outside his door, halfway through putting a book into a chest. “hi boat boy.” he says, and suppresses a wince. way to go.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” etho says, leaning against the doorframe, book still in hand. “I was, um- replying.” he waves the book, looking awkward, and joel grins.

“well, now i’m here, you can reply in person.” joel stands up, tail sweeping across the floor as etho watches. “i’m all e- does that say yoel?” he says, direction pulled to the title of the book.

“I- yeah, iskall told me to.” etho grins, a little sheepishly. “I was asking- y’know, ‘cause you put eefo on your book, I wanted to- uh, match?” a familiar warmth floods joel’s chest, and he feels his smile soften unconsciously. his ear flicks, and etho’s eyes focus on it. “are you- wait, you’re not a wolf anymore.”

joel snorts. “well observed.” 

etho rolls his eyes. “yeah- okay. you look familiar.”

from the look on etho’s face the second joel opens his mouth, he must already know what’s coming. “yeah, there’s a reason for that- we were soulmates? remember? boat boys for life?”

“y’know, i’m starting to have doubts about missing you.” etho says, clearly meant as a teasing insult, but joel is too fixated on the end of that sentence to care.

“you missed me?” joel blurts before he can think about why that would be a very bad idea. “that- I mean-“

etho looks a little awkward again, and joel finds himself appreciating that it’s not just him. “I mean. yeah.” he shrugs, clearly aiming for nonchalance and missing by a mile—landing somewhere close to embarrassed and fond. “y’know, I- you’re fun to be around. and I only ever seem to see you when we’re trying to kill each other, so.”

joel thinks that, if he were more poetic, he’d probably note the space between them as being kind of symbolic; all they have to do is walk forward, but neither of them have moved- despite openly admitting that they missed each other. be it pride or doubt or fear of rejection, they haven’t taken one step forward since they started speaking.

but joel isn’t that poetic, and anyway, metaphors are stupid. and to prove that, he’ll walk forward right now. just- okay, just give him a second.

“what was it like?” joel says, maybe too abruptly. “when- after double life, when everyone got back. what was it like for the people whose soulmate was- y’know. there.”

the wind changes direction, and the rain begins to pour underneath the canopy. etho’s hair is getting wet, and he jumps inside. joel grins at him. “i’m- well, I was told that it felt.. kinda like they were cut in half.” etho hesitates. “or- well, bdubs at least said that it was like.. half of him was gone, but not.. gone? like, it was still there, he could still see it and touch it, but it was like touching a tree or something.”

“did he say tree?” joel says, not quite knowing how to respond to the rest of that.

etho gives a grin. “well- he said moss, actually.”

joel snorts a laugh. “yeah, I thought he might.”

“circling back to your new hybrid, it’s just occurred to me that you’re a blaze.” etho says, and joel cackles. “wh- you can’t make fun of me for that- i’ve never seen you as a blaze!”

“etho,” joel is grinning. “you thought I was gonna sit in here and do notihing voluntarily? I thought you were meant to be my soulmate- you should have known.” he shakes his head, mock-disappointed.

“do you-“ etho says suddenly, and joel looks at him. there's something- oddly soft about his expression. “I mean- do you think we’re, y’know. still soulmates?”

“I- probably?” joel says, some kind of tightness in his chest. “I don’t really know how soulmates work, but- I mean. i’d- i’d like to be.”

joel doesn’t realise that he’d been moving his tail until he accidentally smacks it into the bookcase behind him—painfully. he suppresses a yelp and jumps forward. etho looks like he’s trying not to smile at him, and joel resents how much he doesn’t care about it.

“well, I hope you wouldn’t be doing that the whole time.” etho says, sounding both amused and enormously relieved.

joel scoffs. “if you keep making fun of me, I will.” he pauses, before saying, very deliberately, “eefo.”

something in etho’s eyes softens in that weird way again, and joel almost frowns at it. “wh- okay, you’re not allowed to do that either.” he grins. “yoel.”

“speaking of,” joel says, stepping towards etho in what he hopes is an entirely innocent manner. “you came to drop off a book?”

“oh- I mean, we don’t have to read it right now.” etho says, hurriedly putting the book behind his back. joel’s curiosity is piqued tenfold. “it’s not really that interesting, I was- it’s mostly me making fun of you, actually. so.”

joel smirks. “oh yeah? what were you making fun of me for?”

“I- y’know- how obsessed with me you are.” etho says, clearly trying to look smug and failing miserably. “with- you still have that shirt. with my face on it.”

joel snorts a laugh, and etho’s eyes crinkle in the corners. “yeah, and you’re in my base, without being invited, to deliver a note that you won’t let me see.” he takes a step closer, now dead set on reading the note and hoping it isn’t abundantly obvious that’s his goal. “honestly, etho, it’s just getting ridiculous now, I mean- you- what are you doing?”

etho blinks, apparently oblivious to the stupid thing his face is doing. “what?”

“you’re doing a thing. with your eyes.” joel says, suspicious.

“oh- well joel, that’s called blinking.” etho says, mock-innocent. he cackles as joel makes several indignant noises in offence. “how am i meant to know what you’re talking about? i’m doing a thing with my eyes all the time!”

joel gives a huff of annoyance. “you’re giving me a look.” he folds his arms.

“wh- no i’m not?” etho says. honestly, if joel didn’t know him, he’d be fairly certain that etho was just playing dumb right now. however, joel does in fact know etho pretty well, and therefore knows that etho is just that dumb.

“you literally are- honestly, it’s kind of funny how dumb you are right now.” joel grins, edging closer under the pretence of getting up into etho’s space. the man in question seems to have completely forgotten he was holding a book in the first place, which he now holds limply at his side. “do you seriously not know you’re doing it?"

etho gives an exasperated huff, which joel  recognises as a very joel-like thing to do. okay. so etho picked up his mannerisms. who cares? "I don’t even know what you’re talking about. what am I doing?"

"you keep doing this- thing with your eyes." joel is in reach of the book now, but the confusion on etho's face is too funny to ignore. "they go all soft."

finally, there's a look of understanding that flashes across etho's expression—which is immediately replaced by an incredible amount of embarrassment. "oh- it- i’m doing that, uh- visibly?"

it's joel's turn to be confused now. "you- what do you mean, visibly?"

"I- well, you see-" etho says, turning pink as he talks. "it's- I kind of-"

joel watches with interest and amusement as etho rambles about facial expressions and emotions—in all honesty, he doesn't care an enormous amount as to why etho keeps making that face at him; this is far funnier. joel can’t believe he ever used to think this guy was mysterious.

after a moment, etho stammers to a halt, looking slightly indignant. "don’t laugh at me."

ironically, the offence in his voice makes joel snort, though he hurriedly covers his mouth. "i would never laugh at you, etho." he flicks his tail, waiting in anticipation for the silly argument they’re about to have about nothing in particular.

but that never happens, because instead of insisting that joel is a bad soulmate who is violating his trust (like joel expected), etho hides his face in his hands and mumbles something almost incomprehensible about joel being stupid. uh- what?

joel blinks, trying to think of what could have happened for etho to do this. he’s not exactly difficult to embarrass—something that joel definitely took advantage of when pretending not to know about etho's ridiculously obvious crush on bdubs just to watch the way etho scrambled to change the subject every time joel brought him up—but this is weird.

"are you- did I say something?" joel bends down in an attempt to get a look at etho's face. all he can see is that he’s turned even pinker. "you gotta tell me, so I can keep saying it." he grins at his own joke, but etho just mumbles in response, so joel jabs him. "c'mon etho, what was it?"

etho looks up, practically glaring at joel. "your stupid w- it's your fault." he says, voice softer than usual. joel is incredibly confused, and is about to tell him just that when etho huffs, "it's- you keep saying eefo."

there's a pause as joel understands what etho means, before he gasps in mischievous delight. "etho," he grins as etho groans. "are you telling me that you like how I say your name?"

joel doesn't think he’s ever seen etho look so embarrassed in his life, and it is hilarious. "it's- only yousay it like that." etho practically mumbles. "it's special."

and suddenly, joel is the one who's embarrassed, because- okay, how would you react to being called special by one of the most important people in your life? yeah, that's what he thought, so you can stop judging him for forgetting how to speak for a solid five seconds, because you would too. no- you would. 

that dumb softness is back in etho's eyes, and joel is going to blow up the entirety of magic mountain with himself still standing here. "I- are you oka-"

"shut up." joel says, looking away before etho can do that thing where his eyes crinkle in the corners as he tries not to laugh.

it barely matters though, because etho's laughter is clear in his voice when he says, "you- joel, are you embarrassed?"

joel turns back to glare at etho, but he can’t make it last as long as he wants. look- in his defence- etho is a master of manipulation, okay? he’s probably using mind control or something, so it's not even joel's fault actually.

"you are!" etho laughs in delight, and honestly, he's the worst soulmate ever. "aw, joel."

he wraps an arm around joel's shoulders in what is clearly meant to be some kind of jest, but apparently joel isn't done embarrassing himself, because before he can think about what he's doing, he relaxes into etho. it must be some kind of- muscle memory, or something, because he doesn't even notice that he’s doing it before etho hugs him properly, and another wave of embarrassment crashes down on him. it's worth it though.

"I missed you." joel mumbles, half hoping his voice is too quiet for etho to hear him. 

etho gives a soft huff, closer to joel's ear than he realised he was. "i’m really glad you’re here." he says, as if he doesn’t expect joel to listen. like he'd be doing anything else.

"still feels weird." joel scoffs to himself. "it's so- I can just see you whenever I want. I keep thinking- there must be some kind of- some kind of catch."

"I think the catch is ourselves, I gotta be honest." etho says, mock-weary, and joel snorts. "seriously though- what are we doing?"

joel cackles, looking up. "can't believe you even have to ask- making things harder for ourselves, as always."

etho rolls his eyes, and joel is grinning because it's so sickeningly fond, and it's clear etho hasn't realised his face is doing that just yet. not like joel is gonna tell him—which is absolutely not because he likes the way his eyes go soft, why would you even say that, you’re so wrong. how embarrassing for you.

"I- y’know. it doesn’t look like it's gonna clear up for a little while." etho starts, glancing away in what seems to be embarrassment. "and it's- I can’t imagine sitting here is all that fun. 'cause- yeah." etho clears his throat. "I just- uh. I could stay with you- for a bit. if you want."

joel is going to explode. in a good way. "well- I was getting pretty bored." he says, in an attempt at nonchalance. etho is smiling like he didn't expect joel to say yes. what an idiot. "only 'cause you want to though. not- I don’t care either way, but- y’know."

etho presses a kiss to the top of joel's head, and laughs as he turns pink. "yeah, just 'cause i want to."

"idiot." joel elbows him, but he can't stop himself from smiling. "do i get to know what's in the book now?"

"oh- absolutely not."

[taeyegu]

confession is not flashy — 002. just for a month

previous // next

word count — 909

warning(s) — none... except a painfully whipped chan <3

lunch time at the hospital was always busy. today's lunch crew consists of the interns along with dr. moon from neuro and dr. hong from gs.

dr. moon took a small glance over at y/n who was currently pacing back and forth talking to someone on the phone. he then turned his attention to chan, "dr. jeon told me you actually met up with him for shadowing today--how was that?"

"it was fine…" chan sighed, "but y/n was with dr. kim today. i should have just followed them."

"you know dr. kim thinks you're really fond of pediatrics with how often you 'try' to shadow him." dr hong chuckled.

"he's only doing it so he can keep an eye on his girl." vernon said through a mouthful of rice. "we clowned him earlier today about it and i guess it was enough for him to finally follow his schedule with dr. jeon."

"oh? my girl?" dr. moon smirked, "when did this couple become a thing?"

"w-we're not a couple yet… unless y/n has said something about me…?" chan said in a hopeful tone. the whole table softly laughed at the youngest's antics surrounding his very obvious feelings. "a-anyways! sure, so what if i like y/n? it's not like it's that obvious!"

"it is very obvious." vernon deadpanned. seungkwan nodded along,

"you're always buying y/n lunch and never us…" seungkwan listed.

"that one time when you tried to arm wrestle dr. choi after y/n mentioned how strong he was and then dr. choi almost dislocated your shoulder…" dr. hong added.

"i also remember during the previous hospital dinner party, dr. kim and y/n were talking about their interest in eating chicken breast for protein and then you proceeded to eat an obscene amount of chicken that night and threw up…"

"okay!" the youngest exclaimed, "i admit, i am a little obvious…"

"i think all of the departments know about your little crush." dr. moon comforted chan, "we're all supporting you so don't worry!"

after finishing the phone call, y/n walks back to the lunch table and sits down with a sigh, "sorry that took so long everyone, did i miss anything?"

"is something the matter y/n?" seungkwan asked, "you look really tired after that phone call."

"it was just my mom again--she won't stop bothering me about the wedding!" y/n rubbed her fingers against her temples, feeling an oncoming headache at the thought of thinking back to the conversation.

"what happened?" dr. hong asked, "if you don't mind telling us."

"yeah it's not a big deal. seungkwan, vernon, and chan already know a little." y/n sighed once again, "my cousin is getting married and her wedding is like a month away. my mom has been pestering me nonstop to bring a date." y/n crossed her arms across her chest to display her annoyance, "i know she's worried about me with how busy school and rotations at the hospital have been, but i feel like a relationship right now wouldn't be the best for me."

"why does your mom want you to have a date so bad?" dr. moon questioned.

"i know she's just worried about me," y/n said, "but i also think it's because most, if not all of my cousins are in committed relationships right now. my mom thinks that i'm too focused on my career. she wants me to find a significant other before it's too late."

"that sucks y/n," dr. hong gave her a small pat on the back, "i'm sorry you have to deal with that right now."

"what does y/n have to deal with right now?" dr. kwon interjected as he placed his lunch tray down at the table.

"y/n has a family wedding to attend and her mom keeps pressuring her to bring a date." seungkwan summarizes to dr. kwon.

"why can't y/n just bring a fake date?" dr. kwon states like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"a fake date? what do you mean a fake date?" y/n perks up.

"it's exactly like it sounds." dr. kwon says, "find someone to be your fake date for the night so that you can get your mom to stop pressuring you--there's a bunch of websites where you can just pay someone to do this for you."

"on this salary… i don't think i can afford that option." y/n says dejectedly.

"or you can just ask one of your friends to be your fake date for free!" dr. moon exclaims.

"i've never really thought of that… that's actually a really good idea dr. kwon." y/n turns to look at her three best guy friends, "seungkwan? vernon? would you guys be able to?"

"sorry y/n, seungkwan and i bought concert tickets for aespa that night… we've been planning it for awhile." vernon says.

"o-oh y/n i can be your fake date--if there's no one else!" chan stutters.

"that's perfect y/n!" seungkwan exclaims, "you and chan would be great together!"

"would you really chan? i'd owe you my life!" y/n beams at him.

"haha, no worries y/n!" chan smiles, "i'm down to be your fake boyfriend for the wedding…"

"then it's settled!" dr. moon laughs, "congrats to the new couple at the hospital! love is definitely in the air!"

"very funny dr. moon!" y/n chuckles, "it's just for a month!"

[mochie85]

Desire

One-Shots Masterlist | Complete Masterlist

Summary: This is the prequel to Pheromones. You and Loki were sent to gather intel on a new drug that's being manufactured in Madripoor. Pairing: Loki x Female Reader Word Count: Over 4K Warnings: One-bed trope. Fake Marriage trope. Being drugged. This has hard fluff. There are no actual acts but there are steamy moments. Dividers: @firefly-graphics

It really shouldn’t have surprised you. A classic setting in the modern streets of Madripoor. A top-secret mission that only you have the skill set to accomplish. Getting to spend an obscene amount of forced private time with your long-time infatuation. It all seemed like a trademark recipe for a rom-com movie. So of course, it shouldn’t have shocked you that there was only one bed.  

Both you and Loki entered the bedroom suite to stare at the offending furniture only to drop your duffel bags down simultaneously.

“Well darling, shall we?” he asked with a playful glint in his eyes.

“Shall we what?” You asked slightly hopeful. Slightly cautious.

“Set up, of course,” he said pragmatically. “What exactly are we here to witness?” Loki said moving towards the windows. He moved with the grace of a predator. He looked like one too, in his expensive dark suit, the top button loose on his white linen shirt.

He held the curtains back to watch the tall office building across the street. The nightclub on the top floor bursts with prismatic lights and shadows dancing to unheard music. You followed and stood behind him, watching the windows across the way.

It was a supposed front for the distribution and manufacturing of the latest drug to hit the States. You and Loki were posing as honeymooners. Rich, honeymooners looking for a good time that would remain discreet and classified to mummy and daddy’s open wallet.

“We should take turns if they want us to monitor them 24/7.” You posed. You started to take your strappy sandals off as well as the jewelry you had on. Loki could hear you start to undress and it took all his strength and poise as an honorable gentleman to not turn and watch you. But he was the god of mischief after all.

“I’ll take the first shift. Go ahead and sleep. It’s been a long day for you.” he said, still looking out the window, watching your reflection through the glass.

“Thank you,” you said quietly. “I’ll be…”

“Don’t worry darling. I know where you are if I need you.” He smiled. He left you with a nod and a smirk as he closed the door to the lone bedroom not once having turned your way.

Feeling rejected that your brazenness wasn’t received, you spent an extra amount of time in the shower, only leaving after you imagined him deciding to join you. Hoisting you up against the smooth tile, his godly cock burying deep inside you as his grunts echoed in the open shower.

After finishing your nightly ritual, you lay there on the soft sheets, listening to what Loki might be doing outside in the living room. You fell asleep to his quiet shuffle across the floors. You felt safe knowing that he was out there watching guard as you drifted off. You weren’t sure, but you thought you could hear his deep voice humming a soothing lullaby.

You woke up to the sun glaring through your windows. You stretched and moaned feeling the spacious mattress you were sleeping on. I should probably remake the bed. Considering it’s the only bed in the entire suite and you and Loki would have to share it. You wouldn’t want him thinking you’re a slob.

Wandering into the living room, you were pleasantly surprised at the surveillance equipment Loki managed to set up on his own. Multiple monitors and a couple of keyboards were arranged at the lone table in the entire suite.

“Looks like you were busy.” You said clearing your throat.

“Good morning. Yes, I got bored and decided to tinker around a bit.”

“You didn’t need any help? You could’ve woken me up. I wouldn’t have minded.”

“No. You looked so peaceful. I couldn’t disturb you.”

“Oh. Thank you,” you said making you wonder when Loki came into the room last night.

You sauntered your way to the small galley kitchen and made yourself a cup of coffee. You hummed, taking the first sips as you sat next to him in front of the surveillance office he set up. He crossed his arms and sighed. Boredom dripped off his every pore. “Remind me again why I decided to join your merry bunch of misfits?”

“Because you look good kicking ass!” You blushed, offering the compliment as a joke. Loki turned to you with a smirk.

“I do make it look bewitching, don’t I?” he teased.

“Why don’t you go to bed? You’ve had a long night. I’ll take over.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Go. Sleep.” You commanded. Loki rubbed his face and sighed as he got up weary from staying up all night. You watched him as he ran his fingers through his hair and worked the last of the buttons off on his shirt.

“You will wake me if…”

“Don’t worry, darling. I know where you are if I need you,” you said trying to mimic his accent, using his own words against him. Loki exhaled a puff of air as he smiled back at you.

After luxuriating in the hot shower, he readied himself for bed. He only realized when he stepped out that you had made the bed earlier. You fixed it to look like you hadn’t slept in it at all. Would it be peculiar if I slept in the same bed? It’s not as if she’ll be using it while I’m in here.

The thought of sharing a bed with you came unbidden into his mind. He looked at the mutual bed as he towel-dried his body off. Thoughts of taking you under him and whispering rude things in your ear made his abdominal muscles clench and blood rushed down to his straining cock.

Loki shook his head furiously as if he could shake the thoughts out of his head. He can’t think about you like that. Especially not right now. You were both on this mission and any distraction could mean the difference between a small cut or serious bodily harm.

Loki laid down on his stomach with a loud sigh. He wondered when he would ever have the courage to tell you of his feelings. He only volunteered on this mission because you would be away for almost a month and he couldn’t stand not seeing you for that extended amount of time.

Loki closed his eyes and relaxed into the soft mattress. She can kick me off if she has a problem with me sleeping here. A grin played on his lips, hoping very much that you would come into the bedroom.

Loki fell asleep to the smell of your floral shampoo on the pillow and the quiet movement of your feet outside the doors. Knowing that you were out there, essentially waiting for him, made him content and he fell into a deep slumber.

Loki woke to the sunset blaring down on his face, turning the bedroom into a bright orange hue. He opened the doors to the aroma of food wafting over to him. Having just woken up, he sauntered out into the living room with only his silk pajama bottoms. His hair was unruly and curled around his shoulders.

“Hi, sleepy head. You woke up just in time. I ordered takeout.” You said pointing to a paper bag on the dining table next to the kitchen. When you turned to address him, you nearly choked on your drink, leering at him as he came out of the lone bedroom.

He stifled his yawn, stretching his hands toward the ceiling. You took this time to follow the soft dark curls of his hair that trailed from his abs down to where his pajamas had ridden low past his sharp hip bones.

“Darling, are you all right? You look a little flush.” He asked as he made his way over to you. He tilted your chin up gently to look up into his eyes trying to make certain you didn’t become ill during the day.

“Yes. Uh-hum.” You nodded your head.

“Your blush suits you,” he whispered, causing your skin to burn at his touch and your face reddened even more. His scent overflooded your senses. If he didn’t move from you soon, you would take his fingers, which were caressing your face, into your mouth and show him exactly what you could do.

Just as you opened your mouth he looked over to the table and moved to the bag filled with food.

“Wonderful. I’m famished!” he said opening the bag and taking out the contents. “Anything to note on the building?” plating some noodles and chicken.

“Some sketchy trucks came by earlier.” You remarked, clearing your throat. “In half-hour increments for four hours. Not labeled. Non-descript. If we want a closer look, we might have to attend that nightclub up top,” you reported. Loki nodded as he handed you a plate of food.

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“My pleasure,” he answered. It was then that you got a good look at him. His eyes were two different shades of blue and green, like the ocean. His sharp nose and pointed chin framed his face so strongly that it made him look regal.

He twirled the noodles on his fork as he rested his feet on top of the coffee table, leaning back. He caught you staring at him midway between putting the fork in his mouth and was surprised. “What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing. I’ve never seen you so…relaxed before.” You smiled. “I kinda like it.” You turned away, looking out the window, hoping to hide your blush.

And so, it went on for three weeks. In the mornings, you would wake up to fresh coffee and sometimes a pastry. You were always surprised to note that your cup was ready for you. Made just the way you preferred, with two sugars and cream. You and Loki would relay all the happenings and everything he observed during the night. Then you would switch shifts.

Loki would go to sleep each morning, grateful for the fact that you made the bed, deeply inhaling your scent on the pillows as if you were sleeping right next to him. Then he would wake up in the afternoon to the smell of dinner. Sometimes takeout, sometimes cooked by your own hands. He appreciated those the most.

Until one afternoon, just one hour shy of Loki’s alarm going off, you woke him up.

“Loki. Loki wake up!” You shook his shoulder. Still half asleep, he grabbed your arm, turned you over his body, and pinned you down on top of the bed. His hands cuffing your wrists on top of your head.

Loki growled. His face was a mix of irritation and fatigue as his half-lidded eyes narrowed on you lying underneath him.

Your eyes were wide and dilated, trying to take in his proximity. The first purple hues of your blush started to appear, and Loki took a deep breath inhaling your warm floral scent.

“What are you doing here, pet?” he said hoarsely, his voice cracking. His hips pinned you down as his fingers tightened around your wrists.

“The v-vans stopped coming,” you stuttered as Loki continued to trail his nose down your neck, making you breathless and moan. “Expensive sports cars and dignitary vehicles were com-coming instead.” Your moans made him grind further into you. You could feel his hard shaft pressing against your already wet cunt, sending jolts of pleasure throughout your hips.

Your mind was gone. You couldn’t think straight as Loki grazed your jawline with his teeth. “There’s going to be a sale going on tonight and we need to be there.” You groaned out.

Loki’s eyes snapped to yours. His clear eyes furrowed with confusion as he took in your dazed ones under him. A sense of wakefulness finally caught up to him as he realized what he had just done.

“Why wake me now? Couldn’t this wait?” he whispered, more to himself than to you. Lifting himself off of you, he turned, lying next to you in bed.

“No. Steve just called. Said he wants us to pull out tomorrow morning. If we don’t get anything tonight, we would be going home with nothing to show for it,” you tried to sound professional. You tried to slow your breathing and contain your heartbeat within your chest.

“So, what do you propose we do?” he said as he let your aroma wash over him. He turned his head in your direction, and you turned in his. Your hair was caught in between you and the pillow, covering half your face with sultry allure.

“Let’s go to the club. We’re supposed to be a honeymoon-ing couple. We haven’t left the hotel room since we got here. People will think it’s suspicious.”

“I don’t think it’s suspicious for newlyweds to never leave their room.” He chuckled. You playfully hit his arm as a joke, and he caught your hands. He brought it up to cover his cheek as he turned his whole body to face you. “Is this really that important to you?” His thumb grazed the back of your hand, holding your touch in place.

You felt his smooth skin under your fingertips as they took on a life of their own and started twirling the locks of his hair. “I don’t want our hard work wasted for nothing, Loki. If we leave now we’ll have nothing to show for it.”

His face inched closer to yours on the bed. You looked so ethereal. Your warmth pulled him closer, enticing him to keep you there on the bed. “All right,” Loki whispered. “We’ll go. We’ll look around, see what we can find,” he whispered. The happiest grin showed on your face and warmed his heart. “But the moment you see something off, we leave. Do you understand? This was only supposed to be a recon mission.” He commanded and you nodded enthusiastically.

Shortly after, the both of you were getting dressed to attend the nightclub across the way. Loki had worn a dark navy suit with a light blue dress shirt. He had changed his appearance slightly, opting for short dirty-blonde hair and a slight stubble to adorn his face.

Once again, Loki was finding it hard to keep his eyes off you as you slid your dress onto your curvaceous frame. A low-cut, backless dress held together by a single knot on the back of your neck. He was watching you struggle through the reflection of the window when he finally decided to turn and help you.

“You know…” he started, as his fingers adjoined the zipper on the side of your dress, “…we would have to act like we are actually married. As if we were madly in love with each other,” he stated.

You hummed your agreement. You knew that it wouldn’t be too hard to act like you were infatuated with Loki. You just hoped that you could recover from the fact that he wasn’t interested in you after this mission. You turned around to look into his eyes, “That wouldn’t be too hard,” you smiled.

He let out a small chuckle as he looked down and noticed your wrists. Bruises had formed where his fingers pinned you down earlier in the bed. He held them up as he conjured thin gold bangles to hide them.

“If we were a real couple, do you think we should be hiding them?” you asked absentmindedly. Loki looked up at you through his lashes. His smile grew wide as he learned something about your predilections.  

“In that case, darling, let’s make it more believable. Shall we?” He twirled you around and pulled your body flushed with his. “For instance, if you were mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to mark you,” he growled in your ear. You felt his solid chest on your bare back. His hands trailed up and stopped at the top of your arms. You felt a cool tingling sensation on your shoulders when he touched you.

“I would mark you here, on your strong shoulders.”

“…mark me?...” you replied weakly, and Loki hummed his answer. His nose trailed down your neck again inhaling your floral scent as small bite marks appeared on top of your right shoulder. His hands continued their way to your collarbone. His light touch making you shiver.

“And with my mouth, I’d gently suck on your skin right here until you bruised. Trailing down further until I reached your navel.” His finger slid down your front, feeling his touch in between your breast. A cool trail of his seidr followed summoning light bruises to mark you sporadically where his fingers had touched you.

His other hand reached around your throat, wrapping his fingers gently, but firmly, along your long neck. “Hmm…and my hand would look so fetching around your throat, keeping you breathless.” Coolness tingles around your neck as you shivered at the image he put in your head.

A breathy moan escaped you, unbidden, and it made Loki smile with pride. His fingers brushed your lips as you opened them, making him trace your pout with the tips of his fingers. “And these would be swollen from my endless kisses,” he purred.

You felt his touch all over your body. You felt his seidr caress you. Enveloping you in a cool embrace as half-hidden marks appeared on some of the more delicate parts of your body.

Loki pulled his body away from you and circled you. He looked you up and down, appreciating his work. “Hmm…”

“How do I look?” you asked coyly.

“Like you're mine,” he growled. A smoldering heat crept up your body, making your body blush and the marks he placed more prominent.

“What about you?” you asked bravely. His flirtatious behavior giving you the courage to ask. Loki raised his eyebrow in response. “Don’t I get to give you my marks as well?” you expressed.

You once again closed the gap between the two of you and nuzzled against his neck. You pulled his dress shirt down to the first open button. “I don’t have any magic.” He felt your lips vibrate at your words. His hands gripped the sides of your dress pulling you closer to him. “So, I guess I would have to do it the old-fashioned way.”

You began by licking a small stripe on his neck. You opened your lips to kiss and pull on the small patch of skin between his neck and collarbone. The scent of his cologne mixed with the tangible trace of his own musk made you feral.

Loki sighed and whimpered feeling your lips on him. He closed his eyes relishing every draw of your lips. Every scrape of your teeth. Every breathless moan you let out against his skin.

When you finished, you looked up into his eyes. Their playful glint was gone, replaced by deep longing and a savage desire. He lifted his face, looking down at you. Your mark flashing proudly on his fair skin. “How does it look?” he rasped. His voice was subdued, trying to contain the passion he was experiencing inside.

“Like you belong to me,” you said quickly.  You gave him an innocent kiss on his cheek and smiled. You proceeded outside to the living room, leaving Loki standing there watching you walk away from him.

Outside the club, it was hot and humid. Sweat had trickled down your back. Loki tried to keep you cool with subtle touches here and there combined with his chilling skin. He dutifully played the husband who couldn’t keep his hands off of his new bride.

Inside the club, the air was thick and not much drier. They were misting water to keep the clubgoers cool and happy. The drinks were readily available and inexpensive, served by masked waitresses and barmen.

Loki openly handed the bouncer a $100 note to get bumped up to the front of the line. You both had to keep appearances up as you reserved a private booth for the two of you with bottle service to last the whole night. The two of you were attracting a lot of attention from everyone who wanted to scrounge in your supposed wealth.

Sitting next to him in your private booth gave you an opportunity to watch different parts of the club. You leaned in close to Loki, your hands trailing down his neck where your mark still bruised. You whispered in his ear all the things you were observing. “The bartenders keep giving away small shots of alcohol with some of the drinks. Do you think the drug is in the shots?” you whispered as you inhaled and crossed your leg to rest over his knee. You noted how that simple act took a lot more effort than it should have.

Loki trailed his hands up your calves and whispered, “I could care less darling. I find myself unable to concentrate at the moment.” His hand traveled under the hem of your dress as his face got dangerously close to kissing your neck.

He savored your warm floral scent. How it haunted him every time he went to bed and smelled your perfume on the pillow. He also detected another fragrance. Something earthy. Something darker. It smelled like an invitation. Like a tempting piece of Valhalla waiting to be consumed. It drove him mad.

You looked back at him in shock. What had come over him? His face contorted in passion and longing. You couldn’t help but respond in kind. Your movements started getting slow and heavy as you reached for his face.

“Loki…” you murmured. “Loki…I think we’ve been drugged.”

Loki’s mind was going miles a minute. He couldn’t think straight. He took a deep breath in and inhaled your aroma once again and the intoxicating need you had let out. He could smell your desire.

Shaky, he looked around. The sprayers misting the club had gone off, enveloping the room in a haze. It’s a gas! The drug is in the mist!

You had started leaning towards Loki. Your body started shutting down. “Loki, I…I’m blacking out…call…help…”

“Darling, let’s go. We need to go back to the hotel room.” Loki pressed the distress signal that was located in your purse. He carried you by your hips, hoping that it would look believable enough not to raise suspicions that you were both under the influence.

“And ver do you tink you’re going, Avengers?” A callous voice said from behind Loki. A tall, burly man in a suit wearing a transparent mask stepped out from the shadows. “Vee don’t take kindly to people snooping around. Do you like the special mixture we made for you? Breathe deep, my friends. For it will be your last.” The man smiled as he reached for a weapon inside his breast pocket.

Loki couldn’t think of anything else to do but try to transport the two of you back to the hotel lobby or somewhere public, where there are lots of people to hide with.

If HYDRA knew they were being spied on, then they probably knew which room the two of you were staying at. He couldn’t risk transporting the two of you back there.

Loki brought the two of you to the restaurant he spotted earlier. The waiter, surprised that someone was sitting at a table without his knowledge, came by to see what was going on.

Loki looked flushed and irritated as his breathing got heavier and the air around him started to change. On the other hand, you could barely keep your eyes open, leaning on Loki to help you get around. “Rogers, get here now. NO. Tonight! We’ve been compromised.” Loki hung up the call.

That was the last thing you heard before your sight faded into black. Your hearing got muted into a single ringing noise in your head. You felt a cold chill as your body stiffened up. The only reason why you didn’t feel scared was the lingering smell of his musk, filling your nose.

“Darling, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Read Pheromones, the conclusion.

🏷️@emarich7 @michelleleewise @coldnique @vickie5446 @psychospore @mukagentropy @lokisgoodgirl @silverfire475 @fictive-sl0th @springdandelixn @wheredafandomat @goldencherriess @peaches1958 @salempoe @thomase1 @kkdvkyya @a-witch-with-words @mischief2sarawr @sarawr-reads @vbecker10 @peachymallows @irishhappiness @cakesandtom @simplyholl @here4thefanfics @loopsisloops @muddyorbsblr @luvlady-writes @kellatron55 @huntress-artemiss @crimson25 @purplegrrl27 @sarahscribbles @ladyofthestayingpower @ozymdias @lokixryss @athalialaufeyson @thedistractedagglomeration @theotherspiderlady @gigglingtigger @skymoonandstardust

[aboutchigiri]

my mine; sae itoshi x g!n reader

a/n: not proofread

sae was excited to take you to your first concert, granted, he wouldn't consider himself a fan of the artist but he had heard you go on your innate ramblings or just heard you playing their music obscenely loud in your shared apartment. little did you know, sae had a bigger surprise in store for you.

"y/n, i hate to rush you but we kinda need to leave now if we wanna get there early enough for you to get in the merch line." sae started, walking into the room to see you lacing up your shoes.

"good thing i'm ready then." you replied, smiling as you did a quick little spin. "how do i look?" you smiled, knowing you took time to get extra dolled up for this concert. it was your favorite artist after all and your very first concert.

"beautiful, as always." sae murmurs that last part, smiling at you faintly and allowing his ears to tinge pink.

"let's go because if they sell out because you're too busy blushing over me, i might actually kill you." you smile and kiss his cheek before you're bounding towards the door.

***

when you and sae finally arrive at the concert venue, you immediately go to the merch line. since you guys were an hour early, the lines were a decent length. you were smiling the entire time, hand wrapped safely in sae's cold fingers. sae couldn't help but adore you in your blissful oblivion, it made this whole event 10x more special for him.

finally, after sae buys you a ridiculous and i mean WILD amount of merch, he carries all the bags to your upper level seats. sae was willing to splurge to get you stage side seating but was too jealous to listen to you go crazy over anyone who wasn't him. sue him for being in love...

"thank you for all this, love. i know i thanked you like a trillion times when you gave me my ticket but seriously, this might be one of the best nights of my life." you spoke, kissing his cheek and smiling broadly at him.

"anytime, you deserve it." his lips tug into a small grin, the same way it always did when he was around you. god, he couldn't wait to make this night perfect for you.

***

the concert was going perfect, this artist was PERFORMING. although, sae wasn't as obsessed as you, he could see the appeal but his eyes remained on you and your excitement the whole night. finally, your favorite song from this artist played and your eyes watered out of pure joy.

sae had heard this song millions of times, he even knew the words. this was the song, he told himself. even though, sae itoshi hated attention unless it was from you, he loved you even more and wanted this moment to be memorable. so, for this moment, he was willing to put his pride aside and make you happy.

"baby...." he spoke as he tapped your shoulder, your head turned slowly and as the chorus of your favorite song played, you saw sae drop to his knee, a shining ring between his fingers. you had no time to reply, tears pricking your eyes as you look your boyfriend of 4 years in the eyes.

"y/n, i wanna make you happy for a long time. a lifetime, if you'll let me....will you marry me y/n l/n." sae smiled, all of his teeth sparkling brightly, something he rarely ever did in public. the crowd around began to notice and there was loud applause and "awees" and "say yes!!" in the crowd.

"yes..oh my fuck. yes. yes." you rambled as you let sae put the ring on your trembling finger. he stood up to kiss your forehead and you let a tear drop slightly against your face. the crowd once again screamed in joy for you guys, sae was even on the big screen. it got the attention of the artist who congratulated you guys.

it was so extra, if you weren't so happy, you would beat sae's ass. both of you weren't the fondest of pda and this was quite a lot to take in but you know that sae only did this because he wanted to see you happy. so, you could excuse the extra attention because now you were engaged to the love of your life.

the concert finished strongly and you got a bunch of congratulations as you left the venue. everything felt so surreal but it was okay because you had sae by your side, now and forever.

a/n: purely made this bcs i saw a tiktok of some girl getting kissed during a cigarettes after sex concert and i felt really single. but, i thought this was cute even tho i despise public proposals😭😭.

[electronicwitchcollection]

🖤🌸

BAHAHA YOUR GIN DRABBLE IS AMAZING. I just pictured Gin walking around and walking into to everyone and falling like a flopping fish XD

Now, I know I talk about Byakuya a lot but I genuinely want to know what he’d react like when he sees Gin drunk and tipsy. I just read @bleachbrainrotbro ‘s hcs on the two getting drunk where it was a similar situation but Byakuya was the one who ended up drunk 😂😂

😂 the image brought me so much joy.

Little side note! I’ve actually got a Byakuya x Gin one shot planned! It’s angsty and rough and hopefully very filthy 😂 as soon as I finish my Aizawa one shot (nearly done!) and the next chapter of Accidental mate, I’m going to start writing it

Now! On to the good stuff.

Byakuya isn’t one for drinking in access. The high standards of decorum and pride that have been ingrained into him from a young child have him conditioned to look down on such behaviour. Being unable to control yourself, the sloppy erratic movements, the slurred unfiltered words due to copious amounts of alcohol was unbecoming.

Drunk people were embarrassing, unsightly, and just plain annoying. Now he was used to the overly touchy Kyoraku, having (unfortunately) spent a lot of time in his presence at noble gatherings, in which Kyoraku took as an opportunity to get absolutely shitfaced.

Over the years he has figured out the best ways to avoid his elder, or at the very least distract him enough to slip away. Gin, on the other hand was a variant he was completely unprepared for.

Gin had staggered (probably away from Kyoraku) down the street when he got Byakuya in his sights. Even drunk he cannot resist the urge to mess with the stuffy captain.

Byakuya could tell straight away how inebriated he was, with the sloppy, heavy footsteps swaying all over the place. His devious grin plastered on his face as he got the captain in his sights. Byakuya would sigh internally, scanning the area for someone, anyone, to shove this nuisance off on.

Gin would throw a heavy arm around him, alcohol soaked breath assaulting Byakuyas nose the instant he got close. Looking straight ahead one would almost be able to see the distain radiate off him.

Gin is a wind up merchant, this only amplifies when drunk. He would poke Byakuya on the nose, snickering at the offended look he would get in return. “Bya-kun”

Byakuya’s eye would twitch as he tried to keep his composure, answering with a curt “captain Ichimaru”

Gin would speak utter nonsense, trying to rile him up. He wanted a reaction, and he wouldn’t stop until he got one. He would poke, nudge, flick and generally be a pest

Byakuya would discreetly try to detangle this drunken leech off of him, to no prevail. Muttering a silent mantra of “don’t hit him, don’t hit him, you’re above fighting in the street. Don’t hit him”

I cannot tell you how hilarious I find the idea of Mayuri walking down the street, stopping when he sees Gin drunkenly hanging off Byakuya. Byakuya would catch his eye and motion to him “come get this idiot off me”. In which Mayuri would snort, flip him the bid and walk backwards away from the scene. Like hell would he get involved in that.

I think at some point Byakuya would just come to accept that this is his life now. Stoically staring ahead waiting for this bumbling idiot to either pass out or get distracted and walk away of his own volition. He would try and coax the captain into going home, try and use some of the distraction techniques that would on Kyoraku (mainly pointing out woman who seem to be single)

The next passer-by wouldn’t be able to escape as easily as Mayuri had. I like to think Toshiro would happen on them next, unhappy, but will venture over to assist. Only to be left livid when Byakuya uses the distraction to flash step away.

Gin would bend over, hand on his knees to get eye level with Toshiro and ruffle his hair like a child. Byakuya couldn’t help the smug grin when he hears Toshiro screaming obscenities from down the road

[ellecdc]

Hi elle i was the anon whose results were supposed to come out today. well, my average fell by two grades. i'm not happy, my parents are not happy. I passed barely with decent scores. I'm going to a mediocre business school this fall (if they even want me) yay i guess. that's it for the update im going to go jump off a cliff now

should i just stop my education? anyways my stupidity and mental health doesn't allow it guess the futures not very bright after all

I'm sorry that it's taken me a few days to respond to this; I will admit I've been having a difficult time myself and didn't feel I had it in me to give this ask the response it deserves.

instead of babbling off motivational quotes about how "it'll all be alright in the end; if it's not alright then it is not yet the end" etc etc, I will tell you a story.

my best friend growing up [and one of my dearest friends still to this day] failed her written drivers test seven times [I don't think either of us really remember the actual number because every time we tell the story, the number grows more and more lol, but it was certainly at least 4-5 times]. Today? She's driving around and we laugh and laugh whenever we tell the story.

my first degree was in psychology. when I was 17-21, my mental health was at an all time low, particularly in my first and second year, and by the third [and then my fourth] I was so unbelievably tired of school... I failed. I failed a lot of classes. I failed a sociology class, I failed my first year intro to psychology! [basically psych 101 - as a psych major], and a few statistics/math courses!

in fact, in my second year I decided to take one class online while my other four were all in person. I submitted the first quiz in that online class and then nothing else for the rest of the semester. I never logged on again, never dropped the course, and by the time I realized what I'd done [or bothered to consider the consequences of putting this class 'out of sight, out of mind'] it was during exam season, and I knew I hadn't learned a single thing in that course and was going to fail, so I never even showed up to the final exam.

you know what I finished that class with? 8%.

on my university transcript, I have an 8%. I didn't just fail, I FAILED.

and you know what else? I got my degree anyway

I have a degree hanging in my office; a degree that saw a lot of tears, a lot of pain, a lot of failures, and a lot of doubts. sometimes I still wonder if I even deserved the degree, seeing as how I was anything but studious or invested in my academics. I graduated, and it was not with honours nor anywhere near top of my class, but I graduated

I even worked for two years in the field immediately post graduation. not only did I get the degree, I also got the job

and then....I took my transcript from my first university - that same transcript that has an 8% on it - and applied to another university....and got accepted

and remember that friend I mentioned? the same one who failed her drivers test an 'obscene' amount of times? she went to nursing school, and did really well. she's a devoted care taker and if anything ever happened to me [or any of my loved ones], I would absolutely want her in charge of my care.

well, she failed her nursing exam. she was devastated; this was all she'd ever wanted to do, the only career she ever saw herself in, and she'd devoted so many years trying to get here

so I reminded her about the drivers test. and I said "sweets, what are we doing right now?" and she was like "...talking?" and I was like "no shut up; right now we are sitting in your car in a McDonald's parking lot that you drove us to...with your license that you got. So yeah, maybe you failed your nurses exam, but you also failed your drivers test, yet here you are almost seven years later having driven an incalculable number of kilometres. you failed your test and it probably sucked at the time, but today we laugh about it and it's nothing but a moment in time. you will nurse one day, and this will be merely a moment in time that you may not even fully remember."

so.......all this to say; tests are sometimes meant to be failed. that's not a comforting thought, and I'm sorry, but you either pass or you fail [or you pass but aren't please with your marks]. and right now this feels big, and right now it feels heavy, but one day this moment and these feelings will only be a memory or a moment in time. I've never been anything but a mediocre student until I went back to college in 2020 [I was twenty four at the time!], and yet I still graduated high school, got accepted to university, failed classes, graduated university, and got accepted to university again.

my friend failed her drivers test numerous times yet owns her own car and drives everyday. she failed her nursing exam yet still tends to patients in hospitals and nursing homes today.

don't stop your education, don't jump off a cliff, and don't be too hard on yourself - it's a moment in time, you're building your lore, and you will be okay.

xx

[misssleepless12]

A03 Wrapped 2023 Edition

This is technically an ask game but I'm just gonna answer some of these here bc 2023 was a super big year for me in terms of how much I wrote!! And I'm just kinda proud of my silly self hehehe <3

How many works did you publish this year? 14! I wrote for four different fandoms! Blue Lock, Persona 3, PKMN Black and White, and PKMN Scarlet and Violet.

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? I've written so many things I'm proud of this year, but I'm gonna have to say riptide ! rnis in Rin's hometown of Kamakura, but I did sooo much research for it and put so much effort into it and then wrote it all in a three weeks in a massive brainrot streak hahah.

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? Ohhh god time to embarrass myself again but the Chainsmokers was my top artist of 2023 and I also used so many of their lyrics and songs for inspiration. As evidence above hahaha~

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? In terms of number of fics, it's rnis/rinsagi at 4! But in terms of word count, otkr/tabieita came from the back with the surprise win!

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? The surprise contender that was tabieita hahah

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year? Haha, haha.... ha. I'm sitting at five fully started/outlined ones already... oh boy XD

What work was the quickest to write? Gold Star for Effort which took me like four hours djfndkj

What work took you the longest to write? Pull in Case of Bisexual Awakening at five and a half months!

Your favorite character to write this year? Otoya Eita, my beloved womanizing green noodle ninja hahah

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? Bris/ barousagi bug bit me recently so I know that wave of brainrot is coming!

Which work of yours have you reread the most? let's admit, without apology, what we do to each other .... my comfort fic

How many kudos in total did you get this year? 2,096! The most I've ever gotten in a single year and nearly half of what I've gotten altogether!

What do you listen to while writing? I have a bunch of character or ship playlists I made that I like to listen to! I also sometimes just throw rain sounds in the background too pfft.

Favorite work you wrote this year? Once again... Pull in Case of Bisexual Awakening! Literally changed the course of my year both in terms of my real life and my creative one writing that bad boy!

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? He is rawer, nowadays, somewhat like when Sae first rejected him but also not. ‘Somewhat’ because he still aches all the time, ‘not’ because he embraces it. All wound. No boy. No need for anyone to stem his bleeding because Rin’s at his best when he’s bleeding, when he can be obscene, when he can destroy. - from final boys

Biggest surprise while writing this year? That once I figured out a good process for going from idea-outline-actual writing to finished product, I was so impressed with the amount of writing I was actually capable of! I've always been a notoriously slow writer, which led to me not being able to post super often prior to 2023 But I really hammered out a writing process that works for me and I did the best I could with it I think! I hope to improve upon it this year and hopefully get a better handle of keeping my word counts in check too (chronic over-writer here dkjfndjk).

2023 was such a big wild year for my writing and I can only hope I keep up the energy in 2024. It was such a blast and I appreciate everyone who supported me through all the ups and downs!! <3

[amazingdeadfish]

What would these guys get each other for an friend/lover anniversary gift?

Also I just wanna say I love your fic! I really started only reading it yesterday but I gotta tell you, your writing HOOKS me, I’m not even half wayfinished with it, (I’m only on Part 3) but your characters and plot is sooo good!

I know it’s not really recommend to read this blog without finishing the fic but your art is just sooo delicious! (And I found the blog first).

Anyway I gotta quit rambling, I hope your hyper fixation never stops!

RANT ALERT

For the first few years, maybe decades, the two would probably give small things for anniversary. A small trinket, an item to wear, something shiny, something small. At some point both of their shelves and drawers in their respective residences (if you are to assume they even have a residence or a home) will be filled to the brim with seemingly meaningless things. But they are kept anyway because they either:

Have a hoarding issue (cough cough- Macaque- cough cough)

Or because they put too much sentimentality on things they are given by the ones they care about to the point where if you were to ever even suggest the idea of throwing it away they will take an obscene amount of offence to it and especially hoard it even more (cough cough- Mayor- cough cough).

But then obviously it will come to a point where anniversary gifts might become more meaningful. I think, maybe, at some point, the Mayor might buy Macaque a small plant. Something that won't be kept in a cupboard, and instead grow with them. They're a bit strange like that, and Macaque might not understand entirely why the Mayor decided to get him something like this. But he will care for it, and eventually the plant turns into a tree, and then the tree will offer fruit. You can decide what type. Either way, its a gift that never really dies, because once the tree is gone, you can plant another one with the same fruit. And it continues on and on and on.

Macaque on the other hand will probably finally learn what Mayor finds interesting in life other than the 'surprisingly not to mundane trinkets' he finds laying around to give. Maybe a pocket watch so the guy will stop loosing track of time whenever the two spend time together. Or maybe, instead of a material gift, he might just take the Mayor out for an experience instead. The gift of a memory. Like, grave digging. They would probably both enjoy that. Mayor more so.

EDIT: Macaque would most certainly, at one point, steal the "For the Love of God" sculpture for Mayor. If you have no idea what it is, it's a platinum cast of a skull encrusted with diamonds on practically all sides. Now THAT is an anniversary gift.

ANWAYS- thank you so much!!! I'm glad you like the fic series. I know you sent in this ask like... ages ago, so I hope you have made it through to the end or, have made sufficient progress on it! I too, hope the hyperfixation never stops, because if it does, then I have no idea how I am going to write out the other ideas I still have for the fic. It took a while, but the release of season five finally jumpstarted my brain into coming up with more ideas (for the better or for the worse, I actually have no idea) so as much as i hate to say it, Blue and Violet is not ending anytime soon :'DDD.

[29pageshomestuckeveryday]

Homestuck, page 2,578

[S] Make her pay.

Song used: Crystamanthequins by Erik Scheele

Song commentary:

Erik Scheele:

Probably the thing I’m best-known for off of Volume 5, which is slightly ironic given how rushed it was. No kidding, I finished it up the night that Hussie was rounding up tracks to go through, and threw it in as a last-minute thing, “hey I just finished this can it go in??” deal. I mean, I’d had inspiration for it earlier, but never got around to making it until it was almost too late!

Yeah, this one definitely had inspiration. To answer a quick question you might have though, no, I didn’t know about the trolls beforehand, or what Hussie was going to do with the music. I didn’t even find out until Albatross Soup told me about it, a few weeks before it happened. Moreso, the inspiration came from a sudden image I had one night during the summer, in which Jade’s planet, at that time unknown, was highly unstable, and Noir had purposefully upset the balance in order to try and destroy her planet. So the entire first bit is her trying to save her inhabitants, while Crystalanthemums plays. The reason for having that motif, well, I’d had this very strong feeling that it should be Jade’s planet theme. So, it got used.

(The mental images of one of the kid’s planets getting broken/torn apart like I’d imagined still give me the shivers. I still love Hussie so much for creating a villain that actually did something upon gaining obscene amounts of power; rather than just retreating and launching some master plan, he actually went around and started doing shit with his powers. Not something you even really see in Hollywood villains nowadays, far as I know. The protagonists and antagonists are always very separated, no interaction between one or the other, nothing like what Noir does. At least, that was my experience at the time.)

As for the second bit, well, I’d wanted to make an “industrial, heavy action, stuff going to shit” remix of Perrybob’s Mannequin for quite some time, and it seemed to fit to transition over to that. In my head, the action was going to shift from Jade’s planet to LOHAC, where unspecific action was going to take place. I really don’t think I gave the Mannequin section enough time to develop, or really do much, but time constraints dictated I give the music over to the volume 5 collaborative -right then and there-, so it had to be cut off. Mannequin’s really great, though, you should give it a listen.

Also, as a sidenote, my like for Beck is rather shown in this piece, as is evidenced by my direct attempt to semi-recreate main beat in Replica to transition between the two sections. #MUSICSECRETSSSSSSSS

Author commentary:

[S] Make her pay is the culmination of Hivebent. It ties up what can be regarded as the few remaining loose ends in a rough and bloody collage of retributional actions, which all revolve around the brand-new star of the story, Vriska. This sounds like a joke, but it really isn't. If there's one thing we end up with at the end of Hivebent that we didn't begin with, it's the emergence of this figure as someone who's going to demand center stage from now on, and who won't take no for an answer, no matter how many times the narrative tries to point the camera at something else. This animation really couldn't do a better job of signaling this transition, since the apex of Hivebent revolves around not just one of Vriska's plot points, but two. One where she does something horrible, and another where she suffers horrible consequences for what she did.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Sorry, I lose my shit whenever I see that wolf head. The animation picks up right where we left off, when Scratch blew off Vriska's arm and took out her eye. Have we talked about this particular disfigurement yet? It's mentioned in the Pupa Pan parallels, but also it's the same disfigurement Jack receives in the other session, as a result of some mishaps with the clown doll John prototyped. Is this a "cursed disfigurement"? Is the fact that this happened to Vriska, as sort of a punishment by Scratch, meant to indicate that future realities would be cursed with echoes of this disfigurement as well? Did Scratch give her this disfigurement deliberately because he knew of its future relevance? Is it simple foreshadowing? Is there no correlation? What are the answers, when you can't definitively tell if one event takes place before another, or the reverse is true? Are these disfigurements taking place in a way that each is circumstantially simultaneous with the other? Scratch would probably say yes. The reason I know he would is because he's basically just a slightly more obnoxious and opaque version of the author.

The animation settles into a rhythm from here on, in a way that I think is pretty self-explanatory, even in static form. So there's probably not much to say about it. I think I'm going to try a brand-new trick. It's called "hiding the author notes margin" when I don't have anything particularly worthwhile to say. Oh, you don't think that sounds like the "coolest" idea I've ever had? Well, why don't you give it a shot first, see how you feel about it. I know I'm feeling pretty great about the plan already.

[Editor's note: highly irrelevant to anything in the flash, but I'm leaving this one in anyway] The author note margin suddenly returns on page 420, just in time for me to invite you to "blaze it." It's totally fine with me if you want to rip this page out of the book and roll a dank blunt with it. I won't call the cops. What? You think returning to writing page notes just to say this was actually dumb as shit? Fine, DONT blaze it. I'll try to do better, by sharing an urban legend with you, that I made up one time. If the clock strikes 4:13, you can say "Homestuck" out loud, if you want. But if you do, you will then have exactly seven minutes to smoke some weed. If you don't manage to do this before the clock strikes 4:20, I will show up and murder you. Don't tell any of your friends this, it will end in tragedy.

If it wasn't totally clear, here's what Vriska did. She psychically controls Tavros, who's a total chump and is easy for her to control at any time, for any purpose. She makes him use his psychic powers to commune with an animal. The animal in question is Terezi's pre-hatched dragon, who is psychically linked to Terezi, who is asleep. The dragon then controls Terezi to get up, sleepwalk through the woods, and stare directly into the harsh Alternian sun until she goes blind. Pretty good revenge, Vriska. I'm impressed. Or I would be, if I wasn't the one who thought of it instead of you. Oh wait, that just makes me even more impressed with it. Good job all around, everyone. Me and my OCs make a great team.

Getting contributions from other artists for animations was still kind of a new idea at this point. But the Flashes were still made with blazing speed, so the contributing artists had to work fast too, which resulted in a looser-looking art style similar to what I was working in. Still, opening it up to other artists who could invest more time individually into certain pieces really expanded the potential for how good some of these assets could look. So eventually some really strong examples started showing up, like this one. Making productions this way really widened the range of what Homestuck was capable of looking like. That range is about as broad as it gets, stretching from "complete and utter shit" all the way to "commercially produced, mainstream animation studio-grade." That escalation finally caps off with the Act 7 animation, which, for whatever else it might be, is the ultimate synthesis of Homestuck as a wildly escalating medium in the visuals department.

The neat thing here is that, though Vriska believes she's getting revenge, the dragon is actually managing to turn this into a boon for Terezi. Terezi hinted at this earlier in a conversation with Vriska, wanting to thank her for this moment, which Vriska didn't understand and just got frustrated about. The dragon is actually making her sleepwalk in two places: in the forest, and on Prospit. The animation sort of stylistically blends these two processions, toggling and fading between Terezi's real self and dream self as they stroll along.

They open their eyes in both places. Dream Terezi sees Skaia, real Terezi gets an eyeful of burning sun. This is what causes Terezi to wake up on Prospit. She's blind in both the real and dream worlds, but now that her dragon is in tune with her mind, she's taught how to see in other ways, making most use of those lessons on Prospit. By the time she wakes up back in the woods to discover herself blind, she can already "see" well enough to find her way back home. Her blinding isn't really the maiming Vriska was going for. It's a sense-expanding, mind-awakening event that Terezi feels improves her life, and it becomes an important part of her identity. So much so that to be "healed" would trigger a crisis of identity and depression.

There are a few little sprite-based battle vignettes sprinkled into the animation. Full disclosure? Stuff like this tended to be filler. Some of these songs were LONG. But I didn't want to cut them down too often. A lot of times it was hard to find meaningful ways to fill every single stretch of a song without just dropping some reasonably cool, reasonably on-topic moments to grab the eye, or to use on a transitional basis before moving on to another stretch of the song that marked the right time to start a more relevant cinematic sequence.

The way the art contributors worked as a group usually was pretty open-ended. A little in advance of starting an animation I'd say something like, "I don't really know exactly what this Flash needs yet, but probably just a bunch of generally cool battle stuff, like sprites and backgrounds, would be useful." And they did turn out to be useful. I almost always found a way to sneak everything in there, even if it was only onscreen for a couple seconds. It's one reason why a lot of these sequences end up being so dense.

A first glimpse of the Sollux vs. Eridan drama. A lot of these brief clips imply events that readers easily could have guessed were going to play out anyway. We knew Sollux and Feferi started dating. We knew Feferi was Eridan's ex, and we knew what his attitude was like. We don't even need to make a whole thing about it. The wrong play would have been adding another scene in Hivebent where Eridan was like YOU STOLE MY GILFROND YOU SCURVVY SCALAWWAG! All we need is this brief shot, and it's like, oh, yep, there they go, that figures. Sometimes these arcs include so much shit, it seems like maybe there's no real vetting process for which scenes and conversations go in and which don't? That ain't true at all. There's a real art to determining out of all this chaos what's worth showing, which conversations are worth printing, and which ones are best left implied or omitted entirely. I can't give you the guidebook to such decisions. Ya just gotta FEEL IT.

Props to Vriska's Megaman slide across the bridge. Again, this only exists here because one of the artists randomly decided to make that pose.

Aradiabot shows up to beat Vriska's ass down. And we see she's got two portable, floating time-travel devices, like Dave has. These are implied to be akin to his turntables, but they're made from the stuff she had available on her planet. So this shot establishes that she's been making the rounds through time. Doing what, though? We'll see. But whatever she did, it seems like she's done enough of it to decide it's squared away, and she's now at liberty to focus on settling an old score.

This all gets pretty savage. Probably the worst the story's presented so far, on a graphic-violence basis. Any time Homestuck moves the line a little further along any axis, it's basically saying, "This is also something the story can be." That goes for everything from the quality of rendering to the nature of the content. This fight pushes the line on Homestuck's capacity for brutality a little further. In that regard, this animation acts as another good transitional piece, paving the way for the tone of the rest of this Act. The Nastytimes are upon us.

When Aradia said, "Hey you wanna hit the boardwalk a little later?" I don't think this is what Vriska thought she had in mind.

Cue chorus from the "why the fuck does Tavros have long sleeves" choir. Good question. This is just one of the perils of having a bunch of artists working on this stuff quickly, without much time taken to vet all the assets for consistency. Is it really too far outside the realm of possibility he's got a black hoodie stowed away somewhere in that rocket chair?

I'd like to imagine she delivered an ice-cold one-liner before vanishing. Maybe something like, "Thanks for the present."

And we see this is the story of how Vriska awakened on Prospit too. You can look at the animation as telling as two parallel tales, in two different ways. Either as two tales of revenge revolving around Vriska, one where she delivers retribution and the other where she receives it. Or as two tales of awakening, one where Terezi wakes up in response to making the best of a punishment she probably didn't deserve, and the other where Vriska wakes up in response to being jolted from slumber by a punishment she probably did deserve. This is a funny and abrupt way to end this sequence. Sort of a nice, long-awaited reunion on Prospit, after the final score has been "formally evened." It probably results in a short conversation we don't get to see that is apologetic and conciliatory in nature. Maybe one of those rare moments, pre-retcon, where they just get to be good friends for a bit, unfettered by all the baggage, bad blood, and competitive bullshit. Unfortunately, this moment doesn't last long. Vriska's real body starts slowly bleeding to death, while she tries to convince Tavros to finish her off in her quest cocoon. Her dream self starts bleeding horribly too, to match the damage to the real body, in keeping with the "time limit" a player's dream self has before they can no longer be kissed back to life. Terezi watches her start to bleed here, and I'm going to guess she finds it a bit disturbing to witness.

Another observation: Vriska's dream self is healed, arm and eye intact. Terezi's is still blind though. There are some vague and unspoken rules concerning whether serious injuries transfer over to dream selves. A decent way of viewing a dream self is just as a dream-projection of the id. A collection of certain ideas about yourself, your identity. Vriska's injuries aren't an important part of who she is, and if they were healed, she'd be glad to be done with them. Terezi's blindness is a big part of her identity. In fact, she was blinded by the very process of her awakening, which, if you ask me, is a more than logical way of understanding how the injury was imprinted on her dream self for good.

Storyboards: http://readmspa.org/storyboards/02577.swf.html

[realsorcerershit]

How the hell did you P-Rank P-2 so fast I suck balls at this game. I was able to P-Rank P-1 yet I literally had to turn on Major Assists just to get past that room with the Stalker.

Honest, genuine answer - I've put an obscene amount of time into this game. Something like 133.9 hours on steam right now. But - outside of that, there's a lot of like - little nitty gritty bits and pieces to it all, so if you want, I'll do a written guide under a read more? For anyone unaware - spoilers will be under the cut here. And, sorry if it's long - I have way too many thoughts about all of this, and do actually want to help as much as I can!

So - for reference, here, I actually have a video that I uploaded, which I'll use to reference? I'll try to refer to rooms as much as possible to be descriptive and whatnot, too! Video reference here. The name of the game here is threat analysis, and finding ways to keep yourself alive. What worked for me might not work for you, and vice versa.

Quad Cerberus: The name of the game for this room was speed. The upcoming Ferryman and Virtue spawn makes this one require you to go fast, so - I instantly open with a core eject + malicious railcannon nuke, dashing to avoid the damage as I shoot the nuke. This puts all of the Cerberus' to less than half HP, making projectile boosts and rocket usage the way to go to finish them all off. Then, it's all about setting up a quick sawcon trap to kill the Ferryman as soon as I can. For the double Virtues, I do my usual strat for virtue killing - shotgun swapping, punch with red arm, use whiplash to close the distance.

Double Sentry + Mindflayer 1 + Swordsmachine: For this fight - I took a look at what would be the most instantly lethal to me, in particular, for this fight. That would be the double Sentries in the back. Luckily, the Swordsmachine also spawns between them, so I go to the side where one of the Sentries spawn, charge up a slab revolver piercing shot, and follow it immediately up with a blue railcannon. From there, it's just cleaning up whatever's left. Sawcon to finish the Swordsmachine, too. If at any point, the ability to parry the Mindflayer's bullets shows up, take it. It's a free health and stamina refill. This applies all the way til the double idol room.

Hallway Cerberus + Double Streetcleaner: Once again, this is a case of threat analysis. The Cerberus needs to go first, immediately. I personally do a double railcoin setup to kill it fast - but if you can't pull that off, piercing slab revolver + blue railcannon + friendly fire damage from the Mindflayer should be enough. Finish off the streetcleaners last in any way possible, then move on.

Double Idol Mindflayer, Pack 1 (Sentry + 2x SM): Once again, the Sentry is your biggest threat due to lack of cover. However, you can just stun it with a revolver shot, and then set up saws to kill the Swordsmachines passively - keep moving to avoid the Sword swipes. This one's a lot harder to explain and just ends up looking messy no matter how you do it, and this one just takes practice.

Pack 2 (2x Virtue, 2x Maurice): My biggest enemy here, imo, are the virtues, just due to the beams they fire that stun you. So, whiplash to them with the shotgun out, and shotgun swap while punching with the red arm to kill em off quickly. Repeat the same strat for the Maurices, then break the statues.

2x Mindflayer: At last, the double mindflayers. My goal is to just - kinda also shotgun spam them. That said, if I can find the window to safely instakill one with the malicious railcannon (the timing is right as their homing bullets spawn - shoot with malicious railcannon and they instantly die) I'll take it. Don't worry about your health too much going into this - punching the idols will heal you.

2x Insurrectionist: Good lord this pack sucks for me. However, with the addition of the SRS Cannon, you can now stun one of them, which is really helpful. Make sure to set up a sawcon on them, and spam projectile boosts to keep them on fire. They take more damage while on fire, as it's a weakness. Outside of that, just continue to move, do not stop, and use the big railcannon when you can as well. I believe whiplashing the skull into them also sets them on fire, too? Don't quote me on that.

Spinning Blood Lake 1 (2x Virtue, 2x MF, 1x Sentry): This is another game of just stun the sentry first, then kill whatever leaves an opening. In the uploaded run, I snipe with blue railcannon, then use the shotgun on the virtues, re-stun the sentry with the revolver, then finish up and move on. THis one requires practice and is very open ended on how you solve it - don't be afraid to fall if you need to just get somewhere for health regen.

Spinning Blood Chamber 2 (2x Cerb, 2x Sentry, 1x MF): This room sucks and killed at least 20 runs for me. My strategy ended up being whiplashing to the Sentries to punch them off the cliff ASAP, whiplashing to the Maurice to kill THAT next, then just plinking at the Cerberus' from afar until they died. Again, it's open ended, but I think that's the most ideal threat priority.

Stalker room, wave 1 (4x Stray, 2x Swordsmachine, 1x Ferryman): The name of the game here is to continue moving, and do not STOP moving. I set up a Sawcon trap in the middle to get free plink damage on the Swordsmachines and the Ferryman, and ultimately ignore the Stray until it's convenient for me to kill them. The name of the game is to keep pulling the enemies away from the Stalker, so that they don't get sanded, so you can maintain health regeneration.

Stalker room, wave 2 (4x Sentry, 1x Idol, 1x Hideous Mass): The name of the game here is to time your dashes with the shots that you cannot cancel - and use the red fist religiously to cancel as many shots as you can in combination with the Whiplash. As long as you're moving rapidly, the Hideous Mass cannot hit you, and that's what's most important. Getting locked down by the tail claw is a total death sentence. Punching the tether, if you get stuck, with the red fist, does get rid of it, though.

Stalker room, wave 3 (3x Virtue, 4x Cerberus): Here, we really have the thing of nightmares. However, one thing becomes safe: The Idol protecting the Hideous Mass opens up, and that can be immediately punched if you're in danger of death for a free health refill. That said, I take to the sky immediately with the Whiplash, killing off the three Virtues with my usual method, shotgun swap, red fist punch. Then, while I'm in the air and falling down, I set up sawblades on the underbelly of the Hideous Mass (breaking the Idol was the first thing I did, also worth mentioning), letting those do passive damage to both it and the Cerberus'. Follow it all up with staying far away from the Cerberus' to give myself time to react to their attacks, punch the idol, kill the Stalker, and then FINALLY it's time for the PANOPTICON.

PANOPTICON: Not too much to talk about here. Just - immediately whiplash up to kill the eyes, use the pistol on the face that spawns, high speed circle strafe around the PANOPTICON while doing as much damage to it as possible. The big thing for this one is find a way to avoid its explosive lobbing that works for you, I'd say?

SISYPHUS PRIME: Here, I adopted a strat similar to how people P rank Minos Prime nowadays - sawcon setup during the cutscene. Use the pistol to break a single nail when possible. When you're ready, do a double/triple railcoin through him, and then continue to bait him into saws. I panicked a bit in the video, as you can see, when the coins didn't kill, but. That's the hardest part. Just find a high DPS route in your own way!

Holy shit this was so long. I'm so sorry. I do hope that this helps a lot, though! And don't beat yourself up about having to use major assists - these are some of the most fucked up enemy patterns that exist in the game, in conjunction with excessively difficult room design. Genuinely, it's tough. Even making it to this fight is a massive accomplishment.

[morlock-holmes]

What exactly are we trying to solve?

The incuriosity and fuzziness with which people look at the west coast homelessness crisis drives me fucking batty.

Now look, I admit up front that I am also both incurious and wool-headed about this issue, but I work in a fucking restaurant for minimum wage. If you write a book about the fucking homeless crisis or run the city government I expect you to think a little bit harder than the average schmoe on the street, and I think that's reasonable.

One thing that pisses me off about the way people talk about homelessness is that they don't seem to know why it's bad, or what it would look like to solve it. Which I know sounds crazy but hear me out.

Scott Alexander helpfully reviews San Fransicko for me so I don't have to punch any holes in my drywall, but I want... Well, actually I was composing this as I finish Alexander's review, and I got to his utilitarian discussion at the end that cuts to the heart of the matter:

Along with all the problems and preaching, San Fransicko offers solutions. These won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s read this far: they’re basically the Amsterdam plan presented earlier. Break up open-air drug markets. Force addicts into rehab by threatening prison sentences for noncompliance. Ban camping on streets and force the homeless into shelters. Offer permanent housing when appropriate, but make it contingent on good behavior. Have a strong psychiatric system with ability to commit people who need it, and enforced outpatient treatment when appropriate.

Would these work?

I’m pretty sure they would work well for housed people and the city as a whole. Homeless people would no longer block the streets and assault passers-by; they would be safely out of sight in shelters or in mental institutions. A new generation of tough DAs would crack down on crime. Stores could reopen, and citizens could walk the streets without fear. It’s hard for me to imagine this not working.

...

I have to admit - I talk a good utilitarian talk on this, but I don’t know if I live up to my ideals. An addictionologist interviewed in San Fransicko heaps contempt on well-off liberals who get the benefits of virtue-signaling while externalizing the costs onto poor people in bad areas:

[You] sit in the suburbs and feel smug about the fact that you oppose the war on drugs and have a Black Lives Matter sign in your yard. But you don’t have homeless people taking a crap on your front stoop every day or [have] all your packages stolen every single day

So I imagine - what if I lived in the worst parts of SF, had people crap on my front steps every day, had all my packages stolen, and (by the bounds of this hypothetical) wasn’t allowed to move to the suburbs, ever? I think I would last two weeks before I sacrificed all of my principles on the altar of “less human feces, please”.

Maybe, as a lefty, I'm supposed to read that and gasp and say, "How can you be so heartless?" or maybe I'm supposed to say, "Gosh, when you get right down to it, doesn't the poor guy have a point?"

But instead I'm going to ask:

Do you have any studies showing how effective those policies are at getting rid of human feces?

I'm not being a smart-ass, I'm genuinely wondering how Alexander didn't notice that so much of the criticism he himself quotes in Shellenberger's book has nothing to do with any of that stuff.

This is the particular quote from Shellenberger that caught me up short:

"An experiment with 249 homeless people in San Francisco between 1999 and 2002 found those enrolled in the city’s Housing First program, Direct Access to Housing, used medical services at the same rate as those who were not given housing through the program, suggesting that the Housing First program likely had minimal impact on the participants’ health."

Did it have an impact on how often they took a shit on a public sidewalk? Did it have an impact on the amount of litter they dumped on streets? Did it have an impact on time spent chasing people around and screaming obscenities? Did it have an impact on how often they injected heroine in the subway? Did it have an impact on how many sidewalks they blocked with tents?

All that fucking soul-searching, all that "Gosh, perhaps to solve the problem we simply must be cruel" and this reluctant commitment to reducing the effect of homelessness on tourists and housed locals, and realizing that, gosh, we might have to sacrifice the well-being of homeless people if that's what it takes, an utter commitment to ignoring anything but the reduction of social harm from mass camping...

And the criticism of DAH is that it doesn't improve the health outcomes of the people enrolled in it?!

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

This kind of goalpost shifting is RIFE within the discussion of west coast homelessness, where opponents of current policies or even speculative ones waffle back and forth about whether or not they give a shit about the health of the homeless or not.

Before all that soul-searching I quoted this is Scott's assessment of Housing First policy:

Conclusion: Housing First seems to work in getting people housing. It probably also helps people use fewer medical services, and it might or might not save money compared to not doing it (probably more likely when treating very severe cases, less likely in areas with high housing costs). It probably doesn’t affect people’s overall health or drug use status very much.

So... Housing first policies probably actually do a pretty damn good job at making the Homeless less obnoxious to tourists and housed people in a number of concrete ways related to litter, camping, public defecation, etc.?

There's good reason to think, pending further research, that they might actually do a pretty good job at reducing some of the problems that, after all that soul-searching, we decided were the only priorities we have?

I'm furious and unhappy at the way Portland is being covered by tent cities, mounds of trash, and grafitti. But I have this utterly baffling conversation with people where they go,

"This camping is shameful, the city should crack down on it!"

"So, get people into stable housing"

"Well, if you get people into stable housing it only puts a band-aid on the problem, they still can have health and behavioral problems that are really important."

And I always go, "Right, but I thought we were trying to reduce camping."

There's this kind of baffling goal-post moving. Alexander has a lot of paragraphs of hand-wringing over whether or not we should accept that sometimes we have to be TOUGH and HARD to really solve these problems, and accept that we may just have to care less about what Homeless people do or want, but he somehow hasn't noticed that he actually has very little data on whether or not Shellenberger's preferred policies work better than what he calls "Housing First" in terms of these metrics.

This is a wild guess and armchair psychologizing, but what seems to be happening is that in cities like San Francisco or Portland, as the problem gets worse, you, as a relatively better-off housed person, start thinking of Homelessness less and less in purely charitable terms with worries about how it effects the homeless, and more and more things like, "I don't like crossing the street because the sidewalk I was going to use is blocked by tents and piles of garbage" and "I don't like how often people chase after me screaming obscenities" and that feels somehow hard and uncompassionate, so you sort of start to assume that the only way to solve these problems is through policies that also feel hard and uncompassionate.

But I'm going to be honest, the case for that strikes me as extremely flimsy and I don't think I've ever seen anybody make it in a very convincing way.

[ptergwen]

ahhhh if you're still writing for the sleepover 🥺🥺 how bout peter coming down with the cold and being whiney and adorable and super cuddly, like he would whine every time you took your hand away from his hair 👉👈

a/n: thisssss this this :,( i loved writing it thank u for sending <3

-

a frown curls either side of your lips as you ring out a cool washcloth for peter. you make your way out of his bathroom with it in hand, heading back to the bedroom.

he’s trapped under an obscene amount of blankets that aunt may swaddled him in earlier. she had a shift at the shelter, so it’s your turn to look after peter now.

it’s honestly nice to have the roles reversed. peter takes care of everyone else, but it’s him who’s being taken care of for a change. he’s not stubborn about it, like you’d expect. he’s finally letting you help instead of being too proud to accept it.

that’s how you know he’s really not feeling right.

“what did we learn, bug boy?” you prompt peter, pressing the cloth to his forehead.

his eyes gaze innocently into yours, although he’s anything but.

“my spider immunities can only do so much. ‘m still part human,” he mumbles back. you gesture for him to go on. “meaning?”

peter breathes a huff through his clogged nose.

“i should’ve worn a jacket… when you said.”

you brush some curls that are damp from sweat off peter’s forehead, seating yourself at the edge of his bed. peter grabs the washcloth from you so both your hands are free to toy with his locks.

“are you mad at me?” peter questions as you smooth your fingers up to his scalp. they run through his hair at the roots, his eyes fluttering closed. “little bit,” you teasingly affirm.

peter turns onto his side, only his face peeking out of the blankets with his cheek now smushed against the pillows.

“hmph… don’t be.”

his words come out jumbled as he relaxes into the pillow and into your touch.

“if only it were that easy,” you laugh quietly.

you scratch your nails against peter’s scalp the way he loves, a soft smile overtaking his features. he glances up at you through half-lidded eyes.

“you’re not actually mad at me, are you?” peter checks. “‘cuz you can’t be. not when i’m…” he pauses to sniffle. “…sick.”

“no, pete. i’m not,” you sigh and cup one of his cheeks. “i just wish you’d take better care of yourself.”

your thumb strokes peter’s warm skin, his hand that isn’t clutching the washcloth settling atop yours. he waits for you to continue and listens intently because he can tell you’re not finished.

“i obviously don’t mind doing it for you, but i won’t always be able to,” you remind him. there’s a beat. “all i’m trying to say is, i wanna know you’re okay without me… i want you to be okay.”

“i am, baby. i’m fine,” peter assures you, threading his fingers firmly through yours. “‘s only a cold, right? it’ll pass soon.”

he places a light kiss on your palm, and you grin despite airing your worries about his well-being mere moments ago.

“that’s one thing your spider immunities are good for,” you agree, peter chuckling in response.

forgetting how dry his throat is, the short spout of laughter turns to coughing. you stand from the bed with a click of your tongue.

“here, here. sit up,” you coo.

before easing peter out of his current position, you remove the washcloth from his forehead and prop his pillows against the wall. peter leans back against them and groans. the mountain of blankets is still engulfing him, a pout stretched across his lips.

“sorry,” he rasps, cheeks tinted pink. you card your fingers into his mop of curls once again. “you don’t have to apologize, peter. it’s what i’m here for.”

peter nods after a moment. he attempts to clear his throat, though it’s too scratchy to make much of a difference.

“i’m gonna go get you some water. tea, too,” you decide, gently pecking peter’s forehead.

he gasps when your hands leave his hair.

“no, stay with me. want you to hold me… please,” he requests. “you really need the tea,” you counter.

peter shakes his head back and forth, reaching out for you.

“i only need you.”

it’s impossible not to give in to that.

“is there even room with your mountain of blankets?” you joke and walk to the other side of peter’s bed.

eagerly, he begins to wiggle himself loose enough to make space so you can get under. he beams once he’s done, stretching open the many layers to welcome you.

“there’s always room for you, y/n.”

you giggle at peter’s antics and slip into the spot next to him. he’s quick to wrap his limbs around you, clinging to your body like a koala. your hands weave back into his hair. letting out a breath of relief, peter relishes in the feeling.

“maybe the cold isn’t too bad after all,” he hums, squishing his face into your chest. you yank at his curls playfully.

“what was that, parker?”

[jade-parcels]

The genshin men: fatherhood edition

With: Childe, Zhongli, Kaeya, Diluc, Xiao, Venti, Albedo and Baizhu

—————————

Childe:

Ajax loves kids and he’ll make that known early on in your relationship

Like...This man wants five or more kids but he’ll settle for four. He dreams of a big family, getting to surround himself with you and your kids every night for family dinners, everyone getting together for big birthday parties or reunions! That’s his dream life! Plus, in Snezhnaya, most families have more than two kids anyways

He will cry so hard when his babies are placed in his arms for the first time, I mean he’s a mess. Nose is running, eyes puffy, lost of sniffling lmao he is so excited to be a dad!! Don’t you dare tell the other Harbingers how much he cried...What do you mean you took a picture when he wasn’t looking??? Hey??!?!

With his obscene amount of mora, he’ll buy a huge house that will accommodate everyone. Anything you want will be purchased that day or within 48 hours, the same goes for the kids

But they’ll all learn to be thankful for what they have. They’ll learn to fight, fish and speak multiple languages. He has high expectations but let’s face it, he’ll be proud of them no matter what

You’re gonna have to be the one to put your foot down though because Ajax doesn’t enjoy being the ‘mean parent’, he has trouble saying no to the kiddos which can create some tension between you and your husband. He has good intentions of course!! He doesn’t wanna say no to those cute, freckled faces!!

Zhongli:

Zhongli is nervous about having kids because he’s immortal. So this will go one of two ways. 1. You have the baby and the baby ends up not being immortal (or you adopt a baby who is not immortal) Then he loses you both. OR 2. You have the baby and it inherits his immortality and becomes an adeptus. Now he and the baby will have to watch you die while they both life forever.

Either way...It hurts him to think about because he loves you!! He wants to have a family with you!! He wants to give you that perfect family life every human desires!! But he’s torn

You two will just have to figure it out.

Zhongli will be a strong, male figure for your kid(s) and he will instill that traditional kindness and respect into their behavior. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ always, always offer to help someone who needs it, do good deeds and you will feel accomplished, be the best you you can be, alway try your hardest because that’s all that matters

He will be sure that your kid(s) always feel loved ALWAYS. Zhongli will tell them stories, cook for them, take them to school, anything that needs to be done. When you’ve had a rough day, he’ll step in to take over for the night without being asked. He shows interest in everything your kid(s) like and he will do his damn best to display every piece of artwork they make or every pretty rock they find

He...will make a great dad :’)

Kaeya:

Ooooh brother, at first Kaeya says no he doesn’t want kids but...Then he starts thinking about it

He observes the happy families that walk around the cobblestone streets of Mondstadt, how the kiddos smile and laugh with their parents. He’ll patrol in the afternoons, usually rounding the corner just in time to see the city’s kids leave school for the day, watching as they all run down the street to go home to their parents or play in the fountain together...Yeah, that really warms his heart

He’d want one or two kids, preferably two to avoid an only child being lonely. He isn’t on the best terms with Diluc but he can admit that they had a great childhood together, playing at the winery and running around as brothers do

Kaeya would be a very patient, understanding father. He doesn’t have much of a temper so he’d use the kids’ mistakes as learning opportunities instead of getting upset at them

He would be obsessed with the kids when they’re babies though oh man if you thought you had baby fever, he has it times ten! He loves holding the baby, watching with a twinkling eye as his baby grasps his thumb with its tiny hand... adorable

And if your kids inherited his eyes, his star shaped pupils that his ancestors passed down to him...He’s gonna get emotional

Everyone at the knights’ headquarters and the Angel’s Share will get sick of him REALLY fast cause he won’t stop bragging about how cute and smart his kids are lmao

Diluc:

Diluc would be such a soft dad don’t even get me started

He loves you so much of course he wants to have kids with you! Is that even a question?? He won’t be the one to bring it up unless he gets the feeling that you want kids but once you ask, he’ll agree so fast

He’ll be grateful to even have one kid with you :’) and he’ll be fine with however many kids YOU want. You want one kid? Perfect! You want four? No problem, the manor is big enough for ten! You...you want ten...? Time to hire some more maids then lmao

Diluc is a worry wart though, he’ll be afraid to hold the baby, feed it, bathe it, he’s terrified of hurting the baby or the baby suddenly hating him. So just help him out!! Cause when he gets comfortable with the baby, he’ll be in full dad mode

He isn’t embarrassed to walk around the manor, conducting business with a baby strapped to his chest!

Diluc is a very kind, gentle dad who will always offer helpful solutions to the kiddos’ problems. He’ll make sure all of their needs are met while also trying to avoid spoiling them... Too much... There will be a fair amount of spoiling...

His own father wasn’t too affectionate with him so that’s why he’ll be affectionate with his kids! Hugs and kisses when he tucks them in at night, big dad hugs when they get home from school, holding their hands in the busy streets of Mondstadt. His father was a great dad! He just aims to be better.

Xiao:

Like Zhongli, he worries about the mortality thing. Since he’s an Adeptus, his kid will certainly be an Adeptus too if you have kids together.

He also worries that his kid(s) will hate him. His duty is to kill demons which means that rain or shine, holidays, special occasions, day or night he’s gotta be ready to go slaughter demonic beings. So he’ll inevitably miss out on important stages in the kiddos’ lives

And admittedly... He’ll be scared of his kids lmao

They’re screaming, crying, barfing, pooping, laughing, screaming again...He can’t predict their behavior. It’s unsettling. All of that goes away one night when you sit him down and place your sleeping baby in his arms. His eyes go wide...And he just watches. This tiny, little baby...Feels no fear for him. It’s comforted by his presence. He almost cries...ALMOST

He’s still pretty much the same Xiao we all know and love but now he has a kid. “Slaying demons is what I do...Hey, go back inside and finish your dinner. Yes, even your vegetables. I don’t care that you don’t like them-...Fine. Don’t tell your mother, bring them to me. I’ll eat them” cute :)

He’s a protective dad and husband, he’d never let anyone or anything harm his beloved family

Venti:

Venti....does not want kids. He thinks they’re cute! He likes the idea of kids but he knows he wouldn’t enjoy actually having kids

You two already have so much fun together!! You don’t need a kid!! You guys have dogs!! Dogs are like kids! But they’re more independent and they’re cuter!

He’ll feel bad if you want kids and he doesn’t, he really will! But it’ll be nearly impossible to convince him cause he’s made his mind up :/

Venti’ll make it up to you somehow though, he’ll take you out more and show you all of the adventures you guys can have if there aren’t kids around

But for the sake of fatherhood headcanons, let’s pretend he gave in. Venti would be a very caring dad. He would cuddle the hell out of this kiddo and sing to them :’) the only problem is that Venti doesn’t like being tethered to one place for too long so he tends to take off and not come back for a few days... :(

Albedo:

Albedo wants kids mostly just to see what fatherhood would be like. He’s always been curious about what that part of his life would be like so why not have a kid

He’d be good with one kid, two at most cause after practically raising Klee, he knows how some kids can be and...He doesn’t have the mental capacity for more than two kids at a time lmao

He tries his best to show more emotion in his face. We all know he usually sits like this 😐 and goes ‘wow im so happy right now’. If you didn’t know him, you’d think he was bored out of his mind right? So he’s gotta work on that. And when he musters up a smile for the baby and it smiles back at him????? Yeah...He’s gonna try to smile a lot more now

He definitely softens up once he becomes a dad, he shows emotion more than he used to and surprisingly, he takes time off of work. Shocker, I know! He decides that he’s been in the lab long enough and that he wants to be able to be there for these moments with you and his kid(s) :’) :’) He trusts Sucrose and Timaeus to take over for him for a couple hours

He keeps a journal for each kid and writes down the date and time they have their firsts or just interesting things they do ->

- 8/4: Baby sees and plays with a cat for the first time

- 9/5: Baby smacked me in the face and laughed so hard she threw up

-9/12: Baby learns that pulling my hair gets my attention. She now continues to do so

-10/15: Baby stays at Aunt Klee’s house for the first time

Baizhu:

Baizhu really loves kids, he works with them a lot and he considers Qiqi to be his daughter anyway but in terms of you guys having a kid together, with his condition he can probably only handle one kid running around

He will do his absolute best to be a good dad. Even if he feels like death, he’ll help change diapers, feed the baby, care for it when you need a break. He isn’t contagious so when you’re sleeping and he feels gross, he’ll sit back against the pillows with the baby on his chest, the three of you resting together (though he doesn’t fall asleep...that would be dangerous for the baby)

Baizhu already tends to nag at you about your health and lifestyle choices but now?? He’ll be a menace. He’ll be constantly evaluating your baby’s condition, checking to see if a certain food is giving them a rash or making sure their skin isn’t drying out. He’s hyper aware of your baby’s health and will be the one to treat them if they get sick

He’s a busy guy since he runs the pharmacy but he will always do his best to be present for your baby’s big milestones! And when your kid cries cause Baizhu’s medicine tastes like shit, he’ll do his best to not be disappointed in their reaction lmao

When you leave him alone with the baby, he’ll wrap a scarf around himself to tie the baby to his chest while he works and...he looks so cute :) dad baizhu <3 <3 <3 <3

Bonus points for him buying the baby toy medical equipment so he can get your kiddo interested in medicine :)

[keijislove]

Hi babe! I was wondering if I could request a Tony Stark x daughter reader? With lots of angst and her being locked in her room because she’s being bullied for her darker skin

(I understand if you’re not comfortable with this)

Safe Place: Tony Stark X Daughter!Reader

I think this turned out a bit longer than I expected.

Sorry :(

I hope you like this, I don’t really have a lot of experience with this matter, so I hope I captured the emotions right!

I AM APOLOGISING IN ADVANCE, THE HURTFUL COMMENTS MENTIONED HERE ARE NOT ONES I WOULD EVER USE IN MY LIFETIME.

GIRL, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – YOU DON’T NEED DIMWITS LIKE RACISTS TO DEFINE BEAUTY. YOU WANT THE DEFINITION OF BEAUTY, GO LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

PUT A STOP TO RACISM.

WARNINGS: Slight EXTREMELY racial comments, mentions of death, toxic relationship, angst, Tony being a little... well, Tony.

Being Tony Stark’s daughter was nearly everyone’s dream. Well, everyone you’d come across at school, anyway. It seemed rational from their point of view – big house, big bedroom, expensive branded clothing, basically an overall exquisite lifestyle coupled with fame of being his daughter which was sure to earn popularity points anywhere and everywhere. A man rolling in that amount of money would make a great dad... right?

You thought differently. Which was one of the main reasons you did not tell anyone who your father really was and your teachers understood your predicament and played along to your story of being an ordinary girl with no scope for coolness whatsoever.

Your mother had met your father a long, long time ago – when Tony was still in university. Of course, he’d left her before he even knew she was pregnant, and they never saw each other again. You didn’t exactly love your life as his daughter. In fact, from what your mother had told you, he was (in your vision) a complete monster whom your mother had the sad misfortune to meet.

It was her untimely death that had forced you to go live with the man who was the reason you were born and the man who ruthlessly left your mother to fend for herself and a baby. You had tried for foster care, but the agents told you that your father was still alive and more than capable of taking care of you – being the famous Tony Stark and all.

So it would suffice to say that Tony was lowkey shocked when you turned up at his doorstep one day with a grudging expression and declarations of being his daughter. He actually didn’t believe you at first and asked you to piss off which confirmed your earlier assumptions about his character – asshole. After you’d snapped at him and showed him all the legal documentations stating that you two were blood-related as father-daughter after all, Tony was even more shocked than earlier.

Though he would rather die than admit it, he felt sad after seeing your fourteen-year-old self standing at his doorstep. He’d missed your birth, your first steps, your first words, he even missed helping you with homework in preschool – basically all precious moments you enjoy with a child. But you made it pretty clear that you didn’t want to be here – something that made Tony’s already overlarge pride swell like a bullfrog and stopped him from ever getting close to you. While you were busy thinking he didn’t want you, you overlooked a small detail – he took you in.

If anyone had the power to bribe an adoption agency to get rid of their kid, it was Anthony Stark, yet he never gave you away. The simple explanation (that he would never, in a million years, admit it to you) was that he didn’t want to lose you – around the only blood-related family he had left.

And so began your life as Y/N Stark. It functioned surprisingly well for your expectations. Pepper was really nice to you and those few occasions when the Avengers came over, you were able to talk to Natasha about ‘girl things’, her presence reminding you of the mother you had lost only too young. You sometimes even asked Bruce for help with homework, too proud yourself to go to Tony. Overall, you stayed out of his way while he stayed out of yours – an arrangement you were both satisfied with.

The worst part was that you never talked. Ever. You would wake up and walk to school, refusing Jarvis’ continued protests of letting you use the self-driving car, came home the same way where you did your homework and grabbed a snack before you ‘father’ came back upstairs from his little man cave in the basement and a small ‘good-evening’ passed between you two as you went your separate ways. This cycle repeated itself every day. Recently, your life at school hadn’t been going great.

You’d known that your skin tone was a notch darker than the others at your school – something you had gotten from your mother – and this was not something you really cared about. That’s when they started coming – the comments. What were originally small, snide retorts of ‘wash your face, ew!’ (A/N: I AM SO SORRY) had now escalated to them calling you obscene names you’d never heard before and asking you to leave ‘their’ school

Which was why, instead of being at school today, you were locked in your bedroom, sobbing into your pillow.

It had started out as a very unusual morning. After getting comments hurled at you left right and centre the previous day, you’d had enough. You’d woken up and declared to Jarvis that you were skipping school and he was to, under no circumstances, notify your father about this. After that you tried to eat some cereal, but the bubbling dread in your stomach made it taste like dry carpet, so you gave up and stomped into your room, locking the door before flinging yourself onto the bed and crying your heart out.

It was in times like these that you felt the need for something – a gaping hole in your chest. It seemed foolish to even admit it to yourself, but you really wanted someone like a parent. Someone who listened to your problems and comforted you accordingly, someone who actually cared about you. And since Tony Stark filled neither of these requirements, you gave up the foolish dream and sunk, once again, into your self-fashioned depths of misery.

-------

Tony casually sipped on his wine, putting one last screw into place to make the latest piece he was testing out. As he powered the device on, it vibrated for a moment before the words ‘model failed’ appeared on the screen Tony was examining.

He swore loudly and shoved it ungracefully aside before running his hands through his hair. There had been many an occasion where Tony seriously considered going to your room to just say something to you that wasn’t a monotonous ‘good evening’ or ‘the milk’s finished’ or something else like that. He wanted to talk to you. To you.

He wanted to get to know the real Y/N – what you were like when you weren’t too busy being bold and refusing to appear vulnerable. As if reading his thoughts, Jarvis’ voice filled the room suddenly.

“Sir, I do believe that Ms Stark is currently locked inside her bedroom. She refused to go to school just this morning.”

“What?” Tony exclaimed, “Why, did she tell you anything else?”

“Just this, Sir, along with a few obscene warnings of not informing you about this occurrence. If I recall correctly, Ms Stark told me she would rip out my sockets with her bare hands had I come to you.”

Ignoring the small smirk that was growing on his lips at the thought of you behaving exactly as he would, Tony wiped his tired hands on a nearby cloth before sprinting out the door and up the stairs to your bedroom.

He knocked on the door.

“Go away Pepper, not in the mood,” came your muffled voice. It was weak and raw – evidently, you had been crying.

Ignoring the poking feeling of dread bubbling in his stomach, Tony knocked again.

“Open up, kid, it’s me,” he shouted.

“Definitely not in the mood, thanks.”

Tony sighed. This was exactly what he had tried so hard to avoid –turning out like his own father. Not knowing how to deal with a daughter properly, he just let you go about your business as you wanted, hoping that it would yield better results than what his childhood had been like. Now, looking back at how much he’d neglected you, he suddenly realised that he had done the exact thing he was afraid of – hurt you.

“Y/N Y/M/N Stark, open the door. Please.”

Perhaps it was the please at the end or the way he acknowledged you as his living, breathing daughter for the first time that made you stagger limply over to the door and push it open.

Your eyes were puffy, red and swollen from bawling nonstop and your brows were knitted into a disapproving frown. It broke Tony’s heart to see you like this.

“Listening,” you sniffed, crossing your arms.

“Okay, why don’t you sit down,” Tony frowned slightly.

You gave another hearty sniff and led him to your bed where you flopped down and watched as he took a seat beside you.

You both sat in a very painful, deafening silence for the next few minutes.

“You didn’t go to school today,” Tony casually remarked as you played with your pillow, refusing to meet his eyes.

“I did,” you said simply.

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Tony offered.

“I really don’t,” you admitted as he burst out laughing and you gave a grudging giggle despite yourself.

“Seriously, kid,” Tony said in an undertone, “You’ve gotta open up a bit more. I mean, it’s been like what, two years since you moved here and you never bother telling me what’s going on. And look where that got you – come on, tell me what’s going on. Is it school?”

“Partially,” you quietly said to which he cocked an eyebrow.

“Completely,” you amended, sighing, “Kids, you know, they’re just being – well, mean.”

“Okay,” Tony nodded slightly, “You want to talk about it?”

“They... they make fun of me,” you admitted, “About – about my skin colour and stuff. And I know I’m being stupid, getting upset over this –”

“It’s not stupid,” Tony broke in, “It’s not stupid at all. Nothing gives anyone a right to talk to you that way.”

“Try telling that to them!” you burst out, final letting go of the pent-up emotions you’d been holding for days, “What did I ever do to them – it’s not my fault I look like this, maybe if I could choose what to look like, I’d choose something they want! Just about everyone seems to have a problem – what the hell do they expect me to do? It’s unjust, unfair, unsettling and unkind, but of course they don’t care, do they?!”

Tony didn’t even flinch throughout your entire outburst until you broke down and tears began rapidly pouring out of your eyes once more.

“Hey, hey, stop, listen to me,” Tony sternly said, seizing your shoulders and turning you to face him.

“You’re a Stark,” he said, gazing you dead in the eyes, “You are beautiful, you’re smart and you’re kind. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

This was too much for you to handle and you started sobbing again – sobs of partial happiness and partial guilt that didn’t look like they would stop anytime soon.

“Come here, kid,” was all Tony could say as he pulled you into a hug, allowing you to sob into his shirt while he stroked your hair, trying to calm you down.

“I’m sorry if I’ve ever been mean to you,” you whispered finally.

“It’s okay, kid,” Tony murmured, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “I’m sorry I haven’t been a great father all this time.”

You two sat in a now comfortable silence, occasionally clearing your throats or sniffling a bit before Tony finally spoke.

“If anyone says that to you again, I will have them cut up and fed to the fish in my house in Malibu.”

“Thanks, dad.”

[hypnomicimagines]

First Time [Iruma Jyuto]

Jyuto knew how to set a romantic mood.

The lighting in his apartment was set low but not too dark, the candles lining the dinner table giving just the right amount of illumination while you sat across from each other. You even teased that he brought out the fancy cutlery for your stay-at-home date, amused at the color tinging his face to say you hit the nail on the head. He normally wouldn’t put so much pomp and circumstance into his own meals but tonight had been a special occasion, and he hadn’t minded getting his hands dirty if it meant making you happy.

He didn’t often cook just for the sake of it with how busy he always was but on special occasions, he found the energy to do so. He had to follow the recipe down to the finest detail as he couldn’t afford to lose face and have to admit to you that he had to order take-out because of his reading comprehension skills. It was a stressful endeavor to keep the food warm until you got there (he started a bit early just in case more time was needed to prepare the meal, but it ended with everything being a bit before you were due to arrive). He was quite proud of his presentation as well and from the sparkle in your eye you were impressed as well, commenting about the perfection he seemed to stress in all areas of his life.

“This is good!” You put another forkful of food in your mouth, smiling as you did so; you knew he must have slaved over a hot stove to make this all for you, so you wanted to show your gratitude. You would’ve been perfectly fine with take-out since the only thing you were seeking from tonight was Jyuto’s company, but to know he went the extra mile for you made warmth spread across your chest.

“That’s good to hear. I’ve never tried this before so it was a toss-up on whether it’d be…edible.”

That wasn’t entirely the truth, he had tried this before but not in the natural course of his life. He had practiced making the meal about four times that week, having it for dinner every day and finding something new he had done wrong. His trial runs had left his stomach a bit upset, the same meal every day was tiresome, but he was dedicated to the cause of showing you a good time. He wouldn’t be cooking a large meal again so soon, or at least he hoped you’d want to do it together as a sort of romantic bonding exercise.

“You did great,” You reassured him, placing your utensils down on your now empty plate. “You always get so stressed out about impressing me. Consider me thoroughly impressed.”

Jyuto hated the way you could see through him yet at the same time he knew he needed a person like that, someone who could call him on his bullshit when he was putting on airs. He would never let you know, of course, sending a coy smile and motioning towards the living room. You listened to the clanking of dishes as Jyuto quickly cleaned up, approaching you with a glass of wine in hand before sitting beside you. The TV stayed on the low as light-hearted chatter took place, allowing you to bond without any distraction. Jyuto had always been the type of person to hate distractions, especially when you were on a date, it was why he liked when the opportunity for at home dates arose. He liked to take you out on the town just as much but it was just all the more personal when you could be close like this.

“You finished your wine. Being an upstanding officer of the law, I can’t allow you to drive yourself home like that.” Jyuto placed your glass beside his empty one, staring at you with a quirked eyebrow. “Would you like to go somewhere more comfortable?”

“Hm, more comfortable than your couch? Why, I’d love to.”

You already knew where his bedroom was, you’d been in his house countless times before, staring at it at times when you headed off to the bedroom. You had once been amused at the sight of handcuffs just lying there and he had insisted with tomato red cheeks that they were for on-duty use only. You assumed he just had another set for when it was time to have fun in the bedroom but you didn’t press it, saving it in your arsenal for future flustering purposes.

You playfully fell back on his bed, a hand pressed to your head as you waited for him to join you. He’s fumbling with his tie but trying to act like he’s doing other things, a nervous reaction that has your blood pumping. You removed yourself from his bed (knowing you’d meet it again shortly) and reached up to help him, steadying his hands while doing your best to act like you weren’t paying attention to his face. His lips were parted, tongue darting out to wet his lower lip while you slowly slid his tie off. You grabbed his hands next, holding them up and slowly sliding the leather gloves he always wore off so the beautiful skin underneath could be seen.

Jyuto shuddered as you kissed his fingers, just the reaction you wanted as you continued to kiss each digit until you were satisfied. But something so simple wouldn’t curb his hunger for you for long and he slowly pushed you back towards the bed, waiting for you to fall back with your dramatic flair once more before ‘falling’ on top of you. He hovered over your lips, eyes searching your face for any sign of hesitance but there was none to be found.

“Are you going to leave me waiting here all night, officer? I’m looking nice and pretty just for you, so I sure hope something happens before that pager of yours goes off.”

“You are beautiful.” Jyuto seemed breathless, “There’s not a single moment of this that I’m going to rush.”  

You were about to say another flirtatious comment but it was your turn to have your breath taken away, Jyuto’s impossibly soft lips brushing briefly against yours to silence you before drifting to your neck. He turned your head to give himself more access, kissing along your jaw as well, lips lingering at the point where he could feel your pulse. You might act as cool and calm as him but it was clear his feelings were returned, that you were as excited for this moment as he was. All those canceled dates, tension filled car rides, apologies and fights, it had all culminated into a relationship he felt was worth dying for.

If you asked him, he thought he really would take a bullet for you.

No need to have such morbid thoughts when the love of his life was laying before him, arching into his touch and moaning for more. His lips locked with yours and it became too hard to pull away even as he slowly stripped you of your clothing, even as you began to unbutton his shirt and tug at his pants. He let out a needy groan as you finally pulled away to get proper air consumption, giggling as he chased after your lips before pouting and fully stripping himself of his shirt. It felt obscene to see his hard dick peeking out from his boxers but you supposed you’d only ever seen Jyuto when he was ‘on’, in professional mode, even when you were on romantic outings together.

But this Jyuto was more vulnerable, quite literally having nothing to hide behind anymore.

It didn’t seem like he minded much.

Your eyes lit up as Jyuto’s hand slipped between your thighs, teasingly rubbing the area around your clit but denying the satisfaction of actual friction. He kissed between your breasts, then the soft skin around your nipples, his finger keeping its slow, steady pace. You had to imagine what this was like for so long yet you were happy to know that your brain had been right about quite a few things, like how talented Jyuto was with his fingers and how lovingly he treated foreplay. He was quite thorough in his exploring of your body, touching every part of your body he could reach, kissing every part of your body that you’d allow him to.

“I’m happy,” You whispered as Jyuto’s forehead rested against yours, a momentary pause. “Thank you for such a wonderful night.”

“I’d give you anything you ask for.”

“That doesn’t count if I’m naked.”

“Put your clothes back on then, and I’ll make sure to keep the same promise.”

“Do you want me to put my clothes back on?”

“…No.”

You laughed into the kiss Jyuto gave you next, spreading your legs to give him more room to settle himself between your thighs. You can feel his dick pressing against you, eager as it’s owner, but you don’t push him to move. You’re enjoying the feeling of him rubbing against your clit, his lips moving to your neck again as he wanted to reassure you were ready for him.

You were ready.

More than ready.

You had waited for this mans dick for so long but your pride wouldn’t allow you to say such a thing, nor would you stroke this mans already large ego. You tried to keep your moans quiet but it was so hard when he knew what he was doing, listening to your body with ease and receptive to all the things that made you feel good. You muffled your groan of pleasure by crushing your lips against Jyuto’s as he pressed inside of you, the sensation of being finally being filled after waiting for so long being a welcoming sensation.

The rest seemed to blend together as Jyuto moved his hips, eyes laser-focused on your face even as you tried to hide from him; it was embarrassing, the way moans kept slipping out with every thrust. You don’t think any man has ever made you feel as good as him, as loved and cherished, and the more you thought about it the more turned on you were. You changed tactics for hiding your face with a nearby pillow to holding Jyuto close, pressing kisses to his shoulder much like he had been doing to you a few moments before.

Jyuto wanted to see you but he’d let it go for now, knowing there would be plenty of time to plead his case when it came to seeing the beauty of your face while he pleasured you. His pace began to quicken and your legs tightened around his waist further, little whimpers slipping past your lips that encouraged him to keep moving at that perfect angle. It’s a battle of wills for who’s going to come first but Jyuto cheated, hand barely capable of slipping between you yet doing so so he could toy with your clit. You tried to call him out on his cheating but your body is in ecstasy as you come, crying out his name and trying to ignore the knowing smirk on his face.

It had been a few hours but it only felt like a few minutes, your naked form staying tangled with Jyuto’s even after he pulled out. It was like a part of you was worried it still wasn’t real, that you were just in bed with the company of your hand and vibrator and not the man you’d loved for nearly a year now. As he reached over to kiss your face again your brain came to terms with that fact your wildest dreams were coming through, you were indeed in bed with the cop that you had a teasingly flirtatious turned real love relationship with.

You should tell him that, tell him that you love him, make it even more real by making that first move but.

“Say it!”

“Say what?” He shot you a coy look, eyebrow raised. “Is there something I should be saying now?”

“There is! I won’t say it first. I refuse! Now hand it over.”

“Or else what? What’ll you do to me if I don’t give you what you want?”

“Oh, so you want another round then? Not until I hear the magic words.”

“Which are…?”

You’d be at it all night, but Jyuto never could deny you.

You just had to be patient.

[bruhstories]

Flowers and Vinyls

Summary: You and Porco are neighbours. You also despise each other. Pairing: Porco Galliard x Fem!Reader (modern AU) Warnings & Content: language, softdom!Porco, softsub!Reader, thigh riding, unprotected sex, spanking, oral sex (male receiving), alcohol abuse, enemies to lovers Word Count: 2.2 k

A/N: Porco deserves some love, too! I also really wanna give Connie some love, too.

You hated him, you loathed him.

To you, Porco was the most insufferable person to ever walk on this earth, strutting his pushed back hair, with his stupid undercut and his silly little upturned nose. You wanted to gouge his eyes out, but that would only land you some time in jail. He was your next-door neighbour both in terms of accommodation, and in terms of work. You owned a small flower shop at the ground floor of your townhouse, he owned a record store placed strategically wall-to-wall with yours — naturally he lived above it. Marcel, Porco's brother, was seemingly a nicer person, but he wasn't always there when you needed him to shut his little brother's mouth — or music. Not only were you two bickering like petty children, you were also complete opposites — he was edgy and brash, you were dainty and solemn. He always wore dark colours, you were dressed in pastels. And to make matters worse, he was best friends with your best friend!

Pieck was completely oblivious to the fact that you two hated each other, both bitching to her, unaware of the other's complaints. She always told you, separately, that perhaps you just need to get laid with one another and get over it. Impossible, for you despised each other. And when Pieck invited you to a small party at her place, you were not expecting to see Porco there. At first, you wanted to turn around and leave, but your friend talked you into staying, promising that Porco was actually a good guy, and that you didn't know him well enough. Oh, how wrong she was. He was evil incarnate, he vandalised your shop after you called the cops on him. Nonetheless, you stayed at her party, opting to spend some time with Reiner and Colt, avoiding Porco at all costs, because if looks could kill, his would smite you.

What you didn't know was that a conflict was taking place inside his tipsy brain — should he kill you or fuck you? Despite your differences, Porco couldn't deny that you were a very alluring woman, hips swaying every time you walked and an ass that could raise the dead. And he saw Colt glancing at that ass, prompting him to drink some more. On the other side of the room, you told Pieck all about how your date stood you up and you were quite sad, opting to drown the empty feeling in your chest with cheap vodka and tequila, and that combination did a number on you. You weren't shitfaced by any means, just drunk enough to feel the music better, taste the liquor better, smell Porco's perfume better whenever he walked past you. God, he intoxicated you more than the alcohol could, and you were beginning to wonder if Pieck was right — maybe you didn't hate him, maybe you needed to fuck him, relieve the sexual tension. But how? What if he did hate you and you'd only make a fool of yourself? The questions were grinding your gears and no amount of tequila could help you get them out of your system. You settled on ignoring them.

"We're gonna split a cab." Porco explained, a bored, inexpensive look on his face.

"Hey, 'm not poor, aight? I can afford a f-fuckin' taxi." You poked his chest with your index finger while losing your balance and falling into his arms. He quickly released you once you regained control of your legs, his eyes drifting elsewhere, crimson creeping to his cheeks.

"We literally live next to each other, but if you wanna go all by yourself, fine!"

"I haaaaate you, Pokko, d'you know? I especially hate that cute nose! Boop!"

He was so done with your attitude, your gestures, your voice, his brows furrowed and lips pursed. But Pieck really wanted to make sure you got home safe, and Porco didn't want to disappoint his friend by letting you loose in a stranger's car, especially since you were drunk and vulnerable. He was an asshole, but he wasn't that bad. Not that you could realise that, anyway.

"Just get in the car, Y/N." He rolled his eyes and opened the door once the yellow taxi pulled over. You stopped between him and the car, nose and cheeks pink from the alcohol, and leaned closer to his face.

"D'you also know I really, really wanna ride you?" You whispered in his ear before stumbling inside the cab, giggling like a schoolgirl. "Ah! Evening, mister!"

"Jesus Christ..."

The entire way home you drove Porco insane with little touches, whispers, obscene proposals. He could feel his cock twitching in his pants but he didn't want to take advantage of you. Yet the more you looked at him with hunger in your eyes, the more he couldn't think rationally — he, too, was drunk, after all. When you got out of the car you almost fell face first, but luckily, he caught you, your hand accidentally brushing his thigh in the process. God, he hated you.

"Come inside!" You looped an arm around his neck for better balance. "I gotta give you your money b-back."

"It's fine."

"No, no, I insist."

"You're so annoying, you know that?" Porco walked with you, perfectly aware of how much he'd regret this night.

"Close the door behind youuuu!" You kicked your shoes off and grabbed the collar of his leather jacket, practically dragging him through the hallway, into the living room. "Sit!"

He could say no. He could just walk out. But he didn't want to. Not anymore.

You rummaged through a drawer looking for some cash, taking your sweet time to do it. The way you were bent over, the tight skirt revealing just an inch of your red panties, sent Porco down a rabbit hole of dirty thoughts. Every gesture, every word uttered so nonchalantly by you made you both forget the turf war you both started, the atmosphere slowly becoming more intimate and sensual. You swayed your hips from side to side, opening another drawer and digging through the clutter.

"Hey, Pokko? Do you think 'm pretty?"

The question caught him off guard as you turned around, no money in your hands. He raised his gaze from your skirt to your eyes, frantically nodding his head.

"Yeah."

"Then why did I get stood up?" You pouted, walking to the couch. Porco swallowed hard when you took a seat on his thigh, his fingers digging into the sofa. "If 'm pretty, why don't men want me?" Your hands rested on his shoulders as your hips slowly rocked back and forth.

"I- I don't know." He pursed his lips, unaware of what to do. Usually, he wouldn't have any issues with situations like this. But it was different this time because he really wanted to shut your srupid mouth up — or maybe Pieck was right and all he needed to do was fuck you.

"Do you want me?" You asked, head tilted, movement stopping.

"God, yes." Porco grabbed your nape and pulled you into a sloppy kiss, his other hand desperately tugging at your tank top strap. You could feel your panties dampening under his rough touch and hot kiss, your hands removing his jacket as quickly as possible. "I'm gonna fuck you on that table first." He picked you up and slammed your ass on the dining table, earning a moan out of you. "Then we'll take it to the bedroom." Porco removed his shirt while you pulled your underwear down.

"Fuck me wherever you want, just fuck me!" You begged, legs spread and lust in your eyes.

"Shit, I knew you were a little slut under all that soft girl crap." He unzipped his jeans, letting them fall to the ground while he pulled his cock out. You took a good look at it, teeth digging into your lower lip.

"Aren't you gonna finger me first?"

"You didn't do anything to deserve it. But I'm in a good mood." Porco sneered before he spat on your wet cunt. The disgusting gesture made you purr like a kitten, proving him more that you were indeed a filthy whore. He dragged the tip of his cock up and down your slit, slowly pushing it between your folds as you threw your head back in pleasure. "Fuuuck, you're so tight, so wet."

"Oh my God, go deeper! Please!" You pleaded, voice low and seductive.

"Look how good you're taking it." Porco praised you, fingers digging into your skin before he started rocking his hips. It truly felt that your pussy was made just for him, the silken walls clenching around his hard cock making him grunt with every thrust. Your legs wrapped around his waist and you both realised just how much you needed this, the hate you had for each other melting away, replaced by lust and desire.

"So b-big 'nd hard-" You mumbled incoherent words while one hand found your neck, calloused fingertips squeezing the skin.

"You've no idea how much I wanted these hands around your neck." Porco groaned, his thrusts faster and harder. "Who knew I wanted to fuck you, not kill you?" His thumb parted your lips and you hollowed your cheeks around it, sucking on it like a lollipop. "Good girl. Bedroom, now." He pulled out and you almost cried at the empty feeling between your thighs. You took his hand in yours and guided him to the room — just as pastel and cute as your personality. Porco spun you around, giving your ass a firm slap before bending you down. He pressed hot kisses on your hip and lower back and you threw your head back to look at him.

"Stop t-teasing me!"

"Jeez, aren't you greedy? I thought you hated me." He laughed into your skin, the vibrations tickling your flesh. Porco couldn't abstain any longer, one hand grasping your hip, the other pushing his cock back into you. Inch by inch, it disappeared and he let out a satisfied groan.

"I still h-hate you!" Teeth sunk into your lip to stifle a moan.

"Oh, really?" He thrusted so deep that you lost control over your arms, head falling onto the mattress. Another deep thrust and you shot back up with a growl. "Talk shit and I might not let you finish." His threat alerted you and you bucked your hips, walls clenching around his cock.

"It would be a shame if you f-finished first." Your voice was cocky, targeting that huge ego of his. It was effective — Porco's hand travelled between your legs, fingers rubbing your swollen clit and you moaned in extasy, adrenaline rushing through your veins.

"N-not fair!" You squirmed and whimpered, tears of pleasure pooling at your eyes.

"We're not playing fair." He wrapped his other hand around your neck to pull you closer, back hitting his chest. The room smelled of sex and jasmine incense and it drove you mad with lust. "Oh, what's the matter? Are you coming already?" He mocked while fucking your desperate cunt.

"Yes! God, yes!" You cried out, the climax blurring your vision.

Despite your pleas that you couldn't take it anymore, Porco kept thrusting deeper into your numbing pussy, his fingers bruising your skin, his teeth sinking into your shoulder. He was an animal, everything about him was instinctual and filthy and you hatedloved it. Your silken walls clenched around his cock again, and he was impressed that you still had some fight left in you.

"That's right, milk me dry, you dirty whore." His disgusting words reignited the dying fire inside your core and you bucked your hips against his, the friction and pressure making you come undone a second time.

"Fuck!" Was all you could say before collapsing onto the mattress, body limp and exhausted.

"Damn it, Y/N. I said milk me dry." Porco grabbed a fistful of hair and turned you over, yanking your head back to shove his cock down your throat. How on earth did he have so much stamina? You hollowed your cheeks and triedto suck, but it was him actually fucking your pretty mouth. "Are you gonna keep being a little bitch?"

"Nu-uh!" You shook your head, the word muffled by his girth. Your cheeks were burning from the lack of air, your eyes watery and red.

"Good." He groaned, thick, hot strings of his seed shooting down your throat. "Swallow." Porco held your head back as he slowly pulled out, the bitter taste lingering on your tongue.

You laid on the bed and pulled him next to you, unaware of what to do or say. Your body relaxed when he looped an arm around your shoulders, your head resting on his chest.

"Do you still hate me?" He asked.

"It depends. Are you gonna blast music at three in the morning?"

"Yep."

"Well, there's your answer." You laughed and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Listen, I'm not sorry you got stood up tonight. I mean, I am, but I'm not-"

"Porco, stop talking. It was never going to work out with him, anyway."

"Fair enough." He shrugged, lips pursed and eyes narrowed. "What if I take you out?"

"Like a date, or a murder?"

"It depends. Are you gonna call the cops on me again?"

"I'll try not to?"

"A date, then."