#this was all just off the dome so i dunno

[podcastenthusiast]

Out of curiosity do you have any more thoughts about Astarion’s siblings, specifically Dalyria? I love the little snippet you wrote about Dal choosing to stay with the group for a while instead of going straight to the Underdark, it was so sweet and I love the concept of Tav additionally taking the spawn under their wing after being given freedom ❤️

I have so many thoughts!

I doubt the siblings stay together long-term, not forever anyway, they're probably sick of each other, but at the same the they're the only ones who really understand what it was like, and I do think there will always be a bond there no matter what, for better and worse. And I could see Astarion and Tav helping them find their way in the world, absolutely.

Dal, I think, would be eager to practice medicine again and continue researching a cure. Maybe she can't ever get back what she had before, but the city will need doctors after everything, even ones who keep odd nocturnal hours. Plus, yknow, semi-ethical source of blood. Sort of.

If she does go to the Underdark, I could see Dalyria being a level-headed leader and discovering a lot of interesting stuff there. The Society of Brilliance might be a good fit for her too potentially. They do let a mind flayer hang around.

I do wonder, if indeed she did kill Victoria, if she'll ever tell Leon that. I don't see their relationship surviving that revelation if so honestly. :(

In fact, I could see Leon having the best shot at s proper normal life in general. He hasn't been a spawn that long. He might even cut ties with the others and go home, wherever that is for him. Yousen could probably do the same if he chooses to, maybe. Wish we knew more about him.

Violet and Karlach would genuinely get along great I bet. She's a wild card for sure but I think she'd be all right with a positive influence. A menace, but all right.

I'd love to see Astarion and Petras mend their rivalry a bit once they're not in direct competition of sorts. But I could see Petras being jealous of the friends and love Astarion has found. He has serious Carver Hawke dragonage energy about him and I love him for that, but he needs to get over himself and stop being a dick. Astarion needs to be nicer, too. They'll make the boys get along. Send them out on a special mission together or something.

Aurelia...I don't know. I hwadcanon her as the oldest and I think she'll probably have a great deal of complex healing to do with not a lot of natural support and nothing to really go back to, possibly not even memories. She might need quite a bit of support from Tav and the others.

It won't be easy for any of them whether they stay in the city, go to the Underdark, or go elsewhere. But they'll have each other, if they want. And they'll have new friends, too. And a wonderful dog to pet. And an owlbear.

Ugh I'm having feelings. Thank you so much for the ask!

[ggidolsmuts]

Panda Making - Dreamcatcher Dami

A/N: I apologize for the utterly terrible puns (if you get it), if not, nothing of value was lost, trust me.

"Oh my god, it's so cuteeeee!" You remind yourself that Dami is not the cute one in Dreamcatcher, that she isn't one to fawn over something as mundane as a four-legged creature that eats shoots and leaves, but here she is, squealing at a pitch higher than you've ever heard her sing. "Did you know its name is Fu Bao?"

"Yes it's on the sign."

"And that it's the first panda born in Korea?"

"Yes that's also on the sign."

"Ahh and it's so cute!"

"I can tell, I can tell," you reply, unimpressed. Seeing her good mood, you try earning brownie points with Dami. "But you're cuter."

"No no, it's the cutest!" It is time for the two of you to move on, for the next viewing group to enter the enclosure. As you leave though, Dami curls her arm tightly around your elbow, guiding you back to the viewing line.

"Let's go again!"

The panda is an invasive species, coming up in conversations even after you arrive back home with Dami.

"Can we make some bamboo-related dish?" "Let's get some fruit the pandas eat?" You are mentally prepared to put your foot down when Dami brings up pandas again.

Except it came at the most unexpected time.

"Oppa?" You're shaken awake by your girlfriend.

"Hmm?"

"I want to make a baby panda." Half-asleep you don't process her words properly.

"That's great, but we're not the zoo babe," you grumble into the pillow. You are significantly more awake once you feel Dami's hand dip beneath your shorts.

"We can make our own little Fu Bao right here..." Dami nibbles on your earlobe, rolling you on your back and climbing on top of you. Your eyes are widen open as you watch her slowly undo the buttons on her pajama top. "Maybe even call it Da Bao."

"God that's a terrible name," you chuckle as you pull Dami in for a kiss, slipping the silk shirt off her shoulders.

"Really? That's the takeaway here, that Da Bao's a bad name?" An outraged Dami is shushed by you slipping your hands under her pants, squeezing a tight cheek.

"You know what you're asking for right?" Dami's grinding on you slowly, her hips nodding up and down against you.

"Yeah, I know, maybe it's just me seeing cute stuff nowadays, gone a little bit stir crazy." You keep kissing her neck, letting her continue to grind on you, but not going further, not responding to her. "You're really going to make me say it hmm?" You kiss Dami's jawline, hands teasingly playing with the hem of her panties and struggling not to just rip it off her—her heat is palpable.

"I dunno what you're talking about, Da Bao's mom."

"God..." She shivers on top of you. "Fuck fine, I need you to get rid of all the condoms in the place."

"Now? Get off me then." Dami damn near dunks your dome on the bed and plants her derriere on you.

"Not right now!" she hisses, before shimmying and kicking off her pants. "I need you to knock me up." She pulls out your wide-awake cock and pulls her panties to the side, revealing that she truly "needs" you right now, pink flesh glistening even in the dim bedroom.

"Do you mean—" You hold Dami at whining distance, your cock twitching when you feel a drop of slick drip on your tip. "Do you mean a panda needs to be bred in Korea?" She growls as you bring her down on you, sheathing yourself in her.

"Yes god yes!" Dami's leaning against you heavily, reeling at feeling you raw inside her. "Fucking breed me."

"You feel so good, fuck!" Dami clenches around you, and you feel every texture and fold of her walls—it's so much more pleasurable with nothing wrapped around you, nothing stopping you from planting your seed inside her. "Ugh, not going to last long."

"It's fine, cum inside me, just cum inside me!" At your admission of poor stamina Dami rides you hard, her flat midriff moving sensuously. Her husky moans are right in your ear, begging you with "give me a baby panda" and "let me milk you". The whispers get more and more desperate until she sits down on you with a lewd squelch. The sudden increase in wetness gets to you, and you hold her down, making sure you're hilted in her before you explode. Dami sucks harshly on your neck, leaving a dark hickey as she creams all over you, purring contentedly as you fill her.

"Fuck, baby..."

"Are you talking to me or Da Bao?" You're shut up by your girlfriend, grinding down on you vengefully. Dami regrets it though, quivering on top of you.

"Shit, you're leaking, I can feel you leaking!"

"You're the one doing the leaking, all over our bed." You hold her close, feeling her clench around you, like she's still cumming or something. "Are you trying to milk me?"

"No, want to get you hard again."

"Hm, it's going to take more than that to make Da Bao."

"I know, I'll have to track my cycle, figure out when's the best time, and then make sure we're in our best condition, and—"

"You're overcomplicating things dear."

"What? Ah!" You hug Dami close as you put her on her back and get on top of her. "T-That's what I read, I did a lot of reading!" It makes you hard again, that Dami's not just having baby fever, but that she's actively doing research, really meaning to try for one. You enter her easily, and she arcs against you, body pressed flushed with yours.

"Maybe, but I have an easier solution." You start moving, pumping her full of cock while you lean down and whisper in her ear. "I fuck you before and after you finish work every day until it happens."

"D-Day and night?"

"Day and night, I'll fill you up properly, you'll have to hide from the members why you're walking funny, while you're still dripping my load, because you won't be able to get all of it out."

"That sounds good..." Dami gasps, wrapping her legs around your waist to lock you in. "And then?"

"And then when you come back home, I welcome you back and let you choose, do you want to ride me or should I bend you over the dining table before we eat dinner?" Dami's eyes roll as she imagines it happening, a small orgasm flowing through her.

"A-And then?"

"We do it one more time before we sleep, so you can get the best rest, maybe I fuck you in the shower so we can clean up quickly and go to sleep right after."

"What happens when I, when I—" Dami's a bit of a wreck, the thought of her doing her research combined with you actively trying to knock her up sending her into some kind of heat.

"When we succeed," you bring your hand down to her flat belly. "This little tummy won't be so flat any more, and it'll be fucking hot." You press down on her womb from above, and you drive into her powerfully, making sure she feels it all the way inside her.

"Yes yes yes yes yes..." Dami doesn't hear you groan and tell her you're cumming, she experiences it with you, your thick seed filling her up as the warmth flushes over her with her own peak. She clenches on you repeatedly, until you no longer throb inside of her.

As Dami cuddles against you, you remind yourself to throw out the condoms, and maybe you wouldn't mind taking her to see Fu Bao again before the panda is transferred back. After all...

Da Bao is part of the package.

A/N: So this came up randomly when I was listening to news about Fu Bao, one thing led to another and I had panda breeding in my head. I already had an idea for Seoyeon (Fromis App) so Dami was it. And once I got the name "Da Bao" in my head the pun is too terrible to not use it. Just a short little thing, thanks for reading!

[sh4wty18]

hii could i request reader x johnnie fluff where reader is best friends with him jake and carrington, both johnnie and reader are crushing on each other and yapping to jake and carrington about the other and jake gets to be cupid for his best friends

sorry if bad grammar, english is my second language

playing cupid.

pairing: johnnie guilbert x reader (featuring jake!)

summary: same as request

cw: fluff, dual perspective, language, mentions of vomiting/being hungover

word count: 1.7k + not edited (this was off the dome lol)

---

Jake’s POV:

Some people liked to assume that Jake was not an observant person, but he disagreed. Just because he was slightly aloof in attitude did not mean he wasn’t acutely aware of everything that went on around him, especially regarding his best friends. And Y/n, Johnnie, and Carrington were not only his roommates, but also his very close friends. 

For the last several months, Jake had been– well, he didn’t want to use the word ‘lurking’ – but watching Johnnie and Y/n’s interactions. He knew Y/n was always closest to Johnnie, of the three men, you would have to be an idiot not to notice that, he figured. But what he’d noticed more recently was their slight changes in behavior around each other. The way Johnnie would go out of his way to do little things for Y/n, like fill her water glass when it was empty, or bring her bedroom a fresh box of tissues when he noticed she was running low. Jake noticed the way Y/n purposely told the punchlines of her jokes in a way she knew Johnnie would laugh at, and the way her ears got two shades redder when he did. Jake noticed the stolen glances they gave each other when the other wasn’t looking, and the way their fingers would brush together when they wanted to get each other’s attention. Jake had noticed all of these quirks that Y/n and Johnnie had, and yet he hadn’t said a single thing to either of them.

No, Jake knew that a good best friend wouldn’t try to pry the information out of them, he would wait until one of them came to him. Or, bring it up in conversation with them individually when the time was right. 

As it turns out, tonight would be the night when the time was right. It was around 1 am, and Jake was sitting in his room, sifting through his hours and hours of stream content, deciding what he wanted to cut and edit for his live channel on youtube. Suddenly, his bedroom door slammed open, and a very drunk Johnnie stumbled in. He had just got back from hosting a local Emo Night with Y/n. 

“Dude I dunno whatta do…” he slurred, and Jake laughed. This did not please Johnnie, as he started making angry pouty faces at Jake.

Jake cleared his throat and played off the laugh, “What happened, man?” 

“I kissed ‘er. Y/n. I… I–” He collapsed on Jake’s bed, slamming his hands over his face to try and mask his embarrassment. “She’s gonna hate me.”

Jake cut him off, “Woah, Johnnie. She’s not gonna hate you. Why would she hate you?”

“I think she just wantsta be friends ‘n I messed it up!”

“Did she tell you she just wanted to be friends?”

“No but–”

“And do you feel like you have real feelings for her?” Jake interrupted, so as to not allow him to overthink, even in his drunken state.

“Yes.”

“Exactly. And by the looks of things, I think she has feelings for you too, dude.”

Johnnie moved his hands away from his face slightly, and turned to look at Jake, “Really?”

“Yes, Johnnie! Now go chug a huge glass of water and go to bed.” He got up and pulled Johnnie to his feet. Then he dragged him to the kitchen and got him a big glass of water, before walking him back to his own bedroom and tucking him into bed. “Goodnight.”

“Night, Jake.”

—

The next morning Jake sat at the kitchen table, bowl of cereal in hand, when Johnnie slowly trudged into the kitchen. Y/n was not yet awake. 

Jake giggled at Johnnie’s disheveled state, “Morning, sunshine.”

“Fuck off,” Johnnie mumbled, his voice still laced with sleep. 

“How you feeling?” Jake asked.

“Well, I’m hungover as fuck if that’s what you mean.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Johnnie hesitated, “I don’t know, dude. I’m surprised I even remember our conversation if I’m being honest. I still kind of think I’m fucked… Thank God she’s not awake yet. I needed more time to contemplate all my shitty decisions.”

“Dude… I promise you’re not fucked. Like, I promise.” 

“Did she tell you something?”

“No but… a best friend’s instinct is never wrong…” he wiggled his fingers goofily in Johnnie’s direction.

“Are you forty? Like, what is that?” Johnnie asked sarcastically, but with his classic Johnnie laugh.

“Just trust me, Johnnie,” he put on a southern accent and clasped a hand over his heart, “Mother knows best.” 

“Yeah, okay man,” Johnnie laughed. 

—

Y/n POV:

You woke up with the throbbing headache and the sudden urge to vomit. As you ran to your bathroom and keeled over the toilet, you thought about the events of last night. No level of hungover could make you forget the fact that Johnnie had kissed you last night. You wanted it to mean something more than anything. 

You cleaned yourself up, brushed your teeth, washed your face, and got dressed for the day before heading downstairs to greet Jake. 

“Good morning,” he said with a grin, slurping up the last of his cereal milk.

“Morning,” you replied, grabbing a mug and pouring yourself a black cup of coffee, as well as popping a bagel in the toaster. “Where’s Johnnie?”

“He went back to bed. Claimed he was quote ‘too hungover for this shit’. How was your night?” Jake asked, a hint of a smile in his voice.

You turned around and were met with an expectant Jake leaning against the island behind you, arms crossed.

“Why…?” 

“Oh you know, I heard some rumors through the grapevine, the usual.”

“Did he tell you what happened?” you asked.

“Maybe…”

“Jesus, that man cannot keep his mouth shut to save his life.” You chuckled at the thought of Johnnie stumbling into Jake’s room to tell him what he’d done as soon as he made sure you were in bed, and a smile formed on your lips. “Well yeah. He kissed me. I don’t know if we’re gonna talk about it, or if it was a mistake, or what. But Jake, I need to get this off my chest. I’m like… in love with him. I have been for a while, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t wanna ruin the friendship.”

“Interesting, interesting.” Jake said, rubbing his chin with his thumb and pointer finger, as if this was news to him. 

“You knew?” 

“I had my suspicions! I’m more observant than you guys give me credit for!” Jake said proudly. “But trust me, Y/n, you have nothing to be scared of.”

“Did he… did he tell you something?” you asked, and Jake hesitated.

“No. I just have very good observational skills, can’t you just say you’re proud of me, damn!” he jokes.

You laughed, “Okay, Jakey.”

You’re getting ready to follow Johnnie’s lead and head back to bed (fuck the bagel), just because you felt so sick. But before you could leave, Jake grabs your arm.

“Seriously, Y/n. I think you should tell him how you feel. Chances are, he probably feels the same.”

“For real?” 

“Yes. And if I’m wrong… I’ll do all your chores around the house for a week.”

“Two weeks,” you add slyly.

“Deal!” he stuck out his hand and you shake on it. For Jake, a deal is a deal– no bullshit.

You head upstairs to fulfill your end of the deal. Even though you know that Johnnie would still want to be your friend, regardless of if he reciprocates your feelings, the nerves are still ever present in your stomach. 

You knocked on his door lightly, and heard a quiet, “Come in” from inside. 

You opened the door and crept into Johnnie’s pitch black room, you knew the layout of his bedroom by heart at this point. You could navigate his space with your eyes closed, so the lack of light made no difference. You mentally thanked Johnnie for inviting you to have so many movie nights in his room. Finally, you reached the bed and sat down on the edge, facing where you could only assume was his head.

“Hi,” Johnnie said, and you could hear the nerves in his voice.

“We need to talk about last night,” you say.

“You’re right,” Johnnie started, and you felt his weight shift in bed as he sat up to face you, even in the darkness. “I’m so sorry, Y/n. I don’t know why I kissed you last night. It was reckless and dumb, and I understand if you need space from me for a while. But… I can’t say it was a mistake. It wasn’t. Not for me.”

Your heart fluttered in your chest, and even though you knew he couldn’t see you, you were still embarrassed that your cheeks were burning up at his words. 

“That’s exactly what I came in here to say,” you smiled.

“Wait… really?” he asked.

“Yes, Johnnie. I don’t want to be just friends with you anymore. Do you think, could we ever…?” You trailed off, waiting for him to finish your thoughts, since you were too scared to vocalize them.

“Yes.” Johnnie said, this time there was zero hesitation or fear in his voice. “I want to be with you, Y/n. You’ll always be my friend, but we can be friends and?” 

“Yeah,” you giggled, “Friends and.” 

You reached out to feel for his face in the darkness, and your fingers brushed against the stubble on his cheek. You drew his face closer to yours, until your noses brushed together. His hands found your chest and moved up your neck to wrap around the back of your head, and he pulled your face impossibly closer to his. He pressed your foreheads together, and you breathed deeply, letting go of all your fear. You’d done it. 

You finally closed the gap between the two of you, and his lips were softer than you’d remembered them being last night. After a minute of getting used to the feeling of each other's mouths, for real this time, Johnnie smiled against your lips, and you can’t help but return the gesture.

“What?” you asked, still grinning.

“Nothing, it’s just… Jake was right. As usual.”

“Wait. Jake talked to you about this?”

“Yeah,” Johnnie responded, “He’s the one who told me to tell you my feelings.”

“No way, he told me the same thing!” you laughed, “That little fucking schemer!” 

Johnnie kissed you softly, and you felt him grin against your mouth again, “He’s like our cupid.”

 “Yeah, he really is,” you whispered, before leaning in to kiss Johnnie again. 

And now that you had him, you didn’t want to stop. 

---

guys please... idk how many more johnnie fics i can write PLS request jake or tara or literally anyone else once i reopen requests lolll

[hannahssimblr]

“That bit is upside down,” Jen chews her lip, holding two halves of a tent pole. “Or is it? I don’t know. Maybe you were right.”

“I have no clue, to be honest.” I hold my hands up in surrender and back away from the crumpled heap that is our shared tent for the weekend, the sight of which fills me with increasing dread. “You know what I’m like. I can’t do stuff like this.”

“Like read?” She scrutinises the crumpled instruction sheet for the tenth time. “This shouldn’t be so hard for us. Do you think we should have been assessed in school?”

“For a learning difficulty? What? No. There weren’t classes for this kind of complicated stuff. It’s not our fault.”

“It’s piss easy,” Shane comments. He assembled both his tent and Claire’s and Evie’s in the time it took Jen and me to wrestle our tent parts from the bag. “You put the poles together, thread them through the tarp, and stick the pins in the ground. What’s the matter with ye?”

“Dunno. We’re just fucking stupid, I suppose.”

“Push over, I’ll do it.” 

Jen lets the poles roll off her palm onto the ground and we let him, watching uselessly as he slots the poles together with some sort of insane, military efficiency and has the whole thing standing neatly, our perfect, nylon dome, in about two minutes flat. 

“Thanks,” I say. 

Jen echoes. “Yeah, jeez, cheers for that.”

“Do you ever think the real world is, like, going to come and bite ye in the arses?” Shane wonders, wiping the sweat from his face with the hem of his t-shirt. “When you go off and start living on your own, I mean. Do you ever worry you won’t be able to hack it?”

I look at Jen, and she at me. I shrug. “I’m moving to a city, like, do you think there’ll be wilderness excursions there, or something?”

“You might eventually need to read instructions, is all.”

I grin. “Someone else can do it for me.”

“Right, yeah.” his brow furrows. “I’m just saying, like, you might get a bit of a shock when you’re out there on your own.”

“I’ve been alone though,” I argue. “It’s not like my parents do everything for me. I’m not one of those kids who was-”

“Yeah, not with all things, just some things. Like, what if you ever needed to earn your own money, to get a job in a restaurant or something? Do you not think you’d need a bit of know-how, a bit of practical experience?”

I scoff. “Why would I need to do that?”

“Because sometimes people have to work.” I hate the way he’s saying it, and feel my body stiffen like hackles are rising along my spine. Of course, Shane is going on about this. Proper job this, practical experience that. 

This is the tone that accompanies every tactful reminder that he comes from a hardworking family and I, apparently, do not. Like my parents’ academic backgrounds lessen their credibility. Like it makes them snobbier, lazier, more willing to sneer at ordinary folk. What's true for them does not automatically extend to me. To think so is an insult. 

Shane’s dad is the head chef in some hotel in Tullamore, his mother a florist who works seven days a week, and they have drilled into him and Kelly their extraordinary, frankly ridiculous work ethic. They think it’s normal, aspirational even, to get up at five in the morning for some mundane job. But I know something with more truth to it: that there’s merit in taking it easy, with relaxing, sleeping in, and spending time with the things you enjoy. And, by the way, what does all of this have to do with a tent? 

I plaster on my best laid back smile and drop a hand onto his shoulder. 

“This is a boring conversation.” I insist, in the hopes that I will embarrass him out of putting me through this conversation. “Let’s grab a few drinks, yeah? Talking about future stuff should be off-limits for the weekend.”

He shrugs. “I suppose, yeah. I’ll drop it.”

“Thanks, mate.”

I amble over to where the girls hang out on the grass and join them, getting Claire to pass me of the drinks we smuggled through among an inaccessible pile of socks and underwear at the bottom of her bag. I crack it open and swish the beer around my mouth. It’s warm, horrible, but it’s wonderful in another way. It’s the most authentic experience possible. Here I am, in a field, drinking warm beer with the sun on my face. Carefree, with the rhythmic beat from the main stage pulsing through the earth beneath me. I could get used to things being simple.

Beginning // Prev // Next

[goatcheesecak3]

i’ve had this one on the dome for a while so walk with me picture a lawrence x reader that is so ‘lawrence sees so much of adam in you that he’s subconsciously using you as a way to right his wrongs of leaving that poor boy down there’.

for an extra level of stress for larry imagine a reader who actually knew adam very well and that’s why the similarities between the reader and adam exist and larry can NEVER tell them about what happened

basically this is chainshipping angst once removed do you get me did i explain the idea well ? idk i feel you could SLAY THIS CONCEPT HARD ok bye

Longing

Lawrence Gordon x Gn!Reader

Fic type: angst

Warnings: mention of missing person

A/n hello!!! Sorry it's been so long since I've written anything, I've been feeling pretty uninspired, but I'm feeling it more lately!!

Thank you so so so much for this request! Sorry it's so short, but I really enjoyed writing it, so i hope you enjoy reading it <3

Lawrence had been seeing y/n for a while, now. When they first met he wasn't sure why, but he felt like he already knew them somehow, they had a familiar charm. He'd never been with someone like this before, he was so used to clean cut and straight edge partners, but he liked that y/n was a little rough around the edges. He liked that they could shotgun a beer, he liked that they always wore tattered and baggy clothes, he liked their dry wit and feisty attitude. Hell, he even liked their obsession with photography- the way they constantly took pictures of him should have been annoying, but something about it made him feel comforted. Their presence in his life was warm, it satiated a sense of hiraeth for him, like a hug from an old friend, filling a void he didn't know he had.

He was unsure why this was, until one faithful day.

Sat on the small balcony of y/n's apartment, y/n pulled out a packet of cigarettes.

"Greatest invention on this planet" they had chuckled, lifting the cig up to their lips.

Lawrence felt his heart stop, his throat became dry and his eyes widened.

"Why did you say that?" He asked urgently.

"What do you mean?" Y/n looked him, puzzled as to why this had illicited such a strange change in their partner's demeanour.

"I-i" Lawrence scrambled for an excuse for his outburst, realising now that he shouldn't have given away how visceral his reaction was, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, it's just that I'm a doctor, I see bad things happening all the time because of those," he motioned towards the cigarette, "it took me by surprise to hear you speak of them so highly, that's all"

Y/n smiled at him softly.

"I don't actually think they're the greatest invention on the planet, I mean, a couple when I'm stressed is like a godsend, yeah, but that whole 'greatest invention' thing is just an old joke between me and one of my friends."

Despite all better judgement, Lawrence decided to probe.

"Which friend is this?"

Y/n took a drag, and stared off into the distance

"His name was Adam"

Feigning ignorance, Lawrence probed deeper.

"Was?"

Y/n sighed.

"He was my best friend, he's the one that got me into photography, but he went missing about a year ago. I don't like to think about it too much, he was in with a kinda bad crowd, I don't wanna imagine what happened to him."

"Y/n, I'm so sorry" Lawrence said, his heart ached knowing what he knew.

"It's fine, " y/n waved her hand, as if to shoo away any bad thoughts, "when I miss him I just imagine that one day he took off, maybe following a band on tour, maybe he's off in another country chasing his dreams - he loved animals, maybe he's got a new life on a farm or some shit, I dunno.." y/n's voice trailed off, "maybe someday he'll come back with a great story, and I'll kick him in the balls for disappearing on me, then I'll give him the biggest hug I've ever given anyone"

"Do you really think he's happy out there somewhere?" Lawrence asked, guilt's tight grip pulling on his insides and twisting them around.

"I have to." Y/n responded solemnly, "it's the only way I can live"

[bonnieisaway]

BIG BOY spoilers for season 5 but I really wanna talk about how brilliant episode 1 is (I just woke up and I'm not in the fuzzy headspace I was yesterday)

Off the bat also I do wanna mention the art style is changing again a little! It's a bit different from season four so far. I really like the way it's looking though. Seven looks fucking GOOD in so many of these scenes

Anyways it took me an EMBARASSING four fucking minutes to realize that 1) this was not really happening irl and 2) that the dome was supposed to represent Seven's headspace

anyways The place they're standing in at the start is really interesting to me. They're on Chicken Island obviously but it's Chicken Island in Seven's head. And the way it is in his head is it's foggy, cloudy, and absolutely deserted. I mean there's already not many people on Chicken Island, but it's like dead empty. Much like this scene from the s3 outro:

(didn't know this ED had twenty fucking variations of this scene now jesus christ)

It also feels like it's littered with a lot of references from past episodes. The ducky floatie feels like a reference to the episode where we met DaChun in season 1, the coconut Hua's messing with feels like a reference to that as well, this all feels very reminiscent of invading Captain Jack's ship, the episode even starts with the "First mission" title card, which the show doesn't really use anymore. There's a lot of like, old references in here that all seem kind of tainted and dulled by this grayed out, melancholic perception of Chicken Island.

The second I saw this I instantly thought of the scene from season 3:

I just I dunno I really really like this. I like how they chose to represent his mindscape and the references to the past experiences he can remember.

And I also really like how the different levels represented the different poisons in his body. The first being a puzzle about Manjusaka, the second about the Dark Frost blade

(which also: there are random figures hidden in the ice in this scene that made me tweak out.

is that fucking blackbird? who the fuck are you)

I love how the wolf is drawn and reflects the exact effects of the blade. The animalistic, heightened senses, the fact it's not inherently an evil entity, it's capable of being nice, it's just got heightened aggression it can barely control. Anyway and then the fucking final layer.

Literally the exact spot he once stood in.

And the fucking. The thing that fights him. That tries so hard to stop him from opening the door. It's not just himself, it's a fucking amalgamation of every reason why he shouldn't, why he originally did this to himself: the Shadow killers, faces we don't even recognize, the girl in white, faces we'll probably never see again but that will haunt some deep corner of him, and it's himself. and it's not the thousand demon daggers that kills it, it's just the girl in white's blade. Her dinky little run of the mill sword.

I think it's really, really important that the "past him" asks: If you could've done this too, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you have run away? You would've wanted a new life too. Don't do this again. Don't do this to me.

I started this season worried we were gonna hard pivot at "oh, Seven and the past Seven are two different people" but they're not and this, to me, clearly illustrates that they're not. He wanted this. He wanted this life to end. He wanted to run away, he didn't want this life, exactly like I've been saying since fucking season 3. He wasn't a ruthless, cold hearted killer, at his core he was a child who did what he needed to. He only fought on missions, he was told directly to kill Stanians on sight, but he wanted to be empathetic, he wanted to care so badly, and he wanted to protect somebody. The FIRST fucking time he EVER gets to directly, blatantly, and loudly protect somebody he even MILDLY cares about, it's enough to convince him to never want to do this again. And now with the added context that the Thousand Demon Daggers was slowly killing him - he didn't just fight some demon and won but he signed his fucking life over and was bound to this sword that was ripping him apart, he wanted to leave so badly, and the only way he did was in a way that almost killed him anyways. Episode 2 made me afraid too, because of the way the flashback controlled him, but ultimately, he's already had these flashbacks THE ENTIRE SHOW. These have happened to him before, but now they're so much louder, they're overwhelming and powerful, he's conscious but he's not, he doesn't know how to stop, sometimes he doesn't even actually know where he is. He's not being 'possessed' by somebody else or something, he is somebody riddled with PTSD taken over by those memories.

I also really wanna know what it is 'Seven' is saying here. His mouth is obviously moving like he's speaking but there's no audio or captions to it, (Netflix if you love me you'll give me something good god,) but it looks like Seven doesn't know what he's saying here either. and I just really really really wanna know. This is going to become my new "what was in the letter."

Anyways feel free to pile on more thoughts cus thats all I have right now. I ran into this season (foolishly) (once again) praying I'd get end game Seven x Thirteen but it seems I will spend the duration of season 5 in the trenches, fighting for my life, kicking and screaming, shitting my pants and sniffling, begging, "NOOOOO HE'S THE SAME PERSON HE WAS BEFORE!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! THEY'RE NOT TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Thirteen save me, save me Thirteen, Thirteen, Thirteen save me.

[kalevalakryze]

Fireside

AO3 Link: Here! For @wolfwrenweek Day 4: The Chariot | Thrawn's Star Destroyer [prompt: put her canine teeth in the side of my neck] Warnings: n/a Summary: Shifting so their head could rest on her shoulder, Sabine smirked at the way the cold beskar stung at their cheek and their face contorted in annoyance. “Take that off and maybe I’ll tell you.”

“Well that’s a poor excuse to get me out of my armor.” She laughed, then, she rotated just enough, reaching her arm out to tug the blonde until she shifted. The crook of her nose fit perfectly in the space between her pauldron and chest plate. Sabine felt the deep inhale as they settled, forehead resting snuggly in her shoulder, and her hand even going so far as to wind around the Mandalorian’s waist.

“You’re just built to be uncomfortable and annoying, aren’t you.”

Exile with Shin Hati turned out to be… Not as bad as Sabine thought it would have been. As the nights got colder and Baylan got closer, they would pack up and travel. Sabine learned a lot in those first few weeks- the first and foremost being that Shin drooled in their sleep, evident in how she’d had to scrub blood-stained spittle off her pauldrons once she’d finally gotten them free of the rocky canyon they’d been stuck in. 

The second, and probably more important than the last- Even being in proximity to the blonde, Sabine was not free of the bond that suddenly connected them. Instead of freedom, she found her nights and days plagued by random flashes into the blonde’s eyes. Either looking at her own body as she built a fire, cleaned her armor, or packed up camp, or the haunting memories of Baylan’s betrayal, beyond him dismissing her as his padawan. Stone formations, marble coffins, locked doors, unnatural flames, and a ghastly voice in her ear. 

Shin was more than a mystery to unravel, but at least she felt like she’d managed to unravel a few of those many layers. 

The fire was roaring by the time Shin returned from their meditation, whatever snowflakes dared to enter their dome of peace and warmth were quickly melted by the raging inferno trapped in the small pit. Sabine’s howler rested his head on her knee, allowing the Mandalorian’s fingers to itch through the tufts of fur that had thickened for the weather. When the blonde dropped down next to her, Sabine nudged at their leg with her foot. “Sooo,” She drawled, hooking her heel to rest overtop of their shin.

Unbothered, Shin’s hand came to rest on Sabine’s knee. It was surprisingly domestic for both of them, the way Shin’s fingers tucked in between the smooth, chipped beskar of the armor and the material of her flight suit. She wasn’t sure when this had started, but found she was grateful.

Maybe it was their shared grief, or maybe Sabine was just fundamentally fucked up in the head, and Shin was starting to check off all of her boxes as they grew closer. 

Shifting so their head could rest on her shoulder, Sabine smirked at the way the cold beskar stung at their cheek and their face contorted in annoyance. “Take that off and maybe I’ll tell you.”

“Well, that’s a poor excuse to get me out of my armor.” She laughed, then, she rotated just enough, reaching her arm out to tug the blonde until she shifted. The crook of her nose fit perfectly in the space between her pauldron and chest plate. Sabine felt the deep inhale as they settled, forehead resting snuggly in her shoulder, and her hand even going so far as to wind around the Mandalorian’s waist. 

“You’re just built to be uncomfortable and annoying, aren’t you.” They grumbled, contradicting their own words when they shifted instead to press their nose into the side of her throat. Her heart stuttered at the way Shin’s breath fanned across her skin, which was freezing in comparison to everything about Shin in the moment. 

“I dunno. Figured you liked things the hard way.” She shot back, unthinking as her fingers squeezed Shin’s shoulder. The huff of air against her throat brought a smile to her lips, at least she didn’t die, so… definitely a plus in her book. 

The silence that fell was calm, with only the crackling of fire and the rare nightlife lighting up the world around them. At some point, Sabine’s howler got up and decided to graze, scouring the ground just at the edge of the fire’s light for bugs and small critters. The electric feeling came back only when Shin’s weight shifted, putting more of their weight against Sabine’s side. 

She didn’t say anything, and so, the blonde inched closer bit by bit, until almost all of her weight was in Sabine’s lap. “Comfy?” She finally spoke, her voice no more than a mumble as Shin got comfortable. 

“I think you just might be.” Sharp teeth brushed against the side of her throat, causing a shiver to shoot up her spine. Her hands moved to settle on their hips, thumbs brushing along the myriad of materials they’d used to patch their tunic and skirt. The press of lips to her pulse point was enough to make her squirm. 

“Shin-” They pulled back almost immediately, and like a viper, Sabine’s hand shot out to stop them, coming to rest at the base of their throat as they leaned back in her lap. “I didn’t say go anywhere,” She felt her voice drop an octave, and took great satisfaction in watching blue-green eyes blow wide and dark, and the feeling of their throat moving under her palm as the other woman swallowed thickly. 

This time, when Shin leaned back in, her teeth grazed against the column of her throat with intent. Sabine’s hand scaled along her back until she could tangle her digits in their hair, her other hand still holding on tight to their waist as both of their hands moved to a corner of her chest plate. “I’ve thought about doing this every moment since I first met you.” They admitted, though before Sabine could retort in either agreement or disdain, their canines were pressing into her throat. Her knees jerked beneath Shin’s weight as their tongue, warm and wet, lapped at the skin in reach. Sabine’s curses fell on deaf ears as Shin worked their mouth along every inch of her throat she could reach, leaving dark marks against her skin that could rival even the dark, faded color of her own hair. 

“ Gotal’ade , fuck,” Sabine grumbled once they finally pulled back, her hand wrapping around their throat once more and her thumb pressed into their pulse point in a way that made them flush. Before her traitorous brain could ruin the moment, Sabine pulled Shin back in, wasting no time in pressing their lips together.

Their noses brushed against each other as both of Shin’s hands traveled to tangle in messy brown and purple waves. Sabine’s hand stayed pinned between them, feeling the way their pulse hammered when she licked their bottom lip. When Sabine’s tongue crossed the barrier of parted lips, she felt that now familiar tingle of their bond, felt arousal and desire and fire raging within, and when she licked into the blonde’s mouth, she felt that same fire roar at the choked whimper that stayed prisoner between them. 

When Shin’s hands traveled low once again, and she felt their fingers inching below her chestplate, Sabine had to, annoying, pull back. “Fuck,” She panted, releasing their throat and hair in order to rest her hands against their wrists. “Shin, I’m sorry,” The blonde’s forehead rested against her own, cool eyes clouded by lust met warm gold in understanding. “Not here, but… Once we’re safe .’

“Will we ever really be safe?” They grumbled, even as their lips pressed into the corner of her brow. “That is not a nicety that has ever been afforded to us.”

“I’ll make it happen. I promised you once, I’m promising you again.” She squeezed their wrists once more before letting go, allowing the blonde to relax her head into her shoulder once more, and cursing every ounce of rational thought for keeping her pants on. She just had to be the responsible one these days- Ezra owed her, big time. 

[just-emis-blog]

List 5 3 topics you can talk on for an hour without preparing any material

Thanks @paeliae-occasionally for the tag! 😊

1. Star Wars. I hate it (no particular reason, it's just not to my taste), but all of my family loves the franchise, and as a result I've absorbed vast amounts of content via osmosis against my will.

2. The Blade Trilogy. I know this series back to front. It's embarrassing. I used to have these movies running on my PlayStation 2 on repeat every night when I was a child. I would watch the BTS over and over like it would reveal some Easter Eggs that I surely hadn't caught yet during the first 20 watches. And I know nothing of the comics, mind. I didn't even realize Blade was a Marvel character for an embarrassingly long time. It was just the movies for me baby. If you want to know any extended lore in his comic series I got nothin', but if you come at me about how many times he air spin kick battle's Deacon Frost's minion before landing one (I dunno it was like fucking 5 or something), then I gotchu.

3. United States Colonial History. I. Double majored in history. For all the good it did in the job I have currently lol. A thousand years ago in my early years in college I was trying to have a go at being either an English or History teacher, until I realized that I don't have to find a job that would force me to say "stop being a little bitch" in the mirror every day before I made presentations to my professors and classmates.

So yea. Of all the points in history I had to study, that one has stuck with me. I can vomit facts (maybe outdated at this point since I haven't brushed up on it since college) on a dime.

Ooof. This just made me realize I don't know that many things off the dome lol.

Tagging for the fun and joy of participating, no pressure!

@frostedlemonwriter @urnumber1star @drchenquill @leahnardo-da-veggie

[mylevisdontfitanymore]

Bucky fattened by a frat as a mascot of some kind? Starts pretty big when he’s a freshman, already pushing 400 — come what would have been his final year and it takes a couple bros to turn him over to fuck. Ah I dunno just free use immobile blob Bucky who’s an absolute cockslut, he’ll do anything so long as he gets as much food as he wants? Pledges have to attend to him 24/7, that includes his bi-hourly funnel feeding, a litre or so of shake every other hour?

Anyway, maybe Steve was his first attendant? Both freshman, Steve was made to feed him and please him and serve him, and now he’s head of the frat or however they work.

Anyway there’s the rambling done waddaya think?

You should check out "teamwork" by caloriebomb!!

I keep, in particular, thinking about this part:

“Steve made this coffeecake just for the team,” Clint said, and levered another vast slice onto Bucky's plate. “You can't make him feel bad by not eating it.” “I'm fucking full,” Bucky said. “I can barely breathe.” But of course, he ate it. And he ate more bacon, too, and let them give him the last chocolate chip muffin, and he drank another glass of milk, and ate another slice of heavily-buttered bread, and, to hell with it, finished off the rest of the bacon entirely. He was moaning a little by the time he was done, shameless in his discomfort, his belly almost hard to the touch and so heavy he felt pinned down by it. “For good luck,” Sam said, and rubbed his belly, and then Clint followed suite, and suddenly Bucky was inundated with a line of football players all trying to get their hands on his swollen gut, and Thor was shouting, “Our good luck charm! Our good luck Buck!” and honestly it felt too good to protest, and he was so stuffed he could barely speak anyway, so he just sat there and let it happen, weighed down by his enormous breakfast and the unbendable dome of his throbbing tummy.

I do, really, really love this idea, though. I keep picturing one of those big snorlax plushies with the huge tummies and short little legs.

Like, c'mon, that is Bucky.

Unbeta'd, you know how it is, warning for Bucky-centric belly kink filth. Implied stucky? Stuffing, funnel feeding, immobility, alcohol consumption, intox kink, slight come inflation, etc.

Or, that's what Bucky turns into after he's hazed and then pledges, and is officially a member of his frat 👀

He absolutely is a big boy going in, but after he's been in for a few years, nearing the end of his college days, he's packed on more than the freshman 15, by far.

After being constantly stuffed and fed and fucked by his bros, he's unbelievably round. So round that his stomach floods between his far spread thick thighs, forcing them apart, and it rests on top of those thick, heavy thighs, leaving him without the ability to stand without help. Really, he can hardly maneuver around it - his belly, that is. It's so heavy. It's always so full. Hell, he can't get his fucking arms around it now! He can't shut his legs, either. Not that that matters when his frat bros are always trying to get them wider, anyhow, using his hole when they can manage to roll Bucky over onto his enormous gut, or just fucking any of his many, many rolls.

He's soft and irresistible all over.

Fat on fat on fat.

Stacking up.

He's overflowing with fat. He's impossibly fat. So much so that when his bros try their best to use their gym-honed muscles - biceps flexing - to lift his massive belly, they sweat and grunt but simply can't always squeeze their arms in between his rolls enough to find his cock. It's buried. Not that Bucky's cock matters to him much now... he gets more than enough pleasure without a finger laid on him there. There's enough pressure and friction from his own fat. He can grind against himself. And his belly is more than sensitive enough. Always bloated tight and packed even fuller. Just touching his gut is enough to make him come.

Whenever the guys can't roll him over - either because there's not enough helping hands around the house at the time, or Bucky is too full to flip, heavier than usual and making sounds like a beached whale, protesting, lest he throw up - they end up fucking all his excess fat. They fuck his love handles and stacking up sides. Plush. They fuck his moobs. Overflowing and flabby and deliciously sensitive, especially those stretched out, hard nipples. They fuck where his belly flops onto his thick, spilled-out thigh. They fuck his belly. They fuck his beanbag like belly.

Heavy.

Thick.

Blubber that rolls like waves when they get going, really into fucking their mascot, and the thrusts push out burps and groans and heavy, gasping breaths from Bucky. He can't handle it. It feels almost as good as being fucked in his hole. He loves having his belly fucked, even if it presses on his stuffed stomach, walking the line of being too much. Pleasure that almost hurts.

Bucky loves it, though.

Even when he's about to pop, bursting at the seams, unable to stifle the hiccups and burps and deep groans bubbling up from his sloshing tummy with how hard he's being jostled, fucked and toyed with however his bros want. Maybe especially then.

Or, no, the best is when they're all home after a party. When the party upstairs has wound down and all his bros are drunk, not yet passing out or fully blackout drunk, but when they're lose enough that their rougher sides come out. Then, they're rowdy from the pounding music, drinks, and crowded, sweaty bodies, and they all seem to share a single thought, needing to use him; needing to fill him; needing to lavish their lucky and greedy mascot with attention after leaving him alone in the basement for the party. Their dirty little secret. Their sweating, panting, growing mascot.

If Bucky's any mascot, he's a pig.

A big, fat pig.

A pig who's always shoveling food into his mouth with his fat hands, his fat chin doubling and thick throat bobbing with each massive mouthful. Never satisfied.

They're going to satisfy him...

After a party, they're all always hard, barely contained in their jeans and gym shorts - unashamedly obvious. Their faces are flushed, eyes hungry, and lips loose and wet. Beer on their breath. Crowding around him. Everyone is aching to touch. He's so soft. So big. So heavy. So fat.

Now, the fraternity make sure to buy more beer and snacks than a party could ever take down for the sole purpose of feeding their pet pig afterward. They know where they always end up.

Every. single. time.

They tear apart the whole house for Bucky. Not just demolishing the party supplies. Everything. Everything is fair game. They feed him chips and dips and kegs of beer and pizza and all that junk. And then...

And then, they break out the protein powders and blenders and make shake after shake after shake for Bucky.

Weight gain shakes.

None of the protein is going to turn into anything but fat. Bucky doesn't move. Bucky is just a ball.

Bucky is a mascot, a pet - a fun, fat, soft toy for them to use. They'll be fucking him sloppy and messy, after a party, and will forget to keep feeding him. Then. That's what Bucky moans for. He doesn't want to come. No. He wants more.

More food.

God.

More.

He begs so much, so greedy, that they have to feed him to shut him up. And when they do run out of things to feed him, there's nothing to be done but shoving their dicks down his throat and coming, filling him up that way, if he's just so desperate to be full.

He is.

He's so desperate to be full.

And every time he is full, he's not just full. He's overfull. Meaning... next time, he'll be able to take just that much more, ever-increasing his huge stomach capacity 🥵

[ballternia]

what's the longest youve stayed out of your body?

TRANSLATION UNDER THE CUT

BN: well BN: one time i kind of BN: lost track of it BN: see i was learning to surf and uh BN: i may have waxed my board too hard because i lost my grip right at the like high edge of an oncoming curl yknow BN: wave yanks the board out from under me n bonks me on the head BN: gets right under the horns comes in right there at the back of the dome and uh BN: down i go BN: im not the strongest swimmer i like my sports on land BN: im dead before my body hits the seafloor and all im thinking is yknow BN: one i gotta find it and TWO BN: two i gotta make sure its somewhere i can get to the surface n breathe in time or im just gonna die again BN: so uh BN: i found it, and then like BN: i just kinda chilled? BN: idk how much you know about dead bodies but like BN: fat floats gas floats anything hollow floats BN: i just kinda had to wait for the tide to shift cause like BN: undertow n currents n shit have a way of holding it down BN: so like BN: ugh like HOURS later BN: finally that stupid bastard corpse bobs to the surface like a cork and washes ashore BN: middle of the day which isnt great sun is fuckin blazing it was a nice cool night when i started BN: but i let it hit shore BN: and then i did the ol swaperoo and RAN for the shade BN: god i got burnt pretty bad shit was hella sensitive and i was still seeing spots from the like BN: phanton concussion BN: so i just laid up in the hive and like BN: i dont really use the ol sopor tub like youre supposed to usually yknow its just BN: a lot to shower off in the morning so fuck that id rather lay out on the pullout couch BN: not that theres a lot of pullout happenin on it wink etc BN: but i dumped a bunch of ice into the recuperacoon and crawled in and took a big ol rip off the broadbellow lungblaster BN: and just sorta zoned until i wasnt hurting no more BN: anyway the full course of that death and getting back to it was like BN: i dunno ten hours of waitin and then three days of recovery BN: it suuuuuucked lmao

[twinsoftriumph]

Hello!

Any tips for drawing the twin's hair please ? Whenever i draw them, i always draw Sah's as like a spiky mountain with a curtain since i dunno how to draw tall hair yet

And Mekh...um-

Yeah

Dw Sah's hair has been evolved from mountain to Kagamine Len. Not sure if that's an improvement tho lmao-

hello! and hey for what it's worth, i also have my moments where i'm drawing their hair and i go "what.. is going on here" LMAO but also len's hair isn't all that different from spiky twin's so i'd say that's improvement! but here are some things i try to keep in mind when drawing their hair

ignore me emoting at the bottom. i would simplify their hair as a tear drop for sah and a half circle for mekh, but i also do not want them to appear Too flat. hence, the shape is a base to build off of. it helps us determine the direction of the hair, how we layer it, and the space it occupies. but sol, why a tear drop and not a triangle? to which i say We must consider that sah has hair at the Back of their head that also extends from the nape of their neck so it must be considered when drawing the hair as a whole

determining a point where the hair parts/where the bangs start from also helps us better understand how the hair flows from that point

mekh has a bang in the middle of their hair and some face-framing bangs along their jaw. you can still see the basic half-circle/dome shape of their hair, and you can see how the sections of hair logically appear to flow from the marked point on their head. the top of their head is round, the bottom of their hair is basically Flat and straight across (it's just a bob that's very flared out at the bottom) which is why the back isnt really visible from the front unless you're looking at them from a lower angle. case in point:

mekh as viewed from the back and slightly below. the traced line shows that the bottom of their hair is basically a circle lol

now sah is..... Certainly Something..... ngl im not so sure how to describe them but i will try. their bangs sweep right and i try to keep their hair in Big triangular sections to resemble the model more closely. the back of their hair Also sweeps right. id say the spikes of their hair run along the curve of the aforementioned teardrop, and you can basically use a differently-angled teardrop for the front bang as well. But Sol, you may ask again, why are some of the spikes labeled as being the Back of their hair?

ok this pic quality sucks but you get the idea. when viewed from the side, you will see that their hair also flows Back. you can also see the hair coming from the nape of the neck. sah's hair is actually like.. sorta shaggy and longer, pretty multi-layered in the hypothetical scenario that it isn't styled up which is where all those spikes come from. (i'd even say it'd extend lower than mekh's if unstyled since mekh's is so bluntly cut across.)

this got kinda long but some ending notes: honestly don't be afraid to stylize and you don't need to be perfectly on-model with their hair. there's nothing wrong with using references either, i have a bunch of screenshots of the elders from different angles and if you/a friend has the hair you can also just screenshot that to give you a guideline. and also don't be hard on yourself if it looks kinda off or anything because i have drawn a lot of spiky haired characters in my time and i still sometimes look at stuff i deemed Fit To Post and go "hm. i would have drawn that differently if i redrew it today."

but uh i mostly just hope this was helpful LOL. good luck drawing the twins!

[gizmocrate-werecrow]

The Man who never sleeps

An MST3K monster au fic! A collab with @classicrocker2000

On the satellite of love Joel was busy as ever, he opened the door to Crow’s room. It was messy. In a perfect world, the room would have shelves, a bed and a visible floor.

“Crow, how is it this messy already? It’s been 10 minutes since the experiment ended.” Joel said.

In the mess, Crow poked his head out from the massive pile of wool. Crow was a golden coloured robot with a voice beak and a head net, he held knitting needles in his claws and there was wool tangled in his net.

“Aw Joel, I was cleaning my room already.” Crow said.

“Already? It was perfectly clean before.”

“You think that was bad, wait till you see servo’s haha!”

“I will but if that room isn’t tidy mister—’’Joel started before yawning. “You won’t stay up until 9:30 pm tonight.”

“It’ll get done Joel, don’t worry about it!” Crow said, tripping over some wool and falling face-first into it.

“Servo, have you ever seen Joel actually go to bed? He makes us go to bed, but he never does.” 

“What makes you so sure that he never does?”

“Well, he’s always so tired.”

“Maybe he’s just an insomniac. Lord knows the mads have probably been running him ragged with that invention exchange every week.” Tom Servo said in a mock Minnesota accent.

Crow ummed and ahhed, trying to think of a time when Joel actually slept. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he came up empty-handed. 

“What if tonight, after bedtime, we sneak into his room.”

“What?! Have you lost your marbles?! He will ground us!” Servo said, hovering slightly off the ground.

“Hear me out! If it’s really insomnia, then maybe we can help him get some sleep! And then there’s the possibility he will let us do things, don’t you want to do things?”

“I wanna do things, and that starts with not getting grounded! Besides, what’s gotten into you anyhow?!”

“What if he’s a vampire?” Crow blurted out.

“Now you’ve really lost your marbles, Crow!” Tom said with an exasperated sigh.

“Well it’s either insomnia or vampirism, and I’m finding out one way or the other tonight! You can come with or find holes in your underwear tomorrow.”

“Ugh, fine! But if we get grounded, all I can say is, I told you so!”

“Fine!” Crow said.

After a few hours, at 8:30 pm, Joel tucked Crow into his bed.

“Joel can I stay up until 9:30?”

“No, you didn’t clean your room.”

“But you get to stay up all day and all night.”

“I don’t, I go to bed later since I’m older. Now get some sleep, you hear me?” Joel kissed Crow on the forehead, turning the light off.

Crow lay there for what felt like an eternity—or at least until he couldn’t hear Joel’s footsteps anymore. Quietly, as he could, he crept out of bed, gently opening the door. Crow looked left and right to see if the coast was clear. No Joel, no GPC, no Cambot—yup, the coast was clear. He snuck his way over to Tom’s room, where he found him with a sleeping mask over his dome. 

“Hey, wake up, it’s all clear.”

“I still don’t think this is a good idea, Crow,” Tom said, having Crow push up his sleeping mask.

“Well, it’s too late to back out now! Or do you want me to introduce moths to your drawer in the next shipment.” Crow retorted

“Well, you have to carry me then if we’re really doing this.”

“Will do,” Crow said, picking Tom up with ease. Creeping quietly out of Tom’s room, the pair checked both ways. With no one approaching, they started creeping down the hall. 

“What if it’s nothing at all, and we just get ourselves in trouble for nothing?” Tom asked. 

“It’s gotta be something! Why else would he be tired all the time?!”

“I dunno! Narcolepsy? I heard him mention it once!” Tom said while Crow muttered under his breath, standing at Joel’s room door. Crow gently placed Servo down before opening the door.

Crow had to be honest. He hadn’t seen the interior of Joel’s room properly. The only time he really saw it was when he had a nightmare. It was so…tidy, save for the desk that had all sorts of drawings and junk on it. There were a couple of doors, one slightly open. If Joel wasn’t in his bed, he was probably in that room. The pair entered, Crow walked towards the desk with some curiosity.

“Hey ummm, Crow, we shouldn’t—what’s that?” Tom said as he looked into the bin.

Crow took a look for himself. “I don’t know… is that a bunch of glass vials?” Crow whispered, taking out one vial that was stained red.

“C-Crow? I-Is that blood?” Tom squeaked out really loud. He hid behind Crow as the bathroom door opened.

“I th-th-think so, oh hey j-j-joel, we had some nightmares and wanted to…”

Crow trailed off as he noticed another vial in Joel’s hand. There was a bit of red streaking down his mouth as well. Crow screamed and hid behind Tom, while the red bot shook in terror.

“Guess it’s finally time to give you bots the talk.” Joel sighed. He scooped up Tom and petted the side of the bed for Crow to sit on. Crow warily sat down. 

“The reason why I’m so sleepy is because I’m actually a vampire.” Joel said, he smiled weakly to show his sharp fangs. 

Crow looked up with joy. 

“That is so cool! Can you mind control? Pick up anything with ease? Maybe even become a bat?” Crow started before in a second, there wasn’t a man sitting there but a bat.

“Oh my, you’re so cute!” Tom squeaked as Crow’s jaw dropped. Literally, half of his voice pin fell to the ground. Joel was a brown bat with big ears and leathery wings, he squeaked for a moment before turning back into a human.

“I’ll go and fix that, but no, I can’t do anything else. If I could, we would be on Earth by now,” Joel said, grabbing his toolbox and taking out a screwdriver. 

“There’s your problem. Your screw is coming loose.” Joel yawned. He smiled and tightened the screw. 

“Why are you so tired anyways? Is it because of the vampire? Or plain old overworking? Where do you get that blood?” Tom said.

“I am meant to sleep during the day but because it’s always night, I don’t really get the chance to sleep properly. The mads send me up animal blood but I’m not sure it’s animal blood the more I think about it.” Joel said. 

“What do you mean?” Tom asked worriedly.

Joel yawned again. “Maybe vampires only drink human blood? I dunno. It’s hard to know for sure when I’m stuck up here. What I do know is that it’s past both of your bedtimes.”

Joel gently picked up both Tom and Crow.  He felt like a weight has lifted off of his shoulders. It still sounded like a pipe dream to him, but maybe they could help him find some sleep after all. He smiled to himself. Joel tucked Tom into bed and held Crow’s claws as he walked the golden bot to bed.

“Joel? What would you do if the mads stopped sending blood?” Crow said as he was tucked in.

“I doubt they would let me starve. I’m too valuable to them right now. But if they did stop sending blood… I’d probably have no choice but to try and escape and I promise that I’ll bring all of you down with me.”

“You promise?” Crow said.

“I do” Joel said, kissing  Crow on the net. “Try and get some sleep now, okay?”

Crow nodded.

Joel left Crow’s room and walked down the hallway, he stopped to look out at the view. A delivery was coming in now. Nightly blood deliveries had been policy ever since Joel had nearly died from starvation. He held the box of vials in his hands.

Joel uncorked one vial and drank it. Watching the earth down below, he will get down there someday. Maybe not tomorrow or the next but someday.

(Yeah so this has been in the works for a little while, Joel is a tricolour bat!)

[itskristal]

JOURNAL 06. LOCATION: SPROUT TOWER

<<Oh my gosh, I have SO much to tell you today--I hope you're sitting down!! Honestly, ever since earning my Zephyr Badge, I feel like EVERYONE around Violet has been treating me better! Is it normal to have your latest Badge pinned to your shirt, or do you think that's too much? I dunno!! My mom gave me a badge case, but is it so wrong to show how proud I am? I mean, Falkner was no joke!!

I think Falkner sees some real potential in me, because he recommended that I take on THE Sprout Tower challenge. You know, it's that tower full of sages who train ALL day...and if you make it to the top and defeat the Elder waiting there, you get a special reward! Well, OF COURSE I wasn't going to say no...but my team was still resting from the Gym battle, sooo...

...I went back to the Ruins of Alph! I know!! Sue me--but they are WAY too cool. I even found a DOME FOSSIL while poking around, and a friendly scientist is offering to revive it for me! It'll take a while, but how cool is that?! I remember watching a special on Cinnabar Island's fossil machine, and now they have one all the way out here in little ol' Johto! Crazy, huh? I'll be back to check on my fossil for SURE.

OH! One of Prof. Elm's assistants also met me in the Pokemon Center to hand off an Egg for me to hatch--isn't that awesome?? Honestly, I have no idea why all this cool stuff is happening to me, but maybe I'm just a magnet for these kinds of things!! Honestly, I just took laps around the city until the Egg hatched--I was sooo afraid that I would drop it! And look what hatched from inside...a new Pokemon!! An absolute cutie!! World, meet TOKI the Togepi. He's shy, so it was hard to get a good picture, but isn't he adorable? Still, I did hand him off to Elm's aide--I'm sure the prof will want to study him, and he'll be under the best care in Johto! Ancient ruins and new Pokemon eggs...how lucky can you get?!

This is turning into such a ramble again, sorry!! But one last thing--I did make it to the top of the Sprout Tower, and I did challenge the Elder and win!! Trouble, Sunny, and Minerva each helped secure another big victory for Kristyn Amagi--they're already starting to add up! Maybe I really AM a champ in the making...? (Either way, I'll be studying this awesome new 'Hidden Machine' tonight!! The Elder said it would help 'light the darkness,' which sounds nice. Especially after getting jumpscared by the Tower's Gastly over and over again. Ugh!! If only I had enough money for more Pokeballs...)

ps: I ALSO ran into that redheaded jerkface at the top of the Tower again!! He won his battle against the Elder too, but he yelled at his Pokemon the whole time and didn't even seem that happy to win.

...Is it weird that part of me feels almost sorry for him? That's weird, right? I don't know--maybe I should finally just go to bed, huh? New journey starts tomorrow...>>

[some-creep]

Inspired, I guess. Maybe a bit different than my usual. More S3 centric than you're expecting. Vague surface level exploration of some character interactions with the new new squid beak spoon

Mostly just Callie and Marie want to spend time together but can't

--------

"Where's Agent 1?" The young Octoling didn't know why she bothered to ask the Captain anything, it wasn't like she usually got an answer. Captain didn't seem keen on talking to anyone, except for Agent 2, although she still couldn't be sure anything Agent 2 said that the Captain said was true.

Captain stared at her, unmoving, with an expression that seemed to suggest annoyance with the question.

Neo shivered as a cold breeze blew past them. The snow in Alterna may have been artificial, but that didn't make it any less chilly in the large, underground dome.

"She said she had something to take care of back at base, and that she wouldn't be long," Neo said, wondering if there was even a point to her explaining what had happened. Captain was as stoic and serious as ever, expression unchanged. "And Agent 2 isn't here either…"

No response.

"Was it a mission? Like…scouting and stuff, or supply gathering?"

"..."

"Did they tell you to stay and be a lookout?"

"..."

"Do you know when they'll be back?"

"..."

"Did they tell you anything?"

"..."

"Right, well, I'm going to look for them if you aren't going to help."

Neo began looking for clues around the basecamp as to which direction they could have gone in hopes of finding some answers. Was any gear missing? If so, what? Everything seemed to be in the same order as it was when she left. They couldn't have gotten far because Agent 2 seemed too lazy for that. She spotted two pairs of footprints in the artificial snow leading away from their outpost. She hadn't made it far along the trail before Captain stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

She flinched, looking up at the older, larger Inkling, who stood a head and a half taller than her. Neo didn't know why she was being blocked, but she was. She knew she wasn't going to get an answer, either.

"Alright, okay. Can you please tell Agent 1 that I was looking for her? And to call me on the radio or meet with me? I'll get back to work, okay? Sorry."

Neo turned, scampering off, feeling Captain staring at her until she was no longer close enough to see.

"I'm not covering for you anymore."

Marie hummed in disinterest, leaning on the large container wall next to the Captain. As curious as they all were to its contents, none of them could pry it open, so instead, it acted as a wall to tape documents to. And to lounge against.

"I'm serious."

Marie ignored them, pulling her gloves on and flexing her fingers, "I dunno how Callie dresses like she does out here. Or you, for that matter."

"We both know *why* Callie dresses like that, though."

Marie shot them a warning glance, shoving her hands into her pockets, "watch it, Three."

"You're disgusting, you know that, right?"

"I don't remember asking for your opinion."

"Getting it."

"You're gonna get it." Marie pulled a half empty pack of cigarettes out of her coat pocket, deciding to smoke since they were alone. Despite their argument, something that wasn't uncommon between them, she offered a cigarette to Captain, who declined.

"Eight would get mad."

"Where is Eight, anyway?"

"Still in Inkopolis. She said she doesn't want to move."

She hummed again, closing her eyes. Marie thought for a moment, letting her cigarette quietly burn away between her lips before she spoke, "that's too bad."

Captain didn't answer, crossing their arms and staring off into the horizon.

Neo watched from a distance as Agent 1 sat on a rock, playing with Little Buddy. She had a container of power eggs, which she was throwing for him in exchange for tricks she asked him to do. The smallfry seemed captivated by her, bouncing around and chirping in response to all of the attention. It was just another reason Neo found herself drawn to Agent 1 over anyone else in the group.

While it was true that Neo was an Octoling, she spoke a different dialect of Octarian than Agent 1 had learned. They couldn't really understand each other that well, but Neo appreciated her enthusiasm to at least…try. She seemed delighted to learn about all the differences between the Octarian dialect spoken in Octo Canyon versus what they spoke in the Splatlands. By contrast, Agent 2 seemed wary of her, and uneasy about the notion of Neo and Agent 1 going off on their own together. In turn, it made her distrust Agent 2's morals.

Agent 1 smiled, occasionally reaching down to pet him, or scratch his back. She wasn't sure if Little Buddy was more person or pet, but he seemed to be having fun at any rate, so maybe it didn't matter too much. She wondered if Marie would be open to the idea of adopting a salmonid of their own.

The young Octoling approached the duo, brushing snow off of her newly repaired pant leg. "He likes you a lot, huh?"

Agent 1 nodded, watching the smallfry hop back up into his cozy little backpack bed. "We're on the same wavelength. We both love yummy treats! Although, I don't think power eggs taste very good. Um. I'm not even sure if you're supposed to eat them. I mean I definitely haven't tried! So I just assume they don't taste good."

Neo gave a vague 'uh huh' in response, too distracted by everything she wanted to ask Agent 1. Where had she gone? What took her so long? Why did Captain stop her from looking? How come she looked like she'd gotten hurt? Maybe that was the safest question to ask.

"Where'd you get that bruise?" Neo asked, pointing at Agent 1's arm.

She looked down, squeaking, face flushing. "Oh- oh that! No, ah see… I got it when I was with Maaar- Agent 2! Er, no, I mean!! I got it when we were... Together! Uh- *Scouting* together! Yeah, yeah yeah." She began to rub at her arm, as if trying to "clean" the spot off her arm, not realizing in the moment it would only make it more obvious.

Neo seemed more concerned than ever, crouching down to be at her level. Despite the age difference, Neo still felt compelled to protect her friends, just as they did to her. "Did someone hurt you?"

"Of course not! Agent 2 just grabbed my arm a little too rough when she– when I almost walked off a ledge cus I wasn't paying attention!" She seemed pleased by her own excuse.

Neo didn't buy it, but she didn't feel comfortable calling Agent 1 out about lying. The way her and Agent 2 interacted never felt quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Agent 2 always seemed to hover nervously around her, always watching her, always trying to get her alone. She promised herself to keep a closer eye on them from now on.

"How come you don't actually *do* anything?"

The question was harsh, Neo's tone was even harsher. Agent 2 didn't flinch as she looked at Neo with her usual, sleepy expression.

"Agent 1 comes out with me into the field to help, and Captain is almost always working on plans and documents and maps. But all you do is stand around and complain."

It had been a few days since Agent 1 had last vanished, and in that time, Neo had spent whatever extra time she had observing the group wherever they were all together.

Agent 2 seemed disinterested in her questioning, taking a drink from her thermos, which boldly displayed an obviously glittery "Squid Sisters" logo, and grimacing. "You know, the coffee we have down here sucks. If you find anything out there you should let me know."

"Are you like this on purpose?"

"Yeah."

Neo wanted to smack that dumb little sideways smirk off of Agent 2's face. Who did she think she was, anyway?! Neo clenched her fists, glaring up at her. "You're lazy, good for nothing, and I know what you did to Agent 1!" She didn't know why she broke now, of all times. But she felt like she had every right to do so! She was out there risking her life every day, and Agent 2 was whining about coffee!

This, finally, got her attention. Agent 2 narrowed her eyes, pushing herself up off the wall she often leaned against in one fluid, effortless motion. "That right, squiddo?" Her tone invited conflict, begged for it, for a chance to put Neo in her place.

Neo had to stand firm. Besides, it wasn't as if Marie was the athletic type, she couldn't fight back even if she wanted to, and she was too lazy to want to.

"I know you hurt her. I don't know why you did, but I know that you did! I saw the mark you left on her." Neo could feel her voice trembling. How was Agent 2 just as scary as the Captain! There was something about her unusual, golden eyes that made her anxious.

"Oh, yeah?" She said, further inviting Neo to keep accusing her of abusing Callie.

By now, Agent 1 and Captain had noticed their standoff, but chose not to intervene. Not yet. So long as it wasn't physical, it was better to let them butt heads and get it out of their system. That's how the Captain saw it. Agent 1 was less inclined to agree.

"She's- she's my friend, okay! And I won't let you hurt her or - or else I'll–"

Neo thought it was a good idea to draw her gun to prove how serious she was. She knew Agent 2 wasn't taking her seriously; she *never* took her seriously!

But Agent 2 was quick on the draw.

Scary quick.

Neo had only started to raise her weapon when Agent 2 reacted, grabbing her charger from the top of a nearby crate and twirling it once to rest the barrel against Neo's forehead. The young Octoling froze, wide-eyed.

"Careful where you point that thing. Wouldn't want someone getting hurt." On the last word, she jabbed her charger forward, knocking Neo to the ground, leaving a small, circular indent on her forehead.

By now, Agent 1 had reached them so she could attempt to de-escalate things. She grabbed Agent 2 by the arm, speaking quickly, but softly. "Hey, Marie, Marie, what's gotten into you? Let's relax, come on. Did I lose track of time again? Is it seasonal stuff again?"

Neo sat dazed on the ground, watching the two of them walk off together. She found it strange that Agent 1 didn't seem worried about her…at all. She was the one hurt, wasn't she? But there she went, walking off with the person who had attacked her.

Captain stepped beside Neo, laughing under their breath.

"What's so funny?"

"You."

Callie pulled Marie away and into the long abandoned shipping container they'd been using as their private hideout. The door hinge had long since rusted to the point of being unusable, but it was positioned so that the door closed enough for privacy. There were a few empty boxes inside, which Callie had stacked in such a way to further hide them should anyone decide to curiously peek in.

She let Marie go once they were hidden. Callie rested her hand on Marie's chest, rubbing her thumb back and forth, trying to soothe her.

"Mar…what was all that?"

Marie groaned, rubbing her face. "I don't know. She accused me of hurting you and I just kind of..."

"C'mon Marie, we both know that isn't true."

"Yeah, well, how do I know you aren't lying? What if I am abusive and I don't realize it and you're too scared to say anything?"

Callie frowned, sliding her hand up Marie's chest to wrap her arm around her neck. "Because I'm a whiny crybaby who complains every time I'm hurt~?"

Marie rolled her eyes, grabbing Callie's side. She swayed back and forth, soothing herself as best she could. "I'm scared you're gonna get taken away again." She whispered.

Callie giggled, shaking her head. "She's just a kid! And she's not even from there. I'm not going anywhere." Callie reached up with her free hand, beginning to unbutton Marie's coat. "Lemme see something."

"See what?"

"You."

She grunted a nondescript response, kissing Callie's exposed neck. Callie was hers. She opened her mouth, pressing her teeth against her skin and listening to Callie gasp. Marie stopped herself, knowing better. They'd already gotten into trouble from the bruise, and this would be even harder to lie about. She lifted up her head, pressing her forehead to Callie's. Marie said nothing, letting her go and sitting on the cold, dirty floor, knowing she'd be followed.

Callie straddled her lap, smiling, though Marie could hardly see it in the dim alcove. "Cutie."

Marie closed her eyes, letting Callie unzip her pants. She usually gave Callie free reign of what happened between them, and now was no different. It helped to calm her down, to keep her grounded. It also meant she wouldn't accidentally hurt Callie by getting too enthusiastic.

"What are we doing here, Cal?" She asked after a few minutes of Callie teasing her by only rubbing over her underwear in an attempt to make Marie frustratingly aroused. It did usually work, but not this time.

Callie seemed confused by the question, stopping, "Uhh. Having quality time~?"

"No, no, not here, but like, here, here."

"Here here here?"

"This stupid investigation. I miss our bed. I miss being at home. I miss food that isn't gross old rations. I miss all of it."

She whined softly, laying against Marie and hugging her. "Yeah, I know. Me too…"

"Are you gonna make me apologize to Agent 3?"

"Yeah, I am."

Marie pouted, stroking one of Callie's long, black tentacles. She was no longer in the mood for anything but sitting quietly in the dark. She thought about crying from how homesick she truly was. She couldn't even say at least she was with Callie, because she rarely was, and now the kid was becoming too nosey to give them any time together.

Maybe she was crying, albeit silently.

Hopefully, they wouldn't be stuck down here for much longer.

Hopefully…

[yayforocs]

CD #1

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrr…

“Alright, test recording, test recording- this- is- a- test- recordiiiiing.”

“Oh, y’know, it might should be longer than that, actually, lemme… Uh. Hm.”

“Alright, ignore that first bit, it’s still technically a test because if this doesn’t work, then ah- heh, I guess it wouldn’t really matter anyway. Ok!”

“So!”

“Today’s been interesting! Very different! Absolutely crazy! So there I was, right, sitting at my desk, lookin’ over the blueprints Kale’s god got for me, and then suddenly I was- like- all I did was blink, right, and then suddenly I’m sittin’ on a wood deck crossing this whole plain just full of all these little ponds an’ stuff, an’ I’m not alone, either- there’s a guy there that’s climbing out of the water, lookin’ like he got an unexpected dunk, and then there’s this- like- she has four arms, ok, four arms, which is really cool, an’ she wears this mask that’s got a buncha eyes all over it, an’ she’s just standing there like she’s cross at someone. And then this living statue lady comes over to us from this really pretty old-lookin’ building a ways off, says her name’s Shontil and welcomes us to something called the Multiversal Rescue Agency- says we each did some heroic deeds or something that got us all picked to be able to travel to different universes an’ help people out in ‘em! I... didn’t really get it at first, an’ I still don’t quite get it, b’cause I don’t really think I’ve done much of anything to qualify me for that, but.”

“So then she takes us up to this huge building, an’ we get inside, an’ it’s a huge Library! With- with all these weird little eyeball creatures an’ paper snakes flyin’ around, takin’ care of the place, an’ all kinds’a people inside- from all over! I guess they’re all from different universes, just like we are, but everyone is so different and it’s so cool! Anyway then she takes us over to this big eyeball thing with lots of tentacles an’ just floating there in the middle of it all, says that’s the Lorekeeper, an’ then it speaks to us an’ it’s- it- It was like a million different people were whispering in my head all at once, but I could understand what they were all saying, an’ none of it was out loud- it was like what you’d- or, at least, what I’d imagine a god to be like- b’sides Beta an’ Sector, at least. Like, I’m pretty sure this guy could take either of ‘em, easy.”

“But he gives us these- li’l- wing necklace lookin’-things, calls ‘em Jumpers, says we use ‘em to travel to an’ from different universes an’ such, an’ then he gave one of us a living crow skeleton to kinda keep watch over us an’ report back an’ such, an’ then sends us off to the armory to go get cool items or whatever. I- I actually didn’t get anything, b’cause my headband’s been acting up ever since I got here, so I went to go get it fixed instead- it’s not fully back, but it’s at least identifying a few things… Like the paper snakes are called Bookwyrms, and the little eyeball creatures are Little Keepers! Still won’t identify a lotta the stuff around here, but it’s at least- sorta working. Keep getting an error message when I try to do like. Anything at all with it. Says “expected exception, code: not relevant”. No idea what that means, but I hope it’s not broken- I only just got it.”

“Speaking of getting things, though, so I went wandering around to explore the place after all’a that, because we have like our own whole- room- area an’ stuff, so like there’s a common room, an’ then bedrooms for each of us, which is really nice, it’s a lot better than the bunker back home. But I went exploring, tryin’ t’see if I could find somethin’ to record with, so I could- well. Record. An’ I ran into Shontil, an’ then this big guy- like, really tall, kinda older looking- walks by, hears our conversation an’ that I’m lookin’ for a recording device, an’ he offers this thing! It’s- I- I dunno if I can describe it actually, it’s a dome-shaped thing with a disc in the middle an’ a crank on the side, an’ I can record with it! Hopefully! If this works, heh.”

“Anyway his name’s Fohzug an’ he’s from Partyyyyy… Gamma! An’ that party’s been goin’ for twenty years. Shontil said it was the longest a party’s ever stayed on, an’ they don’t seem keen on retiring any time soon, either.”

“Wonder how long we’ll be here… what kinda crazy stuff am I gonna have to tell when I go back- which! We can go back whenever we want to, it’s not like I’m stuck here, which is… really nice, hah. I was worried at first, but she said we could visit, so. It’s gonna be great.”

“…Dunno if it comes across, if you can hear it on the recording, but I’m sitting up on the roof right now- there’s a giant fountain up here, an’ it’s real pretty. The Jumper starts humming whenever I get close to it, an’ it sounds really nice. I’m not by it right now, so it’s not humming, an’ I’d get up an’ go over to it to show you, but Iiiii dunno if I trust myself to carry this properly over there without accidentally stopping the recording or something, so just trust me on it.” There’s a small chuckle.

“This seems like it’s gonna be real fun. I’m lookin’ forward to it.”

The whirring slows, and then stops.

[twilightknight17]

Last night on P3R: food, friends, full moon, and Featherman!

I learned something new today! Mitsuru wants to hang out and make karume-yaki, which I looked up, because I’ve never heard of it. Karume-yaki translates roughly to English as “baked caramel”, and is also known as honeycomb toffee. You make it with brown sugar and baking soda, which makes the melted sugar bubble and gives it the honeycomb texture.

Apparently it’s a popular recipe for children, and in Japan specifically they use egg white to give it a more domed shape like a cookie?

But I dunno. This doesn’t seem like a good recipe for children?

She calls it simple, but Mitsuru, I’m pretty sure anything with a candy thermometer and molten sugar maybe shouldn’t be done by a kid. Molten sugar can fuck you up. X’’’D

But they actually do sound good. I kind of want to try that now.

Anyway, it’s the first day back to school, and listening to my fellow students talk, it’s becoming very clear that everyone is just getting used to Apathy Syndrome. Some were even talking about how it would be better to have Apathy Syndrome, because then you wouldn’t be stressed, or something. Which, okay. You wouldn’t be stressed. You would be a shambling zombie person standing around in the mall or something, though.

After answering a question correctly about superconductors and planning to make a kimono with Bebe, we head home for the day, where we discover that Aigis wants to attend school. And Ikutsuki thinks it’s a great idea, so she’s transferring in tomorrow.

Nevermind that this could go terribly wrong. I mean, won’t things fall apart as soon as a teacher asks her to take her “headphones” off?

Oh, come on. Akira took Morgana to school for a year! He can be Aigis’s emotional support dog or something.

After that, we’re off to the mall to cash in stuff from my last Tartarus trip, check for new stuff in Escapade, and meet up with Tanaka. Escapade has some new dialogue, but no new sketchy websites.

ALSO, the ABSOLUTE TRAGEDY of my favorite Escapade patron succumbing to Apathy Syndrome. Why, dude?? You were so close to the groove!

Tanaka continues to be charming as always.

Not by you!! My mom is somewhere in the Velvet Room. :/

Day 2 of school goes well. No one really bats an eye at Aigis, but she does take the seat right beside Minato and announce out loud that all she cares about is staying by his side. So, definitely ulterior motives for coming to school.

Welp, can’t social link with her yet, but I’ve got other things to do, so--

Senpai, I’m begging you. It’s the second day of school. I have five social links ready to rank up right this second. Please run your own errands. I am trying to improve my relationships so I can kick more ass with my personas. It’s for the TEAM.

THIS is your errand??? You could have done this yourself; he literally changes his mind and decides to come back as soon as you mention Ken joined the team. I didn’t say a WORD.

Apparently not because Akihiko-senpai just dragged me here without permission. Also I’m not allowed to go to Tartarus without third-year supervision. I’m basically a figurehead. Or a toddler.

Whatever. I’m going home to read yakuza books with Aigis.

...all of my friends are still lunatics.

I rank-up with Kenji, and I think that if I decide to do a social link and the link immediately bails on me, I should get to do a second one. Kenji asked if I wanted to go out for ramen and then decided, nope, he’s gonna go check out a cram school, because he’s thinking about colleges. Apparently his “girlfriend” (the ethics teacher) mentioned that he needs to be thinking about his future.

He thinks Minato should be thinking about his, too.

We can’t think about our future, Kenji. Sorry.

But yeah, Kenji runs off and Minato just goes home. I totally could have called one of my other FOUR links that are ready to rank up. -_-;;; Worth it, I guess, because back at home, Shinji wants me to explain the rules for using the kitchen.

This man cooks like a professional.

Sir, this is the best food I’ve had all year. The leftovers in my inventory are described as “exquisite”. Please. I am begging you to cook for the dorm as much as possible. Koromaru will thank you, too.

Junpei is still stopping on the way home to talk to Chidori, who is posing philosophical questions on this fine afternoon.

Junpei explains that he feels alive when he’s getting to be a hero. He likes feeling like the main character, the brave superhero using his powers to defend the world in its darkest hour (literally).

She does sound… kind of genuine here? But its hard to say. Junpei eats up the positive attention, though, and starts explaining about personas and how he works with a team. He calls himself the leader, though.

My guy, you don’t know it, but I know who you’re talking to, and I have a nasty feeling that you’re gonna get snatched by our enemies.

...oh, hey, max courage! I can hang out with Fuuka now if I want. Still no academics rank-up, though.

...welp.

She wants him to call off “his” team. End this operation and any future ones. But unfortunately the team is already at Paulownia Mall, looking for the big shadow. Fuuka tracks down the signal as coming from a “web” underground, which turns out to be the power cables. Escapade has been having power problems for a while, and they’ve just been getting worse recently.

Awww. No concert means no chance to see baby Rise. She’s… what, 13? God.

Either way, time to fight a shadow up in the club!

But first I gotta be an edgelord for a second in front of the blood fountain.

Xurkitree, is that you? You’re the Hermit? XD

This one’s gimmick is spending a turn or two charging up so it can do powerful lightning skills, otherwise it’s stuck with base-level zio. You can stop it from charging by attacking it, so it’s just a matter of timing. At least until the last quarter if its health or so, when it goes permanently charged.

I’m slightly disappointed that even though we’re in a nightclub with a shadow hooked into the electrical system, it was just a normal fight. Like, the Priestess got that monorail to move. Why can’t the Hermit cut on the rainbow disco lights and play me a dance remix of the battle theme? XD

Just the one shadow this time, too. Hermit was all alone, which I guess is appropriate.

Chidori has dragged Junpei up to the roof of the dorm, and can’t understand why he would lie about being the leader of SEES. (To impress you, you silly girl.) Everyone storms the roof, with Ikutsuki on our heels (since he apparently didn’t hear anything??), and Chidori tries to call her persona, Medea. Junpei knocks her evoker away before she can, and Aigis gets hold of her so she can’t run.

...not what she asked, Chidori! Besides, we don’t kill people.

She’s completely overwrought, so Mitsuru and Ikutsuki make the decision to have her sent to a Kirijo hospital so that they can keep an eye on her while we figure out what to do.

That goes well. She wont answer questions, won’t even talk unless Junpei is there, and freaks out at the mention of her evoker because not being able to summon her persona is completely destabilizing her mental state.

Mitsuru wants to know where she would have gotten the evoker, but it’s impossible to get anything else out of her.

I can’t go to Tartarus even if I wanted to because Mitsuru and Akihiko are spending their evenings at the hospital, so I guess I’m gonna chill and do social links.

Kaz, my track team buddy, has inflamed the tendons in his knee, and his doctor says he’s not gonna be able to walk if he keeps pushing it. Which… dude, track is not so important that you should permanently screw up your physical health. Even if you promised your nephew.

...oh my god Kaz.

Apparently his nephew doesn’t want to do physical therapy, so Kaz made a deal that if he becomes number one in Japan, the kid will do it. Which… Kaz, still. Your health. Your nephew wouldn’t want YOU to not be able to walk either!

At midnight, Strega is having a meeting in wherever the hell they live, trying to figure out what to do about Chidori.

Glad that Jin seems to be a relatively normal person outside of the assassin-ing. You know, showing basic concern for your teammates? Takaya, on the other hand, wants to get her evoker back first, because “It would mean nothing to free Chidori without it. For us, our persona is as precious as our very lives.”

Dude, you have a problem. X’’’D

He’s also got… Okay, so I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t know enough to speculate, but when we fought that fucked-up Abbadon on the bridge, it dropped something vaguely gun-shaped, and Takaya took it with him. He’s got it now, and, uh…

So, human experimentation. Great.

So, we killed a former human experiment who lost control of their persona and turned into a demon. I love knowing that even more terrible things happened on this island.

Takaya apparently doesn’t use an evoker because he’s above needing tools to summon. Which… if he wasn’t clearly still forcing it, I’d say that makes him the most stable of all of us. X’’’D He’s impressed by Minato’s ability to summon multiple personas, though.

After that we make a quick stop back at the hospital, where Chidori still isn’t talking, but they have noticed that she heals faster than normal from cuts and stuff. Junpei is still worried about her, much to Akihiko’s annoyance.

The healing probably has something to do with her persona, since she has navigator abilities? Fuuka can do a group heal as her theurgy.

Mitsuru and Akihiko want the rest of us to keep our regular routines as much as possible, so I’m gonna vibe with Koromaru.

We end up helping a kid cornered on the playground by a stray dog, and guys, I gotta say…

You know how in Japanese, there’s this specific way that “delinquents” talk? This dog’s bark sounds like that. XDDD

Keeping up the theme of hanging out with my smallest teammates, I head up to check on Ken next, because he’s been acting weird. He claims he’s fine, but he’s hungry, so we go out for ramen.

That’s because you’re a kid. Seriously.

He almost immediately asks whether I come here with Akihiko and Shinjiro, and what kind of things we talk about. First of all, no. Second of all, nosy. Gonna tell me why you’re being weird about Shinji, Ken? Isn’t that the point of social links? Everyone else has spilled their deepest darkest secret on the second hangout. XD

Ikutsuki is WRONG, unsurprisingly. Maybe he should have stayed in contact with the Nanjo Group.

I really am worried about Ken. Shinji asked if he joined willingly, but like I said before, even if he was willing, he should have been told n--

HOLD UP, FEATHERMAN COMMERCIAL

New Featherman details!! New Featherman details!!! Time to add more to my big dumb giant document. :D

Anyway, Ken, I think you’re doing a great job, but try not to burn yourself out. Also it’s fine if you like Featherman. So do I. Or, I keep trying to, at least.

...and maybe stop… whatever mindset is causing that? Jeeze, kid.

We walk by one of his classmates on the way home, too, who practically begs him to join the soccer team because he’s really good. But Ken says no.

Honey, you’re in… what, fifth grade? And we go to Tartarus like twice a month. Go play soccer. Exist. Be a kid.

September is off to a rough start. Maybe the culture festival will be better.