#too so y'all folks who check that tag can see

[wachtelspinat]

hi! i found your blog like an hour ago (though i've been familiar with your art for a /long/ time; when i read that ask you got earlier about you being THE tf2 artist, i thought to myself, "wow, really? the only tf2 art i can think of that's deserving of that description is [vividly pictures YOUR fanart]" -- so when i checked your art tag it was genuinely like encountering a celebrity, heh. all this to say, you really ARE The TF2 Artist. it's an honor to finally properly follow your blog :]). i've been reading your posts about your personal journeys (both physical and emotional/self-conceptual) and i've just been... really really moved by it all? your openness with feeling disconnected with your art, and then how you've slowly come to reconnect with it in a new way and restructure it back into your life... it just fills me with so much catharsis and hope. because life is hectic and things change so much and the way that one creates art as an adult is going to be different than how one created art as a teenager... so to see you acknowledge that fact and then share your own journey? ahh god like i said... it's really profound. i'm a lot younger than you (i turn 20 next month, actually!), so you've experienced so much more to life than me, and hearing how you've struggled with and then gotten out of so many of the fears that i have is just... deeply, deeply inspiring to me. especially your latest posts about your time in australia, and how it's always been something you've wanted to do but spent so many years stuck/anxious/stagnant... and how now you've finally actually *done it* and it's *real* and that you had the most amazing incredible time that exceeded all your expectations?!?! and not only that, but how finally achieving this thing you've always wanted changes the narrative of how you previously defined yourself... that now maybe you ARE the sort of person who can do the things you love and have the things that make you happy... maybe i'm projecting too much here heh god but my point is. it just made me very emotional and so VERY very utterly elated for you :'] and just augh. i am so glad you've had this incredible experience. and like i've said half a dozen times by now (because it's just so true) it is just. so inspiring to me. everything you've shared with such honesty and humanity has been just so profoundly moving to see and it fills me with so much hope. thank you for sharing your journey with us, and thank you as always, past and present and future, for your art. i hope this message isn't too terribly parasocial, and if it is, i apologize ;_; and i hope you're having a lovely day!!!

hey there !

this kind of hit me like a truck but in the most positive way, and i am not exaggerating when i say what you wrote also brought me to tears.

first of all thanks for your generous words regarding my art and sdkjfhkjas i still cannot wrap my head around the idea that you (and at least one other person) thinks about me as THE tf2 artist because... i like my art just fine, it's just there are other folks out there, with their almost god-like tf2 art, meanwhile i just spammed y'all with my sniperxspy art and some random silly stuff over the years... but i love it, so thank you so so much, the thought that you guys dig my art this much will always knock me right off my feet in the most positive way 🧡🧡🧡

ok so, the next part took me a while to formulate because how do i respond to such a heartfelt message in a way that shows my gratitude just right? like i want to thank you again for reaching out and writing all this, but also for taking your time and reading through my blog. i know that everything i post here is open to the internet and a lot of ppl, so sharing personal information (in form of updates in life) is not always the best idea. but i always admired ppl on here that were able to reflect on their lives and share what they've learned. even if it's just somethig as simple as "and after each day comes another and it will be different, for the worse or the better, but different at least", which, falling on the right ears at a specific time, can change perspective (it did for me on multiple occasions, this and other takes, because hearing from ppl who go through similar things is a sad reality, but also such a connecting experience). so in a way, sharing is caring, and so talking about life experiences, especially when they are kind of abstract, like art blocks, depressions, can really open some unexpected doors.

so what also happened after being open about vulnerable situations in life was ppl reaching out. and this was really something that left me so speechless. i had several ppl who took their time and wrote to me about their experiences and ways of coping strategies and other helpful actions. and sometimes they just acknowledged what i wrote which was such a warm gesture that made me feel seen. and i cannot put into words how much that meant to me when i felt at my lowest a few years back. let's be honest for a second, on here we hardly know each other, even if we are mutuals, but that doesn't stop us from reaching out to one another because that is such a big part of the human experience.

sorry for rambling but it is hard, at least for me, just trying to fully grasp it all. it makes me so happy to read that catching up on the things i wrote about my life resonated with you on a deeper level and that it gave you something back in exchange - catharsis and hope. i am deeply touched by your words and your ability to grasp the essence of what i tried to convey, it feels almost surreal to have it summarized and reflected so clearly when my original thoughts were scattered all over my blog over a span of multiple months, years even. like, really, thank you so much for all of this, the time and thoughts you put into your message, your genuine expression of your feelings and joy on my behalf, it means a lot and i fail to put my thanks into words, idk... i feel seen again. and no worries, i don't think this is too parasocial, after all i put my thoughts out there, and you just happened to read them 🧡

so again and again, thank you so much, and i also hope you have a lovely day <3

[blacksapphhicmaddonna]

CHAPTER ONE - WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

a/n: hey y'all! so, I tried to post this in response to the anon who asked for a snippet but I saved it as a draft and Tumblr ate it😭 SO THIS IS DEDICATED TO YOU, ANON, WHOEVER YOU ARE!! sorry babes!💔💖💖💖💖

its been a minute since I've written anything fully, this was fun!!! as always, please ignore any grammar/syntax/spelling. I proof read it but you feel me. I'm super excited to be writing something so long and multi chaptered and definitely out of my comfort zone! am I an action girly now? LMFAO but anyway, I'm super open to any feedback and 👀 as always, if you wanna see sum, say sum.

anyway, I love my science gays and I will stan shuriri forever. this is pretty much all angst at this point❤️‍🩹, but I truly hope you enjoy LMFAOOO. lmk how you feel.💗 (and yes, I love a good flashback real bad and ima do it every time if I can. not too much on me LMFAO)

✮ taglist: @mybonafidefeelings@zeezeecave@gr00vyminibus@lppriceisright@darkangelchronicles@princessmel-1995@xenaizogie@nanii2x, and tagging a few folks that enjoyed the sneak peak and a few shuriri/shuri/riri folks who might! @karimwillia @inmyheadimobsessed@mal-urameshi@somethingcleaverandwhitty@imjusthere2readbruv@imagineandwrite there's more but my computer glitching so we gonna get this show on the road! lmk if you'd like to join the taglist or check the link in my tagged post! love y'all, muah

✮ word count: 11,193

✮ panther divider: @firefly-graphics

✮ some of the xhosa translations are from @iinkonde! here's where you can find some of their amazing resources: 1 2 3

Shuri paced the room that seemed to be growing smaller by the millisecond around her, searching for something - anything - inside of the brain most people considered the smartest in the universe to offer the scientist in front of her. She found nothing but the desperation she had been pushing down since the moment they met.

A desperation that mirrored the effects of the herb she had reproduced, also made from the desperation to save something that she felt was slipping through her fingers at the time. Just like the herb had found its way through her body when she first took it, this feeling spread from her throat as she choked when their eyes met as she pushed herself into the dorm room she was once again standing in. Down to her chest, pulling heart strings she didn’t know she had. Plucking them in a rhythm that felt intrinsic, ancestral, almost painful in the way that they made everything feel superimposed. She resisted, but she felt her toes and she felt her finger tips and she felt the curls framing her face dance above her eyes ever so gently. It spread through every atom that comprised the panther and she could barely breathe. She felt everything and she felt nothing, like she was sinking in an ocean of clouds. She could barely look at the woman who was staring back at her with a look of confusion, and an equal desperation that she couldn't explain.

Shuri still had nothing to offer in terms of speech. She paced at a speed that had only just registered as super fucking fast, clearly adding to the concern building in Riri's eyes.

"Shuri-" Riri started, but couldn't even try to finish as her voice had triggered the awaiting and building eruption in Shuri that it always did. Riri, if she did anything to Shuri, she made her feel things she wasn't used to feeling.

"Anything you want, just name it. It's yours. I'll make it happen. I'll build it myself. Just please don't do this. Please." Shuri froze in her place, finding herself begging for something she couldn't explain. She knew she was almost yelling at the other woman, which she would never do but she couldn't find the part of her that could compose herself. She was thankful for the kimoyo beads she had scattered in the room when she entered, enabling a silencing mode and cutting through anything that the government had tapped in Riri's room.

Riri froze too, only moving to fumble with her fingers nervously. She didn't have anything to offer the panther, the queen standing in front of her. She didn't have anything to comfort her friend. The woman she loved more than she could explain. More than almost anything. 

"I don't... I don't want anything from you, Shuri... We both knew this day was coming. You had to have thought about it. I thought you were.. I don’t know... It almost felt like-"

"Please, Ri. Please. Just find something and I'll do it. I'll make it myself if I have to. Please just find something else."

"I don't want... I don't understand, Shuri. We only talked about this like twice, I didn't even think you cared that much or even had time to care about it... or me, really. Just... lets just sit down for a second." Riri tried to redirect, trying to give herself time to figure out what was going on. She felt her mind trying to run back through memories and conversations the two had shared in the past year and some change, but it was few and far between that they ever really had time to talk about their lives in depth lately. At first, they talked a lot after they had finally reconnected. They had even spent a few nights together. But lately, Shuri had been working a lot and it seemed like their connection was running dry. Riri had shared her plans a few months ago and hadn't really heard much back from the woman standing in front of her looking like she was fighting a battle she wasn't sure she'd win. Riri had committed herself to this, to showing up and doing what she felt she needed to do to make up for all the ruin she had caused - or at least what she thinks she caused. And now Shuri was trying to offer her a chance out of it. She didn't know what to do or what to think. That's something she felt often with the panther, she figured out. She had zoned out for only a split second before Shuri was grabbing her wrists and looking in her eyes.

"Riri, I'm begging you." Shuri stared into the Iron Heart's eyes, searching for something she knew she was missing. Something she needed the way she needed air, she felt. Riri searched back, trying to decipher something Shuri wasn't ready to let her see.

"Shuri, you know I feel responsible... But, I just.. I don't understand what's going on. What's wrong? Please just talk to me. It's okay." Riri tried to pull them closer, tried to grab the Panther's hand but her grip was too tight around her wrists. Shuri relaxed it, she hadn't intentionally been holding on so tight but she wasn't ready to let go. She's never been ready to let go of who she loves. She saw that same resolute look in Riri's eyes that was always there when she was sure about something. It broke something in Shuri that she knew she couldn't mend on her own. One final try, she told herself.

"I will give you anything under the sun. Please just don't go to them. Don’t go to him. I- I know you're trying to help and change things for the better, and you will. But not like this. Not until it's safe. He will find you, Riri. He will do anything to get to you and to get back at me. You know this and you still choose to go? You don’t have to make this easy for him. We can figure this out a different way. Please. I will give you access to all the technology Wakanda has to offer, just please find something else to focus on, to take place of this. Please."

Riri tried to pull her closer again but the panther moved back, sending a shiver of rejection up Riri's spine.

"I don't want anything from you, Shuri... I just want you. I- I mean I just want you to-"

Shuri felt her body getting hot and somehow freezing at the same time. Riri just wanted her? But she also wanted to go on this suicide mission, which is what it was regardless of what Riri thought of it. She fought back the defensiveness she felt crawling up her throat like it always did when she was hurt. She didn't want to lash out on Riri, she only wanted to protect her. She only wanted her to be safe, alive. She only wanted her. But it was to no avail. She felt the ferocious beast pull itself through her. She scorned herself as her words burned their way through her skin, landing on Riri's.

"You just want whatever you want. You just want to fight whatever moral war you have going on because you're the one who survived! You would give up your life for what? For who? Not for my mother! Not for me!"

Riri hadn't noticed the tears stinging down her cheeks until she saw the ones pouring out of Shuri's. It was something she had never seen before. She had seen Shuri lash out, though. She knew this was just the first wall of defense the panther had when she felt hurt, afraid, abandoned. She couldn't take this personally, though she had to fight back the sting of the words as they came at her. She reached out to try and touch the woman in front of her.

"Shuri, please. Let's just ta-"

"What?! Sit and talk? For what? For you to tell me again why you have to do this, why you have to go and die? Do you care so little for me? For yourself?"

"You know that's not true!"

"Why wouldn't it be true?! Ungayenza njani le nto kum!?"

"Please just listen to me! I don't know what's going on but we can talk about it! I'm right here, I'm right here!"

"But you won't be after this! You don't have to do this! Just let me try, let me show you that there's other things to give you purpose, there’s other ways we can handle this! PLEASE!" Shuri felt herself starting to cave in, her chest becoming a cavern filled with the screams of the orphaned girl inside of her. The girl who needed her family. The girl who couldn't save her brother. The girl who was held back from her mother as she drowned. The woman who loves women, specifically the woman in front of her who was planning to give herself up. She couldn't keep it together. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think.

"That's not for you to decide, Shuri!" Riri shot back, starting to feel the same layer of armor pull itself over her. She didn't like being yelled at. It triggered something in her that she herself had pushed back as far as it would go. She just needed to get Shuri to listen to her.

"I don't care! You can't do this Riri!"

"Please stop yelling at me!" Riri gave in, covering her ears and turning her back to the panther, who felt herself go still. She hadn't meant to unleash this part of herself. She felt embarrassment mixing with her desperation, afraid she had only made things worse. Who was she to be trying to control the actions of a woman she only met a little over a year ago? Who she was just friends with, and barely that if you based it off what normal friendships looked like. They rarely even spoke for longer than a few minutes every couple days and that wasn’t even true anymore. Shuri scorned herself for the time she hadn’t spent with her, for the time she had been forced to spend trying to fix, defend or save her country. She resented her royal blood now more than ever, wishing she could be nothing more than a girl again. Maybe a student. Maybe just different. Shuri felt herself starting to crack, she felt like she would disintegrate if she stood there any longer. She had done enough damage. She and Wakanda and the Talokan had put Riri through enough and she knew that. She could see why Riri would think this guilt was hers to bare but Shuri knew better, knew more secrets. She knew that her father and his father and so on hadn’t handled things right, and no matter the good T’Challa had tried to do - maybe he didn’t do it right either. So now it laid in her hands, forced once again to stand in the way of something she wasn’t ready for. She felt bad for herself, but she felt worse for Riri. She wishes she had never sent her home with the beads, that they had never touched hands, that they had never even met. Maybe if no one ever knew about Vibranium, no one would be trying to take it. Or maybe if the world had always known, if her ancestors had done things differently, this wouldn’t be Riri’s life. She was part of the lost tribe, as N’Jadaka would call it. Maybe he was right. She didn’t know what to think, but she also knew who she was, herself. She was the most powerful person on the surface world and she was the Queen of the most powerful nation in the world. And she was in love, helplessly, with Riri Williams. She would not let her go again.

"I am sorry for coming here and making you upset." Shuri said blankly, masking any emotions she had just shattered into the room as best as she could to regain any self control she had left.

Riri turned around, tears still swelling in her eyes. She hiccuped and it made Shuri's heart pound.

"I-it's okay. I just don't like b-being yelled at. Can we just sit and talk?"

Shuri nodded, knowing Riri needed a minute. Riri turned to grab a blanket off her bed to wrap herself in as she took a seat on the floor in front of her bed. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before motioning to Shuri to sit next to her. Shuri stared at her for a moment too long, before kneeling down next to her. They sat in silence that wasn't comfortable for the first time in a long time. Neither missed this feeling, the feeling of such uncertainty between them. Sure, it was always there, biting at the backs of their minds and hearts. But they had both worked hard to be comfortable with just having what they had. But now more than ever, neither was sure what was really going on. Shuri mirrored Riri, taking a few deep breaths. Riri felt herself relax, misreading the quiet sigh Shuri let out.

"Are we okay? I don't want us to fight. I just... need you to help me understand why you're so upset. It didn't seem like you even really cared about this. I know you've been busy with what you have going on so I just figured this... I.. wasn't really on your radar anymore."

Shuri stayed silent, fighting that feeling nudging her.

"Please say something." Riri pleaded quietly after a few too many more moments of silence. She couldn't stand it. Neither could Shuri. She needed to escape. Get out of the room, out of America. She needed to run and scream and break something. She needed to kill Namor. That was her only option, once again. She knew it would come. She knew the fate of her country would be in the air again, and part of her knew she shouldn’t do it. Equal parts yes and no. Blood on either hand, regardless of what choice she made. But she also knew that Riri's life was once again in question and there was only one answer Shuri would accept. She would deal with the aftermath the same way she had been. She would accept whatever came. She knew she wasn't thinking clearly, that maybe she would be exiled or worse, but she also knew she couldn't live with herself if Riri wasn't alive tomorrow, and that was enough for her right now. If Riri wouldn't listen, then there was only one choice.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Riri. It won't ever happen again."

Riri was startled at the sincerity in the Panther's voice. She was confused why that was what Shuri felt she had to focus on in the midst of whatever the hell was going on.

"It's okay, I promise. I'm not mad at you for yelling at me. I'm just confused..."

"It's not okay. This, whatever you're planning, whatever he's planning... None of this is okay." Shuri said, pinching between her eyes as she tried to swallow the same beast from just a few minutes ago.

"Shuri... it's not like before. It's not about him. It's not even just about what happened in Wakanda. You know I'm Iron Heart. You knew I was going to start doing these things at some point. Missions that weren’t just flying around Chicago and Boston stopping robberies. And you know that something has to be done. And I can’t let this go on again when we all know it’s my fault.” Riri sighed. “We all know it is. So, please just try to hear me..."

"I have always heard you, Riri."

Riri digested that sentence with a gulp. She replied after a moment.

"Then let me hear you, for once. Tell me why you're here. Tell me why you're reacting like this. Tell me who you are and what you're feeling. Let me in, Shuri." She said, reaching out to grab Shuri's hand again. The Panther's hand was hot, almost burning. She didn't pull away this time.

"I'm here because I lo-.. Because I won't let this happen." Shuri caught herself before she said something she couldn't explain. Riri looked into Shuri's eyes with a pleading, less sure look. Shuri couldn't hold it this time. She couldn't freeze. She couldn't tell Riri. She reminded herself what happens every time she loves someone. She reminded herself of what she was capable of and what needed to be done. Regardless if Riri ever shared her feelings or not, she would swear her life to protecting the woman until the day she met the ancestors and maybe after if she could. She would do whatever it took, every time, no matter what, she resigned to herself. She squeezed Riri's hand.

"What're you gonna do? Lock me in my room, Shuri? I don't get what's going on!" Riri pleaded.

"I would never. You are not a prisoner or someone I want to control. You are free to do as you please, just as I am. Please understand that much."

"What does that mean... Wait, please don't go!" Riri tugged back at Shuri's hand again as the Panther got up to leave. Shuri looked down at their hands touching, taking in every second that their skin touched. She remembered what it felt like to reconnect after a long time apart. She wishes she could live in it like she had before. She brought their foreheads together and closed her eyes.

"I will protect you with every part of me. The cost will never be too much."

"Shuri, please don't do what I think you're about to do..." Riri pulled Shuri's hands into hers and brought them to the sides of their faces. They were so close they could feel each other's breath on their lips. Riri prayed in her head that Shuri would listen to her, knowing the strength and power the woman in front of her wielded. Shuri choked out a pained laugh before kissing Riri's forehead and pulling away, taking in the scent of Ghanian Shea Butter and the sweet scent Riri always had.

"Andizukuphulukana nawe. Impilo yami ngeke ibe lutho ngaphandle kwakho, Riri Williams."

Before Riri could open her eyes, the Black Panther was gone, the sound of a closing door shaking Riri to her core. She felt like she was in shock, having nothing to do but curl into a ball and pull the blanket around her body, covering her face as she let the rest of the tears fall silently. She laid there for what felt like an eternity until she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Miss Williams?" Riri jumped up, running around her room tracking down the voice. She picked up a purple and black kimoyo bead and held it up, suddenly seeing several others connect like magnets from across the other corners of the room.

"Griot?!" Riri both yelled and whispered.

"Hello, Miss Williams. Are you feeling alright?" Griot asked as the AI began taking a scan of her body to check her vitals.

"I've been better... what's going on? Why are you here? Not that it's not nice to... well you get what I mean!"

"It seems you have suffered a panic attack of sorts. Please get some water and take a seat before I proceed."

Riri rolled her eyes with a tired huff, giving in because she knew Griot wouldn't budge until she obliged. She grabbed a half empty bottle of water from her desk and sat back down near her bed, pulling the blanket up around her. She suddenly felt the absence of Shuri in her space and fought back the tears threatening to make way through her as she pulled the bracelet on, watching it activate. She had felt this way before, but it was different now.

"Feeling better, Miss Williams?"

"Just Riri is fine, and I guess. Can you explain what's going on now, please Griot?"

"Yes, Miss Riri." Griot replied as a hologram of Stark Tech floated in front of the scientist. She felt even more confused.

"Why are you showing me Stark Tech?"

"The panther has created and assigned your own AI for you, it's name is VIV. It is nearly identical to the JARVIS, or Vision, that Tony Stark had. It has been being developed for over a year, and seems to have just finished."

"What the fu-"

"The Panther also has an updated version of your vibranium Iron Heart suit on it's way to your lab location, or garage currently. She has given you access to me as well, with some restrictions. She has instructed me to inform you of this when the AI download is complete."

Riri sat in even more shock than she was in before. She was even more confused about Shuri's intentions now. More confused about her feelings, than anything. She replayed the words the panther had said to her before she left, she knew some Xhosa but it wasn’t great. 

"Can you translate what Shuri said to me in Xhosa before she left, Griot?" Riri asked, hoping for some clarity. Griot calculated for a moment, before answering.

"It would seem I am not permitted to complete that task at this time, Miss Riri."

Riri felt a pang of frustration rise in her, as she let out a laugh.

"Of course not... Can you tell me where the panther is right now?"

Griot took a moment again before answering.

"The Queen was on her way back towards Wakanda as of her last status, but it would seem she has powered off her location devices. Would you like me to contact her for you?"

Riri sat for a moment, considering her options and her own feelings.

"No, that's alright Griot. We're going to my lab. Can you help me boot up VIV when we get there? We're going on a trip."

"As you wish, Miss Riri."

Riri stood up, grabbing a hoodie and sliding on some J's. Before she walked out the door, she slid on the kimoyo beads and asked a final question.

"Oh, one last thing Griot. Can you turn on privacy mode? I would like my location hidden from everyone, including the Panther. Can you do that?"

"It seems I can, but I would not advise that action Miss Riri. There are safety protocols in place that the Panther can activate for you remotely."

"That's fine, just turn it on. I have my own safety protocols."

"As you wish, Miss Riri."

"Thank you, Griot."

Riri made her way to her garage in no time, paying no mind to the world around her or the messages on her phone from MJ about their project. When she got there, she did decide to shoot her a quick text explaining that she was heading home to Chicago for a family emergency, that MJ could find her portion already done on a small drive in her room and that she had permission to break in, and that she would make it up to her later. MJ did reply, but Riri didn’t have time for that. She got to work, with the help of Griot, or the portion of him that she was allowed to operate, and booted up her own AI and implemented it into her nano suit. The one from wakanda was on its way but wouldn’t be there in time. Thankfully, she didn’t have to meet with Namor for another day and a half. She needed to think quickly but after working everything out with her suit, she was unsure where to go from there. 

“Griot, can I use both you and VIV?” 

“Yes, but you likely will not need me once the AI is turned on. I will be there when you need me, though Miss Riri.”

“Thank you Griot.” Riri smiled to herself, always fond of Griot and their robot voice. It made her think about the time she spent in the lab with Shuri, where they would borderline argue and Riri would laugh at them. This brought back that pang in her stomach and chest. She got to work on turning on and engaging with the AI so that it could mold to her needs, voice and patterns. After about an hour, she felt ready to head off. Except she had no idea how to get to Wakanda, let alone how to get in. She ruffled through her bookbag to find the information Namor had sent for her. A small teal envelope with her name on it, looking like it was written with a quill and ink. She shuddered at the thought of how old this man was and how intentional he had been to get this note to her. She opened it and read over it again, hoping to find more information than last time. Then, an idea came to mind.

“Hey VIV, and Griot, not that I don’t think you can handle it by yourself VIV. But uh, can you both scan this for me? I don’t have my Black light. Look for anything and everything. Cross reference what you find, if anything. Please.” 

“Yes IronHeart.” “Yes, Miss Riri.” They both answered in tandem. While they got to work, Riri sat down finally to think about what she could do. She couldn’t exactly call up the avengers to help her figure this out. She had to be lowkey, she had to be smart, and she needed it to work. She had only been to Wakanda once, and wasn’t really in the know about how to travel there let alone get through the border forcefield. As she went over all she did know, trying to remember any details that would help, the AI duo alerted her. 

Griot speaking first, since VIV seemed to sense a deeper trust from the IronHeart’s patterns. 

“There are markings on the back that would indicate a geolocation where Namor would like you to meet.”

“So, coordinates? I can work with that.” Riri said out loud, still trying to figure out exactly how she could work with that. Until she looked over at her father’s red car, in pristine condition thanks to Shuri. And it dawned on her. 

“Griot, do you have contact information for anybody besides Shuri?”

“I have contact information for Queen Shuri, and Okoye, former general of the Dora Milage.”

“Perfect. Please contact her now.”

“Yes, Miss Riri.”

“Wait, before you do, please transfer this contact information over to VIV. I’m not sure if Shuri knows that I have VIV yet, but in case she does, I don’t doubt that she would shut you down.” Riri explains to her favorite robot as if they needed it. Griot complied and sent a call out to Okoye.

Riri waited, holding her breath. She wasn’t sure is Okoye would answer, or even be willing to help. But this is what she had to work with. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Okoye answered.

“Small girl. Is everything alright?” Okoye answered seeming cheerful enough to hear from the girl but not without worry for the cause. Riri took a deep breath and explained the situation, truthfully, to the best of her ability. Somehow, as a surprise to both of them, Okoye was on her way in a matter of minutes as a Midnight Angel, with a jet that Shuri had let her keep. They both knew Shuri would be upset, but somehow it didn’t matter enough to let her get to Namor. They both knew what could happen, and what Shuri would likely do. 

No time was wasted when Okoye arrived, Riri running in the open hatch as fast as she could. Okoye pulled off without a trace, both of them hoping they hadn’t alerted any American law enforcement this time.

Okoye charted course for Wakanda and they both sat in near silence for most of the ride, only sharing a few words when Riri boarded, Riri showing Okoye the letter before she began piloting. They would make it in time. Riri sat near the back, not feeling like she belonged at the mantle of the machine. She had always liked these, having begged Shuri to teach her how to fly one before they set off for war. Riri sunk into her feelings that she had been trying to keep at bay since finding out about the AI. Before Shuri came, she honestly really wasn’t sure what she was going to do or how she was going to do it. But it seemed like the timing would suggest that she was supposed to, whether she really wanted to believe that or not. She didn’t want to believe that she was this horrible monster who brought death and destruction with her everywhere she went, but sometimes she really did. She tried to fight those thoughts back and began to feel the weight of her body, sinking into the seat. Sinking was a familiar feeling to her. She tried to remember how to swim in her own thoughts. She remembered how Shuri would talk her through her episodes. How she would call right away when she sensed anything off, even if Riri wasn’t wearing her beads. She remembered how it felt to think everything would be okay, and how often that was proved to be untrue. 

It was too easy to remember. Too easy to feel like it was just yesterday. Riri couldn't keep her mind from wandering back in time while the Wakandan jet made its way through the air. Trying to focus on anything else, trying to pay attention to the Dora silently flying or guarding the exit, trying to watch the sky around her. Anything. She couldn't bite down hard enough on the inside of her cheek, leaving a sore mark wasn't enough to keep her mind from its current occupation. 

"What are you doing here?!" The shorter of the two screamed, almost screeched as she ran into the panther's arms. 

"I had some time to myself finally. Where else would I go?" Shuri chuckled as she picked the scientist up. 

"You could literally go anywhere in the world and probably... out of the world? At this point with Wakandan tech." Riri explained, seriously, as she hung onto the slim but toned body holding her off the ground with ease, not realizing she was holding on as tight as she was. Not realizing there was nowhere else Shuri would have gone. Nowhere. 

"You're so... anyway, what should we do?"

"How long do we have?" Riri asked as she pulled back, not even trying to contain her wide grin that was plastered across her face. Shuri recorded it to memory, as she always did with the smaller woman's features. 

"96 hours. Well, 96-ish, less now that we've been standing here debating where I could've gone." Shuri jokes as she lets go, making sure Riri found her footing. 

"Shut up! Four days?! We have so much to do!" Riri definitely screeched this time, pretending to slap Shuri's arm. Fighting the urge to grab it and pull her in, Shuri picks up Riri's book bag from where she dropped it and places it in her desk chair as she walks to the bed and pulls her own bag out from under the bed.

"Exactly how long have you been here? You seem comfortable." Riri jokes as she grabs two waters from her mini fridge and hops up on her bed. 

"I am." Shuri chuckles at the sight of the shorter woman having to jump to get on the bed. "And since your first class."

"Are you serious?! Why didn't you say anything dickhead?!" 

"Ouch!" Shuri feigns pain as she catches the pillow Riri throws at her head and plops on the bed next to her. "I had a few things to handle, and needed to secure the dorm building. I didn't want to disrupt your day, I know midterms are coming up no?"

"Yeah, they are but you could've let a bitch know! I would've cleaned!" Riri states, noticing that she sounds much like her mother. 

"I like your mess." Shuri smiles. 

"Shut up. How did you secure the whole dorm building?"

"Well, I hope you don't mind. I have beads in every corner of the building. And a few around campus as well. Including in here. Is that alright with you?"

"Sheesh. Do I have a choice?" Riri jokes, but Shuri nervously answers.

"Yes of course! If it's not comfortable for you, I can sleep at a hotel. I should've asked, I'm sorry about that. Next time I'll-"

"There's a next time too?"

"Well, if you'd li-"

"Are you crazy?! Of course! And yeah yeah, that's all fine with me. I get it. Don't start worrying about it or nun. I was just curious."

Shuri's smile returns and she relaxes back into the bed. It was oddly comfortable, being that the last time she was here was before the war. Sure, they'd been talking for months over facetimes and calls. And texts. And letters.. oddly, but not to them. They were both truly as desperate as they felt, but excused it since it seemed mutual - opting to call it a mutual interest in friendship, as opposed to what it really was in the bigger picture. And sure, they had seen each other one other time, but it was so brief that it shouldn't really count - although it did, to both of them. 

Shuri had arrived at an American event in Boston, forced to show face by the elders after the uproar surrounding her mother and everything. She felt it was too soon and didn't make sense to attend a tech gala when none of it was even touching Wakandan tech. But regardless, she put on her best suit and went, disregarding the elder's request for her to wear traditional royal attire. She sat there, wishing she hadn't come, while big investors droned on. The only part that peaked her interest was listening to the stories of young inventors. They reminded her of herself, so excited and in a hurry. They reminded her of someone else too. Someone she had been longing to see since she left Wakanda only a few months ago at the time. 

Shuri muddled around the thought of calling Riri, or just showing up at her dorm. She knew she had responsibilities to attend to the next afternoon after she returned home, and it really hadn't been that long. Maybe Riri wasn't ready to see her yet? Or maybe she never would be. Or maybe Shuri had really made their connection up in her own mind. Or maybe she didn't? And maybe she should just call her, or maybe send her a quick text to keep it more casual? Keep what, casual exactly? She wasn't sure. She paced around her own mind anxiously the entire night, not realizing it was her turn to speak until the Doras were next to her asking if she was alright. She collected herself and headed to the stage, performing a speech much like her brother had about the importance of innovation, supporting the youth - especially the Black and Brown youth, etc. She meant what she said but she hardly felt as connected or present with it as she was when she wrote it. Still circling her mind was her favorite innovator, the scientist who made everything make sense to her. Pining so badly, by the end of her speech she had resolved to call Riri. Faking her smiles through the eruption of clapping and handshakes as she left the stage, she made her way back to her seat while the closing speech began - only to lose her resolve when Ayo bent down to whisper a reminder of their exit plan and their intended arrival time back in Wakanda. 

She had known it was a foolish thought. Who even knew what the small scientist would be doing at this time? She could be working, studying, partying. God, Shuri hoped not but recoiled at her own thoughts. She wasn't heteronormative and she wasn't the toxic type. She just also felt jealous of anybody and anything that got to be around Riri when she wasn't. Which was most times. Essentially all the time. Really, she reasoned with herself, she had only been around Riri for a few days and it had been against her will anyway. Maybe she really was making all of this up in her head. 

The Queen of Wakanda continued her mental pace as she made her exit, later than most guests and certainly not from the front entrance. She walked through the beautiful building with the Doras who were talking amongst themselves about logistics, seemingly all having caught onto another one of Shuri's "moods". Shuri paid them no mind, as they expected, while she began brooding. What was the point of coming to America, aside from like... the actual point, politically - if not to see her scientist? She caught herself scoffing at "her scientist", making fun of herself in her head as they headed outside and around the back when the Doras suddenly stood alert around her. Shuri looked around her and back at her beads quickly, doing a quick scan of their surroundings, only to hear a small, out of breath "Hey" from her left.

"Williams?"

"Yeah, yeah.. haha. Hoo. Crazy catching you here." Riri joked awkwardly as she tried to catch her breath from clearing having run.

"Yes, well I was-"

"Giving a speech. I saw on tv. Just happened to be in the neighborhood myself so I figured I'd uh, say hi." Riri cut the Panther off as she caught her bearings and finally made eye contact. Shuri made contact back, silently signaling for the Dora to drop their guard. Ayo looked between them but of course followed command. Shuri stepped between them and closer to the scientist, who was now twiddling her fingers and looking anywhere but at Shuri. Just like she did in Wakanda. Just like Shuri had replayed in her head a billion times over. While Shuri took the absence of eye contact as a chance to damn near gawk at the smaller woman, Riri was doing her own mental laps. 

She also questioned her intentions and if she had been making this all up. She also questioned how crazy she must look, showing up here like this. She couldn't stop herself, leaving MJ, Peter and Ned in her OWN room after they had been flipping through channels and Riri caught a glimpse. That was all it took, one, maybe two seconds and she was out the door. And granted, she kind of was in the neighborhood. If you consider being four miles away in the neighborhood. She had considered grabbing her car from the garage but figured it would take too long, so she jumped in her nano suit her and Peter had been working on (that definitely still needed some work), and flew over. Of course she couldn't land in front of everyone, so she landed in a park a few blocks away and took off on foot. None of which she will EVER tell anybody, although she could barely remember her excuse to the three friends she left in her dorm as she forced herself to look back up and meet Shuri's eyes. 

"In the neighborhood?"

"You could say that." Riri joked awkwardly again.

This made Shuri laugh. Riri had that effect on her, she had learned during their late night lab sessions. Even in the midst of the grimmest of days and a literal war, Riri had Shuri laughing so hard she cried a few times. They both seemed to be thinking back while they laughed together and smiled at each other shyly until Ayo cleared her throat. 

"We must get going, Kumkanikazi." Both women seemed to jump a bit, having been pulled out of their staring contest. Riri shuddered at hearing Shuri be called that, she recognized it from when Okoye would speak about Queen Ramonda. She had done her best to pick up on as much of the language as she could when she was there, for some reason unknown to her - she just figured it would come in handy. But now, hearing it and knowing it meant Queen, shook her to her core. She remembered why she hadn't reached out, the guilt that sat in her bones about it. She nearly turned on her heels until she heard Shuri speak. 

"One moment please."

"My Queen, we really must-" Ayo begun speaking in Xhosa but was cut off by the Panther Queen. 

"Please. One moment." Shuri said, a command but almost begging, not turning to face the general one step to the side of her. She pulled at the necklace around her neck and Ayo nodded silently. 

"I will ready the jet." Ayo answered and turned around, her and the two other Dora briskly walking to the jet that was just now coming into Riri's focus. She assumed it was using the new camouflage tech she had heard mentioned before she left Wakanda. 

"Those things get cooler every time."

"Yeah, I suppose they do." Shuri laughed half heartedly. They both tried to speak but cut each other off.

"So-"

"I do-"

"You first." They both sheepishly smiled as they spoke in unison. but Riri insisted. "Go ahead, please." 

Shuri would've resisted if she wasn't so desperate and struggling against showing it. 

"How have you been? I've mis- I've been wondering. We haven't spoken since you left." Shuri caught herself, suddenly feeling like twiddling her fingers and looking at her shoes too but she resisted that too. She was good at resisting. 

"Oh.. well yeah. I've been. You know, school, work. Just been trying to get through the semester. I wanted to re- well I wondered how you've been too."

"I've been, too." Shuri shrugged with a smile. She wanted to know more, everything. To devour the stories Riri could tell her, even the most mundane. She wanted to know what pencils she used to write equations and what she thought of the food in her cafeteria. Riri just smiled, feeling the weight again. She knew Shuri hadn't been good, and she knew she hadn't either. 

"Can I ask you-" They both spoke in unison again. 

"You first." Riri insisted again, before Shuri could. Shuri didn't like it but she also didn't have much time to waste. 

"Why didn't you reach out?" She asked, leaving Riri out of breath all over again. After a second that seemed like a million, Riri answered.

"I didn't know how." She said truthfully. 

"I left you beads. Maybe I should've left a note too. I'm sorry, I figured you'd-"

"No, no. Not like that. I figured that out, it was actually pretty easy." Riri smiled, thinking about how much fun it was to try to get the beads to work. Fun until it wasn't. Fun until she heard Shuri's voice message and left it for months.

"Then you didn't want to?"

"No, I did. I just didn't know... how. I didn't know what to say, or how to say it. But trust me, I wanted to. I really wanted to." Riri said earnestly and more quiet than she intended. Shuri believed her and took her answer, even if she didn't like it. Again resisting herself. Resisting Riri. 

"I understand. Thank you for letting me know. Well..." She looked back at the Jet and sighed. They made eye contact before Shuri decided it would be best to count her losses in her own country, turning to leave. 

"Wait, I still have a question!" Riri almost shouted. "If that's okay... of course." She said more quiet. Shuri turned around eager to hear. Hoping. Resisting. But hoping. She nodded her head.

"Well..." Riri twisted her fingers around in her hands. She still didn't know what to say or how to say it. But she didn't have much time to waste. 

"Well?" Shuri asked, trying not to sound pushy but anxious to know. 

"Is it too late?" Riri asked, looking back up at the woman in front of her. The face she had committed to memory, but a bit different. More mature. Somehow even more beautiful. Shuri said nothing.

"...To reach out... To talk?" Riri finally drove it home, sending a silent prayer to whoever would answer that she wouldn't further embarrass herself. 

Startling the both of them, Shuri's beads lit up and Ayo's face appeared. 

"My apologies my Queen, but if we do not leave in the next three minutes, you may be late to your engagements tomorrow."

"Yes, thank you. I'm coming." Shuri said back, eyes still on Riri. 

Riri felt defeated as she watched the panther tuck her beads back up her sleeve. It probably was too late. And who knows. Maybe it was the right thing to do to not stay in contact. Maybe that's what was best for Wakanda or Shuri. She remembered her mother always telling her that sometimes "doing the right thing feels like shit". In this case, she thought, it felt worse than shitty.

That was until Shuri grabbed her hand. Softly, almost too soft in comparison to what you'd expect from a super powered panther. It was so soft yet sent a shiver through Riri, like electricity was coursing through her. Like her heart was beating for the first time. The eye contact was somehow not as awkward as it was a second ago when they were standing a few feet apart. It was like they were all alone.

"Use the beads. If they need to charge, just set them in the sun but they shouldn't."

"Oh- Okay. I will. I will." Riri said twice, almost like she was confirming with herself first and the Shuri.

"Good." Shuri smiled. She took a step closer before she heard another beep on her own beads. Before the General could speak, Shuri was already responding. 

"I heard you. I'm coming."

She looked at Riri again and sighed, and suddenly Riri saw just how exhausted the Panther really was. And maybe something else too. Shuri stepped back again, not wanting to let go of Riri's hand. 

"It'll never be too late. I'll see you soon?" Shuri said, finally letting go and letting the physical distance regrow between them, hoping that the emotional distance wouldn't grow again too. 

Riri watched as the panther walked back to the jet and boarded, looking back only once, only long enough to catch Riri's small wave but not return it. The younger scientist stood there feeling disassociated, unsure of what to do next. Really, she knew she had to go back to her dorm and go back to living her real life just like she had after she left Wakanda. Although, as dreary as that still seemed to her, this time felt different. Like there was something to look forward to, if she had the balls to actually use the beads like Shuri had said. She mulled over whether or not it was an instruction or a question from the Panther as she chose not to watch the jet fly off behind her. She heard the media start to buzz again when they heard the jet, upset that they had missed the person they were waiting for. Yet, Riri stood there and stared at the ground where Shuri was just standing. She still felt that pathetic feeling, and worried that she hadn't had a chance to explain how she found Shuri or even knew she would be there. She felt the weight of grief again, after seeing how tired Shuri looked when you really looked at her. And she felt guilty, for feeling excited. For feeling the butterflies she always pretended she didn't feel. She wondered, briefly, how Shuri was feeling right now but per usual, tried not to wonder too much as to not become delusional. She knew better than anybody that assuming to know how someone else thinks is the worst mistake you can make. 

Shuri, back in the jet that was flying faster than she would like, was afflicted by similar thoughts. She wondered how Riri had found her and wondered if she really was as lucky as that just felt. She wondered why the girl even came. She wondered if she thinks about her too. She wondered if Riri would use the beads. She sat awake, replaying every moment of their time together since their first encounter over and over until they arrived in Wakanda, despite the Doras concerns for her not getting rest. Shuri would rest when things were well enough for her to rest, she told herself, but even she was starting to notice the cracks. She knew she could only stay awake for so many days until her body would shut down. She had secretly tried some of the elixirs and teas that both Nakia and Aneka had sent her, and she had read what Okoye sent her after hearing everything. She had slept every now and then, but it was never restful. It was never without torment from some figment of her mind taking shape of someone she wasn't ready to face - whether that be Namor, N'jdaka, or her mother. She always prayed for T'Challa to appear, who she wasn't sure if she was ready to see but longed for the comfort of his voice or face, but each time her body fell asleep, her mind fell into a well pit of despair. 

That is, until later that night. Shuri had been through her daily responsibilities after making it back to Wakanda. Once her meetings were over, she made her way to the lab. She did her best to avoid checking the status of Riri's beads, trying to keep her mind busy as she usually did. It was harder this time, knowing that she'd actually spoken to the girl. After bopping around a bit, her body started to feel the weight of the past few days. She hadn't been physically training as much as she should've the past few weeks, because she knew it would knock her out but she was starting to feel stiff. She finally let up and sat down at one of her desks in a back room of the lab after Griot had let her know her vitals. She didn't usually sit in this room, so she hadn't been aware of what was placed in there. As she lazily sifted through the papers on the desk to try to keep her mind occupied, she saw blueprints for Riri's Iron Heart suit. The same feeling of nervousness and excitement rose in her as she more hurriedly looked over them. Despite all the work they did together, she never really got to see too much of Riri's initial process from scratch. She ran her slender fingers over Riri's pencil marks, reading over all her notes to herself. 

With a yawn, Shuri sat back and relished in the fact that Riri actually existed. Sometimes, when Shuri was really out of it, she couldn't believe that everything really happened. She was sometimes convinced she would wake up and her mother would still be here, or that Riri was just a figment of her desperate imagination. Sure, having her mother back would be... well, everything. But it scared Shuri to think Riri might not have been real, that she didn't really happen. She felt selfish for this, knowing that Riri's life would probably be better without the trauma she endured in Wakanda. But nevertheless, Shuri held on tight to the memories she had of the woman, hoping that they would be enough for her. 

She thought about how it felt to hold Riri's hand, to touch her skin again. It was just as soft and delicate as it had been when they parted ways a few months ago. Her face looked the same, maybe more mature in some ways. She looked tired too, underneath the face she put on for other people. They had gotten past that with each other during their long nights alone working together in the lab. 

She thought about what it would feel like to fall asleep in Riri's bed. The mattress probably wasn't super comfortable but she remembers all the colorful pillows she has, messily strewn across the surface. The different colored blankets would probably fit them both well, even with the little space a twin bed supplies. They would have to be close, touching. Shuri imagined breathing in sync, feeling Riri's ribcage rise and fall in her arms while they were pressed against each other. She thought about how Riri smells. She's been trying to replicate it for months. She thought about breathing her in, laying her face in the crook of her neck and sleeping. Not thinking. Sleeping. Not even having to dream. She thought about waking up next to her, seeing her sleeping still until Shuri shifted too much by accident. Riri waking up and no doubt saying something funny. Or soft. Or just saying hello. How her eyes would look. She thought about not being afraid to make it real, that in her thoughts she didn't have to pretend that these touches were by accident or out of necessity. That they could spend an eternity, wrapped in colorful blankets, sleeping and touching skin to skin. That maybe Riri would feel the same, and they would laugh about how long it took to figure it out. That they would laugh until they couldn't, and talk until they couldn't, and then they would kiss. And everything would melt away, and neither would know where their skin would begin or end. And they would kiss until they couldn't. And they'd sleep. 

She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep at the desk until she heard Griot's voice. 

"Sorry to startle you, Panther. But, Miss Williams is trying to contact you. How would you like me to proceed?"

Shuri was shook, unsure of what she looked like or even what time it was. She felt nervous. She felt groggy, not even sure if this was real either. Nevertheless, she answered. 

"Patch me through, please."

She waited a moment with bated breath, hoping this wasn't a dream or some fluke. Until she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello?" Riri asked, sounding nervous herself. Shuri wondered what time it was there, too. 

"Hey." She said, in a more relaxed tone. Even if this wasn't real, it was still the best dream she'd had in months. Maybe ever.

And they talked, for a long time. Eventually working through any awkwardness. Riri never explained how she made it to the Panther, and the Panther never asked. She did explain, however, why it took so long for her to call. Shuri just listened and let herself laugh, like she'd been dreaming about. Finally feeling free for a little bit, even if it was just for a little bit.

On the other side of things, once Riri had cleared everyone out of her room when she got back and promising to explain to MJ later, she had sat down and thought about what to do. That turned into pacing and talking outloud. She had been avoiding the beads like the plague for months, unsure of what to do. Unsure of what choice would cause the least harm, since she already felt guilty for what she had caused. She found herself awake all night feeling anxious. She left for class that morning, deciding that she would get through her day and take a nap. She would figure it out after that. What she didn't tell Shuri, is how hard its been to sleep since she left Wakanda, or really even how hard it was while she was there. But when she tried to take a nap, she realized that all she dreamed about this time was Shuri and how soft her hand was when they had touched and how peaceful it felt to talk to her, even if only for a few moments and only a few words. She decided when she woke up that even if they ended up never talking again, she would keep her promise and use the beads.

And that's what she did. And that's what they kept doing, for weeks and months. They talked, they listened, they laughed, and on rare occasion, fell asleep. Both free from nightmares, even if just for a little while. Until Shuri finally arrived.

And finally, they had some time to really figure things out. Shuri promised she wasn't missing anything important by being there, and that she had allotted enough time. Riri was still unsure about it but couldn't resist the opportunity to finally see the woman she had been pining over for months - as a friend, of course. 

As Riri remembered back fondly, she had forgotten what was ahead of her until she was jolted by turbulence that was usually well controlled by the Wakandan tech in the fighter jet. She couldn't process how she could possibly be on her way to confront the man that almost killed her and did actually kill the Queen of Wakanda. She couldn't fathom that she was racing there, against her love, her best friend, to make sure she didn't kill him first. Suddenly her clothes all felt too tight, and her suit felt heavy despite being nano. Suddenly the air felt hot and her lungs felt empty and she felt dizzy. She had felt all of this before, a panic attack. Riri Williams was no stranger to a panic attack. Not before Wakanda, and definitely not after. Though, for the past few months, she had always had Shuri to help ground her. Now, she was floating in the air, literally and figuratively. Everything was moving so fast. She felt herself spiraling and cursing herself in the process, unable to stop it but ashamed nonetheless. She had worked hard, since she was younger, to have a control over her emotions and thoughts. She needed to, especially if she was going to take this super hero shit serious. Especially if she was going to be there for her mom and sister after her dad passed. Especially if she was going to make it. But she felt that control slowly ripping itself to shreds, doing a number on all the mental blocks she had in place. She couldn't lose Shuri. She couldn't be the cause of another war in Wakanda. She couldn't live with the guilt. She couldn't let Shuri get hurt, or worse, for her again. Even if it meant confronting a man much more powerful than her. Even if it meant losing. Even if it meant drowning all over again. 

Suddenly, she felt a cool hand grace the side of her cheek. She felt her suit dematerialize around her until it was just a bracelet again. She felt Okoye kneel down in front of her, eyes kinder than they usually were. She felt her pull her in close and squeeze. The pressure of the embrace bringing Riri back into her body. They stayed like that until Riri could breathe again. 

She went to apologize as Okoye pulled back silently, just as she had appeared, but she was cut off. 

"Aht aht. There is no need." Okoye softly but firmly let her know, sitting down next to her. They had never been this close before. Riri looked over to see the jet flying itself. The first time she saw that happen she was crazy nervous, but she's grown to trust both Wakandan tech and Okoye. After a few moments of silence, Okoye spoke again.

"I know what she means to you, you know."

Riri looked at her finally, noticing how somber her eyes really looked. She had seen those eyes before, but not like this. Okoye continued, looking back out the windows. 

"I was T'Challa's right hand. I saw it all, from the beginning to the end. I saw him be the panther, I saw him be the king. I saw him be Shuri's brother." Riri felt a pang in her at the use of Shuri's name. She listened.

"And I saw him fall in love. I saw him devote himself to Nakia, and I saw her unravel at the loss of him - until she left. I saw it all, as much as I could. And I often wondered why I didn't feel the way they seemed to feel when my husband betrayed me and Wakanda. But their love... it was pure. It was something out of this world, it was something built into them." Okoye sighed, feeling grief in many directions. Riri found herself fighting back tears again until Okoye looked at her with different eyes, almost loving eyes this time.

"I have seen that kind of love before and that is how I know you have it. Both of you. And that is how I know we will figure this out." Okoye looked at her and squeezed her hand again, affirming what she said. They both heard the AI tell them they were approaching in the next 5 minutes. Through her tears that were now shamelessly falling down her face, Riri gulped out a question, in true Riri fashion.

"Do you think you will ever love like that?"

"I already do." Okoye said, getting up and adjusting herself to get back to the front of the plane to chart their secret entrance into Wakanda. Riri looked confused.

"Ngudade wethu." Okoye answered again, before sitting down and being who she needed to be. Riri knew what she said, and knew that she was right. About all of it. 

As they prepared themselves, Riri suited up and made her way to the front of the plane. 

"Where did he say to meet?" The midnight angel asked Riri. She sent the coordinates to the jet and looked at them wistfully. She hadn't really thought about where she might actually be going to "talk" to him when she was rushing to get herself to Wakanda. She jumped when Okoye gasped. 

"What?! What is it?!" Worry filled her from head to toe again, hoping it had nothing to do with Shuri. 

"That bastard... We are going to have to find a way to break into the palace. He wants to meet in the throne room."

Riri was speechless, knowing that this was a tactic to try to make her feel weak. She also couldn't deny that it was working. She felt her heart rate increase at the thought of being back in there. Of seeing the place where she almost died. Of... all of it. She had visited many times in her dreams, all against her will. And now she would face him there, against her will. She knew he was doing this to weaken her resolve, much like her and Shuri did with the dehydrating jet. She knew his intent all along, but this certainly solidified it. 

Riri tried to make peace with dying in Wakanda. Once again, her mom wouldn't know where she was or how any of this happened. She wondered what lie they would tell her. She wondered if she would fight or just give herself to him. She wondered what Shuri would do, knowing this wouldn't end well no matter what she did. But she held her mind together as best as she could. She knew she had to meet him before she did. She knew she had to do what she could to prevent a second war. Okoye knew too, looking at her and then pulling up her own beads to try and locate Shuri. 

"The Panther's location services are currently offline." The Ai spoke to them. 

"Let us pray she is behind us and not ahead of us."

"Will she know where to find us?"

"We are about to break into the most secure place on the planet earth. I'm sure everyone will know where to find us in a matter of moments." Okoye answered and they shared a look. 

"I hope you know, I will fight until the end with you. I have stood with the Wakandan throne my whole life. I have stood with Shuri and those that came before her. I have stood for the safety of my people as best as possible, but I have made my own mistakes before. I will stand with you, now, Riri. No matter the outcome."

Riri felt the pull of her tear ducts again but different this time. Okoye reminded her of her own sister, and of her own mistakes. She reached out a hand and found Okoye's. They held hands until it was time to land. 

Once they had maneuvered their way into the country using Okoye's knowledge as former general and her new disguising tech, which Riri made a note to recreate if she made it out of this, Riri followed Okoye into the dense jungle around them.

"The best chance we have is to stay low until we can't anymore, and then charge in. The Doras won't see it coming but they will react, with their full might as they've been trained to do. Even to me. Our goal is not to harm any Wakandans, but we have to get to the throne room before he does. I will do my best to reason with Ayo and Aneka but they will resist a meeting with him there. Once we spot him, we must draw him away from the palace. Even if it means drawing him to the sea. Remember that he is most powerful near water."

Riri nods as she listens. Okoye wishes there were another way.

"Remember that if we see Shuri, we may already be too late. We must keep them separate. I do not know if she will choose peace a second time. Not when it concerns you."

"I don't want her to do this, I hope you know. You were right. You were right about it all. I love her. But I don't want her to risk everything for me. You all already have and I can't live with that. I can't live with any of this. I don't want to die but... But I can't let everyone else die for me either." Riri spits out, hoping she's being believed. She means it. Okoye looks at her and hears Nakia's voice in her head. "I just know his spirit. It is simple in that way for me."

"Ndiyawazi umoya wakho. I believe you. And I will fight to make sure no one has to die today, unfortunately even him if it means peace."

"Thank you."

"Thank you, small girl."

"For what?" Riri asked, genuinely surprised since most of the mayhem the past few months has been a result of her actions - intentional or not. 

"For giving her something to hold onto again. Something to believe in." Okoye answered truthfully. Riri didn't know what to say but she took in what the older woman said, against trusting her. After a few moments of silence, it was time.

"Stand behind me and do not fly until I tell you. If you enter the air space anywhere near the palace, you will be shot down before you can count to one. Do you understand?" Riri nodded. 

She did understand. Now, more clearly than ever.

🖤

[aurorialwolf]

Oki dokes folks, I made a post a bit ago about my next gen ocs, Samuel Jr. Collins-Barrera (Sam and Darlin's kid) and Adrian Getty (Alexis's son), talking about their dynamic I mentioned a bit of Adrian's backstory, and his personality, but didn't go too in-depth, so now I will with a post specifically about him! If you want to read that post after, there's a tag on this post that'll lead u to all my next-gen posts

Y'all know the drill, basic info first, then some more detailed specifics - Full name is Adrian Getty

- Full title is Adrian Getty, Duke of the House of Solaire (this is also what he would introduce himself as formally)

- His mother is Alexis Getty, his father is absent, as he was the result of a hookup, making him illegitimate, although William does not care, and still grants him his title

- He doesn't have many friends, since he is rather isolated, having been turned at a young age by his own blood (according to my hc, children of vampires can be turned when they unlock their core if they have vampiric blood from an Old Blood), so he mainly hangs around Emilia Solaire (William's daughter) and Portia Solaire (Porter's daughter), as they are in the same boat.

- He's also kind of a jerk, mainly because he doesn't know how else to act given his upbringing (cough cough Alexis)

- His favourite flavour for basically anything is lemon! He becomes partial to Samuel Jr. moreso when he gives him lemon snacks

- He can speak a bit of French as well, like Vivienne (Vincent's daughter, I made a post about her a bit ago), though he's much more fluent than her, and becomes fully fluent around 19, since I hc that the kids of the House can all speak some French since I assume William would teach them

- He has a sword that was given to him by William when he reached 16 and was out of bloodlust, at the same time as he was granted the title of Duke

- He is one of Emilia Solaire's personal guards, mainly as a formality, since she is rarely in actual danger, but it helps make the clan look proper.

- He's gay, but closeted, though he figures it out and comes out a bit later (around 18-19)

Okay now for angst stuff, mainly about his upbringing

- Since he was an accident, his mother is.. not very nice to him, and they argue regularly

- Alexis invokes him as a disciplinary measure, to keep him in check, and this affects his mental health very negatively

I feel I must clarify that I do like Alexis as a character since she has depth, but I don't think she'd be a good mother if she were to have a kid suddenly at this point in the storyline (we will see if she gets a redemption arc though)

- Part of the reason he's closeted is that he's worried Alexis will harm him further for it, although she wouldn't, but he doesn't know that and is too nervous to test the waters

- After a lot of fighting and being at each other's throats, he becomes friends with Samuel Jr, who helps him better himself, come to terms with being gay, and become nicer, leading to him getting more actual friends, specifically befriending Portia and Emilia properly, and making up with Vivienne (Vincent's daughter, who he has also been a jerk to)

- Eventually he sort of sees Sam (the dad not the son lol) as a father figure, because once Sam realizes he's a good kid, and not like his mother, he helps him, and allows him to stay with his family when he needs to, giving him a proper safe space That's about it! Lmk if you'd like to be added to my taglist for redacted posts (mainly this stuff and dreamwalker theories), and lmk if you have your own hc about Alexis as a mom, since I know she's interpreted differently by a lot of folks Taglist: @vegafan69 @darlin-collins @kxemii @professionallyyappin @sereh624

[ghost-proofbaby]

GHOST'S "OPEN BAR" 3K CELEBRATION

as a way to say thank you and show my appreciation for hitting 3k, i decided it's about time for a party around here... don't y'all? and what better way to get a party started than to get a little boozy! (haha get it? BOOzy? because ghost? no? okay i'll stop.)

THE RULES: below the cut will be a fun menu filled to the brim with delicious drinks! send me an ask with your order, and as long as it follows my general rules, i'll whip it right up for you! the idea here is each drink represents a different general trope, and you fill in the blanks with a character of your choosing (see below) as well as general ideas! below will be examples of requests. i will being doing as many of these requests as possible for this week, from april 3rd (today) to april 8th. starting april 9th, i have a different fun week planned for us to keep the party going, and will announce it on sunday <3

WHO I'M WRITING FOR: eddie munson, steve harrington, spencer reid, and joel miller. you must specify the character in your request, or i will not complete it.

EXAMPLES OF REQUESTS: "hi! can i get a filthy martini with eddie munson? maybe some overstimulation involving toys?" or "can i get a flute of champagne with joel miller? maybe what the end of the day looks like in the QZ!" you can get as specific or as vague as you'd like! these are just examples :-)

also, before we dive in, i've also filled this post with easter eggs towards just a few of my favorite fics/authors (and a couple of my own). i have added a link over each reference in case any of them catch your eye. i wouldn't have hit this milestone without all of these wonderful people who inspire and support me, and there was no way i wasn't sending a nod their way during this event. i love y'all endlessly <3

alright, onwards with the party bus, friends!

THE MENU:

🥃 WILLOW'S OLD-FASHIONED: angst

long week? a new job babysitting a rockstar that just cannot and will not behave? has that blonde coworker you just wish you could slap into the next week gotten on your final nerve? look no further! sit back and cry relax with one of our famous old-fashioneds!

🍷 ASH'S SPECIAL: hurt/comfort

whiskey and bitters not your cup of tea? be still your old heart! no worries! relax like the world's ending from your long week with a good book and a glass of our famous Sauvignon Blanc instead!

🥂 FLUTE OF CHAMPAGNE: fluff

sip on some of our top shelf Dom Perignon and get lost in the bubbles! this classic will have you feeling so good, it's almost as if you've traded bodies with your arch nemesis in a freaky friday ordeal. just don't think too hard about his... mechanics below the belt... or this drink might be a boner killer. let the good times roll!

🍸 FILTHY MARTINI: smut

feeling dirty? look no further. here at ghost's, we've got you covered with one of our dirty, downright filthy martinis. disclaimer: we are not legally responsible for you getting colorfully intimate with your friend's dad or if you end up in a 3-film-box-set porno deal. yeah, our lawyers make us put those disclaimers now. keep it in your pants, folks!

not looking to get tipsy tonight? no worries! check out our extended menu options - we've still got you covered <3

☕ CUP OF SUNSHINE: mutual pining

get it hot! get it iced! get it fresh! as long as you get it before it's gone! wake yourself up with a cup of our coffee brewed in-house. cream and sugar available upon request. (hot and dirty sex in the back room not available upon request.)

🥐 KARMEN'S CROISSANTS: exes to lovers

be sure to grab a snack during your night out! these croissants are absolutely to die for (just don't fall for your reaper, folks!). enjoy this lamented pastry in our favorite armchair by the window while enjoying one of our many books laid out for your pleasure!

easter eggs i'm unable to tag (aka banner):

the "yes" policy

and my own twenty-four hours

also, filthy martini is fully a shout out to the legend behind the man of the hour who has inspired a large majority of these fics as well as my own - mr. joseph quinn himself. may all his martinis be the absolute filthiest.

once again, thank you all. i will never know how to repay the kindness showed to me, so i will do what i do best - write. also, please keep in mind i have no idea how many requests i will receive. my hope is to complete as many as possible without driving myself to absolute madness; please be kind and patient with me <3

[blindmagdalena]

So this isn’t a fandom related question more a running a blog question, because I’m curious to here your thoughts. I’ve submitted other asks to other blogs that were fandom related and it’s never anything crazy and I always follow the guidelines set by the owner in terms of what they are comfortable receiving when doing asks. I can’t help but notice that none of mine seem to get answered :/ So how as a blog owner do you handle asks? Do you read them all and then choose or do some fall through the cracks so to speak? Just curious because it’s a little disheartening, as I really enjoy the discussion element that is facilitated for fandoms and character related things. Your blog is so well run, I’m pretty sure you should be giving out courses :)

first of all, thank you! i really appreciate that you feel that way. though i'm sure there are many others that i've left feeling similarly disheartened since i definitely don't answer every ask that comes my way. i've had an especially difficult time keeping up with it since s4 dropped, but i do my best to answer as much as i can!

for me personally, there's concrete method to the madness of what i answer/don't answer. some asks i immediately have an answer that comes to mind, and others i don't. if an ask requires anything more than 5-10min of thought to answer, i'm not likely to do it on my phone while also managing my kid/taking care of my home.

that said! i love and appreciate every single message that hits the stack. i love chatting with you guys! i try and do everything i can to help people feel heard and like they can participate in the fandom, even if they're too shy to do so without being anonymous.

i will say though what i love more than anything is when someone who started off as an anon or an inbox regular branches out and starts turning what would be asks into fandom posts. that's always the best way to get your thoughts and opinions out into the fandom sphere without relying on a third party to facilitate it. reblogging and replying to posts, too! sideblogs are great for this now that you can reply from them. so many of my mutuals started as folks who sent me anons!

and if you specifically want me specifically to see your post? tag me! i love checking out people's thoughts and meta, and having more folks to follow.

i can't speak for other bloggers, but inboxes can be really daunting. it's not always easy to have an in-depth thought process or headcanon for every ask that comes my way. publishing an ask and just saying 'cool thought!' feels a little lame because i know they sent it to me for my thoughts, but maybe that would be better than never publishing it at all.

either way, i do read every message. y'all are the kindest and most creative fandom i've ever had the pleasure of participating in. thank you for that 🖤

[swagtastic-bougie-pompadour]

Hey! Guess what today is! Why, it's only... the (third) biggest event of the Naranja-Uva school year!

✨It's Homecoming!✨

I know all y'all are hella hyped, but remember to take breaks, too! We have 🌊HYDRATION STATIONS🌊 all over the place for you thirsty folks! And the nurse's office is always yours to chill in if your head starts spinning like a Spinda's! Finally... if you want to get those internet points for your HoCo escapades, be sure to tag them with #Naranja Uva Homecoming ! We'll be on the lookout!

Now, without further ado... our SCHEDULE OF EVENTS! (All times in EST. Attend as many or as little as you dare!) 9:00 AM: Instead of classes, come to the Schoolyard for some bagel sandwich breakfast! Or just the bagels and jam. We don't judge. 10:30 AM: Bring out your artistic side! Come sign our Naranja-Uva 2023-2024 banner, and even get some swag in return! Rush-printed due to high demand… 12:00 PM: Open Multi Battles in the Schoolyard! You want one, we'll match you with just the right person to even the playing field and have fun! Run by Ms. Dendra. 1:30 PM: Open the Naranja-Uva Club Fair! Wander the school and collect stamps from clubs for a chance to win BIG! What could you win? It's so big we can't even say! (NOTE: Make Your Own Pizza lunch served in the cafeteria. Vegan cheese included.) 3:00 PM: Campus Open Mic! You want a platform to say something? Say it here! Whether that's how fluffy your Snubbull is, how terrible the flight back from Kitakami was, or… genuine advice about the school Director Clavell can take notes on…?! (We reserve rights to pull you from the stage if you're ruining the mood by being rude.) 4:30 PM: Get hyped, because the big event's only in an hour and a half! Join your teachers (and Clive) as they get schooled on the hip new dances of this decade! (Held in front of the academy.) 6:00 PM: Doors open to Homecoming! Pull up with your #HoCoSquad, get some pics snapped by the doormen, and enjoy the vibes curated by our very own D.J. Vice! There will be plenty of pastries, Kitakami-style sweets and savories courtesy of the exchange program, and tamper-proof juice pouches! Not looking to dance? We've got games too! Be sure to check out our selection of Uno(wn), Applins to Applins, and a riveting three hour game of Monopoliwag… a brand new 2P cabinet of Pokémon Showdown… and a ball pit! The fun never ends! 7:30 PM: The show gets doubly underway, with the crowning of the Homecoming Court! And get ready for the Battle of the Schools! We'll be testing you on your smoothest moves, loudest cheers, and biggest stomachs, all to answer the question of Naranja vs. Uva once and for… the rest of the night! 9:00 PM: Take a break from the gym to peep the #selfie worthy fireworks outside, courtesy of Zakuyamo! Reminders will be given 15 and 30 minutes before for anybody to put away noise-sensitive Pokémon and head to soundproof safe booths. We'll livestream the action too, for anybody who's dying to see! 10:00 PM: Just because the dance floor's closed doesn't mean the party has to stop! Choose between Mr. Jacq's Pokémon Trivia Night, Miss Dendra's Super Smash Your Foes!!!! Tournament, and Mr. Saguaro's Gourmet Tastings for a few late-night options before you hit the hay on this wonderful day! **NOTE: The pool is off-limits today. We aren't even touching that can of worms with a bunch of rowdy students. Don't make Goldy the Lifeguard Golduck sad.

[sparklyslug]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @aidaronan and @softbrah thank yewwwwwww!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

50!!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

405,752

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now it's all Stranger Things, all the time baby. But you never know when the madness might strike for something new. Or re-strike for something I thought I was done with haha.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Focus (Check Please) Up the Punks (Stranger Things) we're gonna fight til we do it right (Check Please) If you want him, come and claim him (Stranger Things) t'hy'la (Stranger Things)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I'm usually really good about it for the first day or so after a fic has posted, and then I kind of.... fall off with it usually. I read all comments! I appreciate all comments! Usually what happens is I see the email notif on my phone, mentally go "ah I will craft a perfectly thoughtful and appreciative and stirring response to this later when I have time to do it justice!" and then I do not do that.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The one that comes to mind is a fic I wrote for the Hobbit, hands too small to hold it, which is an AU where everyone lives but Bilbo still has the ring and the events of LOTR are still barreling towards them.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Let Us Dwell in Fair Ithilien and There Make a Garden with @greenlikethesea is ONE BIG MASSIVE HAPPY ENDING (after 10+years of tragic angsty pining but w/e). I also wrote a little happy family ever after Garak/Bashir for Star Trek DS9, between the noise.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

noooo it's never happened! If I'm getting hate it's behind my back ahaha who knows what goes down in y'alls discords, that’s none of my business! Im a Leo and I work in marketing, so I am not terribly tortured by that kind of thing ahahaha

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

SURE DO! I don't know what "what kind" means. The smut kind. I've done closed door fade to black, I've done some explicit stuff, I try to give you range baby.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I LOVE A CROSSOVER! Star Trek/Stranger Things is pretty crazy. My current project is Stranger Things/You've Got Mail put in a blender with Supernatural, so that's decently zany too.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I thought Quorum had been translated into Chinese, but I can't find any evidence of it, so might be all in my head ahaha.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I love to collaborate with folks! When the creative chemistry is right it's RIGHT, and it's so fun to ping-pong ideas and paragraphs back and forth. I co-wrote Check Please fics with @softbrah, have written a universe of Stranger Things fic with @greenlikethesea, and it's all been a blast. Me and @aidaronan are cooking up some ideas, if the two of us can ever stop signing up for bangs and things long enough to get to em.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Well of course I will say Steddie right now because I've been living here for over a year and a half. It truly does have just the most delicious dynamic, however the setup and wherever you take their characterizations.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't know if I'll ever finish my Vampire Eddie immediately post-canon fic, I didn't have much direction with it, just Vibes.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I'm good with atmospheric sensory details, it's something I really care about when writing at least. I definitely enjoy dialogue, too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes are hard, and I struggle with nailing (heh) the physicality of sex scenes. My haters in their discords are welcome to chime in here 😂😂

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I have no thoughts in particular. If it works in the fic and you've made sure your translation is right if you're not fluent in that language, hell yeah.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Lord of the Rings. You will never see this fic.

N E V E R.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

IT IS REALLY HARD TO CHOSE AMONGST MY CHILDREN. I put a lot of my heart into I was open to pain and crossed by the rain (Wayne Munson my beloved) and I'm really proud of what I did with that one. I truly wrote Can't We Be Seventeen knowing it was really just for me, to scratch one of those desperate writing itches after an intense period of fixating on the Heathers musical soundtrack, and I really like that fic too.

Tagging @occasionaloverboy@greenlikethesea @thefreakandthehair @henrystars @capriciouslyterminal

[daja-the-hypnokitten]

Jukebox reviews part 14! For context, see my post “A Project”   under  this same tag. If you want to see a full list of his EMCSA   stories,  they can be found here, sorted alphabetically.And if you want to see some of his drabbles, check out his blog at @jukeboxemcsa  

 Sharp Dressed Man

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

4/10/2010                                     mc mf md

Trust someone in marketing to care more about the presentation of something than the content. And, as a scientist, I do resent the way Nina just acts as though scientists don't know how to dress. Just because I get to wear street clothes to the lab (look, you don't want synthetic fabrics around chemicals. You just don't. Cotton all the way, folks! Or linen or wool, depending) doesn't mean I don't know how to dress up and look stunning when I want to. Or, at least, my partners have used stunning to describe me, but I suppose they may just be biased. REGARDLESS, Nina's being a bit catty here, and that definitely makes me feel like she deserves what she gets. But the control isn't ... it isn't a style I enjoy in my kink stories, so on a lot of levels this is just a miss for me. If you like someone being overwhelmed with ... well, ok, in this universe it's science but no, that isn’t how any of this works, so it's magic. You might just enjoy this. 3/10 spirals.

Show Don’t Tell

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

4/17/2010                                     mc ff cb

Given who Adventure Girl makes me think of, it's WEEIRD to see her juxtaposed with Venus Ascendant, given who Venus makes me think of. (Look, her age says Supergirl, but her origin says Ms. Marvel. And I'm a Carol Danvers fan.) But holding that aside, because it isn't really important, gosh this is a Good Story. The Girdle of Minerva works so well, and watching Adventure Girl grapple with the same sorts of "but good girls don't!" that I too had to unlearn is ... cathartic? Kind of? It doesn't hit my hot buttons exactly - too much magic, which if y'all have been following my reviews won't come as a surprise - but it's still really good. 7/10 spirals

  Closer to the Heart

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

4/25/2010                                     mc mf fd

How can I even *start* to review this one? This isn't just my favourite Jukebox story - my favourite story on the EMCSA *other* than one my spouse wrote for and dedicated to me! - but it was FORMATIVE to my hypnokink, to my sense of what I might possibly *find* in a relationship. I didn't know what healthy, happy romantic relationships looked like when I was as young as I was when I read this story, back when it was first posted. Not *really.* My parents were always so very private about their relationship, and I knew enough to know that media wasn't ... it just wasn't. Add in the "I'm not really interested in sex itself" with the strong hypnokink, and I was so adrift. Sure, there were, like, 2 book series I read that had Healthy Relationships, but they didn't have any of the kink nuance, so that didn't help.But this story. This story has so many moments that I read and my brain went "that. I want *THAT.*" The mix of romance and fun kinky things in this story became my measuring stick for relationships I was in, and if I realized that a partner wasn't living up to that? That they weren't showing me the respect Lynn shows Michael? I was done. And I needed that, more than once, unfortunately. But it also helped me internalize that I *could* have that kind of relationship. And now I do - 4 times over! I've mentioned before on my blog how a line from this story became a guiding benchmark for me, the idea of "everything we do comes from love." Whether love of community, love of a friend, or romantic love, that central tenant has helped me know when to stop doing something I was no longer doing for the right reasons, and to grow into an adult who knows when to - and how to! - say no.That's a LOT to put into a story, I realize, and it isn't just this story that did it. But it was absolutely a catalyst for so much of that. I would not be who I am today if it weren't for this story. I probably wouldn't have even felt like I belonged in this community without this story, and a few others (one by Jukebox, and a couple by Wiseguy).So all that said, let's get into the actual text of the story, shall we?

While we start with sexual stuff immediately, it's also instantly clearly part of the conditioning/brainwashing process, so that's all good by my standards. There's such obvious love and connection between Michael and Lynn, and she so gently and tenderly reinforcing her control as she moves through the chakras. And then, when we get to the heart chakra, and Michael stops being passive because he loves Lynn so much, and has such a need to communicate that to her... it melts my heart. The way she drops out of pet names and just uses his name in that moment, the mantra... so much good here. And then the moment where we see Michael is so aware of how much Lynn loves him in return is so tender... to me, that's the true climax of this story, the sharing in love that has been well tended and grown by *both* of them. It's just tender and sweet and lovely and I am so very fond of both Michael and Lynn, here and in every story we see with them. 9001/10 spirals.

Already Gone

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

5/2/2010                                       mc ff

There's a really interesting suggestion in here, and it's one I definitely plan to use for (short-term) shenanigans with a partner at some point. The idea of them being consumed by curiosity, focusing entirely on a fixation object as it sucks their thoughts away? Oh yes, I'm using that. The rest of this story? It's good enough, but doesn't quite get me invested the way other stories have and do. Some of that is the contrast to Closer to the Heart, of course; I remember 12 years ago, reading this one the week after Closer to the Heart and wishing that this had been closer to that - and I still do. But this one stands well on its own, if I make myself stop comparing it to Closer to the Heart. Seeing how Cat's mind changes in response to the control is *delightful,* and it's well thought out. It's just a bit impersonal for me, is all. 8/10 spirals.

  I Ran So Far Away

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

5/8/2010                                       mc mf md

Hmm, another one of those stories that never quite feels erotic - surreal horror, maybe? Still really good for what it is, just a bit ... not quite fitting amongst the rest of the stories on the archive. But it's well written, we really, TRULY get a sense of what Monica was running from and why she's scared, and it fits so very well. Though I have to wonder how nobody's noticed this before now. Surely enough folk gathered by those who serve would have people who miss them! 7/10 spirals

  Zombie

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

5/15/2010                                     mc mf md

I feel bad for Addison here; he's mostly an innocent bystander in this one. Wouldn't it have made more sense to just tell him to forget the secrets involved and only have to worry about one person - a seemingly not well-liked one! - disappearing? Ah well, leaving my opinions on what makes sense aside, this is a bit ... clinical? which is the point, of course, but it makes it hard for me to see it as erotic, personally. But the method works, and I enjoy the (entirely too brief) description of the experience Addison has. If you like more detatched/clinical control, you'll likely enjoy this one? 6/10 spirals

  Talking In Your Sleep

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

5/22/2010                                     mc ff

This ends the only way it possibly could, and I don't think that's inherently a bad thing? Because the *how* we end up where it ends up is a bigger draw than the "where is this going?" sentiment would be. It's fun to watch how Alicia slowly brainwashes herself with Holly's voice, though I can't help but shake my head at her not realising she was doing that. Ah well, hopefully it will work out for the best and they can be a happy trio; I've seen well how two subby gals can be in love and reinforcing their submission to a shared dominant partner; it can be *super* cute. Though that does involve more consenting submsision, but what can you do, I suppose? I do have to wonder just how much actual rest Holly was getting, but it seemed to work for her? 8/10 spirals

  You’re the Inspiration

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

5/30/2010                                     mc

Another of the inductions Jukebox has written, and one very not to my taste; a central image of it is, effectively, serial recruitment, which is a hard limit for me. So it's not an induction I can rate well, though the technique is as solid as always.

  Common People

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6/5/2010                                       mc mf md fd

I feel like the last part of this sort of skews away from what would be - to me! - a much more interesting story. But it ends up more or less exactly where I expected it to - after 139 stories, I think I'm getting a sense of where Jukebox is going with these pretty quickly from the tone. The first two thirds of the story is good - the approach of a telepath who's trying not to give into her powers is fun! But the cruel ending to it, caused by another telepath, is less my vibe. 6/10 spirals.

  Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

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6/12/2010                                     mc ff

Honestly, do people not understand the idea of too good to be true? I suppose there would be fewer good stories if they did, and after all it can be hard to resist temptation. And to be fair, Isabelle did speak truly, for all she left significant details out. It's a fun story, and the sense of how Sylvia is overwhelmed and conditioned and brainwashed is wonderful. Having said that, I don't actually like the light and sound machines - unless I'm already SUPER fractionated, they just give me a wicked headache (I should know, I experimented with them once upon a time, thanks to Wiseguy) - so I do wince a little at the idea of waking from sleep right into one. But that's a me thing - plenty of folk really like light and sound machines, and I know from friends' testimonies that they can be amazingly hypnotic for a lot of folk! So that just makes all of this feel more real, and more personal. It's just all around a good story that hits a lot of things I like. 9/10 spirals.

[late-to-the-party-81]

I posted 6,195 times in 2022

That's 4,283 more posts than 2021!

386 posts created (6%)

5,809 posts reblogged (94%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@sidepartskinnyjeans

@late-to-the-party-81

@angrythingstarlight

@christywantspizza

@jobean12-blog

I tagged 4,762 of my posts in 2022

Only 23% of my posts had no tags

#late to the queue - 3,181 posts

#lates fic recs - 2,120 posts

#bucky barnes - 1,180 posts

#bucky barnes x reader - 830 posts

#comment reply - 645 posts

#steve rogers - 502 posts

#marvel - 446 posts

#bucky barnes x you - 433 posts

#steve rogers x reader - 393 posts

#bucky x reader - 352 posts

Longest Tag: 56 characters

#𝐬𝐮𝐳𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Tomorrow is not too late

AN: This fic is for the lovely @maladaptivexxdaydreaming's Jardin de Poemas challenge, and who better to use than Ari? My chosen poetry prompt is in bold.

Whilst this definitely can be read as a stand alone, there is a brief nod to this little ficlet I wrote, so that could be seen as a prequel.

Beta by @navybrat817, divider by @firefly-graphics, mood board by me (with credits to those who took the photos)

Find my master list here

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277 notes - Posted May 5, 2022

#4

Learn your lesson

A/N: Have a thot for Chris Evan’s birthday. Can be read alone or as a follow-up to Language.

Check out my master list

Beta’d by @christywantspizza 

Mood board by me (Chris Evan’s hands pic by @riricitaa)

Divider by @firefly-graphics 

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279 notes - Posted June 13, 2022

#3

Whatta Man

AN: Well folks, I've beaten my own record for length of a one-shot. I could have posted this as a mini-series, but didn't want to tease y'all.

This is full of filth and I am not sorry in the slightest. This is a no-powers AU.

Mood board by me, dividers by @firefly-graphics and beta'd by my dream team.

Master list here

Pairing: CamBoy Sam x Fem Room-mate reader, Nat x Steve (Background)

Word count: 11k

CW: Fluff, Angst and SMUT!!! (inc both male and female masturbation, the former described in a lot of detail)

MINORS DNI

Do not copy/transfer/transform this work. If you see it posted anywhere but here or on my AO3 (Late_to_the_party_81) it has been taken without my consent.

“You want me to do what?”

Your voice rose to a high squeak as you processed what Nat had just asked. Your roommate at least had the decency to hide her face behind her hands, and peek at you from between her fingers.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but Steve’s place is rented, and I own this apartment. It just makes more sense for him to move in with me than the other way around.”

You weren’t angry with her; far from it. You were pleased that her relationship with Steve had progressed to the next level and they were moving in together, but the fact that it meant that you had to move out had your head in a spin. You’d moved in with her two years ago when her younger sister, Yelena, had left to go to college and you were desperate to get out of your parent’s house.

You twisted your sweater sleeves around your hands as you tried to process everything.

“So, erm, I suppose I ought to start looking for somewhere else?”

You really didn’t want to have to move back in with your parents; you and your mom were too alike to be able to get on for longer than a few days.

“Well… about that. Steve and Sam have still got 9 months left on their lease, so Sam will be looking for someone to share with. Gives you a bit more breathing room and would make moving much easier.”

Nat’s suggestion made sense. You didn’t know Steve’s roommate Sam that well; he tended to keep to himself, but you’d never heard any complaints from Steve about him. Could you move in with a man you barely knew, even if his friends and yours could vouch for him? Well, when the other option was your parents, the answer was a resounding “Yes!”.

“Let’s hang out, the four of us. If I feel that Sam is someone I can live with for the short term, then we can set up a moving date.”

Nat squealed and threw herself at you, wrapping her arms around you and knocking you back on the sofa cushions. She peppered kisses all over your face, leaving red lipstick marks.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at her over-enthusiastic gratitude. And anyway, how bad could living with Sam be?

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338 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

#2

In the Hall of the Mountain King

AN: Choo-choo! All aboard the train to Pleasureville (via Wakanda) for @mobbucky's #trainfest.

This is not the fic I was planning for her celebration, but here it is! Dialogue prompt in bold.

Beta'd by the ever lovely @yarnforbrains and dividers by @firefly-graphics

As usual, this fic is not suitable for Minor's.

Please check out my master list.

Word Count: 3k

Pairing: M'Baku and Journalist! Reader

CW: Voyeurism, Smut (thigh-riding, fingering, p-in-v sex, unprotected sex), size kink, being restrained during sex, pet-names, M'Baku (thick-thighed daddy is a warning!)

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366 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Making Biscuits

AN: So this was a little silly thought by @duchessoftheheart, which I, with her permission, ran with. It's also my first solo Bucky x Reader fic.

Not beta'd, Mood board by me, dividers by @firefly-graphics

Check out my master list here

Pairing: Reader x Bucky; Alpine the Cat x Bucky

Word count: approx 750

CW: Fluff, mentions of smut, Alpine (she's a warning)

See the full post

386 notes - Posted February 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

It appears I love Elsie the most! 😘😘😘

[shamenaess]

My thoughts on this are a little complicated, so I'm gonna put this under a cut so y'all don't have it taking up half your feed. I'm also at work while writing this, so I apologize if it's rambly

I have started considering tagging my nsx vore as endosymbiosis (or endosym for short maybe?), which means "A symbiotic relationship where one organism lives inside the other" because that just

Seems pretty fitting snnbdbd

I don't really like the already existing endo tag because it seems to end up with more like- fantastical voyage type stuff, and that's just not what I'm looking for most of the time

My worry with introducing new terms is that anybody new to or not in the current community that this stuff is cycling through won't have any clue about the new terms. That's not to say that that should stop anyone from using new terms if they want, but if we want to successfully change to a completely "sanitized" version of vore, it would have to be a completely unified front from the nsx end.

It also feels a little exclusionary for folks who like nsx and sx vore, because I feel like there's more of a spectrum than a dead split between people who see it sexually and those who don't.

I also have mixed feelings about the E-A/T tag specifically. It just feels a little complicated/cluttered to me, especially when compared to how simple just "vore" is. I've also already seen people putting different variations of it like ea/t, e.a/t, e a/t, etc. which isn't helpful when making a new tag for one thing.

This may be a bit of a hot take, but vore also doesn't just have to be short for vorarephilia?? We could use something like "Vorment" which would just be vor- which is just "eat" and -ment which means "action or state"

So "the action or state of eating or being eaten" would be vorment, and that works just fine to be shorted to vore. And "voring" is just "the action of(-ing) eating(vor-)" so

Yeah, it having an inherent sexual meaning is just kinda bullshit because no one said it had to be short for -philia

Check mate to everybody who decided "vore" can only be sexual and nsfw

(As an aside, -philia just means "love" so even that having a sexual context is pretty stupid)

On a separate note, I very much feel like the nsx vore community needs to find new tags for predator and prey, specifically predator for reasons that likely don't need to be voiced. But, it would obviously be nice if they matched like pred/prey do, which would mean a total change is necessary.

Because of that I've been pondering things like nommer/nommee, eater/eaten, but they either seem too silly or too impersonal so I haven't gotten very far with it.

At the same time, I'm also attached the the pred/prey terms already, and I find them really fitting most of the time because I usually use the vore trope as a scary scenario that only later turns to a comfort thing (me likey the fear and the spooks). In those kinds of instances, it really is a predator and prey relationship, and those are interesting to me. But! I can agree that those words don't fit well with the softer side of things, and I'd be fine with a change in that regard.

Similarly, I feel like terms such as fearplay/foodplay/etc, should also be swapped out. They have a pretty explicit sexual/kink connotation because of the "play" part, which is unfortunate, but because if that I've slowly grown more uncomfortable using them the more I think about that. It shouldn't be that hard to come up with a term for just the vore community's usage of fearplay? Maybe smthn silly like nomxiety would be fun

I'm pretty sure that's all I have to say on the matter, but if I come up with anything else I'll reblog again with the additional thoughts!

[wewalkadifferentpath]

can y’all please do me like a teeny tiny favour, please? can y’all just be a little careful in the way that you’re talking about Jace’s story arc rn? Keep in mind that some folks do have vivid nightmares, intrusive thoughts about hurting others, etc. as part of their experience of mental health, and many folks also experience those types of fears as a result of childhood trauma. so just be mindful of that when you’re discussing jace scenes please and thank you! xx

[madameminor]

In More Ways Than One, Part 4 - Bad Batch x F!Reader - Crosshair

Summary: He's been very, very patient. You haven't made it easy. And he's going to make you pay for that.

Tags: 18+, y'all. Smut with a side of plot sauce. NSFW.

Warnings: Oral (m/f receiving) unprotected PiV (there's a reason its fiction, folks) nicknames, mentions of anal and polyamory, rough, but not quite hard. Let me know if there are others.

Notes: This. took. for. EVEEEER!!! It's like I've been wrestling with a rancor. I wanted it to be one way and the story went 'nope, kriff off, I'm going this way'. So. Here's Crosshair. Thanks to @kaminocasey and @dumfanting for being my betas again. And thank you to everyone who has liked/ commented/ asked to be tagged/ reblogged. It makes my heart glow with relief and love. 💚💙

Word count: 6k

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 3.5 Part 4 Part 4.5 Part 5 Part 5.5 Part 6 Part 6.5 Part 7 Part 8 Part 8.5 Part 9 Part 9.5 Part 10 Part 10.5

Nails scratching down his back, hair woven between his fingers, hips meeting his in rhythm, heels pressing into his lower back for a better angle-

Crosshair’s eyes snap open as he feels himself start to harden at his thoughts. He glances around their temporary barracks on the Requiem, checking to see if anyone noticed. Tech is lying in his bunk reading something on his holopad. Wrecker is passed out in his own bunk, still dressed in his armor, lightly snoring. Echo and Hunter are playing a game of dejarik, the little squeaking noises and cries the only sound in the room.

The quiet is peaceful - and driving him insane. He glances at a nearby chronometer. 15 minutes. 15 karking minutes, and then you would be wrapped around him, moaning as his teeth finally found the hollow in your throat-

It’s been like this since the batch first touched down on the Requiem. Crosshair tried to get you to stay on the Marauder with him while the others went to the debriefing, protocol be damned- but you decided to be a tease instead.

“Now now, we have to be responsible soldiers today,” you said, hand tracing down his neck while he had you pushed against the barracks’ bulkhead. “But…” you looked up at him through your eyelashes, a coy smile on your face, “just for today.”

Adrenaline and want surged to his groin at the promise in your eyes. “Good.”

Then they’d headed out for their mission- another 2/3 days of being ‘responsible soldiers’ with no time to throw you onto his bunk and have his fucking way with you, no matter HOW MUCH you teased him- and oh had you teased him.

Then, THEN, once you were all finally back on the Requiem, you had told him to come over to your single room AFTER your KARKING CAF TIME with the reg Captain and his squad. He could see it, the mischievous glint in your eyes as you’d said it. You knew EXACTLY what you were doing to him, as best as he tried to hide it. Fucking brat. Fucking beautiful, teasing, maddening brat.

He couldn’t get enough of it.

Maybe he should be late, just to show you. Just to make you squirm a little, to wonder if he was coming at all-

The chronometer hit time and he was out of his bunk before he could stop himself. He cursed internally. Traitor. He started for the door.

“Don’t forget your helmet,” Hunter said, eyes still on the game. “Never know what will happen in the middle of the night.”

Crosshair smirks as he grabs his head piece en route. “I know what can happen”

His brothers all smile to themselves as the door swishes closed behind him. So do they. So. Do. They.

-------

You had most definitely NOT been counting down the minutes till Crosshair came over. You had not been thinking about his hands all over you during the mission, or his mouth on you during your meetup with the 501st. You had not practically run back to your room after pleading exhaustion, and you were DEFINITELY not stripping off your armor and laying it out of the way in anticipation of his arrival.

That would have made it way too easy for him.

“Hello, Princess.”

He’s here. The door closes, and he locks the keypad behind him. You want to throw some welcoming quip at him, some retort, but for all of your attempts to keep the upper hand, your heart is pumping too fast, your skin is so alive that you can only breathe and watch as he walks up to you, putting his helmet down on the table beside you.

There aren’t any words. There’s just a passionate rush as he kisses you, pushing you up against the bulkhead and lifting your legs up around his waist. You’re both so hungry for each other that you’re shocked you don’t tear each other apart. His tongue pushes through to yours as your hands entwine in his silver hair, his lips pulling everything out of you piece by piece. This is what you imagined in the bar, kissing him in front of those troopers- this moment of melting and lust and passion and desire.

You gasp into his mouth as his plastoid codpiece pushes against your cunt, rutting against you, teasing your clit with promises of better things. He picks you away from the wall, carrying you over to your built-in bunk and perching you on your bedside, his body slotted between your thighs. You hear his armor start hitting the floor- he’s practically ripping it off in his need to touch you bare-skinned. His shirt and yours join his armor on the floor before he pushes you down into the mattress, hands trapping your wrists. You can feel the skin of his chest as he lays atop you, one hand tracing down your side and over your black bottoms. You can feel his sigh, or is it a growl? as his fingers glide against your clothed core.

“Fuck I can already feel how wet you are, Princess.” You feel his other hand weave into your hair and tighten, pulling your head back with an ecstatic cry. “So wet and making pretty noises for me.” His mouth finds your throat and you feel his teeth, pulling out another cry while his fingers keep your head out of his way. He sucks hard to leave his own mark opposite his brothers’, the fresh bruising contrasting to their fading tinges. His long supple fingers trace over your body, surveying his empty canvas.

“They stopped there?” He chuckles, sending a thrill up your spine. “Amateurs.”

You melt under the heat of his tongue as he trails down your chest, his hands gently massaging your breasts and down your sides as he loses himself in his work. He’s so gentle as he traces and sucks around your nipples, listening to your breathy gasps to repeat or discontinue. The amount of times you have wondered how that tongue would feel against you, and it doesn’t come CLOSE to the mastery he’s exhibiting. Fuck, you’re getting so lost in the sensation you can’t keep still, hands finding their way into his hair while your hips thrust in protest at being ignored.

His bite to your breast is sudden, accompanied by a low, guttural, needy moan at your sharp pleasured gasp. He sucks the new bite mark to remove some of the sting. “That’s right, good girl, let me mark you, make you mine. You’re being so good for me.”

You groan at the praise, hips roiling against his chest, feeling his muscular frame between your thighs.

“I don’t know… for how much… longer.” You should really care about how needy you sound. You don’t.

“Behave Princess. I’m not done yet.” he smiles against your skin, tracing kisses down toward your belly button.

“But I want it so BAD.”

“Then you shouldn’t have made me wait through your little caf date, should you?” Argh, the tease in his voice makes you buck, hand moving towards your core involuntarily- you had to have SOMEthing, you need it so bad-

He catches your hand and firmly pins it over your head, looking down into your eyes.

His smirk is dangerous- and so, so sexy. “Be.Have. Don’t make me tie you down, Princess.”

Your breath catches in your throat. “Cross,” You clench at the thought of your hands tied above your head, leaving you completely at his mercy. “That isn’t helping.”

He chuckles to himself. Beautiful jerk did that on purpose. “Maybe this will.” He pulls your leggings off, tossing them to join the pile on the floor.

“Keep your hands above your head, or I stop. Understand?” God the command in his voice sends you deeper, too far gone to argue. Tonight.

His kisses trace down from your belly button to the crease where your hips meet your thighs, tracing the seam up and down, his tongue and teeth always hovering right behind his lips. You know what’s coming, you’re trying to keep yourself under control, but your skin NEEDS this, NEEDS to feel him finally sink his teeth into you. “Nnnn, don’t… tease… please Cross just do it. AhhhMaker, AHH!” You feel his teeth latch right in the crease’s center, one hand pressing your thigh down so he can suck as deep a mark as he wants into your waiting flesh. Just the force of his body keeping you bare makes you wetter, to say nothing of the thought that he is MARKING you for his brothers to see. ‘Like THIS, boys.’

It's over too soon, leaving you panting, your hands finding purchase in your hair to keep them up over your head- and keep his mouth right where it is.

“There,” he kisses your newest bruise, pulling a whimper from your lips. “Was that so hard?”

He looks up to your frantic face, contorted in craving as your thighs desperately rub together to try and create any form of friction. His grin is almost evil as he watches you mewling and pining in unfulfilled desire.

“Do you need me yet Princess?” Your answering moan is barely coherent. “Mmm. I thought so.” He gently grips your chin, making you look down at him with your lust blown eyes. “THIS is what you’ll get when you’re a brat, Princess,” he vows, “teased and tormented until you’re half-mad. And the whole squad is going to know this rule. So don’t think you can go to one of them instead. Understood?”

“Y-yes. I understand- Cross-“

“Ask me nicely, Princess.”

“Please, please. I NEED you or I’m going to lose my mind-

He doesn’t even let you finish before he’s breaching your slit with his tongue, firmly flicking against your clit. Your nails dig into the pillow above your head, your strangled cry reverberating through the ship itself, speaking to the desires you’ve been holding back for cycles.

“Ah Princess. Knew you would taste amazing.” His hands circle under your thighs, bringing you closer to his mouth as he gently sucks on your lips, tongue circling your throbbing clit.

His tongue lets itself in to the inner most folds of your vulva, laying waste to every part he can, sucking here, lavishing there, all while gently circling around your engorging clit, teasing it as you mewl for more. “Wanted to do this for so long. Want them all to watch how it’s karking done.” You’re so lost in the build up to your high you can hardly focus on his words, but each one thrums through you and speeds up your climb.

“Ah, Cross it feels so good, your tongue feels so good.”

“I want you to think of this next time any reg dares to approach you. Got it?” He takes your whole clit in his mouth, gently sucking at pulsating intervals.

“K-Kriff. Just like that…I’m going to-“ So close, so close, just a little…bit… more…

…you feel his mouth pull away from you, leaving you trying to climb with no ladder.

“Ah, no, nonono WHY?” You whine with need and frustration, pained eyes meeting his gleeful ones.

“You didn’t answer me, Princess.”

“Fuck, YES Crosshair, I understand, if they ever dare, you little- ah!” He silences you with one curl of his tongue against your throbbing pearl.

“Good girl. Let’s try that again.”

You feel one of his perfectly long, supple fingers slip inside of you, humming in pleasure as he watches how easily its sucked inside of you. He slowly curls in towards himself, up towards your spongy spot, watching you as you writhe for him. He gently sucks on your clit with the same pulse as before, letting his tongue run back and forth as he finger fucks you. You rock your hips in time with him to try and sate yourself faster, but you don’t dare move your hands from where they are, entwined in your own hair, pulling lightly to keep some kind of grounding here in reality.

“You taste so good, Princess. I could drink you all night. Maybe I will.”

Karking hell, Maker, please don’t ever let this stop. You had been dreaming of him between your thighs like this since you first saw him pop a toothpick. And he said he wanted to show the others how to do this too? The thought alone had you tensing up, feeling yourself rise as his finger hits you right there…

“AH, I’m so close I’msoclose please don’t stop this time-”

“That’s my pretty thing. Let go, I’ve got you.”

Relieved, you let go, let yourself float as he brushes you over the crest of the wave that just keeps building…

“Kriff, I’m coming, oh Maker I’m coming!” You cry as hushed as you can, feeling yourself crash down from your crest, thrusting up towards him while you ride his face to completion. It’s overwhelming, the convulsing, your walls squeezing around his finger, his tongue as he massages your clit through its high. You can feel your joints loosening as you start to land…

“Such a good girl for me,” he purrs with a grin on his face, tongue still lavishing you. “Give me another one.”

Before you can protest, you feel his finger slide back through your wetness, curving up to rub circles around your special spot. You groan or whine or both as he eats you out with doubled hunger, adding another finger to stretch you further. Your eyes roll back as your hips buck. You barely keep your hands tangled in the pillow, grasping so hard you’re afraid you’ll tear it.

“Not fair!” You cry, writhing around him.

“Too bad.” He answers, finger fucking you harder. “Now, give. Me. Another one.”

The growl in his voice sends you over again, leaving you swearing and praising and begging and moaning. You can feel his smile against your cunt as your clit slides over his tongue, guiding you down from the most of it- before he adds a third finger to your already stretched hole.

You look down at him in shock as his mouth closes around your clit AGAIN. There’s a wicked glint in his eye and his fingers start to pump you again.

“C’mon, mesh’la. One more for me.”

You can barely find the words to protest. “I can’t it’s too good. Please it’s too much it’s just too good.” You plead. “Crosshair.”

“Yes you can, Princess, you could do two for Tech, you can do three for me.”

The sudden heat in your belly pulls your eyes back to his face. “Tech…what?”

“Oh yes, he told me. So pleased with himself.” He smirks at the disbelief in your eyes. “Now mesh’la, did you really think we weren’t going to try and top each other?”

You have a snappy come back, you swear you do, but it’s lost in the blinding pleasure of your third orgasm overtaking you at the thought, your head hanging back as you cry out your incoherent pleasure, rules forgotten as your hands fist into his hair so you can ride out the extent of your wave. You can feel Crosshair’s pleased growl through your clit, sending a jolt through your final wave of pleasure.

You can’t move, you’re utterly boneless as you feel his tongue pull away from you. You find his lips on yours, kissing you with your taste still clinging to his lips. You moan into his mouth, his tongue finding its opening, letting you taste yourself on him in its heady combination.

You feel his straining cock beneath his blacks, so fucking needy as it pulsates against your thigh. “Did I already wear you out, mesh’la? Do you need a- mmph.”

Your hand grips his rigid cock through his blacks, glazed eyes still on his. You watch his darken as you pull him out, your bare hand pumping him a few times before lining him up with your entrance. His breathing is heavy, his eyes so, so hungry. “You were saying?”

He sinks into you with the most deliciously sinful groan in your ears before swearing under his breath. “KARK Princess. Still so fucking tight for me after all of that.” God he’s hitting that point in you, the one you thought unreachable until you started sleeping with the squad, the pressure maddening in its delicacy.

You try to move your hips, rocking back and forth, anything to get him to start MOVING in you, to press harder against that spot. He looks down at you with a ravenous smirk.

“Oh? Do you want something, mesh’la?” Ugh even breathless he is such a kriffing TEASE. You buck your hips against his, pleading with your eyes since your mouth can’t seem to form words.

His hips roll up into you, making you whimper as your head is thrown back. “This? Is this what you want?” He slowly starts thrusting into you, the squelch of your walls squeezing him egging him on as he sets a steady pace. Kark, finally. FINALLY. You can barely move, it feels so good having him finally fuck into you, hearing that blissful catch in his breath as you tighten around him with each thrust. Karking hell, your swollen clit, your bruised hip, breast- you stare up at him as he speeds up, splitting you open while staring his own lust into your eyes. “That’s right, Princess. Take me. You’re taking me so well. You like when my cock fucks you open like this? You like taking me while I slide through your wet fucking pussy, after I make you come all over my face? Like being such a good girl for me?”

Fuck, his words wind you tighter- for such a silent mother fucker during the day, he sure has a filthy kriffing mouth now. How the hell does he DO that?

His breath is ragged- karking hell he’s getting off on this too. He’s watching your eyes roll back into your head and it’s driving him wild. He puts his thumb to your lips - you take it into your mouth without thinking about it. His eyes darken as you suck him hungrily, wishing it was something else.

“FUCK that’s right, show me how you would take them while I fucked you like this. My dirty kriffing Princess aren’t you? Wants to take as many of us as she can at once, doesn’t she?”

You moan around his thumb, your cunt fluttering around his cock. Mother, any more words like this, any tighter, and you’re done for…

“You feel so fucking good, mesh’la. I can FEEL how close you are. Kriff, can feel you clenching as you take my thumb in your mouth. I can’t wait to feel you come on my cock, feel you squeeze me as you scream for more.”

You can’t hold your head up anymore. “Ah, ah, ah, Crosshair… I’m…”

His hips speed up their rhythm, hands working together to fuck you speechless. “That’s right Princess. Give it to me. I’ve got you, come for me.”

Your cry is strangled as your nails dig into his back, making him groan into your shoulder as your orgasm erupts and blossoms through it’s roiling waves, clenching around him as you’re falling apart at the seams, undone by so many orgasms in quick succession.

Before you can fully come down, you hear him whisper in your ear.

“Roll over for me, Princess.”

You’re thoughtless, mindless as you roll over, face and arms onto the pillow feeling his hands gently guide your hips up.

“Such a good girl for me mesh’la. That’s right, on your knees, just lay your head right there and let me- NNNN.

He sinks into you again, pushing in with little to no resistance, both of you crying out together as your juices flow freely down his cock and onto the sheets. You whimper with pleasure at being so full when you’re this sensitive, unable to do anything but feel as he starts to thrust into you again. You brace yourself against what serves as a headboard, barely able to hold yourself up, but Maker does it feel so good. You don’t think you can come again, you’re so fucked out, but you’ve been proven wrong twice tonight. You feel yourself clench as he hits the deepest part of you harder and harder with each thrust. He feels your renewed strength, pulling your hips back into his, positioning you so he’s fucking down into you with long, steady strokes.

“Maker, mesh’la. Karking kriffing Maker you feel so fucking good. I’ve wanted this for so long, wanted to hear you cry out as I fuck… you… like… this.” Each word is accompanied by a thrust, sending a shiver through your core. You can feel the bruises forming from his fingertips on your hips, feel his thumbs massaging the fat of your thighs as he pulls you back onto his cock. A sharp smack lands on one ass cheek, quickly smoothed over to ease the sting as the pace of his thrusts picks up. He’s losing control, losing himself to his need, no longer able to keep himself from ruining you the way he’s wanted to. And you don’t want it to stop.

You feel a finger tracing down your spine towards your other hole, gasping as it continues over your nether cheeks.

“C-crosshair- that’s-“

“Not tonight, mesh’la.” His voice is a deep husky growl. You can FEEL the lust in his voice thrum through you. “But I know you’ll be able to take all of us in here. I bought something just so we can train this little hole of yours to start taking me while the others fuck this tight kriffing Pussy. FUCK I can feel you squeeze around me when you think of that. Going to have you falling apart on my cock so we can put you back together again.”

He's right. The thought has you practically crawling up the wall. You feel his harsh chuckle as one hand snakes around to the front of your throat, holding you in a firm grip so he can growl into your ear.

“No regs are ever going to be able to do this, you know. Not like this. Not like all of us can.”

You’ve stopped making any sense with the noises you’re making, just cries of pure pleasure, keening for it to continue and continue and CONTINUE until you can’t possibly take anymore.

“I want to feel you come for me Princess. Come on my cock with my hand on your throat, I want you to come while thinking about all of us pleasing you so much better than ANYONE else could.”

Impossibly close, impossibly close to a height you’ve never reached before. Kriff, just…just a little bit more…

“Come for me, mesh’la.”

That’s what does it, the simple command in his voice, laced with arousal, lust, his own high approaching. You can’t help it, you scream in pleasure as his hips start to stutter, reacting to your walls’ grip.

“Kriff, Princess, KRIFF just like that. I’m going to come, where-“

“In- inside me Crosshair I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m-“ Maker, you hope these durasteel walls are thick.

You both GROAN as you come together, cries almost in sync. Crosshair’s strangled cries slowly die down as he pumps every ounce of himself into you, painting your insides with ribbons of his hot come while you eagerly milk him dry. You’re light headed and dizzy, each supporting the other’s body while you both come down.

“Such a good girl for me, pretty thing.” He whispers kisses up your spine, arms wrapping around you to hug you up off of the wall, pulling you backwards to sit on his lap. You lean back, head on his shoulder, panting in pleasure as you continue clenching around him. You can feel his slowing breath on your skin as his lips brush against your shoulders. Your hand traces up over his shoulder and up his neck, nails running through his hair. His body relaxes into you. This feels so nice… You hear your name on his lips like a prayer, like he’s going to say something…

A sharp rapping on durasteel has you both looking at the door.

“Ma’am, are you alright in there?”

You can barely breathe let alone get up, you’re that boneless. You try to get yourself together. You feel Crosshair slowly pull out, whimpering at the sudden loss of warmth connecting with yours. Maybe they’ll just go away…

Knock knock. “Ma’am?” Kriff.

You realize Crosshair has tucked his cock back into his blacks, heading for the door. Before you can protest, he opens it, leaning in the doorway to block you from view. “Yes?”

“Oh,” comes a surprised voice, “excuse me, we have a woman assigned to this room in our manifest.”

“She’s here. She’s just a little… preoccupied right now.” You lay on your back, covering your mouth to keep the grin from becoming a laugh. That smug bastard. “Is it important?”

A second voice, confused but crisp- the poor dears must be shinies. “Uh. We uh, just thought we heard a scream- wanted to make sure everything’s ok.”

Crosshair smirks. “Hm. Yes. Everything is just fine.”

You couldn’t let him have ALL the fun. “Crooooss…?” You call, not having to fake the blissed-out breathiness in your voice. “Come baaaack…”

He glances over his shoulder. “Patience, Princess.” He looks back to the speechless regs. You can HEAR the smirk in his voice. “Did you need to ask her yourself?

“N-No sir, that’s alright. Clearly a misunderstanding. We’ll, uh, get back to our patrol. Sorry for the interruption.“ You barely suppress your laughter as the hurried steps of the traumatized troopers hurry off down the hall. Crosshair shuts and locks the door, walking back to the bunk to the sound of your stifled giggles, stripping off his bottoms before crawling up and sliding between your legs.

“Did you miss me?” He smirks, looking down at you.

You gently squeeze him with your thighs and groan. “Ugh, yes.” You reach up slowly and run your fingers through his hair on the way to the back of his neck. “ You, sir, are a bad man.”

He chuckles, bringing himself down to rest his body on yours, lips inches away. “And what does that make you? Adding to that little exchange the way you did.”

You stretch, feeling your body finally relaxing into it’s post-sex- body euphoria. “You already KNOW what I am.”

He watches you curve beneath him. “Do I?”

You pose with the back of one hand to your forehead, your other up in a grand gesture. “I am a beautiful, kind, benevolent ruler, healer of the sick and the wounded, filled with grace and poise and-“

“Me?” He smirks. You turn a shade darker, but you can’t keep the smile off your face.

“…not as full as I’d like to be.”

His eyebrows shoot up before you pull him down into a kiss. He still tastes like you. You can feel him start to harden against your thigh, moving himself to line up with your entrance-

Before he can think about what you’re doing, you flip him onto his back, pushing him down into the sheets. “Not like that, cyar’ika. I’ve come plenty tonight.” You kiss him once more before trailing your hands down his body, leaving breathy kisses down his torso.

You hear your name again, looking up to meet…concerned? Skeptical eyes? “You don’t have to, Princess.”

You smile at him, moving back up to his lips, kissing him slowly. “No I don’t.” You say, tracing your hand down the side of his face. “But kriff do I want to.”

He stares at you for a moment, looking for something, before he nods. You slide back down between his legs, getting yourself comfortable as you have a look at his long, well-girthed cock up close. You give him an experimental pump or two, listening to the soft hitch of breath with a smile. Gods, did you love this part.

You start at the base of his cock and run your tongue up the entirety of his length at a steady pace, feeling his groan through his groin. You look at how he’s propped up on his elbows looking down at you, his breath speeding up as you trace a circle around his head, taking the tip into your mouth and gently sucking, head bobbing, tongue rubbing back and forth over his frenulum. His eyes roll back a bit before he catches himself, but not before you see. Your eyes twinkle as you smile around him, taking him in hand and letting your spit pool down over his length, hand eagerly massaging it along his skin. You look up at him one more time, taking in the sight of him watching and waiting for you, before wrapping your lips around him and taking his full length, inch by delightful inch.

His GROAN when you finally take him all- kriff it’s amazing, sending a shiver down your own spine. You swallow around him and he barely holds himself back from bucking into your mouth, sufficing with a strangled cry instead.

“Fuck, Princess, your mouth is so warm.”

He can’t take his eyes off of you, his mouth open as he pants with pleasure at the sight of your lips wrapped around his cock, where you WANT to be. You start to move your head up and down his length, savoring every inch of him, feeling every ridge, every vein, everything that sets his cock apart. Your tongue wraps around him to add more sensations, swirling around his head when you stop for a few moments at his tip before taking him again. His hand entwines in your hair, more gently than before at the height of his lust, now just keeping you connected while you suck him off.

His voice is softer than before. “That’s right, Princess, take my cock in your mouth. Kriff your lips feel so good gliding over me. You want me to fill you up with my come, don’t you? Want me to come down your throat. Maker, mesh’la, who knew you were so good with your tongue?

Your hand comes up to cup his balls, gently massaging as you feel him start to tense. “Nnn if you do that Princess, I won’t last much longer.” You smile around him, humming a chuckle, his head falling back with a moan as it vibrates through him. “Karking hell woman, don’t stop. Don’t kriffing stop.”

You’re tempted, oh you are sorely tempted after that little stunt he pulled earlier- but no, not tonight. He’s been so good the last few days. You take him as deep as you can, swallowing him just as his hips buck up into the concentrated heat. You feel his groan in your toes, stuttering thrusts up into your mouth as he pushes down your throat. You swallow every drop of him happily as he pushes as far as he can down your throat, riding every last thrust as far in as you can take him.

He lays there for a moment, head back, breathing deeply, letting his body relax as you slowly trace lips up and off of him, hands smoothing over his thighs, mouth trailing kisses over his groin, his stomach, and up to his neck, his lips.

Something was different here then when he’d first appeared in your room- he’s...open right now. Vulnerable. Beautiful. What could have-

You lay next to him, taking him in, hand tracing over his chest. “Has no one ever done that for you before?”

“Not until I finish." Just like that, it's gone, closed up again. "Hadn’t really given them the chance.”

You beam, all but clapping your hands. “Does that mean I’m your first????”

He chuckles under his breath. “I guess you could say that, yes.”

“MMMMM!" You hum, satisfied with yourself. "You’re welcome. Told you I was kind and benevolent.”

He smirks as he kisses your neck. “Humble, too.”

“Jerk.” A huge yawn takes you by surprise as you stretch and shimmy closer to his warm body. “I’m also EXHAUSTED and would like to enjoy my blissed out orgasm recovery time, please, so be nice to me.”

“Do you want me to leave?” It sounds casual enough, but you can har the hidden hint of a tone. Resignation? Disappointment?

You pull a face, hand tracing along his stomach to hug him at his hip. “No. How else am I supposed to keep the big bad shinies away?”

He smirks. “Mmm. Alright.”

You watch something click in his mind, a very slight softening in his eyes, but you aren’t quite sure why. You kiss his nose, letting the moment go. “Just don’t hog the blankets.”

He snorts. “Brat.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

------------

Hunter looks around the room, watching most of his squad finish gearing up, packing away stray items- everyone but Crosshair. He glances at the chronometer and smirks, rolling his eyes. He picks up his com as the team heads towards him, Wrecker looking quizzically at Crosshair’s empty bunk.

“Crosshair, where are you?”

Silence from the other end. He glances at Echo, who also smirks and rolls his eyes. Like they would have been any different.

Hunter tries again. “Crosshair.”

A drawling, irritated voice came from the other end. Crosshair is not a morning person. “What?”

“We’re all packed up and headed for the mess. New orders came in, be at the ship in half an hour.”

He hears breath hitch on the other end, followed by a breathy reply. “Kriff, woman. Yes sir. We’ll meet you in the mess.”

“At the SHIP,” your voice pops up, bright and mischievous. “Bring us some food please, Sergeant?”

He chuckles. “What, still hungry?”

He can almost hear you wink. “Mmmmmhmm. In more ways than one.” The comm line went dead.

Wrecker’s eyes are wide, staring in disbelief at the device. “Wait, wasn’t that the Queen?”

Echo looks at the giant man, eye brows up. “Wrecker, don’t tell me you still don’t know.”

Wrecker looked from brother to brother, cogs turning in his head. “Wait… he stayed with-

“-yes,” Tech finally joins them, nodding, matter-of-fact.

Wrecker’s mouth fell open. “WAIT- that means that he-

“Yes.”

“-and she-“

“Yes.”

Wrecker smacked his head with one hand, then looked around suspiciously at his squad. He points at Tech. “Wait- have YOU-“

“Yes, while you were out getting supplies.”

Wrecker gawked, moving to Echo. “And YOU-“

Echo grinned, hand and scomp perched on his hips. “During medical evals.”

Wrecker focused on Hunter. “Have you?”

“Not yet,” Hunter smirked.

Wrecker looked from Echo, to Tech, to Hunter, to Echo again before huffing like a child and crossing his arms in dismay. “OooOOoOOoh!! How come nobody TOLD me?!”

Tech readjusts his goggles, all but shrugging.

“Well, we thought it was obvious.”

------

What up, taglist!!

@nunanuggets @nightsister-babez @nonsenseandm3mes @in-the-crosshairs @mywheezingisalertingtheguards @allhailkingboba @valiantlyminiaturecreature @kaorikoizumi @ladykatakuri @ben-is-a-hoe @klay97 @kaitou2417 @dumfanting @kuromisheart @koifish08 @nivcole445@echo-is-worth-more-than-2000 @badbatch-simp24 @pointy-sharp @rainytears2 @gabile18 @nedxwynert @chopper-witch @nexxxxxx @nightscissor @idrkmd @corona-one @babypandasugar22

@tinycollectivetrash @borderlinejedi @pumpkinkpatch @oohyesplease @princessclaire2 @just-a-shit-ton-of-trama @badbatch-simp24 @foreverhockeytrash @batmmarty @unholy-t-rin-ity @dabonem25 @reeny26 @smurderous @xxeiraxx @discarded-beskar @just-an-anxious-ball-of-flesh @mybigfatspoonielife

[succfest]

Happy Succession Sunday folks!

So here it is, the official announcement post for the SUCC Fest! This should give you about a little less or more than a week's time depending on when you decide to post your work.

Share this post, so other can see it and take part! <3

But before, you scroll onto the prompts and their explanations, here's some important things!

Introduction

Well, who are we? Here's a brief introduction to us:

Clover: Hi! I'm @your-machiavellian-cousin-clover :) I got into Succession around March of this year, and it's never left me ever since. Well, I usually hang out in Tomgreg spaces, so if you've seen the "Everyone ships Tomgreg", "Matt Mac ships Tomgreg", or Richard Siken-ification of Tom Wambsgans, that's me *waves*

If you see colour purple in the doc, that's me speaking individually!

Elise: Hi folks! it's me! elise! who u probably know better as @feuillytheflorist and u might know me even better from my absurd au's (the tomgreg pirates? the tomgreg horror radio? those were me lol!) I'll be speaking in red.

<3

Ground Rules

E: What it says below. Lets keep this a safe and inclusive space for everybody!

C: Well, as Elise put it the other day, "don't be an asshole, and don't be a creep." No incest ships. No Bigotry. I think that covers out bases. Also since this fest is open to all, please tag your trigger warnings (if applicable) and keep it sfw y'all!

Tag us and the blog so we can reblog y'all's work and tag it under #succ fest

<3

And Finally, The Prompts!

1. Tis is the Season for anything!

C: Well, as it says on the label, this one's all about the season. But honestly, it doesn't have to Christmas. This time of the year is very festive to different group of people, so go for it!

E: Tis the season and all that, it's December, and all that goes with that-- gift giving, hot drinks, christmas trees, and, if it's your thing,,, angst!

2. Well, here’s the punchline

E: We do love and respect crack ships and crack aus. If you want to do something off the walls, wild, or downright silly, now's your time!

C: In this house we respect crack ships. Whether it be Glowstick Greg x Mr Tom Darcy, which you have a free reign to write about, or something extremely implausible. Go for it! Make us crackle and laugh at your works!

3. One Word Special: Hot Topic

C: Well, for reasons undisclosed, me and Elise both have a soft spot for Hot Topic, and well, Hot Topic Greg is our beloved. This is very open to be interpreted, so well, it could be a throwaway line, a setting or the main plot point.

E: Hot Topic, the love of my life. Greg and those silly red suspenders. Take this however you like!

4. Here On Broadway!

E: I know there's succession broadway stans out there, I know you listen to your favorite show and think about your favorite terrible roy. I want to think about them too!

C: Well, don't look at me here, I think Elise's ideas should help you out, much more than I can. I'm pretty much a Hamilton girlie and that's it, so yup! No advice here! Go check out Elise's showtunes Tomgreg playlist though. Might help ?

5. From The Poets

C: Now this here, this is my stuff. Show me the verses that make you think of your poor little meow meows, your besties, and your codings. Make web weavings, gifs, fancams with poetry recitations and your fics with poetry titles. Show me your Richard Siken, Ada Limón, Ginsberg, and everyone else, make me cry, scream and yearn.

E: I'm no Shakespeare, but make this as artsy as you like. What are poems, really, if not vessels for us to talk about fictional characters and the love we have for them.

6. Rarepair, Rarefic

E: Rarepairs need love too! We've all been there, done that. If you have a rarepair that has a place in your heart, share it with the world. Perhaps it won't be so rare anymore!

C: Well, I'm looking very intently at Stewy/Willa folks here, cause y'all, I've been binging your fics and they are good! Well, this prompt is simple, if your characters interacted in canon, how would their interaction go? Do you have words, pictures, or even vibes to offer? Well, show them to us!

7. Give Us A Soliloquy!

C: Well, get into the head of your favourite character, show me the world through their ideas, give me their musings and broodings, make me feel like as if I'm Jeremy Strong method acting by the end of all of this. (Okay, it's alright if it's not very intense, but you know, turn up the angst to a 100 if you want to)

E: Character analysis, Shakespearian monologue, and everything in between. I know this fandom has spectacular character analysis, and we wanna hear it! Focus on your fave (or your least favorite, no judgements) and tell us what they really feel.

8. Fast Forward

E: Down the road a bit... what's happening? Who's got kids? Who's divorced? Who's the CEO? Who's finally in jail for their crimes? It's up to you!

C: Well, what happens in a year or two, or a decade or so later? Do they sink or swim? Who lives? Who dies? Who tells their story? (I'm very sorry, but I'm putting in the only theatre references I know for Elise)

9. In-between The Scenes

C: Show us what you think gets left behind on the cutting floor of HBO. The in-betweens, the travel, the moments where the camera is not on our favourite messes, who are they then?

E: Missing scenes galore! What'd Tom and Greg do after their diner date? Where did Roman go after Kendall's birthday? The world-- all three seasons of it-- is your oyster.

10. Free Square On The Bingo

E: Wanna write something that doesn't fit? Got an art piece you want to share? Got a hyper specific playlist you need everyone to hear? Here's the place for it!

C: Well, if you don't like any of the prompts, and still wanna make something to take part, go ahead! This is your dance floor, show us the best moves!

11. Kiss, Kiss, Kiss

C: I am not above quoting the famous video by our queen, Justine Lupe, where she rightfully says, "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss!". Well, just this is here for you to experiment with!

E: What it says on the tin! Your favorite character getting a smooch! Mondale giving a kiss! Parents and children! Husbands and wives! Someone and their celebrity crush!

12. Back To The Past

E: Everybody loves a backstory-- but there's plenty of characters and relationships that have yet to be explored! Go ahead and speculate on some of 'em!

C: ✨Take Me Back To The Night We Met ✨Well, do we see Stewy meeting Kendall, Connor being a Dad to his siblings, Tom before he ever met Shiv? Do you wanna show us? Go ahead!

13. #Trending

C: Social Media AU. Tweets, Scandals, Tabloids, Notes, Reblogs, etc, etc. Need I say more?

E: Who doesn't love a social media au? I for one think there's a whole subreddit dedicated to the Roy family antics.

14. In Another Time, In Another Life

E: As you may have noticed... i love a historical au....maybe you do too?

C: Mhm, can we get some P&P aus? Or some obscure as heck history aus? Love those. I will give you a big hug <3

15. Through The Fortune Orb

C: Well, in contrast to the other prompt, we'd love to see you predict what would happen in S4? Tomgreg hooking up? (I am def projecting), Romangerri marriage, or something else? Free reign, bois.

E: Where's season four going? What goes on in the writer's room? You tell us?

16. What’s The Colour?

E: Everybody's got a favorite one. What's yours?

C: This one's for the visuals. Well, what's your favourite colour, hue, palette? Go crazy, tell me through your work!

17. The First

C: Pretty open-ended. This one's just for the firsts!

E: First kiss, first date, first fight-- first anything!

18. “Family”

E: Family is everything... or is it? Create a new one, or focus on a preexisting one!

C: I .. know .. uh .. Succession is not the best for tender family moments. But they have em there, and maybe you could create your own or just expound upon the ones already in the show?

19. Character Wrapped

C: Well, what's your Spotify mood? And put it towards your fav character / ship (Apparently mine was euphoric and wistful 🙄 I blame Elise for getting me hooked on her playlist and Taylor Swift)

E: Mine was spooky and affectionate! What was yours? And who does it fit?

20. Louder For The Ones In The Back

E: Background characters, my beloved, time for you to shine!

C: Who's always in the background? Show them some love! Write / Create some for the besties who don't get enough screen time <3

21. Time For A Feast!

C: Well, food shares a central position on Succession. Whether it explosive family feasts, sensual songbirds, or a quick bite under the night lights,, sometimes our faves deserves some good / terrible food.

E: They're always eating! Eggs! Pigeon! Wine! Diner food! Whatever you like!

22. I Think, Therefore I Write

E: Time to be pretentious. No judgements. It's my favorite thing. Are we destined to become our parents? What is the affect of forcing yourself to become someone you're not? Take this one how you like, and let's hear how smart I know you all are!

C: Get philosophical, get on Jeremy Strong's level, get pretentious. Problem of Evil? Contemplating Existence? Put your best philosophical foot forward!

23. Shake It Up!

C: Ever wanted to write even though you're an artist? Or vice versa? Well, here's your time to do so! Indulges in an art form you don't usually do so and try it out! Judgement free zone here!

E: Writers can draw! Drawers can write? Never drawn a fan art? Now's the time!

24. Give Us The Classics

E: We've all got a favorite! Only one bed, enemies to lovers, kidfic-- what's your favorite classic trope?

C: Well, what's the fanfic trope you'd die for?? This prompt is for that!

25. Switch, Swap!

C: Well, do you have a bestie in the fandom? Ever wanted to collaborate with someone, here's your chance to do so! Create fan art and maybe your friend can write a ficlet for it? Well, possibilities are limitless.

E: Pair up! Co-write a fic! Draw art for someone's work! Make a playlist together. Analyze someone over DM.

26. Take Your Fandom Somewhere

E: Coffee shop au? College roommates? Florist and tattoo parlor? With a thousand settings, what's your favorite place to be?

C: This is very largely inspired by "Take Your Fandom To Work", but feel free to take us anywhere you dearly cherish or hate.

26. The Witches, The Magic, And The Works

C: This is for all the fantasy nerds out there! Go nuts!

E: A little fantasy and supernatural prompt for those who dig more than just reality! Vampires, witches, warlocks, monsters, fae-- anything you like, you got it!

28. Fright Nights

E: Horror! Terror! Spooky scary skeletons! Give us a fright!

C: Well, need I say? Scare me.

29. And We’ll All Be Royals, It Runs In Our Blood

C: Give us your Hamlet Kendall Roy, your Princess of people, Tom Wambsgans, your monarchy Roys. Give us the head that is heavy with the crown.

E: Heir to the house of Roy? King Logan and Cordelia Kendall? Royal blood's a-flowing!

<3

Thank you so much for participating! We are so thrilled with the response and we can't WAIT to see what you come up with. Remember to tag your works/art/playlist/posts/etc with #SUCC fest so we can reblog it here and share it with others! Have fun, and enjoy a space to show your love!

[blksuwie1]

RivaMika FanFic Rec List Part 1

Hi friends!

I decided to make this rec list because I've been consuming so much RM fic lately that I've been having a hard time keep tracking of which ones I'm recommending. So, I decided to make this for my selfish reasons lol but I figured this would be good to share since it seems we have some more incoming RM fans our way.

We're currently at 916 RM fics as of today. When I first started reading about this wonderful duo, there were only about 600 or so and it just exploded over the past years. It's so awesome to see our little ship gain some headway.

As always, feel free to add in your own recs! This is merely a beginning list. The links to the fics are attached to the title. I'll include some ratings and brief summary. See the tags below for quick info:

Tags

+ = Completed work

- = WIP

* = nsfw

The Song Remains The Same by MoraLeeWright. Rated M, * and +. What can I say about this masterpiece that hasn't been said already? This is probably the best intro to rivamika that you can ask for. Really good rival to lovers done in a realistic manner. So damn good, you'll consume it in less than three days. Recommended to anyone who is a bit iffy about this pairing and needs some convincing. The smut is beautifully done too. Fantastic slow burn.

Just Until The Storm Has Gone by MoraLeeWright. Rated E, * and +. When I tell you I screamed at some of these scenes! A much more angsty composition to the post canon au fics out there, but done so well. You almost forget how much angst the characters feel when the sweetness of their actions outweigh them. Author is incredible and has more works, but these two are just *chefs kiss*.

Surviving Peace by die-forellex (heatinfreezing). Rated E, * and +. This fic was my first RM fic, and I'll never forget it. It's hot, sweet, and oddly comforting. There's a particular, ahem, mouth on private part scene that always me fan myself in chapter 2. The satisfaction you feel when these two are finally finally happy, it's so wholesome. Just mind the tags--ackerbaby and pregnancy is big in this one.

To you, five years from now by a_sassin. Rated E, * and +. A different take on a post war au that has Eren and Armin alive, trying to navigate their last years as Mikasa returns to them. Oh, and she's pining for a certain captain *grins gleefully*. This is angsty but not as heavy as you'd expect. Very spicy but sweet. Definitely give this a try.

The Sound of Lightning by LycheeGreenTea. Rated M, * and -. Ackerbabies? Ackerbaby. This cute but action packed WIP is such a worthy check out. There's something about Daddy!Levi and Mommy!Mikasa that eats at my rm heart. Another take on a post war au that leaves you wanting more. A spicy scene and some domestic fluff is all you need to want more from this author.

After The War by loneackerman (aka the wonderful @rivaille-13) Rated M, * and -. THIS STORY. Anyone who is reading this can attest to just how amazing the plot and development of these characters are. There's a delicious slow burn element to it, and it's recently been resolved...let me tell you, worth the wait. Author is almost done with the fic I believe, but please check this story out. It's one of the best post war canon healing au's out there.

Same Old Thing by Raewyll. Rated M, * and -. Did someone say underground adventure? This was one of the best stories I had the pleasure of following along for a while now. I think the author has one more chapter left over. This is great for those who want something kind of spicy but not too spicy. The tension, plot, and action are all still there though.

I am from a burning village by @valya-azucena. Rated M and -, possible *. There's so much I want to say about this fic but can't coherently describe how amazing it is. The tension and build up of these characters is so SO good, and I screamed at the last update. 10/10.

Inexorable by @alienheartattack. Rated T and +. Hello modern au! I devoured this fic during work shamelessly. It's short and sweet, and there's just something so hot about the secretary/boss trope that eats me up.

Paths in Constellations by LamentableBrat. Rated E, * and -. HOLY SMOKES. This fic has torn me apart, y'all. When I tell you I cried AND am hotly bothered, no one else can do this but this author. It's an incredible fic and am so excited to see where it goes.

Soldiers Don't Get Happy Endings by heretosayhello. Rated T and -. I had to do a double take when I saw this was rated T because holy heck, this author just writes the tension between them like no other. There's a lot of Ackertalk and new plot lines I'm incredibly jealous of that I didn't think of first. SO GOOD.

Deep Sea Running by @linaxlight (shameless self plug). Rated E, *, and +. Post canon AU of what happens when the old Levi squad comes back to Paradis Island. Everyone else seems to have moved on three years after the ending of the war, and they make their peace saying goodbye to Eren. But Mikasa chose to stay behind back then, and she'll need to face Levi eventually. Sequel has Ackerbabies because I love them.

That's all for now folks! I'll do a part 2 next time.

[gamer-logic]

Since my state, Georgia, is having the annual Peaches to Beaches event which is two days of statewide yard sales, I thought it would be interesting to show how America, the states, and any other countries wanting to participate both 1p and 2p would be during this event. So here you go!

Georgia is happily selling fresh produce like boiled peanuts and Vidalia onions and peach-based deserts. Her homemade peach cobbler and ice cream are to die for!

Antonio (Spain) also sells many fresh tomatoes, olives, and other vegetables. He doesn't understand why no one wants his Olive Juice though.

Hawaii and Alaska make a killing selling lemonade at their stand with a free complimentary handmade flower crown with every purchase. While using their sheer cuteness to attract everyone including one of those sweet biker gangs. It's really surreal to see a huge gang of buff, tattooed, tough-looking guys in leather wearing flower crowns and drinking lemonade. Allen's also there to supervise and ward of creep. Also, to provide people more 'incentive' to buy their lemonade.

Texas breaks out the Texas BBQ and is in a Barbecuing turf war with Jett (Australia). They draw huge crowds for the five-alarm chili as well and hold a competition who can eat the most without burning out their tongues and/or passing out.

Florida sells some of the weirdest stuff you'll ever see. "Want a full-scale model of a gator made entirely out of bottle caps? Only ten bucks! Want a portrait of Florida Man painted with orange juice? 15 bucks!"

Nevada also tries to sell weird and sketchy stuff to scam everyone. "This piece is the genuine article folks! One napkin gently used by Elvis Presley himself! Just 500 bucks! Also, gets into a haggling war with Lars (Netherlands). Somewhere Alfred's dad instincts go off and he reminds himself to ground Nevada.

California, Oregon, and Washington collaborate and California sells anything vegan or made with avocadoes and the autographs of Hollywood stars, Oregon sells his old tye-dyed shirts and records, they also made him sell his old groovy hippy bus from the sixties he'd never got rid of no one knew they had. Oregon can be a bit of a hoarder, so they had to tie him to a chair and gag him because he wouldn't surrender the bus without a fight. Washington also tries to sell and drink cups of coffee, but in the hot Southern heat, this doesn't end well.

Louisiana sells anything Cajun-style from frog legs to fresh gumbo, to beignets. Also has a full collection of Mardi Gras masks and shrunken voodoo heads on sale for two bucks a pop.

Gilbert (Prussia) gets tricked by Nevada and gets a ton of stupid things he doesn't need. Ludwig (Germany) tries unsuccessfully to keep him on a metaphorical leash.

Ludwig always checks the quality of things he sees and buys dog toys and supplies for Blackie, Berlitz, and Astor. Later, he actually buys a kiddie leash for Gilbert.

All the while Lutz (2p! Germany) is asleep in a lawn chair with his hat on his face after drinking like six cold beers from this really good booth. All the while, Klaus (2p! Prussia) finds an antique Teutonic Knights flag from a vendor whose family was from Germany.

Vash (Switzerland) buys antique guns from Alabama and Roderich (Austria) also checks out some of Tennessee's guitars. He's horrified upon seeing Alabama's banjo and washboard.

Mathew (Canada) and Emma (Belgium) combine their powers and tag team to sell the best pancakes and waffles on earth with genuine Canadian maple syrup.

New York sells tons of baseball memorabilia and collectibles. Allen, trying to save his bad-boy image, tries to be discreet when buying some while taking Hawaii and Alaska around to get something with their lemonade money. James also gets some hockey memorabilia with Michigan and Minnesota who also got snow cones.

Alaska and Hawaii see a giant deluxe dollhouse but are almost in tears when they don't have enough money. But they end up getting it for free because no one can resist their weaponized puppy dog eyes. Also, no one can resist a growling Allen. Using the leftover money, they buy cute little rainbow umbrella hats for everyone and have Allen wear one who begrudgingly accepts it.

James, walking by with an armful hockey gear and flannel shirts, bursts out laughing when he sees this. In revenge, Allen forces him to wear one too and help him carry the dollhouse, much to Hawaii and Alaska's delight! "I said go my way puck head!" "No, it's my way, you vegan loving hoser!" A passing Francis (France)' is in stylish horror when they also make him and a nonchalant Luis (2p! France), holding a case of vintage wines, wear them too. Hawaii and Alaska go around giving umbrella hats to everyone including a sleeping Lutz they pass by.

Loving (Romano) practically has to supervise Feliciano (Italy) and keep him from buying anything too stupid on impulse or get scammed. They still end up with stacks upon stacks of cookbooks, kitchen wear, and a Mona Lisa made entirely out of Macaroni. They also get umbrella hats.

Flavio (2p! Romano) browses through clothing racks to get ideas for his vintage line. Also checks out the handmade fabrics like quilts. "Such craftsmanship! This pattern is so unique and chic! I simply must have it! What's your price Bella?" The nice old woman selling the quilt just smiles, "Oh just about five dollars young man." "Perfect!" Flavio hands the quilts off to Andreas (2p! Spain) who's practically buried underneath the fabric. Luciano (2p! Italy) facepalms while holding a new knife set in its case. "Oooh! Look at those adorable hats I just have to have one." Cue three more umbrella hats and a humiliated Luciano. "Just kill me now..."

Katyusha (Ukraine), Elizaveta (Hungary), Lillie (Liechtenstein), Natalya, (Belarus), Katya( 2p! Ukraine) and Anastasia (2p! Belarus), and Michelle (Seychelles) explore with armfuls of clothes, new ribbons, and a gun case for Switzerland (Lillie), cast iron frying pans (Elizaveta, watch out Prussia!), farm tools (Katyusha), Jewelry and unmentionables (Katya), dresses (Anastasia), an assortment of switchblades (Natalya), and one of those singing fish on a plague (Michelle). It's definitely an interesting group.

Kiku (Japan) and Kuro (2p! Japan) find a nerd booth selling comics, manga, and Japanese weapons like katanas. Kuro test swings a blade and tries to slice the table so hard it breaks the blade, "Hmmm, not sharp enough for me, got anything else?" He throws it on the pile of broken blades he's already tested. Kiku stockpiles on limited-edition manga and he and the vendor end up getting into a huge, heated by Kiku standards, debate on who's waifu is best. Further down, Alfred reads every Marvel/DC comic while keeping an ear out on every state's location. He checks on Texas via his glasses and notices he's beating Australia in the chili contest. "That's my boy!"

Wisconsin wearing a cheese head sells anything cheese-based. He's got cheddar, goat cheese, string cheese, cheese spray, gorgonzola, grilled cheese, cheese curds, Mac n' Cheese, cheese sculptures of all world monuments, you name it he's got it! He also starts a war with Iowa's corn dishes and Idaho's potato dishes. They eventually end up flinging cheese, potatoes, and corn after they start dissing each other's foods. "Take this cheese brain!" "Nice aim, I-da-ho!" "I told you not to call me that!" "I'm gonna go children of the corn on y'all's behinds!" Poor Nebraska is stuck in the middle.

Alfred (America) hears the commotion and using his parent radar, immediately knows who it is and reminds himself to ground Iowa, Wisconsin, and Idaho later along with Nevada who, though still grounded for sure, makes him feel a little proud of since he managed to out haggle Netherlands.

New Mexico and Arizona also sell Native American handicrafts along with things like dreamcatchers and giant inflatable aliens. While Delaware, being the boring stick in the mud that he is, walks by with a framed and complete U.S. quarter collection from a vendor.

Kansas sells out of every sunflower she had courtesy of Ivan (Russia). Ivan and her the team up to buy out every sunflower seed from here to kingdom come. Viktor (2p! Russia) buys all the vodka he can find and a new shovel while Xiao (2p! China) tries giving people tattoos for 10 bucks a pop.

He tries to convince Yao (China) to get a hello kitty one to match the giant plushie he's holding, with the encouragement of Leon (Hong Kong) and Yong Soo (South Korea) who all collectively agree he needs to quit being such a grandpa. They also like calling him an antique-like the items on sale. " Aiyah! I'm not that old, aru!" "Yeah, you are Sensei." "Don't deny it! Da Ze!" Respect your elders!" "Tattoos originated in Korea da ze!" He totally is that old.

Oliver (2p! England) holds a bake sale and has people lined up for blocks to get some. Arthur (England), after having his scones shut down after it poisoned some unlucky squirrels, fries selling authentic magical items like unicorn hair or pixie dust. Everyone thinks he's a little crazy but he did sell a good bit of old magic books he needed to get out of his house, after making sure no one could actually use them of course.

The Nordics also went perusing for antique and handmade furniture when Mathias (Denmark) spots two full sets of Viking costumes and tries to get Lukas (Norway) to try them on with him. Lukas wasn't amused.

Berwald (Sweden) and Tino (Finland) also find a great handmade table to get after inspecting the workmanship and a full Lego set for Peter (Sealand), now if only Mathias would stop squealing like a little kid at the full piece lego death star. Emil (Iceland) keeps thinking he's the mature one until he spots a mini top hat and cane for Mr. Puffin.

In the end, everyone ends up wearing umbrella hats courtesy of Hawaii and Alaska, loving all the strange things they bought or counting the profits they made. Alfred (America) is proud of his kids and visits everyone one of their stands. He ends up looking pretty funny with an umbrella hat (HW, AK), a washboard, (AL),a picture of Florida Man, (FL), a balloon alien (NM, AZ), a tye dye shirt (CA, WA, OR), hockey stick shaped glasses (MN, MI), a giant stack of comics with a replica Thor hammer and Captain America shield on his back, all in a shopping cart (NV), and a giant turkey leg in his hand (Tx). Unsurprisingly, it was a tie between Oliver, Texas, and Australia for who earned the most with their food. Georgia just smiled as this was another great year for her state and people!

[xpao-bearx]

Part 1 HERE

NOTE: OMG I really wasn't expecting for the previous first part of Heavenly Sins to blow up as it did, but I just wanted to give a huuuge THANK YOU to all of you amazing folks!! 🥰🥰🥰 Your support truly means so fooken much to trashy ol' meh and y'all are the reason I am writing this story series in the first place :')

I do have my ideas, but I still don't know much yet of what to do or even how long (or short) this story will get. So, if you would continue to give me your mindblowing support, it would seriously mean the W O R L D.

I do, however, very much enjoy writing Negan in particular so far. He's one of my absolute fave characters ever and JEFFREY DEAN FUCKIN' MORGAN NEED I SAY MOAR?!? 🥵💕💕

But this second part will be focusing a bit more on our beloved sheriff Ricky boi! Of course, Daryl will also get some much deserved love and attention tho I think he will appear in the story a lil later on.

Also, if you ever feel compelled, you are more than welcome to take some inspo from this story and make your own imagines and such! I'd love to see 'em, so please tag me 😁

P.S. There won't always be long ass notes like this, only if I wanna say something or bring up whatever is important. Also, if you wanna be tagged on any new/future story parts, then just tell moi and I will dedicate the latest one to the people who wanted to be tagged!

DEDICATED TO: The wonderful @buttercandy16 💖

"Heavenly Sins"

Part 2

After your little spiel, you haven't spoken to Negan since then. But on the way home after church, you passed by his house and found him tinkering away on his motorcycle (which you previously learned he interestingly named Lucille) in the garage. Not being able to help yourself, you paused in your tracks and just curiously watched him for a while.

His leather jacket was off, revealing a plain white t-shirt. The shirt was quite tight, and you noted how it perfectly hugged the taut muscles of his chest. Your eyes then slowly trailed to his toned arms, adorned by tattoos you wished you had a better look at. He stopped briefly, placing his tools down before grabbing the hem of his shirt and wiping the sweat on his forehead.

You didn't even think twice as your eyes dropped, hyperfocused on his abs. He wasn't the buffest guy out there, but he was lean and fit and--to put it bluntly--hot. A part of you screamed bloody murder to get a grip on yourself, to just turn your stiff body around and proceed on home. But another part completely squashed down those protests without even a fight; as if your pathetic excuse of a resolve wasn't even meant in the first place.

"Take a goddamn picture, darlin'. It'll last longer."

Your head snapped up, meeting the tantalizing hazel stare of Negan. His lips were curled in a smug smirk, and nevermore in your entire life have you wanted to both slap and kiss someone so badly.

But you only clicked your tongue, shooting him a sharp glare before (at last!) turning and walking away as you hid your blush. In the distance, his amused chuckle begrudgingly sounded like the sweetest fucking music to your ears.

♡♡♡

You woke up at 7:05 a.m. like you typically did the next morning, Monday. It was the dawn of a new week, and while most people dreaded it you actually didn't mind it so much. You had your job to thank for that.

Sure, it wasn't always easy, but it was worth it in the end. You loved teaching and spending time with the children, and you were even more ecstatic since you knew Judith was going to be at the daycare.

As you finished eating breakfast and preparing for the day, you grabbed your bag then went out the door. You opted to walk again today, the weather far too beautiful to miss plus the daycare really wasn't that far away.

Eventually arriving at your destination, you approached the daycare building's doors with a little spring in your step. Once inside, a young woman with her blonde hair high in a ponytail smiled and waved.

"Hi, Y/N! Goodmorning!" Beth Greene greeted energetically.

"Morning, Beth." You chuckled, the girl's radiant smile infectious. You've known Beth for some time now, especially since the Greenes were one of the oldest families in Alexandria and they were well respected. But you got along best with Beth, you thought she was the friendliest and she was also the latest hire of the daycare.

Stashing your bag away in your personal locker, you fixed yourself up a bit before getting your nametag and sticking it on your top. Looking up at the wall clock, you read that it was 7:50 a.m. Perfect, just in time for the kids' drop-offs.

You waited outside with Beth and the rest of the daycare workers, until finally the parents started rolling in. It was the usual; some of the children were wailing, snot snivelling down their nose as their embarrassed parents tried to tug them away from clinging onto their legs. You could only offer a sympathetic smile as you tried to help, while other children were much more relaxed and didn't even spare a second glance at their parents as they were dropped off.

"Well, that's about all of them." Beth piped up.

"Wait, we're still waiting for Judith." You said, searching for the toddler. "Rick said she'd be here."

Beth checked her watch, her brows creasing a little in worry. "That's odd. Sheriff Grimes is never late when he's dropping Judith off."

Just as she said that, there was a honk that disrupted the peace. You and Beth both spotted a crying Judith being held by Lori, the woman appearing utterly exhausted before her eyes locked with yours and didn't waste another second dashing towards you.

"Please don't run when you're holding Judith. Also, no honking is allowed on the premises." It was hard for you to keep the malice out of your voice, but you mentally gave yourself a pat on the back since you miraculously managed to not make it sound the worst it could get.

Lori raised a brow at you, but only handed Judith over to you. Judith immediately quieted down when she saw it was you, you cooing gently at her as she giggled and snuggled up comfortably against your chest.

"Rick will be picking her up later." Was all Lori said, pressing a quick peck on Judith's curly little head before parting ways. As Lori rushed back to the car, you saw Shane in the driver's seat shamelessly attack her neck with fervent kisses and you couldn't restrain an eyeroll.

"Fucking bitch..." You grumbled.

"Uh-oh. Bad!" Judith giggled again, clapping her hands gleefully.

"Right, right. Bad. Don't copy me, okay?" You laughed, completely forgetting about your aggravation as you rubbed your nose with Judith's and went inside.

♡♡♡

The rest of the day rolled along splendidly. No one threw a tantrum and for the most part, all the kids properly shared the wide assortment of toys and even did their activities orderly and on time. So, you decided to indulge them with a small yet much sought after reward.

Painting.

When it comes down to children, painting can be utter chaos. But you figured since they were being so good, you'd allow it. At the daycare you worked in, painting was quite a rare occurrence and that only solidified how much the kids adored it.

Once the materials were set out, it was a dizzying flurry of excited hands grabbing anything it could latch on to. As the kids went about doing their creative business, you found Judith all alone sitting in the corner playing around with some blocks.

"Whatcha doin' there, Judi?" You asked, sweetly calling out her nickname. "You don't wanna paint?"

"I wanna, but not with papers." She replied, shaking her head.

"Oh? Then where do you wanna paint?"

"I wanna paint on faces, but no one wants me to!"

"If that's the case, then I'd be more than happy to let you paint my face." You smiled.

"Really?!" Judith's whole face lit up, jumping up and wrapping her tiny arms around you as tightly as she could. "Thank youuu!"

You chuckled, ruffling her hair and watching as she happily gathered some paint and brushes.

♡♡♡

It was finally the end of a long day, and your face felt a bit itchy from the paint Judith put on you. But it didn't matter; as long as the little girl was happy, it was the best damn day ever.

You were holding Judith's hand as you waited outside for Rick to pick her up, and once he came up with his car Judith beamed.

"Daddy!"

"Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a nice day?" His face looked tired, his greying beard making him appear slightly older than he really was, but his smile was genuine as he carried Judith in his strong arms.

"The bestest! Y/N lemme paint her face!"

"She did, huh? What did you pai--oh my god."

You bursted into laughter at his reaction, flashing him a toothy grin. "In the words of Judi: You're a pretty tiger! Grr!"

"Now that you mention it, I can see it." Rick joined in your laughter, nodding his head. "Looks like we've got a talented lil artist in our hands!"

"Daddy, I wanna paint your face next! You can be daddy tiger and Y/N can be mommy!" Judith proclaimed.

You and Rick flushed pink at the same exact time, but Rick was quick to clear his throat and change the topic. "A-Anyways, Y/N, how 'bout me and the kids give you a ride? Thank you for today, by the way."

"No problem, and sure! Thanks so much."

As you settled in the passenger's seat, two hands covered your eyes from behind. "Guess who~?"

"Hmm..." You hummed, making a show of thinking. "Are you an elf?"

"No!" The hands were removed, Carl popping his head out from the backseat to look at you as he laughed. "It's me!"

"Oh, sorry! You're just so short, I thought you were an elf." You teased good naturedly.

Carl huffed, sticking his tongue out at you. "Y'know, in a few years, I'll be way taller than you!"

Once Rick was done buckling Judith into her carseat, he took his place in the driver's seat and drove out of the premises. You just talked about anything that came to mind: work, the weather, Alexandria's local shops, etc. To anyone else, maybe it seemed like regular boring conversation. But speaking with Rick was truly one of the highlights of any of your days. He was extremely easy to talk to, and he never failed to cheer you up. And it was obvious Rick was the same. He was allowed to simply be himself around you; to loosen up, momentarily forget about the stress and sometimes even the woes that came along with being the town's upstanding sheriff.

As you were nearing your home, Carl decided to cut in.

"Y/N, can we stay at your house? It's been a while since we had a sleepover." Carl asked, his baby blue eyes identical to Rick's alight with hope.

It wouldn't be the first time Rick and the kids would be staying over. You were very close to the Grimes family, sometimes even almost considering them as your own. You didn't mind it. Since you lived alone, it can get pretty lonely. And having people around surely brightened up the house and made you keep your sanity.

"I don't mind, but you gotta ask your dad." You chuckled.

Carl turned to Rick, pouting and giving his best puppy dog eyes. Rick rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress an inkling of a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. But let me drop you and Judith off with Y/N first. I'll be back, I just need to get some extra clothes and essentials."

"YAY!" Carl cheered, Judith following suit as they both raised their arms and hollered.

"You're so whipped for them." You laughed, shaking your head as you looked at Rick.

"I ain't denying that." He sighed dramatically, grinning.