#wasn't gonna do the event but then the ball happened and now I have to

[kaciebello]

Pigeon ball invitation

Masterlist Badger express ★ Blaise Zabini x Hufflepuff! reader (fem) Summary: Teaching Hufflepuff how to dance was not on Blasies to-do list  Warnings: no use of y/n,  Authors note: Haiya! This is a sequel series to the whole delivery one. This one is gonna focus on the boys separately! hope you enjoy it! English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes beforehand. Proofread by me and me only (Ｔ▽Ｔ) word count: 1.1k Song: Box - NCT Dream

Blaise comes from a rich family. Yes, he knows their wealth comes from his mother's multiple husbands. But he was not going to spoil her fun. What was spoiling his however was attending all these balls and events.  And one thing he despised even more was dancing. That's why he was frustrated as we watched the Hufflepuff girl glide on the floor. His head hung low as he watched her trip over her own feet.

Why he even agreed to teach her is beyond him. Maybe she batted her eyelashes at him or promised him a free delivery service. He can't remember.

“How are you this bad? I've seen you balance on a flying broom.” He says rubbing his temples. The girl stops and looks at him with a pout. 

“That's easier.” She argues back.

“ How is balancing on a moving stick easier than moving around a solid ground.” She shrugs unable to answer him. 

Right now, she was contemplating her choice of a teacher. She could have asked any of the boys really, she just wasn't sure anyone could teach her ballroom dancing but Blaise.

“Okay, one more time. And please, try to remember the steps.” He says and waves his wand so that the music plays. The girl just sings and makes her to the dummy that has been her dancing partner for the past 30 minutes.

The first few steps are now engraved in her memory and she has no problem dancing that part. It's the twist that comes after, somehow she always manages to twist her feet together. Just as she did now, in panic she even managed to trip the dummy, making it fall. When Blaise heard the thud he did not even need to turn around.

The girl looks at him with an awkward smile. He wants to say something and express his frustration, but she cuts him off.

“Maybe if I was dancing with a human!” She hurls out before thinking. That stops him in his tracks, she's not wrong. Maybe if he has her dancing with someone she will be less likely to trip them and make them face the floor. Yes, it was like 99% she would, but not 100.

“Nobody is willing to risk their feet-”

“You could.”

“EH?” He stops in his tracks. Once again, she is right. It's starting to get on his nerves. He sighs and makes his way to her.

“Fine. But only once.” He says and the girl nods. He grabs one hand to his and places the other one on her waist. She smiles up at him, making it obvious she finally got what she wanted. Blaise just huffs.

“Don't look at your feet too much.” She looks up at him to argue but just nods when she sees his serious face. With a simple wave of his wrist, the music starts to play and they start to dance. As always the first few steps are done correctly and with no problem. 

He could see the girl was more nervous with every second they got closer to the twist. They got into positions and he listed his arms so she could twirl around. Her skirt flowed a bit. At the last second her feet tangled a bit, but Blaise was prepared. Not wanting to embrace her, and frankly not wanting to dance anymore he quickly stabled her by her waist and continued to dance. Giving her a mere second to comprehend what was happening before she had to follow his lead.

When he looked down he could see her smiling seemingly proud of herself. That prompted a smile on his face too. They continued dancing and when the song was nearing the end, he knew what he had to do.

on the last note, he stopped in his tracks and pulled her closer to her body. She did not even have time to react before he dipped her. Wide eyes met his leisurely smile.

“This was not in the original dance.” She says holding on to him for her dear life. She may be a witch but she is not immune to bruises. He just shrugs. Their faces were so close he could feel her talking before he heard it.

“I guess not.” With that, he straightens them up, but not letting her go just yet.  She just looks at him as he swings them in this makeshift hug.

“That was hard.” She whispers just enough for him to hear. He lets out a laugh that rings throughout the whole ballroom.

“Wait till you have to do in a dress and heels.” He says and takes a few steps away from her. She lets out a whine at his words. He once again laughs. Holding his hand out for her to take. He was well aware he said only once, but he hoped she did not register that and he could impress her more. She takes it, getting into positions again.

A coo is heard throughout the ballroom making them stop in their tracks. Suddenly from one of the open windows,  a dove comes down with a little paper wrapped around his leg.

“A pigeon?” he asks and the girl gives him a dirty look, before reaching into her pocket and giving the dove a treat while taking the note.

“A dove, I use them when someone can't reach me. Or when I need to deliver outside of school.” She explains making him look at her weirdly.

“We have owls?” He says and she just mumbles about it not being her style. An idea popped up in his head. He runs to his bag and quickly scribbles something on a piece of paper. He runs back and hands it to the girl. She looks at him confused and she just flashes his smile.

“I do have a free delivery, no?” he asks and she just sighs and nods taking the note from him. She goes to put it in her pocket but he stops her.

“I need it to reach my mom,” he says and her eyes just widen. Before she can ask he shooks his head and answers her.

“You have about the same foot size, she might have some shoes that would feel nice while dancing.” He says and her eyes widen again.

“How do you know this stuff?” She asks but ties the note to the dove before letting it fly away.

“God forbid man express an ounce of girlish whimsy.” He says rolling his eyes. Before extending his hand to her for another dance. She hesitates but takes it nonetheless.

“With no dipping?”

“With all the dipping honey.”

Taglist: @daisiesformylove , @klimovatereza-blog , @lafrone ,@enfppuff , @rafegfs , @frogtape , @lovelyygirl8 , @catiwinky, @anyam444 , @leeleecats , @ghostgardn , @reverse-soe , @ultramarinetovelvet , @iwishigotswallowed , @jazz-berry , @justatadbonkers , @partnerincrime0 , @schaebickel , @bunnyhopsstuff , @deluluassapocalypse

[chaotic-mystery]

hmmm… but what if you and dbf!joel have been fucking in secret for ages. then you bring a date like a new boyfriend/ guy your age to a family dinner or event. and joel drags you away and fucks you rough and is all like “what? you think that little boy is gonna stop me having whats mine?”

anyways……

(A/N: You have such a beautiful mind 😏)

You and Joel had been messing around behind everyone's back for years, but you never thought it was anything serious. Sure, you went on a couple dates, but you thought it was more of a friends with benefits thing. So when you brought your new boyfriend to meet everyone for the first time at your dads weekend party, things didn’t go too well. Joel was standing with your dad in front of the fire pit when you walked up with your guest, introducing him as your boyfriend. As soon as his name left your lips, your eyes looked at Joels and he was seething. He had no reason to be upset, you both agreed there was too much to risk being together at the moment.

The whole entire night you could feel Joel staring daggers into your backs as you and your boyfriend made conversation with anyone who was around. Your dad pulled him away to show him what he would call how to grill the perfect burger, and Joel's rough hand was instantly connected with your arm, pulling you away from the center of the function. He walked you into the house, not stopping until he was out of earshot of anyone outside. “What’re you doin, sweetheart? Surely you aren’t with that fuckin loser.” His tone was quiet as he slowly walked towards you. “I am Joel, and please don’t call him a loser. I actually like him.” it wasn't sounding so believable leaving your lips, and all he did was laugh in your face. “Oh, s’that right baby doll?” he nodded as he dipped his head down, brushing his lips ever so slightly over yours. You backed away from him and up the stairs, Joel hot on your tail. 

“Yeah, now would you just stop okay, because this” you motioned between your body and his before continuing, “is never happening again.” You got to the top of the stairs and you came face to face with him once again. “S’cute you think that baby.” Before you could protest and tell him to go fuck himself, his callused palm found the nape of your neck, crashing his lips onto yours. Joel was walking you backwards into a room until your back fell flat onto the bed, your hands grabbing at his shirt trying to pull him as close as he could possibly be. “Baby doll, tell me one thing, huh?” He mocked as his hand made its way into your panties, running the pad of his middle finger between your soaking wet folds. “If ya like him so much, why is your pussy soaking wet?” His voice hummed against your ear and you bucked your hips against the motion of his finger. “I-I” You couldn’t think of what to say, surely not the truth. Truth being that Joel being jealous over you was the reason your cunt was dripping. He laughed at seeing you scramble to form an answer.

“Sugar, if you thought that little boy was gonna stop me from having what’s mine, you’re sadly fuckin mistaken.” He growled in your ear as he was pushing your pants down to your ankles, your panties not far behind them. He parted your legs and aligned himself with your entrance, desperate to bury his hard cock inside you, to fuck you so hard you forget the guy you came with. “Do you think he’d have the balls to fuck you on your daddy’s bed, sweetheart?” you whimpered as an answer and clawed at his stomach, begging for him to stop teasing. He shoved himself inside you, moaning your name as he could feel how tight you were around his cock. “Does he get your pussy this wet like I do, baby doll?” He grunted as he started thrusting into you, pulling your legs up to his chest to get better access. Your hands grab the sheets, Looking at the concentrated man who minutes ago you couldn’t stand to be around. “No, Joel he doesn’t. Only you do, you make my pussy this wet.” Your lips parted and he placed his thumb against your tongue, instinctively closing your mouth around it to suck lightly. You moaned as you swirl your tongue over the salty tasting skin of this thumb, not looking away from his eyes. He gritted his teeth and slammed into you harder, his balls slapping against you. “That’s fuckin’ right sweetheart. Who’s pussy is this?” He split your legs once more, his thumb that was just in your mouth and was now covered in your saliva, rubbing on your clit. Your back arched off the soft sheets, pure pleasure taking over you.

You grabbed his wrist to make him stop rubbing your clit, but he smacked it away and said sternly, “Tell me angel, who’s pussy is this?” Your eyes squeezed shut as you could feel your body at the edge of orgasm, “It’s yours baby, it’s all yours I promise, I promi-” your sentence was cut short by the waves of your orgasm, barely squeaking out his name. Seeing you cum was his favorite part, he almost always let you go first. He loved seeing how many times he can break you before he cums, and this time he could tell one was all you needed. You rode out your high against him, and wanted to walk him through his, “Yeah, baby cum inside me so I'll be filled to the brim when I go back outside and sit by him. Whole time I'll be thinking of your cum inside just wanting to drip out” That image itself was all it took to drive Joel crazy and shoot his load inside you. Thank god the music outside was just loud enough to cover his shouts and grunts of your name. He finished milking his cock inside you and dropped next to you, pulling you into his chest. Joel kissed you deeply and said, “Go break up with that fuckin loser, and maybe we’ll talk about bein’ exclusive.”

[bubbleberrypunch]

I want a young Shanks running himself into circles wondering what the heck is going on with him all of a sudden, why does Buggy look different nowadays? Why has his hair gotten prettier? Why are his eyes literally sparkling? Why does Shanks get upset whenever he sees other people their age hanging out with Buggy? Why does Shanks's chest squeeze all of the time, especially when he thinks about his best friend? And why is his face on fire when Buggy is a hair too close? He feels shocks of electricity wherever Buggy is touching him.

What? A crush? Feelings? Like Lady Toki and Oden? No way, absolutely not! That has got to be the LAST thing that Shanks would ever feel towards the fellow cabin boy. He definitely doesn't like Buggy like that, just couldn't be possible. But he does end up hiding all of Buggy's beanies, pulling on his ponytail, tripping him just to catch him. Catches himself staring at Buggy across the ship's deck, finds himself giddy at seeing Buggy's feral grin when they're about to get into mischief. It means nothing.

It means nothing at all when they sneak some alcohol and drink together under the moonlight. Shanks doesn't like Buggy when they're at an island festival and he drags the other boy out to participate. Or when they go undercover in a kingdom at a fancy party to gather information. Okay, maybe Shanks needs to rethink some things.

They're at a masquerade party and Buggy is all dressed up like a young noble (so is he), but there's just something about Buggy being all dolled up that's got his heart racing. They're supposed to be making nice with the prince and gaining info, but for some reason the prince is only paying attention to Buggy. And alright, maybe Shanks wasn't exactly listening to what the party was for because there's suddenly an announcement for...something about to happen and the prince is asking Buggy to dance, and Shanks just- the prince is holding his hand out and right at Buggy is about to take it, Shanks rushes in between and steals Buggy away. That's when the lights in the room turn to red and some kind of eery lullaby type of song is playing, and now Shanks and Buggy are waltzing together across the floor with a spotlight coming from the roof(?) shining down on them. And eyes are all on them, Buggy's eyes are on him. Shanks has no idea what he's just done, but he can't really find it in himself to regret it when he's got a hand on Buggy's waist.

Even through the mask, Buggy's eyes are shining as they gaze up at him. Shanks feels like he's been caught in a trance. Their little dance ends sooner than he'd like, but that's when he notices that the prince has been fuming the entire time. And Shanks takes that as their cue to get out of there, hoping to all the gods that Buggy managed to actually do their task. He hears the prince yelling something about how that dance was his and was supposed to find his match, but no time for that.

They're back at the ship, the crew able to finish their mission. Buggy had been able to sweet talk useful information out of that prince, Shanks is ever grateful. But Buggy has been a bit off ever since they've returned, so Shanks decides to bite and ask what that whole dance thing was about.

Well, uh, it turns out that the masquerade ball had been a big event surrounding this local phenomenon where two people are shown to be soulmates or whatever, and it's a pretty big tradition. And it doesn't happen very often. Shanks feels his eyes widen at the soulmates part. Does this mean that him and Buggy are...? How is he supposed to bring that up? Buggy certainly doesn't look like he's gonna talk about it. This doesn't make pretending that he doesn't have feelings for Buggy any easier.

God, I'm gonna stop. 😭

[sunvylovebug]

ur writing is so good!! would it be possible to request a part 2 to jin’s story but mayhaps with some more romance 🥹

The cold in his heart ❨Part 2/2❩

↬ Warnings: No warnings …⁠ᘛ⁠⁐̤⁠ᕐ⁠ᐷ

↬ Female!Reader and third person narration (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

↬ Author Note: Thank you so much for asking for the part 2! I had so much fun writing this. I'm so happy you like the stuff I write. I felt insecure to post things cause English is not my first language but here we are<3 Thanks Anon, I hope you will like this part too!

↬ Summary: A ball in Frostheim, Y/N will attend to it, will the Captain's feelings come to light?

↬ Word Count: 1,800 Words

Part One

One day Y/N was on her way to Frostheim. She needed to deliver a report cause there were some incorrect details in the previous one so, she kindly offered to take them to the Vice Captain. However, when looking for him, she couldn't find him anywhere. She had written a message that hadn't been read yet, Y/N assumed he would be busier than usual so she decided to head to the Captain's room.

The path was not complicated. She knew it well after having gone there so many times, fulfilling errands that Jin asked of her. At first all of them were really bossy, they felt like orders more than favors. She smiled at the thought of how the young man was now a little nicer to her.

The girl arrived at the room, knocked on the door and after hearing Jin's voice she entered. "I have some papers for you, there's a report that had data, it wasn't correct." She said gently. Jin looked at her, he had a cigarette in his hand and was lying on the luxurious couch of his room, a sight that was common to see.

"Ah... I see. Leave them there." Jin spoke looking at the desk. She nodded and put the papers on a free space on his desk. He looked at her hand, she had a bandage covering her palm. "Y/N, come here." He ordered, she walked towards him.

"Yes? Is there anything else you need?" Y/N didn't know what he had in mind.

"Sit."

"Okay okay, what's wrong? You're being weird-"

Her words were cut off as Jin gently held her hand, analyzing the bandage. He looked into Y/N's eyes, searching for an explanation. "Oh, that... it's nothing serious, just a slight cut I got while I was cleaning some pieces of glass."

Hearing what happened, he frowned, giving her palm a light caress. "What are you, a dumb kid? It's sharp and you shouldn't clean something like that with bare hands."

"I know I know, I was in a hurry but it's nothing, really. Jiro bandaged it for me." He kept frowning. "You look like an angry cat."

"Shut the fuck up."

Jin let her hand go, a little pissed off cause of her words, not as gently as he was holding it. She sighed, he could still be a bit rude from time to time. After a short silence he gently tapped the cigarette against the ashtray and looked at her. "There's going to be a dance tonight, are you planning to go?"

The girl chuckled at the question, earning a frown from the boy. "No, I'm definitely not going"

He raised an eyebrow and looking at her curiously. "And why is that?"

"Well you know, it's gonna be full of rich people, expensive outfits, they will be dancing..."

"Why would you care about what those bootlickers do, wear or think? You should go."

She smiled playfully. "Oh? What is it? Do you want me to go?"

"Yes. I want you to go."

That was unexpected, Y/N was joking but it was obvious he was being serious. Her cheeks felt a little warm after hearing what he'd said. "I don't have any clothes to wear to an event like that."

"Then I'll get you some. Will you go?" Those piercing ice-blue eyes looked at her with a certain sparkle, something she couldn't quite make out.

She sighed, it was a very kind gesture on his part and she was somewhat curious to see what one of these Frostheim activities was like. "Fine. I'll go. Thank you Jin, I appreciate it."

He had a slight, beautiful smile on his lips after hearing she was going. Soon after that he took care of getting the perfect outfit for her.

[ • • • ]

It was getting dark and Y/N was a little nervous, she didn't know how to dance at all and anyone could tell she had two left feet when dancing, it didn't really matter cause Jin wanted her there. Her heart was churning with a certain mixture of happiness and uncertainty at this, it was true that they were getting closer but, could that mean something more or was she just rushing to assume things that aren't true?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of one of Darkwick's many cats at the window. She let the cat in and it meowed happily, letting the package on the floor for her to grab. Y/N crouched down and gave the small animal some gentle strokes, its tail was wagging from side to side. "Thank you, you're such a good worker aren't you?"

The cat purred happily and after some more affection it needed to go. The cat jumped out and left. The girl's hands carefully opened the pretty package and she smiled as she saw the contents, there was a beautiful dress, a coat and a pair of shoes, also some jewelry. The fabric of the clothes was so soft and pleasant to the touch. It was obvious the high quality of it, she hoped it wasn't too expensive, of course Jin could get something like that a hundred times and not be bothered by the price, but she didn't feel so good when someone spent money on her.

There was still some time left but Y/N decided to prepare herself as best she could to look good. She wanted to feel pretty and she did a good job with it. Seeing her reflection in the mirror felt good, the dress fit her body shape in such a natural way, Jin had made a perfect choice.

Arriving at the Frostheim house, there was a certain warmth that was not so usual. The place was full of people, all of them looked elegant, glamours, they were people with a lot of money and power. Y/N couldn't help but feel out of place. Luckily no one was watching at her, she was blending in well.

"Here you are." She heard a voice behind her, it was Tohma. He greeted her with a slight bow of his head. "Good evening Y/N, the Captain is looking for you. Follow me."

Her heart began to race, she followed Tohma without objection, some people watched them pass by but she wasn't thinking about it. Then she saw him, a drink on his hand and wearing the Frostheim uniform. There's no denying that Jin looked incredibly attractive in it. "Look at that, not bad." He smirked when she appeared in front of him.

"Thank you Jin. You look good too." She smiled with her cheeks a little rosy.

Some students around them began to murmur about them, Jin sighed heavily. "That's why I hate these things. Y/N, come on, let's dance." He grabbed the girl's waist and guided her to the dance floor.

"Jin wait, I don't know how to-"

"Shhh don't worry, I'll guide you. Just follow me." He whispered to her, she felt shivers down her spine but only nodded at his words.

Jin guided Y/N's hands to put them in the correct place, getting a little closer to her and holding her waist with one hand. They started dancing slowly, maybe it was the adrenaline but she didn't feel it was as difficult as it seemed before, it was actually quite nice to do. There were a lot of people looking but neither of them cared at all. It was just the two of them and the background music.

They danced for a while, Jin looked at her tenderly, his cold eyes had warmth in them, Y/N had managed to melt the young man's cold heart and wrap it in warmth.

The third song ended and he gently pulled her off the dance floor. "You must be a little tired, let's go."

He started walking towards the stairs. "Oh? Wasn't I supposed to be getting tired?" She asked raising an eyebrow. Jin turned around to look at her.

"You're right." Before Y/N could realize it he was carrying her bridal style, she instinctively clung to his body, letting out a surprised gasp. The boy smirked.

"There was no need to do that, Jin."

"You're shy now? How cute." He teased.

He walked up the stairs while carrying her in his arms, the music was becoming less and less loud, she looked at his face. He was so handsome, his pale skin, blue eyes, silver hair with that subtle blue blur on the tips.

He put her back on her feet, but his hand travels to her waist. "I wasn't ready to see you look so stunning tonight." He says sincerely, his expression is not much different from usual but there is a slight warm glint in his eyes.

"Jin I-" Her words were interrupted by his index finger, gently resting on her lips.

"I wanna say something first." She nodded, a little shocked by his actions. "I'm in love with you, Y/N." For just a second she wanted to ask him if if was a joke, but seeing the way his eyes looked at her she knew he was being honest.

Y/N felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest to go into his arms instead. "I feel the same way for you."

Jin felt relieved, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Her body pressed against his chest. She was surprised to notice that his heart was racing almost as fast as hers. "I love you."

"I love you too Jin." His grip on her loosened enough to look into her eyes again.

He moved one of his hands to gently hold her cheek. He brought his face closer to hers slowly, waiting to see what kind of reaction he was gonna get from her. Her cheeks got red, her eyes were closing, their faces came closer and that's when their lips touched softly, a delicate, gentle touch.

His thumb caressed her face, Jin didn't want to pull away, but they were running out of air after several seconds of kissing, he pulled away to let her breathe again, his forehead pressed against hers and a loving smile on his face.

"Y/N. Would you be my girlfriend?"

She couldn't believe what her ears were hearing, maybe this was a dream? "Of course! I want that... I wanna be your girlfriend."

He kissed her softly again, they kisses until they had a hard time breathing. Jin was fascinated with her, he couldn't stop it, his heart wanted to make her feel overwhelmed with love and feel the same in return too. It was definitely their perfect night.

In the eyes of others, Jin had regained some of his former charisma and warmth, all thanks to the fact that the king of Frostheim had found someone to give all of his love to.

[reallychaoticwoo]

⛓️ Part 2 to the Hotel Happenings request! You can find part 1 here! As always, i hope you enjoy!⛓️

✨️ Hotel Happenings Part 2 ✨️

❤️Pairing: Ateez x reader

⚠️Warnings: MDNI!! Cussing, smutttt: squirting, fingering, 3sum, dom/sub dynamics, let me know if i missed anything!🖤

‼️This is purely for entertainment purposes and does not represent the idols in any way‼️

🖤Hope you enjoy!🖤

YOU: After the concert you'd made your way to your hotel room. Replaying the events of the night and how good Ateez looked on stage. You laid down in bed imagining all the way those silks from Wake Up could be used, or how good it'd feel to have them shush you like they do the floor. It wasn't very long before your fingers made their way south and brought you closer and closer to your climax.

SAN and Wooyoung: (sorry but also not at all sorry.)

Opening the door to his room for the night San stopped dead in his tracks. His jaw damn near hitting the floor and the door wide open behind him. You quickly pulled the soaked sheets up to hide yourself. Flushed and flustered, you turned you attention to the buff man you were just envisioning. "Uh, not that I mind you in my room, since I've literally been praying for it for years, but uh, could you at least shut the door?" He shook his head, blinking away whatever thoughts had just held him captive, and shut the door behind him. "I'm so sorry about that! I didn't mean to walk In on you uh.. you know. I can go and tell the hotel staff they made a mistake." You giggled at how easily flustered San got at the thought of invading your privacy. "You know.. we're already here. You could just take advantage of having an extremely horny fan in your bed. But that's up to you." You shrugged, the ball in his court now. Just as he opened his mouth, someone knocked at the door. Your eyes widened as San held a finger to his mouth to tell you to stay quiet. "Who is it?" He asked.

"Woo, you gonna let me in or not?" Wooyoung said from behind the door. San looked at you and you again shrugged with a deadly sweet smile. San cracked open the door. "You're not on live are you?" Wooyoung rolled his eyes, pushing his way into the room. "No, and why does it matter we go live together all the ti... OH! Damn San I didn't know you brought somebody back with you!" He gave you a wink and turned back to San. "I didn't bring her back, the hotel fucked up the rooms and gave her mine. I just got here." San looked exasperated. Wooyoung turned to you again, "So you're telling me that big ass wet patch wasn't even due to him?" His smirk was deadly. Your cheeks immediately turned red as you tried to hide the wet patch and then realized you couldn't without them being able to see that there were no panties under your skirt. "I mean.. uhmm.. in a way It was due to both of you.." Wooyoungs smirk grew wider and he cocked his head to the side. "Don't go getting shy now tiny. Obviously you want us bad enough to make quite the mess. Wonder how much of a mess you could make if you actually had us." San was quick to insert himself, "Woo. Careful. Don't make her uncomfortable. Obviously she didn't do this thinking two men she doesn't know were gonna end up trying to fuck her." At those last words your confidence spiked just enough for you to say, "Oh, so you do want to fuck me too San?" Your own smirk appearing. San made a gesture to the tent growing in his pants. "I thought it was pretty obvious, tiny." You hummed in approval. "Please do. Let's see who can make me squirt harder." With that, they were both on you in seconds.

MINGI:

He just wanted to lay down. That's all he wanted to do. That is until he walked in to the most devastatingly mesmerizing scene that was you squirting all over his bed. He shut and locked the door quickly behind him and stared at you trying to restrain himself. You stared back, practically daring him to make a move. He made a quick check of the room. Noting your bbyongMING laying in your luggage bag, the leather panties on the floor with "Fix on" right on the front, and the  discarded chaps laying next to the panties. "So, Mr. Fix on, you gonna keep gawking at me, or you gonna do something?" You said tired of waiting for the tower of a man to make a move. "That depends, do you follow orders or give them?" He replied. You rolled your eyes with a smirk before answering. "Considering all it took was your fingers moving on stage to get me to bark, I think I'm pretty good at following orders if enticed well enough." He stalked over to the bed and pushed you back into the mattress roughly. He spread your legs with a wide grin and said as he inserted a long finger into your sopping cunt. "Good, cause when I tell you to, I want to see you squirt again." You clenched around his finger. Your eyes already rolling back as you got out a breathy "Yes sir." He inserted a second finger and flicked his tongue over your clit with a growl. "Such a good girl."

JONGHO:

Ready to sit down, eat some takeout, and watch a good movie, he swung open the door to his hotel room. As the door closed behind him he made his way to the bed, too busy with whatever he was doing on his phone to notice you sitting there. As he was going to sit you jumped forward to stop him. "DONT! It's uhm... it's wet right there.." You said looking anywhere but at him. Slowly recovering from the shock of not noticing a half naked you in his room and piecing together the why there was a wet spot, he quickly stood up. "I'm so sorry I didn't even notice.. I'm usually much more aware of my surroundings." You let out a soft giggle. "I was surprised it took you this long to notice someone in here. You are definitely much more aware when all of you are doing the game shows together." He cocked his head. "You're a fan?" You laughed again, a bit more loud this time, and gestured to the room. "Well Mr. Perceptive, you tell me. There's only a room full of merch." He did a quick scan of the room and face palmed. "Wow. I've really lost my mind today. So this is what you've decided to do after the show? Soak the sheets in.. what even is that?" You lost it, you laughed so hard you snorted. Jongho just stood there looking utterly confused and slightly terrified. You gained enough composer you finally got words out in between giggles "That, you big innocent teddy bear, is what happens after a concert when fans go to their rooms and pleasure themselves." His eyes were almost bulging out of his head. "Oh... OH.. OH. I'm sorry I didn't interrupt anything did i??" You giggled again looking up at him. "Nope I'd actually just finished when you walked in, but if you want to know how it got so messy I'd be more than happy to show you." He gulped, eyes still wide, but nodded his head. "Yes please."

[thewertsearch]

Mega-Giga Ask Comp: Part 3

@manorinthewoods asked: I'll be honest, I wrote the Locked Tomb ask having not read the Locked Tomb series. I literally only know the starting and ending strokes of the first book. That being said, I do like the half-soul-Sollux idea, and it works pretty well with the Locked Tomb's general theme of Lyctorhood, and how knotted the whole situation with Alecto, Gideon, and Harrow ends up being. (What is even going on with Nona) ~LOSS (4/13/24) @manorinthewoods asked: You know, if you hadn't already read Gideon the Ninth, I'd have recommended it as a good second liveblog. It really does fit your preferred sort of mystery. From all the clues presented, you could probably hit very close to the ultimate solution to the Lyctoral puzzle - as close as anybody could be expected to get. ~LOSS (25/4/24) @manorinthewoods asked: The Locked Tomb's prose is pretty good. On occasion, it happens to chime with a sound of 'Homestuck', but I only recall that twice so far in my reading. I like the skelebook. ~LOSS (27/4/24)

Once again, I'm glad my hidden agenda - convincing this blog's entire readership to check out The Locked Tomb - is bearing fruit.

I agree! TLT does occasionally give Homestuck vibes, presumably because its author is a fan. For the most part, though, its prose style is all its own.

Anonymous asked: Reference to American culture: the sphere of Jade's home dropping and the timer that preceded it are references to the Times Square Ball, an annual event held every New Year's Eve. A giant ball descends down a pole at 11:59 PM and reaches the bottom at 12:00 AM, January 1. I believe that you can figure out why the reference was included in the first place. Anonymous asked: btw the gamzee page was released on new years. ‘the miracle of a new beginning’ is the new year and the lab dropping is supposed to be a reference to the ball dropping in times square

Some America Lore here that I wasn't aware of.

I was wondering exactly what Gamzee meant by 'a new beginning'. Maybe Alternia practices the tradition as well.

@omnilew asked: the way you speculate and go indepth into sburbs features and how it affects the kids, made a silly headcanon that your kidsona is reading the comic while playing out their session though this is mainly because "Eventually, we were bound to cross a couple of wires that should never have been allowed to touch" kinda references chargerkind

I like it! Maybe my 'sonas have access to a more in-depth version of Rose's walkthrough, and are adding their own commentary in quiet moments during their own adventures.

@manorinthewoods asked: Your excitement over the resurrection of Dream Jade gave me a form of suspenseful mirth. Seeing how happy you were at her resurrection, while also knowing exactly what came of it, is perhaps textbook dramatic irony. If only you'd read a panel further… ~LOSS (26/4/24)

She looked so happy to be back, too! That certainly didn't last long.

She was prototyped with a smiling corpse, though. Maybe that was just her 'default' expression, and it vanished as soon as her actual feelings asserted themselves.

@thetinygladiator asked: 'I hadn’t really thought about Sally’s ectobiological parent - but now that I am, I think the funniest possible option is that it’s her landlady.' okay but i just gotta say… this immediately makes me think about how that relates to the house-building aspect. Like, with the giant tower, are they gonna charge the Imps for rent? That might work, honestly. Where do imps even live? Bet they don't have good AC or Wi-Fi, lemme tell ya.

300 GRIST/DAY NO CRUXTRUDER NO ALCHEMY NO PETS

@manorinthewoods submitted: How many computers would you have on your person if you were playing Sburb? Jade recommends at least 5. I say I'd have a laptop, phone, a spare of both of those, and computer gloves if I need to compute really fast. Also spare gloves. Speaking of the phone - is it possible for people to put phones in their pockets? Given Karkat (and a minor gag in Act 6), we can assume that it's difficult or uncommon to carry items without using the Sylladex - or maybe it's just tied to your dexterity, and you have to hold things gingerly to avoid captchaloguing them when you pick them up. On the other hand, there's no issues with accidentally storing something you've unstored and are using - so how does the Sylladex actually work? Do people just instinctively store their items once they're done using them? Is it difficult to avoid storing something you aren't using anymore? Can you stuff phones in pockets? If not, then why develop a PDA in the first place? Given the Sylladex, it should be much more commercially viable to make a tablet. ~LOSS (24/4/24)

Since Karkat can physically pick up a book, you can probably pocket your gear - although maybe there's a difference between holding an object and trying to add it to a physical 'inventory'. Either way, the issue is easily circumvented by employing wearable tech, like the kids do.

As depicted in my alchemy binge, my primary computing device would be the Pocket Holodex, which can remote into any computer in my sylladex.

In addition, my Modular Ring shirt is also a computer, which can presumably be augmented by adding extra mod1ules over time. I'd probably also captchalogue every computer in my apartment, of which I currently have six.

I'd be exploring the Medium with a minimum of seven computers, plus one pseudo-computer, plus a phone. Jade would certainly approve.

@iris-in-the-dark-world asked: the tension in act 5 act 2 is perfect, i love it. maybe even moreso on rereads, the foreshadowing and generally ominous vibes always get to me @heliotropopause asked: You're getting to the part where the comic really starts hitting its stride. This'll be fun.

The ever-present countdown certainly adds a degree of urgency to the situation.

I'm really liking the pacing of this current act, as things slowly progress towards some critical point - one which, for now, is still shrouded in mystery.

Anonymous asked: Forwarding another ask for the person with no account ~DJ: Eridan's deal seems to be based on Wizardry Herbert - a proto-Homestuck work by Hussie. A parody of Harry Potter dealing with whether magic is real. [] But Methods of Rationality began in February 2010, so "Harry Potter but obsessed with science" might have also been an intentional reference to that.-RM @heliotropopause asked: Eridan Ampora and the Methods of Rationality sure is an idea for a fanfic. He'd be so bad at it.

Eridan would be an extremely funny choice for a ratfic protagonist. He'd be so smarmy about it - and thus, a perfect addition to their ranks.

What would the definitive Homestuck ratfic be called, do you think? I think Tool-Assisted Speedrun would be a decent choice.

@killedthekat asked: An interesting thing about doomed timelines is how they serve to prevent stable loop metagaming. As a basic example, in a typical stable time loop scenario, if you observe yourself unharmed in the future, you can throw yourself into high danger high reward situations and know that probability will twist itself into whatever improbable knot it needs to do to keep you safe. But in homestuck if you lean too hard on predestination you just get shunted into a doomed timeline for your trouble.

It's true. Timehopping just isn't fun in Homestuck, as you're constantly walking a tightrope, desperately trying to stay in the one timeline that might not get you killed.

It's a good way to prevent time-travelers from becoming overpowered - something which is probably necessary for a comic which makes such heavy use of the concept.

Anonymous asked: Now that you're updating while HS^2 is, I've realised that while I'm barely keeping up with ^2, I just yelled "Oh! Upd8!" out loud when I checked your blog, so to me? You're the real continuation of Homestuck

What an honor!

For veterans of the comic, this blog is more Homestuck: Revisited than Homestuck 2. As a woman who would much rather watch video essays about old Simpsons episodes than new seasons of the show, I completely understand why some would prefer the latter.

@manorinthewoods asked: I've since finished Worm. I think Sophia's by far the best Vriska candidate. Lisa, Amy, and Colin are less so, I think. ~LOSS (21/4/24)

Oh, nice, you got all the way through it! Worm is an absolute behemoth, and I know a lot of people who started it, and gave up halfway through.

Sophia is likely the closest match to Vriska in personality. I agree with an earlier comment, though, that the most Vriska-like character in terms of audience reaction is probably Amy.

Anonymous asked: Cannot believe someone would propose a Homestuck/Locked Tomb scenario and leave Gamzee as part of a spare pairing, when the Homestuck fic The Serendipity Gospels, written by the author of The Locked Tomb, stars Gamzee and Terezi in the proto-necromancer/cavalier dynamic. Absolutely appropriate to have Gamzee as Ninth though, since his facepaint is the direct ancestor to Harrow's. Gamzee and Terezi is such a funny pairing to go with. I'm certainly looking forward to checking out The Serendipity Gospels when I'm done with the comic - both to compare it to Homestuck and to the Locked Tomb.

As am I. Apparently it was left unfinished - but considering how long this liveblog is taking, maybe Taz will have updated by the time I'm done!

Wishful thinking, of course, but I live in hope.

@bladekindeyewear submitted:

(I started Dragon's Dogma 2 a couple weeks ago and did my best to a Gideon Nav pawn (NPC ally), facepaint and two-hander and all, and the "Jaunty Straightforward" voice selection has been EXTREMELY distracting / game-improving because her voice and attitude chatting beside my player all the time sound almost straight out of the audiobook.)

Damn, you really captured her essence. Pawn is a very fitting title for her, too :(

@manorinthewoods asked: On the topic of blood color names - Blue through Purple were renamed in Hiveswap. Originally, Vriska was Cerulean, Equius was Blue, and Gamzee was Indigo - which I like more than their modern incarnations. I think 'bronze' might also be a Hiveswap thing, although I won't dispute it, and rust might have been renamed to burgundy? Maybe burgundy is a synonym. Idk. ~LOSS (4/13/24)

I think I prefer the likes of olive, indigo and bronze over more generic terms like green, blue and brown, which would quickly lead to confusion.

Vriska's blood, for example, is also a shade of blue, so it would be a little strange if blue blood was an official term, but it didn't apply to her.

@mxamericanblue asked:hi i have been absolutely BINGING your live blog rn and i gotta just get this out this is so so cool watching you react has been giving me so much joy, i don't have a computer so i can't really experience homestuck again casually when i want to but watching you read it and react and THEORIZE??? omg your theories have been so fuckin killer it's given me a new appreciation for Hussie as a story teller and how spectacular this comic truly was thank you for this, i've been having a grand ol' time, and it's all cuz of u

Thank you! I feel like I've been theorizing a lot less since I came back from my hiatus, mostly because the comic hasn't introduced many big mysteries recently - aside, of course, from Aradia's unexplained explosion.

(Pre-posting update: Since first drafting this ask, my statement above is no longer true, as Gamzee has been revealed as Homestuck's most important character. What the actual fuck.)

@lilietsblog asked: re fifth house aradia: she's an archeolodist :)

Oh, shit, you're right.

Maybe she'd be in more danger from the Lyctor than I thought.

@ben-guy asked: Vriska's ascension to god-tier is, in my personal opinion, one of the most visually striking scenes in all of Homestuck. Also, one of the panels you didn't include (which is understandable w/ Homestuck lol. Sacrifices for the sake of brevity) specifically the one where she has him write "[…] plenty of time for that l8r" above her head… Think about the position she would have had to move him to to write that.

…jesus, Vriska. You can't just do that!

@martinkhall asked: "What is treasure but a fortune, waiting to be found?" Or stolen if you're the THIEF of Light.

Son of a bitch. That's why she's a pirate, isn't it?

Because a Thief of Light is someone who steals fortunes!

@manorinthewoods asked: Eidolons. A species purpose-built to play Sburb, while breaking every mechanic you can solely with biology. Eidolons don't sleep, and live in a hive mind. Their psychologies are very poor at recognising distinct things, with Eidolons seeing the world more in terms of a blur of colors and shapes. They thus have a very difficult time understanding Classes and Aspects, never mind that their mythology never involved deities, and they never invented chess, or games of any sort… ~LOSS (15/4/24)

The idea of a species engineered from the ground up to be Players does raise the interesting question of whether there was a first species to play Sburb.

Of course, with all the time-loops we've been working with, there might not have been a first species - unless Sburb was 'created' in some sort of metatemporal space, 'before' any loops were put in place.

@manorinthewoods submitted: You are very good at analysing Vriska's psyche. Vriska's character was executed very well, I think, and I would hate her with a burning passion platonically but to a high degree if I knew her in real life. She's just… really horrible. She's a horrible person. And half her shtick is that she keeps evading consequences in spite of that. All of her mental torture of Tavros, for instance, ends in her becoming the most powerful player in the session. What sort of justice is that, Terezi? ~LOSS (15/4/24)

She hasn't entirely evaded consequences, but it's undeniable that none of the consequences she's experienced have actually stopped her from doing the things she does.

She's lost an arm, an eye, she's been beaten up, she's bled to death, and literally none of it has caused her to let up on Tavros, even a little. Letting up on Tavros, to her, would be worse than any physical harm, because it would be an attack on her worldview.

@sanctferum asked: "Has anything come of this since, actually? I haven’t heard anything about this new comic – although I do scroll in the opposite direction any time I see a reference to Homestuck, so I guess it makes sense that I wouldn’t." - The general feel I've gotten from the community has been largely positive re: the new Homestuck 2 updates, which have indeed been happening. It's being updated once per month for now, so a lot slower going than non-hiatused OG Homestuck. But I'm enjoying it so far!

Once a month seems more sustainable than Hussie's original barely-believable pace for the comic. With Hussie no longer at the helm, expecting daily panels seems like a pretty big ask - most people don't have the time, money or energy do what Hussie did.

Anonymous asked: I don't know if you read UTDR fanfiction, but this Tavros and Vriska situation reminds me a little bit of Flowey Is Not A Good Life Coach. she's trying to push him to his limits and torture him into being someone who will kill, and he just won't. say, what's your read on comparing Flowey : Vriska?

Flowey does what he does because he's lost his emotions, but Vriska does what she does because she's consumed by her emotions.

If anything, Flowey has more in common with Aradia. They're both time-travelers whose ability to feel is somewhat compromised.

Anonymous asked: WHATTTTTT HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BACK???????? I THOUGHT YOU WERE STILL ON A LONG ASS HIATUS BUT I JUST JOW DISCOVERED TUMBLR ISNT GIVING ME POST NOTIFICATIONS FOR YOU ANYMORE EVEN THOUGH I HAVE IT TURNED ON FOR YOU AND IT WORKS FOR OTHER BLOGS???? WHAT THE HELL. IM GOING INSANE.

This has happened before - but before, I was also removed from Tumblr's search function, which doesn't seem to be the case this time.

Is anyone else having issues with Wertsearch post notifications?

@elkian asked: So has anyone mentioned the godhood joke yet? (The God Tiers costumes have hoods. God Hoods. Badum-tish)

LOL, I did miss that.

Anonymous asked: Fun Homestuck fact! After writing Karkat, someone brought up that the writer of the 'Programming For [Expletive]s' book sounded a lot like Karkat. Andrew responded by telling them to imagine that it was actually written in all caps, basically canonizing that the 'Programming For [Expletive]s' book was written by Karkat. At least, I think that's how that went? ~LOSS (28/2/23)

And it could be any Karkat, too. Maybe one of the Karkats from a doomed timeline actually learned to code from Sollux, and became a famous ~ATH developer.

@morganwick asked: So with conversation 8=8 apparently taking place in the immediate aftermath of Rose destroying her gate (even technically during Descend), and Rose's attitude towards Kanaya in the part of it that we see, does that change how much you think her attitude in their previous conversations reflects her genuine mental state?

Oh yeah, no, I’m pretty sure she was genuinely in a bad mood here. Not really so much because of Kanaya, and I think the anger directed at Kanaya specifically was inauthentic, but the bad mood itself was real. She'd recently been injected with several months of traumatic memories, after all.

@manorinthewoods asked: That panel, of John in Vriska's 'fabulous outfit', is actually pretty neat, because you can see from the proportions how young John really is. He's small, not even fully a teenager yet, and he's been thrown into this chaotic world of humans and trolls, quadrants, violence and danger. Everyone in the game must be scared, in some degree, but none of them ever show it. It makes you wonder just how strong Skaia's children really are. ~LOSS (29/4/23)

Seriously. In what universe are 13-year-olds the people most qualified to make universes? Sburb has some very funny ideas about the optimal way it should be played.

I suppose this is something that had to be true, though, for Homestuck to be the coming-of-age story that Hussie wanted it to be.

Anonymous asked: My interpretation has always been that "the Blind Prophets" are actually just Terezi herself, in a time loop-y/predestined way. She's blind, her class is Seer, AKA prophet, and those are her numerals. Also, on an unrelated note, but to weigh in on your last ask, according to Latin conventions, the plural of lusus is lusus. Does Homestuck follow those conventions? Well…

Or, since there are two Seers in Homestuck, maybe they’re Terezi and Rose. She’s a Light Player, so a blinding would be suitably ironic.

Anonymous asked: re: captchalogue codes and the states of objects: it takes a relatively small change in the physical arrangement of atoms and whatnot to turn a ghost dad poster into, say, a little monsters poster, but the two have a relatively large difference between their conceptual nature. on the other hand, it would take a relatively large rearrangement of atoms to make the slime pogo ride be anything other than a slime pogo ride. perhaps this makes the former change state more easily than the latter? alternatively, maybe the captcha system just knows that all it would really take to make the slime pogo ride stop being covered in oil is soap and water and it's happy to do that on its own, but paper is harder to clean so it wants you to jump through more hoops for that one new question: if john had used his posters for alchemy before he was able to see their defacement, would the resultant objects also be beclowned? evidence seems to suggest that players with unawakened dream selves Will draw on their walls in their sleep and not see it until Ready, so there not being mechanisms in place to deal with that seems less likely than the alternative to me, but especially considering people who aren't them Can see the drawings, how??? would that even??? work??? what would've happened if john had done alchemy with the arms cake. i think it would be funny to see that

I think he’d still get the clown posters.

The kids keep accidentally making magic items, so It's clearly possible for someone to alchemize an object with properties they didn't foresee. Therefore, I think John would make what appears, to him, to be a normal poster - but Rose would still see it as it truly is.

Anonymous asked: any thoughts on what the horrorterrors are? beyond their (admittedly vague) intentions?

I think they’re a sign of the wider cosmology beyond Sburb - and, more specifically, a sign that there is a wider cosmology beyond Sburb.

I don't know if we'll necessarily get more expansion on them than we've already had, because their whole shtick is that they're unknowable. Needless to say, I'd love to be proven wrong.

[wordy-little-witch]

Random thoughts here, gonna add stuff for trigger warnings

Tw being trans pregnancy, I guess could he considered mpreg? Buggy identifies more masc but is AFAB. Nothing necessarily explicit

I just. Mm. Babies. Baby fever, lowkey. Can't have kids of my own, but I can day dream about my blorbos.

Buggy is trans, he's on T, but surgeries are wonky at best, uninteresting and frankly a liability. He'd be down for a good deal of time, something he isn't all too crazy about. When the dysphoria gets bad, he just chop-chops his chest and uses a packer ((his packer being, of course, a drawstring back of muggy balls, and opportunities for Many Jokes)).

Due to an event in his youth, pre Devil Fruit, he was told he's likely infertile ((Got stabbed a few times and a good chunk of his reproductive system is more scar tissue than actual organ tissue)). Between that, the difficulty for conception when a parent has a Devil Fruit, and his testosterone, he's decently certain it's not an option.

Of course, Buggy D Clown, the genius jester and Flashy Fool of the Seas, is a living embodiment of doing the impossible.

It starts with a sudden nausea when he smells his usual drink of choice. Alcohol was once something he adored, maybe in a little excess, but he was a pirate and pirates party. It's a given. Shanks' alcoholism was born from their shared past, and Buggy wasn't all too different on that front.

But suddenly, during lunch, when he went to take a sip of his rum, he caught a whiff of it and had to lean back and force down a gag. He exchanged it for a water, something not TOO unusual, as sometimes he'd have things he wanted to work on with a clear head, like in his workshop. Nobody really batted an eye.

Then he declined it at dinner. Then the next day. Then he was eying Crocodile's plate and his extra tomatoes, something he NEVER does, given his general dislike of the fruit. But now...? Mm.... it looks.. really good...........

Crocodile, thinking this is an opportunity to tease the other, offers a bite, expecting a dramatic recoil and complaint. But Buggy just absolutely beams at him, takes the bite, and damn near swoons. The logia user glances over to the swordsman, both uncertain but willing to roll with it. Not too big of a deal.

Then suddenly Buggy is more emotional than usual, something nobody was expecting. He's usually pretty expressive, all of his emotional responses keyed up to at least eleven. It's only noticed as off because he's crying a lot more, and hiding it far less. He happy cries, sad cries, angry cries. And it's like a switch is flipped. Something will happen and the clown is suddenly bawling. The first few times it happens with the crew, they all panic, but it's happy tears, infectious ones at that and so the men wind up crying too, offering embraces and spinning hugs of emotional care.

Crocodile and Mihawk share Looks.

Then Buggy is getting sick. Like. Throwing up almost every meal time, sick. The only things he can keep down are water, orange juice, and toast with honey or applesauce.

The two dark haired men finally put their foot down and demand the other go to a doctor. They expect a fight, expect tears or anger or yelling or something, but Buggy just nods, blinking slowly from his place curled into Mihawk's side, in one of Crocodile's shirts. He seems exhausted, shadows under his eyes from the newly worsened insomnia.

His easy acquiescence alarms them the most.

The next day, Buggy is seen, and there's a few tests and observations done, culminating into the doctor pursing her lips and ordering a urine sample.

Buggy, pale, head on Croc's chest while Mihawk toys absently with his hair, dozes off in the office while they wait on the results. An hour, and a nap, later, she returns with papers and a tentative air.

"Well... it's not a virus," she begins with. "Your hormone levels are elevated, specifically your progesterone and your chondrionic gonadotropin levels..."

Buggy stiffens, eyes wide. "I'm...?"

She sighs, smiling softly. "Congratulations, Chairman. You're in your first trimester of pregnancy, by the levels we can see here."

Buggy gapes. Crocodile is still as a statue. Mihawk had a thousand yard stare.

There is a soft sound, and suddenly Crocodile has vanished, now but a pile of sand on the floor and partially on Buggy. Mihawk looks faint himself. Buggy just glances between them numbly. "Oh."

"Mm. Quite."

Then, the world's greatest swordsman joins his logia partner in a tangle of limbs on the floor. Buggy stares for a moment. The doctor stares for a moment. Buggy flushes an angry red.

"Those motherfuckers couldn't even stay conscious long enough to get me back?!"

The doc tries to hide her laughter. "In their defense," she choked out, "they were quite worried about you and suddenly received such news. That said, I do have some smelling salts. Here..."

Buggy does not let either of them live it down, for obvious reasons, and they do have to announce it to the Guild because Buggy is now not allowed to have alcohol, can't do his typical tricks, and will need to cut back on a lot of the physical activities he does daily, let alone the topic of fighting. He's nervous about it, because it will involve both announcing a pregnancy as well as coming out. He's made damned sure his crew is inclusive for all sorts of people, regardless of love, color, age or body. But welcoming your fellow man (non gendered), is not necessarily the same as answering to a person like himself.

The reception is largely warm, though. The crew is over the moon, they don't even follow up with a "how does that happen, you're a man", they just immediately are screaming their congratulations and vows to step up and help as they can. Buggy winds up crying again, and Mihawk just wordlessly hands him a water bottle. Hydration is important, especially with all the tears.

His pregnancy is fairly typical, and the morning sickness passes fairly quickly, though the cravings get absolutely hog wild, and EVERYONE is suffering. Buggy tries not to be too needy but he can't control the responses and everyone else is hurting for him when he's so upset. He ends up absolutely obsessed with lemon-lavender ice cream, and the Guild keeps it on hand by the buckets full in the freezer.

When Buggy starts showing, Mihawk finds he has a new favorite place to nuzzle, finding the tiny little whirls of Haki within the clown's abdomen to be mesmerizing. He often finds himself cuddling in, Listening and Sensing, even talking softly to the little life growing within his lover, singing lullabies.

Crocodile near constantly has a hand or hook pressed over the growing swell. If Buggy is within arms reach, his touch is there, protective and mildly stunned. The paternity of the baby is unknown, but none of them particularly care. The baby will be theirs collectively regardless. That baby will be Crocodile's as much as it is Mihawks, as it is Buggy's. That baby is his, too. And he will protect this one ((the way he couldn't protect another, so long ago)).

Alvida, Galdino, Mohji and Cabaji are very hands on with everything. Al never wanted kids, but she is absolutely delighted to be the cool aunt, and the fella are excited to be uncles. It's Daz's quiet excitement that throws everyone for a loop. He's second only to Crocodile and Mihawk when it comes to pampering or spoiling Buggy. He still carries himself as a stoic stone faced man, but he is the one who brings the snacks, who offers a hand when Buggy gets to a size where standing is mildly more difficult, when it's time to convince the blue haired man to take it easy or rest. When asked, he will cite that he is merely doing his duties, but everyone could see when Buggy took Daz's hand and placed it on his bump when the baby was big enough to kick and haveit be felt by others. They saw the way the blade man's eyes widened, the shimmer there, the microexpression of wonder, of care, of brewing love. That baby would be safer than anyone else in the entirety of the grandline, of that nobody had a single doubt.

Shanks could not visit, but he made frequent calls and sent countless gifts, all of which made Buggy blubber like a child or rage like a harpy. Nothing was discarded, though, and in the nursery they set up is a small little bear with a red heart embroidered on the chest.

Rayleigh showing up unannounced was not anticipated. Nor was how Buggy remained blank faced despite the tears on his cheeks. The older man just smiled sadly, wiping away the tears, and handed over a small box. "Shakky and I worked together on this. It only felt right to pass this on. To new generations."

Inside is a stuffed cat, the fabric soft, yellow and worn. It was sun-bleached in some areas, little nose embroidered with red and eyes in blue. Buggy takes one look at the cat and crushes it to his chest, nearly doubled over as he let's out a heart broken keen, falling to his knees. Crocodile and Mihawk are quick to rush to his sides, but Rayleigh is closer and faster, falling down, wrapping around the other, queezing him tightly, softly, teary eyed himself.

"I know," he chokes, hugging his boy tighter, "I know, Blue, I miss him too, baby boy...."

Buggy clings to Rayleigh, holding the cat toy tenderly as he wails.

Ray stays for a few days before Buggy just tells him to pick a damned tent and hang out, damn it, his kid should get to meet at least one grandparent.

Ray doesn't cry but it is a close thing.

The pregnancy is an ordeal all across the board, from reopening wounds to general, typical difficulties, it's a wild ride start to finish and beyond.

There's more than one night of pure domesticity. One where Buggy and Mihawk are shooting baby names back and forth in the kitchen while Crocodile writes them down in the Yes, No or Maybe column. One where Croc and Mihawk are pouring over research for the baby. One where Buggy is in an oversized shirt, feet up on the tummy of a particularly big and spoiled 'wani, singing sea shanties softly as he tinkers with some harmless little trinkets, using his tummy as a table. One where Crocodile, pressed into Buggy's back, confesses to his past and breaks to pieces under dimmed lights in the clown's calloused hands to no judgement, only understanding, only compassion. Nights where Mihawk is wired so tightly by his own past that he sits upright in their bed, a sentinel of protection because he refuses to lose them the way he lost everything before.

You have to drain the infection, the bacteria, for a wound to truly heal.

It's difficult. It's painful. It's worth it.

The 9 months, the 26 hours of labor and the little bundle of life at the end was absolutely worth it.

Especially when newly named Bronwyn D. Crown ((their little Winnie)), with her midnight blue hair and pink little nose, her strawberry marks on fair skin, the curls of her locks and the shade of her lashes around sapphire eyes, is born into the world screaming her displeasure and only settles once clean, once swaddled, once brought back to her parents. She is small, smaller than expected, but every ounce of her body is the foundations of a fighter - she got her baba's temper, that much is certain.

Winnie is the apple of everyone's eye. Cute and small and bold and boasting a nose so much like Buggy's, almost everyone is taken with her. Rayleigh especially is wrapped around her finger within less than thirty minutes together. Shanks is absolutely in love even without seeing her first hand - he meets her the first time when she is two, and he cries because she threw an elephant toy at his head and cackled.

It's not easy. But by the Seas and Skies, it's absolutely worth it.

[peachyloveswriting]

Since you want us to feed you, I shall give you some food for thought! How about our lovely PLANTs with reader that somehow has some paint nymph friends? Cute little ones~

I like the idea of Vash maybe being able to create miniature nymphs and them just finding and attaching to the reader so let's write that real quick. Set in Trigun Stampede because I feel like it fits better.

CREATION, IT'S ALL IN THE IMAGINATION --- Vash the Stampede

SUMMARY: Your new little friends came from somewhere completely unexpected. Who would have thought.

⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝

Nymphs, tiny plants that follow you around like the plague. You don't mind, they're very small and cute. Looking at them reminds you of a rather close friend of yours, Vash. They're kind and sweet like him and they both love to follow you around like lost puppies. Speaking of puppies, Nick's confident that you smuggled in a pet of some kind and are feeding it behind their backs, in its entirety it isn't a lie. You sneak food and water behind everyone's backs for your three little friends, they absolutely love you for it.

Sitting behind the truck at night, you'll lift a crumb to the one on your shoulder while the other two stand in the palm of your hand drinking from the small cap you filled for them. They can't speak but each bows their head in appreciation before they start climbing all around your body. Usually your arms up is the playing ground. As they climb around you, their hands and feet feel like rain on your skin. They're gentle not to pull or pinch wherever they go and as long as they do that they stay mostly out of sight.

When they first came to you it was out of the blue. You were asleep in the backseat between Vash and Nick. Your head had simply rolled around on your shoulders before you eventually leaned into Vash's shoulder. Enough time passed and your hair began to move and tug out of nowhere. Confused and worried that it might be a bug, you swiped at the top of your head. When your hand rested back in your lap a soft pinch tinged your skin. Opening your eyes, you couldn't believe what you were seeing. There poking at your hand was a tiny person, all around them flowed a makeshift skirt from... Flower petals? She had the intricate patterns of a plant all along her skin and she stood there looking up at you in awe.

With wide eves you scooped her carefully into your other hand and told her to settle in the pocket of your shirt. And then the fun began.

"Move it dick head." You shoved Nick's limp body.

He groaned awake, anger stirring on his face. "Move or I'm gonna piss on you hurry and open the door."

He stared at you in anger before the realization hit him. "Don't piss on me!" He pushed the door open and grabbed your arm to shove you out. Scrambling over his lap, you managed to land safely on the ground outside as the door shut behind you. You bounced back up to your feet.

"Are you okay?" You opened the pocket to peek in. At the very bottom, the small plant had curled into a protective ball to keep from moving about too much. Hearing your voice she slowly unfolded to peek her head out and look around. As you walked around to the end of the truck's trailer, you smiled and offered her a hand to step out onto. Gracefully pulling her self up, she turns to face you with a bow. All of this started the routine of climbing on to the top of the truck in the late hours of the night.

The same event happened two more times and now you took care of all three without the other knowing. Seeing yourself as the kind of person to care for something wasn't in the realm of possibility until these plants came around. Caring for each one brought you joy in this desolate land, watching them interact and care for each other while they come to you for their care is amazing to watch. Just the fact that they are their own being is amazing enough, but to be the one to handle and care for them is even better.

The cold air breezes past you and a chill runs through you. You're completely bare to the wind on top of the truck without a coat, but you sudden through the cold with a smile while you watch the plants eat and drink in front of you. Suddenly, one of the truck's doors opens and closes softly. Out climbs Vash who quickly glances around in search of you. Quickly gathering the nymphs you hide them on the other side of you to turn and face Vash.

"Up here." You call him. He turns to look up at you with mild surprise before he softly frowns. "You aren't cold up there?" Grabbing the rail on top he uses it to pull himself up and sit beside you.

"I am very cold." You chuckle nervously with a sheepish smile. Suddenly, on your leg there's a light tug that pulls your attention. Climbing up your leg is the smallest of the plants, she looks determined to see what's going on. Lifting your hand, you subtly swipe her back next to her companions before you look back to Vash. He looks at you strangely before he slips off his coat and wraps it around you.

"There. That should help." He offers you a kind smile. A floral smell surrounds you as it drapes around your shoulders bringing with it warmth. With your heart fluttering in your chest, you smile at Vash.

"You didn't- Ow!" A sharp sting jolt your leg. looking down, one of the nymphs has fully climbed up your leg and into View. Your throat squeezes with panic as you look back to Vash with wide eyes. Seeing the small plant emerge from your side, he grins and extends a hand to her. "That's where you've been." As his hand reaches her, she breaks out into a run and hugs his thumb.

"What? You know about them?" You stammer.

Watching the other two climb up and onto his hand, he carefully pulls them back towards himself. "Yeah." His finger tip carefully brushes over each of their heads with ease. "I kinda...made them."

Your eyes grow even wider as you watch the tip of his finger light up with the glow of a plant every time he pats the nymphs. He smiles fondly at each of them. The more you look, the more it starts to make sense. Each one of them shares a striking resemblance to Vash himself and his personality. It's no wonder you took to them so quickly. They're parts of him and that's why.

"It's not surprising that they went to you instead of staying with me." Vash lifts his gaze to meet yours. "They can feel my emotions for you, so..."

You pick your dry lips. "So you're a plant and they trust me because you trust me?" None of this is making much sense though some parts of it have become clear as just this simple interaction. They clearly know him, there's no doubt about it.

He scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah. I am a plant and I do trust you, it's just... Trust isn't enough to make them leave me for someone else." His face flushes bright red. "They like you because I like you, I have feelings for you. So you're kind of like another parent for them."

Heat blooms in your cheeks and your heart races in your chest. This is the most honest and gentle you've ever seen vash, he's never treated a situation like this lightly before. At least that's how it feels to you. "You... Have feelings for me?"

Vash nods. "I have for a while now. It's strange that this is how you have to find out." He looks back down to the three plants in his hand. Strange is definitely a way to describe it but it's cute and endearing in a way. It makes your heart swoon in response. The smile that spreads on your face can't be helped now.

Leaning your head on his shoulder, he looks at you. "This is such a sweet moment Vash." Looking down at the nymphs you place your hand under his and smile at them. "I think it's amazing you can even create these things. They're so... alive."

Looking at you, Vash can feel his chest grow warm. You hold so much sentiment and care for his creations and you completely disregard him being a plant. If anything you just told him he was wonderful. Just seeing you treat them with such fondness and warmth makes him fall even more for you and your beautiful soul.

"So you don't care that I'm a plant? It's not weird to you?"

Your face softens when you look up at him. In your eyes the glow of the worms shines above, casting a soft bloom that cascades along your skin like a waterfall. "To be able to create life is a beautiful thing, Vash. You are a beautiful person. And these guys reflect that." Gingerly your hand grabs his free hand. "You being a plant only makes this so much more amazing to me. I think it's wonderful what you can do."

A blush creeps up Vash's face again. "It's not that special, really." Leaning closer you nudge him. "Give yourself some credit where it's due Vash."

He looks back down at the plants in his hand. "Sure. I guess I am pretty cool."

"Of course you are."

[luvfy0dor]

Hiii can I request teen reader who didn’t know their dad (fyodor) was a terrorist so now they avoid him like the plague with no explanation

“Beyond Terror in the Nightfall ♡” Fyodor Dostoevsky w/ Child!Reader ੈ✩‧₊˚

Warnings; mentions of blood, murder, and terrorism, loosely proofread

Description; Fyodor decides you're old enough to learn about his job, and your reaction certainly isn't ideal

A/n; There's explanation here because I forgor that you said you wanted none so I'm so sorry 😭 I hope it's still good, I got really sad writing this for whatever reason. Also, f/n is friends name

• Fyodor would go through extreme lengths to keep his occupation to himself and out of your knowledge, so if you're finding out you're gonna find out because he wants you too.

• I think the most likely way is spotting blood on his usually pristine white outfit and being prompted to further investigate.

ೃ⁀➷

The only thing your father would ever tell you about his job was that he worked with tech and computers, which you didn't doubt because of his home-office space that he spent a solid amount of time in. It never explained the long trips away, though. It made you sad to see your father always away, but he did call you every night to remind you that he loves you no matter how far away he is, and it would turn your frown momentarily upside down.

One evening, you ate dinner at the dining table with your dad. Your conversation revolved around the usual things, school, upcoming events, your interests, etc. Fyodor had his usual soft and small smile on his face while listening to you talk. His head rested on his hands while his raven colored bangs fell in his face. Upon concluding the dinner, Fyodor took your dishes and brought them to the sink. "Ah, malyshka, could you start my laundry for me?" He calls over his shoulder. "Yeah, I'll do it right now." You respond, heading to his room to grab his laundry basket, immediately spotting his bloodied and previously completely white pants. You immediately felt worried for your father, taking the pants and bringing them back upstairs. "Papa, are you alright? What happened to your pants? Should I bleach them?" You asked with concern.

Fyodor sighed and paused his task of doing the dishes, turning to you after turning off the sink. "You should bleach them, but do not worry, it's not my blood." He says, his eyes flickering from the pants to your face. Your eyebrows furrowed and you just stared at the pants for a minute before dropping them. Fyodor sighed and watched the pants fall to the ground. "Sweetheart, you're only going to get them dirtier." He said with a chuckle, trying to lighten your mood a little bit. "Who's blood is it then?" You questioned him, your eyes wide with inquiry. He exhales and puts a hand on your shoulder. "Y/n, it's the blood of a man I've killed. You're old enough to know about my real occupation now, and I'd rather not leave you in the dark. You cannot tell anyone about this." He says, looking at you with a serious face. You felt as though you were in shock, trying to tear yourself out of your dissociation that had occured the moment you heard his words. You were successful enough to utter "No, Papa, that's not a funny joke."

You knew just as well as the next person that he wasn't joking, he was far too serious to joke with you about such a horrible thing. The disbelief made it seem that way- as a child he always taught you that violence was never the answer, so why was he partaking in it for a living? He was so smart, he could have gotten a job in ANY field he desired yet he chose to go against his own words that were spoken to his child. You could feel tears of frustration forming in your eyes and your fists balling up. "It's not a joke. Please don't cry, sweetheart." He tried to comfort you by pulling you into a hug, only to be pushed away by you. His mouth hung agape while you stormed off to your bedroom. In any other situation, he would have scolded you for pushing him away, but he understood your sudden aggression in the moment. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He proceeded to do the dishes after being snapped out of his moment by the sound of your door slamming behind your heavy and angry footsteps.

He reflected for a moment and though that maybe he shouldn't have told you at all, but then he thought about how much worse it would be to hear about his job from someone else. He knew you would feel betrayed, but your trust would be more likely to be fixed the sooner he told you. He was your father, after all.

♡

Fyodor let you sleep with your feelings for the night, walking to your bedroom door next morning. He gently knocked on the hard wood surface only to be met with silence from your side. "Y/n? It's time to wake up, you have to go to school." He spoke. When met with silence once again, he opened the door slowly. He was met with your body facing away from him. His eyebrows furrowed and he walked to the bed, gently shaking your shoulder. Your hand abruptly shoved his off of you before retracting back to it's spot curled up against your chest. "Go away. I'll get up as soon as you leave." His eyes widened as he backed up a step.

"Very well, but dont speak so harshly to me next time." He says, his annoyance and disappointment clear in his voice. You could hear his footsteps walking away, followed by the gentle click of the door. You took a deep, shaky breath. Slowly but surely, you rose from your safe haven under the blankets. The cool air immediately collided with your skin and made you shiver, but you held up and didn't retreat back beneath the covers. You tried to suppress the memories of your father's confession, not wanting to believe it as you stood up and picked out an outfit for the day. You fulfilled your morning routine and walked out to the kitchen, headphones in your ears as an attempt to discourage Fyodor from talking to you. He only frowned when he looked at you, gently placing a hand on your shoulder to get your attention.

"Y/n, do you have any extra curriculars after school today?" He asked you. You shook your head and scavenged through the cabinets for something to eat. "My friends mom will bring me home." Fyodors eyebrows knitted together as he leaned against the counter. "Why would she do that? I can get you like I always do, that way you can tell me about your day." He says, kind of upset that you're going out of your way to be as far from him as possible. You gave a short and simple yet insufficient answer. "Because."

"Because, what?" He asked, crossing his arms. "Because I don't want to go for a car ride with a murderer! She would have brought me to school too, but she was busy!" You shout, angrily walking out of the kitchen and the house, sitting in the car in the back seat instead of your usual spot in the passenger seat. It didn't take long for Fyodor to follow, locking the door behind him while you waited in the car, scrolling through your phone. He settled into the driver's seat and looked at you in the mirror, huffing and buckling his seatbelt. "You get upset with me for my work, but you don't seem too upset about having that phone, and my job pays for that, Malyshka." He says bluntly. You take a moment to breathe instead of yelling at your father because you know that would only make it worse. "Any other job could pay for it just the same. Why do you kill people? What are you, an assassin?" You inquire while making eye contact with him from the back seat. "I'm a terrorist." He says with a sigh.

"Even worse then." You turn the volume on your phone up and listen to music to drown his voice out. You had to bite back your tears of betrayal and disappointment, small whimpers escaping from your throat every now and again. Fyodor felt a bit remorseful upon hearing that. He never had felt any sort of guilt when he killed and injured, but because you were his child, hurting your feelings was enough to make him feel penitence. He didn't show it in his face, though. He wore the same flat and neutral expression he always had.

The rest of the ride was inordinately quiet. He let you out of the car and wished you a good day at school and told you he loved you, but you didn't care to reply. You didn't turn around to watch his car drive off either. Walking into the school, you met your friend and decided to keep silent about the situation. You didn't want to be known as the kid with the terrorist dad, and you REALLY didn't want him to be persecuted. You just sucked it up and went on with your day. A few periods before dismissal, you asked your friend to sleep over instead of being brought home. Their mom agreed because it was a Friday, but said you would have to return home early in the morning because they had stuff to do. You didn't mind and went along with it, hopping into the backseat of the car with your friend.

"How was school for the two of you? Good?" Their mom asked while pulling out of the parking lot. "It was good, I turned in some late work." F/n says. "Good. And how about you, y/n?" She asks with a welcoming smile. "It was good."

The car ride back was mostly just you and your friend talking to eachother with the occasional comment from their mother. They lived pretty close to the school, only two miles away. The older woman pulled into the driveway and your friend immediately got out of the car, urging you to do the same and follow them up to their room. You did with some shared laughter and playful banter, plopping on their bed when you make it up the staircase and through the door frame. Your school bag with your phone in it gets tossed somewhere while the two of you decide on a movie to watch. Unbeknownst to you, your phone was ringing with calls from your father and hour into the movie. He was also texting you, the notifications making your screen glow in the confines of your bookbag. The device didn't cross your mind until the end of the movie, fishing it out of the bag. When you turned it on, you had a solid 10 messages from your father and five missed calls. Suddenly, your friend's mom's footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. She gently opened the door and locked eyes with you.

"Did you seriously not tell your father that you were sleeping over? He's worried sick over you!" She softly says. "He's going to come get you right now, so gather your stuff and come wait down stairs." She says, waving you along with her. You could almost feel your heart in your throat with anxiety of facing him again. You reluctantly gathered your stuff and bid your friend goodbye and gave a brief explanation on the situation. You only let on that you were in an argument with your papa but never mentioned why. They frowned and walked downstairs with you, their shoulders slumped and spirits seemingly broken. "I still don't get why you wouldn't just ask him first." F/n said exasperatedly. "Don't worry about it, we'll have a sleepover at some point. I'm sorry." You say, just as upset as your friend. Only a few more words are exchanged before you see your father's car in the driveway. You sighed and made your way outside, waving to your friends family before walking to the driveway. You looked only at your feet, refusing to make eye contact with Fyodor through the windshield.

You opened the door to the back seat and tossed your stuff in, going to sit down before Fyodor stopped you. "Sit in the passenger seat, I think we should talk about this." He says calmly yet sternly. You didn't have the energy to argue back, so you did as told. You begrudgingly sat yourself in the passengers seat and looked at your hands in your lap instead of him. It was quiet until he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. "I'm aware of your disapproval of my job, but you cannot ignore my phone calls and messages when I don't know where you are. If I hadn't called f/n's mother, God knows when you would have gotten back to me." He strictly tells you, subtly distressed over your sudden rebellion. You silently collected your thoughts and then opened your mouth. "It's more excusable than killing people, papa." Your voice was soft and quiet. "Malyshka, I do it for the greater good of the world, you don't understand because you are just a teenager. You do not get to criticize my job until you've lived in the real world instead of in the comfort of your adolescence." He says, his voice rising a bit.

"Yeah, but-" you started, but he cut you off. "No, you need to put an end to this behavior right now. My job does not need to align with your personal morals." You felt your throat tighten, keeping more words from escaping your mouth. You say silently for the rest of the ride, swiftly exiting the car when he parked it in front of the house. He followed after a moment, unlocking the door for you and closing it behind him. "I understand that you're upset, but please do not avoid me like that, y/n." He pleads with you. If you looked closely, you could almost see it in his face. You sighed and relaxed your shoulders. "I'm sorry, Papa. I'm still mad at you, but I'm sorry for what I did today. That was a little uncalled for." You admitted. A small smile appeared on his face and he pulled you into a loose hug. "I love you, papa, just dont make me wash your bloody clothes ever." You demand. He hums and kisses your head affectionately. "Alright, I think that's fair." He agrees. He released you from his hold and started towards the kitchen. "I'm going to make dinner, is there anything specific you want? If we have the ingredients I'll make it for you." You contemplated your options for a moment before settling for a meal that you used to make with him when you were little. "Can we make beef stroganoff?" He hummed, content with your choice. "Yes, start getting the stuff out." Your frown finally left your face and you also entered the kitchen, happier to help your dad make dinner than to avoid him.

A/n; Hey y'all this got kinda long but ykw it's okay. I think I made the reader get over it a little too quickly, but for the purpose of happy ending it's also okay.

[bookskeepers]

a million dreams - sugawara kōshi

pairing: timeskip ! sugawara kōshi x nb ! afab ! reader

word count: 2,843

content warning: angst. angst. angst. (or at least an attempt to write angst idk if it's successful), established relationship, afab ! reader (because pregnancy sorry gang :( ), suga DIES, car accident (mentions), pregnancy, birth, omgomg, you have a daughter that looks exactly like suga too B)

a/n: why does my mind do this to me (i'm listening to the greatest showman while writing this) (Also i don't speak japanese so if the whole 'kanji' thing is wrong pls lmk)

also i feel like i accidentally veer it towards daichi x reader at some points but i promise it's only platonic between them

BEFORE

"We're gonna have two kids," he said in the dim lighting, his hands entwined with yours. "And a big house with a big backyard for a dog." Your head was tucked into his chest, and you could feel his soft breaths against your forehead. His arms were securely wrapped around you. The vibrations of his voice felt in time with your heartbeat, and you were content. Wholly, truly content in your boyfriend's arms, finding yourself drifting off to sleep as he rambled about his future plans that involved you.

As your eyelids grew heavy and finally closed, you heard him murmur: "We'll name the daughter Harumi and the son Koji, of course."

"Don't I get a say?" you asked then, a playful edge in your tone as you nuzzled further into his chest.

He chuckles into your hair, and you can feel his chest shake. "Of course you get a say," he replied when his laughter died down, "after all, you're going to be their parent too."

It was as if everything in Sugawara's life went according to plan. The next morning, the two of you had your marriage ceremony and wedding. The guest list was on the smaller side, with close friends and family being invited; you recognized familiar faces from Sugawara's time in his high school volley ball club. Your parents were present, along with other extended family members. The event itself went off without a hitch, and, after six years together, you could finally call Sugawara your husband.

After that, it felt like time flew. Before you knew it, you were moving out of your small, shared apartment into a much larger house. Although it wasn't huge by any means, it had enough space for Sugawara's plans: two kids and a dog. And soon, the dog joined the family.

Sugawara had insisted on naming the dog Cheeseball (despite the dog being a Bernese Mountain Dog mix), and Cheeseball was perhaps the second light of Sugawara's life. When he was home, most of his time was spent on the couch, you nuzzled into his side, and Cheeseball laying across both of your laps.

A year or two after Cheeseball joined the family, your first daughter was born. Despite giving Sugawara sass for his choices in names, the two of you ended up agreeing on Harumi, and it was spelt with the kanji for 'sunny'. She had been born at the crack of dawn, hence her name.

As Harumi grew up, it became more and more evident that she was a carbon copy of Sugawara, save for the beauty mark. Her hair was a silky silver and her eyes were a deep brown. She even had a personality similar to that of your husband's: bright, cheerful, and chaotic.

Your life with Sugawara was picture perfect. Of course, of course, it all came crashing down.

It had happened while you were pregnant with your second child. Right after the ultrasound that revealed the baby's sex, no less. You had wanted it to be a surprise, so the technician had told Sugawara. Once the two of you got home, you nestled into your usual spot on the couch and smiled at him sweetly as Cheeseball hopped up and rested his head on your lap.

"Kōshi," you began, your voice dripping with honey, "can you do me a big, big favor?"

He returns your sweet smile with a knowing look, giving you a soft snort before responding. "Yes, my love?"

"I'm really craving cake right now." As if to prove your point, your stomach chose that moment to grumble rather loudly. "And I was thinking, maybe you could get a blue cake or a pink cake for the baby?"

He ruffled your hair before walking towards the entrance of the house, the car keys jingling in his hand. "I'll be back shortly with your sex reveal cake," he called out. The sound of the door slamming shut followed soon after.

You took a quick look at your phone to check the time -- 11:29am -- before turning the TV on to watch something while you waited for Sugawara to return. One hand stroked Cheeseball's soft fur while the other manipulated the remote to try and find a movie or show that piqued your interest.

After settling on a TV show about forensic psychologists and criminal profiling, you found your attention rapt by the show. After watching several episodes, Cheeseball barked. The sound of a door opening indicated that someone was home, and your brow began to furrow after Harumi entered the living room.

"Where's Papa?" Harumi asked, setting her backpack down on the table. Her silvery hair was in two pigtails, a bright gleam in her eyes. "He said he'd tell me if I'm gonna be a big sister or a big brother!"

You chuckled lightly at your daughter, patting the spot on the couch next to you. Another quick glance at your phone revealed that the time was 2:37pm -- four hours since Sugawara had left for the grocery store to get a cake. Anxiety began crawling its way through your system, heading for your heart.

"I don't know where he is," you told your six year old. "I asked him to go to the store and get cake to celebrate finding out! And, you're going to be a sister regardless of what the baby is. We get to find out if you're getting a new sister or a new brother."

Harumi nodded, hanging on to your every word. "I knew that," she huffed. After a brief period of silence, she added a tentative: "Maybe you should call Papa?"

"Good idea," you replied, kissing the top of her head before unlocking your phone and making your way to your contacts. As your finger hovered over the call button next to Sugawara's name, the home phone began to ring.

The anxiety that had been making its way through your body suddenly sank its claws into your heart. No one ever called the home phone. The only reason Sugawara even insisted on one was because it fit his idea of the perfect house. Standing up on shaky legs, you made your way over to the TV stand, picking the phone up from its cradle. You didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" you asked quietly, cursing the slight tremor in your voice. Your heart began to beat rapidly in your chest, roaring in your ears -- you wouldn't be surprised if whoever was on the other end could hear it.

"Is this the Sugawara household?" the strannger questioned.

You recognized the voice almost instantly -- it was Daichi Sawamura, one of Sugawara's closest friends from high school. All it took was those five words for your world to start breaking apart.

"Hi, Daichi," you whispered. You glanced over your shoulder, meeting Harumi's big, brown eyes as she looked at you curiously. "Um, this is the Sugawara household, yes. If you needed something, you could've called my cell. Is everything alright?"

It took a tremendous amount of effort for you to speak in an even voice, to try and seem like you didn't know the next words that were going to come out of the phone.

You heard Daichi take a trembling breath from the other side of the phone, and you tried your best to steel your nerves for whatever he was going to say. Cheeseball chose that moment to get off the couch and pad over to you, as if the dog was aware of what was about to happen. Before Daichi even spoke, you found that tears had begun to stream down your face. "Sugawara -- no, Kōshi -- was in an accident." Another deep, shaky breath. "He didn't make it."

When you officially received the news, it had taken every ounce in you not to fall to your knees. Instead, you expressed the terror coursing through your veins by placing a hand underneath your small-but-noticeable baby bump. "Thank... thank you for telling me, Daichi." You placed the phone back in its cradle, not willing to wait for his response.

The hardest thing in your life was breaking the news to Harumi. How does one tell their child that their faither's never coming home again? How do you explain death in terms that a six year old will understand?

The sobs that tore from your daughter's throat when you told her moments later broke your heart even more. Beyond the pain in your chest, you felt numb, as if what was happening was happening to someone else, as if someone else's husband died on the way back from the grocery store with a blue cake in the passenger seat, as if it were a scene in a movie that you were watching.

You had slept in your once-shared bed that night, longing for the feeling of Sugawara's weight making the mattress dip beside you. You tossed and turned, and sleep didn't come until Harumi had made her way into your room. "Mommy, I can't sleep."

You sat up straight in the bed, holding your arms open for her. "Come here, then," you whispered into the dark room, watching her vague form clamber onto the bed before nuzzling into your chest.

You finally fell asleep with your daughter in your arms.

PRESENT

After that first night without him, you had gone through the motions. Harumi had insisted on going to school, saying something about not wanting to break her routine and "get stuck in the sad." For a six year old, she was wise.

You had covered the shrine in your house with white paper and closed its doors. You had set up a small table next to Sugawara's side of the bed, adorning it with his favorite flowers and jasmine-scented incense. You had called a temple, both grateful for and disgusted by the lack of emotion in your voice when you scheduled your husband's funeral service.

You're now standing next to his coffin, watching as people who knew your husband mill about the temple room. Harumi's by your side, her hand tightly gripping yours. You spot the familiar orange of Hinata's hair, the broad frame of Tsukishima, the angular jaw of Daichi. Your heart squeezes painfully in your chest as you notice the three of them approaching you.

You find yourself wondering, in that moment, what it must've been like for Daichi -- your husband's closest friend -- to not only find Sugawara in the car, but to have to report it to you. You watch as his features mold into a soft, sad smile. Tsukishima and Hinata have similar expressions on their faces.

The three of them each hand you one of many black envelopes you've already received, and you hand them to Harumi. You watch as she scampers off to place them with the rest, that silky silver hair of hers flowing freely behind her.

"How's she handling it?" Daichi finally asks, breaking the silence. Hinata and Tsukishima seem to take this as a sign, offering you their condolences before retreating back into the crowd. Your eyes don't miss the approaching form of your husband's other close friend, Asahi Azumane.

"She didn't want to stop going to school," you reply after a few moments. "She said it was because she didn't want to get stuck in her sadness."

"Wise kid," Asahi comments as he finally reaches the two of you. "May he rest in peace." He tilts his head towards Sugawara's coffin before nodding at you.

You nod in return, engaging in mindless conversation with the other two. You listen as they reminisce over their shared experiences in their high school volleyball club and watching their underclassmen become world-famous pros. You listen as their words flow in one ear and go right out the other. Before long, the wake begins in earnest. The priest goes to the front of the room and begins reciting a sutra, and you and Harumi place incense in the urn a total of three times.

The rest of the day passes in a blur.

That night, you're in your much-too-big bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep stays a fair distance away from you until Harumi reappears in your doorway, around the same night she's done it every time. She nestles into the comfort of your arms, and you can feel the soft rise and fall associated with her breaths.

"Mommy," she says softly in the dark. "I miss Papa."

As if to make up for all the emotions you hadn't felt since his passing, the grief and the guilt come crashing down. You're suddenly too overwhelmed to speak, instead opting to hold your daughter tighter. She returns your squeeze with one of her own, being mindful of the bump of your stomach.

"Do you think my new brother will look like him?"

It takes you some time to trust your voice to speak. "I hope so," you manage to whisper. Harumi doesn't respond, and you can tell that she's fallen asleep.

At the end of the funeral on the following day, you watch as Sugawara's friends place a variety of flowers around his head in the coffin. You watch as Asahi lifts your daughter up with ease so she can add some flowers of her own. Your eyes follow their movements as they close the coffin and nail the lid shut with a stone.

You're grateful for the presence of Sugawara's family at the cremation afterwards, thankful for the steady hands of his parents as they assist you in picking the bones out from the ashes. You're thankful for Asahi and Daichi as well, since they've taken it upon themselves to babysit Harumi while you're preoccupied with this.

You, along with Sugawara's parents, walk towards the temple's lower rooms with the urn holding his remains in your arms. You're the one who places the urn in the small box. A small screen next to the locker-esque grave turns on, and your husband's face smiles at you brightly.

A sob escapes your throat, and tears begin to stream down your face. Sugawara's mother echoes the sentiment as the photo of her son shines brightly in the otherwise dim room. You take shaky, gasping breaths as the photo stares at you before you turn on your heel and leave.

AFTER

It's been several months since his passing. Your baby bump has only grown in size, and you're met with ferocious kicks at every time of day.

During the day, Harumi goes to school as normal. At night, she no longer tries to sleep in her own bed before coming to yours, instead opting to just start the night off in your bed. You find that sleep overtakes you with more ease when your arms are wrapped around your daughter.

It's not long before the sharp, stabbing pains of labor overwhelm you one day while you're at home. Daichi had forced himself to be on your phone's speed dial ever since you told him about the baby boy's kicking, and he is who you call when the time between contractions dwindles from hours to minutes, when the contractions themselves start lasting longer and longer. He's at your door quickly, ushering you into his police car and using the sirens to clear traffic. In between the bursts of pain, you find yourself wondering if it's legal.

When the two of you reach the hospital, you tell him to go get your daughter from the school before you're whisked away by the nurses. As your labor progresses and the baby's closer to being born, you hear Harumi's excited voice from the hallway. It's at this point that the door is closed so you can focus on your task at hand.

Within several hours, your new son is born. The sound of his cries echo throughout the small hospital room, and you watch as the nurses clean him up and wrap him in a soft blue blanket. They hand him to you before one opens the door and beckons for those who are waiting to come in.

Sugawara's parents enter along with yours after Harumi dashes in. She's at your bedside in seconds, jumping on the balls of her feet out of excitement. Your breath catches in your throat as the light shines on her silvery hair, your heart stinging at just how much she looks like Sugawara.

"Mommy, mommy, what's his name? Have you given him a name yet? Can we name him... can we name him Cheeseball?"

Your own mother laughs in response to that as your father picks Harumi up off the ground. "You can't name him Cheeseball," he says, "that's the name of your dog!"

Their conversation fades out of your focus as you gaze down at the little bundle in your arms. The faint hairs lining his forehead are the same shade as your own. You softly rub his nose with your finger, and you watch as his grubby arms escape the blanket and grab at your digit. His name comes to you with ease.

"Hi, Koji," you whisper.

[eventinelysplayground]

This is my entry for @aquagirl1978 Leon sequel release event. I used more than one prompt, though some are just touched on while others are a bigger part of the fic overall. I hope everyone enjoys it and gets a good laugh out of it, it was interesting to write interactions that don't normally happen and with side characters too. Leon's attitude is turning what should be a special ball into a frozen landscape. Just pure fluff and fun, WC approx 1420.

Growing Up

There's no question that a ball is a magical world unto its own. The dazzling jewels, bright dresses and outgoing dancers accompanied by delightful food and intoxicating music. It was enough to fuel little girls' fantasies for years until they were old enough to partake at which point this same magic world fueled their fathers nightmares.

This ball was no different really to the hundreds that had come before or those that would follow after except for the fact a Princess was making her debut tonight and a King who normally smiled like the sun now stood to the side glaring daggers.

“Seriously now Leon, you can't just keep standing here like this all night!”

Yves let out an annoyed huff and Leon just folded his arms across his chest.

“Oh yeah, watch me.”

Yves sputtered and nudged Licht in the arm.

“You're scaring them all Leon.”

“Good, they should be scared.”

Those last words were uttered in a low growl.

“Well I tried.”

Licht turned to the table behind them plucking a tart from a tray and taking a big bite of it.

“That is not trying! Leon, listen to me, I know you're just being protective but if you keep acting like this then nobody will dance with Sophie and you know how that will make her look and feel.”

For just a moment a flicker of regret passed across Leon's face but he shook it off.

“She has all of you to dance with, she'll be fine.”

“That's not, argh!”

Yves was clearly becoming frustrated and had just placed his hands on his hips when a big hand clapped him on the shoulder.

“Now now Yves, a ball is no place for a lecture.”

“But Jin, Sophie has put so much work into preparing for tonight and-”

“I know Yves but he's clearly not gonna listen to any of us so let's just go enjoy ourselves and let him stew.”

“But-”

Yves turned around ready to lay into Jin but although he was smiling it was a smile that told him he wouldn't be argued with.

“Fine, but I hope you know what you're doing!”

Yves stormed off and Jin quickly followed behind with Licht. Once they were far enough away Licht turned to Jin.

“You have a plan right?”

“Nope, not this time.”

“Then?”

“Just because I don't have a plan doesn't mean there isn't one.”

Licht looked over his shoulder and saw that Clavis was closing in on Leon and he sighed knowing full well this wasn't going to go well.

“Well this is certainly entertaining, did you know you look just like Chev right now?”

“I do not.”

“Hahaha, deny it all you like little brother but you could freeze water with your glare right now.”

Leon shifted uneasily at the comparison.

“It's just…”

“It had to happen sooner or later Leon, all children grow up.”

“Why did she have to grow up so fast?”

Clavis shrugged.

“I should have made a new decree about children not attending balls. Or one about boys and girls having to keep at least a hundred feet apart. Maybe it's not too late-”

Clavis was laughing hysterically, almost doubling over in the process but it was enough to draw Leon's attention away from his daughter.

“Do you hear yourself right now? You sound positively insane!”

“Mad I'm infringing on your territory?”

Leon smirked at Clavis, the first change to his expression all night and Clavis feigned a wounded expression.

“I may be eccentric, dashing, handsome, cun-”

“Clavis.”

Leon's tone was taught, clearly he was in no mood for Clavis' games.

“I am not insane, and neither are you. You and Emma have been fair and just rulers, beloved by everyone in the kingdom. Would you really throw it all away now because you don't want to face the fact that your baby girl has grown up?”

“That's just it she hasn't grown up, she’s still-”

Leon's words were cut off by a firm smack to the back of his head. It was Clavis who recovered first.

“Did you really just slap your King?”

“No, I slapped my son in law who's acting like an idiot.”

“Oh my this night is turning out to be quite entertaining! How deli-”

“Be quiet or you're next.”

“Dear me.”

Mr. Akatsuki glared at Clavis who couldn't help but gulp.

“I didn't know you were coming tonight Pops.”

“Of all the things you could have picked up from that mutt….”

Mr. Akatsuki sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Listen here, I know what it's like to watch your daughter grow up, to not want her to grow up but you're annoying brother-”

“Hey! I object to that.”

“Did you forget what I just told you?”

Leon was still rubbing the back of his head from the smack and Clavis put his hands up in surrender.

“Good. Now as much as you don't want Sophie to grow up she is and there's nothing you can do about that.”

“I know that, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.”

“Well of course you won't like it, no father likes it! I didn't like it, I'm actually still mad at you for taking Emma away from me.”

Mr. Akatsuki was the one frowning now and he crossed his arms across his chest mimicking Leon's stance from earlier.

“That's different, Emma was an adult whe-”

“Says you. To me…she was still the same little girl she had been. We have to let them grow up though and hope we taught them well, so that when the time comes they make a good choice. Not like some women.”

Mr. Akatsuki stuck his chin out gesturing to where Nokto was currently engaged in seducing a noblewoman. Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair and that's when he noticed it. Sophie was being escorted to the edge of the dance floor by a boy with familiar red hair. He wanted nothing more than to walk over there and pull them apart but his still faintly throbbing head was enough to make him restrain himself.

“I had always wished we had another girl but now…one is definitely plenty.”

Mr. Akatsuki nodded his head in agreement to Leon's words. The three men watched in silence as Sophie twirled her way around the dance floor, a smile as dazzling as the sun lighting up her face. As soon as the song ended and she had been escorted off the floor another young man came up and offered Sophie his hand which she gladly took.

“Hahaha it seems Cedric's courage has spread to others.”

Leon grumbled something under his breath before he walked away from the other two. Clavis waited for awhile to be sure Leon was out of ear shot before he spoke.

“You know I was curious how my darling sister had planned to deal with this but I admit calling in her dear old Papa to handle it was not on my list.”

“Seems like I wasn't entirely needed though. Not when you can order around your knight to order around his son. What did that cost you anyway?”

“Oh I didn't have to pay, as it turns out dear Cedric finds the Princess quite enchanting. I did have to stop his father from discouraging him but anything for young love.”

Mr. Akatsuki groaned and Clavis' expression turned serious.

“Leon still has a lot to learn doesn't he?”

“Yes, but he’ll get there eventually. At least my granddaughter is also making sensible choices.”

“True, she could have been led astray by someone like Jin, or Nokto.”

“Or even worse, you.”

“Dearie me, that hurts my feelings.”

“You'll be fine and so will he.”

“Of course, but will you be fine?”

“Huh?”

There was a devilish grin on Clavis' face as his gaze settled on Emma and Leon who had now joined the other dancers on the floor.

“Well Sophie is still pure and innocent after all but Emma isn't. I mean they have eight children after all and the direction Leon's hands are currently going in it looks to me like he may be anxious to try for numb- ow!”

Clavis began rubbing the back of his head, he was honestly surprised the old man still had so much strength in him.

“Clearly Emma learned her famous, or should I say infamous, slap from you.”

“Nope, hers is even worse.”

Clavis shuddered at the thought while Mr. Akatsuki began to laugh, taking what solace he could in Clavis' pain.

[ceasarslegion]

wait, now im really interested in the silica gel drama. how did hlrp sex ed lead to eating a gel packet?

This is going to require a novel's length of context.

To begin, I want to underline that this is not meant to be a callout post, and I will not be providing any identifying traits that could be used to single this person out. The most you will get out of that are she/her pronouns, and her age at the time this happened, which was years ago, and I will not specify what year. I genuinely do hope she got the help she needed after this, because LORD knows she needs it and didn't find it at home. This is also not meant to be a character assassination, nor should anybody who reads this post consider it to be a takedown of any sort, and if you try to find this person through me or any of our mutual friends, you will not be met with kind words. The only thing this is meant to be is a wild-ass story of some of the most off the wall experiences I personally had with this person from my specific side of the story, with a few no-username screenshots attached to prove I am not bullshitting you.

With that in mind, let's get started. This is going to be very long, so I'm throwing in a read more

Back when I was in uni, I joined a growing group of Half Life roleplay blogs. The whole idea of our group was that we each chose a character, canon or OC, and we would blog as if the pre-Black Mesa incident moment in the timeline was a workplace comedy a la The Office or Superstore. I played Barney, because I was already working night shift security at this point and thought it would be funny. Plus, it gave me something to do that wasn't staring at CCTV feeds all night tossing a ball against the wall. We played off of each other very well, yes-anding our way through funny little situations and plotlines we put together. At one point we had roleplayed enough that one of the scientist rpers created a discord server for us to talk as the actual people we are instead of through characters.

Great idea at the time. None of us saw the "Pandora's box" label on the tin before we opened it. Would I still join it if I knew what was about to transpire? Yes, because I met my boyfriend and many genuinely lovely friends through it. Would I hesitate for a second first, though, as the events that are about to transpire flashed before my eyes? Oh, abso-fucking-lutely.

We started off as many fandom servers do: chill for the most part, very loud minority of a few assholes who ruined it for the rest of us, but unlike most fandom servers, we actually won and it ended in them getting banned and the server itself surviving to this day. But the other two lunatics are not who you came here for. You want the christian lunatic.

Let's give her a nickname to make this easier. I have the Sylveon build a bear on my PC desk. Let's call her Syl.

Syl was not there for Half Life, she was there for Portal. She LOVED Portal, Half Life was just part of the same universe for her. Portal wasn't just a game for her, it was her entire personality. Which I didn't see much of an issue with at the time, because she said she was 15. Whatever, I thought; she'll learn to control her emotional attachment to things as she gets older. Syl also said that she was christian. I am a flaming atheist who doesn't even believe in the concept of a soul in comparison and I am NOT the biggest fan of christianity as an institution to put it mildly, but I'm not gonna like, be a dick to you for your personal religion if you are not a dick about my beliefs, so I didn't think much of it at the time.

It quickly became apparent that Syl looked up to me more than any of the other adults in the group the more I would talk about my life growing up as a third culture kid and moving out on my own at 19, working 2 jobs and going to a good university. She would ask me a lot about growing up and uni and moving out and yes, sex ed, and it became even more apparent that she didn't get any actual guidance from her parents or pastors or ANYBODY beyond bible studies and homeschooling, so I kinda stumbled into a mentorship role in her life. I wasn't cold, but I was aware of the age and maturity difference between us and established the appropriate boundaries with her and made it very clear that I am an internet friend, not an irl friend or an educator, but if no one else was going to give her information that wasn't actively harmful then fuck, I guess SOMEONE had to do it. I could not in good conscience watch some kid go through life with harmful inaccuracies about the world and basic human biology when I could have done something about it, y'know?

And the more things I taught her about the real world and how things actually work rather than how her republican bible-thumping rural town said they did, the more I realized she was born into a full-blown cult under the guise of a christian congregation. Oh goody, I had my work cut out for me. I will not get into the details of how messed up this group was because it will be a dead giveaway of where she lives and potentially who she is, but let's just say that one time I said that I appreciated the gesture of praying for me during a stressful week I was having but it didn't really do anything for my mental health because I was an atheist, and she sent me a bunch of bible verses begging me to start believing and said "I just don't want you to go to hell because you're so nice :((" EXCUSE ME??? Another time she said that death was only sad for non-christians because their loved ones were in hell and that proper christians deaths were a good thing because they were in heaven now. Hi, that's the most insensitive death cult shit I've ever heard in my goddamn life.

Okay, set up is done. All of these details will tie in like the world's worst reboot of Pulp Fiction, I prommy.

After a good long while learning about the world from me (which like... a uni kid working night shift security is not exactly an academic source but we take what we can get) and exposure to viewpoints outside of her in-group, Syl began that very painful journey of realizing that what the cult taught you was a lie. Except that she just wasn't grasping that unlearning things was an active process. She started to flip to the opposite side very quickly, but kept all the fundamental brainwashing of the cult that raised her. The concepts were all the same, just slapped a different label on them. This created a noticeable pull between two sides of the same personality: the cult personality, and the person beyond the cult who wanted to break free. Mix that with how fucking 15 years old every 15 year old is, and you have a LETHAL concoction just waiting to blow up at the first sign of a spark.

Remember how I said that Portal was her whole personality? Syl decided that she wanted to be a scientist, and go into an ivy league program like I was in (I was in a SOCIAL science, but sure). Problem was, she didn't have the grades or the ambition, really. I had told her that I still got into an ivy league when I failed math in high school, and she seemed to completely miss the part where I said that I also joined every extra-curricular, then worked for 2 gap years for recognized institutions, and wrote an essay about why my math grade is not relevant to my program. I did it with one bad grade, so she was justified in basically just slacking off and then excusing it with "but its haaarrrdd" when we'd tell her she needs to put the fucking work in NOW if that's what she wants to do.

It quickly derailed from here. Not only was she going to be a scientist, she was going to be like Cave Johnson. And she was going to... replace her body with robot parts so she could be like glados. I don't... think she actually knew what science is, because she would just publically fantasize about running unethical experiments on people in the name of "science," and talk about how one day she wants to basically establish aperture labs for real. All of us who were there kind of agree that we don't think she was joking based on what we knew about her and the cadence of her tone. Here's something she said at the time to give you an idea of what direction she was nosediving in:

This was after a session with her therapist where said therapist said that she definitely has some kind of personality disorder, after which she was weirdly proud of having one and treated it like a badge of honour.

Syl then made a separate group chat for all the best friends she made on the server. There was her, me, @false-pyre, and @imtheaura. She titled it "My Family," despite the fact that we were all adults and she was 15 and she only knew us over a discord half life server where one person in it stepped up to somewhat equip her for real life outside of a cult. Regardless though that GC was more the vibe of a group of friends sharing memes and chatting about the day than the wider server was at the time. The others began to also take on a sort of mentorship role towards her as well, because that's kind of inevitable when you get someone talking about teenager problems in a room full of adults who all made the same mistakes before in their own lives. Well, minus the cult.

And remember how I said that she didn't unlearn any of the cult shit? Well, there was a lot of proselytizing. She decided she wasn't christian for a spell, but still wanted us and everyone to know that jesus was the lord and savior and we had to accept him or we'd burn in hell. Usually said after we'd make some joke about satan being daddy or declaring ourselves god instead, because that is just the type of humor the others and i have with each other. She took it so personally whenever one of us would go "oh my god" "you called?" it was fucking annoying. I lost count of the amount of lectures she gave us, all of which I'd shut down and tell her to get a grip about because I have a big stupid mouth.

The others and I also like to talk about evolution, and speculate about where we're going from here. My fucking god, did she not like that. She bit our heads off about how evolution isn't real and god made everyone as we are and there's no scientific evidence or whatever the hell. Like yeah good luck getting into STEM with that mindset. Whenever we pointed out that she was objectively wrong about that, she'd have a big stupid meltdown about how much we're slandering god and how jesus died for us and we're spitting in his face or whatever. He should spit in MY face inste-*GUNSHOT*

Eventually, we were making some actual progress with her. She was still one fry short of a happy meal and going off about how much she wanted to put living subjects in test tubes in between knocking on our doors and reciting Hello from the Book of Mormon musical, but we were getting somewhere. And then she went back to in person school, and her favourite teacher got fired.

The schoolboard did not say why she got fired, but we all had our suspicions that it was because she openly supported queer rights in a cult town. She was coincidentally retired shortly after making a declaration that queer people are still welcome in god's kingdom. This teacher was the first in person adult Syl had for guidance, so that incident shook her to her core, and she fell right back into the extremism. Hook, line, and sinker, even more extreme than before.

She was WEIRD that week, man. Suddenly everything was about how great god was, how amazing jesus was. Suddenly she understood why her cult member parents "just wanted to protect her" from gay characters on disney+ originals. Suddenly no one could say "jesus christ lol" around her or she'd have a fit. I said "I hate cycle counts lmao i wanna kms" because my then-job (I had graduated at this point) made me do inventory management spontaneously and wouldn't let me go home until I had counted every product in the store, and she bit my head off accusing me of turning suicide into a joke.

It was that incident that made us tell her to knock it off already, that we understood it was a hard week for her and she was in a period of grief, but that is no excuse for how she had been acting towards everyone around her that wasnt christian, and that she was actively relapsing. I'll let the exchange speak for itself:

So uh. After years of helping Syl through this she goes and pulls this bullshit. And then has the fucking AUDACITY to act like nothing ever happened in the wider server. I am genuinely gobsmacked by the balls on her to act like it was all sunshine and rainbows in the wider server after sending this and immediately leaving the same GC SHE made and titled "My Family" just because we told her to stop acting like a goddamn Jonestown citizen after all the work we'd put in to get her out of that mentality at this point.

So I dragged her up in front of everyone and essentially said "no, nuh uh, you don't get to say that shit to the people who have lost sleep and asked for nothing in return trying to help you escape a cult over the last 2 years and then act like we're all buddy buddy to everybody else. You don't get to be that arrogant and self-righteous without any consequences. I don't give a fuck how young you are, you DON'T treat the people who have helped you this much like that, you selfish little shit. How dare you treat us like this after all we've done for you over the years."

Unfortunately, no one involved had surviving screenshots of this, but they can back me up on it if they so choose. And oh boy, DID she face the consequences of her own actions. The whole server basically turned their heads and went "what the FUCK is wrong with you, Syl??" and asked her to at least like, apologize. She proceeded to double down with the added audacity of "you guys taught me how to establish healthy boundaries, that's all I'm doing right now :(( oh woe is me :(((" like WOW, okay. Someone's really going for the persecution complex.

Here's her last goodbye to us all before the mass block fest occured:

Oh, boohoo. You're so hard done by. You spat in the faces of everyone who stayed up all night multiple times helping you through crises and spent the last 2 years teaching you about how the world really worked and then they asked you to apologize after you tried to escape accountability. You truly are god's strongest soldier, the most persecuted minority in the world. Let me play you an ode to how righteous and holy you are and how this was the most important hill to sacrifice all your outsider friendships on on the world's smallest violin.

Syl then went on to post on her roleplay blog that she "was banned because I spoke up for what was right, and they didn't like that" before deleting it. Truly no one has suffered as much as you.

Anyway, the day after that went down, I called in from work, bought this book, and read the whole thing purely out of spite:

It was greatly therapeutic. After that incident, I vowed to never sanitize my own atheistic beliefs for the benefit of others again. If they don't like them, they don't have to talk to me. But I am not changing them for other people or keeping them quiet just to spare your feelings anymore, I have as much a right to my beliefs as anyone else does, including the world's most persecuted minority here.

And well, the silica gel incident?

There was one incident, during the height of Syl's "I am the irl cave johnson and only want to get into STEM to conduct unethical experiments on people. follow jesus" era, the rest of us were joking about how silica gel packets are the ultimate forbidden snack, and said "haha would eating it make you see shrimp colours" knowing full well it can kill you.

Syl proceeded to actually eat a silica gel packet and then send in "it has a sandy texture and tastes bad" prompting the rest of us to go "WE WERE FUCKING JOKING FIND YOUR POISON CONTROL HOTLINE RIGHT NOW"

And because i didnt get this done until now, I'll tag everyone who said they wanted to read this or expressed interest: @captainjonnitkessler @formydarlingtoread @cra-zwizard @chasingnightrainbows

[elliethecat]

Okay y'all, here's my next Zora May entry!

If you don't know already, Zora May is hosted by the amazing @prisiidon, and this propt was "formal ball"!

(Sidenote I was listening to Aphex Twin while writing this to take that how you will)

There was a very important event in Zora's Domain, and Sidon was fretting most of it. That night was a very important ball—one that happened every few years—and it had to be perfect. Sidon had already finished planning everything, but there was something else that was bugging him. Link.

How could he be seen eating with and dancing with Link? Who would Yona dance with? What would the people of the domain think? What would he do?!

Sidon was eventually snapped out of this state of panic by a certain silly-yet-stoic knight grabbing hold of his hand. Link was having the exact opposite emotions as Sidon was. Link had a small smile on his face and was excited to dance with his king. Even though Link was nervous about the ball a bit as well, Link was ready for everything that might happen. Link nuzzled Sidon's arm as he held the King's hand and smiled.

“Sidon, everything's gonna be fine. If anyone wants to talk bad about us then they can fuck off!”

“Link! While I agree with what you said, you cannot cuss out our citizens!”

“But what if they deserve it?” Link said in mock disappointment.

“Link, even if they deserve it, that's not a royal thing to do!”

“I guess… You do know that I wasn't really gonna do that, right?”

“Yes, Link, I do. I can easily tell when you are joking.”

Link let out a soft laugh and hugged Sidon, a sweet smile on his face. Sidon can easily read Link like a book, and Link knew this.

“Now, my pearl, I sewed an outfit for you for the ball tonight,” Sidon said, a soft smile on his face.

“Ooo! Can I see it, Sidon?” Link responded quickly.

“Of course! I shall go and get it. I intentionally set it with my more elaborate regalia.”

Sidon quickly walked over to where he kept his regalia and got a beautiful white and silver suit and an equally as pretty white circle skirt with blue accents. The fact that there wasn't any trousers or a blouse showed that the two items were meant to be worn together, and it was a tad surprising for Link. Link didn't mind, though, as he was fine with wearing a suit or a dress. The ball was in a couple hours, so there was a bit of time for Link, Sidon, and Yona to work out all the kinks of the ball together.

Once Yona got back from doing queen stuff, she sat down by Link and Sidon and smiled at them. The smile wasn't just because she was happy to see them, no no, it was also because Link was sitting in Sidon's lap and was clearly happy to be with his king.

“Hello Yona. Link and I have discussed the ball and have decided that we do not care what anyone says about us, but we still have a problem. Who will you dance with? I do not mind you dancing with anyone, I just don't know how you would feel,” Sidon said.

“Oh, I'm fine with that arrangement, Sidon! There's this Zora woman that I have seen around the domain, and I was hoping that I would be able to ask her to dance with me!” Yona responded.

“I hope that she says yes, Yona!” Link chirped.

“Thank you, Link. I hope she does too…” Yona mumbled, clearly thinking about this woman whom she wanted to dance with.

Link and Sidon just smiled, and Link quickly got back to snuggling with Sidon. Link is quite the stubborn Hylian, so if he wants snuggles, you're gonna have to give them to him if you don't want to deal with him bugging you all day! Link's snuggles are wonderful to Sidon anyway, so he really doesn't mind at all.

Several hours later, it was time for the ball. Sidon was dressed in his full kingly regalia—a beautiful thing made with beautiful jewels, shiny silver, and beautiful fabrics. Yona was wearing a similar outfit to Sidon, but the person with the most eye-catching outfit was Link. The Hylian was wearing the beautiful skirt suit that Sidon sewed for him, and it made him look stunning. The skirt segment didn't restrict Link's movement, and what makes it better is that the skirt had pockets!

The three went to the banquet table to wait for the rest of the attendees. One after another, Zora of every status in society—the unemployed to royal guards—came into the room and sat down at the table. Link's outfit and seat right next to the king got a few stares, but Link didn't mind. Once everyone was there, the food was passed around, and every person at attendance got a good portion. The only variable that could have gone wrong was that Fronk and Mei brought their children, but they were very well behaved.

Once the feasting was over, everyone filed into the ballroom to dance. Before Sidon got the ability to ask Link for a dance, many Zora swarmed him to ask about whatever they needed.

“King Sidon,” Tula started, “Are you going to dance with Queen Yona? You two would be perfect dance partners!”

“Actually, Tula, I was going to dance with Link. Yona told me that she wanted to ask for another Zora's hand for a dance,” Sidon said.

“What?! But you and Yona are husband and wife! You two should dance with each other!”

“Well, we do not want to dance together. We both gave permission that we could dance with other people, and the person I want to dance with is Link.”

“But—”

“I will dance with him no matter what anyone says. He is my dearest, and I shall be by his side as long as he wishes for me to be.”

This shut Tula up quickly, and Sidon quickly got through every other Zora who needed to ask him something. Once that was done, Sidon turned to Link and extended his hand.

“May I have this dance, my pearl?”

“Pshh, obviously. You don't even have to ask, dummy,” Link said in response.

Sidon chuckled in response, and he gently grabbed Link's hands. Before they started dancing though, Sidon and Link spied Yona asking her attendant Khira something, and by both of their reactions it was clear that Yona asked her to dance. It seems like King Fasolla, Yona's homophobic father, gave her the wrong attendant in his eyes. He would be mortified if he found out that his daughter is dancing with one of her attendants. He doesn't need to know, however, and Link and Sidon won't tell anyone.

Now, it was time for Link and Sidon to dance. The two slowly danced together, though at times their dancing got a touch faster. The two were dancing beautifully, and the gentle spin of Link's skirt as they moved as one accentuated their beauty. Link and Sidon looked like a proper king and queen, but in this case it could be considered that they were a proper king and prince.

Most eyes were on the pair as they danced, and Sidon and Link noticed this. Sidon then spun Link around in his arms, though Link was a bit clumsy and almost fell. Sidon, luckily, was there to catch the Hylian in an accidental passionate move. Link was incredibly embarrassed, as was obvious from his face being smothered in a deep pink.

“Careful there, my pearl. I wouldn't want you to fall!” Sidon teased.

“Shut up, you handsome fish! You weren't the one who was spun around, were you?” Link rebuked jokingly.

“That is true, you handsome devil.”

“Stop complimenting me in front of the entire domain!”

“What if I don't?”

“Then I'll… I'll bite one of your fins off!”

“Violent much?”

“Just… Keep dancing with me and shut your mouth!”

“Well I can't resist orders from my dearest Hylian, can I?”

“Sidon!”

Sidon let out a soft chuckle at Link's possibly-faux anger. Well, really probably-faux anger, as Link doesn't sound so giggly when he's really peeved at something.

Sidon and Link then went back to dancing, and they danced just as beautifully as before. Yona and Khira were dancing as well, and they looked as beautiful as Link and Sidon as they slowly moved in each other's arms. Yona, Sidon, and Khira were definitely more graceful than Link, but Link was doing his best, and was still quite graceful all things considered. People were still staring at Link and Sidon, but the two could hardly care about anything other than their moves, steps, and each other. It's as though they were linked together with a thread at the heart and hands.

Link then tripped again, but this time it was on purpose. Once Sidon steadied him in his arms, Link was ready to put his plan into action. Link pulled Sidon's face in the last few centimeters and kissed him. Link kissed Sidon on the lips then and there. If their dancing already didn't cause a scandal, then this must have! Luckily, though, it was never more than a surprise to most Zora. The elderly Zora on the other hand were much more angry about this kiss, with them saying “Our King can't be gay!” and other such bullshit.

It was Sidon's turn to be embarrassed now, the King of the Zora's face becoming an almost as vivid red as his scales.

“Link! What was that for?!” Sidon asked.

“Payback,” Link simply retorted.

"Ah, well I guess I cannot find any flaws with that logic.”

Sidon then went to sit down with Link, so that he wouldn't faint.

Eventually, the ball was over, and everyone left the palace. Yona kissed Khira on the cheek before she left.

“Khira, thank you for dancing with me. I would happily dance with you again,” Yona said sweetly.

“No, thank you for dancing with me! It was a blast, Yona—and if you would like, I would happily think about courting you if King Sidon was fine with it,” Khira said in response.

“I'm sure that he would be fine with it. The only problem is that my father would raise the wrath of Ganon on us if he ever found out.”

“He would, so I must assume courting you will be for some other time.”

“Yes, it will be, but I cannot wait.”

With that, Khira left the palace, and Yona went to join Link and Sidon.

Sidon and Link didn't ask about anything, but they told Yona that they were proud of her for asking Khira to dance. The three eventually got back to the room that they shared. Sidon had a really comfortable water bed, and all three of them had to share it.

Link kicked off his shoes, changed into the undershirt of his Champion's Tunic and some comfortable trousers, and hopped into bed. Sidon and Yona took off their regalia before joining Link, as metal poking into your skin as you sleep isn't very comfortable. Link quickly started cuddling with Sidon, and Yona grabbed a book for her to read. Link made a few mumbled “Good night”s to Sidon and Yona before falling into the arms of slumber. Sidon very soon joined him, leaving Yona as the only one awake.

Yona couldn't help but think about Khira for several minutes before she fell asleep. Once she did, her dreams were filled with dreams of courting Khira and becoming her loving wife. Sidon, on the other hand, dreamt of the beautiful blond-haired Hylian in his arms.

[im-an-insane-man-lover]

Okay this is really long and absolute yappery just. I NEED to shove this out somewhere besides with my pookie

So I think like a few people know who Alexi is??? Right, my silly until dawn oc. Him and Mack (or Moose) are me and my friends silly ud ocs right

I'm focusing more on these sillies than Alexi IN ud so I'm yapping about them !!! Because they're so silly

To the 3 people (pookie and like. Idk other goobers) who might read this tell me if you want more yapping of them because they're infecting my brain rn and I want me and pookie to yap more

ALSO INCLUDING SOME DOODLES AND DRAWING BY POOKIE!!! @roverthegoober

GOLLY I love these guys..... a LARGE portion is just like angst or the aftermath of the ud events

Two goobers meeting in early middle school only over the fact Alexi was asking him for help on work and after that he kept bothering him. Not even for help, asking random questions, and trying to know him better.

Alexi having Mack over for a movie night, and he's either forcing him to watch some sad rom-com or all of The Thing movies and explaining the comics and lore, pointing out small details and references in or related to The Thing (its his favorite horror series? I think it counts as a series right)

Like after the events of ud (saying everyone lives ending), they're both screwed up, but Mack had suffered from tbi (traumatic brain injury). Alexi is also suffering, obviously. Half his face is still messed up, his arm and hand are, but he doesn't have severe head injury (facial yeah, but erm... not head or brain, yknow)

Alexi isn't making any efforts to talk to anyone else (the group, not REALLY his family except if it's his brother, which is unlikely), but he's talking to Mack. Only talking to Mack, even if they're both struggling and trying to recover, he's literally worried sick about him and not metaphorically (because his anxiety is increased tenfold now)

Depending on how severe the tbi is, Mack COULD have memory issues with recalling what went on that night and everything that happened (long-term memory loss, he'd also struggle to remember how to do this or that and what this is etc). So Alexi is just dumbfounded.

Alexi can remember everything perfectly fine, and he just can't grasp that the person closest to him can't?? He can't go to Mack for any questions on what happened, how he got injured (at least for the injuries he wasn't present for, or Mack already told him after) and he can't go to him for any reassurance and comfort.

He's just in shock because he is ABSOLUTELY NOT going to confide in someone else, like family or a friend, because you have to be so insanely close to this guy for him to trust you to that extent.

So, over the years, he's sticking with Mack since he still remembers him, but not completely. He can't recall facts about him or moments that happened between them, and its not completely Mack.

ANYWAYS, IM GONNA LEAVE THAT THERE BC I DONT WANNA YAP ABOUT SAD SHIT ALL IN THIS POST

Don't come after me for anything that's not super medically accurate. Im not a doctor or anything. im just spit balling to get an idea out. Like Mack would probably have different symptoms and stuff, but this is just for silly fun for our ocs and I just wanna be silly 😞😞 this is literally just for fun so don't come at me with a pitchfork and mob

More art giggles

I love these guys I need them dead

Alexi was almost a theater kid, but he was too scared to because of his anxiety, but he still really wanted to try singing (he wasn't exactly too big on the dancing portion). He only did a few times at his house in his room, but his mom caught on and offered to get him a personal vocal coach (or trainer, idk the exact title).

So he CAN sing somewhat, but it's been a bit since he has, and he definitely isn't telling that to just anyone. Mack only found this out when they jokingly had a karaoke night, and Alexi didn't suck at singing

Also, if anybody is confused about why he has red hair, sometimes it's because his natural hair color is red, but he dyes it black. His older brother has black hair, and he was really close with him, and so around the start of high school, he started to dye it a bit to try it, and eventually he just ended up doing it completely and making it a routine.

Mack helps him dye it sometimes, but that's not often since he isn't the super best at it..... helps with getting Alexi what he needs mainly

OKAY THATS ALLLL !!!!! IM GONNA try to finish drawing Mack and Alexi as Paul and Sam from TGWDLM and sleep...

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

"Write it down, Kim -- in Martinaise they just kill you because they don't *like* you."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Got it." He takes out his notebook. "Kill you -- because they don't like you. All because..."

"...because of some chick."

ALAIN - A wince. It's involuntary. "Bring that up *one more time* and you won't get to write that report."

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - The man's fists under the table are balled -- you can tell from his neck and shoulders. He means it.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Yes, I understand, Alain -- that's your name, right? Alain. You'll *kill* us." He scratches in his notebook. "That's what they do in the Wild North."

"They just hang you, like in the dark ages -- make a display of your corpse."

"They just hang you -- shoot you -- whatever! They can't even remember."

"They just hang you -- shoot you -- light you on fire. They don't care!"

FAT ANGUS - "It wasn't that, it wasn't..." the fat man says with a wheeze. "We didn't shoot him."

RHETORIC - That's it, that's the weak one -- you flushed him out. Now go in for the...

THEO - "Officer, you *will* be next if you don't shut up." The old man reaches for his belt, but his voice is strangely calm.

HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Medium: Success] - Firearm! A Glace 08, or a .38 calibre pistol -- either is small enough for you to have missed.

RHETORIC - He's on to you. He knows what you're trying to do...

VOLITION [Medium: Success] - Steel yourself, push on. Just ignore Theo.

(Turn to Angus.) "Or what? You're gonna kill me like you killed him? FOR NO FUCKING REASON?"

(Turn to Theo.) "What happens if I keep talking? You gonna *kill* me too -- in this bar?! FOR NOTHING?!"

Look at Kim first.

THEO - "No." You see him shake his silvery head. His calm voice is almost kind now. "*I'm* not gonna do it. I'm too old for a shot like that now..."

"You hear that, Angus! They're gonna kill me too!"

"Wait. Let's go back. I want to say something else..."

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - The most terrible fear. Bigger than any before.

KIM KITSURAGI - To your right, you sense the air move. The lieutenant draws his firearm.

TITUS HARDIE - You only manage to perform one more movement. An instinctive jerk to your left. Then -- no sound. No one screams. It's impossible to say where it comes from...

MORE DEAD COPS

Sad news from the district of Martinaise as the bodies of two police officers are found floating in the canal. It is believed the officers where pursuing a murder investigation but got caught in the dockworkers strike and were gunned down under unclear circumstances.

"Such needless loss of life is truly tragic," a local union leader Evrart Claire commented and added that although the event is truly horrid, we can expect similar incidents to follow if right-wing vigilantes are allowed to run around uncontrolled and try to wiggle their way into well-organized neighbourhoods."

Oops. Let's try that again.

3. Look at Kim first.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant has put down his notebook -- his hand is resting on his holster. He gives you an imperceptible nod.

RHETORIC - What? What does that mean?

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Medium: Success] - Go for it -- the lieutenant has his eyes set on the fat guy. Push Angus. We're almost there.

(Turn to Angus.) "Or what? You're gonna kill me like you killed him? FOR NO FUCKING REASON?"

FAT ANGUS - "We didn't kill him! We didn't even *hang him*, he was dead when..." He takes a breath, wheezing.

ELIZABETH - "SHUT UP, ANGUS!"

"He was dead *before* you hanged him?"

SHANKY - "Fatty!" The little guy hits Angus on the back of the head. A loud slap. "Say one more thing to the cops and I'll..."

TITUS HARDIE - "DENNIS!" Titus roars. "Stand down or I'll beat your head in. Theo --" He points to the old man. "Take your hand off the belt -- this isn't '31. I've got this under control."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - Does he? His closed fist is shaking... it's *you* who's in control. Let them have their moment.

FAT ANGUS - The room falls quiet. So quiet you can hear Angus wheeze.

TITUS HARDIE - "Angie, where's your goddamn inhaler? You sound like you're dying."

FAT ANGUS - "I left it home. I can't get it, I'm too fucked..." He grabs his chest. "I'm sorry."

ELIZABETH - "Why are you so fucking FAT, Angus?!" Lizzie snaps at him. "Now it's all pointless, because of *you*. You wasted my time. I told you, Titus --" she turns to him. "I told you to just give her up."

TITUS HARDIE - "Lizzie." He turns to the fixer. "Your help is no longer needed here. Go tell Evrart."

ELIZABETH - "Fine. I'll tell him. After a long walk along the *coast*." She walks off without looking back.

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - What just happened between these two?

RHETORIC - You're in. He's all yours. Questions!

🎵 Whirling-in-Rags, 8PM

"I'm sorry I made you guys fight."

(Whisper) "Kim, we did it."

"So you *didn't* kill him. He was already dead."

"So, *who* killed the merc then? Any leads?"

"Whose idea was it to hang him anyway -- hers?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Me too."

2. (Whisper) "Kim, we did it."

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant gives a smile only you can see.

3. "So you *didn't* kill him. He was already dead."

TITUS HARDIE - He nods.

KIM KITSURAGI - "You hanged the corpse to cover up the real cause of death -- the bullet in his head."

TITUS HARDIE - Another nod.

"Why?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Cause the girls asked us to. They were in some shit."

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Girls plural? There's another girl? Two of them? Take note of this. They'll probably say more about her later.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Did *she* kill him?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Cop, I have no idea -- the girl says she didn't..."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - He doesn't think she did. Or at least he *hopes* she didn't.

"What happened Sunday night?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Klaasje came down." He points to the stairs. "She seemed really out of it. Drugged up -- even more than usual. Bug eyed and gurning, you know? Not in a *fun* way."

"It looked like she'd redosed after something went down. I've seen that look before, she was scared. I knew someone had died."

"How did you know?"

TITUS HARDIE - "I've done this job for ten years. I've seen it before. It's the politician in the motel room with the dead hooker scenario -- only in reverse."

SHANKY - "Good analogy, boss." The rat-faced man snickers.

TITUS HARDIE - "You don't get to talk yet, Shanky." He points at him. "You're still on the bench -- and you keep taking it easy too, Angus." He turns back to you.

"What happened then?"

TITUS HARDIE - "We went upstairs. Sure as day the merc was dead. And there was a bullet hole through the window. Fucking..." He scratches his chin. "Dirty sheets and bottles everywhere."

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - He means they'd been fucking?

TITUS HARDIE - "Tibbs patched the window. And the corpse -- we hanged."

4. "Who's Tibbs -- the eighth Hardie?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Nah, he's my brother. He's in the window replacement business."

EMPATHY [Medium: Success] - Right now he's grateful he hasn't gotten his brother into this mess.

5. "If Klaasje didn't kill him -- why the cover up?"

TITUS HARDIE - "You may have noticed our girl's in some shit of her own."

"She told me some people were after her -- from Oranje. She wouldn't say more."

"I didn't notice anything -- what kind of *shit* are we talking about?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Yeah -- she wouldn't. She's fucked if she shows up on police radar."

"These people -- who are they?"

TITUS HARDIE - "They're powerful." He looks out the window. "Connected to the Moralintern. She's clearly afraid for her life -- says if she showed up in your systems, she'd be ghosted away."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - That's all he knows -- that's all she's told him.

KIM KITSURAGI - "And why would you help someone like that? By taking on a murder?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Why *would* I?" He shrugs. "I guess we abide all sorts of runaways and losers here. It's a Martinaise thing."

6. "So, *who* killed the merc then? Any leads?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Not yet. Just some ideas. She says the shot came from outside, behind the window somewhere. So that's a clue."

"What are you thinking?"

"Got it. Tell me something else."

TITUS HARDIE - "I'm thinking -- someone's past caught up with them. Either hers or his."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Hers -- you mean..."

TITUS HARDIE - "I mean the people after Klaasje. Maybe the shot missed. Maybe it was meant for *her*?"

EUGENE - "I like that." The young guy nods. "Been thinkin' the same thing myself."

"And you had ideas about *his* past too?"

TITUS HARDIE - "I do -- one of those mercenary buddies of his could've done it. They got guns. Training. Years of bad blood, probably. Or it could've been someone else from Krenel..." He pauses to think.

"Tell you what I'd do -- check out the coast for vantage points. Maybe consult with a ballistics buddy of mine -- that's what *I'd* do. If I wasn't too busy doing this clown dance with you."

VOLITION [Easy: Success] - He's calm now. Threw all that turmoil away and became himself again.

LOGIC [Challenging: Success] - These theories -- not bad. Don't buy either one, but still. This guy's not as dumb as he looks.

7. "Whose idea was it to hang him anyway -- hers?"

TITUS HARDIE - "In a manner of speaking."

REACTION SPEED - Remember the two girls? He may be talking about the other one.

"Earlier you said the *girls* asked for your help. Was this the other girl?"

TITUS HARDIE - "That's right." He blinks. "It was her idea to hang him -- I liked it, for political reasons. It sent a good message."

+5 XP

"It's her, isn't it? The drug trafficker -- the missing eighth Hardie..."

TITUS HARDIE - The big guy steps toward you. "Fella, you think too much. Ease off, alright? You're gonna hurt your head."

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - A little too far there -- but you're definitely right.

TITUS HARDIE - "That woman is just *affiliated* with the Hardie boys. You don't know her, anyway. "

"You know, it's okay for there to be a Hardie girl, Titus."

"Understood. Can you tell me anything about her? Name, current location?"

"You're going to stonewall me if I ask more about her, aren't you?"

TITUS HARDIE - His face sets like concrete. He shakes his head solemnly. "We're Hardie *boys* and that's *it*."

"Sure. But can you tell me anything about this *affiliate*? Name, current location?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Nope," he says. "You're not getting to her. It's Klaasje you want to talk to."

8. "Thank you for this, Titus. I'll go talk to her -- for the last time." (Conclude.)

TITUS HARDIE - "You do that." He grabs his beer and swirls it in his hand, then thinks of something. "Hey, cop -- before you go."

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - Suddenly the wind picks up outside. You hear it rattling the large windows in their frames. It carries newspapers, circles the Whirling-in-Rags in a warm column...

TITUS HARDIE - "She..." He looks up. "Klaasje came to Martinaise to hide -- many of us did. This is where you wash up when there's nowhere left to go. The Union takes you in -- now, she *refused* that protection, but..."

SUGGESTION [Medium: Success] - Still, after all this headache...

"But you would *still* prefer if we didn't take her away?"

"Good bye, Titus." [Leave.]

TITUS HARDIE - "That's right. If we didn't take care of the people who end up here, this place would just be a couple of ruins and some cargo containers."

KIM KITSURAGI - "We'll take that into account." The lieutenant slides his notebook into his coat pocket. He turns to leave.

It's now after 22:00. We should go meet with the communists soon, but first...

BLUE DOOR - You see a heavy steel door with a prominent dimple lock. It's painted blue.

Try the 'Workshop Spare' key on the door.

BLUE DOOR - The key fits the dimple lock. It takes a bit of effort to turn it after all these years, but then -- the lock clicks.

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - Dust rises before you like mist. A tomb? Haunted by regal spirits from distant ages...

PERCEPTION (SMELL) [Easy: Success] - No. Smells like engine grease and cut wood. A workshop.

This pinball says 'Franconigerian'. The theme is horses and swords.

This pinball is 'White Deora'. The backglass shows a female figure in mourning.

A note: "NB! The spare key is tied to the bush outside the corner room window!"

INTERFACING - Over there, in the corner?

The pinball machine?

Ignore the machine.

INTERFACING - Not just any pinball machine. This is the pinnacle of pinball. 'Cornelius Gurdi and the Mountain Goats'. It's lit. You can't wait to get your hands on it.

"Kim, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" (Point to the machine.)

"Let's take a closer look." (Pull out the machine.)

No, I'm out. [Leave.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "The pinball machine?" The lieutenant glances at the machine. "Gurdi's Goats. A classic."

"Wait, you've played it?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "A little."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Feels like a *lot*. Too much to play it again.

2. No, I'm out. [Leave.]

We've got no time for pinball now. In fact... let's come back to the Whirling later, when we don't have a meeting to attend.

INTERFACING - All these mesmerizing machines, just waiting to be plugged back in and played.

Run your finger across the dust of the 'White Deora' machine.

[Discard thought.]

INTERFACING - Feels like it might jump back to life any moment, the lights illuminating the white robed woman.

"What's 'White Deora'?"

"How about we fire one of these bad boys up and play some ball?"

"Let's move on then." [Finish thought.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "Some kind of..." He looks around, thinking. "Inane pinball theme -- probably related to Messina during the Dolorian age. The *history themes* are the worst."

EMPATHY [Trivial: Success] - The lieutenant grimaces, looking at the machines.

2. "How about we fire one of these bad boys up and play some ball?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "You can't *fire* them up, they're broken. Only that one machine in the main hall works. The Royalist Pinball." He looks away.

HALF LIGHT [Easy: Success] - What a dumb name -- Royalist Pinball. If they weren't broken, he would kick one of these machines about now.

3. "Sounds like you don't enjoy pinball, Kim."

KIM KITSURAGI - "No, I love it -- I love pinball. Who doesn't love pinball? Let's move on."

DRAMA [Easy: Success] - He doesn't.

4. "What about that other one -- the Franconigerian Ball. Wanna play that?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "No."

5. [Encylopedia - Medium 10] Think: Kim Kitsuragi... Kim Kitsuragi...

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - Kim 'Pinball' Kitsuragi!

Kim 'Pinball' Kitsuragi, AKA Kimball?

ENCYCLOPEDIA - Exactly. That's what he's known as. His reputation proceeds him!

"You're Kim 'Pinball' Kitsuragi."

"Hey, Kimball."

I'm not gonna talk to him about that.

KIM KITSURAGI - "So *now* he remembers..." He looks at you in the silence of the workshop -- then takes his glasses off and cleans them.

Fine. I'm Kim 'Pinball' Kitsuragi." he puts them back on. "AKA The Kimball. You remembered -- congratulations."

"Wait, but I still can't remember anything *else*."

"You don't seem to really 'like' pinball."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Wonderful. He *only* remembers hearing about the *pinball policeman*."

"You don't seem to really 'like' pinball."

KIM KITSURAGI - "No human being should. It is a game that requires no skill and a childlike affinity to flashing lights. And to *fantastique*, science fiction, and historic romance franchises."

"It is *lame*."

"Then why are you called Pinball?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "I am not *called* Pinball. It was used to taunt me -- a long time ago. *Before* I became a homicide detective. And got my lieutenancy."

"How did you..."

KIM KITSURAGI - He puts his glasses back on. "Fine. I was a juvenile police officer -- for over 15 years. It's how I started out in the RCM. Once I had to infiltrate a pinball ring. As you do -- when you're a juvie cop."

"Lame."

"Okay."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Unbelievably," he nods. "To do that I needed to become a... *pinball champion*. I trained for nine months. The job was successful and I was moved out of the juvenile wing -- to homicide."

"End of story."

+5 XP

"You were a juvie cop for 15 years?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "That time is over now." He looks at the pinball machine and breathes in. "I was already a 38 year old man. It was unbecoming. As was playing pinball."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - So that's why he doesn't want to talk to Cuno. Trauma-and-Stressor Disorder from being a juvie cop.

"Wait, so *that's* why you didn't talk to Cuno."

"I'm gonna call you Pinball now."

"I'm gonna call you *Kimball* now."

"Don't worry, I'll keep calling you Kim."

"You're Lieutenant Kitsuragi to me."

KIM KITSURAGI - "It's best if *you* handle the juvenile delinquents," he nods.

4. "You're Lieutenant Kitsuragi to me."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Not only to you -- I am *Lieutenant Kitsuragi* to everyone." He nods. "Now -- we really need to continue our sweep of what appears to be a secret path through the Whirling."

+1 Reputation

Sorry, Kim, but now we *really* need to meet with the communists. We'll be back later -- tonight, if we have time.

There's a red light pulsating behind this door.

METAL GRILLE DOOR - As you approach the metal grille you can hear several voices having what appears to be an animated discussion.

RHETORIC - This must be it. Beyond this door lies the beating heart of radical communism in Martinaise.

PERCEPTION (SMELL) [Easy: Success] - Somehow the night air softens the smell of trash and sea brine. As the breeze pulls through the canvas like a shuttle through a loom you catch a hint of something unexpected, something earthy, warm, and burnt...

RHETORIC - The acrid smell of failure...

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] - No, that's just slightly burnt coffee. A smell you would recognise anywhere.

CINDY THE SKULL - "Just look at these pigs, sniffing about after-hours..."

"Why didn't you say the secret door was *right behind you*?"

"Hey, it's past curfew! Get to bed, Cindy!"

(Ignore her.)

CINDY THE SKULL - "Must have slipped my mind. You know how it goes." She gives you a lackadaisical shrug.

METAL GRILLE DOOR - The metal grille is cool to the touch.

KIM KITSURAGI - You notice the lieutenant is looking uncustomarily anxious. His posture is rigid, his right hand hovers near the zipper of his jacket.

HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Medium: Success] - He wants so badly to draw his Armistice, but he also doesn't *want* to want to draw it.

"You okay, Kim?"

"Relax, they're only communists."

Say nothing.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Oh, I'm fine. I was practically *born* to infiltrate underground communist cells..." He takes a quick look over his shoulder.

"Which is just to say: We should be prepared for *any* eventuality."

Try to listen.

Bang on the grille.

[Leave.]

METAL GRILLE DOOR - You can make out at least two separate voices.

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Medium: Success] - Two voices, both male. Approximately early 20s.

METAL GRILLE DOOR - "... Careful with those now..."

"I have it. It's going to work, I can feel it..."

2. Bang on the grille.

METAL GRILLE DOOR - The clang of metal reverberates all along the scaffolding. The voices coming from the other side fall silent.

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - A pair of frightened hares cowering in some dark crevice of their burrow.

METAL GRILLE DOOR - "Who's there? Is that you, Maurice?"

"It's not Maurice, it's the police!"

"That's right. It is I… Maurice."

"Are you all communists? I'm looking for some communists."

METAL GRILLE DOOR - "Come crawling back already? Get out of here, traitor!"

"Uhh..."

"I'm not actually Maurice. I'm trying to get organised. Can you help me?"

METAL GRILLE DOOR - "That's right!" Another voice jumps in. "Take your miniscule, bourgeois turnips and get lost!"

DRAMA [Godly: Failure] - Face it, sire, your little subterfuge isn't leading anywhere.

"I'm not actually Maurice. I'm trying to get organised. Can you help me?"

METAL GRILLE DOOR - For a moment, silence.

"What's the passphrase?"

"It's 'Blessed are the sausage grinders'."

"It's 'We await the silent mole empire'."

"It's 'The end times cometh'."

"It's 'Disco Supernova'."

"Is it '1234'?"

"It's 'Remember Dobreva and Abadanaiz'."

"Look, I don't know your passphrase. Could you just let me in?"

METAL GRILLE DOOR - There's no response. You begin to wonder whether they've slipped out some back way...

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - No! They're still there. You can *feel* them back there.

METAL GRILLE DOOR - "Alright. The key's taped to the back of the doorframe. Just make sure you put it back when you're done or we'll all be locked out..."

"And do watch the concrete. It just kind of... falls away... in places."

KIM KITSURAGI - "*Charmant*. After you, detective."

CINDY THE SKULL - "Have fun at your *underground meeting*, pig. Hope it's a *blast*."

🎵 Ignus Nilsen Waltz

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - The two young men are either oblivious to or ignoring your entrance. Their attentions are fixed on whatever it is they're stacking in the middle of the floor...

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Easy: Success] - Matchboxes, it appears.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I think it's holding, Ulixes..."

ECHO MAKER - "It is, it's holding!"

VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Success] - It's definitely not holding. Those matchboxes are stacked so haphazardly it's like they *want* them to collapse.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Careful, careful!"

"Damn. Hardly any difference..." The young man shakes his head, and then looks up at you and the lieutenant with barely concealed irritation...

"You two. You're late."

ECHO MAKER - "They should know the meeting starts at 22.00 *sharp*." His companion looks up at you and squints.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - One leader and one follower, the most ancient power dynamic.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - There's a great deal of tension in this young man's shoulders, more than someone his age should bear...

Meanwhile, his companion inclines toward him, eager to catch every word that dribbles from his friend's mouth.

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - Don't let them see you *flustered*, ssssire. Play along...

"You weren't exactly easy to find."

"What am I late *for* exactly?"

(Play along.) "My apologies, comrades. I had to be sure I wasn't being tailed... by our *class enemies*."

[Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Mmmm." The young man considers you a moment...

"We all have to take precautions, especially during these delicate times. What matters is that you've made it, and that you've done the reading."

DRAMA [Impossible: Failure] - Uh oh. No one said anything about *reading*. You'll just have to wing this one.

[mireilol]

Autistic Man

Hey guys,it's Mirei

I want to write a blog post today to expose another part of myself to you all

I'm gonna call this blog post

Autistic man ...

Just to say this upfront already

I am an autistic woman

And have had autism my whole life

I just didn't know what was wrong with me my whole life till I asked a professional recently

So,I know what it's like internally and externally what autism is 🧠

And I want to find this within the next man I speak to romantically

Dangerous

So,I am well aware of how dangerous this ambition is...

There are Alot of red flags in this world already who have autism and even worse mental health conditions

But I still have hope because I am living proof that autism can be managed and or put into work on bettering yourself

I am also aware that Autism shows differently depending on your gender too (etc )

I've been doing Alot of recapping on my history with men and I do believe now that they may have been autistic as well and I shouldn't have pushed them away as quickly as I did ...

I know now that any and everyone has their own issues to work out because everyone's has a story and have been through some things that genuinely needs time to fix

Work

Now,the work that I will be putting into a relationship with a man like this is going to be ten times harder than the average relationship...

I know autistics have ticks and triggers

My own triggers is usually from traumatic experiences or I feel a new trauma is ripping into my brain

Sorry I can't go into great details on all of my triggers because I feel it's too much for online to know but I've been in average relationships before and even while those were difficult I know i will have to step it up Alot more with an autistic man

His habits could be good,bad or a mixture of the two and I am hoping and praying his habits are a mixture of the two

I can work with a man who's comfortable showing his horns while trying to better himself

I'm really patient, understanding and caring

These three things are real strong when it comes to someone I love

Change

Change is so important in everyone's life

But I feel this change is going to be a very difficult challenge for autistics

The challenge to remain positive after new traumatic events happen

I know for me it will be a huge challenge because I've been in my own bubble for years now and never really leaving my household to make new friends or let men into my heart ...

I have had the desire to find new friends and a lover

But most days I just keep myself in a ball of fear because lots of people today judge you before getting to know you

And that alone is traumatizing for me...

But I know can jump back into the fray again

I find it Alot easier for me to talk to men online

I understand how dangerous that is ...

But that's the only way I've been talking to men the past few years of my life

And it has been making me very happy and feel loved

Something I haven't felt in a really long time

I was so convinced that I wouldn't feel love again after being hurt and hurting men ...

I'm learning that it's important to practice having an open mind and be inviting to new experiences

When I stepped a bit out of my comfort zone

My family wasn't ready for that so they reacted to it in a not so positive way but after I dealt with the trauma

I was able to pick myself back up again and look into the future and I can see myself being Alot happier as long as I keep reminding myself about positive things and being good to the people in my life and the new people I meet both online and in reality

Okay guys,I feel like I'm always rambling on these blogs but they really help me get some things about myself out onto the air for you and just to keep you guys updates on me and my thoughts 💕

Hope you liked it and I do want to write here more

I've got so much work to do and I try to squeeze content of me here and there

Thanks for reading and I will see you again soon ⭐