#we're all holding hands through the disaster of it all <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[sophsun1]

hi soph!! just wanted to say i hope you're doing okay after everything <3 thank you for still making so many gorgeous gifsets from that episode, i loved every single one of them!!

hey abigail!

awww, you're very welcome, i'm glad you're enjoying them and i hope they are maybe helping everyone heal a little somehow in their own way 💛

it took me two days just to be able to even look at a gif of them without bursting into tears never mind making one so i guess i'm feeling slightly less depressed about it all, though i'm sure i'll swing wildly back and forth the other way at some point lol.

i'm hoping to make a few more sets to celebrate what we got and going forward whatever happens with this fandom, whether everyone goes their separate ways and moves on to something else, it's been a joy to be a part of it all for however long we got them.

p.s 🕯 never stop manifesting tommy kinard's return 🕯

[estcaligo]

Nobody: Me at 3 AM: Glorious Masquerade represents the confrontation between polytheistic and monotheistic worldviews

Or "The Big Three of Olympus vs One Christian God" in the Glorious Masquerade event

Content Warning: Greek Mythology, religion, Christianity, Glorious Masquerade event spoilers

Note: I talk about things in this post from a researcher's point of view, in a descriptive and comparative manner mostly. Just some observations.

I've already discussed a similar concept before - Idia, Jade, and Sebek representing Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus, the "Big Three" in Greek mythology, the most powerful and important gods of Olympus - during the Harveston event. See the post here.

However, in the Glorious Masquerade, the situation becomes even more peculiar because the SSR characters are dorm leaders - those who are in charge. And then there's Rollo, who is twisted from Frollo.

Note: I will consider all sources of inspiration for Rollo, including the book and the musical, which were confirmed by Yana herself to be inspirations for Rollo.

What? Why? Who?

3 vs 1. The Big Three of Greek Pantheon vs The One God, who embodies 3 in 1 - the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

The Big Three are the three most powerful gods among the Olympians - Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.

Zeus commands the sky, lightning, kingship and summon any weather conditions.

Poseidon manipulates water, storms and earthquakes.

Hades has dominion over the dead and undead, darkness, earth-related disasters, and metals and jewels.

*By the way, lightning was considered just Zeus throwing a temper tantrum, and what happened when Malleus got angry? Right, he started throwing  lightnings left and right.

And now we have Rollo. Twisted from Frollo, who, as we know was a religious man (especially in the book where he is a priest, not a minister).

And despite there being other characters, such as vice-president and the assistant, they aren't "real" or “important” characters like Rollo.

So we can say there is only one (1) main character in this event.

2. 7 Dorm Leaders vs 1 Head of the Council

As is well known, Ancient Greek mythology features many major gods, each controlling different aspects of life (or representing them, or serving as patrons). This makes Ancient Greek religion a polytheistic system - meaning it has multiple gods - akin to the Great Seven and the dorm system at NRC.

The Dorm Leader Council functions much like a small pantheon. Not to mention NRC is located on upper hills, which resembles a mountain (Olympus) if we look at the landscape of the Sage Island.

On the other hand, Christianity only has one God, making it monotheistic religion. There are multiple saints in Christianity, who are patrons of different aspects of life, however it is important to note that these saints do not control - they are more like the intercessors between man and God.

Even the NBC itself is focused on one Villain and has one statue in the yard, not the 7 (the "pantheon" of NRC). And NBC itself doesn't have Dorm system like NRC.

3. Oral vs Written

Greek religious tradition is primarily oral, with legends and stories passed down through generations by word of mouth.

In contrast, Christianity is predominantly a written religion, where the written canon holds great importance.

How is it important here?

Well, in this event specifically the NRC guys spend their time walking around and commenting on things. We learn some of their lore and thoughts on various topics through dialogue. Even Professor Trein reveals his past verbally telling about it. Naturally, it’s a game mechanism. But since we’re talking about such details….

On the other hand, the most important part of Rollo lore is found by the Big Three in written form - Rollo’s diary.  It's also noted how Rollo prefers writing above all else. He writes in his diary, sends letters, and drafts invitations. While this may not apply to the NBC in general, since we're focusing on Rollo, this detail is worth considering as well.

4. Our guys vs That One

Another difference between the two religions is that the Greek gods had flaws that made them more similar to humans. They had tempers and they often held grudges. This made the followers of the religion not want to be like them but, instead learn from them and their shortcomings, frequently through fear. 

In contrast to the flawed gods of Greek mythology, Jesus is portrayed as a man who is to be aspired to, more so than the Greek portrayal of a god; who the audience learns from (imitating in a way), rather than obeys.

Our NRC boys are someone we know and who we’re familiar with. We know their struggles and fears, their dark past. Even the guys in charge of each dorm - the Dorm Leaders - are not so distant from the regular students. Well, more of less.

Whereas Rollo is described by all the characters we’ve met at NBC (and even from his vignette) as someone who is amazing, excellent, wonderful and so…exemplementry. Rollo, at the same time, distances himself from everyone.

5. Vertical vs Horizontal

A small but interesting observation is that many monotheistic religions, including Christianity, often have a “vertical mindset” - symbolizing a relationship between the human and God.

In Christian cosmology, we often imagine a vertical world structure: Hell at the bottom, the human realm in the middle, and Heaven above.

In this event, we also experience vertical movement when things get serious. Initially, when it's peaceful and fun, we mostly walk around the town (mostly horizontal, not including the lower parts).

However, when the action begins, Rollo first sends us downward into the sewers. From there, we start moving upward. The ascent of the tower is highly symbolic, as we are literally ascending towards the sky where Rollo awaits us (with his “judgment”)

 6. Masks

The whole masquerade theme is, of course, a nod to the cartoon and part of the game feature to get the characters to dress up.

But let’s remember that in Ancient Greece, masks played a significant role in theater, particularly in tragedies and comedies (twst features elements of both). In general, it is known that masks represent hidden nature, transformation, and more. 

Interestingly, only our NRC squad wears masks and costumes. We even encountered some Royal Sword Academy students, but they were not given costumes (again, a game feature, but still noteworthy).

On the other hand, there's Rollo, who isn't wearing a mask or even a costume. He doesn’t need to. He is who he is, with no need to transform into something else, as he represents the One, in our comparison here. 

What's even more interesting is that, despite not wearing a physical mask, Rollo is the one with ulterior motives in this event, and we only learn his true face later on. He metaphorically takes the mask off, even though he never wore one in the literal sense.

7. Catholic Guilt

The last but not least - Rollo's punishment, which, perhaps is the most fitting and cruel outcome for him. Rollo, after being defeated, expects harsh punishment because he is ruthless with himself and assumes others will treat him the same way. He failed and he expects to be punished. However our Big Three surprise him by concealing the truth and allowing others (the NBC mobs were the first to thank him for his bravery at the tower) to believe that Rollo was a hero. This situation forces Rollo into a state of internal torment, where he must live with the guilt of his actions while being praised for something he didn't truly do.

Rollo's punishment is psychological, forcing him to confront his guilt and shame in isolation. They choose leave him one on one with his Sin.

On the contrast, in Ancient Greek mythology punishments were often cruel and involved physical pain. One of the most popular example would be of course the myth about Prometheus, which, by the way involved Zeus.

And the way Big Three dealt with Rollo was truly cruel in its own way.

(from an interesting article about Greek Gods and punishment - here)

Fin

I left out some obvious notes like Malleus having horns, Rollo hating on magic etc.

Naturally, there may be other details I haven’t mentioned, so feel free to add any additional insights!

[cutielando]

not so happy reunion | r.c.

synopsis: in which the reunion in the Cameron family is a disaster

my masterlist

From the moment you and Rafe got engaged, you had left the Outer Banks.

Not because you were keen on doing so, but because Rafe wanted to escape from the hold his family, specifically his father, had on him.

You moved into a beautiful mansion on the mainland, both of you had stable and high-paying jobs, so you were living comfortably.

You had also gotten married after a year and a half of moving, only with a few close friends, Wheezie, Sarah and your family. Per Rafe's request, Sarah and Wheezie hadn't told their parents why they were visiting the mainland, using the excuse of a much needed girls' trip.

Even though you had advised Rafe to at least let his family know about the wedding, he vehemently insisted that you didn't tell them anything, claiming he didn't want them to ruin his perfect day with you like they did everything else.

However, Ward didn't want to accept the fact that Rafe didn't want to have anything to do with him or his family anymore, hence always sending you an invitation to the annual Midsummers party.

Every single time, Rafe would come up with an excuse as to why you couldn't make it. You were either busy with your jobs, you were feeling under the weather, you missed your flight, the excuse range was very wide.

However, now that you were also pregnant with your first child, you figured it would be time to pay the old OBX a visit, for old times' sake.

Rafe, even though he agreed on your behalf, was very much not excited to be back.

"Have we got everything?" you were finishing up packing your bags, making sure you had put everything you would need for your 2 day stay.

"Do we really have to go?" Rafe asked from where he was sitting on your shared bed, pouting like a small child.

You sighed and chuckled, amused because he was still trying to convince you not to go when you were literally minutes away from leaving for the island.

"Baby, we haven't been back there in almost 3 years. Don't you think it's time we do go and show people we're still alive and happily together?" you moved your hands so they were resting on his shoulder, his eyes at a level with your growing bump.

He sighed and leaned forward to kiss your bump and cradle it in his hands.

"I don't want her to be in that environment" he mumbled, speaking about your unborn daughter.

The moment you had found out you were having a girl, Rafe couldn't stop dotting on you. He was so excited to have another little princess running around, a mini-you. He was doing everything to make sure he got the hang of it all, from reading books to taking some daddy-and-me classes, watching videos and grilling his co-workers about advice.

He was the most prepared father-to-be ever.

"Baby, everything is going to be fine. She's safe in there, nobody is going to do anything to her, or me, or you. We're just gonna see some old friends, have a little fun and try not to get into arguments with your father. We're leaving as soon as we can, okay?" you were running your hands through his hair, twirling his dirty blonde locks around your fingers.

He nodded and kissed your bump one last time before getting up, taking your bags and hauling them to your car.

The ride to the OBX was quiet, Rafe's hand consistently resting on your bump as he drove and yours resting on top of his.

As you observed Rafe for the whole ride, you noticed how much he started tensing up the closer  you got to the island, full on freaking out by the time he had parked his car.

"Okay, let's get this over with" he muttered as he got out of the car and jogged to your side, opening your door and taking your hand in his, interlocking your fingers.

You slowly made your way to the reception, more and more of your old friends recognizing you and stopping to chit chat.

At first, Rafe's hand was tightly holding yours tensely, but his grip slowly became more tender and less tense as he finally managed to calm down and enjoy seeing his friends.

"Rafe?" Ward's voice boomed through the party, making everyone around you stop to observe the interaction.

Rafe cursed under his breath but turned around, coming face to face with his father.

"Dad" Rafe nodded and said, his grip on your hand tightening slightly.

You started caressing the side of his hand with your thumb, trying to keep him grounded and calm.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, my boy" the man pulled his son into a tight hug, squeezing him like never before.

Rafe coughed and just patted his father on the back, one of his hands still linked with yours. You could only imagine how uncomfortable the situation was for your husband.

"And I see you brought your girlfriend as well" Ward said once his eyes fell on you.

"Wife, actually" you proudly corrected the man, your other hand now resting on your clearly visible bump.

Ward's eyes followed your hand and once he saw the wedding band on your hand holding your baby bump, his jaw went slack and he was at a loss of words.

Rafe cleared his throat and let go of your hand, instead opting to wrap his arm around your waist and pull your body flush against his.

"I can't believe this. Congratulations. When did this happen?" his voice was now back to his usual icy tone, surely figuring out the fact that he hadn't been invited to his son's wedding.

"Almost 1 year and a half ago. Found out we were expecting a couple of months ago" Rafe's gaze on his father hadn't let up.

Ward nodded, biting the inside of his cheek visibly.

"And you didn't think to invite your family?" he bit back.

"Wheezie and Sarah were there. The only family I needed with me" 

The music had now stopped, everyone concentrating on the brewing tension between the two Cameron men.

"What are we and Rose then? We raised you!" 

"With all due respect, you didn't do shit. You left him to fend for himself his entire life and didn't give a shit about his well-being because you were too obsessed with Sarah. You don't get to do that anymore. We didn't want you there because you didn't deserve to be there, just like you are never going to be a part of our child's life" you burst, not wanting to let Rafe deal with this by himself.

Ward's eyes widened as they shifted from his son to you. He had remembered you as the calculated one from the couple, always trying to keep the waters calm and Rafe under control. He didn't expect you to talk back to him like that.

"We're clearly not welcome here, so we're going to leave" Rafe said.

On your way out, you bid goodbyes to some of your friends and gave Ward one last look before getting into your car and driving away.

"I'm sorry, I thought it would be a good idea" you said once you had made it home, now safe and sound in the sheets of your bed with your husband.

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. At least we managed to catch up with people before disaster struck" he teased, kissing your shoulder and hugging you from behind, his hands cradling your bump.

You laughed and settled in bed, drifting off to a peaceful sleep with the two most important people in your life: Rafe and your daughter.

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[erisweekofficial]

Tonight we're here to hype up @nocasdatsgay aka finnijer on ao3!

If you're looking for a multiship Eris super writer, you HAVE to check out her writing. Neris? Got it. Azris? Got that too. Eris x Reader? Check. But did you know you needed Cassian x Eris? No. Well now you do. We're incredibly impressed with the diverse range of ships! 🥵

Seriously though, there's so many great fics on her master list. We wanted to share a few with you to get started.

Neris but make it omegaverse (1) (2) (3)

Azris: Chokehold

Eris x Reader: So Where do I Start?

Or any of her Eris Week fics from last year!

Read on to learn more about @nocasdatsgay's opinions on Eris and what his tumblr blog would be like.

What is your favorite eris thing you've made?

This is hard. I was told to pick the thing with the most Beron* so The Price You Pay for Power. It’s from Nesta’s perspective but I get to work in hits of what Eris is thinking or planning through how she perceives him and his expressions. I think I did a better job in this story so far with writing what most consider “canon Eris”. He’s closed off, stern, but also does his best to keep Nesta safe after the disaster that was Family Dinner.

When do you think Eris got his first smokehound?

Smoke hounds are a prize possession of Autumn. I like to think maybe he got one as the eldest Vanserra but inherited more when his mother’s sisters passed away. Or maybe he just took over their care as a hobby since Beron couldn’t be bothered.

If Eris finally gets rid of Beron, what do you think would be his first act as High Lord?

Lift the exile ban on Lucien if there is one. He would definitely send a decree that Lucien is allowed to come home if he so chooses.

What do you think Eris is like as a partner?

Eris is attentive and calculated. That bleeds over into partnership. He’s got a mental catalog of all your likes and dislikes; preferences that you say don’t matter but do. I also feel like he is collected in public but in private his hands do not leave you. It’s almost grounding how he has to be touching you or holding you. I just think he’s a soft boy deep down but only for his partner and he would tear the world down for you.

What would Eris's tumblr blog be like?

I’m torn between a doggie blog and Prthyian’s latest hot gossip. Maybe he’s doing both. Dog tips and photos in the front, a scandalous article about the shadowsinger allegedly regifting a necklace in the back. He is xoxo Suriel.

*the mods would like to clarify that the threat was that if she didn't pick a favorite fic, we'd choose the one with the Most Beron™️ 🤣

[captainsophiestark]

Vigilante Book Club Part 3

Jason Todd x Reader

Part 1 Part 2 - Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober, and for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: DC

Day Four Prompt: "No, we're not doing that."

Summary: Jason and his new SO have their official first date.

Word Count: 2,216

Category: Fluff

A/N: Shoutout to @v1ckycheesue for commenting about wanting to see the date! I wasn't sure I was going to come back to this idea, but something just popped into my head, so now we're here :) No promises, but there might also be a part 4 at some point on the horizon!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I stepped out of my building with a smile, waving as soon as I caught sight of Jason on his motorcycle, waiting for me right where he said he'd be. After months of friendship and forming a mini book club with the Red Hood, earlier this week, I'd learned his secret identity thanks to a phone call from one of his brothers. Thankfully, Jason didn't mind, and even better, it had led to Jason asking me out on a date. He'd had a bit of a family situation to attend to earlier, but tonight was the night, and having him meet me outside my apartment on his motorcycle was certainly a good start.

"Hey!" I called once I was close enough. "How did the family dinner disaster go?"

Jason scoffed and rolled his eyes. "It went great, once I got there and kicked everyone else out of the kitchen. Somewhere between five and ten of us regularly attending family events and somehow I'm still the only one who knows how to cook."

I grinned. "Well, from personal experience, I can attest that you are an excellent chef."

"Thanks, babe," he said, huffing a laugh as I finally reached him. He held out one arm for a hug, and I stepped into him, wrapping both my arms around his shoulders as he sat on his bike. He brought his other hand up to rest on my hip, giving it a light squeeze before moving me a step back from him. "You look great."

"Thanks! You do too. So... are you gonna tell me what we're doing tonight?"

"Not yet," he said with a grin. "I still want our first stop to be a surprise. But you do need one more thing before we go."

I raised an eyebrow as Jason turned around on the bike, digging into one of the side bags before turning back to me with a bright red helmet in hand.

"Here, let me help you get it on."

I smiled, Jason helping me pull the helmet down over my head before holding either side of it, giving it a little shake to make sure it fit snugly. He grabbed the part right in front of my mouth and ran his finger across it, giving me a satisfied smile.

"Looks good. Go ahead and hop on, and we can get out of here."

I climbed onto the back of the bike, wrapping my arms tightly around Jason's waist as he pulled his own red helmet on over his head. It wasn't the same as his Red Hood helmet, but it did look pretty similar. I grinned, even though Jason couldn't see me.

"You ready sweetheart?" he asked, his voice crackling over an in-helmet comms system. I nodded, then realized how unhelpful that was.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Although I do have a question."

"What's that?" Jason asked. He started the bike as he spoke, the engine roaring beneath us.

"As somebody trying to maintain a secret identity, don't you think it's a little conspicuous that you've got a motorcycle helmet the exact same color as your vigilatne helmet? And almost the same style?"

I heard Jason huff a laugh, and his response took a few moments to come through the radio. Part of that might've been Jason trying to focus while he merged with traffic, but he'd never be able to convince me that was the entire reason.

"Nobody's figured it out yet," he finally said. Now it was my turn to laugh.

"Well, there you go, I guess. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that nobody in Gotham suddenly becomes observant. You know, I could repaint your helmet in some sparkly colors for you, maybe put some stickers on it that say 'NOT Red Hood', help you keep your secret. We could make it a date night."

Jason snorted. "No, we're not doing that."

"Your loss babe."

I held tight to Jason as we swept through the city streets, looking over his shoulder and trying to figure out exactly where we were headed. I didn't put it together until we turned a corner and pulled into the parking lot for my absolute favorite bookstore in the city.

I gasped, and I heard Jason chuckle over the radio.

"I take it you're excited?"

"Jason, I got nothing but green flags from you from the moment you brought my favorite book back to me, but I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this surprise is. This is my dream date."

Jason chuckled again, pulling the bike into a spot near the front as he responded.

"I'm glad a bookstore date's as exciting to you as it is to me."

"Oh my god, you have no idea. You are actually a dream come true."

"Right back at you, sweetheart."

With that, he stepped off the bike and pulled his helmet off, taking mine from me a moment later when I did the same. I had a beaming smile on my face that I couldn't wipe off if I tried, and as soon as he saw it, Jason smiled too.

"Alright, I'll never be the one to put limits on getting books, but let me tell you what I was thinking for tonight," he said, taking my hand and helping me off the bike. We started walking to the front doors together, shoulder to shoulder and hands held tight. "I was thinking we each pick a book, ideally one the other person hasn't read before. Then we do an exchange and read the books the other person picked out for us."

Jason looked at me as we came to a stop just inside the bookstore, apparently waiting for my reaction. Like he hadn't just said something out of a romance novel.

I leaned up to kiss his cheek, squeezing his hand as I did. When I pulled back with a smile, Jason had one eyebrow raised.

"That sounds absolutely perfect," I said, and a minute later his face broke out in a wide grin.

"Okay, good. I'll go get your book, you go get mine. Whoever's done first finds the other."

"Deal. Let's do this."

Jason and I headed off in different directions, hunting through the bookstore for just the right book. A few weeks ago, he'd told me he'd never read Dracula, one of my favorite books and a classic that seemed right up his alley. We'd talked about reading it together for our informal book club, but we hadn't done it yet, and I couldn't think of a better book to get him for our date.

Unfortunately, we were in a bookstore, so I had to make a few detours on my way to my goal. I ended up with a small stack in my arms by the time I finally made it to Dracula, and I chewed my lip in thought as I stood betwen the stacks. What if he didn't have room for us to put these on the bike? What if we were going somewhere after this where the books would be a problem? I rarely managed to walk into a bookstore and walk out with nothing more than what I'd gone for, but maybe I could just take picture of the other titles with my phone-

"There you are."

I turned to see Jason behind me, a stack of books in his own arms. I grinned.

"I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who made a few pitstops on my way to the date book," I said. Jason scoffed.

"Of course not. I don't trust people who can easily avoid detours in bookstores."

"Neither do I. It's for sure a red flag."

"Well, I'm glad we both passed the test," he said, grinning again. "Now come on, you ready? I think it's time for the next part of our date."

"I'll follow you."

Jason and I checked out with both our stacks of books, which he carefully loaded into one of the bags on his motorcycle. It was a tight fit, but he managed to make everything work without any of the books being at risk of bent pages. The other bag remained conspicuously closed, and I raised an eyebrow at him as he helped me get my helmet on again.

"Is there a reason you didn't split the books between both bags?"

"Yeah."

"...And that reason would be?"

"A surprise." He grinned. "Come on, you'll know in a minute. It's not too far of a drive from here."

I climbed on the back of the bike behind Jason, holding onto him tight as we wound through the city streets. Before long, we were leaving the traffic behind, turning onto narrower and narrower tree-lined roads climbing up one of the mountains outside of the city.

"This is a pretty murder-y date spot, just so you know," I said over our comms. I felt Jason's chest rise and fall with a laugh under my hands the same time it came crackling over the radio.

"Are you trying to warn me about something, sweetheart?"

I shrugged. "I mean, you're the Red Hood. I think we're both probably pretty safe."

He huffed another laugh, taking one hand briefly off the handlebars to squeeze mine. I wrapped my arms around him a little tighter, and after a few more minutes of riding on darkened trails, we came out on top of one of the tallest hills. Jason parked the bike, then hopped off and offered a hand to help me. We both knew I didn't need it, but I took it anyway.

"Alright, this is one of my favorite spots in the whole city," Jason said, tucking both our helmets away before opening the tank bag that didn't have books in it. He pulled out a basket with one hand, then grabbed mine again with the other.

I followed him to the treeline, until we reached a ledge overlooking the city. I stopped short, letting out a little gasp. I'd never seen it from a vantage point like this before. All the lights sparkled like stars, while the forest around us was perfectly peaceful.

"Wow," I breathed. "Jay... this place is amazing."

"I know. And even better, none of my siblings know how to find it."

I laughed, watching as Jason took out a blanket and unfolded it, then started setting up the rest of an evening picnic.

"You know, I'd actually really like to meet your siblings."

"Oh don't worry, you will. They've been wondering for a while now who I've been meeting up with regularly. They're all nosy motherfuckers, they'll probably show up in disguise to crash our next date."

"...Is it weird that I'm kind of excited for that?"

"Yes. Extremely."

I just laughed again, moving to join Jason on the picnic blanket he'd set up for us. I sighed and leaned into him as he wrapped one arm around my shoulders.

"I have to say, this might be the best date I've ever been on. Buying each other books and a romantic picnic overlooking the city? That's impossible to beat," I said.

"That was my goal," he said, pulling me closer with a grin. "I'm glad I succeeded. Now come on, I don't want this food I packed going to waste."

Jason and I dug into the picnic, which was packed full of our favorite foods. We laughed and talked the night away, perfectly comfortable, just the two of us. It was technically our first date, but we'd been spending our nights together for long enough that a peaceful, romantic night together seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

"Jason, that was amazing," I sighed, leaning into him once we'd finished dinner. He leaned back on his hands, and I curled into his side.

"Yeah. It was. You know, I'm really glad that guy stole your favorite book."

"I guess that's one way to say you're glad you met me."

Jason grinned and leaned in to kiss my temple. "You get me."

I sighed, and the two of us just sat there together for a while, curled up on the blanket and looking out at the city. Finally, I sighed.

"So... what would you think if I proposed a finale for this date?"

"That depends. Is this a subtle way of telling me you're ready for the date to be over?"

"No! I just had an idea I think you'll like, and I want to pull my weight a little on making this the most magical evening ever."

"Oh yeah?" Jason asked, sitting up and moving me with him. I turned to face him, a giant smile on my face as his hands wandered to my waist. "And what might that idea be?"

"I was thinking we could go back to my place..."

"I'm with you so far."

"And then I was thinking we could make some tea and curl up on the couch and read the books we got for each other."

Jason grinned, putting one hand at the nape of my neck and pulling me in for a kiss. I smiled into it, leaning forward and resting my hands on his chest as Jason deepened it. When he finally pulled back, I was breathing hard.

"That sounds fucking perfect. You're literally my dream date, let's go."

I laughed, especially as Jason packed up our picnic with record speed, then took my hand and nearly dragged me back towards the bike. The two of us laughed the whole ride to my apartment, only to cuddle close on the couch while we started reading hand-picked books together. It was definitely too early to call, but I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my nights just like this.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

DC Taglist: @gaychaosgremlin @v1ckycheesue @lavender-dinos

[writing-frenzy]

Beautiful Disaster AU- 2:

:P so the gremlins for this AU won't let go it seems; fitting as I eat noodles I get the author man himself, along with his favorite hater.

:3

Edit: I almost forgor to put a link for part one

Here is another poem/quote thing :3

I'm beautifully broken,

perfectly imperfect,

beautiful in my flaws.

All together I am a Beautiful Disaster.

By Unknown

Again, this fits both SQH and SJ so much :3 This will be set kinda after the Moshang extras, just without the ship happening so far (because rebuilding trust and care, and loyalty takes time, Mobei being patient enough because SQH is worth it, with SQH learning he is indeed worth it, more than worthy.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite what most think of the An Ding Peak Lord, the glorified immortal secretary/janitor of the Cang Qiong Mountains never misses any time. He has more months, years plotted way in advance then anyone would dream, dates and times printed into his mind with an ever ticking constantly echoing his steps. He plans weeks ahead of anything he can afford to, considering people and patterns he has noticed, procuring orders before they were ever thought to be sent, knowing his martial siblings won't noticed the needed thing until it is too late.

But even he is not all knowing, author god he may be, so when things run out faster than he expected (Ah, embezzlement or incompetence, take your pick of what it could be! Maybe even both, it could be one of those days.) He takes days at a time to get these 'urgent' orders filled, replaced, fixed, or cared for to the best of his ability.

And he can assure you, that you will find no better than him when it comes to time and logistics; he has it down to the minutes it takes him to eat a bowl of noodles, to the seconds it takes to wipe the blood from his hands from yet another sad little assassination.

His days, like any An Ding Disciple, are numbered and ruled by the water, sand, and hands of a clock.

(Needless to say, Airplane sometimes thanks himself for his lazy writing, for example; that regular clocks do exist here, even if they are usually only for the holier-than-thou nobles/too rich to ever think types. It had been one of the first ever things he bought with his hefty Peak Lord allowance, and one of the few expenses he never regrets.)

No, Shang Qinghua never misses any time; he just chooses to skip inconveniences so that he could be spending his valuable time on things that actually do need his attention.

Of course, not like he'll ever let anyone know the difference.

"Liu-Shidi, there shouldn't be any meeting today? I'm pretty sure the next Peak Lord Meeting is when Peak Lord Shen comes to his Peak Next week?" Shang Qinghua whines, feeling the drag on his pale blue An Ding robes as the Ban Zhan War God drags him to the meeting that was in fact today, but knowing his transmigrator bro, will usually put off to next week because Yue Qingyuan is a fucking pushover.

(The man literally let Shang Qinghua back; sure yeah, probably until he at least trains a successor, but the pale blue robed Peak Lord would bet money it was partly because his head disciple terrifies all the other Peak Lords. Not that he can blame them, seeing as Bai Weizhe has finally forgiven him for leaving him behind; the young man's talent and temper is a legendary thing to witness, almost seems a shame he's wasting away at An Ding.)

"There's been a development; Mount Tonglu has settled." was the grim reply Liu Qingge gave, voice tense as his body was, never letting up his grip on his clothes, getting firmer in fact, as if ready for a runner.

"... oh... oh.. OH FUCK!" Shang Qinghua lets himself curse in English, digging through his sleeves for a paper-ah, the good talisman paper, good, good, and his lucky specialized pen he had made just so he could write everywhere, "We're gonna have to hold a conference with the other sects, aren't we? We'll-fuck, have to prepare relief efforts for the common folk, patrols will have to be bolstered and increased-Damnit! We'll have to get offerings ready for the Heavenly Officials just in case..." mumbling to himself, he sends his hastily written note to his Head Disciple as a paper plane, still muttering to himself as Liu Qingge continues to drag him forward to the meeting room, only dropping him once they get inside, knocking him from his stressed filled muttering.

Just to see all Peak Lords are in attendance, with a bonus Luo Binghe even right next to Cucumber bro all grim faced.

AH! Why is there so much work?! Mountain, why now of all times and places do you have to settle? Couldn't have done until Shang Qinghua died or somehow fucking ascended? But Shang Qinghua says nothing, just letting out a pathetic whimper to the disgust of a few of his fellow Peak Lords, though a few do give a sympathetic glance.

Heck, Fan Qingxue of the Alchemy Peak Shoushan and Yao Qingli of the farmers peak Dong Ye look like they want to join him in it; Ah yeah, those two ladies were the ones deathly afraid of ghosts. Since they've always been pretty cool and the ones who gave him the least shit to worry about besides Mu Qingfang, Shang Qinghua thinks he can spare some of his good calming teas and drinks...

Or they can just go straight for Zui Xian's harder spirits (ha).

"As I'm sure everyone knows why we are here, let us get down to business." After Zhangmen-shixiong cuts through his usual bullshit with that simple opening(surprise, surprise), the immortal carries on, "After all these centuries, Mount Tonglu settling bodes ill omens, with it's last settling the precursor to a plague and famine that almost wiped the mortal plane from existence." with those grim words spoken, the atmosphere gets chilling.

"If I recall Zhangmen-Shixiong, it took thousands of desperate prayers and many more offerings before the Heavens answered the call of the people, putting down the cause of it all; a Ghostly Calamity." Yi Qingyao, Peak Lord of the beast taming peak Yanlin, says as her pale, scarred hands reaching up to sooth the twittering little bird on her shoulder. "Will we have to once more rely on their power?" Will they answer us goes unsaid in her words.

While the Heavenly Officials have been quiet for a long time, it is obvious that they are still there, what with prayers still being answered and merits still being met; just more undercover, detective style really. At least, that's how Airplane had wrote it out in PIDW; had to get a few goddesses in the harem some way after all, and having the Heavens be like secret agents in his mind had been funny at the time.

(Though it does put into a new perspective the harem overthrow and everything; hmmm, feels like he should do another house cleaning around now, just in case...)

"As nothing has happened so far, it wouldn't due to try and summon those from higher plane when we don't even know what we will be up against; with no intel about the threat, we don't know if we will need a Martial or Spiritual God." Liu Qingge states, the war strategist coming out in full swing. "It would just be a waste of resources and manpower to offer without any knowledge, especially since we do not know how long the Calamity has had time to settle into their power."

"What do you mean time to settle?!" Fan Qingxue asks, alarm coloring her face even paler than before, hands clenched into her handkerchief; like this, she really does look like a dainty little princess, all big eyes and perfect brown hair, no one would think she would be a treasure hunter the like of Indiana Jones.

"From what is known, Mount Tonglu can be open for years, centuries at a time before the gates of the City of Gu Close, the true regulators of the mountain; it never settles, only until years after a Calamity is reborn does it finally rest, all its energy spent on the new, cruel rebirth." Sun Qingfu, Peak Lord of Ku Xing, answers her with a frown, his regular smile lines stressed from it as he does. "If I may ask, does anyone know just when the Gu City gates last opened?"

By the quiet that happens, the grim face of those who do know, it is not going to be an answer they like.

"... From what was found, it was almost eight years ago." was spoken ever so softly, Shang Qinghua feeling his own eyes widen as his mind does the math;

Almost eight years ago? When Cucumber-bro...

Here, the Ban Zhan War God seems to twitch, jaw clenching for a minute before it smooths away, all emotion erased as he turns to the resident Demon Lord.

Ah, while Shang Qinghua has an idea of just why Luo Binghe is here, sitting at the table with no one bothering to comment on it; considering the Demon Emperor's vast influence, and still in control over a certain, foretelling/divination talented sect, he inwardly pleads with his Shidi, hoping it will get through.

Please do not get into a fight here with the protagonist son! (May his Protag also not start anything please!)

"Has Huan Hua Palace managed to gleam any information about the upcoming Ghostly Calamity at all." Liu Qingge asks Luo Binghe, Acting Grand Disciple of Hua Hua Palace still, even being a Demon Lord as he is. (Though, his son is more of a figurehead then anything, what with Huan Hua needing all the help they can get, at least until they restore their reputation just enough to 'promote' another.)

"... From what the Divinators have said, not much has been managed to be gathered, something seemingly blocking their sights and tools." Luo Binghe says, before looking to the sect leader, a question seemingly in his eye, to which he gets a short nod.

"It seems that both Huan Hua Palace and our own Divination Division have been trying to qualify the Calamity coming to little ends; very few details have been gathered, but I'm sure you have received details of the same city?"

That gets a stark frown on his Protagonist's face, dark eyes flashing a gloomy red before he says those damming words. "Jinlan City."

Eight Years.

Jinlan City.

... Oh Fuck his life with a rusty spoon; this is not the fucking time for a god dammed plague/famine thing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You two bit, sell-out hack of an author! How in the fuck could you leave out such important world building! Just for fucking sex plots!" is ranted when they're alone in the bamboo house on Qing Jing Peak, Luo Binghe being in high demand to work with the other sects as the current head of the golden cultivators. Damn, but is Shang Qinghua glad that's not his problem anymore, even if he feels a bit sorry for the Hua disciples he revived just to take over his paperwork duties.

(What, it's not like he could have used that plot device for himself, considering that the Sweet Dream Seven Petal Rose could only be used on righteous, young souls, both of which he is not. Gongyi Xiao and his little bunch are doing great last he checked, even if they now have a newfound hunger for spiritually dense rocks and plants; still a surprise to have that many good nuggets in such a gilded, slimy place like Huan Hua.)

"Hmmm, more focused on what could get me my rent money at the time, you know, like an adult." Shang Qinghua sasses back, looking over all the reports constantly being sent to him, signing something there, double checking there, burning that paper here. "And considering how Calamities need actual, real deal gods to handle their fucking business, I made the executive decision to just not include them into the story."

"Binghe wouldn't lose!"

"..."

"... No, he wouldn't! He the- He's your protagonist..." here Shang Qinghua looks over to his bro, being hit once more just how young the other actually is, green eyes wide as they take him in.

"Calamities were not named lightly bro; they earn that title through pain, agony, and a resentment that refuses to ever fucking die." Here, Airplane comes into full swing, rambles of a favored topic only an author can understand dumping out, "It was one of my favorite things to plot out in my original draft, I did so much research and writing for what I was going to have as a neutral recurring character for an arc or two here or there, someone who could make the Luo Binghe bow in respect. Calamities were a part of the whole for the reason pure blooded Heavenly Demons were wiped out." he explains, only for Shen Qingqiu to interrupt.

"Because very few Demons or Spiritual Creatures can affect ghosts, so that the protagonist could show off fancy cultivation tricks with his companions or wives." his green clad bro finishes, a death grip on his fan.

"Yeah, had to justify at times why my protag would bother leveling his human side, considering how op his demonic blood was. I figured ghost would be an even playground, while not effecting demons much, couldn't actually be effected that much in turn." Shang Qinghua shrugs, wincing at the pops and cracks as he does, before going right back to his paperwork; he really should have went back to his peak, he really would get more done, but with his favorite hater's memory, it would be worth the cutting into his time if it could jog his own memory of his story.

From what he wrote in Proud Immortal Demon Way, Mount Tonglu was only in one arc of his story, his son having to find the ghost of one of his favored wives to revive her, who ended up being sucked up into the mountain. Luo Binghe had to struggle hard, getting the aid of a sexy Ghostly Cultivator and a Demonic one to help him along the path to find the ghost of his wife. It was a race against time and enemies, ghosts who would rip anyone to shreds, and to ensure his ghostly wife wouldn't gather too much energy from the place so that she couldn't leave.

Thanks to his Sexy helpers, plot amor, and general bullshit plot devices, Luo Binghe saves his dear wife's ghost, revives her, and has some sexy papapa times with all three ladies from the adventure. (Though the two don't actually end up wifed to Luo Binghe from what he remembers.) But despite all the bullshit, Airplane remembers at the time he only wrote the group going as far as the second level, just in the mountain proper, and sure as hell nowhere near the really important parts; the ancient city of Wukong, and the Kiln that attracted all the ghosts in the first place. Otherwise, he would have had to write a fight scene that Luo Binghe could not win.

And couldn't pay his bills; so thus, Mount Tonglu and all its possibilities got shafted, just another plot thread left dangling among the many others he had in the wind, taunting his readers as it were.

One that gives context, but no longer any help with their situation.

After that bit of thoughtful silence, Cucumber bro begins to say something, only for a knock at the door to interrupt them.

"Shizun, apologies for interruption, but the Head Disciple from An Ding Peak is here." that sweet voice can only be from one of his sweetest characters, one Ning Yingying.

"Ah, you can just come on in Bai Weizhe, I don't think-ah!" Shang Qinghua calls, before sputtering as his bro proceeds to spit take all over him, "Gross, seriously gross bro."

All that gets is the stunned, incredulous gaze from his friend, before his rather stunning Head Disciple comes in, looking like he should be the Peak Lord honestly. Really, he makes the light blue and grey of the HD Uniform look like the highest fashion, with those highly noble features and crystal grey eyes. The young man is just missing a crown in that silky black hair, and bam, he'd look the part.

Well, then he'll get that look in those usually gentle eyes and then he'll look more like he should be the Ban Zhan or Qing Jing Peak Lord; just like now, a storm brewing clouds as he takes in the two Peak Lords before him, darkening as they look to his dripping Shizun.

"This disciple hopes he was not interrupting anything? There is unfortunately much work for Shizun to do, and so little time to do it." His disciple says, face perfectly bland even as he ignores any of the custom greetings one should do before their elders, especially those way above in seniority. Raising an eyebrow at his disciple, as while Shang Qinghua could let him get away with murder, decorum and manners are not something his disciples skip on, a tool he has trained them to practically weaponize.

But Bai Weizhe merely smiles like sugar won't melt in his mouth, completely transforming that handsome face into a truly devastating attack, his raging eyes the only give away. Hearing Cucumber bro choke beside him, Shang Qinghua makes to stand up, sighing once more.

"Ah well, just another storm to weather through, maybe if I'm lucky I can just hide away on my Peak or the Northern- I'm not lucky am I?" Shang starts hopefully, only to see the darkening of his disciple's eyes.

"...When the Divinatiors were divining into the future, they managed to find out one more thing." Here Weizhe's eyes flicker, looking down for a minute before back to him, the only sign he gives off he is worried, "When looking to see who would go to investigate, Long-Shigu only kept getting omens of death, no matter who was drawn from the lots..." Here, his disciple takes a deep breath, Shang Qinghua himself now worried for his student, putting a hand on their shoulder to ground them, calm them however he could (along with himself).

"It's only when Shizun's name was drawn to go that the omens lightened at all."

... Fuck, if Long Qingyu, the Zui Xian Peak Lord, the best Divination Master this side of the Jianghu that wasn't part of Huan Hua said so, then it was so...

Damn it to planes and noddles, but he's already missing his bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I look at you, and I just love you, and it terrifies me. It terrifies me what I would do for you."

By Alexandra Bracken

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shen Yuan can fully admit, if only to himself, that he might just be, slightly, just ever so slightly, terrified.

Of course, he'll admit this too no one; despite how OOC the System has let him become, how it stays in 'standby mode', some habits have just become too ingrained at this point to change, forged as they were into his shield. It has been both a boon and a bane as it were in his day to day, keeping him together through most storms in his life, even if it's left him sopping wet afterwards.

But in the end, at least he still has someone to warm him up, a calm within that storm to rest his weary body for a time... Even if they truly aren't an actual escape from said storm.

"Shizun, is there anything you need? Anything I can do?" His Binghe fusses, those clear dark eyes of his not able to hide the tightening worry scrunching them, face still beautiful even as full of negativity as it is.

"Just be as ready as possible; we do not know what to expect, with assumptions being a foe that could blind us when we least expect them." Shen Qingqiu speaks, truly trying not to think about it, about just what kind of situation they are about to be walking into, the ruins of Jinlan City just a bit before them damningly, the Base Camp the Cultivation Sects pulled together to create rest less then a mile away in the distance.

'Oh, but how hard it is to not make any...' the transmigrator can't help but think, grimacing behind his fan as he can just notice the stares from others around them, some judgmental, other pitying, but all still obviously looking at them.

After all, eight years ago was the day he first 'died' in this world. Combined with the issues with the Sowers, then the resulting destruction of said city... it didn't paint the best of pictures.

As expected of a protagonist; even after the 'happy ever after', there was still no rest from possible story lines. (Shen Yuan honestly at times was just... tired of them. Didn't he and Binghe, especially his Binghe, deserve a rest?...

He'd rather be caught in a wife plot even at this point.)

"... A-Yuan?" was whispered rather lowly, right into his ear and behind his fan, so no one with advanced cultivation could hear or see what he was saying, "Is this some sort of... event?" His disciple asked, making his Shizun pause in his fanning for a moment, before returning, not even so much of a twitch on his face.

"...That has not made any signs of movement beyond what it has told me and your Shang-Shishu." Shen Yuan answers carefully, ignoring the brief twitch of disgust on his husband's face at the mention of the other man, "It has been quiet since a year ago." At least, from what Shang Qinghua has told him about his months long misadventure.

"... I see." there, just slightly, is a bit of relief in Luo Binghe's face, Shen Qingqiu unable to stop his own weary smile at the sight.

Despite everything, despite how he will never, ever tell his fellow transmigrator, he is grateful the man convinced him to tell Binghe as much as he could about their transmigration.

Even if it felt like a kick in the teeth at the time.

("... Bro." Shang Qinghua has a look in his eyes that makes Shen Yuan freeze, fully reminded, in that moment, in that time, that for all his fellow transmigrator plays around and whines, the man has earned his Peak Lord title, and all that it entails. "You know the tropes, the clinches, the story; what part of keeping all those secrets to yourself seems like a good idea?"

Here he couldn't help but bristle, "And in what story do you see a character actually talk about being from another world, hmm? What can I even say?!" He stops himself from going to hit the other with his fan, the urge stifled as he sees those brown eyes darken as they narrow.

"I've found that as long as I kept it vague, I can get the general idea of what happened across. I've experimented with My King and my Head Disciple, and the only time I was stopped was when I was about to mention the System directly. Otherwise I was good to go..." here the older man pauses, before he sighs even as Shen Yuan gaps, honestly stunned the other man actually tried something like that.

"Look, Shen Yuan, do you want your relationship with Binghe to work out?"

"!! Of course!"

"Then tell him; tell him before it is too late and you really become a foil for Yue Qi and his Shen Jiu." here, hearing his name and the mention of those two, Shen Yuan cannot help but pale, seeming to stop and stare at the bitter author god before him.

"Wha-"

"... Cucumber-bro, for all you remember about my stallion protagonist webnovel, you seem to always forget it's a tradegy at its core..." here the other man just looks so tired, staring into his teacup instead of directing those all too knowing earth colored eyes to him.

"And the promis of love was always meant to be Binghe's greatest weakness.")

"Ah, greeting from this Disciple to Shen-Shishu, Lord Luo." was greeted, Shen Qingqiu nearly jumping if he hadn't already noticed his husband was looking over, even if he did look stiffly over to the voice.

One Bai Weizhe stood there before them, not a hair out of place, his face neutral, calm and as if he probably wasn't plotting how to slit your throat in your sleep. Like he isn't secretly some powerhouse that could probably go toe-toe with Yue Qingyuan and even toy with the man if he felt like it.

"Ah, good day Bai-Shizhi, has everything been completed and set up?" Shen Qingqiu asks, fanning himself lightly, doing his best to pretend that this is just a regular disciple, that their is nothing wrong with them, that he is just a wrong word from breaking out into a cold sweat.

"Yes, this disciple was sent to gather all the participating Peak Lords coming from Cang Qiong Mountains; all preparations have been made, Long-Shigu and Huan Hua Palace saying soon will be the best time to enter the city. I'm sure that these Lords can find the way their themselves?" Shen Qingqiu nearly frowns at this subtle though pointed disrespect, having to gently tap his fan on his husband's shoulder before he can say anything.

"These Lords are capable of it, though it would do Shizhi well to remember their manners; I'm sure your Shifu has taught you better than that?" The Peak Lord comments, knowing if he doesn't say something, then Binghe will-

And while that face is still as calm as before, those eyes giving nothing away, there is something about that pause that says Shen Qingqiu has said the wrong thing.

"This disciple will keep it in mind, Shen-Shishu. Please pardon me, I must go and find the other Peak Lords joining the scouting force." With that, and a shallow boy just respectful enough, the young man hurries along, the pale blue and grey of his robes fluttering in the wind as he goes.

Outwardly, the Qing Jing Peak Lord seems as calm as can be, soothing his fussy husband as they walk over to the main tend of the Camp, not even flustered a bit by the altercation.

Inside on the other hand, Peerless Cucumber is just 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Airplane of all villains you picked up, why him!? Why him as your HD?!'

Now, while Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky had made plenty of low IQ and forgettable villains in the story, it just meant that when he actually pulled out the good ones, he made them unforgettable. From the beloved 'Big Brother' Pan Shan, a villain only in protection of his family, to the literal 'Calamitous Beauty' Tan Xifeng, a woman so proud and strong she rather turn to ashes forever then be trapped in the Harem, Bai Weizhe was just as up there, the calm 'True Mastermind' in the name of revenge in PIDW.

In the set up, The Bai Family is a very high ranking Cultivation Family, just as high if not more so than the Liu family, said to be descended from heavenly beings, granted power and weapons of that level because of it. But over the years, with less and less powerful Cultivators coming from the family, the Bai Family head got desperate, making his son marry multiple women to try and birth a hopefully powerful heir. And seeing how much of a playboy the man was, with plenty of bastards beforehand, it wasn't too hard for the man to put out it seem. Of his many spawn, two ended up as wives to Bingge and of course a few becoming villains for the arc.

But Bai Weizhe, when first introduced, it shows one of his half-sisters, a future wife, trying to defend him from another of their siblings who were attempting to torture him. All throughout the arc's mystery, one learns more of the future wives alongside this weak bastard son of a maid and the Family Head's son, learning they were little more than a slave to the Family Head and his Son's whims.

Bai Weizhe had seemed like a helpful, if slightly talented npc, being more of an awkward emotional support then any seeming threat, even if things seemed ever so slightly off about him, most of which could probably be excused by just how abused he had been. In fact, many thought the man would become a little brother character, Binghe taking in the poor bastard son as a future assistant or something because of how intelligent he was (with rotten girls going even farther and saying he would become part of the harem.)

But when the plot twist was revealed, with it turning out the murders and almost complete alienation of the Bai Family was all his doing, daringly using the protagonist to do his dirty work for him... it had been as shocking as it was satisfying to the readers, some actually rereading the entire arc with eyes wide open to take in all those little clues and cues to the real monster hiding behind the mask.

But of course, Luo Binghe being Luo Binghe in Proud Immortal Demon Way, Th Bai Bastard meets his end and Bingge gets the Bai Family twins and some family treasure as a bonus... (Though, from debates and such, it actually has been argued that his death may have either been faked or the man had a back up prepared.

Knowing PIDW and all it's bullshit plot devices... he can see it, especially after meeting him.)

But coming to the tent, Shen Qingqiu pushes all thoughts aside, face grim as he looks over his fellow gathered Peak Lords.

Yue Qingyuan. Shang Qinghua. Mu Qingfang. Liu Qingge. Qi Qingqi. Himself and his husband.

"Both the best and worst team to send." Long Qingyu's bitter words spoken broke through the tents atmosphere, making everyone tense as she did. The Zui Xian Peak Lord took a gulp from her bottle, truly stressed if she was drinking in front of them, "I cannot say much, or do anything else but offer this one last advice; make sure you actually listen." she stresses, golden hair slipping from her messily made bun as she pushes it back even as she takes another swing of her drink, mismatched brown and green eyes closed as she does.

"Listen to what?" Liu Qingge asks, eyeing the woman as she finishes her drink with a mournful look.

"Just as I said; listen. Do not assume, do not judge, do think before you damn well speak-" Here she stops herself, teeth gritted as she breaths through them, before opening her eyes once more, "I can say no more, not unless I want the omens to darken even further. Just get ready to go." with that, the woman is gone as fast as she came in, closing the tent behind her with a loud snap.

Staring at everyone, meeting eyes with a few before looking to his Binghe, Shen Qingqiu starts to prepare himself, checking just in case for anything that could have been missed.

Come what may, he and the others will be as ready as they can be, going against the Calamity as they are.

It'll have to be enough.

(Oh, but they will never be ready, unknowing of the poisonous green eyes watching, waiting for them all this time.

They've waited long enough.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's note:

And here we have our favorite disaster bi's, Airplane and Cucumber-bro! Man, both are great characters, my bias being Airplane, but Shen Yuan is also such an interesting character to delve into, being one of the favs I both want to hug and just smack over the head :>

The second quote I found I feel can really seem to resonate with Shen Yuan, when our boy stops repressing and actually lets himself feel.

Also, while I like BingQiu... boi, does that relationship have issues, ones I really hope they did indeed talk through when they could (They have a fuck ton of time to do so, so here I had Airplane help and kick them into gear; nothing like be reminded of tropes and the fact that your hubby is a fucking Tragedy Protag. :> )

Anyways~

Airplane: *Revives a bunch of disciples because he does not want to deal with the paperwork* ... why are you looking at me like that, stop that, go back to your sect.

So many OCs this chapter, I'll just do a spot light for one because then this chapter will just be author's note. (not too mention how he kept worming his way everywhere, just smiling at me as he did.)

Bai Weizhe: Means Outgoing, great sage because I like it; little fun fact, how I have my OC Bai Weizhe: he was actually a high IQ Villain in PIDW, (think if Lan Zhan and Jin Guangyao had a baby, he'd be that baby :3 ) the bastard son of a great cultivation family where Luo Binghe was doing the 'acting like a pig to get the tiger' sort of deal. He was actually a genuine, hidden boss level threat for at least one-two arcs before he had to get fridged for papapa plot (tho.. more like a faked death, Airplane always had a soft spot for his villains after all :3). In fact, it was mentioned in Villainous monologue that he had went to join CQM sect, but due to sabotage by his family, never got the chance in PIDW.

In SVSSS, Airplane was still in the process of working on his 'applying by application' process to An Ding (because I love this headcannon, it gives me fucking life, I am still mad for losing the bookmark to the story that inspired it.) so he still picked disciples by the digging test for a while. He sees this one poor little guy digging despite looking like he's gonna pass out any minute, powering through it with sheer determination and spite, the other Peaks Lords and Disciples already dismissing them, thinking he has low cultivation/poor prospect.

Shang Qinghua though doesn't care about all that; he very much wants that determination (and spite, gotta respect it) He can use all he can get! *After the kid cleans up and gets the drugs out of his system, Shang Qinghua blinks, double takes* WTF when did I have a talent on my peak??

Bai Weizhe: *Smiles like butter won't melt in his mouth* I've always been here Shizun.

(Does Airplane remember him? lol nope, but Shen Yuan sure does :D)

Also, none of the An Ding disciples really 'care' about Shang Qinghua's betrayal (Anyone on An Ding? Oh, they've dreamed of much worse; so much worse~) :) They Just :) Are a bit Upset :) about being Left Behind. :) But its all good; their Shizun came back :)

(And if the sect knows whats good for it, he'll stay where he fucking belongs.)

[kiwiana-writes]

Weekend WIP Game

@welcometololaland has invented a new WIP game and we're all blessed for it.

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more). (If you're an artist or other non-fic fandom creator, questions can be found here!)

1. WIP List: Sigh.

-The Last Five Years || The Next Five Years -The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition] -[Alex & Bea fake date] -[arranged marriage redux] -[Bodyswap] -[D&D flirting] -[fetlife lol] -[Findom] -[Hands free] -[Henry writes] -[Henry/Alex/Liam/Spencer] -[Hockey bf Henry] -[horny soulmates] -[Leverage AU] -[Orpheus and Eurydice] -[Rafael prequel] -[Shaan/Zahra] -[Vegas fuckup] -As sure as the dawn brings the sunrise -Auroras and sad prose -Buzzing through my veins -Chantilly lace and a pretty face -Climb up and meet the sky -Hold up, rewind, knock me off of my feet -Just one moon (and one golden sun) -Rafael is surrounded by disaster queers [Actor AU verse] -Secret Agent Raf 5+1 [Actor AU verse] -What's left of me in our little vignette -Years of dreams just can't be wrong

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest? The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition]

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest? The Last Five Years || The Next Five Years - it's designed as a duology, so idk if each individual fic will beat out angstapalooza, but the duo definitely will, and y'all will want to read them together (unless you love pain I guess??)

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why? It changes day to day but right now I have @clottedcreamfudge going fucking feral at me over [Hockey bf Henry] at any given hour of the day which definitely makes it really fun to just... write a snippet and immediately be shrieked at.

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why? For some unknown reason, Years of dreams just can't be wrong which is the Anastasia AU?? I don't know why it's fucking with me so much, but it's very rude actually.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why? The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition] -- it's gonna be a balancing act in terms of not being gratuitous emotional pain etc

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why? The long ones: The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition], The Last Five Years || The Next Five Years, [Leverage AU]. Maybe a few of the others depending on how the plot spins out.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block? ...have you seen the length of this list?

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them? [Rafael prequel] is the only one that has any OC of substance right now lol

10. Which WIP is the sexiest? In terms of what is actually on the page right now, not what is planned to be written, it might actually be [Henry writes] right now.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest? The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition]

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)? ...I mean I hope all of them lol. For fun let's say Chantilly lace and a pretty face

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)? Climb up and meet the sky, the vintage plane fic my beloved.

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on? The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition], though Years of dreams just can't be wrong has given it a surprising run for its money.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why? The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition] -- I wrote a fic lovingly deemed angstapalooza for another fandom and people collectively lost their shit over it, so... idk I guess y'all love pain???

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs? Yes. And then I wake up and can't remember enough to write it down and then I cry.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't? Oh for sure! The Last Five Years || The Next Five Years has the non-chronological chapter order baked into the format, so making sure the chronology is right and that readers can follow where we're at is a complexity. [horny soulmates] has one of those worldbuilding things where the less thought you put into it as a reader the better because otherwise it's a Problem so trying to make sure it makes sense without being horrifying if you think about the real world implications is a balance lmao. What's left of me in our little vignette has some time-related fuckery. [Orpheus and Eurydice] is written in verse, so. You know.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour? In terms of what's actually written right now, probably Hold up, rewind, knock me off of my feet? But I like to think they're all funny lol.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process? [Henry/Alex/Liam/Spencer] runs through all four listed POVs which is fun and also requires a lot of pondering about whose POV we have when for maximum impact. [Rafael prequel], Rafael is surrounded by disaster queers [Actor AU verse], Secret Agent Raf 5+1 [Actor AU verse] are all Rafael POV, but the latter two are actor AU verse so I have a bit more leeway -- the first one is is canon compliant, though, so teasing out the little info we get about him and building the timeline is a beast of a job. [Shaan/Zahra] is fully epistolary so doesn't technically have a POV I guess.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs. The way we get into each other's bones [Angstapalooza RWRB Edition] is a prologue + 10 chapters and all those chapters are titled already lol, because I've never approached something in a normal order in my life.

Definitely NOT tagging as many people as I have WIPs holy hell but let's go @affectionatelyrs @celaestis1 @cha-melodius @clottedcreamfudge @cricketnationrise @daisymae-12 @dumbpeachjuice @happiness-of-the-pursuit @heybuddy-drabbles @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @hypnostheory @indomitable-love @inexplicablymine @lilythesilly @maxbegone @myheartalivewrites @nontoxic-writes @orchidscript @rmd-writes @sherryvalli @smc-27 @sparklepocalypse @stereopticons @suseagull04 @tintagel-or-cockleshells

[losersroom]

twenty questions for fic writers

tagged by @tetrapod7! thanks man, this was a fun one.

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 17 on my current account. there's more on my old one and obviously that doesn't count everything i published on other platforms (livejournal, ff.net) in the ancient days, lol

2. what's your total ao3 wordcount? again just on the wolfspider account, 168,153. i cant tell if that feels low or high to me

3. what fandoms do you write for? right now, just wild hrpf. in the past it's been mostly anime and various cartoons.

4. top five fics by kudos: i'm hitting the skip button on this because like. wrt my own work i think it's not a very good metric of EITHER how popular those stories actually were OR the quality of them; they're mostly the TUA ones and im chalking that up to that fandom being Huge when i was active. my most kudos'd fic of all time is still how much was mine to keep, though, and i think that one holds up.

5. do you respond to comments? i try to now. i went through a long phase of not engaging with comments due to Social Anxiety and also being kind of fed up with the hyper-combative culture in the fandoms i was in. like i wanted to just yeet my work out there and be done with it. in hrpf fandom i'm actually interested in the community aspect though so ive been trying to get over myself and respond as best i can.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? the brodsfabes time loop fic, hands down. it's weird because as a reader i am um. not very into unhappy endings or unconsummated angst but every once in a while when i'm writing i'll get into a Mood and write something viscerally upsetting. anyway that one was pretty clearly me processing some grief that was happening in my real life, lol.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? probably entangled, from my spiderverse days. ngl i kind of hate it now though so let's move on from this. i think most of my fic has happy or at least ambiguously-positive endings, though.

8. do you get hate on fics? only one time ever and it was someone complaining that a ship i tagged for wasn't present in the story after One Chapter so. we're discounting that one. i've been pretty lucky!

9. do you write smut? yeah. my relationship with writing pornography ebbs and flows, like. sometimes i'll be really into it but sometimes i'll just stick a sex scene into a story where i feel like it's the least interesting thing that happens because people expect it and aren't going to read a romance that isn't leading up to that. i'm a horrible pervert and building up to a sex scene is an easy way to give your story a climax (...in multiple senses of the word) though so. why not.

10. craziest crossover: i don't write crossovers but if i did it would be the insane one ive been thinking about lately where the minnesota wild are stuck in the dungeon from dungeon meshi

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? not to a degree that i can prove it but part of the reason i left TUA fandom was somebody, in my opinion, ripped off large chunks of one of my fics and did just enough massaging of the language to make it defensible as Not Plagiarism. ruined the whole experience for me though.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? no, i think that would be one of the highest honors i could receive as a writer though. i wish i knew enough of a second language to translate my own work, but i'm still at like a kindergarten level in japanese so that will. Not happen.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? tried to once with someone i am no longer friends with, it was a disaster. never gonna do that again. i am just too much of a control freak to relinquish any amount of creative decisionmaking i think.

14. all time favorite ship? don't have one! i tend to like hyperfixate on one ship for anywhere from one month to a year and a half and then when the brain juice runs out im Done and i never want to think about this concept again. im giving check please jackparse a point for being a ship i can read about post-fixation without getting bored but other than that. right now it's 725, in the future, who can say.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but never will? [stares at my overflowing gdocs draft folder. stares at the camera] i do not see it

16. what are your writing strengths? i like my prose, most of the time, and i think i'm pretty good at descriptive writing and like, internal character voice. sometimes i can accidentally stumble into excellent pacing

17. what are your writing weaknesses? INTENTIONALLY good pacing. writing dialogue that sounds like a human said it and not a sitcom character. i'm decent at line-by-line editing but awful at structural editing. recently ive become aware that i tend to subconsciously reuse certain plot beats a lot.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language? like anything else, there's a way to do this that's fine and interesting and a way to do it that's insultingly terrible and it all depends on intent and execution. like if you're peppering in phrases in a second language just to show off that a character Is Foreign, don't do that. try to do it in a way that's realistic for how people talk. do it purposefully, i suppose

19. first fandom you wrote in? god dude i do NOT remember this was literally 21 years ago but probably either naruto or fullmetal alchemist.

20. favorite fic you've written? probably one of the unpublishable ones tbh. or the time loop one again. honestly i really like all my hrpf work, ive been putting out some bangers lately. it's nice to feel like ive been growing as an ~artist~ or whatever.

[nightfang22]

Can't Erase Heartbreak Part 2

A/N:Wow!Thank you guys so much for all the love on my last post!I'm so glad that you guys like my writing.Really it means a lot to me.And upon request by @erensbbg with the wonderful base idea for this fic I grace you all with part two!Let me know what you guys think and remember my requests are always open!Enjoy!

Warnings:Minors DNI,drinking,heartache

Pairing:Present Mic x f!Reader

Word Count:995

You were walking down the streets in the dead of night, cheeks chilled from the wind grazing your still wet tear stains. With no bags packed and no will to live, you went the only place that your mind could think of. You knocked on the door with your head hung in shame, beginning to sob again when he opened the door. Hizashi looked at you with first a smile which quickly faded into a look of concern. "Hey, hey, hey. Why ya cryin'?" He put a comforting arm around your shoulders and led you inside where it was warm. He sat you on the plush couch that you'd always loved. It was this bright sunshine yellow shag disaster of a thing that you two had found near a dumpster when you were both still in college. You couldn't believe he hadn't gotten rid of the thing by now. He even started sewing little patches over the holes from the wear and tear of time passed. He wrapped you up in your favorite blanket that he kept in his hall closet and gave you a cup of tea before sitting next to you. "What happened, honey bee?" And that's all it took for you to break down and tell him everything. How Aizawa was late coming home, how you went looking for him at the school, how you found him with Ms. Joke, even how you smashed a bottle of expensive red wine over his head before leaving to come here. You, of course, didn't leave out the bit you said to Shouta about wishing that you had fucked Hizashi on your honeymoon. Hizashi was your best friend in the whole world. You've known each other for years. There's nothing you couldn't tell him.

                                        *Fast Forward 4 Years*

It was a warm spring day and your sundress clung to your figure beautifully as you walked through the park with your boyfriend, of 3 years now, Hizashi. After that fateful night and a long dragged out divorce process, you moved in with Hizashi. He asked you out when you two were making dinner together one night. It took you completely by surprise but it's been the  best decision you've ever made. You've never been happier. Holding Hizashi's hand as you guys walked through the park made you feel like you were walking on air. "I love you." He turned to you and smiled. Those three words are the quietest he ever speaks, as if he'll break the moment or you by talking too loudly. You giggle. "I love you too, 'Zashi." You turned to look up at his tall frame and smiled. He was leading you down a beautiful cobblestone path. To where, you were completely clueless. "When are you going to tell me where we're going, 'Zashi! My feet are getting tired." You whined and pouted which only resulted in a chuckle from him. "I offered to carry you, Princess but you were the one who said 'I can walk on my own!'" You turned a crimson red at his words. You did say that but you didn't think you'd be walking for so long. Grumbling, you continued your walk in silence until Hizashi stopped. "We're here! Happy anniversary, baby." The smile on his face was so wide you were sure that his cheeks were going to split. "Oh, 'Zashi. It's wonderful!" You look at the soft blanket laid out on the ground and the cute, rustic picnic basket in the center. There were flower petals all around and a small music box.

You sat down with Hizashi and giggled as he took out a bottle of your favorite strawberry moscato. You had lost your taste for rich dark reds after you divorce from Shouta. You swirled the wine in your glass and took a sip as you looked out at the setting sun surrounded in hues of lavender and pastel pink. Suddenly the music got more soft and instrumental and Hizashi has abandoned his glass of wine in favor of looking at you. "(Y/N), there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time. I spent countless hours and countless days beating myself up for not doing it sooner. And don't even get me started on how badly I beat myself up when Aizawa got to you first." He moved so he was sitting directly in front of me. "(Y/N), I've been in love with you since the day I laid my eyes on you. And I never forgave myself for letting Aizawa have you first because I was too much of a coward to stand up. But now," He paused, maneuvering so that he was on one knee in front of you. He pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket and opened it up to reveal a gorgeous amber ring. "I won't lose my chance again. I got it made with amber instead of diamonds because I know how you think diamonds are such a cliché. (Y/N), what I'm trying to say is….will you marry me?" He looked at you with hopeful and anxious eyes. You covered your mouth to hide the gasp as tears fell down your cheeks. You couldn't stop your fervent nods even if you wanted to. "Yes! Oh my gods, Hizashi! Yes, yes I'll marry you! Of course I'll marry you!" You wrapped your arms around him as you squealed with joy. He picked you up and spun you around before setting you back on the ground, slipping the engagement ring on your finger. "I love you." He whispered in your ear. "I love you too, 'Zashi." Little did the two of you know, your private moment wasn't so private. From a nearby tree, a very drunk Aizawa was watching the whole thing. Bottle in hand, tears streamed down his cheeks. His quirk may have been powerful but there was one thing that he knew he couldn't erase. Aizawa knew that he can't erase heartbreak.

[team-heavenly]

Chapter 26 - Part 3

You know the drill by now. Part one is here, part two is here...

Yeah, so uhhh, fun fact! In all my years of playing this game, I never once tried to leave Aegis Cave apparently, because this genuinely surprised me. THERE'S AN INVISIBLE WALL. YOU CAN'T LEAVE. YOU CAN ONLY FINISH THE STORY LINE, FAINT, OR USE AN ESCAPE ORB.

And this kinda upset me because, y'know, for the first time this entire damn run, I finally had a pile of Orans and Apples and other basic things, and I wanted to drop them off in storage to make room for more.

The good news: I did in fact pick up an Escape Orb, so we said SEE YUH!

While we were back in town, I fed a Wonder Gummi to Celebi via Rotom's juicebar, and we got two surprises packed into one!

WUH- OKAY THEN.

And now, some moments that nearly gave me a freaking heart attack.

Damage runs deep </3 Hell of a line.

Also, moments that nearly make your eyeballs fall out of your head until you remember your Garchomp has Huge Power.

Speaking of, here is a non-inclusive list of the moves and abilities I remember seeing from the Unown (either in dungeon or from recruits):

Moves:

Ice Ball

Faint Attack

Thrash

Hyper Beam

Luster Purge

Lunar Dance

Gunk Shot

Dark Pulse

Extrasensory

Hammer Arm

Spit Up

Flash Cannon

Abilities:

Sturdy

Illuminate

Truant

Aftermath

Natural Cure

Serene Grace

Bad Dreams

Drizzle

Cloud Nine

Snow Warning

Heatproof

Filter

A true grab bag, which was honestly kind of fun when it wasn't trying to kill us.

Anyway, we only had to go through three times before getting all the stones we needed and then some! IYKYK.

When we return to the waypoint, we do a funky little dance just kidding, we only close our eyes.

So, here I am, entering the Nonsensical Expanse, getting pumped we get to find out who the first of the three Regis are, right?

But then I have something so unexpected happen that my 3DS nearly falls from my hands.

Wh-

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT ISN'T HERE?!?!?!

No, but I was legitimately upset over this. I consulted my friend @exploring-the-sky to see if love knew anything about it.

Well, this is what happens when you use a build from nearly two years ago, I guess.

At every portion of Aegis Cave, I left at least once and came back, and it was always the same. There was no one to fight. So now we'll never know who Regice is! That beautiful guidepost I put together to translate every character and place from their canon counterparts? You know, my actual pride and joy? I literally CAN'T put anything down for Regice now except ??? or ERROR 404.

THANKS A LOT, GAME!!! >:l

Or just replace it with any Pokémon you want, I don't make the rules here.

Next stop: Neat Creek.

We already have C and K so this shouldn't be too painful... I hope.

Nevertheless, when we inevitably come back around, we find what looks like a letter...

Wait, did y'all actually run into a boss? DID Y'ALL ACTUALLY FIGHT A BOSS?? PLEASE, TEAM CHARM, I'M BEGGING YOU-

Ugh, well. Guess we're about to find out, anyhow. We enter the Colossal Rift and hold our breaths...

OH THANK ARCEUS, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM TO SEE YOU!!

...Words said before disaster, Part 21,894-

Despite our one-two punch of Meteor Mash and Powder Snow on Celebi, Rhyhorn wouldn't go down easy. In fact, he got off some Dragon Dances , which made me kinda nervous! And Seed Flare missed, like, 4 times in a row?? Then I REALLY started to panic when he used Mirror Move! But in the end, we persevered.

Ohhhh, I see... so, Not Regice just granted us the guardian's permission pre-emptively and went "lol bye losers, I'm out"? That's the explanation I'm going with, anyway :P

When we approach the Nonsensical Trench, there seems to be no sign of Team Charm...

We picked up two E stones in the last segment of the dungeon, so all we're missing is S, T, and L.

Why, hello there! This one even gave us a stone right away :)

It turns out Unown S and T also spawn on this very first floor! I stuck it out as long as I could and, lo and behold, we didn't have to go through more than once! \o/

Okay, now you gotta do the ritual thing to move on to Part 4.

[oonajaeadira]

Hey hey.

Idk if you're still doing prompts/requests, but I'm working a play and we open in 5 days and it's literally been the worst theatre experience I've ever had. No one knows their lines, costumes aren't done, sets aren't done, one of the tech guys is both an asshole and an idiot, and I'm barely getting paid. I want to do the show because I like working with my friends and I love making theatre, but I've never been this stressed/angry/tired.

You've been doing a lot of PATS lately, but I'd love to see how Dieter would help/reassure/distract his partner (I'm non binary) going through something like this.

Thanks if you can and thanks if you can't, I love your work 💜

OMGS. I've been there. I'VE BEEN THERE. I'm so so sorry, Smudge. Those productions are the WORST. Those are the ones where you come home and wonder why the eff you're selling your soul to the dying-est of artforms.

(Don't worry, the artform's been dying since inception. So, you know. For the past few thousand years.)

Unfortunately, I don't really take requests. PATS makes it look that way, but that whole series is an experiment in building a storyline with reader input. I started off with a story that I thought would be a one-off and then through asks it started to evolve. There are 3 chapters (a fourth is on the way) and each one has a series of answered asks in the form of "sessions" bridging the gaps in between. This all started during Kinktober 2021 and trickled through for the next couple of years. I'm doing a readalong reposting to gear up for the series to pick up again, which is why you're seeing a lot of him on my tumbles right now. We're currently on day 8 of 22.

Every once in a while I might open up a call for requests, but it will be a specific challenge, usually when I actually have time to write and want to have a bit of fun. Mostly I don't take requests because I get busy IRL and write slooooooowwwwwww and have a list of fic I really want to get to already. (Besides, you're most likely not going to get the answer you came looking for. I'm a little shit and tend to like to subvert asks into a soft mess. I can't help it. I'm selfish and write what I want first and what's requested last. )

Because, you see, if it was Dieter? In my head it would usually be pot and porn and falling asleep together on the couch. Not terribly exciting.

Except. Maybe if you're really going through it, he might try to surprise you by baking cookies. You'd come home from rehearsal near tears, just wanting to get high and railed, and he'd be standing there in his joggers and bathrobe holding the ugliest, burn-iest tray of cookies and he'd explain with puppydog eyes how he wanted to surprise you but he fell asleep watching the History channel. There's still dough ready to go and he's just about to start putting together another tray for the oven. It's endearing and hilarious and just enough disaster that you walk over and turn off the oven, take the mixing bowl in one hand and his arm in another and start pulling him toward the bedroom.

He complains that he only wanted to distract you from a hard day and you assure him he's accomplished that, but you both might get more enjoyment if you just eat the dough as it is....

...off his ass.

He agrees.

[vizthedatum]

Polyamory is about love, community, and caring for each other while respecting our various human needs

Maybe THE REAL polyamory is:

(context: you're in a telephonic court hearing with your ex/spouse)

your girlfriend sitting on your left rubbing your back/legs and wordlessly sending supportive vibes

your other girlfriend messaging you loving affirmations (bc she couldn't be there)

your friend (who you have a huge crush on despite you breaking up with them several months ago because you're a disaster-queer, and they're probably one too, and maybe y'all weren't compatible but, like, you talk every day, and they're one of your best friends now lmao) checking in on you

your ex-lover and close friend (who you also have a huge crush on and you enjoy his company immensely, and you've made plans to go swimming in his pool (with your partners) multiple times this upcoming summer lmao) sitting on your right holding your hand and then buying you drinks and snacks from the coop nearby (*cries*)

your casual long-distance lover and friend being super kind and supportive the past several days (well, tbh, the past year basically)

multiple friends reaching out and not invalidating your trauma... and not invalidating your very understandable human responses to everything you've gone through

your long-distance roommate/QPP (queer platonic partner) being a badass and so loving <3

this guy who you barely know, who wants to have sex with you but has heard/listened (and hopefully understood) to your emotional needs (because you're trying to be better with communicating that now), consistently messaging you every day to greet you, be supportive, and turn you on (in a respectful way) -- (and you honestly don't even know if you want to pursue him (it's all so initial), but like, also, this is such an ideal approach and situation for a more mature series of potential hookups)

consistent sapphic yearning because, as established, you're a disaster-queer

making plans to go to an event with your poly friend and a new lover person (*swoons*) this weekend! The social support has just been essential to my regulation and self-care.

co-regulation with my whole polycule and friend group, since *quotes own blog* meow (it's true though! and we are stronger for everything that we're all going through. together.)

and learning/healing attachment traumas while acknowledging that you've made mistakes in the past (and that harm has also been done to you) - it is not easy to be so vulnerable and to love again, but it is essential for me (even though I'm so scared I'll be hurt again)

[crossoverglobaloutreach]

OUR BETTER PROCESSION

Let’s consider how blessed we are in the better covenant of Jesus Christ by comparing and contrasting two remarkably similar passages of scripture, one from the Old Testament, the other from the New.

2nd Samuel 6 opens with King David bringing the Ark of God's Presence back to Jerusalem. He gathers not just any crowd, but "all the chosen men of Israel" (verse 1). He leads the illustrious procession as they set out with the ark, rejoicing and celebrating as they go (verses 2 through 5). But disaster strikes suddenly in verses 6 and 7, bringing the procession to a crashing halt:

"Then they came to the threshing floor of Nacon. And Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly upset it. And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God."

Someone dared to touch the ark and a surge like lightning struck him dead. That thunderclap of power shattered the happy mood and ended the procession. We're told David was angered by the intrusion of tragedy into his joyous plans (verse 8), but also frightened that the Intruder was God Himself (verse 9). The parade melted away in sorrow and confusion, stranding the Ark far from its intended destination.

Now, consider another procession, one found in the gospel of Mark. In chapter 5, we see the Living Ark of God's Presence, Jesus Christ, surrounded by a large crowd, as they escorted Him to His intended destination - the home of a synagogue ruler. That ruler's daughter was deathly ill and he had begged Jesus to come and heal her. Jesus had graciously consented. We're told a large crowd - more likely a "rabble" than "the leading men of Jerusalem" - pressed in on Him as He walked with Jairus (verse 24).

The Uzzah of this procession was a woman with an issue of blood. That made her ceremonially unclean, but she was still determined to dart in among the crowd and touch Jesus. And when she did, "power flowed out from Him" (verse 30).

The stories follow the same arc right up through the unplanned touch. In each case, a surge of power struck the toucher. But the stories diverge sharply there: The woman didn't die; she was miraculously healed! Jesus' procession wasn't broken up, it continued, after pausing to bless her. She probably joined the crowd as they moved on. Nor was Jesus kept from His intended destination. He arrived at Jairus' home and healed his daughter, raising her from the dead.

The crowd in Mark 5 wasn't better than the one in 2nd Samuel, it was likely rougher and coarser. The "toucher" wasn't better - the bleeding woman was "unclean," while Uzzah was a man of standing. So, what accounts for the drastically different outcomes? What was better in Mark 5 vs. 2 Samuel 6? The Ark at the heart of the procession was better, as was the crowd's access to that Ark.

The ark Moses built was not to be touched (Num 4:15), nor even looked into (Num 4:20, 1 Sam 16:19). But the Apostle John opened his first letter with these words, "That which was from the beginning... what we beheld and touched with our hands" (1 Jn 1:1). Perhaps that's why God declared through the prophet Jeremiah the first ark would no longer come to mind nor be sought after (Jer 3:16). Why should it, when it was merely a type and shadow of the better Ark, Jesus Christ?

Moses' ark passed away with his covenant. Both have been replaced, supplanted, by something, Someone, superior. Our Ark can be touched. Life giving power flows from ours, not death dealing. In Mark 5, not only was Christ touched, He also touched the dead little girl. We have come to One who touches and is touched, with blessing flowing out from Him either way.

Now we have joined the greater procession of the Present One. It stretches back to Jesus Christ walking among us twenty centuries ago and reaches beyond today to His glorious return. Like the procession to Jairus' house, this one also ends in resurrection - ours! Let's not shy away from touching Him along the way and letting Him touch us. As Hebrews 10:22 exhorts us, "Let us draw near to Him with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith".

"And a highway is there, and a way. The 'Way of Holiness' it is called. The unclean do not pass over it. And He Himself is by them, those going in the way, so that even fools shall not err therein" (Is 35:8).

  - Matt Schilling

[its-my-whump]

Whumpril2023 – Day 29

Surrender - Punishment - "Final warning."

Sequel of Andys story and suffering going on - previous (Day 27)

TWs: blood, screaming in pain, aftermath of torture

All of a sudden a big commotion took its course. The P.E. teacher Mr. Walker, instructed different students to call an ambulance and the police, to get the school nurse and clear the locker room. “If I see one of you, using your phone for something other than to call for help, all of you are going to detention for the next year. Do I make myself clear!”

Andys skin was clammy and cool. His heartbeat steady, but he was still unconscious. Peter and some other kids had turned him, so he was laying on his side by now, a sweater under his head. To lay him on his back was out of the question, but staying on his stomach could have complicated his breathing. Little pools of blood had already summoned on the floor. His originally white undershirt looked like a requisite from a horror movie.

The nurse wasn't anywhere to find, a student put his head through the door to the locker room, to inform, then closed it again. Gladly the ambulance had arrived this very moment and paramedics were making their way down the hall. A cluster of agitated and distressed kids leading their way.

Everyone still in the room making way for the medics to work. Beside Mr. Walker, Peter and 2 other students were left to help and assist in any way they could.

“Dear Jesus, Mary and Joseph. What the hell happened to him?” The smaller one of the newly arrived spit out, while he was already on his knees taking Andys pulse.

Peter was mumbling, he had such a bad conscience, for pushing him against the wall. He knew he didn't inflict any of the wounds, but he guessed that his behaviour had made his condition much worse, then it had been before. “He already looked like shit and really pale, when he came in here. After taking of his shirt, he just collapsed.”

“Damn. What's his name?” The other paramedic asked and was told by all 3 students in unison. “Andy, can you here me?” He was gently rubbing the boys sternum. An oximeter was put on his index finger, after the blood pressure monitor was pulled over his limb arm from the other colleague.

2 officers entered the locker room, murmur from the hallway accompanied their entry, and was locked out again, the second, the door was shut behind them.

The boys eye lids were fluttering woken by the hand on his chest. He only managed to open them slightly. An undecipherable silent, definitely painful, sound escaped his hardly parted lips. “We're going to cut your shirt open. Alright? It's going to be unpleasant.”

He gave his colleague, who was kneeling behind the patients' back, a slight nod.

Police were already talking to Mr. Walker, so the sound of scissors cutting through cotton and Andys silent whimpering sounds perished into the ambient noise. The cut was finished, but the medic needed to fold the fabric back to have a look at the extend of the disaster.

The taller man on Andys frontside signalled his partner to stop. “You. What's your name?” A finger pointing in his direction. “Peter.” “Okay, Peter. I need your help.”

On unsteady legs the big guy encircled the bloody heap on the floor and kneeled beside the man who had asked for him. Desperate glazy eyes full of pain were trying to focus on Peter from the floor. He wanted to look away, Andys look was piercing his core. Peter felt so shitty and his own heart sank into his stomach.

He was instructed what to do and could only nod for an answer. 3 pairs of hands working on the kid now. While the small guy started to pull the fabric away from the wounds, which was already stuck to some of the cuts, his colleague took a strong hold onto Andys shoulder and fixated him on the ground. Peter gave support by holding the kids hands and squeezing them slightly to encourage him to do the same, when the pain was getting too much. This handling was more than necessary, because the moment the first guy started to pull on the cotton, an animalistic cry of pain ran through the room. Peters fingers felt like being trapped in a bench vice. He didn't wanna imagine what the kid must be feeling right now.

Andy tried to escape, his whole body fighting against them in pure agony and desperation. Peter could hold the kids look only just so slight. He felt his own eyes watering while big tear drops streamed down the other boys face. Andys gaze confirmed, his mind wasn't completely here, he wasn't completely conscious, but unfortunately it was enough to suffer. Sweat dropped down his head, which he was hitting on the cool flagging, the sweater had already been pushed away by his struggling movements.

His breath was ragged, every fibre of his body fighting, still he tried to speak. “Please stop! Stop punishing me, Dad. Please. Sto..” He wasn't getting enough air into his lungs, his words hardly understandable. Peter put one of his hands under Andys cheek, to prevent him from injuring himself in his fight, while his other was still tightly holding onto the boys hands, which were hardly squeezing back by now. His own chest hurt, just by watching Andy resisting in despair.

“Almost done.” The guy on the other side tried to encourage. But Andy was shaking even more so. His cries started to die down into desperate whimpers and more pleading, his strength just vanishing. “Stoooppp.”

The kid struggled a last time. Peter saw Andys eyes rolling back, leaving only white, but his lids stayed slightly open. All tension had left his body. The weight of his head suddenly pushing down on Peters hand, while the grab to his other hand loosened. His whole body went slack.

The big guy beside Peter was panting, while he himself was still trying to swallow the big lump in his throat and the smaller of the paramedics stated plainly. “Unlucky bastard, to make it till the end. Just to pass out, when the worst is over.”

[sanosimp]

hi!! can i request wherein reader and wakasa was on a vacay and tried skinny dipping in a jacuzzi. i don’t know it that makes sense, but thank u if u consider it!!

hiiii ~

yes of course i am at your service once again anon. it's officially summer for me, so it is convenient for me to fill this request. please enjoy and when you're done come scream at me in my inbox ill be waiting <3

~ nsfw under the cut you've been warned ~

now it's not very often you get alone time with your significant other. being a busy man and all that, it's rare to have some peace, free of distractions or whatever it is that typically forces you two to part. 

so imagine your surprise when you walk through the door, pull off your shoes, and your boyfriend is nowhere in sight. his absence isn't the surprising part, typically away and only returns home after hours. no, the surprising part is the state of distress that the small apartment has fallen into. 

on the couch is a pile of clothes, your clothes, accompanied by an arrangement of shoes on the floor in a line by the coffee table. there's music playing somewhere in the place, a low whistling following the tune. a new bouquet of carnations in the center of the table a sign that your boyfriend was indeed home, just nowhere in your current view. 

throwing your keys in the bowl by the door, you adventure off in hopes to find the cause behind the disastrous mess in the place. Friday's are reserved for relaxation in your household, strictly takeout and couch cuddles, so the sight is enough to spike your anxiety thinking about how much time it'll take to reorganize. the whistling gets louder the closer you get to the bedroom, the guilty party probably making even more mess in there compared to the living room. rounding the corner by the door frame, you prop an arm up to watch him scramble on his side of the room, pulling open draws and causing chaos amongst his clothes for reasons you don't know. 

wakasa imaushi is a sight to behold. despite being with him for a while now, he always seems to be able to steal your breath away, no one holding a candle to his charm in your eyes. you take a moment to eye every little detail of his on full display for you as he stands back to you, shirtless to combat the humidity despite the sun slowly disappearing. You allow your eyes to roam from the sharp jawline in full view with his hair up to the bead of sweat that travels from his neck down his broad shoulders from the summer heat that consumes the apartment. you could feel the want to jump him right then and there but become easily sidetracked the moment he pulls a hoodie out of a draw and haphazardly tosses it over his shoulder, still very unaware of your presence. 

"okay what have you done and why are we fleeing the country?" he turns around, startled by the voice that calls to him other than his own. "who said were fleeing the country? i didn't do anything... that the feds know at least." he pauses his endeavor and easily finds his way to you across the room. you laugh at his remark as he finds your waist and consumes your personal space, drawing you into him so hard you have to stand on your toes to reach his neck with your arms. "so then i wanna hear the excuse for the disaster i've come home to after a long day.” 

he huffs and pulls back to see your face, hands spreading on your hips to keep you within his reach, fingertips teasing under your shirt. you feel the hitch in your throat as his eyes bore into yours, lilac swimming to the depths of your soul in a trance. no matter how many times you have been near him he always blows you out the water in disbelief that he's really yours to hold. " the only escape we're making is to the Airbnb i rented for the weekend. you have three days free, i have three days free, and we need to get the fuck out of here or i'm gonna go crazy." you know he's serious by the tone he uses, urgent and forward. 

it's been obvious how much stress he's been under recently, his mood cloudier than usual, eye bags from lack of sleep, and the drowsy way he carries himself around are physical proof of the burdens. you feel a pang of sympathy strike your heart knowing he does so much for so many, putting anyone of importance in his life before him in the rank of priorities. you kiss him slowly hoping it portrays every ounce of emotion you feel for him at the moment as he meets you with the same intensity.

he draws back causing you to pout, saddened by the distance which is quickly chased away as he picks you up and flawlessly tosses you over his shoulder. a squeal and a series of giggles, you're kicking your legs in any form of resistance that you can at this angle. "put me down this instant you savage." he easily captures your calves in his left hand to keep you from loosening his grip, smacking his right hand on your thigh before tossing you on the couch. "pack a bag. i've already picked out some of my favorite things to make your packing easier. we leave in 30.”

you scoff in disbelief at his antics as he walks back into the bedroom, narrowing your eyes at the 'favorite things' part and glancing at the pile that waits for you. "oh please we both know if you had it your way, i'd be naked all weekend." his laugh is hearty and melodic as it echos down the hall and into the living room. "who said that's not happening?" shaking your head you begin as he asked, packing in excitement for your weekend getaway.

~~~~~

what he didn't tell you, over an hour later, was how luxurious the Airbnb was. 

he hopped out of the driver's seat of your car and jogged around to the passenger seat to escort you out, grinning at the wide-eyed look on your face. he holds a hand out towards you to lift you up and out of the car before closing the door behind you and walking towards the trunk.

the house was small, obviously only meant to host one party at a time. the one-bedroom house had a full porch out front with a charming white bench swing on the right of the entrance. flicking on the lights you saw that the single-floor house proved to be quite the space, the kitchen and living room combined but not cramped boasted an open concept, giving the house an airy vibe. the door to the bedroom was on the left of the tv accompanied by another door to match on the opposite side which you guessed was the bathroom. 

you stood in the center of the area looking up to the skylight which you were excited to see in the daytime, just imagining the room bathed in sunlight come morning. "so you like it or what?" you flew towards the boy who had just settled the bags into the room as he caught you in both arms, lifting you off your feet. "baby what in the world did you do to get this? you know what don't tell me i don't want to be liable." he laughs and kisses your cheek before planting you back on your feet. "i didn't do anything. had some money tucked to the side, exchanged some favors, nothing illegal i swear." you playfully smack him on the shoulder in response and turn away from him, allowing him to rest his chin on your shoulder, arms wrapping around your waist. 

your eyes scan the place again before noticing the glass door towards the back. "what's back there?" he places a soft kiss behind your ear in response and pushes you forward to go look. what sold the place was the back. flinging open the back door leading to a private yard which was decorated in string bulbs of light hung over the wood deck. beyond the fence, you could hear the waves of the tide meeting the sand on the shore, having direct access to the beach through the gate. another highlight was the jacuzzi that was lit up in the corner of the yard. you turned back inside towards the bedroom where Waka was diligently unpacking things into draws and replacing the pillowcases. 

"there's a fucking jacuzzi?! can we go in it?!" he chuckles zipping up his bag and tossing it onto the dresser. "yes baby as soon as we're settled in." so settling in is what you did, putting things away to your liking and changing your clothes into swimwear. the second you were done you were scrambling towards the back again, closing the door behind you. it was well past eleven pm with no sounds other than the occasional crash of the waves and the quiet hum from the tub.

the sky was clear and the stars were brighter on the shore during the summer, humidity more manageable now with the sun on the other side of the planet. you teased the water with your toes, allowing your body to acknowledge the heat before taking the steps into the water. you heard the door open and close again, your boyfriend was once again shirtless accompanied by the complimentary bottle of champagne and two glasses that the host left on the table with the binder of information (which neither of you had decided to glance at but that's beside the point). 

he puts the items down to the side of the deck and follows you in, going straight into the water with no care in the world over the change of temperature. he easily settles in on the bench and opens his arms towards you, water rising almost halfway up his torso, and sighs as you follow his silent request. he just holds you there for a minute before scooping your legs over his lap, now straddling him, face to face. 

your foreheads meet as you cup both his cheeks, his eyes still closed as you settle in and get comfortable. when he decides he's ready he begins to open up to you about his stresses. "i needed this so bad. i got into a fight with Shinichiro. i didn't even apologize i just left and said nothing. i didn't want to make it worse but im sure he hates me now."

at this revelation, you scoff and bring his attention to you, tilting his head up so he's looking you in the eyes like earlier. "you too are as thick as thieves. there's no way a silly little argument is gonna come between that. he loves you to death as you love him." he's pouting now and you almost want to laugh but you know it takes a lot to get him to open up, not typically wanting to burden those around him with his issues. "lets talk about it later okay? you can tell me all about it and whatever you want later. right now it's just you and me and this tiny house to ourselves so let's unwind.”

you run your hands from his face to his neck towards his shoulders, allowing him to pull you closer by the grip he has on your thighs before he captures your lips in a kiss. there's nothing romantic about the slight taste of chlorine that lingers in the air and on your skin, but there's so much romance that radiates off the man in front of you. it starts slow and tender, like it always does, taking a moment to appreciate the other. it's when his teeth meet your bottom lip as he sighs into your mouth when things get hotter and your body instinctively grinds into his. your hips are flush to his as he's pulling you impossibly closer, hands now gripping your sides to bruise as he leads your motions.

his slow descent starts from your lips to your cheek, to your neck, biting and sucking his way to your collarbones. at one particular harsh nip, you sigh and pull at the stands of his head, a low groan emitting from the back of his throat. you can feel his fingertips playfully pull at the top you're wearing, entertaining the thought but not quite doing enough to take it off. "you think there's a rule about being naked in the jacuzzi in that binder?" 

at this you yank him up, face so serious it sends you into a fit of giggles, him laughing with you as well. "they won't know right? i'm sure someone has done it before." you drag him back into a kiss while he takes off your top this time with intent, only separating to pull it completely off. he's teasing you with the kiss, his tongue meeting yours for the briefest of seconds before pulling away, alternating between grinding and kissing. 

your own hands begin to explore as well, running down from his shoulders, gently scraping your nails down his body the way you know he likes as your own form of teasing. it's too easy the way your hand slips past the waistband of his shorts, wrapping your fingers around him effortlessly stroking him to complete hardness. he groans heavily into your mouth and shimmies out of his shorts the best he can with you on top of him. "you're so fucking perfect for me. i can't take it anymore." you simply hum in response, too focused on tightening your grip around the base to keep him on edge.

he doesn't even try to take off your bottoms, using his fingers to slip the fabric to the side, thumbing your clit in hasty circles to pay attention to you as well. it's a little harsher than to your liking, the water not acting as much of a lubricant as you would've liked. your foreheads meet again as you're breathing heavily now, cheeks flushed red due to the intimacy and the heat radiating from the water. “i want you. i want you so bad please.” if you weren't on top of him, you could imagine him on his knees, begging you to advance and the thought makes you bite your lip and nod your head without a second thought.

he lifts your hips out of the water as he lowers his shorts to give himself room to breathe. the cool air sends a shiver down your spine, a drastic temperature change now out of the hot water that kept you away from the night chill. his raised thighs keep you above the water as his tip runs up and down your slit, coaxing your natural fluids to take place of the chlorinated water now running down your thighs chasing the water you rose from. 

he lifts your hand to your mouth with his free hand. “spit.” you comply instantly and his eyes brighten slightly in bewilderment, grinning at the easy obedience as he guides your hand back to his length, prompting you to stroke him. when he is satisfied with the glide of your hand, he smacks your wrist away and aligns the tip with your entrance, panting into his ear as you rest your forehead on his shoulder. he buries himself into you until bottoming out, letting out twin moans as a release from the tension. it had been some time since the last time you two were joined this way making the increase in friction slightly unbearable. he allows you a second to breathe, before lowering you both back into the water. 

he sighs as both of you are lowered into the water, steam increasing since cool skin has met the water again. both of his hands are on your hips now slightly tightening his grip every few seconds as the two of you are rediscovering each other through tongue and teeth. the drag of your hips over his is led by him, slow and steady as he grinds you into him impossibly deeper. “you doing okay sweetheart?” you merely groan in response, unable to concentrate on anything other than him filling you to the brim and the increased friction that comes from the surrounding water. your elbows rest on his shoulders as a base, one arm dangling straight back towards the wall, the other running a hand through his hair, pulling on the ends. one particular sharp tug draws a sharp breath from him as he grinds you down harder.

your breathing is sharp and unsteady, coming in quick before drawing out again while his last straw of patience is drawn. he is sharp in his thrusts, practically feeling the tip of him for every detail as his breath hits your neck, hot and damp as he buries his face into your neck. everything is hot and damp heightening your senses as your lower body grows accustomed to the heat and your upper body cools down with the slight breeze of the night. the difference in temperature drives you crazy as you become hyperaware of every sensation you're experiencing. 

the sink down is slower than the rise up with the increased friction that comes from the water but it adds a new level of sensation to your body that you had never experienced. his pace is steady but considerate and his touch sets fire to your skin, hands roaming from your waist slowly rising with every inhale of breath he takes. its torture, every slight movement setting fire to your nerve endings, bringing you both closer. you're leaving open-mouthed kisses on the soft skin of his neck catching the hitch of his breath every so often up close to your ear, biting his ear which draws out a long moan from him. 

he's getting closer and it's obvious in the way his movements become harsher, more frantic, and in need rather than passionate and sensual. his breathing spikes and it sends a shiver through your whole body every time a groan slips past his lips. everything is too much and too little at the same time, his hands are close to their destination now as he slightly pushes you back to initiate eye contact. his hand wraps around your neck and your eyes widen in response, pushing further into his grasp and encouraging the behavior. he is beyond emotions right now, with no usual smug look or any feature in his eyes other than comfortable lust, focused solely on your pleasure. 

it takes one more particular squeeze on your airway that sends you straight off the cliff, a long-drawn-out whine in response to a powerful orgasm you didn't even notice coming, hitting you like a freight train. he's stopped his thrusts and is weakly grinding into you, meeting his end shortly after yours, eyes closed and head resting back on the concrete that surrounds the tub. his face is flushed and his eyebrows are drawn apart in complete bliss and you allow your body to slump into his as his body draws closer to yours in response. he's still attempting to catch his breath but his unsteady breathing does not prevent him from leaving a few scattered kisses on your neck as a silent claim of affection or a thank you for just being.

there are a few minutes of recuperation shared between you focused solely on breathing and coming to when a low hum of a chuckle is heard from the man below you. you're tracing the patterns of the cement with your eyes when he draws your attention with the barely-there noise. “what's so funny huh? wanna share it with the class?” his grip on your waist tightens quickly before releasing and stroking your skin. 

“did you notice the cameras before when you were out here?” your mind goes straight into panic mode, all the bliss leaving your limbs at once as you draw back to find him not looking at you but directly over your shoulder. your eyes widen as you slowly turn your head to follow the direction of his eyes and to your horror, your met with the little red light blinking back at you confirming the recording in progress. 

“son of a bit-”

~ please share ~

[flamingredanon]

"Ah- no wait, I think I messed up the icing." Ellie said, unsure. "How?? All you have to do is a simple Toppat icing drawing!" Henry's anxiety filled voice responsed before a sharp, high pitched ringing filled the kitchen.

The 2 looked over at the oven, where right was standing holding a severely burnt cake in a kitchen towel. "I uh... Forgot about the cake..." Right shyly said, lowering his head. Ellie groaned, "Henry, this is useless! None of us know how to bake, and i'm pretty sure Reginald would've been completely fine with store bought cookies and a cake!" The red head ranted as she dragged a stool under the smoke alarm, before standing on it and pressing a button. The 3 sighed in relief when the harsh ringing stopped.

"but then it wouldn't be a heart felt birthday..." Henry mumbled, clearly upset with how things turned out. The cookies were burnt at the sides, the icing on some of them had melted and the black, once we're toppats now looked like a puddle. The cake was practically charcoal and Henry's newest cookie batter looked... Off.

Needless to say, the trio were tired and burnt out, and on top of that the kitchen was a mess! Flour was everywhere, icing was messily strewn about and dirty dishes left abandoned on the counter. "Let's just start cleaning up before Reginald comes back from his day out with Sven and has a heart attack at the mess." Ellie finally broke the silence and started to clean up.

Right walked over to Henry, noticing how upset he was. "It's ok 'enry, we'll have enough time to buy some treats after were done tidying." Right smiled, nuzzling into Henry's side. Henry smiled and sighed, "yeah, you're right. This whole thing was a big mess huh?"

"Oh definitely." Ellie responded with a laugh. However, the trio stopped dead in their tracks as the sound of the front door opening echoed in the house. "Thank you for today Sven, I'm glad we had some time together!" Reginalds said cheerfully and Swedish man smiled. "Yeah, have a good rest of your birthday, I'm meeting up with Burt." Reginald raised an eyebrow and smirked, causing the Swedish man to blush and stutter out a goodbye before leaving. Reginald shut the front door and began to make his way through the house.

"Loves, I'm home!" He yelled but paused when he arrived at the open doorway of the kitchen, Reginald stared wide eyed at the mess in front of him.

"H-Happy.. birthday?" Henry stuttered out and Ellie and right stood sheepishly behind him.

Reginald walked around the kitchen surveying the baking mess disaster with Henry feeling terrible at everything.

Reginald took a taste of the cookie batter and made a face looking at the three while asking "Is there a reason there is a copious amount of sugar in this batter?"

Henry chuckled nervously as he replied "I think my frazzled brain forgot the flour." Reginald just gave a hum as he continued, going over to the already baked cookies and taking a bite, a smile reaching his face.

"These cookies taste wonderful, though it seems that someone didn't wait for the cookies to cool before icing them." Ellie looked at Reginald as she raised her hand like a school kid "I... did not know that... whoops."

Reginald only took one look at the cake before looking at Right "This is one of your better charcoal slabs, Right. Maybe one day a cake will rise from its ashes." with Right hiding his face from everyone else.

---

Eventually everyone helped clean the kitchen mess including the birthday boy, everyone munching on the birthday cookies as they did so.

After the mess was cleaned up, Ellie ordered some pizza and everyone else fell into a cuddle pile on the sofa, with Reginald smiling as he threaded his fingers through Henry's hair.

"I do appreciate the birthday surprise loves, it was honestly nice you all tried to make it special without overdoing it. Though maybe I can start giving you all personal cooking lessons later on." Henry smiled at the idea as Ellie laid on the end of the sofa and started massaging Reginald's feet.

Henry threaded his own fingers through Reginald's hair as he spoke to Reginald "Happy Birthday love" with Reginald just smiling as he got the joy to spend his birthday with the loves of his life.