#were doing underwater now folks

[hivemuthur]

Hi Anons! Happy Freakday! Taking this amazing opportunity to mingle two into one:

Lips Where Lips Were

viktorxfemale!reader explicit. What's in here? Perverted yearning, panty theft and face sitting :v I'm sure the day was stressful for him :< Never lose sight of your laundry, folks!

word count: 3K

author’s note: I listened to Smoke City Underwater Love. @rennethen beta-read and she was sick doing it so double thank-yous! And as per schedule, I name Fridays Freakdays, and on most of those you can expect some Freaktor action.

—

It wasn’t planned at all when you stepped into the laundry room with a basket full of clothes. Pure coincidence—or call it fate, if Viktor dared to entertain such grand notions when it came to something so utterly embarrassing.

He had just been loading the washing machine, half full with his meagre three white shirts and a few undershirts, when the door swung open. You entered backwards, nudging it open with your ass, your face obscured by the tall basket cradled in your arms. But he recognised you instantly—by the back of your head, the curve of your neck, your ankles. Again, utterly embarrassing.

“Oh my God, are you washing whites? Please tell me you are washing whites,” you asked, not bothering with a hello.

Viktor eyed the laundry in your arms, picking up what you were putting down, but simply replied, “Yes, I’m washing whites.”

"Mind if I invade?" you asked, already shifting your weight forward, basket pressing into your stomach. "I’ve mostly got darks, but I’m running out of underwear."

Viktor swallowed, considering. Having your underwear washed with his­—pretty good. You having no underwear to wear? Significantly better. Being unable to come up with explanation to denying you, he forced a nod, stepping back from his machine as if giving you space might help untangle the sudden knot in his throat.

"Be my guest," he said, voice steady despite the way his pulse stuttered.

You wasted no time, setting your basket down and beginning to sort through your clothes. Viktor watched as you moved, as your hands fished out a bundle of whites and dropped them in beside his. Then, with the ease of someone used to efficiency, you loaded a second machine with your darker clothes.

It should have been a nothing moment—mundane, forgettable. But when you leaned forward, he caught sight of a bra slipping from the heap in your arms, a delicate thing edged with lace, straps tangled. His mouth went dry.

A thought, insistent and utterly filthy, flashed across his mind—quick, scorching, and impossible to ignore. He almost turned away, almost shut the machine door to spare himself from his own treacherous imagination. But then, right there, in the tangle of fabric, were your knickers.

White as snow. Thin as paper. A tiny, pretty bow crowning the hem.

His fingers twitched. Good with his hands as he was, before he could think better of it, before his brain could catch up to his body, he snagged them—swift, seamless, a movement so smooth it almost convinced him it hadn’t happened at all. But the fabric in his pocket was real as day whenever he reached to check if it’s still there.

And now, Viktor has a problem.

He’s thought about returning them—washing them by hand and slipping them in with the rest of your white clothes. He’s also considered getting rid of them: throwing them away, tossing them out the window, burning them—anything that might make him stop. But whenever he comes close, he falters.

At first, just the thought of having a piece of fabric that was so intimately close to you is enough. Clutching onto the last ounces of self-respect he has, Viktor does nothing beyond tucking the knickers into his chest pocket, carrying them close to his heart whenever he feels like it.

The idea nearly backfires when Jayce asks him for a pen—the little metal loop catches on the fabric, almost pulling them out and exposing him for the depraved pervert he is.

From that point forward, Viktor says goodbye to your underwear every time he leaves his dorm. They lay splayed flat on his bed when he returns, and his mind instantly drifts to which parts of you they clung to. The curve of your ass, hugged tightly as you pulled them on. The waistband, with its little bow resting just beneath your belly button. And his favourite part—the delicate pouch fabric kissed by your sweet lips.

Then it happens again that his body overrides his mind’s restraint, compulsive in its betrayal. It’s a compulsion, yes, when his fingers unbuckle the belt, his hand palming his aching cock. It’s compulsive yet again when he undoes his fly, rubbing himself through his boxers, thinking of you. It’s compulsive when he pulls himself out and smears the precum pearling at the tip, pretending it’s your gentle fingers touching his heated skin.

And it’s utterly deranged when he reaches for your panties and brings them to his face. If he could snort it all up, he would. Instead, he holds it against his nose, inhaling deeply, greedily. It’s dizzying—the smell of you, sweet and intimate, proof that this was yours.

His fingers tease the head first, gliding over the aching spot just beneath, and he twitches in his own hand. His mind, corrupt and rotten, throws him the worst of images for this occasion—or the best, depending on how he looks at it. You, bending over, the seam of your underwear glaring at him from beneath your skirt. Your mouth, speaking his name. Then moaning his name as his hand is buried between your thighs.

His grip tightens around his cock. At first, slow, as he breathes in the remnants of you. He strokes himself languidly, knees bent over the bed’s edge, feet pressing hard into the floor. His hips thrust up, chasing more—more of anything to quell the ache inside him, the iron grip that coils low in his belly.

Your name spills from his mouth, ragged and desperate. He imagines you here, above him, thighs caging his head as you press down onto his waiting tongue. The thought alone has his cock twitching in his hand again, and he lets out a filthy groan, gripping himself harder.

And even though shame still lingers somewhere in the periphery of his thoughts, he cannot help himself. He splays the fabric over his face and licks where your lips have been cradled. And kisses there. And takes it into his mouth, sucking on it—the poor substitute for your soft pussy.

“Ah—fuck—” His breath stutters, muscles winding tight as he fucks into his own hand now. Fast and hard. His imagination runs wild—your taste on his tongue, your fingers tugging his hair, the way you’d roll your hips to use his mouth like you need it. He lets himself drown in the fantasy, slutty moans spilling from his mouth so loud he doesn’t hear the knocking. Or the door to his dorm room creaking open. Or the soft sound of feet shuffling on the floor.

You do knock. And you do call out, until you mistake a noise coming from his bedroom for one of pain. You rush in, clutching a shirt he mistakenly gave you with your batch of white laundry to your chest. And then you freeze by the door, when you hear the sound of your own name stumbling from Viktor’s lips in the filthiest, most sultry tone you’ve ever heard from him. Oh—the door is ajar.

Not that you haven’t imagined him doing it. Many times, possibly too many to count. But to imagine it and to hear it—raw and real, seeping into your ears so sweetly—is a completely different thing.

For a moment, you squeeze your eyes shut before holding your breath and stepping in carefully. Viktor is writhing on the bed, unaware, unseeing, his trousers slipped down his thighs, and his face covered with—oh. One hand pushes the fabric into his nose and mouth, and the mere sight has your thighs clenching under your skirt as you step closer, transfixed.

Heat floods your cheeks when your gaze drops to his other hand, to his cock—hard and flushed at the tip, sliding in and out of his grip as his hips thrust helplessly. He looks so absolutely, utterly hot like this, you almost want to let him finish—just to see the vulgar act of him cumming all over his stomach. Until, again—oh. You notice it—the panties are yours.

"Viktor," you whisper, bewildered.

He freezes. "Fuck!" The curse rips from him, loud and raw as he throws the underwear away from him like it burned, rolling onto his stomach with light speed. "Fuck." Again, muffled against the mattress. Then your name, a plea. "I'm so... so sorry."

You step closer, gaze flicking to where the discarded fabric landed. Slowly, you bend down and pick it up between two fingers, holding it up as you muse, "I thought I was missing a pair."

Viktor drops his forehead to the mattress and groans, frustration and shame bleeding into the sound. "I can't believe this is happening, I—"

"For how long have you had them?" you ask. There’s no accusation, only curiosity.

He says nothing. You bite your lower lip, eyes drawn helplessly to the curve of his bare ass, the tension in his shoulders, the way his entire body seems locked in mortification.

"Viktor," you try again, softer this time. "Look at me. Turn over."

"I beg you, spare me," he rasps. "I promise I will apologize properly, but please, please, leave."

But you don’t. You see it now—clearly, undeniably. Viktor has been pining for you as much as you’ve pined for him. And so you dare, your mind stunted with the sight conjuring ideas beyond the realm of reason, as you crawl onto the bed. The mattress dips beneath your weight and you settle beside him, sitting on the balls of your feet. Viktor presses his face harder into the sheets, as if willing either himself or you to disappear. "Please," he mutters, your name a breathless sigh, "this is mortifying."

You reach out, running a hand up his leg, fingertips tracing along the muscle, up to the swell of his ass in a gentle caress. Where you touch goosebumps prickle on his skin and you really, really have to resist the urge to bite on his pale cheek. "Viktor," you murmur, voice coaxing, "please look at me. I beg you."

He sighs into the bed, then slowly turns his head to face you, though he avoids your eyes. His face flushed all the way up to his cheeks, shame bleeding into skin. Swallowing hard, he says, “I am so sorry. I wasn’t… This is not—”

"Hey," you say softly, brushing the hair off his forehead. His eyes squeeze shut at the touch. You shift closer, lying on your belly beside him, and blow gently on his face. A breathy chuckle forces its way out of him, and finally—finally—he opens his eyes.

"Hi," you whisper.

"Hi yourself," Viktor murmurs, calmer now.

"I, uh—" you start, then bite your lip. "Can I… see you?" The words come out shyly, your breath held as you wait for his reaction.

"W-what?" Viktor turns, startled—only his torso, though. His hips remain stubbornly pressed to the mattress, much to your disappointment. His brows knit together as he waits for an explanation.

But you have no idea what to say, so you let your body speak for you. You exhale, closing the last bit of distance between you, wrapping your arms around his waist and pressing your forehead to his. "Please," you whisper, "you looked so… hot."

Your cheeks scald as you wait for his reaction, but disappointment and fear flee the moment Viktor's tongue swipes over his lips and—oh—he rolls over, revealing his pretty cock to you. It had been trapped in the crease of his thigh, held there by the dampness of his skin, still achingly hard.

You reach for him slowly, and he moans—his brows knitting—before you even touch him. Your fingers, palm facing down, trace over his balls before gliding up, the heel of your hand pressing along his length, your thumb circling beneath the head.

“Your cock is so pretty,” you whisper a quiet praise, and he shudders, pressing his nose into your cheek, his lips brushing yours, mouths hanging open. As your hand moves in tender strokes, Viktor can’t help himself, it’s invitation enough. His fingers tangle into your hair, and he presses his tongue between your lips, kissing you sloppily, desperately. "Oh God, yes," he mutters into your mouth.

The sound alone makes you moan, spurring you to move with more intent. In no time, you have him so worked up that the neglected dampness between your legs almost doesn’t bother you—but then Viktor’s tongue grows more insistent, his hands roam your body, and your hips buck involuntarily. He clocks it immediately, rasping into your mouth, “Sit on my face. Please.”

You choke on a sound between a gasp and a moan, barely having time to process his words before Viktor’s hands find your hips, guiding you forward. He shifts beneath you, pressing his back flat against the mattress, and tugs at you again, insistent and needy. His breath is hot against your skin as he urges, “Come here, please.”

Your legs tremble as you move, suddenly all shy and hesitant. You come to straddle his chest first, but oh, Viktor’s shame has melted into impatience once encouraged—his hands slide up, gripping your thighs to pull you the rest of the way until you hover above his face. His parted lips are so close that you can feel the ghost of his breath and it’s so unbearably warm you barely resist the urge to sink into him.

What’s in front of you, is his cock, still flushed and leaking, laying thick on his navel. Swallowing your nerves, you lean forward, bracing your hands on his sharp hips as you lower your mouth to him, wrapping your fingers around the base. Viktor groans beneath you, the vibration rippling against your skin and you can feel yourself leaking obscenely when he whines out his famous last words—“Fuck, you are so wet,” and his hot mouth meets your sex.

It's a sinful swipe, that first one. Has you gasping and gripping his cock tighter, before you remember what is it that you are holding. Your eyes widen, mouth huffing warm air over his length as you try to regain your bearings. But Viktor is relentless, thorough, as if he’s intent on devouring the very essence of you, memorising every crevice. His hands tighten on your thighs, pulling you down, grinding you against his mouth, burying himself in you.

It’s a thousand times better than a mouthful of your underwear—no comparison, really. Not that Viktor can think straight enough to measure the difference, not when his tongue finds its rhythm, plunging in and out of your hole. His head wrenches back into the mattress, chin teasing your clit, fingers digging into the soft flesh of your thighs. And then—he groans, a loud, wrecked sound, because your mouth has just wrapped itself around his cock.

Your lips part around the head, tongue flicking over the slit as your hand works the base, thumb pressing along the thick vein running underneath. He twitches so beautifully under your touch that you pause, pulling off with a quiet pop. Watching him glisten in your palm, this time it’s you who can’t help yourself—you glue your torso to his stomach, bury your face against his cock, and inhale long and deep through your mouth and nose.

Viktor shudders beneath you, a deep, broken groan muffled against your cunt. As if this were a conversation, you moan back, the vibration sending a shudder rolling through his muscles. Emboldened, he buries himself deeper, rubbing his chin against your sweet spot, fucking you with his tongue until your hips begin to move on their own, grinding down onto his face. And you—oh, you take him back into the warmth of your mouth, sinking down past the barrier of your throat. Drool spills down his length, slicking the ridges with every bob of your head.

What was merely an ember when you walked in on him now burns bright and hot in his loins. He snorts up whatever air you grant him between your movements, bracing himself for the blinding twist in his stomach that he knows is imminent. His muscles flex under your hands, and for a moment, he loses rhythm, parts his lips from you—and then he cums with a throat-wrenching moan, hard and heavy, spilling thick white into your mouth. You lick it all up, gulp on it, letting him make as many sounds as he likes, lifting your hips just enough so that your clit stays pressed against his chin.

When his cock begins to border on overstimulated, his hand finds your hair, and he tugs you gently, guiding you back to where you were—pressing you down onto his tongue. And you are so, so close. You straighten, brace yourself on his chest, and rut against him without restraint, dragging yourself over the flat of his tongue.

Viktor groans into you, his fingers digging into your thighs, keeping you where he wants you, letting you use him, consume him. Heat gathers and pools over in waves, tipping you beyond that edge—your body seizing as a raw, broken moan tears from your throat. With the sight of his pretty softening cock in front of you, his name spills from your lips, over and over, as you tremble and grind against his mouth. He holds you through it, drinking in every last shudder and cry until you finally collapse against him, spent and trembling.

Your ass slides off his face, splayed in front of his very eyes and Viktor suddenly realises something—all this time you’ve had no knickers on. “Why are you not wearing any underwear?” he asks, voice hoarse.

“Hmm, I thought I miscalculated, but turns out you took my last pair,” you smirk against his hip where your cheek is cradled. You place a soft kiss there to the peak of his bone and whisper, “You can keep it.”

[snowballseal]

Breathe

Zayne X Reader

Summary: Trying to cope with losing Caleb and your grandmother, you throw yourself into work and push yourself to the very limit, only to break at the end of a particularly bad day. Thankfully, Zayne is there to get you through it.

Word Count: 2953

Warnings: dealing poorly with grief, depression, anxiety, what could be considered a panic attack, this is all hurt comfort folks, Zayne calls you good girl cause it's CANON and I can't get over it

Enjoy

---

One person can only take so much before they break. And the harder they try not to, the worse it gets.

Your day sucked. First you were late to the team meeting because you spilled coffee - piping hot you might add - on yourself right before leaving. Then, you and Xavier got into a stupid fight - he thought you were pushing yourself too hard. A part of you knew he was just concerned, they all were, but as soon as those pitying eyes turned on you, you could feel yourself bristling like an angry street cat.

You were fine.

Was it that wrong that you just wanted to work? You hate being home alone, which happens often since Zayne has to work extra hours, what with the increase in wanderer attacks. Not seeing him has already made you a little grumpy. But even worse, is the deafening silence of that apartment. Every time you’re alone, every time it gets just a little to quiet, you can’t stop your thoughts from drifting to Caleb and Gran- 

So you work. You take extra hours, cover shifts, field the reports nobody wants to do, even if it means you stay up all night, even if it means you skip a few meals. At least then you don’t have to think about it, you don’t have to deal with the nightmares. Maybe if you throw yourself into work, you might be able to outrun the storm creeping on your horizon.

And that’s how you ended up messing up on a mission. Pushed to your limits, your mind was foggy and your body just. wouldn’t. move.

You hadn’t gotten out of the way fast enough. A stray energy blast narrowly caught your shoulder, sending you careening into the nearest wall. The impact sent your head spinning, your vision going blurry for a second too long. You could hardly make out Xavier’s face when he kneeled beside you, telling you to stay down, that he could handle it.

A bitter taste had filled your mouth when he said those words.

You were utterly and completely useless. And that thought seeded itself somewhere in your chest, wrapping tight around your ribs until you couldn’t breathe.

Jenna sent you home after that, with a stern command to rest. You wanted to argue, tell them you’re fine, but your shoulder was screaming and the look she gave you when you opened your mouth was seering enough to shut down the most experienced hunter.

So you threw your jacket over your shoulders and stormed out of the office, trying to ignore the way your team’s gaze followed you, not even bothering to hide their concern. You could feel it burning on your skin all the way home. And that was only the beginning.

Now you find yourself laying on your couch, staring blankly at the television, the volume turned up too loud, just to drown out the thoughts swirling like a storm in your head.

You hate it. This feeling. Like you’re stuck underwater, trying so hard to reach the surface, but everything you do just drags you deeper and deeper. Your muscles are burning for any relief, but you can’t let yourself stop. You’re too scared to let yourself stop. Because if you do-

“Are you aware that listening to the television at this volume could cause damage to your hearing?”

You jump at the sudden calm voice that speaks behind you, flipping around to come face to face with a rather unamused Zayne. Quickly, you snatch the tv remote, turning it down until it’s barely a whisper in the background.

“Zayne! I thought you were working late tonight,” you chirp, the waver in your voice almost unnoticeable.

Almost.

Zayne’s eyes narrow, making you shift uncomfortably. Sometimes it feels like he can see right through you, right to the very core of your being.

“Things were not as busy as expected, so I decided to come home early and make sure you eat a full meal,” he explains, voice calm despite the way his gaze burns through you.

Skin prickling with unease, you jump from the couch, forcing a playful laugh, “What are you, my doctor?”

“Yes.”

Right. You awkwardly shift around him, heading towards the kitchen, “Well, then I guess we should start dinner, huh? What do you want?”

“You are also home early.” It’s not a question, merely an observation, but it makes your throat go dry.

Sometimes having such an observant boyfriend is amazing. You love Zayne more than anything, love how attentive he is, but in moments like this, you feel like a creature under a microscope. Every single flaw and action under his sharp scrutiny. There’s nowhere to hide, and all you want to do is run.

“We have some leftover moo shoo pork,” you hum shakily, hands unsteady as you pull it from the fridge. “And I could make some rice, I think it’s up he-”

Forgetting about your shoulder, you reach up to one of the cupboards. Pain shoots up to your fingers like electricity, searing back down your spine. You inhale sharply, momentarily paralyzed as you clutch it to your chest, eyes squeezing shut.

Zayne is there in an instant. His fingers ease over your taut jaw, his skin cool to the touch. He doesn’t say a word, but you can practically feel his concern in the way he barely touches you, like he’s scared you’ll break. It makes your chest tighten.

“I’m fine,” you breathe, gritting your teeth.

“You’re injured,” he counters, voice still irritatingly calm, “Why don’t you let me-”

“I said I’m fine,” you bite out again, this time with a little more force, “I’m perfectly capable of making dinner. I’m not useless.”

Zayne pauses, partially taken aback by your words. They feel out of place, and he can tell you didn’t mean to say them when you glance away, cheeks burning a vicious pink. His brow furrows, confusion flickering over his features.

“I wasn’t suggesting you are,” he says, each word measured carefully, like the wrong ones could set you off.

And now you feel guilty. God, you can’t do anything right today.

Biting your tongue, you grab the rice with your good arm, stepping around him to busy yourself at the counter. Not that setting up the rice cooker takes up much time. Soon enough you've nothing more to do, bracing yourself against the counter just to stay upright. The silence that creeps between you is unbearable, thick enough to cut, especially when you can still feel Zayne’s eyes following you so closely.

“God, this is so stupid,” you huff out, false bravado broken as your voice warbles, “I’m fine. I can handle it. I’m a hunter. I’m supposed to handle it. I’m supposed to- I’m supposed to help people. Not-”

You bite off the rest, fingers digging into the counter. The pain in your shoulder distracts you, keeps the tears at bay. You can’t cry. Not now. Not-

A hand traces lightly against your waist. You tremble at the gentle touch, a lump forming in your throat as his arm circles around you. Zayne pauses for only a moment before pulling you back into a rare embrace when you show no signs of moving away. He presses his face against your hair and holds you like you’re the most fragile thing in the world, like you’re made of the thinnest ice, which is how you feel.

Tears blur your vision. You take a deep, shuddering breath, trying to hold it all together. Until-

“It wasn’t your fault, (Y/n).”

His voice is so quiet, so certain.

And you break.

You don’t know what sound leaves your body at that moment, but you’re sure it’s ugly and broken. Your entire body trembles in his hold, but he doesn’t waver, simply holds you tighter as everything spills out.

It’s so much. So much weight, so much grief, your throat is raw in seconds from crying. Every breath is like knives, until suddenly, you can’t breathe.

It’s like your lungs are full of sand, your chest spasming as you fail to take in air. It hurts. It all hurts.

“Darling, I need you to breathe,” Zayne’s voice speaks urgently at your ear, and you want to, you need to, but all you can muster is a pathetic whimper and shake your head. Before you can blink, Zayne has you turned around and lifted onto the counter, slotting himself between your legs. He catches one of your hands, pressing it firmly against his chest as his green eyes bore into yours, a hint of desperation pulling at his features. “I know you can. Be a good girl and copy me, alright? Can you do that?”

You nod shakily, trying to focus on him and not the burning in your chest. Zayne takes a deep, exaggerated breath, his chest rising against your hand. You try to do the same, your body shaking with the effort.

“Now breathe out.”

His chest falls and you once again copy him, the breath leaving you shakily. It takes a few repetitions until your breathing comes to any normal pattern, and Zayne silently tracks the time in his head. He traces your wrist gently, subtly checking your pulse to see how your heart is doing. It’s racing, but still within a normal range, which is enough to ease his firing nerves a little.

Not that this is over.

“‘m sorry,” you hiccup softly, gasping down breathes, fresh tears spilling over your cheeks. “God I’m sorry, Zayne. I didn’t mean, I didn’t mean to snap at you, and I just, I-”

The doctor hums, tone stern, making you fall silent. He traces his fingers against your cheek, the cold of his touch welcome against your overheated skin. He carefully wipes your tears away.

“I accept your apology. It is very common for people dealing with grief to lash out at those closest to them. I am merely thankful you trusted me enough to let me help you through it.”

You sag into his touch, lips wobbling. To most, that wouldn’t be comforting. But for you, knowing Zayne, it’s like finally having a hand to hold you above the water. He’s unmoving, unyielding in the way he loves you, all of you. Even like this.

“I trust you with my life, Zayne,” you whisper and lean forward to press your forehead against his chest.

“Then I assume you’ll allow me to examine your shoulder.” It’s not really a question, but you nod anyway. Zayne leans down, pressing a chaste kiss to your hair. “I will go get the first aid kit. Please take off your shirt if you feel comfortable doing so. If not, I ask that you change into something that will give me access to do a thorough exam.”

“Yes, doctor.”

“That’s my good girl,” he hums approvingly, a ghost of a smile in his voice.

Your heart jumps a little at that and you’re thankful for the curtain of hair hiding your face. It’s not often Zayne indulges you with such soft praise and you can’t help but soak it in, especially now. Your eyes flicker shut when he presses another kiss to your head, the touch lingering before he disappears to go retrieve the kit.

Sighing softly, you set to work on trying to get your shirt off. The nerves have settled back in your chest, not sure what to expect. You haven’t looked at your shoulder once since the fight, dead set on ignoring it as long as you could. Which was stupid. If the pain tells you anything, it’s probably pretty bad.

Bad enough that you can’t actually get your shirt off. You’re able to slip one arm out, but wince when you try to lift your bad one. So you're stuck like that, half undressed. Which is how Zayne finds you when he comes back, medical kit in hand.

He glances at you, dark brow raising a fraction. If he’s amused, his face doesn’t give it away.

“Will you um, will you help me?” You ask, voice quiet, “I can’t…I can’t lift my arm.”

Zayne’s lips press into a thin line. He nods, setting the kit aside. You can’t help but hold your breath as his fingers brush against your knee, slowly tracing up your thigh, jumping to your waist and brushing against your ribs, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. His touch is unbearably soft, and your heart squeezes as you watch his face, noticing the way his brows twitch as he works, and how focused his gaze is. Every movement is calm, self-assured. You hardly have to move as he lifts the shirt over your head, sliding it down your injured arm.

 And once it’s off, his hand returns to your waist, thumb brushing tenderly over your ribs. His eyes stay focused on your shoulder, and yours stay glued to his expression, catching the smallest flicker of shock.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” You ask, biting your cheek.

Zayne carefully schools his expression, but you can still see his disapproval in the tight set of his jaw, “You should have gone to the hospital immediately. I am surprised your team let you walk away with such an injury.”

“They didn’t know,” you mumble, trying to defend them at least a little bit. It really was your fault.

“So you hid this injury from your team?” He doesn’t hide his disapproval this time. You flush, looking down at your lap again, though that’s hard with him settled right between your legs.

“I didn’t…” The words get caught in your mouth. It’s so silly now, you know that. Your team would never look down on you for being injured, but- “I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t handle it. I just, I didn’t want to seem…useless.”

Zayne clicks his tongue, but he doesn’t say anything else. His fingers graze lightly against your shoulder and you wince, a low hiss passing between your teeth. Murmuring an apology, he moves to grab a few things from the kit. The silence returns as he sets to work, though this time, it’s not so uncomfortable.

Your head feels a little clearer now. You’re not through it, that’s for sure, but the pain from losing Caleb and your grandmother lingers a little less sharply. Zayne’s words from before repeat like a mantra in your head, and for once, you can feel yourself almost accepting them.

It wasn’t your fault.

There’s nothing you could have done. You can’t change the outcome of that day in the same way that you can’t change the color of the sky. That doesn’t stop how deeply you feel their absence, though.

“I miss them so much,” you admit, mostly to yourself.

Zayne pauses, already wrapping your shoulder after applying some medicine and deciding that the hospital could wait until tomorrow. He finishes pinning the bandage down before shifting back, eyes trailing over your face. You look up at him, exhaustion gleaming in your wide, (e/c) eyes. It’s like looking at a sad, little puppy. He breathes out a low sigh, brushing a few rogue hairs from your face.

“Your grandmother and Caleb were kind, caring people,” he says slowly, thoughtful, “It is right that you should miss them. It is not a sign of weakness to feel grief.”

“I know.” You reach for his hand, desperate for some form of contact. He gives in without hesitation, fingers brushing against your jaw to hold your face. You turn, nuzzling into his palm with a sigh. His touch gives you the comfort to continue, “Sometimes it just feels like if I let myself sit with it too long, I’ll be swallowed whole. And that…scares me. A lot.”

A pause. You keep your face tucked against his palm, enjoying the way he pets you as he thinks. Zayne has never been the strongest when it comes to emotions. With everything else he likes to distance himself from them to stay objective, so you know he needs the time to figure out what he wants to say. 

“I suppose…” he starts, and you glance back up at his face, catching the serious gleam in his eyes, “if it gives you any comfort, I would like to remind you that I will always be here to bring you back from whatever depths you fall to. Even if risking your life is your choice of coping mechanism.”

He pinches your cheek ever so lightly, and finally, finally, a smile pulls at your lips.

“I’ll work on it, I promise.”

He doesn’t look like he truly believes you, but Zayne nods.

“As your doctor, I would deeply appreciate it if you would.”

Eyes dancing with a bit of mirth, you lean forward, pressing a loving kiss to his cheek. Zayne catches you before you can pull back, fingers curling along your jaw as he draws you into a deeper kiss. It’s slow, his lips slanting perfectly over your own, like a well-rehearsed dance. When he pulls away, you can’t help but sigh, leaning your forehead against his chest again.

“What on earth would I do without you, Zayne?”

He presses another kiss to your hair, voice a low, teasing murmur, “You would likely die from an untreated wound.”

And just like that, you’re laughing. Zayne smiles, relief washing over him at the sound. 

You’ll be alright. He knows that today was just the first step, that grief is complex and differs from person to person, and you might have another bad day like this, but he doesn’t mind that. Not now that he’s finally by your side and can take care of you.

Nothing could drive him away.

---

I literally started this game 11 days ago and I'm so down bad for these characters, it's shameful. Anyways! Hope y'all enjoyed!

Feel free to send requests!

[phantomrose96]

Small Nation

It is a very good time for the small nation with all the world's people. It's the economy, really, that's good. And this is good for everyone. Jobs are easy to come by, and they don't even work you that hard. In fact if you wanted to take some time off because your kid was just born, they'll let you do it. This is good since so many people are having 4 or 5 or even 6 kids. And having plenty of jobs is good too since those kids need money to live and grow. And the economy, well, that makes it even better. Because the people know if they invest $1, they get back $2. And if they invest $2, they get back $4. This is all great for buying things your baby needs, like a house to live in, and an education, and stuffy little animal toys.

It's a very good time for the small nation with all the world's people because they haven't even had winter in 3 years now. Which is the longest anyone has ever seen them not have winter, even the really old folks. People used to die in the winter. Homeless folks, mostly. But there aren't many homeless folks now. And there's not much winter.

This is happy for everyone except, understandably, the company that makes the gas to heat people's homes. The economy is good and they really deserve some of that good, too. But it's hard. It's a hard time to be a company making the gas to heat people's homes when there hasn't been a winter in 3 years now. But the politicians are good, and they work something out, and there are in fact plenty of reasons they can come up with to buy and burn the gas that used to heat people's homes.

There might have been some politicians who didn't like that much at first. Just seems a little wrong, you know? But they go into rooms with oil executives who say things like "I knew your father," and it's a very meaningful conversation. They all knew each other. The families. And they talk in a bubble with really incredible food and, really, it's the economy that makes this all possible you know? They've got working folk who are good fathers and good mothers who'd need to be let go if the gas to heat people's homes doesn't get burned anymore. So they find things that work. They burn the gas.

The small nation with all the world's people doesn't get on airplanes anymore. That one was a real loss, for the airline industry. There were some really good mothers and fathers who got let go from their jobs when there wasn't anyone telling the planes where to land anymore, or anyone putting tags on bags anymore, or anyone needing to serve beverages in the sky anymore. It was really very sad, for all those reasons.

But there was just nothing the small nation with everyone could do about this. There was nowhere left to go. If you got on a plane and flew to somewhere else, you'd land underwater. If you got on a plane to somewhere else, the heat would hurt your skin and your eyes and your children's eyes. If you got on a plane to somewhere else, the hurricanes might just knock your plane out of the sky.

But it's a small sacrifice, really. Everything you could need is already in the small nation with all the world's people. And as long as you stay there, you'll never have to think about anyone else in the rest of the world.

[yuri-is-online]

Jade desperately googling and reading threads about mer x human pregnancies before he even dates yuu.

It differs from species to species, usually fem mer x male human results in viable pregnancies, there are a two articles about eels and humans, but none about morays.

His hope is dwindling, and the general consensus about deep sea folk relationships with humans isn't very good.

I HC that male mer x female human pregnancies don't last very long. After the sperm makes contact with an egg, it'll need a few months of growth before it's expelled from the body and put into the sea. Those kinds of couples usually have one child at a time, it depends on the number of available eggs.

Modern day people in twst have aquariums that are made to hold the clutches in a safe environment away from predators. The aquariums can be used both underwater and on land. After 'hatching' the babies are translucent, they are kept in the aquariums until they gain colour. Once they have enough colour they are let out.

The smallest aquariums need to hold at least one human adult, so that a parent can interact and communicate with their clutch during the growing process.

I think I read a post/fic with a similar headcannon to this? Long long ago, perhaps even before I even downloaded Twisted Wonderland. I don't fully remember... but it is something I have been thinking about a decent bit ever since you sent this ask because it raises so many questions.

I think it makes the most sense in human x mer relationships for one or the other to take a transformation potion and move onto the land/into the sea. In these cases pregnancy/egg laying would go as it would "normally" but what you're suggesting made me think about what would happen if a couple got it on raw in their normal forms and not transformed. Would that result in a viable pregnancy? If it did would it produce the sorts of offspring you are suggesting or would it result in some sort of hybrid child, barely held together by their own magic?

The aquariums are a good idea, the story seems to suggest that Jade and Floyd had other siblings once but they didn't make it. Their mother's obsession with checking up on them and teaching self defense makes a lot of sense if you think of that... she lost most of her babies, she wants the two she has to remain safe (i bet she's going feral rn, let Mama Leech into the enclosure S.T.Y.X. she'll put Malleus in his place ٩(๑`^´๑)۶) My question is whether or not that would interfere with the development of the eggs, especially on land. The deep ocean is very cold, recreating that on land could be problematic. With how few merfolk seem to bother with land (Azul mentions not many people bother with the free program in Book 6) there likely wouldn't be much of anyone thinking up a solution to this problem so few people have.

But Jade has that problem. Or will, he's sure of it but that's a minor detail- point is this is a problem he's actively thinking about. It keeps him awake at night, Jade strikes me as someone who would do a lot of research about this. It's part of how he loves, pouring through a pile of scientific articles that was slim to begin with but feel irrelevant now. None of these help him understand his chances because he is from the deep sea, Jade might be hardened towards the death of his siblings but he thinks of his own children and a rage unlike any he's ever known begins to stir in the pit of his stomach. Later, much later when he is explaining this all to you he will brush it off as him considering your human sensibilities, but the truth is written plain on his face. This little aquarium he has made was a solution painstakingly crafted with help from his own obsessions. It's the most important terrarium he has ever made because it will contain the most precious of all life forms, ones he watches grow in awe as he coos softly. These children were wanted long before they were ever born, their parents loved them to the point of invention and every second up until they hatch and forever after.

[tellnotalespod]

List: Queer creatives to spend your money on instead half-arsed pride merch from Target 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We're all aware by now that when you buy pride merch from one of Those Companies, your money is just going to a CEO who half-heartedly told someone to slap a rainbow on it and call it a day. So why not use that money to support an actual queer person who’s working hard to make art?

I've collected a(n incomplete) list of queer creatives who would benefit from your support this Pride Month - this is fairly limited in scope, as it only includes creators who responded to my call for links (or whose links were sent by friends & fans). It is also, for that reason, fairly audio-drama-heavy, but not exclusively so! It includes sections for crowdfunds, online stores, ttrpgs, and ko-fis and patreons for creators of a variety of different art forms.

The list is long, but worth a look through. Have a browse, see if anything appeals, and if you'd like to add any links, please do! Share the list around, shout out your friends and peers, boost your favourite artist, and vitally, self-promo is strongly encouraged!

Crowdfund campaigns:

Starting off strong with Forged Bonds @forgedbondspod — A queer, myth-bending audio drama retelling of Aphrodite and Hephaestus's love story.

This one takes pride of place as the inspiration for this post. Pine is working SO hard to make sure their cast gets paid regardless of crowdfunding outcomes, even if that means paying out-of-pocket. Help them avoid having to do that by supporting a truly kind and wonderful creator. (Crowdfund ends in a little over two weeks!)

We've also got a tight time-sensitive crowdfund for Waiting For October @monkeymanproductions — an upcoming queer supernatural audio drama series from the creators of Moonbase Theta, Out.

At the time of posting, they only have 13 hours left on their crowdfund, but they're 93% there! Help them cross the threshold and tell what I'm sure will be another gorgeous and wild story.

And for the horror lovers, a new crowdfund from The Morbid Forest — a deep dive into all things grusesome!

They are hoping to fund their fifth season, and it's looking to be their biggest yet. A lot of what they're asking for will be used to pay guest authors they're bringing in for the new season, allowing platforms for up-and-coming writers. Help them make this a reality!

All three of these creators also have Patreons you can subscribe to instead of (or in addition to!) their crowdfund: Pine Tree Pods, Monkeyman Productions, Morbid Forest

Buy yourself a little treat:

Saph the Something creates ethically handmade clothes made with vintage materials by a non-binary queer individual, with an emphasis on non-default clothes for non-default people.

You can find Saph's physical goods on xaer ko-fi (including a GORGEOUS loose-knit subtle trans flag tee)! Or support xem on Patreon for early access to content, behind-the-scenes updates, and more

For prints and pins of some truly stunning art, visit Survival of the Artist's ko-fi!

If you love gorgeous, unsettling underwater horror, you're going to absolutely love these prints

Eeler's Choice @eelerschoice is offering their season 1 soundtrack on Bandcamp!

Eeler’s Choice is a maritime horror fantasy podcast that serves as a reminder that the ocean never gives back what it takes unchanged. The music is GORGEOUS and if you love sea shanties, folk music, and eerie ambient instrumentals, you'll love this album.

They also have merch on sale, the logo sweatshirt is one of the best things I own

Pyon is an afro-latino freelance artist, writer, designer, and indie game developer

He is currently working on a visual novel magical girl project, @magicalwarriordiamondheart and you can buy prints, plushies, apparrel, charms and more from their store (or support him on Ko-fi!)

Xan Larson is an Illustrator, Comic Artist and Content Creator with a specialty and marked enthusiasm for mythological creatures of all kinds and all cultures.

She offers a huge range of treats on her website, including art prints (& original paintings), resin art, and books

Dylan Birtolo is a writer, a gamer, and a professional sword-swinger

Dylan has a huge number of books on offer, primarily fantasy, including anthologies, novellas, and novels.

TTRPGs galore:

(these also fall under the little treat category, but there were so many that I felt they needed their own section)

Sunken Rust are a game company run by married couple Dave Eisinger and Jazz Eisinger, and they offer a range of absolutely delightful TTRPGs, ranging from a wholesome GBBO-inspired micro RPG, to a solo journaling game about exploring an abandoned mansion.

Tea Witch Games is run by Anna Landin, a queer Swedish illustrator, comic artist and game designer. She offers games that run the gamut from sweet and cozy to weird, sad and spooky.

K. Petker offers games from wonderfully unique perspecitves including heroines of the princess council, children facing the apocalypse, and cats protecting their humans from the supernatural.

Christine Prevas is a writer, designer, PhD student & erstwhile librarian offering TTRPGs that range from two-player steamy horror to theatrical tragedy, and more.

Unseeliejess is a game designer and social worker, and my personal favourites from her offerings include Oops! All Draculas! and multiple sapphic-focused TTRPGs

Thoughty is run by Beau Jágr Sheldon, including innovative TTRPGs in a range of formats, as well as some games that break away from the table entirely.

Riverhouse Games includes a ton of fun concepts, including a micro-game about cleaning your kitchen and a game about telling your hot gay (dragon) boyfriend you love him. They also offer a guide to writing your own RPG!

E. Chris Garrison is the proprietor of Chris's Compendium of Free RPGs, one of the oldest game repositories on the web. They are also the designer of Saving People / Hunting Things, a TTRPG inspired by monster-of-the-week style television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Supernatural. They also have a ton of fantasy, supernatural, and sci-fi books on offer

Handsofblue offers a campy horror game about awful people and a serial killer, and a solo knitting game

Drazillion is an award-winning narrative designer, writer, and artist, offering a huge portfolio of games with a strong focus on queer narratives and themes. You can also support her on Patreon

Patreons & Ko-Fis:

Finally we have some ways to directly support the creators you love or their ongoing projects!

Soul Operator @souloperatorpod is a multi-genre fiction podcast, created to highlight solo ttrpgs.

If you haven't listened yet, you absolutely should - this show will rip out your heart and you'll be grateful for it. Support them for behind-the-scenes content, exclusive short stories, and more

Divine Rodentia Studios @divinerodentiastudios is releasing a new fiction anthology audio drama, Sixth Door to the Left

This is some truly intriguing and wonderful storytelling, and you can support them through the development of their upcoming project, The Loser's Game.

YamiKakyuu @yamikakyuu is a writer, photographer, amateur digital artist, and horror podcast enthusiast.

Supporting them will help an up-and-coming voice actor invest in decent equipment (a huge barrier to so many incredibly talented VAs breaking into the industry!)

Daisy McNamara is an *incredibly prolific* podcaster, the co-creator of Eeler's Choice and Waterlogged, and has contributed his talents to so many more

Daisy has made such a huge contribution to the audio drama world, so if you've listened to any podcasts to speak of, you've probably enjoyed some of her work. Your support can help him make ends meet and continue creating!

And finally (because I fave a few pals who'd kill me dead if I didn't do a bit of self-promo), I'm Leanne Egan, the creator of Tell No Tales, an audio drama about ghosts and the people who refuse to hunt them. While there is currently no way to support the show financially, my debut novel, Lover Birds, releases soon!

As a bonus, if you're in the UK, you can pre-order it from a North-West-based queer indie bookshop too!

[fireheartwraith]

Hello everyone. Climate change and lack of infrastructure has cause severe floods in the south of brazil and thousands of people are displaced or missing. If you can help, please do, especially those who use dollar or euro. You don't know far your money can take us

This tweet has a video showing how absurdly fast the water rose. Image if this was your home, completely taken by water in under three minutes. Imagine if you had children, elderly, disabled people living here. What would you do in this situation? What can you even do?

Most of the state is now underwater, and the parts that aren't don’t have power or water. Getting prescription meds and other necessities like hygiene kits and food is difficult because capitalism sucks. The military police are protecting supermarkets because the people are hungry and taking the food. Mind you, the food will spoil anyway. But god forbid people don't go hungry.

And in the midst of this chaos, public transport still isn't free. People are charging to rescue folks. So people can only be rescued by helicopter because of the currents. There are people debating whether or not they should leave pets to die.

And the government has done basically nothing. It is the government's fault, everyone knows this. The money that was supposed to go to preventing something like this simply doesn't exist. The people organizing rescues are distributing resources are the people themselves. Influencers have been doing more to the cause than the government at this point.

Some people were bringing up Madonna because the flood hit the night of her show, and they were saying the money she received should have gone to the affected people. And so she donated 10 MILLION reais. It is utter madness. There are bodies floating in the water people have to wade through.

If you can do something to help, please do

Here's a link to donate to an ngo that is feeding the displaced people

Paypal: Fathiele14@gmail.com

Edit: Floods are also displacing people in the northeast, literally on the other side of the country. The situation is dire. Remember, you are closer to being a climate refugee than being a billionaire. If I find where you make international donations to help Maranhão I'll share it here

[faceless-ghostt]

you hear a chanting from a distance, it’s going mermaymermaymermaymermaymermaymermay- … it’s too late to run, the mermaid au is here

please take merman Tim, he was supposed to only have red green and yellow as his colors but i hated it so uhhhhh, he’s very colorful now 🥰

Fisherman Cassie will be here soon and lazy doodle of merman Bart and vague explanation of the AU under the cut :D

he is the first i designed and my favorite tbh. I like Tim’s but it’s probably going to be messed with, the colors aren’t my favorite. Kon has a fun design but i definitely like some of my original shark themed characters more…. and he hasn’t been colored yet BUT I’LL GET THERE. Greta hasn’t been drawn yet, inspiration hasn’t struck yet i guess

Each of the merfolk are themed loosely around real animals but have wild colors and are combined with things from other species as well. Like both Kon and Bart are themed on sharks(kon mor heavily) but Bart is mostly based on a Lionfish. He gets more spines near the full moon and then sheds them during the following waning gibbous. Tim is based on Jellyfish, really any jellyfish works but his sting and tentacles are based on a Portuguese Man o’ War(his tentacles come from directly above his spine but appear spread out due to being underwater) that’s why i added purple and blue to his design fun fact. just like Bart his inspiration is more obvious on the full moon, tho his isn’t a slow thing like Bart’s, his is exclusively on the full moon. Tim is also fucking SLOW because he is a jellyfish, feel the need to point out that this man is a loser. Kon hasn’t been colored yet but he is themed on just a traditional sandbar shark, he does have frills like the other mer folk, but his is meant to make him look more alien(even though he’s not kryptonian here) so I’m not going to yap about his design here

anyyyyyyways. Vague explanation of the AU time! So this is a h2o Just add Water AU, however it is JUST an h2o AU, Mako mermaids is not going to be acknowledged in the worldbuilding, any overlap is purely coincidental, i have issues with their worldbuilding. If you haven’t watched h2o don’t worry tho, everything you need to know will be put here, we are only taking their origins, not much of the already very limited story. This story IS centered on Tim Bart and Kon. I will be upfront about that. However the rest of Young Justice and family will be given a decent amount of focus, the Titans, Lanterns, JL, Speedsters, Superfam, Batfam, Arrow fam and much more do play a role but will not get as much focus. This AU focuses mainly on Young Justice. Now that that’s out of the way, explanation time!

What is there to say really, Tim and Bart vaguely knew each other and were on friendly terms, both rather popular among the teens in their small costal town. Kon is a kid who recently showed up, crashing on his friend Kyle’s couch before being picked up by a lovely older couple, Ma and Pa Kent. One Day Tim is on his way home when [INSERT RANDOM BULLY I HAVEN’T DECIDED ON YET] tricks him onto a boat that wont turn on and pushes his out to sea. Unlike Cleo though, he CAN swim, however he has his bookbag full of his electronics with him so he can’t exactly swim back without destroying them(he can swim but he is not good enough at it to confidently keep the bag and himself above water). That’s when Bart shows up just like Rikki did, jumping off a ledge and into the boat with the spark plug necessary to start the boat. Kon is invited on when he calls them out for using a boat that’s not theirs. The three of them go on a joyride before eventually getting stranded, Tim telling them to row to Mako island as it’s closer(yes they go to mako island, no they aren’t in Australia, they are mermaids the geography can be as wild as i please). They wonder up the island looking for connection to make a call for help when they slip on a rock and fall down a weird hole.

They find the moonpool! Yippee! They actually get pretty decent connection there so they make a call for help before trying to get out. They realize pretty quickly that they are stuck, so they hangout in the cave for a while talking. It’s only when Bart notices that there are fish in the moonpool do they realize that it connects to the ocean. By this point it’s midnight, the rescue crew try as they might for some reason couldn’t find the entrance to the moonpool, So the boys call again, explaining that they will attempt to swim out. As they get in the water the pool starts bubbling and the moon is directly above them. It quickly stops and Bart swims ahead to see if it’s even possible to swim out, it is and the boys exit, not realizing that they are strangely able to hold their breath for much longer than before. They make it out and are saved, sadly Bart’s phone is now dead, RIP to the goat.

The next day they all turn into mermaids for the first time and absolutely lose it.

and that’s the indepth intro, time for the Vague look into everything else! Cassie is Louis in this AU, she’s a fisherman who helps them hide their secret and learn the extent of their powers. Cissie is a professional swimmer, i think something like synchronized swimming due to her mom’s pressure. she eventually breaks free tho and ends up practicing traditional swimming, she’s really good and just like in yj98 she goes to the olympics. Greta is the only other merfolk that is a part of the main cast, she however can’t transform back into a human even when completely dry. She knows she was born human but strangely can’t remember anything about her life before becoming a mermaid. Slobo is a fisherman as well but deals in the less than legal aspects of it before meeting YJ, afterwards he levels out because holy fuck those are merfolk. Anita is a freediver! she’s pretty new to it but after seeing Cissie swim she really wanted to do the same, she does have an advantage tho, i won’t say what but girl starts her freediving journey off strong thanks to it. Ray shows up a few times but sorry to Ray fans, i’m just not too interested in him :(

Donna and Kyle are there too(thank you Gis for that) they are marine biologists, the Mers go to them after a lot of convincing from Cassie and Kon who know both of them and have a lot of faith. They fight off other marine biologist with a stick fr fr

The older heroes do play a role but i think i will stay quiet about that for now :)

Thank you for listening to all my rambles, i’m turning this au around in my head like a microwave

[cacodaemonia]

Fic Self-Recs

Fic authors self rec! List your favorite five fics that you've written, then tag at least five other writers! Spread the self-love 💞

(Yes, this was originally an ask game, but I know some folks, myself included, have closed asks due to spam, so I guess it's a tag game now 😂)

Thanks for the tag, @elismor! These kinds of things are always so tough, haha (also, it could be kind of cool if there was an art version, since most of these tag things are focused on fics...)

My Heart's Red Muscle - (E, for one smut scene) I think this is probably my best fic, and also one of the longest. Cyborg!Waxer has no memories of his life before he came online. Paired with ARF trooper Boil, who doesn't seem to know what to do with him, Waxer has no idea how to fit in among clones when he's so very different. As he makes connections with those around him, he and Boil try to figure out who he might have been—and more importantly, who he is now.

Kinktober 2022 - (E, obviously) Set in the giant Open Skies AU. Where's that Trojan Horse smut post... Yeah so the fic is basically this for Waxer/Boil 😂

We Could Breathe Underwater - (T) What if shiny Waxer and Boil were both a bit Force-sensitive, and—oopsie, created a Force bond?

Interference - (T) Set in the RCAU/Open Skies AU, but it can be read as a standalone. It follows some OCs and canon characters as they figure out what Krell is up to on Umbara. The problem is that Torrent Company and Waxer's platoon are already on a collision course...

Fading Light and Cooling Space - (T, but heed the tags on this one) After Boil suffers through the horrifying events on Umbara, something nudges him to steal a strange necklace from Krell's body that teleports him to an even stranger place (and time?).

The last two fics are a bit older, so I'm sure they have a lot of room for technical improvement, but I still like them overall.

No-pressure tags: @lizardberries @theproblemwithstardust @come-chaos @valkeakuulas @whiskygoldwings

@marbled-polecat @petrifiedforests

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

The Soft Boys - The Hope & Anchor, London, England, January 23, 1981

A few weeks back, we listened to the almost-Soft Boys opening for Yo La Tengo at the tail-end of 2024. Now, since a new 45th anniversary edition of the band's masterpiece Underwater Moonlight has just been announced, let's go back and listen to the 100% Soft Boys, live in London towards the end of their first run together (edit: seems like this is a Kimberley Rew-less affair! Thought he was just mixed low at first). A somewhat lo-fi document, but not bad when you turn up the volume — and anyway, where else are you going to hear a bunch lager-filled punters singing along with "Leppo and the Jooves"???

Underwater Moonlight was the Soft Boys' final LP (until the 2000s reunion), but by early 1981, the band had plenty of new material — much of which would end up on Robyn Hitchcock's debut solo album Black Snake Diamond Röle (often with the Boys providing backing). At the Hope & Anchor, the newies sound awesome, from a fried-and-floating "Acid Bird" to an even-more-manic-than-usual "I Watch The Cars." Most interesting of all is a rare live rendition of "Eaten By Her Own Dinner," a bonkers tune that wouldn't be released for another several years. It's hilariously nasty here.

Robyn Says: What did we sound like live? A kind of folk-metal-prog, if you want to try to categorise us. We were trying to synthesise something out of various ingredients, but we didn’t know what we were aiming for or how to do it. In the absence of a manifesto, we tried not to take ourselves too seriously, but to encompass anything we fancied from barbershop vocal quartets to heavy rock. Fed up with trying to figure us out, the music press dismissed us as clever jokers. Oh well… 

[satureja13]

It didn't go unnoticed by the First Order HQ that something was going on again at Batuu. It had cost Lt. Agnon a lot to cover the Masters obsession with this Boy, Jino... and he'd only been partly successful. And since then, HQ is keeping an eye on them. They can't afford another incident with the Master being blinded and unable to keep up his duties here. Agnons last hope is this bunch of scoundrels...

But it seems Sai already lost all his hope...

Jeb, quietly so Sai can't hear them, he's already worried enough: "He's still stunned. And we can't help him."

Kiyoshi: "Maybe it is for the best. He'd only freak out and scare Ji Ho over the Bond." Jeb: "Hm." They decided to let Vlad be. He looked quite happy. As if he was thinking of good memories with Ji Ho...

Lt. Agnon is supposed to be on duty here - but that doesn't mean he has to watch them all the time, right? So he and the droids tried to stall the Master and Jino's departure... And he made sure to loudly communicate with the TIE fighter crew about the Master's plans to bring Jino away from Batuu...

Dammit! They have to do something or Ji Ho will be kidnapped! This Hondo guy had claimed the 'Escape from Batuu' book was just fan fiction. But until now, everything had turned out as true. Except for the meteorite stuff. But the Boys already experienced the connection between Val and Jino and Vlad and Jo Ho...

Sai noticed Lt. Agnons absence from the guard room. He and the droids were busy with - whatever stuff First Order personnel is busy with... So Saiwa started to scan their holding cell...

Their magic might be blocked down here in the cells - but Saiwa has his own kind of 'magic' - his hacker skills. There is a camera in each of the cells. And this camera sends the recordings - somewhere. And so Sai started to redirected this 'somewhere' to Batuu's orbit - to Great A'Tuin II. Gladly the communications are fully functional again and Sai hoped he could reach Rubyn, Kesuke or Dayn so they could help them out of here! Before this Master brings Ji Ho somewhere else - or them to the prison planet ö.ö'

And really - the huge monitor at Great A'Tuin's bridge crackled to life. But it failed to conect with Rubyn, Dayn or Kesuke. It seems only Lenny saw Saiwa in the prison cell down at Batuu...

And maybe two other certain members of the 'crew' ^^'

Lenny: "Mreau!" Malfoy: "Batoook!" Skully: "Right, we are going to get those Boys outta there!"

They met at the 'meadow', Skully adjusted the camera. Skully: " 'kay - looks good so far... "

Skully: "Malfoy, a bit more to the left - no! My left! Aaaand action! - or whenever you finished your bowl, Lenny..."

Just a little later at Oga's Cantina at Batuu: DJ R3-X: "Guys! It's Lenny!"

And so Lenny, Malfoy, Axl, the axolotl and Skully started their broadcast to get the Boys out of prison. Because who else is going to feed them and clean up after them?

The folks at the Cantina started to make plans. Of course they are going to assist Lenny, the Legendary and his friends!

Cora, the traitor: "Dammit! We're screwed!" Vanel: "Ach, I shouldn't have listened to you! I'm out! Here's your money back. We stand no chance against Lenny!"

In the background of the broadcast, Skully was playing 'Fairytale of New York':

'It was Christmas Eve babe In the drunk tank An old man said to me, won't see another one And then he sang a song The Rare Old Mountain Dew I turned my face away And dreamed about you'

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues (Makes me cry every time I hear/watch it)

Outtakes

Oblivious Jino...

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-29

[epickiya722]

『Quick disclaimer before anyone takes this post seriously. This post is a joke. Thank you.』

I haven't seen the Disney Princess Scene from Ralph Breaks the Internet be meme'd in like... a while and thought about how when I did see it be used, folks didn't use the whole scene like that? Like, it just stops at the "kidnapped or enslaved" part.

Anyways, I thought what if I could apply that whole scene to Yuji, yes Yuji Itadori out of all characters.

🐯

Do you have magic hair?

Well, he can slick it back just fine without gel.

Magic hands?

2-in-1 punch, literally can hit souls, can cut things...

Do animals talk to you?

Gets along well with Megumi's animals.

Were you poisoned?

Twice actually! Didn't really work, but twice!

Cursed?

VESSEL OF RYOMEN SUKUNA HERE AND THERE'S MORE!

Kidnapped or enslaved?

Technically, yes, as Yuji was knocked out and brought to some secret place at the beginning of the story. Shoot, I would say he is held hostage by the Higher-ups because he's a vessel and they want to kill him. Of course, after exploiting him.

And I have to assume you made a deal with an underwater sea witch, where she took your voice in exchange for a pair of human legs?

Okay, no. But his the Binding Vow situation with Sukuna is similar. He was cheated, honestly.

Have you ever had True Love's Kiss?

He has not! But! Hear me out! Since True Love's Kiss is usually a kiss that happened between two people who hold great affection for each other and used to break some kind of curse and/or bring someone back...

Metaphorically, would this be something that happens between Yuji and Megumi? (SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE MANGA.)

Like, again, hear me out! Love doesn't necessarily have to be viewed as romantic (generally in JJK, it's the focus). And who said True Love' Kiss has to always be a kiss?

Yuji and Megumi do become close over the course of the story. And this is evident come the end of the final fight when Yuji tells Megumi how lonely he would be without him and in that same chapter Megumi envisions Yuji in his life (with Tsumiki there, can't forget big sis Tsumiki).

Megumi, from the outside in, doesn't react until Yuji did reach out to him (in his soul) and tell him about his feelings. With Nobara's help (best girl), Sukuna was able to be put down and while he tries to get Megumi to give up, Megumi decides "uh, no, I'm living and I have someone to live for" and that someone is most likely Yuji.

Anyways, with all that said, metaphorically this would be like a True Love's Kiss?

Do you have daddy issues?

He doesn't even have a mom!

And now for the million-dollar question: Do people assume all your problems got solved because a big, strong man showed up?

You know what, sometimes it feels like people make it seem Yuji fighting with anybody at his side isn't a team effort. Like, they act like he doesn't do a lot of the fighting before someone comes in to help.

So yes.

Overall, I would say he meets requirements.

[tyrantisterror]

At Sea Without a Map Pt. 7

The sea monster shoots you a skeptical glance, waiting for you to start the conversation. You know roughly the topics you want to broach, but not the specific questions you want to ask. As the awkward silence wears on and her skeptical glare gets more concerned, you decide to organize your thoughts in an unconventional way.

"Four questions about our fight... three about who and what she is... two about where we are... and one about other humans, I think," you mutter to yourself.

"What was that?" she asks.

"Nothing!" you say, too hastily for her to believe you. "So, um, I guess we should talk about our, um, fight last night?"

She frowns and nods her head. "Yeah, it got a little ugly, didn't it," she says as she leans back and shoots you a charming, sharp-toothed smile. "But don't worry, I forgive you."

"Fuh - forgi... You forgive me? You forgive me?" you splutter. "You tried to eat me!"

"Yeah, and you tossed a net on me and ran me over with your boat," she answers calmly. "Overall, I think you got the better of that situation."

"You tried to eat me!" you reiterate. "I only fought back in self defense!"

"And I only attacked in hunger," she says, tossing her long hair back. "We both did what we did to survive, and I don't see why we have to make a big deal about it."

"I can't believe this," you mutter is frustration. "Are you at least sorry?" you ask. (East Questions Left: 3 of 4)

She narrows her serpentine eyes as she looks at you. "No. I mean, I'm not happy about it, as you seem like a nice enough person, and I was touched by your concern for my well-being, but human sailors are a staple of my diet. I am built to hunt your kind. I'm not going to apologize for my biology."

It's a frustrating answer you want to argue against, but you don't see an angle at the moment to do so. "Well, can you promise not to try and eat me again?" you ask. (East Questions Left: 2 of 4)

Her eyes drift towards her tail, which has shrunk considerably in size since your confrontation the previous night. "I don't think I actually can," she says. "I hunt your kind by luring them close, sinking my hooked claws into them, and dragging them underwater to drown. The sheer muscle provided by my tail is what makes it such an effective strategy, and our tussle left me so beat up that I had to consume most of its mass to recover. Trying to drown you now would be a lot riskier, so no, I don't think I can eat you."

A look at your face makes her smile nervously and add, "But I can tell that's not the answer you were looking for, so, uh... I promise not to try to eat you, specifically, anymore?" She flashes another sharp-toothed grin at you. "Even when I grow the rest of my tail back. You can be my special exception!"

That wasn't the answer you wanted either, but it's probably the best you'll get. "Are humans even that nutritious, anyway? Surely there's better prey you can chase." (East Questions Left: 1 of 4)

"Humans are among the largest and most nutritious things I can catch at full strength," she answers. "There are plenty of larger sea creatures, but I'm not built to hunt them. I don't have huge jaws or big, meaty claws, you see. I eat what I can get, like anyone else."

None of these answers have been particularly comforting, so you decide to get the very heart of this matter. "Can I trust you not to hurt me?" (East Questions Left: 0 of 4)

She cocks her head to the side, the coils of her many locks of hair bouncing in the process. "You barely know me, and I barely know you. I don't think either of is at a place where 'trust' can come into play yet."

"Fair enough," you say. "Let's get to know each other, then. What's your name?" (West Questions Left: 2 of 3)

Her yellow eyes peer at you for a moment, studying you closely. "My name is Calibani," she says.

"Calibani? What, were your folks a fan of Shakespeare?" (West Questions Left: 1 of 3)

"Not to my knowledge," she says. "I never met my parents, much less saw them shake any spears. I was alone when I hatched. What about you? What's your name?"

There's no answer to that question, or at least none you can recall. You've been alone so long that there's been no need for it, and as you try to remember, you draw a blank. "Sailor," you say. "I'm a sailor."

"Kind of on the nose, isn't it?" she says with a small laugh, her nose scrunching a bit as she smirks. "Like calling a fish Swimmy or something."

A part of you wants to laugh too, but you decide to focus. "Are there others like you out there?" you ask. (West Questions Left: 0 of 3).

A soft plap fills the air as her finned tail idly strikes the floor. "Hmm... other sea monsters in general? Oh yes, lots. Others of my kind, specifically?" She thinks for a moment, her face tense with concentration. "I don't know. There might be? I'm the only one of my kind I've ever seen, but it's a big sea out there."

"That's a point," you say. "This is a big sea. Where exactly are we, right now? The Pacific? The Atlantic?" (North Questions Left: 1 of 2)

You feel a chill run down your spine as her big, yellow eyes stare at you with a mix of concern and disbelief. "We're in the Sea of Monsters, of course. So-named because it is a monstrously large sea, and because its denizens are all quite monstrous themselves." She leans in closer as she elaborates, "You know the dread you get when you see the ocean in its enormity, and all the strange horrors it might hold in its deepest depths? That's where we are, deep in that dread. Take every sea monster you've heard tales of, and imagine every variation of them you can, and you will not only have a good idea of what you can find here, but also only have a small fraction of what lives within these waters. Do you get the picture?"

With a lump of fear in your throat, you nod slowly. "Ok. Ok, ok, ok. So... um..." You scratch your head and try to figure out how to phrase your next question. "Why can't I remember anything from before I came here?" (North Questions Left: 0 of 2)

Calibani regards you with pity. "I have no idea, sweetness, but you have my sympathy."

"What about others of my kind?" you blurt out. "You say you prey on sailors, so you must have seen some. What do you know about other humans out here?" "South Questions Left: 0 of 1)

Her face scrunches up in an apologetic frown as she reluctantly answers, "Not much? Every now and then a boat comes into my hunting grounds. Usually there aren't many of your kind - a handful at most. I wait until one is alone, then approach and lure them into the water. I generally don't stop to make small talk, as I assume you don't make small talk with whatever it is you eat." She gives you another apologetic frown and shrugs her shoulders. "I wish I could be more help, but I don't actually know a lot about your species beyond ways to hunt them."

Despair overtakes you - not in a dramatic way, but in a slow, sinking feeling, like you're being dragged slowly into the water, air leaving your lungs in small bursts, darkness surrounding you as the light above grows more distant. This is the first person you've met and she's told you almost nothing useful. You sink down in your chair and hold your head in your hands.

Calibani notices your grief and, despite herself, catches some of it second hand. "Listen, I'm going to try and get some fish to eat," she says quietly. "Maybe we'll both feel better with some food." She casts a guilty look at you and adds, "Plus there's an island to explore, right? You humans love dry land, don't you? Maybe it'll be good to stretch your legs!"

She waits for a response, but you don't give her one, and so the sea monster quietly walks upstairs and leaves you alone in the cabin of your ship. A while after she leaves, you pull yourself out of your funk enough to take action.

You consult your compass:

[chic-beyond-the-wall-oc-acct]

Ok, I've not seen it here but why are so many people on like TikTok and Twitter saying that the people in the Appalachians who didn't evacuate for the hurricane got what they deserved? I genuinely don't understand. People typically evacuate TO the Appalachians to avoid hurricane weather. All we got were flash flood warnings, which happen and are typically pretty easy to get over and recover from. And it's not just the fact that we don't get hurricane warnings, when things started to look worse we were told to stay put. And even for the few people who were told to evacuate, 30 minutes to an hour before they got hit, when you live in a place where people typically go to when they evacuate, where do you go? How do you know how far is far enough to be safe?

Let's take Asheville, a day trip from where my brother and his family live. It's underwater. A place 300 miles off the coast and 2100 feet above sea level. Ashville is one of the places people typically go to to avoid hurricane weather.

The damage in the Appalachians from Hurricane Helene is absolutely devastating. I have lived in Virginia my whole life and have never seen anything worse than a few flooded fields and raised creeks, this was not that. I've never seen the schools be turned into shelters. I'm almost 20, and I know that isn't a long time when you look at everything from before but that's still a good chunk of years. I don't recognize a lot of places anymore.

People's houses have been washed away, there are people dead and missing. Most people didn't have cell service for days and the first thing they see when they get back online to maybe see how folks are doing or get the news is people saying they deserved what they got. Entire towns have been washed away, bridges and roads are literally gone. They're not just underwater or damaged, they're gone. a damn broke and water had to be released into the already flooded rivers to stop others from breaking.

The land and infrastructure of the Appalachians isn't made for this. In most places the water has nowhere to go. It's too much for the ground, which is mostly clay, to soak up and in most places, like the valley my house sits in, the mountains form bowl-like shapes that keep the water from flowing out.

The wind was so bad we had a small twister touch down at my house. I joked with a few friends how it was a polite windstorm because it stayed in the road but stuff like that is literally terrifying. It threw something that knocked one of my windows in and I had to hold it up by myself. Our house is surrounded by 100 year old oaks and pines. If the one that fell had fallen to the left instead of the right, I'd probably be dead because it would have landed in my bedroom. One of our generators started leaking in the middle of the night and as my dad got up for work at 2 am he had to check to see if my mom, who had fallen asleep in the living room, was still alive because you could smell the gas which carries carbon monoxide. And that's just our personal experience. I feel absolutely awful for those that had it worse.

The Great Smokey Mountains, America's most visited national park, had 13.3 million visitors last year. Judging by everything that's been said online I doubt half of those people sympathize with what the people that live in that area are going through. As I said, we get flash flood warnings but nobody prepares you for this level of flooding! I guess it's easy to sit back and criticize the people that are literally suffering right now when you aren't affected at all. I can say I have never criticized people who got caught in a disaster nor have I met people who do so this is all so bizarre to me. It's crazy that the bar is so low and people can't even get across it. Hardly any sympathy and even less aid.

I really hate to put all of this here but I really need to get it off my chest. This was supposed to be a short ramble but seeing how completely unsympathetic people are being made me so angry.

[mariabtsos]

Unsinkable ||j.jk|| Chapter 9

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Description: The 1910s are the peak of passenger ships, it was also the peak of classism, Jungkook is a third class immigrant from Korea, and you are a first class “prisoner” not wanting to go back to a life of strict standards. Once you meet Jungkook, life seems worth living, but when tragedy strikes, will you guys make it out to live the life you planned?

Genre: One-shot, Titanic AU, poor/artist!JK x rich!f reader, angst, fluff, very slight smut, forbidden love.

Warnings: ANGST, major character death, descriptions of drowning or being stuck underwater, mentions of coma and it's effect (Brain Death wasn't discovered until 1968), ending of life supporting measures, grief, amputation of a limb.

AN: This is the second to last chapter, next one will be the final one, it will include a source list with excellent channels and educational sources for you to inform yourself about the Titanic and how everything played out according to history if you are not aware of the actual story, even if the 1997 film is somewhat accurate, there's things it got wrong that even I didn't know until my research for this story.

Word Count: 1.7K+

Thank goodness both Yoongi and Jungkook were being sent to the same hospital, Taehyung and Jimin arrived an hour or so after you, you made sure to give their names to the nurses so they could come see you, since you had to be admitted due to your knee, and the horrible frostbite on your nose and fingers.

You’d been put in the same ambulance as Jungkook, and although you were so happy to see him, his state made your heart shrivel up. His eyes were shut, and he looked so pale, you could still see some little spots of frost on his hair. He was still breathing from what you could tell, and you wondered if he could still hear you.

You tried reaching for his hand but the EMT stopped you, explaining that they had to take his temperature and then wrap him up in wool blankets, given how cold he was to the touch. All you could do was talk to him.

“We made it, Jungkook! We're almost at the hospital, you just have to hold on for a little longer,” you felt yourself tear up, why had this happened this way? You were supposed to be running off together right now, with Jimin, Taehyung, and Chris in tow. How had it all gone so wrong?

You were separated once you made it to the hospital, they had to take him for some tests and you to get your knee and ribs taken care of. The pain was unbearable, you hadn't realized how bad your knee was hurt until they set it back in place, then again, the doctors said that you had just reached normal temperature. Maybe you were too cold and too worried about Jungkook to care.

You were given crutches and pain meds and sent on your way, the hospital needed the beds.

“Ynie?” You saw Taehyung standing in the waiting room, tears in his eyes. You were so grateful they had made it to the hospital, and you didn't hesitate to give him a hug.

“Tae, thank goodness you're here!” He hugged you tightly, and soon after Jimin hugged you as well, the baby in his arms was now swaddled and had a little beanie, “did they tell you when Jungkook might be waking up?” the latter asked as you pulled away, you simply shook your head.

“I hope it's soon, did you guys see Yoongi? Is he okay?”

“We know he's awake, and we know he was screaming, but so were a lot of other folks,” Jimin answered. It was like he called on something, all of the sudden more screaming was heard. It wasn't just victims in pain anymore.

You saw a woman with one of her children down on her knees screaming. A bigger family hugging a pair of small children, a man quietly sobbing in the corner, and so many others. You were so lucky to still be alive, to have the one you love still be alive. You felt horrible for all of them.

“That big family over there, aren't those Martha's kids?” Jimin nudged Taehyung, who immediately made his way to them, followed quickly by Jimin.

You watched as they talked to them all, the kids immediately hugging Tae’s legs, his face contorted a bit as he kneeled down to be at the children's level, they hugged him tightly. You realized quickly that their mom probably begged for someone to take them up to the lifeboats, or maybe she'd managed to get there before they launched and she put them in there first?

Did you see her floating body when you were in the water with Jungkook? Had she been one of the first screams to dull down, or one of the last ones along with you? You assumed it was the latter, you hoped that's what it was and not that their other family had to come get them because they had no one else left.

Taehyung and Jimin sat quietly next to you in the waiting room, the dread you felt was unbearable, almost like the same dread you felt just a five days ago, when you boarded the ship that was now thousands of feet underwater, you wondered if there were alive toward the end, and you shivered at how horrifying, dark and lonely that must’ve been, going down with a ship and seeing nothing but darkness during your final moments.

You shuddered.

After what felt like hours to you, a doctor finally came out “Relatives of Jungkook Jeon?” The man called, he butchered your lover's name so horribly, but you didn't care at the moment, you stood up faster than your brain could realize and Taehyung ended up having to hold you up since you forgot your crutches.

“I'm his wife, is he okay? Can we go see him? Will he be discharged soon?” your mouth was moving faster than ever as you asked the questions.

“Mrs Jeon…” the doctor took a deep breath, you'd seen the look he was giving you before, you and your mother got that look when your father passed away. You started breaking down. “We did all we could but he seems to be in a deep comatose state and he can't breathe on his own,” he explained. You felt your knees buckle under you.

“Do you want us to stop life saving measures?”

How can this be? You both made it, you both got taken out of the water, he made it to a hospital. Why was that not enough? Why did his life have to end? You couldn't go on without him, you could go on, you were supposed to run off together.

“Mrs. Jeon?”

How could they ask you such a thing? You weren't going to kill the one you loved, who would do that? Surely there was something they could do, Jungkook would pull through, he was going to come back to you and they would have to, they were doctors afterall, if they couldn't save Jungkook then who could they save?

You suddenly felt faint, and all you heard Taehyung and Jimin yelling your name.

Where am I?

That was your first thought as you floated through the bright void you found yourself in. It wasn't like that for long, morphing into what seemed to be Jungkook’s hospital room.

“Hey darling,” hearing his voice made your knees buckle again. You turned and ran toward him, he was awake and smiling, you jumped into his arms and he hugged you tightly.

“What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here,” you were confused.

“What do you mean? We're supposed to leave together?”

Your lover sighed, the pain in his eyes was something you hated seeing. “This is my stop darling, I won't be able to join you,” he explained, and you felt yourself break all over again, “Remember what I said in the water? You need to live, make each day count, and one day we’ll meet again okay?” he held your face in his hands, “it’s okay to let me go, just don’t let them bury me okay, my body being in one place forever is not like me at all,” he wiped the tears streaming down your face.

“I’ll never let go, I will live for both of us Kook,” you bid farewell tearfully as his hospital room door opened. At the last second you felt him pull you, giving you one last kiss before what felt like a gust of wind pushed you out of the room.

And then you woke up.

You were still on the ground, Taehyung was holding you and the doctor was checking your pupils with a small light, “Are you okay? You scared us half to death, Yn!” Jimin sounded frustrated but relieved, you attempted to get up, but the doctor and Taehyung held you down, encouraging you to do so slowly.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered as they helped you up, Jimin handed you your crutches, and the doctor placed his hand on your shoulder. “It’s okay Mrs. Jeon, I’m sorry that I couldn’t give you better news, I’ll let you think about it and you can let one of the nurses know what you’d like, and they’ll let me know.”

Once he was gone you let Jimin and Taehyung know about what had happened, about your…dream? That’s what it had to have been. You told them what Jungkook told you and they were nothing but supportive, letting you know that whatever decision you made they’d be by your side. So you decided to let him go. It wasn’t the easiest decision, and the last few minutes of Jungkook’s life were the most painful you had ever felt in your short 18 years of life. You sobbed as they listened for a heartbeat or for any breathing. “Nurse, let it be on record, time of death is 20:25,” he put his supplies back into his coat pockets, “I’m very sorry for your loss Mrs. Jeon.”

Taehyung held you and Jimin rubbed your back, as he had his baby in his arms, you sobbed until your head hurt. The only good thing about this was that Yoongi did pull through, his right leg had to be amputated due to how broken it was and the damage the frostbite had done to it. It was a few more weeks before he was fully discharged, and thankfully a lot of first class passengers had come together to get accommodations for less fortunate survivors, Ms. Molly ended up finding Tae and Jimin, and you hid behind a pillar with Yoongi, who begged to not be seen by anyone you knew, whilst they spoke.

“Have any of you seen Yn? Or Jungkook?” she asked with a concerned look on her face. “We think they died in the water,” Taehyung sounded somber. You peeked to see the woman who had been so motherly to you, for a split second you thought she caught a glimpse of you.

“Oh…” the older woman’s voice shook, “well, I’ll give you this, I had set it aside for Jungkook, he was a wonderful young man and he deserved a better start here, you should be getting checks as well shortly with some compensation and Mr. Ismay has arranged for transportation for you and…anyone else who traveled with you,” she said a little louder. She whispered a last take care of her, before she walked away. They did end up getting $950 each, totalling a good $1900. You all set to travel up to northern New York, you wanted life away from the busy city for now, but you will ensure to live life to the fullest. For yourself and for Jungkook.

[sammisafetypin]

All of the Ways That Glass is Fucked

Wanted to write up some meta on Glass before the winter solstice hits and whatever horrific things that’re going to go down happen. Mainly, in all the ways that they are royally fucked in regards to their deal with Aster and the warning signs are already written on the wall.

Let’s start with Episode 13, The Hot Spring. There’s a lot to be said here.

Firstly, we’re being reminded very bluntly that the Springs are not all kind. Glass says that they’re usually the “most benevolent” of the Folk, which is a pretty dangerous assumption to assign — especially since, as they correct themselves in the presence of Oak and Ivy, not always.

Oak and Ivy explicitly want Glass to stay longer so that they can torment them. Glass is being propositioned to stay longer with the Folk, expose themselves longer to Their ways. In Oak and Ivy’s case, they’re just bored, but the fact that specifically Spring Folk are trying to get Glass to spend more time with them seems like a thinly veiled metaphor. Glass even notes the pleasant smell that pulls you in.

After all— magic changes people. Oak and Ivy make this point very clear, even if it’s for the sake of trying to scare Glass. The theme of “this will change you” is not exclusive to their words.

How long will Glass truly be human? Capable of interacting with humans normally? What will happen when the magic inevitably “changes” them?

Well, Episode 13 is full of warnings. All three of the encounters in the episode are people who have willingly forgone their humanity for one reason or another. Silver’s underwater town, Copper’s Trash Hunter—

(Trash Hunter specifically noting getting ‘kept as a pet’ as a worse fate doesn’t bode well in my chest.)

— And of course, the most blatant warning of all, Sad Chris. A person who willingly gave themselves over to the Folk and does whatever they say, to the point of self-destruction. Apparently, they used to think they were smart— better than the Folk’s tricks. Clearly, they weren’t. The beauty of the Springs immediately tricked them.

These screenshots also show Ivy and Oak repeatedly comparing Sad Chris and Glass. We’re obviously meant to think about what is similar and different between them. And while Glass is much smarter about how they interact with the Folk, they are still very similar in that they’ve given themselves over to one in some way. And Sad Chris’s fate?

Well, it isn’t pretty. Doomed to forever be tormented by the Folk because they’re just that damn obedient.

Now, this is a good time to say that I believe Aster is well-meaning. I don’t think they’re going to start making Glass drown themselves for fun or anything. However, I do believe that they don’t understand humanity on humanity’s level. They’re inherently above it, which sort of skews your morals some. I believe they view Glass less like a human and more like their special little songbird. And I don’t know how long it will be until the cage comes crashing down around them. We pin butterflies because they’re beautiful, right? We forget that they can feel pain too.

Late in the episode, the gang discusses humans who chose the apocalypse, or otherwise gave themselves up to the Folk.

“A lot of people didn’t ’give up’ on purpose.” Sounds a lot like Glass. They’re not purposefully giving up, they think what they’re doing is reasonable and safe. But we, the listeners, know that it isn’t. Not to mention Glass here saying their 10-years-past self would only physically recognize them. So you are changing, huh?

There is also the distinct possibility that Aster really is completely and utterly harmless. I doubt it, but I won’t put it out of the realm of possibility. Even so, a relationship like that is doomed to be torn apart by the world they live in. Ivy and Oak seem very eager to find out who gave Glass magic — and I don’t want to think about what they would have done if Glass forked over the answer. Crueler Folk are not going to just let Aster play tea with humans, and humans aren’t going to just let Glass give themselves over to Them.

Also, Oak and Ivy seem very amused by Glass’ denial that they’ve been “spoken for”, which only leads me more to believe that they’re far deeper into this than they think they are. They’re in a deal and giving away writing that comes from their heart. They’re, in essence, feeding parts of their heart to Aster in exchange for magic. Functionally, as far as the Folk are concerned, Glass belongs to Aster. Let’s not forget the hymn from the episode where Glass first made the deal — Tonight You Belong to Me.

But let’s not take the Folk’s word for it. Let’s take a look at the human side of things in Episode 15, The Haven Underground.

Well, actually, I want to take one quick pit-stop at Episode 14, Left Behind. This is by and large an Amber episode, so there’s not much to say about Glass, but one bit at the very beginning does tip me off.

Hey Glass, why are you making excuses for something horrible the Folk did? Why are you trying to argue ‘maybe they liked it’ about something objectively horrifying? Surely this won’t mean anything later.

Anyhow, Episode 15.

Firstly, Glass displays a lot of concern about being caught as connected to the Folk — and not just that, but seems fearful that the Underground is capable of hurting the Folk. Not Glass, the Folk. They’re concerned about Aster, not themselves.

(Side note, I love Seventy Eight so much.)

This is where I bring in something that might be a bit dramatic, but I want you to stay with me here. I’m going to preface this with the fact that I do not think Aster is necessarily abusive, at least not in the traditional human sense. They literally have not done anything yet.

All that said, I think that the writing is intentionally showing us warning signs of an abusive relationship as a way to say “hey, abuse or not, this isn’t good”. Does that make sense? I hope it makes sense.

The first sign, then, being that Glass is placing Aster in a position of higher importance than themselves. They feel excessive concern for Aster while seeming minimally worried about their own consequences for being attached to a Folk. Glass has started to put Aster on a pedestal and put themselves at its base— which deeply worries me. They need to be valuing their own safety if they’re going to survive. They can’t be putting all their worry into the safety of a Folk that, likely, can handle Themselves.

Then, the cards are asked to be handed over. First of all, we get another warning sign — lying about the relationship. Glass does this quite a bit, so I won’t screenshot every instance, but they repeatedly lie about Aster to both strangers and their friends, because they know that the relationship would not be approved of. Obviously not every hidden relationship is bad, but in synergy with other warning signs, it feels more like ‘hiding a toxic partner’ than, like, ‘hiding that you’re gay’ or something.

Secondly, their resistance to handing the cards over. Obviously they wouldn’t want to give up their divination tool — but I think it’s more than that. Those cards connect them to Aster. To have them taken away would screw up the deal — and maybe even make them lose their access to Aster. They obviously can’t have that— they’ve become attached. So attached, that they physically can’t let the cards go.

Twelve has to pry the cards from Glass’ hands. And I don’t think it’s just Glass being stubborn on purpose. I think a part of them has become inextricably linked to those cards because of the deal. I think it may have actually been physically painful to hand them over. If we consider the cards as equivalent to Aster themselves, the attachment is becoming physical and painful to remove.

The entire time they’re at the Haven, Glass is twitchy and looking at everything as a reason to leave right now immediately. That isn’t to say that they’re wrong, as we learn the Haven is bordering on a cult in its behaviors, but I also don’t think this is just Glass’ good intuition telling them the place is no good. I think they’re also upset that they can’t get to Aster in this Folk-proofed place, and bitter about the cards being taken.

Yeah. And what “plenty of Them”, Glass? At least in the podcast proper, we haven’t met any of Them who are completely benevolent besides Aster. Unless I’m forgetting something, which I very well may be. But it sounds like Glass is making excuses for Them again.

This line also harkens back to the deal. They want us to keep thinking about the precarious situation Glass is in, especially without their cards.

No comment on this one.

This one is, uh— not pretty. Glass is starting to turn against their friends in favor of the cards and, in turn, Aster. They claim that Amber just wouldn’t understand, and seem to imply it’s something wrong with Amber specifically. That they’re the judgmental one. They even openly admit the cards are more than having the magic — the cards represent their connection to Aster. They cannot stand to lose that, and the others just don’t get it. I’d like to point again to my ‘abuse warning signs as a conduit for whatever-is-going-to-happen-to-Glass warning signs’ theory.

There’s a whole argument that happens here that I’m just going to highlight as it goes along. Consider, again, that Glass has admitted that this is about more than just the magic.

“I don’t want it to go away.”

“I might get hurt, but what if I don’t?” What if I’m special? What if the danger spares me, specifically? Another thing you’d hear from someone getting into a dangerous relationship.

“Might never have the chance to try again” — To what? To use magic? Or to see Aster?

“Maybe They are.”

Aster is worth the risk. They bluntly say it. Aster is worth doing something incredibly dangerous for. Glass has become completely attached to Aster and will gladly do something dangerous because of them. Remember how I said Sad Chris was a warning?

“You wouldn’t have understood.” Again, Glass leverages that the others ‘just wouldn’t get it’, insinuating that they are special somehow and won’t get hurt doing this. That the others are lower and stubborn and refusing to understand. They continue to sabotage their friendships in the name of defending their relationship with Aster.

And of course, “Maybe it’s more than just the magic, Amber.” Here is an admittance — it’s not about the magic. It’s about Aster. It’s about being special to Them. It’s about their special relationship that nobody else can understand except them and Aster.

And when Glass can’t find the cards, can’t find the thing that connects them to Aster, they panic. This isn’t about the magic, self-admittedly. This is about not knowing what Aster will do if the bargain is screwed up. This is about not knowing if they’ll be able to keep being Aster’s special human.

And with the cards lost for good? Glass is hollow. They feel absolutely empty without that feeling that they’re special. They don’t care about anything else, they care about the cards— they care about Aster.

The deciding factor for everything, I think, is how Aster reacts to the loss of the cards. If their personality is how I believe it to be, I think they’ll be understanding enough, but may push Glass towards a different form of divination so they can keep the deal. If they do react aggressively, that will be a very interesting situation — but not one that I think is going to properly change Glass’ mind. I think it’s going to take a lot more than that to make them realize this is all a terrible idea.

In summary, all of the signs are flashing red that Glass is becoming irreversibly attached to and dependent on Aster in a desire to feel special and valued by Them. We are being warned repeatedly that if this continues, Glass will change irrevocably, and not for the better — they may very well “give up” without meaning to. They’ve started to push away their friends, lying to them and even becoming angry with them for not ‘getting it’, in favor of Aster. They’re already doing something dangerous for a Folk, and who knows what else they could be talked into doing? Again, I don’t believe Aster is malicious, but I do think they’re going to trap Glass eventually ��� perhaps even physically take them away from the waking world.

My personal theory is that Glass will not die, but will be ‘taken away’ eventually, or otherwise be lost to the Folk. Maybe even willingly, if they keep coming away from their friends. They’re Aster’s little songbird, and eventually that cage will grow around them. All of the warnings are there, and Glass isn’t hearing a single one of them.

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #26

Alright folks today we're reading PKNA #21: Tyrannic!!! and um totally unrelated question but do you guys remember the Pangea Project?

Shoutout to the PBI for inviting PK for a meeting and not telling a single one of their security guards that he would be showing up, it really demonstrates the efforts of a highly efficient organization that DEFINITELY knows how to communicate with itself and can be trusted with our public safety!

babygirl

you guys he is so SMALL I can't get over it

Oh don't worry pal, I have READ Earthquake (this is the part where the camera cuts to me holding a big foam finger and wearing an oversized t-shirt that says "#1 PKNA #4 Earthquake fan")

lol he is SO fucking grumpy that they wanted Uno, I can't help but giggle

Seriously Uno we REALLY need to have a talk about how to cheer people up cause this is not it 😭

Donald I'm sorry that you're feeling insecure over losing to the most highly advanced and intelligent piece of technology ever created but also you were fighting a losing battle to begin with

am I supposed to take this guy seriously cause he has a fuckin rat tail at the back of his head

"just a scientific project" come on bro be fr 😭 you were going to obliterate millions of people

PANGEA PROJECT WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK BABY!!! ROUND 2 THE WEST COAST WILL FALL!!! 💯🔥

I gotta say "Frostville" is like. The least menacing name I could think of for an evil enemy base. It sounds like a quaint little winter village not the place where we plot to make the west sink underwater.

Also-- did I miss the part where PK told the PBI about Uno being an AI? Cause I know he usually tries to keep it a secret but at this point I have a hard time keeping track of who knows what about Uno existing

he might be stupit

WEREN'T YOU JUST COMPLAINING EARLIER THAT THEY WANTED UNO'S HELP INSTEAD OF YOURS??? Careful what you wish for kids now his ass is getting sent to the arctic

Love that Donald doesn't even have a mask anymore in this uniform he's just wearing like... blue eyeliner

Ok how does Fairfax ALSO know about Uno I swear to god there was no reason for him to figure that out

YEAHHHHHHHHH wait I mean NOOOOOOOOOOO

How does bro STILL think he's doing a good thing here, did he miss the part where the super evil government of evil bad people pulled up like "hey we like your research because it is evil and bad"?? He's still just here like yayy I'm gonna save the planet :) NO YOU'RE NOT

hey is that a guy frozen in an iceberg on the right there or-

What is his problem why does he have so much beef with California? I mean Calisota.

No yeah literally what reason did they have to let him go they were trying to shoot him in the face like 3 minutes ago

OKAY WAIT that's cute this ending is cute. And I guess we're just fully okay with the PBI knowing Uno exists and now having a photo of his face in their records...

Would you guys hate me if I skipped reading the Burton La Valle bonus comic this week cause god. I do not care about Burton La Valle 😭 I tried to be strong I'm sorry but also I don't think anyone else cares either so... nothing of value was lost. Bring back Trip.

ANYWAYS I like this comic! And it might be entirely because I really like Earthquake and this is just a sequel to that story but STILL!!! I will say that I feel that Fairfax gets pretty watered down here (and for the rest of the series) and he's never quite as interesting as he was in Earthquake when he was convinced he was working for the greater good. Like yeah, in this story he still sort of thinks he's doing the right thing, but he's also just fully given in to being a bad guy. We lose some of the nuance he had before but I do like seeing him again. I don't really care about Belgravia but I do think it's funny that one of PK's enemies is just An Entire Country.

And hey now that I think about it, isn't it kinda funny that this story is about a submarine named Tyrannic that starts rapidly sinking underwater and losing pressure? Y'know it calls to mind a certain other recently famous submarine that might've had a really similar sounding name... maybe something to do with that giant boat that famously sunk y'know like maybe li-