#which means i'll also need to go back and tag all the times we've talked abt it before at some point..

[oddp1ant]

Talking here instead of in the tags on this post because. My head is steaming.

This version of Viktor is 1) human and 2) older. In my dream reality, this implies that the de-arcanified version of Viktor we see at the end of ep 9 survives, regains physical form but is forever changed by the arcane = a mage, who eventually travels through time/realities to give Jayce the guidance he needs as a child and in the post-apocalypse wasteland, effectively securing the timeline in which he (and the rest of the world or w/e) survives, making it a closed loop. I like to think Jayce is with him for most of it, both of them figuring out their new magical interdimensional existence together.

Ofc, the take I've been seeing most of so far is that Jayce and Viktor were both destroyed in that final moment. I mean yeah, being at the center of hexcrystal/gem/shard activity like that tends to do that to people, as we've been repeatedly shown, but they were also in the weird metaphysical arcane-space when it happened so I'm honestly not sure the same principles apply. If that is the end for them, I guess mage-Viktor was just a product of some other reality where that was the trajectory for him, who due to his magic was able to see all the infinite Bad timelines and took it upon himself to interfere with this one to prevent them, likely nullifying his own and himself in the process. This is cool too, but makes mage-Viktor feel a bit like a random Deus ex machina since we have very little sense of where he came from or how he became what he is.

I may be delusional, but I feel like there's hope in Jayce's face when he sees mage-Viktor. Seeing him human again, seeing him older (something I am personally in tears over - Viktor getting to grow old ;;;;) seems to give him hope that there's a way back, AND a way forward for them!!! Idk. I'm crazy.

[Screencap credit to @lesbian-sansa]

Edit to add: I guess my mind skipped over the option that mage-Viktor is the post-apocalyptic reality's Viktor, who presumably went full glorious evolution, saw that it sucked, and somehow turned himself back to a human form. I guess that lessens the Deus ex machina issue and is also very cool bc we love a villain who spends a thousand years bored and lonely in the desolate wasteland of their own creation until deciding the only way to fix this involves timefuckery and empowering the heroes to take you down before it can happen. There's something so "go sit in the corner until you've calmed down" about it. Also implies that Viktor had the ability to come back to himself even without Jayce, but not before it's too late. Always preventing each other from stepping off the ledge at the last moment, these guys.

Idk which theory I prefer, I think I'll have thoughts about this show until I die

[thegreatyin]

they know their audience already

[beesmygod]

today is webcomics day. i am bea and i make "A Ghost Story" - part 1: pre-gaming

webcomic day is a yearly celebration of the art form concocted by the screentones podcast team as a way for people to see how the sausage gets made. my webcomic "a ghost story" has been running for over 10 years, and yet i still don't think i can say i am good at making a webcomic. regardless, the comic is getting made because otherwise i become very, very sick in the head. today i would like to share with you the process of making a page of "A Ghost Story" from start to finish. either this demystifies the process or will make you think im so cool and strong for doing this 2x a week. instead of reblogging this one post until it gets very long, i will be posting individual updates that i will then compile and post on my personal website. block the tags now if you HATE comics and want them to EXPLODE.

if you have any questions, even things like "what the fuck are you even talking about" feel free to ask. i want to feel confident in what i make again and i think sometimes interrogation from an outside source is really

---

that said, let's get started. wait just kidding i want a cup of coffee first, hold on.

ok now im ready. i have a big glass of water. i have coffee. i have a headset for the parts of work that don't involve typing words. i can't type words and listen to some streamer babble in my ear at the same time, so it has to be instrumental music or nothing. i just took my meds so they should kick in after about 30 mins. i woke up late today, which is weird and annoying. but maybe i can work late instead.

first off, i need to know where i'm going beyond this one page. if i dont know where im going with something, then i usually create something that sucks that i have to deal with later. hold on my internet died, i have to reset the router. ok, anyway.

what's rattling around in my brain is that not only do i have to deal with maxine's current predicament, i am also dealing with multiple plot elements i need to wrap back around to from the previous chapter. luckily, im about to put maxine down for a nap, which means i can get back to those other elements:

i need to finish the exposition from the three ankou characters for this story arc establishing their motivations as the oppositional force in the story. the "villain" is not these three specifically, but their boss. they need to have a loose understanding of what's going on in order to communicate this to the audience. god this started turning into a huge ass paragraph so i'll just keep it short there.

we've jumped back to before jack's horrible day from the first chapter of this storyline so we have to make our way back toward that and then lapping it, which means wrapping up his various open threads like:

feeding victoria and learning something new about her

finding out alice is a very exceptional employee who is getting many awards

watching valdo call lily while interrupting her during something personal to ask her for help with maxine's situation.

jack meeting with valdo and lily the day after they first met so jack can just tell them straight up that lily has 4 sisters she doesnt know about.

help that girl with her poltergeist problem. remember that. i've had jokes for this rattling in my head for like 4 years. im going insane.

and also the fucking tilberi!!! that has a point its going somewhere!!! there's a larger menace here!!!

other things to set up the climax of this storyline. sexual tensions, hints at larger emotional problems not immediately evident to the reader

lots of moving parts. and i feel like im moving in slow motion to get to them. i can see them all weaving together in my head, its the process of putting that onto paper that's proving difficult.

ok that took an hour starting and stopping. -_- let me write the next part as i keep brainstorming on how to approach this page. taking a "rubber duck" approach to this might help. heres an image from the last page i worked on (i have a 5 page buffer rn so the site does not match the finished pages) to get us semi-situated.

also because images will help people understand what skill level we're working with here. i need to be able to communicate an idea to the audience; if the art also looks good on top of that, then that's just an added bonus. but the ability to communicate my ideas is sometimes hampered by my lack of artistic skill or comics language ineptitude. like those speech bubbles kind of fucking suck but at a certain point you have to just hit print on what you're working on in order to keep your already glacial pace.

webcomics is a tightrope act where you're also spinning 4 plates at once. the trick is to keep the audience from realizing how many actually fall or how wobbly they all are. the act sucks but technically its not a failure.

[the-possum-writes]

[Daily Routine]

❥Character: Scorcher (Adventure Time)

❥Tags: SFW, domestic fluff, established relationship, gender neutral reader

 ❥Synopsis: Scorcher's day to day life now that he has a partner to worry and run errands with.

 ❥Wordcount: 1008

❥A/N: While I fill out most of the Marshall Lee requests, I also wanted to write something for one of the mostly forgotten bad guys.

❥Taglist: @foxpearlwilder

With a bounty hunter as skilled as him, it's no wonder he'd knock out everyone in the room faster than you can say Mississippi. Gunshots ring out from every direction like an endless rain of projectiles, but it's never been an issue for Scorcher when he transforms into a cloud of ash that indiscriminately fazes through bullets and chokes a couple of his attackers in the process. Those who caught a glimpse of his entire body only saw bright eyes within dark red before going black. The mission at hand is similar to many others in that it involves collecting the bounty of a wanted individual, in this case a criminal leader who is fully armed and guarded, but it's nothing this veteran bounty hunter can't handle. Throughout this entire ordeal, a phone begins to ring from Scorcher's pocket; typically, he would ignore calls at work, but this is his personal phone, and he is unable of ignoring it because it only means one thing. "Hi honey, I'm at the supermarket and there are potatoes on sale; would you like them baked or fried for dinner?" a polite but indecisive voice on the phone asks.

Scorcher weighs his options even when a bodyguard comes charging at him with a knife, to which he twists the guy's hand behind his back, forcing the blade out of his grasp, eventually shoving the person out of the way as he answers. "Both." His tone is short but firm, unlike the person on the phone. "Alright! I'll see you later. Byeee." The other person on the line hangs up, leaving Scorcher to continue working.

With only confident strides, the bounty hunter entered the boss's office after the last bodyguard was withdrawn from service. He barely opened the door with a side step as a bullet hole bursts into the wooden door beside him, Scorcher unfazed despite his cowering target literally backed right into the corner as he continued shooting rounds at the unstoppable bounty hunter, the empty shotgun clicked pathetically with Scorcher right behind the crime boss with his dagger to his throat

"Please, I'll give you anything!" The boss begs for his life by offering all of his riches and valuables, but nothing is more valuable to Scorcher than a job well done. Well, aside from his other biggest treasure.

He readies his blade for the final strike, but it misses its mark when the phone in his pocket vibrates. Without averting his beady eyes from the mafia leader, Scorcher answers the phone with one hand while holding onto the blade with the other. "Hi honey! sorry to bother you again but can you come pick me up at the grocery store? it started raining and I didn't bring an umbrella with me." the caller asks apologetically. Scorcher doesn't verbally respond but the positive grunt was all the confirmation needed. "Be there in five." he adds before hanging up once more.

The last thing you hear before hanging up on him was a pained shout immediately cut short, you weren't new to your boyfriend's line of work so you shrugged it off as you contemplate the rain right outside the grocery store, shuffling your weight side to side as you wait.

The doorknob shuffles a bit as you nonchalantly discuss your day, he isn't the most talk active person but he's a great listener. "...And then I asked the cashier when would they start selling tangerines and she told me that they should be available by next month since that's when the season starts but if you ask me it should start way sooner with all the rain we've been getting. Either way enough about me, how was your day?" you turn your attention to your boyfriend carrying the groceries with a single arm, not only is he strong but also taller than the average person to the point he has to crouch down before entering your shared safe house. "Good," he states by placing the groceries on the kitchen table. His profession has made him plenty of enemies so he had this house specifically built for you. Scorcher didn't have his height taken into account because it was made just for you, but after you persuaded him that you would feel more safer with him around, he was unable to refuse your request to move in.

"That's always nice to hear." you place your own bag alongside the kitchen counter, mainly the stuff you need to make dinner. You're minding your own business by washing the potatoes your bought earlier but the tall presence behind you grabs hold of the vegetables next to you by the counter, you smile to yourself, placing your hand on his. "How sweet of you but I can imagine you're exhausted from work, let me take care of dinner while you lay down a bit okay?" you bring up in a soft tone that makes it impossible for him to decline, Scorcher leans down to place a kiss on your forehead before leaving you alone with the cooking ingredients.

As the cooking utensils and pots begin to clang from the kitchen, Scorcher takes the chance to take out the crystal-like device from his pocket and project a hologram that looks a lot like a laptop monitor. He then throws himself into the couch and calls his company to let them know about today's work. He also unwinds by browsing social media in general, keeping up with what his colleagues are up to and offering his services to possible employers. You carefully move to the side to get behind Scorcher, but there's no way to sneak up on this skilled man. Before you could react, he whirled around and drew you into an embrace, which made you burst out laughing. "I was gonna say that dinner is ready, do you wanna eat first or take a shower?"

Scorcher nuzzles into your neck, prompting you to laugh once more. He may not talk much but when he does it sends shivers down your spine. "Depends, are you for dessert?"

[runningfrom2am]

on the one screen in my town: four

summary:

mason’s life with drew was absolutely perfect, she was happier than ever; until everything came crashing down all at once.

tags/warnings:

drew starkey x fem!popstar!oc, drug and alcohol use, addiction, death, grief, these tags are not exhaustive, idk i'll add to this as it goes on.

wc: 1.9k

disclaimer!!: this part contains a song which i DID NOT WRITE** this is an amazing song by my mother, taylor swift, called “bigger than the whole sky” (i’ll link it here) so yeah i’m NOT claiming to have come up with the lyrics or any of the song AT ALL it just fit the vibes and this is all for fun :)

series masterlist

masterlists

Drew hears the echoing of their piano through the halls of their Charleston house as he sits in his office, trying to finalize all the legal documents and contracts of vendors for their wedding. It's hard when the wedding has been postponed, many of their deposits no longer valid. Not that it matters to him much, but it would be nice to be able to give them a solid date to stick to.

He sighs as he gets up, tiptoeing down the hall, careful not to step on any creaky floorboards as he gets closer to the music. He presses his back to the wall, wanting to listen without bothering Mason. He peeks inside, and the room is in the state it's been for months- papers and blankets everywhere, clothes and abandoned coffee mugs scattered on every imaginable surface. Her "writers cave", as she had jokingly called it before, now looks just as depressing as it sounds.

"Did some bird flap its wings over in Asia?"

He hears the soft tones of her voice now that he's close enough. She was singing so quiet he could hardly pick it up over the sound of the piano, even being so close.

"Did some force take you because I didn't pray..."

The song Mason wrote in the wake of her breakup with Brady all those years ago has now taken on an entirely different meaning for both of them. Drew can hear the shakiness in her voice, the lyrics just slow and torturous enough to leave her attached to the words. Her mother has been gone for months now, and she is doing better with her grief, but Drew can't help but feel like he's mourning not just the woman who would have been his mother-in-law, but also the woman who was meant to be his wife.

It's a beautiful song, and it does take Drew a minute to wrack his mind for its title, placing a weight in his chest when he remembers just as Mason reaches the chorus.

"Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. You were bigger than the whole sky..."

She plays it slower, pushing the keys down harder, more frustrated that she couldn't get the notes just right as her voice shakes, and more frustrated that the association of the song has changed at all. Drew jumps as she slams her hands on the keys, swiping the sheet music onto the floor and turning on the bench. She freezes when she sees him in the doorway, no longer trying to hide. "Honey, hi.." She sighs, standing up and plastering on a smile.

"Frustrated?" He asks, gesturing to the papers scattered across the floor. He knew she didn't need them when she played, he wondered why they were even there.

"Yeah, sorry." Mason chuckles, walking up to him and sliding her arms around his waist in a hug.

"That's okay." He says softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head as he hugs her back. "We've got that dinner and party tonight, are you sure you want to go?."

"I want to go." Mason insists. It's a casual get together with Drew's OBX cast mates, and they promised they would go. It will be the first time he's seen them since the series finished filming relatively recently, and Mason wouldn't want to take that from him. "Besides, I feel like I'm rotting away in this room. I've got to get out." She chuckles, looking around at the messy space.

"Alright. We don't have to stay long, just make an appearance and talk to a few people and then we'll come back, yeah?" Drew says, not wanting to push her, but he does really want her to go, to get out and see their friends who he knows she's very comfortable with. After all, him and Este have been planning this night for a month now.

Mason nods a little against his chest, pulling out of his arms and gently patting his shoulder as she brushes past him, going to start getting ready.

She's eased herself back into events and public appearances slowly, understanding that life must go on- somehow. Especially when she has so many people waiting on her, looking up to her, even if they've kept what happened almost totally private. Besides their close friends and family, including their friends on the cast- which is the only thing Mason is dreading about this.

"I'm scared they're going to be weird." She says to her fiancé as he drives them towards the restaurant.

"What do you mean?" He asks, tilting his head a little bit as he focusses on the road, one hand on her thigh in the passengers seat.

"I haven't seen them since before mom passed- I just don't want things to be like... different. I don't know." Mason sighs.

"They'll be fine." Drew assured her. "Besides, if you're even a little bit uncomfortable, we'll leave. Just tell me and we'll go, okay?"

Mason nods, swallowing as they pull up to the building. At least it's her favourite restaurant, and she knows she can have her favourite food, if nothing else good comes from the night. They park in the back lot, ready to go in through the back door of the space which is closed to the public for the night. She hops out and grabs her bag from the floor of the vehicle, along with a few gift bags she put together for everyone in the main cast. She couldn't make it to the official wrap party, so she wanted to say congratulations to them all while she had everyone in one place.

Drew wraps his arm around her shoulder as they walk up to the building, giving her a gentle squeeze as the door is opened for them and they walk in. It's dark, and quiet, and Mason chuckles a little in confusion as Drew leaves her side, and suddenly the colourful lights flick on- giving the girl a semblance of vision in the previously pitch black restaurant.

"Happy birthday Mason!" A cheering fills her ears as she processes all their friends standing in front of them as all the tables are cleared. A smile crossed her face and she laughs, shocked too see that this is all for her.

"Happy birthday, love." Drew is with her again, reaching for the bags in her arms. "Here, let me take these..." As soon as her arms are free there's someone throwing their arms around her shoulders.

"It's not even my birthday." Mason chuckles, hugging her best friend back.

"Oh please, it's close enough, Mace." Este replies, rubbing her back. "We just love you, and want you to feel celebrated."

"Thank you, Este." She whispered, pulling away carefully with a weak smile on her face. There was only a few days before her birthday, and she had completely pushed the idea of it out of her mind.

"Now, come on, let's get you a drink!" Este is quickly ushering Mason along, not wanting to give her a chance to overthink anything.

Drew chuckles as they quickly walk off, placing the bags of gifts for his cast mates on a table pushed up against the wall.

"Drew." Madelyn grabs his attention and he turns around to look at her.

"Hey, Mads, how are you?" He smiles, giving her a quick hug.

"I'm good! Thank you for inviting us." She smiles, resting a hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"Uh, I'm good! Yeah. Everything's great. Well, good. We're going day by day." He shrugs, knowing what she was really asking.

"Good. That's really the best you can do." Madelyn nods, looking over her shoulder at Mason and Este at the bar. "Is Mace doing okay? I've reached out but she doesn't want to talk much."

Drew sighs as he follows her eyes over to his fiancé. "Yeah, I mean, she doesn't want to talk to anyone these days. Please, don't take it personally."

"No, no of course not. That's what I assumed." Madelyn nods, watching as JD and Rudy greeted Mason with a hug, careful of the drink in her hand. "If I can ask, any updates on the wedding?"

Drew shakes his head, looking down now. "Not really. She just wants to keep pushing it back and back."

Madelyn furrows her brow, detecting the frustration hidden in his tone, even with his slightly half-hearted laugh. "She'll be ready one day- but I get it. I couldn't imagine having to plan a wedding without my mom. Forget standing there on the best day of my life knowing my mom isn't there to celebrate with me." She frowns, shaking her head just at the idea of it. "Just, be patient with her."

"I know..." Drew agrees quietly. "I'm trying, truly."

"She's lucky to have you." Madelyn smiles at him, patting his shoulder again.

At that, she walks off to greet Mason, watching her words carefully and trying to be as normal as possible. Este made it so clear to the group before the couple arrived that they need to be mindful about what they say about her mom. After all, they had all written up and signed a card for her when they first heard the news, so follow-up conversation about the topic at her birthday party was hardly necessary.

Mason was quick to hand out the gifts she brought for everyone, and after she opened all of hers, Drew had them sent out to the car while they said their goodbyes. Mason had fun the last couple hours, but just wanted to get home by this point.

They step outside, and unfortunately are greeted by cameras flashing at them from the outside of the makeshift barricade.

"Mason! Did you call off the engagement?" Someone shouts, and she just shakes her head, keeping it down as they beeline for their vehicle.

"Mason! How are you coping with your moms death?" A different voice yells, seemingly upset that they're all just being ignored.

"Just get in the car." Drew mumbles to her, keeping his arm protectively around her side until he could open the door for her, quickly closing it.

"Drew! Does it bother you that she keeps moving the wedding?" He tries to ignore all the shouting as he makes it to the drivers side.

"Drew, are you feeling lucky you won't have to put up with a mother-in-law?" The follow up question comes and he snaps, slamming the door he had just opened to get in and pacing angrily over to the photographer.

"Hey! Watch your mouth or you'll never sell another picture again- hear me?" He shouts, getting up in their face as cameras flash at him from seemingly every direction. "Leave us alone- I swear you'll regret it if you don't."

He shakes out his clenched fist and turns to walk away, not wanting to make more of a scene than he already has. He's quick to get in the vehicle and slam the door again, quickly turning it on as Mason hides the tears streaming down her face with one of the gift bags.

Security blocks off the group of people so they could exit safely, driving home to escape reality for a while again.

taglist: @bookishbabyyy @madelynie, @whore-4-drewstarkey, @slut4drudy, @winterrrnight, @totalswag, @sadfury @fullfledgedemo @rafemotherfuckingcameron, @urfaveluvr, @alimaythings, @chenslucy, @s-we-e-t-t-ea, @tahliac11, @ragingsammie, @suzyheartsrafe, @dee127

join my taglist here

[snippychicke]

For the Sake of a Smile (V.2) Chapter Sixteen

Title: For the Sake of a Smile (Revised)

Overall Rating: Mature (18+)

Chapter Rating: M for Mature. We've begun the 18+ content

Trigger warnings: Nothing beyond the child abuse hinted in the series, though we do explore the consequences a bit more.

Main Pairing: Balam Shichiro/Reader

Summary: Hell on earth was your motto for your job. Granted, you were pretty sure earth really was hell, considering the shit you had seen in your life. And the fact your coworker was a child. 

A child named Suzuki Iruma, in fact. A kid who’s life was decidedly worse than yours, but yet he smiled despite everything. It wasn’t long after meeting him that you decided you’d do a lot for his smile. Including summoning a literal demon and signing your soul away.

But as it turns out, hell (The Netherworld, actually) was a lot better than living on earth. Demons were more humane than a lot of humans you knew.

And Iruma’s smile wasn’t the only one that would change your life.

Masterlist | Ao3| Mairimashitai! Simps Discord

"...and then Purson started talking, and he didn't quit," Iruma explained in between bites of food. "He went from not saying a word to talking more with one breath than I thought was possible."

You recalled the lavender-haired child that you frequently saw tagging along with the rest of the Misfit class; he was quiet with an unusual apathetic expression on his face. Yet every time you went to ask if he was okay, he'd disappear into literal thin air.

Now, hearing Iruma's story, it made far more sense than the 'apparition haunting the library' like you had been leaning to believe. 

"And then it turns out he's the Pixie! You know, the mysterious trumpet player?"

You, Sullivan, and even Opera nodded. Everyone at Babyls knew about the trumpet player that announced the end of the school day with their vibrant and usually quick-tempo pieces.

"He has to be part of our musical!" Iruma continued with firm conviction. "Not just because he and Elizabetta need to rank up two ranks, but because he deserves the recognition!" 

His determined expression and conviction was heartwarming and inspiring. However, it was also partially ruined by his cheeks puffed with food, reminding you strongly of a hamster hoarding its food.

Well, maybe not not ruined. But the adorable picture Iruma created definitely outshone his words. 

"Why don't you focus on eating now, and plan later," You offered, biting back a smile while Opera pushed the tray laden full of desserts closer to him. Iruma eagerly accepted the idea and helped himself to some of his favorite pudding.

"What about you?" Sullivan asked, turning towards with an innocent smile. "Anything interesting happened today?"

You stared at your food acutely aware of everyone's attention now focused on you, full of expectation. You had heard the rumors that had circulated when Shichiro was late for his class, which had been the Misfits of all classes. 

You knew that this confrontation was inevitable, but you had yet to figure out how to deal with it. Your instinct was to deny, deny, deny, but… you knew that wouldn't work.

Besides, Shichiro was nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, just thinking about him fills you with a sense of warmth and happiness.

You just… didn't want to share how far your relationship had progressed over the lunch hour. Even if you replayed it repeatedly in your head all afternoon. And had plans recalling every detail when you had time to yourself tonight.

"I mean, I already told you guys we started courting," You said as you stabbed at the eel-like meat. "So of course we're going to spend time together when we can. We just… kinda lost track of time."  

"My baby girl is growing up so fast!" Sullivan cried happily, as if completely oblivious to how not-so-innocent your words sounded. Or, perhaps, oddly delighted considering his next statement. "Soon, I'll be able to hear the little click-clack of tiny clawed feet running around! And my beloved grandson will be a big brother!"

"Dad!" You protested, feeling yourself turn red at the implication. 

You forced that thought away and glanced over to Iruma, a little worried about his reaction to Sullivan's words. After all, he finally had a family he deserved - and you could completely understand if the thought of having to share his family would cause some… issues. 

You could easily imagine being in his place, and the thought of having to share your newfound family would make you very jealous and even angry. 

Except the boy was grinning excitedly, obviously not at all bothered by the idea. Part of you relaxed as you realized he wasn't hiding any pain or anger at the thought.

But still… "We just started courting! Literally yesterday!" You protested as you turned back to your adoptive father. "It's far too soon to think about… about…" 

Children. Babies. With Shichiro.

Taking his huge girth in a different way. 

"Big brother?" Iruma asked, still obviously excited though there was a slight hint of confusion in his eyes. (And thankfully derailing your thoughts, preventing them from going much farther). 

"Look, Shichiro and I haven't had any kind of discussion about this," You stated softly yet firmly, hoping to end the conversation. "And I really think it's too early to start daydreaming about any kids."

Iruma was persistent as he slowly made his way to your side. "But, if you do… I'll be their big brother?"

You gave him a slight frown, confused by his question. Wasn't it obvious? "Well, yeah? Of course."

You soon ended up being tackled by Iruma as well as Sullivan. You squawked in an undignified manner, feeling rather squished between the two.

And then Opera draped themself over your shoulders; a picture in their hand to show you.

It was a photo of a young boy with white fluffy hair smiling at the camera while holding a small lizard creature towards the photographer. You could barely see long, large, too big for his body chick-feet - which made the picture even more adorable. It took you a moment to realize it was a very young Shichiro before whatever caused his scar.

A small squee escaped your throat despite your best efforts as your maternal instincts reared its head, temporarily overcoming your common sense.

He was just so cute!!! It causes your heart to squeeze unexpectedly, lost in those wide dark eyes both so similar and different from present-day Shichiro.

For a brief moment, you could easily see yourself mothering a few mini-Shichiros; those big feet and fluffy hair and that adorable smile, and then Iruma happily helping out and playing with his younger siblings - because he would be an amazing big brother. He'd be so kind and attentive as an older brother, showing interest in whatever they were playing with and carefully teaching them life lessons....

Oh. Devi. They had successfully corrupted you.

"Now dear, you need to cinch the deal and offer him something in return," Sullivan explained as he finally pulled back, a glint in his eye as if he knew your thoughts. "Show him you're just as serious about being in a committed relationship by giving him an Offering of your own." 

"Wait, what?!" 

--+--

Hours later found you no longer floating on cloud nine, but clutching to a plushie as you hid in a blanket fort that you and Iruma had built in your room.

Ever since Iruma's confession about missing the good part of the old days, you had made sure to set time aside at least a few nights a week for just you and him to spend time together. Which sometimes meant building a blanket fort in either his room or yours, and hiding away with plenty of tea, cookies, and occasionally one of the video game consoles to play.

Tonight though, it was just a flashlight keeping the fort lit and a small army of plushies as you brainstormed on the information Sullivan had dumped on you. 

"I have no idea what to get him!" You admitted with a whine as you buried your face in the pink monster plush, feeling less like a mother at the moment and more like a big sister. But, you didn't exactly have anyone else to talk to, and Iruma seemed unbothered by the topic of conversation.

In fact, he had a thoughtful expression on his face as he mulled over your words, squishing his own green frog-like plush. "I think he'll love whatever you get him, really."

"Maybe," You agreed reluctantly. "But… I really want to, you know, impress him." 

You looked at the bracelet on your wrist, which had mostly returned to its normal state. Shichiro had admitted that it had been an impulsive gift, but you loved the uniqueness of it.

You had to reciprocate. 

To your surprise, Iruma giggled. "Mom, I think you're stressing over nothing."

"They're customs are different!" You argued. "What if I fail some sort of standard? What if I do something that’ll make him hate me? Give him something that's rude, or inappropriate, or--"

"Mom, it's Balam," He calmed you, nudging you slightly and stopping your downward spiral. "He knows we're human. And really, it may be a bit different, but I hardly think it's that different. We've made it this far without any issues!"

You huffed, part of you admitting he had a valid point, but at the same time some intrinsic part of you was defiant and insisting that you were going to screw everything up.

"... have you ever dated before?" Iruma offered after a moment, striking at one of the core issues. You hadn't. You had never really been in a position where you felt comfortable to open yourself to another person like this. Sure there were one night stands and casual hook ups, but none that you had wanted to have a long, actual relationship with. 

Which was a big thing that still terrified you on some level. 

Your silence was proof enough for Iruma. The boy sighed, "And all I know are from books and manga…"

You smiled despite yourself. How have you been blessed with such a sweet boy? "Well, we've both had rather hellish lives until…"

"We were adopted by a demon lord and started living in the Netherworld?" Iruma finished with an amused tone.

"Exactly."

Iruma perked up, "Hey! Why don't you give him something from Earth?"

"How? We have no way of getting back." Though the idea was tempting. Knowing Shichiro, he would be elated with anything from Earth. Even if it was a handful of weeds or something like an ant farm.

"Did you bring anything with you?" Iruma asked, awakening an old memory. You did have your purse with you when Sullivan brought you here. So many months had passed since then, however, you honestly had no idea what might be in there.

You scrambled out of the blanket fort and made a bee-line for your closet. You dug to the back of the walk-in where your earth items were stored in a simple box, with your old shirt and pants lay on top. Opera initially wanted to burn them because of the blood and ink from your Summoning ritual - along with the other various stains - but you had protested enough that they had relented.

It… had been one of your best outfits before. Now, you could understand why Opera wanted to trash it as you looked at it. The outfits you wore when you helped with chores looked ten-times nicer. You wouldn't even want to wear the outfit to muck the nightmares' stable.

It was a stark reminder how much your life had improved.

Iruma reached you after you found your purse and was digging through it. But all that was in there were some cheap sunglasses, feminine supplies (which you no longer needed, thanks to the miracle of magic potions to quell your cycle), a few stray bills and coins (the remains of your savings, now absolutely useless), an old tattered book you had bought at a second hand store (well loved and showing the wear and tear of being shoved into your bag), a couple of rocks you had seen and thought they were neat, a thick keyring full of keys you needed for work, some very dried out bubblegum, and half-used lip balm.

Nothing that struck you as something worthy of a gift. In fact, they felt more like harsh reminders of a time when all of these items meant so much to you. So much so that you had to carry them everywhere. 

Now they seemed so utterly trivial and useless.

You sighed in defeat, slumping against the wall and allowing Iruma to sort through the items. What you wouldn't give for something like a biology book. Or a plant of any kind, even a dandelion or tuft of grass.

Would - could - Sullivan allow you to return just to grab something from your old home? Surely there would be something there Shichiro would love….

"I think the books and rocks would be good," Iruma said, holding the items up. "He would like those."

An argument sat on your tongue, looking at the book-- a cute romance story to be sure, but it certainly  wasn't anything really thrilling. And the three rocks were barely bigger than pebbles but caught the light and sparkled faintly, which is why they had caught your attention.

But, you really didn't have any better ideas. And they were from Earth. Would that be enough?

"...if I can't find anything else," You agreed with a sigh, and hoped Shichiro would feel like the meaning of the gesture meant more than the gifts themselves. 

--+--

By the next morning you hadn't thought of a better idea - let alone find something you thought would be more impressive to give to Shichiro as an offering.

So you tucked the book and stones in a small box, then hid them away in your bag as you waited for Shichiro's lunch period. While the morning was filled with helping various first-year classes prepare for the music festival, it still seemed to drag on as you kept worrying about his reaction.

Would he appreciate the gesture? Or would he find it anticlimactic?

Lunch approached, and you went to the cafeteria to pick-up a meal you knew Shichiro enjoyed before making your way to his Prep Room.

Despite your nerves, his office still felt like a safe and cozy space to you. You set down the tray on the coffee table before heading towards one of the many bookshelves to keep yourself distracted while you waited.

If there was a reason behind his own arrangement, it was beyond you. But to be fair, many of the books here were beyond those in the library as well, focusing on advanced subjects in biology--both for creatures as well as botany.

Though in the Netherworld, the line between the two was far more blurred than with earthly plants and animals.

A small chirp caught your attention. You looked up to the mass of vines covering the ceiling, and saw a pair of yellow spiraled eyes looking down at you. 

"Hey baby," You coo'd up at Nigyul, currently the size of a large housecat, smiling softly as you recalled Shichiro's words from the day before. "Are you standing guard up there while papa's out?"

Nigyul chirped again, and before you knew it; he jumped from the vines, apparently trusting you would catch him. Which you did - as well as have a heart attack while you instinctively clutched him to your chest, the breath knocked from your lungs at the sudden weight.

His wide yellow eyes peered up at you, quite calm and maybe happy as he settled in your arms. "You little devil," You sighed after a moment, letting out a breath you didn't realize you had been holding. "Giving me a heart attack. I am not your papa, I am not used to things like that, okay?"

He merely blinked at you, causing you to sigh once more as you shifted to scratch his head. "You're lucky you're so cute, you know? I would say something about looking like an overgrown weed, but you actually are, so…" He gave another chirp - as if he was agreeing with you, making you grin and give into the impulse to nuzzle your nose against his snout.

"Yes, you're a very adorable overgrown weed. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who's told you that. Knowing Shichiro, he's told you plenty of times as well." 

"I have, actually," Shichiro agreed, making you freeze. You slowly looked over your shoulder to where the demon was leaning against the bookcase; rather amused, judging by the crinkled corners of his eyes.

"How long have you been there?" You squeaked, almost sounding like Nigyul.

"I saw him jump down," He offered, making you blush.

"So… you heard all of that?"

"I did," He confirmed, sounding rather pleased. He shifted and walked towards you, easily wrapping his arms around you to look over your shoulder down at the dragon before he murmured quietly, "I…I really like hearing you call me Shichiro."

Your heart seemed to do a series of flips as he focused on the wooden-dragon. "And you need to behave. No giving our lady heart attacks, okay?"

Nigyul chirped again, leaning into Shichiro's hand when the demon stroked the long wild mane as you struggled with your heart pounding between his admission, the term 'our lady' along with his arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you close to him.

"I, uh, brought lunch?" You offered, your voice still a squeak. "I also kinda-got-you-a-gift." The words came out as a rush as you buried your face in Nigyul's mane, breathing in the musty scent of a forest after a heavy rain in an attempt to calm yourself.

"A gift?" He asked, tone full of surprised happiness.

"Mmhmm," You hummed without moving away from Nigyul. "Um, I guess it's customary from what Dad told me?"

His arm tightened fractionally around you, his voice dropping slightly in a way that sent pleasant shivers down your spine. "An offering?"

"Yeah?"

Nigyul moved suddenly, jumping out of your arms and onto the bookcase before climbing up to the thicket of vines. You had no time to react as Shichiro picked you up a split-second later, easily shifting you in his arms so your legs straddled his waist as you were suddenly eye-level with him.

"You have an offering. For me," He repeated, disbelieving as you automatically gripped his shoulders. 

"Was… I not supposed to?" You swore that was what Sullivan had said, but maybe you misunderstood him?

"No - I mean, yes, that is traditional, I just… I wasn't expecting anything," He explained, flustered. You could see pink creeping into his cheeks above his mask.

"It may not be as grand as you're thinking," You warned, fingers mindlessly striking the feathers covering his shoulders as you avoided his gaze. "I didn't know what to get, and well - Iruma convinced me that giving you something from Earth would be a good idea, but all I have was, well, you'll see…"

Shichiro said your name with such tenderness as his gloved fingers touched your cheek. "No matter what it is, I will cherish it. It's the fact that you are giving me something that means the most to me."

You could see the signs of a smile around his eyes, and hesitated only for a moment before reaching up to unlatch his mask; fingers easily finding the small clasps. You could feel him freeze, holding his breath as you pulled the metal away carefully.

"I-I like your smile," You admitted. "I wanted to be able to see it properly."

The surprised look on his face shifted into a smile you barely saw a hint of before he buried his face in the space between your neck and shoulder.

"Are you…embarrassed?" You said as he continued to hide his face.

"Maybe?" He mumbled against your skin, sending goosebumps traveling down your spine. "No one's said that before."

You softened and played with his hair, knowing he enjoyed that, though maybe not as much as during his molt. "I do," You confessed. "I love it when you smile, and I like being able to see it even more."

Shichiro looked up, his nose brushing yours as he rested his forehead against yours. "Devi, you're so perfect. And whatever you brought is perfect as well."

You rolled your eyes despite the smile on your face and the warmth in your chest, "Shichiro, open it first before calling it perfect. You don't even know what it is."

He shifted you in his arms to carry you instead of setting you down, causing giggles to erupt as he made his way to where the simple black box sat next to the food (that was growing cold, easily forgotten yet again). It was apparent that if you thought his skin-ship habit was intense before, you had been sorely mistaken. He made it obvious he wasn't letting go as he settled on the couch before the coffee table and perched you on his lap.

He handled the box gently, carefully opening the lid to reveal the book and three stones nestled inside. Seeing the simple objects made you feel even more awkward. He was going to realize how stupid and silly your offering was, and…

"Amazing," He breathed as he tenderly took the items out. "An actual human manuscript! And rocks! From earth!"

"It's a romance story," You supplied pessimistically, "And they're little more than pebbles."

"I forgot - you can read this, can't you?" He asked as he flipped through the yellowed pages, which surprised you before remembering Sullivan's spell when you first arrived.

"I forgot that you couldn't," You replied honestly, feeling foolish. Iruma had explained that was the basis of how his and Ameri's friendship started--her fascination with 'the forbidden texts' that she couldn't read.

Which was also a cute romance story, now that you thought about it.

Shichiro was quiet, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought. You enjoyed the serious expression, because it was rather cute and also tended to lead in interesting conversations. "Do humans have more than one language--and I don't mean different regional dialects, but a different language."

"Oh yeah," You answered off-handedly, rather thankful for the topic change. "There's easily hundreds - maybe thousands - of different languages. And there's different alphabets and such too, some of which look completely different from the others."

"But if your world is more peaceful, why use so many?"

You sighed, leaning into him a little more, "That… is a very heavy and philosophical question. But honestly, it's not as peaceful as you dream it to be. We may not have the same threats as the Netherworld does, but it's far from a utopia."

Shichiro was quiet as he rolled the stones in one hand, the clacks echoing through the room.

"Do you wish to return?"

You shifted in his lap, able to see the worried expression on his face so clearly with his mask missing. You remembered the conversation from before, of when you thought about how everything would be better if you did. Not for yourself, but for Iruma and everyone else. 

But now….

"No," You stated firmly, cupping his cheek. "I am so much happier here. My life… Iruma was my only joy back on Earth to the point I gave up everything to find him when he went missing. But here… he's not the only thing that makes me happy. Even if, for some impossible reason, he wanted to return to Earth, I would stay here."

His shoulders slumped with relief, and you realized he must have been worrying about that possibility. You leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips to try and reassure him more.

He accepted and returned the gesture with a surprising amount of desire. Your hands ran from his cheek, down his neck before bracing against his broad shoulders while his hands settled almost hesitantly - touch feather-light. You were a moment away from reaching his hand to press it more firmly to your curves - desperate for the heavy weight of his large hands - when the scream of the class bell broke the silence.

Ah. Right. You reluctantly pulled away from his lips, though remained close enough your breath mingled with his. "I suppose you have class…"

"I do," He sighed, playing with your hair. "Unfortunately. However, my class is just next door…"

"Shichiro!" You laughed, about to argue his implication before he silenced you with a kiss. His fingers gripping you firmly as you shifted, holding you in place.

"Five more minutes," He stated - or maybe plead - between kisses. And well, you really couldn't argue with that.

Although…. "If you end up late to class again, you know we're never going to hear the end of it." 

--+-- Su-Ki-Ma--+--

"Hey Clara, what's it like having younger siblings?"

The green-haired demon blinked at Iruma's question before grinning.

"It's super-duper fun! Granted, when they're itty-bitty they like to cry a lot, but when they get older you get to play all sorts of games with them! And you can teach them all sorts of things! Like when I taught my brothers how to do the Char-Char dance!" She jumped up to show the other two the dance, though it wasn't anything like the choreography that Kerori was trying to teach them. It was wild and chaotic such that would only befit a fast-pace tempo.

"Why are you wondering about younger siblings, Master Iruma?" Asmodeus asked after politely applauding Valac's dance (though he would refrain from ever calling it that.)

The boy flushed as he scratched his neck. "Just, uh, the conversation the other day at home. I realized that someday, I might become a big brother." His usual smile faded slightly as he looked up at the sky through the canopy of the tree they were lounging under. "I've never had siblings before, and I haven't spent a lot of time around little kids either. So, as exciting as the idea is, I'm kinda nervous about it."

"Oh! Iruma-kins can come over to my house!" Clara eagerly offered. "You know my baby sibs! You can have plenty of practice there!"

"I-I have younger cousins that live with me," Asmodeus quickly interjected, not wanting to miss out on the opportunity. "They would be great practice as well! Not that you would need much, Master Iruma! You've already proven that you'll be great with younger demons."

Iruma turned red as he smiled shyly. "Do you think so?"

"Absolutely!" Both demons exclaimed at the same time.

"No matter what, any demon that has you for an older brother will be highly honored," Asmodeus continued.

"Yeah! And they'll also have me and Az-Az!" Clara clapped. "And we can be their big sister and brother too!"

The thought made Iruma relax into a grin. He wouldn't have to figure out what it meant to be a big brother by himself; he'd have his friends by his side. He'd have you, too. After all - before you had officially adopted him, he had seen you as a big sister.

Along with Grandpa, Opera, and everyone else really. Both Sabnock and Kerori had younger siblings, while Jazz and Lied had older siblings. Surely - between them - he'd figure out how to be a good brother.

[penncilkid]

Hello hello! My name is PK and I'm a fervent enjoyer of non-canon ships. I'm not a fic writer exactly but I've been told "Where's the fic OP" twice now by my friends. So I thought I'd format one of my fic-adjacent ramble sessions for Tumblr!

Pairing: Milo/David [No Sweetheart or Angel, wanted to go easy on myself] [MDNI*] [Let's call this "canon reminiscent /lh]

Word Count: 3.2 K

*(I wouldn't consider this smut by any means but there's a few lines that make me want to add this as a tag)

[As a reminder, I diverge from canon quite a bit with this. This is just one route I could see leading to Milo and David getting together]

My vision for this pair is that they start getting closer in a more than just friends way a little bit after Gabe dies. Not immediately because have some decorum, but it would start during that transition period for David as Alpha. Asher is trying his best to help but is also grappling with the whole Beta thing, so he feels like he's in a complex position. But him and Milo can see that David's not doing great so Milo's like "Fine, I'll bite the bullet" and tries to confront David about it.

At first it's subtle, asking David if he needs help with something, if he wants anyone from the pack to stay after for meetings, if he wants them to pick up a shift so he can have the day off, etc. But David is too stubborn to accept any of it so he keeps brushing them off. This ends up culminating in a "fight" one day where Milo again tries to make an offer that David shoots down. Milo sort of snaps and is like "Alright, what the fuck gives? Why are you acting like you're too good to get help anymore, David?" David says he doesn't know what he's talking about, Milo calls bullshit. It doesn't turn into a screaming match but it's enough of a heated argument that Milo storms out of the den.

In the days following, Milo either calls out sick, switches shifts with people, anything to avoid seeing David. David brushes it off, thinking he's got more important things to worry about if Milo's going to throw a fit. But of course, Ash being Ash means this stuff can't fly for long, so he tells both David and Milo that he needs help with something at an odd time of day and then "coincidentally" doesn't show up. When Milo gets to the den, he's real tempted to get back in his car and leave. It's a mix of still being a little frustrated with David and being embarrassed that this "fight" has gone on for as long as it has. He walks up to David (who was waiting outside for Asher) and is like "Lemme guess, you're waiting for Ash?" "How did you...?" "Fucker told me the same thing."

They do some lighthearted bitching about their friend, which eases the tension. There's a bit of silence and right as Milo gets ready to apologize for speaking out of turn, David apologizes first. He acknowledges that Milo was right in what he said and that he's been struggling with everything changing, but he hasn't wanted it to show on the outside. Milo makes a light jab at David, "Alright well did you really expect that to go over my head? C'mon, David, we've known each other since we were kids. Gimme some credit" To make up for it, the two of them go out to eat, all that's chill. Cut to when Milo gets home, maybe has a drink or two as he's winding down. David sends him a message, confirming he made it home alright (because I've always latched onto the idea that he's super attentive to that given what happened with Gabe). Milo sends David a quick reply and wonders why seeing that message made him feel some type of way (romantic? Who knows, not Milo that's for sure /lh)

Now if I remember correctly, the audio where Angel learns about Gabe, it's been around 3 years since his passing. Keeping this in mind and in the spirit of being canon reminiscent, I think around/after this point is when Milo's feelings for David start to really bubble up. They've been building for awhile, much to his dismay. He's trying to play it cool, but his heart's in his damn throat any time David touches him casually or whenever the two of them are assigned to a job together. And he knows it's getting bad enough where he might lose focus, so he swallows his pride and does what he's been avoiding for months, if not years: asking Asher for advice.

"Alright, look: You and me both know that you had a lil crush on David when we were in high school. How the fuck did you get over it? I'm drowning, Ash." If this conversation is happening on the phone or at Asher's place, cue him yelling to Babe that they owe him 20 bucks (because it's funny to me <3). Asher asks Milo why he wants to get over the feelings so bad and Milo's like "'Cause this is David we're talking about." "So what?" "We've got... history. That complicates shit all on its own." "And?" "....Alright fine, and I'm also terrified he's not gonna feel the same. Happy?" Asher is being the little shit that he is, putting his arm around Milo's shoulder. "Listen. If I know David— And believe me, I do— What ya gotta do is be direct. If he doesn't feel the same, that's one thing. But if you even want a chance, you gotta be straight up with him. If you tried to ask him out casually, he'll just assume you're being friendly because that's what you are right now. Friends." Milo takes all this in and is like, "Nope, just gonna shove these feelings down for eternity." "I'll tell Marie—" "I will beat your ass." He knows Asher has a point though. Any idea Milo might've had could be easily construed as them just chilling as friends. But he doesn't really act on anything for awhile.

Now, before we get into the next phase of this, some added backstory: David had a crush on Milo growing up. I'm thinking a little after high school (won't say college necessarily since I don't picture them in college but like, young adulthood phase). He'd always found Milo incredibly attractive and found his boldness admirable in general. David was constantly thinking about what he had to do for others and how to make the pack look good (since he was the Alpha's kid then the pack Beta). Milo always felt incredibly refreshing to be around. But he figured Milo would never be interested in because David's just himself so he eventually got over it. Cut to that argument him and Milo had a few years back. He remembers that night when they made up because dinner had been fine but all he could do was focus on Milo. It felt nice to just hang out with him without the pressures of being Alpha. And he enjoyed listening to him talk about anything because he always had a strong opinion. I think around then is when his past feelings awoke again but there was a new obstacle: He was the Alpha of the pack. It wasn't like before, things were different. He'd never have a chance to pursue Milo without feeling like he had pushed Milo into a corner somehow. So again, he tried his best to push his feelings down, appreciate and value the friendship he had with Milo and leave it at that. It was enough to just have Milo in his life, even if it wasn't going to go any further.

Back to how these two end up together: the Moonbound Solstice. They're all at David's place, everyone's having a good time together. Milo's chilling, talking to someone from the pack when Asher cuts in and is like "Sorry, just gonna steal him for a minute" "Ash, you can't just— AY okay okay I'm coming" They walk off, somewhere far from the kitchen to minimize the risk of David overhearing. In hushed voices: "Alright, so what's the plan?" "Ash, what the fuck are you talking about?" "Milo, it's the Solstice. This is the perfect time to make a move." "Are you out of your damn mind? This is the last place I should be hitting on— On you know who." "What are you talking about it, it's perfect! The whole pack's here, no one would even notice." "Look, he's already got his hands full hosting the Solstice at his own place for a change. I'm just gonna chill and enjoy the night for what it is." Asher is pouting as Milo walks off, immediately thinking of what he can do to help nudge David Milo's way. (Unhinged alt route: Ash giving Milo a flat so he has to stay the night)

Cut to the end of the night, people are heading out and whatnot. David is subtly trying to get people out because he loves his pack but his senses need a break. Asher (+ Babe, package deal) and Milo offer to stay and help clean, and David lets them since it's only a handful of people. Milo's keeping his cool, vibing to the much lower playing music when: "Babe, what do you mean you have a work call you need to take tonight? Can't it wait?" "Sorry, Ash, I need to be home in the next twenty minutes" "Alright. Guess we're heading early." Milo thinks nothing of it until he makes eye contact with Babe. They smile with a sickeningly sweet wave. Those bastards. Before Milo can try to rope Ash into staying somehow, the two of them are gone.

When Milo and David are alone, Milo tries his best to focus on the task at hand because feelings or not, he's not gonna do a shit job at cleaning so David has to clean up after him. Once the bulk of it is done, David mentions that he needs to grab something from upstairs or maybe says he's going to go change out of his clothes (I imagine he put on something better looking but not as comfortable for the solstice). Milo's chill with that, getting his keys, phone, other personal belongings together. He happens to slip into the kitchen though, stealing a bit more of the food David had made for the solstice. While he's stealing (said with love), he hears very close to his ear: "You can take some home if you want." He nearly punches David, gripping his arm as he tries to slow his heart rate. "You tryin' give a guy a heart attack, Shaw (/lh)" because he legit didn't hear David come back downstairs. "Maybe if you weren't busy trying to steal some food, you would've heard me— Greer (/lh)." Milo rolls his eyes with a grin and there's a moment of quiet when he realizes his hand is still on David's arm.

He lets go, clearing his throat, confirming that it's actually cool if he wants to take some of the food home with him. David says sure, giving him a container to fill (or Milo takes whatever the food came in, not sure what I'm picturing David's cooking set-up to be). David walks Milo to the door (as a good host does) and the two of them talk in the doorway for a few minutes about upcoming jobs, responsibilities, all that formal shit. There's another quiet moment as the two of them watch each other. Inside, Milo's like "Alright, no one else is here. This is as good a chance as any." The second he gets ready to ask David out on a more proper date, David instead says "Good night, Milo" and essentially closes the door in his face. Milo stares for a moment before cursing himself in Spanish (my HC), walking to his car and muttering about how "Of course he was just being polite, what the fuck were you thinking?" On the other side of the door, David is groaning into his hands, face warm as he tries to calm down because he came way too close to making a move on Milo.

Intermission (Wow, you're still reading? Damn /pos): I wanted to think of how to push them closer to a confession before they actually get together and eventually settled on "sickfic shenanigans". Insert deliriously sick Milo whose phone died and he can't find a charger for the life of him so David goes over to his place to check on him. Initially, he's trying to get David to leave because "I can handle myself fine". But that doesn't last long because admittedly, he feels like shit and has been for the past 12 hours. The dynamic quickly turns into Milo convincing David to stay then being so sick his filter is hanging on by a thread (/lh). "Why do you have to go rush off so fast?" "Milo, I have a pack to take care of—" "First off, I'm part of the pack— (cue Milo coughing) And second, they'll be fine without their Alpha for a few hours." Milo's playing it off as lighthearted but David can tell he doesn't want to be cooped up inside alone on top of feeling like shit physically. A little later, when Milo's on the verge of falling asleep (as many do while sick), he's like "Y'know, it's fucking wild you don't got a mate, David. Like look at you. Doesn't make sense" David laughs at first, thinking Milo's sick delirious (which he is, but that's affecting his filter, not the validity of his words). He's like "ay, why are you laughing, I'm serious. Look— if I were ya mate, I'd treat ya right. I'd cook, I'd work extra hours so I could see ya, I'd make sure we're the best dressed wherever we go— not to mention, I got a great dick." David writes this off as Milo being sick and spewing nonsense but never forgets the words. Meanwhile, Milo (after getting over the sickness) is convinced he dreamt saying any of that to David.

Back to the present, David's been a bit stressed with work as of late so Asher suggests the pack take a trip/weekend vacation. He says he'll handle figuring everything out, letting David take a backseat this time. They go somewhere, a resort, a hotel, something that involves people having rooms they're staying in. Everyone's having a good time, chilling all day, night rolls around. David's in his room when he realizes he forgot to pack something— can be anything. Toothpaste, a charger, something for his hair, the specifics aren't important. He texts Asher, asking if he has the thing he forgot and Ash is like yeah. David asks Ash which room he's staying in, Ash texts him the room number. David leaves his room, goes there, knocks and waits patiently. Door opens, and who's standing there? Milo, shirtless and in the middle of brushing his teeth or some shit.

David's checking his phone to see if he went to the wrong room but nope, numbers match. "Asher must've made a typo. I just needed to borrow something from him." "Well, what did you need? Maybe I have it." Before David can leave, Milo's busy ushering him in, closing the door so he can finish brushing his teeth before finding what David needs. They're making idle conversation, talking about what they spent their respective days doing. While Milo's talking, David's kind of staring at his back, not processing a word he's saying. Milo turns around and notices and is like "What? Don't tell me there's a bug on me and you didn't say shit? (/lh)" and David is trying to think of a good cover up. Milo tries to lighten the mood, says he's just messing with David before going to find whatever David's looking to borrow. He finds it, hands it over when for a split second, his eyes land on David's crotch. David leaves shortly there after but all night, Milo's like "...That was a boner... why the fuck did he have a boner?" But again, Milo's mind is like "Nah, I'm reading this wrong somehow."

Now, I'm painting a picture: it's the next day, Ash, Milo, David, few others from the pack plan on doing something together while on the trip. Asher gets there a bit late but is somehow on time compared to David, who shows up minutes after (that man was up all night pining). Ash notices Milo's not here yet and has a devious idea (as always). He asks David to go check on Milo so they can go. "Why me?" "You were the last one here, it's only fair. Now shoo." David rolls his eyes but goes, getting to Milo's room, knocking. He can hear Milo's definitely inside because he's cursing and complaining. He knocks again before the door swings open to reveal a mildly disgruntled Milo Greer (my vision is he's in pants and a white tank with his name chain. The in between outfits outfit).

He asks what David is doing there, David explains that Asher sent him to pick up Milo, Milo's like "What time is it— Jesus fucking Christ." The issue at hand is Milo can't find an article of clothing that he swears he put in his bag. He's been trying to get by with alternative options but none of them look the way he wants them to, which is making him quietly lose his shit. David stifles a laugh, to which Milo lasers in on. "And what do you think you're laughing at?" "You haven't changed since we were kids, that's all." Milo scoffs but admittedly, the sentiment puts a smile on his face. Almost immediately after that moment, he finally finds what he was looking for (tucked under something, irrelevant right now). He starts to get ready, pulling his shirt on, buttoning it up but let's say a button or two is fighting him for whatever reason. Without a second thought, David walks up, buttoning it for Milo. Milo's having an internal moment as a result, staring at David's hands then his face. David finishes and looks up to catch Milo staring. He clears his throat, saying something about waiting in the hall when Milo catches his wrist.

"Can I take you out on a date?" "What?" "I don't know what or where yet, but I just— I know this is probably stupid and I'm shooting myself in the foot here, but Asher's gonna kick my ass if I don't do something so— Can I take you out on a date, David?" David's taken aback. "Wait... so you were serious. That time you were sick. All that stuff you said about being a good mate for me." "THAT WASN'T A DREAM?" Cue Milo letting go of David's hand and nearly cursing himself out, running a hand through his hair because now he's mortified. "I can't believe I actually said all that shit to you—" "Did you mean it?" "Huh?" For the first time, David's not looking at Milo like a friend or pack Alpha. The look in his eyes screams pure, unfiltered attraction. "Yes or no, Milo." Milo's face is hot, "Course I meant it. I'd treat you great if you gave me the chance to show you." David steps closer, gripping Milo's face gently and tilting it up towards his. "Show me." Milo grins before pulling David down to him, the kiss they shared far better than the ones he remembered from spin the bottle games they'd played as teens. This kiss felt deeper and closer than that could ever compare. The moment they break away, gasping for air, Milo's busy unbuttoning his shirt. David asks what he's doing, to which Milo replies "I'm about to savor as much time with you as I can before I have to see Asher's smug face. Unless you'd like to explain how your hair became a mess between the time you left to find me and when you get back?" David laughs before pulling Milo to him again.

So yeah, that concludes this fic adjacent ramble (/lh)! I love rarepairs and rambling, so if people enjoy this, I may format some other rambles as they arise. I think I've got some Sam/David tucked away somewhere, so let me know. If you actually read all of this, wow, okay, thank you (/lh /pos)

[beansterpie]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me @marley-manson! <3

I would tag people but it's late and my brain is tired so literally, PLEASE just adopt this tag meme if you see it and read the whole thing. You have my full permission to say I tagged you, even if we've never spoken lol. Go for it, be audacious.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

43,487!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Well the posted fic is a Berserk fic, but I have various other wips that I pick away at when I'm bored. Among them include Eyeshield 21, MDZS, RotE, Harry Potter (technically?). Those are the most recent ones anyway.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Chain of Dissent, she's my favorite fic <3 (she's my only fic)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yeah I try to! Though I'll admit uhhhh I haven't updated it in... fucking? two years? god, and so I've been bad about responding to the more recent comments because I feel guilty for not updating in so long :') Really gotta get back to it.

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

None, because I haven't finished a fic yet lol

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

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far! I've gotten a couple of comments that come across as unintentionally mildly rude, but definitely nothing that constitutes as hate.

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

Well not so far in CoD, but, ahem, I have written smut in one of my wips lol. Deeply self indulgent but I guess character driven? It's mildly nasty and desperate <3

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

I haven't actually written a crossover (yet. well, recently) but they are a bit of a passion of mine lmao. I love ridiculous crossovers, and I'm talking about "a magical portal opens up and throws characters from fandom A into the world (& characters) of fandom B" type shit. I don't need the ways in which the characters interact to make sense, I just want them to be thrown together and see where it goes from there. Fish out of water shenanigans! Characters questioning their own motivations and idea of life by seeing a world entirely different from theirs!! Just like, fun shit! I also absolutely don't need for the two fandoms to be similar lol. I have a somewhat detailed Berserk/Eyeshield 21 crossover living rent free in my head so clearly anything goes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Lol no.

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

Nope!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I'll probably have to say GriffGuts, because it's a ship that's gripped me by the neck for the past 7 years or something, where my interest in it hasn't really waned.

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

Uhhhh, idk? I mean I am DETERMINED to finish CoD, so that's out. And the wips I write in my spare time are just like, things I do for fun where I don't put any pressure on myself over it. I'm not planning on posting them anywhere, and I'm not generally planning on 'finishing' them either. I mean if I do finish one, I might post it, but again, they're low key things that I'm not taking too seriously.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hm. I honestly don't consider myself a very strong writer, at least in terms of things like prose and sentence structure, grammar, that sort of thing. I think I'm pretty decent at figuring out the direction that I want the story to go, and all the individual steps that need to happen to get to that point in a way that feels organic (at least, imo.) And I like to think I'm pretty good at characterization-- having the characters behaving and reacting in ways that feel like could concievably happen in canon is generally what I'm going for.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Yeah prose, lol. I mean, I don't actually dislike my more.... utilitarian writing style, mainly because I generally prefer reading more direct writing (unless the lyrical writing is really really good), but I do think I could inject some more illustrative details and metaphors into my writing overall. @marley-manson is SO good at coming up with perfect metaphors to describe a situation or feeling, all while perfectly recreating the character's voice, and I really admire that about her writing!

I also want to get better with having characters like, doing things while they're talking. I find a lot of the conversations I write happen between characters just kind of standing around, which obviously is fine but I'd like to construct scenes with a bit more specificity in the future.

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

Wait so like, say in a fic that is otherwise written in English, having a line of dialogue written in Spanish when a character is speaking it? I... don't have strong feelings about it one way or the other I guess lol. I mean ideally the line(s) written in the other language are correct lol, and not just badly google translated or something.

Though you know, now that I think about it, I feel like it would work best between languages that use the same alphabet (which does end up narrowing the possible languages down quite a lot) because that way the reader can still sound out the dialogue even if the don't understand the language, which could emulate what the pov character is experiencing. Whereas if it was a fic written in English, and then had a line written in, say, Japanese, the reader wouldn't even be able to sound it out so it's kind of a brick wall. (Unless there's footnotes, but that tends to be a little more clunky in fic than in a published book with pages).

If the readers are supposed to understand the dialogue written in another language, like two characters suddenly start speaking in said other language and we're meant to keep up with the conversation, then I feel like it's just easier to translate their words in whatever language the fic is written in otherwise.

But yeah idk, I think with intent and good execution, anything can work, but it could also be done in a way that's more annoying than anything.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I think. It was neopets LMFAO. I remember writing a fic when I was like 10 about Hannah (the adventurer) and Jacques (from the maraqua plot comic) as a romantic couple because I was annoyed at the time that there were multiple fics about Hannah and Garin (or whatever his name was, also from the maraqua plot) getting together even though I thought Garin was BORING and they were just shipped together because they were both usuls (which are overrated imho), even though Jacque was obviously better.

... I may have had a crush on Jacques.

But the first fic that I think I posted anywhere was for Xiaolin Showdown lmfao, probably also when I was 10 or 11 or something. I wrote like four separate fics for that show.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Yeah it's CoD lol. It's the longest thing I've written so far, and I'm overall still very proud of it. I'd probably go back and change some things in the first chapter because it reads a little clunky and like, abrupt to me now, but I'm not doing that until I finish the fic. Allowing myself to go back and edit stuff before I've even finished the story seems like a road to ruin lol.

[deathlygristly]

So the kdrama podcast that I used to like so much that I used to subscribe to their Patreon did an episode on Chicken Nugget today.

If you're not into kdramas and/or you didn't watch it, it's a fun little show about a woman being turned into a piece of chicken (not really a nugget but that was the English translation) by an alien machine, and the ensuing adventures of her father and her father's employee who has a crush on her as they try to get her back into a human body.

I was surprised that these particular podcasters were going to cover it, because they generally don't tend to like anything that's much beyond the boundaries of mainstream and acceptably normal. But they seemed to be excited about it and to be willing to actually give it a try, so I decided to listen to the episode.

Yeah, two of them only watched one episode and the third was the only one to finish it, and they were pretty mean about it. Despite asking people who liked it to not be mean to them.

Just personal rambling under the cut.

Then they talked about humor that they do like, and apparently one of them thinks the trope of the show's main couple doing a contrived fall and their lips meeting when they land is supposed to be funny? I've always thought of it as an awkward trope that's a product of trying to show physical attraction and contact in a very conservative culture.

Then they mentioned three shows as examples of humor they like, and I was like oh wow we are completely different and I'm not sure how I listened to you guys for so long without realizing this.

They mentioned Hospital Playlist and Reply 1988, which are by the same creative team. We haven't watched Reply 1988 but we did watch Reply 1997 and the first season of Hospital Playlist, and we were like oh, okay, these people make neurotypical shows for neurotypical people, we don't need to check their shows out anymore. To me and the spousal person, they were extremely boring shows about large groups of neurotypical extroverts socializing with each other, and we didn't get it or enjoy it.

They also mentioned the "banter" between the main couple in Wedding Impossible, which....yeah. We finished it last night and IIRC the spousal person said he'd put it in the "meh" category. Not in the worst shows we've watched but on the lower end. The posts in the tag cover how the gay character was treated pretty well, and the main couple themselves were nonsensical and weird to us. Like why suddenly decide to separate for a year when you were ready to die for each other after one date? None of the dialogue stood out to us, and all I can remember right now is the main dude, who at the time thought the main girl was engaged to his brother for real and not as a beard, telling her that he was going to seduce her? So funny, so smart. /sarcasm

Anyway, yeah, I was correct to unsubscribe from their Patreon and I should probably unsubscribe from the show too. I'll give them a few more episodes though. Plus if nothing else they do provide an interesting view of the thoughts of middle class neurotypical white women about kdramas.

Also an interesting view of where the stereotypical idea of marriage in posts on here comes from, from people whose parents are like the podcasters. Their husbands don't watch the dramas with them or talk to them about the shows much, and two of them shared stories about their husbands being injured and they laughed about it and how upset their husbands got because they didn't seem to care much about their injuries and how they were frustrated because the injury interrupted their drama-watching?

I sent one episode to the spousal person to listen to once a while back and his first reaction was "Do they actually like their husbands?"

Hmm. So on one hand it's interesting social information gathering about types of people that I am not around often IRL but who I encounter a lot online, and on the other hand I can feel myself becoming a hate-listener and I do not like that at all.

[clubsmarties]

The narrowed eyes made him gasp out gleefully. He had just gotten something right. "Playing coy now are you, miss lila." He understood where she was coming from. "That is always the hope. If they lived here he'd go to the Y with my nieces so he'd have friends. Though, I think Annie grew attached to him since the first moment she met him." He hummed as he watched her sit back. "I think they value your opinion," he didn't know for sure but he felt the need to say it. "Wouldn't think they'd let him come all the way to the islands if they didn't trust you or your judgment."

"You sound so surprised. I really wouldn't mind if you take her. There's no catch here just making it clear. If you want to hang out with her go ahead. Might give Lenny a break from dogsitting too. As long as you don't mind the furball." His voice was soft almost like they were whispering. "You say the word and she's yours to take. I'll say new places she loves to sniff around. She's curious like that. Is good with children and other pets too. Strangers she won't bite but people have to ask before they pet her. Sometimes she can get grouchy."

"Maybe one day. I'll have you know I'm a great travel buddy. I need to take you to our luaus." Wally teased as a small little smile overtook his features. "They are the cutest. Not going to dispute that. Speaking of since we're on the topic of penguins. There's a new exhibit coming soon about penguins. Did you want to go? I mean, with me. Go with me?" He heard himself and even that was painful. Give him anything in the world he'd do it. Give him asking someone who he didn't think would ever look his way in a romantic aspect and he turned into that five year old who got tongue tied. Either way it was casual if she busy or didn't want to go then he'd find some time to go with his nieces later on in the year.

Shaking his head he responded no. "You want to laugh don't you? We've never done that. But it's also because there's a bunch of germaphobes in the family and we usually go for extremes. So like, rock climbing, hikes and what we call speed racers. But, laser tag sounds fun. Paint balling uh might have done it once a very long time ago. Talking about it I'm about to tell you let's go."

"We went to Maine once and it was probably the worst experience. The townspeople weren't as nice as they advertised. But we also didn't stay long enough to see any of their lighthouses. That may change if we go." It was said casually like he was talking about the sky being blue. Eyes widened at the tidbit. "You spent a year in a boat? What was that like? Did you miss land?" He chuckled softly and couldn't help but find her even more interesting. "Pirate Elizabeth. Hmm. That's a neat party fact you can bust out at these functions." His mind couldn't help but to think of scenarios where her family line would have been descendants from a blackbeard type. "Cool if it turned out to be true."

Having her so close was intoxicating, he felt drunk. Being so close to her felt like a dream. He made some room for her while his elbows laid on top of the table as his eyes looked down at her phone. There was a moment where he stole a second to look at her features up close. Her nose had that tiny dip that looked like a small heart shape and her eyelashes fanned across her cheeks, her lips looked enticing and subconsciously made him lick his own. He breathed in her sweet scent which couldn't tell if it came from a perfume or her hair. Either way he was a fan. Half of him heard what she was going on about while the other day dreamed what it'd be like in a world where the woman he wanted also wanted him back.

He couldn't help the smile after she said she loved lighthouses. This was something she was sharing with him and gave him an insight into who she was. "You've gone to Aloha Tower? Did you like it?" Wally smiled back and blinked away his inner thoughts. "Realistically we can cross off most of them if not all. It may take a year or two."

"We should go to Lahaina Lighthouse. It's not only close to where we live but also Hawaii's first one. That is easy to knock out first since it's not even a mile away from the house." For all that his Lahaina home was remote and away from the main island, it held tiny treasures like the first lighthouse that graced the island.

"I've always wanted to go to Graceland. You know the one I've always wanted to go to but never gone but there's a Sinister NOLA, it's a true crime and murder mystery tour. There's visiting the Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu, Petra, Northern lights in Alaska." He stopped himself and tried to control his semi blush. "Nerdy. I know but I like to learn. And have found these places so interesting. Since I've been in Hawaii, lighthouses have grown on me. Especially considering all the history they come with. I like hearing you talk about them. Are they your favorite topic or top three for sure?"

The suggestion that it might have been because of her that her godson might be into baseball had her narrowing her eyes at him. She couldn't recall if she ever talking about it around Wally, but she must have. She hated how much attention he put to everything, she had to be careful to not be too careless around him. "Maybe," she said with a smirk. "What can I say? The kid has a wicked arm, if he likes the sport good, he could make friends and have a great time. If he doesn't," she shrugged. "Then we'll find him some other club or hobby. I just want him to make friends honestly. I think the quicker he makes friends, the better acclimated he'll get with everything." Sighing, she sat back into her seat. "Not like I would know, I just think it would help, but its up to his parents."

Ours. There was a nagging feeling in her, telling her that she needed to tell him that she wasn't here for long. That this was just another stop on her never-ending journey, for what, she didn't know anymore. But there was another part of her that wanted to pretend, slip into old habits and be someone that did stay. Someone that could just enjoy a night out with Wally. “You really wouldn’t mind if I took her with me from time to time?” The thought of having Dolly around for walks and just company sounded nice but there had to be a catch.

"See, penguins are just the better, cuter animal. They also do that belly slide thing on the ice into the water. Adorable all around." Waving his concern away, she had accepted "Maybe it was just the company I was with, never thought about going back. Maybe one day. There's still a lot of other places to see first before going back to others." Which was true, there were still plenty of places she wanted to see.

Hearing his adventures of being the third wheel to his siblings made her think about the times she would be with Anna and Charlie. They didn't do it on purpose, so in love. She was so happy for them but it made her feel on the outside of something she didn't understand. A thing she saw as unnecessary to surviving. Simply nodding in commiseration at a shared experience.

She had indeed never been to a luau before and it made her smile as he said that it was nothing like that. Unsure why he would have even picked that in the first place. But the more she listened, the more her smile grew, hazel eyes not looking away from the man in front of her. A part of her wishing that she wasn't her. That she was someone else, someone that could consider this a date, someone that he could consider to date. But he deserved better, just listening to him proved that. He had a family, he deserved someone who understood that. Cared for others the way they all cared for each other. The way they were making sure their kids had more than they did growing up, emotionally. All she had ever done was look out for herself. It was all she knew how to do and would continue to do. So for now she would settle on these moments until he finally bored of her and moved on, or until she finally settled the office and left. Whichever came first.

"The point of laser tag isn't to win," she said with half a shrug. "It's to just run around having fun in a room full of colorful lights and lasers. But yes, I do let him win more times than I do. Have you never done it before? How about paint balling?"

When he usually paid attention to her the way he did now, she hated it, but they were talking about lighthouses and that was something she would love to talk about with anyone about for hours on end. "They are. I've already been to Maine, thus my conclusion is that they are the prettiest." Being vague about it, she just simply said. "I spent about a year on a boat and just," shrugged. "Fell in love with them. I know my dad said we had pirate ancestry once and that's why he named me Elizabeth, after one. That the ocean was something that would be something we always loved because of it. Something about salt water in our veins," she rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't put much faith into that, he liked to make up stories so sometimes not even I know what was real or not. "

Taking her phone out, food forgotten, she opened up a list of the lighthouses in the world. "Here," she got up and moved to sit next to him so that they could read it at the same time. Setting her phone between them, she brought up a list and a map. "These," she showed the x's on the coast of Washington, Oregon, California, Mexico and a couple in Brazil. "Are the ones that I've seen but I know it's not even half." Then she moved it over to the East Coast. A couple of marks on the coast of New York, one on the coast of Connecticut, a couple of the coast of Maine, and more out on the edges of Nova Scotia. "And then there's," she zoomed out and moved to the other side of the world. Many more x's on Iceland (the most x's), Ireland, and a handful on the coast of India. "When I said I loved lighthouses, I mean it." Scrolling back to where they were, she showed the one x she had where they were. "I've seen Aloha Tower, but then work got in the way and I totally forgot to look up which other ones are here. We can add an x to this today so thanks." Smiling at him, she grabbed her drink and took another sip. "I want to say that they all are on my bucket list, but realistically, I just want to see as many as I can."

Had she not been so excited to talk about lighthouses, she would've seen the careless mistake that she had made. Her landmarks, her history, her travel patterns all laid out there for someone to know. But she could care less at this moment. "I just traveled a lot growing up and can't stop now. How about you? Have a list of places or a bucket list? Not lighthouse-wise, I know people don't like lighthouses the way I do. But like, is there something you like, besides flamingos, that you would travel to see? Sites of interest? Dream destinations?"

[littleoddwriter]

hello it is I! 💜

With that special request 👀👉👈💜 Could I please have Asa/Jesse x reader, where they're in a 24/7 bdsm relationship with Asa as the Dom and Jesse as a sort of support dom? You know what I mean, we've talked about this after all 💜💜

thank you so so so much, my love!! 💜

It's basically up to you what you do with the request, but yeah, you know my ideas 🥰💜

Asa Emory/The Collector x GenderNeutral!Reader x Jesse Cromeans/Chromeskull | (mild) NSFT Headcanons

Hallihallo! <3 Okay, so, to be honest, it's been so long that I can't remember what we've discussed anymore, so I'll just wing it and hope you like what I've done, I’m sorry. :')

notes; Sub!Gender Neutral!Reader; Dom!Asa Emory; Dom!Jesse Cromeans; Dom/Sub Relationship; BDSM Lifestyle; Collars; Implied/Referenced Sexual Activities & Punishment, but nothing explicit.

Taglist: @gnrlkenob @fr0gi-b0y [If any of you would like me to tag you on my writing, you can send me an Ask or DM about it. It’s up to you, whether you’ll be tagged for all of it, or just specific things like Slasher character works, etc. - you just have to tell me that.]

The first thing they bought for you, after you’d discussed everything thoroughly, was a customised collar, which Asa and Jesse paid for together, gifting it to you. It’s got both their names on the tag, and you wear it all the time - it’s decent looking enough to pass as a simple choker for the public eye.

Whenever they’re not at home, the collar reminds you of who you belong to and that they’ll definitely come back to you, which always eases your mind.

Out of the two, Asa is usually more actively disciplining you for your occasional disobedience. He’s stern and relentless, punishing you until he feels like you’ve earned his forgiveness/you’re truly sorry.

Jesse sometimes lets certain things slide or doesn't punish you too harshly for simple mistakes; although it also depends on his mood. When you’re being a brat, he’s usually not very patient with you, which is what you normally aim for with that anyway.

You’re always prepared to get on your knees for either of them, whenever they ask for it (unless you use your safeword, of course).

On some days that’s often, on other days not at all, but you never know what’s going to happen during the day when you wake up in the morning, which all three of you find particularly appealing - they love having such power and control over you.

That doesn’t mean that you never ask for anything. If you feel the need for anything they could provide you with (like getting you out of your head, if your thoughts become too much), then you’re always allowed to make such a request. They always take their time with it and make it as perfect as possible for you.

The balance they have found between their domination styles (Asa being a hard dom, while Jesse is more often a soft dom) works perfectly for all of you; especially because it gives you the right amount of force, mixed with gentleness and care.

[age-of-moonknight]

Our main girl is back friend!!! How are we feeling?

I really really like how MacKay wrote her but I would have liked to see some of her thoughts more explicitly shown. Like, people who know Marlene KNOW that she is ruthless, she was Marc's perfect match (or Steven's if you will) and she goes straight to the point.

But seeing her back with that strength made me fearful for the reaction of people who already don't like her.

In my opinion her whole self visibly softened when Jake appeared and he just... he was so incredibly adorable when talking to her, but she couldn't talk to him in that moment and I feel like it would have been so much better if MacKay had taken the time in that moment to have Marlene actually give Jake a word that was just for him, you know?

Because she said so her self she love(s)ed them and they all love her (!!!! finally !!!!) so I would have seen her show the softness that I saw in her also in the form of words. Mostly because Jake was written in his most adorable form yet.

Also, you know my feelings about Di and Jake and Marc... But, I really loved the fact that Di has her mother's and her father(s) attitude.

I wonder tho, what else might have happened, "or die trying", seemed the only off thing from Marlene but then again maybe we are missing some info 🤔

Also, Marc being like "I will leave the mission behind" for Marlene needs to make people understand that Marc believes in his love for Marlene and wants her back and there is no fighting that. But Marlene knows how much that would mess him up and we know that she knows, but it would have been better if she had expressed that with real words (for the readers, because Marc doesn't need it)

Overall it was a great issue and I can't wait to see more of Marlene and Frenchie, who would surely be as straight forward as Marlene with his feelings.

Eheheheh, I've only just gotten a chance to sit down and answer this (finally), but please believe me when I say that this ask has been sitting rent-free in my head since I got it hahaha.

I, too, am so incredibly excited that we at last got to see a bit of Marlene (and Diatrice too!). It's been four years since Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #200 and the last time we've seen either of them, barring Marlene's cameo in Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood (Vol. 1/2022), #2, but if any author's going to bring back characters from Marc's past, it would be Mr. MacKay....can you tell that I'm still shook he actually remembered Marlene's ex-husband??? xD

But yeah, I see what you mean about wishing Marlene's motivations(? feelings???? internal life????) were a bit more explicit and I continue to be too much of a chicken to actually venture into the "Marlene Alraune" tag for fear of what I might find. Personally though, however, I have had little to no reason yet to doubt Mr. MacKay's handling of this book and I have hope that this might be a starting point from which he can begin to develop both his interpretation of Marlene's character and her relationship with Marc in this new volume and post-Age of Khonshu era.

If anything, as much as I would have also loved to have seen a bit more warmth between Marc and Marlene, I see it as an interesting starting point from which their relationship can hopefully rekindle. The amount unsaid between them did well to communicate just how much distance remains between them even if Marlene's back from France and the number of barriers that have been put up between them (i.e. I'll never be over the symbolism of Marc putting the Mr. Knight mask back on after Jake took it off).

Overall and I'm sure you at least are aware, it would take a lot for me to dislike Marlene; mainly because I find her to be such a fascinating commentary on the "superhero's girlfriend" archetype. She occupies this compelling space where she was never a costumed hero in her own right, yet she for a long time took on a much more active role in crimefighting than I've typically seen. Similarly, I just find how Mr. MacKay wrote her in this annual to be unique in that she obviously has a long history of fondness for Marc, Jake, and Steven, but considering where they're at in their relationship, she doesn't exactly....cater to Marc, she lets him stand on his own as his own man fit to take responsibility for his actions and makes it clear that Diatrice is her priority. I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I would love to see Marlene discussed in the ongoing "women in comics/fiction/etc. are only allowed to be nurturers" debate (even if I'm too cowardly to directly engage with it myself), because, yeah, Marlene is a mother, but she makes it clear that Diatrice is her sole and only responsibility and that she will do anything and reach out to any resources available to her, including Moon Knight, to do that job right.

Anyway, thanks for giving me a chance to ramble on about one of my fave comic ladies. I love comic ladies in general, but *Marge Simpson voice* I just think she's neat. (Now here's to hoping we get a Frenchie sighting soon....fingers crossed)

[anystalker707]

Spicy horror

Pairing: Frank x [fem] Reader Word count: ~ 4 000 Genre: Smut / Fluff Summary: It's Halloween, and (y/n) and Frank finally confess their crushes to each other when binge watching horror movies on Frank's place. Kind of content: Praising / Protected / Oral

Requested by @thisisjustforrequestingfanfics (can't tag you, sorry hhh my T*mblr is acting weird)

a/n - I'm sorry that I coudn't proofread, I might do it soon; I was supposed to be asleep rn

"You're just annoying, old man," I tease with a grin. "But don't whine or else you'll ruin the makeup!" I continue spreading the white concealer over his face, careful to get it on the corners around his nose and around his eye, though not to irritate his eyes.

"No, fuck you," Frank groans, his face twitching to suppress any expression. "Why can't we watch it again tonight? They're the best movies! And stop calling me old man, it's just my birthday! I'm not decomposing or anything!" Despite his words, he smiles, opening his eyes once I pull away, leaning back against the chair of the desk – I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I agree." I grab the eyeshadow palette from the desk and move closer to him again. "TCM is a great series and all, but can we not watch it for a single week? It's your birthday and we can watch literally any horror movie! And it can be special, like, not something we've watched a thousand times already to the point we already know most of the lines." I glare before motioning for him to close his eyes.

Frank sighs grumpily, leaning his head back. "What are you planning on, then? Alien? Jaws?" He lets out a weird cry when I slap the side of his head lightly, though he is soon chuckling.

"And then you complain when I say how annoying you are!" I spread the dark eyeshadow over his eyes, humming. "It's been a while since we've watched The Howling, Evil Dead, House of Wax. I mean, 'm not gonna complain if we decide on Alien and Jaws either." He hums, pouting. "Don't worry, you're still my favorite old man." I press a kiss to his head.

"I hate you," he laughs.

After a little bit of fake blood and retouching on my makeup, the two of us are leaving Frank's house to go to school, waving his mother goodbye. We don't look like what most of the kids will go dressed up as – not putting enough effort nor choosing the same themes as the jocks and popular people and not invisible enough just to throw on whatever in a black theme. Frank looks like a chill vampire with Bela Lugosi's Dracula references, though still looking like a punk, while I decided on one of my favorite characters. Nothing too extra, but still in the vibe.

"You look ridiculous with that hair slicked back." I kick one of the pebbles on the sidewalk. "I prefer the hedgehog or whatever it is in the normal state."

"I honestly feel like I could kill someone just from biting their jugular off." He grins, throwing his nose in the air – I can't help but to chuckle; he's adorable. "But not gonna be anyone from school, they're not worth it neither their blood would taste good." He twists his mouth. "I feel like most I'd get would be booze, botox and steroids."

"Damn," I snort, "awfully accurate. You're gonna starve, sorry."

Frank pouts, looking down, but a smirk soon tugs on his lips as he takes a step closer. "But you're not that bad, baby, you know?"

"Oh, fuck off!" I roll my eyes, clicking my tongue. "You just want to get in my jugular!"

Both of us burst out in chuckles and our conversation eventually dies down when we walk past the gates to inside the school, replaced by jokes at other people's costumes, sometimes needing to hold onto each other from laughter.

We walk into the first class, already a bit late, but all it does is to attract everyone's attention the moment we step in.

"Ridiculous, as always," some girl mutters under her breath. Funny.

Frank wraps a hand around the length of the coat to stupidly bring it to cover the lower part of his face, looking around with narrowed eyes then wide ones. "I smell not just a lot of blood here," he says in a low and raspy voice, "but also stupidity!" He points at the girl judgingly, making her twist her mouth disgusted.

"I hope Freddy Krueger visits you tonight," I say when walking past her, patting her shoulder. A scream comes from her when noticing the fake blood stain I leave behind on her white outfit, having Frank and I chuckling on our way to the back.

No one really pays attention to the classes – it's Halloween, we're even in stupid clothes and anxious for whatever is going to happen later in the day, so the teacher doesn't even bother scolding Frank and I for talking nonstop in the back of the classroom. To be honest, I think only the goody two shoes are actually doing something, sometimes turning around to glare at the others.

"Okay, okay, shut up for a minute!" I tell Frank, taking a look at the messy words over my notebook to check if I forgot to write something down. "We've got The Howling, Alien, Evil Dead, House of Wax, Dawn of the Dead, Funhouse, Pumpkinhead..."

"Fright Night," Frank continues, "Opera, Cannibal Holocaust, Texas Chainsaw–"

"I said no TCM! Fuck you," I curse, rushing to write everything down, crossing out TCM when I accidentaly write it down.

"Friday the 13th, Poltergeist, Near Dark and Elm Street," he finishes, glaring at me. He hits my shoulder, not enough to hurt. "I'll make you watch TCM with me until you have memorized every single frame of it!"

"Your TCM phase will have died down by then!" I twist my mouth bitterly. "Sorry to kill the hype, baby!" I throw my nose in the air with a chuckle at his sulky manners. He furrows his eyebrows, sucking in a breath for words he never really gets to say. "And we still got to watch all these goth movies and shows lying around! Do you think it was easy finding the 60s Addams family show on DVD? Or that one Frankenstein version on cassette." Okay, the last one was easy to find in a yard sale, but still, it was just luck.

"Okay, mommy, please just don't punish me," Frank says with a groan and a fake moan. I stare at him as he's not able to contain his laughter before starting to hit him with the notebook.

"Too bad you're not a good boy, hun."

For once, school ends up actually being nice and just because Frank and I were getting in the character sometimes and pissing people off. By lunch, he had pulled on some sunglasses and looked like the stupidest fucker while eating his sandwich and smudging more of the lipstick and fake blood around his lips. At some point, we had pretended to have a fight and pierce the other's chest with a pair of scissors just to squeeze a bag of fake blood at whoever walked by – mostly some of the jocks or plastics. So much fun.

The house is quiet when we arrive back at it, a couple hours after school ended, and we find out, later, a note from Frank's mom apologizing she can't be here during the rest of his birthday, though she's sure he'll have fun with me.

"Imma take a shower," I sigh, pointing upstairs.

"Sure," he hums, looking up from the note for a moment to smile at me.

Thankfully, I always leave some clothes at Frank's place because I'm here far too often and not always have the chance or disposition to go back home and grab some clothes. It doesn't prevent me from stealing his hoodie, however, and walking out of the bathroom without all of that sticky makeup or fake blood is the best thing ever. Later, Frank is the one to go take a shower while I take care of the food he had already started to prepare.

"Much better!" I raise my eyebrows at the sight of Frank with his hair back to normal and only a bit of black makeup smudges the underside of his eyes now.

"Y'know, I never said a single thing about how you looked," he mutters with his brow low, coming to lean against the counter, next to me, "still, you've been attacking me every chance you got!"

"Does it offend you?" I smile.

"No, but it still hurts!" He sniffles, a hand flat against his chest. "I know I'm too badass for you to handle, but you don't need to let it be that clear!"

I look at him from head to foot. "I hate you, y'know that?"

"Love you too, hun!" He grins and moves closer, cupping my face exaggeratedly to peck my cheek before we head upstairs with everything we need.

We turn the lights on to organize everything, soon sitting down against a pile of pillows and with food surrounding us, though most of it is on the bedside tables since Frank, mainly, gets extremely uncomfortable with it falling on the bed. It doesn't matter, though, since the food and half empty cans end up going forgotten halfway through the movie at the same time the chatter dies down and we watch The Evil Dead as if it was the first time.

Some funny part comes on – well, not exactly funny, but enough to make us chuckle quietly – and brings us back to reality, sighing and glancing at each other, adjusting our postures as we'd slid down the pillows.

Frank yawns.

"Already tired?" I tease, poking his shoulder.

"No." He pouts, crossing his arms over his chest. "Getting tired is for losers." He does glance at the clock on his bedside table, however, and the red glowing numbers say it's six something.

"You're my favorite loser, then." I smirk lightly, exhaling.

Frank's eyebrows knit together as he looks at me, but then rolls his eyes. "Well, duh, of course I am! Who else? I'm the best." He scoots closer until his head is leaning on my shoulder and I can't help but to smile.

"No, I am," I groan, arms wrapped around him.

"I am!" He glares and, at some point, we end up in a wrestling match, pushing each other around the mattress among laughter and curses, which comes to a stop when we start getting too tired and I just let Frank lie down on top of me, head on my chest, still watching the movie. "Do you like anyone, (y/n)?" he asks suddenly. "Like, got a crush?"

Random. Why does he want to know? I mean, I do have a crush, but telling him about it is difficult.

"Um, yeah, I guess, why?" I blink, startled when he suddenly brings himself up on his elbows to stare at me.

"I swear to God I'll hunt them down if you forget about me because of them, do you understand?" Frank presses his forehead to mine. "You're the only one I got, sometimes I'm so worried you'll even leave me for whatever reason."

"What?" I breathe a chuckle, though there's not exactly anything funny here. "Never in my right mind would I do that! And you can't hunt my crush down if my crush is actually you," I laugh in a sudden rush of confidence, which wears out awfully quickly, leaving me lying there and rethinking every life choice.

"Me?" Frank widens his eyes. At the lack of answer, he takes a hold of my collar, straddling my hips. "Did I hear it right? Please, (y/n), (n/n), soulmate? I'm your goddamn crush? For how long?"

I shake my head lightly, shrugging. "Months? A long time."

"And you just told me now?" He cries, forehead pressed to my shoulder. "Slow motherfucker."

"I didn't want you to leave me either, c'mon!" I sigh in defeat, running a hand through his hair. "I remember that time a girl confessed to you and you'd simply vanish whenever she showed up. What if that was with me? I'd not be able to live like this, y'know that."

"Y'know, yeah, seeing it from that point..." Frank shrugs, bringing himself up to face me again. "Still, I wouldn't avoid you like that! Dunno, but it doesn't matter now because you just relieved me of months of suffering. Looking at these pretty lips without being able to kiss it." He furrows his eyebrows, eyes on my lips. "Can I kiss you, tho? Now that we feel stupid for all these months. Damn. At least I feel."

I breathe a chuckle. "Of course! Do you think I wasn't dying to do it either?"

Next thing I know are Frank's lips pressed against mine softly, soon growing firm with confidence. His fingers run along my neck lightly, in a caring manner, dropping to trace my collarbones.

"Also," Frank breathes, pulling away; his face never moves farther than a couple of inches whilst he adjusts his position, lying down beside me on the mattress. "Maybe it's wrong to say and I've always tried to say it in a subtle manner, but–" his eyes meet mine, "–you've got the body of a goddess! Like, dunno, sometimes you comment about not having an 'ideal', skinny body, but you're just so perfect," he groans, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Frank!" I tap on his back lightly. It's not that I don't like what he said – no, damn, it sends my heart fluttering, this warmth taking over my chest –, but is it really the truth? I didn't think it was possible for anyone to tell me this.

"No, I'm telling the truth!" Frank grins. "Like, your thighs and all. I just want to squeeze and bite you! Not in a bad way, I mean." I must give him a funny look because of how flustered he grows, tongue playing with his lip ring as he looks away. "There's a lot to unpack, fuck, I thought it was obvious how I always sit there gazing at you and shit, but..."

"Likewise." I glare playfully, making him chuckle.

"Y'know–" Frank smiles lazily, "–this is the best birthday I've ever had, by far." He brushes his lips against mine softly, watching me through half lidded eyes. "Never knew you'd actually like me back. Never believed it was possible, to be honest."

"I never cogitated you like me," I breathe.

"Well, okay," he says, "we've already gotten through this. I think we should focus on now."

"I'm not the one who keeps bringing back past thoughts!" I chuckle at how he pouts, scowling funnily.

"Shut up, shut up, I get it!" Frank rolls his eyes and presses his lips to mine before I can say anything, having me smiling against the kiss until returning it, wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him closer. Now that we've finally kissed, keeping our lips off each others' feels almost impossible – letting go of each other feels almost impossible. "God fucking damnit," he groans under his breathe, moving to press kisses down my jaw, soon reaching my neck.

A sigh escapes my lips at the kisses, though it turns into quiet pleased sounds at the feeling of his teeth pulling at my skin and sometimes closing around it, sucking on it whilst all I can bring myself to do is tugging onto his hair. Suddenly, however, feeling his hands traveling down to my hips and squeezing them makes me gasp, probably reacting a bit more than I intended.

"What?" Frank pulls away at the same moment, eyes wide. "Did I do something wrong? Please– Damn, I'm so sorry!"

"N-No, no," I finally bring myself into speaking up, feeling my cheeks burn bright red. "I, um, I actually... liked it. A lot. Sorry if I scared you, I just wasn't expecting it. I don't mind, really," I insist as he continues looking at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"You sure?"

"Yeah!" I smile, bringing him for a quick kiss before he's trailing down my neck again.

Frank's hands go down my body, experimentally at first and then squeezing my hips again, receiving another reaction this time, including just a soft gasp as I push my hips up – a shiver runs down my spine with it, a nice one. Fuck.

"Damn..." Frank breathes, hands running down to my thighs then up again to slide under my shirt. "It's a bit early, maybe–" he shrugs, looking at me, "–but... is it okay if..."

Holy hell. "Of course," I say without thinking much – he continues to stare, so I nod.

"Fuck yeah," he mutters, lips against mine for a few seconds before he's pulling my shirt over my head and the expression on his face carries such admiration that I can't help but to feel embarrassed for a moment. He never lets me cover myself, nonetheless, hands flying to my waist to hold firmly onto it as he's pressing kisses from my stomach to my hip. "No, seriously–" he sits up again, "–how can someone be so perfect?" He seems to be talking mostly to himself, getting rid of his shirt.

"Dunno." I grin. "How does it feel to be so perfect, baby?"

Frank exhales shakily. "You'll be the death of me and I ain't even joking." He presses a kiss to my collarbone, starting to nibble down at the skin again, trailing down to my chest, lips sometimes lingering over my breasts – sure as hell he leaves a few marks behind, considering how invested he gets.

Something tells me he doesn't know what to focus on. His hands never stay in the same place for too long, going down my thighs then trailing up to my waistband, up my torso, and then he repeats it.

"C'mon," I mutter, placing his hands on my waistband. He's a bit hesitant, but quickly undoes the buttons and starts pulling it down – I help him, kicking the pants away in the end.

A string of curses slip past Frank's lips as he quickly gets rid of his jeans too and, when coming back, he kneels down between my legs this time, spreading them apart. Our lips are yet again locked in a kiss, different from the others, more heated up and urgent this time as we hold onto each other. I play with the hair on the back of his neck and tug onto it instead at the feeling of his hands around my ass, groping.

"Frank, damn," I breathe quietly for a second we pull apart and, opposite to earlier, he gets the hint and does it again, humming against my lips. Once he stops groping, his hands just run along my skin, up and down my body, sometimes lingering. The most lovesick look decorates his face when he pulls away. My heart.

I place my hands on Frank's shoulders as I sit up, changing our positions. He observes me with wide eyes and I smile at him before pressing kisses to his neck, leaving behind a hickey before I can go lower and lower until my fingers are around the waistband of his boxers and I pause, looking up at him, and continue after he nods.

Frank's already half hard, a breath hitching in his throat as, after discarding his boxers, I assume my previous position.

Even if it's not the first time I've done that, this nervousness still lies under my skin as I wrap a hand around him, pumping him lightly before wrapping my lips around the head experimentally. He breathes sharply.

Only halfway through it that I allow myself to look up at Frank, pausing for a moment after finding out he's been watching, propped up on his elbows, eyes focused on me and jaw slack, but I don't look away, hollowing my cheeks instead and watching him break under my gaze, letting go of all the tension for a second.

I repeat the motions a few times and pull away, licking up along the underside, around the tip, and he's suddenly pulling me away – eyes wide and face flushed this time.

Frank mumbles something I can't quite understand, but it doesn't really matter. He moves closer, both of us soon assuming the position we were in minutes ago, pressed against each other. Now, he removes my underwear and his hand slips between us, however.

Pleasure is sent ringing up my spine at the feeling of Frank's fingers slipping past my lips, quickly finding my clit and wasting no time on working his thumb on it while a couple of fingers tease my entrance. Moans just escape my throat easily after he breaks the kiss, mouthing his way until the inside of one of my thighs – he bites and sucks on the skin there. His tongue is suddenly there, then, against my clit, working around it before being replaced by his lips and my vision goes fucking blank when I can feel him sucking on it.

"Fuck," Frank curses once pulling away, moving to frantically rummage through the nightstand's drawer; I groan at the loss of touch, pushing my hips up into nothing.

Hearing the sound of foil being torn makes me understand what's happening, and I watch him rush to slip the condom on, giving us a moment to catch our breath before he's positioning himself, a hand on my hip whilst another holds himself up.

"Tell me if there's something wrong, okay?" he asks slowly, "I'll stop right away. Don't be afraid."

"Same to you," I say softly, cupping his face to pull him for a soft, quick kiss.

Frank smiles with a nod and looks down before I can feel him against my entrance, pushing in slowly. I wrap my arms around his shoulders tightly, feeling his chest vibrate against mine with the low moan coming from him, replaced by a sigh once he sinks in completely. He starts moving right away, hips jerking experimentally before attaining a heavy and slow pace which doesn't last long due to how needy we are already.

I gasp at how he thrusts in harder, wrapping my arms around his shoulders to hold him close and having my legs around his hips, instinctively.

Curses and praises are breathed into my ear among moans, somehow making the pleasure pool down in my lower stomach even more intensely, summed up to feeling his hands groping on my ass again, fingers sinking into the skin.

"You're just so perfect, (y/n)," he babbles, "and even better that now you're all mine."

Suppressing a louder moan turns out to be impossible at the feeling of Frank's hips reaching a certain angle and, soon, the answer I had in my slips away from my grasp and all there's left is just how good he feels. I travel a hand up to his hair, remembering how he reacted to it earlier, and tug on it in a form of response, though also wanting to hear how pathetically he moans at it.

"'M gonna cum," I manage to say before being cut off by a moan, arching my back.

"Me too, babe," he groans, "almost there."

Frank pauses, adjusting himself so a hand is under my thigh and another on the mattress for major support and his thrusts are suddenly harsher. I throw my head back at the same time, holding onto him tightly, and it doesn't take long for all the pleasure that had been building up so far to unravel at once – it apparently triggers the same on him, considering how tight his grasp gets whilst a higher pitched moan comes from him.

Coming down from the high, I feel almost numb, in a good way. Frank pulls away and I'm only aware of him when he's lying down next to me, both of us breathing heavily and unable to do anything aside from staring at the ceiling for a long moment.

"Damn, I love you so much, so much," he mumbles again.

I breathe a chuckle, feeling him cuddling up to me, arms wrapped around me. "And I love you, dumbass." I press a kiss to his head.

"My girlfriend now, right?" he asks. "Nevermind, you don't get to choose." He chuckles, though it quickly dies down. "Just kidding, okay? Tell me to and I'll fuck off."

I laugh, still breathless. "Of course I am. I didn't confess for nothing."

[trashlord-007]

I guess maybe I will add my unnecessary opinion. If I can manage not to drop my phone on my face for at least five minutes to do so.

First and foremost, not knowing how to talk to people is a huge one for me. I end up just liking the reblogs with comments or tags, which definitely doesn't scream friendly or eager to discuss fandom, but is the extent of what I'm willing to do so I don't seem like I'm squeezing blood from a stone. I don't want to come across as fake with a "omg thank you!! you're so sweet, you're the best, this means the world to me" on every reblog - I know people would appreciate it and it is also true, I appreciate every like, comment, reblog etc, but it feels performative to me.

Secondly, and I am SO SORRY to my EXOLs for this in particular, I have a really hard time answering DMs. Does this have anything to do with anyone else? No. I just feel guilty.

It seems to me that kpop, outside of a few exceptions, is on the decline across the board (ao3 included). I could be totally wrong but even the MV views and likes seem lower. At this point we've come full circle in fandom culture and we're going to be back to extremely dedicated fans holding up the entirety of a fandom on their own backs for the pure love of it. I won't say which KPOP group it was but on AO3 recently I saw literally two people writing for the group. They would occasionally gift one another a fic, and they would average 20 likes or so. They are doing it for the love of the fandom, so even if we face a total decline I believe a sprinkling of creators would and will hold the line (bless you 🙏)

Even in big fandoms new creators will be totally overlooked because Tumblr's algorithm doesn't allow for new people to join the big table. You'd think BTS would be a big draw but the creators already have their fans and people aren't interested in finding new ones or wading through the trash (porn bots, fuck you, and also fuck you to people incorrectly tagging for likes and views) on the tags, so they stick to their tried and true.

I'll leave my last thought to myself because I think it literally only affects me and my aversion to the Mainstream Tumblr™️ mentality and their insistence on vilifying anyone and everyone that doesn't agree with them.

Now that I've finished blah blah-ing, let me just say that more events would be extremely fun but I worry that it might cause you, the host, burnout if people don't actually participate. As you know, I'm a flake and I took a hiatus right in the middle of a Secret Santa event, so my opinion is pretty much mud here since I am one of the folks causing grief, but I worry that you might get discouraged if participation is low. I think you'd need a set group of people who are willing to commit to posting something each time to keep spirits high.

Also ngl, before my latest hiatus (different from the one just mentioned, I am gone a lot it seems), I would note-chase. I was hardly writing for EXO and my passion projects were far and few between. I'd literally try to follow the trends and see who (not even which bands, but which individual members) was getting the most notes and write for them. I burned out so much faster, and it didn't even get me anywhere lmfao because I don't even like to write the stuff people like on here. I'm more happy when I'm being a little weirdo in my own corner, but interaction will never stop being the light in front of an anglerfish.

All of this to say... well, I would appreciate more events and EXO content. My dash is DEAD save for a few SKZ posts. My EXOLs are quiet, they've moved on, they're not online when I'm online so I'm missing their posts. I follow some GIF networks just so I can keep my queue from slowly turning me into a Bang Chan blog. I don't have time to search tags and I don't have the energy to skip over all my filtered posts on my own dash just so I can see a pretty gif or two. I think having active fandom networks or blogs or just a list of potential mutuals would help a lot. I don't really follow people first because I just assume most people hate at least one aspect of what I'm about, so I've fallen into a very limited ecosystem and echochamber of content.

And now I'm starting to realise why people start over and create whole new blogs and personas on here lmfao.

No matter what happens I will support you and I appreciate the effort you're making here. Sorry for hijacking this just to complain, geez, I really shouldn't be allowed to talk. But if I see an event come through I will try to partake. And reblogging other people's works is definitely something I can do so I look forward to it wholly!

The OP message and subsequent reblogs did spark a little something something in me, make my fingers twitch, gave me an itch if you will. A thirst. EXO is my ult group. I should be creating for them. I want to create for them. And so I will fan this ember and hope and pray that this will ignite the fire, drive and desire needed to return to fandom.

So I can't be the only one who's noticed the decline in fanmade exo content here on Tumblr. We've gone from a fandom who's new posts could be measured in hours to a fandom who's posts have days....to weeks....to months....to even years for some specific tags.

We have had 6 solo album comebacks this year, 3 fancon tours, 2 solo concert tours, a myriad of festival concert appearances, youtube videos, magazine shoots, instalives, etc. Yet if you go to the exo tag it's mainly populated by archive blogs. And the nude bots, which....that's a whole other problem on its own. I digress. My point being, the tags, at least from what I've seen (I admit I haven't looked into the shipping tags) are being filled by the same handful of blogs yet given the high amount of source material, no one seems to be doing anything with it beyond archiving it.

Again this could just be because I didn't delve too deep or too far back, but it does have me wondering if part of the reason participation this year was down was simply because there's hardly anyone left.

There's been instances in the past where others have attempted to inject new life into the fandom so to speak, with....varying...level of success. The exo revival project being the first and most successful that comes to mind. I'm wondering what everyone else's thoughts are on the matter and if holding new fandom events might be a way to involve more people year round because I really do want to continue holding this event next year but if things keep going the way they have been there won't be anyone signing up.

Let me know what you think, ideas you might have, reblog this and tag your mutuals to get them involved in the discussion. I have a few ideas that I've pilfered from other fandoms, watch alongs. Fic bingo. Theres valentines exchanges. Fandom sleepovers. Heck I'd set up a Tumblr based scavenger hunt if I thought people would play. Like....we dont have to be monoliths in a placid sea of we don't want to. Fandom can be fun. It should be fun.

[munstysmind]

ATLANTA PD - Maddison - An Original Story

WARNING/S: Mentions of assault, PTSD, nightmares, police, bruise, language

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORK TO BE USED IN ANY CAPACITY

Divider by @firefly-graphics

MAIN MASTERLIST

MADDISON MASTERLIST

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After close to an hour, Maddie had finally calmed down and fallen asleep buried in Sebastian’s chest. He’s about to follow her into unconsciousness when there’s a loud banging on the front door.

He ignores it, hoping whoever it is will just leave. Unfortunately this isn't the case because about a minute later whoever it is bangs on the door again, much louder this time. It’s obvious they aren't leaving.

Determined not to wake her if it’s the last thing he does, he carefully untangles himself from her tiny body before gently placing her head on a pillow.

Whoever is at the door starts banging yet again and he nearly blows a fuse. If they wake her up he is going to completely lose his shit.

"Ok, ok. I'm coming" he grows, throwing on Maddie's giant dressing gown as he stomps to the front door, letting out a growl as whoever is at the door start banging yet again.

"For fucks sake, it two in the morning" he snaps as he yanks open the door. His stomach drops when he sees two Atlanta PD officers standing there.

"Evening sir" one of the officers says, his hands tucked in his vest

"Hi... um, is there a problem?" Sebastian asks, wondering why there’s two cops at his door

"We had a report of a disturbance at this address" the officer tells him

"What?!" Sebastian says, extremely confused what they’re talking about.

"We've received multiple calls about a woman screaming" the officer says making Sebastian’s heart sink as he puts two and two together.

"Oh god" Sebastian groans, rubbing his face. The neighbours must have heard Maddie's screams and called 911. He doesn't really feel like dealing with this right now but he doesn't have much of a choice.

"Sir, may we come in?" the officer says, not really asking at all.

"Yeah" Sebastian sighs, standing aside to let the officers in, brain scrambling to think of how he's going to explain the situation.

"Look, before you ask... yes, someone was screaming. It was Maddie, but I promise you she is OK" he tells them, closing the door behind him.

He realises pretty much instantly that saying this was a bad idea because he sees both officers body language change completely, like they're on alert.

"Sir, do you have any ID on you?"

"Uh yeah"

He goes to the entry table and takes his licence out of his wallet. He also gets Maddie's out of her purse just to be safe and hands them both to one of the officers who takes down their details before handing them back to him.

"Sir, what is your relationship to her?"

"She's family"

"Why was she screaming?"

"She was having a nightmare. She has PTSD"

"OK, and where is she now?"

"In her room"

"Can you please get her?"

"She's asleep"

"Then unfortunately we're going to have to ask you to wake her"

"Look, I know you've got a job to do but I'd really prefer not to. It's just taken me an hour to calm her down and get her back to sleep"

"I understand that but we have to confirm your story which means we need to speak with her. If not, we may have to take you in until we can"

Sebastian lets out a long frustrated sigh, this is the last thing he fucking needed.

"Fine, I'll wake her but fair warning she's going to be angry"

The male officer nods and they pair follow Sebastian to Maddie's room, standing just inside the door as he goes and sits on the edge of her bed.

She’s still curled up the way she was when he left her. He lets out a deep sigh, she looks so peaceful. He knows that that's about to change, she's about to be furious.

"Fuck Mads, I'm sorry" he whispers as he starts to rub her back. He’s found this is the best way to wake her without scaring her.

After a few minutes she starts to stir, quietly groaning as she returns to consciousness. When a slight frown appears on her face, he knows she's starting to become alert.

"Mads, you gotta wake up"

"mmmmm"

"That's it, come on"

"Why..."

"I'm sorry"

"Sleep..."

"I know you're tired but I really need you to wake up"

"What time is it?"

"2am"

She lets out a growl and rolls over, turning away from him in hopes that he will go away and leave her alone to sleep. He knows she's angry with him, he doesn’t blame her.

He gently weaves his hand into her hair and starts to massage her scalp causing her to angrily groan at him.

"Fuck off Sebastian!"

"You really do have to wake up Maddie, I'm sorry"

"Someone better be dead or you will be" she huffs, rolling onto her back and stretching out. She glares at Sebastian, rubbing her eyes before looking around the room.

"Why the fuck did you wake me?" she growls before her eyes almost come out of her head when she sees the two officers standing in her room. She quickly sits up, almost knocking Sebastian off the bed in the process as she starts to panic.

"Hey hey, it's OK" he says, hoping to reassure her

"Seb..." she whispers, her voice breaking as tears beginning to form in her eyes. He takes her face, gently forcing her to look at him and not the two police officers that are in her room.

"It's OK"

"Why are they here, what's going on?"

She's scared and confused. Her brain going to the worst possible scenario, that this has something to do with Travis, that he's found a way of getting to her without leaving New York.

"Hey, you're not in trouble. They just need to ask you some questions"

"But why..."

"I can't tell you"

"Sir, let's go into the living room" one of the officers says, trying to gets them separated so that they can confirm Sebastian's story.

"NO!"

"Hey, It's OK"

"I don't want you to go"

"I know... but I have to"

She looks at him, silently begging him not to leave her. He knows she's scared. He hates that this is happening, especially after he nightmare she's just had but they don't have a choice.

"Mads, it is OK, I promise"

She gives him a tiny smile and nods, trusting him that it really is OK like he says it is. He kisses the top of her head and gives her shoulders a gentle squeeze before he gets up.

She watches him leave the room with one of the officers before turning her attention to the one still in her room.

"Can I sit?"

"Yeah"

"Maddie, my name's Jo"

"Why are you here?"

"We had multiple reports of a distance, someone screaming. People thought someone was getting hurt"

"Oh... I'm sorry... had a nightmare... my ex..." she says looking down, trying not to cry

"OK, that's ok, you don't have to explain it. We just had to check, make sure your stories matched, that's all"

Maddie nods and brings her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. 

"How did you get that bruise?"

"What?"

"On your arm"

Maddie looks and sees the bruise on the inside of her upper arm that the officer is talking about

"Oh that, it's from work"

She got it a few days prior when she was grappling with John, Sebastian's stunt double, during some down time on set.

She had taken him down from a standing position but she somehow managed to trap her arm in the process. It’s nothing new though, she always has a few bruises from stunts on Supernatural.

"Nobody's hurt you?" the officer asks, something in her voice not sitting right with Maddie.

"What..." she says, confused. The office gives her a questioning look and she instantly puts pieces together. Her eyes go wide in shock and anger.

This woman thinks Sebastian hurt her. How dare she.

"NO"

"Are you sure?"

"YES, I'M SURE... SEB"

"OK, let's calm down, there's no need to yell"

"Calm down?! No, I don't need to calm down, you need to fuck off"

"Mads..." Sebastian says calmly, he's in the doorway with the other officer, they heard Maddie call out to him.

"No, she's asking if you hurt me"

"She's just doing her job Mads"

"I don't care. I want them to leave"

Sebastian can sense the anger and hurt radiating off Maddie. He knows she about ready to break and silently begs her not to lash out anymore than she already has.

He looks at the officer standing next to him who gives him a very sympathetic look. It’s clear that the officer knows they’re telling the truth, Maddie had a nightmare and that's why she was screaming.

"We'll get out of your hair" the officer tells them, motioning to his partner with his head to leave the room.

"Good" Maddie snaps, curling up in a ball and covering herself with the blankets, head included, as Sebastian follows the officers back to the front door.

"We're sorry for the misunderstanding. It was not our intention to upset anyone"

"Look, I get it, you were just doing you job"

"Please pass on our apologies"

"I will"

"We'll make a note in our report of the situation in case we get a call like this again"

"That would be great, thank you"

"Try to have a good night, again we're sorry for the upset"

"I'll do my best"

Sebastian lets out a frustrated groan, resting his forehead against the door as soon as it closes. He takes a few minutes to gather his thoughts before going back to Maddie's room to calm her down all over again. It’s going to be a long night.

TAGLIST

@aussieez

@littleone65

[purplesugarygirl]

Still into You by stablebiscuit20

Hey everyone! First of all, thanks for your support on my first post-review-recommendation fics :) It means a lot. So, here's the second one!

If I'm being honest with you, this Spotify playlist made me choose, so let us begin.

I'll give you a bit of context.

The fic name is "Still into You" by stablebiscuit20 on AO3.

Oh, and yeah, it's bakudeku bitches. From Boku No Hero Academia (or My Hero Academia, that one works too)

By the way, I'll try to not put many spoilers into this, but beware, mild spoilers of, I don't know, the fic and probably from both the anime and the manga.

Another warning: this fic is rated Mature, and yeah, I'm not you mother or whatever but don't go reading stuff you're not supposed to.

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandom: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku; Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku Tags: Fluff; Pining; Eventual Romance; Eventual Smut; Eventual Relationships; Eventual Sex; Fluff and Smut; Fluff and Humor; Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings; Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot; Top Bakugou Katsuki; Power Bottom Midoriya Izuku; Pro Hero Midoriya Izuku; Pro Hero Bakugou Katsuki; Characters Are Pro Heroes (My Hero Academia); Aged-Up Character(s); So they're more mature Stats: Published: 2020-03-18 Completed: 2020-03-23 Words: 20743 Chapters: 10/10 Summary: "Midoriya and Bakugou haven’t seen each other since they left UA and graduated, both going their separate ways and becoming pro heroes. One night, Bakugou hears his neighbor singing loudly in the shower at 1 AM and goes over and pounds on the door. Golden God Midoriya opens the door. The rest, my dear, is history."

Yeah, I know exactly what you're thinking. 'Why is this 22-year-old-idiot recommending a fic that sounds like your typical cliché?'

Well, it is not.

Let's come back to the title of the fic: Still into You, in case you don't know, this is a Paramore song (and if you didn't know, then you live under a rock or you're really young, 'cause this song is from 2013, like-- holy shit it's 8 years old ._.) anyways, doesn't matter if you're or not a fan (for the record, I am) the thing here is about what the song talks about.

The song itself talks about someone who stills have a crush on a person, of being in love with that someone, even after knowing each other for years. It talks about a romantic relationship, about the process of not only falling in love with someone, but on being with that s/o, and also on how they go together through the process of a relationship itself. Something that my single ass won't know.

Anyways, here's the first part.

Can't count the years on one hand That we've been together I need the other one to hold you Make you feel, make you feel better It's not a walk in the park to love each other But when our fingers interlock Can't deny, can't deny you're worth it ‘Cause after all this time, I'm still into you

If you want me to analized the whole song, verse by verse, I could but it would take us hours, but I think this first part is enough to explain. If we translate this into the bakudeku-verse, then you can see the whole childhood friends to lovers, which is very implicit the whole fic, mostly because they're grown up, already Pro Heroes. So, in a way, Still into You gives you an idea of someone's feelings, it could be Katsuki or Izuku.

Along the fic each chapter is named after a Paramore song, and like the title, the song (if you know about what the song is about) gives you an idea of what is going on.

Chapter 1: Rose-Colored Boy Chapter 2: When It Rains Chapter 3: Caught in the Middle Chapter 4: Hard Times Chapter 5: Where the Lines Overlap Chapter 6: Grudges Chapter 7: Tell Me How Chapter 8: Misery Business Chapter 9: All I Wanted Chapter 10: Let The Flames Begin

In my honest and humble opinion, while in some chapters the song's lyrics explain it completely, in others it's the music that makes the work. Probably I'm wrong and the author (if they read this) will want to behead me😂😂😂😂 but still, the choosing of each song it's what makes this fanfic one of my favorites regarding this couple.

Now, let's talk about the fic itself. As I said at the beginning, Still into You (the song) explains the feelings, either Katsuki or Izuku, during the whole story. It begins with Grumpy Bakugou, the guy can't sleep because his fucking neighbor is singing in the shower at 1 AM. I'm very conflicted here, I know the feeling of that, so like every normal person who wants to sleep after a hard work day, Bakugou wants to beat the crap out of his neighbor and goes to knock his door.

Only to discover that, the guy who has been ghosting (at that point it's mutual ghosting) him for 5 years and that he was masturbating to, was his neighbor. And I mean he was Midoriya Izuku.

Poor Katsuki, and you know what he does? Ogle the broccoli man🥦, yeah, no shame. But in Bakugou's defense, Izuku just came out of the shower, so yeah. Shame on me.

Katsuki was having a mental breakdown in front of Izuku (who wouldn't?), blonde couldn't handle the sexyness so of course he forgot what he was doing there. And yet, Izuku not only had it in him to mention the fact that 'he has a different schedule than Kacchan' BUT HE SAYS "And by the way, you got hot, too."

HOW. DARE. YOU. MIDORIYA. IZUKU.

Broccoli man has some balls. Literally.

Anyways, after that point, everything is Drama. You know, the usual.

And we have some issues to mention:

They try to mend, sort-of, their relationship. But their issues is what stop them.

Bakugou sleeps around, being openly gay, while Midoriya has the "perfect boy" image to the public, and you know homophobic shit, so only his closest friends know that he's bisexual and into Katsuki. And at some point, blonde makes the mistake of sleeping with Candy Man, or you know him as Todoroki Shouto.

They play this very bad version of Cat-and-Mouse, except that neither of them is the Cat and are being coward for not affronting their problems.

So, we know that the fic begins with blonde having a mental breakdown and sort-of-sexual crisis over his old high school crush. By the way, a big portion of the fic is under Katsuki's POV so you kinda know he's feeling like shit after seeing the guy who broke his heart on Graduation Day. At next morning, he found Deku and learn from him that he usually talks with Bakugou's friends (and actually he keeps in contact with all of his old classmates EXCEPT Katsuki) and he feels a rollercoaster of angst, kinda like "my friends have been talking with the guy and never told me" and a bruised ego, and while Kirishima explains that it's just the typical stuff (getting together to have lunch, or saving the day, AS FRIENDS), Katsuki has issues with that. In a way, he's angry (what a surprise) and jealous. And hurt.

That takes us to n°2. That's a crime. Kirishima warns him and yet blonde just goes yeet to fuck Todoroki. I mean, in my eyes for a single moment, blonde boy become an asshole. Yes, I said it. You don't fuck with your best friend's crush, it's a big NO-NO in the book of 'Rules in Friendship for dummies'. But only for that moment, because karma kicks him in the balls and Bakugou finds Midoriya the next morning at the email post in their building. Poor broccoli has red and puffy eyes, and blonde boy has a Todoroki shirt on him with the sticky-whity-thingy in it. It's like the meme 'It was in that moment that he knew he fuck up'. The worst thing is that when Bakugou goes back to his apartment, he sees all of the messages that Izuku sent him (so they could go on a date). That was kinda the top of the cherry.

So after that, they had this Cat-and-Mouse thing going, except both of them are the mouse and none of them wants to talk about the elephant in the room. Until Ground Zero (by the way, I have SO many issues regarding Bakugou's hero name) goes reckless being a Hero, gets injured and Deku saves him and tfswhe day.

The thing I love about the 'bakudeku' theme for fics it's not only the 'childhood-friends-to-bully/victim-to-rivals-to-friends-to-lovers' but also the idea of giving a second chance when they finally fix their issues. If you're reading the manga, then you know about how Bakugou apologized to Midoriya after he saved him from that people who was under the control of some villain, and while we haven't seen them interact much after that (mainly fanfics has been feeding me with that), you can clearly see that for Bakugou, his time in UA, has been the beginning for the redemption path and the eye-opening he need it, to finally realize who was Izuku. It's pretty evident that he's finally fixing his own issues regarding Izuku. In a way, we see that in the fic, but before they had this sentimental talk about feelings and stuff, they beat the shit out of each other. At this point, it's part of their thematic.

They're idiots. We love them. But still idiots.

Then we see the other side of the POV, which is Midoriya Izuku. While we see Bakugou struggling with how to approach Deku to realized he really fuck-up and then mourning the what-we-could-have-been, with Izuku is different, he's not only dealing with a heartbreak on Katsuki's part, but the betrayal on Shouto's part.

I mean, of course he's hurting. Who wouldn't? You heard your best friend fuck with the guy you've been in love for years. If that ever happens to me, been angry wouldn't cover how I feel. Not even heartbroken. But after weeks, he, being the impulsive shit he is, takes his phone and message Todoroki. So basically Broccoli man decides to take the step on the road of healing and fixing this mess. And while, IN MY OPINION, the excuse Todoroki gives him on why he did what he did is completely BULLSHIT, it's what Izuku need it to open his eyes and realized that Katsuki won't be always there with his feelings waiting for Izuku to decide what he wanted.

So Izuku goes to find Katsuki, and discovers that the blonde is long gone, in like, took all of his stuff and decide to disappear from the face of earth, broccoli is hurting again and decided to go home with his mom. Midoriya Inko is the saint we all know. But apparently that's what Izuku need it, go home, affront everything he feels from the beginning. In the end, that's how he finds Katsuki.

Under the beautiful moonlight. I fell in love 5 times, people.

I want to add that after a voting with some people (me because none of my friends read fanfics), we decided to name Kirishima Eijirou as the MVP of this fic. Just read it, and you'll probably agree with me.

I won't tell you how this end, or this won't be a review but a resume of the fic😂😂😂😂😂, but I totally love it. The thing with the music and the story is that while you read it, and you listen the music, everything sorta makes sense.

So 100% recommended ✨✨✨✨✨.

Anyways, if you reached here, thanks for reading me ranting about this.

And if you want, please share, give your love, reblog and recommend your fic (or a fic you read) for me to praise them in very constructive ways. And of course, to give me your critics✨.

Hope you’re safe and healthy🙏✨

I think that’s all, ✨Purple Girl out✨💜💜💜