#where i think they would work as an entry point to the series

[cowlovely]

best nuwho episodes to show to someone who has never seen doctor who, but wants to get into it*

*i’m working off of very specific criteria here. this can’t just be another “best episodes” list, because an episode being good doesn’t necessarily mean it would make a good introduction to a series. for this reason, there will probably be very few episodes past s6 or so on here, as i feel like that’s around the time that many doctor who episodes become too steeped in the show’s own history/overarching plotlines to make the most effective starting points (definitely at least partially moffat’s fault lol)

1x01 rose — maybe too obvious a choice, but this episode is the pilot for a reason.

—pros: does a very good job establishing nuwho’s version of the doctor, as well as thoroughly and effectively introducing us to rose and her life; the autons are a good and fun choice for the first threat.

—cons: is definitely not AS good as some other episodes of the show, so maybe not the best if you only have one episode to show someone and you want to make the most of it

1x06 dalek

—pros: establishes one of Thee enemies of the series, demonstrates 9 and rose’s values, sets up/explains a bit of the time war in an easy to understand way, has a great emotional core

—cons: i genuinely can’t think of any

1x09/1x10 the empty child/the doctor dances

—pros: fabulous storytelling all around with plot, themes, and pacing, emotional but with a happy ending, great blending of tone throughout, and a complete standalone story

—cons: it’s always a bit of a risk to start with a two parter

2x04 the girl in the fireplace

—pros: great creature design, fun storytelling devices, pretty self contained as far as references/lore go, fantastic performances from everyone but especially from sophia myles

—cons: has some of steven moffat’s worst writing attributes, including 10 feeling out of character in several spots, and reinette being very clearly a Moffat Woman in many ways (though this is in my opinion somewhat saved by myles’ great acting)

2x08/2x09 the impossible planet/the satan pit — i really debated putting these ones on here, but this story was MY introduction to the series so. clearly it’s very effective

—pros: really immersive story and setting, great cast of guest characters/actors, another self contained story (as far as i remember), introduces the ood

—cons: another two parter, might be a bit intense as a first story for some people, 10 and rose’s dynamic/significant moments in this might not hit the same way for someone who hasn’t seen other episodes

3x01 smith and jones

—pros: new companion episode, so the audience gets things explained to them at the same time as martha, fun little mystery at the center, interesting conflict/non-antagonist antagonists, good chemistry between tennant and agyeman, the hole rose left emotionally can be felt but doesn’t cut into the story as much as it does in the runaway bride

—cons: is again maybe not one of the standout episodes of the whole series (but is still very solid)

3x03 gridlock — might be a bit controversial since i didn’t include new earth, but i’ll explain

—pros: really interesting setting and plot, and while i think seeing new earth first gives interesting context, i don’t think it’s necessary to enjoy or understand what’s happening in this episode, and it’s kind of cool to come at this one from martha’s pov. showcases a lot of different kind of creatures/people, has a really satisfying and emotional conclusion, has the doctor reintroduce the concept of gallifrey and what happened to it

—cons: could definitely have some confusing elements if you haven’t seen new earth, in particular novice hame and the face of boe, and the effect of the city being the way it is in gridlock could be a bit diminished without the context of 2x01

3x10 blink

—pros: considered to be one of if not the best episode of the series, and with good reason. carey mulligan KILLS it, the mystery is incredibly compelling from start to finish, and the weeping angels are undoubtedly one of the best additions to the series. this episode is crafted damn near perfectly

—cons: while this episode is incredible, i don’t think it’s actually the best possible intro to the show that many people think it is; it’s not a good microcosm of the show as a whole in terms of structure and tone, and the doctor is really hardly in this episode at all. it makes the episode really gripping and intriguing if you’re already familiar with the show, but i actually think that effect is slightly dulled if you’re somebody who isn’t. this doesn’t mean that it would necessarily be the WORST introduction to the show (i’m still including it on the list after all), but i also don’t think it’s the best

4x08/4x09 silence in the library/forest of the dead

—pros: do i have to keep mentioning the episodes are really good? anyway these are really good. really highlights donna’s complexities, story is tense and emotional and intellectually engaging all at once, introduces river/touches on relationship dynamics with a time traveler, great and genuinely scary monster

—cons: another two parter, river’s introduction and the emotional weight of her and 10’s dynamic might not hit the same if you don’t know the doctor as a character either, and the same goes for donna’s plotline in these episodes (it was really difficult in general to pick ANY donna episodes because so many of the ones that feature her are really tied up in series lore of some kind 😭)

4x10 midnight

—pros: genuinely SO brilliantly written, acted, and edited it is ACTUALLY crazy. i’m biased because this is my favorite episode of the series, but i really think it’s such an all around tight story, and definitely one of the more self-contained ones of the show (especially considering this is a one-off monster we don’t even really hear about afterwards, let alone see again). and really i cannot hype up the writing and acting in this episode enough—if you’re really into sociology as a focal point in your sci-fi this episode will be for you

—cons: kind of similar to blink in that this episode isn’t very emblematic of what the show normally is—both in its bottle setting and the fact that the doctor is totally solo for the majority of the runtime, which is not the norm. i love it, and i think it works really well for the episode, but it’s still an outlier (the tone is also more serious than most eps). and also as minor as they are, there are still a few lore moments/references that might be confusing if this were someone’s first episode (rose’s face coming through on the bus screen, for example)

5x01 the eleventh hour

—pros: new doctor, and similar to smith and jones in the new companion factor. great story, episode is filled with lots of great energy, and this really showcases some of moffat’s better attributes as a writer/showrunner, particularly the kind of fairytale vibe he brings to doctor who; first episode of nuwho with a new showrunner, so it kind of intentionally comes off as a bit of a soft reboot

—cons: while it IS a bit like a soft reboot, this is one that kind of rolls with the assumption that you sort of know the deal at this point when it comes to the doctor as a character. i wouldn’t say it’s necessarily confusing, but i could see it potentially being a bit annoying for a new viewer, or just not as effective as an episode. also this was made in 2010 by moffat, and it shows (the sherlock editing, in particular)

5x02 the beast below

—pros: continuing the fairytale vibe, engaging setting and mystery, absolutely heartbreaking in the best way possible, self-contained story

—cons: viewer might feel a bit lost if they don’t know anything about the doctor and amy or how they met. kind of pro british monarchy :/

5x08/5x09 the hungry earth/cold blood

—pros: introduces the silurians (to nuwho at least), has really good guest characters/dynamics, conflict is compelling and very nuanced (feels closer to a classic who episode if that’s something that compels you), and this is something i’ve refrained from mentioning so far, but these episodes in particular have absolutely fantaaaaaastic makeup/SFX, costuming, and production design

—cons: two parter (take a shot every time i say this), the dramatic conclusion of this one might be confusing and/or fall flat if you aren’t familiar with amy and rory or the overarching plot of the season, and i could definitely see some people finding these episodes boring with all the political talk (i definitely did as a kid)

6x09 night terrors

—pros: very self-contained (as far as i can remember), perfectly straddles the line of horror and sci-fi, has a good emotional core, and 11 with kids is almost always an a+ for me

—cons: honestly can’t really think of any? again maybe not like. an AMAZING episode, and it may have references to past episodes/events in it that i can’t remember that might be confusing to a new viewer

6x11 the god complex

—pros: GREAAATTTT episode hook that really quickly and effectively drops you into the setting and overall vibe of the episode, some great one off characters, encompasses a lot of doctor who’s themes and different blends of genre

—cons: the second half of the episode pretty significantly focuses on amy and her fears/insecurities related to the doctor, so much so that it almost made me not include this episode

7x07 the rings of akhaten

—pros: this episode is so good. great intro to clara’s character (despite it not being her first one), great setting, great alien designs + worldbuilding, great music, and oh my GOD the monologues…the damn monologues…chef’s kiss

—cons: the doctor’s monologue probably won’t have the same effect for a new viewer that it does for people who are already fans, but honestly it’s so good that i don’t think this is that big a deal

9x03/9x04 under the lake/before the flood

—pros: very similar vibes to the impossible planet/the satan pit, but honestly i think i’m even more compelled by this story than i was by that one. i LOVE all the moving parts in this, i love the characters, i love that we’re underwater, and i love that it’s GHOSTS!!

—cons: two parter (shot!), and specifically a two parter that—while i love it to bits—drags a bit more than other two parters that i’ve included on this list. a new viewer may also not totally get (or maybe even be put off by?) 12 and clara’s dynamic

10x01 the pilot

—pros: i’ll be honest i wouldn’t say this is one of my FAVORITE episodes or anything, but it’s still very solid, and i DO think it could make a good introduction into the series for someone

—cons: has multiple allusions to other characters/arcs that will probably feel kind of weird to a new viewer

eve of the daleks special

—pros: time loop lovers come get your juice!!! this episode fucks, it’s probably my favorite from chibnall’s era? top three at least for sure. features the daleks without being too steeped in the Lore/having them overshadow everything in the episode

—cons: this episode is an atypical structure flr the show, and is kind of like. is About 13 and yaz’s relationship, which will probably be kind of odd if you haven’t seen any of the show before

honorable mentions, aka episodes i really wanted to include, but which had one too many cons to justify: 1x02 the end of the world, 1x08 father’s day, 2x01 new earth, s3 xmas special the runaway bride, 3x08/3x09 human nature/the family of blood, s4 special the waters of mars, 5x07 amy’s choice, 5x10 vincent and the doctor, 5x11 the lodger, 6x04 the doctor’s wife, 6x05/6x06 the rebel flesh/the almost people, 6x10 the girl who waited, 10x10 the eaters of light, 11x06 demons of the punjab, 12x08 the haunting of villa diodati, 60th special wild blue yonder)

that’s it so far!! i may add onto this when we get more episodes with 15, we’ll see!

(also i promise i’m not as biased towards early seasons nuwho as this list implies, i was just trying to be as objective as i could possibly be with the criteria that i set 😭 (while obviously still being subjective to my opinions) a lot of the later seasons just don’t have very many easy entry points 😔 (which is i’m sure at least partly why the show is being soft rebooted with 15))

#ivy.txt #doctor who #nuwho #finally made this after wanting to do it for AGES #similar to my doctor who spreadsheet in that i don’t really expect anyone/many people to really read this #but if you do and you find it helpful then that’s awesome!! #the honorable mentions are mostly episodes i really like but that i didn’t feel fit the criteria well enough #there are also some episodes that are kind of the opposite #where i think they would work as an entry point to the series #but that i personally didn’t believe they were good enough as episodes to recommend as firsts for anyone #anyway!! god this took forever. i’m gonna go eat dinner now

[chuluoyi]

✎ protect

- gojo satoru x reader

the word “protect” now means so much more to him

genre: soft and playful gojo, sugary dump fluff, pregnant!reader

note: anyone craving some soft gojo? :3 based on a suggestion by an anon who needs a soft gojo a while back, thank you!

a part of gojo's love entries

series masterlist | oneshot masterlist

When he was 16, Gojo Satoru thought that protecting other people was a pain, and didn't take it seriously.

Later, when he realized that even non-sorcerers deserve to live their lives in peace, he dedicated himself to becoming stronger so that he would be capable to protect them more. However, even then, he didn't perceive their worth as significant.

But when you entered the picture, that measly, glorified word suddenly became so much more.

Usually people would only care about whether he had succeeded his mission or not. His formidable reputation as the epitome of strength means no one is genuinely interested in his wellbeing—no one after Suguru, to be exact—until you did.

After a whirlwind romance of attraction and banters, Satoru reached the conclusion that he wanted you, the only person left who actually made him feel like a human, to stay happy and safe. He would do it with his own hands, even if it meant reshaping this cruel world to be kinder for you with him as your shield.

And the word “protect” gained an entirely new meaning years later, when he rested his head on your swollen belly—the place where his new cherished treasure was growing.

“When will he come out~?” he asked in a whiny tone and a blissful smile, even though he clearly knew the answer.

You shook your head with playful resignation, unable to conceal your smile. "In three weeks. Now help me get comfortable, you dork."

He helped you turn over and fetched a pillow to place under your aching spine. Then, with a mischievous grin, he lightly poked your belly with two fingers, eliciting a yelp from you.

"Don't poke me! You're poking your child!"

To that, Satoru merely threw his head back and snickered like the dumbass he was. He then tenderly rested his hand on the taut skin of your belly, gently massaging it, smiling with ardent happiness.

"Can't really believe it," he sighed, brimming with the purest sense of contentment. "A mini Gojo, huh... You're really doing a honorable work."

A child of his and yours. He had always wondered how he would be after seeing him firsthand—would he laugh just like he had been doing now, or will it be the first instance that move him to the point of shedding tears? One of the reasons he eagerly anticipated his son's birth was just to discover how he would react.

Seeing the weight of his baby growing within you, making you rounder and fuller, stirred a deep well of warm emotions in him with each passing day though.

"I am," you retorted cheekily, rolling your eyes. "In fact, you should be revering and worshipping me for carrying your spawn."

He merely hummed in a childlike manner, feeling his baby move around under his touch. You were about to roast him again with something funny when he leaned down and planted a kiss on your tummy, whispering to it.

"Please come out already~ Papa wants to meet you!"

Your heart swelled with warmth at that moment. Gojo Satoru was many things, but he wasn't typically known for his softness—he was often seen as this all-perfect being, and so witnessing him acting purely on his human emotions brought you a sense of happiness.

“Who do you think he’ll take after?” you mused.

“Hmmm. Me, obviously. He'll be hot just like me!” he quipped proudly, and you playfully smacked him on the arm.

Satoru caught your hand and kissed it tenderly amidst his grin. "But I want him to have your personality. I'd hate to see him be a show-off."

"So you do realize that you're actually a menace."

He laughed out loud, patting the generous swell of your belly again with a smug look on his face.

"I know, but I'm your menace, and that's all that matters."

And when his adorable son was born less than three weeks later and you passed out due to sheer exhaustion, Satoru vowed by everything in the heavens and the earth that he wouldn't spare anything to protect you and his child from this curse-filled world.

Epilogue - on the night of the birth -

“Satoru—” you panted, grimacing, head jerking back as your womb throbbed and pulsed in order to bring forth your child into the world. “I… feel like I’m going to faint…”

Worry etched his face as you leaned on him. “Hey, hey… Calm down sweetheart, relax and catch up on your breath, okay? Don’t worry, he’ll come out soon.”

Somehow his words rubbed you the wrong way.

“Hahh—this… is because of you! This happened because you shoved your stick into me! You horny bas—aahh!”

“Well, hey! Last I remembered, you begged me to put it into you! And I'm not—pfft—”

“Then what are you?!”

“Hmmm, nothing but a man who got you pregnant, sweetheart~”

“If I bleed out and die, it’s going to be your fault, you evil, wretched sorcerer!”

#𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 #gojo satoru x reader #jjk drabbles #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #jjk imagines #jjk x you #gojo x reader #jjk fanfic #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen x reader #gojo satoru #satoru gojo x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #gojo x you #gojo #gojo fluff #gojo satoru imagines #jjk fluff #gojo satoru fluff #dad!gojo #satoru gojo fluff #jjk gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jutusu kaisen x reader #satoru x reader #satoru gojo x you #satoru gojo #oopsie i can’t hold back in the epilogue asfghjkl

[just-jordie-things]

[part ten] to build a home - gojo satoru

word count: 4.2k warnings: !!manga spoilers!! swearing, jjk-verse style fighting series summary: when (y/n) (y/l/n) catches wind that the notorious sorcerer killer, toji fushiguro, has children, she makes it her personal mission to find them. the catch being she couldn't tell a soul about them- the risk of the zen'in clan learning about them was too great. keeping the secret isn't the hard part, it's lying to her friends, shoko ieiri, geto suguru, and of course gojo satoru, that she struggles with. especially when satoru has suddenly become so keen on keeping an eye on her lately.

series masterlist

[part ten] : “Cursed Tool”

It was fair to say that (y/n) had severely abandoned her training.  She still practiced here and there, but it was few and far between, and it certainly wasn’t on her list of priorities.  She hadn’t really noticed this.

Her friends, the over-involved spies they were, were completely aware.

Satoru bothered her endlessly about practicing with her cursed technique more, once she seemed to be in a better headspace, anyways.  He’d trail after her once classes were done, pester her to go out for a training session, he even playfully suggested a game of teleport tag.  (y/n) had been blowing him off for weeks.

Shoko brought it up a few times, casually, unlike the white haired man who’d never known the meaning of the word.  (y/n) brushed her off too, but she’d never seemed too bothered to be asked about it.  Shoko was easier to distract with a cigarette and a coffee.

Even Suguru, who (y/n) noticed seemed to be around less and less, still found the time to scold her for not keeping up with her training.  Just like the others, she let the comments slide.

(y/n) figured for some time now that she’d find the time to practice once things with Megumi settled down.  She had too much work to do to properly focus on his cursed energy, and help him grow into it, that the prospect of developing her own was out of the question.  Once Megumi understood his growing power and was able to protect himself with it, then she could help herself.

Foolishly, she hadn’t thought about the consequences of this choice, and (y/n) didn’t realize just how quickly her time was running out.  That was until Yaga asked her to stay behind in class one Thursday afternoon.

Shoko gave her a wave with the promise of meeting up to study later.  ‘Study’ of course meaning a smoke break where they could catch up and talk about anything but classes.  

Satoru followed her out without a word, but his eyes hung on (y/n) for a moment too long.  She furrowed her brows at him, as though to ask him ‘what?’.

He turns away and follows Shoko into the hall.

(y/n) approaches her teacher’s desk, a kind smile as she asks him what he needed her for.

“Let’s get straight to the point, shall we?” Yaga folds his hand over his desk, and (y/n) nods curtly.  “Fact is, it’s been a while since you’ve taken an assignment, and I’ve been trying to select the right one to hand of to you, and now I’ve found one that I think would be perfect for your re-entry into the field”

For a second, (y/n’s) frozen, and she swears that her heart has stopped beating in her chest.  Her face is expressionless, and her hands are still, curled around the edge of Yaga’s desk.  Once his words really settle into her mind, her grip tightens on the stained wood.

“Sensei, with all due respect I don’t think I’m-”

“You’re perfectly ready,” Yaga tells her before she could finish.  “These last few weeks have been hard on you.  You’ve gone through more than anyone your age should.  But it’s time,” He pauses, carefully choosing his next words, “I know you’ve been working on maintaining your routine, and it’s time to allow your work as a sorcerer to settle back to your roots”

(y/n’s) relaxed, expressionless face was starting to feel itchy.  And hot.  Her eye twitched as she stared down at her teacher, who seemed to be dead serious, even though her first instinct was to laugh in his face.

“I really don’t think it’s the right time,” She spoke slowly, so as to keep her voice as even as she could.  “I still need time to process Yu- and- and I just have so much going on that I-”

“(y/n),” Yaga cut her off again.  “While I appreciate you being honest with me, this is already final,”

(y/n) watches closely as he leans back, opening a drawer, and producing a folder.  He tossed it onto the desk in front of her, nodding his head for her to take it.

(y/n) stared back at him, unmoving.

“It would be a quick assignment.  Just the weekend.  And you’d get to see Brazil” He adds that last part with a flashy smile, like she was supposed to be excited about travel.  

“I don’t need to see Brazil,” Her tone drops.  “I don’t want to see Brazil”

“Flight takes off Saturday morning,” Yaga states bluntly.  “You’ll get picked up at six”

(y/n’s) eyes narrow to a glare.

“I’m not going”

“You’re going.  It’s a Grade Two.  You should be able to tidy that up in, what, a couple hours?” He raised his palm, pretending to think it through.  “I let the elders know you’d need longer, since it’s your first time back on the field.  The rest of the time I’ve allotted is for you to relax once it’s done”

“Am I supposed to thank you?”

“(y/n)-”

“No, really, is that what you’re looking for? Now that I’m supposedly done grieving over the death of my friend, I should just get back to normal life? Huh? I should be grateful that I get to have a little vacation time in Brazil?”

Her voice was rising with every word until she barely even realized she was leaning over the desk and yelling right in her teacher’s face.  However Yaga barely looked fazed.  He simply pushed the folder closer to (y/n), staring at her with a hard expression in his eyes.

“I don’t need you to be grateful.  But if you still want to pursue a life in this field, then you need to be wise,” He tells her, his eyes never once moving from hers.  “You haven’t taken a proper assignment in months, (y/n).  I understand there are devastating circumstances, I understand what you’re going through.  But I can’t stick my neck out for you forever, (y/n)”

Hesitantly, (y/n) stepped back, her knuckles sore from how tightly she’d been gripping the desk.  Her hands relaxed at her sides.  Carefully, her eyes moved from the unopened folder, to her teacher.

It dawns on her now that she hadn’t taken a proper assignment in almost eight months now.  Maybe even longer if she took a second to think about it.

Had Yaga been covering for her this whole time? Her heart sinks at the thought.  All this time she’d blown it off, assuming that Satoru and Suguru were being handed any and every assignment that came up.

Now she realizes she’s been in the wrong this whole time.  She’d been avoiding her training, and she hadn’t thought much at all about taking on missions, not when Megumi and Tsumiki still needed her like they do.

But now, looking at it with a fresh set of eyes, she wasn’t sure she could get out of this one.

(y/n) sighs, reaching for the folder with reluctance.

“Saturday at six?” She mutters.

Yaga grins.

“That’s the spirit” He tells her.

Without another word, he stands from his desk and leaves the classroom.  (y/n) glares down at the paper folder in her hands, before following him out.  

She’s stopped before she can take off towards her dorm.

“An assignment, huh?”

“Satoru, you creep up on me so much, I’m almost used to it”

The white haired sorcerer beams, crossing his arms as he slid in front of her path before she could walk away.  Despite her annoyance, (y/n) stays put in front of him.

“I’ll have to find something else to keep you interested in me, huh?” He chuckles.

(y/n) only blinks in response.

“So, Brazil,” Satoru changes the subject.  “Sounds like a fun time”

“Do you always eavesdrop on conversations that don’t involve you?” (y/n) muses.

“Well how else will I get involved?” He replies easily.  “You didn’t sound all too excited.  What was that about?” He tilted his head to the side, but somehow, he was still peeking out over the top of his sunglasses.

“I don’t love picking up and leaving suddenly.  Sue me,” (y/n) rolls her eyes.  

It wasn’t a total lie, she did like more than a day’s notice for long-distance missions like this one.  But the other factors in her distaste were a bit more pressing.  

“Did you really listen in on the most boring conversation because of that?” She asks him, trying to brush past the subject.  “What, are you jealous that they gave it to me and not you?”

Maybe deflecting could work, she decides.

(y/n) shoves the folder into his chest, and he doesn’t stumble at the harsh action, but she finds it curious that his infinity was down, and she was actually able to smack it against him.

“Well here,” She spits out, “You go if you want it so-”

“I don’t care about some lame-ass Second Grade Curse,” Satoru scoffs, throwing the folder back into her hands instantly.  “So which is it? Do you want to retire? Walk out like Nanamin?  Like you haven’t spent the last ten years of your life working towards assignments like this?”

(y/n) visibly bristles at the mention of their former underclassman.  Satoru notices, and it fuels his own annoyance enough that he asks the question that was really on his mind.

“Or are you just so wrapped up in something else that you’re trying to get out of it?”

(y/n’s) brows are drawn low as she glares up at him now.  The playful, meaningless attitude she’d given him before long gone, now replaced with the real thing.

“Kento didn’t just walk out,” She told him, her hands gripping the folder a little tighter than she needed to.  “His partner, his friend, died, and he did what he had to in order to keep his head”

“(y/n), I didn’t mean it like-”

“And I’m not walking out,” She cut him off.  “Just cause I don’t want to take on some stupid mission-!”

“Then what is it!?”

Satoru is yelling before he can calm himself down long enough not to, but (y/n) was raising her voice too and he knew if he couldn’t get her to listen he’d have to keep her attention somehow.

“What is it that you’re letting hold you back, huh?” He lowers his volume, but the bitterness in his voice is still present.  “What could be so much more fucking important than some in-n-out mission that the old you could get done before day’s end, huh? What the hell is it, (y/n)?”

The frown on her lips is twitching, begging to turn into a scowl.  What little patience is left inside of (y/n) is fighting for it’s life not to be cruel to the man in front of her.  

But she could only keep her composure for so long.

“It’s none of your business, Gojo” She mutters.

The use of his surname was the final straw.  Satoru was done with this game of tiptoeing and joking around.  He was over the secrets and blatant lies.  And most of all, he was over (y/n) pretending like she didn’t matter to him, like he shouldn’t even care about it at all.

“None of my business, huh?” He repeats with a scoff.

For a second, he looked away, shaking his head as he worked to ignore the way his throat felt hot.  Just as quickly as he had, he was recollecting himself and hardening his expression to hide any sort of vulnerability.

“Sometimes it feels like you make it my business, (y/l/n),” He spits her last name out with the same poison he’d been hit with from her.  “When you can’t take control of your own fucking cursed technique without my help,” He reminds her viciously.  “Or you can’t even sleep at night unless I’m there, what about that, huh?”

Her hands are curled around her folder so tight, her knuckles are white, and she’s crinkling the papers of her assignment.  She doesn’t care that her reports will look unprofessional now, because it’s the only thing keeping her from smacking Gojo Satoru across his smug, asshole face.  If she were a cartoon character, smoke would be coming out of her ears.

“Then don’t,” Her voice was low, but it betrayed her with a slight crack of emotion.  “I don’t need the Gojo Satoru protecting me like everyone else, I’m fine on my own.  And I’ll handle my shit, on my own”

Gojo’s snarling expression falters, and he blinks as he leans back from her a bit, trying to backtrack in his mind to the moment when he’d pushed her too hard.

From the first second, probably, he thinks to himself.  I fucked up instantly.

He sighs, and relaxes his tense muscles before he tries for an apology.

“Look, (y/n)-”

“No, just-”

(y/n) cuts him off, but quickly shakes her head, not knowing the right thing to say to keep him from pressing once and for all.  She swallows thickly to clear her burning throat, trying to come to terms with what she was about to say.  When her eyes land on his sunglasses again, she hopes they don’t betray her with their wetness.

“Just leave me alone, Satoru,” She tells him, and now his forename sounds evil coming from her, too.  “Just fuck off wherever you go when you’re not bothering me.  Anyone else will bend over backwards on a whim for whatever the fuck you need, so go bother them.  Anyone else.  Because I don’t need you,”

It’s harsh.  It’s beyond harsh, it’s cruel.  Probably one of the cruelest things she’s ever said to anyone, but she knows this is exactly what he needs to hear if she’s going to push him away and keep him away.

He’s still standing there, not a single muscle on his body moving.  She can’t see his eyes from behind his shades, but she assumes they must be blank as he stares at her.  She wishes he would just teleport away.

Her chest feels hollow.  And her throat feels tight.

“I don’t need you to help me with my technique, I don’t need you to help me sleep, and I don’t need you to nitpick every little thing I do every second of the day,”

She’s losing breath, but she knows if she allows herself to collect the oxygen she needs, her chest will heave to steal it, and she’ll lose her false composure.  Realizing this, she delivers her final blow.  

“I.  Don’t.  Need.  You”

(y/n) blinks strategically to make sure not a single drop of the wetness in her eyes could fall.

Her fingers begin to tremble.

Satoru’s silence lasts for a few seconds longer, as does his eerie stillness, but finally, his expression cracks, and he scoffs quietly.

“Fine,” His voice is quiet, but there’s a finality to it that lets her know she was successful in her heartbreaking scheme.  “If that’s what you want, then fine,” He continues, before leaning over to meet her at eye level.

He doesn’t need his Six Eyes to know that she’s on the verge of tears, that whether she meant what she said or not, it was hurting her just as much as she was trying to hurt him.  Nonetheless, this was her choice, and if that’s what she wanted, he’d give it to her.  

Satoru had known for some time that he would do anything she asked of him.  If she couldn’t sleep at night without him, then he’d lay in her bed with her, wide awake from dusk till dawn.  If she needed a training partner, a friend to talk to, a book, lunch, money, his soul- Satoru would find a way.  Of course, he knew what this implied- this desire of his to provide any little thing she wished- he knew that it meant his heart was no longer his to claim.

Knowing this, knowing he’d do anything she asked and now she was asking him to go away, hurt more than any nasty words she could throw at him.  Seeing the gloss of tears in her eyes as he told her he’d follow this command made him feel like his body had been split in two.  Every instinct told him to tell her no, tell her I’m staying, whether you need my help or not.

Or what’s worse to admit, I’m staying, because I’m the one who needs you.

There’s a child, deep inside of his subconscious, who’s crying.  He’s wailing loud enough for Satoru to hear.  He’s deeply lonely, and desperate to be loved, and he’s begging for him not to let his next words come out of his mouth.

Satoru doesn’t listen.

“But I’m done with this stupid game of yours, (y/n),” He tells her, and the low voice he speaks in sounds angrier than any holler, yell, or scream ever could.  “So don’t come fucking crying to me about it later”

When she blinks, he can see a tear catch on her eyelash.  His heart wilts like a sunflower under the clouds.

“Trust me.  I won’t” She tells him with certainty.

A brief moment later and Satoru’s standing straight, and walking away from her.  He has nowhere to be, and he’s not walking in any specific direction to go somewhere besides that wherever he’s headed, it’s away from her.

(y/n) stays put in the corridor for a few minutes longer, frozen, clutching her wrinkled folder of an assignment to her chest and staring at an insignificant spot on the floor for a period of time she couldn’t really keep track of.

She’s not sure how long it was since Gojo had left, but when she’s finally sure he’s far enough away, she breaks. ___

“I have something for you,”

Megumi’s eyes light up with a gleam that only a child receiving a gift could display.

“It’s not that exciting,” (y/n) tells him sheepishly, before reaching into the pocket of her jacket.  “But it is important, and I need you to promise me that you’re going to hold onto it”

His brows are furrowed with uncertainty, but Megumi nods adamantly.

“Okay.  Promise”

(y/n) produces the small token, a thin rope with a small stone on it.  Megumi’s confusion only deepens at the odd gift.

“A necklace with a rock?” He asks as she carefully drops it in his hands.  He studies it closely, as if there was some secret to why this was a special present that he now promised he would keep.

When he doesn’t find anything unique, he gives her a blank stare.  (y/n) chuckles quietly.  

“It is” She agrees with his blunt observation, and picks it back up from his hands, and holds it open so that she could slide it over his head.  The little stone sits on his chest, and Megumi picks it up again to inspect once more.

“Why is this important?” He asks, narrowing his eyes in case there was a tiny detail he was missing.

“Because I laced it with cursed energy,” (y/n) explains.  “My cursed energy,”

The young boy stares up at her, still lost.

“You know how I told you that students studying to become Jujutsu Sorcerers have to go on missions to take care of curses?” She reminds him.  He nods.  “Well… I’ve been asked to go on one of those missions”

“Oh,” Megumi mumbles, his gaze falling to the floor.  “Do they take a long time?”

“Not a long time, no,” (y/n) shakes her head.  “But I won’t be here this weekend.  I leave on Saturday”

“Oh” Megumi says again, quieter.

“But,” (y/n) continues, craning her neck so that she could meet his gaze, “I will be here as soon as I’m finished, alright?”

He nods in a short, small motion.

“I’ve left your sister with a little extra spending money, so you guys can order pizza, or go to the bookstore, or rent a movie- whatever you want to do,” She tells him.  “I hope you can understand”

“I understand,” Megumi says.  “Curses are bad, you have to kill them”

“Exorcize,” (y/n) corrects with a small laugh at his choice of words.  “But you’re right, I do have to.  It’s my duty,” She says.  “And someday it can be yours too, if you want”

Megumi nods, his stare falling to his hands, studying them.  His bedroom is quiet for a bit as he thinks to himself, and (y/n) gives him the space to process everything she’d just told him.  It’s not long before he speaks again.

“So what’s so important about this necklace?”

“You remember my cursed technique?” (y/n) asks.

“... Hexing Eye?” Megumi answers, a bit unsure, but she beams back at him.

“That’s right,” She praises.  “Well, the downside of it is that it’s effects only last a day.  So if I were to hex you,” She raises her fingers to her forehead as if to use her technique.  “It would wear off by this time tomorrow”

“But you hexed the necklace?” Megumi asked, trying to fill in the blanks.

(y/n’s) smiling again, proud that he was able to catch onto jujutsu semantics so quickly, especially with only her minimal efforts as a teacher.

“Sure did,” She says.  “Think of it more as… preserved… in the necklace, if that’s easier,” Megumi nods in understanding.  “So when the stone is broken, the hex is released,” (y/n) makes a flashy gesture with her hands, mimicking an explosion.  “And that will pretty much summon me.  I’ll know to come to you, right away”

“Why can’t we just call you?” Megumi asks, that know-it-all tone in his voice that a parent would find annoying, but (y/n) found endearing.

“Of course you can call me,” She chuckles.  “But this,” She pointed to the stone that sat against his chest.  “This is for emergencies… dangerous emergencies, okay?”

She didn’t want to scare him, but she needed him to know just how important this cursed tool was, and exactly the situation he needed to use it in.

“Okay” Megumi repeats back to her, his azure eyes focused, and sure of what she meant.

“So… so if you find yourself… in a scary situation, or if either one of you are hurt…” (y/n) trails off, her eyes flickering between his to make sure she wasn’t being too grave.  “All you have to do is break that little rock,” She pushes the stone against his body again.  “And I’ll be there.  Do you understand?” He nods back at her.  “I’ll be there in a second.  So if you promise to use it if you ever find yourself in an emergency, I promise to be there right away.  Deal?”

Megumi gives her a small smile as he nods again, holding the stone protectively in his hand.

“Deal,” He agrees.  “I won’t take it off”

(y/n) smiles back at him, feeling much more at ease about her weekend trip to Brazil now that she had a Plan B for the Fushiguro kids.  

They won’t even need it, she tells herself.  But now I know they’ll be safe no matter what.

“Alright kid, it’s very late, and little kids need a good night’s rest” She says, lifting the covers for him to climb under.

“I’m not a little kid” Megumi grumbles, already back to his usual pouty demeanor.

(y/n) chuckles as he slides under the blankets and lets her tuck him in anyways.  Yeah, right, she thinks, but doesn’t say anything besides her usual goodnights and goodbyes.

Her walk home was bittersweet.  She’d accomplished everything she’d needed to today, all at a great cost.  Imbuing that necklace with her cursed energy had taken a toll on her strength, tiring her out for the rest of her day, enough that she was dragging her feet along the sidewalk.

Pushing away Satoru once and for all had taken a similar toll, as well.  But it presented itself differently.  It weighed on her shoulders, and clawed itself into her chest and settled there in a hollow, energy-draining feeling.  

She recognized it as guilt, but there was something else there that had been nagging at her mind since their fight earlier that day.  Something that made her feel like crying- even though she had already vented out all her tears before visiting the Fushiguro house.

She pondered on the sour, painful feeling on her late walk, even though giving it any attention made her chest hurt, and her eyes brim with tears.

Oh, it dawned on her once she’d finally reached her empty dorm.  She collapsed into bed without having changed into more appropriate clothes to sleep in.

The sheets reeked of warm sugar and pine.

Tonight was the first night since Haibara Yu had died that (y/n) would spend alone in her bed.

It was heartbreak. ___

a/n: i just love writing things that make me cry and i hope it makes u cry too >:’)

taglist: @whats-humanity-lol @malinq-ashida @mor-pheus@bekahtaylorgriggs@pookiea@megumimind@thealchemical@pearlstiare@niallerhere@96jnie @purpleguk @peqch-pie@yukinemaroop@makis-girl@sadtoru @kamikokii​ @nerdiel-has-no-braincells​ @googlesheetshoe​ @vzleria​

xoxo ~ jordie </3

#gojo satoru #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru imagine #gojo satoru scenario #gojo satoru fanfiction #jjk #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen #satoru gojo #satoru gojo x reader #satoru gojo imagine #satoru gojo scenario #satoru gojo fanfiction #satoru gojo x reader series #gojo satoru x reader series #gojo satoru x reader angst #gojo satoru x reader friends to lovers #gojo satoru x reader enemies to lovers

[skullytotheark]

Timothy Wright “Masky”

For beginners and people who want accurate/canonical lore

[i spent an hour writing about tim lore so i said fuck it and decided to post]

[NOTE: Alot of this is canon Tim lore except for headcanon stuff, The Original source for Tim is Marble Hornets.]

-

Bio

Name: Timothy Wright 

Current Age: 35 [late 20s when marble hornets ends]

Height: 5’6

Canonical Physical appearance: Timothy Wright is a slightly chubby build man with noticeable stubble and sideburns along with a combover hairstyle

Tim’s overall personality: Tim is a level-headed, cautious person, but he is not afraid enough of his advisories for them to disable him. Tim can also be socially awkward at times but tends to be calm a lot of the time

Canonical sexuality: Asexual [Confirmed by Tim Sutton]

Original source material: Marble Hornets [2009]

Creator: THAC TV [The Marble hornets crew], Troy Wagner, Joseph Delage [Writers of marble hornets] and Tim Sutton [Actor of Timothy Wright]

-

Lesser known facts

Tim’s final words to Brian who is revealed to be Hoody in entry 86, Were “I’ll Kill you”

When Jay is reading Tim’s files in entry 60.5, There is a noticeable detail in the documents that says “Does patient smoke” or something of this nature and it is ticked “Someone in the house smokes,” Implying that one of his family members smoke and this habit soon grew onto him

In entry ######, The person speaking throughout the video is confirmed to be Tim [the actor], Which Means that this is the first and last time where Masky has spoke

Tim was going to college originally wanting to do photography [confirmed by Tim or Troy]

Despite popular belief, Masky / Tim is not a proxy. This being confirmed from the multiple times both Masky & Hoody constantly avoid or run away from the Operator / Slenderman. 

After we are led to believe the worst when Marble Hornets ended [believing that Tim offed himself]. Skully in issue 3.5 from the official Marble Hornets comics confirms that Tim is in fact Still alive. This statement is also made true in the canceled Clear Lakes 44 series by Troy Wagner when we see footage of Tim returning to a normal life and working moving supplies 

OOC fact that i think more people should probably know about: The Cheesecake joke is a fatphobic joke made via the creepypasta fandom along with other viewers who would make negative remarks towards Tim's weight, Tim later develope a eating disorder because of the constant insults he got about his weight

-

[Canon] Important events & Lore for Tim

[For people who don't wanna sit through the entire series and kinda want it summarized through]

[NOTE: Rake note that I will be updating certain points if they are incorrect lorewise since alot of this is based off of my own interpretations and memories of the marble hornets series]

Tim’s childhood:

At First Timothy Wright was a very normal lad, Although socially awkward and having a slightly shaky relationship with his mother and father, Tim was considered a normal child. However It is when Tim is 8 to 12 this is when he’s beginning to experience symptoms that are under the hallucination and schizophrenia category. After multiple visits to the doctor his mother “Janet Wright” finally decides to send Tim to the local psychiatric ward where he is further treated by the doctors within the ward, But no matter what they’ve tried it seem that every now and then Tim will have a episode where he breaks out of the ward and run into the local park rosswood national park or hide in a maintenance tunnel which was close to the ward. Always claiming that he was hiding from whatever that he was seeing before bringing him back and locking Tim into his room and giving him large doses of his medication. 

College:

A Couple Of Years Later, [around early 2000s] Tim is released into the world and is stable enough to go to college and get proper education, Tim originally studied for photography however it is when his close friend “Brian Thomas” introduces Tim to “Alex Kralie”, Brian was originally auditioning for Alex’s student film “Marble Hornets” but soon Tim was somewhat pressured  into auditioning himself. Alex takes note of both of the two’s auditions and later hires them for his student film. Everything started off very tame, The cast would often go off to small locations and film for the movie until later on Alex seemingly becomes more paranoid and slightly aggressive towards his cast. While location hunting with Alex Tim takes him to an old abandoned location near his psychic ward he spent as a child, However after Alex pestered him about the ward Tim soon unwillingly showed him the ward where Alex later attempted to kill Tim. Tim narrowly escapes Alex and although Tim had no memory of this encounter Tim & Alex soon loose touch

Mid Marble Hornets:

[#54 to #59]

In the early 2010s Having no memory of most of the filming during Marble Hornets, Tim was now living a somewhat stable life with a small job. Everything seemed surprisingly normal in life until one of Brian’s Mutuals “Jay Merrick” requests a few of the tapes Tim had that he was given to by Alex so he can use some of the scenes to finish the Marble Hornets Film Alex was working on. Tim gives the tapes to Jay and Jay asks Tim to take him to one of the locations him and Alex visited to, Although slightly skeptical Tim agrees and takes him to the abandoned location. Jay strangely having a weird fixation on the abandoned ward next door to the location Tim originally took Jay to, While roaming within the halls Jay notices a hooded figure roaming down the halls and chases after him. Very suspicious of Jay’s behavior after this encounter, Tim discovers the “Marble Hornets Youtube Channel” and realizes that Jay was lying to him about wanting to finish the film. Tim confronts Jay in a parking lot and tells Jay to never talk to him again. However Tim’s medication was stolen by the Hooded figure that appeared in the ward and Tim has a seizure, When it ended Tim didn’t seem like his regular self as he dawns a mask from the hooded figure before entering rosswood park, Jay following the two in an attempt to help Tim while he was in this strange autopilot like state where Tim is extremely hostile and non talkative.

Masky: “A Mask Of My Own Face”

[Appearances:#18, #19, #23, #33, #35, #45  #50, #52, #61, #76 and # 86]

Originally appearing in entry 18, This strange state Tim appears in every now and then where Tim is mute and often hostile to most People. A possible Theory is that this State is the body’s self defense mechanism for an entity known as the Operator who has haunted Tim all of his life and is the possible reason he spent most of his childhood in a psychiatric ward in the first place. As mentioned this mechanism seemingly puts the body in an autopilot like state where Tim acts without second thought. The Hooded Figure seemingly knew this and exploited Tim’s defense mechanism to have Tim attack Alex multiple times, During one of these attacks Tim attacked Alex [who was visiting an abandoned location with Jay] wearing a white Mask that had black outlines going around the edge of the mask, Black teardrop shaped outlines going around the mask’s eyeholes, U shaped eyebrows and lips painted onto the white mask with black sharpie or paints. During this attack Alex tied Tim and had Jay hold him down before Alex smashed and broke Tim’s leg with a block of cement [this action from Alex caused conflict between him and Jay]. In another attack with Alex the hooded man distracted Alex as Tim got the upper hand and threw Alex to the ground, Tim then tries to smash Alex’s head in with the Rock but fails so attempts to choke him. However this attack failed and the two ran off when they noticed that the Operator was protecting Alex.

“The End Days”

[#63 to 83]

Towards The End. After Jay and Tim make an agreement to help each other, The Two begin going location to location in attempts of finding any pieces to the puzzle Jay has been trying to solve for years now, In attempts to avoid Alex the two would go hotel to hotel while constantly going to new locations slowly but surely piecing things together. During this Time Tim and Jay form a small friendship between each other while also sharing possible theories to what happened during marble hornets, Such as Where to find a missing person named Jessica Locke and why Alex did all of this. However things take a turn when Jay and Tim are attacked by the Operator while searching at Alex’s old house, This attack sending Jay in a state where he is barely aware of his surroundings and aimlessly wandering. Of course Tim tries to lessen the side effects from this attack by giving Jay some of his medication however Jay is very stubborn and seemingly refuses any help while in this state. A short while later when Tim and Jay discover that Alex was hiding in Tim’s house waiting for Tim to come back so he could kill Tim and hopefully Jay, A small argument sparked between the two about whether they should go to the house or not, They soon go to Tim’s house to learn that Alex was kidnapped by the hooded man and is holding him at a abandoned school. However Jay soon attacked Tim and snatched a tape recording that Tim was hiding from him, Jay leaves and watches the tape to find that the hooded man and Tim [while in autopilot state] abducted Jessica possibly in an attempt to drag her out of the whole marble hornets mess, The three go to Rosswood park only for Alex to attack them, Jessica defends herself from Alex when realizing Alex was the threat and not the two masked men before retreating in the forest only for the Operator to abduct her. Learning the contents within the tape only caused conflict to spiral between Tim and Jay when Jay pinned the blame on, Jay attempts to attack Tim but Tim disarms and ties Jay up, informs he’s going to the abandoned shool and leaves Jay at his house. While Tim was having a coughing fit moments after he exits the school and runs to his car he hears a loud gunshot, He recollects himself to find Jay’s camera which shows that Alex shot Jay and in response lock himself in a room only for the Operator to kidnap Jay. Upon learning about this Tim pins the blame on both Alex and the hooded man, A few days later Tim and the hooded man have a fight that led to the Hooded man falling out of the window and to his death. Leaving only Tim and Alex left,

“The Day, The Music Died"

[2014]

In the final days, Tim and Alex was teleported to different locations Tim has been to during marble hornets, The two often exchanging blows to each other while Tim attempts to persuade Alex into stopping this madness, However Alex believes that everyone he had killed was infected with a sickness and that if he hadn’t kill them the sickness would spread, Tim’s counter argument to this is that Alex was only being used by The Operator as a source of power. However when Alex finally gets a grip on Tim, Tim stabs Alex in the neck before stabbing him multiple times in defense. Ending the madness, A few days later Tim was last seen interacting Jessica who was revealed to be alive until Tim suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. 

-

Personal Headcanons

Tim often avoids wearing clothing that he wore during marble hornets, Especially his Tan jacket he wore as Masky.

Tim sometimes gets recognized as the “Masky guy from That one web series”, A Lot of the time he tends to avoid interacting with people who recognized him since what happened during Marble Hornets greatly scarred and traumatized him. But every now every than he kinda has a small outburst where he basically says “Don’t talk to me or bring that shit up” before storming off

Tim often spots Skully in the distance watching him, Skully is the walking and breathing embodiment of everything and everyone he wants to forget but no matter how hard he tries Skully just seems to find them, Alot of the time he tends to ignore them but recently Skully has been standing in places where they are more noticeable so Tim can see Them, But whenever Tim asks if anyone saw Skully they don’t know what he’s talking about. He’s not even sure if Skully is real at this point.

The Operator doesn’t seem to stalk Tim as much as he expects, The Operator in fact barely follows him anymore due to the lack of conflict Tim has been involved him, Basically meaning that Tim is semi free from this parasitic worm clinging onto him and using him as a source for violence. But of course Tim doesn’t know this and is still extremely paranoid.

Tim finally is doing his original passion which is photography. He often tends to avoid going into wooded areas but every now and then he notices that sometimes his photos contain a bluejay in the background which, Sometimes saddens him but mostly makes him feel better. Tim usually takes photos of small flowers and places that often have beautiful scenery 

Tim has a job in repairing computers and getting rid of viruses on old people’s computers. But 99% of the time he’s standing at the cash register having old people ask weird and specific questions about the camera models they’re buying, Sometimes he wonders if working at mcdonalds is better but he does like getting paid

Proxy Tim AU

In this canon/au where Tim is working as a Proxy, Tim is seemingly hypnotized into working for The Operator. But little does the Operator know Tim is slowly but surely slipping out of his puppet like state

Alot of the time Tim hates interacting with other proxies, They’re so loud and honestly so disgusting. Tim is a regular guy amongst a crowd of killers who get their kicks off of killing innocent people just because this eldritch like being tells them to. He kinda finds them pathetic… 

Tim despises himself for working for the Operator, Tim thought he couldn't hate himself anymore but he has proven himself wrong yet again. He’s becoming more and more unphased by being told what to do by the Operator and it scares him. He doesn’t want to become like Alex but it seems that there’s no stopping that now. 

Tim’s original mask has seen better days. Every now and then he does attempt to clean it but staples and glue can't do a lot when your mask was crushed by a bunch of junk after you throw it away. So eventually Tim does get a fresh mask which has slightly smaller eyeholes and more pronounced lips then the last one but overall both masks have the same paint job, Also worth mentioning that Tim dons a new fur collar jacket and black leather/plastic gloves 

#marble hornets #creepypasta #creepypasta fandom #masky marble hornets #Masky #tim wright #Timothy Wright

[unikhroma]

SPAMTON HOUSE: A Specil Encounter

entry 1: a lightner named miles finds themselves in cyber world after showing up to the librarby for work. upon wandering the world, they find a seemingly abandoned house, but (un)luckily for them, someone is home.

next entry 🞂

credits and additional info below:

you can find the credits along with a Q&A here. they'll be updated as necessary.

--

this AU is inspired by an unused file in deltarune chapter 2 that suggests that spamton may have had a house at some point in development!

technically this is part of a larger AU where there are deviations from the canon before the story of chapter 2 and past a certain point in the timeline. but, for the sake of SEO and not having to explain my spamton's complicated lore this is being referred to as an AU on its own.

this was designed as a game, but i've been thinking about it, and it will likely have to be a video series instead. it's mainly because i don't think i can really justify the amount of time that would go into it being an actual game, as much as i'd like it to be. i also had an original game i was diligently working on before ch2 came out and it would be nice to make that one happen

#my art and things #deltarune #deltarune au #deltarune chapter 2 #spamton #spamton g spamton #oc: miles #SPAMTHOUSE related #SPAMTON HOUSE AU

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results -- Gligglae

Sorry this is later than usual; traveling for the holidays makes it difficult to keep up with this sort of thing. The smart move would have been to write it up a couple days ahead of time, then on Monday just update it with anything new that had been posted since, but see, what happened was that I did not do that. Instead, I tried to type this up Monday evening in between various family obligations, realized I didn't have time to do it properly, and just shoved it in my drafts. Then all of Tuesday was taken up with the long drive back home from where my family lives, and now you're getting it on Wednesday.

(Also, don't worry, I followed all CDC guidelines appropriate for someone who had recently had covid, and wouldn't have traveled for the holidays at all if I hadn't been without a fever for 48 hours prior to departing. Plus I drove instead of flying, didn't visit anyone but immediate family, and had a mask the whole time, so even if I am still contagious somehow, exposure was pretty minimal.)

Anyway, the entry that our artists are working from is here:

And, of course, all previous material on this matter can be found at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting.

I think a larger number of people than usual identified the animal in question right off the proverbial bat, because this one has some pretty blatant tells, but as always I appreciate everyone trying to put it out of their minds.

So, anyway, in rough chronological order:

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) (thank you for providing your own alt text, I really appreciate it) brings us her usual impeccably medieval-stylized rendition -- the swirls and curves in this one give it a really interesting vibe, I think. We can see the Gligglae in full-body profile on the left there, and a group of them doing their cluster behavior on the right. The, like, griffin/cockatrice/vampire look is pretty great, also. I enjoy the overall design, which you can find some discussion of in the linked post. Gold foil also a nice touch.

Coolest-capybara also notes that the entry is very interested in the ways in which the creature is "almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a bird," and I can explain why that is. It is because this entry is in the Bird section of the bestiary, so officially this is a bird -- I mean, it flies, what else can it be -- but it's sufficiently un-bird-like that it really sticks out to the authors, so they need to explain the ways in which it's Doing Bird Wrong. Everything else in this section does X, so we need to point out that this one does Y, kind of thing.

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) has drawn an absolutely adorable little Gligglae. (Adorable if you have my sense of aesthetics, that is -- I suspect if you're among the portion of the population that finds aye-ayes more creepy-looking than cute, that might apply here as well.) There's an explanation of design decisions in the linked post, including a number of references to real animals that provided inspiration. I like the decision to play up the "lowly" and "mean" part of the description by making it small and kind of scruffy. And the general concept of blending "gliding rodent" with "nocturnal primate" to make an arboreal mammal with elements of both really worked out well here, in my opinion.

@aethereaii (link to post here) has done this beautiful piece in a style that kind of gives "19th-century naturalist" vibes. (Actually, it makes me think of James Gurney, but I suspect that association says more about my childhood reading habits than anything else.) This is a great design in my opinion, and you can find some brief discussion on design decisions as well as an earlier version of the Gligglae in the linked post. The earlier design is also very good, but I agree with Aethereaii that this one is a step up, particularly with the Anomalocaris-inspired faux-wings. I also really like the inclusion of the juvenile Gligglae (Gligglings?) clinging to their parent's back in the corner there.

@karthara (link to post here) decided to go in a reptilian direction with this one, which (a) works well and (b) caused me to spend a chunk of time reading about flying snakes on Wikipedia just now. So in this version, the "rowing motion with its skin" is a description of the Gligglae flaring its ribs and undulating through the air -- which I genuinely think really makes sense. The entry seems to legitimately disagree with itself about whether this critter has wings (or, taking it entirely literally, it has wings but flies through a completely separate method that specifically does not involve said wings, which I think we're justified in deciding is Wrong), so I think going with such a non-wing-like flight method works here. Also like the concept of making these very cuddly (and apparently loving, according to our bestiary author) creatures into a type of animal that usually isn't seen that way. The linked post also contains some brief notes on design decisions.

@strixcattus (link to post here) has, as per usual, provided a really excellent modern-naturalistic description of the creature they've designed in the linked post, and you should definitely go check it out right now. I'll wait.

... back? Okay good. I particularly like their interpretation of the "grape-cluster" behavior as a social group that's specifically not a kin group; and also the fact that said group is officially referred to as a "cuddle". The choice to make it a whole genus and show us several different wild and domesticated species, also very good, love it. As with several of these drawings, Strixcattus's Gligglae (Gligglaes?) are extremely cute -- which, really, does also fit the description provided in the entry. They're like tadpoles crossed with sugar gliders.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) credits Ken Sugimori's Pokemon illustrations as a stylistic inspiration, which I suppose explains why the Gligglae cluster seems to be hanging from a Sudowoodo. The linked post also draws certain parallels between medieval bestiaries and the Pokedex, which I think is actually pretty insightful. There's also a breakdown of their design decisions there, go read it. I think this is a pretty good rendering of something that is like a flying squirrel but distinctly not a flying squirrel, and I like the shaggy look of the fur.

Also, thank you for providing your own alt text.

@pomrania (link to post here) is, I think, the only person to take the bestiary author at their word that this animal has wings but flies through some other, non-wing-related method. You can see the tiny useless wings at the shoulder there. I really think that's fascinating as a concept: what evolutionary pressures would produce an animal that (a) has wings and (b) flies but (c) those two things are unrelated? Although this many appendages on a fur-bearing creature puts us firmly in the "alien biology" territory, so maybe it's silly to expect it to make sense by the standards of terrestrial biology. Regardless, I like it, and I think the decision to run with the "rowing" description by giving it those oar-shaped appendages is a good & creative one. The post linked above contains a fair bit of information on design decisions and the drawing process here -- there are sketches and everything.

@vindikat (link to post here) has interpreted this in a way I find really charming. The art is of course excellent, very well drawn, and I appreciate the effort that went into doing these different poses. However, I really like it from a worldbuilding perspective: this gives me the impression of a small species of griffin that's adapted to urban living, more pigeon/cat than eagle/lion. (Come to think, both pigeons and cats are examples of feral populations finding a successful niche, rather than wild ones that adapt to a city, so maybe we can speculate that these guys are also descended from domestic ancestors.) Also the Gligglae under the eaves there remind me of pictures of chimney swifts that have made the rounds on Tumblr.

The design is also generally very appealing; I think the extra wings and the long tail really work here. The linked post includes an explanation of the design decisions that I think is worth taking a look at.

@moustawott (link to post here) has given us another very cuddly version of the Gligglae. I particularly like the wing design here, how it's kind of a mammalian version of a pterosaur -- Moustawott indicates that they were specifically trying not to draw the animal that they're sure this is, and I think the pterosaur-squirrel design here is a great way to make something that could fill kind of the same niche while being an unmistakably distinct creature. The little round head and eye markings remind me of a chipmunk, also, which is cute.

@rautavaara (link to post here) continues to do interesting stylistic stuff with their contributions. I like how the limited color palette here makes this look kind of like a single-block woodcut or similar relief printing. Like, you could plausibly see this as a design someone's carved into a wood block, then printed on mustard-yellow paper with purple ink. (I'm actually not 100% sure that's not what it is; I would just be surprised if someone actually went the extra mile of breaking out the engraving tools for my little bestiaryposting thing.) Very dynamic scene, also, and a charming creature design; love the huge mouths with pointy little fangs.

All right, these are all the ones that come up on the search; if I missed yours, let me know please.

(I have to apologize here for another delay that's absolutely my fault -- I would have had this out a few hours ago, but I got derailed by impulsively deciding to check out that Hbomberguy plagiarism video everyone's talking out, and... yeah.)

Anyway, as a number of this week's artists indicated, this one was really easy to guess, so the reveal seems a little pointless, but we have a format, so:

Obviously, this was the sheep.

What? Look, you can't make assumptions with these things. Some of these medieval bestiary entries are really counterintuitive. Medieval Europeans believed there was a species of small, highly-social, flying nocturnal sheep native to Ethiopia.

Really, it's in Pliny the Elder.

...

Yes, fine, I'm just lying to you for fun. It's the animal you all think it is, there are no flying sheep to my knowledge. Here's the Aberdeen Bestiary illustration.

Yep, it's the bat. Oddly human face on that one, and generally I don't think this was drawn from life, but it's definitely a bat.

I do kind of find the way it's described in this entry kind of interesting, though. The confusion about whether bats count as having wings (even after having been placed in the "bird" category) is kind of odd, and the "rowing" description is not one I would have ever thought of. I very much like the declaration that the way bats huddle together is "an act of love of a sort which is difficult to find among men"; it's a sweet way to talk about a creature with a generally negative reputation, which contrasts interestingly with the fact that the author also thinks of them as "lowly" and "mean". You kind of get the idea of a creature that's a bit wretched but in a sympathetic way. "Scrungly", one might say.

#maniculum bestiaryposting #gligglae

[beardedjoel]

closer | part seven 

joel x f!reader. non-apocalypse au  

series masterlist | main masterlist | ao3  

chapter summary: joel invites you over for a very unforgettable night together. 8k words.

chapter warnings: 18+ MDNI, age difference (joel is 42 and reader is 25), soft!dom joel, joel being domestic and cute, unprotected piv, creampie, rough sex, spanking, oral (f receiving), dirty talk, praise kink

You walk into your parents’ kitchen with headphones on, completely in your own world, just coming in to get coffee that you know they’ll have brewed by now. You’re mouthing the words to the song in your ears, even moving your body a bit with the rhythm as you open the door and walk in. You don’t see your parents anywhere but you shrug, heading to the coffee pot and pouring a mug full. You’re practically putting on your own performance at this point, getting that good feeling when your shuffle seems to know exactly what songs you need to hear as you start to move your hips a little, getting into it.

You turn and quickly freeze, seeing Joel and your parents standing near the entrance to the kitchen that leads to the rest of the house. Your mouth remains hanging open where it was about to belt out a long note and your eyes immediately hit the floor, but not before you notice Joel holding back the biggest grin. You pull the headphones out of your ears and put on your best polite smile, remembering that your parents aren’t supposed to know just how well you know Joel. You clear your throat, mumbling out a small apology - you don’t think you need to apologize for them walking in on your little show, but you find yourself saying it anyways.

“You remember Joel from next door,” your dad says somewhat awkwardly to try to diffuse the embarrassing tension in the room, and you press your lips together and nod maybe a bit too enthusiastically. Acting natural right now doesn’t feel like your strong suit, but you’re going to try your hardest - it isn’t easy when they’ve just surprised you like this. You are definitely about to tear into him later for not texting you beforehand with a heads up.

“Yeah, of course. Couldn’t forget how helpful you were the other week,” you keep up the smile, feeling like your face is about to crack any second.

“Nice to see ya again,” Joel says with a slight, polite nod, and damn, you’re impressed by how believable he is right now.

“You too,” you say, then look at your parents. “What’s uh, going on?”

“Well, Joel here was so kind and helpful, we wanted him to take a look at the grout in the bathrooms, just to let us know what he thinks. I felt like it needed work when we bought the place, and Joel here has offered to have his crew help us fix it up, isn’t that just so sweet?” Your mom beams at you, and you almost choke a little on your coffee at hearing Joel is about to be that much closer with your parents.  

“Oh, wow,” you try to exclaim despite the absolute anxiety tearing through you right now. “That’s awesome. Very, uh, neighborly.”

“No problem at all,” Joel says, turning towards your parents again with a kind smile.

“Oh, honey, would you show him your bathroom too? I know that apartment is a newer addition, but it looked kind of like a rush job to me,” your mom says, and her inner perfectionist is showing big time. You at least have a chance to be alone with Joel for a moment and break this act you’re putting on.

“Sure thing, we’ll be right back,” you say, leading Joel out the door and around to the staircase. The second you’re climbing the stairs, you turn back and look at him wide eyed, and he stifles a laugh.

“Not. Funny,” you grunt out, opening the door. The moment it’s closed behind you, Joel grabs the sides of your head, crushing his lips against yours. You moan a little, immediately grabbing at his waist, wrapping your arms around him and sliding your hand under his shirt and up his back. His lips part and his tongue traces along your lips, begging for entry into your mouth. You return the motion, scrambling your hands all over each other as you make out like two teenagers. You’re against the door now, your need for Joel growing by the second, and you wonder how long you could be gone before it’s suspicious.

“Fuck,” he breathes out, pulling his mouth off of yours. “Come over tonight,” he blurts out. Joel’s forehead is leaning against yours now, his eyes closed.

“Okay. Usual time?”

“Dinner time, 6:30,” Joel says. He breathes for a few moments, unable to tear his forehead from yours. “Wish I could do everything I wanna do to you right now, but we’ll have to wait, won’t we?” 

You whimper a little at his response as he pulls further away, heading towards the bathroom. You highly consider jumping him and pulling him down onto your bed, saying screw it to this time constraint and getting him all to yourself for as long as you need. Instead, you lean in the doorway of the bathroom with your arms crossed, watching him work as he inspects various aspects of the tiles and fixtures in there.

“Don’t tell me you’re poutin’” Joel says, glancing over at you.

“No, I just…” You rub a hand down your cheek, feeling a bit stressed out. “I just can’t wait for later,” you say, trying not to sound like the whiny, clingy girl you feel like, thinking that’s likely the last thing Joel’s looking for. He finishes his inspection, walking over to you and kissing you lightly, barely a brush against your lips. 

“It’ll be worth the wait, baby, I promise you. Trust me, I’d rather stay cooped up in here with you all day.” You crack a smile - it’s like his words have a lifting effect, hearing that he wants to do the same exact thing you’d thought of moments ago. 

“We aren’t done talking about the fact that you just showed up here without warning me, by the way,” you tell him as the two of you make your way back to where your parents are waiting for you.

“Oh, you’re tellin’ me. We are definitely divin’ into that little concert of yours,” Joel says, and you simply scowl and push him on the arm, feeling the embarrassment of the memory hitting you hard.

After talking to your parents, the agreement is that Joel is going to work on your bathroom as well, maybe bring some of his crew in to get it all done quicker. They’re going to work out the logistics of it later, he says, and all you can think about is the fact that he’s going to be in this house for days doing the work, maybe even during times when nobody else is home. You decide maybe it won’t be such a bad thing after all, and you have to stop yourself from grinning like an idiot during the conversation as the realization hits you. In fact, this could work out perfectly, you think - an easy excuse to spend plenty of time around Joel without seeming too obsessive and scaring him the hell away from you.

That evening you knock on the door, despite Joel telling you that you should just start walking in if he’s invited you, but it feels too presumptuous to you at this stage of things, so you settle on continuing to knock. Joel answers the door, opting to not say anything about it, and welcomes you with a grin. You take a step inside and as Joel is closing the door behind you he leans in, capturing your mouth in a long, deep kiss. You melt immediately at the warmth of his lips on yours, and the way he’s brought his arms around your waist as he kisses you. 

“Hi there, darlin’” he says, pulling back. 

“Hi.” You smile back, and wrap your arms around his neck and lean back in. You kiss him a little more urgently, already feeling the familiar anticipation creeping in that happens whenever you even think about Joel. He gives right into it for a few moments, backing you into the wall right next to the door, pressing his body close. 

“Wait,” he says, moving back a bit. “Not right now, or else everything will burn.” It’s like as soon as he says it, the smell immediately hits your nose - you’d been too distracted by him taking up every one of your senses when you walked in to notice that it smells incredible in here. You slide off your shoes, following Joel back to the kitchen with curious eyes peering around. He immediately heads over to the stove, where you see a pan full of bright vegetables cooking, along with a pot of boiling water. There are ingredients all over the surrounding counters, along with the cutting board and dishes he’s been making throughout the cooking process. 

“What’s all this?” you ask timidly, approaching closer to the stove, unable to hide the huge smile that’s on your face. 

Joel gives the pan a stir and then turns back to you. “What’d I say? Told you I would, so I’m makin’ you dinner, baby,” he replies, and you have to press you upturned lips together in an effort to not squeal in excitement. Not that you necessarily doubted him, but you genuinely thought that was just something people might say and never follow through on.

You let out a small chuckle. “Joel… that’s so… sweet,” you say, feeling somewhat speechless. You approach closer to the stove and look at what he’s doing, but he shoos you away playfully. You reach to move some of the dishes to the sink, and the second Joel notices he stops you. 

“Hey, none of that. You go sit over there,” he demands, gesturing over to the kitchen table. You sigh in defeat, but you can’t stop smiling as you sit down, watching Joel pull out a wine glass and set it on the counter.

“You like white wine?” he asks, and you must look surprised, because he adds, “I drink wine too, y’know.”

“I can see that,” you giggle a little, “And yeah, white wine is good with me.” Joel takes your confirmation as a signal to pour you a glass and bring it over. 

“How was your day? Other than terrorizing me at my parents’ house?” you ask him as he heads back over to the stove, working to drain the pasta. He laughs, then shakes his head.

“Listen, they approached me, and how could I say no? They’re sweet people.”

You roll your eyes before taking a sip out of your glass. You decide that Joel surprisingly has good taste in wine. “Yes, they are, unfortunately.” You ponder for a few moments before bringing up what you’re thinking. “So, you’re going to be over there quite a bit? For how long?”

“Depends how many people I’m able to spare for the job.”

“Wait, are you, like, in charge at your work?” You crinkle your brow, a little smirk spreading on your face.

“Er, yeah. Tommy and I, we run the contracting company.”

“Oh, shit. That’s so cool, I had no idea.” You really feel like you’re beaming with pride for him being so accomplished, really having his shit together. Meanwhile, you feel the complete opposite these days.

“Thought you only wanted to be around me ‘cause I’m such a big shot, owning my own business and all that.” He looks over his shoulder at you with a wry grin.

“Oh that’s definitely it, yeah.”

“Damn,” Joel quips. “I will be around quite a bit at your parents’ place though, so we’ll have to make it work if you don’t want them to know about… well, us. We’d be officially sneakin’ around.”

“I kind of thought we already were,” you admit with a little smirk. 

“Guess that’s true. You’re alright with that?” He stops working on the meal and leans back against the counter, facing you. 

“I just assumed… that you didn’t really want people to know we’re messing around. Since it’s just… casual, right?” You say the words awkwardly, realizing that you two hadn’t really talked about this yet, and you have been making a whole lot of assumptions this entire time. You try to fight the little sad twinge that pops up inside of you when you admit about it just being casual, because you’re beginning to worry that for you, it isn’t. You could really see yourself falling much deeper into the way you feel about Joel, and it’s scaring you. 

“Yeah, right,” Joel replies after a thoughtful moment. “Just casual. We both like each other, and spendin’ time together, and doin’ other stuff together,” he smirks, and you chuckle a little. 

“We do like that other stuff,” you joke, trying to lighten your own internal mood. “So yeah, I guess I’d prefer if my parents don’t know right now, I don’t want to make them feel weird about having you in the house, or something. I don’t know.” You quickly run your hands over your face, feeling the stress of the situation mounting. 

“Hey, don’t stress, baby, we’ll figure it out. We can just keep it quiet, then.” He turns back to the stove, trying to finish up the meal. You let him focus on cooking while you’re lost in thought. To be honest, you know logically you should be keeping this relationship quiet for everyone’s comfort, but part of you wants to run outside and scream to the whole world about how obsessed you are with this man. You sigh, downing some more of the wine, and feel yourself wanting to just enjoy this night with Joel instead of focusing on all this other shit.

A few minutes later he’s placing a plate of salad and pasta in front of you. Your eyes go wide at the beautiful, delicious presentation - you’d definitely been right about Joel being a good cook, you think as your nose picks up the scent coming from your plate. 

“Wow, Joel,” you exclaim as he sits down across from you with his own plates of food. “What is all of this? Pasta primavera?”

He smiles and nods. “Sure is, I always see you eating those vegetables with dips and hummus and stuff in your yard, so… I figured you might…” he trails off, rubbing his neck. Your mouth hangs open a little, unable to believe that he was this thoughtful with the meal he chose to make. It made the butterflies you already felt around him intensify at the thought that he’d wanted to please you that much with this.

“That’s so thoughtful, Joel,” you say incredulously. “I love this dish, actually, so spot on.” You look up at him with a small, shy glance and then back down to your plate. 

“I’m glad, darlin’,” he replies. “Okay, well dig in,” he says, looking expectantly at you, and you realize that maybe for the first time since you’ve met him, he actually seems a bit nervous about something. You’re very tempted to poke fun at him about it, but you decide against taking the opportunity, forking the salad and taking a bite. 

“Shit, that’s good,” you call out quickly, covering your mouth as you chew. “That dressing…”

“Er, I made it,” Joel says more quietly than normal before taking a bite of his own. 

“You’re not serious. And you tried to act like you’re not a good cook!” you playfully scold him, continuing to dig into the meal. Joel watches you eat with a pleased, satisfied look on his face - this is clearly something he loves doing to take care of people in his life. When you’ve eaten every bite of your meal and downed your wine, Joel refills your glass once, and you sit back a little in your chair and soften your eyes looking in Joel’s direction. 

“Thank you,” you say. “I don’t think someone has cooked me anything like this before. A guy, I mean.”

“You’re welcome baby, was all worth it to see that pretty smile on your face,” he says, and your face gets hot from a combination of his words and the alcohol warming your insides. You end up talking for a while longer, Joel’s gaze steadily changing throughout the interaction, until he looks at you with that look, the one you’re beginning to learn very well. 

“Want to come upstairs with me?” he finally drawls, the look in his eyes deepening.

You nod, feeling a little breathless already at the insinuation. He stands up and silently takes your hand, leading you to the stairs.

Joel’s bedroom is very much what you expected based on the rest of his house. He walks in and turns on a side lamp, illuminating the room just enough for you to look around a bit easier. There is a blue comforter on the bed, a few pillows, dark wood dressers and night tables, and nature themed photos on the walls. 

Joel wraps his arms around you and pulls you close, humming a low groaning sound in your ear. “Been wantin’ this…” he murmurs, and you instantly know what he’s talking about. Your heart pounds a little faster now, knowing you’re finally getting what you’ve wanted too. It doesn’t stop a nervous flutter from your stomach though, knowing just how big he is and what’s about to happen. You lean into him and close your eyes, breathing in his scent as his hands ghost across your back, sending you shuddering a little.

“Me too…” you reply, tilting your head up to kiss him. He takes the cue and captures your mouth with his, his tongue sliding over yours as he kisses and bites lightly on your lip. 

“You just impressed me with your cooking to try and seduce me, huh?” you murmur quietly in between kisses.

“Well, did it work?” He arches a brow, looking down at you.

You give him an unimpressed look before kissing him again. “Obviously.”

“Somethin’ tells me I didn’t need to cook all of that to get you up here,” he replies.

“Shut up,” you tease. “You’re not wrong.”

“Cause see… I know exactly what to do to make you go crazy, baby. Wouldn’t have needed to do much…” he pushes into you now, forcing you to take a few steps back, until you feel a wall near the doorway behind you. He’s right, you’re already completely losing your mind at this simple interaction, his form towering over you, dominating you. “All I need to do is ask you to be a good girl and fuck me, and you’d do it.”

Your heart pounds in your chest, and you feel the dull ache of desire beginning to ignite inside of your core. You haven’t said anything, and Joel is looking at you expectantly. “Isn't that right?” he says, his eyes going darker as he scans your face. 

You nod. “Yes.” you manage to breathe out. “Let me be good for you baby, please.” Your body arches towards him, the aching spreading in between your legs and you feel yourself starting to get wet. Joel’s head tilts down and his lips meet your neck, kissing lightly, sending you arching even further into him with a soft moan escaping your lips. The kisses trail down your neck and to your shoulder, where one of his fingers moves under the strap of your dress, pulling it gently down your shoulder where it falls easily. He traces his fingers lightly and teasingly there, planting a kiss on the same spot as his fingers brush down your chest to the top curve of your breast. He brings his head back up and looks at you, that glazed look of desire in his eyes as he watches you react to his fingers brushing over your already hard nipple before dipping back down and kissing your neck again. You inhale sharply, fluttering your eyes closed and leaning your head back against the wall. 

Joel grabs your chin, then brings his mouth up to yours, capturing your lips in a ravenous kiss. You’re already a delirious mess for him, returning the kisses with equal passion. His hands are roaming quickly, one tracing down your back while the other squeezes your tits, groaning at the feel of your body underneath his fingers. You reach with slightly trembling hands in between your bodies and start to hastily un-do the buttons on his shirt. He moves his arms so he can shrug the shirt off of him, and you both stop for a moment while you take in his topless body in front of you, dragging your fingers down his chest.

“You have entirely too much clothing on, darlin’,” he drawls, watching your eyes eagerly take his body in. In reply, you pull your dress off over your head and discard it on the floor, leaving only a pair of panties on you now. You watch Joel’s eyes change quickly, and his hands grab under your ass and begin lifting you up, and you instinctively wrap your arms around his neck to hold yourself close as your feet leave the ground. Your legs fling around his hips and wrap tightly around him as he pushes himself in between your legs, completely closing the gap between you two. You’re pushed against the wall, Joel’s strong arms holding you up as he kisses you. 

Joel carries you the few steps to his bed and lays you down, immediately covering your body with his as he crawls on top of you. Your legs are still wrapped around him tightly, not giving him any space as you breath heavily, anticipation and nerves building steadily inside of you. You can feel Joel’s cock pressing through his jeans onto your bare leg, and you desperately want it, are beginning to feel a need for it to be inside of you. Joel has begun to steadily kiss his way around your chest, stopping at one of your nipples and swirling his tongue around it. You grit your teeth, bucking your hips into him. 

“Joel…” you moan out, reaching your hands down to his belt, fiddling with it while trying to maintain any sense of composure as he steadily works his mouth alternately on both of your nipples. Your cunt is becoming more of a needy, aching thing with every passing second, and you press your hips into nothing, just Joel’s jeans in the way of what you really want. His belt is free and you hastily unzip his pants and reach in, fisting his cock in your hand. Both of you make a relieved groan at feeling one step closer to what you wanted. Joel grunts into your skin as you lightly trace your hand around his shaft, working your way up to the head. 

“Always so impatient, baby,” Joel says, his voice coming out slow and down an octave, clearly feeling the pleasure you’re trying to give him with your touch. 

“You already know how crazy I feel about your cock,” you reply with a smirk as Joel shoots his gaze up to your face, his expression changing rapidly to the devilish one you’ve seen before. It appears that talking about his cock like that seems to do something for him just like his praises do for you. 

“Yeah, sweet girl?” he asks, grinding his hips down a little into your touch, “You think about this cock all day, huh?”

You nod slowly. “Wanting you inside of me, fucking me to pieces, fucking me until I can barely walk. Or move. Or think,” you run your other hand across his shoulder and down his arm, sending goosebumps across Joel’s skin. Joel growls low, pressing himself harder into you. You don’t know why he’s torturing himself like this when he could already be buried deep in your mouth or cunt right now - he knows that’s the only thing you’re eager for, after all. 

“I’m sure we can accomplish all of those things tonight, darlin’,” he says, leaning in for a whisper of a kiss on your lips that leaves you wanting more. Just the thought of it has your skin on fire, your core twisting with burning anticipation. You can feel the way your panties are wet with that same anticipation, and you’re practically about to beg for Joel to take them off and see just what he’s doing to you. As if he could read your mind, Joel shifts his body and hooks his thumbs on the sides of your underwear, pulling them down your legs. 

“Christ,” he murmurs to himself, seeing the thick line of wetness in your panties, practically dripping from your pussy at this point. “Never gets old, baby,” he says, glancing up at you for a moment. You shy away a little under his stare and the fact that you’re laying bare before him. He tosses the panties somewhere nearby on the floor and feasts his eyes between your legs before quickly diving in to feast with his mouth, as well. It’s unexpected, and you gasp at the sudden feeling of his tongue swiping through you, trying to lick up every bit of wet desire for him down there.

“Tastes so fucking good,” he says, pulling his mouth off of you before he reaches down to start taking his jeans off, and you feel your internal excitement rising as you see him just in his briefs now, a navy blue pair. You lean forward to play with the waistband of his underwear, teasingly sliding your finger along it and giving him begging eyes. 

“I know what you want…” he smirks. 

“Then give it to me,” you try demanding. He simply tuts and shakes his head, deciding to pull of his briefs, and finally, fucking finally, Joel is naked. You take a deep breath as you look him over as he crawls back over top of you, seeing his cock looking so intimidating and hard. You suddenly feel an anxious trembling taking over your body again - sure, you’ve had 3 of his fingers fit in there, and those are large, but…  this? It’s safe to say that despite how badly you want him to fuck you, you’ve been a bit skeptical about how it’s going to feel at first, or even fit. Joel seems to notice you getting in your head, because he reaches up to your face and looks into your eyes. 

“Hey, what’s goin’ on?” he asks softly. 

You bite your lip, feeling so ridiculous. “I don’t know if it’s dumb, I’ve been literally dying for this moment but I’m just nervous, about… you know…” and you glance down towards his cock. Joel chuckles a little, but not in a way that he’s laughing at you, more like he finds you endearing the way you’re completely naked and still saying “you know” to reference having sex with him. 

“Baby,” he coos, stroking your cheek. “Nothin’ to worry about, okay? You say the word and I’ll stop at any time.”

You smile tightly and nod, feeling a bit more ready than you were. Joel crawls off of you and reaches over to a bedside drawer, pulling out a condom and putting it on. You weirdly find yourself frowning at it, despite the appreciation for him trying to be safe and considerate, you’d kind of hoped to feel all of him today. One thing at a time, you remind yourself. 

You try to embolden yourself a little bit, wrapping your legs back around him and settling your hips in a better position underneath him. Joel’s legs are now in between your legs, his cock resting close to your entrance. You almost whine at the feeling of it, just the head feeling so big against your folds. Your body responds before you can even think, sending your hips forward a bit into him, and Joel takes that as a cue to push his own hips forward as well. The head of his cock pushes in and you gasp a little - at the way it feels and surprise that it isn’t quite as uncomfortable as you’d expected. You moan softly, fingers running down Joel’s back, and you decide to push your hips up a little more, pulling him a bit deeper. Joel groans in pleasure, pressing his lips together for a moment to compose himself. 

“Perfect fucking pussy,” he breathes out each word slowly as he slides in further, and you gasp softly again, but don’t stop him. You’re starting to wonder what you were so worried about, but then you realize how full you feel and he isn’t even all the way in yet. You give Joel a cheeky smile and guide him down into you with your legs that still are wrapped around him. You let out a breathy chuckle at the feeling of him sliding in as far as your body will let him. 

“My god,” you murmur, blinking a few times as you adjust to it. Joel strokes the side of your head, smoothing your hair, giving you a sweet smile and eyes that are glazed over with the heat of the moment.

“That’s it,” he says softly, “My good girl.” You beam at him now, adjusting your hips a little, and it elicits a slightly shaky breath out of Joel at the feeling of him shifting inside of you. He can’t help it, he starts moving, gentle thrusts partially in and out of you. Everything he’s done to you and with you has been beyond your imagination, but this… there are no words, you think. 

“F-fuck,” you stammer out quietly as he moves a little quicker, sliding his cock in and out of you. It definitely feels like a stretch on you, but in the best way, you’ve never felt so fucking full before like this and it’s making you feel insane with the pleasure of it. “Need you faster,” you say quietly, completely overcome.

“Insatiable,” he teases, one of his favorite ones for you, with a smug grin. But he gives you what you’re asking for, upping the pace of himself inside of you. You moan, feeling him touching that perfect spot deep inside of you, lightly now, but your anticipation for him to slam against it is sending an excited nervousness into your belly. Your legs around him anchor you as you lift your hips up to meet him with each thrust, your breathing shaky. 

“Don’t forget, you’re s’posed to not be able to walk after this, remember?” Joel says with a grin. You don’t get a chance to reply, because he’s decided to try and make that a reality right now as he pushes hard into your cunt, leaving you breathless. He begins thrusting rhythmically much faster into you, his hands grasping into your hips tightly, digging into your ass and squeezing. He pulls you close to him, his body right against yours as he buries his head down next to your neck.

“This tight little pussy…. so perfect, sweet girl,” he groans into your ear, showering you with kisses along your neck before looking right into your eyes. “It’s all mine…” he says quietly, and the heat behind his stare almost makes you shy away. You nod, and let out a breathy “yes,” barely able to speak with the way his cock is pushing deep inside of you with every movement of his. 

“Tell me,” he says, his stare not letting up. 

“It’s all yours, this pussy is all yours, Joel,” you cry out, and your words are his fuel as his hips roll slightly with every push now, his breathing heavy. 

“That’s fucking right.” Joel’s pace doesn’t let up, and uses one hand to play with your tits and the other reaches down to your clit, rubbing circles. You’re completely submerged in just him, every part of your mind focused on the places you can feel him pleasuring you, and it’s overwhelming. Your whole body shakes a bit, trying to adjust to all of these sensations at once, and it’s building up to a climax quicker than you realized as the familiar tingling sensation grows inside of you. 

“Fuck, just like that,” you cry out, praying he doesn’t let up - your climax is right there, you’re barreling towards it, just one more perfect touch and -

It hits you suddenly, Joel’s cock pressing right where you need him, and your insides burst with the fiery, tingling sensation you crave from him. Your hips buck forward, and you moan long and low, his name spilling from your lips in between each one. Your hips are spasming, pushing you into him, and he grunts, keeping up with the pace of what you need to ride out your climax. You slowly stop shuddering, relaxing back for a moment with quick breaths. You open your eyes and catch Joel smiling down at you, still slowly moving his cock inside of you. It feels good, soothing almost, on your sensitive cunt. 

“We’re far from done here.” His voice goes down low again as his hips pick up the pace a little bit. You can’t really speak yet to reply, so you nod a little with heavy lidded eyes, willing to give him whatever it is that he wants. 

Keeping himself inside of you, Joel picks you up by the hips, flipping you so that he’s underneath you now, and your legs straddle him while you sink down onto his cock. He groans at the new angle and depth he’s getting right now, and you have to say, it’s doing something for you too. Despite you being on top, Joel still takes all the control, grabbing your hips tightly as he practically lifts you up and slams you down onto his cock. You bounce on your legs a little, helping him along, but he’s the one setting the pace. You rake your hands down his chest before bending forward, settling onto him so that your face is in the crook of his neck. Your breath tickling there seems to urge him along, and he bends his legs up a little to support your ass as he continues to move your body for you, quickening the pace. The way you’re positioned, you’re getting just enough movement on your clit from your bodies touching that you can feel another climax building up quickly. You moan, feeling the depth of Joel’s cock inside of you as he pulls you all the way down onto him in hard, eager, movements.

“Yeah,” he grunts, “Good girl, such a good girl. Come on this cock again, baby,” Joel demands, and you know that he can feel how close you are again. You can’t help but roll your hips a little each time he brings you down onto him, until you’re crazed, trying to pull yourself down more quickly than he is. 

“Yes, fuck, right there, Joel,” you cry out, and holy fuck it’s amazing. Another bursting of tension rushes through you, and your body is tight against Joel’s, pushing your hips into him quickly and desperately like your life depends on it. Your moans cover over the loud slapping of flesh, echoing through the room until Joel starts whispering praises in your ear.

“Mmm,” he groans, “That’s it, comin’ so good for me, sweetheart.” His words feel incredible as you soak them in during all of this, your body shuddering on top of him as you can feel the ridiculous size of him pumping into you. In this dazed moment of passion, you want to do good, only good, for him, you want to worship him and let him fuck you any way he wants, anywhere, any time. You don’t think you could deny anything to someone that feels this amazing as you clench around them.

“God, Joel, I’d do anything to be good for you,” you whine out, almost unintentionally, coming down from your climax. You can’t even regret it when you feel this intoxicated by him right now.

“Oh, baby, you already are.” He strokes your hair, brushing sweaty strands off your face, and you pull your head off of his shoulder and stare at him with glassy eyes. It takes everything in Joel not to come right there with the way it feels to be looking at that expression while his cock still rests inside of you. “So good for me,” he reiterates, looking at you with amazement.

“Anything…” you murmur, blinking slowly, unsure even what you’re trying to convey. All you know is you’re moving your hips again slowly, wanting him to feel the pleasure you’d just received. Joel’s breath hitches a little, and he lets out a few whispered moans. You watch his face closely, and suddenly his expression hardens, as if he’s made up his mind on something.

“Get on your hands and knees,” he commands, and you blink for a moment, trying to come out of the post-orgasm daze you’d been in to slide off of him and move as he’s directing you. He sits up once you’re off of his lap, and he quickly helps you redirect your body, grabbing you by the hips as you try to plant your hands on the bed and stick your ass up further for him. You breathe heavily, anticipating what he’s going to do next.

What you don’t expect is for him to smack your ass hard, but once he does it, a rushing feeling goes through you. He had said he was going to smack your ass on that first night, and now he was holding to it.

“That’s for all the times you were teasin’ me, girl,” his raspy voice chokes out before slapping both of his palms onto your ass cheeks and gripping them. “Said this was a perfect fucking ass.” He lets go, and you whine a little, not sure where this urge for him to continue doing it came from, but like many experiences with Joel, you seem to be learning a lot about yourself.

“You think…” you breathe out as you glance over your shoulder at him, “Just the one smack will do?” Joel laughs deviously in reply, leaning his body over top of yours and getting close to your ear. You can feel his cock brush against you, so hard and throbbing that you feel yourself get wet at the mere touch of it on your leg.

“Does my good girl want to be punished? Is that it?” he says, a darker grit to his voice coming through, and you nod furiously, looking at him with a begging stare. He can barely contain himself, grunting as he moves back, pressing his hips flush with your ass. One hand pushes down on the middle of your back, pressing the front half of you into the mattress, leaving your ass lifted up off the bed. Joel positions himself quickly, a frantic energy to him as he slides his cock between your legs, coating himself in your wetness. Then he plunges in with no mercy, giving all of himself at once, his entire length slamming into your cunt. You yelp at the sensation, but the sound is covered completely by a loud smack on your ass, then another. 

You moan as your pussy stretches to take him all over again, and at this angle it’s absolutely devastating. Joel’s hand is still holding you down, and you’re only able to stay right here, taking exactly what he gives to you as he moves his cock into you as deep as he can go, over and over. He smacks your ass again, and it’s starting to sting more, but you find it’s urging you on, and you fucking like it. Despite Joel’s hold on you, you’re able to slide your hand off of the mattress and reach up to start rubbing your aching clit.

Joel’s hand moves from your back, reaches around you, and covers your own, stopping the movement on your clit for a moment before he wraps his hand around yours and begins directing the motions, putting himself in charge of your pleasure once again. The added pressure of his hand on your clit is already close to pushing you over the edge and you find that you find you physically can’t stop making noise, whimpering and moaning for your climax that’s so close within reach now.

Joel’s other hand soothingly rubs your stinging ass cheek, and you find your hips pushing back into it, wishing he’d smack it again. When he does, a louder groan slips out of your mouth and you feel the beginning of another orgasm rolling through you. Joel’s hand continues to move your finger frantically over your clit, and your hips buck into it as Joel keeps up the pace of his thrusting hips into you. It’s all so much, too much, and you’re crying out for him as the sensation sweeps your entire body and your muscles go tense and rigid with the pure pleasure of it all.

“F-fu-uck,” you manage to push out of your throat, barely able to get anything out that isn’t a scream for Joel. His breathing is quick, erratic, now and he plunges deep into you at the tail end of your orgasm.

“Gonna come baby, right in that pussy,” he groans out. “Tell me again, that it’s mine.”

“It’s all yours, Joel. My tight little cunt is all for you,” you sigh, feeling him tense as his cock drives all the way in once more

“Yeah, that’s right, baby,” he moans out, one of his hands holding tight onto your ass while he bucks his hips a few times as he comes. Your breathing quickens slightly again feeling him pump into you, knowing that you were able to undo him like that. He stays as he is, still inside of you, collapsing onto your back a little bit.

“Jesus,” he breathes out, relaxing a little bit. “You feel so fucking good, my sweet girl.”

You completely relax down onto the bed, and Joel turns onto his side and tucks you into him, still refusing to pull out of you. He moves the now sticky hair off of your neck and plants light kisses there as he spoons you. You moan quietly into it, feeling the prickle of his stubble on your sensitive skin there and the way his still heavy breaths hit you. After a few more moments, Joel scoots his hips back, finally pulling out of you, and it’s such a difference in feeling you find that your mouth opens in shock for a second. You also unsurprisingly find that you miss the feeling already, desperate for more now that you’ve had this taste of it. 

You lay there, completely still and practically stunned speechless as Joel slides out of bed and over to the bathroom attached to his bedroom to take off the condom. He returns moments later, laying back down next to you and observing your expression. He reaches over and pulls you back to him, nestling you into his side as you put your head on his shoulder. 

“How’re you feeling, hm?” he says, nudging you a little.

“I feel…” you say quietly, taking a deep breath in and thinking of any word to describe this indescribable feeling you’re having right now. “Wow,” you finish with the out breath, and Joel laughs, his chest rumbling your tangled bodies. 

“Wasn’t too much, right?” he asks, sounding genuinely concerned for you.

“What? No,” you say quickly, moving your eyes to his face. “That was everything.”

“Everything, huh?” he teases you, pulling you in a little tighter.

“Everything,” you respond, staring intently at him. 

“It was really somethin’, I’ll give ya that. Can’t believe just how good you are to me, baby,” he says, nuzzling his head down onto yours a bit and then kissing your forehead. 

“You make it easy, you know.” You feel a little shy at how mushy you feel like you’re being right now, and it’s hard to meet his eyeline suddenly. 

“Oh yeah? How’s that, darlin’?”

“You’re good to me first,” you say, smiling up at him. “Makes me want to do anything you want or need, to keep you happy.”

“Baby, you have no idea how well you’re keepin’ me happy,” he replies, with a big squeeze of your entire body, and you giggle, then laugh even harder when his hands brush a little on a ticklish spot on your side. You squirm, but Joel flips himself onto you, pinning you down before slowly tracing a finger over the spot he’d tickled moments earlier. You squeal, writhing under him.

“Stop!” you gasp, continuing to laugh and fight his grip.

He catches your mouth in a kiss, immediately sliding his tongue against your bottom lip, then dancing it into your mouth to meet yours. You return the motions, pulling back slightly after to nip at his lip before diving in for more. Joel pulls away reluctantly, looking down at you like he could do this for hours. You instantly go a little red at the way his eyes are lit up and fixed on you laying naked underneath him. Despite the way he’s starting to turn you on all over again, you can already feel the aching soreness in between your legs that you know is going to stay there throughout tomorrow, and you decide against going another round with him. 

“It’s fair to say I think walking will be difficult right now, so we accomplished that” you blurt out, your way of saying you two should probably call it for the night. He rolls off of you with a satisfied smirk, settling down next to you on the bed. You readjust, catching the time on Joel’s bedside clock in the process, and tense up, realizing how late it’s getting. You start moving, standing off the bed and searching the floor for your underwear as you gather your dress in your arms. 

“What’re you doin’?” Joel asks with a concerned expression, propping his head up a little off the pillows. 

“I- I was going to head out, I saw it’s getting kind of late.” You twist your mouth to the side and bite your lip nervously, fiddling with the fabric in your hands. You feel so exposed right now, standing completely naked and feeling too awkward and shy to just ask to spend the night, even though it’s what you really want. 

“You don’t have to do all that, darlin’,” he replies, rubbing the sheets where you’d just been laying. “Come back to bed.” Your eyes widen, and you feel yourself tense with excitement at what he’s implying.

“Can I -“ you start, and Joel nods with a kind half smile. 

“I wanna wake up next to you tomorrow, sweet girl,” he says, and your heart leaps a little. You press your lips together to repress some of your smile, not wanting to give away just how happy what he said made you. You drop your clothes and slowly crawl back into the bed. Joel reaches for the bedside lamp to turn it off, plunging you two into darkness aside from the moonlight streaming in. He pulls the sheet up over you both, then his body is up against yours again, seemingly unable to stop holding you close. 

You’re exhausted, but you want nothing more than to stay in this moment with him. “When’re we seeing each other again?” you murmur out sleepily. 

“My god, you insatiable girl,” Joel chuckles heartily. “Tomorrow mornin’.”

“After that,” you whine.

“Very soon, baby. No use worrying about it now.” He takes a look at your heavy eyes, blinking slowly in an attempt to stay awake. “Get some sleep, darlin’,” he says, continuing to hold you.

You agree with an affirming noise, letting your eyes close, but you feel like you can’t shake the worry he’s telling you not to have. You feel like all of this is too good to be true, that any moment will be your last with him. You’re starting to have more and more of a hard time separating the physical and mental aspects of this thing you’ve jumped into with Joel, and it’s gnawing at you as you try to fall asleep. You said earlier in the night that things were casual, but had you really meant it? And what the hell would it mean going forward if you hadn’t?

#i loooove them so much #i need joel to smack my ass when is it my turn???? #fic: closer #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x you #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fanfiction #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal x reader

[boxofbonesfic]

𝒪𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒰𝓅𝑜𝓃 𝒜 𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒…

I’m Bones, and I’m celebrating a huge milestone—10k followers! I am so honored that so many people enjoy my work, and I am so grateful for the friends and relationships I have cultivated here, and what better way to celebrate those things than with a challenge? I think we all know that the sanitized, kid-friendly version of most fairytales are nowhere near their grim, grisly original tellings. For this challenge, I would like to return to those bleak, terrifying roots, and come up with something darkly fantastical! 

For this challenge, I would like to both pay homage to my own roots, and the theme of my blog. Participants will pick one of the following 10 fairytales (or, to be fancy, you can use the spinner I made!) and then turn out the lights. This is a dark challenge, and, more than their originals, your entries should have a dark twist. Use your imaginations! Maybe Cinderella doesn’t get what she hoped for in her Prince Charming, or perhaps the story of Rapunzel that we know is not how things truly happened—it’s up to you! But your story must be dark—whether that is explicit, or revealed slowly through the events of your story, is, again, completely up to you! You can use the Roster of Accepted Characters to choose your fighter (lol)! Now, onto the rules!

 𝑅𝓊𝓁𝑒𝓈: 

18+ ONLY. This is a dark challenge, and while smut is not a requirement, I think the general subject matter, as well as the themes, will be inappropriate for minors. Smut is not necessary, but it is encouraged. 😏

Challenge opens 4/01/23, and will continue until the end of summer! September 1st! end on my birthday! 06/09/23! (The first of April to the ninth of June for my folks who do D/M/Y instead of M/D/Y lol)

YOUR WORK MUST MEET THE CHALLENGE BRIEF. If your work does not meet the challenge brief (A DARK retelling of a classic fairytale) I will not be reblogging it, and it will not be included in the challenge masterlist. I will not be making exceptions ❤️

You must place your work under a cut at 350 words. 

There is a 10k word limit. Go crazy!

You ARE allowed to use fairytales not included on this list, please just let me know in my inbox! 

Tag and warn appropriately. It is exceedingly important that we tag and warn our works to best of our ability, so that readers know what they are getting into. (Obviously don’t tag to the point where you spoil your plot, but, you know. Use your best judgement.)

Please, no: DD/LG, RPF, Toilet-play, Bestiality (but monsterfucking is a-okay), and no minors in sexual situations.

This must be new and original work. You may not submit previously written work, or work written for other challenges. It’s fine if this is part of a pre-existing series, but this specific piece must be a stand-alone, able to be read and understood without reading any previous work.

Three entries per person. You can submit three separate entries, or a mini-series with three chapters, but each piece must be beneath the 10k word limit.

Please use the roster to select an MMC. It’s okay if you want to use a character who isn’t listed, but please just check in to make sure it’s a fandom I’m actually into 😅

We are all working underneath the same constraints. It is not plagiarism for another author to use the same fairytale, or similar tropes as you. I will not tolerate false accusations, and will block anyone who makes them. 

Have fun! This rule is non-negotiable. If this challenge is not sparking joy, it’s okay to sit it out, there will be more!

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐹𝒶𝒾𝓇𝓎𝓉𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓈

✨Rapunzel ✨Little Red Riding Hood ✨Beauty and the Beast ✨The Little Mermaid ✨Peter Pan ✨Sleeping Beauty ✨Cinderella ✨Rumplestiltskin ✨Goldilocks ✨Snow White

𝑅𝑜𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇:  (Or spin the wheel here)

Steve Rogers

Joel Miller

Ari Levinson

Eddie Munson

Bucky Barnes

Peter Parker

Eddie Brock

Namor

Thor Odinson

Loki Laufeyson

T’Challa

M’Baku

Kang

Dennis Baker

Ransom Drysdale

Lloyd Hansen

Andy Barber

Steve Kemp

Nick Fowler

Lee Bodecker

Arvin Russel

Clark Kent

Geralt of Rivia

Have fun everyone!

#challenge #writing prompts #prompts #prompt challenge #writing prompt #fanfiction #fanfiction challenge #fanfic #fic challenge #Once Upon A Time challenge #boxofbonesfic #bones challenge #fandom challenge #writing challenge

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week's writer's spotlight feature is: @rindecision! With forty-two works on Ao3 in the Stranger Things fandom, they've written thirty-one (!) works with the Steddie ship tag!

Nominated by @skjachukson, they recommend the following works by rindecision:

You Know Where to Find Me — Live Aid

Nectar

Give Me Fuel, Give me Fire

From Hell and Back

Rindecision has been a great friend throughout the Steddie holiday exchange, and their writing is just so fantastic. - @skjachukson

Below the cut, @rindecision answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

It started when my partner asked me to. I’ve always loved writing, but I never got into fanfics until they asked me to write a specific type of story that led to the creation of The Devil of Hawkins. From there it was a slippery slope!

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

Due to ADHD and the corresponding comprehension issues, I rarely read. Not just fics, but anything really. Although, I do personally enjoy whatever the sneaking around trope is. The characters being intimate in places or situations where they shouldn’t be.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

So far I’ve found that I enjoy FWB to Lovers with Steddie. Most of my fics tend to revolve around that.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I’m currently enjoying ‘I Think I Could Have Been Someone’ by @madaboutmunson

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’m new to fandoms so honestly I don’t really know a lot of tropes by name, but I have a long list of fics I want to write at some point. I have a ‘Through The Ages’ Steddie series in mind that I hope to do at some point. 

What is your writing process like?

Harrowing. It’s honestly pretty complex as I’m using writing fanfics as a means to improve as a writer in general so I can be more confident when I get around to my originals. But the short version is: Rough Draft -> Proof Read 1 -> Beta Proof -> Proof Read 2 -> Grammar Edit -> Text-To-Speech Edit -> Final Beta Proof.

Do you have any writing quirks?

Probably, lol. I try to keep my writing concise and leave little up to the imagination. The partner that requested I write fanfics has aphantasia (lack of imagination) and they read everything I write, so I want them to be able to enjoy it just as much as anyone else. 

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I’m kind of chaotic on this one. It depends on the fic to be honest. So far, I’ve found I prefer posting ongoing fics without a schedule that I just post a chapter on as soon as I’m done editing it, whenever that happens to be. Other than the ‘You Know Where to Find Me’ series, the only fics I’ve posted on a schedule have been event fics and it’s been a bit more stressful than I expected it to be.

Which fic are you most proud of?

That would have to be my ‘You Know Where to Find Me’ series. Particularly the first one: ‘Valentines ‘85’ 

How did you get the idea for You Know Where to Find Me — Live Aid?

I needed something powerful between ‘Independence Day’ and ‘First Day of School’ but couldn’t think of anything that would work. @stardust-walker helped me work out the details. That entry genuinely wouldn’t exist without their help. 

When writing Nectar, what was something you didn’t expect?

Managing to stay under the 20k word limit. 😅 

What inspired Give Me Fuel, Give me Fire?

A Twitter post about mechanic Steve in cut-off shorts.

What was your favorite part to write from From Hell and Back?

That’s a hard one. I don’t think I have a singular part that I liked the most, but I really enjoyed being able to explore the logistics and lore around Eddie being a shapeshifting demon. In and out of Steve’s bedroom.

How do/did you feel writing Give Me Fuel, Give me Fire?

I was surprised by the reception it got, and I can’t wait to get back to writing it as soon as I’m done with the Stranger Things Reverse Big Bang

What was the most difficult part of writing You Know Where to Find Me — Live Aid?

The time limit. I had 2 weeks to write and edit nearly 30k words. It made me hit burnout HARD, but I got it back pretty quickly.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I think that would have to be the first kiss in The Devil of Hawkins. It was also the first Steddie kiss I ever wrote. 🤍

“You aren’t stopping me, Harrington.” Eddie’s lips barely grazed over Steve’s as he spoke. “I know,” Steve squeaked. The feeling of Steve’s lips plucking his like a guitar pick was more than he could handle. He leaned forward, finalizing the kiss. They both let out a small groan. Eddie placed his other hand on the back of Steve’s neck, holding his head carefully, yet firmly. Eddie pulled away for a moment and looked at Steve; there was a look of longing on his face. An expression that Eddie was hoping for. He faintly smiled before pushing Steve’s lips to his own, plunging his tongue between them. He could feel Steve tense below him before relaxing into it.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

‘You Know Where to Find Me’ will be coming to a close in March, but there will be at least 5 more entries to it. I will also be posting my entry for the STRBB in March. I hope after those are done I can jump back into my ongoings.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that’s read my work, and a platonic hug and kiss for those who have gone out of their way to leave comments or reblog them. It means the world to me 🤍🖤

Thank you to our author, @rindecision and our nominator, @skjachukson! See more of @rindecision's work featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer's Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

#steddie fic recs #steddie #steddie writers #writer's spotlight #rindecision #steddieunderdogfics #steve x eddie #steddie fics #steve harrington #eddie munson

[flanaganfilm]

Hey Mike! I'm really sorry to hear about your experience on Hill House. I do a lot of work in VFX in pre/prod/post and I know that sort of production that feels like a sinking ship day in and day out. I do hope you have found some catharsis now that it's over.

The show shook me. Changed me. Made me reckon with myself as a storyteller and as a person. All for the better, I assure you.

I hope to one day tell such an impactful story of my own, either through one of my short films, or through the novel series I'm writing/illustrating. Which brings me to my question: How do you navigate the complexities of having authored a work that did so much harm to yourself but also did a lot of good for others? What lessons do you hope aspiring storytellers like myself take from your difficult experience? Thanks :)

Thank you for saying this.

It's true, HILL HOUSE was a very negative experience to make - but I will always be profoundly proud of the finished product. It's some of my favorite work. I may never again face down something as challenging as episode 6, and I love the impact it has on a lot of its viewers.

There's a weird thing that happens when you finish a project - it really ceases to be yours in any way at all. It belongs immediately to the audience, and they're given an experience that you will never have. When HILL HOUSE came out, I didn't watch it - I'd seen it hundreds of times by that point, but at the same time, I've NEVER seen it.

Every frame of it is informed by my experience making it, or my intentions, or the compromises we made here, or the line we cut there that I wish we'd kept, or a bad day on set, or a problematic actor, or a visual effect we never quite got right (there are a LOT of those in HILL HOUSE, some of them still make me wince.) So I'm never able to WATCH the show. It's a tradeoff we make all the time - if you're lucky enough to make a movie, or a TV show, that's the price of it - you'll never be able to watch it.

But, I get to see how it affects other people. More than anything else I've made, HILL HOUSE seems to have the largest and most passionate fanbase. (BLY is a close second, though that's a whole other blog entry - I could write a book about the complicated, fascinating experience of the BLY fandom).

But with HILL HOUSE, I'd hear a lot from people who lost loved ones, who navigate complicated family dynamics, and who have wrestled with depression or grief. It means the world to me. It's a strange divide, as I'll never see the show that they saw - but I am so grateful that it touched them the way it did.

I'm just about at the point where I think I'm capable of sitting down and truly watching HILL HOUSE. It takes years sometimes. I've watched a lot of my early work, like HUSH or GERALD'S GAME, and finally had the experience of really SEEING it. But HILL HOUSE has always felt a little too raw, and my memories still overpower my ability to separate myself from it. Maybe that's changed. Maybe I'll give it a shot this year. Half a decade seems like enough time.

But yes, it is complicated and strange with all of them. I so badly want to watch MIDNIGHT MASS, the project that was the most personal to me - but it flew off into the world just like they all do. I spent a decade working on it, and felt it flowing through me every day - like it was a part of me. But the moment the show was done and released into the world, it wasn't mine anymore, just like all the others. I remember feeling almost knocked over when it departed, for some reason I thought that one would always feel like a part of me... but no. They're like children, they all have to go live their own lives, and they don't belong to you. Not really.

#the haunting of hill house #the haunting of bly manor #midnight mass

[chvnnie]

Letter One: Smoke and Tears

Love Letters Series Page

wc: 2.7k

genre: angst

warnings: apocalypse au, creature feature, use of weapons (guns), alcohol - brief, injuries (gunshot wounds, though no details), fire. I believe that's all, but if I missed anything, PLEASE LET ME KNOW

summary: It's been over a week since you've heard from Chan, and the guilt is burning him alive.

this is a work of fiction. this fic in no way represents the stray kids members as people, or as a whole. you are responsible of the media you consume. please read responsibly.

series taglist: @straystayvlive, @fawnpeaks, @strayingawayy, @almighty-obsession, @ershyni, @chai-papa, @moon0fthenight, @djeniryuu — comment to be added

Hey, you.

I know I promised to write sooner. There has been a lot happening and while I sat down with my notebook daily, fully intending to respond to your last letter, something forced my attention away. I’m so fucking sorry it took me this long. I haven’t been very good about keeping my promise, have I? 

I promise to change that. Actually. There’s no excuse for missing that week window like I did. And it will never happen again. 

We got to the south side of town seven days ago. It was difficult leaving midtown, but staying there wasn’t practical. On top of all the haunting reminders, it started to get overrun. Rather than cling to the past, desperate to keep it despite its death, we chose to leave. 

The journey south only took us a day or so, but was relatively easy. Jisung cried the entire first day, walking further behind us than we would have preferred. The change has been the hardest for him — he really hasn’t settled in yet here. I’m scared he never will. 

But other than that, there really weren’t many hiccups. I was feeling optimistic; we hadn’t had this good of a journey probably since the start of it all. No injuries, no misplaced anger. Simply doing what we needed to survive. 

We even found a bunker within the day of arrival, saving us the risk of camping out in the open. A tall, abandoned building. I think it used to be an office. The cubicles have been nice. You know how limited privacy is now, so we take what we can get. It was easy to barricade all the exits, and our walkies actually work here (that was the one thing about midtown I despised). There’s even a kitchen! God, what a luxury. Truly, it seemed like a long term place. 

Until day four. 

There’s only two entries to the office; the front and the fire escape. It was Seungmin’s night to guard the front, Hyunjin at the back. I sat in the long conference room with Jisung — the window faces the street. It’s a good lookout. All was quiet, as it had been so far. I pulled out my journal fully intending to write to you. 

That’s when Jisung gasped, pulling his binoculars from his face and hitting me to grab my attention. I grabbed my own, and followed where he was pointing. No, it wasn’t what you’re expecting. 

“Are those people?” Jisung had asked me. 

My vision isn’t bad, but even I had to squint. He was right; though the group wasn’t big, it was obvious by the way they were walking. 

By the torches they were holding. 

For a while, we just watched. But I don’t think it was from lack of entertainment, rather sheer shock. The torches were touching homes, old buildings, flames blossoming at high speeds and dancing in the night sky. Screaming for attention, begging the Nots to come find them. To find all of us. 

The south side isn’t safe. Though the word has spread, I can tell you my love, that I’ve never feared I wouldn’t see you again until we broke into this god forsaken office building. 

Jisung had a window cracked, the perfect amount of space for his sniper to slip through. He was up and at the gun before I could fully process what was happening. 

“I have a shot.” He says within seconds, the cracked circular glasses fogging up. “At one. I could take at least three out—“

“Don’t.” I said, adjusting the binoculars to get a better view. Twelve people, I counted. All around our age, a mix of men and women. Each of them laughed as they turned the earth to ash. “Wait.”

“Chan, we need to act now.” He’s getting ready. I can tell. Tongue between his teeth, digging until the muscle breaks into a tiny cut, blood slowly filling his mouth. “They’re headed our way.”

He’d give away our location, I explained. The group isn’t close enough to be a danger. We need to wait, to see if there's a motive behind the destruction. Humanity is all united against the dark — there has to be a purpose behind this betrayal. 

Jisung wasn’t happy with me. Between forcing him from midtown and now this, I feared that night that if we didn’t lose our lives, I’d lose one of my most trusted friends. Still, he didn’t shoot, following the one we picked as the leader with his gun. Ready in case the okay was given. 

It didn’t take long for me to allow it. I don’t want our letters to just be about the horrors we’re facing. The suffering of being apart. So I will spare you the details of what made me allow the shot, and death of these twelve people. 

We didn’t see the thirteenth until it was too late. Until the makeshift cross was pitched in the center of the burning homes, the screams of this man were loud enough to wake the dead. In a world where everything has been taken from us, our lives forced apart, something I believe we all deserve is safety. 

Except for the twelve. While I mourned the man, I was delighted to watch the fire claim its creators. 

The rest of the night was quiet. Jisung and I sat in silence as we watched other refugees extinguish the flames, sharing a can beer we had been shaving. The luxury felt needed after what we had witnessed. 

His hair has gotten long. I think you’d really like it; it’s charming, especially when he ties in a little half pony. The cut on his cheek I mentioned in my last letter has healed nicely; Seungmin is getting better at his stitch work. The stars weren’t visible that night, but with the moonlight that pooled in from the windows, his eyes made you think there were. 

After he took a sip of the beer, his face twisted in disgust. “This is rancid.”

It made me laugh, the dramatic way he stuck out his tongue as he searched for the water jug. “I think it might be a little expired.”

“Oh? You think?”

“If you want to be a bitch, then I’ll just finish it off.”

God. I wish you could have seen the way he smiled, or could have felt the warmth that filled my chest at the sight of it. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Jisung smile like that. He even laughed, which made me do the same even though my eyes were burning from smoke and tears. 

I volunteered to keep watch the next few nights, though it didn’t come without push back. I said I wasn’t tired, though the truth is that I didn’t want to subject the rest of them to the suffering happening outside this building. They’ve had it hard enough, and I don’t want to add to their burden. 

Day five, Felix and Changbin went out to find supplies. We made a list — things we needed, things we wanted. If a luxury could be stolen, it should be. Felix had the paper, smiling brightly at me when I gave it to him. 

I never expected to hear his sobs mere hours later. Head on Hyunjin’s lap as Seungmin tended to the wound he had gotten while they were at a store. They ran into a group of humans, they said. In the same building, though at the other side. While Changbin kept his gun drawn, they agreed to ignore them. That’s just what you do — let others survive. 

Until they saw them. And laughed, laughed, laughed when they shot Felix in the thigh. Changbin’s voice trembled when he described the group of people. Jisung looked at me, face expressionless but eyes wide. 

There were more than twelve.

Superficial, Seungmin said. He was able to remove the bullet and tend to the wound. Felix would be okay, other than the limp he’s sure to suffer long term. 

“Charming, in a way.” Seungmin joked, but it made Lix laugh. Exactly what we all wanted; if he loses his sunshine, what’s the point?

We were blessed with day six. Nothing happened. Literally — Jeongin even started to nod off at his position. The day was spent playing cards or huddling around the beat up radio. Hyunjin started a mural on one of the walls, the colors bringing us the joy we so desperately needed. 

I spent the day in one of the empty conference rooms. Sitting under the window, thumbing through the photo book you gave me. Remember that day we went to the movies to see some cheesy Christmas movie? You hated it, mocking it the entire time just to get teary eyed at the end. In the parking lot, you hit me with a snowball and how was I to let that slide? I love that photo of you, drenched in water and snow, laughing as you build another snowball. 

I flipped through it over and over, happily losing myself in the worlds tucked in those glossy photos. Though everything in the world is meeting a fiery end, you are the one constant. The driving force behind my survival, behind the protection of the others. Without you, I would succumb to the flame. Life is not worth living without you, even if all I have is letters and memories. 

Fire may take your words, though it will never take my heart. 

That day would have been a wonderful one to write. But instead I spent it reading your letters, tracing the characters of your name. How does it look so lovely? How do you make words beautiful? I spent it looking at your pictures, bringing the album to my nose and inhaling deeply. It still has faint hints of the home we shared together. Do you think we might be able to return one day? Even if not, it won’t matter. I just want you. 

But closer. We are getting closer, and closer to getting to you. It’s taken more time than I would have liked, but the apocalypse doesn’t really like making time for people. By the time you read this, we’ll have left the south side. Step by step, closer to you. 

I miss the way you kiss me. The way your lips feel against my body. I miss your breath tangling with mine like the snow colored sheets we used to lay upon. I miss inhaling you, breathing you. The way your breath would hitch when you’re surprised, when you feel good. The little huffs of air your face before laughing your heart out. 

Fuck. I need to hear that sound again. The cassette tape you sent me isn’t enough anymore. I need you.

I fell asleep in that office, your letters pressed to my chest. And when I dreamed, it was only of you. Watching the smoke hand and hand. 

The sixth day, yesterday, the Nots arrived.

We watched as they entered the town; boney backs arched, long nails scraping the streets. Their horrible squeals were almost piercing, even with our windows shut. It’s always so chilling to see them; the remains of humanity lingering on their morphed bodies. Slowly, they slink down the street. Sniffing for any signs of life. 

Felix was tucked in one of the bathrooms with Seungmin, a walkie turned on loud. If we needed to go, it needed to be fast — which left Hyunjin packing our belongings as Changbin, Jisung, and I stood in the very same conference room where we first saw the twelve. 

“They look rough.” Changbin comments, leaning against the window. He had been keeping watch on the front entrance; even though Jeongin and Minho were standing guard. A warning would be valued. “They’re hungry.”

Jisung gagged at the word, cleaning his glasses with the sleeve of his sweater. “Fucking gross, don’t say that—“

“Why do you think they’re so loud? They’re getting desperate.”

At this point, I realized my optimism was playing a part in my downfall. Even as I watched the crowd of Nots scavenge the debris, looking in trash cans and behind fences, I could only think about how lucky we were to be so high up. They couldn’t touch us, tucked away on the fifth floor of the building. 

The lookout walkie gave a crackling noise before Minho’s voice cut through; clear, measured, even though his tone was obviously frantic. 

“Breach at the fire escape.” He says quickly. 

I picked up our walkie. “Do you hear anything?”

It felt like a century before he responded, all of us holding our breath as we waited. The silence was more chilling than the shrill squawks below. It’s one we all know too well; they’ve found prey. I can only hope it isn’t us. 

Minho clicks back on, and I realize it was naive of me to be scared of the Nots. “Laughter.”

The room began to spin, my ears void of all sound except the sound of laughter. Louder and louder it, closer and closer to our floor. The most horrible melody, leaving the bitter taste of blood in my mouth as my body feels like it’s melting. 

They have flames. 

“Seungmin, take Felix out the front.” I clicked in, trying to stay as calm as possible. “Now, hurry—“

“The Nots are out.” Changbin says, eyes bouncing from the direction of the fire escape to the window. “They’re not going to make it.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Jisung mumbles, opening a window to set his gun up. He squints one eye, tracking the creatures with the barrel of his gun. “I’ll take out as many as I can.”

It was a lose/lose. No matter which exit we took, the risk was high. But something in my gut told me that we rather deal with the Nots than whatever is making that bloodcurdling laugh. 

“How close are they, Minho?”

The silence is a beat too long. “Too close. We need to fucking go.” 

There wasn’t much more than needed to be said. By the time Jisung had shot down a good number of Nots, the laughter was accompanied by banging. Slow, hollow knocks. Their fists were hitting the door. 

And then came the heat. 

The flames grew slowly from under the metal door, dancing on the worn out carpet. By the time we were rushing down the main staircase, it had already enveloped the room I had slept in. Where I had dreamed of you. 

If it weren’t for Jisung, we probably wouldn’t have been able to escape as easily as we did. Hurdling over twitching bodies of Nots, we kept our gaze ahead. Running past the cross, ducking behind remains of buildings. I don’t know how long we ran for until we came across an empty convenience store. Changbin pushed a stand against the door after we cleared it. Boxing ourselves in temporary shelter. 

At the window, Jisung stood. Arms crossed, watching the smoke tangle with the clouds. He heard me coming, yet didn’t even look up at me. “I told you we should have never left the mid.”

He didn’t sleep last night. Neither did I.

We are leaving the store pretty soon. Seungmin is checking on Felix’s wound, Changbin and Minho mapping out a new route as I write. We’re heading east this time. I’m not sure when we will stop yet. 

But east means we’re closer to you. 

I’m mailing the letter today, too. According to the calendar we’ve been keeping, it’s now August 23. The heat has been sweltering here — how is it there, for you? Probably that much different, but you’re further north than us. I can only hope a cool fall breeze will greet us when I meet you again. 

I picked a new spot for you to send your letter as our location has changed — I’ll attach a map to this and check it daily. I know we’ll be in that area for a while, so  send there for now. Hopefully we won’t have to flee again, but I won’t be too optimistic this time. 

The world may be on fire, but so is my love for you (hahahahaha). But truly, if it weren’t for you, the apocalypse wouldn’t seem so bearable. 

Stay safe, my love. I’m coming home soon.

Forever yours,

Chan

#skz angst #stray kids angst #bang chan angst #chan angst #lee know angst #lee minho angst #minho angst #changbin angst #seo changbin angst #hyunjin angst #hwang hyunjin angst #han jisung angst #jisung angst #han angst #felix angst #lee felix angst #seungmin angst #kim seungmin angst #yang jeongin angst #jeongin angst #i.n angst #skz smut #stray kids smut #skz fluff #stray kids fluff

[spacequokka]

RM1526: Calculus II

Pairing: professor!Changkyun x student!Reader Genre: College AU, Smut Rating: M Summary: “I don’t doubt that. However,” he held your wrists in one hand as he locked the only door to the classroom with the other, “I can’t risk someone walking in on me topless. Even in the name of art.” Word Count: 2.6k 🤬 drabble my ass Warnings: teacher/student relations, topless Kyun deserves a mention, marking, dirty talk, reader would do shots off his tats and it shows, choking, quick rough vaginal sex on a desk, one use of degradation, editing this at 3am with a mix of coffee and melatonin gummies in my system, mistakes were made

Inspired by this gif. Part one of my four entries for the Monsta X professor au series with @iibonniee​ who made the banner! If you love this, please shower her with love for me. This series is all her idea. I recommend That’s the Way Love Goes and Promise for reading.

Masterlist | Next

At this point, it was an obsession. It started as mild curiosity at first. Who wouldn’t want to know more about the pretty tattoo playing peek-a-boo on the sexy calculus teacher? It wasn’t as if you cared about the numbers and symbols on his whiteboard. But the way his forearm flexed as he flipped the marker between his fingers, slowly shifting his sleeve back to show the intricate ink was becoming its own religion. You only wanted to see it up close, maybe even ask who did it so you could go pay your respects.

But no.

“Hm, that’s too easy for you, Ms. ____.” Professor Im smiled and shook his head. “Come back to me when you get an A in my class.”

You were barely passing his class. Well, you were nothing if not determined when it came to stupid shit. You found a tutor and made it your life’s mission to master math Greek gibberish. By the end of the semester, you managed to get a fucking 92. It was time to collect your reward.

You had your grades printed off, hand slightly shaking as you stayed in your seat and waited for class to empty for the day. Did you need your phone? You should probably take a picture to show the artist if he tells you who did it. Ugh, but why wouldn’t they remember him or their work? Okay, maybe you wanted a souvenir for your hard work.

“You planning on sleeping here tonight?”

Your attention snapped to the professor where he stood behind his desk with his hands in his pockets. Today was his black turtleneck sweater day. You swallowed hard and got to your feet. “No!” You held up the paper as if he could see it from where he stood. You hopped down the stairs and came to a stop in front of his desk. “You said you’d show me your tattoo if I brought my grade up. I have an A now.”

His bored expression barely changed as he cocked an eyebrow at you. Oh, fuck. Did he forget? You didn’t think you needed to remind him along the way. Shit—

“I know what your grade is. Who else grades your work?” The tiniest smirk graced his lips before he took his hands out of his pockets. “Ah, now which one was it…” He looked between his arms then held one up. “I think it was this one.”

You sucked in air. “Wait, you have more than—”

He ignored you as he pushed back the fabric and revealed the holy grail. The flower was gorgeous, an intricate weave of lines that healed to perfection. You were drawn to it like a moth to his flame. He watched you come around his desk and even let you pull his arm closer for inspection. “You like ink that much, huh?”

“Sir, I happen to appreciate all forms of art,” you murmured as you traced the petals lightly with a fingertip. He shivered, but you ignored it, moving your focus to the shading of the stem and leaves. To his credit, he didn’t pull away.

He cleared his throat. “I got that impression over the past few months. You tend to stare whenever I roll my sleeves up.”

You felt your face flush as you froze and dropped his arm as if he’d burned you. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mmm.” He nodded. “Of course. Come on, time to go.” He gently pushed your shoulders, turning you towards the door.

“Oh, wait! Can I get a picture? I killed myself for this.” You reached for your phone. “I wanna get one done soon.”

“A picture?” He scoffed. “It’s not even the best tattoo I have.”

“It’s not?” You whirled around to face him. He was close, and it forced you to look up past his chin. “Can I see? Please? Please, lemme see it.”

His lips twitched as he looked away. “I dunno, Ms. _____. I’d have to take my sweater off.”

“I’m fine with that. I want to see it.” You reached for the hem of his sweater, but he caught your eager hands.

“I don’t doubt that. However,” he held your wrists in one hand as he locked the only door to the classroom with the other, “I can’t risk someone walking in on me topless. Even in the name of art.” The click of the lock echoed in the large room. “You can’t tell anyone I showed you either.”

Excitement buzzed in your veins like alcohol. “Your secret’s safe with me, sir.” You followed him back to his desk, where he gestured for you to stand in front of his chair. You obeyed his instruction. His large hands seized you by your waist and pressed you against the edge of the desk.

“You might want to be up here to see it properly,” he murmured. Well, he had a point. You pushed yourself up onto his desk without a second thought. He rewarded you with one of those rare true smiles. “Perfect.” He sat down in his chair.

“Does anyone else know about your tattoos?” You asked without taking your eyes off him. He shook his head as he pulled the slinky sweater up and off his body. Your brain instantly turned to mush upon seeing the various designs of ink on his chest and shoulders. His artist must have descended from Da Vinci himself. You made this weird squeaky noise that sounded like a mouse on helium breathing its last.

Professor Im ran a hand over his pecs, then stretched. “Okay,” he stood up and got mind-numbingly close, “be gentle with it. I get ticklish.”

You scoffed as he turned around. Your mouth dropped open, eyes wide and sparkly. You’d imagined all sorts of different designs on him. Something like this? Unthinkable, yet it suited him. Again, your hands moved on their own as you committed each detail of the three flowers to memory. “This is amazing,” you whispered.

“So is your touch,” he grunted. “Are you always this delicate with things you handle?”

Your cheeks heated up, and you bit your lip. “Would you like it if I poked harder?” You didn’t mean for it to sound that way, but once the words were out, you shrugged it off. A man with gorgeous skin and god-tier tattoos will do that to you.

What you didn’t see coming was his reaction. He stiffened for a second, as if even he couldn’t believe you’d be that bold. But then he backed up, all but shoving his back into your face. He gingerly brought his hands to your knees as if to steady himself as he perched his ass against the desk between your thighs. Did he think you wouldn’t lick his fucking tattoo right here? You honestly couldn’t tell if he was aware he was slowly driving you insane.

Two can play that game.

Keeping an eye on the side of his face, you splayed your hands out on his back and gently pressed your fingertips into his skin. His mouth opened a little. With a deep breath for confidence, you pressed your lips to one of the flowers wound around the blade going down his spine. The man jerked like you’d shocked him, but again he didn’t pull away. Instead, he squeezed your knees with a warning as he released a slow exhale. He might have mumbled something like “Don’t get fired, Kyun.”

You liked the idea of him fighting against doing whatever was going on in his head. You also liked playing with fire. “I’m surprised there are no scratches on your back.”

“Why would I—” He stopped when he caught on. “Ah. Well, it’s hard to scratch someone when you’re pinned down.”

The thought of being pinned underneath him, taking each stroke with his impossibly deep voice in your ear, was a heady one. You whimpered at the thought as your knees trembled with want. “Shit.”

He glanced at you over his shoulder. “You okay?” His concern was genuine, but it wasn’t like you could focus when he was massaging your legs. His hands were calloused and swallowed your calf muscles. You couldn’t help the way your mind immediately wondered what else on him was big.

“Yep.” You swallowed hard, trying and failing to push the horny thoughts away. “C-can I see the ones on your chest before I go?”

He made a noise somewhere between a hum and a moan before turning around without bothering to put distance between you. He arched his eyebrow, silently asking if it bothered you, but you were already reaching up to touch him.

His grip on your thighs tightened as he leaned into your touch. “Fuck,” he gasped, while his eyes fluttered shut. You tilted your head to the side, amazed at how he responded to every little thing you did. Your hands trailed from his chest to his neck. His eyes snapped open and focused on you with a look that made you sit up straighter. You instinctively tried to close your legs around his waist, barely aware of how you exposed your dirty thoughts and wants. Changkyun’s hands closed around your wrists and pulled you towards him as he leaned in close enough for your noses to touch. “You’re really testing my patience here.”

You felt the low rumble of his voice deep in your soul, your core, and knew if he asked you’d fuck him right then and there. “I’d never do that.” You pouted as you looked into his eyes and brought his hips closer. “I hate tests.”

There was a beat of silence before he spoke. “Tell me you want this, _____.” He spoke against your lips. “No misunderstandings.”

You moaned softly as you threaded your fingers through the hair at his neck. “I want this, want you so bad—”

Changkyun didn’t even let you get the words out. He devoured your mouth with a kiss so hot and wet your panties were ruined in seconds. The way he paid attention to every detail, from your lips to your tongue and even the roof of your mouth, left you whimpering with want while struggling against his hold keeping you from touching him. And you wanted that more than anything. Just to feel his skin and the raised lines from his tattoos under your fingers while he shivered.

When he got tired of exploring your mouth and nudged your head aside to kiss your neck, you were able to voice your complaints. “Please,” you pulled against his hold, “let me touch you.”

He chuckled before nipping at your throat. “Greedy girl, you already have. It’s my turn.”

You had to bite your lip to keep from crying out when he bit you again, this time harder. “Please, just a little bit more.”

His kisses trailed back to your mouth. “Sound so pretty when you beg like that, but keep it down. I don’t want anyone else to hear what’s meant for me.” He gently bit your bottom lip and slowly let it go. “Got it?” 

“Yes, sir.” You nodded. He smirked and kissed you again as he laid you back on the desk.

“Can’t believe you’re a bad girl. On your professor’s desk spread out like this. Never would’ve thought.” His fingers caught the hem of your sundress and pushed the fabric up. Before you knew it, his fingers were exploring your pussy, caressing your folds, then parting them to dip a finger in. “Shit. I knew it. You’re gonna feel like heaven on my dick.”

Somehow, this kept getting better and better. Knowing he wanted to get inside you was all you needed to hear. “Oh, fuck yes.” You moaned quietly as you squirmed impatiently. He continued to tease you, sliding his finger in and out then adding another and finally a third. By the time he deemed you ready to take his dick, you were a mess, babbling as you rode his fingers chasing an orgasm he wasn’t willing to give just yet.

“Hands stay up here.” He pointed to the edge of the desk by your head. You grabbed it with both hands as he fished his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out a condom. Then he pulled off some David Blaine bullshit by undoing his belt and pants with one hand while opening the condom then rolling it on. Any other time, you would have applauded him. He put one of your legs on his shoulders while stroking himself a few times. You felt him prod at your entrance, head teasing through your slick before rubbing circles around your clit. Biting the inside of your cheek was the only way to keep you from giving you both away. “So good for me…” he moaned as he pressed the tip inside.

You tightened your grip as your legs shook with each inch he fed you. By the time he was balls deep, both of you were sweating and shaking, whispering curses as you realized what feeling so fucking good meant for you two. Pussy so tight and wet. Dick thick and deep. This could never have been a one-time deal. Fuck. He squeezed the thigh on his chest and pressed a kiss to your knee.

“Gotta make this quick so I can get you somewhere softer, like my bed or couch.” He groaned as you clenched at his words.

“I’m not picky,” you said bringing your other leg to his hip and pulling him in deeper. “Backseat of your car will do.”

“Shit, I can see you making me pull over at least once.” He put his other arm under the leg on his hip and bent over, pushing your legs back towards your chest. “You’re sin with pretty eyes and a tempting smile.” He pulled out just enough to slam back in, immediately setting a fast and brutal pace. The angle was perfect, stimulating your clit while reaching deep enough for each stroke to brush that special spot that had you seeing stars. His lips came back to yours and he hushed you. Only then were you aware that your cries of pleasure were echoing. “Get me fired and you’ll be my cocksleeve until I find another job.”

“P-promise?” You smiled, happy when he grunted and nudged your head aside again and suckled a mark into your skin.

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you? Spending every fucking minute stuffed with dick and screaming my name.” His strokes grew shorter as he put more strength into his thrusts. He let one of your legs go in favor of your throat, bringing your attention back to the flower on his forearm. His muscles flexed as he adjusted his grip to only apply pressure from the sides. “Look at you. You love being choked, too? You keep surprising me. Cum for me, baby. Cum so I can take you home and wear that pretty ass out.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice. A few more rolls of his hips against yours, pelvis grinding on your clit, and you were gone. His arms moved to the sides of your head, hands gripping the desk alongside your own as he started pounding away. The poor desk tried to hold its ground but still ended up screeching as it scooted across the floor with his thrusts. Losing his footing threw off his concentration and within minutes he was moaning in your ear as he came.

When he stopped and rested his head on your shoulder, you brought your arms down and gently rubbed his back, giving him a little pat for a job well done. But he didn’t want that. He pushed up and pulled out, peeling the condom off and dropping it in the trash by his desk. He grabbed your hands and helped you sit up. “Let’s get out of here.”

Masterlist | Next

#ksmutclub #kvanity #mxnetwork #monsta x smut #changkyun smut #i.m smut #changkyun x reader #changkyun x you #monsta x professor au #monsta x teacher au #monsta x scenarios #monsta x imagines #here i am with no impulse control #changkyun imagines #changkyun scenarios #i.m imagines #i.m scenarios

[elionwriter]

Sherlock Holmes the Awakened: a Review

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I just NEED to talk about this game! I have been a Frogwares Holmes fan since the very beginning and 'The Awakened' was always among my favourite titles. Not to mention one of the games that had scared the wits out of me. So I have to speak about the Remake now.

First and foremost, I think it needs to be reiterated that this game was made DURING THE FU****G INVASION OF UKRAINE! During such dark times, the team kept working on this. I would have supported this game even just for this reason alone.

Now, let's be honest: Frogwares never had the most marvelous graphics nor the most polished of gameplays and this entry is not an exception. I still feel the map system is a bit difficult to navigate (I may be an idiot, but I had the same issue with Chapter 1) but I really appreciated the added help the game gives you when you're recreating a scene, letting you know which passage you got wrong. Last game I found myself changing everything trying to hit the right combination so I really liked this fix.

This needs to be said: the game doesn't feel under any shape or form a product for a new fan. Everything from dialogues to game mechanics sort of take for granted that you've at least played 'chapter one'. Honestly? I'm ok with this, I hate having to always go through nearly identical tutorial stages for games I know inside out (like Pokémon) and I believe that most of not all people who are going to get this game ARE old fans!

I wasn't originally a big fan of the new Holmes and Watson models when the last game came out but....I dunno, they have grown on me. I find myself liking them now for, I suppose, no other reason than 'they are very expressive' and 'I've gotten used to them'. I think it's gotten to the point that these might be my favourite models of the two to date. Please ignore how fickle I am! (In honesty, just to draw a similar parallel, when Roger Craig Smith was first announced as Sonic's voice I hated it and now he's my fav Sonic v. actor)

This game has something.....compared to its predecessor, that makes it less scary. I can't really put my finger on it, but I distinctly remember the feeling of claustrophobia building in me when I was in the Black Edelweiss. Or the sheer jumpscare I got when the sacrificed American detective on the altar had tentacles coming out of it and severing his head making it roll to the ground. I remember almost not wanting to paddle the rowboat under the tree of hanging men in the Bayou. I remember how viscerally sick I felt at the lighthouse by all the gore and blood depicted. This time round.....I just didn't. I'm honestly not sure why this didn't hit me nearly as hard as its 2006 predecessor did!

And talking about comparisons, one thing I'm a bit disappointed they didn't grab the chance to do in this remake was fix the loose ends that were left hanging in the 2006 version. I mean....they still abandoned completely the search for that one Maori servant, what happened to all the people they managed to rescue? Who hired the private American detective that was killed? Why give out the cheap pendants? I know I'm a bit dumb and need extra explaining than what is necessarily needed but...I can't be the only one right? Sometimes you want to be told just a bit more.

Now, getting into the really good bits, that make all of it worth it!

'Chapter One' acted as a 'de facto' reboot of the Frogwares Holmes series, and I honestly think that was for the best. I don't really see where they could have gone with things after 'Devil's Daughter' and their Holmes had changed too much to be the same guy from 'The Silver Earring'...let alone Watson. But like this? They have a fresh, clean slate to start off from and they can rebuild the two mains' relashionship and lore from the ground up in a more strictly consequential manner. And the way they are doing it? I think it's state of the art!

The fact that they poke fun at themselves on certain points like Watson stating: "What about when you used to roll up only one of your sleeves? Did you get bored halfway through?!" I think the Devs themselves realized this was a cringe design choice and I like that they said so out loud.

The meta-conversation they wrote in towards the end, 'because yes, this HAS Happened before and the story still has the same outcome', is brilliant. I don't think I've ever seen another remake that acknowledges that it is a remake, and in the general madness that is mounting in the narrative this makes perfect sense! It adds one more layer of horror and inexplicable to the tale. The villain's warning 'that the Final Problem is coming and Sherlock will fall in the abyss too' is such a powerful way to use Canon. The prophecy is only made more real and dreadful by the fact that this person is aware of what has already happen in a similar but different scenario!

Also, not them using that one quote from 'The Valley of Fear' novel which happens to be one of my all time favourites!

I say, Watson,’ he whispered, ‘would you be afraid to sleep in the same room as a lunatic, a man with softening of the brain, an idiot whose mind has lost its grip?’ ‘Not in the least,’ I answered in astonishment. 'Ah, that’s lucky,’ he said, and not another word would he utter.

I think the thing that has most benefited from the Remake is Watson's character. Compared to the 2006 version, this Watson is a truly compelling character in his own right and this time round he's not just along for the ride. In this version, you simply cannot imagine how Holmes would have done it on his own. Watson was in every way a key component to the solution of the problem and the reason why Holmes didn't drown in madness. That point is driven home by Rochester asking 'How did you defeat me?' and Holmes answering 'I made a friend!'

Much of the narrative in the game was focused on Holmes truly learning to accept Watson's friendship and him as a person when he was still clinging so much to his old imaginary friend. You can see how, at first, Holmes refuses to be honest with the Doctor about what he thinks and feels and it's only as they move forward in the adventure that they both open up to each other. You can see as the adventure progresses that Holmes shifts his desperate cries from 'Jon' to 'Watson' to 'John' and the Doctor goes more and more often from 'Holmes' to 'Sherlock'. Mycroft also points this out when he says that Sherlock 'went from one Jon to another'. But this one, John Watson, is real and there to stay. In the context of a story that happens mostly in the detective's mind, Watson's friendship is really what turns the situation around!

I could add of little tid bits which were so random and on the nose that somehow worked, like the possessed 'Heidi' doll or the fact that you had to actually 'Kill Holmes' with the booby traps instead of avoiding them.

Also, "The director Guygax was randomly killed.....by a doll?!????!?!?! Yeah, let's just walk out of here no questions asked. That's too deep a wormhole even for this f***d up Adventure to go down. I'm sure nobody is gonna ask us questions, suspect or stop us as we go out the main doors!" 😃 -Holmes, probably.

So, yeah, I loved this game despite it not being perfect and my love and support goes to Frogwares more that ever!

#sherlock Holmes the awakened #sherlock holmes chapter one #sherlock holmes #john watson #frogwares holmes #sherlock holmes devil's daughter #holmes x watson #sherlock x john #sherlock and jon #jon #mycroft holmes #chtulhu #eldrich horror #lovecrafian

[jeskoholic]

A Little Piece of You Chapter 17: The Ideal Girlfriend

This is a chapter from an on-going series. If you missed out on the previous entries, you can check my masterlist.

Previous chapter: A Coffee Date

Word count: 5,640

Tags: Male OC, Bestfriend Yujin, College friends, School Convo

Enjoy

“Come on man; I already explained things to you… I don’t have a girlfriend. Don’t be stupid.”

“Oh, is that the really the case?”

“Dawn… I know who you’re talking about and you’re dead wrong. She is just my best friend and there’s nothing else in the middle. I don’t know what made you think about anything about that.”

Dawn chuckled.

“What do you mean, Jae-in? Eve you called her as your ‘girlfriend’ at some point, right?”

“I did that because she’s a girl, right? She’s also my friend, so I think it just makes sense that I warrant myself calling her that. And by the way, I did that because of that one particular time that Shinwon and Kino drank their butts off and started asking stupid questions. I remember answering back at their claims just to make them both shut up. It was my only way out.”

“Well, sometimes things do work out like that especially with Shinwon and Kino. It’s funny how we don’t often see them talking together recently… “

“Hey, I don’t know what’s with you and the rest of UK, but why are y’all putting me in the hot seat now? You have no idea how much of a chore I had to endure with all the questioning from Hongseok and the others. Heck, even Yeri is being added to the mix and I can’t do anything about it. It feels weird that I’m complaining about this now, especially when I was so cool at it a while back but… I guess I was just uncomfortable talking about Soyeon especially to them. I only felt that when I was already relaying what transpired.”

“I don’t know about them… as far as I’m concerned, I just want to everyone else to be happy. I mean, look how well this first official date went with Jisoo. Like I said, if I don’t screw things up, this boat is sailing away smoothly. As a friend, I want those same things to happen to you guys as well, especially you, my man. I can’t even express to you how happy am I knowing my friends are good with Jisoo. It makes my efforts for her more relaxed knowing I have you guys behind me.”

“I’m happy for you man. It turned out to be a good idea that you brought us on this.”

“Wait, Jae-in… I just realized something…”

“Which is…?”

“You know with all of these happening… I’m sorry but I’ll have to introduce Soyeon to the conversation again. Do you mind?”

“Go ahead, I guess. We’re pretty much talking about her already at this point so might as well.”

Dawn scratched the back of his head just as he and Jae-in crossed a street towards a bright shop, of where they proceeded to continue on walking.

“I realized that… it’s been a while since you and Soyeon went dating, or went out, whatever… I just figured, you never introduced her to anyone else rather than the group, am I correct? I’m curious as to how she’d react with Soyeon given her personality is drastically different from most of us.”

“Who are we talking about? Is it Yujin?”

“Of course man, who else could it be? You know how Yujin works and how she’s so picky with stuff, especially those who date you. It’s funny to think how Wonyoung hated her so much back in high school and her predictions never came to fruition. You and Yujin were still friends up to this day. It’s hilarious when I think about how much that hated seeing each other because of you. I wonder how your ex would react once she finds out that you two have gone stronger ever since.”

“I get where you’re going at. Yujin is pretty much very nitpicky on whoever I’m dating, or having an intention to date but she has her reasons. After what happened with Wonyoung, she made sure to have my back ever since. She’s always been the brain in my heart, as I tend to act out of impulse without thought. I would go as far and say that she’s the voice inside my head telling me to think twice about things before heading in, which is exactly why I trust her so much. Also, you know how guys have that hint whenever a dickhead is hitting on a girl with malicious intent? Girls have that too, man, and Yujin’s been the one warning me of everything… well, at least until recently anyway.”

“Yeah, I know that. I just wondered, in case you introduced Soyeon to her… what do you think she’d say about her, then? Do you think she’s going to have the same thought like you did?”

“Knowing Yujin, she’ll be the first person to tell me to back off. All those realizations, all those reasons why I chose to end it with Soyeon… I’m sure she would have seen it coming before I even thought about it. It would feel as if she’d be the one to back off for me while I still can’t get the courage to do so. I don’t know; like I said: womanly instincts. She’d be sure to tease about it to me at some point along that, too.”

Dawn nodded.

“Well, in a way I envy you; girls are pretty hard to understand. At least you have Yujin there to help you out for things, especially on the red flags we guys are normally blind to.”

“I guess so… although with that whole thing with Soyeon, I never really told her anything. Joohyun-noona even knows more than her on this regard… I guess I never really had the chance to tell her as it went on… I just never thought of her as well. With how quiet she is, maybe she’s just really busy recently.

“You know what, come to think of it… I never saw Yujin since the semester began. I guess being on a different engineering department ought to show how dedicated she is compared to us, and how physically and mentally committed she is on school. Then again, I didn’t expect less from a high school top student. At least she’s not spending her weekends going to bars like we do.”

“Jae-in, but I heard that you barely join Kyungsoo and the others when they invite you out. I heard that you’re not even showing up.”

There was a pause, which involved Jae-in giving his friend a joking glare only for Dawn to return it with a smirk.

“Okay, Mr Smart-ass, I know you’re happy. I get it. I’m happy for you as well. I just don’t get why Yujin suddenly got dragged into this conversation out of nowhere. Point is I really haven’t talked to her for a while so she has no idea what’s going on with me. It might surprise her with how much shit I’ve been through without even being halfway across the semester.”

“Maybe that’s the point. I genuinely got curious how come she’s never heard of anything… surprised, even. You got to tell her and catch up, man. You two have been through a lot and she ought to know at some point. In that case, it would be better if it would be from you.”

Kim Hyojong and Yoon Jae-in reached the end path of the long street they have been traversing on. The skies have completely showed its vibrant purple hue as the day succumbed into the incoming evening. As always, Seoul’s bright night life had begun to bare itself amidst the baby steps of the twilight. Shops began to show their innate beauty along with the approaching evening, with Jae-in only being able to realize what he was missing right as he and Hyojong were about to part ways. He stood with his eyes on the marketplace’s humble horizon, its roof carefully etched to match the elegance of the incoming dusk.

Maybe I should. I do kinda miss that chaos of a girl as well.

---

After the grand culmination of Dawn’s plan, it was suffice to say that he had once again become incognito, but I quite expected that. I really could not blame him; after that good enough of a start, he ought to focus all of his efforts towards Jisoo if he really want to make the most out of what has been given to him. Plus, the rest of the United Kwangya have been really confined lately, with the conversations solely existing between the occasional appearances of Ningning complaining about how she constantly forgets her basic maths skills, Kino teasing her about it, Kyungsoo moderating all of them. Yeri and Shinwon became the new love birds of the group effectively replacing me and Soyeon, which was a good thing. Granted, we never really displayed our affection in front of our friends, even if it was just a group chat, but at least the rest of the members attention were focused on them and not us. They didn’t even bother to bring up the topic of Jisoo and Dawn for the rest of the conversations.

Still, there was no word from Soyeon, as expected. It was also rather odd that I don’t see her around campus, be it with Ningning or Kyungsoo even for just a chance encounter. I don’t know if she’s doing that on purpose or we’re really just not allowed to see each other with fate dictating what the best is for both of us.

But I guess I could not complain with that. At least she and I could get a huge breathing room.

With the threat of the exams just being around the corner, I figured I might as well grab the chance to catch up with a long-time friend of mine. Who knows when she’ll be busy again?

I messaged Yujin exactly on that night that Dawn and I went our separate ways. Well, given the really tight schedule of this particular woman, I had to arrange our next get-together after quite a long time. Days passed and it was another weekend, and like how it passed by with Hyojong I found myself on a local bubble tea shop with a rather high, wooden ceiling. It was this small, compact space with a natural vibe echoing off of it with the wooden furniture, floorboards, ceiling, as well as the entire house-like feel of it. The open windows raged from all around, with the rear exit offering a veranda filled with chairs coupled with the breath-taking view of the city.

As much as I love the feel of the wind grazing my face as we’d consume our respective bubble teas, with the length of Yujin’s hair it ought to get to her face at some point. I don’t want to ruin her experience here just because of that, so I elected to pick tables indoors.

“Jae-in, heya,” I heard her voice call from the entrance of the shop’s doorway, appearing all in her youthful presence as she supplied me with an enthusiastic smile. “You finally decided to ask me out, hmmm? Can’t seem to find the perfect fairy for all this?”

Ahn Yujin greeted me on the same way she would almost every time I see her, and that is always with a wide smile over her tall stature. She showed up today with the clear understanding that white was the colour for that meet, having decided to wear a matching white long sleeves and track pants, finished with her white sneakers that fixed the over-all get-up while a folded jacket draped over her arm. Yujin had once again decided to have her bangs, and I think it suited her perfectly. Seeing her on a hairstyle I haven’t seen her do since high school, and especially on this time that I haven’t seen her for a while, it felt so nostalgic and very comforting in a way. It did felt like a relief to see my best friend from highschool looking and glowing so well. I’d lie if I didn’t miss this girl one bit.

“Give me a break, Yujin,” I replied to her as I smirked. “This might be on me but it’s far from being a date. I already ordered and it’s already here for you. I was actually serious when I said that your tea might screw itself up when you come in late.”

“Excuse me, oppa; you’re the one who’s early. I’m just in time. If this tastes bad, I’m going to ask you for another one.”

“I’m willing to bet that it’s not. I made sure to get your favourite.”

“Is that so?” Yujin replied as she rather surprisingly took the space next to me instead of the chair opposite where I was seated. She placed the small hand bag she had with her and brushed her bangs before taking the drink ordered for her.

“You know that there is a chair opposite me, right?”

“Well, I can see that. I can also see that you’re smart enough to pick the couch for yourself. In that case, endure sitting there. At least you have a pretty fairy next to you; that’s not a loss whatsoever.”

“It feels like it’s you who missed teasing me, Yujinnah. It almost makes me feel bad that I treated you out here,” I replied to her as a joke, which immediately earned a slap towards my arm.

“Yah, fine I’ll just stop,” she said and then proceeded to sip from the drink I bought her. “So what’s up with the sudden call, Jae-in? Are you heartbroken again?”

Oh my god… the fact that I know she’s joking but at the same time being so spot on is crazy on itself.

Now it feels awkward to open up because she did it first like that.

“I guess that’s the case then. You’re silence is more than enough evidence for it. Plus, your face says it all,” she concluded before I could even speak.

It’s so hard when someone knows you so damn much.

“Come on now… of course at some point I’m going to have to ask you out for us to catch up. I know how busy your department could get, being stuck on huge Chem books and all. I’m surprised that you even squeezed me into your busy sched.”

“It’s not that hectic, Jae-in, really. Most of you people are pretty much exaggerating when it comes to our study habits as well as our activities.”

“Really…? So everything that I’ve been hearing was just an exaggeration? Is that why I never even managed to bump unto you if it was even just by chance? It’s like we’re not even in the same university, you know.”

“Well… actually… it’s not an exaggeration because it’s an understatement, really. Oh my… you have no idea how happy I am that you asked me out, actually. I’ve never felt so burned out recently. You not being my classmate take a lot of time getting used to.”

“You’re not used to being around that much of a girl circle now, do you?”

“It’s… It’s definitely different. The people I’m with now… I feel like they’re so pigeonholed into the one goal of the degree we’re all pursuing. I get that, but I’m naturally a fun and outgoing person so… having to stay back with them feels really hard, especially when I’m used to being with you and not taking things all too seriously while still making things work out. It feels impossible to do that now. I also kinda miss us walking home together and sharing some street food on the way to the apartment like we did before. I can’t do that now because… I need to be high profile to blend in. It sucks for my wallet, too.”

“Did I mishear you or did you just tell me that you missed me?”

Yujin nearly choked from her chocolate mix as she supressed a laugh. That was not really intentional.

“Maybe I did… this entire thing of us going out felt so refreshing to me. I’m being serious now.”

“Well, if that’s the case… I’m happy that I thought of asking you when I did. I just figured that maybe it was high time for us to catch up on a couple different axes. I also figured things have come really differently on our first semester away from each other. I was wondering how you’re dealing with the change.”

“I don’t think I have to worry about you now, do I?” She said; keeping her keen eyes planted on my drink at the desk. “I heard a lot from Kyungsoo-oppa. He told me that you’ve been hanging out a lot with them at bars every weekend. Is that true?”

“Umm…”

Well, technically…

“If that’s really the case, then I’m really envious. I don’t think I’ve touched a single glass of alcohol since we parted ways…. By the way, what did you order? What’s in your cup? I don’t think I’ve seen that before.”

What?

Yujin’s sudden interest to whatever I ordered really threw me off, but then again she was always like this. I was just starting to take in what was going on with her when she grabbed the drink from my end of the table and brought it closer to her face. Yujin then eyed the contents through the small hole of the straw, even closing her other eye to get a better view at it.

“What flavour is this, Jae-in? I don’t think I’ve tried this out before. It looks like a cookie and vanilla mix.”

“Oh uhh… it’s apparently called a Snow Leopard. I got it because I love cookies and cream flavoured things. It’s good. Try it out.”

With that, Yujin nodded and immediately went off to sip from my straw; her eyes lighting up. She then took her drink and slid it on the table towards my side as if beckoning me to taste the very thing I ordered for her. I casually took the drink and took a sip from her straw and my taste buds were immediately filled with the unusual chocolate flavour. I did not expect less from a triple chocolate mix that Yujin dearly loves.

“Damn… that was an experience. I might try that out for myself some time,” she exclaimed as she returned my drink to my side of the table. “I might have drank a bit so it’s a bit lesser than… yeah. You get it.”

“Don’t worry. I expected nothing less, Ahn Yujin.”

She slapped my arm and in turn smiling towards my direction.

“Well, anyway I’ll head us back to the topic at hand before I got distracted. I heard a lot of deals from Kyungsoo, you know; some of which even surprised me so much.”

“I actually did not expect Kyungsoo to tell you something, but that’s not saying that I didn’t want you hearing about me. It’s not like I’m hiding it or anything. It’s just… I was expecting that you’d know soon but from either Kino or Shinwon, not Kyungsoo. I wonder how that went down…”

“I’ll have you know, it was Kyungsoo who told me because he felt so concerned towards you. He didn’t entirely tell me of everything, because in his head those still deserve to be told by you. All he told me was things have been rough for you lately, and asked me to check on you whenever I had the time. They said you’ve pretty much gone incognito from them, especially recently. I guess when you asked me out for this one, maybe it was a huge deciding factor for me to go as well.”

“So I guess he knew that I’d reach you at some point. He’s not wrong. Be it that I’m reaching you out because I want to catch up on a couple of different matters, there’s no denying that thing have been crazy rough lately, especially the couple last weeks. Let’s just say that I’m dealing with the aftermath of that, as you know it affected me now less than it did with… with someone named Jeon Soyeon.”

“Ah, so that’s her name, huh? Well then, we have all afternoon, Jae-in. Now I’m curious. Tell me the entire thing. Tell me how you and this Soyeon girl ended up, and why you decided to cut ties with her once you felt it was wrong.”

---

The one thing that Jae-in loved so much about Yujin was that she has always been a good listener.

She merely sat throughout the entire conversation, merely giving her best friend the occasional nods and shakes whenever there was an interesting detail with regards to the story, but of course included with that were the extreme reactions from Yujin’s rather expressive face.  Given how confident he is with her, Jae-in elected to not only include his insights among everything that happened, but also the details he would normally reserve for himself; that included everything, especially intimate moments. As expected, Yujin gave him a face of alarm. The ghost of that expression seemed to have continued until he reached the latter part of his story.

“Well, I guess you can see now why I ended what was going on between us,” Jae-in said with a clear conclusion. “It’s crazy, right? We haven’t gotten halfway through the semester yet and I already have this on the bag. It speaks too much about how bothered I am with the sudden development.”

“My god, Jae-in… I didn’t expect this to be this involved! You know what, I haven’t met this girl yet and I already do not like the sound of everything. It feels like there’s nothing linking you together aside from your sudden outbursts of hormones, and that’s even trying to call it by the simplest of ways, believe me. You two are just horny, especially during all this.”

“I… I guess so…”

“You know, the fact that it turned out the way it did, it somehow reminded me of your ex. I’m sure that I’m not the only one who felt that, right?”

“That’s… well, most of the reason why I chose to back off largely was because of Wonyoung. Things have been… I don’t even know how to put it out, actually. I just felt that it was wrong to continue because it was something that I never wanted in the first place. It sucks that it even had to go to that degree that it was already too difficult to let her go given the circumstances. At this point, I’m just happy that I pulled it off.”

“As you should,” Yujin replied earnestly. She then proceeded to place her now-empty drink over the table and cross her legs afterwards. “My god, I could not even imagine how much of a sump we’ll have to go through again if she ended up being like exactly like Wonyoung. I would not be surprised if she did. I mean, look at her; she’s pretty much a girl who could get any guy she would like. They tend to get really reactive and loud expressing their feelings but when they don’t get what they want, the results would automatically be a disaster for the guy… for you, Yoon Jae-in.”

“Ummm…”

“Damn, can you imagine how things turned out with you and Wonyoung from before? Do you still remember how she hated me so much just for the fact that you’re my best friend… it’s as if I could do something about that? Hello…? What am I supposed to do? I’m not even wedging myself between you two and she acts as if we’re having sex in the dark.”

Jae-in chuckled.

“I do remember that; of course. We almost never go out together even for a small lunch out because he’s always like a detective watching me all the time. It’s so uncomfortable. I can’t even nod or greet you when we bump into each other while you have Wonyoung walking beside you, Jae-in. One small eye-contact between us, I immediately get a glare from her, Oh my god; I think she wants me to stop being your best friend back then. She wants me to be invisible when you’re around, like what the fuck?”

Jae-in chuckled and Yujin smiled at his reaction.

“You know, Yujin, now that I’m openly talking about this, that’s pretty much how it turned out before. You know how Wonyoung and I always argued about you; that she’s threatened of our friendship given how our relationship developed from us initially being best friends as well. She always thought that at some point, I’ll give her up for you. I’m pretty sure that it did happen, you know; I chose you as my best friend instead of sulking on our doomed relationship anyway.”

“Jae-in, hearing all this from you makes me want to go out and eat lunch with you, but not a normal one. We should make sure that Wonyoung sees it as well, just so we can show her how our friendship thrived further the moment that she was out of the picture. I want to show her that a guy and a girl could be friends without falling for each other.”

“You… you talk as if we didn’t really try to make something else out of this,” Jae-in remarked calmly. “In a way, we’re not really a good example for that, all things considered.”

“Well, the keyword was we DID try to make something out of it. It just didn’t feel right. I never thought that I’d ever be awkward to you, and I don’t want that one week of attempted dating to happen again between us. We’re soul mates Jae-in, and maybe that means that we’re destined to be the best of friends since the very beginning.”

“If you put it out that way, it makes me feel so happy that we chose friendship instead of making something impossible out of this one. You always had my back, Yujin. I’ll always be grateful for that”

“We didn’t work out, Jae-in, because I know that I’m not really your type,” Yujin said with a tone of humour, covering her mouth with her hand in the process. “And that’s okay for me, you know. I have no problems with it.”

“Wait, wait, that’s interesting, since you brought it up, what do you think my type is, exactly? What does Ahn Yujin think of Yoon Jae-in’s ideal girl and that is in terms of a lot of factors. Let’s hear you enumerate everything.”

“Ahh, so we’re in that stage now, hmm?” Yujin said before shifting her place on the couch and then rubbing her palms together. “Now this is interesting. Are you asking this from me so that you can confirm the similarities with what I’m about to say?”

“Maybe… or perhaps I could get an idea because I felt like I haven’t been running standards for a long time. It doesn’t have to be so complex, and you can base it on the previous people I’ve taken a liking on.”

“Well, I can’t do everything because we might take all afternoon… how about three?”

“Fair. Let’s do that.”

“Good enough. Well for starters, girls that are way too feminine do not pique your interest in any way, Jae-in. I’m pretty sure you are aware of that. You don’t like the typical text-book reserved, campus-crush kind of deal. You don’t like girls who are very well known because they are using fame to be something else. I get that it’s not that bad, but you’re not just into it because it feels fake. Does that make any sense?”

“It’s not something I would expect to come from you but I think I can understand it.”

“Good. Next, you’re more into people with strong personalities, which conflicts the other interest I just mentioned. I don’t know, but there’s a thin line between people you like who are have a very strong presence but not being over-all too feminine and vulgar about at the same time. I can get understand it in my head but I can’t find the words for it. I’ve been you friend for so long and I think I can understand it without words. I mean, I’ve met some people who were so timid and shy on the face value and yet they’re much defined once you get to know them. It’s kind of like that.”

The fact that she knows so much about me, up to this degree is somehow amazing and scary at the same time. It makes me wonder if I’m that much obvious whenever I’m with her.

But then again, maybe I am. I’m just that comfortable when I’ve with Yujin that I don’t seem to mind what kind of stories I spill to her. This conversation was way more yielding than I thought.

“Now for the last one, this one feels more like an observation from my end but somehow attracted to mature girls. It does not necessarily mean that you’re into girls that are older than you, but often enough age is often associated with maturity so I guess things tend to curve that way when it’s all said and done. It correlates. I guess there’s that sense of security that you get when it comes to people like that. In a way, it perfectly concludes all of the points I’ve stated previously.”

“I don’t think that… that it’s entirely true for Wonyoung. I mean, our ages are not that far apart you know.”

“Honestly, Wonyoung or even the Soyeon girl does not fit any of the traits I have mentioned. That explains why it was not a surprise that you decided to cut it off. On Wonyoung, I could understand, because at least you two developed from friends, but for the Soyeon girl, I guess it was pretty self-explanatory.”

“I guess so… I suddenly became conscious of the traits you mentioned, you know. I can’t bring myself to not consider them the next time that I take a liking into someone…”

“And you should, so that you won’t just fall on someone who barely even fits your standards. At least by then you’d be able to sort things out for yourself. I get it, Jae-in; love is one huge trial and error, but how many errors are you planning to bust through that you’ll finally let yourself loose for the world, hmm?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Jae-in, you’re a very soft, kind-hearted person and that’s about one thing that I really love about you. I’m pretty sure that I’m not the first one who said that, but on times like these it’s working against you. You need to learn when to say ‘no’ and keep you standards to yourself, because at the end of the day you still need to look after yourself. Can’t date ever girl in the world to find out if you’re compatible or not, right?”

“I’m trying to keep that in mind, Yujin… it’s just that with this Soyeon situation, I let it unfold to a painfully hard situation to get out of before I even began to make a move. It’s a mistake I don’t intend to do again.”

Jae-in sat there in silence, keeping his gaze peeled towards the empty drink he had in front of him. He may have stayed in that state for so long that Yujin grew concerned. There was a sudden, surprising sensation from his left side, only for it to be revealed to be from Yujin’s end. Somehow through the silence, she placed her hand over his as an act of affirmation and assurance. She then clasped it, making sure that Jae-in felt the presence of her then and there.”

“Don’t think of it badly, Jae-in. I’m not blaming you for everything that happened to you. In fact, I really admire your courage for being honest to the girl. No one should take away the emotions you battled while you’re at it, as well. Also… as much as I’m trying to force these sorts of ideas unto you, in the end we’re still human beings. Things could not be bound ideally, as they say.

“Finding a perfect person definitely involves a bound of luck as well as a good stroke of fate. You’ll never know when you’ll meet her, or if you’ve even met her already. The range of your destiny could be someone you’ve already spent a long time being with to someone you accidentally tripped over on the way home. It’s easier once you let your heart welcome it instead of your mind.”

I honestly don’t know if she’s aware of the mixed messages she’s sending about. However, there’s no denying that things like this are pretty hard to understand. In fact, a woman’s heart is hard to understand, as I heard someone wise once said.

“Sorry, I got carried away,” Yujin said finally, returning them both back to earth once again as she shook her head. “We should go, Jae-in; we’ve stayed so long here that we’re already hogging the best seat in the entire shop. Besides, I want to walk the park for a bit if you’re game. Shall we?”

And with one final nod, Jae-in agreed. The preparation to leave was as quick as the decision to do so with Yujin being the first one to head on off for them both. However, as Yoon Jae-in and Ahn Yujin walk towards the wide doors of the welcoming shop, the young man was dazed with the apparition of their final conversation; clearly curious as to what kind of destiny the future holds for a guy like him.

He has a feeling that fate would confirm his destiny very soon.

---

Next Chapter: Black Swan

#kpop series #kpop story #kpop fluff #kpop fanfic #ive yujin #gidle soyeon #jang wonyoung

[eleemosynecdoche]

Okay. Oil fire serious posting, huh? Now my friend @rlyehtaxidermist is a patient, forbearing soul, and I've been known to get a little hot under the collar at times. The language may get spicy. You have been warned.

Anyways, there are people apparently trying to do some kind of shipping war over this interpretation of Touhou 19 and of Sanae and Tsukasa. They level three basic charges- that there's no support for it, that it's a shallow sex ship, and that Tsukasa is obviously manipulating Sanae. Let's take it from the top.

1. No Evidence, Not Canon

Well, I could go and take screenshots and get the Japanese text and screenies of confirmed "sex isn't real in Touhou" people trying to puzzle out the parts of the Japanese text where Sanae and Tsukasa use very familiar language with each other. But I won't.

Why does it matter? Like, take it as a given that this is the case, that this ship is created from nothing. What would that mean? That people need to stop talking about it? Or restrict their posting about it to some kind of space for non-canon shipping? Is that reasonable?

Look, shipping characters on the basis of them being in adjacent stages has a history in Touhou. Some of them, like Parsee/Yuugi, got ZUN offering some support for it much later, through indirect means. Others, like Nitori/Hina, are kind of unpopular nowadays. People still make art and comics and doujin novels for those unpopular ships based on proximity. And why shouldn't they?

Some of my favorite doujin works- Ōkawa Bkub's "Charm" series, ALISON Airlines's drug-themed and mind-expanding works, Komaku Jūshoku's Ran-chama shorts- are far outside the boundaries of what ZUN produces. I think it's good that people take what ZUN puts down and run with it. I think that's a much healthier way to creatively engage with an artistic work you enjoy. It also gave us Higurashi When They Cry, Umineko When They Cry, Undertale and Deltarune, and other independent works where the influence isn't quite as obvious.

Anyways, all that freedom brings with it people being allowed to ship in ways you think aren't canonically supported, as part of being able to creatively reinterpret the work they're engaging with.

2. It's A Shallow Sex Ship!

Now let's be fucking clear here- what people are implying by this is pretty clearly "You're using this shipping to get off!"

Look. Do you really think that people are likely to be getting off to the idea of sex that's unglamorous and kinda mediocre, a bit awkward? If there is some kind of fetishist of that kind posting about SanaKasa, I'll buy them a drink to salute their extremely broad and abstract sexuality, which would be quite rare indeed.

I'm being mean. The more likely thought process here is that social assumptions around whether anyone would use direct and somewhat crude language about weird sex without being aroused at that moment or being some kind of perpetually-horny sex pervert are shaping how people react to seeing posts where a foxgirl's tail is used as a proxy for her having an erection.

So set that aside. I'm gonna talk about why the sex posts are meaningful to me personally.

I'm not an old hand of Touhou fandom, I came to it as a grown adult with the period between Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom and Hidden Star in Four Seasons as my entry point. But what I learned very quickly is that there's a lot of Touhou stuff, posting, art, comics, fanfics, where people offer up sexual content that I find deeply unappealing (mostly because it's dull, het, and not infrequently invokes sexual violence). And then, eventually, I realized that there was a kind of reaction to this state of affairs.

This was the sense that Touhou fandom was divided into bad sexual stuff and good desexualized stuff. And sexual stuff from a lesbian or WLW perspective was lumped in as part of the bad, with an assumption it was made for men too. And so if you wanted to enjoy the lesbian overtones of Touhou, the Touhous better not be having sex!

This is in turn correlated, I think, with the sense of Touhou as the whimsical side of the "cute girls having tea parties" media metaconcept. All of this ties really heavily into a broader social understanding of sexual desires between women, between nonbinary people, (or even between men much of the time) as intrinsically predatory and needing to be desexualized to be acceptable.

But Touhou isn't a series about cute girls doing cute things at tea parties in the text. In the games, it's a bunch of rude women threatening each other with violence in erudite ways, then engaging in elegant examples of that violence, and finally going drinking together. There's intrinsic sexual tension to all of that. It's people flirting with each other, showing off their stuff, and then getting to know each other at a bar.

Touhou's gotten more explicit about the sexual side of things. Tsukasa, who's drawn with what are instantly recognizable as sexually charged expressions, lidded eyes and insouciant gestures, whose outfit loosely resembles both short pajamas and a romper dress with the skirt cut away to show off the built-in bloomers, is a noteworthy chunk of that, and then she gets treated both in the fandom and in UDoaLG by powerful beast youkai as, essentially, a born slut.

But the sexual aspects have been there since Perfect Cherry Blossom at the latest. The implicit flirtatiousness, the women with extremely close relationships. So what talking about Tsukasa having bad sex and falling in love means to me is a couple of things- it's an acknowledgement that sex is going on. It's also a way to engage with Tsukasa as a character who's engaged in what is only barely subtextually survival sex work, and offer up the possibility of love in a very normal and unglamorous sense, for Tsukasa to be sexual and yet loved and fully worthy of love.

Making them both transfem or transfeminine-coded (i.e. Tsukasa probably didn't transition, but her penis is still effectively a trans woman's rather than that of a cis woman who shapeshifted in terms of how characters understand her position and body) is in turn an extension of that, of how trans women's bodies are fetishized (especially in sex work). And taking these bodies we, as a group of people, have, and treating them as sexual, but in a more naturalistic way yet playful way. And so for me it's just a matter of being truthful- this is describing the situation in terms of the world as I know it, within certain specific boundaries of Touhou I like to use.

This humongous nerd can have a loving, fulfilling relationship while not being good at sex and having to figure that out. This poor little kon kon can be loved without it being transactional, without having to try and become purified and sweet and "More tea, Miss Sanae?" Even bad girls (in several senses) can love and be loved. If you're gay enough with your cringe girlfriend, a miracle will happen.

All of this is of course my hyperprecise sexual fetish. Every last word of it.

3. All According To Tsukasa's Keikaku

"Tsukasa's just manipulating Sanae!"

Why is it important that Tsukasa be an undefeatable schemer and manipulator?

Let me put it this way. If Tsukasa can manipulate everyone equally well because everyone has weaknesses in their heart or whatever, that's blandly cynical. It makes her out to be some kind of overwhelming malevolence. If Tsukasa is really really good at manipulating powerful, perceptive, and forceful women, but completely unable to affect naive, slightly gullible, says exactly what she's thinking Sanae beyond marginally? That's funny! The one person that should be a cream puff to manipulate is beyond manipulation!

It's thematic! Someone who's open and honest and not trying to manipulate other people can't be manipulated in turn, because she's rejecting the game. It's relevant to Tsukasa's character! UDoaLG makes it clear that tube foxes are despised, that they're seen as weak and unable to fight like real women do. Tsukasa has to manipulate people because it's her only way to keep from being crushed, or so she thinks, because she's immersed in that reality.

Sanae isn't manipulatable, but also doesn't really try to crush her. Sanae offers a relationship between equals, even if they have different power levels.

It even plays into neurodivergence and mental illness- think of Tsukasa as someone unsure if she's manipulating people or not. Sanae being autistic and not manipulatable provides a reassurance that she's capable of doing better.

None of which means she's going to start being a saint or even a decent person, just that she's an awful person whose awfulness is hard to separate from her situation, but she can be in a better situation without having to become good first. She can stay malicious and kinda sucky and we know she's doing it on purpose now! We can say, "you are yucky disgusting, babygirl" and squeeze her into a Pringles tube without guilt. With minimal guilt.

Also, abilities are self-declared and Tsukasa's method of manipulating the other polycule members in Unconnected Marketeers mostly seemed to be encouraging them to do what they wanted to do already. Similarly, she can manipulate Aun in UDoaLG by playing on Aun's desire to be helpful and the dangers of the situation, but Aun also knows it's safe because her other body is back at the shrine. She's not, frankly, massively strong. In demonstrated "power levels" she's a step below Yachie "failgirl" Kicchou. Think about that.

Made it all the way to the end? Congratulations! Imagine a Touhou ending slide where I'm (whatever you think I look like) holding up Tsukasa and Sanae sock puppets.

#touhou #th19 spoilers #oil fire meta #tsukasa kudamaki #sanae kochiya #monstrously large posts

[tarithenurse]

The Bathhouse

Fandom: MCU (AU) Pairing/starring: Jotun!Loki x Fem!Jotun!reader Content: Non-gender-segregated bathhouse, a bit of fluff and pining, smut, a smidgen of female heat, loss of virginity, naivety, mostly some sort of smut (though not P-in-V...this time). A/N: So this is actually from something else I’m working on just for myself but it had vibes that I thought I could use for some fun with Loki. Betaed by the lovely TanteFrutsel-CreativeNurse!

The Bathhouse

It has been a long day and you’re tired but even so you sneak past your friends’ doors at the inn and make your way down the stairs where the innkeeper is sitting with his book. A sideways glance reveals that it’s a volume of “Tusk Love” which you’ve never heard of.

Out onto the street and past the darkening homes, you can’t help but clutch at the concealed daggers although you feel surprisingly at home here in Utgarde. It’s just...it’s a new place and recent events have grown deep roots. It doesn’t make it easier that you feel like a stranger in your own body what with the delicate changes of the heat.

Living as long as Jötunn do, nature has decided to play a cruel trick on the females and only allow them to be fertile once every century... the heat, as this period is called, lasts for at least half a year in which they have to deal with several physical changes.

Reaching the bathhouse, the place looks closed and you are dubious when you push on the door but it swings inwards, allowing you entry to the antechamber with the reception where a flustered matron stands, wringing her hands and with curlers in the hair as though she’s been roused from bed and barely had time to dress.

“I’m terribly sorry,” she snips, “but we’re closed.”

“I was told to come.”

Before you can give more of an explanation a voice comes from the beyond the arches where the springs are: “She’s here on my behest.”

You continue into the changing area with the woman trailing behind, complaining quietly.

“Now leave us, please.” Loki sounds bored but authoritative, stirring something in you. It could be his demeanour or his rank, either way the matron leaves, pointing at a stack of towels on her way out.

The changing room has a series of smaller cubicles for private disrobing as well as a low bench snaking through the area. On the one end closest to the bath is a bunch of familiar clothes folded neatly and with a set of daggers lying on top.

Undressing, you discard your own weapons too although a knot forms in the belly at the idea of being unarmed. Then you grab a towel and wrap it around your torso before proceeding past the archway.

There’s a lot more steam than during the daytime when you would normally visit as though the springs run hotter at night. The sulphuric scent mingles with that of sweet incense burning in a pot to the side. That wasn’t there last time. Loki is resting in his true form in the water at the far side of the pool, facing the entry directly, and he lifts a dripping and muscular arm to wave at the newcomer.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he admits.

And I’m not sure I should stay, you think. Still, you step forward, stepping into the bath wearing nothing but a short swath of fabric that you find entirely inadequate in spite of Jötunn traditions but at least it covers the most important bits. Loki isn’t shy to look, his red gaze travelling your form before meeting your own faintly glowing eyes and remaining there until you’re sat down, towel soaking up the water, making it cling to your body.

You sigh. The hot spring really lives up to its name. With eyes closed you dip down below the surface to wet your hair.

Upon resurfacing, you keep your eyes shut as you wipe the water from your face. “Now tell me...what brings me here?” you shrug blindly, unsure of what else to say but it turns out any more sentences probably wouldn’t have made it past your lips as the god cups your face with a hand and kisses your softly.

*SLAP*

It’s a knee-jerk reaction, caused more by bafflement than anger or fear and the moment your palm impacts with his cheek, you regrets it.

“Sorry!” you blurt simultaneously, leaving the other gaping.

You have rarely been the type that dreamed about kissing etc but this development is very far from anything you could have ever imagined. Shifting uncomfortably where you sit, you glance over at your friend and find that he has moved away and turned his back to you completely, fingers gripping the black tresses tightly.

“Please forgive me, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry,” he repeats under his breath.

As he mutters, you get up and slowly moves over, stretching out a hand to settle on his shoulder which makes him freeze under the touch. “No...I shouldn’t have...you just surprised me, is all.”

Turning and grabbing your hand as it falls, there’s a desperation in the god’s eyes that you don’t understand but you find nothing threatening there and so don’t back away when he closes the distance one careful step at a time.

He breathes heavily, hungrily. “I should leave.”

“Oh alright...but why?”

“It’s your...your scent...it changes when you’re in heat,” he grits out but stays put, still clutching your hand.

Holding your breath as if that could help, you consider everything you know about the nature of the heat you’re going through but you cannot recall anyone ever telling you about this effect.

“Does it...hurt you?” you ask naively.

A shiver passes through Loki from the top of his head and down, carrying with it your gaze which lands on something you have never seen before and you instinctively know that this is not meant for you to gaze upon. Snapping your eyes shut, warmth rising to your face, all the awkward lessons at school come rushing into your mind although they are coloured by something new now. Curiosity. Desire. Something within you is calling back, responding to the god’s desperation.

“No,” he chuckles darkly, “you’re are absolutely not hurting me...far from.”

“Then...is there anything I can do?”

“Tell me to leave.”

“And if I don’t?”

Loki closes his eyes for a second and shakes his head so slightly you almost miss it. When he opens them again he looks at you and asks,“Let me kiss you one last time?”

You have barely nodded before his mouth is upon you, stealing a kiss and your breath. Strong hands cup your face, tilting your head gently to allow him better access as his tongue sweeps the seam of your lips which automatically part.

After a second of flailing, you grab hold of him, pulling you closer together in spite of the prodding to your lower abdomen. You need the support or you would lose all sense of balance, of up and down...but soon enough your hands begin to wander, skating over his broad shoulders and down his back, teasing a new ripple to be released and pucker the blue skin under which his muscles bunch taut as if he’s restraining himself physically.

Then, just as sudden as he’d begun, Loki releases you and steps back several paces, leaving you with your arms stretched out before you, trying to reach him.

Something more than blood is coursing through your veins, throbbing at your core. You don’t quite understand it but you know one thing: you want more.

“[Y/N],” he gasps for breath, “this isn’t what I had planned.”

“I believe you.”

You move up to him once more and this time you’re the one to glide a hand around his neck, pulling him down for a new kiss which he gladly gives into for a moment before lifting his head up against your grip with a soft groan.

“Are you sure?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one to ask you that?” you mumble against his lips.

The strong Jotunn guides you to the edge of the pool, carefully removing the towel and lifting you up until you’re seated on the edge. “I could never regret you.” A perfect hand pushes against your sternum, slowly driving you onto your back while he slots his hips between your knees. “I know I cannot...but let me give you this instead...” Before you can ask what he means by that, he shushes you.

His grip is light enough that you could resist it when Loki pushes your legs apart, revealing your most intimates. Watching between the slopes of your breasts, you see him lick his lips before lowering himself to deliver a kitten lick to the sensitive folds.

You’ve never touched yourself there save for the practicality of cleaning. Nothing could have prepared you for the odd, delicate sensation of the increasingly dedicated strokes of the god’s tongue – sometimes broad, caressing all of your core at once, and sometimes pointed and directed to the bundle of nerves at the very front. It catches you off guard when your pelvis begins to rise on its own accord from the floor as an intensity builds within you. Loki grabs your hips, holding them in place and you can feel his smile against the puffy, lower lips.

“Loki, I...” you moan without really knowing what you want to say.

You’re on the verge of something new and you want him to bring you there despite the trepidation for this unknown.

Releasing your pearl with a soft pop, he smiles up at you with a glistening mouth. “It’s alright, I got you,” and with that he returns to the ministrations.

It comes as a rush, crashing through your body in waves until you’re a moaning and writhing mess. Fingers claw for anything to hold on to, finding only his hair as your back arches off the cool stone floor. Again and again you mewl his name.

Slowly, lapping at your core lazily, he helps bring you down from this new high until you can finally breathe evenly again.

“Fucking hell,” you sigh, staring up at the ceiling while still quivering.

A strangled grunt from Loki makes you look for him: his fist is holding onto his shaft, pumping it and drawing your curiosity despite feeling abashed at that and what has just transpired.

“Please...touch your breasts for me,” Loki pleads and you obey without hesitation.

Testing at first, you quickly find that the nipples are overly sensitive, sending goosebumps down your body when you roll them between the fingers. You also cup the breasts fully, squeezing them and for the first time in your life admiring their form.

“Just like that,” he groans, hand moving more furiously.

A curiosity strikes you and you slip a hand between your legs, tracing the wetness there until you hone in on the clit which makes you shudder. Hesitantly at first but then with greater need, you begin to rub small circles onto the sensitive spot, encouraged by the words of praise that Loki showers you with until he suddenly growls your name and stutters, pearly white leaking between his fingers as his head falls back.

In that moment, he’s the most beautiful you’ve ever seen: fragile yet strong and so incredibly sensual with parted lips.

He sinks to his knees and you slip into the water in alarm, catching him in your arms and relishing in the nearness of him. It takes a moment before you realize that he’s talking to you, slurring his words slightly because his lips are pressed to your blue skin.

“...not what I planned. I wanted to court you first. To bring you to my favourite places or learn of yours, wine and dine...treat you like you deserve.”

You’re stunned at the revelation but manage to gather you wits. “There’s still time for that.”

Loki’s hands find your waist, thumbs running circles below the ribs and causing you to shiver especially when he adjusts the grip so he can graze the bottom of your breasts. Slowly but surely his attention is diverted, split between fondling them and your ass.

“For so long,” Loki confesses, “I’ve been admiring you from afar.” His fingers slide along your hipbone, tracing the vee until delving between your still slick folds, making you whimper.

He turns you around, sitting you between his legs so you can feel the half-erect cock against your back as you lean against his chest. Long arms cage you in, holding you securely but gently as he continues the circular movements you yourself had initiated earlier.

“I don’t have words to explain why I love you,” the god whispers hoarsely in your ear, “but please let me try to show you.”

You nod mutely, breath already uneven as heat pools in your core.

It takes little time before he has reignited the burning ecstasy within you and you tumble over this strange precipice once more, calling out his name on ragged puffs of air.

This time, Loki simply holds you as you descend from the high, rocking you gently and whispering sweet nothings to you that make your heart swell with the knowledge that he loves you.

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