#i feel like they need an anchor of some sort and you just tie them together really perfectly

[theloveinc]

ShinKami headcanons?

thank you for waiting, legend!!! i haven’t written headcanons in so long tbh so i hope these are alright <333 

also, do we prefer the regular tumblr bolded list dots for headcanons, or when they look like this: 

---

- I’m not sure where to begin... so please pardon how this starts LOL

- Shinso + Denki are honestly great in a throuple because they literally never, and I mean NEVER, make you feel left out. Whether you start the relationship with them or join after they’re already together... there’s never a moment when you’re not included in whatever their needs/wants are... or need to feel like that’s so. 

- If they talk about needing to cuddle, going somewhere, getting dinner... you better assume you’re included + respond enthusiastically or they’re gonna pester you about it. To no end. There is no “Denki + Shinso time together without y/n...” it’s all three of you or BUST

- You’re like: “aw okay have fun together” in a text about something and they both nearly call off work b/c they’re so upset you thought you weren’t part of it (you get like forty texts about it and at least five phone calls). Same w/ cuddling. You don’t catch the hint they want you there... then they’re literally DRAGGING you to bed. 

- And If there’s a party and you don’t want to go for some reason, they’re not going either. Could be fully ass dressed and ready to leave and everything, but if you express hesitation the jackets are coming right off. 

- In fact, they probably end up a lot more annoyed at each other without you. It’s not really noticeable to someone who doesn’t know them, or even all that common normally... but if you happen to ignore them for some reason, purposefully or not, there’s like a 75% chance Shin + Denks will end up at each other’s throats for some reason or another (though it’s really just sadness in disguise).

- And you’re probably the only person they listen to in arguments + can get them to stop bickering. Not even Bakugo has shit on you tbh, when it comes to one word being enough to make them be quiet. 

- You get home late from work one night (on a night neither of them are on patrol)... and there’s a full ass canyon between them on the bed and they have grumpy faces on even in their sleep. 

- That’s another thing, though... it’s great if you’re like this, too... terrible if/when you need to go somewhere........... but they’re always gonna do the most when it comes to cuddling you. “y/n” more like Shin + Denks’ joint teddy bear they have to share, every single night. 

- Except it’s not like... normal ass spooning... it’s like, Shinso’s armpit over your forehead and Denki clinging to your belly. Or Shinso’s arm around your neck and Denki’s leg over both your thighs...

- Which is funny because they’re actually really horrible sleepers (we knew this, though)... so this all ends up occurring at like... 4am when everyone is finally tired enough to stop moving. Otherwise, there’s normally at least one of them awake at all times, even if they’re in bed. 

- And I’ve said this before but... Shinso watches TV on his phone in bed when he can’t sleep....... and now that I think about it, Denki does, too........ so sometimes you’ll just randomly wake up in the middle of the night to find both of them sharing earbuds, eating a snack and watching something on a tiny ass phone screen that’s held literally right above your head. Get them some help. 

- LMAOOOO and they’re so bad at eating. Not just because they literally always forget to and are bad at cooking (so they just end up eating junk), but because... they consistently eat off of your plate. Every single meal. Like, at this point... you should just stop setting the table because they don’t even want their own food. 

- It sorta makes a little sense because you often don’t get mealtime together because of their work schedules, so yeah, sharing is nice........... but it’s still like ??? whenever one of them is getting ready for work and literally yoinks your half eaten piece of toast right out of your hands and leaves with it. 

- (You might be like, “Caitie, they both do that?” Yes.) They honestly have jealousy problems, too. If Denki gets your half your sandwich in the morning, Shinso is absolutely complaining about how rude that is....... and then trying to finish half of your lunch. There is no meal where you are ever fully left alone. They’re just lucky they get paid hella good so cooking/ordering in abundance is not really a problem anymore (and making all your dinners family style is pretty easy). 

- Same with spending time with each other, too. Denki is more babyish about it than Shinso, but if one catches the other cuddling without them... they’re throwing a whole fit. Denki getting all whiney about how “Shinso always get the front!!” or Shinso trying to hit Denki w/ a pillow for taking up “too much of” you. Or even pinching and tickling at you for always “getting everything.”

- But literally... you should probably just start saying no to cuddling at this point, and esp. if you plan on trying to get anything done after, cuz spoiler alert: you won’t, and never will (cuz then they’re mad at you for leaving them and finally teaming up to mildly guilt you). 

- Which like... what do these boys even want at this point😭😭😭 (gotta love them, though). 

#denki #shinso #shinkami #i miss shinso so bad why have people forgotten about him #he's so smexy #i dont think i fully expressed it but i think shinkami is better with a third #i feel like they need an anchor of some sort and you just tie them together really perfectly #to manage all the parts of denki that shin can't match.. and all the parts of shin that denki can't match #cuz opposites attract but there are still layers to it #...like an onion #adjkfhasd anyway this was cute #and i hope u like it anon!!! #caitie things #headcanons #anon #gen

[vickyvicarious]

Several very funny back-and-forths in today's update...

“What did you think of him?”

“A pathetic, futile, broken creature.”

Imagine just casually describing someone in this way. Incredible. The first words out his mouth.

“The Haven is the name of Mr. Josiah Amberley's house,” I explained. “I think it would interest you, Holmes. It is like some penurious patrician who has sunk into the company of his inferiors. You know that particular quarter, the monotonous brick streets, the weary suburban highways. Right in the middle of them, a little island of ancient culture and comfort, lies this old home, surrounded by a high sun-baked wall mottled with lichens and topped with moss, the sort of wall—”

“Cut out the poetry, Watson,” said Holmes severely. “I note that it was a high brick wall.”

“Exactly.”

SO funny. Feels very much like they are treading old ground here. Watson doesn't always talk like this out loud, though he does in narration, so between that and his very nonchalant reaction to Holmes cutting him off, it kinda feels like he might be winding him up on purpose just for fun.

And then the classic:

“With your natural advantages, Watson, every lady is your helper and accomplice. What about the girl at the post-office, or the wife of the greengrocer? I can picture you whispering soft nothings with the young lady at the Blue Anchor, and receiving hard somethings in exchange. All this you have left undone.”

“It can still be done.”

We start off with the typical 'good job! you didn't notice anything relevant' when Watson gets to investigate, but then take a hard turn into Holmes joking about him being a big flirt and yet failing to weaponize his charm. So funny. Especially Watson's petulant 'well I can still go charm them now' and Holmes immediately firing back 'no need.' Is this revenge for the poetry, Holmes. Why are you two being so silly today.

...finally, not quite as funny but the always-enjoyable:

“Did you personally examine this ticket? You did not, perchance, take the number?”

“It so happens that I did,” I answered with some pride. “It chanced to be my old school number, thirty-one, and so is stuck in my head.”

“Excellent, Watson!”

Watson Notices Something Important but doesn't understand the full significance (though it's still a cute proud moment)

and:

“It was undoubtedly the tall, dark man whom I had addressed in the street. I saw him once more at London Bridge, and then I lost him in the crowd. But I am convinced that he was following me.”

“No doubt! No doubt!” said Holmes. “A tall, dark, heavily moustached man, you say, with gray-tinted sun-glasses?”

“Holmes, you are a wizard. I did not say so, but he had gray-tinted sun-glasses.”

“And a Masonic tie-pin?”

“Holmes!”

“Quite simple, my dear Watson.”

Watson Notices Something but not in the right way (AKA Holmes in Disguise Again)

#letters from watson #acd holmes #acd watson #definitely diverting the client with a message he sent himself at the end as well #btw i don't remember this case so this is just my supposition #fairly confident in it though

[tiffyfoundsomething]

Lady Doolli

I’ve mentioned before that I like blind box toys and ball jointed dolls and now I’m in trouble because there are blind box ball jointed dolls out there.

Lady Doolli is blind boxed but is NOT a BJD though she’s in a similar style. I’d seen these on Amazon for a while and was curious but only recently decided to give one a try.

There is 1 skintone, 6 different hair styles/colors, and it looks like maybe 2 eye colors.

There are also 6 possible outfits.

The dolls and clothing are separate, but are each $26 and both are in the same listing here: https://amzn.to/3OrhHsk

The box is small and cute with a lot of pictures and writing on it, especially making a point to let you know there’s no second outfit in here and they must be bought separately.

The outfits are packed in a little paperboard box shaped like a garment bag. It says 2022 Spring, so I wonder if there are many other outfit sets that have been released.

To be honest, I don’t care for any of these outfits, really. Figured I should get one to review, at least.

Both the doll and outfit are packed in these silver foil bags inside the boxes. There’s no plastic shell or anything to hold their position in the packaging. They’re just loose in there.

I got dark, long hair with a side part with blue and purple eyes, and almost missed the tiny little bag of extra hands inside the silver bag. She does come already dressed in the pajamas.

I tried to get a good photo of the face screening but my phone is a potato. There’s a good amount of detail with a simple layout. She has eyeshadow, blush on the cheeks, chin, nose, and brows, a little lip line to separate her lips... It’s a cute face, but I do prefer my dolls to not look sad or startled.

She does have rooted hair which is silky and smooth. It’s a little stiffer than Kiwi nylon (Rainbow High) while still being soft.

She also has a couple paint spots on her face that look to be from the eyebrow paint.

The rooting isn’t super dense in some areas.

Her head is harder than a Barbie’s head but is squishable to a degree so her eyes could be removed and replaced with some heat and her hair could be rerooted if you wanted.

Hair drop on a new doll head is normal. This looks like a plug or two which didn’t get anchored.

I’m impressed with the posing. The joints are stiff enough to hold a pose but easy to move other than her hips which take a little bit more pressure, and have a high range of motion.

The torso joints aren’t as mobile as the arms and legs, though.

Her head can look up and down or tilt left and right depending on how you turn the neck joint which is a simple hinged ball.

The backs of the knees...

All of the jointing reminds me of Figmas.

Honestly I feel like the body alone is worth the $26 price tag, AND you get a rooted head with quality hair and inset eyes, a pair of pajamas, and an extra pair of hands.

-

Neither outfit that I have has any sort of closures or openings so you do need to remove the head and hands to dress her.

Getting the hands on and off is difficult

Turns out there’s a LOT of flash on her wrist pegs. I did go in and clean that off. There was a good sized bit on her neck ball, too.

Heat up the hands, though, and they go on and off pretty easily.

-

As for the outfit.

Silver bag again.

I couldn’t get this headband to stay on her hair because it’s satin and her hair is satiny smooth, but it does have a wire in the “ears” so you can pose it as you wish.

......

LOOK AT THESE TINY LITTLE SHOES!

They have stitches, laces, tongues, glued on rubbery soles with IN SCALE texture on the bottom...

They went on a lot more easily than I expected them to OVER her socks. I did need to get a little stick to pull the back of the heel out and over the doll’s heels. Other than that, easy-easy.

I also didn’t even try to extract and tie the laces. They looked really short and I have poor motor control, so I opted to just shove her feet in there with the laces tucked inside.

The outfit came with shorts, a one-piece sweater and shirt combo, and some long socks. The socks aren’t hemmed but everything else is. Again, no closures, not even an elastic waistband on the shorts. The shorts were a little difficult to put on.

All of the fabrics are soft and despite the sweater having a feelable texture, it’s not rough or scratchy so it’s not kicking off my texture-BAD senses.

Action pose! FWIP!

She can’t quite pull of Sailor Moon’s signature pose.

Here she is next to some other blind box BJD (the others really are BJD). They all could certainly share clothes despite Doolli’s longer, thinner body.

From left to right:

Penny’s Box Antu Natural Wonderland - https://amzn.to/3IqKfOz

SimonToy Teenar Campus Series - https://amzn.to/3IlnGLl

Lady Doolli and outfit pack - https://amzn.to/3MiOflA

Come4Free Bonnie Journey of Streets - https://amzn.to/42QlMKG

-

While I do feel that the quality of Lady Doolli is in line with the price (all together she costs $52), and am impressed with, basically, everything about her, I don’t feel a need to buy another. Out of all of the blind box BJD I’ve tried (not pictured here is the Penny’s Box centaurs), the only one I’ve wanted more than one of was Bonnie. I have three.

#bjd #blind box #blind box bjd #lady doolli #product review #affiliate links

[bahoreal]

Ask and you shall receive, I guess ;) ☔

please imagine me laughing evilly THANK YOU

okay so the line in number four was always you is this:

Trent wonders, if he got Ted a ring, would Ted wear it?

and it's under the cut cause it got LONG lol

So. I imagine. They both want to get married but both feel a little weird about marriage due to their previous marriages not working out, so there’s a little hesitation from both of them. Ted is your classic traditional guy so he knows he wants to eventually, he just wants to give himself some time to like, build up to it. Then he imagines actually being married to trent, being able to call him “my husband” and him wearing a band that shows he’s committed to ted, he imagines standing in front of all their friends and committing himself to trent and he’s like ok. Actually. I can’t see a life where this doesn’t happen for me. Let me work it into my plan, I’m going to propose on christmas by giving him a gift that’s just a ring in a box that says something like love of my life, marry me. He has a plan. He’s going to make it all soppy and ridiculous.

But trent? Trent is already like. I want to marry him. I’ve never been married to a man, I’ve never been married to someone I loved like this. I want to commit myself to him through a ceremony, I want it so badly. But he gets a little bogged down in knowing that this won’t be the first time that ted has committed himself to someone else and it’s like, he’s trying not to see himself as a consolation prize, he knows ted loves him. Ted has taken all the big steps so far, with his confession and inviting trent to move in with him, trent wants to take a step this time on his own, and let ted commit himself to him and really trust him when he says he loves trent, that he’s never loved anyone the way he loves trent. Trent’s like I need to tie that man DOWN so he doesn’t run away while ted is like. So firmly tied he can’t move. Trent’s not the smartest when it comes to ted what can I say.

SO i IMAGINE that trent would get a simple silver band and worry a little that ted might not want to wear it or might not want to wear it during games or training or whatever and holds off on giving it to him for ages. He’s like, should I get him a chain to wear it around his neck? No that’s stupid lots of people wear wedding rings, nevermidn that ted did for years and years. He can just give ted a ring. So he like, scours sites and jewellery shops and plans endlessly about when the right time to give it to him is. they just sort of go about their daily lives and no one really drops hints to trent (because they're dropping hints to ted, expecting ted to pop the question. but ted has a PLAN and trent moving in after only a year was so far ahead of his plan he's having to reassess it, he's like i can ask trent to marry me in another year which means i should only ring shop in nine months because otherwise i'll just ask him. way too soon.)

trent ends up talking to someone, probably mae, and asking what she thinks about wedding bands for men who have active jobs and she's like something simple but timeless, a simple band, ted looks good in silver. and trent is like yeah i can do that. and buys one the next day (after sneakily measuring ted's finger, lol)

and trent just carries it around with him, knowing how much ted loves romcommunism and both their confession and him moving in weren't quite the perfect romcom moments and he wants to make it perfect for ted. like the right time will happen, he's just waiting for it.

and then he forgets his jacket at the club because the weather is getting nicer and it's hot out and beard gives it to him and looks at him like O_O until there at the crown and anchor or something and ted goes to the loo and beard is like hey are you planning to propose to ted or are you still married or something and trent's like what? do you think this is hollyoaks? and beard is like hey that's a quality show with some real brilliant drama and trent's like no i want to propose it's just - ted is better at this, he knows when i'm ready, he's good at reading me, he’s good at making these moments special, i'm worried if I ask him he won't be as excited as I am, or it won’t be the propsal he dreamed of.

and beard is like how have you been dating him for this long and you don't know he'd jump at this. like literally jump. he'd be through the roof. Any way that trent decided to propose. Trent could say it right after a loss and ted would lose his mind. He'd want to change his name.

and trent is like oh my god he can't change his name he's TED LASSO

And beard is like. You could combine them. Crimm-Lasso. Lasso-Crimm.

And trent is like that sounds like a brand of hotels

Beard goes. Crasso? And trent is like this is intolerable you’re awful and ted sits down with them and is like what’s awful and beard is like :-) what if you combined your surnames. To make crasso. And ted’s like omg lassimm sounds like some kind of fancy jewellery, we could make that work and trent’s like you’re literally talking about marrying me right now at the fucking pub like it’s something you’re planning to do oh my god is he going to propose first? I need to propose first.

So he figures something out. He’s like. I have to give ted the Romance he deserves. And the next friendly - which is against france, they’re in paris, but ted spends the whole time kind of weird and mopey and is like sorry, you don’t deserve this, I just got reminded of last time I was so upset about paris, when my whole life was falling apart but it’s not like that any more, I’m so happy, I have you. And trent is like well I can’t propose while he’s thinking about his ex wife. So he lets it go and they just have a really nice time being romantic in paris drinking fancy parisian wines and having a lot of sex

The next thing trent plans is a lil picnic thing, he sort of sucks at planning these things so he stresses a lot and asks for help from keeley so it’s like. The most beautiful stupid little picnic but ted?? Ted has hurt his hand and it’s all bandaged so trent couldn’t put a ring on it if he wanted. So thats another one down

Trent is like. Feeling like ted is gonna get there first and he really wants to be the first to propose. And the more he fails the more he’s like this is a romcom, im living in a romcom but it’s specifically designed to TORTURE ME. And he’s planning another - they’re stopping in bath on the way back from the bristol match so he and ted can have a day doing romantic sightseeing things and he’s planned a spa day because ted always talks about spas and bath is famous for that (and it’ll start being romantic as soon as ted stops trying to pronounce “bath” the english ways, which he’s been alternating between for a full week before they go - trent thinks he might be more excited about the trip to bath than the game, which makes him almost giddy with happiness and nerves) but then

A few days before they go

They’re at the club after training and trent has to go pick up henry bc ted has club business but he put his keys down somewhere and doesn’t know where they are (and he’s still nervous about being a terrible not-quite-step-father to henry) and thinks he might have locked them in his car so he’s unloading his pockets and the ring box - which he’s still carrying around gets dunked right onto the table and ted sees it and - he looks over it, completely does not think it’s anything special because trent is always carrying some weird shit in his pockets (but usually just a lot of pencils)

But beard notices it

And beard DIVES to cover it

And ted is like now hold on, are you two keeping secrets from me again? You know I thought you two were dating when I first came back to england, you were being all secretive, but now I know Trent’s way out of your league, beard

And trent is like haha, yeah fails to play along with the joke which is even more suspicious to ted than beard leaping across the desk

And while ted is distracted looking at trent beard passes the ring to nate, who looks terrified immediately.

And ted is like now it’s alright if you don’t want to tell me what it is but… I’m a little scared, you’re still in love with me, right?

And trent is like. This would be so much easier if you were less perfect. And ted is like uuuh that’s not actually what I want to hear, you know me trying to cover up what’s wrong isn’t a good thing, it’s something I’m trying to work on. And trent is like no, that’s not what I mean, I mean I’m trying to make everything perfect for you and it’s difficult, if I didn’t want it so much it would be easier

And ted’s like now I’ve lost the plot again, and he looks sort of panicky, the bad kind of nervous, and trent is like oop I fucked it I absolutely fucked it

And the ring by this point is with roy, who has it in his pocket, and he’s like “stop being such a twat and just give it to him, you’re going to make him think you’ve got a conspiracy planned” and trent is like fucking hell okay just give it to him

And roy throws the ring at ted and ted opens it and trent’s like. Ta-da. And ted’s like. You wanted to make it perfect. And trent’s like. It’s pretty difficult to set up a romcom moment. And ted’s like this feels like a romcom moment, you know. Where everything goes wrong in exactly the right way.

And trent’s like thre right way?

And ted’s like my favourite person asking me the exact thing I wanted to be asked surrounded by my favourite people? It’s perfect.

And trent’s like well I haven’t actually asked you yet. I was afraid you were going to get there first. And beard snorts and trent’s like oh? And ted’s like yah I had a plan, it was going to be at christmas. And trent’s like you set me up and beard’s like shrug I genuinely wasn’t convinced you’d do it first

And trent is like. All our biggest moments are happening at richmond. And ted’s like does this mean we have to get married here too? Trent imagines telling his dad he’s getting married at a football club and literally goes pale.

And ted’s like okay come on then you haven’t asked it yet. I haven’t had anyone ask me this before it’s exciting. And trent’s like but I had a plan, I booked you a spa day and ted’s like no that’s not a romcom that’s just like a drama, you need to ask me now. Bonus points if you can make someone cry.

And trent is like. God I wish I wasn’t doing this in front of everyone. You’ve changed my life, I told you once it would have broken my heart to never see you again but now I think it might break my heart if I don’t get to see you every day. The family we’ve built, it’s everything to me, I want it with you for as long as you’ll have me, I want to see my daughter grow up with some words pronounced american for absolutely no reason, I want to grow old with you, and be on this journey with you. I know that people leaving, people changing, it’s scary. But I want to see every version of you that you become, and be there for you when people do leave, because I never want to. You make me believe we can have it, we can be a romcom that never ends.

And ted is like oh god, I didn’t expect that I’d cry. I want all of that, I want to tell everyone that you chose me. And trent puts the ring on (which fits and trent will Never admit that he measured ted’s finger while he was sleeping) and they kiss (and roy cries too)

And their wedding doesn’t happen at richmond, it happens in a cute little church (on trent’s mum’s insistence) and it’s slightly awkward and uncomfortable because trent has dad issues and ted has mum issues and they’re mostly waiting for the honeymoon where they can remove themselves from the stresses of family and wedding planning. I could write another 2000 words about the wedding tho so THERE U ARE number four was always you proposal scene.

#ted lasso #tedtrent #number four was always you #sorry if this was incoherent i didn't proofread it #.jmade

[nanamimizz]

tags: 18+ minors dni, threesome, mxfxm, kuroo and kenma are bisexual, makeout scenes, virginity loss (kenma lol) kuroo enjoys being in control, humping (vague mention), brief handjob, (1) spank, corruption(kenma) short cuz i wanted to get some writing juices flowing there will be a part 2!

synopsis: kenma, having no experience turns to his best friends - his best friend since elementary school and his girlfriend to help teach him how to pleasure a girl.

Sometimes Tetsurou feels like he's the scum of the earth. when he was 10 and his volleyball his Kenma’s nintendo ds he got for his birthday, he still swear that was the most terrifying glare that Kenma has ever given him. When he was 15 and it was the first arguments you had with him - his cold shoulder made you burst to tears after the 3rd day of you trying to get him to talk you. Tetsurou still feels guilty about that on bad days.

But this time, his scumminess isn’t caused by how he has wronged the two most important people in his life but rather watching them. Kenma had cashed in a favor - budding at 20 and still not had a girlfriend or any sort of experience he had called Tetsurou over for some advice,

One thing lead to another - and you his sweet, sweet girlfriend who tolerates all his stupidity and nonsense, like how you let him go through the phase where he put wasabi on everything to the point his tongue became numb, smiles and agrees to the favor presented with you. It’s 10:00 pm now, you and Kenma sit on the loveseat and he reclines on the sofa, he’s still in his work clothes, charcoal suit with a red tie halfway undone. A cigarette, unlit sits in-between his fingers and he watches you two with sharp eyes.

You and Kenma are as pretty as a picture, both of you delicate and cute - his allure for cute things bites him in the ass just as he bites his lip hard at the soft gasp he can hear when you press your lips to Kenma’s. His first kiss. You pull away as he gripes your wrist, anchoring you there next to him and chases after your lips. Tetsurou can’t blame him, your lips are soft and sweet, he could die peacefully after getting one kiss from you. There’s a hiss and a gasp, he can see a glint of tongue and he swallows see how your back arches into the kiss you share with him.

“You can touch her,” he says it like its choice, but he wonders if Kenma can hear the desperation to see more in his voice. He clutches the cigarette in his fingers and watches as Kenma’s hands go from your wrists to your waist, thin fingers press into the softness there with restrained greed. You are closer to the smaller man now, Kenma can smell your perfume, something sweet and kind - just like you. He can feel the warmth of your face and he goes back in for another sticky, wet kiss, Kenma, who’s sweet face and feline eyes wonders if you’ll be as wet somewhere else, his cock stiffens in his worn Nekoma sweats when you lean in, half on his lap and he whines when he feels the heat presses from the apex of your legs as climb into his lap with the grace of a pedigreed cat.

Your tongue is in his mouth, Kenma takes a gamble ; sucks on it like they do in those dirty manga he reads and you whine like a songbird, Tetsurou grips the armrest of the sofa, he can see it - the bump of Kenma’s cock pressed against your thin, skimpy shorts and he takes a deep breath, letting the cigarette drop as he feels something crawl up his back and sink into his skin, piercing his bones and settling into his spleen. Lust, that burns through his body at how you two make out - kissing and sucking and how the both of your hips twitch with the desire to hump what lies before the two of you. You two are obedient though, brown eyes darken to black at how you two don’t go further without his permission - the unsteadiness in both your bodies, the hands and hips and the short gasps of breaths tell him all he needs to know.

“Stop.” You pull from Kenma and look back at your boyfriend, lipos shining and eyes wide at the look in his eyes. Tetsurou sometimes can scare you, when he looks at you like prey, like something he wants to take a part and ruin but its as scary as it is exhilarating ; especially with Kenma in the fold tonight. Kenma looks near ruined beneath you, face red and his cock - he tucks his head to the side when he feels it leak in his boxers.

“Go to the bedroom and strip babe.” Tetsurou tells you and you bite your lip to hide your grin, someone is riled up. You nod and gently slide off Kenma’s lap, smiling apologetically when he whines out for you. With a teasing kiss you are gone down the corner of the hallway and he’s left alone with your boyfriend and his best friend, with a look on his face Kenma can’t decipher.

“Can I touch you?” Kenma shivers from down on the couch and he jumps at how...commanding his best friend has become right now. He nods and he lets him draw close, until he’s right next to him on the loveseat. Tetsurou lets his palm rest on Kenma’s thigh - yellow eyes bulging out of his skull when he sees the notable difference in size ; had Kuroo’s hands  always been that big?

“Kuroo-”

“Tetsurou. That’s what you’ll call me tonight, okay?” Kenma swallows and nods hurried when Tetsurou’s fingers make way to his crotch, settling right on the stiffened peak of his cock, letting his searing palm rub against it. He whines, nearly rutting into the all compassing heat, and he can hear his friend’s amused huff at the wanton display.

“You really are cute aren’t you..” He trails off, grinding the heel of his palm at the head of Kenma’s cock and chuckling at the gasp it produces. Tetsurou leans in close, presses a kiss to the shell of Kenma’s ear,

“When you get to the room, I’m going to teach you how to make a girl cum - I’ll teach you how to finger’em, lick their cunts and fuck them too, yeah? And you’re gonna be my cute little student and learn,” He grins darkly and Kenma shivers, thinks ‘how could you have survived this black cat all these years?’, “Then if you’ve been good I’ll let her suck you off and you get to cum. How’s that?”

Kenma’s head bobbles, nodding, agreeing, anything to show his compliance, his agreement - he wonders where his stray cat pride had gone now that he can only think about all the exciting pleasures he’ll experience tonight.

“Good boy.” Is all he hears before he makes his way to the bedroom, yelping when he feels the same warm palm crack at his ass and an amused laugh, the sting feels good - Kenma wonders what else awaits him tonight.

#lamb.writes #kuroo smut #kenma smut #haikyuu smut #hq.♡ #yes this isn’t that good im sorry JDKEOWO its just an idea thays been plaguing me and i needed it out #i plan to write more for this in more flesrd out timeline and detailed 🫶🫶

[tired-reader-writer]

Gonna put this under a keep reading too for... reasons.

It details Ellyus (my OC) rescuing Elan 4 because I'm still salty about his fate, damn it—

Y'know how Miorine could change the colour of Suletta's piloting suit and school uniform with just a tap with her phone? From that I think it's fair to reason that the uniforms of all the students would be able to do so as well, as theoretically any of them can potentially become the Holder, right? Miorine just has to be the one to authorize the change bc she's the Bride. Which means there's some programming or somesuch built into the fabric of the uniforms, telling them which colours to display, there must be some sort of technology involved with this.

Which means that technically, theoretically, if Ellyus were to somehow hack the mechanism...

Chaos in the entire school in the form of everybody's uniforms “malfunctioning” aka displaying colours they should NOT be displaying. Neon? Yes. Technicolor tie-dyed rainbow effect? Why not!! The school faculty is rushing to fix it but alas Ellyus had somehow taken over the controls of the mechanism so it doesn't stop until he lets up. Maybe he even makes them blink like disco lights or Christmas lights.

He was picking his and Suletta's uniforms apart to study the effect and how things got there, came out the other end with the power to unleash unruly pranks on everybody— And he took that principle and applied that to make a new thing, something like an Invisibility Cloak? Fabric that imitates the surroundings to make whatever it's covering invisible (he can make so many shenanigans with this). He also makes a couple big-ass blanket/cloak type things, just basically fuck-off huge sheets of fabric, and also decides to coat every surface of his handmade hovercraft including the buttons with the fabric.

Aka: a stealth transport device has just been born (yes I know that the decision to glue fabric on every surface of the machine is... weird at least and unhinged at best but hey, this is Ellyus after all). And I am pleased to inform you that it has a snack compartment.

So we've established that Ellyus is a) good at hacking, and b) has an invisible auto-mobile, right? So on the day Elan 4 is slated to die, like he's literally in front of the incinerator, all power in the building cuts off, the Peil ppl are trying to fix it but alas Ellyus is the one with the controls.

(Maybe he even snuck his little mobile onto the huge transport carriers taking Elan back to wherever Peil is and snuck into the facility that way) Surprise! Ellyus makes his way into the incinerating room and frees a very confused Elan from his bounds, scatters some plant ash he robbed (aka nicely asked) from Miorine in Elan's place, puts Elan under the invisi-blanket (he brought an extra) and proceeds to bridal-carry him out the facility.

Elan is so confused he doesn't even know where to start, but he decides to ask wtf why are they floating what are they even sitting on, Ellyus just cheerfully replies “my invisi-mobile! isn't it cool? we're getting you out of here, I promise. okay?”

4 was already disoriented and confused, he was so sure he was gonna die but now... everything's been thrown into jeopardy and he needs something, anything to ground him, anything he can anchor himself onto, and the fact that he can't see the craft nor Ellyus when he turns everything invisible really really doesn't help with the state of his mind— he starts freaking out until Ellyus just. pulls him onto his lap as he drove the hovercraft. He may not be able to see El but he can feel him and that's... that's kinda enough. It has to be. It staved off a panic attack at the very least.

They make it onto a ship, at which point El parks the craft in a remote corner before turning everything visible again and proceeds to feed 4.

Here's some... dialogue of Ellyus I scribbled out while bored:

“Hey, hey. You alright? You're shaking. I'm sorry. Didn't have much time to explain, we had to get away, you understand. And oh, let me just—” *opens snack compartment to take out the same type of concealing clothes he's wearing* “Should've given you this sooner, you must be so cold! Don't worry, this'll keep you warm, okay? You'll be warm. And you'll never have to pilot that damn thing again. Here, here, eat some more.”

×

“How did you know?” “Eat some more. What'd you say?” “That I was going to die today. That I was going to die period. How did you know?” “I just did. I knew. Had a feeling.” “What?” “Look, it's. It's hard to explain. It's like watching a glass fall off a building in slow motion, yeah? It's gonna shatter. You know it's gonna shatter. Like that. Does that make sense?”

(4 is thinking to himself “that makes no sense at all” but he... can't find it in himself to mind bc El is just so damn sweet already rambling about Earth House and where he'd settle 4 and picking out a new name and all that jazz)

*on the phone* “Hello? Suletta! Aye, sorry about the silence and oh, I've kidnapped Elan. Do you mind? I promise I'll return him by sundown! Hey, hey, none of that, we're all gonna celebrate a happy birthday together because uh, the thing may have become literal— What? Oh, pay it no mind. See you this evening, sweetie!”

#g witch #gundam witch from mercury #witch from mercury #the witch from mercury #mobile suit gundam the witch from mercury #gundam witch #gundam the witch from mercury #Ellyus Mercury (OC) #Elan Ceres #Elan 4 #El4n #like the strings on a rope (darling i fray like a firework)

[ben-talks-art]

My Top 10 Scenes in Manga!

I love manga!

It's probably one of my favorite ways of consuming a story. I love the artworks that express the individual style of each creator, the lack of colors that forces artists to get creative with what they can do with white, black, and shades of grey, the enjoyable pace that allows you to consume it as fast or as slow as you want, unlike Anime where you have to adjust to their pacing instead...

Basically, Manga means a lot to me, so I felt it would be fun to list down my top 10 moments in manga. These are not the best drawn, or best written or anything like that, these are just the ones that hit me the most when I first read it, and to this day still remains fondly in my memories.

So be aware of spoilers and let's start!

The Twins Fighting Together (Claymore)

This is a scene from Claymore where two sisters that were genetically altered in order to fight together serving as each other's anchor to humanity lose their control at the same time.

To put it simply, they have a condition where if they use their full power they risk becoming a mindless monster, so they devised a plan where they connect their minds so that one can transform and if they start losing themselves, one sister can bring the other back.

They keep this back and forth in a fight, turning into monster, then turning normal, then watching their sister turn as well, then bringing her back, and on and on, constantly switching who turns and who brings back who... Until eventually they face an opponent so strong that they both are forced to turn into monsters at the same time out of desire to protect her sister.

And when I saw that, saw both of them sacrificing their humanity for each other I somehow gasped and went "Awww!" at the same time. It was some sort of mix of horror and worry but also somehow touching.

The reason this scene sticks with me is because, this was the first time I've ever seen these characters. They never appeared before, and they never show up after this fight... And the manga still managed to make me both love them and feel bad for them in a matter of seconds.

This is so amazing to me, the fact that a story can make me connect so strongly with characters I barely knew just by knowing exactly how much information they need to give and how they need to transmit it to the reader, it makes me feel the power of good storytelling, the power of getting an emotion out of your audience with the skill of your writing and artwork.

This is a scene that makes me love and appreciate manga!

"Are you afraid?" (Ragna & Crimson)

This is a scene where the main lead of the manga starts rampaging against on of the big bads of the series.

Up until this point the character had been mostly a very calm and collected individual, but when we reach this point it feels like some sort of switch flips inside of him and he just starts attacking the villain relentlessly.

This is one of the biggest beatdowns I've seen in manga (and I've seen a lot!) and it sticks out so much due to how personal it feels. The main character isn't just angry, he's calmly angry, as if he's focusing all his energy and fury into making every move counts.

Like for instance, there's a small scene where he starts attacking, then pauses to tie up his jacket, and then proceeds to attack again. You can tell he's completely focused on making sure every move counts, that he makes no mistakes, no error, no missing blows.

And it all builds up to this line, where you finally understand where he's coming from. He's not angry that the villains are bad, he's angry that the villains don't understand why they're bad. That they can kill innocents without regrets but when someone puts them in danger they just start to despair.

It's such a frustrating and relatable anger that transmits itself so well through the pages. You feel his anger, you feel his adrenaline, you feel his desire to beat up this character with everything you have. It's just so good!

"Yes, we can!" (Heaven's Lost Property)

This is one of the hardest I've ever laughed in my entire life.

Just to be clear, real quick. This is not a good series. It has a lot of shameless fanservice featuring teenage girls in uncomfortable situations, and if possible I'd rather not mention it at all... But I need to talk about this damn scene.

This is a chapter where the main lead takes a pair of robot angel girls on a date (because, of course), and they go to the zoo.

The chapter itself is the usual trope fest where the robots struggle to understand emotions which leads to funny shenanigans and weird situations, mostly funny jokes but nothing you have never seen before.

But then we reach the ending joke, and the joke just keeps building up, and building up, and building up, until it turns into pure insanity.

It starts with the robot girls releasing the animals from the cages and causing them to start chasing after the main lead. Okay, that's already kinda cute and funny...

But then the lead starts losing his clothes because the animals keep slashing him and people start thinking he's a terrorist making the animals rampage, then they start calling the police, but then the police starts feeling like they won't be enough to stop him, so they call the army, and then the marines, and then the soldiers start having an existential crisis wondering when will the battle with evil ever end, and then we cut to (at the time) president Obama for whatever reason to let us know he believes in us!

And it just gets dumber and dumber, until eventually the main guy is arrested with all his classmates giving interviews and talking about how they can't believe he would stood this low and all the while I'm just "What am I reading!!??"

The jump from a date at the zoo to... Whatever this was, was so absurd I couldn't stop laughing.

By far one of the funniest moments in any manga I've ever read.

"Nothing Happened" (One Piece)

This is another scene that only works because of the escalation of events.

Thriller Back is one of my favorite arcs of One Piece, mostly due to how things start so small and then just keep going and never feel like they stop.

At first, the main characters just do their usual routine of stopping at some random piece of land, finding out it's being ruled by some big jerk, and then going out of their way to beat him up and help the locals.

But, again, unlike other arcs with this exact same formula, this one sticks out from just how much things escalate.

We start with the heroes fighting some giant Frankenstein monster with elastic powers, followed by their captain joining the fight and helping them beat the monster, but then the monster stands up again while all the characters are exhausted, so they all need to work together to beat him for good, but then the mad doctor that made the monster shows up and picks up a fight with the heroes again, but this time they're on a time limit and even more exhausted than before, and then they beat him, BUT THEN, another even bigger threat appears to also pick a fight with them, except this time the captain is out for good which leads to all of them getting pulverized, BUT! THEN! one of the heroes offers himself to take the punishment for his Captain, even though he runs a high risk of dying, even though they all have been going through hell that entire night, and then he finally takes it, going through possibly one of the worst pains imaginable...

And then the arc finally ends with the guy just going "Eh... Wasn't a big deal."

It feels like such a rollercoaster where things just kept getting worse and worse for the heroes but they still never showed any fear or hesitation that they would win in the end.

That one line at the end carries so much weight behind it. When I reached it I couldn't believe that THIS was how they were going to end that gigantic non-stop fight.

It was so cool.

"It Didn't Work" (All You Need Is Kill)

This is one of those stories where the main lead is stuck in a time loop.

Throughout the whole series, our guy has been doing all he can to find out what he can do to escape. He's been learning how to fight, learning how to talk to people, how to focus on his tasks, how to use his armor, how to use questions to look for other loopers, using a marker to keep track of how many times he died and went back in time...

You feel his desperation, his mind starting to break, his will starting to give up... But then he finally finds out how to break the cycle.

He finds an answer that can get him out, makes all the necessary preparations to make sure he succeeds, makes sure nothing could go wrong, you see him fighting and struggling for his life as he can practically sense the taste of freedom approaching his fingers...

And then... He starts the loop again. And his body, almost as if moving on its own, grabs the marker to set another day, but when he finishes marking it his hand starts shaking, as if all the frustration finally started to kick in.

This is one moment that makes you go "God, that must suck so much" because you can sense how ready he was to finally be free, but the manga was all "not there yet, my guy."

Very frustrating, but at the same time, very engaging.

"It's Not Trivial" (Even if you don't do it)

God, I love this scene.

This is the part where the main lead is being confronted by the wife of the man she had an affair with and basically asked why did she do it.

She goes on to say how she simply wasn't feeling loved by her own husband anymore, how she was craving for some kind, ANY kind of comfort, of display of affection, of reassurance that she was someone worth being loved... with the wife just going "Is that it?", questioning how she doesn't feel ashamed of resorting to adultery over something so trivial, to which she replies "It's not trivial."

We always think our pain matter more, our pain is bigger, our life is harsher, our problems are more important, we are the bigger victims, we are the ones who deserve justice more... and that causes us to forget that other people struggle too, and not only that, most people struggle more.

I like this because it shows a big, big problem in society today, the struggle to sympathize with the problems of others.

Like, here's this woman who all her life always felt she had no right to complain because she felt her problems were too small and not worth complaining about... And in this moment, she realizes her problems aren't trivial, they aren't too small, they are worth complaining about, because they are your problems, and even if others would not be hurt by them, you are, and you have the right to try to avoid what hurts you.

Yes, the wife is the victim, yes, she's in her right to be antagonistic to our main lead... But that does not mean her pain matters more... or less! All our pains affect us in different ways and in different sizes.

Mind you, I don't think it's anyone's obligation to force yourself to relate to others, to feel sorry for others, to like others, or to forgive others if you don't think you have it in yourself the conditions to do it, but I think it's important to keep in mind that each person's struggles affect us in different ways, and that your pain does not make you matter more than others.

"Chainsaw Man... Doesn't Spit!" (Chainsaw Man)

(Told you there would be spoilers)

This is from the climatic confrontation between Makima and Chainsawman where she, in my opinion, perfectly shows the harm and toxicity that comes from the concept of entitlement.

You force your ideals on others against their will, you go out of your way to manipulate their lives and make decisions that will affect their future without their consent, you bring pain and struggles that they might not be ready to deal with, you ignore the consequences of your actions and refuse to look at the damage you cause, you install this same mentality on others who follow and trust you and motivate them to do the same...

All because you think you're right and they're wrong... And you refuse to let things play out in a path you disagree with.

This scene is so perfect because it's so simple. The big evil bad of the series is just a grown kid who wants things her way or the highway.

"Chainsaw Man doesn't spit, doesn't wear clothes, every action he does should be chaotic..."

It's such a beautifully perfect display of the ugliness of entitlement, and all done with such simple actions and simple lines.

This is what good writing should be. Conveying big impactful messages by making use of effective methods that make it easy to process and digest.

"I don't Know- Pi..." (Takopi's Original Sin)

This the climax of the manga Takopi's Original Sin.

Our little octopus guy with God-like powers is confronted by his best friend with the question of why does she have to suffer? Why couldn't she be happy? What did she do wrong? What should she have done? Why isn't a space alien octopus with a time-traveling camera (this manga was weird...) able to fix all her problems? What's the answer?

And that's just so relatable. We want our pain to have a deeper meaning, to believe we're not suffering in vain, that there's a bigger reason, and that someone out there knows this reason, and that we'll one day find that person and they'll make everything make sense to us.

And he just replies... He doesn't know.

He doesn't know how to fix her life, how to solve her problems, what she should have done... He just doesn't know.

Sometimes life simply has problems that we won't be able to solve and hardships that we won't be able to avoid. We can try our best to avoid it, but the more time, energy, and effort we spend trying to run away from an unescapable pain, more time we lose that could have been used to moving on.

Maybe there is a bigger plan, maybe every struggle we face does have a deeper meaning or has an easy solution that could have solved it all... But who can tell that we will be able to figure it out?

There are some pains that we just need to accept. Sometimes we have a little pet, or friend, or parent that we wish we could keep by our side forever, but we just can't. We have to say goodbye at some point because life goes on.

It's a painful part of life, but it doesn't have to be all there is to life.

"It was my desk" (Silent Voice)

This is the closest I ever got to crying while reading a manga... And I don't know why.

It's the scene where the bully kid from Silent Voice, after weeks of spotting the girl with hearing disability from his class arriving early every day to clean one of the tables of the room because it kept getting filled with awful messages from the other kids, and after her leaving the class, finally notices that the table she was cleaning all this time was actually his.

This was such a whirlwind of emotions.

The realization that the people you trusted were actually betraying you, the realization that the girl you were hurting not only didn't hold any grudge but actually considered you someone dear. Dear enough to be worth going through the trouble of hiding these messages every day.

The realization that the person you thought was weak was in fact so strong, and that you who you assumed were strong was actually so weak.

This is one of the best and one of the biggest reality checks I've seen. Having to accept how small, fragile, vulnerable, and misguided you are, and that the person you believed was so far behind in the race of life was actually miles and miles ahead and you just have so much damn catching up to do.

When people say "coming of age" story, this is what comes to my mind. A kid finally understanding what a real adult is, and the he isn't it, but not only that, understanding that this is what he needs to be. What he WANTS to be.

Learning what it means to be a good person, to be better, and wanting that for yourself as well.

What a powerful scene.

"Stop Faudo, Leo" (Zatch Bell)

And to end things on a lighter note, my all-time favorite scene from Zatch Bell, aka, the one that happens RIGHT AFTER THE ANIME TAKES A DIFFERENT DIRECTION!

For those that don't know, the Zatch Bell author broke his hand during the production of the anime so they had to create an original story to fill up what happens with the conclusion of the arc since they had no manga to adapt... And the filler starts literally before we get to this scene. It's literally the start of chapters that never got adapted, and it is my favorite scene!!

In Dragon Ball terms, this is as if you stopped adapting the manga right before Android# 16 gets killed by Cell and an anime original content is used instead where Gohan wins with the power of friendship or something... Let that sink in.

But anyway, the scene itself...

This is where the heroes get informed that the villains of the arc are gonna use their big FU weapon called Faudo to destroy Japan out of vengeance because the heroes placed a device inside the weapon that will make it vanish in a matter of hours.

The villains capture the heroes and try to force them to turn off the device while the heroes try to force them to turn off the weapon.

And I just love the difference between the ways they talk.

The villains act all sophisticated trying to act polite as if they were closing a business before ordering the waitress for the check so they can go home, while the heroes just act like they are possessed by some sort of entity.

They don't even try to hold a conversation, they just go "Stop the weapon! Stop the weapon!! STOP! THE! DAMN! WEAPON!"

You can feel how in their heads nothing else matters, the entire world around them vanishes, and their only thing they can think about is making sure the people from Japan stay safe.

And this is what I love about the heroes in Zatch Bell, they always put the innocents first.

The big focus of Zatch Bell is the theme of empathy and sympathy. People connect with each other and they feel each other's pain, struggles, goals, wills, fears, and joys.

This is a series that shows the importance of socializing and learning what it means to coexist with other people and the impact that can have on you and you can have on others.

Heck, the big goal of the main character is just to make sure a little girl doesn't have to cry again.

Everything is about understanding how the pain of others also matters and how you can have the power to make a change, and this scene where the heroes are just on autopilot, totally focused on making sure nobody gets hurt again feels like the culmination of that sentiment.

This is why I love this series, why I love these characters, and why I always try to tell myself I'm not the only one that matters in this world, no matter how much I want to sometimes, and that if I can do something for others, then maybe I should.

If you're able to make someone's day better, no matter how little you think you can do for them, always take the chance to risk it and do it, because you never know how big of an impact it might have.

You always have more power and strength than you think you have!

Anyways... That's it for now. Feel free to reblog this with your favorite manga moments that meant something to you if you feel like it.

Have a nice day!

#top 10 #manga #manga spoilers #one piece #chainsaw man manga #ragna crimson #even if you don't do it #takopi's original sin #zatch bell #all you need is kill #silent voice #sora no otoshimono #claymore #top 10 list

[certifiedskywalker]

Near, but Never Near Enough - Death of The Endless

The three times you flirt with Death.

Warnings: vague but various causes of death and life-threatening situations (exposure, car crash, etc.)

It was a fluke that left you floating. Floating, you were, quite literally, weightless. Or, at least, it felt literal, as much as literal can feel to someone in your predicament.

It was a blur, too, your predicament. Details once so painfully sharp were muddled by a liquidy rush of unadulterated adrenaline. There was only you, your nerves which seemed to extend beyond your bodily bounds. Yet, you could sense some sort of tether, an invisible tie anchoring you to the wavering image of yourself.

Jelly limbs and wide eyes, you were a shocked sight to behold. How embarrassing to be caught so much by surprise. You scoffed at yourself.

“Well, now is hardly the time for that.”

You spun on your heels at the accented voice. A woman, dark-skinned, dark-haired, and dark-eyed watched you, arms crossed her chest. She looked politely displeased, as if she had been stuck in the queue of a tired deli worker.

“For…?”

“For the negative self-view,” she replied, matter-of-factly.

Your brows furrowed. “Who are you?”

“Someone just stopping by,” the woman replied, her arms falling to her sides like graceful, drooping wings. “It’s not quite your time, though, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

Wordlessly, the woman walked towards you. A sugared sort of scent came with her, seemingly on a gust that trailed her. Slowly, her gaze flicked across your face, studying you like a star map. Yet, it was you who saw constellations, saw them in the glints that glimmered in her dark brown eyes.

“Not your time but here I am. How…peculiar.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you same one of her hands rise, fingers curved towards your face. Though she did not let her skin kiss yours. In the blur of everything, you found yourself wanting for this mystery woman’s touch. You did not need to feel her warmth to know it was there, but how sweet it would be.

Her hand fell before you could ask for it, but the lightest of smiles played on her full lips proved infectious. Slowed due to the weightlessness, the delay latent in the thin tether you could feel grow more taut by the passing second, your own lips quirked upwards too.

“Until next time, sweetheart.”

Before you could ask when that would be or echo your query about who she was, the woman took a step back. With her motion, another gust, stronger than the last, one you could hear as it whistled by your ears, swept you back. Back into feeling, far from the floating you felt before. The details came back. Painful and sharp.

It all came soaring back with the sound of her wings.

It was familiar, that weightless. It nestled in the nooks it carved in your bones, hollowed them, and bid you to float. This was different, a heavier float. You bounced in whatever ether held you, as if a buoy set at sea.

Though, this sea smelled sweet.

“You again?”

Amidst your soft bouncing within the nothing, you turned and saw her. Her!

“You again,” you echoed her words, letting your gaze fix on her form. She looked the same as she did when she first came to you, a soft, winged shadow. 

“Well, yes. But,” she paused, shifted her weight on her hips, “it’s still not time.”

“Time for what?” You stepped towards her with your question and she did not move away. You took another step. “You never answered my question about who you are.”

“I am Endless,” she replied, crossing her arms.

“Endless? That’s a bit…much.”

She laughed and you swore you heard the gently ringing of bells. “It is, isn’t it?”

“So, you don’t have a name?”

“Not in the traditional sense.” As she spoke, she cocked her head to the side, dark eyes quizzical as she studied your form. You dared to take another step towards her. On this step, the woman returned the gesture by taking a step back. “Careful.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“No,” she waved a hand, “it’s not like that. I’d like it, it’s just…”

“I’m still sorry,” you said, taking a step back.

“It’s for your safety, not mine.”

“My safety?”

“Like I said, it’s not your time yet. Again. We really must stop meeting like this.”

“This, and before,” you pondered aloud, trying to remember the details. The details always grew so fuzzy when this woman came around. You could never remember how you got to the floating place, to see her. “Why do I see you?”

“Why do you ask? I thought you fancied me,” she said, a grin spreading along her lips. Heat rose and spread along your skin like a wild fire. “You sure do bring new meaning to the phrase ‘flirting with Death,’ that I will tell you.”

“Death?”

Her grin faded into an unreadable expression, an Endless expression that seemed to roll along the peaks of her face. “I’ve said too much.”

Slowly, as if trudging through molasses, the details crawled from the sticking sap of spoiled memory. Pain. First, the shattering of glass and the screeching of wheels. Then, this moment, the ache of lungs swelling but not with air. Sharp pain.

“Are you…Death?”

She took another step and another gust and she was gone, leaving you back in your body with all that pain.

Whatever the Necromancer did, you remembered every detail of this time. You could still feel the flames licking along your skin. Yet, your flesh did not blister. It only stung, intensely, painfully. Sharply. 

Constantine had warned you of it, her voice cold and tired. She cared little, likey due to little you had to pay her for her services. You imagined she watched you while you floated in the in-between place, the tethered place. She probably was smiling as your physical form thrashed in the fire’s grip while you, unbound from your body, felt the brunt of pain.

Perhaps it was the detail that kept you from the mystery woman. You could still smell the dank of the church basement, the sulphur, the herbs Johanna burned. They acted as anchors. You had to wring yourself free from the ropes.

“What-You’re kidding, right? A necromancer? A Constantine?”

You flicked your head to the side and saw her, at last. Her dark face was downcast and as stern as you ever saw it. Her arms were not crossed over her chest as they typically were. No, they rested at her sides with her hands curled into fists.

“You know about Constantine?”

“She’s a friend of my brother’s,” she said, voice low, as cold as Johanna’s was when she explained the ritual. “And a friend of yours now, apparently.”

“Not quite friends,” you corrected, giving her a sheepish smile. She did not return the expression.

“And it’s not quite your time, again.” Then, her arms crossed and her left brow crooked upwards, skeptical. “You’re teasing me, tempting fate.”

“Fate,” you hummed, “another Endless?”

She huffed, amusedly. “Destiny.”

“And you’re Death. That’s what I told Johanna I thought you were and the ritual worked, so you must be-”

“Ritual, you say?”

You nodded and took a step towards Death. Each of your limbs screamed with the burning of your blood, but you were much too enraptured. “A ritual.”

Death took a step towards you. “Must’ve cost a pretty penny, eh?”

“And more,” you replied. She was smiling, truly smiling.

“For what? Just to see me again? This is highly irregular, and I know irregular.”

You took another step, slower this time, more careful. Death followed suit until you caught her sugary scent. You remembered it from the first time, revelled in it, her familiarity.

“For this.”

“So, truly just to see me again, then,” she said, her smile reaching her eyes then. You took a breath and then a chance. 

With your arm burning, you raised it, let your hand brush the seemingly empty air at her side. Soft and cool, a feather feeling tickled against your fingers. When you looked at Death, her eyes closed and her body shuddered. You quickly withdrew your hand.

“Sorry, I-”

“No,” she interrupted, eyes fluttering open as she took another step closer. She was warm, not cold like you had expected. “Just, just shut up.”

Her hands were warm too when they cupped your face, and soft. Her lips were soft too, gliding against yours. A kiss of Death. She tasted sweet and she melted all the burning pain away.

#death #death of the endless #death x reader #death fanfic #death fanfiction #death of the endless x reader #death of the endless fanfiction #kirby howell baptiste #the sandman #the sandman x reader #the sandman imagine #the sandman imagines #the sandman fanfic #the sandman fanfiction #the sandman netflix #johanna constantine #constantine

[jayjaymorgan]

Tie Me to the Mast - Chapter II

Author’s Note : Sorry it took so long, guys. Thank you all for your patience as I dealt with my sick cat. He's a little bit better now, if you're interested in helping us paying for his treatment, feel free to head over to @farkmagic Koffi. Please remember that English isn't my native language, so there might be some mistakes and stuff. I hope you all like it, have a great day/night!

TW : none (?)

It’s been nearly half a day since they saw the seagull.

The bird disappeared long ago and they were still in the middle of the ocean. The hope and enthusiasm turned to sadness and a feeling of disappointment, as the crew continued bailing out the water under the scorching sun. Rex was still standing at the steering wheel, his lips so dry that it felt like they were sealed shut with wax. His muscles ached from standing in the same position, but he was too tired to move, if he did he would most likely fall over. His tired mind started playing tricks on him, as every time he blinked he could swear that he saw something in the distance or in the corner of his eye. He wasn’t the only one, as Ahsoka mistook a cloud for land several times in the past few hours. It brought his a weird sense of comfort, knowing that he wasn’t going crazy. Or, maybe, they all have fallen victim to the sea fever and he was just glad that he wasn’t the only one. He decided not to dwell on it, to save his energy but mainly not to go insane just by thinking about all the possibilities. He closed his eyes, the swaying of the ship lulling him into a restless trance. He secretly hoped to never open his eyes again, but that thought was interrupted by a voice, calling out from above. “I think I see land!” Rex couldn’t help but groan, as he got up and looked at Ahsoka, who was climbing down the mast. “You sure?” he did his best to hide his irritation, as the girl landed next to him, the wood creaking under her weight. “You sure it’s not a cloud?”

“No, I’m sure. This one, it looks... more solid, if that makes sense.” she pointed at something as she spoke, up ahead. “Just, look.” Rex walked to the starboard and squinted his eyes, accompanied by Hunter, who got up on the bulwark to get a better look. “I think she’s right.” the man said, before wiping the sweat from his ink covered face. “That’s definitely land, no doubt.” A few more crewmembers joined them, pointing and talking loudly, voicing their agreement with the girl. Some remained skeptical, Rex being one of them. He knew that he couldn’t handle another disappointment, as he was sure that the said island was going to be another cloud. But, as the ‘Devil’s Hound’ continued to head east, the blurred grey line on the horizon started to take shape and more details came into focus, he couldn’t help but to cheer alongside his brothers and sisters. “It’s land.” he said. “It’s an island. We did it.” Ahsoka looked up at her older friend, a smile forming on her dried and cracked lips. “Wherever the island may lay.” she whispered.

…

As the ship circled the island, it turned out that that there was no place to come to anchor. The island was surrounded by a long line of cliffs, which were covered in thick greenery. Waves crashed into them in unison, sending white foam flying into the air and showering the sailors with salty rain as they swam by. “There’s a lot of trees.”  Hunter noted. “There has to be fresh water near.” “But first, we need to get there.” the captain craned his neck to look around, hoping to see a some sort of a beach or an opening. The rest followed suit, dozen pairs of eyes scanning the rock wall for any type of crack. No luck. The ship reached a turning point, now swimming against the wind, which caused the sails to flap uncontrollably before falling down and hanging loosely against the masts. “Starboard tack, trim the jib sheet!” Rex ordered, as he turned the helm to encircle the island. “We’ll turn around, see if there’s anything on the other side!” The crew got to work, adjusting the sails, before stopping dead in their tracks when someone called out from the bow. “There’s an opening in the rocks!” They turned around and, sure enough, saw a gap, hidden behind the cliffs and greenery of the trees and shrubs. It wasn’t visible until they passed it, revealing itself to them as they turned the ship around. “It’s a beach.” someone else said, pointing at it. “We can stop there.” “Furl the sails, get to rowing!” the captain ordered, before looking up and shouting. “Ahsoka, can you see anything?” “Fives’ right, it’s a beach!” she responded, standing on het tip-toes in the crow’s nest. “Looks okay to me!” Rex let out a breath of relief, feeling like a heavy weight was lifted from his shoulder. He steered the ship forward, heading for the gap, as it speed up, powered by the oars. The said opening was quite big, a little over a mile in diameter, which was plenty of room for the boat to pass through without any problems. Behind the stone wall was a long and wide bay, with deep yet clear water, smooth reef covered in corals and sand, buzzing with life.

The beach stretched on a few hundred feet up before slowly fading out into a thick, green forest, where curious birds hopped from branch to branch, observing the newcomers. A small river of fresh cut though the beach, falling into the sea, it’s source being the mighty waterfall that was overlooking the bay like a roaring beast, cascading down one of the many cliffs. With their combined forces, the crewmen somehow pulled the damaged ship onto the soft sand, groaning and cursing in unison. Now, they could truly see the extent of the damage : the hole, that was ripped in the side of the boat during the storm, was much bigger than they originally thought. The wood around it was splintered and discolored, with jagged edges that no one risked to touch, in fear of getting hurt. “What now?” Kix asked, looking at his captain. “I don’t know about you...” Rex said, a smirk forming on his face as he looked in the direction of the waterfall. “...but I’ll have something to drink.”

…

They all sat at the foot of the waterfall, sipping the cold, fresh water out of their pint mugs, the fogginess and tiredness slowly washing away. Some groaned as the fire in their mouths and throats was extinguished, some sat in silence, while others talked, their voices still hoarse but no longer filled with pain. Rex groaned as he stood up, his legs shaking from how exhausted he was, his eyes scanning the terrain as he tried to pick a place for camp. The obvious choice would be setting it next to the waterfall : firstly, it would provide them with fresh water at all times, secondly, the tall rock wall could shield them from strong winds and possible attacks, if the island turned out to be inhabited by foes. He lifted up his arms, but after a second they fell limply at his sides. The sudden movement made him stumble, as his vision turned black for just a second. He shook his head, trying to chase away the fog that was clouding his mind, before focusing on the task at hand. They would have to make a small barricade around the camp, preferably from rocks, but there was nowhere near enough of them around. What else could they use for the said fence? He hissed, rubbing his eyes. “Yer lookin’ a bit peely wally.” Obi-Wan said, approaching, a worried look on his face. “Evry’hing alright?” “We need to set camp. And make a barricade around it.” he responded, letting out a sigh. “We should get to work.” “No.” the man said, grabbing the blond by his shoulder. “We shuid get to work. Ye, get some sleep.” “But I’m the captain...” Obi-Wan nodded. “’At right. But we’re on land now, so we can take care of it.” “It’s my responsibility, to take care of the crew.” “Out in th’ sea, yes. On land, we can take over some of th’ duties.” he explained as he dragged the tired man away, motioning for Kix to get some blankets. “Sit.” Rex did as he was told, the tiredness hitting him like a blow to the face. He blinked a few times, looking up as the medic approached, with a few blankets in hands. “Here.” he laid the fabric down, smoothing it out. “Should be comfortable enough.” “Get in.” “But...” “Do ye want me to get me spoon?” the cook threaten, referring to the wooden piece of cutlery he would use to beat some sense into misbehaving crew members, by hitting them on their heads. “I said, get in. We’ll wake ye up when we need something.” Rex knew that it was pointless to argue, so he laid down on the thin blanket, before using the second one to cover himself. Even though the bed was crude, it seemed like heaven and he found himself drifting off the moment he laid down. “Maybe you’re right.” he said sleepily. “I’ll take a nap, for twenty minutes or...” Before he could finish his sentence, he fell asleep, a quiet snore escaping his mouth. The cook only shook his head. “Sure, twenty minutes.” he scoffed, before taking off the captain’s shoes and setting them down at the foot of the bed. He then turned to the crew. “Let’s get to work.”

#the clone wars #rexwalker #my wrtitng #Tie Me to the Mast

[coldtomyflash]

OH MY STARS YOU’RE WRITING AGAIN?!???!!!??????? THIS MIGHT BE THE MOST EXCITING NEWS I’VE HAD THIS MONTH!!!!!!!! Igkdnhidksjdkpfkejs

A question, forgive me if it’s been asked before, is there *any* chance that you might write a sequel to got a melancholic temperament? I was doing a reread the other day and it was just so fosofiakdidkfkdkekfkdicjgkvobodkakfkgkvifidiekdkfivdiddicokspsgkckvoejanamfgogiejdgoocisisodcoxnaj

Ahem. Just casually curious 😎

❤️❤️❤️

Less like writing again and more like reading back over my old unfinished pieces and seeing if there's any that still spark joy or require only minimal effort to finish and post 😂😅

I've also been writing this whole time just for supernatural instead of coldflash but shhh let's pretend I never betrayed coldflash

A sequel for melancholic temperament?? I'm genuinely trying to imagine what the plot would be??

One of the things I'm weird about with my longer coldflash works is always trying to end on a note of finality, one that makes things feel relatively wrapped up (some of them even get epilogues lol). So it's hard to imagine a "what next" for me because the core conflict and plot points should, in theory, be resolved.

For melancholic temperament... Obviously the age regression is fixed, and Len and Barry are still in this new fresh space but they're both approaching it from mutual understanding, and Len is accepted by the Wests.

There's the Flash detractors as the maybe obvious narrative thread that's out there dangling, and Barry with Mick and the other Rogues could provide some narrative juice. That's the most of what I can think of though?

I like to write around a developing romance because I'm a sucker for it, but in a sequel case, it would be more an established relationship thing? which isn't my usual bag except for short fics. I like to resolve a narrative at the point at which we know the characters are affirmed in their commitment to each other, partly because I tend to see commitment as an "all in" thing, so the tension of "will these crazy kids overcome the odds to make it together" is dispelled.

(not that stories about falling out and getting back together aren't interesting -- I actually really enjoy them when done well -- it's just that that's not what I've aimed for with any of my coldflash works)

But unless the sequel was a heavily plot-centric work, there would need to be some coldflash relationship ups and downs. I'm not a fan of manufacturing drama and miscommunication among characters who ought to be somewhat reasonable human beings, so any strife would have to feel earned and authentic. And I'm not sure how I would go about that?? Sure it's all new and fresh and there's a lot of potential hiccups but at the end of Melancholic Temperament was supposed they were supposed to be in a place where we (the audience) were confident they'd weather whatever came next okay.

And while I could (and likely would have to) tie their ups and downs to the Flash detractors stuff, it feels (at present, without concrete ideas to anchor it) sort of laden-on? In a "Barry can't catch a break" sort of way?

I don't know, I'm genuinely trying to think it through but there's nothing concrete for me to latch on to as a vision for how it would take shape. I could see an unrelated story in a canon divergent setting specifically interested in the Flash detractors concept, examining meta protestors and stigma and the Flash's role as this dual symbol of justice and subjugation, but that would have more room to grow as a standalone than a sequel?

Did you have something in mind for what a sequel would include?

#redhead vs. writing #melancholic temperament #got a melancholic temperament (that's what they said to me) #hope you enjoyed your reread ☺️

[doityourself07]

How to Knit an Infinity Scarf on a Loom

This infinity scarf is a quick and easy knitting project that you can do on a rectangular or round loom — whatever you have around! I've been working on this pattern for a couple weeks, and now I've streamlined the process enough you should be able to have a totally finished stripey winter throat warmer in 3–4 hours. The scarf pictured here came in just under three hours, but I think I've gotten super quick at it since it's the third one I've made in a week.;) Head to the last step to see more photos of finished infinity scarves!  

Materials Needed  

2 skeins of chunky yarn — I used Lion Brand Hometown USA yarns for these — the yarn pictured here is Cheyenne Wild Iris 

knitting loom with at least 20 pegs ( this is the set I'm using!) 

second hand yarn 

needle 

loom hook 

scissors 

measuring tape 

The scarves shown in this instructable are made on 15 pegs and are 40–50 inches of knitting long. If you choose to use variegated yarn, you'll have just enough for the scarf with two skeins — around 130 yards of yarn. If you choose a solid yarn you'll have closer to 160 yards of yarn per two skeins, so you can increase the number of pegs to 20 and keep the length of the knitting between 40–50 inches to make a thicker scarf. 

Anchor Your Work With a Slipknot  

This will depend on the sort of loom you have. 

Either place the slipknot on the horizontal peg on a round loom, or on a vertical peg to the left or right of where you'd like to knit on a rectangular or straight loom. 

Loop the Pegs Twice  

Going to the left or right of the peg with the slipknot, (whichever feels best for you — I'm left handed so I'm going to move to the left!) loop 15 pegs twice each. Hold the yarn taut when you reach the end. 

Bring the Bottom Loop on Each Peg Over the Top

Start from the last peg you wrapped (while holding the working yarn!) and bring the bottom loop of yarn over the top one until all pegs just have one loop of yarn on them. 

Start Your First Row of Knitting  

This will be just like regular loom knitting, with one difference. Whenever you start a new row of knitting, you'll wrap the first peg in the row so the yarn is just going in front of the peg, while the rest of the pegs are wrapped back to front. If you start from the left, you'll wrap the first peg counterclockwise, and the rest clockwise. Bring the bottom yarn over on each peg. If you start from the right, you'll wrap the first peg clockwise, and the rest counterclockwise. Bring the bottom yarn over on each peg. Except for that one difference, just keep wrapping the pegs and looping the bottom yarn over! For a more in depth explanation of loom knitting, see my " how to knit a slouchy hat on a round loom" ible. 

Remove the Slip Knot From the Peg You Placed It On

Once you've knit a few rows, pull the slipknot loose. Leave the yarn tail hanging free. Leaving it intact will make the finished knitting hang off the peg, which may warp it! 

Knit and Knit Some More  

Keep on knitting — go until you hit the end of the yarn! As you knit, the scarf edges will begin to curl. Let them do what they want — it makes the scarf look nice in the end.:D 

Adding the Second Skein of Yarn  

When you've knitted far enough that you're left with a tail of yarn that's not long enough to finish another row, you need to add in the second skein of yarn. There are loads of ways to start a new skein, but I'm choosing the do this the super easy way: by tying a knot! Because I'm using a chunky yarn it's not as obvious as it would normally be. Just tie the end of the current working yarn to the beginning of the new yarn skein using a granny knot. Pull it as tight as you can — if the knot is still moving around, keep pulling it tight until it's stationary! Once it's as tight as you can get it, cut the yarn tails off. 

Knit Until It Reaches 40–50 Inches  

40 inches will leave you with a snugly fitting infinity scarf — 50 inches will be a bit more loose. You can awkwardly try it on while it's still on the hoop to see what works for you. End with your yarn on the left side to follow the next steps in the easiest way! ( But don't blame me when someone walks into the room and finds you trying to wrap the scarf around your neck twice and not smack yourself in the head with the hoop. I'm pretty sure my boyfriend caught me but was too nice to say how weird it was. D:) 

Loop the End of the Scarf Back Over the Pegs  

Much like the brim of the knitted hat I did, we're going to bringing the very beginning of our knitting back over the pegs. Pull the beginning of the scarf through the hoop as shown above. Make sure it doesn't get twisted! Now you'll want to bring the loops at the very beginning of the scarf over the pegs. It might take a couple tries to get a loop on each peg — they can be tricksy! Keep in mind that one of the loops is a little hidden on the end next to the yarn tail from the slipknot. You might need to use the loom hook to get that one. (see picture three to see which loop I mean) 

Loop Over the Bottom Part of the Scarf  

Once you have all the loops placed on the pegs, bring the bottom loops over the top so you've only got one loop on each of the pegs. Now we'll cast off! 

Casting Off  

This is the best way I've seen to finish your loom knitting so it's nice and neat! We're essentially going to work on two pegs at a time, looping and removing the loops to the right as we go. I highly recommend checking out this video by the awesome Sophia Burns to see it in action. It might help my photos and explanation make better sense.:) 

Here are the basic steps:��

Starting from the left, wrap the first peg counterclockwise and the second peg clockwise. 

Bring the bottom loops over the top loops on both pegs. 

Take the loop from the second peg and put it on the first and pull the thread so it's not as loose. 

Bring the bottom loop over the top one. 

Take the lone loop off the first peg and transfer to the second peg. 

Wrap the third peg clockwise. 

Bring the bottom loop on the third peg over the top loop. 

Transfer the loop on the third peg over to the second peg and tighten. Loop over. 

Bring the loop left on the second peg to the third peg. 

Repeat the wrapping, looping and transferring to the right until you're left with one peg. 

Wrap once more and bring the bottom loop over the top one. 

Now you can grab that last loop and pull it off the loom. Keep the loop between your fingers so you know where it is. We'll tidy it up on the next step! Check out that sweet seam you just made!! So professional.:D 

Secure the Loop  

Pull at the loop so it becomes a little bigger, and slip the working yarn tail through it and pull it tight. If you lucked out and ended up with the slipknot tail and the tail from the working yarn on the same side, knot those together. 

Weave in the Loose Ends and You're Done!  

Now you'll need to weave in the loose ends with a yarn needle — both the working yarn tail from the middle seam and the short tail from the slipknot we made first thing. Thread a yarn needle with the end of the yarn and weave it into the scarf. Try to make sure you aren't bringing the yarn through to the front of the work — keep it on the back side and make lots of tiny stitches. Tie knots when you're done — just wherever they'll be less obvious. If you have a yarn you can untwist, divide it into two sections and tie it off. 

Enjoy! You just knitted a super warm and awesome scarf! 

Next time I'll tell you how to knit triple fast knit hat and cowl set. More Photos of the Scarves  

[samwisethewitch]

Pathworking and Astral Travel

In spirit work, we often connect with the spirits that have crossed over and are present in the physical world. However, there are also ways to cross over into the spirit world and connect with spirits in their home environment.

Pathworking

As I mentioned in a previous post, a pathworking is a specific type of meditation where you go on a psychic journey, but are still anchored to your physical body. It’s sort of like dipping your toes into the spirit world.

There are two important elements to a pathworking: a clear entrance/exit point and a way to retrace your steps. Pathworking journeys are typically cyclical — there is both a journey out and a return where you go back the way you came. This makes it easier to fully return your consciousness to your body, and failing to do so can cause you to feel disoriented upon the return.

Your entry/exit point can be absolutely anything, but common examples include a door, a gateway, a tree (or sometimes The World Tree), a cave/tunnel, or a natural landmark like a beach or mountaintop. What’s important is that it’s recognizable and easy to find your way back to.

If you want to try pathworking, make a rough “road map” of your journey beforehand. This doesn’t have to be super specific, but it should contain the following: a goal for the pathworking (such as to connect with a certain spirit), an entry/exit point, and a general idea for the route you’re going to take. If you’re worried about getting lost, author Thea Sabin recommends using “the Theseus trick.” Like in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, you can tie a golden thread or rope to your entry point and the other end to your astral body. If you get lost, you can follow the thread back.

Pathworking is fairly beginner friendly, and I highly, highly, highly recommend starting with pathworking and becoming comfortable with this method before trying astral travel. Even for more advanced witches, pathworking is often a better option than astral travel because it’s less involved and requires a little bit less effort. I personally prefer pathworking for most situations.

Performing a Pathworking

Before you begin, establish a clear goal for your pathworking and write out a rough “road map.” At the very least, you should know what your purpose is, where your entry point is, and how to find your way back.

Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense, diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and begin meditating. You may want to play meditation music, practice breathing techniques, or use some other method to help you reach a meditative state.

Once you reach a meditative state (you should know what this feels like if you have experience with meditation), see yourself standing at your entry point. This is your entrance to the astral realm.

Set out on your pathworking.

When you are ready to leave the astral realm, you will need to find your way back to your entry point. Once you reach your entry point, it should be fairly easy to return to your body.

Once you’re fully present in your physical body, use your favorite method to ground yourself.

Write down everything you experienced during your pathworking in a journal.

Astral Travel

If pathworking is dipping your toes into the spirit world, astral travel is diving in the deep end. Also called spirit flight and hedge riding, astral travel includes actually sending your soul/consciousness out of your body and into the spirit world. As you might guess, this is more complicated and requires more effort than pathworking. For this reason, astral travel is not beginner-friendly. If you are completely new to meditation, witchcraft, and spirit work, it’s best to learn to pathwork before you attempt astral travel.

A word of warning: you may want to avoid astral travel at times when you’re in a very vulnerable or volatile emotional state. Some days you just aren’t up for it, and that’s okay. On those days, a pathworking or another form of spirit work may be a better option.

Triggering Spirit Flight

In astral travel, a trigger of some kind is used to help disconnect the soul from the physical body. Common triggers include drumming, special music, shaking a rattle, chanting, and dancing.

You can find shamanic drumming tracks on YouTube that can help you achieve astral travel. If you find that repetitive motion helps you trance out, you may look into getting a small drum or rattle to play.

Animal Guides

In many cultures, those who travel into the spirit world do so with the guidance and protection of an animal spirit. From the Norse fylgja, to the shamanic power animal, to the witch’s familiar, history is full of examples of these types of guides.

Before you begin astral travel, do a pathworking to meet your animal guide. It’s important to note that you aren’t choosing an animal guide — only meeting one that has always been with you. Your guide may be an animal that you like or identify with, or it may not. When I first began experimenting with astral travel, my guide was a coyote — an animal I had never identified with before, but who I learned was deeply connected to my inner self.

It’s important to always have your animal guide with you when going on astral journeys, as they are an important source of protection and power. They may also literally guide you to the things you need to see and the spirits you need to meet.

Flying Ointments

Historical accounts describe witches using “flying ointment” to help them achieve spirit flight. These traditional flying ointments contained toxic and/or hallucinogenic plants like belladonna, datura, henbane, mandrake, and opium poppies. For obvious reasons, most modern witches do not use these herbs.

Please do not try to create your own flying ointment with poisonous plants. If you’re a true traditionalist and feel like you just have to try a historically accurate flying ointment, Bane Folk Apothecary sells several. Bane Folk is run by Sarah Anne Lawless, a kickass witch who knows her stuff and produces safe, medicinal products inspired by traditional flying ointment formulas. I am usually very pro-DIY, especially when it comes to witchcraft, but this is one case where it really is best to defer to a professional.

To create a modern, non-toxic flying ointment: heat eight ounces (or one cup) of poppy seed oil over low heat on the stove. Once the oil is warm, add 2 ounces (or 1/4 cup) of beeswax into the oil. (Use carnauba wax for a vegan alternative.) Take the mixture off the heat, and allow it to cool off a bit. Once it has cooled (but before it’s begun to solidify), add nine drops each of mugwort essential oil, star anise essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. Pour the mixture into a mason jar and seal tightly. To extend your ointment’s shelf life, add a few drops of Vitamin E oil and store in the refrigerator. If you don’t have access to essential oils or prefer a more traditional method, you can buy dry herbs and infuse them into your oil instead — to do this, crush up 2.5 ounces (or 1/3 cup) each of dried mugwort, star anise, and peppermint and add them to a mason jar; add enough oil to the jar to cover the herbs completely, with about an inch of oil above them; seal the jar and place it in a sunny window for 2-3 weeks to infuse; and finally, strain the herbs out of the oil with a mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. You can then add your Vitamin E oil and beeswax to create an ointment.

This modern recipe does not contain hallucinogens, but it does contain plants that are commonly used in magic to increase psychic abilities and aid in astral travel. You can say an incantation over this ointment while making it to add some extra magical potency. Applying the flying ointment can also become a sort of ritual that prepares you for spirit flight by helping you slip into a more spiritual head space.

Performing Astral Travel/Spirit Flight

Before you begin, know why you are journeying to the spirit world. You should always have a clear goal for your astral journeys.

Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense (mugwort incense aids in astral travel), diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.

Use your favorite method to ground yourself.

If you are choosing to use a flying ointment, rub it on your skin now.

Hold a protective item in one of your hands. I like physical items for protection during spirit flight, because they can ground you and help you find your way back to your body. Examples of protective items include a sprig of rue, a piece of iron, or a protective crystal like black tourmaline. If you ever feel scared or uncomfortable during your journey, you can bring this object into the astral realm to protect you. It will also keep your body safe while your consciousness is occupied.

Start up your trigger, whether this is drumming, rattling, dancing, etc.

Allow yourself to drift into a trance state, and then to disconnect from your body.

Call your animal guide to you.

Set out on your journey in the spirit world.

When you are ready, feel yourself returning to your physical body. Allow yourself to come back slowly — don’t rush it.

Ground yourself. One good way to ground after astral travel is by eating a snack.

Write down your experiences in a journal.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Hedge Riding by Harmonia Saille

“How to Make Herb-Infused Oils for Culinary & Body Care Use” and “How to Make Herbal Salves” from the Mountain Rose Herbs blog

#baby witch bootcamp #baby witch #witchcraft #witch #witchblr #spirit work #spiritual #spirituality #pathworking #astral travel #astral projection #soul flight #hedge riding #spirit flight #magic #magick #pagan #paganism #wicca #wiccan #pagan witch #meditation #long post #mine #my writing

[princeanxious]

:) so. No one ordered it, but, I have an Logan Angst(w/ hurt/comfort to balance it out a little) au idea to deliver!

So you know those AU fics w/ Virgil where he hides smth unusual abt himself( Like wings, Spider limbs, Being unusually tall, ect.) Bc he’s afraid of what the others will think/do if they find out?

Take that and apply it to Logan, But he’s actually been hiding it ever since (AU)!Thomas became Obsessed with Marine Biology as a kid!(i genuinely cant remember what Thomas's real life degree was gonna be b4 he switched to YouTube but for the au's sake im going with marine biologist)

What’s he hiding, you ask? Fish scales, of course!

(Continued under the cut)

Logan used to wear long sleeves all the time, and Sherlock bit with the scarf was a cover up for when he used to wear it constantly when they were younger, not that Virgil(who has spider traits in this but never thought to hide them b4 he was accepted, and by that point there was no reason to) nor any of the other dark sides with animal traits knew about it either, but his body, especially his legs and hips, were covered in shimmery sapphire blue scales, and in patches around the gills on his neck and ribs.

Why doesn't Logan wear long sleeves now? Because the scales suddenly stopped reappearing (coincidentally right around the time Thomas gave up on marine biology to do youtube) on his arms the few times they'd accidentally been pulled off some how, be it bumps/scrapes or eventually Logan getting fed up w/ the illogicalness of it all and 'removing' the rest on his arms so that he could finally wear short sleeves and not raise more questions about his health.

The scales around the gills on his neck are more tragic, as they do regrow still, to keep his gills safe. He plucks them as close to the gills as possible, before wearing masking makeup & a high collar with a tie to ensure his gills never peak out from his shirt.

It limits his normal comfortable way of breathing, but hes been doing it so long that he doesnt remember what it feels like, and thus isn't bothered by it anymore, as his gills dont open up fully anymore unless submerged under water for a long period of time.

Why is he so insistant about thomas drinking the healthy recommended amount of water? Because if Logan didn’t, he'd suffer migraines and get sick from being dehydrated in easily less than half the time it'd take for Thomas or any of the others to reach

Why doesnt he ever go swimming with the others? Because if he did, there's no gaurantee his body would let him leave the water after refusing to so much as even soak in a bathtub for years at this point

Hell, his body might even go into shock at that point.

No idea how his reveal would go, but the idea of the others spraying him with water spray bottles when he is over-dry and resultingly irritable has been brought up as an additional idea by @this-is-ske(my lovely frien who lets me info dumb abt all my aus so we can shout abt them together) and my only thought is that Logan is spiteful and petty enough to snatch a spray bottle and spray them right back.

He often needs to spray himself with water, even if he’d had a shower not two hours ago, because his scales dry out very quickly and its sensory hell in combination with even the softest of dress pants.

But the years of neglect slowly turned his shimmery sapphire blue scales into dulled greyblue, as a result from being dried out and flakey and unhealthy for so long.

He tries not to think about it too hard when he's forced to look at them.

Remus wouldn’t hesitate to toss post-reveal(and post-recovery)! Logan full out into a fucking pool, or just hop into one and drag him in with. "Dry Fishies are irritated fishies, be like me! Get wet and feel better!" *Cue Remus eye brow waggle that reflects to the rest of his tentacle arms*

No but srsly remus and janus finding iut and going "oh HELL no" bc janus knows what its like to not take care of your scales properly and Remus knows what its like to dry out.

Imagine the additional angst when Janus finds out not only about the scales but the gills on his ribs and neck too, and feels SUPREMELY guilty bc of the crook yank he did

"Its fine, its not like I could breath out of them anymore, they just bruised a bit longer" *even more concerned and upset Janus noises*

"What do you mean you cant breath out of them anymore!"

" ..One day they just wouldn't open? Sort of like the equivalent of a stuffed nose, except that they never reopened because they'd fully dried out, I think."

"I swear to god Logan I wish I could strangle you," *cue Janus wapping Logan w/ a rolled up paper, Edna Mode style, lecturing* "One day! You'll understand! Self care! Is good! For you!"

Cue them finally bullying Logan into taking care of them but no longer hiding the scales as the ones on his arms start coming back, but still greyblue, bc at this point Logan doesnt even want to deal with the immediate headache of them learning right off the bat that they Shouldnt Look Like That. He doesnt even really believe that they'll ever change back to their once brilliant blue, thinking it just a fluke with their age or something.

It takes months.

And then one day he wakes up, having been sleeping in the imagination with Remus, having indulged in underwater sleeping as a healing therapy, made better only by the fact that Remus is a rly good cuddler, and his tentacles keep them both locked together in the water, *and* one anchors them so they don't drift away in their sleep.

Remus is staring at him, his chest to be exact, where new patches of scales had been growing to meet in the middle around the gills on his ribs. He looks down and notices theres an uneven patch of brilliant blue peaking out from the sea of comparably grey scales. Then he notes that multiple patches of scales are slowly regaining their hue. It doesn't take long for the others to put two and two together about sick fish with dull scales. It confirms Logan had been sick for Years, and was only Just healing to a beginning state of equilibrium.

For some comfort w/ all this angst, when Logan does see his blue scales for the first time? He smiles, he smiles so wide at Remus. Remus probably falls in love with the way Logan's gills flare out prettily in time with Logan's smile. Logans finally convinced to take care of himself, and the first glimpse of progress has him Beaming for Days.

#sanders sides #logan sanders #platonic dlampr #intrulogical #logan angst #luka writes #luka’s aus #platonic loceit #romantic intrulogical #ask to tag #hurt/comfort

[dandelionflower]

She sings alone

When they got to the room, Adrien was sitting at an enormous piano, playing a jaunty tune and bouncing in his seat. He wasn’t even looking at the keys, his eyes roaming the room and choosing to stick on-

Lila.

Oh.

Okay, maybe he hadn’t seen her come in. After all, the piano was really big, so even if Adrien was looking directly at the door, he might not have seen them come in.

Lila danced around the room, orange skirt warping around her legs as she spun near to Alya and pulled her deeper into the spacious closet, taking one of her hands and joining it with Nino, leading the pair in a quick-paced dance until she was satisfied that they would carry it on without her.

Adrien’s eyes stayed on her, closing slightly as he allowed for a fond smile.

Okay, okay fine. That was fine. Adrien was allowed to watch his friends! Even if his friend was (ugh) Lila. Marinette drifted further into the room, keeping to the walls as other friends mimicked Alya and Nino’s lively movements.

Finally, (finally!) Adrien’s eyes caught hers and he gave her a cocky wink as the song he was playing changed bit by bit until it was the accompaniment to her favorite pop song; one they had sung together on their way back from their first date.

Marinette’s lips turned up in a fond smile (she really couldn’t resist those green eyes, huh?) as she took a deep breath and-

“Living in my own world...” Lila hummed out the starting notes, approaching the piano with a coy smile, like Adrien was doing this for her. “Didn’t understand…”

Marinette dug her fingernails into the heel of her hand. This was fine. This was fine. Nothing wrong with a couple of friends singing a song together! Even if it happens to be one of the friends’ girlfriend’s favorite.

Lila hopped up on top of the piano, turning her waist so that while her knees faced one of the walls, her torso was pointed directly towards Adrien, so Marinette wasn’t even able to see what sort of expressions she was making.

...not that she needed to. Because she wasn’t. No one liked a jealous girlfriend, and anyway, Adrien knew Lila was a liar! So there’s no way he could be interested.

Lila leaned forwards, recapturing Adrien’s attention from the keys and forcing it back to her face. Adrien tensed in surprise, but seemed to relax even more than he previously was once his eyes landed back on Lila’s face.

Aaaaaand that was that. She needed to step out for a second.

Marinette pushed off of the wall and began traversing through the dancing pairs, eyes on the doorway. She had only made it halfway when Alix grabbed her and began leading her in an odd dance of her own.

“My usual partners are a bit occupied.” She quipped, jerking her head towards Kim, who was trying fruitlessly to get Chloe to join him on the floor. Nathaniel and Max had their own partners as well, though Sabrina and Marc seemed a bit more acquiessing than Kim’s intended. “Thought since you weren’t dancing, you’d like to join me.”

Marinette remembered all the times Alix had protested cancelling or even postponing class dances due to scheduling. During Bubbler, Alix almost seemed disappointed for the party to be over. Even though she never claimed to be as formal as her father, it was clear that she loved dancing in a crowd with only another person as her anchor in the waves of people.

She put on an encouraging smile, not looking at whatever scene was happening by the piano. Alix was her friend, and if she wanted to be dancing, they would dance.

“Sure thing. Thanks for thinking of me.” Marinette could focus on this, just this, until the song was over and she could go, or, even better, join Adrien by the piano.

It wasn’t a problem, until at the end of the song, Adrien’s voice harmonized with Lila’s in a chord that was so beautiful, it shattered her heart in more ways than one. Alix spun Marinette and between rotations she saw how close the two were, and how excited Adrien seemed. She caught her in a dip and Adrien pressed the keys in the final note, everyone separating from their partners to applaud the musical duo.

“That was great, you guys!” Nino placed a hand on both of their shoulders. “A match made in heaven!” His eyes caught Marinette’s and he amended his statement. “A professional match made in business heaven?”

Lila laughed and gave a mock bow. “Thanks, Nino. I wasn’t really planning on singing; after the rock slide accident where I had to call for help in the freezing cold for hours, I didn’t think my vocal cords would be up to it, but when I heard my favorite song start playing, I guess it was just instinct.” She shrugged in a gesture of humility that was about as real as the rest of her.

“Well, your instincts were great.” Adrien commented, standing up from the piano bench and giving her one of his wholesome smiles. “I really enjoyed playing with you.”

“Likewise.” Lila smiled back until her gaze wandered to Marinette. (Of course, everyone but her boyfriend was looking at Marinette (nope, no not bitter at all)) “Oh, Marinette! You’re still doing the costumes right?”

Marinette nodded, once, teeth grit into a smile.

“I found the most beautiful dress,” she spun to a box that was sitting by the wall, picking it up to bring it to Marinette and show her the red silk inside, “and I’d really love it if you’d modify it for me?” She tilted her head forwards and gave Marinette pitiful eyes. As if she didn’t already know Marinette couldn’t say no in front of everyone.

“Of course. I’d just need your measurements and what you want me to do with the dress.” She could be a ventriloquist with how little she was moving her mouth.

“Great!” She pulled out the bottom of the dress, showing off a familiar skirt. It was the dress from the picture. “I’d really like it if you could make it more form-fitting, less poofy, you know?”

“Don’t you think we should ask if we can modify these dresses before we make any decisions?” Please don’t make me ruin such an incredible dress. “Technically, they are historical artifacts.”

“Grace said you could redesign the costumes, right?” Alya tapped at her phone and pulled up a recording she had made.

“Your main job will be refitting and redesigning all the costumes for your friends.” Grace’s digitized voice affirmed Lila’s request.

“That settles it then,” at least one of her teeth must have cracked by now, right? “I’ll just get your measurements and edit the skirt. I’ll need to do it some other time, since I don’t have my-”

“Measuring tape?” Lila whipped out a stylized tape from the box. It was rose gold and was almost calling to her. “I found this near the dress. I’m sure it will work.”

Marinette took the device reverently, running her thumb over the engraved vines on the sides before catching herself and looking up.

“That’ll work. Can you hold your arms out?”

Marinette took Lila’s measurements with a practice ease, and rechecked before typing her numbers and desired modifications into a document on her phone. When she looked up, she was surrounded by boxes and her friends, looking at her with hopeful eyes, as well as a stack of suits of each boy, none of whom seemed to care.

“Okay, what do you want changed? I already have your measurements.” She knelt down and sat beside Lila’s box, letting her friends come to her. This was her favorite part about designing; giving people what they wanted and making them look however they liked.

Rose and Alix both wanted the fabrics from their dresses converted into suits. That was easy enough. Alya found a sweet orange dress that she just needed refitted. Juleka muttered something about “less wide, but still swishy.” Mylene wanted the opposite; to give her dress a larger diameter.

All in all, Lila’s would probably take the longest, because she wanted all the complexities of the intricate gown to be stripped off and for the silk to be repurposed as a cocktail dress.

Marinette nodded to herself and began stacking boxes, looking up at her friends who were still standing awkwardly nearby.

“Guys, these are way too many boxes for one person to carry; let’s each grab a box and take them to Marinette’s room!” Lila chirped, leaning down to pick up her dress, the hem of it dragging on the grimy closet floor.

Everyone murmured an agreement and picked up their respective costumes, filing out the door. Marinette was the last one out, but just as she was about to step out, she found herself face-to-face with Lila.

“You haven’t found your dress yet, have you Marinette?” Her voice was saccharine sweet, but with the masked loathing that Marinette found herself recognizing whenever Lila spoke to her. “Why don’t you spend more time in the closets?”

Before she could realize what was happening, the closet door had slammed in her face and clicked with what Marinette was certain was a lock.

“Oh no, Marinette!” She heard Lila’s muffled ‘concern’ through the door.

“What happened?” Alya’s voice grew louder as she approached the door, or, more likely, Lila.

“Marinette stopped to tie her shoe and I must have bumped the door closed by accident. I feel so guilty.” Sure, and the tears Lila was crying right now weren’t crocodiles.

“It’s fine girl,” Alya reassured her (no, it wasn’t fine!), “I’m sure Marinette will forgive you. Here, give me your box; I’ll take it upstairs while you go find someone who can get her out.”

“Right.” The sound of receding footsteps; they must have left. “Just as soon as I have a chat with one mister Agreste.” ...or not. There was a cheery ring of the phone, and Lila’s smug tone melted into something more pathetic. “Adrien! Come back downstairs, quick! I’ll meet you at the front desk.” Lila chuckled and left with a single knock at the closet door.

...Great. She was stuck. Through sheer habit from akuma attacks, Marinette traced all four walls with a finger, looking for another secret passage, or even a normal one at this point. Nothing, because of course when she’s comfortable she finds a random exit, but not when she actually needs it.

She groaned and fell back against the wall, sliding to the ground and tilting her head back so she could close her eyes and pretend she wasn’t actually in this situation.

The people I’m closest to either don’t know what’s going on or think it’s handled. She thought morosely. So I might as well get comfortable.

Just as she was about to let herself take a little cat nap (she could hear Chat Noir snickering now), she heard a trill come from the piano. Her eyes cracked open and slid to the corner of the room with the instrument, thinking that maybe one of her friends stayed behind.

But no one was there.

Marinette’s curiosity won out and she approached the keys. They pressed down in a few familiar chords; another one of her favorite songs. She wasn’t really sure how self-playing pianos worked, but it must have been ‘programmed’ with some of the more recent pop songs, despite the fact that the room looked like it had been untouched for years, aside from their recent discovery of it.

Shrugging, she sat down at the bench, watching as the keys continued playing the introduction to her second favorite song. She had nothing better to do, why not?

“I’ve got a lot of things I have to do… All these distractions, our future’s coming soon…”

She sang through the entire song, leaning to her left side occasionally, like some other person was sitting beside her; someone that hadn’t left. Marinette closed her eyes and adopted the illusion of company. Blond hair, beautiful eyes, a teasing grin- no a half-smile, like he’s hiding how much he’s enjoying this. Even though he knows she knows he loves it, just like she does.

Just like she loves him. Her grumpy dork. Her Fe-

There was a clatter near the door, and it crumpled, revealing Allegra, leg out in front of her like she had just kicked it down. Which she probably had.

“Marinette? Lost again?” Her laugh seemed shaken, nervous. She had expected to see someone else.

“Something like that.” She matched the laugh; Allegra’s business was her business. Not Marinette’s.

“Well, come on out.” She gestured over her shoulder. “Your friends are looking for you.”

They walked together out of the ballroom and into the main entrance of the building, where Alix and Kim accosted her immediately.

“Marinette! We need your help. Nino’s gone missing?”

~

“Grace!” Allegra barrelled into the room like a tornado. “He’s here! He’s manifesting.”

Her clipboard clattered to the floor as Grace’s knees buckled. “What? What are you talking about?”

“Felix! He’s here.”

Grace sighed. “Felix is an apparition, ‘Legra. Barely even a poltergeist. He has a mild presence, but there’s no way you could have actually seen him.”

“Oh yeah?” Allegra whipped her head at her, flames in her eyes. “Earlier today, I found Marinette in the hall of portraits. She said she followed a black cat through a tunnel.”

“Well- that could have been-”

“And, and just a minute ago, I heard the piano playing and singing. When I came into the closet; it was just Marinette. She thought the piano was self playing, Grace. As in, she wasn’t the one playing.”

“Felix didn’t play the piano.” Grace reminded her. “Bridge did, because-”

“Because her voice sounded like a dozen murder victims, I know.” Allegra rolled her eyes. “But it was Felix who taught her how to play. Gracie, it’s him.”

“It’s not.” Grace glared at her. “There’s no way he could be coming back so soon.”

“Fine, keep being ignorant. But I’m telling Finny, and he’ll believe me.” Allegra stormed out of the room, turning over her shoulder only once. “Oh, and it looks like Nicky has come out to play, so get ready to handle that.”

……

The rest

@merry-madness @calliopeia @drama-queen-supreme @kaydenth3gayden @mcheang @nomiegnome @never-say-donuts @vixen-uchiha @miracul0us-multishipper @hauntedfreakdeputyhero @chocolatecustarddanish @iwantswifttoblessmysoul @digitalmagpie @ilseofskadi @nerdy-and-a-little-birdy @minty-goose @nataladriana9 @aestheticnpoetic @constellation-king @animegirlweeb @persephonebutkore @ahalloweengirl @r0sebutch @marinettepotterandplagg @beelzzebop @akalovelymaybe @pleasefollowmeuwu @angelost4r @constancetruggle @speaknowtome @some-oxymoron @nerdy-scifi-birdy @purplesundaze @aestheticnpoetic @neptuningkai @2confused-2doanything @goggles-mcgee @grumpy-kitten-vixen @artemisdragona @lookatthestars1 @demonicbusiness @toodaloo-kangaroo @crazylittlemunchkin @vice-artist

#felinette #marinette dupain cheng #ml marinette #ml salt #ml felix #ml adrien #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #felix agreste #Felix Culpa #ml haunted mansion #haunted mansion au #yes I did use high school musical songs because I’m unorginal

[pangolin-404]

Source of (most of) the background dialogue in The Mind Electric:

These are best heard via the instrumental, but the full version works fine, too.

2:17 - 2:43:

"Oh, Suzy!"

"Yes, a sloop! And then they sail off and dump you on the beach in Timbuktu."

"They couldn't sail off and dump me on the beach in Timbuktu."

"Why not?"

"Because Timbuktu happens to be in the middle of the Saharan desert."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. Now please tie an anchor to that imagination of yours."

"Okay, Mr. Holiday, but if you wind up on the other side of the world, please don't write me a letter about your voyage."

"No?"

"No. Just reading about the ocean makes me seasick."

This is an excerpt from a YouTube video called "Alan Ladd in Box 13 (Box Thirteen): Shanghaied (1948 Old-time radio)", starting at 2:35. This follows the theme of sailing that other songs, such as Stranded Lullaby and Dream Sweet in Sea Major, have, connecting them to TME.

Next up in TME is an excerpt from Apology by Plato, read by Rob Neufeld. (Good luck trying to find where it's from, it's over an hour long, all I know is that it's from this[<- give this a listen]):

2:34 "But by some sort of genius and inspiration, they are like diviners and soothsayers who also say many fine things, but do not understand them."

This is more blunt. Plato went to court and plead his case, as our buddy Resident Simon does. I don't know anything about this situation, so more connections might be there.

If anyone knows where the audio around 1:03 ("I, too" / "I hate this, I hate this") and 2:02 ("They hopefully need no power for my mind." / "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. YOU OUGHT TO BE") is from, feel free to tell me. This song's got secrets in it still being dug up!

#thoughts #miracle musical posting #miracle musical #the mind electric #hawaii part ii

[docockbrainrot]

i think i want you (to leave)

Summary: We’re all running from something. Sometimes, metaphorically. Sometimes, literally. Literally running, from the very strangely hypnotizing supervillain that seems hellbent on ruining every bit of your life he can get all eight of his limbs on.

Pairing: Doc Ock X Reader/ Otto Octavius X Reader

Content: Slow Burn, NSFW eventually, 18+

AO3 link here.

Previous Chapter

Chapter 5

anathema// former vandal

The next several days are an uneventful blur. You barely leave your apartment, except for brief dog walks and grabbing food from the bodega across the street.

It’s 9 pm on Saturday and you’re fresh out of the shower, tucked away in a very fuzzy robe, lounging on the couch and watching YouTube on your television. You almost miss the subtle taptaptaptap sound coming from your window, you're so engrossed in the cooking show you’ve been binging. Gotta fill the void somehow, right?

You can’t see anything outside from where you’re sitting. The lights are on and make it impossible to peer through the reflections on the glass. Maybe it’s a bird. Or a branch is caught on the fire escape. Either way, you certainly can’t be assed to check it out and you take another sip of your chamomile tea- you’ve been trying everything under the sun, just about short of literally snorting lines of melatonin, to try to sleep better at night. Nothing’s been working. But you have been making a very valiant effort.

A few moments go by and you forget all about the window disturbance until,

TAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAPTAP.

It’s jarring. It’s loud. Above all else, it’s annoying. Chekov spares you a look, like you’re the one making a racket. Effectively exasperated, you make an effort to set, not slam, down your mug, feeling decidedly not Calm and Relaxed as the tea promised. Suppose it’s not miracle shit though, is it? You would not be a good candidate for a horror movie because you fearlessly storm over to the window and throw it open (it wasn’t locked in the first place; you’re quite terrible at remembering to). You stick your head out and glower at whatever irritating mischief is happening out here, ready to rip the fire escape off the side of the brick building.

You’re greeted by something cold and hard (and indubiously metal, judging by how it felt against your sternum) shoving you back into your apartment, sending you sprawling unceremoniously to the hardwood floor. A string of profanities ready to leave your tongue, you sit up and adjust your robe in an attempt to preserve a modicum of your modesty. The rant dies in your throat as red eyed claws grip the threshold of your pre-war window and it’s almost comical the way He maneuvers himself in, far too large to be making these sorts of entrances. Standing up to his full height before you while you’re still sitting dumbfounded on the floor reminds you of just how impressively built he is. You manage to pick your jaw up, but your ass remains firmly planted on the wood.

“Uh… you could have just used the buzzer, dude. I have a front door, you know,” you sputter out, brain blitzing in pretty much every way possible. Your thoughts are racing and eventually they settle on the most important thing you can think to ask in that moment: “... Why aren’t you wearing a shirt.” You can't help the way your eyes are drawn to his broad chest, gaze lingering on the vast scarring that spills out from the metal contraption clamped around his midsection.

Otto very graciously closes the window behind himself. Or at least his little robot accomplices do it for him. You still aren’t sure what’s going on with that- the whole AI thing. Not even a blip on your radar of concerns at this point. “Didn’t want anyone to see me come in. Your building has a camera on the front, facing the street.”

“That’s why you’re shirtless?” You ask dumbly. Interesting method of camouflage. “What? No- what? It doesn’t matter- listen to me. I need you to do something for me. A small favor.”

He doesn’t seem to notice the compromised position he put you in. Typical. Gathering up your broken pride, you get up and tighten the tie of your robe a bit. It isn’t until then that he has the decency to look a smidge embarrassed and you hope you didn't just give him a free show on your way to getting to your feet. “You literally just broke into my apartment and now you’re asking for a favor? We barely know each other!”

“Less complicated when there's nothing personal involved yet, plus- you let me in,” he corrects you. You wish he would stop doing that. You wish he would stop meeting with you like this, under weird and mysterious circumstances. Even though it's only been like twice. You're already over it.

“You threw me across the room!”

“Touche.”

Otto does not apologize and you did not sincerely expect him to. The look on his face reads more like the cat that got the canary than regretful. You feel as though you’ve come to recognize that expression on his face and you also feel as though you don’t much like the fact that you’ve enough encounters with this man that you can recognize a damn thing about him. “What… could you possibly need me to do for you? I am not robbing a bank.” You just want to get that out into the open as soon as possible.

“I don’t need your help robbing a bank,” he snorts as if the idea is preposterous and you take a moment to feel insulted. Wow. Okay. You could totally rob a bank if you wanted to. Deciding to not comment on your wounded ego, you let him get to the point. Otto pulls something out of his inner coat pocket. It's some kind of rolled up paper and you think at first maybe it's a newspaper or magazine. He unfurls it onto the coffee table and holds it open with two metal claws on either side so it doesn't ravel itself back up.

You realize it's a blueprint. "This is… Oscorp," you point out stupidly, brow furrowing in confusion. There's levels to what's happening here. Layers upon layers, melding together with rot and decay and you can all but smell it. But there's something missing, something that would tie all of the wackjob shit that's been happening to you and around you together. It feels like when you have a very particular thought and then walking into another room makes it dissolve from your head. You're trying to grasp for it, to fit the puzzle pieces together, but it's just out of reach.

"Yes. It is. I have a small task I need you to do," Otto starts off, metal phalanges pushing his glasses up onto the top of his head as he looks over at you. For the first time, you can see his eyes in the light. The warm amber feels like a mockery- you have seen his cruelty in action.

"Where did you get this?"

"Does it matter?" Of course he'd say that.

Your fingertips brush against the metaphorical wayward chain link. It's right there. You just have to grab it and pull it back to you, like the anchor of a ship before it can set sail.

He's talking. You aren't listening. He's tracing a finger over the schematics. You don't see it. Realization washes over you in a heart-dropping tsunami. The voicemail you got from Oscorp plays like a broken record in your mind. 'Hello, Y/N. We're calling in regards to your employment status here at Oscorp. Unfortunately, due to a breach of security, we are having to make staffing cuts and are going to have to let you go. We appreciate your time and effort and wish you the best of luck in your next endeavor.' It didn't make sense at the time. A lot of things didn't. You replay the scene of poor David, desperately pleading for his life at the hands of the man hunched over here, just in your living room. You mentally re-run it over and over like bad 80s sitcoms on late night television.

"Lab Coat Guy…"

You don't realize you whispered it out loud until Otto goes silent.

"What?"

You slowly look at him and take a single step backwards, shaking your head. The company embroidered on David's lab coat hadn't been clear to you in the moment- but it's crystal in hindsight. Oscorp. "You got me fired." Your tone is flat, until anger flashes through you, like a streak of lightning through a dark, moonless sky, illuminating all of things that didn’t make sense before.

"It doesn't matter. What I need you to do-" He's so nonchalant, so blasé that it only stokes the embers of frustration until there's a roaring blaze burning beneath your skin. It's all about him, what he needs, what he wants. He has the nerve, the audacity, to keep traipsing into your life, kicking you while you're down and then ask for favors? You want to say all of that to him but unfortunately for you, you're an angry crier. Your outburst of bravery at him the last time you saw each other had surprised even you- but now there's so much more emotion roiling around inside you.

"No. No, no. Fuck you. You got me fired! I can't- I can't not have a job, I have to pay rent! You could get me arrested for just talking to you!" Oscorp had you canned to tie up any potential loose ends before anymore Davids could slip through the cracks. You think about how scared the poor dude must have been, threatened into stealing blueprints from the biggest corporation in the city, for one of the most infamous criminals. You don't know how they found out you were even remotely involved and you don't want to know.

Tears are streaming down your cheeks and once the floodgates have opened you're very familiar with how long it's going to take to close them again. After all you've been bottling this up since you found out, too disappointed to even tell any of your friends or family.

Otto appears taken aback, to say the least. He even looks like he's at a loss for words; that's a first. You know he could kill you where you stand in the blink of an eye, but in that moment you don’t even care. You’ve been trying so hard for so long to get on your feet, to do things for yourself and get away from the past. You moved across the country, you left everything behind, you got a damn dog. It seems like every time you manage to take a step forward in life, you’re knocked flat on your ass, apparently literally sometimes. It isn’t fair. Things don’t come easily to you, you’ve always had to work for them. You aren’t wealthy, you aren’t a supergenius, you’re just… you. The job at Oscorp was good money and you really felt like you were getting your shit together for a while.

“They’re not who you think they are,” he says finally, so calmly, with such carefulness about his words, that you sniffle pathetically and look up at him. He doesn’t look nearly as pleased with himself as you thought he might. And here you’ve been, under the impression that he gets off on hurting people. “Oscorp. I’m not… I’m not just doing this for me. You have to understand that.”

The schematics are furled up and tucked away. You make the mistake of meeting his eyes. Maybe it’s just the tears that blur your vision, but you swear you see a softness there before they’re hidden away again by his glasses.

He lingers at the window.

“I hope you’ll reconsider.” And then he was making his exit, even taking care to gently close the window on the way out. But he raps on the glass with his knuckles from where he stands on the fire escape and you know the look of confusion on your tear-streaked face speaks for itself. Otto points to the latches on the window. ‘Lock it.’ He mouths before he’s gone, presumably to wreak havoc and harass other unsuspecting young women that don’t want anything to do with him.

You thought everything had come together- but the more sense you make of it, the less you seem sure of the bigger picture. You aren't even sure exactly what he wanted you to do.

You’re left with an endless bounty of questions, and not enough answers to satisfy any of them.

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