#Video Note: The spacing between “me” and “10” is just... like that. It's not an extra space. It's just the font being like that.

[raystranslationsfestival]

Dependable Older Brother.

Type: Skit. Character: Luke (First Skit). Characters Featured: Luke, Yuri.

Translation, recording, subbing by Shi. Proofread by Yewfelle.

[matt-murdockk]

Nine-Nine!

an extremely self indulgent brooklyn 99 and criminal minds crossover

pairing: spencer reid x reader (with a tiny bit of almost jake peralta x reader for funsies)

words: 3.0k

warnings: none, this is fluff and comedy <3

summary: Spencer Reid’s grip on sanity? Loose. (Y/n)’s patience? Tested. Jake Peralta? Accidentally in the middle of a romcom finale with no snacks. There’s banter, jealousy, a tasered vending machine, and one (1) emergency love confession.

a/n: crossover episode my beloved; this was extremely fun to write lolllllll, hope you like it <3

Spencer was already three tangents deep into the geographic profile, talking fast, hands moving like the words were trying to escape faster than his brain could handle. (Y/n) had learned years ago to just let him go. He’d loop back around eventually. Usually.

“The spacing of the disposal sites suggests he’s sticking to a routine. All within a tight radius— three miles or so. That kind of pattern almost always means it’s familiar territory. Could be work, could be home base. Most likely night shifts, given the dump times— between 2:10 and 3:30 a.m. Which means fewer witnesses, less traffic—”

“Or he just likes moonlight and solitude,” (Y/n) said absently, scribbling something in her notebook. “Creepy guys tend to romanticize the weirdest stuff.”

Spencer didn’t look up. “That’s… statistically consistent with other narcissistic or compulsive offenders, actually.”

She glanced over at him. “You know you could just say ‘you’re right.’ It won’t kill you.”

He did look at her then, quick, with the faintest smirk pulling at his mouth. “I’m not sure I’ve tested that hypothesis thoroughly enough to risk it.”

She snorted. “Tragic. I thought you loved me.”

Spencer didn’t miss a beat. “I do. But not enough to sacrifice academic integrity.”

“Wow.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Wounded. Devastated. Utterly betrayed.”

“Noted,” he murmured, turning back to his screen with an annoyingly smug look.

Derek leaned forward from his seat across the aisle. “Are y’all gonna do this the whole flight?”

JJ didn’t even look up from her file. “They’re gonna do this the whole case.”

“I’m sitting right here,” (Y/n) called over.

“And yet, you keep doing this,” Emily muttered, sipping her coffee. “Every case. Without fail.”

Spencer turned his tablet toward (Y/n), pretending not to hear them. “There are five possible buildings inside the comfort zone. Abandoned commercial spaces, all accessible. No cameras.”

She leaned closer, squinting at the screen. “That one. Tucked behind the construction site. No visibility from the road.”

He nodded. “I had that ranked third.”

“I outrank your list.”

“You outrank logic?”

“I outrank you, Reid.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Bold claim for someone who once tripped over their own shoelaces during a takedown.”

“You’re never letting that go, are you.”

“Absolutely not.”

(Y/n) sighed, grabbing her coffee and slumping back in her seat. “You’re lucky I find your chaos charming.”

Spencer, without looking up, murmured, “You’re lucky I find you charming.”

And just like that, she paused.

It wasn’t even the words�� it was the way he said it. Like it was obvious. Like it wasn’t meant to land the way it did.

Her fingers stilled on the coffee cup. Just for a second. Then she shook her head, eyes narrowing. “You trying to throw me off before we hit the ground? Because that’s a dirty tactic, Reid.”

He smiled, faint. “If I wanted to throw you off, I’d bring up that time you accidentally used your taser on the vending machine.”

“That was one time.”

“I still have the video.”

Derek threw up his hands. “Okay, I need noise-canceling headphones or a fire alarm. One or the other.”

“Let them have their foreplay,” Rossi grumbled from behind his paper. “Just as long as it doesn’t slow down the case.”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, but she didn’t stop smiling. Not even a little.

And Spencer? He didn’t say anything else.

But his knee brushed against hers under the table.

And he didn’t move it.

——————————————————————————————————

The precinct was pure, barely-contained chaos. Phones ringing, printers jamming, someone yelling “I said decaf!” from the breakroom. (Y/n) stepped in behind the team, her eyes scanning the flurry with the kind of calm that only came from years of being thrown headfirst into crime scenes that smelled like old pizza and adrenaline.

Then— like he was summoned by the gods of caffeine and chaos— a voice cut through the noise.

“FBI? Oh thank god. Tell me you’re the FBI. If one more lieutenant hands me a case file on raccoon-related vandalism, I’m going to start speaking in riddles.”

The guy had two coffees in one hand, a folder under his arm, and the kind of face that said yes, I’m sleep-deprived, but I’ve made it part of my personality now.

“Detective Jake Peralta,” he added, stepping forward and immediately handing one of the coffees off to a passing officer. “You must be the reinforcements. Welcome to our deeply unfortunate circus.”

(Y/n) stepped forward with a polite smile. “Agent (Y/l/n), BAU.”

Jake looked at her and forgot what vowels were.

“Oh. Cool. Yeah. Wow.” He blinked. “Hi. Sorry. That was… a very professional reaction to a federal agent. I’m super normal.”

(Y/n) raised an eyebrow, amused. “Totally. You look extremely normal.”

Jake pointed at her like he was confirming her existence for himself. “And funny. She’s funny, too. Great. Just awesome.”

Spencer, two steps behind her, tilted his head the tiniest bit. Not enough to be obvious. Just enough that Emily, walking next to him, noticed immediately.

“So,” Jake said, already spinning on his heel and motioning them toward the evidence board, “we’ve got three victims, matching M.O., a dump site triangle, and a ton of questions. I’d love to walk you through it. Bonus: I also know where the best snacks are hidden in this precinct. Critical intel.”

“Let me guess,” (Y/n) said, falling into step beside him, “you keep gummy bears in a murder folder?”

Jake gave her a wide-eyed, deeply serious nod. “Listen, I can’t solve murder with low blood sugar. That’s just biology. Forensics and fruit snacks— two pillars of modern justice.”

She actually laughed, bumping her shoulder lightly into his. “That’s what you’re going with? Fruit snacks and felony charges?”

“Look,” he said, glancing at her with a grin, “some people have badges, some have instincts— I have a snack drawer and a vibe.”

(Y/n) shot him a look. “And a lot of confidence, apparently.”

“It’s the only thing holding me together.”

Spencer, still watching from behind, clenched his jaw and stared very intently at the murder board— as if sheer willpower would make Jake Peralta spontaneously combust.

Derek leaned over slightly. “You good?”

“I’m fine,” Spencer said. Way too quickly.

“Uh-huh.”

(Y/n) looked over her shoulder, smiling. “Spencer, you coming?”

Spencer blinked. “Right behind you.”

Emily raised an eyebrow as he passed, giving him that look— the one that meant I know, and I’m about to say it out loud.

He walked faster.

Behind them, Emily whispered to JJ, “We have now entered full-blown Jealous Spencer territory.”

JJ winced sympathetically. “He doesn’t stand a chance.”

——————————————————————————————————

The dump site was taped off, abandoned and eerie in the late afternoon light. A narrow alley backed by cracked concrete walls, discarded furniture, and silence— except for the occasional buzz of Spencer’s pen clicking in his pocket. Repeatedly.

Jake and (Y/n) were walking ahead of the rest of the group, ducking under the tape, their steps crunching through gravel.

“Okay,” Jake said, scanning the alley. “I know it’s not exactly a five-star view, but I promise this is the cleanest murder site we’ve had all week. That’s a weird sentence.”

(Y/n) laughed. “It’s fine. We spend half our lives in parking lots and basements. Honestly, this is kind of charming.”

Jake pointed at a tipped-over dumpster. “Ah, yes. Classic small-town ambiance.”

She crouched near a drainpipe, tilting her head. “He’s dumping at night. No cameras. But the dumpster’s too obvious— too accessible. He’s not just hiding the bodies, he’s watching them.”

Jake blinked. “Okay. That’s… both creepy and very insightful. You do this a lot?”

She looked up at him, playful. “Solve murders? Yeah. Flirt at them? Not usually.”

He smirked, a little lopsided. “Hey, I haven’t even started flirting yet. That was just me being charming.”

“Oh, just charming?” she teased.

Jake leaned against the wall, watching her. “Let me know when you’re ready for the full Peralta experience. It includes sarcasm, emotional baggage, and an impressive knowledge of Die Hard trivia.”

(Y/n) stood, brushing off her knees. “That’s a lot to take in on a first crime scene.”

He grinned. “So you’re saying there’ll be a second?”

A beat. Just a pause. She didn’t answer right away.

Spencer, across the lot with Derek and Emily, had stopped mid-sentence, his entire expression shifted from mildly focused to openly horrified.

“She’s laughing,” he said flatly.

Emily glanced up from her notes. “Yeah, that tends to happen when people are enjoying themselves.”

“With him.”

“Oh no,” Derek muttered. “We’ve lost him.”

The rest of the team returned to the SUV, but Emily stayed behind, as if she knew this wasn't done yet.

“She’s laughing at his jokes,” Spencer repeated, eyes still locked on the two figures across the alley.

“She laughs at yours,” Emily said.

“That’s different. She knows mine are objectively not funny.”

“Okay, you know what?” Emily snapped her folder shut. “We’re doing this now. Let’s go, Genius.”

Spencer blinked as she grabbed his elbow and dragged him toward the SUV.

“What? No— I’m working.”

“You’re spiraling,” she corrected. “And doing it in a crime scene, which is new.”

Behind them, (Y/n) was still talking to Jake, standing closer now, arms crossed and leaning in like she didn’t even realize she was doing it.

Spencer’s voice dropped. “Emily, I’m fine.”

“You’re jealous,” she said, eyes sharp. “And for a guy who can read microexpressions from thirty feet away, you are shockingly bad at clocking your own.”

“I don’t get jealous,” he said, almost insulted.

She gave him a look.

“…Okay, I am jealous,” he admitted under his breath. “But I don’t know what to do about that.”

Emily leaned against the SUV, watching Spencer like she was trying to figure out whether she needed to slap sense into him or hug him. Maybe both. Probably both.

He was pacing. Not frantically, just… tightly. Hands in his pockets, jaw tense, doing that thing where his eyes tracked the ground like the answers were written there.

“I mean, it’s fine,” he said finally, like he was trying to convince the air. “She’s allowed to laugh at someone else’s jokes. I’m not— entitled to anything.”

Emily stayed quiet.

He glanced back at the alley where (Y/n) was standing with Jake. She was leaning on one foot, comfortable. She looked happy. And it gutted him.

“It’s just— he’s charming,” Spencer muttered. “And funny. And he’s got that whole casual swagger thing going on. I mean, who even has swagger in 2025? Apparently, Jake does. And she’s… she’s smiling.”

“You’re allowed to be upset,” Emily said, her voice soft, even.

Spencer didn’t answer. His hands were twitching in his pockets now.

“I’ve had… crushes,” he said finally, like it was painful to admit even that much. “A few. Not a lot. But some. And usually they’re easy to understand. You think someone’s cute. You like their voice. You want them to notice you.”

He shook his head.

“This isn’t that.”

Emily just watched him.

“I notice everything,” he went on, his voice quieter now. “Not because I’m profiling her. Not because I’m analyzing anything. I just… do. I know when she’s about to make a bad joke because she gets this look— like she’s proud of it already. I know she only pretends to like black coffee when we’re around local PD because she thinks it makes her look tougher.”

A pause. His voice dipped even lower.

“I know the sound of her laugh when it’s real. I know when she’s tired, even if she’s smiling. I know when she’s faking being okay. And I know when she’s actually okay. And I know that right now…” He looked up, eyes fixed on her across the lot, where she and Jake were still talking, still laughing.

“…She’s really okay. With him.”

Emily stepped closer, gentle. “Spence.”

He didn’t look at her.

“I think about her all the time,” he said, like he was just realizing it out loud. “Not in a way I… planned. Just— suddenly I’m at a bookstore and wondering if she’d like the cover of something. Or I hear a song and I can’t tell if I like it until I know if she would. It’s— constant.”

He laughed once, breathy and humorless. “And statistically, I know crushes fade. The brain adjusts. The novelty goes away. But this? This has been over a year. Maybe longer.”

Emily tilted her head. “And?”

Spencer blinked.

“…And I think I’m in love with her.”

A pause. Then—

“Oh,” he breathed. “Shit.”

Emily smiled, just barely. “Took you long enough.”

He ran both hands over his face. “I don’t— what am I supposed to do with that?”

“You tell her,” she said gently.

“What? No, I can’t.”

“You can.”

“Emily, she's quite possibly the closest friend I have. What if it ruins everything?”

Emily didn’t answer for a second. She just looked at him— really looked at him— and said, “Spencer. You're already miserable. At least ruin it with some dignity, damn it.”

He looked back at (Y/n). She was saying goodbye to Jake now, walking back toward the team, tucking her hair behind her ear like she always did when she was distracted. She looked like home.

Spencer exhaled. “Yeah. Okay. I’m completely screwed.”

Emily nodded. “Yeah. You are. Oh, and for the record, I thought I was your closest friend, and honestly, I feel so attacked right now."

"You'll live."

"Hey!" retorted Emily, followed by a smack to his arm.

——————————————————————————————————

The sun had dipped low, casting long shadows across the precinct lot. The case was wrapped, files turned in, media dodged. (Y/n) was leaning against the SUV, arms crossed, sipping from her now-cold coffee like it was still doing something.

Jake jogged up to her, slowing as he approached. Not suave. Just… trying.

“Hey,” he said, offering a lopsided smile. “So, weird question for the end of a triple homicide, but— any chance I could take you to dinner sometime?”

(Y/n) blinked. “Oh.”

She smiled, a little surprised. “Jake, you’re— great. I had fun working with you.”

Jake’s grin faltered just enough to be human. “But…?”

“But—”

“Wait!”

Both of them turned.

Spencer was standing about ten feet away, looking like he had sprinted here but didn’t want to show it. His hair was windswept, his shirt slightly crooked, and his expression somewhere between resolute and deeply alarmed.

(Y/n) blinked. “Spencer?”

Jake glanced between them. “Should I…? I can come back.”

“No, no,” Spencer said quickly, stepping forward. “You’re fine. I mean— not fine, you’re not staying. I mean, yes, you’re staying right now, I just—”

He looked at (Y/n), all the air gone from his lungs.

“I need to say something.”

(Y/n) tilted her head, cautious now. “Okay…”

Spencer glanced at Jake. Then at her. Then back at Jake.

“This is going to be weird with him here,” he muttered.

“I can pretend to be a lamp,” Jake offered, backing up slightly. “I’m excellent at furniture-based camouflage.”

“Jake,” (Y/n) said, half-laughing, “you don’t have to—”

“I really think I do,” he said, hands raised. “There’s a lot of emotion in the air and I don’t want to get hit by it.”

Spencer ignored him. His eyes stayed on her.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he said softly. “I told myself it wasn’t the right time. That we had too much to lose. That maybe I was just… projecting.”

He swallowed. “But then I watched someone else get to make you laugh. I watched you lean in, and talk like he already belonged in your world. And I realized— I’ve been pretending that I didn’t already live there.”

(Y/n)’s breath caught.

Spencer took another step closer. “I know the way you look when you’re solving a puzzle you don’t know you’ve solved yet. I know how you take your coffee differently when you’re pretending you’re fine. I know that you hum when you’re reading case files, and that you’ll always find a way to make the worst days seem funny, just to keep us all going.”

He paused, voice low. “I notice everything about you. Not because I’m profiling you. Just… because it’s you.”

Jake mouthed oh my god to himself, backing up another step.

(Y/n) stared at Spencer, wide-eyed. “You— you’ve never said any of this.”

“I didn’t know how,” Spencer admitted. “But I’m in love with you. And it took me way too long to say it. So if you’re going to say no— please do it fast, before I combust.”

Silence.

Then—

“Spencer,” she said softly, stepping toward him. “You’re an idiot.”

His face fell— until she reached out and grabbed the front of his jacket and kissed him.

It was fast. Then slow. Then somewhere in between. Like they’d been waiting for years but were still trying to catch up.

Jake, standing off to the side, made a quiet choking sound.

“I am so intruding,” he muttered. “You know what? I’m gonna go. I’m gonna walk into the woods and never come back. I’ll start a new life. Join a wolf pack. Change my name. Just... yeah.”

They didn’t hear him.

(Y/n) pulled back just slightly, forehead still resting against Spencer’s.

“You’re in love with me?”

He nodded, breathless. “Deeply. Disastrously.”

She let out a laugh— half relief, half disbelief— as her forehead rested against his. “Oh, thank God. It was killing me thinking it might just be me.”

Jake was halfway to the sidewalk when Spencer called out— without looking—

“Thank you for not asking her out.”

Jake froze. “I did. You just… intercepted mid-sentence.”

Spencer blinked. “Oh. Sorry.”

Jake clapped once. “Well, that was the best romcom finale I’ve ever witnessed. I’m gonna go cry in my car.”

He turned again, walking toward his car like a man who had just lost a bet to fate.

God, I’m never gonna hear the end of this from Rosa.

[raytoroapologist]

i think when putting together a timeline of events here it's important to remember that the black parade music video takes place 10 to 15 or so years before the patient dies, it's a flashback to his childhood when he went to see the parade, and he's not lucid at the moment the music video starts. we can assume that the planes and more scary/decrepit imagery is not from his childhood trip, but is influenced by what he's seen in the war, or the noise of the warplanes overhead while he's in the actual hospital room (correct me if im wrong, but i believe the war isn't yet over when he dies)

the imagery we have from the welcome to the black parade music video is not what the landscape of the country actually looked like, in contrast to the very real and grounded feeling the dictator trailer had. it was the last hallucinations of a dying man. a distant and dim city, war planes, a childhood memory, drawn curtains, nurses, and the beeping of medical equipment.

I think it's also worth noting the similarities between the ashes falling on the black parade and the papers/confetti falling in the new promo. you could definitely argue it's just to take up visual space, but I think the comparison is interesting nevertheless.

Here are some more obvious parallels between visuals, specifically the skylines, in chronological order. War and decay, shiny new fascism, and the ruins of (presumably, although the differences in window shape and the neons throw me off, so it may be unrelated) that same city.

the visuals of welcome to the black parade are very very inspired by german expressionist film movements, especially the cabinet or dr caligari, and the last things i wanted to point out here were the nods to that in the set of the wwwy shows with the vignette/spotlight overtop a single figure

but yea! just very excited to break down any imagery to come and finally put my art degree to good use

[orlaunderrated]

The Edges of Us: Chapter 10

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Will Lenney x fem reader; George Clarke x fem reader

Summary: Y/N has always been close to George—but everything changes when she catches feelings for his sharp-tongued, infuriatingly charming friend, Will. Torn between loyalty and desire, Y/N finds herself caught in a messy tangle of friendship, secrets, and unexpected love.

Word Count: 3.4k+

Note: This is my very first time writing smut so i tried to make it as palatable as ever but uhhhhh idk how well i did with it. Also im starting a taglist for this series! so if ur interested just comment on this post or message me :)

Also Also if anyone wants a no smut / only suggestive version i can defs post that :)

18+ only, MDNI

content warnings: Penetrative sex, unprotected sex, cunnilingus, dominance if you squint, if I'm missing any let me know <33

xxx

Will and I fumble into his flat. It's all clumsy limbs and too-loud whispers, the door clicking shut behind us with a finality that makes the air shift. I brace myself for the usual bachelor-pad chaos: crusty mugs, takeout containers, the faint smell of socks and disappointment.

But… it’s not that.

It’s surprisingly clean. Like, suspiciously clean. The surfaces gleam. The shoes are lined up by the door like obedient soldiers. There’s a plant. It's alive, thriving even, not just a sad, crispy husk in the corner.

And there’s art on the walls.

Not cheesy motivational prints or movie posters still in their plastic frames. Actual art. A mix of bold colour and clean lines — a few abstract pieces, a photograph of a foggy shoreline, one that looks like it might be from an old video game reimagined as something soft and nostalgic.

I blink.

Will kicks off his shoes and glances over his shoulder at me, clocking my expression. “What?” he says, already defensive.

“I just— I didn’t expect you to live like a real adult.”

He snorts, kicking off his shoes. “I’m full of surprises.”

I trail my fingers across a framed print near the hallway. It’s surprisingly beautiful. Thoughtful. Like someone lives here who actually cares about what it means to live somewhere.

“You picked all this?” I ask, still not sure if I believe it.

He shrugs, a bit sheepish. “Yeah. I like… nice things, I guess.”

For a moment, I don't say anything. I just stand there, trying to reconcile this version of him. His clean, quiet, curated space — with the chaotic, half-cocky, half-tender boy who kissed me like he meant it and then maybe lied straight to my face.

I try to play it cool, but jealousy snakes through me, fast and bitter. God, I wish I had a place like this — somewhere clean and warm, where things have a place and the silence feels calm instead of lonely. Somewhere mine. Somewhere I could just be without tiptoeing around someone else’s life.

And then I remember where I am. Who I’m with.

This man — this annoying, infuriating, stupidly sexy man is standing barefoot in front of me, hair mussed, eyes half-lidded with sleep and club haze. And I’m in his flat. On a night out. With no real plan but this.

Whatever this is.

The room hums with the kind of silence that means something.

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, suddenly aware of how much I want him to kiss me again. Of how much I’m pretending not to want that.

He watches me, quiet and still, and then finally, I step further in. “Well,” I say, gesturing at the spotless kitchen and gently lit shelves. “Colour me shocked.”

He smiles, small and crooked. “Wait till you see the bedroom.”

I roll my eyes, but I follow him anyway.

It starts messy. It's all rushed and unthinking, all hands and heat and urgency. Like we’ve been holding our breath since the club and now it’s finally safe to exhale. His mouth finds mine too fast, too greedy, like he’s afraid I might vanish if he doesn’t anchor me in place.

We stumble backward toward the bed, laughing into each other’s mouths, clumsy with want. His hands grip my waist, tug at my jacket, desperate to close the distance. I press into him harder than I mean to. He groans against my neck, and my knees weaken.

It’s chaotic — the kind of kissing that feels like it’s barely holding together, like if we stop for even a second it’ll all crack open and we’ll have to face whatever this really is. So we don’t stop.

I don’t want to. Not yet.

Then we fall onto the bed, tangled and breathless, the chaos softening around the edges. His forehead rests against mine, his hands moving slower now — gentle, tentative, as if he’s trying to memorize every line and curve. There’s something almost reverent in the way he touches me, and it throws me off completely.

I want to pretend it’s still that night-out glow, that post-fight shimmer. That this is just a hook-up, a dumb, gorgeous mistake I’ll laugh about later. I want to feel powerful, irresistible, dangerous. But underneath the bravado, there’s something softer and more terrifying clawing up my spine. Something like longing.

And maybe he feels it too, because at some point it changes.

His grip loosens. His kiss slows. He pulls back just enough to look at me, really look at me, his thumb brushing the edge of my jaw like it’s something worth memorising.

Fuck I still hate him. But there’s a reverence to the way he’s touching me. His hands slide down my arms slowly, breathing me in, like it might be the last time he ever gets the opportunity. This morning I would’ve been shocked he got the first opportunity, but now I question whether it would be a mistake to never let him have another.

He looks at me like I’m something he’s been trying not to want. Like this is surrender, not victory. His fingers settle at my waist, thumbs pressing gently into the dip of my hips like he’s grounding himself there. I should shove him off, say something cutting, something cruel. That’s what I do with him. That’s what we do. But right now, all I can manage is to breathe.

I’m warm, restless, and furious all at once. Furious that he’s here, and angrier still that part of me wants him to stay.

“Don’t be soft with me,” I manage to say, my voice more a plea than a command.

He pulls back just enough, his breath warm against my ear. “Why not?” he whispers, voice low and tinged with something real—curiosity, maybe even hope. In his words I can feel the crease between his brows, the way he’s searching for an answer. It’s like a shiver that runs straight down my spine, unsettling and electric all at once.

Fuck I still hate him I open my mouth, but no words come. Because I don’t trust him. Because I didn’t come here for this. Because if he’s soft, I might not know how to leave.

Because somewhere deep down, I’ve already decided to hate him again. It’s easier that way — to Armor up, to keep the distance, to tell myself I’m better off alone.

Because tonight, I’m not here for him. I’m here because I saw George — my closest friend— kissing someone who looks just like me. A perfect, cruel mirror reflecting everything I want but don’t have.

I'm here to forget.

It’s like a punch in the gut, twisting the knife in a way I can’t ignore. And now, lying here with Will, feeling the weight of him on me, I’m caught between what I want and what I’m afraid of.

I don’t want to be soft. Not when everything else feels so broken. Not when the truth I’m running from is staring me down in the form of that kiss I saw, that betrayal I didn’t expect.

So, I tug him back to me, burying my face in his neck. It’s easier to kiss him than to explain why tenderness scares me more than the fights ever did.

Then his fingers slide beneath the hem of my shirt like he’s not just undressing me, but trying to understand me. I should push him away. I want to. But my body stays still, betraying me one breath at a time.

“This isn’t supposed to feel like this,” I whisper.

He doesn’t answer, just kisses me again — slower this time, deeper, like we have all the time in the world. My stomach twists. This wasn’t supposed to be tender. It was supposed to be impulsive. Sharp. Regrettable.

“This changes nothing,” I mutter between kisses, tugging his shirt over his head with more force than necessary.

He huffs a laugh. His mouth finds the hollow of my throat. I close my eyes. I shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t belong here—not in this city, not in this bed, not with him. London still feels like a coat I borrowed from someone taller. Every room echoes. Every street is unfamiliar.

Fuck I still hate him, but there’s a softness here that tears me open, and I hate how desperately I don’t want to hate it.

“You don’t even like me,” I whisper, voice shaking with everything I’m trying to fight.

He breathes out, eyes dark and raw. “No. You don’t like me.”

The words hang heavy between us, thick with all the things we won’t say. In this chaotic, tangled mess of need and resentment, nothing is simple anymore — and somehow, it’s not hate either. Not anymore.

Then, as if sensing my hesitation, everything shifts again. The kiss grows rougher, faster. His grip tightens at my waist, and I respond, pulling him closer, needing the chaos back.

Suddenly, it’s messy again. Urgent. Like we’ve been holding this in for too long and now it’s spilling everywhere, impossible to contain.

Most of our clothes lie scattered across his bedroom floor—forgotten and tangled like the night itself. His body presses against mine, radiating warmth that seeps into my skin, chasing away the cold I’ve carried for too long. Every breath he takes is steady and close, grounding me in a way I didn’t realize I needed.

He feels so close. So real. So impossibly warm.

His mouth wanders. He kisses down my neck, until he reaches my breast. He cups my breast and takes my nipple in his mouth. I want to stare at the celling and pretend it doesn’t feel good, but god it feels good. I close my eyes and hum softly. His hands are still sinking into my sides, squeezing as if I might float away.

xxx

He moves lower, kissing me all over. Each kiss sends a shooting of heat all over my body. I want to be embarrassed, I want to push him off, but no I don’t. not really. It's messy, sloppy. His teeth drag across my stomach in a way that makes my back arch. He finds his place between my thighs, hands rough, gripping.

He stops, looking up at me for approval. His eyes are dark. Holy fuck he's hot. I knew that but this… this is different. I nod at him and he uses one finger and my underwear falls to the floor. He sinks into me, his tongue moves. At first it's one long, deliberate stroke, and everything within me escaped. A breath tore out of my lungs.

I grip the sheets, head thrown back, eyes screwed shut.

Now he’s sped up — circling, then flicking with maddening precision. There’s a desperation in the way he moves, the kind that’s almost reverent, like worship dragged through the teeth of obsession. His rhythm is erratic, but not careless — no, it’s intentional in the way only someone completely consumed can be. Too hungry to be methodical, too skilled to be clumsy.

Every movement feels like it’s building to something inevitable, like he knows exactly how to unmake me, and he’s doing it on purpose. My thighs start to tremble, my breath catching in my throat as he works me apart piece by piece. And he doesn’t pause. Doesn’t even slow.

It’s relentless — that quiet kind of ruin that feels like being seen too clearly. His mouth, his hands, his focus — all of it so single-minded it borders on holy. Like he’s not just touching my body, but dragging something deeper, more dangerous, to the surface.

My spine arches. The room narrows to the heat of his mouth, the burn of my skin, the pull in mystomach like a wire about to snap. And still, he keeps going — like he needs this. Needs me. Not just the sounds, not just the shaking, but the way I'm falling apart for him. Because of him.

And it’s unbearable. And it’s exquisite.

And you’re not sure which is worse — how much I need it, or how much he already knows.

"Fuck, Will." My hands found their way into his hair, fingers tangling in his curls. I needed  something to hold onto, anything. I twisted hair around my fingers tugged, hard and he groaned, into me.

Holy shit. I'm close. He can tell, my breathing is uneven, my grip tighter, my thighs are squeezing so hard I am almost worried for him. Almost.

“Still hate me?” he lifts his head, eyes glittering, that maddening smirk pulling at his lips.

Fuck him. There It is, the cockiness, the arrogance the insufferable confidence I've told myself over and over I can't stand. The exact reason I swore I hated him in the first place.

“Yes,” I breathe, shoving him down again with shaking hands and no hesitation.

He lets out a breath of a laugh but it is cut off as his mouth finds me again. He slips a finger in between my folds, pumping in and out, like he's trying to undo me completely.

I let out a shaky half-strangled sound, my body arching towards him on instinct.

"Will I'm gonna —"

"Please," he cuts in, voice low, hoarse, desperate.

Like he's begging for it.

Like he needs to watch me fall apart.

And I do.

My orgasm washes over me like a tidal wave—hot, breathless, all-consuming. It crashes through me in a blinding rush, and still, he doesn’t stop. Doesn’t ease up. Just keeps going like he’s determined to draw every last ounce of it out of me.

It’s too much.

My skin feels too tight, nerves frayed and sparking, every inch of me hypersensitive. I gasp, shuddering, and push him off with trembling hands, half-laughing, half-panting.

“Jesus—stop,” I manage, voice hoarse and wrecked. “I can’t—”

My chest heaves. I’m flushed, shaken, undone.

He pulls back immediately, breath ragged, lips swollen, eyes dark with something that looks a lot like pride — or maybe possession. But he doesn’t say anything. Just stares down at me, like he’s still memorising the aftermath, committing every flicker of wreckage to memory.

I reach up and pull him into another kiss — desperate, deep, greedy. I taste myself on his lips, and it only makes me want more.

My hands wander to his boxers, palming him through the fabric. His cock trapped between us. I try to shift, to push him onto his back, but he doesn't let me. God he's strong.

Instead, his hands tighten at my waist, anchoring me in place. His mouth hovers near mine, breath hot and uneven.

“I can't wait,” he murmurs, voice thick with something I don’t have the words for.

I pull his boxers off, we giggle as they get tangled at his feet. His cock springs free from its confines, and its serious again. His mouth is on me — hot, insistent, like he’s starving for it. There’s no hesitation this time, no softness left. Just heat and hunger and the kind of focus that makes my head spin. He moves like he’s trying to unravel me all over again, like watching me fall apart once wasn’t enough.

His hands are firm on my hips, holding me steady, grounding me — but everything else feels unsteady, like I’m balancing on the edge of something dangerous and deep and impossibly good.

He aligns himself, and starts to push into me. He is ragged and breathless, and looks at me expectantly. He looks to me, waiting, and I nod at him, gripping his forearms. He sinks down,  the first inch makes me gasp,  and gives me a second to adjust. My body swallows him, and my whole body feels like it's on fire. Once I sigh at him, with a smile laced with enjoyment, he starts to move.

Its relentless. Gone is the sweetness of earlier, and im glad I told him off for it. His hips move in a maddening rhythm, powerful, chasing his own high. He is making the most delightful noises. Raw and guttural. Its almost not human, primal. I move my hips to change the angle, now he's reaching the most sensitive parts. I cry out, arching my back instinctively.

“Fuck, y/n," he says, "you feel so good, all for me"  his pace starts to get sloppy. I think he's going to finish when he kisses my forehead quickly, and pulls out of me suddenly. My body missing the feeling already.

He flips me onto my stomach—steady, not rough, but with a firm purpose. Before I can fully register, he props my hips up on a pillow I didn’t even see him grab. My upper body is balanced on my forearms, but then he presses my head down, making me collapse forward. Again not forcefully, but hot. God damn its hot. My hands claw at the sheets, gripping tight as the pressure pulls me deeper into the moment.

He pounds into me, the sounds of my body on his fill the room. But he doesn’t last much longer, his movements are sloppy, and softer. He finishes on my back, and he collapses on top of me, his mess sticking to his stomach.

He’s soft again, pressing gentle kisses to my face and neck, like he’s trying to memorize every inch of me in the quiet, the morning after the storm. We’re both breathing heavily, the air thick with heat and something unspoken, every breath a silent confession in the dim light.

He mumbles something about getting me to cum again, but I shake the idea off. I'm content. Truly.

xxx

We lie like that for a minute, catching our breath. His hands trace softly up and down my spine, sending shivers down my body. I stare at his nightstand, the dim glow of a lone lamp casting shadows over the scattered books and half-empty water glass. The quiet between us feels heavy — filled with everything we haven’t said.

Will goes to his ensuite and returns with a towel, the soft rustle of fabric breaking the heavy silence. He wipes his mess and the sweat from my skin gently, like he’s handling something fragile. Then he leans down, kisses my forehead—quick, almost tentative—and pulls me close until I’m flush against his chest. The steady thrum of his heartbeat hums beneath my ear, grounding me in the quiet warmth of this moment.

We lie like that, tangled and still, the silence between us dense with everything we’re both too scared to say.

Finally, I break it, my voice low, cautious.

“So... what now?”

His breath catches. He doesn’t meet my eyes, instead tracing slow, lazy circles on my back with his fingers.

“Whatever now is... I guess we figure it out.”

I scoff, bitter but trying to hide it.

“Sounds like you’ve got it all sorted.”

He lets out a humorless laugh, the sound raw.

“Trust me, I don’t. But I’m not going anywhere just yet.”

I want to ask if “not going anywhere” means more than this—more than tonight—but the words stick in my throat. Instead, I settle for a safer question.

“You sure you’re okay with this? With me?”

He stiffens just a little before finally meeting my eyes. There’s something behind them—something cautious, almost vulnerable.

“I’m okay. Mostly.”

“Mostly?” The word tastes sharp on my tongue.

He shrugs, a wry half-smile flickering.

“There’s always a ‘mostly’ with us, isn’t there?”

His words hang between us, heavy and unspoken.

I know exactly what he means. George’s shadow lingers like a stain neither of us can scrub out—a secret that colors everything. It’s the invisible line we dance around, the unfinished chapter in my heart that I can’t—and maybe won’t—close. And maybe Will feels it too, a quiet ache that neither of us knows how to soothe.

I turn my head, resting it against his chest, listening to the steady beat beneath my ear.

“Don’t expect me to be ready for anything else anytime soon.”

He doesn’t press, just murmurs softly, almost like a confession:

“Neither am I.”

The words are soft, but the “not with you” lingers like a breath held too long—unspoken, but sharper than any truth we could voice.

I’m sure he hears it too—in the way my breath catches, in the tension coiled beneath his skin. Neither of us ready to say what that really means.

And somehow, that silent understanding makes the space between us less suffocating. We don’t have to admit the messy truth just yet. We can stay here, tangled in the quiet, holding onto this fragile moment as if it’s enough.

And in that fragile space between heartbeats, sleep finally claims us both.

xxx

Taglsit: @meglouise00 @migilini

[quietplace26]

Once again comin' with another thing based off @arn9tails's Size Difference Genshin au! This time it's a crossover... with Pokémon!

Warnings: OCness, cringe, Earthlings being in danger of being eaten or sold but nothing happens.

So, the idea I'm going for is an Earth filled Pokémon... and how they would screw over the Teyvatians in @'arn9tails's au.

MC would be a Trainer, most likely the Champion of her (You choose) Country, thus also, being the strongest. She's also Arceus' Chosen, so that's a guarantee note of disaster waiting to happen if MC was in trouble.

This comes into play when @arn9tails au kicks in.

Like imagine with a GIANT ass Teyvat spawning in, causing mass chaos and a tired MC, who's seen a lot of shit over the years as a trainer from both battling and beating evil teams, to catching legendary Pokémon, and to even nearly fist fighting GOD themselves, Arceus.

So, seeing what was essentially once a video game spawn to life and the fact they were actually fucking giants was nothing to noteworthy in MC's eyes.

She basically like, "...Arceus. Get your ass down here and call your kids. We got a mess to clean up."

Cue a literal one-sided war between Teyvat and Legendary/Mythical Pokémon. We got Groudon and Kyogre causing mass geological damaged and weather crisis's all over Teyvat along with the weather Trio, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus.

Paklia and Dialga literally threating the Teyvat's Space and Time, as Arceus has Teyvat isolated under a bubble, and Giratina is making things worse from their home dimension, the Distortion World.

Nothing's more terrifying than looking into a mirror and seeing the red eyes of an Eldritch dragon peering back at you.

Also, Giratina uses its Distortion World as a way to help misplaced Earthling Humans and their Pokémon return back to the safety of Earthling countries.

Then we have Darkrai. The nightmare Pokémon was causing mass sleep paralysis throughout Teyvat, keeping the most violent or disgusting Teyvatians stuck in a constant nightmare state. Nahida couldn't even help them, as she was always thrown out the victim's dreams.

And how about Zygarde? Like it has their cells scattered all around Teyvat, slowly it comes together into its 10% form, than 50%, and finally, its complete form. Then there's Eternatus, because you can't tell me Eternmax Eternatus isn't nightmare full. Imagine it uncurling its body over Liyue or the nation of your choice.

But most of all... Arceus. THEY were the ONE leading the charge along with MC. THEY were not amused by these... Teyvatians, or their gods. They were nothing but specks of dust in the long run compared to THEM. Such insolence needed to be tempered. These outsiders needed to know their place-

MC pats Arceus head. "Easy bud. WE don't want to kill them, ok? We just need to... spook them, that's all. Let's find the rest of the missing people and Pokémon, ok?"

THEIR Chosen was too kind at times... and no fun...

"...But you can deal with that one if you want, bud. I won't stop ya." She points at a structure in the sky. MC, being a little shit, sicks Arceus on Celestia with no shame whatsoever.

Needless to say, a cease fire is finally sounded by all seven nation's Archons once all of Teyvat finally understands that, yes, these Earthlings and Pokemon were sapient beings, and a tiny MC comes floating down on one her flying type and smiles innocently up at them as the Legendaries slowly surrounded them all.

MC: "So... Ya'll ready to talk, huh? Well then... Let's chat."

Extra Notes

Celestia and the Heavenly Principles were practically yeeted out of the sky by Arceus, who was all "Thy meeting shall begin."

MC was made the Archon of Earth as part of the Peace treaty between Earth and Tevat, as Celestia couldn't really give it to Arceus.

Out of all seven nations, Natlan, shockingly, was the only one that really stayed out the war. In fact, they never touched any of the Earthlings or Pokémon that landed in their nation. In fact, they were given shelter.

Unlike the other nation, they saw Earthlings how treated Pokémon, especially the dragon type ones, and go "Ah! It's like us with the Saurians!"

And that was the main reason why Natlan quickly becomes a hotspot for Earthling Trainers to travel to, especially for Dragon type specialists!

Besides that, Natlan also quickly becomes home to migrating Dragon types who are quick to call Natlan their new home.

Mondstadt was also in the clear, as Venti would not stand for anyone's freedom being taken away. So, if he heard a peep about one of his own citizen's suggesting they take a Earthling or Pokemon as a pet, he shuts that shit down FAST.

Like hell there will be slavery in his nation!

He's also pleasantly surprised when Pokémon slowly begin to populate his nation. He even had the delight of meeting a little green fairy (Celebi) like Pokémon while out with Dvalin.

Liyue... Uh... it's in some hot water at the moment... and it was all because of Xiangling.

She, like many others, originally thought of Earthling and Pokemon as not sapient beings, and well... she tried to cook an Earthling.

Thankfully the Earthling was saved by their Pokémon, and they escaped, but that one action put a negative view on Liyue.

Then there was Sumeru. Nahida was still doing damage control over the fact Dori was caught trying to sell some lost Earthlings, who were also thankfully saved in time!

Fontaine is 50/50. Neuvillette was quick to make new laws with Furina about outlawing any attempts on poaching Earthlings and Pokémon. While most of Fontaine agreed... it didn't stop some of the more arrogant Nobles.

Needless to say, Meripode quickly becomes full of electrocuted Nobles who decided to tempt fate and kidnapped a young Earthling Trainer... and got thoroughly shocked by the kid's Pikachu.

Snezhnaya... Oh boy... MC literally has to lay down the law with the Tsarista, saying she had to keep a better hold on her Fatui or so help her, MC was going to have Arceus deal with them.

Dottore was killed on the spot. No questions asked. MC knew his lore, his personality. He needed to be dealt with. NOW.

And even with the Tsarista protesting, all it took was Arceus glancing at her to silence the Cryo Archon.

As for Inazuma... Truthfully, no one there noticed the chaos till AFTER the war. Like a fisherman pulls up a strange 'fish' and the 'fish' blasts him with a water gun.

Oh, and someone accidentally gigamaxes their Meowth on Inazumian soil while exploring, and one Inazumian is like, "W-why is it so long?"

Cue a confused Gigamaxed Meowth picked up gently and cradled by a by a large Inazumian.

There's also an incident where some Earthling Trainers decide to brave Liyue and happen upon some Geo Vishaps... Which they promptly tame.

Tiny Earthling Trainer feeding a giant, purring Geo Vishap: "He don't bite~"

Terrified Teyvatian who wanted to get some training from an Earthling to tame Pokémon: "YES HE DO!!!"

MC also gains a following in Teyvat. Like with the slow modernization of Teyvat, this means getting access to technology, which also means the internets.

And Teyvatians find out about all sorts things about MC's past conquests and stuff. Like her becoming champion and holding the position for years. By that, I mean since she was 10!

And this also includes the contest or two she stared in, which catches Fontaine's attention, especially Furina's. Like the former Goddess is immediately on the move to have contests be a thing on her nation!

Also, despite MC and the other Archon making laws protecting Earthlings and Pokemon, some of the more ignorant treasure hoarders develop a habit of harassing Pokémon or trying to kidnap Earthling Trainers for spare Mora... only for it to backfire on them and they're sent BLASTING OFF AGAIN!!!!

On another note, MC has Arceus and Xerneas break the curse on all Khaenri'ahians. Breaking the immortally curse on the pure-blooded ones and turning the half-blooded one's that were cursed as Hilichurls back into human form.

And Celestia couldn't do shit. Not with Arceus breathing down their neck, daring them to do something.

Using Groudon, MC has a land maze made for the Khaenri'ahians size and Xerneas blesses the land so it could be livable for them.

MC did this because she had a feeling none of the once cursed people wanted to live in Teyvat after what happened to them. At least not until Khaenri'ah could be rebuilt.

Besides that, one day, Zhongli happens to feel a Azhdaha's seal suddenly break, and when he rushed over, He finds Azhdaha outside... And MC was with him, gently scratching at his scales and cooing how handsome he was.

Azhdaha was purring as he greeted Zhongli sleepily, mentioning how this tiny thing helped heal him of his erosion.

When asked how, MC just points to Xerneas who was with them.

MC quickly becomes Azhdaha's favorite Earthling. She gave him back his freedom and mind! And gave the best scratches!

And while Zhongli was happy with the whole thing, as he got his old friend back... Why did Azhdaha get to enjoy MC scratches?!

Oh, and MC has Giratina take care of the Abyss Order, and has it drag the Traveler's Abyss sibling out into the open so she could let the frustrated Traveler tear into their Abyss sibling for all the shit they put them through, worrying them and all that.

[daisynik7]

“freak-a-leek” by petey pablo for a jean and eren threesome if that’s okay plz

Freek-A-Leak

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x f!reader x Jean Kirstein

Rating: Explicit – MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Word Count: ~1.9k

cw: modern setting au, explicit language, p*rn w/no plot, smut – threesome, PIV sex (missionary), cunnilingus, blowjob, sex toy use, masturbation, cum-eating, dirty talk, sex without a condom, pet names (baby, sweetheart), reader has multiple orgasms, creampies, just some overall smutty silliness

Summary: You’re on a business trip with the two cockiest salesmen in your department: Eren Jaeger and Jean Kirstein. After a long day of dealing with them clashing over the silliest things, you decide to unwind in your hotel room the best way you know how. 

Author’s Note: This is the last song on the y2k karaoke party playlist! Thank you so much for the request anon! I had fun with this! It’s all horny and just plain silly, so I hope you like it. Thank you so much for reading! MDNI divider by @/cafekitsune. 

It’s almost 10 PM when you finally make it back to your hotel room, completely spent from today’s activities. It’s the first day of the conference here in Marley and being stuck in the middle of Eren Jaeger and Jean Kirstein has proven to be much more exhausting than you anticipated. 

You’re not completely convinced you needed to come on this business trip with them. After all, they’re the top two salesmen in your department, and this conference is solely for selling your product to new customers. Your boss, Hangë, encouraged you, the lead design engineer, to tag along in case they needed any technical support while demonstrating the ODM equipment. You were reluctant at first, but when they emphasized the fact that this trip would be completely paid for, including the lodging and food, how could you refuse? 

Unfortunately for you, because of the two clashing personalities between Jean and Eren, you ended up playing mediator throughout the day rather than engineer. The two bickered as usual, from where to eat, to what side of the table they wanted to stand on. In front of the customers, they were professional and charismatic, no hint of animosity lingering around them. As soon as it was the three of you alone, it was nonstop arguing and snide remarks, with you doing your best to either ignore it or alleviate it until the next fight arose. 

Luckily for you, Hangë set you up with your own room at the hotel while the other two shared the one right beside you. There’s an adjoining door for easy access into each other’s space and Jean begs you to open it when you first check in, not wanting a single moment alone with his temporary roommate. But after today’s festivities, you’re desperate for some private time by yourself.

Jean steps into your room, leaning against the doorframe. “So, should we watch a movie?” he suggests, still in his dress shirt, tie loosened around his collar.

Eren appears behind him, on his tip-toes to get your attention. “Why don’t we play video games instead?”

You yawn, shooing them away. “I’m exhausted, so I’m going to sleep.” 

You try to shut the door on them, but Jean pushes back, persistent. “You’re not seriously going to leave me alone with him, are you?” He points his thumb to the man behind him. 

Eren scoffs. “I don’t want to be alone with you either!”

“Dude, you are breathing down my neck! Give me some space.”

“Then move so I can talk to her!”

“It’s not your turn to talk!”

“Guys!” you yell, losing your patience. “I am tired. Try to get along so we can all get some sleep. Please?”

They grumble to themselves, shoving elbows at each other before they finally leave you alone, closing the door to give you your peace. You don’t bother locking in, certain they won’t be bothering you the rest of the night. 

After a nice, hot shower, you get comfortable in your pajamas, rummaging through one of your pouches until you find what you’re looking for. After a long day with those two goofballs, the best way for you to relieve stress is to have a little playtime. You carry your vibrator with you to bed, one ear bud in, and your favorite naughty audio ready to play on your phone. Only five minutes in, with the fluttering tip pressed to your clit, it doesn’t take long for you to orgasm. Ready for another, you get distracted by the muffled voices of your neighbors, bickering once again. You pop your ear bud out, trying to hear whatever dumb topic they’re arguing about now. The toy is still vibrating in your hands, the tip wet with your arousal. You let your imagination wander, thinking of Jean and Eren just on the other side of the wall. Hot, heated, raring to go. Fantasizing about the nasty, filthy things they could do to you if they knew just how horny you are, pent up with sexual frustration from all the testosterone you were surrounded with today. 

Suddenly, the door swings open and Eren stomps into the room, shouting your name. “Who do you find more annoying, me or him?!” Jean follows right on his tail, trying to grab him by the collar of his undershirt, hissing, “She’s sleeping, you dumbass!” They stop in their tracks, staring wide-eyed at you with your legs spread open on the bed, blanket shrugged off, vibrator buzzing in your hand. Completely exposed.

You quickly pull the covers over you, hiding the toy beneath your pillow, mortified. “What the fuck?!” you yell out to them. 

Both of them gape at you, blushing all the way down to their necks, speechless for the first time all day. Their silence is louder than any squabbling they’ve done today, and you have no idea what to say to make this any less awkward than it already is. 

Before you can think of another response, Eren clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hey Jean. Bet I can make her come harder than you can.”

Jean glances at him, hesitant at first, then relaxes into a smirk. “Oh yeah? You’re on.”

Eren steps towards the bed, grinning at you. “What do you say? Will you help us?” 

You stare at them, befuddled and also extremely intrigued by this offer. Deciding quickly, you nod at them, releasing the grip on the blanket. They both smile at you, putting a flutter in your belly. Eren laughs, tugging on the covers slowly. “Come on. You can’t hide from us now.”

Jean joins in, dragging it down your body until you’re on display again, pussy glistening from your first orgasm. They both swear under their breaths, Eren licking his lips while Jean bites his. “Fuck, did you already come?”

“Yeah, I did,” you answer, pussy aching to be touched by either one of them. Both of them.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” Eren says, inching towards you. “You’re extra juicy for me, huh?”

“Why do you get to go first?” Jean butts in, scowling. 

Eren positions himself at your arousal, his breath hot on your pussy as he replies, “I don’t want to lick your spit.”

“Well, I don’t want to lick yours either! Let me goes first.”

“Fuck you, I’m already here.”

“Then move!” 

“Guys!” you cry out, bucking your hips, desperate for anything at this point. “Just hurry up and touch me. Please.”

Eren sticks his tongue out. “You heard her,” he muffles, licking circles around your clit. “Let’s make our girl feel good.”

Jean swallows hard, positioning himself beside you, puckering his lips around your nipples and sucking. You moan, arching your back off the bed, running your fingers through his hair. “Feels so good,” you whine, feeding your other breast to him. He latches on immediately, pulling your teat between his lips while Eren laps at your puffy clit. With your free hand, you grab hold of his hair, gripping it to pull him deeper into your cunt. Soon, you’re gushing on his face, rutting your hips against him while he swallows every drop of you. 

“Fuck, you taste good,” Eren says, tongue prodding into your slit. 

“I want a taste too,” Jean mutters, giving your nipple one last hard suck before he releases you with a wet pop. 

“Not yet,” Eren murmurs, kissing the soft plush of your thighs. 

Jean crawls to where he is, shoving him slightly to stick his face into your pussy. “It’s my turn, jackass.” He laps at your clit, determined to be better than his rival. 

Eren laughs, collecting your slick slathered on his chin and lips with his fingers, licking it off. “Be honest, baby. Is he doing better than me?” He strips out of his bottoms, lying beside you, stroking his hard cock. 

You squeeze your thighs around Jean’s head, bucking into his mouth, already close to your third climax. Your eyes go from Eren’s fist jerking himself off to Jean’s face shaking between your legs, eating you out feverishly. He teases a finger inside you and when you flutter around it, he slides in all the way, adding a second.

“No fair,” Eren breathes out, stroking himself faster.

Jean chuckles against your skin, sucking on your clit while he pumps his fingers in and out of you. You turn your head to face Eren, leaning towards him to kiss him sloppily. He cradles your cheek with his free hand, pulling you in deeper, tongue swirling around yours, slurping up your spit. Once again, you’re pushed over the edge, coming on Jean’s face this time, his nose pressed to your sensitive bud as he drinks up all the slick leaking out of you. 

“Fuck me,” you beg, not directing it to anyone in particular.

Eren smiles against your mouth, licking your drool off the corners of your lips. “Go ahead, Jean. You can go first.”

Jean shoves his pants down, releasing his stiff cock, palming it. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” he says, kneeling next to your head, tracing your lips with the tip of his cock. “We’re having way too much fun right here, aren’t we sweetheart?” You nod in response, moaning around his dick as you sink your mouth on it, swallowing it until it’s to the back of your throat. “Fuck, you take it so good. You wanted to get fucked like this tonight, huh? Wanted to show us what a freak you are.”

Jean slides his cock inside you, stretching you out until he bottoms out. He spreads your legs apart, holding you open so he can pound straight into you. Eren’s focus goes from his own pleasure to his friend thrusting. “Fuck her harder, Jean.”

He obeys, picking up the pace, shoving himself deeper. You choke on your own moans, pulling off Eren to catch your breath. He cradles your face in his hands, massaging your cheeks tenderly. “You’re okay, sweetheart. Take a break. Just enjoy getting fucked by this fat cock.”

“Fuck,” Jean growls, closing his eyes. “I’m so close.”

Eren licks his lips, watching. “Don’t pull out. Fill her up.”

At that, Jean loses it, spurting his hot load inside you, your pussy fluttering around him. He pulls out, switching spots with Eren, snuggling up next to you to kiss you softly. You smile at him, whispering, “Thank you.”

He plants a smooch on your nose. “Thank you, baby.”

“Hey, don’t forget about me,” Eren says, guiding his hard cock inside you. “I’m going to fuck all this cum right back inside this cunt.”

You and Jean both moan, watching him fuck you with a devilish grin on his face. Jean reaches under the pillow, retrieving the toy you used earlier. “Can I use this on you?”

Incoherent and fucked out, you nod, desperate for whatever it is they want to offer to you. He presses the button, making the vibrator buzz in his grip, pressing the fluttering tip to your clit while Eren continues to ravish you. His eyes widen when he sees what Jean’s doing. “Oh shit. She’s squeezing me so fucking tight.” 

You’re in a drunken daze, trembling all over your body from the pleasure, whimpering uncontrollably with Jean toying with your clit as Eren fucks your brains out. When you reach your final climax, Eren comes with you, burying his cum deep inside your womb. You’re stuffed to the brim with both their loads, feeling exhausted and euphoric. 

Eren pulls out, cuddling up to your other side, kissing your forehead. Jean sets the vibrator aside, spooning you from the back. You relax in their arms, actually happy to be stuck in the middle of them for once.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Eren asks jokingly, “So…who won?”

“Obviously me,” Jean grins, kissing your neck.

You laugh, snuggling closer to the both of them. “I think I’m the real winner here.”

[n7punk]

“In The Great Beyond” Fic Notes: ME1/2

I thought it could never be done, but ITGB is finally going to be done tomorrow! These fic notes are kind of spotty between chapters, but be thankful honestly because for a 28 chapter fic they’re still 10k even with many chapters having no notes. They’re long enough I’m going to split them into two parts: ME1/2 & ME3. This is ME1/2. This one also includes the playlist, while ME3 includes the Original Draft and Epilogue Life. ME3 will go up tomorrow, after Chapter 28 is posted.

Playlist:

I didn’t start compiling a playlist until I was already on ME2 because I intended for this to just be a short fic and was using my generic sci-fi playlist, so when I did make it, it was mostly aimed at ME3 (my intended target for the entire fic) and a bit of ME2.

Downhill — Pom Pom Squad

Reaper — RIELL

World Eater — Ashnikko

Swallow — Harper

PREDATOR — YONAKA

Wildfire — Against the Current

Trust Me — Lola Blanc

ALL THESE KIDS — Emei

Motorbike — Poppy

Crime Scene — Night Club

Oblivion For Two — Mothica

Problems — Hey Violet

10:35 — Tate McRae & Tiesto

Miss possessive — Tate McRae

UH HEY — Sizzy Rocket

IDCIDCIDCIDC — Sizzy Rocket

The Good, The Bad, And The Dirty — Panic! At The Disco (I feel like I have to specific this is about the war and not Catradora lol)

Fighter — The Tech Thieves

Legends Never Dies — Against The Current

Hard To Kill (Danny Rich Remix) — Beth Crowley 

Chapter 1:

⦁ Catra of course isn’t the only magicat on all of Earth, but she was guaranteed to be the only one on her street, in her class, in her bootcamp, etc, so why would it matter that there are few others out there?

⦁ The universal translator is just an accepted conceit of this world that works perfectly and instantly translates everything someone hears. Every race is speaking their own language and it’s fine. It is actually visual too I only made it not to bring up the implants that enable non-seraphi to control their biotics lmao.

⦁ A note on my authors note here: see how I very carefully said of the mass effect relays “They were left behind by an extinct galactic empire, same as the Citadel space station.” Implying it’s the First Ones, but actually just saying the same people built the relays and the Citadel.

Chapter 3:

⦁ The “Class” chapter title is pulling triple duty here: Catra’s overall social class as an Earth orphan (especially compared to Glimmer’s), Catra’s rank in the Hierarchy, and Adora’s literal “in-game” class as a biotic (for those unfamiliar with Mass Effect, the different ability types you can select are called a Class in-game)

⦁ Flux might actually be my favorite of the in-game bars across the games even though there’s not much to do there, just aesthetically. I like windows.

⦁ The stars/crickets thing is from a youtube comment on a video of crickets singing where a mom said this is what her son thought stars sounded like.

⦁ Okay so in retrospect, girls don’t respond to Catra’s flirting better when she can make bedroom eyes at them, it’s that her eyes are basically a power symbol and considered extremely attractive. People don’t outright assume she’s part of the royal family, but there’s the nagging thought in the back of their head that certainly spurs on golddiggers and people in general to cater more to her, and even if she isn’t associated it’s just considered an attractive feature in general.

⦁ “Adora tends to find her on the periphery of the larger rooms” she’s spending time with you in a deniable way dumbass.

⦁ This chapter actually got written during the (final) Chapter 6 because as I said: I couldn’t stop coming up with more ideas so I circled back around.

Chapter 4:

⦁ Tbqh I forgot that the Normandy SR1 did have a private captain’s cabin because it was very different from the one on V2, but I decided to keep it like this even after I realized because I wanted to do this scene and I thought it was more interesting if Catra’s apartment was the only private housing Adora had experienced for later.

⦁ Catra wants to stay in her apartment that night because she’s being painfully reminded of the fact she doesn’t know she can trust the Alliance — on the other hand, she continues to work with them because she doesn’t want to leave Adora vulnerable either.

⦁ The human biotics study mentioned here involved testing of what would eventually become Adora’s L5x.

⦁ The funniest shit the ME devs every did was the shifty-looking cow. Why did they do that. They didn’t have to. It was probably a significant amount of work for them to code that, for an easter egg I bet less than .5% of the player base has even noticed they’re experiencing. I never noticed it until I saw it on the wiki and looked for it!

Chapter 5:

⦁ Catra was not deep asleep, she was purring for Adora to help her sleep.

⦁ I decided who could and couldn’t be biotic based on two things: physical limitations, in-game rarity, and logic. Twiggets can’t be biotic because they’re literally an entire different cell system from the building blocks of life. Scorpioni can’t be biotic because their healing factor/immune system is so good it clears out the contamination if it’s at any level less than lethal — this high healing rate is designed as an equivalency to the wild way krogans are set up biologically with redundant organs and such since, being the same body blueprint as humans, scorpioni don’t really have anywhere to be storing a fat hump to last them months. Turian biotics are so rare I think there’s literally only two in the whole series? And to my knowledge there’s no explanation for why that is, so magicats have the opposite problem from krogan, they have extremely low eezo tolerance and it acts cancerous within their bodies because it’s so easy for it to spread. This also served the purpose of enabling Catra’s biotic storyline, but it started from the turian base point.

⦁ Catra should have accepted the extra hand steadying Adora, but she did not want Glimmer touching her anymore.

⦁ The games before the final battle: sex scene. Catradora before the final battle: fine I guess we can have one (1) emotional conversation that acknowledges we don’t hate each other.

⦁ I find their will-they won’t-they in this fic hilarious because in the world of Mass Effect, it’s perfectly normal to only be attracted to certain species, with the most common being just your own, of course. And that makes sense, you’ve evolved for thousands of years to find your species attractive, but of course there are alienfuckers even now, the more people are born/socialized around other species the more likely they are to find them attractive, and a lot of the species for this fic look similar on the surface level (versus ME where almost all the species are rather different in appearance) so there’s a lot more people attracted to a wider range. Adora, having no increased senses aside from Dumbass Intuition™️, has convinced herself that Catra is not attracted to humans. No tails, no fur, no cute little ears to pull :( And of course she’s convinced of this because she has never seen Catra express interest in anyone (else) — until she does and it’s only magicats — and she thinks Catra 100% knows about her feelings so she would have at least responded more positively to Adora’s flirting by now. If she doesn’t like it just because she isn’t “capable” of liking it but she finds Adora just fine, it explains her neutrality to Adora’s flirting with some occasional goading. Catra thinks Adora might have a magicat fetish and doesn’t actually love her because she never makes a move — the things Adora classifies as moves are laughable — so while she is aware Adora is attracted to her, she has decided that’s all she is and she refuses to reclassify any of her evidence, so when she does occasionally think Adora is flirting with genuine intent, she gets flustered, which Adora interprets as her shutting her down. Catra only really flirts with other magicats because she isn’t invested at all and any human she’ll feel like she’s settling for Adora with. Magicats have emotional distance while also being most likely to accept her advances.

⦁ Honestly I think I forgot how quickly they learn that Sovereign is a Reaper in the game but whatever, it wicked doesn’t matter, one line of exposition and they’re fighting Reapers now lol

Chapter 6:

⦁ Forgotten Ones is a Dragon Age reference — and probably the antagonists in the next game tbh.

⦁ Catra was actually in the car but she was in a cradle with a gravity regulator that successfully cushioned and saved her (same tech used to keep Adora's figurines from tipping over).

⦁ Catra’s starting rank in the Primavera line is because Cassandra Pentaghast in DA:I is the seventy-eighth in line of the Nevarran throne, another one of Meta’s suggestions that was too funny to ignore.

Chapter 7:

⦁ A couple chapters into ME2, I saw the fic description and realized it really only applied to ME1, so I decided to use chapter summaries (a rare thing for me) just to intro the different games on their starting chapters and went back to add ME2’s retroactively, but at the same time I wrote Mass Effect 3’s summary because I knew Exactly where I was going with it.

⦁ OK so Adora is a Vanguard in ME1 but as of ME2 her powers have been amplified to the point she’s an Adept.

⦁ I don’t remember if it’s actually canon that Shepard’s implant gets upgraded when they die or my headcanon? I ran into that a lot when writing this, because even not finding it on my last playthrough doesn’t mean anything because I could have just missed it with all the side conversations and missions, or straight up forgotten. Anyway, my philosophy with all that was to use my headcanon regardless.

⦁ This mission I think shows my philosophy around the game’s plot. I included this mission because 1) the game did nail it being a good introduction to the time skip/plot and 2) I needed to. Yknow. Include the fact Adora died since it ends up becoming such a big part of the plot. Summarizing this mission off-screen would have been messy. When I wrote it, however, I changed stuff around and streamlined it. There’s no Wilson in this one, they never find out who exactly hacked the bots because they die to them before they can reach the security office. Also 3) I love angst. Of course, in ME3 it will become the (correct) theory that a rival Eternia cell decided to sabotage Adora’s resurrection because they wanted a puppet rather than a pro-alien hero, and this traitor was essentially Brooks, they just never figure out who it was.

⦁ Shadow Weaver is so pushy with Adora here because she knows confrontation is a big motivator for her from reading her file.

⦁ Okay so Bow and Entrapta “working” of Eternia. For Bow, he’s standing in for Jacob, because I didn’t really see the need to have another Jacob stand-in, so Bow just ends up filling the role of “(ex-)Alliance soldier man” in every game even if those canonically go from Kaidan, to Jacob, back to Kaidan. However, he’s primarily here to be Adora’s tether and to assure her that no, she’s not a clone, he fucking knows. He never technically worked for Eternia, isn’t on their payroll, and has never been anywhere but the station they rebuilt her on. Living at that station, all his needs were provided for, but legally he just dropped off the map for two years and is officially MIA, quietly presumed abducted or assassinated within the Alliance, either by the geth or the Shadow Broker since it’s known they were expressing interest in Adora and her team. For Entrapta, she’s filling in for Joker (and later Mordin, but-) and she’s obviously the intended final pilot of the Normandy. I genuinely don’t remember if Joker joining Eternia was justified. Like, he said he signed up because the Alliance grounded him, but why tf did they do that when he was like, their most talented pilot, and why did he think signing on to a terrorist was a good idea unless he knew they had Shepard’s body the whole time and was hoping to keep an eye on her from afar like I have Bow doing. IDK maybe he does explain it in convo and I don’t remember it, but REGARDLESS- For Entrapta, she’s the one who discovered Eternia’s plan in the first place through hacking, and she agreed with the plan her, Bow, and Glimmer formed for Bow to stay with Adora. Unlike Joker, it took a bit more convincing to recruit her due to the, y’know, alien thing, but she could actually be of use with building the ship, so she knew about it right away. She never flew any missions for them. She instead spent the last two years helping design, build, and test the Normandy SR2 and Darla. At some point she kind of forgot who she was working for, honestly, Shadow Weaver was really careful with who she let work with/on Adora and Entrapta to help them have as positive of an image of Eternia as possible because she was hoping to recruit Adora even beyond this mission once it was done, even if she doesn’t like aliens herself.

⦁ Entrapta says “half” of Adora’s friends were missing because Catra and Glimmer were legit gone to a concerning degree, and Perfuma was an unknown even if that wasn’t a cause for concern given they knew she went back to the Migrant Fleel. The only ones that were 100% nailed down were Bow and Entrapta (obviously) and Scorpia (they have a few informants on Tuchanka that are willing to spy for a fee even if it’s for Eternia)

⦁ I had a lot of fun “re-using” certain chapter titles so they iterated across games, “Cross-species Collaboration” and “Eternia” being the only ones that are used in all 3 but ones like “Class”, “the Citadel”, “Omega”, and “Reapers” being used for two games.

Chapter 8:

⦁ Collecting some Horde/Collector tech on Omega was my sub for the mission recruiting Mordin since, y’know, s/he’s already flying the ship lol.

⦁ “Project Skyllian” is a reference to the Skyllian Blitz (in-game) and was a policy retaliation for the attack on the human colony (in-fic).

⦁ Mara starts off defending Eternia here because it’s how she internally deals with working for an organization she knows is deeply bad but feels trapped in.

⦁ Despite getting to know her as well as possible without being able to talk to her, Mara “expected” Adora to be more eloquent due to somewhat mythologizing her the longer that the project went on.

⦁ The SR2 during the Cerberus era in the games only had a single pilot seat since EDI was supposed to take over the functions of a second, but that’s kinda stupid and they then had to put in a second chair for her platform in the third game, so I just included it from the start.

⦁ Okay Archangel is a weird name for Garrus to take right? Like that’s not just me. The only way it makes sense to me is if he and Ashley got to talking about religion down in the vehicle bay back on the SR1 and it stuck with him, and then he used a “human” name to honor Shepard during ME2, though it could have also offered good cover. And sure it could just be a translation thing, but what a weird translation. In this case, it’s a profoundly human thing Catra took because she grew up on Earth and spends most of her time with humans. She doesn’t give a shit about the religious aspect of it, but angels are certainly a topic of conversation whenever the naming of the seraphi comes up, so she’s aware of it and decided to take it as a way to torment everyone, herself included!

⦁ Double Trouble does like Catra and they’re disappointed she’s been caught, but they weren’t decided on interfering when Adora walked in because, well, they knew this was what she wanted. It’s a lot of work to go to to save someone’s life and risk their own reputation and “goodwill” just for someone who’s going to put a gun to her own head. They were upset about it, but at the moment they were on the indecisive edge of letting it happen, and then Adora walked in and solved their problem for them.

Chapter 9:

⦁ Garrus taking a rocket launcher to the face is iconic and he looks good with the scarring but I decided not to do it for three reasons: 1) this would bald the fur on Catra’s face. No, 2) it doesn’t necessarily add anything to the story and Catra had other (mental) health struggles to get through, 3) including the gunship fight off screen would have just complicated things unnecessarily considering it’s not leading fun boss gameplay for the reader, so Bow was just more successful at sabotaging the gunship than Shepard which let’s be real, makes sense. Adora was just the distraction.

⦁ So Catra’s mission was bullshit from the start. She didn’t pick up a gun for noble reasons, she did it because she had nothing to live for so who cared if she invited retaliation from the largest crime syndicates in the Terminus Systems, she’ll go out fighting. She could never do anything less. The fact it’s a “noble cause” is an excuse both to herself and others. If they ever did find and identify her body, word would make it back to her friends that she died trying to make a difference and not wandering over rooftops half feral. She didn’t “slip up” when they tailed her, she had just been doing this so long that being careful was a lagging priority. She was dead on her feet. She was ready for it to be over. The pain had plateaued and wasn’t getting better. At the same time, she could never let anyone say they killed her easy, she’s better than that and she’s better than this, even, so she just kept moving.

⦁ “Catra needs her with her shit together” totallyyyyyyyy isn’t “Catra has gotten very close with this commanding stranger while I’ve been gone and I need to be able to replace them”.

⦁ For me, personally, my ME1 and ME3 Shepard are mostly paragon but she goes through a renegade phase in ME2 because she’s really pushed to her limit. For Adora, that doesn’t quite happen, but lowkey she has no spoons left so her patience in nonexistent and she’s acting out a bit.

⦁ Melog’s pronouns became a topic of conversation in the Flex server because Catra refers to them with it/its in their first scene. I always read this as Catra freaking out about an alien animal invading her brain and not Melog immediately beaming its preferred pronouns into her head, but I’m absolutely not going to say anyone is wrong to use it/its, it’s just why I personally use they/them usually. Because of that though, I decided to go with it/its in this fic.

⦁ DT (kind of) took Catra under their wing because they saw her spinning out and stirring up trouble and was interested what would happen if they actually gave her more resources to blow the station up with. They didn’t give a shit about her “cause” and could tell she didn’t either, they just found her interesting, so they enabled their continued entertainment. After Catra spent so much time at Afterlife, they are fond of her but would never tell anyone that. They know Catra is just killing time by killing crime and downing shots waiting for the clock to run out, but DT’s “not-support” gave her a bit of an emotional tether to try a little harder to go undetected and make it last.

⦁ “"I helped her secure housing, and I gave her some names that fit her requirements every now and then, but she has always been independent.” When they say the final word, they make eye contact with Adora and curve their smile in a way that makes her skin itch to do something” This is DT taunting Adora with the fact Catra was always “independent” and they were never together. Said taunting wasn’t needed because Adora is already seethingly jealous :)

⦁ Red sand is a drug in the games that allows some temporary control of biotics without an implant, but comes with nasty side effects.

⦁ ““No one has ever been bored around you,” Catra says, and she says it like an insult. Adora doesn’t know, it’s kind of boring to watch her and Double Trouble flirt and she’s getting annoyed.” Adora knows that Catra is insulting when she’s affectionate which is why this got under her skin so much compared to Double Trouble’s innuendos.

Chapter 10:

⦁ In her two years of “solitude”, Catra gave in to more of her magicat behaviors she had to learn to hold in on Earth. Adora doesn’t notice it too much because Catra was always relaxed around her in private, but things like her chittering to Melog in the middle of a fight never would have happened two years before. When she didn’t really interact socially outside of occasionally going to a bar, she kind of lost some of the rules of socialization in general, which included the arbitrary limits from when she was on Earth. She then went to the SR2, where she not only didn’t give a shit what the crew thought, but actively wanted to throw her alienness in their face even if Shadow Weaver was right that she picked a tolerant crew, so after a little rehabilitation on the SR2 during the suicide mission, she’s brushed up on social interaction enough without the same human standard limits that clamped on her throat, which ultimately makes her fit in more with magicats, and benefits her role leading up to and during ME3.

⦁ Adora was trying to make her way to rubbing Catra’s scent glands before Catra rolled over and ruined it. Catra has been hesitant to mark her like she was willing to back on Earth or those last few weeks after the battle for the Citadel when she was firmly entrenching herself in the human crew who wouldn’t know better and certainly wouldn’t treat her as royalty, but it’s also an action that always helps Catra calm and Adora really wanted it herself even though she can’t pick it up. A big reason she's not marking her now, though, is because she doesn't trust this to stay.

⦁ For ME fans: Sorry I made you American, Kenneth, but it was perfect to replace Gabriella with Mermista since Jack usually hangs out right there and probably has to listen to them not-flirt all the time.

Chapter 11:

⦁ In the games, Protheans got twisted and more insect-y when they were turned into the collectors. I reblogged that post about Imp’s more bat-like traits than Hordak and tagged it with ITGB because it’s why I decided to take the Reapers’ twisting corruption in that direction for the First Ones considering the living one they find later is Kadroh (Wrong Hordak). The funny thing is I think I found it after I wrote the lines about Adora being worried about growing wings in Chapter 3, so it all came around really well.

⦁ That giant shirt Catra had on back at the Citadel was stolen from her one night stand with one of her scorpioni C-Sec co-workers when she was making bad decisions (always).

⦁ The different interactions between the various races were always the most interesting would building in Mass Effect for me so I had to have this sexual preferences conversation, because it is very different when it’s other species from other planets that have evolved differently.

⦁ To be honest, Catra was slightly weirded out about the joining (and thus seraphi sexually), and then Glimmer happened and the idea of Adora joining with her became a looming “threat” and firmly tipped Catra’s opinion into the negative. If Adora doing a joining was never on the table, she probably would be largely ambivalent, if uninterested, but now she has a bone to pick.

⦁ Shepard being more resistant to alcohol and poisons post-resurrection is a headcanon I’ve always had and I wanted to include it here. The ME1 scene in the bar at the Citadel was entirely to set up this revelation even though Adora being a lightweight is so true it doesn’t really need stage-setting.

⦁ I love the model ships but Adora doesn’t lol

⦁ Catra wasn’t “deflecting” when she said Adora’s eyes were the same, she was saying she always liked them, but Adora is stupid.

⦁ Okay so I almost always romance aliens because why else am I playing the alien game but Samantha Traynor’s romance is insane I always do it when I have the polyamory mod on and the shower scene is iconicccccccc. So I wanted to include a parallel to that, but I of course had to do it before they got together for it to hit the same way, so it had to be mid-ME2, after Catra had processed Adora’s return and before they got together.

Chapter 12:

⦁ For ME fans: Ok tbh I did the Shadow Broker plotline this way because I always found Liara’s ME2 storyline a little weird, especially her dedication to Feron. Like, yes, she wants to protect him and repay the debt, but to want that more than she wants to help Shepard, who she incurred that debt for? IDK, I wanted to do something I would find more interesting and tie more between games without needing to engage in supplemental material to even learn anything about the MacGuffin (Feron) LOL. Also, as I’ve said before, I didn’t want to just “retell” the games, so I wanted to make a new story here and change a lot of the ones that did get included.

⦁ Speaking of gripes with canon, the idea the Broker has such a large force of guards makes no sense. Unless signing on to guard his base is signing on for life and if you want to leave you have to die, someone would have found his base by now, that’s way too many loose ends. And if he never has people come, then he never needs guards, because no one could ever find him. Also the idea there are so many agents there and no one managed to get an intruder call off station that seemed serious enough that the agent(s) who got it just accept “it’s fine we dealt with it” minutes later is a bit hard to believe unless someone has tried this before (in recent memory) and failed — and again, his location would have gotten out before if that was the case. So instead I went with automated security and a few trusted agents coming to make deliveries cuz he does need to. yknow eat and stuff and probably wants a little luxury.

⦁ Glimmer knows Adora and Catra aren’t just sharing from “distrust” regardless of whatever delusions Adora is under. That said while she was on the ship she actually slept in the observation lounge on the couch with Scorpia (who had her own bed tucked into the corner at that point).

⦁ 4013-11-2018 = 40 years (of She-ra) 13/11/2018 (reboot rebut date). I had to look up what info is actually on dog tags for this because the one I have is just the lesbian flag from Too Damn Hot For You lol. Normally dog tags are 9 digits, but I added an extra because it’s been a while and this is Every Nation’s army, not just America, so they’re gonna need a lot of fucking numbers.

⦁ The car crash joke is just the dark funny kind I lowkey built this AU around, but “I’m ready to embrace my fucking bloodline” is also foreshadowing for the next chapter and Catra enabling her biotics.

⦁ “Her hair only gets brushed when Adora asks to do it” girl I wonder why that could be. Like yes at first that wasn’t her top priority but the second she knew she could get Adora to do it? Sealed.

⦁ “She wishes she could see her eyes, could see what her pupils look like” No, you wish you could see if she was looking at your lips, idiot. Which she was.

⦁ Originally they were supposed to get together on the bullet point labeled “suicide fuck” in my outline right before the final ME2 mission, but I just could not fucking stop them here, so I moved that to be their “I love you”s and first time together, while they were kindaaaaaaaa dating for the last few weeks.

⦁ I got minor writer’s block on this chapter because I knew I wanted to do it but when I got to it I couldn’t remember… why. I almost felt like I was doing it because I felt I had to hit the plot point even though I skip Most of them, but obviously I needed to include some segway to Glimmer being the Shadow Broker in ME3, I just couldn’t figure out what the theme for this chapter was or how it was going to tie into anyone else’s character arc, and I had ideas for the other chapters further on that I just wanted to write so I hit this wall with it. I already had the post-defeat scene outlined and in my folders, but I’d written it weeks ago and I just knew for it I hadn’t brought Catra along, which of course makes sense if you’re limited to three people by Game Restrictions but in a fic wouldn’t make as much sense. Meta and I were talking about Glimmer having complicated feelings around Adora because she was “saved” where her mom was lost, but I was just trying to muddy my way through Adora and Catra’s roles and motivations in this chapter, and then I ended up writing that line about Adora not having forgotten what Catra said about wanting to kill her resurrectors and I went oh, here’s the arc. And I’d already written in the previous scene Glimmer wrestling with Bow’s mortality and the suicide mission, only to open my untouched outline of the post-Broker scene to find I’d included it there too and suddenly there was a whole arc about Glimmer and Bow’s growth with each other, Adora and Catra settling the lingering feelings around Adora’s resurrection (I also had Adora finding the dogtags as a single bulletpoint in the outline), and Catra coming to realize some of the anxiety Bow went through and making up with him formally.

Chapter 13:

⦁ Shadow Weaver corrected that the Horde baited Adora not because she was wrong, but because she knew Adora could be more easily manipulated into letting go that she personally made a mistake than anyone else daring to fuck with her crew. Unfortunately for her Adora has done a good job of gathering what she can of her old crew and she’s a lot harder to manipulate than “usual”.

⦁ Catra was talking with Entrapta about the nanobots when Adora walked in on them, which is why they were both being weird, although Entrapta’s weird doesn’t really register for Adora. Catra walking in and immediately rushing into that conversation when she knew she had a small window is why Entrapta hadn’t had time to tell her about the galaxy map thing, but Catra’s new proposal was exciting too, so she was happy to talk about it. Catra got her to agree not to tell Adora by saying Adora would stop them (correct, or at least try) and then she wouldn’t get to do the experiment :( The discussion of the eezo is also the reason Catra says she “already” has a headache and she’s the one giving Adora a headache as well just from her own stress and displeasure.

⦁ Catra went from giving Adora migraines to solving them. Melog’s old owner could never.

⦁ The UV room is what Adora and Scorpia were setting up in Chapter 12 before Glimmer interrupted them.

⦁ The Hierarchy is actually the only government entity among the “main” races that explicitly forbids other races from joining, which isn’t considered a bigotry against other races thing, because it’s rather a symptom of how they hold ranks for all magicats, even the ones who never want to “join” the Hierarchy and live out on other worlds under other citizenships. Non-magicats are welcome to live and work on magicat worlds, they just can’t join their rank system and are considered “consultants” rather than holding an actual rank in the Hierarchy. Entrapta, for instance, is not part of the Hierarchy but can still have a highly specialized title that equates to the old doctor’s rank and be compensated and respected the same way.

Chapter 14:

⦁ Sovereign is of course a reference to Prime’s actual name in canon.

Chapter 15:

⦁ You’ll notice the Batarian mission never came up. This is because I hate it. Not like, for the story it serves, I just don’t like playing it, and it is an optional DLC, so in this ‘verse it just didn’t happen, much like it never happened in all my original ME2 playthroughs because I didn’t have the DLC until the Legendary Edition, and Adora and Bow needed to be tried for working with Eternia/terrorists anyway (and Bow for desertion).

[Chapter 27 spoilers below]

⦁ “I promise the climax of ME3 will make more of an appearance I just have nothing to say about the Suicide Mission except they shoot things a lot lmao” <- Little did you know I was talking about Catra screaming at the old Primavera for having the audacity to die on her.

[dragonofdarkness666]

Would love to invite you to my YouTube channel..

"The Autistic Artist" I decided to focus more on just a few topics rather than revealing everything like I do here.. my channel will be now mostly focused on either painting fandoms as usual from either video games or anime. But I may also begin trolling some YouTubers as well. Punching up of course!

*Asmondgold for example 😈

Welcome!

I would like to encourage everyone to like and subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the link above.. this is where I post paintings but I occasionally will post shorts of nature and even video game glitches.

*many of you that I've invited to my channel are hearting this post rather than subscribing my channel.. I hope you're not confused 😆*

This is a link that will lead you directly to just paintings I've made if you're curious about that only..

1) Esdeath

2) Yuno Gasai

3) landscape (Japan)

4) Monika (Doki Doki)

Wanted to say thanks again to anybody who's subscribed to my channel since then..

I like to encourage other artists to do their best.

The best thing that we can do is support each other! No matter what we may believe on different ideas if at least we enjoy a certain fandoms together then at least let that be a space where we can set aside our differences and just appreciate art in our favorite characters 🖤 👨‍🎨🎨

Side note: if you're one of my subscribers or a friend that shares a fandom with me; consider yourself under my protection. If somebody ever harasses you or you need help send me a message. (This especially goes for any of my artist fans)

(Due to my manic depression I'm usually at best at 8 out of 10 as a friend or ally.. but with anger issues and resentment toward people who abuse trust im a 12/10 comes to revenge or protecting those I value.)

Having said all that.. due to my manic side I enjoy edgy jokes and dark humor. There's usually some kind of mixture between anything of anime to dad jokes to probably some off the cuff and unhinged puns. So if you're still here just try to have fun 😈

[just-here-for-the-moment]

Short story workshop! ✍️✍️✍️ August 2024

Y'all, I am interested in hosting a short story workshop to share my knowledge and my passion for writing and to help other writers who are seeking a place to connect with fellow writers.

However, I am so tired of seeing workshops that cost $200+ for just a few hours! If you're interested in attending a low-cost writing workshop, please read more below the cut...

I'm going to host video-call short story workshops at the very low cost of pay what you can! My suggested donation is around $30.00, but if cost is any kind of an issue, please put a note in the Google form and we can work something out!

8/9/24 Update: Our first workshop will be Sunday, August 11 at 3 p.m. Central US/4 p.m. Eastern US

There are additional times and dates on the Google signup form. Please let me know if you don't see something that works for you. (And rest assured, I'll be adding some European/non-US times soon! Please message me if you're outside of North America and we'll get something set up!) Sign up here at the Google form

FAQs... Who the hell are you? Hi! I'm Claire, I'm very friendly and have been here on Tumblr writing adult fanfiction since 2021. In my first year on Tumblr, I wrote 216,860 words of short story fanfiction. That's a LOT! Fanfic led me to getting back into creative writing, which was a lifelong passion but had been dormant for almost twenty years. Rediscovering writing saved me from one of the deepest depressions I had ever experienced, and I'm so grateful to it and to the other writers I've met over the years for saving my sanity.

What do you know about writing, anyway? A ton! I'm a huge nerd, and when I have a passion for something, I research endlessly and deeply and am always learning something new. Since I started writing fanfic in 2021, I have taken 3 college courses in creative writing, self-published my first book, and I read non-fiction "books about writing" more than I read all other genres combined. (I really love writing!) I'm also "that friend" who knows the difference between affect/effect, vice/vise, they're/there/their, and other really nerdy grammar and spelling and punctuation rules, and I've beta-read for over a dozen other Tumblr authors over the years. After self-publishing in September of 2023, I found that I enjoyed the process so much that I decided to make it my vocation. In March of 2024 I opened a small business to provide self-publishing guidance and author services to other independent authors. I am currently working with my first client to edit and hone a manuscript and query letters for pitching to agents, and I'm also co-editing an anthology of original short stories from some of my favorite Tumblr writers that will debut in January 2025, published through my company.

Why so cheap? I don't have $250 lying around for a one-day writing workshop, and I'm guessing you don't, either.

You write a LOT of smut; do we also have to write "spicy" stories? Nope! Smut is not required - this is a general short story workshop to help you craft any kind of story your heart desires! I love writers and writing, and I'll be your cheerleader no matter what genre of short fiction calls to you and makes your fingers fly!

What do we get out of this? The workshop will consist of two parts. The first will be a 60-minute group video call (time/date TBD), where I will present the basics of short story form, function, and several prompts. Each participant can use one of the prompts, or bring a short story that you've already started. If you would like to get some feedback, I'll ask you to send me your short story draft within 10 days. Two weeks after the first call, I'll host another 60-minute group call, share some of the stories from the group, and provide workshop feedback and guidance to continue your writing! It is totally optional if you want to share your story with the group, but at the very least I hope to provide a welcoming space to talk about writing and to expand your knowledge - you might even make a new writer friend or two!

What if I'm shy/prefer to remain anonymous? I am more than happy to set up a 1:1 workshop with just me and you! Please indicate that on the signup form and we'll set up a time to chat.

Sign up here at the Google form and let's talk writing!

[polytrixaf]

as someone who watches a lot of react youtube videos for my favorite media here are my favorite points that i see in almost every react video for kpdh without fail

-someone who clearly doesn't watch a lot of animation being skeptical because of the a) the name b) its animated and a childrens movie but immediately watching their entire lives be changed 10 minutes in

-almost every single react video (which always cuts down their reactions for time/copyright ofc) always leaves in their commentary about the demon on the plane pouring coffee into the plant- it REALLY confuses people and i find it really funny. successful joke

-once again the people who, off the bat, unintentionally judge it as just a "childrens movie" often miss the point very early on and don't understand rumi's pattern reveal or in general get simple facts about the plot early on wrong (like jinu's intentions or not understanding rumi's rush on golden). this always tickles me bc people will (unintentionally or not) downplay animation (both childrens movies and movies that just happen to be animated) while often missing the points

-the look on peoples faces as soon as the first song starts. it gets them every single time.

-the really funny turn around where people are pissed at jinu for knocking into rumi and hate him and then like 10 minutes later are kicking their feet and giggling when he covers her sleeve tear

-people who dont watch animation ask too many wrong questions. people who do watch animation do not ask these questions and laugh at the intended humor

-the fear people react with when derpy walks out of the shadows and then the immediate adoration when he knocks over the plant and keeps trying to fix it

-usually when i watch guys react they often accredit all of rumi's changing feelings throughout the movie on falling in love with jinu/how she feels about him directly whereas women tend to understand its more about how her feelings for jinu gave her space to change her feelings on herself

-people tend to lose it a little when they realize free is a duet

-interestingly enough when it comes to the jinu backstory "reveal" there is no solid response from everyone- it's always pretty split between people getting pretty mad at him and it not really changing anyones opinion (for me it changed nothing)

-the absolute glee when rumi hits the notes during the performance and then immediate horror when they understand whats happening next

-people being so upset and distraught for rumi on stage that they always have a second reaction again when they the girls show up and everyone realizes its actually going to get worse, like we all forgot they didn't know because it already hurt so bad

-the celine/rumi scene hits EVERYONE. regardless of if they were following the story perfectly or not the whole time, if they really understood the metaphors or not, no matter what they are feeling they ALL understand "all of me!"

-a lot of people tend to not understand that they did not make the golden honmoon but instead a different one..this carries into the fandom as well i think based on all the fanfic ive read lol

-everyone is overjoyed derpy and sussie are there at the end

[imopeningup]

need to be weaving a story so i don't think myself, my current conditions, into the ground. but how can I not? we're all slightly obsessed with things in our lives. jotting notes down, huffing and puffing alone in a room that's just a bit too hot. i got the answer I needed but I don't want it anymore. a new truth emerged while I searched for the old one. can almost five years pass between two people until one finally tries to crack the other one open with a direct question that neither person wanted to ask? youtube keeps recommending me video after video about loving avoidants, what to do when avoidants leave, what avoidants don't want to hear, what to say to an avoidant to keep them around. but what the fuck? I was just looking for a video of brown noise so I could relax for a minute. I just needed to tune things out and now i'm ruminating again. it's the writing bug is it? I'm short on rent and asking someone I do not want to ask for help. I'm sick to my stomach thinking that it took me two beers and a negroni to finally ask this person--- no, to finally shake them loose with my own truth--the tension built up and we kissed but I'm puzzled. their answer to my honest question was that they're passive and never make the first move. i'm walking around bedstuy and I reach a cul de sac on unpeopled street, and the sidewalk is too clean where it curves around to this big house I can't believe is in bedstuy. It probably has central AC...a grey haired fairly good looking man in a striped shirt and shorts sits out front of this house, he is the only person around besides me and I start to feel insane. Good thing I'm on the phone with my therapist. they tell me what I need to hear...it's up to me. and Yet, I don't want to hear that. I want lightning to strike, I want to fall into the dirt while i'm walking, I want a pigeon to shit on my shoulder, I want a knock on my door and a note waiting for me outside of it, something where life just happens and I do not have to make that dreaded first move. I am probably so afraid of it because I too, am passive. But that is only half true. i'll apply to jobs slowly and then put enough in to get enough traction to maybe get an interview while at the same time i'll languish in bed reading my texts but not answering them and letting my imagination run wild...all these thoughts and i've only filled about 10 notebooks in my lifetime. of course its time to write. this person I kissed said I'm always writing. they know I am. they grant me this confidence and I feel alive. but then there's the tension. there's a photo of them they show me that some girl took who was on top of them. they look wild and happy, my eyes blur and I look away quickly. we sit in the dark part of the outdoor space of the bar and make them a dating app profile .. the one i've been a on of late. the one where everything already has tension and you meet up with a person to break it...no to release it, hopefully together. ssssssss. i'm remembering this person I used to talk to on here who told me his friends determined that his laugh was like a hiss from a snake, i'm hearing that now. really wishing I had met him in real time, real life, heard that laugh myself. where am I going with this? idk...there's no end in sight though. possibly a good thing to be needing to put things down again. i'm so so puzzled by life. a trip to the beach alone is in order, walking for so long in the sand that i start to squint and forget my the bigness of my life's problems, and become one with what's around me...other people half clothed languishing in the midst of it all. just a brief interlude before I return to the real world. where I think I really want to be.

[cleolinda]

Silent Hill 2 commentary: Wood Side Apartments (3)

PREVIOUSLY ON: James' feud with a grade schooler, decorative storytelling, our first encounter with Pyramid Head, and the scariest scene in the whole game.

Spoiler policy: Just about anything but That One Big Thing near the end of the game, particularly information about characters, their motives, and their dynamics. The game’s eight endings may also be discussed. Content notes are below the cut.

Content notes: This post is mostly about fighting and exploring. The combat involves body horror, acid vomit, and realistic amounts of blood. By this point, we have both the wooden plank and the gun.

1:14:30: "This is so stressful. I say this admiringly. It's so stressful!" The thing about this game is that you have to stay vigilant—the combat is very sporadic, but you're always watching for a mannequin to be right around the corner. The tension is exhausting, and this is why I'm sitting there halfway through this video saying, "I'm so tired." I love it, but this is why it took me about six weeks to finish the game the first time.

Mostly, this apartment exists as a throughway with easter eggs to somewhere else, but there's a double bed with that blue-flowered sheet again, and there's a broken mirror on one of the pillows. Given what we've discussed about "a body without a head" (V2 1:48:25) and "James can't look himself in the eye," it's almost like the mirror is resting there as a person would, next to a space for someone else. There's also that deep, hoarse breathing that's meant to evoke Mary's illness. I feel like there's symbolism like this scattered throughout the building just to have something there, you know? Bloober Team really went out of their way to make these apartments look like a variety of people lived there, and if you're going to think up all these furnishings and back stories so players can explore, they might as well reflect James in some way.  

1:16:45: This moment with a mannequin lying in wait encapsulates what I love about them: there's body horror, but it's also waiting there in this coy little pose that's both sort of charming and incredibly disturbing. I love fighting them but I hate fighting them, you know? I kind of wish we were on the same team. 

A Strange Photo on the windowsill: "Career's humble beginnings." Midway through my first run at the game, I started recording it for my own reference, and thus, I actually have a shot of James' cubicle to compare it to: 

All images are ©2024 Konami Digital Entertainment, and captured from my gameplay in January-March 2025.

1:19:00: I struggle with one of the ankle-biter lying figures out in the hall. It keeps slithering away at top speed. "Do you want to do this or not?!"

You know, I'm probably the last person who should shake my first and cry "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!" to the heavens, given that I did all this research to tell you why the monsters are like this, but I'm not asking in any literal sense. It's more, Why, Why Hath These Tribulations Been Visited Upon Me. 

1:20:10: "Oh, it's YOU." The next one, a straggler with stitches, is even worse: "I am not dying here. FUCK THAT."

There's a fire escape staircase you can let down that goes between the second floor and the ground floor, and it turns out to be really, really useful. 

1:21:15: Apartment 207. I proceed to traipse around the Wood Side complex savescumming the "Let's NOT Party!" achievement so I don't lose 50% of my bullets shooting 11 "WELCOME HOME" balloons. I was fully willing to eat 13 deaths on my original run, 11 of them sustained from extracurricular practice fighting, but I'd rather run around reloading saves for a one-time thing than lose half my ammo. 

By the way, this room is decorated for a party (complete with a moldy, uncut cake). In an abandoned town. This is the question I keep asking: Did people leave Silent Hill gradually, or all in one cataclysmic day? But there's always that third option: what we're experiencing has been conjured in the moment, by Silent Hill as an entity, specifically for James. At which point, "Welcome Home" is addressed... to him. It's a continuation of that "home" theme: Home Again by David Wiltse, "The Long Way Home" on the jukebox, Silent Hill as a resort town that nonetheless symbolizes the person that was "home" to James. 

1:30:00: The night before I recorded this, I was browsing the Silent Hill Wiki and saw the line, "James was proficient in track and field in his 'school days.'" I laughed so loudly that I scared my dog because Remake James famously can't go faster than a gentle jog, to the point where it's laughable in a chase scene several hours from now. "WELL IT DID HIM A LOT OF GOOD."

1:31:00: Apartment 208. I honestly don't have any evidence that Apartment 208 is inhabited by "a fucking serial killer," but it's got a distinct Se7en vibe to me (I nearly said "written all over it"), from the room crammed with notebooks to the weird little chamber that the tenant APPARENTLY traps people in. I don't usually transcribe entire notes, but this one left behind by that tenant is worth examining: 

You must think I'm cruel But this prison is of your own making The choice was yours I watched you make it over and over and over again This time's not gonna be any different And I'll be here Watching

So one interpretation is, we have walked into yet another story of strangers' lives going on in this complex, and this has nothing to do with James and we'll never know what the hell this absolute freak was doing. Another is that this does relate to James in a partial, dream-logic way; "over and over and over again" suggests time loops and that oscillating-fan cycles-and-repetition symbolism. Whether you think Silent Hill is hell, purgatory, or something else for James, it is "of his own making"—he's here due to something he's done (and the guilt he feels about it), but his version is also constructed of imagery from his subconscious. The "choice" must be [spoiler that James can't remember], and we'll watch him watch that on a video tape near the end of the game—did the speaker watch James make that choice in that memory, or is James literally repeating that action in the present/future? Because the "Maria" ending hints that James will reenact events from his life with her as well. 

At which point: Who is "I"? Silent Hill itself? Or even some part of James, speaking to himself? Taunting himself, trapping himself? I genuinely don't know. This game loves to just drop weird little confetti bombs of what the fuck all over the place. 

Anyway, there's also kind of a hypergraphia situation with the writing all over the walls and ceiling; our three clues to the safe code are hidden there.

Right where the rooftops piece through the night Left are homebound footprints with no owner in sight But has he found home, oh, please pray tell Or a river of memories leading right to his hell

So you're looking for drawings of

Houses (rooftops), with the "home" theme again

Another house with footprints (like the footprints on the loading screen. This is recreated from the original game, and I actually don't know if there's a significance there)

A river (James is associated with water, and the "bad" endings ["his hell"?] both involve the lake)

and the numbers on them, which are the code to a safe ("right" and "left" in the poem give you the directions) that contains a key and also our first coin, the Man, and yes, all of this is exactly as complicated as it sounds.

When I mention the disgusting bathrooms as having a Se7en aesthetic, I may have been thinking of Fight Club—while both are iconic David Fincher movies, they had different production designers, and Fight Club’s was Alex McDowell. That said, I would be very surprised if Bloober Team didn’t also have some of Arthur Max’s work on Se7en on their inspo boards. 

I also mention that this kind of reminds me of the Saw movies, except that I haven't seen the Saw movies because Silent Hill 2 is about as much gore as I can handle. I always send my videos to Ian first, and he emailed me back that, right as he was saying to the screen, "But you recapped—" my voice said, "Yes, I know I recapped Hannibal." (I didn't watch it for the gore, that's for sure.)

1:36:10: The key opens your exit, a door with the nine-square arrangement of the Nine Delusions, the nine monsters and bosses that are James' distractions. Usually the squares are red, and that's why our save points involve James looking into a red square. I probably didn't need to write this up this puzzle at such length, but the location is visually very striking.

1:38:40: Not only do I get confused by how to work the dial on the safe, despite having played this game before, I can't even explain what confuses me about it in a coherent fashion. I am tired. We are 50% of the way through this video. 

1:40:45: Apartment 205, where we get the padlock key. This is another area that freaks me out beyond all reason:

What the FUCK is this room? What is happening here? There's like a tarp taped on the ground. There is all kinds of nasty whatever around this chair. It's under a single light bulb like it's an interrogation room, or maybe a torture room, or maybe a murder room, I don't know. What is going on in this building? What is happening! 

As Eurogamer points out in the "What Was Life Like in Silent Hill 2 Before Its Downfall?" video, there may be some PTV/drug-related crime that would explain WHATEVER was happening in this room. Also, you have to whack three creepers; I talk about "I Grew Up in a Haunted House and I Didn’t Notice," an essay about being too busy with roaches and crickets in a very old house to notice that I was apparently living with spirits (?) as a child.

1:44:50: FINALLY, I get to the 2F laundry room, and James discovers that the Woman coin is stuck in the garbage chute.  

Next post: Eddie's introduction; a swimming pool full of lying figures and an apartment full of mannequins; "IF WE'RE DYING IT'S AT LEAST GONNA BE SOMEWHERE RESPECTABLE!"; canned juice.

(SH2R commentary master post)

[birdmenmanga]

Hii please talk about your fav tracks from birdmen ost that doesn't exist!!! I wanna know!!! Are those like just songs or do you mean original instrumentals? (Btw I still have to give you my review of that eishi and his mom playlist, I didn't forget just so you know)

HI so this ask is clearly sent in response to this post, which I made in response to watching my mutual's video about the first episode of umineko when they cry (it's funny and you should watch it. hi silas)

he basically opens the video with "yeah so umineko is a banger visual novel with crazy good music. go listen to it" so then I went and listened to it and the music WAS good and then I got mad that I couldn't tell people to listen to banger music from my mental illness series because it doesn't have any music

BUT if we were to talk about the hypothetical BIRDMEN OST right. Hypothetically. boy do I have some thoughts for you.

So let's talk about the vibes of BIRDMEN right. What sorts of themes and aesthetics the series itself is exploring, and essentially the vehicle with which the author is using to sort of carry her message.

The visual aesthetics of the series are dark. Edgy, bordering on apocalyptic. High contrast, bold colors, and little rendering gives this series a very modern and futuristic vibe. Let's look at a couple of early color illustrations:

Even when she's working outside of this color palette, we still have those same elements in the illustrations:

Obviously not all illustrations follow this clean, modern aesthetic, but it gives us a good idea of how she thinks about this series. I specifically bring this up because Kekkaishi, one of her previous series, had a very traditional and historical aesthetic, and in some ways this was reflected through the watercolor artwork.

The rightmost illustration also features the red-yellow-black palette similar to the top photoset, but the soft textures end up giving it a different, warmer feeling.

What I'm getting at is that like the BIRDMEN color illustrations, which uses the digital medium in order to achieve the clean, bold colors, the soundtrack should also feature futuristic instruments, heavy in synths and other digitally created noises.

An idea commonly explored in the series, I'd say, is the idea of discomfort. The world which was once familiar to you is now totally foreign. It's disturbing, unsettling. I think the soundtrack should reflect that.

I think this song does an excellent job at capturing the unsettling atmosphere in BIRDMEN. Opening with the subtle ambient noise, the weird warbling noise, and then adds the unrelenting, repeating high note to build pressure. (ignore miku she's not part of the mental exercise) This is the song that convinced me a heavy, almost subsonic bass pulse like the one featured at 0:49 is an absolute must in the soundtrack. This type of sound profile, vaguely, is what I think "becoming a birdman" sounds like.

While most of this post is "yeah I think something that sounds kinda similar to this or uses sound fonts like this would make a great BIRDMEN OST" I have to pour one out to Cyber Thunder Cider (EZFG). This could just straight up be a blackout fight soundtrack.

Like, that super strong pulse at the start is EXACTLY what I imagine the throb of the back marking to be like if you had to express it through music. You know, this thing:

I REALLY like the timing of this. That first hit, then a beat of silence, and the suspense grows until the full energy of the track kicks in about 10 seconds into the song. You can practically hear Karasuma's mental monologue in the spaces between the beats. And when the track DOES get off the ground (haha?), it's got a very fast-paced, restless beat with these gritty synths. Despite its busyness, it's not so demanding of your attention, and consistent enough that it actually CAN function as a genuine BGM track in my opinion. I fancy myself an imaginer of music videos rather than an imaginer of animations, but unironically I feel like given enough time I could storyboard a gorgeous blackout fight scene to the song, that would literally be an animated scene and not a music video.

Obviously, I don't think ALL the tracks should have to be married to synths. I think EDEN's themes, for instance, should definitely have a touch of sound fonts that have a heavy religious note to it, like church bells or organs. I really enjoy wotaku's... hmm... I don't know what to call this... "Cathedral trap", maybe? I think it really does marry the reverent, intimidating Christian vibe with contemporary percussion. Haters may disagree but I genuinely think EDEN sounds like this:

However I feel like wotaku's music tends to be a bit overbearing and really demands a lot of the listener's attention. You'd have to slow the tracks to at least 0.75x speed to barely make them functional as OST music. special shoutout to the second one. I think the American flock massacre set to that song would go crazy. like if scenes of viktor making the decision to kill them, sanders and the other guy talking about it, was interspersed with the flock getting decimated? do you see the vision. the final gunshot is robin getting sniped. it would go crazy trust me

Now obviously we also have like. Normal Music, right. Like Music Which is Ambiently Playing in the Background While Normal Things Happen. I am not passionate about this type of music but I do still largely agree that they should still follow the synths rule. Here's some thoughts but these are largely subject to change:

This one's a fun one. I think it's worth listening to an on vocal version of it (Psi by r-906), and while largely it does fit into the synth-heavy, dark, low tones of the other songs I pulled out, it also has this really delightfully cheery section at 1:40. sadly I made the mistake of listening to it on loop while reading canis so this song is really tied to that series now. woops!

I am sure everyone is sick and tired of my bringing this song up at the drop of a hat but genuinely I think the blue sections of this PV are really great for the. normal and ordinary parts of the OST. it is light and airy and in some ways it really does feel like flying to me. but again wotaku's music is such a slut for attention it's really not possible to have something else take center stage while it's playing.

Something I'd really like the soundtrack and sound design to feature as like, a recurring thread, would be static. If you listen to some of the G-Witch soundtrack, such as these few songs (just listen to the first 5 seconds of each, you'll get the idea), you'll notice that there's this motif of like, a breathing apparatus:

I reaaally like this. They're pilots in space, and I think this being such a prominent motif in the series really sells the delicate mortality of a human body. It's soooo cunty. I think the birdmen equivalent would be static and here's why okay. "Communication" and "connection" are such huge and prominent themes in BIRDMEN, from the way they're likened to linked PCs, the nerve connections, the telepathy, and so on. Even though I personally imagine the tweets to be insanely high fidelity with no static at all, just a clear and platonic chime of pure thought, I still think static is such a good audio motif to have. Dead air is unsettling. anyways listen to the beginning of WAVE (niki)

those first 10 seconds are kinda goated. I love that in terms of the sound design.

well, anyways. my thoughts! enjoy!

[roo-bastmoon]

Homage vs. Copying

So I'm not feeling super great these days, but I still dip into Jikook spaces for a quick hit of lovely serotonin and to check up on my friends. Alas, I see some folks raging in the tags that JK is stealing Jimin's original concepts because he's too stupid or lazy to come up with his own... I'm not having flashbacks to BTS' plagiarism scandal, I'm not. I have thoughts--and lots of photo examples--about this topic, under the cut. Let's get into it--and keep it civil, too.

First off--let's just establish that folks have the right to use the Jikook tag to both celebrate and critique Jikook and the fandom around Jikook. People get to write about what they want on their blogs. They get to rant, so long as no one is using hate speech and slurs. (The minute I see that shit, I quietly report.)

Clearly, folks who are angry at Jungkook (or Jimin) come into the Jikook tag because they want attention from Jikookers, and the best use of my time and energy is to self-police and block them. That way I am not infringing on their right to scream into the wind all they like, but I also don't have to hear the noise.

Second off, unless JK called any of us up and said: "Hey, guess what? After 10 years of evidence to the contrary, suddenly I'm incapable of original thought, so I just take advantage of Jiminie-hyung, whom I keep calling out and hyping up and praising and asking to spend time with and traveling with and whose style I also match in my personal life!" maaaaybe we give the benefit of the doubt, and at least entertain the possibility that Jungkook is expressing visual alignment with Jimin because he can't just openly claim him in other ways?

Like, I'm not saying that IS what's going on, because Jungkook doesn't call me up and tell me his thoughts, either. It's fine; I'm not mad. He doesn't even text Jin back. I am just saying we should maybe sit with the idea for a bit and really marinate on what that might mean for a queer couple.

(Or we could just take in things without pronouncing any opinions yet--ya know, until we get more data around Jungkook's choices and how Jimin feels about it.)

It's fine not to assume the similarities are romantic gestures; but it's also fine not to assume the worst--that JK is siphoning off Jimin like a leech. Jungkook was consulted by the Seven stylist and he got to be creative director for his Vogue shoot; he also had some say in his music videos and performance stages. He is making choices deliberately, and it makes no sense to me that he would choose to openly copy a bandmate out of laziness. He has a professional reputation to consider.

Rather, I think this is one of the few places where he has artistic license to tether a thread between him and Jimin. I think he's paying homage.

(Side note: In film and photography, an homage is an imitation of another work. At first glance, it may seem like an homage is a rip-off or a lesser copy, but it actually pays tribute to and honors the source work. Homage is a great way to use other filmmakers' styles and content to crystallize your unique voice as a filmmaker.)

So that's my currently theory about what's going on.

Yet, honestly? None of us really know WHY there's so much similarity in their looks these days. The similarities are now stacking up so much as to be undeniable, though.

Personally, I'm leaning to this being a celebration of the fact that Jikook have always shared similar tastes; it's one of the many ways they click. Jikook know that. The stylists know that. So yeah, when JK gets a chance to observe and emulate (and expound upon) Jimin's style, he does. Because Jimin is one of the coolest people in the world to him. So he shows this in his own creative work and in his own personal wardrobe.

Here's why I hold that opinion at the moment:

Could this all be the stylists choosing to recycle looks or throw bread crumbs to Jikookers? I guess.

Could this be Jungkook just borrowing from Jimin as a shortcut? I'm not sharing his brainwaves, so I can't tell you there's zero possibility.

But what seems more likely is that of all the artists in the world, Jimin is the one Jungkook has always kept his eyes on. Out of love and respect, not malice and opportunism.

Like with the 1108 and 13 numbers that THEY keep inserting into their own communications, these similarities in style is also an emerging pattern.

If you feel protective of Jimin, I understand why you'd be wary of so much similarity. But consider what we know of both Jimin and Jungkook over the past 10 years...

While neither of these human beings are perfect (and they will continue to make mistakes), they clearly love each other. And you don't steal from the people you love. But you do honor how amazing they are whenever you get the chance.

So maybe let's just hear JK out on this?

Okay, that's all the energy I have for this topic. I got deadlines and health tests to power through over the next few weeks. If you comment with your own ideas, that's cool--but please keep it respectful of Jikook and each other. I don't want to banhammer anyone but I will.

Love, Roo

PS Even if I'm not around much, you can be sure I'll buy and stream 3D, and I encourage you guys to give it a chance too! <3

[munsonshire]

Robin Buckley as your girlfriend

Pairing: Robin x f!reader (she's a lesbian you guys) Disclaimer: These were originally a headcanon, well, a series of them but now its kind of like a fic or similar Masterlist

When you guys are at your house, she won't stop looking at everything, especially in your bedroom, she'll go through your drawers and check every little thing that you have, both, because she loves you and wants to get to know you better and also because she's poor and as a kid/young teenager she didn't have many belongings

Passionate kisses 24/7

She doesn't know what personal space is so expect hugs and nudges and gentle bites every now and then (She's in the spectrum so she'll only do that if she really does trust you, which she does

- She looks like a lost puppy when she's out alone

- She's not jealous, she's insecure asf

- Likes to have soft music as a background

- kisses on the forehead

- kisses on the side of your lips

- She usually has issues at home, so she goes to your house to sleep over lots of times

- Loves it when you visit her at scoops/family video

- She's the kind of person that collects little rocks that she finds in random places, sometimes some kind of mineral like quartz

- She'll also gift you rocks that she finds beautiful, she says they remind her of you

- You were the one to ask her out

- She has her hand around your waist most of the time

- If any guy tries to flirt with you she'll glare at him, and will start some sort of PDA

- Will let you use some of her clothes to sleep during sleepovers at her home (they don't happen often because of her family issues)

- she doesn't really care about your physical appearance, she cares more about you being able to love her as she is

- She sometimes forgets about privacy so she'll just walk in on you changing, and stares at you till you notice, and either you tell her to get out or stay, depends on you, she'll accept your decision

- She gets super nervous and starts rambling whenever you're about to kiss

- There was this one time when you were wearing a low-cut shirt and she decided that it was a really great idea to leave money between your breasts with a wink (as a joke obv)

- Will tease Steve, talking about you all the time and teasing him about not deciding what he wants

- Likes to read while lying in between your thighs, according to her its 10 times better if you play with her head too

- kisses your neck while cuddling

- Play fights that end up in cuddling

- She loves it when you wear her clothes

- Dancing in the living room at 2 am

- Getting drunk asf and getting matching stick and poke tattoos, courtesy of Mr.Munson

- Her asking you to defend her when Steve teases her

- "Y/n come here and tell Steve to leave me alone!!!!"

- She has a lot of nicknames for you

- random making-out sessions because you can

- trying to teach her how to drive, but her almost crashing the car so you agree that Steve has become your personal driver

- She admires you while you're not looking

- You both were each others first everything

- Hugs from the back

- Making fun of Steve with each other

- Would leave you little notes when she leaves for work

- Will take some movies from Family video home so that you two can watch them together

- She's a bit insecure sometimes, she wonders how is it that you can love her, but you always reassure her that you love her for who she is

- You both can't really be seen as a couple in public, bc its the 80s, and well, same-sex relationships weren't seen the same as they are today, so you both have to act as best friends when you're in public

- Robin likes to sleep with her head on your chest and you wrapping your arms around her (ill make a more extended headcanon for this) She says that your boobs are like pillos for her

- You two are Steves's best friends, apart from Dustin obviously

- Asks you to do her hair daily

- When she gets bored she likes to make little braids on your hair

- As she said, she had a hard time learning how to walk as a child, well, she also had trouble learning how to swim

- She puppy swims, and Steve likes to make fun of her bc of it (not in a mean way obv)

- She gets kinda embarrassed and goes to you for comfort

- On Fridays, she always brings a movie so that you can watch it together

- Will talk for you for hours

- Will also listen to you for hours

- When she's drunk she's the kind of person to tell you how much she loves you

- Rubs your hand with her thumb when she holds your hand

- She asked you once to pierce her ears but she got way too scared when the needle gets close to her

- Tells you she loves you a lot all the time

You guys are always at your or Steve's house (yeah, he lets you to go have dates to his house because he cares about Robin and wants her to be happy, plus he knows that her fam dont accept her for who she is) for dates or just to be together

She gets extremely nervous around her friends if she doesn't know them from earlier

Tickle fights, though she might get a little overstimulated and end up kicking you so that you stop tickling her

Watching cheesy romance movies together

Trusts you with her life

Will never let go of you, once she gets confic¡dence she's clingy, very clingy

She stares at you all the time and if you catch her she'll panic and turn away

Says "I love you" all the time, kinda like a reflex

[theplottdump]

Hello! I just caught up with the whole legacy and I am in awe over your storytelling abilities! Do you have an tips for storytelling in sims?

Hello Hi!!

First of all, AH THANK YOU!! I hope you had fun reading it T-T Second, that's a really big question! 😅

Storytelling in the sims is a tricky one because it lands somewhere between writing and almost like storyboarding a movie. It's very visual so there's the question of how much can I show vs how much will I have to tell.

I can give you camera tricks, TOOL tips, framing guidelines and maybe someday when I have some more energy, I'll do a whole writeup.

I did a big stream of my posing/shooting process for Sunny's big underwater adventure, it's 9 hours long (holy shit) but if you were interested you can click through it and skim https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2036916228

When it comes to dialogue and prose, and the actual writing part, I'm afraid that's something I'm still learning and working towards getting better too. I just try to be conscious of not rehashing what's happening in the screenshot (since we have eyes and we can see what's happening) while also not claiming that something is happening in frame that's obviously not.

I don't have a good structure for writing, I have like notes on a google doc of thoughts and ideas, but I usually take my pictures first and then write to the pictures so it feels natural and like they complement each other. I know that's not how many people write though.

Also I like to save writing prompts and book quotes I find for vague inspiration!

Overall, the best thing you can do is just start. Don't expect anything for yourself. Find a group of friends and write for them and yourself. Gen 5 through the Pit arc was all written on a discord for me and like 10 other people only. It took me a year to feel comfortable enough to start sharing the story publically.

LMK if ya'll would be interested in a more condensed post/video on how I take shots in the sims/hacks, tips and tricks.

Sorry this is so unhelpful! My best advice is always going to be don't afraid for it to be bad! Find yourself a safe space and just be terrible at it. But be terrible for you! And over time you'll find that it's maybe not so terrible anymore.

xo, Anne