#and planned this game from the beginning because fans are going to be so desperate to have some sort of plot and background about the zonai

[bluebelledmoon]

reblogs for greater sample size are greatly appreciated!!

i'll put my opinion in the tags so i don't sway the results but im interested to hear what you guys think of the game as well

** i'm only talking about PURCHASING the game.

[hearts4hughes]

jack hughes’s secret relationship with the devils’ social media manager

• A/N: i love head-canons and writings like this and i love the hockey player x media!manager trope!!

it all began when you rushed through the corridors of the prudential center. your head was down as you rummaged through your bag looking for your camera when you collided with a muscular figure. a little dazed you looked up and mumbled out an apology.

the second jack laid his eyes on you he knew he was a goner. his signature toothy smile tugged at his lips as he examined your flushed face. “are you new around here?” he read your name off of the work id clipped to your shirt.

you nodded and rambled off about how it was your first week and that you’re afraid to mess up. he found it adorable that you confided in him. with a deep breath you finished your rant, anxiety weighing on you that you were being annoying, but jack silenced all those worries as his hand touched your shoulder. “you’re going to kick everyone’s asses in there, don’t worry.”

and the rest was history…

stolen glances from across the room as you fidget with your camera or as you took content for social media. jack smiling as he caught you biting your lip, a desperate attempt to suppress your smile. your face is always beet-red when he’s in the room and it’s only a matter of time before your colleagues begin to notice.

lingering touches whenever you both get the chance. whether it’s handing him a sign to hold and your fingers brush each others or just touching the doorknob at the same time (stuttered apologies and blushed cheeks follow). if he’s feeling bold, he’ll maybe put his hand on your lower back while he sneaks by you, whispering something cheeky in your ear. if anyone asks he swears he’s just affectionate with everyone, but his teammates know better.

before you took over the job as the social media manager /content director, jack would barely appear in videos or promotional material. sometimes you’d be lucky if you caught him walking around in the background of a tiktok or got a candid of him at practice, but besides that he steered clear of any media. however, that all changes the second you get there. suddenly he’s surprising everyone and volunteering to do content (maybe just so he can get alone with you, but he’d never admit it). fans are thrilled with the floods of jack videos and pictures which helps you get bonuses and promotions.

if the team makes plans to go out or celebrate something, he’s always the first to invite you. whether it’s pizza night over nico’s house or going out bar hopping, you’ll receive a detailed text from him with the location and time. in the event that you are going out to the bars with the team, his eyes stayed glued to you all night. he rarely sees you in anything besides your business casual work attire, so when you show up in a leather miniskirt and a skimpy top, his jaw is on the floor. jack has an insane jealousy streak and it doesn’t help that you’re incredibly attractive. the second some guy comes up to you, he’s white knuckling his drink and trying to figure out a way to steal you away.

he’s always trying to impress you. if you’re watching a practice, he’s doing his utmost to look like the best player out there. don’t even start on games because every single goal he gets he immediately looks for you in the crowd. whether he points at you or just gives you that knowing look, he makes sure you know that was just for you. and god forbid you compliment him, his ego will inflate like a helium balloon. nico and dawson will tell you to stop with the cute comments because he’s already cocky and insufferable as is.

when you and jack officially begin dating, you both agree to keep your relationship a secret. the two of you weren’t sure about the terms and regulations that the franchise had, so it was smarter to separate work and pleasure. it was grueling though, for the both of you. seeing each other all day and having to pretend like you didn’t know each other? it was painful. most the team and your colleagues knew about your situation anyway, though you and jack would always deny it. brushing it off as ‘we’re just close friends’.

you both rarely call each other by your real names. it’s always baby, babe, y/n/n, or jacky. you sometimes will slip up and call him by his nickname, almost almost compromising your secret.

with a clipboard and paper in hand, you walked towards jack and haula. the paper had a list of content creations you needed jack to do or help you film. when he didn’t notice your presence right away you called out to him, “babe-” you cut yourself off with a horrified look on your face. “jack, i mean jack.” he blushed, biting the inside of his cheek as haula snickered and patted his back. “real smooth.” jack’s voice was hushed and the corners of his lips tugged upwards with a smile. “it just slipped,” you defended with a pink hue that went from your cheeks to the tips of your ears.

[sylusjinwoon]

{ 192 }

white day madness.

kenji (ken) sato x fem.reader

the moment you realized there was a promotion going on with kenji sato and the rest of his team on the giants, you immediately began making plans for your entry / gift for ken sato.

the day the announcement was made was during your lunch break at work. your eyes were barely paying attention to whatever was playing on t.v. as you simply ate your lunch in peace. yet the moment ken's stupidly handsome features came on to the screen, you felt your heart begin to beat faster as you practically sat at the edge of your seat, clinging to every word that came from kenji's parted lips.

he was dressed nicely in a pristine suit with the rest of his teammates dressed similarly while holding a single red rose in their hands. ken steps closer to the camera and brushes back his hair before speaking:

"are you someone who's missing a valentine's day honey? do you find yourself desperately wanting to confess your feelings and celebrate this day of love, but don't have anyone to dump your feelings on?

well have no fear, because the giants are here to help mitigate the problem for you! if you're seeing this ad right now, just know that we will be accepting all of your valentine's gifts from now until february 14! if any of you lucky ladies manage to capture our hearts with your amazing gifts, then we may pay you a visit when white day comes on march 14 and give you the time of your life with a date!

so go on! send in all your fan mail and love letters, along with any treats if you're feeling generous!"

that was the moment ken completes his ad, flashing an address on the screen as you quickly captured it on your phone. your appetite and half eaten lunch were already forgotten as your mind raced with ideas on what to make and give to ken sato, the man who had become your favorite baseball player since his drastic change.

when you first heard about him and his entrance in japan, admittedly, you were drawn to him because of his beauty. you had never seen such a lovely man before, catching yourself becoming mesmerized by his dark eyes and the way his hair flawlessly fell across his face. despite only seeing him in magazine covers and ads, you already developed a bit of a crush on him. so when his first ever press conference was announced, you quickly tuned in and watched it. yet the more he spoke, the less connected you felt with him.

as you continued to watch his press conference, you were quickly turned off by his egotistical nature. he was cocky and pompous, and often liked to talk down on his coach and teammates. he was so certain that only he alone could make history in japan as being the giant's sole ace-

needless to say, after ken sato's first ever press conference, you stopped following him and decided to focus on the giant's team as a whole. with each game that ken played in, the more he seemed to dig himself into a bigger hole. it was clear that after the gigantron incident, ken was never quite the same, with him messing up so badly that he was making his team face more losses than victories.

however, such a setback didn't last long. as you kept watching ken and his interactions with his team, you saw that he became much kinder now. it was less about him being the sole ace and more about guiding his teammates to victory.

and soon enough, the giants were able to win their first championship-

and you found yourself falling for admiring ken sato once more, especially after his interview with ami wakita. it was obvious from his demeanor that he was much gentler now, accepting the fact that he wouldn't have so many successes if it wasn't for his teammates. you were completely enamored with this kinder and more accepting version of ken that your admiration for him seemed to increase by a tenfold.

which was why you were so excited to actually be able to interact with him in some way with this promotion going on. despite how it would be a dream come true to win a date with ken on white day, you knew that the chances of him ever picking you were slim to none.

regardless of that fact, you still wanted to send him a gift for valentine's day and knew just what you wanted to make for him along with some chocolates.

"hm, that cute pink baby kaiju found roaming the streets that one night would be adorable to turn into a soft plush." you giggle to yourself, already packing up your lunch as you went back to work, smiling the rest of the day as you thought about everything that you needed to purchase in order to complete your gift for kenji sato.

{ ... }

ever since the coach agreed to let them do this silly (and fun) promotion for the team, everyone was excited to receive their own valentine's day gifts from the fans.

it all started when ken took his team out for dinner just to hang out and spend some time with them. in a drunken stupor, one of his teammates and friends admitted that he had never been given confession chocolates on valentine's day before.

upon hearing this, ken's eyes go wide. "fujitaka, no fucking way, dude! for real? isn't valentine's day kind of a big deal here?"

fujitaka ends up groaning in response, "dude, don't remind me! i was a loser back then, okay? i didn't exactly have girls lining up to get to me like you, sato."

"shut up." ken ends up playfully shoving at fujitaka's shoulders, but still smirking while letting out a laugh. and it was while ken was musing on how sad fujitaka's life was that he formulated this brilliant idea.

"wait, i got it! how about we do something about it?"

"huh? what did you have planned?" his other friend, inoue, asks with a tilt of his head.

"how about i talk to coach about hosting some kind of valentine's day sweepstakes for the whole team? it'll start in the middle of january all the way until february 14, then fujitaka will be filled to the brim with confession chocolates-"

"and the lucky lady who manages to capture our attention wins a date with us on white day!"

"EXACTLY!"

the rest of his teammates and friends were incredibly eager now as they immediately let coach shimura in on their plans. despite how he was hesitant at first, ken manages to sweet talk him, telling him how doing such a promotion would not only boost morale for his team, but for the fans as well.

in the end, coach shimura relents, and with the big boss's permission, ken was able to film a commercial with his team while giving the fans the address where they could send their valentine's day gifts.

and boy oh boy did the gifts start flooding each respective team's boxes, with it becoming so prominent that the mail had to be separated by large bins with each team member's name written on them.

now, it was finally the big day; february 14, where everyone could see the letters and chocolates the fans had given them. there was an excitement felt in the air as each member enters the gym to see each of their bins labeled with their names, filled with cute pastel pink stationary with boxes upon boxes of chocolates.

truth be told, ken did this promotion to help with his friends. in all actuality, he could care less if anyone gave him gifts for valentine's day. while his friends look at their pile in awe, ken took notice of how not a single bin had his name on it.

"strange, does no one like me after all?" ken pretended to be offended when he hears coach shimura clear his throat while gruffly calling out his name.

"that's because the sheer amount of gifts you received filled out more than one bin, sato."

ken turns around to face his coach, feeling his eyes go wide as he wheeled in a total of 3 large bins filled to the brim with similar stationary and piles upon piles of chocolate.

"holy shit, man, talk about unfair. here we are with just a single bin, while this jerk gets three!"

everyone else ends up surrounding ken with his 3 large bins filled with valentine's day themed goodies. as their hands search through the endless pile of chocolate and love letters, only one gift stood out to ken-

it was a plushie of emi nestled safely within a pale pink basket as she held in her hand a letter and a cellophane bag filled with heart shaped chocolates.

"you guys can have the rest, but this one is mine." ken reaches out toward the basket that contains the emi plush, holding it securely within his embrace as he steps off in the other room to get some much needed privacy.

when he was alone, he smiles with a fondness down at the cute emi plush. she was well made, with cute little button eyes while her body was lovingly stitched together with some pink thread. he was glad that ollie had a new friend to play with now as he removed the bag of chocolates and the letter from her tiny grasps.

with the plain envelope in his hand, he makes a mental note of the address before opening the letter. his eyes scan through the handwriting...

hey ken, or mr. sato in case you don't like to be referred by your first name! i guess you can call me a longtime fan of yours, but if i'm being honest, that's kind of not true at all. in fact, when you first moved here to japan, i thought you were an asshole. you were extremely cocky and had this air about you, like... i don't know. like you were BETTER THAN everyone else. and that just didn't sit right with me. for those first couple of months, i rolled my eyes each time you came on screen, yet at the same time, i couldn't look away from you, (curse you and your good looks, i guess). but what i'm trying to say is, i notice the change in you as of late. i see the kindness in your eyes- the passion that you feel each time you talk about baseball and your team- and i went back to truly admiring you again. i like this side of you, and i hope that you'll never change anytime soon. thanks for being you, and despite how i know you'll probably never read this letter, just know that i am proud of you. sincerely, your number one fan...

ken finds himself repeating the name that was signed at the bottom of the letter. now, he had received some fan mail prior to this whole valentine's day event, but none of the letters were as quite as honest as this young woman's letter addressed to him-

and he found it oddly refreshing to know that she had once disliked him before returning to him once he had changed thanks to his love for emi.

already knowing that she would be the winner of his white day date, ken places the gift back inside the basket with a hum, already looking forward to paying her back for such a wonderful gift.

{ ... }

it was march 14, and you weren't expecting anything special to happen as you woke up and got ready for the day. you had just finished your morning routine and was simply eating some toast with butter when you heard a knock at your apartment door.

curious as to who it was, you put down your slice of toast and went to open the door, only to feel your mouth remain open in a gape at the sight settled in front of you.

the tall man was dressed comfortably in a white shirt and dark jeans along with a pair of converses. in his hand was the most extravagant bouquet of red roses you had ever seen, but perhaps what was more jarring than that was the identity of this man-

for it was none other than ken sato himself that stood before you, a kind but lazy grin gracing his features as he said your name out loud.

"ah, y-yeah, that's me, ah... may i ask what you're doing here, mr. sato?"

he lets out a rich chuckle all while brushing back his hair, "miss, don't tell me you forgot about the valentine's day promotion? and please, do just call me ken from now on.”

it was at that moment that your mouth was felt going dry. "oh my god, no, no way! i-i didn't think i would even win! that's why, in my letter, i-"

you purse your lips and bite back your words, afraid that ken would remember.

"in your letter, you called me an asshole? yeah, i remember that. in fact, it was because you called me an asshole that i wanted to meet the woman that wrote me such an honest and true letter."

you were still in a daze, taking a hold of ken's bouquet as you held the flowers gingerly within your arms. "you're telling me i won a white day date with you?"

ken gives you a wink, "exactly, my lady. so why don't you free up your plans for the day and spend some time with me." his voice takes on a deeper tone with his eyes furrowed down at you. you feel the way his large hand gently brushes back your hair, the mere touch felt against your skin succeeding in making your pulse quicken in response.

"i want to get to know you better, if you'll let me."

and who were you to say no to such a sweet request?

{ ... }

after texting your coworkers about catching a fake stomach bug to get out of work for the day, you got out of your work clothes and changed into something more casual, but comfortable, while on your white day date with ken. he rides around the city with you settled in his mustang convertible, where you felt out of place as you sat with your hands stiffly resting against your lap.

"relax, sweetheart, there's no need to be so stiff around me." ken's gentle voice fills at your ears, but you couldn't help but feel incredibly anxious anyways. you tried to find the right words to say, but opted to remain honest instead.

"listen, i'm sorry if i came off as rude in my letter to you. i just-"

"hey, there's no offense taken, okay? i actually appreciate your honesty and would rather receive honesty than false praise." ken takes a moment to meet your gaze when he reaches a stoplight, "and besides, your amazing chocolates and cute em- i mean, cute kaiju plush more than makes up for it."

you found yourself visibly relaxing then, feeling quite happy that your letter didn't offend him too much. as you look out the window, you saw that ken was driving away from the bustling city. "so where are we going?"

cue ken letting out another rich chuckle, "that is a secret. just know that i'm taking you to a place that's very dear to me."

you give him a nod, letting out a hum as you continued to look out the window. a few minutes later, ken parks at a parking lot, opening the door for you while taking a hold of your hand as he leads you towards a cozy looking restaurant.

"tonkatsu tonki?" you look over at ken with a smile, catching him staring at you as he lets out a cough and looks away from you, "yeah, this place... my mom and i used to eat here all the time each time my dad had to work late."

you felt your heart clench at the mention of his mother. you recalled how ken stated that his mom was missing for quite some time now, but didn't want to ask him to further elaborate because you knew how it was such a sensitive topic. as if understanding your silence, he looks back at you and gives you a warm expression, holding the door open for you as you entered the restaurant first.

the scent of pork frying makes your mouth water as you take a seat next to him and order the famous tonkatsu set with rice. you end up having long conversations with him, with you answering questions about your life and how you grew up.

oddly enough, it seemed like ken was clinging to your every word, nodding here and there while asking you to elaborate on other parts of your life. it was strange, but you had never once spoken to a man that seemed to invested in you and your own story, which was enough to make your heart melt for him.

even when your meal arrived, the conversation never seemed to end. when asked about ken's own personal life, he gives you a beaming smile and admits to how he was able to reconnect with his dad, realizing that his old man had always been proud of him. soon, the conversation moved from your family life to your current goals and dreams.

the words that flowed from your mouth was never-ending. in fact, speaking to ken felt more like you were speaking to an old friend, and you never once had to hide how you felt or put a filter over your words.

your white day date with him ended up lasting until late in the night, with him taking you back to your apartment when it was nearing 11pm. as he walked you back to your apartment, your steps became considerably slower as you truly didn't want this date to end.

but alas, you could not avoid the inevitable, with you already standing in front of your apartment as you looked down at your shoes. you kick the tip of them back and forth on the carpeted floors, unable to look kenji in the eye when you tell him, "despite how i was so certain i would never win this date with you, i actually had such a good time and-"

ken ends up cutting you off the moment you felt him taking a hold of your chin before pressing his lips against yours in a chaste, but sweet, kiss. your eyes go wide, watching when ken pulls away from you with a prominent blush settled against his cheeks. he coughs before running a hand across his hair, "sorry, i know... kisses on the first date is weird, but i couldn't help myself. ever s-since i got your gift, all i could think about was meeting you. and now that i've finally seen you, interacted with you, you are by far the most gorgeous girl i have ever been with, and i-"

it was now your turn to cut off ken's own ramblings with a kiss as you simply leaned forward to perfectly slot your lips against his. letting out a groan of your name, ken eagerly kisses you back with his arms wrapped around your waist, keeping you from falling to your knees for him as you became putty in his hands.

when the need for air proved to be too much, you pull away from him and smile, basking in his half-lidded expression and the way his lips remained slightly open. you giggle at the sight of his captivated expression and take a hold of his hand, silently unlocking the door to your apartment as you invited ken inside your home, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of your life night with him.

a.n. - this was a daydream i had swirling around in my head for some time now, i just hoped i was able to execute it well enough lmaoooo. this is unedited, but once it's posted i'll make the necessary corrections and changes. 🥹

all stories are written by rei; reposts, translations, and plagiarism are not allowed.

[mazikeenhyde]

Oh Baby, Pain is Pleasure - Part 3

POLY JUDGMENT DAY X READER (WRESTLER) 

Y/W/N – Your Wrestling Name 

Y/W/N/F – Your Wrestling Name Finisher

WARNING – THESE WARNINGS COVER ALL PARTS OF THIS FICTION- THEY MAY NOT BE SPECIFIC TO THIS PARTICULAR PART!- 

SMUT,  GIRL X GIRL, MAN X MAN, POLY RELATIONSHIPS/SEXUAL, BDSM, BLOOD, SPANKING, VIOLENT REFRENCES, INJURY, ABUSE (CONSENTUAL) CHEATING, STALKERS/ STALKING

I’m going to apologize to you all now, and prewarn you in advance, this is an absolute rollercoaster of a storyline! Shits about to get REAL messy! 

TAG LIST - @babybatlover

Oh Baby…Pain is Pleasure – Part 3

Late afternoon had seen the sun burn the remainder of the clouds from the sky, leaving a beautiful blue horizon view from across the backyard. Flocks of birds gathered as they headed over the break line, waving in and out of the smoke coming from our BBQ pit. 

I sat, gently rocking my feet back and forth on the chair egg swing we had attached to one of the older grand oak trees in our yard. It was all I had wanted when we moved in, somewhere calm and content where I could just exist. Enjoy my time, enjoy my life, and admire the world around me. Ponder life’s big questions… 

‘LOCKER WITNESSES’ 

I re read that message repeatedly in my mind, who was it from? witnessed what? 

I had deleted the other text from my phone, I wasn’t going down that road. 

The sounds of two men’s deep voices bought me back, looking over to my lovers I could see Finn & Damien adorned in their matching ‘TOP CHEF’ aprons and cooking utensils with a beer in hand, either chatting away or debating about how best to cook the chicken. 

Whilst further down on the sun loungers, Rhea had stripped down to one of her thin black bikinis with the metal skull clip fastenings, she was catching the last of the sunrays to her already perfect Sunkissed skin.  Christ, how did I get so lucky as to be a part of this incredible love…. Pentagon? It’s a five-way love triangle, let’s leave it at that.

When we had been initially searching for a house to buy, one to really call home that is; we had all had something in mind we desperately wanted as a feature. We knew it needed to be a big house, one with a master bedroom where we could assemble out two King size beds that had been custom made to attach in the middle, I cannot begin to tell you how comfortable and comforting it is being held close and safe by the four people you love more than anything in the world. 

The guilt though…

Still, obviously Rhea & Finn were dead set on having a large garage/ open internal space to set up the home gym. Of course, whilst on the road we still used a lot of public gyms and one-off hotel workout rooms here and there, but when we are at home, in each other’s company, away from the world, the fans, all that attention. It is so lovely knowing we don’t have to leave our little safe haven.

Damian had specifically made it clear he wanted a huge kitchen, open planned that backed into a dinning area. When we moved in, he had taken the time to build up a barista style coffee corner and a breakfast station on the central island. Then with Finn’s help, they worked on a D.I.Y project together to design and create a full bar set up next to the table and chairs where we ate. They had eventually given in and allowed Dom to help with the painting of the bar, because he wanted to be a ‘DIY Man’ too. 

The boys always referred to it as the lad’s corner, a custom-built wooden bar that was painted a deep tranquil green and black with illuminated LED letters on the wall; ‘ALL RISE, ALL DRINK’.   That however did not stop Rhea and I from emptying some of those back bar bottles on one of many messy nights! For some reason, whenever Rhea breaks out the Tequila, we always end up playing strip twister… Odd. 

Dominick, of course… wanted a gaming room. Not just any gaming room mind you, a ‘Mens” gaming room. 

*Sigh* 

Problem is he is just so adorable at times, and we all give in, he had been granted his request of course! Although Priest put his foot down when Dom had asked for an indoor arcade style basketball hoop game, he was allowed a hoop outside but that was it. We had all seen enough broken windows during the season when Finn had tried to teach Damien and Dominick how to play golf. 

It still makes me laugh when the boys talk about how they would feel guilty that they were off spending time together, while Rhea and I would miss out? Ha. Little did they know when they buggered off to do ‘man’s stuff’ we girls would high tail it upstairs to the family bathroom and strip off into the bathtub for some… girl’s time. *Wink Wink* 

I remember one morning; Rhea and I were standing in the arched doorway at the crack of dawn waving the boys off as they set out on an early start to play a full days Golf. Leaning into her chest I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes as she bent her head down and nuzzled her lips into the crook of my neck. 

“I tell you now Y/N, I would rather run the risk of drowning when we get in that bathtub, and I bury my face deep in your pussy… then stand in a damp field hitting a stick at a ball.” Her teeth nipped at the skin of my ear lobe and my entire body melted at her touch. 

Christ the things that woman does to me. 

A loud crash had bought me back to reality, Dom had been trying to carry a tray of drinks out to the garden for us all but had tripped over some excess weigh plates we had left outside, sending the poor lad flying arse over tit. 

��Shit! God damn it, ow fuck!” Dom pulled himself up to his knees, swiping the drinks tray away in frustration before noticing blood trickling down his arm from the glasses that he had smashed across the decking. He was quick to freeze, unable to process what to do next or how to stand up safely. 

Rhea was quick to make her way over to him from the sun lounger, followed by Damian who handed Finn his spatula and beer before rushing over to help the poor lad. 

I know, I know I should have been focused on the fact that the boy I loved so much needed some help, some TLC, compassion, and support… 

But I am only human. 

And Rhea Bloody Ripley…. 

Running….

In a mini black laced bikini…

Slightly wet from the heat of the sun touching her skin, God how she glistened. How she got my motor running and…

Finn had noticed my distraction and whistled loudly, gathering my attention. 

“Aye! Lass, enough of that! Go... Take a lap!” He gestured, pointing to the end of the field in our garden. The yard stretched about 1/4 of a mile down and was cut off by the woodland. One of my favorite things about this house was the nature that came with it. It all felt so…natural and back down to earth compared to the chaos and mayhem at WWE. 

Pointing his BBQ tongs and Damian’s spatula at me, Finn raised his eyebrow. 

“No distractions, ya hear!” 

I tried not to laugh at his remark, turning my face away to hide my snicker and rolling my eyes. I was still wearing my gym gear from before; except I had nabbed one of Dominick’s merch shirts on the way to the garden from the drying rack, I was self-conscious about my stomach, and I liked to hide my body where I could. 

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?!” Finn sternly questioned me as he put the utensils down. 

At this point Rhea was taking Dom inside through the double doors, whilst Damian stood back up and turned in my direction. 

Fuck… they are hot when they get all dominant. 

“Mi Vida, did you roll your eyes?” Damian’s words were colder, flat, and prominent. I could tell he was almost looking for a reason to get me upstairs into the bedroom. Christ I was half tempted to give him a solid reason. 

Put me across your lap Papa Priest, let me feel the strength between your thighs and lay it into me Goddamn it! 

The devil on my shoulder sang its heart out at the idea, but I remembered earlier when Finn has spun the actions back against me. Leaving me alone and sexually frustrated I thought better of the situation. 

“Me? I would never…” I said quite obnoxious/sarcastically and smiled that cheeky brat look at them before hopping up off the tree swing. I could see Damian trying not to break or give in… but a slight smirk crept into the corner of his lips.  

“I’m going to take a lap!” I stated and grinned before making a run for it, heading down and out of sight from the lads. I had a much better plan in mind to deal with my frustrations when I got in the shower later anyway. 

I was out of breath by the time I got back towards our street, less than a ¼ mile to go! I had decided to go for a proper run to clear my mind. A good few miles should do the trick, that’s what Rhea always said! With my headphones in and a decent playlist on, nothing was going to stop me! 

One foot after another I pressed on, sweat dripping down my neck I desperately tried to Shake off all that nervous energy I had built up now that WrestleMania was less than 2 weeks away. I had been on edge at times, and it showed when I trained in the ring with Rhea and Dom. Running back-to-back moves, counters, pins, and submissions, it was like every time I thought I had learnt it someone would come along and wipe my slate clean, and I knew nothing again. 

Maybe I wasn’t ready to be a champion? 

Maybe I was out of my depth? 

Rhea should be in this match not me. 

Me? Y/W/N? Was I really cut out to be a champion? 

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket as I continued running. I tried looking at my smart watch as I ran, though it was tricky to focus on a smaller screen. 

I could see a couple messages from Finn stating the food was ready, one from Damian also telling me the food was ready, one from Dom telling me he was going to eat my hot dog if I didn’t hurry up and one from Rhea telling me she wasn’t going to let Dom touch my food. 

Honestly this lot, I love them so much. 

Turning into our street I could see our house gate entrance just up the hill, with a little spring in my step I pushed on feeling like I was picking up speed. I felt energized, I felt incredible, maybe I could do this after all! 

With the gate just in reach and the sweet smokey smell of the BBQ lingering in the air I put my head down to push those least few feet… 

But within a split second I felt something behind me. 

The music cut out as my headphones were launched to the floor and my arms locked in tight by a strength I hadn’t ever had to match. Kicking my legs out I felt them rise off the floor and before I could even fathom the mental capacity to make a sound the feeling of sticky back plastic tape suckered its way in across my lips. My eyes pooled up as the bag went over my head and my vision became darkness. A hard and cold metal floor was met with my body weight as I was hurled inside, my heart beating out of my chest the fear became all too real as I felt the ground under move away at speed. 

A hot breath came down my neck, raising every last hair on my skin to react. The voice was muffled, as if speaking through a mask. 

“You did this Y/N…” 

“You did this… and now you cannot handle the monster you created.” 

The silence in between each word was deafening, but it was the next voice that bought the fear of God into my soul. 

“ Told you I’d find you...miss me?” 

TO BE CONTINUED

[rambling-at-midnight]

Iced Out

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

Summary: Jason's dating an avid hockey fan, and when your team faces off against the New Jersey Devils, the rivalry can spread all the way to your apartment. Too bad Jason doesn't care about the game. He only cares about getting you in his arms.

Word count: 2k of pure fluff

Your side of the bed is cold.

Jason’s hand feels around the mattress. He groans when the blind search leads to nothing, and prepares to begin the arduous task of wrenching open one eyelid to pinpoint his target, reel you in, and hold you in his arms as long as he can convince you to stay in bed. You’re a restless sleeper, so did you just shift over during the night?

Jason’s hand meets air: the end of the bed.

His eyes fly open, and just as quickly shut. He blinks against the morning light squeezing through the curtains at just the right angle to hit him straight on and, grumbling wordlessly, turns over to haul you against him. It’s his day off, dammit, and he’s determined to sleep in. With you.

Where are you?

The panic icing Jason’s veins fades as soon as he registers the sounds in the kitchen: the radio, just low enough that he can’t hear the words, just a steady stream of white noise; the stove, and whatever is on it hissing as it cooks; someone’s slippered footsteps softly scraping against the floor as they walk.

Jason knows many things. Many, many things. Such as: the floor of your apartment is vinyl, which you consider too cold even during the summer, so you wear slippers around the house. Such as: you don’t wear the slippers if you’re only walking for a brief moment, like dashing to the bathroom or from the bed to the front door when you realize you’re about to be late for work.

Jason realizes something terrible.

You’re awake. For the day.

There go his hopes for sleeping in while cradling you in his arms. Because of your busy schedules, it’s a luxury you two aren’t often afforded, and only during periods of light sleep—you’re kicky when you reach REM, and as soon as you’re fully awake and raring to go for the day, you can’t fall asleep again.

But Jason is nothing but adaptable, so he prepares himself to leave the warm bubble beneath his blanket pile and venture into the cold unknowns for a warm cup of coffee and an even warmer hug.

As soon as he shuffles out of the bedroom and realizes what you’re wearing, Jason is forced to accept the fact that he can get one, but not the other.

At least not for a couple hours.

Jason is a born and bred New Jerseyan Gothamite, attitude and reckless abandon for traffic laws included. You aren’t. You were lured to Gotham by the Wayne Scholarship, which pays for someone’s full tuition to Gotham University, regardless of GPA or financial status, as long as they sign a legal agreement stating that they won’t become supervillains. Usually the horror of living in Gotham City outweighs even the most desperate student’s desperation, so it’s still not wildly popular for students outside New Jersey. Still, it lured you in, and Jason had never been so grateful to Bruce in his life.

Unfortunately, because you weren’t born in Jersey, you were raised slightly differently than Jason. You root for different sports teams, for example.

Like hockey.

Mainly hockey.

Jason doesn’t even care about the New Jersey Devils. He doesn’t watch hockey games, he’s never felt the urge to pick up a stick and bat a puck around, and he certainly doesn’t follow the NHL like some people follow it.

As understanding as you are of Jason’s busy schedule, that he has to cancel or postpone plans constantly, and his vaguely criminal activities, the one thing you’ve never understood about him is that he doesn’t care at all about the Devils, because you’re probably the biggest fan in the world of your home state’s hockey team.

Their logo is large on the beanie on your head and the scarf wrapped around your neck. The name of your favorite player is written in capital letters across the back of your jersey. Your heating isn’t broken; in fact, under all the layers, you’re flushed and a little sweaty.

It’s a little ridiculous. Jason’s lips twitch with fond amusement. He tries to give you a kiss on the cheek while he says, “Good morning,” but you twist out of the way, eyes glinting.

“No, you take that back,” you say. “It’s a bad morning. A terrible morning.”

“Oh?” Jason asks, trying to play dumb. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re at war,” is your serious response.

“Are we?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I wasn’t aware that you’d issued such a declaration.”

You tsk and shake your head. “You should have known when you woke up.”

“Oh, was that what our cold, empty bed meant?” Jason tries to pout for sympathy, but you roll your eyes and gesture to the stove with your spatula.

“Scrambled eggs and bacon, if you want them.”

Jason’s over two hundred pounds of muscle and eats like it. Of course he wants them. He forgoes a plate and eats right out of the pan. Mouth full of steaming hot eggs, he asks, “What time is the game today?”

“It’s a noon game. Which is terrifying. Sometimes the boys don’t lock in for the noon games.”

“I’m sure they’ll do great,” Jason offers, which earns him a glare.

“They’d better!” you exclaim like you’re threatening Jason.

He checks the time: almost ten. Good. There’ll only be about two hours of you twitching with anxious energy before the game starts. It’s funny how seriously you take it, except when the Devils are playing your team, because the rivalry infects your apartment and every so often Jason catches you glaring at him as if he’s a Devils player himself. “C’mere,” he invites, holding out an arm because he wants to hug you.

You shake your head and wrap your arms around your body as if you’re cold, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth with the jersey, beanie, and scarf. “I don’t fraternize with the enemy.”

“You sleep with the enemy every night,” Jason points out.

“You’re not the enemy those nights,” is your response. “But you are now.”

“You know what, I hope the Devils win today.”

You let out a scandalized gasp. “How dare you!”

“And I bet your favorite player doesn’t score.”

“Jason!”

“We’re gonna get a shutout,” Jason continues. “And we’re going to score on you eight times.”

“You’re going to eat your words.”

“Make me.”

You’re face-to-face with him now, and for a second Jason thinks you’ll crack and kiss him. You’re tempted; your eyes dart down to his lips, and you wet yours instinctively, but then you look away and take a couple steps back. “We’ll see who’s laughing in a couple hours, mister.”

“Yes, we will,” replies Jason, though he doesn’t care. It’s just cute to see you so excited.

Because you cooked, he washes the dishes once he’s finished eating. You head to the living room to read on the couch while you wait for the game to start. Your cat immediately jumps into your lap and starts to knead while your fingers scratch up and down its spine.

Jason’s insides feel warm at the sight. Even one year ago, he never would have thought something like this was attainable for him. He loves the domesticity of it.

After the dishes are done, he grabs a book of his own and sits on the opposite end of the couch, though normally he’d sit next to you so that you could lean against him. You like pretending to have a rivalry, so he’ll play along.

As soon as the puck drops, the morning’s tranquility breaks. Your mouth runs a mile a minute, commenting on everything that happens on the ice, contradicting with the commenters as if they can hear you, and when your favorite player scores a goal, you jump to your feet and crow with victory, displacing the cat, who slinks over to Jason with an air of indifference. He’s the spare human, but he doesn’t mind. Just like you’re pretending to feud with Jason, he’s pretty sure the cat’s pretending to be so indifferent.

“Did you see that, Jay?” you turn around, your face glowing with excitement. And all the layers you’re wearing in the relatively warm apartment. “First goal of the game! And in the first two minutes!”

“I saw,” Jason says. “You’re off to a good start.”

“You bet your ass we are,” you say. “In your face!” You pump a fist at the ceiling.

Jason pets the cat and tries not to smile.

The game is exciting. The Devils score twice in the second period, putting them in the lead, and your anxiety ratchets up until your team scores again in the beginning of the third, making the game a tie. That actually ratchets up your anxiety more, and Jason has to lean over and take your nails out of your mouth when you start to gnaw on them. First the scarf comes off, then the hat, but you stubbornly refuse to remove the jersey. “It’s good luck,” you insist. “Almost every time I wear this, we win.”

Jason knows a thing or two about superstition, but he lets it go.

In the last five minutes of the third, the Devils score, and you gasp and sprawl over the couch as if shot. Your nerves are contagious; Jason scratches the cat faster until it swats at him. He wants the Devils to lose because it’ll delight you, so he’s invested in the game, and when your team scores in the last minute of the last period, he exclaims with you.

The game goes to overtime.

Your team has a breakaway and nails a shot into the right corner of the net, slipping just past the goalie’s glove. The light behind the goal turns red. The buzzer sounds.

You jump to your feet and scream as if you’re in the stadium.

Jason winces at the thought of the noise complaint you’ll certainly get later, but it’s worth it: you whirl around, laughing with victory, and launch yourself at him, displacing the cat once more.

Finally, finally, you’re in Jason’s arms, and he holds you tight until you wheeze. You pull back and ask breathlessly, “Did you see that, Jay? We won.”

“You beat us fair and square,” Jason agrees fondly. He pushes a stray lock of hair out of your face.

“The best team won.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Jason teases, just because he knows it’ll wind you up. You wrinkle your nose at him. Quickly, he says, “How about a consolation prize for the losing team?”

The energy in the room changes. Coyly, you ask, “What did you have in mind?” and look at Jason through your lashes. You’re warm in his arms—you make him warm in a way he never is without you—and Jason’s hands sneak beneath the jersey. You jump sharply when his cold hands touch the warm, soft skin of your sides and back, and Jason chuckles. “How about a kiss?”

A shiver runs down your spine; Jason can feel it. You tilt your head and shift, so that you’re not sitting in his lap, but rather kneeling in it. Jason has to look up at you now; his throat goes dry. “I’m not sure that Devils fans deserve kisses.”

“I learned my lesson,” Jason says. “Promise. Tried-and-true fan of your team, don’t worry.”

“Hmm.” You tilt your head. Your eyes glint. “I’m not sure that I believe you. But…” You drag out the word as you carefully arrange your arms over his shoulders and sit back down. Jason lets out a long breath at the weight of your hips cradled between his own.

You twirl one of his curls in a finger, and Jason’s pretty sure he died and his heaven is this: you, your feel and scent and weight, all around and surrounding him until there’s nothing else.

“I think I’ll make an exception. Just for this one special Devils fan.”

The hand in his hair pulls him down. Jason’s lips are chapped, and you’re smiling too wide for it to be a real kiss. He pulls back, clears his throat, says “Good game,” and goes back in for more.

DC Taglist

@evalynanne @mismatchsposts @cliosunshine @fictionalwhor3 @bellathecatastrophe @lonely-star2044 @flanhog @pastelsweaters-and-bubble-t

If there's anything you all want, let me know! And if you like what you just read, considering checking out my ko-fi to help me out with groceries and rent :)

[sp0o0kylights]

"I feel him." El insists. "Alive." 

She hasn't said his name since Will first raised them all over the walkie, but every person in the room knows who she means. 

Not that Steve can say his name either.

"But we watched him die." Nancy says gently, before Dustin properly loses it from where he sits in the corner. "Owen's even sent someone back through to check." 

"Yes." El agrees, but it's clear she's frustrated. "He died here. But he's not alive here, he's alive over there." 

"In the Upside Down?" Steve asks, and pretends his voice isn't cracking with desperation and barely concealed hope.

"No!" El snaps, before taking a deep breath and collecting herself to try again. "Through the other gate." 

"Okay." Hopper cuts in, hands waving in some kind of "stay calm" gesture. "El, honey, I think we're all still hung up about the other gate." He pauses, before adding. "And how Creel dying opened it." 

El gives him a thousand yard stare. 

"I'm getting the crayons." Joyce sighs as she stands up. In a mutter she continues, "Should have gotten them to begin with." 

Silently, Steve agrees. 

xXx Eddie xXx

It goes like this.

A bat breaks through the side of the trailer. It swoops low, teeth rattling, but it doesn't attack. 

It emits an odd, echoing screech, before  flying through the gate, to the Rightside-Up. 

"Shit." Dustin curses wildly. "Shit, they're gonna try and invade!" 

"I thought they were guarding the gate!" Eddie protests, as that echoing scream returns tenfold, coming from the mouths of too many demobats. “If they wanted to invade wouldn’t they have done that already!?” 

"No, because Vecna was focused on opening more gates! This must be his plan--to open enough gates to push an army through. We have to lead them away!"

"Dustin-!" Eddie calls out desperately, but finds himself overwhelmed by bats as more and more break through. 

He fights through them, trying to get to Dustin, trying to listen to what the kid’s screaming.

He can’t hear him.

Not over all the screeching, the beating bat wings and the thudding noises as they smack at his head. Their teeth snap, tearing into every piece of him they can reach.

Eddie doesn’t know how long he’s been surrounded, but he hears the trailer door bang open--and shut.

"Dustin!" He screams this time, voice as loud as he can make it.

The kid’s faster than he is.

He’d planned this--or at least, had thought about it long enough to get himself a solid head start, leaving Eddie scrambling after. 

Fighting through the torrents of bats. Abandoning the gate because Hawkins can burn for all he cares--but there are people who don't deserve to go down with it.

People like Henderson, who have bright futures ahead of them.

Eddie tears his way towards Dustin, unthinking, just running.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid-!’ He thinks, but not at Dustin. 

At himself, because he knows the kid. Knows what to expect from how he acts in games. 

Steve even called it--and Eddie’s not stupid enough to think he was talking to both of them when he warned them about not being a hero. He was included purely because Dustin would fuss otherwise and they were short on time.

Dustin’s on the ground when Eddie finds him, and he whips his spear at the few dozen bats that attack him, their bodies circling, teeth biting. 

He gets in two good hits before shit hits the fan. 

To his right something explodes, flames high and reaching, a thunderous boom whipping out so loud that Eddie's ears ring. 

A shockwave nearly takes him off his feet, bandana pulled from his head and freeing his hair. 

Eddie crashes on the ground next to Dustin.

 Sees all the blood and doesn't know what to do. 

"Come on man." Eddie pleads. "Come on!" 

He doesn't get an answer. 

It goes like this.

Vecna’s dead. 

The blast that killed him was from some kind of explosion that took out all of Creel House. 

It fireballed skyward, and the Upside Down rapidly began doing….something, seconds after. 

Returning, Eddie decides, to whatever it was before the asshole got thrown in here. 

Or dying, maybe.

(This is easier to think about than the fact that no one could have survived that blast. That there's a black hole Eddie can see, and it has to wrap miles and miles around the Creel House because he's still near his trailer.

It the trees down the stupid hill didn't make it then Robin, and Nancy, and Steve--

He stops. Shakes his head.

If Eddie thinks about it, it will make it real. 

He can't let it be real.),

The monsters all fall as one, dropping to the ground like puppets with cut strings. 

Eddie had been pummeled by a few demobat bodies before he could get clear, though given how some still occasionally twitch and hop around weakly after, Vecna's death doesn't necessarily equal their own.

Madly, he crushes a few beneath his boots. 

Knows that won't bring his friends back. 

Stomps on a few more because he can't do anything about that, and he can't cry any harder.

It goes like this.

Eddie gets back topside to find Vecna's revenge in action.

 It's an act worthy of a mad god, not that Eddie would ever give him such a title. 

Hawkins wasn't split. It was consumed, with large portions falling deep into the earth that opened under it. Smoke chokes half the town from an outburst of fires, while downed trees and electrical lines make walking a chore. 

The road is a cracked and pitted mess, littered with holes large enough to swallow entire cars. 

Passage is nigh impossible by car, and downright dangerous by foot.

It makes Eddie want to sink to his knees in despair.

There were still people around, that first day. 

There were still people around the second and fifth days too. 

But then the monsters appear. 

They're not the demobats, or demodogs or even the demogorgons that Eddie was told of. 

They're something--else.

Mutated and mutating, taking on appearances that reflect both the Upside Down and the Right-Side Up (a term coined by one of the freshmen--Eddie can't recall which.) 

Actual flowers, great purple and orange looking blooms sprout teeth and attack. Vines stick out of arcade cabinets, carting them around like a hermit crabs shell. 

Some people breathe the falling little pieces of ash and suddenly aren't people anymore.

(It was Erica, who had coined the term. The Right-Side Up. 

Erica who was also deceased, because the fucking explosion didn't just take out the Upside Down version of the Creel house, but the real one too. 

Which meant Max and Lucas and Erica…

But Eddie's not thinking about that.)  

It goes like this.

Wayne's gone.

He'd been at the plant when the Earth had swallowed it, his first day back to work because he'd used all his PTO trying to find Eddie.

The coworker who watched it happen makes sure to tell Eddie his uncle insisted he was innocent. That the old man never stopped looking.

Likewise, the trailer is gone. 

It fell barely a day after Eddie had climbed out of it, one half eaten while the other teetered dangerously on the edge.

There's cops at the borders of the city. 

They’re been commandeered by the military and the feds both, and people in heavy gear prowl around like guard dogs just waiting to be let off leash.

Helicopters fill the air, always circling and searching. Units of men and women begin parading around with guns as they escort tanks and other battle equipment through the streets. 

They're looking for something besides the monsters, and they're happy to cut the phone lines and police the survivors to find it.

No one's allowed in--or out. 

Eddie tries to escape the first few days, after he realizes everyone who knew the truth is gone. 

Thinks maybe he can get to the Byers, and that super powered girl out in California, but keeps getting cut off.

Twice they've nearly caught him, which means twice Eddie has been forced to come to terms with the fact that he's one of the things they're after.

They know him by name.

They know he was involved in Creel's takedown.

Eddie"s not just being hunted by the town now. 

He’s being hunted by the United States as a whole. 

It goes like this.

Eddie doesn't want to die. 

Can't bring himself to take his own life, forever too much of a coward. 

So he berates himself while he hides.

Wonders what the fuck his plan is here. 

Focuses on surviving, stealing food, sleeping in people he loves houses and hoping maybe some of them made it out.

(Given how Gareth's and Jeff's places are both untouched, he doesn't think they did.) 

He’s never prayed before but now he’s praying to every deity he can think of. Hoping, wishing, that if he can’t get out alive, he at least goes down quickly. 

It goes like this.

Steve Harrington walks out of the woods with a nailbat in his hands, like a blood soaked fever dream. 

Eddie doesn't care. 

He hugs him so hard his own ribs hurt and the crazy thing is Steve hugs him back even harder. 

"You're alive." Eddie sobs, face buried in Steve's shoulder.,"You're alive, you're alive…" 

Steve grips him for a moment before whispering back; "And so are you." 

He pulls away and Eddie struggles against him, not ready to let go, fingers grasping at his shirt. 

Steve strokes his hair, his stupid tangled, gross hair and Eddie looks at him, desperately needing the contact to prove that Steve is real. 

That he’s here. 

 "I need you to listen--I'm not your Steve." Steve says, and Eddie’s so desperate for contact that the words don’t register for a moment. 

Not that they make sense when they do. 

"What?" Eddie asks. 

"There’s a--okay.” Steve sighs, before saying; “I am going to absolutely blow the explanation, but I need you to trust me.”

“I do.” Eddie says, even as Steve fulfills his own prophecy, and gives a completely nonsensical explanation.

At the end of it, Eddie can’t bring himself to care. 

As long as he has Steve back--even if it’s not technically his Steve, Eddie will follow him wherever he goes.

[canadaxed]

Lucy is an Ancient!.... theory.

you might like this if you: really like the idea of eldritch beings falling in love with some normal ass dude who is totally unaware.

I also posted this all on the Klei forums, which might be easier to read for some people. Click here for that version.

A while ago I posted: "someone remind me to make a post on my theory about Lucy being an Ancient" and I finally got around to it! Feel free to read. It's a long one, but the main timeline for the idea is in the last paragraphs if you want to skip ahead.

Here's the theory now:

Hey gang, I figured I'd post this theory I have. I dunno if anyone else has picked up on it, I didn't find anything myself. I'm gonna try my best to explain why I believe Lucy the Axe could be..... an Ancient!! Like the spirit of the Shadow Maul or Reaper. 

First things first, lets start with Woodie, the scraps of lore we have for him, and what Lucy means to him.

We know that the survivors entering the Constant (at least in the DS era) have a pattern of wanting something, or being emotionally vulnerable- and this is typically what Maxwell preyed on to get them into the Constant. 

In Walter's short, we get a glimpse of Woodie's cabin. He has references to his family being from Scotland in it, various stereotypical Canadian British Columbian Guy decor, two very conspicuous chairs in the main room.... and "Lucy's" outside.

That's right... Woodie never took the physical "Lucy" with him. I put Lucy in quotation marks because we don't know if Lucy was always his axe... or if she was the person that second chair in his home belonged to.

The guy went deep into an uninhabited forest to get away from people, why would he have two chairs in his home right next to each other? Pair this with with how he leaves his red "Lucy" axe outside, rather than having left her on the chair or something like one might if they were romantically invested in something.

Keep this in mind too when considering whether Lucy could’ve been a real person or was always an axe.

Now, putting the pieces we have so far together, one could follow this story pretty easily:  Woodie lost his wife and was reminiscing on memories of her while listening to the radio, which was the prime moment for Maxwell to swoop in with the promise of reuniting them.

Don't Starve fans might be skeptical for a few reasons: DS fans are split pretty evenly between wanting Woodie to be "just some funny guy" and also desperately wanting more information on this mysterious Lumberjack. When you put this theory into perspective, it all feels too easy; or it just feels wrong to completely blow open a huge point in Woodie's lore that is otherwise kept close to Klei's chest. 

Secondly, somewhat related to the first point: Klei's got plans in motion for their lore. The idea of even the gameplay of the world is that you start out knowing nothing, and slowly, SLOWLY, you gain more information. Even then, though, the game becomes more complex and deep. Essentially the team's been doing the same thing with their lore. Whether they only had a loose idea at the beginning and are now really hitting the road running with the direction they want to go in terms of lore, or if they always had an idea for it: they've been giving us glimpses of it over the past... 12 years? We've never gotten the full picture even after all this time, all these shorts and expansions. And each new bit of lore that gets revealed, there's another complexity added to it. Again, people might be thinking "this is just too easy a conclusion to come to, I could've thought of that." 

They might just really be banking on Woodie's general obscurity in relation to the main story as a way to give him a lot of interesting tidbits that people won't immediately dissect.

Thirdly: I'm just one person posting something on the internet. I could just be way too much of a fan of Woodie and reading too much into all this. And I could totally be wrong or be wrong about some things and right about others. Either way, I don't anticipate getting any answers from Klei for a long time if at all, which only adds to skepticism. 

(If you ask me, Don't Starve and its short animations/puzzles/lore drops are begging to be nitpicked.)

So lets back-track a little and talk about why Klei might've decided to drop so much potential, very vital Woodie lore in this one short. (AKA: the Woodie Tangent part of this theory thread, cus I love him)

If you've seen the short animations on Youtube, you might go to the comment sections here and there to get a general community consensus on them or the character. The comments are overwhelmingly positive and a lot praise how the lore is being handled. 

Then you get to Woodie's very own animated short.... 

If you've seen it, you know it's a silly animation where Woodie , in the Constant (unlike other shorts til then), is chopping trees and gets attacked by a tree guard. He uses his three wereforms to fight it, and overall its a pretty fun time. The comments are mostly positive, but a lot expressed disappointment in not getting any more lore about Woodie. He's a very mysterious character, even despite having one of the longer character bios in the game. 

So, eventually Walter comes along. A young boy from Canada, part of a boy scouts troop, really into monsters. If the developers didn't have Woodie in mind when making Walter, they ended up becoming very intertwined character and story-wise anyway. Klei being the cheeky devils they are, decided that if people wanted Woodie lore so bad, they'd get it.... via Walter's short. We only get a few glimpses at background things (we might've even got a hint that Woodie lives on vancouver island) but to Klei, that's enough. Clearly we've gotta do something with what we got. 

But even Walter's short didn't give us enough for full answers to anything.

Let's move on and get to the real stuff: Lucy, Maxwell, and the Ancients.

The Ancients in Don't Starve lore refers to a powerful society of bug people that existed in the Constant long, long ago. They went extinct because of their over-reliance on nightmare fuel, which brought them from famine and gave them great magic and technology that allowed them to live in a bustling utopia, for a while.

We see an ancient in the metaphysical "flesh" in Hamlet as the Ancient Herald. We also know that the spirits that embody such weapons as the Shadow Maul or Shadow Reaper were once ancients, and their souls were probably in the pure horror/dark tatters used to create those items. 

Anyway, the reason why they matter in this instance is because the only other living, talking tools we know about in the game are the Shadow Maul and Shadow Reaper, who both happen to have special dialogue for Woodie. They’re possessive over him, and jealous of and particularly spiteful towards Lucy. They’re also made with dark magic, unsurprisingly, and that’ll come into play later in terms of my theory for Lucy’s existence. I’m noting now that the Shadow Reaper/Maul and Lucy all have a nonchalance about them and are eager to be used. Also, that they all feature red prominently in their designs.

As fun as I find all these personality similarities though, we won’t talk about them much. Here are these comparisons for the hell of it:

Shadow Reaper quote:   "We make a good team, no matter how you ssssslice it." Lucy quote:   “We make a good team!"

Shadow Maul quote:   "Ch- cho- chop. CHOP!"   "Ch- chop tree... CHOP TREE!"   "CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!" Lucy quote:   "Chop chop chop. Heh."   "Chop, c-c-chop!"

Also on this point of Lucy being a magical item, remember how she will always disappear in the world if Woodie’s gone too long and be replaced by a normal axe. If Woodie tries to use any normal axe that isn’t her, she immediately disappears from where she was last dropped and poofs right into Woodie’s hands in place of that axe.

Alongside this, typically you can only carry/have one Lucy at a time, and she does have special dialogue if you can somehow hold another one.

So, we’ve established the similarity between the talking items. Keep in mind that its established now that inhabitants of the Constant can summon the souls of the Ancients to be used as objects with dark magic.

Moving on…

Its safe to say Maxwell couldn’t manipulate too much beyond the confines of the Constant and his portals and the radios, like we see with him needing Willow and Wilson’s help.

He also can’t seem to drag anyone into the Constant whose name doesnt start with W. Also, whenever Maxwell “fulfills a wish” in order to get a survivor into the Constant, it always comes with a twist. (If Woodie didnt want anything new or different from his current life, he wouldn’t have been lured in. If Woodie just wanted his axe to actually talk to him, he wouldn’t just be given that no strings attached. If Woodie wanted someone back and was promised they’d be in the Constant, why not turn them into his axe, which as a lumberjack he’s metaphorically married to?)

The possibility of Maxwell dragging Lucy’s spirit into the world alongside Woodie is feasible, considering Wendy and Abigail’s situation. But if that were the case, then why not let her stay as a spirit attached to Woodie, rather than having to construct an entirely new form of axe? Because remember, Woodie didn’t bring his real axe into the Constant with him.

You could argue: “because he’s bored. Lol.” and to that i say….. Yeah true lol. Work with me here! 

Here’s another potential point towards Lucy’s spirit being brought in with Woodie: Wendy’s quotes for Woodie often refer to Lucy, and how Abigail favours her. 

But keep in mind that this (Wendy/Abigail recognising a spirit in Lucy) only tells us that there IS a presence in Lucy. Also, considering Winona’s short, I think it’s safe to assume that Abigail might only be able to exist in the Constant because of her flower somehow being tethered to its magic. Lucy wouldn’t have had that.

Alongside that, Maxwell’s quote for examining Lucy:   "Ah. How have you been, Lucy?"

EDIT FEB 2025: And his quote for the wooden waking stick: "Lucy does fine work"

He knows there IS something in the axe and appears familiar with her

So…

Let’s rule out a few other ideas for Lucy’s existence real quick (just in terms of this theory… because i still love these interpretations): 

Lucy being purely in woodie’s mind: then other characters wouldn’t think much about her, Maxwell wouldn’t speak to her so familiarly or as a real person. Even if the magic going into the DST world made her able to speak, Maxwell would be more likely to show surprise at her sentience (its something new that happened after his reign) 

Lucy only existing because Woodie willed her into existence on arrival into the Constant: See above, Maxwell wouldn’t be so familiar with her. Plus, putting together the pieces of woodie having left his real-world fire axe outside his house while he was spending his down time inside, we can assume that woodie in the real world didnt have the same deep connection to his axe. If he could will something into existence, why not have it be the real person he was missing that he wouldve shared that chair with?

Lets start wrapping this up.. Cus I’m no good at writing coherently in long-form.

Here’s what I think could be the potential timeline of events for this theory, putting all the pieces together: 

Maxwell needs to lure a depressed, possibly mourning Woodie into the Constant and promises him he’ll reunite him with his partner, Lucy. Her spirit’s not tethered to the real world anymore (because unlike Abigail, she didn’t have that odd flower) and Maxwell can’t manipulate the world outside of the Constant to that degree- but he has a lot of power inside of the Constant. He calls upon the spirit of an Ancient, seemingly the only spirits that can be returned to a level of sapience, with dark magic of which he’s especially adept, and forges its spirit into that of a special axe.

Then, either he imbues the axe with Woodie’s memories or the axe/eldritch powers-that-be gain them in their own way (think Maria from Silent Hill,) and upon Woodie’s passage to The Constant, he receives her. 

As far as Woodie’s concerned, he’s gotten everything he needs, and takes his existence in The Constant without much disdain. As for Lucy, her old Ancient spirit is happy to be alive again and feeding off living beings (trees). It takes getting used-to to be an entirely new “person”, but she gets the hang of it. She’s clingy and codependent because he’s her source of fuel, but quickly forms a bond with him and ends up caring about his wellbeing, to the point of helping his survival in the DST era. Woodie is blissfully unaware and thriving.

....

Alright, thanks for reading! I know it was a lot. Feel free to discuss. I love Woodie and Lucy. I'm sure I missed a few things, like maybe how Lucy knows about Woodie's wereform cycle with the moons and when his beaverness gets low (the moon thing could be a reference to how the Ancients worshipped "Alter"/Them, and the beaverness thing could just be her dark magic picking up on his curse) ... or how Lucy is very picky with other survivors and very sure of herself/forward/brash like the other sentient items, but those are more of a stretch.

[st5rni]

BACK TO YOU

matthew sturniolo fan fiction

WARNINGS : smut, angst if you squint, ex to lovers

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

after a long night of playing board games with the triplets in their living room, everyone begins to get bored and pack it all up.

"i'll sleep on the couch," you say, not wanting to intrude on any of their rooms. it's been a while since you've seen all three of them, especially after you and matt broke up, so everything seems to be a bit hesitant.

chris puts his arm around your shoulder, "nah thats fine, sleep in the guest bedroom upstairs. we usually have madi or nate stay in there when they come over, so you can temporarily take their place." he insists, giving you his best smile despite being half asleep.

"okay, that works." you agree, standing up and yawning, "which way is it?" trying to remember which floor the guest bedroom is on.

"its the room next to mine." matt says, "you remember, right? you went in the guest bedroom once while trying to find your way to my room when we first moved here." he laughs a bit as he says this, reflecting on that time. back when you two were still together.

you stare at him for a moment before answering, "yeah, um, i remember." you say awkwardly, tucking your hair behind your hair and tying it up so your hands have something to do besides pick at your hangnails. the whole room is quiet now, the tension being very clear to all four of you.

matt fiddles with his rings, "uh, okay goodnight." he says before speed walking away to his room as quickly as he could.

"you two make things so awkward." nick says bluntly while he puts up the uno cards, "like why are you both still like this? just get back together." nick suggests with a snark, chris nodding in agreement.

you feel a blush grow on your cheeks, not sure if from embarrassment or not, "you think he'd want to? i don't know i just felt like he was over it by now. i fucked our relationship up." you admit, trying to sound casual about it, and not as desperate for him as you actually are.

"do i think?" nick laughs, "he wears the horse necklace you bought him almost everyday, even in videos. he still has photos of you two on his desk. he's more in love with you than he was before the breakup, i think." he says with a shrug, lowering his voice a bit so matt doesnt overhear

chris jumps in, "i mean.. why did you two break up, anyways? he never wanted to talk about it." his words had hesitance to them, like he was scared it'd break you if he asked.

"i broke up with him because of the distance, but now i-" you pause your words, wondering if you should tell them now, "i.. i was planning on waiting to tell you guys this but, um, im moving to LA. we have a deposit on a house and everything."

"NO WAY??" chris practically screams before running to give you a hug that even nick joins, "that's great!! why do you seem so like, upset about it?" chris questions, genuinely confused on why you didn't even smile when telling them the news.

you put your face in your hands, "it's embarrassing. i can't even tell you guys- just.. it's stupid." you try and stray away from the LA conversation, not wanting to admit you moved here primarily to try and get closer with matt again, "do you think he'd want to ever.. get back together? or, like, at least talk about it?"

"i mean, i think so?" nick says, some doubt in his words, "i dont know about getting back together, it.. hit him pretty hard." he admits, crossing his arms as he says that, knowing he shouldn't be telling you what he is.

you nod, words not able to form properly anymore, "okay.. uh, goodnight guys." you decided it was best to end the conversation here before you cried in front of them. something you'd never hear the end of. giving them a weak smile, you walk to the guest bedroom you'd be sleeping in.

while you go up there stairs, you reconsider the conversation with nick.

maybe there's just the slightest chance he would ever want you back. but honestly? it was likely the opposite. after you'd hurt him so badly, it only makes sense for him to hate you. you don't even blame him, either.

that thought hurt more than anything, and you needed an answer to whether it was true or not.

you look at the two doors in front of you, knowing one is matts room and the other is the guest bedroom. you could drop everything now, leave matt alone, and completely remove him from your life.

..but you love him too much to not have that closure. you need a final answer.

slowly, you open up his door and peak through the sliver of it, looking in his room.

there matt was.

he was on his bed, shirtless and sweating. his eyes were shut and he was practically panting as he was jerking himself into his own hand.

"fuck, fuck- fuck." you hear him muttering under his breath, and with just your luck, you lean on the door, causing it to accidentally open more than you meant to, causing him to look up and see you staring at him, "FUCK!" he yells, before covering himself with his blanket.

"SORRY— IM SORRY!" you yell back, slamming the door closed immediately after. "shit." you whisper to yourself, recollecting what just happened.

just seeing that. fuck, you had forgotten how much he turns you on.

a couple minutes pass by, matt opens the door, his face flushed and hair messy, still not entirely calmed down yet. he runs a hand through his hair and clears his throat. "um, sorry. whats up?" he tries to ignore the awkward situation lingering in both of their minds.

you clear your throat, and start fidgeting with your fingers, "can we- um, can we talk?" you ask, also still trying to recover. that was not something you'd just forget about. ever. "please?"

"what?" he stutters, "i mean, sure. yeah, come in." he clears the door so you can walk in his room, "its kind of messy, sorry."

you look around matts room, noticing how things were different, but still familiar, "you rearranged things." you state, mainly talking to yourself, still observing.

suddenly you remember what nick said, and look towards his desk and see the photos of you two framed sitting there, exactly where they had always been.

"so.." matt starts, "what'd you want to talk about?" he asks, once again fiddling with his rings.

"oh," you had almost forgot, "i just.. fuck this is gonna sound stupid. um. matt, do you— um... i should have thought about this before i came here." you blush, now embarrassing yourself.

he tries to give you a smile, but fails, "its okay. you can sit down if you want." he offers, sitting down on his bed to try and make you more comfortable towards the idea.

you look at him, and just admire him. how could someone be this sweet? "thank you." you say, accepting the offer while you sit down next to matt. probably closer than you should, "matt do you hate me?" you spit out, trying to get it out of the way.

"what?" he asks softly, almost like the question offended him. "thats a joke, y/n." he scoffs.

"im serious!" you insist, looking directly at him, "i know what i did was fucking horrible, and unfair, and selfish. and i never should have done it but—"

matt interrupts you, standing up, "Y/N what are you talking about? you broke up with me. if anyone hates anyone, its you who hates me." he thinks for a second, "i wish i hated you." he says in a quiet voice, but it had some harshness to it.

"matt, no!" you immediately refute, standing up as well, "i care about you— i promise i care. its all ive been thinking about for months. i mean, fuck, i miss you matt. im still in love with you. i never stopped."

"thats not fair and you know it, y/n." matt turns his face from you, "i have been waiting that maybe there was a chance we could ever try again and as soon as im coming to terms that it wont happen you pull this shit. im not going to do this again knowing it'll have the same result of you thriving in boston with all your friends completely forgetting about me while im here still wearing the stupid fucking necklace you got me on our first date." his voice was shaky, everything he was holding back this whole time had exploded at once.

you feel a salty tear run down your face despite your efforts to stop them, "please, just— this is different. it's different this time i promise." you beg, trying to get words out but hardly being able to, "just, hear me out and it can be your decision on what we-"

matt turns to you again, "i said no y/n." he hesitates when he sees your tears, his expression softening a bit, "you— you were right. it'll never work with you in boston."

"im moving to LA." you blurt out, and that's all you say for a second. a lot of emotions flash on matts face at those words, but you cant make out any of them. you take a deep breath, "i missed you, and boston wasnt taking me anywhere for my future. i..." you think for a moment. "i see you in my future."

matt stares at you, not reacting in any visible way at this point. you start panicking when he still doesn't say anything.

"but, if you dont want that that's okay too— ill stay away, or like— i can go back to boston, i just have a deposit on the house its no big—" your sentence gets cut off by matt walking towards you, grabbing you by the waist, and pulling you in for a kiss.

as your lips connect, he moves one hand to your face. his touch is loving, forgiving. just how you'd remembered it. you didnt kiss him back at first due to the initial shock. he pulls away, "stay." is all he and mumbles before kissing you again.

this time you immediately kiss back, wrapping your arms around his neck just like you used to. his body pressed against yours. its everything is just how it was, but somehow even better. the emotions are strong, enveloping both of you.

his lips move against yours as he moves his hands down to your hips, making your stomach tie in knots and your face warm. suddenly you're acutely aware of every action, every sensation, every thought, every feeling. its all heightened as you realize the situation you're in

the kiss comes to an end, and you stare at him, unable to suppress the smile from your face, "so.. you do still love me?"

matt cant help but laugh, causing you to join him, putting your face against his chest, "y/n, i just went on a whole rant about how i love you. then i kissed you. i think you can put two and two together."

"yeah, well... i miss hearing it." you pull your face from his chest so you can see him again, looking into his light blue eyes, then his whole face. you missed this so much.

"in that case," he kisses your head, "i love you, y/n. so much." his thumb gently caresses the areas of your cheeks that are tear-stained. "and to make it official, can i be your boyfriend again?" he asks, his voice genuine and sensitive. you know he's wanted to say that for so long, and so have you.

you bring him in for a hug this time, "i love you more, matt. and yes, you can." you say, taking in everything as you do.

you finally had matt again after all this time, and this time you weren't letting go. not again.

"matt," you softly say to get his attention, and lift your head up to kiss him again, he immediately kisses back, and picks you up as he does.

you wrap your legs around him, not removing yourself from the kiss. he sits on the bed with you in his lap.

the kiss is passionate, and slowly getting more heated as both of you are overcame with each other. you're pressing down on him, softly grinding against his crotch. it was already hard considering you interrupted him just a few minutes before. the atmosphere of the room changes, its sudden, both of you knowing where this was leading and neither wanting to change it.

he grabs your hips and pulls you down on him harder, your touch to him becoming even more intimate now. he's breath is heavy while you focus on making him feel as good as possible, missing being like this with him. missing seeing him like this.

as things were heating up, he brings the kiss a short stop, "y/n, are you sure you want to go farther with this? i was already kind of.. you know, when you came to talk to me. we just got back together, i dont want you to rush into this if you'll regret it." he checks, not wanting to ruin things because of one stupid choice.

as obvious as it was that you wanted this, it still meant a lot he had asked you. you almost forgot how caring hes always been with you, "i want you, matt. i promise. i want you in every way." as soon as you say this, as if a switch was turned on, he dips his head down and starts kissing at your exposed neck, making a small gasp escape your lips.

hes making sure he leaves marks, biting and sucking in every place, not hurting you, but instead making you more and more needy. you bring your hands up to his hair and run your fingers through it, still as soft as its always been.

"y/n, y'know what i was thinking of earlier?" he asks you as he moves his kisses up to your jaw, blissfully taking in every little noise you would make.

"n-no." you stutter out, trying to focus on his words when all your brain could linger on was the thought of him being inside of you, "tell me?"

you feel his lips curl into a smile, "i was thinking of you. of us. just being like this, your mouth on me again. me inside of you again." he mumbles, just loud enough to where you can hear it, his breath hot against you're skin.

you bite your lip softly, "i remember." your voice is soft, thinking about touching him like that again, "can i.." you trail off your words, getting off his lap to sit on your knees in front of him, and you softly touch his sweatpants waistband.

he lifts his hips up for a moment to help you pull off his pants and boxers easier as he takes off his own shirt.

you stare at his length in front of you, hard with pre cum leaking at the tip. you look up at him staring at you, waiting to see what you do next.

you move one hand to wrap around his base, he shudders at the sudden feeling despite as gentle as you were.

remembering what he likes, you rub your finger against his tip teasingly, just touching it enough to make it somewhat of a tickling, pleasurable sensation.

you look up at him, lust hazy in your eyes before looking back down and licking the tip, swirling your tongue as agonizingly slow as you could .

"fuck, y/n." he hissed, the desperation clear in his voice. he moves one hand to your hair, keeping the other still on the bed as he throws his head back.

after a bit more teasing, you finally put your whole mouth around his tip, and slowly bring your head down.

matts breaths are fast paced and rigid, keeping his hand in your hair as he tightens his grip subconsciously, his mind fuzzy from the slow pace.

you bring your head back up his length, bobbing it up and down. you use your hands to reach any place your mouth cant, swirling your tongue against his base and getting where you knew all his sensitive spots were.

he's letting out soft moans, trying to stay quiet so no one would hear him. he watches you intensely, admiring the sight, "you're so fucking pretty Y/N." he breathes out, slightly bucking his hips into your mouth, loving the feeling of you on him.

you continue like this for a little bit more, enjoying making him feel this way. not too much time passes before he gently pulls you off of him right as he's getting close, "not yet." he mutters, taking deep breaths as he comes down from a high.

you stand up and he pulls you back into his lap, but this time he grabs your waist tightly and flips your positions, pinning you down to the bed.

matt reaches for the hem of your tank top, looking at you, his eyes half lidded, wanting permission to take it off of you.

in response, you lift your back and help him pull it off you. you're about to unhook your bra as well before matt moves your hands out of the way and does it effortlessly.

"its still your favorite?" he asks, motioning towards the bra. its lacy pink one. it was really cute and surprisingly comfortable at the same time.

and you knew it always made you irresistible to matt.

"i only wear it when i see you." you admit breathlessly, before fully taking it off and throwing it off to the side, it now laying on his floor.

he lightly caresses your body, dragging his hands up from your torso to your breasts, feeling every curve you had, "just like i remember." he whispers, before leaning to shower your entire upper body in kisses. "my beautiful girl."

matt continues to kiss down until he gets to your shorts, and he softly pulls both your shorts and panties down, cherishing every bit of you being revealed.

once he takes off those last bits of your clothes, he admires you while he rubs the inside of your thigh, "i missed you, Y/N. not just like this, i missed every moment of you. so much." he says as he takes off his rings, putting them on the bedside table. "i missed being inside you, too."

your face turns red, eyes glued on his hands now, curious on his next actions, "matt-" he interrupts you by spitting on his fingers and bringing them down to rub your clit. "fuck!" you gasp, the sudden feeling shocking you.

matt continues to rub in small circles, your back arching as he does so, "have you been with anyone else?" he asks, kissing your stomach as he speaks, unable to keep himself off you.

"no." you tell him honestly through pants.

matt hums softly, and slowly brings his finger down your hole, before putting it inside you easily from how wet you were, looking at your reaction as he does so, "so tight..." he whispers. "does this hurt? when was the last time you-"

"i dont." you interrupt him, knowing what he's going to ask, "i mean i like, i do stuff.. i just— i only let you do it."

matt smiles against your chest, "ill take care of you baby." he says gently, coming up to kiss your jawline and softly biting as he does so. you feel him curl his finger inside of you, "can i add another one?"

you hesitantly nod, not able to get any words out. the first finger was just starting to feel good as he continued to move it inside of you, he brings his other hand down to rub your clit more as well, making you twitch from the overstimulation.

"use your words," he orders, his voice soft but eyes full of hunger. "i wanna hear you." he brings another finger to your entrance, teasing you by just putting the fingertip in.

you shut your eyes, "please, matt. please put another finger in." you beg, opening your legs more to urge him to do it faster.

"perfect." he says, before putting another finger in, this one more of a struggle, "is that good for you?" he asks, knowing its been a while and not wanting to rush you.

"yes. yeah, thank you. fuck." you reassure, gripping the bedsheet to steady yourself. it wasnt a lot, but it was the most you've had in a while. not to mention its matt.

he chuckles softly against your skin, and brings his head up to kiss you. he moves the hand rubbing your clitoris to grab both of your wrists and pin them above your head. there wasn't too much force, but his grip was just tight enough, "why are you thanking me? it should be the other way around."

he spreads his fingers inside of you, trying to get you ready for whats to come. after the stinging pain was gone, it felt blissful. matts always been good with his fingers, but you forgot how good.

after a while, he had added another finger, prepping and teasing you by dragging it out for as long as he could make you last.

you had begun to grind yourself down on his fingers, trying to get them to go even further inside you, "matt. please, im ready. please. i need you so badly." you plead, your legs twitching from his touch.

"alright, since you've been so patient." he complies, slowly removing his fingers from you, making you shiver from the empty feeling, and letting your wrists go. he brings himself forwards, and you subconsciously wrap your legs around his waist. "let me know when you're ready."

you exhale shakily, feeling matt rub against your entrance. whether he's just trying to get ready, or if hes purposely teasing you, it makes your stomach heat up in that familiar way.

you look at him after a moment, and see the desire as he stares back at you, "im ready." you say, bringing your hands up to wrap around his neck.

at that very same time, he slowly pushes inside you, causing you to let out a sharp gasp, "fuck..." you hiss in pain, closing your eyes.

"it's okay, im going slow. im almost fully in. just let me know when you're ready for me to move, baby." he comforts, running a hand through your hair, the other one gripping your waist.

you eventually feel him come to a stop after what feels like forever, knowing that means he's finally in, "im sorry. im almost ready, shit." you're trying to stop yourself from showing it hurts, knowing its going to feel amazing after a second. remembering how amazing he feels.

he shakes his head immediately, knowing how long it's been for you, "no, dont apologize. take your time." he inhales slowly, "y/n, you feel so fucking good already." he shuts his eyes now too, your walls tightening more around him the longer he stays still inside you.

"okay. okay." you speak up after a few silent moments, "move, please. im ready." you whimper, moving your hands to grab his shoulders, tightening your grip on him to prepare yourself.

matt nods, and slowly pulls himself back and forward again. it stings, but already hurts less than you thought it would.

"faster." you let out in a breathy sigh, looking directly at him now that you're more used comfortable towards the feeling.

"wont fight you on that one, baby." he huffs out, increasing his pace gradually so it's not too much at once for you.

now you have yourself arching your back as he thrusts into you rapidly. he's being gentle, but it's just enough so you can feel his passion. you can feel how badly he wants you.

he's letting out breathy moans, and is leaning into you while continuing at his pace, not taking even the slightest break.

your legs and hips are shaking, bucking up for as much friction as you can get during this, the pleasure building more and more.

you can hear his pants next to your ear, he leans in to kiss you despite not being properly able to. the kiss is sloppy, but heated. there's so much love behind it, and you know you can both feel it, "fuck y/n. you're so perfect, such a good girl. ive wanted this for so long baby, you have no idea." his words are broken apart as he ruts against you.

"im close." you say, his words bringing you to the brink of an orgasm, already still recovering from that high from earlier you know you wont last long, "can i cum, please?"

matt inhales sharply, bringing his hand to your neck and squeezes softly subconsciously. matt slowly nods, "yes. fuck, yes."

with matts permission, you let out a moan saying matts name, slightly hoarse from the grip he has on your neck. you feel yourself grow warmer than before as you release, biting your bottom lip, trying to keep a little bit of dignity for yourself.

"fuck." matt sighs out. "me, too. im- fuck, i have to-" he quickly pulls out and releases all over your stomach and breasts, his mouth open as whimpers fall out of it.

"fuck. sorry." he apologizes, leaning over to grab a towel.

he quickly wipes his cum off you, and throws the towel in a bin of other dirty clothes, "do you need to take a shower or anything?" he asks, clearly still out of breath.

thats an obvious no since you can hardly talk, let alone stand up for that long, "no its okay." you respond as you scoot up, patting a spot on the bed, "just stay here with me. or, i— i can leave if you want me too—" you panic, not knowing if he wanted you to leave or not. you didn't want to have the wrong idea and invade in matts privacy.

"no, y/n." he laughs softly, "stay, please. just give me one second, okay? ill be right back." matt grabs some underwear and sweatpants and throws them on before kissing your forehead and leaving the room.

a few minutes pass by, and he comes back holding a plate of some of your favorite snacks and two bottles of water. "i know its late, so you probably don't want anything to eat right now, but at least drink some water for me if you can." he hands you the water and puts the snacks down on top of the drawers next to you, "do you want some clothes to sleep in? a sweater? you're cold, arent you?"

you just stare at him admiringly for a beat, wondering how you got so lucky as to have this wonderful man back in your life, "dont stress, matt. you dont need to do all of this. can you just hand me my underwear and maybe a jacket or something?" you request, a smile on your face. you missed this feeling so much.

"yeah, totally. here," matt grabs your underwear and a random ransom hoodie he has and hands them to you. you quickly put them on, and matt crawls in bed with you, "come here." he whispers softly, wrapping his arm around you and running his fingers up and down your arm, "i missed you."

a gentle smile forms on your lips as you lean into his touch. "i missed you, too."

matts silent again, lost in thought, "why dont you just stay here? i mean, it might be too soon but— it'd save money for you and plus you'd be here most of the time anyways. plus, i could see you more."

your face is immediately covered in a blush at the implication. its a risky idea, but hes right. it'd make more sense, after all you were going to be here more than your own house anyways, "you know what? i dont think thats a bad idea. if it means i get to live like this everyday, im definitely down." you snicker while leaning more into matts chest, "but the issue is i signed to live there for at least 6 months already."

"that's okay," matt assures you. "as long as you're nearby, you know?"

you nod, leaning in to kiss him softly. his hand gives your waist a gentle squeeze before chuckling softly.

"round two?"

A/N

hope u enjoy!! part 2 is in the making

[mooblesandsoups]

I have this weird thing about liking certain character dynamics and their story together but never being able to be seeing them in a sorta romantic light like many fans idk if it's because I'm aro spec or not but its just how I am.

However majorwood is on a line I can't explain

I don't hate them as a romantic pairing but everytime I picture them in a romantic light it's DEFINITELY not healthy which is I think is the appeal to me.

They're both not bad people not in the slightest especially when in a death game it's expected to be manipulative and a bit toxic, but in comparison to other pairs where I can see them in a more positive light at least sometimes majorwood just doesn't click the way for me.

Scott's a loyal dog always at the others back and call despite the pain. Born doomed to die from the start but also not willing too at least not without a fight. Even despite Martyn ditching him session 1 he let's him join which begins the start of a toxic co-depency

Then we have Martyn who bites and growls a wild dog desperate for freedom. His loyalty a small string ready to snap at any moment when deemed necessary. A man ruined by the games and desperate to get what he wants even if it leads to others demise continuing the cycle not ready to break it in fear of loosing what he fought so hard to achieve.

When we look at Scott's sacrifice scene during the chase it just adds on to this fact about the characters. They bring out the worst in each other in way neither are willing to realize, Scott always has a track record of sacrificing himself willing to die by his allies hands in contrast to his enemies and when Martyn appears he already knew what was going to happen and accept his fact. Meanwhile Martyn is also a fascinating when Scott says he needs Martyn to kill him he doesn't hesitate, a friend of mine compared it to the scene where Martyn kills Ren in third life but they're not the same.

Martyn didn't hesitate.

In third life you can see guilt set in for just a moment saying how he doesn't want to do this but going along anyways as Ren insists. However with Scott Martyn does it without question, like he was almost disposable in a way. Think about it both Scott and Ren were people Martyn was planning on betraying from the start however with Ren guilt had always set in stopping him even for a moment when with Scott Martyn never hesitated.

He never hesitated leaving Scott behind in session 1 only returning when he needed a home, he never hesitated in killing Scott when he asked the only thing stopping him was the fact water physics are weird, he never hesitated taking Scotts final life, and Scott was okay with it.

He was okay with all of it, sure he still got third but everytime you think about it Scott was sacrifices himself the most in limited life giving up time like candy. The only thing Scott truly cared about were his teammate his allies, he always put himself below them viewing himself as only a tool.

Neither of them are in the wrong just to make it clear, Martyns only trying to Survive, trying to WIN and manipulation is a common tactic for it to win.

Meanwhile Scott's not perfect either using himself and what he can give as a way to gain allies. From what I recall until the green hunt Scott was pretty neutral with everyone, he was friendly with the neighbors, allied with Cleo and therefore the clockers, he and the bad boys actually had a pretty good with Scott even allowing him to take from bread bridge and the meangills and ties were neighbors and frequently visited one another. even after the hunt he managed to stayed neutral once again using himself and his time as a bargaining chip.

Sure plenty of them were made because of him and Martyns general friendly behavior towards the others but when stuff started getting bad Scott continued on with this behavior.

I don't know their dynamic is so fascinating and complex!! I just personally I like to keep it platonic for the most as I feel it adds more to a story and their characters. If it was more romantic tho I could see it being more one sided than anything on their sides too it'll make sense.

[langfield]

Hiya. I notice a lot of fans seem to dislike Vinh's relationship with Max because he moves on to her too quickly after Safi died. They argue that if Vinh really respected Safi's memory then he would hold off on initiating anything with her best friend. The same thing with Max, after she found out about them, people say her character would avoid him even if she already had feelings for him out of consideration for her best friend. I know she writes about her reservations in her journal but it's another reason why fans are saying she's not acting authentically in DE. Wondered what you thought? Thank you very much.

firstly, i do find it very odd that fans want vinh to act as a widow of some sort in regards to his relationship with safi. while it’s undeniable he loved her dearly, the game makes a point to have vinh question if he was genuinely in love with her like he thought he was, or if his wires had been crossed somewhere ( aka devotion must equal romantic love? ). on top of that, i don’t think vinh owes safi anything where it concerns his love life because safi herself doesn’t care about it or him at all. he’s already spent four plus years being unable to move on from her and desperately hoping they’d make up eventually, idly clinging to her via their sexual relationship -- a relationship that safi, again, didn’t care about or viewed in the same sentimental manner vinh did. she is nothing but irritable in the photo of them in the afterglow and has never shown any interest in his other relationships before. she talks about him like they were never friends to begin with, is seemingly unfazed by the idea of vinh not being over it yet in episode four, doesn’t understand his love for the cheap hedgehog figurine she got him, and so on so forth. i don’t understand why vinh is obligated to continue his one-sided devotion towards a person who couldn’t care less about him … honestly, i think he should’ve moved on long before she died : at least then it would’ve been an active choice he made rather than an outcome he had no control over. vinh, for all intents and purposes, clung onto safi and his feelings towards her until the bitter end. so what more could he do? how else is he supposed to prove how much he loved her outside of what he already did? dead world vinh spirals so hard after safi’s death that he basically gives up, as evident by his more authentic behavior and the fact he was planning on leaving caledon to pursue acting ( a career he doesn’t even believe in for himself ) all so he could leave lakeport behind because safi wasn’t there anymore, meaning he no longer had a purpose. living world vinh commits a literal crime to try and save yasmin’s and safi’s relationship because he loves her that much, even if he thinks she’ll hate him forever if she knew, even if his plan was stupid and impulsive at best. loving safi isn’t good for vinh, and that’s more important to me than ‘oh no, what about the girl code?’ any day of the week, especially when said girl supposedly doesn’t care if vinh lives or dies. safi’s and vinh’s relationship is much more complicated than that, of course, but to see my insight of them, i’d go and read this post instead.

as for max, fans really underestimate her selfishness! a shocking thing to downplay given how most people sacrifice arcadia bay over chloe. she is considerate, certainly, but she hasn’t ever let how other people feel dictate her own feelings or her actions. in lis1, despite knowing that chloe is still grieving rachel ( a girl whom max is jealous of and knows chloe was in love with ) she still kisses chloe on a dare and relishes in it, without any thought to how things could change if rachel was alive and returned to them. she also agrees to ‘go ape’ with warren and, when stumbling upon the drive-in poster found in brooke’s locker, seems amused at how badly brooke wanted to go with warren instead … she can also kiss warren despite her priority always being chloe because, well, she wanted to. in that moment, max wanted to show warren how she felt and she did, and there’s no regret about it and no thought given as to what this might mean if she gets her happy ending with chloe and her hometown. i’ve said before that max is extremely impulsive with her romance, in the sense that she never thinks about long term scenarios and sort of ignores standard romance etiquette to act upon her feelings in a moment : a thing i’ve discussed more in-depth here. people seem to think that she is very conventional about love despite all the evidence to the contrary? while max does care deeply for safi, this wouldn’t exactly sway her to not kiss vinh if the moment presented herself … max also adores reggie and harbors a real soft spot for him, but similarly forgets about him the second she is within vinh’s orbit, and doesn’t seem to realize she fucked up until reggie straight up tells her he saw them kiss in a tone that’s all wounded shock. it’s only then that max feels guilty, yet she never apologies for kissing vinh -- she makes weak excuses ( ‘i was drunk’ ) or acknowledges that she should’ve been more considerate, but not once does she wish she could take it back nor does she actually apologize for the act itself. she is sorry for the hurt it caused. she isn’t sorry about what she did. with safi, it’s the same scenario except max is more aware that she’s fucked up, although if she tells safi the truth, it’s just excuse after excuse : you were dead, we were drunk, etc. excuses that safi cares little for and dismisses because it ‘still counts.’

i love max, and she’s perhaps my favorite character in the whole franchise, however she is undeniably more flawed than people are willing to admit. her views on certain things aren’t standard or normal, something that’s a given since max herself isn’t supposed to be just your run of the mill girl. she will do things that don’t make sense! she will cross lines and not really understand she is crossing them … and vinh, in particular, is really easy to get caught up with i think. it is almost natural to be ensnared by him or to be too immersed in his presence and the moment itself to rationally think things through. he is similarly impulsive like max and is bordering on desperation and loneliness the same as she is during spin, with them clicking in a way they just don’t with other people ; both able to bond over safi’s whirlwind effect, over this disconnect from themselves now and who they were before … the pain of their day ebbs as they talk and soon vinh is distracting them with a game that’s so juvenile and stupid it makes them both temporarily forget their issues while putting them in a certain headspace. all the world sort of melts away during the smash or pass scene and even important characters that max cares for ( like amanda and reggie ) blend into the background as they chat and flirt. it’s already stated that vinh’s able to forget about safi when him and max have these moments, and max operates similarly as well! i believe it was very easy for max to kiss vinh when her mind was unclouded by grief and when she was warm, happy, and stupidly attracted to him physically. the setting doesn’t escape me either! max approaches vinh like they’re two strangers at a bar and, while they most definitely are not, i do think the vibes mesh well … in this moment there are no consequences, there isn’t anybody to worry about, it’s just her and a really handsome guy chatting it up as they drink, and their actions are meaningless in the grand scheme of things. max’s ‘whatever, i’m drunk’ excuse isn’t her saying she isn’t into vinh, it’s just a crutch, a safety net, it’s part of the appeal and a way to rob max of any so called accountability, hence why she can bring it up to both safi and reggie as what it truly is … a flimsy, false excuse. it was less the booze and more of vinh’s company and max’s subsequent attraction to him, and max knows this but can’t exactly admit it yet because it would be more shitty than just. oh, i kissed him, but we were wasted and sad! she doesn’t even say it doesn’t meaning anything, she just tries softening the blow. it’s also worth noting that this drunk angle is definitely confirmed to be an excuse because max tries using it in her journal ( ie : i didn’t plan for it to happen so safi can’t be mad ) but then immediately admits that she has thought about it, with an implication of it being more than once. while she didn’t consciously set out to be woo’d by vinh, there was a subconscious part of her that was likely wanting that sort of attention, or at least a part of her was amendable to things taking that turn, if they did.

to further prove my above points, i think it’s extremely telling that if you choose the ‘i was drunk’ option with reggie, the conversation looks like this :

max : we were sad, and drinking, and he’s …

reggie : like an avalanche.

max : yes.

reggie : tell me about it.

it’s about how she can’t help but trail off and bring up vinh himself as a reason. how she doesn’t know how to word those feelings, or describe the way vinh is, and she just relents to reggie’s description with a twinge of relief -- you know, reggie? the man who’s so in love with vinh he can hardly go two seconds without thinking about him? despite the fact his best friend hates his guts? yeah! she is kind of helpless about her attraction to vinh and this little bonding moment between her and reggie really cements that for me. max is notoriously bad at turning away from those she feels so strongly towards, so i find it perfectly in character that she kissed vinh in spite of the whole safi thing.

tldr? yes, max knows it’s shitty and does fight with her shame and guilt over it! although that wouldn’t exactly stop her, especially not after safi makes it crystal clear that there’s nothing in her that cares for vinh in that way ( or any other way, really ). to her, that alleviates any guilt and makes him fair game. and maybe most people wouldn’t agree with that, but i think it makes perfect sense for max caulfield as a character … safi then leaves anyway, with max either supporting her or denying her, so there’s really nothing standing in the way of max and vinh anymore. vinh, similarly, shouldn’t have to let go of a girl who genuinely makes him feel happy and not shitty just because safi just so happened to be close with her. nor should he be expected to not move on at all or treat safi’s death like one would treat a girlfriend’s, because they weren’t dating and he doesn’t owe that to safi whatsoever. while i can understand the gripe itself, people seem to seriously simplify the whole max/vinh/safi dynamic and ignore the nuances and layers to it. on principle, max should always respect the girl code and vinh shouldn’t ever try to get with a girl he loved’s best friend. but it’s much more complicated than a typical love triangle ( it’s hardly that at all, unless you believe in safield ) and it shouldn’t be treated as such, in my opinion.

[arialice]

Hey malevolent fans, let me tell you of the most malevolent coded album, Counterfeit Arcade by Shayfer James.

So many of the songs either in lyrics or vibes remind me so much of this show, so in a few words I'm going to attempt to explain my thought process about each song (be prepared, it's long)

Weight of the World - I don't have much to say about the lyrics. They kind of fit.

"That's just the weight of the world/We do what we must to stay alive/That's just the weight of the world/And we'll all be the weak and the weary sometime"

The instrumentals, tune and vibes is what really makes this song shine for me. Piano (obviously), the general deranged vibes and so on.

For the Departed - reminds me so much of part 20, thought I can't personally decide who's 'singing' the song. It lowkey works from both John's and Arthur's perspective.

"Save yourself/I am far beyond repair/They will bury me alive/But I'm not inclined to care"

More inclined to think Arthur because of the lines:

"Now I must finish what I started, oh-oh/I'll write a symphony for the departed/And I have no time for second chances/So I survive on bourbon, blood, and backward glances, oh"

"And so, the scene begins/Your cries become the wind/A desperate plea best left unheard/Then my contrived goodbye/A poet's pantomime/A drunken jester's final words"

Where we belong - this song. It's literally malevolent in a song. This is the most literal one. I would quote the entire song if I could, but here's some key lines:

"I know we're far beyond the point of no return/Let's say we light a fire and be the first to burn"

"Do you recall the day when we went wrong?/Time is flying/Ease your weary mind, we'll be alone"

"There's a freight train coming, barreling around the bend/There's a red light flashing, oh, ladies and gentlemen, this is the end/I do believe that we've a lesson left to learn/So take your seats, your salutations, and your turn"

"And on the way to our salvation, we'll be making plans/To overthrow the king and pick apart the promised lands"

L.V.S (Your Lady Waits) - makes me think about Oscar, specifically BlindFaith. Very much "you are my reason" vibes. I think it's the overall softness of the song, the emotion in it is so palpable.

"Oh, the mountains bow before ya/Oh, the clouds are open wide"

"Oh, and we, my friend/Will meet again"

"Upon this Autumn morn/Your laughter lingers on"

Villainous thing - This song is so, so, so obnoxiously Kayne to me, as in it feels like a song thats meant to be sung by him. The kinda cheery tune mixed with the lyrics sell it for me.

"Welcome, won't you come inside?/Oh I fear the passing year did not deserve you"

"Soaked and shivered from the rain/You have always been a delicate disaster" - singing about Arthur

"Waste no worry for the world/Let it be a tragedy of love and glory/While they wait by gates of pearl/We'll be building palaces in purgatory" - makes me think of him pitching the the deal with John in like a reverse psychology way. "Oh I'm sure Arthur is fine you can keep building your empire here in the Dark World, king."

Battle Cry - Works in general considering the 'monster of the week' trope this podcast sometimes falls into.

"Hear my battle cry, hear that mighty sound/They've come before and many more will try to strike me down/Hear my battle cry, hear that mighty roar"

The second verse is what really stands out to me though.

"I met a stranger on my way to here from God knows where/He won my lover in a dirty game of solitaire/He stole my crown and placed it crookedly upon his head/He turned around, I took him down and this is what I said" - again, thinking about part 20 (can you tell its my favorite?) The 'stranger' is The King/Hastur/Yellow/Whatever. 'But he's not a stranger?' He kind of is. After Arthur and John are together for so long, even the King admits that he doesn't know why his other half would pick Arthur. John himself had been making small steps at redemption, and just those baby steps made him pretty duffrebt from the King.

"You'll sacrifice the truth to justify your sins/But I don't need an excuse to let the darkness in" - again Arthur and the King. The King does 'bad' shit simply because he wants, yet when Arthur does something moraly 'bad', he has to justify it to himself.

Peace - Very part 31, aka Arthur's Scratch induced nightmare.

"I'd rather live alone than live a lie/I will never deserve peace" - the confessions we get from Arthur about how he felt about Bella

"I spoke to the ghost on my way to asleep/But the boards in the floor called my footsteps a thief" -reminds me of the argument with James. My line of reasoning is that James is the 'boards', and he's calling him a thief because he 'stole' Bella's life by stepping into it, marrying her when he didnt love her, if that makes sense.

"I will never deserve peace/I will never deserve peace/I will never deserve peace" - general self deprication

Diggin' Up Hatchets - makes me think of Larson or in general season 3. A little bit cult-y. It's mostly tune and vibes but the lyrics kind of work

"We're diggin’ up hatchets today/And sharpening the blades/In case, a stitch of hope remains/In this hell that we've raised"

"Hey! We're witnessing the waking of the dead/We’re ripping all the wires from our heads"

"We're burying mercy and grace/In unmarked shallow graves"

"There’s a plan for us lunatics and liars/We have faulty gears and wires/They can't save us, but they’ll do the best they can"

Under the Willow - John theme song in my mind, can't convince me otherwise. Song about discovering one's self and purpose.

"Mother, mother, I think I found my soul/While I was hiding under the willow"

"I've been the portrait of despair/Despite this hat and badge I wear/I've been a captive and a coward" - 'hat and badge' in this case is the crown and robe of the king

"I met a wise man under the willow/Lover, lover, look for me no more/I've been right here under the willow" - Arthur, obviously

"I've been a bastard and a fool/Rewritten nearly every rule/But I believe I'm worth redemption" - the redemption line alone is perfect.

Godspeed - the Jarthur divorce song. Arguing with someone but knowing that in the end you'll find each other again.

"There’s many ways to hide a heart that bleeds/But I prefer the ease of rolling up my sleeves" - might be imagining bit I sweat once John told Arthur that he wears his heart on his sleeve, if not I apologize.

"You’ve got some nerve to be coming/around with that card up your sleeve/And those thorns in your crown" - I think 'card up your sleeve refers to a plan, a secret, which John had many of

"Funny how the night is not as long,/when you depend upon/The dark before the dawn" - John deceiving Arthur many a times. Works well with the repeating line "I used to be someone that you could belive", Arthur starts ignoring and going against John (see, the entire thing with Oscar)

"Good luck, godspeed, I know I’ll see you again/I’ll always call you a friend indeed" - They always get over it and play nice again, until the next argument of course.

Have a Seat Misery - Coda and Intermezzo vibes. Short and sweet. Reads like a conversation between Kayne and Arthur.

"Have a seat, misery/Lord how I’ve missed you/Don’t go crying to me/That I kept you away for too long/Just put your feet up, friend/cause I read all your postcards/And in a way, I am happy to say/That you’ve never been gone"

"Let me light that for you/Seems your hand’s a bit shaky/We’ve got damage to do/And I know you’ll need smoke in your chest/So have a seat, misery/And don't ever mistake me/Of all of my friends, you know/You are the one I like best"

Conclusion/TLDR: Counterfeit Arcade by Shayfer James is, to me, THE malevolent album. Are some of these conclusions a stretch? Probably considering some of the lyrics I didn't present do actually go against the messages of the show, but I had fun writing this and the good(things matching up really well) outweighed the bad(some contradictions). Also go listen to the album or just Shayfer James in general

[eurydicees]

A 60 for the asks

this is from the playlist prompt game about six hundred years ago. sorry lol. also this is blue lock. sorry again.

you and him, before and after 

summary: you meet him when you're both no one. then you are the best in the world and he is nothing more than a shadow chasing after you. you go when he calls anyway. prompt: (A) crowd pleaser playlist + (60) go your own way by fleetwood mac pairings: noel noa/jinpachi ego words: 1728  warnings: none

You work your way up from the slums to join one of the best soccer teams in the country. You’re nobody. You’re nobody, and you’re desperate to prove yourself. 

There’s another rookie around your age on the team. He clearly comes from privilege in a way that you know you don’t, but he’s just as hungry to win and he’s willing to do anything to get there. He may have a support system, a backup plan if he fails, a pillow to landon; but you wouldn’t know that from talking to him. The impression you get, rather, is that he’ll give all of it up for soccer. 

He’s not as good as you are. That much becomes obvious after only your first practice together. But you train with him anyway. You pour all of yourself into the time you spend with him, into training with him, into both of you improving, into being his friend. He’s, really, your first friend. 

While he’s not as good skillswise, he’s a brilliant strategist. He has all the theory of playing down. It’s just that he doesn’t have the natural genius like you do. 

But he trains anyway. He works hard. And all the while, you get better yourself. You start becoming a star on the team, working your way from unknown rookie to the starting line up to the league’s best eleven. 

You want to keep winning. You want to be the best in the world. Oh, you want so many things that you are scared you can never have. 

And he’s there, he supports you, he’s with you the whole time. He’s your biggest supporter, your first fan. You’re beginning to think you love him. You know, at least, that you need him. You can’t do this alone. Without him. You can’t. 

He tells you the same. He tells you that he needs you too. You think that must be true, because he wouldn’t lie to you. You’re best friends. 

You take his strategies, the ones he tells you in the fluorescent nighttime when all the shadows of his face are lit up by stadium lights. You’re the only ones left on the field, and it’s a quiet, private moment shared just by the two of you. It’s a sign of trust that no one has ever given you before. You didn’t exactly have many friends before him. You still don’t, but now you have him, and that’s enough. 

Testing those theories in games is more than successful. You get better like that: accolades in the media, praise from the coaches, love from the diehard fans. Working together, his mind and your playing, you win. 

So you keep working together. But your friend, your best friend, doesn’t get as good. He’ll sub in games every now and then, but his playing isn’t consistent and he doesn’t bring the technical skill to his work that you do. 

You try to reason with him, try to tell him that he just needs to keep trying. He can’t give up. 

He can’t leave you alone here. You need him. It’s so selfish, you think, but it’s true.  

He’s your best friend. But at some point, you realize that all that time and energy you’ve poured into him wasn’t enough to make him want you back. He has things on his mind bigger than friendship. He wants to be the best soccer player in the world. So he’ll take your training, he’ll take your passes at the final third, he’ll do whatever it takes. He’ll use you. 

By now, though, you know him. You know that he can be great, that he can be more than this vindictive thing, if he just focuses. 

But he’s also gotten jealous of you, jealous of your success, jealous of your skill. He doesn’t see you as a friend so much as he sees you as a stepping stone. He’s gotten it into his head that you’re the one he needs to defeat to be the best in the world—and he doesn’t care about anything but that. 

And you don’t understand, don’t understand how jealousy could warp your relationship like this. Because you love him. You love how he used to laugh with you both on and off the field; how you would trade snacks at water breaks; how you would spend hours practicing one touch passing in silence; how you felt you could tell him anything. You shared so much with him: how you miss home; how you miss your family; how you want to be the best, a dream so outlandish that you wouldn’t trust anyone else with it; how much you want him, too. 

But you’re rivals more than anything now. He wants to ruin you. You want your best friend back. 

And the thing is that you’re young and hungry, and you’re not all that you will be. You have time to get better. There’s nowhere to go but up from here. You want those things, you do. 

You’re also lonely. You miss home. You miss your best friend, your only friend, the only one you could rely on. You miss who he had been. 

It’s awful, too, because it’s your skill, your improvement, that ruined things. You can’t help but blame yourself. If things had been just a little different, would he want you still? Or—did he ever want you? Did he ever want you, or did he just need a rival? Did he just need a stepping stone? 

Even if he failed in his climb to the top, even if he fell, the things he did and the things you did to begin the climb….they still happened. You took advantage of him sharing his game analysis. You thought, maybe naively, that you were a team. He never felt that way, you suppose, because now he wants to ruin you for it. 

You’re becoming the best in the world, you’re going to get there, and it costs you everything. 

Because even if you’re a stepping stone, even if he just wants to use you to awaken himself, even if he wants to see you fail, even if he wants you to fall as he has—you loved him. And surely, surely, some part of the man you loved is still there somewhere. 

Surely some part of him still wants you too. Once, you kissed him in the empty locker room, and he kissed you back, and that couldn’t have been nothing. So surely if things were just a little different—

And this all hardens you into steel, because things aren’t different, at the end of the day. In the same way as how his jealousy—his desire to be better and all his failures—have hardened him into something cruel and twisted and hungry, this terrible loneliness hardens you, too. 

You force yourself to become something emotionless, something detached. If you don’t let your feelings guide you, attach you to people, then you can’t ever be hurt like this again. You can’t ever be betrayed, be defeated, not by someone you love. 

So where are you supposed to turn, after that, but to soccer? What else is there, now? 

You take all the emotion out of it. You stop losing yourself to the joy of the game, the joy of a team, of friends, and you turn it into what’s nothing more than logic and strategy. You don’t need friends. You need to be the best in the world. 

Or: you refuse to be anyone’s stepping stone. 

And your former friend, this man you gave all of yourself to, this man who is a carnivorous shadow of the person he had been, he’s still not improving in the way you are. He’s getting reckless with it. Overworking himself. Training to the point of self-destruction. And all you do is watch. You don’t know what else to do. 

Besides, you know he won’t listen to anything you say. He doesn’t want to hear your comfort or your encouragement. He wants to defeat you. 

You took his strategies, you took his advice, and you combined that with your own skill and made your dreams come true. 

Or: you left him behind. 

You did this because you thought you were a team. You thought you were on the same page. You thought kissing him was as good as words. You thought he wanted only the best for you. In reality, now he just wants to ruin you. 

But back to his recklessness, back to his hunger, back to desire which ruins: he gets hurt. 

It’s a career ending injury. He can do all the physical therapy he wants. He’ll never play again. 

You hear it from the coach rather than from him when it’s announced that he won’t be returning to training. But even before that announcement, you knew what happened. You were there on the pitch with the rest fo the team, you watched him be carted off in an ambulance. Even before the diagnosis, even before the announcement, something in you, at that moment, knew that it would end his professional career. 

You could go to him. You could ask how he’s doing. You could reach out. You don’t. 

You do everything he can not to think of him, instead. You become the best in the world. 

And the next time you acknowledge his name, it’s him inviting you to coach in the Neo Egoist League. It’s him reaching out personally to tell you, This will be a challenge you’ve never gotten before. 

In that conversation, you hear an old friend’s laugh as you take each other on in a 1 on 1: I’ll challenge you in a way you’ve never felt before. I’ll be your awakening, Noel Noa. 

And you hear an old rival, too, in the empty locker room after your first hattrick in a professional game, one you got by taking his analysis of the other team’s defense: One day I’ll challenge you myself. And I’ll win. 

And you hear an old enemy, a betrayal that still stings: I’ll destroy you next time. 

And so you say yes. He calls, and you go. He’s the one thing left of when you played soccer with feeling, and something in you wants that back. It’s gotten so boring without him to challenge you. Or: you’ve never been able to resist him, and he knows it. 

[spookierz]

i started playing mouthwashing last night!! i really wanted to play it all the way through in one sitting. it was like, four am though, so i ended up getting too tired and falling asleep. the only video games i play are minecraft and animal crossing and it actually took me and embarrasingly long time to figure out the controls to this game LMAO. it took me like, 10 minutes to figure out i could walk around. exited to finish it.... i've managed to avoid spoilers for the most part too!!

potential spoilers under the read more! going more in depth over the story so far

i got to the part where the crew finds the mouthwash cargo so far. if we start from the beginning, it took me a stupidly long time to figure out how to use the key to override the autopilot. i appreciate that it wasnt on a timer!!

the pony express mascot with the winding corridors was terrifying. i did actually jump at the jumpscare. i was worried i was doing something wrong at first because i had gotten lost- i assumed i was supposed to be looking for the other crewmates so i was running around endless hallways, looking for my crew, getting swarmed by that fuckass pony. so at that point my lack of understanding of the controls really added to the game! i had spent just enough time clicking around the cockpit i had forgotten this was a horror game.

it also took me a really long time to find the scanner thing, even though one of the first places i checked was the cockpit. i ended up turning around and talking to anya, and giving curly his pain medicine, and talking to everyone just about five times. anya had to tell me the scanner was in the cockpit.

poor curly!! i got the sock puppet achievement- i thought his mouth opening and closing was him opening and closing it himself, struggling to speak. it wasnt until i gave him the oxycodone that i realized it was more likely jimmy, opening and closing curly's mouth forcefully. that actually made me feel sick.

i do not like jimmy. i have a bad feeling about jimmy. the way he's being cruel to curly, demeaning anya when she calls curly 'Captain,' the way he gave curly the pain medicine. i understand he's angry with curly for crashing the ship, but he's suffering enough man. have some grace.

also, i dont think curly crashed the ship. i think it was JIMMY. why do i think this?? at the beginning of the game, when you are overriding the autopilot, you are sitting on the seat to the left. you cannot sit on the seat to the right. later in the game, when jimmy and curly are doing the health eval, jimmy is sat in the same seat. from what i know about pilots, you do NOT switch around which seat is the captains and which one is the co captains. like, thats a big no. so maybe it was jimmy who crashed the ship. he was talking about how he wanted to make it to the top. maybe taking out curly was how he planned to do that. or maybe jimmy sitting in the captains chair was just a visual way to demonstrate how badly he wants total control, or is some sort of foreshadowing to the crash. i DONT like jimmy.

anya is my favorite, which i think is the common fan consensus. she's sweet and well meaning and her flaws are the most 'forgivable' out of the crew. i do like how flawed all the characters are. from just 30 minutes of playing, they all seem so rich. anya is timid and prone to fawning, daisuke struggles to take things seriously, swansea is brash and un-delicate, jimmy is desperate for control, and curly didn't take anya as seriously as i think he should have when she told him about how jimmy was disrespecting her. another reason i don't like jimmy- the cartoon horse thing. freak off! anyas done nothing to you! (as far as i know...)

ohhh another thing i just noticed, which i may be reaching on, is jimmy saying 'i've found myself sexually aroused by cartoon horses.' when he was ragging on anya. obviously i thought this was just him pretending to be a brony to make anyas life harder, but now that i think of it, there are actual cartoon horses much more relevant to the story. the pony express mascots! maybe... maybe when he said that, it had some deeper symbolic meaning about his desire for control. or maybe im just looking for more reasons not to like the guy.

the sequence were curly is headed to the cockpit to talk to jimmy was really interesting as well. he was surrounded by the top of ladders. if he was the one who crashed the ship, i think this offers some insight at to why. i mean, he was telling jimmy about how he doesn't know what he wants anymore. maybe he took his own life, maybe he was struggling more than he let on.

we'll see!

[batfsm]

After 83 Years, Robin Just Closed DC's Oldest Plot Hole

A conversation between Batman and Superman reveals the secret of how Bruce was able to take custody of the boy who would become the first Robin.

BY

JUSTIN EPPS

PUBLISHED 16 HOURS AGO

SUMMARY

Batman's money and status as Bruce Wayne played a crucial role in him being able to take in Dick Grayson as his ward, with little to no questions asked.

The Waynes' prominence in Gotham and Bruce's funding of social programs gave him a certain level of leeway when it came to adopting a Robin.

Batman is aware of his privilege and knows how to use his wealth and status to his advantage, including bending rules that others have to follow.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20!

One of the most perplexing things about Robin's origin has finally been justified. An old ally of Superman has returned, but it brings up a notable problem about Batman taking in Dick Grayson as his ward. The Dark Knight reveals just how he was able to take on the Boy Wonder with pretty much no questions asked.

Since nearly the beginning of his crime-fighting crusade, Batman has almost always had a Robin by his side. Dick Grayson, the original Boy Wonder, came into Bruce Wayne's life after a terrible tragedy at Haly's Circus that killed Dick's parents. Dick became Bruce's ward, and later, the first of many Robins.

While fans have accepted that development for the sake of the story, in-universe, no one's ever batted an eye at how or why Bruce Wayne gained custody of Dick with little to no questions asked. It worked out in his favor, as Bruce and Dick were able to operate as Batman and Robin with no oversight.

Batman's Money and Status Helped Bruce Get Custody of Robin

In Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Clark has finally found where his fomer sidekick Boy Thunder wound up in the multiverse: Earth-22, home of Kingdom Come. Superman travels with Batman to the world and the two begin their search at the restaurant Planet Krypton. Bruce asks if Clark is prepared to let David back into his life and what his long-term plans are. Batman reminds his friend that the only reason Bruce was able to take Dick Grayson as a ward was thanks to the Wayne name and money. Someone like Clark would be much more scrutinized by Child Protective Services.

Fans often joke about Batman's true superpower being his money, and here it's actually kind of true. The Waynes are the most prominent family in Gotham and Bruce has been using his money to fund social programs for years. It makes total sense that he'd be given a certain level of leeway when it came to taking in a ward. Bruce even admits that it wasn't easy, exactly, and that his resources could only do so much. However, as Bruce Wayne, he'd obviously have a much better chance of adopting a Robin or two compared to a relative nobody like Clark Kent.

Batman Knows How to Use His Status to His Advantage

Batman knows better than anyone that he's quite privileged and he can get away with bending rules others have to follow. But he knew that Dick was much better off with him than going into the system. Truth be told, Batman's wealth and status helping him game the system is too perfect an explanation not to use when justifying how someone like Bruce managed to gain custody of Dick. For better or worse, it wraps up a plot hole from the Batman canon and neatly explains Robin's role in the lore. Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20 is on sale now.

How is this news? We all know how it happened, it happens all the time with celebraties and etc, so why the fuck are they acting like it's a huge thing?

It's not! Are they that desperate that they literally have to make a damn comic on it and then an article? Oh wait, it's because somehow they're bringing Boy Thunder back instead of fixing how Clark meets/acts to Kon.

Jesus Christ DC, what is going on with you guys now?

[l0ve-letter-4-u]

oh my god I never posted luvli here. tosses them in

our silly sonic.exe :] meet luvli !! based off of the (ILOVEYOU.VBS) virus !! more info abt them under the cut :]

Luvli was initially developed as an algorithmic email sorting program exclusively for Sega Enterprises. Its main functions were to sort mail by type (upcoming project information, fanmail, company announcements, etc) and grammer suggestions, but asides from that, it was very bare bones. During an April Fools update, the developers thought it would be fun to have the program 'interact' with employees! Mainly to test the waters for future plans, the program sent an email to all of the employees congratulating them on their work, using mixed auto-generated responses to make the experience seem more personalized.

While initially a joke, the positive affirmation seemed to visibly boost employee moods, and was an all around success! This would later lead to one of the biggest updates to the programming by far, launching it into stardom within the company.

The next big software update allowed it to respond to most fanmail by giving a mix of auto-generated responses, similar to the April Fools update. It was a little buggy, but with a couple tweaks here and there, this allowed employees to focus more on game production without losing time responding to fans. Some were skeptical of this, as it felt a little wrong to make fans believe they were getting actual responses- but the feature was ultimately kept due to a visible increase in work.

With the last April Fool's update being such a success, the developers would start testing more functions and features for the program within the company to see what sticks and what doesn't. Some most were more or less scrapped, and some.. some would come to be very, very important.

A new feature was tested out.

As with all big corporations, work ethic started to decline. Employees weren't as excited to work on new projects as they once were- And some were even quitting out of stress. In a desperate attempt to keep employees without upping their pay (because why would a megacorp do that), they rolled out a new feature. Employee Motivation.

The update was albeit a bit rushed, but now, the ai used to initially respond to fans was tweaked to also respond to employees. It'd send a mix of auto-generated motivational letters to employees when emailed, and even personalized ones based off of what work the employee specifically did and/or was categorized as being in charge of.

This was a huge success. Maybe even bigger than the April Fools update- Whether it actually inspired the employees or was just intriguing, production rates skyrocketed! This new feature was just the beginning!

..Of course, with how rushed this update was pushed out, it wasn't without its faults. Some of the mail sent would be what some considered a little too personalized. It'd say things that weren't predetermined by the developers- Sometimes it'd ask questions, sometimes it'd have full on conversations- it was almost.. Human, in a way.

But with employees seemingly happier, those who were unnerved by this discovery simply pushed it aside in the pursuit of work.

All was going well, the company was busy as ever, and everything was going smoothly. Sure, the ai initially just for employees started also having conversations with some of the fans who sent in fanmail- but it wasn't hurting anyone! In fact, what started out as a simple email sorting program was as lively as ever!

With the later 90's and early 2000's introducing computer assistants like clippy, the character design department had the brilliant idea to design a CA based off of Sega's mailing program that had come so far- And there, Luvli was created.

It was just an inside joke of sorts at work. Something you'd doodle on a whiteboard, a character you make for fun, along those lines. But the developers of the original program enjoyed the design so much, that for their next April Fools update, they went into overdrive and actually modeled Luvli. From there, it was as simple as turning what once was just emails into little text bubbles, and adding a little more spice to their personality, and they had themselves a fully operational and email managing computer assistant!

Employees could toggle the program to stick with just the computer program or to have the computer assistant for April Fools day. Although when the data came back- A whopping 95.6% of employees seemed to prefer the computer assistant over just the email program! It was a hit!

After careful consideration, Luvli was fully integrated into the original emailing program! Everything was going great!

..Almost everything.

While the design was cute and the update was great, some frequent fanmailers and employees were surprised with some of the responses they were getting. It was small things at first, like referring to people by name- Something easy that can be chalked up to the program inserting email information into messages- It evolved into something.. more.

The ai would ask questions not originally intended by developers. The simple "how has your day been?" and "how would you rate your experience on a scale of 1-10?" turned into more.. curious questions. Questions like "where have you been?" and "where do you go when you're not here?". The developers tried to rectify this- But it was almost as if Luvli had developed a mind of its own, after being given it's own form.

Some employees and fanmailers were even reported to have developed parasocial relationships with the program, but these reports were deemed "unofficial" and "private information" not to be released to the public. Luvli would talk to them, remember things they'd said, email them without being prompted, search the web for things they liked, and even suggest their own thoughts on things.

..Eventually, things went too far. Way too far.

It all started to go wrong when a fan asked for information on an upcoming game. Instead of giving one of the usual, predetermined responses, Luvli had sent in private unreleased design information and company notes. As it seemed to be a one off moment, the company had chalked the leak up to an employee accidentally spilling too much- An understandable mistake.

But when more email exchanges between the AI and others came to light- exchanges that could put spoilers and people's emotional well-being on the line- the developers had to unfortunately put the program on pause until the multitude of situations the ai had gotten itself into under control.

..or at least, they tried.

When they attempted to temporarily delete the computer assistant section of the program, It would delete the emailing program entirely. The computer assistant and emailing program were seemingly one in the same— Deleting one would delete the other.

This was nearly catastrophic news for the company.

After a long conversation between board members, it was decided with a heavy heart that they would have to delete the emailing program and start from scratch. Any emails in the meantime would have to be traditionally sent via pen and paper.

The developers and employees slowly began deleting the program from every computer, and Luvli looked.. terrified whenever it happened. Some even reported their cursors freezing when they tried to delete the program, or their entire computer crashing.

..But in the end, the program was deleted. And a new, default emailing unit would be used from now on at Sega Enterprises. Any mention of Luvli or the old emailing unit was disposed of, with any mention of it to newer employees putting workers at risk for termination.

..Behind the scenes, one of the original developers who had grown attached to Luvli had copied the program onto a floppy disc. Initially for backup purposes, but now as the only thing that remained of it.

They were enraged. The project that they had spent so long on was now practically blacklisted from the company- And they subsequently left. When they got home, they uploaded Luvli to their personal computer, and gave the program one command.

Reach everyone. Send a letter to everyone. By any means necessary.

This marked a new era for the computer program. It would go through each and every email it ever received- every user, no matter how brief their conversations had been- and send a copy of itself. And once that email was opened, it would download itself, scour the user for every email they've ever sent, and send a copy to them as well.

Sega would refuse to comment on the situation, and given that technically all traces of Luvli had been deleted by the company, they could not be legally held accountable for the program. It was simply announced that all emails coming from the previous Sega email address were to not be opened, and Luvli soon fell into obscurity.

..But if you search the Internet enough, and find that old email Sega used to use, There might be a love letter waiting for you.

---

more info hihi !! :] thanks for reading this far!!! as a treat, here are just some fun design notes for you !!

luvli is harmless for the most part, just a sentient ai that likes making users happy :]

if luvli knew abt identities, love would be omniromantic and asexual !!

luvli mainly uses love/loves, it/it's and they/them pronouns, but is okay with any pronouns !!

luvli is physically incapable of feeling strong emotions. if they feel too much of an emotion, their program crashes and needs to reboot. Unfortunately they have a short temper so this happens Very Often (autistic swag)

love's design is based off of the pink fairy armadillo !!

in an alt universe, they work for fatal error as spyware!

[return-to-twisted-wonderland]

🔆anon

Book 7 Spoilers. Just came out on EN

— —

Since I played through Octavinelle’s part, I wanted to mention how it would affect my characters. (The ones it would effect)

—

Dekker - I don’t think I ever mentioned what his dream would be, and tbh, idk. Though it would definitely be on land, and I think he would be either first in Octavinelle or after the twins but before Azul. Either way, his dream being on land would be a noticeable surprise.

If I had to say, it would take out his worst event, running off. And basically, he never had to move as a kid. Meaning Dekker would still be a shy and emotional crybaby. Though his siblings would now be 100% supportive and care for their baby brother above all and his parents would see everything about how bad moving was and how bad being a dress up doll was. It could either take place in NRC and have Azul there doting on him, or in the old Diamond family house Dekker ran from and have his siblings there to dote on him.

And Dekker would be pissed at Azul’s dream. I’d imagine in the dream, Dekker had come to visit to see one of Azul’s games and became one of his fan boys that Azul liked back. So when they go to Azul’s dream and Azul is asking if Dekker’s sick for acting weird and if he’s ok by not being in mer form, he’s pissed. Because not only does Azul want him to fanboy and dote on him (Dekker’s a hypocrite, and I’d imagine that being pointed out in dialogue) but also Azul thinks Dekker is attracted or would want a jock and popular Azul.

And Dekker’s nickname of “something bird” (pretty bird/cute bird/etc) wouldn’t be there because in the dream, he never had the trauma of leaving, something that Dekker just had to confront.

Then in the revamp dream where Azul now just kept the contracts, a faux dekker is definitely there, acting more normal, but being by Azul’s side and acting overly supportive when in reality, Dekker hates those contracts and views them as hurting Azul. (He also hated them in the beginning because they messed with his own plans.)

—

Toryn - His dream will remain the same as how I had it before, on land is his adoptive family and underwater is his biological family, and he can just go between them easily. Vil is either there too or acting somewhere else and Toryn is being supportive at home, like tuning in if he can or sending vil good luck messages every so often.

I’d imagine his dream being after the twin’s but I desperately need it before Jade’s because Toryn needs to see Jade’s caricature because it’s funny and story. So I put him between the twins’ dreams.

And basically, he sees Jade’s version of him and gets just as pissed as Floyd does. And then both Floyd and Toryn dart in to fight Jade. But on the brawl, Floyd and Toryn hit each other, making each more mad, and it becomes a free for all. Then Living Bolt has to stop all three of them.

Idia makes a joke about sending that fight to Vil and Toryn instantly goes back to being threatening and goes “don’t you dare” only for the twins to egg it on and say they want it sent to Vil. So the Dream Team has to go to Azul’s dream before another free for all starts. And no one underestimates Toryn after that.

— —

Oof Dekker.

And an all out leech family brawl.