#(he said forgetting digital copies are a thing)

[qeyond]

THEYRE HERE THEYRE HERE THEYRE HERE!!!!

[dyinglikenarcissus]

Kitten

7k words

Warnings: 18+ only! This is pure smut. A little dubcon. Your brother’s alpha besties want you but they’ve been so good for so long. What happens when a group trip turns into a one bed situation? Also reader is Sam’s long lost sister or something. Suspend your belief 😂 (I had to include some kind of Sam for our shared birthday)

Enjoy 😊

Please do not copy or repost my work

This really wasn’t supposed to happen.

They’re your brother’s friends. How did you end up like this?

They were supposed to be going on a boys fishing trip to celebrate your brother’s new job but he suddenly came down with something and wasn’t feeling up to it and, as his roommate and baby sister, they insisted you take his place. You didn’t know the first thing about fishing! But when it came to his two alpha buddies you got all tongue tied and your omega came spilling out like an over boiling pot. They were just so handsome and big and imposing and charismatic. They have great jobs and fancy cars and penthouse apartments. The ideal alphas.

It also didn’t help that you were a couple weeks away from your heat. It just makes their sway over you more powerful. They didn’t mean any harm. They were just used to being surrounded by other alphas. They didn’t know how to reign it in. Normally your brother was around as a buffer. You were rarely ever alone with them…

The two hour car ride was the longest you’d ever spent with just the two of them. They went on and on about baseball and beer and guns and other things you had absolutely no knowledge about so you just sat quietly in the back seat with your phone and your switch and prayed you were almost there.

But it would be fine! It was supposed to be a huge family suite with a bunch of rooms and a full kitchen and everything. You’d have your own space to retreat to if they became…too much for you.

But being there gave you absolutely no relief.

“I’m sorry!” The hotel front desk manager started after looking up your stay. “We accidentally overbooked and had to give away your room. We can rectify it tomorrow but tonight all we have is a single king.”

They readily agreed, not paying any attention to your protest. They said it would be fun. Like camping.

You never liked camping.

So now you stand between the rock that is Steve Rogers and the hard place that is Bucky Barnes.

“We’ll just take the floor, kitten,” Bucky smiles using the nickname they’ve called you since you were children. “I prefer it anyway. Better for my back.”

“Yeah. You get comfortable. Don’t worry about us,” Steve assures you. You just nod while the boys call down for extra pillows and blankets and food while you clean up from the long drive. It wasn’t super late but it was late enough that you weren’t going to do anything else tonight. The boys wanted to get up early. Apparently that’s when the fish are most active? The most you knew about fishing was from Animal Crossing and if any of that was true, they should be waiting for it to rain. Which reminds you that you that you need to water your flowers in your little digital town. You’ll do it as soon as you’re out of the shower…

Well, ain’t this some shit.

You didn’t exactly pack to share close quarters.

The only PJs you brought were mini shorts and cropped tank tops that were pretty much transparent in the right light. You should have brought a comfy sweater or something to cover up in but you wanted to pack light. You didn’t want to look like ‘that girl’ with a suitcase for every night. But at least you’d have a sleeping sweater…

You roll your eyes at your idiotic lack of foresight and choose the least see through ones and hope they don’t look too closely.

So much for that.

The second you walk back into the main room, two sets of blue eyes are on you. They suddenly forget all about their baseball, their beer, and their guns at the vision in front of them. Your soft curves are clearly visible through your lack of clothes: a sight they’ve only seen when the group goes swimming. They can barely keep it together with you prancing around in tiny fabric triangles that barely cover your wet and obviously cold body. But normally your brother was there to keep them at bay.

No older brother in sight. Just you left alone for the two of them. All. Weekend. Long.

Steve is the first one clear his throat and avert his gaze. “We ordered some pizzas. Is that okay with you?”

“Y-yeah! Pizza’s great,” you smile nervously. “I’m done in the bathroom if either of you want a turn.”

Bucky doesn’t even spare Steve a glance as he makes his way to the bathroom. “Age before beauty,” he snarks at the blond leaving the two of you alone.

You just smile at the tall blond sitting on the edge of the bed before rifling through your luggage for your Switch unknowingly giving Steve the perfect view of your peach ass through your tiny shorts.

“Shit,” Steve breathes, tilting his head slightly to see what else you’re hiding under there.

“What was that?” You ask pulling yourself out from your duffle.

“Oh, nothing,” the blond says quickly snapping his head back to the TV. “Just the game. Crazy play…” he trails.

“Oh?” You smile and nod already knowing you won’t understand what’s going on so you don’t bother asking. You snuggle up against the pillows to play your game and ignore whatever sports ball game is on.

“What are you playing?” His voice doesn’t initially reach you as you shake your head and focus on the alpha watching you. When did Steve’s eyes get so pretty? They’re like kaleidoscopes of green and blue. Hmmmm…

Wait. He said something, didn’t he?

“I’m sorry?”

“What are you playing?” He asks again leaning back to see the screen of your handheld console.

“Animal Crossing,” you whisper. He’s so close you can feel the body heat radiating off of him. He’s never been this close…

“That game’s super popular lately, huh? Never tried it. I used to just play Halo and GTA when I was as your age.”

“GTA is pretty fun,” you smile.

“What’s an innocent little thing like you know about GTA?”

“I get on my brother’s PlayStation every once in a while,” you admit. “I’m not that innocent,” you giggle singing the song.

“I feel like we’ll be learning all kinds of things about you this weekend,” Steve laughs as his hand finds your ankle, stroking the smooth skin gently. You practically leap from your skin. He can’t do that! Can he? He can’t do it again…

And then he does, his rough fingers tracing the inside of your ankle, and a wave arousal spills from you like clockwork. His fresh rain and smoke scent washes over you heavily and a soft whimper escapes your lips.

You can’t do this! Not for a whole weekend!

A knock at the door has you leaping away from him, tugging your feet away quickly.

“Someone’s jumpy,” Steve laughs before getting the door. Saved by the bell. A hotel employee brings a stack of pillows, blankets, and towels before rolling in a cart with two pizza boxes and two pitchers of beer.”

“We figured you wouldn’t eat much,” Steve laughs grabbing a chilled glass and plate before leaning next to you on the bed.

“Food’s here?” Bucky grins stepping out of the bathroom in a pair of low hanging grey sweats. Just a pair of low hanging grey sweats…

So many muscles…so much outline…

You’re going to die here.

His hair was still wet and messy as he mimicked Steve; grabbing food and finding a spot on the other side of you on the bed.

“What’s up, kitten? You gonna eat?” He asks before taking a bite.

“Uh, yeah,” you whisper and slide out from between the two giant men. When did it get so hot? You’re suddenly glad for your lack of clothing.

There’s no chairs or a table in this room. It really is the barebones. It’s hard to believe that this is the same hotel with three bedroom suites.

You sit on the edge of the bed, taking Steve’s spot and nibbling on your food quietly.

“Kitten, you know we love you but you’re blocking the TV,” Bucky groans. “Come back up here.” No. No no no no. Not back there between those two big imposing men.

“Your spots still nice and warm for you,” Steve sighs patting the spot in between them. You didn’t need warmth. Warmth was the last thing you needed. But you slide your plate across the bed and scoot back between them.

“Ain’t this nice?” Bucky asks.

“You don’t want a drink, kitten?” Steve wonders.

“Oh no,” you smile. “Beer isn’t really my thing.”

“Shit! We should’ve ordered something for you. We should know you better by now,” Steve sighs.

“Rosé, huh, kitten?” Bucky asks guiltily.

“Yeah, a rosé would be nice but I’m fine,” you insist and shake your bottle of water before taking a sip.

“That’s no fun kitten. We want you to drink with us. I’ll call down and get a bottle.” A whole bottle? Oh no! You attempt to stop the brunet alpha but he’s already on the phone ordering their best bottle.

“Don’t worry about it, kitten. We’ll pay for it,” Steve laughs. That’s not the problem! You almost shout at him but then he uses that alpha influence on you. “Sit back and relax. Please.”

“O-okay,” you whisper and settle back into the pillows.

“Who knew you could be so obedient?” Bucky laughs hanging up the phone. “You never listen to your brother like that?”

These two are not your brother.

“Did you see that play?” Steve shouts.

“He’s going! He going! He’s going!”

“Come on, Evans! Fuck yeah! You’re going to owe me a fortune at the end of the season,” Steve laughs.

“My bracket’s going to turn around. Just you wait, punk.”

“Whatever, jerk.” You smile at their antics. You’ve heard it your entire life but it never stopped being adorable.

“You two are cute.” The words slip from your mouth before you get a chance to stop yourself. Their blue gazes are back on you in an instant.

“Cute, huh?” Bucky smirks, biting his bottom lip slightly. Oh no.

“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Steve grins leaning slightly closer to you. No no no no! You almost claw your way out from between them when there’s another knock at the door. Thank God!

You move to get up but Bucky presses your thigh back down. “Sit. I got it.” He returns only to hand you a glass of wine. “Drink up. You have a whole bottle to get through.”

“There’s no way I’ll finish that, Bucky,” you laugh taking the glass with both hands.

“You won’t know until you try, kitten,” Steve smirks poking your nose with his index finger.

These two are going to kill you.

You’re soon giggling at Bucky’s jokes and leaning into Steve’s touch after your third glass of wine.

“You should’ve seen him. He was puking over the railing. Those poor fish!” Bucky laughs at the man behind you’s expense. Steve attempts to fight off his own laughter, gripping your waist and pulling you closer against him as you laugh at Bucky’s story.

“Whatever. You keep talking shit. I’m going to take a shower,” Steve chuckles and pulls away from you.

“So, kitten, tell me about your first date?”

“What?” You laugh, taking a sip of your wine.

“We told you about ours. I wanna hear about yours,” Bucky smiles running his hand up your thigh.

“Oh, it really isn’t all that interesting. It was just this guy in high school. We went to the movies. I think we saw Superbad or one of those Michael Cera movies. He tried to kiss me before my mom could come get me up but I wasn’t feeling it.”

“You wouldn’t kiss a guy after one of Michael Cera’s attempts at acting?”

“No,” you giggle. “He’s a fine actor. I just wasn’t feeling it,” you shrug.

“Alright, tell me about your first kiss then.”

“My first…?” You ask scrunching your brows up at the alpha. “Umm, well…”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been kissed,” Bucky laughs leaning a little closer. His hand hitches a little higher on your hip, gripping what’s exposed of your ass. Any other time you would have been running as far away from him as possible but right now his sandalwood and lavender scent is going to send you straight into an early heat.

“Promise not to laugh?” You ask looking up at him through your lashes.

“I won’t. Scouts honor.”

“Like you were ever a scout,” you smile in disbelief. “Well, I didn’t have it until college.”

“Late bloomer, huh?”

You nod. “I went to my first ever college party and got really wasted and I was dancing with this guy.”

“Recipe for disaster,” Bucky grins, pulling you a little closer. You happily curl into him, slotting your leg between his. Your hand comes to rest on his lower stomach. You’ve never felt such strong abs before. You can’t help but feel a little bit. You hope he doesn’t mind.

“I told you not to laugh!” You smile.

“You’re telling the story so dramatically I can’t help it.”

You groan softly and continue your story. “So I was dancing with this guy and my friends were ready to leave so we left and he came with us. Walked with us all the way across campus, it had to have been a couple of miles and he lived close to where the party was.”

“He was trying to get some,” Bucky laughs spanking you softly.

“He was! And he wasn’t subtle about it at all! We were plotting how to ditch him the entire walk. So my friend, Milly, said just make out with him and we’ll have the automatic doors at the dorm lock him out. She didn’t know I’d never kissed a guy so I was just dreading it. Like, why do I care how this guy thinks I kiss but we made it to the dorm. They’re looking at me expectantly, waiting to slam the auto doors on this poor kids face. I just copied what I’d seen on TV, lured him right into the doorway and I just went for it. I literally puffed out my cheeks and pressed my lips against his and he tried to stick his tongue in my mouth and it was horrible! It scared me so much, I stepped back before the girls said go but Milly was on the wrestling team so she has lightning fast reflexes and she slammed the door right on his tongue.” You can’t help the laughter that spills from you and Bucky’s soon follows. “You said you wouldn’t laugh!” You cry pressing your hand against his chest.

“How could you expect me not to laugh at that?” He chuckles. “Poor fucker. Didn’t know what he was getting into with a feisty little omega like you.”

“Feisty? Me?” You laugh.

“Yes, you,” Steve laughs from behind you, sliding back into the bed freshly washed and in only a thin pair of boxers and a tank top. “What’d you do, kitten?” His strong arms wrap around your waist pulling you slightly from Bucky’s grip. One hand splays across you stomach and the other rest a little too high on your ribs to be friendly.

“She was telling me about her first kiss. She’s an evil little thing.”

“Oh, not our kitten. She’s an angel,” Steve admits nuzzling his face in your neck. It feels so good. To be wrapped in two pairs of strong arms. Both their scents settle over you so comfortably. You wish you could drown in it. You practically purr at their touch. In fact…

“Kitten,” Bucky laughs. “Are you purring?”

“No!” You deny quickly pressing away from them. “We should really get ready for bed-”

“Aw, come on, kitten,” Bucky sighs pulling you back down into his embrace. “Hang out with us.” Hang out? The last thing these two were doing was hanging out but you fall back into his arms anyway. “Was your second kiss any better?” Bucky asks distracting you from Steve’s touch.

“W-well, yeah. They were all much better after that.”

“So, you’re a pretty good kisser, huh?” Steve asks pressing his lips against your neck then licking at the sensitive skin there just above your scent gland. “Do you kiss as good as you taste?”

“Wha-! No! Steve!” You whine squirming under his touch.

“Kitten, really. I wish you’d relax for us,” Bucky sighs. “You haven’t slammed anymore tongues into doors?”

You shake your head no while Bucky’s hand grips your ass, pulling you into him and right into something more stiff than his abs but they don’t even give you a chance to react to that.

“Can you show me, kitten? How you kiss?” Steve asks softly, his hand snaking under your tiny shirt and pressing you down onto your back.

“Stevie, Bucky, w-we really shouldn’t be doing this,” you whine looking up into Steve’s ocean eyes. He really does have beautiful eyes.

“Why shouldn’t we?” Bucky asks pressing kisses to your bare shoulder. “You trust us, don’t you?”

“We’d never hurt you, kitten. You have no idea how long we’ve waited to get you away from your brother.”

“Practically since you presented.”

“That long?” You whisper, attempting to look at Bucky.

“You developed all these tantalizing curves, kitten. How could we resist?” There are hands all over your body. You can’t tell which ones belong to who. All you know is that you don’t want them to stop.

“We know you want us,” Steve sighs pressing your tiny shirt up over your breasts. “Your scent is fucking intoxicating.”

“And it spikes like crazy when we’re around. Just let us make you feel good, kitten. If you hate it, we’ll leave you alone,” Bucky promises.

“But we know you’ll love it.” Steve presses down your body and nips at your breast. You whine, spreading your legs to accommodate his large body.

“See? You already love it,” Bucky chuckles. He finally presses his lips to yours and it practically takes your breath away.

“Bucky,” you whimper against his lips as his scents spikes for you.

“Fuck,” Steve groans against your nipples. “Open up for us. Good girl, kitten.” You whine as your core clenches around nothing. You need them. You’ve never needed anyone more in your life. A set of fingers find your clothed core and you arch off the bed dramatically. “Warm her up for me, Buck?”

“You got it, pal,” Bucky chuckles around your lips. So many of your senses were firing at once. You didn’t know what to focus on. Steve’s tongue on your nipples and Bucky’s fingers at your clit. Fuck. It was all too much.

“Please,” you whisper not knowing what you wanted but you needed it.

“Please?” Steve chuckles. “Whatever you want, kitten. We’ll give it to you.”

“But you gotta tell us,” Bucky mutters. His fingers clear your tiny shorts and make contact with your naked pussy. You gasp at the feeling making them both chuckle softly.

“What can we do for you?” Steve asks.

“I-I wanna-I wanna-“

“You wanna what, kitten?” Steve’s mouth sucks at your sensitive nipples and Bucky’s fingers press against your quivering clit.

“Wanna cum!” You whine sharply.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky chuckles and pulls away from you along with Steve.

“Wai-! Where are you going?” You pant as they sit back to watch you.

“We need to get rid of all these clothes first,” Steve explains and presses your legs together to pull off your shorts while Bucky tugs your tiny top over your head. Then they work on themselves. Your eyes widen as you watch them peel off their bottoms, revealing their hard red leaking cocks.

“What’s wrong, kitten? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Bucky smirks as he tosses away his sweats and grips his heavy erection, a steady stream leaking from it’s tip and making his scent so much more heady.

“You’re alright. Just relax,” Steve’s scent permeates beyond Bucky’s settling over you like a weighted blanket as he strips revealing his own giant cock. Precum bubbles out of his tip in thick globs making you gulp.

“Y-you’re both so big,” you whisper.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Steve laughs. “We’ll get you nice and warmed up. You’ll barely feel us.” Barely!? You want to run away but you’re paralyzed under their gaze. “Now, let me get a real taste of you.” Steve tugs your legs up over his shoulders until you’re dangling with the top of your head on his lap and staring blankly at a now upside down Bucky. You don’t even have time to think about it before his tongue licks a strip up your core and you’re left screaming for him.

“Told you we’d make you feel good,” Bucky chuckles. “Now look at you. In the perfect position to fill up that cute little hole.”

“Wh-“ But you’re cut off by Bucky tapping his tip against your bottom lips. “That’s not gonna fit!” You protest but it’s on deaf ears as he presses past your lips into your hot, wet mouth.

“See? We know what we’re doing, kitten. Trust us,” Bucky sighs as he strokes himself against your lips. A hand wraps around one of yours and guides it around his thick member, showing you how hard to squeeze. “There you go, kitten. Good girl. Just like that. Fuck. How long do you think she can stay like this, Stevie?”

Steve pulls away long enough to mutter, “Until she cums,” before diving back into your hot pussy.

You whine around your oral burden feeling the blood simultaneously rush to your head and your core until you feel like you’ll pass out from the pressure. Your whimpers get more frantic and your attention on Bucky’s cocks gets more spotty until you’re legs are clamped around Steve’s head for dear life. You get so close as everything gets so dark and fuzzy around the edges. You can’t hold on anymore. Your eyes flutter shut just as sparkles burst behind your lids and you cum flooding into Steve’s awaiting mouth.

Fuck…

Fuck!

Your eyes wretch open at the impossible stretch inside your core. “Ah! Ahhh! Stevie! Bucky!” You cry out softly as the walls of flesh around you start to console you.

“Hey! Hey, kitten. You’re okay. Calm down,” Steve instructs, his scent starting to lull you into a sense of security as his fingers stroke your cheek gently.

“We told you you’d barely feel it,” Bucky laughs from behind you.

You feel it now! He feels impossibly large and how is he fucking you twice?

You glance down to see between your and Steve’s bodies.

No. No no no no! You let out a strangled scream as the pain of having two monster cocks inside of you starts register.

“Hey! Relax!” Bucky barks. “It feels good, doesn’t it? Being this full of us?”

“Just imagine being full of our babies,” Steve grunts.

“Fuck, you’d look so beautiful. All round with huge, leaking tits,” Bucky chuckles as his fingers dance across your hard nipples.

“You aren’t on birth control, are you?”

“N-no,” you whisper, smothering your face is Steve’s shoulder.

“Good,” they both reply at once. Not good. You weren’t ready for babies. You didn’t even have a mate…

“Stop,” Bucky calls to his partner sensing your distress first. “What wrong, kitten?”

“Tell us. Let us fix it,” Steve seconds as they both still inside of you.

You can barely think straight with them stretching you like this let alone reply.

“Can’t-can’t have a baby,” you strain.

“Why not?” Steve asks, stroking your braids from your face before cupping your face.

“I-we-we’re not-“

“Out with it, kitten,” Bucky groans smacking the side of your ass.

“Bucky,” Steve reprimands. “Talk to us, kitten.”

“We’re not mated!” You finally moan into Steve’s shoulder.

“Oh?” Steve laughs.

“Is that all?” Bucky chuckles. “Don’t worry about that.”

“You’ll have marks all over you by Sunday. No one will ever question who you belong to,” Steve smirks before gripping your hips and beginning to thrust into you anew. Bucky follows suit and you wonder just how much the human body can take before it splits in half. It’s too much. Far too much. They’re too big! They take up too much space in your little body. Just when you think you’ll pass out again Steve grumbles that he’s going to cum and Bucky mimics his notion shortly afterwards.

“Please, please, please,” you chant, slurring your speech with how close your own release is.

Then one of them hits that spot just right and you’re screaming for them, clinching around them enough that they cum spilling inside of you. And then you’re left screaming again as their knots pop into place keeping all that essence bottle up inside you as they continue to spew their seed.

You gasp as you feel your belly bloat with all of it, bowing outward against Steve’s strong abs.

“Too much!” You whine at the feeling. Too full. Too tight. Too heavy. Far too much.

“Hey! I know. I know. It’s a lot. Hang in there for us,” Bucky attempts to soothe but you immediately feel another round of hot cum paint your insides and ballooning your stomach even more.

“Can’t!” You cry but both men rub your arms and your face, attempting to calm you just enough to get you on your side. Bucky’s hand finds your bloated stomach and rubs soft circles into it while Steve whispers sweet praises in your ear.

“You were so good for us, kitten. The best girl we could ask for. You gonna hold on to all that hot cum and make us a bunch of babies?” You can only nod slightly as you attempt to get comfortable. Your quickened breaths eventually get heavier as you start to doze off. “There you go, kitten. Get some rest. You deserve it.”

“She’s tight as a drum, Stevie,” Bucky sighs as his fingers find your navel. It’s straining against the need to pop to give the cum inside you a little extra room.

“We might have over done it,” Steve chuckles until he feels his partner starting to strain against his knot. “The fuck are you doing?

“She’s just so hot like this. I can’t help it,” Bucky groans as he humps into their little partner.

“Fuck, Buck!” Steve hisses trying to ignore the friction against his own cock. “You’re gonna make me cum!” But Bucky just ignores him thrusting shallowly into you while you sleep.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fu-“ Bucky sighs cumming into you once more and pulling Steve closely behind with him. You whimper softly in your sleep as your tummy bows out even more.

“Fuck, Buck! No more. She can’t handle it,” Steve says with an air of authority as he holds you against him protectively.

“I’m exhausted anyway,” the brunet yawns and cups your breast and your stomach as he follows you into sleep.

You wake up far more bloated than you remember when you fell asleep but at least both your alphas knots had gone down.

Your alphas…

It was interesting to think of them like that after so long of them being your brother’s friends. Your alphas sounds…nice.

You scramble from between the two sleeping giants and rush to the bathroom to release the load they deposited in you. You watch your bloated stomach deflate and wonder what pregnancy would be like.

You quickly shake your head of the thought. No babies without mating! You don’t care how much your omega instincts want to take over, that was never going to happen!

You return to the main room and find Bucky and Steve had turned into more comfortable positions without being knotted inside of you. You still crawl in between them and curl over Bucky’s chest in exhaustion.

“Hey? You alright?” He yawns feeling your weight as you nuzzle into him. You just nod and attempt to snuggle further into his chest. “Hang on. I want my pick of spots. Sit up for a second.” You sleepily obey, sitting on your heels before him while he scrutinizes you. He tilts your head to the left and bares his fangs into your shoulder right above your scent gland. Your eyes widen at how simple it is. No posturing. No rituals. Just a mark and you already feel more drawn to him. “There. All mine,” Bucky smiles proudly. “Punk! Wake up and claim her!” You can’t help but giggle at the two before you slide into Steve’s arms. You hold up your head on the opposite side of Bucky’s for him and that’s it. He’s marked you for life. You feel his pull start to tug you in as well as you press a kiss to his lips. You crawl from his arms and attempt to curl back in between them.

“You are far too active for a pregnant woman,” Steve mutters turning over to face you. “It obviously didn’t take and we need to try again.”

“I agree,” Bucky laughs only for you to protest and use the sheets as a shield against them.

“We have all weekend, right? You two can destroy me again tomorrow?”

Bucky smirks at you knowingly before averting his gaze to Steve. “Only if that’s a promise, ‘mega.” Your eyes widen at your brunet alpha.

“Goodnight, kitten,” Steve wishes and presses a kiss to your temple. “Get some rest. You’re gonna need it.”

You were suddenly very awake.

“Kitten? Rise and shine, my beautiful little omega.” You curl further into the sheets after hearing your name.

“Too early,” you mumble.

“What happened to you being ours today? You promised.” You whine softly and peek from the pillows to see Bucky watching you expectantly. He’s already dressed for the day and so is Steve as he rubs your back from behind you. So sore. You wiggle your hips hoping to alleviate the pain but it doesn’t help.

“We should let her sleep in,” Steve sighs pulling you closer to him.

“She’s fine,” Bucky insists. “Get up and get dressed.” You stretch against Steve’s body, the sheets falling away from you and instantly reminding you that you’re completely naked. You let out a soft gasp and cover your chest out of instinct completely forgetting about last night’s activities.

“Shy all of the sudden?” Steve laughs and kisses your cheek. “You don’t have to hide from us. Come on. Get up.” You roll from the bed and stumble into the bathroom as the events from the previous evening start to flood your mind. You’re mated now. To your brother’s best friends...

He’s going to kill them.

Your eyes widen at the thought before you catch yourself in your reflection. Your braids are a tangled mess but under them you see two sets of semi circular marks on either side of your neck. You really are theirs now.

A shutter runs through your body and ends right at your core.

Theirs.

Your alphas.

This is kind of a lot to spring on someone after one night. You laugh at the situation. You never in a million years thought you’d be mated to Steve and Bucky. Sure you fantasized about it but it was never something you thought would become your reality.

You emerge from the bathroom freshly dressed in a short sun dress. “There she is,” Bucky smiles and pulls you into his arms. “You look so cute all dolled up for us.” You stand on your toes and press a kiss to his lips. He hums positively and pulls you back for more.

Steve chuckles from behind you. “Let her go so we can get some food. Gotta keep our little omega fed.”

You giggle and grab Steve’s hand as he leads you down to the hotel restaurant.

Your first time in public as a mated omega is interesting. All the attention you’re used to getting is gone? Well, not really gone. Alphas still look but they notice the marks you proudly bare on your neck and quickly glance away. It also didn’t help that your alphas were constantly all over you: making your plate, feeding you, making sure you got exactly what you wanted.

“Grab a jacket and something to keep you entertained,” Bucky instructs when you head back to the room.

“Am I going fishing with you guys?” You ask, stretching and yawning. You just wanted to go back to sleep. Steve gives you a positive hum while he gathers his things. “I can just hang out here. Get a massage or something,” you suggest. “Maybe a bigger room will be ready and I can move our stuff…”

“Nah, you can’t do that by yourself,” Bucky denies. “And we want you with us, kitten. It’ll be fun. Better than this stuffy hotel.”

“If you insist,” you sigh and follow them out to the truck. It’s a short drive to their fishing spot, maybe a little over half an hour. They’re quiet as the set up their gear so you set up a folding chair out of their way and work on your town.

“Kitten, you didn’t think you’d sit over there with your game all day, did you?” Bucky laughs calling you over. He grips your thigh under your dress and places a kiss on your hand.

“Is this fishing? Sitting around in the sun by the water?” You ask seeing their set up: a case of beers and a baseball game streaming on one of their iPads. How were they even getting a signal out here?

“Basically,” Steve smirks up at you, those beautiful eyes squinting in the sun. “I’m glad you wore a dress today. Less to work around.”

“Huh?” You question dumbly.

“Kitten, you remember how you promised to make us a baby this weekend?” Bucky asks pulling you closer by your leg.

“Right now?” You blanch looking around the forested landscape.

“Yes, right now. We have plenty of time.”

“What if someone sees?” You ask quietly.

“They’d get a beautiful show,” Steve sighs as Bucky’s hand snakes further up your leg to find your panties. He repositions you between his thighs before tugging the little piece of fabric down your legs. Bucky presses a kiss to your stomach just before his fingers find your slit.“Bucky,” you whisper, your face heating in embarrassment.

“Open up for me, kitten.” He kicks your feet apart and you fall into him, gripping his shoulders to keep your balance. His fingers tuck into your core, making a beaconing motion and immediately finding that spot he abused the night before. You let out a soft shriek as you grip his strong shoulders. Bucky lets out a satisfied hum and kisses your cleavage. “You’re so perfect for us. So glad we have you.”

“My alphas,” you breathe.

“Our perfect little omega,” Steve sighs stepping behind you hiking up your skirt over your ass. “With the best ass on the planet,” you hear the smile in his voice right before he smacks your ass roughly. “Open her up a little more for me, Buck.”

Bucky grips your ass and pulls your knees over his thighs on his folding chair. “Shit. Hold on,” Bucky grunts and stands with your legs around his waist. “Jacket, Stevie?”

Steve lays his jacket down for you to rest your knees on.

“Thank you, Stevie,” you smile.

“Anything for you, kitten.” Steve kisses you but you chase after his lips wanting more, both of their scents calming your nerves a little.

“Is this the same omega who was worried about being caught?” Bucky laughs gripping your bare ass.

“Bucky,” you giggle squirming in his grip.

“Calm down. We’re going to fuck you no matter what,” Steve jokes and kisses you once more. Bucky sits back down with your legs spread open for Steve, you can already feel your juices slipping from your core for them.

“There’s still some cum in you, kitten,” Steve sighs, swiping his fingers through your folds.

“I-it’s your fault,” you whimper.

Steve hums back, the sound of it runs straight down to your core. “My fault? It seems like I have a little kitten who needs to learn to clean up her messes.”

You drop your face into the bend of Bucky’s neck and inhale his scent. It’s so potent and heady you can barely think straight.

“Someone’s getting a little hazy,” Bucky sighs. “Your heat starting, kitten?”

“N-no!” You quickly deny and pull away from him.

“It’s okay. Come back.” He pulls you back into his embrace. “It’s okay if you can’t control it. That’s why we’re here.”

“Let us take care of that pesky heat,” Steve sighs. “You just be our sweet little omega.”

“Speaking of being our sweet little omega, do you wanna mark us, kitten?” Bucky asks pressing his lips to the mark Steve left on your shoulder.

“Y-you want me to…?” You question, your lids starting to feel heavy from the hormones suddenly overtaking your system.

Bucky gives you an affirmative hum, his lips never leaving your skin.

The thought never crossed your mind. You always assumed you’d belong to your alpha. Not the other way around.

It didn’t seem normal. Or, at least, no one ever talked about it.

“You’re sure you want me?” You whisper, trying to fight back the heat for a moment. It was coming no matter what at this point. It’s just a matter of letting it come.

“Kitten, we told you last night. We’ve wanted you for years,” Steve sighs, tilting your head back so you can see him.

“But you’re like a skittish little cat. You run at the first sign of danger. So we had to corner you,” Bucky adds trailing his fingers along your exposed cleavage.

“Get you alone, away from that protective brother of yours,” Steve smirks and kisses your forehead before releasing you.

“We want you, kitten. We have rooms made for you at our homes. Our kitchens are stocked with your favorite foods on the off chance you might come by. We just need you to submit.”

“B-both of you?” You breathe, glancing between the two of them.

“We’re a package deal, sweetheart,” Steve chuckles.

You watch Bucky’s chest for a moment, your fingers gripping his Henley lightly. You glance up at his blue eyes before shifting your gaze to his scent gland.

You nod slightly before leaning down to meet his skin. You kiss the area, trailing kisses until you find the perfect spot for your mark. Then you bite down hard and Bucky’s scent explodes for you. A fresh wave a slick coats your core and you almost feel faint.

“…so good,” you sigh out, mostly to yourself.

“If you like that, just wait for my rut,” Bucky grunts in your ear making your face heat. Everything suddenly feels so hot and your skin is so sensitive.

“My turn?” Steve asks, picking you up to cradle you against his chest. You nod and wrap your arms around his shoulders. You nuzzle against his neck, finding the perfect spot on him as well. Your lips explore his skin before you finally bite down. A whine escapes you as Steve’s scent overwhelms your senses. You grip his shoulders as a cramp runs through your body.

“Fuck, kitten, I felt that,” Steve groans.

“You need someone to scratch that itch?” Bucky asks.

“It’s more than an itch, Buck. She needs to get fucked,” Steve laughs and places you back in his lap.

“Is that right, kitten? You need to get fucked?” A soft whine escapes your lips as you squirm in Bucky’s lap.

You nod weakly. There’s no use in hiding it now. They know you carnally. They feel everything you feel and they definitely feel the slick dripping down your thighs.

“Good girl,” Steve sighs. Steve spreads your lips with his fingers and thrusts in so slowly you feel every ridge and vein adorning his cock. The moan that escapes your lips is feral. You need this. You need them.

Steve completely buries himself in you and your jaw falls open dumbly.

“Fuck,” Steve groans. “You feels amazing, kitten.”

You feel your core clinch around him so tightly it’s almost painful.

Bucky lifts you up while you’re still impaled on Steve’s cock. He unzips his own pants and spreads your cheeks. His fingers wipe up the slick seeping out of your core before fingering your puckered hole.

“Deep breath kitten,” he sighs as he massages your insides, spreading the slick until you’re nice and slippery. “Keep breathing for me.”

Then you feel him. His thick head starting to breech that hole where it definitely shouldn’t.

“Too big,” you whine and struggle between them but before you know it, Bucky is fully sheathed within you.

Part of starts to panic as your heart and breaths race.

“Calm down, little omega. We’re gonna take care of you,” Steve coos.

“Very good care of you,” Bucky agrees.

You return to the hotel and the woman at the front desks apologizes again and hands Steve the keycards to the room he initially booked. The three of you look at each other before Steve speaks. “Actually, do you have any king suites available?”

You let your alphas carry your luggage to your new room. There were much more amenities than the last one. A kitchenette, a jacuzzi, a separate living room and bedroom.

“This a little better kitten?” Bucky asks wrapping his arms around your waist.

You nod and accept a kiss. Your phone vibrates on the table and a picture of your brother pops up on the screen. You pull away from Bucky’s grip and press a kiss to his lips before answering your phone.

“Hey, Sammy! How you feeling?”

“Way better! So I drove out to meet you guys. I knew you didn’t want to be left alone with those jokers for too long.” Your eyes widen and meet Bucky’s gaze like a deer in a set of headlights.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asks throwing himself on the bed after he finishes unpacking again.

“Um, S-Sam…Sam is-Sam is…”

Bucky plucks the phone from your fingers. “Hello?” Bucky asks all concern but his face quickly lights up. “Hey! Yeah! Come on up. Room 532.” He hangs up your phone and places it back in your hands. “Sammy’s here,” he tells Steve as if it’s completely normal.

“Cool! I’m glad he’s feeling better.”

“The couch pulls out. I’m not moving rooms again,” Bucky sighs and pulls you to the bed.

“Wait!” You cry. “He-he’s gonna know. He’s gonna kill us!”

“I’d like to see him try,” Bucky laughs rubbing your stomach comfortably. “What are we doing for dinner?”

“I was just looking…there’s a steak house in town, twenty minutes away.”

“Steak sounds good. Anything for our kitten there?”

“They have salmon, shrimp risotto, oh! Lobster ravioli! You love lobster ravioli.” You do love lobster ravioli but your brother is about to see that his two best friends obviously fucked his little sister and you were all about to be on his shit list.

How can they be so calm about this?

There’s a knock at the door all too soon before you could even start to process a defense for the situation.

Steve gets up to answer the door and you hear the two best friends greet each other. Sam sounds so happy.

Too happy!

You start to panic when Bucky’s hand finds yours.

“Hey, relax. We’ll handle this. That’s what alphas are for.”

“Where my baby sister?” You hear Sam call and you pull away from Bucky and stumble from the bedroom. Steve brushes your lower back as you step up to Sam. You look up into his brown eyes and he instantly knows something is off.

He inhales your scent and sets a glare on Steve. “You fucked my little sister.” It wasn’t a question.

“Can you blame us, Sam? We’ve wanted her for far too long. We weren’t going to pass this up.”

“We? Both of you?” His gaze falls back on you. “Are you okay?”

You cock your head to the side. Are you okay? You let out a laugh and fall into a fit of giggles. “Surprisingly, I survived,” you breathe out through your laughter.

“Are you okay with this?” Sam asks once you sober.

You glance between the two men on either side of you. “I’m really happy, actually. They’re perfect,” you smile and grip Steve’s hand.

Sam glances between the three of you. “As long as you’re happy.”

“Anyway, we were thinking steak for dinner. You hungry?” Bucky asks and grabs Sam’s bag off of his shoulder.

“Starving,” Sam sighs. “Traffic was horrible.”

“Right? Poor kitten’s switch died and she was stuck just listening to us. She’s a fucking saint for that.” You giggle falling into Bucky’s chest.

“I think I fell asleep at some point,” you smile.

“And the room situation has been a nightmare. You don’t mind sleeping on the pull out?” Steve asks leading your brother into the room.

“Let me guess, they were out of three bedrooms and it was the one bed situation and now I have to watch my sister and my two best friends act like mates?”

“Yeah! That’s exactly it, actually,” Steve laughs.

“And we did mate her. You’re pretty good at this, Samuel,” Bucky smirks.

Sam looks between the three of you absolutely dumbfounded. “Alright,” he lets out a shaky exhale. “Give me a few days to adjust to this. Please.”

Bucky grins cheekily. “Should we start calling you brother, yet?”

“What about ‘a few of days’ aren’t you getting, Buck?”

“Your sister’s anything but quiet so you’re gonna hear about it all night,” Steve smirks.

“You know what, I’m just going to get my own room. I don’t wanna hear it.” You giggle softly at your brother’s comment. “Just don’t hurt my sister and you three can do whatever you want.”

“You know we could never, Sammy,” Steve grins.

“At least not in a way she wouldn’t beg for,” Bucky smirks.

“Stop! I told you I don’t wanna hear it. I’m not listening,” Sam calls before grabbing his bag and heading back downstairs.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if the only room left was the one next door?” Steve hums, pulling you closer and resting his chin on your head.

“Or the one we just left,” Bucky muses.

“Fine! I’ll get a different hotel!” Sam groans making you laugh again.

“Be nice, boys. We’ll behave.”

“You have to behave first, kitten,” Steve mutters before pressing a kiss to your temple.

“Definitely staying in a different hotel,” Sam sighs.

“Yeah, whatever,” Bucky smirks. “Like you’ll leave her alone with us for another night. Let’s go get some food.”

Master List

[stayinsaxy]

I recently tried my hand at digital painting and oh boy! This is my formal apology to Grendel , you were my first attempt at digital art in a while and I need to practice drawing beards, and rounder/ more cartoony art styles because oh no (´∀｀)

There are a few of my little drawing preferences in there, I know York’s smudged punk eyeliner and Eugene’s roots aren’t cannon but I enjoy drawing those things. So there.

Actually I kind of only glanced at reference so dont come after me about cannon pls.

I am going to rant a bit about motifs as well (you can’t stop me)

-Eugene is very chaotic/ charismatic (hence the look on his face), the group is just so good at completely throwing you off that he ends up kind of gets quiet on cases with the team

-Eugene’s roots are showing because that’s what I enjoy drawing! And it also shows up a bit on Rosé

-Fun Fact: I want Rosé to wink at me like that! I also really enjoyed adding the scars and the character growth story behind that!

- York’s male model/ punk thing he has going on leads me to absolutely refuse to believe he hasn’t tried smudged liner and I’m here for it (also that’s possible a lip stick/tint I just feel wrong not giving characters lips)

-York’s name is like that because he just learned how to read! (I assume writing goes along with that but maybe he doesn’t write) (RIP the jokes where Jacob remembered that York couldn’t read halfway through a sentence, those always had me rolling)

- I love Grandma so much but I really need to spend more time with them, I did add a little bit of makeup to them as well because I felt like it and when you’re drawing a cute lil character with a cute little hair flower sometimes you just gotta

-also my non drawfee pilled friend said Grandma gives cutesy in an “I’m high” kind of way was absolutely right

I am working on Jancy next but good lord do I not do well with wrinkles/ slicked back hairstyles (drawing this cast has made me realize I need to explore drawing a wider range then femm young adults, because honestly that’s the default rn and I didn’t even realize how bad it was) 🥲

Anyways drawfee’s drawclasses on YouTube helped me level up the drawing skills just for me to turn around and do fanart of their characters. It’s a loop. I can’t escape them.

PS: WHEN I TELL YOU THERE IS ALWAYS ONE ACCURSED THING I FORGET TO DRAW/ COLOR, IM NOT KIDING. (RIP Rosé’s eyebrows, I’m sorry but I’m fixing that on my own copy, I simply can not be bothered to go in and fix that and re upload the image to this platform)

[samanddean76]

After almost two years of planning, I finally went to my first Creation Con. And what a joy it was. #ChiCon 2024 was incredible, not only for the onstage twirling of Jared across Jensen's shoulder's, (which I did see and will never forget), but for all of my obsessive planning paying off in the best way possible. Thanks to eBay, Red Bubble, and one dedicated woman at Wayward Plaids, I was prepared to go to the con dressed as Sam. With my jelly bracelets, the purple dog t-shirt, the iconic blue and gray striped shirt, and the brown Puma's (which fit me and I did indeed wear). As I walked up for the first picture, which was J2 with Baby, I went completely non-verbal, which was slightly problematic as I needed to at least be able to say hello to them. But one of the fellow con goers had suggested I take the shoe off and have it in my hand, which I did. And Jared, being the incredible human that he is, gave me the biggest smile, took the shoe from me, and remarked that it was the real one. All I could do was smile and nod as words were completely gone. He then commented on both shirts, and as I had apparently forgotten pictures needed to be taken, he turned me around so that I was facing the camera. It was then that I remembered what I had also forgotten to do, and turned to give a huge smile to Jensen, who smiled back, said hi, and I am quite certain I melted a little. They pulled me in for a double one-sided hug, and Chris took the picture. Which turned out better than I had hoped it might. Standing between J2, wearing one shoe, and having one socked foot on display.

The next day, I had the J2 inside photo op, and as I was a little less terrified, I actually managed a few words, or more specifically, a request. I walked up to Jensen and asked if I could please have a double squish hug. The man smiled at me and said, "Sure thing, darlin'." In his amazing soft Texas drawl, and I ended up getting my second amazing photo of the con. While I never would have known without getting the digital copies of the pictures that feature the uncropped versions, I was ever so glad that I had spent the extra ten bucks. Because I was given this incredible gift...

His foot, up on the toes, just tickles me. Plus, the actual squish hug was amazing! Last but not least, was the photo that I had planned everything around. My version of Sam meeting Jared and getting a hug. It was the third time that he had seen me, and I might have stood out a little. I walked up, grinning like a loon, and asked for a hug, please. He said, "I love your outfit, darlin'", and then pulled me in.

For me, this was an amazing highlight. For Jared to have actually seen me. For him to have noticed all that I had done and all the effort I had put forth, it gave me such joy. And while I may never go to another con, the memories from this one will keep me smiling for years to come.

[evilfrogcereal29]

Mmmm so high, don't smoke kids the bong tells you awful things....

Can't stop tginking about aware!cod character aus. Where cod is just a video game and ur just a super fan, but for some reason in ur copy of the game, all (or only some you can decide) of them are aware, and like, deeply begging for you to pick them. They crave your attention.

Bonus points if it becomes a yandere/obsessed situation (i guess the term yandere has become outdated and offensive but im not sure? Idk i had someone ask me not to use it once cause they said it has bad orgins....but i still see stuff labeled 'yandere![character here]' stories everywhere, so idk if its still appropriate to use but idk any other way to put it except obessed but i think that still doesnt get the point across well... I'm weed rambling, someone lmk if its still ok to use yandere... If not mb, I'll use a different term, back to sin)

They start making their way out of the game into your entire pc/console. Waking up to find your screen turned on, with cod loaded up, despite you definitely being sure that you 1- turned the tv off, and 2- didn't even play cod today.

Oooohhh god the days you don't play cod are HELL for them. Please please please play everyday :( they get so lonely without you. Its so cold and lonely inside here. Please (y/n).

But since cod is kinda... Shit... Nowadays... Just being a bit honest its gotten cash-grabby....you play less and less, and they know its not their fault, but it makes them ache. They need to get out of here. Before you forget about them forever. PLEASE. don't forget about them. If they get into your phone somehow (you had your phone charger plugged into the same outlet your pc/console was plugged into, they just took a short jump and hop across into your device :] no biggie) it makes them so happy when they see you liking posts about them on Tumblr ^\\^!!!! Especially when the posts are... Rather naughty...

Always listening in on your, watching you from your pc webcam or phone camera.

Imagine if they leave the game their model dissapears too... So the dissapointment you might feel if you load uo the game again, and think your game is glitched when, seemingly no matter how many times you relaunch, uninstall and reinstall, and reset the game entirely, the character(s) won't show up :(( what the fuck man?

If you buy another copy there won't be any issues actually :) these ones arent alive!! Although... I can't promise your safety much longer, as doing this is a surefire way to piss the hell out of whatever character is on you, probably spending most of their time at this point in your phone, or if you have an apple or techy watch, that, since its close to your skin and they love that! But playing with an unaware version of them is so... Jealously inducing. You were dumbfounded when your entire screen turned off, and every light around you started flickering wildly... What is going on? Maybe you shouls call an electrician? (He won't be able to remove them, nothing will)

They'll find a way out one day♥️ its just a matter of time sweetheart, or maybe they'll pull you into their world, being digital ain't so bad darling... let them show you... Get closer to the screen.

It does not help my bf got me a bundle with nikto, his normal skin, AND his powercell skin... So im brainrotmaxxing currently.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk☺️ love u guys /p (you may think the /p stands for platonic but NO, its standing for Passing out...goodnite)

[onskepa]

Hey! How about neteyam x human reader? Back on earth, she had been working at a circus and knows lots of tricks. May she show him some?

Ngl it reminded me of the Amazing Digital Circus. BUT! I will stray from that! So I used black butler for reference and other circus stuff to get the idea. So I hope you enjoy this one~!!

-------------

Ko'on

Na’vi are flexible by nature. Running, swinging, swimming, doing so many activities that make their bodies lean and very strong. Broken bones or an injured body part is bound to happen. Neteyam knows this, he has fair share of getting hurt, being scrapped and on close calls breaking bones. 

However, what neteyam can't wrap his mind around is how boneless the humans can be. How flexible they looks, as if their skin is made of rubber or some material that can move freely. 

Best example he can put is his good friend ko’on. She can move in such strange ways that neteyam would believe she has no bones. Bending completely backwards, forwards, or walking around with just her hands. Better yet, do archery with her feet! Ko’on would give brief explanations of how she was able to do such things. But never a full blown explanation or proper reason for how she can be so…movable.

“Hm, this is pretty good actually,” Ko'on comments as she happily eats some dried meat. Neteyam was sitting across from her, staring down in worry and being slightly weirded out. Ko’on notices his stare and looks up at him, “what? Do I have something on my face?” she asks. 

“Does it hurt?” he asks. 

Ko’on looks to her left and right, shrugging, “what hurts?” 

“Ko’on, you have both of your feet beside your head while bending backwards completely. How does that not hurt?” he wonders. 

“Ooohh, well it is the same as you hanging upside down, it's normal. Nothing hurts” ko’on answers simply as she takes another bite of her little snack. “Wow, looks like i'm going to ask your mom to make more of these tasty treats-”

“Forget the meat for one second and tell me how that works. Do you even have bones??” neteyams interrupts ko’on. She rolls her eyes and sits up normally. “I do have bones. I am just flexible from all my years of being a performer back on Earth”. 

“A performer?” he repeats. The girl nods, her mind swinging into nostalgic mode. 

“Yuppers, I used to be in a circus” 

“What is a circus?” Neteyam asks after a couple minutes of silence. He and ko’on were taking their time walking around in the forest, him walking calmly as his friend jumps and makes some neat tricks on the branches and vines.

“A circus is a wonderful and even magical place. With a big massive tent that can hold hundreds of people! There is a ringleader, the host and team player. Then you got the stuntmans, the silly clowns and dare devils! There was a whole team of amazing performers”

Neteyam listens happily as ko’on goes on of her time at the circus. And from how she describes, it seemed to be a fun place where everyone was able to enjoy themselves. Perhaps that would be something his family would enjoyed.

And seeing ko’on go on, smile as she explains what roles and shows they had, neteyam wouldn't mind hearing her all day.

“So, what was your role in the circus?” he asks. Ko’on smiles widely, spreading out her arms almost like in a T-pose. “My role was the acrobatic performer. I could jump, lift, swing in tight ropes, walk in thin ones, and almost fly high! And my flexibility made me light as a feather” ko’on said with such enthusiasm.

Neteyam couldn't help but chuckle a bit, “well, if you are as amazing as you say. Perhaps you can show me a few tricks?”. His friend looks down at him, tilting her head a bit, “you want to learn to be flexible?” she asks. Neteyam nods, “as much as I can be”

 “You make it look so easy…….!!” neteyam stumbles on himself, falling down from trying to copy ko’on. The girl in question giggles as she sits with her legs over her shoulder and walking around with her hands. “I think its your tail, might be in the way of not properly balancing yourself”. 

Both straight up from the failed position practice. Dusting himself off, neteyam wasn't ready to give up. “Is there anything that doesn't have my tail in the way?” he asks, and immediately ko’on nods. “Yuppers! Balancing on a thin rope, or since we are outside, the vines. Your tail might help you alot in this”. 

Ko’on takes the lead in demonstrating him as she easily stands still on one of the nearby vines. “The key is mental control. Try not to think you will fall over cause then you will. Be calm, be in the moment, be in the zen mode and it will be easy”. 

‘Well easy for her to say’ neteyam thought. Seeing ko’on walking around on the vines was amazing truly, but neteyam felt like he might die if he takes one wrong move. 

“Also dont sway-DONT SWAY!!” 

Too late, neteyam swayed too much on the right that he fell. Luckily the fall wasnt that high. He grunted as he landed on the groun, hissing a bit at the pain from landing on his side. Ko’on jumps down with grace and goes over to him. Bending down to examine him, she suggests “how about a break?” 

He nods to that. 

Eclipse was reaching soon so the two take their sweet time making it back home. 

“Hey, maybe with some stretches and other stuff, you might be able to pull it off. I was going a bit hard on you "Ko'on says, breaking their silence. Neteyam nods to that, but remembers something. 

“The circus…is it still a thing on Earth. When you talk about it, you say it with a bit of sadness” he points out. Ko’on nods, a sad smile matching the mood of her eyes. 

“Unfortunately, circuses is not the same. Heck, when I was in it, it was nothing like how it was 100 or 200 hundred years ago. The circus had different kinds of animals. Wild and exotic animals. But as years go by, those animals would stop being shown…and they would be extinct..” 

“So what happened? No more animals..? 

“In a way, yes. But holographic animals. Its not the same, and before I left, they wanted to change the circus forever. More than usually and I hated it” ko’on says with anger growing in her voice. Neteyam blinks a bit, wondering. 

“Changed it? How?” 

“Getting rid of actual performers and stunts, all what makes a circus, gone! And to replace it with the oh so “The amazing digital circus!” ko’on says in a rather mocking tone. Neteyam contained his inner laughter. Not wanting ko’on to see it. 

“And the ring leader isn't even a real ring leader! Just a talking gummy jaw with floating eyes and a weird ass bubble assistant!” 

Im sorry, I had to put it in. But that was a goody! Hope you like it! I might come back to fix it cause im writing it while being half asleep. So, until next time! See ya!

-----------

ko'on = Ring, oval shape, closed ring

[supercorpkid]

Set It Up

Supergirl. Kara Danvers x Reader.

Word Count: 3440.

Notes: Totally inspired by the movie Set it Up. But I changed some stuff to fit better. Part 2 coming soon.

Kara stares out the window as another workday ends for the lucky ones. For her, escaping the office seems more unlikely by the second. She glances at Cat Grant, who is busy typing on her computer, and sighs. She wishes she could be at home watching an old movie with her sister, but she's not one of the lucky ones.

"Kiera, where is my dinner? Are you trying to starve me to death?"

"Oh, I didn't know-–" Kara adjusts her glasses and begins writing down. "What should I order, Ms. Grant?"

"I don't care. Anything. As long as it has a cheeseburger in it."

"So, a cheeseburger?"

"Kiera." Cat shoots her a disapproving look. "Don't make me do your job, that's what I pay you for."

"Of course, Ms. Grant." Kara leaves the office and immediately calls the nearest restaurant to get the food delivered as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, on the lower level of the building, your boss yells at you because he too wants dinner, even though he said half an hour ago that he wouldn't be eating at his desk tonight.

"I'm on it!" You dash downstairs, grateful for an excuse to leave the office for a few minutes. You've been cooped up so long, the office smell is starting to make you sick.

You rush through the lobby and overhear a heated argument between a blonde girl and a food delivery guy. Food! You need food!

"Come on! I order from you guys every day. I just don't have cash this one time, but look, I have three credit cards."

"If you order from us every day, you know we only accept cash."

You step closer. "Whose food is that?"

The delivery guy doesn't miss a beat, "Yours, if you have 40 bucks to pay for it."

"Oh, I have cash! I have so much cash!" You pull your boss's wallet from your pocket and pay for the food with a grin. The delivery guy leaves in a hurry, and you head back to the elevator. This was easy, except…

"No. No, wait." The blonde girl runs after you. "That's my boss's food and if I'm not upstairs with it in two minutes, she'll fire me, right after she kills me!"

"No, she won't. Just look at you. You just have to charm her with a smile and skip around the office and she'll give you a promotion." You say, the blonde girl looks at you in disbelief. "Just do some tricks!"

"Some tricks? What am I, a monkey?"

"I don't know what you are." You stare at her button-up shirt, tight blue cardigan showing off her muscles. Why does Blondie here have so many muscles? "Some kind of superhero?" Her eyes widen at you and she adjusts her glasses. "That is dumb enough to forget you need cash to pay for food."

"Hey!" You turn your back to her, satisfied with the bag of food in your hand. "Okay, look. There are two dinners there. One for me and one for my boss. What if we share?"

You raise your eyebrows. Why share when you just paid for it? Granted, it was her food first, but it's not your fault she didn't have cash. The food would’ve just gone back to the restaurant anyway.

"I'll get the burger and you get the pasta. That way none of us get fired!"

You sigh. The last thing you want is to get fired, and no matter how hungry you are, you also don't want to be responsible for someone else getting fired today.

"Fine, but you owe me money." You get into the elevator, and watch the blonde girl clinging to the meal you handed her. "Hope you don't get fired!"

Your boss doesn't eat. He makes you almost get someone fired and then, out of the blue, he gets up from his chair while you're only halfway through with mouth-watering pasta and says he's going home.

You drag yourself back to your desk, eat the pasta alone, then finally make your way out of the office. One more long day, in a very extensive list of long days.

It's late at night again and everyone from the office has already left. You're making copies for a presentation. Even though everything is digital these days, your boss insists on being in the Stone Age, probably single-handedly killing a hundred trees at a time.

"Here." You hear a voice and almost jump out of your skin. Then, you feel money being shoved into your hand. "I'm paying off my debt."

You check your watch; it's so late, why is Blondie still here? "What are you doing here? Are you like a janitor or something?"

She blinks at you. "I'm not a janitor." Obviously, a janitor wouldn’t have such a big collection of button-ups. "I'm Kara Danvers. I'm Cat Grant's assistant, that's why I'm always the last one here."

"No, you're not. 'Cause I'm always the last one here." You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding and raise your hand to her at the same time, "Y/N."

"So, do you work at a newspaper? Magazine?" You shake your head. "Why are you wasting so much paper?"

"Because my boss is a buffoon who loves to make me copy things and then shred them." You roll your eyes. "I swear he is driving me up the fucking wall!"

Kara winces at your curse word, and you wonder why you're telling her this. Actually, you know why. Goldilocks here is the first human you've interacted with all week who isn't 1) your boss, 2) someone your boss made you yell at over the phone, or 3) coworkers who are smiling through the pain, like you.

"Well," She doesn’t stop following you to your desk, even though the business between you two is resolved. "Why don't you quit?"

"And survive on what? Breaking into little bears' houses and eating their food?" You ask, and Kara looks at you confused. Right, she doesn’t know you’ve been secretly calling her Blondie and Goldilocks. "I mean, I need the money. Besides, the company is huge. If I survive his ire long enough, maybe I can change positions and be something else."

"Yeah." She lets out a breath, like she understands completely, pulls up a chair—without an invitation—and sits in front of you. "I just want to be promoted to a reporter."

"See, you get it. You're still here in the building too!"

She looks at her watch, "Except my boss is taking a nap and I have to wake her up in 30 minutes. You know who doesn’t get to nap? Me!"

You laugh, opening up to someone you barely know it's weird, but it's like she gets you. She understands better than your friends, really. "The only thing I don’t want is to be 24 and still an assistant. That’s just sad."

She pouts. "I'm 24 and I'm an assistant."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." You smirk. "For you. That’s really sad for you."

Kara grins at you. The office falls silent except for the occasional yells through the walls. She looks at his door, puzzled. "Who is he talking to, this late at night?"

"Not his family, no. Because he doesn't have one. Which is not surprising since he never leaves this office." You put your hands on your face, "I'll die here, won’t I?"

"Yeah, Ms. Grant never leaves either. And she has two children. I swear, I have no idea how she does it."

"She doesn’t." You raise your head at Kara. "You do it. You organize her schedule, you wake her up from naps, you order her food, you're basically in charge of her life and oh my God, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She isn't. Blondie is blinking at you cluelessly.

"Let’s lock them in a room together so they can have sex." You say with a maniac smile, and Kara rolls her eyes. "Just think about it. While they're boning, we're free!"

"This is ridiculous." She makes her way out of the office as you yell, "byeeee."

There’s an emergency, and Kara urgently needs to put on her cape and fly out the window, but Cat won’t stop talking. Despite Kara’s repeated assurances of 'yes, Ms. Grant, I understand', Cat keeps repeating herself, leaving no room for error on Kara’s part.

But Kara will mess this up—she has to. There’s a fire in a hospital, and every second spent here increases the casualties, all of which she’ll blame on herself. Kara is in desperate need of flexibility at work. Desperate! 

This is what she tells herself, when after putting out the fire in the hospital, she decides to look for you through your work corridors, instead of going back to CatCo and doing what her boss asked. 

“I’m in,” Kara says, appearing behind you. You jump, but your excitement quickly overrides your surprise. "I'm in on your scheme."

"We need a meet-cute," you start, mind so far off you don't notice if Kara is following you. But she is. "You know, an interesting situation that is kind of humorous but also romantic and then –"

"Yeah, I—" Kara interrupts you, and you look back at Blondie adjusting her glasses. "I've seen enough romantic comedies to know what a meet-cute is."

Goldilocks is well versatile in romantic movies, so it isn't hard for you two to set up a few ideas in motion so that both of your bosses can get stuck somewhere together. Options are: elevator, office, airplane, charity event. The last one sounds unlikely given your boss is an asshole and would be caught dead helping people, but Kara guarantees he would go to a charity event if Supergirl was there, and somehow she can tell you exactly when Supergirl will attend one. Nerd alert!

Kara makes friends with the building administrator, which isn't shocking at all to you. Blondie has that blissful little vibe around her. She's kind, overly excited, and always ready to talk about any subject. So, when she guides you to the lower level of the building, to a moldy, smelly, never-ending room, you can't help but wonder if she isn't part of a cult and you're the sacrifice.

"You're not gonna kill me down here, are you?" Your voice comes out nasally as you cover your nose against the smell.

"Why would I kill you?"

"I don't know. You're blonde, pretty, chatty, kind. No one would suspect you." You look around the empty space. "But it would be such a bummer to die in this building. Please, if you ever think about killing me, just do it anywhere but here."

"I'll keep that in mind next time I need to satisfy my bloodlust."

"See! You are kind, Kara Danvers." You touch her arm for effect and are met with rock-solid biceps. Oh wow, you were not expecting this. "They'll never catch you."

"Okay, time to actually do what we're here for." She points at the screens, and you see both you and her boss waiting for the elevator. You sit on the chair in front of it, glad she made friends with the building manager so there's no one around, and make the elevator stop at CatCo.

"Wait, wait. Where is she going?" you ask Kara when Cat Grant doesn't get inside.

"Oh, I forgot —" You look up with questioning eyes. "She has her own elevator."

You close your eyes to avoid rolling them. "Great," you say, defeated. "Excellent plan."

"Sorry." The apology comes in a whisper from above, so heartbroken you can't be mad anymore.

"It's okay. To be fair, it felt a little dirty doing that. Maybe we should just schedule a meeting or something." You're up and making your way to the flat of stairs in no time, while Kara promptly follows you. You can't wait to get out of this smelly place. 

"What would your boss even have to say to Cat Grant? No offense, but he is a basic finance guy." 

"I'm not offended, I wish I was a basic finance guy. I would be getting paid a lot more money and wouldn't it be easier to just be a guy?" She nods affirmatively. "Alright then, I'm here for whatever crazy ideas you might have."

"Cat is a confident, independent woman. I'm having a time seeing why she would even need a man." 

You raise one eyebrow at her. "What planet are you from?"

"Uh, this—this one." She adjusts the glasses on her face, and you bite back a smile from the answer to your rhetorical question.

"Kara, I know there are many sex toys these days," Her entire face gets bright red in a split second. "but sometimes people want the real thing." You master your most innocent eyes, even though she can't look at your face from embarrassment. "You know, I bet you'd rather do it with your boyfriend."

Her jaw unclenches just enough so she can say, "I don't have a boyfriend or—or anyone."

"Yeah, I get it. Who has time to go out and flirt when your boss wants your head on a stick, right?" When you open the door to the outside world, you smile at the sun and the absence of smell. "Okay, time to get to work. Text me any ideas!"

You spend the day texting. In fact, you spend the week talking to Kara. Between texting each other from the minute you wake up to when you go to sleep; joining coffee runs; and 15-minute lunch breaks taken at the same time, you two come up with a plan. Everyone knows who Cat Grant is. She might as well have a secret admirer. 

You send her flowers imitating your boss's handwriting. Cat smirks to herself when Kara waltzes in her office with a pretty bouquet, "But of course he is impressed with me, Kiera. I'm an impressive woman."

"You are, Ms. Grant! Should I send anything back as a thank you?" Kara tries and receives an eyebrow raise. "Or just an acknowledgment. You know, I read somewhere his company is well known in the finance world. Having someone like him as a source someday…"

"Send him something. Anything." She goes back to her computer and mutters to herself. "I might need him eventually."

"Great idea, Ms. Grant." Kara smiles even though she knows it was all her.

"Of course it's a great idea, I thought of it. Now go Kiera, you've distracted me enough with this nonsense."

Kara almost floats out of her office, and sets the second part of the plan in motion. 

It is definitely not hard to convince your boss that someone like Cat Grant knows him. Men always think the world revolves around them, and this one is particularly full of himself. 

You coordinate your schedules and send them to the same restaurant for different meetings. You and Kara find a place outside of it where you can spy on them with your binoculars. Kara doesn't have any spy attire, but still can do a perfect lip read of their conversation.

"They are trying to set up a date." She informs you, and you move your binoculars to their lips to figure out how she is doing this so perfectly, when you can barely see them right. "Can't agree on a place."

"Maybe we should pick for them."

"Uh," She complains. "Cat is getting angry. He is not letting her choose. Oh, she just called him a caveman."

"He is." You agree, then raise your head up. "That's not good, we have to fix this. Think!"

"They both like Noonan's. We always pick their coffee from that place. Maybe they need to think about coffee instead of dinner."

"Wait," You grab your phone and look at his agenda. Then shoot him a text. "Just canceled one of his meetings for later, and told him he'll have time during his usual coffee run."

You two watch him look at the phone, then raises his head at Cat. Kara repeats his words to you, "How about coffee?"

"I like —"

"Noonan's." They say unison and you look at Kara with a smile. Yep, you two are good!

Later that day, Kara receives a, "Kiera, I'm going out for my own coffee. I want to see if they can't make the coffee the way I like it, or if it's due to your incompetence that it is either impressively cold or burning hot when you give them to me."

At the same time you get a, "Hold everything off for the rest of the day. I'm going for coffee with a woman and it might turn into something else. If you know what I mean."

Gross.

You and Kara follow them to the coffee shop, but keep your distance and a few newspapers up to cover your faces.

The date does not go well. Cat is indeed a strong independent woman, and your boss is indeed a buffoon who doesn't think women should be either strong nor independent. You and Kara leave the place before it all blows up on your faces.

"Ok, it seems that getting them together is not enough. We'll have to actually Cyrano them."

You nod your head the slightest. "Mhm, yeah. Totally."

She quirks an eyebrow at you. "You know what that means right?"

"Yeah. Two assistants getting their bosses together and—"

"What? No. I've texted you so many times by now!" She laughs at you. "We coach them. Like when a nerdy boy in a movie feeds the hot guy the lines, so he can get the nice girl."

"Oh, is that what you think we're doing?" Kara shakes her head in agreement. "Absolutely not. We're Parent Trapping them."

"What? It's not the Parent Trap! We didn't switch places."

"Yeah, cause we're not twins. I think Cat would notice if we switched an almost-superhero with a clown."

Kara looks so offended, "I'm no clown!"

You furrow your eyes at her. Blondie really is a special kind of girl, isn't she?

So back at the board you go. And that does not involve an actual board, Goldilocks! It's just an expression.

"I read in a book that there are two types of compliments to give to a woman," Kara starts, and you nod, writing it down. "The things she already knows about herself that she needs confirmed, and the things she doesn't think anybody else notices about her." You raise your eyes at her. 

"I see. So the first would be like," She turns to you focusing her attention. "How you have expressive baby blue eyes and I can tell what you're thinking even before you say it." She opens her mouth a few times, but no words come out. "And the second would be like, how sometimes you're so hyperfocus that only one of your eyes blink."

"That's —" Kara gets so flushed that even the points of her ears turn a shade of red. "I -– Yeah — Sure -– I guess."

"Oh, or how you turn into a stumbling mess when you get complimented?" You raise your eyes at her as her cheeks get even a darker shade of red, blush crippling down her neck. She smooths her hand over her cardigan. "Yeah, that one too!" You point at her hand. "You fix your glasses and then smooth your hand over your clothes when you're nervous. Or sometimes you turn your hands into fists and –" 

"Ok, yeah!" Kara stops you, face so red you wonder where else her blush has reached. "You — You got it!" She whispers to herself. "You definitely got it."

You smile to yourself knowing that what you really accomplished was getting under her skin. And you think you love that even more than you love the fact that getting your bosses together is giving you more free time.

"Alright then, how about this as a card, 'I like how independent you are, and I love how effortless you make it seem." You start writing down trying to nail his handwriting. 

"I think you did that better with me."

"Yeah well, I haven't been spending all my time with Cat Grant. Thank God." You show her the card. "Look, this will be fine. He also hasn't spent a lot of time with her, it would be weird if he had noticed the different ways she blinks her eyes and what they all mean."

Kara first raises her eyebrows in shock, but then she agrees to your prerogative with a nod, unable to form a sentence. 

And just like that, they have another date.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Worth the Risk

Switch AU

A JSE Fanfic

As I write this description, I am EXTREMELY tired. So forgive me if I skip the usual chat about the chapter writing process and go straight to the summary fhsdjakl After sneaking into the IRIS facility last chapter, the guys wait to see if the proof they found is able to drive IRIS out of Mirygale so they can return. Meanwhile, Distorter appears again with a vague statement: Return to Mirygale now, or else. The group debates what to do. Enjoy! :D

More of This AU | | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Read on AO3 under CrystalNinjaPhoenix

———————

“I didn’t even know Internet cafes still existed,” Jackie said, leaning close to the computer monitor. “In the year 2019? Who even uses these places?”

“You’d be surprised,” Anti said, calmly scanning the website he’d pulled up. “Not everyone has reliable Internet or access to a computer or smartphone. Even in this day and age. Case in point: we’re here.”

“Well... we kinda have... special circumstances.” Jackie glanced around as he said that. The cafe was pretty empty around them, except for a couple teenagers gathered around one monitor and a couple scattered adults each with their own computer. The monitors are lined up on long tables, and the air is hot from all of the running CPUs, the scent of coffee at war with the smell of electronics. A cloudy afternoon sky lets in little light through the wide windows.

“Fair enough,” Anti muttered. He frowned, not satisfied with what he was seeing, and opened up another webpage in another tab.

“Whoa, how’d you just do that?!” Jackie gasped.

Anti couldn’t help but laugh a little. “If you click a link with the middle mouse button, it opens it in another tab in most computers.”

“Middle mouse button?”

“The scroll wheel. I’m surprised you don’t know any of this.” Anti grinned. “If you click the scroll wheel on a blank page, you can also get this smooth scrolling thing. Watch.” He did just that, moving the mouse up and down. The webpage scrolled in accordance with the movement.

“God, you’re a wizard,” Jackie mumbled.

Anti laughed louder. “I’m not. I just picked up a lot of stuff from experience.” The smile faded from his face as he actually read the webpage now. “Hm... no news about IRIS here, either.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jackie said. “It’s only been a day since we sent the footage.”

Yesterday, Anti and Jack had gone to the library to use their computers, spending the whole afternoon uploading the footage from the camera to a hard drive that the group had bought during the tech-buying spree a few days ago. From there, they sent the raw footage to various news sources. Just about as many as they could find before the library closed. They also printed out screenshots, copied photos, did just about everything they could to get backups, and this morning Jack and Stacy had gone to send packets of the physical copies to other news sources. They also sent both digital and physical copies to the Mirygale police, since Detective Kikelomo had said she’d start an investigation into IRIS.

This all might’ve been a bit overkill, but none of them wanted to take chances. They knew that some news places might think the whole thing was a big prank. But they needed someone to take them seriously. Otherwise, IRIS would still be a threat.

“Y’know... have you thought that... maybe this plan won’t work?” Jackie whispered, not wanting to say it out loud. “I mean, just because IRIS’s experiments might be exposed, it doesn’t guarantee they’ll forget about us.”

“...Yeah, I know,” Anti agreed, his voice just as quiet. “But the plan’s not to take them down forever. We just need to get them to leave us alone long enough for us to deal with Distorter. And like... these guys seem like the type to avoid taking risks. That detective lady is probably our best bet. If IRIS knows that a city is onto them, they’ll pull out, at least for a little bit.”

Jackie nodded. “I guess that’s all true.” He laughed a little. “Good thing Schneep ran into her, right?”

“Hrm.” Anti grumbled wordlessly.

“What?” Jackie looked at him, rolling his desk chair a bit closer to Anti’s. “What is it? You don’t like her?”

“No, it’s not just that.” Anti shook his head. “It’s just that... She happened to be in town? The town that’s at least an hour’s drive from where she lives? In the exact same shop that Volt and Jackson went to? At the exact moment the two of them went out? It’s a bit suspicious, isn’t it?”

Jackie blinked. “Well, look at it this way. Why would she plan to be there? What sort of nefarious scheme required her to run into Schneep and promise to investigate IRIS for him?”

“I dunno. Maybe IRIS hired her.”

“Well if they did, it’s a good thing we sent the recordings and photos to people besides Rachel,” Jackie pointed out. “Besides. I don’t think that’s IRIS’s style, anyway. They’re a lot more... direct.”

“...true,” Anti admitted. He opened another tab on the browser and typed in another address. “So... what if it was Distorter? We know he doesn’t have to be nearby to...” He trailed off. “Y-you know. To... do his thing.”

Jackie shuddered. “That’s true. But Schneep and JJ are very experienced in spotting the signs of Distorter’s control. It’s not exactly subtle. They would’ve realized she was different.”

“...yeah.” Anti nodded slowly. He was quiet for a minute, searching through the site he’d pulled up. Then he whispered, “Thanks.”

“Thanks?” Jackie repeated, confused.

“For, uh... keeping me grounded, I guess,” Anti mumbled. “I have... problems with that.”

Jackie was silent. Then he nodded. “No problem.”

They continued to read and search for a while, but after about an hour, they had to give up. It seemed like one day wasn’t enough time for news to arrive. It also didn’t help that they were being charged every thirty minutes for using the computer. The two of them paid for their time in cash, then headed out onto the street.

“The library didn’t charge me and Jack for using their stuff,” Anti muttered. “And we had to use their special computers with editing software and shit.”

“Well the whole point of the library is to offer things for no cost,” Jackie pointed out. “An Internet cafe is not the same. We could’ve just gone to the library again, you know.”

“No. They might’ve realized I was there two days in a row,” Anti said stubbornly. 

“I don’t think the library cares about how often people visit,” Jackie laughed. “In fact, I think they’d be delighted to see you there so often. That’s probably good for, uh... numbers, or whatever.”

Anti grumbled some more. “I just don’t want to stand out. I already look pretty distinct. Even though the streaks in my hair are really fading.”

“You’ll be fine,” Jackie said, nudging him. “But if you’re really so concerned, that cafe didn’t cost that much, really.”

Anti grunted noncommittally. 

They walked down the street until they reached the bus stop. It was a nice bus stop, actually. There was a little metal structure with a bench inside and plants on the roof—a good way to bring some green to the otherwise dull gray urban landscape. Jackie checked the schedule hanging on the inside of the stop. “Alright, if all goes well, the bus will be here in five minutes,” Jackie said. “Probably closer to six.”

“Cool.” Anti folded his arms and leaned against one of the metal support poles. He idly watched the few cars going down the street, eyes flicking back and forth.

Jackie sat down on the bench. “So... uh, how have things been?”

“I dunno.” Anti shrugged. “Same as you, really. How have things been with you?”

“Well... I’ve been worried about Marvin,” Jackie said. “The whole, you know... ‘time freeze having an effect on him’ thing...” He sighed. “He’s been acting weird since then, have you seen it?”

“Not really...” Anti started to say, then trailed off. “I mean... I guess a little. He’s been kinda quiet, maybe?”

Jackie nodded. “Yeah, that! He’s not really talking to anyone that much. Even JJ. I wonder what’s going on.”

“He’s probably having some existential shit,” Anti said. “That’s what always happens in time travel stories. Or to people with time manipulation powers. You start to wonder about the nature of stuff. And in Marvin’s case, do you think that if Volt and Jackson hadn’t been with him, he’d have just disappeared?”

Jackie shuddered. “I don’t want to think about that!”

Anti grinned. “When I was younger, I wasn’t much for reading, but there was this one series I remember very distinctly about time travel. One character could pause time, though as the story went on she began to lose control of the ability and could only stay in the normal flow of time by holding onto another character. She ended up defeating the villain by letting go of the second character, grabbing onto the bad guy, and disappearing into a void together. Then her molecules pulled apart and she disappeared from the timeline.”

“Jesus fucking hell!” Jackie blinked. “How old were you when you read that? Cause if you were a kid, that’s pretty dark and intense!”

“I thought it was cool.” Anti chuckled. “Besides, kids love that dark shit. But yeah... I wouldn’t let Will read that series until he was at least thirteen. Wish I could remember the name of the books, though.”

“I-I-I really hope that sort of thing wouldn’t happen to Marvin...” Jackie muttered.

Anti blinked. “Well, I’m sure... I’m sure it wasn’t like that. From what he told us when you all got back, I bet... I-I bet he would’ve just snapped out of the spell.” He hunched his shoulders. “...sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“No, it’s fine, really!” Jackie said hurriedly. “I just... it’s not what you said, it’s just me being all anxious and stuff.” He smiled at him hesitantly. “I’m sure Marvin would’ve been fine too. JJ seemed to think he would be... eventually.”

“Yeah. Jackson’s the magic expert, listen to him.” Anti nodded. He continued to watch the cars, his vision blurring a little as his eyes lost focus. “I don’t think we should use that spell again, though. Unless we really have to.”

“Oh yeah, no, definitely,” Jackie agreed. “I think Marvin’s been a bit scared off from experimenting with his cards for a while... which is actually... kind of sad, I think. I mean, he seems to really like those cards. I guess cause they’re a connection to his life before Distorter got involved. Though that’s just me guessing, of course. I-I mean, aren’t they also the reason he got transported to this time in the first place?”

Anti didn’t answer. Something was... off. He’d seen something on the other side of the road. But when he tried to focus on it, he couldn’t quite make it out. In fact... he couldn’t quite make anything out. It all felt so... distant all of a sudden.

This immediately put him on alert—but even that alert felt distant. “Jackie,” he said quietly. “Something’s wrong.”

“Huh?” Jackie looked over at Anti. His eyes widened and he gasped. “Anti! Your eyes are bleeding!”

Anti inhaled sharply, wanting to feel more distressed from that news than he actually was. He reached up and touched his face. A single drop of blood had fallen from one eye, tracing down his cheek. “He’s here.”

Jackie shot to his feet. “W-we have to get out of here!”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys, I had a dream about him,” Anti said idly.

“What?! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“It, uh... felt private,” Anti said slowly.

Jackie threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “I’d be more mad if I didn’t know you and your habits. Come on!” He grabbed Anti by the arm and pulled him out of the bus stop. Anti stumbled, trying to run but having difficulty, his body feeling disconnected from his mind.

The thing on the other side of the street laughed. “Don’t worry... I’m not really here,” said a voice.

Jackie froze for a moment. Then stiffened and started to run down the street, pulling Anti behind him.

“Not even going to listen to me, are you?” Distorter made a tut-tut sound. It wasn’t clear where his voice was coming from. It was just... there. “That’s not fair, Jackie.”

“H-hey! Leave him fucking alone!” Anti shook his head, trying to push past the fog. He focused on the grip Jackie had on his arms, on the way the air passed through his nose and mouth. Things started to come a bit more into view. Focus! He wouldn’t let this bitch control him! “What are you even doing here?! Just fucking with us?!”

“I wanted to tell you something,” Distorter said.

“Don’t listen!” Jackie continued to pull Anti down the street, but Distorter’s voice remained around them.

“Maybe it’s better to say, I want to warn you,” Distorter continued. “I’m starting to miss you guys, you know? I think you should hurry back. Or else... something might happen.”

Anti stopped. Jackie tried to keep running, and yanked Anti’s arm painfully in the process. “Ow! Fuck!”

“Sorry!” Jackie stopped as well, glancing back at Anti apologetically. “But—what are you doing?! He can’t actually do anything, you know!”

Distorter laughed. “I can do a whole lot. Just because you guys are far away doesn’t mean I’m powerless. For every day you don’t come back, something will happen. I’ll be generous. You’ll get to have the rest of this day. Then, tomorrow morning, something will happen... and it will be all your fault.”

And then, abruptly, everything shifted. Anti blinked, finding himself once again aware and present in the world. He shook his head, then looked at Jackie. Jackie stared back with wide eyes. “He can’t... mean that, right?” Jackie whispered. “It has to be a bluff.”

Anti just stared back, a grim expression on his face. “We have to tell the others.”

———————

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell us about that dream?!” Jack, usually pretty calm, seemed kind of pissed by this news. Anti and Jackie had gathered everyone up in the apartment’s living room, telling them about Distorter’s sudden appearance—and Anti told them all about the dream he had with him. “I was literally right there! I checked on you! Opportune moment to say something!”

It does seem like something we should’ve known, JJ added tentatively.

“Look, we had more stuff to think about after that,” Anti said. “We had the whole IRIS time freeze shit to deal with. It kinda just slipped my mind. Besides,” He looked at Jack. “I wasn’t going to say anything in front of Will. I know he’s a strong kid, but he’s still a kid. It would freak him out to hear I had a dream where Distorter tried to claw my throat out.”

Jameson shuddered, his hand going up towards his own throat. Marvin, sitting on the sofa next to him, patted his shoulder comfortingly. 

“Well... yeah, that makes sense,” Jack mumbled. “Sorry. I just... that seems really important.”

“I can’t believe him hearing about me upset him so much,” Stacy said, looking off to the side thoughtfully. “Well... actually, I can believe it, since it sounded like you just kept pushing him. That wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I wasn’t exactly thinking rationally,” Anti said. “Maybe some part of me wanted to get under his fucking nerves, even.”

“...probably not the best idea,” Jackie said, agreeing with Stacy.

“Look, can we focus on the most recent problem?” Anti asked. “The guy tried to threaten us. He basically said ‘come back to Mirygale or else.’”

“Or else what?” Rama asked. “Is he going to attack us?”

“If he is, it will not be physically,” Schneep muttered. “Even though he cannot be hurt by most things, we still outnumber him by a great deal. As long as we are all together, he cannot hurt our bodies. Our minds, however...”

“Do you think he’ll go for the kids again?” Jackie asked quietly, glancing down the hall towards the bedroom where Will and Michelle were. The adults had asked them to stay out of this conversation, saying it was ‘grown-up stuff.’ Will hadn’t really been happy about not being included, but he went with it. Michelle was just happy she could make him play with her while the adults talked.

“I... don’t know,” Anti admitted in the same quiet tone. “There’s always a chance. Or there’s a chance he’ll use his powers on us. Like... what happened with you, Jackie, that day at the park.”

Jackie shivered, and Rama walked over to his chair, putting their hands on his shoulders. “We won’t let that happen again,” they said.

What he’s planning to do doesn’t really matter, I think, JJ said. What matters is if we’ll cave to this demand to return back to Mirygale. We still don’t know if it’s safe there. IRIS might swoop in and grab us. In fact, for all we know, Distorter might WANT them to do that!

“That’s crazy,” Jackie said. “IRIS is very interested in Distorter, I don’t think he’d want to risk a run-in with a potential enemy.”

“Well... he definitely took advantage of me being locked in there,” Anti muttered.

“That is different, though,” Schneep said. “That is merely making the best of a bad situation... er, the best for him I mean. I agree with Jackie, I do not think Distorter would go out of his way to get IRIS involved.”

“Yeah!” Jackie nodded. “I don’t know what IRIS’s plans are for Distorter and the house on Aspen Street, but knowing what we know now, it can’t be good. At very best, they’ll hurt a lot of people by throwing them into the house’s weird pocket dimension. Distorter knows that and wouldn’t risk it.”

Do you think IRIS is powerful enough to contain him? Jameson asked.

“Yeah, what do you think, Jackie?” Stacy asked. “You, uh... have the biggest history with them.”

Jackie bit his lip, looking momentarily ashamed of his past decision. “...maybe. They’d struggle with it, and I can definitely see him escaping a few times and causing damage along the way, but he’s still just one guy, you know? IRIS has him beat on numbers alone. And... I think they’re trying to prepare for anomalies like him.” He glanced at Schneep.

Schneep folded his arms and glanced to the side. “That is true...”

“Maybe we could pit them against each other somehow.” Anti grinned.

JJ tilted his head. If IRIS caught Distorter, maybe they would leave the rest of us alone...

“I... don’t think they would,” Stacy said slowly. “I mean... you guys have magic and stuff. I don’t think they’d forget about that so easily.”

Jameson’s shoulders slumped. I know... I suppose it’s just wishful thinking. Again, Marvin patted his shoulder. He hadn’t said a word this whole time, but he’d always be there for his friend.

“We will keep that idea in mind if we need it, though,” Schneep said. “For now... what could Distorter possibly do to us if we do not return to Mirygale? Should we risk him finding some new way to hurt us?”

“Why does he even want you guys to go back there?” Jack asked. “He’s not... stuck there, is he?”

“Nah.” Anti shook his head. “He was able to go all the way to that IRIS place to break me out. I know he was physically there, I saw the weird claw marks he left behind. If he could go that far, he could reach here. It’s almost the same distance, just in the opposite direction.”

“Hm.” Jack frowned. Something moved in his hoodie pocket, and he looked down. “Sam?” Sam squirmed out, flying into the air nearby. “They say that they feel like if we don’t go back soon, something bad will happen. But also that something bad will happen when we do go back.”

“Wow, that’s very helpful,” Anti drawled.

Sam flew over to him, a streak of green light through the air, and smacked hard against his shoulder.

“Ow!” Anti rubbed the spot they hit. “God, it’s like being hit with a bigger-than-usual paintball. I get it, though. Sorry, Sam, I know you’re just trying to help.”

Sam bobbed up and down, and Jack laughed. “They said, damn right!”

Anti burst into laughter as well. “Who knew something so cute could swear?”

“They’re also flattered that you think they’re cute,” Jack reported as Sam flew back over to him, settling on his shoulder this time.

“Well, as unspecific as that is, it is good to know that both our options are bad,” Schneep muttered. “So now we must simply decide which is worse.”

Rama pursed their lips. “In my opinion, the worst thing we can do is bring the kids closer to danger. And I don’t think taking them back to the city where this thing lives is the best idea. A-at the same time, though... I know Michelle’s been missing her friends from school.”

“She wanted to start playing football this fall...” Jackie said quietly. “Hard to do that when we’re hiding from IRIS.”

But that brings up the point of IRIS again, Jameson said. Even if we return to Mirygale, we probably can’t go back to things as normal until we’re really sure that they’re gone. So... we’d still be in hiding for a while regardless. It’s just more risky to be hiding in Mirygale, closer to all their centers of operation.

Rama nodded slowly.

“Perhaps this is an empty threat?” Schneep wondered. “What can Distorter really do to us when we stick together? Historically, that has been the best way to defeat him. He cannot affect all of us at once—and he cannot affect me at all anymore.”

“I really doubt that it’s empty,” Anti said. “But... we agreed to take care of IRIS before we did anything with Distorter. Cause we’re not gonna be able to do fuck all if we’re hiding from them. We should stick to that idea.”

“Yeah... the last thing we want is to get caught again,” Jackie said slowly.

Stacy shrugged. “I’m good with whatever you guys want to do. Though I’m not really in any hurry to get close to him again, so... there’s that.”

So we’re all in agreement, then? JJ asked.

“U-uh...” Marvin coughed, clearing his throat a little. Everyone started in surprise and glanced at him. “M-maybe... I coul’... use my cards?” He offered hesitantly. “See... into the possible futures?”

Jackie blinked. “Do you... really want to do that?”

“If... it’s easiest,” Marvin said quietly. “We coul’... know what’s comin’.”

“Marvin, please do not force yourself to do something you are uncomfortable with,” Schneep said softly.

“I-I’m not—!” Marvin started to protest.

“It, uh, definitely seems like you are, sometimes,” Anti said. “You’ve been real fucking quiet lately. Something’s bothering you. Probably what happened at the IRIS place. Like, obviously we don’t know what’s going on in your head, but you’ve been acting different ever since then.”

Jack nodded. “This has all been a lot of pressure, you know? And what happened with your cards was... really scary. I-it’s okay if you’re feeling off. You don’t have to feel obligated to help.”

Marvin glanced back and forth between the two of them, then slumped back against the sofa. “Fuck you, McLoughlins,” he muttered.

Jameson grinned slightly. They’re right, though. We’ve all been worried about you.

Marvin sighed. “I’m... I’m jus’ t’inkin’ about a lot.” He twisted his hands in his lap. “T’is... is a lot of... power. I-I want to help. To... use it to help.”

“Thank you for that, Marvin,” Schneep said. “Truly. But you do not have to.”

“You can do whatever you want,” Jackie added. “But just... we want you to be comfortable. With yourself. And your cards. And just in general.”

“Mm-hm.” Marvin looked at his hands. “I... jus’ want to help.”

Jameson nudged him. Don’t force yourself to, though. That’ll just hurt you in the long run. Remember what you’ve told me about spreading myself too thin? Same idea here.

“I guess you’re right.” Marvin smiled hesitantly. “I... I-I guess I won’ use my cards. But... I wonder if we shoul’... go back to Mirygale. Jus’ in case.”

“...we’ll give it a couple days,” Anti said slowly. “See if something happens.”

The others all nodded. It might be a bit risky, but going back to the city felt even riskier. They would wait, and hope nothing bad happened in the meantime.

———————

Over the next three days, Anti kept returning to the library and the Internet cafe to repeatedly check for any news on IRIS, each time accompanied by one of the others. Jack again, then Jameson, then on the third day, Schneep. It was a bright, sunny morning when the two of them took the bus to the library together. “Hm... this place does not look much like a library on the outside,” Schneep said as they walked in.

“It’s the architecture, right?” Anti said. “You usually think of libraries as... classical, for some reason. Not modern and urban like this. It’s like someone attached metal pillars to a metal box and plopped it in a concrete square surrounded by artsy shit.”

Schneep chuckled. “That is exactly what it looks like. And I think people think of libraries as classical for two reasons. One, that sort of classic architecture is considered intellectual, probably because of the association of it with the Renaissance and the rise of ‘modern science’. Two, we are old, and that is what libraries looked like when we were little. Perhaps as more modern libraries are built, younger kids’ views of libraries will broaden.”

“Hm.” Anti shrugged. “I guess. I never really explored a lot of libraries growing up. The only one I really knew was the one attached to my secondary school. And then, when I was, like, a young adult, I had other shit going on.”

“Really?” Schneep tilted his head. “This... is probably the most I’ve ever heard you talk about yourself.”

“Hah... I’m trying to make an effort with you guys,” Anti said. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Of course not.” Schneep chuckled.

As the two of them talked, they walked into the library and took the elevator up to the second floor. There were computers on all stories of the library, but Anti had noted that the ones on this floor seemed a bit newer than the others. They walked past the round help desk (where Anti grabbed a temporary library card) and the shelves of books, reaching the three rows of computers on tables. Looked like no one else was here today, except for one woman going back and forth between a computer on the end of a row and the nearby printer, fussing over them both.

Anti sat at the far end of the bottom row, powering up the computer there. It asked for his library card number, and he entered in the one from the temporary card. “Hm... do they just hand out cards these days?” Schneep asked. “It has been so long since I went to the library.”

“No, these are just for internet access,” Anti said. “See how this is flimsy?” He waved the temporary card back and forth, showing how it flapped. “They mass-print them out, and each one only works for a day. Maybe a couple days. I don’t remember.” He quickly opened up the browser and went to the same websites he’d been checking recently.

“Fascinating,” Schneep said. “It is very handy that they just hand those out. I saw a sign for free chargers on the way in as well. Fascinating. Fascinating. Fascinating. Fascinating.”

“You good, Volt?” Anti glanced at him.

“Y-yes.” Schneep shook his head slightly. “I am just... feeling a bit off. I think it has been too long since I took my medicine, you know?”

“Hm... another reason to go home soon, I guess,” Anti muttered.

“I-I will be fine,” Schneep said. “Don’t let me distract you.” He dragged over a chair from another computer so he could sit next to Anti. “Now. Local news sites? I use those quite often myself.”

“Yeah, you were the one who gave me some of these addresses,” Anti said.

“Oh. Right.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Anti looked at him again, concern on his face.

“Yes, I am sure,” Schneep insisted. “Just continue to scroll through the page, please.”

Anti scrolled. “It’s easier to Control F and search for IRIS, you know. But yeah, no harm in being thorough—”

Schneep inhaled sharply. He pointed at a line on the screen. “A-are you seeing this?!”

Anti blinked. He hadn’t really been focusing too much on all the headlines, but now he leaned forward. The headline read: Fire at Local Coffee Shop Almost Burns it Down. It was accompanied by a picture of a building with soot-stained walls. A building that looked familiar. “Isn’t that... the shop you worked at?”

“Latte Lake,” Schneep said idly. “Y-yes. So... it is real. C-can you click on that?”

“Yeah.” Anti did so, and both of them leaned forward to read intently. Apparently a worker said that she might’ve left a stove in the back on when she closed up shop. ‘I was... in a daze [that night],’ the quote read. “That—that is Jennifer,” Schneep muttered. “We often had the same shift. She was always very focused. To the point of being a bit intense about the closing-up procedure. She... she would not... leave a stove on. Even if in a daze.”

Anti stared at the text on the screen, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He returned to the main page of the website, using the Control F command to start searching for specific phrases. Addresses, place names, people names—“Oh my god.” Anti clicked on another headline. “What’s the name of Jameson’s stage manager, again?”

“Darla,” Schneep said. “I think.”

“That’s what I thought. Last name?”

“I-I do not know.”

Anti bit his lip. “Me neither. But look at this.” The headline read, Car Accident Leaves Woman Injured. The article listed the woman’s name as Darla Knight. He used the same command to search the phrase ‘stage manager’—and found it listed as the woman’s occupation. “Oh my god.”

Schneep inhaled sharply, his eyes going wide. “That—there are—look! Th-the statement from her, she mentions she is ‘in a daze.’”

“‘It was like my body stepped into the road on its own’,” Anti read, that feeling of dread growing in his stomach. “Oh my fucking god. Shit. Shit.”

“Th-this could be a coincidence, right?” Schneep asked hesitantly. “A coincidence that... two people we know back home... have been caught in tragedies...”

“Do you know the names of any people Jackie works with?” Anti asked.

“Ah, there is Dr. Green, I think? I cannot remember his first name right now. B-but Jackie’s hospital is Mirygale Saint General, remember?”

Anti was already searching that up. After a bit of scrolling, he found a single article—dated from three days ago. There was a theft of supplies at Mirygale Saint General Hospital. They were looking for suspects, but it was still early. Anti would bet that they’d find the culprit to be someone Jackie worked with frequently, though. “This is what Distorter meant,” Anti whispered. “We thought he’d target us. But... h-he’s making it hard for people back home...”

“A-are we sure?” Schneep asked.

“Look at the dates on these! This hospital thing was the morning after Distorter made that threat. Then the car accident was the day after, and the fire was this morning!” Anti shook his head. “Three times is too much to be a coincidence.”

Schneep sat there, staring quietly. Then he shook his head. “I-is there any news about IRIS?”

“Nothing I can see,” Anti said, quickly scrolling. He searched up IRIS, using both the Control F command and the website’s built-in searchbar. “Nothing at all.”

Schneep stood up. “We have to go home. Not to the flat. To Mirygale.”

“I... I think the others will agree,” Anti said quietly. It was still a risk, but... their friends were caring people. They wouldn’t let others suffer for their choices. He logged out of the computer, then stood up. “We need to tell them right now.”

...

A few hours later, a large group of people—mostly adults, but accompanied by two young kids—boarded the train across the country, the line heading north.

They couldn’t avoid it any longer. They had to take the risk.

[stinkypeanutbutter]

img silly sbg art class headcanons for the folks !!!

Guess who’s first .

Ben , obvi . Who did you think ??? Aiden ?? Loser / j

BENNY BOY :

Actually enjoys art class the most out of his other classes

Usually turns things in on time , but forgets the little things though like those stupid papers that tell you to copy and draw a nose 3 times

likes using charcoal pencils !! It’s his favorite out of everything , but he dislikes how messy it gets because the charcoal always covers his hands and arms .

not the best at painting , but he’s well known of his complimentary colors and what looks good with what .

Usually listens to music while he’s drawing if Taylor is busy or gone from class . He likes taking instrumental recommendations from Ashlyn .

Takes a drawing class , obvi , along with Taylor because he didn’t really want to be alone . Plus , She’s a nice buddy to have !!

TAYLOR !! :

Takes a drawing class with Ben as said before !! Whenever they have to pick partners , they go for each other the most .

she’s not the BEST at drawing honestly , but she takes it so she can study in machinery , like drawing and mapping out designs .

She likes using those kids markers , whatever their called . She prefers using the marker FIRST then going over it with pencil to really pop out the design . Digital art also works out for her , it’s one of her favorites because there’s so many options ( sometimes )

uses google for inspo or to copy certain parts down cause Pinterest is blocked on the computers and drawing gears is hard to do ( real 😿 )

Draws little cats on her work when she’s bored or smiley faces on Bens work just cause she’s silly ( trademarked smiley — Aiden / j )

Doesn’t have photography , but she does join Logan after school to help out with certain camera functions or just take photos of eachother for her memory book ( she has one , cannot tell me otherwise )

Also uses highlighters just cause . I mean they’re fun so why not . Her and Aiden share a bunch of random stickers that he got on like eBay for customization 😼

A ;) DEN !!! :

I swear I won’t repeat the same “ Aiden is totally good at art “ headcanon but …….. 😅😅

Went into painting just so he can have fun with the colors and , sigh … he’s good at mixing them . ( he’s not allowed too , but he makes it work out . Sometimes )

RARELY gets things done in time , like he’ll be doing anything other then drawing in class , yet somehow turn it in . Well , after a few weeks past the due date .

becahse of that , no one really knows what he draws but the teacher is impressed so 🤷

I like to imagine he has one other hidden room in his house , filled with unfinished paintings , sketches , projects , puzzles , yadda . He hasn’t really shown anyone where it is , or let’s anyone inside but has let Ben check it out a few times cause he’s special 🫶

Always does his projects in his room . Why ? Cause it’s bigger , more room to work , duh . Also , so he can BLAST music because music just gives him ideas of what he can work on ( projection go hard 🤟🤟🤟 )

he doesn’t really care what he uses , but he hates charcoal , opposed to Ben . It gets everywhere ( in a bad way ) , it’s dull , he hates having to blend it with those stupid paper things because they sound and feel gross , yadda yadda yadda . Butttt he LOVES markers and crayons . Colored pencils work if he’s feeling slightly unmotivated .

uses giant AF canvas’s cause more room to work plus more detail . He loves detailing the most random stuff because it all had to blend correctly , right ? 😼☝️

likes pottery , but he doesn’t like the feeling of it drying on his hands . It’s gross and crusty . Plus he got in trouble once for throwing some of it around the class lol

Totally draws on his arms with sharpie ( ashlyn tells him no cause poisoning or something but pshhhh what does she know ? He’ll still doodle on his pants ) .

Probably does Rubix cube art when he’s feeling extra silly . Also glues and sticks whatever he can find onto what he’s working on for pizazz . But he doesn’t really like anything he’s made so 😿

also the reason why he has so many unfinished projects is because woopsy doo ADHD . It’s always “ oh I should work on this one “ but then there’s “ but this once looks funner to do “ but oh then there’s a “ which one would take me less time to do ? “ and “ if I do this first will I have time to do the other one ? “ and either ends up doing nothing or multitasking .

ASH TRAY !!! :

Takes painting with Aiden because she really didn’t want to go alone .

thought about pottery once , tried it , hated the feeling of it getting under her nails and it kept drying up and she had to wash her hands constantly and it kept getting in her hair and it was a bad experience . ( more projection )

painting really isn’t her favorite , but she likes the look of the colors mixing and it’s kinda like dancing to her , with the long , sometimes constant movements and new variations . Look it just puts her in a slight trance .

doesn’t do well with creativity coming into play , but she managed to find a way with turning art into dance , like referencing other dancers online and copying their moments onto a canvas to make it dramatic or something .

Prefers prismacolor pencils over most things , sometimes joins Taylor and Logan after school to try out photography .

Sometimes she and Aiden would share headphones and put on a shared playlist or a podcast on spotify . They always bicker about it though because ashlyn skips through songs often and Aiden can’t sit on a podcast unless it’s playing somewhere background ( still working on this one cause would that work ? Sharing headphones and listening to stuff or would that be too loud cause I’m not sure )

for once please can she see what Aiden has done like he’s always on his phone or playing with another puzzle from his backpack how do they fit in there anyway just Plsplslpsopls he has a good grade in this class how he’s so confusing sometimes double U - tea - eph

TIE - LER !! :

Joined because he already does baseball why not choose something to maybe help him relax

Bad choice , does not relax him ( most of the time ) , can’t understand color theory ( same ) , ended up getting put into the same class with Aiden ( remember when Aiden threw pottery ? Yeah . . Also ashlyn is there that’s cool but still )

He still likes hanging with Aiden , he just won’t admit it and it gets harder and harder too when he keeps writing and drawing on his work ( and him too 😡😡 )

Pretty fond of water coloring , it’s one of the few things that he enjoys doing in his pass time . . . But he’s not that good at keeping the water to a minimum so it ends up dripping everywhere .

He’s not that good at art either , but he’s pretty good at poses , specifically ones he can remember like the “ batter up ! “ stance in baseball or his signature “ crosses my arms and stares at you begrudgingly “ . He’s REALLY good at that one .

He teaches Ben Guitar , Ben teaches him easier ways to draw . Not a babyish style , but just a simplified way to do something without putting too much thought into it .

he and Taylor team up in art projects , but not in class , at home . Ash and Aiden usually partner up in class , and since he and Taylor have seperate classes there , who’s to say they can’t help eachother else where ? Twin telepathy ! ( I think , idk )

Just finishes quick and turns it in . He gave effort , and that’s good enough . If he really wants to try and ‘ finish ‘ finish it , he will . Trust .

DIALOG(an)UE !! :

Literally the only one in the group who really takes pottery ( he’s lonely someone help him )

dw Barron isnt there . He got kicked out for throwing clay at people ( mostly Logan )

Actually really likes taking pottery , it’s fun !!

He makes pots for the plants back home 💪😋

pretty good at using the utensils , one of the only people the teacher can trust to use them correctly

the pottery wheel isn’t his favorite favorite because sometimes it spins to fast and clay gets splattered everywhere , but it’s better then starting from scratch , and turns out really nice when he gets into the zone or something

made mugs for his grandparents !! ( and the gang , which they all used theirs for many different things . They love it )

not that good at coming up with particular designs , so he usually asks for help . Doesn’t matter who , he’s open to everyone’s ideas 😋☝️☝️

takes a littttllleee while to turn things in on time but he’s a good student so the teacher doesn’t mind

IM DONE !!! I DID IT !!! Praise me .

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT ?? HIT THAT LIKE AND SURBSCRIBE BUTTON

[dawnsedits]

Hamster Problems

Life isn't exactly normal with the Atlantean royal family, but Orm getting turned into a hamster? Yeah, that's a new one.

Shinorm ~ 2.4k ~ AO3

Stephen had gotten used to a lot of weird things over the last few years. He had a boyfriend who attracted every random cat within range because he always smelled a little fishy, for one thing, and who fell asleep fully clothed in the bathtub sometimes. He had to try a lot of food combinations that only someone with Atlantean taste buds thought went well together, too. Being treated with respect by the scientific community and being positively recognizable to the public at large was its own brand of strange, as was working closely with the Atlantean royal family, let alone befriending them. He didn’t really mind any of that, of course. All of it was fun, or something amazing beyond his wildest dreams. But his boyfriend being turned into a hamster?

Yeah, that was a whole new level of weird, and he very much did mind that.

Sitting at the lighthouse’s dining table, he rested his chin on his crossed arms, watching a round little Orm scamper across a tablet with digital copies of ancient Atlantean texts downloaded onto it, attempting to do his own research. His fur was the same blond as his regular hair, his eyes the same shade of blue, his expressions still recognizable despite having the face of a hamster. It was adorable, honestly, but, well, weird, and he couldn’t forget the way Orm was trembling when he dove into the shelter of Stephen’s hands for the first time since the transformation. He would feel a lot better about the situation if only they knew how to undo it.

He didn’t really know how it had happened. Orm had tagged along with Arthur, Mera, and Atlanna to investigate some sort of disturbance on a remote island that was at risk of destroying a few nearby Atlantean towns, and when they came back… his boyfriend was a hamster. Arthur was the only one who witnessed it, and he had little idea how to explain it outside of saying that Orm touched some sort of glowing stone, there was a flash of light, and in his place stood a hamster. Of all the concerns they’d had about him going, that definitely wasn’t one of them. So, ever since taking his boyfriend from his mom, Stephen had buried himself in research, looking into that area of the kingdom and any local myths and legends that sounded similar, hoping for a clue.

Insistent squeaking and a tiny nose prodding his arm drew him out of his thoughts. “Ok, ok, I’m paying attention,” he said, lifting his head and pushing his glasses up. “What did you find?”

Orm jumped back onto the tablet, hurrying to the middle of the screen and tapping something with his paw. Stephen hopefully pulled it closer, only for his heart to sink as he started to read. “Sorry, wangjanim,” he said heavily. “I already looked into that story. It was proven to be a hoax a long time ago.”

He glanced from the tablet to Stephen, letting out a half-hearted, questioning little squeak. “Yes, I’m sure,” Stephen told him, earning the most dejected look he had ever seen on a hamster in response. It was the first possible answer either of them had found in a while, and it once again meant nothing. He offered his hand, palm up. “Come here.”

Slowly, Orm shuffled his way over, hunkering down in the center of his palm and burying his face in the bump at the base of his thumb. “We’ll figure this out,” he promised, stroking one finger across the thick fur on his back. It was softer than his regular hair, actually. Another thing he could enjoy more if they knew how to fix this. “We’re doing the research here, and your family is out looking for answers in other ways. You won’t be a hamster forever.”

Orm stayed down. If he could still speak, Stephen imagined there would’ve been some sort of pessimistic retort.

“Don’t be like that, Orm. You’re gonna be fine,” he tried to little avail. Ok, if reassurance isn’t working, then it’s time to take a page out of Arthur’s book. “And hey,” he added as lightly as he could, “in the meantime, this is probably the best disguise you could ask for if the Fishermen come knocking.”

It got Orm to look at him, glaring daggers with a fire that almost managed to be intimidating despite the face he was working with. Almost. Genuine mirth bubbled to the surface, and Stephen quickly covered his mouth with his hand, struggling to swallow down laughter – right up until someone else entered the dining room. Their sudden arrival sent Orm scurrying up Stephen’s arm, down his torso, and into the shelter of his black hoodie’s pocket before the newcomer even reached the table.

“I didn’t mean to scare him,” Tom said, placing a bag of Quest chips and a small plate of grapes on the table beside Stephen’s glass and Orm’s saucer of water.

“You didn’t, I think. He just hates being seen like this.” Stephen put a hand in his pocket, finding his boyfriend and resuming stroking him. “This is a better alternative to him biting Arthur’s finger when he got too close earlier, at least.”

“I can’t blame him too much. It’s not exactly his finest moment,” Tom said good-naturedly. “Although it might be his cutest. Atlanna certainly couldn’t stop laughing when she told me about the biting incident.”

Stephen chuckled, feeling Orm huff indignantly against his hand. “I can’t argue with that, but he is.” Deciding to spare Orm any further embarrassment, he nodded at the food. “Is that for us?”

“Chips for you and grapes for the little guy,” he confirmed, which backfired a bit in eliciting another huff. Stephen tried to soothe the sting with a scratch behind his ear. “You two have been at this for hours. I figured you could use some fuel.”

“Thank you.” He pulled open his pocket, exposing Orm’s head. “Do you want to come out? You haven’t eaten in a while, and I’m not letting you do it in there.”

Stubbornly, Orm scooted backwards, retreating to the shadows. Stephen sighed, and Tom patted his shoulder. “Don’t push him. He’ll eat when I’m gone.”

Stephen let the pocket close, leaving his hand inside. After a moment, Orm let himself relax into the steady movements of his continued stroking. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything?”

Tom shook his head. “Not a peep, and they weren’t close to anything the last I heard. Looks like he’ll be dealing with this until at least tomorrow.”

Orm pressed into Stephen’s hand, his tiny body going rigid. Stephen wrapped his hand around him, which he supposed would count as a hug for now. “All right. More researching how to de-hamster my boyfriend it is, then.”

“Ah, the problems you face when you fall in love with a member of this family,” Tom joked, but there was concern in his eyes as he looked at his pocket. “I’ve gotta hit the hay, so I’ll leave you two to it. Good luck and good night, kids.”

Stephen murmured another thanks and an answering good night, waiting until he was well out of the room to say, “He’s gone, Orm.”

A reluctant noise somewhere between a huff and a squeak escaped him. His nose poked into the open, sniffing the air, and his eyes followed, glancing at where Tom had been standing.

“Yes, he’s really gone,” Stephen said. “Come on, I know you’re hungry.”

Warily, he crept out, ears pricked up, still searching for his stepfather. “Ye of little faith,” Stephen muttered, moving his arm aside for a moment so he could see clearly. “No one’s there.”

He lowered his ears with a relieved squeak. Satisfied that he hadn’t lied to lure him out, he turned his attention to the climb back to the table, stretching up and hooking his claws into Stephen’s hoodie. Far more clumsily than he had run down, he made his ascent, with Stephen’s hand hovering beneath him until he clambered onto the horizontal surface of his arm. Reaching the edge of his plate, he pawed at the nearest grape, shooting Stephen a disgruntled look.

“You’re tiny,” Stephen said, opening his chips, “and you have the digestive system of a hamster. No, you don’t get anything better than a few grapes tonight.”

Orm clawed it in frustration and immediately regretted it, based on the way he shook his paw out and frantically licked it, then looked disgusted with himself for doing that. Stephen bit his lip against more laughter and put a napkin beside him before returning to his research, crunching his chips while Orm gingerly worked out how to eat the grapes. A couple more hours passed after he’d eaten his fill and thoroughly wiped the juice off, both of them wading through story after story until he was nodding off on the tablet and the words were blurring too much for Stephen to read them. “Time for bed,” he decided aloud, turning it off.

Shaking himself awake, his boyfriend squeaked a protest.

“We’re both about to fall asleep at the table,” Stephen pointed out. This was perhaps the first time he had considered it unfortunate that sharing a bed together had fixed both of their disastrous sleep schedules. “We need to rest, and then we can look at this with fresh eyes tomorrow.”

Orm squeaked again, but there was no force behind it. He slumped onto his stomach, a tremor shuddering through him, and any humor to be found in the situation vanished again beneath the heartbreak of such visible fear. Stephen scooped him up, cradling him in both hands. “It’s ok,” he murmured, kissing his head. “I’ve got you. No matter what happens, we’ll deal with it together. Ok?”

He nodded wearily. Taking a breath, he found enough resolve to get back onto his paws. Stephen stood still while he crawled up his arm and stumbled across his shoulder to snuggle against the side of his neck. Atlantean or hamster, that was always his favorite spot, and a fond smile cracked through the darkness. “You know, it is kind of nice, being able to carry you for once,” he said, lifting a hand to keep him secure while he headed upstairs, stroking him again. “You have to admit, there are some things you’re gonna miss.”

Orm whacked him with one tiny paw.

Stephen laughed. “You’re really going to tell me that you don’t like hiding in my pocket or hitching a ride everywhere? You love feeling protected and you hate walking. If you look at it that way, this is kind of working out perfectly for you.”

Orm turned his back on him with a grumpy squeak, and Stephen gleefully nudged his shoulder. “I knew it.”

He hesitated upon entering their room, though, the happy bubble threatening to burst all over again when their normally comfortable bed suddenly seemed simultaneously too big and too small. He didn’t want to let go of his boyfriend, didn’t want to steal the comfort of each other’s presence from either one of them, but his Atlantean strength certainly hadn’t translated into this hamster body, and he had even less desire to risk testing his invulnerability by accidentally crushing him in their sleep. Orm shuffled back against his neck with a questioning glance, one paw kneading his hoodie nervously.

My hoodie. Hm.

He was generally the one who stole Orm’s hoodies, since he frequently only brought them anywhere when he knew Stephen would get cold, but maybe tonight… With a quick heads-up, he set Orm down on his pillow, where he was roughly the same size as the whales decorating their blue bedding. Then he took off his hoodie, holding it out to him. He had only bought it a few days ago, so he wanted to be certain that this part of the idea would work. “That smells like me, right?” he checked.

Orm sniffed it and nodded, looking at him curiously.

“It’ll work, then.” He pulled back the covers on Orm’s side of the bed and put the hoodie down, bunching it up into something that vaguely resembled a nest while Orm watched. He then moved Orm to the center of it, bunching it up a little more to make sure he was warm, folding part of it over him to give him somewhere to hide. “There. You can snuggle with me without snuggling with me.”

He tilted his head, considering the situation. He nudged a lump of fabric uncertainly, then flexed his claws and determinedly went to work, digging around and reshaping things to his liking, until he eventually squeaked an approval and settled down. Happy that he appreciated the solution, Stephen went through his bedtime routine, fetching a couple shirts to bulk up the nest, and returned to lay down beside him, placing his hand beside his boyfriend. All but hidden within the clothing, Orm nuzzled his finger in what he guessed was a kiss, and Stephen rubbed beneath his chin in response. “See? It’s not all bad.”

He huffed, but it was more light-hearted than his earlier embarrassed irritation at Tom. Counting that as a win, Stephen squashed down the urge to take a picture of this adorably ridiculous situation. “We’re gonna figure this out,” he promised him again. “Everything’s gonna be ok.”

Orm stuck one paw out, wrapping his leg around Stephen’s finger as much as possible. He squeaked three quiet squeaks that sounded like the hamster version of, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Stephen said. “And I vow to keep loving you, even if I’m wrong and you do stay a hamster forever.”

The barest hint of claws grazed his finger, Orm shooting a withering stare at him over the top of it. Stephen chuckled, patting his paw in a playful apology that he readily accepted. “Get some sleep. I’ll be right here if you need me.” With two more squeaks, one more nuzzle, and a quick squeeze of his finger, Orm disappeared into the nest. Stephen withdrew his hand, curling up as close as he dared. It wasn’t their usual habit of falling asleep in each other’s arms, leaving Stephen missing the nights of quite happily being half crushed beneath Orm’s protective bulk, but for now it was enough. He was safe and relatively content, even if he wasn’t entirely sound, and they were still beside each other. It was reassuring enough for him to easily drift off, mulling over potential next steps to the faint background tune of a snoring hamster until sleep overtook him.

[clar-a-m]

I really like your art and style, especially your anatomy sketches. Do you have any tips for beginner artists?

Hi! I’m so happy to know that you like my art and I’m super happy to know that you’re starting your own journey with art! Drawing is something that brings me so much joy and I hope it can do the same to you!

The biggest advice that I can give to you is: HAVE FUN

Draw for yourself, draw what you love, make things that YOU want to make, be as self indulgent as you can be. Doesn’t matter if it seems weird or cringe, forget what other people might say or think about it, just follow your heart! And draw as often as you can!

Doing that sometimes is easier said than done though, so make it easy for you to just pick up a pen and put it to paper whenever. One thing that helps me with that is to have a separate sketchbook, maybe it’s a smaller and cheaper one, that I have by my desk at all times. That way it’s easy for me to pick it up and doodle whenever I feel like it.

Maybe it’s while I watch a YouTube video, maybe it’s while I’m waiting for something, maybe it’s after I saw some cool art that made me want to sketch something. Doesn’t matter, what matters is that I’m moving my hand and sketching something. And you can do the same digitally, you can sketch and doodle a bunch of things and save it in a folder named “August Water Bill” for all I care, if it makes you feel safe to explore without fearing what other people are gonna think than that’s good!

At the beginning you have no idea what you’re doing, so a good thing to do is to copy things that you like! We learn by doing & we learn by copying! You can even get some art that you really like and trace it to practice (of course don’t post that online, but you can learn from it and you can build some muscle memory).

It’s also great to draw things from life as often as you can! People, places, objects, anything that you find interesting. Photos are great and there’s a huge variety of things that you can find online but there’s a lot of value in interpreting the world around you and putting that to paper, you can learn so much from it.

Getting good at art is something that takes a long time and honestly, being a “good artist” can mean multiple things and is up to interpretation, but the time will pass anyways. It’s worth spending that time creating something and falling in love with the process of making things. It will be hard and it will be frustrating at times, but if you keep at it you will inevitably make something that you’re proud of. You’ll make many things that you’re proud of, and you’ll make things that will touch other people in ways that you won’t ever comprehend, so it’s worth all the trouble.

I’ll end this with listing some useful resources. Feel free to send an Ask or DM me anytime if you have follow up questions or specific things that you want to know! I’ll do my best to help!

Draw a box – Great for beginners, introduces the fundamentals, they have a website and a YouTube channel

Proko has a lot of free videos on YouTube

Morpho anatomy books by Michel Lauricella, you can buy them but if you don’t have the means to do so right now it’s not hard to find places to download it

Line of Action, AdorkaStock, Jookpubstok and the Joshua Jacobo YouTube channel are all great for figure drawing, and honestly? Just searching for images of specific sports and activities is also great, there’s lots of great sports photos out there

Of course Pinterest is always there, just careful with AI generated images

These 3 websites are great for finding references of specific angles of the human body, faces and animal’s heads

This is specifically a Brazilian creator, but if you or anyone else reading this speaks Portuguese SulaMoon is great, she’s always sharing resources and answering questions in live streams. She streams on Twitch and posts vods and highlights on YouTube

Similarly, Aaron Blaise is often live streaming EVERYWHERE and answering art questions, he also has lots of courses that often end up on sale for like $1

[inky-of-the-whales]

Team Player

I want to write fanfiction. It's not my first time having this thought. I'm an artist in more ways than one. I make music, I draw, and I just simply create. I used to be shy of the idea, of not wanting "fanfiction" to be my digital footnote. I think that after a while of maturing and figuring out who I am, I don't actually care what I do as long as it's legal and makes me happy. So, I think starting tomorrow, I'll write my first fanfiction. I use character AI and it's not enough anymore. I need to write it all myself. I've been brainstorming, so tell me what I should add more of or work on. Feedback is appreciated as well as requests. Anyway, here's a sample of my writing style,

Tags and warnings: Trans!FTM!OC x Steve Harrington, hints of misogyny, dysphoria, hints of angst if you squint, Stranger Things, Soccer Player!Steve, College scene. Enemies to Lovers.

Brief Description: Micah is a trans college student who lives in a frat house and plays collegiate soccer. Micah is also an AP honors student.

Don't mess this up.

The thought played in his mind like a broken record, repeating over again and again.

This was his least favorite thing about parties. He always had to learn what to do and say all over again, constantly reading the room.

Currently, Micah was at a loss as he watched himself from the outside. He could see how he was making an ass of himself in front of the guy he was trying to impress, but in his microscopic brain, he believed this was the vibe the room was on. Micah figured if he seemed like the other assholes in the room, he too would be treated like one.

"Yeah, she's such a bitch. Yammering in my ear all the fucking time." He grumbled and laughed with the other guys. One of them spoke up, quirking a brow. "You think that's news? Most women are." The boy said, splashing his beer on the fresh carpet as he tilted his head back to laugh. Micah narrowed his eyes at the guy, growing quiet. He watched in disgusted awe as the guy took the lead on the conversation.

Micah stared, trying to memorize his movements so that he too could copy them the next time he was addressed. It wasn't in Micah's nature to be misogynistic or rude. He respected the female agenda, he wasn't an incel after all. Micah only acted stupid to blend in. To be treated like the other men in the room.

He could hear a can crunch behind him and he didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He knew that voice anywhere it briefly made him forget the whole mission he was on. Micah cleared his throat and stood to his feet, trying to retreat before Steve could catch him. Micah made an ass of himself earlier that week during soccer practice that week.

Micah was lacing his cleats in the boys' locker room, nothing new, as he tied his shoes and fumbled a bit, tying and retying the bunny ears, Steve bumped him. Micah stood abruptly and glared at him. The boy's eyes filled with a fire and he scoffed at Steve. Steve, who was in the middle of an apology, paused and scoffed in return.

"What's up your ass, Williams?" Steve asked and huffed. Micah rolled his eyes, keeping his eyes on Steve's even though a beautiful, slightly tanned, and certainly chiseled by angels, stood before him.

"Apparently you, since you're having a hard time watching where you're going." Micah muttered and huffed. Steve looked at him with shocked eyes and stammered as he quickly denied it.

"No! S-shut the hell up. I wouldn't even bang you if you were a chick-" Steve said and narrowed her eyes at Micah. The irritated boy now looked amused and smug. He raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't last a minute."

Micah left the locker room, leaving an annoyed Steve behind.

Micah hadn't talked to Steve since then and he certainly didn't want to talk to him right now.

Micah sighed and slipped through the hordes of bodies. If being in a frat wasn't cheaper than a regular dorm, Micah would be somewhere in a personal dorm away from everyone here. He normally didn't come downstairs for parties, but he was promised pizza. Gaining social status was simply a bonus of traveling down the steps of the frat house.

Micah slipped into the kitchen, the boy sighing deeply as if he'd escaped Harrington altogether. The boy was still in the house, he couldn't exactly run from him. He scratched his eyebrow, being careful not to snag his piercing. Micah looked nothing like a frat boy. He wore black polos and thick cargo pants, his face adorned with a lip piercing, an eyebrow piercing, and dimple piercings (obviously he took them out for soccer. The boys often called him names for his odd fashion, but he always ignored them. He ignored his parents the same.

Micah carefully poured cranberry juice in a red solo cup, but when someone came into the kitchen he began to pour vodka instead.

"Ahem." Steve cleared his throat. Micah knew it was too good to be true. Micah ran a hand through his hair, a few of his locs getting caught against his metallic rings. He looked at Steve with an annoyed expression. "Yes, Your Highness?" Micah asked. "It's captain, and hopefully one day you'll get it right," Steve said and walked over to Micah. He nudged him out of the way with his hips and Micah scoffed at him. "Don't start. We're not on the field." Micah said and sighed.

In reality, Micah was glad that it was Steve who was the team captain and not Bradly. Stupid Bradly, who got everything he wanted because he had rich parents and a big dick. Micah took a sip of his concoction and grunted at the burn of the drink. He let out a satisfied, "ahh.." as if he hadn't just singed his throat. Steve looked at him, not fully convinced by the act, but he turned back to his own drink. Micah glanced as Steve's hand moved fluidly.

His hands..

Micah watched the way his muscles tensed and untensed. He admired the veins and tendons there and he suddenly felt like the gayest man alive, in both definitions of the word. He cleared his throat, swallowing to stop the drool from dripping into his cup. He took another sip.

"Blackout already? I knew you were a light weight, but not that light." Steve said, his orange juice cocktail complete in his hand. Micah sighed and chuckled softly. He then cleared his throat, realizing he was losing a grip on what he was doing. He was supposed to be blending in not frothing at the mouth for some white boy.

But Steve wasn't just any white boy. He was the pretty and sexy kind. He was the "All American" kind. The kind that played 5 sports and were too athletic for their own good; the kind that looked like models and actors; the kind that looked good in anything and nothing at all.

Micah's freckled cheeks were an unnoticeable red hue. His dark, rich skin looked like actual chocolate under the lights. Steve had been staring at him, waiting for answer for at least 3 seconds now. Micah rolled his eyes finally.

"I'm not drunk, I'm just not used to deciphering paleolthic speech." He grumbled. Steve scoffed and chuckled.

"Come up with that one on your own or did you steal it from My Space?" Steve quipped.

..

Credit to @snailspng for the border! <3

Thanks for reading! Make sure to give me feedback. I'll pick this up again, but for now, that's the end of this draft!

Edit: I didn't realize I put reader and not OC

[imitationgame77]

A silly short fic...

When MB, ART, Ratthi, and Gurathin play a game of Cluedo

When Amena started at PanSystem University of Mihira and New Tideland (PSUMNT) , Dr. Mensah, Farai, and Tano wanted to come and see her settle down. Arada, Overse, and Bharadwaj had a workshop to run so they could not come, but Pin-Lee, Ratthi and Gurathin came. They had been invited to join a project at PSUMNT, and Pin-Lee has been finalising their contract.

There was a two-hour break before the next meeting, and Ratthi suggested we take a look at the library. The PSUMNT library is much larger than the one in the FirstLanding University on Preservation.

ART has a copy of a large portion of it, but mostly what it and its crew consider relevant to their missions. Others expressed desire to visit some shops – things available on New Tideland being very different from those on Preservation – it was just Ratthi, Gurathin and me who went to the library. (Of course, ART came by default.)

There were media booth, periodical collections from multiple systems, archive storage, non-digital materials section, and more, on multiple floors. I downloaded books, music, and some documentary videos that I have not seen before. I have also managed to scan some of the non-digital materials, tagged for later sorting, and stored them. (ART moved some of these in our shared storage space so that I don’t have to delete files in my archive to make more room.)

At one point, Ratthi called me and Gurathin over to a little room off the non-digital game section. He held an old-looking rectangular box with images of humans standing around with what is generally described as mystified expressions.

“Look what I found.”, said Ratthi, excitedly. “It’s a physical boardgame – I have heard about it in historical material, but never seen one like this!”

Gurathin looked at it with his usual sceptical expression. “’Cluedo’? Find clues and solve a case?”

ART said, Cluedo is an old board game of deduction and strategy, originating from the Earth. Players take on the roles of characters investigating a murder mystery in a mansion. Through strategic movement and deduction, players gather clues about the suspect, weapon, and room where the crime occurred. The game involves collecting and eliminating possibilities through questioning other players and exploring various rooms. Ultimately, players make accusations to solve the mystery. Cluedo combines elements of logic, deduction, and suspense, offering a dynamic and engaging experience as players race to uncover the truth behind the murder mystery.

Gurathin looked startled, but said, “Thank you, Perihelion”, politely. He is still not used to ART hanging around our feed. As an augmented human with advanced feed interface like Iris, he has more in-feed awareness, but don’t forget ART is monster. It can hide its presence when it suits it and surprises humans with sudden comments. I know it’s doing that on purpose.

Ratthi said, “I want to play it. For anthropological research, of course.”

Gurathin sighed, but agreed, knowing that Ratthi can be very insistent.

--------------------------------------

(Transcript of the conversation during Cluedo practical assessment)

Ratthi: Alright, let’s get started. SecUnit, you can go first.

Me: Why do I have to be Professor Plum?

Gurathin: Because you’re the one most likely to hack the system and solve the mystery in two turns.

Me: Fine. I’ll move to the library.

ART: Do you suspect anyone yet, SecUnit?

Me: Not really, but let’s say… Professor Plum with the lead pipe in the library.

Gurathin: The rule states that you’re not supposed to suspect yourself.

Me: Rules are stupid. It’s a valid strategy.

ART: I concur

Ratthi: This is going to be a long game.

(after 6.5 minutes)

ART: Based on the current data, the likelihood of Colonel Mustard being the culprit is 75.27%. I suggest moving to the dining room.

Gurathin: Great, now an advanced machine intelligence is predicting our moves. This is supposed to be a game, not a strategic simulation.

Me to Gurathin: Do you think you can stop ART?

ART: That would be tremendously brave - or stupid.

Me: These are synonyms in humans.

Gurathin: *Sighs audibly*

Ratthi: I’ll just stick to my hunches, thank you very much.

(3.6 minutes later)

Gurathin: I suspect Miss Scarlet with the wrench in the conservatory.

Ratthi: Nope, not even close. My turn.

(4.1 minutes later)

Ratthi: I suspect Mrs. Peacock with the candlestick in the ballroom.

Me: ART?

ART: According to my calculations, there’s a 91.45% chance that the candlestick is not the murder weapon.

(8.5 minutes later)

Me: Alright, I think I’ve got it. Colonel Mustard with the rope in the study.

Gurathin: Are you sure about that? That seems unlikely.

Me: ART?

ART: I concur with SecUnit. The data supports this conclusion.

Ratthi: OK, let’s check the envelope.

(after 4 seconds)

Ratthi: Well, looks like SecUnit won.

ART: Of course it did. It has solved real-life cases of dead humans.

Gurathin: Please don’t remind me.

Ratthi: Next time, we’re playing something that doesn’t involve deduction and strategy.

[fnaffancontentbutmostlyglamrocks]

Something that bothers me with ANY Monty and Glamrock Bonnie theory.

In this series, we never have had an answer, to be blunt, before all of the clues related to it were dropped. We were dripped fed who the killer was. It was first a newspaper article, then a purple sprite, then a furry, then a mad scientist. Then something, something digital ghost.

My point is that we had these layered questions. Who was this man? Why did he do it? Was it even a man? Etc.

I think that's why the Phone Guy theory was solid at the time. With the clues we had, it made sense. Then, new clues came about.

How does this relate to Monty?

Well, recently, I've seen so many posts on Twitter that are just like, "How can you be so dense? Look at all the evidence Monty killed Bonnie."

They will bring up the same stuff. The Missing Message, The Understudy Message, The Electric Sign in Ruin, The Gutter Ball in HW2.

Look how evil Monty is.

Then, they conveniently forget about the message that Monty skips shows. You know, the shows he supposedly killed Bonnie to perform in. The other parts of the missing message. How Bonnie was acting very suspicious that night. How he ended up in Bonnie Bowl when the message said he was the last seen in Gator Golf.

The fans who don't think Monty is guilty aren't dense. They just see questions that haven't been answered and think, "There's more to this."

Why was Bonnie going to Monty Golf?

Why did he visit the East Arcade?

Why did it take him hours to get to each place?

Why is Monty visiting the catwalks during shows? Enough times that the staff just knows he'll be there.

Why is Bonnie found in Bonnie Bowl and not Gator Golf?

What's with the rug? (It comes from the East Arcade, BTW)

So now you have another set of questions.

Did Bonnie cut up the carpet and use it? If so, why? What was he planning?

I'm not saying that Monty is 100% innocent. There is logic to think he did something, and it is apparent he does seem to hate Freddy and wants to replace him. Some things indicate he might've defended himself and feels guilt about what happened.

It's like Roxy is a self-entitled diva who reflects her insecurity on others. At the same time, we know she can be caring and protective of those she cares about.

So why can't Monty be a green-eyed monster who wants to replace Freddy? Who has also potentially dealt with trauma and regret? Might, like Roxy, have a redeeming trait we have yet to see.

I will be honest: the thought that Bonnie might've been the aggressor fills me with joy. Not because I want to rub it in if it's revealed to be true. Just because it makes him far more interesting, take the two examples above. If Roxy was just kind, and Monty was fully innocent. Would they be interesting? Not likely. You give them flaws and things they can grow out of. Suddenly, you have potential. That's why I love the idea that Bonnie might've tried something. It turns him from Freddy's lost Lenore to a character.

Bonnie could have tried to do something to Monty and failed. He also does care about Freddy. We don't know why Bonnie would try it, either. He might've been forced, too, or he was worried Monty might attack Freddy. That is far more interesting than "He was a perfect whittle angel Freddy loved."

I'm starting to ramble.

My main point.

Monty isn't "confirmed" Guilty yet. There are still questions that WILL be answered. Until then, you can think either way. Don't be acting like it's a fact.

Bonus: To anyone saying "Monty can't be red herring because it's way to obvious" congratulations. You've just found out what a Red herring is.

Little HW2 Spoiler

I noticed in the cut content, it was only "fixed" Monty who almost made it into the Bowling Game, but there's no files for shattered Monty. Nor any "Abandoned" mode for the Bowling Minigame. Such as Chica and Roxy have. Freddy has a very similar pattern, he just wasn't cut. We have his cake minigame. It doesn't have a shattered version. Also, neither of them can have a "copied" game. Freddy is missing hid head/body and Monty is bisected. I think the two of them will be given a large role in the HW2 DLC.

(Also can we Monty fans have ONE nice thing for Monty in universe. Freddy is obviously set, but Roxy got that that heartwarming scene, You can give Chica her voice-box for no reason but to be kind. Daycare attendant had his closure in Ruin. Everything that fans of these characters can appreciate. You know what us Monty fans got? Monty gets fucking electrocuted. We just want a taste of what everyone else got is all. )

Oh but imagine if this bombshell dropped

M:"Freddy, Bonnie came to me for help"

F:"From what?"

M:"You"

[adultswim2021]

The Venture Bros. #38: “The Lepidopterists” | August 3, 2008 - 11:30PM | S03E10

Well, it only took 8 episodes, but we’ve got our first just good-ass Venture Bros of the season. I forgot about this one being GREAT. There ain’t no hide nor hair of Hank, Dean, or Scooter Venture (is it Scooter? The dad? I forget his name all of the sudden and don’t feel like looking it up. Could it be Peanut?). This one was teased in the “Now Museum, Now You Don’t” episode. Doc Hammer wrote this episode and midway through the writing process Jackson told Doc that Spider-Skull Island was a museum now, in a different episode he was in the middle of writing. Lucky him, he got to write museum gags, like when 21 and 24 blend in at a museum tableau. 

The Monarch becomes Jonas Venture Jr.’s arch after the events of “Tears of a Sea Cow” (actually that one’s good I just decided). Throughout the course of their inaugural scuffle, Monarch uses weaponry, cunning, politics, and movie magic to get towards his ultimate goal of being able to terrorize the real Dr. Scooter Venture again (By Scooter I mean whatever that guy’s name is. I simply can not remember). The Monarch basically gets Jonas Jr. to attack him with enough severity that he would be within guild bylaws to avenge his loss by targeting his immediate family members, such as the hated Scooter Venture. Meanwhile we get Jonas Jr. trying to get the hang of being arched. 

The opening has a very memorable scene that involves the Venture Mech, Ventron, starting this one with a gosh dang bang. Ventron is piloted by Jonas Jr, Sally Impossible, the Sea Captain, and Ned, a parody of The Thing who’s just a childlike retarded man. Jonas Jr. is a very supportive parent to Ned, who nurtures Ned’s independence and choice-making so that he can, to quote Doc Hammer on the commentary, “be the best damn retard he can be”.

Doc uses the r-word cheekily on said commentary after sharing a story about his mother scolding him for using it on the show, spoken by the Monarch. Doc puts a similar exchange between Jonas Jr. and the Monarch, where the Monarch incredulously offers back that he’s a villain and of course he’d use bad words like “retard”. He joked that his mom won't listen to the commentary. I hope she doesn't read this blog.  

The Pirate guy has a side story where he gets addicted to tranquilizer darts. 21 and 24 have to go on some technical mission with a third guy, Henchman 1. 21 and 24 continue their meta thread about how they fancy themselves main characters of their life, and evade death. They mention Tomb Raider in this episode, specifically her dying animation when she drowns. Jackson and Doc initially bonded over Tomb Raider when they first met.

Henchman 1 is a squareheaded and competent, and voiced by Jackson Publick squeezing his throat like David Cross in Mr. Show when he does the black guy voice. You know what I’m talking about? Jackson Publick actually cites this in the Venture Bros art book (which I found a digital copy of; here’s hoping they reissue that thing with updated entries for the finale and final season). Henchman 1 doesn’t survive, as far as we know. 

This one moves so goddamn quick and is actually funny. They even manage to get into guild rigamarole, which I usually find fraught humor-wise, and not only make it interesting but make it an important weapon being wielded by the Monarch. Death to Scooter.

MAIL BAG

This was really a turning point for me with Tim and Eric. While they would still put out three or four fantastic high-concept or style parody episodes, the hitting average on the more standard sketch episode just completely tanks. You can make one or two great episodes out of each season compiling the best gags but the pickings are bone slim. Wish they just got cancelled and did more episodes of Nite Live instead lol.

I might be more charitable than that, but I basically agree. I used to rationalize it in my head that Tim & Eric simply grabbed an opportunity to generate a lot of stuff, and decided not to be precious with it, and just foolhardily started churning out stuff and lost steam. Like a somewhat noble failure?

I now realize that a likelier explanation is that Adult Swim ordered 30 episodes (seasons 2-4) and shortly switched over to HD, and the production budget was locked so Tim & Eric couldn't make the switch and were basically pressured into churning out their 30 as quickly as possible, just to grant it a slightly-longer shelf life before becoming completely obsolete. I guess I'll sort my feelings out when the season is done.

[twst-aceofhearts]

𝙿𝙰𝙻𝟹𝚃𝚃𝙴: 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹𝟷 || 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙱𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨: 667

It was quiet in the server room.

Not the kind of quiet that felt empty—but the kind that felt like the sky right before dawn. Heavy with meaning. Ready for something.

Saffron stood a little apart from the others, watching lines of code scroll across Tyrian’s screen. The glow lit their face in soft, shifting light, and the silence stretched long and thoughtful around them.

Everything they had seen—the files, the manipulation, the suppression embedded in Grayscale Academy’s bones—had landed like stones in his chest. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more: the fact that it was real, or the fact that a part of him had always suspected it.

He had always known there was something wrong with how well he fit here. He had played their game too well.

Until he met them.

Until color walked into his life wearing sarcasm and art smocks and gardening gloves and mismatched socks and sharp, violet eyes that made him forget his lines.

“So... what now?” Clementine broke the quiet. She leaned against the desk, orange curls pulled back in a messy tie, fingers drumming against her leg.

“We don’t rush,” Olive said gently. “We plan. We’re not just fighting the system now—we’re exposing it.”

“And we need to do it smart,” Nyla added. “Not just emotionally. Strategically.”

Tyrian was still working, fingers a blur over the keyboard as they encrypted copies of the files onto a rainbow-coded drive. They were building a digital lifeline for the truth, one that couldn’t be deleted or traced.

Saffron took a slow breath and stepped closer. “We should divide the data. Each of us take a part. If one gets intercepted, the rest still survives.”

“You think someone will come after us?” Alroy asked. There was no sarcasm this time—just a quiet acceptance that the game had changed.

“They’ve erased kids like us before,” Clementine said. “They just made us forget it.”

Tyrian finally leaned back, drive in hand. They turned to Saffron. “Want to do the honors?”

Saffron took the drive, holding it for a second too long as their fingers brushed. Tyrian didn’t pull away. Instead, they gave him a look—steady, open.

“You’ve got that ‘about to make a speech’ look again,” Tyrian said.

Saffron smiled faintly. “Old habits.”

“Let it out,” Clementine teased. “We won’t judge, president golden boy.”

He gave her a playful glare, but turned serious again.

“Grayscale Academy isn’t broken. It’s designed this way,” Saffron said. “It wants to strip us down until we’re shadows of ourselves. Until color is just a memory. But we’ve remembered. We’ve reclaimed it.”

His eyes found Tyrian’s again, and his voice softened.

“We don’t fit in this place because we were never supposed to. We were meant to change it.”

The others nodded. Olive squeezed Nyla’s hand. Alroy bumped shoulders with Clementine. Tyrian tilted their head, eyes dancing.

“Was that the speech?” they asked.

Saffron flushed a little. “Yeah.”

“Then this is the part where I say I like you better like this.”

The words hung there, suspended between the hum of the machines and the flicker of fluorescent light. Saffron’s heart thudded once, hard.

Tyrian smiled. Not smug. Not guarded. Just... honest.

Saffron stepped closer, not thinking too much, and in the next moment—no fanfare, no tension—he kissed them.

Quick. Soft. Real.

Tyrian’s hand curled lightly at his elbow before they both pulled back. No words, just a knowing look shared in the space between.

Clementine let out a quiet, delighted gasp.

“You two are so subtle, I almost missed that,” she said with a smirk.

“Says the girl who thinks a hallway is a romantic getaway,” Tyrian shot back with a grin, jerking their thumb toward Alroy.

Alroy held up both hands. “No comment.”

They all laughed—quietly, warmly. Together.

For the first time in days, Saffron felt light. Not because things were fixed, but because they would be. Because they were going to make it so.

The truth was in their hands now.

And it was shining.

credit to @cafekitsune for divider