#but the idea of everyone wanting the world to be better

[leilanihours]

hiii ! req for paige x teammate gf reader (they're in a secret rs but the teammates know) — when kk and ice went live on insta then while they're interacting with fans, they didn't notice that paige and her gf is shown in the live while they're cuddling and kissing on the bed until they saw a comment about them. You can add anything you want to add, this is just my idea hehe THANKS !!!!

# ADORN

pairing: paige bueckers x gf!reader

word count: 1657

warnings: none!

summary: your relationship with paige gets exposed, but with her still in your arms, is it really the end of the world?

⭑ from lani: idk how to feel abt this one and lowk feel like my work has been so flat lately but fuck it we ball 😭

“OKAY SO BOOM,” you hear your teammate, kk, say to her phone, “we back with another insta live! how y’all doin’?”

“kk someone said they saw you at chick-fil-a being a big back, can you confirm?” ice snickers as she reads a viewer’s comment.

“man, y’all never stop, huh?” kk side-eyes jokingly.

you giggle off-camera as you peer over your girlfriend’s shoulder to watch the two girls interact with fans. you were rested against the headboard of your hotel bed, paige lying comfortably on top of you with her arms around your torso and face buried in your neck.

you aimlessly rubbed her taut muscles underneath her loose shirt, relieving her stress from the game earlier in the day. the team was currently away from its home in connecticut, as they had an away-game against ohio state.

the huskies won, of course, but the score was much too close for anyone’s comfort, especially paige’s. with this season being her first after her acl tear last year, she felt immense pressure to come back twice as good and carry the team on her shoulders all the way to a national championship.

she never talked with anyone about how she was feeling - except with you. she claimed that you were the only one that truly understood her fears and would be able to chase them away simply with your warm smile and passionate words. when she told you this with tears in her eyes from her overwhelming emotions, your heart swelled immensely at her vulnerability.

the two of you had been together for close to a year now, and all your teammates and close friends were aware, but you both opted for a private relationship. there were many reasons as to why this was the decision, the most important being that you knew how the media would react - and neither of you wanted to jeopardize your careers.

there had been a few rumors and speculations about your particular closeness with the blonde, but you had been very careful around the cameras, ensuring that no one would have concrete evidence of your relationship.

as of right now, your entanglement with paige was out of frame, shielding you two from the camera and live viewers. paige was half asleep on her phone, still nestled in your arms while you listened in on your teammates’ silly bickering.

“i know they’re beefing right now but kendrick definitely won!” kk exclaims.

“okay, but who’s the better artist overall?” ice responds as her eyes scan the rapid-fire comments.

“that’s not even the point of this discussion, bro.”

“whatever,” ice laughs, shaking her head, “someone asked where everyone else is - yanna and aubrey are out getting dunkin for all of us, nika is already sleeping, aaliyah is taking a shower, and…” she stops herself before she mentions you and paige, “i actually don’t know what everyone else is doing.”

“what are you talkin’ about, ice? paige and-“ kk is cut off by ice swiftly kicking her leg under the table they’re sat at. she gives her a pointed glare as if to say “shut the hell up,” which makes you chuckle.

“anyways…” ice moves on from the close slip-up, “did y’all watch the game today? i think it was on youtube live or something.”

you tune out of their conversation when you feel paige groan lightly into your skin.

“you okay, babe?” you whisper into her ear.

“mhm,” she responds with a slight rasp in her voice, “can you do that thing you were doin’ earlier, though?”

“what thing?” you didn’t even notice what you were doing, or at least what you stopped doing, until she mentioned it.

“when you rub my back,” she answers.

“you like that?”

“'course i do,” she hums, “it’s like a massage.”

a flushed smile graces your face as you go back to caressing her soft skin, focusing on her tense muscles. when you press particularly hard on her lower back, she lets out a satisfied groan as she drops the arm that was stretched and holding her phone.

you can practically feel her melt into your embrace entirely, body going limp as she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. after placing a delicate kiss on her head, you too let your eyes close as you began to fall asleep with her.

“kk, i think they want you to sing,” ice says, pointing to one of the messages on the screen.

“oh i gotchu,” she smiles, instantly getting up from her chair, “what song should i sing?”

“do…” ice responds before reading one of the fans’ suggestions, “oh someone said do adorn by miguel.”

“that’s a good one, okay let me warm up a bit,” she says before obnoxiously and very poorly attempting to do vocal runs to “warm up her voice.”

“hold on you’re, like, not in frame right now,” ice says before she slightly adjusts the camera so that kk can be seen clearly.

but unbeknownst to all of you, your compromised position with paige can now also be seen clearly. you were too comfortable in your slumber and on the girl in your arms to pay attention to what the camera was showing.

kk was too busy "performing" for the fans and ice was too busy making fun of her for doing so, which is why nobody knew what what going on.

"did she eat guys?" ice asks the fans with a grin as kk sits back down, slightly out of breath from dancing.

both of them scan the comments, slightly confused with furrowed eyebrows at what the comments were talking about. it certainly wasn't about kk or ice.

user01: OH MY GOD

user02: THIS SHIP IS SAILING GUYS

user03: is that who i think it is in the bg 😳

at the third comment they read, they both inch closer to the screen to try and understand what their fans' were so enthralled by.

ice is first to realize how you and paige could easily be seen cuddling on the bed behind her and kk. with wide eyes, she quickly yet subtley moved the camera so that you and paige were once again hidden.

kk, still oblivious as to what they were so focused on, whispered to ice, "what happened?"

"they saw paige and y/n," ice replied putting a hand up to cover her mouth while leaning to whisper back in kk's ear.

now it was kk's turn to widen her eyes and cover her mouth, this time in shock. she turned to look back at you two, still fast asleep with arms intertwined.

she stood up from her chair and moved to block the bed entirely, not wanting another incident to happen. she knew that the fans loved to screenshot and record their lives, which always ended up being posted all over social media no matter what.

she also knew that she and ice would be getting an earful from you two once you caught drift of the situation.

------

you began to wake up as soon as you felt your girlfriend move from her position on top of you. she’s now next to you, head resting on your shoulder as one of her arms rests on your stomach.

“where you goin’?” you mumble, voice hoarse from just waking up. you were only half awake but you could tell that the room was now empty, the silence comforting and sunrise peeking through the hotel blinds.

“nowhere, ma, i’m right here,” paige rasps with a light kiss to your collarbone.

you were about to fall back asleep but are disturbed by your phone vibrating violently next to you. with a tired groan, you blindly reach for it in an attempt to silence it. even as you pick it up and unlock it, you are still bombarded with notifactions from all kinds of social apps - instagram, tiktok, twitter - you name it.

you’re now awake with curiosity, confused as to why you’re getting so many messages. you usually had your phone on “do not disturb” with the exceptions of your family, friends, and select media accounts. you scroll aimlessly through some of your dms, but when you don’t find an answer, you relocate and scroll through your explore feed.

your eyes shoot open as you register one of the top posts - a video clip of you and paige sleeping peacefully behind ice and kk on live.

“shit."

"what?" paige mumbles into your shirt.

"look," you nudge her, showing her the post on your screen.

"oh shit."

"my thoughts exactly..." you say, heart beating faster with anxiety at the thought of your careers at risk, "what do we do?"

"i mean," she starts cautiously, "i don't think there's much we can do."

as much as you hated to hear it, it was the truth. clips and captures had already spread like wildfire. people have always speculated and theorized, but with this mishap, their suspicions were practically confirmed.

paige sits up against the headboard of the bed when she notices your reaction - or lack thereof. your expression remains unmoved as you think of any way to de-escalate the situation.

"hey," she says, grabbing your phone from your grasp, "don't stress it too much, alright? what's done is done, and all we can do is act normal - like nothing happened. i can even beat up ice and kk if you want."

you know she's only half joking but the sentiment brightens your mood, "you're right. thanks, p."

"whatever it takes to get you off your phone and back under this blanket," she shrugs, "i mean, did you see the time? we have a full hour before we have to meet up with the team, i'm not letting it go to waste."

"so you're spending it...sleeping?" you giggle.

"no," she protests, "i'm spending it in a nice ass bed with my beautiful girlfriend."

"and who is this girlfriend?" you tease.

"at this point, i think the whole world knows it's you, ma."

[iamyourdailydoseofbi]

Sorry for english mistakes, it is not my first language. Can we have more of what ‘Familial Issues Anon’ was talking about? Requesting for more Brother Aegon but it is not tied to the previous fic? Like Aegon and Little Sister Reader growing up with one another and the ideas of the Anon that requested it? Sorry it is my first tine asking for a fic request!

THE HISTORY BOOK ON THE SHELF. ( HOTD x READER ) [ PREQUEL? ]

AUTHOR NOTE! Thanks for all the love. <3 pairing: Young! Aegon Targaryen x Little Sis! Reader prompt: Aegon finds himself enable to grasp the thought of losing you forever. word count: 1, 000+ words

You were a pest. No, you were a clingy pest. Like a leech. Aegon's personal leech. You just stuck to him. No matter how many times he tried to get rid of you, you came waddling back to him like a little duckling. You'd stare up at him, big puppy dog eyes and a giddy smile. So pure, so untouched. He wanted to ruin you. To ruin that good you had in you, in hopes it would make you stop clinging onto him. But, it never worked.

He could spout out the cruelest of insults to you, and you'd just stare at him. So innocent that the words did not click in his head. He could push you, and you'd just stand back up unflinching. Still seeing the best in him. He hated it. It was odd. Why could you not see the bad in him? The bad that everyone else saw in him? Why did you have to be so good? So sweet? So loving?

He hated it. Yet, he craved your presence. There was something nice about having you by his side. You weren't like Jace, trying to impress him. Or as much of a follower as Luke, wanting to fit in. You just adored him and everything he did. Like a stupid puppy. It was a battle within him.

"She's a pest." Yes, but she's your little sister.

"She sees too much good in me." Yes, but wasn't that better than hate?

"She was too young." Yes, only eleven and still too naive to understand just how horrid and rotten he was. But, she made him smile with her child-like wonder of the world.

"She loves you." Yes, she was the only one that did. Or at least, the only one that did love him for him. No matter how rotten he was. 

"She's too clingy." Yes, but one day she will grow out of it and suddenly the loneliness will come creeping back in. She won’t be there trailing after him, or hug him, or smile at him. 

"One day she will marry and leave you all alone." Yes, but for now you were his little sister. You were his little duckling. His little shadow. His little pest and he wanted to cling onto that a little longer. 

Watching you trailing after Aemond like a puppy, he scowls deeply, hatred and jealousy bubbling inside of him. You were supposed to be his little shadow. Not Aemond's. Keeping his distance for now, he watches as you give Aemond a big hug and smile, nodding your little head enthusiastically at whatever he says. The scowl on his face grows more and more deep. What could Aemond say that made you so happy? Watching you hand Aemond a linen cloth, he grows even more angry. No, no, no, that was his thing. You were supposed to give him gifts! Not Aemond.

Not being able to hold back any longer, he stalks towards the two of you, a dark glare on his face pointed towards Aemond. There was no way in the Seven hells was he going to allow Aemond to steal you from him. You were his pest. You were his. Not Aemond. Aemond could have Helaena or Jace and Luke for all he cared. You were his. You were meant to cling onto him. Watching you ramble away to Aemond, he straightens out, puffing up his chest to look more bigger. 

"Oh, Y/n.." He calls out, a hint of sing-song tone in his voice.

"Egg!" You cheerfully call out, your words lisping together.

"Aegon. We've been over this. It's Aegon, not Egg." He huffs, rolling his eyes.

“What are you doing here, Egg?” You ask, not catching his annoyance. 

Watching you completely forget about Aemond, he swiftly picks you up, carrying you on his back in a piggy back ride. You were a little heavy and too big to be carried in such a manner, but he didn’t care. If it meant keeping you close to him, he would grit his teeth and do it. Hearing you giggle loudly, he walks away from Aemond, shooting a deadly glare over his shoulder. As if he was a dog pissing on the ground to mark his territory. He wanted to be clear to everyone, you were his.

“Does not matter.” He brushes off, “We are going to the kitchen’s, I heard they are making lemon cakes.”

“Lemon cakes?”

“Yes, I think we can steal a few of them.” He nods, “What do you say, hm? An adventure with your big brother?”

“I would like that.” You smile, making him perk up.

"Good, good, because I wan't going to put you down anyways."

Watching as you dissect the lemon cake, you push the bitter lemon frosting away with your fork, piling it up on the side of the plate. Smiling softly as you turn your plate so he could eat the frosting, his gaze softens ever so slightly, shoulder’s relaxing. You were too kind. Even when eating your food, you still wanted to share with him, knowing that the frosting was always his favorite part. Pushing his uneaten slice closer to you, he had no desire to eat the lemon cake anymore, just wanting to see you smile some more. 

“Aegon?” You mumble, playing with your food with your fork. 

“Yes?” 

“I have a question.” You stare at the plate, “About marriage.”

“Marriage? What in the Seven’s name is making you think of marriage? You’re too young for that.” 

“Grandsire said I will one day make a good wife and mother. That I must follow my studies closely.” You mumble, “Do you think that I will be a good wife and mother one day?”

Furrowing his brows in confusion, he didn’t know why you were asking such a question, you were a long way away before marriage would become a concern. You barely turned ten and one, weeks ago. You should be focused on other matter’s, like embroidery or whatever stupid Court gossip spread around.

Wrinkling his nose up the more he thinks of you getting married, the more he dislikes the thought. You were too young, and too important for him to let you succumb to such a boring fate. If he was King, you would never have to marry. You two would just fly on dragon back and have fun all day. 

“I do. But, that’s like a billion years from now.” He rolls his eyes, exaggerating with his words.

“Do you think so? I know of many other girl’s who are already betrothed.” You mumble, playing with the frosting. 

“Yes, well, those other girls aren’t you. You're a Princess, a Targaryen one. You’re important and different from them. They're dull.” He shakes his head, refusing to compare you to the other girl in Court.

“You think so?” You ask, eyes full of so much hope.

“I know so. We’re Targaryen’s! Everyone wants to be us because we are special and they are dull and common.” He smiles, “There’s a thousand of them, and only one of you. You’re special.”

Watching as a big goofy smile spreads on your face, he perks up at the sight, happy to cause such joy within you. Picking apart the lemon cake with his fork, he watches as your eyes lower down to your plate, shoulder’s slouching for a moment. The smile on your face falters for a moment, almost as if some thought popped in your head and ruined the moment. Furrowing his brows at how quick the joy is gone, he wanted to punch whoever or whatever had popped into your head. 

“What is it?” He asks, slightly concerned by your shift in mood. 

“But, Grandsire said⎯”

“You are barely reaching your ten and two name day. You are too young to be considered a wife or Mother.” He shakes his head dismissively, “Grandsire is a fool. Do not let such things upset you. I won’t let them marry you off. You’ll stay here in the Red Keep with me, for like, forever.” 

Little did either of you know, that just on the other end of the Red Keep.Your marriage had already been arranged, and soon you’d be shipped off.

---

[nothorses]

You've made a lot of really great posts about transmasc experiences and struggles, and they really resonate with me! So I guess I want to in complete earnest ask: why the push for 'transandrophobia' when anti-transmasculinity as a term has been around for longer and faces little friction by comparison? I don't really *dislike* transandrophobia, but its meaning gets muddied everywhere from different directions, while ATM is pretty direct and succinct I feel. It's very clear that it's about TRANSmasculine oppression. I'm not against having a dedicated term at all, but the content of our struggles gets lost in the weeds of attaching kind of understandably divisive terms like misandry and androphobia in an attempt to mirror a phenomenon very specifically about misogyny; it seems more trouble than it's worth considering ATM is right there

I'll be honest, this ask is confusing to me for a few reasons.

When I started talking about transandrophobia around the summer of 2020, the conversations I was encountering were very much, like, a handful of people across Twitter and Tumblr (literally, a handfull!). I picked up "transandrophobia" because it was one of two words I saw in use, and the other- "transmisandry"- felt much less clear and much more contentious. It seemed super obvious to me that people would draw a line from "men's rights activists" trying to push this idea that "misandry", as a systemic oppression of men by women, to "transmisandry", and assume some ill intent where there was none. It's confusing!

"Transandrophobia" was the better of two options being floated at the time, at least in any conversation I saw. "Anti-transmasculinity" was not really a term I'd been made aware of, if anyone at all was talking about it at the time.

I have seen people pick up "anti-transmasculinity" more recently (maybe in the last year?), and this is definitely the first I've seen someone shorten it to "ATM". The people I've seen use that term have been mostly people who seem really new to the conversation, and the vibe I've gotten has been very, like, "we're the Good Transmascs, our word isn't dirty and gross like those other Bad Transmascs everyone hates. you'll listen to us now that our word is Good and Pure, right?"

Which is like... kind of frustrating, and kind of sad, honestly. I think these people honestly believe that if they just choose the right word, all the people who've been dragging me and every other transmasc talking about these issues through the mud for the last 4 years or so will really just stop & listen. If they can just say it right, these people- who have been relentlessly harassing and spreading lies about every single transmasc who came before them for years now- will care what they have to say, and will be willing to engage with them in earnest, compassionate dialogue.

If you just find the right word, all of these people will care about your hurt, your pain, and the suffering of your community.

It kind of breaks my heart. It's an incredibly hopeful, kind, loving way to view the world. It's compassion and patience and forgiveness that these folks are not being given, but that they so badly want to offer to others.

And at the same time, it sucks to be the Bad Transmasc. It sucks to have fought so hard for so long, and for the people I've been fighting for all this time to turn around and say, "you're gross, and dirty, and evil, and everything you've done is a mistake." It sucks to see the people I've been fighting for agree with the people I've been fighting against, and shove me under the bus in an effort to appeal to the people running me over with it. Knowing that the bus is going to aim for them once it's done with me just makes it sadder, yknow?

@saint-speaks wasn't the first person to ever speak the word "transandrophobia", but he is the one who coined and popularized it in its current form. And then he was dragged through the mud so hard and so brutally that some people think I coined it, just because when I defended him (too little and too late, imo) I withstood the mud-dragging better than he did (and gee, I wonder white.)

And now people take for granted that everything everyone said about hymn to justify that frankly fucking evil harassment campaign was true, actually, and we should abandon the word he coined and find one with purer origins.

If you honestly think "anti-transmasculinity" is just a more practical word, that's fine. I don't care what word we use. But they're going to cover it in mud, too. They're going to cover every one of you in mud.

Will you keep fighting for "ATM" once they make it the new dirty, gross, bad, evil word? Will you keep fighting when they drag you and everyone else through the mud for using it? Or will you agree with them, make up a new word, and never look back?

Please don't let us drown in the mud. We've been fighting for you, and we want to fight with you. Please.

[zombvic]

would you write one of hector fort and reader being in an argument and reader crying because of the accumulated stress and hector comforting reader afterwards pls

PLUS ONE (hector garcía fort x reader)

summary : in which hector gets invited to a team event, which comes with a certain challenge

face claim : no-one

notes : first time writing angst lol sorry if its soft but im a noobie

pairings : hector fort x reader , angst

HECTOR and I have been dating for about a year. Our relationship has been very low-key, with only our families knowing about it. We both agreed it was better this way—he has his fangirls, and I would assume they would go ballistic if they found out Hector had a girlfriend. Not even the Barca players knew; some, slowly caught on, but apart from a few REALLY soft, soft launches, it was basically non-existent to the public eye.

It was a typical Saturday evening when Hector came over to my apartment after a training, a bit more excited than usual. “Guess what?”

“What’s up, babe?” I asked, looking up from my phone.

“I got invited to the FIFA Football Awards event next month. It’s a big deal; all the top players will be there,” he said, sitting down beside me.

“Wow, that’s amazing, Hector! I’m so proud of you,” I replied, genuinely happy for him.

“And they said I could bring a plus one,” he added, his voice trailing off as he looked at me expectantly.

I paused, my excitement fading slightly. “Oh, that’s.. nice.”

Hector noticed the change in my tone and his brows furrowed. “I want you to come with me,” he said firmly.

“Hector, you know we agreed to keep this low-key. An event like that, with all the media and attention… it’s not exactly low-key,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know, but it’s just one event. We don’t have to hide forever. Besides, I want to share this moment with you.”

I shook my head. “It’s not that simple. Once we go public, things will change. People will start prying into the life of my family and I. I don’t want that kind of stress.”

“But I want to be able to be with you openly. It’s been over year. I’m tired of hiding” he argued, his frustration evident.

He got up and walked around the room. 

"So, why can't we do just one thing together? "I just want one, public, night together." 

"It never lasts a night. Today it's the awards; tomorrow it'll be something different."

"Where does it end?" I exclaimed, my voice rising as my anger increased. 

"I don't see why you're so against this. It's not like I'm asking you to do something really crazy." 

"I just want my girlfriend to be there for me, to support me." he said, his voice filled with distress.

"And I support you, Hector. Every. Single. Day, I offer you my whole support. However, this is not like usually. It isn't just about us. It's all about the media, fans, and attention.

"It's genuienly too much."

Hector paused while walking, his eyes softening. "I had no idea that was giving you so much anxiety. I just thought... Maybe it was time to announce our relationship, I don't know."

With a shaky voice, I took a deep breath. "Hector, it's not that I don't want to be with you honestly. It’s just that I’m scared. Scared of what will happen when everyone knows. Scared of the pressure, the judgment."

"I apologize for pressuring you. Im sorry. I just... I want you to know that no award or event is equivalent to how much you mean to me. I just wanted everyone to see the girl i adore and love so very much."

"You don’t get it, Hector. You're used to the constant focus on you and your loved ones. I'm not famous in any way, nor do I desire to be."

Hector's face fell, guilt and regret obvious and clear in his eyes. "I'm sorry; I should've taken your feelings into consideration. I just assumed that-"

“You assumed what? That I would suddenly be fine with our private life being exposed to the world?” I interrupted, slowly feeling the anger rise in me.

“I thought we could handle it together,” he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“But I’m not as strong as you think I am, Hector,” I said, my voice breaking. “I never cry, I never let things get to me. But this… it’s just too much. I can’t do it. What if they try to break us apart? It's so overwhelming. What if the media digs into our personal lives and spreads lies? What if your fans start hating me, or I say something wrong, and it affects you? The anxiety is eating me alive."

Feeling the weight of everything squeezing me, I shook my head. "Hector, I'm not as strong as you expect me to be. I can’t handle the thought of people judging us, criticizing us. With all this pressure, the idea of losing you is too much for me to handle."

"Hector, you just don't get it. You're used to being the focus of attention. However, I'm not. I'm more than scared, I'm basically petrified."

I looked aside, trying to cover my face as the tears I had been keeping back suddenly burst out. Hector stood there for a brief momentwatching me with a distressed expression. Then, slowly, he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

“I’m so sorry, love. I didn’t realize how much this was affecting you. We don’t have to go public if you’re not ready. We can take our time,” he said, his voice gentle and soothing.

I leaned into his embrace, my sobs shaking my body. “Thank you. I just need time.”

He squeezed me even tighter and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "Take as much time as you need. I'm always here to support you. I love you."

The tension began to ease as we stood there, holding another closely. I knew that between us, we would get through this. That was the only thing that mattered for now.

first time ever writing angst hope its what you imagined while requesting 𖹭

[liaslullaby]

Captains just wanna have fun

You lose all your savings in a poker night and decide to go until the captains offer you to bet something else.

Contents: afab!reader, threesome, rough, praise, hand job, pain kink, overstimulation, hand restriction, oral, fingering, choking, face fucking, anal, unprotected sex, blowjob, consensual.

Word count: 8.7K

+18 MDNI—Explicit content

A/N: Prepare your wheelchairs...

You checked the cards in your hand one more time, you had a good one, it wasn't the best of all but with a pinch of luck you could beat the four men in front of you and you had better do it considering you had bet the last of your savings.

Everyone gave each other a quick glance out of the corner of their eyes before putting their cards down, most of them looking unsure of the hand they were playing which made you feel better, however, the triumphant smile on Oikawa's face it was worrisome. When the world sided with him the rest were destined to fail miserably. Your poker nights with them had already shown it to you.

You didn't even understand how that group had ended up getting along so well to end up playing poker every thursday, but the important thing is that you enjoyed it. It had all started with Bokuto and Kuroo who bumped into Oikawa one day just starting college, they decided to make him part of their poker days because gambling just the two of them wasn't fun enough. The brown-haired man complained a few nights about how unchallenging it was to play alone with the two of them and so they decided to join a fourth member, Sawamura Daichi, whom Kuroo coincidentally saw one afternoon in the university parking lot, he had invited him to join thinking that it would be an easy defeat and he couldn't be more wrong. You were the last acquisition, you knew Koutaro and Tetsuro from the nationals of your last year in which you were the captain of Niiyama, the three of you got along well although you didn't talk much, because of that your childhood best friend and ex-captain of Karasuno believed that it would be an excellent idea to invite you to be part of the group.

"How come we've been at this for over five months and I haven't won once?" the black and white haired man complained once everyone's cards were revealed.

Your hopes went down the drain when you observed a Royal flush in the hands of Tooru that rejoiced in its victory, with that clearly your poor Four of a kind never had a chance.

"That's probably because the world hates you" Oikawa replied taking all the money on the table to himself. And having given up all hope you dropped your head on the table drawing everyone's attention. "And it seems you're not the only one it happens to".

"Y/N-chan don't get discouraged so easily, we still have time to kick his ass" Daichi mentioned placing a hand on your shoulder in an attempt to make you feel better, very typical of him. A quality of leader that you had always admired from him, no matter how bad the situation seemed to be, he was looking for a way to encourage his teammates and now that he was no longer with them, you had become the center of his motivational speeches.

"I'll help you kick his ass whenever you want but I don't have money to gamble anymore" you turned your head to look at him and sighed disappointed in yourself for losing the last of your savings. You weren't usually so careless with money, much less so you left everything in bets but this particular day your streak was the worst you had ever had, each new round you swore that you could recover what you lost, betting little by little what you had saved "That last one was my savings"

"You cleaned the floor with us two weeks ago, how come you don't have money anymore?" Kuroo asked surprised.

You weren't going to tell them, but the reality is that you converted your loot back then into Boku no hero merchandise the day after you obtained it, you weren't proud of your mismanagement of that money, however you didn't regret the result either. Your new Shoto dakimura had definitely helped you sleep better the past few days.

"It was a rough patch, ok?" You got up from the chair you were in, reaching both arms up and then back to stretch your back before taking a last sip of what was left of your beer. "I guess that's it for me"

"You're leaving now?" Bokuto questioned confused and the rest immediately turned to look at you in the same way as him, it seemed that no one wanted you to abandon them.

"I don't plan on staying just to watch all of you gamble and I don't have any more money so it's the best I can do."

Everyone took a quick look at each other, hoping that someone would come up with a good reason to make you stay, at least a minute passed in total silence without anyone coming up with anything, so you waved goodbye to then make your way to the exit of Kuroo's apartment. Just as your hand wrapped around the doorknob the sound of several footsteps behind you caught your attention.

"What do you think if you bet something else instead of money?" you heard Kuroo's voice and turned with your arms crossed only to find everyone piled on top of each other trying to get through the corridor at the same time.

"I'm not going to bet my Todoroki dakimura if that's what you're suggesting" you responded quickly defensively and their puzzled looks appeared again.

"Your what?"

"Nothing"

"But you sa..."

"I said nothing, Koutaro" you interrupted him, speaking seriously in an attempt to stop him from asking any further questions about it. His sad look appeared when he heard you but no one gave it any importance beyond Kuroo who patted him on the back. "What am I supposed to bet?"

"Your blouse"

"I don't think my blouse will look good on you, Tooru" you answered and a mocking smile appeared on your face.

"I don't know, I think it would make his eyes stand out" Kuroo mentioned laughing and then received a nudge from Oikawa for helping you divert the conversation from the main topic.

"You know what I'm talking about"

And clearly you knew it, you were only being silly because you weren't quite sure you were willing to expose yourself to them, you trusted them, but maybe not enough to risk yourself like that.

You scanned them all as they stood there in front of you, you had to admit that all four of them might be different but that didn't stop them from all being equally attractive, if they wanted to achieve something with their great idea, you could use it to your advantage too.

You tried to get your eyes away from Kuroo's abdomen but it was like a magnet for your gaze, like Bokuto's arms or Daichi's thighs, Oikawa weren't far behind either. Your cheeks burned just from having them in front of you and your mouth watered imagining what could be left under the few clothes they had left.

You didn't know what you could have done to make karma finally take your side but after starting clothing poker you had only lost once, which cost you your blouse, a small price to pay for the incredible sight you were looking at and because of that you were really having a hard time keeping your face neutral.

You held your cards right up to your cheeks to cover any blushes and when it was time to show them you "subtly" covered yourself with one of your hands.

"I'm starting to think you're cheating" Daichi commented looking at your cards and you laughed nervously, not because you were cheating but because of the whole atmosphere around you.

Kuroo snorted and then stood up, now only wearing his boxers, he put his hands on each side of the edge of his underwear ready to remove it until you reacted.

"Wow, what the hell are you doing?!" you yelled stopping him.

"I lost, those who lose take off a piece of clothing" he replied with a shrug.

You didn't expect them to go this far, you thought that last game was not punished since everyone except Daichi only had their underwear left, the former Karasuno captain was the only one who still had his shirt.

"Y-you don't have to do that" you mentioned looking away so they wouldn't notice how embarrassed you were, however, Oikawa and Kuroo were specialists in deciphering you and especially in making you nervous.

"No Y/N-chan, we lost and we are men of our word" Tooru said, standing up like the black-haired man, they both noticed how you looked at them scared and smiled at each other. "What are you two waiting for?"

Bokuto also got up making you panic, suddenly everything was too real and you were about to witness perhaps the most exciting image you could have in front of your entire life but now you didn't feel ready for that.

You took your beer and slammed it down your throat hoping it would help you relax but seeing all four of them synchronized removing their underwear at the same time raced your heart, you jumped up and apologized before almost walking out running to the bathroom.

You could hear Kuroo's mocking laughter as you entered the bathroom and closed the door behind you to look in the mirror, there was no way your cheeks would get any redder than they already were, so you decided to run the tap to wash your face.

You heard the door open and you turned around immediately finding Oikawa leaning on the threshold of the door, you inadvertently looked at him only to realize that he hadn't bothered to get dressed again before going to see you.

"My eyes are up Y/N-chan" he mentioned confidently licking his lips.

You automatically lifted your face to meet his, your cheeks reddening again as your hands began to shake holding on to the sink. You wanted to open your mouth to apologize but the words wouldn't come out, which he was clearly enjoying, he had never seen you like that and he was really loving this new facet. You froze seeing him approach you.

He placed one of his hands on your cheek to caress it while he brought his face closer to yours causing your breathing to become irregular, maybe it was the fact that he had a different aura than usual, the fact that his gaze seemed to want to devour you right there or the fact that he was completely naked in front of you but he had never seemed so attractive to you like at that moment.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" he whispered inches from your face, unable to do anything more than nod, you kept your gaze fixed on his until his lips met yours, melting you completely.

With his other hand he took you by the waist sticking completely to him, so you could feel his erection colliding with your abdomen. He lightly bit your bottom lip and you wrapped your arms around his neck before giving him access to your mouth where both of you began fighting for dominance. He lowered his hand from your cheek to one of your breasts and massaged it over your bra, making you moan.

"Music to my ears" he murmured against your lips, squeezing your chest harder "Do it again, will you?"

"They can hear us, Tooru" you reminded him as you separated. He ignored what you said and kissed you again, maybe you cared about others but for Oikawa they were the last of his worries.

"So can you help me with something?"

"What do you need?" You said bringing your arms to his chest, he took one of your hands and brought it to his member so you took it gently and began to move your hand slowly.

"Don't be shy".

You brought your hand up to your mouth before licking it completely and taking it again fixing your eyes on his, his leering look was accompanied by a smile that appeared when you increased speed while he was taking care of your breasts.

The volume of the background music increased so Oikawa took the opportunity to get close to your neck and kiss it, putting his hand under your bra to find your nipple playing with it and getting you another little moan that you prayed that the music would muffle.

Then he leaned down enough so that his mouth was on your ear, you could hear his heavy breathing which was occasionally interrupted by soft moans escaping from his mouth.

"Let me have your mouth" he said licking the lobe of your ear.

You thought about it for a moment but finally you knelt in front of him, you gathered your hair in a ponytail and you took his dick with your hand to bring it closer to you, you began by licking its entire length and then inserting its entire tip into your mouth.

He took your ponytail with his hand and then he pushed you suddenly causing his cock to reach your throat making you to gag, he did not give importance to that and then he pulled you until the only thing you had inside was his tip to push your head again and make you retake it completely.

He growled as he felt his orgasm approaching, so he took you as deep as he could a few more times before taking his dick out of your mouth, you looked up and when your eyes met, he blew you a kiss, seconds later his cum covered your face.

"You did it great, darling" He extended a hand to help you get up and several knocks on the door caught the attention of both of you, you opened your eyes suddenly and the brown-haired man put a finger on his lips indicating you to be silent.

"Iwazumi is calling you" you could hear Bokuto's voice on the other side of the door speaking clearly to the man next to you, you didn't know if they had any idea that you were there too but you preferred not to say anything just in case. Oikawa gave you some hand signals that you frankly didn't understand and then left, quickly closing the door behind him.

You took advantage of the brown haired man out to clean your face and rinse your mouth, in addition you fix your hair followed by your bra before leaving, it must have been enough time for you to leave without problems.

You took a few steps out of the bathroom only to run into Kuroo coming out of his room half dressed, he had basically just decided to put his underwear back on. He crossed his arms and the way he looked at you told you that he knew everything.

"Were you having fun sucking Oikawa's dick?" he questioned leaning his back against the wall, everything about him at that moment screamed danger and that made him draw your attention even more than before.

"Who says I-" he silenced you, getting close enough to put a finger on your lips.

"You still have cum on your cheek"

"Really?" You instinctively touched your face making Kuroo laugh.

"No but now I know you were doing it" he replied causing you to frown annoyed. "You need better taste in men Y/N-chan"

The black-haired man walked up behind you, pushed aside the strands of hair that were next to your neck and licked it, generating a chill that ran down your spine, as well as making your skin stand on end.

"Why do you say that?" you asked trying to prevent him from noticing the recent nervousness that was starting to grow in you.

"Because you chose Shittykawa" he answered simply, he put both arms around your body and pulled you towards him, his face returned to your neck where he stayed for a second inhaling the perfume that it gave off. It was sweet and captivating, for which he thought it was it fit right in with you."Don't the rest of us deserve something too?"

You didn't even bother asking what he meant this time, as it was very clear where he wanted to go with it. And after things with the brown-haired man ended so quickly, the black-haired man's proposition was good for you.

You turned around until you were face to face with him to be able to kiss him, he felt totally different from Oikawa but you liked him anyway, his lips moved more wildly over yours, with greater eagerness and desire. His hands had no problem starting to explore your body until they found the back of your bra and were ready to play with it, threatening to remove it, so you decided to stop him since you were in the middle of the hallway and you didn't know if the rest had already gone home.

Kuroo noticed that you seemed uneasy about where you were, so he decided it was time to show you what he had in his room. He took your hand and opened the door to take you with him, sticking to his body as soon as you were inside. The light was very dim and you still didn't get used to that lighting so you could barely see anything that was in there, it's not like you needed to see something when you were so busy letting the black-haired man explore your mouth.

You could swear his hands were on your hips but at the same time you felt like someone was removing your bra, maybe Tetsuro was making your mind cloudy too fast and you started imagining things.

When the pair of hands that had removed your bra traveled to your chest, you were absolutely certain that they were not a product of your imagination. You suddenly separated from the black-haired man colliding with what you would swear was another person and you immediately let out a squeal, even without getting fully used to the light, you turned around trying to discover who it was but all you got was tripping over your own feet when you backed down, otherwise if it wasn't because Kuroo caught you in time you probably would have ended up on the ground.

"You scared her Bokuto" scolded the taller of the two.

"Sorry, I wasn't going to jump in yet but she looked too sexy and I couldn't stay away" the black and white haired man apologized slightly embarrassed. "I didn't want to scare you Y/N-chan."

"Why did you turn off the light anyway?" Kuroo questioned.

"I heard you talking in the hallway and I figured it would be better to do it that way."

"Wait, you guys were planning this?"

"Why do you think we got rid of Trashykawa?" the black-haired man answered in your ear causing another shiver to run through your body, you couldn't see it very well but you were sure that he kept giving off that feeling of danger from before, now more than ever.

"So Iwaizumi wasn't calling"

"Oh that's true, now we owe him 2500 yen" Tetsuro never moved from your side, on the contrary he brought you closer to him to whisper in your ear again. "What do you say Y/N-chan? Can we all have fun?"

You swallowed, realizing what they were offering you, a threesome. You had never been in one and honestly the idea excited you, having Bokuto and Kuroo at the same time would never have occurred to you. The thing is that you weren't very sure that you could handle both of them, especially after what you had seen earlier in the living room, you could have run away but the seconds in which you could see them were recorded in your head.

You felt Bokuto approaching you, he didn't touch you but his presence felt intimidating, you could appreciate his silhouette that loomed over you making you feel small.

"You're the boss, do you want me to stay or do I go?" His tone suddenly sounded much deeper than when he had apologized, it would never have occurred to you that you could get wet just listening to him speak but that's how it was.

"Stay" you murmured and stretched out your arm until you reached his, you took it to pull him towards you now feeling his breath hit yours while Kuroo's hit your ear.

"The girl have guts" the black haired man mentioned making you giggle just before your lips met Koutaro's.

His lips pressed hard on yours and they tasted strangely good, you couldn't describe the taste but you definitely liked it, he ran his tongue over your lower lip asking for permission to enter which you gladly gave him and once he entered he got control of your mouth easily. On the other hand, Kuroo positioned himself behind you, his hands went to your breasts and his mouth was in charge of licking your ear, making it difficult for you to concentrate on Bokuto. He massaged your breasts for a few seconds before giving his attention to your nipples, making you moan into the black and white haired man's mouth.

"That sounded damn good," he mentioned pulling away just enough for your breaths to mix and then he gave his friend a quick glance. "Think you can get her to do it again?"

"It offends me that you even ask" Kuroo placed his index fingers on your nipples and began to make small circles on them and then twist them, achieving his goal.

Bokuto began to kiss your neck enjoying the moans that came out of your mouth thanks to Kuroo, the hands of the shortest of them went to the button of your pants removing it without problems and he was in charge of throwing it somewhere in the room. So they decided to change a bit, Tetsuro led you through the darkness to his bed, he sat on it with his back leaning against the wall and then he made you sit between his legs, your back on his chest and you could feel his bulge against you. He flexed your knees then spread your legs giving his friend an excellent view of your wet panties, he brought his right hand up to your clit caressing it on the fabric. Koutaro on the other hand, approached you and began to leave a trail of wet kisses from your neck to the center of your breasts, before taking one of them to his mouth letting his tongue start doing circles around your hard bud while one of his hands squeeze your other boob.

Kuroo pushed aside your panties to open your folds with one hand and bring two fingers closer to your wet entrance, slowly thrust them in causing you to be unable to measure the volume of the moan that came from your mouth, you arched your back and Bokuto gently bit down your nipple, taking care not to hurt you, then he bring his free hand to your clitoris, circling it with his thumb. You arched your back again, consumed by how good it felt, you were sure you had never experienced so much pleasure simultaneously before.

"If y-you keep doing that I won't last m-much longer" your words were faltering and your mind was getting too cloudy, the knot in the lower part of your stomach appeared and you tried to stop the black-haired man with your hands but he easily took them with one of his and held them on your stomach to prevent you from trying to stop them again "Fuck".

"You know you want this, there's no point in resisting" Kuroo whispered to you before proceeding to lick your earlobe. And he was right.

The black-haired man increased the pace while Bokuto proceeded to bring his mouth to your other breast, doing exactly the same with this one as with the previous one. You felt when Tetsuro bumped into your G-spot and started hitting it mercilessly, throwing you into real chaos.

"I think you found it" mentioned the one with black and white hair, separating from you for a second to observe how you trembled under the touch of both of them.

You couldn't take it anymore and it was then that the knot in your stomach released, Kuroo loosened his grip so you managed to get away, your hands then held on to the black-haired man's arms and you threw your head back on his shoulder, your eyes closed while you enjoyed your orgasm moaning without really caring about anything else.

They both took their hands away from you, Tetsuro directed his fingers to his mouth to clean them and Koutaro got up to then wrap his arms around your waist and help you stand up. He parted some strands from your forehead to deposit a tender kiss on it.

"That was hot" his comment made you laugh a little and you smiled at him, you rested your head on his chest to try to regulate your agitated breathing while he caressed your head.

The black-haired man stood up, took off his boxer, threw it on the floor without caring and opened the drawer of his nightstand to take out a condom that was put on without any problem, then he sat on the edge of the bed right behind you, he reached his hands up to reach your hips to pull you towards him.

"Ready?" he asked turning you around so you could see him, you put your hands on his shoulders and he took his to your ass squeezing it lightly.

"For what?"

"You're smart, you know what for" he replied before completely lowering your underwear.

He admired you for a second in what little dim light there was, mainly taking the time to caress your bare ass and then help you climb back on the bed. He made you sit on his lap, your knees bent on either side of his legs and his erection bumping against your mons mound. One of his hands went to the back of your neck to push you against his lips in a passionate kiss just before putting both hands on your hips to lift you up a bit, enough to get you on top of his cock.

"Do you want to do the honours?" He asked over your lips as you felt his tip brush against your entrance. Without answering you just began to lower yourself on top of him, pulling him slowly into you and moaning in the process. He let out a growl when he was fully inside you "Fuck, you feel better than I expected."

You slowly raised your hips again and then let yourself fall, getting a moan out of him, with each step you gave you increased the pace until you felt one of Bokuto's hands on your waist and the other on your butt, smearing something, which immediately made you stop to look at him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" you whispered scared, you had an idea of what it was that made your heart skip a beat since you didn't think you were ready for that, if that was what they were going through you would probably break two.

"Making this easier for everyone" he replied simply and placed a small kiss on your lips as if nothing had happened.

"You're not thinking about..." you said turning to the black-haired man.

"Tag team you? Of course, this wouldn't be fun if we didn't" you swallowed hard at his words but didn't object further.

Kuroo's arms wrapped around your waist forcing you to continue pleasing him and you let Bokuto kept with what he was doing, however when you felt him position himself you stopped them both.

"Wait"

"What's happening? Are you okay?" Koutaro questioned worriedly.

"Yes, it's just... can I put a condition?" You asked nervously swallowing a little saliva.

"As I said before, you are the boss" the black-haired man nodded in agreement with the one with black and white hair.

"I want you behind, I don't think I can handle Koutaro" you said embarrassedly to Tetsuro, a part of you thought that maybe it wasn't a good idea to say it because you weren't quite sure how he was going to react but finally you decided that it was the best for you.

"If I had fragile masculinity that would have hurt my ego" he joked letting out a laugh before letting go of your waist "Your wishes are my command Y/N-chan."

You got up to turn to Bokuto who wasted no time pulling you as close to him as he could, his hands going to your legs squeezing them hard making you squeal. His lips met yours so you concentrated on him until he made you jump to wrap your legs around his waist, one of his hands went to your butt to get a good hold and the other was in charge of locating his member in your entrance.

You sighed as you felt the tip wanting to enter you, so you held on tightly to his shoulders as he sank inside you, growling as he went. Just like with Kuroo once he was fully inside you managed to lift your hips enough so that only the tip of him was inside just before he rammed into you hard.

"Damn, you're so tight" his hands squeezed your butt tightly with each thrust making you moan in his ear. After a couple more thrusts Kuroo decided it was his time to join, which Bokuto noticed, so he began to go slowly while the black-haired man applied a little more lube on you, he inserted a finger initially to help you relax.

"I promise I'll gentle" Tetsuro whispered in your ear as he brushed his tip against your butt. You tightened your grip on the black and white haired man's shoulders, then he realized that you were nervous.

"We can stop whenever you want"

"It's okay, just give me time to get used to it" they both nodded.

Your body completely tensed when the black-haired man's dick began to enter, it really hurt but you repeated to yourself that you could handle it, Tetsuro brought his hands to your breasts massaging them in an attempt to help you focus on something else and Koutaro put his lips on yours kissing you gently.

You whimpered on Bokuto's lips and a tear rolled down your cheek, you dug your nails into his skin making him moan, so he began to move his hips a little faster sending more pleasure to your body that helped you calm down as his thrusts were deeper.

"Now you c-can m-" your voice trembled as you spoke but it was enough for Kuroo to easily understand that he had permission to move, when he was totally inside he began to kiss your neck as he slowly began to come out inside of you. The pain hadn't completely gone but it was fading more and more.

The black-haired man's thrusts were slow, trying to keep his word, the problem is that it became difficult because it was a totally different rhythm from Bokuto who was holding you, besides, to tell the truth, he was beginning to get desperate, he felt that you were giving too much attention to his friend.

"Koutaro" you moaned slightly separating from him to take a breath.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back for the black-haired man, he could assure that he did not have a fragile masculinity as much as he wanted but the reality is that the fact that it was not his name that came out of your lips had hurt his ego. He bring a hand up to your neck cutting off your air a bit and at the same time pulling you back enough so that your back crashes into his chest.

"You remember my name, right?" He whispered in your ear beginning to insert himself more strongly into you this time, you nodded several times trying to concentrate although your senses were completely lost by pleasure.

He let go of your neck to finally do what he was waiting for in and out of you mercilessly, he no longer cared what you could say at that moment, he went in so deep that you began to fear that you wouldn't be able to walk after that, not that at that point it will be really relevant to you. The little pain that remained even turned you on even more, like Bokuto every time you buried your nails in him, apparently you both had that in common.

"Tetsu-ro, fuck that fe-el so good" you encouraged him by making him go faster even though you didn't understand how that could even be possible. You tightened around both of them drawing a groan from each of them.

"You are doing it great" He whispered in your ear again but this time he didn't move away, you could hear him perfectly, his growls and moans sounding loud and clear only to you, so you decided to tighten yourself around him again. "If you keep doing that I-"

The knot in your stomach was present again, you were so close that probably there wasn't much left for you to reach your orgasm, your nails dug into Bokuto's skin again, this time deeper than all the previous ones, they were definitely going to fit him marked after all. He began to sink as far as he could into you, pounding into you over and over again as Kuroo moved from behind, any trace of gentleness completely gone.

"I'm s-so close"

"Let us see you, cum for us" Tetsuro took your neck again with one of his hands, his thrusts were becoming more clumsy indicating that he was also close.

A couple more thrusts were enough for you to reach your second orgasm, with Kuroo following almost immediately. His fingers tightened on your neck as he let out everything he had before pulling out of you and removing the condom to throw it into a trash can.

You hugged the one with black and white hair that hadn't stopped ramming you at any time in search of his release, your entire body trembled as you struggled to hold on feeling totally overwhelmed by the overstimulation he was causing you.

"Kou, I'm s-still sen-sitive" you said in his ear but all he did was take you to the black-haired man's bed, he threw you on it and then he turned to put you on your knees before pushing your chest against the mattress to re-enter you.

He took his hands to your hips to keep you in place after letting out a grunt when you tried to move, you squeezed the sheets hard and your legs trembled, threatening not to be able to bear much more.

"You look so fucking good right now" He said biting his lip and appreciating how his member fully entered you, his thrusts began to become clumsy just when you felt your third orgasm build.

Your eyes watered, so much pleasure was becoming too much for you, Bokuto leaned over your body sticking his chest to your back with his last thrusts, he squeezed one of your breasts with his hand moaning in your ear to finally reach his own orgasm and you followed him almost instantly.

He held you for a few more seconds while he recovered his breath and then came out of you, once he was completely gone you fell on the bed exhausted, your entire body and your senses were trying to recover, you remained like that for a few seconds until you finally gathered enough strength to turn around, running into Kuroo who was looking at you mockingly, he was wearing pajama pants and his hair seemed to be wet because he decided to take a bath after leaving you with the black and white haired man.

"Tired, huh?"

"Shut up, Roaster head" you said sitting on the bed to scan the floor for your clothes.

"You know? I like you better when you call my name and moan it"

You ignored his comment and got up to pick up your underwear and put it on, followed by your jeans, the only thing you couldn't find was your bra. You walked across the room more than once but it just seemed to have disappeared.

"Are you looking for this maybe?" You raised your head to look at the black-haired man with a smirk on his face and your bra in one of his hands. You rolled your eyes and then approached him and took it, although he tried to push it away to annoy you, you were faster.

"Where is Bokuto? I want to ask him if he can take me home"

"He's taking a shower but he said he's too tired to drive so he's staying" Kuroo replied, throwing himself onto his bed. "You can stay too if you want"

Out of nowhere his tone went back to being for a moment that deep one that penetrated your body making you feel nervous, whichever way you saw it was a bad idea, mainly because the next day you had a class quite early. Even so, your foolish impulsive side thought about it for a moment but you finally refused his offer and decided you would take an uber to your apartment.

After putting on your blouse and picking up your things, you went down to the first floor to go out to meet the car that would take you home. To your bad luck, the driver canceled when you got downstairs.

"You have to be kidding" you snorted and got ready to wait for them to assign you another trip because it was the only option you had left or so you thought until a hand landed on your shoulder scaring you for a second "FUC- oh it's just you Daichi, you scared the hell out of me".

"Sorry I didn't want to scared you... Do you want me to take you home?" You nodded and followed him to his car, which was only a few meters from the entrance of the building where Tetsuro lived.

You both got into the car, the brown-haired man turned on the air conditioning and started driving, your head suddenly felt too heavy so you decided to lean it against the window, you closed your eyes as you were lulled to sleep by the movement of the car in the streets and without realizing you fell asleep.

Since it was quite late there were not many cars on the streets, so Daichi had no problem getting to where you lived, he parked and still wondering why you had been so quiet, his answer came as soon as he saw you, he had to admit that the image had seemed tender to him. He gently touched your shoulder to shake you so he could wake you up.

"We already arrived at your building" sleep was gaining you so much that you barely heard your friend's voice because of how tired you were.

"Just five more minutes, I am very comfortable" Daichi didn't say anything else and you continued with your nap calmly, at least until you felt the door open, almost falling to the ground for not having been able to react in time.

"I bet your bed is also very comfortable" He said trying to convince you to get up so you could go upstairs.

"You're probably right but I'm too tired to move"

"I guess fucking Oikawa, Kuroo and Bokuto must be tiring" your eyes widened at hearing it and you looked up to see him.

"How do you know about that?"

"It was impossible not to hear the moans" you felt your cheeks flush red and you instinctively averted your face, totally embarrassed that he found out about it.

You didn't know but he had been in the living room most of the time, at first waiting for you after Tooru ran out because Iwazumi had told him that his apartment was on fire, he had thought that you would come after that but he gave up on that idea when he listened the moans leave Kuroo's room, so he went down to his car to go home, although he finally ended up waiting for you there when he remembered that you had no way to go to your apartment.

You covered your face with both hands refusing to look at him, he would probably have a very bad image of you now, how were you supposed to look at his face after that. Both of you were silent for a second, he waiting for you to say something and you wanting to disappear at that very moment.

"Y/N"

"You must think the worst of me, don't you?" you asked timidly still refusing to reveal your face.

"Not really, I'm just..." he whispered timidly scratching his neck.

"You just what?" you removed your hands from your face but you still didn't turn to see him, you just put your hands on your knees and stared at the floor of the car, waiting for what he had to say.

"I'm just little jealous of them" his confession echoed through your head, surprising you since it was the last thing you thought might come out of his mouth. Your heart raced and you even began to think that maybe you had misheard, maybe you hadn't even woken up yet and you were just dreaming stupid things.

"Why would you be jealous of them?" you asked still shocked by what he said. Daichi swallowed his insecurities and rested his left arm on the car as he leaned closer to you, you turned to find his face inches from yours and you swallowed nervously.

"Are you really asking me why?" he licked his lips and moved a little closer to you "You really need me to tell you?"

Your brain went blank, it was like you weren't able to think straight because the only thing going through your head was how good your childhood best friend's lips looked right there inches from you, tempting you to continue sinning like you had been doing all night.

"Daichi"

"Huh?"

"Kiss me" he didn't take half a second to do what you asked, his lips pressed against yours and his right hand went to your nape to allow him to deepen the kiss. Your lips parted giving him full access to your mouth where both began to fight for dominance.

You opened the door of your apartment quickly and entered being followed by the brunette who closed it behind him. He approached you to wrap his arms around your body kissing you again in the process, his presence in that state was by far the most dominant you had experienced, which frankly you didn't expect coming from someone like him who had always been good and kind with you, yet it didn't bother you in the slightest.

He got rid of your blouse in one movement, taking the time to enjoy the sight of your breasts up close in that bra that had mesmerized him all night without you noticing. He began to kiss your neck and one of his hands went to your back unfastening your bra without problems, he slid the straps slowly and then let it fall.

"Show me your hands" he demanded, looking into your eyes as he unbuckled his belt, his voice sounded deep and threatening, it fit perfectly with the aura he emanated, it made you want to obey him so you did.

He took off his belt and joined your hands and then tied them tightly making you let out a squeal, it hurt a little but it was exciting enough for you not to care, he raised your hands above your head holding the belt to pull it down and with his other arm around your waist before kissing you again taking the time to savor your lips.

He led you to the sofa where he made you sit down and then spread your legs wide with force, you didn't say anything you were too focused on following all of Daichi's movements, from his hands traveling to the button of your pants to unbuttoning it to his biceps standing out a bit when he yanked it off like it was the easiest thing in the world for him. Later he got rid of your panties leaving you completely naked in front of him and his look full of desire that made you feel small.

He knelt in front of you and then took your legs to put them on his shoulders, now having your wet pussy throbbing every time his breath collided with it, he licked his lips once more and turned for a second to see you, your face screamed despair, you wanted him to do something at once. A smirk rolled from him just before he slumped between your legs like a starving animal.

He made his tongue give a first lick of your pussy causing you to sigh at the contact and your legs tried to close around his head but he didn't care, he continued to give small licks to your clit while one of his fingers entered and left you without piety. You moaned and he increased speed, the sound of your wet cunt in conjunction with the noise caused by the mouth of the brown-haired man sucking your entrance was all that was heard in your apartment, the melodious lust resonating between the four walls of your living room.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck" You were only able to repeat that when you felt the tongue of your childhood best friend enter you, you had no idea that just that could make you a disaster but it did. Your breathing was completely irregular and your head couldn't process anything other than the pleasant feeling that was Daichi invading you with his tongue. "Daichi f-fuck me now"

Your sudden request disconcerted him for a second and he separated to look at you, you were trying to regulate your breathing, your hair was a mess and your pupils were completely dilated.

"What did you say?"

"Fuck me, I don't think I can t-take much more so ju-st do it"

He chuckled but decided to listen to you, he carried you on his shoulder to your room and then threw you onto the bed and without giving you time to escape, he tied the belt to the back of the bed as best he could. Your eyes cannot be taken away from him at any time, you watched very well how he removed his shirt, allowing you to appreciate his torso, then he took off his pants and threw them next to your bed.

You swallowed saliva and your eyes widened when you saw his erection, a reaction that internally made the brown-haired ego grow a bit, he had the small insecurity of not being enough compared to the others, however, you easily made him lose that fear.

Your entire body tensed when you saw him take off his boxers and then approach you on the bed, it was as if the moment of truth was looking you straight in the eyes, your legs trembled slightly when he opened them for him just before placing himself in the middle of these causing your heart to race. Daichi took his member with one hand to lead him to your entrance and you wanted to bring your hands to his face but the belt prevented it and you tried to pull to get away but it was impossible.

"If you want something you have to ask" He began to introduce the tip of his cock into you while placing both hands on the sides of your head, you arched your back as he entered fixing your eyes on his, you could never have imagined seeing him like this, on top of you with his dilated pupils and your legs encircling his body. And to be fair to him, it wouldn't have crossed his mind that he would end up with you moaning for him as you fretted over not having your hands free and your lips desperate to meet his.

"Kiss me"

Fulfilling your request, he put his lips together with yours just as he entered as deeply into you as he could, you moaned into his mouth feeling how he came out to reintroduce himself suddenly, your body feels extremely sensitive, so much that with a couple of thrusts you tightened around him as you felt the knot in your stomach build rapidly, he grunted and began to move faster sending you smoothly over the edge.

"Daichi I'm close" you whispered sobbingly against his lips, that prompted him to change position a bit, he moved away from your lips to take the back of your thighs with both hands and press them against your chest allowing him to reach much deeper inside you, reaching your cervix and going against it mercilessly. It made the sound of your bed slamming against the wall every time he lunged fill the entire room and perhaps be heard throughout your entire floor.

He seemed determined to enter you with such force that you thought he was going to break you and the truth is that his eyes were enraptured on your breasts, not even his senses allowed him to concentrate on the amount of force he put into each thrust he gave. Suddenly you couldn't take it anymore and you just cum around him, your legs wanted to close but with him still holding them it was impossible, the pleasure invaded you completely, a small tear slipped down your cheek and the overstimulation became unbearable.

Your fluids covered him completely, making it easier for him to get in and out of you, he really loved how you felt, he could stay that way as long as life allowed him and he wouldn't have any problem doing it, especially if it was accompanied by that beautiful expression of satisfaction that adorned your face.

The search for his own orgasm ended with a couple of thrusts, he stopped and you could feel how he came inside you, filling you completely, making an interesting mixture of his fluids with yours that began to slide from your entrance as soon as he came out of you.

Both were exhausted and trying to catch the breath as you two took the opportunity to look into each other's eyes, later smiling at each other despite the exhaustion. Daichi approached the back of the bed untied the belt and then gave you a tender kiss on the forehead.

The next day you opened your eyes after 10 in the morning without even caring that you had missed one of your classes, your whole body was so sore but it felt good to remember the reason for that pain.

You felt the bed expecting to meet Daichi but there was no one there, because he did care about his classes, not everyone could afford to miss like you. Although you didn't see him, you did notice that on your nightstand there was a note next to a small bag, which contained a morning-after pill that he had responsibly gone to buy for you. On the paper he informed you that he had prepared breakfast and you could look for it in the microwave when you woke up.

"How can he fuck me like a beast and be the sweetest person the next morning?" You asked yourself laughing and then take your cell phone and check the notifications, some interesting notifications.

You could have started losing your savings on a poker night but ended up gaining the attention of those four men, maybe it's true that the world works in mysterious ways.

[arandomferretsthoughts]

This popped into my brain and wouldnt leave so I wanted to share it with yall

—

A young boy and his parents are attacked on the street, only the boy makes it out.

It's a rare occurrence, an event like this, the police find the man and arrest him and everyone else is safe.

Bruce Wayne goes home to a mansion that feels larger and lonelier than ever, with only his butler to take care of him.

And yet the young boy finds himself too afraid to leave for more than necessities.

The young boy grows into a young man, he inherits his parents business and starts to leave his house a little more, unwilling to lose this connection to his lost parents but still he finds himself afraid, afraid to be around people, to be seen.

Until one day at a gala he must attend for the sake of the shareholders, he sees a man, a reporter, who holds himself in an odd way, clearly a tall and strong man who could be intimidating if he tried but the man held himself as if to appear smaller and unassuming, Bruce's brain flitters across the idea that the man is hiding something, or more hiding himself.

His brain that has soaked up comics and movies for years so as to not grow bored in his home.

And when he learns of all the good this reporter has been trying to do, he thinks the man would make a good superhero.

When he goes home the thought wont leave him alone, he thinks of a world with a hero, a world that needs a hero, one where his parents murder would have just been one of many, but this hero wouldn't have been there to help, he was too bright, a hero for the daytime, not for the shadows of night.

He thinks maybe he could have been a hero in this world, one that saves other kids from suffering a fate like his own.

One who is afraid and fights anyway.

The next time he leaves his home there's an event at a museum, with some special objects that are in town for a few days. There he sees a woman who knows so much about ancient relics and is so beautiful that he doesn't believe she could be just a normal human.

He thinks she would share her knowledge and kindness with the world given the chance.

While he remains mostly alone, other than his Parental figure/Butler, he also keeps in contact with two friends from when he was in school.

One is now a psychiatrist, with an interest in learning about fear and how it can change people, and the other a psychologist, both working at the city's asylum. 

Harleen is who Bruce considers his best friend, a goofy but kind girl who cares alot about others, she tells him about a patient, without going into much detail, who she claims would be cute if he wasn't so insane. Smiling and laughing while he talks about harming others. 

She got a boyfriend somewhere along the way, a man Bruce is sure abuses her but she can't seem to leave.

The three get in a fight one day, and lose contact, and Bruce supposes you can't have heroes without villains, though he can't bring himself to think of Harley as a villain by her own choice.

On the news Bruce learns of a man working to better science as they know it, a man who always seems to be a few minutes too late, he follows the story until the day something goes wrong and the man is there on time to shield workers from flying chemicals, killing him but saving others, Bruce thinks the man a hero in death, and could have been one in life, one who always made it to where he was needed just on time.

As time went on Bruce tried to get out more in normal ways, one night he went to the circus, he enjoyed it, reminding him of the day when he was little and his parents brought him to one just like it.

It was a few days later that he learned at the next show there was an accident, and a little boy lost his parents, he remembered being small and feeling alone when he had lost his, thankful for the man who cared for him he wished he could do the same for this little boy, but knew he didn't have the skills needed.

He could, however, make sure the boy got somewhere safe, and other kids like him too.

So he held a fundraiser and donated a lot of money into the foster system, doing what he could to make it safe.

And he thought of a world where he could have taken the little circus boy into his home, making it brighter and less lonely.

As he ventured out more and more Bruce travelled through different parts of the city, he saw a group of little children cowering behind one bigger who had just chased off a grown man, Bruce smiled as the kids cheered for the little hero.

It was the news that later told him the boy was dead, a homeless kid who stopped being seen, the little hero was gone.

Bruce held another fundraiser, this one for the homeless shelters and kitchens.

It was the news that told him the boy was not dead, found by the police, with other stolen children. 

Children that returned to a better place.

The day he lost his last parent is the day where he began to feel truly alone, the only person there for him gone, but Alfred would live forever in his memory's as the man who loved and cared for him.

He reached out to Harly again not wanting to be all alone, and they made up, he learned she had gotten free of her abusive boyfriend and had fallen for a woman who's love of nature was refreshing and new.

He knew little about his neighbours, but he tried to get to know them better, he struggled but eventually learned that the woman that lived there was very sick and that the man was not home much, when he learned of the child who spent so much of his time alone, he thought the kid was brave and told him if he ever needed anything to just ask.

The kid needed someone the day when his mother didn't wake up and his father wasn't home. Bruce did what he could, he was no father but he cared for the kid the best he could until his was able to return.

Bruce knew it was expected of him to have a family, someone to give his things and his business when he passed. He tried dating, but nothing ever seemed to work out.

However one day he learned of a child, a son, one the mother hadn't told him about, he tried to gain any sort of parental rights but couldn't get any custody, only visitation, he met the boy, a quiet but fiercely determined child, And he loved his son even without seeing him much.

When the quiet, hermit, billionaire Bruce Wayne, best known for appearing, donating large amounts of money to random causes and then disappearing again, passed away his belongings and company were to be split between two people, Timothy Drake, and Damian al Ghul, when the two met up to split his things, they found writings the man had never told anyone of.

Writings of a world where regular people became heroes, where aliens walked amongst humans, and where magic made lives exciting.

They agreed to publish the story's for the world to see.

To most people, the writings were just an entertaining fiction story that a billionaire wrote with his unlimited free time.

But to the retired reporter who knew his height frightened others, who now rested and found the stories learned that someone had seen how he stood, and what he had done and thought of him as a hero,

To the artefact collector and preserver who learned this man believed she was so knowledgeable about what she had strived to learn everything about, as well as beautiful, that he thought her to be blessed by the gods,

To the old psychologist who mourns her friend, a man who thought that no matter what she went through she'd always make the right choice in the end, 

To the family of a man who lost his life saving others, who this guy they had never met thought so highly of,

To the man that lost his only family to an accident at their circus, he was a man who wanted him get a good home, where'd he'd get anything he ever wanted, 

To a man that went through so much, believed dead for so long to learn this man who he had only seen once, saw him not as a poor homeless kid but as a fighter and protector,

To the boy that new the man for a short time, as a temporary guardian and protector, who made him feel safe and not alone when he needed it most, 

And To the boy who wished he could have known his father, but was kept away by his mother,

The storys showed to them all that this man, who some thought of as cold and egotistical, as he locked himself away and refused to be around others, was actually an anxious, lonely man, who saw what others didn't and cared about everyone in his own odd way.

—

I just thought it was a cool idea I wanted to share with yall, so I hope you guys like it

This is my first post on here, so please be nice,

Also, ignore any spelling or grammar mistakes Dyslexia goes brrr

If you want to know what I think he based the other heroes and character off of, just ask, and I'll figure it out!

Thanks for reading, and have a good day!

Edit:

Thanks for all the nice comments and reblogs :)

I genuinely didn't realize how sad this was, lol. Sorry, not sorry, guys

[orphiclovers]

I think the most notable bit of character insight on Yoo Joonghyuk that Yoo Mia SS provides is how much the apocalypse did not change him at all.

It's one of those Big Themes orv has, and simply brilliant writing. Y'know how they kept beating us over the head with the concept of 'the people who find it easiest to adapt in a ruined world are those who could not adapt to real life?'. That applies to YJH too, and even more than other characters. But it's hard to notice on a casual main story read because genre conventions and his character archetype tell us not to look deeper, that he is just a basic brooding power fantasy manhwa protagonist, even when he's really not.

So the audience writes off his quirks because it's expected of his brooding hero archetype and the other apocalypse survivors write off his quirks because everyone who has gotten this far is a little nuts and also they have bigger problems.

But when Yoo Joonghyuk acts exactly like he does during the apocalypse in a pre-scenario world where there's no convienient explanation it's really clear that he is different and he just comes off as...off.

His silence during conversations is no longer mysterious and cool but just weird and a failure to read social cues. His 'glare' is frightening and people don't like when he makes eye contact with them. His manner of speech is off-putting. His blank emotionless face is not stoic repressed hero-esque but ""rude"" etc etc. Every single mainstream society conforming person can tell there's something off about him so they avoid him. And YJH doesn't know how to communicate so he ends up totally friendless (save for a literal mafia boss and a crazy time-traveling teenage girl - and only them, because they don't fit well into society either.)

Umm where was I. So, but I don't know how much effect all of that has on World of Zero. Firstly, because between Yoo Mia side story and World of Zero there are 3-4 years of '?????' where afaik we have no idea what Yoo Joonghyuk was doing. He stopped being a gamer at some point but also got rich at the same time (doing what?) and bought the house he daydreamed about and also became a total shut-in who 'doesn't go outside often'. I have fanfic-y theories but nothing canon.

Onto the second part of the ask.

With World of Zero era joongdok I feel like there's a lot of writers out there who have made their own versions that are better than anything I could come up with so I hope you wont be disapointed. That being said I do have some thoughts.

Speaking of fanfic, here is mine under read more lol.

I think it's super that Kim Dokja gains the power of an omnipotent god and the very first thing he does is devote his time to Yoo Joonghyuk's happiness and safety. The whole reason he became OD was because of his massive guilt complex about YJH, so it makes sense that he would try to atone.

Zero starts off mistrusting him but gradually KDJ proves himself as having Zero's best interests at heart 100% of the time. DKOS is YJH's guardian angel. And then KDJ stays watching over him even after the scenarios were over, seeing him go through boring life milestones, happy as long as YJH is happy, for seemingly no reason.

So it's no wonder Yoo Jooghyuk fell in love.

He might not know Salvation's real name or appearance or anything about him but he wants to get to know him, this person who has saved him so many times while asking nothing in return. It doesn't matter that he's a constellation because he is good, Yoo Joonghyuk knows. He confesses all of this to Salvation, looking up at the sky with eyes sparkling with life and passion.

Salvation lets him down gently, for what it's worth, but rejection is still rejection and it hurts.

In the following weeks, as he goes through the motions and pretends nothing happened, he continues to feel the gaze of Salvation on his back, but the constellation stays mercifully silent. Yoo Joonghyuk does not want to know if it's pity he's looking at him with. Even heartbreak heals, of course. Months pass, then years. Lee Seolhwa was a dependable companion to him during the scenarios and stays a steadying presence in the world after. They're compatable. She is someone with who he could see himself growing old.

Salvation told him to 'be free, to fall in love with someone who could be with him, to not waste his time chasing after a dream, to live his life to the fullest'

He knows about his attribute of course, just like he knows everything about Yoo Joonghyuk.

Yoo Joonghyuk sees no point in lying. He tells Lee Seolhwa everything. How due to his attribute he will grown old and die while the rest of them stay youthful as ever, how he doesn't remember his childhood or know his parents. His hopes and dreams, how he yearns to learn his origins. About the first scenario, about the constellation who would have been his sponsor, whom he loves.

Then he asks to marry her. She says yes.

Salvation is the first person Yoo Joonghyuk tells. He's happy for him, of course, says he always knew there was a spark between them.

They live a long 50 years together.

When Yoo Joonghyuk's hair started turning more salt than pepper, he told Lee Seolhwa that he wouldn't hold her. She laughed, stroked his head and said that she might not look it but she is two years older than him, that she vowed to be by his side till death did them apart and she will not break that promise.

When his time comes and he knows he has to leave, he tries to explain himself to Lee Seolhwa at least, if not the rest of his old companions. But he needn't have bothered. Before he could start, she took his hands in hers and smiled wistfully. She told him she always knew this day would come. That his heart has always belonged to someone else. She's thankful for the time he has given her anyway and that she could not have asked for a better husband. She sheads a few tears and Yoo Joonghyuk does too, but he leaves their house with a sense of purpose and a lightness in his heart he has not felt once since the day he beat the final scenario.

And then he accepts the sponsorship contract with Salvation.

... .. Sooo, that's how I think round zero went.

[cattimeswithjellie]

Server Tour Stream Recap (Gem POV) 6-13-2024

((It's finally done! It's 13,000 words long! It is also available on AO3 (as are all the other recaps) if you can't read it here, just look for my username Etraytin!))

1:55 Gem opens the stream and greets the chat. She’s inside her base, grabbing rockets because today is a special day! She’s streaming a Hermitcraft meeting, which is weird, but this meeting is actually a server tour where everyone will get a chance to see one anothers’ bases. The tour was Joe’s idea and some people will be streaming, some recording. Gem already recorded today, so here she is!

3:00 Gem joins in on the server tour voice group, where the Hermits are complimenting each others’ weird outfits. Ren is showing off his new skin, a Gigacorp space suit. Cleo tells him he no longer looks like a kid who dressed himself. Ren tells them that was the mission, to regain some semblance of dignity. Cleo would not go that far. Gem adjusts the sound levels to make everyone more audible, just as Cleo asks everyone who is streaming to mute for a moment. Apparently she has more to say about Ren’s outfit. Joe and Gem both confirm that they will not be deafening. Cleo tells Ren she will talk with him later about the thing she just noticed about his outfit. Ren doesn’t like the sound of this. Bdubs asks Ren where exactly the pink stripe is on his outfit. Ren, somewhat defensively, says it’s on his belt buckle. Cleo is still laughing. Joel crouches for a good look as Bdubs decides he knows everything he needs to know. Joel makes a comment about something peeking just a little bit. He could be talking about the microphones, sure. Gem scolds the Hermits, reminding them that Cleo wasn’t even going to say it! Cleo admits that wasn’t what she was going to mention. Ren admits that he’s just sen what the other Hermits are seeing, and he hates his life. He tells everyone he’ll see them next season and leaves the game.

5:20 Gem checks volume levels with Chat, just as Jono raids into the stream. Chat is real distracted by Ren’s outfit, but they attempt to participate in the volume check. In the background, Joe explains that he has four shulkers of lava to represent the lava pool from the start of the season, where they’d once intended to meet to kick off their world tour. The Hermits begin digging a new lava pool. Ren comes back and says this reminds him of 1.7, just flat grass and lava. Gem has missed Joe’s explanation of why they are digging the lava pool, but she has to resist the temptation to knock her friends into it. She punches Joel instead, who tries to shoot her with an arrow. Cleo really hopes that Hypno, whose yard the new pool is in, chose this exact spot to log out.

7:30 The question is raised, whose base to visit first? Xisuma is the obvious choice, being as how it is literally right there, but he claims to be “wildly unprepared.” Joe suggests that this will just make the other Hermits feel better about their own bases. They wait for everyone to join who is coming, while Ren appreciates the Eye of Sauron (Cub’s glass firework) staring down upon them all. While they are waiting, the group resumes teasing Ren. Cleo jokes that if Ren thinks eyes look like that, he should see an optician. Xisuma asks Ren how many fingers he’s holding up. (“One stump,” Ren answers accurately.) Gem comments on Ren’s brand new facial hair. Gigacorp Ren has been working hard and has had no time to shave.

9:20 Gem thanks subs and donos, then authorizes her mods to ban a chatter who is misbehaving. Ren wishes he could grow a nice beard IRL like Bdubs. Bdubs is of the opinion it is as much a burden as a blessing. He is clearly trying to make Ren feel better. Bdubs and Cleo debate whether Johnny Depp is still a sex symbol. The guys jump in on the side of Johnny Depp. Joel claims that his granddad is a sex symbol and he’s 80. Joe guesses that Joel’s grandfather is Mick Jagger. Cleo doesn’t want to hear about anybody’s grandfather being sexy. Gem is visibly rebooting on her facecam, trying to figure out what has happened to the conversation during her thirty seconds away. She demands to know what they are even talking about. Joel tells her nothing, it’s fine. She begins punching him in the direction of the lava. He sets her on fire. She scolds him for being violent. Chat says nobody should set Gem on fire during pride month.

10:50 Cleo demands to know if there’s actually a way to stop Gem from punching people. Joel says sure, just hit her back (with a fire aspect sword, apparently). Gem says that Joel can, with the heavy implication that she doesn’t believe Cleo has Joel’s skill in hitting back. Ren says this is all a very wholesome start to their evening of base tours. The Hermits gather around the lava pool and demand Xisuma jump in so things can be just like they were in Episode One. Xisuma welcomes everyone to the first mini world tour of the season and jumps in the lava. He catches on fire and is extinguished by the others. They all feel very nostalgic about it. Cleo asks if this means Demise is starting again. Joe says it’s time to go trap Bdubs. Bdubs is unenthusiastic. Gem punches Joel one more time to show she will not be intimidated, and then it is time to go!

11:50 Joe asks what inspired Xisuma’s base design, he says “Stuff I saw on Google.” It’s a loose interpretation of Aztec building design. The garden is the first stop, Gem loves it. They discuss his garden design, which makes use of cherry leaves to drop petals and the new tuff blocks. Cleo critiques the sinister aesthetic of X’s villager farm, but Gem is distracted by a palm tree made of diamond blocks. This was a payment from Keralis, who has too many diamonds. Joel is jealous and complains that nobody is buying his honey, still. He doesn’t have the honeycomb permit and nobody wants honey blocks. Cleo says that they will all buy honey from him now just to stop him complaining about it. Gem does not mind the complaining and heckles Joel about how much better honeycomb is than honey. Bdubs asks why anyone would ever need a whole stack of honey blocks and asks if Joel sells individual blocks. Joel says sure, but they’re six diamonds so you might as well buy the stack for the same price.

14:30 Gem wanders into the storage room and exclaims over the massive wall of brightly-colored shulker boxes. The group has broken up by now. Xisuma leads everyone into the storage room, where they agree with Gem’s initial impression of “_so many_ shulker boxes.”Xisuma explains that behind the extraordinary number of shulker boxes is an extraordinary amount of redstone. He has a shulker unloader and all the boxes are filters to sort into. He also has a shulker box mod that puts a picture of the item on each shulker box, rather than being an enormous blank wall of shulkers like it is to Gem and Chat. He explains a bit more how the system works while the Hermits make an enormous racket opening shulker boxes. Joe asks what a potion of strength is for and why Xisuma is making them. Xisuma has no answers for him.

16:20 Gem wanders away again, down a labyrinth of underground tunnels. Xisuma explains that he wanted to connect the two halves of his base, but he decided to make a twisted and turning tunnel rather than a straight shot. Bdubs appreciates how mazelike it feels. Gem slides down the up side of the honey elevator amd gets stuck, losing track of the others in the process. False and Doc are also stuck, so at least she has company in the claustrophobic space. They figure themselves out and rejoin the group, except for Joel who is stuck in a spiderweb and Doc, who is stuck in the elevator. Now that Gem has figured it out, she loves the honey elevator. Bdubs finds a horse named “Nametag.” Cleo gets stuck in the elevator and declares it broken. The other hermits gather on the roof while Xisuma coaxes Cleo out of the elevator. Gem punches Joe into the elevator shaft but he has figured it out and doesn’t even lodge a protest as he climbs out.

20:10 Xisuma gives up on Cleo and wishes them the best of luck before leading the group on the flying portion of the base tour. Someone, probably Joe, is flying with explosive rockets. Gem exclaims that she has never been to this part of the base before and it is way bigger than she thought it was. It is indeed very large. X says this part is not decorated yet, but it’s for all his autocrafting and tree farms. His combination tree farm/autocrafter can make every different type of wood block. Gem is on the other side of the large space, but the Hermits near the tree-farm area begin uh-ohing as Doc (proprietor of Big Wood) unsheathes his sword. X also shows off his bamboo autocrafting area where he makes mosaic blocks to Bdubs (holder of the bamboo permit) just so he can bother all his friends equally. Bdubs is not impressed, partly because he has a setup like that already and partly because nobody will buy mosaic blocks. Cleo, fresh out of the elevator, says she’s bought some, that she’s been trying to buy stuff off everyone. ((Cleo, the owner of the S-Tier enchanting books permit and the hay bales permit, is somewhere in the top 3 of richest Hermits.)) Bdubs thanks her graciously and says she’s doing a wonderful job. False suggests the reason Xisuma has a diamond block tree is because he doesn’t need to buy anything. Doc heaves a sigh.

22:10 Xisuma wants to make sure to mention that the permits are for selling materials, but if people just want to be given items for free, they can come over here and take what they need. Reactions to this are very mixed, mostly based on who is selling what commodities. Cleo is laughing pretty hard. Doc threatens a lawsuit, which of course segues back into the pig murder saga. Joel interrupts this by killing the horse that has been down in this hole for ages, much to Xisuma’s chagrin. Joel claims it was unavoidable because he got stuck in the water, but Joel’s penchant for horse-murder is well known. Doc tries to use this as proof to Cleo that killing nameless animals in people’s bases is totally normal for this server and they can’t be mad about it, Cleo tells him to come back and say it to their face, see how it goes. Doc decides not to press his luck and demurs, saying Judge Bdubs will decide. Joe has been preparing his arguments and is ready for court! Doc smugly tells Cleo that he’s lawyered up, what do they think about that? Cleo thinks that Doc’s lawyer is very punchable.

23:40 This seems like a good time to move on with the tour. Ren seems like the next closest for a base tour. Ren insists upon full immersion and makes everyone land at X’s base so they can go in through the back door. Cleo says “I don’t want-” and makes some kind of horrible strangled laughing noise even as Bdubs hisses “stop it!” at them. Gem insists that Cleo keep it together, and if they have to say it, they had doggone well better mute first. The whole group is clearly thinking the exact same joke, but nobody else was brave enough to voice it. Ren sighs. Cleo insists that anybody else in the group is allowed to sigh, but not Ren, presumably because this is all his fault and also usually he’d be the first one making the double entendre joke.

24:45 Ren leads the way into the immersive experience of his research base, which is best experienced on foot and with gas masks on, on account of the many extremely toxic gases in the air. Most of the Hermits ignore this warning but Xisuma, the only Hermit who literally has a space helmet as part of his skin, puts on a wolf mask for safety. Ren escorts everyone through the bioscanner that is supposed to detect hostile aliens. Doc plays at not being able to get through the scanner. Cleo suggests killing him and Gem helpfully throws a few punches in his direction. Doc notices Ren’s beard, which he grew during many sleepless nights of researching. Gem admires the many pickles being used in the terraforming, but Cleo points out that Ren will definitely have some kind of alien, non-pickle name to call them by.

25:40 Ren explains that the lore of his base is that it is a pop-up prefab dome placed on many planets and powered by liquid sulfur that is produced by the weird toxic plants that grow up around it. He leads them into the decontamination chamber and shows off the HC10 Lore Capsule, which is full of artifacts from the first stream weekend of the season. He describes his build palette and everyone is actually quiet long enough to listen, up until Gem notices her own heads mounted on the wall of the chamber. Ren is proud of his fighting prowess. Gem admits he is surprisingly good with a trident.

27:50 Ren leads the way to the hangar bay, which doubles as his storage room. Gem is surprised to notice how empty it is, and Ren admits he hasn’t got much stuff in it yet. She is disappointed and says she thought he was so organized. Bdubs points out that it’s easy to organize nothing. Ren shows off the nicely decorated command center and gets a little heckling for his stuffed mailbox. Joel would hate to see what Ren’s email inbox looks like, Ren doesn’t want to talk about it. Everyone admires the computer screens False worked out for Ren’s walls, made of rotated banners on armor stands. Ren apologizes that there is no way out of the hangar bay without flying, so Gem helpfully leaves a scaffold ladder on her way out.

29:50 Ren shows off the microbiomes within his big custom biome, including the fungus-treed Mytreelium Biome. He shows off the “liquid sulfur” lake made of honey blocks. Joel approves heartily and begs people to buy more honey. Gem gamely points out that she can see dirt beneath the honey blocks and it ruins the effect. A deeper lake of honey, maybe even several layers, would surely help. Xisuma finds a little honey-lined cave and jumps in to investigate before realizing he can’t get out. He warns the others not to jump down there. Gem instantly attempts to punch Joel into the honey. Ren points out his mud farm and his stonemasons. The Hermits are very upset about the living conditions for the stonemasons, who do not have gas masks. Ren admits that the civilians here do not have a very long life expectancy. He points out the outer wall and explains that it exists to contain the infection of alien biome on the outside world. “Please come and visit The Infection!” Cleo quips.

32:30 Ren’s favorite part of his base is the exploration truck, which has featured in many of his livestreams already. The Hemits really like the truck. Gem and Joel immediately hop into the cockpit and pretend to drive it, complete with engine noises. When they try to rejoin the tour and see the lounge, Ren scolds them for not driving. Getting out of the truck is harder than getting it, and Joel and Gem both plaster themselves against the door thanks to Doc fiddling with the lever. Everybody likes Ren’s base.

35:00 False is suggested as the next base for touring. She starts her tour at the bridge, where her own severed head is welcoming people. Joel says it’s creepy, she points out that it’s fairly tame compared to what was in Ren’s base. Skizz joins the tour a bit late and tags along. Gem appreciates the decorative melons. False remembers to ask Joel to please not kill her rabbit. She shows off her armor stand work, which Joel interprets as “a child who is also a blast furnace” but is actually a small robot interacting with a potter. Doc makes a reference to the movie Ghost that is enough of a reach that even the Hermits old enough to remember Ghost (1990) don’t get it until he explains it. This is going to be a market area with more armor stand work on the way, according to False.

37:10 It turns out False’s base is much bigger on the inside than it appeared, with multiple layers full of storage and farms. Gem is impressed by the size of the place, though False points out that it’s less impressive after seeing Xisuma’s monstrosity. False’s base does have the advantage of looking less like an enormous hole in the ground, though. Her farms are nicely organized and separated by catwalks. The Hermits are impressed. Doc tries to beg a torchflower off False, but she is firm that he should buy them at the flower shop. Bdubs, obviously familiar with the medium, asks False if she regrets using so much copper in the build. She admits she has had to call Xisuma a few times in a panic because she doesn’t have enough copper blocks for her roof. Bdubs understands completely, but also agrees copper is worth it because it is so beautiful. Joel falls off a catwalk with a scream, Gem is immediately inspired to try and punch Doc in as well. Gem just does, like, so much punching when she is in a group.

39:00 Gem adjusts the volume on Skizz, who is nearly inaudible in the continuing vocal scrum. Xisuma realizes that Skizz is wearing the arrow-through-the-head hat and is amused and impressed. False leads the way to her next building, with Joel and Bdubs passing judgment on her excessive use of copper trapdoors (a judgment clearly motivated by envy). False admits to transitioning to jungle wood for part of the build to save on copper, but it’s still a lot of copper. Joel sounds like he’s about ready to cry, imagining all the copper blocks sacrificed to make what is admittedly a very large amount of copper trapdoors. Chat is worried because they can’t hear Skizz, but Skizz is not talking and there’s nothing Gem can do about that. ((Skizz addressed this in his own stream later, saying he was mostly quiet during the base tour because he likes watching other people interact. He does the same thing at parties.))

40:30 Gem loves all the nooks and crannies in False’s base. False intends to add more paths and bridges, and that she hopes people will be able to get lost in her base. Joel says a lot of bases are like that this season, especially Ren’s once he expands that honey river (hint, hint.) False tells him to wait til he sees the new river she is going to install there. Chat is still hung up on the fact that Skizz’s voice chat icon keeps lighting up when he is not talking, and they are not taking “noise gate issue” for an answer. Gem begins punching him to try and get a verbal reaction from him. He fast-crouches at her instead, which is unhelpful. She asks him flat-out if he is talking and he says no, he’s just listening. Chat is appeased, for now.

42:10 Cleo’s base is next on the tour. Before they go, Xisuma asks Joe if today’s date for the tour is significant in any way, like the server being however many months old or something. Joe says no, it’s just a summer kickoff base tour to see progress. Watchers who have been busy with school exams or joining up for summer can see what’s going on. Cleo once again starts their tour on a bridge, but unlike Ren’s toxic air or False’s severed head, this one’s got a gun! The hermits want to know why Cleo’s got a gun, but Cleo says it’s very important to be prepared. The Hermits declare Cleo to be a doomsday prepper. Cleo leads the way down into their mine, a place Doc obviously associates with unpleasant memories. ((Doc and Cleo are embroiled in a court case over an incident where Doc killed Cleo’s special pig down in this mine.))

44:00 Xisuma asks if they’ve gone past the part where the big hole was. The group arrives at the big hole. Gem immediately punches Cleo into the big hole. Why is Gem like this? No one knows. Joel asks Cleo why she has a big hole. Cleo begins “Well, Joel…” and is immediately shouted down by the other Hermits. Why are any of them like this? No one knows. Cleo says there will eventually be a monster down at the bottom of the hole, when Sodium pulls itself together and fixes its glass lighting bugs. The monster will have huge glowing eyes. Joel asks why the guns on the bridge are pointed at Iskall, rather than down this hole. “Wouldn’t you point a gun at Iskall?” Cleo asks reasonably. Gem agrees that Iskall does seem more dangerous. The others agree. Joel is new, he will learn. Xisuma asks Cleo if they didn’t build a huge monster at the bottom of a hole back in Season II. Cleo’s answer amounts to “what are you, a cop?” but basically there is no connection. Bdubs theorizes that it speaks to something psychological. Cleo admits that big holes are their brand and have been for the past thirteen years.

45:15 Cleo gives everyone permission to leave their hole. Joe is still flying with explosive rockets, which seems painful. Joel sets Gem on fire again but does put her out with a bucket of water. Cleo advises anyone staying behind to watch out for wardens. Ren likes the mineshaft. Joel compliments the length of the shaft, then takes refuge in context. Chat is not fooled, but they are amused. Cleo leads the way into the Engineer’s House which is the heart of their base at the moment. Gem loves Cleo’s corkboard-backed workbench a lot. Bdubs wants to see it real bad, but he is still stuck in the mine. Skizz wanders off into a protected area and is hauled back, but he’s not streaming so no one sees anything.

46:50 Joel notices Cleo’s shop trophies and is impressed and appalled that anyone has made 750 diamonds from their shops. Cleo tell him she has made 2272 diamonds from her shops. Cleo has the S-Tier Books permit and the surprise hit Hay Bales permit and has been doing extremely well for herself. Joel remarks that this is 27 times the amount he has made from his shops. False asks if this means they are getting paid to go on this tour. Cleo asks if she wants some pity diamonds because she will give her pity diamonds. False will always accept pity diamonds. Cleo shows off the storage area. Ren spends a lot of time in here, both because he likes the way running on copper grate floor sounds and also just to steal stuff. Cleo’s armor stand work and decoration in the engineer’s house is on-point, as always. The other Hermits are visibly and audibly mining the house for ideas.

49:00 Bdubs wants to ask a question. He wants to know if Cleo does kitbashing stuff at home. Cleo does not know what kitbashing is, but agrees that it sounds right once it is explained. They lead the way to the wizard’s tower, where a demon may or may not be being summoned. Being Hermits, Gem and the others are unable to resist the lure of trapdoor floors and get stuck in the crawlspace for a moment, but are quickly distracted by the very unearthly-looking creature Cleo has put together in the demon-summoning circle. It is mostly made of skulk, with large flint-and-steel claws, and has a skulk sensor for a mouth. The skulk sensor’s fronds are still gently waving, which makes everything ten times more disturbing. The Hermits are full of delighted disgust for the creature and admiration for the twisted workings of Cleo’s mind. False is not visiting Cleo anymore. Someone asks what its name is, and a brief workshopping session yields “FredJeff.” Gem’s more reasonable suggestion of Jeffred is ignored. Everyone also likes the eyes and parts in jars on Cleo’s shelves. It’s really a very disturbing room. Skizz asks why the compass on the wall is going nuts (It is a recovery compass, labeled a “Magus Reality Compass”) and Cleo tells him it is a reality compass and reality is very thin here. Everyone mocks Skizz for not knowing what a magus reality compass is.

52:50 Gem sees people going onto the balcony and immediately punches Joel off it. They fight briefly and are distracted by the cake-juggling robot on Cleo’s roof. Joe injures himself with another explosive rocket. Gem runs back and forth along the rooflines until finally she sees someone standing close to an edge. She punches False off the roof and is momentarily satisfied. Ren is disturbed by a terrible noise, it is Joe drinking honey because flying with exploding rockets and recovering by drinking honey is all part of the Joe Hills Difference. Joe does specify that he bought the honey from Keralis, probably just to rub it in for Honey-Block Joel.

54:40 Skizz’s base is the next spot on the tour, so the group heads off to his ominous partial-pyramid and mouth-shaped base. Someone notes that it’s Pearl’s birthday. Ren asks if it wasn’t Pearl’s birthday yesterday? Gem explains that both things are true because Time Zones. The group agrees that if Pearl joins the group, they must sing to her. Joe immediately invites her to join the voice group. Pearl messages back that her inventory was a mess, but she is heading over. Skizz lands the grounp in his front yard and explains, somewhat wearily, that it has become a whole thing for him that he saves any gift he is given, including bizarre lawn art. He also has a wall of presents in item frames inside his base. Impulse gave him poop to put on the wall. Chat jokes that Gem is trying not to fangirl over the Eefo (Skizz’s guess-the-build Etho) statue on the lawn.

55:45 Most of Skizz’s efforts so far have been on the pyramid, trying to make a near-impossible maze to challenge their ability to survive. He invites anybody who wants to to strip naked and try to survive. Joel is interested, but intimdated. Skizz says he’s very forward on his dates. Chat has seen Pearl join the voice chat and is very excited to wish her happy birthday again. The other Hermits encourage Joel to strip down and get on with it. Joel asks if he’s going to die, Skizz tells him “Most definitely.” That’s okay, Cleo brought a bed along.

56:30 The next section of the tour is a radio play, with Gem wandering through the exterior of the maze and listening as Joel and Ren try to navigate the dangerous maze. Ren dies almost immediately. Joel lasts a bit longer, but they both die to the magma blocks. False didn’t enter the maze but still somehow falls in a hole and gets stuck. With both contestants dead, Skizz explains a little bit of the maze, how this layer is just about physical survival and getting to the next level. Gem finds Pearl and, of course, punches her. Everyone wishes Pearl Happy Birthday. There is a truly horrifying rendition of the birthday song from all the assembled Hermits as Pearl dodges more punches and probably reevaluates some life choices. Chat is amused and horrified all at once. Pearl gamely declares it beautiful.

59:50 Because it is her birthday, Pearl decides that the next activity is hitting the fish block. The other hermits join in except for Gem, who prefers to punch Pearl some more. Joel punches Gem and tells her that it’s Pearl’s birthday, let her slap the salmon. Gem thinks it sounds weird when you say it like that. Bdubs tells Skizz he should call the pyramid Decked Out 3. Everyone laughs as Skizz vehemently says he would never do that. He asks Pearl if everyone has seen Wordle. Joe points out that Pearl might well be the next stop on the server tour! Pearl demurs, saying she’s just waking up, and Bdubs tells her it’s her birthday so she doesn’t have to do a tour if she doesn’t want to. Gem sneaks away from the group and posts a sign saying “dECKED OUT 3” over the door to the pyramid.

1:00:40 Cleo points out that what Pearl seems to want to do is jump into fire and berry bushes, based on her current behavior. If no Pearl tour that means Gem is next, being Skizz’s next-door neighbor and all. ((It is not entirely clear whether Skizz started talking Wordle to avoid having to show off his massive and embarrassing chest monster next, but nonetheless it worked really well.)) Gem is glad to do her base tour before Joel’s. Joel asks why but she doesn’t want to have to pay him a compliment out loud so just says her base isn’t quite finished. She leads the group into the Collector’s House and talks about how her base is inspired by the video game Dredge.

1:01:20 Gem shows off her fighting arena, but admits she hasn’t fought anyone in awhile. Joel asks if she wants to fight and she says no. This is clearly a lie since at one hour into this stream her Hermits Punched count stands at 13, mostly Joel. “She’s hungry,” Pearl observes. “Back out,” Bdubs advises. The other Hermits back up rapidly into the viewing area, leaving Gem alone in the middle of the arena, laughing. False notices that Ren has not left the sands and is in fact standing there with no armor. “Ren’s volunteered!” she observes. Ren agrees, saying that he will fight Gem, but the weapon of choice will be fish. Gem is unsure about all this, but agrees to fight so long as Ren gets her a fish too. He dives into the water, presumably to collect some fish. Gem sets her spawn.

1:02:00 Ren comes back with fish and sets his spawn as well. Skizz asks if this is going to be a thirty minute battle, then? Joel insists Gem remove her armor. Armed with raw salmon, Gem and Ren engage in a fish-slap battle to the death, witnessed by a third of the server. Gem starts very strong but her usual tactics don’t work too well in a fight without critical hits or weapon damage and Ren defeats her after a protracted battle. It’s an upset, Chat and the watching Hermits are all stunned. Ren admits that the whole thing was a Mission Possible quest. He needed to fish slap someone to death. Ren offers to let Gem kill him and she does not hesitate to do so, plunking his head-trophy down onto the sand.

1:03:40 Gem decides it is time to move on with the tour. Chat is teasing her about being as washed up as Etho, but they are also pleased to have acquired a rare Gigacorp Ren head for the collection. She shows off the anglerfish-shaped fish market and the horsin’ tunnel. False and Cleo have a low-voiced conversation in the background over whether a fixture in the shop is a toilet or just a box. Gem admits she doesn’t have many of the spooky organic elements added to her build yet, those will come later, but Chat wants her to show off her pineapple farm. She leads the way to her decorative patch of “pineapples” that are all Tango heads with armor-stand ferns on them. The Hermits are impressed and creeped out. Bdubs admits he didn’t know pineapples grew out of the ground. Gem shows the group down to her storage room, then shows off her power lines. Pearl plays the “That’s amazing!” horn. Gem demands she put it away, Pearl absolutely refuses.

1:06:00 Gem shows off her new mangrove trees, along the path that will one day lead towards Etho’s base. She explains the strange red rune that will one day play a creepy heartbeat when approached (and explains that this is also not Decked Out 3), and then it is time to go see Joel’s base. Joel’s base is extremely impressive from the sky and the Hermits are exclaiming over it before they even land. Skizz mutters that it feels just great living right next to him. Joel has somehow never noticed the sign left over from the Permit Trials on the chest of his Joel statue, but he sees it now.

1:07:00 Joel stands under his front gate and welcomes everyone to his Japanese cyberpunk-inspired base. He’s terraformed “a bit” of the mountain to make it look better. The first thing everyone needs to see is definitely his little shrine to the Ocean Goddess and her consort, which is of course a statue of Ocean Queen Lizzie and King Joel of Mezalea from Season One of the Empires SMP. Joel’s internet is terrible but his armor stand work is excellent and the statue is quite impressive. Cleo tells him the statue is very cute, and he agrees and says it is because he is adorable. He leads the way up into the city, where a beautiful facade conceals a very utilitarian villager breeder. Gem begins flipping trapdoors. Joel’s city aesthetic is cute little buildings separated by very narrow alleys, so the place is soon full of disoriented Hermits wandering around and trying to find the group. Joel shows off highlights like his mailbox and a fishtank that doesn’t have any fish in it yet. In a little restaurant off the beaten path, Bdubs finds a horse head and gets very upset about Joel’s continuing history of horse murder. Joel says it wasn’t him.

1:10:00 Xisuma asks how many rooms are in this build, Joel can’t even begin to guess. He says probably quite a lot, which seems accurate. Ren wonders, of all the blocks in Minecraft, how many of them have already been incorporated into this city. Joel says he’s trying to use as many as possible to add color and life to the city. He shows off his axolotl tank and the office where he grows his glowberries. He tells the group that, for the benefit of whoever bought out all his glowberry stock, there is more available now. Skizz cheerfully admits he did it for a Mission Possible. Joel thinks that’s a great mission and tells him he should do it again. He has a squid tank and a cactus farm and a tiny little storage room that he is already outgrowing. Pearl doesn’t understand how he can stay organized in such a small storage room. Gem theorizes that he uses every block he acquires so he doesn’t have to store it. Joel admits that there are blocks stored everywhere in random decorative barrels, completely disorganized. Pearl groans in disappointment. Ren and Skizz have found the jacuzzi bath and jumped in for a soak, which is entirely against base tour etiquette. Joel tells them that the water in that tub hasn’t been changed since episode 3, so maybe they shouldn’t be bathing in it at this point.

1:12:00 Ren tries to eat a carrot and accidentally steals a plant from a pot. False yells at him about it. Gem flips a bunch more trapdoors, apparently because she likes the noise. Someone pushes a button and activates the doorbell that Cub made for Joel. Joel shows the way to his honey farm, musing aloud about how awesome honey is and how great it would be if the Hermits decided to buy a lot of it. Ren asks how Joel manages inventory without losing his mind, given his massive build palette. Joel cheerfully admits he loses his mind. Gem confirms this by finding the walls covered in signs reading “BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ.” Bdubs says it’s like A Beautiful Mind. Joel hates the bees, they are annoying, they produce honey and it doesn’t sell. More Hermits should buy honey. “Good job making a sucky product!” Bdubs tells him (or possibly the bees, it’s hard to say.) Chat points out that Xisuma has taken off the wolf mask and is now wearing Gem’s head.

1:13:30 Joel shows off a few more buildings, all of them empty, and admits that’s basically it. He is roundly mocked for that phrasing after showing off his massive and intricate build. He remembers one more thing he wants to show off and leads everyone to the bar. Bdubs asks if there are more horse heads down there and Joel says definitely not. The Hermits are very impressed by the bar, which includes lava walls covered by trapdoors that create glowing designs. Bdubs finds a horse head and starts yelling again. Joel says that’s not his. Pearl points out that Bdubs has murdered plenty of horses this season and Bdubs claims he would never murder a horse. Pearl demands to see his statistics. He says his are broken. Everyone agrees that the build is amazing. Pearl is glad Joel used purpur. Bdubs and Ren ask about the beacon beam, which is candy striped; Joel came up with the idea himself and it is made of stained glass.

1:16:10 It’s Pearl’s time to shine! Joel wants to get a look at Wordle. Pearl points out it’s not at her base, but they can visit it after. She leads the way to her base and starts everyone at her little truck, explaining the lore of her solarpunk base for the season. This truck in particular crafts a button every day and every night, letting her know how long her chunks have been loaded. Etho signs on. Chat is _very_ excited. Pearl leads the way over to her enchanting area while Gem hisses to Chat to stop being such fangirls. Chat will never stop. Pearl shows off the maps on the walls, Ren points out that the maps are not accurate to current time. Pearl explains that they are to show off the history of the neighborhood as it gets built up, and the other Hermits roundly heckle him for not getting that. Bdubs tells him to “Go back to your sulfur mines, you freak,” then apologizes for going too far. Pearl is stunned that everyone used her doors correctly for the first time. Abashed, Gem goes back and flips all the trapdoors.

1:18:30 Pearl shows off her farming, complete with solar-powered irrigation system. Nighttime is coming, so Bdubs deploys his bed, only to have Pearl mine it out from under him. He graciously forgives her because it’s her birthday, but someone else picked up his bed and he needs it back. Ren deploys the bed and sleeps on it, stealing the night while Bdubs sputters. Pearl next takes the group to her starter base and its horrifying doorbell. Pearl has been doing some armor stand work in here and is happy to show off to Cleo, who declares it adorable and cute. Pearl leads the way down to her storage room and its pillager-head-on-a-noteblock that quickly overwhelms everyone’s audio. Etho has joined up with the tour now and Chat is begging Gem to punch him. They believe he came late to avoid obsession allegations at Gem and Joel’s bases.

1:20:30 Cleo tells Pearl she’s going to steal the idea of leather helmets for stools because it is so good. Pearl shows the group her bedroom and Gem attacks the many available trapdoors. Bdubs likes the scale Pearl is using, with three block ceilings that make a more naturalistic environment for people used to nine foot ceilings IRL. Cleo agrees they would like it if there were less of them in there, because having so many Hermits in one bedroom is definitely turning the vibe from coziness to claustrophobia. Pearl shows off her stables and mailbox and some more farming stuff, Gem flips more trapdoors. Pearl acknowledges that she sees what Gem is doing. Pearl is building a solarium for her sniffers and allay, then takes everyone to the purpur farm. It’s very cool-looking and everyone is impressed. Pearl insists on stopping in the middle of the tour so she can collect up the arrows and replant the farm. Bdubs says that is very rude and Joe scolds him for it because it is Pearl’s birthday. Bdubs reluctantly agrees.

1:24:50 Pearl shows the furnace array/bamboo farm Tango helped her build. She points out that her farm makes bamboo planks to put in the furnaces, so she still buys her bamboo from Bdubs. Bdubs is quite pleased about this, but Etho scoffs and says that’s much too expensive, she might as well be burning her diamonds. Pearl also shows off her casual-flex chandeliers, which are made of beacons she bought at Ren’s shop. Etho asks if there is a discount for beacons bought solely for lighting, Ren says there is not. Doc, who has so many diamonds this season that he is using them for redstone building blocks, mocks Etho for being a cheapskate. Gem asks Pearl to show off the pickles in the trees and advertise her shops too. Pearl is pleased to show off her pickle-festooned trees. She has six or seven stacks of pickles spread through her trees for lighting purposes. Joe asks what the white rocket-shaped things are, Pearl explains they are wind generators for a solarpunk world. She also has a copper and cherry watermill generating more imaginary power. Bdubs mentions how much he likes the “apple trees”, custom trees built with berry bushes in them to simulate fruit trees. Joel mentions there are a ton of beacons in this base, and Ren must be really rich. Cleo laughs and suggests maybe Ren should buy honey. Joe says he also buys a ton of beacons, so Ren must be doing really well. Ren thanks him for his patronage but is noncommittal about buying honey.

1:29:30 The Hermits debate who to visit next. Etho is the closest, Gem celebrates this fact by punching him. Etho suggests Tango, but Tango is not participating in the server tour. Etho protests that he shouldn’t be asked to follow Pearl’s beautiful base. Nevertheless, he is next (Wordle has apparently been forgotten for the moment) and he insists everyone must walk up the path to his base instead of flying. He needs to stretch this out as much as he can because there’s not that much to look at. In that spirit, he narrates the whole walk along the path, including the broken guardian farm, the sheep farm, the trident farm, and a nice view of Pearl’s base. He asks Gem to demonstrate the trident farm. She does so, impressing the assembled Hermits who have no idea how Etho isolated trident drowned. Joel nearly dies to the farm while Gem harvests two tridents in less than a minute. Etho offers to show everyone how it actually works, but that’s a lot of hermits to stuff into the redstone of a farm. They move on instead.

1:31:50 Etho leads the way to the main house as Gem cheerfully asks him if he’s put the roof on yet. Cleo can see the sky through the windows, so probably not. Etho admits that the roof is not quite exactly finished yet. He disappears into the house, leaving the Hermits outside. Doc asks if he’s quickly building a roof before he lets everyone in. Cleo and Gem both admire the exterior decorations, full of pink glazed terracotta and potted plants. Gem tells him he’s so cottagecore and it’s really nice. Etho lets them into the house, still roofless. Cleo asks what all the books on the chiseled bookshelves are. He explains that he keeps every book he gets and puts them on the bookshelves. Gem flips a lot of trapdoors and finds a fox named Sly in the back garden. Etho shows off his high-tech storage system, which is wired to show more or fewer bookshelves based on what enchanting level is wanted. Pearl correctly susses out how the redstone is done and is congratulated by Cleo for being officially a redstoner.

1:33:53 Etho leads the way down into his storage system, which is accessed by a drop chute elevator built into the grassy ground. Bdubs says that Joel will be very pleased by the décor, which is chock full of honey blocks, but Joel bitterly complains that Etho didn’t actually buy any from his store. Etho protests that Joel _gave_ him those honey blocks, sent them to him in the mail and everything. Joel reluctantly admits he did do that, yes. It’s more than he sent, though. Etho quietly admits that he does have a honey farm. Pearl comments that Etho’s ceiling has a lot of items in it and he says yes, it’s part of his storage system. He pauses for a moment, obviously trying to decide if there is any way to explain even the basics of his complex but understated storage system to the assembled group, then tell them that it’s too much to explain right now. “Too complicated for us simple-minded people,” Joel translates. “Too complicated for a tour,” Etho offers diplomatically. He shows his dispensing stations for common items like rockets, then leads the way down a plain stone tunnel to his moss farm. The drop is a little more extreme than advertised and Ren dies from the fall. Fs in the chat for Ren. Ren asks “Why me” and is reminded that he’s not wearing armor and thus lacking useful thinks like feather falling.

1:35:40 Etho’s moss farm is a big operation. Bdubs insists they should all go down into the farm, it’s cool down in there. Bdubs is clearly missing his moss shop this season. Gem gets a quick look at the farm before going back to the viewing platform to help Joel collect Ren’s bits and pieces. Pearl complains that huge farms like this are the reason she is not selling any bone blocks or bonemeal this season. Etho asks Gem if she wants to see how fast he can get moss with this farm. She says no because it’ll just make her mad. Joe eagerly chimes in that he wants to see Gem get mad. Etho shows Gem where to stand to catch moss from the farm and pulls the lever to convert away from bonemeal collection. In less than a minute, Gem’s inventory has more than ten stacks of moss in it. She mutters “Oh my god” a bunch of times in despairing disbelief. Cleo tells her it’s okay to cry. Gem’s pockets overflow and she starts yelling at Etho to turn it off. She has two moss farms and neither of them work anything like this. Etho generously asks if anyone else needs moss, Gem yells that nobody needs his moss! Chat is fangirling hard again, as per usual. Several Hermits ignore Gem’s warning and go for the moss; she sets them on fire with her sword. Joe dies of it, though it is not clear whether he was actually trying to get moss or just an unfortunate bystander to a sweeping edge sword.

1:38:00 Joe respawns, apologizing for the mess and explaining that somebody stabbed him to death. Gem defends herself saying she said she would get mad. Joe sighs and agrees that was probably on him, Cleo protests that moss-collecting is not an appropriate motive for murder. Gem is glad that Joe is taking responsibility for his actions. Joe points out that he is the one who said he wanted to see Gem get mad. He got to see with more than his eyes, he saw with his own burning flesh and that’s on him. Chat feels sorry for Joe. Ren is trying to collect his lost bits and pieces, he collects a sword called “Friendship Blade” that is not his. Joe confirms that is his sword, a gift from Cleo. Cleo remembers giving Joe that blade because he was fighting monsters with an iron sword inappropriately late into the season, she is surprised he still carries it. Bdubs, Joe and Doc remain in the list of bases to tour. Joe arrives and collects his own scattered items.

1:40:00 Leaving the moss farm is almost as dangerous as entering it, since the only way in is “Rocket onto a ladder.” The Hermits manage the feat one by one and land on the grass outside. Gem asks Etho to work on that. Cleo asks what is wrong with him. Etho smugly claims that the best thing about his base is that it teaches one how to play Minecraft. Cleo insists that she doesn’t need to learn Minecraft, she does it professionally already. Etho suggests that if someone is unable to get up the ladder, it may be a skill issue. Cleo wants Etho to know that she hates him. Chat loves sassy Etho. The group heads for Bdubs’ base, aiming to land in front of the forest. While they go, they complain about the price of ender chests and everything in the shopping district. Everything is so expensive this season. Gem insists that pickles are cheap. It is unclear why Gem is shilling pickles so hard when she hates Pearl buying them so much. Joe still can’t find his pants. Gem approaches Bdubs’ forest and exclaims over how beautiful it is. She is not wrong.

1:41:40 The group lands in front of the bridge onto Bdubs’ base. Ren asks if they need to change render distances or other visual effects since Bdubs’ base, more than any other Hermit’s, is designed as a visual spectacle. Bdubs recommends setting render distance to 28, so it’s a good thing there are some powerful computers at work here. Brightness also needs to be down to get the real atmosphere. Bdubs leads the way into the forest as he explains he’s trying to focus on terraforming and atmosphere rather than only on buildings this season. Gem coos over a rustic picnic table made of trapdoors. Pearl plays the “That’s amazing!” horn. Gem punches her several times. Xisuma laughs over the fact that Bdubs’ trees are massive, bespoke pieces of art and the Hermits are still drawn to the picnic table first. Gem is so impressed by the picnic table that she doesn’t even flip the trapdoors.

1:43:00 The tour continues into an open space that Bdubs plans to fill with additional forest eventually. Gem tells Bdubs it’s very cottagecore, Bdubs decides he will allow it. He was fighting it at first, but finally he’s accepted it. Joe points out that the actual cottage he built pretty much sealed the deal. He takes the Hermits to his initial starter base, which he only uses for cooking anymore. Cleo finds a memorial marked February 16 and asks what that’s about; it is the date of Bdubs’ Demise death. He says “they” exploded him, Ren corrects him saying “technically you exploded you.” Bdubs has to admit that this is true. He shows the group the silos with his moss farm and bamboo farms. Doc asks if there’s a reason that Bdubs has the most uncomfortable pathways known to Minecraft. (Bdubs’ current paths are rudimentary at best, scattered path blocks and no slabs to soften height changes.) Cleo says it’s obviously for the aesthetics, Bdubs agrees it’s all form, no function. Everyone takes a quick look at the redstone farm inside the silo and then goes back outside to debate the aesthetics involved in putting wood blocks or dirt blocks under wooden path slabs. Gem says she gets yelled at for her slabs all the time, both in the comments and from her own mod team. The mods give themselves mod hearts in the chat.

1:45:40 Bdubs takes everyone into the silo and shows off his bamboo-item-creating machine. It is a structure made entirely of Bdubs’ Perfect Redstone, so while it does work as intended, it has no labels and is somewhat difficult to understand. The cottagecore cottage is actually Bdubs’ mailbox, and Gem declares it gorgeous. The terracotta production area is up next, immediately drawing a “Booooooo” from False and heckling from the others. ((Bdubs holds the plain terracotta permit and is part of the Short-T Alliance, working with Scar and his six terracotta permits to undermine and counter the activities of “Big T,” the Hermit consortium who control the other nine terracotta permits. False, Ren, Cleo and Xisuma are all members of Big T.)) Bdubs tells them to shut up and shows off his organic terracotta production facility where he turns dirt into mud and then dries it on dripstone into clay, then smelts it into terracotta. Even his enemies are impressed by the sheer amount of effort Bdubs is putting int when he could just be digging up terracotta. He explains that his autosmelter is powered by half-slabs generated by his bamboo farm. It’s very inefficient and he does not recommend it. The same could undoubtedly be said of the whole operation, but everyone is too polite to mention that.

1:48:50 Bdubs decides that’s everything he has available to show right now. Cleo loves how everyone is ending their tour with “And that’s just it, I guess!” Xisuma is impressed about the difference in tone and texture keeping brightness at 30 causes. He feels like he’s been missing out and wants to look at other builds in the dimness now. Etho says his build is five times bigger when viewed at brightness 30. Gem asks if it gets a roof as well. He says yes. Chat is going nuts because Bdubs didn’t show everyone his waterfall. Xisuma asks if keeping brightness at 30 makes caving difficult. Bdubs says no, because he doesn’t do that sort of scary thing. Gem gives in to the overwhelming will of Chat and asks Bdubs “Where’s your waterfall?” Bdubs leads the group back to the bridge while explaining about the glass waterfall he built while testing whether it was possible to simulate water textures without water. This waterfall is not meant to be viewed close up and should be looked at from the bridge. Doc, who is already standing on the bridge, claims to be the only Hermit who watches other peoples’ videos. The waterfall really is very striking when viewed from the bridge. The Hermits are very impressed. Chat is pleased. Etho hypes Bdubs up a bit by pointing out that the grass in the forest is not bonemealed, it was harvested and hand-placed by Bdubs while he was building. Cleo says yeah, but that’s because Bdubs is a nerd. Bdubs makes fun of the way Cleo pronounces “nerd” but does not deny it.

1:51:00 Now that Chat has seen the waterfall, the group is free to fly up and over the forest towards Joe’s base. Joe is easy to follow because he is still flying with exploding fireworks and has a big green eruption behind him every few seconds. He does have his blast protection pants back (Cleo had them) so he can survive the flight. They pass Mumbo’s witch farm on the right (or starboard, Joe adds, for people like Gem and Joel who prefer flying spacecraft) and begin to approach the base. It’s spawning in slowly for Gem, but it is clearly massive. Joe explains that what he is building is a 1:1 scale recreation of the Bell Laboratories Research and Development campus in Holmdell, New Jersey. As Joe explains some of the technical specifications of his very specific building plans, Gem and the other Hermits fly around and take in the enormous scope of the area Joe has dug out and is terraforming. Gem apologizes to chat for the Bobby Mod taking its sweet time; she has not been out to Joe’s base in quite awhile and it is very different now. Joe has a lot of beacons up (he tells Ren he’s welcome for the business) and has mined up over a million stone blocks to turn what was once a mountain range into a canvas for development. He has been learning a lot about geometry and also a lot about reading out loud, since he’s been reading Moby Dick on stream for the benefit of his chat while mining on stream most nights. Gem’s chat is impressed by the massive scope of the project unfolding. Joe explains that he doesn’t have any proper buildings yet, and for the moment his storage system consists of themed groupings of chests set up around each beacon. It is easy to find each beacon when he needs something, so long as he can remember what stuff is stored where. Gem lands for a moment and gets punched by Pearl. She punches Pearl back and they both start flying again.

1:52:50 Joe explains that his build is not nearly as detailed as many of the other Hermits’ builds, but it is very large and he hopes it will be useful as a canvas for other Hermits as well as himself. He’s noticed in previous seasons that as the season goes on and Hermits get locked into their base projects, there is less room for creative projects that do not fit within the scope of whatever they have decided to build. The Holmdell campus has plenty of room for Hermit projects of all different types and sizes. Cub has already marked out a place for a labyrinth that he’ll be starting work on soon. Joe also wants to hold workshops where Hermits can teach one another specific skills like creating vehicles or building facade techniques. He suggests that maybe Cleo will teach armor stand classes because she keeps saying she wants people not to have her build every armor stand on the server. Cleo points out that a lot of Hermits are already doing much better on that front this season. Joe agrees with that and says he is hoping his base area will be a community center in the mid to late season. Chat is very on board with Joe’s ideas and wants to subscribe to his newsletter.

1:55:20 By the end of Joe’s speech, most of the Hermits have settled onto various perches near one another, twenty or thirty blocks off the ground. Etho asks Joe if he regrets doing this project in a mountain biome, now that he’s dug it out. Joe says no, but only because he’s decided to not have regrets. Cleo cackles. Joe explains that this region was the closest area to spawn he could get at the size that he needed, and he will just continue doubling down on that decision until he has octupled down on it. Etho notices the froglights and says they look absolutely incredible. People should not be sleeping on froglights. (Etho, of course, holds the froglight permit.) Joel chimes in saying that all the water around here might turn into ice, but you know what doesn’t turn into ice? Honey. Joe agrees and says he surrounded the entire central lagoon with stairs so that it won’t freeze. Etho is impressed. Gem bets some pickles in there would help. Joe says he was kind of hoping a few Hermits might volunteer to do some terraforming around the lagoon, and that rather than being entirely an area for people to do solo projects, people might have fun working in groups or doing terraforming and landscape lessons. Etho listens patiently to all this and then asks “So you’re telling me that if I put a single block in this lagoon, the whole thing will turn to ice?”

1:57:00 Joe confirms that this is true, leading to laughter and calls for the pranking to begin. Joe goes on to point out that even removing or changing one of the source blocks in the lagoon could trigger an icecapade. Chat is terrified at all the potential here. “And you really don’t regret building here?” Gem asks again. Joe is cool with it. He’s living his best life out here, it’s just that his best life looks terrifying to a lot of people. Bdubs asked if Joe knew already that stairs would stop the freezing, or if he had to do the science on that. It seems like very obscure knowledge. Joe describes the rather arduous-sounding process of figuring out how to ice proof a lake, and is interrupted by Cleo asking if they put a block into the lake, how would the ice actually generate? Joe, in true best-life-Joe-Hills fashion, offers to show everyone how it looks. He and Etho both place blocks into the lagoon. Cleo is clearly very disappointed that the ice doesn’t appear and spread instantly, instead generating slowly from the place where the source blocks were disrupted. But eventually, if the blocks are left in place, the whole surface will freeze. Joe tells everyone that he hopes to have the campus open in a month or so, then admits he’s been saying that for the last couple of months. He justifies himself by pointing at a cluster of pumpkins floating high overhead and explaining those are where the surface of the mountain used to be. He’s had a lot to do.

1:59:40 Joe is finished with his tour, so he goes to pass the reins over to Doc. Bdubs interrupts by mentioning a visual glitch he is seeing where things far away are rendering strangely. Xisuma immediately wants to know more. Other Hermits report seeing the same thing, but Gem does not see it with her particular mod combination. As the sun sets, Joe invites the Hermits to take a look at the base from the sky, with the froglights illuminating all the roads. It’s a beautiful sight, looking a little bit like an airport at night and going a long way to highlight what an enormous project this is and just how much work Joe has been doing. Joe is also lucky that Etho has the froglight and stone permits, and has traded massive amounts of froglights for Joe’s massive amounts of stone.

2:02:00 The group head for Joe’s portal to make the long trek to Doc’s base. Joel mentions that the brightness of the froglights looks so much better at lower brightness and that he needs to start keeping his own brightness down. Bdubs agrees, but warns that his own brightness level is the result of years worth of acclimating his viewers to accept the dimness. Last season he was only at 50%, this season he has gone full mood lighting. Joel says he’s just going straight in, cold turkey. Gem points out that Joel does not have a history of being particularly nice to his chat, if one has watched his intros. It takes awhile to get everyone through the portal, due to too much pushing and shoving, but eventually they all make it through and follow Doc north through the nether. They arrive at Doc’s portal, which is surrounded by ominous-looking machines. “Why do I feel like you have a plan for vengeance right now?” Bdubs asks plaintively.

2:03:00 Doc insists her is not planning anything, this is just a bunch of random machines. Here is the honey farm, here is the cannon that shoots people to the world border, here is the warden transport system, etc. The other Hermits are giving the machines a very respectful distance. Doc’s portal is literally on fire so there is less pushy-shovey on this trip through. They emerge in the main area of Doc’s “home,” an open cobblestone platform high above a swamp biome. Xisuma warns everyone to watch their step. Gem immediately attempts to punch Joel off the platform. He punches her off the platform instead. She and the other Hermits begin flying around to investigate the area as Doc explains what is a massive cluster of superpowered farms and indecipherable redstone. He shows off his massive storage system, making Joe laugh at the idea that people need bulk piston storage for their five shulkers of pistons. Granted, given the farms around here, five shulkers of pistons seems like it might be an average afternoon out here in the swamp. Below the storage area is a supersmelter with 160 furnaces, and next to it is an autocrafter system designed to mimic a crafting table on an enormous scale and that will craft any item the user desires. The Hermits think this is very neat. Etho remembers that Doc did something similar to this in Sesaon 9, but Doc explains that having autocrafters in the game has made the whole business a whole lot easier.

2:05:30 Doc says that’s pretty much it as far as his base goes. It’s clear that his base is very large and incredibly complex, and that there’s enough to keep a tour busy for days, if only that tour group was made up entirely of high level redstoners who know better than to stick their fingers into every chest and punch one another into the complex machinery. Bdubs asks for a demonstration of Doc’s dark oak farm, which produces truly insane amounts of output when it’s up and running. Doc says sure and leads the way over to the massive redstone contraption that is his wood farm. Gem asks if there’s anything they shouldn’t touch. Cleo and False immediately and simultaneously say “everything.” Doc tells them to stand out of the way and don’t touch any levers, and that this machine will do 160k saplings per hour. He explains that there is a llama that is a critical part of the infrastructure that will allow him to place the saplings properly. Etho warns everyone not to place anything accidentally into the huge stacks of clay pots running along the sides of the farm. The Hermits are clearly intimidated but fascinated. Gem is happy to know that the farm is llama powered. Doc turns on the farm and TNT starts exploding. Dark oak is being created and pulverized at a phenomenal pace. Chat is awed.

2:08:00 Gem goes down to the staging area briefly, looks at the lever, then runs back to the safety of the upper platform. Doc is explaining that he hasn’t started any non-machine building yet, but that he does intend to eventually terraform this whole area, make a real exploding volcano, etc. There’s plenty of stuff to do, he just started with the machines. Etho asks how far Doc has gotten with actually doing the item filters in his storage room, the most tedious part of the process. Doc says he is about 80% through with it. It’s a multi-filter system, so while it will handle all the items in the game, some items will be filtered in groups and some with their own filters. And that is all there is, Doc tells them, they can all go home now. “Get out of here before you break something,” Gem translates easily. Everyone agrees that Doc’s redstone work is incredibly impressive. Chat doesn’t even understand what they’re seeing but they know it’s a lot. Ren says it’s like looking into the heart of a CPU. Made of diamond ore, Joel adds.

2:09:10 Doc shows them the way back to the portal and into the nether. Gem punches Joel in the back and then runs away when he chases her, insisting desperately “It was Cleo, it was Cleo, it was Cleo!” The Hermits do a short debriefing and decide when they should do another server tour. Joe thinks that 2-3 server tours per year would be good, let people see new stuff without the tour idea getting stale. While they talk, Gem runs around on the nether roof until Joel successfully potshots her for half her hearts. He gives her a distinctly “come at me” fast-crouch until she runs at him, then he punches her. They punch each other, then disengage as everyone heads back for the nether hub. As they fly they pass over Joe’s 1/8th scale map of his actual base, and even that is large enough that it took seventeen hours to place all the blocks on the nether roof. It’s a big base.

2:11:10 Gem and the others take the portal back to the shopping district. Joel suggests that this would be a perfect time for everyone to go buy some honey. Cleo asks how much honey he would need to sell in order to stop complaining about it. Joel says he wants to hit 100 diamonds in sales. The others are incredulous that he hasn’t even hit a hundred diamonds yet, which probably just makes it worse. Etho comments that’s a tall order for a smallish bean. “You just got called short by Etho,” Gem tells him. Doc says his armor trim shop should be open in the next week or so. Joel says everyone knows Etho is tiny. Joe remembers that Cleo promised everyone pity diamonds to buy honey with if they behaved themselves on the tour. Cleo confirms that pity diamonds are indeed on the table. “Sugar Daddy Cleo!” Gem cheers. She goes into the shop and finds the music button, then asks Joel if it works. He says it does but asks her to please not play it because it can’t be stopped. She protests that she hasn’t even heard it yet. She pushes the button and begins shrieking with laughter over the honey song. Chat is jamming along.

2:12:20 Cleo has 100 diamonds to pass out so that the Hermits can buy honey and make Joel stop whining. Gem gets enough to buy four stacks of honey that she will now need to figure out a use for. Doc asks if Joel is ever going to detail the back of this shop so it’s not just a brown cylinder on the side that faces the hourglass. Joel says he could, but he’s very poor and very busy just trying to make sales right now. Xisuma and False barely got any diamonds, Cleo does not know who took most of the diamonds and does not particularly care. Joe got 43 diamonds and passes a few out to the others. Bdubs suggests that some of these diamonds could also be used to purchase terracotta! Doc needs to get going, so they decide to head back to the new lava pool to end the tour.

2:14:00 The Hermits fly back to spawn, explaining the lava pool to Etho, who was not around for that part. He asks if they went ahead and moved the world spawn. Bdubs asks if anybody wants to sue anybody real quick while they’re all here. Ren asks about moving the world spawn and whether anyone would be cross if they moved it. Gem points out that this is a Hermitcraft Meeting topic and now they’re just streaming an actual meeting. A very confusing discussion ensues over where the spawn chunks actually are, where they will be after 1.21 drops, and whether they ought to be moved and why. Gem narrates for chat and says this is how an actual meeting always goes, with miscommunication being the first order of business. Apparently Xisuma believes the spawn chunks are not currently at 0,0, they are behind the courthouse where a bunch of farms are, but after 1.21 drops, they ought to be moved to an area just outside Ren’s base perimeter. Etho asks why, if spawn chunks are elsewhere, they always respawn by Hypno’s base when they die. Xisuma, obviously ready for an object lesson, tells him to take off his armor. Etho, resigned to being an object lesson, sets his spawn and breaks it, complaining all the while about how he’s going to have to hike back from Hypno’s house, which is about 40 blocks away.

2:16:00 While Etho is complaining and stripping down, Gem explains to Chat that this madness is how all of their meetings look and it’s a miracle they ever get anything done. Sometime during the process False gets bored of waiting and shoots Ren dead. As promised, Ren respawns next to the lava pool. Xisuma is obviously surprised by this. Bdubs is still calling for Etho’s head. Etho’s already naked and ready to go, so he suggests another test where they kill him in the hole. Chat is uncertain about this phrasing but False is more than happy to commit another murder act. Etho did not empty his inventory so his belongings fly everywhere, but Etho himself respawns next to the lava pool, same as Ren. Xisuma says he stands corrected, that the spawn chunks are indeed still at 0,0. Joel confirms that when one comes back through the nether portal for the first time or without a bed, they end up at the same place. The Hermits agree that this is why they never get anything done at meetings.

2:17:00 Xisuma circles back around to the original proposal: that when 1.20.6 comes out, to move the spawn chunks three chunks away from their current location to allow for development of the fairly prime real estate that the spawn chunks now occupy. Xisuma has a couple of proposals for locations but would like to hear from anyone else first. Nobody has any strong feelings and the general consensus is that Xisuma should put them where he wants. Pearl does suggest putting them near the post office, but it’s unclear if there’s any reason for that or if it’s the postal worker equivalent of “you should buy more honey.” Xisuma points out a small squarish island between his own base and Hypno’s and says that might be a decent space for the spawn chunks, or they could go the entire opposite direction and plunk it down in the middle of evveryone over in the direction of Magic Mountain. Space is very tight over that way though, so it might not be a net gain. Pearl reiterates the post office suggestion, in an empty area between the post office and Xisuma’s base. Everyone flies over for a look and Xisuma agrees it’s a great spot. Nobody else cares so long as the new spawn chunks contain a portal and an ender chest for all those wild nights when somebody inevitably winds up naked and wingless at spawn. Pearl offers to decorate it. Gem congratulates her for giving herself work on her birthday. Ren calls for a voice vote; the “yays” are unanimous and enthusiastic. Ren declares the order of business complete and Cleo adjourns the meeting. The Hermits’ grasp on Robert’s Rules of Order are about as complete as their grasp of jurisprudence, but the issue is solved and everyone is happy. Gem admits that they usually don’t even call for a voice vote and this was very official today. Chat is not sure that any Hermitcraft meeting is official without Impulse there to write things down, but mostly they are busy saying “yay.”

2:19:00 The normal procedure for reaching accord during meetings, Gem explains further, is that someone will ask a question, three people will say “yeah, I guess,” and everyone else has their mics muted because they are eating. Pearl is usually half asleep and trying her best, sometimes in bed and with the phone on speaker. The Hermits congratulate themselves on an excellent meeting and give themselves a round of applause. Chat has always wanted a streamed Hermitcraft meeting and now they have gotten one. Chat is pleased. Everyone wonders how they ever get anything done.

2:20:00 False suggests that they all go jump in on Impulse, since he’s online and not at the meeting. Impulse did not join the tour because he doesn’t want to spoil the huge minigame he’s currently working on. Xisuma moves the spawn chunks and tells Ren he’s free to use the old space now. Ren mutters darkly about how the sulfur will expand. Xisuma suggests a group photo. Etho is busy setting fires and Gem is punching Cleo, but everyone agrees a photo is a nice idea. They all gather together and gaze into the future, at the new spawn chunks. Joe demands to know how long he’s had a fish head on and why did nobody tell him. Cleo and Bdubs assure him he’s been wearing it the whole time. Screenshots are captured, Joel punches Gem again, and Bdubs laughs because his specially modded skin actually blinked during photo time. Everyone agrees that this was a good idea and they had fun on the tour. Now they are all going to go and look at their own bases at 30% brightness.

2:21:50 Gem says goodbye to everybody and heads back to her base, asking Chat how they liked that. Chat approves greatly, they had a great time. Gem will post the VOD soon. Gem’s base actually looks great at 30% brightness, this may be the vibe she goes for. It does make the palm trees a little dark. Gem promises she’s working on her next episode and that it will be full of new interiors. She’s going to bring lots of immersion into the base very soon. Everybody’s bases were so cool to see, and it was great to have a visit with so many Hermits! Gem has had a lot of IRL stuff, good and bad, going on lately, but she hopes things are evening out and she’ll be back to streaming soon. She thanks subs and donos as a group and decides to wrap things up. Chat really, really, really wants a Skizz raid. Gem raids into Skizz and ends her stream.

[amyelevenn]

heyy any chance i could request 25 ("Don't get in my way") with Max and Red Bull driver!reader?

winner of what?

PAIRING; Max Verstappen x Red Bull driver!reader

SUMMARY; Max thinks you are going to ruin his chance at a fifth World Driver's Championship, and he can't let that happen. set in 2025, but doesn't necessarily follow the schedule

WARNINGS; small description of violence of a crash, angst, manipulative Max

A/N; thank you so much for this request! I hope I did your idea justice:)) also the longest fic I have ever written? thats crazy

not proof read

3.7k words masterlist

.・。.・゜✭・♥︎・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・♥︎・✫・゜・。.

You were new here. You were an outsider. You knew that, and you hated every moment of it.

Despite knowing most people on the paddock by now, you couldn’t get rid of the lingering feeling that some of the mechanics or others despised you for taking Checo’s seat, even though you had rightfully won it. You knew that no one actually thought that, but the idea always sat idly in the back of your mind.

The season had barely begun (if you count pre-season testing as the start of the season), and yet here you were, already finding new ways to doubt your own abilities.

After a rough season with RB and Daniel, you were more than ready to actually be in the fight for podiums and wins, rather than measly points. Even with a one-year contract, you were determined to make this season yours, proving to Red Bull that they should keep you around for a little while longer.

Your new teammate, Max, was just coming down from a high of winning his fourth DWC and constructors’ with Red Bull, and you couldn’t be more excited to join the likes of these champions.

You hadn’t really met or had a chance to interaction with him, despite the many team meetings and social media outings you did together. He never really introduced himself; was there really any need too anyway? You knew he was Max Verstappen, 4-time world champion, and that was all you really needed when it came to him. You had raced with him on the grid for a few years now, so it brought you a little comfort to be able to say you at least were familiar with the surface level version of him.

From what Daniel had told you, the persona the media had given him was far from the truth; he wasn’t a villain, a monster out to make everyone’s race a living hell. No, Max was a pretty stand-up guy. According to Daniel, he was “just your type” and the two of you would “vibe like crazy” when you finally spoke to each other.

In fact, it was your ex-teammate who was the one to take the first initiative and introduce you to each other. You were at a season launch lunch, sitting by yourself at your table when Daniel, dragging Max along behind him, sat himself down beside you.

“It had recently been brought to my attention that you two have not been formally introduced, so I am going to do it for you,” he grins, almost proud of himself. Patting the seat on your other side, you look up a Max, silently offering him a seat.

He politely refuses, but the glare Daniel gives him is enough incentive for him to quietly take the seat.

“Now talk to each other.” The Aussie stands, taking his leave. “I am going to go back to the bar an get some more drinks, but I better see both your traps yapping or I’m not gonna be happy.”

An awkward silence entails, neither of you knowing where to start after he walks away.

“��He can be very bossy when he wants to be,” Max chuffs, being the one to break the silence. You laugh quietly in agreement, and the conversation flows pleasantly for the next few hours.

It isn’t until the sun begins to set that you realise how long you had been talking, and that Daniel never did come back. In the most subtle way you can manage, without disturbing Max who was looking on his phone for the best photos of his cats, you peer around the luncheon in hopes of finding your ex-teammate. Spotting him sitting at the bar, he was already looking your way; smirking, he taps his watch, and you can almost hear him say I told you so.

It’s the opening race of the season, and what a stellar start it was for Red Bull; a front row lock-out in qualifying, and a 1-2 podium, Max triumphing for what was the first time this year. It was exhilarating, being up on the podium with the others, especially considering it was your debut race with your new team. It wasn’t your first podium, of course, but this time around it felt much more earned, like you were finally getting recognised for your achievements.

At the debriefing, Max off-handedly mentioned the team going out to celebrate the win and asked if you wanted to come along. It was a stupid question, and he knew it; who were you to turn down the opportunity to commemorate your maiden podium?

You were out all night, not officially going back to your hotel room until the sun had risen the next morning. Although you didn’t remember much, there were multiple accounts recounted to you that you had been glued to Max’s side for majority of the party, including from the man himself. Photos of the two of you swarmed your messages and social media; his hand on the small of your back, yours grasping his shoulder for dear life.

He bought you drinks; you bought him drinks. It was a sweet cycle that had you both wasted within a couple hours, you more so than him. Even with your foggy recollection of the night, you knew that Max and you were getting closer, and you didn’t mind one bit of it.

The second race saw a similar fate; P1 for Max and P2 for yourself again, and the afterparty leading to very close proximity for the pair of you. Whilst you didn’t drink as heavily this time, you still felt just as intoxicated from the mere presence of him so near you.

“I know it’s only two races into the season, but you are already by far my favourite teammate that I’ve had,” you laugh, sure that he would barely be able to hear you over the blaring music.

He laughs too, leaning closer to you to be able to whisper in your ear, “same goes for you, Liefde.”

You didn’t even know what the nickname meant, but it sent chills down your spine. You didn’t question it, letting the mystery of his native language sway with you to the bass of the music.

The next few races would follow the same pattern; Max would finish the race above you, he would invite you to a party, and you would dance together much closer than two friends ever would. Even after coming second to Charles in the Monegasque’s home race, Max kept up this new tradition you had created.

Outside of the clubs and bars, he never acknowledged his behaviour. And because he didn’t, you didn’t either. No one asked about it, so it never got brought up, but people knew enough to expect it during any afterparties.

Interviews, podiums together, and in the cool down room, all that the public would see is two teammates celebrating each other’s achievements.

It wasn’t until you were actually able to give Max a run for his money for P1 after he had a poor pit stop that there was a falter in the routine. It all came down to the final lap; you overtook him at turn 1, he retaliated into turn 3, you got a better jump from the hairpin, but ultimately, he was the one who crossed the line ahead of you, even if it was only by a couple tenths of a second.

The cooldown room was tense, a state it had never been before. Even Carlos, known for his non-stop yapping, was quiet, knowing that something wasn’t quite right between the two of you. Of course, he didn’t know what it was, but honestly, you didn’t either – to your understanding, you were just having a good, competitive race, but Max must’ve thought otherwise.

He didn’t invite you to any celebrations afterwards, but others did. It made no difference either way who you went with; he was nowhere to be seen.

You didn’t talk to him much during the doubleheader, focusing more on the want to finally get your first win. With how well the car had been performing, and the statistics showing that you were closing in on Max more and more every race, a win this week was well within the realm of possibility.

With 5 laps left in the race, Max was leading with you hot on his heels, and Lando hot on yours. But all it took for everything to spiral into a flaming hot mess was for Max to cut you off, not leaving you enough room. It resulted in sending you spinning and crashing hard into a wall. Max, struggling to regain his composure, was overtaken by Lando. Red flags were waved, and the Brit was the first to see the checkered flag, trundling along behind the safety car.

To say you were heartbroken was an understatement. Nothing could describe just how angry and devastated you were that you didn’t even get to finish the race, and how willing your teammate was to just blatantly cut you off, all but forcing you into the wall.

Honestly, you wanted to cry, but you held yourself together throughout the media conferences, restraining yourself from diminishing Max’s performance today. As much as you wanted to, and boy did you really want to, a manager pulled you away before you could express your true feelings.

For whatever reason he thought it was appropriate, it was the Dutchman who invited you to celebrations of his win. You declined, being as polite as you physically could, claiming you just wanted to go back to your hotel room and sleep the night away.

He muttered some sweet nothings about ‘it not being the same without you,’ and ‘the party will be such a bore if you aren’t by my side,’ as if nothing had happened between you.

The stark contrast between his personas almost gave you whiplash, but regardless of you left by yourself. You tired and tried your hardest to convince yourself that the reason you weren’t partying tonight was because you just wanted to forget about such a poor end to such an amazing weekend. But in your core, you knew it was because you didn’t want to be with Max, to fall into his traps, be seduced by his niceties.

Were they even real? You weren’t sure what they were anymore.

You were in a new country within a day of the last race, completing videos for Red Bull’s socials, some even with Daniel by your side.

Naturally, he questioned your relationship with your teammate once the cameras were off.

Stunned silence was the only answer you could give him. With some gentle coaxing, he gets some information out of you.

“It’s just… I don’t even… I’ve never delt with anything like this in my life. Normally I can separate my outside life and racing, but he is just there. Always there,” you sigh, not realising how heavy the situation was weighing on your chest.

He hums in understanding. “I think you need to talk to him about it all.”

“I tried, once. He just pretended like he didn’t know what I was talking about, as if there was nothing happening between us,” you say. “It isn’t like a want a fully committed relationship with him or anything, I just… I’m so confused, I don’t know what to do. I really like him Dan. I don’t want to stop hanging out with him, he’s become a good friend, but I also don’t want to keep being led on like this. If that is what this even is?”

You collapse on your chair, covering your face in shame. The Aussie doesn’t have much to offer except some quiet consolations, softly rubbing your back in hopes of bringing you some comfort.

Your confidence had taken a hit, and it showed in your race results. Finishing P5 behind Max’s P1 wasn’t exactly a poor result, but for consistently being on the podium this season, you were not happy. You wanted to blame the car, or the slow pitstops (they were actually the two fastest of the race), but you knew deep down it wasn’t either of those.

A knock on your driver room door made you falter, unsure of who even knew you were in there.

“Who is it?” you ask, not bothering to move from your position.

The door creaks open, and you look over your shoulder to see the handsome smile that belonged to the one and only.

“What do you want, Max?”

“‘Congrats on the win Max, you had a great race.’ That’s so sweet, thank you,” he mocks your voice, laughing as he leans against the doorframe.

You don’t laugh, finding no humour in the situation.

“We are going out again tonight, to Frankie’s. you heard of it?” he continues, as if you weren’t glaring daggers at him.

You turn yourself to face him. “Who’s we?” you ask, ignoring his question.

“You and I, of course,” he says, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

“I’m not going out with you tonight.”

“Sure you are, we have to celebrate my win!”

“No, Max. And that’s final.” You stand, grabbing the door to usher him out.

“I’ll pick you up at 8, sound good?”

“No.”

“I’ll see you then,” he grins, walking away to his own room.

And true to his word, he is at the door of your hotel room, three minutes to 8. You don’t bother answering the door, leaving him knocking and calling your name. He leaves not long after, and you’re left to spend the night alone.

Finally, it was time for the Spa Grand Prix, the reigning World Driver’s Champion’s home race. You knew this race was important to Max, and what better way to one up him than to beat him in his home country?

You out qualify him in every possible way – free practises, Q1 and Q2. When it came time for Q3, you wish him luck as he jumps into his car. He grants it in return, but you know it doesn’t hold much value to it.

You complete your timed lap first, clocking the fastest time the last two days have seen. Max is on track to beat it, but understeers around one corner, leading him to…qualify the same time as you?? No, that couldn’t be right…

You sit in shock, looking at the checkered flag was waved. You. In P1. You would start the race up the very front for the first time in your career. You would start ahead of Max. in his home race.

He didn’t have much to comment on it, knowing that the actual competition would come during the race.

The night was a blur, and before you could prepare yourself, the five lights were out, and you were racing in Spa.

You lost the lead before the first lap was even over, and of course it was to Max. You tried to not let it damper your hopes for the win, fiercely fighting him for first place. Halfway into the race, the pair of you were over 30 seconds ahead from Charles, running in P3. You couldn’t remember how many cars you had lapped, but it had to have been at least half of the grid.

With only tenths between you, he crossed the line first. Your heart shattered, but at least you had the fastest lap, right?

Content with the weekend, you took Max up on his offer to go to a party together that night. It didn’t take much to convince you to have a few drinks, and it wasn’t long until you were out on the dance floor. The Dutchman accompanied you, not nearly as drunk as you were.

You let him run his hands down your waist, eventually resting your hips. It made you queasy, how easily he could control every thought you had. You wanted nothing more than this night to ever end, and that was only aided by the sweet nothing he would whisper, only for you to hear.

“I missed having you here with me,” he murmurs, barely audible over the drone of the packed bar you were in. “You’re the only reason I enjoy celebrating my wins.”

A blush creeps up your neck and cheeks, pulling him closer to you. The proximity has you weak, supported only by his hold. You let him sway you side to side, enjoying this side of him. This side you only saw when he was drunk, and you were too.

You couldn’t help but fall back into the rhythm of your relationship with Max. His sickly intoxicating words were music to your ears, leaving you wanting more and more every time. It never escalated into anything physical, but the illusion that it might had you holding onto this faux reality so tightly.

The season was coming to an end, only a few races left on the calendar. One of which was your home race, and you had never been more excited to be a driver in your life. Qualifying saw you on pole for the second time and, a surprise twist for everyone, saw Max sitting in P4, behind the likes of both Ferrari’s.

The thought of him being so many cars behind you brought some comfort to the nerves racking your body. You had never felt so anxious in your life, not even when you were on pole in Spa. You were so, so desperate for this to be your first win.

Red Bull were secure in their Constructor’s Championship, winning for the fourth year in a row. The Driver’s Championship, however, was still anyone’s game. It would be hard for Charles, who was sitting in third, to come back and win it, but it was still a possibility. Sitting in second, you were miraculously only 24 points behind Max. That was close enough to give you hope, determined more than ever. He, on the other hand, was not a happy chap.

On the racetrack, he didn’t really acknowledge you unless he had too. Off the racetrack? Max was a completely different person, never one to break the routine that had begun again.

During the formation lap, you felt the nerves and cheers radiating off of the crowd, supporting you in their wake. Being their only representation, you had a lot sitting on your shoulders.

The lights flicked on. One by one, taking what felt like forever to finally disappear. And when they did, you got the best jump of the group, leading the grid into the first, second, third corners and what would be the next 30 laps of the race.

Max had made up positions, closing in on you in first. It wasn’t until he made a stupid, irresponsible decision to try and overtake in a corner that was not made for two cars, causing a collision that his car couldn’t walk away from. Yours was in much better shape, only having damage to the front wing.

Whilst yeah, you lost multiple positions, his DNF sparked so much hope in your chest that there was almost nothing stopping you from winning this race.

Within record time, you jumped from ninth to first, giddy at the idea of actually winning for the first time in front of your home crowd. With only 1 lap to go, you were crying. You couldn’t lose it now, with whoever was running second so far behind you there was simply no chance of them catching up. You vision was blurred, but you could still see the checkered flag clear as day. People were screaming over the radio, but it all muddled together.

Stepping onto that first-place podium and hearing your national anthem was a dream come true. Literally. Sweat mixed with champagne, and for once you didn’t dread being sprayed. Revelling in the cheers of the crowd, you were overwhelmed with emotion that you couldn’t even form coherent sentences.

Someone, you aren’t quite sure who, mentions that because of your win, you were now first in the Driver’s Championship; Max’s DNF cost him the lead. How ironic.

Back in the team garage, you’re pulled away before you can get a big team photo.

Surprise is the last thing you feel when you see your teammate being the one to lead you away from everyone.

“What are you doing? We need to take the photo, Max. I don’t want to miss the photo,” you whine, laughing from the absurdity of the situation.

The door of whatever room he’s pulled you too slammed behind him, a loud bang you weren’t expecting.

“What the hell were you doing out there?”

“…what?” you ask, confused on what the hell he was talking about.

“Your shitty driving pushed me into the wall. Your shitty driving cost me the championship.”

“No, Max, the incident was your fault. Not mine.”

He looks like he’s holding back from strangling you. “No. I told Christian that you would ruin everything, and here we are. What a surprise, I was right.”

“There is still like 3 races left in the season, and I’m only a couple points up. You could very easily come back. No need to freak out.”

“Do not get in my way of my fifth championship, or else I’ll make sure you never race for any team, ever again.”

He had never been this mad, not in front of you.

“Fuck you, Max. At this point in time, I hold the title. Not you. It is not yours to claim,” you retaliate, fed up with him ruining your day.

“I bet you grinding your ass on me every night was a manipulation tactic, wasn’t it? To get in my head, fuck with my races.”

“What?? You were the one asking me to come with you, not the other way around. Do not try and turn this around on me Max.”

Down the hall, you could hear people calling out for you. He notices it too, opening the door with much gusto. “This isn’t over. Get in my way again, and I will personally see to you never getting in a car again.”

He stalks off, nowhere to be found for the photo. You tell the team not to wait up for him, knowing he would not be coming.

Safe to say that this weekend, this race that you had dreamed of for your whole life, was ruined.

Yeah, you were a winner, but a winner of what?

.・。.・゜✭・♥︎・✫・゜・。.

[neerons]

Some of Leon Dompteur's best quotes

"Leon Dompteur. My favorite food is meat and alcohol. Hmm? Alcohol isn't food? Haha, that's true."

"You can imagine I'm some fictional character you like if that works better."

"Never mind the roses—it feels like I'm the one wilting without you in my arms. What then? What if I shrivel up and die while you're gone?"

"(...) Well, I'd rather be liked by you than a bunch of random women."

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight? Hey, I just meant sleeping! What were you thinking?"

"I swear, you're the bravest woman I've ever met. (...) I promise, we'll bring you home. That's the one thing I'm not backing down on. And... Don't do anything reckless." (—Leon telling Emma he'll save her along with his brothers from Obsidian)

"If you're struggling, it's okay to show me. I'm not gonna think less of you for it. So don't force yourself to smile."

"No running, no hiding, no looking away. If you need to cry, look at me and cry."

"When I opened my eyes again, I gazed at the woman before me in awe. She was so stunning that I regretted closing my eyes and even blinking." (—Leon's thoughts)

"I've always wanted to see you in a dress that I picked out... then strip you."

"(...) I'll come duel with you as soon as I'm done here." (—Leon keeping his promise to Licht)

"Good girl."

"But... I've wanted this for so long. I've wanted you... for so long."

"A special skill of mine, huh...? Oh, there's one I can think of right away. I bet I could beat anyone at competitive eating."

"I don't blame him for being charmed, though. She's just that amazing. Emma, you have no idea how much your presence means to me." (—Leon's thoughts about Jin and Emma)

"Good work. Even if no one else is watching you work hard, I will. Okay?"

"You must have taken quite a liking to her to go warning her like that. It was nice of you." (—Leon talking about Emma to Chevalier)

"Why don't I save everyone a lot of trouble and cut the lot of you down right now?" (—Leon to drunken men)

"Ever since I met you... the me I thought I'd killed... the me I thought was gone... he can't stop shouting to the heavens how happy he is."

"Owwww! What the hell? (...) you could at least wake me up some other way." (—Leon being woken up by Chevalier)

"I think it's actually kind of cute. It's meant to look like a rabbit, right?" (—Leon talking about Clavis' food to Clavis, Emma and Nokto)

"I can finally tell you what I've always wanted to tell you. Emma... I love you."

"What matters is that you haven't become a victim for the kingdom. Just knowing that is enough to reassure me. (...) She knew none of you would welcome her, yet she came here as the emperor's representative, to find peace for us all. Is there any of you with more resolve than that?" (—Leon defending Emma during an official meeting)

"Accepting who you are, and being able to open your heart to the people you love—that's what makes us strong."

"(...) I want to flirt with you. Please?"

"I can't be the only one left with a one-track mind. I need you to be as crazy for me as I am for you." (—Leon's thoughts)

"Sorry, I know I sound like a broken record, but you look so fine in that beautiful dress. I wish I had a picture of you to frame."

"She's the silver lining in my clouds, my sun who makes my future bright. When I think about her, I'm filled with the courage to face whatever may come my way. She's truly an amazing woman and the light of my life." (—Leon talking about Emma)

"Maybe instead of the one doing the savoring, you'd prefer to be savored?"

"I adore you. Even if I were to make the entire world my enemy, I'll never let go of you."

"I want to melt you with my touch until you're left crying my name into the night." (—Leon's thoughts)

"I want you to be at my side just as you are, I want you to be my queen just as you are."

"There's only one thing that I can think of that would help stop me being so reckless. (...) Mmm... I don't know, it seems a bit too easy to just go ahead and tell you. Why don't you guess? (...) And every time you get it wrong, I get to kiss or touch you. How does that sound? (...) Can you even think coherently when you're this wet and needy?"

"Honestly, you can call for me even if nothing happens. I don't mind. I'd still gladly come running."

"Every time we touch, every time we kiss, every time we say we love each other, my feelings for you grow stronger."

"If we continue, you're going to see me possibly the horniest I've ever been in my life."

"Sorry, kid, but you were born way too late. Plus, she's already spoken for. But at least he has good taste." (—Leon's thoughts about a boy asking Emma to marry him)

"You're so beautiful that I don't know what to do with myself."

"I'm so harsh on you first thing in the morning, aren't I? (...) I ate my fill, but now I already want you again."

[theweirwoodfiles]

The Weirwood Files: Rhaewin (Rhaenyra x Harwin)

Subject: A defense of Harwin Strong and an analysis of his relationship with Rhaenyra.

I want my first real post to be a deep dive into the beautiful relationship that is Rhaenyra x Harwin, a relationship that team green considers shameful, while team black (mostly staunch daemyras), finds it shallow and boring. I believe both interpretations are incorrect, as even with their limited screen time together, Emma and Ryan managed to tell a beautiful love story, even in just the way they looked at one another. With a single look, so much was said without a word being spoken. 

One thing that Rhaewin has begun to get criticism for lately, is the idea that Harwin is no better than any other man in Rhaenyra’s life, that he too has groomed and taken advantage of her, that perhaps he is no “saint” as he seems to be treated by the fandom. 

The truth is, there is nothing within the canon to suggest this. The first moment we get between them is when we see Harwin giving Rhaenyra an encouraging look after she returns from killing the boar. Nothing here implies he is lusting after her. Instead, Harwin merely just stands out as being the only one at the hunt to look at her with admiration while everyone stares in confusion or judgment. 

The next two scenes we are given of them also definitely don’t have any hint of predatory behavior from Harwin. He runs into her after she snuck out with Daemon and presumably decides to keep her secret, and the one after that he carries her away out of the chaos during her wedding after being given permission by his father, the hand. 

There is no canon evidence to support Harwin groomed her. Grooming implies a pattern of behavior over time that we do not see from Harwin. He and Rhaenyra have no pre existing relationship before they conceive Jace, Harwin does not even put himself forward for her hand during her marriage tour. Harwin does not commit any predatory actions towards Rhaenyra. 

This quote by Sara Hess is the closest we have to an official canonical description of Harwin, and while granted, Hess has said her fair share of questionable things in the past, there is nothing in the canon that disputes what she said. 

“He’s one of the more unambiguous characters, he’s just a good dude. You don’t see him off doing morally questionable things, which almost everybody else is doing. They’re so flawed and human and messy. He was able to be a paragon of decency and generosity and handsome strength. He’s one of the guys you could just love and feel great about loving and then he’s ripped from you too soon, before he does anything that could fuck that up for you. He’s our perfect angel.”

With this settled, I want to move on to their actual love story. We know they did not have much time together before they conceived Jace, considering the timeline of events. What we can put together at least, is that Rhaenyra was in a vulnerable position with Laenor. After they tried several times to conceive and failed, she needed to secure her position quickly and found solace in Harwin, who proved himself to be one of the only trusted figures she had in court. 

The next time we see Rhaewin is after the time jump. They have already had two beautiful sons together and another has just been born. Despite this implied intimacy, they have to hide their affections, only able to give each other coy smiles and a playful line here and there. Harwin holds their newborn son and Rhaenyra looks at the sight with adoration, yet also a hint of sadness, as if she is thinking of a world where they could be open about their love. In the night, they are in each other’s arms and make sons, princes of the realm. Yet in the day, these stolen moments are all they can afford.

The next time we see Harwin, he points out Criston Cole’s lack of care in his son’s training. He attempts to teach Jace as distantly as he can, and it is very clear he is increasingly frustrated with only being able to go so far in his son’s teachings. In the end, Cole still provokes him, and Harwin unleashes his anger on him. All the pain and frustration of only being able to love Rhaenyra and their children from afar is let out in the form of this beatdown on Cole. 

It would not follow without consequence however. Harwin is ordered to leave his position as Commander of the City Watch and go back to Harrenhal, away from Rhaenyra, away from their sons. Ryan Corr does an amazing job in this scene and you can just feel his utter devotion when he says one of my favorite lines from the show “you have your honor, and I have mine”. 

In a world where conceiving bastards is considered sinful and shameful, Harwin sees their union as one of love and honor. His sons are not treacherous reminders of sin and lust, but worthy princes born of love.

Rhaenyra and Harwin’s final scene together is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the show. Rhaenyra is losing one of the only trusted figures she has in court, the man she sought comfort in and who fathered her three sons, and Harwin is losing everything that means the most to him. And once again, despite the privacy, despite the fact that this is their last moment together, they still cannot be open about their love. There is no final kiss goodbye, not even a hug. There is only a single look between them that says all we need to know, and a hopeful promise that Harwin will return. 

One of the most tragic things about this scene is that Jacaerys picks up on everything between them. He sees the looks shared between them, the desire for a hug or a kiss, he sees it all and he knows what it means. His mother and father have a love story that they can never tell anyone about, not even their own son. 

TL;DR: Rhaewin is a beautiful yet tragic twist on the knight and princess love story trope. Those that see this relationship as shameful have had their brains rotted by team discourse who buy into the “bastardphobia” present in universe (despite the fact that that is constantly criticized by the narrative itself), and wave it away as a “mistake”. There is nothing at all shameful about their relationship, and their sons were not made of sin, but of love. Rhaewin is also far from boring or shallow, to say this is to insult the work done by Emma and Ryan. There is a very beautiful, and rich love story between these two characters for those that have eyes to see it.

[eclecticmiasma]

Hello! Good evening!

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Mithrun and I had a small scenario pop up in my head, and it would be lovely to see your vision on how this would play out, please and thank you 💕:

AFAB!Elf!reader is a member of the canaries, very soft spoken and rather kind. The nicest, most likely. Against her better judgement she’s down bad for the captain and everyone else is like “pls no I’d rather you not”. (She can fix him/jk)

Mithrun realizes she has feelings for him and in a very subtle way treats her a little more gentle than the others. Lets her spoil him a tiny bit more. Listens to her a bit more.

Reader can only hope one day maybe…just maybe…the captain can show a little interest in her too 🥺 and is oblivious that he lets her get away with a little more than others

Just very soft feelings all over

I won't spoil it for those who haven't read the manga, but there are instances where we see Mithrun treat Kabru rather favorably and opening up in great detail about his past. In a side story, we also see that younger Mithrun cared for the other canaries quite a bit. I imagine that even without his desires, Mithrun would appreciate care shown to him in his own Mithrun-y way.

SFW

Mithrun might be adverse to you at first, because when he really looks inward you remind him of his younger self.

However, Mithrun would soon come to see that you don't have the same...pitfalls in your personality that brought him where he is today. He might even come to somewhat admire your ability to stay genuinely kind in a world like theirs.

The other canaries start to notice that you have a much easier time getting their leader to take an ounce of care in his own well-being than any of them ever have. Some of them think it's entertaining while others (Pattadol) think the favoritism is unnacceptable.

Cithis might tease him about it if you aren't around, "We don't want to worry poor [y/n] by getting all dehydrated now, do we captain?"

Even the mention of your name is enough to motivate Mithrun, though you remain completely unaware. In your mind, the captain regards you as nothing more than a subordinate.

You don't notice the way his good eye trains on you as you talk about life before the canaries. You don't realize how fast he falls asleep when you're near. The magnitude of the fact that one night he voluntarily tells you a story about when he and his brother were children slips by you completely.

Pattadol is the only one to ever bring it up to you directly, and you truly have no idea what she's talking about. None of the others help her either, preferring to sit back and watch how her face reddens with frustration.

Mithrun isn't oblivious to the situation, however. He knows that there's something about you that...calms him, at the very least. He's sharp enough to know that you feel the same way about him, perhaps even stronger.

He likes having you around. It's not something he wants when you're gone, but it's something he enjoys while you're there. Because he knows you have some type of feelings for him, he indulges you at every turn. He even lets you wash his back and massage the scarred tissue built at the tips of his ears- though you're terribly relieved he can't see the heat rising on your cheeks as you do so.

One day, long long after the dungeoneering is done, perhaps you might even be able to help Mithrun find his desires, find himself again.

*do not post elsewhere without explicit permission. please consider reblogging, as Tumblr tends to hide adult content!

[RULES] [MASTERLISTS] [AO3] [KO-FI]

[distort-opia]

My condolences for your disappointment with the main continuity. Fortunately I don't have idea what is happening right now lol the last thing I see in my tl was about Joker ignoring batman and wanting to talk with a random guy about himself, but I'm not sure if this was written by Zdarsky or not. Honestly, DC should plan they comic like every other people from artistic industry plan their stories, plan arcs, character development, etc. Or just go back to episodic issues like in the beginning of batman in the 1940s.

I don't know if you feel the same, but every year that passes DC wants to make everything bigger, greater, and I just feel this doesn't suit Batman universe at all. Tô be honest, I just like that all his villain are just... "normal" people that went mad with the world and want to make it pay, and batman suit this because he's the same. That's what's make him different, for me at least. I feel this way everytime I go back to read early comic or the btas series, of how relatable everyone is, the villains and heroes.

Thank you, hah. You think you've killed any possible expectations you might have of DC, but then some shit comes out and you discover that hey, there is space for disappointment. And the comic you're mentioning is probably Batman/Dylan Dog, that one's not in continuity. To be honest, most of the better stories recently aren't. If you've managed to stay away from the main run, I don't much recommend catching up.

I do agree that DC's choice to keep upping the stakes just doesn't work. The human element that made Batman stories so great gets lost. They've turned both Batman and Joker into hollow characters at this point and just. This one panel made me cringe:

Stop it. Fucking Superman exists, and not only! Everyone already knows they're dangerous, why have it spelled out in such blatantly overpowered and exaggerated terms? Making everything about Batman and Joker and how dangerous they are is taking their mythology out of Gotham, and out of the very human and relatable framework they were created in.

DC does need to go back to smaller stories for Batman, but also I am begging for any of the events that happened to matter. Just have some consequences stick, some sort of lesson learned and not just the same story repeating itself again and again and again. Now that they've reinstated the status quo... let's see how long it takes for Something Bad to happen, causing Batman to distance himself from his Family, and then he's Mean and Angry and has to learn that actually he loves his Family and they're not his soldiers, they're his children. Again.

[avengerscompound]

The Interview - Chapter 28

The Interview - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings: smut (MF, vaginal sex, multiple orgasms)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Melody Danes

Word Count: 1968

Summary:  Melody Danes gets the break of a lifetime when as a lowly intern, she’s assigned to write a profile piece on Captain America.  Steve Rogers is a hard man not to fall for and as she and Melody get closer and Melody’s career takes off, jealousy leads to sabotage, and the potential to bring her whole world crashing down.

Chapter 28

Getting home took far too long, and then everyone wanted to catch up and find rooms, and all that other stuff you do with family when all the estranged members and new boyfriends showed up just before Christmas. All Melody wanted to do was take Steve back to her room and make up for lost time.  She’d been so wound up and stressed that all she wanted to do now was work out that stress.

At dinner, there was a lot of talk about what the plans are from here on out.  Melody didn’t have a concrete idea of what her plans were, but Steve seemed a little more certain.

“The legal team is putting pressure on the DB to post a retraction.  Despite his blustering, it looks like it will happen within the next week.  We’ve found out that Norah Winters has already been fired.  The police are investigating whether or not theft charges can be filed.  They need to find evidence that she actually stole the journal and without the journal that will be difficult.  Also, it’s hard to put a value on it, so it may not be worth it.  Regardless, we’ve started proceedings to have both her specifically and the DB charged with liable.  Melody, in particular, has an excellent case for that, because she no longer feels safe to work there, and thus her income and reputation has been severely hurt,” Steve explained over dinner.  “Of course, it would have been better if none of this happened, but we get the feeling that this was a case of jealousy on Norah’s behalf.  She’d been wanting to be the superhero reporter, but she’d alienated everyone.  Then Melody came along and we were all quite happy to talk to her.  It irked her and she wanted Mel out.”

“Well, it worked,” Melody said.

“It did, but she’s out of work now too,” Steve said.

It was a small comfort.  Melody’s whole reputation was ruined.  As far as the public was concerned, all the reasons they wanted to hate her because she dared to date Steve Rogers had now been confirmed.  It would be hard to have any kind of public online presence now without attracting hate.  Norah on the other hand might be vilified by some, but she’d have a huge audience of people wanting her to spill more dirt.

There was nothing more that could be done about that now, and it was not something Melody wanted clogging up her thoughts now that she had Steve here with her anyway.  She’d worried about her new career path after Christmas.

Finally, they were saying their goodnights.  She hugged Bobbi in the hallway, rocking side to side with her.  “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Yeah.  Me too,” she said.  Melody knew it had to be hard for Bobbi to be here too, so she wasn’t sure that she was completely happy to be here, which made the fact that she was happy enough to be with Melody even more special.  “Alright,” Bobbi said, patting her back. “Go get your man.  I can see how antsy you are.” 

Melody laughed as she pulled back. “Night,” she said.

“Good night,” Bobbi chuckled.

Melody stepped into the bedroom with Steve and kicked the door closed.  “Hello,” she said, looking up at him.

“Hey,” Steve replied.

There was a pause where they both just stood staring at each other.  “Mel…” Steve said softly.

They surged forward, colliding with each other.  Melody wrapped her arms around his neck and his curled around her waist, lifting her as their lips connected.

She curled one leg around his waist and he carried her to the bed, placing her on it as he moved on top of her.  Melody’s closed started to feel restricting and in the way.  She scrambled first to try and get his off and then to get hers, but with how tightly they were pressed together, and how they clutched at each other, it was almost impossible.

“Steve,” she said breathlessly.  “Too many clothes.”

Steve sat back and pulled off his shirt, and as he did, her hands went to his pants and began to work his pants down.  When his cock sprung free, they moved to her clothes.  Steve practically tore them from her, leaving them in tatters around her naked body.

She grappled at him, pulling him back down on top of her and into another searing kiss.  When he’d settled between her legs, she wrapped one around his slim waist and drew him in, and with one smooth stroke, he entered her.

She gasped, arching her back and clenching her walls to grip his cock tight and pull him in deeper.  Steve let out a deep moan.  “God, I missed this,” he breathed.

She clutched at him like she was trying to pull her down into him more.  “Me too.  I missed you.  Steve. I love you, Steve.”

He bunched his hand in the back of her hair and held her there as he looked down into her eyes.  His normally light blue eyes were blown out black with lust.  “I love you too.  I’ll never let that happen again.  I promise.”

He kissed her again, claiming her lips with his.  She couldn’t seem to get close enough to him.  It was like she was trying to merge their bodies into one.  Steve was only too willing to give her what she wanted.  His hands slid around her hips and up under her back, making her spine curve off the mattress as he pulled her up against him.  He rolled his hips slow and deep, thrusting in as deep as she could take him, the head of his cock nudging against her cervix.  When he pulled back, he rubbed the base of his cock against her clit, adding to the intense sensations rocketing through her.

Her lips trailed from his mouth, along his jaw, to just under his ear, and she tugged on his earlobe with her teeth.  “I missed you,” she mewled.  “I missed you, Steve.”

“I’m so sorry, honey,” he murmured breathlessly.  “I missed you too.  I’ll never do that to you again.  Never.”

He picked up his pace, thrusting into her, making the bed rock below them and bang against the wall.  Melody cried out, arching her back under him and grabbing hold of the headboard.  Steve’s hand went to her mouth, muffling her sounds.  “Shhh,” he whispered in her ear.  “You need to be quiet.”

She moaned, writhing under him.  She wasn’t sure that she could keep quiet.  Everything felt too good.  Too intense.  He filled her perfectly, and when she angled her hips just right, the head of his cock hit her g-spot and sent a wave of pleasure right through her.  She was careening toward the peak of her orgasm.  She was just considering whether she should reach down between their bodies to rub her clit when it hit her like a tidal wave, crashing down on her and sending her tumbling over the edge.  She lost all control over herself, her loud cry muffled by Steve’s hand, and was left dazed and panting as the waves washed over her.

Her cunt hadn’t even stopped quivering when Steve pulled out and flipped her over.  The move was so commanding and hot that she quickly scrambled onto her knees, her legs spread just enough for him to move between them.  Her slick ran down her thighs in little rivulets and when Steve slammed back into her aching cunt, it made a wet squelching sound.

He didn’t hold back, pounding into her from behind, their bodies slapped together again and again.  Melody couldn’t focus.  She bit down into the pillow to smother her moans as he railed into her.  Her hand snaked down under her body and she began to rub her clit.

She came again and again, over and over, until one orgasm blended into the next, and all she could do was lie there limply and take it.  “Please, Steve.  Give it to me.  I need it,” she mewled, clenching her walls tight around his cock.

Steve moaned through gritted teeth, his head falling back and with one more hard thrust, he came, pumping into her.  She could feel his cock pulsing as it emptied inside her.

“Oh god, Steve,” she moaned.  “Yes… fuck, baby.”

Steve hummed and ground his hips in one last time before pulling out and collapsing on the bed beside her.  As he lay on his back breathing heavily, Melody rolled over and curled into the crook of his arm.  They lay there quietly, riding out their orgasm highs.  Steve’s heart thundered against her ear and she listened as it slowed and evened out to his usual slow rhythm.

She looked up at him through hooded eyes, a soft sleepy smile on her face.  “That was amazing,” she hummed.  “God, Steve.  I love you so much.  I hate being apart from you.”

He frowned and leaned down pressing a kiss to her forehead and then her lips.  “I know.  I don’t like it either.  This - what happened - I’m not going to let it happen again.  But you know that there are going to be times that I can’t be around.  My work…”

Melody pushed herself up onto her elbow and looked down at him.  “I know, Steve.  I’ve had the separation by mission before.  I’m not gonna lie, I hated it.  I hated worrying and not having word from you, and thinking maybe you’d died.  It was hard.  But I wasn’t alone.  I had Mattie and Bobbi.  And I knew you at least wanted to come home to me.  That is part of you.  And I get it.  I wouldn’t change that part of you.  You help people and it’s one of the reasons I love you.  Besides, when you get back, it means reunited sex, and we just proved how great that was.  This was different.  I was alone and I thought what happened was enough to turn you off me.”

“I’m sorry.  I need to communicate better,” he said.

She shrugged.  “We both do.”

“I just wanted to make sure you knew what it was like to be with me.  I’m serious about you.  There’s going to be lots of times when I want to be with you, and I can’t, and I won’t be able to call.  I don’t want to hurt you, so if that’s something you can’t live with…”

She placed her finger on his kiss-swollen lips and shook her head.  “I can.  As long as you can live with those people saying all those terrible things about us.”

He shook his head.  “I feel like that’s my fault, not yours.  Do you think that article would have been at all interesting to anyone if you weren’t dating an Avenger?”

“Maybe not,” she said. “And I admit, that stuff is hard for me to read.  But it’s something we both have to live with.”

“I don’t care what anyone else says about us.  I know what's real.  I know what's in my heart.  I love you, Mel.”

Melody looked down at him, and she could picture a whole life with him.  A home in Brooklyn.  A dog.  Getting married.  Children.  Date nights.  Marathon sex sessions.  Being held in his strong arms. Being harassed on the internet.  Nights alone worrying.  Tending to wounds.  The good and the bad mesh together to form a full well-lived life.  He was her person.  She knew that.  All that bad was worth it because the good could be so good.  He was right.  She knew what was in her heart.

“I love you too,” she said and leaned in to kiss him.  He wrapped his arms around her and she knew they were going to be okay.

// NEXT

[chevvy-yates]

WIP WEDNESDAY WHENEVER

Ayoo I know I have been tagged in the past but I don'#'t remember who it was so I just make a new one.

Trying to keep it short.

I am currently spending my lil freetime and energy on doing charts for @gloryride pride runner suits and Oscar opening the whole thing with the Rainbow theme already is so cute <3

also have a look at these two:

Vijay too cute, and Ryder my spolied child always sneaking back saying "take pics of me! See I smile just for u" makes every shitty day better imediately.

and some writing I did recently and find turned out nicely (all Ryder):

“Sometimes I just imagine how it must be to flow weightless, like a satellite, in the black sky, and I daydream about things way beyond this atmosphere — That’s why I want to fly to the moon someday.” — Ryder talking to Thyjs about space/moon topics

“Physicality – The human body likes that. It’s just that simple. See, the repetitive ‘thud, thud, thud’ of technoise is similar to what our heart does: it beats. And each beat is sending positive energy that reverberates both physically and mentally through the mind and soul, leaving no space for doubts, stress or other headaches. The simplicity of technoise simplifies your thinking. Its characteristic repetitiveness helps you transcend the banality of life, and resonates with the idea of persistence that more often than not sparks motivation in me. It gets my inner gears working.” — Ryder on why he likes Technoise

Cooling raindrops are dashing softly onto his heated face and he feels unusual relaxation wallowing into him. He sensed the smell of petrichor already the last time he'd been up for some fresh air some hours earlier. The scent heralded thick in the air. Rain for him wasn’t just water pattering down from the sky. For him it’s one of the rare things that are able to make him feel sedated, and to dwell in a kind of nostalgia with the world around him suddenly feeling smaller. The harder it rains the better, but feeling these current soothing droplets feeding his burned body was just as good. So he just chooses to sit and welcomes each drop his body is able to collect like a potted plant that had been forgotten to water for a longer while. It makes him release the tension in his muscles from the hard dance workout underground. The feel of each drop on his skin is amazing. No one else can feel for him. Only he can let it in. And no one else can say the words on his lips. “Some feel the rain, and others just get wet.” — Ryder out in the rain taking a break from raving

tagging:

@gloryride, @breezypunk, @astarionhistears, @elvenbeard, @dreamskug, @aggravateddurian, @rosapexa, @wanderingaldecaldo, @shivsghost, @wraithsoutlaws and everyone who has to show something new! As always; no pressure <3

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for trying to improve people's lives?

I've been told that it is possible to make an entirely anonymous inquiry on this blog. I do hope that is true.

I have been entrusted with a position of great responsibility on my planet. I try my very best to remain attuned to my people's suffering, wants, needs, grievances, and regrets. I hold in my heart only the purest of hopes for them; all I wish is to grant them eternal, unshakable, everlasting happiness and joy.

Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that there is no such thing as a harmonious, peaceful life. Not within the confines of reality itself. Resources are scarce, suffering and struggle is all too common, and one cannot even consent to the conditions under which one is born. As such, I have concluded that it is cruel, harsh, and unreasonable to expect the people of this world to live under these conditions.

I have meticulously maintained a truly safe space, away from the pains of reality, under the guidance of my mentor, whom I see almost as a father. In this space, there is no suffering nor illness, no poverty nor worries— only satisfaction and safety.

...Or, that's how it should be. Even now, the bitter resentments of reality manage to leech their way into this beautiful space. No matter how dutifully I work to stamp it out, there will always be such things brewing in the shadows. Even here, in this beautiful land of dreams, there remains those who would trick and abuse the weak, those who would exploit and oppress those with nowhere else to go. I have heard many accounts of this... and nothing I have done seems to resolve this filth. The only conclusion I can come to at this point is that it is purely human nature, human ego, which is propagating this need to induce the suffering of others.

As such, I have come to a conclusion with my master. Together, we shall ensure that this beautiful world is able to flourish and prosper for eternity. I shall sacrifice myself, personally, to the role of maintaining this sweet fantasy for everyone else. Under my gaze, there shall be no more suffering, no more misery or oppression, no more vile acts under the name of human will. Only the perfect image of peace and order. Everything, and everyone, in perfect equality and bliss.

My only hesitation... is that my sister does not agree with me. She seems rather horrified by the idea, clinging to naive ideals of "freedom" and the meaninglessness of a "false reality." But what she falls to understand is that not everyone is granted the privelige to thrive in reality. There are the disabled, the impoverished, those without friend or family, those who are hunted by their past. For the terminally ill who only have but a few days of life remaining, can you really say it would be better spent in "reality," where they will merely die slowly and painfully in near isolation, instead of a sweet dream in which they can do all they ever wished?

My dream is to grant a safe haven, a pleasant and worthwhile existence, to those who suffer endlessly due to "reality" itself. A benevolent refuge, away from the oppressive nature of free will. There is a difference between a meaningful existence and the distasteful tragedy of anarchy— the lack of order and regulation cannot be what gives life its "meaning," for what then of those that are trampled by this anarchy itself? A lack of order is an order in and of itself: it is simply a hierarchy founded on strength and brute force, in place of benevolence, kindness, or compassion for others.

But... I do waver somewhat, knowing that my sister holds such distain for my ideals. My hope is that one of you kind voters may be able to explain her frustration to me better than she could. She is incredibly dear to me, and I would like to resolve this as soon as possible, such that we can remain on good terms once my New World is established, and we can see one another's point of view more clearly.

Many thanks for your time.

[- submission by @spaaaaaaaark-uwu ]