#i have a funny feeling people are gonna be heated about the amount of aggressive heterosexuality in this season

[cloud-based-and-rainpilled]

He's talking about cum

[pi3tros]

LAST FRIDAY NIGHT 🪩

summary: Jungkook hosted an yearly summer pool party, a event that everyone looked forward to. It was the same every year, hundreds of people, insane amount of alcohol, and sex. Jungkook never participated in all that tho, he just monitored and played beer pong with his friends. Well, that was until he got a girlfriend of course who wouldn’t stop getting hit on.

pairing: frat boy ! jungkook x f sorority girl y/n (reader is black coded if u don’t like that tap out) established relationship

genre: strangers to friends, smut, a lil bit of fluff

rating: 18+

warnings: marijuana, vaping, alcohol, mentions of fighting, mentions of blood, p in v sex, hair pulling, choking, titty worship, they have sex in the private jacuzzi lolol, big! d jungkook, reader is lowk a city girl Ifykyk ,jungkook owns a gym, freaky asf, he dominant, brat taming, baby it’s hot girl summer you already know wsp

the swimsuit — 👙

the hair — 💁🏾‍♀️

wet n wavy bundles bbyyyy 😝😝😝



You were getting on Jungkook’s nerves, badly.

One, you kept shaking your ass on tables with your ratchet ass friends for everyone to see. Two, men where coming up to you. Three, your tit accidentally came out rapping FNF. Jungkook knew that was gonna happen to because he warned you about getting a size smaller in swimsuits. And four, he got into a damn fist fight because a dude wouldn’t take no for a answer. Now his knuckles where all bruised, and blood got on his marble floors!

His party was turning into a monitor over ___ day so she doesn’t slip up and bust her head, rather than, play pool and smoke. In general, your boyfriend was getting stressed the hell out.

Currently you and your girlfriends lingered by the edge of the pool, singing Versace on the floor. Sipping your martini, fixing your bikini top from revealing your nipples once again. “___, jungkook said come here.” Your friend Mariah pointed towards him, his eyes focused on you.

He did a come here motion with his two fingers, your tip twitched upward giving him a mean mug mouthing ‘what?’.

Smoke coming out of his notrils, rolling his eyes at you. Doing the same motion but more aggressive. ‘Get over here.’ He mouthed, passing the blunt to Taehyung. Who was talking to one of your homegirls, seeming to like to conversation. In all honesty, a whole lot of stuff you were doing was on purpose. He was funny when he was mad, and you wanted the dick so.

“Be right back,” you alerted your friends, getting out of the pool getting a little bit dry from the harsh heat on the island. Even tho it was dark out. Walking towards the outdoor couches as he manspreaded, tapping his lap.

You say next to him tho.

“Stop playing.” He grabbed you by your throat sitting you down on his lap, his arm wrapping around your waist tightly. Thumb going up and down slowly against your tummy leaving goosebumps. Giving the side of your neck a small kiss.

“You having fun?” He whispered in your ear, softly biting your earlobe. Pushing his head away since it tickled.

“Yeah.” You responded back dryly, wrapping your arm around his broad shoulder. He looked at you weirdly, hand trailing down to your right cheek, squeezing the flesh as his fingers dug in your skin.

“What happened?”

“Nothingg,” you whined out of annoyance, he took his hand off of your ass and put it on the back of you neck pulling you closer. Sitting on top of his semi hard cock, feeling it through his Burberry swim trunks. You honestly weren’t annoyed, you just wanted to get on his nerves so bad he dicked you down.

He kissed his teeth, “why do you have a attitude?”

“I don’t.”

“Yes you do.”

“No I don’t.”

He shut his eyes close taking a deep sigh, patience running thin. “Are you purposely doing—”

“And imma’ ride you like a rodeo,” you randomly started singing the city girls song that was playing, rolling your hips against his. He stared at you blankly, shaking his head rolling his eyes.

“Here go with your friends, there in the twerk circle for like the 100th time.” He tapped your thigh, seeing Namjoon and Jin approach. The group always having good conversations, reminiscing about there boy band in high school.

“You don’t wanna hang out with me?” Pouting, rolling your hips once again making him hiss. Quickly grabbing your waist to keep you still.

Tapping your hip, “we will later, go have fun.” Leaning forward giving you a kiss on your cheek. Slowly getting up.

“Hey Joonie, hey Jin.” Namjoon leaned down giving you a friendly hug, Jin doing the same as the two sitting down next to Jungkook immediately filling him in on something that happened.

You walked back towards your group of friends, continuing the fun night.

“You single?”

“No…” you laughed awkwardly, sipping your drink mix as the pineapple flavor left a aftertaste. The muscular man in front of you trying to shoot his shot. It’s been atleast a hour since you’ve seen jungkook, you and your friends running around your boyfriends property having a good time.

Now you resigned inside the mansions large kitchen, making yourself a drink then he randomly approached you.

“Awww okay…” he paused, eye contact strong as he licked his lips. “You can have friends tho, right?”

“Nah she can’t have friends.” You felt arms wrap around your waist, your boyfriends giving a sarcastic smile to him. His chin pressing into your shoulder. Giving it a peck. The man nodded, he knew who Jungkook was and don’t even want to try it.

“I can speak for myself you know.” He ignored that, taking a sip of your drink hovering above you. Slapping your thigh a couple of times watching your skin giggle. Rapping the Drake song in your ear as you ignored him.

“Baby get offff, you’re heavy.” Trying to yank his arms off of you as he weighed you down, loudly cackling in your ear as you almost fell going up the step. “Jungkook!” You yelled, the man rubbing up and down your stomach.

“Let’s go to the jacuzzi.” He whispered, giving your ear wet kisses. You cringed, trying to get him off once again as he dragged you upstairs. Your head trapped in between his muscular arm as he typed in the code, door unlocking as he pushed you into the dark room.

He shut the door close, locking it. Taking of the Burberry piece throwing it on the bed. The room was familiar, when you went on vacations to the island the two of you always went to the house. Opening the balcony door that faced the side of the mansion, taking off the Gucci platforms that he had got you for Valentine’s Day.

Dipping your legs into the water, humming in approval from the warmth. He didn’t take to long, Golden skin shining from the moonlights glow. Tattoos decorating his soft skin. Giving you a cheeky smile as he trailed towards you in the water, grabbing your chin tilting your head up. Gently pushing his lips against yours.

He moaned into the kiss, lips fitting like puzzle pieces as he gripped your chin. Backing his head away once the two of you ran out of breath. “Now you wanna be nice?” Giving you a look, thumb pressing against your lip.

“What are you talking about?” Furrowing your eyebrows at him, his thumb slowly sliding inside of your mouth. Eye contact not breaking as his dark eyes lowered down your body then back up.

“I don’t like when you play dumb, your to smart for that.” He mumbled, thumb sliding farther down your mouth. You knew exactly what he was talking about, but you shrugged. Tongue gliding around the pad of of his thumb.

He slowly moved his thumb in and out slowly, eying the way your plump lips hugged against his skin. Moving his thumb faster in and out, slober dripping down the side of your mouth. A obvious print through his shorts.

Sliding his thumb out. Leaning down slamming his lips against yours with more passion, sloppy sounds being heard other than the rnb playing in the background. Lips tasting like the pineapple drink you had earlier.

Arms caging you as he gripped the jacuzzi. Opening your mouth as he slid his tongue in, pushing it down your throat. Tilting your head to the side as he grunted, slowly pushing his head back panting lightly.

Hovering above you as he reached forward, untying the string of your top. Laying it down on the jacuzzi, gripping your boob, putting the other one in his mouth. Sucking onto it lightly, teeth grazing against your nipple. Acrylic nails grazing his hair gripping onto the locks as he took a long stride on your chest, sucking harshly leaving deep marks.

“O-oh!” You gasped from his finger pinching your nipple.

“Feel good?” He muffled, focused on the marks he was creating. Your nipples sensitive and puffy from his constant abuse. Water splashing against his back as he adjusted his position, leaving a hickey on your side boob.

“Uh-huh.” You nodded, your legs resting on each side of his torso. Back arching as he pressed against you, holding himself back from rolling his hips against yours. But he didn’t have to worry about that, because you did it first. His cock rubbing against your clothed cunt, letting out a whimper.

Popping your tit out of his mouth, chest covered with hickeys and bite marks. Grabbing your neck, pushing you upward. Taking ahold of your thighs spreading your legs. Untying both sides of your swimsuit, hands skillfully fast. Putting the bottoms by your top. He didn’t hesitate to run his thumb down your slit, earning a shaky breath for you.

“Pussy so pretty baby,” he whispered, forgetting about prepping you from how damn horny he was. Flipping your around as your stomach pressed against the jacuzzi edge, ass up in the air as he took out his cock. It slapped against his stomach, tip a pretty dark shade of pink as pre cum leaked out.

Stroking himself with a groan, grabbing your ass cheeks spreading them. Gargling up spit, spitting it directly on your hole watching it slide down as he lined himself up, not hesitating to push his fat tip in. Immediately feeling the burn, reaching your arm back as your nails dug into his abs. “A-ah, slow down..” you moaned, head dangling.

“It’s just the tip baby.” He laughed, giving your ass a tap as he waited for you to adjust. Painfully throbbing inside of you as slick trailed down his veins. Smiling through the pain.

“Alright you can— go!” You flinched as he slammed himself inside of you, head dangling as he slid out letting out a pop sound. Hips stuttering as he began slamming into you at a brutal pace, ass clapping against his hips as you let out porn like moans.

His cock curved, beating against your puffy gummy walls. His grunts and groans loud, cold rings brushing against your neck as he used you as his personal flesh light. “B-bet that boy couldn’t fuck you this good, hm?” Knuckles turning white as he leaned forward, gripping the jacuzzi.

To fucked out to even speak, eyes squeezed shut as his tip kissed your cervix. Tattooed hands forming a ponytail with his hand, pulling you forward as water splashed against the two of you. “Answer me.”

“He c-couldn’ttt, slow—mmph! down!” you whined, letting out a scream that was probably heard over the music. His foot raising on the seat, hitting it from a different angle that had your vision turn white. Head going limp as he dipped his fingers in the water playing with your clit.

“You can take it.” He simply said, sliding out grabbing you by your hips flipping you around. Breast pressing against his chest as he slammed himself back in. Strokes slow and hard as your foot hit against his back, water splashing against your jaw.

“Fuckkk,” he groaned, squeezing him tight as he pressed his face in your neck. Strokes getting sloppier and his whines louder.

“Gonna—”

“I know, I know.” His hand gripped your lower back, thumb rubbing up and down. Teeth sinking into your neck to hold back his moans. Pushing your right leg up against your chest, other hand gripping your thigh to steady himself as he slammed his hips against yours. Skin turning red.

“Jungkookkk, oh—” he slammed his lips against yours, a sloppy kiss as you moaned loudly in his mouth. Creaming his cock as your legs shook, slapping his shoulder as he kept going. Not stopping his pace, ignoring your cries of overstimulation as he pulled out.

“A-ah fuck..” he whimpered, cum painting your chest.

“Jungkook, you idiot, you got some in my hair.”

“Shut up.”

[star-scrambled]

I'm starting to see alot of toxic arguments on twitter around Shadow being in 3. Alot of Amy and Metal fans are worried about their characters. Should Shadow just be left for later? Things are getting a bit heated.

Heated? lol. that’s funny 😭 and a little much for a title and prototype logo reveal, but hey, this isn’t new, just amplified more than it was before.

Anyhow, based on logic, I’m on “Team Shadow” I guess since, like I stated in a previous post, it wouldn’t be too hard for the 3rd movie to have Shadow as the main antagonist with Metal still established, but having it be the other way around or excluding Shadow is what’s going to start making this movie franchise gather dust. Sonic 3 needs to one-up the hype of the sequel, and focusing on Metal as the main antagonist is going to wrack nowhere near the same amount of hype, so they have to throw Shadow in there too. It’ll please the movie-goer desire of a “no way home” esque story with “multiple Sonic’s”, those being Shadow and Metal ofc. What has to be considered with the next “spotlight” character is how much sense they make as a next step in upping the stakes and how recognizable they’ll be to general audiences. Paramount changed their Sonic design for the fans, we get it, but these movies are trying to grab more than just the praise of us fans, but the intrigue of newcomers too.

To share my opinion on what others are thinking should come before Shadow while I’m at it as well:

- Why are people so attached to CD of all things getting its own movie??? At the most you’ll get your characters and some inspired elements, but they are NOT doing that entire plot Singular with just those two new characters, that movie would flop compared to the previous two. I feel like this is only relevant to people because “the movie universe has to do things in order” when clearly that’s not the case??? Nobody said that’s what was gonna happen, and by all accounts they broke that order anyway with “skipping CD”. This is the movie universe, where there are retcons and different rules and story aspects, it’s not relying on the numbering of the games here.

- Thought it was obvious but the HUGE VIBE I’m getting from the confirmed Knuckles series is that it will take some inspiration from his character development in the Adventure games. And yknow...considering this show is coming inbetween the release of the next two movies...🤨 sounds pretty “in order” to me lol

- why do you want the OVA again 😭😭?? lets just all collectively predict that Knux gets his hat during his show and go home that’s literally all we need

BUT yeah those are my thoughts lol !!! [disclaimer: all of this is /nm! i’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade! if you’re really passionate about the concept of something CD-inspired in the movieverse n all that jazz, good for you! take off with that in flying colours! i’m just stating what’s most likely to transpire based on what would be the best business decision for Paramount to make if they know how to make this cinematic universe stay relevant, mainly targeting those who are getting a little too aggressively insistent over their ideas and biases as anon said]

[razorblade180-heated]

Warmth

[Smut! Also I’m aware of the canon, and? Read my tags]

Nice guys finish last, a common phrase tossed around to any dude with dipshit friends that clearly fumble their way into relationships. At least that’s what Ilia thought. She also wondered why it was just guys? It’s not like they’re the only ones striking out or being told to act rude. She should know. Unfortunately, she’s been both the worry wart, and the dipshit. You would think romance had clear instructions by now. After all, love comes for everyone given enough time. Even her, but there lies the problem. Ilia couldn’t admit it. Not to the only person that it matters to. Ilia could fight grimm, be a terrorist, a good person, and stand outside a hotel room an entire kingdom away with luggage held tight like she is now, but for the love of everything not annoying, Ilia couldn’t tell one nice guy that he makes her feel like she’s walking on air.

It had been several months since her and Sun got a little more serious. The emotional soul searching definitely took time, and every choice felt like do or die for her, but Ilia was finally in a place emotionally that truly felt good. Most of that was thanks to Kali. The woman was always there to lend an ear. All that searching though put several things temporarily on a back burner. One of those things was visiting Sun. Expenses to Vacou was one thing, but Ilia didn’t want to visit him while feeling completely out of sorts. It wouldn’t be fair to him. That didn’t stop Sun from blowing up her scroll with facetime messages. That dork worked out a time zone schedule and everything. It was sweet; the kind Ilia wasn’t used to but definitely wanted more of. It had been far too long since she saw that cheeky monkey boy in person.

Ilia stared down the door as she psyched herself up. “Don’t be nervous. Dooooon’t be nervous.” She muttered to herself. She finally knocked on the door and waited in brief suspense as the door swung open aggressively. Ilia was effortlessly pulled into the room and more importantly, into a hug. It took her a moment to realize she was less than an inch away from pecks and wrapped in warm arms. She tilted her head up to see shiny white teeth smiling at her.

“Hey Ilia. Have a safe trip?”

Her freckles turned a little pink and she pouted. “We’re skipping over the fact that you just surprised me? How’d you know it was at the door?”

“Ummm you were mumbling out there for a few minutes.”

“Oh…” Ilia lost the nerve to look at him and choose to hide her face in his chest. How much did he possibly hear!? It was too embarrassing to think about. “How’ve ya been?”

“Oh ya know, missions. Scarlet had a party yesterday, obviously things got out of hand.”

“Fire?”

“No it was actually bandits. He didn’t help fight. Him and Neptune song Toxic while Sage and I handled everything.”

Ilia looked back up at Sun. “That sounds awesome! Man, I should’ve booked an overnight flight!”

“Yeah we could’ve used another fighter.”

“We both know I would’ve been drunk onstage with them.”

“Listen, you could’ve let me dream.” Sun said, laughing gently. It was criminal to be this endearing. Ilia wasn’t sure how Neptune or anybody could deal with this brightness so easily. However, Ilia would love to learn.

“Uhh, Sun? You’re still hugging me.” Ilia stammered.

The boy's face turned a little red and he quickly let go. “Whoops! Hehe, my bad. Got a little carried away.”

“That’s nothing new.” She jabbed at him. “Wearing your heart on your sleeve is what you do best.” Ilia stepped further into the room. “Or maybe it’s picking rooms…”

The hotel room had a glass door on the other side that led to a balcony to look out at Vacou’s desert beauty. A huge couch was smack dab in the middle of the room that faced a wide screen. Sun clearly brought his own things. Wires from the bottom went down the wall and connected to a game system with tons of things to play and watch. Ilia walked to the back of the room to a door that led to another big room. This one had dressers, a door that most likely led to the bathroom, and a massive bed that looked softer than a cloud and covered in pillows.

The thought of sleeping in it was both heavenly l, and a little too much to deal with. It was a big bed, and the only bed. Ilia jumped a little as she felt Sun poke her back to get her attention.

“You alright?”

“How much did this all cost!? This is Atlas grade stuff right here.”

Sun folded his arms and smiled with confidence. “Funny you say that. This is the room Weiss gets when she’s here. I asked very nicely for her to let me use it. The missions I went on for the company definitely helped with a discount.”

“Discount?”

“Yeah Weiss said she isn’t paying for room service.” Sun let out a sad sigh. “Weiss said it’s the only way we wouldn’t order nothing but lobster.”

Ilia was soul crushed. Weiss was right but that didn’t make it better. Lobster is great. “I don’t blame her, but I’m offended. I was gonna go all out.”

“Well now you can do that, but on a budget.” Sun walked back to grab Ilia’s bags. “Feel free to take a shower. I still have things I wanna set up.”

“Alright, thanks.” She grabbed her things from him and went to the bathroom. It was much bigger than she expected. Ilia was used to a bathroom the size of a closet. Not another room! It was half the size of the bedroom and magnificent. The entire thing was tile and the tub was deep. With a removal shower head and other things Ilia couldn’t begin to know what they were for.

“Really glad he didn’t pay full price for anything.” A heat rose to her cheeks. Sun totally would’ve paid full price if it came down to it. Nobody is worth this much effort. Then again, Kali would beg to differ. She would think going all out would be just enough. How Ghira surpassed all expectations is beyond her.

xxxx

Sun finally finished his set up of movies and games and was ready for the hard part. Not screwing things up. Hanging out came naturally to him but it was much harder when he could tell Ilia had a lot on her mind. Maybe he was trying too hard. Should he ask her about it, or give her space. Months to think about this and he let it slip through his fingers. “I wonder if she’s reading me as much as I am her? Huh, maybe I should stick to being straight forward?”

“How’s the set up going?” Ilia called from behind him.

Sun started to turn around. “I’m finish-fin...umm.” He had lost his train of thought. Ilia had derailed it completely by walking around in a white bathrobe with her hair down. Sun’s eyes drifted to her toned legs and didn’t leave them.

Ilia noticed the distraction and blushed. “Ahem!” Sun snapped out of the daze, embarrassed and rubbing his head in embarrassment.

“Sorry, caught me by surprise.” Not that he was complaining. By any means, and his tone made that very clear to her.

Ilia sat down on the couch and carefully kept her legs crossed. “Don’t get used to this. My hair always ruins my clothes when it’s wet so I’m letting it dry is all.

“You know I never noticed, but your hair and size is kinda like Weiss. It’s kinda fortunate. Don’t think that bathrobe would work for me.

“You’re shirtless all the time. All you need is a towel.” She looked passed him to see his setup. “Games or movies first?”

“Choice is all yours. I’m perfectly fine owning you in all of these games.” He boasted. Ilia wasn’t gonna take that at all.

“Famous last words, banana breath. I’m about to be eating lobster and kicking you but for the rest of the evening! Pass me a controller.”

Sun laughed confidently and tossed her one. She seemed to be in a better mood than before. Deep conversation can wait. Now was the time to enjoy each other’s reunion. “Winner decides the movie.”

Ilia grinned. “You’re on!”

xxxx

“Rematch!” Ilia declared, for the tenth time. She was not about to admit defeat and watch Speed Racer. Though at this point the amount of food she ate would probably knock her out before the halfway point.

“I think you gotta accept the loss here. I don’t know why you thought you’d beat me in a fighting game finally. Should’ve chosen racing.”

“Whatever. It’s no fun if a bet is one sided. I totally would have won though.” Ilia let out a sigh and handed her controller over, shooting him an evil look at his victory. Sun could only smile. “That’s a weird response to a glare.”

“Can’t help it. I’m just really glad you’re having a good time with me.”

That was sudden. Ilia blinked twice then began to play with her hands. “Why wouldn’t I…?”

He shrugged. “Earlier you looked a bit spaced out. Like your mind was somewhere else. Couldn’t tell why. I almost asked why but you know, trying to be better at letting things go at their own pace. Being a leader doesn’t mean I have the most tact hehe.”

That was an understatement. It never mattered what was happening, if Sun was a part of it then he was all in. Helping, fighting, everything. True, it made things feel a little overwhelming at times; but it was a pleasant change for people like Ilia. Having a person that was always in your corner was a stark contrast from her time before the White Fang and during it. Blake wasn’t even always around. Not that it was a problem. But Ilia would be lying if she said she didn’t used to wish that would be the case between her and Blake. Oh well. Life goes on.

Ilia leaned closely to Sun, then flicked his forehead hard.

“Ow!” He flinched.

“Blame yourself. Your brain needed a jumpstart apparently. I could’ve sworn I told you not to hold back around me once upon a time. Be greedy, stay outspoken. Even if I seem sensitive about it.” Ilia knew she had a bad habit of putting up walls. That’s why she was thankful for her friends. The only tactful person was Blake. Everybody else would just try crashing right through any wall. A crude approach, but Ilia knew herself well enough to admit she doesn’t leave people many other options. “What did you wanna ask me?” Being caught up in lecturing Sun, Ilia had legitimately forgotten her little crisis outside the door. Knots in her stomach hit hard the moment she remembered. “Me and my big mouth!” Ilia screamed, internally.

“You were outside my door for a good while. Then it took you some time to process the hug. I wasn’t sure if you were worried about seeing me or if there’s something in general that had you distracted. Heh, I guess you can say I got worried about you worrying. So, what was on your mind.”

“Oh you know, things…” her voice trailed off and it was hard to look at him again. Why was this so hard! Ilia hated this. Confessions weren’t anything new to her, and yet Ilia genuinely felt scared to even work up to it. Her skin changed between gray and pink constantly as the room went painfully silent. Sun was waiting for an answer and Ilia was left with her throat feeling dry. She came all the way here to get this off her chest in earnest and now it felt like she was being crushed flat by it.

Ilia continued to be mad at herself for saying nothing as she felt Sun take her hand and rub his thumb across it. Amazing how simple touches like this could change the atmosphere. Against his, Ilia hadn’t realized she had been shaking. She looked up to see Sun staring at her, concerned while remaining patient. It wasn’t fair, those eyes. The way they built her up and disarmed her all at once. Ilia never wanted them off her.

“Take your time with it.” Sun said with reassurance. It was easy to see he was anxious as well from the way his tail couldn’t keep still behind him.

“I...it’s….” she gripped his hand tighter. “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of this. Us. I’m scared that if I tell you exactly what this means to me, it’ll end. I don’t know how or why but I know no matter how badly I wanna say the words I want you to hear…” she holds her head down and clenches her robe. “I probably sound so stupid right now huh?”

“I wouldn’t say so. Listen, I know that no matter what I say you’re gonna beat yourself up about this. Me being understanding or not, wasn’t gonna change that fact; and you know that I was going to understand.”

Ilia let out a small pity chuckle. Sun tilted her head up gently. Even with misty eyes, Ilia remained completely beautiful. “I don’t hear the words, but I’m smart enough to know they’re there. I haven’t said them, but do you think for a second you don’t know how you make me feel?” He placed her hand on his heart. Even he couldn’t escape the uneasiness of this situation. Sun could feel the heat go to his face and could do nothing but gently place his forehead against Ilia’s. “You know how I feel, right?”

The gray from her skin went away inch by inch, only leaving pink and red freckles. “Of course I do.” Her voice trembled. Their eyes didn’t remain sad, but switched to something equally intense. Pleading. Ilia’s expression softened. Her hand let go of her robe and found its way to Sun’s face. His own hands rested on her hips and he began leaning forward because of Ilia until she was on her back. The trembling didn’t stop from earlier but it was okay. She was okay.

“How many times have we’ve found ourselves like this?” She asked, rubbing his face.

“Not enough.” Sun whispered. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, so much. You...are beyond word to me.” Ilia couldn’t wait a moment longer. She closed her eyes and was met with Sun’s lips, tenderly pressing on her own. Ilia carefully bit his bottom lip as he pulled away, aiming for her exposed neck. Ilia let out a gasp at the contact. Her hands began rubbing up and down his back from the inside of his shirt. Her own legs instinctively parted in order to draw him in closer. Each nip and kiss was brutally slowly and methodical. As if he was letting her know the depth of his feelings.

Ilia kept exploring his back torso. Every groove felt like magic. Muscles were never something she was into on anybody. What really had her was the honest fact the body on top of hers belonged to the person that had completely captured her feelings. His hands slipped into her robe and made her body shiver. He never stopped being gentle but somehow was firm enough to let Ilia know how badly he wanted her. She was absolutely defenseless against the way his left hand groped her chest. As for the right, it wasted no time drifting to her wet folds, continuing the trend of slowly rubbing Ilia’s body; before she felt his middle finger open her up.

“Mmmph~” her nails dug into him a little. She could feel him curl his finger as he pumped in and out.

Sun could feel Ilia squeeze tightly around the digit. Her chest started to rise higher, her breath becoming sharper by sucking in air through her teeth. Sun finally let her neck free and kissed her, adding another finger in the process. His movements became faster and hid her face the crook of his neck the moment the kiss ended. She couldn’t stop her legs from fidgeting and the girl tried her best to repress her whimpers by any means. She even bit down on his neck briefly. All the while, Sun kissed and breathed on her very red ear.

“Let me hear your voice Ilia…”

He made it sound so easy. Ilia couldn’t stand sounding so needy, even with him. It just wasn’t her to give in and he knew that. “You’re the worst.” She whined. Her eyes shut themselves and her body clung to him as if she was falling. His fingers split from each other. Ilia could feel them press down as they went in, before sliding up to the top and pulling out to the entrance, connecting and splitting apart to touch everywhere.

“Mmmmm aaaahhaaa~ Sun!” Ilia couldn’t hold that one back at all. The first of many, until she had no will left but moan as her face turned beat red. He really was the worst. “Suuuun~ aaha!”

“I knew you could do it.” He managed to make her free himself enough to be able to kiss her face and neck again. His labor bore the fruit he wanted as Ilia kept moaning freely. Her body finally caved from his touch when she arched her back and Sun felt both fingers being squeezed tightly. Ilia’s entire body was tense and she couldn’t even make a noise until her body went limp on the couch. The breath hit heavily against his body as she tried catching it.

It didn’t take too long because she quickly went back to kissing him passionately, even moaning into it. If there was anything she loved most, it was kissing. It didn’t matter how skilled a person could be in anything else, a kiss had a way of showing exactly how much the other person really cared. There was no dying a spark when it was there. She learned that the hard way.

Sun could feel Ilia’s tongue all but dominate his own as he tried to do the same. He couldn’t help but groan from the pleasure. Ilia’s leg presses against his erection, stoking the flames further, but it was still only second compared to their lip locking. A subtle warmth hit his cheeks. Sun reluctantly pulled back to see why and witnessed Ilia panting,tears falling down her face. Sun put his hand against her face and Ilia pressed into it. He traced over the tear track and kissed the path of the other one away. “You okay?” He said quietly, earning a nod.

“Yeah. I’m just...you’re so warm, safe. I can’t remember feeling this...happy.” Her own words threatened to make herself shed more tears. He was looking at her again. That same gaze that never failed to make her heart jump and want to continue growing if it meant being even closer to him. “Please,touch me deeper.”

Sun’s face went redder. He sat up briefly and officially took off his shirt. His pants came next. Ilia tried removing her bathrobe but Sun quickly took her hand. “Wait, I uhh really like you in it.” He confessed, embarrassed. “It suits you.”

Ilia felt her heart flutter again. Sun’s infatuation with her legs and hips was flattering for sure, but Ilia never imagined how much. “Well, if we’re doing things that excite us.” She reached for his red boxers and slipped her hand between the seams, fishing out Sun’s hard six inch shaft. A simple grab had him throbbing and breathing deeper. “Having you like this is more my style.” Keeping underwear one while having sex just felt more intense and made Ilia ache. “Need me to get you slick enough.

“You tell me?” Sun pressed the tip of cock past her entrance and was welcomed with Ilia’s body dripping at the touch. He pressed further in to be guided with ease. She more than wet enough on her own. He was already halfway in and still felt no real resistance. Only Ilia spreading around him before clamping down. “Gods, your pussy is so wet.”

He really knew how to push her buttons just right. Her body betrayed her mind by gripping him even tighter for his choice of words. “I hate that word so much. It’s-mmmmph! Ahhh! S-Sun!?” He couldn’t wait any longer and hilted himself inside her completely. His hips began thrusting on their own and Sun found his way into Ilia’s arms yet again. Unlike her, Sun had no shame in letting her hear just how good she made him feel. His groans and grunts invaded her ear willingly, and passionately.

“Mmmmgh ahhh~ fuck. Ilia…” Sun couldn’t keep his thoughts straight anymore. All he wanted was to feel her and let Ilia feel him. He panted roughly and did his best to satisfy the woman beneath him.

Ilia was more than being satisfied. There wasn’t a moment she wasn’t feeling full by how wide his cock spread her apart. Her moans came back in full force to sing with his own. Ilia’s legs felt their strength drain from them and could only react to Sun’s hips. They once again kissed deeply and Ilia’s right hand was pressed against the sofa by Sun’s left, interlocking tightly with each finger around one another. It wasn’t long before Sun held the other one as well. The stimulation made Ilia feel alive with energy that was dead set at reaching its peak. They hadn't been going any longer than nine minutes by her guess, but yet they were near their limits already. Neither could help it. Today, it was nothing short of what they wanted. There wasn’t one touch or look that didn’t shout “ I love you with everything I have.”

“Ilia! I’m-“ he couldn’t contain himself long enough to speak. Ilia wrapped a leg around him as he came inside her. The feeling of it all knocked her past the point of no return and Ilia came as well; her body squeezed all it could as she cried out in pleasure. Sun’s hips rocked slowly to draw out the ecstasy of it all until they were left tired. Both found themselves staring yet again, smiles plain to see.

“Am I still the worst?” Sun chuckled.

“Without a doubt.” Ilia jabbed. “Kiss me again already will ya?”

Sun playfully rolled his eyes. “So needy.” He gave her what they both wanted and more. After all, he had a lot of love to give.

xxxx

They must’ve gone at it at least three times. The sun had set, food was ordered once again, and Speed Racer played for Sun’s viewing pleasure while Ilia slept peacefully. The boy was on his side while his girlfriend’s arms remained around him, her head resting on his chest. Sun couldn’t help but brush her hair out of her dreaming face and remain connected to her. Every so often she’d laugh quietly in her sleep.

“Always up to something. Even in your sleep.” Sun was only proven right by her body holding him closer.

“Mmmmmm love you.” Those words stopped Sun in his tracks. He had no choice but to look down at her once again and kiss her head. “I love you too.” A confession neither of them would officially remember, unburdened by the fear or memory. When it was right, they’d both say it. And what a day that would be. Until then, there was no rush.

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes 26: Preparation

[part 1 of 2]

TSF pt25 here! <-

“THANK YOU, PEOPLE OF MANTLE!” Summer yelled, shredding each note of her personal favorite songs. One after another she played to her heart's fill. Each song was more aggressive and brimming with vigor than the last. Summer would’ve played till dawn if she had her way but neither her body or promise to her brother would allow that. It wasn’t time to leave yet but she needed a break.

Summer begrudgingly got herself to get off the stage to let others perform. Their music wasn’t terrible by any means but the other musicians could easily stand to have more practice. A rave audience isn’t hard to please however, so the crowd ate up the talent all the same. A little insulting to her own performance but eh, this wasn’t an actual contest. Summer was happy enough blowing off steam and listening to the beats from behind the stage. Not even she could deny the beats and tempo. Her hips couldn’t help but sway!

From the corner of her eye she could make out a familiar figure keeping an eye on her. “Did Nick tell you to keep an eye on me, Eliza?”

“Not really.” She walked over and poured herself a cup of water. “I was training in the area.”

“Are you saying he had nothing to do with you being here?”

“Oh no, that would be a lie. You know Nick, always negotiating. He really knows how to persuade a person. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could sell a heater to someone living in Vacou. Anyways, he didn’t ask me to stalk you or anything like that. He knew where I’d be and told me if I could swing by for a spell. No harm in that.”

Summer smiled. “Funny. That sounded like you were defending him. Don’t want me getting upset with my own brother?”

“Shut up. It would be a pain if I caused unnecessary controversy in a household. Need I remind you that you both have duties to the school that require your full attention? Frankly I’m glad I arrived. I don’t go to your concerts so my opinion of your performance skills was limited.” Eliza sipped her water, giving Summer’s attire and overall attitude a once over. “Where’s all this when you're getting harassed in the halls?”

“That’s...school is different.”

“Pfft, yeah okay.”

“It is!” Summer said, defensively crossing her arms.

Eliza watched the girl's face soften into the meek and reserved Summer she was used to. To think that’s all it took to shut her down. “I swear you and your brother don’t have a consistent bone in your body. Whatever the case, I don’t really care much as long as you bring your best effort to rehearsal and the live performance.”

Summer squinted. “Not the actual tournament?”

“Hey I don’t participate in the duos. You can bomb that for all I care. But you know, Nick is counting on you to pull your weight. Also it would be pretty annoying if you lost to Max and his asshole know-it-all, Darren. Gods know he’d talk about it until graduation.”

“Was the fight that happened in the school bad?”

Eliza shrugged, “Can’t say. Wasn’t there. He’s always been a thorn to me though so I don’t doubt he made things ugly. He was very rude to Veronica in the principal’s office as well. An act I find inexcusable.”

Summer couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Look I know you admire her and all that jazz, but I’d bet she didn’t help the situation.”

“My views on her have nothing to do with it!” Eliza huffed. “I would think you off people would be sympathetic to a person like her.”

Summer leaned against a wall. “Call me jaded, but Veronica has a habit of bringing out the worst in people.”

Eliza frowned. “You know her better than I. Tell me, is she the type to lie about being harassed?”

Summer didn’t have to think long, especially after learning more about her in the forest. Then there was Veronica’s sketch journal. Summer still couldn’t make sense of all the scratched out pages. On top of that, Blake’s request made Summer even more uncertain. “No. Veronica’s a piece of work, but she isn’t a liar. She might actually be too honest if you asked me. I’ve never had to deal with Darren personally but Nick’s not a fan by any means.” Summer bit her bottom lip. She couldn’t believe it, did she just defend Veronica’s qualities!? It was only fair. Veronica did almost end up a frozen husk.

“Well it’s good to know we can all agree on at least one thing without fail. So not to rush you but how long are you planning on staying in a place like this?” Eliza asked, watching all the party animals.

“Haha, not your type of crowd?”

“The crowd is fine. I can handle a little noise and rowdiness, but it is technically a school night. I- ah! Summer!?” The girl had taken Eliza by the hand and started pulling her to the dance floor.

“If you keep bringing up assignments 24/7 then all you’re gonna look like is a stick in the mud. Live a little. School sucks!”

“School is important!” Eliza protested.

Summer grabbed Eliza’s other hand and started making them sway side to side, back and forth. The blood rushing to Eliza’s cheeks made Summer giggle. “Awww you know you dig it. I’ll make a deal. Cut loose with me for a few songs and I’ll gladly let you dance me right out the front door. Show me that colorguard rhythm!”

Eliza watched the petite girl actively laugh without reservation. Summer jokingly shimmied towards her and swayed her hips, getting lost in the music. Just how much did this girl go out to rave? She looked like she belonged here! The beat got more intense by the moment with no sign of stopping. With her pride in check, Eliza began to sway steadily, getting into the music.

Summer’s eyes lit up. “Aye!”

“Two songs and then we’re out of here.”

“Works for me! Show me what ya got!” Summer turned up the heat by dragging Eliza deeper into the chaos. She might not be as persuasive as Nick, but Eliza quickly found out Summer was definitely more pushy. Forget the tournament. Eliza was beginning to think they’ll beat her at everything!

xxxxx

“This is crazy. How did I not know about this!?” Nick said, walking down the rainy sidewalk.

Veronica smirked as she held Nick’s hand, allowing rain to pass right through them. “Why would you? I barely have any reason to use my semblance; let alone in the more complex ways.”

“You don’t use it when making clothes?”

“Haha, I’m not entirely sure how it would help. Unless I wanna get out of my clothes and into something new in an instant. Not a real trick to show others. Unless…” she blushed at her lewd teasing, refusing to finish the punchline. “Never mind.”

“Okay?” He had a feeling he knew where that was going but chose not to pull that grenade pin. “Speaking of clothes, that brings up a question. Why aren’t our clothes falling off now?”

“Control. Anything I touch can phase like me. My clothes are touching me, so are you. I can keep it strictly to myself though with control and timing. I can also start it and end it on any spot on my body; which is why we aren’t falling through the street.”

“That sounds hard.”

“Little bit. Really flexing my semblance like a muscle right now. Still, I’ve done harder, like not breaking surface tension.”

Nick did a double take. Did he hear that right? “Surface tension? Like...for water?”

Veronica nodded. “Yeah that’s the one. Well I’m not actually walking on water. It’s more of me beginning to fall through the water with my semblance, and shutting it off quick enough to push me back up just above the surface. Took a lot of practice but I got it most of the time. Waves suck.”

“Don’t you burn through your aura quickly?”

“Well it’s like flicking a switch on and off. Also I’m quick about it; not to mention not fighting anything in the water. I’m bound to fuck up them.”

“Still sounds like an extremely large amount of work and multitasking. You got real talent. I’d get a headache.”

“Says the king of multitasking.” Veronica chuckled, “It’s less thinking and more of reaction; knowing how to feel the shifts to the things connecting you.”

Her explanation was interesting. Veronica had an understanding of her semblance to a complex level though she didn’t fight. And here was Nick, struggling with a candle exercise for a semblance that didn’t interact with physics or molecules. “A reaction huh? Maybe I should try that more often? It might help with-”

“Valerie.”

“What? No my-” His hand was squeezed a little before being brought up to point towards the Schnee gate. Nick’s eyes went wide. Valerie stood by it with her mother’s car, staring just as surprised. “Oh…” Nick said.

The three stood quietly, not prepared in the slightest. Valerie was the most shocked. She was prepared for an awkward conversation with Nick by the door. Not catching him outside in a suit; next to Veronica. Nora, who was in the car, wanted to take initiative but found her lips tucking themselves in.

“Oh boy. Maybe convincing Val to see him was a bad move on my part.” She thought. Ren was gonna have a field day whenever Nora got back home.

Done with the shock, Veronica finally spoke. “Umm I can give you two a minute, if you need it?” All the events that happened tonight made her feel very pleased. Veronica did not want to taint those moments and knew it would be for the best to remove herself from this before she said anything...emotional. She turned to Nick and smiled awkwardly. “I’ll see you inside?”

Nick could only blink while he thought about it. Veronica was a bit quicker to the draw though. “No, no, it’s...clearly you two are in the middle of something. I was just leaving anyways” Val said, a hint of irritation and even a bit of sarcasm crept into her voice. It might not have been that big of a deal but for some reason it made Nick tense up.

“This is only happening because of you.” He said instinctively, catching everyone off guard. “I don’t see how you can be upset about a thing you caused. I did invite you originally.”

“Don’t see how that has to do with anything.” Valerie lied, clearly offended. “You can do what you want.I only came here to-”

“It’s always your terms.” He interjected, grumbling a bit. “You tell me you want space and we’ll see each other at the tournament, but then show when you feel like talking. If I did that you’d be pissed.”

“Hey! I came here to try and smooth things over.”

“Yeah well maybe I don’t want things smoothed over right now? I...I have nothing to say to you right now. We’ll talk at the tournament.”

Valerie let out a subtle gasp. Her brows furrowed and she bit down on her lip harder than she meant to. “Forget it. If you wanna be made then be made. Tournament it is.” Valerie didn’t waste another breath, getting back into the car so it can drive off.”

Veronica was in disbelief. Did that really just happen? In now way did she think the conversation was going to be good, but she at least thought there was going to be one. She might’ve thought this best if it wasn’t for Nick visibly sulking next to her as he started walking her up to the manor. The solemn look on his face did nothing but make her feel bad. Not to mention a little guilty.

“Hey...I know this is a dumb question but are you okay? If I influenced that in any way during dinner, that wasn’t really...what I mean is...”

“I know, and don’t worry. That wasn’t me being caught up in my emotions. I just really want to think about all of this for at least a couple days. Besides, I made a deal with Eliza. I might not keep it if Valerie tries patching things up.”

“You’re plotting on her? That’s...wow. Now I know for sure that you’re pissed.”

Nick rubber the back of neck. “For once I think I’ll get greedy, act the way I want. Does that make sense?”

“Make sense? It’s my language. Fair warning, your best quality is that heart of yours.” She poked his chest. “Keep it safe, or I’ll be the one getting greedy by knocking the optimism back into ya.”

“Oh is that right? Haha, maybe try praying to me first, then I really know you must mean business!” He teases.

Veronica gave a playful shove. “Like I’d know how to start one? I think I’ll stick with the tough love approach.”

“Tough love huh?” Nick opened the front door. His eyes never left the girl as she walked in, seemingly content. Veronica eventually looked back at him and gave a head tilt.

She blinked, “What?”

“Nothing.” He chuckled. Nick was starting to think that just maybe, he understood Veronica’s choices and beliefs a little more than he used to. If he learned anything from tonight it was just how differently they saw the world around them. “Well I guess this is the end of our date. Didn’t go as planned but I’ll admit it, I really liked spending alone time with you.” He said, rubbing the back of his head.

Veronica couldn’t stop herself from letting out an anxious chuckle.“Hehehe, what’s with the sweet talk all of a sudden? Trying to butter me up?”

“No, just being honest with myself. A date should end as well as possible.” Nick stepped towards Veronica and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Eager to not let this moment linger, Nick swiftly left for Summer’s room to see if she was back. Without thinking about it tonight, Nick had left two girls red and speechless. One of them standing in the main hall with a smile growing wide; while the other watched the rain fall during a quiet ride home, frustrated and jaw clenched.

Nora took care to drive slowly. Getting home quickly would only mean Valerie would march to her room. Nora let out a sigh. “Whether it’s me or your father, one of us is gonna make you talk about this. So-”

“What’s there to talk about? I’m upset and he’s upset, because we want different things. So we’re taking a break. Simple as that.” Valerie leaned against the cold glass.

“And what is it exactly that you want?” Nora asked. She was given no answer. Not that she was expecting one. “I love you, but if you don’t know the answer yourself then how can you expect Nick to not upset you? Life is like any sport you play. Gotta know the rules if you wanna do well. Only way to figure that out is knowing yourself.”

“I know myself pretty well.” Valerie huffed.

“Really?” Nora dragged out. “So tell me, do you like Nick, romantically?”

“No.” She said instinctively.

If Val could see Nora’s face then she would’ve been upset that she was rolling her eyes, not believing her daughter. “Okay, but just so you know, taking a break is not what most friends say about another.”

Valerie’s eyes widened. She turned to her mother to see her focused on the road like she hadn’t said a word. Val went back to looking at the window. “Good to know.” Valerie controlled the urge to huff. Talking to Ren might’ve been less painful.

xxxx

Nick walked into Summer’s room to find it sisterless and a little cold. “Guess she’s not home yet.” He closed the door behind him as he went further in. Nick made sure to keep the light off but turned on the heater. A cold room was the last thing this night needed. His chill hadn’t kicked in all this time so Nick had no real reason to worry about Shiva, yet his nerves would feel better actually seeing Summer come home safely. Pulling up a chair to sit in may have been a bit much but he did it anyway. Overbearing or not, Shiva would never be a subject he’d take lightly. Not like he had in the past when he was younger, naive of the danger that thing had. He could his body ache at the thought of it. Pain fades and the body heals, but it also remembers. Not like he needed a reminder. Not when the memories rear their ugliness often in his dreams.

A scroll rang loudly, bringing Nick out of the dark thoughts. He reached in his pocket to see it was in fact Summer who was calling.He wasted no time answering. “Where are you? I thought you’d be back by now?”

“That didn’t sound like hello.” Summer grumbled. “Relax, I'm close by. I actually called to ask for a favor. You’re home right?”

“Yes?”

“Cool. Can you open my window?

Nick walked over to her window and opened it. In the distance he could spot his sister and Eliza outside the gate from the right side. “Done. What-”

“How’d you do that so fast? Were you already in my room!? You aren’t snooping are you!?” She yelled.

“Quiet before you get caught. No, I wasn’t snooping. Pretty sure whatever secrets this room holds is one that would scar me. Though I’m curious about your journal, wherever you hid this time. Perhap under your nightstand?”

“Do you really want to rummage around a young woman's nightstand?” Summer could hear her brother let out an overtop gagging noise. “Grow up.”

“Say it to my face. You better hurry before I decide to close this and watch you hit the glass like a pigeon.”

“Fine, ya baby.” Summer hung up. “Thanks for walking me home, as well as helping me stay dry.” She looked up to see the small dome of water floating over her from Eliza’s magic.

“Exactly what was the plan if I had said no or not shown up at all?”

“Glyphs aren’t just for platforming and dust ya know? Not that it matters. I knew I’d see you tonight.”

Eliza scoffed, “Tah! That confident in your predictions about your brother?”

“Well yes, but that’s not it. It’s not a secret you practice at the pier. It’s also terrible luck on your part you almost shot a captain with a bolt of lightning. One time.”

“W-What!? B-but how would-”

“Is it a Marigold thing to be attracted to my family like a magnet? That captain is my cousin. He says your aim could use work. Bye!” Summer made glyphs to trampoline over the gate and platform through the air and through her window.”

Eliza couldn’t believe it. Why was this her life!? It had to be a joke. Atlas or Mantle, you’re bound to be in Schnee territory. It would’ve been fine if she wasn’t practicing moves to fight one! Now she needed a new training spot. Who knows what they might now. “Damnit, now Nick’s offer is even more to my best interest!”

“Sup bro. How was your date?” The rock n’ roll twin kicked off her shoes and took the black wig off before falling backwards onto her bed.

“Well Valerie was at the front awhile ago.”

Summer sat up. “Okay, that’s not what I expected. Did I miss a fight? No wait, I’m pretty sure I’d hear Veronica scream bloody murder because there’s no way her dress would stay flaw-” her rambling was cut short when Nick suddenly sat beside her and fell on her lap. “Woah. Hey, are you still sick!?”

“No, just tired. The past week has been a little...draining. To be honest I don’t think I even have the energy to shower right now.”

“Well you probably smell better than me right now so I’m not complaining.”

“How was the rave?”

“Fun. Got Eliza to dance a little. The crowd worshipped my performance.” She chuckled.

“What did you sing?”

“Nothing special. A few Linkin Park songs; an experimental original. Oscar thought it would be a good idea to take a few of my journal entries and vent it out through music.”

“Hmm, anything you’ll share to your actual fan base, or me?”

Summer looked at her ceiling to let out a composed sigh. “I don’t think I’m quite ready, or the song for that matter. It and myself are...a work in progress. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just know your fans think you can’t do wrong and there’s no world where I won’t support you. Family and all that.”

“Love you too.” Summer patted his head. “Sorry if I’ve been causing you trouble. Well, more than usual. Tomorrow is a new day.”

“That’s the spirit. Push yourself but not too hard. That’s my territory. Speaking of which, I’ve been racking my brain with ideas. You can talk to Shiva in that headspace whenever you like right?” He felt her hand stop. Nick looked up to see Summer look apprehensive.

“I can...but it’s not a thing I look to do. Plus tonight has been good. I really don’t want that to-”

“Summer, do you trust me?”

Nick’s words were calm and real. Summer didn’t know what he had in mind. It wasn’t like Nick to invite danger. Her eyes looked to the floor to the orange glow of her heater. Like usual it appeared that her brother had already taken strides for her and everyone’s sake. Just how far would he go, ever making herself feel like she’s at a stand still? Maybe tomorrow could start today. Just a little bit.

“What’s this idea of yours?” She said cautiously.

“Nothing too crazy. You’re just gonna take a page out of Veronica’s playbook.”

xxxxx

You would think a person would know what goes on in their head. Unfortunately, that’s hardly ever the case. Summer never got a full understanding of what went on upstairs in her mind. Then again that would only make sense. She was in therapy after all. Though no amount of emotional talking could explain why her headspace imagery was inconsistent at times. A void of nothingness, her own room, those were the usual shapes that took place. However, this time she found herself back at the frozen lake. Going back and triggering an episode must’ve left a lasting impression. At least her trauma brought variety. The only separation from the real place was the ice ceiling and a distinct lack of cold nipping at her skin. Her psyche though, it was definitely feeling something.

She began walking through the white hell of her own making until she found her target, Shiva. The being was skating across the lake like how Summer once did. “Shiva.” Summer called out.

The woman of ice and snow looked over, surprised. She stopped right in the middle of the lake. “Well, well, well, come to properly thank me? You’d be in a grimm’s stomach by now if it wasn’t for me. You and that idiot girl. Tell me, is she in pain from our encounter?”

“I’m not here to thank you or chitchat.” Summer bluntly stated. “This is an in and out thing.”

“I’ll take that as a no then? Pity. I wouldn’t mind seeing her cry and despair. I bet her tears are uglier than yours. Though I'll say that this look you have going on isn’t gross. Honestly it helps to see you better in this place. You’re always so pale when you’re talking to me. Afraid I might hurt you?” A smirk spread across her face. “Oh I do hate you so.”

“Feeling is mutual. I came here to tell you that from this point on things are gonna change.”

“Pfft, heard that before. You’re all talk.”

“Am I?” Summer reached her hand out. Right before her eyes, the shape of a shovel formed. Hiding her surprise, she focused on Shiva’s own shock. “My mind, my rules. If I can subconsciously make this hell then I can shape it to an extent. Summer tossed the shovel at Shiva for her to catch. “Keep that safe for me.” Summer’s body began to slowly fade from this space.

“And what exactly is this for?”

“Your grave. Feel free to dig it yourself.” Her final words before disappearing completely while witnessing a smug smirk vanish before her eyes. Right as she faded, Summer could hear one last remark.

“We’ll see who buries who.”

Summer opened her eyes to find herself back in her room. Good, she hadn’t moved an inch. “Well I’ve thoroughly pissed her off, but it actually felt good to be the one harassing her. Thank Ni- huh?” Summer failed to realize she’s been talking to herself. Nick was fast asleep already! “Unbelievable. What if I would’ve messed up?”

“Zzzzzz.”

“Quite the convincing answer.” Summer returned to rubbing his head. He felt a little warm but nothing serious. Taking breaks needed to be at the top of his list from now on. Only way that would happen is if things weren’t hectic. It was time to step up. “I’ll do right by you. I promise. Just...give me a little more time.”

Her eyes became heavy. It appears the day’s events weighed on her more than she realized. Both twins fell into slumber there for the entire night, finally getting some rest.

[weasleypogues]

newbie on set pt. 4 (r.p)

read part 1 part 2 and part 3 if you haven’t already :D

taglist: jellyfishbeansontoast sspidermanss mileven-reddie sunflowerbecca ivebeenthinkingboutu nas-marie-loves-u k-k0129 nelebynele @elamvlfoy @hmspoguee @retr0babey @poguestyleskye @fangirlvoice @rudethchalamet @always-jackedup @iwriteimagines @outerbxmalia @perfektionsmakel @may8ank @jadesbabylon @usedtobeaj @maebanks @jjtheangel @katiaw2 @lasnaro @im-a-stranger-thing @tait-er-tots @loliismutt @raekenliar @dpaccione  @shoppingcarthappiness @simpingforrudypankowonly @angvelics @stellastars22   @sofia-number-1  @wh0reforharry @realiteaas

if your @ has a strike through it that means i couldnt find your @ 

masterlist. 

hiii guys sorry its been a while!! but this is the last installment btw!! thanks so so so much for the great feedback and loving it! it is also gonna be shorter bc ive been on a writers block for days 

“and.....action!” you heard the director yell.

juliet walked up to jj and pushed him aggressively in the chest, “think you’re funny, huh maybank?”

jj chuckled with a smirk on his face as he bit the inside of his cheek from stopping any mean insults to leave his mouth, “woah lady capulet, what terrible fate did shakespeare land you in this time?”

“oh shut it. stop acting like you’re romeo when you’re just a random character in the background.” juliet fought back, her face heating up as she got hotter and angrier. “stop picking fights with topper. stop stirring the pot. stop barging in on other people’s relationships.”

jj put down the swiss army knife he was messing around with on the chateau and stood his ground against juliet. “and what are you going to do about it?”

jj was acting like this was some fun game, that toying with other people’s relationships gave him a rush. 

“cut the shit! sorry you’re friend is missing at sea! sorry that topper’s friends made your life a living hell! but that does not give you the option to meddle in other peoples business. do you see me investigating as to why rafe is in a rehab, where some random gold is, where your friends are? no! because guess what jj, it isn’t my business.” juliet argued, tugging at the roots of her after taking her pointer finger that was practically making its way into jj’s chest. 

“he isn’t good for you! i’ve known this kid since i was young. he’s a little shit than only cares about himself and has a temper.” jj yelled just as loudly back. 

“you don’t know what’s good for me! you barely even know me jj!” juliet raised her voice even more, having to catch her breath after each scolding. 

“i know enough!” jj practically growled back. 

“please, jj. enlighten me. what do you know about me besides that i work at the wreck and that you think topper isn’t deserving of me.” juliet responded, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning all her weight to her left leg. she raised her eyebrows in a way to tell him to proceed.

jj’s shoulders lowered slightly and his face softened. “i know that whenever you say my name when you speak, i get overwhelmed with an amount of feelings that i’ve never felt, juliet. that after every witty comment you make, you have this little proud glimmer in your eye. i know that you get flustered at work because frankly you have no waitress experience and you don’t even need a job to make that extra pocket money. i know that on your breaks, if you aren’t talking with kiara, you’re journaling in that little beat up black notebook for a couple seconds at a time to get that one thought racking your brain down. i know, juliet! i notice. topper doesn’t notice those things.”

jj took a step closer, glancing between juliet’s eyes and her lips. “i know that i really want to kiss you right now and will hate myself if i don’t.” immediately, jj grabbed juliet’s face for a passion-filled kiss. juliet didn’t fight back for a couple of seconds until, in shock, she pushed jj away with a stressed look on her face.

“jj-” she started but her eyes darted back and forth on the ground and to jj’s face as if all the racing thoughts in her head were right in front of her and she had no time to read them as they ran past her vision. she looked back up with her jaw slightly dropped and immediately crashed her lips onto jj’s combing her fingers through his hair.

“and........cut!” you pulled away from jj and gave him a goofy grin. 

“i think we should do a second take! maybe a third!” rudy called out to the crew, cracking a joke. you rolled your eyes, pushing his chest away as a giggle escaped your lips. 

“you know, i kinda hope that juliet ends up with topper.” you joked to rudy and walked away to get a sip of water.

“woah woah woah! and why is that?” rudy inquired, twisting the juul in between his fingers. 

“keeps you, more than jj,  on your toes, pankow.” you responded with a small smirk on your face.

hi so this was definitely short but i figured it was only acceptable than filling it with a lot of material that people wanted more of or just got bored of lol. thanks again for reading!! 

[shitty-marvel-fan732]

Cuddles and Pick Up Lines

Hello all! I present to you an unedited one shot that is my first attempt at writing Peter Parker! If you like it, let me know with a like or reblog! 

“Hey Pete, are you made of copper and tellurium?”, I asked, fingers absentmindedly threading through his chocolate brown locks. Peter hummed lightly in response, eyes shut. 

“Cause you’re Cu-Te”, I grinned. His lips quirked upwards in a small smile briefly before it disappeared. He was still, eyes remaining closed, but he couldn’t fight the small amount of pink that was creeping its way up his neck. He was laying tangled with me as we cuddled on his bed. His head laid softly on my chest, arms wrapped tightly around my waist and legs intertwined with mine. His eyes were closed and his face was beginning to look peaceful.

“Funny”, he muttered sarcastically. My smile widened. 

“I’m serious babe. You must have 11 protons cause you are sodium fine”, I giggled. Peter chuckled lightly, the gentle vibrations across my body prompting me to continue. “I wish I were adenine; that way I could be paired with U”. 

Peter still didn’t open his eyes, but he couldn’t fight the sweet smile that overtook his soft features nor the raging blush covering his entire face. He snuggled his head even further into the crook of my neck in a vain effort to conceal his reaction. The move did little to convince me of his nonchalance-- as I could now feel the heat from his cheeks radiating to my own skin. I shivered unintentionally, and decided to momentarily give up on my playful assault and simply revel in our peaceful embrace.

 Moments like this weren’t uncommon by any means, practically a daily occurrence at this point, but that didn’t diminish my desire to live within this feeling forever. Though I rarely voiced it to Peter, I was perpetually worried that there would be a day he wouldn’t come back to me. A day when I was forced to contemplate life on my own, without these soft cuddles and gentle conversations. A life without Peter. Just the thought of it made my stomach turn and my hands begin to shake. 

At first when I’d found out about my boyfriend’s, shall we say, extracurricular nighttime activities I was a wreck; I was nervous all the time and I distanced myself from him in a pathetic attempt to save my sanity. Eventually I’d come to the realization that being away from Peter was just as bad (if not worse) for my anxiety; now I preferred to cope by throwing myself into my relationship with as much effort as I could. I savored every minute that I got with my sweet boy. Peter, thankfully, was more than relieved at my conclusion and too seemed to relish the time we shared. 

“I love you”, he murmured into the crook of my neck, voice so soft I barely caught it. My heart picked up speed instantly at his gentle admission and my stomach erupted into a flurry of butterflies. It amazed me that after all we've been through, first as friends and then as a couple-- all the sweet moments, each tender word and gentle caress still affected me as profoundly as the first. Instinctively, my arms tightened their grip around my sweet boyfriend and I felt the way Peter’s smile widened against my neck, smug at the reaction he caused. Damned spidey-senses. 

“And I love you bug”, I hummed lightly, fingers returning to their previous ministrations and threading across the wispy curls that littered his forehead. Peter sighed, practically purring at the soft touches. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”, I questioned gently, voice breaking the peaceful silence. It had been clear since the moment I’d met up with him after school that there was something off with Peter. His normally soft brown eyes had lost a little of their natural sparkle, and he was almost eerily quiet. Ordinarily after the last bell I was greeted with the welcome sights and sounds of my eager boyfriend already chattering away about whatever topic, but this afternoon he’d been practically silent. Today I’d had to reach out first to link our hands together, when usually I was barely out of my last class of the day before he was already latched to my side. The usual easy flow of conversation between us had been strained, the majority of speaking coming from me with only sparse hums of acknowledgement from Peter. Rather than pressure him for an explanation, I’d simply guided us toward his apartment and immediately pulled the troubled boy down onto his bed for cuddles once we'd arrived. We’d laid wrapped up together for a while, and now that I was more confident in his headspace I was hopeful for some answers for his very un-Peter-like behavior. He groaned. 

“You’re gonna think it’s stupid”, he muttered. My fingers abruptly stopped their gentle dance within his chocolate locks at his statement, brows furrowing. I softly pulled his face from its hiding spot in the crook of my neck and looked him directly in the eyes. 

“Peter, something that bothers you could never be stupid to me”, I scolded lightly. He sighed once more, eyes closing once more as he practically shoved his face back into my side. 

“I think it’s stupid”, he grumbled stubbornly. I remained silent, patiently waiting for him to continue. 

“It’s just...I overheard Flash and some of his friends talking last period about me- about Spiderman. Stuff like how he- how I’m just some loser in spandex trying to be the next Iron Man. How I didn’t even do anything important for anyone, and that I’d be forgotten by next year. Just got in my head I guess”, he mumbled, voice trailing off near the end. 

My heart practically tore in two at the defeat and hurt that laced Peter’s soft voice. No wonder he’d been so off. 

“Oh my sweet boy”, I sighed, tucking him tighter against my body protectively. “I’m so so sorry Pete. But you have to know that they're just jealous, teenage morons right?”. 

“I mean...yeah. I guess”, he whispered near inaudibly. 

“But?”, I probed gently, sensing that there was more. Peter sighed again, this time more aggressively than before as he abruptly sat up and rested his head against the wall behind us. 

“It’s just so freaking hard!”, he exclaimed, hands flying wildly to demonstrate his frustration. “I mean, I work so hard and I give up so much for this city and for what? Assholes like them? I sacrifice an honest relationship with May, time I could be spending with you, and just a normal freaking existence, all for people who don’t even care! For all the cops who try to arrest me whenever they see me, all the criminals that don't even take me seriously, and idiots like Flash and his friends who will never understand what I do for them. It sucks that to know I'm hurting people close to me over it too, like, I know May knows something is different and that it hurts her that I won't tell her, ya know? And you, you're anxious all the time because you're worried about me. I mean, you almost even left me because of Spiderman, and yet I still stick with it like the idiot I am hoping that I make a difference to this city. It just feels so pointless sometimes”.

By the end of his small rant his face was almost entirely covered in red and pink splotches and his eyes began to water with unshed tears. Typically I was the person who always seemed to know what to say; friends and family often came to me with their issues because I was admittedly pretty good at talking people off the ledge and comforting them. But in this moment I felt my brain nearly shut down at Peter's broken expression. What could I, or anyone for that matter, say? Peter was right, his life wasn't fair. It hurt me deeply to think about what went on in his head everyday, all the responsibilities and pressure that was thrust upon him. I'd always been amazed at Peter's ability to remain so sweet and kind despite the things he's seen and been through, and his outburst today only confirmed just how difficult it was for him to maintain his demeanor with his new obligations. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and opened my arms to him once more in invitation. Peter willingly allowed himself to lay across my chest once more, arms encircling me tightly and head resting under the tip of my chin. 

"I've been circling around in my head all afternoon, trying to figure out why I even care what they think. I mean, I didn't become Spiderman for people to like me. I started because I thought people in this neighborhood deserved to feel safe. I do it to protect you, and May, and Ned, and Mr. Delmar, and anyone else that calls this place home. But even so, to hear them say those things so casually and out loud just…", he sniffed, and I began to rub his back slowly as I felt his tears begin to soak through the thin fabric of my t-shirt. 

"Hurts", I supplied quietly. Peter nodded against my chest and sniffled. I pressed my cheek to the crown of his head, leaving a soft kiss in my wake. I breathed in the comforting scent of his shampoo deeply before pulling back from his embrace and taking his face in my hands. I bored my own gaze into his puffy, reddened eyes and rubbed small circles over his still tense jawline. 

"Bug, there is nothing that I can say or do that'll make that pain go away, not completely, and for that I'm so sorry. But what I can tell you is how incredibly proud I am of you. Not just as Spiderman, I'm proud of you: Peter Benjamin Parker, because you are the sweetest, kindest, smartest, and most selfless person I have or will ever have met. You take so much on your shoulders everyday that I can't even begin to imagine, and you're right. Sometimes it does suck, and there will always be people like those assholes that make you feel like it's all for nothing, but they're wrong”, I began, voice already shaking with emotion and eyes filling with tears. Peter’s eyes darted downward, expression doubtful. Frowning, I placed my fingers under his chin, yanking his face back level with mine. 

“I’m serious Peter. You do so much for so many people, and I'm honestly amazed by you every single day. You know as well as I do that those people you've helped will never forget you, and that you matter to them. You matter to me, and to May, and to Ned, and MJ, and your teachers, and to Tony, and to everyone you meet because as soon as you open that cute little mouth of yours people can't help but love you. The fact that you even care about what they think is just a testament to how kind-hearted and genuine you are as a person”, I continued. 

Peter’s tears were still falling steadily, but the way his eyes remained focused on me and hands had steadied in my own lead me to throw in one last plea. 

“And, just for the record, if you ever decide one day that you don't want to be Spiderman anymore, I'll still be here. Because Spiderman may be this city's superhero, but you're my hero. I love you Peter, never ever forget that". 

I choked a little on the final word, hot tears that had gathered in my eyes early on in my little speech finally beginning to fall. Peter's eyes never left mine as I spoke, and though he had stopped crying there were still tear tracks visible, marring the soft skin of his cheeks. He didn't hesitate long after I finished speaking, placing his hands roughly on my hips and closing the small gap between our bodies with the speed only a superhuman could. His lips attached immediately to mine, moving with an urgency that took me by surprise. 

Generally speaking, Peter was exactly how he seemed: sweet, gentle, and a little bit timid-- especially when it came to intimate moments. I found it adorable how he was typically so gentle and tender with me, but the way he was kissing me now made my entire body feel as though it had caught fire. His mouth was pressed against mine so hard that it was almost painful, and his normally gentle fingers were squeezing my hips roughly. Somewhere beneath the Peter-induced fog that had completely taken over my brain, I briefly considered the fact that there would more than likely be bruises there later. Somehow, the thought only made the fire in my body burn hotter. I reciprocated with fervor, trying desperately to convey my sincerity and adoration for Peter through my touch. I moaned unintentionally into his mouth as his tongue roamed freely in mine, causing his lips to quirk into a smug smirk against my own. 

Eventually I reluctantly pulled away from the frenzied embrace, breathing heavy and forehead resting on Peter’s. Peter, however, was having none of this; he pulled gently away from my leaning head and began placing sweet kisses to my cheeks. I sat and caught my breath,  reveling in the feeling of my boyfriend’s soft lips against my skin. After a while, Peter slowed his loving assault and leaned back against the wall, pulling my body into his chest. I sighed, snuggling deeper into his side in a mirrored image of the way we’d laid only minutes before.

“I love you”, Peter mumbled, lips leaving yet another kiss to the top of my head. “Thank you”. 

“Anytime Pete. Literally, anytime”, I replied softly before placing a soft kiss to his collarbone. Peter chuckled, the feeling reverberating through our linked bodies. I raised my head to look him in the eyes, and quirked my own brow in silent question. 

“Nothing, it’s just..”, Peter started, chuckling once more. I furrowed my brow even more. 

"Only you would not only know a whole bunch of nerdy pickup lines, but use that strange collection of knowledge to cheer me up”, he finished, grinning wildly down towards me. I felt my face flush. 

“Oh shut up, you know you love it”, I grumbled. 

I felt his chest shake with yet another bout of laughter, and I responded by childishly shoving my head deeper into his chest with a small huff of embarrassment. Eventually the shaking slowed and stopped. Peter’s strong fingers hooked under my chin, forcing my head up to face his own. I began to protest, but the words died out in my throat when I saw the way Peter was looking down at me. At first, I noted with a twinge of pride how his cheeks were still pink and flushed looking and his lips red and swollen from our previous antics-- his hair was beautifully mussed (thanks to me), but it was the look in his eyes that truly made my heart flutter. When I’d first met up with him this afternoon his eyes had lost the sparkle they held now, his coffee brown irises were as dull as I’d ever seen and exuded his discomfort and sadness. Now, he was smiling so widely that he had crinkles on the edges of his eyes and his eyes held nothing but love and mischief. It was the spark of love and sweetness that screamed of Peter. 

“I do”, he stated softly. “I love you y/n/n. So much”.

 My heart fluttered, and I was overwhelmed with affection for the loveable dork. I lunged forward and captured Peter’s lips with my own once more; this kiss was different than the previous. This kiss was sweet, loving, and packed with emotion. Eventually, I pulled slowly back from Peter and rested my head on his shoulder once more.

“I love you too Bug. More than you know”, I murmured. Peter hummed in response, arms wrapping tighter around my form. 

“I do have one question though”, he mentioned nonchalantly. 

“What’s that?”, I replied. 

“Are you into chemistry?”, he wondered thoughtfully. I raised an eyebrow, head moving slightly to look questioningly at Peter. 

“Uh, I’m more of a physics girl I guess?”, I answered, confusion lacing my tone. “Why do you ask?”. 

“Because I LAB you”, he stated proudly, face splitting into a wide grin.

[ekleipsi]

" can you make dinner tonight? the thought will probably keep me alive for the day, " he tried to joke, even accented his little quip with a chuckle, but it sounded weak and fake; practically forced. Hands found hers, squeezing softly before leaning down to kiss his wife before leaving for work.

--- Forced nature of his soft laughter was noted immediately, only made worse by the tired sound of his voice...weak, exhausted. Slender digits lifted to card through his hair, tracing claws over jaw and neck with a concerned frown and a bite to her lower lip before nodding. ‘ Of course I’ll make dinner...your favorite, even... ‘ voice was quiet and smooth, rich with affection and love as he squeezed at hands and pressed a peck to her lips. ‘ You better stay alive for it though, people would miss you. ‘ a teasing smile of her own, hoping to try and lighten his mood before pulling him down into a deeper, more meaningful lip lock. Something that conveyed such strong emotions, carefully unwinding digits from his own as she waved him off. ‘ Be careful. And safe! Be safe. ‘ 

--- Falcon had gotten home not thirty minutes after the canine had left, stumbling aggressively through the door and half kicking it down with his haste, a bit melancholy to have missed him and his early shift. Kiss was pressed to the avian’s mouth as well, when he came skulking through the door with a scowl that could frighten children. ‘ Already gone? ‘ a pout fixed itself to features, brows knitting together with a huff. 

--- ‘ He is. Having a hard one, right now. Bet he’d feel better if you brought him lunch, later? ‘ scorpion smiled in turn, her head tilting. She’d posed it as a question, but they both knew it was anything but. 

--- Falcon nodded though without any protest. ‘ Yeah, I planned to....when’s he gonna be home? ‘ 

--- ‘ Right around dinner. Or a bit before. If you wanted to do something special. ‘ teasing smile is pulled higher, wider, emerald orbs challenging the bird. 

--- Desired affect was had, his expression contorting slightly as he glared in mild annoyance at the pressing and prodding. ‘ I was going to! You’re gonna take all the spontaneity out of my business, like this! ‘ fists were balled at his sides, huffing irritably before expression grew slack at another kiss pressed to his jaw and neck. He’d all but melted into the affection, huffing loudly before cupping the demoness’ face and leaning down to capture her mouth in turn. 

--- ‘ You should nap, though. To be up in time. ‘ another suggestion, resulting in an eye roll before he obliged anyways. 

--- By the time dinner had rolled around, both were glancing at the clock. Naoto had begun to run a hot bath just before he knew lover expected to be home, dropping in scented bubbles at the scorpion’s recommendation. He’d tried to uncork a bottle of wine, but frustration had gotten the best of him and inevitably the femme had had to do it for him, knowing the proper technique and such. ‘ Thanks, babe. ‘ a smirk, kissing temple before removing himself to the bathroom to set things up. 

--- Naturally food was missing, but he wouldn’t spoil appetites with the priestess already cooking, chopping and slicing accompaniments to the roasted beef she was making, bone and all. Slow cooking it was taking hours, but she made sure that it’d be done shortly after he was home- attention perked as the door opened and then closed, but she wasn’t there to welcome him. After all, she’d seen him off and naturally was inclined to let the younger take the reigns for this one. 

--- He certainly did in that capacity, as well, all but bouncing to the door the moment the hound had walked in. Arms were half throw around his neck, yanking him down into a hard and warm kiss; he’d seen him briefly for lunch, but the opportunity to better convey his feelings were presented and he took them. Hand was grasped, guiding the hound towards the bathroom eagerly- partially because he was proud to show off his idea, partially because he knew the scorpion was still busy at work with dinner. 

--- ‘ Come on, out of these. You...should definitely relax. ‘ he said quickly, helping the hound to rid himself of the uniform. Spicy as it was on his husband, smirk telling as much, he was quick to pull the man into the bathroom while simultaneously pushing and popping at buttons, sliding material from broad shoulders...narrow hips. The thunk, thunk, of police issued belt and different weapons were unbuckled from waist...until he was finally staring at bare, scarred chest. 

--- Slipping free of his own meager clothing, he pulled canine over the edge of the large tub, sitting before carefully (hands were wet!) pouring the other a glass of deep red wine. Offering it and then sliding himself into the officer’s lap, he pressed a cheek to his collar and simply rested there, chest to chest with the man while he indulged in the heat and the comfort of relaxing bath. After a handful of moments though, he gently pushed and shifted the taller until he was in a better position, behind him, brows knit as he leaned forward to press a kiss between shoulders. 

--- ‘ Just...don’t think about anything, okay? Relax. Chill. ‘ a nod, quirking a brief smile before he’d begun to diligently rub small circles into tanned flesh. The pads of his digits coupled with knuckles and a surprising amount of pressure allowed for avian to begin carefully working at stressful knots in the muscle, tension and pain along spine and stiffness in between it all. Occasionally peppering the otherwise quiet gesture with warm kisses, he found it...oddly nice. To simply sit there in the silence of one another’s company, doing this small act for the canine. Not necessarily something he’d thought to have done himself, but...where the hound was a gentle giant and a pushover, the scorpion was not shy when telling the bird that he should think more about things like this. 

--- So of course, he’d begun to do just that with prompting. Trying to be romantic, or at the very least a bit more attentive to the tired hound’s expressions and the way he spoke. To note his body language and such. As massage came to a close, gentle rub down of lovers frame complete and comforting, arms loosely hooked around his neck with a smile as kiss was pressed to ear. ‘ C’mon, we better get out- before she kills us both. Besides, dinner should be ready. She’s been at it for a while, chasing me out of the damn kitchen with a wooden spoon. ‘ he scoffed, lips pursed. ‘ Who does she think she is, huh? My wife? ‘ teasing words were hummed fondly into lovers neck as the pair of them got out of the tub, quickly drying on putting on enough clothing to be presentable. 

--- As it was, she was fixing plates with expert timing the moment they’d come into the dining room. Roasted beef with a red wine reduction, accompanied by smashed buttered potatoes and asparagus- aroma was intoxicating and no doubt would have been smelled the moment he’d come home though it hadn’t been ready, then. Grateful and fond smile was offered to the bird as she circled around the table, setting a plate in front of Ignis before hugging his head and kissing its crown; another bottle of red wine was opened, carefully poured into his glass. 

--- Eventually she circled around to falcon as well, repeating fond gesture with a kiss to crown, and a bottle of sparkling apple cider. Plate was set before him, before getting her own and settling at the table as well, pouring herself some wine and humming affectionately as orbs danced between the others. Emerald met ruby, then sapphire, bright and admiring, as she grinned. ‘ Well it’ll get cold if you wait! ‘ she laughed, head shaking. 

--- Of course...avian was already stuffing his face, attempting not to snort at her comment with his mouth full. ‘ I have never once in my life waited for something to get cold. ‘ he complained, and while it was funny to hear, he’d meant it in completely serious tone. 

--- Such ravenous appetite was flattering to the demoness, smiling at the hound as avian dug in. ‘ Looks like you made it through the day, baby. Was it okay? ‘ 

[spiritdumbass]

Hieibara Week Day 3: Bed Sharing

[I wanted to write something lighter, and I completely failed rip. Sorry in advance.]

“Kuwabara!” Yusuke shouted even though he was right next to him, “I’m gonna funnel the tequila, you wanna help me?” He fumbled as he tried to connect the rainbow funnel with its matching tube.

“No one’s funneling hard shit in my fucking house!” Shizuru bellowed from across the room. She was definitely drunk and taking what had to be her fifth shot of the night with Botan. What a hypocrite.

Kuwabara sighed and finished his beer, “I think you’ve had enough Urameshi.” He, on the other hand, was nicely tipsy which, in his humble opinion, was the best kind of drunk. All the stupidity and fun and none of the hangover in the morning.

“Aw, you guys are so lame. I’m just trying to catch up with Hiei,” Yusuke whined, “You should drink more, dude. It’s your birthday after all.” He sang the last two words, and Kuwabara forgot just how tone deaf Yusuke was. 

Hiei was sitting criss cross applesauce on the carpet by the couch, wearing Shizuru’s bright red sunglasses and nursing his own personal bottle of Malibu rum. He leaned against an unbelievably patient Yukina, who was desperately trying to replace the rum with a bottle of water. Unfortunately for her, Hiei was even more stubborn than usual once he started drinking.

“Hiei’s not someone you want to beat, man. You’re gonna get alcohol poisoning trying to keep up with him.” Kuwabara tried to pry the funnel from Yusuke’s iron grip, and just when Kuwabara was making some progress, a hand pulled him back.

He turned his head, baffled, “Kurama, what the fuck?”

Kurama had probably 20 plastic bead necklaces around his neck and a tired smile on his face, “Yusuke’s fine. We should let him funnel something.”

“Kurama! See Kuwabara? He’s the smartest guy we know! I’m fiiine!” Yusuke chimed in. He was attempting to bop his head to the pop music Shizuru had put on, but he was incredibly offbeat. 

Kuwabara slapped his forehead and groaned, “Jesus, you too? How much did you fucking drink? Yusuke’s two drinks away from vomiting on the carpet and if he does that again Shizuru might really kill him this time.”

“I haven’t had nearly enough,” Kurama sighed and pushed his hair behind his shoulder, “But I’ve been the bartender all night. Yusuke could really use this.” Kuwabara was about to scream because Kurama was sounding absolutely insane, but then he finally noticed the tall glass of water behind Kurama’s back.

“You’re a fucking genius,” Kuwabara said in awe.

“I know,” Kurama nodded to the carpet, “You mind helping Yukina?” Kuwabara followed Kurama’s side glance. Hiei took another swig of Malibu from the bottle.

“Alright. You sure you can handle him?” Kuwabara asked. Yusuke picked up a third empty bottle, desperately trying to find more alcohol before he funneled an absurd amount of what he thought was tequila. As if on cue, Keiko came up from behind Kurama and Kuwabara and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I got this,” She said brazenly. Keiko was a warrior bravely venturing into a bloody battle. Kuwabara almost saluted her.

Kuwabara glanced over at Hiei again before he left. Kurama whispered to him, “He’s very touchy and mean right now. Be prepared.”

“So he’s normal,” Kuwabara grumbled. Kurama snickered, the little alcohol he drank making him giddier than usual. Kuwabara grabbed a beer on his way to Hiei and Yukina.

“Please, Hiei. You’ve already had so much. I’m sure you want something to eat,” Yukina begged quietly. She held a pretzel towards him. The pretzel dangled in front of Hiei’s face, and he didn’t even register that it was there.

“I want to be drunk,” Hiei mumbled. He pushed Yukina’s hand away, and the pretzel fell to the ground. Kuwabara noticed that the red shades Hiei was wearing covered his eyes, but not the Jagan. It was almost funny. Kuwabara thought briefly about how he should buy Hiei one of those three lens sunglasses for costumes. 

“Yeah, so do I, shortie. But instead I’m babysitting Urameshi and you. Just eat the damn pretzels,” Kuwabara responded, exasperated.

“Oh, Kazuma!” She greeted, “Can you help him for a bit? I need to use the restroom,” She smiled warmly and rushed off to the bathroom. Kuwabara stood, stunned at the sudden responsibility he was given.

“Great, now the oaf is going to try to tell me what to do,” Hiei huffed and tried to take another swig. Kuwabara was, for once, faster than Hiei. He did a very bad job of not trying to gloat. 

“Can’t drink if you don’t have alcohol,” he said. He looked at the Malibu bottle, took an experimental sip and was surprised when he didn’t wince, “This is really sweet. No wonder you’re drinking so much.”

Hiei stared at his empty hands, “That was mine.” He didn’t try to take it back from Kuwabara. Kuwabara shoved the Malibu in the cabinet that held all their DVDs and turned back to Hiei.

“And now it’s gone. Sucks. Eat the pretzels Yukina got you,” Kuwabara bit. He wasn’t good at babysitting drunk people. He wasn’t even good at being a drunk person. When he got really wasted, he would usually end the night sobbing about everything and nothing.

Hiei didn’t move or say anything and Kuwabara sighed and sat next to him on the floor. He still didn’t move.

“Hiei?” He leaned closer and heard his steady breathing and relaxed.  Kuwabara took off the red sunglasses and confirmed his suspicions. Hiei fell asleep.

“You did it!” Yukina cheered walking back to the two of them. 

“He passed out as soon as I took the bottle away. I didn’t really do anything,” Kuwabara said, and he downed the rest of his beer. It would be his last drink of the night, even if he did want to follow in Hiei’s example and just pass out drunk. 

Yukina picked her brother up, surprisingly easily, and turned to Kuwabara, “Can he stay the night? I don’t want to move him too much on our walk home.” The insinuation that Yukina could walk all the way to her house carrying Hiei gave Kuwabara whiplash. He constantly forgot that Yukina was a demon, and because of that, she was extremely powerful. 

“Yeah sure,” Kuwabara replied nonchalantly, ignoring his initial shock, “I’ll take him upstairs.”

“Oh, he can sleep on the couch. It’s not a big deal,” Yukina insisted, and Hiei shifted in her arms. 

“That couch will break his fucking back, believe me,” Kuwabara shrugged, and Yukina raised an eyebrow, “It’s not a big deal. I’ll just use a sleeping bag.”

She nodded and carefully handed Hiei off, trying not to jostle the fire demon too much. Hiei felt warm and so ridiculously small in his arms. He wanted to bring him closer, feel more of that warmth.

Maybe he shouldn’t have had that last beer.

Yukina gave him a smile and waved him off, going towards Shizuru and Botan. He walked carefully to the stairs. Yusuke drunkenly whistled at them on his way out of the living room, and Kuwabara felt his face heat up.

“Shut up, Urameshi,” he muttered.

Surprisingly, he made it all the way up the stairs and into Kuwabara’s bedroom without Hiei waking up. He carried him to the bed, and gently placed him on it, bringing the covers over him. Asleep, Hiei didn’t look nearly as aggressive or intimidating. He looked innocent, almost cute. Almost.

Kuwabara sat at the edge of the bed, “Happy birthday to me, I guess.” He sighed and went to stand up, only to be stopped by a hand on his arm. He turned around, “Hiei?”

He had a dazed look in his eyes. His little nap didn’t sober him up at all. Great.

“D-oh…” He groaned, his voice gruff from the alcohol, “Ugh.”

“Go to sleep. You need it,” Kuwabara was dumbfounded with just how out of it Hiei was. He was almost a different person. 

“Don’t go,” Hiei finally got out. 

Kuwabara felt his jaw drop, “What?”

Hiei grimaced, still disoriented, and practically whimpered, “Don’t leave me.”

Kuwabara snapped his jaw shut, speechless. This was Hiei saying that he didn’t want to leave Kuwabara. He barely even liked Kuwabara, but he wanted to spend alone time with him? Hiei must really be wasted.

“You’re drunk, Hiei,” he said, his face still the dictionary definition of bewilderment. 

Hiei frowned, “I know that.” He moved slowly on the bed and leaned against Kuwabara and practically fucking purred. Kuwabara pinched himself, and it stung. Not a dream.

“Then, you know that that’s a stupid thing to say.” Kuwabara said. He just wanted to grab his sleeping bag, and sleep this whole night off because there was no way this could be happening.

“You’re the stupid one. I want you here with me,” Hiei said, and his words were a bit slurred but confident. Drunk Hiei really wanted to spoon with him all night. What the fuck. Sober Hiei didn’t even want to be in the same vicinity as him.

“W-what?” He was nervous. Why was he nervous?

“Hm?” Hiei growled and buried his face in Kuwabara’s shoulder. The hand on his forearm crawled its way to his bicep, and it was so, so warm. Jesus, was he really that touch starved?

“You don’t know what you want. You’re drunk,” Kuwabara reasoned. 

“You’re a fool. You haven’t made a move,” Hiei breathed into his shoulder, and Kuwabara shivered. 

“What are you even talking about?” He asked. 

“You’ve been looking at me,” he whispered, and Kuwabara froze, “You haven’t made a move.” Drunk Hiei was pretty fucking coherent, and Kuwabara couldn’t help but wish he wasn’t. 

He bit the inside of his cheek, “No, I haven’t.” He didn’t think there was any reason to. He thought it was pointless. Hiei would just write him off like he always did.

“Why not?” Hiei asked, and his lips brushed against Kuwabara’s neck. Kuwabara swallowed thickly, and pulled Hiei off him, looking him in the eyes.

“This is dumb,” He sighed for what felt like the millionth time that night, “You’re drunk. I’m not having this conversation until you’re sober.”

There was a sense of clarity in Hiei’s eyes as if, underneath the fog of alcohol, his brain grasped onto what Kuwabara said. He nodded, unwilling to say anything more.

“I gotta grab my sleeping bag,” he said to himself. He got up.

“Please, don’t. Stay,” Hiei said, quiet and begging. Kuwabara didn’t turn around to look at Hiei’s expression, afraid of what he might see. Afraid to get hope. Hiei was drunk. He wasn’t in his right mind.

“You don’t want this. Not really, anyway,” Kuwabara choked out. He was barely holding back a dam of tears. Damn, he really drank too much tonight. He shouldn’t be crying. Not over Hiei. Not over someone who can’t and who won’t love him back.

“I do. Please, stay. Please,” Hiei was really begging now. Kuwabara hadn’t heard him beg for anything, not even his life, “I can’t be alone. Please.”

Kuwabara’s heart broke. Hiei sounded desperate.

“Just to sleep?” Kuwabara asked.

“Anything. Please,” Hiei repeated.

Kuwabara said good night to the remaining partygoers downstairs and changed his clothes in the bathroom, and when he returned, Hiei was already fast asleep on his bed.

“So much for needing me to stay,” he said fondly. He crawled in bed anyway, leaving plenty of room between them. Hiei was so small that it wasn’t difficult even though Kuwabara’s bed wasn’t particularly big. 

Despite drinking, he found it very difficult to sleep. He faced Hiei (so peaceful, so perfect), and thought about what would happen in the morning. More than likely, Hiei would find a way to sneak out and avoid him for weeks, maybe months. He’d pretend like he said nothing tonight, that they were still practically enemies. Kuwabara would play along because that was easier than trying to get Hiei to talk about his feelings. It would hurt, and he would bury his feelings as much as he could.

Still, something in his mind insisted that even though Hiei was drunk, he was honest. Hiei really did want something more between them. Kuwabara only hoped that, in the morning, he would stick around long enough to talk through this.

Kuwabara watched Hiei, curled towards him, still not touching. His breath was steady and almost silent. 

He wouldn’t allow himself to touch Hiei, no matter how much he wanted to. It was a violation of Sober Hiei’s space, and he wouldn’t do that. After all, he was still a man of honor. He would willingly lie next to Hiei, not touching, for the rest of his life, if Hiei would just talk to him openly while he was sober.

But he did allow himself to whisper one thing to Hiei’s sleeping, unaware ears. He was only human, after all, and what Hiei couldn’t hear wouldn’t hurt him. It would only hurt Kuwabara, and he would willingly hurt himself just to get it off his chest. 

“I think I love you.”

[girls-scenarios]

Hello! List 1 prompt 13, with ITZY's yuna (maybe they were at a party and from there something went wrong) thank you ❤️

ITZY’s Yuna / Halloween Prompts

13. Persons A and B end up stuck together after a prank gone wrong

Admin Kiwi

All Yuna had wanted was to have fun with her friends on Halloween, and maybe to flirt with you a little bit. But no. The other girls must have had other ideas, because there she sat in a dark room with you, stuck after Lia had jumped out to scare the two of you and Chaeryeong had shoved you both into a tiny space. This “walk of courage” or whatever Yeji had called it was so not cool.

“This place is stifling,” she said with a huff after she recovered from the shock of being scared and shoved at the same time, brushing off her pants where she’d fallen. “When I get out of here, I’m going to-.”

“Uh. The doorknob fell off.” The room was dark and she couldn’t see you, but she could hear the mild panic in your voice.

“What?”

“The doorknob fell off when I tried to open the door.” You rattled something, and Yuna could feel panic rising up in her chest as well. She was pretty sure the two of you were in a closet, it was warm, there was no light, and she was already feeling dizzy and dehydrated. Oh, and she was stuck in a tiny space with you, her long time crush, which she was sure would not end well.

“Hey!” She yelled at the top of her voice, and she was pretty sure she saw a shadow flinch, but she couldn’t be sure as she found the door and pounded on it, trying to get someone’s attention. “Come let us out of here! This isn’t funny!” After a few seconds of pounding, someone giggled on the outside of the door.

“Can’t you open it yourself?” It was Chaeryeong’s voice. “Come on out.”

“We can’t, the knob broke on our side!”

“Oh.” There was the sound of someone jiggling the doorknob, then silence, then a more aggressive jiggling. “Um. I can’t open it.”

“What??” Both of you yelled this time, surging towards the door.

“It won’t open, it’s locked somehow!” It was Yeji’s voice. “Are you sure you can’t do anything on your side?”

“Considering we have no light and a broken doorknob, I don’t think so,” you said, and Yuna let out a whine, slumping back against the wall.

“It’s so hot, we’re gonna die.”

“Don’t say that!” Now Yeji sounded panicked. “I’m gonna go Google how I can get this door open.”

“Maybe we can unscrew it from the hinges?”

“The hinges are on the other side.”

“We’re screwed,” you said, mimicking Yuna’s own thoughts exactly as you sat down beside her, sighing. “Might as well get comfortable.”

“We’ll figure out how to get you guys out, so just wait a little while! And try not to run out of air!”

“I wasn’t even thinking of that, Ryujin! Why bring that up?” Panic surged through Yuna again, but as she went to stand up, you grabbed her arm, pulling her back down.

“We should have enough air. Look.” You pointed to the bottom of the door, where a small gap was, letting in a tiny amount of light and, of course, air. “We won’t suffocate.”

“That’s a relief, at least.” She let out another whine and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall. “This is the worst.”

“No kidding. But wouldn’t it be karma if we died because of their prank?”

“I don’t wanna die yet! Don’t say that!”

“Sorry.”

For a few moments, both of you were silent, listening as the girls shouted at each other from the other side of the room. Then you shifted, letting out a sigh.

“You know, I’m pretty sure it’s my fault we’re in here.”

She turned to look at you. Or, at least, at your outline. “What?”

“I told the girls that I wanted to ask you out tonight and asked if they could help. I think this was their version of ‘helping’ me.”

As if the room wasn’t already hot enough, your words made Yuna feel as if she might explode, her face turning red and her heart skipping a beat. She was actually glad that you couldn’t see her, although you might be able to feel the heat radiating off of her. “R-really?”

“Yeah. Sorry, this isn’t exactly the coolest confession.” You let out an awkward laugh, and she could feel you shifting next to her. Most likely, you were rubbing at your neck, an awkward habit of yours. A million feelings and thoughts ran through her head, and she tried to find the right words to say, her tongue feeling too big for her mouth. “I’m sorry, now I’ve made it awkward.”

“No! No, you didn’t!” Yuna shifted to look towards you, swallowing and grabbing your hand. She was nervous, but she didn’t want you to think that she didn’t like you. Not when you’d just confessed to her. “I was just… surprised, is all! I like you too.” She smiled, even though you couldn’t really see it in the dark. “And actually, I think this was a very hot confession. Considering the room we’re in.”

You let out a laugh at her pun, sounding relieved. “I guess you’re right. Still, the confession could have been better.”

“I liked it just fine.” Now that her eyes were adjusting to the dark, she could kind of make out your face. You were looking at her and smiling, and suddenly, she didn’t mind the tight confines so much.

“Then I guess I should actually ask you. Would you be my girlfriend, Yuna?”

“Yes.” She giggled. “This is going to be such a fun story to tell when people ask how we got together.”

“No kidding.”

“Hey, are you guys doing okay in there?” It was Ryujin’s voice, calling from the other side of the door.

Yuna cleared her throat and answered. “Yeah, why?”

“Well, it might take us a little longer than we thought to get you guys out! I’m sorry, but we can’t find a screwdriver to take off the other knob and unlock it from this side so Lia and Yeji have to go to the store!”

“I guess we’ll just have to stay in here, then.”Yuna groaned, pretending to be annoyed, but she smiled at you right after, giving you a little wink. You let out a little laugh, leaning into her side, your hands still intertwined. “About how much time do we have?”

“Uh, maybe an hour?” Ryujin sounded confused.

“That’s plenty of time,” you whispered, leaning in closer until your lips met hers, making her eyes flutter closed and her heart jump in excitement. A whole hour without the girls being able to interrupt. She was actually looking forward to it.

“Hey, what’s going on in there? Hey! Hey! Don’t ignore me!”

[megrimlocke]

How We Are All Going to Die Laughing

The other day, I was looking at a post made by one of my favorite internet comic artists.  The guy used to be something I’d read in the army newspapers, next to the adds for cheap TVs at the post exchange, but these days it’s mostly a facebook feed I occasionally read.  The artist and writer behind “PVT Murphy” (though these days Murphy’s a sergeant, I’m aging after all it seems) was annoyed at Facebook showing him a shopping page offering what amounted to white nationalist (US neonazi, if you prefer) paraphernalia.

Now, I pointed out that this was what the robot had concluded he wanted to see, and honestly none of us should be surprised by this.  Military members lean right, and in the age of Trump this means that radicalization is around every corner- though for the record it always has been.  In some insidious ways with a cancer of racists and bigots among our ranks, sure, I know because being gay I was targeted by a few myself, but also in more subtle ways.

I once watched a man scream at some Iraqis who were emptying a waste bin nearby, screaming that they didn’t get him, because he’d been the target of an IED attack two hours prior.  Those men had no way in hell of having anything to do with it, but the guy that hit us got away free and the trash guys looked like someone he could defiantly vent his feelings of helplessness and victimhood upon in a vain effort to reclaim his power.  I’m not condoning it, I’m just saying that sometimes the path to prejudice isn’t paved with propaganda and privilege.

I have every faith in the artist who draws PVT Murphy himself, but if you attract the attention of a lot of white supremacists, then probably the robot is going to conclude that you might want to look at some of the things that all the people who like your posts are looking at.  Hence the shop page that offered a wall pinup of a templar knight preparing to smite the saracen to defend (white) Christendom with a few crass remarks about Islam written on it.

Now I explained, in truncated terms, how the robot made this call.  The artist wasn’t excited about this explanation, and in fairness no one is excited about the black mirror showing them something ugly, it’s almost like an automated attack.  But the machine was really just trying to be helpful.  It wasn’t programmed to be sensitive to racial issues, and certainly the people who took out the add didn’t take that into their considerations.  It identified a pattern and arranged the delivery of data that conformed with its instructions based upon the data input.

Now, some right wing dude decided to join in this discussion to point out that the robot didn’t know what it was talking about, included the terms “lib” and “snowflake” in his post, and suggested that if the robot had any idea who he was it wouldn’t keep showing him liberal content- after all he always used the laugh react on it.  I pointed out this part as well, but I’d like to go into a deeper analysis for this discourse.

The right, and perhaps a lot of people using the reacts on facebook, has decided that you can use the laugh react to express a dismissive chuckle to the words of others.  I think this has several sweeping, problematic implications.

First, the people using the internet are using it to each other, and are either unaware of the robots they share the internet with or ignorant regarding how they function.  The robots do not interpret Laugh as a dismissive gesture.  The data they gather from this is that you were paying attention to something and decided to put a reaction on it.  The Laugh react is not a downvote on reddit, the robot, innocent little helperbot it was made to be, assumes you are amused by the thing you clicked on, and so endeavors to further tickle your funny bone.  In short, it’s your good-natured wholesome friend who doesn’t understand the difference between you laughing with liberals and laughing at us.  It thinks we’re all friends.

This leads to the second problem.  If you are a conservative and you do not care to be bothered with leftist posts, then using the laugh react doesn’t help you at all.  It further engages you with the content that annoys you.  The stuff that caused you to try and put on your dismissive “ha ha tawdry communist drivel” mid-atlantic aristocrat voice is going to keep appearing.  If you’re the sort given to conspiracy theories (and you are my bro, you still hate Hillary for the pizza thing), you might draw the conclusion that you are being targeted by leftist internet operatives, spamming your feed with leftist propaganda.

The truth is you’re spamming yourself with leftist content because your socially clueless helpful robot pal is gonna go out and find more things for you to laugh at.  You’re not special or important enough for leftist internet operatives to target your facebook feed with propaganda attacks, and you have damned yourself to an experience on facebook in which you are bombarded with annoying or even blood-boiling content.  All of this guidance, by the way, is equally applicable to left leaning users of the laugh react as a dismissive gesture.

What this does is contribute to people’s paranoia.  It makes them believe that an enemy that doesn’t exist is trying to get into their heads.  It fills their electronic lives with incendiary content that makes them angry and it encourages them further to continue to have generally unproductive electric arguments with people that they disagree with, leaving them exhausted by a brain full of cortisol.

Personally, I think the Left’s electric sin is more to do with our frankly superior witticisms (sorry Right, you invented and stuck to Nobama, you’re just not witty) and the craving so many of us seem to have for delivering that sick burn one-liner so cutting and succinct that it stops the conservative dead in his rhetorical tracks seems to consume online political discourse on the left almost as aggressively as call-out culture does when arguing among our own.

In the effort to sell us more things by pandering to our professed passions, the capitalist internet has created an electric rage engine that wraps you into one heated argument after another among people who are not listening to one another and who are learning to disengage from hard discussions.  This last part is so dangerous to our democracy.

To be clear, I’m not lamenting the death of compromise specifically.  There can be no compromise on the income gap, healthcre, free elections, or the rights of people who are darker in skin than I.  But the electric rage engine makes it difficult to even have conversations about these things in the real world, and if you’re not talking to the people you disagree with face to face in the here and now, your chances of finding compromise are precisely zero percent, nevermind actually changing their views.

Have you noticed yourself having conversations with people that could just be copy pasted almost word for word off the tumblr where they “informed” themselves about this topic?  I’ll bet that you have.  Or else, more dangerously, you have begun to avoid having such conversations at all with people.  Have you ever been in a discussion turned friendly debate with your friend and realized after a few moments that the debate isn’t suddenly so friendly?  I’m willing to bet it’s been a while, so much so that you might even be shocked if it happens.

People like to go on about how fraught the holidays can be because of how politically charged family dinners can be, but I can’t remember such an experience within the past ten years.  No throw down arguments, no discussions about the merits of one tax policy or another- we can’t even seem to discuss weighty matters with people who are blood kin anymore unless we already know they agree with our own views- and thanks to the electric rage engine, we can know, in precis, what their views are and what we think about them as a result long before we ever think about what to put in our covered dish.  The opportunity for someone stepping into a landmine social or foreign policy issue at family and social gatherings has been eliminated, and with it the ability of the dinner table to serve as a place for families to reach consensus by resolving their arguments.  We don’t talk politics with people who disagree with us in the real world anymore, we all just avoid it and spit our venom on the internet, achieving nothing but our mounting unhappiness and dislike for one another.

I have a young colleague at work, maybe 25, who demonstrated the ability to just promptly end a discussion last week.  Now it was a nonsense discussion and in fairness the participants had gotten into trolling him for kicks, saying a blue shirt was green on purpose or some other nonsense, I don’t remember the particulars.  But what I do remember vividly was the ease and efficiency with which he was able to simply end the discussion, how disengagement came so very naturally to him.  I despise the phrase “agree to disagree” because it means that the argument hasn’t been resolved, but it is at least a sign that there was actual thought going on between participants.  No such gesture here.  My colleague put down the conversation and simply went back to his work with all the ease with which you might put down your phone when you decided you were done arguing with someone, and the ability to do this in realspace chilled me to the bone.

Moreover, there is a certain epistemological nihilism that has arisen among us, suggesting that no one can truly know anything because the sources of information, with whatever omissions or biases they may possess, are a matter of consumerist choice rather than objective fact.  We can’t agree on what is real anymore because if you dislike someone’s account of events, you can simply get someone else to present a more palatable story and declare the other people liars.

If you don’t like what you read on NBC, you can simply tune to Fox to hear it told in a way that you choose to consume, often playing to your appetite for validation rather than your need for actionable information.  We like feeling right, and the consumerist information economy has identified that as a means to get our attention long enough to upload some ads along with our news video of choice.

If the very identity of a person can be expressed by a computer algorithm and 4 or 5 hundred clicks across news articles, think pieces, and shopping pages, how easy will it be for the people who do understand how the machines work to begin influencing who we are?

In closing, I think every single one of us is developing a progressively more toxic relationship with the internet, particularly when it comes to political discourse, and I think that if we aren’t especially careful our ability to simply shut down and switch off, while healthy on the web, is going to begin invading our lives in the waking world in insidious ways that will hurt our ability to function as a cohesive society. I think that the marketing robots and the very act of making a profile and posting to it things that are important to you are dangerous influences on our sense of identity, and that by wrapping our sense of identity in the ideas and products that we consume in such a contrived, calculated fashion that we are restricting our ability to be flexible in our thinking, making us less able to get along with one another.  

I’ve been on a soft departure from Facebook for a good while now, making it my loose rule to stick to messenger and instagram because I like indulging my vanity but for the most part I want to be interacting with people directly and not selling myself for likes when I use these things.  Real attention from real people  is much much better.  

In 2020, I invite you to join me in kicking facebook or your own social media vice altogether and bringing our political lives and our debates back into the real world so that we can practice and re-acquire the skills of persuasion and discussion; not as a cynic call to begin trying to convert every conservative we can find, but for the sake of a political discourse that serves as less of a battleground with immovable ideological fortresses and more of a crucible in which the useless can be burned away and useful consensus and meaningful, mind changing-discussions can be had once again.  We cannot afford to keep unsubscribing from one another if our democracy is to survive. (<- leftist witticism addiction in demonstration)

[sunnysidekookie]

you give my heart a boner

pairing: bff!jk x reader

genre: fluff? 

word count: 1.4k

warnings: some foul language, mentions of sexual situations

Okay so to set the scenario you and jk were previously platonic best friends but then somewhere in the middle of it all y'all developed feelings for one another

You both are painfully aware of how the other feels but you guys are chicken shit

So now you guys are stuck in that phase where there is heavy flirting every time you see each other but no one wants to be an adult and make the big move first

So your whole friend group consisting of 7 extremely annoying boys were at this New Years Eve party

And y'all were having fun, ya know drinking, dancing and all that good stuff

For the past hour however Seokjin has been trying to convince you to make a move on jk but ya know

NO BALLS

“____, we are all tired of watching you guys make googly eyes at each other.”

At the other side of the house Jimin was trying to convince guk to kiss you when the clock strikes midnight

One time you and Jimin were having a movie night and naturally a scene came up where the main guy swooped in and planted a fat kiss on the leading lady

And with a mouth full of popcorn you were like

“If someone ever did that to me i would literally melt into a gigantic puddle”

And Jimin was like ‘interesting :]’

Obviously that someone is Jungkook but that is your little secret

Not really cause literally everyone knows about your crush on each other

Anyways

So Jimin made that suggestion to Jk but ya know

NO BALLS

So Jk got really sad when the new year came and you were so close (yet so far away) looking so pretty with your pretty hair and your pretty eyes and your pretty-

This boy could go on and on about how pretty you are honestly

Basically he was disappointed in himself that he started the new year without you as his girlfriend :((

So he decided to fuxk it and drink his sorrows away like any normal person of course :~)

And by the time it hit 2am jk was absolutely wasted having taken too many shots and too much tequila

Oblivious to his emo hours, you as his kind  best friend decided it was time to go home

You tried to tell the other guys about your departure but you couldn't find them anywhere

(They were trying to hide from you so you guys could go home alone and finally get some if you know what I mean *nudge nudge *wink wink)

You swear you saw yoongi make eye contact with you and then proceed to hide behind a house plant but you blamed it on the alcohol

With Jungkook hanging on your shoulders you managed to get yourselves out the door and into the cold ass night

Jk was mumbling while you were a jumbled mess as well

Basically if anyone looked from the outside they would see two people who seemed to have learned how to walk  2 hours ago

On the inside tho y'all were going crazy

Jk's heart was beating so fast he thought he might puke

You feel so warm against him and you smell so good

He thinks he might be able to stay this close to you forever

Is that a marriage proposal?

Mayhaps.

You on the other hand were sweating so much you would think you were beside a heater

But no it was just jk and his insane amount of body heat

And also you might be kind of nervous cause jk keeps looking down at you with this dreamy/longing look on his face and being this close to him makes you all blushy and red a.k.a. a soft girl

A couple of minutes later you made it to your home as it was the closest and as soon as you opened the door jk headed straight to the couch landing head first and face down

You grimaced at the sound your weak couch made

C’mon you were still in college and broke as hell, you appreciated all types of furniture even if it was falling apart

You kind of just stood at your doorway and watched him for like 1 minute  cause he was making all these incoherent noises and flipping around trying to find a comfortable position and not gonna lie it was pretty funny

After almost busting a lung- everything is extra funny to you when you are drunk

You walk to the kitchen and grab a water for you and jk to try and sober up

“Here jungkook drink this”

You hand the water to him but then he kind of looks at it like 'wtf is this??”

And you're like “bitch drink the water before I force you to”

Drunk you is also very aggressive

And then he sits up, looks you straight in the eyes and says “I am a grown man I don't drink water”

…

Sometimes you honestly wonder why of all people you had to fall for this man right here

Seeing as he had no intentions on drinking what you have in hand you tried another tactic

“Okay fine no water” and walked back into the kitchen to devise a master plan

Basically just putting the water into a solo cup and disguising it as a drink

Pure genius?

Absolutely

“Here I made you a drink”

And with a suspicious eyebrow jk says “a drinky drink?”

You sigh “yes kook a drinky drink”

So he takes the drink (water), sips it

, and immediately spits it out.

You will never be able to get the image of jungkook’s betrayed and disappointed face out of your mind

Truly an image that will stick with you forever, even in your slightly drunken state.

“hOW COULD YOU??”

“JUNGKOOK IT'S TIME TO GET SOBER BITCH”

So you storm towards him, ready to hold him down and force feed him

But of course, you always seem to forget that your best friend is capable of practically bending a stainless steel bar and has the reflexes of a cat so he sees you coming

And right as you are within reach he grabs your arm, pulls you to his chest -you fall unceremoniously on top of him- and then flips you over so now he was hovering over you

A bitch was shook tbh

Honestly someone might as well start writing your tombstone cause you are g o n e

Jk was looking directly into your soul and it felt like he could read your mind

Not surprised if he was actually trying to though

His heart was beating a million miles a minute and his face probably resembled a tomato but he decided that he was not going to be a little bitch and be bold

Which most likely prompted him to say

“Your pretty... like really pretty”

Not that bold but okay

And not to sound cocky, you know that you're not the ugliest person to ever exist but hearing jk say it made you feel warm all over

He had this small smile start to show on his lips and drunk him might be a little more obvious than sober him likes to admit

But it makes you go !!!

So jungkook continues with his affectionate words as best as he can

“You're so pretty that honestly it makes it hard to concentrate on other things that aren't you”

He realizes that he probably shouldn't have said that one out loud but he couldn't stop and he is so unbearably enamoured with you he cAN'T HELP IT

by now you were wondering how the heck this boy is so soft for you and it makes you wanna go uwu big time

With a pleased smile you go “I make your life hard for you?”

And jungkook just rolls his eyes and replies with

“ that's not the only thing you make hard”

And he's so casual about admitting that he basically gets hard to the thought of you when usually this boy gets so red whenever anyone mentions anything sexual so at first your mind goes

?!?!

And then it processes and you kind of let out a little

“Oh?”

Cause you have no idea how to respond to tHAT

You felt yourself get visibly flustered and this cocky bitch had the auDACITY to smirk at you?

Like he was fully aware of how affected his comment made you and he was enjoying your reaction

Drunk jk is a bold jk

Oh my god

OH my god

You almost explode when jk starts to lean in and his eyes start to close and you are freaking out!!

Okay

Okay

Calm down

It's just a kiss

You can do this

So you close your eyes and prepare

…

Instead of a kiss that you're sure would change the course of your friendship

finally!!

Jk's head is in your neck dead asleep

Soft snores coming out of him

“Of course”

[exothermic-filth]

Drinks On Me

 Uni and research has kicked up a FUCK ton for me, so I apologize for going AWOL on everyone, especially to those I’ve promised stories/updates on. But thank you for sticking through and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did while writing it! (I had the utter, horrified realization I basically was gone for roughly a year. I am... so sorry OTL....)

Junker-Adventurer!Reader x Junkrat mini-fic. NB reader, SFW (except for a bit of swearing). To celebrate having 45+ followers <3 Never thought I’d make it this far, so cheers!

It’s been a long day. 

The sun is beginning to set above the horizon and you thank the heavens for small mercies. The heat dissipates from the air as fast as the scorching sun rays fade. You see a scraggy outcrop of rocks ahead in the distance: perfect place for a break. With a bit of encouragement, you urge your battered motorbike onward. 

By the time you reach the rocks, the air is cool and downright delicious. With a flick of your foot, the stand pops out and you’re letting your bike lean and rest. A quick circling reassures you that you’re alone and you finally relax, stretching out the stiff joints from sitting and riding all day. 

You unpack and settle down. A bit of foraging yields just enough twisted branches and bone-dry sticks for a nice small fire. You double-check the crate you’ve got strapped onto the back of your motorcycle: nice and tight, not going anywhere. Visions of gold dance in your head as you think about the profit these babies are gonna’ bring you. Junkers will pay coin for booze, but rumor has it the Queen herself would paid handsomely for specialty liquor imported (stolen) from the outside. 

Usually, you’d never risk building a fire but you’re feeling confident. There’s something about tonight that feels different: the air is (marginally) crisper and the stars feel brighter. Despite being a ragtag outsider, you’ve always enjoyed Junkertown. The Junkers made for vivacious, if not interesting company. And the thought of refreshing your rations and supplies definitely put an extra pep in your step. 

You rustle through your pack and produce a battered tin pot and a depressingly light sack. Normally, this would warrant a “tsk” but tonight, you’ll feast. Within minutes, you’ve got a nice little gruel going. Some precise rigging and you’ve got a few lizards to roast as an entree. 

You stare out into the distance, listening to the gentle snap and crackle of the fire, the sweet corn meal gruel bubbling away softly. Life is good.

Before your muscles could truly relax, you feel the skin on the back of your neck tingle. Before your mind could even register, you’ve got your shot gun in your hands, pumped and ready to shoot at the intruder. 

“Evenin’?” Came a nervous giggle. 

You blink, “Do I... do I know you?”

A tall man stands before you, looking a bit worst for wear. Despite the impressive amount of bombs and ammo strapped to his chest, he’s bruised and cut up all over. His left eye bulged out in a black and blue mess. 

Despite all this, the man puffs his chest out and looks insulted, “Do you... Do you know me? How do you NOT know me?”

You scowl, “Because I’ve never met you before?”

“Darl’,” he says, rather condescendingly, “I am a man whose reputation proceeds him. I am THE-”

You stand up aggressively, “I don’t care WHO you are or who you THINK you are. What do you want?”

He scowls back, “How the FUCK do you NOT know who I am?”

You feel a sharp pang of fear in your chest; this man isn’t fucking around. The bandoliers on his chest glint dangerously in the fire light. 

You raise the gun but take a step back, “Alright... who are you then?”

The man looks like he’s been waiting for this question his entire life. He throws his arms out in a grand, theatrical gesture and declares, “I am the INFAMOUS JUNKRAT!” 

“...who?” You raise a brow. 

He drops his arms to his side and balls his fist, “Oh come on! I didn’t get fuckin’ kicked outta’ Junkertown for nothin’!”

You struggle to keep the chuckle down, “You got kicked out of Junkertown?”

“Oh? You think that’s funny do you?” He snarls. 

“Well.... yeah, you got kicked out of the most lax city on earth,” you laugh, incredulously. “You can literally do almost anything there.”

“Lax?” He sputters, “LAX?! I couldn’t get a bomb in edgewise anywhere with ol’ Queenie up my arse about it!” 

You lower your gun, giving him your most disarming smile, “She’s got a point there... Junkrat? You said?”

“The one and only,” he grins back, matching your charm with his. 

You take the time to look at him: underneath the soot and dirt, and despite the nasty shiner he’s sporting, he’s not bad to look at. Even though he’s a few meters from you, you can smell the smoke on him, that burnt charred smell... of... lizards?

You jump, “SHIT!”

He starts back, shocked, then realizes why you freaked out. 

You toss the gun aside and rescue the lizards from the fire and throw them on your pack to save them from completely scorching. 

You stand back up, dusting your hands, “Alright. So. We can stand around all day and you can be insulted with me not knowing who you are...” 

He crosses his arms, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, “Or?”

“We can sit down and enjoy some charred lizard and corn gruel,” you gesture openly. 

The tall man slouches a bit and smiles sheepishly, “Yeah, I’d like that a lot.”

You plop down onto the dirt and offer him a blackened lizard on a stick.

He takes it and plops down by you, “Thanks, mate.”

You watch him tackle the meat with ferocity, “You always do this? Stumble into people’s camps and get insulted when they don’t know who you are?”

He pauses mid-bite, “Only when I’m particularly hungry.”

You give him a friendly kick, “You could’ve just fucking asked!”  

He laughs and goes back to ripping another mouthful off the lizard. You observe him and his injuries: all the mottled bruises, the nicks and scratches all over his body. They’re fresh. 

“Got yourself in a fight recently?” You ask casually, but quietly your ears are perked. A knot of regret begins forming in the lower pits of your stomach: what kind of trouble could this one potentially bring?

He makes an awkward gasping noise, trying to talk and swallow lizard at the same time, “Sure did. Showed those drongos what for!”

You smile, eyes casually flitting around and behind his hunched figure, “What was the fight about?”

“Oh the usual,” he straightens up and takes a deep breath, “‘Oh Junkrat you can’t mod the mech with that!’ or ‘Junkrat you can’t throw that at the Queen!’”

You blink, “You’re a mech fighter?”

He scoffs and rolls his eyes, “As if I’d be any of those hot-headed ego maniacs!”

You scoff back and raise a brow, leaning towards the fire to grab the bubbling corn gruel off the embers, “Alright, then what is it that you do, Junkrat?”

“I’m a mech mechanic,” he puffs out his chest and crosses his arms. “I’m trying to work me way up through the ranks right now.”

“There’s ranks?” You give a bemused smile. 

“Oh sure,” he nods emphatically, “You start off as a complete bottom of the bucket mechanic, doing stupid shit like polishing the weapons then you work your way up before they trust you enough to start unscrewing shit and putting shit back together.”

“And where are you right now?” You blow on the corn gruel and tuck in. 

Junkrat looks particularly proud of himself, hooking his two grenade straps with his thumbs, “I craft the explosives.” 

“Impressive,” you rummage through your coat’s inner pockets, before finally finding your flask.

He flicks his eyes up, interested, “Now, what do you have there, mate?”

You pause, meeting his eyes. You didn’t want to admit it. But the way he said it was slow, and low, like he was asking a dangerous question. And it made you...feel. 

You clear your throat and unscrew the flask’s top, continuing to give your best disarming smile, “I never told you what I do for a living, did I?”

“You certainly didn’t,” he finished his lizard and tossed it behind him with a laugh. “So, who do I owe the pleasure of meeting this evenin’?”

“Well,” you gently shake the flask, gauging how much is left, “My name is *Y/N* and I am you local, friendly booze supplier to Junkertown.” 

“Oh my,” he grins, leaning forward, “So I can thank many a wild nights and shitty mornings to you, huh love?”

You find yourself chuckling, almost missing the fact that he just slipped a pet name into that interaction.

“Partially,” you take a sip, “Lord knows Junkertown must use more than just me considering how much you Junkers drink like it’s your lifeblood.”

He holds a hand out. It’s a familiar gesture for you, a bonding ritual really with any stranger you’ve met. And honestly, it’s just good manners out here. You pass the flask to him, your fingers grazing his during the hand-off and you find yourself lingering a bit longer than you wanted.

You clear your throat again but he doesn’t seem to notice. He takes an appreciative sip and smacks his lips, a confused expression forming. 

Taking advantage of the situation, you lean in and whisper conspiratorially, “Not what you expect?”

“It’s... light, and uhm, what’s the word,” he’s scrunching his face in thought. “Delectable? No... delicate! It’s delicate tasting.”

Keeping the hushed tone, you grin, “Between you and me, I hate the way most liquor tastes. This is just my own personal brew.”

“I’ve... I’ve never tasted anything like this,” he’s taking another swig, trying to parse out the flavors and notes. 

“Yeah, you get bored on the road, you start mixing and blending your own brews,” you jerk a thumb towards your bike. 

“You travel alone or is this a group venture?” he gestures generally. 

“I work alone,” you shrug, turning your gaze towards the fire. You feel yourself drifting a bit. 

“Do you like it?” 

“I do,” you murmur.

“Wasn’t a very enthusiastic ‘I do,’“ he elbows you in the ribs gently and you’re suddenly pulled back, very aware of how close he is to you. 

You blink for a moment and put on another amiable grin, “Haha, I do, I really do! It’s quite fun and it’s a decent adventure most of the times.”

“And the other times?” He asks, softly, in that same dangerous, low tone from before.

“It’s... quiet. You’re by yourself a lot on the road. So it’s... quiet,” you reply, a bit more morose than you intended. 

“Well then,” he stretches his arms above his head, “Good thing I inconvenienced you and stumbled onto your camp, huh?”

You laugh, “Yeah, I didn’t think I’d have any dinner guests but this was a nice change of pace.”

He smiles then his frame shifts a bit awkwardly and his voice lowers, “Uhm, truth be told *Y/N* I wasn’t feelin’ too great when I did run into you. But this was fun. I needed it.”

“I think I needed this too.”

He takes a deeper swig from the flask before handing it back to you, “I’ll confess, I’m on my second strike with the Queen. One more mess-up and I’m not allowed back into Junkertown.”

“Ah,” your eyes flick once again to his bruises and cuts, “She can be a real hardass, huh?”

“And then some,” he scoffs mirthlessly, “But thanks, I mean it.”

“Of course,” you don’t really know what to do so you give him a gentle pat on his knee.

He flinches at first but relaxes under your touch. 

He clears his throat, a clear flush growing on his cheeks under all that dirt and grime, “So, uhm, *Y/N*?”

“Yes, Junkrat?” You smile. And it’s your real smile. You don’t feel the need to put up disarming pretenses. 

“Call me Jamie,” he grins sheepishly, “My real name’s Jamison but no one calls me that.” 

“Alright,” you nod, “Yes, Jamie?”

“Were you just going to camp out here until tomorrow then head into Junkertown?”

“Yeah, that is the plan. Why?”

“Well, uhm, not that I’m shittin’ on your choice of accommodations but there are better places than outside at night in the Outback. It gets freezin’ cold,” he says seriously. 

You hold back a snort and solemnly nod back, “Ah yes, I hadn’t considered that. In all my years of camping and trekking through here, the freezing cold!” 

“So, I have a proposition for you,” Jamie opens his palms outwards like a salesman getting ready for his pitch. 

“Alright, I’m listening.”

“You should come into Junkertown tonight. Stay at my place, and come tomorrow morning you’ll be right there in town, ready to do business,” he says with a final, dramatic flourish of his fingers. 

“You’ll be alright with that? A stranger crashing at your place?” You raise a brow, still smiling ear to ear.

“Least I could do to pay you back for dinner and drinks,” he stands up and dusts himself off, before offering a hand to hoist you up. 

You take it, bringing yourself up to your feet, “Oh, my pleasure, really.”

He starts kicking sand into the fire and turns to you with a glint in his eyes, “Oh, I should warn you there’s only one bed back at my place.”

A shiver runs from the nape of your neck down your spine, “Well. You did say it gets freezin’ cold out here. We should make the most use of it.”

He stops, your matched boldness surprising him. He laughs a bit and says, “After a long work day tomorrow, will you have dinner with me again?”

“Of course,” you start packing up some of your gear. You flick your eyes towards him and with a leisurely softness in your voice, you reply, “Drinks’ on me.” 

[valhalla-awaitsfor-us]

A few days ago I wrote this: "I need a fic about Keith knowing the future couples on the team, after seeing the future so many time when he was with Krolia, asap"  

Well, I wrote it myself as a way of entertaining myself while waiting for the real writers do the work.  Is a Kallura centered drabble, but there is also a little Plance in it because Plance is my otp and I needed them in this fic.

Also, english is NOT my first language so i'm sorry if you see some mistakes. I hope at least you find that is a decent story.

After Lotor, they decided they needed a break.

Now that the universes were safe, they didn’t need to pressure themselves anymore. At least for a while.

Also, the return to home would be long and exhausting, and without the castle they had to stop on the allied planets to stay in good shape. Eat, take a shower, sleep ... don’t go crazy trapped inside a lion for more than ten hours. Basic things.

Everyone was tired, and practically destroyed emotionally and physically after the battle. But to think on Earth, on their families, was a beacon of hope that comforted the hearts of everyone.... Or almost everyone.

Allura and Coran were eager to see the home of the paladins, but no one could deny that the two alteans were still trying to overcome the trauma that was to destroy the castle for the greater good.

Romelle also didn’t seem particularly happy to go to Earth, but neither was she annoyed by it. After avenging her family and having met the princess Allura, the girl was happy with any decision that was made.

And then there was him. Keith wanted to return to Earth, but not because he had family like the others. At least not alive. So he wasn’t ecstatic to return. But it did fill him with warmth to think that he could have a family again in that place. His mother and he living under the same roof. It was so weird to imagine. His mother Galra, whom he had once hated for abandoning them, was now, with Shiro and the paladins, his family; and Keith wanted to show her the Earth like his father had never been able to do, because of the Galra Empire threatening to kill them all.

Who would have thought that it only took two years of travelling through space, experiencing visions of the past and future, to strengthen the bond with your mother?

He had seen so many things that he wished he hadn’t seen. Some horribly heartbreaking, and others simply too embarrassing ... Keith knew too much for his own good.

Like for example all the times that a Galra attack would end the lives of thousands of innocents.

... Or the fact that Lance would confess his feelings to Allura to only be rejected.

It was so awkward to know so many things about his friends and pretend that everything was fine, and Keith was not good at hiding his emotions. He might look like a cold person, but Keith couldn't help but show when something troubles him. And knowing everything about the lives of his friends was one of those things. “Oh, hello Hunk, do you want to know something funny? As soon as you see Shay again she will kiss you in front of everyone and you will want to take her to Earth to meet your parents. Coran, I know you'll fall in love with an earthling when we get home, but she'll break your heart. Lance! The whole situation with Allura will be extremely difficult for you. And Pidge ... Pidge I know how many times you are gonna try to play video games with Lance to cheer him up, wrongly believing that he could never reciprocate your  feelings.”

 And Allura ... she...

"Keith. Are you okay?"

It was uncommon that something took him by surprise, but the sudden appearance of the princess, startled the leader of the Voltron.

They were making the first stop on their return to Earth. The allied planet had food impossible to digest for them, and the atmospheric conditions were very aggressive for humans. But at least the citizens were kind, and they had pretty comfortable beds. And considering their situation, everyone appreciated being able to sleep in such a place. But Keith could not sit still. The feeling that Shiro could vanish at any moment was something that tormented him. So he had decided to stand guard in the hallway, while everyone slept in their rooms. Everyone but Allura apparently, who was in front of him, in her sleeping gown and with messy hair.

"Princess" Keith saw her eyes and all his thoughts disappeared for a few seconds. She looked broken. "I'm fine, it's just a bit of insomnia ... but you look ..." Keith wanted to say "Horrible", and two years ago he would have said it. Back then he couldn’t control himself when talking ... but now he was trying to read the emotions of others a little better.

"Pathetic? Hideous? A mess?"

"Exhausted." Sentenced Keith, convinced that that was the best term to describe her.

"I guess that's one way to put it. Can I sit?"

Oh no. The nervousness had returned and with bigger intensity. When they were fighting Keith hadn’t had time to think about it ... but now, in the calm of victory, on the serenity of the night, in quiet of the loneliness, Keith could see his visions clearly. How to explain to Allura that the reason why it was so hard to invite her to sit next to him was because he had seen them in his visions? How to tell the princess of Altea that in the future she would have a relationship with a half Galra half human, and that would create tension in the whole universe?

"Sure"

Allura smiled at him briefly and proceeded to sit beside him. She didn’t seem willing to start a conversation, and Keith wasn’t in the mood for that either. But seeing her so melancholy was heartbreaking.

"It wasn’t your fault. You know that, right?"

"Everyone keeps telling me that" Allura replied between sighs, unable to look away from the floor. "But I just can’t get rid of this feeling. I’ve failed to everyone ... I’ve failed myself"

"Allura, you beat Lotor. You saved all the universes. "

"We did that." Claimed the princess, looking right into his eyes for the first time since she had sat next to him in that deserted hallway.

 "But without you it would have been impossible."

"But…"

"Allura. Stop."

She gave him a genuine smile and took a deep breath. Keith could sense that she was holding back her tears and although the empathy for her friend invaded him immediately -which was amazing because even though he had not seen her for past two years his feelings for her, and for the whole team, remained intact-, the black paladin couldn’t avoid feeling that if she started crying he would  freak out internally; he was really bad at comforting people.

"You know ..." Allura resumed the conversation, and Keith admired her strength to hold back the tears and just keep talking. "One of the reasons why Lotor gained my trust so fast was... you"

Oh no. Keith could feel the heat rising up his neck. Suddenly looking at the wall had become more interesting than maintaining eye contact with Allura.

"Me?" Keith asked noticing how his voice cracked, and instantly wanting to hit his head against that same wall.

"Yes, you. I learned not to judge others, not even the Galra. The only thing that can show the goodness of our hearts are our actions, and you proved to be loyal and courageous. You have your heart in the right place ... Lotor ... he showed me everything I am capable of, and I thought I had also wrongly judged him. But now ... now. I am so confused! …And embarrassed."

Allura buried her face in her hands and Keith stayed a few seconds in silence waiting to hear the drowned sob of the princess, but they never came. She was still fighting to reamin calm, and at that point he didn’t know whether to admire her for that or be concerned.

"There are bad people on all the planets. Everyone can cheat and betray you, but they can also prove you to be extraordinary people. You just need to find the balance. Always be careful but never lose hope. "

Those words didn’t seem to belong to him. Keith wondered if Shiro was still in his mind somehow, giving him advice, because that undoubtedly sounded like something that his friend, slash big brother, would say. Allura seemed to think the same thing because suddenly she uncovered her face to look into his eyes.

"That was ... beautiful, Keith. Thank you."

Keith nodded, and even dared to smile back. It seemed surreal. He hadn’t seen her for two years, but nothing had changed. Everything was the same, except that now Allura was a little more broken, and Keith hated to see her like that. He still remembered her bright smile. It had been a long time but he could never forget Allura's smile. It was one of the few things that never failed to reassure him. But Keith knew it would take a long time for her to smile like that again.

Wait a second. He was thinking about her lips, wasn’t he? He was practically staring at her lips! Abort, abort!

"Do you know that Pidge has a crush on Lance?"

Good one Keith, is that your way of saving the situation? Throwing Pidge under the bus? What a good friend. Allura's expression showed extreme confusion and Keith could barely keep her gaze.

"I see ... How do you know?" Allura asked trying to bring some rationality to the situation.

"Well ..." I have lived for the past two years on the back of a space whale, in a quantum abyss where time does messed up things, while seeing visions of the past and the future. "It's complicated."

"Try me. Whatever you are hiding is clearly affecting you. You are our leader. We need you to have a clear mind. "

Keith didn’t know what to do. There was no way to answer her question without causing the princess to go crazy due to the amount of information. But still, he should tell her. Someone had to know. It was not the kind of secret you hide from your team, from your friends.

"Allura, this is going to sound very weird, but when I was with my mother on a mission, we were trapped in a quantum abyss and ..."

"For how long?"

Keith looked at Allura still open-mouthed. Her eyes revealed growing concern and he just undestood that there was no need to explain all the details. The princess knew what a quantum abysm implied.

"Two…"

"Hours? Days? Weeks? "

"Years."

Silence flooded through the dark and lonely hallway. A disturbing calm enveloped them as Allura slowly brought her hands to her mouth, silencing a gasp. It wasn’t something Keith enjoyed talking about; and the paladins weren’t stupid. The first thing Lance did when he saw him was to point out how old he looked. And if Lance could sense it, then Hunk and Pidge would have figured out right away  that something bigger, and with a possible scientific explanation, had happened to Keith in those months he was away from Voltron.

But saying it out loud was still pretty damn weird.

"Keith." Allura brought him back to reality. "Are you alright?"

Of all the questions she could have asked, Allura had chosen the only one that managed to affect Keith.

"I don’t know." The truth was always the best option in those cases. Keith wasn’t traumatized by having lived with his mother on the back of a space whale for two years, but it was certainly unsettling in retrospect.

"You must have seen so many things."

"You have no idea"

If Keith could, he would eliminate from his mind the image of Coran trying to flirt with the people from earth and scaring them, or the conversation that Hunk would have with his parents in which they would affirm that Shay was a beautiful alien but they were worried because they really wanted to have grandchildren and they didn’t know how that would be possible. Undoubtedly Keith also wanted to forget Pidge and Lance making out in secret.

It was none of his business and Keith felt like a creep, watching the lives of his friends.

"Have you seen anything about ... me?"

Well played Keith. The princess is asking you the worst possible question and it's your fault.

"I can’t remember anything specific right now."  It was late, they were both tired, and Keith felt he had already shared too much information. It didn’t seem like the place or the moment to open up about what he had seen about Allura in his visions.

"Is okay. I shouldn’t have asked.” Allura looked away from him, changing her attention to the wall in front of them, immersing herself in her thoughts. It was pretty obvious that she knew he was lying, but Keith was grateful she didn’t push him. "It is not the moment to know my future; I have to focus on the present. Also, I trusted you. If you had seen something really important you would tell us, just like you did with ... Lotor”

Keith knew the feeling of being consume by rage very well, and it was certainly something he had seen in Allura during the battle. But in the end, when Lotors  version of Voltron had been destroyed, and the Galra leader was unconscious, floating in the quintessence field, neither Keith nor Allura could leave without first thinking of saving him. Yes, Keith knew and understood all about Allura's rage, but he also knew about her kindness and forgiveness; and because of those emotions she was feeling so confused now.

"I haven’t told you yet but I really sorry that ..."

"So ... Pidge and Lance"

Allura looked him in the eye again. A fake smile on her lips and watery eyes, but still refusing to shed a tear. Apparently she also considered that she had talked enough for that night, and Keith respected that.

"Please don’t tell anyone ... I don’t know why I said it," Keith begged, afraid to even imagine what Pidge could do to him. "I'm an idiot."

"The secret is safe with me," the princess assured him, giving him a fleeting smile again before her thoughts began to wander again and her attention drifted away from the conversation.

 "Are you okay, princess?"

"I will be." Her voice was calm and assertive, as always. But her eyes revealed her true emotions.

"Is it because of Lance?" Bad question Keith, haven’t you screwed up enough for one night?

"What?" Allura's cheeks stained with a faint pink. It was understandable. Allura was realizing that Keith probably knew many things about her love life, past and future. That was too much power for one person. "You saw something, didn’t you?"

The heat grew in Keith. Those things weren’t his forte, and he definitely couldn’t lie to her. It would be in vain, she could see through him without problems.

"I don’t think it's is a good idea to tell you what I saw. I don’t want to alter your decisions and make everything worse." Fifty percent of that was true; fifty percent was Keith trying not to remember his visions of Allura and Lance.

"The visions of the quantum abyss show you facts, Keith. Maybe they do not happen the way you saw them, but they are almost always inevitable." The princess explained solemnly, but then she let out a sigh and return to her melancholic state. "... but I respect your decision, and I appreciate it. I have to think about ... Lance, and I have to do it by myself."

"I get it. But try not to burden yourself with that right now. You should rest."

Allura gave him a look full of tenderness and before Keith could begin to process what was happening he could feel the hand of the princess on his. Even after being stuck in a place where the time did crazy things, Keith had never experienced the feeling of the time actually stopping, until that moment. Allura's fingers stroked his hand and Keith had flashes of them kissing one starry night, sitting in front of his house. Allura was wearing civilian clothes, jeans and an oversized sweater; and Keith had returned to his everyday clothes. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, but it was sweet and warm. They were holding hands, and Allura's fingers caressed his just as she was doing in the present.

"I think you're right. I should go to sleep"

Keith blinked a few of times, trying to push away the visions and regain his composure. Meanwhile, Allura stood up, brushing off a lock of white hair from her face and taking a deep breath.

"Thanks Keith. For sharing these moments with me. I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad too, princess." Keith replied, still trying to hide the blush on his cheeks.

Allura headed to her room, and before opening the door she turned one last time to wish him a good night and to give him a last kind smile, before disappearing.

Keith smiled to himself. All his worries had vanished, at least for a while, by the comforting presence of the princess; and the paladin found himself yawning for the first time that night. Apparently, even after all those years, Allura's smile still had the same effect on him.

[tidsoptlmist]

Walmart - G.D.

Authors note: this probably sucks ass but im gonna post it anyway so enjoyyyyy

Summary: Based on the writing prompt: “I’m on the verge of tears because of a rude customer and you step in and stand up for me”

▸ MASTERLIST 

In contrast to what felt like everyone else in the world, you never liked Fridays. For you, Fridays consist of two lectures of 4 hours each by Professor Thompson (a 100-something year old with a monotone voice). And after those dreadful lectures you still had to work from 7pm till midnight at the 24-hour Walmart down the street.

This Friday had been an exceptionally bad Friday. You woke up with a sore throat, spilled your coffee all over your new sweater - which almost  made you late for class since you had to change shirts and when you finally got into the right lecture hall, you found out you forgot all your writing utensils at home.

So, it didn’t come as a surprise to that you were in a awful mood by the time you were making your diner (macaroni and cheese). After a quick meal, where - of fucking course - you burned your lip, you changed into your work clothes, grabbed your keys and phone and left your room.

The only good thing about this Friday was that it wasn’t raining during your walk from the campus to the Walmart. But considering that you studied in Los Angeles, that wasn’t as much as a win as it could have been.

You walked into the store and checked in, dropped your keys and phone into your locker and walked to the schedule to see which cash register you had today.

‘Number 4 it is,’ you mumble to yourself as you walk to the right register. You type in your code on the computer and wait for your first customer. The first one of this Frightful Friday was a big lady with a happy face and blonde hair. She greeted you and placed her grocery’s on the register. You scanned all the things and asked if she’d like a bag. She didn’t need a bag; she brought her own. Her total amount was $43,55.

Time went by slowly. It’s not that busy, and, after what felt like years, you’re finally on your first break at 9pm. The only good thing about working Fridays is that there aren’t many staff members. So no meaningless awkward small talk!

After your break, time seemed to even go slower. There were about three consumers in the whole store and of course the all go to self checkout. You start to zone out. It’s close to 11pm now, which means just one hour left until you can leave. You start scraping the nail-polish of your thumb. Suddenly you’re loudly awoken from your daydream by a harsh voice.

‘Excuse me?! Are you deaf?!’ You look up into an aggressive face. It’s the face of a big man: he’s over 6ft and his arms are tatted and muscular.

‘I’m so sorry, how can I help you?’ you ask him nicely, trying not to sound as scared as you actually are.

‘I asked you where I could find the engine oil but I think firstly you need to get those ears checked out!’ He screams at your face. You look at him with big eyes.

‘I’m sorry, I don’t really know where to find that, maybe you could asks one of our stock clerks? I could summon one for you,’ you tell the man as calmly as you can.

‘You work here don’t you? Then why don’t you know where the fucking engine oil is?!’ Splatters of spit land on the register and tears are beginning to from behind your eyes. Fuck, you think, I can’t cry now!

‘I work as a cashier, I don’t know the store layout by heart. Asking a stock clerk would help you way faster. Like I said, I could call one for you right away!’ Your hand hovers to the phone on your right and you notice your hand is shaking.

‘Do you think I’m stupid or what? Don’t you think I already asked a stock clerk?!’ He growls at you.

Suddenly a new voice can be heard from behind the big men. ‘Don’t you think you’re being a little rude towards her? She said she doesn’t know and instead of walking aimlessly through the store with you, she offered you to call a clerk: whose job it is to know.’

A young man, around your age, emerges from behind the men.

‘Who the fuck asked you for your opinion, pretty boy?’ The men turns around to face the boy. And oh Lord, he was a pretty boy! He was around 6 feet, maybe a little taller. He had short dark hair, which looked messy - as if he had run his hand through it a bunch of times. He has broad shoulders and muscular arms. A dangly earring hung in his left ear and his hazel eyes looked angry at the men in front of your desk.

He is wearing a grey sweater with ‘DUKE UNIVERSITY’ written on it, along with two crossed lacrosse sticks. The sweater hugged his arms nicely and underneath his nike shorts came muscular thighs. In his hands he held a pack of a 100 colorful balloons, two packages of ramen noodles and a box with a dozen eggs.

‘No one asked you to be rude to her either!’ The boy looks a the man angry and clenches his jaw.

‘You know what?!’ The man turns to you angrily, ‘keep your fucking engine oil!’ He dumps the rest of his groceries and storms towards the exit.

The sound of breaking glass makes you tear your eyes of the man and look up. Only now you realize that the man was carrying a 12 pack of beer bottles. Only 3 of them survived the drop and beer is dripping from the register onto the ground. You quickly get up and grab the roll of paper towels from underneath the cashier. You walk around the register and kneel down to dry the beer off the ground. But firstly you try to pick up as many of the big glass as you can. A shadow falls over you and you look up. It’s pretty boy. He kneels down with you and starts helping to collect the glass.

‘You really don’t need to do that..’ You say and look up. Pretty boy smiles but keeps picking up broken glass. ‘I know, but I want to! You’ve had enough shit for today after having to deal with that asshole!’ You can feel your cheeks heating up and you quickly look down and grab some more glass.

‘Ouch!’ You cry out when you feel a sharp pain in your right pointer finger. A small cut becomes visible and you bit down your lip. Tears are beginning to from in your eyes.

‘Of-fucking-course!’ you mutter, ‘as if today couldn't get any worse!’ You grab some of the paper towels to wrap around your finger to stop the bleeding. A tear rolls down your cheek and you can feel your cheeks heat up from embarrassment. Here you are, sitting in spilled beer which you could have sold, with your finger cut open, crying in front of one of the hottest boys you’ll probably ever talk to.

‘Hey, don’t worry! Everything will be okay!’ You feel a strong hand on your shoulder. Pretty boy squeezes your shoulder in reassurance.

‘I’m so sorry!’ you say, wiping away the tear. ‘This is so embarrassing! It’s just.. I’ve had the worst day ever!’ You confess to him. You’re kinda surprised you’re telling this stranger about your day. This isn’t something you’d normally do. But today you have to.

‘It’s okay! Don’t worry! When does your shift end?’ Pretty boy asks you and you glance at the clock above the exit.

‘In two minutes,’ you tell him softly. Pretty boy smiles and you can see his perfectly white teeth - of course he has good teeth as well! Some people just have everything, don’t they?!

‘Great! Let’s clean this up and I’ll pay for my stuff and we’ll get some coffee at the McDonald’s across the street! I’m Grayson by the way,’ he puts out his hand for you to shake it.

‘I’m Y/N, nice to meet you Grayson.’ You smile at him while you shake his hand.

Grayson helps you clean the beer and glass, pays for his balloons, noodles and eggs and waits for you when you get your phone and keys from your locker. He also helps you put the plaster over the cut in your finger.

Together you walk to the McDonalds across the street. You both decide to get a McFlurry and eat it outside. The weather is nice, it’s been a hot day and it just started to cool down a little bit. You sit next to Grayson on the curb in silence, both eating your ice-cream, when you can’t stand the silence anymore.

‘So what brings you to the Walmart at 11 at night, buying balloons, ramen noodles and eggs?’ You ask Grayson. He laughs and takes one more bit from his ice-cream before he answers.

‘Me and my twin brother have a YouTube channel. We agreed I would get the props for the video we’ll be filming tomorrow but I forgot. So I waited for him to fall asleep, so I could go to the store real quick and now he’ll never know I forgot to buy the things!’

You can't help but laugh, ‘Wait! There’s another boy who looks exactly like you?!’ You exclaim with a smile. Damn!

Grayson laughs and ruffles his hand through his hair, ‘Yea! His name is Ethan. He’s older but less funny so...’

You laugh out loud. ‘Wow he must be a funny as a funeral if he’s not as funny as you!’ Grayson puts his free hand over his heart as if he’s very offended.

You ask Grayson about his channel. He tells you about how Ethan and him got a warehouse where they film their videos and how he had been editing all day today.

‘I mean I really like editing videos, but it tires you out! I feel like I look like a zombie right now,’ he sighs and takes another bite of his McFlurry.

‘I think you look good! I mean if you look like this tired I don't even dare to imagine what you look like normally! Not that you don’t look hot right now! You’re very hot! I mean-’ you ramble. You can feel your cheeks and neck heating up in embarrassment. Dear mother Earth, please, swallow me whole now!

Grayson just chuckles at your discomfort. ‘You’re cute,’ he says softly. You almost choke in your ice-cream. And Grayson rubs your back, trying to help you catch your breath. It doesn’t help though, the places where his hand touched your back burn and tingle worse than your throat.

‘Do you want to come to the warehouse tomorrow? I can show you around and you can meet Ethan! I think you and him will like each other!’ Grayson asks you. ‘I can pick you put or I can give you the address?’ He says softly.

‘I’d love to visit!’ You smile. Grayson smiles back you. ‘Okay, can I get your number? I’ll text you the address!’ He says, still smiling.

‘Smooth boy!’ You grin at him as your type your number into his iPhone X.

‘Fancy phone Mr-I-Do-YouTube-With-My-Twin-Brother!’ you nod at the phone as you give it back to him.

‘Might be one of the worst things I bought to be honest!’ Grayson chuckles, ‘I can’t even use the facial recognition; Ethan can get into my phone because of that! Apple hates twins!’

You laugh at that, ‘I guess so!’.

Once you finished your ice-creams and loads of stories, it’s almost 1:30am.

‘Do you want me to walk you back to campus?’ Grayson asks you. You act like you’re thinking about it, although you already know the answer. You don’t want the conversation with Grayson to end.

‘That’d be nice! Thank you,’ You smile at him and you lead the way back to the UCLA campus. The conversation between the two of your turns deeper and soon you’re deep into the midnight conversations topics about love, what the point of living is and death.

‘This is me...’ You say with pain in your stomach as you approach your room. ‘I wish we could talk longer...’ You confess.

‘Same!’ Grayson says, ‘but we’ll hang out tomorrow!’ He smiles, which makes you smile too.

‘That’s right.’

‘Good night Y/N! It was lovely meeting you.’ Grayson says, and you wish him good night.

Suddenly, he hugs you tightly. ‘I already can’t wait to see you again Y/N’ he whispers into your ear. Your heart skips a beat.

You wait in the doorway of your room until you can’t see him anymore. Then you lock your door and fall onto your bed. A buzz sound  makes you look up.

Unknown number: Hi Y/N! This is Grayson! Although it’s not the same midnight-talking, maybe we can midnight-text? X

sooooo yeahhh ..... i hope you liked it! leave a comment if you feel like it! 

[amplesalty]

Halloween 2020 - Day 6 - The Pool (2018)

How unlucky can one guy be...

Welp, it’s the sixth day and everything up to this point has been American for the most part, sure Pandorum might have had some German production behind it and The Innocents was very much a British affair but other than those? American. We always like to broaden our horizons around these parts so lets open ourselves up to a little diversity with today’s offering all the way from Thailand. Pretty certain that would be a first so that’s always neat to check one off the list.

Or, as they apparently say in Ireland, ‘Thigh-land’. At least that’s what I’ve come to learn from Mr Jay Hunter from OSW as he highlighted this film in a semi-recent edition of the ‘OSW Playlist’ series which has been available more publicly during the pandemic. Some real good guys over there, making more of their content free to watch until the world is right again. Can of Coke to you, lads. For the uninitiated out there, they chronologically critique wrestling storylines pay-per-view by pay-per-view. They’re currently romping their way through the WWF New Generation era but have covered stuff in the past like the Road to Wrestlemania 17, the David Arquette WCW saga and the ascension of Black Reign in TNA. My recommendation though is the life and times of Ed Leslie during the Dungeon of Doom period of WCW.

You know who else says Thigh-land? Donald Trump. Maybe he’s not Scottish/German afterall, maybe he’s Irish.

Anyway, The Pool centers around Day, working on some sort of advert shoot in the eponymous pool but sticks around even when most of the crew clear out once production is wrapped. His buddy lets him know that he’s started to drain the pool before taking off to visit Nepal for 3 months. Unluckily for Day, he falls asleep on a lilo in the pool only to awaken some time later when the pool has all but drained, leaving him stranded and with no one nearby to help.

I can only assume at some point in his life Day destroyed a mirror factory, walked under a whole bunch of ladders or had several black cats cross his path because I don’t think this guy could be anymore unlucky if he tried. Granted being stuck in the pool is his own fault for falling asleep in there, that aside he also has the ticking time bomb of the fact he’s diabetic and his only shot of insulin is up on a table by poolside. But he also has his phone fall into the pool just when he thinks he’s going to be able to catch it and call for help. Plus in his efforts to block the plug hole and save himself from left in an entirely dry pool, he matches to snag himself on the grate and nearly drowns.

This does also come at a point when a pizza delivery boy arrives and doesn’t notice the figure struggling at the bottom of the pool. Check out the Pizza Hut uniform front and center. Their logo is in the opening graphics along with the production companies and what not, did they partially finance this or something?

he worst part in all this is when he’s attempting to climb out and manages to partially rip his own finger nail off. So far I’ve seen vampire attacks, cannibalistic feasting and faces ripped apart by hooks and chains but this is the one that made me wince. Just looking at this still frame again is making me a little queasy...

And as if to tempt the Gods themselves, Day utters something along the lines of ‘At least this can’t get any worse’, at which point an escaped crocidle springs forth from the darkness, slinks around the pool for a while before slipping and falling in with him. I guess this bad luck is contagious.

The obvious comparison for me would be Frozen (no not that one) which had a similar premise of people being stuck on a ski lift when the slope is shutdown for the weekend, albeit here it’s the other extreme of the weather that’s a risk, all that heat rather than freezing temperatures. Even then, at least those guys didn’t have giant birds bothering them whilst they were stuck up there.

The crocodile is kinda funny in a way, it’s not really too aggressive for the most part, it just seems to loiter in the pool and Day isn’t outwardly afraid of it, just really apprehensive that it might finally decide to wander over and take a bite. It’s like they have this stand off, like the croc is some annoying roommate that Day has to tolerate.

Considering the croc has a pretty big role to play throughout the movie, the potential is there for it to be a lacklustre effect that drag everything down but I think it’s actually pretty good. There are definitely some iffy moments but for the most part it’s fairly convincing.

Like Frozen, it’s compelling to see what happens next and all of the different things Day does to try and escape the situation. Though, I wasn’t a fan of the way they front loaded the movie with a scene of the croc attacking him before transitioning back to the chronological start of the movie during the filming. It feels like they can’t trust their audience to keep interested without saying “We promise you, this really exciting crocodile stuff is gonna happen if you sit through all this other boring stuff first!”.

They should have just started with whatever it is Day’s crew is filming. I don’t know if this is some weird avant garde movie or if they’re selling something but it has a clown lady swimming under water around a fancy sofa. You could have shown that, had people thinking “Wait, WTF is this?” and then you have the director shout “Cut!”, you reveal it’s all a movie shoot and then you move on from there.

I don’t remember Frozen having nearly as many instances of ‘near misses’ that this does, if any actually. It feels like An American Tail where Fievel and his family are constantly like 2 feet from each other if only one of them would turn around and notice.

For a foreign film, there’s nothing to really worry about in terms of having to keep up with all the subtitles as there’s not really a massive amount of dialogue. The whole thing is pretty limited in terms of scope of locations, cast etc, set in pretty much just once location and with only a handful of characters. Definitely a departure from the grand visions of The Stand and Dracula.