#i've came up with all sorts of reasonings and i can't even decisively say what it is

[hangryyeena]

:)

[existslikepristin]

Okay, so I've done a couple of rewrites now, and I don't think I'm going to ever be fully happy with this, so let's just fuckin post this bad bitch

Tags: NSFW, TheLounge, Sounds, Dreamcatcher, Itzy, Gahyeon, Yuna, first times, but let’s be real virginity is a social construct that means nothing about someone’s physical state of being, #LearnHowTheHymenWorks, cunnilingin' n' fingrin', nervousness, not even the normal kind of brattiness, Yuna’s just an insufferable idiot, no anal in this one wtf am i thinking?

Off to a Slow Start

~~~~~

Gahyeon rubbed the stress out of her eyes. Or at least she tried to. The skinny, shivering girl draped over her lap was turning out to be a pain in Gahyeon’s ass (instead of the other way around, as it should have been). 

“How about we do something else?” Gahyeon asked with a tone somewhere between hopeful and commanding.

“W-what? Why? I’m f-fine. This is s-so hot,” Yuna peeped. Sort of. It was more like she sobbed it like an emotionally damaged puppy might.

It was quite the shocking change in attitude after only two warm up spanks. Yuna’s butt wasn’t even pink.

Downstairs, when she first stomped up to Gahyeon, Yuna had been acting like she was hot shit. She put her hand on Gahyeon’s thigh, played footsie under the table, talked out of her throat like some kind of pornstar wannabe. It came as no surprise, then, when Yuna suggested that Gahyeon accompany her upstairs and "teach [her] a lesson." The part that was actually a surprise was when Gahyeon realized: when Yuna said “teach [her] a lesson,” she might have meant that very literally, because it was pretty obvious she didn’t know what she was getting herself into.

Gahyeon caught Yuna’s glistening eye in a decorative mirror on the wall and raised her hand as if to strike again. Never before had Gahyeon seen someone flinch away so hard from a simple slap on the ass, or grimace like they were expecting an executioner to flip the switch on an electric chair. She lowered her hand and very, very gently patted Yuna’s thigh. "You know what would be fun? Let's make out!”

Yuna pushed herself up on her elbows. Her bare stomach peeled away from Gahyeon’s thighs. Probably because she’d been sweating so darn much from her nerves. She gave Gahyeon a poor excuse for a defiant glare and sniffed away the lump in her throat. “Make… make out? But I’m here for… I thought you were supposed to be a good dominatrix.”

Gahyeon looked up at the dimmed light fixture and exhaled quietly. “Hey, I know you said something kind of like this earlier, but can you remind me what your safe word is, Yuna?” The question sounded a little more condescending than Gahyeon had meant it to.

“I don’t need woa-aaah!”

Crooking her elbow under Yuna’s waist, Gahyeon picked her up, suplexed her onto the bed, climbed on top of her, and got face-to-face. “First of all, ‘dominatrix’ is improper terminology for this situation. Second, if we don’t negotiate a safe word, I’m out of here.”

"Ummm. I, uh. Um."

"Tell me the first word that comes to mind."

“M-mistress?”

Gahyeon rolled her eyes. “Okay, bye.”

“Huh? Wait!”

Gahyeon was already halfway to the door by the time Yuna scrambled off the bed, but turned back to give her an uncaring glare. On her feet, Yuna was a hell of a sight. Tall, skinny, but curvaceous, like the kind of doll that would be sold to make young girls self-conscious about their bodies. Long, dark red hair and black pools for eyes, and she'd put on far more makeup than reasonable for an average coffee run. Gahyeon didn’t want to leave, but Yuna wasn’t making staying the easy decision.

"Wait for what?" Gahyeon asked.

"For… to… so you can make me…"

"I can't make you finish a sentence."

Yuna's supermodel bearing was taken down a peg by her disappointed slouch and concerned grimace. "You know what I mean… like, dominate me."

"Why?"

"Aren’t you horny?"

Gahyeon glanced at Yuna's tits. "No more than usual."

"What? But I…"

"You sure did."

"I-I was going to say—"

"I know."

"N-no you don't!"

Gahyeon groaned, "Maybe I don't care then. No big deal. Take your pick. I don’t like brats. I only tolerate them during Kinktober."

Yuna blushed and looked down, wiggling her knees in discomfort. Gahyeon wasn't going to deny that Yuna was fantastically fuckable, but she was also responsible enough to know when someone was in over their head. "Well, Yuna? What are you trying to do?"

Yuna muttered "I want to get laid" under her breath. With no other noise in the room to mask it, Gahyeon heard it, and yet a vague muttering wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"What's that? I couldn't hear you."

"I wanna get laid,” Yuna whined, fully out loud, “Okay?"

Gahyeon leaned back against the doorframe. "You a virgin?"

Yuna's blush extended down to her shoulders.

"Well that's a yes."

"B-but! I'm—No, I'm not!"

"And you would say that even if I said calling someone a virgin is just a bad social construct and that being a so-called ‘virgin’ is no better or worse than the alternative?"

"Uh…" Yuna scrunched her nose as she used all of her brain power to process the question. "Yes? Or, wait, no?"

"Nevermind.” Gahyeon waved it off. “Just tell me the truth. Have you had sex before or not? Anything with hands or mouths counts."

There was a pause while Yuna weighed her options. "No…”

Gahyeon was actually a little bit shocked. Yuna was among the hottest of idols, so even this level of awkwardness didn’t seem like it should be too much of a hindrance. Gahyeon had fucked or at least fucked around with a dozen idols with subpar social skills in the prior couple of months.

“But I've been trying!” Yuna shouted after the briefest silence, “Nobody will fuck me though! Not even men!”

“The fuck do you mean, ‘Not even men?’”

“Boys are supposed to be horny all the time. But even if I show them my pussy, they keep rejecting me.”

Gahyeon sighed, “Is that proceeding or preceding a conversation?”

“Of course I say ‘Hi.’ I try asking them if they work out too.”

“Is that it? Because idols have to work out. It’s in the job description.”

Yuna groaned and plopped onto the bed, curving her back like a clothes mannequin, apparently subconsciously. “I've tried all the stuff boys are supposed to like! I touch them, I guide their hands to my boobs, I tell them they smell sexy. All that stuff! And don't get me started on girls. I see them going around and getting laid all the time! And it's like, they'll be sluts for anybody except for me, and—”

“Let me stop you there before you make more of a fool of yourself,” Gahyeon snapped. Yuna froze. “A few things. One: We only use words like ‘slut’ in an endearing manner around here. Two: Some people might just not want to fuck you, ever. Can’t control it. And three: Are you just expecting sex from people? Like me?”

Yuna shifted uncomfortably. “No… I'm doing what I'm supposed to do first.”

“And what is that?”

“You know.” Yuna waved her hands around, pantomiming nothing in particular. “I ask politely. I let them know I'm available. I make myself up for them.”

“And…” Gahyeon mimicked Yuna’s pointless pantomimes. “They should obviously be throwing themselves at you, yet somehow nobody is approaching you?”

“I’ve been approached, I guess, but not from anyone in my league.”

“Pretty sure you’re still in the little leagues, my dude.”

Yuna whined, “Why should I be?! Every fan and their mom wants me.”

“Gross power dynamic, but okay. So I should have just known what you wanted when you walked up to me? And I should have wanted to fuck you? No conversation required?”

“Well… No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that if I do all that stuff—and more, by the way—and they're horny, why shouldn’t they want to fuck me? I'm not even demanding anything from them. I'm offering! Like, blowjobs. I'd be doing all the work!”

Gahyeon stepped away from the door frame and paced the room. “Here's the thing, Yuna. It sounds like people might be picking up on an attitude problem.”

“Attitu—but, no! I'm literally offering a good time, and usually I offer just to make them feel good! I'm not asking for anything in return! What's the big deal?”

“Nothing you've said yet strikes you as ‘bad attitude?’ Because it sounds to me like you're not affording people the courtesy of assuming they have a full breadth of human emotion and think they're good for nothing but sex.”

Yuna blinked. “I-I am, though!”

“Not, or aren't?”

“Ugh!” Yuna grabbed a handful of her hair. “No, I'm saying… You know what? Forget it! I'll just never—”

Looking her up and down for a moment (and not really listening), Gahyeon wondered if her behavior was ever anything like Yuna's. Probably not. She was practically domming her members ever since they met, and it turned sexual almost as soon as Gahyeon was old enough. Relating to Yuna was clearly out of the question.

Even so, Gahyeon felt a sympathetic pulse in her veins. Yuna's troubles, self-imposed or not and ultimately, definitely not anything close to a big deal, were still troubles to Yuna, and they were eating her up, it seemed.

Gahyeon weighed her options. Doing as Yuna demanded would enforce negative opinions. Refusing would make things more awkward for the next person Yuna tried to seduce. But Gahyeon did still like the idea of Yuna… She cracked her knuckles.

“—so I guess I'll just die alone,” Yuna continued to bitch on, “stuffing myself with bigger and bigger—”

Gahyeon cut Yuna off with a hand over her mouth. “Yuna? One word answer. Do you still want to get laid right now?”

Yuna’s eyes, glistening with tears at the edges, widened in something between fear and awe. And yet, she didn’t answer.

Half expecting her to come up with some kind of painfully awkward excuse for saying no, Gahyeon kicked things up a notch. She pulled up her shirt with one hand, catching her bra along the way, and flashed Yuna, full-boobed. She took her hand off Yuna's mouth to gesture at her bare chest, and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Yuna said almost as if she was in a trance.

“Then turn around.”

Yuna scrambled to her feet without standing up fully, spun a hundred and eighty degrees, and fell forward, catching herself on her elbows. Her knees followed her up and with that her ass was presented.

“Good,” Gahyeon said as she took her shirt and bra off entirely, “Now what exactly would you like me to do?”

“Uuuh…”

“Finger you? Tease you?” Gahyeon dropped her pants, climbing out of them and onto the bed behind Yuna. “I can let you take charge. Maybe I shouldn't have told you to turn around?”

Yuna shook her head. “N-no, nope, it would be better with you in charge.”

“Just give me a little bit of guidance then. I could have sworn you were asking for this.”

Gahyeon slid her hands up Yuna’s back, nails first, leaving white lines that quickly faded back into the approximation of porcelain that this new canvas was made of. Over and over again, Gahyeon reminded herself that Yuna was very pretty, and tried to use that to make herself forget the annoying parts. The fact that she was still thinking about them as she gripped Yuna’s tits didn’t bode well, but many three-plus-somes with Sua and Yoohyeon taught her the virtue of perseverance through annoying sex partners. Yuna was a very pretty canvas that needed to learn some manners.

In-depth lessons would come later though, after Gahyeon showed Yuna what her reward had the potential to be. “Well?”

Yuna's breaths got heavy as Gahyeon’s hands continued to wander, shifting between teasing touches and firm pressure. “I… I, um.”

"You want this?"

Yuna shook all over. She bit her lip and nodded.

Gahyeon breathed across Yuna’s ear, sending a deep shiver down her spine. “Tell me, then.”

“I d-don’t know what to say,” Yuna whined, groping blindly behind herself for Gahyeon’s arms.

Gahyeon pressed her chest against Yuna’s back and grabbed her hands, twirling their fingers together in a cruel, teasing dance. “Tell me where you want me to touch you, for starters.”

“It’s… hard to say.” Yuna arched her back, pushing her ass into Gahyeon’s hips. Her breath spiked over and over.

Gahyeon let her arms go mostly slack. “Then guide me there.”

With no small amount of hesitation, Yuna pulled Gahyeon’s hands tighter around herself and onto her ribs, moving them in a slow, jerking way down until they were between her legs. “Here.”

“I see. So you want me to touch your pussy? Your clit?”

Yuna whined even harder. She pushed insistently on Gahyeon’s limp fingers. “Both.”

“Both? That’s not how I phrased the question. It’s your pussy.” Gahyeon pressed one finger against Yuna’s entrance, earning a gasp. “Or your clit.” She pressed Yuna’s button with another finger, which all but made Yuna double over. Only then did Gahyeon wonder if she was technically providing incorrect information by distinguishing the body parts as separate.

“Oooh my g—My clit! Touch my clit…”

In a flash, Gahyeon took her hand back, licked her middle finger, and put it back, steadily swirling around Yuna’s clitoris. Yuna had to reach back and hang on to Gahyeon’s thighs to keep herself from falling. Her twitches, jerks, and shaky breathing were fun, and exactly what Gahyeon needed to get over her annoyance, at least for a while.

“I’m going to do the same thing with my tongue now, okay?”

Yuna shot up onto her hands. “Your t-tongue?”

Gahyeon circled Yuna’s clit with her finger, making her moan and tense up. She lowered her face so her mouth would be obscured, and the air from her every word would brush across Yuna’s pussy. “I might accidentally touch you with my lips too, if you’re okay with that. I promise I’ll be soft and gentle.”

“O-okay?”

Figuring that Yuna wouldn’t be giving her any more confident a response than that, Gahyeon leaned in further, gathering up extra spit as she went. She pressed the end of her tongue to Yuna’s clit, not hard, but somewhat firmly.

“O-oh," Yuna cooed and took a deep breath, "that’s pretty much just like your finge—”

Gahyeon swirled her tongue around Yuna’s hood, and the girl squirmed back and up out of range with a comically loud gasp. Gahyeon smiled internally. She knew what that was about. The shock of a good time could occasionally make one run away.

"Oh no," she said sarcastically, "You didn't like it. I'm sorry."

Yuna scrambled to get back in place, nearly kicking Gahyeon in the face. "No! I-I liked… please do it again?" There was desperation oozing out of her puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. Just be sure to tell me how you’re feeling, yeah?" She really wanted to hear Yuna try to describe being eaten out with her limited sexual vocabulary.

"I'll try…"

"Yes, just be as descriptive as you can, okay? I’ll adjust as needed."

Yuna nodded quickly. It was pretty clear that she just wanted Gahyeon to start again, so Gahyeon did, very, very, very slowly. She wet her tongue and barely touched it to Yuna's clit.

Again, Yuna flinched. This time Gahyeon was sure it was in anticipation. She looked up through the mild cleavage to give Yuna a reminder.

"Uh! Good! It felt good!"

Gahyeon touched again, but snaked her arms around Yuna’s legs to keep her in place. Another twitch, but smaller. Yuna was trying to contain herself. Gahyeon dragged her tongue slowly left and right. Trying to hold back wasn’t easy.

"It's… good."

Yuna's body language said much more than "good" though. She wanted more. Her eyes were fixed on Gahyeon. Her toes curled and uncurled against Gahyeon’s hips. Her knuckles were white, gripping the blanket. Her lungs shuddered with each brand new sensation that popped its way through her nerves. Goosebumps rose and fell and rose and rose and fell and rose. She had to be putting immense effort into holding still.

"Good."

Upping the ante, Gahyeon swirled again, catching the underside of Yuna's hood. Yuna twitched hard, and for a brief moment her eyes rolled up. Her breath was stuck, but it came unstuck with a second swirl, and exited Yuna's mouth in the form of a pained whimper. That was what Gahyeon was looking for.

"You like?"

"Good! It was so good! Please do it again!" Yuna’s inhibition was faltering.

"Tell me more." Gahyeon didn't pretend to hesitate again. She pressed her tongue under Yuna's hood and down against her clit, wiggling back and forth while keeping herself planted.

"Mmm! I… I don't know what to—OH! AUGH!”

Yuna’s last exclamation was a bit of a surprise, both to Gahyeon and Yuna herself, it seemed, as she quickly covered her mouth, eyes wide.

“Was that a good sound?” Gahyeon asked, already knowing the answer.

Yuna nodded.

“Uncover your mouth, then, and keep it up.”

There was some hesitation in how Yuna followed the instructions as Gahyeon got back to playing with her clit, but she did a little better than simply following. She grasped Gahyeon’s hands, alternated between hitched breaths and primal moans, and tucked her chin toward her chest. 

Every word Yuna tried to say morphed into one of those noises until she came. One long, vulgar scream faded into mewling whimpers.

Gahyeon crawled up Yuna’s body, pecking her along the way and giving her a much longer, wetter kiss on the mouth. Yuna giggled through it all, a little cum-drunk. “So,” Gahyeon said, “that’s one of the basics.”

“The b-basics?”

“Yeah.” Gahyeon twirled onto her back, slipping an arm beneath Yuna to pull her in close.

“Wow…” Yuna muttered.

The two basked in each other’s warmth for a while without a word. Gahyeon shifted a couple of times to try to optimize her comfort, but still mentally bemoaned Yuna’s lack of experience. She would not have minded a bit of reciprocation. A plan to pick up one or two of her usual subs on the way home began to formulate in her head. Jane would certainly be up for a bit of fun.

“Um, Gahyeon?”

Gahyeon stroked Yuna’s hair, around her ear, down her jaw, and to her chin. Yuna smiled and purred a little. Gahyeon returned that smile. “Hm?”

“Thank you for, um… not making fun of me.”

“Don’t thank me for that.” Gahyeon traced half of Yuna’s lower lip. “I made fun of you a little bit when we started. And quite a bit more later, I believe.”

Yuna cautiously placed a hand on Gahyeon’s breast, but got a little bolder and lightly squeezed when Gahyeon smiled. “I just mean most of the time.”

“I guess. I’ll keep in mind that you appreciate that.” Gahyeon giggled as Yuna nuzzled her stomach with her cheek. “Just be clear with people about what you do and don’t like, and you’ll have a… great time.”

Gahyeon’s last words were drawn out over the sound of a buzzing phone. Yuna’s, to be precise. She stretched to get it from the nightstand and saw “RAW” was calling.

“Raw?” Gahyeon asked.

Yuna reluctantly removed her hand from Gahyeon’s boob to take the phone. “That’s Ryujin… sorry. One sec.”

Though it was quiet, the lack of ambient noise made it easy for Gahyeon to hear Ryujin’s loud voice. “Where the hell are you, Yuna? We checked the bathroom.”

“I’m… upstairs.”

“Upstairs? The fuck are you doing upstairs for a whole hour?”

Yuna’s eyes traveled up and down Gahyeon’s body. “Cuddling?”

“Cuddling? For an hour? Yeah right.”

Huge puppy dog eyes met Gahyeon’s, trying to ask for permission. Gahyeon shrugged.

“Wel—”

“I’m cuddling with Gahyeon because we just had sex,” Yuna said, and then immediately snapped her mouth shut and stared into space.

“What?! No you didn’t, you fuckin baby child! You couldn’t handle her!”

Gahyeon watched for a few seconds as Yuna’s shoulders shrunk into her neck while Ryujin berated her.

“... and you’d come running back down the stairs crying—”

“Actually, Ryujin,” Gahyeon spoke loudly, “she’s not bad. You should let her practice on you sometime.”

Gahyeon swore she heard the sound of a pair of spit takes through the phone before it suddenly beeped twice and went silent. She decided not to wait too long for Yuna’s embarrassment to take over, and laid a hand on Yuna’s back. “Care to learn anything else today? If you want to prove what you can do to Ryujin and Yeji, you may need to do to them what I just did to you.”

Thankfully, Yuna’s blush didn’t get too far. “I-I don’t know if I can do any more right now.”

Gahyeon smiled. “As in it’s time to head out or you just want more snuggles?”

Yuna pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and crawled forward, kissing Gahyeon’s lips a few times in rapid succession. “If I say I have to go, can I have your number?”

Gahyeon ran her fingers through Yuna’s hair. “Sure… but the first thing you're going to text me is a safeword for next time.”

[hopepetal]

Masterlist

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Part Eight!

Reblogs and comments are much appreciated! :)

@applestruda

CW: broken bones and blood

Many thanks to Elle Periwinklemoonlight for giving me several ideas for this chapter, and Mochi for helping me with some of Mumbo's dialogue <3

Mumbo had always liked sunsets. 

He'd never been that big a fan of sunrises. Don't get him wrong, they were pretty and all! But the only times he had been awake to see the sun rise at all was when he had been up all night working on some sort of contraption. The early morning light had forced its way through any crack it could find and pulled Mumbo's attention away from his work, alerting him to the fact that he'd lost track of time and was about to have a very bad day. 

(Look, his stomach was sensitive! If he didn't get enough sleep, he'd get all nauseous and lose his appetite the next day. One would think that would be enough of a reason to not stay up all night, but there was a difference between being smart and making smart decisions.)

Anyway! Where was he? Oh, right. The sun. Fascinating thing, really. Some might even call it essential! Most people would, actually. Mumbo certainly did. 

Sunrises had always been something Mumbo only saw every once in a while, and dreaded every time. The first rays of light peeking over the mountains were a taunting reminder of one's folly. And with the rise of the sun came the song of the birds, declaring in their high pitched tremolo that it was time to wake up and go about one's day. 

Scar had asked Grian what the birds were saying once, over their lovely lunch which was actually just breakfast for the late risers. Grian had given him the most deadpan stare Mumbo had ever witnessed (and that was saying something– he'd known Doc, after all). “Just because I'm an avian doesn't mean I can understand the birds, Scar.”

Scar frowned, giving Grian a confused look. “You can't lie to me! I just heard you talking to the chickens, mister.”

Grian's look became much more pointed. “What chickens, Scar?” he asked sweetly, in the tone that held threats hidden under the surface. 

Scar's eyes widened almost comically as he immediately tried to backtrack. “Oh! No! Nooo, no chickens here. None at all! What chickens? I've never seen a chicken. Ever.” He looked over at Mumbo, before leaning forward and stage-whispering to Grian, “I think I fooled him.”

Mumbo had chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “Scar, I'm sitting right next to you,” he pointed out. 

Scar blinked. “Oh. Well! Nonexistent chickens aside, Grian, you still haven't told us what the birds are saying.”

Grian had stared at Scar in silence for a full five seconds before sighing deeply. “They're laughing at me for not getting enough sleep to deal with this.”

“See!” Scar smiled triumphantly, looking over at Mumbo. “I told you he could talk to birds!”

“Pretty sure he's just lying, mate.”

Grian lazily waved his spoon in the air. “I don't know what you're talking about, Mumbo. I never lie.”

Scar's eyes shone. “Now, if my time as a businessman has taught me anything, it's to tell when someone is lying. And that, my dear Grian, was a big ol' lie.”

Grian's eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. “I'm going to bite you.”

“That's a lie!”

Grian then lunged across the table and tackled Scar to the ground. Mumbo shrieked, nearly falling off the bench with them. “Oh, goodness, don’t break the man, G!”

Grian didn’t even have a chance– Scar pinned him to the ground with a triumphant whoop, laughing as Grian squawked and flapped his wings helplessly. “I win! Haha! You are not immune to the good times!”

“What does that even mean?” Grian shot back, unable to stop himself from laughing. “Scar, get off me!”

Scar stood, brushing the dirt off of his pants. “Aww, G, now I’m all dusty! Dusty and sweaty! Eugh!” He moved to take his shirt off, and Grian shrieked.

“Scar!” Grian shot up and smacked Scar’s hand. “Put your clothes back on!” 

Scar whined, pouting slightly. “C’mon, G! I didn’t even take anything off”

Mumbo groaned, putting his head in his hands. “I miss Impulse and Pearl.”

Sunsets were different. 

Mumbo… didn’t really know how to describe it. In the same kind of way people liked going to bed more than they liked waking up, Mumbo enjoyed sunsets far more than he did sunrises. Sunsets were calm, whereas sunrises were frantic, harried. They were a declaration of the day ending, and that rest would come soon. They were an end to the scorching hot temperatures of the summer and a prelude to the cool kiss of the night’s breeze against his face. Not to get all poetic and everything, but they just were nicer. 

He enjoyed how the sky would be painted in oranges and pinks and purples, and how slowly the knights would gather together on the more clear nights to sit under the stars and talk. He enjoyed how in those moments they were all at peace and happy, and how they cared so deeply for each other it felt less like a group of friends and more like…

Family. 

That’s what it was.

Sunsets reminded him of family.

Not this sunset, though.

As the sun slowly set, and shadows grew to cover the whole land, Mumbo felt… different. As he rode alongside his fellow knights (his friends, his family), he couldn’t shake the feeling of urgency that usually accompanied the rising of the sun, rather than the fall. This sunset was not something of love and rest.

This sunset felt like a warning. 

They were running out of time. As the clock ticked, as the sand fell through the hourglass, a sense of impending doom settled over each one of the knights. Mumbo, in his often anxiety ridden state, was no stranger to the feeling that sat tight in his chest and caused his heart to race, tearing air from his lungs in sharp gasps. 

Scar, riding near him, glanced over and saw the poorly concealed panic on the man’s face. Urging his horse closer, he got Mumbo’s attention with a soft ‘psst!’ 

Mumbo startled, torn from his thoughts as he so often was. He met Scar’s gaze and gave him a nervous, half-hearted smile. Scar could, most likely, see past any pretense he was putting up. The man was good at what he did– good at reading people, good at looking for certain nonverbal clues that cued him into what the person was actually thinking. “Hey, Scar.”

Scar reached out, holding the reins in one hand as he gave Mumbo a pat on the shoulder. “You doin’ good? You’re not looking so hot.” 

Mumbo sighed, looking away. “I’m… I dunno, Scar. I just… goodness. This whole thing is so… it’s overwhelming, Scar. What are we even supposed to do?” He laughed, a tense sound. “It’s– it’s just… it’s not something we can just… it’s not simple, Scar. We can’t just solve it with some redstone, or some crazy invention– this is so big. And I don’t– I don’t know how to fix it.” 

Scar pressed his lips together into a thin line. The setting sun cast long shadows over his face, the little light remaining creating dappled patterns on his skin as it filtered in through the trees. He thought for a moment before speaking. “Mumbo, you don’t have to know how to fix everything. You know that, right?”

Mumbo let out a strained laugh, his grip on the reins tightening slightly. “Well, Scar, mate, isn’t that kind of… my job? You know, brilliant redstone inventor over here, coming up with solutions is my whole thing. It’s not like I could… well, I have to make up for my lack of physical prowess somehow.”

Scar shook his head, chuckling softly. “Oh, Mumbo, Mumbo, Mumbo. I’ve been there! I get you, I really do. You know, back in the day, I had a bit of a job myself. I was a businessman, Mumbo Jumbo! And a very good one at that. And my job was to sell things to customers! And…” he frowned, cutting himself off sharply. “I don’t know where I’m going with this. Man, Cub’s so much better at this than me.”

Mumbo felt himself relaxing slightly, the tension slowly being let out of his body. He smiled, giving Scar a half-shrug. “Cub has a lot of skill, that’s for sure. Plenty of experience to go along with it, as well.” 

Scar nodded, and let silence fall over them for a moment before taking in a deep breath. “So, Mumbo, what I was trying to say… I guess, you don’t need to solve everything? I mean, none of us have any clue what we’re doing. Kinda.” He thought for a moment. “That’s not it. What I’m really trying to say is that we’re all in this together? It’s not your job specifically to figure it out alone. Impulse is our friend, and… we all really care for him.” His voice trembled slightly as he finished, eyes darkening. “I hope he’s safe.” 

Mumbo furrowed his brows, concern shining in his eyes as he looked over at Scar. “You doing alright, mate?” This whole thing had been hard on all of them, but something seemed… off… about Scar. 

Scar blinked, and shook himself out of whatever sort of trance he had been in with a slight jerk of his head. “Oh! Yes, don’t you worry, mister. I’m doin’ just fine over here! Just thinking about the scolding I’m gonna give Impulse when we get back home.” He flashed Mumbo a bright smile, and Mumbo let it rest.

He knew that smile was forced. He knew when the cheerful persona of Scar’s came out to play. He knew, and yet… what could he do? Mumbo wasn’t good with words. He was probably the worst out of the knights when it came to social interaction, and that was saying something given they were practically hermits outside of the occasional job they’d pick up and shopping trips. 

So Mumbo did what he did best.

He let his body go on autopilot, and got lost in his thoughts.

At the front of the group, Grian and Pearl were talking in hushed voices. Grian remained stubbornly in his watcher form, despite Pearl’s insistence on taking a break and letting his eyes rest. He’d given her a look, feathers rustling irritably as she spoke. “Stop nagging me, Pearl. Gosh, you’re starting to sound like Timmy.”

She let out an indignant sound, glaring at him. “I am not! And it’s not nagging, mate, you’re going to give yourself a headache with all that looking!”

Grian scoffed, looking away. “It’s called watching, thank you very much. And you’re the one who’s gonna give me a headache, with all your talking! I know what I’m doing Pearl, I’m not a baby.”

“Well, you’re acting like one,” Pearl shot back. “I’m right here, Griba. You don’t have to be hyper vigilant, or whatever it is you’re doing.”

“And what happens if I don’t?” Grian snapped, his voice dropping slightly. “What happens if I lose sight of the demon and Impulse, what if–?” he cut himself off, taking a deep breath, “Pearl, I need this,” he admitted, voice low. “If I don’t keep my focus on this, I think I’ll go crazy, Pearl. I’ll get all… you know me, Pearl.” Desperation seeped into his voice. “I don’t– it doesn’t matter if I get a headache or strain myself or, anything, really! But I can’t…”

Pearl sighed. “I know. I know, Griba. I’m just worried. About you, about Impulse, about this whole Watcher thing, about… well, everything. It’s just such a big mess, y’know? And we’re all tangled up in this big web and…” She laughed, shaking her head. “It’s pretty overwhelming. Just… we gotta also take care of ourselves, mate. We won’t be able to do anything if we run ourselves ragged before we even get to Impulse.”

Whatever Grian was going to say in response was interrupted by the sound of rattling bones and an arrow flying right by his head, narrowly missing. He shrieked, wings flaring out as the horse beneath him startled. He grabbed the reins and pulled back, stopping the horse from bolting, though it still took a few steps forward.

“Skeleton!” Pearl called out, though the announcement was unneeded. “Stay on your guard!” 

The undead’s bones creaked as it came into view, appearing from under the trees. Normally, along more well-traveled paths, the surrounding areas would be lit up enough to stop the mobs from spawning, and the frequent patrols would be enough to discourage them from wandering too close. Unfortunately for the knights, they were traveling through an uninhabited area with no path in sight. They could handle the mobs just fine, but it certainly made traveling a little more difficult.

Scar drew his crossbow, fingers brushing over the enchantments carved into the material, and nocked a bolt. “I got it!” He drew the bolt back and fired, the skeleton collapsing into a pile of bones with a rattling groan. “Yes! Hotguy strikes again!”

Grian would’ve rolled his eyes if he could. “You and that Hotguy thing, I swear…” His feathers began to settle back down, and he folded his wings behind his back. “Right, then. That’s probably our cue to stop for the night.”

“We’re stopping?” Mumbo asked, slightly confused. “Why?”

Pearl sighed, dismounting. She gently stroked her horse’s neck before answering Mumbo. “As much as we’d love to get to Impulse as soon as possible, we can’t be riding through the night. The horses are tired, and we need time to rest and recuperate as well. I…” She looked over at Grian, watching him dismount as well. “I don’t want to stop. I really don’t. But we have to.”

Scar nodded. “Makes sense! Gotta be our best selves if we’re gonna deal with that demon guy!” He dismounted, Mumbo following a moment later. “Mumbo and I can go light up some of the surrounding area while you two make a fire and deal with the horses?” he suggested.

“Good idea. You have those…” Pearl gestured vaguely with her hand, trying to think of the word. “...magic torches? The fancy ones, so ya don’t burn down the whole forest?”

“I never leave home without them!” Scar grabbed Mumbo’s arm. “Come on, Mumble Jumble, time to light up this forest!”

Mumbo yelped as he got dragged away, casting one last terrified glance at Grian and Pearl before disappearing into the woods with Scar. 

“I swear,” Pearl chuckled as she dealt with the horses, “he never loses energy. I’ve rarely ever seen that man get tired.”

Grian busied himself with clearing a small area for a campfire, using his bird-like feet to help dig up the grass. “Scar’s… definitely something,” he agreed, shaking the dirt off his talons before hopping (not walking– hopping) awkwardly over to a tree, his wings flapping slightly to help balance him. He began to snap some smaller branches and twigs, gathering them in his arms. “Dunno what we’d do without him. Without any of them.”

Pearl smiled sadly, giving one of the horses a soft pat before walking over to help Grian with his task. “Barely feels like any time’s passed at all, yeah? Since we first met in that old town.”

Grian laughed at the memory, shaking his head. “You’d just crashed into the ground. Still had no clue how to use those wings of yours.” He glanced at the colourful moth wings that were folded delicately behind Pearl’s back. 

She was scared, Grian could tell. Wide eyes that were the same blue of a storm-promising sky and filled with barely held back tears. She was scraped up and bruised from her fall, the wings trailing behind her seeming unnatural and unwieldy. 

Grian didn’t ask questions. She needed help, and that was all he needed to know.

Later, he would hear stories of feathered golden wings, carrying Pearl through the sky alongside her flock. He would listen in from behind a door that hadn’t been completely shut as she told Jimmy what it was like to soar high above endless fields of sunflowers and wheat, racing her flockmates at speeds she would never again be able to achieve. 

Grian and Jimmy had lost their flock when they were young. It was no wonder that Jimmy was interested in Pearl’s memories of her flock, who had treated her with kindness and love. Flockless avians were often unable to defend themselves and died without the protection a flock was supposed to provide. 

Jimmy and Grian had been lucky enough to find an old town nearby, with inhabitants who were more than willing to let them in. They’d made a life for themselves there, when Pearl had come crashing into their lives.

“I broke my leg,” Pearl recalled, wincing slightly at the bittersweet memory. “And you and Tim helped patch me back up. And then I just never left.”

“I’ve cursed that day ever since,” Grian joked, yelping when Pearl elbowed him. “Hey! Not cool!” he squawked as Pearl giggled softly. “I wonder how Tim’s doing right now,” he added after a moment. “Do you think he misses us?”

Pearl raised her eyebrows. “Grian, we do visit him. He’s doing just fine, you saw for yourself. Got a whole new bunch of friends and everything!” She examined Grian’s face. “Oh, you’re not upset he didn’t join us, are you?” she teased lightly. “You know Jimmy would hate the outdoorsy life we’ve got going on. He’s perfectly comfortable where he is.”

Grian sighed, turning and hopping back to the area he’d prepared for their fire, beginning to place the sticks down. “Can you grab some rocks?” he asked, “I hate not being able to fly. Walking is so hard.” 

Pearl laughed, setting her sticks down near Grian before starting to search for smaller rocks. “You do look cute though, hopping around like a little birdie. Oh, don’t give me that, you know it’s true!”

“It’s humiliating is what it is,” Grian muttered, “Mumbo and Scar are never gonna let me live it down.” 

“Good!” Pearl chirped, bringing back the stones she had collected to make a circle. “You deserve it, honestly.”

Mumbo’s shriek rang out through the forest, startling the two. Grian nearly fell over from how much he jumped, eyes going wide from shock. What made the shriek more concerning was the explosion that followed soon after, and Pearl was about to charge off into the woods before Scar yelled, “Just a creeper! We’re good!” his voice tiny from the distance. 

Pearl shook her head, sighing softly. “Those two are going to give me gray hairs early,” she murmured fondly.

“You’re not the only one,” Grian muttered, earning a laugh from Pearl. “What?”

“Maybe if you’d stop being such a scaredy cat–” 

“I am not–!” 

Despite their bickering, they were able to get the fire going before Scar and Mumbo came back, looking a tad singed but none the worse for the wear. 

“Area is successfully lit up!” Scar proclaimed. “We should be safe from all the spooky things out there now. Should be.”

“We’ll set up a watch nonetheless. Better be safe than sorry,” Grian decided, as Mumbo and Scar joined him and Pearl at the campfire. “I’ll go first, because there is no way you’re waking me up once I’m out.”

“I’ll go second then,” Mumbo volunteered, “if no one else wants to,” he added after a moment.

Pearl shrugged. “I’ll take the third shift, then, and Scar can go last?”

“Sounds good to me!” Scar agreed, and the knights fell into silence.

As the makeshift campfire crackled softly, spitting sparks into the night sky, the knights lingered for a while around the small source of warmth and light. For a while, there was a somber sort of quiet hanging over the group– silence settling in the empty space that Impulse usually filled. 

Grian, still in his watcher form, leaned forward to gaze into the fire, light reflecting off eyes as black as the night sky. Scar glanced over, and despite everything, had to suppress a giggle.

Clearly, he didn't do that very well, and Grian looked up at him with a slightly confused expression. “Are you alright, Scar?” he asked, and Scar couldn't hold it in anymore.

He giggled, reaching out and patting Grian's face. “You look like a kitty cat!” he exclaimed, “with your big ol' eyes and everything!”

Grian blinked. “I'm sorry, what–” 

Pearl started laughing. “I guess we didn’t have to worry about them being scared by our other forms then, huh!”

Grian’s face flushed a light pink, and he shooed them all away. “Oh, go to bed! I’ll wake you for your shift, Mumbo!”

The other three dispersed, laying out the sleeping bags Pearl had thankfully thought to pack. Better to be over prepared than under, in her opinion. 

Sleep came surprisingly quick, though it seemed like she had just closed her eyes when she felt Mumbo’s gentle hand on her shoulder, waking her for her shift. Pearl blinked away the sleep in her eyes and quietly thanked Mumbo, before taking a seat by the slowly dying campfire. 

There wasn’t much to do during a night watch, other than to sit alone with her thoughts. And that’s exactly what Pearl did, until she thought of something too important to leave floating in her mind.

The plan was for Grian and her to expel the demon from Impulse using their own magic. But where would the demon go after, when it had been forced from its host?

Pearl quietly walked back to her sleeping bag, opening the small pack she had set beside it. She rifled through the contents for a moment before pulling out a small, clear cut crystal. She’d gotten it so long ago she’d forgotten how it came to be in her possession, but it would work just fine for what she was thinking of.

Walking back over to the campfire, Pearl shifted into her watcher form, holding the crystal in her hand. Sitting down, Pearl closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, feeling the magic of the world around her. Another breath, to feel the magic buzzing in her veins. In and out, once more, and she began to imbue the crystal with her magic.

It was a simple enough task. All Pearl needed to do was prepare the crystal to bind the demon to it with her magic. Once the demon was expelled, it would be a simple enough task to pull it into the crystal. And then, as long as she kept checking on it from time to time and strengthening the binding magic, the demon would remain sealed away.

Deep breaths. In, and out.

Pearl let the magic flow through her and into the crystal, caught up in the feeling of casting. She didn’t do it often, not like this. It was nice to finally use her magic again. She didn’t even realize how much time had passed until she felt a hand on her shoulder, and Scar’s quiet voice in her ear. She opened her eyes to look at him, continuing to cast as she did. “Oh! Scar!” She kept her voice down, aware of how close they were to the two who were still asleep. “You good, mate?”

Scar nodded. “I think it’s time for my shift,” he explained, glancing toward the sky, “and also, I felt your magic. Whatcha doin’, Pearl?”

Ah. She had lost track of time, then.

Pearl finished casting, tucking the crystal into her pocket. “Just makin’ a lil magic crystal thing. For later,” she explained. “Sorry for not waking you up. Or… kinda waking you up? Since you sensed my magic and all? I guess?”

Scar shrugged, smiling slightly. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I got plenty of rest. Which you should probably try to do as well. Big day tomorrow.”

Pearl stood, shifting out of her watcher form. “Right, then. Have fun with your watch shift, Scar. And I’ll do my best. G’night, Scar.”

“Good night, Pearl.”

The morning came too quickly, and not quick enough at the same time. There were few attempts at conversation as the knights began to break down camp, kicking dirt over their small fire and packing up what little they had taken out. Grian, who had shifted into his “normal” form to sleep, shifted back into his watcher form and took a minute to relocate Impulse and the demon.

“I can’t see him, exactly,” Grian explained to Scar and Mumbo. “It’s a bit blurry, I guess. I know where he is, I can see the magic around him, but I can’t really make out small details like his face. I don’t really know why, but that’s just how it works.”

“Sooo… like looking through a really bad spyglass, then,” Scar concluded, earning a sigh from Grian. “What? I’m right!”

“I guess,” Grian admitted as they mounted their horses, “but that’s kinda like comparing a bow to Mumbo’s rocket launcher. They do kinda the same thing, but one’s a lot more complicated and powerful.”

Scar hummed thoughtfully. “I see… well, as long as it works!”

Grian remained in his watcher form as he led the tense ride through the forest. The sky above was streaked with clouds that occasionally would cover the sun and cast the land below into shadow. As the knights got closer to their destination, the trees began to thin out, promising open fields up ahead.

“You’d think he wouldn’t have gotten this far,” Grian muttered to Pearl, “but humans have so much endurance. It’s fascinating. And somewhat annoying.”

Pearl hummed softly, her gaze fixed straight ahead. “I’m worried for his health. I’m honestly doubting the demon cares too much for Impulse’s well-being, and I don’t think it has to deal with the negative effects of what it’s putting Impulse’s body through. If that makes sense.”

Grian nodded, his eyes focused not on what was in front of him but on something– someone– far away. “Demons don’t feel exhaustion or hunger, do they?” he asked, speaking mostly to himself. 

“I think some do,” Pearl answered, “but not this one. Since it’s only in the blood, y’know? And it’s only borrowing… Impulse… so that’s not it’s… well. Body, I guess.”

Grian suddenly stopped, causing Pearl’s horse to almost run into his. “We’re dismounting here,” he called back to the other three. “Impulse is just up ahead, in the fields beyond the treeline.” He dismounted carefully, tying the reins to a sturdy branch. “Right. Let’s go over the plan one more time. We’ll find Impulse and confront the demon. Pearl and I will begin casting while Mumbo and Scar keep the demon busy and stop it from running off. Once Pearl and I start casting, we won’t be able to stop until the spell is over. So if something happens– if one or both of you gets injured, let’s say– we won’t be able to help.”

The others dismounted with serious looks on their faces, tension hanging in the air so thick one could almost cut it with a knife. Scar glanced over at Mumbo, who looked several shades paler than usual. “I’m the best at physical combat,” he began slowly, “when I go vex, at least. I’ll do my best to keep it from attacking you or running away, without hurting Impulse too badly.”

“The demon will be attacking to kill though, won’t it?” Mumbo asked, wringing his hands together as he looked between the other knights. “It won’t fight fair just because we are.”

Scar laughed sardonically. “Oh, I’m not gonna be fightin’ fair, mister. I’m just not gonna strike lethally, is all. But you’re right,” he added after a moment, “the demon is gonna try to kill us. And it’s– it’s strong. We know this. But the other option is letting Impulse die, or lettin’ someone else die in his place.”

“Impulse would never forgive us if that happened,” Mumbo pointed out, “and, well, given the other option is his death…” 

“We can’t give up,” Scar finished, earning nods from the rest of the group. “We’ll get Impulse back. We have to.”

Pearl looked over at Grian, shifting into her watcher form as she did so. “Right, then. Time to head out?” 

Grian nodded, clenching his hands into fists. “Time to head out. Let’s go save Impulse, guys.” 

The sun peeked out from behind the clouds as the knights made their way out of the forest and into the wide open field. The wind rustled the grass around them and blew through their hair, and carried with it the promise of a fight. 

Grian had shifted out of his watcher form if only for a moment, just to make travel on foot easier. He was, after all, not suited for walking with those bird feet of his in his watcher form. He carefully ran his hand over his wings and plucked three loose feathers, silently handing one to each of the knights. A promise. No matter which way this went, he’d be with them.

The knights each tucked their feathers away, Pearl reaching out to take Grian’s hand in one of her own and giving it a light squeeze. We’ll be okay, the action said, I’m here. 

The knights continued to walk through the field, walking over a small hill when Grian suddenly stopped, his wings extending slightly so as to stop the knights who were walking behind him. “...I see him.”

And there he was.

Impulse stood in the field, facing away from the knights, slightly below them where the ground evened out after the hill. He seemed unsteady on his feet, the sword in his hand dragging against the ground as if he had unsheathed it only to forget why he had done so, and lacked the strength to fully pick the weapon back up. 

And his hands… even from a distance, Grian could tell that Impulse’s hands were covered in blood– some dried, some freshly spilt. He… couldn’t think about that. They didn’t have the time to. Not now. 

“Impulse!” Pearl called, her voice strong and steady. Grian wished he had the strength to do what she did. “Impulse, we’re here. It’s okay.”

Impulse startled, nearly dropping his sword as he turned around sharply. And finally, after so long of trying to find him, the knights were able to see his face.

He looked gaunt, scared. The bags beneath his eyes were a testament to the exhaustion that plagued his body, and the shake in his hands matched the fear in his eyes. That wasn’t the worst of it– twin horns poked up from his hair, unnatural and out of place. Mumbo sucked in a horrified breath at the sight, paling and covering his mouth with one hand.

“What–” Impulse’s voice sounded strained, raspy– “what are you doing here?” Tears filled his exhausted, scared eyes. “Why did you follow me? I could– I could hurt you!” And suddenly, it wasn’t Impulse anymore, but red eyes and a straightened back and steady hands that belonged to the demon. “Yes… why did you follow him? Don’t you know?” it mocked in Impulse’s voice, smiling. “He can hurt you pitiful little things.” 

Scar’s eyes shone a brilliant blue, the colour fleeing from his hair as he glared at the demon that wore Impulse’s face. “What have you done?!” he yelled, his hands clenching into fists. Sharpened claws pricked into skin, drawing small beads of blood, but Scar didn’t even feel the pain. That was Impulse. Impulse was hurting and it was all because of that demon, the demon that stood in front of him and smiled at Scar with a face that wasn’t its own, that it had no right to use. 

“Oh!” The demon tilted its head to the side. “Oh, nothing he didn’t ask for.” 

Eyes filled with rage, Grian shifted back into his watcher form. “Scar! Mumbo!” he called, and the fight began.

Scar held himself back from going full vex at first, throwing himself at the demon. It hadn’t been expecting the initial attack, stumbling back several steps before pulling itself together. The shock didn’t last long, and the demon was soon fighting back with a fierceness that Scar did his best to match.

Grian looked over at Pearl, meeting her eyes. “Right then. Let’s end this.”

Standing side by side, the two siblings fixed their gaze on the demon in their friend’s body. The magic that swirled around him was wrong, unnatural, evil– and it was their job to fix it. Pearl reached out and took Grian’s hand in one of her own, giving him a nod. They both stretched out their free arms, and called upon their magic.

The clouds darkened as the very magic that flowed through the air began to change, as if even the sky stopped to focus its attention on the two Watchers. The ambient magic flowed around them like a gust of air, rustling through Grian’s feathers and Pearl’s hair. 

Grian's wings extended to their full span, and Pearl's followed suit, snapping open as a glowing purple eye appeared behind them. The wind picked up as the grass around the two began to glow as well, the broken portal symbol of the ancient Evolutionists appearing at their feet. 

Faces set with determination, the two began to cast.

Scar did his best to keep the demon’s attention on him as he fought. It was much different than normal fights– his goal was to keep the demon from running off, all while trying to dodge the blows that were aimed to take his very life. Scar felt the vex magic inside him boiling in his veins, begging to be let free, to run wild and take over his mind. He stubbornly fought it back down– he was in control, not the vex. He wasn’t ready to go full vex again. Not yet.

Unfortunately for him, the universe didn’t care if he wasn’t ready.

The demon, by possessing Impulse, had gained every bit of the man’s strength and skill. And given the strength-enhancing magic it likely held, it was no wonder that Scar was struggling. The demon attacked again, and Scar wasn’t able to get out of the way in time. He took a heavy blow to the side and stumbled back, losing his footing on the uneven terrain and falling to the ground hard. 

Mumbo stumbled back as the demon suddenly turned toward him, fumbling to quickly draw his sword in order to block the sudden attack. He strained under the pressure of the demon bringing Impulse’s full strength to bear, his arms shaking as he tried to push back. “Scar!” he yelped, “Scar, I can’t–”

The demon brought the sword down, and it was only Mumbo’s quick thinking of jumping to the side that kept him from dying instantly. The blade still sliced into his arm, and Mumbo let out a frantic scream that made whatever restraints Scar had holding him back shatter. Mumbo dropped to the ground, blood flowing freely from the wound, and Scar…

Scar snapped. 

Not in the same way he had before, not at all. He was in control, and could feel the power of the vex flowing through his body as natural as the blood in his veins. Power buzzed behind his eyes as shining vex wings appeared behind him, and he shot up, taking a few steps forward before attacking the demon, the overwhelming need to get it away from Mumbo singing in his movements.

The demon turned to attack Scar, and he dug his claws into its chest and pushed it back as hard as he could, almost throwing it with how hard he shoved. He’d clearly underestimated his strength, as the demon flew back and landed hard on its arm, the sickening gunshot snap of a bone breaking making Scar wince.

And for a moment, the scream that tore its way out in response was purely Impulse, his voice unchanged by the timbre of the demon’s. For a moment, it was just Impulse, only Impulse, and guilt swept through him like a torrent. 

But then it was the demon again, pushing itself back up and switching the sword over to its left hand, shining red eyes glaring at Scar as it shifted into a fighting stance once more. “Well? Fight me, then. See how long it takes for your precious friend’s body to break down and give up.” 

Scar’s eyes narrowed. He glanced over to where Mumbo was, clutching his arm close and watching the fight with wide eyes. He’d be alright, and that was what was important. Lifting his gaze once more, Scar met the demon’s gaze. “Impulse is stronger than you’ll ever be. You’ll be long gone before he ever breaks down,” he spat.

The fight didn’t get a chance to continue– with a shout, Grian drew Scar’s attention back to him and Pearl. The magic around the two siblings had become wisps of purple light, swirling around the two as they casted. Scar knew with uncanny certainty that the spell was almost complete.

The demon did as well, judging by its roar of anger. “No! I will not be defeated by pathetic little mortals–!” 

Scar saw it attempt to go for Grian and Pearl and dashed forward, throwing himself at the demon and bringing it and himself crashing to the ground. He winced at the impact, mentally making a note to apologize to Impulse later, when they were all safe. 

“Scar!” Pearl yelled, and Scar took that as his cue to get the heck away from there.

He jumped up and scrambled away, uncaring if he looked a little undignified in the movement. He made it to Mumbo and collapsed by the man, bleeding and gasping, and turned just in time to see the spell hit its mark.

The demon screamed, an awful sound that tore into Scar’s heart, because it was Impulse, it was Impulse’s voice and Impulse’s face and Impulse’s body but it wasn’t Impulse at the same time. It wasn’t Impulse, and the eyes that bore into Scar while it tried to stand and was inevitably forced to its knees were not Impulse’s.

And then they were.

And then it was over.

Pearl pulled out the crystal from her pocket, drawing the demon’s essence toward her and binding it into the crystal. The once clear gem turned a scarlet red, and once she was certain it was sealed away, she slipped the gem back into her pocket.

A weak sob tore its way from Impulse’s lips as he gingerly held his broken arm in his other. He squeezed his eyes shut, shrinking in on himself, and for the first time since Grian had met him, Impulse seemed so small. 

Scar stood shakily, helping Mumbo to his feet as well. “Okay… okay, okay,” he breathed out, making sure Mumbo was really alright before turning back and forcing himself to walk– walk, not run, he’s scared and hurt right now– to Impulse, kneeling by him. “Hey, Impulse.” He could see the other knights approaching in his peripherals, but for now he stayed focused on the injured man in front of him. “Hey.”

Pearl settled in the grass a little bit away, still leaving enough room to give Impulse space as she shifted back into her normal form. Grian followed suit, tucking colourful wings behind his back and sitting next to his sister. “Hey, mate,” Pearl started gently. “Can ya hear us? We’re here.”

Impulse let out a broken sob, shrinking in even further on himself. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, and the words were so quiet they were barely audible. “I’m so, so, sorry.” Hot tears slipped down his cheeks, mixing with blood and dirt. 

Scar shared a look with Mumbo, before turning back to Impulse. He tried to keep his eyes from drifting to the horns that stuck up from the man’s head, and focused more on his face. “Impulse… Impulse, it’s okay. We’re okay. Can I touch you?” he asked, waiting for confirmation before reaching forward and carefully, as though Impulse were made of glass and would shatter at the slightest touch, drew him into a hug.

Impulse began to weep freely then, and Scar felt himself slowly relax out of his vex form, the colour seeping back into his hair and skin. He kept his arms around Impulse, murmuring soft comforts that had once been said to him.

It wasn’t long before Impulse passed out, from the exhaustion and exertion combined with the sheer pain and shock of the day’s events– of the weeks he had been dealing with the demon inside of his head alone. It had been exhausting, overwhelming, and Scar didn’t blame him in the slightest.

The journey home would be a long one, and the road to healing stretched out seemingly for an eternity. But the knights were no stranger to traveling, and this was just another path they would have to walk down.

Together. 

[novelmonger]

Continuing to watch through the Writer/Director commentary of LotR (with Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, and Fran Walsh) and jotting down any new-to-me information I come across. Here's what I gleaned from TTT:

When they got the New Line logo to put on the movies, it was very old and scratched, so PJ gave it to Weta to touch it up. They joked about how they should bill New Line for it XD

Originally, the studio wanted TTT to start off with a prologue too, with Cate Blanchett narrating what sounds like it was basically going to be a "Previously on..." spiel, even though they didn't like the idea of the prologue in the first one. Thankfully, these three ignored the studio's advice both times XD

The Uruk who says "Manflesh" is also the guy in Sauron's armor in the prologue!

In the scene where the Rohirrim find Theodred, it's not actually raining! They used rain towers for the close-ups, but any wide shots just have CG rain. I would never have guessed!

Andy Serkis did the voices for the Uruk-Hai who says the "maggoty bread" line, and the orc who says, "Yeah, why can't we have some meat?" (The actor in the suit for the latter is, of course, Jed Brophy, who went on to play Nori in the Hobbit movies.)

Somehow it never registered for me that Orlando Bloom has brown eyes, and so he had to wear blue contacts when he played Legolas ^^' But sometimes he wasn't able to wear the contacts (or forgot), so there are some scenes where they had to fix it in post.

PJ called the Treebeard from the animated Bakshi movie "a walking carrot" XD He also said that Treebeard is his favorite character!

The scene with Smeagol killing Deagol was originally going to be a flashback right after Frodo says his name, and then the Nazgul shriek would pull the audience out of the flashback. They decided not to do that for pacing reasons and because we haven't spent much time with Gollum yet, so that's why they put it at the beginning of RotK instead.

Bernard Hill had his son with him on the shoot and would play with him in his downtime on the Edoras set. Puts things into perspective when you hear that he was the one who came up with the line "No parent should have to bury their child."

They were originally looking at Bernard Hill for Gandalf! (I feel like I've probably heard this before, but anyway.)

They filmed a flashback to Aragorn and Arwen's first meeting?! Viggo shaved to make himself look younger, and it was a scene of the two of them "frolicking about the forest." It was originally going to be put in the Lothlorien sequence, but they cut it out in favor of that scene between Aragorn and Boromir, because they decided it was more important to earn Boromir's death scene than to remind the audience of the romance. I agree with that decision, but it would be cool to see that footage! (I say as someone who prefers to skip the TTT Aragorn/Arwen scene entirely XD)

Originally, the warg battle was going to happen at Edoras itself. It was going to be at night, everything was going to be on fire, and ultimately that was going to be the reason everyone evacuated and went to Helm's Deep. Also, a warg was going to be set on fire and end up dragging Aragorn through the streets, and that was going to be how Aragorn would be left for dead. Ultimately, the reason they did it the way they did was because the studio wasn't sure Weta could do a flaming warg (something all three of them laughed about, considering everything Weta did manage to do with flying colors), and because it would have been a nightmare to light the Edoras set at night, because that location was so remote and so windy. Which is why every scene in Edoras takes place in the daytime!

In the scene where Faramir talks about his dream where he saw Boromir in the boat, you can see a sort of pinkish color in the water around Boromir's body. That's because the dye from his shirt (surcoat? idk) was leaking out into the water! XD

When Andy Serkis did ADR for the Forbidden Pool scene, he couldn't manage to sing the song off-key, so they had to use the audio from the motion capture footage XD

They shot some additional footage of Aragorn unconscious on Brego's back, riding past an orc encampment, that they never ended up using.

Theoden was originally going to give a speech to the soldiers in the armory, but Bernard Hill's performance was so inspiring that it defused most of the tension they were trying to build up before the battle, so they took it out. Would love to see that footage!

So the boy Aragorn encourages before the battle ("There is always hope.") was Philippa Boyens' son, who was 13 when they filmed the scene. But by the time they went to do ADR, his voice had broken, so they had to get a different child actor to say his lines.

Aww, the extra who was missing an eye said he always felt self-conscious about his missing eye, so he always wore an eyepatch. But then after they gave him a close-up and the guy saw the movie, he said he felt much better about his appearance! :')

Treebeard's line "I always like going south; it feels like going downhill" was ad-libbed!

When Saruman turns and reacts to all the water pouring in and washing his machinery away, that shot was actually a reaction shot to Wormtongue on top of the tower from the RotK movie that they repurposed for this scene instead, since they hadn't shot any reactions to the flood.

At least at the time of the recording of this audio commentary, the final shot of Gollum, where he's arguing with himself and ultimately decides to lead Frodo and Sam to Shelob, was the longest CG shot in any movie. (I tried to google what the current record is, but couldn't find anything, so if anyone knows, I'd love to hear about it!)

Fran Walsh: "All cinema storytelling, to a degree, is shallow. That's the nature of the medium. You've got two or three hours to present a world and a dense story with a hundred themes and a ton of backstory, in this instance, and 22 characters...so you can only really have the veneer of depth. You really can't have anything that comes close to the depth of the books, or the experience of the books. So I think what we attempted to do was to use the language of the books where we could and to certainly invoke them, the iconic images, where we could, but to keep the storytelling very much...to modernize it, if you like, in terms of cinema language. So we didn't, for example, use the style of storytelling that was in the books between these different after-the-fact storytelling, of Sam and Frodo and then a chunk of the Aragorn story. We completely undercut it. That was a far more immediate and engaging way to connect it to the audience. You can't really hope to satisfy people who adore this book, with the movie. You can only ever give them the sense of what might have been. That's all a film can do. I think, in that sense, films...I mean, they're entertainments. They're just not going to give you the pleasure that a book can give you."

[im-not-samantha-im-samanta]

Request by: Anonymous

Hello!

To that lovely hon who's requested Loona with male vampire reader - I've not forgotten about you nor did I reject your request!!

Unfortunately, hon, your request (that was like half finished) was one of those that ended up being accidentally deleted (as mentioned in previous request I published), and so, I had to start again and rewrite the whole thing!

I'm really sorry for the long wait, hon! But I hope that what I came up with makes up for it. Also, I recall you asking for a male reader, but saying it can be gender neutral if I don't do male readers - well, don't worry, hon, male reader is absolutely accepted here! So, enjoy your Loona and male vampire reader! <3

The take I did on this request probably isn't what you had in mind, but I hope it's still enjoyable!

_

🩸🖤🐺 // Loona having a vampire boyfriend //🐺🖤🩸

___________________________________________

Type: Imagines

Settings: Romantic

Genre: Fluff, lighthearted

!TRIGGER WARNING!: I'd say mentions of typical Helluva boss stuff (demons, violence, etc), mentions of blood and its consumption, occasional swear words used, I tried to portray a relationship where there are cultural differences, that's probably all!

Sidenote: Reader is written as male as per request,

Sidenote: Reader is written as being around Loona's age (which is 22 if I remember correctly).

Sidenote: I feel like some of these might be a bit occ, I'm so bad at portraying characters, I'm so sorry

Sidenote: These feel kinda long, I might've gotten a little carried away (or maybe these are the usual length, I can't tell) - take it as an apology for the long wait,

_

That should be all,

Enjoy, <3

____________________________________________

Originally,

vampires were said to be demonic creatures,

evil spirits,

So, we'll go with that description,

and make the concept of vampires more fit for Helluva boss,

So, let's say that vampires are like...

a cousin species to demons,

(I'd say these vampires look a bit less human and more demonic-like),

(just imagining some Vivziepop twist to them, in design and lore, y'know?),

Yeah, that sounds good, no?

And maybe it's not that unusual to see a vampire prancing around hell?

Oh!

Maybe Hell's rings are a really popular destination for tourism and vacation for the vampire kind?

Oh!

And maybe for some more and unnecessary world building,

let's say vampires live in some sort of middle ground between the human world and hell,

and maybe let's call it...

the abode of the undead?

I think that's kinda cool?

Anyways!

Back to the story!

So, as I've said,

vampires like to visit hell's rings for tourism and vacation,

However,

That wasn't your case!

You weren't in hell for tourism or vacation,

you were in hell for college!

You've decided to go to college,

but not in your world,

Why?

I dunno,

That's up for you to decide,

Maybe you liked the idea of studying in a foreign land?

Or maybe you wanted to study a field only hell offers?

Who knows?

The options are endless!

So, you're free to make up the reasoning behind that decision, hon,

Anyways!

This decision of yours leads you to Blitzø,

Why?

For story reasonings,

obviously,

Oh-

I mean-

You obviously need some sort of accommodations for your stay,

And let's say,

for story reasonings,

that college dorms just aren't for you,

Maybe you can't imagine sharing a room with someone random you've never met before?

Or,

Maybe college dorms really aren't for you?

In the sense that college dorms in hell don't really accommodate to your needs as a vampire?

Maybe they don't even accommodate to any sort of needs of any kind of foreign students?

I'd say the colleges in the respective rings alone barely accommodate to the needs of students from different rings,

(students of those demon kinds that don't come from that specific ring),

(like colleges in Lust accommodating to the succubi/incubi kind only, etc),

So yeah,

college dorms are a no for you,

but you also can't afford to rent a flat,

Maybe you don't have any income yet?

And maybe your parents can't afford to rent you a flat?

Or maybe they can but they refuse to spend money on you?

Who knows?

That's up to you!

But anyways,

whatever the reason is,

it leads you to Blitzø,

Let's say that your parents and Blitzø have a vague history,

and he's considered a family friend,

Oh!

Maybe he even babysat you when you were little?

So, you staying at Blitzø's is clearly the choice,

And Blitzø has no problem with that,

After all,

how could he mind when he's not seen his favourite little rascal in such a long time?

You two have so much catching up to do!

So yeah,

he agrees,

And you can be glad Blitzø is so fond of you,

otherwise he would've told your parents to piss off,

After all,

he would never allow for some boy to share a living space with his dear Loony!

Fortunately, he likes you,

so, you get a free pass to be around Loona,

And not only that!

Blitzø also pretty much begs you try and get along with Loona,

The girl really needs a friend,

even if she'd deny it over and over again,

And Blitzø really trusts that you're a reasonable and kind young man,

(based on the memories he shares with child you),

and that you can help Loona feel less alone in the world,

And maybe it's because you don't have any friends in hell yet,

or maybe it's because you genuinely feel bad for Loona,

but you agree to try your best to befriend and support Loona,

It's the least you can do for Blitzø,

And now Loona!

Loona doesn't know about the agreement you have with Blitzø,

And it's better that way,

because if it were the other way around,

she would've hated your guts,

she'd seriously despise you,

I mean,

she still isn't happy with the fact you'll be around,

but at least she won't be wishing for you to choke on the blood you're sucking,

So, it's good that she doesn't know?

I guess?

Well, anyways,

more about Loona!

Loona has actually never met you before,

so, she is unsure of what to expect,

which is one of the reasons why your stay displeases her,

Loona doesn't like uncertainty,

not knowing where she stands in such situations really upsets her,

and it leaves her all tense, irritated and quick to bite,

(because being left uncertain about such situations secretly stresses her),

(and makes her feel vulnerable and unsafe),

It's something related to how she grew up,

always uncertain about everything around her,

leaving her feeling powerless and suspicious of everything and everyone,

with no place or person to make her feel safe,

always fearing for her life,

And sure,

Blitzø might've mentioned you at some point before all this,

but whatever that imp might've shared about you happened a long time ago,

from the times you were still a little kid,

so, it definitely couldn't have been something useful to ease Loona's mind,

It most probably would've been something along the lines of you being Blitzø's first parental experience,

his first time being responsible for a child,

When in reality it probably wasn't even all that big of a deal,

and he's most probably spent like three hours looking after you on specific occurrences,

and him being pretty much the last resort for babysitting your parents could think of,

Yeah,

So, even with that,

Loona doesn't know what to expect of you,

And the fact that you're a vampire doesn't help one bit,

because vampires are quite different from demons,

despite being cousin species,

so, there definitely are some cultural differences to look out for,

cultural differences that can definitely result in awkward interactions,

another thing Loona really doesn't fancy,

Oh,

and not to mention the amount of stereotypes and misconceptions about vampires!

Yeah,

Loona can already feel that this is not gonna end well,

And speaking of which!

The cultural differences between you and Loona,

it really does make your first meeting memorable...

It just so happens that Blitzø isn't present when you get to his place,

(he has some thing with Stolas going on or something),

and so it is up to Loona to give you a warm welcome,

And well...

it is awkward,

Loona is really indifferent towards you,

and your warm welcome is along the lines of:

"Oh, right... you're that vampire kid or whatever,"

And then she just stepped aside to let you in while giving more attention to her phone than you,

And well...

That's when it gets awkward,

when the cultural differences really show,

Because while Loona expectantly stands aside,

you, on the other hand, stand before the doorstep,

looking pretty awkward, embarrassed, uncomfortable and nervous,

And when Loona sees you make no move to step inside,

she immediately becomes a bit more hostile,

not really understanding or liking your "odd behavior",

it made her uncomfortable,

and that feeling of uncertainty of you and what to expect she's been dealing with got twice as worse,

And so,

you're met with a:

"Uh, hello? Are you coming in or do you plan on standing there like a fucking crackpot, and stare at me, making yourself look like an absolute moron all day?"

Yeah,

it is not really pleasant,

but it gets the situation to proceed,

much to both of yours relief,

After Loona's words,

you offer an awkward and nervous smile,

and you begin to explain your situation,

that situation being,

that in vampire culture you're not allowed to enter anyone's house if they don't verbally invite you in,

And sure,

you could walk in and not care,

but this is just a cultural thing that all vampires stick to,

with little to no exceptions,

And Loona's reaction?

"Oh,"

That's all she can say,

being all dumbfounded,

since out of all the reasons she thought you could give her to your odd behavior,

this explanation was not on the list,

She was expecting some really stupid excuse,

maybe even some kind of perverse one,

or even some dumb and embarrassing pick up line,

but not this,

The reason you give her is not stupid,

it is an actual reason that explains your actions,

and while Loona doesn't understand this cultural thing,

(and maybe she even finds it a little odd),

she respects it,

she doesn't judge you,

doesn't give you shit for it,

she accepts your reasoning without unnecessary nitpicking,

and she properly invites you in,

well,

as properly as she can,

"Well- uh- come on in then, I guess,"

After that interaction,

Loona feels like you might not be the worst kind of guy,

however,

first impressions can often be wrong,

and so,

she's still keeping you at arm's length,

and she's not exactly friendly just yet,

but she's not hostile all that much either,

she's just really indifferent,

You, on the other hand though,

you know what you've agreed on with Blitzø,

and so,

you're quite actively trying to get along with Loona,

which isn't hard since you think she's a really cool girl,

and you genuinely want to get to know her,

And Loona's not exactly rejecting your friendly advances either,

but you still choose your steps carefully,

and you don't rush things,

nor are you too intense,

not wanting to overwhelm Loona,

or make her feel uncomfortable or threatened,

and cause her to pull back and build up her walls again,

So,

during this period the two of you aren't really friends just yet,

but you don't mind co-existing,

and Loona doesn't deliberately leave the room when you come in,

and she actually allows for you to be in the same room as her,

and she lends you one of her ears to listen to you if you feel like talking,

sure, she doesn't give much input,

but she's clearly warming up to you,

And your relationship develops casually,

Loona getting more comfortable with sitting closer to you when you're watching tv together,

or just individually scrolling through social media,

she also starts showing you videos she comes across and finds funny,

or when she joins you on the couch in the living room, she asks what you two watching that day,

at some point she shares her favourite songs with you,

and she also eventually adds you on social media!

It's the little things that give away that you're on the right track in winning Loona over,

And sure,

she still doesn't share much about herself yet,

and she still is only ever half listening when you two are together,

most of her attention being held by her phone,

but you're getting there!

And that fact is proven by one certain incident,

(an incident the two of you now as a couple laugh at and think fondly of),

The two of you like to call it,

The big WGD incident,

Let me explain,

WGD stands for Where Gluttony Dwells,

And what is that?

Well, it's a really popular place to get a take-out from,

one that your friend from class recommended you,

However,

that friend kind of forgot you're a vampire...

or maybe it wasn't really a friend,

and maybe they deliberately recommended you this specific place,

Well,

whatever the reason,

and whether the intentions were good or bad,

that friend nearly ended up with their head bitten off by Loona,

Why?

Well,

Where Gluttony Dwells is a place that really likes to use garlic in their stuff,

like, really,

that place is literally known for their extreme use of garlic,

So yeah,

you can probably tell that this place is not too vampire friendly...

But,

you weren't really aware of that,

trusting your friend,

or friend,

and you ended up getting a takeout from that place,

and Loona nearly had a heart attack,

It went like:

"I got us a takeout,"

"Neat, what place?"

"Where Gluttony Dwells,"

"Cool,"

"..."

"Hold the fuck up-"

Let me tell you,

Loona's reflexes were never faster,

And you still remember the way Loona nearly broke your arm,

from how harshly she grabbed your arm,

just when you were about to shove a spoonful of the least vampire friendly meal right into your mouth,

The spoon with the meal successfully ended up on the ground,

and while you were dumbfounded,

Loona was yelling at you for being a dumbass,

asking you if you want to get your ass dead,

and many more things you can't even remember from how much stuff she yelled at you,

Back then it sure was one of an experience,

but an experience that brought you two closer,

because a week later,

this whole thing became a funny story you and Loona shared with everyone you knew,

Blitzø, Millie, Moxxie, Stolas, Octavia,

they all got to witness you two having the time of your lives sharing this experience with them,

both of you laughing and bickering,

you teasing Loona for caring,

Loona playfully shooting back and telling you to eat grass,

because she:

"couldn't care less,"

and she:

"just didn't wanna deal with a dead vampire,"

cuz she:

"heard they smell,"

And then you'd both burst out laughing when you'd tell everyone the best part,

of how after Loona stopped freaking out,

you told her garlic doesn't necessarily kill vampires,

that it's more like lactose intolerance,

where vampires just get unpleasant digestive issues after garlic consumption,

and only extreme cases of garlic intolerance can be life threatening to unfortunate vampires,

It was the most warm and genuine moment you two shared back then,

And Blitzø couldn't be happier for Loona,

but that really wasn't where things ended between you and Loona,

because the WGD incident really did push the two of you to the right direction,

And pretty quick,

you and Loona were an inseparable duo,

that kind of duo where it's odd when you see the pair apart,

And, of course,

pretty soon, the inseparable friend duo became an inseparable couple,

The change happened subtly and naturally,

and you and Loona were basically dating for months before actually making it somewhat official,

And your 'making it official' was pretty much Loona sending you a Sinstagram video,

with the caption:

"Which cute animal reminds you of your boyfriend?"

Followed by Loona's message:

"The bat,"

Yeah, that's basically how you two made it official,

But to add more tea,

your following conversation after that message sure was interesting...

"The bat? Really? You know vampires can shapeshift into more than just a bat. Kinda stereotypical of you,"

"Shut up, as if you don't associate me with a wolf or a damn dog just because I'm a hellhound,"

"No, I don't,"

"Oh, really now? Then look at the video again and tell me which animal do I remind you of,"

"Alright, you'll fucking see!"

_ _ _

"Well?"

"......."

"It was the fucking wolf, wasn't it?"

"I don't feel comfortable answering that question,"

Yeah,

that's how you pretty much made it official without making it official,

but even after that,

your relationship with Loona didn't change,

You just vibe with each other,

share affections,

create happy memories together,

bond,

Yeah, you two are still casual about your relationship,

you're still the inseparable duo everyone knows,

And you two don't really make a big deal out of dating,

yes, you have lots of couple moments,

and you two are romantic with each other here and there,

but you don't really go around, shoving your relationship into other people's faces,

you keep things to yourselves for the most part,

cuz that's what you're comfortable with,

and you feel like what's between the two of you is of no one else's concern,

(I believe Loona isn't much for showing your relationship off to the public and having people stick their noses into it),

(and I also think she doesn't trust the outside world and the people in it enough to let her guard down and give an insight of her actual relationship with you),

(what if someone used you to hurt her?),

And to many people looking on it from the outside,

it would seem like you two are just close friends,

but there are subtle hints not many notice that point out just how close you two are,

For example,

a thing Loona loves to do in the name of showing you affection,

is that whenever you rest your feet up on the coffee table, she always rests her paws on top of your feet,

it's a subtle public display of affection that seems like nothing to others,

but to the two of you it's a really big affectionate gesture,

it's like you two having your own secret language!

Speaking of languages,

Loona's learned some pretty... colourful... vampire vocabulary from you,

Since you live in a completely different world with different culture and everything,

it'd only make sense for you to have some expressions and slang that most people in Hell wouldn't understand,

especially slang vampires your age use,

So,

while Loona doesn't actively learn your language,

she's heard enough stuff from you to adopt to her own vocabulary,

(especially swear words),

and it's quite hilarious and wholesome,

you two often just switch to young vampire slang,

just to confuse people,

and keep them from prying into your conversations,

especially Blitzø-

Blitzø understands some vampire vocabulary,

but only that one your parents would use,

he's lost when you start using vampire slang of your generation,

But even Loona can get lost if you use some extra hard slang,

especially the one she's not come across yet,

and this is one of the reasons why you two don't argue much,

because your speciality is switching to hardcore vampire slang when an argument is close to happening between you and Loona,

not to talk shit about her,

but to annoy her to the point where the situation just turns funny,

your arguments,

(or more like bickering),

don't last long with this tactic,

And Loona acts like she hates this,

but she's secretly grateful that you two calm down before a real fight happens,

and then you talk about stuff without it getting heated,

Also,

speaking of your generation,

you've pulled Loona into your culture by introducing her to the vampire humour,

especially the one your generation uses,

giving her context on various memes you've shown her just so that she'd get it,

whether it'd be something a bit political or historical, or some celebrity drama,

for example you showing her a joke with some iconic line young vampires quote daily,

and then explaining that it's a line from some popular vampire reality show,

even showing her the clip to fully pull her in,

And Loona does the same back,

she gets you involved in the culture and humour that's going on in Hell amongst demons your guys' age,

And that creates many inside jokes between the two of you,

especially you involving Loona in your culture has that effect,

since not many Hell's inhabitants care about vampire culture enough to get involved,

so you two quote some vampire joke, getting everyone around you confused,

while you two struggle to hold it together,

Also, another thing!

Stereotypes,

As stated at the start,

there are many misconceptions about vampires,

You've already explained several stuff people got wrong about vampires to Loona,

but not all,

you've not gotten there just yet,

and it most definitely creates some memorable moments between you two,

For example:

"Wait... You guys don't use your fangs like straws to drink blood?"

"No...? We use them to pierce the skin, and then lick or suck the blood..."

"My whole fucking life is one damn lie,"

Yeah,

Loona needed a moment accepting that one...

___________________________________________

[somuchbetterthanthat]

Jonelias week, day 1! Setting: no power AU // Prompt: Try again

Jon goes back. It's undoubtedly the worst decision of his life, but it also feels like it's the only one he can make. He does wish, up til he's reached the door, that the professor won't be here anymore. It's late, after all; the university is technically closed to the public by now, although that has never stopped Jon before, even when he was a student here.

But of course, as if he'd been waiting all along, or perhaps hadn't moved at all since their last meeting, Professor Magnus is at his desk when Jon enters his office, focused on a rather large pile of files, several old-looking books scattered open around him. Jon tries to swallow his fear, hand gripping hard the handle of the door, and thinks for the upteenth tme that, if only he had anyone in his life -- anyone like he used to have Georgie, a couple years back, they would have known better than to let him go and he'd have listened to them.

But it's only him, which is why he doesn't curse or run away when Professor Magnus raise his head, piercing grey eyes appraising him with something that could be satisfaction or hunger and gives Jon goosbumps.

"I'm glad you're back," Magnus says.

Jon can't help it. He scoffs. "You knew I would," he accuses him immediately.

"Please, let's not go this road again, Jon," Magnus tuts.

With his free hand he beckons Jon closer. Jon, heart pounding, steps fully into the room, closing the door behind him, and walks to the desk. Magnus's smile is small but pleased. Jon's mouth is dry.

"Did I hope that you would? Of course," Magnus tells him. "I've made my intentions very clear, have I not? I also do admit that, having had the chance to study you a lot those past few months, I did think there were greater chances of you coming back than leaving me entirely."

Despite the fact he's still sitting and has to look up to talk to Jon, Jon is all too aware of who holds the power here. He wants to be angry -- he wants to fight back, to snark, to protest -- but, of course, they both know that the professor has already won. Still. Still. Magnus wants Jon? Fine. But Jon is not an easy person to have in one's life.

"Who says anything about you?" he asks. "It's the Society I want to know more about. What you have hidden in your Institute, that's the most interesting thing about you. That's the only interestng thing about you, in fact."

Infuriatingly, Magnus only starts laughing. Jon bristles, ready to say more, but his words die against his tongue as Magnus's fingers wrap around his wrist, pulling him closer still. Jon's hip bumps against the corner of the desk and he can't help but shiver.

"I truly do appreciate your boldness," Magnus says at last, with such fondness Jon's stomach jump to his throat, "if not necessarily your denial. I have very little use of you lying to yourself -- we might work on that first. Now: I would appreciate if you fully committed and knelt down, my dear."

"Make me," Jon's mouth snaps before he can think and, to his horror, he feels a rush of heat go straight to his face as Magnus's eyes gleam with warmth and amusement.

"You've actually done your research," he tells Jon calmly. "You're well aware by now I'm not the only person with full access to the Institute's true ressources, nor in fact the sole man in charge of the organisation. I do have power in the Society, but not all of it. You have names. You've even realized that some of your old friends have already been initiated into it. I'm sure you thought about reaching out to Miss James before you came back here. But if it was only about the knowledge, you'd have walked right past the Institute's doors long ago already, isn't that right, Jon? You wouldn't have waited or hesitated, this is not the sort of man you are, in most cases. So it must be that something else in my offer appealed to you; something only I can give you, no matter how much you fear it, no matter how much your reason tells you it's a terrible idea. It must be that you are, perhaps despite yourself, as fascinated by me as I am by you. That you are intrigued by how much I claim to love you. And, of course, that deep in your bones you know you've been craving the freedom of never having to choose wrong ever again."

Jon stares at him for a long moment; it's not until he starts feeling dizzy he realizes he's been forgetting to breath. It's mesmerizing, he thinks. The way Jonah knows. The way Jonah understands. It's horrifying, and it feels so -- right.

Of course Jon was going to come back, even if this is the last decision he ever takes in his life.

"Are you ready to try again?" Jonah asks, unbearably patient. "I still have quite a number of papers to grade before we can both go home."

Jon's nails dig into his palm. Slowly, he goes to his knees, awkwardly shuffling until he is right at Jonah's feet. Jonah caresses the back of his neck, and Jon's eyes shut close.

"Very good, Jon," he murmurs. "I know it might not feel like it to you right now but I do promise you we will accomplish great things, you and I, as long as as you do not ever forget that you are all mine to do whatever I wish starting tonight."

[mostgeckcellent]

The revelation that Rue called off the marriage and the subsequent argument/confession is so.. something.

There's so much being said about it and it's got me wanting to sort it out for myself instead of just reblogging other people's thoughts.

I don't think this is a rue vs hob, who was right, situation.

I think that Rue's actions in calling off the wedding were selfish and nearsighted; it had no effect on the court of wonder, but had a huge effect on the goblin court, and truly it was none of Rue's business. People marry for reasons other than love and that's okay!

HOWEVER

you also can't argue with their desire to tear down the courts because like. the goblin court does objectively treat Hob badly. The court of wonder does treat Rue badly. The unseelie treats Andhera badly. The courts have been shown to be petty and power-obsessed at the cost of their own people and of course they are.

I've seen Rue's choice compared to Wuvvy, both making decisions on what they think is best for others and taking their choices away. I think that's.. fair. I think they both have a blindspot.

Rue has had a very bad no good day, they're under a lot of pressure, they're experiencing A Lot, and there's miscommunications everywhere. I think they made a bad choice before they met Hob, before they really let themselves be known and to know others, and I think they might make a different choice, now, with the context.

I also think Hob has a right to be angry! Rue's actions undid something that came from his successes. It hurt him, even if the goblin court has also hurt him, even if that's complicated. He seems to genuinely care about Grabalba!

And he's been treated this way for so long, of course it's hard, nigh impossible, to unsee it. Of course it feels like Rue must have been using him too. Of course he can't fathom choosing himself, as Rue has been begging him to do - he doesn't know that choosing himself could mean choosing Rue, but he doesn't know how to exist outside of service, and I think this episode makes that especially clear.

Hob will go to unhealthy lengths for those he feels loyalty or duty to. He hurts himself to get evidence, he hurts himself to carry someone's bags when he's bleeding, who's to say he wouldn't wind up scarily similar to Wuvvy, existing only to be of service to Rue? Who we know for a fact doesn't want that?

I think most of all, this episode shows, explicitly, how they've been talking around each other for so long.

Hob loves in acts of service - sometimes to an unhealthy degree, but his love language isn't the problem, it's the depths to which he feels he has to go due to his own low self-worth.

Rue is learning self-worth and is currently valuing that above all else.

Of course that causes conflict! I think they can both learn from each other and temper each other, but right now, neither of them understands where the other is coming from - Hob interpreted Rue's motivation as service where it was love. Rue is interpreting all service as Bad now, which again, fair, given their circumstances, but not fair to Hob.

They're having a bunch of separate conversations and none of them are overlapping the way they think it is, and it's hurting them both. And there's only one episode left, so there's no way to fully, totally resolve these massive divides, but I do think they can start on the path. I think we can see them have a happy ending, in which it's clear they're Working On It - both of them.

[woodsfae]

B5 03e14 Ship of Tears previous episode • table of contents

The news from Earth is back, but it's fully propaganda now. 

I'm glad Sheridan's getting to play in the starfuries for a bit. He definitely needs some chill, fun, flying time. 

Dang, it's Walter Koenig! My guy, Bester. Can't wait to see what evil shenanigans he's up to now! 

He's such a good villain. So reasonable. So...off. 

I don't get why the gang are still stonewalling G'Kar...it's ever more fucked up the longer they keep doing it. C'mon, be better. 

I forgot about the new uniforms for a bit but I like them. Looking snazzy! I like the lines and random patch of color. 

I genuinely wonder if Bester intentionally goaded her into hitting him. Glad PsiCorps are against the Shadows...it's a low bar to clear, since the Shadows are against life, but still glad. 

This is a huge enemy-of-my-enemy stretch, though, considering elements within PsiCorps have been directly enemies with B5 interests themselves. Still, cooperation has got to be key against the shadows. 

Wow, this is the biggest fight I've seen Delenn and John have! But seriously for the best to read G'Kar in on all the intel. He brought his intel to them! it's insulting they haven't read him in to their own intel.

Oh shit, they disclosed the existence of the Secret Ship to Bester! That's a hell of a move, as is it for Bester to just plop into the Captain's chair on the bridge. Is that a Star Trek nod? Chekov never commanded the Enterprise in any of the episodes and never sat in the chair, so Bester steals the chair for a second in B5? Cute. 

I gotta pay close attention to Delenn and G'Kar's talk. Delenn's decision to obsfucate was directly because of the Grey Council's decision not to share any info. Delenn's arguing it was a good decision, because if they'd allied openly with the Narns from the beginning, the Shadows would have wiped out the Narns entirely instead of only enabling the Centauri to genocide and oppress them. 

I find G'Kar's reaction a bit...odd. He talks himself around to agreeing with her, which I find a bit shameful of the writers. It cannot ever be a good thing that a people were wiped out without any foreknowledge from supposed allies. Maybe it wouldn't have changed the outcome in terms of life, but who could say what they may have done? 

They have a sort of tractor beam and caught a ship, cool. Weapon's supplies, but it seems to be a person in pained stasis. Dun dun dun.

It's so wild that they took Bester into their confidence enough to take him on the White Star when they're known G'Kar all along and he still doesn't know it exists! Wild, wild set of priorities on information sharing. Bester has been a literally mortal threat to them all, G'Kar has never been a threat to any of them but Londo. And that was fair anyhow. 

A shadow body? Or a different species that's allied? I thought the shadows were multi-limbed, spindly things.

Not just one person in a tube, but over a  hundred! Ivanova called them sleeper tubes, but Dr Franklin calls them cryotubes. 

They have impants on either side of their cerebral cortexes, the lady they were waking up slowly came to screaming and asking why they were doing this. Bester identifies her as "a blip," a telepath who refused to take suppressants or join the corps. This lady is P-11 or P-12. 

And she has a terrible nightmare/flashback to what looks to be three individuals, the same species as the unidentified body they found earlier. Leaning towards species allied with the shadows. 

P-12 lady made herself a nest of wires? And first thing she tries to do is lure Bester in and attack him. Good instincts, lol. And she's in pain, she says. Bester claims she has no reason attack him or sabotage the station by ripping out all the wires, and she automatically shoots at Bester's PsiCorps broach. 

Her name is Carolyn - I guess the shadows already got their hands on her and into her brain? Well that's harrowing. idk what her shared telepathy with Bester was about, even with Bester's explanation. He met her when she was caught and sent to the re-education center, and immediately fell in love with her. Tried to make her experience in the center better...I guess? Bigger quarters and more food. Yikes. And then he knocked her up. No mention of if she had anything to say about that?? jesus. 

Hm, Shadows use people as processing for their ships? They are acting like they've talked about it before, but it's new info to me, and horrifying info at that. 

Bester says his promise to keep her and their baby safe is the only promise he's ever made that he meant a damn. And that if they can help her, he's 100% on Sheridan's side. Handy! If they can pull it off and get those next level impants out of her or something. 

Ivanova says he'll turn on them the second it's all over and I'm inclined to believe her. Maybe he'd play nicer for longer if he achieved some of his goals for telepaths - they are the future, he says. 

Did Garibaldi finally teach himself enough Narn to read some of G'Kar's book? Good for him. 

The Shadows are weak to telepaths, hence probably the 100+ telepaths being made into ship components. And this info is so timely, because the Shadows are attacking a place right now! Telepaths! We ride at space dawn!

Kosh...

[gofancyninjaworld]

Some more thoughts on 'Morality Pets Redux'

Link to original post.

ONE still blows me away by how clearly he differentiates between manga and webcomic. There's a tradeoff that he respects: if the webcomic is short, sharp and to the point, then the characters have limitations in how they can interact, try things out, and grow. Conversely, if the manga is long to the point that it can take a long time for it to get to some sort of point, the characters have more scope to find themselves. He treats both versions with respect and if there's no scope for characters to change themselves, then they don't. Which is why we have two great stories to read! :D

There's no point in Tatsumaki changing in the webcomic because there's no one willing to have her in their lives. She's been so toxic that all Fubuki wants is to be left the hell alone, and even Saitama's gone 'eh, I've lost all interest' after she rebuffs his attempts to reach out very rudely. She notes that she ends up driving everyone away, but she's far from actually accepting that she needs to change. Tatsumaki in the manga has positive reasons to change -- she has a sister who wants to get along better with her. Doing so means accepting both her and the people around her, even if it's difficult and there are legitimate challenges. It's a hard pill to swallow but she's trying.

I really appreciate the difference between regretting the consequences of one's actions and being prepared to change one's actions. So human. If feeling bad about our actions was enough to change them, there'd be no anti-addiction or dieting services, counselling would be rare, and prisons would be all but empty.

In both versions, Genos is the guy who wants ultimate destructive power and is willing to even kill himself if it'll take enemies to Hell with him. However, for a guy who is so committed to destruction, it's striking that he's cut to the quick when Sonic taunts him saying that he can't protect anyone.

There's no scope to explore this seeming contradiction in the webcomic. We need to accept that hey, he has places where he won't go and that's fine. The manga has more space, so ONE can dig into the protect vs. destroy issue and have him have to make decisions about what he actually values. The despair that lanced through him when victory slipped through his grasp when fighting Elder Centipede says so much about what matters:

Something @carma-tjol said in their tags really added a lot to my understanding: they pointed to the link between Genos seeing himself as having value and changing his outlook on heroes from assets to people. It added so much salience to Fubuki refusing to run away and risking her life to save him because she didn't abandon her people. She really challenged his outlook.

I like that he's still wrestling with himself after the fact. Had King not come when he did, it'd have been a lose-lose situation: Tatsumaki would be dead anyway and the monsters would be free to rampage over the land and kill millions. He needed to hear Saitama telling him he'd done right to feel a sense of peace. It's very human -- it's hard not to look back even when we see that we've made the right choice.

Come to that, there was something that we'd (okay me and the small sharing circle of mutuals who talk too much about Genos) had been fearing: that Saitama would just note that Genos was broken again, the way he had in the webcomic. Remember this thread? It very nearly came to pass but for King intervening and vouching for Genos so that Saitama had to change the way he saw his disciple. Thank goodness.

If King hadn't been there, because Genos is actively questioning himself, the outcome of Saitama seeming to be dismissive wouldn't have been mere depression. It'd have been total despair. What Genos would have heard is that he's weak and lacked the guts to follow through on his committment to destroy enemies even if it meant killing himself. Talk about a tragic misunderstanding! Blessedly, ONE meters his angst -- it doesn't do to crush all your character's hope in one go.

[vewyscawywriting]

The Lesson

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: Sasori x female reader 

Wordcount: 2228

Tags: Punishment, double penetration, anal, blowjob (?), orgasm denial, overstimulation

Summary:  After Hidan, Deidara and you make fun of Sasori for being "dickless" you go to his room to apologise. Only to be taught a lesson by the puppeteer about pleasure and it affecting your choices.

Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, Kakuzu and you were at the hideout, resting from a mission, and that meant partying and/or relaxing. Kakuzu had a glass of whiskey and then fucked off to his room, while Sasori stuck around a little longer.

His mistake really, because Hidan had decided that the drunk conversation topic of the day was sex. After talking it over like a bunch of hormonal teenagers Deidara suddenly and with great clarity realized that Sasori, as a puppet, was very likely unable to have sex, which he of course blurted out to the group. Of course that information needed to be explored, and it wasn't long before the three of you were asking the poor puppeteer all kinds of intimate questions. And for a man with 'no emotions' he sure looked pretty pissed.

"So you're dickless then?" Hidan asked, glancing at Sasori's crotch with a suspicious eye. "That's got to be the dumbest fucking decision you've ever made in your life, huh?"

Sasori didn't respond, standing up to walk to his room, annoyed at the noise.

"Come on, Saso," you added on, "is it true you don't feal anything as well?"

Deidara was just standing next to the two of you, nodding and making an 'hm!' sound after each of your questions to make Sasori know he too was wondering about this.

"Shut up and let me through, you brats." Sasori finally hissed, and Hidan yelled out in laughter.

"It's true! It's true! Puppet-bitch can't feel and doesn't even have a dick! What an idiot!"

Deidara and you were stunned for a second, but the alcohol and Hidan's dumb laugh made both of you let out a small chuckle as well. The narrowing of Hiruko's eyes and a small growl didn't sit right with you however, and as he went to his room for some peace and quiet you decided to follow him for an apology. Deidara and Hidan had decided on a dumb little game and didn't even realize you had left after him.

-

"Sasori?" you asked as you knocked on his door, "It's me..."

You entered and looked around. The room was dark, and you needed a little moment to adjust. The moment you did you realized puppets were all over the walls, weapons and limbs hanging from the ceiling and vials piled on top of live spider and scorpion cages. "Shit," you hissed, instantly sobering up at the sight.

"What is it?" his smooth voice came from his desk where he had taken a seat, but you couldn't quite make him out.

"I came to apologise." you said, and shivered as you finally saw well enough to make out his face. He was out of Hiruko, and his cold eyes were narrowed. You had only seen his real form once or twice, and were always blown away by how beautiful he was.

"Apologise." he repeated. "How funny. You think you've offended me? I chose this form for a reason, and I've never once regretted it. I expected this sort of pathetic talk from Hidan and the brat, but I didn't think you'd be quite so stupid." 

You just stood in front of him, fidgeting slightly. He might say he wasn't offended, but the glare in his eyes sure told you he did not take kindly to your earlier teasing. 

"Well, I mean that's why I came to apologise-"

"Close the door."

You made a sound in surprise, but before you could make the impatient man wait your body was already moving towards the door. You realized the actions weren't your own, but Sasori controlling you.

The door closed with a small bump, and you gulped as your fingers locked the door without your consent. Was he going to punish you for making fun of him? Somehow the thought of running didn't even cross your mind as you made your way back to him. A strange feeling of anticipation buzzed inside of you, and when he asked: "So, in your opinion as a ninja... do you think it's a waste, Y/N?" a strange shiver went across your spine.

"Well, it's the smart choice," you squeaked, as your fingers started undressing yourself. An inkling of the punishment he had in mind for you formed in your mind.

"That is correct, brat." was your answer, as his eyes never left yours, boring a hole in you as he never blinked even once. Your face was heating up, sweat on your brow as you undressed further and further in front of him.

"Sasori, I-"

"Be quiet now, I'm going to teach you an important lesson."

The moment you were naked in front of him his eyes dragged down your body, his face never changing as he slightly moved his fingers, a new presence making itself known behind you. "Shit-" you gasped in surprise as one of Sasori's favourite puppets, the Kazekage, was suddenly behind you. Its hands grabbed your arms, pulling them behind you, and Hiruko came up in front of you, its tail hovering low in front of you. You made eye contact with Sasori for a single second before the tail swiftly made its way between your legs, the cool metal roughly touching your lower lips, which made a loud gasp escape your lips. Shame, pleasure and anticipation were all you felt as you realized how wet you already were, and it wasn't getting less as the tail pushed your body higher so that you were now hanging off the ground. 

"Look at you," he murmured, a condescending little smirk on his face. "You don't even want to escape."

You bit your lip, not wanting to reply. The only thing you'd be able to do was prove him right, and you'd do it with an unsteady voice to boot. You didn't want to get off on Hiruko's metal scorpion tail, but it was pretty hard not to as it shuddered and moved under you, rubbing your lips raw as you wrapped your legs around it tightly. You remembered something about poison, but hoped it was just on the tip as you bucked and grinded against it. The Kazekage puppet held you tight, one hand with pointed fingers now running over your stomach as the other still held your hands behind your back. 

"Very unsightly." Sasori said, lying. The Kazekage's sharp fingers found your clit, rubbing it harshly, before you were pulled off Hiruko's tail before you could finish. 

You were hanging in the middle of the room now, caught with chakra threads and Sasori's stomach coil that wrapped around your legs, widening them to his sharp eyes. A shiver and a whine escaped you at this embarrassing pose, but you couldn't help but want for more. 

"What do you have to say for yourself, brat?"

What did he want? You to tell him he was right, and that choosing to be unable to feel was the right thing in the off chance the enemy would use this against you? Or did he want you to beg for more?

You didn't want to go for the last option... but you had been so close... so very close to your finish just a second earlier.

"S-saso..." you gasped, clit throbbing as slick ran from your core. His eyebrows raised slightly at you, but no other emotions were on his face as he was regarding you like nothing was going on at all.

A phallic object was against your backside, and you wondered what it was since the Kazekage was once again behind you. 

"Well?"

"Please give me more, Sasori! I'm so close~" you gasped out, arching against the puppet at your back. Eyes pleading and half lidded on him, hoping he'd take mercy on you.

"Pathetic." He said, but did take mercy on you, the object you'd felt against your backside now prodding against your sodden core, coating itself in your natural lubricant. You gasped and groaned as the makeshift dick slowly inched in, apparently attached to the Kazekage puppet and you whined as it spread your legs wide, giving Sasori a perfect front row view of your flushed lower lips stretching around the dick pushing inside of you.

You shivered and tightened, moaning as it pulled out, dragging across your walls before unflinchingly pushing back in all the way. Sasori made it start a slow, but unforgiving pace, pushing inside of you so deep you saw stars. His name fell from your mouth with every thrust and you tried to hold his gaze with yours, failing as your eyes rolled back when your g-spot was hit. From that point on the spot was hit with perfect accuracy, almost robotically and you almost yelled out your pleasure, so close to coming once again.

"Saso- Sasori, I'm-" you gasped, but before you could finish your sentence the Kazekage puppet withdrew from you. Angry and frustrated you growled, eyes finding Sasori's bored ones as he just looked at you, seemingly unaffected by both your pleasure or your anger. "You bastard, let me-!" The puppet was now in front of you, pushing the appendage inside of your mouth roughly, and you gagged on the length as you tried to pull away, ready to cuss the puppet master out for playing with you like this.

"This is a lesson, brat. Don't be impatient." 

As if he wasn't the most impatient man on the planet.

You growled around the dick, thrashing in your restraints when you felt something prodding at both your backside and your front this time. 

He was planning on filling all holes at once, huh? The thought made you moan, slobbering on the wooden dildo in your mouth. Meanwhile Sasori wasn't quite as unaffected as he appeared.

There was a buzz in his head and his breathing had picked up. At this particular point he cursed the fact that he had removed all capabilities of intercourse for himself altogether. It had made so much sense in the past; no more distractions for him, and he never imagined he would find someone worthy anyways.. but now that he had you here like this... it wasn't regret he felt, but it sure as hell came close.

For now he slowly ran his fingers over the only part of him that still made him human, shivering at the tingling feeling it produced, but unable to feel anything more. Next time... Next time he'd make sure he created a new attachment to himself he could feel with. Just for moments like these, and nothing else.

His stomach coil had unravelled, the end prodding your backside. Like everything he made it was poisoned, but nothing that would cut your 'lesson' short as it was only really effective if you took it in through your blood. Now it would only tingle and made you numb, which was actually perfect for what he was using it for now. You were moaning around the makeshift dick, arching back against the coil, while he had another puppet slowly inch into your throbbing core. With a snap all three objects were embedded deep inside you and you yelled out, sound muffled. 

The thrusting was perfectly in sync and you pushed and arched, pulling against the restraints in vain as you chased your orgasm. It came faster than before, and this time you were finally pushed off the edge, panting through your nose as you yelled out your pleasure around the Kazekage. The dick was removed from your mouth, and you could finally voice your pleasure out loud, trying to keep the sounds in, knowing Hidan, Deidara and Kakuzu were in the hideout right now. Knowing the walls were paper thin... but you were unable to keep quiet at the onslaught of pleasure, being fucked through your orgasm roughly as you tried to get away to no avail. 

"Sasori, Sasori please-" you gasped, not really knowing what you were begging for, but quickly approaching another orgasm as you realized he was fucking you with part of his own body now. 

His ears and eyes were greedy, taking in all of your moves, your gasps of his name, the way you pushed back against his coil as he fucked you brutally to your second orgasm. Your back arching so hard he thought it might break. He was glad you weren't a puppet, and this thought both confused and frustrated him. 

He stopped only for a second, your tightening making it hard to move, but the moment you loosened up a little more he manhandled you to the floor. The Kazekage was on top of you now, replacing the unknown puppet from before, thrusting inside of you with sharp, deep strokes as you moaned and drooled in overwhelming pleasure, barely able to hold on as you gasped and teared up from overstimulation.

"Saso- ri- I've.. I've learned- my lesson-!" you gasped out, but it was like he didn't hear you, making the Kazekage fuck you to your third orgasm. You came so hard you saw stars, actually squirting as you almost doubled over from the feeling. The orgasm was so intense it actually knocked you out for a few seconds, waking up to Sasori's face studying you intently.

"I sure hope you did, brat," he said, and it took you a minute to realize he was referring to the last thing you'd gasped out in your half delirious state. "I wouldn't want to have to teach you this lesson again."

Your eyes fluttered shut. Oh, you wouldn't mind, surely. Slowly you felt yourself being picked up by cold hands as you drifted off to sleep. No, you wouldn't mind at all. 

[no-white-dress]

Icy's season 8 backstory is fine, actually

Let me start off by saying that IT IS TRUE that the execution could have been better, that it's a huge retcon on the character, that it came really late in the series. On the other hand, nothing after the first movie was exactly in the plans so the last two points are sort of weak.

Nearly every fanfiction I've read has a better backstory for the Trix (allow me a moment of self-appreciation, even mine does). I am not fond of Icy and Bloom having specular stories (Roxy was enough), although I see why the writers thought it was a good idea. However, that is not what I want to discuss.

Generally people complain about 4 things:

1) the Trix's sisterhood

2) Icy's connection to the Ancestral Witches

3) the fact that the Trix keep coming back

4) how out of the blue the backstory is

While point 4 is legit for the reasons listed above, the others are not.

1) The only evidence of the Trix being blood sisters comes from something Straffi said once like a decade ago.

The series (pre s8) goes against the Trix being blood sisters in s3, when they don't recognize each other after falling in the waters of the Black Willow.

The comics go against the Trix being blood sisters as well: in number 27 Icy recalls her childhood, saying that she used to play with Darcy, Stormy and Darko in a park where their babysitters brought them. They grew up together, but as friends.

Their design and characterization goes against them being blood sisters too: how are they all enrolled in Cloudtower at the same year if they have different ages (which is a very common headcanon)? Plus, their physical appearance tells clearly enough that they're not twins, since they would at least share some traits.

Not to mention that Darcy and Stormy could still be blood sisters.

The fact that they call each other sisters is irrelevant because there are several contexts where people call each other "brother" or "sister" but aren't siblings.

2) Icy's backstory does not contradict the fact that she is the descendant of Belladonna.

The Ancestral Witches are older than Valtor. This means that their bloodline crosses millennia. Consequently, they can be the ancestors of the Trix and not be their grandmas. Icy being a princess doesn't mean she can't have an infamous ancestor somewhere up her family tree (quite the contrary).

Realistically speaking, the Ancestors are so old that their family tree is probably forgotten by many for the most part.

Also, nowhere in the series was said that the Ancestors themselves were blood sisters either.

And I need someone to explain to me how, if the Trix are blood sisters, they can descend from their matching Ancestral Witch and not the other two. That is not how family trees work, folks.

Icy being a princess doesn't mean she can't be a witch either, as some suggest, because we see clearly with Faragonda, Mirta and Selina that you CHOOSE whether you are a fairy or a witch. Her decision of becoming a witch may be counterintuitive, but that's on the writing and I already said I have bones to pick with the writing itself.

3) I understand that the Trix constantly coming back can be boring given their underwhelming performances in s5-7 compared to the first 3 seasons, but despite everything they're the most recognizable villains, as said by @/UnicornOfWar.

4) As I said, the story IS out of the blue. But it's pointless to complain about how late in the series it came, because it's a retcon that was clearly, obviously planned when it was too late to insert hints in the previous seasons. Bad writing? Yes. Are we used to it? Also yes.

Besides, it all began with the Trix and if any season is really going to be the last, it's fair that it is one that wraps up their story as well.

I am sure that if Tecna or Flora got a backstory, a proper one, that late, people would complain about that too.

[leffee]

The scent of sizzling barbecue wafted through the air as Shahrukh, Pepper, and their friends gathered at Zoe's backyard for a casual get-together. Sunil, Penny, and Russell were already engrossed in a lively conversation near the grill, while Minka lounged on a nearby hammock.

Shahrukh leaned against the fence, his expression contemplative as he watched Vinnie, his boyfriend, help Zoe set up the outdoor table. Pepper, noticing Shahrukh's distant demeanor, approached him with a furrowed brow.

"What's up with you?" Pepper asked, her tone laced with accusation. "You've been acting weird around Vinnie lately. Being manipulative again are we?"

Shahrukh's eyes widened in disbelief. "Me? Manipulate him? Where did you get that idea?"

"Come on, Shahrukh, I've seen the way you interact with him," Pepper retorted, her voice rising. "You're always trying to control him, dictate his decisions. It's not healthy!"

Vinnie, who had been quietly setting the table, glanced up at the escalating tension between Shahrukh and Pepper but remained silent, unsure of how to intervene.

Shahrukh took a step closer to Pepper, his voice low but firm. "You don't know anything about our relationship, Pepper. Just because I care about Vinnie doesn't mean I'm trying to control him. Maybe you should mind your own business for once."

Pepper's cheeks flushed with anger, her fists clenched at her sides. "Fine, Shahrukh. If you won't listen to reason, then I guess I have nothing more to say to you."

With that, Pepper stormed off, leaving Shahrukh and Vinnie in tense silence amidst the backdrop of laughter and chatter from their friends.

Zoe noticed Pepper's stormy expression as she stormed away from Shahrukh and approached her with a concerned frown. "Hey, Pepper, what's wrong?"

Tears of anger welled up in Pepper's eyes as she recounted the heated exchange with Shahrukh. "I just don't understand him sometimes, Zo. He's so defensive about everything. I was just trying to look out for Vinnie."

Zoe listened sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on Pepper's shoulder. "I get it, Pepper. But maybe Shahrukh didn't realize how his actions were coming across. Let me talk to him, okay? I'm sure we can sort this out."

With a nod, Pepper wiped away her tears, grateful for Zoe's support.

Zoe made her way over to where Shahrukh stood, his arms crossed defiantly. "Shahrukh, can we talk for a moment?"

Shahrukh sighed, his expression weary. "What is it, Zoe?"

"Pepper's really upset," Zoe began gently. "She feels like you misunderstood her intentions earlier. Maybe you could talk to her and clear things up?"

Shahrukh's jaw clenched, his frustration evident. "Why should I apologize? She's the one who accused me of something I didn't do. If anyone should apologize, it's her."

Zoe sighed, realizing she had a difficult task ahead. "Shahrukh, I know it's frustrating, but sometimes misunderstandings happen. Maybe if you talk to Pepper, you can both see each other's perspectives.”

“No,”Shahrukh said As he walked off, Zoe stood there, stunned. Vinnie, who had been silently observing the situation, approached her with a sympathetic look. "Hey, Zoe, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. You guys should just leave Shahrukh alone," he said softly.

Zoe nodded, understanding Vinnie's stance. "Okay, Vinnie. If you say so."she said defeated. “I am going to go check on Pepper one more time.”

-This came from us talking about Shahrukh wanting control and the girls all thinking that he’s manipulating vinnie to keep him where he wants him- 

To anyone reading it who obviously doesn't have the context aside this thing above ^ in short: Sharukh is not actually manipulative or controlling :)

You know, as wrong as Pepper is, unknowingly of course, I just can't help but enjoy her being protective over Vinnie <- literally me.

I like how at the end with Zoe Sharukh is just "No," like he's not dealing with this, not even gonna try.

Ey, let me just say, Vinnie would enjoy if Sharukh was controlling (like a healthy degree of controlling, or maybe even a bit unhealthy) cause that's basically just being dominant and that's the stuff for Vinnie. Like, he doesn't have to, but since he isssssssssss.

Imagine that after that Sharukh did secretely got a little too much in his mind, overthinking and coming to a conclusion that maybe he is actually controlling and didn't even realize it. That's not true, but you know, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from being upset and maybe he would start being a little less around Vinnie and talking to him and stuff like that, just in general so it doesn't look like he's controlling him. Like one time as he has done often and without any protests from Sharukh Vinnie just casually sat down on Sharukh's lap, but Sharukh then quickly and firmly took him off of his lap, thinking that it's for the best but Vinnie's just sad :( "Pookie?"

[problematicfactive]

wow that's fucking disturbing, hope you're taking care of yourself today as a treat after that /g

Thank you!

Host is going over his lines but the stress is making us tic :(

It's a pretty common occurrence but it still gets me pretty badly every time.

On the note, I want to talk about manipulative source hate,

This came in immediately after I was banned.

Actually, let me clarify.

This person said this in MY own discord after I was banned from revenge.

I'd like to break it apart and explain why this kind of behavior isn't okay. You think you're being genuine, you're actually being an asshole.

"I kind of understand where they're coming from"

It is okay to have your own opinions, however, this person did nothing but make assumptions on how I live my life and my connection to source. They understand the other side because they were willing to hear out that sides "reasoning" for banning me (which can be seen in my last post) but they weren't willing to hear out how I live my own life. I have said it before and I always will say that hatred for problematic factives comes from ignorance on the subject. The idea we can just "get help" when in reality, this is the way our brain manifests "help." I am the help.

Also. That one person said "kys" -- this person is1 they understand where someone who wants me to commit suicide literally just because I exist "is coming from"

It IS okay to have your own opinions. But when a person is talking about how they got banned for being alive, maybe don't speak on your negative opinions of them in the moment. If you really want them to know how you feel, maybe give them time to calm down just a little? Dm them later and ask if it's okay to ask questions

This blog is primarily to educate. If you have any form of questions feel free to ask. If someone is asking you questions you feel I can answer, feel free to direct them to me.

"I don't want to see your icon, it makes me uncomfortable."

Being made uncomfortable by something is totally valid. Watching people eat makes me super uncomfortable. I'm not going to go to people who make eating content and try to manipulate them into feeling bad for EATING. Yesterday I had a different icon. It was the guy who played me but out of character. I hated it. It made ME uncomfortable and I felt like I was lying to myself. Deciding to change it to something that felt right was hard for me, but it was the decision I made. It means a lot to me and nothing to others. Just don't talk in the channels (need I remind, in MY server) where I'm talking? We have so many channels so you can avoid people that make you uncomfortable, its in the rules.

This person is focused on letting me know about their feelings, but they not once stopped to ask me about mine. That leads me into the next bit

"I know you deal with a lot of hate, but it isn't about you."

This is want I call "fake sympathy" "I know you deal with hate" is this person's way of pretending to have cared for my feelings and to justify only worrying about their own feelings throughout all of this. They don't mention how receiving this daily hate must hurt me or even how hard that must be on my health, they say "It isn't about you" (and give no further indication to whom this is about because at the end of the day, this is, in fact, about me. I'm the one who goes to bed every night hated by the internet and wakes up hated by the internet. I'm the one who can't be accepted in public places, I'm the one who people genuinely want to kill themself because of who I was sourced from. That's about me.) its simultaneously the most manipulative excuse I have EVER seen, and the poorest attempt at manipulation I've ever seen. "This isn't about you" because they are making it all about them. Again, literally just because I am alive.

"You need to show you aren't your source. Change your icon or your name."

First off, telling me what to do without me asking for anything of the sort. I've done both of these things. For a period of time, my display name was that of a creepypasta, and as I had already told that person, I also go by anxiety. Having my sourcename is not illegal, but when I didn't, I was still recognized and banned from servers in situations literally just like this one. Changing my name is doing nothing but lying to myself about my identity. Even though I am very very not connected to source, my name and appearance are the most important parts of myself to me. I've already spoken on my icon.

"Ill go. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable but this is how I personally feel"

1) the only thing you did throught all that message was make me beyond uncomfortable. You saved NO ONE the discomfort because nit only did I have to read that, the other people in the server did too

2) Why should I be expected to give half a fuck about how you feel if all you were gonna do is brush my off and side with people would literally want me to kill myself?

3) if you were gonna go, you should haveleft. Staying and giving this attention seeking speech is doing nothing but trying ti manipulate me into feeling bad for existing and making you feel uncomfortable in my server. You could have just left. You could have tried to understand things better, you could have said you were uncomfortable and left. You gave a whole shpill about how my existence makes you uncomfortable trying to get people to feel bad for you because the only thing you can do when you see me is judge me based on my source.

That is manipulative source hate.

Thank you for coming to my blog and also for being here for me.

Being able to throughly analyze this and warn others on it honestly and genuinely made me feel better

[lovely-jily]

want you to want me sober

this is part of that snippets fic i started months ago, and i figured i'd just post it here too. enjoy some fluff :))) <333

read on ao3 (if you liked this then you'll love the rest of the stuff i have in this fic)

The party had a decent turnout, although only sixth and seventh years are allowed- primarily due to the immense amount of alcohol being supplied. James thought Sirius was going a little overboard, but he insisted. He deems the excessive amount of alcohol necessary to properly celebrate James and his team's win of their first Quidditch match. 

James is only a bit tipsy. He wants to set a responsible example, a downfall that came with being Head Boy. Although getting sloshed sounded divine, he knows that he is held to different standards. Besides, watching a bunch of drunk people was almost as fun. 

Lily's one of those aforementioned drunk people. James is a bit shocked to see her take her first shot, but he doesn't entirely mind, as he knows she needs to let loose as she never really has. 

But after about seven shots and three trips to throw up in the bathroom, James figures it's time for Lily to stop letting loose and start wrapping the night up, and since he's been with her nearly the entire night, he figures he can do it. He isn't sure where any of her friends are and doesn't want to bother them when he could do it himself. 

The stairs challenge Lily, who's laughing the entire way. One bonus to being Head Boy is that it allows James to enter the girls' dormitories. He's never tried to, as he never had a reason, but figures the magic allowed him to for occasions like this. 

"You played so well during the game tonight, James," Lily says as they neared her dorm, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone look that good."

James isn't sure if she means to compliment his looks or quidditch talent, but he knows not to press. If she were sober, he'd be delighted to have a cheeky conversation about his dashing looks, but it seems unfair to take advantage of Lily in this situation. He knows she's prone to saying things she wouldn't sober, and he doesn't want to manipulate it out of her. 

"Well, if it weren't for your cheering, I don't think we could've gotten that win," is all he responds with.

Lily stops a stair ahead of him and turns around to face him, "Why didn't you kiss me at Hogsmead? Or that one time during the rainstorm?"

The sudden direct comment surprises James, as he can only raise his eyebrows and mutter a choking "Come again?" as an answer. 

"You know, I just thought you would both times, and then you didn't," Lily is less giddy now, although there isn't any form of hurt in her voice, which is a positive sign to James. Maybe this is the confirmation needed to tell James she's been feeling the same way.

"Er-I-" he starts, and then he sighs as she puts her hand on his neck, and he wraps his fingers around her wrist. He can be honest with her, as she most likely won't remember it tomorrow, "I honestly got scared."

"Do you want to kiss me now?" Lily asks him, looking at his lips. This whole situation is cruel- her taunting him when he can't do anything about it. The exact thing he has been praying for the past few years is finally happing, but his honour won't allow him to act on it. It would be so easy to let this happen, to follow her into her room and just cave in. He wonders if that's what her friends are thinking will happen. If this situation had occurred even two years ago, it would be a different outcome, but James isn't the same boy he was then. 

Besides, it's easy to want someone when you're under other influences. Standards are lowered, feelings rise, and James wants Lily sober for this sort of decision. 

"I always want to kiss you, Lily," James whispers back. The alcohol and hope of her forgetting all of this make honesty easier to produce.

Lily's eyes brighten, and her lips pull into a smile as she leans down slightly. She almost seems sober, but her swaying, slurred speech, and alcohol-scented breath say otherwise, "So why don't you?"

James exhales, brushing her hair behind her ear, "I want you to want me sober."

"I do, James-"

"I don't want our first kiss to be like this. You mean more to me than tipsy actions," James continues, and he is actively kicking himself for what he's doing, "You know I wouldn't feel good with you in this sort of condition."

Lily sighs, "You're too good to me, James."

"Not nearly what you deserve, Lily."

James hears someone walking up the stairs and see's it's Dorcus as she rounds the corner.

"There you are, Lils!" Dorcus smiles at the two of them.

Lily's eyes brighten at the sight of her friend as she excitedly claps her hands, "D, I have so much to tell you about what just happened. You're going to scream."

Dorcus reaches the two of them and raises an eyebrow at James. Of course, Lily made it seem like James really is trying to take advantage of her.

"Not what you're thinking, don't worry," James shifts to the side, letting go of Lily so Dorcus can take her.

Dorcus nods and turns to Lily, "Let's go to bed, yeah?"

"Oh, please, I hope I have another dream-"

"Off to bed!" Dorcus cuts her off in a panicked tone, leaving lots to be speculated on James's end. 

"Thank you, Potter," Dorcus smiles at him as the two girls keep walking up the stairs to reach their dorm.

"Bye, James!" Lily waves excitedly, "You better follow up on what you said to me!"

James only shakes his head as butterflies flood his chest and a broad smile fills his face. 

That was precisely the confirmation, or rather the sign that he needed.

[princeescaluswords]

Forget vague fanfic asks, I have a hugely specific one! I recently MAINLINED one your fics, the name escapes me, but it was an alternate universe where Scott goes with Deucalion, and needs help escaping the Alpha Pack. I am so curious about how you came up with the idea for Stiles's character in that fic. It was so original to me, and consistently unnerving as he referred to himself/Nogitsune as "we." Please also say the name of the fic so I can scream at anyone who sees this ask to READ IT READ IT READ IT.

The story you are referring to is The Last Part of Me, which is one of my earliest stories. I can tell because after your glowing praise I reread a chapter and realized how much I needed to revise it. I'm still glad you enjoyed it though. Thank you very much.

I had three goals when writing this story. First, I wanted to underline what sometimes gets lost in the fandom, that the villains in Teen Wolf were ultimately defeated not because of 'plot armor' but because of a theme consciously embraced by the writers: the morality of compassion and resiliency, exemplified by Scott, would be able to overcome the vengeance-driven strength of the villains in the end. Yet, for the sake of dramatic action, the narrative could never act as if it were a foregone conclusion that Scott and his pack would win. One critical incident going a different way, and things could have ended quite differently. Fandom, to their detriment, tends to extract individual scenes from their context and then evaluate them in some sort of pristine blank space. Of course, that's going to make certain people look worse or better than they are.

Second, I wanted to reinforce the idea that Scott and Stiles (and Allison and Lydia and Jackson and Isaac and so on) are teenagers in the show, and thus have only a limited amount of skills and resources to draw upon when confronting the horrors that they do. That is not to say they're incompetent; they're young! When Scott gets distracted by Allison (something that happens though not near as much as fandom implies), he's a 16-year-old feeling romantic love for the first time, not a 30-something social worker ditching his responsibilities. When Stiles mocks people's abuse and disabilities, he's a neurodivergent child coping with stress by projection, not a professional politician who should know better. The reason Scott and Stiles end up as they do in my story is because they're teenagers going through hell who simply don't have the life experiences to cope as oppose to, say, veteran first responders with access to training and support would.

Third, I wanted to write a dark story that actually explored the dimensions of defeat. In this tale, Scott and Stiles suffer mental and physical violation and social exclusion to such an extent that they can't possibly be okay at the end of it. Outside forces -- adult forces -- make deliberate decisions that leave the burden of consequences on these two characters. (To be clear, in this story it's the Hales and the Argents who make those decisions). I hope I got through to the reader at the end of the story while Scott and Stiles aren't dead, they're not in a good place and they won't be any time soon.

What I usually find when I read supposed dark stories is what I call exploitation stories. These stories are where characters commit rape and/or murder, indulge in torture and/or sexual abuse, or espouse tyranny and brutality as a lifestyle and yet the end result could be summed up as "and they lived happily ever after to the end of their days." For example, do you know how many stories I've read where Peter or Stiles murder Scott for the crime of not kissing white ass yet there are no emotional consequences for Stiles, all their friends and families either agree with the result or don't care, and not a single authority makes even an effort to investigate. Not only is the story they created morally repulsive, it's incoherent. Scott may have been the lead protagonist, but if Stiles truly believed that Scott should have submitted to the Hales, the story would have been different.

But that's academic. The point of these particular and so-called 'dark' stories isn't to explore the consequences of the break down of society and individual morality; it's about indulging in the darker aspects of the writer and the reader. I'm not arguing anything like the censorship of exploitative fiction, but it's not the same as a thoughtful exploration of a dark topic, and I reject conflating the two genres.

So I tried to write one of my own. I'm glad that someone enjoyed it.

[notanotherinfjblog]

As an introvert, how much do you choose your friends vs. how much do they choose you and you go along with them - whether it seems like a good idea or not?

Interesting question, anon, thank you! Prepare for a ramble.

I'm honestly not sure if it's really that different for introverts than for extroverts. Extroverts may have more acquaintances because they are better at striking up conversations with people, but friends are a much bigger deal than acquaintances. Becoming friends is a mutual decision. You can't befriend someone who doesn't want to befriend you back. I remember sort of befriending an ESFP in high school. She clung to me and liked me a lot more than I liked her. So I was friendly with her and she was part of our friend group, so yeah, we were kind of friends, but I never sought her out in the way that she sought me out. The connection was not mutual, so we never hung out one-on-one. You can only become proper friends if both parties want to.

The going along with people whether it's a good idea or not that you mention is something that I'd rather associate with young people. You're not quite sure yet where you fit in and where you belong, and then someone comes along and is nice to you, so you follow them just to belong somewhere. I certainly did that as a teenager, but I'm not in touch with any of the people anymore that I became friends with in such a manner. But even in cases like these it has to be mutual. You make the decision to go along with them. Or you're too afraid to say no (which is also a decision in itself if you ask me). No one is forcing you to go along with them but you. But then again: going along with people is not the same as actively choosing them to be in your life.

I guess that's the advantage of getting older: you are much more secure in who you are and become less willing to waste your time on people that you don't really like all that much, so you end up handpicking your people (or at least that's been my experience). Let's take my ENTJ friend as an example. We happened to meet at work, liked each other's company and so we keep seeking each other out on a regular basis. Since we work on completely different things and sit in separate offices, we have no real work-related reason to talk to each other besides maybe a quick "hi" in passing, and yet both of us keep making the decision to spend more and more time with each other. Or another example: my ESTJ friend adopted me during our first week of university. So yeah, she chose me first. I was shy, socially anxious and had no idea how anything worked. She was extroverted, kind and seemed to know how everything worked. And I liked her, so I chose her back. I allowed her to adopt me. She knew it took me a while to warm up to people which made it hard for me to approach people and make friends, so she told all her university friends about how cool I was, hoping that they'd want to become friends with me too. And guess what? It worked. But forming a friend group is still an entirely different thing than choosing people to be in your life. In a friend group, you are usually not equally close to everyone. You are close to some and better acquainted with others who came along as a package deal. I'm not a student anymore and the only two people from our old university friend group that I'm still very close to are said ESTJ and an INFP. All three of us live in different states now and yet all three of us keep making the decision to reach out to each other on a daily basis. We actively choose to remain a part of each other's life every single day.

Something that I always find interesting is that I gravitate towards different MBTI types for different levels of intimacy. I'm acquainted with so many ESFJs it's unreal, and I really like becoming acquainted with them. There have been a few ESFJs in different friend groups throughout my life, but I've never been really close to any of them even though ESFJs are one of the types I get along best with. We are similar enough to understand each other, but too similar to gain anything from each other's company. I also tend to get along very well with ISTPs, but neither of us ever seek each other out. When we meet, it's all good, we enjoy the conversation and then we part ways. But whenever I meet TJs, something in me usually says YES!! BEFRIEND!!! BEFRIEND!!!!! BEFRIEND!!!!!!!! They are the ones that I actively choose. And more often than not, they choose me back.