#in short just know that we can assume that the game takes place in the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 school years

[project-sekai-facts]

Only one date is ever mentioned in-game, that being 2021. Considering that the Virtual Singer Fan Festa seems to be a stand-in for Magical Mirai 2021, we can assume that the Scramble Fan FESTA! event takes place in September 2021 (the real-life MM2021 was delayed to November due to covid-19, but the pandemic doesn't exist in-universe and MM Tokyo usually takes place at the beginning of September). There are Leo/need Daily Life social media posts that show them attending Magical Mirai, and do state the year of the event, but these can be considered promotional material for the event itself rather than canon material, especially since the characters address in-game that only one year has passed since the start of the story (despite the fact they have celebrated new year's day 4 times now. Timeloop things).

Based on this date, we can actually place exactly when every main character was born. The cutoff date for Japanese schools is April 1st, making Ena the oldest main character, being a 3rd year with a birthday of April 30th, followed by Tsukasa on May 17th, so on so forth all the way down to Kohane, a 2nd year with a birthday of March 2nd.

Considering when Scramble Fan FESTA is set, Ena, who was a 2nd year at the time, would be 17 years old. That would place her date of birth as April 30th, 2004. Additionally, while Kohane, a first year at the time, should be 15 during the event, the game considers her to be 16 due to using a set age for every grade bracket. Regardless, the event setting places her date of birth as March 2nd, 2006.

Based on this, we can conclude that:

Ena, Tsukasa, Rui, and Shizuku were born in 2004

Mafuyu, Kanade, Airi, Minori, Saki, Toya, Nene, An, Ichika, Mizuki, Emu, Haruka, Honami, and Akito were born in 2005

Shiho and Kohane were born in 2006

This also means that Ena, Tsukasa and Rui are all older than the MEIKO software (released November 5th 2004), and everyone except Kohane is older than the KAITO software (released February 17th 2006). Every main character is older than Miku, the Kagamines, and Luka based on this information.

Using the information around set ages*, we can also work out rough estimates for when the side characters were born. For example, Arata, who was 19 during the first 3 years of the game, is 3 years older than the members of VBS who were all considered to be 16. Since the members of VBS were born in the April 2005 - April 2006 school year range, Arata was likely born in the 2002-2003 school year range.

* based on how characters like Youta and Miu, who are said to be the same age as Leo/need, were both confirmed to be 16 years old before the 3rd anniversary age-up. Also Haruka's age is confirmed as 16 at a point in time when she shouldn't be 16. Timeloop things.

Based on this, the oldest living side character, Kounosuke, who was 55 pre-3rd anniversary and 39 years older than Emu, was probably born between April 1966 and April 1st 1967. On the younger side of things, Hanano, who was 14 pre-3rd anni, was likely born between April of 2007 and 2008. I've put the rest of the estimated side character DOBs under the cut.

assumed age as of 3rd anniversary in brackets (literally just pre-age-up age + 1)

Rakunosuke Otori - April 2nd 1922 ~ April 1st 1923 (98 (at time of death. would be 100 if still alive))

Kounosuke Otori - April 2nd 1966 ~ April 1st 1967 (56)

Jean Riley - 1967~1968 (55)

Harumichi Aoyagi - 1968~1969 (54)

Shin'ei Shinonome - 1973~1974 (49)

Mr Yoisaki - 1975~1976 (47)

Ken Shiraishi - 1978~1979 (44)

Taiga Kotaki - 1978~1979 (44)

Yuuka Kazamatsuri - 1990~1991 (32)

Keisuke Otori - 1991~1992 (31)

Shousuke Otori - 1994~1995 (28)

Tatsuya Okazaki - 1999~2000 (23)

Ayaka Saito - 2001~2002 (21)

Hinata Otori - 2001~2002 (21)

Iori - 2002~2003 (20)

Mio - 2002~2003 (20)

Arata Tono - 2002~2003 (20)

Souma Miyata - 2002~2003 (20)

Kotaro Mita - 2004~2005 (18)

Sakurako Seiryuin - 2004~2005 (18)

Nanami "Nanamin" Hayakawa - 2004~2005 (18)

Futaba Natsuno - 2004~2005 (18)

Ayumi Tabata - 2004~2005 (18)

Hibiki Miyake - 2004~2005 (18)

Shuuta Hayashi - 2004~2005 (18)

Ibuki Taniyama - 2004~2005 (18)

Yuina Uchiyama - 2005~2006 (17)

Shouta Hayashi - 2005~2006 (17)

Miu Takagi - 2005~2006 (17)

Youta Yoshizaki - 2005~2006 (17)

Riho Hasegawa - 2005~2006 (17)

Saku Kousaka - 2005~2006 (17)

Mai - 2006~2007 (16)

Hanano Yoshizaki - 2007~2008 (15)

Ambiguous:

These ages were given in the 3rd fanbook, but there is not really any way to tell if these are the characters' ages at introduction or ages after the 3rd anniversary age-up. Here are both possible DOB ranges.

Mrs Asahina - 1980/81 or 1981/82 (41)

Yoshiki Shindou - 1982/83 or 1983/84 (39)

Yuuki Akiyama - 1999/2000 or 2000/01 (22)

Asahi Genbu - 2003/4 or 2004/5 (18)

Arisa Higure - 2004/5 or 2005/6 (17)

Additional notes (mod is rambling atp):

Rakunosuke died when he was 98 years old. In the WxS main story, Emu says that he died a year ago. Assuming Emu was 15 at the time, they have an age gap of around 83 years. The year of birth listed here was based on that assumption.

We know that Kanade's mother died aged 30, but we do not know when she died. She is still alive in flashbacks set roughly 10 years prior to the events of game.

We do not have confirmed ages for Nagi, Reki, Sakaki, MMJ's landlady or Mafuyu's father yet.

Rui suggests that Reki is the same age as him in A Story Where You Are The Star. However since it's more vague than Asahi, I left it out. However, Asahi was since confirmed as 18 when he was compared to Reki as being similar age, it is likely that Reki is also around 18 years old.

Nagi's age is left blank in the fanbook due to it not being revealed that she was dead at the time of publication. She is younger than Taiga, but we don't know by how much, but nonetheless she was likely born in the early 1980s.

No NPCs are given exact birthdays

[luveline]

jade baby I was wondering if you could do a hurt/comfort with Steve, but the reader comforting steve while he deals with his hearing loss after all the times he got beat up and stuff? Maybe he’s frustrated and she makes him feel better:’)

ty for requesting <3 fem, 1k

Steve’s eardrum was weakened after multiple traumas to the side of his head, but it’s the strangulation of vines in the Creel house that finally gives him permanent hearing loss in his left ear. Matter of time, the doctor said. 

He pretends it doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t wear the hearing aid he’s fitted for, he doesn’t go for his follow up appointments. Steve acts like he got better just like everybody else did (sort of). He doesn’t care about taking his shirt off at the pool, ‘cos you all have scars from your time in the upside down, but he doesn’t talk about his ear. 

“Woah, that kid can make a wave,” he says, squinting against the sunshine, his legs still wet from swimming. 

In the pool, Dustin and his friends play an aggressive game of Marco Polo. Max sits on the side with her feet in the water shouting Polo’s that only serve to confuse him, Lucas beside her laughing and trying to curve his own shouting with his hand. Dustin throws his arm out at them and soaks their swim shorts in retribution. 

“He’d be winning if they stopped messing with him,” you say, sitting on the lounger next to him and passing him one of the drinks from your bag. It’s still cold. “When’s Robin getting here?” 

“Uh, she’s with Nance.” 

“Oh, gotcha. When is she coming?” you ask, a little louder. 

He must have missed a couple of words and assumed you asked where she was. He frowns, turning the can of original coke you’ve given him over in his hand. 

“Steve?” 

He looks up, turning himself to you more squarely. “Yeah?” 

“Do you know when Robin’s gonna be here?” 

He presses a finger to his ear. “You just asked me that, huh?” 

“It’s okay. I’m just wondering.” 

“Uh.” He ruffles his hair, face angled down to the floor. “I don’t know. Half an hour?” 

Steve isn’t easy, he’s not promiscuous (anymore) (and who cares if he is?) but he loves flirty attention, and he’s a friend in need. Also, you have a huge awful crush on him even if you won’t admit to it. 

You put your hand on his knee. “Half an hour for you to kiss me stupid, then.” 

He lifts his head. “You wish.” He smiles at you all smug as he covers your hand with his. “Half an hour? I could rock your world.” 

You both laugh and move your hands back to your sides. Your skin feels warm where he’d held it, you can’t help smiling, but it’s obvious it hasn’t really taken his mind off of the problem. Your ruse ran out of steam too quickly. 

Steve looks down at his chest. “I’m sorry. It must be annoying, repeating what you’re saying all the time.” 

“It’s not.” 

“Come on, I know it’s the worst.” 

“Steve, it doesn’t bother me. You need me to repeat what I said, or you need me to talk louder sometimes, so I’ll do it. It doesn’t matter.” 

“It does,” he says, “I should just wear the– the hearing aid,” —his voice goes low with embarrassment— “and stop inconveniencing everybody.” 

“You’re not an inconvenience, Steve.” You tilt your head gently toward your shoulder, palm up on the chair between you. “Steve, I think everybody would agree with me when I say that we don’t mind. It’s up to you. If Max doesn’t wanna use her cane, you don’t care, do you? You just let her use your arm. It’s the same thing. Or, it feels like the same thing for us when you don’t use your hearing aid.” 

He winces. 

You really don’t like the look of it, unsure if you’ve said the wrong thing. “Well, I could learn sign,” you say. 

“What?” 

“Sign language? We could learn how to sign, and then you don’t have to wear the hearing aid, n’ you don’t have to worry I’m repeating myself.” 

“You’d do that?” 

“Yeah,” you say, smiling in bemusement. “Of course I would. And it would help anyways in places like this.” You gesture to the tens of kids shouting and splashing in the pool. “There’s so much noise. I can barely hear myself sometimes. And imagine the shit we could talk at the movies–”

“Thank you,” Steve says, surprising you with his arms suddenly reaching out. He kisses your cheek as he pulls you in, and he rubs your back gently, his face pressed to your hair. You hug him back and his arms tighten around you. 

“You’re welcome,” you say. You haven’t even done anything. 

“Seriously,” he says, giving your back a good scrunch with his hand. 

It’s worth it for the scrunch alone, but you really mean it. Of course you’d learn to sign for him, you’ll do anything he needs you to do if it’ll make him more comfortable with coping with this new change. You smile into his naked shoulder, the smell of sunscreen under your nose, his hair tickling your ear. 

“Oh, god, are you guys serious?” Robin asks. “When’s the wedding?” 

“Should’ve started with the joke,” Steve says, putting his chin atop your head rather than pulling away. You turn just enough to see Robin from the corner of your eye. 

She raises her eyebrows. “What’s going on?” 

“Nothing, just swapping out best friends for the better model.” 

“I resent that, Steve, but I choose to forgive you because I’m in a good mood and Nancy made sandwiches.” 

“My mom made them,” Nancy says from behind Robin's shoulder, looking down at the brown paper bag she’s carrying. 

They turn away from you to call the kids in for lunch. “What did she…” Steve says. 

“Her mom made sandwiches. I’ll get you a PB and J before Mike claims them all,” you promise. 

He smiles a line, nodding at you appreciatively. When you turn away, he brings a hand to his ear, and he doesn’t hate himself for something he can’t help. 

[araminakilla]

Regarding Death Wolf...

Hear me out (NO, it's not the kind you are thinking)

We know Death has a job, right? To collect souls and most likely release them to the afterlife.

And for this job, he has to be there when somebody is about to die, as demostrated with him being there moments before Puss' eight death.

Supposing he is THE Death and he has been doing this since the beginning of time (or at least when there were enough stories of the Grim Reaper to adquire a physical form) that means he has seen a lot, A LOT of awful things.

Murders, suicides, massacres, death of infants, people who didn't deserve to die alone, animal cruelty, some other heavy stuff I won't mention here, etc etc etc.

And we thought "man, how is he able to cope with all of that? That job has to be utter torture for someone."

Probably many of you could think that he is able to do that because he is Death, and he was "born" with that purpose and only him can reap souls perfectly.

But while he is a force of nature, he also WAS a force of nature. Let me explain it well: He adquired a personality enough to be angry, excited, frustrated, amazed, happy, among other emotions.

While he has supernatural power and is most likely the most powerful being in the Shrek Franchise (or in Dreamworks as many say) he is also a PERSON.

Someone with a code of honor, morals, opinions, beliefs, etc.

Returning to the question "How can he bear all of that?" taking into account he is no longer an inevitable force, but a character of his own.

The answer is something you may relate to, and that is: Creativity and escapism.

To be the embodiment of Death, the guy is a very creative fella.

First of all, his design. I heard many people saying here and in Twitter that his design is something they would come up in their edgy, teen years of drawing their first fursona.

Guess what? They are right, the wolf form is someone's fursona. It's DEATH'S fursona. He clearly came up with this badass, piercing canine form to blend with the Fairy Tale Land assuming the form of the "Big Bad Wolf". He most likely had other forms he designed over the centuries and was able to present as them like if he were on a role play game in the living world.

His sickles? The weapon of choice with the little crossed cats on it to have a bigger effect of terror for Puss? Those who can become knuckles and join to create a scythe? Those are his creation, probably after thinking it for a while and writing all of those functions on a paper.

The way he presents himself? In the bar? The coins in his eyes as a "watching you" sign while being a cool reference to the Ferryman of souls? He transforming Perrito's forest into the background of a skull? The chilling reveal at the Cave of Lost Souls? The fire ring? It was all him.

As for the escapism part...

When the world becomes too heavy to deal with as real life issues tend to make us feel bad, depressed, angry... we tend to escape it somewhere. And in our time the common place would be the internet as in webpages or comics, stories, etc.

But what has to do with Death Wolf you may ask?

Well, while he would NEVER be able to escape his job entirely, he can have moments where he can enjoy a good hunt of people who don't appreciate life, like the whole plot of the Puss in Boots sequel could demostrate.

He managed to have a little time outside his eternal routine to chase an arrogant cat who took life for granted. He enjoyed it, it was thrilling, it was exciting.

It was a way to escape a monotonous, grim "life", if just for a short moment.

So, when the chase ended as his prey no longer feared him and now was ready to fight for his last life, the wolf retreats, happy for Puss' character development but resigned because he once again had to return to "The Eternal Duty"

And that's not even counting all the times Jack "I'm dead inside" Horner had to interrupt Lobo's hunt and remind him of his job even in his "spare time"

Death knew the chase had to end eventually, but he didn't want it to end.

He didn't want to return to his own world

And if we look at Death like that, then he is probably one of the most relatable characters Dreamworks has ever make.

In the Shrek Franchise:

Monsters can be loved

Princesses don't have to fit the perfect standards of beauty

Handsome guys can be possesive jerks

Love at first sight doesn't work like one would think

Happily ever afters had to be built and not just obtain them with magic

And Death is the most creative and "full of life" being in the world

Because he would absolutely go crazy with his life/work if he wasn't.

Because in a world of Kings, Poets and Soldiers, he's the Supreme King

And he's also a perky goth but none of you are ready for that conversation.

[brattyfork]

can you write a matt smut that starts out as reader cockwarming him while he plays his game and he loses and moves around and reader moans from it and it continues from there?

good luck charm

summary: matt’s been playing video games for too long, you get bored

warnings: cockwarming, soft dom/daddy matt, humiliation if u look close enough

somewhat inspired by @somethingheavenknows “gaming chair”

“matttyyyy” i whined “im bored”

my boyfriend had been playing fortnite for hours, no exaggeration, and i needed attention.

normally i had no issue with him playing video games, it gave me a chance to just hang out in his bed and go on my phone, occasionally color or play a game myself. but ever since “og fortnite” came back, he was always on his pc.

“wanna come sit on my lap?”

i groaned but it was better than nothing, then i got an idea. i slipped off my sweatpants i was wearing and unclasped my bra, pulling it through my sleeve. this left me in matt’s pink hershey bear tee and some black lace panties.

i walked over to him, sliding my hand on his shoulder and arm before he looked at me, quickly turning his attention back to the game. then, just as quickly, he looked back at me, his eyes going from my face, to my chest, then my thighs and back up again. i gave him an innocent smile and he smirked in return. matt patted his lap. i obeyed, awkwardly climbing over him and adjusting myself until i was comfy.

“better?” he asked genuinely.

“a little” he gave me a sweet kiss before i nuzzled (xD) my head into his neck, his scent filled up my lungs, intoxicating me.

after another ten minutes, i got bored again, short attention span i guess. i lifted my head slightly, so i was level with his ear, and pulled off the headphone covering it.

“can i give you a hickey daddy?”

he put his headphone back over his ear, which i assumed meant no. i rested back where i had been, trying to hide my disappointment.

“hey guys, i’ll keep playing but i don’t wanna be on call anymore, you’re too loud” i smiled, hearing the guys on the other side protesting.

“bye guys” he said, taking off his headset and unplugging it.

“you wanna mark me baby? make sure everyone knows i’m yours?”

“yes daddy” i whispered into his ear. i could feel him hardening under me.

“go ahead my love”

as soon as matt gave me the green light i began placing kisses all along his neck, making him chuckle lightly. i picked a spot everyone could see and began sucking my mark into him. i could feel him getting harder by the second, only amping me up more. i wanted more, i needed more.

i ground down into him, pulling a groan from him before he moved one of his hands from the controller to my hip and squeezing. hard.

“you gotta stay still baby”

“i need more daddy please”

he was quiet for a second, thinking of ways we could both get what we want. a smile crept up on his face.

“you wanna be my cockwarmer?”

i pulled back, a smile forming on my face while i nodded. he already knew the answer, seeing as it was one of my favorite things to do.

“words princess”

“yes, want you inside me daddy”

he gave me a quick kiss before placing his controller on the desk in front of him. he smacked my ass lightly, his way of telling me to sit up so he could pull his sweats and boxers down. he moved my panties to the side, feeling how wet i was in the process.

“aw my poor baby, you’re soaked” he teased.

i just whined, pulling him into a kiss as he used my arousal to slick up his cock. he lined himself up, pressing my thighs and making me sink down on him. i tried to pull away from the kiss to let my moans out but he bit my lip and swallowed my noises.

once i had bottomed out, matt pulled away from the kiss and brought his hand up to my face. he had such a hard grip on my face that i couldn’t look anywhere but him.

“wanna play a game baby?”

i looked at him confused, pouting a bit because i did not want to play video games.

“you’ll like it i promise” he smiled, staring into my eyes. “i’m gonna play another round with the guys, you’re going to sit here and be a good cockwarmer” i frowned. as much as i loved cockwarming him, i needed more, i just wanted him to fuck me already.

“and if you’re a good cockwarmer, which means no moving, no sounds, no clenching, then daddy’ll fuck you however you want.”

i perked up, my eyes meeting his again. i smiled and nodded, this was gonna be fun.

“i’m gonna get back on the call, you’re gonna be silent. you wouldn’t want everyone hearing your sweet noises” i might actually want that.

“or maybe you do, maybe you want everyone to know what a little slut you are for daddy” fuck, he can read my mind.

i nestled my head in his neck again, feeling my cheeks heat up from embarrassment.

“either way, you’re going to be silent, be good for daddy. understood?”

“i understand daddy” i squeaked out, knowing he would want verbal confirmation. “my smart little girl” i smiled at the praise.

i let out a big sigh, getting as comfortable as i could while matt opened the discord (LMFAO) app on his phone and hopped on the channel with everyone.

“hey i’m back” he said, placing his phone on the desk and grabbing his controller.

“why?” someone whose voice i didn’t recognize asked.

“i got bored” lie

“what about y/n?” i tensed up when i heard nick say my name.

“she’s good” he placed a kiss on my cheek, letting me know i was doing well, “she’s zoned out on tiktok” another lie

i held back a giggle, amused by his very blatant lies.

it had been about twenty minutes and if we’re being honest i was a mess. i was basically drooling all over matt’s shirt but i was being good. i hadn’t moved or clenched and i stayed silent. it was hard but i just focused on how good it would be when he finally fucked me.

at one point, matt started button mashing, tensing his cock inside me. out of instinct and desperate to not make any noise, i bit down on his shoulder. i expected some reprimand from him but he said nothing. i decided that might be a good way to distract myself.

i started slowly placing wet kisses down his neck and shoulder, seeing if he would stop me. he didn’t though, he kept playing his game, making small talk with his friends. i began sucking small hickies into his shoulder and neck, his tank top allowing me access to more skin. it was a good coping mechanism, until they lost.

“damnit chris!” matt shouted, the other guys making similar remarks. in his anger, he pushed up into me, making me bite down on his shoulder again to hold back any noise.

matt leaned forward and ended the call, leaving his controller next to his phone.

“‘m sorry daddy” i felt bad, tears filled my lash line at the thought of him being mad at me.

“it’s okay angel, it’s not your fault i lost, if anything you helped, my little good luck charm” he rubbed my back, giving me a kiss on my head, still buried in his neck.

matt pulled my head back, cupping my face in his hands. he looked into my eyes and must’ve saw the tears because his expression dropped.

“hey, hey baby, don’t cry. are you okay?”

“jus don’t want you to be mad at me”

he pulled me into a sweet short kiss before disconnecting out lips and pressing his forehead against mine.

“daddy’s not mad sweetheart, you were so good for me” i could hear the relief in his voice, knowing i wasn’t hurt.

“and because you were so good, daddy’s gonna fuck you however you want. you still want that baby?”

i nodded frantically, him stilling my movements by kissing me. matt stood up, holding right underneath my ass. i gasped into the kiss, which was muffled in his lips. matt kept kissing me, fighting to explore my mouth with his tongue. there was no need though, i parted my lips, letting him in with no resistance from me. he kicked his bottoms off and placed me on the bed, hovering over me. he moved his kisses down my neck, nipping at my skin.

“how do you want me to fuck you angel?”

i honestly hadn’t thought about it, despite how much time i had, but the feeling of his weight on top of me, the thought of our chests pressed together and being able to watch his face contort in pleasure made the choice easy.

“fuck, like this daddy please, wanna see you” i grabbed at his shirt, pulling it up his torso as much as i could before he yanked it over his head.

matt pulled my shirt up and lifted it gently over my head, careful not to get it stuck on my nose or ears. i blushed at the simple gesture, he was always so gentle with me, even when he wanted to ruin me, matt made sure i was comfortable.

he finally began thrusting into me, my eyes rolled into the back of my head. i was getting the pleasure i had been craving for the last hour, and it was incredible.

“god you feel so good baby, so warm and tight” his words drove me crazy and he knew it.

i could feel my orgasm approaching quickly, matt’s deep thrusts becoming too much.

“daddy, ‘m close” i whined.

“gonna cum already baby? is daddy making you feel that good?”

“yes fuck feels so good”

“let go for me princess, be a good girl and cum on my cock” he sped up his thrusts.

i let out a moan that could almost be classified as a scream as matt fucked me through my high. but i quickly realized, he wasn’t stopping.

“daddy! s’too much” i yelled, clawing my nails down his back and along his arms.

“you can take it baby, you’re gonna cum one more time for me okay? whenever you’re ready”

i let out the most pathetic, lewd noises known to man as matt ruthlessly pounded into me. the only term to describe it was euphoric, i was seeing stars every time i closed my eyes. i could feel my orgasm creeping up on me again, i wanted to warn matt but i couldn’t form a sentence. i babbled at him, parts of words coming out between whines and moans.

“close again angel?” i just whimpered at him, hoping he’d know what i meant.

“go on baby, i wanna feel you clench around me then daddy’ll fill you with his cum” he whispered into my ear, speeding up his thrusts even more if possible. i needed him to cum inside me, i felt like i’d die if i didn’t feel him fill me up.

“please” i managed to squeak out.

i let out a loud cry before matt placed his lips on mine, absorbing any noise i made. as soon as i came, i felt his hot cum coating my walls. he fucked me through both of our orgasms before collapsing on top of me. it was the most incredible feeling i’ve ever experienced, i felt like i was floating, despite his weight on top of me.

matt propped himself up on his elbows and began peppering my face with kisses. i giggled, pulling my hands up to my face to try and cover it. he grabbed my wrists moving them away and placed a passionate kiss to my lips. it was the kind of kiss that says ‘i love you, i cherish you’ without any words. matt pulled away.

“you okay my love?” he asked, finally pulling out of me. i felt so empty without him, it was such a strange feeling.

“mhm” i nodded.

“you wanna take a nap?”

“yes please”

matt began to pull out of me but i wrapped my legs around him, my feet kicking his butt. (lol) he looked at me confused.

“can you stay inside me?” i looked up at him, making the best puppy eyes i could. the thought of him pulling out, not being filled by him, honestly made me sad.

“are you sure baby?” he knew i liked cockwarming but not this much.

“please, i feel so full, it feels so fucking good” he giggled at me, kissing all over my face again.

“do you know how much i love you?” he placed a kiss on my forehead, “how cute you are?” a kiss on my nose, “how goddamn sexy you are?” finally kissing my lips.

“i think i have an idea”

[kachowder]

Hii! I just saw your Loren art work and HE. IS.SO. CUTEEE!!! 💖💖 the pink collar around his neck is 😍😍 but it made me think of a funny scenario (most likely one where reader knows about his obsession with them and uses it to their advantage)

It was a huge game for the college team. Almost everyone and their grand mama came to see it! Two rival teams competing against each other, both known for their long streaks of winning, and not only that! Loren’s darling is on the sidelines cheering him on! (You are probably just watching the game bored out of your mind cuz the coach FORCED you to be there *saying it’ll give them a higher chance of winning*) unfortunately though Loren’s team seems to be losing by a couple points. The stands are restless and the other teams stands even started mocking the players! With Loren’s coach yelling and hollering he suddenly got an idea.

Coach: OY! Number 13’s (girlfriend/boyfriend)! Get over here!

Surprised at the sudden call over you quickly walked over to him. “What-“ “-no time for Lilly gagging! I need you to give number 13 a pep talk! Some type of motivation! You hear me!? I ain’t gonna let these assholes win!!” He cut you off and told you what to do. Thinking for a minute as he pushed you to where Loren was taking a break on the bench, a thought popped up. You sighed and stood in front of him, he looked up to you in with that cute gaze and a sad smile. “Hey (y/n), I know this ain’t look too good but I bet we can still turn this around!” He tried to stay positive (as positive as you can get when making a fool of your self in front of your crush). You just lowered yourself to his eye level and started talking.

(Y/n): don’t worry bout that, don’t worry about what already happened. Just focus on what you do next. Cuz like you said you still have time to turn it around. *you grabbed the back of his neck and leaned into his ear, whispering* if you do manage to win,I’ll celebrate with you-give you a reward. I’ll do things so VILE to you that it’ll make the devil blush~ *giving him a smirk and a kiss on the cheek you left him on the bench*

Meanwhile the other team:”We are destroying those fools!” “They can’t keep up with us!” “That trophy is—wait do y’all hear boss music??”

Long story short Loren’s team won, the other team had most of their players end up in the hospital and he didn’t leave your apartment for almost 3 days after. (He also couldn’t walk properly for a whole week and had to wear more “covering” clothes for a while) —💖💖 anon

I almost feel like I don’t need to write anything at this point! The scenario is too good too pass up though.

——————————

Loren was frustrated. You could see it from where you sat on the teams bench. Technically, you weren’t supposed to be sat their, as it was reserved for the team and all, but the coach had made an exception for you on account of Loren’s-….crush. Or whatever it was. You didn’t know and you didn’t care.

But you had to admit, seeing that look on his face was a little upsetting. The guy had been sweet to you. A little overbearing, but sweet. And you found it a bit hard to deny the butterflies in your stomach whenever he looked so eager for praise or attention from you.

You weren’t stupid. Loren had made his intentions very clear after the first few meetings. “My lucky charm” he so often said. You found that almost laughable, what with how unlucky you often seemed to be.

That felt all the more true when you watched Loren let out a frustrated sigh, his helmet being roughly pulled from his head as the coach called a time out.

You watched, in a somewhat flattered manner, as narrowed brown eyes found their place on you, and subsequently widened in shock and awe. A wide smile broke onto the star players face as he made a beeline straight towards you.

You stood up once he came to a stop infront of the bench you occupied, and handed him his water bottle.

Loren’s tan cheeks flushed darkly, though you weren’t ignorant enough to assume it was from sweat with the way he was staring at you.

It was intense enough to make your heart beat just a little faster.

He panted after a quick sip, trying to catch his breath and not sound more pathetic than he felt.

“What-“ a deep breath “what’re you doing here? I thought you had a test tomorrow?”

Loren didn’t do much to hide how happy he was seeing you. Though the embarrassment of his previous play seemed to quickly settle in when he realized you had been watching him flounder about on the field.

You gave a soft huff and folded your arms. “Yeah-, well.” You glanced to the side, a bit shyly. You weren’t embarrassed. Only a little actually. Maybe a lot. “I finished early and decided to come see the game. A friend of mine told me it was a big deal or something so I figured I’d might as well.” Actually you knew the whole time. And you skipped studying. The real reason you showed up was because you felt guilty after seeing his face when you first rejected the offer.

God it payed to be pretty didn’t it?

Loren’s smile became all the wider at your answer. Though you spotted what seemed like mirth dancing in his eyes, before he shook his head of the cold water he sprayed onto it and looked deeply at you.

“Well I’m glad you came. Though, I wish you hadn’t see us getting our asses kicked out there..”

Jesus that kicked puppy look was killing you. You imagined he probably felt the brunt of his teams failure. Since he was the captain and all. You felt a bit bad for the guy.

“….”

You bit your lip softly.

Am I really about to do this?

If there was one thing you learned about Loren, Is he was driven by motivation. And nothing got him more motivated than you. He was more like a dog than people realized.

With only a few minutes left in the game, you decided it was a now or never situation. Besides, it wasn’t the worse case scenario.

You didn’t mine the idea actually.

With quick resolve you gripped the front of Loren’s jersey with one hand, yanked him down to your height and gripped the hair on the back of his neck firmly with the other, earning a startled grunt from the burly player who looked at you with wide glazed over eyes.

The way he was staring at you was borderline…..

Whatever that wasn’t important right now.

“Loren. I don’t know why the fuck your playing like shit right now.” Your heart ached at the borderline whimper that poured from the poor brunettes chest, “But I know damn well you can kick this shitty little teams ass.”

Loren’s breath cought in his throat for a moment, and he stared deeply in your eyes as if searching for any hint that you didn’t believe what you just said. But when he found nothing he swallowed thickly with a raging flush.

“(Y/n)…”

Time to real him in.

With a heavy exhale you furrowed your brows and gripped tighter on to his shirt.

“If you make a come back and win this game…”

“I’ll give you a kiss.”

.

.

.

Somehow the deafening roar of the two teams crowds faded instantly into white noise. The bright lights of the night poles buzzed dully in your ears as Loren’s brown eyes burned so hard into you, you swore you’d go blind.

“On the lips?”

“On the lips.”

You watched as this 6’6 hunk of man slid onto his knees in front of you, and you forced yourself not to whip around in embarrassment at the sight and the possibly of a dozen eyes watching you.

Loren breathed deeply, pushing his head into your stomach softly, like a dog asking to be pet, and you couldn’t stop yourself from running your fingers through is soft wet hair.

He shuddered, and shakily exhaled. “Promise?” He begged this wasn’t a cruel joke. Something you were going to hang over head.

“Promise.”

Holy fuck

You’d never seen a guy bolt up like that before. With nimble feet he grabbed your hand and placed a gentle kiss on the pads of your fingers, like a promise of what was to come, before turning around and marching onto the field, helmet now securely placed on his head.

The aura he had was intense. Like he was officially in the game for the first time that night. And it seemed both teams realized this, with the way their shoulders tensed and the audience grew more frenzied.

It was over before the enemy could even blink, and the sound of cheers that followed was deafening.

You could feel yourself smile a bit at the sight of Loren’s teammates crowding around him excitedly, like kids who just won a new toy.

He laughed loudly, though quickly jerked away from their hold and ran to you.

He was out of breath when he reached you, and the furious red on his cheeks was very telling. In fact, you were pretty sure the sweat and heavy breathing wasn’t from the game he just played.

Guess you had to commit now huh?

Loren’s gaze was nothing short of eager and desperate, and the way he licked his lips, seemingly unconsciously made the whole thing seem much more vulgar than it actually was.

It was just a kiss right? Probably barely even a peck.

You should’ve known that Loren was gonna get as much out of that single kiss as he could though.

With quick confirmation from you, Loren’s large rough hands took careful hold of your face. He already looked ruined from just touching you, though that may have been the post game sweat.

Time slowed briefly, and before you knew it you felt a heavy breath on your lips, where the star players hovered for a moment before finally pressing down.

It was soft at first. Gentle. His hand moved to the back of your head, pulling you closer amongst the screams and roars of the fans who watched in awe.

Some angry. Most charmed by the romantic display.

Though when Loren’s other hand slid to your lower back, and his foot inched forward to press further into you, causing you trip, the noises faded out again.

Because Loren didn’t stop kissing you. Even when you’d fallen and your mouth popped open to gasp slightly, and his arms caught your head and cradled it tenderly and possessively, he continued to kiss you. Deeply, passionately, and above all else desperately.

What was supposed to be a pretty and simple kiss quickly turned into a make out, Loren’s hands groping at varying parts of your body but never breaking away. Your hands subsequently finding themselves tangled in his spiky soft hair.

At the sound of a low groan pouring from Loren’s lips you snapped out of it and pushed him away, though he resisted for a moment before remembering where he was.

Lifting himself up, he didn’t appear the least bit embarrassed by the public display as he hovered over you on the dewey grass field.

He looked almost frustrated at the interruption if anything.

The sky was dark above him, and the faint artificial lights glowed around you in his eyes. Though you could’ve argued similarly.

He almost looked angelic. If it hadn’t been for the look in his eyes and the odd firmness on your thigh.

Your embarrassment reached its peak when the coach blew his whistle at the two of you.

“Alright Ortega quite snoggin and get your puebescent ass over here! We still gotta wash up and go over the game! ”

Fuck you wanted to crawl in a hole and die so badly. At least your team won the game right?

It was best you didn’t know the only reason they had been losing in the first place was because a certain wonder boy was pouting over your previous rejection.

[leonstoenailunderhisbed]

I just got out of my psychology class and I kept having thoughts about Leon and how his mind works. Here’s a psychoanalysis on Leon bc I truly do like how his brain works:

TW: mentions of mental illnesses, substances, substance abuse, suicide. (Guys- I am not a medical psychologist or a medical psychiatrist. This is strictly based on my psychology class, take this with a grain of salt.)

Leon suffers from Combat and Violence Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This type of PTSD (because there’s subcategories) is most often common in veterans and in men.

More often than not, one can tell when someone’s suffering PTSD (flat voice, substance abuse, inability to sleep, change in personality, etc.)

Leon in RE2/RE2R didn’t necessarily show signs of PTSD until after the events took place. Leon was too busy trying to survive that his brain shut off the emotions he was feeling “in the heat of the moment.” He was scared but it was his survival instinct that allowed him (or the player) to move forward. Hence why I think he also suffered from Depression and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD).

ASD is commonly found in patients with PTSD, ASD is kind of like the first stage after a traumatic event took place. PTSD victims often find themselves having frequent panic attacks. I think it would be safe to assume that Leon in RE2/RE2R had several panic attacks during or after Raccoon City. I don’t think he’d go to therapy/psychiatrist/psychologist because in RE4R he stated that he immediately got called to the White House after he survived RC. And this is where I think it got worse.

RE4 and RE4R both portray very distinct Leon characters. One is more “fine” than the other in short words. Leon in RE4og doesn’t necessarily show signs of having mental issues but maybe he’s just good at masking them. Leon in RE4og often finds himself being very witty or very lean back. He’s less serious but I think it’s a coping mechanism. Up to that point in his life, he’s been in very serious situations that I think this is his way of gaining some of that control he lost when the virus first started. His brain is fighting battles of being in control or letting others control him. In this case- the situation is controlling him. He wants to have that sense of individuality and most of the time this is a coping mechanism. To gain back some of the things he’s lost in the process.

In RE4R, however (and I’m going to be very bold with this one), we don’t know much about how he feels. He is flat and his demeanor is distant to an extent. I’ve noticed a few changes to him from when he first started the game to where the player made it halfway. In the beginning of the game (when he’s with the two Spanish cops) he’s similar to RE4og- sarcastic and a little unserious. Which can be guessed as his normal personality. He doesn’t really show how much he’s actually been through with those two strangers. He’s got better things to worry about- he neglects his own issues. When he tries to find Ashley and he sees the zombies again- his PTSD gets triggered and it makes him be able to pull the trigger (aside from the player lol) There are few types of reactions when PTSD gets triggered and I think Leon’s reaction is a bit depressing.

When Leon sees these zombies again, his brain automatically jumps back to the memories of Raccoon City and almost immediately finds himself back in his former self’s shoes. But he doesn’t have time to linger, he forces those thoughts away and keeps going. I don’t think he wants to have time to think about what just happened because he’s often trying to keep his brain occupied “sorry, must’ve slipped” or any other phrase he says makes me believe that he’s just trying to make himself laugh (because believe it or not, laughter really does help with mental issues) or he’s trying to make the situation seem lighter. Or maybe he’s in denial, his brain hasn’t processed that the same thing that happened in RC is happening all over again. And when you’re in denial, you are repressed. Sigmund Freud said that repression is when someone turns something (trauma, thoughts, events, feelings) away. They deliberately choose to cast their thoughts and feelings aside. Leon bottles his emotions, it’s his defense mechanism. He doesn’t smoke (as mentioned in the game) nor does he drink (there’s a Reddit post that perfectly summed it up for me) He knows substances aren’t good for you and the fact that he’s against them makes me believe that he has other ways of dealing with PTSD such as exercise. I’m not saying this just because Leon looks very built, I want to think that maybe half the reason he works out isn’t just for his job. I think it also because it helps him mentally.

Mobility, sleep, and nutrition are the most important things to keep yourself mentally and physically healthy.

I’ll get on to RE6 because in that game, he pulled a 180 imo. RE6 Leon is more empathetic. He cares about the people that could’ve survived. He suffers from survivor’s guilt. After RE4/RE4R, Leon probably became more aware of his struggles and has tried to deal with them. He’s become more human, he’s allowed himself to feel human. He’s still the same serious guy with the flat effect but he’s becoming more open about his thoughts and feelings. I think the game is trying to hint at us that MAYBE he’s getting better. (Guys this is a stretch okay. RE6 is lowkey messy)

Now on to the films (I’ve done the liberty of researching a ‘order’ of when these may have taken place and not by the release date order so you guys won’t get confused):

ID Leon: He’s very compassionate in this one. He has a sense of self righteousness but I know why. He wants to make up for the losses of the people he’s seen die. He wants to fight against the corporation and wants to end the spread (submarine scene when he talks about RC) He wants to make up for what he couldn’t save. (Hence why he didn’t give Claire the chip- he wanted to protect her because he cares for her)

Degeneration Leon: Protection can only go a long way. Leon is more… assertive in his objectives, if you will. He’s back in his RE4 days in other words (any of the two games tbh, this Leon is complex) Leon wants to keep fighting for his cause. Not only is he forced to be a soldier for the government but he also has found a drive. All his pent up PTSD and trauma has shifted into something else. If no one could’ve been the hero then HE’LL be the hero himself, does that make sense?

Damnation Leon: Haha Russia go brr (sorry) Again, he’s become more chill. When he’s with JD, he’s funny but still cautious (bc let’s be honest, JD could’ve still shot his ass) nothing much to comment, I think he’s been consistent since Degeneration.

Vendetta Leon: NOW WE GETTING JUICY. This man- this Leon is the epitome of what a relapse does to you. Leon is seen drinking away his problems. He’s relapsed back into the mentality where his brain is finally processing everything. He’s even tried to attempt suicide- that’s how bad he got. His PTSD, his ASD, depression (bc you can’t tell me he didn’t have depression) it all came back to him and it made him feel shitty. He lost his power over himself, he no longer feels useful. He feels empty and broken. That’s sh he drowns himself in his own sorrows. Because he’s learned that if you drink until you pass out, you don’t dream. He doesn’t sleep- no. He’d rather black out because when you’re in an unconscious state, you don’t dream at all. You’re simply just lying there on the floor with your eyes closed. And that’s the feeling Leon wants to feel. He wants to forget everything for one minute and just calm down. And alcohol does that to you, that’s why people with PTSD become addicted to substances.

DI Leon: homeboy somehow got better (I’ve yet to watch DI lol) but from what I’ve seen, he’s definitely back to his “normal” self. He probably learned that maybe living life is the best thing. That if his attempt would’ve succeeded, then he wouldn’t have been able to live to his fullest. Regret makes people do a lot of things and I think Leon matured and learned.

[lorelune]

(aventurine x reader /// continuation of this concept)

"explain to me," the good doctor demands, "why do you need my help?"

"because." you fumble around you're words. your lips feel cold. herta's space station, especially this deep in it's bowels, is an unpleasant place to have any conversation, let alone one that is also unpleasant. "i don't have time."

"and you assume i do?"

"partially?" you rub a hand over your cheek. "throw me a bone here, doctor."

ratio has been sizing you up for the better part of half an hour, scrutinizing your intent in any way he can. you have been skillfully attempting to dodge most of those attempts, but veritas ratio is as diligent a man as he is intelligent. which is to say that he is not letting up until you divulge the truth.

you sigh.

"you will explain to me," he says outright, gaze piercing. "how one of the intelligentsia guild's most esteemed researchers needs help with an algorithm that is far below both of our skill levels. it's insulting to both myself, and yourself."

you sigh again, deeper and harder, "i, once again, do not have time. i have the 'full time job' of handling aventurine's odds, and those calculations don't run like any other odds i've ever worked with, and he is a variable constantly in motion. i need help making this algorithm so i can have some assistance with my main job at hand."

the doctor scoffs, and walks a circle around you, "i'm sure he's just thrilled with the company."

"we— he manages."

more than. but, veritas doesn't need to know that. you're sure he'll figure it out eventually.

veritas tagged the briefcase on a nearby table. it's gleaming, with a discreet ipc logo embossed on the side. the sight of it makes you nauseous with anxiety.

"is this bribe from him?" he asks.

"no." you've stopped aventurine anytime he has tried to intervene and make things easier for you. he rarely listens, but your relationship with ratio and the guild make him somewhat neutral territory. "higher up."

"i assume diamond wouldn't bother to dirty her hands. so, jade?"

"yes."

dr. ratio, for the first time, seriously considers your offer. then scowls. "it would be a waste of my time."

you sigh. there was a 67.22% chance of this outcome. luckily, you have gamed out the conversation from here.

"so you can't?"

"you know i can."

then, you laugh, and shake your head. "yes, i do. sorry to tease. i'm quite tired."

"you should go find your gambler." veritas crosses his arms, looking sidelong at the briefcase.

"i will, eventually." you turn your back to veritas as you begin to leave the open atrium. the air is hollow and frigid. "i'll just ask some other intelligentsia guild members about the project first. i'm sure they'd be happy to help."

you only take a few steps before dr. ratio grabs your arm. his grip is far too strong.

(chance of failure to secure dr. veritas ratio's assistance: decreased by 31%.)

"don't bother them."

"someone needs to help." you turn back to look at him, expression schooled. "and if you won't, i'm very sure someone else will be happy to work beside 'one of the intelligentsia guild's most esteemed researchers'. or, does such a title not truly apply considering i've been ousted from my previous position?"

he frowns, but before he can speak, you interrupt him. you haven't seen veritas since being tied down to your current post. you haven't let him have it. he deserves it, maybe.

"i heard from jade that i received a glowing recommendation from another well-respected scholar. apparently, the position was being considered for either one of us. somehow, with that recommendation, i drew the short end of the stick and now play handler for a man with a death wish and a statistically measurable chaos quotient that's ever-changing in multiples of three."

veritas's face is unmoving. unchanging. but you know you've struck something. it was to be him or you in this position. and you don't have the pride he does. you place your hand over top of his, posed to speak, to tear him apart—

a shrill ringtone shatters the tension. it's yours. you already know who it is.

you flip your phone open with one hand, still staring at ratio.

"hello," aventurine's voice beckons from the other side, smug and smooth. "where is my favorite, most brilliant mind hiding out? we're due to leave soon."

"sadly, with another one of your favorite, brilliant minds. i'll be finished up shortly and meet you at the docks."

"aw, did he not get onboard? that's quite the choice for him to be making. do you want me to give him a talking to you?"

"no, it's fine. i'm working something out."

"you sound upset."

"i'm tired." you rub at your eyes and break away from veritas with a yawn.

"you can nap on the ship. we have quite the journey."

"that we do. i'll see you in a bit?"

"see you there." you can hear the smirk in his voice.

sending you down to veritas alone was aventurine's gamble. one that is working out, predictably. never mind the damage your reputation will take after these next moments. you close the phone with a sigh and begin toward the grand elevator.

"veritas," you call his name. "i forgive you, for what it's worth. try not to do it again."

"i couldn't."

you laugh and shake your head as you ascend. by the time you arrive at the docks, the ipc's premier vessel is packed away and priming its engines. lights and sirens echo from it. aventurine's idles outside, waiting for you. he beams when he sees you.

"so," he whistles, guiding you with a hand on your lower back. you let him. "was the good doctor as prickly as ever?”

"if not more so" you admit. aventurine gestures with a sweeping hand to your shared quarters for the time being. there's a single bed, but you're used to this. you've come not to mind it. "i think i bruised his ego."

with a genuine laugh, “i don’t think that's possible."

"want to bet on that?" you ask.

your phone's text tone chimes and you shoot aventurine a sharp smile.

aventurine's odds are ridiculous. ever changing, constantly moving. none of your perceptions and calculations that are usually steadfast and unmoving can keep up with him. not with efficiency, anyways. it's exhausting work. however, the likelihoods of everything but aventurine? the predictions of a man like ratio?

easy. simple. you could do them in your sleep.

aventurine squishes against your side as you open your newest message.

[SENDER: Doctor Ratio <intelligentsia guild>]

> here is a first draft. forgo payment. i do not need to be in the stonehearts’ pocket.

[file attached: STONE ALGORITHM DRAFT 1.0.spqxxxiun.pqo]

aventurine laughs, muffling it against the side of your neck. his teeth are sharp and his breath is warm. it settles something in you. you lean into him and deflate, sliding down into your lap so your head is pillows there. a gloved hand cards through your hair.

"you're quite good at the game, when you choose to play." aventurine reminds you. he tells you this often.

"i know." you turn your face into his hand as the ship rumbles. "but it's your job."

aventurine pauses his pets, then thumbs over your lips. he looks sour, only for a moment, before resuming his motions, a bit rougher this time. you relish the feel of it, sinking into it.

"one of us has to, right?"

"right."

"and the other," he taps your lips. your sputter, indignant. "plays support."

"one of us has to." you remind him.

it's silent between the two of you as the ship whirs and bellows, taking off from herta's space station without reverie. onto your next destination, wherever aventurine is deigned to be needed, with you by his side, dutifully.

you press your face into his stomach, letting the smell of linen and his cologne envelope you.

neither of you have a choice to play this game. the cards are stacked, and you best not loose count from aventurine's side. you'll be damned if you do.

(there is a 98.769% chance that you are damned regardless.)

at least, at least, you have each other, you think as aventurine bundles you up closer, and you wrap yourself around him. you'll take that, for as long as it lasts.

[thechekhov]

Chekhov Reads Dungeon Meshi: CH46

D....dark Laios?

I mean, you DID consent!

The fact that ghosts can pass through walls and take other things with them... it kind of elicits another type of organism. Like, what can pass through cell walls? What other parts of the body can just yoink stuff from one place and bring it to another?

Congrats! It's all just been a dream!

I'm sorry what the SHIT?!?!?

Well, I-- .... yeah, I GUESS.

Though it looks more like one of those carousel horses.

I think this is probably still inside the dungeon. Very... DEEP. Inside the dungeon.

What? WHAT?! These things are like regular animals down here???

Oh, I--hm. I see.

Ordered by WHOMST?

Is this just an entire society of (humans??? ghosts?) that lives here in the dungeon deep? Is there still a king under the mountain? Are the rumors of the king dying not true at all?

........or are these people and descendants of adventurers who came in but were never able to leave? And the fact that Senshi points out that none of them are old.... are they ageing?

Laios, Senshi n--...... welp. There they go.

Bless this man and his absolutely non sexual obsession with monsters. But.

Izutsumi, who is a human-level intellect beastkin (though she's low on wisdom and patience....) is being very.... beast-ly and soft here. She's being magically compelled, presumably, to chill the fuck out.

Which means all these monsters are also under the same effect? Isn't that a little fucked up? They're basically under a permanent drugged effect.

Also. Hm. 'short lifespan' is....relative. Short lifespan compared to what? Immortality?

Orcs know this place exists....?

These people planting things for fun means they're absolutely trapped here like spirits.

Keeping up appearances for. Whom.

These poor people have no new incomers to talk to, huh.

Oh, I uh---- ................ hm. THat's not at all what I was imagining either.

Fashion is cyclical after all I guess....

Mmmmm. Mmmm-hmmmMMM.

WHEEEEZXE

Knowing I've finally hit these two absolutely iconic panels... amazing.

......I guess it can only do so much to make her docile...... she still doesn't like Laios.

Why does he look familiar...?

....so Derghal had a son. And a grandson. So then why is there a bid for the throne...?

Laios. Laios, is milking the minotaur the ONLY thing you did? Or was there more to it? Laios.

It's interesting. That bartender said he was 600 when he started his now-400 year old ale. So. That means they're 1000 years old.

That means that they're about as long lived as elves? Haven't gone mad yet. But that's still a long time.

That's kinda worse, yeah, but a loss of the self is a type of death, in a way...? So....

The most throwback of all time.

Actually, I feel like that's been there for a while, although it didn't always look EXACTLY like a lion's head. I feel like the little living armor he keeps in there made it that design? But how would it do that on purpose?

this is what it looked like some chapters back. Yeah, it's been sculpting into a lion's mane for a while now.... Ohohohoh playing the long game are we? 👀

Ah, it's not a wolf. How tragic for you, Laios. It'll never work out.

Also, damn, those wings sure be lookin like Falin's very non-dragon wings. What a wild coincidence. I'm sure that doesn't mean anything. :)

laughing hysterically. This poor guy can't get a break. He's been running from responsibility and inheritance for his entire life and it still catches up and trips him purposefully.

There is definitely a certain amount of tragedy there, yeah. These people aren't asking Laios for help because it's easier. They're legitimately stuck in a nightmare scenario. Unless you're someone who can get pleasure from other avenues, living all that time without the basic needs will drive a person mad. Elves live just as long, presumably, but they're still able to eat, I assume.

I'm honestly more surprised they're all as sane as they are.

.......King of Forgor.

[moonlit-lake-sys]

I'm a firm believer in the idea that Pyro doesn't naturally see in "Pyrovision," but that it's a side effect of their mask/the optics inside it. I feel like they still know what they're doing, though. The rest of the mercs very much know the reality of their job, although some of them see it in a slightly different perspective.

Sniper sees his job as assassinating those who deserve it — only killing people who are "rotten" (as described by his adoptive mother.)

He says himself in the Meet The Sniper short that he isn't a "crazed gunman." He doesn't kill for the sake of killing, he only kills who he thinks should be killed. He's an assassin, it's an occupation. He does it for his job, and states that as a professional, he has standards.

Heavy sees his job as getting rid of "evil men." When discussing taking back his job, he emphasizes that specifically. He isn't just killing anyone, he's killing those who are deemed the bad guys.

We also know he does all he can to protect his family, and his family knows this just as well. He only attacks when it is necessary for him and his family's safety, and/or will benefit them in some capacity. (He's gone through a lot and I feel like we as a fandom don't discuss that enough. I did an analysis over Heavy's past one time in a Discord server and I might post it here if anyone is interested.)

In the Meet The Pyro video, we see how they allegedly view the world. A fairytale-like place full of rainbows, bubbles, sparkles, and almost cherub-esque versions of the enemy mercs.

While it is very easy to just assume this is how they view everything naturally, I don't think it's ever been 100% confirmed that this is the case.

The biggest thing for me is the Pyrovision Goggles in-game. The fact that they can be worn by any class, and it effects all of the mercs the same way, makes me believe that it truly is a result of the optical mask/the lenses within them that makes Pyro see what they do. It would've been so easy to make this cosmetic only available to Pyro, but it isn't.

The fact the goggles includes the "optical mask" text in the center, much like Pyro's mask itself, just pushes the idea that Pyroland is all an optical illusion. Obviously it was never real in the first place, but I don't think it's how Pyro sees everything naturally.

Tying back to the beginning of this post, I believe Pyro knows what they're doing. They know that they're spreading fire and not bubbles and rainbows. But perhaps they keep the mask on for the sake of their own psyche, to make it easier for them to do their job. Much like how Heavy and Sniper justify their jobs by seeing it as killing "evil men," or killing those who are "rotten," maybe Pyro uses their mask and goggles to tune out the dark truth of what they do. It could be yet another reason as to why Pyro never removes their mask.

[luvkyu]

what are we? ( park jongseong/jay )

jay x male!reader

jay and his best friend define their relationship.

content : 1.5k words, fluff, high school!au, bub pet name toward reader

a long, drawn out yawn left y/n's mouth as he looked out of the window in his last class of the day. his closed palm supported his chin on top of his desk, completely spaced out.

"y/n?.. bub!"

y/n snapped of his trance to see his friend standing by his desk now.

"class is over?" y/n asked as he looked around to see everyone gathering their things. jay snickered and nodded.

"daydreaming again? you can borrow my notes again if you need to," jay offered. y/n clicked his tongue as he stuffed his books carelessly into his bag. jay smiled to himself, watching him struggle with the tetris game that is fitting everything into one bag.

"sorry that i don't really care when some not-really-that-important person in history took a shit in 1875 or whatever," y/n responded with another yawn.

jay rolled his eyes and stuck his hand out for his friend to take. y/n finally stood up from his desk before seeing the gesture. he happily took jay's hand as he swung his bag over his shoulder. jay then led the way out of the classroom, following other eager students who were ready to get home.

y/n felt his heartbeat intensify just like it always did when jay held his hand. no matter how many times he silently scolded himself, the feeling never went away. the pair had been friends since their first year of middle school, and y/n's feelings seemed to grow by the day. it didn't help that their peers would ask frequently if they were dating yet, as they were usually holding hands or displaying other kinds of affection. y/n always assumed jay just didn't care what others said or thought, but he was starting to grow desperate to know if the male really only saw him as a friend.

"oh hey, i forgot," jay's voice cut through the noise of the hallway while the two stopped at their lockers, "tonight is the film festival i told you about like a week ago. i know it's short notice, but do you wanna go with me?"

y/n's eyes brightened in excitement at the invitation. there was nothing he'd rather be doing on his friday night than spending time with jay.

"of course, that sounds fun!" he replied. jay nodded, turning his face away from the other to hide his smile.

"cool. well, i have a study group i'm meeting in five minutes, but i can pick you up later and we can go together?"

"sure, that works!"

jay closed his locker while nodding again at the reply. he ruffled y/n's hair fondly before putting his newly filled backpack on.

"i'll text you, bub."

y/n nodded and watched him turn to head toward the library. his nerves, as usual, were left a mess from the nickname jay frequently used. he finally looked away when jay turned a corner, out of sight. he then resumed moving the rest of his books and materials into his bag and closed his small locker door.

before turning to leave, he saw another friend skipping toward him energetically.

"woah, this is the first time i've seen you not with your boyfriend, y/n!" sunoo exclaimed, stopping in front of him. y/n rolled his eyes.

"not my boyfriend, sunoo."

"tsk, sure. not yet."

y/n scrolled through his instagram feed as the opening credits of a film began to play. he was now sitting on a blanket that jay had brought along to the festival. the male had just left to get them snacks and drinks, insisting that y/n stay and relax.

the weather was perfect for a movie night. there was a large screen set up and fairy lights streamed in a few places. many other people were scattered across the grassy hill with blankets and comfy chairs. y/n couldn't help but notice all the couples. he hadn't thought about the fact that the film festival would be filled with couples on dates. the idea of this being a date with jay then seeped into his mind, and it made chills go up his arms.

"okay, i got popcorn and some candy and drinks!" jay's eager voice brought the other out of his thoughts.

"oh, thank you," y/n responded. his cheeks now glowed with a bright pink, which didn't go unnoticed.

y/n watched jay sit down closely next to him, getting settled with the snacks. jay took another large blanket and draped it over their legs while y/n decided to brush off his thoughts for now. if he focused on such things, he knew he wouldn't be able to really enjoy their night together, date or not.

"you okay, bub?"

y/n looked at him and gave him a convincing smile.

"i'm fine!"

jay grinned at the cute response and nodded before the duo turned their attention to the screen and began eating.

throughout the movie, they managed to finish their popcorn and naturally move closer to each other without a thought. jay's arm soon hung around y/n's shoulder while the latter's head rested on his chest. this was nothing abnormal for the pair, having cuddled many times before, but something felt off. something different was in the air between them tonight and y/n couldn't decide if he was crazy or if jay could feel it too.

"open," jay said quietly as he held two pieces of candy in front of his friend's mouth. y/n smiled and obliged before jay fed him one piece and popped the second into his own mouth. y/n looked up at him, but jay's gaze was already turned back to the film.

y/n's line of sight suddenly landed on his other friend from a ways away. sunoo was comfortable with sunghoon on their own blanket, but sunoo's view was trapped on y/n and jay, making kissy faces toward them. y/n felt his anxiety rise, hoping jay wouldn't see.

to y/n's relief, sunghoon saw sunoo's teasing. unsurprised, he simply turned sunoo's head back to the screen and pat his head as if saying, 'now stay'. y/n made a mental note to thank sunghoon later.

eventually, the film finally ended and chatter filled the area. jay yawned lightly while y/n stretched in his arms.

"there's another one playing right?" y/n asked.

"yeah, but i think there's a small break before it starts."

y/n nodded and sat up to stretch a bit more. jay gazed at his friend, a little disappointed at the loss of closeness. he watched y/n run a hand through his hair and then check his phone for any notifications. jay felt mesmerized by the view, but could feel nervousness sprout in his chest. he didn't think this was how just friends were supposed to feel. he'd been unable to decipher his feelings in the past, but lately they'd become much clearer.

jay's thoughts were cut off as y/n set his phone down and went back to cuddle him. he now laid on top of jay with his head on his chest again, jay's hands going to play with his hair.

jay couldn't stop a smile from curving on his lips. he somehow felt his confidence bubble up in that moment, deciding to finally go for it. but before he could speak, y/n beat him to it.

"jay?"

"hm?"

"what are we?"

jay's heart skipped a beat.

"oh.. well," he paused. what exactly were they? y/n meant the world to him. he was the first person he thought of in the morning. he was the first person he shared good news with. y/n was just everything.

"we're best friends," jay finally said. he couldn't quite read y/n's reaction, but decided to continue anyways.

"but i'd like to be more."

y/n's face brightened now, a little shocked.

"really?? like.." he stopped while jay smiled again and nodded.

"like boyfriends," jay finished for him.

y/n's whole face went red, unable to stop his own smile now.

'boyfriends', he thought. the simple word ran on repeat in his head for a minute. this couldn't possibly be reality.

"boyfriends.. jay's boyfriend. y/n and jay boyfriends," y/n mumbled in awe. jay laughed lightly at his disbelief.

"you're so cute.. is that a yes, then? ..boyfriends?" jay asked. y/n finally looked at him again and nodded happily.

"boyfriends," he replied as he tightened his arms around him. jay quickly hugged him back as they laid on their blanket in content.

"y/n?"

the male looked up again at the sound of his name, meeting jay's gentle eyes.

"can i kiss you?" he asked. y/n's smile somehow grew even bigger. he nodded again before jay moved to press their lips together softly.

once separated, jay pulled their second blanket back over them as the next film's intro began playing. y/n's head rested on his chest again, not really caring much for the film as nothing could quite amount to the comfort of his new boyfriend.

[the-traveling-poet]

We hit 400 followers!! Love you guys T-T 🤎

As promised, a scenario in which Levi has to continually put up with reader’s bratty teasing until he just cant take it anymore-

(trying out some light smut here for the first time :3 key word light, don’t judge)

One thing Levi Ackerman never expected to enjoy was what he would commonly refer to as ‘mushy sappy shit’.

And yet here he was, shooting you a look across the room from where you both sat; his brows drawn up and his lower lip slightly pouted as he gave you what you adoringly called his ‘needy eyes’.

“Y/N?” He tried again, wondering for the nth time if this was what it would take you to come across the room to him, if he dared to speak your name so softly.

“ ‘Y/N’…what?” You’d teasingly chuckle in response. Oh, how you loved to tease him so, if only to watch the way his usual scowl turned into a grumpy pout. He’d rather die than have anyone else see an exchange such as this one, but when it was just the two of you, he’d let your bratty behavior slide in favor of the warmth you would inevitably provide him after you tired of your game.

So he sat patiently, even scooting his chair slightly towards an angle, as though to silently make his pleas for contact more feasible in your eyes.

And goddamnit, how it worked nearly every time. But today, you decided you’d rather have him ask a little nicer before giving in.

“How am I to know just what it is you want, if you won’t directly ask it?” You tried again, biting your lip to hold back a giggle bubbling in your throat. Levi scowled, casting his eyes downward.

If he had to play dirty to get his way, then so be it.

“Y/N, baby…come sit on my lap, please?” He rasped out, shooting you his most convincing look through inky bangs.

It was uncharacteristic, the way he was behaving. But even more so was your reactions; thighs squeezing a little tighter together on the sofa and a soft breath caught in your throat in place of the giggle that had since been smothered out.

Feeling your face tingle with what you could only assume was an inevitable blush, you attempted to clear your throat.

“Sit…sit on your l-lap?” You nearly choked getting the words out of your suddenly dry mouth. In response he only loosed a tired breath before shoving back his chair from his desk to take a stand.

“Fine, have it your way.” He mumbled, stalking across the room towards you. As he approached, you subconsciously scooted back on the couch’s plush seat and held your breath.

“You’ve had your fun; an hour’s worth, as I recall. And I’ve had to sit there and just endure it. Do you know what that does to me?” He snorted a barley there chuckle, looking deeply into your eyes as he leaned against the couch towards your face.

“All I wanted was you to sit with me. Maybe get a kiss, if I were lucky. But I think enough is enough; don’t you, darling?” His tone dropped an octave, husky tone shaking you to the core.

“I-“

“No, sweetheart. You can be quiet now. You’ve won, after all. But…I’ll be taking the prize this time.”

His breathe tickled your neck, nudging your chin to the side with his forehead to allow him further access to the sensitive skin there. Your hands instinctively searched for his, but didn’t make the grasp in time before his slender fingers were already making their way up either side of your thighs towards the loosely tied string keeping your lounge pants up at the waist.

“Levi-“ You gasped out, finding your voice was all but gone.

He groaned softly, lips sucking tenderly at your pulse point.

“Hush, love,” He whispered against your throat, the need in his tone unmistakable.

“Just relax…relax for me.”

Loosening the cravat around his neck, he looses a shaky sigh as his breaths drew in shakier and his lips eagerly made the short journey from your neck towards your jaw, only stopping to worship it for a moment before continuing on.

Oh, how had the roles of your long played game suddenly turned on you. Now it was him, teasing you with barley there kisses along your cheeks, kissing antagonistically close to your lips but never touching. Meanwhile, you couldn’t help your thighs but to squirm against the feather light touches from the pads of his fingers. Before you knew it, the string had come undone from your waistline and fell across your thighs, shortly followed by the thin material of your lounge pant’s waistband.

A broken, shuddery gasp slipped past your lips unbidden, the moment those same tantalizing fingers ghosted over the even thinner material of your briefs, making your hips flinch against the pressure.

You were only briefly distracted by the dry chuckle resonating from Levi’s parted lips now hovering over your own, drawing your attention to the way he panted above your figure with barely contained desire.

“You’ve teased me for weeks. Now it’s my turn darling, so sit back and take it.”

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Taglist: @21aurora @deepzombieyouth @braunsbabe

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[d0youc0py]

“What about her?”

“Her name is Terrie. She’s 43 years old. Two kids- one boy, one girl. She is recently divorce, you can tell by the swing of her hips. She has a medium sized dog, probably named Tucker or something. She has five different shirts that say ‘don’t talk to me until I’ve had coffee.’ She drives a totally oversized SUV, but can parallel park like a bad bitch.” Finishing your analysis you leaned back and took a sip of your tea. John hummed, seemingly agreeing with you. “What about him.” You whispered. John followed your gaze.

“His name is definitely Mark. No kids. Calls his shitty flat his ‘bachelor pad’.” You snickered softly. “I would say late thirties. All of his buddies have stopped inviting him places because he makes their wives uncomfortable. He loves a good wine cooler and he thinks ‘Back to the Future’ is still the greatest film ever made.” You nodded your head in agreement.

“Are we mean.” You asked suddenly. John looked over at you with a small smile. He wrapped his arm around your chair and tugged you closer to his side. You welcomed his advancements and snuggled your head into his side.

“Sweetheart, we judge people we don’t even know just based off of their appearance.” John kissed the top of your head. “We are most definitely mean.” He whispered, leaning down giving you a fat peck on the cheek. You pushed him away and wiped your cheek playfully.

“Gross.” You spat. John wasn’t having it and pulled you right back to where you were- where you belonged.

“You really want to play that game with me sweetheart?” He whispered against your temple.

“I’m a good sport.” You whispered back. He grumbled softly and pressed another hard kiss against your temple. “What do you think people would think about us.”

“Well.” John started. You felt him smile against your skin. “They’d probably wonder what I do for a living to get such a hot little partner such as yourself.” You flushed. “They’d probably assume we’ve only be together a short while since we are so obviously smitten.” You and John had been together for nine years. “Then they’d probably take a guess as to how many bite marks you have on your thighs sweetheart.” All the air seemed to escape your lungs.

“I’m sure they would then guess how long it takes to get from this little coffee shop all the way back to our flat.” You murmured, playing along with his little game.

“We should go test it, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Thank you for all the support I’ve gotten on my last post! Reminder if you have any requests my inbox is always open! 💚

[appocalipse]

Hiiii angst fic idea!!! Sorry if they are weird you can totally ignore this <3

Miscommunication with steve, maybe he makes reader feel bad but he didn't want to and reader just goes quiet and he doesn't understand, but tries really hard to make everything better, with a happy ending maybe, if you want.

Or another idea is that Steve is with a very extroverted r and everybody think it's weird, so r feels kinda insecure but cute ol steve makes her feel better (i feel like this is more of hurt/comfort, but maybe you like the idea).

Ok, that all, byeeee!!!

thank you so much for your request ♥ you're welcome to send more!

The neon lights of the arcade flicker against your face, illuminating your features as you watch Steve play Centipede. You lean against the machine, your arms crossed, as you wait for him to finish the game. It's a Friday night, and you've been looking forward to this all week. It's your first date in a while; you want it to be perfect.

"You're up," Steve says, turning to you with a grin.

You smile back, feeling that familiar warmth inside your chest. "Watch and learn, baby," you tease, taking the joystick from him.

Steve watches as you play, offering tips and encouragement when you need it. You're having fun, but you can't shake the feeling that something's off. Steve seems distracted, distant almost, like he's trying too hard to seem like he's paying attention. He's not nearly as talkative as he usually is, and you find yourself carrying most of the conversation.

As you finish the game, Steve turns to you. "That was impressive," he says, but far from usual, his tone is flat.

You try to ignore the feeling of disappointment that creeps up in your chest, the sting of insecurity squeezing at your heart. "Thanks," you murmur, putting the joystick back in its place. "Do you want to… try something else?"

You kind of expected what happens next: Steve shakes his head.

"I hate to cut the night short, but I'm really feeling exhausted," he confesses, taking your hand and absently running his thumb over your palm. "Can I take you home?"

"Oh," you say, trying to hide the disappointment in your voice. "Yeah, sure."

As you walk out of the arcade, you can't help but feel a pang of sadness. This is far from how you envisioned the night going. You wanted it to be romantic, special, something to make up for lost time…yet you don't want to disregard Steve's feelings. It wouldn't be fair.

Once outside, Steve turns to you, his expression softening. "I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to be distant tonight. It's just…I've got a lot on my mind."

You're pretty sure he can sense the way you feel sometimes. "What's going on?" you ask, relief and concern washing over you at the same time.

Steve hesitates, his eyes flickering away from yours. "It's nothing, really," he says, his voice strained. "Just some stuff with work, you know. It's been tough lately."

You nod slowly, trying to comprehend the weight of what he's saying. "I understand," you say softly. "I'm here for you, Steve. Always."

Steve's gaze meets yours again, and you see a flicker of something in his eyes. Regret, maybe, or guilt. "I know," he agrees. "I'm sorry. I just…I didn't want to burden you with my problems. You've got your own stuff going on."

You shake your head, feeling a little frustrated. "That's not the point," you say. "We're in this together, remember? That's what a relationship is about. Sharing the good and the bad."

Steve looks at you, and you see something shift in his expression. A softness, a vulnerability. "You're right," he says. "As always. I'll…I'll do better, I promise."

You smile, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders. "I know you will," you say. "And…I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have assumed things without talking to you first."

Steve takes your hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "It's okay," he says. "We all make mistakes. What matters is that we learn from them."

"Oooh, you're so wise all of a sudden," you say, playfully poking his arm. "But enough serious talk for tonight. Let's get you home so you can rest."

You both start walking towards Steve's car, the cool night air brushing against your skin. As you get closer, you notice the way the streetlights cast a warm, golden glow over the pavement. You take in a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm settle over you.

Steve's hand slips into yours, and you feel a spark of electricity run through you. You turn to him, noticing the way his eyes crinkle adorably at the corners when he grins at you.

Steve's grin widens, and he nods in agreement. "Sounds good to me," he says. "But, you know, I suddenly don't feel so tired anymore."

You raise an eyebrow, a playful smirk on your lips. "Oh?" you prompt.

He leans in closer to you, his breath warm against your cheek. "Yeah," he says, his voice low and husky. "I was thinking maybe I could stay at your place tonight. You know, for some extra rest."

You feel your heart skip a beat at his words, and you can't help but smile. "Well, I don't know," you say, teasingly. "I don't want to be a bad influence."

Steve laughs, a sound that sends the best kind of shiver down your spine. "Too late for that," he says, his eyes shining with warmth. What more could you ask for?

[dipperdesperado]

Get Organized!

I recently made a post about how to get started in doing radical stuff. Said otherwise, that post was meant to answer the question, “Where do I go, when I know the world is fucked?” This post covers similar ground, but is more interested in the theoretical side of things. Not to say it won’t be practical. It’s just saying that if you’re not the kind of person that can read a little bit and feel confident to act, or you like having a little bit more scaffolding, that you also deserve a resource. I’m hoping to contribute to that today. As the title says, we’re going to be focusing on organizing. This is one of those things that is said a lot, but is actually defined much less often. Tangentially, you should be aware and ready for this for literally everything relating to politics. Any word that you hear used, you should always ask for a definition. Many a movement would have gone differently if folks spent more time trying to find semantic alignment. Anyway.

When I say organizing, I mean catalyzing the energy of folks, acting from a specific theory of change. A theory of change is a thought process or method to create some kind of social impact in a particular context. When the world sucks in some particular way, and you want it to stop sucking, the answer is to organize, in the way defined above. By organizing, we lean on the idea of collective power to create changes that are currently only afforded to those with authoritarian power. It’s a game of evening the odds.

I will also note that this assumes that you are going to be framing your work around broad-based movements, that have (mostly) aboveground (as in “legal”) tactics. This is not necessarily a statement of what is correct; small groups that are in concert with larger movements are also able to be successful, even when doing more confrontational tactics.

So, to organize, I’d say it would be useful to be involved in movements already. You can look at my radicalism 100 post to see how that could look. Either way you have to know what your where your niche(s) lie. In other words, what sits in the middle of the intersection between what you like to do, what you are good (or can become good/have a willingness to become good) at, and what is needed in your context. I tend to center the local level, because that is the area where influence is more tangible, and fits into how I see a resilient world coming to fruition. So, you have to ask yourself, “What can I do, that I would enjoy doing, in my community?” Then, you should find some other people who are in that same vibe. Depending on your approach, this may take no time at all, or a lot of time. I listed some ideas for finding folks in radicalism 100, but to reiterate: look for social medias and IRL presences of people who are into the same topics, and connect with them. See where you can plug in, and see where the contours of organizing in your local contexts are. Ideally you can see places where gaps can be filled.

Once you find an issue that you think has potential, and you have a couple of people to do some organizing with, you have what I think of as a catalyst group. This group is meant to start (or assist) in a certain kind of reaction, but not lead it. Trying to control movements is both futile and antithetical to liberation. So, to ground us, we have two very important ingredients: a topic/issue/area of focus to organize around, and a group of folks to work with. Once this is in place, you can co-create a strategy with your organizing team. I’d recommend employing an encircling strategy as your long-term or meta strategy, where multiple sub-strategies and campaigns happen within this frame. Essentially, this allows you to employ campaigns across a matrix of tactics. Within the encircling frame, you can create a campaign (what I consider a “short-term” strategy). Campaigns are a series of actions over time. Strategies are a series of campaigns over time.

A useful way to think of strategic planning is by separating the process into stages, grouped by movement size.

Small: Organize small actions/protests, figuring out ways to build movement visibility and interest

Medium: Focus on scaling up the participation, through mobilizing efforts. Promote your actions, get people involved, and encourage meaningful action.

Large: Create a movement. The kind of thing people hear about.

To organize on the smallest level, the easiest thing might be to just do plan actions that are well within your team’s capacity, organize those actions, and execute. If you can swing it, I’d really recommend to not lean too much into symbolic actions. There are risks with every action, no matter what legal frameworks your locality has. If you’re going to do something, you have to be very intentional with:

what you hope to accomplish through the action

a high likelihood of success for the action

doomsday planning in case something goes wrong

If you’re able to do this, then you will be leagues ahead of a lot of other folks. This is not to make it a race or a competition, but it is moreso to say you can symbolically represent and catalyze action without becoming a martyr.

As you’re doing actions, you should be refining your idea of who’s impacted by the issues more and more. As that picture gets clearer, you should spend more and more time understanding and listening to those folks. Ideally, you get to a point of co-creation, where you are enabling people to fight for themselves and build their autonomy. That is the kind of thing that prevents movements from dying. Organizers should be trying to put themselves out of business, in a sense. Catalysts should be able to come from anywhere.

To scale up, I’d recommend a focus on meeting folks. Take the ideas of deep canvassing, where you empathetically have conversations with whoever is impacted by the issue you’re responding to, through the lens of giving power to those people. Rather than asking them to feed into some established system of power, encourage them to take action into their own hands, as a collective.

I’d also recommend that as capacity grows, build a “positive” or “constructive” power. This can look like a lot of things. Whether it is a block club, neighborhood pod, community council, or community assembly, dedicate energy into creating spaces where people can start building their democratic and consensus muscles. These can simultaneously act as the training ground and alternative governance structure that allows folks to start making decisions for themselves in a very specific way.

This will ideally allow the movement to really start to be intersectional. It should be intersection minded from the outset, but that can be difficult to meaningfully actualize in the early stages of the movement. since single-issue movements are inherently brittle (if your movement revolves around getting something on a ballot, winning or losing just ends the movement)—there are throughlines that connect all movements, and those lines should be made visible and traveled. Environmentalists should fight for housing rights, LandBack, Reparations, and a host of other things. The more developed our networks, the stronger our movements will be.

[bunting27]

drug ✏︎ t. zegras

a/n: i desperately need to work on my smuttier pieces, so here’s this brought to you at 1am by me preparing to start graveyards and needing a distraction. 

summary: jamie’s younger sister comes to live with him as a last resort when their parents decide they’ve given up on making her become him. who knows if trevor made her better or worse

warnings: language, pot (underage smoking but only if you’re from the states), smut!! (18+), p in v sex, intimacy while stoned (just don’t), unprotected sex (also don’t), brother’s teammate, roommate, best friend etc etc trope (again)

wc: 2.9k

✏︎

she had been shoving around piles of dirty clothes, trying to find what she knew was hidden somewhere in the room. she was not snooping, though when trevor had entered his room to see his teammates sister elbows deep in his closet throwing stuff around, that’s the first thing he assumed

“um. y/n/n? i don’t know what you’re trying to find, but unless it’s a game day outfit, you’re probably not gonna find it in there” she jumped where she was sat, slowly but surely turning around to face the boy who’s bedroom she had efficiently turned into a hurricane aftermath.

she didn’t think he’d be back so soon after gamenight, so she thought she had at least twenty minutes to grab what she was looking for and promptly put everything back to where she had carelessly torn it from.

she was wrong, obviously, because he was standing right there and she hadn’t even found it yet.

it being the one thing she had been sent to live with her brother because of, and it being the one thing she couldn’t get off her mind last night when she could smell it from her open window, only to look down and see that it had been coming from trevor.

a joint.

“hey, trev-” she cleared her throat, scurrying to her feet and pursing her lips while keeping intense eye contact with trevor, who hadn’t looked angry or upset with her, just wildly confused.

“it’s not.. what it looks like?” he smiled at her, slowly moving closer and tossing his handful of things onto his bed

“i’m not even sure you convinced yourself with that one, sweetheart” he raised an eyebrow, it being his silent way of asking what the hell she was doing in his room, and she chuckled awkwardly in response.

“last night, before you came back in from your jog, there was this smell-” his smile dropped, he tilted his head, and suddenly he was shutting and locking his door and signaling for her to stop.

“woah, woah, no- you shut- jesus christ. is jamie asking you to do this? i told him i haven’t been smoking, he needs to hop off my di-” she slapped her hand against his mouth, an exasperated look on her face because he had been yelling and jamie had been sleeping in the next room over.

“what is wrong with you? shut up, you’re gonna get us both an overbearing motherly ass lecture, and my ass is gonna end up back in the fucking gta” trevor’s eyes were wide and shocked, his hands up in the air from her sudden movement and harsh tone.

she’d hardly spoken to him at all in her first days here, and now she was pressed up close to him and she was telling him to shut up in his room, in his house. the worst part was that he was absolutely going to listen.

when she finally pulled her hand away from his mouth, he toned it down. 

“then what- oh.” she rolled her eyes at the tone he was using and couldn’t even look him in his stupid, smug face. 

“oh, sweetheart. if you wanted some, you could’ve just come down and asked” that made her look at him, a look of hope spread across her face, under the impression she’d finally get her fix for the first time since she’d come to anaheim.

“so you’ll let me take a couple? fuck, thank you, trev-” her hopeful spew of gratitude was cut short when he shook his head slightly and smirked down at her, and it was replaced with a look of sad confusion. 

“we can share. i’m not letting you wander off in an unfamiliar place with my joints” she tilted her head back and groaned. in all honesty, she was acting like a child, but she did not think trevor would be very fun to deal with high, and she just wanted to go off on her own.

“c’mon, trevor, i’m nineteen, i’m responsible, i’m not gonna do anything stupid” he shook his head, grabbing the baggie he kept tucked under the mattress and pressing his hand to her lower back. 

“yeah? then why can’t you get your own weed?” his tone was condescending and straight up mean, causing her to suck her teeth, grumbling out insults under her breath but letting him guide her to his spot out in their yard nonetheless. 

he took out one of the joints, taking it between his lips and lighting it, but then slid the lighter back into the baggie and tucked it into his pocket. she stared at him, confused, until he took a long drag and then went to hand her the joint.

“you’re joking,” he raised an eyebrow, exhaling and pulling his hand back towards himself

“fine, then” he waited a minute until going to take another drag, but she stopped his wrist, rolling her eyes and going to take it from his hand.

he pulled it back again, looking over at her,

“don’t want you runnin’ off on me, sweetheart” she stared at him for a moment, tongue poking the inside of her cheek as a last ditch attempt not to sucker punch her new roomate.

she told herself she’d rather deal with his antics high, so she should just go with it.

he brought his hand up to her lips, watching with hooded eyelids as she took a drag and savoured it, only exhaling when she needed to. he took his and then gave it another while before letting her take another.

“hale fucking lujah” she exhaled

-

that one night of y/n and trevor sneaking off to smoke turned into every night very quickly. she’d only become comfortable enough to converse with him on the third night, and tonight had marked two weeks of the two of them becoming their own little duo.

“just let me hold it, trevor, oh my god” she was giggling, and he was playing keepaway with the joint he had lit between his fingers. he hadn’t let her take it just yet, still having her smoke from his hand. he was somewhat worried she’d take it and run. at first, it was because if he lost her jamie would’ve killed him, but now he just didn’t want her to leave his side.

“like it when i get to give it to you” she rolled her eyes and parted her lips, signaling that she’d given up on taking it from him and just wanted her next hit. he smiled and lowered his hand, letting her take a drag and then taking one of his own.

“bad enough you make us share one at a time. s’ like we’re making out” his face scrunched and he shook his head, making her laugh again.

“what? you don't wanna kiss me, pretty boy?” he smiled after he exhaled, trying to contain it cause god did he ever want to kiss her, but he liked what they had going, too. if it was that or nothing, he wouldn't ruin it.

she figured he was dodging the comment, so she spoke up again “wanna try something cool?” he furrowed his eyebrows, but nodded, bringing the joint up to her lips for her to take a drag from. 

before she did, though, she nestled herself into his lap and he inhaled sharply, just trying to gauge what the hell was happening and make sure the joint was ready whenever she was.

she took a drag, giving herself a moment and then grabbing trevor’s jaw, swiping her thumb on his lip so he'd open up, and he did. she brought herself so close their noses touched and then exhaled, and he breathed in the smoke, inhaling and eventually letting it blow back out to the side of them. 

it was dead quiet for a few moments after that, and they had just been looking at each other, his hands now comfortably on her thighs and her face in such close proximity to his he could feel her breath fanning his nose.

he took it upon himself to slot his nose next to hers and kiss her, just once. it was gentle and long and sweet, words she had never imagined she’d be able to use to describe trevor. they let the night continue on with her in his lap, facing the other direction, now.

“you’re not like i thought you’d be” he whispered, kissing the top of her head while she exhaled smoke and created rings in the dark

“i’m not jamie?” he thought on it, and she was right. he’d been expecting her to be similar to her brother, especially when she first moved in and wanted nothing to do with him. he’d chalked it up to her being introverted and awkward.

he nodded rather than replying, knowing she’d feel it against her shoulder.

“the reason i’m here is cause they want me to be jamie. my parents, i mean” trevor furrowed his eyebrows, staying silent and opting to just let her continue.

“you think i found weed in the wild one day? i’ve got no fucking friends, any girl my age just wanted to fuck jamie drysdale. he used to smoke too, let me try some one day.” she looked up at him and he placed the joint in front of her lips, understanding. 

“but mom and dad never found out about that. not like they would’ve cared anyways. not much you can do to discipline your child when they’re gonna be able to buy you a new home in the near future” she frowned at herself and then continued, whispering 

“my brother is a professional athlete, in the big leagues, and the only good part of my life right now only happened cause i was trying to poach weed from someone i’d hardly ever spoken to. i understand why they want me to be more like him, but i want to be my own person, you know?” he kissed along her hairline, pressing the joint into the ashtray and tucking it back into the broken panel of the deck.

“i don’t want you to be like jamie,” she ran her hand through his curls, pushing her nose into his jaw and murmuring a small ‘thank you’

she knocked his head to the side with her own, placing another kiss on his lips and smiling into it when he kissed back, his arms now tight around her waist.

he knotted his hand into her hair, pulling her head away from his own, looking into her eyes, red from smoking, and smiled at her. she smiled back, turning the rest of her body to face him and leaning back in

“s’ getting a little cold out, maybe-” he didn’t even need to finish his sentence before she was nodding, moving herself off his lap and towards the patio door with her hand around his wrist, pulling him with her.

they quietly made their way to his room, trying their best not to wake jamie or alert him of the fact that she’d even left the house to begin with.

once they got upstairs and into bed, she nestled herself back onto his lap and kissed him again, basking in the close proximity and the warmth radiating off him. he kept them like that with his hands on her hips, almost feeling like he could wake up at any second and his dream would be cut short.

he gave her a few more haste kisses before pulling away, pressing his forehead to hers but dodging her lips when she tried to connect them again. his hands slid under her shirt, eyes boring into her own while she nodded slowly, lifting her arms but wasting no time in reconnecting their lips once her shirt was off.

“so pretty, all mine” her heart was pounding in her chest at his comment, hands shaky as they messed with the hair at the nape of his neck and then made their way under his shirt, moving it up his stomach and pulling it off when he pulled away from her lips. 

her one hand stayed there, palm resting flat against his lower stomach and the other hand came back up into his hair, their kisses becoming more and more needy as time went on. 

he moved to anchor his fingers into the band of her sweatpants, but she shook her head.

“more kisses. please,” he smiled, kissing her again and revelling in the way she grinned against him and traced along his stomach, happy to just have him like this. 

they kept it to just kisses until y/n could no longer ignore the bulge pressing into the side of her thigh, taking the initiative now to grab his hands from their spot on her waist and hook them into her pants

they worked together to undress one another the rest of the way, her panties being the only thing between the two of them now.

the both of them were antsy and hot from the anticipation, trevor opting to let her decide when she was ready for him. in the meantime, he placed delicate kisses on her neck and collar bone, smoothing his hands along her bare thighs while she basked in the attention

his heart almost skipped a beat when she hovered slightly and calmly took him into her hands, the precum leaking from his tip a blatant tell of how much he wanted her.

they locked eyes while she pulled her panties to the side and slid herself down on him, hiding away in his shoulder once she had come all the way down to mask the whimper that slipped from her lips.

“d’you want me to help, angel?” he whispered, his tone sincere and his hands readying themselves at her hips in case she decided she wanted his guidance.

she settled for a small nod into his neck, choking out a moan when she felt him lift her hips up off him and slowly let her back down, leaving sweet kisses on her shoulder as he did so. his breath hitched when she squeezed him, a tell that she was definitely enjoying his slow pace.

the second time he lifted her, he met her in the middle, still slow but hard and passionate. he looked to the side to see her eyes shut peacefully and her mouth shoved into his shoulder so as to not wake jamie with her noises. 

he continued what he was doing, lifting her up and then pressing his hips up into her as he gently guided her back down, eventually opting to lift her less and use his own hips more, something that opened up a chance for his other hand to drop from her hips and move to trace circles on her clit.

as soon as she felt the contact, she whimpered into his shoulder, opening her eyes and tilting his head to the side so he could kiss her again.

the more they went on, the more she was convinced she’d never be tired of feeling him close to her like this, the more she was worried what jamie would think, if he’d even let her stay in his home any longer if he found out.

his kisses were like a new drug to her, one so new she couldn’t guess what her parents or brother would think. if they’d tell her she was addicted and she needed to quit, or if they’d welcome it - see how her mood changed with him around and not see the list of potential cons.

her lungs would be safe, her heart not so much.

but all of those thoughts were wiped from her brain, anyways, when one of his thrusts had him nudging the perfect spot inside of her, and suddenly she was seeing stars and gushing around him. 

the flutter of her core around him and the muffled cry into his shoulder had trevor coming, too, sliding her off him and keeping up his patterns on her clit while his cum landed on her stomach and his breath got caught in his throat.

he hugged her close to him for a few moments as she came down from her high, eventually lifting her off his lap and making his way over to his ensuite.

he came back with a pile of clothes, a clean stomach and a warm rag to clean her up, her eyes following him with a look of uncertainty as he did so and got her into a pair of his boxers, panties now discarded, and one of his tshirts.

that look faded as he got into bed with her, laying down and gently pulling her so she was cuddled close to his side with her head tucked into his chest.

“what if jamie is up before us?” she whispered, still slightly overwhelmed and very tired.

“what if he already told me i could have you?” she furrowed her eyebrows, looking up at him with a look of confusion.

“don’t worry, he just thinks i've got a crush. doesn’t know you come on my jogs with me” she giggled, shoving her hands in his hair and leaning in to his kiss on her temple.

“he wants you to be happy, y/n/n. he thinks i’d be good for you. i don’t really know why. but he trusts me” she smiled to herself, knowing jamie wasn’t that overbearing and motherly when it came to guys, only things he’s fucked up on before and he didn’t want her to have to experience.

“i trust you, too, trev. to make me happy”

[nhlclover]

atlas | trevor zegras

summary: your boyfriend comes home after a rough game, only to let his frustrations out on you

warnings: arguing & angst

a/n: happy end of season :)

word count: 0.99k

I turned the tv off after all the Ducks had walked down the tunnel after having given up 6 goals and marking none against Edmonton. The boys were exhausted and frustrated after an abysmal season. I was seeing that firsthand in my boyfriend. 

With every loss, he would come home a little less joyous than the one before. Trevor did a good job at leaving it all on the ice but he’s also the type of person that blames every loss on himself. He carries the weight of every loss on his shoulders, letting it pile up till it becomes too much. That leads to him taking his frustrations out on the ice and being reckless with how he does it. 

I knew it would take a minute for Trevor to get home, so I finished some chores while waiting for his arrival. I was just starting the dishwasher when I heard the door click open and shut, paired with him kicking off his shoes and his backpack dropping to the floor.

I enter the living room where Trevor’s shuffling through, unbuttoning his white dress shirt. He grimaces as he removes it, stretching out his arms. 

“Hi, my love.” I say softly, sitting on the edge of the couch in front of him.

“Hi.” He sighs.

“How was the game?” I ask, even though I know exactly how it went.

“Did you watch?” He asks me.

“Well yeah, of course I did but-”

“Then you know how it went.” He grumbles.

I’m slightly caught off guard by Trevor cutting me off and his curt tone, but I understand where it's coming from. I watch him grimace again as he rubs his shoulder, which I assume is sore from being checked into the boards by one of the Oiler's D-men.

“Are you alright?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He replied sharply.

I sigh, getting up and standing in front of him, delicately placing my hands on his shoulders. “Hey, how about we take a hot bath together? Hmm? I can get the Epsom salts and maybe a couple of candles?” I ask him.

He finally looks into my eyes, but his are tired and slightly frustrated. “I’m just going to take a shower on my own.” He says.

“Are you sure?” I ask, rubbing my hands up and down his upper arms. “I mean you never turn down a bath.”

Trevor suddenly pushes my hands off and steps away from me. “Yes, I’m sure, holy shit.” He said in an exasperated tone. “Get off my back.”

“What the fuck, Trevor?” I ask, not bothering to watch my tone anymore.

“What?” He shoots back.

“Don’t say ‘what?’ like that.” I snap. “I don’t understand why you’re taking your anger out on me.”

“I’m not.” He grumbles.

“Yes you fucking are, Trevor! You’re being so short with me and for what?” I ask. Trevor runs his hands over his face and walks away from me.

“Whatever, I don’t need this right now. I’m going to take a shower.” He mumbles, heading down the hall and into our master bathroom. 

I feel like screaming, but I don’t out of fear of bothering my neighbours. I get that he’s stressed and frustrated, but it doesn’t excuse him being a complete and utter asshole. It feels unfair for his anger to be misdirected to me. When the shower turns on, I walk into our bedroom and prepare for bed. I try to fall asleep before Trevor’s done with his shower but I find myself kept awake by my anger and our unresolved argument.

I hear the shower turn off and a bit of movement in the bathroom before the door opens and Trevor begins changing. I stay still and shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I don’t have the energy to argue some more with Trevor tonight, so I hope that his attitude will change by morning.

I hear the drawers of his dresser slide open and shut as he changes into some sweats. He slides into our bed, and his arms snake around my torso pulling me close.

“I know you’re still awake, baby.” He whispers, pressing a delicate kiss to my shoulder. His tone is a stark difference from before, now soft and mellow, a hint of sadness trailing every word. “I’m sorry for how I was acting earlier and how I treated you. That wasn’t fair for you. Shit’s been difficult with work and I took it out on you, but you didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”

I let out a breath of air I had been subconsciously holding in, twisting around in his arms to face him. “Lay it on me.” He says, expecting my outburst to continue.

I chuckle softly, brushing his wet hair off his forehead. “I forgive you,” I say, knowing he truly didn’t mean to take it out on me. “But I need you to talk to me. Or Troy, or Jamie, just somebody. It’s not good for you to just let this all bubble up and then lose your temper like this when you get a little bit upset.”

“I know, I know.” He sighs. I pull him close, resting his head against my chest, our legs tangling together. “It’s just so fucking frustrating. It doesn’t matter how much I score if I can’t fucking get back and defend. I’m letting way too many shots get to Gibby or Stolie. And we’re just getting dominated in every game."

“You need to stop putting every loss on yourself,” I tell him. “It’s good to recognize what you need to improve on but at this point, you’re taking on the faults of others.”

He lets out a deep sigh and presses his forehead into my sternum. “I’m so proud of you, you know that right?” I ask him, feeling him nod in response. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” He replies.