#it's just that i REALLY like my job and my boss is cool and chill and my wfh days are so lax lmao

[roseband]

...

[bonchobrick]

Dead on Main au where Jason is of course Danny’s Fright Knight and like all knights do he has a weapon—except it’s his gun.

The batfam + justice league + everyone (except ghosts duh) don’t know that his normal average everyday gun is actually like a super powerful spiritual soul shooter that is, yaknow, capable of blasting someone into an alternate dimension where their greatest fears become real.

So imagine there’s like a big battle where a ghastly ghoul reigns terror on Gotham. The world sends their best hero’s—wizards and occultists are notably high highest in demand—to stop the ghost but, nothing works. All of the weapons and spells and chants fail.

But,

As the fights worsens and the heros scream for people to flee suddenly--

Loud squeaking footsteps echo across the ground. Jason yawns strolling into the battle zone in a ghostbusters t-shirt plaid pants bunny slippers--he strolls up in pajamas--as if annoyed at being woken up and cocks his fucking normal 'i could buy you at walmart' gun at the ghost.

His brothers screech at him yelling ”Are you insane” and to "get the hell out of here" in fear and panic because their idiot brother is trying to kill a real life ghost with a damn gun.

But then Jason shoots the ghost and it works.

The ghost fizzles down with a cry into just a little blob.

The young man then spends 30 minutes lecturing the spirit saying things like “you’re glad I’m not calling the big guy” and “you know our highness would not be happy learning what you’ve been doing” before taking out a thermos of all things and sucking the ghost into it.

Jason then sighs and walks away as if he hadn’t just defeated a hell raising ghost with a gun people can buy off a corner pawn store and a soup container.

Immediately the bat family swarms him with questions

Dick grabs him by his shoulders tense with worry, “Are you okay?”

“Um yeah—“ Jason tries to reply squirming in his hold

Damian cuts him off, “How the hell did your gun a physical weapon hurt that ghastly demonic spirit!”

“Uh that ghost is actually pretty chill you guys just pissed him off." Jason replies plain

They stare at him with a look saying 'you did not call a ghost that has been decimating gotham chill' probably because he did just that.

Tim is the first to break out of the disbelief stupor as he very inteligently says, "What?"

Jason responds easily with a confused quirk in his brow, "Second, my gun affects entities of all sorts, perks to my job and all that."

"How did being a vigilante and also probably crime boss give you a gun that could do that?" Dick asks

Jason sends him a look saying "are you an idiot" as he replies, "Yea, sure, kicking petty thieves and druggies got me my all powerful spirit weapon--No you dumbass, it's from being the bodyguard of the King of the Infinite Realms! How the hell did you guys not think of that!”

Tim breathes in, then breathes out, then breathes in again and screams, "Why the HELL WOULD WE THINK OF THAT JAY?!"

"The--" Batman, suddenly beside them, chokes, "Bodyguard of T-the what."

Jason blinks at his family then his eyes widen, "Oh shit."

"What?!" His family screech in panic

"Oh fuck," Jason says with a growing hysteric smile, "Danny's gonna have a big ol' fucking laugh with this."

"Brother who is Danny!" Damian demands for an answer

Jason coughs into his palm, "Oh yeah you guys really dont dont know. So I may have forgotten to explain some... things."

Bruce levels him with a stare that says "you think?"

Jason chuckles nervously, "So y'know how I'm half dead?"

pause

Damian very eloquently responds for the suddenly dying screaming combusting members of his family, "...sure."

"Well I met the King of the afterlife which is like the Ruler of Everything and he was really cute--" Jason says distant in his own world

"Theres a afterlife?" Superman asks casually appearing beside the emotionally wrecked family

"Yea its pretty cool. So I start flirting a bit with the guy and we hit it off, I now im his zombie ghost knight boyfriend lover for all time. Oh and i got this sickass gun." Jason says with a happy grin

"That is a pretty sick gun." John Constantine nods

"I know right?" Jason chirps

"You wouldn't mind if I inspected--" John reaches his hand

Jason slaps it away, "Not a chance you soul whore. Y'know your basically the tax evasionist of the Ghost Zone right?"

John only sighs and leaves

"But yea so I'm like the ghost world equivalent to married with the king and became his knight and thats how I was able to stop that ghost guy." Jason reiterates as if explaining a simple question, "Y'guys get that?"

Tim is on the ground trying to decide whether; sobbing hysterically, interogating jason to find out all the things he doesn't want to know or sleeping would be a better use of his time.

Dick has decided to blame himself and has started to draft a reddit post in the middle of the street starting with "I (23 m) have a younger brother (19 m), who I used to resent but really regret now, he died and came back and doesn't even tell me about what goes on in his life anymore. How do I fix our--"

Damian is just staring at the gun and... Jason pushes it deeper in his holster and shifts to the side, better to be safe than sorry with this thieving shit.

As Jason adjusts his weaponry he hears Bruce sob in the background, "He didn't even invite me to the wedding! Am I that horrible of a father!"

Wonder Woman pats his shoulder reasuringly whilst the rest of the League seem to be trying to calm him down

Jason looks around tiredly at the mess he had created and decides fuck it

"Alright I'm heading out for the night, you guys get home safe!" He yells and without caring to listen to anyone and everyone voicing their confusion he zips open a green portal and stumbles in

He crashes down on an unbelievably comfortable bed

Danny blinks blearily before sending the young man a sleepy smile, "Hey Jay, what kept you up so long?"

Jason slipping under the blankets with a yawn says, "You would not believe the night I just had."

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

Edit: UMM HII The fic is out now here!! you guys are awesome I'll post the new chapter 2 in a hot sec after editting ^^

[matchadobo]

KIDD; kiss-proof lipstick review

warning/s: very fluff, fem reader, youtuber/streamer!kidd, shy!s/o, modern au, most nsfw thing could happen is an abrupt makeout

note: based from this -> post, smaller italicized texts are sub-bullets

kidd as a youtuber that normally does metal covers with his band (heat, killer, and wire)

has about a solid following of 100k subs bc they're just so cool

that is until his viewers asked for his makeup tut bc he always looks so bomb

his viewers have also requested fit checks like what he wears in a week

kidd forgot to mention that he has a s/o, which mildly upset a certain demographic who was ahem thirsty for him

you as his gf doesn't really mind if he talks to himself in front of his phone or camera on random times, but he always tells you a quick warning beforehand bc you sometimes appear on the bg of his vids/streamer

i also think that at some point, kidd does game streams bc he's lazy to edit. his fanbase supports any content he does whether it's just yap streams or food streams or band rehearsals

i feel like he always aims for competitive games that are pvp like MK, COD, league, etc. it just feeds his ego, and he enjoys trashtalking 😭 riling his opponent up and all that

it's all so funny, which explains his fanbase that tolerates his insufferable temper and jokes. it takes a certain kind of humor that other people might take as offensive

but the second he got sponsored by a punk make-up line, a pr box arrived at his doorstep bc he rarely checks his emails

he'd ask you to do a makeup stream with him, but you were too shy about it. especially after being the final boss of a certain demographic that is attracted to him 😭 but you never told him that. knowing him, he'll probably flip all of them off and cause drama

he'd start up stream, poorly introducing the products. you laughed to yourself at how bad he was at complimenting or kissing ass to the brand he legit has never heard of😭

kidd knows how to apply his makeup; shadow, liner, and lipstick. he tried on a purple and red shadow combo and his usual full eye liner.

his stream at that point became very chill, his fans loving every bit of his craft and how focused he was doing everything. especially at how he looked like afterward

"now we got- kiss-proof lipstick? they sent me a shit ton of fuckin' shades!" he showed a whole box of liquid lipsticks. laughing at the ridiculous amount.

his fanbase requested a test of the kiss proof on his palm, showing interest in the product

but kidd had different ideas. it might be a good way to hard launch you already.

his ig and twt already had pictures of you during dates, but your face was always hidden most of the time

"a test on my palm? oh boy, i have a better idea for that."

he'd call you, "babe! baby! c'mere a moment, i need ya a bit."

his chat would go: "babe?!?! omg hard launch?!", "omg here is his s/o!", "OH GOD KIDD YOU SLICK CHEEKY FUCK!"

you'd be scared for a bit, but kidd looked really excited. besides you also want to check out his makeup products.

"are we gonna do it together?" you muttered lowly, referring to the review

"kinda." he shrugged. "i just got one lil job for you, you'd love it promise."

you were skeptical at first but oh well. kidd lets you pick the lipstick of your choice, which was a bright red. it always looks good on him.

the chat was highkey going crazy when your body from neck below was showing

they also noticed how kidd started acting differently, he spoke softly and he had this meek smile while looking up at you

he lets you apply it on him. you were now seating with the seat he pulled to let you down. the chat now being able to see you. you waved a hi shyly, and man the view count started going up

twt was already full of you guys 😖

kidd then fanned his lips, waiting for the product to dry.

"ok, what's next?" you asked, popping the lid close

"this." he grabbed the back of your head and kissed you on stream. holding the kiss pretty good in there, smirking through it as he did so, before sucking on your lips open

you were too flustered and frozen but he even had the audacity to angle his head the other way to continue kissing you

it was pretty fucking lewd, he was really getting in there

but you, you melted from his lips and his firm grip on your nape

the chat and stream lagged at the amount of chats and view counts increasing exponentially

once he pulled away after a good 2 minutes, he turned to the screen and said, "so? it really is kiss proof, aye?" he bursted out laughing at your reaction which was the same when he started kissing you 🤣

the chat also went hysterical, both from freaking out with the both of you and your reaction

you honestly didn't mind, you half expected it. it's kidd we're talking about🤣 because kidd did it as a flex and as a fuck you to his haters (especially those who were targeting you)

you had to excuse yourself which resulted to even more comedic response from kidd at how cute you are. you were burning red btw

you later come back to tell kidd and chat that you're okay, and you plan to get back on him for that

JASDHSAJDJSAJDSA I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! JUST DID THIS LAST NIGHT

[ghostly-penumbra]

Ectoberhaunt 2023. Day Nine

"Dragon"

Ao3 and as a stand-alone

“Would you like a drink, Danny?”

“Just some pop, please.”

Danny’s boss snorted but accepted easily enough, handing Danny a can of cool Pepsi whilst he twirled his whiskey.

“So, do you like your job, Danny?” His boss asked without preambles.

Danny didn’t really need to think about it, he answered honestly, “Yeah, it’s chill. The pay is good and I’ve been kinda nocturnal since I was fourteen so the late hours are no problem for me. The tips are great too, and the patrons are… wild, yes,” his boss huffed a small laugh at Danny’s understatement of the night-club goers, but didn’t interrupt him, “but no one has, like, tried to punch me or something, so I don’t mind.”

“That’s good.” His boss said softly and drank some more of his whiskey. “Look, Danny, contrary to what you may have heard of me, I am not in the habit of conquering other realms and enthralling their rulers, so know that you are not my vassal and I don’t want your Kingdom. I don’t even want my Kingdom! I’ve quit! But! You don’t look like you want to leave.”

“I would very much like to keep my job, if that’s at all possible.”

Lucifer Morningstar, owner of the nightclub Lux and Danny’s current boss (so far, at least), put his tumbler aside and gave his full attention to the young man sitting across from him.

“I don’t want you to leave, either.” The Devil said. “You’re a good employee and even Maze likes you!” He said this like it was either the biggest honour or the biggest abnormality.

Mazikeen was cool, even if a tad violent, so he took the comment both ways.

“But you do know that it’s not a good look for the King of Ghosts to be working for the King of Hell, right? No matter that I’m retired or that you are alive.” He rolled his eyes at the last bit.

“Yeah. That’s, I’ll get an earful for that.” It would be from the Observants, though, and he really didn’t care for their opinion, so it would just be a minor annoyance.

“And whether you stay at Lux or not, the pantheons have certainly taken notice.” Mister Morningstar rolled his eyes again and looked at Danny with pity, which, yeah, inter-pantheon relations was not something the Ghost Zone wanted or that Danny was interested in engaging with.

“Ah, yes, the rammies.” He made a face at that. He really didn’t want any god (lowercase g, all of them) snooping in his realm to see what his relationship with the Devil was.

But if shit was going to hit the fan anyway, why not keep his well-paid job?

“It’s not a problem for me,” the Devil kept saying, “I’m happily retired! For you, on the other hand, they’ll see you as my vassal if you don’t really get anything out of this, –no, a weekly salary with legal benefits means nothing to these beings.” He said before Danny could interrupt. “If there was something I could just give you as a boon–” He stopped and a large smile slowly spread on his face. “That’s it! I am a genius!” He stood up and began pacing back and forth whilst Danny just clutched his can of pop.

“Uh, what is it?” Asked Danny, sipping his pepsi.

“I will give you Hell!” Ignoring his employee choking on his drink, the Devil carried on. “We can say you are my apprentice, or you can be my actual apprentice if you want me to teach you the ropes, and I will give you the Key of Hell and you can add it to the Ghost Zone! No one will be stupid enough to give you any trouble for it, and I will finally get my annoying family off my back.”

“But they’ll be on mine!” Danny protested once he stopped choking. “I don’t want to have Hell! I didn’t even want to be King of the Ghost Zone, I was just the dumbass that defeated the old one! I- I just wanna get through college, afford my half-life, and become an astronaut…” He put his head in one hand, the other one holding the can against his forehead.

Why this? Why couldn’t he be fired for sleeping on the bar, like a normal person?

“Oh, please, Danny, you’re a young King, hardworking too; you must want more than that.” Mister Morningstar looked him in the eye not obstructed by pop and spoke slowly, with intent, “Tell me, Danny, what do you desire?”

“To protect everyone I care about, anyone that needs it, to help them.”

“Mm, kind of basic and boring but-”

“And to reach the stars, to sail through them in the infinite night.” Danny blinked hard and shook himself off. “That’s not cool, sir.”

“Dual Obsession?” The Devil said, easily ignoring Danny’s complaint. “Not very common; befitting for a King. So what you want to do is help. You can do it being King of Hell!”

“That doesn’t sound likely.” Danny’s response only made his boss’s smirk return, and then the Devil really began his sales pitch.

How, if Danny became the new King of Hell, he could totally help redeem the souls of the damned, and since he was already King of the Ghost Zone, he could take the damned souls of the innocent there if Heaven refused to open the Gates for them, wankers that they were.

“What do you mean innocent souls in Hell?”

That only made the Devil lean in cheerily, “Oh?” He asked. “Haven’t you heard?”

Sold souls, of course. From people who sold their soul to delay their loved one’s death, to wronged firstborns whose parents wanted power no matter the cost. All of them, in Hell.

“That’s not fair.” Danny said with clenched fists.

“Well, it’s not like I have a neutral realm where runaway, wronged souls could take refuge in.” Mister Morningstar said, knowing he had the young adult hooked.

“I-” Danny tried to speak, but felt his core thrumming writhing him. He wanted to help. “I will… consult it, first, it’s- it’s too much.”

His boss nodded sagely, and once again looked him in the eye. “I will extend your insurance to your family and include dental.”

Danny would still consult it with Clockwork and his friends, but he knew he was sold.

[talesfrommedinastation]

My redneck neighbor Doug watches 'The Bad Batch': The Outpost

As per many people's requests, I've collected a series of texts and Facebook messages from Doug when he watched certain episodes of everyone's favorite Copy Paste Boi show.

Some he was quite pithy on ('Ryan-from-Accounting goes fast but not fast enough to get away from the Bitch Wife Laura'), and others...well, he got excitable, to put it mildly.

Here's one of the more deranged ones, Season 2, Episode 12, 'The Outpost'. Or as Doug calls it: "The Daddy Warcrimes Christmas Special."

CW for Language like you wouldn't believe. Doug says "you'll need a permission slip from your momma to read this, I guess."

-----

Daddy Warcrimes is waiting by the Empire's equivalent of a windowless van, because comfort is just not his thing and he really wants the experience of smuggling cocaine across the border one of these days.

Some bitch who looks like she works at a bank is telling these clones that their extended warranty is up. I wanna bring her a bag of pennies and make her count it before I deposit it because I'm sick like that.

So here comes in SOME BLOND JACKASS. Mother of Hell do I hate this guy. Can I just tell you how much I hate him? I hate him like I hate the Crimson Tide, like I hate February, like I hate my mother-in-law. Hate hate hate. 

So Daddy Warcrimes, SOME BLOND JACKASS, and some homies get into Floating Probable Cause to lay waste to an unsuspecting Third World country or whatever.

Well, I was wrong! Looks like Elsa and her frozen fingers took over this dump. Disney owns both, so why not. The cold never bothered them anyway. Nope, they’re at somebody’s nasty old storage shed. Why does this remind me of visiting my sister in Wyoming?

Oh, who is this no-frills, salt-of-the-earth, son-of-a-bitch? Is that tanned Kurt Russell? No? It’s Sassy Park Ranger! I like him already. If he was my boss I’d actually show up to work on time and sober, or late and hung over, either way, it’d be a good time with the man. He just seems cool and chill and a nice dude. I bet he’s got homemade beef jerky in his locker and his beard always smells like cigar smoke. 

OH SHUT UP STUPID BLOND JACKASS, Jesus Christ I’ve never wanted to hit someone with a folding chair so hard in my life. CALL HIM COMMANDER.

Aw, Sassy Park Ranger’s being nice to Daddy Warcrimes, maybe Daddy Warcrimes will share the Columbian nose candy in the back of the van with Sassy Park Ranger, and Sassy Park Ranger won’t ask about the sobbing family Daddy Warcrimes is probably holding for ransom in the back. It’s all about understanding each other. 

This is truly the Daddy Warcrimes Christmas special, snow and friendship and stuff. I hope this doesn’t end up with Daddy Warcrimes 86’ing Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer from the sky, that would traumatize the children. But this is the same studio that produced Bambi so who knows. Didn't he try killing a kid the first episode?

Oh man, Sassy Park Ranger’s lost a lot of his men, that’s real sad. Only two left, Jesus. SHUT UP BLOND JACKASS SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

(I won’t repeat it, but the amount of times that SHUT UP was texted was….something else- Dr. MM)

Sassy Park Ranger’s taking Daddy Warcrimes on a hike around the place in the middle of a blizzard, probably going to say hi to the yeti hooker they all frequent and show him how to write his name in the snow with pee. He’s such a good guy. If they go sledding I’d be so happy.

Oh, shit! Daddy Warcrimes remembers that he has a job and proceeds to cop some poor bastard in the leg so he can follow the trail of blood in the snow. What in the Fargo am I watching here, does Steve Buschemi show up at one point now. No sledding in this one, I guess.

Well there goes Sassy Park Ranger and Daddy Warcrimes on a heartwarming romp following a crippled burglar in the snow as he bleeds to death. Kevin McCallister would be so proud. Well, now, they found a dead body already. You know, at this point, if Daddy Warcrimes capped Santa in the head this show wouldn’t be less wholesome. 

Aw shit Daddy Warcrimes stepped on a landmine, but Sassy Park Ranger watched his training videos that HR made them sit through and disarms it. They’re having a nice convo, I really, really like Sassy Park Ranger. If he dies I’ll be so freaking mad. 

(I said nothing, FYI - Dr. MM)

Aw shit, they found the bunker of crazy white people with guns in the snow. It’s confirmed: the Daddy Warcrimes Christmas Special takes place in Wyoming. Are Daddy Warcrimes and Sassy Park Ranger facing off my brother-in-law and his branch of the VFW near Laramie? Those guys need hobbies besides doomsday prepping and getting drunk in the snow. It ain’t right. 

“After all we sacrificed”…man. I feel right here. Is this the child friendly version of Enemy at the Gate? Shit. Please these two bastards need to survive. I need a beer and I wanna hug my wife.  

Dr. Meat Muffin, please don't tell me you're letting your babies watch this show. They need that dog from Australia who has fun with her daddy, not this.

Oh shit, avalanche! 

Oh no, Sassy Park Ranger. Oh no, oh no. Oh, Daddy Warcrimes.

Thank Christ they made it! They’re gonna save him! They’re gonna save him.

Wait. What. 

WHAT THE FUCK, BLOND ASSHOLE. 

I HATE THIS JACKASS SO GODDAMNED MUCH, SOLDIER OF THE EMPIRE, I WANNER SHOVE MY SOLDIER UP YOUR EMPIRE YOU STUPID DICK. 

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU

Yay! Daddy Warcrimes finally took out his gun and 86’d that FUCK. CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY!! YAAAAAAY!!!!!

Man...I hope this ends okay for Daddy Warcrimes. I hope his brothers aren't just dicking around somewhere warm while he and the other bros are out dying.

Guess that'll be next episode?"

....Doug snapped SO HARD watching 'Pabu'. Brace yourselves.

[goldenlikedayl1ght]

delicate - m. murdock

        

a/n: hi everyone :) it's been a while since i posted here but i am back with a fic on my latest hyperfixation! hopefully you all enjoy it and i appreciate any feedback you have on this little passion piece :) warnings: slight nsfw (no real smut but making out, teasing, etc) below the cutt, slight power dynamic because matt is readers boss, afab reader with no specific characterstics, shy!reader, matt being a tease, suggestive fluff ! lmk if i missed any! word count: 1228           now playing: delicate by taylor swift “is it cool that I said all that? / is it chill that you’re in my head?’

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

   Every time you look up, it’s like he’s already looking at you—Every time.

            It’s honestly beginning to creep you out, and you’ve been meaning to bring it up with him privately, really, you swear every time you find yourself alone with him, you want to discuss it. Except every time you want to, he’s kissing you before you can find the words.

            Matt Murdock cannot get enough of your lips, and he’s starting to worry he might have to check himself into rehab, pray, something, anything, to stop his growing addiction to you.

            Like right now— Foggy was on lunch with Marci, eating peacefully in his office. Karen had run out to investigate a possible lead on a case the firm had just picked up. When Matt had called you into his office, you, half distracted with the papers that were in your hands, didn’t think of the possibility of ulterior motives on the man’s part.

            He closed the door behind you as you kept reading the papers, muttering something about how you knew that a break in the case was quickly approaching, before turning to him.             And he’s just looking at you.

            “Everything okay there?” You ask, the papers landing on his desk, as he hums, a playful smirk on his lips.

            “Just thinking about how beautiful you are, sweetheart.” He charms, and you just scoff, your throat drying, heart racing, face flushing.

            “You don’t even know what I look like.” You defend, leaning against his desk. He hums, slowly approaching you, maybe even stalking you, wanting to make sure you won’t run off if he gets too close. He gets close enough to you where you almost want to run away, just as he fears you will. It’s not that you don’t adore the proximity, it’s just that Matt has a way of making you nervous, even shy. Which was not like you at all—Sure, you were never particularly popular in school, but everyone knew you and you were liked. When you got the job at Nelson, Murdock & Page, Karen and Foggy became friends of yours instantly, your wit drawing them in like a moth to a flame.

            But the man with the red glasses had made you nervous.

            It was as if he knew it too, despite his lack of vision, because he was cocky about it. And holy shit, if that didn’t make you want him more. So, when he finally kissed you last month, in the back of Josie’s dingy dive bar, it was almost impossible to come up for air. And he only chuckled when he heard your shaky breath, telling you to relax as he began to press kisses along your jaw, cheek and neck.

            You haven’t come up for air since.

            He finally stopped moving when he was just in front of you, before wrapping his arms around your waist, hoisting you into his desk. Then, his hands traveled down to your thighs, humming at the soft feeling of your skin, radiating this nervous heat about you. He stepped between your legs, hands never leaving your thighs, and brought his forehead to yours.

            You quietly, a little in awe of him, reached up, removing his glasses from his face, to admire his pretty brown eyes.

            The papers on his desk have been long since forgotten.

            “You’re right, sweetheart, I don’t. But maybe you could tell me.” He said, taking your hands in his.

            You let out a nervous giggle, and it made him grin.

            “This is funny to you? I’m trying to romance my girl, and you’re laughing?” That has you laughing again, and he lets out a chuckle to accompany it.

            My girl, he had said.

            “I’m sorry,” You started, “You just make me so damn nervous. I’m not used to this.” You explain, and he lets out a sympathetic hum.  

            “Mm, I know, baby. But you’ve still got to tell me what you look like.” He says softly.

            You exhale, taking his hands and bringing them up to your face. First, you bring his left hand to your hair, letting him play with the ends of it. You tell him the color and let him feel the texture and length of it for himself. Then both hands come back to your face and cup your cheeks.

            “Your cheeks are very warm... Am I making you shy?” He asks, that teasing tone lingering in the question.

            You scoff softly at him, before you bring his right pointer finger to your nose, running it along the shape of it, so he can imagine it well. “This is my nose.” Then you close your eyes, and bring his fingertips up to your eyes, describing the color of them for him before adding, “I use these for looking at my very hot boss, who has every idea of the effect he has on me.” You grin.

            “Sounds like a dick.” He quips, his fingers landing on your cheeks again.

            “Mm, sometimes.” You joke back. Then, you guide his fingertips towards your lips, “And these are my lips... You know all too well what they can do.” At your teasing, it’s his turn to exhale shakily.

            “Do you know how badly I want you when you say things like that, sweetheart?” He asks, and you make a noise of faux confusion. It makes him chuckle—not in the same lighthearted way as before, though, there’s something darker about it now.

            Not that you have much time to process that, because suddenly he’s kissing you, his hands back on your thighs, and you react quickly, wrapping your arms around his neck, bringing him close. When he breaks the kiss for air, just for a moment, it’s torture, enough to have you grab his tie and pull him in for another, and another.

            It’s been a while since you’ve come up for air, remember?

            After a few more minutes of kissing, you with all his passion he might save for other facets of his life, Matt’s hands travel up your thighs, pushing your skirt up, and he pulls away, a whine coming from your lips.

            “Sh, sh, sh... Easy, sweetheart. Gotta breath remember?” He says soft, and you hum in acknowledgement. “Good. Good girl for me... Isn’t that right?” And you just hum again, but he tuts in disapproval. “Gotta hear you say it for me, sweet girl.”

            “Yeah...” You finally say, “Always wanna be your best girl.” You manage out. It makes him smile, and he steps away, taking your hand and leading you off the desk. He pulls your skirt back down, and you fix your hair, before grabbing his hand. He looks at you quizzically, before you start to fix his tie.

            He grins when he realizes and presses a kiss to your forehead, before telling you gently, in the quiet solitude of his office, where no one can hear you and no one is any wiser to what you were just doing, “Be a good girl for me for the rest of the day, and I’ll take such good care of you when we get home. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?”

            It’s almost too much for you, but you manage out a small, “Of course, honey.”

            He’s still smiling when he says, “That’s my girl.” Before kissing your head again, and opening the door, beginning your countdown to when you finally get back to his apartment.

[octuscle]

Hey Cronivac Support,

I dont trust myself with the settings so i am asking you. I am Half German and half Moroccan, and I look German af. Brown hair, brown eyes, big smile and a really white skin. I am thinking what would happen if my appearance were based on my Moroccan genes.

Can you help me out?

Brother, chill out! Have a shisha. Just ignore that there's German shit in your body. Your dick is circumcised. You pray at least once or twice a day. Friday you also go to the mosque… It doesn't matter if there are still German genes in you.

Thursday morning. You will survive the last school year at the Gymnasium. What comes after that, you don't know yet. Something with languages might make sense. Your mother tongues are Arabic, German and French. And you are actually quite good in English and Spanish at school. But you also enjoy science. First lesson today is chemistry. Stoichiometry. Actually very interesting. But somehow you have more and more problems to understand your teacher. When he approaches you, you start to stammer. You can't think of the right words. "Youssef, you are welcome to answer in English, if that is easier for you." You sigh in relief. German is really a difficult language. And even though you have a German grandmother, German was never spoken much at home….

During the break, you hang out with your brothers. Talk about soccer, cars, the usual stuff. Smoke an e-cigarette to go with it. And you make an appointment for the afternoon at the gym. Then it's off to the workshop at the vocational school. Metalwork. Hey, you're not training to be a car mechanic so you can mill toys out of metal plates. You want to become a car tuner. And create really hot cars. Your vocational school teacher is from Syria. Fled a few years ago. He speaks much better German than you do. You've only been in Europe for two years. Your mother had the French and the Moroccan passport, so you could immigrate relatively easily. But you didn't understand why you had to move to Germany. Some of your pals now live in Marseille. You would have found that cool, too… But Stuttgart? Just because your father found a good job as an engineer here at Mercedes? Anyway, you're a fighter, you'll survive Swabia.

Lunch is at the snack bar of a former colleague of your father. He has saved up enough money on the assembly line for his own snack bar. And now he makes the best falaffels in town. On weekends, you help out a little. You can always use the extra money. And that way you also get the food cheaper. Since you've been in training, you no longer get pocket money from your parents. You are the eldest son, you now have to do your share to feed the family. And if you are the first to have a vocational qualification here, your chances of getting a permanent right to stay are also the best. If only it weren't for this terrible language…

Gym, auto repair shop, vocational school, Gym…. Your daily routine is somehow always the same. Your boss is also a Muslim, from Turkey, so you have tomorrow afternoon off to go to the mosque. But you also have to work on Saturday. But you are grateful that you have the job. And you can afford your car and the gym. It was not easy to come to Europe. It cost your parents almost all their savings. And now it's your damn duty to succeed and support your family. For that you learn to be a car mechanic, for that you sell falaffel on weekends. That's why you mop the gym floors and clean the toilets at night. You even study German for that. However, this has already brought you a few thousand followers. Your picture from the last workout has 800 likes after just half an hour. Let's see, maybe new opportunities to become rich and famous will develop. You have the right gene pool!

Pic of your latest workout found @tufas

[withacapitalp]

Because the girlies really loved my last post about Argyle (and I can't remember if I put this here or not) have some more unconditional jargyle love

“I got a job today,” 

All conversation halted as over a dozens pairs of eyes turned to stare at him. Argyle gave them all a half smile and shoving some more vegetables in his mouth. 

“A job?” Jonathan managed to sputter out, looking at Argyle like he was from another planet. He did that a lot, always had, so it didn't really bug him.

Argyle was fine with being weird.  

“Hawkins Pizza! Gino wants me to start on Thursday, earlier if I can. They reallllllly need the help,” Argyle said with a disappointed shake of his head, taking another bite of broccoli and telling them the whole story. 

He had gone in on an impulse while he was waiting to pick up Robin and Steve from work. He had just wanted a slice, maybe to pick some up for dinner tonight so Joyce didn’t have to cook, but he had walked into a waking nightmare. Half baked mushy dough, tomato sauce that tasted like it came right out of a jar, and a cheese blend that had zero stringiness. 

They didn’t even have pineapple. It was a complete travesty.

The owner hadn’t appreciated his observations at first, even threatened to kick him out, but he had managed to swing the man around by offering to make him a real pizza. 

Twenty five minutes later Argyle had a job offer and a super nice new boss. Turns out the dude was way chill, just overwhelmed by being one of three restaurants left standing after the earthquake. But good pizza made everyone feel better. It was one of the reasons Argyle had loved being at Surfer Boy so much. 

“Y’all won’t be able to handle the sick ass pies I’m about to be slinging,” He said with a lazy shaka and a chuckle. 

Everyone was still looking at him, but not with as much confusion. They all congratulated him,  lowly going back to the conversations they had been having before. 

Well everyone except Jonathan, but that guy was always zonked out. 

“You’re staying?” Jonathan finally asked. 

“As long as its still cool for me to crash on your couch, my guy,” Argyle answered. Shoot. He probably should have asked that first before taking the job, but he had just been excited to get to start making pizzas again. Being in Hawkins wasn’t anything like Cali, and he had jumped at the chance for something just a little bit familiar. 

“Of course it is. Stay as long as you want,” Jonathan answered automatically, not missing a beat, “I just- I-“

Jonathan cut himself off with an irritated sigh, turning to stare down at his plate. Argyle let him have the moment, bopping his head along to the music playing in his head and happily spacing out. 

Jonny needed things like this, moments where he could debate whatever was going on inside. His best friend was ‘cerebral’ as his abuela would put it- he needed time in his head to find the right thing to say. 

Or he needed time to find the courage to say he wanted to say without fear. Either way, Argyle didn’t mind waiting. 

“I guess I just didn’t expect you to want to stay,” Jonathan mumbled out, still keeping his eyes on his plate and not his best friend, “I mean given how insane everything is,” 

It was insane. It was all insane.

Two weeks ago they had been hitting golfballs into old cars and talking about how Jonathan needed to get his shit together, and now they were sitting in the living room of an abandoned cabin halfway across the country, surrounded by people who had only taken ten days to feel like family to him. 

It was insane that Jonathan’s little sister could move stuff with her mind, and there was apparently an alternate dimension full of hell beasts that were determined to break into their world and destroy everything. It was insane that he had known nothing about the guy he swore was his best friend, and it was insane that Argyle still managed to find a way to love him through all of it. 

But sometimes insane was a good thing.

“Where else would I wanna be?” Argyle said instead with an easy grin, slinging an arm around Jonathan’s shoulder and leaning into his best friend’s space. 

[baenyth]

It's Chameleon Time, and I Don't Mean the Cool Lizard

I decided to watch Miraculous Season 3 Episode 1: Chameleon, the salt episode, because I suddenly decided I wanted to know how real the salt was again. Here's my thoughts:

Damn, Lila's good. She has backdoors for her lies and the only one I'd really call bad was the napkin one, but then again these are 14-15-year-olds in 2015-2016. They probably believe in the secret Grillby boss fight after beating Sans in genocide.

Despite being the two biggest targets for the salters, Adrien and Alya were incredibly chill here. Adrien was doing what he thought was best for the context and would defnitely change is mind if he heard Lila threatened Marinette, while Alya was one one most on Marinette's side. They're besties.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Marinette was just jealous of Lila at first until she threatened Marinette in the bathroom stall. Her grievances were more at Lila throughout the episode than what she was doing to the class.

Marinette, all you had to do was excuse yourself to the bathroom, transform, and explain the situation to Nino and Alya.

In general the closest thing to hostile the class was to Marinette was Kim and Mylene calling her out for throwing stuff at Lila (a major no-no there,) and a few moments where they all looked mad at her, probably because it would be cheaper instead of giving them all different reactions.

I have to wonder if a lot of the stuff Lila does in fics is real or not. I know she makes people do the work she doesn't want to do, but do future episodes showcase her as a con artist like in the fics? It wouldn't be surprising, at the very least.

Did anyone seriously believe Chameleon's ruse as Adrien? It's like she was trying to be horrible. I could do a better job at both lying to appeal to the class and posing as Adrien.

If Lila continues to be as evil as I think she's gonna be, I hope she gets turned into a clam more often even though I know that won't happen.

So yeah, that was the salt episode. Here's my beliefs on how the class views Lila with one bonus:

And also @flightfoot because I know you were curious.

[drpoisonoaky]

Whoa she has fallen deep

They realize how deep Katara has fallen for Azula. Because they simp for each other a lot.

Suki.

Suki needs to vent with someone. She loves her job, truly but sometimes…So when she saw Katara sitting there she knew she could help her. Katara is a great listener.

Even though it was weird she wasn’t looking at her at all. “I feel the new girls didn’t have discipline.”

“Aha” 

“Okay that sounds like she is answering in automatic and what she is looking at” As she followed Katara’s gaze she saw Azula and Ty lee talking. “Maybe it’s a coincidence”

Seeing Ty Lee there only reminded her why she was mad with the girls. “They only want to learn chi-blocking. And yes being able to chi-block is helpful but you have to train every day.”

“Absolutely” 

“She’s definitely answering in automatic but let’s check just in case”

“Where are they going to learn to fight mongoose dragons with their bare hands?”

“Right” Suki was astonished, Katara was really that disconnected. “Or how to fly.”

“Yep” Suki didn’t even know what else said to her. “Whoa she has fallen deep” 

“Absolutely” replied Katara without any question by Suki. 

“I had enough,” Suki thought. “TY LEE, AZULA COME HERE.” as she yelled that Katara broke her trance. 

“At your service boss” said Ty Lee as soon as she and Azula came close, while she made a military salute. 

“What do you want?” Azula replied slightly annoyed. 

“I want to have a conversation with Katara but she can’t. She only looks at you and answers in an auto pilot.”

As she heard Suki Katara blushed “Hey, that's not true. I-”

“Oh now she can say non affirmation sentences.” At least she wasn't mad with her girls anymore.

“Don’t blame her, I'm gorgeous.” declared Azula smirking.

“Kyoshi have mercy.”

Sokka.

Azula and Zuko were training for a while, well Azula was playing with Zuko because she already trained today and Zuko got along with it. 

Sokka knows nothing about firebending, but he knows he needs her sister’s help. The same sister who only looks at those without even noticing him. 

“Katara'' No reponse. “Maybe she didn’t hear me”

“Katara?” Nothing. 

“Earth calling Katara” Nope. 

Sokka looked at her closer. “Let’s taste the water’s” 

“I think I’m going to kill a bunch of kids just for fun.” And still, no response. Sokka was starting to worry but then, as Zuko hit the floor loudly, he realized she was focused on what Azula was doing “Whoa she has fallen deep” 

So he knew he had to bring the big guns.

“AUCH WHAT WAS THAT FOR??” 

“My old buddy never fails,” said Sokka after kissing his boomerang. “Stop looking at her, clean your droll and help me to move these boxes.”

“I wasn’t looking-… I was trying-…I WAS DROOLING.” Katara said, completely blushed.

“Your girlfriend lies way better.”

Toph.

Toph sensed Azula as soon as she entered the room, but what she sensed the most was the backflip Katara’s heart did.

“Sugar Queen, I think you’re having a heart attack.” 

“What? No. I’m cool, totally chill.” 

“Why are you talking like your brother?” questioned Toph. 

“I do not sound like Sokka”  

On the opposite side of the room Sokka was chatting with Zuko and Azula. 

“But I said to him “No bro, I’m cool, totally chill” and he believed it.” Call it perfect timing.

“I am blind not deaf.” As soon as she said that, Katara started to defend herself, as if Toph said anything to attack her. She was only worried.

“Well your “abilities” must be failing because I’m perfect.” 

“What is wrong with her”

Toph didn’t sense Azula approaching.

“Of course you are perfect” 

“Oh Hey- Hi- What’s up?” replied Katara blushing and like she had forgotten how to speak.  

“Is she really that bad? She was fine 5 seconds before Azula…” As she realized this Toph started to smile mischievously. 

“Are you plotting something against me?” Ask Azula joking.

“WHAT NO” Katara said quickly and loudly.

So Toph decided to play a little bit once she knew her friend wasn't going to die “Her sweetness here was doubting my “abilities”.”

Azula tilted her head while looking at Katara “And you said I am the weird one.” 

“Anyways I was talking to Zuzu and Sokka and they are making me go to the theater today so you are coming with me.” 

“It’s not optional, and we have to wear something nice.” added Azula quickly. After that she got close to Katara and kissed her cheek quickly. Toph senses how Katara’s heart gives a full gymnastic performance “Whoa she has fallen deep”  thought Toph.

“I don’t get a kiss?” Toph asks Azula knowing fully well that won’t happen.

“You should be even asking for one without taking a bath first.” 

“I girl have to try.”

After that Azula was out of the picture. Leaving a speechless Katara.

“Well at least I know why you are suffering a heart attack.” 

“I am no-” 

“Don’t even try.”

Zuko

Zuko was having a cup of tea with Azula and Katara in the gardens. Because it was a great day and Zuko needed advice. 

“And I know I am more approachable than the other Fire Lords, but I like to walk without being stopped all of the time. Mai doesn’t want to walk with me anywhere.” he stopped his rambling and looked at her sister “Are you even listening to me?” 

Azula was with her eyes closed enjoying the sun while Zuko spoke. She actually was paying attention but the sun felt great.

“Of course I am.” said Azula without opening her eyes or moving.

“So?” 

“Don’t stop with anyone anymore. Challenge some of them to Agni Kai.” 

Zuko looks annoyed at her not knowing if she really believes that or she simply wants to make fun of him.

So instead of picking a fight he decided to get a second opinion. 

“Katara?” 

Katara has been looking mesmerized at Azula enjoying the sun like she was the only thing that matters. But as Zuko asks her directly she knows she has to answer something.

“I am Katara.” Even after talking as if her brain didn’t work anymore at all she didn’t look away 

Zuko stared at her blankly. “Whoa she has fallen deep”.

“Great, your pity party broke my girlfriend.” complained Azula while she stopped to enjoy the sun and look at Zuko.

But in that moment, before Zuko could reply, they heard a loud “NO” from Katara when she saw Azula move from her previous position.

Knowing that he wouldn’t get the help he needed and being a little bit angry at these two, Zuko woke up to leave.

“Geez, I get it. I ask Aang. I don’t know why I even ask you two. One is mean and one is drooling over the mean one.”  He looked at them narrowing his eyes and left.

“Were you drooling?” said Azula smirking.

“I’m breaking up with you.” replied Katara, staring at her and pouting.

“Sure but first let’s keep enjoying the sun for a while”

Aang

When Aang asked Azula to teach him lightbending he knew it would be weird. But at the moment she saw Katara sitting near watching them, he confirmed it.

“You know when I asked you to teach me lightbending I didn’t visualize the audience.” 

Azula was finishing her arm wraps, almost ready to train and without looking at him said “It’s just Katara. She asked me to be here. Maybe she didn’t trust us with lightning. The last time we gave her a lot of work.” 

“Only Azula could describe like that killing me with lightning” 

“She also was my waterbender teacher, now I have double pressure” 

Azula was already done when he look at him “It’s just Katara”

“Yeah I know. But-”

“Is it because I’m dating her?” Ask Azula, raising an eyebrow.

“I mean yeah but more in- no- just- Agh.” 

“So for you it is weird that your ex-girlfriend, who still is your friend and now my girlfriend, is watching us training together when I killed you and she brought you back to life?” said Azula looking at Katara. As a response Katara gave them a thumbs up clearly not hearing what they were talking.

“It isn’t for you?” 

Azula looked at Aang for a second and shrugged 

“I have to deal with hallucinations of both of my parents. This is a walk in the park compared to that.” Aang stared at her, surprised that she talked about that with him. 

“Plus if you have lived in an Iceberg for a century you can deal with a bit of awkwardness. “ she added after that. Then she started to walk to the center of the training facility.

“I guess you’re right.” 

“I usually am. Let’s start.”

Azula turned out to be a good teacher and after a while he could create a little lightning.

“LOOK SIFU AZULA IS A LITTLE SPARK.” It was little and weak he made it. 

Azula looked at him with a little smile. Aang was happy and his happiness was contagious.

“If I was Ozai I would make you increase that until it wasn’t embarrassing to look at, even though it probably breaks you today. But I am not. So we shall continue tomorrow?” 

Aang looked at her slightly worried, “I can’t fathom what that man did to her…Wait, has she asked him to continue tomorrow?” 

“It  would be my honor sifu Azula”

As soon as Aang was done with her bow Katara appeared as she was in a hurry.  “Maybe she’s going to scold me”

“Hey Kata-” but when Aang looked at her he realized she never intended to talk to him. “Is she angry?” 

The good thing is Azula looked just as confused as him. But before he can ask her what’s wrong she starts to speak looking at Aang.

“So are you done? You are done. Good. Nice flame Aang.” 

“Did she just say nice flame? We don’t…what was she looking at?!” Aang was more confused at every moment.

Then Katara looked at Azula and the rambling started.

“Azula, you were great.. The best. Who would have thought you trying to help makes you look so h- makes you a great individual…makes you-”

Azula looked confused at first but then she was smirking. 

“Whoa she has fallen deep” Aang thought, looking at Katara when she stopped “speaking” and only stared at Azula .

“Azula, let's go now.” 

“Of course as a great individual it is my duty to help. See you tomorrow, Avatar.” Then they disappear from the Avatar line of sight. 

“Well at least I know how to produce a little lightning.”

Ty lee 

Ty Lee was walking around the palace going to see Suki. When she stopped and saw Azula was training. She was an ass sometimes but her fire was something beautiful. If it wasn’t against you obviously.

“Oh hey are you looking for Suki?” Katara was leaning against a pillar. “She probably was watching Azula,” concluded Ty Lee.

“Yes, well I know where she is, so I was going to” Ty Lee stopped herself when she saw a big blue flame surrounding Azula creating a circle.

“Even after all these years, watching her training is astonishing” said Ty Lee watching Azula, then she turned to Katara “It is crazy because I have seen her millions of times. For some time it was like a routine”.

Katara looked at her with a weird look. So Ty Lee thought “Shit I make it weird” 

“Not that I want to watch her like that anymore. It is just a memory. I mean her bending is still beautif-” As Ty Lee kept talking and Katara’s face was even weirder. “Okay maybe I should just shut up. Is it awkward? Of course it is I mean we dated and we have so good memorie- Nope I’m not talking anymore ”

“Agni please help me”

“Oh no Ty Lee is fine, it’s not awkward, quite the opposite. You know Azula, I love to hear more stories about her from an external source plus you two are friends, well you are my friend too. I mean not that clos-”

“Well at least she also is rambling. Is that part of Azula’s type?”

As if she was invoked by Ty Lee’s thoughts, Azula appears next to her. 

“So now I am a show? Maybe I should join the circus” she had a playful smile on her face.

“So I would get the chance to burn your safety net?” Honestly that was water under the bridge but teasing Azula is funny. Well, when she isn’t in a killer mood.

“I would never put one there at the first place, that’s for cowards”

As they started to bicker Katara only was staring at Azula with that expression. Ty Lee still hasn’t figured out what that gaze means until.

“She was looking at her as she was the best thing in the world, so that’s why she gave me that look she wasn’t jealous she was proud” So when Azula turned back to Katara, Ty Lee paid attention to Katara's gaze and only could think “Whoa she has fallen deep”.

[scarlettjemily]

Sedona - Chapter 1/?

Pairing: Emily Prentiss x Jennifer "JJ" Jareau

Summary: Inspired by the song 'Sedona' by Houndmouth.

JJ leaves her home town to get away from her toxic family environment. She gets a job as a lifeguard. She's introduced to the lifeguard in charge of training her; a closed off, sarcastic, snappy brunette named Emily.

Song suggested by @time-himself

Word count: 2.4k

Posted on Ao3 as well

“Hey Emily, I’ve got a new girl starting today. I want you to train her and show her the ropes, but please be nice." Emily sat in a beach lounge, set up for the staff who were patrolling the beach.

Emily rolled her eyes, releasing a puff of smoke from her lips. She flicked the burning ash off of her cigarette into the makeshift ash tray that they had hidden in the lifeguard tent. “Are you insinuating that I’m not a nice person?” She asked, looking up at her boss.

Derek chuckled, winding up some rope that was left out from yesterday’s shift. “You’re not NOT nice, just a bit standoffish?” He threw the rope under one of the tables and sat down on the beach chair across from her. “Please work with me here; I got rid of the last guy because you didn’t like him so-“

"Well, he was a fucking weirdo! God forbid, I want to feel comfortable at my job,” Emily snapped, cutting Derek off. She placed the cigarette up to her lips, taking a long inhale. The minimal buzz calmed her sudden spike of frustration. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap; I just hated that guy,” Emily mumbled through a stream of smoke, hugging her legs up to her chest, the breeze from the waves chilling her skin.

Derek didn’t take her mini-outburst personally; he’s been working with Emily since she was 19. She’s 25 now, and he’s practically seen her grow up. He viewed her somewhat as a daughter. He always forgave her outbursts because he just knew what she was like. “Exactly, so I’ve hired a young girl close to your age, hoping you’ll feel more comfortable around her. Maybe you can even be friends.” He knew she’d find that suggestion amusing. Emily kept to herself a lot.

“Fuck off, Derek!” she laughed, putting out her cigarette and twisting her legs off the chair, letting her feet sink into the cool sand below. “When does she come?” Emily asked, hoping it was later in the day so she didn’t have to spend her whole shift making awkward small talk.

“Any time now.”

She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, I’ve got no choice, do I?” She huffed, standing up and removing the beach dress that she wore over her uniform. “Don’t worry, I’ll be nice,” she teased, slipping her sunglasses on and making her way down the beach to hop up on her designated chair that looked over the water.

“Hey! JJ, welcome; I’m so glad to have you on board with us." JJ beamed at her new boss; she was excited to start her new job. “I’m so sorry. I’d love to show you around, but I’ve got an issue I’ve got to fix. If you head right down there, that’s Emily; she’s going to be training you.”

JJ looked down the beach, seeing a brunette girl in the distance, sitting atop a lifeguard chair. Her hair was flying everywhere from the wind that was coming off the ocean, but the woman didn’t seem to mind. “No worries, you go; I’ll go introduce myself.” JJ hoped her independence and confidence gave off a good first impression. She really needed this job.

“Enjoy your first day!” Derek yelled out while running off to tend to whatever problem needed him.

JJ headed down the beach towards Emily in the lifeguard chair. When she got there, she was looking through a pair of binoculars at something in the water. JJ gave her a friendly smile. “Hi, are you Emily?” She asked, holding her hand above her brow, attempting to block the bright sun from flashing in her eyes.

"Depends on who’s asking,” Emily stated, continuing to look through the binoculars and ignoring JJ's presence.

"Umm, well, Derek sent me here to find you; it’s my first day.” JJ was hesitant because Emily didn’t seem very friendly. “I’m JJ,” she tried again, smiling at the other lifeguard.

Emily not so subtly sighed and dropped her binoculars. She looked down, seeing the blonde girl standing next to her. “JJ? That short for anything?” She flatly asked.

“Jennifer, Jennifer Jareau.”

“Jennifer”

JJ tried to hold back a laugh, so when it came out, it sounded like a very patronising snicker. “Yes? Is that okay, Emily? What’s your deal? Have you had a rough morning or something?” JJ couldn’t help herself; she was so thrown by Emily’s attitude. “Lighten up,” she said, pushing it one step further.

Emily’s eyebrows raised under her sunglasses. She was shocked but also impressed, the latter being something she would never admit. “You’re fun, Jennifer,” she said, lifting her sunglasses and resting them atop her head. “So how old are you anyway? Like 15?”

JJ rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm actually 23; don’t act like you’re so much older; you literally look 17." The sarcasm leaving JJ's mouth was equally shocking to herself and to Emily.

Emily let out a laugh at the girl's comment, genuinely thinking she was funny. “You’re right, I’m 25. I was just messing with you.” Emily hopped off the chair, standing in front of JJ, finally getting a proper look at her. “So, where are you from?”

JJ relaxed briefly now that Emily seemed to defrost a little. “Arizona. Specifically, Sedona,” JJ watched as the quizzical look crossed Emily’s face.

“Sedona? Why the fuck would you leave there to come to LA?” Emily turned momentarily towards the water to do a quick once-over, making sure everyone in the water was okay.

JJ shrugged nonchalantly, “same reason as 90% of the other people who move here—to get away from a shitty family.” She let out a half-chuckle, wanting to breeze over the topic.

“I hear that,” Emily agreed. Like the other woman, she also didn’t want to get into it. “I thought you might’ve come here to try and be famous or something.” Emily rolled her eyes at the thought. Clearly harbouring some form of judgement towards that career path.

“I mean, I studied acting in college, but that’s whatever; it is what it is." JJ could feel her cheeks heat up; she always got slightly embarrassed when people brought it up. She was quite shy when it came to her acting; she really didn’t know if she was any good or not.

“Oh shit! I mean, I could totally see you in a movie, like the cute girl who lives down the street,” Emily teased, not wanting JJ to think she was judging her for wanting to be an actor.

"Oh, shut up!” JJ laughed, feeling much more relaxed with Emily now. “Can you actually teach me some stuff about lifeguarding now?” She said, playing along with Emily’s humour.

“I guess I have to; let’s go, Sedona,” she said, leading JJ to the workers tent, switching into a more professional role in order to show JJ how things were done.

The end of their shift came around surprisingly quickly for Emily and JJ; they were able to get into a natural swing together.

Emily was impressed, not only by JJ’s ability to learn so quickly but also by the fact that she didn’t completely hate JJ. She found herself enjoying her quick-witted banter; not many people could keep up with Emily’s sense of humour.

“So I was going to go into town tonight, kind of explore a little, maybe find somewhere to have dinner; do you want to come?” JJ chirped, hopeful at the thought of having some company for dinner. She sat on the end of the beach chair that Emily was sitting on.

Emily had her knees up against her chest, her ankles locked together. She had a towel wrapped around her shoulders, her body still wet from the last rescue she did before her shift ended. "Hmm, I don’t know. Don’t you think spending a whole day together was enough?” She teased, subconsciously pulling the towel around her so it hugged her legs.

JJ laughed and rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m going either way, alone or not. You don’t strike me as someone who’s got many friends, so I thought I’d be nice,” she watched as Emily let out an amused chuckle, casually reaching into her bag and grabbing a packet of cigarettes.

Emily took out a cigarette and placed it between her lips. “Very perceptive, Sedona; I don’t like very many people.” She offered her pack of cigarettes to JJ, seeing if the other woman wanted one.

“No thanks; I don’t smoke,” JJ declined. “Those things will kill you, you know,” she said, knowing Emily has probably heard this many times before.

Emily lit her cigarette, taking it between her two fingers and blowing the first stream of smoke out of her lips, making sure to aim it off to the side, not wanting to blow it at JJ. "Oh, I’m banking on it,” she joked.

JJ shook her head, tucking her wet hair behind her ear. “You’re so dark," she said, her shoulders shaking back and forth momentarily from a lazy internal laugh, not quite letting the noise leave her mouth. “Anyway, that’s all good. I’ll see you tomorrow for our shift,” she pulled together her bag that was sitting on the sand below her.

JJ didn’t think Emily would say yes, so she didn’t mind much that she’d pretty much declined the offer. “I better head off now; thanks for today!” She said, pushing herself off the chair and catching her towel that was quickly sliding down her waist.

Emily nodded, giving her a small smile. She dropped her legs, so she was now sitting cross-legged on the chair. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she gave JJ a small wave as she watched the younger woman walk off down the beach. She found herself smiling at herself for a second, remembering how Derek had teased her that morning about being friends with JJ. Now she had the girl asking her to go have dinner with her.

She looked back over at JJ who was still walking down the beach. She let out a sigh and quickly put her cigarette out, grabbing her bag. “JJ wait!” She called out, jumping off the chair and jogging down towards the blonde woman.

JJ turned around after hearing her name; she smiled seeing Emily run towards her. “Couldn’t resist, could you?” She questioned, still walking backwards as Emily got closer.

"Oh, shut up; don’t think too much into it. I’m just hungry,” she stated, stepping into line with JJ's stride. She let out a deep laugh when JJ pushed her arm, making her stumble slightly to the side. “I’m kidding, don’t be so sensitive, Jennifer.”

JJ smirked, flipping Emily her middle finger as she ran up the steps that led to the car park, the brunette following quickly behind.

“Want me to drive?” JJ asked, lifting her bag to sit on her shoulder. They’d made it to the top of the stairs leading to the entrance of the car park; it was close to empty, being late in the afternoon. Only a few cars were parked sporadically around.

“You’ll have to; I walk to work; I live like 5 minutes away,” Emily said, pointing in a random direction. She wasn't even sure if that was the direction she lived in, but that wasn’t the point of the gesture.

Nodding, JJ started walking to her car. “Alrighty, hop in!” When she reached her car, a doorless Jeep Wrangler; she threw her bag in the back, not caring if her belongings flew out of it. She hauled herself up onto the driver's side, immediately slipping her key into the ignition.

Emily covered her face with her palm, trying so hard not to laugh but failing immensely. “You’ve got to be joking with me,” she laughed, walking up to the car. She rested her hands on the open doorway, leaning through the opening. “Did you search ‘beach aesthetic car’ on Pinterest and buy the first thing you saw? Holy shit JJ, where are your fucking doors?”

JJ couldn’t keep her laugh in as Emily kept throwing joke after joke at her. She gripped her steering wheel, resting her head on it. “Stop! You’re gonna make me cry,” she squeaked through her involuntary laughs. The muscles in her stomach started to ache from the constant laughter.

Emily’s cheeks warmed as she watched JJ in a fit of laughter. Something about making her laugh so much was giving Emily a warm feeling of satisfaction. She climbed up into JJ’s car, a wave of relief washing through her when she saw the car did, in fact, have seatbelts. “I mean, if the cigarettes don’t kill me first, this death trap sure will.” Emily burst out laughing, flinching away from JJ, dodging a playful punch that was coming her way.

“That’s the place there, the one with the neon pink sign,” Emily pointed out, the neon lights flashing brightly, lighting the surrounding area with a dull pink tinge.

JJ swung her car into a vacant spot right in front of the restaurant. She placed her car in park, pulling her keys out of the ignition. She watched Emily out of the side of her sunglasses, not trying to make it obvious that she was observing her movements. She found herself staring slightly as Emily fixed her windswept hair in the mirror. “It looks fine, Emily; don’t stress,” she stated.

Emily offered a small smile instead of a thanks, subconsciously hoping the gesture sufficed. “Let’s head inside,” she said, looking away from JJ, feeling slightly uncomfortable by the fact that their teasing and banter had stopped momentarily.

The two women were sitting across from each other in a booth inside the restaurant. They were already eating their meals and making small talk with each other.

“Thanks for coming to dinner. I would’ve been fine coming alone, but I appreciate you coming with me,” JJ said sincerely, thinking about how well her first day of work had gone. It made her happy that she’d made at least one friend already; she truly thought she’d be fending for herself for at least a couple of weeks until she’d settle in.

A feeling of unease rose in Emily’s chest; she wasn’t used to the softness JJ was displaying. Not just because it was from her; in general, Emily either kept things comical or kept her distance; there was no in-between. “Like I said, I was hungry,” she taunted, bringing the tone back to a realm she was more familiar with.

JJ’s lips curled into a smirk, rolling her eyes. She continued to eat her food, the conversation returning back to a casual, comfortable flow.

[doberbutts]

I think it's also wild the way people assume the stealth experience is roses and butterflies. I went stealth+DL about being gay for about 2 years at work in order to be able to work in a trade where people generally skew extremely homophobic/transphobic/misogynistic. I had been on T long enough to pass reliably so I thought, ok, cool, this is where my life as a Normal Guy kicks in, this is where I get to flex the old Male Privilege and work in an industry culture that is toxic to everyone but cishet men.

and I mean yeah, materially? I did okay in my profession, I was good at what I did. People were pretty chill to me because my only major flaw to them was being the New Kid, a problem that eased with time. I did have a female coworker who I learned dealt with some hazing that I didn't. I will say, in that particular situation, I had some privilege over her since my sexist coworkers never said anything to me the way they said shit to her.

but here's the thing - I still heard all of it. The gross misogynistic things they were saying were not meant to be about me, but they sure as hell were anyway.

but oh, boo hoo, I had to hear remarks, but you know, I didn't face any actual barriers or opposition right? yeah, okay, I guess not, and I'm not saying it would have been better to be out in this scenario, or to be a woman, but there's a reason I ended up leaving that field. walking into work and feeling like - no, knowing - you have to lie to all your coworkers and your boss every single day or else they'll hate you and treat you like shit is not a great feeling. you never have a truly good day when that is always at the back of your mind no matter what. you never develop genuine friendships or connections at work if they're all built on lies.

I ended up getting so burned out. it was a good job, a union job, and I was making a good income. I had a path upwards to make *great* income if I had stuck with it long-term. but I ended up leaving it for a non-union job at a younger company, with a more "hip" HR culture that seemed like maybe I would be in a better place emotionally. I took a pay cut to do that too. but a lot of my new coworkers had the same attitudes as my old ones - the first week I was there, one of the other employees went around the shop asking each person, "if Kylie Jenner was trans, as in, used to be a man, would you still fuck her?" and most people, including the fucking foreman, said "fuck no." I ended up saying something like "it makes no difference to me, sure, fine, she's not my type anyway" (having to not reveal I was trans and also not reveal that I prefer men), and right in that moment I realized this wouldn't be a place I could be open either, and it would feel the same as the old place.

so the burnout for that job came much quicker. I quit after only a couple of months. I did actually end up telling the HR manager why, given that this company actually had one, but she was the only person at the job who ever knew I was trans (since she saw it on my background check anyway).

so yeah like, being stealth at work? it's not a privilege. it's a defense mechanism, and it feels like shit. you feel every transphobic and misogynistic barb even if it's not meant for you. one could argue that I would have never even been able to get those jobs if I were out, and yeah, maybe, that's possible, but I had female coworkers at both places. And yeah, one could also argue that, in terms of pay, I was likely doing better than my female coworkers. And you might be right about that if I hadn't gotten burnt out and quit before having a chance to build up any kind of seniority. But instead I took pay cut after pay cut until I finally decided to put my life in full reverse and go back to college - where I had struggled severely due to mental illness, and still do - since trades were clearly not the place for me.

I'm just really sick of people who have never actually lived what it's like to have that "male privilege" of being a stealth trans man deciding it's just the great, most ideal way you can exist as a trans person. I'm sure there are some stealth trans men who were able to adapt to that environment that I wasn't. but at what fucking cost?

I have a friend who worked a military job training the bomb dogs. He is 100% stealth to the point where even people who know, who have seen him naked and even had sex with him, often forget that he's transgender and why he has that barrier of access to some things if he wants to remain stealth.

The type of shit that people would just. Say to him. And he was always having to balance saying something or keeping quiet so as not to draw too much attention to his status as transgender. He was provided room and board by his job and thus lived with 5-6 similarly aged cis men in the same house and the amount of dodging them and biting his tongue he had to do to just to survive... And the job wouldn't be chill if they found out, the talk he'd heard made it very clear that he was at all times operating with a noose around his neck ready to tighten at the very first infraction.

Anyway that's what passing privilege is. Is your life somewhat better because you pass well enough that no one questions you? I mean I guess technically. But what happens in the mean time to your mental health? Having to hide large aspects of yourself and constantly worrying and looking over your shoulder to make sure no one is looking too hard at your hips or your hands or your chest. My friend is post-op. He's "done", so to speak, outside of taking testosterone. And yet this was still something he had to keep in mind.

He ended up leaving that job due to some Stupid Workplace Bullshit unrelated to his gender status but he told me that honestly it was also a huge sigh of relief. The money he got was great but it was corroding his soul to stay. He ended up taking a pay cut and working elsewhere that he is still stealth but no longer feels like he's got an axe to his neck in every interaction.

[bigslutr]

Rory Toll

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How y'all met<3 (This is also in Rory's Pov<3)

My thumb hovered over the call button staring at the pink heart by her name, then I pressed the call button with a sigh and put it up to my ear. The phone rang once, twice, a third time, but then the call disconnected once again making me groan.

“Stop ignoring me Vickey” I whispered through gritted teeth.

My thumb hovered over the call button, staring at the pink heart by her name. With a sigh, I pressed it and put the phone to my ear. The ringing was familiar once, twice, a third time and then the call disconnected. Again.

"Stop ignoring me, Vickey," I muttered through gritted teeth, gripping the phone tighter before tossing it onto the passenger seat. The screen flickered before it dimmed out completely. The weight of the gold necklace around my neck, the heart-shaped charm engraved with a ‘V,’ felt heavier than usual.

I stepped out of the car, the cool night air brushing against the bare skin exposed by the silk navy dress clinging to my body. The bass from the nightclub pulsed through the ground, vibrating up through my heels as I made my way toward the entrance. Inside, the noise was overwhelming, just what I needed. A sea of bodies swayed to the music, each person lost in their own world.

Perfect.

I made my way to the bar, ordering a whiskey neat. The bartender slid the glass across the counter, and I took a sip, scanning the room. My fingers absentmindedly touched the necklace, the ‘V’ a constant reminder of the one thing I couldn’t have tonight.

That’s when I saw her.

She was at the far end of the bar, sitting alone, her eyes tired, her posture tense. Her phone was clenched tightly in her hand, and she glanced at it every few seconds like it was some lifeline. The drink in front of her looked untouched, and she was gathering her things, clearly getting ready to leave.

No, not yet.

I picked up my glass and walked over to her, standing just close enough to get her attention. “You look like you could use something stronger than whatever’s waiting for you at home,” I said, my voice low enough to cut through the noise but still hold her attention.

She looked up, startled. Her gaze met mine, and for a moment, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She blinked, glancing back down at her phone. “I, uh… I have to get home. My boss is already breathing down my neck about these papers.” She let out a short, anxious laugh. “If I don’t get them done tonight, I’m screwed.”

I smiled, leaning on the bar beside her. “Forget your boss. You only live once, right? A pretty thing like you could land a job anywhere if you wanted.”

She paused, her eyes flicking between me and the exit, clearly torn.

“I mean,” I continued, taking another sip of my whiskey, “what’s one night off? Stay a little longer. You look like you need it.”

Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself. I could see the hesitation, the pull between obligation and the temptation of letting go, just for a few hours.

“I really can’t,” she finally said, though her voice lacked conviction. “I’m already behind as it is.”

I tilted my head, giving her a soft smile, not too pushy. “At least let me walk you out. It’s late, and it wouldn’t sit right with me if something happened to you.”

She hesitated again before finally nodding. “Alright. Just to the door.”

Together, we walked out into the cool night, the music still thumping from inside the club. I pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with practiced ease, offering one to her, which she politely declined.

“So,” I asked, taking a drag, “what’s so urgent that you’re running off at this hour? Boss can’t survive without you?”

She smiled faintly, rubbing her arms as if trying to shake off the chill. “Yeah, something like that. It’s been… a long week.”

I exhaled a cloud of smoke, watching it swirl up into the night air. “Maybe you should stop worrying so much about people who don’t appreciate you as much as they should.”

She glanced at me, intrigued by the sudden shift in conversation. “And you? What about you?”

I smirked, taking another drag before dropping the cigarette to the ground and crushing it beneath my heel. “Let’s just say I’m familiar with being taken for granted.”

The air between us grew heavy for a moment, the unspoken stories we both carried lingering between us like the smoke I’d just exhaled.

“Think about it,” I said softly, stepping closer but not intrusively. “You deserve a break. Come with me. One drink, one night, and I promise you’ll feel better.”

She shifted on her feet, her fingers fidgeting with the strap of her bag. “I… really shouldn’t,” she murmured, but her voice wavered, the weight of her exhaustion dragging the words down.

I could feel her hesitation cracking, the responsibility she clung to slowly giving way to something else—temptation, curiosity, maybe even the need for escape. I leaned in slightly, keeping my tone soft, almost conspiratorial.

“One drink,” I repeated, my eyes holding hers. “You don’t have to be anywhere tonight, not really. The world’s not going to end if you take a few hours for yourself.”

She looked down at the ground, then back up at me, her lips pressing into a thin line as if she was debating it in her head. Her eyes softened, and that’s when I knew I had her.

“Fine. One drink,” she said, the words barely louder than a sigh.

I smiled, a slow, satisfied smile, and gestured back toward the bar. “Good choice.”

We walked back inside, the pulsing music and flashing lights swallowing us again. The bartender raised an eyebrow as we approached, but I gave a nod. “Whiskey for me,” I said, then turned to her. “What’ll it be?”

“Vodka tonic,” she replied, almost absentmindedly, her eyes scanning the room as if to make sure she wasn’t doing something dangerous.

I watched her as she took a seat at the bar, her back straight but her hands resting on the counter, fingers tracing invisible patterns in the wood. There was something fragile about her, something that made her seem… breakable. I didn’t know her story, didn’t know what had her so wound up, but I could tell she was just like me. Trying to hold it together.

The bartender slid her drink over, and she picked it up with both hands, taking a small sip. I watched her relax, if only slightly, the drink loosening the tension in her shoulders.

“So,” I started, leaning back against the bar and watching her, “what’s your name?”

She looked up at me, blinking as if she’d forgotten I was there for a moment. “Y/N,” she said quietly, her voice almost drowned out by the music.

I smiled. “Y/N. Nice to meet you. I’m Rory.”

She smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. I could see something weighing on her, something she wasn’t saying. “So, Rory,” she began, swirling the liquid in her glass, “what’s your story? You don’t exactly look like you’re here to dance.”

I chuckled softly, taking a sip of my whiskey. “Let’s just say I needed a break. Work’s been... relentless.”

Her eyes flickered with understanding. “I know the feeling.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke, just sat there with our drinks, lost in our own thoughts. The music thumped around us, but it felt distant, like the world had faded away for just a second.

“Ever feel like… no matter how much you do, it’s never enough?” she asked, breaking the silence.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question. “More often than I care to admit,” I replied, leaning in a little closer, intrigued by her sudden vulnerability.

She glanced at me, her lips curling into a small, bitter smile. “Yeah. Me too.”

I studied her, the way her fingers nervously traced the rim of her glass, the way her eyes darted around the room like she was constantly on edge. She was hiding something, but whatever it was, I didn’t need to know. Not right now.

“You know,” I said after a pause, “we could make tonight about forgetting all that. Just for a few hours.”

Her brow furrowed slightly, but she didn’t say anything. I took that as a good sign.

“You work hard, right?” I pressed, my tone gentle. “You deserve more than just running back to your boss and those papers. Trust me, all of that will still be waiting for you tomorrow. But tonight… tonight’s yours.”

She hesitated again, her fingers tightening around her glass. “I don’t know,” she said softly, almost to herself.

I leaned in closer, my voice lowering, teasing. “Come on. What’s the worst that could happen? You’re already here.”

Her lips twitched, like she was holding back a smile, but she shook her head. “I don’t usually do this.”

“Well,” I said, raising my glass, “there’s a first time for everything.”

She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, then downed the rest of her drink in one go. I watched her, a small smirk tugging at my lips.

“Alright, Rory,” she said, standing up and grabbing her bag, “one more drink. But that’s it.”

I grinned, following her as we made our way back to the bar. “That’s all I’m asking.”

As the night wore on, the drinks kept coming, and the conversations grew looser, more candid. Y/N relaxed more, opening up piece by piece, though I could tell she was still holding something back. I didn’t push too hard. Not yet.

But as I watched her laugh at something I said, her guard finally slipping, I couldn’t help but think—this was just the beginning.

The night slipped by faster than either of us expected. Drink after drink, the distance between Y/N and me shrank until the space was barely there. We sat close now, our conversation flowing with an easy rhythm that only comes when you’ve had just enough to feel bold.

I glanced at her as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her lips parting in a soft laugh at something I said. There was something about the way she smiled, a kind of quiet exhaustion mixed with relief, like she hadn’t let herself unwind like this in ages.

I could see the shift in her posture now, the tension from earlier melting away. That’s when I leaned in, my voice low, teasing. “You know… we don’t have to stop here.”

She looked at me, her brow furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” I said, resting my hand lightly on her arm, “we could go back to mine. No more noise, no more distractions. Just us.”

Her eyes flickered with uncertainty for a brief second, but I could see the temptation already blooming there. I’d worked my way in, slowly, carefully, until the idea was too appealing to resist.

“Rory, I…” she hesitated, biting her lip, “I really shouldn’t.”

I smiled, softening my tone. “Come on. One night. You’ve already spent the evening with me. What’s the harm in ending it somewhere quieter?” I paused, locking eyes with her. “I promise, no pressure. We can just talk.”

She exhaled, her resolve cracking. “Okay. Fine. One night.” A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, hesitant but playful.

“Good.” I downed the last of my whiskey, standing up and holding out my hand. “Let’s go.”

The drive back to my place was silent, but not uncomfortable. Y/N sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window as the city lights blurred past us. I could feel the tension between us, the unspoken expectation of what was to come.

By the time we reached my apartment, we both knew where the night was headed. The air inside felt different—thick with the kind of anticipation that sent a shiver down my spine.

She followed me inside, her steps careful, as if part of her still wasn’t sure. I turned, catching her eyes, and smiled. “Make yourself comfortable,” I said, gesturing toward the plush couch.

Y/N sat down, glancing around the room. I could see her trying to take it all in, still slightly guarded despite the alcohol that had loosened her up earlier.

I moved closer, sitting next to her, my hand brushing lightly against hers. There was no need for words now. Slowly, deliberately, I leaned in, my lips finding hers in a kiss that deepened as the moment unfolded.

The night passed in a blur of touch and heat. It wasn’t hurried, but it wasn’t gentle either. Y/N matched my intensity, and for a little while, the world outside ceased to exist. The worries she had about her boss, the thoughts I couldn’t stop about Vickey—all of it faded into the background.

When it was over, the room was quiet again, save for the soft sound of our breathing. Y/N lay beside me, her eyes closed, her body relaxed in the aftermath of our connection. But my mind wasn’t as still.

I stared up at the ceiling, my fingers absentmindedly tracing the outline of the gold heart necklace I hadn’t taken off in months. It pressed against my skin, a constant reminder of the woman I couldn’t let go. Vickey. The thought of her stirred something deep inside me—something bitter and twisted.

But as I glanced over at Y/N, asleep beside me, her face soft and peaceful in the dim light, I realized something.

I didn’t feel the same ache I used to. That gnawing pain of needing Vickey, of obsessing over what I’d lost… it wasn’t as sharp anymore. It was still there, lingering, but quieter now. Faded.

I sat up slowly, careful not to wake Y/N, and reached for my phone on the nightstand. My finger hovered over Vickey’s name in my contacts, the heart next to it taunting me. I had called her so many times, hoping she’d answer, hoping for something—anything—that would make me feel like she still needed me. But she never did.

Tonight was different. As I stared at her name, a strange sense of clarity washed over me. I didn’t need her. Not anymore.

With a deep breath, I hit delete. The name disappeared, the heart vanished, and with it, the last tether I had to her.

For a moment, I just sat there, staring at the blank screen. Then, without thinking, I reached up and unclasped the necklace. The cool metal slid off my neck easily, falling into my palm. The weight of it felt heavier than before, and yet, at the same time, lighter.

I stared at the engraved ‘V’ one last time, running my thumb over the familiar shape, before setting it down on the nightstand next to my phone.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I lay back down, my body sinking into the mattress. Y/N shifted slightly beside me but didn’t wake. As I closed my eyes, a strange sense of peace settled over me.

For the first time in a long time, I felt free.

Also I wont be writing for Nicole the person I made the oc with isn't answering me at all so I assume they maybe dont want me to use Nicole anymore?

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #274

Okay! So!! I know today's letter is SUUUUPER early. But!!! I have a thing that I'm too excited to show you to wait!!! And also… I intend to do nothing other than play Dead Cells literally all day today, so it's not as though I'm gonna have anything else to write to you about.

Okay, okay! So!! You remember that one letter when we went to that Samascott Garden Market, and I showed you all those pictures of those teas, and then I said I didn't get any of them even though there were a couple I really wanted, because I already have a million teas and I need another tea in the same way that I need an additional hole in my skull?

…Well… uh… So… I was looking for more of that vanilla-rose tea, because I'm running out (and I learned that, apparently, both of the kinds of vanilla-rose teas made by this manufacturer now come in fancy tins; I'll show you when it gets here). And… I saw, in the process, while looking for it, these other teas that looked… interesting…

...And my impulse control is generally poor, so....

...Okay, yes, I know that I didn't get a box of the tea at the Samascott Garden Market place, only to get three boxes elsewhere. I know I'm running out of cabinet space. But... hear me out!!!!

...The one on the far right - it's blue. And it's red. At the same time. WITHOUT BEING PURPLE.

And in order to understand it, you'll have to look at the videos I took of brewing it!

...And the end result is this:

...Except NOT REALLY, because the top and the bottom and the edges of it were BLUE, in a wild and iridescent way that my camera absolutely could not capture, no matter all the weird lighting angles I tried. I'm sorry about that.

It's blue if you get it from a distance, though:

...Do you see???

I did get additional video of it to try to show it to you. And with this, hopefully you will see that it is, in fact, red and blue at the exact same time. BEHOLD:

...Look at that!!! Look at it!!!!! Isn't it SO COOL??? 🤩🤩🤩

And then I stirred it!!! And I was surprised at how it resembled swirling skies!! So I stopped stirring it for a bit so I could get my camera and take a video to show you!!! LOOK!!!

...So yeah!!! And I brought it with me to my laptop at the dining room table to enjoy while I do my various things! And, oh, Sephiroth, let me tell you!!!! It's VERY enjoyable!!!! It tastes like roses and lavender and all sorts of flavorful, floral goodness!!!

YOU WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!

And as you might be able to see a little bit on the laptop screen, I was already preparing to write all about it to ya when I took this picture!!!

And now I'm all done writing about the tea. Because it is National Cheeseburger Day where I live, and so we got cheeseburgers! And they arrived!

Do you like cheeseburgers...? Do you want one...?

...Anyhoot. It's time for me to play some Dead Cells. I've had a very busy several days, and tomorrow I go to my bakery job, and so now it's time for me to chill.

Come join me if you want to. Anytime, okay? Just bear in mind that I only just recently got up to 5 Boss Cells, and I'm probably going to struggle and die a lot.

I love you. Lots and lots. Don't forget, okay? Don't make weird choices that will lead to you disappearing.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Fontaine and Natlan Archon Quest Thoughts

I haven't played Genshin in over a year and I just got back into it. So, I had to speed run all the archon quests in order to feel like I can manage the insane amount of quests I have to do. Let me tell you, the Fontaine Archon quest line might just be my favorite in the entire game (my prev fave was Sumeru). But wow, Fontaine really stepped it up from the scale of the story to the characters.

The first part of the archon quest involves an incident at magician Lyney's show, leading to his trial for the disappearance of a woman. This later connected to another case in which women were disappearing from all over. I really loved how the story neatly transitioned from the small scale of Lyney's trial to the overarching case. It was honestly very intriguing and I really enjoyed the game mechanic of playing lawyer. Furthermore, the quests did a great job involving the various characters. Although Navia initially starts off as someone helping us defend Lyney, she becomes an integral part of finding out who kidnapped all those women. Her story about her father also was very heartfelt and Navia is easily one of my new favorite characters. Plus, Silver and Melus are awesome. The eventual reveal about Marcel and what he did was genuinely chilling.

Once we wrapped up the missing women case, Neuvillette has the player investigate something for him. This leads us to the Fortress of Meropide which is honestly such a cool location. The music and sound design really has stuck with me (and it finally got me off the ear worm that was Sumeru's music bc I think I spent too much time in that place; thanks Kaveh). Anyways, although we were stuck there for a while, it never felt boring. Wriothesely and the people that lived there set up a very interesting community. This is eventually culminated in the primordial sea breaking through its containment.

The third part of the archon quest involves Furina's trial as being a false archon and the fated prophecy of Fontaine. I think this archon quest excels so much is because you have that underlying prophecy connecting everything. Lyney's trial involved a women who went missing. The eventual reveal showed us that she was dissolved per the prophecy's words. In the Fortress of Meropide, the primordial sea almost kills everyone. We also learn that smaller amounts of the water can be made into a drug. Even Childe got some more lore reveal in connection to the sea. When it all comes together for Furina's trial, it hits so hard. This girl has spent hundreds of years acting as the archon and trying to protect her people, using a facade to create a sense of security. But in reality, she's not ok, the prophecy is still fated to take place, and Furina is very lost. It's heartbreaking.

In truth, Furina is the human side to Focalors. Focalors herself put her consciousness in the Oratrice. She tells Neuvillette the truth about the previous Hyrdo Archon, the revelation about the Fontainian people, and what she did in order to try and stop the prophecy. Furthermore, we learn a lot about Neuvillette and who he truly is. (Btw, this beautifully connects to his story and journey about belonging). Everything, in my opinion, is so well written and you really begin to feel for these characters. Both Neuvillette and Furina have such compelling and tragic stories which the archon quest beautifully highlights. Overall, just phenomenal.

And that's not even going into everything with Arlecchino. I wound up really, really loving her involvement in the story, the lore behind the House of the Hearth, and her boss fight in her story quest. She's a fascinating character and I look forward to seeing her again in future content. It also adds depth of Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet. They're fatui via due to the House of the Hearth, but they're not malicious like other Fatui characters the Traveler has encountered. I love all three of them very much and their sibling bond is very heartfelt.

That's not to mention all the other amazing characters like Clorinde, Sigewinne, the other Melusines, and Charlotte.

I loved this quest, can't you tell?

Natlan time. Spoilers because it's still quite recent.

We're still early in the Natlan archon quests but it didn't grab me as much as Fontaine's did. Overall, it was good and there's still more to come. I think the strengths for me came from the characters. Kachina is a very endearing kid and you genuinely want to help her out and do the Pilgrimage (at least I wanted to). Mualani is very kind and positive. I loved her right away and pulled for her even though I just got back into the game. She's awesome. Kinich is cool. I need to go back and watch his cutscenes at some point. I don't like Ajaw though. I wanna yeet that thing.

The Pilgrimage itself was pretty fun and I loved the teamwork with Kachina and Mualani. I enjoyed going around Natlan as well and seeing Mualani's home. After the Pilgrimage, Kachina is unable to be resurrected and we have to go into the Night Kingdom in order to save her. The design of the place was really cool and I like the distinction between the Night Kingdom monsters and regular ones. The souls who wander were also really spooky when they came at you. Overall, I liked the aesthetic of Natlan and its characters.

Where it kinda fell flat for me was with Mavuika and Capitano. I like her as a character and how Natlan chooses a different Pyro Archon ever couple hundred years or so. However, it feels like Capitano kinda shows up out of nowhere. I was really excited for the fight scene between them and it looked really cool. But it happens so fast that I wish we got a little more build up to it. The Abyss is the prime antagonist of Natlan and Capitano kinda just manifests. I really thought we were going to get a scene were Mavuika meets the Traveler and then Capitano arrives. Like, we barely know Mavuika because she's just sitting there for the first archon quest. I really didn't feel much when she and Capitano fought. She looked really cool, but I think we needed a bit more. Anyone else feel slightly underwhelmed?

There was so much hype in the trailer and it then it comes and goes by so quick. At least Capitano is sticking around for now. Perhaps this will all hit different once we get the rest of the Archon Quests in the Natlan storyline. I also wonder what the power levels are since Capitano, Dottore, and Columbina are supposed to have power that of a god. Mavuika I think has the same thing since she's a human who was granted divinity.

That's just me though.

I am very much looking forward to what's coming next and how Natlan will stave off the Abyss before it's entirely consumed by it. (I just realized this is very similar to Fontaine and Sumeru. All three nations are plagued by some sort of supernatural event that will destroy them, whether it's the withering, the primordial sea, or the Abyss. Hopefully, Snezhnaya will be different.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on the everything right now. I love the characters and Fontaine Archon quest went so hard.

[oriley42]

Tl;dr: here's the chart I made, react at your own time if you'd like<3, sorry for the bible below.

Hello again legend, I present to you my magnum opus relationship chart, updated to where I reached when I started it which was about early-mid s7 (I now finished) and therefore does not feature Park or Addams.

You can probably tell which parts might be inspired by your fics (the og ducklings polycule, House and Wilson married, Cuddy and frankly any woman, 13 and Amber etc), which parts are rooted in canon (Cuddy and House, Taub and Rachel, 13 and Foreman etc) and which parts are fully just me going ham (some friendships and ships with people who never met in canon, some of them sharing homes oops).

I would absolutely love to read a live reaction from you on stuff you agree and disagree with and what makes no sense to you because I honestly think your brain is huge as far as dynamics go. Feel free to add anything you can see I blatantly missed, I for sure didn't include everything here.

I know most of your fics don't venture outside of the earlier seasons regarding characters and dynamics but I've been having brainrot about the whole lot of them, I have loads of headcanons regarding the chart:

- It took Foreman a long time to give up his house but because he literally cannot do casual relationships and is hardcore married to 3 people and dating 13 he just sleeps wherever

- Kutner and Masters have a crazy bonding arc that ends with them sharing a house and they balance each other out

- Stacy and Cameron used to fuck over shared weird ass relationship with House

Anyway seriously ama I can explain everything even why Lin Manuel Miranda's character made it to the magnum opus I'm being so fr

No pressure at all to respond unless this brings you equal brainrot, at your leisure boss

Wahoo! This is so cool! I’ve only seen charts like these occasionally, and never gotten a chance to really dive in. I love how this visualizes the complex network of relationships and their nuances, and crystallizes a particular snapshot of them. And I’m so flattered that my stories could play a role in how you imagine these relationships! I do tend to favor the early seasons, so this is a good chance to think about the later fellows as well, who I also love <3 (Will attempt to put my response under a read-more...if I can figure out how these work...)

Starting with Foreman: I love how he’s his own big nexus! The show has such intense main character syndrome with House, but I totally agree with how you’ve framed Foreman and Thirteen as other key spokes in the bonkers wheel of toxic polycule-ism that is PPTH. Foreman wants to be a responsible homeowner but he’s got marriages all over town! And really he’s married to his job! How’s a guy supposed to manage a mortgage situation like that? 😅 Foreman and Kutner (I almost just misspelled his name as Kuntner, which, honestly…serve) didn’t really get to do much together in canon, and I love to imagine them getting to have a relationship of their own, not just in the context of PPTH. Would they chill and play video games, and it would be a chance for Foreman to just be a person, instead of A Doctor? Would he get to enjoy Kutner’s laid back nature, but because they keep things casual, he doesn’t have to deal with the stuff that would absolutely drive his ordered mind crazy—you know he wouldn’t stand for a fridge that’s empty except for a jar of mustard and one (1) liter of Mountain Dew. Also I can’t believe I forgot about that plot point that Taub roomed with Foreman, oh my god. Yes. And Foreman and Rachel Taub secret pals? Delish!

Thirteen has pulled every young, gorgeous, eligible person in her orbit, as she should. Sampled all the flavors, as it were. Except C&C—I agree, she doesn’t vibe with the blonde twins, especially as a set, though I think there could be something interesting in the whole ‘Thirteen is House’s metaphorical daughter’ vibe that Cameron would just go apeshit over. ‘Oh, it’s House, but he’s a hot, impressionable young girl who’s also dying?!’ ß catnip for that messed up gal! (Sidebar: I am fighting for my life every time I try to make Cameron sapphic because that actress simply reads as unbearably het to me. It took everything I had to write explicit Cuddy/Cameron. I’m so sorry to all the lesbian!Cam truthers out there, you’re stronger than I! Especially considering Jennifer went on to be half of such a powerhouse WLW ship on OUAT…I don’t know why, but the only kind of queer for her that really works in my head is aro-ace. That girl just wants to save lives, she doesn’t have time for any other nonsense!) On that note, love the idea that Cameron/Stacy had a thing. Go girls, the best way to get over House is to get under someone else (who also wants to fuck him!) Cuddy/Amber is galaxy brain, god, let these powerful yet deeply insecure and structurally maligned women try to step on each other, fail, and fuck nasty about it 😭 I’m also glad you fit sweet little Masters in, I’ve only written her as a cameo because s7 is so…Like That…but she’s delightful and deserves the (intimate) attentions of beautiful and terrifying women such as Thirteen and Amber. And Kutner & Masters friendship, what a delight that would be! I think they would both bring eldest sibling energy to it that would turn out to complement one another, as Kutner shows her the ropes of having fun and learning when to bend the rules, and she can help him buckle down and connect with the times when the rules are actually important to follow. Kutner was always the youngin’, so he didn’t get to mentor anybody, and he should have gotten that chance!!

I think Cuddy and Wilson have a Something…that cannot be defined. Is it sexual, platonic, friendly, familial? Are they besties, are they both just good at being social, are they bonded primarily over their UST for House, would they have been the world’s most perfect Lavender Marriage??? (Which raises the point of kids, yikes! That would need to be a whole other chart, of kids had, imagined, and desired…) Similarly, canon implies that Wilson and Stacy are good friends and have been for quite a while (though we don’t get to see it enough!) and I always wonder how that went for James ‘Trips Over Friendship Into Marriage’ Wilson. Was his friendship like Stacy like his relationship with Cuddy? Are they surface level friends who really bonded over House—or over the kinds of things that draw them to someone like House, e.g. the dark unspoken desires they both paper over in their pursuit of appearing “normal”? Maybe it’s like what Bonnie said, if she’d slept with Wilson right away, she could have gotten over him…maybe Wilson slept with Cuddy and/or Stacy and they were like ‘that was fine, but what if we just did brunch once a month and gossiped instead.’

I agree that Cuddy should have gotten to keep Lucas, like a pet. He was delightful! House Lite, a little scamp, but one who could be kind and relied upon when it was important. And totally agree that House should get to keep Alvie, that musical theater freak helped him keep it together in one of the worst times of his life! Those episodes of s6 are a fever dream that I wouldn’t trade for the world. House needs his emotional support boy best friend (there’s that one post that says without Wilson, House flees to the nearest manlet…so real.) It’s so natural, then, for the two manlets to bond. Lucas and Alvie have killer karaoke sessions together that are as humiliating to witness as they are incredible to experience.

Thank you for sharing this inspiring chart (and for referring to me like I’m a mafia don, it makes me feel so butch and famous) 😎🥰 Please do reblog or reply if any of this stream of consciousness sparks clarifications/questions/additions!