#my dream would be......... sai............ on ios...................

[li-esonthefloor]

ugh i miss.... sai.... procreate brushes just arent the same...............

sai was so 🥺🥺🥺 ugh it was wonderful

i never want to draw on my computer again but it was wonderful....

[puppyeared]

Was nobody gonna warn me that I would fall a little bit in love with every character in Stardew

[suddencolds]

.

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Where Will All The Martyrs Go [Chapter 4: Read Between The Lines]

Series summary: In the midst of the zombie apocalypse, both you and Aemond (and your respective travel companions) find yourselves headed for the West Coast. It’s the 2024 version of the Oregon Trail, but with less dysentery and more undead antagonists. Watch out for snakes! 😉🐍

Series warnings: Language, sexual content (18+ readers only), violence, bodily injury, med school Aemond, character deaths, nature, drinking, smoking, drugs, Adventures With Aegon, pregnancy and childbirth, the U.S. Navy, road trip vibes, Jace is here unfortunately.

Series title is a lyric from: “Letterbomb” by Green Day.

Chapter title is a lyric from: “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” by Green Day.

Word count: 5.6k

💜 All my writing can be found HERE! 💜

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist 🥰

It is your first week of basic training at Great Lakes on the north side of Chicago, and as you lie in the top bunk of your assigned bed you wonder what the hell you’ve done. You enlisted right out of high school, eighteen, no driver’s license, no work history, never been more than fifty miles outside of Soft Shell, Kentucky. The drill sergeants are always yelling and you’re bad at push-ups; you can’t understand the recruits from big cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, Detroit, Houston, and they don’t seem to get you either, and aren’t interested enough to try. Sometimes you wish you hadn’t signed that five-year contract, but where would you be if you weren’t here? Home is not words but textures, colors, fumes that still burn in your sinuses: cigarette ash on rose pink carpets, red embers glowing in the wood stove, Hamburger Helper and Mountain Dew, coffee creamer in Hungry Jack potatoes, laughter and heavy footsteps and slamming doors, scratch-off games, dogs barking, collecting coins from couch cushions for gas money, scrubbing clothes in the bathtub when the washer quits, Mama taking gulps from her favorite cup—plastic, Virginia Beach, filled with equal parts Hawaiian Punch and vodka—when she thinks no one is looking, blue shows flickering on the television, Family Feud, Maury, Good Morning America, WWE SmackDown. For as long as you can remember you’ve known you couldn’t stay. Now you’re getting out, but nothing in life is free.

You are at Class A Technical School in Gulfport, Mississippi, and even though it’s hotter than some noxious, volcanic hellscape—Mercury, Venus, Io—you are beginning to like it. You taste the salt of sweat when you lick your lips, sugar in the sweet tea they serve in the chow hall. There’s a magic in building something where there was only empty space before, in patching roofs and painting walls. Here being quiet and watchful is exactly what they want from you: head down, hammer striking nails, measurements and angles and long hours under the sun with no complaints. You’re not just running away anymore. You are creating something new.

You are sitting beneath swaying palm trees and a full moon on Diego Garcia, draining cans of Guinness with Rio, and he’s telling you things he shouldn’t, too personal, too honest: Sophie wants to try for a baby next time he’s home on leave, and part of him wants that too but he’s terrified. As thunder rumbles in the distance and raindrops begin to patter on the waves of the Indian Ocean, you tell Rio you think he’d be a good father. He wonders how you figure that, and you say because he’s not like any of the men from home. He gives you one of his crooked smiles—a flash of teeth, knowing dark eyes—and doesn’t ask what you mean.

But of course, when you swim up from the inky currents of sleep you are in none of these places. You are curled up on the floor of a bowling alley in Shenandoah, Ohio, cheap worn black carpet peppered with stars and swirls in neon green, pink, blue. You stretch out with a yawn. Someone has left a Lemon Tea Snapple within reach; you twist it open and guzzle it, hoping to extinguish the pounding in your skull, a rhythmic thudding of warm maroon, half Captain Morgan and half misery. The music isn’t helping. From the green Toshiba CD player, a man is singing in Spanish. Aegon and Rio are sitting at the nearest table and playing Uno.

Aegon says as he ponders his cards: “You know Enrique Iglesias, right Rio?”

“You are so racist.” Rio puts down a wild. “And the new color is red. Racist.”

“So what’s he saying?”

“Aegon, buddy, I told you, I was born here. My grandparents came over in the 60s. I don’t speak Spanish.”

“You can’t understand any of it?” Aegon is skeptical. He plays a skip, a reverse, and a seven. “My dad never taught me a word of Greek but I can recognize plenty of phrases. Vlákas means idiot. Spatáli chórou is a waste of space.”

Rio sighs, relenting. He puts down a two. “The song is called Súbeme La Radio, Turn Up The Radio For Me. Bring me the alcohol that numbs the pain… I don’t care about anything anymore…You’ve left me in the shadows…”

“Damn, now I’m sad. Draw four, bitch.”

“When the night comes and you don’t answer, I swear to you I’ll stay waiting at your door…” Rio studies his cards. “What’s the new color?”

“Green.”

“Yes!” Rio slams down a skip. “Fleeing from the past in every dawn, I can’t find any way to erase our history…”

Everyone else is awake already. As muted late-morning daylight streams in through the small tinted windows, Aemond is weaving between tables, pointedly checking on each person. He glances at you, says nothing, turns around and walks the other way.

“That’s tough,” Rio says sympathetically, popping open the tab on a can of Chef Boyardee and shoveling ravioli into his mouth with a plastic fork.

Aegon gives you a smirk. “You want to fake date now?”

“I’ll think about it.” No you won’t.

Helaena appears, a prairie girl vision in a modest blue sundress and with her hair tied back with a matching scarf. She reaches into her burlap messenger bag and offers you a choice between a ranch-flavored tuna pouch or a silvery pack of Pop-Tarts. “Strawberry,” she tells you.

“I’ll take the Pop-Tarts.”

Helaena gives them to you and then shakes a bottle of Advil. You’re so groggy it takes you a few seconds to figure out what she wants, then you obediently hold out a hand. Helaena lays two tablets in the center of your palm and moves on, soundlessly like a rabbit or a spider.

You wash the pills down with Snapple. As you nibble half-heartedly on a Pop-Tart—trying not to look at Aemond, multicolored sprinkles falling down onto the carpet—your eyes drift to the tattoo on the underside of Aegon’s forearm. It’s not over ‘til you’re underground. You’ve spotted it before. Only now do you remember where you recognize the lyric from. “Is that Green Day?”

“Yeah,” Aegon says, enthused that you noticed. “Letterbomb.”

“I love that whole album.”

“Me too. I could sing it front to back if you asked me to.”

“I’m not asking.”

Aegon cackles and resumes his Uno game with Rio. Baela is wearing denim shorts and a crop top, slathering her belly with Palmer’s cocoa butter from Walmart as she chats with Rhaena and eats Teddy Grahams. Daeron is waxing the string of his compound bow. Jace is gnawing on a Twizzler as he scrutinizes Aegon’s map, annotated with Xs and circles and arrows in sparkling gel pen green.

“I’m going to be a thousand years old by the time we get there,” Jace mutters.

Aegon hits the table with his fist. The discard pile collapses and cascades, an avalanche of Uno cards. Rio, undisturbed, continues contemplating his next move. “You know what, Jace? The cities are full of zombies, the interstates are blocked by fifty-car pileups, if we bump into anyone else who’s still alive they’re just as likely to rob and murder us as want to be friends, and on top of all that I’m trying to do you the favor of preventing you from getting so irradiated you turn into Spider-Man. If you have a better route in mind, I’d love to hear it.”

“Spider-Man…? You’re such a dumbass, what are you talking about?!”

Luke says from where he stands by a window: “Aemond, someone’s outside.”

“What?” Aemond stares at him. “Zombies?”

“No. People.”

Aemond bolts to the doors, the rest of you close behind him. Rhaena turns off the CD player. You, Rio, and Aegon squeeze together to peer out of one of the windows. There are men—three of them, no, four, all appearing to be in their forties—passing by on the main road through town. They are armed with what are either AR-15s or M16s, you can’t tell which.

Rio whistles. “If you get shot by one of those, the exit wound will be the size of an orange.” Everyone looks at him. This was not an encouraging thing to say.

You elaborate: “Thirty-round magazines. Semiautomatic, assuming they’re AR-15s for civilian use. I guess they could have gotten ahold of M16s somehow. Those have a fully automatic setting.”

“So regardless, we’re out-gunned,” Jace says.

“If they know how to use them. Some men think guns are wall decorations, like deer heads or fish.”

Aegon recoils. “Fish?! What the fuck. I’m glad the colonies left.”

“Maybe they’ll keep walking,” Daeron says hopefully. One of the men stops and points at the bowling alley, saying something to his companions. They laugh and begin crossing the small parking lot. They are less than two minutes from the door. “Oh, great…”

“There’s an emergency exit in the back,” Baela says.

Aegon snorts. “Yeah, that we stacked about twenty boxes of bowling pins in front of to zombie-proof.”

“We won’t be able to get out before they hear us,” Aemond says. Then he abruptly orders: “Grab your guns, let’s go. Helaena, Baela, Rhaena, you’re staying here.” Aemond’s remaining eye—briefly, reluctantly—skates over you as Rio, Aegon, Jace, Luke, and Daeron scatter to obey him. “You too.”

“But I’m the best shot.”

“I don’t want them to know we have women with us.”

“I’m of more use to you outside.”

Aemond rips his Glock out of its holster, pointing it at the floor. His frustration is palpable, an electric shock, heat that refracts light rays until they become mirages on the horizon. “You’re going to stay here, and if a stranger comes through those doors you’re going to kill them. Okay?”

His urgency stuns you; his eye is blue-white summer storm lightning. “Okay.”

“Now get back.”

You soar to the nearest table, duck under it, reach for your Beretta M9 and double-check the clip, fully loaded. You click off the safety.

“Aemond, wait, let me go first,” Aegon is saying by the door. “I’m better at de-escalation, I’m less…uh…intimidating.”

“Less socially incompetent, you mean,” Jace quips.

“I’ll lead,” Aemond insists. “Aegon can talk. Rio, you’re up front with me.”

Rio pumps his Remington 12 gauge. “I’d be delighted.”

Jace is amused. “I’ve been demoted, huh?”

“He’s bigger,” Aemond replies simply, then opens the door and vanishes through a blinding curtain of daylight. The others follow closely; Daeron, the last one out—his compound bow in hand, the strap of his Marlin .22 slung over his shoulder—shuts the door behind him.

Very faintly, you can hear Aegon: “Hey, guys! What’s happening? How’s the apocalypse treating you…?”

Baela, Rhaena, and Helaena are under the table with you. They deserve to have options. You tell them: “If you want to go hide behind the lanes or try to get out the back door, now’s your chance.”

Helaena shakes her head, clutching your t-shirt: black, Star Wars, pawed off a shelf at the Walmart. “I want to stay with you.”

“Same,” Baela says determinedly, gripping her Ruger. She barely knows how to use it, but she’ll try. Rhaena is shaking, her eyes filling up her face, small fragile bones like a bird’s.

You can’t hear voices from outside anymore, but there are no gunshots either. You keep your M9 aimed at the doors, your breathing slow and deep, your heart rate low. Your hands are steady. Your eyes hunt for the slightest movement, for the momentary shadow of someone passing by a window. Against your will, your thoughts wander to Aemond. I hope Aegon is on his left side. Aemond can’t see there.

“Rhaena, get your gun out,” Baela says sharply. “Come on. Turn the safety off. What if you were alone right now? What if we weren’t here to protect you?”

Rhaena nods, fumbling to free her revolver from its holster. “I’m sorry…I’m trying…”

Now there is a stranger’s voice, gruff and deep. He must be just beyond the door, the farthest one to the right. There is a creak of hinges, a sliver of sunlight. “That’s just too damn bad, fellas. You got a nice little hideout here, and you’re gonna have to share it—”

The door opens. Two unfamiliar faces, too shellshocked to raise their rifles in time. You close an eye, line up your sights, fire twice, and that’s all it takes: one headshot, one in the throat, blood like a fountain, spurting scarlet ruin, thuds against the carpet strewn with neon stars, gurgling and spasms as their brains send out those final electrical impulses: danger, catastrophe, apocalypse. Rhaena is screaming. Helaena is covering her ears with both hands.

You run to the doorway; there are more booms of gunfire out in the parking lot. You cross into the late-morning light to see the other two men on the pavement: one with an arrow through the eye, the other with a gaping, hemorrhaging hole where his heart once was. Rio is admiring his work, holding his shotgun aloft. He scoops a handful of Cheddar Whales out of his shorts pocket and shovels them into his mouth.

“Goddamn, I love Remington Arms Company.”

“Oh, that was awesome,” Aegon says, wan and panting, hands on his waist. “Yeah, that was…that was…” He bends over and vomits Snapple and Cool Ranch Doritos onto the asphalt.

“Everyone okay in there?” Rio asks you.

“Yeah.” Behind you, Baela, Rhaena, and Helaena are stepping through the doorway. Your thoughts are whirling sickly: I killed someone. I killed someone. “They wouldn’t leave?”

“We told them the bowling alley was ours,” Aemond says, not looking at you. “We asked them very politely to keep moving. They chose to try to intimidate us into letting them stay. They weren’t good people, and these are the consequences.”

You click on the safety and re-holster your M9. You’re wearing Rio’s on your other hip. They seem to weigh so much more than they did ten minutes ago. I’m not supposed to be a killer. I’m a builder.

“Aegon, are you okay?” Daeron asks, a palm on his brother’s back.

Aegon retches again. “Shut up. You can’t even buy fireworks.”

“Zombies.” Luke is peering through his binoculars. “Not many, just two. Way up the road.”

“There will be more.” Baela’s cradling her belly; you don’t even think she’s aware of it. “They heard the gunshots, the sound carries for miles.”

“We’re leaving,” Aemond says. “Right now. Everyone get your things.”

As backpacks are hastily zipped and Daeron and Aegon stand guard in the parking lot, you kneel down beside the men you murdered and check their rifles. They are M16s, either stolen or illegally purchased: there’s a little switch by the trigger to choose between semi-automatic or the so-called machine gun mode.

“They barely had any bullets left,” you tell Rio. Just like us when we were trapped on that transmission tower.

“Yeah, same story for the other two guys. Four bullets in one magazine, a half dozen in the other. But it only takes once. We don’t have any ammo that will work with M16s, do we?”

“No, we definitely don’t.”

“Fantastic. Well, we’ll throw them in a Walmart cart and take them with us just in case.”

You’re staring down at the man you shot through the head. His eternal resting place is a puddle of blood and brains in a bowling alley in rural Ohio; surely no one deserves that. “He was a real person,” you say, dazed. “Not a zombie. Just a person.”

“Hey.” Rio grabs your shoulders and spins you towards him. From where he is helping Luke gather up the remaining food, Aemond’s head snaps up to watch. “You hurt him before he could hurt us. You did the right thing.”

“Sure.”

“I killed a dude too. I blew his heart right out of his chest. You think I’m going to hell for that?”

“No,” you admit, smiling. “And if you’d be there with me, I guess I wouldn’t mind so much.”

Rio grins, wide and toothy. “Well alright then. Let’s finish packing.”

The ten of you depart from Shenandoah, Ohio heading northwest on Route 603 just like Aegon marked on his map, Jace chauffeuring Baela in one shopping cart, Rio pushing another loaded high with food and M16s.

“It looks like rain,” Helaena says.

Everyone else peers up into a clear, cerulean sky, wondering what she means.

~~~~~~~~~~

You’re a few miles north of Shiloh when the storm rolls in, cold rain and furious wind, daylight that vanishes behind dark churning thunderheads, jagged scars of lightning in an opaque sky. The road is only two lanes, surrounded by fields of wildflowers and ravaged crops and untilled earth; it would look like the patchwork of a quilt if you were gazing down from an airplane, but of course the FAA grounded all flights over a month ago when the world went mad: Revelations, Ragnarök, the fabric of the universe unweaving as death burned through families, cities, nations like a fever, like plague.

“Maybe we should cut across one of these fields,” Jace says, pointing. He is soaked with rain; it drips from his curls, runs into his eyes. Baela is in her cart again; each time she tries to get out and walk, she’s gasping and can’t keep up within half an hour. You’ve all taken turns pushing her, much to Baela’s dismay. She’d be humiliated if she wasn’t too exhausted to keep her eyes open.

“Here, let me do it,” you offer, and Jace gratefully relinquishes the cart. Baela gives you a frail wave of appreciation.

“We stay on the road,” Aemond insists, flinching as rain pelts his scarred face. “Farmhouses have driveways and mailboxes, we’ll pass one eventually. If we lose the road, we might not be able to find it again. We’ll end up wandering around in circles in the woods.”

“Just like the Blair Witch Project,” Aegon says glumly, his Sperry Bahama sneakers audibly soggy.

“There!” Luke announces, spotting something with his binoculars. “Up ahead on the left. Past the bridge.”

You can’t see what Luke does until there is an especially brilliant flash of lightning: a farmhouse, old but seemingly not derelict, and with a number of accompanying buildings, guest houses and stables and barns and towering silos.

“Home sweet home!” Rio says. “And I don’t care if I have to kill a hundred of those undead bastards to get in, it’s mine.”

“Well, hopefully not a hundred,” you reply, in better spirits now that a sanctuary has been found. Aemond keeps glancing back at you as you push Baela’s cart. If he wants to say something, he’s doing a good job of resisting the temptation. “We don’t have that much ammo.”

There is a concrete bridge over a river, probably unremarkable and only five or ten feet deep normally but now torrential with rain. Water rushes by beneath, a muddy incline on each side as the earth rises back up to meet the road. A reflective green sign proclaims that you are only two miles from Plymouth, which Aegon plans to skirt along the edges of. It’s a decent-sized town; he thinks you might be able to find a car to steal there, something with gas in the tank and keys on a hook just inside the house.

“I call the master bedroom,” Jace says craftily, rubbing his palms together. You’re near the center of the bridge now, another ten yards to go. “Nice big bed, warm cozy blankets, and I was up for half of last night keeping watch so tonight I am off duty, I am a free man, it’s going to just be me and my girl and eight glorious uninterrupted hours of sleep—”

Rhaena shrieks, and then you hear it over the noise of the storm, pounding rain and rumbling thunder: moans, growls, hisses like snakes. Not one zombie. A lot more than one. They’re crawling up from under the bridge, from the filthy quagmire at both ends. There was a hoard of them waiting, aimless, dormant, almost hibernating. But now they are awake. They are grasping for you with bony, dirt-covered claws. They are snapping with jaws that leak blood and pus and bile as their organs curdle to a putrid soup.

“Get off the bridge!” Aemond is shouting. He has his Glock in his right hand, a baseball bat in his left. He’ll shoot until he’s out of bullets, and then, and then…

Rio helps you get Baela out of the cart, then opens fire. His Remington doesn’t just pierce skulls, it vaporizes them. When he’s out of shells—there are more in his backpack, but no time to reload—he yanks the M16s out of the other Walmart cart and empties each of them, mowing down zombies as the rest of you scramble across the bridge. All around you are explosions of gunshots, thunder, lightning, zombie skulls crushed by bullets and blunt force trauma. Baela is firing her Ruger as you half-drag her, one arm hooked beneath hers and around her back. When the last M16 is empty, Rio starts clubbing zombies with the butt of it. You’ve all reached the north side of the bridge, except…

“Fuck off, you freaks!” Jace is screaming. They’ve backed him up against the guardrail, a swarm of ten or more. His Remington shotgun is out of ammo; he’s swinging it wildly, but he doesn’t even have enough room to maneuver. There are still more zombies emerging from under the bridge. You can hear them snarling and groaning. You swipe an M9 off your belt and put a bullet in the brain of a zombie as its fingers close around your ankle, then you start picking off the ones mobbing Jace. You aren’t fast enough. As they lean in to bite him, teeth gnashing at the delicious throbbing heat of his jugular, Jace throws himself over the barrier and into the surging water below.

“No!” Baela cries. She careens off the road and into the field, running parallel to the river as swiftly as she can. You are helping her, steadying her, firing at any zombies you have a clear line of sight on. The others are here too: slipping in the muck of the flooding earth, shouting for Jace. He surfaces through the frothing current, flails pitifully, disappears beneath the water again. You glimpse a white hand, a shadow of his dark hair, a kicking shoe. There are more zombies on the opposite side of the river, trailing after Jace, lurching and slobbering viscous, gory saliva. They cannot swim, but they can follow him until he washes ashore.

Jace bursts up through the waves, gasping. “Help! Aemond…Aemond, for the love of God, help me…” He blubbers and then is dragged under. Aemond and Luke are continuing frantically after him. Baela is hysterical, sobbing, trembling with adrenaline. Aegon is yowling as he swings at zombies with his bloodied golf club. Helaena is darting around almost invisibly, always cowering behind Daeron or Aegon or Rio.

You glance north towards the farmhouse, growing not closer but farther away. We can’t leave shelter. We can’t leave the road. You lock eyes with Rio. He’s thinking the same thing.

“Aemond, we have to go,” Rio says, but in the midst of the rain and the turmoil it barely registers.

“Jace, we’re coming to get you!” Aemond swears. The ground is increasingly sodden, deep, difficult to trudge through. Jace resurfaces, coughing and sputtering.

“Jace!” Aegon wails. He caves in the skull of a zombie who was once a registered nurse as Helaena crouches behind him. “Jace, I’m sorry! I’m gonna miss you, man!”

Jace splashes in the rising river, his arms flailing helplessly. He is being swept away far faster than any of you can move on foot. “Aegon, you dumb bitch!” Jace manages, then slips beneath the water and doesn’t reappear.

“Where is he?!” Baela is saying. “Aemond, where…?”

You are trying to soothe her, to bring her back to reality. She was always so pragmatic before; you have to wake her up. “Baela, listen, we can’t stay here, he would want you and the baby to be safe—”

“Aemond! Aemond, we have to go!” Rio catches him, wrenches him around, roars into his face as driving rain pummels them both: “We have to go, or we’re going to die here too!”

It hits Aemond all at once; he understands, horror and agony in his sole blue eye. “We have to go,” he agrees. And then louder, to everyone: “Get to the farmhouse!”

Baela collapses into the mud, howling, tears flooding down her face. “No, he’s still alive, he’s still alive, we can’t leave him!”

You and Rhaena are trying to haul Baela to her feet. Now Aemond is here, pulling you away from her—his fingers tight and urgent around your wrist—as he and Luke take your place. “Go,” he commands. “You run. Don’t wait for us. Rio?”

“I got her,” Rio replies, grabbing your free hand with an iron grip. Gales of wind rip at you; every millimeter of your skin is soaked with rain. As you flee across the fields towards the farmhouse, dozens of zombies pursue you. More are still staggering along the banks of the river, swept up in the hoards chasing Jace and the promise of his waterlogged corpse when it reaches its final destination. Daeron has run out of arrows and is shooting with his .22, which is very much not his preference. Aegon trips, getting covered in mud as he rolls, and Rio stops to help him. While he is distracted, you look back at Aemond. He, Luke, and Baela are moving quickly, but not quickly enough. A drove of zombies is closing in on them. You have a spare few seconds at last. You yank your backpack off, grab a box of ammo inside, and reload your M9.

“Chips?!” Rio calls over his shoulder.

“I’m fine.”

He knows you well enough to listen. The world goes quiet as your finger settles on the trigger. There’s a rhythm one slips into, an impassionate lethal efficiency. It’s easier to keep going than to stop and have to find it again. You fire over and over, dropping eight zombies. You sheath your M9 and whip Rio’s out of your other holster, the sights finding grotesque decaying faces illuminated by lightning. You pull the trigger: blood, bones, brains, corpses jerking and convulsing as they fall harmlessly to the mud. Aemond is here; when did he get here?

“I told you to run!” he’s shouting through the storm, furious. He’s shoving you towards the farmhouse. You resist him.

“Let me kill as many as I can—”

“Go! Now!” Aemond orders over the clashing thunder, and then sprints with you all the way to the front porch to make sure you listen. Everyone else is already there. Helaena has fetched a spare key from under the doormat and is turning it in the lock.

Daeron observes her anxiously. “We don’t know if it’s safe in there, Helaena.”

“Not in,” she says, insistent. “Through.” Through this building, and maybe through the next one too. The average zombie is not terribly clever. If they lose sight of you, without the benefit of the momentum of a hoard they are lost. Helaena opens the door. The living rush inside, and she locks it behind you. As you are bursting out the back door, you can hear zombies pounding their rotting palms against the front one. You soar through a stable full of dead horses and donkeys, leaving the doors open; this should keep the zombies distracted if they make it this far. Then you race to the farthest guest house. Luke, swiveling with his binoculars, spies no zombies approaching as you steal inside. There is no spare key this time; Rio punches out a first-floor window for you to climb through. Once everyone is inside, he and Aegon move a bookshelf to cover the opening.

You all stand in the living room, gasping and shivering, dripping rain down onto the rug and the hardwood floor. The air is dusty but clean of any trace of vile, swampy decay. Outside, thunder booms and lightning flashes bright enough to illuminate the lightless house. The sky is so dark it might as well be nightfall. Baela sinks to her knees, clamping both hands over her mouth so she won’t sob loudly enough for a zombie to hear. Rhaena and Luke are beside her, both weeping quiet rivulets of tears, trying to comfort her in whispers. Helaena is rummaging around searching for candles; she has already taken a lighter out of her soaked burlap messenger bag.

“Daeron, bro, come over here,” Aegon chokes out. He embraces Daeron, clutches him tightly and desperately, doesn’t let go. Rio is reloading his Remington 12 gauge.

Jace is dead. Jace is dead.

Aemond says to you, his voice low but seething: “What the fuck was that?”

You blink the raindrops out of your eyes as you stare at him, bewildered. “You needed help.”

“I told you to run.”

“I’m an asset, I have skills that can keep you alive, why am I here if I’m not going to be useful—?”

“You’re not in the fucking Navy anymore!” he hisses. “When I tell you to run, you run, you don’t stop, you don’t look back, because I can’t worry about you and take care of everyone else.”

“Nobody asked you to worry about me.”

“But I do.”

“Aemond,” Aegon pleads, waving him over. Aegon’s plump sunburned cheeks are glistening with rain and tears. “Man, it doesn’t matter. Nothing else matters now. Please come here.”

“I’m going to clear the house,” Aemond says instead.

Rio raises an eyebrow at you—this is one fucked up guy, Chips—and then pumps his shotgun. “Me too.” He sweeps with Aemond through the main floor and then vanishes up the staircase.

Helaena is lightning candles she found in the kitchen and arranging them around the living room. Daeron starts gathering food from the pantry. Rhaena and Baela are murmuring to each other softly, mournfully. It doesn’t feel like something you should intrude on. Luke is peeking out of a window with his binoculars, vigilant for threats. Aegon sniffles, wanders over to you with large, sad, shimmering eyes, pats your shoulder awkwardly.

“Hey, Chocolate Chip. You doing okay?”

“No,” you answer honestly.

“Yeah. Me either.” Then he flops down on the hideous burnt orange couch and lies there motionless until Daeron brings him a can of Dr. Pepper. Aegon pops the tab, slurps up foam, and then begins singing to himself very quietly, a song so old you can remember your grandfather saying it was one of his favorites as a boy: A Tombstone Every Mile.

When Rio comes back downstairs—heavy footsteps, he can’t help that—you meet him at the bottom of the steps. “The house is good,” Rio says. “And Aemond’s in the big bedroom on the right if you’d like to go up there and talk to him.”

“I don’t think he wants to see me right now.”

“I could not disagree more,” Rio says with a miserable, exhausted smile. Then he goes to the couch to check on Aegon.

You pick up one of the flickering candles, white and scentless, and ascend the staircase. You find Aemond in the master bedroom, the same accommodations that Jace laid claim to when he was still alive. He is sitting at the edge of the bed and staring at the wall, at nothing. Tentatively, you sit down beside him, placing the candle on the nightstand.

“Aemond…what happened to Jace…it wasn’t your fault.”

“Criston said I was in charge, that’s the very last thing he told me. They might be the last words I ever hear from him, and I just…” His voice breaks; he wipes the rain and tears from his face with open palms. “I really wanted to get everyone home.”

“I’m so sorry about what I said at the bowling alley,” you confess, like it’s a dire secret. “I don’t want to fight with you, Aemond, I…I want to help you. I can see what you’ve done for everyone here, me and Rio included, and I believe in you. I want to be a part of this.”

He nods, an acceptance of peace, but he still doesn’t look at you.

“Can we start over? I’ll never bring it up again, okay? I wasn’t trying to guilt you or upset you or anything. I should have just dropped it. I overreacted. And I understand why being with someone like me maybe wouldn’t be…super appealing.”

“It’s not about that.”

“Then what’s it about?”

Aemond wrings his hands, shakes his head, at last turns to you, golden candlelight reflected in his eye, his scar cloaked in shadows. His words are hushed, clandestine, soft powerless surrender. “I’m already so afraid of losing you.”

He cares, he hopes, he wants me too? “I’m here right now, Aemond. I don’t know what else I can say. I’d promise you more if I could.”

He reaches out to touch you, to ghost his thumb across your cheekbone, wet with rain. Then he kisses you, so gently you cannot help but imagine the wispy borders of calm white summer clouds, the rustle of leaves as wind blows down the Appalachian Mountains. You don’t have to ask him what he’s thinking, what it feels like. You can read it in the startled, firelit wonder on his face.

You taste like the beginning of something, here at the end of the world.

[theinfiknight]

What if the characters of Discworld were Avatars of the 15 fears from the Magnus Archives?

Now, just a disclaimer, this is just my personal opinion of which character would best fit the bill. Regardless if you agree or disagree, feel absolutely free to do so either way. Also, obvious spoilers for the books excepting Shepherd's Crown and Raising Steam.

The Web:

This one is obvious and can be no one other than Lord Vetinari himself. An absolute master of subtle manipulation and long term planning, Vetinari is the perfect Avatar of the Web. He creates a reputation of pervasive fear and makes people believe that he could do away with them at a whim, despite him never once killing a single person who wasn't an irredeemable criminal of some sort, and even then usually giving them chances to redeem themselves first. This being the case, I'd say Lady Margolotta is also an Avatar, and the one who exposed Havelock to the Web in the first place.

The Hunt:

The most stereotypical aspect of the Hunt is manifested most by Wolfgang von Uberwald, the textbook Hunter who chases and kills for the thrill of it. Both Sam Vimes and Angua hear the call of the Blood, but both refuse to heed it, and so aren't Avatars. I'd argue that there's another Avatar of the Hunt fulfilling the other role, created by the Hunt to be the perpetually hunted, the never caught but ever pursued white stag/ golden doe, the one, though not only, Rincewind.

The Eye:

One Avatar is Jeannie and every Kelda before and after her. The Kelda sees everything and knows what has happened and what will. The alternate answer is Blind Io, given his literal eyeballs that float around and also that he's cognizant of everything that goes on in the Disc, and that everyone knows he's watching.

The Spiral:

The Elf Queen. The undisputed master of illusion and deception, creating false worlds that operate on her rules, trapping people in unreal dreams they cannot escape, making them see and believe what she wants them to see and believe. Bel Shamharoth is also a possible answer given how he distorts the senses and feeds on those he traps.

The Buried:

Albrecht Albrechtsson. Knockermen are undoubtedly Avatars of the Buried, with the complex stew of fear and reverence they feel for the underground, and Albrecht is the lowest among them. Agi Hammerthief is probably the only fully realised Avatar of the Buried, who dwells beneath the Disc where no one will ever reach him.

The Flesh:

The Igors and Nutt. The Igors for obvious reasons, their affinity for tinkering with bodies, and their indisputable understanding of the fact that meat is meat, and as such can be used for a lot more than its original intention. Nutt because he is a creation of said tinkering, flesh made warped, with a living engine of meat inside him.

The End:

Mort and Bill Door, and possibly every zombie. This really needs no explanation. Mort stepping into his Master's role is the textbook descent of a human into Avatarhood, developing strange powers and slowly becoming Other. I'm not counting Death because he is the personification of the thing and isn't human enough to qualify as an Avatar, and I'm not counting Susan because she never carried out the Duty.

The Slaughter:

Carcer, the Gonne, and Cohen the Barbarian. Carcer killed for the fun of it with no care for reasoning, consequence or morality. He WAS a one man slaughter by himself. Cohen's existence was also very similar to Carcer's, albeit he killed far more people and lived by a Code that ensured that though he mass murdered on the regular, he always did it with the same honesty as a man hunting for his next meal. As such perhaps Cohen was more an impersonal personification of the Slaughter like the Piper rather than an Avatar of it. The Gonne was more an a artifact that channeled the Slaughter into whoever held it, be it D'Eath, Cruces or even Vimes.

The Corruption:

Vorbis and the Cunning Man. Vorbis absolutely embodies the toxicity and insidious creeping infestation of the Corruption. He pollutes organisations and people, changing them and turning them into versions of himself, utilising extremely unhealthy relationship dynamics in order to do so, creating an atmosphere ripe with fear, desperation and despair. The Cunning Man is similar except his method of corruption is more direct than Vorbis's ie literally taking over the body of his victim while subtly influencing the minds of those around him when he's less corporeal. His presence is filth of the mind and stench of the soul, and incites disgust and fear among those aware of his true nature.

The Stranger:

I had some trouble with this but finally decided on Susan and Lu Tze. Although one would intuitively put Susan under The End, in practice the characteristics she actually exhibits line up more with the Stranger. She walks unseen among others, unknown in the places she passes through, never usually staying very long in one place unless that happens to be her dwelling at that time. Her presence unsettles people. She doesn't fit in among others and has always been set apart. She's too undead to be truly alive and too alive to be truly undead. The only people who really know her are Death and Time. To everyone else, she's a stranger they see sometimes.

And Lu Tze, of course, is just the Sweeper. No one knows the first thing about him apart from the fact that he happens to be there. He's a part of the background of whenever he is. If anyone ever truly Looked at him, and actually noticed what they saw, that he's in fact a stranger in their midst, the first words out of their mouths would be "I do not know you"

The Desolation:

Stratford, Spider the Rat King, and Ipslore the Red. Stratford was a motherfucker who would bleed every last drop before abandoning the corpse he created. This was a bastard who, wishing to cause Vimes as much pain as he could, chose to target his son rather than seek him out directly. A man after the Desolation's own heart. Spider was out for everything the humans had. It wanted their utter ruin and destruction and was well on its way to achieving it. And Ipslore attempted to destroy the whole world with his resentment, using and abusing his own son as his instrument to do so, and would have succeeded too, if it weren't for some idiot with a half brick in a sock.

The Extinction:

The Things from the Dungeon Dimensions. The Extinction is the end of the rule of Man and their replacement with the horrifying Other. And there's nothing that fits that description better than the Things from the Dungeon Dimensions, constantly seeking to bring about exactly what the Fear is.

The Lonely:

This was difficult to decide as well, but I believe the First Tooth Fairy might qualify. Living literally locked up in a bubble separate from the rest of reality, it lives apart from everyone and everything else, keeping alone for all eternity. Additionally, I believe that every living witch(with the exception of Nanny Ogg) carries a piece of the Lonely inside them. Its influence never goes away, and those who succumb to it are the ones who become cacklers.

The Vast:

Tiffany Aching and, funnily enough, a Simon once again. Tiffany's primary source of power is that she is, at her core, something far bigger than herself. She may be just Tiffany but she is also Land under Wave, the power and will of millions of years of life before her. At her most powerful she is aware of EVERYTHING, from the bones of the flint beneath the chalk to time itself to the stars being born in the distant sky. She is small but she is also Vast. And Simon sees the whole universe and truly understands what he's looking at. He sees and understands more than he can express and his knowledge of the Vast almost approaches comprehension.

The Dark:

The one, though once again not only, Samuel Vimes. There couldn't be any other answer here. The dark walks with him. He was born in it, moulded by it... By the time he saw the light it was nothing more than BLINDING. But yeah, he is most at peace in the true dark in the pissing rain on the cobbles, even before he was literally possessed by the living darkness itself. The dark aids him and talks to him. The dwarfs and the goblins may live in the dark, but Sam Vimes looked into the Abyss, and he wasn't the one who blinked.

[scarlettjohanssons-mistress]

Russian literature

Warnings: Age difference, teacher-student relationship, alternate universe - pre-canon, alternate universe - canon divergence, slow burn (?)

Word count: 2.0 K

Pairing: Melina Vostokoff x Fem!Reader

Prompt: It is literally a transcript of a dream I had with the actress Rachel Weisz. Modify a bit and change her to her character Melina hers.

Requests: OPEN

[Main masterlist] [Marvel masterlist]

"You may retire to your recess."

Without waiting for any further response from teacher Maria, I took my best friend's hand and my glass of cold coffee and we left the room.

Since we arrived at Italian class in the middle of the day, Daniela repeatedly insisted that at recess time, I had to accompany her to the school cafeteria, since she had not had breakfast.

The Italian teacher was very strict with schedules, so we knew we only had fifteen minutes to get some food (and a candy for me) and another fifteen minutes to eat in peace.

"Do you want to go to the bathroom first?" asked Daniela stopping in front of the bathroom door as I rearranged my top.

"Dani, we don't even have time to eat" we both laughed as I took her hand and dragged her to the main hallway that connected the five buildings on the inside. "Besides, if we don't go right now and we go in the middle of class, the teacher can't ask us any of the vocabulary questions."

"Agh, I know. The lady thinks for some strange reason, we had ALL weekend to study irregular verbs, doesn't she know that her subject is a complementary to my college degree?" we both laughed.

"She's crazy, did you see how she looked at me when I answered 'io vorrei' wrong?"

Before Daniela could answer me, next to her, a woman passed by, with a fair complexion, a big but pretty nose, and beautiful brown hair.

I could see her moving her head from side to side. She was looking for something.

Many people would say it was 'chivalry', my friends (Daniela) that I'm a fucking flirt, but I would say, it was both and neither.

I quickly let go of Daniela's arm, turned and reached for the poor woman.

"Hi, hey, do you need help?"

My stomach turned when I saw her eyes. Oh, my mother. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met.

"Hi, excuse me, do any of you know how to get to the literary studies department?"

That's when I was grateful for studying 'literature' in college. "Oh sure, if you want we can take you there."

I couldn't see her, but I could even notice Daniela's panicked look behind my back.

"Oh, no need, I just don't know which building it's in" commented the woman with a nervous chuckle as she crumpled a piece of paper in her hands.

"We have no problem accompanying you. These hallways can be confusing" The woman gave me a charming smile, to which I responded and we both set out to walk from building 'D' to 'A'. "By the way, my name is Y/N and this is my friend Daniela."

For the first time, the woman looked directly at my friend and my friend just said a small 'hello' and raised her hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Melina."

"Do you study here, Melina?"

Damn, saying her name was completely addictive.

"Not really. Do you?"

"Yes, we are in our third semester of college."

"Third semester, they look so young" she commented raising an eyebrow.

"Well, thank you, but, that doesn't take my years off."

We both laughed while Daniela just followed us without mentioning anything.

After a few minutes, we arrived at the site, where we were quickly greeted by Sabrina, the department secretary.

"Hi Sabrina, how are you?" opened the door Daniela and let us in, as she waved.

"Hi girls, well thank you, how about you?"

"Well, thank you very much for asking."

"Melina, this is Sabrina, the secretary of the study department."

"You are Melina Vostokoff?"

"That's right."

"Oh, Mr. Hudson is busy, but he'll be able to see you in a few minutes, would you like some coffee or something?"

"coffee be excellent" before she sat down in the waiting room, she put down her bag and looked at me and my friend. "Do you have classes to go to?"

"Yes…" Dani spoke

"No," I said.

She looked at us confused.

"Well, actually, we do have classes, but, it's nothing major."

"You know what" Daniela interrupted me "Can we have a few minutes?" she asked Melina "We want to go to the bathroom."

"I don't want to."

Daniela pinched me causing me to gasp.

"If you want."

She took my hand and dragged me to the bathrooms.

"Look, Y/N I don't know what you're up to and if you want to continue being a flirty fucking whore, but, we absolutely cannot skip Italian class, just because you want to stick your tongue down that woman's throat."

"Daniela, don't be a spoilsport, what can happen if we don't show up for the second half?"

"I don't know and I don't even want to find out. Let's go," she tried to grab my arm and pull me, but I held on to the door frame.

"I'm not leaving."

"Y/N, please let's go."

"No Daniela, if you want to go, go ahead, but I'm not leaving."

Daniela just frowned, pursed her lips, looked me up and down as her face turned red as a tomato. She was furious. But she left.

I walked over to the sink, drank some water and combed my hair and checked my makeup and clothes and walked out of the bathroom.

I entered the study department again and found a Melina sipping coffee, while on the coffee table, there was another coffee and multiple cookies.

"Oh, I asked Sabrina for another coffee, in case you'd like some."

"Thank you."

I sat down and quickly took a sip.

"Where is your friend?"

"She had to go."

We were both silent for a while, until a doubt came to me.

"May I know what you're going to talk to Mr. Hudson for?"

"I was hired to teach the Russian literature class."

Several of my friends were in French, Spanish, Latin American and other literature classes. But none of them had gotten into Russian, no one was interested.

"Oh, it sounds very interesting."

"Are you going into the classroom?"

"Of course. My favorite author is Russian"

"Really, who is it?"

"Vladimir Lenin"

"Excuse me, Mrs. Vostokoff," Sabrina interrupted us. "Mr. Hudson is ready to receive you."

"Oh thank you" she gathered her belongings and before walking to Professor Hudson's office, she turned to see me "Thank you so much for helping me."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Vostokoff," I winked at her, eliciting a chuckle.

She walked a few steps, so I turned to go back to my classroom, but her voice stopped me.

"Oh, by the way, Lenin was a politician. Not a writer."

———————————————————————————

"

Well boys, that concludes today's class."

As I watched all my classmates gather their things and head out the door. I grabbed my notebook, pen and cell phone and stuffed it in my bag, but I stood watching as Melina began to close her laptop.

"Do you need anything T/N?"

"I wanted to ask if…can I buy you breakfast?"

She stopped putting her things away and looked me straight in the eye.

"Invite me, where to?"

"I know a coffee shop that's near here."

"Good" She finished putting her things away and put on her brown trench coat, it matched his eyes. Carefully, he rested her right hand on my left cheek and stroked my cheekbone with her thumb. "How many times have I told you to stop calling me 'you'?"

———————————————————————————

I could confirm that I was fully in love with Melina Vostokoff.

For years I found it disgusting to eat in the company of someone outside my family circle. Because even when I was across the table, I could hear people chewing and swallowing; some even do it with their mouths open. It made me very, very disgusted.

But to see the Russian's white cheeks puffy from chewing her waffles, while her right hand tried to hide her mouth. Her eyes were on mine and her cheeks showed the shadow of a smile.

It was completely adorable.

"Can I tell you something?" asked Melina.

Her voice snapped me out of my trance and forced me to continue eating.

"Sure" I took a sip of my coffee.

"I think it was a bad idea for you to stick my subject into your schedule."

I choked on my coffee, sending me into a coughing fit. She quickly patted my back, causing my cheeks to redden.

"Why do you say that?"

"Are you kidding Y/N?" she guffawed "You suck at remembering anything about Russian literature. I bet you don't even remember one Russian author."

I could not help but laugh. She knew me.

"You're right, I suck."

"So… why are you taking the class?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I was getting into the class…for you?"

She stopped cutting her waffle and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Me?"

"Forgive me, but, you are too beautiful to see from afar."

Before she could answer me, her cell phone started ringing.

She pulled it out and quickly answered.

"Hey honey, is everything okay?" shit, she had a husband, why didn't I think of that great possibility, a woman like her who was single? impossible. "Hey, it's okay, when I get home I'll work it out. I promise. I love you" she hung up.

"Forgive me, I shouldn't have told you what I said. I don't want to interfere in your marriage…" I began to ramble as I tried to put the silverware down on the plate. My hands were shaking, but, she took one between hers.

"Marriage?"

"Ahh, it's not…" point to her cell phone on the table with my eyes.

"She was my oldest daughter, Natasha."

———————————————————————————

I knocked on the door three times, and as I listened to the footsteps approaching the door, I arranged my dress and the bouquet of flowers in my hand.

The door opened with a crash.

"Y/N!"

"Yelena"

The little girl jumped into my arms, and even with my hands fully occupied, I was able to carry her.

"Are you coming to see mom?"

"Don't tell your mom, but I'm coming to see you, best friend."

With my index finger, I tapped her nose, causing her to wrinkle it.

"I promise."

"Hello, pretty girl."

Melina came downstairs wearing a white knit sweater I had given her last Christmas and some pants I had helped her buy. They hugged her hips in a phenomenal way. Her butt looked so sexy with them on.

"How are you?" I asked as I stole a kiss . "Iugh" Yelena made noise as if she was going to throw up. Causing me to let go of Melina and tickle the blonde girl.

"Come on little girl, I brought gifts for you and your sister."

"YEI, Nattie, Y/N brought gifts!"

The teenager's footsteps came down to us as her sister began to unwrap her new barbie.

"Hello Y/N"

"Hello red"

Red was my nickname for her. She would only let me call her that.

"What did you bring?"

"I figured you'd like a new skateboard…"

"Are you kidding!"

"Of course not" from the bag I pulled out Natasha's new skateboard, causing the little girl to let out a small squeal.

"Ah Y/N, thank you so much!" She grabbed the skateboard to hug me. I hugged her back. "I love you so much!"

"Did you already say thank you, Yelena?" asked Melina as she did her mom pose. Putting her hands on her waist.

"Thank you so much, Y/N" she also ran to hug me. "I love you."

"I love you too, love bugs…but go play, seize the day."

I didn't have to say it twice for them to run away.

"You didn't have to give them anything," Melina said.

"I know, but, I didn't want to leave my favorite girls without a gift."

"So your favorite girls, huh?"

"Hey, don't be jealous. You're my special girl too" I gave her the bouquet of roses and sunflowers I had bought especially for her.

I saw how her eyes sparkled and she brought her face close to smell the flowers.

"Have I told you that I love you?"

"Did I tell you?"

"Not that I remember," she joked.

"I love you, then."

"I love you so much more."

Note:

It took me a long time to write this, but now I'm like a machine, writing one after another (because they stole my cell phone, I HATE YOU MEXICO)

I hope you enjoy it

I appreciate the reblogs, the likes and the comments

taglist: @littlebitchsposts // @xxsekhmet

message me or send an ask to be added to my taglist!

[1970sgothfreak]

Okay before you read this final part I just wanna say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me while I’ve been on my break, I am going to try and post more content but I got my dream job/apprenticeship but once again thank you so much and enjoy! ☺️

The Forgotten Twin’s birthday Final part

You sat in the alleyway and looked up at the dark stormy sky of Gotham, it had just began to rain so you stood io and began your journey home, on the way back you though of what your mother had said about you going back to the league.

Were…were you really thinking of going back to the league, you would have to leave everything behind…Alfred, Jon,…the boys and your father.

You shook your head and noticed that you weren’t at the manor but had in fact walked to the bat burger place, you had been so focused on something else that you hadn’t realised you were hungry.

You went inside and sat down ordering your regular and pulling out your phone noticing a bunch of texts, opening your phone you decided to read Jon’s texts first

“are you okay?”

“Im so sorry I let it slip please don’t be mad at me!”

“Thank you for sending me your location be safe”

And the final one

“I love you ♥️”

It was short and simple but, it still made you smile and blush before you checked the other messages they were mainly things like:

“Are you okay”

“Dads really upset”

“Come home we need to talk”

“Please come home we’re sorry”

“This is ridiculous” you thought to yourself as you took a bite of your food, noticing a bunch of family’s eating together happily, you felt sad but also envy

Why did those children get what you didn’t?

Why did they have people who actually wanted to spend time with them?

Why…

Why weren’t you good enough for them?

Y/n pov

I finished my food, placing the money on the table before leaving and squeezing the water out of my jacket, I thought over the things said and sighed annoyed wondering if they actually were sorry or just sorry that they got caught

I headed back to the manor and entered when I hear the boys talking, I quickly shut the door and snuck around the corner to listen to their conversation, it was…about me..!?

“Bruce you need to calm down”

“Calm down my reputation is going to go down the drain so are the boys if they ever find out what we did to Y/n!”

Oh…

They really didn’t care, of course I knew that but finally hearing it made me realise it and how much…it actually hurt a bit..?

I pulled out my phone and saw that Jon sent another text

“You get home okay honey..?”

“Yea I did…found out the truth lol”

“Truth?…”

“Bruce is only trying to apologise so that he and the boys don’t loose their public reputation…I’m thinking of moving back in with my mom”

“But then I won’t be able to see you again…”

“You will! I’ll make sure of it, I’ll even ask my mom right now!”

I exited the chat and pulled up my moms contact before texting her and asking if it was okay for me to bring Jon with me or for him to at least be able to frequently visit, I saw the chat bubbles appear and waited with anticipation to see her reply

“Yes that’s fine, I’ll make sure he’s allowed access to you constantly”

My face light up with a smile once I saw my mothers reply and texted Jon to let him know, he was also excited all that was left to do…was pack up and say goodbye I don’t know what will he harder but…all I know is that I’m getting out of this place and I’m going home and one thing I know for definite is….

I am never coming back.

Taglist:

@paleenthusiastfox

@notazul

@rainnyydaysworld

@simpingmyassoff

@stupendousnightmaretrash

@batfamlover

@harpy-space

@loxbbg

@mxtokko

@venomsvl

@awalkingdisasterbi

@randobeetlehouse

@snowcatlove

@vanessa-boo

@sem-blog245

@ladyagagaslefttoe

@knoxx-seresinbradshaw

@tweetybomb

@ur-local-brown-artist

@burnaccsblog

@killerqueenduck

@odinswarriorvalkyrie

@kiyomi-uchiha777

[worfs-glorious-hair]

Greetings beloved people!

Io and behold, my first time writing smut!

Thirteenth Doctor x (Genderneutral) Reader: Sex Pollen on a beautiful moon - shameless smut edition!

Reader is AFAB and body parts are referred to by name but I did not use any pronouns to refer to the reader themselves!

No beta, we die like men! I wrote this instead of sleeping! Enjoy!

********* Smut is way under the cut!*************

Bouquet (13 x Reader)

“This is the best day to go exploring with Y/N!”, the Doctor exclaimed excitedly while grabbing your hand to pull you with her towards a glittering field of flowers with an equally vibrant forest shimmering on the horizon.

You laughed, thrilled to be chosen by her to spend a day with her. To be close to her and to see her contagious, a billion galaxies erupting in light, smile.

Travelling with the Doctor was like a fever dream, in the best and worst meaning. At times so dangerous and scary that you were afraid to take just one more step. Usually the Doctor would then turn around to you and would encourage you to go on.

“Come on, Y/N,”, she would say with her beautiful eyes full of stars and her scrunched nose and deliciously curved lips, “I need your help here, I can’t do it without you!”

And at other times it was so unbelievable and beautiful that you feared you would wake up and find it all not to be real.

Today you had landed on a small moon of a busy planet.

Yaz, Graham and Ryan had decided to go shopping and sightseeing on the planet below and you and the Doctor had dropped them off and then she had told you about the rich nature and brilliant, crystal clear flowers and and jewel-like singing tress on the moon that she knew you would love to see.

And now you were here, running with your Doctor through the field, feeling the buzzing life around you in the air, trying to keep up with her, even though she was still holding your hand.

“Isn’t it brilliant?”, she screamed and you nodded, a little out of breath.

You reached a little island of colorful bushes and some small trees on the field and you motioned towards them.

Something urged you to take a closer look.

“Can we take a break there? I need to see these colours up close!”, you asked-yelled and the Doctor just grinned and changed the direction towards the closest tree.

It looked just like an earth-birch, but instead of being white and black was this one light-blue with specks of gold and purple.

You inspected the tree closer and found some tiny red glowing mushrooms growing on it.

“Adorable”, you mused to yourself as you smelled the sweetest, fullest fragrance you have ever smelled.

You looked to find the source and it turned out to be coming from the purple, nearly black flowers that were blooming on a nearby bush. Leaning closer you breathed in deeply.

The scent was flowery, surprisingly heavy for such fine, delicate flowers and with a spicy depth that reminded you maybe of musk, or maybe of naturally scented woods like cedar or sandalwood. Something earthy, rich and dark. Something warm that heightened your senses, with a hot burning flame beneath.

“Doctor…”, you turned to look for her, when you heard your name being called at the same time.

“You have to smell these flowers!”, you continued to say unison and you both laughed when you realised it.

“You found the flowers as well?”, you asked and stepped aside to let the Doctor smell your flowers.

She breathed in deeply and smiled contentedly.

“It reminds me of you”, she said and you froze in your movements.

You had just turned to smell the flowers the Doctor had found, which were the same ones as you had seen and you stopped dead in your tracks.

“Oh I wanted to say the same thing”, you said cheerfully, only rarely registering that you had said that out loud what you would usually had only thought.

Mentally you shrugged and couldn’t care less.

The Doctor’s eyes lit up and the stars in them shone brighter than ever before.

She smiled her happy, toothy smile and you beamed back at her.

Smelling the flowers again, inhaling deeply, you decided to pick one.

“Here”, you offered the flower to the Doctor.

“It’s for you, you should wear it in your hair. I love it when you wear pretty things, it makes you even more beautiful…”

And another thing you would usually never had said out loud. How odd.

The Doctor’s eyes grew even bigger with joy as she took the flower from you and carefully pushed the stem behind her ear and arranged her hair around the flower.

“You should have one, too”, she said and picked one for you.

You placed your flower just like she had done and when she rose her hand to help you secure it, she stepped closer to you than it would have been necessary.

You gulped and felt oddly brave, so you grabbed her hand, when it was close to your face and kept it in place.

Something was burning inside of you, flooding your nerves and senses, rushing through your veins in your blood, making you feel the air tingling on your skin. You were suddenly very aware of your body in your clothes, feeling very hot and very bothered.

You felt your nipples stroke against the fabric of your bra and you felt your panties over your tingling and pulsating vulva. Of course they weren’t providing any friction.

But you wanted friction. Badly.

You felt how the Doctor’s usually cool hand close to your face, that you were holding got hotter as well. Maybe her skin burned as much as yours. Maybe her core felt just as yours did. All tingly and wet.

This thought sent even more heat through your body, tangling into a ball of arousal deep in your lower abdomen.

Your eyes were locked into each other, standing there, you felt your heart beat as you were unable to blink.

The Doctor made a step towards you and it made your eyes flicker to her lips, parted and wet, she must have been licking them.

The thought of her tongue flicking made the ball inside of you coil even closer together.

You were relatively the same height as her, so it did not take much to kiss her.

And so you did.

Using your free arm to pull her the remaining centimetres towards you, keeping your grab on your hand, you kissed her.

She responded immediately, opening her mouth for you, strangled sounds coming from her as you kissed her with everything that you’ve got.

It was an open mouth, very wet kiss, an all-consuming, senses overflowing kiss, it was her and her lips and body and nothing else.

She used her other hand to really get a hold of your face, pulling it closer to her, while pushing her knee and thigh between your legs.

You yelped into her mouth, as she pushed a sturdy seam on the inside of your jeans between your labia, exactly where you wanted some friction to be.

You started grinding on her knee and thigh, rather subconsciously, while you tried to remove her coat, kind of blindly, eyes half-way closed and mind filled with her kiss.

She had broken away from you, as the need for air took over and had opted to kiss, suckle and nibble at your jaw and neck instead.

She was working on opening the buttons of your blouse, while you tried to push down her suspenders after having successfully took off her coat from her, when she jumped back, as if she was hit with an electric shock.

“No!”, she gasped for air, making a big step back from you.

“Ohhh, Y/N, I am so, so sorry!”, she panted, a pained expression all over her face.

Your mind barely registered her words, you felt the emptiness, you felt rejected and betrayed and still so, so hot!

You were burning from the inside out!

You still felt your nipples, your tingling core and now warm and very wet underwear. You only wanted her lips back on your skin, so you made a few, shaky steps towards her.

“Ohhh”, she groaned, hands running over her face and through her tousled hair, which was your work, a proud part inside of you pointed out.

“Stupid, stupid Doctor!”, she muttered to herself, while hitting herself on the forehead.

“I should have recognised them… I should have… Think! Think! Think! Concentrate! Concentrate! You have to bring your Y/N out of here! No kissing, kissing is bad!”

You had only listened to her with half an ear, your body and soul hurting from her rejection. Why else should she have pushed you away, if she did not want it as bad as you did?

Maybe you were the only one with burning skin and a desperate pussy.

You rarely considered the whole oddity of the whole situation, how you had acted on your desires so suddenly, how your desires had manifested themselves so quickly on a physical level, when you usually sucked them up and stored them away somewhere deep inside your heart, never even considering to act on them in real life.

So you missed the pained expression on the Doctor’s face, how her chest heaved and how she fought for control over the danger she had put you two into unknowingly. And how she fought down her desire.

You only felt rejected and your soul cried in bitter pain. But your body had it way worse. Had it been a sweet pleasurable desire before, an exciting ache while you had kissed the Doctor was it now an actual pain.

Your body felt as if it was on fire, your skin felt open and irritated and the pressure in between your legs was more than you could bare.

“Y/N. Y/N! Look at me!”, you suddenly saw how the Doctor’s face came into your field of view, kind of blurry, so you tried to blink to get her image clear.

“We were drugged. You need to concentrate. Y/N!”

The word ‘drugged’ had enough effect on you that you managed to finally see her clearly, you tried to focus on her words and the information she wanted to give you.

No, not her lips! Not her soft flushed skin! Not the lips. Not her sparkling eyes! Her words! Her words! Important words!

“Listen to me! Those pretty flowers contain pollen that are toxic to most humanoids…”

“Toxic?”, you managed to blur out. “Are we going to die?”

The Doctor looked at you with her continuous worried, pained expression.

“How — how — how are they toxic? I don’t feel poisoned. But my body hurts!”, you started crying.

“Please make it stop! It hurts so much!”

Hot tears streamed down your face and you desperately tried to rub yourself over your panties inside of your jeans but it did not do much.

“Pl-please!”

You fell to the ground, legs spread wide and you still tried to find release by fervently rubbing over and through your now soaking wet clit and slit.

But it was too wet, your fingers couldn’t do anything, they were unsuccessfully slipping over your skin and you groaned and cried in frustration and pain.

“This is what the pollen do”, the Doctor tried to explain the situation as easy as possible. Also as quick as possible.

“They arouse most humanoids sexually and if they don’t get to climax within three hours the nervous system and the brain could get severe damage. I am so sorry!”

The Doctor had crouched next to you and was biting her lips and pressing together her own legs. If you would have been able to read her body more closely, you would have seen the sweat on her forehead and neck and chest, her panting and her dilated pupils. She was in as much pain as you and her hearts burned with the same desire for you as your heart did for her.

“I will get us out of here and find a solution, I won’t let anything happen to you! I promise!”

She helped you to sit up and to close your jeans again and you saw everything clear as day.

“You don’t want me!”, the thought sobered you up enough to look at her properly and to think like a human being again.

“You don’t want me!”, you repeated, now with an aching heart that nearly lessened the ache in your core.

“Can I do it myself?”, you asked and stood up on shaky legs, pushing yourself up from the ground in a very ungracious way.

The Doctor stood there and watched you with furrowed brows and lips a thin line.

“Do what yourself?”

“Climaxing…”, you answered and stomped towards the TARDIS, not being waiting for her answer.

Legs feeling wobbly and every step was a sensory hell.

Your still felt your hardened nipples against the fabric of your bra, the tightness and the coiling of your insides, your throbbing clit and the seam of your jeans against your slit with every second step.

But now you were also angry.

Angry at the Doctor, angry at yourself that you had let it come so far and angry that you were still so incredible aroused that you just wanted to hump the nearest tree to find release.

“Please Y/N…”, a soft hand on your arm stopped you right in your tracks and you found yourself face to face with the Doctor. Still your Doctor with the beautiful eyes and deliciously curved lips and the soft blond hair, that now looked very dishevelled, still the woman you wanted to kiss, taking all of her in, tasting her everywhere, the woman you wanted to hear scream out in pleasure as a result to your fingers, your tongue on her, inside of her …

“Wait please, don’t go like this!“, the Doctor pleaded with big, desperate eyes, pupils huge.

She sighed heavily and bowed her head in defeat.

“It is not that I don’t want you, on the contrary. I want you so much and I know I shouldn’t. I promise I’ll find a cure for you. Just kiss me again, please! I promise I’ll— “

The sound you let out was a high-pitched moan of relief and eagerness as you pressed your lips to hers again.

And immediately the pain subsided, leaving the pleasurable ache once again behind.

The Doctor’s kiss was eager, eager to please you, taste you, feel you.

Her fingers finished unbuttoning your blouse and impatiently helped you out of the sleeves.

Your burning skin was immediately met with a cool breeze that made you shiver in the most stimulating way.

The Doctor kissed your neck, right at the juncture to your shoulder at the soft hollow above your collarbone and you sighed and sighed and sighed out loud.

The Doctor’s lips and tongue, wet and warm, were working on your shoulder while her skilled and quick fingers opened your bra. She only stopped kissing your shoulder for a second to pull the straps of the bra down your arms and the moment your sensitive nipples were hit with the gently blowing breeze around you, you threw back your head and screamed out in pleasure.

This was what you had wanted all the time, since this madness began.

So the Doctor went immediately towards your left nipple, she licked across it, once, twice, thrice and then very gently grazed it with her teeth.

She held you stable with one arm and used her other hand to pinch and stroke your right nipple.

You arched yourself towards her and tried once again to remove her suspenders, this time you succeeded as far as it was possible to the point, where she held you tight.

She unlatched from your breast and you let out an involuntary sound of disappointment.

“Shhh”, the Doctor quickly kissed you

“One second, my love!”, she murmured close to your lips and and finished taking off her suspenders, while you tried to kiss her again.

“I just want to lay out my coat for you. I don’t want you to come while standing up, I want you to feel as comfortable and good as possible. I’ll be quick!”, she purred and quickly took her coat from the ground, gave it a shake and laid it flat out.

While she had worked with the coat you had opened your jeans and were just about to pull them down as her hand stopped you.

“Let me help you with that!”

And the Doctor pulled down your jeans, helped you to step out of them and then kissed the hemline of your panties.

“We do not need them anymore, do we?” Her voice was like melted butter and you squirmed.

Everything inside of you was throbbing in painful anticipation, your nipples hard, begging to be touched again and you just wanted to ride the Doctor’s face until you came.

Laying down was overrated!

“Ple-please, ge’em off…”, your voice was slurred but the Doctor understood anyways.

She kneeled down in front of you and pulled your underwear down.

She sighed excitedly at the sight of your now fully exposed body.

“I have dreamed of this moment!, she admitted, while looking up to you through her lashes.

“Likewise!”, you answered with a slurry voice and she grinned happily.

And it was a sight for the gods — the Doctor on her knees for you, her hands tightly on your thighs, admiring every inch of your body with endless hunger in her eyes.

She looked at every jiggly curve and soft, dimpled patch of skin, every warm and oh so human part of you and looked as if she was offered every answer to every question in this universe.

“Lay down!”, the Doctor commanded as you tried to throw one of your legs over her shoulder, to get her face where you wanted it the most!

You eagerly complied, laying down on your back on her coat.

The ground beneath it was surprisingly lush, soft and plush, nothing like hard, uncomfortable grounds you knew from home on Earth. You had slept on beds that were not even half as perfect and snuggly as this random meadow on a random moon.

‘Sex moon’ your cloudy mind corrected.

It was like the moon wanted people to be comfortable after they inhaled the flower’s pollen.

You opened your legs for the Doctor and she crawled between them, but not before taking everything of your exposed sex in.

The still gently blowing breeze danced over your slick, wet bare core and provided you with a delicious tickle of sensual cold, that made your whole body tingle in lust.

You bucked your hips aimlessly into the wind, as if it could provide you with some friction.

While the wind was cool, you were getting hotter and bothered by the second.

The Doctor’s eyes glittered and she beamed at you.

“You are even more beautiful than I imagined you would be! So wet, so hot, so ready for me…”

Normally you would have been ashamed, self-conscious or shy at words or even looks like hers but the untameable desire in you burned all of your fear or shame down to dust. What was left was your lust, your passion and your love for the Doctor.

And your need for the Doctor to finally, finally touch you.

But after the Doctor was done with her admiring, she crawled on top of you, kneeling between your legs and took once again your nipple in her mouth. You groaned in frustration and pleasure.

This was not were you wanted her tongue to go.

You were still bucking your hips, this time towards her, as she pushed two fingers into your vagina.

You yelped and moaned out loud as her thumb started to stroke your clit.

“More, more, more”, you pleaded with each thrust as you still bucked, now at her hand.

And she added a third finger. She pushed knuckle-deep inside you, curled her fingers upwards and also sucked and nibbled on your nipple with even more force.

“Ahhhh!”

You cried out, pleasure and lust washing over you and yet it was not enough.

“Ahhh, MORE!”

She let go of your nipple and smiled at you, you looked at her a little confused and questioning but her fingers still pumping inside of you and massaging your clit kept you occupied.

“I have something for you, let me get it…”

She slowed down her pace and reached around into the pocket of her trousers and took out her screwdriver.

You watched her every move and as she put it to a low vibrating setting you were starting to be intrigued. You even forgot your disappointment about her slower movements.

“Lift your bottom, please, my love”, she urged you and you raised your butt even higher into the air, you had it partially there anyways to meet her hands and movements.

She removed her fingers from you and you looked at her angrily, you were too weak, to lust-stridden to express your disappointment vocally.

She shook her head.

“Don’t be angry at me, you asked for more and I will give you more!”

And she carefully parted your buttocks and placed her buzzing screwdriver right between them.

The screwdriver’s vibration went over your anus as well partly towards your vagina.

You bit your lips, this was going to be very good!

And the Doctor returned to insert three fingers inside you, immediately starting pumping and massaging your clit with her thumb and biting and pulling on your nipples.

She varied the directions of her tongue on your nipple, drew numbers and letters and all kind of patterns onto you clit with her thumb and took all the time in the world to fill you out with her fingers, stroking, massaging your insides and curling her fingers, finding out which directions got you to scream the loudest…

The vibrating screwdriver on your ass added extra pleasure and you were not holding back.

You bucked your hips, rode along the screwdriver, as much as you could, took her fingers in and screamed out your pleasure into the world around you.

Your moans and screams echoed around you in the forest and it just turned you on even more.

And what you did not know was that the Doctor was a mess, hearing you, hearing the echoes of your screams, feeling you, your wetness all over her hand and your beautiful breast in her mouth made her insides burn just as much.

And then you came. You bucked your hips against her one last time and screamed louder than before. It just came over you.

An orgasm so intense like you never experienced it before.

You think you blacked out for a moment, overcome with your hot, intense relief.

You panted and slowly came back into your body.

And the Doctor?

Her body ached and ached and ached, her desire just as hot as yours, she could not wait to come herself. To be touched by you, to be held by you…

She had carefully continued to pump her fingers inside of you through your orgasm, now she took them out again, stroke over your clit one last time and kissed the nipple she had last worked on.

You laid back, panting.

You slowly came back into your body and took the Doctor in, how she sat between your legs, and grinned.

Your aching, burning pain had subsided but was not gone completely, it had turned down enough that you knew that this had been incredible but that your Doctor was there and still unpleasured. Still unsatisfied.

She rocked back and forth, pushing her legs together.

“Hmm…” You sat up and cocked your head to the side.

“Looks like it’s my turn now to be good to you. Don’t you think?”

“You do not have to do it. I can take care of it myself, you do not have to do anything…”

You sighed, sometimes (very often) you wondered what was going on inside this woman’s head. Did she still think that you did not want her, did not want to touch her?

“Ohhh, no… I want to… desperately”, you darted forwards and kissed her neck, sucking on her skin, her hands immediately grabbed your waist and she sighed, laying her head back to give you more space to kiss her and you smiled against her skin.

“And I also want to make you scream, like you did to me…”, you whispered into her ear, after you sucked on her earlobe.

The Doctor shivered at your words and groaned softly at your soft lips on her ear.

She wanted your lips everywhere!

“But first we need to remove that”, your finger tips graced the neckline of her shirt and she nodded, eyes glued to you.

She raised her arms and you helped her out of her shirt and the tank top with the broad straps underneath and you found that she was also wearing a simple bra.

You removed it and immediately kissed her shoulders, upper chest, breast and nipples like she had done to yours.

She moaned, it was a high-pitched surprised sound that made you smile proudly and that also made your insides tighten again.

You stroke down the sides of her body with soft, determined fingers and stopped at her trousers. You looked up at her and she nodded wordlessly, her eyes still big and in awe.

So you opened her trousers and pushed them down, while she laid back and lifted her cute bottom to the air to assist you.

When she laid there, bare and open, you admired her, just like she had done when you had laid there before her.

But she pushed her legs together and also crossed her arms over her chest.

“Are you uncomfortable? Should I stop?”, you looked at her with a worried expression, you were confused by her actions, but yet she was visible aroused and wanted you. Were the pollen affecting her differently than you?

“I never slept with anyone in this body!”, she admitted, the words tumbling out of her as if she was afraid that she would never say them if she was not quick enough.

“I do not really know how. I want you to feel good and safe and… I don’t know what to do…”, she added with big, worried puppy eye.

“I have a few ideas”, you grinned and laid down next to her on your side.

“You don’t have to do anything and if you don’t like it or I am bad at it we stop and try something else…”

The Doctor looked at you with pure desire in her eyes and you felt her squirm next to you.

“Now…”, you carefully swung a leg over her and straddled her, “I’ll start kissing your neck, we know you enjoy that!”

And with that you were back at sucking, nibbling, softly biting and marking her neck, wandering down to her chest, to her stomach and then finally to her pelvic area.

While you had been working on her, she became first finally relaxed and had then slowly started to open up to you and your touches.

“Ohhh Y/N!”, she had moaned and her legs had opened and her hips bucked and you could not hide a pleasant shit-eating grin, while you kissed her down her stomach.

Your hand carefully parted her legs a little wider and palmed her vulva, she bucked against it immediately.

You grinned again.

You could not believe your luck, the Doctor moaning your name in pleasure, bucking and rutting against you, asking for more from you…

You went on to kiss over her stomach and her lower abdomen and stopped right before you reached the insides of her thighs.

“Hnnnghhh, Y/N… Please!”

Oh how you wanted to hear that, to hear her moan and beg for more from you.

And you happily obliged.

You opened her folds with one hand and kissed directly onto her hot, wet core.

She jolted up, as your lips reached her and moaned.

“So this is what it feels like…”, she said and you licked directly through her slick folds and the Doctor gasped.

And you went all in. Sucking on her clit, pushing a finger inside of her, feeling her walls around it, pumping a little and then exchanging your finger with your tongue, drawing patterns all over her.

Pushing your tongue inside of her, licking as much as you could reach…

“Ohhhhhhhh, plea-please! Don’t stop, don’t ever stop!”, the Doctor begged, clawing at the floor beneath her, pushing herself into your face.

“Deeper, deeper!”, she screamed as you used your fingers and tongue simultaneously on her, pushing deep inside her, licking and lapping all of her overflowing wetness…

“Y/N, I’m gonna… I’m gonna…” and she came and screamed and nearly squirted and bucked her hips and you suckled on her clit throughout her orgasm, letting her ride it out.

The Doctor breathed out and laid back, her chest was heaving and you admired your work.

The Doctor all loose, satisfied and torn apart.

The Oncoming Storm stilled at your hands and tongue. At your love.

She propped herself up on her elbows so that she could look at you and breathed out.

“Whew, this was something, wasn’t it?”

You nodded.

“Oh yes!”

“We should try to get back to the TARDIS as long as we still can”, she said while sitting up and reaching for her clothes.

You followed her movements and your shoulders slumped.

Was she done with you, was this an one time thing due to dangerous pollen and an immediate threat?

You sighed and breathed in deeply, your arms and legs felt like jelly and you just wanted to rest for a awhile on this beautiful lush planet with the sweet, flowery air and the Doctor between your thighs.

You felt yourself getting all tingly and aroused again, apparently you were not done yet…

“Doctor can we please stay for a moment? If this was the last time that this happened I want to take it all in…”

The Doctor was already pulling up her trousers again and tucking her shirt in as she turned towards you, smiling brightly and bending down to you.

“Listen, YN, listen very closely now”, she took your face in her hands and you just wanted to melt into her eyes full of stars. Her beautiful lips, swollen and pink and perfect…

“Y/N, I love you, I love you very much but we have to get off this planet! The wind has turned, don’t you smell it? The pollen are everywhere now and while I feel like I have never felt before, thanks to you and I hope, and think I know,”, she smiled proudly at these words, “you feel like I do, too, we have to get away from here NOW!

The more pollen we breathe in, the more dangerous they become to our nervous system and right now we are in the strongest place to fight them off. We both climaxed very nicely and our bodies are happy and relaxed, so please, get off the ground now!”

She was right. Your orgasm had helped to think more clearly again and while your skin and nipples and pussy and overall your whole body was sensitive and excited about being touched again, you still felt like yourself.

And maybe she was down to continue once you were safely in the TARDIS…

“Okay”, you sighed and pushed yourself up.

You quickly put on your panties, blouse and pants, there you had to grab her arm for stability and stuffed your bra into the pocket of your pants. You definitely did not feel like wearing it, too tight and unpleasant and putting it on just took too much time.

The Doctor grabbed your hand but instead of starting to walk she pulled you closer to her.

“You know we can continue again as soon as we are in the TARDIS… You know that, right?”, she quickly purred into your ear and a warm shiver ran down your spine and you giggled excitedly.

“Yes please!”

And the two of you ran towards the TARDIS, laughing, giggling like school girls.

Once inside you collapsed to the ground, trying to catch your breath while the Doctor was working on the console.

“Hey”, she turned to you, “I know a beautiful nebula, there are no flowers and definitely no people around, we can be just on our own…”

She came closer, while the TARDIS was wheezing and huffing around you, squatting down next to you.

“There I can make you scream even louder than on the moon…

I could kiss you and nib you and taste you and I promise you will forget your own name…”

“Is that so?”, you whispered, voice low and breathy and you slowly, tantalisingly so, opened the buttons on your blouse, one by one, the Doctor’s eyes glued to your every move.

She gulped and you smiled.

[scribe-of-maat]

Ranking DC Pride 2023

9. Love’s Lightning Heart (???, ???)

Starring The Flashlight and The Flash, I think? When he called the dude “Ray” in the beginning I thought it was gonna be The Ray, you know? This only scores so low because I’m not at ALL familiar with anything Multiversity and this story especially seemed to be absolutely thick with that corner of DC lore. I get there’s a Parallax type of thing happening but... this was kind of hard to follow for a payoff that’s pretty lukewarm if you’re not well-versed in who this story’s about.

8. My Best Bet (Jon Kent/Superman, John Constantine

This is hit especially hard in my ranking because it’s the last story in the book and the only thing DC Pride about it is that it stars two Bs. They’re popular queer characters but I’m here for stories that are specifically ABOUT LGBT stuff, not about LGBT people doing stuff. There’s nothing to really talk about here.

7. Found (Xanthe Zhou, Batwoman/Kate Kane)

I’ve been meaning to read Spirit World, and since I hadn’t gotten around to it Xanthe being LGBT was a surprise to me, but not as much as Kate Kane showing up was. It feels like someone threw a dartboard at WLW women and plopped in whoever came up, cuz I guarantee if I flip the newest Batwoman issue open to a random page she’ll have a girlfriend-slash-situationship that won’t be too happy about her seeming receptive to some flirting. But hey, I like Xanthe more now so there’s give-and-take.

6. And Baby Makes Three (Xiomara Rojas/Crush, Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy)

I like Crush. I can’t claim to have read much of her, because for now that means enduring way too much Damian Wayne, but she seems like an incredibly interesting character. But I could not tell you why she’s here with Harley and Ivy. This, moreso than anything else, has a less than negative chance of being referenced again and it’s giving me even more of that dartboard feeling the last story did. Plus if there’s one thing Harlivy can do, it’s carry a story by themselves. I wish we’d gotten something about JUST Crush, is what I’m saying. I feel like this was a status update for Crush, like her washing ashore was meant to bridge the gap between this story and whatever she was doing the last time she showed up.

5. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (Natasha Irons/Steel, Nubia)

Listen, I will always have space in my heart for the Irons family. I love Natasha, and I love John Henry, and when DC lets either out of the ether every other year I’m front and center. That, and the recent super-push Nubia has been enjoying made this story one I was pretty excited to read when I realized who it was about. But THIS ART. These faces are TRASH. Even without looking it up I feel like there’s a 0% chance DC would give a nonblack artist this story, so it makes it especially confusing as to why the characters look like THAT. The actual content was fun and even though Io needs to come up off our queen posthaste, I didn’t have any (other) complaints. But it’s SOOOOO UGLYYYYY.

4. The Dance ( Minhkhoa Khan/Ghost-Makes, Thomas Blake/Catman)

I knew Ghost-Maker was bi prior to reading this, somehow. I’ve been meaning to read anything about him because his design is so awesome but I was only really guessing this was Catman alongside him. I really don’t know anything about him, so this ranks so highly just because of Ghost-Maker. I don’t really have anything else to add here since this story’s ultimate purpose seems to just show off muscley dudes post-sex.

3. Anniversary (Lucas Trent/Midnighter, Andrew Pulaski/Apollo, Alan Scott/Green Lantern)

These showcases tend to have like, one story that directly addresses inequality if you’re lucky. This is that story, and it’s such a good one. Midnighter and Apollo’s fame as the canon gay Superbat sort of eclipses anything else about them, but that reputation is put to excellent effect here. Plus, Alan Scott, one of my favorite Green Lanterns, finally shows up. Revitalizing that old slogan to make it clear the LGBT isn’t going anywhere was fun, too.

2. Subspace Transmission (Jules Jourdain/Circuit Breaker, Jess Chambers/The Flash, Andy Curry/Aquawoman)

Jess was an extremely fun and memorable character from the start like, half a decade ago and that holds true here. I was super uninvested in the Circuit Breaker part of this story. I don’t know who that is, and even after reading this I genuinely don’t care. This made my heart hurt for more Teen Justice and Future State stuff in general. That Jackson Hyde cameo at the end was also perfect.

1. Hey, Stranger (Connor Hawke/Hawke, Tim Drake/Robin)

I was definitely in diapers the last time these two characters spoke to each other. When there’s been THAT big a gap in timeframe I can’t be sure how emotional a reunion can be to a modern readership. None of that matters to my enjoyment, because Connor Hawke is far and away my favorite Arrowfam member and his recent resurgence (even if too much of it is attached to Damian Wayne for my taste) has been such a blessing. DC only trots this guy out three times a year but god do we eat good each time. They just need to do a LITTLE more with him.

[chubbygirlmaddy14]

The Dollmaker: The Finding

Dale Kobble x reader

A/N: okay now this one’s the longest i’ve made so far. I’m bored and don’t wanna do statistics homework so fanfic time it is!!

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1471257358?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_writer&wp_uname=chubby_girl_maddy16

Chapter 14: The Finding (1,880 Words)

Longlegs POV:

My work with him was done. Untying him, I grab everything that could indicate it was me that was here, and took my leave after laying him on the cold basement floor. I smile proudly as I relax in my car

my baby wouldn't get hurt anymore.

The sun was soon to rise as I make my way back home, singing along to the music that was playing on the radio. Maybe my dreams didn't work out as much as I wanted them too, oh but the outcome was so sweet.

Y/n was so sweet.

Y/n POV:

I had work today, long work. I sighed not wanting to go in but I knew what had to be done, we had to stop this madman before another family was gone. Hoping into the shower the same thoughts run into my mind as I relax.

  The ones that were just filled with Dale, and the memories as the days with him grew longer and happier.

I step out of the shower, put my usual attire on, and make my way to the office. Seeing Carter and Harker's cars both parked next to each other, I pull in and realize it will be a long day.

Time-skip

After a few hours of looking through more evidence that just seemed to blur together, I get a knock at my door. "Come in!" I say a bit loud for the person to hear, not looking up from the paper. "Y/n.. could I maybe ask you a favor?"

I look up seeing Lee shutting the door and walking closer, "yeah of course what is it?" I loved Lee, she was a shy woman but was always so friendly and nice to me.

  "I know you're just as busy as I am, but I'm really really focused and my mother hasn't eaten today.. she isn't the best with her memory and I was just wondering if you could maybe go over there?"

I smile softly at her watching as she messes with her fingers, "I wouldn't mind at all, just give me her address and I'll head over right now." She writes it down quickly on my notepad and I get up, grabbing my coat and keys. "I really appreciate this y/n, I'll pay you back!"

I giggle softly shaking my head "no you don't need to, I need to get out of this place anyways my mind feels like it could explode.”

  We both laugh a bit before saying goodbye as I walk out of the dark building into the cold air.

Looking down at the note, I realize the address is really familiar... like right next door familiar.

  Driving with the radio softly, I shake my head not thinking much of it only to soon pull into the drive way. Dale's drive way.

Stepping out of the car, I open the door slightly to see Lee's mom sitting on the couch. Ruth, I think to myself. I had seen her at church and knew she had a daughter but never met her. I didn't know it was Lee!

"Ms. Harker?" I say softly before she turns to me, a smile spreading across her face. "Oh y/n! look at how much you've grown!" She opens her arms, making me sit next to her and hold onto her tightly.

"I've missed you, Lee asked me to come here because she's really busy at the office actually. Why don't I make you something to eat for lunch huh?"

  I pull away softly smiling at her. She nods her head softly holding my hands, "I didn't know you and her worked together! I would love some lunch"

She had grown older of course, and her mind wasn't all there, but she was still the sweet woman 8 year old me would wave too in church. Getting up softly, I leave her to the living room as I start cooking some things I find around the kitchen.

My mind is filled with questions, why was he here? do they have an agreement on something? does lee know who he is? The back door soon opens up behind me, making me jump a bit as I turn my head, seeing dale looking at me.

His eyes go wide as he sees me, "W- what are you doing here?" I look at him confused and a bit upset thinking he wouldn't want me here.

  "Good afternoon to you to" I snip back as I finish cutting the vegetables.

He sets his keys down on the counter and comes over to me as his face falls into something more gentle, "that's not what I mean." He turns me to face him as his arms come around my waist, my face instantly leaning into his chest as I return the hug.

My thoughts stopped for a split second as I melt into his touch, not wanting to let go of him. He soon pulls away first, his hands coming up to my face. "Lee wanted me to come make some lunch for her while she was at the office, she's so focused right now and I decided to help." I say answering his original question.

  He lets out a shaky breath as he slowly lets go, "is there enough for me too?" he jokes making me giggle a bit.  

  "Just a little bit more" I tease as I kiss his cheek before moving over to fill up a bowl with the soup and vegetables I had made.

  Walking over I hand it to her softly, making her smile at me before her eyes turn back to jeopardy and starts eating. I head back into the kitchen, seeing him try what I made before leaning against the counter looking at me.

  I move to the opposite side looking down at the ground as the questions fill my head again.

  He looks confused as he sees me try to get the words out, "a- are you and ruth.." I can't finish the sentence, a stabbing feeling in my chest. He realizes what I mean and instantly moves closer to me lifting my head up

  "no no, it's not like that! I live here but I have no romantic feelings for her at all, it's just a roommate situation I promise!"

  His blue eyes stay locked on mine as I try to find any lie behind them, but I find none. I nod before moving in and hugging him again tightly, "don't tell Lee... she doesn't know I live here."

  I get confused for a second but don't make any further notice to questions it, "I won't say a word." After what seemed like 2 seconds, which was actually 5 minutes, we pull away and I start cleaning up the kitchen with a little help from him.

  Making my way into the living room, I take the empty bowl from her, "Did you like it?" I say softly as she looks up smiling back at me, "It was delightful dear, thank you." I hug her one more time before saying goodbye and putting the bowl in the sink.

  Dale looks at me a small smirk on his face, "You're the cutest." He says softly before moving behind me, holding my waist as his head rest on my shoulder just like the other night.

  Shaking my head I turn around in his arms, "I gotta get back to work." He kisses my forehead making me sigh softly

Why can't it be my lips for once.

  I head out the back, move around to my car and make my way back only to see everyone filing out. Carter meets me at my car, "it's your brother." Those were all I heard before I was rushing into the car with him.

Time-skip

  My poor grandmother. She walked into his house and found him the way he was. I held her in my arms as she cried, praying to the God she believed in as she found comfort in my arms.

  Slowly I help her back into her house, got some water, and told her it would only take a second.

  Walking down the basement stairs, they move the white cover back as I asked them too, not before Carter asked if I really wanted to see.

  There he was. His body mutilated in a way no one could really describe. I should be sad. Cry seeing him in this state.

Good Riddance

  I thought to myself before turning around to Carter, "do we think it's him?" He sighs shaking his head, "no note, no family that your brother had, a weird way he died... I don't think so, this is something new."

  I think for a second, "could be someone who is trying to be the next longlegs."

  How wrong I was.

  "Go to your grandma, you can be done for today." I nod, making my way back upstairs and to the next house over. I spent most of my evening there until she fell asleep, knowing it would've taken her forever too if it wasn't for my care.

  The car ride was quiet, even with the radio playing, it just was quiet. Pulling into the parking spot in front of my house, I couldn't get out of the car. This was affecting me of course, my brother's dead, no more hurting from him though, and I didn't have to do it out of self defense.

  I look out the window to see Dale going on his usual afternoon walk, making me get out and come up next to him, "mind if I join you?"

  I don't look at him, I don't have to energy for anything except spending time with him. "of course!" he says softly wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me in.

  This was the comfort I needed, the one I gave my grandma, but his was way better than what I could ever do. With the short walk, we're both quiet until I can't keep it in anymore.

"He's dead... my brother's dead.”

  I feel him tense, but imagine he's just in shock to hear me say it. He turns me to look at him and hugs me tightly, "oh y/n i'm so sorry!!" He kisses my head a few times before I burst into tears. Tears of sadness? Tears of joy? I couldn't tell the difference.

  He keeps me in his arms before picking me up, wrapping my legs and arms around him I just let the tears keep coming. He grabs my key, unlocking my house, and taking me to my room.

  He just lays down with me holding onto him. He understands me, he knows I need this just as much as he might.

Longlegs POV:

  I hear her cries calm down and soon her breathing move back to normal.

She fell asleep.

  I smile softly keeping her close to me as I wrap a blanket around us not wanting to wake her up.

  Playing with her hair softly, I am the most comfortable I have been in a long, long time. I want this future, I want this now and forever. After a while, I feel my eyes get heavy and soon end up falling asleep with her in my arms.

[aita-blorbos]

(tma oc ask content warning for canon typical levels of buried fuckery)

am i the asshole for driving away my friend?

hey reddit . im posting from a throwaway bc i dont want people connecting this to my work (though i doubt youve heard of me anyways) but i think i messed up terribly and i want to know if this is something i can still fix

also sidenote sorry if my grammar or punctuation or word choice or anything of that sort are poor. i have not been sleeping well for some time

i (19m) am a video game developer. its been my passion for years now and i am currently in uni studying computer games development and programming and level design . although i have considered dropping out but thats a point for later . i post on itch io and such and sometimes i make flash games but idk if anyone reading this has played a single one

its been a bit of a hard time for me, if im being honest. i really like games and i really liked making them but i dont think im very good at programming or art or level design or any of the other things that go into the process of making a game . at least a profitable and fun one .

so i ended up coming to this computer science study group in the hopes maybe someone could teach me to be better at programming. and i met this girl. i dont know exactly how old she is, but i want to say she was maybe two or three years ahead of me in her schooling, so probably about 22. anyways lets call her E

E was studying pure computer science and wanted to do it at a high level . so of course she was pretty good at helping me with my really rudimentary programming stuff . and she was friendly and funny and we liked hanging out so we ended up being good friends . she actually complimented my games, once i got them to function, and said my pixel art was cute . my point is we were close . maybe we wouldn’t have been so close if we had anyone else, but i was still new and she was pretty lonely .

really shortly after i met her though i started having fucked up dreams. ok that’s not entirely accurate because i had been having fucked up dreams on occasion for a while . but they got worse and she showed up in them. it was all me locking her in stairwells hitting her over the head and piling earth over her body filling her mouth with mud and cement. terrible things

so i stopped sleeping. i tried not to at least. im pretty sure most uni kids pull all nighters. i know i did even when i was younger. but i wasnt studying for exams or whatever. i was just trying and trying to force myself awake and i started to lose it a bit. my grip on things. it felt like i was sleepwalking through classes and even like i was dreaming when i was awake. id nod off for a moment in a lecture and id feel dirt caked on my hands under my fingernails. and no matter how much i scrubbed and how much i knew with my eyes it wasnt there it just. refused to come off . and it felt like her blood

i don’t remember how we got on the topic but i remember she told me how she always worried a little bit about being trapped . like claustrophobia of a flavor that shows itself in locked doors and thick walls and collapsing underground stations. that made me feel even more odd about the whole thing . of course i felt awful about hurting her but that part of it was like a joke i didn’t get

and then weirdly enough i got really into nineties 3D games. they have these skyboxes that make it really obvious they’re not actually infinite . and i thought that was kind of interesting in context. like the whole world is a box you’re in so why worry so much about if the stairwell door will lock behind you

i kind of started thinking that was something i would like to replicate with my art . like if i put all my issues into one game they would be out of my brain and gone . maybe it could even be pleasant without the whole preying on my friends terror thing

so now we get to the part of the story where i fear i really really messed up . i made this game . and honestly i dont remember the development very well . sleep deprivation is a dreadful thing . i remember again and again while i was making it kind of coming to my senses not knowing where i was and finding massive parts of the game that i didnt remember making at all.

it was set in a stairwell but i dont remember buying or making the models for the door . there was a really weird kind of way the game functioned with an infinite path going up but how that functioned i couldnt tell you . and i dont remember composing the audio or where i might have downloaded it from except that i never liked to listen to it for very long . i dont know why i kept it in the game

i always showed my games to E but i really wanted her to see this one in particular. so she came by my flat and played it and then i remember she just glared at me . there was something to the look she gave me . it was like she was completely horrified and was trying to pretend she was just angry instead

she hasnt spoken to me since . and i think i fucked up . i knew it was playing at her issues and i think maybe i even made it at least subconsciously to pry at them. like the same part of me with dirt under my fingernails was also sitting there typing away on that keyboard .

but at the same time its just a game . and im better at programming now too . like something just clicked there

honestly though development lately has been weird. its been hard trying to go back to the old sort of pixel art platformers and shoot em ups and that kind of thing i used to make. every time i open any program its like im just staring at it and imagining skyboxes. putting it all in a box imprisoning every world i make that kind of thing. like i said earlier ive been considering dropping out. but i dont know. i think id need to sleep on it

i still have weird fucked up dreams but E isnt in them anymore . i dont know where shes gone . i think maybe my idea worked somehow and i did transfer all that shit to my art . and then that just all went right to her . but i dont know if i like that idea or hate it

anyways reddit am i the asshole?

[vangold]

As promised here comes the first chapter - or better said actually the Prologue Chapter of The Grand Escape :3

Heh, been a while since I did this bit. Yet I'm still rather satisfied how the coloring turned out. Not perfect, but I think I hit the pattern pretty much on point. Color patterns and the drawing medium in general are gonna be a big part of this comic series. We're gonna hopp through quite a few Universes during Syrus' story and I must say I always loved this idea of each Verse having a bit of a different color pattern, medium or even drawing style. I was already experimenting around a bit with this kinda stuff during An Ideal Brother - giving each Verse a major color. Here however I'm going a few steps further, as you can see both on Jazztale at the end - where I mainly used it's usual good old ink and Farber Castel-Pit Marker combo and Blue Falls, that was just almost only made with my good old vibrant af Ecolines. Yes, I said Blue Falls. This actually isn't just Gravity Falls with Bill Cipher masquerading as Sans it is its very own Undertale/Gravity Falls crossover verse. We might get to see a little bit more of this in the future ;)

For now, you might wonder what Bill did there anyway to our unfortunate Star Sanses? In terms of Ink easily explained. As you probably know as 'em Undertale Multiverse veterans you are Ink basically is a Hollow who however is able to experience feelings by absorbing colors of ink. This can be easily abused tho, just like Bill did here be throwing WAY too many different, unfitting colors at once after him. In other terms, he has to fight down an overstimulation over there.

In terms of Dream in the meantime: While he needs the happy and positive sentiments like we need food, those feelings usually don't affect Dream. Otherwise he would be constantly high on an overdose of serotonin.......which is the situation we have here. Which is why he ends up puking out his own life source.

----

Main Cover

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 - Coming soon (You can get early access to the already done pages on my patreon!)

----

--- Other Comics related to this one: ---

An Ideal Brother

Jazztale

Much Ado About Nothing

The Trial

--- Wanna support your humble artist? ---

| Deviant Art | Ko-Fi | Patreon | Instagram | Bluesky | YouTube | Cara | IO |

[hotsuqueen]

Yamato Hotsuin's Record Breaker Dialogue - Kingmaker Ending

Strong Breaker dialogue

Sunday 12:00 Strong Breaker

Shinsekai Terminal

You arrive at the terminal with Daichi and the others…

Daichi: We're here… I-Is this really the place?

Hibiki Kuze: - Definitely. - Maybe not.

Definitely. Daichi: R-Right. I can't think of anywhere else. Man, it's like I've got a fleet of butterflies in my stomach!

Maybe not. Daichi: C-C'mon, don't say stuff like that! There's no other place we could think of…

Al Saiduq: We should have no problem here. Shining One, you brought the dragon, yes? Perfect. Now use the Dragon Stream to strengthen this terminal.

Hibiki Kuze: - And I do that by…? - I don't know how.

And I do that by…? Al Saiduq: I… don't know either.

I don't know how. Al Saiduq: Hm… I had not anticipated this possibility.

Io: Oh… that's a good question. How exactly are we supposed to enhance the terminal?

Al Saiduq: Hm… At the Metropolitan Building, it became small because the Shining One wished it so. Why not focus your will in the same manner now?

Daichi: What? That's just ridiculous.

Hibiki Kuze: - That's it! - Let's give it a try.

Daichi: You're going ahead with this? Well… I guess it can't hurt to try.

Al Saiduq: Now, Shining One… test the power of the Dragon Stream.

Hibiki Kuze: - Alright. - Shrinky-shrinky!

Shrinky-shrinky! Al Saiduq: I believe it is already small enough… Must I re-adjust my perspective? Oh, I see, this is a joke, yes? Haha! How interesting.

Daichi: Huh…? Whooooaaa!

Io: Oh my… The entire room's changed!

Al Saiduq: Amazing. What powers of potential.

Jungo: Is someone there?

Yamato: …Well done. I knew you'd accomplish this.

Hibiki Kuze: - Thanks! - What're you doing here?

Thanks! Yamato: Yes, I had high expectations for you. Unfortunately, you chose to side with that man.

What're you doing here? Yamato: I had high expectations of you. I did not expect you to side with him.

Yamato: The time for talk has passed. You must all die here, and I shall take control!

Daichi: Th-This is insane! Do you think we're just gonna let you do that!?

Hinako: Right! We worked so hard for this! You think we'll just hand it over!?

Al Saiduq: Yamato Hotsuin. It is a pity we must do battle, but I will keep my vow to the Shining One.

Hibiki Kuze: - Let's do this! - Careful, everybody!

Daichi: A-Argh! We'll show you what the trash civilians ca d--Argh! I bit my tongue! D-Dammit, ow… Okay, l--letsh go, guysh!

Mid-battle, first turn: Yamato: Pathetic… Did you think I would come here without making plans in advance?

Al Saiduq: What…!? What is the meaning of this, Yamato Hotsuin?

Yamato: Hahaha! You'll come to understand when you die!

Hinako: Yamato tricked us! You okay, Hibiki? It looks like the attack hits inside the light! Head to the sides of the room!

Mid-battle, defeating the first enemy blocking the exits: Yamato: Hmph! There's no point in maintaining the attack under these circumstances.

Mid-battle, Yamato attacking Hibiki: Yamato: It's still not too late. Join me…!

Hibiki Kuze: - No, Yamato. - You should join us.

No, Yamato. Yamato: Hahaha! Very well, Hibiki. Then perish!

You should join us. Yamato: Hahaha! You know I cannot. This dream is my utmost desire!

Defeating Yamato: Yamato: Ha… What power… To think that I would be defeated…

Post-battle: Yamato: Hahaha! You monster… You give me information, and now you wish to defeat me. You aren't human… What are you? Why're you aiding Hibiki!?

Al Saiduq: Yamato Hotsuin, no one can truly say what they are in this world. I… am following my heart. Just as you are.

Yamato: Preposterous! You're nothing like me. You're not even human! Benetnash is dead, and Polaris has not appeared. It's obvious what you are now! Hear me Hibiki! I'll tell you what that "man" really is!

Al Saiduq: …Don't, Yamato Hotsuin.

Yamato: Mark me! That creature's name is Alcor! He is the last of the Septentriones! He is nothing more than a monster sent by Polaris! He wants to bring the world to ruin! You are being deceived! If you believe in him, you doom all humanity to annihilation!

Daichi: What!? Th-This guy's a Septentrione? Seriously?

Io: Huh? Saiduq's… I-Is this true!?

Al Saiduq: ……

Hibiki Kuze: - Are you our enemy? - Is this true, Saiduq?

Are you our enemy? Al Saiduq: I am a Septentrione… One of those that has subjugated mankind. Yet, I have abandoned my task to grant you new potential. As a result, the world is slowly disappearing. It is an unchangeable truth. If you say that you wish to slay me… I leave the decision to you. Hibiki Kuze: - I wouldn't do that. - Help us create a new world. Al Saiduq: …!?

Is this true, Saiduq? Al Saiduq: I won't deny it… It is the truth.

Hibiki Kuze: - I'm fine with that. - No big deal.

Al Saiduq: …!?

Yamato: …What!?

Hibiki Kuze: - I believe in you. - You're still my friend.

Al Saiduq: I'm surprised… Though I might be your enemy, you still approve of me? You still grant me your trust?

Hibiki Kuze: - I do. - Is there a problem?

Yamato: Hahaha! Blind fools!

Daichi: What's going on!? I… I can't move!

Al Saiduq: You… You still had such power left…

Yamato: I won't let this continue! I'll never accept something like you!

Al Saiduq: Don't do this… Stop!

Al Saiduq attacks him.

Yamato: Gyah!

Al Saiduq: Yamato Hotsuin…

Jungo: Yamato? Yamato?

Daichi: Wh-What're you doing, Yamato!? Why would you go so far!?

Yamato: Fools… You could never understand what I'd risk to realize my ideals… You were striving to get me to compromise, but that would never work. I feared this day would come, ever since you came to JP's. That's when it all began to come apart… Ngh… It is… It is unfortunate that my ambitions will never come… to fruition!

Hibiki Kuze: - I wish we could get along. - What a shame.

Yamato: Ha! So naive… Hibiki. You've chosen a path: to create a new world with that monster. …Don't hesitate. Follow the path you desire without looking back on what's been sacrificed. But… Perhaps I could… accept your invitation… in the next life…

Yamato jumps to his death.

Makoto: N-No…! Why…!? Chief Hotsuin, you didn't have to…

Io: No… Yamato…! He was always kinda scary, but… to die like that…

Hinako: What an idiot! Why did he have to rush to his own death?

Jungo: Yamato… I wanted to get to know you better…

Daichi: That bastard! He has to go and die on his own…! After all you've said, it was still you who helped us survive this long, Yamato! How can you just leave us like this…? You moron!

Al Saiduq: ……

Hibiki Kuze: - There was nothing we could do… - What's the matter?

Al Saiduq: You did choose to follow my path… Are you alright with what happened here?

Hibiki Kuze: - Don't make me say it again. - Yes, I am…

Al Saiduq: I see… You're right. There's no time for discussion now. Let us go forth to Polaris.

[giggleeclown]

A/N: well, I finally wrote it! I don’t have a t-blog of my own to post fics (I don’t think I’ll make one because I really don’t like how everything can be deleted from existence so easily) but I have a Wattpad I post to occasionally. I like submitting the fics to other blogs though, just so more people get the chance to read it. I always submit the link to the fic on Wattpad as well, so here you go: https://www.wattpad.com/1415162684?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_writer&wp_uname=cutefluff177

I hope you enjoy!

VIVI’S RESPONSE: I’ve had this submission in my ask box for a long time, and I’ve read it SO MUCH. But I’ve been hesitant to post it because I love it so much. I didn’t want it to get drowned in any other asks or posts of mine too soon. This is such a fantastic submission, Nonnie. Thank you so much for sharing. I am just at a loss for words because of how articulate, natural, genuine and charming your writing is. Everything here is so canon and in character. Please don’t stop. Please submit more. Even better, make your own blog. It would get so much attention, I’d make sure it did. Thank you so much for trusting me with submitting your fanfiction and sharing it to everyone. It means *so much.* 💕

"Y O U D B E D E A D W H E R E Y O U S T A N D."

The human's eyes widened and appeared to water for a moment, and in that moment, Sans realized he'd gone too far. His intention was never to make the human feel bad. He wasn't sure what his intention was if he was being honest. Originally, he just wanted to give the human the full story. He'd figured the kid deserved to hear the truth from him, but spelling it out like that was never part of the plan.

His tone of voice, his vacant eyes, they had been almost involuntary. In a second he went from seeing the kind human in front of him to seeing the blood stained, evil face he'd seen in his dreams. He was originally just going to mention the promise he made, but the emotions that spilled over from everything made him slip up.

"Hey, lighten up bucko," He tried to reach out with a gentle, hopefully calming voice. "I was only joking."

They wiped at their face and got up from their chair. Without a word the human started walking away.

"Kid, wait!" He got up, reaching out to them.

"I thought we were friends." The smallest, saddest voice Sans had ever heard said. Oh no, he'd really messed up.

"W-we are!"

He was met with only silence as the human sniffled. Sans couldn't have felt more awful. It wasn't the kids fault he could sense alternate timelines. Those versions of the human had messed up, done awful things, and fought maliciously. Not this one. This kid had done virtually nothing wrong compared to those other timelines. How could he have let his emotions get the better of him like that, saying that to the human completely unprovoked? Sure, he wanted to be honest with the kid, but that didn't mean having to go and say something like that.

"I-I... Okay." Sans knew just 'sorry' wouldn't cut it. "I'll go pay for dinner. Can you wait outside for me?"

The human nodded their head.

"Alright, I'll give you a moment." With that he got up and made his way to the counter to pay their check. Meanwhile, the human walked past him and out the door.

Sans was only glad there was no one near them to see what he'd said to the poor kid. After he paid the giant blob fish and grabbed a bottle of ketchup to go he made his way to the entrance of the hotel. A few feet from the door sat the human, knees up and crouched, hiding their face.

"Thanks for waiting for me." He smiled, reaching out a hand. The human looked up for a moment and, hesitantly, decided to take it. Sans helped them stand up. "Do you want to go over to the courtyard? They have some benches we can talk at. No shortcuts required."

"O-okay." They stared up at him. He'd never really taken the time to look them in the eye until this moment. Before, he'd tried not to pay attention, mostly because it brought back painful memories to the nightmares he'd been having. Now that he really looked though, the eyes that looked up at him were completely different from what he was expecting. They were gentle, kind, not like the rage filled ones he'd seen in his dreams.

The two walked over to the bench next to a statue of Mettaton, surrounded by shrubs and bushes also in the shape of Mettaton.

"I'm sorry, kid. I've always been kind of a bonehead, but I really messed up." He gave a dry, humorless laugh.

"I just don't get it." The human shook their head. "Did I do something wrong? I get that I'm not like you guys, and humans have been really bad to you, but I thought I was doing good."

"No, you haven't done anything wrong." He assured the child. "I guess I'm the one that still has some biases."

They wiped at their face, a few tears still remaining. "I understand, you know." They said with a sudden seriousness. "I know what would have happened if that woman had never talked to you. It just never really sunk in that you might have... That you..."

"Hey, enough of that. I shouldn't have even brought it up in the first place."

"But it's true."

He sighed. He didn't like admitting it, but he was at a loss for words. No witty joke or comeback, no pun or sarcasm. Well, he wanted to be honest with the human for once, he might as well pass his judgment a little bit early.

"I've seen you, kid. You always try to do the right thing, even when monsters make it difficult for you. That doesn't make you completely innocent or naive, but you always kept a certain tenderness close to your heart." He handed the human a paper towel he'd grabbed on the way out for them to dry their tears.

They took it, wiping at their face, then crumbling it up and putting it in their pocket.

"Whatever might or might not have happened if things were different, I want you to know I'm glad things turned out this way."

The human took a breath and smiled. They really were resilient. Of course Sans already knew that, watching their every fight, but he'd never seen how quickly the human was able to bounce back emotionally. He didn't know much about their personality in general.

All this time the human had been so caught up in being kind to all the monsters they encountered, getting to know them, becoming friends with them, but Sans never extended the same courtesy back. Sure, he kept an eye out for them. He already knew they could just load their recent save file if something bad happened, but that didn't mean they couldn't feel the pain with every fight they lost. He'd mostly just checked to see what the human chose to do, all so he could pass judgment on them at the end of their journey, just like every other timeline of himself did. However, he never got to know the kid on a personal level, despite the time they had spent together.

"You know, you're a really tough kid. How old are you anyway?" He asked just before taking a swig of ketchup.

"I turned 8 a few weeks ago."

Sans nearly choked. He banged his fist against his chest, coughing and sputtering. Up until then he thought the kid was way older. Of course he had no idea what a human child was supposed to look like, or how tall they were supposed to be, but he never thought the kid was that young. Though, the standards between humans and monsters were a bit different. Some monsters could live hundreds of years, usually reaching adulthood much later in life than humans. To some monsters, 8 was practically still a toddler.

"Sans! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just went down the wrong pipe." He lied as his coughing fit settled down. "Geez kid, you must be pretty tall for your age."

The human raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm pretty average. I think I am at least."

Wow. His knowledge on humans was worse than he thought. The kid had always seemed so mature, from how they talked to others, to how they treated everyone with empathy, and how they handled situations that even some adults would have trouble with. It was hard to believe that in other timelines, a human that age could be capable of everything they'd done.

"I think you're the first person that asked how old I was."

"Really?" He supposed he wasn't the only one that didn't really get to know the human more personally. Or at least the first to ask these questions.

"You know, no one down here has asked me what my name is." They sighed. "Everyone kind of just started calling me 'the human.'"

That couldn't be right. Not a single one of the monsters they'd met had asked their name? Although, thinking back on it, he'd never taken the time to ask himself. Even Papyrus chose to refer to them as 'the human'.

"Well, let me be the first to ask. What is your name?"

A long pause followed, as if they weren't actually expecting him to ask. "I'm Frisk."

"That's a cool name. Pleased to finally make your acquaintance." He held out his hand for Frisk to shake. They took it, only to hear a long, drawn out farting noise come from his hand. For some reason they were surprised, even though this was one of the first pranks Sans ever pulled on them. They gave a snort of laughter before covering their smile.

"Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor," he said with a wink.

"Do you carry that thing with you everywhere?"

"Hey, I'm always prepared for a comedy emergency. Just in case I need to cheer up a friend."

Frisk's smile was small, but it was a sign that Sans was winning them over.

"How come you never told anyone this stuff?" He continued. "Usually you're supposed to say your name when you introduce yourself."

"I- don't know," Frisk admitted. "I've never been good at that kind of stuff."

"You mean like talking to people?"

"Yeah." They turned their eyes away, seemingly shy about the fact.

"Well, you've done really well talking to monsters." He patted them on the shoulder.

Frisk's smile grew. "I guess I have. I never thought about it, but you guys just feel easy to talk to."

The kid really had grown during their journey. Sans felt a sense of pride looking at them. Though they were bruised and battered from the adventure so far, they never let it change who they were. Sans felt foolish for not trying to get to know them sooner, all because of some bad dreams. And what better way to bond with someone than telling them bad jokes?

"Hey kid, do you know how many beans are in a can?"

They thought for a moment, then shook their head no.

"239, any more and they'd be 'too farty'."

They broke out into giggles. "Too farty? That's so dumb."

"Yeah, that one's pretty silly." He chuckled.

Frisk took a breath to stop laughing. "You know, I stopped by the snail farm earlier and did the snail race. I tried taking off my snails shell to make it go faster, but it just made it more 'sluggish'."

Sans was the one to laugh this time, snickering into his hand. "Kid, that was so bad. I'm proud." It was reassuring to see just how quickly the kid bounced back. Maybe things weren't unsalvageable after all.

"I'm still sorry about what happened earlier," he sighed, "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Frisk considered it. "We could keep telling each other bad jokes."

He smiled, relief washing over him, both because Frisk was willing to forgive him, and because he loved telling these jokes. "Bud, you have no idea how happy that makes me."

They kicked their legs giddily. "Oh, I've got one! What is a pirate's favorite letter?"

"Pft, too easy kid. It's arrrrr."

"Nope. It's the C."

Sans face palmed and gave a huff of laughter. "You got me there."

Frisk beamed with pride. Sans never thought he would find someone else that was so proud of their bad puns. Well, other than his friend behind the ruin door.

"Okay, my turn." He continued. This was one of his favorite jokes to annoy Papyrus with, or at least get him to laugh. "How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?"

They were oblivious to where Sans was going with this, even as he leaned just a tad bit closer.

"I don't know."

"Tentacles!" He suddenly poked at the humans side, and that was all it took to get a squeak out of them. "Oh?" He asked with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I guess it doesn't take nearly as many to get you to laugh."

Frisk giggled nervously and wrapped their arms around themself.

"I didn't know humans were ticklish. It's a good thing you didn't let anyone know, they could have been a tickle monster." He quipped.

"No way," they insisted, "there's no such thing as a tickle monster." As far as they had seen. There was still a large portion of the underground they hadn't gotten to explore. For all they knew, a tickle monster could very well be real.

"You want to bet?" Sans wiggled his fingers toward them. "Unfortunately for you, I'm the biggest tickle monster you'll ever meet."

The excited expression on Frisk's face reminded him of when his brother was little. He used to love playing tickle monster, and Sans remembered his giggles along with him halfheartedly swatting away his tickling hands. Frisk actually reminded him a lot of his brother. Both were kind and considerate, both were strong fighters but never had it in their heart to actually hurt anyone. The one main difference was that Frisk seemed to like his jokes.

"Nahaha, I don't believe you!" The human stubbornly shook their head.

"Oh, you don't, do you?" He teased, his hands drawing closer. "Well, I guess I'll just have to convince you!"

He finally skittered his fingers across the human's sides, causing them to flail their arms as they squealed.

"I guess I'm really tickling your funny bone, huh kid?" He grinned as he wiggled his fingers on their side. Frisk squirmed and swatted away the skeleton's hands.

"Sahahahans! It tickles!"

"Really?" He chucked. "I never would have guessed."

Frisk was a kicker, so much so that Sans had to back himself up a bit to avoid getting kicked. "Geez, are all humans this squirmy?" He tried to hide the amusement in his voice, but the endearing giggles coming from the human were hard to not find adorable.

"Nohohohoho! I'm nohohohohot!" They denied even as they were still flailing.

"You're not?" He teased, "Oh, I get it, you're not actually a human. You're a wiggly worm." He made sure Frisk saw his hands make claw-like motions before tickling at their sides again. The playful jester seemed to only make the tickling worse, as Frisk's laughter turned more high pitched. Though they shook their head back and forth, they made no real effort in pushing him away.

"Hey, I've got more jokes for ya." He said without skipping a beat. "Why can't you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom?"

Frisk was in no position to ask 'why', but that wouldn't stop them from trying. "Whahaha-why?"

"Because, the P is silent."

It was childish, but the silliness of the joke would have already been enough to make Frisk laugh. "Thahahahahats so- ahahAH!" Sans quickly shifted to tickling under their arms. They tried blocking the tickles, but found that they'd accidentally trapped Sans's hands in place. He hardly even needed to try tickling them, all he had to do was wiggle his fingers.

"Hey, I'm alright giving you a hand every now and then, but I'm going to need them back at some point." Papyrus used to fall for the same trap all the time. He could never lift his arms once Sans's hands had been trapped in place, making it all too easy to completely wreck him with tickles.

"Ihihits not my fault!" Frisk exclaimed through their fits of giggling. After a minute, they finally found the strength to lift their arms, and Sans took that as his que to change spots.

"Geez kid, I know these jokes are real rib ticklers, but come on." At that he switched to scribbling along their ribs, driving home the pun.

"SAHAHA-SANS! NOhohohoho!" They helplessly squirmed as he took time to individually tickle between each rib, another skill he'd picked up from his tickle fights with his brother. The human was certainly determined, but even they would need a break from the tickle monster eventually. Right on que, Frisk decided to tap out.

"Ohohohokay! Mehehehercy!" A call for mercy from Frisk meant it was serious. The kid had shown mercy to every monster they'd fought so far, Sans figured he should follow their example.

"Alright, I'll spare ya." He chuckled, releasing the giggling human from his clutches.

Frisk's laughing fit slowly subsided as they held their sides. "You were right, Sans. You are a real tickle monster!"

He grinned at the proclamation. Seems he hadn't lost his touch. It had been a while since he and his brother played that game, but now it felt as though no time had passed. He was still a big brother, that instinct never left him.

"Hey, can skeletons be ticklish too?" Frisk asked.

The grin on Sans face quickly dropped. Oh yeah, he'd forgotten that usually in their game, Papyrus would seek retaliation. He'd always let his brother get some revenge, it was just the principle of the game, but he'd also forgotten just how nerve wrecking the anticipation of being tickled could be.

"Uh, well you see-EEK"

Frisk hadn't actually tickled him yet, all they had done was get ready to poke his side. As soon as Sans even noticed the human was drawing close he flinched and yelped.

Frisk couldn't help but laugh. "Sans, I didn't even do anything."

"H-hey, buddy, l-let's talk about this," he nervously stammered, already guarding his sides.

"So, you're saying skeletons can be ticklish?"

"Nahahahaha! Frisk, whahahahait!" They just wiggled their fingers slightly closer to him.

"Come on, Sans, you said you wanted to make it up to me." Frisk smirked. "I'm the tickle human now!"

That smug kid. Of course they would play that card. He supposed it was only fair, since he was the one who initiated the game in the first place, but why did he have to be so ticklish? He had a knack for making people laugh with his jokes, but he was a bit more reserved when it came to his own laughter. He supposed laughing was another form of vulnerability, one others didn't get to see from him often.

Again, looking at Frisk he was reminded of his brother, eagerly awaiting taking some playful revenge. Papyrus was one of the few people he trusted getting close to, and despite his memories of humans from other timelines, he felt that same bond towards Frisk, like a new little sibling. As long as the kid was having fun, he supposed he could handle it.

At least he thought he could, before Frisk finally poked and prodded his stomach. "Pfft! Bahahaha! Wahah-wahahait! I wahahasnt ready!" How embarrassing. Frisk barely had to lift a finger and he was already a mess. He was hoping the human wouldn't realize that they could tickle his stomach, but that poke had sealed his fate.

"Ready or not, the tickle human is after you!" Frisk seemed to pounce as they scribbled across his torso. Sans couldn't hope to pretend it wasn't getting to him as his booming belly laughs filled the air.

It hardly made sense to Frisk how Sans had a belly in the first place. In their mind, a skeletons' clothes should hang around their bones, but it seemed like magic somehow gave his body a more physical form. They had no idea how that worked, but they were grateful for it. After all, it seemed to make him all the more ticklish.

"Wow, you're super ticklish!" The human exclaimed. "Are all skeletons like this, or are you just extra ticklish?"

"Stahahahap making fun of me!"

"Making fun of you?" they pretended to be offended. "I'm asking a real question."

"NAHAHAHAHAHA FRISK- NOHOHO!" He gawked as they suddenly kneaded his stomach.

"Do you mean no, all skeletons are this ticklish?" They suddenly scratch along his ribs, resulting in a yelp. "Or do you mean no, you're just that ticklish?"

Sans's deep belly laughs turned into snickering as he tried to respond. "No-nohohoho nohohohot either!" As he tried to catch his breath, a loud, unmistakable snort came from him.

Frisk didn't mean to laugh, but seeing the skeleton that was normally so composed be turned into a giggling, snorting mess was something they weren't expecting. "Skeletons can snort, too?"

"Ihihihi dohohohon't- nahahahahaha!" In trying to deny the fact that he could, in fact, snort, he left himself open to a sudden bombardment of kneading and scribbling on his belly. His clothes didn't seem to do much to lessen the ticklish shock, only sending him into even higher pitched laughter. Trying to block the human's hands, he fell to his side, allowing Frisk to tower over him and release their final tickle attack. They scratched and spidered everywhere they could reach. His sides, belly, ribs, nothing was safe as he could only throw his head back in laughter.

"AHAHAHALL RIHIHIHIGHT! I gihihihive, mehehehercy!" He gave in and grabbed hold of their hands, finally pushing them away. "Youhuhuhu little gremlin." His final giggling fit only gave way to more snorting, making Frisk laugh along with him.

They tried to giggle through an apology, unsuccessfully as they doubled over.

"You're a real menace, you know that?" Though Sans shook his head, he was still grinning.

"Saha-sorry, I didn't mean to push."

"Pft, please," He said as he sat up straight, "it takes more than that to take me down." The last thing he wanted was for the kid to think he couldn't handle something as silly as being tickled.

"Really? You seemed pretty ticklish to me. Way too ticklish!"

"Alright, alright," he nudged Frisk's shoulder playfully. "Ya got me, kid."

They kicked their legs in delight. "The tickle human wins!"

Sans patted the human's head. "Hee, looks like someone's fully cheered up."

He was glad the human was a pacifist, otherwise he might have been in trouble there. While he was reflecting, his watch suddenly rang out an alarm. Ah, his break was technically over. Though he didn't really care about going back to work, Frisk seemed to notice as they glanced over at the time.

Nodding their head, Frisk stood up. "I guess I need to get going. Alphys is probably wondering where I've been."

Even though Sans knew they would have to carry on with their journey eventually, he found himself not wanting to say goodbye. He knew Frisk would still have many trials to face, eventually leading them to their ultimate choice. Either they would defeat the king and get to go home, or they would give up their soul. Sans tried not to dwell on it too much, but it was hard not too when Frisk was right in front of him.

Maybe that's the real reason he didn't get to know the kid earlier. Getting attached would make it all the harder to let them go, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to lose something like that again. But the prophecy was already in motion. Even if he wanted to convince the kid to stay, like he'd attempted to do at the restaurant, they were too determined for their own good. As hard as it was, he would have to let the human return to their adventure.

When he turned to say his goodbyes, until he would inevitably meet the human again in the judgment hall, he found himself feeling different than he'd expected. Instead of sadness, there was a sense of hopefulness. Even though it seemed impossible, even if it really was impossible, somewhere in his heart he knew Frisk would make the right choice in the end, and they would be okay.

He stood up, a confident smile on his face. "Good luck, kiddo." Again, he held out his hand for Frisk to shake.

"I'm not falling for that a third time." Frisk rolled their eyes.

Sans dropped the whoopie cushion. "Eh, worth a shot." He winked.

Frisk giggled. "Bye Sans. I hope I see you again soon."

Sooner than they'd think, that's what Sans wanted to say. Instead he just gave a wave, then watched the human as they made their way back into the hotel, where they would continue their journey into the core.

It would be a tough road ahead, for both of them. But this newfound hope seemed to give him his own determination. No matter how this ended, he believed in Frisk, and he was glad he'd finally gotten the chance to know them.

[sentience-if]

The Kat and Klaus asks reminded me of when you said only Kat could spring the "I hear your pets have been naughty" taunt at Klaus. I tried to think the scenario in reverse and all I could imagine is Kat would just immediately assume it was about sex and if Klaus tried to interrupt and say it was about something else Io did she'd just go "That's too bad because my Io is very cute and obedient and hearing about that is now the problem of you and everyone near you for the next 4 hours."

klaus-mancers are rebellious, but I just know kat-mancers would never dream of disobeying

[cheritzteam]

[The Ssum] The Ssum : Forbidden Lab Update (13/4 KST, v1.1.14)

Hello, dear lab participant.

You can now download the new version of <The Ssum : Forbidden Lab>.

Google Play Store (Android) - link

Apple App Store (iOS) - link

This update includes bug fixes, so you will receive 15 Aurora Batteries as Study Support upon accessing the game.

Make sure you access the Lab by the 16th of April 2023 (KST) to get your compensation! *You must collect your reward within 3 days.

-

The following are the details of the update we have received from the Lab.

[Feature Improvements]

> If you want to start your story with a clean slate!

We've added a new feature to wipe your data regarding a chosen special ssum-one. Please be careful when using this feature as it will erase all your memories of chats, calls, photos, private accounts, and Milky Way Calendar history! * Paid items that will be removed: special choices, premium images, and I Can See Your Voice.

> Hey, why did I send this gift?

Have you ever wondered what gifts you sent to other lab participants in the Forbidden Lab and why? Now you can see the recent history of gifts sent from PIU-PIU’s Belly. Please note that if the other lab participant decomposes the gift, the log for it will also be lost!

> Posts that match your taste at a glance!

A title search feature has been added to the Canals of Sensitivity. Find your dream piece with your favorite keywords!

> Of course, tastes differ!

Say goodbye to the days of squinting at posts you don't like! We've added lab participant blocking to Canals of Sensitivity.

> Original PIU-PIU is a doer when it means it!

If you've ever been stuck with a reward that's over the number limit on Planet Pi, PIU-PIU will swallow it for now. However, if PIU-PIU's Belly is already full, please empty it first!

[Bug Fixes]

> The message notifications just won’t go away…

We've fixed a bug that caused the notification dot to stay up when you delete an unread message.

> The number of Frequencies I received from Pi doesn’t immediately populate…

We've fixed an issue where Frequencies received as a reward from Pi were not immediately reflected in your inventory.

> My planet level for Pi seems to be off...

We've fixed an issue where Pi's level information would not display correctly in certain situations.

[Others]

Fixed the issue where the minor feature BGM would carry over to the chat screen.

Minor bugs were fixed.

-

We appreciate your reports and your activities as a part of the Lab.

Thank you.

-Cheritz-