#riv-has-stopped

[shkika]

Spreading my appreciation for artists who have inspired me <3

Your art is beautiful, and amazing and I love everything you do and…

ah I can’t find the words

So here’s a little gift to show my appreciation :>

Thank you for being a very cool person

Hope you have a good day :>

OUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH KILLING ME EXPLODING THIS IS GORGEOUS??? THE COLORS AND THE SPACE AND I LOOOOVEEEE HOW SCRUFFY YOU MADE ME LOOK THIS IS AMAZING THE TOOTHER OHHHNMY GOODNESS <333!!!

making ME CRY AH thank you so much i adore your style im beyond charmed to know such a talented person enjoys my stuff thank you!!

[gay-artificer]

If the Downpour devs felt like being insane I think they shouldve made like five major world changes that can happen when you replay Saint's campaign that are randomly selected to happen to the world each time you restart (Stacking with each other, so they're accumulative) just to really show that every loop is later in the timeline and things are still changing while Saint is just in this never ending cycle of waking up in a world moving on regardless of their efforts. I think it would be funny.

[afterartist]

I try to write Barrier being all vengeful and intimidating but he cried for a solid 40 minutes after seeing a kitten sitting on a fence

My guy is such a mess and I don’t state that enough

[innocence-wont-save-you]

If overseers die they come back the next cycle right? I don't see anything about overseer death besides if UI dies they die.

You let out a bemused snort. "I don't know what the lot of you do out there, but there always seems to be an abundance of you. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference if one of you died."

[hedgehog-moss]

A post about Pirlouit’s debut as a noble steed! (Part II)

Our destination for this first trip on donkeyback was the nearest farm on the plateau (+ the three houses which together with it form a small isolated hamlet), to say happy new year to these neighbours. It’s not very far when I go with Pandolf because we take a shortcut through the forest and then straight across the plateau (patchworked with small pastures), slipping under every fence. But my donkey is too dignified to crawl under fences, so we had to take the road, which is a longer but also very nice itinerary. There are maybe 3 cars per day on average, but it’s a snowplough-forsaken road so in winter it’s basically zero (except the postwoman).

I wasn’t riding him at first because he didn’t want me to—I tried and he instantly stopped and turned back towards his pasture. I think he was a bit nervous about being on the road, and preferred to follow another animal. I was saying in the previous post that I started riding him in the past year, but as I don’t have a bridle for him and he’s terrified of riding crops (or any sticks), it’s hard to make him do things he doesn’t want to do (I suspect it would be hard anyway).

So my strategy has been to treat him less like a car and more like a bus—i.e. I hop on when he’s going somewhere I also want to go. My first attempts to do so were when we were at one end of his pasture and he saw the llamas at the other end looking interested in something (food?? visitor?) and wanted to check it out too (visitor = scary, but could be bringing food. Worth having a closer look.) At first Pirou was like uhhhh no and just stopped walking when he realised he had a hitchhiker on his back, but after a while he started tolerating me for these short trips across the pasture.

Step 2 was taking him on a walk (by foot) in the woods behind my house, letting him eat brambles and clean up the place along the way, and when he started showing signs of wanting to return to his pasture I’d climb on his back like “don’t mind me, live your life!” and he would grudgingly resume walking like okay, since you’re not making me do anything you can stay.

Then I started tying his rope to the side buckles of his halter so I could tug his head left or right (+ encouraging leg squeezes) and make gentle itinerary suggestions. When he was in the mood for it we could do little slaloms around trees; when he wasn’t (if it was too close to dinner time) he’d just ignore me and dash straight ahead so the llamas wouldn’t eat all the hay. (I’ve tried to explain to him that there will be no hay if I’m not here to give it, and his FOMO is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of my role in his life, but to no avail.)

He still very much interprets my tugs on the ‘reins’ and hip- or leg-based indications re: direction and pace as humble opinions from his rider that he has the power to veto since he’s the one walking after all, and I think that’s fair. It wasn’t a problem for our trip to the farm because there’s just one road to go there, all you have to do is follow it without any directional fine-tuning. After a while walking on that perfectly quiet road without coming across a single car, Pirlouit started looking more confident and I tried to hop on his back again, and this time he was like pfff okay, and kept walking :) But from then on he viewed himself as the de facto leader of our trip. His first executive decision was to walk on the side of the road, where there’s grass under the snow, rather than on the snowy asphalt—I think he worried about hidden patches of ice.

Sometimes he’d stop for a few minutes to contemplate the horizon and think about life. I figured he’d walk faster and maybe even trot once we were on our way back and dinnertime was approaching, so I didn’t mind the leisurely pace.

At one point he wandered off the road and I dismounted to lead him back in the right direction, but then realised he’d heard water sounds and had decided to stop for a drink in this rivulet. I was like “there’s a communal water trough at the hamlet but you don’t know that, so, okay.” But when we got there, the trough turned out to be frozen so Pirlouit was right to play it safe!

He also stopped every so often for a snack, I assume following the same approach of “better safe than sorry, I might never find food again.” I had a book in my coat pocket so I would read a few paragraphs while he ate. He always picked the thorniest bushes and prickliest brambles he could find. I ended up getting the feeling he was showing off a bit—maybe donkeys dare each other to eat thorny bushes the way humans do with spicy food.

I dismounted again to take a picture here because this rare, straight portion of the winding road really made me wish I had a sleigh! Imagine Pirlouit all festooned with bells too, he would hate it <3

As we found the first pasture that belongs to my farmer neighbour, Pirlouit stopped, looking mesmerised. Maybe it smelled good? He stood there for a bit like “Look! A mountain of hay bales! This road led to donkey heaven and I had no idea”

When we reached civilisation (i.e. 3 houses) I dismounted for good as Pirlouit got very hesitant. He’d forgotten the existence of houses that aren’t ours.

He was also a bit terrified by the concept of chickens that aren’t ours. He refused to take a single more step in the direction of Unknown Chickens so I ended up backtracking and tying him to a post next to a suitably thorny bush, before going on my social visits.

I used to know the farmer on the plateau because Pampe eloped to his farm a lot when she was a kid, but then he retired and sold his farm to a young couple, and I kept thinking, “Well I’ll meet them next time Pampe escapes” but she never escaped that far again! So I finally met the new neighbour (I only met the guy, his wife wasn’t here) six months after he arrived, and I explained my llama-based reason for not visiting sooner, and he basically said “yeah I’ve heard about your llama menace. I’ll be happy to meet her if she ever feels like hiking all the way to my farm again!” He was very nice. I also went to wish a happy new year to the other neighbours but only one of them was home. I left my New Year card featuring baby Poldine at the other two houses—I placed one of them in a garden gnome’s hands which made me feel like an Austen character paying calls and leaving calling cards to the servant.

Pirlouit was quiet and patient at first, but then he finished eating his shrub (I assume) and started braying indignantly. Clearly I had left him here to die of exposure while I feasted inside a warm house and it was getting late and he was going to miss hay o’clock and he was the loneliest saddest hungriest donkey in the whole world and oh, you’re here! (stops mid-bray)

He was very eager to go home before the llamas ate all the hay (again—without me there’s no—oh, never mind) and didn’t even stop to grumble when I climbed on his back again, he was like fine whatever but HURRY!, and walked at record speed on the way back. But didn’t trot, because icy ground.

He didn’t stop to contemplate the horizon and his place in the universe this time around, but I still managed to capture some lovely pink and gold skies here and there :) (and the fires of Mordor after the sun disappeared for good) (and then it got really cold and Pirou & I were united in our haste to get home.)

[inthedoghousern]

just this once

pairing: oscar piastri x fem!driver!reader

summary: you and oscar are what people would describe as rivals. but a night in monaco, a club, an elevator, and confessions can change everything.

contains: 18+, suggestive content, swearing probably idk, drinking + alcohol, events leading up to sex (?) but nothing too graphic, kinda fluff and angst

5.5k words

a/n: this is too long and there's very little characterization but enjoy i suppose... part II: okay part III: 11:45

You were smiling as you chatted with a guy at the party. The music was blasting around you and the lights were colorful. You were in Monaco, celebrating your first Grand Prix here. Despite being a rookie, you had placed second in the race, an impressive and historic performance, especially since you were the first woman to do it. 

It felt like the whole weekend had been revolving around you. At the track, there was a sea of fans, journalists, and even employees from other teams coming up to congratulate and talk to you. Now here at the club, it was the same, with stranger after stranger wanting a slice of your attention. 

"So how long are you in Monaco?" He asked leaning against the high-top table, with a sly smile on his lips. “We should see each other again.” Before you could answer, you heard a voice behind you. 

"She's cant, we've got more racing to do. It's the job." You rolled your eyes, the familiar voice belonged to no other than Oscar Piastri. 

You and Oscar’s friendship, if you could even call it that, was complicated. What started as kinship during karting years turned into resentment as you made your way up the motorsport ranks together. F4 British Championship, the Renault Eurocup, F3, F2, the two of you were always close competitors, but Oscar always had an edge. You’d be runner-up to his championships, watched as he got a seat in Formula One while all you could do was keep racing in lower divisions and hope you could prove to any team that you would be a valuable driver. 

But now you’ve made it, it’s your rookie season and you’ve finally started to beat Oscar, and it helps when you’re in a Red Bull. Podium after podium after podium, you’ve already blown Oscar’s impressive rookie stats out of the water. As a result, the rivalry between you has only grown bigger. 

“Oh Oscar you actually weren’t involved in this conversation,” you say giving him a fake sweet smile. He claims he can’t stand you, but here he is going out of his way to make your night difficult. Typical. 

You turn back to the guy in front of you. His name was Alex… William…? You honestly didn’t remember and had no interest in finding out, but it was amusing to see him throw himself at you. Amusing that Oscar came over and has to witness it. "I'm actually here for a few more days," you tell him. You pull your phone out of your bag and slide it towards the unnamed guy. “Put your number in. We can set something up later.” The guy smiles, and you fight back a laugh as Oscar still stands at the table with you two. You had no intention of ever texting or speaking to this man again. 

-

The night goes by in a blur. You’ve lost the guy you were talking to earlier and make your way to the bar to order another drink. Your life feels like some sick joke when Oscar slides up next to you and orders himself another round too. “That guy looked like a prick,” he says. 

You chuckle and nod your head in agreement. “Yeah, he did look like a prick."

The media and fans had characterized Oscar as this nice, young, shy guy. But the Oscar you knew was deathly competitive with a bit of a mean streak. 

“Why do you care though?” I ask turning to him, cocking my head to the side. “Care what guys I talk to at parties? I mean, if that dude was Zak Brown, sure, I’d see why you’d stop me from stealing your seat, but….” I taunt. 

"Alright watch it," he said while shaking his head. You roll your eyes, you know that he can’t do anything in retaliation to your teasing. You were the star now, you were his rival [who’s winning] and you were untouchable.

You finish your drink and turn to the dance floor, “see ya Oscar,” you say flashing him a smile. You can feel his eyes burning your back as you walk away.  

-

This club felt like a time warp. As you danced and talked and drank, you saw gridmates and girlfriends walk past, at one point Lando was up at the DJ booth. Your head is fuzzy and you don’t know what time it is. You push through sweaty bodies to the tables surrounding the room, shuffling around to find your things. Finally, you’re able to find your bag, and luckily your phone is still inside, so you make your way out of the club. You need some quiet and fresh air as you sort out transportation back to the hotel. You were throwing in the towel for the night. 

Outside the music was still spilling from the doors, filling your ears with the sounds from the club. You checked your phone, trying to get it to work. Your vision was slightly blurred from all the alcohol, you were probably drunk.

“Hey,” you hear, it’s him, again. Your heart skipped a beat when you heard Oscar's voice coming from behind you. You couldn't help but feel some nerves running through your body. You had just spent the night ignoring him and now he was here. You didn't turn around to look at him, you weren't sure what would happen if you did.

With your phone finally unlocked, you call an Uber. With that task finished, you turn, feeling wobbly, and when you look at Oscar he looks just as drunk as you. “Hey.”

“I’m leaving,” you tell him. 

"I'll leave with you," Oscar responds immediately, sounding annoyed. "Why do you have to leave so soon?" He asked. 

“Leave so soon? We've been here for hours,” you reply. You don’t address his first statement, but your mind is circling the fact he just decided he was coming with you. He didn’t even ask if he could, if you wanted him to, he just announced it. 

"Doesn't mean it's time to go," Oscar said as he stepped closer. He put his hands on your shoulders, his breath smelling like alcohol. "Why don't we go back inside?" He asked. What was he thinking? You didn't pull away, it was the alcohol. You couldn't stop your mind from being hazy, you couldn't help the sensations of his hand on your shoulder. You put your hands on his biceps in response and look at him in the eyes. “No Oscar, I’m leaving.” 

For a moment, everything felt as if it was going in slow motion. Oscar stood there, his hands on your shoulders, as you looked directly at the most beautiful most infuriating guy you had ever known. You spoke firmly, but it was clear that you were struggling. Oscar was drunk and stubborn as always, he wasn't letting this go easily.

“Hmmm?” I muse. My brain is so fuzzy I almost don’t notice his grip on my shoulders tightening. “I’m leaving Oscar. You can share my Uber back to the hotel, go back inside, or do something else. But I’m going.” Oscar said nothing. He was breathing heavily against you, his grip tightening even more. For some reason, his grip felt good.

"I'll go with you," he said, finally, his voice was low. “Alright,” you respond. You stand, he's still holding your shoulders, your hands still on his biceps. You don't know how long passes, but the Uber pulls up to the curb and you both let go of each other. You climb into the back seat and Oscar sits next to you, his body barely a foot away from yours.

The journey to the hotel is mostly silent, but you catch Oscar stealing glances at you.

“Looks like you partied a little hard for P9, no?” You tease. "Shut up," Oscar grumbled, you were pushing him right to his limits. You knew that he was angry, but you couldn't help but poke fun at him. You felt good when you could get one over on him for once. For the rest of the ride to the hotel, Oscar is silent. Every time you look at him, he quickly looks away. It was a side of him that you had rarely seen, the way he looked so unsure and uncomfortable.

-

You both step out of the Uber and walk into the hotel. It's late at night and the lobby is almost empty. Oscar follows you into the elevator, you can feel the heat from his body radiating against you. The elevator doors close and you are in your own little world. He presses the button to his floor: 6, and you press the button to yours: 9. You both stand side by side as the elevator slowly moves up. 

The elevator rises, and just like the car journey, Oscar is quiet. A quiet that feels so much more intimate in this small space with the two of you pressed up against each other. Neither of you speaks, you are lost in the moment. It's almost as if the elevator is going too slow, or too fast? You don't want this moment to end.

The bright lights of the elevator and the presence of Oscar sober you up a little bit, just a little bit. You’re hyperaware of the floor numbers changing, getting closer to floor 6, where you and Oscar will have to separate. Oscar's body felt warm against you. You wanted to grab him and hold him close to you, but it would be wrong. You knew that he would most likely pull away from you. 

This has to be goodbye.

“Why didn’t you want me to leave the party?” you ask. Oscar didn't expect that question. You could see it in the way his eyes widened before they narrowed back to the previous stoic state. "I didn't want you to leave because..." He said before pausing. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I wanted you to stay, with me." He said, his voice quiet. You don’t respond. What Oscar says makes your heart jump into your throat. You weren’t supposed to be having these conversations, you certainly weren’t supposed to be having them with Oscar, someone who you can’t stand. Someone who can’t stand you. It’s the alcohol you tell yourself. 

Ding.

You’re on floor 6. 

The elevator doors open, and Oscar doesn't move, instead, he looks at you.

You look back, your mind is racing a mile a minute. He is just staring at you, waiting for you to speak. You felt the heat of his body, the smell of his breath, and the beat of his heart. The air felt so heavy between you both. “You’re supposed to hate me,” you say quietly. Seconds are passing and Oscar is still in the elevator with you. If he doesn’t get out soon the doors are going to shut and you’re both going to keep going up to your floor. Oscar still wasn't getting off, he seemed lost in a trance. It felt like the world had stopped as you looked at him. He didn't respond to your words, his breath was so close to your face.

“Do you hate me?” you say just above a whisper. You are staring at each other now. The elevator doors close and continue up to your floor, and Oscar’s still in here with you. 

"I used to hate you," Oscar said, his voice was soft, and you could hear no anger in his tone. "But..." he paused, and the elevator continued to rise. The both of you were standing inches apart. "But not anymore." He finished. 

You wanted to grab him. Hold his face. Kiss him. Let him do whatever he wanted. No stop. This has to be the alcohol. It has to be. What would everyone say if they found out you were thinking these things about one of your gridmates? Your competition. Your rival. 

What would happen if you just went for it? Just one kiss. You know you’d both regret it, but just one kiss couldn't hurt...could it?

Ding. The doors open. You quickly step back from Oscar, regaining your senses. You exit the elevator and don’t care to check if he’s following you. You hope he’s not. 

You walk to your room, still not looking back at the elevator. You get to the door and fumble for the hotel keycard in your purse. You can feel the heat rising on the back of your neck as you think about what just happened between you and Oscar. Your hands were slightly shaking, your heart was beating wildly and you felt lightheaded. You finally get the door open and quickly shut it behind you. You stand in the entryway for a beat before throwing your purse down, taking your shoes off, and lying down on the bed staring at the ceiling.

Was he going to say anything to you in the morning? Would he act like it never happened? What if we both act like this never happened? Was he going to knock on your door?

You lay there in bed, your mind racing. The alcohol was slowly fading away from your system, but the memories were still clear in your mind. You were still feeling the heat of his body against yours and the smell of his cologne. You were so conflicted, you should be upset and mad. You shouldn't be enjoying the thought of him coming to your door and saying more. That was Oscar, you hated Oscar, you weren't supposed to want him.

You sit up. You need to go to sleep and just clear your head of this. You wash your face and change, all the while thoughts of Oscar run through your mind. You look at yourself in the mirror, is that what Oscar saw when he looked at you?

You crawl into bed, you are still on a high after the party and the adrenaline from Oscar. You close your eyes, trying to distract yourself. But as soon as you closed your eyes, you could only picture him. You could picture his lips when he spoke, his jawline. You could picture the look in his eyes when he looked at you. Your mind was so focused on his body, what it would feel like, what it would taste like to kiss him. Fuck.

-

Your heart stops when you hear a knock at your door. You don't know what time it is or how long you've been lying in bed fighting sleep. 

The knock came again; louder this time. You get out of bed, your heart beating quicker with every step you take. Was it even Oscar out there? You reached the hotel door. Your breath was shaky, it felt like your entire body was trembling. This was it. Now you were truly in this. You put your hand on the handle, the knocking continued again, more persistent this time.

As you threw the door open, you came face to face with Oscar. He was standing there, in the same outfit as he had been at the party. He was staring directly at you, his breath was warm as he exhaled. You could swear he didn't even blink at this moment, his eyes were just glued to yours.

“Yes?” I ask. "Can I come in?" Oscar says, sounding a little bit nervous, and more sober than earlier. You’re at a loss for words. A few hours (?) ago the only words you exchanged were about hating each other [or rather, not hating each other], and now he was asking to come into your room.

Oscar was still holding his gaze, eyes locked straight on yours. You could see it on his face, there was something he wanted from you, something that he hadn't been able to communicate until now. "Please?" Oscar said, his voice was low. You had never in the 8 years you had known Oscar seen him like this. 

“Okay.” You move to the side, motioning him inside your hotel room. Oscar walks in and for a moment, neither of you spoke. There was a certain level of nervousness in the way he was moving. He didn't make any attempt to get close to you initially, it was like he was waiting for your permission. “What do you want Oscar?” I ask folding my arms across my chest. “Please tell me what you’re thinking, I can’t do this guessing game thing anymore.”

Oscar didn't respond right away, he was trying to decide what he should say. You could see as he processed through every thought, looking at you as if he was holding something back. After a few seconds, the words came spewing out, he didn't want to waste any more time.

"I want you to kiss me. I want to kiss you. I want you. That’s what I want." Oscar finally admitted.

Your arms fall to your sides and your heart skips a beat. Oh my god. Oscar stands in front of you and your body is heating up, your brain is getting fuzzy, this time it isn’t the alcohol. “Oscar I-“ you don’t know what to say. 

It was like time had stopped for the both of you. Your breaths were shaky, the silence was deafening. You wanted to wrap yourself around him. It was all just adrenaline now, just one kiss, that's what you wanted. 

You stand looking at each other. You don’t know how long passes. You want him too. You really want him. You need him. But the rational part of your brain is screaming for you to stop. You can’t be with him, as a female F1 driver what would the world say if you got with another driver? What would your reputation be? They would call you a slut. But as Oscar stands in front of you, those thoughts, those warnings are fading away…

He takes a step closer. You don’t move away. He’s close now, too close, but you don’t care. You could feel the heat radiating from his body to yours. There were just inches between you two now. You didn't care about anything else, everything in your body was telling you yes. It was either now or never, your reputation would be the last thing on your mind in this moment.

He brings one of his hands to the side of your face and leans to kiss you. But your lips don’t meet and he hovers just above. Waiting. He wanted something from you, some signal that it was okay to go for it. You could taste his breath as he hovered above you, how many times had you wanted to taste him? You hadn't realized until now how strong this pull between the both of you was. Even if it was just alcohol, it didn't matter, your heart felt as if it would explode with this excitement.

“Oscar” you whisper. You’re looking at his lips, then his eyelashes, his eyes. 

“Just this once.”

The words left your mouth in a hoarse whisper like it felt too surreal to speak out loud. One kiss wouldn't hurt, you could tell him that was the only kiss you were going to let him have. He let out a small breath, and then the gap between your lips disappeared. He brought his face down, his lips touching yours. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him close as your lips met his. As Oscar's hands tangled in your hair, pulling you closer, it was just you and him. Nothing else mattered. Just the heat, the desire and the love that had been building deep inside of both of you.

He breaks the kiss and kisses your collarbone, then up your neck, and then he’s right next to your ear. “Yeah, just this once” he whispers. You let out a shaky breath, his voice sent shivers down your spine. What was happening? Every minute seemed to take so long in the moment. The way Oscar's voice whispered in your ear, it felt like a sweet melody. If this was wrong, you would never know. The only thing you knew for sure right now was how much Oscar wanted you, how much you wanted him.

His mouth was warm, you could feel the moisture of his lips press against yours. You grab the hem of his shirt and he puts his arms up as you pull it off of him. When you drop the shirt aside you can’t help but stare at his body. His chest, his abs, his arms. You had seen him shirtless before, it was inevitable with the years of training you two had done together. But seeing him tonight like this, just the two of you, it was different. 

As you stared at him, he was just staring back, his hair was messy from the way you had pulled his shirt off. It felt like this was the only moment in the world.

His kisses were gentle like he was still trying to get a feel for the moment. You were in each other's grip as if you were locked together. The heat was building up, and you could feel your body burning up. Oscar's hand moved to your top now, pulling it over your head slowly, letting you feel every sensation as it fell to the floor. The way he looked at you as it fell to the ground...it was as if his eyes were going to burn a hole into you.

You’re usually quick with comebacks. Confident. But as you stand in front of him, you’re not insecure, but you have nothing to say. No words to taunt him with, it felt like your usual self was far removed from what was happening right now. 

You had never stood in front of Oscar so vulnerable before, his hands running up your body, his mouth kissing your neck. He was treating you like you were the only thing in the world that mattered, the way he looked at you it was like he was seeing you for the first time. Oscar lies you down on the hotel bed. Hovering over you, one of his hands on your hip, the other pressed beside your head, holding him up. One of your hands is resting on your stomach, and you reach the other up and run it through his hair. “I’m sorry,” you say. “I’m sorry for being so horrible to you. I’ve acted…” you trail off. Why are you saying this? Why right now? It was the alcohol, it had to be. 

As he leaned over you, his breath was warm on your skin as he listened to everything you were saying. Your heart was beating so rapidly, you couldn't stop the words coming out of your mouth, but for once, you felt vulnerable in the right way.

"Don't-" Oscar said, pulling away from you slightly. "You don't need to apologize. We’ve both been… I don’t know…Everything has just been building for years, it got out of control, us. Whatever us was- is. I think I’ve always wanted ‘us’ to be this though."

His words make your head spin. "Us". "Out of control". "Always".

Always makes you laugh though, as you think back to when you first met Oscar.

“You wanted this during our Arden days? At 14?” You know shouldn’t joke right now, but everything is happening so fast, and you grasp for some sort of control over what you're feeling. 

He smiled back at you, he couldn't help smiling. One thing about the way you and Oscar's relationship worked, was it was always full of constant bantering and jabs at each other. It felt right to joke now. 

"I didn't say that," Oscar said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But sure, you were attractive back then, even if you were a brat. Yeah, I did look at you during those days." 

A grin spreads across your face. What would 14-year-old you say if she knew you had Oscar Piastri on top of you in a hotel room after you podium in Monaco? She would be horrified. The realization was almost enough to pull you out of the moment. It truly was insane. The way Oscar was looking down at you, touching your body, it definitely did feel surreal, as if this was a dream.

"You remember those days?" Oscar asked, his voice soft and low as he shifted down to rest on his elbow, bringing his face down closer to yours. “Of course.” You say, looking at his face. He’s so beautiful. “You wouldn’t let me win a goddamn race.”

He let out a laugh, he couldn't help it, the humor of the situation had gotten to him.

"Damn right I didn't... are you still bitter about it?" He said mockingly, he was back to his usual self. “Nope,” you say with a smile, “because who just got second in Monaco? My first time driving that track in Formula One by the way.” Even in this uniquely intimate moment between the two of you, you are bickering. But it’s perfect. 

"Yeah yeah..." Oscar rolled his eyes. "You got lucky that's for sure, this race was a mess." He was back to being himself, the cocky, arrogant version that you were always arguing with. But you felt a different type of chemistry with him right now compared to the racetrack, this time it felt deeper than your usual bickering. You laugh and your hands are on his face again. Now that you have him like this, above you, relaxed, yours; you never want it to end. 

You smile and start tracing the freckles and moles on his face with your finger. Just this once. That was the deal. You want to savor every minute of this moment. A moment that after tonight, can never happen again. 

Oscar's eyes drifted down and he watched as you traced his face. It felt a little too perfect, the way you traced around everything...the way his breath felt on your skin...the way he was looking down at you with intent, his attention was just on you.

"I like this," Oscar finally said and his voice was hushed.

So do I. Is what you want to say. But if those words come out of your mouth everything becomes too real, and you’re not sure if you could ever stop what was already snowballing between the two of you. You simply hum in acknowledgment and continue to trace his freckles down to his arms, down to his wrists. You even traced your fingers along the top of his fingers. 

It was like nothing else existed at this moment, it was just the two of you, your bodies, and the heat. The heat was all that mattered. You wanted to see all of him. Commit. Go all the way. But even now you were mesmerized: his bare chest, back, stomach. You want to run your fingers through him. 

Oscar could feel your breath trailing on his neck, the feeling of your fingers trailing down his body, along his chest, and down his stomach. He felt as if any more of him was exposed to your touch, he would fall apart. He was like a hot glass ready to shatter, a moment away from cracking. He was at a loss, he couldn't even think of the next thing to say. All he knew was that he needed more.

Oscar looked at you, his eyes seemed to be filled with pure desire. He was leaning closer to you now, he was only inches away, his breath was touching your lips. His hand brushed past the clip of your bra, teasing every little part of you. Your back, your arms...he was taking his time with this. “It’s okay, you can…” you trail off. Yet again, you’re too embarrassed to say it. You can take the bra off. You hope he gets the hint. 

The smile on his face was almost cruel as he looked down at you. Was he really going to take this all so slowly and deliberately? He paused for a moment and then he slowly undid one of the clips. He did it so slowly and so precise, he was taking this at such a methodical pace, he wanted you to feel every. single. moment. A part of you wants to complain. How slow he was being. Both of your lives were filled with speed, in the cars, outside the cars. But most of you doesn't really care that he's taking his time. Tonight was the only night you’re allowing yourself to be with Oscar like this, might as well drag it out. 

He did the same thing with the next clip, and then slowly pulled down one of the straps. You did wonder how long he was going to take, it felt like your bra was not supposed to be an obstacle, but Oscar was making it one, on purpose. He had turned even such a simple task into something that felt so intimate.

The moment your bra finally came off a whole new feeling of powerlessness washed over you. You felt even more exposed than before. Your skin felt more sensitive, and everything felt more real. Each movement from him felt like it had double its usual meaning. Your breath caught as he pulled your body closer to him. The pressure of his body against yours was making your head spin. You felt so close to him, the warmth between the two of you was palpable. With each of his kisses, you could feel yourself growing even more desperate for him.

You could feel his finger tracing the outline of your shorts, slowly moving towards the waistband, finger hooking around the elastic. It was happening gradually, so it hit harder when he finally pulled down your shorts. Your underwear was the last barrier, and if it came off, this would officially be something that could never happen again. You were lying under just a layer of clothing. He was staring down at you with his intent gaze. You could feel every move of his, every muscle shifting, his breath hot on your body.

“You too, yeah?” You say with a nervous, breathy laugh. Your hands travel to his pants. And he sits up and leans back a bit, you sit up as well, and start unbuttoning them. It was almost comical, how slow you were both going in this moment. But it was also incredibly intimate. The two of you were both teasing each other in a game of cat and mouse. He was taking it in steps, he wanted to tease, to play, to show you how much he wanted you.

Your hands began unbuttoning his pants, inch by inch, you were both working in unison in the slow teasing. When you finish and start to pull the zipper down, Oscar quickly stands up to take the pants completely off. He wastes no time in getting back on top of you. You smile and hold back a laugh. 

His hands are on either side of your head and he’s looking down at you again, you two start laughing. If it was like this one night, how would it have been with you two together all the time? Would you have always been like this? A playful, teasing relationship, where you both were always just messing around, playing jokes on each other.

The two of you are so close, his boxers and your underwear are the only barrier between you now. You are one step away from the edge, one step away from doing something you can never take back. But you also wanted to take that step. It felt so close to happening. It was like your bodies were talking to one another, they craved to touch, to be pressed against each other. Each breath, each movement it felt as though you wanted to become one with each other.

The way the two of you were looking into each other's eyes, you could tell it was just a moment away. Oscar leaned in close to you, close enough to breathe on your neck, “Are you sure?” He asks. You nod and don’t say anything.

He chuckles as you nod. "You're so sure?" You smile and roll your eyes. He’s such an asshole. “Yes, I’m so sure.” Even with your response dripping in sarcasm, it’s set your feelings in stone. You want Oscar Piastri. 

Was it the alcohol in your system, was it the buildup of years of tension between the two of you, a mixture of both? It didn't matter, the only thing that mattered now was this very moment, this very moment with you and Oscar on this hotel bed. It was like the rest of the world would cease to exist, all that was important at this moment was the heat between the two of you, it filled you with such a warm, almost calming feeling. You both knew that this was it, there was no going back. But just this once you could let it happen. 

-

part II- okay part III- 11:45

[theosconfessions]

if youd like to read the stephens from the beginning you can over here :)

if youd like to read the stephens continued you can over here:)

@ohsosims

blake- im just saying shes obsessed with me and you need to talk to her. get her to stop. all im hearing is shit from the guys now..instead of football its like hey did you bang her too. its a whole thing

river-goddamnit youre so cute,ted

blake- riv ! are you hearing anything im saying

river: i am but im having a hard time sympathizing with it to be honest,man

blake - we were broken up man

river: i know. im not faulting you for having a fling with someone. the issue isnt that. i did it too. the problem is it was SID. and you knew that was her boyfriend

blake- you dontknow the whole story man. it was more on the level than you think

river- i dont want to know the whole story. because its probably going to make you look like an asshole.and we're in a good place now,right? we have teddie.we are getting a new house finally. we're in a good place

blake: i know but its just irritating me that she has this way to speak what she said happened and i dont

river- i may be pulling a my dad here but i do not want to know if it was anything more than what she saying. you did something shitty. youre owning it now. leave it where it lies, man seriously. like just take the hit. you did something shitty because of who it was with . she has the right to be upset about it no matter how 'on the level ' it was. like just man up blake . we're 22 years old. like grow the fuck up. im putting him to bed

blake- riv

river- dude if you followed me in here to fight..no

blake-i followed you in here to say youre right. i was kinda like makign excuses for the things ive done and i dont want to do that. i dont want to be another version of your dad so youre right. and ill just.. keep my mouth shut.

river- im not saying keep your mouth shut. but probably..possibly..maybe find it in yourself to maybe apologize to scarlett. you literally have never done it

blake- theres no way she'll give me the time of day man. shes hard to talk to . as soon as i walk in the room she walks out

river- well again, you slept with her boyfriend. id do the same. HELL i do the same whenever im at your games and that prick comes up to me. text her. just apologize. youre going to be in eachothers lives even if i divorce you

blake- [laughs] looking into the future

river: [winks] little bit. now get out so i can put ted to bed

[comet-forgot-you]

Can you please write bottom river x fem reader 🙏🙏🙏

crave

river x fem!reader

summary: river fucks herself on your fingers. (based on this.)

warnings: 18+ pls, smut, fingering, degrading, begging, think thats it tbh.

a/n: another one thank you. enjoy this river fic, its the last you’ll EVER get. no its not i’m just a jokester. enjoy. do not repost for any reason.

work was killing you. constant paperwork piled up for you to do, forcing you to work it out on your off days. when river was at your house, the time you were meant to be spend with her was spent on your computer typing away at whatever stupid work your boss had given you. it made river so mad.

she missed your gentle touches, missed hearing you talk about whatever, she missed laying in silence watching whatever movie the two of you had heard about, and fuck did she miss the way you fucked her.

she was so pent up, it had been weeks since you had touched her and she was starting to go insane. she had never craved you more than she did now, and seeing you, blue light glasses perched on your nose, in an oversized shirt you had stolen from her, and those pretty panties that just barely peeked out from the way you sat, it only spurred her need further. she needed you, and she needed you now.

she set the glass previously full of water down into the empty sink, eyes trained on you. her fingers gripped the edge of the counter, you were so hot and you weren’t even trying. river let out a huff of air, pushing herself away from the counter. you looked up at her as she made her way across the living room, sitting down right next to you.

“hmm?” you hum, returning your attention to the laptop in your lap. river shrugged, her shoulder rubbing against yours as she did so. you look over to her, the familiar look of want painted on her face. her eyes were darker than their usual shade of brown, a slight pout on her lips, it sent a wave of heat throughout your body. you sigh, “river, i can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s up,” you whisper, setting your laptop down on the coffee table.

its quiet for a moment, river’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “just need you s’ bad,” she murmured, leaning closer to you and pressing featherlight kisses against your neck. she takes your soft hand into hers and guides it to cup her cunt, a soft whine falling from her lips.

“fuck,” you mumble, eyes shutting tightly at the feeling of her hardly clothed cunt.

“you won’t even have to do anything, i’ll do all the work, just need you s’bad.” her voices is breathy and needy against your ear.

“fine,” you mutter. river smiles against your neck. she’s quick to pull her underwear off and straddle your lap. you cant help but run a finger through her wet folds.

“fuck,” she hisses, bucking against your fingertips. she grabs hold of your wrist, guiding you to her dripping hole. she sinks down on your fingers, grinding into the palm of your hand, drawing a needy moan from her lips.

she bounces on your fingers, grinding so your fingers hit that spongey spot that has her eyes rolling back. “you’re such a slut riv,” you mumble, curling your fingers as she grinds into your palm. “so fucking needy, look at you, your fucking yourself on my fingers.” her walls flutter around your fingers at you degrading words. a high pitched whine leaves her throat at your teasing words.

she keeps a steady pace for a few minutes before she’s breathless, moans falling from her lips. she wraps her fingers around your wrist, guiding you to fuck in and out of her. “please, can’t do it, need your help s’bad,” she whispers. you let out a humored huff of air.

“really? said you’d do it all by yourself and look at you now.” you roll your eyes at her and her walls flutter around your fingers once more.

“stop being mean, please js’ help me,” she whines, contouring to fuck herself with your fingers.

“really want me to stop being mean? i know you like it, don’t try to hide it,” you mumble. river groans at your words, letting go of your wrist to continue riding your fingers. your free hand is quick to grip her hip to halt her movements.

you curl your fingers inside of her, your free hand lifting her shirt over her breasts. you wrap your lips around her nipple, fucking your fingers in and out of her at a fast pace. moans fall from river’s lips uncontrollably as your thumb moves to circle her clit roughly.

“fuck.. fuck- i’m so close, please, can i? please js’,” her words are cut off by a loud moan, “i’m gonna cum, please, baby. need to cum so bad,” she whispers, her fingers wrapping in your hair.

you let off of her nipple with a loud pop, looking up at her blown out eyes. “go on, slut. cum on my fingers,” you murmur. her eyes roll back and her orgasm washes over her.

“fuckfuckfuck,” she whines, bucking into your palm helplessly.

“such a fuckin’ slut,” you murmur, pulling your fingers from her leaking cunt. she whines at the emptiness, head falling to your shoulder.

“needed you s’ bad, baby. you dont even know, fuck,” she whispers, pressing kisses against your shoulder.

reblogs much appreciated :D

[mari-the-bimbo]

FINALE: Ex husband Gojo (8K follower special)

A/N: I can’t believe this series has finally come to an end!! Omg 😭 I know a lot of you initially followed me because of ex husband Gojo but I hope I can continue to create content you like. But for now, enjoy! <3

⚠️ Warnings: graphic violence

You hated these woods. It didn’t matter how luxurious the house was, or how much the kids took away the eerie silence with their giggles and laughter, there was something wrong about this place. No matter how much Gojo would gaslight you into believing you’re being ungrateful, you knew better.

And your thoughts were re iterated tonight.

It was the peak of the night when you hear the front door open all the way from your bedroom. Something weird. “Gojo?” You call out. No answer.

The eerie haunted silence takes over once again as you try to analyse the situation.

Miasma. You felt a cursed energy you didn’t recognise in the air. You may not be a sorcerer but you were with Gojo long enough to distinguish his cursed energy from others.

You jump out of bed, an emergency poison Gojo gave you in your hand, and quietly make you way to your kids room, they were your priority after all.

And in the pitch black of the lodge, your heat a voice that crawls up to your skin.

“Going somewhere special?” Called out a gruesome sounding voice. You shakily twist your head to come face to face with the one eyed ugly creature.

“Listen women, I’m Jogo and -“

The creature screams as you immediately throw the poison at him, no hesitance in the hit and run. You hear the glass smashing as you run past him and grab the children from their room, and they scream as they are suddenly awoken out of their slumber.

You let the children run in front as you all run out of the house, but suddenly something grabs you by your stomach, slashing your sides. You scream out in bloodcurdling pain but you put all your force into a backward kick and manage to run out the house.

You shrug off your night cardigan and wrap it around your wound, not even halting for a second as you run to your slower running children, grabbing both of them to your sides and zooming off.

You curse Gojo for ever believing that there was any corner of this Earth that was a safe space for him and his family.

You sniff back the tears. You can’t lose now. You can’t let Gojo’s dangerous lifestyle be the reason you and your children die here.

You scream Gojo’s name continuously in the pitch black forest, your children screaming out for their daddy too.

———-

Finally after so many miles, you see it. You see the white hair heading towards the house you were resting in an hour ago.

“GOJO!!!” You scream, and he turns to you, relief on his frantic icy blue eyes, but he has no time for a sweet reunion.

“WAIT FOR ME AT THE RIVER!!!” He screams back.

“OKAY” you immediately spring back into action and run down the hill with your children, never making the mistake of halting.

But your feet kept moving. Past the trees, the bushes, the hill, the river.

You pass the river.

You didn’t stop at the river like he told you.

“Mommy didn’t daddy say wait by the riv-“

“SHUT UP!!!!!!!!” You yell in frustration. You don’t care what your action would be branded as right now, you just need to escape.

Betrayal.

Your feet keep moving. Yes, you were betraying Satoru, but did it even count as betrayal at this point?

After the pain, the lies, the kidnapping? This man was no longer your husband, he was a psychopath and simply a shadow of the man he used to be. Yes, he may care about you and the kids, but YOU also cared about yourself and the kids. The intrusion of those demon was simply the perfect excuse to escape.

Your legs were shaky but they kept moving, your breath shallow from carrying 2 other bodies too.

You hear a boom behind you and you temporarily halt to turn around. Your eyes widen as they fall upon the luminous purple ball of lightening destroy the forest.

“Daddy’s purple hollow” your daughter whispers but your ignore it and continue running.

Your daughter was a smart girl. She was a bit more gifted than the average 5 year old. She knew her dad’s cursed energy meant destruction.

But even though you knew he was most likely done with the demon, you don’t stop. You knew you were his next prey, and should he find you, you’d pay the price for running.

But you were optimistic. You were far from the woods that was once your prison.

Tears brim in your eyes as you catch a glimpse of city lights. Home wasn’t far now. You only had to run a bit faster to make it and save yourself and the kids.

Dreams of your old home and old friends flash before your eyes. You plan how you’ll expose Gojo for his psychotic ways, Nanami will believe you for sure! Then you and your kids will move away into a new town where life will be all about focusing on your dreams and your kids!

“Mommy are you okay?”

“What do you mean?” You breathlessly ask.

“You’re limping” you son says with worry in his big eyes.

Y-you’re limping? You stare down at your legs and realise you’re not running anymore, you’re barely walking. Your worn out legs shake in exhaustion and you curse the universe for doing this to you right now.

You feel your daughter slip from your grasp and coax your son out of your grasp too.

Your legs eventually give up and you hit the ground. Your children silently watch you before copying you, sitting beside you on the grassy floor in the middle of nowhere.

You look at your kids, stroking their rosy cheeks, you have to save them, even if you can’t save yourself. “Mommy’s going to save us, I promise” you say to them with a weary smile, pressing a kiss to their cheeks but your kids don’t copy you this time.

“Mommy?” You daughter calls out and you turn your attention to her.

“Do you really believe we can escape daddy?”

She knows.

A tear escapes your eyes at her words. Your daughter’s words held the self awareness you had long lost. She knew all along, you were too blinded in defence to see.

She knew daddy wasn’t a good man. She knew daddy was the reason mommy cries alone. She knew daddies aren’t supposed to disappear then return like nothing happened. She knew it wasn’t a “holiday”. She knew daddy isn’t nice.

She knew daddy was strong, she knew mommy can’t defeat the strong.

You shake your head frantically at her. “NO NO NO! Mommy will bring us back to the city! I can do it princess I promise! J-just give mommy time!” You scream as you frantically shake your daughter’s shoulder.

But the child could only stare at you in sorrow. A silent mourning for the shell of a woman her mommy once was.

You continue to cry and scream empty promises to the children. The children who ignore your pleas and hug you, just like how you always hug them when they’re sad.

Suddenly you all hear a white noise. You look up into the sky and notice a familiar tall man with white hair in the sky.

You smile in defeat. He was always going to find you. How stupid could you have been to ever try to escape him? You belong to him after all.

You hear him reach the ground and yell out your name “Y/N!”. The gash on your stomach almost immediately stings at the same time, you hiss in pain.

He calls out your name again. And you try to ignore the sting from the wound with his voice. You pretend it’s Gojo from a few years ago calling out to you.

flashback

“Y/n! Baby come try my pasta!”

“It’s probably gonna taste icky!” You tease, making the sorcerer roll his eyes playfully before he spoon feeds you the pasta.

“Mm! This is surprisingly good!” You praise him making him give you a charming smile. “Of course it is! I bet my baby liked it too!” He said, rubbing your pregnant belly, placing a kiss on it. You giggle at his adoration, before it turns into a state a confusion when he passes you to spoon.

“Right! It’s your turn to feed me now!” He says before opening his mouth ready.

You giggle at his antics but you don’t even question it, indulging in your husbands fun and feeding him. You lick the sauce off the spoon and he looks at you with a smirk.

“Now don’t tease me Mrs Gojo, otherwise we’ll have a baby no.2 on the way” he teases as he pulls you into his lap, kissing your cheeks and belly.

“Oi y/n!! Stay awake, what going on? Why did you keep on running?? Why are you bleeding out!!!” You hear his frantic voice.

Your vision blurs and you can just about make out his wickedly handsome face. Oh how you wish you could bring back the old days with him, the things you’d do just to kiss him with a bit of love again.

You hear the soft cries of your kids. You failed them. You want to reach out and wipe their tears but you can’t move your arms.

That demon must’ve had poisoned you when it sliced you, now came the inevitable.

Are you dying? Maybe. It doesn’t feel too bad.

“No no y/n! Stay with me! Listen to me-! I love you okay? Just hold on I- no kids- stop crying! I love you y/n! I’m sorry please stay with me-!” You hear his pleas.

You smile. It’s all you ever wanted to hear. You just wanted to know you were worth loving, it’s a shame it’s too late.

And just like that

Your vision goes black.

The end.

A/N: welp I hope you enjoyed! 💗 and for all my softie followers I promise I will mend your hearts with the epilogue! <3

[lively-potter]

— moon struck ; part 7

— genre ; strangers to friends to lovers, kinda grumpy x sunshine, fluff, angst, smut, angst with a happy ending 🥹

— warnings ; body insecurities ( mentioned ), eating disorder ( mentioned ), oc deals with a severe amount of anxiety and panic attacks, violence, smut ( later ), FLUFF, love struck jungkookie 🥹

— find me on Wattpad ; LivelyPotter

— word count ; 2.4k

— intro , part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six

— 2024 © LivelyPotter all rights reserved

— taglist ; @ahgasegotarmy116 @jk97bam

river's pov ; three pm

My stomach grumbled lowly, but I paid it no mind.

Instead, I turned my awe filled eyes down to a sleeping Moon – who decided to make my boobs her pillow.

Sang smiled softly at me and layed her head on my shoulder. "Brandon's planning on stopping by and staying with you while I'm gone helping Corey and Raven with an assignment."

"So he'll be staying with me for pickup?' relief relaxed my body. With Brandon here, I knew I wouldn't be as terrified as I would be if I was alone. My brother is one of the only people who who really calm me down and give me strength when I felt like I was failing ( but where Jungkook was concerned, I definitely was ).

Sang giggled, "He will. So you won't have to face Jungkook alone."

I tightened my hold on Moon, just holding the adorable baby just a little bit closer to me. Her little lips smacked sleepily when she nuzzled against my boobs.

I shook my head in amusement. Adorable baby.

"Yeah." That was totally true.

A flush decorated my cheeks when my mind went back to the dream I had. And hours before that; when my hands got burned.

Speaking of burned hands, the blisters had gotten way better after Sean stopped by the house this morning and applied some ointment onto my hands and wrapped them. According to him, I could take the bandages off tonight – but as of right now, I needed to let the ointment sink into my skin.

Gently rocking Moon back and forth, my thumb rubbed over her little rosy cheek in awe, completely in love with this adorable, sweet baby.

I hummed lowly, hugging her against my chest.

Sang watched the scene in front of her with a large sweet smile and took a seat beside me on the beanbag.

"So...has he texted you anymore?"

You just had to go there, didn't you?

I avoided her eyes, feeling my cheeks head, and decided to give my attention to Moon.

"Uh, yeah." I admitted, a shy grin coming over my lip – hiding from her. "A little bit."

"Like what?" her tone was teasing.

"...well he said it was okay that I replied a day or so late...and he apologized again for the whole oven incident even though it wasn't his fault." I explained, "It was mine. I wasn't paying attention when I should have and stupidly grabbed the freaking pan with my bare hands."

"Maybe he just wants to keep the conversation going," she said, "We all know he likes you–seems very interested—"

"River doesn't need all that in her life, sweetie." Brandon made his appearance. I sucked in a sharp breath, holding Moon tighter against me as my heart thumped crazily. She shifted a little in my arms, but otherwise remained unbothered.

"Shit!" Sang clutched her heart with widened eyes, "Where did you come from?" she asked her boyfriend. Brandon grinned and dropped a brown paper bag on the low table in front of me.

"Eat, Riv." he pointed to me, cerulean blue eyes drifting towards Sang. "I walked through the door. You just didn't notice me come in." he snickered, dropping a kiss on her lips.

While they greeted one another, I couldn't help but think over his words. River doesn't need all that in her life. He can't decide for me. Annoyance burned my insides causing me to glare at my brother out of the corner of my eye.

I held onto Moon gently, protectively, shielding her from my brother's eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" I couldn't help but snap – the anger in my voice couldn't be ignored.

Bradon and Sang's head swiveled in my direction, eyes widened at my anger. I glared at my brother, warning him to spew even more shit.

Brandon opened and closed his mouth, searching for something today. Meanwhile Sang moved to stand behind him, rifling through some paperwork, hiding a pleased smirk. I knew she was listening closer than Brandon thought she was.

Just who did he think he was?

Don't get me wrong – I loved my brother and I'm grateful for all he's done to me. But he doesn't get to control my life. He doesn't get to decide what's bad or good for me without my consent.

"Well?" I insisted, eyes squinting, prodding at him to say something.

Brandon sighed heavily and leveled me with stern glare. "I'm only looking out for you, River." he said, peeking down at the child in my arms. "You're almost twenty years old – young, you have an entire beautiful life ahead of you...and Jungkook...well..." he hesitated for a slight moment.

I nodded at him to continue, my anger not leaving but rising.

"The man is twenty-six years old. He's divorced and has a baby, River. He's basically already went through life, if you really think about it — marriage, kids, collage — you name it — he's probably experienced it. And if you ever decided to be in a relationship with him, you'll always be fifth in line to him, River. He's got his daughter to think of, his family, his job, and his ex-fucking-wife. Do you want to got through life knowing you'll always be fifth to him?"

Emotion clogged my throat.

Fifth.

That hurt. Way more than it should – especially if it was Brandon saying it.

Yeah. Jungkook didn't really need to add me and my problems in his life at this point. I wouldn't be any good for Jungkook, anyway. He's way too good for someone like me.

My brother's face crumbled in sadness, knowing that his words hurt. By now, Sang watched me over Brandon's shoulder sadly, her usual happy eyes dimming. My eyes slightly glossed over and before I could lost even more control over my emotions, I turned my face downwards and watched Moon.

Fifth.

"...I'm sorry, Pixie." Brandon spoke sadly, "It's just–you're my little sister...and I want you to be happy...and I...I don't want you to be fifth to anyone. Ever. You deserve to be loved, cherished, thought of constantly...and you deserve a fresh start in life. Where you can meet someone, fall in love, get married – and hell, even have babies of your own. Your own family." he said, patting the top of my head, eyes watching me closely. "I just don't want you regretting anything years later without thinking everything through."

I nodded quietly.

"Yeah." I forced out, making my eyes never waver from Moon's face. I sought comfort in her cuddles and in her presence while the air between my brother and I grew stifling.

But, as I sat there, in my own world, the insecure thoughts that constantly plagued me for most of my life broke out from the box I had shut them in years ago.

The feelings of those emotions and thoughts was overwhelming, and every limb shook.

It was even harder to breathe than normal.

I sucked in lungfuls of air slowly, to not arouse suspicion in my brother and anchored myself to Moon to grasp ahold of myself.

river's pov ; five pm

Two hours passed by slowly.

And I was sinking further into myself, allowing those same emotions that tore me down, time and time again, chip away at the shields I used to protect myself.

I was in a daze – hardly becoming alert to anything.

Even Jungkook.

My eyes were blank from emotion when he walked inside with a bright grin and a happy disposition, finding me instantly. I silently handed him a happy Moon and walked away to pack her bag.

His smile dimmed and his eyes grew confused at my odd actions.

Brandon followed after me closely, hardly allowing me personal space as he spoke calming words into my ears. I was close to wanting to shut down and blank out for a while.

Jungkook watched me closely, his chunky combat boots thumping heavily on the ground when I hugged Brandon in thanks, Moon's backpack in my hand, before resuming my stride to him.

"So, uh, how was she?" Jungkook scratched at the back of his neck, sending me a shy smile, boba eyes gleaming when I focused my attention on him.

I forced a tiny smile and avoided his eyes, feeling agony flare inside my heart.

Why did this hurt so bad? I wasn't fully sure if I really really liked him. But now I would have to let him go and move on with my life.

Isn't this happening too fast and not crash down on me so suddenly?

"She was perfect." I ground out, wanting nothing more to cuddle into his waist, like Moon, and sob. Even though I avoided him like the plague, I still knew more than I ought to about him, so I knew that he was good at comforting people. And he was warm. So warm. Maybe it would melt away the ice that seemed to make my limbs grow stiff and cold. "...As always."

Anyone could detect the hidden sadness in my voice.

Why was I acting like this in front of him? I didn't want to.

Stupid heart. Stupid emotions. Stupid me.

Jungkook hoisted his little daughter further up his chest and watched me, perfectly dark arched brow drawing together, silver piercing catching the light. His pink lips parted, licking at the double hoops threaded through his lips and gulped slightly.

"What's wrong, River?" he asked softly, voice growing quieter when he took a step closer to me, the toes of his shoes softly touching mine. His tattooed hand carefully reached out and stopped inches from my own, hesitating.

Oh god.

With him watching me with such a soft look in his eyes, the feelings I tried so hard to mask, to hide, to disappear, came upon me in less than a second. They hit me harder than I could have ever imagined – and I stumbled back, fingers tingling with the effort to not reach out and brush my hand along his.

All I could seem to think about was him. Him. Him. Him. Him.

I sucked in a sharp breath, tears stinging my eyes as another thought hit me.

Brandon's words.

My own insecurities.

I was fooling myself into thinking–...nevermind.

I would be nothing but a burden to him – he's got enough to worry about.

Wouldn't be good for him.

No.

No.

No.

"I'm fine." I whispered weakly.

I'm not. I'm really not. Just hold me and make me forget everything.

Please.

It hurts.

It became harder to breathe. My lungs expanded to gulp down more air, but it was a futile effort. My knees shook underneath my weight.

If I didn't get out of here soon, I'd fall.

Everything I'd been trying so hard to push away, came crashing down the moment I was in his presence, walls down for the first time in years. Brandon's words damaged them...I was weak, healing, in the process of rebuilding...and then he came in.

And tore them down. Completely.

I was vulnerable.

My eyes met his in a silent plead.

I just wanted to go home and cuddle with Kingston.

Hold me. Make me forget. It hurts.

"River?" His strong, gentle voice made me break even more. It took every ounce of strength inside my body not to crumble. "Nae Sarang, what's the matter?"

I cried a little more on the inside.

Moon sleepily nuzzled into Jungkook neck's and cutely tugged on the multiple earrings in his ears, momentarily taking his attention. "Shhh, baby, just a moment." he cooed to his baby, nuzzling his nose with hers, worry still apparent in his eyes when he turned his eyes to me.

My limbs grew colder. I was reminded. I shouldn't bring him into my problems. He didn't deserve that. He's got sweet little Moon and his own life to worry about. Fifth. Fifth. Fifth.

Despite the agony within my heart and in my soul, I blinked away the tears.

"I have to close in a few minutes." my voice didn't sound like my own. It was detached and just plain sad.

And even he noticed.

His doe eyes grew panicked and he slowly nodded, "...oh...okay." he let out, body towering over mine. I could still feel him peeking down at me shyly as I died just a little more on the inside.

He licked his lips again and swallowed, big hand falling onto Moon's back, rubbing her little shoulders gently. Looking like he was thinking of what to say, I backed away.

I have to get out of here. Away from him. Gain control of myself.

Jungkook took a step after me, and although he looked shy – which contrasted to his appearance – he looked determined.

"No." he spoke firmly, yet gentle, "You're not fine, Nae Sarang." I gulped as the tears stung my eyes once more. Jungkook saw my eyes glaze over and stopped. His stern expression crumbled, and now he only looked worried.

"How about you come with Moon and I...to the italian restaurant and we'll talk, yeah?"

My head bowed as a tear fled my eye and dropped onto the top of his shiny black combat boot. A sniffle left my nose, and i berated myself for it.

"...I..." it was going to hurt saying this. "I...can't." I shook my head and turned around so my back faced him. "I'm sorry. I have to go."

I couldn't stand to be in this room any longer.

I ran out of the room, baspassing my distressed brother, and hightailed it to the bathroom at the back of the building.

My body shook with the effort.

I sobbed quietly into my hands and slid to the ground, unable to hold myself up any longer. My heart beat unnaturally fast – too fast.

I wrapped my arms around my knees and fought to catch my breath.

The tears just wouldn't stop flowing.

My arms and legs trembled violently in my grip, and I felt like I was losing myself.

In the throes of my misfortune, familiar arms wound around me and cradled my face.

"Shhh, River." cerculean blue eyes gazed into my own – only theirs were more panicked than mine was.

"Breathe, Riv – you gotta breathe."

"Brandon." his name left my mouth in a shallow gasp. I clutched onto his shirt and let him ground me for the time being. "Brandon." I sniffled, severely out of breath.

I laid against him, entirely exhausted by everything.

Brandon picked up my limp body and carried me outside while I watched the sky darken with only one thought on my mind.

My eyes were now opened.

author's note ; ✨

🥲

[shkika]

So on the topic of iterators playing video games, this:

which is a part of the set of holograms Iggy can show Moon after Rivulet powers her back up. Which based on the colors, grid, and way the tiles change, is probably Moon and Pebbles playing the iterator dominoes

(It's funny to think one of first message Moon sent to Pebbles after hundreds of cycles was essentially "Hey you wanna play games")

(I need Saint playing Dominoes with Moon now)

I'm beyond mentally ill for those two! I'm very aware of their domino shenanigans. If you pay attention to Moon's projections you can see a lot of neat stuff. Actually let's talk about that!

I think them playing together is just so.. fitting and beautiful. It's such a simple way to connect with others. Playing games is one of the easiest ways to build or rebuild friendships. Any kind of games. Something casual you can talk and share while you do. And those two have plenty to talk about.

Aside the games though..

Ramble about a bunch of her projections in Saint and Riv campaigns below! It was very fun!

Moon also remembers her various slug cat companions through the cycles.

She tells Hunter how she wishes she could remember them. And now she can. Moon can remember her savior and remember just how hard her family and peers tried to contact her, to reassure her, to show how they cared. Even this image on it's own speaks a lot. Moon couldn't have taken it, because she was offline before that key ended up in her chamber. So it was Iggy. One of the overseers she no longer has control over yet tried to help her anyway. It's sweet.

It makes it canon that Monk met her and gave her two neurons! A thoughtful and kind creature.

Pet pictures of course! Here is little demon baby.

Moon also has pictures of the local group in the distance! She never stopped trying to look after them and be a local group senior. Checking up on them in the only way she really can. I think that's sweet.

And what honestly breaks me is uh..

These. She also never stopped being Five Pebbles' administrator.. or more accurately his big sister. Checking up on how he is doing and the situation with his rot. It just makes me ache a little. It's been way too long for her to be angry anymore. She can finally talk to him and they both know it won't be for long.

Moon also has pictures of Silent Construct.

Unless I am mistaken of course. But I get the idea that she has trouble reaching him. Or she can't find him. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Moon's overseers can’t reach Five Pebbles anymore. I don't think she'd stop being his company otherwise. Silent Construct is a place that has crumbled very badly and who knows in what state overseer tunnels are.. especially with the dense scavenger populations, it must be difficult to reach him.

Of course we also have the fallen buildings of her local group in the distance. No longer standing. Their time is over.

And! Something a little more fun is that she has a projection of the Moon. Looks to the Moon alright! How silly and sweet.

Hope you like the view Moonie.

[pigtailedgirl]

Oh @diabolicalfiend you mentioned you hadn't seen people parallel Ray and Caroline Fraser before. I know it was in my old flist but maybe wasn't as mainstream.

So I gif!

Also I get it's very sub-textual, in say comparison to the Bob and Buck, and friendships or partnerships they use for both Rays.

Scene setting: Fraser freaking out about driving the Riv and all flustered. Cause Ray's got himself in trouble and in danger going to prison alone. Fraser has the opportunity to transfer back to Canada, has told no one, and which by episode's end he rejects BTW. Bolded Caroline section.

Robert: So we're off then. [he looks at the transfer papers] 

Fraser: Do you mind! This is private. 

Robert: I don't know about you but I could use a change of scenery. 

Fraser: What possible difference could scenery make in your condition?

Robert: Well I always liked a good view. 

Fraser: What? Barren rocks and snow? 

Robert: You used to climb those rocks. 

Fraser: I still do. 

Robert: Well let's choose one then [pulls out a map] 

Fraser: Dad, I don't have time for this. I'm in the middle of a case. 

Robert: Oh. Lord Nelson. Your mother and I had a cabin. One bedroom with stove and all the coal she could carry and 360 degree view of the strip mines. 

Fraser: Sounds attractive. 

Robert: Three months and your mother was a raving lunatic. Then we moved on to Nelson Port, Nelson House. The names alone drove her around the bend. We finally ended up in Rat River. Oh I have fond memories of the Rat. Your mother didn't.

Fraser: I can imagine. 

Robert: Gotta look ahead son, not back. 

Fraser: I haven't left yet. 

Robert: You will. 

Caroline doing all the heavy lifting lifting you say? "Why do I always have to be the fulcrum?" and North Ray Vecchio lol. Hating the names? The difference between Tuktoyaktuk and a Runamukluck? Was that downtown Inuvik? Bindlestitch Benny? Or just how much Ray insults Fraser's apartment lol.

BUT BEST is traffic tease. They do it in small doses all the time. "That was a stop sign Ray." two second later "That was another stop sign Ray."

Robert Fraser:: I arrested your mother once. 

Fraser: You did not!

Robert Fraser:: Honest to God... I gave her a speeding ticket. 

Fraser: You knew it was her car and you pulled her over anyway? 

Robert Fraser:: No I was sitting right there in the passenger seat. 

Fraser: Get out. 

Robert Fraser:: She was doing 45 in a 30. 

Fraser: Mum? 

Robert Fraser:: I kept telling her I was going to do it and every time I did she kept speeding up. Made absolutely no sense. 

LOL.

And then heartbreak reference.

Muldoon: --Your Mother was a pretty woman, Benton but when I shot her, she dropped like a big old sack of potatoes.

*A literal one minute later*

[mizarego]

Day 10 - Worm Grass

Featuring some Jolly Co-op with my friend Laura! She was Rivulet and i was Spearmaster, that slugpup was our baby Benedict

We took very good care of the Spearvulet baby

(they made it to the Slugcat tree in OE all nice and alive dw dw)

We had many wonderful moments together, such as this one! (There is a kill feed mod active in the top right corner)

This is the second time that Laura has fallen down this bit due to her Riv speed, at least this time I had the baby. It's ok, third time's the charm! I carried her and the baby on my arms into that tunnel to stop punishing our karma.

[dragonfly0808]

Sneak Peak

Hey guys! So, since I’m not posting till next Friday, I thought I’d give yall a little sneak peak to build hype for the next chapter.

Also, there might be some more moodboards of the sibling squad friendships in the week

Here’s the very first part of the next chapter!

Roxy was not going to think about it.

Nope. No sir, she was going to put that into a little box, shove it to the corner of her mind and ignore it for a good while.

She knew it couldn’t be the whole story, but she did not have the energy to dig into it. 

Nope. Not doing it.

Instead, Roxy was focusing on packing.

As it turned out, she’d managed to convince her dad to let her go to Solaria for Chimera’s birthday, which meant she had to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything for her very first interdimensional trip.

She had her pj’s, her toothbrush, a change for the following day, comfy shoes and a pillow just in case.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Her dad asked for the hundredth time as he paced just outside her door.

“Yeah, the squad have done this a hundred times.”

“Has Naten? He’ll be the one piloting right?”

“Yeah, he’s done it… a few times on his own. But don’t worry, Alexa will also be there.”

Her dad stopped for a moment, cocking his head, “And Shirley?”

“…yeah her too but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t actually have any experience in piloting.”

Her dad smirked, “Hmm.”

“Anyway, what’s important is that I trust Naten and Alexa and they just got their official piloting license like yesterday-”

“Yesterday?!”

“So it’s fine. They have the training and everything, seriously dad, it’ll be fine.”

Her dad shook his head for a moment, “Alright… if they have their official license I guess it should be fine… even if they’ve only had it for twenty-four hours… just be careful okay? And have fun.”

“You got it dad.”

Roxy all but skipped over to her dad, giving him a big hug, “Wish Chimera a happy birthday on my behalf.”

Half an hour later, Roxy stood in Bloom’s backyard, jaw hanging as she stared at the ship that had just landed.

A smaller version of the Owl, according to Timmy, the ramp lowered and Naten ran down with a huge smile, “I told you I could do a controlled landing by myself!”

Shirley appeared at the top, eyes wide and clutching her stomach, “You call that a controlled landing?!”

Riven nudged Sky, “Still better than the time we landed in Black Mud Swamp.”

Sky chuckled at that, “That was a crash not a landing Riv… man I’d nearly forgotten about that.”

They made quick work of grabbing Roxy’s stuff and showing off the ship while Tecna yelled from the bottom of the ramp to keep to the speed limit and to be careful.

The ramp closed up as Naten wrapped an arm around Roxy, “Alright ladies, let’s get this show on the road! Roxy, this is your seat, right next to the window so you have the best view.” He strolled on to sit at what Roxy could only assume to be the ‘helm’, a control panel filled with buttons and levers before him, “Please remain seated during our flight and maintain idle chatter, gossip is welcome on board, I am your beloved captain Naten, my co-captain is Alexa, we depart now at 9:17. a.m. from the lovely planet Earth, our destination is Solaria and we estimate an arrival time of 12:23 p.m. Thank you for flying with Newbie Pilots, now let’s get going!”

“Wait, you’re sure you can do this?”

“Roxy, I learned how to drive in Zenith, if you can drive there you can drive anywhere.”

Alexa snorted, “You learned to drive a tractor Nate.”

“Oh yee of little faith, we’ll be just fine. Now… for a smooth ascent.”

Roxy’s body suddenly lurched back and Shirley yelped before yelling at Naten.

[spotsupstuff]

Has Tinkerer ever done the Typical Slugcat Behaviour that is constantly backflipping while a God-like machine of unfathomable size info-dumps about their recent hyperfixation?

nah she sproingo boingo seal style

can't hear well when backflipping so just like a player first encountering dialogue in the game she's got to listen

after she gets to know Fish good and they become friends n all that she stops sproingo boingo for the sake of curling around him to listen while also scoring some cuddles (since he is almost always sitting down his puppet on the floor or when he goes to speak for longer time he comes down. similar to Moon after ending of Riv campaign)

[snailfen]

not that anon but who's your favorite sluggy

so i never played the original MSC, but originally my favorite was the saint. i loved the idea of being able to just Leave situations and have a grappling tongue at all times as a newbie. i really struggled with platforming and survival back then, so i really liked them. fuck losing all karma upon dying, i could just Leave!

out of the vanilla scugs, monk was also my favorite back then. i REALLY hated the lore removal, but my gaming skills were already just Piss Poor in general so rain world was almost nigh impossible at first. also i liked being friends with lizards and scavs and i couldnt bring myself to attack scavs back then.

so, between then and now, my favorites have changed. between the MSC slugcats...

this is one of those few times i can answer from Every Possible Aspect of the candidate, like gameplay, campaign plot, etc. Which is really cool! when MSC dropped, Riv was the one  I played first using the "unlock all campaigns" cheat. I REALLY wanted to play saint first, but knowing from the start that the slugcats were ranked by difficulty and saint was locked behind 2 slugcats as opposed to 1, I curbed that urge and went for Riv since they were my second favorite.

now, their super exaggerated movement was hard to get a handle on, i will admit- but i hadn't played this game in a long time so i was just rusty on top of that. but i can confidently say im used to them! i love using their abilities to see just what i can do. there was a time i was playing with a randomizer and it was really fun having to adapt to each new situation like an opportunist. i wish i recorded it! but riv really helped me get over my hesitance when i was faced with predators, which was a bad habit I'd had for a long time.

campaign gameplay tested my lay of the land as well; especially by starting out in drainage system. i practically never set foot in drainage system back in the day, so i didnt know where in the world to head. I luckily detected the garbage wastes gate like, right away. trying to navigate the parts of the game more beaten off the main path of vanilla was difficult but fun! having only so much time to get from place to place was a fun challenge. then, after getting the rarefraction cell, trying to see how far i could go in 1 cycle was even greater.

now the plot is really where riv got me for sure.

looks to the moon has been a favorite character of mine for years. i never really stopped thinking about what happened between her and pebbles; every few months or so i would think about it. just how... hopeless things were for moon. It really made me sad. i think i speak for a lot of people when i say i wished that i could help her in some way. but the only thing i could do is bring her neurons, really. i never really made sense of pebbles side of the deal, like i knew what was going on with him and i felt bad, but it never really hit me how horrible things were for him. it all just felt so... tragic, yknow? that things ended up the way they did for the two of them.

exploring their superstructures was an experience. i originally planned to go to pebbles through shaded citadel after visiting moon on my first playthrough, but plans changed when i considered dealing with memory crypts, and the leg, AND underhang with my cycle limit (i had already sort of guessed that riv was after monks point in the timeline, but i didn't know that those areas got worse for riv so i was just thinking in terms of vanilla) so i went through the wall.

I kinda wish I saw at least memory crypts, but thats ok because the low gravity in the normally zero-gravity access shaft, plus the proto dll at the end, told me everything I needed to know before facing Pebbles chamber. Floating through his decayed structures... it hurt. I remember my first encounter with him in vanilla felt just a word away from being downright incomprehensible. he really came off as some god I couldn't percieve. but now, seeing the walls corroded by nothing but Rot, only small parts I actually recognized just barely peeking out amongst the decay, I just couldn't look. I felt like... like my arteries were clogged just by seeing his condition. Hearing him listen to Halcyon Memories, a favorite (previously) unused track of mine created a special kind of somber that I will Never re-experience.

Then, Moon's structure. This one is special. I got suuuper lost in here, but im glad I did. Up until a certain point, I had been taking the scenery in with a kind of reverence you would have while walking around a graveyard. I wandered for a few cycles, and at some point, Random Fate started playing. I didn't recognize the bass line yet, but when I had stumbled into what I immediately recognized as Moon's Memory Conflux, the Sundown melody kicked in.

Recognizing both things at once, I got all... like, choked up. Like... I'm finally helping Moon!  But... what about Pebbles? Why can't I help him? ...And like, I knew why; he brought this fate upon them both. But that didn't make it hurt any less. He asked me to do the only thing he wanted: to give all he had to redeem what he did. So in the end, this was all I could do to help him; in the same way that this was all Pebbles could do to make up for what he did to Moon.

Don't get me started on the ending. Seeing Moon restored to even a fraction of what once was had me so happy! It was exhilarating to say the least. But I was tearing up on the edge of my seat when she reached out to Pebbles. Watching the messages roll in slowly, seeing what she had to say, all the while praying that Pebbles could hear her.

Seeing Moon call herself Pebbles big sister is what broke the dam. From what I saw back in the day, people usually skirted that title of hers when it came to Pebbles, or never really acknowledged it. Even I did, for some time. But it never made sense to do that! Moon and Pebbles would never feel such anger, betrayal, or regret over everything that had happened if they weren't very close. I found it very important that that's who Moon was to him. Not just a great friend, but a big sister. I'm so glad the MSCteam felt that was important as well.

Speaking of which, seeing the names of community members and fans that I recognized in the credits got me sobbing again when I thought I was done. This expansion was a loveletter to the game from the fans, brought in officially by the actual developers. The Rivulet campaign especially enforced that feeling of love for the game- by having compassion for the tragedy two iterators and finally helping them reconcile.

I finally felt satisfied, not only because I was able to help Moon- but because I had also realized the tragic life that Pebbles had led. Those two things had never really left my mind.

anyways WOOOOO that was a lot of rambling. hope you enjoyed......