#see how i took a second to hone in on the fact that he never felt welcomed in this world but angel made him feel like one day he could

[sourtaste]

   ✽   ˖*    𓂃     frigid   winds   roaring   outdoors   nip   incessantly   at   any   sliver   of   skin   it   can   find   leaving   a   crimson   tincture   in   its   wake.   he   sits   perched   upon   granite   steps   unmoving   as   if   one   were   a   gargoyle   ornately   carved   into   gothic   architecture,   feline   -   like   hues   observe   last   throng   of   individuals   whose   names   adorned   strictly   upheld   guest   list   disappear   into   bright   yellow   taxis   and   luxury   vehicles   driven   by   personal   chauffeurs.   the   way   in   which   presence   is   disregarded   for   chatter   amongst   peers   about   market   stocks   or   impromptu   trips   to   sicily   does   not   go   unnoticed.   in   fact,   events   that   transpired   in   convention   center   proved   he   had   no   place   in   this   world   of   wealth,   splendor,   and   influence.   to   all   who   resided   within   it,   he   would   remain   an   outsider   —   a   trespasser   who   got   his   place   at   the   table   due   to   ambiguous   familial   connections   with   one   of   the   prosperous   names   in   new   york   city.   flutter   of   peach   in   his   peripheral   makes   his   head   turn,   though   he   wishes   he   ignored   newcomer   the   second   their   eyes   briefly   meet   before   returning   to   prior   position.   ❛   what   are   you   doing   out    here   ?   ❜   inquiry   hot,   nearly   scolding,   on   his   tongue   as   it   drifts   into   the   chilled   atmosphere.   he   doesn't   truly   wish   to   know   the   reasoning   behind   counterpart's   arrival,   but   one   has   hope   bubbling   somewhere   in   depths   of   chest   curtness   serves   as   a   warning.   a   flashing   sign   discouraging   other   from   continuing   approach.   ❛   you   should   go   back   inside.   ❜ @achingblushes

[cherryredstars]

OH MY GOD REQUESTS ARE OPEN💃🏾💃🏾

gosh cherry i love you and your blog sm it makes my day😭

could i please have a college or highschool au where reader studies subjects like social science and business and literature and he does stem subjects and he at first has like a superiority complex, he doesn’t intend to, but he can’t help it, until he sees the reader like talk about social issues or how she can remember 17 step procedures and shit and he’s like…wow. maybe they can be together and he sees her pretend to teach people to learn and he’s learning stuff from her and it’s wholesome asf

god i don’t know i’m sorry im rambling😭😭 you don’t have to ofc but thank you anyway

and again, love you!!

Thank you, love!!!

He's the smartest person he knows.

It's not narcissistic if it's a fact. He's the top of his major program, already has offers for Ph.D programs nationwide mailed to his door. He's sure to get into any genetics department he wants for grad school. He's the star of the industry-path students. He's just that good, and what's the harm in taking pride in your accomplishments?

But he's never met someone like you before.

Usually he wouldn't care for people like you, with their abstract liberal art degrees in nonsense majors that'll just collect dust in a box in an attic somewhere. But there is something so enduring about you, about everything you do. The way you just know what people are thinking based on the twitch of their fingers and why they think it. The way you're so open to everything in a way that would make his lab buddies laugh with their one-way minds. It amazes him, the way your view is so wide in a way that something like genetics or STEM can't comprehend. In a way they don't allow. There is something so breath-taking about the way your mind has this endless freedom that he can't even grasp. Like a kaleidoscope of colors that are simultaneously beautiful and overwhelming to the senses. Something his factual mind craves.

The first time he had seen you, he was in the library. It isn't a place he would usually go to, but he had to collect some textbooks for his professor in the storage closet. He had gotten in a bit of trouble that day for taking so long, but how could he resist when he had heard the sweet cadence of your voice through the open door of a mini-lecture room. Very few students were in the room, it looked like a side presentation; one of those assignments that forced students to present their ideas on a topic to a group of people to try to captivate them into agreeing with your findings. There was a sort of fiery passion in the way you spoke, a hardened steel in your eyes that showed your resistance to back down. It was... enchanting, siren-like. So much so that he had been forced to sit in one of the empty seats in the back of the room, eyes stuck on you as you paced the front of class and rebutted comments from your peers.

He had no idea what you were talking about, but it still had that overwhelming effect on him. One that had him pressing the surface of his stomach against the hard edge of the lecture tables, his senses honing in to hear every last syllable that departed from your lips. There was this dream-like quality to you, something that consumed the mind and made them listen. A sort of intelligence that he would never know or understand. One that he would spend hours trying to learn if you were the one explaining it. He can't remember how long it took for him to start breathing again when your eyes scanned the room and locked onto him, clear confusion on your face at the random presence of college's most-awarded student. He could feel his heart bursting against his ribs, mouth parting slightly from the honor to be the center of your attention for even a few seconds before you looked away and carried on.

Suddenly, he didn't feel like the smartest person in the world. Not when you left him absolutely stupefied.

[mistyresolve]

| Getting Nowhere - Keegan Russ X Reader

Word Count - 1.1k

Summary - You are trying to hone in on your interrogation skills but Keegan Russ refuses to take it seriously. That is until you decide to make it all too real.

Tags/Warnings - Fake interrogation, flirting, Implied sexual content, slightly spicy, dominate/sub relationship???

A/N - Oh, to get a chance to put handcuffs on this man :(

Masterlist  ❤︎  

You leaned back in your chair, trying to conceal your smile from him, “Is this how things are going to go?” You ask, giving Keegan a faux annoyed look. 

His eyes twinkled and you were sure there was one of his sly smiles underneath his mask. He shrugged a shoulder, the chains on his handcuffs rattling against the table. The singular light hanging above you hummed, the sound adding to the ambiance of the fake interrogation. 

“You don’t want to talk to me? Do you want me to ask someone else to come and question you?” you asked, sitting forward in your chair and slowly standing up, “I can’t promise they’ll be as nice as me though.” 

“Oh, I could talk to you all night,” he cooed, laying his charm on thick. He was still seated and had to crane his neck to look up at you. Very seldom was he the one looking up at someone, but he had no issues with it when it was you. He lifted the handcuffs, tugging at them when the chain connected to the table stopped him from going anywhere, “Usually, I’m not the one wearing the cuffs,” he admitted, “I’m not used to it.” 

You could look at his statement one of two ways. The first being the fact that he was usually the one interrogating. The second being how a few weeks ago he had your hands handcuffed above your head in his bed. 

You kicked his shin underneath the table. You were alone in the room but there were still people listening on the other side of the glass. Evaluating you, you might add. When you walked into this room an hour ago you had to force down the annoyed groan at the sight of him. Your squad mates must have thought it was so funny to have Keegan as your hostage for interrogation training. 

You took a quick note on the computer in front of you, “Chatterbox,” you said aloud as you typed it in.    

“Never been called that before,” he leaned back into his seat, his legs splaying out to accommodate his large frame. 

“Hard to believe,” you quipped as you settled him with a glare, “Now, will you cooperate?” 

“What do I get out of it?” his head cocks to the side, his voice suddenly serious.

“Well, what do you want? I’m sure if it’s reasonable we’ll be able to give it to you,” You narrowed your eyes at him, warning in your eyes for him to behave himself. 

He clicked his tongue, “Nothing I want from them,” his eyes raked down your front, and his voice dropped so low that there was no possibility your spectators would hear him, “You on the other hand.” 

You were so damn lucky this was a mock test. Mostly because you knew there was no way you were getting this man to talk, “You’re going to get me in trouble,” you hissed across the table at him.

His bright eyes widened for a split second before he rolled them, “Doesn’t sound like that’s a ‘me’ problem.”  

Two could play this game, “I can make it one.” 

Confusion flashed across his eyes, and you could practically see the gears in his head turning as he tried to decipher your words. He came to his conclusion when you unzipped the top portion of your black tactical shirt, exposing enough skin that he could see the marks he placed there just last night. You watched as his pupils dilated at the sight of his claim on you. 

“I’m quite sure that there are things that I have and that you want” you declared, already knowing the answer. 

He remained silent, his attention wholly on you. His chest rose and fell slowly, “This isn’t going to work,” he deadpanned, all his bravado and taunting dissipating. 

“Do you know why it’s common for somebody to blindfold their captives?” you press on, revelling in this power dynamic, “Because it disorientates them. Forces their brain to make up for its loss of sight with other senses. Like sounds and touch-” you froze at the look in his eyes. 

He liked being in control, especially when it came to you. He liked it when he had you begging on your knees for him, and when you pleaded for him with teary eyes. He wasn’t sure he liked it when it was you who had a leash on him like this. 

And the look in his eyes right now told you that the moment you got out of here and somewhere decently more private he was going to make sure you still knew he was the one calling the shots. 

There was a moment of silence before he said, “Cargo is headed to the east port with a twenty-car caravan.” 

Your mouth fell open. You looked to the one-sided window and waited for a voice to come over the intercom. 

“Uhh, this completes today’s training,” they said, confirming that that was the correct pre-established phrase you were meaning to get out of him. You turned back to Keegan, your blood pressure rising. 

How dare he fuck with your training to prove a point. 

You stood up from your chair with so much force that it clanked to the ground behind you. You didn’t bother helping him with the handcuffs, instead, you left him there for someone else to let free for two reasons. 

The first being that he was going to hunt you down for the rest of the day to put you back in your place. And the second is because you were legitimately upset with him for messing with your training. 

You decided to take a shortcut through one of the back hallways. You were just about to turn around when you heard quick footsteps behind you but you were already being pushed into one of the corridors leading towards the storage rooms. His hand placed a hand over your mouth to keep you from screaming as his body pressed yours against the wall. He had pinned your hands behind your back. 

He was at your back so you couldn’t see who it was, but that didn’t matter, you knew 

who it was just from how his body felt against yours. 

“Since when did you get to bold?” he hissed into your ear with enough chill that you shivered. He kicked apart your legs and pressed a knee up between your legs to make sure you didn’t try and close them. 

You pulled your mouth out from his hand and seethed “You made it so obvious you’re in my bed.” 

His knee pushed up between your legs, “Don’t get it twisted, Sweetheart,” he moved his hand to entangle it into your hair, “You’re the one in my bed.”   

[neonscandal]

I read this from twitter, can I ask your thoughts, Neon? Somehow I felt like there is something wrong in here (this post) :

"Even if Geto was never able to learn RCT or Domain Expansion, at the end of Shibuya we saw how Kenjaku had a better understanding of Curse Manipulation than Geto ever did even after 20+ years of using his technique which indicates that Geto stopped trying to hone his technique.

We're constantly shown through the actions of current players how in retrospect other characters made the wrong decisions when they chose the easier path instead of facing their hardships head on and trying to become stronger themselves.

Geto chose to be the strongest among the weakest instead of trying to keep up the strongest which is another betrayal to Gojo. Gojo says this to Megumi because from his POV, he doesn't feel like he abandoned Geto but Geto abandoned him by not striving to get stronger as well."

Dusting off the haters ✨

Baby girl keeps catching so many strays.

This read is kind of interesting in calling Geto the strongest among the weakest which.. I actually kind of like but that's another point.

I don't know what OP is specifying as far as what Gojo says to Megumi to say Geto betrayed him, I don't recall anything that would make sense to have extrapolated that but we'll put that on the backburner for a minute.

We'll go point by point. In universe, not everyone has the ability to learn RCT or Domain Expansion so let's start there. Mind you, a Black Flash, which is a lot more attainable, is still not a feat that everyone is able to accomplish offhandedly. Nanami, a Grade 1 sorcerer, knew his 4 in one go was a feat. In fact, when Gojo took Yuji under his tutelage, he basically explained that, jujutsu power graduation system be damned, you're born as strong as you're going to be with the exception of the bit of power that is refined/honed. So, for most sorcerers entering into Jujutsu High, they're already at like 90% of their potential. Shoko's cursed technique is her ability to manipulate RCT just like Nitta's brother. It's not like you see either of them offensively applying any cursed energy. The offensive fighters you see who have mastered RCT as a cute, little add on bonus are those who are special grade and with an infinite or godly amount of cursed energy (Gojo, Yuki, Sukuna, Yuta who can copy techniques, etc.). Geto's CT involves eating curses to subjugate them. Subsequently, I'm not sure how much of that translates into actual cursed energy he can manipulate.

The humor of this understanding is the fact that Gojo says this knowing that he unlocked like... a great deal of his own potential and shattered the glass ceiling of his power. This is echoed in Yuji's power ups throughout the story which is also considered anomalous.

Cursed techniques are passed from generation to generation. Of course Kenjaku had a better understanding of Curse Manipulation than some yokel who was born to non-sorcerers?? Kenjaku has lived for hundreds of years. If you've been in jujutsu society for a bit, you have more of a flair for deciphering other peoples' techniques.

Good Will Event - Kyoto sorcerers try to keep their techniques somewhat of a secret. Even those who don't have an inherited technique have something to lose when someone gets wind of what exactly they're dealing with

Toji vs Gojo - There was so much lore about Six Eyes and Limitless that Toji was able to craft a trap around what he knew to wear Gojo down. Over time, word tends to get out about the limits of famed familial techniques. Gojo says, during his second fight with Toji, that there's somewhat of a manual when you inherit a technique but even Purple Hollow hadn't been something that a lot of people knew about.

Megumi in Shibuya - As a reader, we actually watch as Megumi works to determine what cursed technique or the conditions of a person's CT are as he's fighting them to figure out how to best them.

The advantage of simply knowing is shown repeatedly. But if we couple it with the assumption that you're already as strong as you're going to get... why would Geto question it? He's the genius of hard work but even he knew he and Gojo weren't on the same scale of strength just because they were The Strongest.

Now we get to the strongest of the weakest comment which I love because... isn't it just so? Geto, born of non-sorcerers carries the burden of protecting the defenseless to give meaning to his suffering. Kinda makes him seem a little more egocentric than we'd have previously given him credit for, right? When we consider this idea of being the "strongest of the weakest", it puts me in the mind of a few things:

The level of Geto's strength suited his purposes just fine. Geto simply wished to protect. In being able to do so, why would he strive for more? He had no grand design for the power bestowed upon him. Gojo was actually driven to be the strongest, excited by any opportunity to go all out when it arises. Gojo is strong for his own satisfaction. As such, I see where there would be a divergence in motivation and, subsequently, dedication. Geto was just happy being at Gojo's side as The Strongest duo.

A lot of people assume Gojo has a god complex (tbh this link also supports why Gojo is the way he is in general as to my first point). But this spin makes it seem like Geto is more god complex leaning (not completely, relax). After the humbling against Toji, Geto develops a full blown martyr complex before his brain chemistry and ideals radically change. But it's only possible because he views his power as a burden because of its unpleasantness in its practice but also the responsibility for others it subsequently damns him to (search "herd" to get to the point).

There are countless references to Buddhism in JJK, obviously. I'm not a practicing Christian but this idea very much puts me in the mind of Jesus, born of man, scorned by and sacrificed for man. Just another interesting perspective as to how doomed Geto was by the cage of his own morals.

Following Riko's death, Geto does stagnate. In his grief, his survivor's guilt, his PTSD. We see Gojo soaring to new heights with his cursed technique because he can. I'm not sure Geto ever had the capacity given my first few points. Just because he's a special grade does not actually make him on par with the likes of Gojo or Yuta. Obviously, he mastered Maximum Uzumaki, his finishing technique, he used it against Yuta.

The big difference between Kenjaku's competence and Geto's competence with Geto's technique is that Kenjaku was able to subjugate Mahito and co-opt Mahito's technique which I'm not sure Geto had done previously (re: utilize the cursed technique of a curse he'd imbibed). But that begs the question over whether that ability was something Geto could do with his technique or whether that was actually a benefit of Kenjaku's ability to body hop and take over other sorcerers' techniques. Even the Domain Expansion that we see Kenjaku perform later, avoiding spoilers, is not Geto's just because it was performed in Geto's body. It was Kenjaku's own Domain Expansion.

Gojo was very obviously hurt by Geto's defection. Namely because of what he lost, what he could not understand, and Geto's parting words. But I don't think, at any point, he ever felt betrayed by Geto. Least of all by his inability to keep up with him, per se. Why else would he call him, in present tense, his "best friend, his one and only" ten years after his defection? After considering OP's comment further, I assume they are referencing the deal that was made when Gojo goes to collect Megumi.

.... Is that a look of betrayal or a look of regret? Seems more like the latter, to me. In his heart of hearts, I don't think Gojo could bring himself to blame Geto. As far as Gojo was concerned, Geto was in the right more often than he was in the wrong. He was his moral compass, someone whose opinion he valued, someone he could confidently rely on. I think Gojo was more inclined to believe that he failed Geto, if anything. Geto left him questioning himself, as we see in the exchange with Yaga, but it also led him to the fact that it is not enough to simply be strong.

[brinxxxx]

A Bang Chan FF (content warning 18+!!) (smut)

Whipped For You:

Chapter 2: Is It Hot In Here?

Author POV:

You are a flustered mess seeing the email. "Oh mt god this was a set up. I knew it. He's gonna tell me it isn't working out. I'm bad at my job. Oh my god im going to have to find s new job! Oh my god of my god"

The thought running through your head not releasing you  have left your seat and before you know it your at Mr Bang's office. You knock lightly. "A yess Y/N. Please, come in" your heart skips a beat hearing him call your name. It dances in your ears. The thought was cut off quickly when he replied to himself "please miss Y/N. Don't make me beg..."

God he was getting you all flustered in two ways. You can't say no to him because one he's your boss but you also know you want to submit to him as well. Not something you would admit to him but anything he asks you'd do it in a heart beat. Chan knows this fine too well by now.

You open the door trying to keep a cool straight face whilst he again lightly unbuttoned shirt, sleeves rolled up and crosses legs on his chair. "Sorry to bother you princess. I just had to ask where is it you like to eat for tonight? Oh also have lunch with me I was going to have lunch with Mr Lee Know and Mr Felix but they're meetings are over running. Please sit. I've ordered food for us."

You immediately sit down crossing your legs tight making sure your skirt doesn't show off anything. Unless he asks you keep your legs close together as possible. Why would he ask? You're not sure but you know you'd do it for him. 

"So Mr Bang...I'm not in trouble...?"

"Now why would you be in trouble princess? You're our hardest worker and the most friendliest out of my bunch. Did I make you think you were in trouble..."

"No!no I'm so sorry Mr Bang, just my anxiety makes me think I've done something wrong. I thought I slipped up"

"Oh no babygirl you're doing just fine"

There he said it again. You subconsciously tighten your thighs again. You lips lightly part to pant at the fact he has called you this for a second time today. What. Is. Going. On.

"If we are in my office. Please call me Chan don't need to be so formal around da..."

"Okay Chan..."

You cut him off. FUCK. You've never done that before but your nerves were getting the better of you. "I'm so sorry Mr Bang"

He leans forward closer to your face "I told you call me Chan. Don't be naughty to me"

Jesus Christ it's getting hot in here. Or is it Bang Chan?

You submissively nod to him, you're thighs gripping on for dear life. You look at you're legs realising what is going on. Your panties slightly wetting at the thought of it all. Why is this tension so raw and needy. You try and forget about it.

Mr Bang leaves his chair and walks up beside you. He leans down to ear level with you and whispers "listen babygirl. You've worked so hard. You need to take a break. Relax a bit. Lunch is just coming. Have lunch with me I haven't really gotten to know you on a personal level. Let's do that over lunch...shall we."

Your legs still tightly crossed you nod to his request. "So tell me babygirl. What's going on? How's life? B don't feel too pressured if there is things you don't want to talk about it's okay it's not my business. I just want to get to know you better babygirl"

He needs to stop calling you that you thought. You LOVE it but you're struggling to hold back all the urges you have for him. To get that sweet release that's building up in between you legs. He knows what he is doing. That smirk is plastered all over his face. What is he thinking....?

*rewind to this morning*

BangChan POV:

Ah. 25th of March 2023. It's a big day in our company. It's when we took off. However. That day I saw my boss Mr JYP bring in this small very timid girl I remember it well. He said "everyone. This I miss Y/N. She is the first employee to your company. Treat her well!"

That day wasn't much doing it was more showing around see what they would be getting up to. If I'm honest that day I couldn't get her out of my head. How beautiful she was, how innocent she looked, how pretty she would look underneath me with hand has her pretty necklace.

Shit. No. Ignore the intrusive thoughts. Nope. I have "lovely" fiancé. I cannot let this girl get the better of me. The better of my urges. You see I'm in an arranged marriage. It's been three years since I proposed and I keep delaying the wedding...I don't want to marry for company, for money. I want to marry out of love.

It's shit. The contract states if I fall in lover before we are legally bonded we cannot continue the marriage. So I have been holding out for love. The closest thing I ever had was a fling a couple of years ago. But now all I have is her. She isn't the best. She's rude,highly opinionated, very demanding, she strings you along. Not very intimate. She just isn't my cup of tea.

Do you know who is? Y/N. I've been admiring her for so long it's getting beyond pathetic. Now. Todays the day of her anniversary so I really wanted to make it special. I mean yeah it's also the companies anniversary but I'm making it all about Y/N. She deserves it. She's been through a hard time and she's making herself a better future. I'm so so proud of her.

Yeah even after 5 years working her way up to now my floor. I've always watched her from afar, she's such a hard stoked and nothing doesn't get unnoticed. The guys agree. She's done above and beyond her work load every day. So today we agreed to take her out to dinner.

I wanted to spend alone time with her. Get to know her.I lied about the lunch Lee know and Felix yeah we're busy but I didn't ask to meet them for lunch. I also have been testing the waters. I wanna see what type of girl she really is and how far I can test her.

I call her babygirl a lot and it seems to be her favourite thing. Watching her thighs tighten up when I cal her that. She even cut me off before I even said the word "Daddy". It drove me insane watching her getting flustered. She's so hot. I made sure today to look as appealing as possible to her. Tight suit trousers, whit shirt loosely tucked and little unbuttoned and rolled sleeves.

I had my brown curly hair slightly pushed back and had glasses on. When she walked in this morning she licked her lips looking me up and down. I think I'm slowly getting under her skin. Im enjoying very minute of it. However I am a very respectful man. I will only tiptoe at ideas and see how she reacts then I'll knowing I've gone too far without being awful and rude.

I can't stop imagining ripping her clothes right here right now in my office. Just to devour her so innocent and pure. She seems like she's be a good sub. Fuck sake I want her.

[nicolewoo]

Super Earth Part 3 Liftoff

Pairing: Roman Reigns X Reader

Warnings: None

I opened the door, and the cameras went wild. I waived shyly as I took my seat next to Jamie.  Roman’s seat was on the other end of the table. The crowd of press settled down quickly.

“Sorry to be late. I was handling last minute details.”

“Everything ok?” My boss asked.

I smiled, “Just checking the pollen counts of his samples.” I replied.

“Captain Y/N?” The reporters clamored for my attention.

I chose Leslie first. She had done great coverage of our last mission, “Captain, this is your third mission?” I nodded yes. “And the longest too. It’s well known that you asked for this mission.”

I interrupted “asked…. Begged…. Bribed….” The audience laughed.

“Why this particular mission?” Great question Leslie. She knew I could easily answer it.

I exhaled as I sat up a little. “Our planet is wounded. We are too populated, too polluted. Colonies like the one on Super Earth can be our saving grace. Think of it, an entire planet larger than our own where humanity can expand and ease our burden on Earth. The Super Earth colonists, headed by amazing scientists like this group” I motioned to the group we were taking “have learned to make electricity from the tides of the ocean.”

Jamie added, “it’s not perfected yet.”

I nodded to her. “Right, but here’s my point. The colony was built with zero damage to Super Earth. Zero. We have sworn not to ruin Super Earth by poluting there. The colonists had to learn to work with the planet instead of against it. Imagine what we can do to heal our own planet once these technologies are perfected. Getting scientists to the planet is essential. I want to do my part.”

Jamie jumped in before the press could ask a question. “Plus, we” she motioned to indicate her and me “get a three month vacation on the planet.” She leaned back in her chair as the crowd laughed.

“Yeah well,” Dr. Rhea Ripley, one of three scientists from Australia, said as she leaned back the same way Jamie did “I get a 9 month vacation while you two drive.” The crowd laughed.

Dr. Reigns’ low voice filled the room “Speak for yourself! I’ve got plants to tend to! A botanist’s job is never done.” The press loved the banter.

“In truth,” I started, “These scientists will be doing experiments the whole way. In fact, I’ve seen their schedules. It’s pretty booked.”

Roman answered “and on top of that, Captain YLN has just agreed to teach me how to fly the ship!” He’d thrown me for a loop, but I recovered my composure quickly.

“See? They’ll be busy.” I said. More laughter.

“So what WILL you do on your three month vacation Captain?” A reporter asked.

“I plan on learning about the planet and all the work being done there. But if I get the time, I was hoping to hone my chess skills.”

The innocuous answer barely registered with the press. They immediately asked Jamie the same question. She joked about getting a tan on the ocean planet, but I couldn’t listen, because I could feel Roman’s stare boring into me. The answer wasn’t innocuous to him. He understood my message, and when I allowed myself to look over at him for a second, I found him smiling.

————————————————————

Jamie hit the intercom button and motioned me to start. “Crew, passengers, we are getting ready to take off. For those of you who haven’t done this before, remember to tighten your seatbelt, turn your seat toward the cockpit and take deep breaths. If you get nauseous, close your eyes and try to relax.”

The radio clicked “Explorer, are you ready for takeoff?” Jamie answered the base.

“If you get too sick, there’s a container right by your left hand. Use it and close it. Remember we will not have gravity for this part of our trip, so if you don’t cover it, you might end up with some on you.”

“Explorer, We are ready to count on your mark.” The radio crackled again.

“Just a reminder, this is my third mission, and I haven’t lost anyone yet.” I joked through the intercom. “Just listen to me, and I’ll get you through this. We’re going to start our count down now.”

I nodded at Jamie and she answered again. “Base, we are ready. Start the count.”

We fired up the engines.

10. I checked my own seatbelt and nodded to Jamie.

9. “Let’s do this.” She said.

8 We were preparing for liftoff, checking dials, levels, buttons, all last minute checks.

7  My brain was doing continuous checks on the ships systems.

6 Roman was back there. Was he scared? Will he get sick?

5 I had to be perfect on this mission. I had to keep him safe.

4 I had a whole ship of people to keep safe. 40 total.

3 The silence in the cockpit was broken now by only the sound of the engines.

2 “Let’s do this!” Jamie said.

1 “Here we go.” I said over the intercom

———————————————

“Doctor Thorp, how are our passengers?” I asked. Thorp was our doctor. We’d worked together on two missions and were friends.

Thorp’s response was fast, “Only two pukers and 4 passed out.”

“Pretty good.” I joked back. “Everyone recovered?”

“Yup. They’re up and moving and brushing their teeth.” He laughed.

I unbuckled myself, getting out of my seat and stretching. Jamie did the same. “Who do you think puked?” she asked.

Mentally, I ran through our passenger list. “The scientist from Norway.” I guessed and she agreed. “And….. Canada… that Zayne guy.”

“No way! She laughed. It’s the German guy….. GUNTAR!!!” She overly pronounced it like he did. “It’s always the big guys.”

Checking the ship’s controls I chortled, “Wanna put $20 on it?” She shook my hand to seal the bet.

 “Who do you think passed out? Not that hottie from the US!” Her devious smile said more than her words.

I had to hide my face, before she realized I was hiding something. I busied myself looking at the communications panel. “Dr. Reigns? Nah, he’s one of those guys that never loses control.” I mused.

“I gotta say, I’m glad he’s on this trip. Great eye candy.” She fanned herself with her clipboard indicating he was hot. If she only knew…. Those muscles. That tattoo…. His Adonnis Belt……………..

I took a deep breath and tried to calm my body, but it didn’t comply. “He’s definitely handsome” I replied casually, and she must have believed the act, because she changed the subject.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you. I did manage to get a copy of that TV show you wanted…. The Tudors?” She said. “Wanna watch some tonight?”

I needed a quick distraction, “Don’t think I can. I need to meet with Dr. Zayne about his experiment.” I tried to sound casual.

Jamie looked at me, cocking her head to the side. “What’s going on?” She didn’t believe me. “What is your interest in all these scientists?” She didn’t suspect it was Reigns…. She thought something was going on with all the scientists.

Giving her the completed checklist, I looked directly at her. “Nothing…. Just….” I hesitated, trying to think what to say. Suddenly, I had an idea. “It’s top secret.”

She was shocked. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.”

That lie bought me some time.

————————————-

My phone beeped, and I opened it to find Roman’s stunning face smiling at me. “Hey, you alone?”

I nodded. “Yes, but what would have done if I’d said no?”

He laughed, “I was going to pretend some of my research was top secret, and you had clearance.”

“Thinking on your feet Dr. Reigns? Well done!” I smiled at him.

“I think it’s a little late to be calling me Dr. Reigns” he laughed. “Just call me Roman.”

“Agreed.” I answered, “and you can call me Captain YLN” I teased.

He rolled his eyes at me. “Can I come see you tonight?”

“No.” I answered quickly. “We have to be more careful than that. Why don’t we meet in your lab?”

“That’s pretty public!” He protested.

I laughed. “Just trust me, please.”

He laughed. “Ok. My lab. 10 minutes?”

__________________________________________________________________________________

@mindofasagitarius @lclb13 @serenityfiretrash @lustyromantic @reigns-5sos @bigpsychicbagelauthor @omg-im-such-a-masochist @marlananicole @wickedsunfire @starwithaheart @spookys-girl @pitlissa22 @snowpanda18 @thesamoanqueen @sassginaswanmills

[dailycharacteroption]

Deity Drop 5: Aroggus

With today’s entry, this week’s special continues to be about the lawful evil side, but unlike yesterday this one does not seem to be any reference to any real-world mythology as far as I can tell.

Today, we are looking at our first velstrac demagogue, in fact, today’s subject is in fact the first of the demagogues, and is also the first velstrac period!

Originally called Kyton Demagogues before Paizo renamed kytons to velstracs for legal reasons and retconned kyton to a misnomer meaning “grand master”, demagogues are powerful demigods among their kind, truly worthy of the title of “kyton”

Aroggus, along with all velstracs that came after, were originally from Hell, but left it when Asmodeus and his devils colonized the plane, immigrating to the Plane of Shadow where they could hone their pursuit of blood-drenched perfection in relative peace.

According to velstrac lore, Aroggus was born from the depraved thoughts of mortals long before Asmodeus ever set foot in Hell, and when the gods realized his power, they bound him in chains and left him to rot. Eventually he tore free, but was bound again. The next time he broke free, he accepted his chains as part of himself, making them his own, unable to be bound by them again. He then created his lesser kin from the very flesh of Hell itself, and when the Asura Rana Geryon betrayed his own kin for Asmodeus, Aroggus took his kin with him into the shadows rather than be subjugated by the ruler of devils (with a little help from Doloras, one of the Queens of Night). There in the shadows, he shed his physical form to become one with the abbey fortress he built.

All of these events taught Aroggus lessons which have become central to the worldview of all velstracs, that pain is a reward, willpower makes one strong, and that perfection must be forced upon those that lack the understanding to chase it willingly. You can probably see how they became the sadistic monsters they are today.

Aroggus long ago shed his physical form to become one with his realm, the Abbey of Nevers. However, he can inhabit a suit of armor as a shadowy mass when he needs to leave for whatever reason, wielding his mighty warhammer that he took with him in the exodus from Hell.

The Abbey of Nevers itself was a shadowy parody of a temple with an ever-shifting interior that Aroggus created to hide his people from devilkind. While most velstracs have left now that they no longer fear devils, some remain, as does Aroggus, having transcended his material form to become the Abbey itself, always being a safe place that the velstracs can return to. There, he broods and plans his revenge against Asmodeus, Geryon, and all devilkind.

With his focus on revenge, the Abbey Maker attracts faithful that are consumed with thoughts of revenge to the point of being willing to use any tactic no matter how depraved. He offers protection to those seeking such revenge, giving them time to plan and plot until they are ready to enact their vengeance. As such, the only long-term cults of Aroggus are composed of member whose revenge has no clear defined goal or is targeted against entire demographics.

As the first velstrac, Aroggus hates Asmodeus and Geryon in particular, though her perhaps may have mixed feelings towards Doloras. Meanwhile, he likely holds disdain towards more chaotic gods, and malicious indifference towards goodly gods.

Futhermore, as the first of his kind, the Abbey Maker can command the loyalty of nearly every velstrac, and at least expect the other demagogues to hear him out when he requires something of them.

Naturally, Aroggus holds sway over the Evil, Law, Protection, and Trickery domains, with the Deception, Defense, Fear, and Tyranny subdomains, all reflecting his role as the father and protector of the velstracs and the cunning planner and ruler of his domain.

Aroggus hasn’t been focused on in Second Edition, so sadly his domains aren’t detailed in that system. More time is required.

As a lesser power, his obedience only grants minor powers. In this case, the devotee must list every person that ever wronged them until the page is full and then consume the page. In return, they gain resistance to magic that compels behavior. Additionally, they gain a handful of spells, namely magic to hide themselves from magical detection, trap foes in magical force, or even imprison a target within the earth.

Aroggus has been mentioned in Starfinder, as his teachings are heavily detailed as part of the Signal of Screams AP. In that era, he acts much as he always has, though his followers benefit from all sorts of technology in their plots to enact revenges reflecting the thousand fantasized revenges that Aroggus indulges in.

[azrisweek]

In honor of our event’s instagram achieving the holy number of followers this afternoon, please enjoy this nsfw Azris snippet involving the theme in question from one of our runner’s (@ofduskanddreams) existing fics 😏 ♋️

[the E-rated snippet below the cut is from What Lies Inside — Chapter 25: “What Do You Want?”]

ERIS

. . .

Eris could already feel how close he was to that edge. He sucked a bruise onto Azriel’s neck in an attempt to distract himself, but the idea of this male wearing his marks for all to see was so damned euphoric that it took all his concentration to keep himself from spilling right then.

He began kissing his way down Azriel’s chest, lazily tracing some of the tattoos with his tongue, nipping, sucking and only stopping his descent when his lips met leather.

“Eris.” It was admonishment, a warning.

“What?” He grinned in satisfaction at the little blooms of indigo scattered like landmarks across Azriel’s sculpted torso. “Is there something you want?”

The male was wild-eyed and flushed, his hips twitching and seeking out contact. He growled in frustration, “Are you going to make me ask?”

This impatience was delightful. “Yes.”

Azriel rolled his eyes. Would he actually do it? There was a split-second where Eris wasn’t sure. But then: “Suck my cock.”

Eris raised an eyebrow, that wasn’t a question but an order.

“If you want me to say ‘please’ it’s not happening.”

He wouldn’t point out that Azriel actually did, in fact, just say ‘please.’ Finally getting a taste of Azriel was a higher priority. Eris hastily untied the laces of Azriel’s leathers. “If making out was all it took to make you polite, I would have been disappointed.”

Azriel’s mouth quirked up at the side. “I am an Illyrian brute, remember? There’s nothing polite about me.”

“Then how convenient for you, little bat, that I’d never want you tamed.”

There it was. Whatever restraint Azriel had snapped. Momentarily blinded by the surge of shadows, Eris couldn’t defend against those hands that grabbed and flipped with the ease of strength. The darkness cleared some just as the glistening head of Azriel’s cock pressed at the seam of his lips. Eris raised his head and looked over his shoulder.

Now completely naked and mostly beneath him, Azriel shot him an arrogant grin. A simple thought had Eris’s clothes vanishing too, and it was his turn to smile as Azriel took in the view of his throbbing cock and heavy balls, the ass he’d honed to perfection through training. Eris kept watching him, even as he started stroking Azriel’s length slowly, waiting to see what he would do.

At the first slide of Azriel’s tongue on him, Eris swore under his breath. Azriel tilted his head, maintaining eye contact as he opened his mouth and enveloped Eris with the wet heat of his mouth, taking him in until the head hit the back of his throat.

“Fuck,” Eris breathed. It was the only word he could access at the moment.

Swirling his tongue around the head, Azriel’s eyes closed as if he was savoring the taste of Eris. That almost had him coming undone again. Eris tore his eyes away, exchanging one erotic sight for another.

Precum shimmered in the firelight at the tip of Azriel’s cock. Like everything else about the Illyrian, his dick was physically impressive, seemingly the beautiful creation of a truly mastered hand.

Eris didn’t waste another second, groaning unabashedly at the first burst of salt on his tongue. Azriel’s ministrations stuttered as Eris took all of him in a relentless glide, only stopping when his nose met trimmed dark hair. Azriel was long; it took more focus than he’d anticipated to hold back the impulse to gag on the intrusion, but the rumble of pleasure it drew from Azriel’s chest was well worth the effort.

Cauldron, how many times had he imagined this? Whatever the number, nothing his mind conjured could have ever compared to the reality of it. Eris took his time, experimenting with pressure and suction, listening carefully for what movements of his tongue and throat caused Azriel to make a noise, muffled as they were around his cock.

When Azriel began to fuck his throat, Eris pulled off and moved, forcing Azriel’s obscenely talented mouth to relinquish him.

. . . click here to continue.

Thanks for 69 instagram followers everyone <3

[countlessrealities]

Kisses under the mistletoe

@mcltiples sent: 💗 : my muse mentions that they want to be kissed under a mistletoe { To AR from E-Rick~ // bc ofc E-Rick would get shy about this sort of thing xD }

Damn, if he had known that this dumb gathering required a dress code, he would have "borrowed" something from his best friend's wardrobe. His usual outfit had him sticking out as a sore thumb in that crowd, where everyone had was sporting a much more formal attire. Even the servers were more dressed up than he was and the fact nagged him a little.

Normally, Rick didn't give a damn about fitting in. Quite the contrary, he took pride in being different, even when surrounded by people who were all versions of him. However, it was also true that his peculiarity turned into an obstacle whenever he was trying not to draw attention as in this case. Even if he had stuck to the corner of the large room, away from where the party was most lively, he had still gotten a few odd glances.

Thankfully, no one had decided to report him, not yet, but he knew that, sooner or later, his luck would have run out and he would have caught the gaze of someone who was petty enough or enough of an elitist to feel offended by his presence. So, he had to hurry up and do what he had come to do, before a bunch of guards came to escort him out.

And perhaps to send him to spend the rest of the night in a cell for trespassing.

Sharp blue eyes scanned the crowd, looking for their target. Finding a specific person when half of the presents were variation of them wasn't an easy task, but AR had honed that particular skill through the years he had spent on the Citadel. Spotting the right Rick in the mass could make the difference between a successful deal and being arrested.

His lips quirked in a small smirk as, eventually, his gaze locked on the guy he was looking for. The one for whose sake he had gone through the trouble of sneaking in to start with. Of course, he could have easily met him elsewhere, but this was more fun.

And, just maybe, the truth was that he really enjoyed facing a challenge when the reward was some time spent with that particular person.

Sliding through the crowd, careful not to draw more attention than it was inevitable, he made his way towards the other, who thankfully was hanging out near one of the refreshment tables, away from most of the other guests. He was in his uniform, which told Rick that he was on duty, but the fact was the opposite of a turn off for him.

Not only he enjoyed the thrill of having their supposedly incompatible choices of career underlined, but his dear Commander looked particularly handsome dressed like that. He had never been too much into uniforms, if ever at all, but he liked how it was a reminder of the power the other man held and the danger he represented.

It made seeing him being turned into a blushing mess by AR's silvertongue more satisfying.

Smirking to himself, the black market dealer slowly but steadily inches closer, until he was stepping behind his alternate, hands lacking around his hips so that he could pull his back flushed against his chest. A dangerous move, considering whom he was dealing with, but he was confident that his touch was familiar enough for the other to stall, instead of instinctively attacking him.

"H-Hello, Commander,~" he breathed out, straight in E-Rick's ear, chasing away every doubt the president's second-in-command might have about his identity. "I-I heard that you were stuck at this boring party an-and I thought to come and cheer you up."

His arms fully slid around his alternate's waist, trapping him in their embrace. Rick took a moment to just enjoy the warmth and the closeness, even allowing himself to close his eyes. It had been a long time since he had felt so at ease around someone who wasn't his best friend. Perhaps it was foolish to allow himself such moments of vulnerability, especially since he knew that he might end up getting burnt, but sometimes he just couldn't help himself. Not with E-Rick.

"Y-You know what would really make this night a fun time?" He went on, also to rid himself of those thoughts.

One of his hands slowly crept up along the other's chest, till it got a gentle but firm hold of his chin. Smirking widely against that neck, AR guided the second-in-command's gaze towards a particular spot of thee ceiling, where a bundle of mistletoe was hanging from one of the arches, near the main entrance.

"I-Indulging in one of those old Earth traditions an-and getting kissed under a mistletoe.~"

[onmyyan]

✨Straight venomous Q&A ✨

Q: Did Roy actually call Tim?

A: So Tim did not get a call from Roy, he made a snap decision to say so when he took in the state Jason was in, his brain is constantly working a mile a minute when it comes to (y/n). Tim’s been pulling the strings behind the scenes so to speak, and he’s observant enough to know how Jason would react to the news about (Y/n). He’s also the reason Dick is on his way to Gotham.

Q: Who is the Symboite in the story?

A: The Symboite in straight Venomous is, well Venom. His personality is based on the two movies and I pulled some comic characteristics to make him mesh better with (Y/n)!

Q: What is Venom’s and (Y/n)’s relationship?

A: Platonic soulmates. At some point in the comics, Eddie and Venom are in looove, and that special love chemical actually keeps Venom fed, while not exactly the same, I figured that kind of strong bond was necessary for the amount of shit I’m about to put (Y/n) through lmao

Q: Does Venom have a favorite Robin? Does he ship her with any of them?

A: Out of everyone he’s encountered Venom’s favorite Robin would have to be Jason, he likes how much he cares for his human, he feels a familiarity as Jason’s been around them the longest, the fact that he could protect (Y/n) if push came to shove is a huge plus in his book, however he still hasn’t officially met Dick so this is subject to change depending on bird boys actions.

Q: What is their relationship to (Y/n)?

A: So Tim, Dick, and Jason are for sure Romantic Yanderes. I’ve been flipping back and forth between platonic yanderes for Damian and Bruce because personally I think it adds to the story but if y’all want them all Romantic I have no problems with it🖤 the dami Bruce centered chapters are still in progress so the relationship is subject to change if y’all want, just holla at ya girl.

Q: What are the characters current thoughts on (Y/n)?

A: Jason has long since gone off the deep end, he associates his peace with her, he knows the two of them are going to be in each other’s lives for as long as he can help it. Utterly enamored, leader and founder of the ‘(Y/n) can do no wrong club.’ Can and will kill for her. Dick feels this unwavering obligation to her. He needs to know she’s okay, he needs to see her be okay, better than okay, he needs to see her thrive, it’s the only fair way for them to be squared. While he doesn’t know exactly what happened to her that night he was running late, he doesn’t need to. In his mind his one act has forced changed her life, it’s only right he makes sure the rest of it is good. He owes her and he won’t stop until that debt is paid. Tim has always had this itch in his brain he couldn’t quite scratch. No matter how many cases he solved or lives he changed for the better, it had never gone away. That is until he met her. The small moment the two shared had been monumental to him. He couldn’t think of a time before than when his brain shut off, honed in on one thing, one person. His mind went quiet around her, in the best possible ways, but at the same time when he wasn’t near her, it’s like the volume had been turned to 11, the static was replaced with her face, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Damian, as hard as he tried, couldn’t escape the beast he’d fought and lost to. Once he found out about you his priorities had slowly but surely shifted. She’d captured his father’s unshakable attention, and he was no better. When he trained now, he trained for her. He planned his steak outs and patrols with her in mind, he lingered outside the shitty apartment where they first met far too often. His thoughts were consumed with the idea of once more meeting in battle, he’d fight much harder this time, because he knew once he had her, he wasn’t letting go, as for the last and probably most dangerous man on this list Bruce was entirely confused and dangerously interested. See in his mind, (Y/n) was under his care the second Dick sent her case. While she herself may think they’ve met only once, Bruce had been lurking in the shadows for days before their official meeting, seeing her go about her day only solidified his thought. You were coming home with him one way or another. He was a man who wanted for little, because nearly anything he wanted he could have at his door with the snap of his fingers. Nearly anything. You were making him work for it, but he didn’t mind oh no, if anything the chase you’d sent him on only fueled his fire. He was so certain in fact, he’d already prepared your rooms, one for the transitional period because what Bruce Wayne wanted, he got.

[doctorofmagic]

Strange #4 review

This is actually the issue I’ve waiting for!!

Since I already post the preview and pointed out pretty much everything, let’s go a bit ahead, with the exception of this panel. It was missing from the website I first used as a source, but I think it’s important to discuss the relationship between Clea and Umar.

As I pointed out just yesterday, Umar isn’t a good mother. In fact, she has never even TRIED to be one. She developed a disgusting feeling towards Orini and by consequence, Clea. The sacrifice she talks about isn’t really out of love. She was forced to keep her human form after getting pregnant, and the experience was traumatizing to her. Besides, Orini was a SIMP, he’d rather follow Umar instead of taking care or even loving Clea. In fact, Clea was raised in a terrible environment, so it’s really beautiful and inspiring of her to seek love as a motivation unlike her entire family, whose utmost driving desire is power.

And the reason Umar paid her a visit is even worse. Let’s get there.

First of all, Clea confesses that she once wished her mother would care for her, be proud of her. But after EONS, it’s understandable that Clea grew past that need. And well, Umar isn’t here only to congratulate her daughter for being the Sorcerer Supreme of both Earth and the Dark Dimension. She thinks Clea schemed her way up to the top.

I know the concept of love is unknown to Umar, but so was it to Clea. And she learned it all the same thanks to Stephen, the literal manifestation of love. And I cannot stress how this is BRILLIANT because it’s always the other way around. It’s always the woman who’s sentimental and teaches love to her partner. And once more you can see how Doctor Strange has always been ahead of his time when breaking sexist standards, especially for a character conceived in the 60s, as well as the supporting roles. Of course, they’re not perfect, they do have problematic things, but when it comes to equality, he stands out in the hero community.

Now, back to the chapter. Here Clea tells Umar that the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme is actually a burden. And guess who talked about this before? Yep, that’s me. Also more evidences to prove my point.

From Strange Tales #127 and What If Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme?

And finally Umar opens her heart.

I mean, yes. She strongly believed Clea achieved great things by conquering power, but no one saw what Clea truly went through and sacrificed to get there. That includes the decades she spent in the Dark Dimension being the leader of the rebellion against Dormammu, that one time she almost died to Imperator’s army, the horrors Dormammu put her through when she betrayed him for Stephen, the banishment to an alien dimension, the loneliness and pain, the self-doubt she struggled with when she only had Stephen, and even the many times she fought her own mother for the crown - or merely survival.

Clea’s life has been mostly a story of violence and loneliness, and it only changed when Stephen took her in. She found love, she made friendships (Val and Patsy, for starters), she honed her magic skills, and none of it was thanks to her family.

Maybe they can learn how to connect, but it will demand A LOT from Umar.

Unfortunately, their conversation was interrupted by the Blasphemy Cartel. I really loved this panel because it portrays the similarities between Clea and Umar. They are different, but also they’re mother and daughter. Some things are not avoidable haha.

From Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme #23.

The cartel unleashes a new revenant on them, in the shape of Moon Knight’s dead brother, Randall. Clea then tells Umar to deal with the cartel, taking the expression “slay, queen!” a little too literal.

In the meantime, and here’s my second favorite part of the chapter, we FINALLY, FINALLY see Clea’s magic skill at its peak. First, she casts the Images of Ikonn, one of the most important spells in Stephen's inventory!!

Then she summons the demon she captured in the last issues, only enough to buy her time and CREATE A NEW SPELL.

I cannot, CANNOT STRESS how this is breathtaking - and yes, I’m going full fanmode because magic is such a fantastic concept in the marvel universe!!

Clea explains why it is so hard to create a new spell.

“Which is why I am taking on the suicidal task of assembling a new, untested spell-formula on the spot.”

I WONDER WHERE SHE GOT THAT RECKLESSNESS FROM

From Avengers v8 #5.

Also these two pages are incredible.

If someone had any doubts Clea wasn’t powerful enough, here’s proof. There are few occasions in which she displays such power, but never like this. I’m really happy to see the extention of her abilities in a way that only a Sorcerer Supreme would.

The last page shows the second thing I’m really looking forward to, which is Harvestman and Clea’s team-up! I had months to reflect on their possible relationship - assuming he’s not Stephen. Plus the idea of Clea developing a bond with someone on her own really excites me.

PS: the page says "to be concluded”. Jed tweeted that it must have been a mistake. The title isn’t canceled (hopefully), we have more issues to come and we also need Stephen back!!

Overall, I think this chapter, despite the same feeling that I wish I had more, found the perfect balance between emotional growth and epic fights. First half gave a deep insight into Clea and Umar’s complicated relationship and it was enough for both of them to rethink where they’re standing and where they could go if they wish to heal and bond. Second half was epic in many senses, and I can’t wait to see Clea and Moon Knight teaming up!!

In short, this chapter was AMAZING. I really loved it.

Gods, this comic book is amazing, but it’s also such a torture to wait for 5 weeks to get a new issue. That’s not fair y’all :(

[naturiisms]

if you’re hearing CAN U MEET ME THERE by ISSADORA AVA playing, you have to know AYANNA TAHERI (SHE/THEY; NONBINARY) is near by! the 23 year old has been in denver for, like, TWO MONTHS. they’re known to be quite UNPREDICTABLE, but being CHARISMATIC seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble KHADIJA RED THUNDER. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those PILES OF BOOKS ALL OVER THE PLACE, AN ICED COFFEE ON A SPRING DAY, FROLICKING THROUGH FLOWERS AND CONNECTING WITH NATURE vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around THE WOODS long enough!

STATISTICS:

full name: ayanna taheri

nicknames: yaya, yanna, sunny

birthday: february 2, 1997

hometown: ann arbor, michigan

occupation: social media manager at Green Thumb Cafe

hobbies: taking care of her houseplants, collecting books she'll never read, biking, hiking, and ceramics.

lives: the woods

BACKGROUND:

ayanna grew up in a typical suburban family with an older brother and two loving parents to dote on her. coming from a stable family gave ayanna the opportunity to hone their creative talents and push herself to become the best version. starting in ballet at 7, moving to gymnastics at 10, then flute and piano at 12, until they took their first art class at 14 where they realized this is where they could truly express themself. change is not an issue for ayanna if it means going after what she wants.

her next four years of high school were something she only imagined happened in movies. crossing the canadian border to visit art museums in ontario with their friends, going to local farmers markets on the weekends, submitting their art to competitions hosted by the school. finding the next adventure was always first on the list for her and her friends, academics usually falling second. they didn't do bad in school, but definitely had no interest in going to university since they'd only want to pursue art, anyway.

after graduating high school, ayanna found herself moving from her cozy suburban town and leaving all of her friends to go "find herself" on a cross country road trip. their parents bought and converted a van for her, and she set off on her drive to washington. along the way they stayed in various cities for different amounts of time, working odd jobs here and there. each city they went to, she found an art studio where she was able to continue creating and often left the pieces behind for the studio to share with others.

about a year into the road trip, still meandering through the country while they slowly made it to their destination, she found herself stopped in arizona where she parked her van for 2 years. it was here that they met their long time ex-partner, who they would finish their roadtrip with. they met at a ceramics studio, where she realized she was actually really good at it. after the first date they were practically inseparable, alternating between staying in her van or her partner's apartment. eventually, they downsized lyla's apartment and started the roadtrip to washington where they lived in a tiny house until they broke up a year ago.

after the breakup, ayanna spent the first few months renovating her van that hadn't been used in quite a while; only for camping trips or little roadtrips they planned. after she'd started picking her pieces back up and using renovation as therapy, they decided it was time to pick up and start a new adventure. this is how they ended up in colorado, spending 6 months in colorado springs before driving the van to denver 2 months ago. currently, she parks her van outside of their apartment at the woods where they plan to convert it into her own ceramics studio.

HEADCANONS:

ayanna got her job at Green Thumb Cafe by parking her van there the first two weeks she was in denver. she'd go inside every day for a little breakfast or lunch and eventually her and the owner got talking about the photos she'd taken of the cafe and the plants he could see from their van. she started a clipping trade day through instagram and has been the social media manager since.

they are seriously afraid of dogs but have a pet tarantula. logic? not here

favorite colors are sage green and lilac

she grows her own herbs and tomatoes and strawberries

[not-orphaned-account]

The Gift (Matt/Mello)

Okayokayokay so this turned out a bit more angsty than I meant it to, but it's all okay! The boys are just going through some stuff jdhfbsbdh

Thank you so much @maybe-i-am-boring for the request!! I hope I did it well ^^

(Note: This comes before any sort of romantic relationship between them, but it’s like. A lead in to it lskjfldsjf)

Matt had come to the conclusion that he was, in fact, stupid.

Screw being a genius. This was possibly one of the dumbest things he'd ever done. He didn't have the excuse of being drunk or high; he simply saw the stupid thing in the window of a store on the way home, and less than ten minutes later he was walking through the door to their apartment with a bag of groceries in one hand, and a smaller, significantly lighter paper bag in the other.

He didn't call out to Mello when he got inside, not like he was hiding from him or anything. Because that would be ridiculous. And then he'd be ridiculous *and* stupid.

"Matt?"

Ridiculous and stupid and clumsy, apparently, because Mello's voice out of the quiet made him fumble the bags and nearly drop the groceries. Luckily he didn't, and the milk and eggs stayed intact, but he did drop the other bag to the floor with a soft fwump.

Mello was leaning in the doorway, frowning. He looked tired, dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. His visible eye had a dark shadow under it, and Matt would guess the eye under the bandages would be the same.

"Hey."

"I didn't hear you come in," Mello said, though his eyes were already glued to the paper bag on the floor, like a goddamn cat honing in on something new in it's perfectly ordered environment.

"I just got back," he said, lamely trying to shift to hide the bag from view. "Oh--I picked up your painkillers."

His distraction worked, though Mello seemed reluctant to take his eyes off the bag. When he did, he straightened himself a little and held out his hand.

"Well?" He said, settling into the brusque attitude he'd been trying to uphold.

Matt rustled through the grocery bag for a second before handing him a bottle of the strongest painkillers he could get without a prescription. Mello grabbed them eagerly, before seemingly remembering he was supposed to be tough and unaffected, and almost dropped the pills with how quickly he slowed down.

His fiddling with the lid and safety seal gave Matt the out he needed, and he grabbed the paper bag off of the floor and held it behind the groceries.

Without looking, Mello said, "you planning on showing me whatever moronic thing you bought this time?"

He was probably assuming Matt had impulse-bought a game or something stupid, which he didn't entirely blame him for; it wouldn't be the first time it happened. Matt almost wished it was that, but he accepted his fate and took a deep breath.

"Actually, yeah," he said, trying to sound casual and aloof. "I, uh. I got you something."

That seemed to pique Mello's attention. He stopped digging around in the bottle to fish out the cotton ball and looked over with a glint of curiosity in his eye.

"Oh?"

There was really no beating around the bush, Matt supposed. He set the groceries down on the counter and reached into the bag, pulling out what he'd bought: a small, soft, brown teddy bear with a little blue bow wrapped around its neck.

Mello's eye widened slightly before his face snapped back to neutral.

"I, uh," Matt stammered, looking down at the floor, "I saw it on the way home and remembered...you know."

Mello didn't move, didn't say anything. Matts palms were sweating.

"Remembered what?" He finally asked. "I've never had a teddy bear."

Maybe Matt was stupid, but Mello was a liar.

He wasn't quite sure why or how he remembered it, or why seeing the bear in the shop window brought the memory flooding back, but he very clearly recalled that when they were young--around Matt's first few months at Wammy's--Mello had a teddy bear that looked exactly like that one. They were six, and some of the others in their dorm were younger, so most of them had some sort of comfort item; Matt was almost sure his was some raggedy old blanket that he'd shoved under his bed after a few years.

They weren't the oldest in the whole school, of course, but the older kids' dorms were in a different wing, so they didn't interact all that much. Despite that, Mello had managed to piss off at least one person in every grade, and while matt wasn't really his friend yet, he could tell that he held some sort of pride in that fact.

Until the day he walked into their dorm to see a group of older boys--maybe around twelve or thirteen--crowded around Mello's bed.

"--a freak," he heard one of them say, and he flinched at the word. "You act so tough, but you're just a bed wetting, snot nosed, back talking freak of a kid."

Matt, having gone unnoticed, crept around to peek between two of the boys. Mello was sitting in his bunk with his knees pulled up to his chest, glaring at the kid shit talking him, who held his bear above his head in a mocking gesture.

"The little brat has the nerve to mouth off when he sleeps with a *teddy bear,* one of the other boys snickered. "What, you suck your thumb too?"

It might have been the first time that Matt had heard Mello be completely silent. He wasn't fighting back, wasn't snapping some sort of smart argument; he was just sitting there, quietly glaring but not saying a word.

Then his eyes shifted to Matt, and his cover was blown. The older boys spun around to see the quiet, strange new kid standing behind them, and Matt felt a sense of satisfaction at the way they seemed startled.

"You're not supposed to be in here," he said quietly.

"Sure we are," said the kid with Mello's bear in his hand, though Matt could see right through the sneer on his face.

"Oh," he said, "alright. Then you won't mind when roger gets here to look at the light that keeps going out."

That got the boys scattering, and the door slammed shut behind them, leaving the room empty except for Matt, Mello, and the bear laying in a small heap on the floor.

Mello stared at him. Matt stared back, not entirely sure what to say.

When it was clear that neither of them were going to say anything, he walked to his bed to get what he'd came for--the gameboy shoved under his pillow--and left the room again.

He'd found the head of the bear in the dumpster the next day, jaggedly ripped and leaking stuffing like some sort of teddy bear crime scene. He never did find out where its body went, but he knew that Mello never did anything in halves, and he didn't quite feel like poking around campus for the rest of the corpse, so he left it there and never thought about the incident again.

Until now, apparently.

"Oh," he said, raising a shoulder lazily, "alright, guess I misremembered. Well, you might as well keep it. I mean, no use chucking it out, right?"

"We don't need a teddy bear laying around," Mello shot back. Matt shrugged.

"I'll keep it, then. Put it on my desk or something--programmer's rubber duck, y'know?"

Mello's eye twitched--only slightly, barely a movement at all--and Matt knew he'd caught him.

"You don't need any more junk cluttering that thing," he said. "You barely get any work done as it is. I'll find a place to put it, if you want to keep it so bad."

And that was the end of it. Mello downed his painkillers and went to lay down, leaving matt in the kitchen holding a stuffed bear with a bag of groceries laying forgotten on the counter.

He didn't see the bear again, and after a few days, he'd resigned himself to the fact that Mello either threw it out, or stuffed it into a drawer somewhere for it to be forgotten forever. He didn't know quite what he'd been expecting--Mello wasn't really a 'teddy bear' type of guy--but it still left him a bit dejected. He tried to ignore it--he knew it was a dumb idea, after all.

And then the day came when they had to change Mello's bandages again. They'd done it just before matt had went out on his fateful shopping trip, so Mello had had a few days to recover, but his burns weren't healed yet and as much as matt hated seeing him in pain, an infection was the last thing they needed. So he sat Mello down on the bathroom counter, watched him down some painkillers, and got to work.

He hadn't seen Mello cry since they were very young, but the closest he'd seen him come to tears was when Matt treated his burns. Matt had never been burnt this bad, so he didn't know how it felt for Mello, but it definitely couldn't have been anywhere close to pleasant. Still, he said nothing, instead sitting as stiff and still as he could with his hands white-knuckled in his lap, blue eyes staring into middle distance like he was trying to be anywhere but there.

For some reason, this time seemed especially bad. Mello flinched, taking sharp little breaths and clenching his hands so hard his nails cut into his palms, and Matt had to grab a few bandaids in the middle of what he was doing. By the end of it, Mello was trembling slightly, and he winced when Matt helped him down.

"Go get some rest," he said softly. Mello nodded, already shuffling out of the bathroom with a glass of water and his pills.

Matt was getting more and more used to this, so it didn't take him long to tidy the bathroom. After, he leaned against the counter with a deep sigh, looking up at his reflection for a few long moments. There were shadows under his bloodshot eyes, and his face was pale than normal--though, that might just have been from the dressing change. Matt had never had a strong stomach, and with how difficult this one had been, he felt a little shaky in the knees. He hated seeing Mello in pain, but that seemed to be how things were now: Mello in pain, and Matt being unable to do anything about it.

He had never felt so useless in his life.

There was no time for pity parties, though, and after a few deep breaths and splashing some water on his face, he left the bathroom.

Mello's bedroom door was cracked open, at Matt's insistence--*"what if something happens and I can't hear you?"*--but the light was off, and he figured Mello had already fallen asleep, worn out from the pain. He paused by the door, listening for his even breathing, when he heard something that made him freeze.

A small hiccup, a quiet whine, and an unmistakable sob. Mello was obviously trying not to be heard, and Matt briefly considered just leaving him to have his moment; he didn't want to embarrass him, or cause a fight. But each quiet, stifled noise was like a bullet to Matts heart, and after only a moment of hesitation he slipped inside and slowly, quietly made his way over to the shadow of Mello's bed.

Mello was curled up on his good side, and Matt could see his shoulders shaking even in the dark. His sounds were muffled, like he was burying his face in a pillow or something.

"Mello?"

Mello gasped, tensed, and shot up--or, tried to. He only moved about an inch before crying out in pain, and Matt hurriedly moved to his side to help him lie back down.

"It's okay," he soothed, though he wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to. "It's okay. Shh."

Miraculously, instead of fighting him, Mello went limp in his arms and let him lay him back down over the mattress. His fingers brushed against something soft, startling him.

"What--"

Matts words died in his throat as his eyes adjusted to the dark, and he saw what Mello had been clutching in his arms.

The teddy bear's head poked out from behind Mello's shoulder, staring at matt with soft, embroidered eyes.

Mello mumbled something, voice still muffled by the bear. Matt hummed, leaning a knee on the bed to get closer.

"What did you say?"

There was a shaky, wet breath before Mello spoke again.

"It hurts, Mail."

At this point in his life, matt had been sure there were no more ways his heart could break. But in that moment, he could swear he felt it shatter.

Moving slowly and carefully, he rounded the bed and squeezed himself between Mello and the wall he was facing. He went to place a hand on Mello's shoulder, but froze just before his fingers brushed the bandages, and settled for hesitantly laying his arm over his hip, below where the burns tapered out.

He couldn't think of anything else to say than, "I know."

They lay there for what could have been forever. Mello's tears eventually stopped, leaving nothing but a damp spot soaking into the pillow. Matt rubbed his thumb in soothing circles over Mello's hip, eventually working up the nerve to tilt his head up and place the softest of kisses just above his right eyebrow.

And the teddy bear lay cuddled between them, pressing against Matt's heart.

[scholarlypidgeot]

Something about The Mind Electric by Tally Hall if it strikes your interest? :)

Ren fell silent for a long time. When she’d finished putting his words onto the page, Pat did as well. It wasn’t a comfortable silence, and from across the table, Pat could see something in Ren’s face she’d never seen before. In the shadows of the past, the once soft edges were now hard and broad, as a hammer or statue might seem in a ruined room. His brow sat heavy over his mismatched eyes in a true scowl, and his mouth had disappeared under his beard. His hands on the table were folded, not quite white, but tense and tight. I Never before had Pat considered just how easily he could be brought to violence. 

The part that surprised her was that she didn’t feel threatened by his silence, or his tension. His anger was broad, but honed very sharply in a singular direction. She remembered the night when he had faced Vlad in the library, the heavy rage that growled out from behind the unfeeling mask of a Hunter. He didn’t hate her. She wasn’t even sure if he hated the Prince- at least the one she knew. Erik, though. Her skin crawled at the thought of the High Prince of the Gold. She couldn’t imagine what Erik’s existence might do to someone who had lived under him, believed him, spent every moment inches away from teeth that would not tear you apart physically but far worse would destroy any image one might have of yourself. Teeth of punishment for any misstep, dealt not with malice but with calm precision. The same precision as the once Auxiliary Wrenfeld, but with perfect control. Never unbalanced, never misplaced. 

*** 

The fury was a light in the darkness of my mind as I trailed behind the High Prince. The farther we moved from the Embassy, the tighter the fear became, trying to cut off breath and thought alike. Every second was like a condemnation to death. I did not believe my decision was wrong. But I did sense that the Prince disapproved, and his disapproval was not a weight I could bear for any length of time. 

“Auxiliary.” 

“Yes, Sir Prince.” It was far more eager than I’d wanted it to be. I bit my tongue. 

“How do you think that went?” 

The question was a trap, somehow. It was clearly a verbal trap. He had won, which meant it went well. But I had just spent three weeks chasing after Eva. Abandoning my post at his back, bringing my silver sword elsewhere when she rebelled. 

Erik glanced over his shoulder. His eyes indicated he sensed my indecision. “Be honest, Auxiliary. How do you believe that went.” 

“Sir, I…” I took a deep breath. It felt heavy. “I…ask your pardon.”

“So you believe it went badly?” 

“I believe,” I said, and cast my eyes down, “that I chose badly. My emotions ruled me, misled me to misinterpret your commands.” 

“It was a moment of weakness. Perhaps followed by some others - weakness of will, and of body. When was the last time you ate?” 

I wanted to object that I had clearly been fighting fit, that my silver had cut cleanly and that I had held my ground. In fact, part of me screamed in its pride that I had slain an Unseelie. I, a Silver soul, had slain stray traitors to the Gold, once Golden themselves. I wanted to speak up to that, but then I felt my hands. With the rush of adrenaline over, they were shaking. 

“Come to think of it,” piped another voice, richer but harsher than Prince Erik, “I can’t remember last time I had a good meal either.” 

I jumped a little as the other Prince peered around me, his sharpened teeth far too close to my face. My tower of pride shattered all at once, crushing the flowering sense of freedom and life my excursion had provided. Training put my defenses on high alert, and I ignored my weakness to turn my full attention on the more feral of the Princes. 

“A need for rest does not necessarily entail weakness,” Erik chided his brother.  

“Oh, come on, Erik, I’m just having a little bit of fun.” But he stepped away from me. I was grateful for the High Prince for a moment - after all, if Vlad hadn’t eaten, and if he had decided to overlook his general distaste for anything except the wild people that lived outside the Protectorates - 

My thoughts scattered in a million directions as Prince Vlad suddenly shoved me back against a wall, hands on my arms, pinning me. Had he wanted to, he could have simply dragged me into the alley. His strength was more than a match for my size. 

But I acted without thought. His hands were on my shoulders, but his arms weren’t stiff. It was a show of power, nothing more. Exhaustion and fury combined to turn my mind off entirely, long enough for me to grab the sides of his coat and drag him forward until our foreheads collided, leaving us both dazed. The moment his arms released me, I let go and dodged around him, backing away. My hand, I realized too late, rested on the hilt of my silver blade. 

My eyes glanced over to Erik, who had stopped walking and turned around to face us. His expression was disappointed. 

“Auxiliary,” he said, slowly, barely even considering the words, “give him your arm.” 

Vlad’s face shifted from surprise to mild disgust, and his attention turned back to Erik. "Come on, Erik. If you're going to do that at least make him run first.” 

“He needs to learn his place.” The Prince’s eyes locked on me, and he frowned. “If he was not here in any other capacity, I would render the punishment myself. But I won't make him waste energy. Just an exercise in humility.” 

He was warning me. I knew it. I ground my teeth, and ignored the throbbing behind my brain as I struggled to think. I stood my ground until he spoke again. 

“Auxiliary Wrenfeld.” His eyes bored into me. “Kneel, and give Prince Vlad your arm.” 

Vlad turned toward me, stiffly, but I saw his hand twitch slightly. Joke or otherwise, his hunger was genuine. I debated my options. I could run, but I would be caught. And that would be humiliating to my honor as an Auxiliary. I couldn’t even face my own two Princes, couldn’t take judgment where it was wise? 

I knelt. Vlad sighed as he stepped forward like he was undertaking a laborious and boring task. I held out my arm to him, and he grabbed it roughly. Our eyes met. To his credit - and I will give credit to them, where it is due - he wanted this no more than I did. The crime here was not his. 

When his teeth met my flesh, he tore, with a shake of his head like a dog with a rabbit. I wanted so badly to respond, to trade like with like. But I also knew Prince Vlad’s reputation. Any retaliation would excite his hunter’s instinct. Once, I had admired his role, like the Ambassador’s, as a hunter of hunters. Now I knew he was a passion-driven fool who would chase and consume anything that seemed fun to kill. It was humiliating enough that I was reduced to cowering food. I would not become prey. Not again. 

Through the beating of my heart, heightened under the rhythic thrum of his throat taking my blood, I thought I heard distant singing, placid and peaceful. It twisted, somewhere in my mind, to the music Eva had hummed during our adventure. My passions acted in time, rearing up and begging me to lash back, or perhaps to flee. I gained mastery over myself, and did neither.

Vlad did not need to be told when he was to let go. When I began to tremble and the dizziness began, he released my arm. I heard him stomp away. Erik didn’t stop him. He stood over me, a shadow among shadows, just barely highlighted by the moon. I slowly raised my eyes to him. His face was unintelligible. 

My voice was ragged. I breathed heavily. “Sir Prince…” 

“You are lucky,” he said, coldly, enunciating. “The nature of your blood, and your loyalty thus far, is what has saved you from your own insolence.” 

“I understand.” 

“Understand this as well.” He knelt to my level, pressing his lips near my ear so I could hear even his whispers clearly. “Any more of this and I will not just take your blood. I know you better than anyone, Auxiliary. I know what you love. I know your hopes and desires. I know everything you have to give. If I see this again, you will give me each of the things you care for most. One by one. Until I am all you have. Understood?” 

And then he smiled. It was not cruel. It was not reassuring. I hated the smile more than I would have if it had been either of those. 

Then I understood that I was trapped. Desperately I wanted someone there, someone I could speak to, someone who could help me sort out what was going on in my spinning brain. I couldn’t tell- was the passion of rage really myself, or had I forgotten myself in my confusion, in pursuing Eva and protecting her? 

The sky had a grey glow over us as I held the door for the Princes to pass, ignoring the trembling of my legs. Somewhere, distantly, there was a rumble of thunder. 

______

I promise you. If I could make animatics. I’d hands down be working on a Ren summary animation to this. Unfortunately I have to settle for words to make my point, and I hope it gets across. Also fun fact! Tally Hall is a member of Miracle Musical. That's where the confusion came in for me.

Word Goal: 600 

Final Word Count: 1639

@redheadedbrunette @missimbalance @i-am-a-fre @elgringo30 @irishironclad @that-catholic-shinobi

if you'd like to be added to the tag list, let me know! Here's the song:

[berryscaryskies]

Shadow Moon Legacy Gen 6: Lynx

-So part of the description for this gen is that due to their heritage neither witch or vampire covens are very accepting and find Lynx(and her brother) to be sort of unnerving. When her and her brother were kids though I took them with Blaine to a trip to the magic realm and played pretend a bit about it all lol. I liked to imagine that while both of were equal parts of their heritage the siblings both leaned towards wanting the approval of different groups. In her teen years Lynx wanted to be more vampiric and was uninterested in magic while Alexei was more interested in honing his magical craft.

-for pretty much her whole life Lynx's only friend was in fact her younger brother Alexei, and the same could be said for him. They've always been best friends partly cuz they get along well and maybe partly because no one else in the world truly understands the other like they do. Alexei has supported her a lot thru the years, and was really the first person to put it in her head that she might be aro/ace(partially cuz he found her first boyfriend to be Extremely Unattractive which i thought was so funny cuz he looked like a pretty average sim in my book)

-Lynx's other best friend is actually her dog!! His name is Apollo, she adopted him and i actually had a lot of fun playing with his adventurous trait! Idk why I've never really done much with it or cared for those lil stories, but it felt right that Lynx would spend all of her days going on adventures that her dog pulled her into lol.

-Funny thing i didn't realize that Greg could just Show Up??? At Lots???? like i dont mind seeing werewolves out and about since Im playing a 10 generation vampire family with some spellcasters mixed in. Werewolves being a round makes total sense. but? GREG??????? i feel like he should not be allowed to leave his lot of his own accord for some reason lol. and he just showed up and immediately started pickin fights. It was funny tho i had Lionel do a polite introduction and they were kinda friends for a second before Greg attacked him

-Lynx and Baby Luna Moth :) idk why it just felt right that Lynx would name her kid something a bit silly. She's like a famous introverted musician who's whole motif is butterflies made of silver. One of gen 6's other things is their love of music and guitar, so playing her guitar has been one of Lynx's greatest joys in life ever since she was a young teen. It helped her vent her frustrations and just get through a lot of her emotions. Also it's how she expresses her love of romance despite being aromantic herself

-Also I've got a lot planned for Luna, and sub-sequentially Lynx a bit too 

Headshot of current Lynx and then a selfie she took with Alexei as teens.

[preston-logs]

LOG #1

Well. I’m home. It was around 2pm when I finally returned to Littleroot, it was nice to see my Mother again, I’ll admit. I couldn’t help but spare a bit of time to chat with her but she was in fact the one who urged me to go pick up my Pokemon... She certainly made me feel like I was 10 again. It admittedly instilled a tad more excitement in me than I thought could be possible about doing this...

That. However, was drained the second I stepped into Birch’s lab. On old childhood friend of mine, Felix, was seated comfortably inside and giving me the look over, as if he’d been waiting for me all things considered. It made my blood boil. Before I could even find my words, Felix began talking about how he’d heard I was coming back to do the league challenge and he was going ‘tag along’ because I need a ‘rival’ or whatever.

To be quite honest with you, I don’t want a rival, nor companion, but I managed to hone in my frustration and at least be civil... It had been a few years since I’d seen Felix and I’d rather not throw a fit in the lab right now. 

It wasn’t a hard choice. Mudkip. Easy enough to pick, evolves in a water/ground type with good coverage and resistances. When asked for a nickname I wasn’t quite sure, I’ve never been one for names but... Merryl was what I ended up going with. Felix picked Treecko, of course. However, this choice is proving to be my downfall right now and I’m not talking about type advantages, I’m talking about the fact that Merryl is an untrained little wretch of a water type who will not listen to a word I say, she won’t even go back into her pokeball! 

She is constantly wandering off and having to grab her is a pain every single time because she just soaks my jacket with ease! I don’t know how a beginner let alone me, a 28 year old man, is supposed to handle this! I’m doing my best to deal with her antics as much as possible though it made for quite an embarrassing struggle to keep her under wraps as Felix set off alongside. His Treecko seemed well behaved... why do I have to be stuck with this aggressive little brat?

Getting to Oldale Town I decided to part ways with Felix as I had my own issues to deal with in terms of Merryl. I know a lot of Pokemon raising is to do with care and getting through to them so if that’s how this was going to be then so be it. I decided the best case of action was to catch my next Pokemon now, whatever I saw first. A Poochyena. Good early dark type... He was quick to come along with some coaxing, I named him Rudolph. 

I wanted to say that my plan to show Merryl how a good Pokemon is supposed to act went well, I want to tell you that it went SPECTACULAR and that I am THRIVING out here in the woods with my dog and my mudfish but nothing is ever easy and I’m sure getting that lesson jammed straight down my throat today.

Upon my first battle encounter with a Weedle, Rudolph took one, singular, Bug Bite to the paw and dashed off, I hadn’t even had a chance to ensnare him in a Pokeball yet. and here I was. Yet again, stuck with Merryl on my lonesome, miserable, frustrating journey.

I’m taking a break to eat as I write this, up on Route 103 looking over the water... A quiet Wingull has joined us in sharing a sandwich I’ve bought, she seems friendly enough. I think she might be interested in coming along, if more sandwich might be in her future haha. 

-Preston